Work Text:
Things have been getting worse.
Early in the morning, Toshinoris glad that barely anyone has woken up yet. He doesn't have the patience for another camera in his face. Anxiously shuffling the grocery bag in his hands, he began to walk up the stairs of his apartment complex.
The public eye has been looking towards him as of late.
It began weeks after Jaku when things were uncertain, and everyone stood in silence, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He had been walking his usual route when small-time Journalists stopped him, asking for his opinion.
It wasn't a bother at first. As All-Might, he was used to being hounded by the media. But the shoe kept falling. Soon it snowballed into news anchors, officials, politicians, and cabinet members. All asking the same question.
What went wrong?
Reaching his apartment floor, Toshinori turned, listening for any footsteps. He thought he'd let this feeling go years ago when he was a child. Back when heroes weren't as prevalent as they used to be.
Yet, he has never felt more watched.
Reaching the top floor, Toshinori held his groceries with one hand, fishing his pockets with another. He quickly glanced behind him, half expecting someone to be there.
Being number one for so long, Toshinori supposes it's a twisted sense of nostalgia bringing them to his front door. Still, he doesn't understand what they see in him. He's nothing but skin and bones now- a man who can barely bring his groceries to his front door without feeling tired.
And he was so so tired.
Fiddling with his apartment key, Toshinori scowled.
The panic for stability was brought upon themselves. Weeks after Dabi's video went viral; Enji lost his position as number one. It's only recently that rumors are circulating, something about the commission revoking Enji and Hawk's license.
It feels downright evil- knowing that it might have been better had the abuse stayed under wraps. Maybe then, the fragile faith people had in heroes would have lasted a little while longer. Toshinori took a shaky breath, finally getting the key into the lock.
To add to the chaos, he hasn't had a good lead on Shigaraki's whereabouts in months. Much less information on what he could be planning. Twisting the key, the door popped open.
Maybe Gran Torino was right in calling it foolish.
Shigaraki is a criminal, after all, a dangerous one at that. And Toshinori knows people leagues better than him who can investigate instead. It's just something about being her grandson- Toshinori doesn't want just anyone to know.
Making sure to look behind him before stepping inside, Toshinori closed the door with a harsh click. If he does find the boy, which isn't very likely he can admit, what will he do? What will he say?
God- there are so many things to say.
Careful to not drop his groceries, Toshinori slowly peeled off his jacket. Truthfully, he isn't looking for Shigaraki so that the public would be at ease. As selfish as it may be, he's searching for peace of mind.
The apartment was dark, dim light coming through blinded windows. Slipping his shoes off, Toshinori passed by the light switch, not bothering to flick it on. He doesn't need any passersby to know he is home.
Placing the food into the fridge, Toshinori pinched the brow of his nose, a wicked headache beginning to grow. Shigaraki could have easily broken All-for-One out of prison by now. Seeing as there are so few able to hold him off. It's even scarier to think of the reasons why he didn't.
Taking a closer look at the kitchen window, Toshinori swore he saw a shadow pass by.
Maybe a bit of food would help with the headache. Pulling out a prepackaged onigiri, he leaned on the counters. Taking in his apartment, he's never really noticed how lonely his home was. A quiet buzz rang in his ears.
Although it wasn't close to being empty, the room felt hollow and dead. Like it was more fitting to have white drapes over the furniture and dust than it is for a person to live here. Opening the plastic package, Toshinori stared at the onigiri in his hands.
He thinks he should give Izuku a call, ask him and his mother to come over. Maybe then this place would be worth more than a large office to work in.
Pushing off the counters, going towards his kitchen table, something underneath him cracked. Taking a step back, he balked, wondering how Nana's picture got onto the floor.
About to look for a broom, something out of the corner of his eye moved. Toshinori froze. Behind him, a floorboard creaked as if someone had slowly lifted their foot off it.
He wasn't alone. And they wanted him to know.
Careful to not make any noise, he turned.
Staring straight past the table and towards the couch and tv beyond it, his breath hitched.
An inexplicable panic ran up his spine, and to Toshinori's bewilderment, a bit of happiness too.
Hunched over, someone was sitting on his couch.
Fingers laced, familiar white hair turned. "Hello, All-might. I've been waiting".
Gesturing to the chair across from him, Shigaraki smiled. "Take a seat".
Toshinori bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep his composure. He knows that if Shigaraki were ever to lunge at him, there was nothing he could do to stop it. Hell, he knows that if Shigaraki were to think it, he could disintegrate him at this very moment. Keeping his distance, however, gave Toshinori a small sense of comfort.
If he were to get any closer, Toshinori fears he wouldn't be able to hold it in, and spill everything, tell him everything. But there is no room for failure. Sitting down, Toshinori swallowed. "Why are you here"?
Some part of him desperately wants to doubt.
Shigaraki narrowed his eyes, his hand flexing.
Toshinori sunk into the cushions. It was predicted and set in stone, yet for it to be so soon... Shigaraki's smile grew. "The almighty former number one trying to pad out for more time- Scared of dying? You should just relax, enjoy what time you have left. I know I will".
Toshinori drummed against the seat, trying to find the right words. That smile- something about it made his chest hurt.
"Got nothing to say"?
He almost laughed.
"No, unlike what you might think, I'm glad you're here". Confused, Shigaraki shifted in his seat, his shoulders tense. "I've been looking for you for a long time, Shigaraki Tomura. I want to talk".
He scoffed. "Do you seriously think you can convince me not to kill you? You're even more of a coward than I thought you were".
A coward. Nana's grandson thought of him as a coward. As if hating him wasn't painful enough, All-for-One had to twist the knife further. His grip on the armrest tightened, willing the tremble in his voice to fade. "I'm not that foolish. You said it yourself- You have time. Humor me".
For an awful moment, Shigaraki leaned back, placing his hands on his knees and lightly scratching them. In all honesty, he wasn’t all that optimistic in getting Shigaraki to talk. So to see him give his offer any consideration, left Toshinori astonished. The young man bit his lip hard enough to bleed. Hands curling, Shigaraki looked up.
"...Okay".
Suppressing the urge to sigh, Toshinori leaned forward, fingers running through his hair. Something about sitting across from Shigaraki felt monumental. A second chance even. Despite instincts telling him otherwise, he hoped no one would knock on that door.
"Well-"?
"I'm thinking".
Shigaraki rolled his eyes. "You know I'm here to kill you, right"?
It's strange thinking that this is one of the few frank conversations he's had lately. Aside from reassuring a populace that'd believe in anything, there aren't that many people Toshinori feels he can talk to, much less be honest with.
He loves Izuku as if he were his son, but with the secrets he keeps, Izuku will only hurt himself. And he wants the boy to outlast his dream.
"How old are you"?
Reclining back, Shigaraki looked as if he was lost for a moment. "...Twenty".
"That's... young".
"You're point"?
"Regardless of who wins, heroes or villains, you'll still have a life to live. What will you do next"?
Raising a fist to rest his head on, Shigaraki refused to look at Toshinori, busying himself with the floor. "Everyone will be free to do what they please. There isn't any need for a 'future'".
He pressed further. "Then what do you want"?
It was a simple answer, one that he hates to think makes too much sense.
"To destroy".
Toshinori took a deep breath. The next lord of evil has no plan for the future. "There's only so much you can destroy until there is nothing left..." he trailed. Not quite ready to say 'but yourself'.
Shigaraki only shifted in his seat.
"I heard about what happened to Overhaul, what you did to his arms. You say your dream is to bring absolute freedom through chaos, yet this is how you treat your allies"? He asked carefully, uncomfortable with the direction this is going.
"He got what he deserved".
Whatever Chisaki did to Shigaraki, Toshinori doubts dismembering him was at all deserving. Outside of convenience or necessity, caring for other people isn't something he can ever see Shigaraki doing. Not even for his league. "What do you mean-"
"If you're just gonna be asking questions, it's only fair if I ask some of mine".
Red eyes flickered to a picture against the wall. An expression Toshinori could only call envious etched itself on Shigaraki's face.
"How do you know Shimura Nana"?
Toshinori leaned back, feeling like he needed to be grounded for a moment. He had assumed the bastard had kept Shigaraki's lineage a secret from the boy. Toshinori was so sure he was going to be the one to break the news. He should have known better.
"She was my mentor. Trained me since I was fourteen".
Shigaraki was quiet, his eyebrows tightly wound together. "Tell me hero- what do you think about family"?
Taken aback, Toshinori finally looked at the picture Shigaraki was so fascinated by. It was old and tainted with age, taken during the start of his freshman year at U.A.
His parents never really supported him when it came to heroics, scolding him whenever he brought his dream up. He knew they were only trying to protect him but it hurt. So when he finally walked toward U.A’s entrance, with what should have felt like a big moment, Toshinori only found himself shrinking.
He supposes it was the gloomy look on his face that possessed her to cheer him up. Whatever Nana was thinking, it was the second-best thing she ever gave him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she smiled big and bright, "What are you sulking about? this is your first step to becoming a hero"!
As he grew older, Toshinori can't help but look back and find the moment a bit sad. At the time Nana had only recently given Kotoro away. There were so many milestones she was going to miss; her son's graduation, his first love, his twentieth birthday.
Raising him must have been the closest thing to being with her own son.
"Loving. Even if it means doing things that hurt the ones you care about the most".
"You mean sacrificing them for the sake of someone else".
"...What"?
He jerked towards the picture. "Don't lie to me. That's what she did for you, didn't she".
Shigaraki narrowed his eyes. "That's not family. That's a fucking lie she told herself to make her feel better".
Hands tearing at the fabric of the chair, it took all Toshinori had to not stand up and punch him.
"What do you know about family"?
With both hands, Shigaraki scratched at his neck, his red eyes piercing through Toshinori. "The league has been more of a family to me than anyone blood-related. So many of them have sacrificed their own body, died for each other. For me. Everything I do is for their sake".
To his horror, blood seeped from the boy’s neck, covering his fingertips. “You heroes decide who to save. Casting out anyone who’s not a pretty little victim. A world like this- should just die”.
Seeing that Toshinori had nothing to say, Shigaraki’s scratching slowed down. And just like that, the gaping wound on his neck healed.
Between Kamino and now, something has changed. He was no longer dealing with a psychopathic man-child. In front of him instead, was a man hellbent on the destruction of the world and all who has hurt him. And in his mind, apart from a select few, everyone has hurt him.
They stayed silent, waiting for the other to speak. Despite the absolute terror weighing down in his chest, Toshinori still finds the energy to pity Shigaraki. Thereout the six grueling months of searching, he dug into Nana Shimura's family line. Doing the one thing he promised her not to do.
Reports of a destroyed house and a missing family, no one would know how to connect the dots.
Except for him.
"...I assure you, Nana loved your father. And if she was here now, I'm sure she'd love you too".
Shigaraki laughed. Somehow he managed to make it sound sad. "Funny you'd say that. I actually did meet her. In that world- she only looked disappointed. Sorry All-Might, you're wrong again".
Was he talking about the vestiges? What has Izuku kept from him? "Disappointment can come from a place of love, Shigaraki. It's not exclusive".
Shigaraki leaned back, tapping on the armrest, glaring at Toshinori as if he had just been told a blatant lie. And looking back on who raised him, it might as well have been.
"Do you know why Nana left? Why she never came back"?
Shigaraki raised an eyebrow. Taking it as a sign to continue, Toshinori fiddled with his hands, thinking of the many years this man must have assumed the worst of her. Licking his dry lips, he swallowed.
"Ever since the beginning of quirks, All-for-One has hunted down One-for-All. Nana thought she could keep herself and her family under his radar. Until one day, he killed her husband”. Toshinori watched Shigaraki, the man sitting upright and listening to his every word. “Your father was only 8 years old, Nana had to make a decision".
"So she gave him up for adoption. Wanted him to live a happy life. One without fear". He took a deep breath to give him the strength to say what he needed to. "I... I was also a part of that decision. As the next user of One-for-All, her successor, Nana dedicated her time to raising me".
Shigaraki's stare was intense. But Toshinori continued. "I was nineteen at the time when All-for-One he... I saw him kill her". His leg bounced, breath shaky. After all these years, speaking about her death still hasn’t gotten any easier. “I couldn't do anything”.
Shigaraki blinked. He then slouched against the sofa, rubbing his hands together. This was perhaps the first time Shigaraki ever felt like he was wrong. Unsure of what to do, Toshinori cautiously watched on.
“You’re leaving something out. Why was she a target? Why are you her successor”?
With everything they had talked about, Shigaraki must know by now that Nana was a holder of One-for-All. But denial was a strong drug. Whatever Shigaraki is holding onto, needs to break.
Toshinori placed his hands on his knees. “Nana was the seventh user”.
The way Shigaraki’s eyes seemed to bounce off of Toshinori to the picture, and the floor; it was like watching a child put a puzzle together. With the pieces starting to make too much sense.
His voice was becoming hysterical. "You're lying. You have to be lying".
"You were used, Shigaraki".
A strangled sound ripped from Shigaraki's throat, launching himself from the seat. "You don't know anything about me"!
"I know your name- your real name is Shimura Tenko. You killed your father, your mother, your sister, and your grandparents. On the day your quirk manifested. I know you were left on the streets for a long time. I know you think All for One saved you-"
"Shut up-"!
Toshinori gave Shigaraki a stare, demanding him to answer. "Then explain. What do I not understand”?
The man gripped his chest, stepping closer. "I didn't mean to kill them. It was an accident. The only one who deserved to die was father"!
He flinched, fighting to keep himself calm. Shigaraki looked to be on the verge of a panic attack, and he was awfully close. “So you- a five-year-old boy- wanted to kill your own father? Who gave you that idea"?
Of all of the confessions Toshinori has heard, this one he thinks is the most horrifying. Shigaraki took another step closer, his arms waving in the air. "Nobody! It was me, all me. And I enjoyed it too”!
Shigaraki gripped his own head, tightly pulling on his hair. Toshinori leaned back. “Everything I ever wanted was wrong, wrong, wrong. For all my dreams, he'd beat me for it”!
He stood out of his chair, backing away slowly. Shigaraki only stalked closer. “And that- that family- all they ever did was watch. They never did anything to make him stop”!
For a moment he stopped, staring at his hands. “So yeah, now that I think about it”, He looked up at Toshinori. “They deserved to die too".
"Tenko..."
The floor began to crack, something invisible pushing Toshinori into the wall. Shigaraki grabbed the sofa, effortlessly throwing it to the side. "You shut up! That's not my name anymore".
Slumping to the floor, Toshinori looked up at Tomura, for the first time in years openly showing his fear. This- this must be the moment Night-eye predicted. Shigaraki’s hand grew closer.
“You know this is just what he wants”.
His hand was only a foot away. “I don't want to hear it”.
Toshinori felt for the wall, rising to his feet. Shigaraki for a moment hesitated. “What is your dream, Tomura? What do you really want”?
He took a step back. “I told you already. Destruction-”
“Is it? You don’t sound happy”.
Shigaraki’s hand dropped. Something in his eyes looked anguished. "Stop it. Please. Sensei gave me his name. Helped me realize this dream. I'm a son to him".
"You never were, Tomura. He targeted you to hurt me. Abused you so he could have a legacy. You never were anything to him but a pretty pawn. For that, I'm sorry".
Tomura looked to the ground, hands curling into fists. Toshinori stayed there against the wall, indecisive if he should touch him or not.
Please, Tenko, let me save you.
“Why are you telling me this? I’m a monster. I couldn’t have turned out any other way”.
“Could you”?
A smile spread across his lips. Tomura leaned back, throwing his head towards the ceiling. "So that's it then".
It was a manic laugh, cruel and bitter. Tomura began to curl into himself, his chest bouncing in a way that looked like it hurt.
Toshinori’s ears stung. Watching with sadness, as the second last member of Nana’s family dropped to the ground. Tomura’s smile stretched as if trying to convince himself it wasn’t fake. His voice trembling.
Toshinori sighed, then he too kneeled on the ground.
Tomura was sobbing then, his breath catching like he couldn't stop. Toshinori placed his hands on the man’s shoulder, letting Tomura fall onto him.
"Why? Why do I have to always be wrong”? Toshinori patted his head gently, letting him rant.
“Just this once- Things should’ve gone my way. Just this once”! Tomura’s fists banged against the floor. Toshinori resisted the urge to push him away, tears staining his shirt. Squeezing Tomura's shoulder, he whispered,
“...You don’t have to go back to him”.
Keeping his head low and face out of Toshinori’s sight, Tomura hissed, “I hate you”.
A black ooze dripped on the floor. Toshinori’s eyes widened. Soon it began spreading all over Tomura’s body. “I hate you”. Desperately grasping the black ink, Toshinori squeezed his eyes shut. "No"!
Dropping to the floor, the last of the ooze dissipated. "I really hate you".
And just like that, Toshinori sat there in the remains of a destroyed apartment, Tomura gone.
Again, his house was terribly silent.
Light flooded through the entire apartment. Standing there at the entrance, his door broken in, Izuku gasped for air. "What happened"?
Toshinori only smiled.
He had another day.