Author's Note: This is the first of my prizes for One for All October, for MamaShenanigans. This snippet is based off MamaShenanigans's fic "Alternatives" on AO3 where Yoichi body-hops between different realities. Every single time, Yoichi gets vaulted by All for One and this triggers him to move on to the next universe.
Yoichi Shigaraki woke up on a soft mattress covered by silk sheets. His eyes shot open. He immediately rolled out of bed, dropping into a fighting crouch.
Sunlight streamed into his eyes, but it didn't hurt. He could easily see the room: a giant round bed, a desk with a hutch, and a bookshelf full of comics. The floor-to-ceiling glass window showed a balcony and bustling city street below. This place did not look like a prison. All for One knew better than to let Yoichi have windows. The desk even had a pair of scissors sticking out of the pencil holder.
After having been forcefully moved between the bodies of half a dozen different alternate selves, Yoichi was naturally suspicious. In every single universe, Yoichi's older brother had been a controlling, possessive maniac. Every single universe had ended with Yoichi being imprisoned, usually in a bank vault. All for One had a bizarre obsession with bank vaults. Every single time, after Yoichi lost, he got whisked away to the next universe. At least he wasn't stuck in the vault, but he felt terrible for the other Yoichis he left behind.
Yoichi wondered if he'd ended in the body of another Yoichi who'd given in and joined All for One's side. That had happened in the second universe. If so, he'd at least be in a slightly advantageous position. Though even back in universe two, Yoichi had been surrounded by his brother's guards and stuck on a rigid schedule. Heart pounding, Yoichi opened his bedroom door.
Outside was an interior balcony and a set of stairs leading down to the living room. This appeared to be a penthouse apartment. Prowling like a caged animal, Yoichi examined the living room with a veritable library and a piano. The only suspicious thing here was that he didn't own the last volume of Captain Hero. In fact, the series looked barely read.
The kitchen and dining room both looked normal, at least by the standards of the extravagantly wealthy who could afford marble countertops and antique chinaware. Very oddly, the penthouse only had one bedroom. Big brother would never, ever let Yoichi live alone, even before he'd turned into a supervillain. Yoichi wondered if this was the one and only universe where he'd been lucky enough to be an only child. Or perhaps he was on the run from his brother.
It seemed too good to be true. Yoichi swallowed a lump of fear as he tried the front door.
The unlocked door opened into a hallway. Even though he was still in his sleepwear, Yoichi went to the elevator and rode it to the ground floor. The doorman stared in astonishment as Yoichi walked straight out the front door wearing blue pajamas with little white sheep on them.
Finally, when Yoichi tasted the crisp fall air and felt the sun against his face, he believed that he was not a prisoner. With a sigh of relief, he turned around and walked back inside.
The doorman gaped. "Were you feeling a little ill, sir? Wanted a bit of fresh air?"
"Yes, that's it," Yoichi said, grateful for the excuse.
Back in his penthouse apartment, Yoichi tore the place apart looking for clues. In a basket by the door, he had a wallet with a driver's license and Yoichi Shigaraki as the name. The birthdate was the same as his own, but none of the people on the street below showed any sign of mutations. Was this a universe with no quirks or a universe where they were taboo? Yoichi didn't know the passcode to get onto his phone, so he couldn't look for more information online. He found a picture on the living room table: himself and his older brother, smiling happily at the camera with their arms around each other. That would be an odd memento to keep if he was running from his brother.
Yoichi's desk was covered with drafts of a science fiction manga. He found a full set of mangaka's tools: pencils, erasers, rulers, a compass, a light box, fine point pens, ink, brushes, and a graphic tablet. It appeared this Yoichi drew manga for a living. Yoichi found a copy of a published manga with his name listed as author/artist. The manga was called Humanity's Counter-Attack and had a fleet of spaceships on the cover.
A smile tugged at Yoichi's lips. He was a mangaka! That was cool, maybe even cooler than the universe where he'd been a vampire. Yoichi had been talented at drawing in high school but he'd never had time to pursue it after he'd become entangled in fighting All for One. He'd dreamed of creating his own manga. Here, his childhood dream had been fulfilled.
Yoichi explored every single corner of the apartment but found nothing unusual…until the closet door in the hallway wouldn't open. The handle had no lock. But the knob refused to turn.
Cold fear went straight to the center of Yoichi's heart. He'd been looking for something like this, proof that something must be wrong with this universe like all the others. He yanked on the knob frantically, begging it to open. Sweat dripped down his hand, making him lose his grip. Finally, in a fit of despair, Yoichi kicked the door.
It only took a few kicks before the door fell inward. Yoichi frantically pulled out everything from the ruins, but he only found a half a dozen coats, rain boots, and snow boots. There was absolutely nothing suspicious in the closet.
With a groan, Yoichi collapsed onto the sofa. He felt very stupid. If he'd been able to walk out of this building without any of his brother's men tackling him, then what would possibly be wrong with the closet? Doors got stuck. It happened.
The front door opened. Hisashi strode in with a smile, carrying a plastic bag. "Little brother, I brought sake to celebrate your manga's translation into English." He held up bottles of alcohol.
Yoichi's heart soared. His older brother would let him drink? This, more than anything, proved that Hisashi must be different in this universe.
Yoichi ran forward and hugged his older brother. He overflowed with happiness that in at least one universe, his brother was a good person and they had a normal relationship. It would have been too cruel, to travel the multiverse only to learn that Hisashi had always been destined to become All for One and Yoichi would always suffer. Thank goodness that at least once they could both be happy.
Hisashi laughed. "So glad to see me? Hey, are you still in your pajamas? It's already late afternoon! I bet you were staying up too late working on your manga draft again." He ruffled Yoichi's hair. "Want me to put in a word with your editor about extending your deadline?"
There was the older brother that Yoichi knew. Yoichi said, "I'll be fine. I don't need special treatment."
Hisashi shrugged. "That's what you always say. Very well, you know I'm here if you need me."
But Hisashi wasn't pushing the point. He took no for an answer! For once, they had a healthy relationship. Yoichi vibrated with joy.
Setting down the bottles on the coffee table, Hisashi frowned at the ruins of the closet. "What happened there, little brother?"
Yoichi flushed. "Uh, the closet door got stuck."
His excuse sounded ridiculous. But Hisashi only said, "Again? I'll fix the bug for good this time, I promise." Hisashi pointed at the closet, and the door snapped back into existence as if it had never broken.
Yoichi flinched. His hands shook. He told himself that even if his big brother had powers in this universe, that didn't have to mean anything bad. Hisashi could have his quirk or some other magic and be a good person. Yet still, Yoichi took a step backward.
Hisashi noticed. He caught his little brother's chin. "This is no day to sulk, Yoichi. We're celebrating. Cheer up."
A sudden flow of calm ran through Yoichi. His hands stopped shaking. His head felt floaty and peaceful. But his sense of wrongness doubled. He whispered, "What did you just do to me? Did you control my emotions?"
Hisashi frowned. "Why are you so surprised? And it startled you when I fixed the bug, too." Hisashi's eyes lit up. A huge smile spread across his face. "Little brother, are you starting to lose your memories? That's perfect! Once you forget that this world isn't real, then you'll finally be happy."
This world wasn't real. Yoichi remembered the sunlight that didn't burn his eyes. The door knob that wouldn't move like a glitch in a game. Of course his brother would only let him taste alcohol if it was virtual. Just like how his freedom was all fake. He felt ill.
Hisashi caught Yoichi in his arms, less of a hug and more of a restraint. "I'm sorry I interrupted the process, little brother. Forget everything."
Yoichi slipped away from this body and this universe, carried away by his realization: he'd been in the vault all along.
Author's Note: Poor Yoichi hopped into my fic "The Ultimate Vault" where All for One traps Yoichi in a virtual world inside his quirk. I wonder if anyone guessed which universe Yoichi ended up in?