Hisashi Shigaraki paused with one hand on the vault door.

His younger brother was talking to himself. "I'll get to be a hero in the end? If so, I don't mind whatever else happens. Not even if I die."

Hisashi frowned. Had the isolation driven the poor child mad? Or was it a side effect of the new quirk? Some of the people he'd gifted quirks to had turned cationic or broken down.

He'd hoped his own flesh and blood would be able to handle at least a weak stockpiling ability. Apparently even that was too much for the fool. Such a disappointment, as usual.

With a creak, Hisashi pushed open the thick door. His brother immediately retreated to the other side of the room. He crouched in the corner, his skeletal legs huddled to his chest and his scraggly white hair falling over his eyes. Really, he ought to be grateful that his big brother still loved him and looked after him, pathetic thing that he was.

The vault was mostly empty, except for a sleeping bag and a lantern. He'd removed the comic books after the last time they'd been thrown at his head. The chilly air stank of sweat, moldy food, and the portable toilet in the corner.

Hisashi moved across the metal room in a flash. Easily, he batted aside those thin wrists and grabbed his younger brother's face. "You don't look well. Are you still not eating?" He tsked his tongue, ignoring the futile attempts to pull away from his touch. "You've even started talking to an imaginary friend. How pitiful."

The body in his grasp suddenly went still. Frightened green eyes stared up at him. After a moment, his brother said, "I was only muttering to myself, as I sometimes do."

The fool sounded like he was trying to protect someone. Absurd, since no one else was here. He really had lost his mind.

Hisashi sighed. "I know how to cure your hallucinations. I'll remove the quirk, then we'll figure out something else." Summoning his power into his hands, he reached.

The red glow on his palms bounced off as if he'd run into a steel wall. He could feel the quirk, bright and hot and more powerful than he'd realized, but he couldn't grasp it. He reeled backward, stunned.

His younger brother stared up at him in triumph. "You can't steal anything from me. That's my special ability."

Somehow, the foolish child had already known this would happen. Hisashi's eyes narrowed. "How did you realize that? Did your imaginary friend tell you?"

"I'll only tell you one thing." His brother's lip curled back. "Someday, my power will grow until it can defeat you. You're going to end up rotting in jail attached to life support equipment—"

Hisashi slapped his little brother across the face.

They both went silent. Hisashi looked at his own hand, surprised. "I didn't mean to do that. Why do you keep provoking me?"

His brother sank down against the wall, clutching his bruised cheek. Resentment burned in his puffy eyes.

Hisashi picked up an untouched bowl of cold soup. "I'll send some fresh food. How about your favorite katsudon?" He could be generous after his earlier blunder. "Try to eat something, okay? If you'd stop being so stubborn, you wouldn't have to suffer in here."

Cold silence met his entreaty.

Despite several more tries, Hisashi had still failed to take back the quirk he'd mistakenly bestowed upon his brother. Though he'd yet to catch the fool talking to himself again, he suspected this was because his brother had gotten more cautious. The more carefully he protected his secret, the more suspicious Hisashi got.

He lingered outside the vault door, waiting and listening.

Eventually, he heard his brother speak: "I know you can't help me get out. It's not your fault, Izuku. I'm just glad to have someone to talk to."

Then, after a pause: "My brother can't find out about you. I don't know what he'd do, but I wouldn't put it past him to think of something nasty."

This time, to avoid making sound by opening the door, Hisashi used a quirk to phase straight through the steel wall.

The ghostly form of a child stood next to his younger brother. The boy had curly green hair and freckles. He wore an unfamiliar school uniform.

Upon seeing him, his brother leapt up from his sleeping bag, a cry on his lips. The child whirled around, then vanished.

Hisashi strode forward, his temper on an edge. He kicked aside an empty plate. Under other circumstances, it would have pleased him to see his younger brother eating. Now he worried more about what enemy might have poured foolish, poisonous hope into his brother's ears, tempting him into more defiance.

"Who was that?" he snarled. "Who's Izuku?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." His foolish little brother twisted his hands. "It's dark in here. Maybe you saw a shadow?" The silly child had never been much of a liar.

Hisashi shoved him back down onto the bedroll and loomed over him. "Is he part of the rebels who oppose my control over those with quirks? The government? Or even one of the yakuza families? They pretend to disdain those with powers, but they'll still use them."

"No one was here."

"What did you tell them about me?" Hisashi had never let his pathetic younger brother know much of importance, not even during his gloating. But the betrayal still stung.

"You must have seen a shadow," his brother repeated.

"Do you think I'm cruel to you, to lock you in here?" Hisashi leaned over and tucked a white curl behind his brother's ear. The skin trembled under his touch. "But you still have food and blankets. It could be much worse."

Defiant sleep-deprived eyes stared back at him. "Your paranoia has gone to your head. Just because I sometimes talk to myself, you think someone could possibly get in here?"

So those threats hadn't been sufficient. His brother had always been stubborn. Hisashi picked up the lantern from the floor. "I could take this away and leave you in the dark."

For the first time, a flash of fear. Good.

Hisashi said, "Whoever this Izuku may be, he can't remove you from my safest fortress. He won't even try—he was only sent to pump you for information. Only I control what happens to you."

His brother clenched his fists. "I'll never join you, no matter what you threaten."

"I'll give you some time to think about it." Hisashi scooped up the sleeping bag and the lantern. Then he walked through the wall again, leaving his brother in total darkness.

Someday, he'd cleanse all those foreign influences from his little brother's mind and make him see this was all for his own good. Even if he had to get a little rough in order to do so.

As he walked down the hallway, he thought he felt a pair of angry eyes boring into his back. But when he turned around, the ghost was gone.

No matter what Hisashi did, his brother would never speak a single word about the one he'd called Izuku.

Not before the two so-called heroes who'd later inherited One for All had stolen him away from the safety of the vault.

Until the cold, stormy day when Hisashi had clutched his brother's dead body to his chest and screamed so loudly he'd drowned out the thunder overhead.

By then, he'd forgotten all about the irrelevant ghostly child.

Over a century later, Inko Midoriya told him, "I've always liked the name Izuku for a boy."

Hisashi remembered, but over the years he'd made so many enemies that he'd probably killed someone bearing almost every Japanese name in existence. The mysterious ghost ranked very low on his list of old foes. He felt no real animosity towards the name. He told his wife, "That sounds like a fine choice."

When Izuku woke up in a strange bed, he immediately leapt to his feet and activated One for All.

His quirk failed to respond. A chain on his wrist stopped him from leaping very far. He looked down to see he wore a quirk suppressant cuff. His wrists were loosely shackled together.

Last night, he'd gone to sleep at the U.A. dorms. Now he found himself inside a metal bank vault with padded walls. The shelves had been loaded with comic books, drawing materials, and some toys entirely too young for him.

His heart stuttered as he reached the inevitable conclusion.

"It was him. Your father." A ghost with straight white hair stood before him. "I tried to wake you up, but he used sleeping gas. The school's traitor must have let him in."

Izuku bit his lip, trying not to panic. "Was anyone hurt? Do you know who the traitor is, Uncle?"

"He didn't harm any of the other students. Unfortunately, I didn't see how he got into dorms." The ghost clenched his hands into fists. "I feel so useless. I'm sorry."

Despite the horribleness of the situation, this actually made Izuku laugh. "Now you know how I felt."

"You were never useless." His uncle shook his head. "I don't know if I could have gotten through my imprisonment without you."

Shortly after obtaining One for All, Izuku had started receiving dreams of the First User. It had pained him not to be able to do anything to help the confined man. Then one day, the other had glimpsed him. Soon, they'd been able to talk, despite being from different time periods. Izuku had offered what reassurances he could about the future and One for All. He'd also tried to warn the man about his death, but he hadn't known enough to be able to offer advice on how to prevent it.

Izuku's visions had continued until he'd witnessed the First User's death. Then he'd started being able to talk to the modern-day vestige of the man inside One for All. The First had remembered Izuku from his distant past. In addition, he'd recognized Izuku's long absentee father from the picture on his desk.

That was when Izuku had received the very unfortunate news about Hisashi Midoriya's true identity.

As the one bright spot, Izuku had obtained a supportive and loving uncle. They'd speculated that their blood connection might be how Izuku had been able to reach out across time. After all, this had yet to happen with any of the other users. Although he'd glimpsed a few other previous holders in dreams, the First remained the only one he could speak to even while awake. They'd also speculated if Izuku's genetics might have something to do with how he'd been the only user to ever unlock the other quirks stockpiled inside One for All. Izuku didn't like to think too much about the implications of that.

He'd yet to tell anyone that his father was All for One. He didn't think All Might or his friends would blame him, but he had no idea how to break the news to his poor mother. Now it looked like he'd waited too long.

Izuku looked around the room. The only exit was the round metal door. The air smelled stale. His heart sank. "What do you think he wants from me?"

"He wants One for All, and he wants you to stop fighting him." His uncle floated around the small space. "Some parents would try rewards or reason, but he skipped straight to the vault. My brother is a one trick pony."

Izuku snorted. "Thanks. I needed that laugh."

"I'll be here with you no matter what happens. I promise." His uncle patted his shoulder, although his hand went straight through.

At the sound of the door grinding open, they both froze. A Pavlovian fear flashed across his uncle's face before he vanished.

Hisashi Midoriya strode into the room, the rasp from his life support equipment filling the silence. "My dear boy, it's so good to see you again."

"Dad," Izuku said coldly. "Not that you deserve the title. Don't act like this is a family visit—you kidnapped me." He dropped into a fighting stance. "I'll never give you One for All."

"You say that as if your quirk is all I care about. That hurts, my beloved son." Hisashi stepped closer. It took all Izuku's nerve not to flinch away. His father said, "You know who I am, despite the damage All Might did to my face. He told you, didn't he?"

Izuku flinched. "What are you talking about?"

"You two have a lot in common. Such as frantic denial of reality." Hisashi laughed. "I saw your face over a century ago. By the time you'd reached middle school, I'd realized who you were. From there, all I had to do was stand back and let destiny take its course. I've been waiting for you to obtain One for All."

His father sounded entirely too smug about this. Izuku glared. "Why would you want me to become All Might's successor?"

"That quirk has something I need inside of it, and obviously the over-muscled idiot would never have given it to me voluntarily. Capturing him would have done me no good. The procedure only works between relatives."

"What procedure?" Izuku asked, trying not to let his voice shake.

Hisashi smiled predatorially and didn't answer the question. "But now you have One for All…and I have you."

This confirmed Izuku's secret fears that he never should have gotten One for All. Ever since he'd found out about his father's identity, he'd been plagued by such doubts. He tried to rally his spirits. "Then you made a mistake. I'll never stop fighting you. I'll prove that All Might was right to pick me, no matter who my biological father might be."

"That's how you see me? As a sperm donor? You hurt my feelings." Hisashi's tone was mocking.

"You abandoned me!"

"I had to stay away from you for your own safety, but I've always been watching you." Hisashi clearly had no idea how creepy that sounded. "I'd never let you go. You belong to me."

Izuku took a step backward, his knees hitting the bed. He felt painfully vulnerable in his pajamas. He reached for sass, his coping mechanism of choice. "As soon as I break out of here, I'm going to ask All Might to adopt me."

Hisashi moved in a flash, pinning Izuku's chained hands over his head. His breath felt hot as he hissed, "Neither of you will ever leave this place." His fingers dug in painfully. "I know you're listening. Come out, little brother."

Izuku closed his eyes and willed the ghost not to obey.

His father's hand seized his throat. "You have until the count of three before I start squeezing. One…two…"

"Stop!" The pale-haired man materialized beside them. His translucent hands went straight through both of them as he tried to shove the villain away.

"There you are. It's been so many years." Hisashi's tone filled with avarice. Without taking his eyes off his brother, he gently set Izuku down on the bed. "You're as big a fool as ever. How could you think I might actually hurt my own son?"

From the ghost's rapidly moving gaze, he remained unconvinced. "You killed me."

"That's a very hurtful and inaccurate representation of what happened, but I've long ago given up talking sense into you." Hisashi sighed. "Now you've even turned my precious son against me."

Izuku bristled. "Excuse me? I decided to become a hero entirely on my own. If you'd been around more, you'd know that. Whether you're my father or not, nothing changes—I still have to stop you."

"Don't—" his uncle started to say, then cut himself off. Resignation filled his glowing eyes.

Hisashi pulled the covers over his son the same way he'd tucked him in during childhood. "Some time in here will let you rethink your disobedient tendencies. If not—" He shrugged. "It will be nice and easy for me to spend time with you if I keep you here forever. Weren't you just complaining I wasn't involved enough as a father?"

"This was not what I meant!" Izuku shrieked. He tried to punch his father with his bound hands.

Hisashi easily dodged, tsked as if handling a disobedient puppy, then left the room.

Izuku stared at the closed door. His racing heart settled down. "I suppose it would have been smarter to act cooperative and try to persuade him to take these off." He jangled his cuffs.

His uncle said, "That's what I almost told you, but then I remembered I could never take my own advice in that regard. My 'charming' older brother has a gift for pissing people off."

The full horror of his situation started to dawn on Izuku. He rubbed his wrists. "What's he going to do next?"

"Play mind games, threaten to take away your toys, and get increasingly grabby." His uncle listed these off on his fingers. "Let's get you out of here before it comes to that. Want me to teach you how to dislocate your wrist to get out of handcuffs?"

Slowly, Izuku smiled.

Izuku ran down the metal corridor. Earlier that night, his uncle had followed All for One around, waiting for him to leave the underground bunker. He'd mapped out an escape route. Then he'd shown Izuku how to escape his cuffs. It was good to have a ghost on his side.

Though Izuku's wrist still throbbed, it had been worth it. He'd been able to blast his way out of the vault using One for All.

His glowing uncle floated in front of him. "Go right at the fork. We're almost at the exit."

Izuku skidded as he turned. His father's voice broadcasted over the loudspeaker. "Stop right there."

Needless to say, Izuku ran faster.

"This is your final warning." On the TV overhead, an image played of a damp basement. It took Izuku a moment to recognize the furnace room of the U.A. dorms. "When I took you, I also left something behind." The camera zoomed in on numerous explosives strapped to the water heater.

Izuku screeched to a halt.

"If you value your classmates' lives, you'll surrender."

Izuku had no real choice. He raised his hands.

His uncle did not try to sway his decision one way or the other. He only said, "I'm proud of you, Izuku."

"Thanks," Izuku whispered. Tears stung his eyes even before sleeping gas rushed into the corridor.

Izuku woke up on a much harder mattress with no blankets. On instinct, he thrashed. Heavy straps bound him to the medical bed. Mittens covered his hands. He could barely twitch his toes.

Hisashi leaned over him. "For the record, I tried to keep you in more comfortable conditions. You really do take after the rebellious side of the family."

A muzzle over his mouth prevented Izuku from speaking. He settled for an icy glare.

His father stroked his cheek. Izuku hated the touch. Hated how he couldn't pull away from it.

"After I remove your quirk and your resident ghost, you'll be less dangerous," Hisashi said. "Then perhaps we can see about a regular room again."

Izuku raised an eyebrow scornfully.

"You don't think I can do it? I've been planning this for a long time." Hisashi gestured at a tube behind him.

Izuku's eyes widened. A body identical to his uncle's floated in the liquid. There was another tube with the same body behind it. Then another. The clones continued all the way to the back of the laboratory.

Even worse, an IV connected Izuku's arm to a tall machine, which was in turn connected to the row of glass cylinders containing the clones. His mind raced through speculations—none of them good.

Hisashi said, "I'm confident I can get One for All into one body and your uncle's consciousness into another. If the quirk is inside a body with no mind, then I should be able to steal it easily. And if both of you are in physical form, you'll be much easier to contain." He smiled. "I have plenty of chances to try. We'll have all the time in the world, here."

For a brief moment, the flickering image of his uncle appeared before Izuku. They locked eyes long enough to share a look of pure despair.

Author's Note:

This story continues Author Bullies the First week, as started with the latest chapters of A Life Not Lived and my Star Wars AU.

The All for One in this story is an even bigger jerk than I usually write him. When he's like "How dare you think I might hurt my son?" I just want to punch him in his smug face. IT'S BECAUSE YOU THREATENED TO HURT YOUR SON AND ALSO YOU'RE HURTING IZUKU RIGHT NOW, POTATO HEAD!

All for One from Custody Battle, Clone Blues, and Sealed with Love would like to volunteer to adopt this First and Izuku. They will provide good homes with no physical violence. Those three only do emotional abuse!

Credit to B_O_M_B for this darkly delicious prompt. After Chapter 310, I was in the mood to write a darker vault…figuratively and literally.