Author's Note: I'm avoiding names in this fic because it's awkward to have a canon name for Second but not Third, it's awkward to only have a family name for Second since his lover would call him by his given name, and the fic is short enough to let me get away with it. If I used a made-up name for Third, then at the rate the manga is going, I fear the real name will be revealed just one chapter later. I still think of these two as Kaiji and Sanzou, though.

The Leader sat behind his desk, scribbling into a notebook. At this point, he'd created backup plans for his backup plans. He'd gone over every last bit of intelligence about All for One's mansion eight times. He'd bitten his nails until the cuticles bled. Tension formed a knot between his shoulder blades. He knew he ought to stop. He was doing no good, fretting over the same unknown variables. No matter how much time and energy he poured in, there would always be risk in any mission. But he could not make himself set down his pen. In one hour, the Leader would take a strike team and invade All for One's mansion.

Never before had the vigilantes taken such a strong stand against the boogeyman of Japan. Never before had they risked a frontal assault, knowing they were outnumbered, outgunned, and out-metapowered. But they were desperate. They'd received intelligence that All for One had found a powerful ability and planned to give it to his younger brother, who would be joining his side as his new righthand man. The Leader knew his organization couldn't handle two All for Ones. Frankly, one was bad enough. The insufferable monologues alone could be deadly! In all seriousness, the Leader feared the little brother might have a body capable of handling multiple quirks at once. Thus far the vigilantes had fought against All for One largely by distracting him and avoiding him. If they had to fight against two people with All for One's level of power at once, they would lose. The Leader had to push forward with this mission, no matter the danger.

A warm hand landed on the Leader's shoulder. He jumped. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I wasn't even trying to be quiet. You're too distracted." His lover and lieutenant chuckled as he read over his leader's shoulder. The second-in-command of the vigilantes had spiky blue-gray hair falling loose over his shoulders and kind eyes. His deft fingers worked on his leader's shoulders, massaging out some of the tension. "What's this you're writing? A plan in case All for One turns into a giant snake?"

The Leader slammed his notebook shut. "It could happen! That shithead has a metapower for everything."

The Lieutenant snorted. "I love you, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and blame your silly plan on sleep deprivation."

"It's not silly!"

"Your plan was to cover yourself in poison and convince the All for One snake to eat you."

The Leader's shoulders sagged. "I had kind of run out of ideas by the time I reached the snake plan."

His lieutenant deftly pushed his notebook away to the corner of his desk. "You're full of ideas. You ran out of good ones."

"Hardy-har-har, you're a goddamn comedian."

The Lieutenant brushed back a lock of his lover's spiky red hair. "Face it, handsome: you're a tense mess spiraling into paranoia. If you're this wound-up on the mission, then you risk making mistakes. You need to relax."

"It's not that easy, damn it!" the Leader cried, throwing up his hands.

"I'm offering to help you," his lieutenant murmured. Maintaining eye contact, he took the Leader's hand, raised it to his mouth, and kissed it.

A slight red dusted the Leader's cheeks. "Oh, you are, are you?" His tone shifted, becoming playful. He stood up and turned to face his beloved lieutenant. "How do you plan to do that?"

The Lieutenant pushed him against his desk and leaned so close their foreheads nearly touched. "I have a few ideas."

"Like what?" the Leader asked, taking his lover's hand.

"I could dump a bucket of ice-cold water over your head."

"Hey!"

"I could make you listen to a recording of All for One's speeches."

"We agreed in a team meeting that should be considered cruel and unusual punishment."

"I could spar with you for a few rounds until you work off steam."

"I was hoping for something more sexy," the Leader said plaintively.

"Oh, since you asked…" The Lieutenant leaned in and kissed him.

The two of them locked together, their bodies pressed close, desperate pants filling the room. It was a devouring kiss. Violent, passionate, and a little afraid. Both of them knew this might be the very last time.

Before every mission, it could be the last time. But this one? This was the most dangerous mission yet. All for One was like a feral animal when cornered and insanely protective of what he considered his own. Those who invaded his home territory did not live. This mission had been volunteers only, because everyone knew they wouldn't all come back.

And so the Leader and Lieutenant clung to each other, skin flushed, as if trying to meld their bodies together. There was no time for more than a kiss. Neither of them was truly in the mood, either. This wasn't about lust. It was about reaffirming that they loved each other, and in this moment, they were both alive.

"…ji…Kudou…" the Lieutenant moaned, his neck arching as the Leader left a hickey on it. "Be more careful! You know All for One would target me if he realized I was your lover."

The Leader said, "Sorry. But after today, he's not going to need any extra reason to want you dead."

"True." Cold reality broke the mood. They both drew back.

The two of them leaned against each other's shoulders. The Lieutenant said, "I just want to tell you that the last few years with you have been the happiest—"

"Don't." The Leader put a finger on his lover's lips to stop him. "No speeches like you plan to die. We're both going to live. Even if All for One's brother is an all-powerful monster, I'm still going to kill him, then come home with you."

The Lieutenant paused, biting his lip. "We've never heard of All for One having a brother before."

"Yeah, our shitty intelligence has holes, what of it?"

"It seems strange to me that if All for One has family who he trusts, the brother has never helped him build his empire until now." The Lieutenant looked down. "What if All for One's brother isn't a monster, but just an ordinary person not involved in this fight? What if we're wrong about him working for All for One?"

The Leader thought about all the comrades he'd lost. He thought about the person he wanted to avenge. He thought about how All for One had never hesitated to kill his enemies' families. He said, "Even if All for One's brother isn't a monster, I'll still kill him."

Author's Note: Spoiler alert—Second does not kill Yoichi.

This fic is a prize for Chaosverse and based off their adorable art. Delete the spaces to get the link:
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