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Izuku stepped into the bar and quickly covered his mouth to block out the strong smell of alcohol and smoke.  Kurogiri kept the bar clean, but there was only so much he could do.  Izuku kept close to the wall and edged around to the back.  He set his backpack down under the counter and looked up at Kurogiri expectantly.

“Ah, Izuku.  Perfect timing.” Kurogiri said.  “I need you to take Master his meal.”

Izuku winced, but didn’t say anything.  He just held his hands out for the tray of food that Kurogiri was offering him.

“Don’t dawdle.” Kurogiri told him.  “Hurry back so you can finish your chores and homework.”

Izuku nodded.  He took a moment to steady himself and walked beyond the bar, deep into the hidden compound beyond the door.  Izuku had to stop a few times to be sure he was taking the right path, not getting himself lost.  He could tell he was close by the way his hair stood on end when he approached the final door.  He knocked softly, hoping that no one would answer.

“Enter.” He heard the reply.

Izuku swallowed and opened the door.  It was fairly dark inside.  Computer monitors lit the chair where the room’s occupant was seated, facing away from him.  Wires and tubes ran from the chair to equipment scattered among the computers.  Izuku stepped carefully to avoid tripping on any of them.

“Here’s your meal, sir.” Izuku said softly, resting the tray on the armrest.

“Ah, it’s little Izuku.” All for One smiled and reached a hand out to touch his face.  Izuku wasn’t sure why he still did that, he knew that All for One had other ways to see.  He wasn’t really blind like he’d pretended to be for so long.  “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Kurogiri sent me to feed you, sir.” Izuku told him.

“Sir?  You’ve been so formal lately.” All for One chuckled.  He guided Izuku around the chair to face him.  “What happened to that cute little boy who used to be so excited to see me?  Why don’t you call me Uncle Shigaraki anymore, hm?”

“Because… you’re not who I thought you were.” Izuku replied, looking away and tightening his grip on the tray.

“I see.  You’re still upset about that, aren’t you?  I’m sorry, little one, but you would have learned the truth sooner or later.” All for One patted his cheek a few times.  “I think you’ve been adjusting well, despite it all.  You always were such a clever boy.  That’s why I had to save you.”

“Save me?” Izuku repeated.  “Why do you keep saying that?  You ruined everything for me.”

“I didn’t ruin anything.” All for One shook his head.  “I just broke the illusion you were living in.  And now you’re mine.  I would say that’s a win for both of us, wouldn’t you?”

“Do you want me to leave this here?” Izuku asked, deliberately avoiding more conversation with the villain.  “Kurogiri says I have chores upstairs, and I have homework too.”

“Ah, school!  How have your classes been going?”

“Fine.” Izuku answered shortly.

All for One laughed.  “All right, off you go then.  We’ll chat later.  I have a surprise for you this evening, after your work is finished.”

“Yes sir.” Izuku nodded.  He was eager to leave.  He would much rather be doing chores than talking to All for One.  If he was lucky, Kurogiri might send him on errands outside.  If so, he might be able to catch glimpses of some heroes.  Though, if he did, All for One would want him to tell him about his analysis of their Quirks and moves.

Upstairs Kurogiri set Izuku to polishing the floors and counters.  Izuku went to his room after and did his homework.  His room was mostly an afterthought- just an old closet with a bed and desk shoved in.    It was a little stuffy and a little smelly, but something told him it could have been much worse.  He finished his homework as fast as he could and then ran back upstairs to Kurogiri.

"Can I go outside?" Izuku asked, following him as he walked around the bar to finish tidying up.

"It's nearly dark outside." Kurogiri replied.  "You have school in the morning."

"I'll be really fast, I promise." Izuku begged.

"The Master said he wanted to see you later." Kurogiri reminded him.

Izuku's shoulders slumped.  "Oh.  Okay."

Kurogiri let out a long sigh.  "You have an hour."

Izuku perked up immediately.  "Really?  You're the best!" He gave Kurogiri a quick hug and then ran to grab his notebook.  Since coming to live here, Kurogiri was the one who looked after him the most.  Despite his appearance, Izuku sometimes felt that he was the most human of all the Villains he lived with.

"Don't be late!" Kurogiri called after him and Izuku waved over his shoulder.

"I won't!  Thank you!"

"You're late." Kurogiri said as soon as Izuku got back.

"I'm not!" Izuku protested.

"Master is waiting for you downstairs." Kurogiri took Izuku's notebook and jacket from him.  "In the Nomu chambers."

Izuku skidded to a stop.  "What?  Wh-Why does he want me there?"

"I do not know.  But he is waiting."

Izuku swallowed and reached out for his jacket again.  It was cold down there.  And terrifying.  Izuku zipped his jacket all the way up and stuffed his hands in his pockets.  His palms were already sweating.  He didn’t like the Nomu chambers.  He’d had to help Kurogiri clean there a few times before.  It was freezing, and the dim lights and floating bodies made him lightheaded.

The door was heavy and hard for him to open by himself.  Izuku hurried inside, hoping that the sooner he got there, the sooner he could leave.  All for One was there, leg crossed, tapping his chin.  His head turned towards the sound of the door and he motioned for Izuku to join him.  Izuku came and stood by the Villain's side.  He bit his lip and waited for All for One to tell him what he needed.

"How was your walk?" All for One asked.

Of course he knew where Izuku had been.  "It was good." Izuku replied.

"Did you see any heroes in action?"

"No.  It was really quiet." Izuku kept his answers short.  In the past, he had been eager to talk to All for One about heroes and Quirks and special moves- that had been before he had discovered who "Uncle Shigaraki" really was.

"That's a shame." All for One commented.  "You've been so depressed lately and heroes always seem to cheer you up."

"I'm fine." Izuku told him, but he felt colder inside.  He was depressed.  He missed his old life.  Even if it had been nothing but a lie, it was a good lie.

"I wish you were more honest with me, Izuku.  Now that I'm your caregiver, I had hoped you could trust me." All for One told him.

"I'm really fine." Izuku repeated.  "What do you need?"

"I wanted to show you something." All for One nodded to one of the tanks that was closest to them.  "Do you know what that is?"

"A Nomu?" Izuku cringed at the sight.  "You and Da- You and the doctor have been making them out of bodies and Quirks to fight the heroes."

"Very good." All for One’s wide mouth twisted into a smile.  "This one is nearly finished.  It's a special one."

"It's, um, bigger?" Izuku frowned, taking an invisible step back.

"Not just bigger, smarter." All for One explained.  "This is a high end Nomu.  It can speak, just like Kurogiri can."

"They can talk?" Izuku didn't mean to say it so loudly.  He was just so surprised.  His experiences with nomus were of monstrous creatures with multiple Quirks and inhuman strength.  The idea of something as animalistic as that being able to talk- he didn’t like that.  Did this mean that Kurogiri wasn’t human?  Was he a monster too?  He didn’t look or act anything like the Nomus that Izuku was used to seeing.

"Amazing, isn't it?  Your father is proud of them.  He calls them his children… isn't that funny?  Calling monsters his children when he had a perfectly good son?"

"I really don't want to talk about this, sir." Izuku said softly.  "Is there anything else you need from me?"

"I need you to accept the truth, Izuku." All for One replied.  "You work for me now, just like your father.  I don't want you getting any dangerous ideas about betraying me."

"I'm not going to." Izuku told him.

"I just need to be sure.  I can’t afford to lose you, Izuku.  You’re very important to me.”

“You mean I’m important to your plans.” Izuku looked away.  “You don’t care about me.”

“Of course I care.  You’re my new ward, after all.  Shall I prove it to you?  I have a surprise prepared.”

Izuku frowned and narrowed his eyes.  He didn’t think he could trust any “surprise” that a villain had made for him.  “What is it?” He asked.

“Something to cheer you up.” All for One grinned in that unsettling way that Izuku wasn’t sure he would ever be able to get used to.  “How would you like to see your father?”

“Dad?” Izuku asked quickly.  “Is he here?”

“Yes, he is.” All for One seemed pleased with Izuku’s excitement.  “See?  Nothing to be afraid of.  Your father will be here in just a moment.  Maybe you can help him with his work.”

Izuku didn’t want to help with the Nomus, but to see his Dad again… Despite everything, he missed his father terribly.  All his life it had just been the two of them.  His father had always taken good care of him, at least, until All for One had asked for him and he’d been given up without hesitation.  But Izuku hadn’t seen him since then.  Maybe his father regretted it.  Of course he did.  Of course he wanted him back.  Maybe he would ask All for One to reconsider and everything would go back to the way it was.

“You’re very excited.” All for One chuckled.  "Ah, here he is."

The door opened and Izuku ran to greet his father.  "Dad!" He threw his arms around the short, round man that had just come in.  He nuzzled into the familiar warmth and smell and felt his father's arms come up around him to pat his back and head.

"Shigaraki, what's this?  A fresh specimen for me?" His father asked over his head.

"No, you can’t have that one.  That's little Izuku, and he’s mine." All for One replied with another chuckle.

Izuku frowned a little, his elation stumbling down a few steps.

"Ah, yes, Izuku!  The Quirkless boy!" The doctor nodded eagerly.  "I remember!"

"Dad?" Izuku pulled back and looked up at him.  "It's me!  Don't you remember me?"

The doctor's large glasses flashed in the uneven lighting as he looked down to study Izuku.  He grinned- but not the fatherly grin that Izuku was used to.  "Yes, yes, you were my ideal candidate for my greatest Nomu project!  It’s a shame Shigaraki wanted you for something else… you would have been so perfect.”

The warmth Izuku had felt at seeing his father again vanished.  His blood turned cold so fast he nearly fell into shock.  His arms pulled away and he took a step back from his father.  “Th-That’s not funny, Dad.” He said, though he didn’t think his father was joking.  He’d never made jokes like this before.  He seemed serious.

“Izuku is your son, Kyuudai.  You remember, don’t you?  You adopted him several years ago.” All for One said.

“Aaaah yes.” The doctor nodded, though Izuku wasn’t sure if he remembered at all.  “Yes, of course.  Izuku.  How are you?  I trust Shigaraki is… taking good care of you?”

Izuku stepped back.  His father didn’t seem to recognize him at all.  He didn’t seem to care.  He didn’t care about him.  He hadn’t missed him.  All he wanted was… Izuku’s eyes flickered over to some of the empty Nomu tanks.  “Y-You were going to use me?” He whispered.  “That’s why you adopted me?  Just… just to turn me into one of them?”

“Oh dear, you weren’t supposed to know about that.” The doctor sighed heavily.  “Now look what you’ve done, Shigaraki.”  He didn’t seem guilty or even the slightest bit remorseful.

Izuku’s eyes spun to All for One.  His father hadn’t denied it, but it couldn’t be true.  “Did he?” He demanded, his body starting to tremble.  “I-Is that why?”

All for One nodded and pointed to one of the tanks.  “He’s been getting that one ready for you for years.  Think of it like raising a rabbit.”

For slaughter.

Izuku felt the sudden urge to throw up.  He turned back to his father.  “D-Dad, you didn’t- you didn’t want to hurt me, right?  You wouldn’t ever h-hurt me, right?” He begged, grabbing his arm.

“Oh no, it wouldn’t hurt.” His father said with a strange smile.  “You wouldn’t feel a thing.”

Izuku jerked his arm back like he’d been burned.  He felt as though he actually had.  His arm had gone numb, along with the rest of him.  It wasn’t true.  It couldn’t be.  There was no way.  His father loved him!  He’d taken him, cared for him when he was sick, helped him with his homework- That couldn’t have all been a lie.  Right?  This had to be a nightmare.

“Izuku, why don’t you help your father get things ready?” All for One asked and Izuku realized that he’d been left standing alone by the door.

Mechanically he came to All for One’s side, not processing what he’d said.

“What are you crying for, little one?” All for One touched his face and Izuku jerked back.  “I thought you would be happy to see your father?”

“I…” Izuku trailed off, not sure what he was trying to say.

“Hm, too much of a shock for you?” All for One asked.  Izuku looked up at him.  It was hard to see in the dim lights and with the water filling his eyes.  All for One had known this would happen.  That was why he wanted Izuku here.  He had wanted Izuku to be hurt like this.

“Why?” Izuku choked at last.

“Because you’re Quirkless.” All for One shrugged.  “Your father has theories that someone without a Quirk gene will be the perfect template for his Nomus.  Just think- a blank slate!”

“No, why did… why are…” Izuku couldn’t think of the words he needed.

“It’s not that complicated, little one.” All for One shrugged.  “Now, why don’t you help with separating the body parts?  It’s your father’s favorite.”

“I- I have school tomorrow.” Izuku stuttered, the first excuse that came to mind.

“I suppose you do.” All for One sighed.  “I was hoping I could keep you up a bit longer to let you have some time together… but perhaps not tonight.  Here, bring this up to Kurogiri before you go to bed.”

He held out a small note and Izuku took it from him.  All for One grabbed his wrist as he did and pulled him close.  His second hand came up to grab Izuku’s head, drawing his ear down to his mouth.  “Aren’t you glad I took you away from him?” He whispered through a grin.  “I saved you, Izuku.”

Izuku pulled back, or at least he tried to, but All for One didn’t let him go.

“I have bigger plans for you than a simple Nomu tank.” All for One went on.  “Although, if you fight against me I may have to give you back to your father.  You understand, don’t you?”

“Let go!” Izuku gasped, squirming.

“Don’t disobey me, little one.” All for One warned, then pulled Izuku in closer to kiss his cheek.  “Off to bed now.”

Izuku turned and ran out of the lab.  He was halfway up the stairs when things finally started to sink in.  He stopped walking and fell into a crouch as sobs burst out of his chest.  He hugged himself arms around himself and cried until he was out of breath.  The note was partly crumpled in his hand.  He needed to take it to Kurogiri.

Izuku sniffled and tried to stop crying as he walked the rest of the way upstairs, but he couldn't seem to stop.  He hadn't even cried this much when his father had given him away.  Of course, he had assumed that his father still wanted him then, and not to take apart like a mad scientist.

"Izuku?" Kurogiri looked surprised to see him when he stepped into the bar.  "What's wrong?  What do you need?"

"H-He said to give you this." Izuku choked, holding out the small note All for One had given him.

Kurogiri took it and read it while Izuku hiccuped and tried to dry his eyes.  "I see." He said after a moment.  "Why don't you take a seat at the bar?"

Izuku shook his head.  He didn’t want to.  That was where Villains sat and he wasn't a Villain.  Instead he sat on the ground behind the bar, tucked into a nice little corner.  He couldn’t stop crying.  He pulled his head down inside his shirt and hugged his knees to his chest.  He was startled when Kurogiri gently tapped his knee.

When he looked up, Kurogiri placed a steaming mug in his hands.  It was full of dark liquid with several large marshmallows floating on top.  "Wh-What's this?" Izuku stuttered.

"Hot chocolate."

Izuku frowned.  All for One and his father both drank coffee, and Kurogiri drank tea.  Who was he supposed to bring this to?  "What do I do with it?"

"It's for you.  Drink it."

Izuku's brow scrunched together more.  He started to take a drink, but Kurogiri quickly stopped him.

"Careful!  It's very hot."

Izuku looked up at the man, wishing he knew him well enough to read his expression.  At first he'd thought Kurogiri had no emotions, but as he was getting to know him, he was learning that wasn't true.  Kurogiri actually had a good sense of humor, but he always kept it hidden behind the mask of a perfect slave.  A perfect Nomu.  Izuku took a careful sip and licked his lips.

"How is it?" Kurogiri asked.

"It's yummy." Izuku answered.

"Good.  You stay there while I finish closing up." Kurogiri nodded.  He seemed satisfied and maybe a little proud.  Izuku took small, slow sips of his cocoa and watched Kurogiri's legs as the man walked back and forth, putting things away, wiping them down, and setting up for the next day.  The bar was just a front, they never got any real customers, but Kurogiri still treated it the same as a real business.

"Are you finished?" Kurogiri asked at last.  He took the empty mug back and wiped Izuku’s face with a damp napkin.  "Come with me, then."

Izuku followed Kurogiri, feeling sleepy.  He’d finally stopped crying.  It felt like the shock was settling in, making his fingers and toes a little tingly.  His father had adopted him because he wanted to turn him into a nomu.  He wanted to take him apart like a lab rat and stuff him full of other people and their Quirks.  He’d never really loved him.  All those happy years, happy memories- they were nothing but a lie.

"Here we are." Kurogiri said, sooner than Izuku expected.

"But… this is my room?" Izuku frowned, looking up at him.

"Yes.  Master asked me to make you a treat and put you to bed." Kurogiri nodded.

"Oh." Izuku felt a little better now, knowing that All for One didn’t have any strange, late night errands for him to run.  "Thank you."

"You should be thanking the Master." Kurogiri said as he began unmaking Izuku's bed.  "I'm just following his orders.  Come lay down."

Izuku sat on the bed and looked up at Kurogiri.  Unlike everyone else he'd met since coming here, Kurogiri was the only one who'd been kind to him all of the time.  He acted strict, but Izuku never once felt like he was being punished or picked on.  It was like Kurogiri actually cared about him, and that didn't make any sense.

"Why do you care?" Izuku found himself asking.

"I'm just doing as much as the Master has instructed me." Kurogiri replied.

Izuku shook his head.  "You don't have to be nice to me.  No one else is."

Kurogiri sighed and placed a hand on Izuku’s head.  "You deserve kindness, Izuku.  And I like children."

You deserve kindness.   The words sank in slowly.  Izuku's lip started to tremble again.  He leaned forward and hugged Kurogiri, crying onto his apron.  Kurogiri hesitantly patted his back, clearly unsure what to do.

"There, there." He said awkwardly.  "It's all right, Izuku."

Izuku shook his head.  It wasn't all right.  He wasn't all right.

"You have school tomorrow.  You need to go to sleep now." Kurogiri told him.

"Are you really a Nomu?" Izuku asked, not letting go.

Kurogiri hesitated.  He knew how Izuku felt about his father’s creatures.  "Yes, I am." He said at last.

Izuku slowly let go and looked up at him.  "It's all so backwards." He said.  "You're the most human person here."

"...Thank you." Kurogiri said after a pause.  "Goodnight, Izuku.  Call for me if you need anything.  I'll see you in the morning."

Izuku lay down and closed his eyes.  He was tired and numb, and soon he was fast asleep.

Kurogiri knocked on Izuku’s door twice before he opened it.  "Izuku, you're going to be late for school if you don't get up now."

Izuku half sat up.  His eyes were swollen and his face was blotchy.  "Can I stay home today?" He asked in a sore voice.

Kurogiri came to his side and placed a hand on his forehead.  “You don’t have a fever.  Are you feeling sick?”

“N-No.  I mean, yes, but not like… not like that kind of sick.  I have a headache.” Izuku replied awkwardly, eyes drifting down.

“I see.” Kurogiri nodded.  “I’ll talk with the Master for you.”

“Thank you.” Izuku said.  “I’ll be better by tomorrow, I promise!”

“No need to worry, Izuku.  Just lay back down for now.  I’ll bring you up some water after I speak to the Master.” Kurogiri told him.

Izuku gratefully lay back down and closed his eyes.  He really shouldn’t have cried so much last night.  But after he’d gone to bed, everything had repeated itself over and over in his head.  The day he found out his father was a Villain.  That same day his father had given him away without a second of hesitation.  And then yesterday, when he’d learned even more of the truth.  That his father didn’t love him at all, he never had.  He’d been planning to use Izuku in one of his experiments.  To turn him into one of those monsters, to make him fight the Heroes that Izuku loved so much.  He hadn’t even recognized his son.

More tears started to build in Izuku’s eyes and he turned into his pillow.  He wished he could just forget all of it.  The feelings of betrayal were killing him.  He hadn’t smiled in weeks.  He felt so dark and depressed all of the time.  No one cared about him.  The only person who was kind to him, at home or at school, was Kurogiri.

The door opened again and someone sat on the bed next to him.  “Sit up for a moment, Izuku.” Kurogiri said.

Izuku sat up slowly, drying his eyes.  Kurogiri handed him a glass of cold water and a few small pills.  “Did he say I could stay home?” He asked.

“Yes, but he wants you to come and see him when you’re feeling better.” Kurogiri answered.  “I’ll leave you to rest for now, but I’ll come in and check on you in an hour.  Make sure you stay hydrated.”

“Thank you.” Izuku said.

“Call me if you need anything.” Kurogiri stood back up, then paused.  He placed a hand on Izuku’s head.  “Everything will be all right.” He said.

Izuku gave a small nod.  He didn’t believe that, but hearing Kurogiri say it made him feel a little better.  He lay back down and pulled the covers over his head.

“Kurogiri said you wanted to see me, sir?” Izuku said.

“Come closer, Izuku.” All for One replied.  “You always stand so far away.  Are you feeling better now?”

“Mostly.” Izuku came to his side, standing on the side of All for One’s chair where the man usually liked him to.  His head still hurt a little, but it was manageable.

“Kurogiri said you had a headache.  I’m sorry that you were not feeling well.  You ran out in such a hurry last night, I should have realized sooner that this would happen.  I thought it would be nice for you to see your father again, but it seems I was mistaken.”

Izuku turned back to him.  “I thought you said you didn’t make mistakes.”

“When did I say that?”

“You knew that would happen.  With Dad.  You wanted it.” Izuku replied.  “You wanted me to be sad about it.”

All for One chuckled.  “You’re much too clever sometimes, little one.  You’re right.  I wanted you to see exactly where your place is, but I didn’t mean to make you so upset.  How can I make it up to you?  I’ll give you anything you ask for.”

Izuku stared at him for a long, quiet moment.  He didn’t trust the Villain’s words, not one bit.  But All for One was in a good mood, it seemed, and this may be his only chance.  “I… I don’t want to be a Villain.” He said softly, remembering that he’d told All for One this the first day he’d been given to him.  “I want to be a Hero.  I want to save people.”

“A hero?” All for One’s grin split his remaining face in half.  “When you could be so much more?”

“It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Izuku replied.  “You know that, sir.”

“Yes, but I assumed you would see the reality of your dream and naturally turn to villainy instead.” All for One chuckled.  “You can’t be a hero without a Quirk, Izuku.”

Izuku felt fresh tears gather in his eyes and the dull throbbing of his head suddenly spiked again.  “I want to be a Hero.” He repeated with a slight waver in his voice.

“Should I give you a nice, heroic Quirk then?” All for One asked.  “Pick any Quirk you like and I’ll give it to you.”

“I don’t want one.” Izuku said, a little stubbornly.  “I can do it by myself.”

“I see.” All for One was still smiling, as if Izuku was just a tiny child who was talking nonsense.  “But I’m sure you’ll change your mind soon enough.  You’ve earned a reward for how loyal you’ve been to me.  The offer will still stand no matter how long it takes.”

"You're really going to let me be a Hero?" Izuku asked, just to be sure.

"If that's what you really want." All for One reached his large hand over and ruffled Izuku's hair.  "But I'm sure you'll change your mind.  Let me know when you've figured out what Quirk you want and I'll get it for you.  We can pick out your villain name soon too."

"Thank you, sir." Izuku said, but he knew he wasn't going to be asking for Quirks any time soon.  All he needed to know was that All for One wasn't going to stop him from being a Hero.  He didn’t need a Quirk, he could do it all on his own.

"You'll make a good little Villain someday." All for One kept rubbing Izuku's head.  "So cute and loyal."

"I'm going to be a Hero." Izuku insisted.

"Of course." All for One gave him a sweet, mocking smile.  "Now go lay back down and feel better."

Izuku was supposed to be monitoring a low rank villain.  It wasn't his job to approach the villains, just keep an eye on them and analyze their Quirks.  From there, he would report back to All for One about his findings.  He didn't know too much about what happened after that, since he still refused All for One's offer to be trained as a villain.  He guessed that his boss would choose between taking their Quirks, or inviting them to join Tomura's weird "party".

Working for a villain without being a villain was hard.  All for One teased him relentlessly, worse than his class bullies.  But All for One always followed up with a comforting reassurance that once Izuku finally gave in everything would be better.  It was embarrassing and infuriating how sure the villain was that he would give up his dream and join them.  But the closer he got to middle school graduation, the more discouraged he became and the more welcoming All for One became.

Izuku tried to shake those thoughts away.  Today had been rough. Worse than usual.  Even the teacher had laughed at him, then Kacchan had tracked him down after class and threw his bag in the pond and said- Izuku didn't want to think about what he'd said.

He stopped walking halfway through the tunnel as he realized that he'd lost track of the villain he was following.  Warily, he looked around.  They should be somewhere around here, if the smell was any indication.  For once, he wasn't very interested in analyzing Quirks.  He just wanted to go home and sit under the bar and watch Kurogiri work.  Kurogiri would probably give him a glass of cold water, and he could watch heroes on his phone until it was time for him to do his homework.  Then he could go straight to bed- hopefully without having to go and see All for One.

A sudden surge of dark fear rushed through Izuku's body.  He heard something behind him and started to turn, realizing how stupid he'd been to let his thoughts drift while stalking a potentially dangerous villain.  

There was a loud GLOOP ing noise as something rose from the storm drain he'd just walked over.  No from under it, straight through it.  Even as he was turning, Izuku knew it was too late.

"Well what do we have here?  A Medium sized disguise- just my size." A sadistic and somehow slimy voice chuckled, echoing wetly in the tunnel.

Before Izuku could take a breath to scream or call for help or even process, the thing behind him glomped down.  He felt like he'd been thrown in a polluted river, watery slimy, gross-

"Relaaaaax, kid." The wet voice echoed again, right in his ear. "I'm just gonna borrow your body for a bit, so calm down."

Izuku tried to scream, but his mouth was full of sludge.  He struggled to free himself, squirming and flailing but he could barely move.

"It won't hurt- for long.  You're a lifesaver, kid, a real hero!" The villain laughed.

Izuku tried to scream again.  He couldn't breathe!  Whatever this slimy body was, it was trying to force its way down his throat.  He clawed at it, trying to pull it away, but his fingers just slipped through like mud.  He couldn't grab on!  He desperately tried to smack the villain away, anything to get a breath.  Tears of frustration and fear were building in his eyes.  He didn't have time to cry, not when he was dying.

Dying.  He was dying.   Was he dying?  He couldn't breathe.  Everything was getting fuzzy and dark and all he could hear was the villain's laughter.  He needed help.  Someone had to help him.  But were there any heroes nearby?

Against his will, his thoughts turned to All for One.  If he could call his boss for help, he would surely come.  But if he did, he would expect something in return.  He would want Izuku to join him as more than just an errand boy.  He would want him to join them officially.  Was he really ready to give up his dream of being a Hero completely?  Could he live with being a villain instead?  Maybe if he did, his father would care about him again.  Maybe things could go back to normal.

Izuku closed his eyes.  It didn't matter either way.  He had no way to call for help.  He was going to die right here, right now.  What was the saying?  Better to die a hero than live to see yourself become the villain?  Perhaps for him, it was better to die a nobody.  He wondered if his dad would miss him when he was gone, or if he would just use his body to make more nomus like he had always planned.  Hopefully he would be like Kuroilgiri and have no memory of this life.

But his last thought before everything went dark was that he still would have wanted to be a hero.  A hero like All Might.  Wait.  All Might?  Wasn't that… too good to be true…?

Izuku woke to a light tapping on his cheek.  He was laying on his back, slimy as a frog.  Someone was calling to him.

"Hey, hey, hey kid.  Hey- Oh!  You're awake!"

Izuku looked around as his eyes swam into focus.  There was a large figure standing over him.  His first thought was of All for One and he started to flinch back, but then the figure spoke again.

"Thank goodness you're okay!"

Izuku shrieked, sitting upright.  "ALL MIGHT?!?"

"And you're lively to boot!" All Might laughed, leaning back a little to give him some space.  "I was afraid you might be hurt."

Izuku gawked, voice now completely gone.  He nearly made himself dizzy as his mind reeled to catch up.  He looked around again, taking in the tunnel, All Might, the sidewalk, All Might, his slimy clothes, All Might- All Might.   Finally, as All Might was apologizing for being careless, Izuku remembered the villain that had tried to kill him and wear his body like a suit.  

"Anyways, thanks for your help!" All Might was saying.  "Without you, I never would have caught this little swamp here!" And he triumphantly held up a plastic water bottle that Izuku could see now contained something slimy inside of.

But Izuku wasn't paying much attention to what All Might was actually saying.  He had stopped doing that the instant he had remembered why he was here.  All Might had saved his life!  The All Might!  Right here in front of him!  He looked so much cooler in person- nothing like the videos he'd spent his life watching.  His eyes sparkled in a way they hadn't in months- not since his dad had given him away so easily.

Realizing that he might not ever get another chance, Izuku fumbled for his notebook.  He needed to get an autograph!  He opened to a random page and squeaked with surprise and delight- All Might had already signed it!   He was too good.  He was the best.  He was the number one hero for a reason!

"Ahh!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Izuku squealed.  "I'll keep it safe forever!"

All Might was already walking away, giving him a farewell salute.  "If you're uninjured, I'll be off!  Got to get this criminal to the proper authorities!"

"Ah!" Izuku started out of his fan boy stupor.  "Already?  You can't- you can't stay?"

"Gotta run.  I'm battling the clock here." All Might shook himself off, getting ready to spring away as he always did.

Izuku wanted to reach after him.  For the first time in his life, his dream was literally within reach.  He would never get to see All Might again.  Not unless he joined All for One and came up against him as a villain.  But… that wasn't the type of relationship he wanted with All Might.  If he let All Might walk away now without asking him…

He didn't remember moving.  He didn't remember anything until he was several hundred feet off the ground, flying through the air, hanging onto All Might's leg for dear life.

He heard a curse from All Might as they both realized what had happened.  "What are you doing?  Let go!"

"I'll die!" Izuku screamed back, barely able to talk through the wind pressure.

"You're too enthusiastic!" All Might told him.  "But you're right too!"

"I have something I need to ask you!  It's really important!" Izuku tried to say.

"All right, all right!  Just wait a minute and don't let go!" All Might replied and Izuku gratefully ducked his head and hid his face against All Might's leg.  He hung on tight until they landed on a rooftop.

Izuku's legs immediately gave out beneath him.  That had been scary.  More scary than he was ready for.  As he got his breath back, All Might was huffing and speaking sternly.

"That was extremely dangerous, young man!  Not to mention a serious breach of privacy!  Didn't I just tell you I was out of time?"

Izuku felt bad, he really did.  He hadn't meant to grab on like that, he just didn't want All Might to leave him.  Even with the villain gone, he still felt like he needed… needed someone to save him.

"I'll trust you to see yourself safely to the ground." All Might was starting to climb on the rail to take off again.

"Wait!" Izuku gasped.  He couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

"I don't have time!" All Might sounded angry, but Izuku pressed on.  This was his last chance.

"Can someone who's Quirkless be a Hero?" Izuku blurted.  "Even without a Quirk, could they be like you someday?"

All Might seemed to pause at that, glancing back over his shoulder.  "You're Quirkless?" He repeated.

Izuku looked down, feeling guilty as he always did for the way he was born.  "I wasn't born with a Quirk like everyone else.  Everyone always makes fun of me because of it, even my own family.  Most of them, anyways… but ever since I was little, I thought that people who could save others were the coolest.  I wanted to be just like them.  I don't want to be afraid anymore.  I want to smile like you do and be an amazing hero and- A-ALL MIGHT??!!?"

Was that really still All Might?  They were standing right where All Might had been standing.  They were wearing the same clothes that All Might had been wearing.  Their hair was still the same shiny blond as All Might.  But…

"Y-You shriveled up!"  Izuku cried.  "What happened?  Are you okay?  Are you All Might?  You're tiny!"

The stranger stared at him for a moment before he replied.  "I'm still All Might." But as he did so, blood ran out of his mouth.

"There's no way!" Izuku blurted.

All Might- or possibly the All Might imposter- sighed and waved him off.  "It's just like flexing at the pool.  Relax, kid."

"NO WAY!" Izuku screamed again, louder this time.

All Might- It was All Might, wasn't it?- sat down on the roof.  He looked so incredibly thin and lackey.  Where had all his muscles gone?  Had they just deflated?  Could muscles even do that?

"So you want to be a hero, huh?" All Might repeated.  "You think I'm smiling because I'm not afraid?  You think I'm laughing for the fun of it?  You're naive kid, and you're going to get yourself hurt."

Izuku swallowed.  "What do you mean?" He asked in a small voice.

"A hero who always rescues people who are in danger must never succumb to the forces of evil." All Might said in a serious voice that made Izuku shiver and think of All for One.  "The reason I smile isn't because I'm not afraid.  It's because if I don't, I'll be too afraid to move."

"O-Oh." This hadn’t been what he was expecting.

"Look at this kid." All Might lifted his shirt to expose his chest.  "A villain gave this to me five years ago."

Izuku was used to seeing gore after being forced to help his father in his lab.  He knew what dead bodies looked like, the disgusting shapes that scars could take, but he still recoiled.  The scarring was horrific.  It was like the entire torso and had been twisted and stitched in place with red and white scarring stretching out from the center.

"My lungs are a mess, I completely lost my stomach.  I've gone from one surgery to the next and this is what it's done to me."  All Might explained.  "At most I can manage three hours of hero work a day."

"W-Was it Super Venom Chainsaw?" Izuku stammered, unable to look away.  The timeliness would match up.

All Might let his shirt drop.  "A punk Iike that?  No way." He shook his head.  "Listen, you have to promise not to tell anyone about this, okay?"

"I won't, I promise!" Izuku replied earnestly.  If he told All for One, the villain would try to hurt All Might.  He couldn't do that.  He loved All Might too much.

All Might nodded, sensing his sincerity. "My point is, is this really the kind of life you're after?  You have no way to defend yourself.  You almost died today.  So I can't bring myself to tell you to put yourself in that kind of danger without a Quirk."

Izuku's world, that was only just starting to come to life again, began to crumble around him once more.  Of all people, he thought for sure that All Might would be the one to tell him he could do it.  But if even All Might didn’t believe in him… that meant All for One was right.

All Might was standing now.  "If you really want to save people, choose a less dangerous career.  You can be a police officer- or a doctor.  Now those are some real heroes."

At the mention of doctors, Izuku's father came to mind.  He thought of the clinic, the clean and rosy atmosphere of healing.  Then he thought of the lab, the tubes, the bodies, the creatures, the promise of death.  He felt so cold inside.  He couldn't be a hero, which meant… he imagined All for One's wide smile and open arms waiting for him back home.  Half a sob choked in his throat.

All Might paused by the stairs.  "It's not that I'm trying to crush your dreams, kid.  But you've got to be realistic.  Otherwise you'll lose your life before you can save anyone."

Not that Izuku had the energy to care, but he was sure that All Might could hear his sobs all the way down the stairs.

Izuku felt dead both inside and out.  His uniform was dirty, crusty with the dried sludge and slime.  His vision was dark, his heart was empty, and his future… well, he didn't want to think about his future right now.  If he couldn't be a hero, he had no choice but to be a Villain.  He would rather keep being a nobody instead of that, but All for One wasn't going to give him that choice.

Maybe he could be a good villain?  One who didn't hurt people?  What did Villains do, anyways?  They… broke things?  Hurt people?  Blew things up?  Izuku didn't like any of that.  Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about it, since All for One seemed to have an image of him as a perfect little Villain.  All he would have to do was what he'd always done.  Keep his head down and do as he was told.  Wait for someone to rescue him.

That was all he wanted.  He wanted someone to see how much pain he was in and save him.  Maybe not physically, that was too much to hope for.  All Might could have saved him just by giving him hope of a life away from his father and All for One and their crew of Villains.  But he hadn't, and now Izuku was even more alone and hopeless than he'd ever been.

It had always been too much to hope for.  A Quirkless kid like him becoming a hero?  It was never, ever going to happen.  He should have accepted it from the start, like All for One had told him too.  It would have saved him from this heartache.  All for One was going to be so happy when he got home looking like this- a complete mess, in tears… What did that creepy Villain see in him anyways?  Why did he want him so badly?  At least someone wanted him.  At least someone believed in him.

He told himself to block it all out.  Don't think about anything.  Just let his feet take him home where Kurogiri was waiting for him.  His feet had already taken him this far while his mind was too numb to allow him to do anything else.  But he wasn't on his way home.  His feet had unconsciously brought him somewhere else.  There was a commotion across the street.  He dully realized it must be another villain attack.  Empty as he was feeling, he wandered over to the back of the crowd.  It was out of habit.  He didn't really care to see what Quirks or Heroes were about.  Not anymore.

Izuku jolted a little as he finally laid his eyes on the action.  That sludge villain again?  But- hadn't All Might captured him?  Yes, he had, and he'd put him inside a bottle that he'd stuck in his pants pocket.  Which meant-

"It's my fault." Izuku mumbled, fresh tears building.  All Might must have dropped it by mistake when he grabbed onto him.  He hadn't realized either because Izuku had been bothering him.

There were heroes here holding back the crowd, warning people not to get close.  Izuku slid his way closer without meaning to.  Habits, again.  He winced when he saw that the villain had another hostage.  If one of the heroes didn't do something soon, whoever it was was going to die soon.  He knew that pain.  Someone needed to help them.  Why weren't the heroes helping?  Where had All Might gone?

With a sickening feeling, Izuku remembered All Might's time limit.  So it was up to another hero.  But they were all just… standing there.  Waiting for someone to act.  Someone to save them.  And someone would.  Just a bit longer and surely someone would help.  Someone always came to help.  But Izuku knew better than anyone that if you were waiting for someone to save you, you would always be waiting.

As he thought it, his eyes met with the victim.  The look they gave him pierced straight into his soul.  He knew those eyes.  The red eyes that were always looking down on him.  Laughing at him.  Hurting him.  Ever since he was four years old.  But before he could remember who they belonged to, he recognized them from somewhere else.  He recognized them from looking in the mirror every morning.  They were the eyes of someone who was frightened, someone who was vulnerable, someone who wanted to be saved.

And so, despite what his teachers and his friends and his dad and All for One and All Might himself had told him, Izuku ran to help.  Because he had to.  Because he needed to.  Because someone needed him.  Quirkless or not.  And he was going to help.

Izuku stepped into the bar and closed the door behind him.

"Where have you been?" Kurogiri demanded immediately.  "It's after dark!"

Izuku looked up.  He hadn't expected anyone to be up waiting for him.  "I…" He trailed off, not sure what to say.  He was still feeling numb.

"What happened to your uniform?" Kurogiri went on before he could figure out what to say.  "Did you get in a fight?  Was that Bakugou boy bullying you again?  Do I need to call your school?"  Kurogiri stepped over to him and started checking for injuries.

"No, no. I just… this villain attacked me and then-."

"WHAT?" Kurogiri nearly shouted.  It was the first time Izuku had ever heard him raise his voice.  It startled him out of his stupor enough to speak normally.

"It's fine, I'm fine!  I wasn't hurt, really!  Well, they nearly suffocated me but there was a hero nearby so they saved me and-!"

"You nearly died?" Kurogiri cut him off.

"It sounds way worse than it really was!" Izuku fumbled.  "They're all locked up now, so you don’t need to worry!"

Kurogiri stopped trying to pat him down for injuries and looked into his eyes.  "Izuku.  You were in a lot of danger.  Of course I'm going to worry about you."

Izuku swallowed.  He hadn't been expecting that.  His father didn’t care about him anymore, and All for One only cared about him becoming a villain.  No one really cared how he was feeling anymore… at least, no one but Kurogiri.  He hadn't noticed before.  He had just assumed that the Nomu was doing as he was told in looking after him.  But Kurogiri did seem to care about him.  Really care.

His lip trembled slightly and Izuku leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Kurogiri.  He pressed his weight into him, all of the tiredness and trauma of school, Kacchan telling him to kill himself, being attacked on the way home, nearly dying, then running straight into the middle of another villain fight on purpose, being lectured for an hour by the heroes and police, and All Might… All Might.  He let out a shuddering breath and hugged Kurogiri tighter.  To his surprise, he felt the Nomu lift his arms to return the embrace.

"It's all right now, Izuku." Kurogiri said softly.  "I didn't mean to yell.  I'm just glad you're safe."

He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a hug.  Possibly never.  Well, his dad used to hug him, but that was before Izuku knew the truth.  Before the lie had been uncovered.  So those memories were permanently tainted with regret and disgust.  He leaned into Kurogiri more, shaking a little as the stress of the day started to surface and breakthrough at last.  Kurogiri's misty hand settled on top of his head and he let Izuku cry onto his apron.

Izuku didn't cry for long.  After he stopped, he stayed where he was, hugging Kurogiri around the middle.  It felt so comforting- comfort was something he'd been lacking for a long time.  He sniffed and hoped that Kurogiri wouldn't make him let go.

A small sound made Izuku start and look up.  The door leading deeper into the compound had opened.  Tomura was standing there, four fingers frozen on the handle, staring at the two of them.  Izuku quickly straightened and started drying his eyes.

Tomura's eyes flickered between the Nomu and Izuku.  His nose wrinkled in disgust.  "What the hell?" He demanded.

"Izuku was attacked by a villain today." Kurogiri explained.

"And?" Tomura raised an eyebrow, clearly not making the connections.

"Is there something you need?" Kurogiri asked.

"We're out of cheez-its." Tomura told him.  

"I'll be sure to get you some more tomorrow." Kurogiri nodded.

"Good." Tomura gave Izuku another suspicious and slightly disturbed look, then turned and closed the door abruptly behind him.

"Sorry." Izuku mumbled, drying his eyes again.

"It's all right." Kurogiri replied.  "Come inside, let's get you fed and cleaned up."

"Are you going to tell him?" Izuku asked.  He really didn't want to see how All for One would react to all of this.

"No." Kurogiri shook his head.  "You are.  After you eat and shower."

Izuku's shoulders dropped, but he nodded.  "Can you come with me?  Please?"

Kurogiri paused, but he nodded.  "I suppose that should be all right.  Anything else you need to tell me?"

Izuku's breath hitched.  He didn't really want to talk about it, but there were a few other things he would need to tell All for One.  It would be better if he told Kurogiri first, if only for practice.

"Actually, there are a few things that happened…"

As soon as Izuku was standing in front of All for One, the villain was motioning him closer.  He liked having Izuku within arm's reach.  Izuku liked to be far from it.

"Kurogiri says you have something important to tell me." All for One grabbed Izuku's arm and pulled him right up to the edge of his chair.

"Yes sir." Izuku replied.

All for One immediately shook his head.  "No more of that."

"E-Excuse me?" Izuku stammered uncertainty.

"I don't like you calling me sir, Izuku.  Why can't you just call me Uncle like you used to?"

"W-Well you aren't really my uncle." Izuku began.  That and he couldn't bear the thought of being on familiar terms with such a vile villain.

"I wasn't before, was I?" All for One countered.  "Just try it."

Izuku gave a short sigh.  "Okay… Uncle."

All for One smiled.  "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?  Now tell me what happened today."

"W-Well," Izuku was glad All for One didn't have eyes so he wouldn’t have to avoid them.  "On my way home from school today I was sort of attacked by a villain."

"Sort of?" All for One challenged.

Izuku nodded.  "They jumped on me from behind and tried to possess my body and almost killed me but then a passing hero showed up and saved me."

"I see."

Izuku rushed on before he lost the courage he'd spent the last hour building.  "But then the hero lost the villain and it got free and attacked one of my classmates instead and I- I ran in to help because the heroes weren't doing anything but I got in a lot of trouble so they said they were going to call my school and my parent so they're probably going to call but I wasn't trying to be in the way I really just wanted to help!" Izuku rambled.  "And the villain was caught by the heroes again and I wasn't hurt and my classmate is okay so everything is really fine, I promise!"

Out of breath now, Izuku snapped his mouth closed and swallowed.  All for One was quiet, processing everything Izuku had said.  At last, he spoke.

"You weren't hurt?"

"No, sir."

All for One's hand drifted up to Izuku’s face, cupping his cheek.  At least, Izuku assumed that's what he was doing, since his hand was nearly the size of Izuku's head.  "I see.  Why did you not call me for help?"

"I- I couldn't." Izuku replied.  "There wasn't time."

"Hm.  No more stray Villains for you, I think.  Your father may want you as a nomu, but I need you for something else.  Something living.  Understand?"

"Yes sir." Izuku replied softly with a small nod.

"Sir?" All for One pressed.

"Yes, Uncle." Izuku corrected himself.

"Good boy." All for One patted his cheek.  "Now, is there anything else?"

Izuku bit his lip and glanced back at Kurogiri.  The Nomu gave him a small, barely perceptible nod.  He took a deep breath.  "We, um, we talked about choosing High Schools at school today."

All for One smiled and leaned forward.  "Oh?  And does my little future villain want to go to High School?  Which school?"

Izuku swallowed again. "Um, I w-want to go to UA."

To his surprise, All for One smiled wider and nodded.  "Of course.  That's a wonderful idea, Izuku.  I've been wanting to have a spy on the inside.  No one would ever suspect a General Studies student.  I can get you in easily."

"No, a-actually I was going to try for the Hero Course.  By myself." Izuku replied.  "So I was wondering if m-maybe I could have some afternoons off?  For training and stuff?"

All for One's smile turned down.  "The Hero Course?"

Izuku nodded.  "Please, sir- Uncle?  You said it was okay for me to be a hero."

"I assumed you would be over that by now." All for One frowned.  "Haven't you realized yet that society hates you?"

Izuku flinched.  He did know that.  If anything, today had been a valuable lesson for him.  The world didn't want him to be a hero.  "B-But if I can get into UA-!"

"No, Izuku." All for One said sharply.  "You aren't going to make it into the Hero Course."

Izuku clenched his fists and teeth to keep the hot tears in his eyes.  "I thought that's what you wanted?" He snapped back sharper than he meant to.  "I thought you wanted me to fail at being a Hero so I would want to be your little Villain instead?"

All for One didn’t reply for a moment.  "So when you fail, you'll finally understand?  You'll stop this ridiculous game?"

Izuku nodded.  "I-If I don't get into UA, I'll do or be whatever you want.  Just- Please.  This is my last chance to be a real hero.  You said I could.  You promised."

"I didn't promise anything." All for One pulled him closer.  "However, if this is really the way you want to do things, I'll take you up on your little deal.  If you can get yourself into the Hero Course without my help, you're free.  I'll give you back to your father and everything will go back the way it was before.  But if you don't… no more heroes.  Though, at that point, I don't think I'll need to tell you that.  Do we have a deal?"

"You promise?" Izuku asked.

"Yes, I promise.  So do we have a deal?"

Izuku quickly held his hand out to shake.  His heart was racing with excitement.  This was better than he'd hoped.  All for One was not only giving him a chance to be a Hero, he was willing to give him up if he succeeded.  "It's a deal!"

Instead of shaking his hand, All for a One grabbed his face and pulled him forward to kiss his forehead.  "I'm looking forward to it, little one."

Izuku pulled back as quickly as he could, confused and embarrassed.  "I, um, I still have homework.  Goodnight!  Thank you!"

He hurried out and started back to his room.  Kurogiri beat him there, using his portals to teleport to Izuku's door.  "You should not have done that, Izuku." He said.

"Is he mad?" Izuku frowned.  Maybe he'd been too excited to notice.

Kurogiri shook his head.  "He would not have agreed to a deal if he wasn’t certain he would win."

Izuku smiled, sensing that Kurogiri was genuinely worried about him again.  "Don't worry, it's going to be okay." He promised.  "I'll get into UA, you'll see.  I have a plan!"

Kurogiri narrowed his eyes, but he didn't pursue the issue farther.  "Make sure you get your homework done."

Izuku nodded.  Before Kurogiri could leave, he grabbed the Nomu's sleeve.  "Um, Kurogiri?"

"Yes, Izuku?"

"Thank you."

Kurogiri couldn't smile, but Izuku saw his eyes turn up ever so slightly.  "Of course.  I'm only doing as I was told."

But Izuku knew he was doing much more than that.  He gave Kurogiri another hug, just a quick one this time, and then waved.  "Good night!"

As soon as his door was closed, he fumbled to pull out his phone.  His fingers started trembling as he opened to his newest added contact- All Might.

With a huge grin on his face, Izuku typed up a quick message.

<When can we start?>

A moment later the phone buzzed in his hands.  Izuku nearly squealed in delight at how quickly the reply had come.

[As soon as possible.]

Before he could reply, several more messages buzzed through.

[I'm sorry for how things went earlier today.]

[I will understand if you change your mind.]

Change his mind?  Izuku shook his head.  There was absolutely no way that would ever happen.

<No no it's okay!  You were right!>

<I'm just glad you gave me another chance.  You don't know how much it means to me.>

All Might's reply came a moment later.

[It won't be easy.]

Izuku nodded to himself.

<I know.  I can do it.  I have to.  I won't let you down.>

He waited a few more minutes for the next message to be sent to him.

[You should get some rest.  Sleep is important for the training we'll be going through.  I will talk to you again soon.]

<Okay. Goodnight!>

Izuku replied, then put his phone down to speedrun his homework and go to bed.  He was tired, but his heart was still pounding with excitement.  He was going to be a hero and nothing could stop him now.

Izuku paced nervously while he waited for the mail to be delivered.  Today was supposed to be the day- the day he’d been waiting for for months.  Today was the day the results for the UA entrance exam and his stomach was nothing but a knot of worry.  Despite all the training with All Might, the test hadn't gone very well.  He'd even broken multiple bones using his new Quirk.  If he didn't get in to the Hero Course he would have to give up being a Hero.

If that was the case, Izuku knew he would have to give All Might back his Quirk.  He couldn't bear the thought of using All Might's own Quirk to turn into a villain against him.  He hoped that All Might would understand if it came to that.  He would tell him everything and he would understand.  Izuku could tell that All Might suspected that there were some problems with his home life, but he had still trusted him with his legacy.  Izuku didn't want to let him down, but at this point he had no control over the results.

The mail dropped in through the slot and he pounced on it.  Izuku shuffled through the letters and nearly dropped the stack when he saw one with his name on it.

"Did it come?" Kurogiri asked.

Izuku nodded, mouth too dry to speak.  He quickly gave him the rest of the mail and rushed down to his room.  His heart was pounding and his hands were shaking as he torrents the envelope open.  He hadn't scored a single point in the entrance exam.  If he didn't get into UA, he would have to become a villain.  He had to get in.  Otherwise… there couldn't be another option.

"All Might!" Izuku cried, jumping into his arms.  He wasn't sure if he was laughing or crying.  He had never been so happy before.  "I did it!  I did it!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

All Might grunted a little as he set Izuku back down on the sandy ground of the beach.  "Geez kid, you're just as enthusiastic as ever!" But he was smiling at Izuku and didn't make him let go.  "You did good, kid."

Izuku gave him a squeeze, chest overflowing with warm energy.  "It's all because of you!"

"No." All Might disagreed.  "You're the one who put in the work, you're the one who did your best.  I'm proud of you."

Izuku could have died right then, happier than he'd ever been.  "Thank you." He said again, softer this time.  "You saved me, All Might.  You don't know- you have no idea what you saved me from."

All Might detached Izuku's arms from around his neck and took a knee in front of him.  "Izuku, I've never asked before but… is there something you aren't telling me?  About your home life?  To tell you the truth, I've been worried for a while now."

Izuku swallowed hard, mouth suddenly as sandy dry as the beach.  "Wh-What do you mean?"

"Your family.  Do they… hurt you?  Abuse you?"

Izuku shook his head quickly.  "What?  No, no!  It's not like that!"

All Might gave a small nod.  "I never saw any bruises.  Then, because you're were Quirkless, are there other bad things that happen?  Do they yell at you?  Are they verbally or emotionally abusive?"

"W-Well, not exactly." Izuku stammered.  Tomura was certainly like that.  "I'm used to it, it's fine."

All Might placed a hand on each of Izuku's shoulders.  "No, Izuku.  That isn't fine.  It's abuse."

Izuku tried to swallow again, but his throat was much too tight.  "I- I'm- it's- they-!" He stammered, not sure what he was trying to say.

"You live with your uncle, don't you?  Perhaps I could have a word with him?"

"No!" Izuku nearly screamed.  "No no no nononono!  Please don't do that!  My uncle hates you!  He hates all heroes!  But especially you!  If he finds out that you- that I- that we- oh no!  What if he already knows!  There's no way he doesn't know!  He's going to be so mad at me!"

"Calm down, calm down!" All Might moved his hands up to either side of Izuku's face to get his attention.  "Izuku, calm down.  That's it, kiddo.  Don't get yourself so worked up.  I don't understand.  Your family hates heroes?"

"Y-Yeah.  That's why I needed you to help me." Izuku sniffed.  "They wanted me to be something else- they wanted me to be like them!  And I don't want that!  I want to help people!  I want to be like you!"

"Your Uncle who hates heroes, does he know that you applied for UA?" All Might asked with a worried wrinkle growing between his brows.

"Yeah, he knows.  He didn't think I would get in.  He was h-hoping I would fail." Izuku looked away.

"Your Uncle told you he wanted you to fail the exam?" All Might repeated.

"He's not really my uncle." Izuku tried to explain, not realizing how his voice warbled as he spoke.  "I just live with him after my dad- after he gave me up.  He wasn't even my real dad.  He adopted me." Izuku's eyes filled with hot tears, hotter than normal it felt like.  "I don't think either of them want me.  No one has ever wanted me."

All Might stopped him there by picking him off the ground and pulling him into a hug.  "Hey, no no no, kid.  That's not true."

"It is!" Izuku cried.  "Everyone wants me to be something and I just want to be a hero!  I just want to help and save people!  Why can't I have that?"

"You can, you will." All Might promised.  "You're already on track.  You have my Quirk, you're going to UA, and most importantly you have a good heart.  You're doing so good Izuku, you're going to make it through this."

Izuku squeezed him tighter in return, shuddering as the kind words swept over him.  He had really, really needed to hear that.  "Thank you." He half whispered, half whimpered.

They stayed that way for several minutes before All Might pulled away.

"Now, about your Uncle.  Are you sure you don't want me to talk to him for you?"

Izuku shook his head firmly.  "You'll just make it worse.  He promised me that if I could get into UA without his help, he would stop trying to push his career on me.  If he finds out that you helped me instead, it might not go over well."

"Have you told him yet?"

"No. I was so excited I wanted to see you first." Izuku paused and paled.  "What if he changes his mind?  What if he breaks his promise?  Oh no.   What if he gets mad?  What am I going to do then?"

"Easy now, kiddo." All Might interrupted.  "Stop catastrophizing.  Everything is going to be all right.  We can work this out."

Izuku swallowed and tried to take a deep breath.  "What if he doesn't let me go to UA?"

"Do you think he would break a promise like that?" All Might asked.

Izuku nodded.  "He says he won't, but he’s a vil- he's not a good person.  And he really, really wants me to join him instead of being a hero."

All Might nodded thoughtfully.  "If you're in a dangerous situation, I'm sure I could arrange something for you.  A foster home or something for a short while.  Would you like that?"

Izuku hesitated.  He did like the idea of that, but would All for One really agree to let someone take him away?  His strange obsession with Izuku was creepy and persistent.  He had been so sure that Izuku would join him, it made Izuku afraid to see him react to having his plans disrupted.

All Might sensed Izuku's hesitation and placed a gentle hand on his head.  "You don't have to decide right away.  Just promise me you'll let me know if you're in any danger."

Izuku's shoulders sagged with relief.  He nodded and leaned into the Hero once more.  "Thanks.  I'll tell my Uncle about UA today, and if he says no then… I guess I'll have to run away."

"No, I don't like you running away from home." All Might shook his head this time.  "That would be dangerous and irresponsible.  We'll make a proper exit plan for you in case you need it.  I can set up a safe house."

Izuku felt small tears returning to his eyes.  "Y-You really don't have to do that."

All Might gave him a squeeze.  "It's my job to help people in trouble.  Just say the word and I'll be there for you.  From now on, I'll always be here for you."

It was like the silent prayer he had been praying since All for One had first taken him was being answered.  Someone was going to save him.  He was going to get out.  All Might was here to rescue him.  For the first time, Izuku felt as though he could face All for One with no fears.  He closed his eyes and let All Might hold him close until the sun had set.  From now on, he had nothing to worry about.

"I hear you have some good news." All for One said.

Izuku swallowed.  Why he had thought this would be easy, he had no idea.  He forced himself to relax.  Everything was fine.  He and All Might had a plan.  He was going to get out of this place, he was going to be somewhere safe.  Kurogiri would understand, he would want Izuku to be happy.  All for One was the one they needed to worry about.

"Yes sir." Izuku replied, licking his lips.  "I got my results back from UA today- they accepted me into the Hero Course!"

All for One smiled.  Izuku resisted the urge to step back.  That hadn’t been a reaction he was expecting.  "Congratulations, Izuku.  You're finally getting what you've always wanted.”

Izuku did take a small step back this time.  What he had always wanted was the opposite of what the villain did.  “You, um, you’ll keep your promise, right?  You’re going to let me go, and you won’t make me be a villain anymore?”

“Of course.” All for One nodded.  “You did get in without any help from me.”

“Really?” Izuku let out a sigh of relief.  All Might was right, this wasn’t going to be as bad as he had worried it would be.  Maybe he should ask if he could get an apartment closer to the school, or apply for on campus dorms.  “Thank you, thank you so much!”

“Although,” All for One interjected, causing Izuku’s delight to freeze, “I am curious about a few things.  Like why I, as your legal guardian, was contacted recently about an update to your Quirk Registry?  I approved it, of course, but I wonder where this new Quirk of yours came from.”

Izuku closed his mouth tightly for a few minutes.  He hadn’t told Kurogiri or his dad or All for One or anyone about his new Quirk.  He knew they would find out eventually, but he was hoping that would be after he was already at UA where All Might and the other heroes could protect him.  “I, um…” He began, not sure what to say.  “It just… I’ve always had one.”

All for One grabbed Izuku’s arm and pulled him closer, stopping him from running away.  “I was hoping you wouldn’t lie to me, little one.”

Izuku was petrified, unable to form any sort of reply.  All for One knew.

"It's all right, I'm not angry.  A bit disappointed, perhaps, that you didn’t trust me with something this important.  I just hope you're willing to tell me now.  Where did your Quirk come from, Izuku?"

"I- I just got it." Izuku stammered.

"You don't need to be afraid, Izuku.  I'm not going to hurt you.  I'm not angry.  You're allowed to have secrets.  All good villains have secrets.  And a secret like training with All Might- that's a very good secret."

Izuku's mouth was completely dry.  There was no way All for One wasn't angry.  He hated All Might more than anything in the world.  There was no way he wasn't angry.  "You're not angry?" He repeated in a trembling voice.

"Angry?" All for One laughed, sending a shiver up Izuku's spine.  He reached out and grabbed Izuku's face with both hands, squishing his face together.  "Izuku, you have saved me so much trouble!  You've brought me exactly what I've been after for two hundred years and I didn't even have to ask!  I couldn't be happier!"

Izuku tried to pull back.  Not only did All for One know about his secret training with All Might, he somehow knew that All Might had given him his Quirk!  He needed to find an excuse to leave right away.  How did he know?  And what did he mean two hundred years?  All for One was old, but he couldn't be as old as the dawn of Quirks, could he?  He needed to get back to All Might as soon as possible.

All for One didn’t let him go.  He grinned and pulled Izuku closer until he was able to plant a kiss on his forehead.  "I knew you were special.  There was always something about you, I could sense it."

Izuku's head was spinning.  "W-Wait." He began, but All for One wasn't listening.  He pulled Izuku back to kiss his forehead again.

"This fixes everything, little one.  I'm so happy I took you away from your father.  You are absolutely perfect." He pulled Izuku into a hug, making Izuku squawk in surprise.

Izuku pushed and wiggled, slipping under All for One's arms and moving out of reach.  He needed to leave now.  Now.   "S-So just to be clear, I can still go to UA?" He asked.

All for One was smiling so wide.  "Well, for as long as UA is still around.  But now that you've brought me that Quirk, I don't have to worry about destroying that school."

"You're going to destroy UA?" Izuku balked, taking a step back and towards the door.

"Not anymore, so of course you can go.  But first, give me One for All.". All for One said, holding his hand out expectantly.

Izuku blinked.  "What?  No!  Why?"

"All Might didn’t tell you?  That Quirk belongs to me, Izuku.  I've been trying to get it back for a long time."

"B-But how will I go to UA without a Quirk?" Izuku fumbled a protest.  He was starting to panic now.  All for One knew so much, more than he did.  He knew about All Might and the nature of his Quirk, he knew about their training sessions, he knew about everything.

"I'll give you a new one." All for One promised.  "Any Quirk you want."

Izuku slowly began backing towards the door.  "I- I want this one.  It's mine now.  Please don't take it from me."

All for One's smile slipped.  "Izuku, give me One for All." He repeated.

"You promised." Izuku shook his head.  "You said I could have any Quirk I wanted, and I want this one!"

"You can't have it.  Izuku, that Quirk is too dangerous for you.  Give it here, little one.  Do not make me take it from you."

He started to rise out of his chair.  Izuku had never seen him do that before, not since his accident five years ago.  Five years ago… the same time that All Might was injured.  Oh.  So that was it.  Of course no one else would be strong enough to hurt All Might like that.  Of course.  He was stupid for not seeing it sooner.  Stupid for coming back here.  Stupid for believing he could trust All for One.

The fear that had been building in Izuku’s chest suddenly burst, flooding his entire body with adrenaline.  He turned and ran from the room.

Izuku knew he didn't have long to escape.  Even as he made it up to the next floor of the compound, red lights and sirens were blaring through the hallways.  Doors were locking.  He had to make it to the next floor before he was locked in.

Izuku rounded the final corner and saw the massive door closing.  He wasn't going to make it in time.  He could try finding another way, but that would take too long.  He was going to have to break his way out.

Using his still bandaged arm, Izuku grit his teeth and did what All Might had taught him.  "Just think Smash!"

Izuku felt a tingle run through his body and saw sparks of light in his veins.  He hit the door as hard as he could.  SMASH!  The door exploded under the impact, ripping a hole through it and the surrounding walls.

Izuku screamed and doubled over in pain.  He nearly blacked out.  His arm was broken again, purple and blue and twisted- he felt sick and looked away.  He had to keep going.  He had to hurry.  Recovery Girl could patch him up again.  He just needed to get to the safe house, like he and All Might had planned.

Staggering a little, Izuku forced himself to keep running.  Up through the now broken door and the flashing hallways.  There were three more floors above this one.  His arm was hanging limply- he wouldn't be able to use it to smash any more doors.  He still had his other arm, and he might be able to use his legs too- except he still needed to be able to run.

Izuku's vision turned spotty for a moment, but he pushed on.  Right into someone standing in the hallway.  He was knocked back to the ground.  He looked up in a panic to see who was blocking him.

"D-Dad!" Izuku cried, feeling a sense of relief.  He threw himself onto the small, round man, sobbing with relief.  "Daddy, you have to help me!"

"Izuku?" The doctor sounded surprised.  "Shouldn't you be somewhere?  School or… remind me, did you play any sports?  Are you in a club?  What are all these lights for?  Is there a hero attack?"

"No!" Izuku shook his head.  "All for One is trying to hurt me!  Please, please Dad, you have to help me!"

The bushy eyebrows raised.  "Shigaraki?  Interesting."

Izuku frowned.  His father didn’t sound concerned for his safety in the slightest.  Too late he began to remember that his father wasn't someone he could trust, nor someone who would be willing to help him escape.  His father had always been on the villain's side first.  He had just been so relieved to see a familiar face he had forgotten.

"Please, Dad.  Please help me." Izuku begged anyway, hoping he could somehow bring his old father back.  The one who had always looked after him so carefully when he was little.  The one who loved and protected him.

"Izuku, Master wants you back downstairs." Kurogiri interrupted, appearing behind him.

Izuku turned to him, trembling.  "No, Kurogiri, please.  Please.  Please don't take me back."

Kurogiri had a pained look in his eyes as he shook his head.  "I'm sorry, Izuku." He replied in a strained voice.

Izuku knew that Kurogiri wasn't going to help him either.  He wanted to, but the nomu had to obey his Master first.  Izuku turned back into his father's arms.  He didn't want to see Kurogiri betraying him, and he was sure Kurogiri didn't want to have him watch either.  Izuku expected to simply be warped through a portal, but Kurogiri instead pulled him out of his father's arms and carried him through.

Kurogiri set Izuku down at All for One's feet.  Izuku cried out in pain as his broken arm was jostled.  He didn't look up.  He hugged his arm to his chest and winced when he felt the villain's hand begin combing through his hair.

"I told you it was too dangerous for you.  Why did you have to run from me, Izuku?"  All for One sighed.  "I didn't want things to be this way between us.  I thought you had learned to trust me by now."

"Has something happened?" Izuku heard his father's voice behind him.

"Our little Izuku has gained All Might's trust and been given his Quirk."  All for One explained.

"This is wonderful news!" The doctor replied.

"Yes, but our little hero doesn't want to give it back." All for One continued, petting Izuku's head a little harder.  "Perhaps you could convince him?"

Izuku felt a sweaty hand patting his back.  "Go ahead, Izuku!" His father sounded very enthusiastic.  "Let him have it!"

Izuku gave half a broken sob in reply.  "N-No!  It's mine!"

All for One hooked his hand under Izuku's chin and forced him to look up.  Izuku squinted at him through bleary eyes.  The villain's face was unreadable.  "This is your last chance, Izuku.  Give me that Quirk, or I'll have to take it from you."

Izuku could see Kurogiri standing behind All for One.  Kurogiri looked anxious, as if he was ready to step in and intervene at any moment.  But he wouldn't.  He couldn't.  It would be too much for Izuku to ask of him.  He could see that Kurogiri didn't want to see him get hurt.  He hated that he was going to have to let him down.

"I- I can't." Izuku said.  He was shaking with fright, but he couldn't do it.  He couldn't give away the Quirk that All Might had trusted him with.  Something told him that he had unknowingly stepped into something much larger than himself, and much older.  He got the feeling that if he gave his Quirk to this villain, things would be very, very bad.  People would be hurt.  He couldn't be responsible for that.

"Very well." All for One quickly moved his hand.  He grabbed Izuku's face, his massive hand circling most of Izuku's head.

Izuku didn't have much time to panic before he began to scream.   Something was pulling inside of him, something that didn't want to be pulled.  He resisted and was pulled harder.  Izuku clawed at All for One's hand blindly, trying to remove it.  The pain was running through his body like torrents of electricity.  His body spasmed and jerked as he tried to get away, raked with the torment of that thing pulling at the thing inside of him.  It was as though someone was trying to rip out every hair on his body all at once.  It was excruciating.

At last, when he couldn't scream any longer and when his vision was black and starry, All for One pulled his hand away.  Izuku collapsed, sobbing.  He curled himself up tightly, twitching uncontrollably on the cold cement floor.

"Did you get it?" The doctor was asking eagerly.

"No." All for One replied shortly.  "He didn't let it go."

Izuku shuddered at his voice.  His eyes were open.  He couldn't seem to close them.  He had to keep them open in case whatever had made the hurt came back.  Oh, he hurt .  He hurt so much.  His crying was echoing around the villain's lair, though All for One and his father didn’t seem to notice.

"Kyuudai, patch up Izuku's arm.  I would recommend casting it while he's still in shock, otherwise you may have to sedate him." All for One said.  "But don't do it here, take him somewhere else.  Kurogiri, take Izuku downstairs."

"Downstairs?" Kurogiri repeated hesitantly.  They were already in the lowest level of the compound.

"There is a vault.  Put Izuku inside and make sure he doesn't leave.  I don’t care how you do it, but just be sure he stays put."

"You… still want him?" The doctor asked.  He sounded anxious, perhaps a little disappointed.

"This doesn't change anything." All for One replied snappishly as Kurogiri carefully collected Izuku's trembling body from the floor.  "I still have plans for Izuku.  You can't have him for your experiments."

Izuku whimpered at Kurogiri's touch and flinched violently.  Kurogiri hushed him and held him close to his chest.  The fingers of Izuku's good hand latched onto his apron.  He knew Kurogiri’s voice.  Kurogiri wouldn’t hurt him.  Kurogiri took care of him.  Kurogiri was safe.

"What if he doesn't give you One for All?" The doctor asked as Kurogiri started carrying Izuku away.

"Then I'll just have to keep him safe and make sure he doesn't pass it on to anyone else." All for One replied.  "I won't lose him to the heroes, I never planned on letting them have him."

Izuku didn't hear the rest.  Kurogiri had taken him away by then.  The Nomu found the vault and carried Izuku inside.  It was musty and dirty, completely empty.  Kurogiri carefully sat down with Izuku in his lap.  Izuku was still crying, though the tears had gone and all he had left were hiccups and heaving sobs.

"I'm sorry, Izuku." Kurogiri said softly, hugging Izuku to his chest.  "I'm so, so sorry."

Izuku turned his face into Kurogiri's chest.  He smelled like coffee and wood polish.  It was a warm, comforting smell.

"I'm so sorry." Kurogiri repeated over and over.  Izuku trembled and cried in his arms, feeling weak and helpless.  Alone.

"All Might." Izuku croaked at last.  "Where is he?"

"All Might?" Kurogiri repeated, confused.  "He's not here."

"He-He's supposed to be here." Izuku choked.  "He's supposed to rescue me.  He promised.  Where is he?"

"I don't know." Kurogiri replied softly.  "I'm sorry, Izuku, he didn't come."

Izuku sobbed again.  He was scared and hurt and he was starting to feel nauseous.  Not only that, he was weak and confused.  "Where's All Might?" He cried again and again and only heard Kurogiri saying he was sorry.  So sorry.  Why was he sorry?

Everything was fuzzy.  There were white spots in Izuku’s vision.  The spots kept getting bigger and bigger.  Izuku closed his eyes and weakly cried into Kurogiri.  He wished things hadn't turned out like this.  He wished his birth parents hadn't died.  He wished his father had loved him enough to keep him.  He wished he hadn't been forced to live with a super villain.  He wished he hadn't told All Might he was fine.  He wished Kurogiri hadn't just stood back and watched.

His head pulsed painfully with the rest of his body.  He was blacking out now.  He wanted the pain to stop, but what would happen when he woke up again?  Would All for One try to take his Quirk again?  Would Kurogiri or his dad stop him?  Would All Might come to save him?  Izuku passed out before he was able to contemplate the answers.

All for One stood before the vault door for a moment.  It had been a long time since he had been down here.  He placed a hand against the heavy door and rested it there before he pushed it open.  Kurogiri was inside with Izuku.  Izuku was sleeping, his broken arm freshly bandaged and his head resting on the Nomu’s lap.

“Why are you here?” All for One asked.

“I was just keeping an eye on Izuku.” Kurogiri replied.

“I didn’t ask you to do that.” All for One snapped.  Seeing Kurogiri here only confirmed his suspicions that a bond had been forming between his young ward and his servant.  He should have realized and split them up sooner.  “From now on, I won’t be needing you to watch Izuku.  Your only responsibility is Tomura, understand?”

Kurogiri bowed his head.  “Yes, Master.”

“I’ll take care of things from here.” All for One dismissed him, holding his arms out.

Kurogiri stood and lifted Izuku into his arms.  He bowed once more, then disappeared through a portal.  Izuku groaned and squirmed in his sleep.

“Why did you have to be so stubborn?” All for One sighed.  He had no desire to sit on the floor and used his own warp gate to bring himself a chair.  He sat down and pulled Izuku in close.  “If you weren’t so difficult, things wouldn’t have to be like this.  You were supposed to be my little puppet.  Why couldn’t you have just done what you were supposed to, hm?  Why couldn’t you have just been the perfect little villain for me?”

Izuku didn’t answer.  He was still restlessly sleeping in All for One’s arms.

“I remember when Kyuudai first picked you out from the orphanage.  You were so little back then, even smaller than you are now.” All for One moved a hand to brush through Izuku’s hair.  “Only a few years old and oh so small… We knew you were Quirkless from the start, with that extra toe joint of yours.  Kyuudai wanted you for his experiments, but I knew you were meant for something greater than that.  I knew you would become the perfect villain when you grew up, I just had to help you along the way.”

Izuku’s eyes fluttered open just a crack.  He was looking up at All for One with an empty, depressed expression.  He didn’t say anything.  He lay still in the villain’s arms, listening to him reminisce and monologue.

“When you became obsessed with heroes, I was so excited.  I knew they would let you down, and that when they did, you would come straight to me.  I suppose I didn’t expect you to be so… delusionally hopeful.   So stubborn, so resistant to your destiny.”  All for One went on.  "You might have made a good hero with an attitude like that.  Another slave to society, the Hero Commission would have liked that.  But you were not meant to be a hero.  You were meant to destroy them."

"Why do you hate everyone so much?" Izuku asked, taking All for One by surprise.  "What did they do to make you want to hurt them?"

"Do to me?  Nothing.  It's just my destiny to rule the world."

Izuku was quiet for a moment.  All for One wondered what he was thinking until he asked, "Why did you do this to me?"

"Because you didn't listen to me.  Things would have been so much easier if you just did as you were told." All for One said.

"No.  No, you didn't have to hurt me.  You didn't have to ruin my life.  You didn't have to do any of this." Izuku's voice was hollow, like it had been when he’d first come to live in the compound.  All for One had forgotten how unnatural it sounded.  Emotionless.  Not like Izuku at all.

"I did, Izuku.  This is what you were meant for."

"Are you still going to make me a villain like you?" Izuku asked in that numb, empty voice.

"No.  Not with that Quirk, I can't." All for One said.

"You broke your promise." Izuku told him.

"Which one?"

"All for them.  You said I could have any Quirk I wanted.  You said I could go to UA.  You said I could be a hero.  But you lied." Izuku's voice began to waver at the end.  "You lied about everything."

"You broke our deal, Izuku.  You weren't supposed to get All Might's Quirk. You weren't supposed to pass the Entrance Exam.  And you certainly were never going to make it as a hero." All for One replied.

"Then why did you even bother?  Why didn't you just… make me a villain like you did with Tomura?  Why did you have to… why did you have to hurt me like that?"

"Because I wanted you to see the path I had laid out for you.  You're such a clever boy, Izuku.  Someone like you, Quirkless, weak, invisible… you could tear society apart piece by piece.  You were born for it."

"So you just wanted to manipulate me." Izuku said, his voice beginning to shake.  "You wanted to use me, just like Dad did."

"I suppose you're right." All for One shrugged.  "But only to help you reach your full potential."

"I hate you." Izuku whimpered, voice cracking on every word.  "I hate you I hate you I hate you."

"That's not a very heroic thing to say." All for One chuckled.

"Why do you care?" Izuku cried.

"I'm just trying to help you be happy." All for One said.  He moved his hand to brush away Izuku's tears, but the second his hand touched Izuku's face the boy screamed and spasmed in his arms, trying to push him away.

"No!  No, please, please don't hurt me again!  Please!  It hurts, I don't want it, please!" Izuku screamed and wailed, twisting and turning to keep himself away from the villain.

"We're not doing that today, Izuku." All for One said impatiently, waiting for him to settle down.

Izuku was too weak to keep his struggles up.  Soon only his sobbing remained, dry and painful.  "Let me go!" Izuku cried over and over.  "Someone please help me!  Save me!  Please!"

"No one is coming to save you, Izuku."  All for One told him.  "No one is ever going to take you away from me, and I'll destroy anyone who tries."

"No!" Izuku cried.  "D-Don’t hurt a-anyone!"

"Calm down, little one.  You're going to hurt yourself if you keep this up." All for One said.

"I want Kurogiri." Izuku cried.

"No more Kurogiri." All for One snapped.

Izuku recoiled with another sob.  "That's n-not fair!  Please, please don't take anything else from me!"

"You're staying here until you either give me One for All, or until I've reached my goals.  Don't forget that you're mine, Izuku.  You were always meant to be mine." All for One told him.  "Remember who saved you from your father's nomu labs, and who took care of you all that time.  It wasn't the heroes.  It was me.  I'm the only one who will ever want you.  I trust you'll make the right choice soon enough."

All for One left Izuku alone in the vault.  Izuku was crying again, calling for Kurogiri and All Might, and occasionally his "Daddy", even though the doctor had long since forgotten about him.  But not once did he call his "Uncle Shigaraki" for help.  All for One ground his teeth angrily.  He had completely lost Izuku's trust.  Fourteen years of work lost thanks to that oaf All Might.  But he wasn't giving up on Izuku yet.  Izuku was still going to be his little mastermind villain, it was just going to take more time.  He had time.  Izuku was safe in the vault, brokenhearted and temporarily crippled.  He had no one to help him, no one but All for One.

As All for One settled back into his chair, he remembered the sound of small feet pattering over to him.  A shock of green hair, sparkling green eyes, excited bouncing… He shook those thoughts away.  This possessive streak of his was getting in the way.  Izuku was all grown up now.  He couldn't get that innocent little boy back.  No, he'd all but killed that child by revealing his true nature to him.  Izuku was never going to adore him like that again.  The boy hated him now, well and truly hated him.  That hate was supposed to be channeled against the heroes, not his own master.  He sighed deeply.  He couldn't have everything he wanted.  He couldn't have an Izuku who loved him and served him at the same time.  Perhaps if he had been more careful… but it was too late for that now.

"Kurogiri." He called and a moment later the Nomu appeared at his side.  "Start getting things ready with Tomura.  It's time we made our move, and I know just where to start.  UA will be the perfect place to show the heroes that their world is about to crumble."

Kurogiri hesitated.  "Isn't Izuku going to UA?"

"I told you not to concern yourself with Izuku any more.  Just do as you're told."

"Yes, Master." Kurogiri bowed and turned to do his bidding.

"Izuku will not be going to UA." All for One added much to his own annoyance.  But he knew that Kurogiri's feelings for Izuku would get in the way if he didn't say something.  He needed to give his loyal servant something else to focus on, something like revenge.  "I believe that bully of his, Katsuki Bakugou, will be."

"I see.  Thank you." Kurogiri nodded.

All for One sighed to himself again.  Izuku would come around.  He would understand.  He would accept his destiny.  Eventually.  He just needed to keep being patient.  Izuku's hatred would consume him and he would turn on the heroes just like he was supposed to.  Things would still work according to his plans.

Although, after what Izuku had shown him the last few days, All for One could feel the smallest seed of doubt planted deep inside his mind.  There was a small possibility that, no matter what, Izuku would never let go of the idea of being a hero and that, even full of hate and loss and sadness, Izuku would always, always do the right thing.  But that wouldn't happen.  Not as long as All for One had him, and All for One had no plans of ever letting him go.