[Chapter 1]
It all started when Izuku's apartment burnt down with his mother still inside. He came back from school one day only to find a smoking ruin, his home and everything he owned reduced to ash and cinders.
A villain attack, they called it. Izuku did his analysis of the assault while still numb from shock, desperate to find out why things had come to this. He studied the data with the fervor of a madman, seeking the reason why his mother and countless others in the building had to die such agonizing deaths.
He soon found his answer. It was due to the carelessness of heroes that his life was destroyed. Endeavor and a few other pro heroes had been chasing down a villain that they aggravated, with Izuku's apartment being collateral damage. With most of the heroes chasing after a single villain in a glory-seeking frenzy, it was far too late when the firefighters and rescue heroes arrived.
On that day, Midoriya Izuku lost everything. He once thought that heroes were supposed to be the pinnacles of society, protectors of the innocent. The actions of those 'heroes' had instead resulted in the death of his mother. Hopes and dreams were scattered into the wind, and hate grew within a young boy's heart.
With the meager amount of money Inko left him, Izuku had no choice but to stop going to school. At only fourteen, he soon found himself homeless… until he discovered his mother's will. She bequeathed everything she had to him; all her worldly possessions, her finances, her land.
Inko left a place for him, a tiny little shophouse that she intended to run a business from. From what remained of her journal that Izuku retrieved from the ashes, she wanted to make it into a cafe.
This place… it was for him. Just in case the entire hero business didn't turn out well, Inko wrote. His mother always planned ahead. Izuku sobbed in the empty shophouse, teardrops staining burnt paper.
Just then his monstrous Quirk awakened, as if the universe was laughing at the despair of a single boy.
That was the day he turned into a villain.
[x]
It's been more than a year since Izuku's Quirk awakened, along with its strict dietary requirements. He could no longer digest nor stand most normal food, his hunger now replaced with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Water, coffee, and tea became the only things he could drink without vomiting.
The first year was tough, very much so. It'd been excruciatingly hard for Izuku to accept what he had become; a monster that preyed on humans. He'd broken more times than he could count, both from guilt and hunger. It was only the memory of his mother's strength and resolve that kept him sane. Even when her husband left her to be a single mother of a then-Quirkless child, she had fought on. Izuku had lost track of the number of times he cried and apologized to her as he bit into human flesh. In time, he grew used to it.
Survival at all costs.
At first he scavenged bodies from all sorts of places, with an entire body able to sustain him for a full month. He began with digging at cemeteries, but embalmed bodies tasted absolutely terrible. Hospital morgues were his second target, with Izuku stealing parts right off the autopsy table. He started being more careful when the staff caught on and heroes started patrolling, switching to a myriad of different methods and hunting grounds. Gangsters and low-level villains soon became targets, then food. Sometimes he even targeted heroes he deemed to be corrupt after careful research, having lost faith in the system that indirectly killed his mother. For half a year Musutafu City became free of villains… but full of fear. Rumors of some sort of monster stalking through the night became commonplace, to the point where Izuku had to stop for a time to allow the 'ecosystem' to reorient itself.
Instead of things becoming harder, they became easier. It was easy to dehumanize the villains and criminals he caught, and with the little money they had in their pockets and homes Izuku was able to build the cafe his mother dreamed of. His underground contacts certainly helped with some of the more legally grey areas and paperwork needed to get it up and running. During the day he was a simple cafe owner, his cosy little store a haven for young and old alike. When night fell Izuku became a monster that hunted in the dark. He was a predator now, his entire body leagues stronger and tougher than a normal human's. Enhanced sight, smell, and hearing… along with something he called a predatory organ. It was a muscular 'tail' that extended from his spine like a blade of suspended green plasma, strong enough to cut through steel like butter yet flexible enough to flow like water.
It was the deadly weapon of a hunter, but he rarely ever used it for fighting. Most of the time it was used as a simple tool, a blade to help him carve up corpses.
Such as the one he was looking at now.
Izuku looked down at the stiff body at his feet, then tilted his head up at the cliff above. There was no doubt about it; the man had fallen to his death. Another suicide in the woods.
"Thank you for the meal." Izuku whispered, clapping his hands together.
Moonlight illuminated the surroundings, a boy with a cleaver chopping hacking away at a corpse in the dead of night. His tail flashed through the air occasionally, parting bone and sinew with ease. Izuku got used to dismantling bodies by now, making notes of human anatomy and studying medicine in his free time. It wasn't like he had anything better to do besides cooking and cleaning. He was a fast learner, even practicing his medical expertise on dead bodies from time to time.
It actually made it easier when he knew exactly where to cut and which parts were the tastiest. Lately he'd also been offering medical services as a back-alley 'doctor' to some vigilantes and villains, secretly making notes and scouting future targets he deemed corrupt enough to hunt. His note taking and analysis skills were now used for something more akin to grocery shopping, noting down his target's weaknesses and strengths to make them easier prey. Usually the vigilantes were righteous and just, so he left them alone. The villains, however… Izuku saw the irony of helping to heal them only to eat them at a later date. It was sort of like raising livestock or game animals for hunting, something he enjoyed a little too much at times.
Izuku searched through the man's pockets, finding a fat wallet. A healthy amount of cash was in it, along with a few credit cards. He frowned, jet-black eyes with green pupils narrowing behind his surgical mask at the corpse. Clearly the deceased wasn't short on money, so why?
He picked up another card, this one a company ID. Detnerat Corp, it read. A mob killing or some sort of corporate espionage gone wrong? No matter. Izuku pocketed the cash, leaving the credit cards behind since they were too easily traced. Cloth rustled as he took off the dead man's jacket and vest. It was a nice vest, so he took that too.
With another swing of his blade Izuku lopped off the corpse's limbs, then tore off the head with his bare hands. A nonchalant toss sent it into a bush nearby, leaving it for scavenging beasts and insects. This was how he'd gotten away with mutilating the corpses of suicide victims; most investigators assumed that wild animals got to the body and devoured most of it.
If only they knew. Izuku packed up the meat into his backpack, making sure he didn't leave a blood trail behind. The body was still relatively fresh, just how he liked it.
He traveled atop the trees, striding from one branch to another as naturally as he walked. It was second nature to mask both his presence and erase his tracks. Within minutes he made it home, back to the cafe his mother left him.
The Rabbit House was situated at the outskirts of Musutafu City, far from prying eyes. In other words, it was an ideal place for Izuku to conduct his operations, both the legal and illegal kind. The rabbit-shaped sign of his shop lit up for a moment when he flicked on the lights, ready to unpack his latest haul. Naturally he made sure that the front door was properly locked, his favorite little rabbit-sign flipped to 'closed' instead of 'open'.
"Nyako?" Izuku called into the darkness, swapping his shoes for indoor ones. "I'm back."
A soft purring echoed from the shadows and a grey tabby cat ran out to greet him, rubbing against his legs happily. Izuku smiled and gave the feline a few quick pets before heading off into the kitchen.
"Right." Izuku huffed, rolling up his sleeves. "Here we go…"
From afar he looked like a normal fourteen-year-old boy, his butcher knife carefully carving the meat into sizable chunks. Parts that he didn't need or looked too conspicuous were quickly destroyed before they could be identified as human meat so all that remained resembled ordinary pork or beef. Izuku hummed a cheery little tune to himself as he munched down on some fingers, packing the rest into his freezer.
Heh. Finger foods, he thought to himself.
A skinned thigh was tossed into the freezer, Izuku frowning at all the space it took up. Hmm. There was still a bit of last month's catch remaining… perhaps he should make something nice for himself tonight.
The man he killed last month was a particularly corrupt hero named Stagger, a mutant with the head of a deer. Stagger was accused of assault, battery, and drunk driving, even being drunk on duty the night Izuku ambushed him. Nothing important was lost.
Izuku had been delighted to find out that the corrupt hero's flesh actually tasted a bit like venison, saving much of him for special meals. Now his meat was beginning to get old, so it was as good a time as any to finish the rest of it before it spoiled. He didn't like wasting precious food.
With a smile Izuku put on an apron and pulled out what remained of Stagger, putting the chunks into his Detnerat-brand defroster. The man's heart, liver and calves were all that were left of him, and Izuku knew just the recipes to use.
A soft, melodic tune filled the kitchen as Izuku hummed and flipped through the pages of his cookbook, noting down the ingredients he needed. His tail burst from the base of his spine in a blur of green, the long, prehensile organ helping to grab some salt and pepper shakers from the counter behind him. Shrill beeping echoed from the defroster, signalling that the main ingredients were ready.
This was Izuku's life now. The cannibal chef of Musutafu City.
Izuku's tail snaked over to a nearby radio after fetching him more ingredients, the extra limb precise enough to adjust the radio's knob. The boy moved as if he were dancing, graceful movements amplified by classical music that played in the background. Vivaldi's summer was a piece Izuku particularly enjoyed, swaying slightly while he prepared the meat.
Stainless steel cut through flesh, Izuku bringing a slice up to the light with some appreciation. Though Stagger was a mutant his Quirk primarily resided in his calves, some sort of organ that allowed him to generate shockwaves and miniature earthquakes by stomping the ground. Seismic Stomp, he called it. Fascinating. More importantly those Quirk organs tasted delicious, with a healthy amount of intramuscular fat within.
Whatever Izuku's Quirk did to him had rendered his sense of taste inhuman. Normal food tasted horrible, common meats like chicken or beef causing him to throw up even if he could stomach the taste. Vegetables were slightly more palatable but provided next to zero nutrition with his unique physiology; thankfully herbs and spices still seemed to work somewhat. Unfortunately, one could not live off simple herbs; the only thing that could truly satiate him now was human flesh. It was both a craving and a hunger, a want and a need. At first it bothered him, but now? He embraced it.
Black pepper. Flour. Garlic powder. Onions. Be sure to add salt at the end. Two minutes on one side, two minutes on the other.
Into the pan Stagger's deveined liver went, along with a healthy splash of olive oil. The heavenly smell of seared meat wafted into the air, enough for Nyako to let out a loud meow from the counter outside.
"In a moment, sweetheart! I'll feed you later." Izuku called.
Izuku was no master at his craft, but he considered himself an average to decent chef. Practice made perfect and he'd gotten better at the culinary arts as the months passed, almost like it was second nature. The Rabbit House was doing pretty good, so maybe one day he could even open up his own restaurant.
Exempting the whole 'people-eating' thing, of course.
Meat sizzled and Izuku put aside the cooked liver. Sliced onions dove into the pan next, the juices from earlier saturating each and every part of the dish. Izuku felt his mouth water but knew to control himself. He always controlled himself especially after that one incident.
Liver into the pan once more. Rare or medium rare. Nice and even heat…
Next came the heart. A pinch of seasoning and a simple sear on each side would do the trick since it was nothing special. Stagger had a nice, healthy heart, full of muscle and life. Izuku sampled a bit of the raw meat before cutting and tossing the rest into the pan, knowing that it'd taste much better when cooked.
Heart's pretty much done. Here comes the best part…
Izuku hefted Stagger's calves into a bowl, eying them carefully while the pan heated up. The Quirk organs were visually comparable to the organs found in an electric eel; translucent whitish 'fat' fused with thick muscle, unnatural and alien to the naked eye. Izuku thought they resembled a cut of A5 Wagyu beef mixed with the aforementioned electric eel organs, assuming that these strange growths were what allowed Stagger to generate his seismic vibrations. He noted it down and scribbled absentmindedly into his newest notebook/cookbook, his tail helping to write while he prepared the meat.
Into the pan. A pungent, gamey stench filled the air this time, stronger than the smell of beef or mutton. Izuku smiled, genuinely excited to taste them again. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, after all. Just not his.
Throughout the months he realized that the tastiest parts of people were usually associated with their Quirks, from things like float sacs to lumps that absorbed soundwaves. Quirk organs were some of the most delicious things he'd ever tasted, easily trumping the katsudon he once loved in his past life.
Ahhh, Katsudon. He still missed his mom's homemade cooking. The most he could do was create a pale imitation of hers.
A few minutes later and it was done. The meat was seared to perfection, Izuku taking a loud sniff before a warm grin bloomed on his face. His heart soared, lips trembling in anticipation at the feast before him. Setting the table was easy especially with an extra limb to help carry the plates.
Nyako settled down on the floor next to him, her feline eyes wide and hungry. Izuku shushed her gently, his tail lancing out into the corner of the room to fetch her bowl while his hands worked on opening some cat food for her.
"Alright." Izuku eyed the dishes hungrily once everything was ready. "Time for supper…"
A knock at the door interrupted him when the fork was only inches away from his mouth. Izuku groaned and got up reluctantly, heading to the entrance. Who could it be now? It was the middle of the night, he'd have to tell them to come back in the morning.
"Sorry, we're—"
There was a man's face pressing against the glass door, hollow eyes staring into the Rabbit House's interior.
"—closed." Izuku finished with a sigh. "Hello, Moonfish."
"Flesh." Moonfish moaned, his breath fogging up the glass.
They had a bit of a staring contest, neither of them refusing to budge. Moonfish looked much less threatening without his villain outfit, but he was still creepy. Super, ultra creepy. The thin man's dead eyes bored into Izuku's, never seeming to blink.
"Go away." Izuku said flatly.
Moonfish finally blinked very, very slowly.
"Please?" he asked.
"What? No." Izuku huffed, making a little 'scoot' motion with his fingers. "Shoo."
"But I'm hungry." Moonfish pleaded. "I can smell it from outside."
"The answer is still no."
Moonfish, renowned serial killer, tried to make puppy-dog eyes at Izuku. Much to his disgust.
"Pretty please?"
"Alright, fine. Just stop doing that." the boy groaned, rolling his eyes. "Come on in, you freak. Food's getting cold anyway."
"Thank you. Yippee." Moonfish cheered lifelessly, waiting while Izuku unlocked the door.
Izuku couldn't exactly call the man an ally; he was more of a 'friendly' acquaintance. This person had thrown away his old identity and was simply known by his villain name now, Izuku not really bothering with how to address him. Either way Moonfish was pretty much harmless to him after a previous agreement between the two, and if the villain tried anything Izuku would be having him for sashimi.
Moonfish sauntered in carefully like a hungry predator, meeting Nyako's loud hissing with an empty stare. Izuku drew his attention by speaking again.
"Have you been good this month? You haven't murdered any innocent people, right?" Izuku demanded, hands on his hips.
"Nope. Not one." Moonfish nodded eagerly.
Izuku carefully observed the man with his enhanced senses, knowing he was telling the truth. If there was one thing he knew about Moonfish, it was that his emotions could be read easily despite being an insane psychopath. From the way he moved to the vibrations in his body sent into the ground, Izuku could sense it all. With a sigh he invited the serial killer to sit down at his dinner table, the man having fulfilled his end of the bargain.
No killing or hurting innocent people, heroes and villains were fair game. No harming children. This way, he was able to somewhat tame the murderer. They fought once back then and Izuku won, thinking that he'd find a better use for the man rather than eating him. Perhaps time would tell.
"Hmm. Fine, sit down."
Moonfish did as he was told and opened his maw wide, but Izuku stopped him with a well-placed cough.
"Manners!" he snapped, gaze severe. "Also, it's not free. Money up front."
The thin man grumbled but relented, sliding over a fat stack of bills across the table towards Izuku. Nyako sashayed atop the tablecloth and retrieved the money for her master, placing it onto a desk for later safekeeping.
"There we go." Izuku smiled. "Now you can eat."
Moonfish dug in with the speed and ferocity of a ravenous vulture, picking at his meal with blades of enamel that surged from his mouth. His teeth-blade Quirk was precise yet chaotic at the same time, tearing into flesh until Izuku's tail came up to stop it in a clash of sparks. A few blades had already stabbed through the tablecloth and into the wood.
"I said manners! Careful, that is mahogany!" Izuku yelled, handing the man a pair of utensils. "Here, just use these like a normal person. Now I'm gonna need a new tablecloth..."
Moonfish stared at the fork and spoon in his hand before graciously accepting, now getting into his meal with surprising etiquette. He could blend in if he actually tried.
Keyword being 'if'.
"Delicious…" Moonfish crooned. "What is this?"
"Stagger's legs, heart and liver. Enjoy them while it lasts, we're eating the last of it." Izuku commented, appreciating the unique taste. The way the fat melted in his mouth was something else, a tide of flavor flooding his taste buds.
"Can you get more? I want more."
"Behave yourself, and I'll think about it."
Their meal continued in silence until Izuku flicked on the TV, just to see what was on. A rerun of a late-night sitcom was playing, adding some warm ambience to the pair's supper.
"How have you been, Moonfish?" Izuku asked casually, taking another bite. "Must be hard, holding yourself back."
"I'm okay. No killing civilians, I promise." Moonfish hissed, eyes lolling about to gaze at him. "No women and no children too."
"Good, let's keep it that way. Things are so much nicer when they are quiet."
"No fun." the serial killer complained.
"You know what's 'no fun'? Being dead. So for goodness sake, behave yourself. The last thing I need is you getting caught and spilling the beans about me. If you do you'll never eat here ever again. By the way, how are things lately?"
"Underground's calm for now. Low villain action, but…"
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "But…?"
"I heard rumors. Planning something big." Moonfish looked around, paranoia in his voice. "New group on the scene, gathering lots of muscle."
"Is that so?" Izuku's tail flipped open his notebook and began to write. "Tell me more."
"They call themselves The League." the thin man rasped between bites. "The League of Villains."
"How original." Izuku drawled. "Let me guess, they've got a few heavy hitters on board, with the promise of fame and glory if you join?"
Moonfish nodded and Izuku sighed.
"Hmm. They must have a backer of some sort, or enough resources to warrant this kind of recruitment. Did they say what their goal was in their recruitment pitch to the newbies?" Izuku asked, speculating.
"Main goal is to destroy Symbol of Peace." Moonfish spat the title as if it was venom on his tongue. "To take down All Might."
"All Might, huh? Guess they must have finally figured out a way to end him, or they've got someone strong or smart enough to do it. Either way, it's none of my business."
Izuku wasn't lying. His idolization of All Might died alongside his mother. Now he only had a slight lingering desire to find out what the number one hero tasted like.
"You don't care?" Moonfish asked, perturbed.
"Not one bit. As long as it doesn't affect my work." Izuku took a sip of his freshly brewed coffee. "I just want a quiet life. Besides, I doubt they'd actually be able to beat All Might."
"Mrrrow." Nyako agreed.
"Rumors of All Might weakening might be true. Plus there is new information." Moonfish leaned in a little closer. "All Might is going to U.A. in a few months."
"U.A.? The hero academy, eh. So he found work as a teacher, and the League…" Izuku took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Ah, of course. A new batch of promising young heroes. Taking all the new little first-year students hostage would provide quite the distraction, wouldn't it? Maybe even enough for a fatal slip in judgement."
"Maybe." Moonfish nodded, taking another bite.
"Aren't you going to join them?"
"I don't know yet. No reason to now when they can do it first." the serial killer admitted. "Mounting assault on U.A. is… dangerous."
"Quite so." Izuku agreed. "Though I won't lie that I'm curious as to how things will turn out. Oh well. Let's see what they're made of."
U.A. High School. The name left a somewhat bitter taste in Izuku's mouth. He once dreamed of going there, only to be mocked and bullied relentlessly for even entertaining the idea since he was Quirkless back then.
His childhood friend Bakugo Katsuki was the main culprit, tormenting him over the span of ten years over something he couldn't control. Izuku hadn't seen him ever since Inko died, but he still remembered the words he said on Izuku's last day of school. It was right on that fateful day Izuku's house burned down, just before he left class.
'You'll never be a hero, you worthless fucking Deku!'
Those were the last coherent words Bakugo said to him. Izuku dropped out the very next day, having lost everything then. From Bakugo's point of view, the two of them never spoke or met again since then.
Unbeknownst to him the two of them actually did meet once more, when Izuku was hungry. Back then the blonde bully's screams sounded like sweet melodies to his ears, dulcet tones that echoed and resonated with just the right pitch and volume. Just remembering the wet sounds he made was enough for the green-haired boy to chuckle sometimes. There was still a bit of cured Kacchan he kept in a little storage box, a unique ingredient intended for only the most special occasions.
Izuku couldn't wait to have his old friend for dinner again.
[Chapter 1 End]
Thank you for reading!
I couldn't sleep so I wrote this instead. Idk why. I know several Ghoul Izuku fics already exist, so here's my take on it. Behold! It's a horrible amalgamation of the coffeeshop, serial killer, nurse, and villain AUs. What a mess.
Anyway, this is an experienced Izuku who pretty much gave up on heroics. From what I've seen from several other fics Inko is a key part of his life, losing her usually breaks him in all sorts of fun ways. Also Nyako is the two-tailed cat from Boku No Hero Academia: Vigilantes. I love that cat.
This is only loosely based on Tokyo Ghoul, so unlike the Ghouls Izuku can actually taste some vegetables/herbs but they don't fill him up properly. It's also why his eyes are black and green instead of black and red. I wanted to write a villain Deku AU where he's like a young Hannibal Lecter. Intelligent, charming, and a monster. The main problem is that if you want to write smart characters, you need a smart writer. I am not smart. Also I don't know how to cook well. So hopefully this turns out okay…. Hopefully. All I can do is write a pale imitation of the character I envisioned, but I'm still gonna try my best. Tell me what you think, your feedback is appreciated.
Hope to see you in the next chapter (if there even is one)!