All for One woke up to cold cement under his back and blood dripping down his side. For centuries, he had slept in castles with nothing but the finest silk-lined coffins. Now a cockroach scurried past his head, climbing up the dumpster. The air reeked of mortal rubbish, and someone had urinated in the corner of the alleyway. All for One regretted the sensitivity of his vampiric nose.
How had the King of Vampires ended up in such a pitiful state? Ah, yes, it could all be blamed on that mysterious hunter who went by the arrogant alias of All Might. The blond buffoon had burned down All for One's castle, forcing him out into battle under sunlight. Most vampires would turn to dust with the touch of a single ray of sun, but All for One was stronger than any other vampire. Even so, the sunlight had weakened him enough to let All Might plant a stake in his side. If the wood had gone a few inches to the left, he'd be dead. At least he'd given the blond buffoon some heavy scars to remember him by.
Groaning, All for One sat up. He had to find a human to feed on, and fast, to restore his health.
Even now the damned sunlight burned overhead, preventing his wound from healing.
"Excuse me, sir?" A young boy with bright green eyes stepped into the alleyway. "Are you injured? I can call an ambulance." He pulled out his phone.
Ah, what luck, a stupid good Samaritan to snack on. All for One rolled back his eyes and moaned in fake pain. "Please…help me…"
"Sir, you're bleeding." The foolishly heroic boy rushed into the alleyway and knelt down, applying pressure to the wound. "Your blood smells…old? Is the injury infected? Oh, dear."
All for One's hand shot out with supernatural speed, latching over the boy's mouth to prevent him from screaming. In his current state, the vampire king didn't want to fight off even a group of mere humans. Then All for One sank his fangs into the boy's neck.
Warm, delicious blood poured down All for One's mouth. He moaned in rapture, sucking harder, determined to lick up every last drop. What young, delicious strength! The boy bit his hand, but All for One did not even acknowledge the tiny pain compared to the joy of feeding.
When finished, All for One collapsed against the dumpster, panting. The wound on his side was already reknitting. The sun no longer burned, though he did not enjoy its kiss. Time to find one of his many backup castles. Alas, he didn't have a phone. He'd been forced to flee in his Demon King pajamas, an embarrassment at least no one important had seen.
All for One removed the boy's phone from his limp hand, then used his fingerprint to unlock it. He pulled up a map, finding his location.
When All for One stood up to leave, he felt a magical twitch toward the boy's corpse. He tried to ignore it, but with each step, it became stronger, until he had to turn around.
Kneeling down, All for One felt the boy's wrist. The human was definitely dead. There was no pulse. But magic throbbed inside the bony wrist, considerably livelier than it had any right to be. On closer inspection, All for One found small fangs starting to poke out of the boy's gums.
Darkness take him! All for One had sired a child.
There were two necessities to create a new vampire: first, that the fledgling must drink the parent's blood, and second, that the master vampire must drain every last drop. Normally All for One avoided drinking the last drop of blood for that reason. But he'd been too hungry. He'd gotten careless. Looking down at his hand, he saw the teeth marks. The bite had not been deep, but it had drawn blood. Enough blood. He'd turned this boy into a vampire.
All for One did not want a child. He liked being the sole strongest vampire in existence. An heir would be a threat to his power. Plenty of other vampires did not like him for some inexplicable reason. They would urge the new prince to overthrow him and replace him.
Although that would not be so easy. Vampire fledglings had an instinct to obey their master. Unfortunately, the master vampire also had an instinct to parent and protect the fledgling. Ugh, what a nuisance.
Standing over the fallen boy, All for One tried to slash down a claw to slit the helpless fledgling's throat. But he couldn't do it. His hand refused to move. Already, he was starting to think the brat looked cute and adorable. Warm, fuzzy memories of looking after his long-dead little brother came back to him. How dare the magic use Yoichi? This ugly human was no family of his.
In the course of vampire history, no master had ever killed their own child. It was unthinkable, a perversion of their very nature. However All for One still felt disappointed at not being the exception. He was exceptionable in every regard, after all. He should be able to overcome this ridiculous compulsion and kill the stupid boy.
A roach skittered over All for One's bare foot. Furiously, he burned it to a crisp with his gaze. He wanted to be gone of this foul-smelling place. Fine, then. He'd leave the boy in the alleyway and hope some hunter staked him while he was young and weak. All for One turned away.
The magic screamed at him.
"Ow!" Stubbornly, All for One kept walking forward. By the time he reached the street, it felt like he was burning alive. Even the sun had not hurt so much during his formative years. Every last nerve in his long-dead body screamed to life for the sole purpose of causing him agony.
"Aargh! Fine!" All for One ran back into the alleyway. He scooped up the boy, threw him over his shoulder none too gently, then faded into the shadows.
Izuku woke up screaming and gnashing the air with his teeth. "Oh my god! He bit me! That homeless guy bit me! How will I explain this to Mom? Am I going to need rabies shots?"
"Excuse me, I'm neither homeless nor rabid." The dark voice saturated the air. "I'm All for One, the King of Vampires."
Izuku looked up to see the same white-haired man who'd attacked him, lounging on a golden chair with a red velvet cushion. Instead of his pajamas, now the man wore an old-fashioned doublet and a black cape. For the first time, Izuku realized he'd been lying inside a coffin in a stone basement decorated with medieval wall hangings.
"I've been kidnapped by a madman," Izuku said numbly. "I'm sorry, Mom."
All for One scowled. "Ugh, do I have to go through the routine of explaining magic to the ignorant human teenager like a young adult novel? Vampires are real, you are one, check your own pulse."
The order radiated a command Izuku could not resist. His hand snapped up to his own wrist. Perhaps he could have convinced himself he was just bad at finding a pulse. But his skin was entirely too cold. He felt dead. Even more tellingly, he'd been compelled to follow that order. Such powers did not exist outside comic books. That, more than anything, proved magic must be real.
Izuku took deep breaths. This was no time for panic. He'd gone into survival mode, trying to figure out what to do next. Under his breath, he muttered everything he remembered since seeing the vampire in the alleyway.
All for One said, "You don't need to breathe. Knock that off. Also, I can hear you mumbling."
Izuku's breath stopped abruptly. Alas, that was one hypothesis proven—he had to follow the orders of the vampire who had sired him. Unfortunately, it fit what he knew of vampire lore.
Izuku demanded, "Was this a twisted gift for saving your life? If so, I don't want it! Is there any way I can turn back into a human?"
All for One snorted. "Of course you can't become human again, unless you want to be a corpse. You're dead, how would you come back to life?"
"Vampires exist, forgive me for wondering about resurrection magic."
"And I certainly didn't turn you on-purpose. I had no desire to be saddled with a child. If you hadn't bitten me, then you'd have experienced true death, and we'd both be happy."
"I WOULDN'T BE HAPPY!" Izuku shrieked.
"Oh, right, just me."
Izuku's mind wanted to breathe, but his body refused, still bound by the order. It felt very unnerving. Words poured out of him, too angry to be controlled. "How could you have killed me when I only tried to help you?"
All for One examined his nails. "Would you hesitate to kill a cow if it saved your life?"
"Actually, yes. That cow would become my new cherished pet."
"Well…" All for One looked briefly flummoxed. "What, do you want to become my pet as a reward?"
"Absolutely not! I want to go home!"
"You can't." All for One sounded disgusted. "Believe me, I tried to abandon you back there. We're fledgling and parent. We're stuck with each other."
The gears in Izuku's mind turned rapidly. "Oh, so you're saying that this bond doesn't go only one way?" He'd feared being forced to obey this asshole vampire's commands for eternity, but if the magic went both ways, then he had opportunities.
All for One scowled. "For a brat who basically fed himself to a vampire, you're a little too smart. Let's get some orders out of the way. Don't harm me, don't try to leave this castle…hmm, what else? You'll follow all my instructions on how to be a proper vampire prince."
Izuku stood up, stepping out of the coffin. If he had a heartbeat, it would be hammering. This would be risky, but he had a theory he wanted to test. Before he had time to think about what he was doing, he reached out and grabbed at the flame of one of the torches hanging on the wall.
All for One shrieked, "Stop!"
Izuku's hand jerked away before the flames could more than lightly caress him, not even leaving a burn, just reddened skin. All for One hissed in pain and shook out his hand.
Triumphantly, Izuku said, "The bond goes both ways! You feel my pain."
"I'm a little surprised at how deeply," All for One muttered. "Is it because we're in close proximity to each other? Or is the bond more powerful because I'm the king of vampires? Just my luck, cursed by my own exceptionalness."
Izuku narrowed his eyes. "I don't think I feel your pain, though. Or at least not as strongly." He pointed at the bandage around All for One's stomach. "I don't feel anything at all from that. Hmm. My guess would be that the 'child' has a compulsion to obey, but the 'parent' has a compulsion to protect."
All for One sighed. "At least I didn't get a stupid heir. Fine, you're right, I can't yeet you into the sunlight. So what? I'm still the stronger one. Besides, you will also find that you have instincts to treat me as a father."
It was true. Izuku could feel the magic tugging under his skin, making him see his own father's face overlap with All for One's. Ferally, Izuku smiled. "You do remind me of Hisashi Midoriya. Should I let you in on a little secret? I hate my abusive sperm donor. My son instinct is pure patricidal."
In a swift movement, Izuku picked up a torch and threw it at All for One's face.
All for One batted the torch aside. A dark wind rose up around him, smothering the fallen flame. "Do you imagine that you can kill the King of Vampires with such meager weapon?"
"Nope." Izuku grinned. "I was testing another theory. You told me not to harm you. But I can resist your orders if I want to badly enough. By the way, I very badly want you dead."
Languidly, All for One rose from his chair. He moved in a flash, pinning Izuku to the wall by his throat. The vampire's eyes burned red as the fires of hell, his shadow rising up around him in an infernal howl. Stark inhumanity stared down from his gaze, an ancient and bottomless malice that froze Izuku colder than death. All for One crooned, "Monsters and demigods have fought me and lost. I am the first and only King of the Children of the Night. You think you can kill me, you silly little boy? Do not presume. Your lack of fear is stupidity, not courage. I have lived long enough to endure more pain than a mortal like you can imagine. If I want you dead badly enough, mere pain won't stop me."
Okay, he'd pressed too hard and made a horrible mistake. Izuku gasped out, "Deal! I want to strike a deal! All I want is to go home to my mother. If you let me leave, then I promise you'll never see me again. We can ignore this bond forever."
"Tempting." All for One dropped Izuku to the ground. "But still stupid. If I could abandon you, I would have already, you foolish brat. This bond forces us to spend time in each other's company, at least until you are old enough to be considered grown."
Izuku tried to wet his lips, a nervous habit, only to discover he had almost no saliva. How creepy. "What if I live with my mother and come to visit you as often as the curse demands, until I turn eighteen?"
"Until you turn a century old."
Ugh, that sounded horrific, but Izuku was in no position to bargain. "Deal. I could spend small amounts of time in your castle, as little as we can get away with, and stay out of your way."
All for One raked Izuku with his eyes. "If I let you wander around, sooner or later another vampire will find out about you. Creating an heir by accident is humiliating."
Interesting, perhaps this could be another lever Izuku could use later. For now, he was focused on getting home before his mother cried enough to flood the house. The vampire king hadn't agreed, but he hadn't said no either. "If you let me go home, then I'll pretend to be your deliberately chosen heir. I'll take lessons from you willingly. Yes, you can force me, but I'll learn faster if I'm trying of my own free will."
All for One smiled, slowly and darkly. His shadow withdrew to regular size. "Usually, I'm the one offering deals to other people. It's been a long time since anyone has tempted me so cleverly. Very well. I will allow you to return to your human mother. You will visit my castle once a day—yes, the bond will require that frequently, at least in the beginning. After you have learned proper vampiric manners, I will present you to the royal court as my heir. If you conduct yourself to my standards, then our arrangement will continue. If you embarrass me in public, then I'll have an excuse to seal you in a coffin for a century."
That hadn't sounded like a joke. Izuku gulped. He was in way over his head, and he counted himself lucky to have gotten a deal at all. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
All for One tilted his head. "What, the brat has manners after all? Come with me, I will summon my chauffer to take you back to your peasant hovel."
Izuku followed All for One out the door and up the stairs. A dreadful thought belatedly occurred to him. "W-wait, now I'm a vampire, I need to drink blood, don't I? Um, can I survive on animal blood? Because eating people would be way too much…"
Looking over his shoulder, All for One laughed. "A prince of vampires, feeding on animals? What an absurdity! Yes, you can survive on animal blood, but you'll never reach your full power. As far as I'm concerned, that's all the better. Very well, I will provide you with all the rats your foolish heart desires."
"I can get my own meat at the grocery store…" Izuku muttered as he followed All for One.
The King of Vampire's driver was a living shadow named Kurogiri. Izuku didn't dare talk to the terrifying specter on the ride home. As his adrenaline wore off, so did his boldness. He'd died. He was bound to an asshole vampire. This was actually happening. He was fairly certain he'd be having a panic attack except his dead body refused to produce the correct physical reaction.
The car windows were heavily tinted. It didn't occur to Izuku to wonder if the sun would burn him until after he stepped out of the car, but it didn't. Apparently he knew less about vampires than he thought.
Inko greeted her son in a state of panic at his lateness. She did not believe the vampire story at first, of course. It took all his persuasion to stop her from driving him to the emergency room. After several attempts to take his pulse, reality sank in. Then came a wave of self-blame and tears. His mother was definitely not happy about the deal he'd cut.
Inko finally calmed down enough to fetch Izuku a steak from the fridge. After draining it of blood, he felt a bit less exhausted. She also gave him a chocolate bar, but it tasted like ash. He wept to realize he'd never taste his mother's katsudon ever again. The reality of his miserable situation started to sink in. He was technically dead. He might never grow older than a teenager. The rest of his eternity looked bleak.
On her phone, Inko was openly searching for information on how to kill vampire kings. Izuku had no intention of letting his mother near All for One. But he left her to her research for now.
Finally, Izuku realized he'd left his phone at the vampire's mansion. It hadn't been in the coffin with him from what he could remember. He'd pick it up tomorrow. After all, he had no choice except to return.
Although the sun didn't burn Izuku, it did make him sleepy. He collapsed like a dead man (irony intended) until Kurogiri came to pick him up again after sundown. His mother wanted to come along too. Izuku vehemently refused. Mom couldn't understand how dangerous All for One was, but Izuku knew what he'd seen in that moment the King of Vampires held him by the throat. He didn't want the monster anywhere near his mother. To avoid worrying her, he'd lied about All for One accidentally biting him while in an injured frenzy and left out the attempted murder. He even had to (shudder) pretend All for One was a good person to convince her to release him.
All for One's castle was even larger in the light of day. The white traditional Japanese palace had seven sweeping layers of curved karahafu roof. If this place hadn't been tucked away in a forest (and probably hidden by magic) then it would be a tourist attraction. The inside was dusty and clearly hadn't been cleaned in years, with buckets to collect the drips. Perhaps vampires had trouble hiring staff?
As soon as he was led to All for One's massive chestnut desk, Izuku blurted out, "Can I grow older or will I be stuck as a teenager forever?"
"Hells forbid, of course you can grow older." All for One shuddered. "Around your age, I got turned. Imagine being stuck as a child forever! As my magic power grew, so did my size. You'll also be able to shapeshift into any form you want after you properly develop. You can even get rid of those ugly freckles and become as handsome as me. Oh, but I doubt you'll ever get strong enough to shapeshift on rat's blood."
"I drank cow's blood, actually." Izuku was intensely curious about every part of that speech, from the shapeshifting to All for One's past. But he laser-focused on the most important bit. "Surely there's another way for me to grow up besides eating people? There's always a third option in books."
All for One tilted his head, considering. "I could feed you my own magical power. But why would I, if I don't get anything in return? If you adequately impress the other vampires at your coming out ball, then I will give you enough power to let you age normally for a few years."
Izuku didn't like such vague terms, but he had to take them. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
All for One rose. "Follow me."
Etiquette lessons with All for One were…an experience.
"I thought people only walked around with books on their heads in movies," Izuku complained, balancing a damn dictionary. It had a metal cover. It was heavy.
Hitting Izuku's bottom with a ruler, All for One barked, "Straighter posture."
Against Izuku's will, his back straightened. "Hey! Stop giving me orders, King of Assholes. I'm doing my best."
Between Izuku's existing daddy issues and the magic making him feel bad whenever he disappointed All for One, posture lessons were not pleasant. He felt torn between the need for approval and the need to throttle.
When the vampire held out his arms to dance, Izuku said, "You must be crazy. Look, you're too tall." The vampire king's head brushed the ceiling.
"Oh, fine." All for One shrank down two feet at least.
Izuku stared. "Are you naturally short and you use your shapeshifting abilities to appear taller?"
Looking harried, All for One said, "Stop asking questions and I'll let you use a lighter book next posture lesson."
An hour later, sitting at a desk and pouring through books, Izuku demanded, "Do I really need to memorize all your deeds for the last several centuries?"
All for One asked, "Do you think anyone would believe I would sire a child who didn't know how to praise me properly?"
"Point taken." Izuku sighed, returning to his studies. If even half these legends held truth to them, then All for One was a sick bastard. Maybe he should mouth off less to the king of vampires. On the other hand, death was starting to look increasingly preferrable.
Izuku had always been good at memorization. After his reading, All for One grilled him on vampire history. Izuku answered every question correctly. All for One grunted and said, "Good."
A warm feeling welled up under Izuku's chest. He smiled. It shocked him. He normally only felt this good when his mom praised him—oh, no. It was the magic again, forcing him to seek All for One's approval. Ugh, this was horrible. Izuku resolved to be extra sarcastic for the rest of the night to make up for the smile.
At the end of a day of lessons, All for One took Izuku to a closet to get "properly dressed as befitting his station." The vampire king said some servants had left old clothing that might fit. Unfortunately, moths had gotten into the closet.
Holding his nose, Izuku said, "There's nothing wearable in here."
"I'll send Kurogiri to purchase new kimonos before your Midnight Debut," All for One said irritably.
Izuku asked, "Shouldn't you hire some people to keep this place cleaner?"
All for One sniffed. "This was my spare castle. I did have human thralls at my old one—and they betrayed me to that foolish hunter All Might."
"I can't imagine why when you have such a charming personality," Izuku grumbled.
All for One continued, "Vampire servants are flat out. I can't stand any of them."
Izuku gaped in true horror. "Oh no, are all vampires as bad as you?"
All for One put his nose up in the air. "The lesser vampire clans are full of egoists with no power to back it up. If you think I'm arrogant, you should meet Destro."
"I'd rather not," Izuku said. "Just the name tells me that he's an idiot."
All for One cracked a tiny smile at that. "I'm afraid you have no choice. Your Midnight Debut will be next Sunday."
That seemed…soon. Fighting mixed feelings, Izuku asked, "Why are vampires nocturnal if the sun doesn't actually burn you? I mean, us?"
"Of course the sun burns vampires, you imbecile." All for One snorted. "You and I are exceptions because we are royal vampires. You should be grateful to me for passing on such a pure bloodline to you."
The words struck Izuku in a sensitive place deep inside. He remembered his biological father calling him a "retard" for mumbling and loudly speculating about how his son had ended up so different from him. By the time Hisashi Midoriya had run off to America to avoid child support, it had been a relief to be rid of the constant insults. Yet despite years of therapy, a small part of Izuku had never stopped wondering what was wrong with him, that his father had never loved him. Now this strange paternal bond had dredged up all his old trauma. Izuku recoiled. "You don't have to say it like I'm an idiot. How would I know if you never told me? Besides, I never asked to be bitten by you, Dad!"
All for One gaped. It took Izuku a moment to realize what he'd called the vampire king. Cheeks burning, he fled to the waiting car outside.
Stupid magic and stupid vampire father-son bonds.
All for One had anticipated difficulties resisting the magical sway, but not that it would be quite so hard. Whenever he saw his teenage fledgling pouting while balancing a book on his head, it looked unspeakably adorable to him. When dancing, he'd had to resist the urge to ruffle those curls. The boy was definitely a fast learner and a fast reader—but had All for One praised him because of that, or because of the overflowing affection filling his withered unbeating heart every time he looked at his fledgling?
How hateful, to be under control of emotions not his own. All for One refused to fall under the sway of his instincts like some sort of barbaric werewolf. To compensate, he was twice as harsh on the child. The boy took it all with a stiff upper lip and kept improving at a rapid rate. It made All for One proud—no, stop it, why would he be proud? He hadn't picked this boy to become his son and heir. It had all been an unfortunate accident, entirely All Might's fault. They were nothing to each other. Certainly not family. The title of his family had only ever belonged to one person.
When All for One found himself hiding a snicker at one of the boy's insults, he knew it was the magical influence. He'd never liked being insulted. Not even when Yoichi did it…fine, it had been somewhat entertaining to swap insults with Yoichi. But this boy was not Yoichi. The magic had nearly convinced All for One that his fledgling resembled his late brother, going as far as to affect his vision.
This had gotten ridiculous. All for One moved the boy's Midnight Debut ball to less than a week away, even though more time would have been better. At this rate, he'd rather be embarrassed by a clumsy fledgling than fall further under the sway of the brainwashing. After the ball, they could both retreat to opposite ends of the castle, close enough to satisfy the bond but never laying eyes on each other. Hopefully that would prevent All for One's instincts from taking him over any further.
All for One had gotten lost in his thoughts when Izuku cried, "Besides, I never asked to be bitten by you, Dad!" Then the boy flushed and fled.
Dad. He was a dad now? Why did he have such a strong desire to be called that again? And why did he feel such an intense anger at the notion of Izuku rejecting their bond?
This magic was the worst.
While Izuku was learning to dance, Kurogiri managed castle repairs with an army of silent shadows following him around. To Izuku's astonishment, come Sunday, the white walls of the castle sparkled pristinely. The restored ballroom had black marble walls and a floor so shiny he could see reflections in it. (Not his own reflection, that myth turned out to be true.) A red stained-glass window overhead cast the tables and the fireplace in a bloody light. The chandelier overhead was shaped like a spider with a candle in each leg. Paper bats decorated the walls. A dozen punch bowls of blood sat on the tables, surrounded by small plates of blood pudding. Two thrones in the back of the room held All for One and Izuku. The majesty of this place made Izuku feel like All for One really was the King of Vampires, not merely the King of Assholes. Though he could be both.
Izuku fidgeted on the throne, tugging at the collar of his jet-black kimono. He didn't think black was his color, but it was All for One's trademark, so he'd been forced to wear it. The ruby on his belt felt heavy.
The guests arrived in animal form: bats mostly, a few wolves, and one mountain lion. As they transformed back into humans, the leader of each group bowed before All for One's throne.
Overhaul's group all wore masks.
Nine arrived with a werewolf, which caused a small stir before All for One coldly said that he'd permitted it on the invite.
A vampire named Flect Turn looked like he might refuse to bow, before a glare from All for One quelled him and lowered his head.
Stain came as a lone panther.
Gentle Criminal and his plus one looked like they didn't want to be here and avoided the others, which immediately made Izuku sympathize with them. He hoped not all vampires were, well, like All for One. He'd like to talk to them. But they left right away after paying their fealty.
Tomura Shigaraki, who didn't look much older than Izuku, led a group of younger-ish vampires.
Gigantomachia, a giant who'd turned from a mountain lion, bowed the most deeply and cast a friendly smile at Izuku.
Destro arrived with the largest flock of bats. His group dressed in European vampire fashion, complete with the capes. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He lowered his head gracefully but briefly. "Your Majesty, I'm pleased that rumors of your defeat at All Might's hands were exaggerated. But why this castle, not the northern one where you last hosted us?"
All for One shrugged. "I have too many castles to remember which one you speak of."
Destro's gaze went to Izuku. "How marvelous. I thought you'd never bless us with a prince. You turned down all of my candidates."
Carelessly, All for One said, "You fathered a half-breed with a human woman, so you have no judgement."
This had clearly been a blow. Destro's mouth tightened, and he turned away.
Leaning over to the adjacent throne, All for One whispered, "You need to accept at least one dance invitation to uphold tradition and show that I'm not keeping you away from polite society because there's something wrong with you. After that, you can remain seated until everyone feeds and leaves. I'll use the excuse that I can't bear to be parted from you. Given the instincts of the transformation, it will sound plausible to everyone here."
If All for One knew Izuku wasn't ready, then why had he rushed this process? But there was no point in complaining. The King of Assholes did whatever he wanted. Izuku nodded, pushing down a tendril of hurt that his vampire sire didn't trust him not to make a fool of himself. It was all false feelings from the bond.
A blond girl from Tomura's group skipped over. "My name is Himiko Toga. May I have His Highness' first dance?"
As he'd been trained, Izuku replied, "Offer your blood."
She pricked her finger on her own fang, then held it out.
Izuku descended from his throne and brought her finger to his lip, like a gentleman kissing her hand. He swallowed down a single drop, trying to ignore the grossness. If only he could get through this one dance, then everything would be over.
The band of shadows sitting in the back played a waltz. Izuku spun Toga around slowly, grateful for an easy dance.
She spoke enthusiastically: "You're the first vampire my age that I've met. Pardon my familiarity, Your Highness. How did you meet All for One?"
There was clearly only curiosity in the question, but for Izuku, it represented a landmine. All for One had strictly forbidden Izuku to mention his injured state, saying he should refuse to answer this question. Izuku said, "I'm not supposed to say. My father doesn't want riff-raff hanging around him attempting to imitate my adoption." It unnerved him, how easily he called All for One his father.
"How mysterious." Toga giggled. "Big Brother Tomura found me eating a bird, and he thought I was already a vampire."
"Pardon?" Izuku skipped a step.
In his distraction, Destro slipped in and seized Izuku's hands. "I hope you don't mind me cutting in." Without waiting for an answer, he pulled Izuku away.
What should Izuku do? Protest? Or finish the dance? He was desperate to meet All for One's standards for this ball. Rather than make a scene, he decided to roll with it. Fortunately he was used to dancing with a taller partner.
"You didn't offer your blood," Izuku said. "Fortunately for you, I don't think you look very appetizing."
Destro snorted. "Of course All for One would pick a disrespectful brat. It's your blood that interests me. I have a family issue. Usually dhampirs are immune to turning. But with the stronger royal blood, I could finally turn my son into a full vampire."
"If you want a favor from me, you should be politer," Izuku pointed out. "My title is Your Highness."
Destro said, "All for One will never allow you to give up your blood and increase the number of royals. I'm not planning to ask."
Transforming into a giant bat, Destro picked up Izuku in his claws and flew for the window overhead.
Izuku barely had time to comprehend he was being kidnapped. He glimpsed All for One's face below, contorted with a protective rage, before Destro's vampires mobbed the king.
"IZUKU!" All for One howled, ripping through his attackers with his claws.
Drawing back his fist, Izuku punched Destro in his furry midsection.
He'd never before tried to use his full vampiric strength. He used too much force. A tendon in his arm throbbed. He put his fist clean through the vampire, emerging bloody on the other side. Destro turned to ashes when he died, like a vampire in a story. And Izuku fell.
All for One rushed forward, catching Izuku. The attacking vampires were already piles of dust at his feet.
Izuku lay dazed in a state of shock. He'd never killed anyone before. The ashes were all over him, touching his mouth. He spat frantically.
Gigantomachia was the first to react. "A worthy prince! Truly, you are All for One's son." Tears streamed down the giant vampire's face. "All hail His Highness!"
"ALL HAIL!" the vampires bellowed.
Sincerely, Tomura said, "That was metal." Toga winked. The other vampires rushed around, offering their praise and swearing their loyalty. Izuku's ears rang. He could barely make sense of it all.
Snarling at them, All for One carried Izuku away, out of the room. The king of vampire's eyes seemed to be glowing red, but it could have been an illusion of the firelight.
As All for One placed Izuku down in a coffin, Izuku asked, "Did I fail?" Leaving before the ball ended or not finishing the dance had both been criteria for failure.
"What? No, you were magnificent, my child." All for One brought over a cloth and cleaned off the ashes. "I've been looking for an excuse to kill Destro for centuries. And at the first justification, you ripped him in two. Well-done. I'm proud of you."
Izuku shuddered at the memory. "Then you'll keep your deal? You'll help me grow older? If you do, then I promise not to bother you. I'll stay as far away from you as possible in the castle so you never, ever have to see me."
All for One tilted his head. "Why the rush to grow older, my son?" He brushed back Izuku's hair. "You have an eternity, now."
Izuku suddenly had a very bad feeling. "Uh. Is this the instincts talking?"
All for One continued, "I would never force you to stay away from me. I've been a fool for rejecting you, my own child." It hadn't been Izuku's imagination—All for One's eyes glowed red. "From now on, I'll make up for my neglect. I have so much to teach you, my only family member. Ah, but first, you should rest."
As the coffin lid closed, Izuku felt very, very worried.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Uh-oh
All for One: This is just instincts, not love. If I actually loved you then I'd lock you up in my brother's old dungeon in the basement.
Izuku: Yikes. I'm fine with the same level of neglect as my last dad, thanks.
#
Omake: The Universe Where All for One Successfully Ditched Izuku
All Might: Oh, no! This poor, innocent boy became a vampire because of me. I'll have to take him under my own wing. How do you feel about turning this into a story about a vengeful vampire who hunts his own kind?
Izuku: I could have become a vampire hunter and you stuck me with the King of Assholes instead? What gives, Author?
#
Omake: If Izuku Talked to Kurogiri
Kurogiri: My boss just leaves his laundry lying around, and he can't even be bothered to take his glass to the sink, and I haven't gotten a raise or a vacation in decades.
Izuku: Some things never change even with vampiric bosses, huh?
#
Omake: The Very Short AU
Inko: Where's All for One? I have some custody matters to discuss with him. This chair leg makes a great stake.
#
Omake: The Other Ending
Izuku: (Kills All for One) Whoops, I guess I don't know my own strength.
Gigantomachia: This only makes you seem even more like your father's son.
Author's Note: Thank you to LittleLovelyLizard for this spooky October prompt. I was also inspired by Chaosverse's adorable vampire Izuku picture, delete the spaces to get the link:
tumblr.
com/
chaosverse-mainblog/731291147293605888/aimportantdragoncollector-one-vampire-izuku-for
FYI, I'm hosting a fanfic writing/art contest called Three Weeks of Trioholders. Check out the details on my tumblr:
tumblr.
com/
aimportantdragoncollector/730535703013900288/event-announcement
