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There was no sense of urgency or fear – or rather, it was a distant thing, buried beneath the blanket of numbness that had crept across Toshinori in the late hours of the evening. Hero work kept him busy all day, as it always does, as it does every day, but this numbness was new. It slows him, just a fraction. Dulls the sense of urgency to do what needed to be done. The way people looked at him now, that sliver of fear in their eyes and the way they shrank back in his presence had caused a heavy weight to settle in his belly, but it was alright – it was fine – So long as he could still save people it was fine –
He felt All for One like a beacon at the stroke of midnight as he announced his presence, calling for a new game, and Toshinori was so damn tired – the fear, the anger –
He felt numb.
He rarely met All for One head on. The villain preferred to take to the streets, walking out in the open and blend in with the crowd, hidden by an innocuous disguise. He knew Toshinori wouldn’t strike with the risk of so many civilian casualties, so Toshinori would wait, and watch, and step in if there was no risk.
Toshinori’s hero suit was too bright. Too noticeable. It only took seconds to change into civvies, a nondescript coat and a baseball cap to hide his bright, eye-catching hair. He moved with purpose, hunched over, trying to be as unnoticeable as possible – and turned down an alley, following the man in the pinstripe suit and the average face and curled black hair. It was an illusion, one that Toshinori’s sharp eyes could easily see through. His heart thudded, loud and distracting, a lump in his throat.
Fuck, what was he doing?
All for One stopped, head tilted to look back over his shoulder, a brow raised. A flicker of red in the fake grey of his eyes, and he gave a slow blink before turning to properly face Toshinori, who stopped feet away behind him.
"Ah.” He said. “We're at that point, are we? Tsk, All Might. You're not getting boring on me, are you?"
Toshinori swallowed, tongue too thick for his mouth. He just stared at All for One, not running, not attacking. He didn’t know why – he should. He needed to.
Fuck, he was tired.
All for One hummed, his gaze considering, before he turned his back on Toshinori once more with a beckoning wave. "Come then, my nemisis. Come have a drink with me."
Toshinori followed.
It was a small, nondescript bar – run down and out of the way. An old man flailed with a shocked noise as All for One and Toshinori entered before he disappeared through the curtain behind the bar. Beyond him there were few other patrons – a couple in a corner booth, someone slumped over at the very end of the bar. Toshinori didn’t even blink at the shadow-wreathed barkeep who bowed his head when All for One took a seat before him and wordlessly began to pour drinks.
After a second, Toshinori joined him.
For a while they sit in silence. Toshinori wasn’t so far gone as to not realise how fucking odd this was, but there was something like ease in the way All for One leaned his elbows on the bar and tapped his fingers against the rim of his glass. He’d ditched the illusion, and in the dim light of the bar he looked striking. The dull golden glow played across his face, highlighting stark angles and deepening the shadows under his eyes. His tie was gone, the first few buttons carelessly popped, baring the long, pale column of his throat.
He really was a handsome man.
All for One caught Toshinori’s gaze and smiled. Toshinori puffed out a break of air and focused on his own drink, unable to bring himself to take the first mouthful.
"It's alright, that you're feeling like this." All for One says after a pause, relaxed, red eyes attentive. "I recall going through the same thing at your age. Times were turbulent, more so than now." A laugh, a sly smile. "We have you and your ilk to thank for that. It was so glorious back then. There was so much freedom, for heroes and villains, before the government stepped in with all of their rules and regulations."
He leaned his chin on his hand, and there was a shift in his bearing. He looked at Toshinori with the same hunger he had during their very first tryst. "The vigilantes were growing more and more bold, more clever, and my dearest brother, my only family, was on their side. It was quite stressful."
"Stressful." Toshi echoed, expression flat. He finally took a drink, otherwise he was going to smash the glass in All for One’s face. Anger, irritation flared, striking through the numbness.
"Oh yes." All for One laughed, eyes gleaming with mischief – knowing the exact effect he had on Toshinori. "With such high stakes, constantly bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders, the safety and livelihoods of people who depend on you at risk every second… You're so overwhelmed you're growing numb to it. You’re starting to wonder if you should truly care. The more you endure the more you start to lose sight of your goal. The more you begin to slip.”
All for one leaned in, just an inch. It made the air between them grow hot, a sick curl of desire heating Toshinori’s gut, and All for One grinned, baring perfect teeth in a predatory smile. Toshinori leaned in, unable to resist All for One’s magnetic pull. “The more you slip, the closer I am to winning. You’ve fought admirably all these years, Toshinori. You’re everything I could have ever hoped for, the greatest thorn in my side, the perfect rival to keep me on my toes. All these years you’ve danced to my tune, and you’re going to break now? ”
A chill crawled down Toshinori’s spine. All for One’s tone had hardened, darkened. A poisonous thread of disappointment and anger coloured his words, and Toshinori straightened and narrowed his eyes at the villain, the glass in his hand gaining a hairline fracture as his grip tightened.
“I'm going to impart some advice to you, my dear hero. What you do with it is up to you." All for One held his gaze, and there was true anger there. What was he thinking? ‘ How dare you ’, maybe. ‘ How dare you fail. How dare you weaken before I am ready .’ Toshinori grit his teeth – All for One was audacious to a fault, and the anger that pulsed burned away the lingering numbness.
This man – everything was his fault. Everything. And fuck it if the villain’s words – his provocations – weren’t working. Toshinori was playing to All for One’s tune again , and that only made the anger burn brighter.
He used to feel helpless in these instances. Because no matter how much he fought or struggled, he was never fast enough , never strong enough , and All for One slipped from his grasp again and again. Those eyes taunted him, that voice mocked him, those hands brought such terrible pain and pleasure and–
Toshinori hated him. He hated him to his very core, even as his heart skipped a beat every time they locked eyes, even as his body yearned for those electric hot hands to caress his body. All for One had poisoned him, brought nothing but suffering to the world around him and –
Toshinori was, what? Tired ?
It took effort to regain control of his breathing. There was a tremor to his frame that he couldn’t contain, and he was fixated on the villain, who never stopped looking at him. Never stopped smiling.
"Take some time for yourself." All for One said, and Toshinori stilled. “Perhaps… I have been pushing you too far. Perhaps your plight is one I can sympathise with. I will graciously step away so you stop stretching yourself so thin. Think of it as a vacation; for the next year I will keep my distance, and you can do some thinking. Some healing. No need to worry about what I may do to some poor unsuspecting civilians or your dear little underground hero. And when that time is up, either you'll act - or you won't. It's all in your hands, All Might."
All Might felt a chill down his spine. It felt like he’d been drenched in cold water. "What are you planning?"
"Oh you know me, I'm always planning." All for One rolled his shoulders in a shrug. The spell that had been holding Toshinori tense, leaning into All for One’s presence, broke. He straightened, alert and all too sober in his stool. "It just so happens that I'm needed elsewhere for a while, so this is the perfect time for a holiday, no? And I’m feeling generous. Nothing is more disappointing than ending a game before the true climax."
All for One knocked his chair back and stood. They’d always been of similar height and mass, but like this All for One loomed over him, and Toshinori was brought back to that disgusting, dirty alley from so long ago. He felt small, and powerless, frozen as All for One downed the remainder of his drink and leaned towards Toshinori.
A familiar shudder swept through him when All for One cupped his cheek, hands electric hot and so fucking gentle . It made Toshi's heart pound - made him feel sick. "I hope the vacation treats you well, my dear. We will be seeing each other again soon, so don’t fret."
All Might couldn’t predict All for One like this. He didn’t know his next move. All for One was close, eyes at half mast, his smile small and knowing, and Toshinori was caught up in the way All for One’s thumb stroked across his cheek, in the way their breaths mingled as All for One seemed to pause.
To hesitate.
Then he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Toshinori’s brow. Lingering, warm, intimate; full of an affection that felt all too real, causing Toshinori’s mind to whirl in a maelstrom of shocked confusion.
All for One drew away and patted Toshinori’s cheek, that amused mischief once more bright in his eyes, and then the villain left, disappearing through the curtain behind the bar with a wave of farewell.
Toshinori was left alone. The smoke-wreathed bartender was busying himself with cleaning classes, not paying him any mind. The couple in the booth seemed to be growing more intimate by the second, pressed close together, their modesty hidden by shadow. The man who’d been slumped at the end of the bar had disappeared at some point or another.
For a long while, Toshinori stared into his glass, his thoughts racing. He was in the heart of enemy territory – it was obvious this was one of All for One’s haunts. He seemed confident that Toshinori wouldn’t break the truce that settled between them, and truthfully Toshinori was reluctant to do so. Nothing appeared to be of any threat to him here and now, and Toshinori was allowed to brood in peace.
All for One’s words repeated over and over. He wasn’t to be trusted, that was obvious, and yet –
Even though All for One had riled him from his daze, and had burned away the numbness, Toshinori was still so damn tired.
"I know you'll do what you think is right." All for One said once, many many years ago, with All Might pinned to a filthy alley wall and quaking for the villain’s touch. "You're going to be the symbol of peace, after all."
Toshinori cursed and forcefully shook himself. He downed his drink and left the bar without looking back.
Months later, after a bought with a monstrous villain that took out half a city block, Toshinori found himself assisting the authorities in clearing out the destroyed wing of Jaku General Hospital, which had been caught in the crossfire. He’d been drifting in an almost fugue state, caught up in his head – fighting to not think about the what ifs, the different routes he could have taken in order to spare more pain and destruction.
He cleared debris, directed the police and the firefighters to where he could hear people caught or trapped, and when he finally had a moment to breathe and there were no more lives at stake, he bid the police, the firefighters, the volunteering doctors and nurses his thanks. The way they looked at him was – familiar. They still saw him for what he was, as the symbol of peace. They saw him as a hero for helping, not as a nuisance for causing this destruction, and Toshinori was so relieved .
Months of silence. Not a single noticeable movement from All for One. No alarms or tips raised from his sources and contacts. It was like he’d disappeared from the face of the earth, and Toshinori was starting to regain some sense of normalcy. It felt false, too good to be true.
And then Toshinori saw him. An odd, small old man a ways off, amongst a few gathered people he recognised belonged to the hospital’s board of directors. They were there to offer their thanks, to which Toshinori had brushed off with his usual laugh and smile – and there the man was, angled as if to try and remain unnoticed. It had really only been a minute – there was still much work to be done, and Toshinori was already needed elsewhere.
He leapt into the air, leaving the hospital and the familiar old man behind. The wind rushed through his hair, pulled at his cape. He felt his heart in his throat, a giddy sensation that never got old. There was freedom within that motion, and it brought a lightness to his chest.
But then he remembered. The memories overlapped. He could place that old man now, though at the time he’d been wreathed in shadow in a dank little bar, and had only been visible for a few seconds before he’d disappeared behind the folds of a curtain. The same one All for One slipped behind moments later.
Things clicked into place. There was – something there, something that had Toshinori’s chest swelling with excitement .
Surely All for One wasn’t so careless.
Surely this was just a part of his grand plan.
…
…
Surely… Surely Toshinori could use this.