Another flurry of coughs, thick and fast as the previous fits had been, completely wrack the thin frame of All Might's deflated form. He holds a napkin to his mouth, catching splatters of blood to keep it from spewing out uncontrollably. Despite the involuntary wince, Izuku can't help but continue to marvel at his idol anyways. The hero otaku silently mouths, "Oh.. He's just like me, for real.." All Might is too busy dabbing residual specks of blood from his lips to notice, only looking up after he's pocketed the sullied tissue.

"My apologies, young man.. As I was saying, this true form of mine is significantly weaker than the one that you and the general public are used to seeing", he shifts uncomfortably from his position in the armrest across from Izuku before clearing his throat and continuing, "Because of how vulnerable I am in this weakened state, you can imagine why this is such a closely guarded secret, not just for my own benefit but so that the public doesn't panic."

Izuku numbly nods, still on autopilot since they were evacuated from the USJ. After medical examiners looked him over, he'd been given a blood transplant in order to recuperate. And now, during the meantime while he waits for his mother to come pick him up, All Might whisks him away for a private conversation in the teacher's lounge to avoid prying eyes or ears. "H- How did you get like this? Or were you always.. ?", Izuku lets the question linger in the air once he realizes he might have accidentally insulted his hero.

The blonde responds with a solemn smile before lifting the hem of his shirt to reveal a gnarly cicatrix. The scarring is so severe that it still appears to be bruised, the spider web of color spiraling towards a more gruesome mark of injury. "I received this five years ago in the toughest battle I ever had with a villain", Izuku feels his stomach drop as though the wound is his own, "My respiratory system is in shambles and several surgery operations only allows me a minimum of three hours a day to perform hero work."

"Five years ago..", Izuku swallows a lump in his throat but another one forms right behind it when he remembers which villains All Might fought during that time period, "D- Did Toxic Chainsaw do that to you?" The boy pales at the thought. After years of ridicule, of having his absent father's identity brought into question and accused of being that fiend, he can't help but feel guilty for some reason.

Izuku is relieved when All Might chuckles and shakes his head, "Toxic Chainsaw could hardly manage this, but you know your hero trivia well" The blonde lowers his shirt back down, covering the massive scar. "The villain that I'm referring to is much worse, so much worse that I made certain the public would never know of his existence, only dwellers of the underworld would hear whispers."

Izuku leans back in disbelief, his body sinking into the cushion of his own armchair. He can't possibly imagine a villain so powerful, one at the same level of All Might, one capable of inflicting such damage. "Y- You defeated him though.. Right?", Izuku breathlessly asks.

All Might offers an assuring smile, but it wavers ever so slightly when he answers, "Nobody will ever be put in danger by that monster ever again" The hero's gaze falls to his thin fingers that curl over to form a fist, "I made sure of it."

Izuku's eyes widen when he ponders the implications of that answer. But he nods in understanding once the initial shock fades away. It's not actually all that surprising once he thinks about it. The boy finds himself staring at his own hands. The hands that sprout chainsaws. He recalls Thirteen's speech about the power of quirks and raises his head to ask, "Did you .. kill him?"

All Might's mouth droops, no longer holding a smile. "We never found a body..", Izuku shudders at the implication of THAT, "But I caved his face in the last I saw it", and he finds himself torn between gawking or tightening his jaw when he learns more.

All his life, Izuku had made up in his mind a perfect image of the hero in front of him. He had idolized All Might his entire youth, somehow having not once considered the symbol of peace anything other than a symbol. Now though, the boy can see the strained wrinkles edging the corners of the man's mouth, and he knows that the broad smile All Might usually flashes is phony. The man is just a man. He's human. Izuku's hand finds itself over his heart, fingers brushing against the string attached to his sternum beneath the fabric of his shirt. Without Pochita, he'd have been just as human.

"I can tell from your expression that there's something on your mind", All Might's voice cuts through the boy's thoughts. Startled, Izuku sits up straighter.

"I'm sorry, Sensei, it's just..", Izuku wets his lips as he carefully chooses his words, "I used to be quirkless.." And it's All Might's posture that stiffens next. Izuku's face scrunches up as he shifts his gaze to the floor. "And I'm somehow only now realizing people are more than just what their quirks make them to be."

A moment of silence passes between them, All Might nodding despite the boy's eyes being set elsewhere. "It's hard for people to not be influenced by their quirks, especially when certain kinds are classified or categorized in one particular group or the other, but it's important for us to remember all quirks are dangerous", All Might leans forward like he's sharing a secret but his voice is hardly a whisper even if it's not as boisterous as when he speaks when in his muscle form.

Izuku closes his eyes, visualizing in his mind the scene where he had always been bullied. Kacchan and his cronies would drag him under the overpass of the canal in Musutafu, when they'd say his quirk makes him a villain. Izuku's eyes snap open, seeking All Might's desperately as he inquires, "But the reason you k- killed that villain, was because his quirk was too dangerous to keep him around, right?"

The man blinks, breaking the eye contact. Slowly, he somehow deflates even further after hearing that question. All Might leans back and closes his eyes, releasing a somber sigh. Then, his tone switches to something Izuku had never heard All Might sound like. "He was called All For One", the words carry a heavy weight to them.

Izuku's mouth twitches, facial muscles forcibly willing him to repeat in a hushed whisper, "All For One", he shudders while testing the name on his tongue. Every syllable stings with a bitter taste.

"Because he would take people's quirks all for himself", All Might's explanation leaves an after flavor in the boy's mouth that makes him worry about vomiting, "the ability to take quirks.. I shouldn't say there is such a thing as a villain's quirk, Young Midoriya, just that a quirk can become villainous should it belong to someone villainous" The usually righteous blue eyes of the number one hero suddenly hold a very dark gaze, "And that man.."

Izuku is forced to look away again, unable to meet the stare. He fidgets, feeling as though the glare is directed at him. "So you're saying that a quirk can be given to the wrong person, that it's not the quirk itself that's bad.."

When All Might doesn't respond right away, Izuku chances a peek at the hero. The blonde appears pensive but settles on an answer, "I suppose that is what I'm saying" Before Izuku can dwell on that response for even a second, All Might clears his throat and continues, "Speaking of which, this whole thing about giving a quirk to the right or wrong person.. Well, uh, I wanted to share with you another big secret" Izuku blinks back his surprise, shocked to hear that there's somehow more to know about his idol. He certainly doesn't expect, "I was quirkless once too, Young Midoriya."

"You?!", Izuku's eyes nearly pop out of his skull, "No way!"

"Yes", All Might's small smile matches his humored tone but that quickly dissipates when he begins to elaborate, "The origin of my quirk is actually related to .. All For One.. a quirk passed down to fight him for generations that accumulates strength with each user."

"A stockpiling quirk", Izuku finds himself absentmindedly filling in the blanks but quickly clamps his mouth shut when he realizes he accidentally interrupted All Might.

"That's right", though the hero doesn't seem to mind. He scratches at the disheveled hair atop his head before saying, "And my time is coming to an end.. Soon, I will need to find my successor.."

Izuku falls back in his seat, feeling struck. All Might's end isn't something he ever conceived possible. Let alone the symbol of peace searching for a successor. "That's why you started teaching at U.A.. ?", he finds himself filling in more blanks the more that he thinks about it.

"I wanted to see the next generation of heroes for myself and make a decision depending on who is worthy", All Might slowly raises his hand up. Izuku is surprised to find a finger attached at the end of that hand, and that finger is pointed at him, "Young Midoriya, I believe YOU have what it takes to receive my quirk."

"Me?!", Izuku's eyes almost burst this time. He rubs at them, mistaking them for his ears as he wonders if he's hearing things correctly.

All Might chuckles, amused by the reaction. "Well, you've proven yourself to be quite-"

"No, no!", but Izuku has tears in his eyes that keep coming no matter how much he tries to wipe them away.

"No?", All Might leans forward in his seat and then back as he tries to decide how to properly respond to the situation. His frail fingers fidget as he ponders whether or not he should comfort Izuku with a hug. But first, he waits for an explanation.

"I..", Izuku croaks out a weak noise as his voice dies in his throat. When he recovers, he speaks with a trembling whisper, "Remember when I said I was quirkless?"

"Yes, you..", All Might's sunken eyes broaden the depth of their pits when he tries to come to a conclusion on his own, "Did you receive your quirk.. ?"

"Not from him!", But Izuku is quick to debunk the man's theory. The boy's body shakes as he tries to get himself under control. Izuku finds his hands placing themselves against his chest to feel the thrumming of his heart. "This quirk.. It came from my dog, believe it or not.." The tail attached to his sternum touches the tips of his fingers. "I already feel like I did nothing to deserve this one and now.. How could I take another?", Izuku raises his head so that his watery gaze can find All Might's blue orbs.

The hero hums as he considers Izuku's story. He then leans forward, reaching out to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It seems to me your dog saw the same thing that I see in you", All Might gives Izuku a soft squeeze of assurement, "But I understand why you're so hesitant" When the hero's hand slips away, Izuku can still feel the warmth radiating off his idol's touch. "I'm sorry that I sprung such a big decision on you so suddenly. That was inconsiderate of me."

"N- No, I mean, don't apologize! I'm just.. I think you should still consider the others in my class..", Izuku shows that he's ashamed with an apologetic bow for denying his idol's offer nevertheless.

Before All Might can tell Izuku to raise his head, the door to the lounge swings open and another one of the U.A student's teachers enters. "Am I interrupting something?", Aizawa raises a brow as he takes in the scene with tired eyes.

Izuku finds himself impulsively staring at the layer of stitches holding together the fresh scar across his teacher's cheek. The Nomu at the USJ had torn open Aizawa's mouth, leaving a lasting mark on the underground hero's face. Aizawa's gaze flicks towards Izuku, making the boy jump in his seat. Quickly, Izuku looks away. He hopes he didn't come across as impolite.

"Not at all. Actually, we were just finishing our conversation" Luckily, All Might saves him by drawing Aizawa's attention with a gesture. "I'm sure Young Midoriya's mother is here by now."

Izuku stands up, taking his other teacher's cue. Although, he adds for extra measure to make up for staring, "It's good to see you back on your feet again, Sensei."

Aizawa makes a noise that sounds like a cross between a scoff and a huff, but still gives his student an appreciative nod. "Don't keep your mother waiting, Midoriya" He steps aside for the boy to pass but doesn't forget to add, "And remember that you'll be joining Class B tomorrow, so be sure to speak with Vlad, he'll be your temporary homeroom teacher for that day."

Izuku bites back his instinctual reaction of shock that classes will still carry on per usual despite the villain attack, instead responding with a forced smile and a nod. "Yes, Sensei!"

He had been hoping to postpone the inevitable. While he does manage to get away from his usual classmates tomorrow, he recalls the way Shiozaki reacted. As Izuku walks down the long corridor of U.A, he can't help but dread what the other hero students of Class 1-B will have to say about his quirk now that his secret is out.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Updates are slow (sorry) but I'm still here! Thanks to everyone showing support and patiently waiting for new chapters!