Shinsou yawned and flipped over, before blinking in confusion, noticing the absence of something. Something felt different, but he wasn't too sure what it was. Blearily opening his eyes, Shinsou gazed around his room, bringing his arm up to rub his eyes, taking note of the disappearance of the green haired boy that he had gone to sleep with.

He did hear some sounds coming from the bathroom, so it was pretty likely that Midoriya had just gotten up to use the toilet. He didn't know what time it was, but Shinsou could see small beams of light peeking in through the gaps between his curtains, so it probably wasn't too early. Still, Shinsou really didn't want to get up, and groggily shifted around a little; it was cold, and he was nice and warm under the blankets.

The lavender haired boy heard the sound of the toilet being flushed, and water gushing out of the tap. There was more silence, before the tap was switched on again, and it wasn't long before the tap was switched off, and the bathroom door opened. Midoriya walked out, wiping his hands dry on the towel that Shinsou usually left hanging on the door knob, before he climbed back onto the bed and pulled the blankets over him, before snuggling closer to the taller boy.

"Morning." Shinsou murmured sleepily, and Midoriya opened his eyes slightly, glancing at Shinsou, "Sorry... did I... wake you?"

"Nah... I woke up a few minutes ago." The taller boy tiredly muttered, before he paused, processing that Midoriya had literally just pulled the blankets over himself; Midoriya had never liked blankets, and even Nezu had mentioned that when Midoriya was hospitalized.

"I thought you didn't like blankets." Shinsou muttered, gently pulling Midoriya closer, and the smaller boy admitted, "I... really don't. They're not safe."

"But you just pulled the blankets up?"

Midoriya looked up, noting the confused yet tired look the lavender haired boy was shooting him, before he wiggled closer, nuzzling Shinsou gently, "Yeah, but you're here. It's safer."

There was some silence as Shinsou tried to process what Midoriya had just said. Someone had probably tried to hurt him with a blanket, most likely while he was in foster care. While Shinsou wasn't too sure how someone could be hurt with a soft and fluffy blanket, his main weapon of choice was a freaking scarf with thin threads of metal weaved into it, so he really couldn't say that it was impossible.

"Want to talk about it?" The taller boy awkwardly asked.

Midoriya gazed up at him, before he pressed his cheek against the pillow, pressing his forehead against Shinsou's chest, before he softly spoke up, "I... while I was... still in foster care..."

He struggled to get some of the words out, and Shinsou gently ruffled his hair, "Relax. If you don't want to talk about it, don't force yourself."

"No... If I... don't say it now..." Midoriya shook his head, clenching his eyes shut, "...I'll never be able to say it."

Reiko must have sensed the boy's distress, and she jumped off the kotatsu, where the two felines and the one avian had been sleeping that night, and pulled the drawers under Shinsou's bed out quietly, before she used it as a foothold to climb up onto the bed. She pawed over to Midoriya, and settled down by his neck, gently licking his chin, and Ryuto fluttered up to join the cat, tugging on Midoriya's earlobe affectionately.

It took some time until Midoriya was able to talk, and the boy opened his eyes slowly. He exhaled, before he started, "I was... nearly suffocated with blankets."

Shinsou, Reiko, and Ryuto all froze, blinking in shock, not knowing how to react.

"How... long ago was that?" Shinsou managed to ask. Midoriya was shaking, tears starting to form at the corner of his eyes, "When I was... around eight."

The greenette made a grab for Shinsou's hoodie, before continuing, "I don't know... the woman I was with at the time... she said that someone... might be interested in adopting me, so she let the people visit... they were a nice couple. If I remember correctly... they ran some charity for the quirkless... but I've honestly never heard of it before."

Shinsou just waited patiently for the smaller boy to find his voice, gently tightening his grip on the boy reassuringly.

"I'm not too sure what... happened that day... I just remember that they complained that... I wasn't attached to them... or something like that. They wrapped me in a blanket, and they pushed me into the bed... told me to get out of the sheet. I... I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe... I tried to tell them I couldn't breathe... I even vomited from all the pressure on my stomach... they just ignored me... they just said... they..."

Midoriya shook even more violently, unable to speak, and the taller boy gently pulled Midoriya closer, rubbing circles onto his back, "Shh... It's okay... you're safe here..."

The smaller boy pressed himself closer to Shinsou, "They just said... "Is that what you want? To just die in there, quitter?" I just... tried to get out... until I passed out... I woke up back in my foster home... the foster woman screamed at me that I was useless, that I had... gotten sick and... she had to waste money on me... and it would be much easier if I was stupid and was attached to people easily... and instead... I was still attached to my... parents..."

"Fuck..." Shinsou cursed, hugging Midoriya tightly, "Zuku... they nearly killed you, and they're just concerned about money?! That's blatant child abuse... you could have called the police on them."

"Who would ever believe me?" Midoriya replied gloomily, "I'm quirkless. The only way the police would be even remotely interested is if they really did kill me. Even then... it would most likely be swept under the rug after a few minutes."

The darkness of Midoriya's eyes, the belief that people would barely care if he died, and the way Midoriya spoke about it with such confidence gave Shinsou chills down his spine. And Shinsou knew that Midoriya was right; the police wouldn't care about a quirkless child. To them, his life was meaningless, and it would just be a "waste of police resources" if they were to look in a case regarding a quirkless kid.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It must have brought up bad memories." Shinsou murmured, letting the smaller boy snuggle closer to him, "It's fine."

There was pure, suffocating silence as the two students lay there, with Reiko slipping under the blankets and into the space between them, purring, and Ryuto pressed himself against Midoriya's neck, chirping. Sunlight was flickering through the curtains, slowly lighting the room up, but the light mood was already ruined, tainted with truth about the unseen darkness that was rooted deep within the tangles of their society.

Midoriya slowly raised his head, bumping his head against Shinsou's chest gently, "Coffee?"

"You sure you're okay, Zuku?" Shinsou softly asked, but Midoriya just nodded, "It's safe here. I know it won't happen again."


"So..." Yagi settled into his seat. He knew that he had the entire day to talk to All for One, but he really didn't want to put this conversation off to the last minute. Without his quirks, All for One was a frail, dying old man. He couldn't hurt him even if the old potato turd wanted to.

"What on earth do you want to talk about, All for One?"

All for One just snickered, "So rude? I just wanted someone to talk to, you know. The guards don't respond to anything I say, and I'm rather lonely here, you see. Surely you can keep me company, especially when you don't have to uphold your "Number One" hero duties? We've known each other for so long, surely you can spare the time to chat with an old acquaintance."

"We aren't acquaintances. We only know each other through our quirks." Yagi snarled, "Surely you didn't call me here, just to waste my time!?"

All for One's laughter boomed inside the room, "You aren't curious about that child's abilities?"

Yagi raised an eyebrow, and leaned back into his seat, "I'm not sure which "boy" you're referring to. I doubt you came here to reveal all of Shigaraki Tomura's secrets, and you don't know One for All any better than I do."

"Of course not. I wouldn't out my little boy just like that. Plus... I don't care for that silly little protege of yours. A quirk like that complements One for All very well, but it takes years of training and dedication to master a quirk like that and use it to its fullest." All for One cackled, "No. Who else would I be talking about other than that little boy under UA's care? What was his name again... ah... let's see... Midoriya Izuku, wasn't it? Or was his name-"

Yagi seethed, "You just intend to waste time right now, aren't you? Stalling for something? "

"You've never changed. Always so... impatient, so eager to do something. You've kept this country on its feet for decades, fending me off, taking down other villains and criminals... coming down from that high is like a shock to your system, isn't it? Is that why you want to do something so badly? Or are you really that attached to your little students? Or maybe-"

"Just get to the point."

All for One merely smirked.

"Alright, alright, you youngsters nowadays... It's very pitiful indeed, don't you think? Always living in a hated existence, being discriminated against for absolutely nothing of his own doing. It really reminds me of the past, you know, when quirks were just popping up here and there? Although, it really was the exact opposite scenario in the past, where people were discriminated against for having quirks instead of being quirkless."

"What are you trying to get at?" Yagi growled.

"Patience. The poor boy is desperate for any sort of validation, but look past the surface, and you'd see that he's actually pretty greedy. Greedy for power. Like many others... he wants all that power from himself. Not to harm others or put himself in a position of power... but to prove that his own existence isn't a mistake. That's very pitiful indeed."

Yagi merely narrowed his eyes, and somehow, All for One seemed to catch onto that, "Admittedly, his determination to do so is admirable, though it will ultimately be his downfall. You two are pretty similar in that regard. You always put others in front of yourself, you wanted to become a pillar of hope, a hero that everyone could rely on anytime, and see where that brought you."

Yagi couldn't help but glance down at his skinny form, and felt the metallic tang of blood inside his mouth. He knew that he was just imagining it, but he knew that his years of being the Number One Hero, and taking on the physical and mental burden of One for All and all it represented was taking its toll on him.

"Heroes nowadays are all blinded by their society. What would happen when they see the ugly truth that you, the heroes of the old, are hiding? All the problems swept under the rug, all the needless violence against simple-minded criminals who just want to use the quirks they were born with, but had always been under tight scrutiny by the Hero Commission?"

Yagi growled, and stood up to leave. As much as he hated to admit it, All for One was right; there was a lot that was going on that the Hero Commission was not keen to reveal. Even he didn't know how much the Hero Commission was hiding, from both the staff, and the students. Did the parents even know that things might be getting complicated?

Did the Hero Commission even think that the parents deserve to know?

"Just remember. Even embers burn out eventually. You know that first hand. How do you think villains are made?"

"Are you trying to say that some of our students would become villains?" Yagi growled, but All for One laughed mockingly, "Maybe, maybe not. You know those students better than I do, don't you? Perhaps one of them is already a villain, and you just don't know it."

Yagi raised his head, standing up to his full height, before declaring, "Don't you dare try to do anything. They're all good kids. Even if they found out the truth, I believe that they would still do their best, becoming heroes that would truly fix our society. I bid you a good day ahead of you."

"The eternal fire that burns inside of him would eat him from the inside out." All for One smiled maliciously, "Things can't last forever. Everything is always continuously changing. "Fire is a good servant, but a bad master." Ever heard of that saying? Any tool that you use for good, can also be used for destruction."

Yagi glared at the villain one last time, before he trudged out. All for One was notorious for playing mind games. He wouldn't let him manipulate him, even if he didn't know what the villain's true goal was. But he did know that he really needed to talk to Togata and Nighteye about the quirks that resided within One for All.


Shinsou had gotten permission from Aizawa for him and Midoriya to visit the cafe that they had visited before. Aizawa had gone there a few times, and he was relatively sure that the cafe owner wouldn't give the two kids too much trouble. His only concern was that they might encounter a villain on the way there, or back, so he told Shinsou to make sure that they both brought their hero licences, just so that they could protect themselves in case anything happened.

Aizawa also wanted the students to update him whenever they changed locations, since he wanted to make sure he knew exactly where the kids were, in the event that something did happen.

Midoriya didn't seem to mind too much, and after they changed, they left the dorms and headed directly towards the cafe, with Shinsou sending Aizawa a quick text so that the teacher knew where they were. They left Reiko, Shirou, and Ryuto in the dorms; they seemed comfortable enough in Shinsou's warm room, and they were pretty sure neither of the animals would appreciate the cold weather outside.

Shinsou had gotten his regular order of a nice and warm espresso, while Midoriya seemed to like his previous order of a latte enough to order it a second time, once again not adding any cream or sugar.

The taller boy was about to pull his wallet out his pocket to pay, but Midoriya beat him to it. Shinsou blinked at the smaller boy in confusion, but Midoriya just glanced up at him, just as equally confused.

"I thought last time, I said I was paying?"

"I mean..." Shinsou scratched the back of his neck, "I guess?"

Despite being a weekend, it wasn't a busy day, and it wasn't long before their names were called so they could collect their drinks. They slipped the cardboard cup sleeves onto the cups, before they picked up their cups and exited the cafe. Shinsou sent Aizawa another text to notify him that they were starting to head back, and would be cutting through the park, since it was a shortcut back to UA, and Midoriya also wanted to visit the graveyard at the back of the park.

They had stopped by a small local flower shop, and Midoriya quickly picked out three flowers, much to Shinsou's confusion. The last time he had seen the boy buy flowers, Midoriya had only bought two. He really wasn't too sure what the boy wanted with three flowers. It didn't take too long for Midoriya to be done with his purchases, and they headed straight towards the park.

Shinsou just looked around, following Midoriya blindly, since he wasn't too familiar with that area, but Midoriya knew exactly where he was going, and made a beeline directly to the graveyard. Midoriya easily located the grave he was looking for, and carefully made his way towards it.

Midoriya gently crouched down, and placed two of the flowers by the grave, with Shinsou standing right behind him, gazing at the smaller boy, before he looked up at the headstone, idly reading the writing on the grave. With so many things going on, and the increase in villains, they didn't have many opportunities to leave UA on their own. He wasn't too sure what to do, but he would just give Midoriya all the time he needed.

Midoriya finally stood up, and looked around, noticing that the graveyard was empty, before he gently tugged on Shinsou's sleeve.

"You ready to go?" Shinsou softly asked, but Midoriya shook his head, before he made his way to the playground. Shinsou just followed behind quietly, watching as Midoriya paused, before he strayed off the path, and headed in the direction of the dense row of trees that lined the edge of the park, creating a soundproof barrier between the park and the road just on the other side of the trees and metal gates.

They entered the small, seclusive grove, and Shinsou looked around warily, before noticing that Midoriya was making his way towards a relatively small tree. Following behind him, Shinsou watched as Midoriya gently swept some twigs and dead leaves away, before he saw a small rock with words written on it with a permanent marker.

Midoriya placed his lone remaining flower down by the rock. He stood there for a good minute, before he stood up, "Let's go back to UA."

Wordlessly, Shinsou nodded, and Midoriya led him out of the grove, and they quickly cut through the park, and it wasn't long before they ended up at the bottom of the hill that UA resided upon. Midoriya had barely drank any of his coffee, and was just holding the cup, silently staring ahead, as they slowly trudged their way back up to UA.

Shinsou wasn't sure if he wanted to say anything, to try and make things less awkward between them. While he was curious about that last "grave" that had been located in the seclusive grove, but he was pretty sure it would be really insensitive for him to just ask about it.

He wasn't too sure if he wanted to break the silence, but almost as if he had read his mind, Midoriya spoke up, "Her name was Rikaru... I found her in a storm drain... on the same day I found Reiko."

"Oh."

That was all Shinsou could say. He didn't want to make Midoriya feel more miserable than he already felt. It was clear that Midoriya was affected by many things that happened in the past, but he didn't want to bring anything up. He would let Midoriya let it out if he wanted to talk about it, but he wouldn't force it out of him.

"She... I was going to bring them both home... and take care of them..." Midoriya paused, reaching up to scratch his neck, his fingers gently rubbing against his collar, "My foster mother... threw her out of the window. She... landed on some glass... She died."

Shinsou gently put an arm around Midoriya, not saying a single word, letting the smaller boy lean against him. His hands and the coffee cup were shaking, and Midoriya just closed his eyes, "I promised them I would take care of them..."

"You know it's not your fault, right? You did your best. It's just that other people are heartless and aren't as selfless as you." Shinsou murmured, looking around for UA's main gate. They passed under it, with the gate letting them through due to their student cards, and they quickly entered the main building. While it did take them a longer time to get into the dorms through the main building, instead of just taking the shortcuts outside, it was much warmer inside.

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Young Midoriya?"

Midoriya flinched, nearly spilling his latte over his hands if not for the cap that was securely placed on the cup, and the two boys turned around, noticing Yagi poking his head out of the teacher's lounge.

"I'm so sorry to bother you again, especially on a weekend, Young Midoriya..." Yagi stepped out and put his hands together, "But Nighteye just informed me that he will be coming over today to talk with Young Mirio about... that... and I was hoping you could join us...?"

Midoriya's head drooped, and he let out a small, barely audible whimper. He didn't want to talk about One for All or All for One or whatever. He just wanted to stay in the safety of the dorms and hang out with his friends and classmates. He just didn't want to think about all the shitty things in life, and for once, just focus on what was good.

But he also didn't want to waste Sasaki, Yagi, and Togata's time. Yagi also looked somewhat nervous and shaken, and while Midoriya had no idea what Yagi had been doing that morning, or where he even was, but he really didn't want to make things worse for the former Number One hero; that was just being selfish.

Sensing the smaller boy's distress, Shinsou gently pulled him closer towards him, "You okay?"

Midoriya let out a small rumble, pressing himself against the taller boy, and Shinsou looked up at Yagi, "Can I join?"

"I..." Yagi stared at Shinsou, before he not-so-subtly "whispered" at Midoriya, "Does he know?"

The greenette warily nodded, and Yagi heaved a small sigh of relief, "Alright then. You can join us, Young Shinsou. It shouldn't take more than half an hour. I'm so sorry to bother you with this... I just didn't want any miscommunication..."

"It's fine." Shinsou grunted, turning to the greenette, "Come on, Zuku. He said it wouldn't take long."

Midoriya just looked up, before he nodded.