Chapter Text
Droplets of water pattered against the ground where Izuku swung, his feet hanging limply and his fists clamped loosely against the metal chains on either side of his small body.
The cold had begun to seep through the thin layer of clothes he was wearing; his seifuku beginning to sag with the weight of the rain as his green curls slowly flattened against his forehead and covered his eyesight, which remained firmly focused on the ground.
He mindlessly watched as his feet passed a certain stick beneath him, counting each time it appeared before it vanished under his hanging shoes. He was beginning to shiver now, his small fingertips turning the barest shade of blue as his bottom lip wobbled. He missed his Mama.
He wanted to go home, where he would walk through the door with his signature yellow backpack strapped tightly to him as he grinned toothily, the smell of Katsudon wafting into the genkan where he kicked off his shoes, dropped his bag and barrelled into his mothers side.
He knew two things for certain.
One, that he missed his Mama.
Two, that he was lost and had no clue how to get home.
He hadn’t meant to get lost, really!
He was walking home as he usually did, clutching his backpack tightly lest someone steal his it, when a large shudder had echoed throughout the street, the concrete beneath his feet rumbling as the sound of flesh on flesh erupted up ahead.
He was originally going to go home like his Mama had told him, but then he caught a glimpse of yellow, red, and blue, and his feet seemed to move before his mind properly processed it. Within seconds he was running towards the motion, the sounds of fighting drawing his attention as he wove through alleyways and paths until he finally reached his destination.
He was right, it really was All Might!
The number one hero smiled broadly, posing victoriously as he stood over his opponent. Izuku’s gaze dipped to the figure All Might was standing beside, and couldn’t help but frown at the man's nose. It was twisted and bloody, and definitely not how a nose was supposed to look. Izuku felt a little bad for the man, until he shook his head. He shouldn’t have gone against All Might, no one ever wins!
He averted his gaze instead, watching as his favourite hero smiled at the other people watching, a large crowd having formed and a variety of individuals holding open books, when he realised he had his notebook in his bag, and he could get a signature from the All Might!
Izuku quickly shrugged his bag off his shoulders, barely paying attention to the relief he felt as he rummaged through his bag until he found it; his Hero Analysis For The Future volume No.4!
He didn’t bother closing his bag or picking it up again; his most important possession was carefully held in his palms while he rushed forward, diving between stray legs and ignoring the confused shouts that sounded above him until he finally reached the crowd and jumped to his feet.
His smile faded when he realised the hero was nowhere in sight. He frowned, his eyebrows dipping and bottom lip pouting, before he spun on his feet and lightly yanked on the woman's dress behind him. She looked surprised as she gazed down at him, her frown matching his as he asked, “Wh-where did A-All Might go?”
She shook him off, taking a step back as her lip curled. “He left, kid. He went that way, but you sure ain’t catching up to him, squirt.”
He took one look at the path her finger pointed to and broke into a run. He clutched his notebook to his chest, making sure it was kept safe from the wind and cold as he ran as fast as his legs could take him, briefly catching the slightest glimpse of yellow before it disappeared again.
He doesn’t know how long he ran for, thinking only of meeting All Might and getting an autograph, but after what felt like hours of running without another glimpse of his signature hair and costume he paused, panting as his calves burned and his fingers tingled from the cold.
He turned in a circle, looking for any sight of the hero, and realised at the same time that he had no idea where he was. He turned around to face the direction he came from, but was faced with multiple alleyways and an open street.
He’d gotten himself lost.
His Mama was going to be so mad.
He rotated around a few times, but he couldn’t figure out which way to go. It’s okay, he thought to himself as he picked a random path and began walking, be strong like All Might would be!
He calmed his breathing like his Mama showed him when he was nervous, preparing himself for the walk home as one hand rose to clutch the strap of his backpack, when his fingers only grazed his shirt.
Where did my backpack go?
His frown returned as he tried to remember the last time he had seen it, and realised that he had left it behind at the fight All Might had been to. The fight where he had no idea had happened, surrounded by people who would probably take the backpack his Mama had given him for his first day of elementary school last week.
His vision grew blurry.
No! You have to be a big boy, just like Mama said!
He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve and curled his shaking hands into fists. If he was going to be strong like All Might, he had to know how to get home by himself!
With a determined huff he strode towards the end of the alleyway, and began his journey.
There were a few times he thought he was getting close, passing glimpses of familiar signs of shops in the corner of his vision, but every time he thought he was right it turned out to be wrong. He kept going anyway, passing more than a few people whose faces were scrunched up into a strange, sort of funny expression, but it was only when he passed the same street sign for what had to be the sixth time that he began to lose hope.
He slowed down his pace, refusing to see that stupid sign a seventh time, when he spotted an empty park, the swings swaying slightly in the breeze. He went still at the sight of it, trying to remember the last time he had had the chance to play on the swings without being pushed off.
The other kids were mean to him whenever he tried to play a game with them, going as far as running away or even hitting him before leaving him alone. He had Kacchan though, so it was okay! Kacchan wouldn’t run away from Izuku! Mostly because he was too busy laughing with the other kids, and refusing to acknowledge that Izuku was there…
Nevermind, they were always mean to him…
“What is a child as young as yourself doing out here on your lonesome, hm?”
Izuku was startled out of his thoughts as his gaze snapped upwards - surprised that he hadn’t heard anyone approaching - and he was shocked to see a man towering in front of him. He had to be at least four Izuku’s tall!
His hair was a startling white, the tips of his hair curling slightly and moving in the breeze that had begun to gather, his curls beginning to stick to his forehead like Izuku’s was. His eyes were practically the same colour as his hair, since they were completely white and lacking the black dot that usually sat in the centre.
Wow, how weird! Izuku wondered if it was the result of a quirk. In this day and age it wasn’t uncommon for people to have uncommon traits, Izuku himself being a strong example. His hair was green, after all, like his Mama’s! But, white hair and white eyes were really, really uncommon, so it was likely the result of a quirk or albinism. Hm, Izuku had never met someone with albinism before! Though, he did remember hearing that their eyes were meant to be a red and purplish colour, which this man’s eyes were decidedly not. He was also freakishly tall, he could probably snap Izuku in half like a twig!
“I can.”
Izuku slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes widening as his attention once more diverted to the man in front of him, whose face was stretched into a strange expression. “Huh?” Izuku asked meekly, the hand that had been pressed firmly against his mouth now slowly dropping as the man’s words finally registered.
“You said I could, quote en quote, ‘snap Izuku in half like a twig’. Assuming you are Izuku- although it wouldn’t matter much -I very well could.”
Izuku swallowed embarrassingly loudly, his mouth gaping as he wondered what to say next, before the man spoke for him. “Is there a reason you’re sitting here, alone and allowing yourself to be soaked with rain, during the setting sun on a random Tuesday afternoon? There are dangerous people around, you should know.”
Izuku couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Uh-huh, right, because I totally wanted to spend my time in a cold park in the middle of nowhere and have you talk to me.” He tried his best to ignore the pulsing power rolling off the stranger, the utter weight of it beginning to drown him until he was distracted by the sound of a confused hum.
“You have some gall, child.”
“What’s gall? Is that like a ball or something? I don’t like balls very much, they always get thrown at me.” Izuku explained, because the waves of terrifying strength that had been suffocating him seconds ago wasn’t bad enough already. The man, however, made no move to approach him further; he simply stood and studied him like Izuku’s science teacher studied a rat trapped in a cage, or a bug trapped in a spider web. Or Izuku sitting in the furthest corner of his classroom.
He suddenly got the rather intense feeling he’d done something wrong. This weirdo wouldn’t kill a six year old, would he?
“Strange. Not many have the strength to speak back to me as brazenly as you do.”
“You go around cornering other six year olds?”
A single twitch of the man’s right eye answered Izuku’s question for him.
“Whoops, wrong thing to say. Oh! Is your hair from a quirk, or do you have albinism? I thought it could maybe be a quirk, since people with fire quirks usually have red hair and people with ice usually have light blue or white, but I don’t know your quirk. Say, what is your quirk? It must be something cool! Actually, maybe it isn’t the work of your quirk. After all, I don’t think the same quirk that made your hair look like that is the same one that’s making me feel like you’re about to step on me. Please don’t do that, by the way, Mama promised she would make Katsudon for dinner. Mm, Katsudon… I’m hungry, did you say it was sunset? Darn, I’m gonna get in trouble again. Do you think she’d believe me if I told her I was kidnapped? Meh, probably not, if I’m going back to her so soon. I can’t believe I got lost because of All Might! I didn’t even get his-”
“You are lost? Because of,” the man made a funny face, “All Might?
Izuku, not noticing the gleam of something in his eyes, nodded eagerly. “Yup!” He exclaimed, popping the P. “I saw him fighting and I wanted to say hi but he disappeared before I could say anything and so I tried to follow but then I got lost and I tried to get home but I somehow ended up here talking to you, which is not what I thought or wanted to happen, so that’s fun.”
The stranger only listened to the first part of Izuku’s sentence, apparently, if the smile beginning to make its way onto the man’s face was any indicator. “How unfortunate, for a hero you look up to to abandon you so harshly. You must be frustrated, rightfully so.”
Izuku was quiet for a moment. He supposed he was a little upset, but All Might was a hero! And… heroes get busy sometimes, especially when they're number one, so it was okay! “I think I'm fine. I mean, I’m kinda more frustrated that I’m stuck talking to you more. By the way, what’s your quirk, you never answered!”
The only answer he received was a fading smile and withering sigh while the stranger's eye twitched again. He should probably get that checked out. “I suggest you stop talking.”
“People suggest that I jump in water even though I can’t swim, too! Doesn’t mean I’m gonna do it, silly.” Izuku smiled at the man, who took one look at Izuku’s bright smile and unbothered expression before he closed his eyes, looking a little pained.
“So… your quirk? Does it change your hair? I’m still curious about it. Also, can you tell me your name so I don’t have to keep calling you ‘man’ and ‘stranger’ in my head? It sounds bad, and you seem pretty nice except for the mean looks. Yeah, like that one!”
The man seemed at a loss for words as he and Izuku stared at each other, one with an absolute and profound confusion whereas the other stared with what could only be described as childish innocence.
“You… think I seem ‘pretty nice’? Are you serious?” The man asked, and Izuku couldn’t tell whether he had taken it as a compliment or an insult. “I mean, yeah, but did you hear literally anything else I said? Like how you look mean? Or the part where I asked you what your name and quirk is? At least I know it’s not something that improves your hearing. You’re deaf as shit.”
The stranger blue screened like Izuku’s computer whenever he refreshed his favourite All Might page for the fifth time in under a minute. It was funny.
“Where,” he asked, his voice slightly breathless, “did you learn that word?” Izuku frowned for a second, trying to remember where he had heard it last, when he snapped his thumb and pointer finger together and pointed at the man with a wide grin. “Kacchan taught me! Why do you sound so surprised?”
Izuku thought he heard him mutter ‘give me strength’ under his breath before his sharp gaze met Izuku’s head on. He shivered. Was it cold out here, or was it just him? “What, exactly, have you been told that word means?”
“Are you feeling okay? You keep forgetting important things. Anyway, can you stop changing the topic and tell me your name? I’ll tell you mine in return!”
A sigh. “I already know your name is Izuku, it was one of the first things I learned about you.”
Izuku couldn’t help but pout at the man. “No fair! Okay, fine, but you don’t know my last name. I win!”
“That’s not- nevermind, you clearly aren’t educated enough to understand how to converse appropriately with other people. If you cannot speak with decency to strangers, you surely can not be able to speak kindly to people you should very well tread carefully with.”
“I can speak decently to strangers!”
A doubtful stare was aimed his way. “Within less than a minute of meeting you, you already insulted me and refused to answer my questions directly.”
“And? One of the first things you said to me was that you could snap me in half like a twig. I don’t know about you, but that’s way worse than my thing. Maybe you should speak more decently to strangers.”
“...” The silence he was met with sounded like answer enough, and he hopped down from where he still sat on the swings and stepped closer, putting his hands on his hips and grinning while he craned his neck a full ninety degrees. “I win!”
The stranger stared at him for a few solid seconds before he, apparently done with the conversation, turned on his heel and began walking away.
“Hey!” Izuku yelled after him, stumbling slightly from inactivity before he caught up to the man who muttered, “Oh, joy, you followed.” Izuku nodded as he walked beside him, oblivious to the hateful glances sent his way every now and then, and instead stayed silent while they walked.
He lasted a minute.
“So. Do you know where we are? I’m still lost, by the way.”
“A pity,” was his only reply, the man speeding up his pace as Izuku began struggling to match it. “Can you help me get home, or at least tell me where to go? My Mama is probably worried about me.” He received an uncaring glance, but Izuku chose to ignore it as he instead diverted all of his attention into not tripping and losing sight of this strange yet interesting man.
Eventually, after a few minutes of silence and Izuku’s breathing getting heavier from the fast pace and cold air hitting his skin with every step, the man beside him sighed in frustration and slowed down just enough for Izuku to not struggle too much. “We are currently located in downtown Musutafu. I ask that you keep a map on you at all times if you are so eager to get lost, because I can already foresee that this will happen again in the future.”
Izuku cheered with triumph. “A-ha! So your quirk is foresight, just like Sir Nighteye’s! Wow, so cool! Quirks that allow the user to look into the past or future are extremely rare, making up barely a singular percentage of all superpowers, so you must be pretty special! Sir Nighteye is the only known Pro Hero in Japan with the ability to foresee the future, so that must mean you aren't a hero! Well, not a popular one at least, but I’m not surprised since you go around bullying six year olds. Say, is that a result of loneliness or pure satisfaction from annoying others? Nevermind, I’m getting off topic! Wait, so is that your quirk, then? Does it allow you to look directly into the future, or only glance at snippets of what will happen? Hm, maybe that’s why you don’t have a pupil! A lot of quirks that are directly connected to their eyes change the appearance of them to something strange; maybe your quirk allows you to watch scenes of the past and future across your vision as if it was a movie or TV show, but then that leads to the question of whether or not it would block out your eyesight completely or register your mind and body incapable of moving of thinking until the visions were over. But, you didn’t stumble or pause when you said I’d get lost in the future, so it could possibly just allow your mind to process the information instead of actually seeing it, like your brain is the internet and you can store any piece of information away for later notice! Oh! Does that mean-“
Izuku, now acutely aware that he began talking the stranger's ear off again, slapped both hands over his lips, his shoulders rising to his ears as he stared at the floor. Forcing this man to listen to his annoying word-vomit once was enough, but twice?
He expected to feel the usual sting he usually does, the smell of something sweet filling the air as the crackles of sparks increased somewhere nearby, but instead the only sound he noticed was a few moments of silence before an intrigued hum came from the stranger. “Interesting, very interesting. You seem to be well versed with quirks and how they function. Is that a product of your own, or are you simply smarter than I assumed you to be?”
If possible, Izuku shrank into himself further. He knew, especially with all the probing questions he had asked the stranger about his quirk and name, that he may have to answer some in return. The idea of answering one about Izuku’s quirk, or should he say lack thereof, though, was utterly terrifying. Glimpses of the past flashed across his vision, scenes from years ago replaying as he watched people distance themselves from him after his diagnosis, their hesitance to approach him slowly fading once it was made impossibly clear that Quirklessness was not contagious.
He shook his head free of the thoughts before he remembered the pain of fists on flesh.
“I-I-” His stuttering returned, his breathing uneven and a clear sign of nervousness, but he pushed forward anyway, “I don’t… have one. I’m quirkless.”
He waited for the shouts of disgust, the insults and taunts that followed him like a storm that wouldn’t pass, but they never came. What did was a hum of interest. “Ah. I see.”
Izuku risked a glance at the white haired man, and was surprised to see he looked almost… happy? No, that wasn’t it. What was his Mama trying to explain to him just yesterday? Hm… Oh, nostalgic!
The stranger looked torn between happiness and sadness, which was strange considering he had been glaring at Izuku like he was a worm under his shoe just a few moments ago!
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Izuku blinked innocently, wondering how it was possible for someone to go from looking almost peaceful to like they sucked on a lemon. “Are you mad? About me not having… a quirk?”
The man seemed to contemplate it for a second, before he frowned. Izuku noticed he frowned a lot. “I’m not mad at you, foolish child. Hm, actually- no, no, now is not the time. Listen to me carefully, because I will say this once and one time only. You were not the one to decide which quirk- or which one you don’t -have, and therefore you should not be punished for it. It is out of your control, and you will remain quirkless for the rest of your time alive, so you should make peace with it now. Before your idiocy catches up to you, and it is too late.
You have… a decent head on your shoulders, for someone your age, and it is important you use this to your advantage. People think less of you because they do not know you. They refuse to ponder the idea that if you can achieve something through determination and pure will alone while they must rely on power provided for them, then what does it make others? Being quirkless yet surviving despite the odds only proves your superiority. Do you understand?”
No. “Yes!”
Another withering sigh. “Of course you do not understand, you are nothing but a mere child. Why am I bothering myself with your presence?” This, Izuku could answer. “Because you think I’m smart! And I think you’re nice enough! Do you want to be friends?”
“Friends.” His reply was more a statement than an answer, his tone disbelieving and leaving Izuku to pout in reply. “Yes! You’d even get to be my first one, too! I’d count Kacchan, but he’s meaner than he used to be and Mama says people who hurt others aren’t worth being friends with, but I’m not sure if she’s right because she doesn’t know it’s Kacchan who’s mean to me, so I guess it really depends on-”
“If I say yes, will you be quiet?”
“O-okay!” Izuku smiled as brightly as he could manage, the skin on his cheeks stretching and the corners of his eyes crinkling, before he noticed something was wrong. “Mister?” He asked quietly, his smile slowly fading as he nervously fiddled with the hem of his soaked uniform. A loud sigh joined the gentle patter of rain against concrete, and he glanced up through the gaps in his bangs where his curls had been plastered to his forehead.
“Yes?” The man grimaced, sensing another oncoming question. “Well… when someone is friends, they usually know each other's names… but you won’t tell me yours. Can you? Please? Pretty please?” He put as much emotion as he could behind his eyes, going as far as purposely widening them and blinking rapidly in a tactic his mother called ‘the puppy dog eyes’ and had to restrain himself from giggling when he watched the man's hesitation crumble with a withering sigh.
“You may call me… All for One.”
Silence hung between them for less than a second before Izuku’s nose scrunched and he frowned with a displeased huff, crossing his arms over his chest in what he hoped looked like a confronting stance. “Nuh-uh, I don’t believe you. That name is stupid. Try again!”
The man’s left eye twitched. Izuku noticed his hands briefly clench into fists, his fingers spasming for a few seconds before he relaxed them with a deep, controlled breath. His lips moved quietly as if he were silently repeating something to himself, and Izuku just stared at the man until he seemed to come to a decision and met his gaze albeit slightly more frustrated than he was before.
“My name,” he grumbled, “Is Shigaraki. You may address me as such.”
“Is that your first name or your last name?” Izuku asked curiously, beginning to rock back and forth on his feet as his arms swayed beside him. “It is my surname. You will not be provided with my first name.” Izuku huffed to ensure his disappointment was made clear, but the man was unfazed.
“Fine!” Izuku pouted, before an idea came to mind and his mood instantly cleared. “It’s very nice to meet you, ‘Raki-san!”
“No. Not a chance.”
“Me and ‘Raki-san are friends! I have a friend!” Izuku giggled to himself, ignoring the man’s rapidly increasing displeasure. “Do not call me ’Raki-san. It is Shigaraki-sama, or it is nothing. I will revoke our… friendship if you do not address me properly. Now, since I provided you with my surname, it is your turn. What is your family name?”
“Midoriya! Midoriya Izuku, ‘Raki-sama!”
“Midoriya, you say? Hm.” The man’s intense gaze slid from Izuku’s green eyes to his viridian hair, his messy curls darkened by the rain. “Fitting.” He said eventually, before his eyes caught on the saturated seifuku that currently clung to Izuku like a second skin, becoming extremely uncomfortable as he adjusted the cuffs around his wrists, lifting a hand to push a few curls from his eyes.
“Do you not have an umbrella with you?” He asked, and it was only then that Izuku began to pay attention to the clothes ‘Raki-sama wore. He was wearing a sophisticated-looking suit, the blazer and slacks the darkest shade of black with a white undershirt, the silver sleeve buttons catching the light with every small movement. It wasn’t the elegance of the suit that caught Izuku’s attention, though, it was the fact that there didn’t seem to be a single drop of water on his immaculate outfit anywhere.
He glanced up at the man’s hair, and was surprised to find that although it was slightly tousled from the wind, it wasn’t wet at all either. Izuku exhaled an impressed gasp. “You’re dry! Completely dry!” He gasped again, taking a step closer to try and identify the cause of the ‘Raki-sama’s supposed water resistance.
“That has to be a quirk! But I thought your quirk was like Nighteye’s? Unless there's some sort of component I’m missing… Maybe since the foresight quirk allows you to foresee what will happen in the future, you have a secondary quirk that aids in preventing a problem seen during that vision! So, hypothetically, if you looked to the future and saw it was going to rain, a part of your quirk made it so you would be unaffected! But… I’ve never heard of a quirk like that, and it depends on how helpful it could be and what lengths it would go to protect you. If you saw yourself getting hit by a bus, would it alter the path of the vehicle, or would it cause a distraction to prevent you from reaching the destination where the collision occurs? Still, a future-vision quirk and a water resistance quirk doesn’t seem like something that would be partnered well together, unlike a fire and ice quirk, which makes me wonder what your parent’s quirks were to have created yours. Hm… I wonder, if-”
“You are one interesting child, Midoriya Izuku.”
Izuku, startled from his haze of analysing, took a few seconds to comprehend the man’s words before he smiled broadly towards him, cheeks pulling painfully from the motion. “Thanks! You’re pretty interesting too, ‘Raki-san! I’m glad we met!”
The man doesn’t bother replying, simply offering a stiff nod before Izuku continued to fill the silence. “So, are you ever gonna tell me your quirk? I like theorising, but I like knowing more. Just a little hint will help, I swear!” Izuku shivered slightly from the cold, and pushed a few damp curls from his line of sight. To warm up, he hopped from foot to foot on the pavement the two now stood still on, entertaining himself as the man considered his request.
Finally, after a second or two or contemplation, the mad nodded. “Alright, I shall give you a hint, but only if you promise not to speak of it.” His lips curled slightly at the corners, confusing Izuku slightly, before he nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I won’t tell anyone, ‘Raki Sama!” He extended his hand, holding out his pinky to really seal the deal, but the man simply stared at it as if it were an unknown specimen.
“What are you doing.”
“Uh- a pinky promise? You never done one before? It’s easy, I’ll show you!” Izuku takes the initiative of jumping forwards and grabbing one of the man’s hands, pulling his pinky finger up before interlocking it with his own. “There! Now you know I won’t tell anyone!” He giggles, less from the situation and more from the irritated expression ‘Raki-San wore.
“You’re saying this… pinky promise… ensures you do not speak a word of our secret to a third party? What stops you from swearing upon it yet continuing to tell another anyway when I am gone? There is no proper way to distinguish whether you will keep your promise or not, so how am I supposed to believe the words of a six year old?”
Izuku pouts, yet keeps his pinky locked. “Nobody nice breaks a pinky promise, it’s like a universal rule, ‘Raki-San! My Mama always says that honesty is the best policy, and Mama is always right!”
The man frowns, but manages to look thoughtful at the same time as he begins to pull away. “Your mother sounds like a smart woman. Fine, then, I shall choose to believe you for now. I will know if you ever lie, however, and I-“
“Woah!” Izuku interrupts, gaze transfixed on the man’s palm from where his hand had attempted to slip away from Izuku’s. By doing so, Izuku’s eyes took notice of the small, black triangle that sat in the centre of each of Raki-sama's palms, and he was enraptured by the sight. He’d never seen something like this before!
“What the heck are these?” He gasped, eyes bright and wide with intrigue as his two smaller hands yanked the larger man’s forwards. His face was barely an inch away as he gazed upon the two indentations, his mind whirling with possible opportunities for existing before he blurted, “Is this part of your quirk?”
If the way man froze for a microsecond before schooling his expression, Izuku had hit the jackpot.
“It is, ha! Wow, that’s so cool! I wonder how it works? Wait, now I’m confused… I thought your quirk was in relation to foresight and the lengths it takes to prevent a scenario in the future? Hm… maybe the triangles are to prevent something in the future, then! No, I can't think of any reason these weird things gotta be here… maybe your quirk isn’t foresight? But then- hold on, you tricked me!”
Raki-San raised an eyebrow. “I did no such thing. I never denied nor confirmed if my quirk was foresight, it was you who jumped to conclusions, therefore I cannot be blamed.”
“Yeah? Well… boo!” Izuku huffs, frowning before spinning around and walking back the way he’d come. The man behind him seemed stumped from his reaction, his silence a symbol of his confusion as Izuku made his way to the park he’d been at earlier, when at last he heard a deep sigh and in less than a second the man had caught up to him, expression displeased.
“What now, child?” He questions, gaze cynical. “You- you misled me! Friends don’t do that! I- I just wanted to get to know you more so we could be proper friends, but you- you didn’t tell me anything but your name, and even then I had to fight for it! Do you not wanna be friends, Raki-San? Is that it? Did I do something wrong?”
Izuku- if he weren’t upset at the possibility that the man did indeed not want to be his friend -would have laughed at the face he was making, his mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish and, for the first time since Izuku had first spoken a word to him, seemingly at a loss for words.
His expression was dancing between confused, astounded, and frustrated, his brows dipping and rising with each change in emotion, until he finally settled across one that spoke volumes of exhaustion and resignation.
“That is- not the case. I simply found your theories surrounding the possibility of my quirk interesting. My intention was not to upset you, nor give you the idea that I… did not want to be your… friend. I-” he grimaced, his eye twitching as Izuku had noticed only did so when he was annoyed, “-apologise.”
“You apologise?” Izuku asks with an eyebrow raised in question, before thrusting his pinky finger out expectantly. “Pinky promise we’re friends, then!”
Silence.
Another twitch of the eye.
Finally, the man slowly extended his hand before putting down all but one finger and linking his pinky with Izuku’s, his expression downright pained. He held them interlinked for about a second before withdrawing as if he had been burned, but the damage had been done.
Izuku was smiling as if Raki-San was the Sun himself, his teeth bared in a toothy grin and his eyes crinkling at the corners. “We’re friends!” He shouted happily, uncaring of the stray glances he attracted as he bounced up and down in place, not noticing his new friend grimacing and taking a step backwards.
“Stop that. You’re drawing attention.”
“So what? Ohh, wait, right, it’s because you’re talking to a lost six year old at night. Sorry!” Izuku pauses his happy bounces, and resigns himself to simply smiling at his friend.
“That’s not-“ Raki-San sighed wearily, his shoulders shaking slightly with the motion before he cast his gaze down to Izuku, who stood in front of him with his curls plastered to his forehead and his nose and cheeks tinged pink from the cold.
“Hm. I suppose it is getting dark now,” he tuts, glancing at the near-black sky and the absence of sunlight and turning back to tilt his head at Izuku. “You best be off now.”
“I’m lost.”
“Ah. Right.” Raki-San clears his throat, expression considering, before he says, “I suppose even I cannot leave a lone child in an unknown area at night. What a hindrance,” he muttered the last part to himself, yet Izuku still heard it clear as day. “Can you drop me home, Raki-San? You look like you know your way around here! It’s what friends do, right?” He smiles sweetly, earning a displeased glance in reply.
“Fine. What is your address?”
“I can’t say. Mama said not to tell strangers my address in case they try to rob us, even though she also said she’d just pull their eyeballs out if they tried, which I’m pretty sure is illegal.”
Raki-San looked taken aback for a moment, before he smoothed his expression and simply hummed, although he still appeared slightly fascinated. “What an… intriguing woman. Ah, it does not matter for now. We are, as you say, friends, are we not? And friends do not rob their friends' houses, nor get their eyeballs pulled from their sockets.”
“I guess.” Izuku shrugged, and rattled off his home address.
“My, my, you are quite a way away from home. Your mother must be worried sick, hm? Let’s get you home as hastily as possible, then,” he murmured something beneath his breath that even Izuku couldn't hear, before he raised his hands from the elbow up and faced them towards the night sky.
Izuku watched, confused yet intrigued, as the man spoke while black tendrils of light began to pool from his palms. “It was… peculiar meeting you, Midoriya Izuku. Remember what I told you.” For the first time that night the man’s lips twisted into a smile, although it lacked any warmth. Izuku would have described it as… dangerous, if he weren’t so occupied with the feeling of his airway suddenly being cut off, his hands moving to grasp at his throat.
He began choking, stubby fingers digging at the flesh of his neck while he coughed, brown sludge falling from his lips and onto the ground before it moved to cover his feet, then his legs, then his torso, before Izuku was swallowed up entirely with one last glance at his friend.
A second or two after he was fully submerged he was just as suddenly dropped onto the ground, finally able to draw in a breath of fresh air while the sludge fell away, and he lay on the cold pavement for a few moments before he registered the sounds of gentle rain, his senses returning.
He raised his head from where it rested against the ground, and clumsily lifted himself up to stare at the sight of his apartment building in front of him, Izuku himself sitting just before its steps.
It took a few seconds for his mind to completely process everything, but once it did his eyes shot wide open and a toothy grin split his features. “Teleportation!” He cheered, rising on unsteady feet as his mind poured over the possibilities of Raki-san’s quirk.
He ascended the steps he was unceremoniously dropped in front of, his legs shaking from the cold or weakness he didn’t know, before he opened the door and made his way towards the elevator, untrusting in his ability to climb up three floors of stairs to the floor he needed.
Incoherent mumbles tumbled from his lips while he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor, the ride smooth and the signature ding and opening of doors signalling his arrival.
He was still debating whether Raki-San’s quirk has several components, or the man himself had several quirks when the door opened, his mother standing in the hallway with a stunned expression before she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his cold body, her own mumbles joining him.
“Hi, Mama!” He laughed as his mothers hands travelled from his damp hair- oh, look, there was still some sludge left -to his soggy uniform, before her toasty warm hands eventually settled to rest on either side of his face, her eyes wide with both concern and worry as she took in his appearance.
“Oh, Izuku, it’s so late, where were you? I was so worried!” She cried, pulling him in for a hug despite his damp figure. “Don’t be worried, Mama, I’m okay! I got a little lost, but some nice guy helped me get back home! He was a little strange, and kept trying to get me to hate All Might, but other than that and the weird comments, he was nice!”
She immediately pulled her head away from the junction of his shoulder to face him, and Izuku almost giggled at how fast his mother‘s expression dropped.