Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku, at twelve years of age, stares numbly down at the ground, twelve stories below him. His mind in a jumbled mess, and it feels like he’s standing at the end of the abyss as the void tries to drag him down. His body won’t respond to anything he tells it to do, so he just stands there, his knuckles white with how hard he’s clutching his backpack straps.  

’Useless.’ 

He can’t be a hero. He would never amount to anything more than a pebble in other people’s path. He was just another useless quirkless person among the masses that would never go anywhere in life. This is what everyone else believed. Kacchan. His other classmates. His teachers. His mom. Every random person who knows he’s quirkless. They all think this way, and it’s suffocating. 

Why can’t he be a hero? Why would he amount to nothing more than a pebble? Why would he always be a useless nobody that will never go anywhere in life? All because of some stupid diagnosis from a doctor declaring his quirk development null and void (he didn't have the quirkless double pink toe joint, he just never developed a quirk)? All because of some freak genetic mutation that left him without something eighty percent of the population has? 

‘Waste of space.’ 

What was the point? What was the point of trying? Why was he trying so hard, when no one would ever care or acknowledge him? Why did he study quirk day in and day out if he was never going to get anywhere with it? Where was the point in working his ass off to be a better him? He was starting to believe there wasn’t.  

Everything was falling apart like a dry sand castle. He tried to hold it up but the sand just slipped through his fingers. His dream was slowly falling apart and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. 

’Deku wants to be a hero!? Hah! What a joke! You’ll never be anything, quirkless freak!’ 

Then he met All Might! His idol and the one person he believed would believe in him. He would finally be worth something. Someone would finally give him the time of day. All Might would come with a bucket of water and gently trickle water on his dry sand castle and allow him to build it back up. It would all be perfect. 
 

Hah! What a farce that was. You all know the saying, right? Never meet your heroes, you’ll only be disappointed. Something like that? What an understatement. He didn’t trickle water on his sandcastle. No, he was a wave that came and crashed down on his sandcastle, completely ruining it. 

’No, I don’t think you could be a hero without a quirk. You would just burden the other Heroes.’ 

He really isn’t worth anything... Not even All Might believed in him. If All Might didn’t believe he could be a hero, then he couldn’t, right? That’s just how things went. All Might was the greatest hero ever, so if he didn’t believe in Izuku, it would never happen. 

 
He grips the handrail of the roof tighter. He has no worth anymore. He‘s a waste of space and resources. Just a Deku. He’ll never amount to anything more than something to be stepped on and abused.  

He barely realizes what he’s doing as he taking off his shoes and socks, dropped his bag, and starting to climb over the edge of the railing. He doesn’t feel in control of his body, someone else pulling his puppet strings. Everything feels so distant and fuzzy. He feels numb and like his head is filled with cotton. He settles on the wrong side of the railing and stares down at the ground, his face still blank and emotionless as tears roll down his cheeks.  

’Useless Deku! Go kill yourself!’ 

The boy, Deku, is just so tired. Tired of being beaten down and told he’s worthless. There‘s a knot in his chest pulled so tight he feels like he can barely breathe. Every day just get’s harder and harder. It isn’t worth it anymore. Enduring the beatings and the endless harsh words. Being treated as less than human. He‘s tired of it all. He can feel the weight of every insult and beating weighing down on him. 

’Look at that thing walking around as if it belongs with the rest of us.’ 

Not even Deku’s mother seems to care. She is never ever home anymore. All he got from her was some money every month. He hasn’t gotten anything from her in almost half a year now and he’s been living off scraps. He’s pretty sure she’s forgotten all about Deku in whatever new life she has somewhere else. Maybe she finally went back to his father.  

Deku has no reason left to live. His last string of hope had snapped with All Might’s declaration. Being a hero was all he had left. Now, there was nothing. He was nothing.  

’Stupid, Deku, don’t you know what you are?!’ 

No one would care that Deku was gone. Just another quirkless death to add to the statistics. That’s all he is. No one would morn him. No one would care... 

 
’Take a swan dive off the roof and hope for a quirk in your next life!’ 

“Th–thanks, K–K–Kacchan... I th–think I w–w–will...” A voice much duller than Izuku’s normal voice, with an added stutter leaves him. 

Deku closes his eyes and lets go. 

 
Shigaraki Ankoku, also know as All for One, was having a great time stalking All Might with a remote visual and auditory quirk when he heard the most interesting of conversations. A quirkless boy with desperate hope in his voice asking All Might if he could be a hero. All Might’s answer was no, the hypocrite. He watches the boy curl up on the roof for a while, crying quietly.  

Now, normally he wouldn’t care about this kid at all. He’s just another kid after all, but this could be the perfect opportunity to get another follower or a vessel for a Nomu. After all, the quirkless are very malleable when it comes to giving them multiple quirks and the younger they are the better they adjust to a quirk and/or quirks. 

 
Also, he saw the boy’s notebook filled with hero analysis. It’s quite impressive for someone so young. So much detail and some very interesting observations and questions. Not to mention the weaknesses recorded in there. A true treasure.  

He watches as a sudden lifelessness encompasses the boy, and he rises to his feet. He takes slow steps towards the edge of the roof and grips the railing, looking down at the ground. Tears fill his empty eyes as he simply stares for a few minutes before taking off his backpack and shoes and climbing over the railing. 

All for One immediately knows what the boy is planning.  

He pulls on his one way telepathic quirk, not too dissimilar to that one rescue hero, Mandalay, except that he first had to establish a connection with someone. He proceeds to connect to Kurogiri’s mind and speak into it. ’Kurogiri. I need a portal at the coordinates XXX–XXXX–XXX, now. Bring the target to the Doctor’s surgery room.’ 

He quickly turns his attention back to his remote visual quirk and watches as the boy lets go and falls. He hopes Kurogiri can make a portal in time to catch the boy. It will be much harder to turn him into a Nomu is he is dead. He curses under his breath as the boy hits the ground just before a portal opens under him and swallows him up. 

He taps into his telepathy quirk again and contacts the Doctor. ’Kyudai, I need you in your surgery room post haste. I have an patient for you that needs urgent attention. You are to stabilize them and get them hooked up to life support.’ 

He stands up and swaps his own life support machines for his helmet. He contacts Kurogiri again. ’Kurogiri. I need a portal in my room to the Doctor’s surgery room.’ A second later a portal appears in front of him, and he steps through.  

He comes out of the portal to see the boy already laid out on the table. Dr. Garaki is shuffling around him quickly, connecting him to a multitude of machines and injecting him with various substances.  

The boy is a mess of broken bones, scrapes and bruises, though All for One himself could only see so much of it with the limited sight his quirks provided him. The doctor had cut away the boy’s school uniform, leaving all his injuries on display. His right leg is twisted the wrong way with bone sticking out near the kneecap. His right arm is a mangled mess with his elbow skin scrapped off to bone and his radius snapped and poking through the skin. His right wrist is a crushed mess of skin, bone, and blood. Blood is trickling down from a huge gash of his forehead. A huge bruise has already formed on his right side and it looks like quite a few ribs are broken. He is also cover in scrapes, bruises, but most of all, scars. Izuku’s eyes are open and glazed over with pain.  

All for One scowles at the damage. “Doctor. What is the damage report?”  

Kyudai hums, not taking his eyes off his work. “Five broken ribs, broken radius, cracked humerus, broken tibia and fibula, cracked pelvis, cracked skull, crushed wrist, cracked spine, a punctured lung, bruised brain, bruised , bruised lung, bruised liver, bruised kidney, bruised small and large intestine, damaged trachea, multiple lacerations and bruising all over the body, and a third degree burn on his right shoulder.”  

All for One’s scowl deepens. The boy’s condition is far from ideal. He lets Kyudai continue his work and moves to the boy’s side. He reaches out and cups the boy’s undamaged cheek, and those glassy eyes flutter over to him. He stares into the dying boy’s eyes and suddenly sees, or rather feels, his younger brother in those eyes. He feels the phantom of the endless determination this boy once possessed, the inherent need to do good, and suddenly he loaths to let the boy die.  

“Doctor. You have the prototype of the Hyper Regeneration quirk you’ve been working on, correct?” He asks, still starting into the boy’s eyes, enraptured by what he feels. 

Kyudai glances up at All for One and pauses. “Yes... I do.” 

“Give it to him.” All for One demands. “He must live at any cost.”  

Kyudai hesitates before dipping his head in acknowledgment and hurries out of the room. He frowns as he makes his way towards his quirk experimental room. He wonders why the Master is so insistent on keeping this random child alive. What could this child be to the Master? Does he know the boy personally? He must if he’s willing to set back progress on Kyudai’s quirk studies. He hopes that the child is worth it. 

 
Meanwhile, All for One is taking a closer look at Izuku. He uses his quirk to search through the boy, wanting to be certain that there is no quirk factor that has simply been untapped. He doesn’t find anything on the surface so he delves a bit deeper and tenses when he brushes up against an empty abyss. He only has a second to be disappointed that the boy is not truly quirkless before he realizes what the empty abyss he’s touching is for.  

Quirks. 

This boy has an empty abyss in side of him that begs to be filled by quirks. He feels giddy with excitement. This is even better than the boy being quirkless! It feels like there are no limits, that he could take in and use any quirk of any kind.  

This boy is a marvelous find. He must make this boy his successor. He is the perfect option. All he has to do is make sure the boy has the right mentality. If not he can make some adjustments...  

 
He lifts his head when Kyudai reenters the room with a large syringe. Daruma walks up to Izuku and cleans off a patch of skin on his arm. “Let’s hope the boy takes to it.” The doctor mumbles as he presses the needle into the boy’s skin and injects the quirk serum into him.  

“He will.” All for One says with firm certainty, watching the boy closely with a visual quirk. Kyudai glances at All for One uncertainly before turning back to the boy. 

All is still for a long moment before Izuku jerks and makes a strangled sound deep in his damaged trachea, eyes going wide. He starts to thrash weakly, letting out high, pained keens. Kyudai jolts at the reaction. He quickly and carefully straps the boy down keeping him from injuring himself further. Izuku strains against the restarints, writhing and keening frantically.  

All for One cups Izuku’s cheek again and pulls on a minor pain killer quirk, pushing the effects into the boy. He doesn’t know what led him to doing so, but he did. Izuku’s writhing slows, and the keening stutters out as the pain killer takes effect, numbing the pain of his injuries and the process of receiving a manufactured quirk. He still jerks and twitches with ragged breaths, but it’s not as bad.  

After a few minutes of twitching and jerking, Izuku goes still, his eyes fluttering with exhaustion. Then, he jerks again with a strangled cry before his injuries start to slowly fix themselves. His bones are painfully pulled back into place, his skin burns as it stitches itself back together, and his insides jolt with pain as they are healed. The whole process takes about five minutes, leaving Izuku panting and trembling from exertion on the table. 

 
He blinks once, twice, before his surrounding start to coming to focus. He’s in a white room with a large figure standing over him wearing a black skull like mask. He blinks again and frowns. He tries to sit up but realizes he can’t, that something is holding him down. He glances down and sees that he is covered in blood and strapped down. His frown deepens and he glances up at the figure. He remembers standing at the edge of that roof, looking over the edge and contemplating if his life was worth it. Did he jump? Is he dead? He opens his mouth. “Am I in hell?”  

All for One chuckles at the question. “No, child. This is not hell. You are not dead.”  

Izuku blinks once more before letting his head drop, tears pooling in his eyes. His mind is numb, trying to process that his suiside attempt was thwarted. He feels... empty. Dull and empty. His body aches like a mother fucker, so he knows something happened. He feels tears run down his cheeks. Guess he can’t even kill himself right. 

All for One strokes the boy’s cheek, whipping away tears. “Tell me what has you so distressed, child. You tried to kill yourself. Why? Why would you throw your life away like that at such a young age?” 

Izuku stares at the man blankly. He just wants to go to sleep and never wake up. Surely someone has a quirk that can put him in a coma he’ll never wake up from. That would be nice, maybe he could have some nice dreams for once, too.  

All for One hums at the desolate look he feels coming from the boy. “You poor thing... So used and abused. I can see the torment in your eyes, all the pain and heartbreak. I can see the smoldering remains of a once blazing determination. To think you were put through enough to have that bonfire smothered. No one should have to go through that.” He continues stroking the boy’s cheek, smirking under his mask when the boy subconsciously leans into his touch.  

Izuku blinks up at All for One, some of the numbness starting to fade with his words and touch. Why does this man care about him? He’s just... just a ‘Deku’. He doesn’t deserve this man’s sympathy. No ever cares about ‘quirkless, worthless, Deku’. So why does this man? He starts to drift. He opens his mouth to question the man, but a sob spills past his lips instead. 

“Shhhh...” All for One runs his hand through Izuku’s hair, ignoring the sludge and blood caked into it. “It’s okay. You can let it all out. I can see you’ve been holding this back for a very long time. Go ahead, just let it all out. I won’t judge you.” 

Izuku’s sobs grow heavier and harsher and he leans his head into All for One’s hand. All for One motions for Kyudai to unstrap the boy, which he does. He then gently pulls Izuku up and wraps his arms around him. “There, there.” He murmurs, rubbing slow circles on Izuku’s back. “Just let it all out.” He glances over at Kyudai and taps into his telepathy quirk ‘Doctor, please go get a small gown for the boy to wear.’ Kyudai dips his head and hurries out.  

Izuku takes hold of All for One’s suit, clutching at it as he wails into his chest. He cries for his broken dream. He cries for his lost best friend. He cries for being abandoned by his mother. He cries for all the opportunities he’s missed out on for being diagnosed as quirkless. He cries for the abuse he goes through daily at school. He cries for every moment of his life that has slipped from his awareness. He cries for All Might crushing his dream. He cries for the life he almost lost. He cries for everything that has ever gone wrong in his life.  

“There you go. That feels much better, doesn’t it?” All for One says softly. “Now, tell me what happened?” He already knew that All Might said he couldn’t be a hero, but he wants to hear it from the boy himself. 

Izuku opens his mouth and his life story comes spilling out. He tells the man how he’s wanted to be a hero since he was old enough to understand what they were and what they did and how he’s always wanted to save everyone with a smile. He tells the man his promise with Kacchan to be hero’s together when they were older. He tells him of the day he was diagnosed as quirkless and his dream cracked. He tells him about how his father hated him for being quirkless. He tells him how his mom told him that she was sorry. How Kacchan pulled away and started bullying him, beating him, abusing him. How he’d been treated like dirt and less than human ever since. How his father left him after beating him senseless. How his mother pulled away from him and became distant, basically abandoning him. About the sludge villain attack and how All might be saved him, and finally, how All Might treated him, just like everyone else. 

By the end of it, he’s even more exhausted, but it is a relief, finally getting it all out. He feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He sags against All for One and sniffles. 

Kyudai had returned with a hospital gown during the boy’s story and had left it on the table before leaving to return to what he was working on before Izuku was brought in. 

“I am sorry you went through all of that, young man. It’s a shame that no one could see how much potential you have.” Izuku blinks at him in surprise, and All for One smiles. “Yes. A raw gem just waiting to be refined into a fine young man.” 

All for One runs a hand through the boy’s hair. Izuku feels like he probably should feel uneasy at the intimate gesture, but instead, he finds himself feeling better. He leans into the contact. “A beautiful gem that would outshine all others. You could be anything you wanted. What do you say? Would you like that?”  

Izuku finds himself nodding slowly, even as he feels confused. What does this man see in him? What can he possibly see that would have him saying this. He decides to voice his question. “W..why? Why me?.. I.. I’m just a quirkless nobody. What could you possibly see in me? No one... No one ever cares...” 

 
All for One chuckles softly, mildly amused. The boy was by no means quirkless. “Quirkless? Oh no, my boy. You are not quirkless. Far from it, in fact. But even if you didn’t have a quirk I would still see potentially in you. Quirks are not everything, child.”  

Izuku freezes. Not quirkless? Not quirkless?! What did that mean?! He wasn’t quirkless? But the doctor said... and nothing ever came up! How could he possibly have a quirk? Everything he went through. Was it all for nothing?!  

No. No, this man is just making fun of me! After I poured my heart out to him! How dare he! How dare he– 

 
His spiral of thoughts halt when the man laughs. All for One smirks proudly at the flare of anger he sees in those dull eyes. “It’s good to see that society had not doused your spark as much as I feared. Do not fret, child. I am not lying to you. You do indeed have a quirk.” 

Izuku realizes he must have been mumbling and blushes. But his anger was still very much alive. “What do you mean I have a quirk? How would you even know?” He demands with a scowl, though it probably wasn’t very intimidating with his red-rimed eyes and snot-covered face. Ick.

 
All for One’s smirk grows, loving the anger in the boy’s voice. It is perfect. He can’t wait to see the boy flourish. “You see, my quirk is something special. It allows me to give and take quirks.” Izuku’s eyes widen. What? “It also gives me the ability to sense quirks, and you... oh, your quirk is beautiful. A raw gem to be sculpted and polished however you please.” All for One is already looking through quirks that he can give to the boy.  

Izuku finds himself blushing slightly. The way this man talks about his apparent quirk makes him feel... special. It makes him feel like he‘s wanted for the first time in a long time. “Wh..what is my quirk?..” He asks softly, a seed of hope planted in his chest. 

All for One hums, contemplating how to explain the quirk to the boy. “Well, to understand it, you’ll have to know some things first. See, people’s minds and bodies can only handle two sometimes three quirks at a time before they start to break. I found this out the unfortunate way.” Izuku nods along slowly, trying to see where this is going. “But you, with your quirk, oh you could have as many as you wanted.” 

Izuku’s eyes grow wide. He.. could have as many quirks as he wanted? Wait, wait, wait. How is he supposed to get quirks? There was no way to... wait... His eyes widen further. “You... You want to give me quirks?..”  

 
All for One laughs heartily. “Oh, you are a smart boy. Yes, I want to give you quirks.” Ah, yes, ‘Survivor’ is the perfect quirk for the boy. He doesn’t want to overwhelm the boy so he shall only give him one to start with. 
 

Izuku sputters. “But... but you just met me! Why would you give your quirks?! What could I possibly give you in return, I.. I’m nothing!” Izuku feels shame curl agonizingly in his chest. He shouldn’t be taking this mans time up. He’s just a useless ‘Deku’, the word carved into his heart and mind, poisoning and tainting it. 

All for One rests his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, pulling him out of the poison filling his mind. “Because,” he says softly, twisting his words to appeal to the boy, “I see a boy who was mistreated by the world, something I can relate to, and want to fix that. I see a gem that was abandoned just because it had a few scratches and wasn’t polished yet. I want to be the one to shape you into something amazing, something others will be jealous of. All I ask is that you join me in bettering society.” 

Izuku tilts his head. “Bettering... society..?” He rolls the words around in his head, wondering what they mean. 

All for One hums. Now the hard part. It is obvious this boy has strong morals. He won't how cracked they are from all he was put through. He sighs. “Ah, yes. I forgot to mention that one little fact. I am a villain, my boy. They call me All for One, or Sensei.” 

Izuku stares at the man, now dubbed Sensei in his head. This man is a villain. Who knows what he’s done. He could be a murderer! But... he doesn't feel any fear. After all, this man had been the first to show him compassion in years. How bad can he be? “You... want me to be a villain?” 

All for One shakes his head. “Villain is just a label, my boy.” One that he truly despises. “If you’re asking if I want you to kill anyone, no. Not unless you want to. No. What I want from you is to be a leader. Someone who forges a path to a new era.” 

“A new era...” Izuku repeats slowly, finding himself liking the idea. 

 All for One nods and holds out his hand. “What do you say, my boy? Will you become my successor? Will you come with me and bring about a world where people like you will no longer be looked down upon? The end... of heroes and villains.”

Izuku stares at the hand before reaching out slowly and taking his hand. He stumbles a bit as All for One pulls him off the table, steadying him. “So, my boy?” Oh boy, he’s really doing this. He's about to become a villain. He's going to go with this man. He takes a deep breath and gives the man a shaky smile. 

“I’ll do it.” 

All for One smirks, a pleased feeling washing over him. Yes, with this boy by his side, taking on his mantle, everything will work out perfectly. “Wonderful. Now, how about you put that, ” he motions to the hospital gown, “on, and we’ll get going.”  

Izuku blinks before coming to the startling realization that he was, indeed, naked. He squeaks, blushing a brilliant red down to his chest, his hands darting down to cover his privates. All for One chuckles. “Don’t worry too much, I don’t see normally as I don’t have eyes and I haven’t been using any quirks that allow for detail. Right now I, more or less, only see your outline.” 
 

Izuku relaxes a tiny bit, though is still blushing brightly, and quickly gets the hospital gown on. He fumbles with a bit before getting it right. “A–alright... I’m done.” 

All for One nods and accesses his more detailed visual quirks. He snaps and a swirling purple mist forms behind him. He steps aside, sweeping his hand towards the portal in a silent invitation. ’Kurogiri. I need you to get a room set up in the manor for a boy aged at twelve. Nothing fancy, just the bare minimum for now. Just get it done quickly.’ 

Izuku gulps before taking a deep breath, stepping forwards. This was all really sudden and everything was happening really fast, but he finally has a purpose and someone who believes in him. That's all he cares about at the moment. This is the start of his new journey. He finally has the chance to be something important. No one can stop him now. He will change this tainted world and mold it into something to be proud of. He steps through the portal.  

Izuku stumbles as he comes out the other side of the portal. He feels a bit woozy and disoriented, swaying on his feet. That is not a pleasant feeling. A hand rests on his back, steadying him as he shakes off the effects of the portal. Sensei speeks from behind him. “Careful. Portaling for the first few times can be disorienting.” He blinks a few times and shakes his head. “Here, how about you sit?” All for One leads the disoriented boy over to a seat and sits him down.  

As Izuku gets his bearings, he takes in the room he’s in. It’s a dark room filled with medical technology with a chair in the center. It gives him the creeps. As if sensing this, Sensei speaks up. “Don’t worry. You won’t stay here long, this is where I usually reside. I simply wanted to talk to you for a bit.” All for One moves over to the large chair and settles into it. “I want to tell you about what exactly you’ll be the successor of.”  

All for One settles in his chair and watches Izuku do the same. “The main thing you will be working on is a group I’m calling the League of Villains. Silly name, I know. But let’s not dwell on that. Now, you’re young, so you’ll have to earn your followers respect.” Izuku sits up a little straiter, a flame of determination lighting up in his eyes. “Yes.” All for One smiles. “That’s good. You’ll need all the fire you can get for this, because it certainly isn’t going to be easy, even with my influence.”  

Izuku nods along. Of course his age will effect how others saw him as a leader. They will need proof that he’s a capable leader. He should have thought of that. He will have to start with his image. Change how he presented himself. He can’t act like some scared, defenseless kid. No one will want to follow someone like that. He has to act strong and powerful. Authoritative but not arrogant. Commanding but not overbearing. He has to find the perfect medium.  

All for One chuckles as words tumble from the boy’s mouth in barely intelligible mumbles. Izuku startles at the noise, looking at him with wide eyes. “I knew I picked a good one. You have a good head on your shoulders.” Izuku flushes and quickly covers his mouth, panic flashing in his eyes. All for One is quick to sooth him. “Do not worry, child. I find your mumbling very informative. Though, you should practice keeping it in your head for when you need to keep things quiet.” Izuku slowly lowers his hands with nod. “Good. Now, what do you think you should do first?”  

”Well...” Izuku thinks for a moment and grimaces. “No one’s going to follow me if I’m functionally quirkless.” He stares down at his lap with a frown.  

All for One hums, disagreeing slightly. “Not necessarily.” He smiles when Izuku lifts his head to look at him with confused eyes. He needs the boy to feel more confident in himself and that he isn’t taking him in just for his quirk, because he isn’t. He can see the brilliant mind hidden under all that uncertainty. He can see the potential even without the boy’s quirk.  

“I think what truly matters when you lead is a mixture of things. Power is important, and power can be measured by more than just what quirk you do or don’t have, but power isn’t all there is to it. You need to have the aura of a leader, confidence, assurance in yourself and your followers, a strong presence, a firm and relatable goal, a vision of what you want, and most importantly, the awe and loyalty of your followers.” 

Izuku blinks and contemplated this. That's true. Thinking of this from the Heroes’ point of view, All Might is the number one Hero not just because he is powerful, but because he inspires awe and hope in people. He a pillar of strength that people can look up to and be inspired by. Yes, this makes sense. 

All for One continues. “Though, we will be changing your ‘functionally quirkless’ status shortly. I have the perfect quirk to start you off with.” He brushes over said quirk, highly please with the surge of physical power he feels in response. 

Izuku perks up immediately, sitting stranger in his chair and leaning forwards eagerly. “What is it?” He asks, eyes shining excitedly. He can’t believe he was really going to get a quirk! Well, a fictional quirk. It’s really exciting! What could it be? A strength quirk? A mental quirk? Maybe an elemental quirk? Oh, oh! Maybe a transformation quirk? 

All for One chuckles at the boy’s eagerness. “I call it Survivor. It takes your mental strength and turns it into tangible strength. All the hardships you’ve been through, your resolve, all of it turned into power. It’s an all around enhancer so it builds off what you already have. The biggest boosts are to your speed, strength and resilience. Fitting, don’t you think?” 
 

Izuku nods slowly, eyes wide with awe. That’s such a cool first quirk to get! It’s a mixture of an enhancor and a mental quirk. By strengthening his mental strength, he will enhance his physical abilities! So cool! 
 

“Now, what else do you need?” Izuku blinks and refocuses. Right, there is more to figure out. He thinks for a few minutes, organizing his thought before speaking.  

”I need a strong appearance... Something to make me look more mature. An outfit and a name that will signify who I am.” 
 

All for One nods along. “Yes, very good. A name and outfit is a great idea. I also suggest changing your physical features as well. You’re starting a new life after all, why not give yourself a whole new look? I have a quirk that can make a few minor changes.” 

Izuku blinks. A whole new look, huh? He thinks of the last time he looked in the mirror and the fear and unsettlment he felt at his own reflection and a growing sense of dissociation. He hates how much he looks like his father; dark, curly hair, dark, diamond-shaped freckles, and circular ears. The only thing he ever liked about his appearance is the eyes and button nose he got from his mother. Every time he sees the features so similar to his father’s, a good portion of his scars ache.  

All for One watches the boy nod slowly. “Yeah, I think that would be nice. I... am not a huge fan of how I look anyways... Just, can I keep the green color of my eyes and my nose? I like those. I definitely don’t like my hair color, the type of freckles I have, and my ears, though...” 

All for one smiles. “Of course. I’m going to touch you, okay?” Izuku nods and he reaches out, touching the boy’s cheek. He pulls on his minor feature changing quirk and gets to work. 

An image of his brother flashes through his mind and he can’t help himself. He softens the color of the boy’s eyes to a more jade green color, making his eyes a little sharper in shape, and turns the boy’s hair white and straitens it to be a little more wavy than curly. He admittedly likes that the boy has freckles so he desires to change how they look. Instead of being dark diamonds they change to a golden-brown color and become more circular; they also become more numerous and spread out, covering his nose and spreading across his while body. He sharpens the boys ears quite a bit and sharpens the boy’s jaw but leaves a large majority of the baby fat, finding it cute. He also pushes as much hight into the boy as he can, which only adds about seven centimeters. 
 

He looks over the finished product and finds himself smiling softly at the image the boy makes. He’s almost identical to his brother other that the wave of his hair, the freckles, and the nose. “All done.” He pulls on a quirk and waves his hand, making a small rectangular mirror before twisting his hand and having it flip around to face the boy. “What do you think?”  

Izuku blinks as he stares in the mirror, looking back at an almost stranger. He reaches up slowly and touches his face softly, slowly exploring the new features. He runs his funders under his eyes, studying the new, lighter green color and sharper shape and finds he likes it very much. He runs his fingers across his cheeks and over his nose, admiring the new freckles. He runs his fingers through his new hair, appreciating the fact that his fingers don’t get stuck in his curls like before; though it’s gross because there’s blood and sludge cakes in it. He tilts his head to the side, running his fingers over his sharper ears, taking in the new shape and approving.  

He turns a beaming smile to All for One. “I love it!”  

“Good! Now, how about a name?”  

Izuku pauses, thinking on it for a moment. He knows Sensei is probably talking about a villain name, but... He wants to change his last name too. “Can... Can I take your last name?” He blushes softly at the question, knowing it was strange to want to take the last name of a man he just met, but he couldn’t help it! This man is the first person to show him compassion in years! Is it wrong of his to get attached so quickly? 

All for One freezes up at the boy’s question. That was not what he meant when he asked, but... This could be beneficial. It will make carve a path to make the boy even more dependent on him. Yes, this could definitely work in his favor.  

He smiles softly, even though Izuku can’t see it, and reaches out, cupping the boy’s cheek and gently guilding the boy to look at him. The boy’s new eyes are swimming with uncertainty and fear. “Of course child.” He mentally blinks, then chuckles. “Oh, how rude of me! I never asked you for your name, my boy.”  

Izuku blinks and giggles. “My name is Izuku, Sensei.”  

All for One hums and pulls back. “Shigaraki Izuku. Yes, that is a very fitting name. I like it.”  

Izuku absolutely beams. 

“Alright.” All for One chuckles. “Back on track. A name for you to call yourself in the field.”  

Izuku hums and thinks on it for a few minutes. He blushes pink when he thinks about what Sensei said to him earlier.  

’A raw gem just waiting to be refined into a fine young man.’ 

’A beautiful gem that would outshine all others.’ 

He... really likes that. It made him feel special. He lifts his head and looks up at Sensei. This is the man that gave him a new purpose. If he thought he was a gem,something great in the making, that’s what he would be. He ponders his choices for a moment, before smiling. 

 
“M..Malachite... I’ll call myself Malachite. Malachite is a stone of strength and willpower. It helps you access your innate power and protects you from negativity as you take action in the world.” He blushes. “I think it's a good meaning for what I want to do with this new chance...” He trails off, fidgeting nervously. 

All for One hums. 

“Malachite, huh?” Izuku holds his breath, waiting for what Sensei thinks of the name. “Hmm, I think that will do quite nicely.” Izuku perks up, a bright smile forming across his face. “Yes, we could definitely work with that.”  

Izuku does a little celebration in his head, ecstatic that Sensei likes it. It would probably be strange to anyone else that Izuku had so quickly latched onto Sensei, but he’s a lonely child and Sensei had saved him. He’s his hero, as ironic as that it.

 
All for One speaks again, drawing Izuku’s attention once more. “Now, is there anything else you can think of?” He doesn’t want to give the boy any answers, just give him same hints and nudges here and there. Decision making is an important leadership skill as is a sliding a situation and coming up with the best way to handle it. 

Izuku tilts his head, letting himself sink into his thoughts once more. He will probably need a reputation before he tries recruiting people. They aren’t going to follow some random kid. Again, he needs to prove himself to them. So, a reputation.  

“Good. For that we could send you on some solo missions, help build your standing in the underground.” Izuku blushes slightly, having mumbled again, but otherwise just nods. “However, I wont be letting you out into the field until you are highly proficient in self-defence and active combat. This could take months or years, depending on your natural skill and the amount of effort you put in to your training.” Izuku gives a firm nod, finding this acceptable. 

After a moment of thinking, Izuku frowns. “Th–that’s all I can think of right now.” Izuku cringes, feeling like he had probably missed a bunch of things, but Sensei simply reaches forwards and ruffles his hair. Izuku relaxes and leans into the contact, giving Sensei a shy smile. 
 

All for One hums. “You did very well. Now, let's move on. I run a lot of businesses behind the scenes, so you will be taking over those as well. But that will be for a later date. For now, I just want you to focus on the League. Alright?” Izuku nods along, curious about these businesses. He hopes he can handle all that...  

 
“Now, you have some people to met, come.” Izuku scrambles to his feet as All for One stands up. All for One contacts Kirogiri, requesting a portal. A portal forms to the side. Izuku makes a face at it, and All for One chuckles. “Come now, it gets easier every time. Go on.” Izuku resigns himself to feeling woozy and steps through the portal, eyes closed.  

It was a mistake to go in with his eyes closed. He immediately feels a massive wave of disorientation and lurches forwards. Luckily, two hands catch him before he can fall. “Easy, child.” That isn’t Sensei. He opens his eyes slowly and finds himself looking at a bartender suit filled out by a purple mist similar to the portal. He blinks slowly, realizing that this is a person and they had been the one to speak.  

He squeaks and flushes, stumbling back and bowing. “S–sorry!” He hears Sensei chuckle behind him, and a large hand rests on his head, making him blush in embarrassment.  

Kurogiri steps back once the child is steady and looks over them. His eyes widen slightly as he takes in the very close resemblance to the Master before he was injured. The boy is cradling his elbow in what Kirogiri recognize as a protective mechanism. He has an air of awkwardness around him and seem like the type to be very shy. 

“Kurogiri, this is Izuku. He is my successor, and you are going to be his caretaker.” Izuku fidgets a bit as this Kurogiri studies him before nodding.  

“As you wish, Master.” 

Izuku lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and gives Kurogiri a shy smile. The hand on his head ruffles his hair before pulling away. He glances back at Sensei, wishing he could see his expression. He turns back to Kurogiri and bows. “Please take good care of me.” He frowns slightly at his stutter. 

Kurogiri nods, glad that the child is polite. It will be a nice change from the usual roudy attitudes of the people that frequent his bar. 
 

Izuku takes a look around, eyes wide as he takes in the living space he is standing in. It appears to be a living room. There are two connected room that make up the space. The walls are a warm cream-brown color with dark oak trim and an overall warm feeling. All the windows are fogged out so that they can't be seen through, letting soft sunlight fill the rooms. 

The main space is an open space with oak wood flooring. There is a low dark oak wood table on one side with two tan tatami cushions with dark walnut trim and backing on either side of the table. Behind the table is a little nook with a padded cream-colored bench with cream-colored armrests on either side and a scroll painted with beautiful mountains. There was a divider that could be pulled out for privacy if you wanted to hide away in the nook. On the other side of the space is a beautiful indoor pond with lily pads with a few light pink lotuses and two thick pieces of cut bamboo in the center along with a single small live bamboo plant.  

The second space is smaller and raised up on a dark walnut wood platform with cream colored flooring. Up against the back wall is a black leather couch with a few cream colored pillows and a soft white blanket. Set up against the wall to the let of the couch is a arm chair made with the same black leather as the couch, it has a white, folded up blanket on it as well as a white pillow. Behind the armchair hangs a beautiful tapestry of whites, browns, reds, and blacks. Between the two seats is a small black coffee table. Set up against the wall to the right of the couch is a dark oak wood entertainment center set up that goes all the way around the large flat-screen TV. Under the TV is a few things he’ll have to check out later.  

“Did you get the room set up like I asked?” All for One asks, pulling Izuku’s attention back to him and Kurogiri. 

Kurogiri nods, glancing at the boy once more. “Yes, Sir. It is ready for the boy whenever he wishes.” Izuku perks up a bit.  

“Very good. Come along, Izuku.” Izuku nods and hurries after Sensei as he makes his way to the sliding tatami door leading out of the living room. He glances back at Kurogiri and gives a small, shy wave. The man blinks in surprise before raising a hand and giving a small wave in reply. Izuku smiles as they leave the living room, satisfied with how the interaction went.  

They walk down the maze of halls before reaching a set of doors. Sensei opens the first one to the left and motions inside. Izuku walks over and looks in. He blinks and stepped in, looking around. The room is big. Like, the size of his old living room, much bigger than his old room. The walls are plain and white and the floor is made of tatami mats. There’s a king-sized futon that is way to big for him in the back center of the room with plain white sheets and lots of pillows. It is rather... well, plain.  

He looks back at Sensei curiously who chuckles softly. “You can go shopping any time to get as much stuff for the room as you want.”  

Izuku perks up and nods, happy with the thought. He looks around, starting to imagine it decorated. He does’t want it to be anything like his old room. He’s given up on hero’s by now. Maybe he’ll go with a stary theme. Stars are cool. He nods to himself. 

All for One watches Izuku with a small smile, fondness building in his chest. He catches himself and quickly pushes the feeling down. No, he couldn’t get attached like that. He simply using the boy to further his empire. That's all (or so he tries to tell himself.) 

“Why don’t you go sit on the futon. We need to give you your first quirk.” Izuku’s eyes widen, and he immediately scrambles over to the bed and sat down. All for One laughs at his eagerness. Izuku blushes, but he still bounces eagerly on the bed. Sensei comes over and sits next to him.  

”Alright, turn towards me and hold out your hands.” Izuku does as was asked, and Sensei takes hold of his hands. “Now, this is going to be straining. I’m going to go slow so it doesn’t hurt, but you’ll still feel a pressure in your head and your muscles are going to strain.” Izuku nods slowly. He settles himself down, relaxing his muscles. He feels like Sensei was smiling at him so he smiles back. “You ready.” He nods. “Alright, here we go.”  

All for One pulls ‘Survivor’ to the surface, gets a firm hold on it, and very gently starts pushing the quirk through his hands and into Izuku. A tingling starts in Izuku’s hands and quickly spreads to the rest of his body. He grimaces as his head start to pound and his muscles clench and start to cramp. It feels like forever, but is probably closer to a minute or two before something suddenly clicks into place and everything relaxes. He sits there panting for a moment before recognizing there is something there that wasn’t there before. He perks up.  

All for One notices and smirks. “Do you feel it?” Izuku nods rapidly. “Alright, go ahead and call on it.”  

Izuku takes a moment to explore the new sensation. It’s like a passive warmth in his head, simply indicating that something is there. It gives a soft pulse at his acknowledgment of it. He reaches out to it and gives it a small mental pull. The heat rapidly gets warmer, quickly spreading to the rest of his body, and suddenly his whole body is flooded with a power he never knew. He inhales sharply, staring down at his hands. It’s an indescribable feeling. He feels so... powerful. He can feel what little muscle he had been able to put on with a limited food source bulging. He skin feels firmer as he flexes his hands. He’s filled with energy and adrenaline, feeling like he could run for miles. It’s amazing. 

He lets out a small, disbeliving laugh. “This... this feels amazing. I feel so... so powerful.”  

All for One nods. “Survivor is a very powerful quirk for people like us who have been through many hardships. Take good care of it for me, alright?”  

Izuku nods vigorously, beaming. “Of course, Sensei! I promise I’ll treat it like the precious gem that it is!”  

All for One chuckles and reaches out, ruffling Izuku’s hair. “I’m sure you will. Now, can you turn it off?” 

Izuku blinks before focusing on the heat in his head, he lets go of it and the power fades but the heat remains throughout his body. “I turned it off but I can still feel it clearly.” 

All for One nods. “Now try deactivation it all together.” 

He focuses back on the head, pushing on it instead of pulling. The heat fades back to what it was before, just in his head. He beams “It worked!”  

All for One nods. “Good, that means your quirk works how I expected.” Izuku tilted his head curiously, so All for One elaborates. “You see, your quirk is like a box for other quirks and you can pick and choose which quirk you want to have active, even if it’s supposed to be a passive quirk, but you can also have Transformation and Emitter quirks ‘on’ but not active.” 

“Oh, I see. So, it’s a quirk storage.” Izuku blinks. “Oh! That’s what I’ll call my quirk! Quirk Storage.”  

All for One hums and nods with a smile. “That’s a very good name. I’ll keep it in mind.”  

Izuku beams, proud of his chosen name. His own quirk... He thinks about how happy he’s felt since he got here, how Sensei has treated him. He wonders if others will treat him the same now that he had a working quirk. He scowls down at his lap. He doesn’t like that. Does... Does Sensei only care about him because he can give him quirks? Because he can become his successor? If he really was quirkless, would Sensei treat him like everyone else did?  

All for One tilts his head as Izuku starts mumbling again and scowls at what he hears. This won’t do at all. He has to make Izuku understand that his quirk is not his only use. He blinks as an idea comes to mind. ’Kurogiri. I need you to collect the boy’s things from the roof of the building he jumped from. There is also a notebook I need you to collect at XXXX–XX–XXX.’ 

A moment later a portal opens next to him and a backpack, a pair of red shoes, and a notebook fall out of it. All for One leans down and picks up the burnt notebook, running his hand over it. 

Izuku is startled out of his thoughts when a hand cups his chin, lifting his head. “Oh child... You have been mistreated for so long you doubt my intentions.” Izuku sputters a bit, embarrassment and shame filling him. Stupid muttering. “Shh, it’s fine. I understand. But I didn’t choose you just because of your quirk.”  

Izuku watches as All for One holds up a familiar burnt notebook. “Th..that’s mine. How did you?..” 

“You dropped it when you grabbed onto All Might.” Izuku’s eyes widen. “Yes, I was watching by that point. But this,” he waves the notebook for emphasis, “is one of the biggest reasons I chose you. You are extremely intelligent, my boy.” Izuku flushes and opens his mouth to protest, but Sensei continues. “How long does it take you to write one of these entries?”  

Izuku is quite for a moment before speaking. “A..about two to seven hours, depending on how much information is available and how hard that information is to get...”

All for One nods with a scoff. “Yes, well. It would take most average professional analysists at least a day with readily available information. You have a very special mind. I value intelligence over power, you know. I would have chosen you even if I could only give you one quirk.” 
 

Izuku lowers his head, happy tears trailing down his cheeks. “Th-thank you, Sensei.” Sensei reaches out and runs a hand through Izuku’s hair, and he leans into the contact, almost nuzzling it.  

“Of course, my boy. Now, how about you sleep. It is getting late, and you’ve had a long day.” As if his words flip a switch, a wave of exhaustion washes over Izuku.  

He yawns and nods. He lies down, and All for One stands up. He lifted up the blanket so Izuku can curl up under them and tucks him in. Izuku blushes, but smiles softly. He takes one of the extra pillows and hugs it, curling himself around it. All for One chuckles softly and pulls the blanket over him. He walks over to the light and flips it off. He comes back over and sits next to the bed, reaching over to run his hand through Izuku’s hair.   

Izuku sighs happily, leaning into the contact, his eyes fluttering shut. They stay like that for a few minutes, and as Izuku started to drift of, All for one runs a hand through his hair and speaks softly. “Good night, my little Malachite.”  

Izuku smiles as sleep takes hold of him and drifts off, happy and content. 

Chapter Text

Izuku wakes up warm and comfortable. There‘s also no feeling of a looming threat for the rest of the day like there normally is. It’s nice. He lets out a content sigh and hugs the pillow in his arms tighter. He doesn’t really want to get up, but the light shining across him tells him it’s morning. He rolls over, away from the light, hoping to get maybe another hour of sleep.   

It takes him thirty minutes of tossing and turning to finally roll out of bed, literally. He hits the ground with a thump and stares at the empty room he’s in. He smiles. It wasn’t a dream. It was all real. 

He lies there for another few minutes, just relaxing, before getting up. He stretches and lets out a loud yawn. He gives himself a good shake before looking at the messy bed. He takes a minute to remake the bed and finds a clean high-quality green t-shirt and pair of soft black shorts on it. He looks down at the hospital gown he’s still wearing and huffs. 

Yeah, he should really change, and probably take a shower too. He feels really gross with dried blood and leftover sludge all over him. He probably should have taken a shower yesterday...

 
He looks at the bed and makes a face. He got the clean sheets all dirty. Hopefully Kurogiri won’t mind cleaning them... He runs a hand through his hair, grimacing at the dried slime and blood he finds there too. Yeah. Definitely needs a shower. He snatches up the clean clothes and leaves the room.  

He peaks out into the hall and frowns, wondering where a bathroom is. Should he try to find Sensei of Kurogiri to ask where a bathroom is, or should he just wander until he finds one? He worries his bottom lip between his teeth, weighing is options. Eventually he sighs and steps out of his room, closing it behind him. He’ll have to wander either way so it doesn’t really matter.  

He takes a single step and a purple portal swirls into existence in front of him. He lets out a surprised yelp and stumbles back, tripping over his feet and falling on his ass. He lands with a grunt before wincing, finding that he is very sore. Guess that’s the remnants of his suiside attempt talking after whatever Sensei did to heal him, probably use one of his quirks.  

“My apologies, Young Master. It was not my intention to startle you.” Izuku opens his eyes and looks up, seeing Kurogiri standing before him, a hand held out to help him up. “The Master simply informed me that you were awake, and I came to help you however I could.”  

Kurogiri watches a soft blush bloom across the boy’s features, as he sits up further, rubbing the back of his head.  

“O-oh. Th-thank you...” He starts to reach out but pauses, images of sparking palms jumping into his head before he shakes them away and takes the offered hand. 
 

Kurogiri pulls the boy to his feet and studies him. If he had a mouth, it might have quirked up into a slight smile. Izuku has a classic case of bed head, making him look even younger than he is. His gown is all twisted up, exposing a bit of his chest. His eyes are still glazed with sleep and his cheek is a little red from where it was pressed against a pillow. All in all, he is the picture of innocence. It is amusing that someone so soft looking is the new successor to the King of the Underground. 

“So, do you need anything, Young Master?” Kurogiri asks, keeping his professional air about him. 

Izuku blinks, then smiles, his eyes lighting up. “Y-yes actually! I was g-going to look for a ba-bathroom to cl-clean myself up. Can you t-take me to o-one?” He cringes at his slight nervous stutter. He really hates it. It hadn’t reared it’s head when he was talking to Sensei, for some reason, but now it is now back full force. It had first showed up when Kacch–Katsuki started bullying him.  

Kurogiri notices the slight stutter, but doesn’t mention it. “Of course, Young Master. The Master says all rooms are available to you, so, would you like one of the smaller bathrooms or the master bath?”  

Izuku blinks, feeling a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. Sensei really trusts him with any of the rooms? He ponders the choice before deciding after all the shit he’s gone through he deserves a bit of luxury. “The m-master b-bath, please.” 

 
Kurogiri dips his head. “Of course, Young Master. Right this way.” He turns and starts walking. Izuku blinks before scrambling forward to catch up to the man.  

Izuku pays close attention to the route they take through the winding halls to start making a mental map of the house so he can eventually find his way around on his own. They eventually come to a pair of doors and Kurogiri opens the one on the left. Gesturing for Izuku to enter.  

Izuku steps forwards and looks around the bathroom with wide eyes. The first thing he processes is that it’s huge compared to what he’s used to. It's as almost as big as the main living room space he saw yesterday!

 
The walls are smooth natural oak wood and the floors are the same. The ceiling is half windows, letting in lots of light. There's the main space with two open showers with fancy-looking shower heads and a counter with two white sinks made of fruitwood. A deep fruitwood soaking tub is set in the center of the back wall, framed by thick living bamboo coming from the white rocks that make up the floor of the back sliver of the bathroom, with two large tan flat stones leading through the rocks from the normal bathroom floor to the tub. On the sidewalls, where the bathroom floor changes from wood to rocks, there is a bit of diamond wood latus that serves as a decorative barrier from the tub and the rest of the bathroom.  

Izuku looks at everything in awe. It is really nice.  

“If that is all, Young Master, I will be going.”  

Izuku blinks and turns back to Kurogiri. “O-oh, of course.” He bites his lip for a moment before continuing. “U-um. So, I, uh... I went to s-sleep like *this* so um... My b-bed sheets are really d-dirty...” 

 
“Of course, Young Master. I shall collect them and put new sheets on. Is that all?” Izuku nods mutely and Kurogiri dips his head before disappearing in a swirl of smoke.  

Izuku lets out a breath and steps in fully. He undresses quickly, excited to take a warm shower and bath for the first time in a while. He tosses the gown aside with a exhale and sets the clean clothes down on the sink. He walks over to the shower and gets to work cleaning himself off. It takes a good twenty minute of scrubbing himself and another seven of washing his hair for him to feel clean again. He feels very refreshed when he finally stands up from the stool.  

He hums as he makes his way over to the tub and glances at the control pad on it. He blinks and tilts his head. He frowns and presses the power button. The display turns on, showing temperature. Oh! It’s one of those insulated tubs! Neat. He sets it to what he believes he’ll enjoy and turns on the water, filling the tub. He steps into the tub and lets the water fill up around him. He lets out a sigh as the hot water surrounds him. He brings his knees up to his chest, resting his head on them.  

He closes his eyes and lets his mind wanderto random things. The first thing that pops into his head is Sensei’s mask. He wonders what is under it. He said he didn’t have eyes so maybe an injury? That was possible, but Sensei had such a powerful aura and so many quirks, who would be strong enough to hurt him? Only one person comes to mind. All Might. He think back to the gnarly scar on All Might’s side and the battle All Might said wasn’t publicized. Did Sensei do that, was he the one that fought All Might? Highly possible. Maybe he’d ask Sensei later.  

He turns the water off as it reaches the top of the tub and his chin. He sighs blissfully as the water soaks into his aching body. It feels so good. He hasn’t had a nice soaking since the apartment’s water heater stopped supplying him with warm water a couple of months ago. He closes his eyes and revels in the precious warm water. He forgot how good it feels to get let all his worries be soaked away.  

He closes his eyes again and lets a melody take hold of him. It’s an English song he heard on ‘Put Your Hands Up Radio’. It’s a song he often goes to on bad days when nothing feels right and he needs a reminder that he’s not the only one fighting against life.  

“Do you ever feel like a misfit?~ Everything inside you is dark and twisted.~ Oh, but it's okay to be different, ‘cause baby, so am I.~ So am I, so am I, so am I-I-I-I-I.~” His voice rings out through the bathroom, filling the room with the song. A song for those that are mistreated for being different or not up to societies expectations. 

“Can you hear the whispers all across the room?~ You feel her eyes all over you like cheap perfume.~ You're beautiful, but misunderstood. So, why you tryna' be just like the neighborhood?~” Everyone whispering behind his back, always loud enough so he can hear. Jeers and hateful comments always being whispered his way. All the glares on him throughout every part of his day. The hateful stares that make his skin got and clammy. He just wanted to be like everybody else, even though he should have been perfect just the way he was. 

“I can see it, I know what you're feelin'. So, let me tell you 'bout my little secret.~ I'm a little crazy underneath this.~ Underneath this.~” Could anyone see all his suffering? Did anyone care? Did anyone see it and understand? Why didn’t anyone reach out to him with their own darkness?  

“Do you ever feel like a misfit?~ Everything inside you is dark and twisted.~ Oh, but it's okay to be different, ‘cause baby, so am I.~ So am I, so am I, so am I.~” He always feels like the misfit, always the odd one out. Everything feels like it’s closing in, he feels like he suffocating on the judgment of other. But that’s okay. Because other feel it too. He’s not alone. If they can survive, so can he. 

“Do you ever feel like an outcast?~ You don't have to fit into the format.~ Oh, but it's okay to be different, ‘cause baby, so am I.~ So am I, so am I, so am I-I-I-I-I.~” He’s the outcast, the one nobody want, the one everyone throws away. But it’s okay, because he’s perfect just the way he is.  

“Oh so, dressed so fancy like Sid and Nancy.~ Yeah.~ Walkin' Killer Queen, gotta keep 'em guessing.~ So baby come pass me a lighter.~ We're gonna leave 'em on fire.~ We're the sinners and the blessings.~” One day he’d show them. He’ll show them all that he can be anything he wants to be. He leave them in his dust as he works his ass to the be exactly where he wants to be. He’ll show them what happens when you push someone to the brink of despair. They start pushing back. He’ll burn it all to the ground.

 
“I can see it, I know what you're feelin'.~ So, let me tell you 'bout my little secret.~ I'm a little crazy underneath this.~ Underneath this, ooh...~ Do you ever feel like a misfit?~ Everything inside you is dark and twisted.~ Oh, but it's okay to be different, 'cause baby, so am I.~ So am I, so am I, so am I.~ Do you ever feel like an outcast?~ You don't have to fit into the format.~ Oh, but it's okay to be different, ‘cause baby, so am I.~ So am I, so am I, so am I-I-I-I-I.~*” That’s right, he’ll show them exactly what he could be. They said he culdn’t be a hero? Find, he’ll be something better. He’ll be the one that reforms society from the shadows. He’ll burn it all down and rebuild it from the ashes bigger, better, and stronger. 

“You're king and you're queen.~ You're strong and you're weak.~ You're bound but so free.~ Ah-ah-ah.~ So come and join me, and call me Harley, and we'll make a scene.~” He may have been weak physically, but he was strong mentally, and after his suiside attempt, when cracks filled his mental fortress, he built himself back up even stronger. He may be bound by his physical weaknesses for now, but he’s finally free. Free from the shackles of hatred and free to get even stronger. He’ll join Sensei in his quest to reshape society, making sure everyone knows his name in the process. 

“Do you ever feel like a misfit?~ Everything inside you is dark and twisted.~ Oh, but it's okay to be different, 'cause baby, so am I.~ So am I, so am I, so am I.~ Do you ever feel like an outcast?~ You don't have to fit into the format.~ Oh, but it's okay to be different, ‘cause baby, so am I.~ So am I, so am I, so am I-I-I-I-I...~” His voice trails off as he finishes the song, feeling empowered and ready for anything. Maybe. 

He soaks in the tub for about an hour before getting out, drying off, and getting dressed in the fresh clothes. He feels great, better than he has in a long time. He looks at the dirty hospital gown and frowns, wondering what to do with it. Would Kurogiri take care of it if he just left it? The thought of just leaving it on the floor for someone else to take care of doesn’t sit well with him, so he picks it up while drying his hair and steps out.  

He takes a look around before heading back in the direction of his room. He gets lucky and ends up getting back with only taking one wrong turn. He opens his door and steps in, letting it close behind him. He makes his way over to the futon, idly noticing it has new sheets and blankets on it before sitting down on his bed and looking around. 

Alright, so he’s going to be shopping as soon as possible. He kicks his feet as he studies the room. He is going with a star and galaxy theme so... He can let his artistic side out and make one of the walls a blend of dark purples and blues with white speckles as stars, making a galaxy. He nods to himself. He’ll do that. Obviously, he’ll be getting galaxy themed sheets. Maybe with constellations if he can find one like that. Then he needs some storage. Maybe some dark wood stuff. A bookshelf for his notebooks and any other books he might pick up. A desk, obviously. He needs a place to work. A dresser to put clothes in. Another shelf for any nick-nacks he picks up along the way. Then decorations. He’ll see what they have when he gets to the mall. 

He closes his eyes and imagines the room fully decorated, a smile forming on his face. It’s perfect. With that settled, he hops off the bed and leaves the room again. He pokes his head out and looks around before stepping out. 

Hmm. Last time Kurogiri showed up, he said it was because Sensei told him Izuku was awake. So, how does he get Kurogiri or Sensei’s attention this time? He reaches up and rubs at his chin as he thinks. Should he just wander and hope to come across them? Or maybe he should go to the living room and mess around with the TV as he waits for someone to come check on him. That seems like the best choice so he goes with it.

 
He gets turned around a few times before getting to the living room. He slides open the door and walks in. He takes a look around and finds that no one is here. He hums and slowly makes his way towards the TV. He eyes the remote on the coffee table and picks it up. He fiddles with it for a moment before going to the armchair and picking up the blanket and pillow. He unfurls the blanket and sits down in the chair, draping the blanket over himself and wraps the pillow up in his arms.  

He turns on the TV and starts to browse. Eventually he comes across an ongoing villain fight and sits up a little straighter. Oh, it’s also a debut! Looks like the new Hero’s name is Crystal Creak. He can easily see why she chose that name as she creates pale green crystal structures all over her body as offensive armor and has a sword make out of the stuff.  

He automatically starts analyzing her quirk, his mind slipping away as someone else takes his place. He’s not sure of how strong it is yet, so he puts it as a C-rank for now. It’s obviously a focus type activation and appears to be have an elemental and generation type effect. How strong are the crystals? How fast she can make the crystals? Can she make them less sturdy but make them faster? Does her focus affect how strong the crystals are? How long she can make them? How intricately she can shape the crystals? Can she feel vibrations through them? What about when they are disconnected from her? Does she has a mental connection to them?  

He bites his lip as his head fills with questions that he itches to find the answers to. His hand twitches as it aches to write down everything he sees and all his questions. He wonders if he can get ahold of any training footage of her. Training footage is always the best for figuring out limits. 

She appears to be fairly proficient in some kind of swordplay as she moves confidently with her sword. She makes neat, precise slashes with each stroke of her sword, each strike seeming to be exactly where she wants it. It looks almost like a dance with the way she moves so fluidly. He studies her moves and determines she’s using Haidong Gumdo, a type of swordplay based on the Japanese arts of battoujutsu, iaijutsu, and kenjutsu. It’s a good type of swordplay for dealing with multiple opponents.  

A villain manages to knock her sword out of her hand and he leans forwards excitedly, wondering what she’ll do. Will she make another sword of fight some other way? To his approval, she doesn’t waist time trying to make on other sword and instead move on to hand-to-hand combat. 
 

He watches her use her offensive armor to her advantage and use it as a weapon. She seems to use her first and elbows most with the occasional knee in a mix of boxing and Muay Thai. She’s not as skilled in hand-to-hand as he is with swordplay, but she’s not the worst by a long shot. 
 

Within seven minutes, she has all the villains on the ground, unconscious or near it. He sits back with a hum, running more theories through his head. Slowly, this other person fades away and Izuku returns with a confused blink. He tunes in absently as a reporter gets Crystal Creak to talk about the fight. He finds himself frowning as she brags about how easy it was and how she was so glad that she could get some villain scum off the streets.

 
He doesn’t mind anything she says in particular, it’s just the way she says it that doesn’t sit right with him. She spoke about them as if they were nothing more than criminal scum to be thrown out and gotten rid of, like they were human beings just like her.  

He sighs and changes the channel, cutting the hero off mid sentence, saying something about how she can’t wait for fans and how she’s going to get a boyfriend out of this when she gets to the top ten. 

He tilts his head back with a frown, starting at the ceiling. He’s always wanted to be a hero, but he’s never seen the point of the rating of Heroes. He hates how it seems like sometimes Heroics is nothing but a popularity contest, ‘aka’ who has the biggest dick. It’s stupid! Heroics is supposed to be about saving people, not who can defeat the most villains in the flashiest way possible regardless of collateral damage. When did the concept of Heroics become so twisted? 

His frown deepens. Was it when All Might became the number one, the ‘Symbole of Peace’? Maybe. He has majorly screwed up how important people think quirks are. Because he’s unbeatable, with the strongest quirk, on every kid show up out these days, all the kids since All Might’s time have grown up thinking ‘might means right’. He’s tainted society's way of thinking.  

Izuku frown grows into a scowl. It’s All Might’s fault he was treated so horribly. He clenches his fists, his eyes boring a hole in the ceiling. If it wasn’t for All Might’s ‘all mighty’ quirk and self, people probably wouldn’t care nearly as much about whether or not someone had a quirk or if it was ‘villainous’ or not.  

“You look like you’re thinking awfully hard there. Is everything alright?”  

Izuku blinks and lowers his head and turns it towards the voice, blinking before a bright smile forms on his face. “Sensei!” He hops off the armchair and scampers over to the man. 

All for One chuckles as Izuku comes to a stop in front of him, reaching out and ruffling his hair. “Mmmm, I see you took a shower. You’re hair feels much cleaner than it did before.” He runs his fingers through the boy’s smooth locks of hair, enjoying the feeling. 

Izuku practically purrs at the touch, leaning into it heavily. It feels so good to be touched with such tender care after years of abuse and neglect. “Yup! I feel much better now.”  

“That’s good. So, what are you up to? You looked to be quite deep in thought over there. Something I should no about?” All for One asks with a tilt of his head. He can still feel waves of discontent and anger coming from the boy underneath the surface joy of seeing him.  

Izuku’s smile waves, his fists clenching. He lowers his head, looking down at his feet. “I was just... figuring some things out. I guess I’ve been... disillusioned about some things after my talk with All Might. I’ve come to realize that despite all the good his influence has done, it’s also done some bad. Like... how quirks are viewed.” 

On the outside, All for One is careful to be somber, but on the inside he’s giddy. This is perfect. His successor's first revelation that Heroics isn’t as all righteous as he though it was. He has to make sure this continues. “Unfortunately, yes. All Might’s overwhelming power and presence have put a heavy damper on those with weak or no quirks as well as quirks that aren’t ‘heroic’ in nature.”  

Izuku bites his lip as he feels tears fill his eyes and his vision becomes blurry. His starts to slip, someone else taking over his vocal cords. “I thi–ink... I th–think I h–h–hate him...” Deku practically whispers, while tears start to slip down Izuku’s cheeks. “H–his influe–ence r–ruined my life... Everyo–one h–hated me because o–o–only the ‘s–strong’ and ‘h–h–heroic’ ones could m–m–mean anything to a–anyone, so someone with no–othing was w–w–worthless...” Deku hicups out a sob, and Izuku wraps his arms around himself. “Then he had the n–n–nerve to tell me it was t–true! That I was just a b–b–burden!” Izuku buries his face in his hands, sobbing heavily now.  

All for One’s glee lessens significantly at Izuku’s distress. He gets down on his knees so he’s closer to Izuku’s height and wraps his arms around him. “Oh, Izuku...” He murmurs, holding the boy’s head to his chest and rubbing his back.  

“I–i– it’s not f–fair! Wh–why am I w–w–worthl–less j–just beca–ause of s–some s–supposedl–ly st–stupid mut–taited gene!? I d–d–didn’t ask to be f–functionality qu–quirkless! Wh–what did I do w–w–wrong?!” Deku sobs out.  

“Nothing, Izuku. You did nothing wrong.” All for One soothes, holding Izuku tighter. “It was never you. It was always them. They were in the wrong for how they treated you. Everything you did was perfect. I’m so sorry they all treated you that way.”  

Deku fades, and Izuku completely breaks down, clinging to All for One and sobbing uncontrollably. He tried to choke out more words but All for One gently hushed him. “Just let it all out.” He murmurs, gently picking the boy up and swaying gently. Izuku buries his face in All for Ones shoulder, wailing out his pain.  

All for One almost instinctively starts humming an old lullaby that he would sing to his younger brother whenever he had a bad day back in the days before they became enemies. He puts a little of a vocal quirk that gives what he sings tangible emotion into the tune, hoping it will help calm the boy down. Izuku slowly starts to calm down, the tune slowly lulling him into a state of calm. 

All for One slowly makes his way over to the couch as sits down at Izuku’s wailing teeters out, becoming simple sobs then soft sniffles before silence takes over. He gently shifts Izuku in his arms, cradling the boy like a baby. He pulls out a handkerchief and starts gently wiping at Izuku’s face. He cleans up the snot and tears before turning it to dust and depositing the dust into a disposal quirk. He continues humming the song as he gently strokes Izuku’s cheek.  

Izuku’s eyes have glazed over a bit as the tune takes complete control, putting him in a calm daze. He absently notices something touching his face, but it's completely obsolete in the face of the all-consuming calm washing over him in waves.  

All for One lets out a slow breath, stopping the tune, still gently rubbing at Izuku’s cheek.  

Izuku blinks sluggishly as the calm waves stop trying to drown him and start to fade away. Things start to come into focus. He feels himself being cradled and something rubbing his cheek. He blinks again, and his vision starts to clear. He sees Sensei’s chest, his head resting against it, and lets out a shaky breath.  

“You feeling a bit better?” All for One asks softly, brushing Izuku’s bangs out of his face.  

Izuku makes a soft, noncommittal sound and turns his face, pressing it into All for One’s chest. All for One chuckles softly, running his hand through Izuku’s hair.  

They sit there in silence for a few minutes before All for One speaks up again. “...Would you like to analyze your first quirk with me?” He says softly, studying Izuku with his many sensory quirks for any reaction.  

Izuku perks up a bit, turning one eye out to look at All for One. “...Analyze Survivor..?” All for One nods as Izuku fully turns his head forward. He bites his lip softly, before nodding slowly.  

All for One smiles. “Alright. Pull it out.”  

Izuku reaches in and takes hold of the heat in his head, pulling it out. The heat floods his body, making him smile slightly.  

“You got it?” Izuku nods. “Alright, so I’ll tell you the basics. It takes your mental strength; the hardships you've gone through, your determination, your resilience, all of it, and turns it into improved physical strength, speed, general resistance, and general body functions including but not limited to immunity, brainpower, reflexes, healing, senses, and digestion. Now, most of the power goes into strength and speed while a much smaller percentage is spread out throughout everything else. About a seventy-thirty percentage distribution. It is also accumulative, is the stronger, faster, etc. you are the more they are boosted.” 

Izuku nods along, clenching his fists and feeling a bit stronger even without actually activating the quirk. That meant it also had a minor passive enhancement. Maybe eight percent passive power? Not much of a bost, but definitely something.  

Izuku fades again as the analyst from before takes over. 

“Alright... So it’s has a trigger activation as well as a mix of passive and focus type activation and has a stockpile, enhancement, sensory, and healing type effect. I guess it's power is dependent on the user and what they’ve gone through. For the average person I’d put it in B to A-rank, for me I’ll put it at S-rank.”  

All for One tilts his head. “Mind explaining?” 

The analyst blinks. “O-oh well, I don’t think the Emitter/Transformation/Mutant quirk classification is specific enough, so, uh I... I made my own classification system...” He ducks his head, fiddling with his hands.  

All for One mentally blinks before smirking. “Sounds interesting. Mind explaining it to me?”  

The analyst snaps his head up to look at All for One with wide eyes. He wants to hear about it? A smile slowly grows on his face. “Of course!” He says excitedly.

“Okay so, there are three different classifications.” He’s practically vibrating with excitement. “The first is versatility and power rating! There are seven ranks on the scale. ‘A-Class’ to ‘F-Class’ and then with ‘S-Class’ above it all. ‘S’ is where you would find the rare few quirks that are overwhelmingly powerful, such as All Might’s and your quirk, and ‘F’ is where you would find the equally rare quirks that aren’t simply ineffective, but also directly harm the user. Everything else would fall somewhere in between. Most popular Pro Heroes would likely fall into ‘A’ and ‘B-Class,’ and then the majority of civilians would probably fall into ‘C’ and ‘D.’

“The scale itself is subjective, because quirk are so varied in power and usage that it's impossible to accurately compare them to each other. It uses loose subcategories such as combat potential, defensive capabilities, maneuverability, utility, and intel as its guidelines ranging from good to amazing.”

All for One hums, tapping his finger on his leg. That is actually a very smart way of rating a quirk. He feels a smile forming on his face. His successor truly is one of a kid, so smart and creative. He can’t wait to nurture his mind until he could easily squash that UA rat underfoot.  

Not to mention to boy can really talk! It’s quite to skill. 

“Next up is activation types! Quirks have two fundamental activation categories: continuous and trigger. A continuous activation category requires the quirk to constantly fulfil the set requirements. A trigger activation category only needs to fulfil the set requirements during the initial activation, after which the duration of the quirk depends on other factors, such as stamina!”

 
All for One nods along, motioning for him to continue. The analyst beams. He’s not bored of him, he’s actually interested in what he was saying!  

“There are three base activation types. Focus type needs conscious effort to activate the quirk. Passive type is always active. Automatic type automatically triggers when requirements are met, even if the user doesn’t wish for their quirk to activate at that moment.”

”There are 6 other activation types. Some of them are self explanatory like contact, proximity, vocal, and visual type activations. The other two are connection and miscellaneous. Connection type activation requires a connection to the target via. digested genetic material, blood, the target’s consent, willing or forced, copied motions etcetera. Miscellaneous activation does not fit under any of the other requirement types.”

“Very interesting. Yes, that makes sense.” All for One nods. He already mentally categorizes quirk like this, just not as detailed or meticulously as this.  

“The last is quirk affect types! What a quirk does can be categorized in several basic effect types, these basic effect types can be combined in a multitude of ways to give a better general description of what a specific quirk can do! Many of them are self explanatory like elemental, enhancement, debuff, protection, stockpile, transformation, mutation, sensory, illusion, intelligence, mental, healing and energy types. Some need a bit more explanation.”

“Generation type quirks generate a type of energy or matter. Absorption type quirks absorb a type of energy or matter and the absorbed thing can’t be used and only released. Manipulation type quirks can change an aspect or aspects of the target. Kinesis type quirks can control and change the movement of a target. Utility type quirks are a more specific type of subtype, a combination of main types, that make specific useful actions or procedures easier to perform. Transportation type quirks allow for fast transportation through some process, usually teleportation or warping.” 

The analyst pauses to take a breath, amazing All for One with how much the child could talk without taking a breath.  

“Summon type quirks can summon a specific thing or things, unlike generation the generated things are usually the same thing and are transported to and from some sort of storage place. Sapient type quirks have some kind of aspect that allows it to be aware of the world, come to conclusions and learn over time. Animal type quirks deal with animals in some way. Familiar type quirks are a summoned sentient creature or creatures of some kind, usually an animal. Information type quirks gathers and processes information in some way and require inputs. Empath type quirks have something to do with emotions, not just seeing emotions. Meta type quirks deal with other quirks in some way.”  

The analyst takes another breath, and All for One laughs loudly, cutting him off. “My goodness, Izuku! You need to take a breath or you going to pass out.”  

The analyst fades, Izuku returning with a vauge memory of what was being talked about. He flushes a deep red and ducks his head. Opps, he had been rambling again. “Uh, sorry...”  

 
All for One chuckles. “It’s fine my boy, I just don’t want you passing out on me from lack of oxygen.”  

Izuku smiles shyly, reaching up and rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah...”  

“Anyway, continue.” 

Izuku blinks. “Oh, that’s it. That’s how I categorize quirks.” He looks up at All for One, eager for his reaction, but freezes when he comes face to face with a very familiar face. Blazing red eyes, sharp, angry features, spiky blonde hair and a vicious snarl. 

Izuku yelps and throws himself away from the face, tumbling off the lap he was sitting on and slamming into the coffee table. He ignores the sharp pain in his back as it hits the table, too busy starting at the boy– no, man before him.  

It’s definitely Katsuki, but he’s older and much bigger. He has rippling muscles and a huge frame, looking like he could crush Izuku in his arms. All his baby fat is gone, replaced by muscle and sharp lines. He has an undercut that suits him and lots of piercings. He’s also wearing the hero costume he and Izuku came up with together when they were still best friends. If this was just about any other man, Izuku would probably be flustered and sporting a massive blush. But this is Katsuki, and Izuku is terrified.  

“K–Kach–” He yelps as those palms spark. His head gets very fuzzy very quickly before his metaphorical feet are yanked out from under him and everything goes black. Someone else takes his place. 

“Shut up, Deku.” The older Katsuki snarls, standing up, towering over Deku. Deku snaps his jaw shut, almost biting his tongue. He trembles as he stares up at Kastuki, flinching when his palms spark again. “Stupid fucking Deku. Who do you think you are? You think you're better than me, spouting all that quirk bullshit?! Huh?!”  

Deku shakes his head frantically, trying to back up with his back already up against the coffee table. “BULLSHIT!!! Don’t lie to me!! You’re looking down on me!!!” He takes a threatening step forwards. Deku stiffens up, legitimately scared for his life. “You think you’re cool shit just because you have that bullshit quirk cheat sheet?! Well your fucking not!!! You’re just a useless fucking Deku that should off himself he’s so fucking useless! Or are you too coward? Do I need to do it for you?! Huh?” He starts reaching forwards, his palm sparking dangerously.  

Deku fucking bolts. He throws himself over the coffee table, smashing his knee against it in the process. He ignores the throbbing pain and scrambles to his feet, practically throwing himself towards the door. Strong, muscular arms wrap around him, and he screams. He thrashes and flails, trying desperately to squirm out of the arms but they hold him in an iron grip.  

“DEKU!!!”  

“I–I–I’m s–so–orry!!! I–I’m s–s–sor–rry!!! D–don’t h–h–hurt me, I–I’m sor–r–rry!!” Deku screams, scratching at the arms holding him, feeling them heat up.  

“Deku!!” 

“N–n–no! I–I’m s–s–sor–rry!! I–I–I’m–” He chokes as he hyperventilates, coughing violently but refusing to stop struggling. The arms hold him even tighter as he suddenly feels very, very nauseous. He tries to cover his mouth but his arms are pinned. He chokes once more before vomiting.  

“Shit!” All for One curses harshly as Izuku pukes in his arms. He quickly gets down, putting the boy on the floor, holding him there with a strong telekinesis quirk, and pats his back gently. “Izuku, you need to calm down. Whatever you’re seeing isn’t real.” He says firmly, but gently.  

The boy trembles violently in his hold gasping as he finishes vomiting. “P–p–please, n–no, pl–please..!” He gasps out.  

All for One curses silently. He might have gotten a little more than he bargained for with his successor. Well, no point in regretting it, he’s not getting rid of the boy anytime soon. He’ll have to figure out a way to help the boy get over his trauma of being abused since he was four. He’s been around a long time and has read a multitude of texts on mental health and such, but would still prefer an expert to see Izuku. 
 

He lets out a breath and calms himself. “Izuku...”  

 
“N–no, pl–please..! I–I–I’m s–sor–rry..! S–s–sorry...” 

 
“Izuku. It’s okay. It’s not real. You’re okay. You’re safe.” 

 
“No!.. N–no..! P..please... P–please...” 

 
“Shhh... It’s okay, Izuku. You’re safe. No one from your past can hurt you here.” 

 
“D-don’t... P–pl..please... I–I’m s–sorry...” 

 
“Izuku, shhh... You need to breath, can you do that for me?”

 
“N..no... Pl..please...” 

 
“Shhh... Just breathe for me, okay? In and out.”

 
“N..no...” 

“It’s alright, just breath. In... And out.”  

Izuku takes in a slow, chopy breath in before coughing it out.  

All for One perks up. “Izuku, can you hear me?” The smallest of nods. All for One sighs in relief. “Alright, you’re safe. No one can hurt you here. Just breathe with me. In... and out. Good, great job, again. In... and out. Very good, again. In... and out. Perfect, you're doing great, again. In... and out.” 
 

Slowly, Izuku breaths even out, and his shaking subsides a bit. He blinks sluggishly a few times as his vision clears of tears. A hand reaches out and wipes away his tears. He flinches, but relaxes when the hand doesn’t hit him. His whole body aches from involuntary clenching his muscles throughout his panic attack. He feels so heavy, like there’s a giant weight pulling him down.  

“Easy,” the voice leading him through the breathing says softly. “I won’t hurt you. I promise.”  

His head starts to clear of the fog of panic, and he starts to register things clearer. He sluggishly turns his head to the side, his eyes landing on All for One. He blinks slowly.  

All for One smiles at Izuku. “I’m going to release you, okay?” He waits until he gets a nod to let his telekinesis quirk go. Izuku slumps, and All for One quickly reaches out to make sure he doesn’t fall face-first into the puddle of vomit on the floor. He gently eases the barely responsive boy into his lap, running his hands through the boy’s hair.  

He sighs softly. “What am I going to do with you... Poor boy...”  

Izuku doesn’t respond, too busy drowning in the aftermath of his hallucination and panic attack. He feels like he’s underwater, a heavy chain around his ankle dragging him deeper and deeper into the murky depths. He feels numb and heavy, pressure weighing down on him from all sides. Everything is blurry and out of focus, and his head is swimming.  

He closes his eyes, trying his best to focus on the feeling of gentle hands carding through his hair. It’s hard.  

All for One slowly stands up, cradling Izuku in his arms. He taps in to his telepathy quirk, contacting Kurogiri. ’Kurogiri. I need you in the living room in a few minutes to clean up a mess.’He sighs and adjusts Izuku in his arms a bit. “Come on, Izuku... Let’s get you somewhere nice and peaceful.” 

He leaves the living room and makes his way towards the back of the house.  

He hums a gentle tune as they go, trying to keep Izuku as relaxed as possible. He pulls a pheromone quirk and lets out strong calming pheromones that smell like lavender. He smiles a little when Izuku shifts his face closer to his neck, inhaling slowly and deeply before sighing softly, his expression becoming less strained and more relaxed.  

He reaches a mostly empty tatami room with just a few wall scrolls and walks to the other end of it. He opens up the sliding doors, revealing a beautiful garden. 

In the back left corner is a beautiful small rocky waterfall with eight different levels made of a beautiful sparkling black stone as well as a bunch of rocks in different shades of back. The river the waterfall makes runs down and across the garden before making a U-turn and going back towards the small cliff where the waterfall starts, making a small pond at the bottom of it with a little alcove under the cliff.  

The ground is covered in rough white sand combed into swirls. Set into the sand are large black stepping stones leading from the balcony of the room over to the pond in a wavy path that goes over the river. Connecting the two sides of the river is a fancy little red bridge with living bamboo lining it. Scattered throughout the garden are large patches of vegetation including moss, bamboo, azaleas, hostas, hydrangeas, camellias, and a huge cherry tree in the center of the garden, leaning over the waterfall. The pond if filled with lily pads and pink and red lotus and has a bamboo water fountain that hits down every so often, letting off a beautiful sound. 

 
Overall, it’s the perfect place to relax and wind down after something stressful.  

All for One walks to the end of the balcony and carefully sits down, legs hanging over the edge and touching the sand below. He keeps his attention on Izuku, brushing some hair out of his face. “Izuku.” He says softly, giving him a few gentle bounces. The boy opens his eyes sluggishly, his eyes moving up to All for One. All for One smiles at him. “Look.” He nods his head in a gesture towards the garden.  

Izuku moves his eyes to follow All for One’s gesture and feels a very dulled sense of awe at the sight of the garden. It’s beautiful, and normally he would be a lot more excited and awes by such a sight, but... Everything is dull right now, even colors seem less vibrant than usual. He wants to be in awe and excitement, but he just doesn’t have the energy or will to scrounge up any will to feel anything.  

All for One isn’t discouraged by the lack of reaction from Izuku. He can feel the heavy block the boy’s mind is putting on his emotion, so he understands. “Isn’t it beautiful?” He asks in a soft tone, gently rubbing circles on Izuku’s arm. 
 

Izuku gives a tired nod, letting his head rest on All for One’s arm as he gazes at the garden with dull eyes.  

All for One hums. “...Would you like a closer look at the pond?” Izuku gives a noncommittal hum, simply starting at the garden. All for One nods. “Alright, let's go take a closer look.” He grips the boy a bit tighter and stands up.  

He starts walking very slowly towards the pond, letting Izuku take in the view as they walk. He pauses at on the bridge, knowing it could take their weight, letting Izuku gaze into the water through the bamboo. After a moment, he continues on. When they make it to the pond, he stops at the edge of it, letting Izuku see the four koi fish swimming around in the pond. Izuku stares blankly at the pond while they stand there. Eventually, All for One continues on to the alcove and sits down on the one of the rocks there that make natural seats.  

“What do you think?” All for One asks after a long moment of silence.  

Izuku just hums tonelessly, once again lost in the sea of numbness threatening to consume him. All for One bounces him gently, helping keep his head above the water. He lets out a breath, trying his hardest to pull on any emotions. It doesn’t work, and he can’t even get frustrated that it didn’t work.  

“Easy, you’re tensing up a whole lot.”  

Izuku blinks, noticing that his whole body is indeed tense, so tense in fact that he’s trembling pretty violently. He quickly relaxes, wincing as his muscles yell at him.  

All for One watches Izuku with a small frown, wondering who or what it was that Izuku saw earlier. Whatever it had been, it truly terrified him. Fear and downright terror had been seeping off him in powerful waves. They were akin to that of those who knew a great many of his secrets and weren’t on his side; akin to that of someone facing a long and painful death.

 
He frowns at the comparison, not liking it one bit.  

Izuku lets out a shaky breath, turning his head and pressing it into All for One’s chest. He hates this numbness as much as he can while feeling, well, numb. He wants to cry, to scream, to rage, to wail, anything, but it's all drowned out by the suffocating numbness. So he just lies there in All for One’s arms, weak and useless.  

They sit together silently, the gentle sounds of running water, birds, a frog or two, the bamboo water fountain, and leaves in the wind. The sounds of nature gently soothe Izuku’s mind as he focuses on them, the barriers on his emotions relaxing a little. The suffocating numbness slowly transforms into a calmer numb that isn’t quite so all-encompassing.  

Everything is calm and relaxed.  

After about twenty minutes, All for One speaks up softly. “Izuku.” Izuku lets out a soft hum of acknowledgment. “Would you like me to demonstrate a few of my quirks?” He smiles down at the boy as he shifts his face away from his chest looking up at him. “I have quite a few that I find very entertaining to watch when I am bored.”  

Izuku feels a tiny spark of excitement at the prospect of getting to see a bunch of interesting quirks in action. It’s enough to have him sitting up a bit in All for One’s lap. He nods, still not feeling up to saying anything. 
 

All for One smiles when the boy nods. “Wonderful, let's see here.” He mentally runs his fingers over his quirks, wondering which one to start off with. He hums, hovering over one of them. Perfect. He pulls on it, feeling it settle in him.  

Izuku watches as All for One lifts a hand and waves it through the air, leaving behind a trail of dust. The dust is thick and shimmers like a galaxy as it hovers in the air. It’s very pleasing to the eye and he finds himself leaning closer, wondering what its properties are.

 
Does it glow in the dark? How does it react to different elements? What happens when it comes into contact with water or liquid in general? What about fire? How does it interact with chemicals? What about elements of the periodic table? He really wants to see how it interacts with something flammable or is it already flammable? His hand twitches with the urge to write.  

All for One smiles at the curiosity coming from the boy. Good, he’s engaged. “I call this one, Stardust. I’m not sure of it’s exact chemical make-up, but it reacts differently to different gasses. Oxygen makes it shimmer like it is doing now; it freezes and creates some beautiful gas crystals when introduced to nitrogen; and it sparks and combusts in hydrogen.”  

Izuku nods, that spark of excitement growing. He looks up at All for One with eyes much brighter than they were before. All for One lets himself relax at the excitement growing in the boy. He’s glad this idea has worked to relax and distract him.  

“Alright, let's see, what next? Do you have any requests?”  

Izuku blinks and gets a contemplative look on his face as he starts to think. What does he want to see? An image of sparking hands makes him grimace. Definitely nothing to do with fire. Hmmm... His eyes are drawn to the pond. 

He raises his hands and signs (something he learned when he went mute for half a year a few years back). ‘Something to do with water?’  

All for one mentally blinks at the use of sign language before smiling. “Of course.” He pulls on a basic but strong hydrokinesis quirk and reaches out towards the water. 

Izuku watches with wide eyes as multiple tendrils of water start to lift out of the pond as start to twirl together. It quickly becomes something of a water show as the tendrils dance around each other, taking the vague shape of animals eventually. The animals prance around Izuku and All for One, doing films and tricks as they go. Eventually the animals all crash together above the pond, morphing into a sea serpent-like creature before diving back into the pond.  

Izuku beams at the amazing display. Of course, it wasn’t the beauty of the display he was excited about, but rather the show of power. To be able to control so much water at once and to control it to such a fine degree was amazing! Not only did the quirk have to be high on the ranking scale, but the concentration it takes to control so many different bodies of water at one is astounding!  

All for One smiles softly down at Izuku, immensely glad that he is feeling better. He runs his hand through the boy’s hair, chuckling when he leans into his hand. “Alright, one more, then it's time for lunch.”  

Izuku blinks and realizes he is a little hungry, so he nods.  

All for One hums, looking through his quirks. He smiles at one of them and pulls on it, humming as it settles in him.  

He holds his hand out and rolls up his sleeve. He activates the quirk, and his skin starts to ripple as something forms and moves under his skin. Small slits quickly appear in his skin as something pushes out of it. In a matter of seconds, his arm and hand is covered in mat black scales while his fingernails turn into deadly claws.  

Izuku marvels at the scales and reaches out thoughtlessly, running his hand over the scales on All for One’s forarm. The scales are rough with sharp edges, each one about as thick as his finger and about three centimeters in diameter with a few points at the end. As he moves down towards the man’s hand the scales slowly getting smaller and quickly get thinner around the man’s wrist. He runs a finger over one of the man’s smooth claws 

 
All for One chuckles at the awe of the boy. “Cool, isn’t it? I call it Dragon Claw. It's a transformation type so I’m able to use it.” Izuku looks up at the man, tilting his head questioningly. “Ah, I can not use mutation quirks. I can take and give them, but I can not utilize them for some reason. It is one of the limits of my quirk, I suppose.”  

Izuku nods his head in understanding and returns his attention to the All for One’s claw. He turns it over and runs his fingers over the now thickened skin of the man’s palm. It’s also much rougher.

 
He bites his lip to keep his muttering in as questions once again race through his mind. How do the scales form? Does it but to have them push through the skin like that? How hard are the scales? Does the transformation affect the inside of the arm? Are the muscles stronger? Are the bones denser? How much pressure can his arm now withstand? Are the scales fireproof? Elementproof? So many questions, so little answers.  

“Alright.” All for One deactivates the transformation, the scales sliding back under his skin, before letting it return to the collection. “Lunchtime, you ready? I’m sure Kurogiri has made something delicious.”  

Izuku blinks and looks up before nodding with a hum.  

“Great, let's go. You want to walk?”  

Izuku hesitates before shyly shaking his head. He’s enjoying the feeling of being held. He wants to stay in the man’s arms. 

 
All for One chuckles. “Alright.” He adjusts Izuku in his arms and stands up, settling the boy on his hip. He slowly makes his way back through the garden, smiling as Izuku looking around with much more excitement this time around. He gets to the balcony and steps up it back into the room. He hums as he starts making his way towards the dining room.  

Izuku nuzzles into All for One’s shoulder as he walks, relaxing in the man’s arms. He feels a little silly being carried when he’s already twelve years old, but he can’t help but be comforted by it. He hasn’t been held by someone since he was almost six, can you blame him for wanting to be babied a little?  

They make it to the dining room, right by the living room, and opens the sliding door, stepping in. It’s a long tatami room with cream white walls, shoji screens, and a tokonoma. Two long, low to the ground tables set are together in the center of the room, making one very long table. The tables are made of dark oak wood and are set with beautiful red placement mats. The tatami chair cushions are the same as the ones in the living room. In the tokonoma is some beautiful scroll art of an Asian dragon along with some expensive looking vases. There also a bunch of high-tech medical equipment in one corner.  

One the end of the table are two trays full of steaming food. Izuku’s eyes widen at how much food there is on just one tray. That’s almost twice as much food as he normal has in a whole day! There’s no way he’ll be able to eat all that in one sitting. He shifts nervously.  

All for One glances down at Izuku and feels his nervousness. He tilts his head slightly. “Is something wrong, Izuku?”

Izuku startles slightly and peeks up at All for One. He shrinks down a little, unsure of how the man would react. Would he be mad at Izuku for wasting food? Would he yell at him? Force him to eat it all? Lock him in a closet for hours on end? Hit him until he hurt all over? A distressed keen leaves him without his permission as his breathing starts to escalate. His mind starts to loose focus, his vision tunneling. Someone was pushing up against his mind, trying to take over again. 

“Hey, wow, wow. Easy.” All for One shifts Izuku in his arms, cradling him. “It’s okay, you’re okay. Slow your breathing, come on. In... and out. In... and out. Good, keep it up. In... and out. In... and out. In... and out. Perfect, you’re doing great. Just keep breathing.” He rocks the boy gently, stroking his cheek with his thumb.  

Izuku takes in another shaky breath and holds it before letting it out slowly. The encroaching panic and metal struggle ebbs away, leaving him a little dizzy. He lets his head fall against All for One’s chest, whining.

 
’Stupid, stupid stupid! Can’t go even two hours without having an panic attack! Stupid, useless Deku!’ He berates himself, curling up as much as he can. That something nudging up against his mind before fully fading away. 

All for One coaxes the boy to look up at him. “Izuku... Tell me what’s wrong, please.” He says softly.  

Izuku deflates and lifts his hands. ‘It,’ He pauses before starting again. ’It is too much food. I will not be able to finish it all. I am sorry!‘ He squeezes his eyes shut, bracing himself for something, anything... But nothing happens.  

“Oh, Izuku. That’s okay. You don’t have to finish it if it’s too much. Just eat what you can, and we’ll save as much of it as we can for later. Okay?”  

Izuku opens his eyes slowly, looking up at All for One. ‘You are not mad?’ He questions, confused.  

All for One realizes what happened now. Izuku was scared he would be mad at him for not being able to finish the food, and any time someone was mad at him in the past, he got hurt in some way. “No, Izuku. I’m not mad, not at you. I am upset that you can’t eat it all because you weren't fed enough in the past, but I am not upset because you can’t eat it. Does that make sense?”  

Izuku furrows his brows, thinking it over before nodding slowly, even if he doesn’t quite understand it. It’s hard to truly believe he’s cared for when he’s been abused his whole life. But if All for One says he isn’t mad then he guesses everything is okay.  

“Good. Now, let’s eat.” All for One goes over to the food and sits down at the end of the table with a huff. Carefully, he removes his life support mask, switching it out for connecting himself to the medical equipment in the corner of the room. 

Izuku stares, wide-eyed as All for One removes his mask, revealing what is underneath. The top half of his head is a mess of gnarly scars, a complete mess. Without realizing it, he reaches up and touches the man’s face, gently rubbing at the scars.  

“Pretty gross, isn’t it?” All for One chuckles as the boy quickly pulls his hand back, blushing.  

’What happened?’ Izuku questions.  

“I got complacent. I thought too highly of myself and wasn’t as cautious as I should have been with an opponent. They took me by surprise and gave me a nasty blow to the head, almost killed me. I got them back though, tore out their lung and stomach.” All for One gazes down at Izuku. 

Izuku sucks in a sharp breath. All Might. So he was right. He lowers his head, frowning deeply. All Might had almost killed the one person that was nice to him since being diagnosed quirkless. He almost didn’t have the chance to experience this kindness. In fact, if it wasn’t for Sensei, he wouldn’t even be alive right now. He’d be nothing more than a stain on the ground, a corpse that no one wanted to deal with. His frown grows into a scowl. 
 

“Ah, but enough about that, let’s eat.” All for One hums and reaches forwards, picking up his chopsticks.  

Izuku hums absently in agreement and picks up his own chopsticks. He looks at the mass of food before him, at a loss for what to eat first. He decides to go for the meat. He mostly believes that All for One wouldn’t take his food away from him, but he’s used to eating the most important food’s first because more often than not someone would steal or trash his lunch at school.  

It’s delicious, even better than his moms cooking. But his mind is more focused on his currently growing dislike of the Number One Hero. He’ll have to do a lot more research on All Might before he makes his final decision, but the man if definitely not his favourite hero anymore...

Chapter Text

He wakes up slowly, confused. He’s pretty sure he went to sleep alone in his bed and yet he’s half draped over a warm body, a strong arm curled around his waist. He’s groggy and still waking up so his mind isn’t completely clear. He wiggles around a bit and the arm around his waist tightens. A jolt goes through him as he remembers the last time he woke up with another person in his bed. It was one of the nights his mom came how, and this time she brought home her boyfriend at the time. 

He woke up with his whole lower body filled with a deep ache. Something warm and really heavy was on top of him, making it hard for him to breathe. His jaw ached, something soft stuffed inside of it. His arms were held above his head and something wrapped around his wrists, pinning them to the headboard of his bed. He could feel cold air on his legs and sides, indicating he didn’t have anything on. 

He had tried to move, but white hot pain had shot through his ass, making him whimper. He tried to pull his arms down, but they were stuck, tied to the headboard. He moved through the pain and felt something wet sliding out of his ass. He let out a muffled whine, trying to get whatever was on top of him off.  

He felt nauseous and filthy and his head was a foggy mess. He was missing something, he had to be, because he hadn’t gone to bed like this. So why? Why was he like this? What had happened? Why? No matter how hard he tired, he couldn’t remember how he had gotten like this. 

He started thrashing and screaming through his gag, trying to get whatever was on him off of him. He ignored the pain racing through him. He managed to roll the thing off of him and onto the floor. He had heard harsh cursing and realised it was a person who had been on him.  

He had scrambled into a sitting position, tears streaming down his face at both the pain racing through his lower half and his panic and fear. He managed to yank his hands out of their bonds and scrambled backward off the other side of the bed. He stifled a screech at the pain that tore through him and quickly got to his feet, tugging what he realized were his boxers out of his mouth and running to his mom’s room. 

She dumped the man after that, but Izuku’s still not sure if it was because the man technically cheated on her or because he raped him– as Izuku eventually realized was what happened. She never turned him in for the crime, just told him to get out of her house and never come back. 

Izuku feels himself starting to slip, his connection to his body starting to get further and further away as something else tries to take his place. He doesn’t fight it, slowly slipping to the back of his mind, but the process is stopped by a hand carding through his hair, drawing him back to reality. “Shhhh... It’s okay, child. It’s okay... It‘s just a bad dream. You’re okay, you’re safe.” A gentle, familiar voice says softly. “Come on, wake up, Izuku. It’s just a bad dream.” Trembling and sobbing, he realizes, Izuku’s cracks his eyes open.  

All for One carefully sits up, holding the Izuku tenderly in his lap. When the boy starts to shift, he assumes he’s awake. “Hey there, Izuku. You awake now? You were having another nightmare.” He gently wipes the stray tears from Izuku’s face. “Was it about the same thing as earlier?”  

Izuku looks up at All for One with teary eyes, confused. He absently notes that the man’s mask is off. “A–another o–o–one..?” He woke up from a nightmare? Is that why he’s in the man’s bed? Well, he has all his clothes and his butt doesn’t hurt, so... 

 
All for One hums. “Do you not remember?” The boy shakes his head. “Well, you did. Kurogiri informed me in the middle of the night that you were thrashing in your sleep and crying, so I went to check on you. You were indeed in distress so I soothed you before waking you up, as it’s not the best idea to wake someone in the middle of a nightmare in case it’s a night terror. You told me you had a nightmare about a boy name ‘Kacchan’ and asked if you could sleep with me. I don’t technically need sleep, due to a combination of quirks, but I agreed and brought you to my room. I laid down with you and you fell asleep pretty much instantly.” 

“...Oh.” Izuku mumbles, wringing his hands together. “N-no... I..I don’t remember that...” But he never seems to remember waking up from nightmares. He does remember the nightmare itself though, vividly too, like usual.  

It was placed in about twenty years from now. Izuku was a poor homeless person, and Katsuki was the new Number One Hero. He had been walking to his ‘home’ when he was encased in sludge under a bridge, a recreation of what happened with the Sludge Villain a few days ago. This time though, the man hole cover exploded and Katsuki in his hero costume came out instead of All Might.  

Katsuki had taken one look at Izuku covered in slide, raised his hand, gripping the pin of the gauntlet filled with his sweat, and smirked. He said ‘Good riddance, Deku’ before pulling the pin, exploding both the villain and Izuku. Izuku had been in excruciating pain, barely alive on the ground, covered in burns. Katsuki had stood over him and scoffed, saying ‘That’s what you get for standing in a hero’s way’, and had walked away. Izuku had then passed out. 

Izuku brings his knees up to his chest and hugs them, ignoring the once again encroaching darkness. He really hates what his mind can come up with sometimes. It doesn’t help that all of his dreams are extremely vivid and pain is that much worse. He had looked it up, and apparently it’s a symptom of being Bipolar. Lucky him...  

All for One frowns at Izuku’s faint trembling and the distress coming off him in waves. He rests his hand on the boy’s back. “It’s okay if you don’t remember that happening.” Though it is concerning. The boy had been very responsive and alert, not at all like someone still half asleep and unaware. He should remember it, but doesn’t. It’s possible he had dissociated... He’d have to look into it more later.  

His frown deepens when Izuku doesn’t answer. “Izuku?” He runs his hand through the boy’s hair, and he blinks, lifting his head.  

Izuku huffs as the pushing darkness slips away at All for One’s touch. He blinks away the left over fuzziness and lifts his head. “Hmmm..?”  

All for One chuckles. “You spaced out on me there. You doing okay?”  

Izuku frowns, sucking his lip in between his teeth, bitting at it. Should he tell Sensei about the dissociation? He’s looked it up and knows what it is. He dissociates regularly, losing time almost every day, often even more than once a day. It’s always centered around getting hurt, physically or mentally, so he knows what the trigger is. But...  

What if Sensei get mad? What if he hurts me? 

He feels the incoming darkness and quickly shakes away those thoughts. No! He’s not going to hurt me or get mad at me. He already promised. 

He let’s out a shaky breath and steels himself, looking up at All for One. “I, um...” He hesitates but the gentle look on All for One’s face has him continuing. “I dissociate... frequently. Whenever I feel like I’m going to get hurt my mind and memory get fuzzy or go black completely...” 

All for One frowns at this. As he thought, last night probably was dissociation, then. Okay. That’s okay. He could figure something out. “That must be hard, living only half your life.” He murmurs, running his hand through Izuku’s hair.  

Izuku blinks at All for One before nodding slightly. It is hard and very stressful, especially with school. Sometimes he barely remembers half of what’s said in class. He has to study twice as much just to not get an F. So yeah, stressful. Actually, speaking of school... 

 
“Um... What am I going to do about school?..”

All for One blinks at the change in subject before humming. “I was thinking of hiring some private tutors to come here and teach you.” Izuku tenses up, and All for One can understand why. “You don’t have to worry. For one, we are goin to be getting you an ID and paperwork from an underground colleague of mine under the name Shigaraki Izuku with ‘Survior’ as your quirk, so they can’t discriminate against you for being ‘functionally quirkless’.  

Izuku blinks at this. He’s stunned that anyone would do this for him. “You… you’d do that for me?.. Under your name?”  

All for One smiles softly, running his hand through Izuku’s hair. “Yes. I would. I sent the request for the forged paperwork this morning. In about two days' time, we will have paperwork stating that you will have ‘legally’ been adopted son for two years along with anything else you might need for your new underground identity as Shigaraki Izuku. 

Izuku stares at All for One with wide, disbelieving eyes. He’s really doing this, he’s adopting Izuku. Izuku burst into tears and throws himself at All for One, wrapping his arms around him. He cries openly and joyfully into the man’s chest. He’s wanted. He’s really, really wanted. 

All for One easily catches Izuku, holding him against him gently as he cries. He can feel that the tears are happy tears so his simply smiles, rubbing the boy’s back. “You really are an emotional one, aren’t you? We’ll have to curb that a bit before you go out in the field, but it’s fine for now.” He rests his hand on Izuku’s head.  

“Thank you..” Izuku sobs out. “Thank you so much, I... I don’t... I can’t...” He hiccups.  

“Shhh, it’s okay. I understand. You are very welcome, Izuku.” All for One chuckles, patting the boy’s head.  

Slowly, Izuku calms down, pulling back with a sniffle and wiping his eyes. His cheeks are flushed pink from crying and his hair is a mess of bed head. All for One chuckles. “How about you go clean up in the bathroom, and we’ll go have breakfast together. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you are a growing boy who is far too small for someone your age. You should be at least twenty centimeters taller and forty pounds heavier, and that’s after I pushed a few extra centimeters into you. Not to mention you weren’t able to eat any diner last night. So, it’s important to get some food in you now.”  

Izuku nods with a flush. He already knows he’s way smaller than he’s supposed to be. A healthy twelve year old should be around 154 centimeters tall and weigh about 100 pounds. Even with All for One’s boost in height he’s only 131 centimeters tall and 62 pounds.  

He gets up, stretching out his arms and legs while making weird, strained noises. He relaxes with a satisfied smile and hops out of the huge bed. He feels lighter than he has in a while as he leaves the room and turns to the master bathroom just to the right.  

As he pulls a suspiciously curl-based comb from one of the bathroom drawers, another tune comes to him. It’s another English song he heard on the radio some time back. He hadn’t resonated with it at the time, but he feels like it might situation now, albeit not on his side of things. He would like to imagine this song applies to of Sensei sees him.  

“I can see every tear you’ve cried like an ocean in your eyes.~ All the pain and the scars have left you cold.~ I can see all the fears you face through a storm that never goes away.~ Don’t believe all the lies that you’ve been told.~” He has probably cried an ocean by now. Mainly with sad, angry, or fearful tears but a few happy ones too. Every time he thinks of what he’s gone through or sees any of his scars, it feels like a chill takes over him, making him feel suffocatingly numb. He has so many fear he has to face day in and day out in the storm he calls his life. But... He doesn’t have to worry anymore. He doesn’t have to listen to every insult of ‘worthless’ or ‘useless’ anymore. 

“I’ll be right here now to hold you when the sky falls down.~ I will always be the one who took your place.~ When the rain falls, I won’t let go.~ I’ll be right here.~” Sensei will be there to hold him when it feels like his world is falling apart around him. He’ll stand up to those that try to hurt him, make them see how wrong they are. When Izuku’s tears fall, Sensei won’t call him a cry baby and walk away. He’ll stay by Izuku through it all.  

“I will show you the way back home; never leave you all alone.~ I will stay until the morning comes.~ I’ll show you how to live again and heal the brokenness within.~ Let me love you when you come undone.~” Sensei will hold Izuku’s hand when he gets lost in the dark depths of his mind and lead him back into the light. He won’t leave him alone in the darkness. He’ll stand by his side with him as he waits for the light. Sensei will show Izuku how to truly live a life worth living and heal all the cracks in him heart and mind. He’ll stay with him, even when he falls apart, to help him back to his feet.  

“I’ll be right here now to hold you when the sky falls down.~ I will always be the one who took your place.~ When the rain falls, I won’t let go.~ I’ll be right here.~” When everyone’s opinions come crashing down on Izuku, Sensei will be there to hold him through it all. He’ll be Izuku’s shield, keeping him safe from the blows from above. He won’t let him go, even if he cries through it all. He’ll be right there with him, by his side.  

“When daybreak seems so far away, reach for my hand.~ When hope and peace begin to fray, still I will stand.~” When the light at the end of the tunnel, the light in the darkness, feels so far away, Sensei will hold out his hand to Izuku as a beacon of hope. Even if that hope and light begin to fade, Sensei won’t leave him in the dark. He’ll stand tall and make his own light for Izuku.  

“Right here now, to hold you when the sky falls down.~ I will always be the one who took your place.~ When the rain falls, I won’t let go.~ When the rain falls, I won’t let go.~ I’ll be right here.~” He trails off, humming the last bit of music as he sticks a new toothbrush in his mouth and starts brushing his teeth. Yes, Sensei will always be there for him.  

When he finishes humming he spits into the sink and rises it out. He’s feeling a little bouncy so he starts bouncing on the balls of his feet and swaying a little. He starts bobbing his head to a tune he can’t hear, his hips swaying gently. A smile slowly form on his face as he moves more and more. A soft giggle leaves his lips as he slides across the floor slightly. Almost automatically, another English songs starts falling from his lips.  

“Hmm, hey, mmh.~ Hey.~ Don't think about it, just move your body.~ Listen to the music, sing, oh, ey, oh.~ Just move those left feet, go ahead get crazy.~ Anyone can do it, sing, oh, ey, oh.~” He starts dancing in earnest, moving across the floor fluidly as his freestyle dance classes from before his mom started ignoring him jumping to the front of his mind. He does a fancy little jump, his smile growing wider. 

“Show the world you've got that fire.~ Feel the rhythm getting louder.~ Show the world what you can do.~ Prove to them you've got the moves.~ I don't know about you.~” He lets his body move by muscle memory, moves he had worked tirelessly to get right when he was little coming to him with a few stumbles. He starts up a freestyle choreography, his moves a little sloppy but still pretty good for someone who was malnourished and lacking in practice.  

“But I feel better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah.~ Better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah.~ Oh, we can do this together.~ I bet you feel better when you're dancing?~ Yeah, yeah.~ Pa-pa-pa-da-da.~ La-la-la-la-da-da.~ La-la-la-la-da-da.~ Pa-pa-da-da.~” It has been so long since he’s felt good enough to dance. It’s freeing and makes him feel like he’s floating. He gets down in a crouch, throwing his leg out in a wide sweep before popping back up.  

“When you finally let go, and you slay that solo.~ ‘Cause you listen to the music, sing, oh, ey, oh.~ ‘Cause you're confident, babe, and you make your hips sway.~ We knew that you could do it, sing, oh, ey, oh.~” As he dances, he realizes how much he’s missed it. It gets his blood pumping for a good reason for once, his brain releasing ‘feel good’ hormones. His hands move through the air in what he wants to be sharp motions but end up sloppy. He’ll have to start practicing again if he wasn’t to be good again.  

“Show the world you've got that fire.~ Feel the rhythm getting louder.~ Show the world what you can do.~ Prove to them you've got the moves.~ I don't know about you.~” All of his stress melts away as he dances around the bathroom, singing. Kami, it feels so good to move like this again, and it’s something he’s good at too! It could help his improve his confidence in himself. He slides to the floor in a splits, successfully only because of the constant stretching he has to do to alleviate the muscle cramps he gets after panic attacks.  

“But I feel better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah.~ Better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah.~ Oh, we can do this together.~ I bet you feel better when you're dancing?~ Yeah, yeah.~ Pa-pa-pa-da-da.~ La-la-la-la-da-da.~ La-la-la-la-da-da.~ Pa-pa-da-da.~ Pa-pa-pa-da-da.~ La-la-la-la-da-da.~ La-la-la-la–“ He stumbles in the middle of a spin, seeing a figure in the bathroom doorway out of the corner of his eyes. He whips his head towards it, cutting himself off with a massive blush when he see’s All for One with his mask on.  

“S-Sensei!” He squeaks out, his whole face bright red. “H-how long have you been there?!” Oh, this is so embarrassing! He had no idea Sensei was watching him sing and dance!  

All for One chuckles. “Long enough. That was wonderful, my boy. You have a beautiful voice, and I found your moves quite pleasing to watch, even with my limited sight.” He smiles at Izuku’s embarrassment. It’s quite endearing.  

His smile falters slightly as he realizes what’s going on. Shit. He’s getting attached. He isn’t supposed to get attached. Getting attached only ever makes things harder when he’s once again let down. He’s made the mistake twice already, one with his brother and again with a wonderful woman a decade ago. He can’t make the mistake again. He has to distance himself and keep his walls up. It will only end up hurting him later if he gets attached now.

Izuku starts to babble out some silly excuse, and All for One finds his stance on the matter wavering. This time is different. This time the one he’s getting attached to is in his complete control. Not that he wants to take the boy’s freedom away from him – he just can’t let the heroes steal him away and fill his head with lies. This time, he’ll keep the one precious to him close. He won’t let the heroes take him and turn Izuku against him. 

He should probably tell Izuku his story sooner rather than later. It will decrease the chances of the boy being able to be manipulated by the bastard government. 

 
He’ll protect this boy. He won’t fail like before.

“–and I just–” 

All for One laughs, cutting Izuku off. “Easy, child. No need to get so worked up over it. It’s fine. I enjoyed what I saw, you don’t need to make an excuse.”  

Izuku slumps a bit. “Yes, Sensei...” Still super embarrassing. He’ll have to be more aware of his surroundings next time he decides to dance. He smiles slightly. Next time, huh? Yeah, he definitely wants to dance like that again sometime.  

“Come. Breakfast is ready and waiting on the table. We don’t want to food to get cold.” All for One steps aside, gesturing for Izuku to step out.  

“O-oh! Right, okay.” Izuku hurries out the door, his cheeks still pink from embarrassment. He fiddles with his hands as All for One closes the bathroom door and starts walking. Izuku quickly follows after him.  

All for One thinks back to how happy Izuku looked when dancing and singing and can’t help but indulge his growing fondness of the boy. “So,” he speaks up, “I was thinking of a few starter activities for you to engage in to help you start growing some muscles for ‘Survivor’. I think you would be a good speed ambush predator, so lith muscles meant for speed would probably be best. I think some dance lessons would be a good start, don’t you?”  

Izuku snaps his head up, looking at All for One with wide eyes. “D-dance lessons?” A flare of hope and excitement sparks in his chest. Dance lessons had been one of the few high points in his life, and just the thought of doing them again made his heart jump with excitement.  

“Yes.” All for One nods. “It’s not the most popular thing anymore, heroics taking up most of the spotlight. But back in my younger days, dancing for both men and women had quite the following. In fact, my brother and I took a dance class for about a year when we were very young. It’s a fond memory of mine. It will help you gain some starting muscle, especially in your legs. What do you say?” All for One glances back at Izuku?  

Izuku tries to contain his smile, but he can’t. He beams at All for One. “I-I would love to!” 

“Excellent. I shall add a dance tutor to your list of tutors. Speaking of tutors and schooling, you will be taking a placement test sometime in the next to days to determine where you are in your schooling. There is no shame if you are a little behind, it will not be your fault but the fault of the teachers who have failed you thus far.”  

Izuku feels a spark of tense nervousness at the thought of a test. He’s never been graded fairly on tests in the past. His teachers would always mark him down if even the slightest of things were wrong and would often even changes his answers to make them wrong. “Yes, Sensei...” 

 
“Good.” They come to a stop at the dining-room door. “We’re here.” All for One pushes the door open and motions for Izuku to enter.  

 
About halfway through breakfast, Izuku remembers that he remembers that he still has to furnish and decorate his room. He swallows the small piece of omelet in his mouth before speaking. “Um, Sensei?” He asks softly. 

All for one lifts his head. “Hmm?” He sets down his chopsticks, giving Izuku his full attention. He’s sure that Izuku has been ignored more often than not in the past, and he wants to make sure the boy knows he has his full attention.  

“Uh, when I’ll be going shopping for my new room?” He has lots of idea’s of what he wants to do with his room. He definitely wants a bit of a star theme, but he doesn’t want it to be overwhelming. He also wants to have some plants to take care of, maybe a bonsai or two to start with. He also wants a few pictures… Sensei wouldn’t mind taking a few photo’s right? 

“Ah, yes. Of course. I have actually decided I want you to be a closer to my own room. The closest room to mind is only a single room away, on the other side of the master bathroom. It is bigger than your current one and has a few extra features I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”  

Izuku blinks and nods. “Okay, sure.” 

“As for when you can go shopping, you can go whenever you wish. I will be sending Kurogiri with you as a bodyguard and transportation. If you’re going today, just make sure you are back by twelve. would like you to start quirk training today at twelve.” 

Izuku nods vigorously. “Okay! I think I will go today. I… want my place here to feel more permanent, and I think furnishing and decorating my room will help.” He lows his head, fiddling with his chopsticks.  

All for One smiles softly and reaches out, running his hands through Izuku’s hair. “Of course, my boy. I completely understand.” He gives his hair a ruffle before sitting back. “When do you think you will be leaving?”  

Izuku hums, poking at the rest of his food with a frown. “Probably now… I’m full.” He wishes he could eat more, he hates the idea that he’s wasting food. He knows how precious food is and not eating everything he’s given just makes him feel wrong.  

All for One nods. “Very well. I shall summon Kurogiri.” He taps into his telepathy quirk and contacts Kurogiri. ‘Kurogiri. Come to the dining-room. I have an assignment for you.’ He smiles at Izuku. “He will be here shortly.” 

Izuku blinks. That was fast. Wait! Izuku’s eyes widen and he leans forward. “Did you just use a telepathy quirk?” He asks excitedly.  

All for One chuckles and nods. “Indeed, I did. I simply call it Telepathy. All I require for a connection to speak with someone is verbal permission from them. It is one way telepathy, meaning I can speak to them through it, but they can not respond, though I do get a vague feeling of acknowledgment when my message is received.”  

“That’s so cool!” Izuku beams, his eyes shining with excitement. “It sounds very similar to Mandalay’s quirk from Wild, Wild Pussy Cats! Is there a limit to how far away someone can be for you to speak to them? How clearly does a message come through for the receiver? Is there a delay from the time you send the message to when it’s received? Can–“ He cuts himself off by slamming his hand over his mouth, a flash of panic jolting through him. “I-I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t mean to ramble like that!”  

All for One laughs. “It’s not a big deal, my boy. I quite enjoy you questions, in fact. Let’s see.” He hums thoughtfully, thinking over the questions. “The farthest I’ve been able to contact someone is about five districts away. If I’m very clear on what I want the receiver to hear, they will receive exactly what I want them to receive. After about two miles, there is a slow growing delay from when I send the message and when it is received.”  

Izuku blinks, astonished that the man actually answered his questions before beaming. “So cool!” He opens his mouth to ask more questions but he’s cut off by the door sliding open. He looks over to see Kurogiri standing in the entrance. 

Kurogiri takes a short glance over at Izuku before turning his attention to All for One. “You called for me, Master?” He questions in a his monotonous voice.  

“Yes.” All for One turns to Kurogiri. “Izuku here wants to go shopping for his room now. You are to accompany him and keep him safe at all costs. He will also need help with transportation of his new furniture.” 

Kurogiri dips his head. “Of course, Master.” He turns to the boy and gives a small bow. “I will make a portal for our departure whenever you are ready, Young Master.”  

Izuku nods mutely, and All for One turns back to him. “Now, you don’t worry about price at all, you hear? If you see something you like, get it.” Izuku opens his mouth to protest, but All for One holds up a hand. “Izuku, I am one of the most wealthy people in the world. I’ve had control of the underground market for over a decade as well as a good handful of highly successful legal businesses. You don’t need to worry about money.”  

Izuku hesitates before his shoulders slump in defeat, and he nods. Though he’ll still probably be checking price tags if only out of habit. He’s had to be so careful with money the last few years that he doesn’t think he can immediately get used to not having to micromanage his funds.  

“Good. Make sure to get some nice clothes for yourself too. You’re going to need a few nice outfits for the things I have planned for you. You’re my successor, and you’re going to need to go to some parties every now and then to keep up appearances. I want you to look nice for them.” All for One reaches out, ruffling Izuku’s hair. 

 
“O-okay…” Izuku says, fiddling with his shirt. It’s the same one he put on yesterday morning because he doesn’t have any others… 

“Good. Now go ahead and get going. Remember, be back by twelve.” 

“Yes, Sensei.” Izuku gets up and makes his way around the table to the door where Kurogiri is still standing. The man studies the boy for a moment before stepping to the side and making a portal. Izuku glances back at All for One once more before walking through the portal. Kurogiri bows to All for One before disappearing through the portal as well. 

They both come out at the end of an nice alleyway somewhere Izuku doesn’t recognize. “Come, Young Master.” Kurogiri intones, making his way towards the mouth of the large alleyway. Izuku follows after him cautiously, glancing around nervously.  

When they come out of the alleyway, Izuku blinks a few times, eyes widening as he finds himself looking at one Tokyo’s huge malls. It’s something he’s never seen before. He’s never left Musutafu before, and it doesn’t have anything even close to this. It’s humongous and more than a little overwhelming.  

“Young Master?” Kurogiri inquires, unsure as to why the boy looks so awestruck. “Is something the matter?”  

Izuku blinks and looks up at the man. “S-sorry. I’ve just n-never seen a mall this b-big before.” He reaches back, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. 

 
“I see. Well, where are we going first?” Kurogiri asks, starting to walk towards the mall entrance.  

Izuku jolts and hurries to catch up to him. “Um… Well, p-probably a furniture s-store… I, uh, I’m going for a g-galaxy theme so, um, o-one that has lots of d-darker furniture. I gu-guess…” He wrings his hands nervously, glancing around at all the people filling the mall. It nerve wracking to be around so many people at once. What if someone who knows him sees him? Sure he looks rather different, but what if someone still recognizes him? He doesn’t want to get hurt. 

His head starts to get fuzzy and distant, filling with static. His vision starts to tunnel as bodies bump up against him and the darkness of his mind encroaches. His breath starts to pick up, his eyes fluttering around, memorizing exits and escape routes. There’s a heavy pressure on his lungs, making it extremely hard to breathe. Every brush against his skin feels like burning hands. It too much. Too much. He’s fading, losing his grip on reality. 

 
A cold hand wraps around his upper arm, and he jolts with a gasp, trying to tug away. He’s yanked out of control of his body, Deku taking control. Deku whimpers, going slack in the persons grip. Fighting back only makes it worse. Just take the hits quietly and they’ll eventually get bored and leave. Don’t cry, don’t protest, don’t fight back.  

The hand starts leading Deku through the crowd into a mostly empty store, bringing him to a quiet corner. The person crouches down in front of him and his tunneled vision is filled with purple mist and two glowing yellow eyes.  

“Young Master, it’s okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You need to calm down.” Kurogiri cringes inwardly. He has no idea how to handle this. He wasn’t told that the Young Master had panic attacks and wasn’t prepared. He holds the boy’s shoulders gently, but firmly.  

Deku sucks in a sharp breath, trembling under the hands holding him. He doesn’t understand. Why isn’t he being hit or kicked or yelled at? What is going on? Who is this person? Is he supposed to know him? He’s talking like he knows Deku, but Deku doesn’t know him. He’s so confused.  

“Come on, Izuku. Come back to me. You’re okay. You’re safe.” Kurogiri tries to coax the boy into a calmer state, but it doesn’t seem to be working.  

Izuku? Oh, Deku understands now. This man knows Izuku, not Deku. Deku isn’t Izuku. Izuku has worth, much more than the small bit he had before. Izuku now has a great quirk and people who care about him. Deku doesn’t. Deku is a quirkless, worthless waste of space. Always has been, always will be.  

“N–n–not Iz–zuku… D–Deku.” He chokes out, preparing himself for a beating now that the man knows he’s a worthless Deku.
 

Kurogiri blinks. Not Izuku? That is… concerning. If this isn’t Izuku, then who is it? He said Deku? Doesn’t that mean useless puppet or something? Or maybe he was just calling himself Deku? Kurogiri isn’t sure. “Very well, Deku, then.” He definitely notices the violent flinch the name brings. “You’re safe, Deku. No one is going to hurt you. I’m here to protect you.”  

Deku blinks a few times in confusion. He’s not sure what is going on. This man is being nice to him, even though he knows he’s a Deku. Why? Is it some kind of trick? It wouldn’t be the first time someone was nice to Deku only to stab him in the back. He had to be cautious.  

But as his panic starts to fade, so does Deku himself. The situation isn’t as dire anymore. Deku isn’t needed anymore. It is time for Izuku to come back. Deku reluctantly steps back, and Izuku is once again in control.  

Izuku takes a sharp, deep breath, stumbling. He’s not sure what just happened and is extremely disoriented. He looks around, confused, wondering how he got into a store. He looks at Kurogiri and opens his mouth. “Uh… what happened?..” He questions.   

Kurogiri blinks. What? “You had a panic attack, Deku.”  

Izuku flinches harshly at the name, confusion and hurt swirling in his chest. “D-Deku..?” 

Kurogiri frowns at the look of betrayal on the boy’s face. What now? “Yes. I called you Izuku, and you said you were not Izuku, but Deku.”  

Izuku frowns deeply at that. “I… did? No, that’s not right. I… I hate that name…”  

Kurogiri paused, suddenly coming to a realization. Oh dear… He will have to inform the master of this as soon as they return. He lets out a breath. “Very well, I will not call you that name. So, Young Master. Are you feeling better?”  

Izuku hesitates, still weary, before nodding slowly. “Y-yeah... Yeah, I think I’m okay now.” He rubs at his upper arm where Kurogiri had held him. His nerves were still firing off false signals of heat and pressure in the area, making him slightly on edge.  

Kurogiri nods and stands up. “Would you like to continue shopping or should we head home? Either one is fine. Whatever you are most comfortable with.”  

Izuku pauses and thinks it over. He does still feel on edge, but that's a normal feeling for him. He hardly ever got to relax, even at home, so he is used to it. Besides, he really needs this. He needs to have a room of his own. He needs to solidify his place of belonging with Sensei. He’s been trying really hard not to think of his darker thoughts, but he saw the razor in the bathroom and the urge to slide it across his thigh and paint the floor red had been really hard to resist. He needs to feel secure before he does something stupid again.  

He nods. “I-I want to keep g-going.” He says firmly, clenching his fists, his multitude of self-inflicted scars throbbing.  

Kurogiri dips his head. “Of course, Young Master. I shall bring you directly to the first store seeing as I have a license to use my quirk.” He wants to avoid another crowd-induced panic attack. He waves his hand, and a portal opens before Izuku.  

Izuku nods and steps through the portal into a huge open furniture store. A few people give the portal startled looks, but seeing that it is just a boy coming out, they shrug and continue their shopping. Idiots. Don’t they know that age wasn’t a contender to how dangerous someone was? Izuku knows plenty of people his age who will attack with no warning. He shakes his head as Kurogiri forms next to him.  

He sighs and starts moving towards the shelves and bookcase first. He wants two. One for books and notebooks and one for miscellaneous stuff.  

He walks through the aisles filled with different types of shelving, Kurogiri right at his heels. He runs his hand over the different woods, getting a feel for their quality and giving them simple stress tests. He not so subtly checks every price tag, bitting at his bottom lip.  

Eventually, he finds a shelf he like but it‘s 275,000 yen (2,476 US dollars)! It’s big enough that it could house both his notebook and some miscellaneous items, and he loves staggered geometric look and elegance of it as well as the dark mahogany stain. It would look really nice with a plant of two as well which is what he wants. Not to mention it’s matching smaller counterpart with comes with it for an extra 65,000 yen (585 US dollars). It’s perfect, but it costs way too much.  

Apparently he must have been pretty obvious about liking it because Kurogiri calls for a worker and says that they’ll be getting both the large shelf and the smaller one. Izuku tries to stutter out a refusal of some kind but Kurogiri simply waves away all his mentioned concerns. Izuku slumps in defeat, even as a swirl of warmth forms in his chest. So, they chose the two shelves and move on. 

Izuku moves on to finding a dresser he likes. He asks Kurogiri if he knows if his new room as a closet for hanging up clothes. Kurogiri states that to does not, so Izuku looks at dresser closets first. He doesn’t notice Kurogiri specifically leading him away from the cheaper dressers and finds himself looking at some large, sometimes full wall dresser closets.  

He bits his lip at one he really likes. It’s a nice, open style closet dresser with a dark oak stain and black panaling. It has two, one meter spaces to hang up clothes, the left of which has three drawers under it, separated it the middle by small square cubbies. Connected to the right space were a bunch of medium-sized rectangular cubbies with some drawers. All along the top were long cubbies.  

He once again frowned as he checked the price tag. 169,000 yen (1,522 US dollars). He’s about to move on when he catches Kurogiri giving him a questioning look. He struggles with himself for a moment before eventually giving in and say g he likes it. Kurogiri nods and gets a store attendant to add it to their list. 

Next he thought of looking at bed frames but decides to keep the one he currently had. It‘s a perfectly good bed frame, no need to replace it. It even matches the dark theme he’s going for. He is about to move on when something catches his eye. It‘s a sleek-looking square nightstand with a mahogany stain. He tilts his head at it thoughtfully before deciding he wants it. He hs to force himself not to look at the price tag. It is added to their list.

 
He moves on to a desk. He comes across a nice platform studio desk and can’t help but think it would be perfect for doing deep quirk research and hacking. He could ask Sensei for some high-end computer and hacking stuff and make a whole setup with it. It would definitely be on the expensive side, but... Well, Sensei said he could get anything he wanted... He picks out the platform desk in a dark oak stain. He gets a comfortable dark blue rolling chair with black highlights to go with it. 

Next, he moves on to bedding. He picks out a star themed set, obviously. The blanket cover is a swirl of black blue and purple with white constellations added on and the pillow cases are dark blue and dark purple respectively. He likes it. As he is about to leave the section, he catches sight of some blue and purple curtains, slightly lighter in color than the pillow sheets and decided to get those too. 

With that done, they make their purchase, and Kurogiri warps everything back home.  

“A-alright...” Izuku fiddles with his hands nervously. “I want to get some paint for one of the walls...” Kirogiri nods and makes a portal to the paint store so they can once again avoid the crowds.  

Izuku gets two different dark blues, a lighter blue, a dark purple, a lighter purple, black, a maroon, and a small bit of white. He is going all out on the wall. Kurogiri looks at the chosen paints with mild interest, wondering what the young master planned to do with the wall. 

By the time the paint is done, it is eleven a.m., so they have an hour before Izuku has to be back home. Kurogiri ushers Izuku to the next store. It’s a general home goods store for Izuku to pick out some miscellaneous stuff.  

Izuku wanders around a bit aimlessly before Kurgiri exasperated by pointed him in the direction of some stuffed animals. Izuku looks around in bewilderment, finding himself surrounded by plushies and not knowing what to do with himself.  

Eventually he finds himself drawn to a huge green teddy bear about two-thirds his height. He runs his fingers through it’s fur, marveling at the softness. He glances around, sees that Kurogiri isn’t within immediate line of sight, and wraps his arms around the bear, holding it to his chest. He melts at the softness and the comfort he gets from holding it. His eyes flutter closed and he feels some of his natural tension melt away.  

Someone clears their throat behind him. Izuku squeaks and spins to face Kurogiri, dropping the bear. He immediately starts babbling out some excuse, but it’s cut off when Kurogiri simply picks up the bear and brings it to their shopping cart. Izuku blushes madly, but it doesn’t stop him from finding a few more super soft and fluffy plushies and shoving them into the cart with a pink blush on his cheeks. He ends up with a small, fluffy black cat, a soft purple bunny, a silky green and black dragon, a small puffy gray wolf, two strange matching creatures, one pink, the other blue and both extremely soft, and of course, the bear.  

He goes around the store a bit more and picks out a few more things. He gets a fancy square paper lantern lamp decorated by a stary night in a forest, a string of yellow star lights, a few strings of green-blue lights, a red reading lamp, a few random non-hero figurines, a two soft blankets, one green and the other blue, a bamboo plant, a traditional bonsai tree, a lily and a fern plant. 

Once they finish up there, they head to a few high-end clothing stores.  

The first one is a casual wear store. Izuku looks around nervously, never having been is such a high-end store before, onlymsecond hand stores. After a few minutes of just standing in the entrance, Kurogiri gently nudges him forward. Izuku wanders through the store slowly, not daring to touch anything. Kurogiri eventually says if Izuku doesn’t start picking things out, he’s just going to start picking random things. So, Izuku starts hesitantly looking through the clothes. 

Everything feels so nice and high quality. He ends up picking out nine t-shirts with simple designs, six long-sleeved shirts with simple designs, two button-up shirts, a loose sweater, a sweatshirt, a denim jacket, a nice thin jacket, two hakama pants, five jeans, four sweatpants, six shorts, ten underwear, ten socks, a pair of dark red high tops and a pair of black boots. Some of them he’s hesitant to get, but Kurogiri urges him onwards.  

Next, they go to a traditional clothing store with kimonos, yukatas, hantens, haoris and everything else. Izuku is confused as to why there were there until Kurogiri explains All for One has many older acquaintances that prefer traditional wear. Izuku just shrugs and goes to pick out a few things. He gets three nagagis, five haoris, two hantens, two hakamas, a samue, a casual lounge robe, a pair of settas, and a pair of zoris.  

Next, they go to a tailor shop that freaks Izuku out. It’s so fucking fancy! Apparently, Sensei is a VIP customer of theirs and when told Izuku is his successor they started treating him like royalty. It makes his head spin. He’s never felt so pampered in his entire life.  

They have him stand on a circular platform with a bunch of mirrors and start fussing over him. They take his measurements, seemingly aware of his nerves and being very kind and gentle with him. They bring him strips of different types of cloths in different colors, comparing them to his hair, eyes and skin tone. He hears something about dark green making his eyes and hair pop and black making a good contrast to his skin, but really everything is a blur. They end up leaving empty-handed but with a promise of lots of costume formal wear. 

 
“Alright.” Kurogiri says, looking down at the dazed Izuku with mild amusement. “I think it's time we head back. It is almost twelve.”  

Izuku blinks. “O-oh. Yeah, of course.”  

Kurogiri nods and waves his hand, making a portal. “After you, Young Master.”  

Izuku nods and steps through the portal. He blinks away the faint dizziness, finding himself in the new room Sensei spoke of. It is indeed bigger than the other with a sliding door leading somewhere, probably outside. The furniture bought with Kurogiri is all there in boxes as well as his shopping bags of miscellaneous items and clothes.  

He glances behind him when he hears Kurogiri speaking. “The Master says he will be here shortly.” 

Izuku gave a nod and smiled shyly. “Th-thank you.” Kurogiri nodded and left the room. Izuku turned back to the room and smiled. Time to get to work.  

Izuku turns to the bag with the paint and painting supplies and starts setting up to paint. He hums softly as he does, bobbing his head to the tune. He wonders if he can ask Sensei to get him a phone and some speakers. A knock on his door has Izuku pulling away from his thoughts. He looks over as the door open, and All for One steps in. “Sensei!” Izuku hops up and barrel over to Sensei, beaming up at him.  

The man chuckled and rested a hand on Izuku head. “Hello, Izuku. I see you got a lot of things for your room, that’s good.” 

Izuku pulls back with a bright smile, even if it is a little forced. “Yup.” He looks back at his cluttered room.  

All for One hums. “Now, how about you take a break, and we’ll start working on Survivor?”  

Izuku’s express lights up. “Alright! Let me just clean up a bit!” Izukustarts to head towards the paint but All for One stops him with a hand on his shoulder.  

“There’s no need for that, I will just be here for a few minutes and then you can continue.” All for One walks over to the bed and sits down on it, patting next to him. “Come and sit so we can talk.”  

Izuku tilts his head, but nods and sits down next to him. All for One smiles. “Now, first we’re going to work on control and endurance. Call on Survivor for me.”  

Izuku nods and focuses on the heat in his head, pulling it out to flood his body. He smiles slightly as power flows through him, flooding him with strength. It’s still a novelty to him to feel so strong and sturdy. It's great and washes away some of the tension he almost always holds in him. 

 
All for One nods. “Good. Now, I’m sure you’ve already noticed that you are much stronger with Survivor activated.” His voice is tinted with amusement. Izuku nods, flexing his hands. “Well, you need to learn to control your new strength. The best way to do this is have Survivor active when your doing normal tasks. Get used to the feeling of regulating your strength.”  

Izuku nods along. That makes sense. If he gets down to a normal strength when boosted, he can add on the necessary amount of strength. “Now, I want you to continue what you were doing, but this time keep Survivor active for fifteen minutes at a time with ten-minute breaks in between until you feel a strain on the quirk. It will help you learn to control your strength and it will build up your body's endurance of the quirk so you can use it for longer periods.” Izuku nodded enthusiastically. All for One chuckles. “Right, well, I’ll leave you to your work. When your done setting up your room, you may do what you wish until I call for you.” He ruffles Izuku’s hair again before standing up and leaving the room.  

Izuku lets out a breath and stands. “Alright, let’s do this!” He goes back over to the paints and gets to work. He picks the back wall of the room and paints it with two layers of charcoal black first. Once it’s dry, he starts painting big clouds of dark purples and blues, mixing in little spots of lighter purple and blue. He makes sure to blend the colors together nicely, only leaving a few hard lines here and there to give a galaxy effect. Once the clouds are dry, he starts meticulously adding little white stars in different shapes all over the wall. 

 
It takes him three and a half hours for him to finish the wall. He stands back when he’s all done, running his hand over his forehead and smearing some purple paint across it unknowingly. He beams at the finished product, feeling really proud of it. He cleans up the paints, washes all his utensils in the bathroom, and puts everything away. n

 
He starts up ‘Survivor’, not wanting to have done it when he was painting for fear of messing up. First, he takes all the blankets and pillows off his bed. He puts the thick blanket into the constellation cover and throwing it onto the bed before smoothing it out. He puts all the pillows into the blue and purple covers before placing them on the bed. He folds up the two fluffy blankets he got and lays them on the end of the bed. He then pulls out all the plushies he got and sets them all in with the pillows, nodding, satisfied. 

 
Setting up the furniture is difficult with his enhanced strength. You would think it would be easy, but it really isn’t. He almost breaks a few boards multiple times. But, eventually, he gets them all set up.  

He puts the night stand next to the bed, obviously, and sets the paper later lamp on it along with the digital alarm clock. The smaller shelf is set up at the end of the bed. He places all of the none-hero figurines on it along with the fern. The taller shelf is set up across from the bed in the corner, with the bonsai tree and lily. The desk and chair set up right up against bigger shelf with the red lamp on it. The dresser is set up against the last empty wall. 

Then comes all the decorations. He draps a string of yellow star lights across the head board of his bed. They contrasted nicely with the blue and purple walls and pillows. He strings up more lights across the top of his room, these ones dark green in color. He puts up the curtains and leaves them open. 

He then moves on to organizing his clothes. He folds up all his casual clothes and puts them in the drawers. He hangs up all the traditional clothes in the center hanging space of the dresser. He puts all the shoes he got into the small cubbies.  

So, five and a half hours after he started, his room is done being set up. He flops down on his bed with a heavy exhale and smiles. He looks over his room, feeling very satisfied and proud of himself. It makes him feel secure, having a set room of his own. It makes him feel like he finally, actually belongs here.  

He closes his eyes and relaxes, pulling the huge bear to his chest and cuddling it. As he starts to drift off, he feeld Survival slip from his active grasp and settle back into his body. The warmth stays throughout his body though. It comforts him, to know he’ll be able to call on the strength any time without having to pull the quirk from his own quirk.  

He drifts off to sleep, happy and content, for now.