I jolted in my seat, a Shirley Temple being passed to me by a man made of a cloudy, mist-like substance, while a sense of deja vu washed over me.
"Hey! Who do you think you are, ignoring master?!" The hooded man asked, and now that I could see his face, his skin was dry and irritated.
"Uh, Midoriya Izuku. Who are you?" I asked, turning my attention to the man on the screen, his face still obscured by the darkness.
"Why you little!" He growled before lunging at me, his fingers an inch from my face before the man on the screen spoke up.
"Tomura! Enough, he is our honored guest, and it would be a shame to lose such an important tool in taking down All Might."
Taking down All Might? Well, they certainly knew how to bury their lead.
Reaching for my drink, I thought a little more about how I wanted to approach the situation, my glass empty as I set it down. What did I have that they didn't? My influence as musician wasn't exactly far-reaching, and it's not like I could access my money from my music. He would want something else, man on the inside of U.A., to keep an eye on All Might?
"Taking down All Might... I'm with you so far, but what exactly do you expect me, a quirkless one-hit wonder to do?"
A chuckle came from the screen, but no warmth, no joy was passed from his lips to my ears, his voice sympathetic as he spoke.
"My dear boy, you don't see what I do, do you? I see a mind, a great genius, who won't reach his full potential or happiness being crammed into a box. You may be extraordinary compared to most, but to others, even other musicians, you're not even a blip on their radar."
Pausing, I could feel his stare burrowing into me, and I felt fear I couldn't show run down my spine.
"Taking down All Might. Do you mean..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. Even the thought made me sick.
"Killing him." He replied, and I felt like I might throw up.
"I just want him humiliated... for what he's done to me. Taken from me..." I muttered as I was no longer able to hide my fear.
"Think about it, my boy. You could get the ultimate humiliation on him, being part of his ultimate downfall. I want your anger. Your voice. Your charisma. I want you to spy on the heroes of the next generation and inform me of any potential threats or recruits. In return, I will give you what you seek. A quirk. Or perhaps multiple." He explained, my expression becoming indignant.
Standing, I approached the screen, sneering at it.
"I don't want a quirk. I'm Izuku Midoriya. Rock star in the making, genius among geniuses, quickless. I'm proud of being quirkless because it means my power comes from my mind and physical prowess."
I could see his mouth now, which turned up into a charismatic smile.
"Then, by all means, use the power of your mind and body and become a valuable asset for me. I want your gear, your intelligence, your loyalty. What do you say, my boy?"
Sighing heavily, I rubbed my chin, thinking of my how I wanted to proceed. If this was some trick, and this group was going to expose me, then I could always say I'd been kidnapped and said what I had to play them. If this was real, well, I had to do it. I had to take the chance to be there when All Might fell.
"How could I possibly say no? I mean, the end of an era, the end of All Might. Wow. I mean, just saying it makes me tingly. But how are... four people going to do that?" I questioned, taking my seat at the bar and looking at the bartender.
"Another. And give this one some kick."
He shook his head, making a second Shirley Temple for me.
"I will not serve you alcohol."
The very notion made me laugh, and I stood, walking around the counter and behind the bar.
"Please. We're planning a murder, and you expect me to believe alcohol is where the line is crossed?" I asked, the man on the screen speaking.
"No alcohol for you, my boy. You must keep a level head if you wish to be part of our plans. Besides that, you are needed at the recording studio, are you not? Your plate is too full to be inebriated." He spoke, and I sighed.
"I guess you're right. Can you dump me out back into the alley? I'll need to be going if I'm gonna be on time today. Oh, but how should I contact you?" I asked, and the bartender pulled a phone from a small portal, the same kind he used to transport me here.
"I am Tomura Shigaraki. That is Kurogiri. And he is the master. You will do as you're told, or..." Tomura turned the glass he'd been drinking from into dust with a touch.
"Interesting threat. Counter offer, I can make gear to boost your quirks. You'd be losing an important piece in your chessboard. So do me a favor, and treat me like the piece I am. The King. You will protect and keep me safe because without me, you'll lose." I replied, taking the phone from Kurogiri.
He scowled, eyes narrowed in frustration and anger before looking to the screen.
"Can't I kill him, master?"
The man on the screen shook his head, and Tomura looked dejected.
"Kurogiri, our guest should be going. We will be in touch, young Midoriya." The man, their master, told the misty man, who in turn enveloped me in his mist, before a portal opened, and I fell out into an alley close to the studio, the portal closing behind me.
"Ugh, I hate traveling like that." I complained, getting up to my feet and walking to the studio, only a few minutes late.
"Working on this new song, my head wasn't entirely in the game. I'd joined a conspiracy to kill the number one hero, my mind full of worry as I sang, my emotions mixing into my singing.
As I set my guitar down, I looked at Mr.Kanon, who hadn't been in the room when I started singing.
"Izuku, that was brilliant. Take five, and see Foromi in her office." He spoke as I stood, heading to see her now. It would take that long just to get to her office, and I didn't have the time to waste, just powering through until I left the building.
The next few days were slow, going to school, going to the studio, back home, rinse and repeat, waiting for instructions from the group. I wondered if we had a name.
Wednesday, I got a text on the phone they gave me, telling me that I shouldn't panic, that they would be responsible for what was about to happen, an alarm going off before I could respond, and people panicked, until a boy with blue hair and calves with engines sticking out of them calmed everyone, and we all moved calmly to the safety zones on campus. I was glad he'd gotten them under control so quickly. I didn't panic and stood out in the crowd.
The press had somehow managed to make it onto the grounds, and those who had were arrested for trespassing. How did that line up with the goals of my group? How did that bring All Might down?
That Saturday, during another lunch that I spent worried about everything instead of really eating, I was reminded that I wasn't alone.
"Midoriya? Are you okay? You've been... a little distracted lately." Jiro asked, her jack gently poking my cheek as I looked at my lunch tray.
"Huh?" I asked, looking over at her as her words sunk in. I was acting weird. I needed to be calm and act casual.
"Yeah, sorry. Works been... demanding, and I haven't had a second of free time since I started." I lied, leaning my head back against the booth.
"You should take better care of yourself, Midoriya. You don't want to burn yourself out." Yaoyorozu told me, and I had to admit, she was making sense.
"Yeah. You know, maybe I should ask for every other day off when my album drops... in like six months."
Denki Kaminari, a blonde with a black lightning pattern in his hair, not so smart, but his charisma and friendliness made up for that in spades looked at me.
"When I get stressed, I play video games and watch some guy on the internet talk about video game theories.
It sounded amazing, a little slice of heaven, a moment to rest. But it wasn't for me. I had to stay preoccupied. It kept me moving and not overthinking everything all the time.
"Just a few more songs, then we work on promotional material, and I can rest... until my interview tour starts." I mumbled, pushing my tray away. I couldn't eat as nervous as I was about everything. About being a spy, a celebrity, and a student. I needed to let off steam, to cool off before I caught fire burnt out like Yaoyorozu had warned.
As an idea came to me, I grinned like the idoit I was, sipping my canned coffee. Oh man, was I smart sometimes.
"Hey, you guys want to come to the studio this afternoon? I wouldn't work as hard, plus you can see me when I'm not covered in grease and oil." I offered as I sat up, full of the energy and excitement I'd been missing the last few days.
Denki spoke first, grinning at me, somehow charismatic even when he was excited.
"Dude, are you serious? That sounds awesome."
Yaoyorozu checked her phone, nodding before putting it away.
"It is the weekend... and I would be a hypocrite if I told you to relax more and didn't do the same."
I turned to Jiro next to me, suddenly feeling stupid, like my brains were mush, and it suddenly felt like it had elevated from crush to something more.
"Yeah, alright. Sounds fun." She said, and I blushed, looking away as I cleared my throat.
"Cool." I squeaked, my voice cracking as I did, getting a round of laughter from my friends. My worries were gone for a little while, and I was just a normal teen.
Hanging out after school with my friends, heading to their classroom to go meet them, I grinned ear from ear, excited to show them my other life.
Inside their classroom was a head of spiky blonde hair, talking to a redhead with hair just as spiky, maybe more. It looked almost sharp enough to cut paper.
"Hey, Bakugou!" I called out, not really thinking, my friend turned bully turned neutral acquaintance turning to look at me, nodding down once.
"You figure it out?" He asked, and I grinned a little wider.
"Of course I did. I'm me." I told him, stepping into the classroom and seeing them all together for the first time. Wow. These were the first drafts for the hero course.
The entire class watched on with various looks of confusion before an invisible girl spoke.
"Bakugou, why are you so nice to him and not us?" She asked, and I laughed at the question. Was he being his normal surly self with his classmates?
Small sparks exploded from Bakugous hands, turning to look at, or rather through, the invisible girl, my fingers already plugged into my ears.
"Because he doesn't go out of his to bug the hell outta me!" He yelled, and once I was sure he was done, i unplugged my ears.
"Correction. Because we've been friends for years. Bakugou is just too proud to say it." I told the girl, my grin morphing into a smirk as I put my arm around his shoulder, giving him a little shake before he pushed me off, brooding a little as the redhead and Denki teased him.
My attention turned to the class now, and I bowed.
"I guess while I'm here... hello, I'm Midoriya Izuku, I'll be one of the first years working on your gear and gadgets. So please, go as rough on your gear as possible! Show me the faults in my designs so I can rebuild it better!" I told them, standing upright now as I spotted the tall boy with engine calves clapping while looking at his fellow hero course students.
"Bravo, what conviction! We'll be sure to put your designs to their limits!"
"Ah, thanks, mate. I appreciate it. Now, I'm going to be late if I continue to dawdle. I just came by to collect some things." I turned to my friends.
"Come on now, no time to waste."
With that, I turned on my head and waved to Bakugou.
"Bye, Kacchan." I smiled innocently before I walked out, knowing that I was giving his class someone to tease him over as I heard footsteps, no doubt my friends hurrying to catch up.
"You're an evil, evil person." Jiro told me, a chill down my spine. If only she knew.
"Of course I am. I'm a corporate cog." I replied, my eyes running over her, taking in her smile, her onix eyes, her independent spirit. She never needed me. If I hadn't shown up at that music group, she'd still be here, following her dreams.
Looking away, I felt my cheeks burn, the train coming on time, so I didn't have to say anything about it, waiting until Denki walked into a pole while flirting with a girl from the nearby village who'd boarded, giving us a reason to laugh, the girl giggling as she walked away from him.
Pulling out my homework, I started getting down to it, only getting through a few questions before my workbook was plucked away by Denki.
"What's this? Come on, man, you're on the train. Relax a little." He teased, holding it away as I tried to grab it back.
"There is no relaxing. I do my homework on the train because I don't have time later." I complained, a jack wrapping around my wrist as I stood to grab my workbook.
Looking down, I saw Jiro looking back up at me.
"Hey, we came to help you slow down a little. Trust us. No one's as slow as Denki."
Yaoyorozu nodded but took my workbook from Denki, giving it back to me.
"Take a respite, and breath. You're hardworking, and while I admire that, you're walking the line of self-destruction, and none of us wishes to see you fall."
My workbook felt heavy in my hands, the idea of opening it like an impossible task before I slid it back into my bay.
"I'm tired." I admitted, sitting down and leaning my head back against the cool window, the sounds of the train comforting, minutes passing as I rested.
"Careful." Jiro whispered, so quiet I wondered if she had made a sound at all, her jack in my hand, my fingers brushing it lightly as I played with it, no idea when I'd started, but I didn't want to stop, light running the pad of my pointed over the tip of her jack.
A soft gasp, but she didn't pull away, deciding to push my luck by running circles over the tip, Jiro sighing softly as I did, my fingers carefully feeling every bit of her jack.
I learned her tip wasn't metal, but hard bone or maybe cartilage. Her length wasn't wires, but skin, tough and resistant, from her years of training her quirk. I wondered how I had never asked to touch her jacks, then realizing that I hadn't asked now, my hand pulling away.
"You're okay." She whispered again, this time looking at me, putting her jack back into my hand, trusting me with her quirk, the part of her that made her special.
No, that wasn't right. All of her was special, unique, and perfect in every way.
"You're special to me." I muttered softly, my lips hardly moving as I gauged her reaction, her head just falling onto my shoulder, no words spoken by either of us until we arrived, and I moved to let go, Jiro moving off of me.
"So, the walk is kinda boring, and I get stopped sometimes by people. If that happens, just let me handle that." I told them, stepping off the train and onto the platform, leading the way as my pocket vibrated.
"Ah, give me a second, guys. I have to take this." I apologized, moving away to take the call on the phone the mystery group had given me.
"You've reached Midoriya." I amswered, my tone going from apologetic to annoyed.
"Obviously. We're having a meeting. You should be here." Shigaraki told me, sounding as annoyed as I was.
"I can't. I'm with friends, taking them to my place of work. I can't just disappear."
A grumble came through before silence, taking a moment before he spoke again.
"Tonight. Be in your bedroom at ten on the dot."
The call ended, and I was left to wonder how that would all work. Could Kurogiri get to me? My mother? Dammit, how powerful were these people?
It didn't matter now, I couldn't do anything for the time being, just heading back to my friends with a forced smile.
"Hey, sorry, I'm ready when you guys are." I told them, putting excitement I didn't feel in my voice.
"Awesome! This is gonna rock!" Denki cheered, Yaoyorozu smiling at his enthusiasm, which was infectious, filling me with a sense of childish excitement as well.
"Never change, Pichu." I told him, grinning as I led the way, pointing out my favorite sights and walking them through the doors of Ongaku Carnival.
"Hello, Sazama. I need three guest passes for my friends, please." I told the reptilian bluette, who eyed my companions.
A moment later, she handed them all some paperwork to sign while I gossiped with her about her last date, which had gone poorly.
"You deserve better than someone who asks you to pay and then expects you to put out after, girl. Like, if you asked him out and then offered to pay, it'd be different, but he can't just expect a good time after." I told her, and she pouted.
"But he's so handsome." She complained, and I laughed.
"So I am, but if I took a girl out, she wouldn't pay, and I know better than to just expect sex. It demeans you as a human. Oh, hey, I think my teacher is single. He's a pro-hero if you want me to give him your details." I told her, thinking about how I could help.
"Is he cute?" She asked, and I shrugged.
"I don't know. I don't like men older than me. It's Power Loader, if that helps."
She sighed, leaning back as she made sure the paperwork was signed properly.
"It doesn't. His face is always covered... good smile, though. Plus, he's a hero, so, definitely above the men I've been dating... Alright, you convinced me. Give him this." She told me, taking a moment to file the papers before handing me a sticky note with her number.
"Will do. See ya!"
Giving her a smile, I slipped the paper into my pocket, looking up to see my friends staring at me.
"What?" I asked, feeling a little self-conscious as I hit the button on the elevator.
"Nothing. You're just... always full of surprises." Jiro told me, causing me to lean in.
"You know you love it." I whispered, pulling back with a wicked grin, the elevator dinging, empty for us.
"Ugh, what's on the agenda today..." I mumbled, taking out my normal phone and scrolling through.
"Okay, recording studio all day. Cool, cool, cool, cool..." I tried to get myself into the right mood, humming to warm up my voice, my friends giving me a moment as I did.
Ding. The elevator stopped, and we got off, heading towards the booth.
"Okay... wish me luck." I told them, a round of enforcement given as I stepped into the recording booth, checking the song list and freezing. I wanted to sing that in person. I wanted to wait until it was just us. How could I do it here and now?
"I got today's song list. Are you ready for me to take it from the top?" I asked, the man on the other side nodding, speaking into his mic so I could hear. I had to do this. I just had to push through.
"Check. We're rolling whenever you're ready."
"I'm ready." I nodded, taking the guitar from the corner and taking a deep breath as my fingers moved, the words memorized, spilling out.
"One, two, one, two, three
How could something so delicate also be dangerous?
Kinda afraid of it, darling. Believe me
I'm just praying you keep me
And you look like an angel there, you and your purple hair
Oh, it's just so unfair you'll never see
You've got a hold on me."
I sang, closing my eyes and feeling the music. It was my release. It would always be my peace, no matter how hard the business part of being a musician was.
"And it feels like suicide looking into your eyes
I get so terrified that I'm gonna lose you
And I'll die if I do
It's a death wish, love
Take my heart, I'll let you spill my blood
Cut me down again
I love you, and I'll love you to death."
I opened my eyes, my emerald orbs meeting her onix ones, but I didn't look away.
"On and on and only you can kill me now
I'll scream your name until my lungs give out
Pull me down again
I love you, and I'll love you to death
Love you for as long as I get.
The way that you make me laugh, nobody else does that
You've got the upper hand, and if you squeeze
I would fall to my knees.
And I'll ask the stars at night how I can slow the time
God, I'm so terrified that I'm gonna lose you
And I'll die if I do
It's a death wish, love
Take my heart, I'll let you spill my blood
Cut me down again
I love you, and I'll love you to death
On and on and only you can kill me now
I'll scream your name until my lungs give out
Pull me down again
I love you, and I'll love you to death
I'll love you for as long as I get
Oh, I'm gonna love you to death
Oh, I'm gonna run 'til I wreck
Go until there's none of me left
No, there's nothing of me left
Oh, I'm gonna love you to death
Oh, I'm gonna run 'til I wreck
Go until there's nothing left
It's a death wish, love
Take my heart, I'll let you spill my blood
Cut me down again
I love you, and I'll love you to death
On and on and on and only you can kill me now
I'll scream your name until my lungs give out
Pull me down again
I love you, and I'll love you to death
Love you for as long as I get
Oh, as long as I get."
I stopped singing, my no longer strumming my guitar, but I wish they were, the way my hands shook as I looked at her. I wish I had more time to say it. That it wasn't like this.
Over and over, I sang, my eyes never leaving hers, until the man in the booth was sure that we had a perfect cut.
"Okay, you good to keep going?" He asked, but I shook my head, my stomach in knots as I finally put down my guitar, stepping out of the booth. I needed to know.
"Hey." Her voice greeted, already meeting me in the hall.
"Hey." I replied softly, her eyes so hard to look into now. Was it fear or something else entirely? Nerves? I wished for a brief moment that I wasn't falling harder every day for her before that thought was pushed away. Even if she didn't like me like that, I could push it down and keep my feelings from pushing us apart.
"So... how's your backstage tour of the music industry?" I asked, not realizing how long I'd been silent next to her.
"Izuku, I..." She paused and fiddled with her jack, looping it around her finger while she thought of what to say, her eyes not meeting mine.
"I didn't bring you here to sing that song. I wanted to spend time with my friends. Especially my best friend. I-I do have these feelings for you, I've made it obvious over the past, like, month, but, if you don't feel the same, I don't want to lose my best friend. I can let these feelings go, if that's what you need..."
"No, it's not that... I just don't think I'm ready to be tied down by a relationship, and you're always so busy that I'd be second fiddle to your career."
At that, I laughed, the very notion she could be second fiddle an impossibility I'd never even considered. She would always be my first choice.
"You're the person I think of when I sing. You're the reason I joined the support course. My audition for Ongaku was me singing "Love of a Lifetime" while thinking about how you inspire me. You could never be second fiddle because you're part of everything I do."
She didn't seem convinced, but who could be? One assurance wouldn't fix the worries in her mind. I'd just spend my life showing her how unfounded they were.
"You can hurt my feelings. Tell me no if you want." I offered, smiling even as the thought of rejection felt bitter in my throat, like bile.
"No, i won't," A brief pause, and she finally met my eyes. "I won't say no, but I'm not gonna kiss you just because you look pathetic right now." She told me, teasing me with a small smile.
"I do, don't I? Good thing you'll always be around to protect me." I joked, grinning ear from ear as I leaned back a bit, the worry I'd felt still there, my fear and anxiety that I wasn't good enough for her just in the back, insecurities I'd never shake. But for her, I'd manage.
Jiro was the first to move, turning to the door.
"We should probably join the others before they start rumors in the 1-A group chat."
"I wouldn't mind." I told her, opening the door to her side of the glass.
"Alright, are we ready to do this? We don't want to get behind schedule, kid." The man operating the system spoke into his mic, and I gave thumbs up, playing the next few songs with a grin on my face, sneaking glances at Jiro when I thought the others weren't paying attention.
As soon as I finished, I grabbed a bottle of water and met my friends in the other room.
"Kid, I don't know what you just did, but you gave me magic to work with." The man, who I swore to learn the name of when I didn't have to ask in front of my friends, told me.
"Great. I need time for school. Wait a minute... it's in my contract. Tell Mr. Kanon, I'll need Sundays off." I told him, quickly sending a text to my producer. I couldn't make the best music if I was tired and failing art.
"All that stressing, because you forgot the details of your contract?" Denki asked me, but I shrugged.
"Dude, I was stressed. Plus, I like working. I just need to better prioritize my work-life balance."
"Well then, if you're finished for the day, we should all return home and get a good night's sleep." Yaoyorozu interjected, but I wasn't sure I wanted this excursion to end yet.
Thinking of all the things I wanted to do, I remembered that I was needed. If I could get home faster, I wouldn't miss my meeting with Shigaraki.
"Dang, guess you're right." I agreed, grabbing my bag and yawning.
As we chatted aimlessly, I kind of drifted from the conversation, just happy to be part of something, only jumping in when I needed, my fingers wrapped noticeably in Jiros jack.
"Do things have to change if we're figuring things out?" I asked, a lengthy silence having fallen, my fingers playing with her jack as I scrolled through my phone.
"Only if you make things weird, dude." She told me, yawning as she readjusted.
"But I am weird. I make things weird to keep things interesting." I replied, humming as I caught Denki looking.
"Yeah, but you're good weird. Don't get all incel-ish on me, and we're good." She told me, as we settled into a
First Denki got off, then Yaoyorozu, leaving Jiro and I as the last of our little group, settled into a comfortable silence.
But good things end, and she had to get off soon.
"Do I still look pathetic?" I asked, making her roll her eyes.
"The most pathetic boy I've ever seen." She replied, elbowing me in the side gently before moving my hand from her jack and standing.
"See ya, Izuku."
"See ya, Jiro."
Then I was alone, all my thoughts and worries rushing out to remind me of my faults. I was short, skinny, kind of plain looking. I was selfish, too, with anger buried deep inside.
Worse than that, I was putting her in danger to satiate my short-sighted quest for vengeance against All Might. Even worse was that I didn't plan on stopping.
These thoughts consumed me as I got off the train and made it home.
"Izuku, is that you?" My mother called, and hearing her voice made me forget a bit as I walked into the dining room, the smell of warm food making me hungry. I wished suddenly I had eaten more at lunch.
"Yeah, we finished early. I think it was probably because I took my friends with me. They didn't want to work me too hard in front of guest, I guess. Oh, I'm taking Sundays off from working to work on my school stuff. The first week was rough, and I don't think I'd make it into until break before I burned out."
She walked over, feeling my forehead.
"You do look tired. After dinner, I'll clean up, you go to your room and get some rest, okay sweetie?"
"Yeah. Thanks, mom." I mumbled, eating quickly and heading to my room, pulling out my secret phone. Okay. I could do this.
"What?" He asked, and I closed my eyes, like this was a bad dream I could pull myself out of.
"I'm home early, in my room."
There was no reply, just a black mist enveloping me before I was able to react, dropped in front of Shigaraki, and newcomers I didn't recognize.
"Man, that is kinda cool, not gonna lie." I told them, trying to keep a straight face as I sat down.
"The usual Kurogiri, and add a cherry to it."
"This is your mystery guest? A pop star?" A man's voice, deep and rough, almost raspy, spoke up, just as Kurogiri finished my drink.
Turning on my stool, I held my drink lazily from my fingers, looking up at a man with burnt skin all over his body, all of it looking pierced together.
"So we're killing All Might with..." I counted quickly, looking back to Shigaraki. "Twelve people."
"Wait a moment, Dabi, do not judge our musician friend so quickly. He may be more than what meets the eye." A masked man spoke, his yellow coat and green broach spelling that he had money, or had come from it at least.
I would have responded, but a girl around my age moved in front of me, her face inches from my own.
"Your blood must taste so amazing, Izuku! I can't wait to get to know you inside and out~" She cooed, her hand on my chest before I pushed her back.
"I'm flattered, but there's that old saying, but I don't stick it in crazy." I told her, a glint of steel, and I felt my cheek sting, blood running down my skin, before I felt my palm connect with her cheek, standing now, just a bit taller.
"Don't touch my face." I told her, flames being shot at me, Kurogiri using a portal to spew them at a sink of water.
"You like blood? Fine. Cover me in it, as long as it isn't mine. But don't touch my face. I have to make appearances and be seen in public." I told her, smiling ear from ear as I touched my cheek before smearing blood on her neck, my fingers lingering a moment before I sat down.
"You said something when we spoke last. About not having enough people to take on All Might. Master thought you might be right about that. Sure, we have a secret weapon to kill All Might, but there'll be students we have to deal wit-"
"Students?" I asked, interrupting.
"Students. We'll be coordinating an attack at a U.A. facility away from the main campus."
"We're villains, not monsters. I'm not attacking a bunch of students. Besides that, they're still U.A. heroes in training. They're more powerful than the average villain. Hell, we'd need an army of them to stand a chance."
"We have an army. One hundred and eighty three individual villains, plus the twelve of us, and our secret weapon." Shigaraki replied, and I had to admit, I liked how this sounded so far. Mostly.
"They're still just students. The same age as me and lady stab-a-lot. If we fail, killing them only riles up the entire hero community. Tell your men to not kill, just injure. Scare them. And then if we win, I don't care what happens after." I told him, waiting for him to think.
"Why do you doubt me?" He asked, and I was confused.
"Doubt you? Dude, I'm with you all the way. I'm just making backup plans because I used to be an All Might fan boy. I know his upper limits. I know he's only a fraction of the man he was. But I know he's still leagues above us."
Shigaraki thought for a moment before turning now to look at me, instead of a video game he'd been playing.
"Hmm... Twice. Make a copy of him. I want one of him to be here, working on gear and going over the plan with me." He decided, a man in a gray and black mask coming over and taking measurements.
"I still get to watch All Might die, right? Not a copy. Me." I asked, giggling as I got poked with the end of ruler.
P
"Of course, you'll be here. Your copy will take your place, making music, going to school, and gathering data for us." Shigaraki told me, and I couldn't find an error in his logic. I could have asked if the copy would have my memories, be my exact doppelganger, but I didn't care.
"Then I want to make equipment for everyone and a suit for myself. It'd be a shame to reveal myself in the event All Might is up to par."
He smiled, his face stretching unnaturally.
"Then you need a name for yourself."
A name for myself. The villain I'd be.
"A mask will give me anonymity. With it, I will conduct a symphony of terror for this world and all who decided to punish me for the sin of quirklessness."
I paused, imagining a world where I ruled, shining brighter than All Might.
"Maestro."
(If anyone is confused, read Across All Reality. If thats not something you want to do- TLDR, this is the same Izuku, formerly Doom, given a second chance in a new timeline. No memories after the point that the League captured him, no overpowered quirk. Also, the song is Death Wish Love by Benson Boone)