Work Text:
Yoichi Shigaraki had always dreamed of being a hero just like the ones in his comic books. The greatest of those, Captain Hero, always did the right thing no matter what. He always stood up for the innocent, opposing all evil.
Sadly, fate had other plans for Yoichi.
Now, Yoichi sat behind the wheel of a seemingly rundown car, waiting for the signal. Down the road, a woman in a red coat gave him a nod. Yoichi turned the engine on.
“As your older brother I decide what we do with our lives. And I’ve decided that we will do this . You can resist, but I warn you. You won’t be the one who pays the price.
Yoichi drove down three blocks, stopping in front of an individual running down the street. Yoichi rolled down the window and said, “Kamino’s Delivery and Moving. You moving?”
The individual leaped in the back, placing his bag on the seat next to him. “Thanks pal. You’re my hero.”
“You’re welcome,” Yoichi said through gritted teeth, ignoring the shattered storefront his passenger had run from. He slammed on the gas. With the help of a sensory quirk (courtesy of his brother), Yoichi effortlessly weaved through traffic as he sped down several blocks. He turned toward the old part of town, fewer cameras there. Upon arriving, he took a series of erratic turns before slowing down and joining ordinary traffic. The perfect camouflage. Just another ride share driver, who hated his job.
“I won’t do it! I won’t be a villain!”
“Are you sure Yoichi? Even when I have… them ?” Yoichi’s brother opened his phone and showed a live camera feed of his bank vault.
Yoichi gasped. “No…”
“Yes. And if you don’t obey, then I have some kerosene and matches begging to be used for a little bonfire. But if you don’t mind-”
“Fine!” Yoichi said. Choking back tears he said, “Fine. Y-you’re in charge, big brother.”
“Excellent. As the older one, it is my job to take care of you.” He pulled Yoichi into a hug. “Even from yourself.
Yoichi hated his current life. He wanted to be a hero, a defender of the innocent! Not some two bit low-life helping criminals accomplish their evil deeds! Especially one as heinous as his brother, All for One. Yoichi’s brother even gave him stolen quirks to use like a common minion (temporarily of course). Then again, was his brother wrong? Yoichi wasn’t a brave fighter for justice. He was a common thug! Not that he had a choice. As long as his brother held Yoichi’s beloveds captive, he couldn’t risk defiance. Their safety was too important. For now, he would obey. At least, he would openly .
Yoichi’s brother wasn’t an idiot. He kept Yoichi from learning about his enemies until Yoichi had committed several crimes (to break his heroic spirit of course). But Yoichi had since learned of his brother’s many enemies. Despite everything, Yoichi hadn’t given up. Not yet.
Now it was a race. Could Yoichi free his loved ones before he lost his soul?
#
Yoichi opened the server room door. He picked up several hard drives to hand to his “partners” (common thugs, trustworthy enough to be around Yoichi, but otherwise expendable). Yoichi then entered the owner’s personal office and cracked open the safe, using a code his brother gave him.
As ordered, he stole everything. Papers, jewels, and…a letter from the owner’s dead father. Yoichi grimaced. Even for his brother this was low. Nevertheless, Yoichi forced down his disgust and did as he was told. For them .
Yoichi rejoined the others and exited the building. The group crossed the street to a small restaurant whose owner had refused to pay protection money. Yoichi lit a Molotov cocktail and threw it inside.
Yoichi stood there, observing his handiwork: An honest man’s livelihood up in flames. Yoichi had to be forced by his fellow felons to flee the scene. The one thing that kept him from deserting his brother right then and there was knowing that the the next fire consuming his loved ones.
“Older brother knows best,” he thought bitterly.
#
“No. Just…no. This is too far!”
“Really Yoichi? Is it that big a step from what you’ve already been doing?”
“Yes! This is murder you’re talking about! I won’t do it!”
“This judge is a corrupt man who has let several murderers loose in exchange for bribes. He’s only resisting me because he wants more money. Is he really worth that much to you!”
“It’s not about him! It’s about heroism! Goodness! I want to keep some morals before this scheme falls. And make no mistake big brother, it will. Villains always-
“One more word and your precious ones burn!” his brother hissed.
Yoichi’s mouth snapped shut.
His brother painfully squeezed Yoichi’s shoulder. “We may be twins, but I’m the older one. I’m the one who saved your life from the rats. Who protected you, raised you. I know best. If you won’t accept that, then ask yourself this. What matters more? This corrupt selfish man? Or them?” He showed an image of Yoichi’s beloveds.
Yoichi’s head dipped down, all fight vanishing from him. “I’ll do it.”
So at eleven the following night, armed with a quirk to shoot sharpened needles from his palms, Yoichi broke into the judge’s house. He crept up the stairs, each little creak sounding like a thunderous roar to Yoich’s nervous ears. He reached the bedroom door and slowly began to nudge it open. Unable to take it, Yoichi violently threw the door ajar and fired at the bed. He fired again and again, squeezing his eyes shut to avoid seeing his handiwork. When the frenzy wore off, Yoichi finally let himself look. The bed was empty.
A door opened behind Yoichi. Yoichi turned around, raising his hand. The judge stepped out of his office, whistling a little tune. He saw Yoichi. Fear filling his eyes, the judge raised his hands.
Yoichi said, “Y-you have…you have defied One for A-All for One,” He took a deep breath. “For that, you must…you must-”
“Wait,” The judge said. “Please. I’ll take the money. In fact, I’ll work for free! Tell your boss! I-I’m his! I’ll serve him loyally!”
Yoichi’s brother anticipated this. He’d been clear. No mercy.
“Please,” the main said, tears and sweat spilling down his face. “Please don’t kill me!”
Yoichi could barely see the man through his own tears. For them.
“Y-you can’t! Please, I have-”
The sound of the quirk firing drowned out the man’s final plea. Was he offering money, or appealing to a family who’d miss him? Yoichi would never know. Instead he turned around on autopilot, walking out to the waiting car. Nobody else’s lights were on. Nobody knew anything was wrong. But Yoichi knew. Everything was wrong.
#
“You’ve done well little brother.”
“Yes, big brother. You know best.”
Yoichi stepped into his brother’s private room, softly closing the door behind him. He sifted through his brother’s papers, searching. There were ones related to his work, quirks, even some on their mother. Yoichi would copy the last ones for his personal use. But first he had to find- Aha!
Yoichi pulled out a paper with the security codes of his brother’s various bank accounts. He also found schematics to his brother’s vault. Yoichi scanned everything with his burner phone (purchased with cash while disguised). Yoichi put everything back and hurried out. He sent the files to his co-conspirators, who swiftly replied. The plan was on.
Yoichi’s heart pounded, a silent drum of war. After tonight, his loved ones would no longer languish in the dark. He was taking the ultimate gamble, putting everything ont he line to save them. And by doing so, maybe he’d also save himself.
Yoichi opened the backdoor to his brother’s compound, letting several vigilantes inside. The group hurried down to the vault room, swiftly overpowering the guards.
“Good luck,” one vigilante with a scar said, handing Yoichi a vault cracking tool. With that, he and his partner left, off to try to steal Yoichi’s brother’s files and assassinate his lieutenants. Yoichi meanwhile had others to attend to.
Using the vigilante’s tool, Yoichi finally opened the vault. At last, he could look upon his loves again. They were a bit weathered, but that might just be because of Yoichi’s rose tinted memories. Overall, they were unharmed, as Yoichi had hoped. His obedience had paid off.
“I think it’s high time you guys had a change of scenery don’t you?” he said. Then softer, “You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you.”
Using the extra strength of his stockpiling quirk (his one permanent quirk), Yoichi picked up his loved ones and bolted to the car the vigilantes had parked for him. Yoichi took the keys off the front wheel, opened the door and placed his beloveds in the back seat.
Yoichi considered waiting for the vigilantes, but then one of the walls of the compound exploded. Based on the sounds, the vigilantes were either fighting Gigantomachia, or Yoichi’s brother himself. Either way, he had no way of helping them. Yoichi hoped the vigilantes made it, but he had others to worry about.
“Hang on,” he said to his passengers. Yoichi turned the ignition and hit the gas, driving as fast as he could without jostling his passengers. The compound soon disappeared from view. As he put more distance between himself and the compound, Yoichi felt the tension leaving his shoulders, replaced with a sort of euphoria.
It was over. At long last. He was free. No more crime, no more villainy, no more fear. Yoichi could be the hero he’d always wanted to be. He looked back at his precious passengers as it finally began to sink in. He’d actually done it.
He’d rescued his precious comic books.