Izuku had spent the whole train ride telling himself that this job was just the same as any other. He'd told himself over and over again that there was no need to worry about it, and to his surprise he had been right. Perhaps it had been the fact that the store he was robbing had been in Musutafu, or that he had been in so many dangerous situations recently, but Izuku had far over estimated how difficult this was going to be.

He'd been in and out as easily as if he had only been buying something like a normal person, and even shoved a handful of candy bars into his pocket on the way out. He'd stashed the cash under some dumpster fire in an alleyway a few blocks away and been on his way just as he started to hear police sirens in the distance.

He was sure that once the police did even a little bit of looking around they would realize that it had been him, the same person to rob two stores in Kamino, and the one to kill the two people at the crossroads at the train station. But what did it matter?

Izuku had always thought that it would be horrible to have anyone be on to him for his crimes, but now that it was happening, he couldn't help but feel like it was a little funny.

Despite his desperate love of heroes in his past, Izuku had learned better since coming to the League. He knew now, that the whole lot of clout chasing do-gooders where nothing more than a sham to make people feel better about the dangers of organizations like his. And now that he knew this, Izuku couldn't help but enjoy the thought of Endeavor showing up in that convenience store, knowing that the green haired killer had struck again, and there had been nothing he could have done to stop it.

Izuku wasn't sure if he'd ever really had that kind of emotion before, and spent the first several minutes of his walk back to the train station trying to think of the name for it. It was like cockiness, but mixed with accomplishment? He couldn't be sure. But he knew he liked it.

By now the nearby school was letting out, and Izuku joined the foot traffic on his way back to the station. As he walked, he realized belatedly that, at least for now, he was on the same route that he would have taken back to his house had he been one of the students there.

Perhaps that was only fitting. That he would walk this path, that was meant for a normal, quirkless boy, now as someone who was strong. Who lived by their own rules. Who owed nothing to heroes but revenge for their failure five years ago.

He let out a little smile as he entered a tunnel, thinking of all the ways that his life could have been different, telling himself that he didn't care. He was so caught up in the idea of it that he didn't notice he was being followed. Not until long slimy tendrils began to wrap around him.

All Might took a deep breath as he careened around yet another corner to reveal… nothing. He had been out that morning buying groceries after another long night with Naomasa at the police station when he'd seen the villain run by. Now it was just a matter of finding it. Despite having no luck tracing it so far, Toshinori had to admit that it did feel a little relieved to be chasing down a villain after spending so much time going through files and trying to connect the dots back to Izuku. A missing persons case wasn't the kind of evil that he could punch away. It felt good to be back out there doing something tangible after so many dead ends.

Katsuki Bakugo's tip had been a big step, but all it really did was confirm Izuku had been in Musutafu that day, something that Toshinori had already known. Still...they had gained someone to call. From what he could tell, young Bakugo probably knew Izuku as well as anyone, other than the boy's mother perhaps, but…

All Might rounded another corner, and this time was met with something other than an empty street. A few yards ahead of him was a tunnel, and inside a scene that made his stomach turn for a multitude of reasons. A heaping mass of slime, the same villain that he had been pursuing, undulated there. It was turned away from him for now, which was good in theory, allowing All Might to make his approach unnoticed.

But there was something wrong with this picture. The villain wouldn't have just stopped in the middle of the road for nothing unless...Toshinori's fears were confirmed when he saw movement from behind the mass of the villain's body. A hand?

There was no more time for watching. The villain had someone. Only a child by the looks of it.

All Might sprinted up to the mass, pulling back his arm, "Texas…" the villain turned at the sound, but there was nothing it could do now. "Smash!"

With a scream the villain was blown apart, painting the tunnel's walls with globs of sticky membrane.Toshinori could see the body of a boy on the ground a few feet away, the villain's victim. At first glance he appeared to be a simple student, green hair and…

Toshinori's heart sank. The boy wasn't wearing a school uniform, but a dark sweatshirt. Next to him was a blue mask, a means of disguise most likely discarded in the attack. The boy's hand was wrapped around a bulge in his pocket. And attempt to get at the butterfly knife from the police reports perhaps?

All Might took a step towards him, then froze, already the pieces of the villain were starting to reform. No matter how much he wanted to, All Might couldn't just run to the boy now. But even as he turned away to deal with the villain, he knew. Whether by luck or fate, he had found Izuku Midoriya.

Izuku became aware of his surroundings slowly. Hard concrete against his back, sunlight behind his eyes. He knew it was unlikely that he would have fallen this way. Someone must have moved-

All at once it came back to him. An easy walk back to the train station. The heat of an unnatural body behind him. Some small time villain. Izuku had opened his mouth to tell him to back off, to threaten Shigaraki's wrath. But there hadn't been time before the brute shoved his disgusting tentacles into Izuku's mouth.

Izuku had tried reaching into his pocket, but once he'd moved his arm down, the slime had enveloped it, not allowing him to bring it back up. Not that it mattered much anyway. He could already tell that physical attacks weren't going to do much against a body like this one...still…

The villain's body around him, the fact that this could have happened no matter who he was...for All Izuku knew, this would have happened if he'd been a normal boy, walking home from school like everyone else. Perhaps it was only right that this was how he would die. In his hometown, by a villain who thought him a civilian. As though in death his past could finally leave him.

Izuku's arms had relaxed, even as his lungs screamed for air and then…

"Texas smash!"

And then nothing.

But now there were plenty of things to be worried about. Izuku knew who must have moved him now. There was only one person that could have dispersed the villain like that. Only one person that could have saved him.

Izuku fought to keep his face neutral, pretending to still be passed out, to buy himself some time. He could hear something shuffling around the area even now, All Might no doubt. If he could somehow slip away while he wasn't looking.. Izuku strained to remember what the area around him looked like. There was no way that he could out run All Might in a straightforward foot race, but if he could hide somewhere…

Before Izuku could even start to come up with a plan, he heard footsteps approaching, and felt his body stiffen against his will. A moment later a shuffle of clothing. The feeling of being watched. Izuku fought the urge to squirm.

All Might was a trained hero. He must have known that he should have been up by now. He was running out of time to think. Of course he could always just keep playing dead. What would happen then? A trip to the hospital? How easy would it be to break out?

There was a hand at his shoulder then, and Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin. He cursed himself silently. No way to pretend now. He sat up quickly, scooting away from the direction of his rescuer as he did so, blinking against the sunlight. His head was throbbing. Probably the result of being without oxygen for so long.

"Take it easy kid."

Izuku froze. He'd know that he would be there. But it hasn't prepared him for the feeling in his stomach when he looked up to see All Might himself knelling a few feet away, his face something giving off waves of comfort and concern at the same time.

Izuku fought the urge to be sick.

Now was the question of how to play this. Did All Might recognize him? And if he did, as what, the child that had caused the fire all those years ago, or the boy that killed two people in Kamino a few days before. Or both. God he hoped they hadn't gone so far as to concert those dots, but he couldn't be sure. Even so...

The best course of action was to pretend to be a citizen. A nobody. Even a fan. If All Might didn't recognize him, it would all be smooth sailing until he could get away. If he did...well Izuku would have to cross that bridge when he got to it.

"A-All Might?" Izuku contorted his face into what he hoped was adoration, and not the abject terror that he felt.

All Might stood from his crouch and walked toward Izuku, keeping low as though he were some kind of animal. Izuku resisted the urge to scoot away when All Might came down to his level once again.

He had to focus now. Did he know who he was? His face was careful, sad, but that could be accounted for the fact that he saw Izuku as some helpless school boy, a comforting face for a victim of circumstance. Or a careful facade for a known murderer. There was no way to be sure. Not until it was too late.

"That's me," All Might smiled brightly. A memory flashed through Izuku, and he fought to keep it down. "You were attacked by a villain but…"

Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

"It's okay now, because I am here."

Those words were too weighted. They held too many late nights in front of a computer screen. Declarations from Izuku's own mouth, and others during games of pretend. A promise. A broken promise, something that he repeated to himself over and over again during those first nights at the League of Villains, knowing that it wasn't true. That it never would be true again.

Then Shigaraki, "I am here." a laugh. A scoff. Because it was a joke. And Izuku knew that now. He had grown up. He knew that.

And yet here he was, hearing them again from the horse's mouth. And he felt the urge to argue, or to throw himself into his childhood hero's arms and sob. To be okay. To beg for it to be true.

But he did none of these things. He had bigger problems to deal with than his All Might issues. And number one on the list was not getting caught.

"Never thought I'd hear that," he said, a gentle laugh. Causal. He was a citizen. A normal person. A casual fan of heroism, nothing more. Nothing less.

All Might took a step back as Izuku got to his feet. He glanced down at his pocket and noticed a soda bottle there, a familiar looking green slime inside. "Is that…"

All Might followed his gaze and nodded, "The best way I could think to contain him until I get to the authorities." he said.

"Clever." Izuku said. And it was. Five years ago he would have been amazed to see hero work in action. To see All Might at all. But now...he was just tired. He needed to get away.

"I won't keep you then." Izuku said, "I'm sure you have lots of important stuff to do."

"I do." All Might agreed, but he still didn't move. The way he was looking at Izuku wasn't a good sign. He had to come up with something to say some way to get out of it.

"Thank you again." he said, hoping that this would snap All Might out of his revelry, send him on his way. "But I should get going, my mom-"

"Your mom…"

The word had been hard enough to say without hearing them spat back at him. Shivers were chasing each other up and down Izuku's spine. He definitely didn't like the way that All Might was looking at him now.

He continued taking little steps back, knowing that if All Might decided to go for him, they would all amount to nothing.

"What's your name?"

All Might's tone was no longer friendly. The truth was about to come out, and Izuku wasn't going to like what happened afterwards.

"Mikumo." he said easily.

"Are you sure?"

Izuku fought to keep his face straight. All Might definitely knew something was wrong. His breaths started coming faster than he would have liked, as though he had been running and running, but gone now where, and his body was ready to give out again.

All Might was here.

All Might was here. And it wasn't okay. It was about as far from okay as Izuku had ever been.

"I'm sure."

What was he saying? What kind of answer was that?

All Might take another step forward. Fingers curled and uncurled at Izuku's sides. The sun felt hot over head. His heart loud in his chest.

"Anyway, I should get going." he said the words all in one breath, a plea rather than a declaration.

Before he could think of anything else, Izuku did the one thing that he already knew would get him nowhere. He turned and ran. There was a moment when there was no sign of pursuit, when Izuku thought that maybe, just maybe, All Might was going to let him go. But then there was the sound of footsteps, and before Izuku would even turn to see his attacker approach, an arm came around his waist, and he was lifted into the air.

gonna go out on a limb here and assume you already know what the title reference is this time XD