Chapter One:

All for One was born, much to his relief. In his previous life, All for One had never been religious, but he'd been fully aware that if there was a hell, he was going to it. Reincarnation was letting him off lightly.

Everything looked bright. His tiny arms and legs could only thrash helplessly. He wailed and wailed until a woman in a nurse's uniform swaddled him. Then he fell asleep.

All for One spent most of the next few months in a hazy state. He slipped between the obviousness of a baby and his adult mind. This was a mercy—if he had been in a completely adult mental state, he would have gone insane from boredom. His memories were very patchy. He didn't even remember his own name. His mother called him Hisashi. That would serve. His last name was Shigaraki, which was a funny coincidence since he'd used that surname as an alias. He'd had dozens of aliases over the many years. No wonder his real name had faded away.

Hisashi's mother often left him alone at home and returned late at night and drunk. She did not always remember to feed him. If he hadn't possessed an adult's awareness, he might have starved. Usually he could find his way to the baby formula on his own. But sometimes the food ran out. Hisashi seethed as his stomach growled and plotted vengeance as soon as his quirk developed. He could not change his own diaper, so he was left to stink and develop rashes. His gratitude for being reincarnated had already run out. He hated and resented his helplessness.

He was careful to keep up the appearance of a normal child around his mother. (Not that he truly considered the pitiful woman as family.) He never spoke to her, only baby babbled. As a result, she hadn't figured out that he'd stolen her phone and credit card to order regular deliveries of baby formula to their apartment.

Around one year old, Hisashi figured out that quirks did not exist. He'd gotten a few hints from the television shows he'd glimpsed, but he'd clung to hope that his mother simply liked old-fashioned TV. She rarely turned on the news, but when she did, it confirmed his worst fears. History and politics were subtly different from his fragmented memories. Varied hair and eye colors had always been common in this alternate Japan, but there had never been a glowing baby. He had reincarnated in another universe, with technology pre-dawn of the age of quirks and no powers.

At least he still had his genius intellect. As soon as he grew up, he'd set about taking over the business or political world.

Hisashi did not notice at first when his mother got pregnant. This was further proof of his diminished mental facilities in his toddler state. He believed she'd only put on weight until she vanished for several days and returned holding a baby with a single lock of white hair and green eyes. She dumped in the baby in Hisashi's old crib and immediately left, muttering around needing a drink.

Memory came rushing back to Hisashi. A smiling toddler growing into a child into a young man. A smile and a cheerful, Big brother! A name he remembered even after he'd forgotten his own.

Peering down at the baby bassinet, Hisashi whispered, "Yoichi."

Green eyes snapped open. The baby said, "You're still my big brother? Fuck. I couldn't have even been the older brother this time? Fuck, fuck, fuck."

"I'm so happy," Hisashi sobbed, picking up the baby and cuddling him close. In exchange for this blessing, he was grateful for the first time to be reincarnated into this quirkless world.

Yoichi moaned, "What did I ever do to deserve this?" He whacked his older brother in the face with a small fist. "Get away from me, villain."

"Whoa, I'm starting to remember how annoying you used to be," Hisashi said. Additional, less pleasant memories came back. They warned him to dodge just in time as Yoichi tried to bite his finger.

Yoichi crowed, "Ha! You died! I was right! Villains always lose!"

Hisashi said, "If your last successor had died before me, then you would have reincarnated first. Then you could have been the older brother."

Yoichi's smile froze on his face. Little fists thrashing, he wailed, "Dammit! Why couldn't Ninth at least have died together with you so we could have been twins? I don't want to be the little brother again."

Hisashi patted his brother's mostly bald head. "It takes skills and talent to be an older brother. You're just not capable of such a responsibility. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you again. You should probably be nicer to me now that you're completely dependent on me."

Yoichi sobbed until Hisashi went and got a bottle to feed him.


Because their mother didn't bother to give her newest child a name, the name Yoichi stuck. Hisashi wasn't sure what was on his new/old little brother's birth certificate. But even their mother called him Yoichi now, on the rare occasions she came home.

Yoichi quickly got over his irritation and joined forces with Hisashi for mutual survival as two children left alone in a filthy apartment. Perhaps it was easier to let go of old grudges because both of their memories were hazy. Hisashi knew that at one point his quarrel with his little brother had turned vicious and deadly, but it all seemed very far in the past. His memories were disjointed and incomplete. They came and went in flashes. He sometimes felt like two people stuffed into one body.

The two children survived by borrowing their mother's credit card. She had yet to notice the charges. Hisashi worried that wouldn't last. Her job at a hostess club brought in money, but she always spent it faster than she could make it unless Hisashi siphoned off money for necessities first. The apartment was perpetually dirty. Yoichi tried to put trash into bags and carry it out with his small hands. He even sorted out the recycling. Hisashi had given up on cleaning it because it only encouraged that woman to produce more filth. He would have taken out an insurance policy on the bitch and knocked her off a long time ago if he didn't fear being separated from his younger brother in foster care.

When Hisashi turned five, a CPS worker came around to complain that he hadn't been enrolled in school. Their mother pulled herself out of a bottle long enough to fill out the paperwork. Hisashi did not like to leave Yoichi home alone, but at least his little brother had an older mind than his body. Yoichi found a job from home folding paper flowers to bring in needed income.

Hisashi was seven years old and Yoichi was four when a new neighbor knocked on the door.

Standing on a chair, Hisashi peered through the peephole. The man looked like an ordinary salaryman with a suit and tie, perhaps in his early twenties. He had curly green hair, a baby face and a harmless smile. More importantly, he had come with gifts. Hisashi pulled back the deadbolt to let him in.

The salaryman held out a box of tissues, two chocolate bars, and a business card. "My name is Izuku Midoriya. I'm your new neighbor. My, it feels wonderful to finally have a job with legitimate business cards. I'm still riding high on the glow."

A flashback seized Hisashi. He remembered the same face on a younger boy. Teeth had fastened into his throat and ripped off his life support equipment. Feral green eyes framed by lightning had been the last sight Hisashi had seen before he'd died.

Screaming, Hisashi fell backward off his chair.

Izuku caught him. "Whoa, there!"

Hisashi burst into terrified sobs. It was humiliating and he couldn't help it. Mindless fear had seized him.

Yoichi ran forward. "Ninth! It's you, Ninth! How did you become older than me? I suppose this means that I wouldn't have been born before big brother even if I'd died first. Bummer. I must be cursed to always be a little brother."

Izuku said, "My name isn't Ninth, but it has the character for Nine. Where are your parents? Your brother seems to have hurt himself."

Hisashi cried harder.

"We only have a mom. She's out." Yoichi hugged Hisashi. "It's okay, big brother. There are no heroes or villains here. We don't need to fight."

"She left two young children all alone?" Izuku looked around. His nose wrinkled. "This place is filthy."

"Sorry. We clean as best we can." Yoichi hung his head. His stomach growled.

Izuku said, "I'm not blaming you. How about I help you clean up? Then I'll make dinner."

Hisashi didn't want his murderer in his home. "No—"

Yoichi clamped a hand over his brother's mouth. "Thank you! I'm hungry!"


Hisashi went to the bathroom to wash his face and retrieve what remained of his dignity. When he emerged, Izuku carried in a basket of cleaning supplies. "You kids are lucky I still have extra-strong stain remover around from the old days."

"What old days?" Hisashi asked.

Izuku smiled brightly. "Nothing."

Yoichi ran over. "Let me help."

"Here, can you take this rag and wipe off the kitchen floor?" Izuku sprayed some cleaner on a rag. "This stuff is good at getting out bloodstains—I mean food stains." He turned to Hisashi. "Do you have a mop?"

"Just this." Hisashi pushed forward a mop with a broken handle, feeling spiteful glee at the inconvenience.

Izuku's smile didn't waver. "A bit of duct tape will patch that up. Ah, it feels nice to use duct tape for its intended purpose for a change of pace."

"What did you normally use duct tape for?" Hisashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, all kinds of things," Izuku said. "It's very hard to break, even a grown man can't free himself from—ahem. It's very useful." He busied himself repairing the mop

Hisashi did not want to be grateful, but Izuku made quick work of years of dust and grime. The salaryman hummed as he worked.

After finishing cleaning, Izuku went to his apartment and returned with cooking pots and ingredients. "Would you like a beef stew?"

"Stew!" Yoichi cheered. "Thank you! I haven't had home cooking since I was born."

"I thought as much, from all the takeout containers." Izuku's gaze went to the huge trash bags by the door.

Hisashi mumbled, "It's not my fault I'm too short to reach the stove. I'm sure I'll grow very tall, like last time."

"You've been doing a wonderful job looking after your little brother. Far more than anyone could expect of you." Izuku ruffled Hisashi's curls. Then he returned to chopping up carrots.

"You chop them very well," Yoichi said.

"Thank you," Izuku said. "It's much easier than chopping through bone—ahem. It's easy. I learned it in my…childhood occupation."

As the stew bubbled on the stove, Izuku received a phone call. He stepped out into the hallway to take it. Hisashi pressed his ear to the door to overhear. He heard snippets of Izuku saying, "I have no intention of taking over the group…I've decided to live an ordinary life…yes, I'm certain! You can't change my mind!"

His new neighbor was a yakuza heir. Hisashi had already had an inkling. This made it a very bad idea to try to take revenge on Izuku for his death last lifetime. Not that Hisashi had seriously planned any such thing. His memories of his past life felt hazy enough that he had no real hatred for his previous enemies. Besides, Hisashi didn't think he'd ever hated Izuku, even as he'd died by his hand in his last life. He was not sure why.

But he remained wary, since Izuku had been a dangerous person both in the past and the present. It might be better to take this cleaning as a one-time blessing, then refuse to open the door next time.

However, Izuku was an incredible cook.

After stuffing himself on stew and biscuits, Hisashi had decided that he liked Izuku after all and would keep him around. That was before Izuku brought out the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The cookies made Hisashi a fan for life. When Yoichi wasn't looking, Hisashi stole one of his cookies off his plate.

Yoichi yawned as he swallowed his last bite. Izuku wiped away crumbs from the child's mouth. "You should head to bed. Do you want a story? I'll tell you about how Shiro the White Tiger lost his thumb—no, too grisly—huh, I don't know any children's stories. I'll come back tomorrow with some kid's books."

"You're coming back?" Yoichi whispered.

"Of course. I promise." Izuku carried him to bed and tucked him in.

On Izuku's way out the door, Hisashi called, "Have you ever heard of a quirk?"

"Like a funny personality trait?" Izuku asked. "You're very smart. Did you read that word in a book?"

He didn't remember. Probably for the best.


Late at night, Yoichi whispered, "My successor is a wonderful person. He helped us clean and even fed us!"

Hisashi said, "He seems to come from a villainous background in this universe. That makes him on my team."

"Excuse me?" Yoichi's eyes shot open. "My Ninth could never be a villain! He's still the same kind person as last lifetime. I bet you're making that up."

"Ha, you're clueless. He's clearly from a yakuza family." Hisashi grinned. "Maybe I'll get along better with him than you in this lifetime."

"You already stole one of my cookies, you villain! You can't steal my successor!" Yoichi shrieked.

Thus, a rivalry was born.


When Izuku returned the next evening with more dinner ingredients, both brothers fell all over themselves to welcome him. Hisashi offered to carry the grocery bag. Yoichi took his shoes and placed them on the rack.

Worried that Izuku might later get some of his past life memories back, Hisashi decided to take preventive measures. While Yoichi used the bathroom, Hisashi sidled up to Izuku as the salaryman rolled raw chicken in breadcrumbs. Hisashi said, "I had a dream last night where we met in our past lives. I was a villain and you were my apprentice."

"Uh-huh," Izuku said.

Hisashi said, "We used to battle a lot because I was teaching you how to fight. But they were all pretend battles. You were actually extremely loyal to me." In this way, Hisashi would cover everything up in case Izuku remembered them fighting later. "I even gave you the strongest quirk—we called magical powers 'quirks.' It was definitely my quirk originally and you later had it, so that proves you were my apprentice."

"Uh-huh," Izuku said. "That's nice."

"Big brother, don't lie!" Yoichi shouted from the doorway. He stormed over. "Mr. Midoriya used to be my Ninth successor in a past life. He inherited my quirk along with the purpose of stopping your villainy!"

Izuku laughed as he put the chicken in the frying pan. "What imaginations you kids have! Maybe you'll grow up to be novelists."

Hisashi won a few points with Izuku by setting the table, but Yoichi later sabotaged him by pretending his older brother had shoved him and getting one of Hisashi's cookies as recompense. Hisashi seethed and vowed revenge.


For several months, Izuku continued to make dinner for the brothers. Their mother did not appear even once. Izuku asked questions about that, but Hisashi deflected him with more talk of past lives. He cut school so he could help his little brother fold flowers for much-needed money.

Hisashi was starting to get worried. Not about his mother, who barely deserved the title. But about the lack of new paychecks appearing in her bank account. What would happen to him and his little brother if she was gone?

His question was answered when two police officers arrived.

Hisashi did not answer their knock. He knew better than to talk to the police.

The white-haired young woman called, "My name is Eri Chisaki. This is my partner, Kouta Izumi. We received a report that two young children are living alone here. Your teacher said you haven't shown up at school lately. We're here to help you. Are you hungry? We'll make sure you get food at the station."

Eri sounded nice, but Hisashi didn't trust adults. Even the smiling ones could turn dangerous at the blink of an eye.

Kouta asked, "Are you certain this is the murdered woman's apartment? No one is answering."

Eri pointed. "There's light under the door. Someone is home."

Hisashi and Yoichi exchanged worried glances. Although Hisashi could care less if his mother had died, this meant his main source of money had dried up. He'd taken out an insurance policy just in case, but a child couldn't cash it. He'd definitely end up in foster care. What if the system took Yoichi away from him?

"I'll call Izuku," Yoichi said, running for the phone.

"I'll stall the police," Hisashi said.

But Izuku didn't answer his phone. The police officers took them down to the station until CPS could be contacted.


Hisashi sat on a hard metal bench, clutching his little brother's hand. If anyone tried to separate him from Yoichi, then he was going for one of the officer's guns. They could live on the streets. They'd done it before. He felt bitterly disappointed that Izuku hadn't responded to their frantic call. His past life had taught him that he couldn't trust anyone. Certainly not his old mortal enemy. But he'd started to believe differently, only to be let down.

Sitting on his other side, Yoichi sniffled. "I'm sure Ninth is coming."

"I doubt it," Hisashi said. "We were a charity case. He always did have a hero complex, even in his past life. But as soon as we became too much trouble, he refused to answer our calls rather than disappoint us to our faces. He's slunk away like a coward."

Tears dripped down Yoichi's face. "You're wrong! If Ninth shows up, then you have to give me all your cookies after dinner tonight."

Hisashi rolled his eyes. "There won't be any cookies, you idiot, because Mr. Midoriya is never coming to cook for us ever again."

Yoichi wailed.

"Excuse me!" The door flung open. Izuku rushed in. "Where are the brothers? I've been on the phone with CPS. I have temporary emergency guardianship of them—"

Yoichi ran forward and flung himself at Izuku. "Ninth! I knew you'd come!" He beamed up through teary eyes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be faster. I ran into some trouble on my way home from work today." Izuku maneuvered Yoichi to his other arm, away from the red blotch. "Careful, there's a bloodstain. Not my blood, ha-ha."

Keeping his face neutral, Hisashi walked over. "Temporary guardianship?" He did not intend to get his hopes up. His neighbor might only be willing to babysit the poor orphans short-term before handing them off to foster care. Honestly, that was all Hisashi could ask of anyone. Despite his bitterness and desperation, he knew deep down that Izuku had no obligation to them. Hisashi himself wouldn't have bothered to help if the tables had been turned. If he could only buy a little time, then Hisashi could come up with a plan. That alone would be enough to make him grateful to Izuku for the rest of his life.

Izuku smiled. "I'm hoping to make it permanent, after I get the necessary paperwork."

"Big brother owes me all his cookies forever!" Yoichi crowed.

"I never agreed to that," Hisashi said. His mind quickly erased the promise of one dinner's worth of cookies, too.

Izuku pulled Hisashi into the hug. "Only if you two want me, of course."

The loud cheers assured him on this topic.

As he hugged the children, Izuku said, "I should warn you two, my family is a little unusual. But I won't let it affect your lives. I refuse to enter the family business, but some of the underlings have gotten a bit pushy about persuading me." He glanced at the bloodstain on his jacket. "I thought you deserved a warning."

"Yakuza. Told you so," Hisashi hissed to Yoichi.

Yoichi whispered, "Maybe he's part of a famous tea ceremony family. Lots of tea ceremony families get very passionate about inheritance."

There was no convincing a little brother who had comic books for brains. Loudly, Hisashi said, "I have the perfect solution. If you don't want to inherit your yakuza—er, family organization, then as your adopted son, I will instead!"

Yoichi groaned. "Big brother, no. Please just become a corrupt politician or businessman instead. Stay away from organized crime. I'll have to form another legacy of heroes dedicated to defeating you, and it will end with you getting your throat ripped out by a feral teenager again."

Izuku laughed. "What a wonderful imagination you two have!"


OMAKE TIME!

Omake: Hisashi's Last Parents Also Had a Large Life Insurance Policy

Hisashi: Psst, Mr. Midoriya! I have good news! My mother had the maximum possible life insurance coverage. There will be plenty of money to look after me and my brother.

Izuku: How touching. Despite her battles with addition, your mother still cared about you and wanted to make certain you'd be provided for.

Hisashi: That's one explanation, yes. If anyone asks why her signature on the policy looks illegible, it's because she was drunk.

#

Omake: Future Problems

Hisashi: I thought I'd have to wait at least another decade to start forming my criminal empire but the yakuza are already calling me "little master."

Yoichi: It looks like I'm becoming a policeman…


Author's Note: LuaBorn and Ariarinko created the Salaryman Izuku AU and brainstormed ideas with me. Thank you for letting me play with your idea! Additional credit goes to Ariarinko for suggesting the last omake. Ariarinko has drawn art for this AU at:
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With bonus sketches on discord:
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