So, sometimes I feel like life just wants me to suffer. Sunday my grandmother (who I live with) had a heart attack and is now in Hospice. I'm hoping she still has another year or so, but I think we can all agree there are no guarantees in life.

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Call Me... Deku

Chapter 59

"AH! What happened to my babies!" Hatsume sobbed, looking over what was left of the decimated suit. A specialty manufacturer would rebuild it, of course, but it had only taken one night to effectively overwhelm all the upgrades she and her classmates had developed.

Kirishima was guiltily standing across the table, feeling awkward as all the support course students gawked at the state of their hard work. "I uh… Well…" he attempted, failing to come up with a good response at first. "It saved me at least! Me and Hitoshi! If you hadn't come up with that reinforcement idea, we'd have both been killed in seconds!"

The redhead pulled up his school uniform, showing off the rows of bandages encompassing his torso. "I'm really sorry I ended up breaking it so fast!" he added, bowing lowly before his many supporters in apology. "Please, don't give up on me. I'll do better next time!"

"Give up on you?" Hatsume shrieked, rounding the table to swat at the teen's lowered head. "What on Earth are you talking about? What have you got to do with any of this!"

Kirishima flinched but looked up, confused by the sudden commotion around him. The students were rushing back to their desks and computers, some holding parts of the costume they'd designed.

"Er… What?" He drawled, not at all understanding what was going on. "I'm the one that broke the suit…"

Hatsume scoffed at him as if he should already know. "Obviously!" she huffed. "But it shouldn't have broken at all! Clearly, my babies weren't up to the challenge."

With a swift shift, she was back to her usual manically smiling self, rubbing her hands together gleefully. "Oh well!" she sang. "Failure is the mother of invention! Time to make some newer, stronger babies that even you can't ruin!"

Seemingly being forgotten, Kirishima backed away, deciding it was probably best to just let her get to work; once she started a new invention, hardly anything could pry her attention away from it.

"She's a wild one, that's for sure. A real handful sometimes…" Powerloader commented as he walked over. "But Hatsume is something special; she never stops inventing and no amount of failure gets her down. We'll have your suit rebuilt in its current design for now, but with her dedication and enthusiasm, I doubt it will be long before you're wearing something totally different."

Kirishima smiled lovingly at his girlfriend, wondering how he got so lucky as to have her take special interest in his hero needs. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Thank you, Mr. Powerloader, sir, I really appreciate you letting her help me so much."

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All Might sighed, letting the old nurse look over his frail torso. "I can still hold my hero form for a considerable amount of time, considering my infirmity that is."

Recovery Girl was not impressed. Fifteen to thirty minutes of hero work, depending on how much difficulty was involved, was virtually nothing. If his weak form hadn't been displayed on national television, perhaps he could have continued to pretend that things were fine for a little while longer, but that wasn't the case.

"You still haven't taken a successor, All Might. At the rate you're deteriorating, it won't matter if you have One for All in your veins. Your body simply can't handle the strain of such a powerful quirk anymore. More importantly, the world can't handle being without a Symbol much longer either."

The blonde refused to look her in the eye, still determined to do as he'd told Gran Torino and save young Deku. If he couldn't do that, he'd never be able to face his predecessors. The child now wielded the power that eight generations had been fighting against; there was no telling what horrors could unfold if that unlimited potential wasn't stopped once and for all.

"Nighteye has been trying to reach you." Recovery Girl pushed, already aware of his desperate need to correct his mistake. "He still believes Mirio Togata is a perfect candidate to succeed you and fears that Deku is the villain he prophesized would kill you—something that seems increasingly likely."

"A fate that I brought on myself, Recovery Girl. Deku is not some random villain or even All for One… He was a genuinely kind, heroic young man who was failed by the world and by me. If I'd just taken the time that day, none of the past year would have happened." All Might retorted.

Recovery Girl shook her head, face full of disapproval and sadness. "Regardless, it has happened and you are in no condition to deal with it. I realize that you feel especially guilty for dismissing Deku because you were once quirkless yourself, but that may actually work in your favor. Even with One for All, you're no match for the child. Choose a successor and face Deku as you once were; quirkless. If you fail at changing his heart, at least there's hope the 9th wielder can bring him down."

It wasn't a bad plan. Had he never sustained such a disabling injury, All Might may have been able to stand against Midoriya on relatively equal footing due to the teen's inexperience, but currently he'd end up strung up like Endeavor if he tried a straightforward fight.

If he was killed before being able to pass on this gift, then there would indeed be no hope for the future. Deku would reign unchallenged just as All For One had years before and he wouldn't make the same mistakes the previous master villain had. It was dumb luck—or fate—that had allowed One for All to come into being.

But if he faced Midoriya after already gifting his powers to another, would it not clearly signify his lack of trust, not just in himself, but also in his belief that Midoriya was redeemable? One for All had been cultivated to stop All for One… why pass it on to another successor if All Might truly believed he could save Deku?

"I know what you're thinking and it's absolutely ridiculous." The older pro scolded harshly. "You're grasping at anything you can to convince yourself that what you're doing is the right thing and that's both foolish and dangerous. Have you learned nothing? Your pride is what caused this awful mess and you still refuse to let it go."

Recovery Girl tapped her cane for emphasis, refusing to let the defeated look on All Might's face deter her. "You say you can't face those who came before you unless you save this child; what is that other than pride? Do you not think your predecessors felt similarly as they were hunted down and murdered, knowing that their failure to stop All for One meant the continued suffering of thousands? Of course, they did! But they died with dignity and purpose, leaving their mission to a newer, stronger generation to succeed where they had failed."

"Meet with Mirio," she finished, her voice strong with insistence. "Talk to him. Consider what will be lost if you hold out much longer."

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Todoroki could feel eyes on him, what remained of the Vanguard Action Squad lacking any remnants of subtlety. Toga and Twice had left for the Yakuza headquarters the day before, solemn and anxious, but without resistance.

"So, like, you seem pretty chill about all this, Shoto," Magne commented, breaking the prolonged, stuffy silence. "It's shocking, actually, considering the circumstances."

Letting his eyes trail up from the packet they were all supposed to be studying, Todoroki leveled the woman with a challenging glare before submitting the rest of the group to the same treatment. "Like I said before, I trust Deku."

And Todoroki truly did. He'd sworn to himself that he'd never let his personal doubt get in the way of his devotion to their young leader again. Time and again, Deku had proven himself to be a master strategist as well as someone who could be relied upon to keep them safe.

If he really thought it was best to send Toga and her unborn child to the Shie Hassaikai, then Todoroki wouldn't argue, no matter how nervous it made him. There was some grander plan in place… something that they weren't seeing that Deku already had. He was sure of it.

"So do we, but that doesn't mean he's infallible," Spinner argued. "Overhaul is dangerous; we know that much from our meeting with him at the warehouse. Toga pushed boundaries even before she got pregnant and since then her temper has gotten far worse."

The dual user shrugged noncommittally, continuing to scour the note packet. His seeming disregard only further frustrated the other League members, especially Compress, who had somewhat taken it upon himself to be a father figure to the psychotic girl.

"How can you be so cavalier!" he questioned hotly, his normally relaxed demeanor overridden by worry. "Even if your feelings for Toga are neutral, surely you care for the baby she's currently carrying? Dabi wouldn't—"

"Don't you dare bring him into this," Todoroki interrupted with a dangerously low growl, his quirk beginning to activate. "Dabi is dead, and I've sworn to take his place; I'm going to build the world he dreamed about for his baby. Don't forget that Dabi was there when Deku shot me. He didn't know about the serum-filled bullets; for all he knew, he'd just assisted in the murder of his baby brother. But he trusted Deku, so I will too."

Taking a few deep breaths to deactivate his quirk, Todoroki gazed around the room again, staring each person in the eye not only to show how committed he was to their leader but also to assert his authority over them. "That's enough talking; read the packets Deku put together for us on the Yakuza. He has a plan and I expect everyone here to be ready whenever it's enacted."

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Bakugo had felt rage when Mirio had made the call to let Eri leave with Overhaul, but now there was a deep, penetrating sickness in his stomach. Those bandages covering the girl's arms and legs, the way she shook and pleaded with him not to go…

'We think this Chisaki guy is turning his daughter's body into bullets, and selling them on the black market.'

Shuddering, Bakugo twisted in his sheets. No wonder the girl was terrified, who fucking wouldn't be if that was happening to them. And he'd had a chance to make her pain stop for good and hadn't taken it. He should've just knocked Mirio aside and gone after the bastard right then and there.

Nighteye had said that Mirio's approach allowed for a higher potential of success, as though they weren't capable of fending Overhaul off. Part of him wondered if Nighteye was correct; Eri had run back to her tormentor when she realized he was about to get violent, and the child probably knew better than anyone what he was capable of.

But Bakugo didn't choose to become a hero just to take the coward's way out. If he died, so be it. At least he wouldn't be feeling like he was now… full of regret and shame. All Might and Deku wouldn't have backed down.

"Tsk." He scoffed at himself, remembering Kamino. Since he knew how One for All worked due to his connection with Deku, he was aware that All Might likely hadn't chosen a successor yet despite his body giving out on national television.

Idly, Bakugo wondered if he should just ask All Might to choose him. He was smart, capable, and had a powerful quirk… There really weren't all that many reasons not to choose him, except for his personality, probably. If the old man wanted a new Symbol of Peace, that sure as hell wasn't him.

If Bakugo decided not to switch sides, then he was going to be the Number 1 Hero. No question. But he didn't exactly have the people skills necessary to inspire the average citizen. Disgusting as it was, he would likely be somewhere in between All Might and Endeavor in terms of popularity and public opinion. Not a Symbol, but not a total bastard either.

Bakugo, however, knew that a new Symbol of Peace would be worthless if they couldn't take down the toughest villain around… and the current Big Bad was his boyfriend. Even if their power levels didn't end up being roughly equal like All Might and All For One had been, there'd still be a balance struck because of their relationship, even if it was a secret.

He and Deku could just pick successors at some point and let those two unlucky fucks tear each other to pieces. A tenuous peace was better than the shitshow currently going on; at least it would give heroes time to catch their breath and maybe even fix the problems that led to 'Deku' rising to power. All Might should understand that sentiment better than anyone.

Yet, it was a major risk, not just to himself, but to his friends as well. Bakugo shouldn't know the secret behind All Might's quirk; the only way he could is if Deku had told him. But why would he have? And when? All Might would surely ask these questions and any answer would reveal that Bakugo and his friends hadn't been truthful regarding their time in captivity.

Then there was Deku's unpredictable reaction; which could end up being a living nightmare. Bakugo highly doubted the nerd would kill him, but it was entirely possible he'd consider it a betrayal and threat. When he finally got through this internship with Nighteye, he'd call his boyfriend immediately and propose the plan, but for now, he needed to focus on Eri and saving her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you feel like it! I'd love to hear feedback on the chapter/story and what you think will happen next!