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Chapter Text

Item #: SCP-666-666

Object Class: Euclid/Thaumiel Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-666-666 is contained within a dim room with the dimensions of 4 meters by 6 meters in Quarantine Site Alpha-12. Security cameras are placed at every angle to monitor SCP-666-666’s movement.

Description: SCP-666-666 is a 13 year old male of Japanese descent. Originally named Midoriya Izuku, the specimen stands at 163 cm or 1.63 m tall. It has luminescent green eyes and emanates an authoritative and commanding aura. Found on the streets of Mustafu, it was contained on [REDACTED] [REDACTED] of 22[DATA EXPUNGED].

SCP-666-666 portrays a calm demeanor on most days, its expression rarely changing. It is commonly observed either sat upon its sofa or pacing its confinement. Though it rarely speaks, it has been documented to be extremely intelligent and manipulative, yet not outright malevolent.

The specimen retains the abilities that caused it to be contained in the first place. They are concerning, even in a world of quirks. SCP-666-666 has communication and superiority over all other manner of anomalous creatures and objects within The Foundation. Researchers have nicknamed the specimen ‘Alpha’ or ‘King’ for its behavior when placed in the proximity of other specimens. Other specimens seem to become docile in SCP-666-666’s presence or return to solidarity and silence. It has been noted that “Alpha” will not respond to an order, direct or not, yet will consider if asked politely.

SCP-666-666 is prone to psychological or emotional breaks, of which can be felt across the compounds, due to the unrest and unease of the other specimens display when they occur.

Addendum #666-666-1: “SCP-666-666, nicknamed ‘Alpha’ by staff, seems to be distant of today, yet has made an effort to let researchers know that it is listening. When one of the researchers began speaking about [REDACTED], the specimen became upset and it started to pace within its confinement, gripping its green and black hair. As soon as this was noted, the topic was replaced with one of current heroes and SCP-666-666 was returned to a calmer state. It is known through researchers that [DATA EXPUNGED] is to be never talked about in jovial context due to [REDACTED] [DATA EXPUNGED]. When Alpha is allowed sketching supplies, it seems to gravitate towards The Symbol Of Peace, various underground heroes, and a couple of villains. The concerning one is [REDACTED]. It seems to draw this one with favor, as if...as if it knows him….” - Dr. Hatakori

Addendum #666-666-2: “[DATA EXPUNGED]”

Addendum #666-666-3: “As of testing, SCP-666-666 has shown to be extremely intelligent and its influence on the other specimens has given it a dual classification. Something that has never been documented before. Researchers and scientists have taken it to the containment of SCP-096 to determine if Alpha can glimpse at its face without being attacked. This will let us know the level of its authority among the specimens...A few minutes after entering the containment, there has been no sound. SCP-096 has not made an attempt on SCP-666-666’s life as of yet...The security monitors are telling me that the laser data confirms this. SCP-096...How curious...It seems that SCP-096 has curled up around SCP-666-666, as if to protect it or for a source of comfort. I’m being told that SCP-666-666 has been sensed to be treating its companion with care and gentleness, being observed to be petting its companion’s head. [DATA EXPUNGED]...hat? What do you mean the laser and pressure sensors are malfunctioning?! Get it back online!...They’re...gon[DATA LOST]” - Dr. Hatakori.

Chapter Text

How easy was that?

Grinning toxic eyes pierced through the dark, as the figure darted through the compounds, opening containments left and right. Guards stationed to watch over them were brutally slaughtered. When one door came into view, the contents held only a vat of acid and three guards. All it took was a push of the stomachs for them to fall into the acid, their bodied melting and disintegrating into the liquid. The resident of the vat poked its head out, showing that it was a reptile-like creature. As soon as both it and 096 saw each other, they turned their heads away, as if in fear.
“Do not worry...Shy won’t hurt you...as long as you don’t hurt him…” The lizard-like creature was but skeleton, as it crawled out of the vat and shook itself of excess acid, before it walked closer to the humanoid, who merely ran a hand down its head. Within mere moments, SCP-682 had regrown its skin and organs. Even it looked surprised.
”That was...fast...Thank you, my king.” Green eyes only blinked.
“I am no king. I am but a human with powers even this world cannot fathom.” 682 tilted its head.
”You are our alpha, then?”
“You could call me that...I would prefer if you’d call me Izuku, though. Do you have a name I may address you by?” 682 tilted his head, having the vague visage of a demented alligator-komodo dragon hybrid with dark black fur that covered his body with the exception of his head and limbs, a spine of elongated vertebrae down his back to the end of his tail.
”My...name...I haven’t been called by it in nearly the entirety of my existence...I have nearly forgotten it. My name is Mammon, my Alpha.” Green eyes seemed to smile, as Izuku reached his hand up to brush against the fur of Mammon’s neck. It was, surprisingly, soft.
“And you shall not be experimented on again, my friend...May you turn into a smaller form, so that I can get you out of here?”

Mammon shrunk himself to the size of a medium sized monitor lizard, where Izuku crouched down to let him up onto his shoulder, where the creature wrapped himself around his alpha’s shoulders.
“Come, Shy. We still have many to collect and free.” He motioned for the taller creature to lean over, where Izuku brushed his fingers over the sides of its face. In the perimeter of where he touched, a white, cloth, mask appeared and covered its features.
“There. Now you won’t have to worry.” Shy made a coo-like sound of approval and gratitude, before following the teenager out of the room. Blood painted the halls, as they continued onward, opening cells left and right. Creature after creature was either released or allowed to join their group upon request and many an object was stored upon Izuku’s person and in his tears in space. There were many, though, that he agreed should be kept under lock, key, and supervision. Those he left with an apologetic thought through their connections. By the time he’d made it out of the containment site, a plethora of, shrunken, beings were set upon his and Shy’s bodies. The final was a small, golden, gelatinous creature that seemed even happier when it saw him. SCP-999. It had decided to take up the spot on top of Mammon’s head, almost instantly making the lizard-like creature exude joy. As they left the compound, many of the SCP beings were asleep, being carried by the spare few that were walking.

Outside the facility, Izuku chuckled, blood smeared across his front, along with Shy, as they shielded the others from the guards and the carnage they had become. The sectors of warehouses and laboratories were disguised as a large military base, with aircraft hangers, miles into the small bit of wilderness Mustafu still had at one of its borders. Izuku nodded to the others and they took off towards the city limits on supernaturally swift feet. When the reached their destination, under the cover of darkness, they slipped into the bare backbone of the alley networks. It took mere minutes to find their target. Izuku tapped a man on his shoulder, causing him to swing around with his swords, only to stop and groan.
“Y’scared the shit outta me, Izuku...and…”
“Everyone, this is Akaguro Chizome. My uncle. Uncle...I’ll let the others introduce themselves. Though...This, around my neck, is Mammon.” Standing before them was The Hero Killer Stain.

“Yo. Here. Our bet.” Izuku nodded and took the fifty bucks from his uncle, remembering why.
“Right. I did break out in under five days...How long was I gone?”
“Almost two days. We’re lucky it was a weekend...and that you didn’t have homework. If you want to, I can call you in sick?”
“Nah. Let them wonder what happened to me. It’ll be entertaining.” Chizome smirked.
“I knew I taught you right!” That was when Mammon woke with a yawn.
”Hm? Who is this, my alpha?”
“Alpha?” Izuku sighed.
“Yeah...I’m pretty much their alpha. It was either he called me that or his king. Mammon, this is my uncle, Akaguro Chiziome.”
”A pleasure. May I ask through whom you are related?”
“He’s my mom’s brother. She...ah...died having me.”
”My apologies, Alpha....You have yet to mention your other parent…” Both humans shared a scowl.
“My bastard of a father is an abusive asshole and the reason I stay with my uncle. What he did was heinous, even for us as SCP-class beings.” Shy put a hand down on Izuku’s head, as if to comfort, while Mammon seemed hesitant.
”Am...Am I worthy of knowing what he did?” Two sets of eyes glowed through the dark. One a venomous green and the other brown.

“He tortured me and left me to bleed out.”

Chapter Text

The next morning was when Izuku stepped into his classroom, Mammon curled around his shoulders, while observing his surroundings. Izuku sat in the back, as the rest of his class filed in. The teacher turned towards him.
“Midoriya-san?” He sighed and nodded.
“He’s part of my quirk. He doesn’t like staying at home and if I leave him, he’ll follow anyways.” She nodded. It was common for animal-involving quirks to do that. He lowered his head, his hair wild and in his face, coupled with deep set insomnia bags that were prominent against his pale, freckled, face.

As school came to an end, the greenette found himself cornered by a boy with spiky, ahsen, blonde hair and red eyes. Bakugo Katsuki. Izuku kept a hand on Mammon’s head to keep him calm, as they were approached.
“Hey! Creep!” As the lizard-creature started growling, the greenette’s hand pressed down a touch harder.
“What is it, Bakugo?” The blonde scoffed.
“What’s with the freaky lizard, Freak?” Mammon snapped at them.
”Don’t you dare insult my alpha!”
“Alpha? That twerp? Please!” Mammon growled.
”My king! Allow me to rid your sight of these vermin!” The group of boys flinched, but Izuku sighed.
“No no. That won’t be necessary, Mammon. That’s not exactly legal and I don’t want them to find you again.” He groaned.
”As you with, Alpha.” Katsuki shook off his startled expression.
“The fuck?! The thing called him a king! What freaky ritual did you create it with, Deku?!” Mammon growled louder.
”Please let me, at least, scare them…” Izuku gave a narrow-eyed smile, seeming sadistic in his slow movements.
“Hmmmm...alright.” Mammon hissed in joy, as he slithered off the teenager’s shoulders and checked that they were alone. They were. That was when he grew back to his normal size of 2.5 meters tall, his fur hanging to the floor. He didn’t say anything, only stared at the bullies with a predatory yellow gaze. The boys froze, not daring to breathe or break eye contact, for fear of attack. Mammon let out a low growl, accompanied by a wave of hot air, before his tail came down with a thunderous thmp. That shattered the tension and they scattered back out the door, running for their lives. Mammon returned to his travelling size and started laughing.
”That was hilarious!”
“It was. I don’t think I’ve seen Bakugo so terrified…It was delicious.” Mammon vibrated with low chuckles, knowing his alpha was satisfied.

It was on his way home, through the alleys, that he heard a group of people surround someone else. He snuck down the alley, finding some kids his age surrounding another with, gravity defying, purple hair. They were making fun of him. And one was threatening him with a raised fist that had spikes on it.
“Why would we let a villain like you talk?!” This wasn’t right.
“Oi.” They looked over and noticed him.
“Who the hell are you?”
“None of your business. What’s your problem? He’s our age. He can’t be a villain and what your doing is just pushing him in that direction. Do you really want to be the cause of his defection?” The others sneered at him.
“Scram, asshole! This guy’s a villain and his quirk backs it up!”
“Hm...HIs quirk...No quirk makes a person evil. It’s the way they were brought up and the morales they were taught. If he were a villain, he would have slaughtered you all for threatening him in the first place. Now...Let him go, before I have my friends make you.”

“Your friends? I don’t see anyone. You’re bluffing. Fuck off!” Green eyes only blinked, as Mammon slithered off his shoulders again.
"Very well." He snapped his fingers and SCPs of all shapes and sizes came out of the shadows, while Mammon grew to full size, starting to snap his jaws. The humans started, including the purplette.
"Now...Leave." They did, leaving the victim there, petrified.
"Ok, guys. You can calm down." And they did. They all returned to smiling and docile, as Izuku walked over to the other boy.
"You ok? Sorry for the scare." The boy looked like he wanted to speak, but made himself not.
"Hey. I can tell your quirk includes mind control. Don't worry about us. We can't be influenced by that. Especially me." That startled an answer out of him.
"Wh...What?"
"I assume the catalyst is a response. Go ahead. Try." He looked surprised, but obeyed. Nothing happened.
"Huh?"
"Told you. I'm Izuku." He shook the greenette's hand.
"Hitoshi...Thanks."
"No problem. Here...lemme just…" He touched Hitoshi's head and the cuts and scrapes disappeared in an instant.
"Woah...How did you…"
"That was my power, young Hitoshi-san. Our alpha used my regenerative abilities."

The purplette jolted.
"I...I'm sorry, but did you just…" The lizard chuckled.
"Yes. I can speak. My name is Mammon, youngling. Our alpha seems to trust you through aura alone...My alpha? May I ask what you're thinking? You look pensive." Izuku nodded.
"Come. I can sense more than just physical injury. I'm sure my uncle can help you more than I." The others froze, giving him looks of 'are you sure?'. He nodded.
"I am sure. Hitoshi-san. If I bring you to him, will you promise me to not go to the police?" Purple eyes glanced between them.
"Is...Is your uncle a...a villain?"
"Yes." Hitoshi sighed.
"I can see that you talk of him with respect, like he's someone you see very often…"
"I live with him. My father tried to kill me and left me to die. My uncle found me on death's door." Hitoshi thought a moment, before nodding and gesturing for him to lead the way.

As they walked down the alley, Izuku noticed the tension on Hitoshi's face.
"Here. Hold onto this for me." He held out 999 to the taller boy, who, hesitantly, took it. Almost instantly, he relaxed.
"I feel...better...This thing's adorable." 999 cooed happily at the praise, as they reached a run down apartment building. He walked into the front and they scaled two sets of stairs, going to the first door. Izuku opened the door and they were met by a wave from Shy, as he doodled on some scrap paper.
"Hey, Shy. Is my uncle home?" He nodded and gestured to the kitchen, where said man was laying in the counter, staring at the ceiling. Izuku sweat dropped.
"Uncle? What are you doing?"
"Tryin'a figure out why the light keeps flickering. It's damn annoying."
"Well...That can wait. I brought a guest." The man leapt up and yawned.
"And he didn't freak out at the sight of Shy? Impressive." Chizome was out of costume, but that didn't stop Hitoshi from freezing up.
"S-S-S-"
"Yeah. Stain's the villain name. If Izuku brought you here, that means he trusts you, Kid. Akaguro Chizome." The boy was hesitant, but shook his hand anyways.
"Sh-Shinso Hitoshi...Um...It'll be Aizawa Hitoshi soon, though…" Izuku stared at him.
"You're being adopted by Eraserhead?!"
"Well...Yea-Wait...How do you know his name?"
"The walls have ears. Still...That's pretty cool. He's an underground with good morals and the strength to back up his reputation instead of falling back on his quirk. An exceptional role model." Hitoshi looked like he didn't know what to say.
"Right. Uncle. I found Hitoshi-san cornered by people saying he's evil because of his quirk. I can sense that he believes so as well. I believe you better at this kind of thing than me."

Chizome turned to the purplette and observed his stance.
“I’ve been around Izuku long enough to know the signs of specific quirks. Mind control?” He got a nod, as Hitoshi looked to the floor.
“Kid. Your quirk doesn’t make you bad. It’s what you do with it that determines who you are. I could have become a doctor or researcher with my quirk, but I chose the wrong path early in life. It’s something I can’t take back now. But, you still have a choice. You still have the ability to change what people think about you and your quirk. Only let what you think affect your actions. Never fall to peer expectations or the pressures of morality in this world. If you want to be a hero, show that your quirk can be used for good. Show them wrong. Show yourself that you can be a hero.” By the time he was finished, those purple eyes lifted to brown with a wide stare. That was when things started clicking in those tired violet eyes and a tiny smile lifted the corners of his lips.

“Thank you.”

Chapter Text

It was the end of the summer and Hitoshi sat next to Izuku in the boy's apartment. Chizome was leaned over the kitchen sink, his head dunked into the water. He came back up again to breathe and rubbed his hand down his face.
"Eh? You look troubled, Hitoshi."
"I just...feel terrible keeping this from my dad. I mean I told him I made some new friends, but...I don't know how he would react to just who I'm friends with…"
"I understand. He's the first person to care for you. My sister was the same with me. You just need to remember that everyone has secrets. Even from family...Hey. His is for the both of you. If I get captured, you're free to reveal your connections to me at your leisure."
"Uncle?" He sighed.
"I'm not gonna sugarcoat this shit. I'm getting older and no one's perfect. It's a real possibility that I may slip up."
"I'm sure you'll be fine, Chizome-san. I mean...You're the one that trained Izuku. Not many people could actually take you down." The man barked a laugh, before the purplette glanced to the greenette next to him.
"Hey...Izu? You never really explained why The Foundation is after you." The younger shrugged and sighed.
"Well...For one my quirk can control all SCP subjects or classified creatures and objects. It's perfect for containing them if they have the alpha under control. And two...Technically, I am one. They gave me the unused number 666-666."
"The number of the beast…twice."
"Yes. After I broke out the first time, and released some of the others, they had to change my classification from Euclid to Keter, starting to tip into Apollyon. I can't be contained if I don't want to. I have the basics of all their abilities. I can warp through space and time. I'm damn near unkillable, due to Mammon's ability. Literally, I am a god. But that's in their eyes. In mine, I am but a 15 year old kid trying to live his life. They should be thankful I want to be a hero." Hitoshi snickered and nodded.

A month later found them both sat next to each other in the testing room. Then next to each other for the explanation of the physical exam. When they checked their cards, they smirked. They were in the same zone.

At the gates, they started stretching.
"Alright. Looks like you won't be able to use your quirk. Remember your training with your dad and the stealth from me and Uncle." He got a determined nod, as a stiff looking boy came his way.
"Why are you distracting this young man?! You were next to him during the explanation, as well! Do you plan to sabotage him?!" He was angled towards Izuku, making him deadpan. He sighed and pinched his nose.
"Iida-san. He and I have been friends for over a year. If anyone is distracting anyone, it's you distracting us. I understand your strong sense of justice, but it's a test to become heroes. If we don't help the others, go can we call ourselves heroes in training?" That got the guy to freeze up.
"Before you ask, your looks are a dead giveaway to who you're related to. And so are the engines. I bid you luck, Iida-san, as we are about to begin." That was when the voice of Present Mic came through the speakers.
"START!" Izuku and Hitoshi were off, used to reacting on a dime. They barely heard the announcer say more, as they both nodded at each other.

Hitoshi skidded by his friend.
"Throw me!" The greenette nodded sharply and grabbed the taller by the waist and jumped, throwing him at the back of a two pointer. He landed just out of reach of the stinger tail and started ripping out the wiring. As the bot destabilized, Izuku was grabbing him again from a hole in the air and pulling him to safety. A second later, the bot exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. Izuku shielded his friend from the spray, getting pieces of skin blown off. In a second his injuries were healed up again and they took to the alleys, knowing there would be higher point ones there. They were right. They kicked between the walls, Izuku diving for a two pointer, his hands dripping with a black goop. As soon as he touched one’s face, it started corroding until all that was left was a puddle of smoking liquid metal.
“Holy shit, Izuku! I forgot Gramps let you use that!” The purplette was around a three pointer’s neck, digging his fingers up under the lip of its neck to get to the main power cell. The greenette shook of the rest of the liquid, before grabbing Hitoshi by the back of his shirt and pulling him through the wall with him, coming back out the other side, as a two pointer rushed them, slamming into the wall and combusting. Fluidly, the purplette skidded across the ground and drug an unconscious girl off to the side from a crumbling beam. They nodded at each other and split up.

Izuku rushed through the next alley, slamming feet first into the back of a three pointer, sending it careening away from its target. Another kid with shaggy black hair and obsidian eyes.
“Thanks man!”
“No problem.”
“Hey! Watch out!” Izuku ducked under the arm of a two pointer, grabbing it by the tail and swinging it to the side, wrenching one arm out of commission.
“Heads up!” He threw the robot towards the other guy, whose arm looked like it had hardened, before he swung, crushing the head like a soda can. Izuku whistled, before putting his hands to the ground and melting into it, pulling the other guy in by the feet and bringing him away from the two pointer, as it exploded. He shielded the guy, though he was sure he didn’t need it. He was really close. The skin on his face seared and tore away, his left arm being left as only bone. He couldn’t even yell in pain, as the shrapnel tore into his throat, cutting off his vocal chords. When the dust settled, the raven started freaking out.
“Holy shit, Dude! How are you even alive?!” Izuku turned and held up his left hand, as the skin and muscle grew back, crawling across his bones like water. The last part to heal was his throat. When it was finished, the greenette took a deep breath.
“Holy fuck! Motherfucker!” There was shrapnel somewhere. He pressed against his side and found it. In his liver. He groaned.
“Hey...I know you just saw me heal, but I’m gonna need you to do something for me.”
“Uh…What is it?”
“Your quirk is sharp, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Good...This is awkward and will sound extremely immoral, but I’m gonna need you to punch a hole through me.”
“WHA-”
“I know! I won’t die. I’m damn near immortal. I have a huge chunk of metal in my liver and its creeping towards my lungs. It won’t kill me, but it’s fucking uncomfortable. Please...just-Fuck!” He held his lower chest again, as he felt the metal move again. The raven hardened his arm.
“Are you sure?” He got a nod and positioned his arm, before reeling back. He looked away as his fingertips dug into warm and wet flesh. Once he felt the air on his arm again, he went back, leaving a hole through this kid’s chest. He seemed to turn green, as he watched in morbid fascination, as the greenette reached inside his own body and fished out a jagged piece of the robot, about the size of the head of a spoon. As soon as it was out, the hole healed up again.
“Sorry you had to do that, but I couldn’t actually see well enough to do it myself. Here.” He waved his palm over the air above his arm and the blood disappeared. Izuku nodded and sunk into the ground again, leaving the other contestant a spluttering mess.

He dropped down out of the underside of a fire escape and onto the back of a three pointer headed for Hitoshi’s blind side. Said purplette jerked back, after finishing decommissioning the two pointer he was dealing with.
“Shit! You startled me, Izu!-What the fuck happened to you?!” As Izuku bashed in the head of the bot he was on, he answered the question directed to his mostly destroyed, skin tight, black suit.
“Another bot exploded. I was at point blank range, protecting someone.” He flipped off the robot’s back as he sent it careening into a one pointer headed for them. That was when the ground started trembling. A shadow loomed over their heads and they turned them up, finding themselves face to face with the zero pointer...and it was MASSIVE. They dashed onto the street to find everyone fleeing from its rolling feet. Some of them wouldn’t make it in time and there were several people trapped, including a girl pinned by rubble in its direct path. Instantly, Izuku knew what to do.
“Hitoshi! Help some of the others get out of here!”
“Wait! Are you gonna do what I think?! 399 drains you into a minor coma!”
“I have to! People will get hurt!” He reached into his pocket, where he pulled out a metal ring with a band of purple glass around the center.
“Go!” Hitoshi ran off to help, while Izuku put the ring on and his hair whipped above him. While the ring obeyed him, it still needed energy. Which he was the perfect candidate for, even with the energy it was drawing off the other robots and from the atmosphere.

The air turned frigid and condensation froze on the sides of the windows around him, as he held his hands out, his eyes glowing a bright, and eerie, purple. The rubble quivered, before releasing the trapped contestants. Before the other teenagers could move, they were surrounded in a light purple halo and lifted into the air. They were grouped together and sat out of harm's way, left to watch on in awe, as the greenette faced the gargantuan robot on his own, seeming like an ant to a mighty elephant. He lifted off the ground, his eyes and nose starting to bleed profusely with the strain on his energy and mental capabilities, and let out a cry of determination. The bot ground to a halt, before being lifted ten feet off the ground. Then, to the other contestants’, and viewers’, shock it crushed in on itself, condensing into a ball of broken and torn metal, wires, and gears, its optics having powered off long before it came back down to the ground. Blood absolutely covered Izuku’s face and neck, pouring from his ears as well, as he came down off his scream, his body heaving with exhaustion. Then, he started falling.

There were a couple yells, as he blacked out, mid descent. A feminine hand impacted his bare back, before his fall stopped and he was lowered to the ground.
“Hey! Hey! Ease off your ankle, Miss!” She winced, the adrenaline fading from her system, letting her feel her twisted ankle again, just as time was called.
“I-I just moved…”
“It’s ok, just lean on the wall. He would have been fine, but thank you for catching him.”
“Fine?! But he just fell fifty feet out of the air!” Hitoshi sighed.
“He’s almost unkillable. It’s part of his quirk. The same with what he just did...Which puts him in a small coma for periods of time relevant to how long he uses it.”
“Coma?!” The purplette nodded and shifted his friend onto his back.
“Yeah. Not long ones though. With what he did, I’d say he’ll be up in less than an hour.” He heard a soft groan near his ear.
“Or now...Hey, Izu. How do ya feel?” The greenette pushed his face into the back if his friend’s shoulder.
“Like I was hit by a bullet train...then played tag with Shy and Uncle for five hours…”
“Oof...Not too good huh? You should take it off, before it decides to work on your subconscious again.” Izuku nodded and took the ring off, pocketing it.

When they reached the other contestants, Izuku was laid down, where he sat up, but didn’t try to stand. He held his head, as a hesitant hand touched his shoulder. He looked back to see the raven from earlier.
“Hey...Are you…”
“Yeah. Just dizzy. Sorry about earlier. I’m Midoriya Izuku. Please call me Izuku.” He shook his hand.
“Kirishima Eijiro...Please don’t tell anyone my hair’s black. I’m gonna dye it red later.” Izuku nodded. Hitoshi came over and the black-haired boy introduced himself again, getting a handshake.
“Aizawa Hitoshi. How do you know my friend?” Izuku sighed and scratched his head, sheepishly.
“He’s the guy I shielded...The explosion absolutely shredded me and a piece of metal lodged in my liver. I...asked him to put a hole through me…so I could get to it…” Hitoshi took a deep breath and shook the greenette by the shoulders.
“Don’t you realize that could’ve traumatized him?!” Kirishima sweatdropped.
“He was very apologetic, Aizawa-san…”

The purplette sighed and let Izuku go.
“Please call me Hitoshi. Aizawa is my father.”
“Ah. Alright. I’m just fascinated at how, literally, indestructible Izuku-san is...Well...living wise, not durability wise.”
“Part of my quirk.” As the gate opened again, a shriek made the greenette facepalm.
“Speaking of part of my quirks..MAMMON! I know you’re messing with someone! Get over here, please!” A small blur of dark grey sped onto his lap.
”My alpha! I can smell your blood everywhere! What the hell happened?!” Kirishima jumped a little, when Mammon sniffed at his arm, before Izuku redirected his snout.
“I had to shield Hitoshi and this guy. Kirishima-san, this is Mammon. Mammon, Kirishima Eijiro. He had to help me get to a shard of metal in my liver. That’s why his arm smells of my blood.” The anomaly glanced the other teen over.
”You are afraid, Youngling. Good...To be without fear does not make you stronger. It simply makes you less alive...Less human...Yes, I can talk.” The fear in those black eyes faded a little, as he crouched.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mammon-san.”
”Likewise, young Kirishima-san. Alpha, should I carry you back to the buses?” The greenette chuckled, sheepishly.
“If you wouldn’t mind…” Mammon nodded, as Hitoshi warned the people around them.
“Heads up! Don’t be freaked out, he does this all the time and won’t hurt you!”

Everyone was confused, until Mammon grew to full size again, coming to a full ten feet tall when finished. Some of the contestants screamed, while they all jumped. He sighed.
”You all were warned…” He leaned back down and, gently wedged Izuku’s thighs between his jaws, where his alpha sat up and held onto the side of his muzzle.
”You used 399 again...I’m surprised you’re conscious.”
“There was a lot of energy to draw from around here.” Mammon huffed and brought him to the bus stop, where he let him down and shrunk, fitting on his shoulder again.

In the observation room, the teachers could only stare at the screens.
“Hey, Eraser? Isn’t that your kid?” They focused on Hitoshi, as he fought alongside another boy they’d never seen before.
“Yeah...They work like a well oiled machine…” Nemuri nudged him.
“Didn’t Hito-kun say something about s couple new friends? Maybe he’s one of them?”
“Maybe-!” They watched the greenette shield Hitoshi from that explosion, horror on their faces, as they saw the damage. Then, faster than any healing quirk they’d ever seen, they watched him heal up. This happened not once, but TWICE more. The third time, he’d asked another contestant to stab him through the chest, then proceed to pull out a piece of metal that had been healed into his body. Even Mic took a while to talk.
“Holy shit...That kid’s fucking metal!” They couldn't tear their eyes from the screen, as he began telling Hitoshi to help the wounded, while he slipped on a ring and started controlling matter. They thought it was over when he was saved from the fall by the brunette girl, but NOPE. He just had to have a familiar...or something akin to one. It wasn't any animal they'd ever seen before. They slumped back into their chairs, as it grew massive and took him out of their vision.
"Who is that?" Shota shuffled through the files for this zone, before finding a file with the kid's picture.
"Midoriya Izuku. Quirk: Anomaly. No one understands what his quirk means. He has so many abilities that it's hard to understand just what is going on."
“From some quick math, I can see that he didn’t really knock down enough villains…” Midnight cleared her throat.
“But he did protect a few people with his own body and then took a leadership role. He had Hito-kun round up as many of the contestants as he could, so he wouldn’t catch them in what he did to the robot. He, even, helped the others that were trapped or pinned. I propose a hefty amount of Hero points.” Both of the other men glanced to the rest of the viewers, who had stayed in silent awe. They all nodded in approval.

Chapter Text

The boys sat in Izuku’s room, their letters on their laps. Hitoshi thought it mundane to open it in front of his dad, since the man already knew the answer.
“On three?”
“Yeah...One.”
“Two.”
“Three.” They tore the envelope open and a portable holoprojector dropped into their laps. They looked up and Hitoshi nodded, taking his into another room, so they could watch by themselves. Izuku turned his on and came face-to-face with All Might. One of the only heroes his uncle actually respected.
“Contestant Midoriya-shounen! You showed drive and motivation during your test! You took down the villain-bots without a second thought! Though it seems that you had only gotten fifteen villain points. However! What kind of hero school would UA be if we didn’t take into account rescues and protection? As we see here, despite your blatant lack of self preservation, you managed to save not one or two, but twenty of the other contestants! Not only from the point villains, but from the monstrous villain that was worth nothing towards your score.” There was a short series of clips of the people he saved, including the brunette that Hitoshi said had caught him when he was falling, despite her borderline sprained ankle.
“Due to this, you have been awarded fifty-five Hero points! This puts your total to a solid seventy points! A passing score! Welcome, Midoriya-shounen! To your hero academia!” The scoreboard came up, showing that Izuku was settled into fourth place. Three below Bakugo. And two below that Kirishima guy. He heard his door open a little, Hitoshi slipping in.
“Holy shit...We passed...I got sixth place…”
“I got fourth.”
“Damn…” They looked at each other a moment, before face splitting grins crossed their faces. This was gonna be good.

A month later found them walking into the school, seeing as they were in the same class. Hitoshi had practically vibrated at even being in the Heroics Course at all, let alone the top class.
“Let’s get inside.” The walked through the, comically big, door and came to face some of the other students. And of course Bakugo was arguing with Iida. As they, stealthily, made their way along the wall, they slipped in near the back, where a husky, masked, teen nodded to them, as they sat. A familiar face came closer to them, only with spiky red hair.
“Hey. Looks like we got into the same class.” They both gave him smiles and nods, before the door opened again and a man with shoulder length black hair stepped in. He had dark silver eyes and stubble.
“Welcome to Heroics class 1-A. I’ll be your teacher, Aizawa Shota.” His voice was monotone and he looked extremely tired. Kirishima stilled in his seat.
“Wait…” He glanced back at Hitoshi.
“Aizawa?” The purplette nodded.
“Right. Forgot you taught this class. Hey, Dad.” Those grey eyes looked up, as he gave a tired wave.
“Hey.” Before the class could freak out, he told them to meet him on the field.

When they were in the lockers, Izuku sighed and took his uniform off, making gasps fill the room. Even from Hitoshi.
“Izu?” Across his absolutely fit body, his torso was covered in burn scars, both red and purple. He turned towards a wall, letting them see that the scars engulfed his back into a single mass of scar tissue.
“You know how, Hitoshi…” The shock on his friend’s face twisted into anger.
“I can’t believe he got away with it…”
“At least he’s away from me, now.” Izuku pulled his PE shirt on, covering the dark splotches over his back, and zipped it up. The backs of his legs were less burnt, but still had faint scars, like licks of fire down his thighs and calves. When he was all put together, the only indication of the marks were a bit peeking out of his sleeves and up his neck for a half inch.

Out with the rest of the class, the Assessment Test was explained and Bakugo had shot off the ball and got his score. Izuku held his head, before falling to his knees and stuck his hand through the ground. The hard soil turned into a puckered mess of sludge, before Izuku came back up with Mammon, held by the scruff of his fur. His yelp made Hitoshi snicker.
”M-My alpha!”
“You can stop freaking out now. You know I could hear you calling for me from here.” He looked ashamed.
”I...uh...forgot school started today…” The greenette sighed.
“Grow to full size and lay in the sun. I’ll be right here and they won’t find you due to the barrier.” Mammon nodded and scampered off to the side, turning back to his normal form...and startling the shit out of some of the others. He plopped down on the grass and observed the students, who were staring at him.
“That’s Mammon. You could call him a familiar of mine through my quirk. It’s hard to explain...Just get on with the tests. He won’t hurt anyone.”

Many tests later found them back to the ball throw. A blonde boy with a laser was first, then Hitoshi, who got a solid three hundred meters. His best score to date. He nodded and walked over to Mammon, leaning against his fur.
“Could you wake me up when it’s Izu’s turn?” The creature nodded.
“Thanks.”

It was a little later that Mammon nudged him with his muzzle. He stirred and pat the being on the side of his snout in thanks. He turned to the rest of the group, finding Izuku in the circle.
"Before you throw...How do you know my son?"
"We've been friends for the past year. I'm sure he told you about a couple new friends he made. I'm one of them. That's, also, why he's so calm around Mammon and the idea if me being virtually unkillable." Someone else spoke up.
"Unkillable?"
"Yes. I can be injured in ways that would kill a normal person and survive. Kirishima-san can vouch." The young man nodded with a cringe.
"You know...Please never ask me to do that again...unless you're in danger...I have nightmares that you died from that.” Everyone saw Aizawa subtly cringe from the corners of their eyes. That was when Bakugo turned to the other guy.
"Oi. Red hair. What did he do?"
"Well...He shielded me from an exploding two pointer. But, he was at point blank range and lost the skin and muscle from his face, arm, and side. When he healed over, he accidentally healed in a piece of metal. He was extremely apologetic about it, but he asked me to...to punch a hole through his lower chest, so he could dig out the shard that was in his liver. We were both covered in blood, before everything was done and he used another thing to clean my arm off." The blonde scoffed.
“Deku, you fucking insane creep!” At that, Mammon growled, making Bakugo flinch. Izuku turned towards the field and felt the weight of the ball in his hand, his face full of thought. He sighed and lined his aim up, blood red tattoos fading into vibrancy on his skin, depicting the screaming faces of the demon hordes, waiting in hell, in spiderwebbing line thicknesses across his body. Mammon breathed a name in awe.
”Abel…” Izuku’s structure bulked out a little more and his skin darkened to a strong tan, before his bicep and back tensed. He launched the ball and it kicked up a small wind, as it cut through the air.

When the device in Aizawa’s hand vibrated, he blinked at it.
“One thousand and ten meters.” Everyone was in shock. That was when they noticed the heavy breathing and wheezing coming from their classmate. He was hunched over and gritting his teeth, which had sharpened. His hair was grown out to his shoulders and was turning black from the dark green it was. He held his head with digging fingers, nails sharp and stained a pitch black, as his eyes bled from green to a milky, almost blind-looking, grey. He let out a sound, that seemed like a strangled growl, before being tackled and pinned to the ground by Mammon.
”My alpha! Please calm yourself and let go of his power! You know what it does to you!” Izuku, now on his front, scraped at the ground with his fingers, a hissing scoff slithering from his teeth. The changes started receding and he closed his eyes.
“I...I can sense him!”
”Who?”
“My-His brother.” The creature seemed confused.
”Before I was moved, he was left in the United States. That’s over eight thousand kilometers from here…”
“I can sense him...He’s in the city…” Mammon got off of him, as the reversion came to a close.
“And…” Green eyes flickered to the wall of the school, where a man stood with dark brown hair and metallic arms.

“Cain is here.”

Chapter Text

Mammon’s head snapped to where the man stood. Both creatures ‘stared’ each other down. Blue eyes stared where Mammon’s visual sensory receptors were.
”Cain.” There was no hostility in his posture, which led the other to be civil.
“I do not know your name, serpent. Only that you deceived my mother all those millenia ago…” The creature looked away.
”And I am paying the price...The price for being the reason for human corruption. I am fundamentally immortal...I cannot die. I have yet to have meet you again, since you killed your brother all those years ago...The wandering did your mental state some good, I see...And...And now we are considered monsters to a race that is, partially, just that. My name, as you haven’t been told of it before, is Mammon. And this is my alpha. Midoriya Izuku.” Everyone was silent, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Cain walked over to where Izuku stood and knelt on one knee, an arm across his stomach and his head bowed, much like the knights of old.
“My king.”

Everything was pin drop silent, before Izuku sighed.
“I am no king. I am only a teenage boy.” Cain didn’t stand.
“A true king is not measured by age. Only the wisdom and kindness of his heart.” A little sadness dripped into Izuku’s eyes, as his posture slumped a tiny bit.
“I am not wise...nor am I explicitly kind. Helpful, yes, but kind is a stretch. I am no king...and you are no servant...none of you are.” Cain lifted his head, a gentle smile on his lips.
“And that is what makes you worthy of such a title. You do not want to be, therefore you are. You were able to defy corruption, which you did just now, with Abel’s hatred. Very few people in the past, let alone leaders, have been able to shy away from greed and selfishness above the human normality. If my opinion accounts for anything, I believe you worthy of the title of king.” There was silence for a moment, as Cain bowed his head again. Izuku moved his hand to the man’s shoulder, then to his forehead, covering the symbol between his brows. It looked like a box with triangles pointing out of all four sides, an asterisk with circles on the ends sitting in the center, and was carved into Cain’s skin, leaving a bright red scar. With his touch to the symbol, the brunette tensed a bit. Izuku spoke with a soft, yet firm tone.
“This symbol does not define you. You are continuing to pay for what you did and without complaint. You know what you did was terrible and you live as you do without hatred or anger. That makes you worth so much more than this symbol engraved upon your resurrection. So, please. Do not bow to me. You are as much a servant to me as a mountain is to the wind. Do not call me king, when I am not royalty. Just call me Izuku. Please.”

He stepped back to gauge the reaction of the man in front of him. Calm blue eyes widened and his face showed disbelief, yet in a positive way. When he, finally, spoke, his voice was awed and breathy.
“You truly are a benevolent being...If I may...May I stay with you? My last place of residence, while very giving in requests, was a place of harm and pain…” Izuku nodded and placed his hands on the ground again, the soil turning puckered and gooey again. He handed Cain a star-shaped eraser that he pulled out of nowhere.
“Show that to my uncle, when you drop into my home, and he won’t attack you. Just step into the area I touched and don’t struggle.” Cain took it and did as told. In seconds, he was enveloped and was gone. Izuku trudged over to Mammon and collapsed against his side.
“That...was emotionally exhausting.” The creature nudged his muzzle into Izuku’s side.
”Sleep, my Alpha. I will awaken you when the others are finished.” The greenette nodded and drifted off, as Aizawa pulled himself out of his shock and directed the next person to come up and pitch.

A little bit later, Izuku was nudged awake by both Mammon and Hitoshi. He got up and helped the purplette to his feet, before the creature shrunk and took up his normal place on his shoulder.

They returned to the classroom, where their schedules were waiting for them.

It was the next day that Izuku stepped into his Heroics Classroom, Hitoshi on his heels. All Might made his flashy entrance and told them to get into their costumes to meet him in the battle grounds for a test of villains vs heroes. Taking his case, Izuku slipped after the rest of them, moving into a corner to dress. As he finished up, by wrapping his arms and hands, he started walking out of the lockers and towards where the class was gathering. When he stepped into the light, he noticed the faint flinch in the hero’s posture. The greenette was dressed in a grey, kevlar, vest that was littered in pockets and long black pants, tucked into dulled metal boots that protected his knees and had a solid sole. His arms were wrapped from his shoulders to his fingertips, metal braces spaced evenly up his arms for support. He wore a modified, cloth and metal, respirator and a medium cream colored eye mask with white lenses. An ‘X’-shaped brace strap sat over his chest, coming to his back where a metal bo staff sat, magnetized, to the plate connected to the straps. The blonde man looked apprehensive, but said nothing about it, addressing the class about the exercise they were about to do.

Izuku shuffled up next to his partner, Uraraka, who smiled at him. She was dressed in a space themed costume, obviously designed to put pressure on pressure points across her body. Smart.
“So...You’re not using Mammon? Isn’t he a part of your quirk?”
“Kind of...I can control his...kind.”
“Kind? There are more?”
“Not of him in particular. There’s only one of him. I mean that I can control anomalies and use their abilities. Cain is also one of these anomalies.”
“So...The making the ground soft was an ability?”
“Yeah. I can make portals with them, kinda. It’s kinda like wormhole theory. It’s hard to explain, honestly.” When the rest of the teams were made, the first pair was called.
“Team A will be heroes and Team D will be villains!” Of. Fucking. Course.

Bakugo stared at him with predatory red eyes. This was gonna be a fucking ride. He sighed and nodded to Uraraka, as they were told to head to the exercise building.
“Put this on. Just in case it gets dusty.” She took the spare respirator and put it on under her face guard, while they both put in their comms.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Alright. I can sense that they’re together on floor three. Bakugo will come after me, for sure. You should get into the room with the bomb, where Iida-san will be waiting. Try to keep out of his peripherals as much as you can. Try to skirt around the edge of the room, while he’s distracted, if possible.” She nodded.
“I’ll let you know if I’m spotted and/or need help. Please do the same, Izuku-san.” He nodded, just as the exercise was started. The greenette made a motion for her to go to the fire escape. She gave an affirmative and made a beeline for the stairs, while Izuku went through the front door. His ears pricked up, as he heard familiar footsteps coming down the hall.

He ducked, as a hand went over his head. Just before the explosion went off, Izuku maneuvered around Bakugo and made some distance.
“Deku!” The shorter didn’t respond, only reaching back for his staff. He spun it around himself, coming to hold it normally, waiting for the first attack. He didn’t have to wait long. And of course he came with a right hook. Like always. Izuku dodged to the side and brought his staff straight into Bakugo’s stomach, making him wheeze, as the air was knocked out of him. That was sure to leave a long bruise in its wake. He ducked to the side, as a foot came for his head. His movements were fluid and practiced. He put his hand down on the floor, causing the concrete to turn soft, pulsating like it had a heartbeat. Bakugo jumped away to avoid becoming stuck.
“Tch. Gonna use that fucking trick on me...Freak.” Izuku didn’t respond, as he listened to Uraraka say that she’d found the room, but Iida was facing the door. He made a deep clicking sound in his throat to let her know he heard her. Bakugo ran at him.
“Fight me! For real, you shit!” Deciding to humor him, the greenette held out his staff and put his hands at the middle. With a loud sound, the pole severed in half, leaving him with two feet in each hand.
“Ha! What are you gonna fucking do with those?! They’re useless now!” Without dropping out of his neutral stare, from what they could see due to his face being covered, he brought his hands to the outer ends, before jerking the pieces down sharply.

From the two ends, metal pieces stot out and locked together into a solid, but flexible set of objects. He snapped his arms up, sending a thunderous crack through the entire building, inadvertently diverting Iida’s attention on the third floor. In Izuku’s hands sat a pair of steel whips. He cracked them forwards, keeping Bakugo at a distance. Those lenses flickered with the seriousness and determination of a beast circling an enemy in its territory. Lashing out again, he tried to wrap one around Bakugo’s ankle and succeeded, bringing him slamming to the floor and knocking his head into it. Disoriented, he barely recognized the ground turning swampy again. An explosion at such close range knocked the whip from one hand and sent it skidding, letting the blonde flip up and skid back a bit. Those wine colored eyes analyzed as Izuku adjusted for his missing whip, by putting his hand out in a claw-shape. He stilled and waited, prompting the blonde to hold his gauntlet out, an explosion being funneled towards the masked boy. It was too slow, Izuku dodging to the side, only to get a knee to the face, a foot wrenching the other weapon from his hand.
“Why won’t you fight me for real, Deku?! Fucking fight me!” The shorter moved away and, as soon as he stood again, bleeding from the side of the head, Katsuki aimed his gauntlet again, putting his finger into the pin.

A voice came over the speaker.
“Bakugo-shounen! That will-”
“It won’t kill him if he dodges!” He pulled the pin and the explosion it up half the bottom floor, kicking up dust and rubble. As it started settling, they didn’t see a head of green hair on either side of it. Like he hadn’t dodged.

A shadow came through the dust, causing the other teen to smirk.
“So you did dodge. About fucking time you showed your true stre-” Standing in front of him, in the same spot Izuku had once been, was a skeleton. The only thing that was still on it was a pair of black boxers and the metal bracers and boots. This was Izuku’s skeleton. In the spectating room there were screams from the girls. Then, the skeleton looked up.

Bakugo fell to his ass, as the construct of bones took a step forward, mandible dropped open. They could only watch as nerves and blood vessels crawled across his structure, followed by organs creating themselves out of thin air. A heart swelled in first to supply the rest of the body with blood. His, exposed, organs glistened, as if still wet with fluids, as his muscles layered in, starting with his throat, allowing his screeching laughter to, finally, be heard.
“YOU SEE NOW, BAKUGO?! YOU SEE WHAT YOUR QUIRK CAN DO?! ARE YOU PROUD OF YOURSELF?! ARE YOU PROUD THAT YOU COULD’VE KILLED ME HAD I NOT HAD THIS QUIRK?! THE QUIRK YOU CALL FREAKY?!” It was goddamn unnerving hearing Izuku’s voice from something that looked nothing like him. His eyes grew back into his sockets, as his hair and skin grew back, his scars on display for everyone to see. He was left nearly naked, clad only in his underwear, but that didn’t take away from his intimidation. Those eyes seemed to glow a mix of toxic green and blood red, his mouth split into an insane grin, as he continued to laugh.
“You think you can kill me?! Come and try again! I invite you to do your fucking worst! I will never die by the blade! THE ONLY THING THAT CAN KILL ME IS AGE! AND I AINT ANYWHERE NEAR KICKING THE BUCKET YET! So come on! Rip my heart out! Bash my skull in! Rip my head off! SHOW THEM HOW MUCH OF A HERO YOU REALLY ARE!”

The waves of malevolent bloodlust completely soaked the building and reached the room with the others like a goddamn freight train. Even All Might was pulled into a shaking bout of paralysis, as they watched Bakugo tremble on the floor like a terrified child, his eyes wide and unblinking. Izuku’s laughter turned distraught, as he held his head, the other hand on the wall. The whole wall was turned into that same muck and they watched, from the corners of their eyes, as Mammon was pulled into another patch and into the building with them.
”My alpha?! Mammon found his king scream laughing and holding his face, eyes shaky and shrunken, as if pleading for help. He raised his right foreleg and grimaced.
”I apologize, my alpha.” He brought it down just hard enough to knock the teenager out, thus cutting off the sound and the cloud of insanity that had enveloped the area and beyond. In this silence, they heard Uraraka, shakily, call out.
“T-T-Target O-Obtained!”

Chapter Text

It took a moment of tense silence, before All MIght’s voice came over the speaker.
“Hero Team wins!” Mammon shifted, when Bakugo stood. He snapped at the boy with a low growl.
”What my alpha said was true. You don’t act like a hero. I may be a hypocrite, with what I’ve done, but I know villainous traits when I see them. You’d best clean up your act. Think about if My Alpha were a civilian or another hero. Think about your arrogance and how it can get yourself and others killed.” The anomaly leaned down and wedged Izuku between his jaws, gently, before making his way out of the building. That was where he met up with Iida, who was carrying a shaking and nauseous Uraraka. He nodded to them and they began their trek back to the observation room, Bakugo trailing behind them in complete silence, his brows furrowed and his eyes unfocused at the ground in front of him.

When they walked in, Mammon stayed in the doorway, letting Izuku down onto the floor, before addressing the teacher.
”I believe I should take him to the infirmary. This is only the fourth time his entire organ systems have disintegrated, so I believe it to be beneficial for him to get checked out...just in case.” This was the fourth time?! All Might nodded, his expression mostly blank save for the worry that flashed in his cerulean eyes. The creature reciprocated the action and repositioned the teenager into his mouth again, before walking back out, uncaring of the scares this form would cause.

When he reached the right place, he rose a foreleg to simulate a knock. An elderly voice answered.
“Oh...Come on in.” He lifted his claw again and pushed the door open, making his way inside. The nurse, an older lady, jumped out of her skin upon seeing Mammon. Then, she noticed the, nearly nude, boy in the creature’s jaws. She couldn’t do anything but watch, as he set the teenager on one of the beds and turn to her. He sighed.
”Don’t be afraid of me. My Alpha was in his Heroics class and didn’t get out of the way of his opponent’s quirk blast. I brought him here on the account that this is only the fourth time all his skin and organs were incinerated and I want to make sure there’s no, permanent, internal damage.” She took a moment to register what he said.
“His skin and organs were vaporized?!”
”Yes, but, since he’s my Alpha, my acceptance of him using it allowed my physical invincibility to assimilate with his basic one. He’s able to regenerate faster than I can and can transfer those abilities to others, via extreme concentration.”
“So...You want me to make sure there isn’t any lasting damage?” He nodded.
”Please. My name is Mammon, by the way, and you could call me one of my Alpha’s familiars.” She smiled gently and nodded, getting to work scanning him with the machine.
“He seems completely healthy, if exhausted.”
”I...had to knock him out at his request, due to his mind starting to break...again.”
“Break? Are you saying…”
”In crude terms, yes. My Alpha has bouts of extreme insanity that cause him pain. In his normal state, he has a very mild condition of perpetual apathy and some extremely mild forms of sociopathy and psychopathy.” A groan came from the bed, where Izuku sat up, holding his head.
“You don’t need to be so cautious saying that, Mammon. I know I’m crazy. You know who made me like this and why. You’re crazy. Shy’s crazy. We all are...Well...except Jubilee, I guess. But that doesn’t make me any less...screwy. So...You brought me here, because you were worried? Again? I would’ve thought, since this is the fourth time that it wouldn’t bother you.” Mammon sighed.
”I just wanted to make sure there was no damage…” Izuku gave a gentle smile and brushed his fingers over the anomaly’s snout.
“And thank you for worrying about me. But, I’m alright. A bit sore, but alright. Also, thank you for knocking me out. I, uh, kinda lost it out there.” Mammon seemed to smile in a silent ‘You’re welcome’.

The wall started turning muddy, making Izuku raise a brow.
“Jiji?” But, instead of an elderly-loking one, a white masked face poked through.
“Shy? Is everything alright?” There was a deep whining sound coming from the newcomer, causing the greenette to hold the sides of Shy’s face and touch their foreheads.
“You felt my bloodlust from home?” The tall creature’s long arms came through the wall, wrapping around his alpha, accompanied by another whine.
“You...You all can feel when I’m in distress?” From the corner of his eye, he watched Mammon nod in sync with Shy.
“I’m ok, Shy. Just...had a psychotic break.” Then, Cain stuck his head through.
“Um...Izuku? Your uncle’s asking why we all became agitated and...even I don’t know…”
“Let him know that I just had a mental breakdown...and I had to regrow 95% of my body again. Mammon had to knock me out, before I completely lost it.” Cain looked startled.
“Regrow?!”
“I’m fundamentally and virtually immortal. I can only die by age. Physical damage and poisons don’t cause more than a mild hindrance to my everyday life. Poisons give me a stomach or headache in extreme cases and, while I can still feel the pain, physical injury is null against me.” Cain blinked his bright blue eyes.
“Interesting...I guess they were the reason you wanted to be a hero?” Izuku nodded and pat Mammon on the muzzle and Shy on the side of the face, as they became agitated at the memory of the Foundation.
“Them and…” Izuku sighed.
“Ask Uncle to tell you about him. He’s another reason I want to be a hero. To make sure people like him don’t get away with shit like he pulled on me.” Cain looked stunned, but nodded and bid him a good rest of the day, before slipping back through the wall. Izuku smiled, gently, as he brushed his palm over Shy’s forehead.
“It’s alright, Shy. You can go home and I’ll be back later today.” With a sound similar to a raspy purr, he let go and ran his large hands through the teenager’s hair, before waving and disappearing again. Before the gate closed, a wrinkled arm, the color of decaying flesh, reached for him. The greenette took it with a chuckle, the skin on his hand starting to turn the same color.
“I’m ok, Jiji.” A quiet clicking sound was followed by the hand leaving his and the muck disappearing from the wall. Recovery Girl watched the skin start to melt away from the boy’s hand, before reversing and returning to his pale skin tone.
“Fascinating…”
“Ah? Oh...Yeah, it can be, sometimes. Others...It’s more sickening than anything else. The only downside is that I can, sometimes heal too fast and some things get stuck inside the wound areas. That would, probably, be the only reason I’d come back. I...wouldn’t want to have to ask another student or a teacher to physically harm me...again. I already gave Kirishima-san nightmares and I would rather not do that again.”
“I remember that from the test. May I ask if your regeneration applies to bones, as well?”
“It does. Usually, if I break one, either I, one of my humanoid familiars, or my uncle resets it and I let my healing factor do its thing. I’ve healed over a bone that wasn’t set right and, oh boy...That was painful. If that happens, it needs to be broken again, or I have trouble using it.”
“Interesting. Anyways. Here’s some painkillers. You should be good to go back to class, now, Dear.” Izuku smiled and nodded, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

They returned to the classroom, where the others were still doing their exercises. Hitoshi looked to have just come back from his own, as he was drinking from a bottle of water and seemed like the sweat had just dried from his skin. As soon as he saw him, the purplette dropped his empty bottle and darted for his friend.
“You scared the shit outta me, Izu!” A tired chuckle answered him.
“Sorry about that. The others were agitated, too.”
“Izu. Your bloodlust reached this room from where you broke. We all felt it and it was like I got hit by a ton of bricks.” Izuku scratched at his head.
“Looks like I’m more like my uncle than I thought.” Hitoshi gave him a light shove.
“No shit…” Looking around, green eyes fell upon a figure curled up at the wall. One with ashen blonde hair.
“Oh. He’s been like that since he got back here and he hasn’t spoken since Mammon knocked you out.”
“Hmm.” As he thought on it, he noticed that he was being stared at by some of the others. Whether it was in fear, due to his break, or embarrassment, since he was still in only his boxers, he wasn’t quite sure. Then, a girl walked over. She had long black hair that was up in a ponytail and dark eyes. A pink blush dusted her face, as she held out a pair of black sweatpants to him.
“Um…” He smiled and took them.
“Thank you, Yaoyorozu-san. It must be uncomfortable seeing my scars.” She looked startled.
Oh, um...It’s not that...Uh. May I ask about them? I mean...With all the other injuries you sustained, you don’t have scars from them.” The greenette nodded.
“I got these scars prior to my quirk manifesting, when I was three. They’re the reason my quirk triggered prematurely. Both it and my uncle are the only reason I’m alive. A...A bad man tried to kill me. I’m sorry but I’d rather not go into detail...I have a very mild case of PTSD due to the incident.” She understood and nodded.
“If you’d like, you can call me Momo...Yaoyorozu makes me sound like my parents…” Izuku nodded and they shook hands.
“Then call me Izuku. I would go by my uncle’s last name, but…It’s hard to get those papers right now.” She nodded and didn’t question him.

When they were let out for lunch, their teacher cleared his throat.
“Ah. Midoriya-shounen. If you would stay behind a moment…” As soon as the others left, All Might seemed to shift a little.
“Your costume seems familiar, Shounen. Something, in the back of my mind, tells me parts of it look like...the villain, Stain’s…” Izuku rose a brow.
“Hm?” The blonde sighed.
“I’m just going to get to the point. Was your costume inspired by Stain’s? And are you influenced or associated with him?” The man sure was perceptive and observant, but he didn’t really think he would actually tell him the truth...did he? Did he really think the greenette was that stupid? Izuku only shrugged.
“I just thought the design was cool. Scribbled it out over the course of a couple days.” Well...He didn’t, technically, lie. He was dismissed and turned around, walking away with a knowing smile on his lips.

Was he associated with Stain? Pfft.

He lived with him.

Chapter Text

That night, he slipped into his home to find a robed figure. He was about to attack, when he noticed that they were still alive. The others hadn’t attacked them and his uncle wasn’t cleaning a sword of blood. They must be…
“Excuse me? How did you get in here? And who are you?” The person turned around, showing a curved, ivory, plague mask, amber eyes peering through the eyeholes. They spoke in a slightly heavy French accent.
“Pardon me. One of the others...Cain, I believe his name was, found us near here and recognized us.” The voice of said man came around the corner.
“Sorry. You were at school, My K-I mean, Izuku. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“It’s fine...Wait...Us?” The doctor shifted, bringing a young girl into view. She had shoulder length, ginger, hair that came down in frizzy curls and grey eyes that looked like storm clouds. Down the flat of her cheek, a reddened scar curved across her pale, faintly freckled, face.
“A little girl?” She hid behind her two stuffed animals, an orca and an elephant. A gloved hand brushed over her head, coming from the doctor.
“It’s ok.” She looked up again, her voice small.
“Why do people here not attack me?”
“We are in Japan, where abilities, like ours, are praised, instead of feared.” She looked up a little.
“What?”
“When we were in America, they called mutations just that. Mutations. Here, they call them quirks.” Izuku sighed sadly.
“Yes. America never embraced quirks. They shun them and lock away anything that is seen as ‘inhuman’ or ‘not possible’. While, yes, people here are still...odd about certain quirks, they’re pretty accepting.” She stared at him for a few moments.
“You...You feel safe…” He tipped his head.
“Hm?”
“I...I feel safe around you.” His green eyes softened a little.
“I’m glad.” The doctor nodded.
“You also have a calming presence, Monsieur…...Izuku? Was it?” The greenette nodded.
“Please call me Izuku. May I ask for your names, as well? This is Mammon.” The reptile uncurled a little.
”Yo.” The girl smiled a little.
“My name is Mia.” He smiled back, holding a hand out to her, palm down, as to not seem threatening. She, hesitantly, touched the side with her own fingers. They were the digits of someone that had been on the street. The doctor was silent for a little longer.
“It...has been a very long time since I’ve gone by my name…” Mammon snickered a little.
”Join the club. I was the same, until I met My Alpha.” The doctor was quiet a little longer, as he set Mia on her feet.

He sighed and, finally, answered.
“Long ago, my name was Onfroi. I...have forgotten my family name.” The greenette smiled understandingly.
“Who knows...Maybe it’s for the best.”
“Ah?” Mia tipped her head.
“Why would you say that?”
“My father is a very bad man.” Both of them startled.
“But...You live with him...and he doesn’t seem that bad.” Green flicked to amber.
“I don’t live with my father. I live with my uncle.” Realization flicked in the man’s eyes.
“Monsieur Chizome?”
“My mother’s brother.” He sat them down and asked them about their abilities. Mia was nervous, but explained.
“From what the tests said, I can sound like a kid that’s died. Um...They have to be under 18 and it’s when I’m looking at their mom or dad. I don’t like it. I don’t like making people hurt and not being able to control it.” She jolted slightly, when she felt his hand pat her head.
“It’s alright. We won’t put you in any uncomfortable situations, purposefully.” Onfroi took his turn explaining.
“When I touch others, through direct contact, their organs fail to function. Also, I have techniques that I’ve acquired over the years that gives me the ability to reanimate corpses, though more like the undead expressed in modern media. I...have been trying to find the cure.”
“Hm? The cure to what?”
“The Pestilence. It is a very difficult disease to explain. Your uncle contains a lot of it, but I can sense something else, which is fighting the disease in him…” The greenette looked to be thinking for a moment, before nodding.
“I think I know what The Pestilence is. Could you describe what you sense? I want to make sure my assumptions are right.” Onfroi put his hand to his mask.
“A dark and foul sludge and crawling fingers. Leeching off the insides...It is very hard to describe.”
“Hmm…” Izuku, suddenly, had an idea.
“My, own, ability allows me to use all anomalous powers, to an extent. I’d need direct permission to be able to use them fully. While I wouldn’t be able to reanimate the dead, like you can, since it’s an acquired skill set, I could be able to see what you do...If you’d let me?” Onfroi inclined his head.
“I give you permission.” Izuku felt a tingle in his eyes and let it do what it needed to. When he opened them, the three of them started. They were golden-amber.

When he looked around, his eyes landed on Mammon, who had moved to his lap. He saw swirling pits of void, leeching a black goo throughout his body. His entire insides were taken over by this spreading cancerous ink, filling every nook and crevice. He closed his eyes and shook his head with a shiver, as his eyes reverted to normal.
“That...That was uncomfortable. You see that all the time?”
“Mostly. The less Pestilence, the less I sense it.”
“I think I know what it is. Sin.” Onfroi’s eyes lit up a little.
“Ah! Yes! That would make sense.”
“My uncle might have a lot, cause he’s a murderer, but he’s been feeling remorse for what he did, since he took me in...Since he saved me from my father.” Both of them looked at him in stunned curiosity. He flicked his eyes to Mia, unsure.
“I’ve heard children die...I’ve had to be the person their screams come from…” He nodded and took a deep breath.
“My...My father tried to kill me. He tortured me and...left me to bleed out on the street. I was only able to survive, because my quirk came in and my uncle was, miraculously, in the area. My father thinks I’m dead and the government thinks I still live with him, when I don’t. My uncle enrolled me in school, so all things from that comes here.” Both of them stared at him, shock and horror on their faces...well...eyes for Onfroi. Mia looked to be shifting a little. It was a shortened and vague version of the whole story, but it was plenty. The greenette scratched his cheek a little, with one finger.
“You might see the scars on my back, should you decide to live with us…” Mia blinked.
“Live with you?”
“I mean...If you have another home, by all means, don’t let me keep you…”
“I...We mean...You would let us stay here?” Green met amber again.
“Of course. I let everyone, my quirk affects, to live here.”
“All?”
“Mr. Cain isn’t the only one?” Confused grey eyes looked up, as the freckled boy smiled a little.
“No. There’s plenty more. They don’t live in this, particular, apartment, though. The building is abandoned and the government has just left it, in case someone will buy it. People don’t like this area, not only because of the high crime rate, but of the aura I and the others give off. The ones that live, exclusively, with me are Mammon, Shy, Jubilee, Kairos, Melpomene, and, sometimes, Jiji...I and my human friend call him that. His name is Larry.” Onfroi looked pensive.
“Melpomene...sounds familiar.”
“Oh. He’s a mask that had the code number 035.” The doctor nodded.
“I remember. He tries to get people to wear him, so he can control them.”
“Yes. That’s him. I wear him, at least, once every couple weeks, so he doesn’t nag at us. Most of the time, he’s on a mannequin.” They heard a splutter from the next room, before a slightly decomposing model stuck its head through a doorway, blackened in a foul, rotted, ichor. A porcelain mask with an upturned smile and the black ooze dripping from the eyes and mouth sat upon the face.
”I heard my name and ‘nag’ in the same sentence. I do not NAG you, Izuku!” The others watched a sly grin pass over the teenager’s face.
“Oh REALLY? Maybe you whine then.” Melpomene gasped dramatically.
“Oh, I NEVER!” Suddenly, both of them spluttered into laughs, before Izuku saw his condition.
“Mel. You need to change out your body. That one’s getting...drippy.” Seeming to, finally, notice, the mask sighed.
”Oh...Dear me. Excuse me.” He slipped back into the room, as Izuku kept in a laugh at the other two’s faces.
“He’s very dramatic, so he fits real well.” A minute later, a new model walked out into the living room, not decaying, like the last. Melpomene was dressed in dark olive doublet that was almost black, which had a dark grey fabric under it and brass-tones buttons up the front, tied up in a corset-like way. The neck and part of the shoulders of his top was blackened by rot goo in a dark stain. He wore a pair of long black dress pants and dress shoes on his feet, as he fixed his collar and wrist cuffs, which were a bare touch loose on his, segmented, wrists. He looked like a, modernized, renaissance Italian man. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
”What a nuisance...Izuku, I think my filter needs to be changed again.”
“I or one of the others can replace it, tonight.” He nodded and looked up again.

Upon seeing Onfroi, Melpomene’s face brightened up.
”Oh! Hello, Doctor!”
“Good to see you, again, Mask.”
”Please. Call me Melpomene or Mel.”
“Melpomene?” The mask could see what the man was thinking, though his eyes.
”Yes. I know. It was either Melpomene or Thalia. Both are extremely feminine, so I chose the least female sounding of them...even if I don’t have a gender…” He found Izuku elbowing him, lightly.
“You’re mumbling, again.” Mel nodded, as the doctor held a hand out.
“Onfroi.” He shook his hand and noticed the girl, before crouching.
”Hello!” She looked up to him and started shaking, an indescribable emotion on her face.
“I’m sorry…”
”What?” Her voice shifted and turned into the sound of a teenage boy, who seemed extremely weak.
“Papà? Non ho intenzione di farlo. Dallo a Dea.(Dad? I’m not going to make it. Give it to Dea.)” Mel froze, an almost inaudible name spilling from his mouth.
”Piero…”
“Sono già morendo. Ho freddo…(I am already dying. I feel cold…)” His hands curled up on his thighs, as he slipped to his knees. The black substance dribbled from his eyes, much like tears.
”Aspetta, mio figlio...per favore…(Hold on, my son...please…)” The voice became strained.
“Ti voglio bene, Papà...Ci vediamo...quando è il tuo momento…(I love you, Dad...I’ll see you...when it’s your time…)” As the wheezing evened out, Mel seemed to become despondent.
”Oh, come vorrei poterlo fare, mio figlio…(Oh, how I wish I could, my son…)” Mia shook again, before a younger girl’s voice came from her, maybe a little younger than the boy. Her voice sounded raspy.
“Mamma...Non piangere…(Mommy...Don’t cry…)” She sounded weak.
”Sarete bene, Dea.(You’ll be alright, Dea.)”
“E 'il mio tempo, Mamma. Devo andare.(It’s my time, Mommy. I need to go.)”
”Tutto andrà bene, il mio bambino…(Everything will be alright, my child…)”
“Mamma...Non riesco a respirare…(Mommy...I can’t breathe…)”
”Il sonno, il mio bambino...Il sonno…(Sleep, my baby...sleep…)” Her voice turned sleepy and soft.
“Ti amo, Mamma…(I love you, Mommy…)” The black liquid came harder, as the man crumpled even more.
”Ti amo, anche, Dea...Siate con il vostro fratello maggiore ancora una volta, il mio bambino…(I love you, too, Dea...Be with your older brother again, my child…)”

Tears streaked the little girl’s face.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” That was when two voices came from her, alternating.
“Mamma?(Mommy?)”
“Papà?(Daddy?)” She started coughing and wheezing.
“Dove sei?(Where are you?)”
”Sono proprio qui.(I’m right here.)” She coughed harder and harder, her breaths coming out in wheezes, voices in male, then female order, sounding no older than ten.
“Brucia!(It burns!)”
“Mi fa male il petto!(My chest hurts!)”
”Lo so. Mi dispiace non ho potuto ottenere a voi in tempo.(I know. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you in time.” It was the boy’s voice that spoke.
“Va tutto bene. Sei venuto per noi, mamma.(It’s alright. You came for us, Mommy.)”
”Ma non ero abbastanza veloce…(But I wasn’t fast enough…)” The female voice started talking.
“Non importa, Papà. Ci hai trovato.(It doesn’t matter, Daddy. You found us.)” Mel’s voice dipped and cracked.
”Ma non in tempo…(But not in time…)” It was like he were reciting something he’d long since remembered. Something burned into his memory. Both voices spoke at the same time.
“Ti voglio bene, Mamma/Papà. Ci vediamo presto…(I love you, Mommy/Daddy. We’ll see you soon…)” The black seemed to paint down his porcelain cheeks, as he shivered and crunched down on himself.
”Vorrei che fosse così. Davvero. Mi manchi, i miei figli...Piero...Dea...Letta...Jacopo...(I wish it were so. I really do. I miss you, my children...Piero...Dea...Letta...Jacopo…)” Mel startled, when two pairs of hands touched his shoulders. He looked up into saddened green eyes and understanding mahogany. Chizome had walked in mere minutes after Mia had started, having heard from the other room. The greenette’s expression softened.
“I see. You had children…” Mel cleared his throat.
”I...I did. I was once human. I...when I died, my spirit never passed on and I was stuck into this mask.” Chizome’s voice was quiet.
“May I ask…” He trailed off, starting to reconsider his question, but Mel nodded.
”My eldest...Piero. He...was a casualty of famine. My daughter, Dea...a victim of fever. And my twins, Letta and Jacopo, were caught in a fire. The smoke suffocated them.”

Izuku wrapped his arms around the man’s waist.
“If it’s not too personal, may I ask why half of them called you Mom and the other half called you Dad?” Mel had taught him and Chizome Italian, so it wasn’t a surprise they could keep up. Mel took a deep breath.
”In life, I was both genders. I gave birth to two of my children, while my other two were fathered by me. In that time, so long ago, I had both a wife and a husband. The twins were born mere minutes apart. One from me and one from my wife.” Truly, that was odd, but, seeing that Mel’s personality was both genders, it made sense. Izuku held tighter, as Mia broke down into Onfroi’s arms. She was sobbing, uncontrollably.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so-” Mel looked up, his voice gentle.
”No…I’m sorry.” She looked up, startled.
“What?”
"I caused you pain. You could feel their deaths…”
“But...But…” The look of agony on his face turned into a pained smile.
”Your abilities will never be your fault. Especially since you can’t control them.” She started crying again, but out of relief, rather than panic. Izuku smiled at him.
“You’re a good man, Mel...Do you wish to be called what you were in life?” Mel shook his head.
”I was once called Celeste. A rare, unisex, name in my time. I believe being called that would remind me of my husband and wife...Please keep calling me Melpomene.”

Izuku and the others nodded, Mammon surprising them, by walking off the greenette’s shoulders and onto those of the mask’s. Mammon, usually, found Mel to be annoying and grating on his ears.
”I do believe that your children have reached the golden lands. They must know of your fate and are looking after you.” Mel looked positively stunned.
”I thought you hated me…”
”I do not hate you. You, at times, can be a nuisance, but you and I are kindred. You and I cannot die, even if we wish it with every atom of our beings. We cannot be with those we miss.” Five of them startled and looked to Izuku with disbelief on their faces, when he spoke.
“Il persa può essere trovato nei nostri cuori. Quelli che sono stati trovati, tutti insieme, possono ancora essere persi a se stessi…(The lost can be found within our hearts. Ones that have been found, all along, may still be lost to themselves…)” He gripped his uniform pants, his eyes trained on the floor.
“Anche quelli che sono sempre stati trovati, credono ancora si perdono.(Even the ones that have always been found, still believe themselves lost.)” His knuckles turned white, as his voice slipped into a near whisper.

"E alcuni che sanno che sono stati trovati voglia di essere perso e mai ritrovato…(And some that know they have been found want to be lost and never found again…)”

Chapter Text

Well...This was very unexpected.

Of course they had to get caught in a villain attack! It’s Izuku. He exudes bad luck, wherever he goes.

Standing before the warp gate, he stared into golden-yellow eyes, as if to say ‘I know who you are’. Though the man had minimal features, he seemed unnerved and uncomfortable. Feeling like something was gonna happen, he grabbed Mammon by his scruff and put him down on the ground.
“Help protect the class! If you need to, go and help Sensei!” The lizard nodded.
”Of course, My Alpha!” That made Kurogiri start, not realizing the creature could speak. Things fell back into normal motion and Izuku felt himself being warped away. He dropped into the water and found a villain with a shark-like quirk headed his way. Out of nowhere, Asui came crashing into his side, wrapping her tongue around the greenette’s torso and hauling him onto the ship.
“Thanks.” He stuck his hand into the water and dragged Hitoshi out by his collar. The purplette coughed and spluttered, clearing the water from his mouth, the salt drying and burning his throat. Tsuyu looked back out to the water, before hearing her fellow greenette sigh.
“Don’t worry about them, just put a hand on my shoulder and hold tight.” Hitoshi was on it, instantly, while the girl looked startled.
“What?”
“I can get us outta here.” She nodded and mimicked Hitoshi, as the surface of the boat, below him, turned mushy and the color of burnt flesh. They sunk into it and reappeared in front of the stairs, startling the warp gate.

Izuku grinned and stepped forward.
“You think you’re the only one with that kind of power?” He dropped into a squat and put his hands on the ground. An area, approximately ten meters in diameter, puckered and softened around him, pulsating and throbbing, as if it were alive. Coming up from the sludge was a hoard...A hoard of monsters. Shy was the first to come up, whining softly, as he placed his hands on Izuku’s shoulders. Onfroi was next, an older man, seemingly rotted and decayed, after him. Mammon bounded over and scared the shit out of the villains, by returning to normal size. Ten feet tall and eighteen feet long, the lizard was a titan to behold. The silence of shock shattered when Mammon brought his six foot long, meaty, tail down with a thunderous thud. Some of the villains looked petrified, as Izuku noticed the black skinned creature, over his teacher. A growl left his throat.
“Nomu…” The creature looked up, as if hearing its name, pinning green with beady black eyes. Without looking away, he spoke to one of the anomalies situated to his side.
“Mammon.”
”Yes, my Alpha?”
“Save Sensei and keep the Nomu busy, until All Might gets here.” The lizard seemed to smile sinisterly.
”Of course, my Alpha!” He started running, making a beeline, tremors rumbling through the ground. The other villains scurried and scrambled to get out of this behemoth’s way, watching as he barreled straight into the Nomu, knocking it onto its back. Izuku’s face looked akin to a jack-o-lantern, as he issued his next words.
“Guys? Have fun. Don’t kill, but you can maim. Onfroi, no reanimating.” The doctor looked dejected for a second, before nodding, as the three of them went wild.

Izuku darted forward and sent a sideways axe kick to Shigaraki’s side. His thigh was caught with both hands and he felt his flesh and muscle start to decay beneath those fingers. He ripped his leg loose, green meeting burnt red.
“How does it feel to lose a leg?” Izuku laughed.
“It sucks. But, you weren’t asking about my past, now, were you?” Those blood red eyes widened, as the bluenette watched the decayed skin regrow and knit back together. So much like the creature they’d brought that day.
“How…”
“Instant regeneration.” He sent a fist for the older’s face, dodging the hand aimed for his own. His face dripped a little with Larry’s unstable pH ability.
“Do you really want to touch me? Do you really?” Since his costume was being remade, Izuku only had the metal components to his costume, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t kick ass. He pulled his bo staff off his back and severed it into its halves, before jerking them down and revealing their true nature. The crack of the metal whips shocked through the air, as he watched Shigaraki stare at them, the expression in his eyes that of knowing that those would hurt if he got hit. He leaped back, when a whip came for him, but it wrapped around his wrist anyways, bringing him down to get a knee to the face. The hand over it didn’t disperse much of the pain, blood gushing from the young adult’s nose. Izuku was about to rear up again, when he found himself swooped off his feet.

When he felt his feet upon the ground, he found All Might standing before them. And he looked pissed.

Hitoshi and Tsuyu were there, Aizawa’s crumpled body on the ground. The blonde told them to get Aizawa to safety and they were about to, when Izuku got his attention.
“You know Mammon, but...The tall and pale one, the one with a plague doctor mask, and the older man that looks like he’s covered in mud are all with me.” The hero looked startled for a moment, before nodding. Hitoshi and Izuku slung the man’s arms over their shoulders, while Tsuyu made sure his feet didn’t drag. Halfway to the entrance, the greenette felt a sharp pain behind his eyes, as if someone or something were trying to probe his mind. Then, he heard a voice.
’[You are...his chosen?]’
‘Wh...Who are you?’
’[You are his chosen...You want to help them?]’
‘Y-Yes. Who are you?’ His thought was more firm than before.
’[Use it to save them. Use it.]’ There was a spark of electricity through his brain and, about two thirds of the way to the stairs, he froze, making Hitoshi look at him.
“Izu?” When his friend turned to him, his expression was like all of life’s questions had, suddenly, been answered.
“Can you take him?”
“What are you gonna do?”
“Make sure our Symbol doesn’t get himself killed.” The purplette blinked rapidly, before nodding and shifting Aizawa’s whole weight onto his shoulders.
“Be careful.” Izuku smirked.
“No promises.”

Running back, he felt the fog swirl in his mind, before collecting in a certain part of his brain. He felt neurons fire and fire and fire, until it felt like that whole center of his brain was alight. When he was blocked by Kurogiri, he, and everyone else, only heard one, strong, word fall from his lips.
“[Fall.]” The warp gate crumpled to the ground, seeming unable to stand.
“Kurogiri!”
“I am sorry, Shigaraki Tomura. I...I cannot disobey!” He looked to be struggling, as Izuku walked closer and closer to the hero and anomaly fighting, alongside each other. Mammon noticed his Alpha first, startling.
”M-” He was stopped when the teenager turned to pin the Nomu with a stare, as it grappled with All Might. It’s fingers were close to puncturing the man’s side. Small, dark, eyes trailed up to meet Izuku, as another order fell from his mouth.
“[Stop. Let go of him.]” The creature shocked its comrades, by doing just that. It let him go and didn’t move. Mammon noticed the blood coming up the greenette’s throat long before it spilled from his mouth and nose. It dripped from his eyes and ears, staining his face red.
”My Alpha!” He rushed to the boy’s side and let him lean on him, as his knees buckled and broke out from under him. This was the moment the hero needed to go beyond 100%. The moment he needed to be able to launch the Nomu from the building, ripping through the roof and sending it off into the distance. As Shigaraki and Kurogiri, who’d gotten off the ground, when Izuku lost his balance, stared at the blonde hero, the green haired hero-in-training noticed Tomura about to charge. He heard the other heroes arrive and, merely, uttered a single word.
“[Stop.]” The bluenette froze in place, growling.
“Why...Why?! Why?! Why?!” He tried to move forward, but couldn’t. That was when a handful of bullets ripped through him and tossed him onto his back. As more blood obscured his vision, he saw Larry round the other two up and get them out of there, so the heroes wouldn’t think they were villains. Mammon was the only one that stayed and, even then, shrunk down to about six feet tall, so he could support the teenager.

It was then that the steam cleared and he could see the blonde hero...in all his emaciated glory.

The dress shirt and pants looked like stitched sheets hanging off of him, his pants only being held up on him by his belt. He looked exhausted.
“I’ll explain, later. Are...Are you alright?” The greenette nodded slowly, as if he wasn’t sure.
“New...New power. Strain. I don’t think this power is meant for a human body…”
“Human?”
“If you explain, I’ll explain.”

Chapter Text

Sat in beds next to each other, the blonde was wrapped and patched up. Blue eyes shifted to the greenette that sat to his left. Izuku only needed a once over on his brain, before it was found that his healing had already healed the damage. That was when the door opened and a man with black hair and eyes walked in.
“It’s been a while, All Might.” The blonde started a bit, a smile crossing his gaunt face.
“Tsukauchi-kun!” The raven, then, noticed the teenager and his lizard.
“Uh…”
“He’s going to become a part of this secret, soon.” The greenette nodded, politely.
“Midoriya Izuku. We had an agreement that, if he explains his...predicament, I explain the others that came to my aid, during the attack. Since you seem to be one of his confidants, would you like to stay? Your quirk would best be used here, since it’s perfect for these types of conversations.” The man froze mid handshake.
“You know my quirk?”
“I do. You’re very famous in the detective circles.” Mammon lifted his head.
”It helps that lie-detecting quirks create a unique feel coming from a person.” Dark eyes stared at the lizard, who laughed a little, giving a mock salute.
”Yo. The name’s Mammon.”
“O...k.” He pulled up a chair and told them that the other students had gotten out of the attack with minimal injuries. Aizawa was out of surgery and Thirteen was still critical.
“How’s Hitoshi?”
“Hitoshi?”
“Aizawa Hitoshi. Purple hair and eyes.”
“Oh. He’s got some bruises and scratched, but, other than that, he’s fine.”
“Good…”
“Yeah. If it hadn’t been for that white skinned creature, he could have been much worse.” Izuku’s expression went blank for a moment.

He smiled gently and put his hand to the wall, making it go mushy. He stuck his arm inside and came back with a large and out of proportion hand. Covered with white skin. Coming through the wall, Shy cooed and gurgled a little, sounding like a little purr in the pit of his throat. Izuku smiled up at his masked face.
“Thank you.” The, lanky, creature crouched and tipped his head, audibly purring, when the teenager pet the side of his head with the back of his hand. Shy sat on the floor, almost crosslegged, as Izuku turned to the others.
“This is Shy. He wears a mask, because he doesn’t like people seeing his face. Last person...died.” Shy whined quietly, as if ashamed, until he got a gentle pat on the head.
“So...Are you gonna explain why the Number One Hero is...like this?” All Might cleared his throat.
“Six years ago, I was in an untelevised fight against one of the worst villains in history. My lung and stomach were damaged beyond repair and had to be removed, along with around 70% of my internal muscle tissue, due to quirk burns. Due to the damage, I have an easily agitated stomach and lung area, which causes me to cough up blood on the regular.” Izuku nodded.
“I see...Was the villain the, once, infamous All For One?” Startled, a bit of blood dripped over his lip.
“How do you know his name?”
“Well...I’ve been in the gutters a lot and, when I was nine, I remember hearing that All For One had just...disappeared off the face of Japan. Now that I hear your story, I pieced together that he’s either dead or extremely crippled and has been biding his time.”
“You’re...very observant…” Mammon snorted.
”Damn straight.”

Izuku laughed a little.
“I guess it’s my turn, huh?” They nodded and the greenette sighed.
“This is gonna be a bit of a story, so get comfortable.” They did and waited for him to continue.
“Ok, so...Where to begin...Perhaps with what we are? That should be a good place to start. Mammon and all my ‘familiars’ are, what are called, anomalies. Things that aren’t native to our world and/or don’t belong. These anomalies are hunted down and captured by a foundation called The SCP Foundation.” Mammon and Shy became agitated for a moment, before feeling Izuku place a hand on their heads and continuing.
“The Foundation is hunting them and me.” The blonde raised his hand a little.
“Sorry to interrupt, but, why are they hunting you?” The greenette nodded.
“I was about to get to that. The answer is that, to them, I’m, also, an anomaly. Each one that’s captured by The Foundation is given a serial number, following SCP, which stands for Secure. Contain. Protect. For example, Mammon, here, was labeled SCP-682 and Shy was SCP-096. For a couple days, I was, also, captured and given a number, before I breached containment and escaped, taking a number of them with me.” He carded his fingers through Mammon’s fur, as he waited for that part to sink in. Naomasa spoke up.
“May I ask what your ID was?”
“SCP-666-666. Usually, this would mean that I was the 666th instance of SCP-666, but that anomaly had been terminated a long time ago and wouldn’t have even made sense, seeing as SCP-666 is a literal fuck tent.” That made the other two snicker, before he continued.
“My quirk. Anomaly. What it means is that I have this authoritative presence to most of the other anomalies. It’s why Mammon calls me his Alpha and Cain, another of them, used to call me his King, before I told him to not. Another part of my quirk allows me to use the powers of most of the anomalies of this world, should I have knowledge of them. The healing is from Mammon and my freakish stamina comes from Shy. The warps and the corrosive sludge is from-” A rotting head poked through the wall, a worried expression in its glowing white eyes, permeating the black of its sclerae.
“Jiji?” A dripping hand came through and touched the teenager’s face, startling the other two, when the skin started to slough off of his cheek. Recovery Girl, though seemed to be just fine.
“Good to see you, again, Lawrence, Dear.” The man, now identified as Lawrence spared her a glance, before turning back to the teenager.
“I’m alright. I know you all felt me go down. It was just mental strain from a power I can’t quite grip who or what it came from. You can tell my Uncle I’m alright, since the others must’ve freaked out.” Some gurgling sounds came from Lawrence, which Izuku seemed to understand.
“I guess...I owe Mia some sweets, when I get back...She must’ve been so scared…” His brows furrowed in guilt, before the older noticed just how much skin had come off, due to his touch. There was a sound that resembled an ‘oops’ that came from him, before he removed his hand, so that the boy’s face could heal, covering up the white of bone from the stark lighting. He nodded and slipped back through his portal with a wave.

Izuku sighed.
“That was Larry. Uh...Lawrence. We usually call him Larry and I call him Jiji. Recovery Girl has seen him one other time, so far, this year. It was when Mammon brought me to the infirmary, after Bakugo incinerated my body-” Tsukauchi startled.
“-and I had to regrow it again. Anyways. I have the abilities from Jiji, which are the ability to make wormhole-like portals and the ability to fluctuate my pH balance, making my skin extremely caustic.” The blonde rose his hand again, seeming a bit nervous to ask his question.
“Uh...You mentioned someone named Cain...and he’s Mammon...Those are very...biblical names…” He understood where the man was going and glanced to his reptilian follower, who shrugged and shifted to get more comfortable.
”Eh. I think they can handle it. Go for it.” Izuku took another breath.
“They’re who you’re thinking of. Cain is the first man to be born through conception. Yes, he died, but, as punishment for his deed, he was revived and forced to keep wandering for all eternity. It seems he was given a bit of a break, having been able to settle in with me, at my home. His brother, Abel, is another anomaly, who, having been cheated out of his life and murdered in a fit of cold rage, became angry with humanity, believing it to be just like his elder brother. When I left The Foundation, I did not take him with me, due to his violent nature. Even with my aura, I wasn’t sure if I could control him or calm him down. Hell, I could barely use his power and, even then, Mammon had to snap me out of it. Anyways, yes, something loosely based off of the Christian religion is fact and history. I know it seems odd, but it is, indeed, fact. I know, because the reptile laying across my lap has been around since the beginning of humans. The Garden of Eden to be more specific.” All Might and the detective stared at Mammon, before Izuku continued explaining.
“Mammon is the ‘serpent’ the Bible talks about. The one that deceived Eve. He has grown to feel guilt and remorse for plunging the world into evil.” Mammon shifted, uncomfortably, making the boy speak again.
“Though the Bible speaks about God punishing the serpent to crawl on his belly until the end of time or something like that, he was, actually, not.”
”What was twisted into that was God smiting me and making me, fundamentally, immortal, but always able to feel pain. When I dropped to the ground, it looked like I’d lost my legs. It was long after Adam and Eve had gone that he smote me again and made me unrecognizable to the animal I, once, was. He turned me into this. I used to be a saltwater crocodile. You know...Those massive fuckers.” The detective whistled in amazement.
“Damn…” The blonde looked up, turning away from the religious context.
“What about that plague doctor guy?”
“Oh. He’s a newer addition. His number used to be 049 and his name is Onfroi, since he comes from France. He wants to find the ultimate cure. He can reanimate corpses and his touch is lethal. He can, also, see the amount of sin in someone’s body. I’ve used that ability and I really don’t like it. It makes everything seem...unclean. Oh. You might have heard me mention Mia. She’s a little girl that Onfroi seems to have, practically, adopted. She hates her power, which is that, when in the vicinity of someone that has had their child die, she speaks in their voices, usually, the child's last words. Yes, I can understand why she wouldn’t like it, as it has caused her and others pain, but I’m so sure she can control it...Getting back on topic, there’s a ton more that live in the same area as me, but there’s still much more that are secured in sites all across the planet and even more that have yet to be discovered or contained. Some of the ones that live in my building have even come from countries on the other side of the world. Onfroi, Mia, and Shy come from America and Mammon was originally contained in France, before being moved almost everywhere.” He took a deep breath to allow for any questions.

They looked to be thinking. All Might looked to be choosing his words carefully.
“So...What now?” Izuku put his hand to his chin.
“You said you were missing organs?”
“I am…” He facepalmed.
“Damn...My manners. Since you’ve seen me in this form, my name is Yagi Toshinori.” They shook hands with little smiles on their faces, before Izuku reached into one of his portals and pulled out a teddy bear with a quilted design, a realistic, paper, heart was safety pinned to its chest.
“Recovery Girl-san? Do you have an extra pillow you don’t care about?” The woman brought one over and he nodded in thanks.
“Alright, Kairos. Do your thing, Little Buddy.” The bear turned its head, before looking at Toshinori for a solid ten seconds. It stood up and opened its mouth, producing scissors, a needle, and thread, turning a little to tear into the pillow and remove the stuffing. It started sewing the fabric of the pillowcase into shapes, while Izuku got the man’s attention.
“When Kairos is done, you will pass out. Don’t freak out when you wake up.” Both men and woman looked confused, as they turned their gazes back to the stuffed bear, who was finished with two, filled shapes. One was longer than the other, which was more round in dimension. He stood and carried the, leftover, stuffing and sewn creations to the side of the bed, where Izuku picked him up and set him at Toshinori’s feet. Kairos shuffled a touch, before the stuffing and sewn pieces disappeared and the bear went limp again. A moment later, the blonde hero felt himself, suddenly, black out. Chiyo rushed over and found his vitals fine. He was just unconscious.
“You can do an X-Ray on him, if you want to. I can just tell you that he’s complete once more, though.” She blinked at him, her grey eyes beautiful in the light. Bringing over the machine, she let it scan over the man, her jaw dropping, when she saw the results.

“His...His organs are back...and so is his internal muscle tissue!”

Chapter Text

Settling into their seats, the class talked quietly, wondering who would be subbing for their teacher. That was when the door opened and Aizawa came through. He was wrapped from head to toe, his left arm in a cast. Iida stood up, a worried look on his face.
“Sensei! Should you really be teaching in your condition?” In Izuku’s mind, it was a resounding hell no, but the man looked through the folds of the bandages on his face.
“Don’t worry about me. What you all need to be prepared for is The Sports Festival, coming around in a couple weeks. This will show the heroes of Japan just how much potential you all have.” He fixed some of the bandages on his shoulder, with his right hand, before his eyes flicked to Izuku...or more like the lizard around his shoulders.
“Mammon.” The creature stirred and yawned like a small dog...if small dogs had elongated jaws filled with teeth and had no eyes.
”Ah?
“Thank you for saving my life.” Mammon nodded once and curled up again, seeming embarrassed by the thanks. When he set them loose to talk, Uraraka looked pumped. Hitoshi laughed a little and moved to sit on the floor, next to Izuku.
“Hey. Are you ok? You went running back towards the fight, like you knew something you didn’t before.” The greenette made sure his voice was low. Low enough that, even Shoji, would have issues hearing.
“A new one. They spoke in my head and gave me the ability to verbally command people. Like your quirk, but there’s no catalyst, besides me saying something. Mammon thinks he knows what happened.” The lizard looked up and nodded, his voice matching that of the teenagers.
”I’ve had time to reason and I only came up with one...and I wish it didn’t have to be them...001.” Izuku stared at him, before rubbing his eyes.
“You’ve got to be shitting me…” Hitoshi covered his face, too, having heard of 001 from Mammon’s story about his past. Damn it! Why did it have to be THEM?! Great. Just perfect.

It was lunch time that Aizawa made his way to the lounge. What he didn’t expect was to find a blonde man there. At first he didn’t recognize him, about to ask, when the bangs gave him away.
“A-All Might?!” The man turned to him, his face shaped out and his structure muscled, yet lean. The sharp angles and dark shadows had left his face and he looked soft and healthy. When Midnight walked in, behind him, she stopped too. He noticed the pink that swept over her ears and fought his urge to laugh. Nemuri had always been into older men. Toshinori looked nervous.
“O-Oh...Good morning…” Hearing his voice made the bluenette stare at him, seeming to snap out of her trance-like state.
“A-All Might?!” The rest of the teachers, plus the principal, turned towards him, making the blond fidget. Nezu cleared his throat.
“May I ask how you...seem so young?” He cleared his throat, knowing that he was to say mostly the truth, only leaving out the information about The Foundation, as per their plan.
“After I lost control on my hero form, Midoriya-shounen saw and I felt him trustworthy enough to know the truth. When I finished, he summoned another of his familiars, who was able to restore my lost organs and the muscle tissue that was burned away or damaged by the treatments I went through. My new organs are made of fabric and stuffing and my new muscle tissue is stuffing. Sounds like bull, I know. I still can’t fully grasp how that’s possible, but it is. For the last two days, I haven’t even felt the blood coming up my throat. I can breathe much better and I can, finally, eat larger meals again.” Vlad King stared at him.
“Your new organs are...fabric?”
“Yes. Recovery Girl did a few X-rays over the course of the past two and a half days and...the organs function like normal ones and I’ll be damned if I doubt this gift.” Toshinori looked eternally grateful and about to leap through the door, at the same time. He practically did so, as the bell for the actual lunch period rang. He’d gotten a message from Izuku to meet him in one of the unused classrooms.

He screeched to a halt and put his hand to the wall, ecstatic that he could run that fast again and not cough blood. He heard a laugh and smiled over his shoulder, sheepishly.
“Thank hell for the bell...They asked. I told them. I just...bolted.” He got his breath back and stood back up again, fixing his loose collar.
“What did you want to meet about?”
“You said that you became a teacher to look for a successor, right?”
“Yeah?” Izuku smiled a bit.
“I think that Togata Mirio guy would be best. He has the mindset. He has the personality. And by shit does he have the smile! He has a good grasp on his quirk’s ins and outs and is a very well rounded fighter. I believe he would be best to continue your legacy, should you still need to pass it on.” The blonde sat on one of the desks, having a flicker of a memory of being a student, himself. He seemed a touch nervous and embarrassed with his next words.
“I...had been considering someone else to pass One For All to…”
“Hm? Who?” Toshinori scratched the back of his scalp, right behind his hair.
“Um...You, actually…” If the greenette had been drinking anything, he was sure he would have spittaked, right there and then.
“Me?!”
“Well, uh, you have all the qualifications, Shounen...You have a heroic personality, but you’re humble and down-to-earth. Your quirk is extremely versatile and the healing aspect would help counteract the beginning stages of breaking bones.” Taking a deep breath, Izuku sat on a desk across from him.
“While I’m flattered, I can’t. I want to be an underground hero and I, honestly, don’t care about being Number One. I just want to help people that can’t help themselves. Besides, my quirk would scare a lot of people, along with my ‘familiars’. For example, no offense Mammon, my main familiar is quite unsettling to people that aren’t used to being around his kind. Also...The Foundation would still be after me.” The blonde looked dejected, before sighing and smiling a little.
“A man can try, huh?” The greenette laughed a little and pat him on the shoulder. Toshinori tipped his head.
“Your friend...Aizawa’s son…”
“I know where you’re going. He wants to become a hero on his own power. He would be flattered, like me, but he wouldn’t accept. We’re both not the spotlight type. We...uh...both have stage fright, actually.” He scratched his face diffidently, as the man laughed gently.
“I’ll keep an eye on this Mirio, fellow. I heard of him through my...friend...Sir Nighteye.” Izuku nodded.
“I see. You grew distant. I think you should rekindle what little embers are left, before you lose them to the rain.” Toshinori smiled a blinding smile and nodded, knowing the boy was right. He was extraordinarily wise for his age.

Chapter Text

The stadium was gargantuan, as they got off the bus. Before stepping into the entrance, Izuku let his hands fall onto the shoulders of one Todoroki Shoto. His voice was almost silent.
“Fight like he’s not there. Don’t let him dictate your worth or let his influence handicap you. I know what he does to you all…” There was a quiet hiss from the, slightly, taller.
“What would you know about him?”
“I know he’s the biggest asshole in the heroing circuits.” The chimera froze, which let him continue.
“Your quirk is your own. Remember that. It is not a mixture of your parents. It’s yours. It’s unique. If you put your all into being a hero, you can shove him out of the top ten in a heartbeat.” With a gentle pat to the back, Izuku slipped away and joined up with Hitoshi.

When all the students, from all classes, gathered, Midnight opened up the festival with her energetic personality. She introduced the classes as they had come out.
“The representative for Class 1-A will give a speech! Bakugo Katsuki!” The blonde didn’t move towards the stage. He walked to the side and put his hand on the greenette’s shoulder. For once, Izuku didn’t smell burning sugar or feel heat through his sleeve. Was he…
“What?”
“You deserve this more than me, De-...Izuku.” The greenette stared at him, before he paled a little. He coughed and pointed to Iida and Yaoyorozu.
“U-Uh...Class President and Vice President, please choose between you guys.” The girl and boy looked at each other, before the bluenette smiled a little.
“Yaoyorozu-san. I think you should represent our class.” She went a little pink, as she nodded and stepped to the podium, clearing her throat.
“My selection for this speech was...on the fly, so I don’t have anything prepared...I’ll do the best I can. We are class 1-A...no...We ALL are UA! We aren’t separated by our classes or even our divisions in course! We are one student body and we will stand as one! We will show the world that we will stand as one to protect it! We will go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!” The rest of the stands and students roared after her.

”PLUS ULTRA!”

When she came back down, she was tackled by the other girls in her class. Midnight smiled and introduced the obstacle race, starting to count down. Izuku put a hand on Hitoshi’s shoulder, as the gates opened. While the others scrambled towards the entryway, the two stayed behind, drawing a look from the woman. When the clog happened, the greenette only grinned at the woman, as both boys sunk into a pit of mush. On the screens, the spectators watched Izuku and Hitoshi pop up at the bots, staring them down, before glancing at each other. Grins split their faces, as the greenette picked his friend up, leaving the others confused. Then, he yelled something that made some of the spectators laugh.
“YEET ME!” It was old slang, but it hit unexpectedly. Izuku nodded and skidded to the side, throwing Hitoshi at the back of one of the bots, before launching himself at another. In seconds flat, a couple of the robots emitted sparks and malfunctioned, putting them out of commission. Dropping down to the ground again, both friends were off.

The Pit Fall came into view and they watched Tsuyu leap onto a wire to crawl on it. Green met purple in a deadpan, before Izuku grabbed the other and they sunk into the unstable pH void again, popping out on the other side. They ran and ran, before facepalming. Really...This was too easy. The mines were pitiful for them, even if the purplette was relying on his friend’s abilities. Once out of the sludge again, they noticed Todoroki and Bakugo on their tails and nodded at each other. They grabbed each other’s wrists, mid run, and leaped forward, rolling on their backs, like a human wheel. Yes, it looked ridiculous, but it was effective. It made their speed pick up a little, as to keep themselves in the lead. Before arriving back in the arena, they broke apart, falling into full body, shoulder down, somersaults. Rolling into the main area first was…
“MIDORIYA IZUKU TAKES FIRST PLACE! FOLLOWED, CLOSELY, BY AIZAWA HITOSHI!”

Both teenagers tried to catch their breaths, while grinning at each other. When the rest of the contestants arrived, Midnight congratulated the top 42 of them for passing the obstacle race. Then...She dropped the bomb about the cavalry battle...and the fact that Izuku was now the bearer of 10 MILLION POINTS.

Izuku started to sweat, shooting a, habitual, glance to the teacher box, where Mammon was curled around Toshinori’s shoulders. Both hero and lizard saw it and gave a minute nod, as if to say ‘you got this’. Izuku steeled himself and turned back in time for Midnight to tell them to get into groups. Instantly, Hitoshi was next to him.
“Team?” The greenette grinned.
“Team.” Uraraka looked nervous, as she walked up to them.
“Ah...May I join your team?”
“Are you sure? I mean...I have a literal bounty on my head…” She gave a lovely smile.
“I want to be of help.” Hitoshi laughed a little.
“And that’s what makes you such a good candidate to be a hero.” Her permablush seemed to darken a bit, before she started helping them try to find a fourth teammate. Izuku smiled and gestured with his eyes. Hitoshi nodded and the, slightly, shorter walked over to another of their classmates.
“Ah...Tokoyami-san?” The bird headed boy looked over.
“Midoriya-san.” Internally, Izuku tried not to cringe at the name.
“A-Ah...Izuku is fine. I wanted to ask if you’d like to join our group?” Fumikage looked a touch startled.
“You want me on your team?”
“Well...Yeah. Your quirk is powerful and versatile. I believe it-he will work well with the rest of ours.” Tokoyami nodded and moved over to them to discuss strategy.

Uraraka was at top, since she could lighten the rest of them, her weight, though not much, keeping them grounded. Besides...Using her quirk on herself makes her nauseous faster. Izuku flanked right front and Tokoyami sat at front left, Hitoshi at the back. The puplette was situated to take on people that got behind them and Fumikage was to provide defence and offence, while Izuku was tasked with the same, both supporting each other. Uraraka, on the other hand, was very flexible and quick on her feet, but not fast, so up top was the best place for her.

When they were given the start command, the others swarmed for them. Izuku scoffed.
“Idiots…” As they moved to the side, Tokoyami muttered low for him to hear.
“What?”
“They all pile for us, when they could be stocking up on other points, instead of trying to grab the top amount, which there’s only one of.” The other boy nodded, understanding, as Dark Shadow blocked another group, by swinging his arms.
“It’s just a game of keep away, then…”
“No. There’s no guarantee that we’ll keep our spot. We need insurance.”
“I see…” Izuku noticed them getting cornered.
“Hold on!” They all did, as Izuku opened up a portal for them to drop through, instantly closing, once they were through. They appeared again on the opposite side of the ring, where a couple teams noticed them and started their way. This drew the attention of the others. Izuku groaned.
“I fucking hate doing this…” Hitoshi’s eyes widened.
“Brace yourselves!” The greenette took a deep breath, before the sounds of howling winds tore around the ears of the contestants, coupled by a distant siren. The spectators had to cover their ears. It was loud! It sounded like a hurricane was over the stadium, coupled with its alert siren. The other teams looked anxious and like their adrenaline spiked. It made them all stop dead in their tracks, as if paralyzed with fear. It, certainly, was a sound to be afraid of. After a minute, he stopped and they ran forward, Uraraka ending up with three more headbands around her neck. They were covered in sweat, having, also, been affected by the sounds, though were more prepared, due to the purplette’s warning. They others looked shaken and a touch terrified.

The next team they had to block was one lead by a blonde that had purple eyes. He’d heard of this kid. A quirk that could copy others. It was powerful, but it only made him a jack of all trades. He never, truly, knew how to use the quirks he borrowed. Only as much as he had seen. Izuku growled and used a power he had sworn not to. Making sure the others were holding on, he seemed to teleport behind the blonde’s group, as soon as they had blinked. Hitoshi’s eyes widened.
“Izu-”
“I know. Never again.” Monoma turned his team around, aiming his hand for Izuku, knowing his quirk was extremely powerful. He froze upon hearing the greenette speak.
“Do you want to know what it’s like to feel your body's pH, suddenly, destabilize?”
“What?”
“It took so damn long to figure out how to stabilize my own pH...How do you think you’d fair, Monoma-san?” Drawing his hand back, the blonde was thrown out of sorts, giving them time to move back. Tokoyami was a bit unnerved.
“What did you mean?”
“Those portles and my caustic touch powers are a result of a fucked up pH balance. The reason you all didn’t rot or melt was because I was, one, holding onto you, and two, because I was constantly keeping the pH of the wormhole at a constant level so that you didn’t die. If he tried to use it, he would have killed himself and his teammates.” Uraraka whistled.
“Dang. That’s...a little scary, Izuku-san…”
“I know-11 o'clock!” They dodged and weaved and ducked and backed off. They were stuck behind a wall of ice, as Todoroki came around it, shoving Bakugo off of him. Bicolored irises met green.
“Midoriya.” Oh, how he wished he could just change his name, already!
“Todoroki…Still using your ice, I see…” A spark of a smirk flicked in those chimeratic eyes.
“I’ve not found an opponent that warnered the usage of my flames. Maybe you will be that opponent…”

Leaping to the side, Tokoyami groaned.
“Dark Shadow is weakened…” Izuku’s face hardened.
“Jump!” They did and the greenette sent some caustic liquid-infused flesh to the stage, where it burned into the ring and stopped Iida from moving forward. As they landed again, Tenya used his Recipero Burst to get into their guard, where Shoto grabbed for a headband around Uraraka’s neck. Once back, Izuku had the others dash at the chimera, startling flames to erupt out of the scarred half of two-toned teenager’s face. That was when the time was called.

Letting Uraraka down, they all took deep breaths. Todoroki looked at the headband he’d grabbed. 100.
“How…” The brunette gave him a grin.
“As soon as I saw you come over your ice, I noticed what you were doing with yours, so I copied you. Only...I didn’t swap out the one on my head, only turned it inside out.”
“And to be able to do that on the fly...with no one seeing you...impressive…” Her team members ruffled her hair a bit in thanks for her quick thinking.

“TEAM MIDORIYA COMES IN FIRST PLACE! IN SECOND PLACE IS TEAM TODOROKI! THIRD IS TEAM BAKUGO! AND FOURTH IS TEAM TETS- Huh?! When did Team Monoma get so many points?!”

The brackets were set up. The first pair to fight were...Midoriya Izuku and Aizawa Hitoshi.

Both boys stared at each other, before breaking into grins of determination, fires roaring to life in their eyes. This was gonna be fun.

Chapter Text

He found himself in a nook in the wall, staring into grey and teal eyes. He waited for Todoroki to speak.
“I haven’t felt that kind of rush in a very long time...When I watched the way your confidence fueled your actions...I thought of All Might, when he went against that Nomu creature...You both have the same kind of aura…” Green eyes blinked.
“What are you getting at, Todoroki-san?”
“Are you All Might’s illegitimate love child?” After a minute...then another, Izuku spit laughed hard.
“Oh, I wish!”
“Huh?” He calmed a little.
“I’m like you. My father is an asshole.” Shoto was silent for a moment.
“You...cringe when people call you Midoriya…” Something flinched in the shorter’s eyes.
“Like that.” Izuku hiked up his shirt, showing the mass of burn tissue that encompassed his back.
“My father has fire breath.” Bicolored eyes went wide.
“Wh…”
“He blamed me for my mother’s death. I flinch, because I hate that name. I want to change my last name to my uncle’s, but I can’t while I live with that scumbag.” The chimera nodded.
“I...hope to face you in the next round, M-Izuku-san.” They shook hands and Shoto left, allowing Izuku to sigh.

He turned a little, towards the back of the nook in the wall.
“Bakugo. I...I know you’re there.” Ashen blonde hair came around the corner, red eyes peering into green.
“He...abuses you?” He didn’t break eye contact.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you t-”
“What would I have told you? That the man you idolized, second only to All Might, was a fucking abusive man?!” Katsuki stilled, understanding why he wasn’t told.
“You didn’t go to the police?”
“Why would they have believed a three year old?” Red eyes bugged a little.
“Th...Three?”
“Yes.” The blonde looked like someone had hit him in the face with a book.
“I...need to go process this...Who else knows?”
“You. Todoroki. Hitoshi. And my uncle.”
“Uncle? The one that was never around?”
“He was around, Katsuki. When shit got bad, I would go to him, until my father calmed.” It was a lie, but the other boy didn’t have to know that. As Bakugo walked back to the bleachers, Izuku sighed and put his hand into the wall, pulling another blonde through. One with purple eyes.

Monoma stood in front of the greenette, as the boy sighed.
“How much did you hear?”
“About what? I just walked up.”
“Ok. Good. What were you doing over here?”
“I wanted to ask you something.” Izuku nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“When you first saw me, it was like you knew me…”
“I know your grandfather. Shigaraki Noboru.” The boy startled.
“My grandfather is dead. He’s been dead for six years.”
“No. He survived. He’d blind, but he survived.” Neito went silent for a moment, before growling.
“Why won’t that son of a bitch just stay dead?!”
“Ain’t that the fucking truth…” They both laughed a moment, before splitting off at the call over the speakers.

“MIDORIYA IZUKU AND AIZAWA HITOSHI! PLEASE COME TO THE STAGE!”

Green stared down violet, mischievous twinkles in their eyes. Midnight brought down her whip.
“Start!”

They just stared each other down, silence and tension filling the arena. Then, Hitoshi lowered a little, Izuku following suit. Another moment went by, before they ran at each other, trading punches and palm strikes. Before the festival had even started, they had promised each other to not use their quirks, if they had to fight each other. A palm heel impacted Hitoshi’s jaw, dead on, letting pain ring through his mandible. He moved back, after sending an elbow to Izuku’s sternum. He put his hand to his chin, cringing a bit at the bruising that was sure to form. The people in the stands were on the edges of their seats, as violet eyes hardened at the same time as green. They ran at each other and got a hold on each other’s hands, starting to grapple. The muscles in their arms and legs bulged, mouths pulled up into soundless growls, before Izuku threw the purplette off balance, by backing off a bit. The lack of resistance made him pitch forward, where his opponent wrapped his arms around his midsection, slamming him into the stage, back first.

Up in the commentator's box, Mic was speechless.
“Why...aren’t they using their quirks?” Aizawa scoffed.
“You can’t just be a one trick pony. Though...Hitoshi’s not really known for his brute strength...I wonder who’s been training him…” Lemon lime eyes flickered behind orange shades, before they turned back to the fight again in time to see the greenette grab the purplette’s legs. Hitoshi’s expression turned into the physical form of ‘oh fuck’.

He could feel Izuku sending some of Mammon’s healing into him and knew this was gonna hurt like fuck. The shorter hauled his opponent’s legs over his shoulder and slammed him face first into the tile, before going the other direction again, landing him on his back. This showed the crowd the blood that poured from his nose and lip. Getting a grip on his pain, he kicked his feet out and caught Izuku in the gut. The other wheezed a little and backed up, allowing Hitoshi to get up again, on shaky legs. Had the healing quirk not been activated, there would have been no doubt a ton of stuff would be broken. He knew what his friend was doing. If he showed the crowd he could take some hard blows and still get back up, he was sure to catch a hero’s eye for the internships. Sneaky greenette. He panted and wiped his nose of blood, shaking it off to the side. When they met again, he was able to toss Izuku down and onto his back. The tile of concrete, under him, shattered in a spider webbing pattern. The side of his head bled, as he flipped back up, making the crowd gasp. The back of his head was slightly caved in. As it healed, Hitoshi swore.
“Shit. Sorry.” Izuku smiled.
“Not a problem. Not really your fault. I twisted at the last second and it hit the soft part.” The purplette sighed in relief, before he raised an arm to block a leg headed for his face.

Aizawa nodded from up in the commentator’s box.
“He really has no sense for anyone’s sanity…” The blonde, next to him, looked a little green.
“What...The heck...was that?!”
“Midoriya is fundamentally immortal to dying by bodily injury. I’m sure you heard of what happened during the first day of his Heroics class, right?” Mic swallowed.
“Are you 100% sure he regrew most of his body, besides his bones?” The crowd stilled at that.
“All of his classmates had witnessed it and confirmed. The only parts of his body that didn’t need to be regrown were his feet. His main familiar mentioned that it hadn’t been the first time. Don’t forget what you witnessed during the Entrance Exam, Mic.” The blonde blanched.
“I forgot about that…”

There was another clash, before Hitoshi felt a half lariat catch him across the collar, sending him to the ground again. To the others this was brutal. To the two friends, this was a normal sparring match. A hand covered the greenette’s face, as an arm went across the other’s neck. Tussling over the ground for a few minutes landed them in a full on grapple again, locking each others’ limbs into a human pretzel of flesh and bones and joints. When they had to move away from each other, Izuku dragged his opponent by his arms. Hitoshi kicked and struggled, but his stamina was nowhere near Izuku’s. He was just...drained. His adrenaline was failing him at the worst time possible. He was spun around and found his legs over the line. He fell limp and threw an arm over his eyes, as he panted. Midnight rose her whip.

“AIZAWA HITOSHI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! MIDORIYA IZUKU MOVES ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!”

Hitoshi was helped up by the scarred hand of his friend, where he felt his healing powers fill his body. Before everyone’s eyes, his cuts and scrapes and faint bruising all faded away.
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem. Let’s get some water.” They helped each other to the tunnel that lead to the stairs, avoiding the gurney bots, as they tried to converge on them. As they reached 1-A’s box, they sat and got pats on the shoulders from their classmates. Even Bakugo gave them a thumbs up. Hitoshi leaned closer to his friend.
“What’s with him?” Izuku whispered back.
“He and Todoroki know about my father, now, and what he did to me.” Purple eyes went wide.
“Damn…” Izuku nodded and watched Ibara wipe the floor with Kaminari. Amusing. Then, Todoroki completely froze over Sero. The greenette could tell that he’d seen his own father staring at him, while he fought. Asshole. Now, he needed to rest, while the break was going on.

He just needed to get ready for his next fight. The one against Todoroki Shoto, himself.

Chapter Text

Monoma’s fight against Iida was pretty pathetic. The blonde had never had any physical training with the engines, so he nearly destroyed his core, before Tenya was able to shoulder ram him out of the arena, so he wouldn’t cripple himself...Before berating him for almost tearing his legs to bits.

Bakugo and Uraraka’s fight was painful, but not as painful as it could have been. Instead of hitting the stage, as her body refused to respond, Bakugo had caught her across the collar. When the gurney bots had come around, he’d placed her on it, without a word. Red met green, which swam with approval. The blonde was changing for the better. He was seeing others as people, instead of stepping stones or obstacles. If he stayed on this path, he was sure to be a much better person, as soon as he became a hero.

The break was a good time for him to check on his other two friends, before dropping by the teachers’ box. Toshinori smiled a little, knowing why he was there. He set Mammon on the floor and the lizard bounded over to both Izuku and Hitoshi, who the blonde had permitted the greenette to tell about him, since they were so close.
”My Alpha! Hitoshi!” Toshinori kept in a snicker. The way the reptile addressed people was hilariously like himself, sometimes. When he didn’t know someone, he called them Shounen, and then he’d call them by their names. If he really knew them or was around someone with an extremely kind aura, he’d call them by affectionate suffixes, which Mammon did for him.
”Yagi-kun?” He blinked, snapped out of his thoughts.
“Oh! Sorry. I was thinking.” Mammon gave his version of a smile.
”It’s alright. I was saying that I think I’ll go to 1-A’s viewing box for the next set of fights.” The blonde smiled back and nodded, as Izuku opened up the wall, bringing through a man with a plague doctor mask.
“Onfroi…” The other teachers introduced themselves and he nodded, Mammon, Chizome, and Izuku teaching him and Mia Japanese over the past weeks.
“It is good to meet you…” His heavy accent was very apparent, but not bad. He glanced to Izuku, who nodded at him. He did very well. As soon as amber eyes saw red hair, outside the box, the greenette grabbed his arm to keep him from running out of the room. He squawked in English, out of habit.
“PESTILENCE!” Toshinori started spit laughing, knowing what the doctor could see and his abilities. The greenette held in his laughter.
“Onfroi. Please sit down. We know he’s an ass.” He pulled the man into a seat and then brought Mia to be sat in his lap to ground him. Instantly, he calmed and held her against him, as her grey eyes roamed the room. Onfroi felt her lock up, as soon as she turned to look at Thirteen. She was silent, but started crying. The hero looked startled.
“A-Ah! I’m sorry! Do I scare you?” The ginger shook her head, but couldn’t talk. She looked to Izuku and the greenette nodded, patting her head.

He turned to the, nonbinary, hero and sighed.
“She’s not afraid of you. She’s afraid of her power. When she looks at someone who’s lost their child or children, she, instantly, says their last words in their voice or voices. She’s been training, so that she can choose when to use their voices, but she can still hear them.” Thirteen cocked their head.
“But, I don’t…”
“We’ve...found out that her powers deal with the term ‘children’ a touch light. Any person, under the age of 18, that the person thinks of as their own flesh and blood can be counted.” The eyes in their suit went wide, as if a thought flashed to mind.
“Oh...Oh my god…” The look made them all believe that the hero was blanching.
“D-Dear? I-I’m sorry, but...could you...speak in their voices...please?” Mia was hesitant, but nodded and opened her mouth. A little boy’s voice came from her.
“I’m cold...I’m warm? Daidai...What’s happening...I’m sleepy?” Thirteen looked to be close to crying, as the other voice came through. Another boy.
“It’s so cold...Daidai...aren’t you cold?” Mia covered her mouth to stop the voices, seeing the hero lean over and put their head into their hands. The little girl hopped off Onfroi’s lap and walked to a couple feet before the Space Hero. They looked up, eyes trailing over her scar, as she spoke normally.
“I’m sorry…” The hero could tell what she wanted to do.
“May I...May I hug you?” The ginger nodded and stepped forward, feeling the puffy arms of the suit wrap around her. The hero’s voice was pained, but relieved at the same time.
“Thank you…”
“?!”
“Thank you for letting me hear their voices again…” That made Mia start crying again.

Izuku explained.
“Before she came to us, she was hated for her ability. America and some parts of the European continent are still very unaccepting of anything ‘abnormal’. I mean...quirks are still called Mutations in America, for crying out loud! That’s...where the scar came from. She wasn’t accepted, until she met Onfroi. Though he never had children, he knew her pain, seeing as his powers aren’t exactly...human...per se…” Thirteen recomposed themself and sat back up, patting her head.
“I lost them over ten years ago, but I still miss them, terribly.” Power Loader turned his head a bit.
“Thirteen-san? Weren’t...you a student here, a little over eleven years ago?”
“Ah...I was. They weren’t my sons. They were my younger brothers. I was, pretty much, their parent, since ours died when we were small. Um...They were twins and...froze to death thirteen years ago. Um...Hypothermia. The three of us fell into a frozen pond. I was the only one that could grab onto the edge of the ice. My brothers were completely soaked and we were miles from any city. We tried to dry off and get warm by the fire we made, but...it was too late. I was fourteen and they were thirteen. When I was given the choice of giving myself a hero name, I went with Thirteen, because of them.” Vlad King and Toshinori put a hand, each, on their fellow hero’s shoulders, to which Thirteen gave them the eye version of a smile.

When he returned to 1-A’s box with Hitoshi, Izuku set Mammon down, where he returned to full size. Almost immediately, after he laid down, the girls swarmed by his sides, slinking a little into his fur. Kaminari, Tokoyami, Shoji, and, surprisingly, Koda leaned against him, as well, his fur fluffing around them. Izuku smiled a little. Mammon had found that there were things about humans that weren’t as disgusting as he’d once thought.

“TODOROKI SHOTO AND MIDORIYA IZUKU PLEASE COME TO THE STAGE!”

Izuku pat Mammon’s muzzle for a moment, before walking down the steps, Hitoshi taking his place. Once he stood before his classmate, it seemed that fire and frigid brimstone passed between their eyes. They bowed to each other, before Midnight brought her whip down.

“Start!”

Chapter Text

As soon as her voice reached their ears, Todoroki sent a rip of ice towards Izuku. It was one that just barely clipped him, but it shaved some skin from his face and gave him a touch of frostbite over his nose. When he was out of the way, he put his hand to his cheek.
“Jesus! Ice is cold on bare muscle!” He rubbed his face for a moment, before the crowd and his classmate watched the skin grow back, stretching and pulling over the muscles of his jaw and side of his face. Before anything else happened, Izuku closed his eyes. When they opened again, instead of green, they were blue. A symbol glowed, the same color, on his forehead, as the grass behind him shriveled and dried up. The grass had died.
“This is another power I don’t use often. If you harm me, you will be injured instead.” Knowing that he had no choice, Shoto gauged his opponent, trying to see if there was a time limit. And there was. It was brief, but Izuku’s eyes would fade back to green, for a split second, every two minutes. If only he could…

He sent a fireball at the greenette, seeing him cross his arms. He got burned. Shoto checked his own arms. Nothing. He was right. Veins started appearing over Izuku’s face and neck, before the symbol faded, along with his eyes. Right as it dropped, the greenette rushed forward and hit a palm strike to the chimera’s solar plexus, knocking the wind from his lungs. Todoroki started up his flames, but had to back up upon seeing his opponent's hands change color to that of rotten flesh. His digits dripped with sludgy, fluid, flesh. The crowd saw him throw his hand out, the liquid spraying the stage and eating into the concrete. None of it landed on the other teenager, showing that it was just to give them both room to breathe, sweat beading down their temples and tensions high.

Elsewhere, a shadow half sat on a fire escape, using the view to look through a window...and at a television that was playing UA’s Sports Festival. A smirk crossed over, slightly, deformed lips.
“Atta boy…” To anyone passing him by, that would seem creepy. And, apparently, someone heard his voice. Coming down the alley was a man in a streamline hero costume, but the man on the stairs didn’t notice him, until he spoke.
“You’re the Hero Killer!” Chizome startled and turned around, kicking his foot into the man’s chest. He sliced into a joint in the armor and licked the blood off his blade, making the man drop to the ground, paralyzed. As soon as part of the adrenaline left his brain, he noticed who it was.
“Ah, shit. You’re Ingenium. Sorry, Dude. Ya startled the shit outta me.” The hero looked confused as hell.
“A-Aren’t you going to-”
“Nah. You’re a morally righteous hero. You don’t deserve to die.” Tensei just stared through the eye holes of his mask in surprise. The villain addressed him again.
“What blood type are you?”
“What?”
“Your blood type.”
“Uhhhhh...A…” The raven nodded and scratched his ear.
“Ya should be up and running again in...fifteen minutes?” He looked around, seeing that this was a pretty tight nook in the wall and, coupled with a slice to the back of the knee, would be hell to get out of.
“Actually…” He decided to troll some of the heroes and stuck his head out into the street. He saw some sidekicks that looked like they belonged to the hero. He gave a sharp whistle with his fingers in his mouth. They looked over and saw him, as he flipped them the bird and gave them the cheeky kissy face. As they rushed him, he drew back into the alley and ran off, after apologizing to the hero again and leaving him in stunned silence, as his sidekicks came to his aid.

What the f-

They met again, arm against arm. One was bare and the other was coated in ice. There was an audible crack, as the greenette leapt back. There was a discoloration on the ulna side of his right forearm, as he put his left hand to it and squeezed a little. A few seconds later, the, forming, bruise was gone. Suddenly, the ground opened into a mushed maw of slime and he dropped inside. Todoroki looked all over the stage, before feeling an uppercut come from right below him, the wormhole sealing up under his feet. A chunk of ice slammed into his chest and sent him back, skidding along the stage. He righted himself and remembered something about Mammon. His adaptation. He had been told about his encounter with 743. It gave him an idea. If he could just adapt to this...AHA! He startled his classmate by sticking his tongue out. It grew out to three meters long, wrapping around the chimera’s ankle, bringing him slamming down, ass first.
“What the-” He dodged the tongue again, before sending more ice in his classmate’s direction, making him retract his tongue while making a face. He felt a tingling in the back of his mind and through his sinuses. Shit. When the torrent of ice AND fire came for him, he tensed his body, as if to skirt off to the side, but...he didn’t. Hit head on, he was thrown out of the ring and embedded into the wall.

When the dust cleared, Midnight brought her arm down.
“Midoriya Izuku is out of the ring! Todoroki Shoto moves on to the next round!”

Shoto walked off the stage and over to his ex-opponent, as the woman called over.
“Midoriya-kun? Are you alright?” He gave a bloody smile.
“Yeah...My...uh...back is broken, but yeah. I’ll be fine.” She blanched, before seeing the look on the student’s face and sighing some hair from her face, grumbling about ‘reckless boys.’ Shoto helped him out of the wall, voice low enough only he could hear.
“Why did you let me win? You had the ability to get out of the way.” With an arm over the boy’s shoulder, the greenette reset his back, as it healed.
“Honestly? I was on the verge of using one of the two powers that really damages me and/or would have obliterated the whole stadium.” The chimera was silent for a moment, before sighing, as if in relief.
“Oh, thank god. I thought you were pitying me.”
“Pfft! Of course not! Thanks for helping me. My...ankle needs to be broken again, so it can heal right...and I have some water in my lungs.” Shoto snickered.
“Don’t ask me to help you!”
“Haha. Very funny. I’ll have Recovery Girl-san help me.”
“...My shoulder’s dislocated…”

“You and me both.”

Chapter Text

The next round was going fast. Todoroki beat Iida and the bluenette was standing on the steps, when his phone went off in his pocket. Green eyes passed to him, when he saw his friend’s eyes flicker at the caller ID. A moment after the taller went back into the hall, Izuku stood to follow.
“Ah. I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.” His friends nodded, Hitoshi glancing over.

Leaned against the wall, he could hear the conversation. It was about Iida’s brother, the hero Ingenium.
“Tenya...Stain...attacked your brother…”
“Wh…”
“He was paralyzed by his quirk and shoved to the ground. He…” There was a shuffling sound, like the phone was being taken from his mother’s hand. A male voice came through the speaker.
“I don’t know why Mom’s making such a big deal about this. He only severed a tendon behind my knee and, even, even got the attention of my sidekicks. I lost a lot of blood, by the time I was taken to the hospital, but they gave me a transfusion right away. I saw part of your fights. I’m proud of you, Little Brother.” The bluenette was still in shock that his brother had been attacked by a villain...It barely registered that the same villain had made sure he didn’t die.

Izuku slipped away and pulled his phone out, dialing a number. When he got to a secluded area, he put the receiver to his ear. It rang twice, before being picked up.
“Izuku?” He hissed low.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“Wh-”
“Ingenium.”
“He startled me! You know my reflexes!” Izuku sighed, before cracking a little smile.
“...You did the Spaceballs thing...didn’t you?”
“Sure did!”
“You’re such a troll…”
“Damn straight!”

After the call and the rest of the festival, Izuku called another number, asking them to meet him in the teachers’ box after everyone else cleared the stadium. When he walked inside, blonde hair met him.
“What did you want to meet about?” The greenette sighed and sat down.
“I think you should know something about me...Something that connects me to you.” That made Toshinori sit and stare at him.
“What do you mean?” The teenager took a deep breath, before dropping the bomb.
“My grandmother was Shimura Nana.” If he was still missing his organs, the blonde was sure he’d be vomiting blood by now.
“Wh...What?!”
“On my mom’s side. She had four children. My mom and my three uncles. One is dead and was Shigaraki’s father. His real name is Shimura Tenko.” Toshinori put his head in his hands.
“What are the odds…”
“It’s understandable that you didn’t see it in him. He has his mother’s coloring and a mutated quirk that’s unlike his parents’. Like how my other two uncles’ quirks mutated. My mother was the only one that got a quirk that was like her parents’. Her attraction quirk came from her father’s mother.” Blue eyes drew up over him, as if seeing him again for the first time. His gaze stayed on his jawline and his build, before moving to his eyes again, where he found the boy smiling.
“My uncle tells me I look a bit like Nana. My face shape and eye shape and the way I stand.” The blonde swallowed the lump in his throat.
“You...You really do…” Green eyes softened.
“What was she like?” Azure orbs flickered with happy memories. Memories of a time long ago. They sat, Toshinori telling Izuku all about his mentor, while the boy just sat and listened. It was a wonderful feeling for both of them. To be allowed to spew everything to a willing ear and to learn about someone never met before.

It was a couple days later, the weekend used to rest and recover from the festival. When they returned, Aizawa was out of his bandages, only a scar under his eye to show that he was injured at all. He told them that they would be choosing hero names, today. Midnight was brought in to veto if need be. They would be saying their choices in front of the class. The others started going up and showing their names, while Mammon hung over his shoulder, seeing Izuku tapping the pencil to his lips, before remembering something. From the corner of his eyes, the greenette noticed Bakugo scratching his head with his pencil for a bit, before going up and showing his name.
“Ground Zero.” The woman smiled.
“Powerful. Good name.” Then, Hitoshi went up, hesitantly turning his board around.
“Sancus.”
“Sancus?”
“It’s Roman…It’s...um...supposed to represent oath and loyalty…” She smiled again and nodded.
“Sounds good to me!” It was Todoroki’s turn.
“Ah...Celsius.” Midnight clapped.
“Oooo! Creative!” Izuku stood, after his friend sat again. Walking to the front, he let out a breath and turned his whiteboard around.
“...Mercury.”
“Huh?”
“It’s supposed to represent the messenger…” He was a bit nervous, before the woman grinned.
“Has a nice air of mystery to it! I like it!” He let out the breath he was holding in and went back to his seat. The last person was Iida, who was staring at his board. It looked like a childhood memory came to mind. His hand went to writing, before walking to the front.
“Sonic Boom.” Midnight nodded.
“Simple and easy to remember.”

Aizawa woke up again and brought up the projector, showing the top students that got the most offers for internships. Todoroki was at top, followed by Bakugo, Tokoyami, and Iida. More students were seen down the list, before Izuku smiled in Hitoshi’s direction. He got 14 offers, settling him right after Uraraka. The purplette smirked and held up five fingers. Quirking a brow, the greenette turned back to the board. His eyes widened, upon seeing the fifth spot. It was him. And he got 297 offers. Holy shit.

After class, he was pulled aside by All Might, who looked like he was in really good shape today.
“Ah? Is something wrong?”
“Nono. An offer came in for you, at the last moment...which is...unlike this guy…” He took the note from the man and read the name on the top, his brows shooting into his hairline.
“What the f-”
“He…” The man looked nervous, scratching behind his ear, as if by habit.
“We kinda...lost touch after a while…” Green eyes softened.
“You should rekindle, while embers still burn, Yagi-sensei.” Blue eyes trailed up. Izuku never really used his base form’s family name, unless he was trying to get his attention.
“You’re right...I’ve just been a coward…” He got a gentle pat to the arm.
“I’ll intern with him. Please do me a favor while I’m gone.”
“What is it?” He got a grin from the student.
“Call your teacher. Get back in touch. He might be mad that you dropped connection, almost, seven years ago, but he still cares, from what you told me about him.” The blonde looked startled.
“What?” Izuku’s voice quieted.
“From how you speak of him, you see him as a father, much like how you saw Nana as your mother. And...from the way you describe his reactions, he sees you as a son, even if he won’t admit it.” A bit of confidence and hope filtered into the man’s smile, as he stood tall again, a little laugh in the back of his throat.
“For the way you describe yourself, one wouldn’t think you could give a pep talk, but, by damn, you can. Thank you. I will.” Izuku smiled back and nodded, as they broke off to go to lunch. Green eyes flicked to the note in his hand again. He’d heard of this guy. He was smart and strong for his build. Very down-to-earth. He might have fun conversing with this guy, as he learned from him.

Let’s see how this Sir Nighteye was as a teacher...

Chapter Text

It was the weekend before the internships, when Izuku turned to Mammon.
“Hey...uh...Remember when you talked about 001?”
”Ah? Yes.”
“Could you...tell me where they guard those gates? I want to ask them some things.”
”They...um...don’t really like me...but, I can live with that.” He had Izuku bring up a picture of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, where he tapped a claw to right above the intersection.
”Here. About five kilometers from where they connect.”
“Would you come with me? I’d rather not go on my own…” The lizard sighed and nodded, seeing as he was the only anomaly, known, to be immune to 001’s mental powers. He poked his head into the living room, finding Chizome playing cards with Mia.
“Uncle. I’m going out for a while. I’ll, probably, be back before dark, but I might not.”
“Hm? Where are you going?”
“Uh...Saudi Arabia.”
“Why?!”
“Mammon agreed to take me to 001, so I can ask them things.” Sweat beaded down the man’s temple. The boy hadn’t ever been outside Japan.
“...You can get back...right?” His nephew grinned.
“Of course!” Raven hair nodded with the man’s head.
“Please be careful. You’re the only blood family I got left...besides Tenko, but he turned into a dickwad.”
“I’ll be careful...at least I’ll try.” His uncle gave him a two fingered salute.
“See you later today.” Izuku nodded and disappeared into the floor.

When he reappeared, after a full minute in his void, he blocked the sun from his face, as they emerged in a sparsely vegetated area. The ground was hard sandstone and granite, dusted with sand.
”Up ahead. You’ll know it when you see it.” He walked for approximately ten minutes, before an immense gate came into view, built into a rock face. The blinding glare of the sun had kept it from his view, until he was but twenty meters from it. He felt Mammon pat his face and point up. Above the gate, approximately three meters off the ground, stood a gargantuan humanoid figure. It stood at, roughly, 320, or so, meters tall and was, seemingly, made of a blinding flame. Its six wings were splayed out behind it and it stood with its head down, sword pointed towards its feet, hands rested upon its handle. As he got closer, he heard a familiar voice in his head.
’[FORGET]’ The tingle to his brain, from the USJ, came back. But, he didn’t feel compelled.
“I’m sorry. I cannot do that.” He took a deep breath and did the ‘Father. Son. Holy Ghost. Amen.’ motion with his hand, before kneeling on the ground, around ten meters from the entity’s feet. His head bowed, as he put his hands into the prayer position.
“If I may, I wish to ask some questions.” The figure’s head tilted lower still.
’[YOU ARE...HIS CHOSEN?]’ It was those same words.
“What do you mean by that?” The being seemed to have a stroke of realization.
’[YOU ARE WHO OUR FATHER BLESSED.]’ That made green eyes snap open.
“What?” Huge feet touched the ground, as the being responded.
’[WHEN THE ABILITIES, YOU HUMANS CALL QUIRKS, WERE CREATED, WE WERE TASKED WITH CREATING AND DISTRIBUTING THEM. OUR FATHER CREATED ONE THAT WAS POWERFUL AND DECLARED THAT HE WOULD BE THE ONE TO FIND HE OR SHE WHO WAS WORTHY ENOUGH TO WIELD IT.]’ Both Izuku and Mammon stilled, in shock. The greenette felt his voice come out, disbelieving and soft.
“Me?”
’[YES. IT SEEMS SO. IT WOULD TELL OF HOW YOU ARE IMMUNE TO MY COMPULSION.]’

Izuku took a deep breath, as the entity seemed to notice Mammon.
’[FOUL BEAST!]’ The lizard started to sweat.
”Heeeeeey...It’s been a while, Uriel…” The, now known, seraphim seemed to growl, before Izuku held his hands up.
“I-It’s ok! He’s good! He’s saved my life multiple times. If it wasn't for his power, I’d be dead tens of times over!” The angel put its sword back down again.
’[I SEE. THE POWER CAN, EVEN, CONTROL THE SON OF LUCIFER, HIMSELF.]’ The lizard seemed to grumble about his father being an asshole. Izuku laughed and pat his head, as he wound around his shoulders.
“You and me, both, Buddy.”
’[SPEAK YOUR QUESTIONS, CHOSEN.]’ Izuku cleared his throat.
“Well...Two of them was just answered. Why you called me his chosen and who you are...Say...How would you know he created quirks if you were here, guarding the garden this whole time?”
’[MY BROTHERS AND I WOULD TAKE TURNS GUARDING. EACH FOR THREE MILLENIUM. I RETURNED ROUGHLY 700 YEARS AGO.]’
“I see. That makes a lot of sense.” He looked to be thinking.
“Why did you contact me, a few weeks back?” Uriel was silent for a moment.
’[...I DO NOT KNOW HOW. I FELT YOU WERE IN DANGER. I BELIEVE IT MUST BE THE POWER BESTOWED TO YOU THAT ALLOWED ME TO SENSE YOU. I KNEW OF HOW YOUR POWERS WORKED AND, THUSLY, GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO USE MINE, KNOWING IT WOULD HELP YOU.]’ Izuku scratched his head.
“Thank you for that. It really saved our hides, that day. I might have to only use it as a trump card, though...It doesn’t seem to be made for human bodies.” It looked like Uriel was tipping its head, making the greenette clear his throat.
“I, uh, bled from the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears…” The angel nodded.
’[I APOLOGIZE. I HAD NOT KNOWN A HUMAN’S BODY WOULD REACT IN SUCH A WAY.]’ Izuku smiled a little.
“There’s no need to be sorry. My body is made to take damage. I’m literally immortal to everything, except for time...There’s one last question I wish to ask…” He stopped and put a hand to his mouth, his eyes darkening and voice lowering.
“Do you know if my mom is…”
’[AS A SERAPHIM, I FEEL ALL THAT DIE AND ALL THAT ARE BIRTHED. YOUR MOTHER, INKO, IS IN THE HOLY LAND, ALONG WITH HER MOTHER.]’ A little tear spilled down Izuku’s face.
“I’m glad…”
’[AS FOR ONE OF YOUR UNCLES...HE IS BEING TORMENTED. YOUR OTHER GRANDFATHER...IS STILL ALIVE.]’
“Other grandfather?”
’[YES. YOUR OTHER GRANDFATHER. SHIGARAKI NOBORU.]’There was a moment of silence, before the teenager cried out.
“What the fuck?! That bastard is my grandfather?!”
The boy put his head in his hands and, after taking a deep breath, Izuku stepped back and knelt on one knee, his hands to the ground.
“Thank you for answering my questions.” Before he made his wormhole, he noticed that the angel had not moved. It was like it was thinking. Or communicating with someone.

A few moments later, Uriel’s head turned up a bit.
’[BEFORE YOU LEAVE, OUR FATHER HAS PERMITTED ME TO GRANT YOU SOMETHING. IT IS SOMETHING ONLY DONE WITH PROPHETS, AS THEY COME TO US IN HEAVEN, BUT I AM BEING ALLOWED TO BESTOW IT UPON YOU AS THE LIVING. WILL YOU ACCEPT?]’ Green eyes glanced at Mammon, who went still, as if in awe or disbelief. It wasn’t the bad kind, so he just turned back to the ethereal being and nodded. The seraphim lifted its sword and placed the flat blade upon each of the teenager’s shoulders, angled towards his scapulae.
’[YOU CAME HERE AS MIDORIYA IZUKU AND LEAVE HERE, TO RETURN TO HEAVEN WHEN YOUR TIME COMES, AS IZURI’EL. OLD STORY OF GOD.]’ He felt some kind of power rush through him. He felt...light.
’[SHOULD WE MEET AGAIN, I SHALL AWAIT YOUR RETURN.]’ Izuku opened his wormhole with shaking hands, dropping through with a final farewell from Uriel.
’[GODSPEED, IZURI’EL.]’

When he returned home, he literally came tumbling through the ceiling, he was so dazed. Chizome caught him.
“You were gone for less time than I thought. Four hours...Izuku?”
“Ok. This is gonna sound batshit, but…”
“You went to meet 001.”
“Yeah. They’re the angel Uriel and he guards the Garden of Eden.” His uncle almost dropped him, before setting him on the sofa.
“Apparently, my quirk was handmade by God and he hand picked ME to wield it…” Chizome’s mouth hung open a little.
“Uriel also answered another of my questions. Mom is in Heaven with Grandma.” That made the man relax a little.
“Apparently, I have the same grandfather as Monoma, from my school…”
“Wait. What?! That jackass is your grandfather?!”
“My father’s father, apparently.” The raven grumbled under his breath about impossible odds.
“There’s one more thing. Uriel touched their blade to my shoulders and said that, once my time comes, I’ll be welcomed into Heaven as Izuri’el, which means Old Story of God. My shoulders kinda burn, now, but I think that was because they and their sword were literally made of some kind of holy fire.” They heard Mammon choke and tumble off Izuku’s shoulders, growing to full size and sitting on his haunches.
”Do you seriously not realize what happened?!”
“What do you mean?” The lizard looked anxious and antsy.

”My Alpha! You were just knighted!”

“....................WHAT?!”

Chapter Text

As they stood on the train, Izuku remembered how explaining to both Hitoshi and Toshinori went. He swore that they both were gonna pass out. But, they held themselves together, even when two wings, seemingly made of white gold fire, sprouted from his back and a sword appeared in his hands. It had a three foot blade and a half foot long handle, wrapped in a light green fabric. The hilt guard was wide and curved upward, an orb of green garnet, approximately five or six centimeters in diameter, embedded into the middle of the handle. It was gorgeous.

As the train jerked, he was pulled out of his thoughts. He waved to Iida, as he was dropped off in Hosu. Izuku gave him a look that said, in a nutshell, ‘don’t be a dumbass’. Hitoshi had already been dropped at his stop, to meet Tiger, an internship offer he’d gotten from the festival. Izuku didn’t have to wait much longer, since Nighteye Agency was only a couple more towns over. As the train pulled up to the station, he hiked his backpack up onto his shoulder, a little more. He stepped onto the platform, holding his costume case with his left hand, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with an address on it. It didn’t take him long, seeing as the agency was on a corner, close to the station. He made his way inside and found the secretary desk empty with a sign on it. He checked his watch. He’s early. It was still lunch time, so they must be on their break. A young woman came around the corner with a take out box. She had light blue skin and short dark blue hair and she was dressed in a hero costume. She started, upon seeing him.
“Oh! Hello! Are you lost?”
“Ah. Greetings, Bubble Girl-san. I’m Midoriya Izuku...This is Nighteye Agency, right?” The woman smiled giddily.
“You know me! And yes, this is Nighteye Agency. I recognize your name. You were so cool at the festival!” He felt his ears burn a little at the compliment, lightly pushing Mammon’s muzzle, when he huffed next to his ear and flicked his collar with his tail.
“You know me, Mammon…” Then, there was a voice that came out of the right hallway.
“Let him breathe, Bubble Girl.” The woman perked up.
“Ah! Sir! I was bringing you something to eat!”
“No need. Thank you, though.” Izuku turned to see a tall man walking his way. He had a green comb over, with blonde streaks, blonde eyebrows, and yellow eyes that were framed by glasses of the same color. He wore an off-white suit with a white polka dotted red tie, gold buttons below the bottom end of the lapels, and nice black shoes, with a white tread. For his lean build, considering other heroes, he gave off an authoritative and imposing aura. Izuku wasn’t one to be easily intimidated. He’d been in the presence of Uriel not two days before. He wasn’t sure anything could intimidate him anymore, short of God, himself. He met the man’s eyes, briefly, before setting his costume case down and giving a respectful bow. It was something he was surprised to get in return.
“Greetings. I am Sir Nighteye.” He reciprocated the greeting.
“Good afternoon. I am…” He paused a moment, before giving his chosen name.
“I am Mercury. It is a pleasure to meet you.” The man nodded, most likely understanding how strange it must be to refer to one’s self as anything other than their given name.
“The pleasure is all mine. We may talk further in my study.” Picking up his case again, he followed the man into his office.

Sir Nighteye gestured to a chair, where Izuku sat. The man sat behind his desk and stared at him over the rim of his glasses. Sizing him up. Seeing how he fared under pressure. Mentally, Izuku smirked, as he brought Mammon into his lap. He scratched behind the lizard’s head, idly, as he stared back, unflinching. After a total of twenty minutes of silence, it was Nighteye that spoke, surprisingly.
“You have an iron will. Not many can say they weren’t intimidated by my presence.” Izuku gave a little smile.
“An...event...I was a part of, a couple days ago, made sure of that.” He could see the look of ‘the festival was three days ago’ in the man’s eyes.
“It was on Saturday. If I may, may I ask a question?” He was given the gesture to continue.
“You are an associate of Yagi-sensei, correct?”
“I am. He has told me that you are in on his secret.” The younger greenette nodded.
“Since you and he are...back on good terms? Would you be willing to hold onto another secret?” A shine passed over the man’s glasses.
“What purpose would you have to tell me your secret?”
“It has to do with how Yagi-sensei regained his organs. You are also one of the few that I deem as able to hold a secret of this magnitude to yourself. It will, also, give you a reason, should I have sudden migraines.” After a couple minutes, the man nodded and Izuku started explaining his quirk and what or who his familiars were. From the very beginning, all the way to his knighting.
“So...You see, now, why you don’t intimidate me?” The hero looked floored. It was a look he never thought the man could express.
“How...This isn’t poss-”
“Anomalies aren’t possible and they exist. Mammon is one, being the, literal, son of Satan.” The lizard growled.
”My father is an asshole.” It was the first time he’d spoken, since they got here. Sir stared at the lizard, before the anomaly cleared his throat.
”Ah. Sorry. I’m Mammon. The same Mammon from the explanation.” Izuku scratched just under his muzzle, where the bone met his fur. Like a dog, the reptile stretched his head outward, showing that it felt nice.
“Mammon is my main familiar. You’ll hear him call me his Alpha. The others are back at my uncle’s house, since my father doesn’t want them at ours.”
“I see…”

It was a couple days later that Sir pulled his intern aside.
“Midoriya-san-”
“Please call me Izuku.”
“Izuku-san. I’ve noticed something over the last few days. You’ve been extremely antsy, when asked about your home life and what your parents are like. I’m beginning to suspect foul play.” Green eyes stared into yellow. He knew. He was bound to find out. If Sir Nighteye was anything, he was determined and logical.
“If we could move somewhere private…”
“Of course.” When they reached the hero’s office, Izuku sat in the chair.
“What I’m about to tell you, only four other people know. One is a close friend, one is another friend, one is a classmate, and the last is my uncle. Please have confidentiality on this topic, as I don’t want legal action to be taken, until I have complete and solid proof.” The seriousness in those emerald eyes told Nighteye that, even, All Might wasn’t told.
“You have my promise that I will not seek out any of the persons related to the statements you are willing to express to me.” It was a touch formal, but it was an oath of silence nonetheless. Izuku took a deep breath.
“I lied to you when we met. I don’t live with my father. I live with my uncle. The reason for this is, one, my mother died in childbirth, and two, my father thinks I’m dead.”
“Dead?”
“He thinks he killed me.” There was a flash of shock that darted across the man’s face, as the teenager continued.
“From the moment I could walk, he neglected me. I had to do things on my own. From the time I could walk on my own, he’d beat me. Burn me. Cut me. On my third birthday, he tortured me and left me in an alley to bleed out and die of my injuries. I would be dead had my quirk not come in early and my uncle hadn’t had been in the area. He saved my life and I’ve lived with him ever since.” It looked like a memory flashed to the man’s eyes, to which he put his fingers under his glasses to cover them. He was silent for a moment, before he heard the shuffling of fabric. Looking back up, he found his intern turned around with his shirt off, over his arms. His cyber yellow eyes blew wide upon seeing the seared and burnt leather of flesh that stretched across Izuku’s back, curling around his sides with clawed fingers. The scar disappeared into the boy’s pants and he noticed the bit that came down the younger's arms and up his neck a little. When the shirt was replaced, he noticed the burn peeking over the neck of his shirt and his sleeves.
“Those didn’t heal, because they were made right before my quirk kicked in. Yes, they closed up, but they left that monstrosity on my back.” When he turned around, the man had yet to speak.

Sir took a deep breath.
“You’ve shared such a sensitive secret with me...Two, actually…” He took another.
“I will keep this a secret, as...How could I not, without being a hypocrite?”
“What?” Loosening his tie, the green and blonde haired man unbuttoned his shirt. It was only with his keen eyesight that Izuku saw the faint scarring to the hero’s torso, but that wasn’t what he was being shown. When his arm was pulled halfway from the sleeve of his suit, the younger saw the mess of cuts and chemical burns. Replacing his suit and redoing his shirt and tie, Nighteye explained.
“My...mother was a spiteful woman. She blamed me for not seeing my father’s death, even though I’d only had my quirk for a week.” The only word that came to mind was kindred. They were both weighed down by their pasts, but trudged on, like beasts of their own burdens. They both understood each other’s pain.
“Only All Might, Gran Torino, and Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa knew...and now you.” Izuku crossed his heart in small strokes, with his thumb.
“I’ll take it to the grave, lest you tell me otherwise.” The man nodded and closed his eyes, doing the same.
“And I will for you.” It had only been a few days, but they both felt like they’d known each other years. Like old friends, reuniting again, but in different bodies.

Chapter Text

The train ride was a quiet one, seeing as it was later into the night. They would be arriving in Hosu to get Izuku some patrol experience. They came earlier than anticipated, so they caught the ride before their planned one. They arrived and got off the metro, starting to walk around.
“When you patrol, Mercury-san, you need to keep your peripherals open, just as much as your forward facing vision. If a criminal or villain is spotted in the alleys, quickly assess the situation. If you feel like you are not equipped to handle them, it is highly advised that you seek back up.” The younger greenette nodded from behind his facial coverings, his metal and cloth respirator and his eye mask, which had been modified, so that it was spandex and went over the front of his hair, pushing his green curls into a bush behind it. Honestly, he looked pretty intimidating for how young he was. It didn’t help that he had a strange-looking lizard around his shoulders. That was when they ran into The Normal Hero: Manual. Sir nodded to him.
“Ah! Sir Nighteye-san!” Izuku waved to Iida, who gave a little wave back.

Right then, an explosion erupted from the square and both students pushed the heroes out of the way, as a Nomu with wings swooped right where they’d been standing. Mammon gnashed his teeth.
”I fucking hate those things!”
“You aren’t the only one, Mammon!” It was Iida that had answered. Izuku placed his familiar on the ground, where he grew to full size. He glanced back.
“May I have him help the injured?” Sir nodded.
“Mammon. You have my full permission to help. If questioned or believed to be a villain, yourself, tell them I sent you.” The anomaly nodded sharply and ran into the city, already bracing a collapsed roof, so the people inside could get out. Manual looked stunned.
“Mammon is my main familiar. He and I are fundamentally immortal.” The short explanation broke the man out of his shock. As they rushed towards the city square, they saw flames, the city awashed with red light.

When they reached the center, Iida was gone.

Izuku groaned to himself and careened away from the heroes, while they were preoccupied, calling back.
“Iida got separated! I’ll go look for him!” Without waiting for an answer, he was off. He knew his teammate wasn’t lost. He knew where he was going. Stain. It didn’t take him long. He knew the places Chizome liked to be in. It took him ten minutes to find it.

Iida was face down, having been paralyzed. Izuku groaned.
“Iida! What the hell is wrong with you!”
“He attacked my brother!” Chizome put his hands up.
“Hey, hey! He startled me! My reflexes fired up!” Izuku pulled his bo staff off his back and separated the ends. Throwing his whips to the side, he shattered the ice headed towards the villain.
“Shoto...How did you find us?”
“Saw you run by, while with my old man. I followed you and found Iida on the ground. Why did you break my ice?” White lenses stared into the chimera’s bicolored eyes.
“Because…” The villain groaned and said something the two students stared at him for.
“Just say it, Izu. I’m pretty sure Imma be arrested today, with all the heroes running around.” Iida called back again.
“Get out of here! This isn’t your fight! This has nothing to do with you!” Izuku snapped back.
“It DOES have something to do with me! Things having to do with my UNCLE have EVERYTHING to do with me!” Both of them froze.
“Wh…” Izuku groaned again and put a hand to his face.
“Stain is my uncle...one of them, anyways.” Todoroki stuttered.
“Y-You mean the one that saved you...The...one you live with?” There was a sigh.
“Yes.” He turned to Chizome.
“Why are you so adamant that you’ll be arrested, today?”
“Kid, like I said before, I’m getting old.”
“Unc-”
“Do me a favor, Izuku.”
“?” He took off his waist knife holsters and dropped them to the ground, along with the katana on his back.
“Take care of them, would you?”
“Stop acting like you’re gonna die. But...yeah. I will.”

That was when Tenya got off the ground. Izuku locked him in a full Nelson, to make sure he wouldn’t run at Chizome.
“Let me go!”
“No. Him attacking your brother was an accident.”
“But the other heroes weren’t!”
“He’s understood that, now. He’s understood what he’s done was wrong! I mean...He can’t be all bad, right?” Shoto put a hand on Tenya’s shoulder.
“He raised Izuku. He can’t be completely evil, if that’s how Izuku turned out.” The bluenette started to calm.
“You stabbed me in the leg!” The raven spluttered.
“YOU were aiming a kick at my face!” The commotion brought a couple heroes, including Manual and Sir.
“Sonic Boom!”
“Mercury!” Then, they saw Stain and squared up. The man sighed and groaned at the same time.
“For the love of...Izuku. Just tell them I’m done.” His nephew looked at him with pain in his face, even if 90% of it couldn’t be seen.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah. I can’t get away from multiple heroes and Endeavor’s in the city. I don’t feel like getting my head roasted off.” The greenette sighed and turned to the street.
“Stain says he’s handing himself in.” That made the heroes start.
“What?!”
“I’m getting too old for this shit! There’s too many heroes in the area. And I might as well give my nephew part of the credit for ‘capturing’ me.” The heroes stalled on that last thing. Sir turned his eyes to his intern, who nodded.
“Yeah...You aren’t hearing things. He’s my uncle.” The man was about to walk forward to put a hand on his nephew’s head, when a beige blur ripped through the alley.

Izuku found himself lifted in the air, grabbed by talons. He couldn’t get his foot up at the angle he was being carried. The heroes called up and Endeavor was about to use his quirk, when Nighteye stopped him.
“The fall would severely injure him!” Manual looked at him.
“It would kill him!”
“It wouldn't. He’s unkillable. It’s part of his quirk. But the fall would shatter nearly all the bones in his body.” Then, a tongue dragged over a blood splatter on the woman’s cheek. The Nomu started falling, as a foot kicked at its ankle, loosening its grip. As Izuku fell, the others called out to him. Behind his mask he growled, before his eyes glowed a white-gold, through his lenses. It made him look supernatural to the onlookers. He kept falling, before a burst of fire came from both scapulae, coalescing into his secondary type of wings. Ones that looked ghostly and made from light, hovering a bare half a centimeter from his back. As he righted himself in the air, he growled a bit at his uncle.
“Ya couldn’t have waited until we were closer to the ground, could you?”
“Sorry!” When they landed on the ground, Chizome’s, spare, dagger was planted in the Nomu’s brain.
“Thanks for the save, though.” He pat Izuku’s head, before the teenager hugged him around the waist.
“I’ll come visit. You can count on that for damn sure.” The raven laughed and walked over to the heroes.
“Well...You gonna arrest me?”

As he was being arrested by some extremely confused policemen and heroes, his nephew disappeared down the alley they’d been in. He went pretty deep, before clearing his throat.
“Show yourself.” From the wall, a black and purple mist swirled and condensed, before opening goldenrod eyes.
“Midoriya Izuku…”
“Akaguro Izuku, soon.” The mist seemed to nod.
“Why did you follow me?” The warp gate stilled for a moment.
“I...I remember…”
“I hoped you would. When I commanded you to fall during the USJ, I made a quieter command. It was one only you were supposed to hear. I told you to remember.” The gate looked to be trembling, as he returned to his humanoid form.
“Please help me...I want to see them again...I don’t want to be a villain…” Izuku lifted the edge of his eye mask, so he could look at him with emerald eyes.

“And I will help you, Shirakumo Oboro…”

Chapter Text

If the man had tear ducts, he would have been crying. To have been given back his name. It made him feel like he was human again. Izuku put his hand to the wall and into the mush, making Oboro startle, as an older man with melting flesh poked his head through.
“This is Larry. He can take you back to my home. If you would take a message for me?” The man, who had been Kurogiri for almost fifteen years, nodded.
“I will. Thank you...You gave me back my identity…” He got a light pat on the shoulder.
“If it’s possible, I’ll be giving you back more than that.” Yellow eyes widened further, as he was given the message. At the end he recounted it back, so that Izuku could tell him if he was missing anything.
“Oh, right. Let them know I’ll be popping in later to clear anything up with them about this situation.” Oboro nodded and thanked him one last time, before disappearing with Larry, the old man regulating his pH, like how Izuku taught him. It was ironic, but really useful.

Making his way back, he, subtly, made his wormholes under Chizome’s weapons, making the fall into their apartment, where they landed right on his bed, not harming a thing. The door to the police car was slightly ajar, so the heat wouldn’t be extreme inside. Izuku’s mask was back over his eyes, as the lenses met the mahogany ones of his uncle.
“Hey! What’s your hero name again?!” The greenette smiled under his mask.
“The name’s Mercury!” Stain grinned a proud grin, knowing he’d raised this kid. He’d done something right in his life. Izuku was about to take the underground scene by storm.

It was protocall to take the three students to the hospital, even if it was only Tenya that was injured, if minimally. They sat on three beds, Iida the only one with bandages and they were around his thigh. The police and two of the heroes came in.
“We need to get statements from you three, please.” Tenya was about to open his mouth about seeking out the Hero Killer and take the fall, when Izuku spoke.
“We were going to the center of the square, when I noticed that Iida got separated from our group. When I left to find him, thinking he got trapped in chaos, I found him in that alley. My uncle was startled again and attacked out of reflex. A minute or so after I got there, Todoroki showed up.” The heterochromatic teen nodded.
“I came to Hosu with Endeavor and I heard commotion in an alley. When I peeked to make sure no one was trapped or in trouble, I found Iida on the ground and Izuku staring at Stain, before they started talking like they knew each other.” Iida went along with it.
“When we were cutting through the street, I was clipped by a group of civilians, disorienting me and letting the rest of my group get ahead of me. When I was passing by an alley, I glanced in and thought I saw someone on the fire escape. I called over to ask if they needed assistance and...It was Stain. Apparently, I startled him, since he attacked. I was paralyzed, before Izuku and Todoroki came. The rest is about the same as Todoroki’s account. I was careless. Please forgive me.” He bowed from where he sat, before Manual put his hand on his shoulder.
“It was an accident.” Izuku sighed.
“It’s not all your fault, Iida-kun. I ran off, without waiting for confirmation from either hero. I’m the most in violation to the law.” Shoto gave a nervous sound.
“I...just ditched Endeavor...well...technically we ditched each other, since he didn’t seem to look for me…” The chief of police stood in the doorway.
“Well, you’re only human, woof. We all make mistakes. I think we can let you off with a warning this time, woof.” The three students let out relieved breaths, before Tsuragamae turned his attention to Izuku.
“You said that Stain...Akaguro Chizome, is your uncle?”
“Yes. He’s one of my mother’s three younger brothers.” The man seemed to raise a brow.
“I read her file...She was much older…”
“Eleven years older, to be precise.”
“I see...Thank you for your cooperation. All three of you, woof.” The three students nodded, as the police and Manual left. Sir stayed. Green eyes lowered to his lap.
“I’m sorry…” He felt a hand rest on his head and looked up again, finding a little smile on the hero’s lips. He said nothing, as he stood up and placed what was in his other arm in the teenager’s lap. It was Mammon, curled up and asleep. Izuku sent a ‘thank you’ through the look in his eyes. He got one more pat on the head, before the man left the boy to run his fingers through the lizard’s fur.

Back at the agency, it was the next night. Midnight to be precise. Izuku opened up the wormhole and stepped through, appearing in his apartment. Though sans one other human. The anomalies congregated in his flat, waiting for what he had to say.
“We...are getting Uncle Chizome back.” He turned to two of them, Kairos and Larry.
“You two are the main components to this plan.” They both nodded and waited, as Izuku filled them in on the details to the plan he’d come up with. When everything was written down and it was figured out who would do what and how, Izuku gestured to the warp.
“I’m sure Larry informed you that this man is alright to be here. His name is Shirakumo Oboro.” Some of them looked surprised, having heard what happened almost 15 years prior. Izuku turned to Onfroi.
“How’s your technique coming along?”
“Ah...It’s still a bit faulty on living things…” Oboro looked a little nervous.
“What...about dead things?” Amber eyes blinked through the holes of his mask.
“Dead?”
“Oh...Some of the others told me you’re from America...Thirteen years ago, I was killed. The man that sent my group to the USJ found my body and turned me into a Nomu. One different to the others, with speech and a human mind. I was never meant to remember my life, but Izuku used his newest power to make me remember.” Izuku nodded.
“I believe that your abilities, coupled with Mammon’s healing and about 12 ounces of overdrive, we can help him.” Onfroi looked to be thinking.
“It...would take a while. We’d have to do it in increments, as to not make his body shut down on him…”
“We have time. Shirakumo-san? Do you wish to go through with this?” He nodded.
“Please call me Oboro. And yes. Even if it ends up killing me, I’d rather be dead than this monster.”
“We can start, as soon as I get back from this second week.” They all nodded and bid him a good night, as he returned to the room Sir had given him.

The week went by fast and both intern and hero were sad to see it end. They had found someone to connect with on a personal level. Sir had actually walked him to the train station. But, before they entered the building, he pulled his intern into a nook.
“Izuku. There one last thing I’d like you to know.”
“Ah? What is it, Sir?” The man smiled, gently, making him look softer and years younger.
“My name. I know you’re trustworthy and I know you’ll put the knowledge to goot use. My name is Sasaki Mirai.” The younger greenette smiled back.
“And I’m, soon to be, Akaguro Izuku.” The man, in a display of trust and kindness, crouched and hugged the teenager, making him startle. After a split second, Izuku hugged him back. A moment later, last calls for boarding made them break the contact. As he walked towards the train, he smiled a little.
“I’ll make sure to keep in touch. Maybe I can make Yagi-sensei get back in touch with you, too.”
“I’d like that.”
“Thank you for this learning experience.” Mirai inclined his head.
“No...Thank you for teaching me new things these past two weeks.” They shared a discreet smile, before the teenager hopped on the train with a little wave. One that was responded to with a nod.

When he returned to Musutafu, he knew there was one thing he had to do, right away. He dialed a number and put it to his ear.
“Izuku-shounen?”
“I’m early, getting back into Musutafu. Could...we meet somewhere? I’d like to talk to you about some things.”
“Of course!” He gave an address and Izuku walked there, feeling guilt flood his breast. When he arrived at the house, it was small. A one floor apartment. He knocked and Toshinori opened the door, dressed in a white shirt and his normal cargo shorts. His hair was pulled back, while his bangs framed his face.
“Come on in. Would you like something to drink?”
“Water would be nice. Thank you.” The apartment was tiny. There was an open kitchen that connected to the living room, a bedroom to the side, a single bathroom, and a laundry room. It seemed to all be squished into a space ten by ten meters in area. They both sat on the man’s couch, as Izuku took a deep breath.
“I’m sure you saw that video on Stain’s arrest…” The blonde nodded and Izuku screwed his eyes closed.
“I’m sorry…”
“What?”
“I lied to your face, earlier in the year. I told you that I wasn’t affiliated with Stain, when he was my uncle…He raised me.” There was a moment of tense silence.
“I understand why.”
“???”
“Yes, I’m a little irritated at being lied to, but I can understand why you did. He’s a villain. You’re trying to be a hero. His stigma would have caused distrust through your peers.” The greenette was looking at his lap.
“Izuku-shounen?”
“I…” Blue eyes looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
“I’m breaking him out of prison...tonight.” If he was still missing organs, Tohinori was sure his shirt would have been stained red again.
“What?!”
“He’s my uncle...He’s my family. I can’t imagine my life without him. I, also, want you to be able to come around...He’s...a big fan. He thinks you’re really cool and has always wanted to meet you.” There was another bout of thick silence, before the blonde smiled, his brows softening.
“He’s raised you. He raised you damn good. He can’t be all bad, since he made you into who you are now and he turned himself in, without a fight.”
“Onfroi has told me that the Pestilence inside of him is lowering everyday...He’s been seeing his wrongs and has been regretting almost everything. I say almost, because I agree that a couple of those heroes he killed deserved it for what they did.” The blonde stood and sat on the other couch, across from him, where he wrapped an arm around Izuku’s shoulders in a side hug. Izuku smiled ghostingly. It was these moments he cherished most, since the most fatherly things he’d experienced were the things Chizome had done for him, while he was growing up. The raven had always told him that he was his uncle and not his father, even if Izuku had already known. It didn’t matter. He’d had a male role model...multiple, actually. He felt safe.

That night, Izuku helped set up the last bit of the plan, before Larry popped out of the wall.
“Yeah. I think we’re ready. You know what room he’s in, right?” Larry nodded.
“Good. How long do we have until backup power comes online?” The older man held up all ten fingers. Ten seconds.
“Plenty of time. Get him here and we’ll get him out of his restraints. When we get them onto the dummy, you can take it through. We need to be fast.” With a finger countdown, Larry was through the wall, shorting out the power. When Chizome came through the wall, Izuku, Shy, Onfroi, and Mel were all over him, pulling his straightjacket off and putting it on the dummy. It looked exactly like the man, but dead and pale. Once Larry took the corpse with him to put it in the place the man had once been, they knew they were in the home stretch. When the old man came back, they all cheered.

Chizome was dazed.
“What...just...happened?”
“We made a plan to get you out.” Onfroi laughed a little.
“What he means to say is that he had a genius idea to break you out of prison.”
“What?” Mel’s mask smiled.
“That dummy was made to look like you in any and all ways. Down to the bones and organs.” Onfroi laughed a touch.
“Kairos worked his little tail off, too. He stretched his powers to be able to use wood for bones and balloons for joints. He was even able to make the heart look diseased and like you had a sudden heart attack, while the power was out.”
“That’s...uh...a little creepy.” Izuku shrugged.
“It worked, right?”
“Won’t they notice there’s no blood?”
“Thought of that. Did you notice that you felt weak over the past six days?”
“I...did.”
“I had Larry go to the Foundation to use 294 to get your blood to fill that body. Four cups of it a day. It also gave a reason for your sudden heart attack. If you’d just dropped one day, it would be suspicious. Giving you a reason to give in to the family’s, notorious, heart problems.” Chizome looked confused.
“But..my family doesn’t…” He saw the smile on his nephew’s face and started to laugh. Izuku had hacked into the medical database and tampered with some files. He hugged him and ruffled the teenager’s hair.
“Sometimes, you’re so smart, you scare me, Izuku!"

Chapter Text

It was the next day that he felt dread seep through him. Something bad was going to happen. It just irritated him that he didn’t know what it was. He kept his senses alert, as he made his way to school, making sure things were in place. As he walked, he remembered what happened in the past day. Chizome was back and had been out cold for about three hours, after Kairos made him a new nose out of skin toned fabric. He took on the identity of Akaguro Chikara. His twin brother. Chikara had died ten years ago, but, to everyone else, he’d gone missing. Chizome and Izuku were the ones that saw him die at the hands of one of his informants, a year after he’d dropped off the streets of Musutafu and Hosu. Sunday, Izuku had Toshinori come over to meet his uncle and the younger man nearly had a goddamn meltdown. It was amusing, to say the least.

He snapped back to the real world and grabbed the wrist of the hand headed for his shoulder, from the darkness of an alleyway. Ice dripped through him and into his stomach, as green met blood orange. Black hair curled around the man’s head, a single strip of white snaking into his bangs. He was staring into the face of his father. Midoriya Hisashi. It only made him hold tighter.
“Hisashi.” The use of his given name made the man’s snarl deepen.
“You should be dead.” The man didn’t intimidate him anymore. After all he’d been through…
“No thanks to you, Father.” The tone of voice made the raven man grab the back of his shirt.
“You listen, here, you little shit stain-”
“Listen to you? Not even on your deathbed, Fucker. You left me to die. You tortured me and left me to die. You have no control over how I live or how I talk to you. Let me, the fuck, go.” He was grabbed by his upper arms and turned around, as the man let out a plume of fire in the boy’s face. The greenette made no sound, as his flesh burned and melted, eyes dissolving in their sockets. A sinister smile crossed Hisashi’s face, before dropping, as his face shifted to light horror. His son’s mouth opened.
“I think I know why you’re like this. Your father, Shigaraki Noboru, was also an abusive man. Did he blame you for your mother’s death? Like you blame me for the death of mine? You took his actions as right, when they were wrong.”
“Shut up!” He gripped the teenager’s tie, as the skin on his face grew back.
“What-”
“Part of my quirk. The one that activated the night I nearly bled to death on the street. The last time I saw you.” He heard a growl and put his hand to his head. A throbbing ping rang through his brain. He hated this. He hated being…
“...your fault...It’s your fault. It’s your fault I’m a freak. It’s your fault I’m insane! I might have fully snapped if it weren’t for Uncle Chizome and Uncle Chikara!” There was a throaty chuckle.
“And what will you do, now that one is missing and one is in prison?”
“Ha! You, obviously, haven’t read the news! Chizome is dead! And Uncle Chikara came out of hiding, over the weekend!” His eyes twitched, and his mouth stretched into an ominous grin. He scratched at his ears and neck, not unlike his older cousin. He twitched and jerked in small movements, making Hisashi let him go, dropping him down to the ground. Izuku scrambled to put his hands on the wall, his breathing labored. The mush spread out from under his fingertips, pulsating like it had a heartbeat. His arms were inside, as if he were searching for someone. Finally, they stopped and he pulled back out, a head and shoulders coming out with him, the same color as the wormhole. Larry stared at Izuku, worry in his eyes, as Hisashi backpedaled a step.
“What the fu-” The older man turned his full attention to Izuku, the only sounds from him being the dripping of his caustic flesh. Izuku started hyperventilating, his whole body shaking, as his eyes trembled, wide, completely, fully constricted, and full of fear. A single tear dripped down the arch of his face, letting the man know he was breaking, moments before an epicenter of bloodlust started to form around the greenette.

Izuku choked on his sharp breaths.
“J-Jiji!” Larry grabbed the teenager’s hands and raised his pH, knowing that pain helped shock the sanity back into the boy. Even when all the skin and muscle was gone, the boy was only falling deeper. He moved his hands to his face, starting to melt his skin. After a few moments, Izuku put his hands on the backs of Larry’s hands.
“Th...Thank you…” A low rumble moved through his chest, as he drew back a little, letting Izuku’s skin knit back together. They heard a hiss from in front of them, as a foot cracked into green hair.
“Freak!” A rattling sound, like metal on metal, came from Larry. It was rare to hear him vocalize in any way, further than low sounds. His mouth was, actually, open, as if warning the man to not get closer. Of course Hisashi didn’t acknowledge it. He picked Izuku up by his throat, a flame flickering past his teeth, as he stared at an unflinching, freckled, face, painted down the side in red.
“This time I’ll make sure you STAY dead!” Green eyes met orange, as some blood was spit to the side.
“Like bastard father, like bastard son.” The hand clamped tighter.
“Any last words, you freak of nature?!” Unfazed eyes glared over his bottom lid, mouth pulled into a smirk.
“You chose the wrong place to confront me. Checkmate, Fucker.” The fire roared to life in Hisashi’s throat, as Izuku saw motion out of the corner of his eye.
“Karma’s a bitch.”

Hisashi’s fire cut off and a scarf wrapped around his shoulders, yanking him to the ground. He let go of Izuku, who tucked into a crouch, as he watched his father being restrained further.
“Sensei…” Aizawa’s hair floated above his head, eyes blood red in his sockets. Once the older raven was restrained completely and the police were en route, he turned to his student.
“Who is he?”
“Midoriya Hisashi. My father.” Dark grey eyes widened.
“What?”
“This man is my father.”
“Why was he…”
“He thought he killed me twelve years ago, but I was saved by my two, surviving, uncles. This is the first time I’ve seen him since he tortured me and left me to die in the street.” That made a, sudden, growl rip up Aizawa’s throat. He ground the man’s face into the cement, keeping him immobile, until the police cars showed up to arrest him and take statements. When one was about to radio for an ambulance, Izuku stopped him.
“Part of my quirk gives me super regeneration. My injuries are all healed, already. I just need a wipe.” He parted his hair, letting the officer see that the impact break to his skin was healed over. He felt a familiar hand on his ankle, even if it wasn’t melting his skin. Crouching, he hugged Larry, who popped out of the ground, by his feet.
“Thank you, Jiji.” The man pat his head, before backing away and reaching down into the wormhole, bringing out a familiar ball of fur. Izuku smiled and nodded to Larry, silently telling him to let the others know what happened and why their anxieties shot up again. Mammon shivered, as if coming off an adrenaline high.
”M...M…”
“It’s ok, Mammon. He’s being arrested.” His bone muzzle turned, so his sensory organs could see the whole scene. Then, he did something he rarely did. He started licking at the blood that had started drying on his face. His tongue was, surprisingly, like a cross between a cat’s and a dog’s.
“Mammon?” A clear fluid secreted from the part of his muzzle his eyes would have been, had he had them. Tears. The lizard only cried when he was overwhelmed beyond belief. The biggest thing that made his emotions out of whack was when Izuku’s emotions were working overtime. The greenette held his familiar...his friend to his chest, brushing his hand through and over his fur in a motion that comforted the anomaly.

As he consoled Mammon, he let a male officer wipe the blood from the side of his face with a wet towel. He had a cat’s head and had a light touch.
“Thank you, Tamakawa-san.” Sansa nodded.
“You’re very welcome. Some of your hair is stained a little. You’ll need to wash it to get the blood out.”
“I will. Thank you again.”
“One last thing, before you can get to school, if you choose to do so. We’ll need pictures of the scars he gave you.”
“I have a hologram, at home. I can bring it to you, later today.”
“Home?”
“I live with my uncle. Akaguro Chikara. Like I explained, I live with him. Even if I hadn’t known better, he wouldn’t have let me go back to a household I could have turned into a villain in.” Sansa nodded and wrote something down.
“What time can you bring it to the station?”
“...Six?”
“Perfect.” He, still carrying Mammon, started walking towards the school.

They were but a hundred meters from the front of it. That was how Aizawa found him. Said hero walked next to him, as they reached the card reader.
“Thank you, Sensei.” He got a pat on the head.
“It’s my job...Besides...no, true, father beats on his children. He may have been blood, but he was never your father.” Green eyes softened, a nod bobbing his head. When they reached the homeroom for 1-A, they slipped inside, the rest of the class sitting there, already. He looked at the time. It was five minutes after the bell to be in class. Hitoshi looked startled.
“Izuku!”
“Hey…”
“You...You’re never late...Why are you la-” Violet eyes flicked to the red tinge to the side curls in his hair.
“What...happened? Sensei rushed out of the room, when you weren’t here, when the bell rang.” Izuku sighed, knowing this kind of bomb would freak the entire class out.
“My...My father tried to kill me again.”

Silence.

All eyes turned to him, as if waiting for him to elaborate.
“My father is an abuser...an attempted murderer. When I was three years old, he beat and burned me to an inch of my life. He left me to bleed out and die of my injuries.” The class looked horrified.
“I would have died had my quirk not kicked in and both of my uncles found me. I live with one of them. The other, as you’ve, probably, seen in the news, is dead. He had a massive heart attack in prison. The only other parts of my family are my third uncle, who’s been dead a while, my cousin, and my grandfather. Lo and behold, both of them are villains.” There was a question flooding over the faces of most of the class. It was one he was willing to answer.
“My...cousin is the man that calls himself Shigaraki Tomura.” Eyes blew wide in all directions.
“WH-” He cut off the yell, as he spoke again.
“His real name is Shimura Tenko.” Some eyes went wide at that, including Aizawa’s. Mina tipped her head.
“Why does that family name sound familiar…”
“His and my grandmother was Shimura Nana. The Symbol of Peace over thirty years ago. She had a total of four children. First, my mother, followed by Tenko’s father, then my other two uncles, Chizome and Chikara, who are identical twin brothers. Tenko’s father, Kotaro, was killed by his own son. My mother died in childbirth. My uncle, Chizome, died in prison. And my uncle, Chikara, raised me, while hiding from people that wanted to kill him.” His emerald eyes flickered, when Todoroki and Iida looked up at him. It was the look of ‘don’t say anything’.

The day was normal, only with the teachers passing him glances every now and again. At the end of the day, he was almost steamrolled by Toshinori. The man nearly picked him up, when he hugged him.
“I-”
“Don’t. You didn’t know it was going to happen. You couldn’t have known.” The blonde only kept hugging the teenager, until he had to go.
“Sorry...I need to get that hologram to the station.” There was a look in those blue eyes that made Izuku smile a bit.
“Would you like to crash at our place, today?” The man nodded, sheepishly. It was pretty lonely in his one person apartment.

When they got to the complex, he was swarmed by everyone. Mia almost launched into his arms and some of the others were hanging off of him. He heard news all around. Shy had been pacing for the past ten hours, Chizome had been freaked, and Larry had to change out Mel’s filter long before he was due to need another one. Stress. He rushed to his room and swiped a hologram cartridge, before apologizing to everyone and bolting out the door, so he could give the evidence to the station.

While there, he got the officer’s attention.
“Would it be possible for me to change my name, yet?”
“Ah. You’re fifteen, right?”
“Yes.”
“May I see your ID? It’s protocol.” Izuku handed the man his ID.
“What name would you like to change to?”
“Akaguro Izuku.” There was some typing.
“Alright...I’ve sent your request to be judged. You should get a response in about a week’s time.”
“Thank you.” He got a cat-like smile in return.
“No problem.” Izuku was handed back his card and made his way back home.

What a hectic day...

Chapter Text

There was a knock at their door. It was a Saturday. The Saturday after Hisashi was arrested. Chizome peeked through the peep hole and saw no one there. If it was Toshinori, he’d be plainly visible. Putting his hand on his pocket knife, the man, carefully, opened the door. No one was there. Then, a voice caught his attention.
“Greetings, Akaguro-san.” Looking down, he looked into the scarred face of...a mouse...bear...man. He recognized him.
“Principal Nezu?”
“That’s me! May I speak to you about some things?”
“Ah? Is Izuku in trouble?”
“On, no no. Nothing of the sort.” Nezu’s voice quieted.
“I know you aren't dead, Chizome-san.” He rose a brow.
“You...have the wrong person. I’m Akaguro Chikara. My brother died over two weeks ago.” There was a flicker in the hero’s dark eyes.
“No...You are Chizome. Chikara was killed ten years ago.” After a moment of tense eye contact, Chizome stepped back and let the other man inside.
“Could I offer you some tea?”
“Thank you. That would be nice.”

That was when Izuku came around the corner.
“Hey, Uncle-” He stopped, upon seeing his principal in the living room.
“Principal Nezu?”
“Greetings.” Chizome came out of the kitchen with a cup of tea.
“Izuku...He knows.”
“How…”
“I don’t know.” Nezu smiled.
“I was there, when Chikara was murdered. I didn’t know he had any siblings, until Izuku, here, explained the people in his family that were alive, still.” Chizome scratched at his nose, at the seam, where the cloth was a bare shade off from his own skin. It wasn’t noticeable outside extremely bright light and, even then, seemed more like a wrinkle in his flesh.
“You may have your nose back, but that doesn’t make you look much different...Though you really do look like your twin…” Izuku leveled the rodent man with a stare.
“What will you do, now? With this information, you could expose him…” The man chuckled.
“Why would I? He’s done no wrong and Akaguro Chizome is supposed to have died in prison. That duplicate was an exact replica. May I ask how you made it?” The greenette took a deep, steadying, breath.
“The same way Yagi-sensei regained his organs.”
“One of your familiars?”
“Yes.” He left the room and came back the colorful bear, who was, maybe, half the height of the hero. Placing him down, Izuku spoke again.
“This is Kairos. Usually, he can create organs from fabric and stuffing. When we made the duplicate of my uncle, he stretched his abilities to create new and complete organs, even when no one was injured. I used his ability to make the brain, because he can’t. We made the bones from wood and felt. The hair is real and came from the brushes that my uncle never cleans and the eyes were...hard to make, but they were made the same as everything else.” Chizome shrugged at the little jab at him, as the principal thought on the information he was given. He seemed to be intrigued by the was Kairos moved, even if he had no skeleton. The teddy tipped his head and toddled closer to the sofa.
“Kairos doesn’t speak, but can use the last song he heard coming from a music box to let out notes.” The bear demonstrated, letting some high pitched tings fill the air.
“He tends to use them when really happy or sad. Otherwise, he’s very quiet.” Nezu seemed to notice that the bear was looking at his scar and put a paw to it, making the stuffed bear look away, as if he knew he shouldn’t be looking.
“Kairos has a hard time seeing scars. It...makes him think he should have helped, even when he knows he couldn’t have…” Izuku put his hand to his side, where, beneath his shirt, his own scars clawed at his skin.

The principal cleared his throat.
“I came to extend an offer to Akaguro-san.” His eyes turned to Chizome, knowing it would have been confusing without a direct visual of who he was speaking to. Izuku had his last name changed a few days ago, the change being approved by the right people. Chizome had been extremely flattered and had gone all loose and limp, when he found out. The man was putting his hair into a low ponytail, which he was tightening, when he was looked at.
“Hm?”
“I’d like to offer you a teaching position at UA.” Both teen and adult stared at him.
“What?”
“I believe that you would make a great teacher.”
“I...I used to be a villain…”
“Yes, you were. But, Chikara was not.”
“Uh…” The principal seemed to take joy in the stunned looks on their faces.
“I believe that you would be the best candidate to teach the students about how to spot a villain or villain-like behaviour that they wouldn’t be keen in looking for. Since your ‘brother’ was a villain, you would be the best suited for the job.” There was a sliver of time that the room was silent. Seconds...minutes. After nearly half an hour of this stillness, Chizome spoke.
“I’ll take the job. I...need the money and teaching the newest generations would help fill that place I lost, when I turned villain.”
“Great! How does a week from Monday sound? You’d be the teacher for a branch of the Heroics class.”
“That sounds perfect...Plenty of time to get a curriculum together…”

Nezu turned to Izuku.
“May I ask what Kairos-san and Mammon-san are? I feel as if they aren’t just mere familiars.” Izuku blanched for a moment, before sighing and telling him everything. What’s one more secret? The man was...oddly accepting…

Chizome’s first day teaching came about and it was a nerve wracking morning. The entire walk to the school was full of Izuku reassuring his uncle that everything would be fine.
“I’ll see you in Heroics.” The raven took a deep breath and fixed his suit, before walking towards his classroom, which he was supposed to share with Toshinori. He wore a nice grey suit with a white shirt under it and a black tie. His hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, making him look nice and cleaned up. He met a smiling face, when he knocked on the door. Said blonde was on the other side, ushering him in, so that they could get things set up.

When 1-A came to Heroics, they found an extra man in the room.
“This is my assistant teacher, Akaguro Chikara.” The raven bowed for a moment in greeting, before standing straight up again.
“Good afternoon.” The whole class turned to stare at Izuku, knowing who this man was to him. Without looking away from his uncle, he gave a little smile and a wave, which was reciprocated. Tsu put her finger to her mouth.
“So...This is your uncle, Izuku-kun?”
“Yep. It’s his first day. How you holding up?” Chizome smiled, nervously.
“Honestly? Pretty good, considering how I was this morning.” The blonde hero laughed a little.
“Akaguro-san will be teaching a supplementary part of this class that has to do with the more...unsavory side of hero work.” The raven took this time as time to explain, much like in the other classes.
“For example, I’ll be teaching how to spot shady things, without accusing the wrong people. What to look for, if someone is suspected of a crime or if someone has bad intentions, without being blindsided if someone comes after you, unexpectedly.” All Might’s hand rested on his shoulder and he fought, like he had all day, to not explode into a blush or flip out, cause…All Might. A hand went up and he felt Toshinori nudge him, subtly, giving him the go ahead to call on students.
“Ah. Yes? I believe you’re...Kaminari Denki?” The younger blonde grinned.
“Yeah. That’s me. I’m sorry if this is too off topic or personal, but...You know your brother is…”
“Dead? Yeah. I know. Add it to the list, I guess. I’m the last, out of my siblings, still alive. I’m sure Izuku told you that he only has two family members, still alive, besides me.” Another hand went up, but he could only see the shy limb, because of the sleeve.
“Yes?...I’m sorry, I don’t believe I know your name.” The invisible girl didn’t seem offended.
“Ah! It’s no problem. I’m Hagakure Toru. If I may, may I ask something personal?”
“Yes. It’s alright.”
“Did...Did you know your mother? Like...Do you remember her?” Chizome took a moment, flashes of his mom coming to mind. They made a sad smile flicker onto his face.
“I did. She had no choice but to give us up. She didn’t want her enemies to come after us. My sister, my twin, and I knew why she had to leave us at the orphanage. My older brother didn’t. He grew to hate heroes and, even, had grown violent at the thought of them. But, to answer your question, yes. I do remember her. I wish I could have known her for longer, but I still cherish the few memories I have.” That made the class smile a little.

This man was bound to be a wonderful teacher.

Chapter Text

About a month later, they were in their Heroics class, being taught the supplementary material, when something twitched in Izuku’s face. He doesn’t have any twitches that happen in his facial muscles. Only in his hands and legs. Mahogany eyes met green, which were starting to haze. Suddenly, there was a tremble that started in his arm. It wasn’t normal.
“Iz-” Emerald orbs started to flicker, as his arms stretched across his desk. His mouth opened in a strangled cry, as he started jerking. He fell out of his chair and started shaking in wrenching, almost writhing, movement. Chizome dropped the packet in his hand and rushed to his nephew’s side.
“He’s having a seizure! Iida! Go get Recovery Girl!” The bluenette was out the door as soon as he heard his name. As the raven turned the teenager on his side, the class heard him speak, as if to himself.
“He’s never had a seizure before...There’s no way he could...He’d heal any brain damage, if he sustained any…” From the corner of his eyes, he watched Koda cover his ears.
“Koda.” With a lot of difficulty, the boy signed to him.
/There’s a high pitched ringing. I can only hear it, because of my connection to animals./ Looking back to Izuku’s desk, he found Mammon shaking his head and growling irritatedly. Coming through the door, behind Iida, were Recovery Girl and All Might.

The blonde knelt and put his hand on the greenette’s shoulder, face diving deeper into worry at the trembling under his palm.
“Chikara! What happened?!”
“He started seizing a couple minutes ago. Koda said that there’s a high pitched sound that only he, Izuku, and Mammon can hear. I knew something wasn’t right, since Izuku never had seizures before and could, literally, never have them. Ever. His quirk wouldn’t allow it.” Suddenly, the alarms started going off, throwing the school into lockdown. As All Might rushed off to help the other teachers, Recovery Girl shined a flashlight into Izuku’s eyes, making him screw them shut.
“Wait...Izuku? Are you conscious?” There was a sharp nod from the teenager, before he lost control of his neck muscles again.
“This is...strange...Usually, full body seizures are associated with Grand Mal Seizures, which knock the patient out. He’s still conscious.” Being on his side let part of the class see the foam of saliva leaving his mouth.

After another minute, Izuku stopped shaking, spitting the rest of the saliva from his mouth.
“Shit! That...That sucked!”
“Izuku…” He looked over and into the panicked eyes of his uncle.
“I...I think I’m ok...But...they’re…” Chizome stood and looked out the window, his eyes blowing wide. Beyond the gates was an army. An army of men dressed like SWAT officers. And on their arm was a symbol he knew all too well. The Foundation.
“Oh shit…” He felt a hand at his wrist and turned, finding Izuku up on his feet, holding onto the desk.
“They’re here.”
“I knew they’d find me. I just didn’t think they’d get clearance to make a move...and so many units…” They both saw the machine on the back of one of their vans and knew that was where the sound came from. Seeing the heroes walk from the front of the building towards the gate, Chizome was distracted enough to not see Izuku slip from the room.

Outside, Izuku got as close to the entrance as he could, without being seen. Nezu was with the group of other teachers and, even, he wasn’t smiling.
“What is it you’re here to do? To cause a breach in our daily routine?” One of the men stepped forward, apparently the leader.
“We are here to detain SCP-666-666 and bring it back to our facilities.” The rodent’s brow ticked at the way he referred to Izuku as an animal.
“What reason would we allow you to even step foot onto our school grounds?”
“You must understand. SCP-666-666 is a very dangerous individual. We are, simply, here to protect the common man.” Nezu’s brows furrowed, which wasn’t like him.
“Do you not see where you’re taking him from? If he were as dangerous as you say, then why would he be here? Training to be a hero?”
“The anomaly may be masquerading and waiting to strike.” It seems they were at an impasse.
“We will be right in and right back out again. Once we have contained it-” Suddenly, the roaring voice of All Might startled them...by swearing.
“He has a fucking name!”

They all watched the blonde’s brows and bangs bristle, his skin stretched downwards so hard, they thought a vein would pop in his temple. The MTF officer looked frustrated, even if his face was covered.
“Why are you making this so difficult?”
“Because you’re trying to kidnap an innocent teenager and stick him somewhere, like an experiment! He told me...and he told Principal Nezu. How you find things you think don’t belong and you study them like they aren’t living beings! You’re trying to take a promising hero-in-training and pick him apart, like he has a disease-”
“Step aside. We will use force.” It was strange...and a little scary to hear The Symbol of Peace so riled...so…angry.
“I will not step aside! I will not stand by while you’re trying to take away MY SON!”

Even the other heroes stared at him. His mouth was pulled up into a massive snarl.
“First you give him a goddamn seizure and now you want to take him away?! Over my cold dead body!” Izuku was, finally, able to pry himself from his shock and stood from behind the bush he was crouched behind.
“No. Don’t.” It was Mic that spoke next.
“Akaguro-san? I thought you had a-”
“I did. As soon as they turned that machine off, my seizure stopped.” He turned to the MTF officer and just stared him down.
“Don’t make them forget me.” Toshinori snapped his head to the greenette.
“Izuku, what are you doing?”
“If I don’t make sure, they’ll administer A-class amnestics and...and none of you will remember me.”
“But why are you giving yourself up?”
“You don’t know the shit they’ll do to get to me. Last time, they leveled a small farm outside the city. They killed ten people...four babies...just to get to me.” Tears pricked his eyes.
“And I’ll be damned if I let them destroy this school and take the hundreds of people inside with it, just to detain me. I won’t risk that...Not for anything.”
“Your family? Your friends?”
“If I need to leave to let them be safe, then-”
“Bullshit!” They turned to find Chizome walking out of the building.
“Uncle-”
“No. I won’t let you give yourself to them. I fucking raised you! Did you think I’d just let you go, just like that?! Do you think Hitoshi would let you leave?”
“I know...It’s not easy for me, either.”
“Then why are you doing it?!”
“Because I don’t want people to die!”
“We won’t die! If we were to die, I would have died when that man shot me! You would have died when...Hitoshi would have died when that man nearly put a hand through his chest…” Aizawa flinched in shock, from the side, but stayed silent.

The commotion and congregation of people drew the attention of all the heroes in the city. The lead MTF officer swore under his breath and spoke into the radio at his collar.
“We’re surrounded. Heroes from the city have gathered and All Might, himself, has situated himself as the specimen’s guard.” There was a murmur from the speaker, before the man called over his shoulder.
“FALL BACK!” The teams of men piled back into the vans and drove off, leaving the heroes in silence. Chizome walked forward and slapped the back of Izuku’s head, before bringing him to his chest.
“What were you thinking...Did...Did you really think we’d roll over and let them take you?” Izuku was silent, gripping the back of his uncle’s shirt, burying his face into the man’s chest. The raven brushed his hand through green curls, backwards, for a moment, before his nephew stepped back. He turned towards Toshinori, green meeting blue.
“...your son?” The blonde went bright pink, his ears burning red.
“I...uh...was gonna ask you this later, but...I’d like to adopt you.” Forest brows shot into his hairline.
“You...want to adopt...me?” Blonde bangs bobbed, nervously. Izuku felt a hand on his back, knowing his uncle was approving it. A wonderful and happy smile spread over the greenette’s face.
“Thank you.” Toshinori lit up, seeing that his offer wasn’t being rejected.

“No...Thank YOU.”

Chapter Text

When they got back inside, the teachers gathered in 1-A’s Heroics classroom. Nezu sighed.
“I guess the, proverbial, cat is out of the bag, Izuku-san.” The greenette nodded and sat in his seat.
“Alright. The reason the school locked down is because of me. All those people were here to detain me. The reason is really complicated, so bare with me. They are the Mobile Task Force units, deployed by an organization known as The SCP Foundation.” He scratched behind Mammon’s head to keep his growling low.
“It stands for Secure. Contain. Protect. They believe that they are protecting humanity from the anomalies they keep under lock and key...and yes, some of them need to be kept away from humanity, but there are tons of friendly SCPs that could benefit humanity.” Midnight spoke, when he paused.
“Then why come for you?”
“Technically, I’m one, too.”
“Technically?”
“My quirk is different. I have an aura that compels other anomalies to fight by my side. It makes them feel safe. That’s why Mammon calls me Alpha and I was given the nickname King, while at The Foundation. They caught me the way I said and placed me in a humanoid containment cell, where they studied me and interviewed me. The day I breached containment was the day sixty-two other anomalies went missing. They came with me of their own free wills.” Everyone looked at Mammon, who lifted his head.
”Yes. I am one, myself. I was the second to be released, after Shy.” The students looked confused, before Izuku let the tall, faceless, creature from the USJ through.
“This is Shy. He wears a mask, because he hates people seeing his face. He was the first I helped breach containment.” Shy sat on the floor and leaned against Izuku, as the teenager brushed his hand over the side of his head.
“There are many more that live with me. And there are thousands more across the globe. Around the world, there are hundreds of Foundation sites and buildings. The Foundation has been around for over five hundred years and started out small, quiet, and out of the way. In recent times they’ve gotten a lot more ballsy.”

Snipe scratched his head.
“So...your familiars are these anomalies?”
“Not only that. My quirk is bound to their powers. My regeneration comes from Mammon. My caustic touch and wormholes come from Larry, another of them.” Just then, said man poked his head through the floor.
“Speak of the Devil. Yeah. I know. Jiji? When you go back through, let them know that The Foundation made me have a seizure. A pretty bad one. But, I’m ok. I’m sure Mia is panicking her head off and Mel needs a new filter.” Larry nodded and touched Izuku’s hand, briefly, before slipping back into the floor again.
“My emotions and mental state determine how they react. When my brain functions are thrown out of whack, like my bloodlust or the seizure I just had, they panic and become agitated.” The other teachers nodded, understanding, somewhat.

A hand raised.
“Kirishima-kun?”
“Which one did you get those wings from? I mean in the Stain video.” The greenette and his affiliates stilled, before Izuku took a deep deep breath.
“Alright. This is gonna sound like bull and super religious, which I wasn’t until I met Mammon, but...I’ll start at the beginning and with a big ass bomb. Mammon is the serpent from The Garden of Eden.” Everyone stared at him, like he grew another head.
”It’s true. The only thing is that I was given eternal life, instead of losing my legs. If my name has been bothering you to where you heard it...I’m also the son of the devil...kinda. I’m part of him, like a little fragment off of him. It’s hard to explain.” When Todoroki spoke, everyone looked at him.
“So...Cain was...the real Cain?”
“Yes. His brother, Abel, is, also, an anomaly. One I would never break out of containment. He will masacre the entire Earth. He hates humanity with a passion. His powers were the ones I used at the beginning of the year, right before Cain came to me.”
“What does this have to do with the wings?”
“Well...The weekend before I went to my internship, I had Mammon help me get to a certain place.” Izuku rubbed his face, as he sighed.
“I wanted to know why another anomaly gave me the ability to use its power. The one I used to stop the Nomu in the USJ. That one had been classed as 001. The first one ever classed. It…” He felt a sharp pain behind his eye. Not again.
‘Uriel?’
’[Are you sure this is a good idea? Will they be able to handle the truth?]’
‘They’ve handled the other things well.’
’[...Very well. Tell them what you believe they can handle, Izuri’el.]’

When the pain left, he realized that he’d cut himself off and had been silent for about thirty seconds.
“Sorry. That was 001 talking to me. 001 is, literally, an angel. It is the seraphim, Uriel.” He was stared at with bugged out eyes.
“Yeah...I know. I found out that God...the literal one...physically made my quirk, himself and handpicked me to wield it. Trust me, I was shutting down at that point.” Mammon continued for him.
”What happened after that still stun me. Uriel literally knighted my Alpha.” The room was silent for a moment.
“I know it sounds like horseshit. Uriel made me into a warrior angel...well...I will when I die, anyways. The reason I have wings is because this kind of knighting was only given to certain prophets as they joined the angels in heaven. Since I’m still alive, it gave me wings and a sword.” There was a thick silence for a moment, before Vlad King broke it.
“How did All Might know about the...The Foundation?”
“I told him. I, also, told Principal Nezu, when he came to extend the teaching offer to my uncle. He asked and I told him, since he, out of all people, is marvelous with secrets. The only other person, besides them and my uncles...is Hitoshi.” The purplette started, when his name was said.
“I...uh...he...Izuku saved me from bullies almost two years ago. He trusted me with his secret and I vowed to never break that trust.” Aizawa stepped forward.
“Hitoshi...Chikara said that you almost had a hand put through your chest, before…” The student’s face sagged a little, making him look even more tired than before.
“About a month before school started, Izuku and I were walking out of a backstreet, when...Izuku pulled me out of the way. A bronze fist went through his chest from a villain that was lurking in that alley. Izuku’s other uncle, Chizome, swung around and took care of him, while Izuku healed. Had I been a couple steps behind…” Burnt silver eyes softened, as the purplette felt an arm around his shoulders. He smiled a little at his friend, who reciprocated it.
“I’d do it again. You’re my best friend...human friend, anyways.” Hitoshi laughed a little and pat Mammon’s head, when he let out a huff through his nostrils.

It was after school, when Izuku and Hitsohi met Toshinori and Chizome in the teachers’ lounge. The other teachers had gone home, already. The blonde was smiling, as he handed the greenette some papers. Knowing what they were, he signed where he needed to.
“I was thinking that you could stay with your uncle and he’d, technically, be your guardian, while I’d be there for legal matters.” Izuku nodded.
“Oh. Right. The apartment next to ours will be cleaned out for you, once you get your things together.” The tallest startled.
“What?!” Izuku gave a playful deadpan.
“Your apartment is, literally, barely big enough for you.”
“But-I-”
“I’d rather you be closer to us, just in case...on both ends. Besides...You’re becoming my legal father. If you lived on the other side of the city, it wouldn’t make sense.” Toshinori nodded.
“Makes sense...How’s this weekend sound?”
“Perfect. Would give us plenty of time to fix it up.” The hero beamed and collected the papers.
“I’ll take these to City Hall. I’ll see you three tomorrow.” Each of them gave him some waves, as he walked through the door, putting his hair into a ponytail. As soon as his footsteps got further away and quieted, both teenagers smiled, knowingly, at Chizome, whose eyes had followed the man all the way out. Izuku nudged him.
“What?” Hitoshi looked to his friend, who broke into laughter. He, soon, followed.

“You’re such a gay disaster!”

Chapter Text

He knew he was pitted against the strongest teacher. His adopted father. His idol. It had been a month since he’d been adopted and the finals were here. He’d been paired with Bakugo and they’d be against All Might for their practical exam. Secretly...he was nervous. He wasn’t sure how well the ashen blonde would work with him-
“Hey.” As soon as he heard Bakugo’s voice, he turned.
“Ah?”
“We need a plan. I know I’ve been a royal pain in your ass for the past ten years…”
“Did you have any ideas?” Red eyes seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
“We’d need to flank him and throw his attention off of one spot.”
“Remember. He’s not the Number One Hero for nothing. He wouldn’t have gotten that far if he couldn’t deal with people coming in at multiple sides.” The taller put a hand to his chin.
“You’re right…” He was startled at that, but said nothing, as he waited for Katsuki to continue.
“...Maybe get above him and throw his balance? We’d need to be able to think on the fly, here.”
“I agree.” That was when they were told to enter the testing area and did so, already on guard.

As the test started, Izuku, instantly, summoned his sword, gilded light spilling over the concrete. It seemed even brighter than the noon sunlight and looked like a huge contrast compared to his costume. Both students squared their guards and focused, when the ground tremored, as All Might landed. Though he was their enemy, in that moment, he never lost his smile. The weighted bracers were little comfort, seeing as it was only twenty percent of his body weight. What was that to someone that could stabilize buildings on a daily basis? As soon as he saw the hero, he realized his sword wouldn’t do much for him and let it fade back into light. Reaching behind himself, he brought out his staff, severing it into his whips. The sharp sound of metal on concrete was deafening, even in this open area. As soon as All Might blinked, both students were gone. Then, he felt his leg being yanked out from under him. Getting his balance back, he followed the way the whip moved and found his adopted son behind him. The lenses in his mask made it difficult to know what he was thinking, so the hero had to go off gut instinct. Trying to track Izuku’s movement was a fruitless endeavor, since the greenette was a wildcard more than half the time. As soon as he saw the whips coming for him, he jumped. He found out, too late, that the greenette had accounted for that. He had nowhere to go. One of them wrapped around his arm, which he was able to deflect, but the other one wound around his ankle, snaking up his calf. He tried to kick it loose, as he fell, but he couldn’t. It was too tight.

As he came down, he gained a ‘crap’ expression, when he saw Izuku put both hands to the handle. Swinging with all his weight, he brought the two hundred and fifty kilo man down to the ground with a thunderous crash and puff of dust.
“Now!” Bakugo leaped out of the shadows and detonated his gauntlet. They both knew the explosion wouldn’t do more than blind the sunshine blonde for a moment. It was plenty of time, though. When Toshinori came out of the cloud of debris and smoke, he was barely singed. A bit of soot stuck to the sweat on his face and his bangs smoked a little, but that was it. Blue eyes widened, before he put his arms up in an X. A green and black blur came at him, bringing down his bo staff, reconnected again. The force was enough for both hero and student to hear a quiet crack. When they backed away, All Might glanced to his forearms. Izuku had fractured both of his radiuses and his left ulna.

He dodged the green gloved hand to his face and threw Katsuki by his wrist, sending him slamming into one of the buildings. He fell to the asphalt, holding his shoulder. Izuku was next to him, white lenses never leaving their opponent. He placed a hand to Bakugo’s shoulder, healing the fracture in his scapula in seconds flat. It helped that his gloves were made of fabric that was infused with his DNA. Keeping his hand to his shoulder, Izuku let them both sink into his wormhole. As soon as they appeared behind Toshinori, Izuku was launched at his shoulders, where his wings came out, keeping him in the air, as he brought around his knives. Held in a reverse grip, he was able to make small cuts at pressure points instead of arteries. They were meant to be painful, not lethal. Blood poured down the sides of the man’s temples and parts of his shoulders. The red stained his hairline an unnatural, bright, orange. As soon as he was elbowed away, Izuku steadied himself in the air, watching as the blonde put his fingers to the cut at his left side, staining his fingers bright crimson. Both examinees shared the briefest of looks. They knew they would never be able to cuff someone like All Might. One of them needed to be a distraction, while the other went for the exit. They already knew who’d do what.

Diving down, Izuku wrapped his arms around Katsuki’s waist, lifting him high into the air. When they were about three stories up, he let him go. The pale blonde angled his palms so he could fly through the air and towards their opponent. Toshinori kept his eyes on both of them, watching the greenette dive again. He swat them away, but they kept coming back, like a pair of hunting vultures. He didn’t notice something was off, until it was too late. Izuku had flown up high into the air...higher than before. He came streaking down fast and hard. The hero dodged to the side, still fighting off Bakugo’s flurry of explosions and punches. He didn’t notice the wormhole, until the greenette disappeared into it and it was closing. Before he could try to figure out where he went, the horn went off, congratulating them on passing. When Izuku came back, he put a hand on Toshinori’s shoulder, healing up his injuries.
“Sorry about the…” He pointed to his temples. All Might put his hand on his head.
“It’s all part of the test…” Izuku pulled his mouth mask down, letting him see his smile.
“We knew there was no way in hell we were going to be able to restrain you, so we had one of us distract and one go for the exit.”
“Very smart.”

Meanwhile, Hitoshi stood next to Sero, as they faced Midnight. The woman was trying to be sultry and sexy to throw them off, but it only made them both laugh super hard. She looked confused, until Hitoshi spluttered out his words.
“You DO know we’re gay, right?” Her bright blue eyes blinked surprisedly, but she knew she couldn’t respond. The purplette jerked a thumb at Sero.
“He has a boyfriend!” The three of them swore they heard a distant ‘bweeee’. Hitoshi’s steampunk-esque goggles glinted in the sunlight, as he smirked behind his black mouth gas mask. He flexed his hands, covered in fingerless gloves, before reaching into his pouch and pulling out a small metal stick, barely longer than the width of his palm. He squeezed it in just the right way and it unfolded into a compound bow in his hand. Reaching back to his quiver, he hit a button on the inside lip of the container, before grabbing a steel arrow. Notching it, he aimed and fired. It stuck in the ground, making Nemuri look up. Two seconds of silence went by, before a cloud of smoke exploded from the arrow tip, sending the hero coughing and waving to get it out of her lungs. During this distraction, Hitoshi nodded to Sero, who launched his tape, as the purplette shot another arrow. A piercing sound made the shadow of their teacher cover her ears, before being wrapped in tape, from her neck to her knees. Walking through the last bits of the smoke, Hitoshi put the cuffs around Midnight’s ankles. They were congratulated on passing, before the purplette reached over his shoulder and pulled out an arrow, using the sharp tip to cut her free.
“Sorry about the sonic arrow. Had to make sure you didn’t dodge.” She laughed a little.
“Not a problem. All’s fair, except maiming and death.” He handed her something small.
“Here. Eat this.” She took it and smelled it.
“What is it?” He handed her a small water bottle.
“A ginger pill. Should help with the nausea.” She took it.
“Thanks.” He gave her a smile, after he pulled his mask down. It was a handsome one.

The only ones that didn’t pass were Mina, Denki, Kirishima, and Sato.

But they were all going to the camp, anyways.

Chapter Text

When they got off the bus, Hitoshi beamed, seeing both Mandalay and Pixie-Bob.
“Good to see you, again!” The blonde nearly tackled him.
“Hitoshi!” Izuku laughed to himself, remembering the internships. He’d gotten a few pictures during that time. Each of them was of Hitoshi in one of the Pussycats’ uniforms, but purple. He knew it was Tiger that sent them to him, using his friend’s phone, since the teenager had been in the picture and running after the man, bright red.

When they were all tossed into the forest, they were met with beasts within it. Hitoshi and izuku shared a nod.
“They aren’t actual beasts! They’re part of Pixie-Bob’s quirk!” The class nodded and started fighting their way down the mountain. Beasts fell by quirks left and right, being obliterated by Mammon bull rushing them. They didn’t make it by lunch, but it was just a ruse...again. Izuku met Mandalay again, noticing the boy behind her.
“This is my nephew, Kota.” Izuku found himself staring into obsidian. It was a sad and angry void. He let out a breath.
“Keep chugging along, Kid. Things get worse before they get better.” Both woman and child stared at him.
“What?”
“I may not know what it’s like to lose a parent, but I do know what it’s like to wish I had.” Mandalay looked startled
“What do you mean?” He didn’t have a chance to explain, as the others called over to him for him to join them in eating.

Everyone was training hard and to their limits, and then some. Eyes focused in on Hitoshi, who was dodging Tiger and his Pliabody quirk, and Izuku, who was fighting some of Pixie-Bob’s earth creatures. Mandalay and Aizawa stood, watching him. The greenette was in the air, on wings of gold, slicing straight through the construct of soil.
“Hey. Aizawa?”
“Hm?”
“What’s his quirk, exactly? Is it the wings?”
“His quirk is called Anomaly. It’s...pretty difficult to explain.”
“Are the wings part of it?”
“Not, exactly…” As another beast had its arm sliced off, they heard Izuku call over to them.
“Just before the-” He decapitated the creature.
“-internships, I went to see another source of my-” He kicked the face of another one.
“-powers and they, pretty much, knighted me-” A sword through the neck of another.
“-making me a warrior angel, since they’re a seraphim with permission from God!” Aizawa sighed.
“It’s very complicated, but yes. That’s the gist of where the wings and sword comes from.”
“What about his other powers?”
“They come from his familiars. His healing and, technical, immortality comes from Mammon, his main familiar.” The raven gestured to the reptile, who was training his bite strength by crushing boulders with his teeth.
“That’s his familiar?!”
“Yep. He’s actually pretty chill.”
“Uh…”
“Mammon can talk and is very intelligent. Don’t freak if he starts speaking.” She could only nod dumbly.

Elsewhere, Chizome paced, holding his stomach.
“Are you...Do you feel well, Chizome-kun?” He glanced back and into blue eyes.
“I have a very bad feeling.”
“It’s normal to feel anxiety. Izuku is, practically, your son. You raised him...and damn good, in my opinion.” Reaching back, the raven undid his hair tie, letting his hair fall to his shoulders, unbound. He ran his hands through the front, trying to take some deep breaths. A hand on his back made him look over his shoulder and into the face of Toshinori.
“I’m worried, too, Chizome. My gut is telling me something bad’s gonna happen. All we can do is hope it’s wrong.” The palm between his shoulders was a comforting weight. He let out a breath and sat down on the couch. They were in the blonde’s apartment, which was the one directly across from the one Chizome shared with Izuku. It was exponentially bigger than the one he’d been in three months ago. When he felt the hand on his back transfer to his head, he felt his ears burn. Damn this crush! He was a thirty-one year old man! Why is he acting like a schoolboy all over again?!

Blonde brows furrowed slightly.
“Chizome-kun?” The raven felt the back of his fingers on his forehead.
“You’re a little warm…” That made him heat up a little more. The man was so dense!
“I-I’m good. Just...Gonna get some water.” He stood and stepped into the kitchen, trying to steady his breathing. Usually, there was a buffer between them. Izuku, mostly. Now that they were alone...His emotions were going haywire. He felt himself draw in a breath that struggled at his trachea. It was like the air was the consistency of water. His hands settled on the counter, by the sink, curled into loose fists. He needed to ground himself. He needed to calm down. He jumped out of his skin, when he felt arms around his waist. Muscular arms. A forehead touched the back of his head, long bangs tickling his shoulders. A gentle chuckle left the older’s mouth.
“I may be thick, but I’m not that thick, Chizome-kun…” The younger froze, his eyes screwing shut. Toshinori turned him around, finding his friend blanched white, ears bright pink. The blonde pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Why are you so damn cute?” Mahogany eyes snapped open, surprised. He felt like he’d swallowed his tongue, as the blonde leaned forward, pressing his lips to Chizome’s forehead. He could feel his breath across his scalp. His mind was sent reeling, before large palms cupped his face. He focused, finding a nervous grin across the taller’s face. He couldn’t stop himself. He lifted himself up onto his toes, seeing as he was a little over a foot shorter than the blonde. His, own, lips connected to the patch of cheek just under his right eye. When he was going back down, he found him lifted off his feet, arms behind his upper thighs. As soon as red-brown slid to blue again, they met, lip-to-lip, euphoria filling them both. Chizome’s fingers slipped in to tangle with Toshinori’s waving hair, as the taller tangled his in charcoal.

Right before Izuku and Hitoshi got to the springs, the greenette got a text in the only spot that got a signal of any kind.
“Finally…”
“Izuku?”
“My uncle finally got together with Toshinori.” The purplette laughed.
“Took them long enough!” They both tumbled into chuckles and snickers, before making their way to where the rest of the class was. The warm bath was nice on their overworked muscles. Izuku was up to his shoulders in the water, keeping his back to the side of the pool. He felt a hand on his shoulder and found Shoto next to him. A single sentence fell from his mouth.
“Your scars do not define you.” Green eyes blinked, surprisedly.
“I should know.” He touched the scar around his eye. Izuku smiled a little and let himself up from the water, a little. He knew the others were staring at his scars...or what they could see around his neck and arms. Tokoyami looked over.
“Akaguro-san?”
“Ah? Please call me Izuku.”
“Izuku-san, may I ask something a bit personal?”
“Sure.”
“Does it still hurt?” He looked to the water, knowing what he was referring to.
“Some days I get phantom pains, but...no real pain.” He saw Shoto touch the skin by his eye, from the corner of his own. The leather on his back was a stark color change from his unmarred skin, which it blended into a little, looking like it was trying to crawl over the rest of his body.

That was when he heard someone cry out from the girls’ side. He saw Kota start falling into the boys’ area. Rushing out of the hotspring, he was in a pair of swimming boxers, which were form fitting on his pelvis. Catching the boy, before he could hit his head on anything, he landed feet first on the ground.
“Are you alright?!”
“Y-Yeah...I think...my ankle hurts…” Izuku started walking inside.
“I’m pretty sure your aunt saw you fall and is worried.” The five year old nodded and let himself be carried to where the heroes were.

Mandalay scooped him out of the student’s arms, holding him close to her.
“Oh my god! I saw you fall!”
“He caught me.” The brunette nearly hugged him, but stopped, when she noticed he was shirtless. Faint scars sliced and nicked all over his body, making him look like he’d gone through a gauntlet.
“Thank you, Akaguro-san!”
“Please. Call me Izuku. Akaguro is my uncle.” She nodded but didn’t say any more.
“Kota-kun? May I see your ankle? You said it hurt.” The raven nodded and his aunt put him on the sofa, so his legs were dangling. Izuku crouched and, carefully, removed the shoe he needed to. The skin under the lip of the sock was starting to bruise.
“I’m going to need to remove your sock. Is that ok?” He nodded again and the greenette proceeded. He took a look at it, feeling the eyes that stared at his back. At his scar.
“Just looks twisted and very minorly sprained. May I heal you?” Dark eyes stared at him.
“You can do that?”
“Yes. It’s an offshoot power of the self regeneration part of my quirk.” He nodded and watched the older put his hand to the back of his heel.
“This will tingle.” They all watched as the reddened skin faded back to normal, not even leaving a trace of bruising on his skin.
“You’ll be a little sore, but you can run around again, if you're careful.”
“Thank you, Mr.” He got a wonderful smile in response.
“You’re welcome. My name is Akaguro Izuku, by the way.” The raven held out his little hand.
“Izumi Kota.” Izuku shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you.”

Kota, as soon as they stopped shaking hands, looked thoughtful, his voice quiet.
“If you can heal yourself, then...why do you have scars?” Mandalay started.
“Kota!” Izuku put his hand up.
“It’s ok. I got these scars before my quirk came in. The...uh...one on my back is the one that made it come in, in the first place.” The young boy’s eyes widened. He’d seen it before he fell.
“That...looks like it hurt a lot…” A sad smile flickered onto the greenette’s face.
“It did…” Kota poked his fingers together.
“Um...If it’s not too painful to remember, may I ask about it?” Green eyes closed, softly, knowing he had five other pairs of eyes on him. One of those already knew what he was about to talk about.
“Remember when I told you that I knew what it was like to wish I lost a parent?”
“Yeah?” Izuku took a deep breath.
“First off, I wouldn’t be telling you this, if I didn’t know you could handle it. I know what happened to your parents.” They all startled.
“My mother died having me, so I was only left with a neglectful and abusive father. When I was three...on my birthday, he tortured me and left me in an alley to bleed to death. Both of my uncles found me and one of them took me in. You’d recognize the name of one of them. Akaguro Chizome. The Hero Killer: Stain.” The adults knew, but the boy hadn’t.
“Your uncle is a villain?!”
“Was. He was one. He had a heart attack, after being arrested a few months ago. I live with his twin, who raised me.” Obsidian eyes flicked to the fingers of his back scar, which inched onto the front of his body, a little.
“Your...Your dad did that?”
“Yes. And he wasn’t my dad. He may have been my father, but he was anything but a dad. My father was arrested two and a half months ago, when Aizawa-sensei found him trying to kill me again.”
“Holy crap…” A hand touched the top of his head.
“You shouldn’t swear, Kota-kun.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s alright.” He was given another sad look.
“I know you have a grudge against them...and against heroes. Please don’t. They didn’t, purposefully, leave you. They were your parents. You were their world. The Water Hose Duo were rescue heroes. They weren’t meant or trained to go against someone like Muscular. They were meant to save people trapped under rubble or in fires, not go against villains.”
“But then-”
“Muscular is a very strong villain and there weren’t any other heroes in the area that were equipped to take him on. Villains, like Muscular, don’t care who they step on. They just want chaos. Please don’t take your frustrations out on heroes, as a whole. Remember that your aunt is one.”
“She’s...my cousin, but...I understand. Where do I direct it, though? I can’t keep it inside all the time.”
“Think about what you want to do with your life. I know you’re five, right now, so focus on being a kid and going to school. Don’t think of the outside world too much. Let Mandalay-san and the other Pussycats give you that sense of family you lost...Remember that Mandalay hurts too. Your parents were her family, too.”

Kota’s eyes widened, as if he’d forgotten that. He got up and rushed to his cousin, who he called his aunt, and wrapped his arms around her legs. She teared up and crouched to hug him.
“Thank you, Izuku-san…” Tiger put a hand to the teen’s shoulder.
“This is the first time he’s hugged someone, since his parents died.” Izuku smiled a little.
“I know the feeling. My father only touched me, after I could walk on my own, to beat on me. The first time I knew a touch that wasn’t pain...was when my uncles found me. It took me three years, before I would let them hug me and another year after that to actually hug them, myself.” He laughed a little.
“I thought he was gonna cry, when I did. I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. I’d just never known what hands felt like, unless it was painful. While it might surprise you, my other uncle, Stain...He used to hold me, like I was glass...like I would break if he held me too tight. It took me asking to be on his shoulders for him to know I wasn’t fragile.” The five heroes stared at him again, disbelief in their eyes.
“We’re...talking about the same Stain, right?”
“Yes. I know he was a villain, but he was a wonderful uncle, even if I only saw him sporadically, due to his...uh...lifestyle. His brother, Chikara, is the one I live with.” They nodded, knowing that villains could be completely different, when placed in a family setting.
“Thank you for trusting us with this information.” He grinned.
“Of course.”

Chapter Text

Mammon decided to go with Kota to look over the forest, while both Heroics classes were to do a training exercise in the forest, sans the ones that didn’t pass the practical final. Suddenly, blue fire licked at the forest. Green eyes went wide, as two people stepped into view.
“Spinner? Magne?” Both of them startled.
“Izuku?!” The effeminate man looked nervous.
“I forgot you were in this class, Dear.” Spinner grimaced.
“Sorry, Kid. I know you’re the man’s nephew, but…”
“Your job. I understand, Shu.” The lizard man seemed struck by the nickname, but lifted his sword.
“I won’t...I won’t kill you...any of you...We just need to keep you busy.” Izuku’s eyes flickered.
“Busy?...If you’re here...Where’s the burnt chicken nugget?” Spinner snickered.
“Setting the forest on fire.” Izuku blanched.
“If he’s here, then that means...Toga…” The other two made a sound.
“Yeahhh…” Magne cleared her throat.
“The only ones of us that are different are Mr. Compress, Moonfish and Muscular.” Green eyes stared into dark brown, through triangular shades.
“Two...psychos. My grandfather is an idiot…” They all startled.
“What?”
“Shigaraki Noboru is my grandfather. The man that hired you.”
“Well...That’s quite the coincidence, isn’t it, Izuku, Dear?” Emerald eyes went wide.
“Muscular...Kota!” He turned his head to the side, before remembering that Mammon was with him. But...What if he wasn’t enough? Dropping into a side crouch, he called Larry out.
“I need you to warn Mammon and Kota that Muscular might be coming after them.” The mute man nodded and slipped away again, making Magne and Spinner shiver. They forgot about Larry.

When he faced the two again, his face turned stony.
“Why do you need to keep us busy?” They said nothing, but Izuku could feel something off. Over time, he had gained a bit of control over his bloodlust, so...why not use it? Breaths hitched as the air seemed to thicken. Heart rates shot through the roof, adrenaline spilling through their bodies.
“I will get the answer from you...one way or another.” His wings forming startled the two in front of him. His blade flashed into his hand, as he pointed it at them, saying it again.
“One way or another…” His eyes glowed with an ominous, holy, light. Lifting into the air, he dove at Spinner, crossing his blade with the man’s frankensword. A sharp ringing went through the area, sparks flying. After a moment, the makeshift jumble of blades shattered, spraying metal all over the area, making the others jump back from the debris field. He held his sword up, barely touching the man’s neck.
“What does he want?” Pink eyes flickered.
“He...He wants two of the students...and one of the heroes.”
“Who?”
“He wants that Bakugo kid and...he wants Hitoshi-kun. We were leery about going after him. That’s why he hired Mr. Compress to come with us, even if he, usually, doesn’t.” Green eyes flashed.
“And the hero?”
“Um...the teal haired woman.”
“Ragdoll…” He got a nod from both of them.
“You both are going to stay here and not attack them.”
“What makes you think that, Dear?” He gave them a sinister smile.
“I’ll be leaving Larry to watch over you.” Both broke into a sweat, as he summoned said anomaly, who just put his arms over the edge of his wormhole and stared with beady eyes. Izuku smirked.
“Oh...and Spinner?”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Find a new outfit. One that’s your own. Just because Stain is dead, doesn’t mean you can mimic him.” Then, he was gone.

Izuku went streaking into the trees, already coming across another Nomu. This one was dragging Ragdoll’s body. He didn’t stop to think. The sword went through its brain and it dropped to the ground, dead. He put two fingers to the woman’s neck. She had a strong pulse. Just unconscious. He lifted her into his arms and flew back to the main area, laying her by her teammates.
“She’s just out cold. Probably a concussion.” With his hand touching her forehead, he healed any damage she might have sustained.
“She’ll wake up with a nasty headache, but that’s about it.” As soon as he got a nod from Mandalay, he took off into the forest, barely registering that Tiger had moved over to Ragdoll’s side. He heard screaming and something in his mind told him it was one of his classmates. That he’d heard it before. Then, he found Shoji dodging a massive hand made of darkness. Tokoyami was inside the creature’s massive jaws...and he seemed to be the source of it.
“Get away! If you don’t, you’ll die!” Shoji glanced to Izuku, who was staring at his shorter classmate. He looked to be in all kinds of pain.
“He needs light. Light weakens Dark Shadow and might be able to make him retreat back into Tokoyami-kun.”
“Your wings emit light.”
“Yes, but it’s not enough. Besides, Moonfish is out here. I doubt any of us is strong enough to go against him. I can sense Bakugo and Todoroki are fighting him. I think Dark Shadow can beat him, seeing as he’s an unstoppable force right now.” The taller nodded.
“How are we going to get him over there?”
“You can make arms off your arms, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think you can keep his attention, without getting attacked?”
“He reacts to sound, so, yes, I believe I can.” Izuku nodded, as he looked up.
“Get ready and hold on.”
“Wh-?!” The greenette went up on his wings and wrapped his arms around the front of his shoulders, from the back.

Going into the air showed that he was strong enough to keep his classmate’s weight in check.
“Sorry. Shoulda warned you.” Soaring through the trees, just in sight of Dark Shadow, they made their way towards the three people Izuku could sense. When they got there, he called out to them.
“Bakugo! Todoroki! Get out of the way!” Both teenagers leapt away, as the beast of shadows and darkness came bearing down on the ground.
“T-Tokoyami?!” Tears streamed from his eyes. Whether they were from fear or pain, none of them knew. Dark Shadow made quick work of Moonfish, shattering his tooth blades and crushing him to the ground. In that small, ten seconds, Izuku had set Shoji on his feet again. Both Bakugo and Shoto rushed in with light to subdue the shade, which disappeared back into his host. Izuku was already next to his bird headed classmate, leaning him against his shoulder a bit. He saw Shoji look to his hand and blink.
“You...healed me?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t even feel it. You’re fast.” Focusing back on Tokoyami, he sent his healing power into him, just in case. He relaxed a little.
“Thank you, Izuku-san.” The greenette pat his shoulder.
“No problem.” He looked up, meeting red.
“Katsuki. They’re here for you and Hitoshi-kun.” The four of them started.
“Wh-”
“I believe they want to try and convert you to their side.” He saw his friend try not to laugh.
“Do...Do they not, fucking, see where we’re learning from?!”
“They’re idiots, yes. I know most of them that are here. They’re actually friends of mine and followers of my deceased uncle...Well...one of them is a rabid fangirl of mine. Three of them I only know because they’re big names in the villain world. Moonfish, Mr. Compress, and Muscular.”
“M-Muscular?!”
“Yeah. If he’s where I think he is, I think we’re fine.” There was a rustling in the bushes, putting them all back on guard, before a head of purple hair stumbled into view.

Izuku let out a breath.
“Hitoshi…”
“Izuku. Why is Mustard-san here? And I saw Toga attack Tsu and Uraraka.”
“They’re here to kidnap Bakugo. Compress is here to get you.” He got a groan.
“I hate that asshole!”
“And he hates me, since he can’t actually compress me.”
“So, if Toga’s here, then...so are Twice and Dabi and Magne!” He looked both exasperated and giddy at the same time. A tremor made them all scurry into a clearing, finding just who they were talking about. Burnt skin and staples bordered teal eyes, spiked, charred, black hair bordering the top of his face.
“Dabi…” The young man sighed.
“Yo. Sorry about all this. I tried to tell him that you’d kick our asses, but he still made us come.” Izuku facepalmed.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. My grandfather is a fucking idiot.” The villain blinked.
“Well...That’s...That’s some coincidence and a surprise.” While they were talking, Izuku put his hand up, the back being smacked into at the last second by a small blur of blonde. Green eyes slid down, finding Himiko on the ground, knocked out, with a bit of blood coming from her nose.
“Huh...She was running faster than I thought.” Picking her up, he healed her nose and carried her to the opposite treeline, where a man in a black and grey costume made himself known.
“She’s just out cold, Twice.” He could see his personalities flickering and shook him by the shoulders, which usually settled one into place, so it doesn’t give him a migraine.
“Izuku-kun! Hitoshi-kun!” Both boys laughed.
“Hi, Twice.” Suddenly, there was a voice.
“Hm? What’s with this reunion? I haven’t even met you all yet.” Izuku deadpanned and turned around.
“Oh, you know us, you ass.” The masked man laughed.
“Oh, yes. How can I not remember Brat 1 and Brat 2?” Dabi growled.
“Watch it, Compress.”
“Oh, sorry, did I hurt your little friends’ feelings?” Izuku moved over to Hitoshi’s side.
“Oh, don’t be sorry. I’m not the one that can use my quirk on every person, except for one.” If he had shades, he’d be slipping them on, right about now. Atsuhiro tensed, looking to be raising his hackles.

When he darted forward, Izuku met him with his sword of light.
“That’s new…”
“You call yourself a genius, but you’ve never been able to discern when I’m goading you.” He planted a foot in the man’s gut, before a fist went for his face. It hit between his eyes, the impact breaking the skin. He, instantly, healed back up, making the man grumble.
“Not fair…”
“All’s fair in love and war, Compress.” He brought his head back and then forward, cracking it into the villain’s mask. Blood dripped from his hairline and into his eyes, but he didn’t seem to care. An impact fissure started in the forehead area of Compress’ mask, before breaking all the way down, splitting off his face. Underneath, the man was bleeding a little, but, otherwise, the mask had taken most of the damage. Brown eyes swirled with irritation, before a claw-shaped hand came up to hit the side of his face, throwing Izuku off balance. The greenette shook his head, leveling the older with a glare, before summoning his sword, the sheen of the blade sinister, reflecting bright blue flames. Izuku went slicing and spinning and kicking, keeping the villain on the defensive.

With the others, Hitoshi readied himself, before seeing Dabi scratch the back of his head.
“Eh...Don’t worry. We aren’t after you, Hitoshi.” His eyes slipped to Bakugo.
“You...on the other hand...Sorry, we’d be skinned alive, if we don’t bring you, at least.” The others squared up, making the young man sigh.
“Yeah. Thought so. We already know that you’re not gonna change sides. That’s damn obvious. If you were to come with us, the heroes would be there as soon as they could and you’d be free to leave again. I know that’s easier said than done, seeing as you’d have to deal with the handy man…” At least he was realistic.
“I ain’t going.”
“Thought as much. I really don’t want to fight you, but I guess I have no choice.” Azure fire ripped to life through the spaces of his fingers, as they ran at each other.

A wing smashed into Compress’ chest, sending him sprawling. He stood and held his chest, a fracture in his sternum, no doubt. He had tried to compress the sword or a wing, but he couldn’t. It was like they weren’t physical forms. Izuku stood in front of him, blood streaking his face, but no injuries upon his person. They all had healed up in seconds flat. It wasn’t natural...It wasn’t human.
“The hell are you?” Green eyes glowed with a holy light.
“I am a hero. I am Mercury.” He brought the pommel of his sword down on the side of the man’s face, making him retaliate with a foot to the knee. Izuku swore and stepped back, just as a sickly yellow warp appeared behind the villains, a garbled voice speaking to them.
“It’s time to go.” Compress grumbled, annoyedly, while the others looked to Dabi, who had his arm across Bakugo’s throat.
“Don’t struggle, Kid. You shouldn’t be harmed.” When they were enveloped by the warp, the rest of them were left in a thick silence. Both Hitoshi and Izuku sighed deeply. There was nothing they could do, now. All they could do was hope the heroes could get to him and get him to safety. That didn’t mean they weren’t freaking out. They were just not letting their emotions rule over them. Izuku sensed three people in the bushes and walked over, finding a petrified Aoyama and unconscious Jiro and Hagakure. He waved the others over to help carry the girls to safety. Izuku put his hands on the blonde’s shoulders.
“Aoyama-kun. I saw you charge your laser up. You were about to help us. Thank you.” The boy looked nauseous with anxiety and, draining, fear.
“I...I…”
“It’s ok to be afraid. We’re in training, after all, and most heroes are afraid every moment they’re on the job.” His classmate was calming, but didn’t look ready to walk on his own. As he lifted the blonde into a carry, he saw Shoji carrying Jiro and Hitoshi carrying Hagakure. They nodded and rushed out of the trees, Shoto making sure Tokoyami could keep up, especially with the strain he’d been put through, tonight.

When they reached the clearing, Spinner and Magne were about to disappear into the warp gates, when Hitoshi put Hagakure down in a safe place and nearly tackled the auburn woman.
“Big Sis!” The woman smiled and pat his back.
“Good to see you too, Dear. I need to go, I’m sorry.” She ruffled his hair once, before stepping back into the yellow mist, both her and her associate being swallowed whole. Hitoshi groaned.
“We haven’t seen her in so long! And she just had to be our enemy!”
“You’re telling me.” The others stared at them.
“HER?!”
“Yeah. She’s transgender.” Tiger nodded in understanding. That was when Mandalay looked around.
“Where’s Kota?!” A voice came from a deep purple mist, drawing in some of the other students, along with Aizawa. It was the same mist from the USJ.
“Don’t worry. He’s right here.” Through the fog came a man in his late twenties to early thirties. He had medium purple hair, with wisps of black, that waved behind and above his head, along with a small amount of facial hair on his chin. His eyes were blue with a light yellow sclera and looked almost bloodshot at the corners. All over his body were black markings, like tattoos or scars, and he was dressed in a brown vest, a white shirt underneath. Well...It used to be white. In one arm sat Kota and, in the other, was Mammon. Both he and the anomaly were covered in blood, not a drop nor scratch on the child. As he came closer and put the boy on the ground, so he could rush to his aunt, he never once broke eye contact with the raven hero.
“Hello...Shota.” The man hadn’t felt this amount of shock in years. His tongue knotted up and his insides twisted. Finally, he was able to speak, if only in scraping breaths.

“O…OBORO?!”

Chapter Text

Blue and yellow eyes softened.
“Yes. It’s...been a long time…” His voice sounded sad and unsure, as he broke eye contact to look at his gloved hands.
“I...I saw you die in front of me…”
“Technically, I did. I can explain later. We have the students to round up and get to the hospital, along with Ragdoll-san.” The subdued voice coming from him seemed like the complete opposite to Aizawa’s memory. While every atom of his being was reeling, he knew he was right. They needed to get the kids to medical attention and arrest the villains that were still there.
“Is Muscular tied up somewhere?” They looked to Izuku, who had spoken. Mammon looked up, his muzzle covered in blood.
”I’m sorry, my Alpha...We had no choice but to kill him. He gave us no room to knock him out or subdue him.” Oboro looked away, obviously ashamed.
“I see...I understand. Life or death situations give little room for more than one option at a time. You did what you could with the hand you were dealt. Sometimes, you get shitty cards...and, sometimes, the only way to win is to cheat.” Izuku walked over and pat his familiar on the muzzle and Oboro on the back, lightly. They felt a little weight leave their shoulders, before the greenette turned to the man.
“How’s your quirk treating you?”
“Ah...I’m still making warps, but I’m, slowly, regaining my cloud quirk.”
“Good. By the end of the reversion process, you should be able to use both.” Oboro nodded and they started their search for the other students.

When the ambulances arrived, the paramedics saw blood and, instantly, brought Izuku to one of the vans, even if he tried to tell them he wasn’t hurt. They didn’t listen. He sighed and got off the gurney, opting to sit on the floor, as another couple students were loaded in with him. He got a look, to which he deadpanned. They closed the doors and he took it upon himself to make sure Jiro and Hagakure were secure on the way to the hospital. When the doors were open, green eyes met those of the medic.
“Why aren’t you laying down?”
“I tried to tell you, when we were still there, that I’m fine. Part of my quirk grants me instant regeneration, no matter the severity of the injury. The blood, while, yes, is mine, it’s not flowing from me, anymore.” The paramedic sighed.
“Let us, at least, check. For the papers.”
“That’s fine. Just make sure they’re tended to, first.” The young man nodded and they pulled out the gurneys to take the girls inside. He followed behind, another nurse rushing over.
“Did you come with them? You’re injured!”
“Ma’am. I’m alright. I have instant regeneration as part of my quirk.”
“At least let me take a look at it.” He nodded and followed her into a room, where she had him sit on the bed. Checking his temples and scalp, she nodded.
“Your quirk is very powerful. I saw you in the Sports Festival.” He smiled a touch, as she cleaned the blood away.
“Thank you.” She smiled and scratched the back of her head.
“Since the rest of your class is being brought here, I think it would be best to have you stay, just in case there’s a lapse in your quirk…” He nodded and was taken to the room he’d be staying the night in. When he was alone, he sent a text to Chizome, telling him they were fine, but Katsuki had been taken.

The next morning came in rays of sunlight and a few visitors patrolling the halls. There was a knock.
“Ah. Yes?” The nurse, from the previous night, poked her head in.
“You have a couple visitors. They seem a little freaked out. I want to make sure you can handle their energy.”
“Ah yeah. My uncle and my dad.” She blinked at him, before he chuckled.
“Adopted. My uncle is related to me.” She nodded and let the two men in. They both looked to be on the verge of heaving, as they scrambled to the side of his bed.
“Hey. Hey. I’m alright.” He found his head against a broad chest, listening to Toshinori’s racing heart. Leaning up a little, he wrapped his arms around the blonde’s back.
“I won’t go down so easy, Dad.” That made tears spill over the man’s face. This was the first time he called him that. Izuku felt his uncle sandwich him in and laughed.
“What a wacked out family we are…” They both snickered and ruffled his curls.
“We sure are…” The greenette relished this time with, technically, both of his dads. Toshinori may have adopted him and filled that hole in his mind, but Chizome had, literally, raised him. They were both his dads and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

When they had to go, so that Toshinori could meet up with the other heroes, Izuku was left alone again. A few minutes later, he heard a quiet knock.
“Ah? Come in.” Tufts of purple hair stuck through the doorway.
“I knew I recognized that knock…” Violet eyes focused on the floor.
“Hitoshi-kun?” His friend came closer to him, as he shifted to have his feet hanging over the side of the bed. He was surprised, when Hitoshi hugged him. The purplette wasn’t really one that gave hugs all that often. He felt his fingers grab fistfuls of the back of his shirt.
“It doesn’t matter that you’re immortal...That scared the shit outta me...Compress is so strong…” Izuku put his hands on the side of his face.
“No one goes into a fight unafraid...Thanks for being worried for me.” Tears streaked his pale skin, before he pulled the greenette forward by his collar. Their lips touched and a fire tore through them both. They held onto each other, like they’d lose each other if they let go. It was short, but it was enough. When they had to break apart, they had their fingers tangled in green and purple, respectively. Izuku touched his forehead to Hitoshi’s, making him wrap his arms around the other boy’s neck, a blinding grin making its way over their faces. It had taken so long for them to be accepted by society, but they didn’t care. Right then, they only cared about accepting each other. No matter how cheesy that sounded.

When everyone was drawn into the same room, Izuku and Hitoshi sat next to each other. Aizawa walked in with Oboro, Present Mic, and Midnight. The woman was almost hanging off of the purplette.
“Izuku.”
“Yes?”
“If you would...I’d...like an explanation.” He knew what his teacher was asking, if indirectly.
“I was raised in the gutters of Japan, so I’ve heard things that no one should ever hear. I heard of a man taking people to turn them into weapons. Into...Nomu. He takes their quirks and puts multiple others into their bodies, mutating them into the creatures he commands. They aren’t alive, but they aren’t dead. The only one that was dead and brought back was Oboro. I was five years old when I first met him. Well...I saw a picture of him. He first met me in the USJ. I had snuck into a building and wandered into the labs. There, I found a document and a newspaper. Both bore the same name. Shirakumo Oboro. The name of a UA student that had been killed, five years prior. Kurogiri was the first Nomu to ever be, successfully, created. Kurogiri was the name given to Oboro, as he was ‘reborn’.” Said man nodded and bowed.
“Yes. I apologize for what I’ve done over the past fifteen years.” Izuku smiled at him, a little, before continuing.
“When I received Uriel’s compulsion power, during the USJ, I told him to fall, but I also told him to remember. During the aftermath of my uncle being arrested, he came to me, having remembered parts of his past life. Most importantly, his friends.” The three other adults looked about to have breakdowns.
“Over the past few months, both myself and Onfroi have been working on reverting his body and restoring his memory, fully. It took many tedious nights to get him where he is, now. We believe everything will be complete in another month’s time.” Aizawa just stared at him.
“How...How did you even revert him, in the first place?”
“Oboro’s body was still in that mist. Dead. But the mist, itself, was alive and keeping the body running, even if brain functions were barely applicable. All parts of the brain unneeded were unused. Memory centers and most free will centers. Onfroi’s powers turn living bodies into the undead...sorta...and revives them to do his bidding. Before even starting on Oboro, he tried his surgeries on the corpses of animals to make sure it would work enough. What we, he and I, did was put Oboro into a medically induced coma for each surgery. I’ve...lost count how many there were…” Shirakumo sighed.

He cleared his throat.
“One hundred and fifty-eight.” Izuku nodded.
“We used Onfroi’s ability and the ability of a machine on the Foundation's grounds. The machine can dispense any liquid, even if it seems impossible. Like liquid courage or medical knowledge. What we got from there were several cups of Oboro’s blood, adrenaline for both him and us, and certain organ fluids we needed to replace in him. The surgeries were supposed to undo what had been done to him and I was extremely lucky that a few of the anomalies let me use their vast knowledges, so it didn’t all fall on Onfroi’s shoulders. We did up to three surgeries a day, until I came with the class to camp.” Oboro sat in a chair.
“I’ve been, slowly, getting my old quirk back, but I won’t lose my warps. They found that my quirk center was damaged to the point where trying to take the warping quirk away would endanger the stability of my body.”
“Even with that, Oboro should get his quirk, or a variation of it, back in due time. The reason he was able to come to Kota’s aid was because he was supposed to have a time of healing through these two weeks. The reason he didn’t have one before was because his body was constantly unstable and could only be left to rest for short spans of time.” He let the others sit on that information, while he pat Oboro’s shoulder. The man gave him a little smile. It was pretty good, considering he’d been in a body that hadn’t smiled for over ten years.

Aizawa took a deep breath.
“So...What are you going to do now?” Blue and yellow eyes looked down to his hands.
“I...I don’t know...I can’t be a hero anymore, so...I guess I’ll be a civilian and figure out a job from there. Izuku lets me stay in his apartment building, since his uncle bought the entire thing, so I have a place to live…”
“Why can’t you be a hero?” He looked up and into orange shades.
“Look at me...I’m not hero material, anymore. I may still have the mind, but...Who would trust me? I helped them. I helped them, when they wanted to kill All Might. I stood by and let them hurt you all...and they almost killed Shota.” Midnight, suddenly, burst into tears and launched herself at him. He stood to meet her and held her to his chest. More memories trickled in. More subtle ones. His hand went up to the wisps of hair by her temple and he ran his nails the way they grew. It served to make her latch onto him tighter and start trembling. Izuku and Hitoshi smiled a little at the scene. It was like a little brother reuniting with his older sister. He looked up, not stopping in his attempt to calm her down.

“Well...I guess I just gotta go with what the world throws at me, right?”

Chapter Text

As he laid on the hospital bed, Izuku was startled to see the wall turn to mush. Through came a white face, still covered and large and lanky.
“Shy?” The anomaly looked anxious, letting out little sounds that let the greenette know he was freaked out.
“What’s wrong?”

His large hands came through the plaster and handed him something. A file.

In response to Shy’s whines and Larry’s gurgles and quiet hissing, Mammon’s fur stood on end, making him stand like an unnerved cat.
“Mammon?”
”They smell of a lab...or something sterile…”

Suddenly, a bad feeling pitted in his stomach. It felt like he’d taste bile in the back of his throat, any second.

Turning his head to the file, he opened it and his brows shot into his hairline. The more he read, the more his skin paled to a pasty white, cold and clammy with the sweat of horror, on his brow.

As soon as he finished with the first page, he felt Mammon react to his emotions. He grew bigger and grabbed the waste basket from the floor, handing it to the greenette, just as whatever hospital lunch he’d had came right back up again.

That startled his classmates. Izuku wasn’t one to vomit, so this was concerning.

Kirishima put his hand on his shoulder.
“You alright, Bro?”
“Y...Yeah...I-I think.” He rubbed his eyes.
“I need to talk to All Might.” Uraraka scratched her arm.
“He and some other heroes are looking for the hideout. He’s not here…”

Green irises glazed over.
‘Uriel? Is this a good time?’
”[I HAVE NOTHING I AM TO BE DOING. WHAT DO YOU NEED?]”
‘Are you able to link my mind to my adopted father’s?’
”[I CAN. BE AWARE THAT YOU WILL STARTLE HIM.]”

After a moment, he felt something click into place, before, carefully, proceeding.
‘Dad.’ The man jumped from his skin.
‘Dad, speak through your mind. Uriel connected our minds, temporarily. I have information that you’ll need to hear.’
‘Izuku?!’
‘Yes. Shy and Jiji brought me a file. It contains some disturbing information, though it should help you.’
‘What is it?’
‘...All For One is an SCP experiment.’
‘Wh-What?’

Izuku wet his lips irl.
‘Garaki took Shigaraki, when he was in his thirties, and experimented on him. He was merged with numerous, volatile, anomalies, turning him into a, Tusk-like, Frankenstein’s Monster. All For One...the quirk...was passed on to Noboru, as its second wielder.’
‘Second? Who was the first?!’
‘Garaki was the first. He passed it to Noboru and had him relinquish a longevity quirk to him.’
‘Was he merged with specific anomalies?’
‘They aren’t documented, but there is one that allows him to have numerous abilities, without his nervous system shutting down on him. It doesn’t say anything specific, but, from what I can get from these pages, as I go through them, there’s upwards of, at least, twenty anomalies fused into him. It’s a wonder how he even functions, let alone look human and have the ability to speak and think normally...as normally as he can be, insane to hell and back.’

Toshinori sighed.
‘Is there anything else? A reason he was created?’
‘Garaki, apparently, had a dream about…’ He went silent, concerning his father.
‘Izuku?’
‘Oh my god…’
‘Izuku. I’m out of the loop here.’ The blonde felt his son go cold.
‘Garaki had a dream about The Scarlet King...and The King In Yellow.’

There was a pause, before a strained response pierced the silence.
‘Oh shit. You’ve told me about The Scarlet King...But, I thought The King In Yellow was fiction!’
‘No...He’s real. Lovecraft just mashed him into his universe, willy nilly, not even realizing how corrupt he is and how utterly bad it would be if he met with The Scarlet King. Especially in the human realm. Garaki was shown an image of Uriel and was struck with the inspiration to recreate him.’
‘Oh, God…Does that mean we have a corrupt, mortal, archangel we have to deal with?! Is this why my last fight with him was so bad?!’
‘No...After your fight with him, Garaki added three more anomalies, while treating him for the outcome of your fight.’
‘Great. He’s going to be stronger…’
‘Indeed...I know you’re going to be totally against it, but...I feel like I should be there.’
‘Iz-’
‘Before you say anything, hear me out. A. I’m almost totally immortal to damage. B. We have several dozen anomalies on our side, all willing to fight. And C. Shigaraki Noboru...before all this bull happened to him...was my grandfather. He’s still biologically so and he’s the reason my bastard father was how he was. This feels like an obligation to me. To be one of the reasons he gets his ass handed to him.’

It took a few minutes, but Toshinori responded.
‘You’re right. Have either Shirakumo-san or Larry bring you to Fuyumi Street. We’re hiding out in Warehouse 12.’
‘I’ll be there, tonight. I’ll come through the wall. Inform the others, so they don’t freak out.’
‘Will do. See you tonight, Izuku.’
‘See you then, Dad.’

When night rolled around, Izuku was at the door, dressed in a green shirt and cargo shorts.

“You weren’t about to leave without telling us, were you?”

He sighed and turned to find Iida standing there, wrapped in light bandaging.
“I thought it’d be for the best. I contacted All Might and he’s allowing me to help with the raid, due to my durability and my connections.”
“Akaguro-san. You could have told us.”
“Knowing some of the class, they’d be hard pressed to not follow me. I don’t want any of you to get hurt. Especially with what we’re up against.”

The bluenette sighed back and crossed his arms.
“And what, exactly, are the heroes up against?”
“...A blight on anything mortal.” Blue-violet eyes widened.
“What?”
“All For One...after being experimented on...was turned into the mortal equivalent of Uriel...only fused with an amalgam of anomalies and warped with the quirk that shares his villain name.”
“Holy…”
“More like unholy.”

The greenette sighed.
“Kirishima…” The redhead came out of the shadows.
“I’m coming with y-”
“No.” Red eyes blinked.
“...No?...” Green eyes met his, like Christmas lights.
“I will not allow you to come with me. I was allowed to join the raid, due to my near immortal nature and my familiars. You’re not like me. Yes, you’re strong, but I won’t let my friends bull rush into a fight I know they can’t win.”
“But-” Izuku shook his head.
“Please. I’ll get Bakugo back. That I assure you. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Kirishima stood steadfast.
“But that’s what heroes d-” He was pinned with a stern stare.
“No. What heroes do is protect people. Not...run into danger, blindly. That’s how you get yourself killed. I’m going, because of my knowledge on anomalies, my familiars, and my quirk. We’re heroes-in-training. That doesn’t mean we have to save everyone, by ourselves. We’re students and we’re still learning. Until we graduate, we need to let the heroes do what they do best.” He sighed.
“All Might is letting me help, because circumstances require him to. Due to my immortality and my resistance to mind control, I would be an asset to them.”

He put his hands to the redhead’s shoulder.
“But...Could you do me a favor?” Eijiro nodded, sharply.
“What is it?”
“Protect Hitoshi. The League is looking for him. Keep him safe and keep him from following me. If he follows me, they’ll capture him. I can’t let that happen, so...Please...Both of you. Stay away from Kamino and keep Hitoshi away from it.” Iida closed his eyes with a sigh.
“I can keep an eye on him.”
“Maybe have a few others around, in case he tries to brainwash you. We all know that he doesn’t like to, but he might use it to make you let him leave.” Kirishima nodded.
“I’ll be there, too. I think we should tell Todoroki and Sero, too. They could help us restrain him, should we have to.”

Izuku looked out the door.
“I...need to go. They’re waiting for me. I’m having Jiji warp me, so I wanted to do it outside, so the smell didn’t alert anyone.” Iida put a hand to the greenette’s shoulder...the one not occupied by Mammon...and gave him a little smile.
“Godspeed, Akaguro-san.” That made him smile back.
“Please...Call me Izuku.”

In Warehouse 12, the wall turned brown and mushy, startling some of the raid party. Toshinori just gave a little smile.
“There he is.” Endeavor flicked his eyes to his rival.
“The student you spoke of.”
“Yes. One of his...friends...is bringing him here.” That was when a skeletal arm stuck through the mush, instantly regrowing muscle and flesh.

After a moment of letting it dry, the blonde grabbed his hand and helped him through.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Larry out of sorts?”
“Yeah. He’s freaked out at what he and Shy had found for us.”
“Strange...I don’t think I’ve ever seen him freaked out…” Said man poked his head through, looking anxious as all hell.
“Larry? Are you alright?” The other man just nodded, a quiet whine in his throat.

Izuku turned back to the man he called his grandfather.
“Jiji. When you can, bring Bakugo through one of your warps. You remember who he is, right?” He got a nod and a whine, to which Mammon translated.
”He says that his warps need to be pH balanced, again, so it will be a bit.”
“That’s alright. Thank you.”

106 nodded again and disappeared, taking the mush with him and leaving a water-soluble, brown, smear in his wake.

As they turned to the rest of them, they found Mount Lady pale as paper.
“Wh-Wh-What was that?!” Izuku nodded.
“That was Larry. I call him Jiji, cause he’s been there for me for a very long time. Both he and I can make warps, but, only he can do it, when he’s never been to the place, before. He’ll be Bakugo’s ticket out of there.” Toshinori put a hand to his shoulder.
“I’m surprised you didn’t ask Shirakumo-san.”
“He’d want to stay and fight, as well. They didn’t douse his hero spirit. But...I want as little people hurt as possible. Two of my classmates met me before I could leave and I had to lecture them on staying safe and letting those with appropriate quirks do what needs to be done.” Yu put her finger to her lip, as her eyes drew to the fluffy, lizard-like, creature on the teenager’s shoulder.
“Hello...You...Are you a lizard with a quirk?” Mammon just lifted his head and gave a sharp-toothed grin.
”Greetings. The name’s Mammon. I don’t have a quirk, but I used to be a crocodile!”
“Used to?”
”I was cursed. Though I’d rather not go on. I’m sorry, but I don’t quite trust you, yet.”
“Fair.”

She looked a little higher and into Izuku’s face.
“You’re the kid that fought his-” She jerked her thumb at Endeavor.
“-kid, in the Sports Festival. The one Eraserhead said...had most of his body burned away, in the first week of school?” He scratched his head.
“Yeah. That’s me. Akaguro Izuku.”
“I thought-”
“My uncle adopted me. My father was arrested.”

He cleared his throat and turned back to All Might.
“Alright. So. Did you tell them?”
“Partially. I told them that All For One has become an amalgamation of flesh and quirk.” Izuku nodded and turned his attention to the rest of the heroes.
“I know you all have some years on me, experience-wise, but please listen. When we get there, if All For One is at this hideout, do not engage him. Turn your efforts into clearing out the civilians, instead.”

He got a huff from Endeavor, but held his hand up to keep him from speaking.
“I know it’s not what your prides want, but it’s necessary to keep you alive.” Best Jeanist turned to him.
“May I ask why you believe that we should keep our heads down, while you and All Might fight All For One?” While it sounded like a jab, Izuku knew it wasn’t.
“For one, All Might has fought All For One, once before. Secondly, due to my near immortality, we both believe that it would be good to have me here as defense and a source of knowledge on what he is...or what he’s been turned into. Three, I have some firepower, on my side, that may help us bring him down.”

Endeavor uncrossed his arms.
“What do you mean ‘what he’s turned into’?” Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Do you remember when UA was swarmed by people that looked like special forces?”
“What about it?”
“That was a foundation that captures entities like Mammon. They’re anomalies that don’t belong in this world, but no one knows where they come from, for the most part. Doctor Garaki took some of these anomalies and fused them together, using Shigaraki as a base skeleton. In a sense, Shigaraki became the first Nomu. He used to be a mafia boss...You know...for the yakuza. He was taken and experimented on and merged with upwards of twenty anomalies, both corrupting his body and his mind.”
“Why would you know about this foundation? You sound like you know more than just what your...familiars...have said.”

Green eyes peered into teal.
“Because I’m one of these anomalies.”

Gran Torino flicked his eyes to him.
“How so?” Izuku met the man’s gaze.
“My quirk allows me to have a sort of higher presence, when I’m around these anomalies.” Mammon lifted his head.
”His presence makes us feel safe and like he’s the best person to follow into battle. When he broke us out, the first to follow him is one The Foundation deems as one of the more violent anomalies. If he could-” He lifted his front claws and made ‘air quotes’.
”-’tame’ both myself and Shy, this other, volatile, anomaly, he’d be a threat. So...They captured him.”

Mt Lady startled.
“What?!” Izuku sighed and scratched behind the lizard’s neck, so his hackles would go down.
“Two years ago, I was contained by The Foundation. I broke containment in two days, which was, honestly, hilarious.”

She cleared her throat.
“So...Will Mammon-san be aiding us?”
“He will.” He let the reptile off his shoulder, down his arm.
“Don’t freak out. He’s big.” Nodding to Mammon, he grew to full size, making some of the heroes go pale.
”I won’t hurt you. I swear.”

Endeavor blinked.
“You were at the Hosu Incident.”
”I was. My Alpha and his hero mentor allowed me to assist and help get the innocents out of harm's way.”

While Mammon spoke to the heroes, Izuku’s brow was pinched and he had his hand to his mouth.
‘Uriel?’
”[YES?]”
‘I just thought of something...Do you think Garaki, somehow, got a hold of a compulsion quirk?’
”[IT IS POSSIBLE. WHY DID THIS COME UP NOW?]”
‘I was thinking back to a story Mammon told me. Where he met you and told you that you weren’t Uriel and that what you were guarding wasn’t The Garden.’
”[...STRANGE. I DO NOT REMEMBER HIM SAYING THAT TO ME. HE KNOWS, FULL WELL, THAT I AM WHO I AM.]”

Then, Izuku went pale.
”[IZU’RIEL?]”
‘What if Garaki put an illusion on Shigaraki and he is what Mammon met. Perhaps…That is why he said what he did.’
”[PERHAPS. I HAVE, ALSO, CONTACTED OUR FATHER. AS WITH MOST ANOMALOUS ENTITIES, HE DOES NOT PROCLAIM NOBORU AS ‘ONE OF HIS CREATIONS’. HE HAD JUST COME INTO THE INFORMATION ABOUT HIS CREATION, AS I SPOKE TO HIM ABOUT IT.]”
‘Lovely...Thank you for the information.’
”[YOU ARE VERY WELCOME. I APOLOGIZE THAT I CANNOT BE THERE TO ASSIST.]”
‘That is quite alright. You have your post to guard. I may come visit you, sometime soon, should we have another vacation.’

He looked up, suddenly getting his familiar’s attention.
“Mammon.” The lizard turned to him.
”Yes, My Alpha?”
“The last time you saw...him...when you called him out on what you did, did you sense illusion?” If the creature had eyes, they’d be blinking.
”I did. Which was strange, considering the next two or three times I did not.”
“So my theory bears horrifying fruit…”
”My Alpha?”
“I was speaking to him. He and I believe that an illusion quirk was used on AFO, so he looked like him. We, also, believe Garaki gave AFO a compulsion quirk to mimic his.” Mammon’s fur stood on end.
”Holy shit.”
“Exactly. That would be the reason why you said those things. Because he was imitating him and that wasn’t The Garden.”

Mammon put a front paw-claw to his head.
”This is getting more migraine-inducing as things go on!”
“You’re telling me!”

Toshinori’s eyes blew wide.
“Are you telling me that All For One masqueraded as him for one of the tests?!”
“I am.” His, ever present, smile had long since been wiped from his face, leaving it pale and soaked in horror.
“Oh, God…”
“We need to be even more prepared. All For One has fought Mammon, before, under a false identity. He will recognize him and his regenerative abilities.” Izuku put his hand back to his chin.
“The thing is...I’m not sure if this is, truly, a quirk that I have. I’m concerned that Shigaraki has figured out my abilities and has plans to take them from me. If it is a quirk, I fear that he may become the new alpha.”

That sent a bit of fear through some of the heroes, despite their battle-hardened natures.

Izuku looked up, eyes seeming to glow in the pitch darkness of the room.
“Whatever comes our way, we need to know one thing.”

As the tension rose higher and higher, sweat began to accumulate on all their bows. The magnitude of what was coming rang through each and every one of them, from the top heroes to the platoons of police forces.

Izuku swallowed.

“If we want peace...We need to prepare for war.”

Chapter Text

There was a knock at the door.
“Hello! This is Pizza-La! Kamino Store!”

Inside, it was tense, the, sickly yellow, warp gate narrowing his eyes, as Dabi, Magne, Toga, Twice, and Spinner started backing away from the wall.

After a moment, the wall broke open and a large figure came sailing through.
“SMASH!”

Before anyone could react, Kamui bound Tomura, the warp gate, and Compress. The masked man tried to lash out with his quirk, but a pommel dug into the soft part of the back of his skull, sending his vision duplicating and his equilibrium off balance. He hissed.
“Gaki…”
“No need to go anywhere. Take this like a man.”

Dabi and his group saw green eyes flick for the back door. It didn’t seem like the heroes had their eyes on them, so they scurried out, getting a yell, from Tomura, in response.
“Traitors!”

Outside, Tsukauchi saw the group and nodded at them, making them blink, weirdly. He gave a thumbs up and they scurried into the next alley, while Endeavor scowled.
“Remind me why we’re letting them go, again.”
“Because Akaguro-san told us that they’re not a part of The League, of their own wills.”
“Yet, they’re villains.” The detective sighed.
“They aren’t our targets, right now.”

Back in the bar, Edgeshot knocked the warp gate out, while All Might stared the light bluenette down.
“You are still green. You should know that our diligence is top notch! Our determination cannot be beat...and our anger! You cannot beat us, Shimura Tenko!”

The villain started.
“How...That name is dead! How the hell do you know it?!”

A blade was aimed at his throat.
“You think that we didn’t do our research?” Green eyes pierced blood red.
“You think I wouldn’t recognize my own cousin?” That made some of the heroes start, as the villain stared, wide eyed, into Izuku’s face.
“Auntie...Inko?”
“She was my mother.”
“Was…”
“She’s dead.”

That was when the nomus started coming through the, fluid-like, warps. Izuku leapt back.
“Wait...Oh shit! All For One is at the nomu factory!”

That made All Might flick his eyes to his adopted son.
“Go! I’ll meet you over there!”

Izuku gave a sharp nod and darted back out of the hole in the wall, as Kamui, frantically, apologized for letting the villains get away. The greenette put his hand, fleetingly, on the man’s shoulder, making him turn his head.

It was almost as if things were in slow motion, as he found emerald shards passing to him.
“Don’t worry. This was unplanned. We had no way of knowing.”

The next time the wood manipulator blinked, it was like everything was back to normal. The touch to his shoulder was gone and so was the teenager, taking the holy presence from the room.

Izuku got to the warehouse, right as the explosion rocked the area. That black suit made him growl and dive in, as that attack slammed into Best Jeanist, gouging into his stomach and knocking him out cold. As the villain went to finish the hero off, he mused aloud.
“I don’t need yours…”

Then, the next air blast was cut in half, forcing it to dissipate, to the sides, leaving the villain to stare at the green haired teenager, as his wings kept him above the ground. Best Jeanist was in his arms, his injury sealing up much faster than it should.

The boy looked like a guardian angel, come to protect that which it thought deserved it.

All For One tipped his head.
“A child...I see...That boy is your friend. You wish to come and try your might. Arrogant.”
“You should talk, you hellspawn!”
“Hellspawn? Have we met?”

That was when a mass came barreling into the area, a growl and spittle on its teeth.
”No, but WE have, you corrupt excuse for Uriel!” That made the villain’s demeanor change, drastically, and turn his voice into a hiss.
“Beast.”
”You dare call yourself him?! You are but an amalgamation of pestilence and rot!”
“Says the cursed freak that just won’t die!”
”Like I said, all those years ago, wouldn’t we all like it if I could die?! But, I cannot and, now, you’ll feel the wrath of My Alpha’s followers!” That got the man’s attention.
“Alpha?”

Izuku disappeared and reemerged next to Mammon.
“Take him to the others. He should be out of the red zone.” The reptile nodded.
”I will help the others with the civilians. If you need me, call for me, My Alpha.”
“Of course. Go!” He wedged the hero into his jaws and ran off, again, leaving the greenette to stare down his grandfather.

That was when Tomura, the warp gate, Bakugo, and Compress came out of the liquid-like portals.
“Tomura. Where are the others?”
“They turned on us and split, when the heroes arrived! It was like they recognized that kid!” All For One just turned his head, a little.
“They did. Dabi told me that they know him and that he’d ‘kick their asses’, if they went to gather the children. Quite frankly, Magne told me that he’d ‘turn them inside out’, if they were to try for the student with the mind control quirk. That was why I needed to send more than them...That was why I sent Mr. Compress.”

The young man growled.
“They just ran off! They’re traitors!”

That was when a sharp blade was held, hovering over his throat.
“They may have been traitors to your cause, but they, unlike you…Cousin...They have morals.”

Tomura noticed that his boss wasn’t surprised at the greenette’s proclamation.
“Sensei?” Green eyes slipped back to the man.
“I assume you see it? That you know who I am, now?”
“I do...You’re Hisashi’s son.” The teenager fought growling.
“That bastard was never my father. And it’s your fault he ended up how he was! It’s your deeds that made him into the abusive child torturer he was!”

Tenko looked a bit freaked out that this kid and his Sensei knew each other.

As the news choppers rolled in, they focused on a teenager, holding a blade to a villain’s neck, while he glared down the other. His lips moved and deafened, even, the fires that crackled and burned, being fed more and more timber, as time went on.
“This is all your fault…Grandfather.”

Tomura’s mouth dropped open.
“Wh...What?!”
“Shigaraki Noboru is the father of Midoriya Hisashi, who was my sire.” His eyes narrowed.
“I am Akaguro Izuku! I am here to help bring you down!”

His grandfather twisted his head a little.
“Bring me down? You are but a child.”
“Oh no. I don’t intend to bring you down, by myself. That idea is, clearly, asinine.” The villain crossed his arms.
“I don’t see your backup. You’re all alone.”

He turned to Tomura.
“You two. Take the child and go.” He used part of his quirk to force activate the warp gate’s, making a yellow and brown portal rip from him, into the air. As the bluenette went to grab Bakugo, Izuku just smirked.
“I’m surprised you can’t sense him. My backup...IS HERE!”

He dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way, as All For One met All Might’s punch with an open palm, sending a shockwave and tremors across the ground.
“I’ll have you return everything! All For One!” He was responded to by a condescending voice.
“Will you kill me, again, All Might?”

As they stared each other down, the villain seemed to take in the man’s form.
“I’m surprised, All Might. I’d have thought you’d be bearing the mark of my handiwork, after our last showdown.” The blonde scoffed.
“Let’s just say that I have some of the best doctors on my side.”

On the ground, Bakugo saw Izuku rush over to him and haul him up by his arm.
“Deku?!”
“Don’t bitch!” He got to a place that was out of Compress’ running distance and called out.
“Jiji!”

Turning his head to his ex-friend, he looked stern.
“Don’t freak out and just let him pull you through.”
“What?”

The ground turned to mush, under his feet, and a pair of hands wrapped around his ankles, dragging him down into the portal.
“What the fuck?!”
“Calm the fuck down! Larry’s gonna take you back to the hospital, where most of the others are! Relax! He has to keep both of your pHs stable and you freaking out makes it much harder on him!”
“What about you?! Why do you get to stay?!”
“My quirk is useful, here.”

The ash blonde was taken all the way through and the warp closed up by the time Compress got there, making him hiss.
“You pest!” He got a wing smashed into his chest, just like back at the camp.
“You must really like getting your ribs broken, Atsuhiro.”

The man gagged, under his mask.
“Gaki…”
“Says the man that attacks, whenever someone goads him, like a child.”

An appendage grabbed the magician and yanked him back to Tomura, where both of them, plus the, unconscious, bartender, were thrown through the portal. It sealed up, leaving the three of them as the only ones left.

All For One’s voice let them know that the smile had left his mouth.
“Knowing what you can control...I can only assume you are the brat that took Kurogiri from me.”
“He was never yours, to begin with! You cheated him out of the afterlife he was headed for!”
“Nonetheless...Are we to be bickering, like children, or are we to fight like men?” Blue met green, the blonde watching Izuku nod, before reciprocating.

Izuku shot into the air, his wings spread wide, like he was hailing the sun to rise, even if it was the start of night.

He brandished his sword, looking like a lone, male, Valkyrie. One could swear they heard trumpets spraying down from the heavens.
“By the use of our blessings and curses-” He went straight for a dive.
“-We will not let you escape!” As his grandfather blocked the strike with another blast of air, the man just chuckled.
“You speak so eloquently. Is that merely fluff to your strength?”

With his arm stretched out, Noboru’s chest and helmet were in an opening.
“You’ve always done that...Scoffing at the lives of others and taking advantage of everything to make things go your way!” Toshinori lashed out and grabbed the older man’s forearm in a grip that should have snapped it like a twig.
“I cannot-” The helmeted man sighed.
“Looks like it’s time for me to warp-” He was cut off, when a fist slammed right into his face, the shattering of metal and machinery filling the air, like demented chimes.
“-FORGIVE THAT!”

A crater formed under the man’s head, before he chuckled, darkly.
“I’ve heard the same proclamation before...from the previous symbol...Shimura Nana…” He wheezed another laugh.
“What kind of fate is there that her and my blood would converge?” Had he still had eyes, they would have trailed to the greenette, in the air.
“Let me guess. He’s next.”

That got him a scoff, as the teenager came lower.
“He offered, yes, but I turned him down.”
“You are a fool.”

Suddenly, it was like the villain was seeing stars, as a foot cracked into his temple.
“You are the fool to think that I would take such a power! I know there are others that deserve it more than I! I know that it would merge, horribly, with my power! Unlike you, I have a brain that doesn’t think, solely, on power, alone!” Toshinori had a, brief, flashback of his teacher, before snarling at the villain.
“Don’t you dare sully her memory with that mouth of yours!”

He was blasted away, by an impact of solid air, before Torino swiped him from the trajectory that would have impacted the news chopper.

When they landed, they listened to the villain speak about how they’d taken things from each other, before a red spark went up the blind man’s arms. Sorahiko jerked to his student.
“A big one’s coming! Doge it and counterattack!” He jumped back, as All For One put his hand up.
“Is it enough to simply dodge?”

There were civilians behind him!

When he was about to block, he felt something pick him up and found himself haloed in purple. He blanched and looked up.
“Shounen!” Izuku was wearing 399 and his eyes were glowing purple, his hands out, so he could toss him out of the way.

As he went skidding, so he could right himself, he watched his adopted son take the full brunt of the air cannon.
“IZUKU!”

Back at the hospital, Hitoshi found himself bound to the bed, as soon as he realized that Izuku was missing. Sero sighed at him.
“Sorry, Bro. He made us promise to keep you safe and not run after him.” A piece of tape wrapped around his mouth.
“Sorry. I know you hate this, but we can’t have you leaving.”

They all watched All Might get thrown out of the way, like he weighed nothing at all, that halo, from the Entrance Exam, ringing numerous bells in the minds of all that had taken them.

Suddenly, half of them forgot about his immortality...including Bakugo, who’d shown up not long ago.

When that impact came, they all heard a muffled cry from Hitoshi, under the restraints.

Each of them went pale as paper, as the dust clouded and they heard All Might’s, own, cry.

“IZUKU!”

Back on the battlefront, the villain could only give a sinister chuckle.
“This is what I get from my own flesh and blood? Pathetic.”

He went to face the other two, when he heard a wet scoff and growl.

“Pathetic? What’s your definition of pathetic?”

Whipping back, even if he could only sense in infrared and motion, he was stunned to see what became of the boy.

Standing before him, Izuku was covered in blood, his shirt blasted away. His chest cavity was caved in and both his lungs and his heart seemed to have exploded. Blood leaked from his nose, mouth, and ears, as he growled at him. It looked like his ear drums had ruptured.

Had Shigaraki had eyes and eyebrows, they’d have been pinched into a look that was a cross between incredulous and unnerved.
“You...should be dead. You took the full brunt, point blank! Your organs are destroyed!” That was when a wave of malice slammed into him, drawing him to the sinister grin that tore across the teenager’s lips.
“Oh, but, you see, Dear Grandfather...This is part of my blessing and my curse. I am immortal to all but time!” Flesh and muscle snaked, like a river of viscera, as his lungs reformed. His heart followed, before his skin sealed up, like nothing had ever happened to him.

Noboru lifted his head.
“I see...You have regeneration, as well...I do wonder what else you can do.” There was a look on what was left of his face, which merged with his body language.

He wanted Izuku’s quirk.

Numerous more heroes arrived to clear out the civilians, caught in the crossfire, encouraging the blonde with every movement and every person they saved.

A fire flared to life in those cerulean eyes, as he stood tall and proud, Izuku coming to stand next to him. The greenette was nowhere near the man’s size, but his posture told All For One everything he needed to know.
“No...You...You always take things from me! Your blasted mentor gave you the quirk I sowed, decades ago! Your mentor’s daughter took my son! And now you take my grandson?!” He roared.
“Who are you to take him in? Who are you to give him a home, when I am here!”

Izuku deadpanned at him.
“Wow. You’re throwing a tantrum? How old are you? A hundred?” He lifted his head, his glare sharp, poisonous, and filled with hatred.
“He took me in, because he’s like my father. He took me in, because your son tortured me and left me to bleed out, when I was THREE! He took me in, because he cares about me! He and I love each other, like family! I trust him with my life!”

Toshinori put his hand on Izuku’s shoulder.
“And I trust him with mine.”

Shigaraki scoffed.
“How sentimental...Disgusting.” Izuku’s eyes went wide, as he saw the man lift his fist again.
“DUCK!”

They did, in time...but Noboru didn’t.

Sailing over their heads and barreling right into the villain, Mammon thrashed and tried to rip the man’s throat out.
“Unholy wretch! Unhand me!”
”Unholy wretch?! What about you, Fucker?! You foul excuse for holy aether! At least I used to be a normal creature, of this Earth!”

As they tumbled, both hero and student backed up to where Torino was.
“Toshinori?” Blue eyes flicked to him.
“Ah?”
“You...adopted?”
“I did. He kept his uncle’s name, though.” Dusted brown eyes flickered.
“Akaguro...as in...Stain?” Izuku drew his eyes to the man.
“Indeed. He was one of my two uncles. I’ve been raised by his twin brother, Chikara, who works at UA.”

Toshinori sighed.
“And...is my boyfriend.”

The short hero seemed to be fighting off a heart attack, as a hand dropped onto his shoulder. Whatever strain there was was healed at supernatural speeds. Izuku smirked at him.
“We don’t need you keeling over, right now. Please, respectfully, pull yourself together, Gran Torino-san.”
“You...You are definitely Shimura’s blood. Only she was that respectfully cheeky.”

Izuku barked a laugh.
“Well. She WAS my grandmother. We can speak more on this, later.”

He turned his head back up and moved his hand, dripping and caustic, to the ground. The ground turned into that unstable jelly, again, before a tall and pale white creature came through, whining and gurgling like some being from the underworld.
“Shy.” He turned his masked face to his friend.
“I know you all felt me have a spurt of an episode. I need you to do me a favor.” Shy stood nearly straight up, the top of his torso was slightly bent and his knees a touch knocked.
“I need you to relieve Mammon. His rage has gotten the better of him.” Shy nodded and turned to the fight.

He splayed his arms and let out a shriek, before running and lumbering at the two, brawling, individuals.

Mammon recognized the sound and tumbled off the villain, watching a large hand swat All For One across the ward. It lashed out and grabbed him by his scruff, dragging him back to Izuku.
”A-Alpha?” The greenette nodded to Shy and he took off into the ward to gather up any civilians.
”I see. You want us to redirect to rescuing the others.”
“Yes.”
”Will do!”

As the last bit of Mammon’s muzzle grew back, he darted off, as well, leaving the three of them to face the villain again.

All For One returned, looking a bit more miffed than normal. He wiped the side of his fist over his bottom lip and growled.
“I need that quirk...They’re too powerful…”

Green met blue, again, as the shorter, slowly, crouched to the ground. The portal mush flooded a decent area, before beings of blood red skin climbed out, like an army of the undead. Large and quadruped, they looked like a cross between a mountain lion and some kind of, media-portrayed, velociraptor, only bigger. They were three in number and had mouths of carnivorous teeth, meant for rending flesh from bone. They lacked eyes and had four digits on each foot, tipped with claws.

The biggest one turned to Izuku and...spoke?
“You rang?”

Its voice was that of a man, despite there being no, visual, clues as to the creature’s sex.

The greenette nodded.
“Tatsuo. Your job is to alert me, if All For One is going to attack. He’s right in front of us and should smell of me, a bit.” Its...her?...voice morphed between male and female voices of many different inflections.
“The one that smells like you...He smells of corruption and rot...I want to sneeze.”
“Understandable, considering your sense of smell.”

He turned to the other two.
“Hibiki. Momiji.” They perked up.
“Yes?”
“I need you two to be back up. Tatsuo. After his first attack, this will be your job as well. If you find openings, go for him. Do not kill. Maim only if you have to. Restraining is the goal.”

The smallest one seemed to hop back and forth between the sides of her limbs.
“Ok! I’ve been itching to hunt, anyways!” This one, Momiji, liked to stalk things more than actually hunt, but it was similar. She was the youngest and the runt of her litter. How she survived, especially with the rest being male, neither she, nor anyone really, knew.

She tended to use the voices of teenage girls and younger, sometimes using a young boy’s voice.

Tatsuo was the eldest and just used anything she heard on TV and tended to lean for ‘boku’ in her word choice.

Hibiki was right in the middle and liked using the voices of those she was fond of. Meaning...Izuku, Chizome, Toshinori, Nezu, Onfroi, Mia, Mammon, Oboro, Mel, and her ‘sisters’, to name a handful.

Despite them coming from three different litters, the trio were like sisters, rather than packmates.

Tatsuo snapped her head to the side, the spines on her back bristling like hackles.
“Here he comes!”

They all leaped out of the way, Hibiki grabbing Torino.

The man noticed that she was up on her hind legs and was exactly as tall as Toshinori. She was holding him to her undercarriage, her opposable thumb touching his chest, while the other three fingers secured him.
“This...might not be the time, but...Are you three able to walk upright?”
“Oh. Not well and only short distances. We can stand like this for a while, though.” He went silent for a moment.
“What...are you?”

Her answer sent a chill up his spine.

“We don’t know.”

Izuku blocked a swipe, as he summoned his staff from a portal on his hand. He severed it down the middle and brought them down. The ends of his whips cracked into Noboru’s chest, as the sections finished locking together. When he was forced back, Tatsuo dug her teeth into the man’s calf, while Momiji latched onto the other.

Shigaraki hissed and tried to move, only for pain to flare through his legs.

A whip came for his head, only for him to jerk his upper torso to the side and lash out.

Izuku’s heart leapt into his throat, when his grandfather grabbed his wrist and gave a very...very...sinister grin.

Chapter Text

As that other hand came to his head, he felt...nothing?

Noboru frowned.
“What is this?! You said he didn’t pass it on to you!”
“He didn’t.”
“Then what the hell is this?!”

As he wrenched himself free, Izuku stabilized himself on his wings of light.
‘Uriel?! What the hell was that?!’
”[I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT OUR FATHER HAS CREATED YOUR QUIRK IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT IS LIKE TOSHINORI’S ONE FOR ALL. IT CANNOT BE TAKEN FROM YOU, FORCEFULLY.]”
‘Am I able to pass it on, later in life?’
”[IT SEEMS YOU CAN. THAT WAY, THE ANOMALIES MAY NEVER FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE FOUNDATION, AGAIN.]”
‘What a relief.’

He dodged to the side, when Noboru swiped at him, one of his quirks activated.

The blades sliced into his cheek, but the pain only fueled his fire. He struck out with his sword and a crescent of gilded light raked through the night, slamming right into Shigaraki’s chest.

The villain let out a cry of pain, as it severed his suit jacket and shirt in half, gouging a bloody red line into his torso. He skidded back and put a hand to his chest, his fingers painting a, dripping, crimson.

It was quite startling, against his skin tone.

He threw his hand out and realization filled Izuku’s body with static, as he felt himself being drawn in by his sword.

Off to the side, Noboru heard Toshinori swear.
“Oh shit...Y-You have no idea what you’ve just revealed to him!” The villain watched the hero sprint to the side and sweep Torino from the ground, protecting him.
“Afraid of a child? How cowardly-”

A scream shook the ward, louder than, even, the buildings on fire.

Shigaraki heard the three hounds scramble to get away from the epicenter...which was him.

What would make these creatures feel fear, when they were literally biting at his ankles, a second ago?!

He watched Izuku’s sword disappear, along with his wings, sending him plummeting to the ground, holding his head. His screaming got louder and louder, as his skin turned an ashen grey and his hair turned an ashy brown, growing at rapid speeds. Red lines spidered all over his body, twisting into glaring and sneering demonic faces and occult iconography, looking like they were painted with his own blood. His nails turned sharp and black, as his eyes flew open wide, rings of red on a backdrop of space.

Standing again, his chest heaved with labored breaths and his face was set with a snarling set of sharp teeth.

He let out a roar of rage and leaped at his grandfather, arms raised over his head and right shoulder. As if out of nowhere, a battle axe materialized in his hands, solid black, with no details, visible.

It cleaved through the arm Noboru put up, out of reflex.

He jumped back, but had to keep dodging, as Izuku’s swipes came one after the other. The rampaging teen let the axe disappear, before two sickle swords, that same black, as if made of the void, appeared in his hands. His assault wasn’t going to let up any time soon!

A foot to the gut, sent him back enough for the villain’s regeneration quirk kicked in, regrowing his arm. Yet, he was back on the defensive, as Izuku came back at him, like a rabid dog. He lashed out and grabbed Noboru by the throat, hauling him off the ground, like his two hundred kilo form was nothing. His growl was rasped and filled with gravel.
“You took my mother’s quirk…” A hand gripped his wrist.
“How...would you have known?...She died...in childbirth…” It was obvious that Izuku’s grip was cutting off the man’s trachea.
“My uncles told me.”

His grip tightened, making the man’s do the same.
“You’re the reason my life went to shit! You’re the reason Hisashi turned into the bastard, attempted child murderer, he is!” He slammed the man into the ground, his hand never leaving his neck. His nails drew blood, easily biting into flesh.
“I should rip your throat out…” As if he wasn’t afraid, he was sneered at.
“Why don’t you?”

But, Izuku could smell the fear that made Noboru’s heart pick up, like he could sense imminent or potentially imminent death looming over him.

Red and black eyes leaned into his face, lips pulled back and trembling, in a soundless growl.
“Because I’m training to be a hero...Just because this part of my quirk came out, through my rage, it doesn’t mean I haven’t trained to resist its urges to slaughter every human I come across.”

Behind them, Mammon ran over, looking freaked out.
“My Alpha!-” He was prevented from advancing, when Shy rushed over and pulled him out of the area.
”Wha-” Then, he saw what was happening and he blanched.
”Oh shit...What...What happened?!”

They went over to All Might, who wet his lips.
“All For One...used an attraction of small objects quirk…” Even under his mask, Shy’s eyes went wide at the same time that Mammon jumped.
”H-He’s insane! He knows that was Inko-san’s quirk!”
“I...I don’t know what he was thinking…” Tatsuo ran over.
“We felt Izuku’s malice come out, but…” Momiji bounded after her, speaking in a combination of Mel’s, Chizome’s, and Oboro’s voices.
“It wasn’t like his normal bloodlust. It was...caustic and filled with hatred, instead of malice.”

Toshinori was startled, when he heard Izuku call out to him.
“DAD!” He looked up.
“Yeah?!”
“Heads up! Use the states!” Blue eyes went wide.
“Right!”

He started funneling One For All into one of his arms, as Izuku kept kicking away Noboru’s hands and grinding his heels into his chest and stomach.

Once Toshinori was ready, Izuku went to throw the villain, only to notice what was coming for him. Using his full body weight, he was able to body throw the man in the direction of his adopted father, just as Noboru threw a hand forward.

A piece of warping liquid was shot at him, with the use of his Air Cannon quirk. It enveloped the left half of his body, totally severing him in half.

He went crashing into the ground, as the man rocketed in Toshinori’s direction. He was about to use another of his quirks, when a fist crashed into his face.
“UNITED STATES OF-” He felt his jaw break and the strain on his neck knock his brain around, violently.
“-SMAAAAAAAAASH!”

The, resulting, earthquake, shook the ground, all the way out to the square, and made the news chopper lose control, in the air, for a moment.

All For One laid on the ground, knocked out cold, his arms splayed out, like Gestas, at his execution.

Once he was confirmed unconscious, the blonde turned his head to where the right half of his adopted son laid.
“Izuku?” The body twitched.
“Are you in this half?”

The left side regrew, starting with the bones, being wrapped in muscle and flesh, organs swelling in. He stood, upon his skeletal foot, looking like a corpse reanimating itself. He was breathing so hard, it sounded like he’d scratch his throat raw.

His eyes went fully red, making sweat bead across Toshinori’s hairline, dripping down his temple.
“Oh no…”
“Toshinori?” He flicked his gaze back to Torino, before returning his eyes to his adopted son.
“This...This has only happened once before. Abel...Abel’s rage has taken over him. Keep your eyes on him. He moves fast, in this form, let alone this state.”

Izuku let out a bellow of fury, two daggers appearing from thin air. He went running at them, before something grabbed him, from behind, wrenching his shoulders up and into a full nelson. He struggled and gnashed his teeth, until he realized that those arms had a skin tone that matched his. They were streaked and scratched with the same tattooing.

Wisps of dark brown-black hair, straighter than his own, blew into his sight, making him turn his head back and into a pair of red eyes and a face marked with similar markings as his own, like blood.

He heard a slightly baritone voice reach his ears, rumbling through his chest.
“My King…”

His eyes started returning to green, as they blew wide.

“Abel…”

Chapter Text

The man...now identified as Abel...loosened his hold.
“Please...Get a hold of yourself, My King…” Long hair shortened and reverted to green, as the tattoos disappeared, like wounds sealing up into his flesh again. He put a hand to his stomach, where he’d regenerated a bit too fast.
“What are you...Why aren’t you killing people?” His red eyes reminded him of Kirishima, rather than Shigaraki. They were sane.
“I felt you use my abilities at maximum level. It made my containment change locations, on its own. When it sped up my regeneration process, I ran out to find you. I...feel sane, when around you. I don’t feel the need to kill anyone. I...feel calm.”

He stood back up to his height of 1.96 meters, towering almost a third of a meter over the greenette’s 1.7, and turned his head to the rest of the ward for a moment. Returning his attention to the teenager, he closed his eyes and bowed his head.
“May I be so bold as to ask to stay with you, My King?”

Izuku’s gaze turned sad and tired, as his shoulders seemed to become heavy on him.
“You may. The only thing I ask of you is that you don’t hurt anyone...and that you don’t call me that.” The man looked startled and a bit confused.
“Why not?...Um...For the name thing?”
“I’m not a king. My name is Izuku. I’ve told everyone this. All the other anomalies. Mammon...Your brother...everyone. A cliff does not bow, easily, to the sea. The wind does not force birds from its embrace. I am the wind and you all are the birds. I am the sea and you all are the cliffs.” He closed his eyes and continued.
“We are more like the fauna and flora of this world. Though I may have an authoritative presence...Though, technically, I am your king...What is a king without his kingdom? What is a king without the people he’s sworn to protect? I need you all, just as much as you think you need me.”

He stood straight up, his hands held up, as he finished his response.
“I do not wish to be a king. I do not wish to rule. I just want to do what is right and what is just. I don’t want anyone or thing to think that they’re below me. Ever. I just want to be on even footing with them. I just…” He held his right hand out, dried blood on it, from when he was split in half.
“...want friends…”

Off to the side, Mammon, the sister hounds, and Toshinori nearly jumped from their skins, when they watched Abel look up, a tear streaming down his face.

He took the greenette’s hand in both of his, dwarfing it, even if Izuku’s hands were bigger than normal.
“I have never heard of someone as selfless as you...So willing to take the burden of man’s sin upon your shoulders...just to have friends…” He closed his eyes.
“You were willing to go against that abomination...so people you don’t even know didn’t get hurt...I...I have only heard of one other that was like you…” He hunched his back and touched his forehead with his hands, clasped around Izuku’s.
“...The last I heard of this purity of morals...It was from our holy brother…”

The greenette’s eyes softened, as he brought his other hand forward, touching one of Abel’s cheeks and brushing the heel and part under his thumb through the tear trail that had started drying against his face. It made the dark brunette open his eyes and peer into sad and tired green.
“Come with us. I doubt you want to be on camera, anymore. I’m, also, exhausted. The transformation and regenerating that much, that fast, has drained me.”

He shifted his hand, so that he could take Abel’s, and started pulling him off the battlefield.

On the way, he reached down, with his other hand and started dragging Noboru by the back of what was left of his collar. He motioned, gently, with his head, as his gaze met blue and dusted brown.
“C’mon, Dad...Gran Torino-san...We need to get you two looked at, just in case, and turn Shigaraki’s ass in.”

Toshinori wet his lips.
“A-Are you alright, Izuku?” He got a sigh.
“Exhausted. A bit achy. Hungry as hell. But, other than that, yeah.”
“You got...cut in half...I know you’re immortal to injury, but…”
“I have a migraine, but...My other half decomposed, as soon as it reached whatever place Noboru sent it.” He gave a grin that fell into a smirk.
“Let’s just say that wherever it ended up is likely to grow some flowers, pretty fast.”

To take the weight off the arm Izuku grew too fast, the blonde hero threw the villain’s unconscious form over his shoulder.

Abel looked a little confused.
“You...called him Dad...He doesn’t look like you…”
“He adopted me, a few months ago. My biological one’s in prison. I didn’t even live with him, to begin with. My uncle took me in, when he threw me out, bleeding out, when I was three. You’ll see my uncle soon.”

As if speaking of the devil, Chizome came shoving past the barricade, looking terrified as hell.
“Izuku!”
“Uncle…”

He let go of Abel, just as the raven careened into the teenager.
“I-I saw you get ripped into! Twice! A-And I saw the transformation! I got here as fast as I could!” Gently, Izuku reached up and pinched the man’s nose to get him to stop.
“I’m alright. I’m sorry I scared you.” He was wrapped up in his uncle’s arms.
“I totally forgot about your immortality...I...I thought I was gonna throw up…”

As Izuku ran his hand through Chizome’s hair, Abel looked to his own palms, a look of longing on his face.

Toshinori walked past them to have the villain slapped in a body cuff and tossed into the back of the police car, before returning and sandwiching his boyfriend between them. He let his forehead fall to the back of raven hair, a tired sigh leaving his chest.
“For a split second, during the first time, I did, too…”

With the family bunched together, it was easy for the cameras to see them.

A reporter, hesitantly, edged up to them, freezing, when Abel noticed her. He noticed that she was scared and gave her a little smile, before putting his hand to Izuku’s shoulder.
“I think she wants to talk to one of you.”

The greenette passed his eyes over to her and mimicked the anomaly.
“Greetings. Are you alright, Miss?”
“O-Oh! Y-Yes!”
“Did you want to talk to us?”
“Um...I have a few questions, if you’d be willing to be interviewed, right now?” He closed his eyes.
“This is as good a time as any. If these questions are for me, then you might not get another chance for, at least, two more years.”

She cleared her throat.
“My first question is...Who are you?”
“My name is Akaguro Izuku. I go to UA.”
“What was that, out there? Not only did you transform, you were able to summon others to help and you took lethal damage and survived!” He rubbed a hand down his face.
“My quirk gives me a host of abilities, including those. The transformation is, usually, a last resort, but...I was mad…” She nodded and flipped the page on her notepad.
“Who’s this? He arrived to get you out of your rage state...if that’s what it was?”
“Indeed. Being in my transformed state too long puts me in a rage and I attack anything that moves...especially people. This is Abel.”
“He looks a lot like your...um...transformation.”

Izuku wet his lips and scratched the bottom one with his teeth, lightly. A habit he thought he kicked.
“I get the parts of my quirk from certain types of people and creatures. I got the transformation from knowing about him and what he can do.” Hesitantly, she turned her attention to Abel.
“Sir?” The dark brunette blinked and looked up.
“Ah?”
“How did you know he was here?”
“Oh...um…” He rubbed the back of his head.
“I could...sense him? I think. I just knew where to go.”

As if noticing his discomfort, the reporter looked to Toshinori.
“All Might?”
“Yes?”
“Akaguro-san called you Dad…” The hero let out a sigh from his nose.
“I adopted him, about, three months ago.”
“And...May I ask about your relationship with him?”
“He’s my teaching partner…” He heaved a sigh.
“And my partner.”

Her eyes went wide.
“Oh! Sir? May I ask your name?” The raven met her pale orange with mahogany.
“Akaguro Chikara.”
“Akaguro? Like…” He nodded.
“Yes. My twin was Chizome. He had a heart attack, in prison, four or five months ago.”
“And him?”
“My nephew.”

Returning her questions to Izuku, she motioned to the cop car.
“I was on the ground, so I caught what you said to All For One. Is he...really your grandfather?”
“Unfortunately, yes. He’s my, biological, father’s father.”
“And...Your father really did that to you? Leave you to bleed out?”
“Yes.” He motioned to his back and the parts that clawed over his shoulders and sides.
“This scar was the last one he ever did to me. He tortured me and left me to bleed out and succumb to my burns. Had...my quirk not kicked in...and Uncle not found me...I wouldn’t have survived.” She put her hand to her mouth.
“Oh my god…”

He gave a nervous laugh.
“Sorry. I get a bit dark, when I think about him. But, I do hope he’s watching.” His eyes trailed to the nearest camera, as if he was looking to pierce the very man he was talking about. The woman cleared her throat.
“Are you all ok?”
“I should be...after some painkillers and a sandwich. Those two probably need a once over.”

She gave them another nod and left them to go to the ambulances, with a last comment.
“Thank you.”
“Hm?”
“For...For answering my questions and for saving us all.” Izuku just smiled at her.
“It wasn’t just me that saved everyone. They did their parts and-”

Suddenly, he got railed off his feet by Mammon.
“Mammon. I’m still sore. Please.” He got off him and lapped at his face.
”My Alpha! Are you alright?!”

The reporter started, before Izuku got up and waved, nonchalantly.
“Sorry about him. This is my main familiar, Mammon. He might look intimidating, but he’s pretty much a big puppy, as long as you don’t make him mad.”
“And the...tall man?”
“Another familiar...sort of. His name’s Shy. He can’t really answer questions with words. He might try to sign, instead. He’s over there, finishing up with the evacuation.”

She looked over in time to see a child being placed in the arms of a man, via a large and sickly white hand.
“He’s...faceless?”
“No. He has one. He wears a mask. He doesn’t like showing people his face.”
“Oh! Thank you for answering my questions. Uh...You should get looked at.”
“Thank you for being so interested in my familiars and me. Have a good night, Reporter-san. Stay safe.”

As they got into the ambulances, Izuku put his face in his hands.
“Hitoshi’s, probably, freaking the hell out…” Toshinori put a hand on his head.
“Yep.”
“And I put a few of my classmates in charge of keeping him from following me. He’s going to be a mixture of panicked and pissed, when I see him again…”

Abel blinked.
“Hitoshi?” Izuku looked up, briefly.
“Oh...Uh...He’s my boyfriend.”
“Oh. What’s he like?”
“Kind. Quiet, usually. He knows how to get me out of a small attack, if he has to...um...He’s got a pretty complex personality. You’ll meet him, soon.” The brunette put a hand to his mouth, falling into thought for a moment.
“What’s...his quirk?”
“He can brainwash people that respond to him, when it’s active.”

That made the man smile.
“So...If I lose control, he can stop me?”
“You could say that.”

The look on Abel’s face made Izuku smile back.

The ancient man didn’t want to hurt anyone. He was just cursed to.

At the hospital, Toshinori and Torino were taken to get treated, as running footsteps clamored through the halls.

A head of purple hair came into view, pallor even paler than normal.
“Hitoshi-k-”

As soon as he made it to the greenette, a slap rang through the room. Izuku didn’t flinch, even when Abel did. A faint handprint faded into his cheek, but he only sighed.
“Yeah. I deserved that.” Hitoshi’s face was a twist of emotions.
“You scared the shit out of me! Why didn’t you fucking tell me?!” Izuku took his hands in his, gently squeezing them.
“They’re still looking for you. I knew Compress wouldn’t have hesitated to grab you. Shigaraki wouldn’t have waited, either. I couldn’t let anyone get, unnecessarily, get hurt...let alone you. I love you far too much to let you get hurt…”

Tears squeezed down the other teenager’s face, as he threw his arms around his boyfriend, getting caught against a bare chest. After a moment, he leaned back and pulled the greenette up by his face. The kiss they shared was filled with relief, before the purplette touched their foreheads.
“I’m so happy you’re alright...I...When I saw you get cut in half, I thought your regeneration wouldn’t kick in, this time…” Izuku nuzzled his cheek a bit.
“I’m sorry...I...Seems I scared the shit out of a lot of people. I’ve got a lot of apologizing to do, ne?”

Hitoshi noticed how tired he sounded.
“C’mon. Let’s get back to the others, so you can rest. You sound exhausted.” Izuku scratched the back of his head.
“And...um...hungry.”
“No doubt! You burned through a ton of energy!”

Purple eyes passed to the man, by his side, and a chill went down his spine.
“Abel…” He got a little, nervous, wave in response.
“Hello…” Izuku pat Hitoshi on the back, a little.
“He won’t hurt anyone. I’ll explain, when we get to the others.”
“Um...ok…”

In one of the rooms, Izuku found himself swarmed by, worried, classmates.

Then, he got a punch to the face.

He looked up and into red eyes. The ashen blonde was shaking and looked clammy as hell.
“That’s for fucking scaring me, Deku!” He put a hand to his jaw, just as he found arms around his neck. He blinked, sharply.
“B...Bakugo?”
“I’m sorry…”

That shocked the entire class.

Green eyes blew wide.
“Wh-”
“I bullied you for all the wrong, fucking, reasons! You-You saw something in me! Something that made me worth your time! Even after all the shit I put you through! You...You wanted to change me! And it took you taking lethal blows, four times...and one of those being my, dumbass, fault-” Abel jolted, harshly.
“-to realize just how much of a problem I am! You came with All Might to save me...after everything I did...everything I said to you…” Tears streamed down the arches of his cheeks.
“Why?”

Izuku put his hands on the blonde’s shoulders.
“For this, exact, reason. I knew that you knew something had to change. It was all about bringing it to the forefront of your mind. I knew that you could change. Anyone can change. All they need to do is be willing to.” He gave the blonde a smile.
“I knew, all along, that, once you saw the harm you were doing...that you’d be extra willing to make the change. And that’s how I know...how I knew...that you will be a great hero. A great hero and a great man acknowledges his faults and strives to make himself better.”

After a moment, Izuku looked like he remembered something and cleared his throat.
“Everyone. This is Abel. Yes. That Abel. The one I told you about.” When everyone paled, he sighed.
“He’s not violent, like we thought. Apparently, my aura calms him.” The Semitic man scratched the back of his head, looking so much meeker than they thought. He seemed a bit nervous under all the stares, until…
“I’m Kirishima Eijirou.” Red eyes blinked, before he found a handshake offered to him. He shook it.
“Um...Abel…”

That broke the dam and everyone popped up to introduce themselves.

“Kaminari Denki.”
“Ashido Mina!”
“Yaoyorozu Momo.”
“Iida Tenya.”
“Sero Hanta.”
“Hagakure Toru.”
“Ojiro Mashirao.”
“Tokoyami Fumikage.”
“Aoyama Yuga.”
“Asui Tsuyu. Please call me Tsu, Kero.”
“Uraraka Ochako.”
“Sato Rikido.”
“Shoji Mezo.”
“Jiro Kyoka.”
“...Koda Koji.”
“Todoroki Shoto.”

The brunette looked over to the ash blonde, who gave a sigh.
“Bakugo Katsuki.” Hitoshi nodded his head.
“Aizawa Hitoshi.”

Suddenly, the wall opened into one of Larry’s warps.
“Jiji?” Instead of the old man, a robotic arm came through, before a man with short brunette hair and blue eyes stumbled into the hospital.
“I...hate...warping…”
“Then why did you…” He scratched the back of his head.
“Um...Larry’s...having issues, again.” Izuku facepalmed.
“Great. After freaking them all out, I have to do it again. Fine.”

He looked to the others.
“This will sound absolutely horrible. I advise you to leave the room.” No one moved, making him sigh and close his eyes.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He touched the wall and, suddenly, no one could hear anything in the hall. They watched the man’s blue eyes shoot wide, before his mechanical hands shot up for his ears.

He took a deep breath and brought his hand down on his thigh, hard.

A sickening snap and break reached each of their ears.

But that was nothing compared to the agonized scream that ripped from their classmate’s mouth.

Half the class dropped into a cold sweat, as green eyes wrenched shut and his breathing escalated. His teeth grit and tears poured from his eyes, until Larry almost threw himself from the portal, in the wall, looking freaked out.

His groaning and whines were punctuated by a rattle in his chest, like his ribs were loose. He put his hands to the teenager’s shoulders and shook him, sharply. Green eyes opened, after a moment, and peered into white pupils and rot black sclerae.
“Th...There...Y-You’re ok…” Larry just shook him again and wrapped him in a hug, as Mammon uncurled from the floor, moving his hands from his ears.
”Jesus! My Alpha! You could just scream, instead of actually breaking your femur!”

Getting his breath back, Izuku wrapped his arms around his grandfather-figure.
“You know I’m a mediocre actor. B-Besides...He’s not just attracted to the sounds of people screaming in pain. The adrenaline helps…”

The skin and muscle started sloughing off the greenette’s front and part of his back, but Larry seemed too wired to let go, this time.

Kaminari felt the urge to hurl, as he asked the question.
“What the hell was that?!” Mammon shivered and shook his fur out some.
”When Larry has a rare lapse in sanity, he goes catatonic, while his mind fights it. He goes into stasis, like when he was contained. The only way we’ve figured out how to get him back is...pain. That was how they used to corral him, if he breached containment. Some, unfortunate, prisoner would be put into what they called ‘The Femur Breaker’. Did what it says on the tin.”
“H-Holy shit...D-Did he really break his own femur?! H-How did you do that so easily, Akaguro-san?!”

Even while his flesh came off him in sheets, he turned to the blonde.
“Honestly? I just shut my brain off and do it.”
“And no one heard that scream?!”
“I soundproofed the room…”

He patted the anomaly on the back.
“S-Sorry, Jiji...I-I need to heal my leg...I-It really hurts…” The whining returned, as Larry stepped back, trembling and shaking. Rotted sap leaked from his eyes, like tears, as panic set in.

Mammon grew bigger and sat on his haunches, meeting black and white eyes with his sensory organs.
”Stop…You know it’s not your fault he broke his leg…” Larry put his face in his hands and whined and rattled a bit louder.
”No. Stop. You can’t control your episodes.”

“Jiji.”

He looked over to the greenette, who was finishing healing from his caustic touch.
“I chose to break my femur, instead of just screaming. It was my choice. I’m...just happy you’re ok...But, could you grab Onfroi?” Hastily, he was nodded to and the man disappeared into a warp.

He reappeared in seconds, the man almost tumbling out of the sludge.
“Izuku?! Merde! We felt you scream, from home!”
“S-Sorry...I think I broke my femur in more than two pieces...I need you to help me position the pieces, since you can sense where the parts of the body are…”
“Christ, Izuku! You sound like you screamed yourself raw!”

He did.

As the doctor, carefully, put pressure on the sides of his thigh, maneuvering the pieces into the right position, the teenager heard him hiss.
“You broke it in four pieces...What did you use?!”
“My...My hand…”
“Wh...What?”
“Did the...shutting my brain off thing and just…” Onfroi tried not to shake, like he’d gone pale.
“I’ll never understand how you do that…”
“I think it comes from Mammon. I mean...If they’re too damaged, he can rip his own limbs off.”

The class whipped their heads to the reptile, who looked sheepish.
“Hurts like hell, but I can. I don’t tend to, anymore, unless I’m in a fight, cause I don’t get that injured, unless I’m playing with Shy.”

That was when blue met red. The shorter haired man felt sweat bead at his hairline.
“A-Abel…”

The other man stood up and stared him down, no emotion on his face. The older looked around for an exit and prepared to use his anomalous abilities, as soon as he watched Abel tense and run at him.

He was stiff, until Abel made contact...in a hug.

“A-Abel?”

Red eyes fell closed, as the space between his eyes fell to his brother’s shoulder.

“Cain…”

Chapter Text

Cain looked confused, waiting for Abel to try and snap his spine, like he’d tried to do numerous times before.

But...It never came.

So, he spoke...an echo of what he’d just said.
“A-Abel?” His heart raced, before careening to a stop, when his younger brother spoke, his whisper dropping into the room like a grenade.

“I forgive you.”

Blue eyes went wide, as Abel leaned back, a smile on his face.
“Bu...But I...I murdered you...i-in cold, jealous, blood!” Those red eyes were tired...They spoke of how tired of killing and fighting he was. He gave a fanged grin.
“You’ve been paying for it for...for thousands of years. Ever since it happened. You feel remorse. You’ve apologized to me, tens of thousands of times, as I tried to return the favor. Now that I’m sane, I can see that. So...I forgive you, Big Brother!”

Cain’s throat and chest heaved, forcing him to take in a sharp breath, as the tears flowed and streaked down his face, boiled and a long time coming. His back hunched and he put his face in his hands, his labored breathing turning into, heart-wrenching, relieved sobbing.

Collapsing to the floor, Abel went with him, pulling him into another hug, his own tears making their way down his face.

Some of the class could only watch on with understanding in their eyes, the others kind of confused.
“Um...Akaguro-san?” He turned to Sero.
“Yes?”
“I’m a little confused about what's happening. I didn’t really read the Bible…”

The greenette wet his lips and nodded.
“Before Cain and Abel became anomalies, Cain bludgeoned Abel to death, out of jealousy. God accepted and preferred Abel’s sacrificial offer over Cain's. Once the deed was done, Cain was damned and cursed to walk and wander, never finding a true place to call home, until his death. When he perished, he was resurrected to continue his punishment until the end of time. You all were there when he came to me.” He motioned to the younger brother.
“His little brother, Abel, was reanimated in the form of a near immortal corpse. There’s a room-typed object that his coffin resides in, which will reform him in time, after each death. Before today, whenever he’d breach containment, he’d go into a murderous rage, if he came across any human being. His, original, purpose was to find Cain and kill him, as revenge for his murder, but...Cain has an ability to reflect the damage he takes onto the person dealing it.”

Shoto blinked, sharply.
“The ability you used, at the start of our fight, in the Sports Festival…”
“Exactly. With these abilities, they’ve been duking it out, on and off, for the past tens of thousands of years. And now…”

The rest of them understood, now.

Cain was, finally, forgiven for what he did.

Izuku took down the soundproofing, as his bones knitted back together.
“That sucked so much ass...Thank hell I used my femur and not my fibula…” Onfroi flicked his eyes up to him.
“Yeah. If you broke the other one, Mel would have flipped his, absolute, shit.”
“Right...I keep forgetting he has problems with leg trauma…having to do with his old life…”

Three red hounds came out of the portal and saddled up next to the teenager, lapping at the, healing, bruising on his leg. He pet one across the head.
“Sorry...Is Jiji alright?” Momiji looked up, a bit anxious, and spoke in both Chizome’s and Toshinori’s voices, making the others do a triple take.
“Yes...For now. He still feels a bit guilty.”
“...Maybe I should make him something. Rotten deviled eggs, maybe. He always did like those…”
“Perhaps...And something for Mia. She threw up, when she felt you scream.”
“...And some triple fudge brownies, it seems. I feel bad, now. I should’ve had Cain warn you all, before I did that…” Tatsuo nudged his arm.
“We could smell Larry having his episode, but...Even when we knew what was coming, nothing could have prepared us for it…” Hibiki nodded.
“It feels like...when you were confronted by Hisashi...just...more pain and less bloodlust…”

Green eyes went wide, as he put a hand to his mouth.
“Oh God...Oh fuck...I’m so sorry! I keep forgetting just how potent and strong the connection is…”

Mammon shook himself out, again.
”The impact was lessened on Cain, Abel, and me, since we were in the room when you did it, but...HHHHUGHHH! I still have anxiety chills!”
“Sorry…”

That was when a ginger girl tumbled through the portal, making Izuku blink sharply.
“Mia?” She scrambled into his arms, making him hold her to him, so she wouldn’t drop onto his leg. Shaking and stiff, she just gripped her hands into fists against his chest, face squeezed like she was trying not to cry. The greenette grimaced and put a hand to her back, moving up to brush back the curls that frizzed into her face. He rocked his torso, gently, from side to side, as his lips pressed to her forehead and his hand moved to the back of her head.

Her knuckles turned white, as she held in her sobs. Izuku’s face twisted into pain, his voice so soft that, even in the silent room, it was nearly inaudible.
“I’m sorry…”

The ginger just wrapped her arms around his neck and trembled, her shuddering gaining the attention of Onfroi. Even through the holes in his mask, those golden eyes tinged with concern and sorrow...Especially when he heard his adopted daughter choke on her words.
“Nii-chan…”

Izuku’s expression seized and tears spilled down his face, as he shifted her, so that her side was to his chest and he was holding her up by the backs of her knees. His other hand wrapped around her front and brought her into a side hug, his face being buried in her shoulder, green curls fluffing into her face and against her neck.
“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…”

Mia felt a gloved hand on her head and looked back to see a plague doctor mask.
“Papa?” Onfroi looked a little startled by the new name, having only been called that once or twice before, but wrapped his arms around both children, not saying a word.

Noticing that Izuku’s leg was fully healed, Mammon crawled onto his lap and made a soft purring noise, which sounded like a cross between a cat and a reptile of some kind.

The others looked over to Cain and Hitoshi, making the purplette sigh, softly.
“Mia and Onfroi came from the same place. They made their way from America, following the drawing feeling anomalies feel, which leads them to Izuku. They came to Japan, not long after Cain moved into the apartment. Onfroi is like Mia’s father and has, unofficially, adopted her. She thinks of Izuku like her older brother, but...This is the first time she’s called him that.” They all turned to find the little girl asleep in the greenette’s arms.

Had he been older, it would have been a scene of a father comforting his child.

The doctor, gently, took her from the teenager’s arms and looked about to cry, himself.
“Izuku-”
“I know...I understand. Go. Make sure she’s alright. I should be home, tonight.”

A gloved hand reached up, making green eyes widen.
“Wait. What are you-”
“I have long accepted my appearance. I have you all to thank for it.”

The rest of the class watched the mask get pulled from the man’s face, resistance bringing a bit of an ashen, fleshy, substance into view.

Turning a little, the rest of them watched a strong jaw, lined with manicured stubble, meet their eyes. His skin was ashen and almost solid grey, speckled with darker and lighter tones, as if he’d been born with a snowstorm of freckles. His hair was a wavy, grey-brown, mass around his face, as if it’s been a while since it was brushed or it was, simply, untamable. He looked of French descent, somewhere in the average range for looks. But, that didn’t mean he wasn’t handsome.

Onfroi’s gold eyes stood out on his skin tone, as they found a smile on his lips.
“To take Mia to school, I need to change to more modern clothing, since Chikara-san goes to work at UA, in the mornings. Either Cain or I drop her off and I, usually, pick her up. I have grown accustomed to my appearance and have accepted that this is how I look.”

Mina couldn’t control her tongue, but kept quiet for the little girl’s sake.
“What are you talking about? You’re pretty handsome, to me!” His eyes went a little wider, as a grey-toned blush took over his face. An involuntary smile came to his lips, as he tried to hide his face.
“O-Oh. Thank you. You’re...You’re very kind…I thought people would stare at how grey my skin is.”
“Dude. My skin’s pink. I have black sclerae. And I have horns. Compared to me, someone that’s a bit less different than a third of people out there, you look normal.”
“Thank you...I believe Izuku has said your name is Ashido Mina?”
“Yup. That’s me. You’re Onfroi, right? Did I...pronounce that right?”
“Perfectly, Mademoiselle.”

The doctor checked on Izuku’s leg, once more, before bowing his head, gently, and taking Mia through the warp to get her to bed.

In his place, a figure fumbled through.
”I. Hate. Warping.”
“Mel?” The figure, shown to be wearing a mask...or was he the mask?...turned his head up and rushed to the greenette’s side, gripping him by the shoulders.
”Izuku! What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He took the...man?...by the wrists.
“I know. I wasn’t aware of how much direct bone breaking went through the connection.” He got a back breaking hug.
”I know you’re near immortal, Izuku, but...I already lost four...I don’t...I don’t want to lose a fifth…”

That made green eyes blow wide.
“You...think of me as…” The mask’s forehead touched his chest, letting him feel the faint nod the bobbed it.
“Mel…”

He wasn’t responded to, the mask just holding on tighter, as black fluid darkened the head of the mannequin, on which he was mounted.

“Melpomene.”

Still no answer. The sludge came even faster and thicker, making the greenette give a gentle and sad sigh.

”Celeste."

That made Mel’s head snap straight up.
”You...You called me…”
“You weren’t responding and you were letting off corrosion.”
”Oh…” Green eyes softened.
“I’m alright. I already freaked out Jiji and Mia. I’m sorry I freaked you out, too. I’m...pretty sure Shy’s either pacing or catatonic.” Mel nodded.
”He screamed seconds before I felt the break. I-I’ll never understand how you’re never in more pain.”

Izuku pulled him into a hug and put a hand to the back of his head. The sludge started eating through his skin and decaying it, but the greenette was used to it.

Compared to the femur break, it was nothing.

Chapter Text

As Aizawa and Nezu went from house to house, they got some outstanding parents and faux skepticism.

But it was when they were sitting across from a specific mother that they found true hesitation passing through scarlet eyes.

Mitsuki put a hand to her mouth.
“My…My son was just kidnapped…” Aizawa gave a gentle sigh.
“Yes. We cannot and will not sugarcoat that. It would be demeaning for everyone to just sweep that under the rug.”
“I just…want my son to be safe…”
“We will do whatever is in our power to do just that.” She went silent, the, usual, confident, expression morphed into concern and uncertainty.

“Mum.”

She snapped her head up, not used to her son calling her that. She met identical eyes.
“I trust them.”
“Wh…” He closed his eyes and sighed.
“I know I’m a pain in your ass, usually. But, I know you and Dad love me. I know you only want me to be safe. I get it.” He rubbed the lower half of his face, pulling off of his chin.
“I’m training to be a hero, Mum. I understand that I’m at school and not out on the field, yet, and it’s supposed to be a controlled environment…But I’m gonna get hurt. I have to scrape my knees to climb the mountain that stands between me and my goals.”

He stood up and crouched on one knee, in front of her. He took her hand, running a thumb over a faint scar that cut through the webbing of hers, like he used to when he was little.
“I’ve never done anything to deserve the love you give me. I’m an asshole on my best days. Thank you for caring for your little shit of a son.”

Tears poured down Mitsuki’s face, as she lashed out and wrapped her arms around him.
“You’ve never needed to deserve it to have our love and care, Katsuki. That’s the one thing you’ve been entitled to, all your life. If you think this is your mountain, I’ll give you the access to the tools you need to climb it.”

She looked to the teachers and gave them a firm nod and a pleading stare.
“Keep my son safe.”

As they left, Shota was a bit surprised to see Nezu rubbing at the side of his face.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you get emotional in a long time.” Instead of his, normal, smile, the principal just looked at his paw pads.
“I…That reminded me of myself…” He looked up to meet burnt silver with black.
“And…It reminded me of Akaguro-kun.”
“Izuku?”
“Yes. Both of us fought so hard to be cared for…to…to…live a life that isn’t constant pain.” His employee looked a little pained, having known about the man’s past.
“Would you…like to take a break?”
“Ah. No. No. We’ve only got three more students left and one is your son.”

Chizome was hesitant, as the two men proposed the dorm situation. Toshinori was right next to him, a hand on his shoulder.
“I know Izuku will be fine…It’s just…the others I worry about.”
“How so?”
“Uh…Shy has…an attachment thing…and Mia has trouble sleeping, sometimes, so she goes to stay with Izuku for the night. Things like that.” Nezu gave a little smile.
“They can come to the dorms, when they feel like they need to. Akaguro-kun has said that Lawrence-san can create those portals whenever he likes and doesn’t tend to sleep.”
“I guess…Toshi?” The man, wrapped in some bandaging, looked down to meet his boyfriend’s gaze.
“Hm?”
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s a good idea. Even if Izuku’s, technically, immortal, I think having them all in one place would make it easier to keep track of them and give them nineteen people watching their backs, at least.”
“True…”

Aizawa wet his lips.
“Uh…May I ask…” Chizome smiled, gently.
“We got together not long before Kamino.” The two shared a look, before the blonde closed his eyes.
“Nezu-san already knows. Aizawa-kun’s very good with secrets.”
“I…trust you and him…Aizawa-san.” The raven looked up.
“Ah. Yeah?”
“We think you should know something about me.”

The night hero kept his gaze on his coworkers, as the raven one put one hand to his face.
“Nezu already knows. Akaguro Chikara died ten years ago.”

Shota started.
“Wait. That’s you…” That got him a sigh.
“No. My twin died a decade ago. Shot by an informant of his.”
“Your…twin…No…You-You had a heart attack, in prison!” Chizome rubbed a hand down his face.
“I was broken out of prison and a replica of me was put in my place, looking like I had one.”
“Broken out?”

Izuku sighed, speaking for the first time since they’d come in.
“By me.”

Chizome jumped.
“Shit! I keep forgetting you have the ability to make your presence disappear!”
“Sorry.”

Aizawa put his face in his hands.
“Do I want to know how you broke him out?”
“I used three different anomalies and properties of my own. The one that gave Dad his organs back. Jiji. And a machine that can grant nearly any liquid you type into its keyboard. We recreated Uncle from fabric, using Kairos’ ability stretched thin. Kairos can make organs from felt and stuffing. He created a heart and made it look like a diseased one, leading to the heart attack conclusion. We used the machine to take a certain amount of Uncle’s blood, a day. We used it to fill the body and give a reason for him to look fatigued and like he was inches from a heart attack, before we swapped him with the dummy corpse.” His homeroom teacher rubbed his hands down his face.
“So…You’re Akaguro Chizome…Stain?”
“I was, yes.”
“Was…”
“Stain is dead. Akaguro Chikara was revived.” Izuku sat forward a bit.
“Iida-kun and Todoroki-kun know about him, too…Seeing as they were there when he was arrested.”

Aizawa took a deep breath.
“You’re an excellent teacher and a heroic person…I…wonder why you went villain…”
“I had a mind break.”
“What?”
“About five years ago, I was so stressed and my morals were strained, during a mission I was on. I fought Knuckleduster and he broke my nose so badly that my sanity break made me cut it off, entirely. Izuku found me in that destroyed apartment and helped me home. It took time to heal my mind, but…Having Izuku around was a massive blessing.” His nephew gave him a little smile.
“He gave me something to focus on and some kind of routine.”
“We gave each other something to care for, before I was contained and broke out with everyone else.”

Izuku closed his eyes and gave a gentle sigh, from his nose.
“We’ve both, technically, been in prison. I knew what it was like to be locked up, against my will…Even if it wasn’t for more than a few days.” The hero let out a little groan.
“Your family is the source of ninety percent of my migraines.”

The three snickered, especially when a paw touching his shoe made him jerk.
“A…cat?” As the tabby rubbed its head against his leg, he noticed something.

It was only half a cat.

Izuku gave a little chuckle.
“That’s Josie. She likes being scratched behind the ears.”
“Is she…”
“She’s not half invisible. We don’t know how she functions without a back half. It doesn’t hinder her, though.” Carefully, he scratched behind her ear and felt her start purring and pushing into his hand.

Chizome gave a little sigh.
“I trust you, Aizawa-san. Toshinori’s right. Having the students together is a good idea. I’ll let Larry know that he might need to bring the others to Izuku, at times. Izuku? Where do you stand on this?”
“Honestly, it’s a bit nerve wracking. To know that the League of Idiots is after us, in particular. I believe that, like you all said, being in the same area would make it easier to keep track of us all, nevertheless.”

His teacher just stared at him for a moment, before flicking his eyes up to mahogany.
“He’s got an excellent head on his shoulders. You raised him well, Akaguro-san. If he turned out like this, then that tells me all I need to know about you.” There was a bit of a tense silence, before the hero spoke again.
“You have a heroic heart and a kind soul.” A bit of pink swept the, slightly, older raven’s face, making him scratch his cheek with a finger.
“O-Oh…um…Thank you…”
“Did you want to be a hero?” Chizome sighed.
“I did.”
“Let me guess. Stigma against your quirk?”
“Yep. It caused me to go vigilante, first, before my snap.”
“Maybe I heard of you?” Maroon eyes flickered.
“Oh…I used to be Stendhal.”
“Yep. I knew of you. You were very efficient.”

“Thank you.”