Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya doesn’t regret his decisions one bit. They brought him, his family and his friends. Sure, they brought trouble and hardship. But what cause worth fighting for wouldn’t? It compared nothing to the world of pain his companions saved him from. Izuku sits in an abandoned house deep into the overgrown forest on the outskirts of Jaku City. The destruction caused by Shigaraki allowed nature to reclaim a large portion of the city. Izuku stretches out in a dusty recliner reading a newspaper from four years ago detailing the war.

Toga Himiko comes running into the room and grabs his arm. “Izu! Dabi took my knife again!”

“Did not! This one’s mine!” The accused man shouts from the other room.

Izuku calmly shifts his gaze from his newspaper to his chosen family. “Dabi, Toga, do I need to remind you of the house rules? I believe I distinctly stated what happens when you bring me into your arguments.”

Toga freezes and stands up straight. “Y’know, Dabi, I think you can have that one. As a gift! Because, um, we’re family aren’t we?”

Dabi enters the room. “It was mine to begin with, but sure. Family.” Dabi and Toga shiver in tandem at the grin that spreads across Izuku’s face.

Izuku softens his grin to a small smile. “Sounds like you worked that out just fine without me!” Izuku drops his face at the smell of smoke beginning to radiate from his older brother. “Dabi put the fire away, if you burn the house down, you’re fixing it.”

Dabi rolls his eyes and dramatically extinguishes the small flame he was fidgeting with. “When is Vandal supposed to get back again? We found another trigger base. I assumed you’d want it taken care of, Abaddon?”

Izuku’s grin returns in full force. “Of course Blaze. Were you wanting to make a deal?”

Dabi laughs. “I don’t think that’s necessary, boss man. They seemed overconfident. Between Vandal and I we should have plenty of firepower.”

Izuku hesitates for a moment. “While I agree that you two are certainly capable of mass destruction, I’m a little skeptical. How large is the operation? Do you two have a plan if something goes wrong?” Izuku pulls out a small white feather and the golden quill provided by his quirk. “Maybe just something small? I can make the terms something you’d give me anyway so there’s no negative effect.” The white feather molds itself into a small scroll with golden writing emblazoned on its surface.

“I, the Angelic Vigilante Abaddon, hereby offer the boon of protection to the person(s) who sign this contract in exchange for the information discovered during the duration of the contract. Both parties are in agreement that this contact lasts 24 hours from the moment of signature.

____________”

Chapter Text

The bell rings out signaling the end of the day at Aldera Junior High. Bakugou and his lackeys turn their eyes to the seat usually occupied by Izuku Midoriya, but he is nowhere to be seen. Bakugou rolls his eyes, making eye contact with each member of his little group before nodding to the door. He packs his things, slinging his bag over one shoulder and placing both hands in his pockets. Once out of earshot of the teacher the group split, one to three of them to explore every path of the school quickly to find their quarry. Bakugou is on his own as always. He doesn’t need anyone to support him. He’s the only kid at Aldera with a shot at UA highschool.

“Come on out Deku! We’re gonna find you no matter where you’re hiding.” The blond boy taunts, releasing a few small explosions in his palm. He whips his head around at what looked like a glimpse of green darting around a corner. “COME BACK HERE DEKU!” He yells as he propels himself forward with his explosions. The terrified look on Izuku’s face makes Bakugou’s grin turn feral as he darts forward.

Izuku, ever the pacifist, runs. He hates this game of cat and mouse, but since he’s already run away the punishment is worse than if he just let them catch him after class. Izuku runs to the stairs that go to the roof. He can usually lose Bakugou in the mess of machinery and other people. Izuku ducks through the crowd that flinches away from him as if he was diseased. It isn’t his fault he was born this way, but it’s the truth. He’s worthless and he knows it, but he’d wish Bakugou would let him forget, even if only for a moment. His teachers didn’t do anything to make it better either. Especially not after the talk about UA in his final class of the day. He was mortified as his teacher mentioned Izuku and UA in the same sentence, knowing Bakugou would want to snuff out the last sparks of hope he still had. Izuku hates his teacher. But he just can’t bring himself to hate Bakugou. Call it what you want, naivety, stupidity, hope, it’s all the same. Izuku will always see the brother he once had in the blond boy.

Izuku hears the explosions break into the stairwell, just as he is exiting. The greenette ducks under the small crevice that he knows Bakugou can’t reach without causing major property damage and he waits. He hears Bakugou scream in rage as he realizes where Izuku is. The Izuku hears an odd sound.

Laughter. Specifically Bakugou’s laughter. The boy’s shoes come into view as Bakugou sits on top of the ventilation pipes.

“Come on Deku, I know you’re there.” A small white notebook is dangled in front of the opening. “Hero Analysis for the Future, huh? I don’t think you’ll need that as a Janitor Deku. If anyone would even hire you in the first place.” Bakugou laughs again. “I’ll tell you what. Come out here and face me, and I’ll give it back. Scout’s honor or whatever that pre-quirk saying is.”

Izuku is torn, he knows every page of that book like the back of his hand, so he could easily rewrite it, but he’s running low on funds and he needs to make rent on time or the landlord will kick him out with no remorse. Everything has been more difficult since Inko left to join Hisashi. He can’t bring himself to call her mother anymore. But she does send money every once and awhile, just to keep him alive. He supposes he should be thankful, it’s his fault she couldn’t get a good job in Musutafu.

He decides to leave his bag under the vents and crawl out a little ways away from Bakugou so he can mentally prepare for what’s coming next.

“Over here, K-Kacchan. P-please give it back. I, uh, only applied to UA as a joke. You see, they removed their no quirkless policy and I wanted to see if it was true! That’s all! I swear! I wasn’t actually gonna go or anything. I’d probably die in the practical and there’s no way I could pass the written cause it’s probably super hard. Not that it would be hard for you or anything Kacchan! But-”

“Will you SHUT UP!” Bakugou yells. “You’re rambling is so annoying! No wonder Auntie left you.” Izuku flinches slightly at the harsh tone, but forces himself not to tremble, that will only make Bakugou more angry. “Sound’s like you already know your place though, Deku. Maybe you’re finally listening to me. So let me leave you with one last piece of advice.” He walks forward with the notebook and shoves it into Izuku’s chest with a small explosion, just enough for the heat to lick at Izuku’s face. “If you want to be a hero so bad, take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in your next life.”

Bakugou’s lackeys finally make it to the top of the stairs, having heard the explosions. They wait for Bakugou’s signal, and turn to leave, shouting nasty comments at Izuku as they go.

Izuku crawls back under the vents in case they decide to come back for him. He pulls out a small pocket flashlight and begins slowly making his way through the homework that was assigned. Keeping an eye on the time so he can leave in time to catch the last train of the day. He packs his bag, carefully putting the worn out yellow backpack over both shoulders. The sun is setting overhead as he exits, and makes his way out of the school.

The green haired boy slips a sweatshirt out of his bag and puts it on in the most awkward way so he can avoid taking his backpack off. He’s grateful no one was around to watch his struggle that could easily have been avoided by removing the yellow bag. With his school uniform covered and his hair slightly concealed by the hood he continues to the train station. He scans his ticket, boards his train and waits. He looks around to assess potential danger when he spots a strange man sitting in the back. The man appears to be made completely of a purple mist that sways when the train doors close and the train begins to move. Nobody else is in the train car, so Izuku places himself on the opposite side.

The mist-man stands and begins to walk towards Izuku, who shifts uncomfortably preparing to attempt to fight his way out if need be. Now that he is up close, Izuku supposes the mist is closer to smoke than mist. He can also see the outline of an actual body somewhere underneath the purple smoke. The man crouches in front of Izuku and begins to speak.

“You are Midoriya Izuku, aren’t you?” The man speaks softly, but with a robotic inflection that gives an uncanny feeling to his words.

Izuku composes himself. “I might be. What’s it to you Mr- uh,”

“Kurogiri”

“Mr. Kurogiri.”

The glowing yellow face on the mist smiles. Or the eyes give that appearance at least. Izuku can’t tell if the man has a mouth or not yet. He assumes it’s just under the mist.

“Your home has been set ablaze by Pro-hero Endeavor during a villain fight. I stopped by your middle school to alert you, but I could not find you so I decided to travel to your residence. How lucky that I met you aboard the train instead.”

Izuku swallows, “Yeah… lucky. I’m sorry sir, but you don’t appear to be from the police, why are you the one to come find me.”
Kurogiri begins to look angry. “I overheard the discussion the police were having. They evacuated the area. An officer was asking if they had found everyone and commented that they had except for one family, the Midoriyas. The other officer responded not to waste their energy, because they were diseased with a quirkless child. I felt this was immoral and took it upon myself to find you.”

“Why? I’m quirkless, no one should care for me, I don’t matter.” It’s Izuku’s turn to get angry as he stands to move away from the smoke-covered man. “Why do you care? I don’t know you! You shouldn’t care!”

Kurogiri calmly takes a few steps backwards to give the boy his space. “You deserve to have people that care about you, Midoriya Izuku. I am a representative of a group of outcasts, those who have been tossed out by society and want to do something about it. We haven’t quite decided on a name yet, perhaps you could help. You’re quite intelligent Midoriya Izuku, despite what your peers and teachers may say.” Kurogiri reaches a hand out. “Join us, and you can take revenge on everyone who has wronged you, everyone who has doubted you, you can take control of your destiny.”

The train pulls into the station and the car at the back is completely empty.

Chapter Text

Izuku carefully reaches out to grab the hand extended by Kurogiri. The two are instantly pulled into a dark abyss before being spat out in a completely different place. Izuku resists the urge to start mumbling about the man’s quirk as he is stared down by two other men. One dressed similar to him in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, holding a mug in a stereotypical British fashion with his pinky sticking out. He’s young. Not as young as him, but early twenties at most. Izuku wonders if the man has a five finger contact quirk, likely destructive seeing the care that goes into every shift to not lower his pinky. The other is dressed in a suit, attached to a machine of sorts. Upon closer inspection, the man attached to the machine is sitting on a chair with several wires, cords, and tubes running from the chair to the machine, to the man himself, and back to the machine. His face is horribly disfigured and Midoriya wonders if he can even see. Izuku realizes he’s staring and shifts his gaze to Kurogiri who places a misty hand of comfort on the young boy’s shoulder.

Izuku feels an emotion he can’t quite place. Warmth radiates from the hand on his shoulder down to his toes. As Izuku looks back to the two men before him a smile twitches at the corner of his mouth, remembering the words Kurogiri said about his little group. A group of people just like him, outcasts.

“H-Hi! I- uh, I’m Izuku Midoriya. Mr. Kurogiri said you guys are like me. Which I find a little hard to believe given the percentage of the population without quirks and you guys are older than me. Not that you’re old! But um, older than a middle schooler I guess. I’d be in high school next year if any of them would take a quirkless loser like me. Plus, you, in the sweatshirt clearly have a quirk of some king. Probably a destructive one because of how you’re holding the cup and staring at me like you want to kill me and I shouldprobablystoptalkingnow-”

“Do you want to change that?”

Izuku faces the man in the chair. “Excuse me?”

“Being quirkless. Do you wish you weren’t? Do you want it to change?”

Izuku stares for a moment. “Y-yes, of course. I’d fit in, I’d be free to live how I wish I could. But I can’t. My mom did every test there is before walking out on me. I’m quirkless to the bone. Including the extra one in my toe.”

The younger of the two men, scoffs at the joke. “You really have no idea who we are, do you kid?”

“No, sir. Sorry.” Izuku bows his head slightly in respect.

“You can call me Shigaraki for now. I’m the second in command here, I sent Kurogiri out to watch for potential recruits at the ruins of that apartment complex. If you have questions, anyone in this room can probably answer them.”

Izuku bows again. “Thank you Shigaraki sir. I will keep that in mind.”

Shirgaraki returns a head nod. “For the record kid, you aren’t a loser. I’ve never had someone guess my quirk without me displaying it first. That’s useful, keep at it.” Shigaraki turns his attention to the man next to him. “My apologies, Sensei. I need to go check on the other recruits for our upcoming… project.”

‘Sensei’ as Shigaraki called him, waves the man off. “I trust you have my will in mind. Go, I will get Izuku settled.” The man turns back to Izuku. “Now, back to the topic of introductions. I am All For One. You may know me as the boogey man but I assure you, I am much kinder than the stories say.” All For One smiles. “The media has this habit of twisting words to fit their narrative and then heroes follow it to the letter. That bothers me, Izuku. May I call you that young man?” Izuku nods. "Good, you may call me sensei if you wish, it rolls off the tongue a little better.”

“Thank you, Sir, but what does this have to do with me wishing I wasn’t quirkless?” Izuku inquires.

All For One chuckles. “So formal. But I guess I should explain myself. I take my name from the name of my quirk. You see, I have the great power of being able to transfer quirks from one person to the next. Kurogiri over there was a man maybe a year or two older than you are now when I found him. The only way I could save him was to alter his quirk and meld it with one from my stores to create what I call a Nomu. Kurogiri is the most human-like of the Nomu; he can access his emotions and do things of his own accord, unlike some of the others.”

Izuku stares at Kurogiri in morbid fascination. Before walking towards All For One. “So you take quirks from people then give them to others?”

“Exactly, my boy. But sometimes I keep them for myself, I have to protect the quirks you see. Quirks hold fragments of the original owner’s soul, and they are precious tools. But just as the artist does not need a brush to create, a person does not need a quirk to be whole. Izuku Midoriya you are perfect as is. But sometimes the artist using their fingers needs a brush to create finer lines. Do you understand?”

Izuku nods. “I think so. You are saying that a quirk is helpful, but you won’t kick me to the curb if I refuse, correct?”

All For One nods. “Right again, young Izuku. So, what do you decide?”

Izuku stills for a moment, remembering the torment he had gone through just a handful of hours ago. He remembers the pity in his neighbors eyes as he leaves in the mornings and the hatred of his peers as he travels through the school hallways. Izuku’s mind returns to the conversation he had with his mother last time he saw her. He hates how tears well up in his eyes as he remembers how the hatred behind her words resonated in the apartment that is now burnt to ash. Izuku hates how his hands tremble at the thought of his father whose face doesn’t have a place in his mind.

“I want the quirk. But I don’t want something to increase my mental or physical strength. I want something that works with what I have, something that requires something unique to me. I want people to look at me and think of justice.” Izuku states. “I want to be challenged. I want something that makes me think.”

“Then that is what you shall have. Come closer, my boy, so that I may lay a hand on you to transfer you the power you seek.”

The young boy moves forward, cautiously, leaving the presence of Kurogiri and entering into the presence of All For One. For a moment, Izuku feels guilty that he can have this option, but none of the other quirkless boys and girls his age know this is a possibility. “Wait. What about other people like me? Is there a quirk you can give me that will let me do for them what you’re doing for me?” All For One nods and places a hand against Izuku’s head.

The quirkless boy screams in pain as the power begins to drift into his body, lighting his nerves on fire. He feels as each part of his being is shifted slightly as the quirk takes root in his mind. He screams again as his head feels like it has split in two. White feathers begin to fall from nowhere and a golden feather takes the shape of a halo above his head. Izuku screams again as his back shifts with an unfamiliar weight and bursts open with a pair of ivory white wings that radiate light. Izuku’s eyes and mouth begin to glow as well, lighting up the room like sunlight. Tears fall from the corners of his eyes as the glowing dims into nothing and the wings fade from existence. Their weight does not leave from Izuku’s back however, but it does lighten. The pain is still present, but more of a dull throb than the ripping and tearing during the process of transfer. The quirkless boy no longer, Izuku looks as though he is going to pass out any second.

“Kurogiri, take him to the nicest room we have available. I have forgotten how painful quirks can be to transfer, he needs as much rest as possible. Perhaps obtain a heated blanket and some water for the young boy. I doubt he will be able to hold food down at this moment, so hold off on that.”

Kurogiri steps forward and blankets Izuku in the mist before teleporting them both away to the guest room. It’s simple, but elegant. A sturdy twin sized bed sits against the wall with a white desk parallel on the other side of the room. The frame is made from white wood and there are several black pillows lining the headboard. The sheets and blankets are dark red and the curtains are fully black and block out all light. The walls of the room are medium gray with white wooden accents.

The smoke-covered man gently sets Izuku on the bed before teleporting to get the recommended items. He returns with an icepack to place on the boy’s head. Kurogiri brings a heating pad that plugs into the wall to put under his back and plenty of water in a cup with a straw.

“Rest, Izuku Midoriya. I will keep you safe.”

True to his word, Kurogiri turns his back to offer privacy and to guard Izuku as he drifts away to sleep.

Chapter Text

Kurogiri is stood a few feet from the foot board as Izuku stirs the next morning. He hasn’t noticed Izuku awakening yet, but turns when a grunt of pain escapes from Izuku’s lips.

“Young Izuku, you are awake.” Kurogiri states “Are you feeling up to eating? All For One has tasked me to care for you until further notice.” The man removes the melted Icepack from next to Izuku, where it had fallen the night before.

“Sure, food would be nice Mr. Kurogiri. What time is it?” Izuku asks, gently stretching out each of his limbs.

“About 9:30 last I checked, young Izuku.” Kurogiri responds. “Any allergies I should be aware of?”

Izuku smiles gently. “No, sir.” Kurogiri nods, and teleports away. Alone, Izuku winces as he sits up a little too quickly. He stretches an arm up to the top of his head, where he is startled by the feeling of a metal circle floating in mid air.

He grabs the circle and pulls it downwards in front of his face. It’s an interesting item. The circlet is constructed from a single large golden feather that has the smooth texture of metal, but is almost entirely weightless. The feather does not connect to itself, and as it is warmed by Izuku’s hand it begins to straighten into a quill.

“Weird. What do I do with this?” As if the quirk was responding to his question, a large ivory feather appears in a flash of light. If Izuku screamed, no one was around to witness.

The green boy reaches out to grab the feather and watches as it transforms into a piece of paper.

“Woah.” Izuku takes the paper and golden quill, allowing instinct to guide him through the motions of what to write. When his hand finally stops moving, Izuku finds himself staring at a paper that reads,

“I, Izuku Midoriya, agree to grant the signee of this contract the boon of knowledge for the price of a favor. I, the owner of the signature, agree and realize this contract is irrevocable.

___________”

It’s at this moment Kurogiri returns to the room with a plate of strawberries, eggs and bacon.

“I wasn’t sure what you would want, so I do hope this is satisfactory.” Kurogiri states as he sets the plate in front of Izuku. “What are you holding, young one?”

“I’m not exactly sure. But if you are willing to help me test it, I can probably make a guess.” Izuku says, muttering a quiet “thank you” as he moves the food to the side for a moment. “I just need you to sign this with this quill.”

Kurogiri skeptically takes the feather from Izuku and signs the bottom of the page. As Kurogiri makes the last stroke of his signature, the paper curls up and returns to feather form.

The feather floats away from Kurogiri and attaches itself to Izuku’s back.

Both Kurogiri and Izuku feel slightly dizzy as Kurogiri begins to access the memories locked away in his mind. He remembers two teenagers, a boy with blond hair and one with black hair. He gets the feeling that these boys were once friends to him.

One other thing bubbles to the surface. The name Oboro Shirakumo.

“I feel odd, Izuku. I remembered something. My name before Kurogiri. I was Oboro Shirakumo. What exactly have you done?” Kurogiri questions.

Izuku sits flabbergasted at the words Kurogiri spoke. “It works! You made a deal with me. Knowledge for a favor.” Izuku ponders for a moment. “For my favor, I would like a hug.”

Golden thread wraps around Kurogiri’s form, forcing him forward into a hug with Izuku.

Kurogiri chuckles. “You could have asked, young Izuku.” Kurogiri looks at the smug smile on Izuku’s face. “But I guess that would have jeopardized the testing process.”

Izuku nods, stuffing his face with eggs. “I wonder what else I can trade for. Maybe I can make objects as a part of the deal?” He ponders for a moment. “It did drain my energy slightly though, so I suppose there is a limit. Do you think you could get me a notebook to write down my experiments on Mr. Kurogiri?” Izuku recoils slightly at the name. “Should I be calling you Mr. Shirakumo?”

Kurogiri shakes his head. “No. Whomever Oboro Shirakumo was, is buried underneath the rubble I was pulled from. I am Kurogiri now.” a small portal appears next to Izuku, a pile of notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, and scrapbooking materials come pouring out. “Hopefully these will suffice.”

Izuku smiles. “Yes! Can I keep practicing my quirk on you? I have so many ideas!”

“You should get some rest, young Izuku.” Kurogiri chides, which is met by pouting from Izuku.

The greenette sighs. “I know, but I can’t rest with all these ideas, I need to try them!”

Kurogiri ponders for a moment. “You could speak with All For One. If he won’t let you train, he’s probably got information on your quirk.”

Izuku’s eyes light up. “Yes! Can you teleport me to Sensei?”

Kurogiri stretches out an arm and a portal appears next to Izuku’s bed. The boy promptly stands up, then immediately sits back down at the twinge of pain present in his back.

Izuku gives a sheepish smile and slowly stands back up as Kurogiri stares him down.

The temperature change between the two rooms is noticeably colder. Izuku can feel the little goosebumps forming on his skin as he breathes in his surroundings. He is placed in front of a wooden door in a very long hallway.

“Just breathe Izuku. You’ve got this.” A couple seconds later he raises his hand to knock on the door. He knocks three times before a voice chimes out.

The voice is louder than expected considering the closed door. “Come in, Izuku.” The door swings open as if pulled from the inside, but as Izuku walks through, the only person is All For One sitting about twenty feet away with a late smile plastered across his face. “I hope Kurogiri is treating you well?”

All for one waits for a quick nod from the boy before continuing. “As I thought. Now I’m sure you aren’t here to talk about Kurogiri, so what troubles you, boy? Is the quirk not what you wished for? It will be painful to take it back and replace it with something new. Nevertheless, I want you to be happy here.”

“No! No, the quirk is perfect! Kurogiri let me practice on him and it works great!” Izuku holds his hands in front of him in a placating manner.

All for one scowls slightly. “You what?”

Izuku nervously looks to the ground. “The quirk, um, kinda took over my mind and the next thing I knew there was a contract in front of me. So when Kurogiri came back to the room I had him sign it.”

The room darkens slightly as All For One leans forward. “Izuku Midoriya, do you mean to tell me you used your quirk on Kurogiri with no idea what the repercussions would be?”

“Y-yes. I’m sorry Sensei! I won’t do it again. I swear!” Izuku pleads, bracing to be hit by something.

The room lightens. “Dear boy, you do not need to fear me. I am simply concerned for Kurogiri and yourself. You see, if you had done just the wrong thing, you may have reversed the process I used to revive him. Not to mention the quirk exhaustion from doing something too big! You could have hurt yourself.” All For One states, but the scowl still twitches behind the concerned smile that replaced it. “I hate it when my work goes to waste, Izuku. Come closer, I would like to inspect you.”

Izuku carefully walks within arms reach of All For One. The man grabs Izuku’s chin, tilting it side to side to get a good look at his face before releasing him with a gentle head pat. “To be honest, I was expecting more from that dramatic display at the transfer. But perhaps you will be more powerful with training.”

Izuku runs at his chin where his new Sensei grabbed him. “That’s kinda why I came here, uh, Sensei. Kurogiri said you might have information on how exactly this quirk works?”

All For One strokes his own chin for a moment before answering. “The young lady who originally had this quirk died about a hundred years ago. She was happy to give it up. Those who knew she had it would not trust her in fear of being coerced into a deal. I never got around to trying the quirk unfortunately, no one wants to make a deal with the boogeyman.”

Izuku shakes his head. “I made a deal with you sensei!”

A small smile dances across All For One’s face. “Let’s hope you can keep that enthusiasm, boy. You’ll need it. Come, we start training for greatness today.” The familiar purple mist fills the space behind and slowly begins to envelope the room. Izuku finds comfort in the mist as he is brought into the void again. The two appear in what looks like a warehouse. Large lights hang from the ceiling to light up the middle of the room. The middle contains something similar to a boxing ring where a man with light blue hair is fighting some kind of monster.

The monster swats at the blue man like a bug, rushing forward to try to capture him. The blue man ducks under the arm like a matador, also trying to reach out for his opponent.

Izuku watches intently as the blue haired man he knows as Shigaraki pulls a knife from a holster at his side carefully maintaining a four finger contact and chucks it into the arm of the beast. It gives an animalistic roar as it charges again, this time on all fours.

Shigaraki steps to the side letting the monster pass as he extends his hand to graze across its back.

The smell of rancid flesh fills the room as blood and muscle are exposed, the skin flaking away into ash.

Midoriya finds himself awestruck as he watches Shigaraki skillfully dismantle the monster.

Shigaraki rips the blade from the arm it was in, cutting the arm in half from the bicep upwards. The monster howls in pain, quickly cut off by a stab to the brain. Shigaraki lowers his last finger around the knife allowing it to float away with the slight airflow in the building from a large ceiling fan. Shigaraki does the same to the corpse lying before him. He flips around and waves to Izuku. Izuku recoils slightly at the blood, guts, and ash covering the blue haired man.

“Hey green bean! Enjoying the show?” He strides towards Izuku. “Don’t worry about the gore, that Nomu didn’t have an ounce of humanity left in it.”

Izuku grimaces a little bit remembering the conversation about Kurogiri. “R-right. You were awesome Mr. Shigaraki! Your quirk is super cool! What do you call it?”

Shigaraki laughs at Izuku’s excitement before answering. “Yeah, I’m pretty cool. My quirk is called Decay, anything I make five finger contact with turns to dust.”

The younger’s eyes light up in excitement. “I was right! Destructive five finger activation!” Izuku looks down at the floor. “I messed up with my new quirk.”

“I’m sure it can’t be worse than what I did when I manifested my quirk.” Shigaraki laughs. “And even if it is, no one here will judge you for it.” The blue haired man stares into Izuku’s green eyes. They’re slightly duller than the emerald color from when he arrived. But perhaps that’s the new quirk taking effect.

All For One clears his throat to politely draw attention to himself. “I brought Izuku here for that reason actually. See Izuku’s quirk can only be practiced on humans. I was wondering if you would fetch some of the new recruits to help train him.”

Shigaraki bows to his Sensei. “Of course, forgive me for not addressing you first, Sensei.” Shigaraki stands and walks away scratching at a scab under his jawline.

Izuku and All For One sit in uncomfortable silence waiting for Shigaraki to return. All For One’s machinery hisses as the man breathes.

After what feels like an eternity, Shigaraki returns with five men of various heights and builds.

Kurogiri appears from the shadows behind All For One and creates a small portal in front of Izuku. From there a small round table and two chairs are summoned from the abyss, set up so they face each other. Izuku sits in the chair facing the small crowd.

“Who’s first?” Shigaraki’s voice rings out. After a bit of no response and shuffling of feet, Shigaraki’s face turns sour. “Well?!” He shouts, causing Izuku to flinch slightly. A hand is placed on his shoulder by All For One. The boy looks up at him, before turning to the recruits.

“I can’t hurt you unless you allow it.” He states, barely loud enough to be made out by the five men. “I just need some help with my quirk, you don’t have to take what I offer you.” Izuku locks eyes with each of them. “But I think I can offer you something you would want. Power, fame, knowledge, maybe even money. I can’t figure that out if no one gives me a chance!” He isn’t sure when he started yelling, but the five in front of him look moved by his short speech.

The shortest of the bunch steps forward.
“I’ll give you a chance, kid. You see, the whole reason I’m here is ‘cause of my mother. She’s sick, and I needed cash.”

Izuku’s face drips with sympathy as he feels his quirk respond. A small white feather appears from thin air. Izuku reaches for the feather that sits like a halo above his head, he begins to write.

“I, Izuku Midoriya, grant the gift of health to the mother of the signer of this document. In return the signer’s health will be affected. I ________ understand that signing this contract cannot be undone.
Signed,
_______________”

Izuku hands both feathers to the man across the table. “Sign on both lines and the boon is yours.” He watches as a tear falls from the man’s eye.

“Thank you, young man.” The man states, taking the feather and signing his name with a flourish. Izuku takes the quill and places it back on his head as the ivory feather takes its place opposite the first.

Izuku frowns slightly as the man stands up and coughs. “I hope it’s worth it, sir.”

The next man steps forward to take a seat…

Chapter Text

After a couple weeks of living with the new friends Kurogiri has introduced him to, Izuku has begun to develop a chaotic streak. Often enlisting the help of Shigaraki, Izuku will pull small pranks on their misty attendant.

Some send Kurogiri on a scavenger hunt through the base, others are more simple. Like the one they are pulling right now.

Izuku has a theory that the mist that makes up Kurogiri’s body is an illusion and will not react to outside forces. Shigaraki on the other hand believes that it’s a physical mutation caused by the several quirks that make up their favorite Nomu.

How have they decided to test this? With one of the oldest tricks in the book.

A water bucket above a doorway.

Izuku and Shigaraki look at each other. The greenette begins to count down from three with a wild smile on his face.

3

2

1

“KUROGIRI, GET IN HERE, I’M GONNA KILL THIS BRAT!” Shigaraki yells, loud enough that he knows the misty man heard him.

In an instant the man appears in the living area of the bar by portal. Completely missing the door.

Kurogiri asks simply, not even noticing the bucket above the door. “What is it, young master?”

Izuku sighs in defeat. “I didn’t account for him just teleporting in.” He slides off his chair and onto the floor to pout.

“You seem upset, Izuku.” Would you like to take a walk? It is nice and sunny today.” Kurogiri states, ignoring the obvious scheme.

Shigaraki pipes up. “Sounds fun, can I come?”

Kurogiri turns to face the blue haired man. “Of course, let me go tell Master All For One that we are leaving.” And with that, the duo’s glorified babysitter leaves the room.

“So, Shiggy-“

“Tomura.”

“What?”

Both boys stand in silence, waiting for the other to speak.

“Call me Tomura. It feels weird to call you Izuku and have you call me by my last name.” Shigaraki breaks the silence.

Izuku laughs. “Alright Tomura it is then! How exactly did you end up here?”

A darkness covers Shigaraki’s face, the man’s expression turning into a scowl. “The heroes failed me.” he turns away from Izuku. “I’m a monster, I’m not sure what master sees in me, but he saved me.”

Izuku can hear the sadness in his new friend’s voice. “Tomura, I’m sure whatever happened-“

“I killed my family. My sister, the dog, my parents, all of them. When my quirk came in, I didn’t know what was happening. One by one, everyone I reached out to for support crumbled into dust.”

Shigaraki stands up and begins to walk away. “I’m a monster. Clearly the people knew it, as they walked next to a homeless child, no one extended a hand to help me. Claiming that ‘the heroes will do this’ ‘the heroes will do that.’ I hate them all.”

Izuku places a hand on Shigaraki’s shoulder, the man violently flinches at the touch. “I’m not scared of you, Tomura.” He removes his hand. “When I become a hero, I'll surpass All Might. Make a better world where everyone is a hero-“

“-Don’t you see it Izuku. The only way to fix this world is to tear it down and rebuild it.” Shigaraki whips around to face the boy, a crazed look in his eyes.

“Young masters? Should I come back later?” Kurogiri states, the two boys having no clue how long he’s been standing there.

Izuku turns away from Shigaraki. “No, let's go, I think Tomu-chan needs some fresh air.”

Kurogiri nods, opening a portal for the boys to step through.

The trio arrive in an alley on the edge of Jaku City. The forest covered mountains only a couple hundred feet away.

“I believe the forest would be a nice place to walk through. Master All For One believes that we would stick out in a public place. Especially with Izuku’s face possibly in the minds of the public.” Kurogiri states, walking towards the greenery.

Izuku pauses. “My face? What do you mean?”

Shigaraki turns to the greenette. “I thought you knew? Apparently some family called the ‘Bakugous’ put out a missing person report for you.” Shigaraki shrugs and walks towards Kurogiri. “But that won’t matter in a couple weeks. As far as the public is aware, you’re quirkless, you’ll be out of their minds soon enough.”

Izuku mindlessly strokes the half-formed wings on his back. “Maybe I could go tell them I’m alright. Auntie Mitsuki is probably worried about me. We should stop by-“

“No! You don’t need them anymore, you have us!” Shigaraki smiled at his friend.

Izuku looked down at the street. “I guess, but I’d really like for Auntie to know I’m ok. She’s the only one that cared about me after Kacchan started getting mean.”

Kurogiri steps forward. “Revealing yourself would reveal us all, Izuku. We need to work from the shadows if we want to bring change. The League needs you, Master All For One doesn’t give just anyone a quirk.”

The trio walks towards the forest, they drift away from the topic of him revealing himself to the Bakugous.

They hike up the side of the mountain for about an hour, coming to a small clearing in the dense woods.

The blue haired man breaks the silence. “Have your eyes always had that ring of red Izuku?”

Izuku stares at the man in confusion, “My eyes are green Sh-Tomura. What are you on about?”

Shigarkai hums. “Your eyes were fully green the first time we met, but over the few weeks you’ve been here, I’ve noticed a small red ring forming around them.”

“Weird, maybe it has to do with my new quirk.” Izuku resolves, head on a swivel to take in the scenery.

Shigaraki sighs. “Sensei used to bring me here a lot when I was younger, if you look over there I’m sure you’ll find the ashes of the trees I broke down.”

Izuku decides to stay close to Kurogiri. Not quite trusting nature to have his best interest at heart. “This would be a lovely spot for a picnic. Maybe we could do that next time!”

Kurogiri speaks up. “Speaking of the future, Izuku, what do you want to be?”

Izuku thinks for a moment. “It’s been my dream for forever to be a hero.”

“No.” Shigaraki interrupts. “Pick something else.”

Izuku scoffs. “Tomu-Chan, you can’t seriously believe all heroes are bad.”

Shigaraki snarls. “You aren’t becoming a hero, Izuku. Not while you’re here with us at least.” He looks at Izuku with disgust for even suggesting it.

“Tomura, why not? Sensei said I could train for greatness! ” Izuku demands.

Shigaraki grabs Izuku’s sleeve, barely remembering to not use all five fingers. “You are not becoming one of them. The heroes don’t care about people like us, Izuku.”

Izuku rips his arm free of Shigaraki’s grip. “Get a hold of yourself, Shiggy. You’re scaring me.” Izuku backs away from the blue haired man in front of him. Wings flaring in defense.

Kurogiri appears behind Izuku. “Seems like you are in distress, perhaps we should return to the base.”

“No!” Both boys shout in unison.

Kurogiri doesn’t listen. Grabbing both of them with a portal and warping back to the living area.

Shigaraki turns away from him. “If you want to become a hero so badly, grab your stuff and leave. Don’t bother coming back either, Izuku.”

“I know you slipped through the crack Tomura, but you can’t seriously think all heroes are bad?” The green haired boy counters.

Shigaraki scowls. “Kurogiri, we’re leaving. Izuku needs some time to himself.” He barks at his keeper. “Kurogiri!”

The misty man looks torn between the boys. “Izuku?”

The greenette’s face is streaked with tears. “I-It’s fine Kurogiri. I sh-should have expected this from the s-start. Kurogiri, can you take me to Sensei, please? I-I want to say goodbye.”

Kurogiri opens a swirling portal for Izuku to walk through. The green haired child reaches up to wipe the tears from his eyes before stepping through.

Instead of outside the door like all the times before, Izuku is transported directly into AFO’s chamber. The boy sniffles, alerting the ancient being to his arrival.

“Izuku? My dear boy, what is the matter?” All For One extends a hand for the boy to take. Izuku walks forward to take it, words not quite forming. As he takes the hand, the comforting presence of All For One overtakes him and he begins to sob.

“I’m sorry Sensei. I can’t stay here any longer. I really want to be a hero, but that would jeopardize everything you’ve built. I’m sorry, I-” All For One places a hand on Izuku’s head. All of his worries leave at the touch. “-I am sorry.”

All For One just smiles. “Perhaps there is a way you can do both. Have you ever heard of vigilantes Izuku? They are similar to underground heroes, but they never attended a hero school.” All For One detangles a couple of fallen leaves from the boy’s hair. “You’d need a name however. You certainly cannot be a hero without a secret identity.”

Izuku pauses for a moment. “Abaddon. The angel of chaos.”

A laugh shakes the room. “A perfect name for you indeed. You’ll need gear as well, Little Angel.” The man states. “Ask Kurogiri to make an appointment with Giran for me. He’ll be quite helpful in setting you up.”

Izuku sniffles again, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “Thank you, sir.”

All For One nods and presses a small button next to his chair. A portal from Kurogiri appears instantly on the other side of the room.

Izuku waves his mentor goodbye and walks through the portal. Kurogiri and a less pissed off Shigaraki waiting on the other side.

Shigaraki’s scowling face snaps over to meet Izuku’s. “Well? Are you staying?”

Izuku nods, before facing Kurogiri. “Sensei wanted me to ask you to set up an appointment with Giran for Vigilante gear.” He turns back to Shigaraki. “We came to a compromise. I become a Vigilante instead of a hero, that way I can still save people without compromising my identity.”

The blue haired man glares at him for a solid twenty seconds, searching Izuku’s face for any trace of a lie. He finds none and turns away. “Fine. But don’t expect me to be happy about it.”

Chapter Text

Hey guys, Patches here!

I’m not feeling the format I’ve been using for writing this and it’s making me lose all motivation.

So,

I’m going to rewrite it.

The chapters that have been posted will stay up

And once the new first chapter has been written it will be added to a series with this one.

Thank you all for your patience.

-Patches