Chapter Four:
The Artists' Alley was a mess of sound and colors. Booths wound around the long, high-ceilinged room. Bright florescent lights gleamed overhead. Izuku looked around, not sure where to begin.
His eyes fell on a Hawks figurine. He dashed over. "Whoa! The details on the wings are amazing." He looked around. "They even have some rarer heroes, like Ectoplasm."
"Look." Yuuto pointed at the booth across from that one. "It's a doujinshi about All Might's adventures in America."
Izuku's fingers twitched. He needed it. But then his eyes fell on a life-size replica of All Might's boots. What should he buy first?
Inko approached, pushing a red-yellow-and-blue cart with tufts like All Might's hair sticking out on the front. "One of the booths was selling this. I thought you two might need it." She smiled. "Remember, everything you want to buy is on your father."
"Thanks so much!" Izuku almost wished his mom would fight with his dad more often. He started gathering up a figurine for every hero from the first booth.
No matter what, he had to find some merchandise for Float, since Tenko had promised autographs from his Grandma Nana. But most of the products focused on the top ten heroes. One booth had questionably legal body pillows of famous female heroes, including a half-naked Nana with GILF written across the top, but Izuku would commit seppuku before he brought that to the real Nana to sign. There had to be some normal merchandise around here.
His eyes fell on small table with a yellow cloth. Float figurines lined up in rows. The pictures in the back showed skillful drawings of Nana Shimura at different stages in her career. Keychains hung on the wall. There was even a stack of doujinshis.
An entire booth dedicated to the hero Float? Had Christmas come early? Izuku rubbed his eyes, hoping this wasn't a mirage.
"You're such a talented artist," he said to the dark-haired young woman standing behind the booth. Then he double-took. "Are you Hana? Tenko's older sister? We haven't met, but he pointed me out to you yesterday. I'm Izuku Midoriya."
"That's me!" Hana beamed. "I've already heard all about you. Thank you for being my brother's friend. He doesn't like to admit it, but he was going through a rough time a few years ago, and you really helped him. I'll give you a ten percent discount on anything you want to buy."
"Under other circumstances, I'd leap on that generous offer. But right now my mother is trying to spend a large quantity of my father's money as quickly as possible, preferably on stuff he hates like hero merchandise."
Hana nodded. "Daddy issues? Tenko and I could tell you all about those. Want me to inflate my prices?"
"Yes, please. I'll take one of everything." Izuku looked around for the All Might cart. He was going to need it in order to carry all of this.
In short order, between Izuku and Yuuto, they'd loaded the cart to the brim with purchases. Izuku was almost ready to consider himself done for the day—but then he spotted a poster of Eraser Head.
He ran over. "Whoa, I haven't seen any Eraser Head merchandise all day!" It must be admitted that this poster wasn't drawn as professionally as many of the others. The background was crude and the jaw rather square. But that just went to show it was a true labor of a love from a fellow rare Eraser Head fan.
Someone behind him said, "If you want to buy it, please hurry up and take it down. I've been trying to stand in front of it so Oboro and Hizashi don't see. They'd make such an unnecessary fuss."
Izuku turned around to see the Eraser Head cosplayer from yesterday. "Are you a fellow fan? I absolutely love your cosplay. It's so realistic. Why, you look exactly like him!" Except for the braids and the bow in his hair, but Izuku didn't think it polite to mention that. "Did you want this poster? You were here first."
The Eraser Head cosplayer looked harried. "No, no, I've been trying to hide it from my friends so they don't buy it. Please, you take it. I'll even give you the money."
"That's not necessary." Izuku reached into his pocket for the bills his mother had given him.
As soon as he'd paid, the cosplayer turned to leave. "Wait!" Izuku called. "Can I get a picture with you? I love your costume." He looked around, hoping to find someone to take the picture. "Uncle Yuuto?" he called at the opposite booth.
Yuuto turned around. "Hi, Aizawa! I didn't know you were at this con, too."
"Yuuto? I didn't even know if you were alive or dead." Aizawa glared. "Do you realize All Might has been going insane looking for you?"
Yuuto rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I lost my phone. I only just ran into him and straightened everything out."
"You've been busted."
"I know."
"He enrolled you in this vigilante redemption program—"
"I know."
All of Izuku's hair stood up. He shrieked, "You're the real Eraser Head? I must have a picture!"
Aizawa massaged his forehead. "Yes, that's me. I'd be happy to take a picture with you. Just let me get this bow out of my hair."
Yuuto laughed. "You look ridiculous! If this was your first foray into the art of fashion, I suggest you don't quit your day job, teacher."
"I think my new daughter did a lovely job." Aizawa glared. "Just for that, I'm not telling you who Toshinori sicced on you. I'll let it be a fun surprise. Not that you're one to talk, with that ridiculous looking cane."
Yuuto glanced down at the pink cane. "I broke my leg, and this was all I could find on short notice."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow, looking at Yuuto's legs.
"Recovery Girl healed me! It really was broken!"
Aizawa's tone turned serious. "Are you sure you're all right? You really shouldn't have gone into a situation like that alone—"
"Yeah, yeah. All Might already gave me the lecture. So did Inko, who was even worse."
"Inko?"
"My sister-in-law. This is Izuku, my nephew." Yuuto gestured.
Izuku had been struck dumb with joy at meeting his favorite underground hero. His mouth gaped open. Eventually, he whispered, "I'm pleased to meet you."
Aizawa's face softened. "It's nice to meet you, too. Honestly, it's rare for me to meet someone who's even heard of me."
"That's because the media focuses too much attention on flashy villain takedowns instead of regular heroes working to make the city safer. You and many other underground heroes don't even enough credit for the crimes you've prevented during your patrols. Can I ask you about your quirk? I think you have an ability relating to nullifying others' powers, but I'm not completely certain if it's based on vision or a being within a certain distance of your target." Izuku stopped, realizing he was babbling.
Aizawa smiled. "You're correct—my quirk is Erasure, and I have to look at my target. I'd like to know more about how you figured that out. Yuuto has my phone number, he can give it to you. Are you interested in applying to U.A.? I'd love to see you in my class someday."
"Whoa," Izuku whispered. "I mean, yes, I'm hoping to attend U.A." He'd had more people validate that dream today than in his entire life.
"I'm sure you'll have more than one hero school interested in you, but I like to think we're the best," Aizawa said.
Izuku shook Eraser Head's hand. So cool! He was meeting all the heroes today.
A white-haired little girl ran forward and grabbed Aizawa's leg. "There you are! I've been looking for you."
Gently, Aizawa patted her head. "This is my adopted daughter, Eri. Eri, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Yuuto and his nephew, Izuku."
Eri's horn peeked out from behind Aizawa's leg. She mumbled, "Nice to meet you." Her eyes widened upon laying sight on Yuuto. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She turned and ran.
"Did I do something wrong?" Yuuto blinked.
Aizawa rubbed his braided hair. "No, she still feels guilty about Overhaul attacking you in front of her. She has…a lot of trauma. I'll go talk to her." He glanced around. His frown deepened as he realized Eri had vanished among the crowd.
"We'll help you look," Izuku said.
The three of them split up.
Yuuto had never been particularly skilled at hide-and-seek. Nor did he like being surrounded by people on all sides. Back in the old days, he and his brother had tried to avoid crowds for fear their white hair would draw hostile attention from people who hated metahumans. Now he had no idea where to even begin looking for Eri.
The crowd smelled vaguely like sweat and fast food. A cough built up in the back of Yuuto's throat. He tried to suppress it, but that only made it worse. He doubled over coughing. His head spun.
"Hey, you with the ugly cane! Are you all right?"
Yuuto coughed some more. A bit of blood dribbled from his mouth.
The same abrasive voice shouted, "Listen up, assholes, move aside! Give this guy some air!" A muscular arm helped Yuuto lean against the wall and offered him a tissue.
Yuuto wiped his mouth and looked up. "Thank—"
His words choked in his throat. Kaji Bakugo leaned over him with a concerned look on his face. His closest friend (and secret crush) from over a century ago. The hero who'd rescued him from the vault. The man who he'd been planning to pass One for All on to. Someone who couldn't possibly be alive.
The lookalike dug into his backpack and found a bottle of water. "Here. You look like you need it."
Yuuto did. He tried to take a sip, but his eyes refused to leave the man's face. From the beady red eyes to the spikey blonde hair to the pointed jaw, every single feature looked the exact same. A bit of water dribbled down his chin. "Gah."
"Struck dumb by my good looks?" The fake Kaji laughed.
"Gaaaaaaah."
The man who couldn't possibly be his old friend started to look sincerely worried. "Can I help you to the First Aid Station?"
"Did you time-travel too?" Yuuto blurted out.
"Is that some kind of shitty pick-up line?" Fake Kaji snorted. "Okay, I'll bite. Say I did time-travel, what's the punchline?" He stared expectantly.
This man clearly didn't recognize him. He couldn't possibly be Kaji Bakugo. Yuuto straightened and wiped his mouth. "I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else. Someone important to me who I…knew a long time ago. Thank you for your help. I'm Yuuto Shigaraki. What's your name?"
"Are you sure that isn't a pick-up line?" The blonde waited a moment, then looked disappointed. "I'm Kaji Bakugo."
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah."
"Seriously, should I call an ambulance?"
Yuuto clutched at his chest. His heart pounded and his breathing came out irregularly. It wasn't just the bizarrely coincidental name. This Kaji had the exact same mannerisms as his, from the way he ran his fingers through his hair when worried to his brash confidence to his foul mouth.
It was too unlikely to write off as a coincidence and too good to be true. Could it be a quirk? Was his asshole brother behind this? Surely even Hisashi wouldn't be so pointlessly cruel?
A blonde boy shouted, "Hey, there you are! Hurry up, shithead, I'm hungry!" Scowling, he flashed a pair of fangs. He looked like a twelve-year old replica of Kaji.
"Two of you?" Yuuto looked between the two spikey-haired blondes. "Oh…this must be a quirk after all…" His heart sank.
"This is my nephew, Katsuki." Kaji flicked the boy in the forehead. "Pardon his rude manners. He's grumpy because a friend of his stopped coming to school without warning. I took him to the con to cheer him up, but it doesn't seem to be working."
Katsuki screamed, "Who the hell is friends with shitty Deku? He'd better never come back to school ever again or I'll have a thing or two to say to him!" He then proceeded to say those things, which mainly consisted of profanity. Yuuto felt vaguely sorry for whatever poor boy had to deal with this strange version of friendship.
Out of the corner of his mouth, Kaji hissed, "His parents and I think he's some kind of tsundere. Except all tsun, no dere."
"I'll kill you!" Katsuki screamed, lunging at his uncle.
Kaji put a hand on the boy's forehead and easily held him away. Katsuki's fists spun in the air, his arms not long enough to reach.
After a futile struggle, Katsuki stopped fighting, muttered, "I'm going to get lunch," then stalked off into the crowd like a cat who'd tripped over his own tail and just dared anyone to comment on it.
Kaji laughed. "Cute kid, though we're working on his temper."
"Is he okay?" Yuuto asked. "It looked like his skin was smoking."
"He's a child. On some level, he wants discipline; he'll behave worse the less of it he gets. Alas, our society isn't set up to provide restraints on children with strong quirks. One of his parents is too permissive and the other doesn't have much discipline herself. So I'm stepping up to fill in the gaps while he pretends he hates it." Kaji shrugged. "I'm supposed to be babysitting him, so I'd better follow before he throws a fit and sets something on fire." He winked. "Just in case those were actually shitty pick-up lines, here's my phone number. You should stop by the First Aid Station, okay?"
Kaji scrawled his number on the back of Yuuto's All Might poster, then sauntered off.
Yuuto stared at the number, trying to control the raging emotions surging inside of him.
As he pushed through the crowd, Izuku tried to think about where a small girl might go to hide. He pulled out a map of the Artists' Alley. There: some tables for eating near the entrance. The area had been constructed to look like a park…with plenty of places to hide.
Sure enough, he glimpsed white hair behind a potted plant.
Izuku cleared his throat. "Eri? I won't pressure you if you don't want to come out, but can I sit here with you to keep you safe?"
She sniffled. Her head poked out. "Is he okay?"
"Do you mean Uncle Yuuto? Yeah, Recovery Girl healed him."
"I thought he might have died and no one told me."
"Yikes, that would have been an oddly cruel move likely to backfire in the long run," Izuku said. "I've gotten the impression Uncle Yuuto should have been more proactive about telling a lot of people he was all right. Even if he had some…circumstances. I apologize on his behalf."
"You don't need to be sorry." Eri stepped out from behind the pot. "He saved me. Because of my quirk, they were—" She flinched.
Izuku didn't want to force her to talk about anything. "You're safe now."
"My quirk is gone." Eri looked at her hands. "A tall man with white hair took it. Everyone else was upset, but I'm glad I don't have that horrible power. Except people keep telling me that I might have accepted it if I'd been given more time. And I know it's not easy being quirkless."
Izuku's stomach twisted. He'd had his suspicions about his dad, but this confirmation hit him harder than expected. To turn some quirkless…no one understood more than him how horrible that could be. What was he going to do? His breathing became rapid.
Eri tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"
He didn't want to unload his family problems on her. He forced a smile onto his face. "I'm quirkless, and it is hard, but I'll be happy to help you." A cold voice in the back of his mind said he could damn well offer more than his emotional support. He was going to confront his father about this.
Eri smiled. "Thank you. You're nice."
"Eri!" A white-haired man with a Crust cosplay waved. He ran over, a blonde wearing a washing machine hot on his heels. "Did you get separated from Shouta?"
She flushed. "I panicked and ran off. I must have worried him…"
"It's okay. We'll go find him."
Izuku stood up. "I'll lead you." His mind twisted and turned, thinking of plans.
After parting ways with Aizawa, Oboro, Hizashi, and Eri, it was almost noon. Izuku realized he was hungry and he'd lost track of his mother.
Just as he was pulling out his phone to text her, he saw a flash of curly white hair from a very tall man looming over the crowd. Hisashi stared at a map in his hands.
Swearing internally, Izuku dropped to his knees behind a booth. How could his father have tracked them down so quickly? Izuku wasn't ready. He hadn't figured out what he wanted to say, and he didn't want to confront Dad alone.
His father kept moving down the aisle, headed in his direction. Once he reached the end of the aisle, he'd be able to see Izuku, and unfortunately the cloth over the booth table didn't extend to the floor. Izuku glanced around, looking for escape routes, but he'd ended up with his back against the wall.
"Are we sitting on the floor for a reason?" Shouto Todoroki knelt down next to Izuku. "Is this perhaps a flash mob?" He looked hopeful.
Izuku was ready to grasp any straw. "Shouto, remember how I told you that I had daddy issues too? That's my father." He pointed at Hisashi. "I don't want him to find me. Can you distract him while I sneak past?"
"My friend needs me," Shouto whispered reverently. "I'm on it!" He shot to his feet.
Izuku ducked down lower, pulling the back of his shirt up over his tellingly green hair.
Shouto approached Hisashi with a determined expression on his face. "Excuse me, sir. I've been going around warning everyone at this convention about the LSD in the bottled water."
"What kind of demented conspiracy theory is that?" Hisashi glared. "I assure you, I don't drink or eat anything at such plebian events." He pushed past the boy.
Shouto stepped in front of him. "I'm absolutely certain you know all about conspiracy theories, since government radiation must have turned your hair white. I've been interviewing those affected for my blog. Would you talk to me about your experiences going white at such a young age?"
As Shouto rambled on, Izuku crept out from behind the booth and started to sneak past. He kept low, hiding behind other people in the crowd.
Hisashi interrupted, "I'm not interested." He raised his voice. "Does this child have a guardian?" He spoke the word "child" in a tone most people reserved for "cockroach."
As his father glanced around, Izuku moved faster, ducking behind a cardboard cutout of Best Jeanist.
Shouto stepped sideways to help block Izuku from view. With increasing desperation, he asked, "Have you considered letting our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into your life?"
The look on his father's face made Izuku briefly afraid for his new friend's life. Then Hisashi seemed to remember he was in a public location. His nose wrinkled. He stalked off, this time headed in the opposite direction from Izuku.
Over the cardboard, Izuku flashed Shouto a thumbs-up. Shouto winked in response, then followed after Hisashi, continuing to pester him.
Then a voice screamed, "Found you, shitty Dekuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
Katsuki Bakugo charged through the crowd, his red eyes blazing.
Hisashi's head jerked around. In response to the noise, not the name—Izuku had always kept Kacchan's nicknames a secret since his father wouldn't understand his childhood friend didn't really mean any harm.
"Kaji?" Hisashi murmured, staring like he'd seen a ghost.
After all Shouto's hard work, Izuku was about to get caught. His anger emboldened him. He shot one hand out, dragged Katsuki behind the cardboard cutout, clamped a hand over his mouth, and hissed, "Shhhhhhhh!"
Sheer surprise made the blonde shut up.
Someone at the other end of the room called, "Excuse me? Has anyone seen my nephew? Short little troll with a foul mouth and a mean look in his eyes? Looks like me but not as handsome?"
Hisashi's gaze fastened on a second head of spikey blond hair. "Two Kajis?" He rubbed his eyes. "I must be seeing things."
"You definitely drank the bottled water," Shouto said with false sympathy. "You know what helps with that? Prayer. Would you like to look at some pamphlets?" He held up empty air with a smile on his face as if he believed he could will pamphlets into existence by imagining them hard enough.
Declining to call this bluff, Hisashi fled as if being chased by heroes. Shouto stayed hot on his heels.
Once his father had left his sight, Izuku removed his hand from Katsuki's mouth.
The blonde immediately screamed, "The hell was that, Deku?"
"I'm sorry. I'm trying to hide."
"That seems to be a theme of yours, with how you withdrew from school without a word!"
"I did what?" Izuku stared at his childhood friend.
"You really didn't know?" Katsuki calmed down. "Your father called the school and said he'd decided to homeschool you."
"No, I didn't know." Izuku had a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Katsuki snorted. "Sounds like you've got some complicated stuff going on. My mom is worried that your mom canceled on bridge night for the second time in a row, so tell her to give us a call, okay?" Katsuki glared at Izuku extra-hard, as if to make it extremely plain that he wasn't worried in the slightest, he was just passing on a message from his mother. Then he put his hands in his pockets and slouched off.
Izuku was left even more worried than before. He texted his mother where to meet him.
Izuku loitered at the tables at the entranceway to the Artists' Alley. He kept glancing around in case his dad popped up again.
"Hey!" Uncle Yuuto waved at him, pushing the cart of merchandise. "Good job finding Eri."
Inko walked by his side. She said, "If you two are done shopping, I've scoped out lunch options. The convention center has a sandwich shop on the third floor."
Yuuto beamed. "You're always so efficient, big sister. Let's go."
"We've got a problem." Izuku bit his lip. "Dad is here."
Inko paled. "How could he have found us so fast?"
"I don't think he did." Now he'd had time to think, Izuku listed off his observations. "Dad was alone, there haven't been any announcements looking for us, and Dad had a map in his hands. I think he came here to buy something."
"You've got to be kidding me." Yuuto mopped a hand down his face. "You'd think a hero convention would be the one place I'd be safe from running into my brother coincidentally."
"You'd think," Izuku agreed. "We'd better get out of here, fast."
But as they approached the elevator, a woman shouted, "Yuuto Shigaraki! I've finally found you!"
Could it be one of his father's people? Izuku turned around.
A muscular woman with long, white hair, tanned skin, and rabbit ears stood with her hands on her hips. It took Izuku a moment to realize this was no cosplayer, but rather the Rabbit Hero Miruko in the flesh. His heart fluttered. She looked even cooler in-person!
"You're looking for me?" Yuuto asked. "Why?"
Miruko grinned. "I'm your senior in the 'Exceptional Vigilante Forgiveness Program.' Or as it's more commonly known, the 'We're Tired of Chasing You So Please Take This Hero License Before We Ram It Where the Sun Doesn't Shine' program."
Yuuto glared. "I told All Might that I'm not interested in his weirdly named club."
"I know." Miruko grinned. "And he told me that I could make you join by any means necessary." She cracked her knuckles. "You've been at the top of our shopping list for a while, White-Haired Menace."
"It's One for All, actually."
"I'm so glad you came out of hiding so I can fight you. Shall we take this outside so we don't destroy this nice Hero Convention?"
To say that Hisashi Shigaraki was in a bad mood would be like saying the ocean was slightly damp. He'd been family-less for nearly a day without a single clue. He hadn't slept a wink, and it showed, since he'd started hallucinating Kaji Bakugo. It was entirely the wrong time for him to receive word that his minions had located an important present for his son. Why now, after he'd been searching for years?
On the other hand—maybe this was the perfect time. The All Might keychain in question had been the hero's very first piece of merchandise. Only three hundred had been made. If Hisashi gave Izuku such a rare treasure, it might even be enough to persuade his son to live in a vault for a few weeks while his dad worked some stuff out with his mother and uncle. Optimistic…but Izuku really wanted that keychain.
This brought Hisashi to this noisy Hero Convention packed with the unwashed, sweaty bodies of mindless sycophants to the stupidity of society. His nose wrinkled. At least he'd finally shaken off that pint-sized missionary. He made a beeline straight for the booth in question, hoping to get out of here as soon as possible.
Hisashi passed a laughing white-haired little girl, holding hands with two cosplaying men. He pulled up his collar and turned away his face. She didn't notice him.
The black booth had a glass case containing the most valuable items. All Might smiled from a silver keychain. Ugh. Even though Hisashi had never met Toshinori Yagi and had no grudge against him, something about the blonde's smile had always pissed him off.
But for whatever the reason, his son worshipped the idiot, so he'd seen that smile so often he'd built up an immunity.
Not caring about the price tag, Hisashi slammed his credit card down on the table. "I want the All Might keychain."
At the same time, the woman next to him said, "The All Might keychain, please. It's a gift for my grandson."
Hisashi turned. The woman next to him had long black hair intertwined with white and a mole on her chin. Despite her age, she still had both muscles and an icy beauty.
With absolute certainty, Hisashi had never seen this woman before in his entire life. Nevertheless, he had an odd sensation that he was approaching a predestined showdown with a magnificent enemy.
Hisashi crossed his arms. "Excuse me, but I asked for the keychain first. I'd be happy to buy you some other piece of merchandise to compensate you, granny." His so-called happiness didn't reach his eyes.
"The name is Nana, not granny." Her gaze was equally hard. "I was the one who asked for the keychain first."
The fated battle between All for One and Nana Shimura had begun.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Aizawa Had to Autograph A Lot of Stuff
Izuku: If you didn't want anyone else to see your poster, why didn't you buy it yourself?
Aizawa: I tried. The artist recognized me and starting fangirling like crazy.
Izuku: …
Aizawa: Then I was too embarrassed.
#
Omake: How Hisashi Got Rid of Shouto
Hisashi: Stop following me around, or I'll steal your quirk.
Shouto: You can do that? What if I ask you to just take the fire half?
Hisashi: That's not the reaction I was expecting, and I'm not sure where to go from here.
Shouto: My siblings all got quirks ill-suited for their constitutions thanks to my father's genetic engineering, could you switch them around for us? Thank you! You're the best!
Hisashi: I am the best, but I never agreed to help you.
Endeavor: Son! There you are!
Hisashi: This thing belongs to you? Remove him from my sight at once, or else I'll make you quirkless in this AU, too.
Shouto: (Clinging to Hisashi's leg.) Do it! Do it! I won't let you go until you promise to take my dad's quirk!
#I headcanon that like Touya got an ice constitution and a fire quirk, Fuyumi and Natsuo got fire constitutions and ice quirks #So none of them can use their quirks safely #All for One could be a real hero to them #As long as Izuku forces him to help
#
Omake: Inko Meets Tenko Wandering Around the Artists' Alley
Tenko: Hi, I'm a friend of your son's.
Inko: Oh, your poor skin. Do you moisturize?
Tenko: Er…no?
Inko: I have some lotion in my purse. Apply it twice a day. You're too skinny, too. I'm going to put you on a diet with increased protein. Also, judging from the bags under your eyes, we need to talk about your bedtime.
Tenko: Izuku, buddy? Help?
#Nice try, Tenko #You're very much on your own here #Resistence is futile
#
Omake: If Eri Still Had Her Powers
Eri: It was such a terrible night…just thinking about it makes me sick…(Her horn starts to glow. The ground around her disintegrates.)
Inko: Young lady, take a deep breath and calm down. I know you're upset, but you can't destroy things whenever that happens.
Eri: My power…stopped? How did you do that?
Inko: Mom ability.
Eri: It didn't work for my mother…
Inko: Maybe she wasn't much of a mom.
#
Omake: The Tough Love Approach to Bullying
Child Katsuki: I'm going to set this kid on the playground on fire.
Kaji: (Dumps a bottle of water over him.) Cool your head, pipsqueak.
Child Katsuki: Deku is annoying me, maybe I'll go over there and—
Kaji: (Tosses him into a lake.) Cool your head, you little hellspawn.
Child Katsuki: Today, I beat up two kids, and the teacher didn't even care. Clearly I'm awesome.
Kaji: (Sprays him with a squirt bottle.) Cool your head, kitty.
Child Katsuki: HOW DID YOU EVEN KNOW THAT TIME?
Kaji: You should probably stop monologuing about your misdeeds. Your control over your quirk is sloppy. If you can go a week without getting into any fights, I'll teach you how to make smaller but more powerful explosions.
Child Katsuki: I hate you but I will learn from you anyway.
#
Omake: Katsuki Versus Shouto
Katsuki: Ha-ha, just because I've been stuck around Deku forever doesn't mean we're friends or anything.
Shouto: Oh, goodie, that means the best friend slot is still available.
Katsuki: HOLD UP YOU THIEVING HALF AND HALF ASSHOLE!
Author's Note:
Kaji is super-optimistic that Yuuto might be hitting on him because he very much wants it to be true.
For new readers, Kaji Bakugo is the Second One for All User from Karma Quirk and my other stories. And the present-day Kaji is his reincarnation. Maybe the reincarnation trope is a cliché, but I'm a sucker for happy endings, and this is the wish fulfillment everyone is happy Custody Battle AU.
The relationship between Kaji and Katsuki is an interesting one because instead of being the traditionally doting uncle, Kaji realized that Katsuki had already been spoiled too much by the people around him and adopted the role of the strict parent. Katsuki simultaneously resents it and admires his uncle's strength. So he puts on a big act of pretending not to want his uncle's approval. Kaji loves his nephew but also loves giving him a hard time—actually, they both do that to each other, the standard Bakugo method of showing affection. Thanks to Kaji's herculean efforts, Katsuki's bullying phase was curtailed in early childhood, though there was no helping his foul mouth or tsundere tendencies.
Katsuki and Izuku's relationship isn't as bad in this AU, because of less bullying and All Might being a quirkless hero. Even though Katsuki is still a bit, uh, difficult.
Although I had fun writing Kaji as Katsuki's indirect ancestor, I still want them to be very different people because relatives aren't supposed to be Xerox copies of each other. In fact, I think the differences between them could be used to highly comedic effect because All for One can't help seeing Katsuki as the Second. As a result:
-All for One thinks that Katsuki always has a clever plan because Kaji used to play the dumb bruiser despite being a keen tactician. In reality, Katsuki's plan is whatever he just shouted across the battlefield.
-All for One sees a subtle insult in everything Katsuki says to him. Katsuki hasn't even figured out that Izuku's dad is a villain.
-All for One tries to recruit Katsuki as a villain because he remembers Kaji as a very complicated person who largely stuck around the hero side because Yuuto wanted to and intensely disliked rules and the government. However, Katsuki is a rabid hero fan.
-All for One is convinced that Katsuki is going to steal his son just like Kaji stole his brother, so he launches elaborate plots to break them apart and/or murder Katsuki, while Izuku and Shouto are quietly dating in the background. He doesn't even realize he was targeting the wrong person until he gets an invitation to the wedding. Then he has a spectacular villainous breakdown. Katsuki thinks that he's All for One's greatest rival because he's just that awesome as a hero, and it's an extreme blow to his ego to learn that all the assassination attempts were because an overprotective dad (mistakenly) thought he was dating his son. This last one could also be done as TodoBakuDeku if your goal is to drive All for One to a complete nervous breakdown and cause him to launch a murderous rampage across Japan.
Honestly, the biggest commonality between Kaji and Katsuki is simply their ability to make All for One suffer.
The hilarious and talented Kuroyana has blessed this story with fanart! They also write Dad for One fanfiction on Archive of Our Own under the same name if you'd like to check it out. Delete the spaces to get the link to the larger version of this story's cover art:
aimportantdragoncollector.
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com/
post/
653455784020148224/im-so-happy-that-kuroyana-drew-this-hilarious
Edited to add: The very talented sand (sandturnipz on Instragram/ bigturnipz on Twitter) drew a lovely picture of Kaji and Yuuto for a different fic of mine, but since it's so relevant here I had to share it:
aimportantdragoncollector.
tumblr.
com/
post/660256129124810752/beautiful-fanart-by-sand
