Chapter Text
Toshinori Yagi knocked on the principal’s door. He’d come prepared with a fancy Gyokuro tea as a bribe. “Do you have a moment?”
“Come in,” Ne-Dzu called. His snout perked up to see the gift. “Ah, you’ve brought me a bribe. Is this about Yuuei’s work study program?”
“Perceptive as always.” Toshinori smiled ruefully.
Every year, Yuuei held a program where students interned under past graduates. The experience was invaluable for students. However, after Izuku had nearly been abducted during the field trip, Toshinori had serious doubts about the wisdom of sending him away from Yuuei again. Since Toshinori had been the one to propose the field trip, he felt even more guilty. The students had loved Earth—but Izuku certainly hadn’t enjoyed several broken bones. They still hadn’t uncovered the spy. If Izuku left the safety of Yuuei’s security, it would be another chance for All for One to strike.
Clearing his throat, Toshinori started his planned spiel. “I don’t want Izuku to miss out on such a valuable opportunity. However, none of those who applied to be mentors have security as good as Yuuei’s. I wonder if it would be possible for us to arrange a mentorship here at the school?”
Ne-Dzu leaned back in his chair. “I understand your concerns, and I’ve already spoken to Inko Midoriya. We’ve reached an agreement. Izuku Midoriya will attend work study like the other students, but his location will be a strict secret.”
Toshinori blinked, surprised Inko had agreed. Usually, she was the more cautious of the two of them.
Ne-Dzu continued, “In fact, if everything goes according to plan, we might even use this opportunity to catch the spy.”
From the twinkle in the principal’s eye, Toshinori knew that he wouldn’t learn more. If Inko didn’t object, then he couldn’t. Still, as Toshinori left, he typed up a message to his former mentor Tor’no and his former intern Night3y3. Since Night3y3 traveled between planets on his ship, hopefully his location would change too fast for All for One’s spies to spot him. It would be a valuable chance for Izuku to see more of the galaxy. Most importantly, Toshinori would only feel secure if he knew Izuku was with people he trusted.
Ever since Yuuei’s work study program had been announced, the students had been talking about nothing else. Mom had been surprisingly supportive of Izuku going. He’d braced himself for some complaints, or worse, hand wringing with a worried smile. After the disastrous end to the Earth field trip, Izuku had expected her to forbid any future excursions.
Yet she had simply asked questions, consulted with Ne-Dzu, Yagi and A’zawa, and then agreed to let him go.
“What?” Izuku had said, when he learned the news, barely managing to not spew out his dinner.
“Close your mouth when you’re talking, sweetheart,” his mom had said, and dumbfounded, Izuku had done so.
His mom continued, “It only makes sense. A diplomacy work-study is necessary for your education, and Toshinori has lined up a work-study with one of his mentors and a former colleague. I believe their names are Night3y3 and Tor’no.”
This time, Izuku couldn’t cover his mouth in time. “Really?! They’ve been mentioned in his comics before! I didn’t know they were real.”
Mom laughed. “I’m happy to see you happy. However, the principal and I have agreed that you should not tell anyone else where your work study is located, so that the information can’t leak to All for One.”
Izuku’s knee jerk reaction was to protest. “None of my friends would ever betray me.”
Mom’s brow wrinkled. She did not look quite so certain. But she only said, “If we tell some people but not others, then it will make it obvious who you trust more. Isn’t it less awkward to just say that you’re not allowed to tell anyone?”
That was a very good point, and Izuku felt grateful to be allowed to have a work study at all, so he agreed.
And so it was decided. Izuku would get to participate in a work-study as long as he regularly checked in with Yuuei and Mom, and he promised not to get into any trouble.
“I don’t try to,” Izuku had protested, but Mom shook her head and gave him a hug. Izuku had wanted to be offended, but his mom gave great hugs, and she was allowing him to participate in a work-study, so he could bite his tongue.
Inko often delivered cookies to Izuku’s class. She considered it a challenge to her cooking skills, coming up with something each alien species could eat. Today, however, she had a secret mission. One that she’d been planning with Ne-Dzu since the field trip.
After the grateful students accepted the cookies with ample praise, Inko gathered up her storage containers. She kept each cookie in a different box to prevent contamination, knowing most of the students had more sensitive stomachs (or other digestive organs) than humans. “Could someone lend me a hand carrying these?”
Ochaako immediately leapt to her feet. “I’ll help, Ms. Midoriya.”
“Thank you.” Inko smiled. She hadn’t gotten a chance to test Ochaako yet.
As the two of them walked down the hallway, carrying the stacks of containers, Inko said, “Izuku’s very excited about his work study. Still, I can’t help worrying about him, going to a space station as far away as UL-41…oh!” She placed a hand over her mouth, pretending shock and embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to let that slip. Principal Ne-Dzu forbade us from telling anyone where Izuku would be interning. You won’t tell anyone that I told you? Not even Izuku? I’m so mortified.”
Firmly, Ochaako said, “I’ve already forgotten it. I won’t speak a word.”
“I know you won’t.” Inko meant it. She considered Ochaako very, very low on her list of possible spies. The squirrel-like girl was far too kind, and she’d proven her loyalty to Izuku time and time again. But Inko had to test everyone.
Before Izuku left Yuuei, Inko planned to “accidentally” let her son’s location slip to every single member of Class 1-A. Of course, she didn’t reveal that Izuku would actually be traveling around the galaxy on Night3y3’s spaceship. Instead she gave each student a different fake location. If All for One’s agents showed up at any of the fake spots, then she and Ne-Dzu would know which member Class 1-A had betrayed them.
If this didn’t work, then Inko would expand her search to the staff and Class 1-B. However, both she and Ne-Dzu believed the spy would likely be someone new to Yuuei and planted as close to Izuku as possible. Izuku trusted all his classmates. Inko, who had once been abandoned by a husband, knew that even people you loved could betray you.
Yuuga Aoyama fidgeted with the handles on his bag as he waited for his ship to arrive, to take him away to his work study with the renowned inventor Yooroo Mushasha. Although he wished he could go home to his parents, he was looking forward to a break from sending All for One spy reports. At least for the duration of his internship, he would have no contact with Izuku and nothing to say.
Other students waited in the loading dock as well. Some were alone, others had parents who lived at Yuuei. He sighed to see the families. From behind him, Inko asked, “Are you all by yourself?”
“Ahhhh!” Yuuga jumped in the air. “Um. Yes, my parents live on my homeworld.” He hoped she would not ask which world. Thus far, he’d avoided a lot of lying because people didn’t consider it polite to ask. But hu-mans were known to be bold.
“They must be nervous to send you so far away.” Inko’s gaze became distant. “I hate to think of my son traveling all the way to the Eternally Expanding Robotics City. Oh, dear, I didn’t mean to say that. Please don’t tell anyone else.”
A long, loud, internal scream filled Yuuga’s brain. Why? Why did she have to tell him?! He’d been nice and safe in his ignorance! Everyone had been safer when he didn’t know! He stammered, “U-uh…I didn’t hear what you said,” a weak and pathetic lie.
“Thank you,” Inko smiled at him, then left.
With sweaty hands, Yuuga pulled out his holo. His fingers hovered over the screen. He thought about Izuku lying pale and still in the hospital bed after Muscular’s attack. Slowly, he let his holo slip back into his bag.
No one knew that Yuuga knew. There would be no possible way for All for One to find out. Therefore, Yuuga didn’t have to tell. He would do everything in his power to forget this ever happened.
Even so, he knew the day would come when he couldn’t take such a convenient out. Sooner or later, he would have to pick a side.
Only a day into his internship, Izuku was beginning to second guess his choice.
The spaceship he was working on should have been his first clue that his work-study would be an odd one. Completely run down on the outside, it looked like it had been hit by several meteors and then haphazardly repaired for cheap. Compared to Yuuei’s state-of-the-art facilities, it was a little underwhelming.
But Izuku tried to remain positive although the inside didn’t give him much hope either. Devoid of basic luxuries like couches and chairs, the spaceship interior was all hard lines, sleek chrome, and endless filing cabinets. The decor matched the owner. Night3y3 was a very tall robot dressed in a grey suit that blended in with his silver body. His single eye was so large it took up nearly his entire head. In addition, he had extra eyes on his shoulders, hands, and the back of his rotatable head. He dressed with no tie or cufflinks or other accessories, as grey as his ship.
The only remotely personal part of the place was a series of limited edition All Might posters sealed in temperature-regulating containers and hung on the walls.
However, Night3y3 had taken one glance at Izuku and coldly informed him that he was not allowed to get within reaching distance of the posters.
Which was RUDE.
But Izuku pasted on his best, non-threatening, pleased-to-be-here smile and asked what he was to do.
Night3y3 gestured to a stack of paperwork.
Things hadn’t gotten better from there.
Slogging through his fifth stack of paperwork, Izuku fought the urge to slam his head against the desk. Numbers and letters blurred in his vision, and he had the sneaking suspicion he’d read the same paragraph three times.
Tor’no, a short bipedal alien with prickly gray fur and golden spots like a cheetah, narrowed his eyes at Izuku. He was supposed to be doing something—Izuku was positive about that, but instead he lounged by Izuku’s desk and scratched his chin.
“You sure you don’t have any taiyaki?”
“I don’t,” Izuku said for probably the twentieth time that day.
“And you don’t know how to make it.”
Sweet goodness, give him patience.
“No.”
“Then why are you here in the first place?”
Izuku tasted blood from biting his tongue. “I’m sorry, sir,” he managed to say when he didn’t think he would yell in frustration. “I thought I would be here to help with diplomacy matters or other operations. Not Earthen baking skills.”
The last part came out saltier than he had wanted, but thankfully the older alien only narrowed his eyes. “Hmph.”
“Less talking, more working,” Night3y3 ordered, not bothering to look up from his desk where he was scanning papers. His eyes opened and closed with a shutter as each took in the information Izuku had organized and uploaded it into his personal data banks.
“Is there anything else you need from me, sir?” Izuku asked hopefully. “I can do more than simply organize data? Maybe analysis? Or a trip off the ship on another planet?”
It was a sad day when being in space and in the company of aliens was boring. But Izuku was desperate for something different.
Disgruntled whirling noises sounded from Night3y3. “I don’t need analysis. Simply organize the information and input the data. M1r1o has shown he is capable of such feats.”
Izuku clenched his fists underneath the table. He liked M1r1o. The AI system was helpful, cheerful, and surprisingly funny. When he occupied his portable robot form, he’d even help Izuku with paperwork. But the constant comparisons were getting exhausting.
“Excuse me,” Izuku heard himself say. “I need to use the restroom.”
He walked away quickly before anyone could say anything.
Closing the door to the bathroom behind him, Izuku slid onto the floor and closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief moment of calm.
It’s okay, he told himself. I asked for this opportunity. I’m lucky.
Yet, the words were less convincing with every passing day.
Sighing, Izuku opened up his holo device to see if there were any messages. Several of his friends posted smiling vids of them at their work studies on exotic planets working with different species.
If only, Izuku thought.
Ochaako had sent a photo of her with her mentor, a tall alien with spiky teal fur and four black eyes. Her eyes sparkled as she flashed a thumbs-up toward the camera.
Ochaako: Wish you were here. Can’t wait to show you what I’ve learned when we get back.
Izuku’s cheeks burned slightly as he wrote back with several exclamation marks and a smiley face.
Another private message popped up on his screen.
Izuku stared at the notification, not wanting to see the fun his classmates were having when his own work study was so disappointing.
His holo notified him again, and reluctantly, Izuku opened the message.
Shouto: Question for you
Shouto: Do you mind if I join your work study?
Izuku blinked. That anyone would want to join him was ludicrous. He’d clearly gotten the worst work study in the class.
Izuku: What?
Shouto: I got tricked for my work study. Ended up with my old man
Ouch, Night3y3 been bumped to second worst work study mentor. Izuku winced. He had heard enough from Shouto to know that his father should be kept as far away as possible. Some people made good parents…Shouto’s father did not.
Shouto: I need to get out of here. But I don’t want to go back to Yuuei where he could track me down. Can I join you?
Izuku: I’d be happy to have you. But I should probably warn you. My work study is really boring. All I’ve been doing is paperwork.
Shouto: Better than what I’ve been dealing with. Be there soon.
Izuku: Wait, I need to get permission from Yuuei to tell you my location.
Although Izuku had been forbidden to reveal his location, he trusted Shouto completely, and this was an emergency. Surely they could find a way to make it work. Though it belatedly occurred to Izuku that maybe he shouldn’t text sensitive information. He should contact Shouto face-to-face to verify his identity first.
Shouto: Your mom accidentally let it slip to me before we left. I’m already on my way. Thank you, I’m desperate.
The notification icon dropped away as Shouto logged off. Night3y3 wouldn’t be pleased with another student joining them, and Yuuei wouldn’t be happy their security measures around his location had failed, but Izuku couldn’t bring himself to care.
Finally his work study was looking up.
Shouto’s tail lashed as he stalked down the dusty road. His fur was still ruffled. Shouto had picked a Yuki for his mentor, because even though Shouto was half-Yuki, he’d never met a member of the species before. He’d been born in a laboratory. He had hoped to learn more about that half of his heritage. Maybe, just maybe, he might even get a clue about his biological mother’s identity. He’d always wondered. Throughout the space ship trip, he’d been full of anticipation.
Instead, he’d arrived at the office to find his father waiting for him. Without even listening to a word, Shouto had turned around and walked out. It wasn’t fair for his father to ambush him like that. Yes, Shouto had blocked his father’s calls, but some people would take that as a clue that he didn’t want to talk.
In the subsequent chase, Shouto had barely made it through the teleporter. Without thinking, he’d typed in the location of Izuku’s internship, the person he most wanted to see right now. The two of them had bonded over both having terrible biological fathers. He knew Izuku would understand. Then when Shouto came out the other side of the teleporter, he’d been forced to belatedly ask permission to join Izuku. It came as a relief that his friend hadn’t been angry at him for knowing his secret location. Though Shouto did feel guilty about admitting Inko had told him. He’d always been bad at lying, and it had just popped out.
According to Inko, Izuku had been interning on Azeath, a Death World destroyed by civil war and a freak asteroid attack. The planet had been abandoned, deemed inhabitable because of the radiation left over from the war and the destruction of the atmosphere. Although no species wanted to live on Azeath anyway. Very little was known about the mysterious and militant Death Worlder natives, because they had driven off every alien species who tried to make contact with them. Those they caught were never seen again. But their world was said to be perhaps the only other Category Five Death World in existence besides Earth. It was tricky to classify them, since no outsiders had seen their world before its devastation. The Azeath were extinct now. The only people who lived here were criminals in hiding, and archeologists studying the ruins. Shouto assumed Izuku was interning with the latter. Though with Principal Ne-Dzu…you never knew.
Barren, cracked landscape spread out to the horizon. It reminded Shouto of an Earth desert, except with even less plant life. A red giant sun blazed overhead. The purplish air tickled his throat. Shouto coughed. Most people could not survive on this planet without protective gear and air filters. Being a Death Worlder from a desert planet, Shouto was tougher than most. Even so, he felt his head spin and his limbs weaken. Perhaps he’d overestimated his capabilities a little. He picked up his pace, hoping to reach the outpost ahead. The silver buildings gleamed at the end of the road. Izuku should be there. Water should be there.
Spaceships of all shapes and sizes had been parked at the edge of the outpost. A few people wearing breathing masks had set up crude tables to sell wares. Shouto nearly stopped at a stand full of jugs, hoping to buy some water. Then he noticed they were selling drugs illegal in nearly every part of the galaxy. Actually everything being sold here looked fishy. Could Izuku actually be interning with a criminal organization?
Shouto stopped and took out his holo. Maybe he should text Izuku and ask for a more specific location.
A shadow loomed over Shouto. He looked up. The giant alien had black sweeping wings even darker than Fumikage and Tokoyami’s. A red and gold mask covered most of his face, leaving only his gleaming golden eyes visible. The lower half of his body looked like a wasp. (Shouto had been studying Earth insects as a hobby.) The alien had six golden legs and a huge stinger. Two of his legs had been replaced with prosthetics, so subtle that Shouto barely noticed. More metal ran down his spine. He was massive, big enough to fill Shouto’s entire room back home and probably bust his head through the ceiling.
“What are you?” the alien demanded. His high-pitched voice hurt the ears. There was a flurry of movement as every single person in the surrounding area fled. Within moments, the landing area was completely deserted.
Shouto had a bad feeling that his diplomatic lessons might be about to become a matter of life or death. “I’m Shouto Todoroki. Are you selling any wares?” Not that Shouto wanted to buy, but he would if necessary to shift his status in this encounter from mugging victim to customer.
The alien clicked, and the sound shook the nearby ships. “I asked what you are. I’ve never seen a creature like you before, and my stock includes those from around the galaxy. You must be a plagued one.”
The hair running down Shouto’s spine stood on end. Plagued one was a very rude word for people like him, who were genetically modified. And…what did “stock” mean? Shouto had some worrying guesses. People with genetic modifications were among the most likely to be sold into illegal slavery.
No one who used a word like “plagued one” would be interested in anything Shouto could say. A’zawa had taught his students that retreat could sometimes be the wisest battle tactic. Those on Shouto’s homeworld believed it was always cowardice to turn your back on an enemy. But that just made Shouto even more willing to disgrace his father. He turned and ran.
Shouto had always been one of the fastest in his class. He could even win against a hu-man in a short sprint. But his legs were weakened from the bad air. The alien’s stinger moved even faster. Sharp pain struck Shouto’s side, then the world went dark.
Izuku stepped into the cockpit, clearing his throat to alert Night3y3 to his presence. But it had been unnecessary, because the eye in the back of the robot’s head already zoomed in on him. Then Night3y3 swiveled around in his chair. “Are you done your paperwork?”
“No.” Izuku attempted a weak smile. “One of my friends asked to join my internship—”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then he didn’t show up.”
“Good.”
“It’s not good.” Izuku took out his holo to show his screen. “I’ve been messaging him nonstop, see? He never replied. His last message said he was coming to me.”
The ship’s screen lit up, and M1r1o’s round yellow dot appeared. “Oh, no! Maybe he went to the wrong location? Our ship has been moving around.”
Night3y3’s many eyes glowed. “You were instructed to keep your location strictly confidential. How dare you tell someone where to find us?”
“I didn’t!” Izuku protested. “Shouto already knew where to find me, he said he—” Izuku didn’t want to throw his mother under the bus. “He overheard.”
The glow in Night3y3’s gaze calmed. “He fell for the fake information.”
“Fake?”
“Principal Ne-Dzu had some scheme to feed your class false information about your location and see if anyone spilled to All for One.”
That explained a lot. Izuku had known his mother wasn’t the type to blab secrets. “We need to figure out where Shouto went. If he couldn’t find me, then he should have messaged me by now. He could be in trouble.”
M1r1o said, “Yuuei set up cameras at all the false locations to see who showed up. I have a high enough security clearance, I can tap into the feeds and look for your friend. What’s his full name?”
“Shouto Todoroki,” Izuku said, speaking over Night3y3 as the robot protested it was unnecessary.
The screen flashed pure yellow. M1r1o intoned, “Matching name to student ID. Activating facial recognition scan.”
While M1r1o was busy, Izuku asked, “Is Tor’no here?” He hoped that hoped Tor’no might be more reasonable and willing to help than Night3y3. At least Tor’no didn’t seem to dislike him for no reason.
Night3y3 grumbled, “He used the teleporter to vanish without even saying where. Probably off purchasing snacks for his food craving.”
Izuku’s gaze flashed to the clear box in the corner of the room. Night3y3’s ship had an unusually high-powered teleporter, capable of moving between worlds (albeit only nearby ones.) Most teleporters had a more limited range to one planet. Ne-Dzu had approved this internship partly because they had such a convenient means of escape if attacked by All for One’s agents.
“One match found,” M1r1o said. “Displaying video of Azeath…oh, no!”
Izuku watched in horror as a giant wasp-crow hybrid knocked Shouto unconscious, then carried him off. There was no sound in the video, but somehow that made it even more horrific, especially Shouto’s sickening stillness at the end. Izuku’s fist clenched. His breath felt stuck in his throat.
“OverHaul…” Night3y3 muttered.
Izuku whirled on his robot mentor. “You know the kidnapper?”
“That’s OverHaul, leader of Clan Shie Hassaikai.” Night3y3 pointed at the bright red alien character emblazoned on the feathery back in a frozen frame. “Or perhaps I should call them a former clan. After OverHaul displaced the old boss, they turned to slave trading, and the other clans disowned them.”
Izuku had fought the Shie Hassaikai once before, when they had attacked the Aldera Colony Ship. He would have remembered seeing an alien as large as OverHaul. The raiders who’d attacked had probably been only part of the whole fleet. “Do you know where I can find OverHaul?”
M1r1o chirped, “Of course, we’ve been gathering information on the Shie Hassaikai to take them down for nearly a rotation. We already found their home base, an asteroid orbiting around Azeath.” Coordinates flashed across the screen.
Izuku demanded, “We have to rescue Shouto!”
“We’ll presumably find him when we subdue the Shie Hassaikai in a dozen cycles.” Night3y3 did not sound worried. “Yuuei’s forces are not yet ready for a full frontal attack. I still need to gather more information on OverHaul’s defenses. He’s been purchasing new technology on the black market. A premature attack would surely be doomed to failure.”
Izuku twitched. “You want to rescue Shouto…in a dozen cycles? I was hoping that we would leave right now . Maybe we can compromise? I’ll take a few minutes to collect weapons while you call Yuuei for help. Then we go.”
“Your concern for your friend is understandable, but I cannot jeopardize a long-term mission out of sentiment. It might comfort you to know that your friend will not be sold very quickly. Since he appears to be a rarity, OverHaul probably plans to market him not as common slave but rather as a pet—”
Before Night3y3 could finish his sentence, a whoosh of air passed him by. A hole appeared in the side of the teleporter, leaving shattered glass on the floor. And Izuku was gone.
M1r1o said, “I don’t think he found that very comforting.”
OMAKE TIME!
Inko: All for One’s agents haven’t shown up at any of the fake locations. The incredibly devious spy must have seen through my plan.
Yuuga Aoyama: Uh…I meant to do that?
Momo: I’ve heard tales of the treacherous dishonor of Clan Shie Hassaikai. They are a disgrace to righteous clans like my own. You should have summoned me so that we could smite them together!
Izuku: I kinda left that beacon you gave me back in my bedroom…Sorry, I’ll carry it around more frequently from now on just in case I run into another exiled Clan criminal.
Izuku: Why does Night3y3 still dislike me in this AU? We don’t have the baggage of you wanting All Might to pick someone else as a successor. I’ve never done anything to you.
Night3y3: You exposed All Might as a hu-man!
Izuku: He decided that himself, and it was going to come out eventually as more humans explore the galaxy.
Night3y3: You bidded against me in the last auction for a rare Tenth Anniversary All Might poster.
Izuku: I lost! I should be the one holding a grudge, not you.
Night3y3: You’ve been eyeing my poster as if you want to steal it.
Izuku: Fine, guilty as charged.