Izuku discovered the camera by accident.
Katsuki stormed over after class, pushing Izuku by his collar up against the wall. "Deku, I know that you're—"
Izuku never found out what he'd done this time, because a button fell off his collar. It whirred, then shattered against the floor, revealing wires and glass shards.
"Huh?" Izuku gaped. He was quite confident that he hadn't let Mei replace his uniform buttons with any of her strange experiments. "What's that?"
"It's a camera," Katsuki said in an oddly flat voice.
Izuku examined his childhood friend's face. Katsuki's eyes had gone blank. His hands hung slack at his sides. The last time Izuku had seen Katsuki go this completely Blue Screen of Death, he'd accidentally melted his favorite All Might figurine. In a gentle voice, Izuku asked, "How do you know, Kacchan?"
"I broke one before. In the League of Villains' hideout." Without another word, Katsuki turned and walked away.
Perhaps Katsuki's strange reaction could be explained by a traumatic flashback to when he'd been kidnapped by the League of Villains. Izuku wanted very badly to run after Kacchan, but past experience had taught him that the prickly boy absolutely hated to receive offers of help when he felt vulnerable and weak. In fact, Katsuki had probably left because he didn't want Izuku to see his distress. It went against Izuku's nature to ignore someone else's pain. But he'd learned how to handle Katsuki better since attending U.A. It would be kinder to leave Kacchan alone and let him keep his pride.
Instead, Izuku headed straight to All Might's office. His mentor needed to know about this.
All Might stared at the broken button hiding a camera. "I've been stalked by paparazzi quite persistently, but it's too early in your career for that. Young Bakugo was certain that this camera belonged to All for One?"
Izuku shifted his feet. "Actually, Kacchan said the League of Villains, but since All for One is their funder, it amounts to the same thing. We already knew that he knew I'm your successor. I expected to be targeted. I'm more worried about how he planted the camera on me."
All Might's forehead wrinkled. "I have a guess. I've been turning a worrying suspicion around in my mind for some time…but I didn't want to say anything until I was certain…"
Izuku asked, "Do you think there's a spy at U.A.?"
"Yes, actually, but that's a separate matter." All Might's expression became even more strained. "I think the camera might have originated closer to home."
Izuku blinked. "You mean one of my neighbors?"
"Not exactly." All Might looked away.
"Please just tell me. You're starting to scare me. What if my mom could be in danger?" Izuku had accepted the risks of becoming One for All's successor, but he didn't like to think of a villain's spy anywhere near his mother.
All Might let out a deep breath, sending papers on his desk flying. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. This could be nothing." He didn't sound like he believed that. "I don't have any proof. Just a resemblance and a sense of déjà vu when you fought me during our last practice battle."
"You've completely lost me," Izuku said. "Isn't the camera much more important than discussing my training?"
All Might still wouldn't meet his eyes. "This is such a difficult topic, I don't know how to approach it. What's your relationship with your father like?"
This was a complete non-sequitur, but Izuku rolled with it in hopes that it would lead somewhere. "My father is great. He's super-busy with his work in America, but he calls me almost every day. We love analyzing quirks together. He's always interested in hearing about my day."
"You talk about quirk analysis," All Might muttered as if this was a damning piece of evidence. "He knows everything you do. I imagine the school emailed him about where the Forest Training Camp would be located. Does your father ever talk about his work?"
Still lost, Izuku said, "Nah, he says his job is super-boring. He's a computer programmer. He's one of the few people in the world who know an old programming language from the dawn of the age of quirks, so his skills are in very high demand for retrieving old—"
"Ooooo. From the dawn of the age of quirks," All Might whispered.
Izuku slammed his hands down on his teacher's desk. "Look, will you please tell me and stop dropping all these ominous hints? I love my father very much, and if All for One poses any threat to him, then I need to know immediately."
All Might squirmed in his chair. His face paled at the word love. His shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, young Midoriya. Your father is in no danger, I promise. I don't want to say it until I'm completely sure. May I have one of your hairs for a DNA test?"
"Uh…I don't mind. I took one of your hairs, after all." Izuku smiled at his inside joke. "But why? Wait!" Izuku snapped his fingers. "Do you think my mom might be Nana Shimura's daughter? You've told me several times how much Mom reminds you of Nana. They also look a lot alike."
All Might gasped. "Oh, no, I didn't even think of that!" All color drained from his face. "Why would he…unless for a twisted revenge…"
Izuku waved a hand in front of his teacher's face. All Might seemed to have gone Blue Screen of Death too. "Uh, I'll just leave the hair on your desk." Izuku left.
By the time Izuku left school, he was running late for a long-planned family dinner. His father was visiting from America. It would be the first time in ages that they'd see each other in person! Izuku couldn't be late no matter what.
As Izuku sat on the bench and waited for the bus, he started to doze off. He slapped his own cheeks. But he was too tired from a long training exercise that morning. His eyes slid shut.
Izuku dreamt of the dark, misty realm of the Void. Like last time, the shadows wrapped around most of his body, rendering him immobile.
The Second One for All user appeared before him, spikey-haired and scarred. His eyes narrowed grimly. He said, "Nineth, I need to warn you about—" He froze. "Wake up!" he screamed.
Izuku snapped back to awareness with his body halfway on the bus bench, halfway through a shadowy portal. Kurogiri gripped his right arm. "I've heard a lot about you. How pleasant to meet you outside the battlefield for the first time," the villain said politely, then yanked Izuku the rest of the way through.
It happened too fast for Izuku to fight back. He landed on his hands and knees. Kurogiri vanished, closing the portal behind him.
In his sleepy haze, it took a moment for Izuku to realize that he was underground, because the walls of this place had been painted to resemble a forest. A brilliant blue sky had been drawn on the ceiling. But the fake tree trunk acting as a support pillar for the roof was a less-than-subtle clue. The air in this place smelled stale. A whirring came from the ventilator in the corner.
A shadow fell over him. Looking up, Izuku saw sockless shoes leading to dark suit pants leading to a jacket without a tie leading to the familiar breathing apparatus and mask of All for One.
Izuku leapt up and away from the villain. He raised his fists. "Why have you brought me here? Do you want One for All?"
"Lovely though my dear brother's quirk might be, I have a more important goal." All for One glared in the same way that had cut off Izuku's breath at Kamino. "This is about family."
Izuku's legs trembled. He only remained standing by telling himself that he couldn't let All Might and his predecessors down. He tried to sound brave. "What does someone like you know about family?"
"Now, now, you wound me." All for One didn't sound hurt—he sounded amused. "I have a wife and a son who I love very much."
Surprise overwhelmed Izuku's fear. "You found someone willing to marry you?"
"Such rudeness. You used to be a respectful, obedient child."
Izuku gasped. "You knew me as a child?"
"I knew you very well." Slowly, All for One pulled off his mask to reveal spikey brown hair, a thin moustache, and glasses.
Izuku screamed, "UNCLE MASARU?"
"Ugh, I see that you're as shrill a brat as ever." All for One / Masaru Bakugo stuck a finger in his ear. "Let's get this over with. I brought you here to tell you to stay away from my cute little Katsuki."
"Gah." Izuku was still too stunned about Katsuki's father being All for One to muster a better response.
All for One growled, "Don't play dumb! My darling boy is stupidly in love with you!"
Izuku laughed, a hoarse and dried-out sound. "No, he kinda hates me. Everything that I do annoys him. He's been bullying me for years."
All for One snorted. "That's how we Shigarakis show our love! If you want someone to belong to you, then you must first drive off everyone else who cares about them. Back in the day, I killed half a dozen kids who tried to befriend my little brother. It brings a tear to my eye to see how well Katsuki learned my lessons. He subtly isolated you from everyone else since kindergarten." All for One's tone turned sharp. "But why would he pick a weak, pathetic hero fanboy like you? You're not worthy of him." The air around his hands started to hum.
Izuku waved his arms. "Wait, stop, you're completely wrong! Nothing happened!"
His face bright red, All for One screamed, "How dare you reject my son! If he deigns to show interest in you, then your role is to obey his every whim until he gets bored of you. Also, if you so much as hold his hand, I'll turn you into a Nomu."
"He doesn't like me!" Izuku shouted back. "Katsuki threw me up against the wall just earlier today!"
All for One rolled his eyes. "That's a sign of love, are you a slow learner? I first knew my darling Mitsuki loved me when she German-suplexed me, breaking my skull and both of my arms. Every year, she breaks at least one of my bones to show her affection."
Izuku stared. "Are you sure she doesn't hate you? Uncle Masaru, is your marriage all right? Do I…need to put you in touch with a domestic violence hotline? Listen, abusive relationships can happen to anyone, even strong villains. There's no shame in needing help. I'm certain Mom and Dad would let you sleep on the couch if you need a safe place to stay."
"Shouldn't you be more concerned for yourself?" All for One sneered. "The only reason I didn't blow up that wall you hid behind at Kamino is because you're like a nephew to my wife. In exchange, you molest my son?"
Izuku backed away, his face crimson and his arms pinwheeling. "Whoa, no, zero molestation has been going on!"
"You still deny it after I saw you two getting cozy through my camera!"
"I keep telling you, he was beating me up!" Izuku frowned. "Does this mean you kidnapped your own son at the Forest Training Camp? Yeesh, maybe I should be calling the police on you as much as Aunt Mitsuki."
All for One scowled. "That wasn't a kidnapping. I set Katsuki up on a blind date with Tomura Shigaraki."
"Ew!" Izuku cried. "Tomura is way too old for him! I'm definitely calling Child Protective Services!"
"I'm centuries older than my wife, and we have a great relationship."
"You actually don't, and Kacchan is underage."
"Tomura has assured me that he has zero attraction to my adorable little boy. For some strange reason, Tomura seemed to think that would discourage me, but I'd prefer to preserve my baby's innocence forever. They're going to have a strictly companionate marriage while Tomura inherits my evil empire."
"Whoa, that's super-creepy and infantilizing."
All for One cried, "You're saying that because you're in love with my son!"
The painted forest cracked as a hidden door opened. Katsuki marched out, screaming, "Dad, how dare you plants a camera on Deku!" He stopped and stared. "Now you kidnapped him?"
All for One looked sideways and played with his hands. "My darling son, is now a good time to introduce you to a nice boy named Tenko Shimura?"
Katsuki's eyes narrowed. "Is he the same fucking insane daddy issues gamer NEET Tomura Shigaraki you tried to set me up with last time?"
"Noooooo…" All for One looked squinty-eyed.
Katsuki bellowed, "I'm sick and tired of you matchmaking me with Crusty Face! If you love that shitty villain so much, then you can fuck him yourself."
Wringing his hands, All for One said, "There's no need to be vulgar, my little firecracker. Is your friend teaching you bad words? He's a terrible influence."
"Shitty Deku doesn't even swear!" Katsuki cried. "You ruined my friendship with him with your fucking awful advice. You told me that if I cared about someone, I had to tear down their ego until they believed they couldn't survive without my protection."
Wait, so All for One had been telling the truth, about that part at least? Izuku's brain, which had suffered too many shocks in one day, decided to shove his feelings about that into a box for later processing.
Katsuki continued, "I've been trying so hard to unscrew everything you did to my head. I want you to fuck out of my life!"
"You'd never survive without me, my little firecracker."
"How fucking stupid do you think I am? You taught me how to use that manipulation tactic!"
While the father and son argued, Izuku crept toward the door that Katsuki had left open. Neither of them noticed as Izuku slipped out of the strange metal room and made his way up the stairs. On the street outside, he called a taxi. It might not be too late to make it to his important family dinner.
Poor Kacchan, having to deal with that train wreck of a father. Izuku felt super-glad his dad was an ordinary salaryman.
Suddenly, Izuku realized that All Might must have believed his dad to be All for One. What a joke! If his teacher had just clearly explained himself, then Izuku could have told him that Hisashi Midoriya was a total crybaby.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: What You Would Have Gotten if Mineta's Birthday was April First
All for One: I'm here to ask you about your intentions toward my son, Minoru Mineta.
Izuku: Leave me the fuck alone, the internet has already established that supposed love confession was an error caused by a poor translation.
Author's Note: HAPPY APRIL'S FOOLS DAY! HAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU MAY COMMENCE THROWING ROTTEN TOMATOES AT ME NOW!
Katsuki was perfect for this honor because his birthday is April 20th so this fic can be considered an early birthday present for him.
Second was just trying to warn Izuku about the absolute bullshit that happens when All for One decides one of his relatives might have a romantic attachment. There were several more clues that Katsuki was All for One's son. The biggest one: All Might always remains in denial that All for One might be Izuku's dad in my fics. He only gets suspicious in a universe where he's wrong.
That said, I have a serious in-depth analysis about how All for One could actually be Masaru Bakugo that you can read here:
youtube.
com/
watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
