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“This’ll be a good experience, make you less useless on the battlefield!”
“But- All Might, you can’t just leave me here! It’s-”
But it was too late. All Might was gone, leaving behind a puff of sand from where Izuku knew he jumped from. He just left him there. Alone.
His eyes locked with red. Not Kacchan’s red though, it was more hostile, on edge, crazed… disgruntled. That’s what set the two red eye’s beings apart, one was seemingly hostile and the other was always angry.
The pair of eyes belonged to a long, dusty-blue haired villain who he’d encountered on multiple occasions. Add one more to the counter I guess…
They both eyed each other warily, cautious. Which one would engage first?
Izuku sighed, shaking his head tiredly. Honestly, he doesn’t know what possessed him to keep quietly hoping in the back of his mind with everything his mentor did to him, said to him, done to him. He was just so tired.
“Do you mind if I sit?” He glanced back at his eyes, trying to get a read on them. He seemed confused, but who wouldn’t be if this was happening to another pair.
“Do what you want, NPC.” That’s all he wanted to say to hero scum like him, but curiosity was biting at him to ask him what the hell just happened.
“Thanks.” The younger of the two sat down about a foot away from him. “How’s your day going so far?”
Shigaraki let a baffled expression take over his face. He looked like he was buffering like a computer, the screen loading over and over and over again, before he finally rebooted.
“It was going good until you showed up, hero brat. Just wanted one day away from the heros, from the league, but I guess Kami said no.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. It was supposed to be that kind of day for me too, but the guy who left me here didn’t give me much of a choice as per usual.” Midoriya drew a figure into the sand. “I can leave if you want?”
Tomura was conflicted. On one hand he could try and have fun with someone other than a league member, or he could just tell him to buzz off and keep his anger under wraps until he explodes with undirected rage.
“I don’t care what you do, just don’t preach about heroes and shit.” He fixed a glare towards the sand. “And don’t try to call for backup, okay brat?”
“Okay!” Izuku smiled. “So, you like gaming, right? Are you more of a PC, Wii, handheld, Playstation, or Xbox type of guy?”
“Handheld, Wii, and Playstation. I just kicked Spinner's ass at Mario Kart yesterday.” He glanced at the green-haired student out of the corner of his eyes. “You?”
“Oh, um- I’d have to say the same, although I subbed my Wii for a TV connector for my switch.”
“Cool.” He paused. Should he? I mean, this was probably his one chance to find an actual decent gamer. Screw it, it’s not like the twerp would actually call for help at this point. “Maybe I’ll actually be able to game with someone better than a damn lizard.”
“Well, considering your stats, I’d take you up on your offer. I mean- if you want, you know-”
“Good.” He pulled a switch out of his hoodie’s pocket. “Maybe you’ll be useful in this quest.” He pulled two controllers from his pants pockets so they could both insert their controls in it and play like it was a console.
Izuku grinned as he saw the game chosen. “Which edition is it?”
“Third, got it yesterday.”
“How far did you get?”
“At least halfway, but I’ll be able to finish it later depending on how good you are brat.”
“Alright then, let’s get started!”
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Welp, at least they managed to get to a savepoint five minutes prior. The screen went dark and a small blinking red light came on from the side. Damn it, they just got some good loot too.
“Damn it!” Shigaraki reached for his neck.
Izuku slapped the hand away. “Quit that, you’ll hurt yourself doing that.”
Red eyes glared at him. “It’s a tic, dumbass.”
“I know it is, dumbass. It has a link with anxiety, right?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know? It just happens when something goes wrong!”
“Yep, definitely a nervous tic.” He looked at Tomura’s neck. “You probably have some form of anxiety. Those look like overlapping scars and a few stretched ones. Am I right?”
He glanced at his seemingly bewildered expression. “Yeah, I’m definitely right.”
“What would you know, wonder brat, you got anxiety or something?”
“As a matter of fact I do, got a large array of nervous tics for my body’s selection too. It’s usually got to do with my hands though.” He flexed his fingers and let out a huff of a laugh. “Kind of a pain in my ass though since the chronic pain is here though.”
“Chronic pain?”
Midoriya looked over at Shigaraki. Why did he look worried? It’s normal for him at this point. “Yes? I kept on breaking my fingers, remember?”
There was a bit of silence before the blue haired villain let out a quiet oh.
“Eh, it’s normal for me. So what do we do now?”
“Hmm, talk about how All Might sucks?”
Izuku smiled. “Sure, Shiggy, go ahead.”
“Great because can we just start with the fact that he just left you here with a high class villain is pretty damn stupid. Just as stupid as the always persitent shadow lines he seems to draw on with a sharpie marker. And another thing, since when did he get even more irresponsible? The tardiness at the USJ was one thing, but this is a whole other mess. Didn’t he also call you useless? Like who does that?”
“An asshole who can’t train his protege for shit.”
“Another thing to add to the slander, he cannot teach at all. Toga went in as one of the kids- the one with the tail- and said he was a horrible teacher! Plus, when he falls, the entire world will too. He’s a damn pillar and set society up for failure and chaos. Not to mention he left me in an alleyway when I asked for help when my quirk developed, causing a traumatic experience of an event. He said an underground hero would find me, but All For One saved me an hour later. I’ve seen underground heroes work, they’re the only type of hero I don’t hate. But the symbol of peace is a large pile of idiotic stupidity who need to be destroyed so society will see just how much he held them up and how weak they really are without him. Honestly, he’s the worst person alive in my books. Always flying around with those stupid horns he calls hair and his receeding hairline-”
“Pffftttt-” Izuku broke his composure, wheezing and holding his stomach.
Shigaraki looked at the boy, a smile forming into the start of laughter.
When they were done, the two had a collection of sand in their hair with pink faces.
“Dang kid, thought you were supposed to like All Might.”
Izuku laid back, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his arms. “I am, aren’t I?” He sighed. He’s supposed to, just like everyone in his class, just like a successor should. But he wasn’t the best choice of successor, was he?
Clearly, his brain supplied. Yagi says it all the time, so it must be true… It’s true.
“Hey brat, you good?”
He opened his eyes and stared at the person next to him. “Sorry, it’s just that- I know I’m supposed to like the guy, love and fanboy him even, but I just can’t. He’s hurt me more times than I can count on all accords- emotionally, physically, and mentally. A-And,” he tugged lightly at his hair, “he left me on a roof after telling me to give up on my dreams the same day my childhood friend told me to jump off one. So yeah, I should but I can’t.” He sat up grabbing a nearby rock, hurling it at the water. “He’s a quirkist bigot who can rot in hell for all I care. In fact if it wasn’t for me needing information on past users I couldn’t care any less for that- that- UGH!” He slammed his hands down to his side, quirk activated slightly.
Crap.
“Holy- He did all that? I- Damn it, kid, that’s- I can’t even make words. I’m so pissed, livid. I-”
Izuku took a deep breath. “It’s fine.” He cut him off. “There’s nothing I can do right now anyways.”
“Oh no, that son of a-”
“I said it’s fine.”
“But-”
“Nope.”
“Kid-”
“Tomura-”
“Midoriya! It’s not fine! You’re hurting and saying it’s fine? It’s not and it can never be fine! Wake up and do something! You have connections, right? Use them damn it or I’ll launch another attack and fix this thing for you!”
“I-” He started to tear up. “You-You’d do that?”
“Yes!”
Yes? What-
“You're a good kid and are going to be a great hero, okay! Kami, I can’t believe I’m saying this to a hero student, but I want to help you. Reputations be damned, you’re probably the only brat out of your class with unlimited potential! I’m surprised that rat demon hasn’t taken you under his wing yet with your analytical skills and intelligence! Those two things increase your XP, but you think so little of yourself that you can’t see that! Stop selling yourself short and stand up for yourself or I will!”
Somewhere through that speech, Izuku started crying.
A sob escaped him. He’s right. He’s so right.
Shigaraki looked over at the kid. He probably shouldn’t but…
He scoot closer to the sobbing boy before wrapping his arms around him, pinkies raised as he rubbed his back.
“W-Why do you care so much?” Another sob racked through Izuku.
“Because no one else has shown me human decency outside the league,” he paused, “and you need help. I wanted to be a hero, you know? But the society they made is a horrible mess with prejudice against unideal people. You can change that, kid, and if I can help you by just being there, then I will. Okay?”
Midoriya continued to cry as the sun dimmed bit by bit.
The sun was now halfway buried into the ground when a reply was heard, a faint whisper spoken into the surprisingly soft black hoodie the freckled face was smushed into.
“Okay.”
They stayed like that for a while, the sky turning violet as time passed.
“You wanna know a secret?”
Izuku nodded, still face first into the hoodie.
“My real name is Tenko Shimura.”
The head drew away from the fabric. “Shimura? As in Kotaro Shimura?”
His eyes widened. “How do you know-”
“He’s my Uncle, my mom’s brother.”
“Then that makes us-”
A swirl of purple mist beside them cut their verbal realization short. “Young master, it’s time-” Yellow eyes widened as Kurogiri saw the green haired student. He teleported him into the salty water in front of him. “Get away from him. Tomura lets go.”
“Izuku!” He turned to the warper. “Kurogiri, bring him back now!”
“Master Tomura, I cannot-”
He placed a hand on the metal collar, pinky finger raised. “I said,” his tone grew more serious with each word, “bring him back.”
“Yes, young master.” Kurogiri looked reluctant as he opened a portal, dropping Midoriya onto the beach's sand, coughing whilst simultaneously trying to breathe in the now present air.
Shigaraki ran towards his cousin. “Izuku, you okay?”
The youngest nodded as he hit a fist to his chest.
“Kurogiri, I swear if you weren’t essential to the league, I’d decay you where you stand!”
“Master Tomura, I don’t understand the need of this boy, he’s a hero student.”
“Yeah, and my cousin! Now warp me towels and a change of clothes for him!”
The mist man nodded, following the instructions.
Tomura wrapped Izuku in a towel, drying his hair with another. “I won’t be coming to the base tonight so leave.”
“Very well, good night then Young Tomura.” The purple warp gate disappeared within a blink of an eye.
Tomura continued drying the green mop of hair. Izuku had stopped coughing and took deep breaths.
“Alright ‘Zuku, here.” He held out a pair of which looked like to be a pair of his clothes, the same outfit he was wearing now to be exact, shoes and all. “Let’s get you somewhere you can change. You need me to carry you?”
“That’d be nice…”
“Alright then, on three. One, two,” he scooped him up, “three.”
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“Thanks Tenko,” the younger mumbled, half asleep. He was now dressed in the spare set of clothes and on the older’s back. Tomura had his hood up, facemask in place as he walked down the street to Midoriya's residence.
“Yeah yeah, brat. Just keep telling me the directions.”
“Left.”
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Inko was worried. Her baby hadn’t come home at his usual time and didn’t answer her calls.
There was a knock on the door as her pacing had attempted to make a pathway in her carpet.
She ran over to answer.
“Oh, hello. Who are- Izuku! Here bring him inside.” She rushed to the couch, setting it up with a pillow and blanket.
Tomura set him down, pulling the covers over the boy, pinkies lifted. He looked around, where did she go?
“Um, sir?”
Shigaraki turned to the voice to find the lady sitting at the kitchen table.
“Could you sit? I just need to know what happened to my son.” She gestured to the seat in front of her.
He complied. Damn she looked nothing alike. She had kind eyes just like ‘Zuku’s and most likely the same mind.
“So, what happened?”
“Oh, um-” Think you idiot! “We ran into each other and saw we had the same shoes, so we just hung out at the beach for a while. I think his energy burnt out, so I carried him while gave me directions.”
“Okay, that’s fine, but who are you?”
“Um, well-” Shigaraki went to scratch his neck but stopped as he remembered what Izuku said.
Do I tell her? She’d probably know if I was lying, so the truth then? Damn it why was he so nervous. Just spit it out!
“I’m Tenko. My father’s name is Kotaro, your brother.”
“Ko-Kotaro?”
“Yes Auntie.” He started scratching his neck, his nerves consuming his thoughts.
She stood up, quickly walking to him before crouching down and sitting on her knees. “But he’s dead. His wife and kids are dead.” She attempted to grab his hand, but he shoved it into his pocket. He continued to scratch his neck with his other hand.
“I-I’m sorry Auntie Inko, it was my fault. My quirk manifested and went haywire even though I tried to- I was diagnosed as quirkless, so I have no idea how it happened.” Tears crept into his eyes. “I-I tried to stop it from killing my mother, my-my sister, but-”
The woman pulled him down into his lap, embracing him in a hug. “It’s okay, you’re not to blame for this.” She sniffled, crying. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
He leaned into her, making sure he kept one finger up at all times. His breath hitched. “I- I’m so sorry, Auntie. I just couldn’t stop it- I didn’t want to do any-anything bad- Any of thi-this-”
“Shhhhh…”
The boy in her arms let out a heart wrenching sob.
“I-I’m a-a-a monster, a villain-”
“No. No, Tenko, honey, you’re not any of those things. None of this is your fault, okay?.” She pressed her wet face into his blue hair, kissing the top of his head, and rubbed his back. “It’s okay. You’re okay…”
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Waking up to his mother and newly found cousin - the current successor to All For One, AKA the number one super villain and the person after his quirk - cuddled on the other sofa was kind of shocking. He didn’t think Tenko would stay, but he had hoped.
Heh, I guess hoping does work sometimes… Wait-
He hopped up to look for his cousin's hands.
Does he have-
“Phew, he has gloves on. Good, good sign.” He quietly walked away into the kitchen.
Izuku looked into the pantry. Hmmm- Aha! He grabbed the ingredients he needed from the pantry before doing the same in the fridge, then pulling out the equipment needed.
Besides, he should get started on breakfast, especially since they’re welcoming a long lost family member to their little household, right?