Chapter Text
“Izuku-kun?” A soft voice came out from somewhere in the hallway. Midoriya Izuku turned around and caught the eye of a short girl, blond hair tied into two space buns with golden eyes staring at him.
“Yes, Toga-san?” The green-haired boy responded, a smile on his freckled face.
“Could you help me with the literature paper? I know you’re younger, but my friend said you were the best at writing them!” She gave a toothy grin, flashing her sharp fangs.
Izuku rolled his eyes and began to walk with the girl. “Alright, but you have to tell me how your quirk works.”
—
“Don’t get the couch dirty with all your crumbs,” a gruff voice said.
Izuku spun around from his already comfortable position on the couch, with a bowl of popcorn nestled in his lap. “Shh! It’s the UA Sports festival!”
The room was dark, the beige paint of the bar walls beginning to crumble. The couch had been a recent addition to the bar, after much bothering from Twice to get somewhere to “rest his feet”. The couch itself was tattered, the fabric coming off to reveal the white inside.
The man came and took the spot next to Izuku and hastily grabbed a handful of the buttery popcorn. “Which class are you watching?”
“Class 2.”
“I wonder if we’ll get a chance to witness the finished product in action today.”
“Dabi-kun! Don’t say that about your brother! His quirk is truly amazing, being ice and fire, but that’s not to say that your quirk isn’t as good! Todoroki Shouto can’t even use his fire side, so I’d say your stronger right now…” Izuku trailed off, all of a sudden aware that he was muttering again.
“Shut up, Deku. Who said we were talking about quirks? He’s just a shitty experiment-”
“Turn that stupid festival up. We have to observe this shit.” Another voice broke through the banter. “And move. I want to sit too, or are you gonna keep me standing?” A blue-haired man appeared and made himself comfortable between Izuku and Dabi.
“I already have half a notebook filled!”
“It just started, Deku.” Shigaraki deadpanned, obviously used to the kid’s antics and quirk analysis.
Deku shrugged and turned his attention to the screen once again. He noted all the quirks of the UA grade 2 students, taking special note of their weaknesses. If there was anything he had always enjoyed, it was the analysis of others. It was also his designated job in the League of Villains. He continued to silently scribble away in his notebook.
Mina Ashido- Class 2A (Heroics) Hero name Pinky. Quirk: Acid. Strengths: can use acid in whatever way, flexible body. Weaknesses: can’t produce too much acid at one time
Todoroki Shouto- Class 2A (Heroics) Hero name Shouto. Quirk: Ice and Fire. Strengths: excellent maneuvering of ice, smart, quick thinker. Weaknesses: will not use fire (related to Endeavor)
Bakugou Katsuki- Class 2A (Heroics) Hero name Dynamight. Quirk: Explosions. Strengths: excellent figure, quick thinker. Weaknesses: temper, cold temperatures
Izuku stared at the name before glancing at the television in front of him. Ironically, the camera was aimed at Kacchan’s face, his cocky smirk taking up the whole frame.
Funny, wasn’t it? For most of his life, Izuku had put the explosive guy on a pedestal, even when he was treated like straight dogshit. But now, he had a way of bringing the guy back to earth. Force Bakugou to look him in the eye and get an apology.
That would’ve been impossible in middle school. Get Kacchan to look him in the eye, admitting an apology? That would’ve been a far dream. But after getting humiliated by him, getting told to “take a swan dive off the roof”, that admiration had turned into cold hatred towards his childhood friend.
Even after his lucky encounter with All Might, his role model at the time, Izuku had just been told cold words: “You can never be a hero without a quirk.” And that had been a direct K.O. to his very being. Sure, he’d heard this from everyone in his damned life, but coming from someone you’ve treated like a god for years? Oh, that is crushing.
So, Izuku had decided to go to some nameless high school, because screw UA. Kacchan would be going there, and Izuku had no urge in him to see those red eyes again. They same red eyes that had changed from the soft eyes of childhood to the cold-blooded disgust of now. That’s when he met Himiko-san.
“Dekuuu-kun!” A loud voice took him out of his trance. A small girl came running to him and Deku set down his notebook on the table, earning an annoyed grunt as Shigaraki eyed Toga Himiko crashing into Deku’s lap.
“This isn’t some damn family bonding activity. Let’s refrain from the canoodling and observe the damned match” Shigaraki huffed finally, as the blond girl curled up into Deku’s arms.
Now, what would Deku- that’s what his villain name was- do without Himiko-san? She was his beautiful girlfriend, the girl that had the coolest quirk, and the girl that had introduced him to All-For-One and the villain league.
Because of her, Deku no longer meant what Kacchan had made it. He wasn’t a quirkless loser, now he was a man with some of his master’s quirks. He was Shigaraki’s right-hand man, the right-hand man to breaking down the constructs heroes put in, the man to take down One-For-All. All for One had saved Deku, transforming him into a man worthy to bring change. To break down the walls so-called heroes like All Might had put up. All Might had just put Izuku down. But All of One had made Izuku Deku , one that could flip society upside down and give power to the quirkless.
Deku was a name to symbolize all the bullying he had gone through, just for not having a quirk. It was his conviction. Sure, he wasn’t a fan of Shigaraki’s ideology, but their current goals were the same. To break the hero society from the inside and the outside.
And that’s why he had been sitting and observing Class 2’s UA sports festival with the League. Class 2A had been long rumored to have All Might’s successor, but by observing the festival, they had hoped to catch the student in action, so kidnapping could ensure that they would finally have access to One-For-All.
Even Deku didn’t know why All for One needed this supposed quirk, but Deku knew that he’d do anything for his master. Even if it meant embracing destruction if that’s what resulted in changing social conceptions and eliminating the discrimination he faced.
—
The sky had gotten dark as the League of Villan members sat near the bar table, the dim candles serving as their only source of light. A yellow glow was emitted, the glasses on the cabinet behind the bar reflecting the shallow light.
“Deku. You were in charge of keeping notes. Who do you think may be a suspect?” Shigaraki started the meeting, his plaster hands set in front of him, a hand reaching to scratch his neck.
[[When they had first met, Deku had given Shigaraki neck cream. The cream didn’t help, but it earned a laugh from Shigaraki. A smile that even Kurogiri had never actually seen. It also began the joke that Deku was just a ball of sunshine in the darkness of the League.]]
“My bet is on Mirio Togata.”
Mirio Togata- Class 2A (Heroics) Hero name Lemillion. Quirk: Permeation, but also super strength. Strengths: very strong, fast on his feet, can move through any material. Weaknesses: Can’t fully control his strength quirk, cannot go through thick materials
Deku stated these facts, and murmurs of agreement flooded through the room.
“He seems to not have full control of his secondary quirk, which makes this all the more suspicious. On the contrary, he seems to handle the permeation quirk excellently.”
Deku was cut off by Mr. Compress, which was probably for the better lest he began his nerdy analysis muttering.
“I think Deku is right on this one. Lemillion seems to be on track with everything except his secondary quirk. So, what should we do from here?”
“Kidnap him.” Spinner said, rolling his eyes at the masked man. “Now, what did you think we’d do next?” The lizard sneered, annoyance present in his voice.
Agreement once again coursed the meeting room as the League of Villain members began to formulate a plan to take the student once and for all. It would be a difficult plan to execute, but Deku knew that he would do whatever to fulfill the goals of All For One, the man that had given him a second chance to be himself.
—
“Deku-kun!! Your plan is so good!” A blond girl materialized and grabbed on Deku’s arm as the two of them began to walk out of the bar.
Deku chuckled softly. “I just tried my best, Himiko-san.” He let the girl’s hand travel to meet his own, entwining the two. Himiko swung them back and forth as the pair walked down the street, the night lamps faintly illuminating the area. Crickets chirped, filling the otherwise silent spring-turning-into-summer weather. It was warm, but not too warm, so the warmth from Himiko was much appreciated.
“You know, you look very cute when you mumble.” She said a few moments later, grinning at Deku. “Don’t listen to Shigaraki when he spouts off again.”
Deku blushed, red dusting his ears too. “Himiko-san…” he mumbled, turning away from her as the two continued to walk, still maintaining his hold on her arm. “You can’t just say stuff like that…”
Himiko flashed her fangs once again. “Why not?” her tone was coy, but her face had a false display of innocence.
Himiko’s door to her apartment complex had come too soon, in Deku’s opinion. She’d have to go inside and he’d have to wait another day to see her again. The complex was somewhat run down, void of much life. But Himiko’s apartment was full of vibrancy. The few times Deku had come into her room (to get a cup of tea, obviously), every inch of wall space was covered with posters. Posters of famous actors and actresses, vintage heroes from american pop culture, and even some figures of famous villains were propped up. The first time he’d brought it up, she’d just whispered a “I love them so much, Deku-kun”, a whisper that sent shivers down his skin.
But now, the two of them were just loitering outside Himiko’s door, holding hands and avoiding the inevitable. The whispers of sweet nothings turned into a rush of passion between the two. Soft kisses turned into rough ones, tongues touching and lips meeting and lack of air. A little blood was lost on Deku’s end, but that was the usual when dealing with Himiko (“ I love you so much Deku… to have your blood for a second makes me you when I miss you” ) and to be honest, he didn’t really hate the pain. Having to change your body drastically to absorb All for One’s quirks was a painful process, but a joyous one too.
Deku opened his eyes for a split second, the street around them empty. The buses had stopped for the night and it was far to late to be walking. Unless one was waiting to be attacked by a villain. If you were a civilian, of course. But as Deku’s focus wavered from the girl who had captured his lips, he caught sight of blond hair, and in an instant pushed her away from him.
Himiko looked up, extremely confused. “What happened, Deku-kun?”
Deku felt like his world was spinning. Blond hair blond hair blond hair
A shake to his shoulders broke him from his trance. “Midoriya Izuku.” A soft voice said, Himiko pulling him into a hug. “You’re alright. You’re with me!”
Deku exhaled, feeling like the weight of thousands had been released. “Ah, thank you, Himiko-san. I think I’m okay… long day, I guess.” his smile was apologetic, apologies for running the mood and also causing Himiko worry.
He kissed her on the forehead before turning away, saying goodnight as he walked further away. A faint “goodnight” was heard in the distance as Deku walked after, trying to understand why he had pulled away.
Right. The blond hair. It looked eerily like Kacchan’s in that moment. Maybe it was the lighting, maybe it was the fact that his face had been shown to him twenty times, or maybe it was because Shigaraki had thought it was a great idea to kidnap him, but Deku was suddenly flooded with memories of Bakugou Katsuki.
The journey back to his own run down apartment felt like miles, every step feeling like threading through quicksand. It was gross, how all the memories he could think of were just bad . Deku knew they had been friends once, maybe 13 years ago, before he was proclaimed quirkless and Kacchan with his own quirk. But everything had seemed to be overshadowed by the bad.
And Deku’s subconscious had decided to remind him of that moment as he spent time with a girl that didn’t consider him useless. Man, Deku had just been getting used to the life he built for himself, where his Deku meant “You can do it” and not some useless, quirkless loser. But of course, he had to be brought back to his reality, back to his origin of conviction.
Perhaps he had been getting too soft. He used to be overly guarded with the League, afraid that they too would make fun of the quirkless kid wanting to be a villain. But his walls had been broken down, and maybe he’d shown his own true personality. Dabi had warned him of this, saying to be careful of being too kind, but maybe this was a reminder to stay in line.
Deku was a villain, after all.
And he had his own convictions to uphold too.
For the greater good, anyway.