Chapter Three:
The police chief had been in a state of mild panic ever since he'd received word that the government caravan full of metahuman children had gone missing. Not that he cared about the freaks, but his city was full of bleeding hearts who had been on the streets protesting non-stop about human rights violations ever since the law passed. He knew full well that as soon as word of this spread, the city would erupt with riots.
Then there was the jail break. If he didn't find a patsy to blame, and fast, then there was a very real chance he'd lose his job. Time to plant evidence that the prison gate had been faulty.
When he switched on the news to check if word of the prison attack had leaked yet, two villains stared back at him.
The villains stood on top of the mayoral residence, and they held up the mayor in pajamas between them. The middle-aged man shivered, looking ridiculous in his bunny slippers.
The first villain had muscles bulging from his jet-black mesh shirt. Spikes jutted from green shoulder pads. A metal black mask covered the lower half of his face. His blond hair stuck up in two tufts. A red belt held up very tight black pants. Strangely, his yellow boots had crude, oddly cute skulls drawn on them.
The second villain looked as short as a child. The tall red boots gave him a few extra inches. He wore a black cloak with a red cravat. His vest was black, with red gloves and a red belt. Two silver sashes fastened over the costume like steel bars. He had curly green hair. A black opera mask covered his entire face with two holes slashed for eyes and the character for "evil" written across in blood red.
The police chief choked. These two matched the descriptions of the metahumans who had attacked the caravan and the prison.
"Tremble in fear, Japan," the giant cried. He tipped back his sunglasses to reveal glowing blue eyes. "I am All Smite."
"And I'm All Blight." The shorter villain spoke with a cold chill that made the police shiver even from the other end of the TV screen. He changed his assessment of the villain's age. No mere child could sound so chilling, composed, and utterly terrifying. Even his own partner looked nervous for a second.
All Smite said, "Since the only metahumans in this city are currently helpless children, we've decided to let you pick on someone your own size."
All Blight said, "Next time the authorities kidnap a metahuman child, we're going to take someone powerful in retaliation." He gestured at the mayor, who whimpered and shifted away from him. "This time is a warning, so we'll let him go—over the edge of the roof!" The mayor immediately broke down crying. All Blight cackled. "Kidding!"
"No killing?" All Smite sighed in disappointment.
All Blight chuckled menacingly. "I'll let you kill someone if they don't listen to our warning."
All Smite said, "We'll bring the roof to the ground floor instead." He punched downward, and the building collapsed. By the time the mayor was rescued from the rubble, the two villains were gone.
As they jumped from rooftop to rooftop back toward home, All Might said, "That was an excellent villain voice. Were you imitating All for One?"
Izuku said, "Nah, I was channeling my dad from when we used to play heroes and villains when I was small."
"Maybe you were subconsciously imitating All for One," All Might said.
Izuku didn't think so, but he didn't bother to argue the point. "Do you think people will take our threat seriously? We let the mayor go instead of kidnapping him."
"Who wants him?" All Might laughed. "It would have been too much trouble. No one will see it as mercy. People in this time period will assume the worst about metahumans no matter what we do. In this case, we can take advantage of that. Besides, I have more plans to draw attention to us."
Izuku and All Might stood on top of the hospital roof. Tossing flyers at the crowd of civilians and reporters below, All Might bellowed, "These records show the hospital director has been selling the health information of metahuman children to corporations, including their DNA samples."
All Might had a natural voice for broadcasting. Izuku still needed to use his megaphone. He summoned up all his dad's old menace. "We really ought to give the director to human traffickers, which happened to three of the children. But my partner won't let me." He sighed as if disappointed that his bloodlust had yet to be slaked. Izuku had switched to playing the bad cop because everyone said that he was better at it.
"We've confiscated all the money this hospital made from selling out their patients." All Might sneered. "If you have any complaints, then I'll let All Blight decide the punishment this time. He's far nastier than me."
Izuku bared his teeth and growled low in the back of his throat.
The door to the roof opened, and police poured out.
Izuku darted around, grabbed their guns and snapping them. This was easy compared to his class exercises, much less compared to a real villain fight. He treated it more like a competition to see if he could grab more guns than All Might than a serious battle. The police fled after being disarmed, probably not having wanted to come up here to begin with. All Might had been right: there was simply nothing that could stand up to One for All in this time period.
Dusting off his hands, All Might said, "Let's go."
"Stop!" A teenage boy charged onto the roof. His brown hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and he wore a black mask over his eyes. A grey coat flew in the air behind him. "I'm Destro, head of the Meta Liberation Army. I'm here to challenge you for the title of Japan's Greatest Villain."
Izuku looked around, but he didn't see anyone else. "Uh…so where's your army?"
Destro puffed out his chest. "We're currently taking recruits."
"It's just you, isn't it?" Izuku turned to All Might. "Let's hop off the roof and leave."
"I'm going to become the strongest! When you look down on me, it stresses me out!" Destro swelled up in size. Darkness covered his muscles. He seemed to have the same quirk as his descendant in the modern era.
All Might stuck out one hand, grabbed Destro's forehead, and lifted him up in the air.
Destro kicked his arms and legs helplessly. "How are you so strong?" he cried. "It's stressing me out even more!" He grew even larger. With his giant fist, he beat against All Might's arm.
All Might didn't even twitch. "Are you done?" he asked.
"But I have to be the strongest!" Destro sounded on the verge of tears.
"You're just a kid. Don't be in such a hurry. Instead of thinking about becoming a villain, you should finish high school first. Then maybe I'll consider you a worthy opponent." All Might set Destro down and flicked him on the forehead.
Destro shifted back into his scrawny teenage form. With wide, sparkling eyes, he cried, "All Smite-senpai! Please let me join you!"
"Why do you want to become a villain?" All Might asked.
Destro bit his lip. "I need to become stronger. Everyone bullies my mother because I was born with a metapower. My father left her because of me. I have to protect her."
All Might glanced at Izuku. "What do you think?"
Izuku had no sympathy for the modern Meta Liberation Army, particularly given how they treated the quirkless. But after seeing how history had been whitewashed during his time period, he was prepared to acknowledge Destro might have had good reason to rebel against the government at the time. Right now, he didn't see a metahuman supremacy terrorist, just a scared teenage boy trying to survive in a world that hated him. "Let him join. We could use an older kid to look after the younger ones while we're gone."
All Might nodded. "Good point. I hate to leave them alone, but I don't have anyone I trust." He turned to Destro. "You can bring your mother, too."
Destro burst into noisy tears. "Thank you, All Blight-senpai."
Izuku felt odd being addressed as an upperclassman by someone who looked older than him. "You don't have to—"
"I'll get my mother now." Destro ran off.
Izuku chased after, crying, "Wait! You don't know where we live!"
Destro's mother was a tiny, birdlike woman with black hair pulled back into a bun. She bowed to All Might. "Thank you for looking after my son. I'm sorry that he attacked you. I'll scold him later."
"It was no trouble, Ms. Yotsubashi." All Might bowed in return.
Ms. Yotsubashi sighed. "He's at a difficult age right now. I think he has a touch of middle school syndrome." She placed a hand on her cheek. "He needs an extracurricular activity to work off all that extra energy, but no clubs will let him join because of his metapower. His school expelled him. He doesn't even have any friends. Still, he's a sweet boy at heart. Very filial. If you obtain his loyalty, then he'll follow you to hell. I'm happy that you're letting him associate with other children and directing his energies in a healthier fashion."
Destro's Mom was nice? This hadn't been included in Izuku's history textbooks.
"Of course, Ms. Yotsubashi." All Might smiled. "We appreciate you agreeing to babysit as well."
"You're paying me more than a generous salary." She beamed. "It's my pleasure to look after these little angels."
Behind her, Hisashi dipped into the back pocket of a younger boy, stealing his lollipop.
Without even turning around, Ms. Yotsubashi said, "Put that back, Hisashi."
Hisashi stuck the lollipop back and slunk off.
The entire group gathered together for dinner. The children begged All Might to describe the day's adventure, which he did with wild hand gestures and fake voices.
A five-year-old girl clutching a Teddy bear asked, "Are you going to get my brother next?" Her brother had been kidnapped by traffickers after the hospital leaked information that his saliva had healing properties.
Izuku nodded. "That's the plan. We retrieved information on the traffickers' location from the hospital records."
All Might struck a pose at the warehouse entrance. "I, All Smite, am here—" He stopped as he took in the children in cages against the wall. In quieter yet more terrifying voice, he said, "All Blight, let's skip the speech this time and just beat everyone up."
"Already on it." Izuku leapt forward and planted his foot in the chest of the first human trafficker.
Usually, Izuku was careful to use the minimum force, but this time he didn't care too much if he broke their bones as he took them down. After kicking the last man into a pile with the others, he helped All Might wrench open the cage bars. There were six children inside, aged from between toddlers to preteens. Izuku called the girl back in the hotel and put her on speakerphone so she should vouch for them to her freed brother.
From the doorway, Destro called, "Can I come in now? You could have let me help."
"We're still training you," All Might said. "Be patient. You can fight enemies after you get stronger."
Destro picked up a club off the floor. Walking toward the pile of unconscious thugs, he asked, "Are we killing them all now?"
"No!" Izuku shot between him and the prisoners in a flash.
Destro tilted his head. "Why not? We're villains. We need to show the world that we're strong enough to protect ourselves."
"We're turning them into the police." All Might took the metal club from him. "Killing isn't a sign of strength, young boy. Anyone can kill whether they have a metapower or not. Your ability can't hope to kill nearly as many people as a bomb. It's easy to fire into a crowd with a gun, but it takes years of training to become a surgeon to remove bullets. It's harder to save someone than to kill them. And strength is finding ways to resolve issues without death."
Destro burst into tears. "Senpai! You're so wise. I'll follow you forever."
Izuku whispered, "What if the police let them out? Judging from the hospital records, this group has been spreading bribes around."
All Might whispered back, "That's why I'm blackmailing the police chief. He pretended the jail door had been faulty after I broke it off. I have proof. It's good to be a villain."
After learning that two of the trafficked children had been sold by their orphanage director, All Might and Izuku had another stop. Destro took the children back the hotel while they headed for the orphanage.
After tying the director up, All Might spoke into his phone. "Yes, we have another prisoner for you to pick up, and make sure you contact social services to look after the remaining children. Yes, I'm still blackmailing you."
"Oh, so this is our latest takeover." Hisashi spoke from the doorway. He stood with his hands in his pockets. He'd turned a dark blue blanket into a cape.
Izuku ran over. "Hisashi! You can't be here! It's too dangerous!"
Hisashi laughed. "Human traffickers are dangerous. She looks old." He pointed at the tied-up and gagged orphanage director. "I'm confident we could handle one adult."
"We?" Izuku had a bad feeling.
Yoichi rushed in after his brother. He wore black pajamas with a batman design and his own blanket cape. He struck a pose with one arm raised. "I'm Japan's greatest villain!"
From the doorway, Second rolled his eyes. "There are two of them now."
Third leaned over and whispered, "Yoichi is probably just on a temporary villain kick. I give it a week before he goes back to vigilantism."
Izuku rubbed his forehead. "How did you four even find us?"
Hisashi said, "That was easy. I've been eavesdropping on all your conversations. I'm here for my thirty percent cut of the profits. Each of my associates would also like thirty percent."
"Thirty times four is a hundred and twenty percent," Izuku said.
Hisashi replied, "My little brother doesn't require any payment."
Puffing out his chest, Yoichi proclaimed, "Villains of Justice don't take money!"
Hisashi said, "We're all chipping part of our ninety percent cut into a saving account to look after my little brother after he figures out that living costs money."
All Might hung up the phone. "I'm sorry, my boy, but we don't have profits. We've just been stealing new government credit cards until they get canceled."
Hisashi raised an eyebrow. "That's why you need me. I'm here to put this organization in the green. I see plenty in this room that we could sell."
All Might looked appalled. "We're not stealing from the orphanage."
"What about the director's private office?" Hisashi waved at the bound woman. "I see numerous valuables hanging from the walls. It would be compensation for the children who she sold out. We can give the rescued kids the remaining ten percent. Numbers First through Third?"
Immediately, the other three children started stripping decorations off the walls. Second picked the lock on the desk. Third was already carrying out a painting.
All Might pinched his forehead. "Fine. But reverse the percentages. You're giving ninety percent to the children affected and keeping ten percent yourself."
"Of course, after my finder's fee for fencing these goods." Hisashi smiled innocently as he sorted through the drawer that Second had opened.
"Is your finder's fee ninety percent?" Izuku asked
"Oh, no, of course not. It depends on how much work it will be to transport and sell these goods—" Hisashi stopped. His face paled. "You need to see this document."
"Are you trying to distract us from the percentages?" Izuku asked.
"No, I'm serious." Hisashi held up the paper.
Izuku skimmed it, then called, "All Might, look." The orphanage director had been sending blood and hair samples from the metahuman children under her care to an unknown address.
"Agreed, we need to investigate this," All Might said. His gaze said, We'll talk more when the children (and the prisoner) aren't listening. Izuku nodded. This looked like their first real lead on a potential third power who might have murdered the children in the original timeline.
After they returned, Ms. Yotsubashi nearly collapsed with relief upon seeing the four missing children. She apologized frantically for letting them wander off.
"It's not your fault," All Might said. "We've got over a dozen children now. No one to help you. No childcare facility. A lot of them need extra supervision." He grabbed a girl who was crawling up the wall with sticky fingers. "It was never fair to expect you to look after all of them by yourself. Nor is this arrangement sustainable in the long run. We need to send the children to school."
Ms. Yotsubashi said, "The local schools won't take metahumans, as my son and I found out the hard way."
All Might said, "Leave that to us."
Izuku grinned. "We've acquired a lot of blackmail material during our break-ins."
"Oh, how lovely. I don't want my son to fall behind on his studies. He always used to dream of being a forensic accountant," Ms. Yotsubashi said. "I'd like him to have backup in case the villainy doesn't work out for him. I'll serve dinner."
Destro immediately leapt up. "I'll help set the table, Mom."
Izuku whispered, "I can't see how he ever grew up to be a terrorist leader."
All Might said, "I can." Catching Izuku's surprised look, he added, "Oh, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, in the original timeline, Destro's mother would have been murdered by a hate group yesterday."
On the very first day the children attended school, a group calling themselves, "Parents for Safety" marched outside protesting.
Naturally, Izuku and All Might showed up to break all of their signs one by one.
"This is violation of free speech!" the leader shouted angrily.
Izuku and All Might exchanged glances. Izuku asked, "Do you realize that we're villains?"
"Frankly, breaking your signs is the least of illegal of our plans today," All Might said. "After this, we're heading back to the headquarters of Real Humans Unite—yes, we know they're funding you, half of you lot aren't even parents at this school. Then we're going to break all of your computers and steal your money."
Izuku said, "We call it a fee for dealing with your bullshit."
Sirens rang in the distance. Izuku said, "We're blackmailing the police into arresting you on vague charges. Isn't police corruption so much less fun when it happens to you?"
All Might and Izuku busted through the laboratory door. The scientists inside scattered. Izuku let them run—they weren't important. From the expensive equipment, he was fairly certain this place was government funded. But he and All Might needed proof. They'd been gathering evidence against the current government for some time now. The mayor had resigned after their threat, but this went much higher up than him. Izuku felt fairly certain the Prime Minister and Diet were involved. Soon, they would have enough evidence for impeachment and arrests.
The two of them had changed costumes for a stealth-focused mission. Izuku had simplified his All Blight costume to a black trench coat with a red cravat. All Might wore all black to blend into the darkness, except for his red knuckle gloves and of course his trademark shoulder spikes.
Sitting behind a computer, All Might typed rapidly. Izuku hadn't known his mentor had hacking skills until their time-travel adventure. All Might had been evasive about where he'd learned these skills.
While his mentor was busy, Izuku poured a file cabinet across the floor, looking for clues.
All Might called, "Over here!" He pointed at the computer screen. "This laboratory is being funded by the Prime Minister."
Izuku asked, "Did you copy the files?"
"Copying right now." All Might gestured at a flash drive. "There's more. They've been experimenting with a drug to remove quirks."
Izuku shrugged. "If they'd succeeded, that would be a big deal in the future. So we already know the project failed."
Grimly, All Might said, "They planned to give their experimental concoction to the kidnapped children we rescued. Supposedly to make it easier to transport a bunch of metahuman children to this very laboratory."
Izuku's heart stopped. "The Great Tokyo Disappearance. Their drug didn't work—but it must have killed the children. That's why there were only child bodies. That's why we didn't find any traces of a third enemy. That's why it didn't seem like the government had any plans to kill the children." Because it had all been an accident—yet no less malevolent for it. What kind of monsters gave experimental drugs to young children?
All Might said, "That was my conclusion, as well. There are records here of the scientists trying their drug on metahuman adults. Believe it or not, those were volunteers—people who hated their own powers. The drug made the adults sick and dizzy. Most fell unconscious or were paralyzed. A few subjects claimed they lost their powers. Later research showed that was just wishful thinking from pitiful people desperate not to be metahuman. This isn't a quirk erasing drug. It's just another poison."
Coldly, Izuku said, "They should have known that any drug that knocked out a grown adult might kill a child."
"I quite agree, my boy. We need to destroy this place before we leave. This research is too dangerous in the hands of idiots."
Izuku said, "You keep copying files, I'll look for explosives or materials to start a fire." He zipped off down the hallway.
Following a ticking sound, Izuku opened the door to a laboratory. A bomb was strapped to the side of a giant tank of chemicals. The timer read five minutes. Damn.
Izuku shot back into the computer room. "Good news and bad news. The scientists already rigged this place to explode when they evacuated. We have five minutes—less, now."
All Might yanked out the flash drive. "That's plenty of time with our speed."
Vents overhead opened, releasing gas.
All Might tackled Izuku to the ground and slammed his mask over Izuku's face. They both shot backward, crashing straight through the wooden door and slamming into the hallway wall.
Izuku scrambled out from under All Might. The mask hadn't been a gas mask, just regular cloth—he'd breathed in some of the chemicals. He felt light-headed. More greenish poisonous gas leaked out of the room into the hallway. He had to get away from there. More importantly, they both had to get out of the building before it exploded.
All Might lay on the floor with his eyes closed. He'd gotten the worst of the gas. His body had deflated, and blood dribbled from his mouth.
Izuku slung his mentor's arm over his shoulder and dragged him down the hallway. The world kept spinning. He could barely put one foot in front of the other. One of his arms had stopped working. He couldn't use One for All. His other arm felt too tingly. So did his legs. He took one more step, then stopped, panting. All Might started to slide off his back. Izuku grabbed tighter and took another step.
All Might coughed. He cracked one eye open. "I…can't move."
"It's okay, All Might. I'm getting us out of here." Izuku tried to step again. But the weight on his back was too much. He fell down on one knee.
All Might said, "You have to leave me behind, my boy."
"I'm not!" Izuku screamed. "I can keep going." On his knees, he dragged them both an inch forward. Sweat dripped down his face. His teeth ground.
All Might said, "We'll both die if you try to drag my heavy carcass along. You might make it out alive if it's just you. What choice would a villain make?"
Izuku said, "We're not actually villains. We're heroes faking it." Wobbling, he managed to stand up.
All Might snorted. "Judging from the number of crimes we've committed at this point, we're real villains."
Izuku growled, "I don't care about the semantics. I'm not leaving you." He dragged them both forward along the ground with agonizing slowness. His heart pounded loudly, letting him count the seconds by it. He dug his nails into the cracks on the tiles and dragged a bit more. His throat burned and his eyes ached from the gas.
"Izuku? All Smite?" Hisashi cried. With pattering of feet, he ran forward, with Yoichi, Second and Third close behind him.
Yoichi gasped. "What happened to you?"
"Poison, looks like," Second said.
Third nodded. "We're definitely getting promoted to sidekicks after we save you."
All Might cried, "You four are supposed to be in school! You are in so much trouble."
"Now's really not the time," Izuku gasped. His mouth tasted like sweat and something funny. "This building is rigged to explode. Help me."
The kids each grabbed one of All Might's limbs. He tried to say something in protest. But his eyes rolled backward, and he passed out. The children carried All Might forward. Gripping the wall and counting seconds until detonation, Izuku staggered after them.
They made it out of the building, but Izuku knew it wasn't over yet. The debris could still kill them. He grabbed all four kids and All Might, then rolled them down the hill.
The laboratory exploded behind them. Izuku threw himself on top of the kids, covering them as best he could. A bit of dirt rained down on his back. His ears rang. His world blinked in and out. He'd lost all sensation in his limbs. He couldn't move.
Yoichi shook him. "Izuku?"
Izuku slurred, "It's the drugs. We're gonna be fine after it wears off." Or so he hoped. "Please call Destro to pick us up." He smiled up at the kids. "All Might is going to yell at you a lot, but you did good."
"Ninety percent of the profits good?" Hisashi asked.
Izuku said, "You get one hundred percent."
Technically, the only profits from this mission were the information that would take down Japan's government. Before he passed out, Izuku wondered if that meant he'd just promised to give Japan to Hisashi.
The next few days passed uncomfortably, with Izuku either lying flat on his back or bending over the toilet. But the drugs did pass from his system, a little more with each day. On TV, he watched the prime minister led out of his office in handcuffs.
"Experimenting on children must have been a step too far," All Might said.
Izuku nodded. "I'm relieved that Japan has some standards."
Hisashi bounced into the room. "No, it's because of you two. You've changed how Japan views metahumans."
Izuku and All Might exchanged confused glances. Izuku asked, "By committing crimes?"
Hisashi grinned. "By looking stylish while committing crimes. Trust me, if you can convince my little brother to wear villain fashion, then you can charm anyone in Japan. People liked seeing bad guys get their comeuppance, and it helped that you were hilarious. You're super popular." He pulled out a notebook. "I have plans for your political campaign. It's time to strike when the iron is hot and take over Japan!"
Izuku raised his hands. They were starting to fade away. "Actually, I think our time is up."
Hisashi flinched. "Is it the poison? Do you need a doctor?"
All Might shook his head. "No, it won't make a difference. Remember how I told you that we're from the future? It looks like the power that sent us here is wearing off. We're returning to our own time. Don't worry, Ms. Yotsubashi will look after you and the others. Japan is much safer for you now."
Hisashi's face crumpled. He looked small and lost. "But I don't want you to go! I don't know what to do without you!"
With his remaining strength, Izuku pulled Hisashi into a hug. "I'm sorry we have to go. But I know that you can change Japan. Take your political campaign plans and use them for yourself."
All Might wrapped his arms around them both. "I'm very proud of you, Hisashi. You saved my life and young Midoriya's. I trust you to look after your little brother and the other children."
Hisashi's face became resolved. "We'll see each other again in the future."
Izuku tried to tell Hisashi that they couldn't, because they were going too far into the future. He didn't want the poor boy to wait for them forever. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he vanished.
Izuku opened his eyes. He lay flat on his back on concrete. He blinked up at the skyscrapers looming over him. It took him a moment to recognize the same street where he'd been hit by the time travel quirk that had sent him to the past.
A man with curly white hair and red eyes picked him up and swept him into a hug. For a second, Izuku didn't know who he was. But that was ridiculous. Of course he knew his own beloved Dad. His father had been constantly there throughout his childhood, cheering him on as he entered U.A. and inherited his uncle's quirk. Izuku collapsed into the warm and familiar embrace of his father, Hisashi Midoriya.
Stroking his hair, Hisashi murmured, "I told you we'd see each other in the future, Izuku."
A connection slotted together. Izuku said, "You never told me you met me in the past, Dad!"
Hisashi said, "You didn't seem to recognize me back then. I was afraid of changing the past if I told you."
Changing the past. Was that even possible? Izuku had no idea. He felt an idea on the tip of his tongue, but it faded away unspoken.
Uncle Yoichi shoved his way in. "I want to hug Izuku too!" He glomped them both.
"Yeah, yeah, don't break my ribs." Izuku laughed.
All Might sat up and groaned. "Wha…where are the other heroes?"
Hisashi said, "They're cleaning up the mess that we made during the battle with those criminals. And don't you mean vigilantes?"
All Might blinked. "Vigilantes? Heroes without licenses? The criminals who attacked us used quirks, wouldn't they be villains?"
Hisashi laughed. "Why would heroes have licenses? And why would we have a different name for criminals who have quirks? That sounds like a silly excuse for discrimination."
All Might shook his head as if shaking off a bad dream. "Of course. You're right, old friend. I must still be disoriented from traveling back in time."
Hisashi offered him a hand and helped him to his feet. "If you're feeling well enough, then we have a celebratory dinner with all the One for All users to commemorate your return from the past."
"All the…Nana will be there?" All Might asked. His eyes widened. His lip shook.
"Of course Grandma Nana will be there," Izuku said. One for All came bundled with an immortality quirk, which meant his grandmother looked no older than his mother and was still an active vigilante even after passing it along.
A single tear trickled down All Might's cheek. He said, "Yes, I want to see her." He rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm like this."
Yoichi slung an arm around his shoulder. "Obviously because you're happy to see me and how well I grew up."
Izuku gave his dad one last squeeze. He whispered, "Now that I know what a snot-nosed brat you used to be, I'm going to tease you. I'm going to tell Mom. The dignity of the President of the Vigilante Oversight Commission will be completely gone."
Hisashi's eyes widened. "I'll bribe you with vigilante merchandise for your silence."
Izuku grinned. "Done." He could have made his dad squirm more, but for some reason, memories of his happy childhood were flashing through his mind at a rapid rate that it made him nostalgic. He decided to go easy. "I love you, Dad." He didn't know why he felt such a strong urge to say it.
Hisashi grinned. "I love you, too."
Author's Note: Izuku and All Might were hit with a different quirk in this AU than in Forgiveness is the Attribute of the Strong. Instead of parallel universe travel, they went back in time in their own world. As a result, they were able to change the future for the better. The BNHA world is much less dystopian, Hisashi became a better person, and all the OFA holders lived.
In this new society, the term "villain" doesn't even exist. Thus All Might and Izuku will always be history's greatest villains.
To avoid being murdered by Hisashi for my last two fic endings, I'll be fleeing to the distant wilderness for the next two weeks. I do not expect to have time to write any oneshots while on vacation, but I've prepared two multi-chapter fics in advance with long chapters. My updates may be sporadic due to lack of internet and I will take longer to reply to comments, but I promise to read and love all of them later. I hope you enjoy these two stories:
"You Can't Have Everything" (Tuesday update): Before Yoichi found about All for One's villainy, back when they had a good relationship, he invited his older brother to go hiking with him. Unfortunately, a pair of city boys have absolutely no idea what they're doing. As their argument turns political, cracks in their relationship appear that will later lead to the genesis of All for One and One for All.
"If You Meet Your Father, Kill Your Father" (Sunday update): Izuku is a half-demon mercenary who has survived on his own ever since he lost his mother as a young child. In the middle of a job, Demon Lord Hisashi identifies Izuku as his long-lost son. Izuku scorns this demon who wants to baby him. Hisashi has no idea how to deal with a son with the cherubic appearance of a teenager, the foul mouth of a soldier, and a murderous vendetta against demonkind.
In addition, I've written a collaborative BNHA-Hunger Games crossover that resulted from playing telephone with a group of Dad for One writers.
Title: Snare
Summary: The moment his name had been called, Izuku had known he would die. For the last two decades a career tribute known as All for One has ruled as champion over the Games. Now a citizen of the Capitol, he was the star of the Games every year, slaughtering tributes without mercy or remorse. So Izuku had known he would die. Little did he know how wrong he was. This year, All for One had set his eyes on a new prize.
The fic is currently being posted on Archive of Our Own at:
archiveofourown.
org/
works/29931180/chapters/73671960
