Chapter Summary: A considering eye. Testing the variables. Unwanted attention

Villain!Izuku, canon-divergent

(warnings for: past kidnapping, past torture, past experimentation, brainwashing)

This was co-written by kattenprinsen and cross-posted from archive of our own.

Notes:

katten: hey funfactoid, izuku uses 父上/chichiue/"honorable father" to address sensei making it Super Formal

Chapter Eleven: footsteps in the dark

All Might Central was a twenty-four-hour diner. It had to be, considering a large portion of its customers were vigilantes or outright villains, all people with unconventional working schedules. Some of the busiest hours of operation were after ten at night when the stars were out, the moon was high, and people were looking for a safe place in off the streets to duck out of sight of the cops and get a bite to eat.

Even though there were many who lingered around their meal the place never quite filled up. There was always available space at the diner, no matter if your party was two or seven or thirteen.

As it neared midnight, the height of night activity, Izuku and Chizome entered the restaurant, a little charred around the edges and smelling faintly like smoke.

In his adult form, Izuku was instantly recognized by the hostess. Jackie grinned at him, putting her fists on her hips. "Well hello there! Is it just the two'a you boys today?"

"Actually, there should be a party of three waiting for us. They're probably under Freecs?" Izuku replied, smiling back.

Jackie tossed her copper colored hair over a shoulder. "Ohh, right. Y'all follow me then! Shirogiri went and put them in one of the back rooms." She tucked a pair of menus under her arm and gestured for them to follow.

Jackie wasn't the only one who recognized Izuku, or Chizome, as they made their way through the restaurant. They got shouted greetings from a scattering of tables, usually something simple like "yo, boss!" or even more casual like a "my dude!". Izuku grinned and waved back, but didn't stop to chat. Chizome rolled his eyes and kept ushering Izuku along, clearly eager to get to their destination.

The door Jackie led them too had a little wheel with colored wedges on it. She spun it until it pointed to green and then pulled a lever. All the while she spoke, "It's been quite a while since I seen y'all come 'round here! Y'all must've been pretty busy to miss your regular hours. I know Shiro's had an easier time back in the kitchen with Choi since ya been out, but all our regulars miss your shining face, boss!" She stepped aside as the door slid open to reveal a room beyond.

"I'm sorry, Jacks," Izuku said apologetically to her, "I promise to come around whenever I can. I'm just busy with all sorts of things these days."

"If everything is going well for you, can we really ask for anything else outta life?" Jackie asked rhetorically, nodding to herself. She gestured towards the doorway. "Anyway, here are your friends. Ya know how to order in one of these backrooms, right?"

Izuku nodded. Chizome cleared his throat and the young man stepped back so he could go through ahead of him. Izuku rolled his eyes at Chizome's back and then leaned towards Jackie, putting his hand up by his mouth to whisper to her, "Gomiko's been out of town for a little while. Kagaya wasn't the only one to miss him."

Jackie laughed and waved him off, "Ya better go play peacemaker then! Lord knows how that girl gets when her brother's been off for a while! I don't know how he manages to get any personal time with Akaguro, if you know what I mean!"

Izuku snickered, "They're very determined." Jackie laughed again and Izuku left her by the door.

A single circular table sat in the center of the room. At the far side of it, across from the door, sat Gomiko. He was in the process of standing to greet Chizome in a very friendly manner. On Gomiko's left perched Kagaya. Her hair was down now, with a bit of it falling into her face and the rest pinned back with a row of glittering gold star clips. Gomiko's right side was open, and that was where Chizome sat after greeting his boyfriend.

Dabi lounged in his own chair, pushed back from the table with his legs stretched out. He was the one sitting left of Kagaya, leaving an open seat between himself and Chizome for Izuku. He settled down in it with a sigh, slouching a little so that he and Dabi matched.

He got a crooked grin for his trouble, "You okay, boss?" Dabi asked, "You got a lot of ash in your hair."

"Mm? Yeah, I'm fine." Izuku said, flipping open the menu and scanning the items. His stomach was growling already and he was feeling sluggish. It was definitely time to give some energy to his body. "It ended up being me that Endeavour chased around the city blocks. The guy is a bit of a loose cannon with his fire when he's all worked up."

There was a soft tapping on the table. Izuku glanced up to see Gomiko drumming his fingers across the polished surface. He lifted his gaze up to meet the man's eyes. "Not at the dinner table," Gomiko said, his tone as solid as stone. "You two can speak about that later."

Izuku held his gaze for a moment but Gomiko was unflinching. So he gave a little smile and apologized. "Sorry. It was just habit." He folded up his menu and pushed it away from himself, "I'm ready to order."

"So am I," Chizome said, tossing his menu forward to join Izuku's. He leaned back in his chair, putting his arm across the back of Gomiko's. "The rest of you?"

"We have already," Gomiko said as he reached to the center of the table where there was a small white dome. He tapped it and it lit up. A holographic display popped up of their waitress, who bowed and asked for the additional orders.

Chizome gave his first, as it was only a single dish, and then Izuku gave an order of several. When they were finished, Gomiko thanked the holographic woman and tapped the light again to dismiss the figure.

Kagaya, elbows resting on the table, chin in her hands, looked across at Izuku. A slow, broad grin spread over her face. "So, Mint-nii," she asked with a glint in her eye, "Are you gonna spill the details of your training matches at school last week or do I have to pull out Pocky's video and show everyone for you?"

"Pocky got video?" Izuku groaned. "What are they doing in Yuuei's systems?"

"You're in Yuuei." Kagaya said, "And you're interesting to Pocky-chan. So, of course they're gonna record it! We can't be there so this is all we have!"

Dabi perked up, "You have the video with you?"

Kagaya grinned, reaching for her pocket. Izuku put up his hands, "Fine, fine. I'll explain it all, again." He glared at Kagaya, "There's no need for video."

Kagaya settled her chin in her hands again. "Go ahead and tell us the story of how you ended up kissing-"

"Ah ah!" Izuku interrupted. "No spoilers!"

Chizome and Gomiko exchanged a look. Turning back, Chizome said, "You didn't mention a kiss on the phone, earlier."

"It happened afterwards," Izuku explained, "Honestly, all of you are far to interested in who I kiss. Stop it." His glare around the table was ineffective though. Chizome just rolled his eyes and Dabi's apologetic look was entirely false. "Anyway, here's how it went…"

Once Izuku started the story, he got into telling it. Gesturing with his hands, repeating back conversations, miming out actions, he told the events of Friday with some gusto. The only part he skipped was his own trip to the infirmary, the phone call with Chizome and the sheer panic that had flooded him at the thought of having nearly ended Monoma's life.

As he told his story, the food was delivered via a series of white misty portals. They ate, asking questions, listening to him talk, and, as it ended, the conversation dissolved into a more natural state. Gomiko mentioned some of the sights he'd seen while out of the city. Dabi and Kagaya had a brief argument over a strategy game. Izuku and Chizome discussed weapon shops and knives.

During a discussion about couches (Gomiko's office needed a new one and Kagaya and Chizome had differing opinions on style) the door opened. Izuku looked up to see Jackie standing apologetically in the doorway. She twisted her hands together in front of herself and cleared her throat.

Conversation died down and Izuku asked, "Jacks?"

"Excuse the interruption," she said, looking straight at Izuku, "But Daichi-san is outside the restaurant asking for you, Boss."

A different kind of silence spread over the table. Everyone sat tense in their seat. Gomiko's gaze flicked to Izuku. His eyes were sharp as fragments of glass and Izuku forced himself not to wince under that judging gaze. "I thought you had left his service." Gomiko glanced to Dabi, "Was that not what you said? That that man had let Izuku go?"

"He told Tomura to not go after Izuku," Dabi confirmed. His fingers were at his throat, nervously tracing over the metal staples that held his skin together. "That Izuku had his own plans going on."

"Are you going to go speak with him?" Chizome asked Izuku, his voice low, "Do you want company?"

"I can handle this," Izuku said, standing. He picked up a bowl and some chopsticks, finishing off the remnants of food in the bottom before he stepped away from the table. "I'll catch up with you all later."

He could feel their eyes on his back as he walked to the door. Izuku stepped out with Jacks. As the door shut behind them, she reached out and gripped his arm, "Isn't he the man who wants to kill All Might?"

"Don't worry, Jacks," Izuku said, putting his hand over hers. "I swear that no one will kill All Might, not while I'm alive."

She gave a tiny smile. Squeezing his arm a little tighter, she said, "Honey, you be careful okay? You let us know if you need anything to help you."

He nodded to her and slipped away. Navigating his way back through the restaurant, Izuku stepped out and back into the night.

Daichi waited for him, hat on his head, his long coat covering him down to his ankles, with his hands folded behind his back, underneath the pooling light of a streetlamp. The direct light overhead cast his face in shadow under the brim of his hat, but Izuku didn't need to see his face to recognize the man. There were some downsides to having a brain as hyper-aware and retentive as his.

He stopped a few feet in front of the man, hands buried deep in the pockets of his All Might hoodie. He gave Daichi a lopsided smile. "Is there a reason you've interrupted my dinner?"

"Your father has heard about the events of Friday afternoon," Daichi said plainly. "If you had come in yourself, this interruption would not be necessary." He paused and leaned forward slightly, "He gave you a full day to come in of your own free will."

"It would have been an unnecessary trip," Izuku said, still smiling.

Daichi looked at him, unimpressed. "It is not your choice. This is part of your agreement with your father. You will respect it."

Izuku grit his teeth for a moment and then forcibly relaxed his muscles. He shrugged. "Fine. I'll go now. It's not like I need to sleep for school or anything in the morning."

Daichi said nothing. He simply turned and led Izuku to a waiting car. The car sank a little as Izuku climbed into the back. Daichi got behind the wheel and began to drive.

The trip occurred in silence. Izuku watched as they drove through the city, busy with night life, into a warehouse district, where the only people out were guards over merchandise and the only light came from powerful floodlights. He leaned against the door, staring out the window, idly counting the lights they passed, predicting the turns out of memory until they arrived at the warehouse that passed as Father's laboratory.

Daichi drove the car into a small garage door, that opened automatically for him. The room inside was lit from above with blue fluorescents. Izuku didn't bother waiting for Daichi to open the door for him. He slipped out of the back of the car, rolling his neck and stretching out his back and shoulders idly.

The garage looked the way it had the last time he'd seen it- spotless and empty besides a series of four cars and, along the very far wall, a metal table with perfectly aligned tools. Daichi removed his hat and lead the way to a door in the side of the room. Beyond that door was a long hallway with more doorways. This too was well lit.

"He is waiting for you in the cerebral examination room," Daichi said as he hung his at and his coat up on the coat rack behind the door. There were two more hats and three more coats of exactly the same type already there. Daichi was, as far as Izuku knew, the only one who wore those items.

"Of course," Izuku said, smiling. He kept his hands to himself, even though he wanted to tap the wall and leave a sensory quirk active there. Bugging each other's bases was against the rules of his contract and if Izuku wanted his freedom, wanted the freedom to accomplish his goal, he had to play by the rules.

Even if they were disadvantageous. Even if he didn't particularly think they were necessary, either.

The Cerebral Examination Room was unsurprisingly steril in feeling and appearance. The largest thing in the room was the actual machine itself. A cousin of the MRI, this machine was one that Father had tweaked for his own personal use. After all, it was impossible to study a living brain without being able to see it- and no point in studying a dead brain when it was the living one that had the mysteries you needed to open.

Behind a separating glass wall, Father sat in a chair beside a computer. He breathed through his mask, slow and steady, and his eyeless face turned towards Izuku when he entered the main room. Izuku looked back at him for a moment before walking over to the chair. "I told Daichi and I'll tell you, Father, this is unnecessary. He didn't have a clear copy of it and they immediately healed the change in his brain."

"Allow me to be the judge of whether or not it's necessary, in this case," Father replied with wry amusement. His voice carried over the speaker with only the slightest of crackling. "I am an old man and I have not gotten this far by being careless."

Izuku sat back on the chair and folded his hands over his stomach. "I won't prevent you from wasting your resources. If you won't listen to me, you won't listen." He looked up at the machine. The smooth curve of plastic overhead was as familiar to him as the hard cushion of the chair he sat in. How many times had he sat here as that same mechanical arm descended, the machine humming, as it settled over his head?

"Too many to count," he muttered to himself as he forced his mind to think of something else to prevent it from calculating that number.

The machine's humming filled the air with white noise. The chair he sat on vibrated in sympathy as it lowered to cover his head entirely.

"We'll begin the test now," Father's voice said over the speaker inside the machine. It was familiar and soothing. Izuku relaxed a little farther, his breath deepening. "Start by thinking of your earliest memory overall."

Izuku pictured the forested park of his childhood clearly. The sun was warm and he was small, so small that the trees around him were tall as towers. There was a stick in one hand as he scratched designs in the dirt. He was waiting in the afternoon, waiting for his friend to appear so that they could play together. Kacchan was the one he waited for. Kacchan had said he had a surprise- a gift. It was almost Izuku's fourth birthday.

The memory was fuzzy, because of it's age and because of how many times it had transferred from mind to mind. Reviewing it was like looking through nearly-transparent frosted glass. He could see, he could hear, but the emotions of the memory had been stripped down to the singular feeling of waiting. The weaker emotions of the moment had long since faded.

Izuku breathed in and out, slowly. He refused to think about the details that had been lost.

"Now," Father's voice filtered in through his memory, a disembodied sound that guided his thoughts with ease, "Your first memory in this body."

The greenery of the forest drained away, melting and bleeding into another memory, though not as old as the first.

In his memory, Izuku woke to a room that was warm and smelled of electrical discharge. Something bright flashed and flickered in the corner of his vision, at first he thought it was lighting, but then his eyes adjusted and he saw it was a machine that looked as though it had burst from the inside out like a popped kernel of corn. Glass was scattered across the ground. Exposed wires crackled.

Izuku's gaze swung around. He moved his whole head to do it. His head was heavy. His neck thick. His body felt like stone. Stone that ached and throbbed in pain. A man stood in the center of the room, one hand pressed over an open cut on his arm. His lower face was covered with a mask. The top of his face was just skin- eyeless, hairless skin. Behind him was another man, approaching cautiously. He came to bandage the first man's arm.

"Tell me the color of his eyes," came a voice. Izuku recognized it, but, for some reason, it felt strange. As though he was used to hearing it in a different way.

"They are green, sir," was the reply. This voice sounded as it should. And immediately Izuku recognized the difference. He was used to hearing this voice with his ears. The previous voice he had heard without his ears before. "Green and glowing."

"Enough," Father's voice cut through the memory a second time. "Let it go, Izuku."

With a harsh breath out, Izuku cleared his thoughts. He opened his eyes, looking up at the plastic again. The machine hummed overhead, but while he'd been reliving his memories, the sound had faded into the background.

"Are you satisfied?" Izuku asked, lifting his voice loud enough that he was sure Father could hear. "I retained the memories. I'm still me."

Slowly, the machine lifted up again. Izuku rubbed his eyes and then dragged his hands through his hair. His brain always felt weird after that. Like sparkles had been dumped over his head and were now scratching up along under the membrane somehow. He scratched at his scalp. Izuku looked up to the glass window at Father.

There was no reading any facial expressions on the man. Instead Izuku noted the position of his shoulders and the tilt of his head. He wasn't pleased about something. Izuku frowned.

"Monoma's survival is not unprecedented," Father said. Izuku frowned even harder. He drew up his legs so he sat cross legged on the chair. "Whenever your Primary quirk is transferred one of two things occur. You are aware of this. I know that you are."

"Now it's one of three things," Izuku countered. "You never bothered to heal the brains of those who partially transferred. If you had the healing capabilities of Recovery Girl on hand, you could have successfully saved those organs. But you didn't, Father. That's the difference." He propped his chin in his hand, his elbow on his knee, "That's the new variable, introduced by the Yuuei environment. Monoma's brain was fully healed, preventing a horrific end to his consciousness or a hemorrhagic end. He got to keep his life and his mind with only a little emotional scarring."

"Mmm," Father turned his head slightly. Izuku watched as he fiddled with something on the computer screen. "I will be keeping an eye on him, nonetheless."

"Just an eye," Izuku said, "I'll take care of him myself."

"Of course," Father replied, "I won't touch the boy."

Izuku narrowed his eyes for a moment. Father gave nothing more away, though, simply sat in silence. Izuku heard a faint whine over the speakers as the silence settled heavily.

With a huff of breath, Izuku hopped up from the chair. He ran one more hand through his hair to straighten it out and idly brushed off his pants. "If that's all, I need to go. A growing boy like me needs rest if he's to do well in class." He paused for a second and then added, "You'll be watching the sport festival again this year, right?"

"My son is participating," Father replied, "Do you think I would miss it?"

Izuku shook his head, "No. I just thought I'd mention that there's a special afterparty this year. At the Todoroki residence. In case you want to turn your gaze there after the award ceremony."

"How kind of you to let me know," Father remarked. "I'll look forward to it."

Izuku gave him a wry little smile and then, while heading to the door, "Don't bother Daichi-san. I'll see myself out, Father."

"Travel home safely, my son," he said.

Katsuki woke suddenly when his arm slipped and he hit himself in the leg. He jerked upright and stared blankly at the wall above his desk while his mind rebooted into consciousness. The only light in the room was the red glow of his alarm clock, the outdoor streetlamps and the dull silver of the moon coming in through the window. It took a second for his brain to register the numbers (2:43 AM) and when he did, he swore under his breath.

His homework was smudged where he'd fallen asleep on it, but it looked mostly complete. He flipped the book shut and pushed up from the chair with a groan. His legs were stiff and his back ached from sleeping in that position so he took a moment to stretch out his muscles and his limbs before stumbling over to his bed.

Shedding clothing until he was down to his underwear, Katsuki crawled across the bed to the window to shut the blinds and block out the moon and streetlamps. He looked out before he did it and saw a shape trotting down the street. For a second, he couldn't make it out. Then the person- and it was most likely human since it was bipedal- passed around the outside of a circle of light from a streetlamp.

Avoiding the light made it impossible to make out details, but Katsuki saw messy dark hair poking out of the front of a hood. The cloth itself was a dark blue, looking almost black when the person was out of the light again. Katsuki blinked and rubbed his eyes to get a better sight, but by the time he looked again, they had vanished down the street. He saw a flash of a foot- a white edge to a shoe that reflected streetlight back- as they turned the corner to the left and then nothing.

The street was dark and quiet, as though no one had passed through it at all. Frowning, Katsuki closed the blinds. He hadn't seen them carrying anything- which a burglar most likely would have been- and with that bit of hair sticking out, it didn't seem likely they were hiding their face.

Someone's house might be being staked out, he thought as he lay down on his bed. Is someone on the street out this week or next? ...I'll ask mom tomorrow…

As soon as he settled into the bed, cheek on the pillow and a blanket pulled up to his chin, Katsuki fell asleep.

All that night, he dreamt about following footsteps in the dark.

TBC