Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

And with that... his last friend bid adieu.

He could still see the silhouette in the distance, retreating from the the place they once called home. Everything screamed to go after him... to stop him, damn it. Charlie was leaving!!! But...

... he was leaving for good.

It felt kinda anticlimactic, he thought, bitterly. He had just experienced one of the strangest moments in his life! He met versions of himself from other realities, after all. But it all palled in comparison to what came after...

Charlie came to Quackity not to apologise, not to fight. He hadn't come to save him from this misery either. He had come to say goodbye and to thank him...
At that thought Q felt a slight happiness amidst the pain. After all, he taught Slime how to be "Human". Was that his legacy?

Alex finally looked away from the now empty street. His body felt numb; on autopilot, he turned around and took in the emptiness. The emptiness of the streets but, most of all, the emptiness of the country he so painstakingly built. Everything was truly meaningless, the chapel, the needle, the fake sand that couldn't hide the mind-numbing cold and stillness of Las Nevadas. Q slowly made his way to what started it all. The casino. Meanwhile, he was spiraling with thoughts. Just some hours ago he had accepted that he was a good-for-nothing, that Schlatt had been right all along that everything had failed under his guidance and that's, when he decided to run, to take the easy route and blow it all to smithereens- but ... Now? There was an odd calmness in his resolve. Quackity continued through the halls of the gambling house. His eyes burned slightly, but a faint smile crept onto his face. He slowly walked to what would be his final resting place. At last, he would leave this place. Alone. And since without Quackity there's no Las Nevadas... without Las Nevadas there would be no Quackity.
He knew this was it, everyone had left. Even that gambling addict Jack Manifold was nowhere to be found. Foolish was who knows where now, had suddenly left after saying something vague like: "I need to save the server from complete destruction! I'll have to reverse everything!". Of course, Q knew it was a lie. No doubt. Even that one homeless loser wasn't near Las Nevadas for quite some time. The country had now become truly abandoned. But that's not what was on his mind anymore. Quackity thought back to Slime's words. Maybe Charlie was his legacy. The legacy he always wanted. A lasting presence for himself, a feeling of significance for someone and a place where he would be needed. He had finally reached two out of the three, but failed to find the last and most important one, a place to belong. Still, he was grateful to Charlie.

He didn't notice how he had reached his destination so quickly. There were countless TNT blocks scattered around the underground room. Quackity felt a sense of deja vu, when he sat on a carefully placed throne in the middle of it all. Then he quietly stared. A button was placed right in front of him. Eventually he reached out and before he could even react— pain erupted from all around. The flash of lights was quick, Alex Quackity's end was quicker.

Last thing Q thought was how nice it would be to find a place where people would truly need him, before everything went silent.

_____________________________

Something was very wrong. Two lookalikes stood in shock, one in a striped blue sweater, the other in a damaged black trenchcoat. The identical duck hybrids had just witnessed a madman stab himself and disappeared into nothingness.

"No manches..." ("No way...")

"What just happened?"

Suddenly an alarm blasted throughout the white space, red lights flashing all around them. Alexis Quackity clutched his small necklace cross crying out panicked questions, while Don Quackity felt on the verge of dispair.

"What's happening?!" "How do we get out!?!!"

"¡¡No se!!"

"Just go somewhere-"

The space crumbled. White light engulfed the two and the cacophony stopped.

_____________________________

First thing Quackity noticed was the lack of pain on the left side of his face. It seemed, he was passed out on floor. Most likely on the street, based on the familiar feeling of pavement under his palms. So...he first assumed he was waking up after another night of drinking, however instead of the familiar nausea, he felt a terrible headache and the lack of toothache of all things. After he slowly reached up to touch his face he found that it was smooth... unfamiliarly smooth. Where was his scar? His eye felt real, nothing like the prosthetic one he's used to after Technoblade's battle. That quickly sobered him up, if not because of the panic, then because he wasn't drunk at all (to his astonishment). Alex sat up groaning and clutched his head. One look around showed that he was in some kind of alleyway he didn't remember building. And then he noticed his clothes... His old default clothes, blue tracksuit, white stripes, white t-shirt, and an old blue beanie that he had slid off himself to check and then put quickly back on. All he could think of was— what kind of drug did he take to have such vivid hallucinations...Maybe it wasn't that... Everything felt too real. But if he was not dreaming, how were there no scars and... why on earth was he in his default clothes?

Quackity stood up with a curse 'que chingados-'. He dusted off his clothes and tried to recall what had happened. Last thing he knew, he was in Las Nevadas and someone had come to see him, but— everything was foggy. Who had come? What happened after? Is he in Las Nevadas? It didn't seem right, because Las Nevadas was... it was... Q couldn't recall why he can't be in Las Nevada's; and after trying to remember, he got a stabbing pain on the back of his head. When he reached back he felt wetness that upon further inspection, was in fact blood. With a sigh, he opened his inventory and took out a healing potion, that although stopped the bleeding, did little to the headache he was getting.

Eventually, Alex decided to get out of the place so he stepped out of the stuffy alleyway into a busy street? In fact it was so busy, he had never seen so many players before... Not even in Minecraft Mondays! And everyone's skin was so eye-catching, colored hair, animal hybrids, talking object looking people and so much more... A kid with pigeon wings instead of arms and bird feet caught his attention. He was talking with his friend in an animated fashion, spreading his wings openly. Quackity was... a bit in awe. Usually players with hybrid or non-human skins are rare and sometimes even discriminated against for their appearance, so seeing such a sight was strange.

With that Q felt the need to get moving, he was going to find out where the hell did he end up. He's never seen so many people on the server. With resolve he marched towards the closest figure, a black haired man in a black trenchcoat from what he could tell from the back.

"Excuse me!", he tapped on the stranger's shoulder, with no reaction whatsoever.
"Hey? Excuse me, could you-", his face became pale, when the man finally turned with a groan. His face was covered in purple damaged pieces of skin and piercings that looked more like stitches.

"The hell do you want, weirdo?" the stranger groaned out.

With a gulp, Quackity regained his composure and with practiced stoickness and a steady voice he asked: "Excuse me, could you tell me where I am preferably the coordinates?" Q had tried to turn his coordinates on, but his communicator showed that an error had occurred.

The, frankly speaking, terrifying looking guy stared with confusion, but answered. "Musutafu, Shizuoka prefecture, pretty sure Mizukagami street" His face screamed 'why the hell is this random mob talking to me'

"Ugh... Where the hell is that? I've never heard of Musutafu. Do you maybe have the coords or a compass at least", said Q with some frustration.

"Just—scram, weirdo. I don’t have time for this." The stranger took off into an alleyway, leaving Q wondering where the hell he’d ended up…

____________________________

Somewhere in Musutafu a man with a white scarf was downing the biggest cup of coffee known to man. He was getting ready for another mundane night patrol.

Chapter Text

Skyscrapers obscured the clear blue sky any which way he turned. People were rushing around. Like clockwork, each cog turned, forming a system of rushing pedestrians, maneuvering around traffic, skillful as ants on their way to work. And amidst it all, there he was, trying to not get swept by the crowd deeper into unfamiliar alleys. Wherever this Musutafu place was on the server, it's clear that it was too popular for it's own good.

Passing by dozens of players, Quackity noticed the lack of weapons and protective armour all together. Were these people THAT confident that they were safe? Did the admin of the server install a mod to make armour invisible? He had many theories, but what confused him the most was the complete absence of mobs. No matter how illuminated the place was, there had to be a zombie somewhere in the shadows or creepers or even just animal mobs... What kind of biome was this?!

A sudden pain in his leg startled him. But before he could summon a sword and strike whoever was responsible for it his gaze landed on a small girl with a spike on her palm.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry, sir. Her quirk just came in and—" A woman in her late thirties started profusely apologizing, even bowing down, for what seemed like her child's mistake. "— it looks like you're bleeding, we need to go to the hospital, immediately. Let me lead you to the nearest—"

That's when he cut her off, "No-no, it's alright... It's not that serious, I promise. It'll heal in a bit"

"But it could get infected! We better rush to the hospital now!" Q was surprised that there was a hospital nearby, something of a rarity back home, but he was mostly skeptical of this stranger, that was so set onto leading him to another location, only to help his insignificant leg wound? Yeah. Like hell he'd buy that. 'Lesson one: people are assholes'. He's not following this woman and her child... 'The kid’s dumb smile kinda reminded him of Tommy from years ago, before the SMP.', something supplied his thoughts... No! He was not trusting this lady and her adorable non-tax-paying child! And that's it! (Children and toddlers never paid taxes and who did Alex hate the most? Exactly. Tax evaders!)

"No worries, ma'am. I'm alright and I'm kinda in a hurry, so I'll be leaving now." He said with his practiced business smile. One that wasn't effective, when he had a nasty scar down his face, but that did wonders now that it was gone. The mother and her child were left filled with worry by the odd foreigner. "His wings are pretty!" said the kid to her mom, while asking to get picked up, showing grabby hands. Meanwhile the young man got once again lost in the crowd.

Quackity hurried away from the pair desperately looking around for a guiding sign, finding all types of oddities in this strange city.

__________________________

It's been hours of walking in the same direction and trying to not get swayed left and right by the constant flow of people. Sometimes, they would gather around certain places as if watching a show, but Q couldn't tell what was happening at the front, since he wasn't particularly tall, nor did he care to distract himself from the main goal: getting to a water source. You see, travelling by land was very impractical. Even with a horse it was slow and tiring. Nether traveling, for example, wouldn't let him see the terrain in the Overworld... so traveling by boat it was. Besides, this way no one would see his elytra and try to steal it as he flew.

Since the beginning of this experience, he's been eyeing the many cars passing by. It wasn't the first time he's seen such machines, but he's never been somewhere with so many of them. Minecraft mods were everywhere, it seemed. So— the fast moving automobiles made him even more convinced that he was very far from home...

By the time Quackity exhausted his stack of roasted beef, it had already been dark for quite some time. Only the bright lights of the bustling nightlife illuminated his path. Finally he admitted to himself that he needed to find shelter or at least food and while looking around he saw the perfect place to find both... and more! The building glowed with neon lights, unfamiliar symbols shined beautifully, luring in curious passersby. Alex Quackity knew exactly what kind of place this was even with the language barrier. And before making his way towards it, he swiftly changed his default clothes for a more fitted outfit: wine suit, white shirt and a black beanie, he chose to skip the cravat this time to make it less formal. After putting on his crooked smiling mask on the side, he made his way to the attraction site.

Security didn't find him too suspicious other than thinking he was a bit younger than the target audience of the place. He bypassed the giant bodyguards with visibly frightening oddities on their muscular arms. Alex had grown used to seeing such people by now. Speaking of people... The place was filled with all types of creatures. A man with a dinosaur head walked up to a gambling machine. A staff member with flying cards was working as the dealer. When he stepped closer, he noticed the bartender had a lemon squeezer instead of a thumb and a index finger. 'Oddly practical for a barman.' With a sigh, he sat on the closest stool, watching the place warily. The man in front was about to tell him something , when Q abandoned the seat in favour of a better target than booze...

The casino hummed with the clatter of chips and murmured strategies. A newcomer approached the group, young sunkissed man early twenties. The foreigner in a red suit and odd black beanie looked nothing like the usual clientele. "Mind if I join?" he asked, flashing an awkward grin.The dealer waved him in. The regulars exchanged glances. Easy money...

At the blackjack table, the nervous looking newcomer, fumbled with his chips. His innocent smile and wide eyes screamed "first timer." Somehow this scrawny stranger had exchanged a huge golden ingot. That and his fitted clothes for everyone meant "guilliable rich kid".
The dim glow of the casino’s chandeliers reflected off the green felt as the he slid into Seat 3 at the high-limit blackjack table. Dressed in a slightly wrinkled button-down, and a over-the-top eye-catching red suit, his hands trembled just enough to sell the act. The others barely glanced up: a grizzled regular nursing a whiskey, a sharp-eyed red-headed woman stacking chips. The dealer, a bored dragon bearded humanoid named Ryu, flicked out the cards.

The newcomer—calling himself 'Lex'—played hesitantly at first, hitting on 15 against a dealer’s 6, gasping when he drew a 6 for 21. The table scoffed in irritation. "Luck...", they muttered glancing at eachother warily. But then it kept happening. The foreigner's splits turned into unbeatable hands. His doubles landed perfect 10s. He even "stumbled" into a blackjack on a side bet, raking in a 10-to-1 payout. The pile of chips in front of him grew absurd, while the others’ stacks vanished. The woman’s knuckles whitened around her cocktail. Her patience was thinning...

Nobody noticed how Alex’s fingers *lingered* near the felt when he tapped for a hit—or how the deck seemed to cough up exactly what he needed. His "nervous" habit of rubbing his sleeve? A slick move few would catch. The dealer’s burn card? He had glimpsed it during a fake sneeze. By the time he won his seventh straight hand—a miraculous 20 after splitting 8s— The regular slammed his fist down. "Bullshit!" she snarled. This sturdy built lady snarled at him, jabbing a finger at his chips. "Nobody’s *that* lucky!". Ryu frowned, recounting the deck, but the shuffle had been clean. No proof. Must be loser rage.

The "newbie" feigned shock, raising his hands with indignation. "Beginners’ luck? No fucking way, man!" he scoffed. His innocent act had slightly slipped, being replaced by the usual cockiness. A man hissed something and stormed off. The dealer forced a smile, pushing the winnings forward—$80,000 in crisp hundreds—but his eyes were cold.

________________________

As Q collected his prize, exchanging chips for cash, a random regular leaned in, whiskey breath hot in his ear: "You’d better run, kid." Then he saw her— the tall figure approaching him. The woman swung—but Quackity was already gone, an ender pearl whizzing through the air as her fist met empty space. His heartbeat raced with adrenaline. That was close. too close. It was time to flee. The figure roared with frustration, when she pulled out at massive metal piece with little to no force. Screams were heard around "A villain attack?!" "Magne calm down!! Damn it!" "Not again..."

Without wasting any more precious time Alex scrambled to put on some armour and summoned his enchanted bow. (He was not someone to PvP, or fight in general, but Awsamdude had insisted for him to carry a netherite full set and Foolish had diligently given him any tools he'd need. Now he was infinitely grateful for them both).

With a strange force the metal thing the woman carried, had thrown someone at him. Yes! A person just flew into him, as he flung a pearl towards the entrance. He groaned in pain, when someone accidentally stepped on his hand upon his appearance. Now looking back at the scene, the the woman and two others (some of the sore losers), looked ready to chase him till the end! Scrambling on his feet Q took off into the alleyways vaguely hearing the screaming behind.

Right turn. Left turn and— a dead end. The rapid steps grew closer. Desperate, he took out a stack of stone blocks and clumsily started building up the wall. With trembling hands he summoned the Warden's bow, aiming it at the entrance, when two of the raging criminals were running in. Flaming arrows rained down. As the trio flailed, batting at their burning sleeves, he saw them back away from the alley. Alex continued to build up faster. He was aiming for the roof when— he felt a presence looming over... Red glowing eyes were above him, staring into his soul. Was it a shadow creature? No, it was way worse. It was a terrifying man.

As the red eyes covered in some kind of yellow visor assessed him like a hawk it's prey, Quackity got the biggest scare of the night, bouncing back with a high pitched scream. He plummeted down his 1x1 block tower with a yelp.

"FUCK! The hell are you standing there for, asshole?! You made me lose two hearts just now!" he angrily complained with a wavering voice.

As he recovered the figure dropped down to the floor in a skillful motion. His hair was standing up with static as he grabbed a white piece of cloth, looking ready to strike at any moment.

"Care to explain what is happening?" His voice deep and raspy.

"That's none of your business! Why are you questioning me in the first place?!" Alex raised his voice with frustration. After standing up, he regained his composure, sizing up the new player before him.

"Calm down, kid. I'm a hero. Explain the situation and the police report won't take long." The man's voice sounded cold and stern.

"Pff- hero?" Q huffed out a laugh. " wait— did you say police?! Are you trying to rat me out to the cops? just for that stunt at the bar?" Q thought back at how he cheated in blackjack. Had this guy noticed his tricks? Regardless, no matter what this man was scheming, Alex had something up his sleeve.

While stalling with questions like "Who are you?" and answers like "I don't know!" or "Why should I tell you?" he seamlessly opened his inventory to take out the ace up his sleeve — an invisiblity potion.

The older man was getting impatient, his hair had fallen flat for quite some time. He now sounded more like a tired customer service worker than the previously terrifying stoic persona. And as he grabbed his scarf like weapon with a heavy sigh— Alex had already banished into thin air...

Seeing the wide blown eyes on that tall man's face had almost pushed Quackity into a cackling fit. But no— He had to hold it in, he needed to leave quietly. Placing a hand over his mouth and making sure to control his breathing, he carefully stepped away. He hoped no sound would alert of his presence. As the black haired man recovered from his shock, glancing around with red ignited eyes, it was already to late to catch up to the troublesome hybrid. Eraserhead was left wondering... how did that troublemaker manage to run off.

Chapter Text

This was the day!! The highly anticipated and dreaded day of the entrance exam to UA.

Izuku had forced himself to fall asleep despite his nerves, feeling like he was ready for anything and nothing at all! All at once! But now, at 5 am sharp, he was ready to jump off his All-Might bed, put on his All-Might slippers and shoot out the door to meet All Might himself!!—

...

...thinking it over, maybe he needed to actually get dressed first, before shooting out the door, he thought; catching a glimpse at the reflection in the mirror. His hair stuck up in awkward ways, messy locks looking like frizzy knotted hair. His All-Might themed pyjama set looked anything but heroic and the puffy eyes showed a distinct lack of sleep. After pulling on his sports school uniform in record-breaking time, he brushed his unruly hair a little and crept through the apartment silently (as to not wake up his dear mother). Getting a sandwich and some water, he headed towards the door, barely controlling his overflowing energy. As soon as the door closed— he took off running down the stairs and through the empty streets.

Gone were the days when Midoriya felt tired from a simple jog, gone was that scrawny twig like teenager, who couldn't lift a thing. Now he ran with purpose and ease, he ran towards his bright future!

Reaching Takoba Beach was barely a workout. Looking around, he realised how early it'd been. Naturally, he made the logical choice... Cleaning up the last pile of trash before All Might gets there!! Lifting some metal panels felt like lifting light cardboard. Picking up a refrigerator was a bit more challenging, but with his dedication he conquered the pile in no time. Now, standing on that mountain of garbage metal, he truly felt unstoppable. Throwing off his sweat-soaked T-shirt, he let out a scream of victory, alerting a man walking closer.

A scraggy middle aged man walked around a pick-up truck. His blue eyes, obscured by the shadows, blonde hair pieces framed his face as he gazed at the teen high on top. With a sudden realisation, he rushed to the shore to see— nothing. No trash. Only sparkling waves and a spotless beach sight. "He even cleaned outside of where I told him to... Not a speck of dust left...", he marveled.

"Oh..."

"my..."

"GOODNESS!" his face exploded with energy into a muscular form. And as the short teenager dropped down with exhaustion, the man swooped him up in a heartbeat.

"You've done it, Young Midoriya!"

"All...M-Might", he could barely look up.

"You surprised me, you entertainer." Placing him down, his idol showed him a phone, "Here. It's you ten months ago—, but look at you now! You've made it this far"

"Kinda feels like cheating...", Izuku murmured.

"There, there." the man patted the bushy head of hair "It's time for the award ceremony!"

'Finally... my wildest dreams will come true...'

"This is what you've earned with your effort!!" beamed All Might.

'Now... The reality that would suprise me even in comics will be in my h—'

"Eat this"

...

Midoriya Izuku dumbly gawked at a tiny blond hair in his favourite hero's grip."What?...", he tilted his head in confusion. "I have to give you my DNA after all...", said Toshinori with a wide grin.

That seemed enough for the teen to grasp the concept and accept the peculiar gift. And as the sunrise was about to end, All Might wished him good luck on his exam. With a hurried goodbye, the Number One Hero left his apprentice, shooting up the skyline.

Looking up and smiling Izuku thought 'This was the best day of his—'

"What the actual fuck was that?!"

Izuku— in, what felt like, slow motion rotated to see the unfamiliar voice's owner.

________________________

February 25th

Last day before the exams.

Aizawa Shouta was groggily wobbling out of the teachers' staff room. His usual drink of choice, six espresso shots, hadn’t kicked in yet. The long colourless scarf, draped around his neck, was dragging along as he walked through the corridors of UA. Tomorrow, the hero school would hold its annual entrance exams. And as a teacher here, Shouta would have to do an enormous amount of work each and every day. But that would be a problem for tomorrow's Aizawa-sensei. Now, Eraserhead would enjoy his solo work. After all, today was going to be his last all-night patrol in a long while.

At first glance, nobody would suspect this dark-dressed man to be a hero, but unbeknownst to most, this was his intention all along. In other words, he was what they'd call— an underground hero. Someone skilled in stealth and who's used to staying in the shadows. Eraserhead fought crime when no-one else was looking.

As he made his way through the night, the hero had one goal in mind— to inspect the city with military precision, looking for threats to any and all innocent civilians. That's how he stumbled upon a noisy commotion near a popular gambling house. Maneuvering around condensers and vents, he jumped with ease from one roof to another, getting closer to the Ōshanzu casino. Finally, stepping down from a roof's railing, he spotted the culprits. Two men with mutation quirks and a woman with a metal slated box bigger than her toned arms. The three were pursuing a young man of about twenty years of age. He was running sloppily, on the verge of exhaustion, carelessly trapping himself in a dead end.

The young foreigner in a red dress suit, clutched a sphere in his right hand and a glowing bow on the left. As soon as he saw no escape route the sphere was replaced by a grey object with a dim glow. Overcome with curiosity but ready to interfere, Eraserhead hid his presence in the shadows.

Meanwhile, the target started clumsily jumping and summoning blocks of stone under his feet out of thin air. 'Didn't his Quirk involve that glowing bow?' the hero pondered. Reaching a decent height, the stranger switched objects once again. Ignoring his exhausted heavy breathing, he pulled back his bow directing it at the incoming pursuers. Shouta was impressed to see fiery arrows fall down the screaming villains. But as much as he had enjoyed the show, he needed to report the unregistered quirk usage, if not as a crime then as self-defence. So he made himself known, at last, stepping closer to the edge of the roof.

The poor guy, almost kicked the bucket righ then and there, when he leapt back with a high pitched scream. Shouta burrowed his face in the scarf to suppress a wheeze. Dropping down from the roof as he heard curses, he adjusted his stance. He grabbed his weapon, keeping focus on the civilian.

With a forcedly leveled voice he demanded: "Care to explain what is happening?". As expected, the kid was very uncooperative, believing he had gotten in trouble for a fight at the bar.

"What's your name, kid?", the hero said a bit less demanding.

"Why should I tell you?!"  "I plead the fifth!", a sigh. 'The fifth?... an american tourist?' though Shouta.

"Look. I need this information for an accurate report, you're not in trouble, just, please, answer accurately. What's your quirk?"

"I don't know!", the stranger claimed in animated fashion, throwing up hands.

With each word Shouta's patience thinned. 'How long have I been patrolling?' 'The night is almost over.', he wondered. And as he finally decided to use his weapon and tie up the stubborn guy—

He— wasn't there... Empty. The space where he stood a second ago, simply nothing. It took exactly 4 seconds and a half for Eraserhead to come back from the shock. Immediately, he turned on erasure, surveying the alley. 'Teleportation? Invisibility? What just happened?' 

___________________

Sitting at the precinct, Eraserhead sighed heavily. Helping out with the reports wasn't that much of a hassle so there had to something else on his mind. Officer Sansa Tamagawa was beside him discussing some paperwork. The former was trying to keep himself from yawning.

It was barely six in the morning, when Shouta Aizawa stepped into the police station. Tsukauchi noted, that he looked more burnt out than usual. Naomasa sat back with his morning tea, occasionally glacing at the coworkers, starting their own routines. As his chat with Sansa progressed, Shouta described his patrol. As expected. Something about a robbery, an attempted attack on a civilian woman, a man stuck on a tree... Then he described with frustration a chase near a bar, emphasizing the stubborness of a foreigner.

"I tried to explain that unlicensed quirk usage in self-defence had to be included in the report, but he just wouldn't give out any information. It's not like he was the perpetrator to be wary of consequences—", he grumbled.

"Well, you know how it is in America. Quirk usage not being as tightly regulated and licences being easily obtained... He definitely panicked at the word 'police' "

Shouta nods and continues, "I'm still not sure if he's from the US, but that's my assumption."

"Then we'll just pull up the quirk registry from immigration customs and find his name for the report then—"

"That's the problem, I can't figure out his quirk."

Tsukauchi continued sipping his tea while using the ongoing conversation as white noise.

"At first he had a glowing bow but then something else appeared in his hand. Blocks of solid rock appeared under his feat when he jumped. Then he used the bow to almost summon arrows coated in fire? That can't be a support item, let's be realistic. And finally, before I could arrest him he banished into thin air" Eraserhead finished the tale sounding more like he himself didn't believe what he saw.

"It.. It was like he had multiple quirks!—"

The detective burst into a coughing fit, regretting taking that last sip of green tea. The two stopped talking, turning to him in sync.

"Are you o—" Sansa was cut off by a cough.

"Did you say multiple quirks?" 

Chapter Text

After an eventful night, Quackity found himself once again roaming the endless streets. At first, he was running away like the devil was chasing him, but— as he got deeper into the quieter districts, it was clear that he had lost his pursuers. He even changed back into default clothes mid running, just to be safe. Now, that the adrenaline from the tiring chase wore off, he was left exhausted and breathless. Right when he was about to take a much-needed break, slowing down, he saw the morning rays shining through.

Before him was a beautiful shoreline. At last, he had made it to a water source. Dropping down near the coastal porch, he watched the shy rays emerge from the glowing waters. What a peaceful *clack* *clack* and calming *creeeck* morning... "aaAAAaargh—!"

His thoughts were shamelessly interrupted by these agitating, grating noises.  Throwing an annoyed glare to the right he discovered a massive pile of junk near the pier. Even from this distance he could make out a shirtless silhouette of a kid standing atop, swaying dangerously till... he plummets. Alex, moving on instinct, ran towards him. He couldn't— He wouldn't make it—

"HA-HA-ha-ha" Alex stopped in his tracks, hearing a sudden uproarious laugh. Hiding behind the metal, he peeked.

There, stood a massive man holding the guy he had seen before. His height rivaled that of Technoblade or Awsamdude, but his build was just utterly impressive. The bodybuilder was enthusiastically talking to the smaller teen, who looked on the verge of tears. Q's gut twisted as he watched the kid with worry.

'What even is the situation here? Is this "macho-man" bothering him? Should I intervene?' Thoughts went a mile a minute as he hastily drank a potion. Stepping closer wasn't difficult. The pair was distracted, celebrating god knows what. Now, Q finally got close enough to hear—

"Eat this"

"What...?!"

'what...' Quackity's thoughts mirrored the teen's words. He stared with disgust at a musty hair follicule in the man's hand. 

"I have to give you my DNA after all..."

'...'

"Oh, I see" answered the teen with a knowing smile. As if that beefhead didn't just tell him the weirdest shit ever.

Quackity was at a loss of words. 'What even—? Why is he just accepting it? What the hell, man?' Theories started forming in his mind on what this could all mean. Possible explanation for the bizare interaction, he was witnessing.

Alex watched frowning as the weird interaction came to an end with some rushed good-byes. He noticed the worship in the kid's eyes as the man shoot up the sky! Literally. That left Q concerned. He wanted to say something. And as the potion wore off, he spoke...

_________________

After an eventful sunrise, Izuku found himself once again wishing the earth would swallow him up. It hasn't been an hour since he got All Might's quirk and he had already managed to spill his secret to a stranger?! Why did someone have to be at the beach at this hour in the first place...

Slowly turning to the voice, he saw a young man in a blue tracksuit and beanie. Behind him, a pair of small golden wings, nothing like Hawks', to compare. The stranger was frowning with a worried expression.

"H-how long have you been here?" asks Izuku warily.

"Long enough!" Answers the other with his usual dryness. "What the hell was that all about?"

Midoriya didn't know what exactly the stranger heard, but one thing was clear. He'd been seen with the number one hero, the most famous person in Japan. This was a potential disaster to All Might, if the stranger knew about One for All. This could be used as gossip in hero forums...

'Just imagine those articles— "Number One Hero help's student's into UA through connections! Corruption at UA!", " Quirkless boy begs All Might to get into UA!" or worse... "Secret meeting with All Might's illegitimate son!!" Oh god! What would the people think if such a useless kid was the Number One's son... I have to clear this misunderstanding NOW!...'

As he continued mumbling unintelligible words, Alex got fed up, "Just explain why you where with that guy already! I can't understand your muttering"

Midoriya was startled out of his spiral, blurting out anything he could, "All Might was just training me, out of the goodness of his heart!"

The stranger had an unreadable expression.

"Who?"

"All Might?" Izuku finally looked up.

"Am I supposed to fucking know who that is?"

"W-what do you mean? Like...All Might? The Number One Hero in Japan? The Symbol of Peace?!" Izuku raised his voice unintentionally, looking intensely at the stranger.

It seemed like the guy was processing something, you could almost hear the cogs turn in his head as his eyes widened. 'Did he connect the dots?'

"Are you in... a cult?", was suddenly said.

Izuku's jaw dropped. "EXCUSE ME? W-what made you think that? All Might would never be part of a cult, are you insane?!" 'He didn't conncet sh**!' thought Izuku.

Meanwhile, Alex had a "clear" picture of what was happening... The strange shouting on that mountain of trash... The ritual of eating hair... The worshipping of that bodybuilder... It's a cult!  Just like the "Eggpire" or whatever the hell it's name was... 

"...T-tell me you're joking... It's All Might!" The kid said almost hysterical. " Everyone knows All Might! Even in the States, since he had worked there for years before relocating back—", the teenager continued to ramble.

Meanwhile, Quackity had realised something. It finally hit him. The States, Japan, all of these places... He had finally solved the mystery of his whereabouts. All that time stressing, whether he could find his way back, all that time trying to find clues. It all had lead to this moment of truth.

.

.

"Are we on SmpEarth?" asked Alex with a sort of awestruck tone.

He hasn't been out of the Dreamsmp for ages Since it's said once you're out, it's difficult to come back and sometimes even takes a personal whitelisting by- 

"What is Esem-pi?" said the greenheaded boy and was met with an absolutely bewildered expression.

It only took those three words for Quackity to feel his anxiety grow uncontrollably. He tried to avoid this thought at all cost. He had ignored all the signs possible. The faulty communicator, the crowds, the amount of new items he's encountered... Something was wrong, something here was terribly different from any server he'd ever been to... Even that vague dream with his parallel dimensions didn't cause him this dreadful feeling of displacement.

The incoming questions of the teen filled with worry only fed into Q's panicked state. The vague memories of the last few days were flashing in his mind. And he desperately didn't want to believe in the worst. It's like he'd finally found a piece of the puzzle only to realise that dozens more where still missing...

In what seemed like a sudden moment, he felt his knees buckle. The days without proper sleep finally caught up to him. And he was tumbling down.

Distantly he heard a screaming voice calling out with worry. His eyelids gently closed.

______________________

Flipping through stacks of documents, the detective searched for one person only. The uneasiness of the patrol officer was palpable in the air. What had seemed like just another slow day had become a rummage through countless profiles of foreign citizens.

Thanks to Eraserhead's collaboration he was able to get a copy of a quirk registry from immigration customs. They presented it as a case of "needing the victim's testimony to catch one of the culprits." But that was just the motive, the real reason was to investigate a potential lead to All For One. The most dangerous villain who's ever lived.

Aizawa had only heard rumours about this boogieman that used to run the underground. Now, he had a confirmation of his existence from Tsukauchi himself.

The search proved to be harder that it looked. Eraserhead had a place to go to this morning, so the detective was left with a titanic amount of work all to himself. And all because of a mere suspicion of ties to a dead villain?

The answer was yes and no... Truth to be told, apart from that, Tsukauchi felt an inherent feeling that something was definitely going on with this individual. It was the instinct that he'd gotten from solving countless criminal cases.

Finally, putting the piles of documents to the side, Naomasa Tsukauchi was faced with a dilemma... Should he inform All Might of this situation? Maybe it's just a misunderstanding, maybe Eraserhead's memory was failing him...not likely.

'How should I proceed?' he thought cautiously. 'Requesting further information like surveillance footage would take forever, plus a lot of substantial evidence to present. Besides, revealing the possible connection with AFO to too many could lead to a leak in information...Maybe I do need to contact Yagi, to assess wether I'm being overly paranoid. But—

Toshi is busy with his newfound "successor". The one that's trying to get into UA. Yagi also deserves some time to enjoy this crucial moment...Maybe I'll bring this up after the entrance exams to that place have gone through.' thought Tsukauchi glancing at his old friend's phone number.

___________________

The situation was bad. And when I say bad, I mean terrible! Izuku had messed up big time.

'A stranger thought that All Might was in a cult! And all because of me! It's all my fault-' he thought wordlessly while shaking a passed out foreigner by the shoulders.

'-And now this guy has lost consciousness in the middle of the beach. What should I do?! I'm running out of time— the entrance exam starts in less than two hours!'

Calling for an ambulance would mean he'd have to wait for them to arrive, carrying him to a hospital would take him minimum half an hour and he couldn't simply leave him on the floor. But he also needed to get back home before heading to UA. How would he make it on time?!

Midoriya, finally, took a deep breath and pulled up the slack body over his shoulders. Safely securing the man in a fireman's carry, Izuku jogged out the sandy floor and into the empty alleys.

Chapter Text

Another tranquil morning in a small peaceful household. Pans were sizzling, while a steaming kettle was whistling its tune. A hot rice cooker sat next to a wooden board where vegetables were being cut. Another meal full of love was on it's way. Just with a glance you could tell that the space was filled with unmistakable warmth. The kind that only a motherly figure would have.

A petite woman hovered over the kitchen, occasionally throwing spices and powders into the mixes. For Inko Midoriya life had never been as easy as it appeared to be. Loneliness was a national epidemic after all, so when her loving husband suddenly disappeared, she had truly felt alone. No family to reach, no relatives to cling to. Only the baby was with her always. A small green bean that would always keep her company.

Money wasn't overflowing, but the two were comfortable, she thought. Hisashi's absence was bitterly compensated by hefty sums of money. That would allow Inko to not work at the hospital till midnight. And, eventually, she allowed herself to dedicate most of the time to her precious child. But with that came countless difficulties which wouldn't be news to any parents out there. One in particular had really soured their daily lives for years. Izuku wanted to be a hero, but was quirkless. The impeding day, when his dreams would finally be crashed by a ruthless reality, was ever so close. However, no warning had managed to sway his resolve.

But somehow, Inko had seen him gradually lose that spark over the years. Whenever she'd ask him what happened, he'd simply close up, avoiding her altogether. A stab in the heart for a concerned mother like her. Day's like these would continue right untill sometime last year.

...

Suddenly, her green bean had come home with the brightest smile she's ever seen. With tears threatening to spill he poured his heart out...

"M-mom? I'm going to be a hero, mom. I can be a hero!"

And even if she couldn't believe in him right away, couldn't lie to him all those years— she would support him till the end nonetheless.Right after that day her son started to frequently go on runs and train outside, spending time away from home. That's why it was no surprise for her to see noone home so early in the morning. She expected him to diligently stick to the strictly scheduled routine.

Today was no normal day for the Midoriyas, however, it was Izuku's entrance exam to UA after all. So... you'd think this would be the most remarkable moment of the day, right? 

...

As Mrs. Midoryia set out the table, getting ready for another cozy family breakfast, she heard the frantic ringing of the doorbell. Hurrying out, she reached the entryway, ready to see her son—

and a limp body?...

Izuku nearly toppled as he stepped inside, a man slung over his shoulders. Between pants he greeted his mother and made his way to the living room. With a final boost of energy he reached the couch only to place the stranger on it.

"Izu? What happened? Who's this?" said Inko with worry but mostly surprise.

It took some time for her son to come to his senses from the intense work out, but he managed to answer eventually.

"He- I found him passed out on the beach-", a few panting noises interrupted his speech, "I couldn't just leave him and... the hospital's far".

Although the explanation was very much lacking, it was enough for Inko's medical training to kick in. She hastened towards the unconscious body, quickly inspecting his vitals, checking for his steady pulse and manoeuvring him into a more comfortable position. Izuku impatiently watched his mum assessing the strangers wellbeing, ready for the worst.

Finally, Mrs Midoriya stood up from where she crouched close to the patient. "He's just exhausted and fatigued. Probably a case of sleep deprivation and slight malnutrition. " she assumed, glancing once more at the young man spread all over their only couch. Izuku was about to say something when the bell of a toaster rang through.

"Oh my! Izu, won't you be late for the exam?! You can't go there on an empty stomach. Go eat now or you'll be hungry all morning!", his kind mother almost cried out. The boy was about to protest looking back at the man in need, but she ushered him to the kitchen like a concerned mother hen. 

_________________

After Izuku left for UA, the apartment grew quiet. Once again, time painfully slowly dragged out. Now, Inko could give all her attention to the young man laying unconscious. Her son hadn't given her any information on him, so she assumed he was just a stranger. And since it didn't seem like a case requiring medical help, she simply decided to contact the man's family. Reaching into his many pockets to look for any id or a phone, she rummaged through his blue jacket. The only thing she found was nothing more than 11 million yen*!??!...

She dropped the thick stacks of money onto the now cheap looking floors. Gasping at the sight of months worth of work in neatly wrapped banknotes. Her mind was going miles a minute, supplying the most fantastical backstories to this small fortune. 'Who in their mind would carry such sums on their person?', she thought.' He does look young so maybe a runaway from a bad home? He might be a small time bank robber? What if he's from the yakuza? Or maybe it's his life savings he's carrying with no home where to put them and no bank where to store them...'

As such, suppositions flitted through her mind. She picked up the awfully suspicious money and carefully placed it back in it's place. With one last pocket to look through she carefully pulled out a damaged phone looking gadget. It wasn't a smartphone like any smartphone she'd seen before, but she tried to ignite the screen anyways. She pressed on all the buttons, which frustratingly did anything but work when—

A rustle was heard.

*11 000 000 ¥ ≈ 80K $

__________________

Rain. First thing he heard was rain pouring all around. The cold drops sinking into his skin.

Polished stone floors were carefully built to match a fountain. Red buildings could be seen in the distance, but Alex wasn't looking. He could only care about the two figures before him. Curly almond hair in a bright purple hoodie and a raven-hair dressed in full armour.

With their voices oddly muffled it was hard to get what was the argument even about, although it was getting a bit heated, he noted. Then he heard one of them yell—

"WHAT HISTORY?!"

The other figure— no, Sapnap— was trying to stop him, pathetically begging Karl to not argue.

"What the fuck do you mean? How are you gonna label me like that, label me as a murderer?... I came here to get along with you guys, and this is the bullshit you greet me with?", words spilled from Q’s mouth as if on autopilot.

"This place is about peace and all I know is you're a murderer—" Karl coldly answered.

Alex felt himself fill up with pure rage, the following fell from his mouth:

"I've been working! Everything I've done is because I've fucking worked for it, Karl. I've worked for it ALONE! I got here alone. I'm alone now! I have no one and I needed no one. And I'm glad we didn't make the country together, because I realised that I can make it on my own!!" lies, he thought. "And I don't need you, I don't need anyone!..."

The argument continued but Alex could hardly care how it ended. It was a memory after all...

As if on cue, the setting changed. His world seemingly tilted on its axis when he saw a bright light on his face—

"Trust...nobody." he felt himself turn from the blinding sunset and to his companion.

"Every human is for themselves, no-one will ever put your interests over theirs. Everyone I've ever trusted has greatly disappointed me and, for all I know, someone could be lying to me right now." 'That was a truth that I learn the hard way-'

"I've seen a lot of people not do— what they say they were going to. But... Quackity from Las Nevadas,— I think I trust you." That hit him like a painful bullet in the heart.

The world suddenly dimmed. As he felt himself grow heavy, his body wouldn't move any longer. He futilely tried to reach out to the fading person when his eyes appeared to be closed. Just as his eyelids managed to opened ajar, he saw dark green.

'another memory?', he thought.

The colour reminded him of duck feathers, the kind that could fly unlike his golden ones. The kind that he'd seen only on one person...

__________________

Inko anxiously sat by the poor stranger, expecting the worst.

"Mom...?"

The stranger mumbled but then quickly recoiled as if bitten. Inko held back a laugh. 'no wonder, he looked young' she thought. 'he's still a kid, kinda'

Quackity practically jumped out when he saw the unfamiliar face. Frantically looking around, he heard her speak.

"It's alright, sweetheart, my son found you passed out on the beach and brought you here." He didn't look any less distraught at her words. " I'm Inko Midoriya, a licensed nurse. I can help—"

"I don't need help-", he hissed out just as his legs gave out.

Inko Midoriya was an odd person, no matter how many retorts he exclaimed, she insisted for him to eat breakfast, drink water, down some kind of 'pills" thing or lay on the comfy couch. He was yet to find out what she got out of this, but he hardly cared. It felt very foreign, but somehow not irritating.

At first, he debated on simply eating a golden apple and leaving for good, but then he decided to enjoy the free food and take advantage of the opportunity. Or so he reasoned with himself.

Mrs Midoriya looked just like the brat he met before and acted just as cartoonishly. Speaking of which— Quackity was ready for that guy to come back so he could give him a piece of his mind.

__________________

Slick black shoes clicked on the pollished floor. A tall lean man, adjusted his triangular glasses. With an impeccable image of stoic authority, he passed through the corridors with his unmistakable presence. Lately, it seemed like his mood was significantly worse as the days flew by. Maybe it was his fallout with All Might that weight down on him, maybe something else. Having reached his dim office, he placed down a stack of hero reports. One was especially marked, sitting right on top. It was the one from an underground hero. 

...

Sasaki's quirk had never malfunctioned before... But somehow this afternoon, at Shizuoka's police station it had given mixed results, as if fate had changed. Seeing events not play out the way they were meant?... that was a first. Nighteye quickly spotted that the most affected moments were the one's with Tsukauchi's case files. Instead of putting away the stacks of paper he had added some new one's. It had subtly disturbed the hero...

Detective Tsukauchi was dependable, he thought. The walking polygraph was someone who worked diligently and restlessly. He was also another friend of All Might's. And just that fact would instil trust in him for the seer. So, without further ado, he openly stated his concerns, offering to look into the matter.

After the short discussion on what could be, that's altering this future. A topic that the policeman really couldn't fully understand. They decided on looking through the last most prominent cases, that were bothering the detective. A file full of names was presented to the hero. One which he'll keep an eye on for the foreseeable future.

Whoever was messing with his visions would be found eventually. He only hoped it wouldn't be too late.

'Oh well... It couldn't be that bad of a situation, could it?...'

Just opening the first file made Nighteye rush out to the phone, rapidly dialing a familiar number.

Chapter Text

The exam had gone hellishly wrong... Starting with, him barely reaching the necessary amount of points on the written exams and then not being able to get a single villain point!...

Despite defeating the biggest robot of them all, he didn't obtain any points that would count. He didn't know how to use OFA and managed to use it only once to save someone from a zero pointer.And the cherry on top was how he shattered his arm to smithereens. Truly! It was a sight to behold. 

All those months preparing his body, all those hours used— that could've gone to improving his knowledge for the written exam— all useless. That dream of being a hero? Yeah, don't think so. He'd bet All Might will call him any minute now to ask back for the quirk, he so generously bestowed— upon the least deserving person of them all. 

These and other thoughts alike kept plaguing the mind of our wannabe hero, while he walked home in silence. Nothing gave away his shattered state quite as well as the blank look he had in his eyes. He didn't even blink, while staring off into some faraway land. It wasn't even sadness or anger he felt, it was more of a shock, honestly.

But enough about his turbulent mind.

Izuku finally reached his front door, ready to come in and relax in his safe haven, away from the world. Having turned his key in a practiced motion, he pushed in the door—

and then closed it again.

.

.

.

His palms began sweating, his shirt felt so scratchy, his foot started bouncing from stress.

He forgot—

there was a stranger in his house. And not any stranger. The one from Takoba Beach!

'OH MY GOD. IforgotthatastrangersawmewithAllMightandthoughtthatitwasacultwhichiscrazybecauseican'tevenexplainwhynotbecausehowcouldsuchacoolherolikeAllMightevertalktoaloserlikemeand-'

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a face full of moles peaking out.

Izuku startled so bad from his muttering that managed to almost bite his own tongue off.

"I hope you're not intending to escape from me, are you?" said the stranger with a forced smile.

Izuku sighted and stepped into the apartment.

...

...

...

Two figures were  across from eachother. One nervously death gripping their legs on a colourful bed. Another looking from a desk at the various posters that covered every corner of the room. Both knew that a hell of a talk was coming...

"I... m-my name is Izuku Midoriya" the teen stutters out.

"Alex Quackity." The other states with a dry tone. "So... Why did you drag me into this...room?", Alex glances at the kid, who was sweating bullets.

"Um- I just don't want my mum to be worried and- she doesn't know about the All Might thing...", his hands fidget with a small keychain figure.

Quackity sighs. "Alright, let's get to the point. What were you doing with that weirdo? Also why is your room... Why does it look like a shrine? You realise what this looks like, right?"

Izuku immediately retorts back, "I told you it's not a cult! All Might agreed to train me to become a hero and get into UA, the best hero school!", he says with admiration peeking through his pleading voice.

Quackity wasn't convinced.

"Let's say, I believe that nonsense. Tell me this. Why did he make you eat his hair?"

At this the green haired kid quiets down staring off to the left. Avoiding any eye contact. "Um- well..."

Midoriya knows this was dangerous to reveal. This is something the number one hero has been hiding for decades. He couldn't— he shouldn't tell it to anyone. But there is really no way to get out of this situation. Here comes nothing, I guess.

"He—" Q looks back at the kid with newfound attentiveness. Clearly there's gonna be a crazy interesting explanation to this madness.

"He gave me his quirk!"

Midoriya is ready to hear shocked screams, grasps. Questions that would be impossible to answer, but instead he gets...silence.

"What is a quirk?"

"HUH?!" Izuku screams instead. And apparently pretty loudly, because his mother barges in ready to help her baby in any way she can.

"You don't know what a quirk is?" Both green haired relatives look expectantly at their guest.

"Quirk... As in a personality trait?"

Izuku deflates onto his bed and his mother practically teleports with speed to his side.

"A quirk is a superhuman ability that a person can possess. It is unique to each user and is sorted into various categories... Some use them to be heroes, others are villains..." he sits up to gauge the stranger's reaction.

Alex keeps an indifferent face, contrary to the internal mess he was feeling. "Then what is your quirk...and your mother's?" 

"My mom's quirk is 'Attraction of Small Objects'. It's a form of telekinesis." He turns to the woman and, suddenly, a small bobblehead flies fast into her outstretched hands.

"And I was born quirkless." 

Quackity’s face twists into a scowl, but not for the reasons the other two were thinking.

Alex couldn't stop thinking of how different this all was from his normal. Every new piece of information he learnt, only exacerbated his frustration.

"I don't... understand." His carefully crafted mask started slipping. "What kind of SMP is this?!"

"Esempi?"

"Yes! SMP. Survival multiplayer server. Last thing I know, I was on the server called DreamSmp, minding my own business..." he struggles to keep a leveled voice. "Then I meet my versions from different realities! Which is fucking ridiculous!But even then they knew what an SMP was." 

"what? Different realities?" Izuku blankly repeats as if trying to decipher his words.

"That's what I said! And then ... Then I suddenly wake up in some dirty alley in god knows where! And my communicator isn't working. It says that none of the players I know is online and that an error has occurred!"

Izuku stills as if something striked him, but doesn't disrupt the rant.

"I can't even check my coordinates! And now you're telling me no one knows what a server is? How am I supposed to find the admin and get out of here? What kind of shitty parallel dimension is this?!" The man groaned into his hands, slumping into the chair.

"You mean reality, not dimension."  a voice is heard.

"What?" Alex glances back with confusion.

"That's it." Izuku says cheerfully. "You're not in another dimension, you're in a different reality!"

...

"Okay, maybe I have to explain what I mean... The two terms aren't the same. You see, dimensions is usually used for when it's a version of your world. Everything could be relatively similar or different, but versions of you would exist!

For example, a parallel dimension that came to be from a decision you made or a small deviation from the "original" timeline.

Then we have realities! Completely different worlds or universes where every aspect can vary. For example, the physics from one reality don't match the other, or logic in itself doesn't apply— because ultimatelyitbecomessubjective,asthe subjecthappenstobeasinglerealitythatwouldsuggestitasaunitof-"

" ENOUGH !"

Izuku's mouth shuts close.

"Enough." Alex repeats quieter this time, while still looking on the verge of hyperventilating.

"So you think I'm in a different— reality, alright...But how do I get back?" 

The room quiets down for once in a long while.

"I don't know?" the kid answers not meeting his eyes. "How did you get here?"

And that was the question,wasn't it...

__________________

After that jarring discussion. Quackity excused himself with some vague words like: "I need to get some air". In a catatonic state he staggered out of the building—one he didn’t remember entering. Pulling out a map just in case, he stepped into the darkening city.

....

This part of town wasn't as glowy with nightlights as others, he noted. Tottering through the dim alleys, Quackity was lost in thought. Looking at everything with the sobering truth was disorienting. Now, every egregious detail was an eyesore. Nothing was like it should be. There were no mobs invading the place, no annoying out of place blocks, no stupid familiar faces...

But something stayed the same. he didn't belong here and he would belong anywhere... Not here, not in his own country, not in anyone else's. He's always not good enough. Not british enough, not loved enough, not respected enough. And whoever he trusts this time around, they'll stab him in the back like so many did before.

He'd want to lie to himself and say that someone must be looking for him back home, someone must be worried or at least curious, but— he doubts it. Now, he needed to focus on what to do here. At least until he finds out how to get back.

"This...how dare...?? bitch!" Alex turned back, hearing some muffled voices in the distance. He's unsure what had lead him to walk straight towards the source. Maybe it was his own state of mind, or the alarming harsh tone that the words held.

__________________

In some random dark alley, the humid air was filled with tension and danger. She bit back her lip, to keep herself from faultering.  She stood crossing arms, hands gripping eachother with desperation. A tall bulky thug loomed over her. The figure with compression springs on his extremities was roaring at the cowering teenager bellow. 

The world was an unfair place, she reasoned. And she was proof of it.

It seemed like some could do no wrong, while she couldn't even pretend to be them... It was unbearable, the craving of acceptance overlapping with the need of freedom and choice. Nobody cares to understand, so she can't expect them to.

Stepping back from the threatening figure she slumped slightly against the wall. The angered man would not have it. He extended his large  metal covered hand— but no pain came...

Something shifted. Looking back up. The thug was clutching his side where a arrow pierced through. A glance to the side revealed— a young looking man with gleaming wings made of gold. 

For a second, all stilled. His hands glowed as his bow disappeared. In less than a second, he's flying to battle, a sword clasped in hand. With violent vigour he clashed with the metal protruding from his opponents hands.

The girl stared with shocked fascination as he mercilessly swinged at his enemy. His mundane clothing now radiated a fluorescent glow that snowed out her vision. He was enticingly full of life! 

She could almost see him in shinning violet armour, a visual that her fascinated mind must've made up. His movements were wild and uncoordinated, but she figured it was just to keep the other from predicting his strikes. 

His opponent was no fool. The springs in his feet propelled him out of the swords way, tiring the other with pointless misses. That is, until the genius pushed down a dumpster, right under his feet. A dirty trick that sent him straight into a wall—

__________________

Quackity wiped away the sweat, as he regained his composure. In the whole battle he had hardly been able to strike the strong bastard. PvP was not on his résumé that's for sure. Although it had improved after a certain duel had been held. Nonetheless, the big guy was down so it's time to check on the kid.

When he first reached the alley, he was disgusted to see a terrified girl bunched into a corner. Her posture was slumped in so as to appear even smaller. In contrast, a thug looking individual was verbally berating the poor child. For a second, he saw a different pair... 

Big Q pulled out his enchanted bow and fired a single shot. It hit. The rest was a mix of sloppy sword swings and poorly timed hits. But what he lacked in skill he made for with anger and adrenaline. It seemed like right then he could finally let out his built up frustration.

So now having finished his tiring battle, he felt himself lose some of that fighting energy. Slowly he made his way to the girl.

"Are you okay, buddy?" He stepped closer to the kid. "Hey, it's alright. I beat that asshole real bad, he's not gonna jump at you or anything." Her eyes, which had watched the fight with awe, were now squeezed shut. Her arms were crossed, face twisted in a grimace

"Are you hurt? You look a bit pale" Alex took a step closer, standing at arms length. Something was definitely wrong with her, so he outstretched a hand. "Hey, can you hear m—

"¡OUCH!", he bit back a curse as he recoiled from a sharp pain. He swore, he almost heard a crunch when this creature latched onto his arm, sharp teeth breaking skin.

Chapter Text

These days, the hallways were only starting to come to life. Passageways, usually packed with crowds of subjects to observe people to look after, now looked deserted. Only certain rooms were bustling with life. The principal scrolled through camera networks like you would TV channels, looking for puzzles problems to solve. Carefully picking with his claws, he looked through the endless stacks of paper. The repetitive task kept him occupied. Meanwhile the screen switched to his new TV program. 

All Might was a good-humoured human, likeable to most. He was an unfeigned hero, albeit sometimes painfully simple-minded. A good addition to UA. Undeniably, a valuable asset and a bit of a novelty in this space.

The rodent slid another page, when his senses perked up with interest, the instinct of knowledge gathering buzzed under his skin.

The creature known as Nedzu had found a new mystery to solve. Grainy pixels closed in on a skeletal figure. Uncommon worry painted his face.

...

Yagi Toshinori considered himself a lucky man. The road to greatness wasn't without troubles, but after decades of arduous work and a few sacrifices in his personal life, he had become a lasting pillar for society. All his dreams of hope to the people and overall peace— eventually came true.

Turning a new page in history felt great, but over the years, days started to blend. The once unforgettable smiles would dull in his memory and the deep scars would slowly fade. He wasn't unhappy per se, but something was missing. Sometimes he'd see that, when passing cheerful families or when glancing at old photos of his own. 

One day, he saw a short scrawny looking kid running towards an unbeatable enemy. He gave his all to try and save someone, all without thinking twice. 

Something glowed buried deeply inside of the hero. An old memory. Dreams of a future, warm hugs and numbingly hard training sessions that he missed nonetheless. Izuku reminded him of himself, but also encompassed something he never acknowledged he needed. And seeing the kid grow and succeed filled the gap in his heart, he never knew he had.

However... not all was smooth sailing. Young Midoryia had succeeded in using his gift, but subsequently hurt himself in the process. Frankly, it gave him mixed feelings (not like he would outwardly show it though, he wouldn't want to worry the kid). 

Another reason for anguish was his falling out with a certain old friend of his. He was very much against his way of handling himself after his most deadly battle. Now he was against his newfound successor, having found a more "suitable" one by himself. He was most certain that they would cross eachother in a while.

So seeing his number on screen was almost jarring and a bit worry inducing. Yagi felt kind of awkward, thinking about talking to his former sidekick again.

Yet he sneaked his hand around the phone, nonetheless, and pressed it to his side.

"Toshin- All Might", the man on the line corrected himself with a cough, "we have an issue to discuss"

Yagi gulped at the urgency in his words. "It's been a while, Nighteye. Did something happen?"

After a moment of awkward silence, words filled with worry rang through, 

"All for One might be alive "

"All for One?!", he sucked in a panicked breath, but then covered his mouth, looking around for prying eyes. "Mirai, you know that can't be true..."

"Toshinori, my vision changed, something isn't right. And it could very well be connected to him."  said the voice attempting to sound stable and calm.

"But your quirk never..."

"The future I see never deviates, unless I directly involve myself—" a deep sigh is heard from the line.

"Having said that, it's not the only reason I'm calling. There's a sighting of someone with multiple quirks in the city! It's— unclear how much of a threat they pose, but considering they resisted cooperation with a hero, I wouldn't put it past them. " the voice darkens with each word, leaving the Symbol of Peace in distress.

"An unregistered individual, exhibiting multiple discernible Quirks, was observed in action by a pro hero operating in the shadows. The context was self-defense, technically unlicensed Quirk usage. However, instead of reporting the perpetrators, he left the scene in a hurry?

Furthermore, a subsequent search of available databases has yielded no record of this individual. These can't all be coincidences, it's beyond mere chance, Toshinori"

Toshinori could physically feel the strength leave him with each word. It was a panic not for himself, but for the world. Would he be able to defeat another Symbol of Evil in his current state? And more importantly... What would happen to Young Izuku? Who even was this person?

"Are you also thinking that he may be...You don't think it's—"

The two answer immediately.

"AFO's experiment?"

"AFO's son?— *cough* *cough* Ah! Yes, of course! I meant experiment. Who would want to procreate with that fiend of hell?! Impossible." he wipes away the blood streaks from his short coughing fit.

Sigh. "Toshinori, this is serious. My vision changed precisely around the documents containing his case file. We have to find this individual asap—"

...

A Cheshire grin made it's way on the Principal's furry face. The rhythmic tapping of claws echoed on the tabletop. In this school all seemed to follow this small animal's rule. Every danger was controlled, every risk— carefully measured. Nedzu's cautious nature lived symbiotically with his need for new horizons in knowledge. 

This was interesting... riveting even. Such a limited amount of detail was revealed, yet it was still so enticing. Yes! He needed to find out who this new figure was. Which piece on the chess board joined the battle? And most importantly... who's side was it on? 

He switched the feed to a different location this time, a more familiar one. The teacher's lounge.

...

"That was a CRAZY PUNCH, I'M TELLING YA'!!", windows shook from the unbearbly loud voice.  

An obnoxiously sounding blonde with a ridiculous updo followed a black shag of hair. An annoyed grumble buzzed through the scarf, "Hizashi, turn your volume down, you're destoying my ear canals. Even if I don't want to, I still need to be able to hear sometimes." The hero who looked more like a dark mass of energy wobbled into the staff room with a hum.

"Oh come on, Shouta! Why so mean, huh? Looks like erasure accidentally erased the joy off your face this morning!", He slung an arm over their shoulders, grinning like some idiot.

Aizawa snorted with displeasure, but didn't throw off the new added weight.

"Ya' still mad about that little listener from the exam?" The blond pouted jokingly. "You know he deserves that spot in 1A! His quirk is terrific, that zero pointer was totally trashed after the punch!", he said practically dragging his colleague to a couch nearby.

Shouta looked a pillow away from a coma. Every step he took came with an internal sigh of resignation. Falling onto the couch he let his eyelids close while he answered the other. "Quite the opposite. If his quirk comes with severe drawbacks he's more than just unfit for hero work. If not for the others I wouldn't let him one step into my classroom, Zashi".

"Hm... But you've been 'specially moody since coming back from patrol. Any new troublemakers?", questioned the blonde, while reaching a coffeemaker. With practiced motion he arranged a dark beverage with alarming amounts of caffeine, ready to pass it onto his dozing friend.

Eraserhead opened his puffy eyes with a sigh. He glared a the other as if debating if telling him was even worth it.

His face had deep eye bags as always. Mic once joked 'Why carry luggage when your face already has built-in storage'

He pursed his lips, but then answered: "The usual. Petty crime, shady deals... It's just— something that Naomasa said that got me worried."

Mic perked up at the familiar name, stepping closer.

"There's this urban legend in the underground. They say there was this villain... he controlled everything from the shadows. Could take and give quirks. He would steal yours if you stepped out of line. Like a Demon King of sorts—"

"Pff- Demon King?! That sounds so childish, like a kids story for when they misbehave!" Mic interrupted his speech, giggling in between words.

Eraser eye rolled with annoyance but proceeded with his explanation.

"I didn't believe it at first too. Especially since his presence would be stretched for decades...a century even. But— today Tsukauchi said that he was very much real and possibly tied to someone I encountered."

The air shifted. Looking up, the walking chatterbox was awfully silent. Maybe from shock or confusion—

"WHAT?! YOU MET THE DEMON KING?" A scream pierced through the room rattling the windows. "THE BOOGEYMAN OF THE UNDERGR-"

The door almost slid off it's hinges when someone threw it open. Purple hues could be seen when she moved towards the two, hair flipping back.

"What's all the commotion, Mic-chan?! You're being extra loud today" she smirked with a playful wink. 

"SHOUTA almost MET THE KING OF THE UNDERGROUND!" 

"What~? He met the King of the underground?"

It's safe to say, the ruckus went on for hours. Eraserhead tucked himself into yellow covers, angrily glaring at his bickering friends.

...

Meanwhile, the pixelated imagery encrypted in code was sent through the tech to a dimly lit office, feeding the omniscient creature, cackling through the room. Nothing would stop him from solving this new mystery.

__________________

The room was filled with a heavy silence, mirroring the serious nature of the conversation. Nobody knew what to say when the young man suddenly stood up and mumbled, "I'm gonna get some air, 'kay?" and then made his way to the door handle. Both of them watched in kind of a trance as he slowly left their apartment.

"Izu? You don't really think he's from another world, right? That's..." impossible, she didn't want to finish the sentence.

The boy glanced at his mom with a frown. 

"I- at first I didn't believe it either, to be honest, but..." he winced.

"There's some things that really don't add up, like... He doesn't know who All Might is or what quirks are. But he has wings and doesn't question it?! He could be mentally ill, but—" he paused with a forming frown.

"Mom, did you realise that he speaks perfect Japanese?"

She stared at him with confusion, as if to show that she didn't understand the question.

"He's definitely not Japanese or know Japanese customs at all! How can he speak so fluently and most importantly have no recognisable accent? His speech sounds normal, but he constantly uses certain terms... It's almost like he's describing a video game. Like his world used to work like one or- I'm not sure..." He snapped out of his rambling to look back at his mother. 

Inko didn't know what to think.

Chapter Text

Toga didn't realise how her canines had embedded themselves into soft flesh, piercing through slightly tanned skin. Holding down the thrashing body came instinctively. She tightened her hold, overpowering the panicked target.

She didn't just love the taste of blood, she craved the sensation of someone's life spirit and essence being transferred into her system. She didn't just like people, she wanted to be like them, to become them. That was the core of her being — to seek and long for that instant connection that her Bloodcurdle quirk allowed her to have. 

When she found herself in that god forsaken alley, it had been too long since she last fed her insatiable need. There was just so much that a close friend could endure... Letting themselves be fed on wasn't one of them. Enduring this was hard on its own, but when someone you crave to be is just under your nose — it becomes unbearable.

This stranger was so full of life, so full of energy. She admired his violent swings with that sword, which reminded her of her own blades. Watching the fight was just too enticing.

The person she latched onto just wanted to help and she attacked him nonetheless. Toga couldn't even stop as his body went slack. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As realisation hit, tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. Had she accidentally done the unthinkable? She hadn't had such an outburst for years, was it because it's been more than a year?

Slowly she pulled herself off of the corpse slack body, raising herself up by her hands...

"You done yet?"  came an annoyed groan. 

Himiko gawked as the man she thought to be dead was simply laying on his side and gnawing on a golden-plated apple.

It was like she hadn't just drank a fatal amount of his blood. His reaction was so madly bizarre that she couldn't even place how she felt herself! She had seen people get angry, like the thug earlier. She had experienced people's disgust and fear, but not calm annoyance and almost acceptance in a way. No wonder the sour panic she tasted bled into a mix of bitter-sweet spice, pleasantly diluted with his calmness. 

She almost felt cheated in a way, but then as reality hit, she started eagerly apologising to the stranger.

...

Quackity didn't know what to think when what, he thought, was a defensless kid, almost sucked the life out of him. (Literally).

At first, he thrashed and swung his bloody arm to get the leech off his skin, careful to not hit said leech, since it was still just a child. But at some point, the decrease of adrenaline and the overall lack of fighting spirit kicked in and he lay slumped on the cold pavement. 

Summoning a couple of golden apples, he thought back at the life choices that led him to this. 

Speaking of, what even was this? Some sort of cannibalism? He's not a stranger to that, but something was different. The teenager looked almost in a trance as she kept biting his arm. He thought back to Izuku's words...

Quirks

A term that he'd never heard before, but now had a vague grasp of. A superpower of sort, a characteristic of individuality. Did this girl need blood for her "quirk"? And why did she bite him instead of the thug? Maybe she didn't want to or was about to, when he intervened.

Finally! she lifts herself off.

"You done yet?", Q glared.

Her teary eyes went wide as plates as she struggled to find words.

"I- I'm so sorry, mister! I wasn't trying to kill you, it's just— your arm looked so tempting— You know it's not my fault your blood was so tasty." She clasped her mouth trying to keep herself from slipping. "W-what I mean is I'm sorry... that I don't regret — I mean that I attacked you."

She rambled as her words sounded less and less like an apology and more like an admission of guilt.(mostly without the aspect of guilt).

"It's fine, whatever", Quackity sat up with a yawn.

She quieted down, gaping at his words. "That's it? You're not mad, you're not angry?" The corners of her mouth turned to a frown.

"Mad?", he sighed. "Well, I guess I would be if I had the energy to. But what's the point anyway? The blood drinking— that's your "quirk", right?" 

She looked to the side avoiding his eyes. "Yeah... I need blood... Not exactly as food, but I needed it..." 

Alex grabbed his chin with a pensive look.

"Alright... But why are you out here attacking people? You know it's illegal, right? There has to be other ways to get blood."

She shrank at his words. " I know, but I don't have money for blood bags. Hospitals wouldn't give me donated blood just because." bitterness seeped through her words. " It doesn't even taste the same as fresh blood." 

"Hm..." Alex was kinda confused. If quirks were everywhere, why was there no accessibility put in place for them? Where was the law, where were the social services?

Just a reminder, Alex Quackity was no stranger to running a government.

Where Technoblade was fully against such societal structures and considered power to be strictly from violence — Quackity was his complete opposite. 

Alex found his calling in politics. His own power lied mostly in words and policies. He had become vice president of L'Manburg twice not because of his fat ass (contrary to Schlatt's belief), but because of his extensive knowledge in laws and societal rules. Being president of El Rapids and consequently Las Nevadas had taught him how to treat or manipulate the masses. How to legally bind people.

And he knew better than anyone that one disagreement can spark a full-on coup.

Now, seeing how quirks, although regulated strictly, weren't accommodated thoroughly, he thought of angry masses. And this girl could become one of them, if not helped in time.

 ...

"So you need blood, but can't access it... So you attack people to death." He said dryly.

She finally looked up and hissed, "I don't kill! I wasn't trying to— Ugh." She let's out a frustrated groan.

"It's just... It's so hard! I can't resist the cravings. It hurts to look at everyone, so normal and happy. And I can never be like them!"

"But attacking people is wrong. It's intentional cause bodily harm." He responds cold and rational. "You're violating other people's rights over your needs! Why is donated blood not an option?"

"Because it's tasteless! Empty. Like drinking water when I need the life, the essence! If I had to pick between living a half-life drinking donated blood or dying after tasting the real thing, I'd rather die than live that kind of dull existance.", her voice wavers as she finally pours her worries out. It was like a water dam broke and let all of her bitterness spill.

Alex quieted down for a bit. 'There has to be another way!' he thought. 'If this goes on, she'll just get locked up...'

He finally fixed his posture, some of his former glory shinning through. With a practiced tone, he spoke,

"You said it's like water and water is essential to us. Isn't your priority to survive? Personally, if I really like sugar or tasty food and it hurts another person to get so? I'd try to drink water most of the time and eat tasty only on special occasions."

Her voice quiets down. " But it's not about just surviving. It's about living the way I want to live, with my needs fulfilled..."

"How can you advocate for freedom of choice, when you can't recognise that your personal rights and needs are limited by the rights of other individuals?"

...

Toga felt attacked but deep down she knew he was right. Everything was against her, it was stupid to think someone would try to understand her let alone agree with her. He was just like everyone else, he didn't care...

"But it doesn't have to be that way" Toga was startled out of her thoughts. 

"What do you mean?" She felt her gut twist as her mind clinged to his words like a lifeline.

"Look. I get it. Donated blood sucks. But you need blood, so get it. Technically, we could argue in court that you needed it as a food source and since stealing food that you need to survive is sometimes* legal — the consequences won't be serious!"

Toga was skeptical... Where was he going with this?

" And sometimes you could find people that don't mind donating blood to you directly.", he adds.

"I-"

"Hell! You could probably start a movement by advertising your story of sufferage! Get into politics. Advocate for social facilities for quirks with additional needs and Boom-! Suddenly you're a political leader with thousands that want you in Congress!", he smugly retorts.

Toga stares at him in confusion.

"Don't you want people to know how you're feeling? I bet there's a lot of people who's quirks are like yours, I'm telling ya'!", he thinks back to a different time. A time when he felt himself to be an outsider...

Himiko's eyes sparkle as she thinks about people like her.

Others with so called "defective" or "villainous" quirks. She knew Dabi was one of them. His quirk left him unrecognisable. But he was just one, to think that there might be thousands like her?!—

"How does that sound?" Alex beemed with a sort of nostalgia that came with the topic.

Himiko hadn't felt like this in years. Her throat tightened as she willed the tears away. She finally had hope.

"That sounds nice? too nice..." 

"That's because it is. What I'm proposing you to do isn't easy, you know." his words soften.

"You'll have to work hard to learn about laws and how to implement them, but you'd be working for a better future for you and for others. And you'll probably need to get started somewhere, right?", he takes a step closer. Toga felt the corners of her mouth raise.

"What was your name again?" 

"Himiko Toga—" 

Q rummages through his pockets and places something in her hands. She didn't even glance at it as her eyes are blurred with tears.

"Alright, Himiko, I'll be leaving now." He beemes with an amused smile. "There's your head start, bud!" 

And that's how he sneaks out of the alley, with an apple still in hand. 'That was really awesome, but... he didn't even give his name' she looked back.

Toga swiped off her eyes just to check what was placed in her palm—

She drops it from shock. But her hands move to her pocket shakily grasping the phone. 

"Hello?! Do you know what time it is?!" a gruff voice grumbles.

"Dabi?" she wavers.

"Yeah?"

"We're rich!"

Chapter Text

The steady breeze rattled thin fabrics draped over his shoulders. Deep blues and blinding whites flickered in waves. The golden-plated feathers danced to the tune of the wind as he sat on that heavy ledge. His wings brushed the cold solid surface like tassels on canvas as he contemplated the scenery.

There was no trace of the smugness and confidence he was so used to carrying. Looking at the vast sea of glimmering lights, he wondered how such a crowded world came to be. The presence of people left palpable marks on all he could see. Alex glared at a world full of dangers and this odd unfamiliar warmth.

His mind carried him back to the start of his night. He had been so smug about beating a random thug. But more memorable was the feeling he got when he influenced that kids opinion. Was he so content at the time because it was a success? Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline that caused him that feeling. That had to be it.

Quackity was not a good man. That he accepted after someone made him acknowledge it. Using and manipulating people around him had become his second nature. Ever since Schlatt taught him this invaluable skill, he used it subconsciously.

It started small. He'd tell the newfound president that without Tommy the borders were threatened. He carefully planted seeds of distrust towards Technoblade. It didn't take much to frighten the young leader into action. After all, the Blood God had destroyed the country just months before.

Then he sweet-talked Sapnap into making a country all to himself. Karl was there for support and eventually Q convinced his own partner to give up a life for that destined-to-fail project. Maybe he was just a murderer after all, a vile voice whispered in the back of his mind.

Then came Las Nevadas. The first time he knowingly used his wicked tricks. 

Shaping each person's mind came down to one principle, sane course of actions. He would break someone's world down, then rebuild it in his own vision. He’d done it to Foolish, Fundy, and Sam. He tried it with Purpled, but miscalculated terribly. Timing was key and he'd missed it.

Charlie didn't need breaking. He had no world to destroy, so Alex shaped it for him. And when that world eventually came crashing down, it had hurt both of them.

But all of it was his fault. Quackity was where he was, because of his actions, no-one else's. He wanted this, he did this to himself!

And that used to be his only solace.

...

His legs swung from the ledge back and forth. He took a long glance down the building. It was much higher than the needle. The distance looked almost inviting.

The air shifted.

Feathered limbs pressed close hiding under the draped jacket, as the rhythmic sway of hair strands was disturbed. The air thrummed with an approaching current.

The sitting figure was forced out of his trance as strong steady swings of feathers thrummed the windy space. Tilting his head up he saw ruby red wings and piercing eyes. His awestruck mind stumbled as his instincts screamed of potential danger. But he was too busy studying the stranger to care.

____________

Another day sneaking out before sunrise. Takami Keigo longed for the sky. Feeling the wind on his skin, feeling free of any strings, leaving worries behind, as he flew up above.

Don't get him wrong, he liked his job, he'd wanted to be a hero even before the hero commission had taken him. But... Over the years, life as a caged bird had gotten unbearable. And now that he had at least the ability to leave its bounds behind (at least temporarily), he'd do it as much as his body would let him.

It was no later than quarter past four, when he left his assigned apartment on his so called patrol. Of course, there wouldn't be much to do at such hours, but that left him with countless possibilities of leisure.

Maneuvering around sparkling buildings, he glided above empty streets. Relaxed, but vigilant.

Finally, he reached the skyscrapers glimmering from the first rays of sunshine. His wings pushed upwards shooting him up to the skyline. Keigo watched the city below noting the pleasant current above.

Then something caught his eye.

A slumped silhouette sitting right on the edge. Keigo's lips parted as he watched the person lean down tilting their head. A dreadful feeling made it's way down the hero's throat he paled at the sight.

Making his way down took less than five seconds. Hawks swiftly dived down to the rooftop, his eyes fixed on the target.

The person looked up, their eyes widened. A young man close to his age. Foreign features and a wary expression.

Keigo stilled before slipping into his practiced persona. Stretching his face in a soft playful grin, he landed on the ledge to the strangers side.

"Enjoying the view?" He turned to the right. His eyes caught gold yellow feathers hiding under the blue.

The guy rolled his eyes in act of annoyance. "Just admiring the local scenery... you blend right in.", he said in a cheeky retort.

(Quackity's fight or flirt must've kicked in.)

Hawks bit back a wheeze.

"I can't tell if that's a backhanded compliment with the displeased face you were making!"

Q's smug face slightly fell.

"Rough day, I'm guessing? Anything you'd wanna share with the class?" Keigo said underplaying his interest. 

The other's eyebrow twitched. "That's a bit personal, pal!" his voice hitched. "Why would you care anyways?".

After that the stranger gave him the nastiest look up and down. And not in the good way.

Hawks almost snorted. This was not the usual reaction to meeting the number 3 hero, that's for sure. Maybe he'd found his own hater. 

"I don't know what you mean, I always care about others!" he pulls his hands behind his head, showing no care to his criticism.

"The hell that's supposed to mean...", the guy rasped out with confusion. It was as if he didn't know Hawks was a hero...

Keigo thanked his two braincells working overtime, because this just got twice as fun.

...

Alex sighed with annoyance. He was supposed to be feeling sorry for himself at this very moment. He was thinking of how lost he was and how he had no plans or ways to continue in this nonsensical place—Then this jerk interjects.

What was up with all these people waltzing into his life anyway? His eyes traveled to his side.

At least this one was easy on the eyes, his gaze focused.

"I see you're another avian type?" The stranger must've seen his eyes set on the plumage behind.

Wordlessly, Alex tugged off his jacket to stretch the aching limbs.

It was quite rare to see people showing their inhuman traits back home. But seeing this wasn't the case for wherever he was? He was less adamant about it.

...

Keigo noticed how strange his wings were compared to his. Feathers sticking in less than correct ways and looking too soft for anything that could lift off their carrier. He didn't want to think of implications.

"I was gonna propose a quick flight across the city, but it looks like I'll have to be carrying you?" The other's face grimaced in a way Keigo wanted to chuckle. 

Suddenly a violet light engulfed the small wings and what he would call wing extensions appeared. "Why would I go with you? Maybe you'll stab me in the back in some alley."

Keigo smirked at the distrust. "You know sometimes you have to just trust and accept what you're offered."

--

"Jeez, at least buy me a drink first. Why would I follow a stranger otherwise? "

That was when his mask snapped. Hawks cackled.

"Name's Keigo.", he responded through laughs. "I know they go by first names in the States".

The other maintained his annoyed façade that was betrayed by his amused voice.

"You can call me Alex, I guess." Quackity was too much of a recognisable username after all.

______________

Quackity's morning was going not as bad as he expected. This bird-brained guy was insufferable, yes— But it kept him entertained. 

Q couldn't fly as skillfully as Keigo, but he tried, anyways. At times the blondie would use his freaky feathers to tug Alex up or towards him. That way he kept Q on their decided path.(decided by him, that is).

Alex would grumble in annoyance at first, but eventually found enjoyment in the playful gestures. And in retaliation he'd crash into the other, sending him off course. That would earn him a surprised cackle the first time and some giggles after.

What started as a small flight around the skyscrapers, became a race game through buildings and alleys. If the occasional pedestrian saw them they wouldn't think much as these were no waking hours.

It was all going well when a piercing scream was heard.

Q's breath hitched as red lighting passed him, diving down to the source. Keigo's feathers detached as he landed. 

Alex was shocked at his speed. The almost scary precision of movement was startling. The striking difference in skill was worrying.

Careful, he watched from the sidelines as Keigo took down three grunts in under ten seconds, pinning each one to the wall. A man with his child was thanking him with grinning faces.

An ugly feeling made its way up Q's spine as he heard praises directed at the other. He wanted to be like that too. He wanted to be that powerful and hear people admire him. He wished he was that feared and loved. 

He looked away in embarrassment. He was trying to fight off these thoughts, when sirens were heard.

Alex stilled and looked up. There in the distance he could see them coming. And then it all hit him...

Keigo was a hero.

__________________

Four figures sat down in the office. A detective, three heroes. No one knew how to commence this impromptu meeting. Everyone was here for one reason only.

Eraserhead glanced at his company. One was fidgeting restlessly with a pen while sneaking sheepish looks to the side. The other sat firmly tense. He fixed his own glasses three times in five minutes. The brown haired man in the corner placed his old trench on its usual spot. He stepped closer.

Pleasantries exchanged, they dived straight into work.

"So, Eraserhead. Could you tell us your recollection of events first? The more details the merrier." Tsukauchi looked to his side.

Feeling the heavy stares, Shouta told his tale. He explained the mundane circumstance of the meeting and the odd powers he observed. He watched as the number one hero gulped and tensed at his words. Then he asked for any questions.

"How were you so sure he wasn't the perpetrator?", Nighteye studied him with a frown.

He let out a sigh, shoulders lowering.

"One of the pursuers was a person named 'Magne'. They often cause such disturbances in the area. Notably intimidating patrons of the establishments around."

"Any notable characteristic?" asked Yagi.

"He looked like he was from money. He spoke well Japanese, but mentioned American laws. He could be a hāfu", he pondered.

Through what felt like an interrogation, the detective kept scribbling and writing. With each new piece he tried to compile a profile of sort. Eventually he held up a drawing.

"Aizawa-san, is this close to his appearance?"

Shouta squinted, trying to examine the face.

"That is pretty close.", he grimaced. "I remember him having small moles. Right on his cheek and under his eye" he pointed the place.

Naomasa wasn't the best at police sketches, but sometimes he had to do things he was underqualified for. The facial composite ended up being pretty similar, according to Shouta. 

Next was the plan of action. 

For now the detective explained that no investigation could be held. It was best to wait things out and be on the look out.

Eraserhead offered patrolling the area. All Might would be more careful and attentive. Nighteye would be scanning some databases.

For now, there was not enough pieces to solve the puzzle.

__________________

Alex felt his body sag as he ran through the city. His wings ached with exhaustion. He kept looking back.He couldn't get caught, not this time.

His mind kept switching his vision, but he moved nonetheless— If he stopped they would storm him. He knew.

It was just like back then. Officers blaming him for stolen goods he didn't take, substances he never took. That time had led him to go into juvie. This time it'd lead straight into a jail cell, he knew.

So he ran. As soon as he realised who Keigo was he scrambled away from the crime scene. The hero might've not known him, but maybe someone would. His irrational fear lingered under his skin. He knew better than anyone the malpractices in systems.

So he ran until his hunger bar emptied. Hiding back into some alley he looked for anything in his inventory, but— there was nothing to eat...

He had so much gold and no apples... Breathing heavily he winced at the sight. 

Why now? Why didn't he notice earlier? His breathing picked up, as he searched around.

All shops that he crossed were closed, all people he passed were strangers. He couldn't trust them. All of them could be waiting to attack him, to rat him out.

He gulped, trying to calm down his racing heart. He needed to think fast. His eyes focused on a map. A map from the place of the Midoriya's.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

He forced himself to calm down and thought back to warm green eyes and soft friendly hands.

Ms Midoriya was almost an angel, oh how kind she was when he acted so poorly. She gave him some food and some water. She gave him a blanket and the couch. (On which he couldn't sleep). If not for her he would've despawned surely.

She even offered a place to stay.

...

"Thanks for the food." Alex grumbled.

"It's no problem, sweetheart. I'm glad you liked my cooking." She cast him a look of worry. His dark eyebags and bruised hand held some kind of story.

"You're very welcome to stay how much time you need." She softly replied.

....

His eyes felt itchy as he felt his legs stiffen with each step. The grip on the paper was softening as he climbed the steps up. His mind still told him to run away and to hide, but his body crying for some rest. Even placing a shulker box would exhaust him to death, let alone opening an ender chest. Healing potions weren't an option anymore.

So with his last flickering hearts, he dragged himself to the familiar door. The button was pressed.

Chapter Text

Dabi, formerly known as Todoroki Touya, was the least fortunate man there could be.

Apart from having a terrible resistance to his own quirk, he was also born into a rancid household.

His "father" was a selfish, self-centred man, obsessed with the meaningless goal of beating the number one hero.

Touya learned from a young age that everything was a tool for his father to achieve this goal. Even his kids. So as the stupid child he was, he obviously couldn't recognise Enji's foul character at play.

From the age of four he was caught in the fire of his father's obsession, which ignited his own. From then on the tool's goal became that of the one who wielded it. The boy's blazing fire would burn to a crisp anything in its way. And burn it did. He would do anything to gain father's love and to surpass All Might. So he pushed himself to destroy, to burn through any obstacles, even when it meant hurting himself.

But then something changed. 

No longer was Endeavour making him train or push harder. He felt as if he were an abandoned toy, forgotten completely, haven lost it's usefulness and all. Now there was a new tool Enji had chosen.

Todoroki Shouto. The youngest.

Shouto was the one obstacle he couldn't burn away. His father hovered over the pipsqueak, barely giving Touya a hash glare once in a full moon. This had never happened to him. It would’ve made sense if it were Natsuo or Fuyumi—they were useless. But never him!"

So he began to resent. He began to hate.

He pushed away Shouto, he pressed Natsuo's buttons, he ignored Fuyumi. He even lashed out at Mom. 

After all, if only she didn't agree to that stupid arranged marriage, he wouldn't have to go through this.

An ugly feeling corroded him from the inside out, eating away at his mind. What once was a bright flame turned to a raging fire. A fire that would disfigure everything in its way. Especially its source.

That fateful day Touya Todoroki died. 

Three years later Dabi awakened.

________________

Lone golden rays sneaked in through colourful curtains. First sounds of a bustling city were heard. Izuku lay restlessly, shifting from side to side.

He didn't get much sleep at all, thinking about yesterday's events. He sat up from the cushions pushing himself up on his palms. His body still felt groggy as he stood up from the bed.

He made his way out, steps carefully quiet to avoid disturbing his mother’s sleep.

You’d think he’d be preoccupied with his entrance exam results or All Might—but his mind was completely consumed by the alleged dimension traveler he’d met the previous day. To him, there were only two possible answers to the puzzle that was that young man. Either he was in fact from another reality or he was lying somehow. But then what would his motive be? Why would he lie and pretend to be different in such subtle ways? Ways that would warrant him deemed as an outsider? His mind conjured elaborate schemes, all of which had major flaws. Ironically, the most possible theory was the most irrational.

Flicking the lights on, he reached for the teapot, tiredly serving himself a generous amount. He felt his eyes burn, but paid it no mind. The curls lightly dipped for the liquid as he buried his face in the cup.

In contrast to the serenity of the morning scene, Izuku's internal turmoil churned in his gut like a restless sea. Even without mentioning how Alex knew now of One For All, he seemed less than ready to live in this unfamiliar place. His anxiety filled speech proved so. And one thing the Midoriyas could never get rid of was their selflessness. So naturally his worry fueled his mind.

When Izuku came back from UA's exam, what he wanted was for the stranger to leave and for his own mistake to erase itself. Now he couldn't help but glance at the entrance, as if hoping it would somehow bring him back.

Ring~

A single ring broke the silence. The boy startled with a jump. Was that a ring? Who would come here at this hour?

He stepped closer with trepidation, leaning in the peephole. 

Nothing.

He couldn't see anyone on the other side. Could he have imagined the sound?

Slowly taking the handle, he pulled in the door, when a heavy mass toppled through the threshold.

It was him... it was Alex.

The short man was sprawled out on the floor, breathing heavily. With a grimace he propped himself on his elbows. Izuku freezed in confusion. Before he could take in the scene a hand grabbed his leg with desperation.

"QUICKLY—", he rasped out. 

"I'm on half a heart! Just give me anything—" His speech slurred through the coughing fit.

Midoriya felt horrified and overwhelmed, but he needed to help. He gulped down his worries.

"I- I don't understand! Are you hurt? Should I call an ambulance? How can I help—"

"I'm literally on half a heart, man! Come on."  Alex interrupted, his rambling growing impatient.

"I'm gonna despawn any second! I swear if this is how my last canon life ends I'm going to haunt your ass forever!" His high pitched voice, infectious with anxiety.

"What does that mean?! Just tell me how can I help?" The boy kept trying to stop his own panic.

"Food! I'm starving here—"

With no more to ask, Izuku scrambled to the kitchenette. Snatching some produce, taking his own omelette as well.

Alex looked worse by the minute, but as soon as he saw the plates, he gobbled the food from Izuku's hands in an instant. Honestly it was kinda impressive how fast he could swallow a meal for three. But the effects were instant. His face brightened, his breathing slowed. He regained his movement in a matter of seconds after the meal.

"Holy shit, man! I owe you one." He sighed in relief, "I thought for sure I was gonna despawn. And who knows if this time was gonna be canon or not. You never know —" 

Izuku squirmed under the feeling of validation. This was what it felt like to save someone.

Finally he mustered up the courage to ask "What do you mean by despawn? Um-... Also why were you so unwell? Is it a medical condition?" His voice turning softer. Meanwhile he picked up the empty plates to bring to the sink.

"Right... I forgot this is like a different world or some shit—" Quackity rubbed his temples in irritation.

"Basically, despawning is dying, but on each server you have a different amount of lives.  Which depends on admin's decision. For example, back home we had infinite lives "technically" because it wasn't a hardcore world, but we were told that we'd have only 3 canonical lives."

"I think you lost me on the infinite lives part..." the boy glanced back from the kitchen.

"Okay, so basically I get to die only 3 meaningful ways and then I'm officially dead."

"Hm... It sounds useful, but kinda terrifying if you think about the possibility of infinite lives..." , he mumbles, " We don't have multiple lives here."

Alex let out a groan.

"So I'm in a hardcore world now? Shit, I'm so cooked. There's no way I'm surviving over a week. I literally had the most deaths on the server!"

Somewhere along this talk Izuku had found himself a notebook and pen. His analytical instinct making him scribble all relevant info he's heard.

"And about why I was like that— It's cause I ran out of food. I was literally on half a heart!" He plops on the couch making the other bounce up and mess up a letter.

"I was literally on half a heart Oh- I should probably add that I have ten hearts— Same with hunger."

The boy kept diligently writing down every new detail as if he were in a lecture. The next couple hours were spent talking about big and small differences between their worlds, further making Q forget about his  actual worries.

Neither of them noticed the sleepy, fond eyes watching them from across the apartment

...

Inko Midoriya silently made her way to the teapot. The boys were still energetically discussing something about heroes and villains. Alex was fascinated with the concept and kept questioning the legal aspects of such system, while her son passionately answered to the best of his knowledge, mostly talking about different heroes and their quirks.

It was heartwarming to see Izuku talk to someone.with so much excitement. He hasn't brought anyone home ever since the Bakugo's stopped visiting. Her and Mitsuki had a slow falling out after the latter demanded her friend to divorce her absentee husband. Inko got very offended and stopped calling her altogether. 

Years passed and they hardly exchanged any words when passing by. Small talk made awkward by the lack of communication.

Inko filtered her regretful thoughts in favour of listening in to the guest sitting across.

"The thing is I have no goddamn clue what I should do?! I'm clearly not going back anytime soon, but I have so little knowledge about this place." Quackity explained tiredly.

"Well... How about finding a place to stay and a job?"

"How am I going to find any of that, I bet I'll get scammed in a heartbeat, and how would I get a place in the first place?!(no pun intended)." He complained.

"What about the money you had, it's enough to rent—" Inko accidentally slips up and covers her mouth. "I-I didn't mean to look through your things, but we were looking for an ID or a phone..."

The young man didn't seem offended thankfully, and more so confused. She and her son felt relief at this.

"You mean that cash I got at the bar? Oh, I thought it was just spare change, so I gave it to a kid." 'What was it worth? An ingot? Two maybe?' he thought cluelessly.

Inko's jaw dropped.

"You gave away all your money thinking it was spare change?!" Izuku exclaimed with his hands in his hair.

Suddenly, a dark presence loomed over.  Inko, who was usually sweet looked almost possessed.

"Young man, you are grounded." said the deceivingly leveled voice.

Quackity felt a shiver down his spine, when he saw Izuku sweating bullets, looking at him with worried eyes.

___________________

The room held a heavy weight on his scarred skin. He stared at ceiling above as if it'll fall right on top and knock him unconscious so that he sleeps well for once.

Luck was never on Dabi's side. Luck was never on Dabi’s side—not when he ended up on the streets, not when he tried to find legal jobs. Another day full of questionable tasks had come to an end. But something kept him awake. It grated his nerves, pestering his mind at ungodly hours.

His 'roommate'—or rather, the kid he’d picked up from a dump—was still nowhere to be found.

Toga left late in a hurry, promising to be back soon. It was well past midnight and she was nowhere to be found.

His gut twisted, as he tried to push away dark thoughts. Tomorrow was a busy day and for fucks sake— he needs that sleep. His skin stung as he shifted onto his side, forcing his eyelids shut—and then the phone rang, right in his ear. Damn it!

He should’ve turned that shit off and put it away, but instead, he grabbed it from under his pillow and answered the call—

"Hello?! Do you know what time it is?!" he grumbles through the pillow 

"Dabi?" the voice wavers.

"Yeah?"

"We're rich!"

..........

He paced through the small apartment holding a cig. The girl bounced around the room, recounting her night. Her messy space buns were getting less and less structured with the movement.

"Ooh— And then! He slashed from the left! B-but the meanie kept jumping, so-" she rambled excitedly.

Apparently in the couple of hours she was outside, she got cornered by a thug. (that she first planned to drink blood from, but Dabi doesn't need to know the details.) Then some crazy rich guy just handed her a stack of money worth double their monthly income?!

This was either the luckiest thing that could’ve happened to them or a curse in disguise.

There had to be some kind of trick. No one just gives over 11 million yen to a random kid on the streets.

He looked through the brand new looking stacks of cash, inspecting each bill as a hawk. They looked fresh off the printing press.

It wasn’t a world-changing amount—don’t get him wrong. They could hardly buy a miniscule studio with it, but it would be more than enough for both to go to uni, for example.

This amount could help the with rent or buy them some clothes... He could even invest or save it for the brat's future...

"So what kind of drugs did he make you deliver to get this kind of deal?" he grumbled to the kid.

"I'm telling ya'! he gave it away for free. And- and he even gave me sooo much great advice."

He sighed, feeling the migraine intensify. 

"He said I can find people like me! He told me that taking what you need to survive sometimes isn't against the law. And! And also I'm going to become a politician! What did he say I needed to do?" She grabbed her chin in a pensive motion. " 'To advertise the story of my suffledge?' " 

"Maybe you mean sufferage?"

"Yeah! Yeah! I just need to find people that agree with me to be on board with my opinions!"

Dabi let out a puff of smoke.

"No you're not. You're just a teenage girl who dropped out of middle school." 

"I didn't drop out. I just eh- started online school!" She defended herself before grabbing the old laptop on the counter. Opening it in a swift motion she began typing vigorously.

Dabi peeked over her shoulder and burst into laughter at the search bar.

🔎how to become politician and change law quick

Results: 14,560

"You have to be joking, right now! There's no way in hell you're taking his advice seriously—"

Toga clicked on the first result and as soon as countless unfamiliar kanjis flooded her screen, she opened another tab to open HeroTube. 

"There is a way and I'm going to find it!" 

Dabi watched, perplexed, as the kid dove excitedly into a rabbit hole about politics and Quirk activism, of all things.

He should've told her that the stranger had lied and that there's no way someone would listen to deviants like them. At this point only villains would side with freaks. But he can't help but feel happy seeing the kid passionately interested in something instead of constantly sulking like usual.

With a sigh he threw himself on the ratty couch full of clumsily sewn patches. He rested his head back, listening to the girl’s murmurs about applying to online schools and searching for 'like-minded' friends on QuirkTweet or QuirkSphere.

"Oh- I almost forgot!" She looked up from the screen, meeting Dabi's questioning glance.

"We're robbing the hospital next week—"

"What?!"

Chapter Text

A growing veil of anger expanded to his limbs coating him in that familiar tension. As always, he wanted to let it out somehow.

Not a day went by without the constant waves of irritation plaguing his mind.

...

Katsuki was always the top of the food chain.

In his eyes, there was only him and the extras. 

It was only logical, since he was the strongest of them all, the winner. He was the one everyone followed and worshipped.

'It's a waste of time to think about irrelevant nobodys', he concluded one day, listening to the extras gush about his quirk. 

Then why did he feel so... shitty when looking at him? Why did he feel small when their eyes would meet?

Those eyes... Those piercing eyes that pinned him like he was a thin piece of paper stuck to a board, all his doubts, all his feelings displayed for show. What was the fucker thinking with that stare full of worry?— no, it must've been pity! The nerd was looking down on him like always—

...

His arms flew faster as the hanging punching bag swayed uselessly. 

...

By all means, Deku was a nobody! He shouldn't be looking at him with those eyes. It was so irritating, so maddening to see. That quirkless nerd shouldn't matter to him this much, he shouldn't care about him at all in fact...

But why was it so exasperating to see him smile like nothing, to see him lie to himself with delusions. Deku didn't belong in heroics. He's just a pebble that's surely asking to get kicked. And he surely would get himself killed...

Katsuki Bakugo was born for greatness. He was the Main Character destined to surpass All Might. But when he looked at him — it felt like he wasn't the focus.Even if everyone else didn't notice, he could. He sensed it. 

The unwavering determination was nauseating. Eventually those determined eyes sent him over the edge as he spit out vile insults once more. Mocking words spilled out.

"If you wanna be a hero so bad, take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a Quirk in your next life!" 

Confusion, his brain short-circuited at the unfamiliar emptiness of Deku's eyes quickly replaced by the usual tears. The look was as quickly gone as it had appeared. And his irritation subsided when his explosive taunts shut the weak-ass up.

And everything seemed back as it should be. All was back to normal 

Untill it wasn't...

...

Katsuki gave one last punch before toppling down on the floor with heavy breaths.

...

That day had haunted his mind for days...months even.

He could still taste the bile taste of the viscous sludge down his throat. It was repulsive to feel. It was humiliating to lose. The one who should've been below him, who should've been the one begging to be saved — was now running to his aide. He wanted to scream. To punch that worried pitying face of the fucker, but the slime wouldn't budge.

From that day he couldn't look at Deku the same way. It stopped feeling empowering to beat the nerd into the ground. It didn't lift his mood or quelch his anger. Instead it had furthered his irritation, causing him to not want to meet those eyes. He still would snap of course, but somehow it left a bitter taste, seeing as his target wouldn't cower in fear as much as before.

...

His hand lundged for the cabinet expecting the spices to be in their place. An annoyed growl escaped his lips.

Why did everything seem to go wrong lately?

...

The streets were noisy this weekend specifically. Students finally enjoying their time after their draining exams.

Katsuki couldn't help but roll his eyes at the people bunching up on the streets, talking and giggling about stupid shit. The sound was grating, the city fumes were nauseating. But it would all be worth it, when he would have accomplished his goal. He huffed kicking a rock out the way.

A small store came into view. It was hard to miss, with it being the only one with foreign words plastered all over. Not the nicest looking place, but that hardly mattered.

The familiar "ting" resounded as he stepped in. Countless smells assaulted his nose, as one in particular made him sneeze quietly.

The unusual lack of the welcoming word vomit would give away the place's foreignness, if it wasn't for the various unfamiliar products that made the fact clear. The cashier gave a small wave, seeing the frowning regular. She must've gotten used to the boy's sour attitude by now.

The small spice store had a multitude of products from all over the globe, Indian spices and grains organised to the left and rows or packs labelled in arabic to the right. Two steps ahead you'd find multiple languages from cyrillic to latin text. 

With Katsuki's unique taste palette, it had been a blessing to find this place after trying out the same boring stuff they sold at convenience stores. Here he would occasionally stock up on his favorite fiery herbs. And Katsuki was very particular about his choices, going for the stronger ones. 

With a quick step he made his way like he owned the place. Only a couple of customers roaming about, he comfortably walked towards his holy grail of condiments. And sure enough there it was... his favourite mix of chillies. The only ones imported fresh to Japan — all in someone else's basket?! 

Bakugo audibly gasped as some extra was taking away his precious batch of produce.  Quickly, he stopped the young man before he could get to the cash register, grabbing his arm. The other turned back with a questioning glare.

"How about you hand those" he said in a gruff tone.

The man scanned the teen with an annoyed expression, seeing as the other looked ready to grab the food from him.

"Now why would I do that? This is my shit, pal!" Quackity hid the basket behind him. Honestly, Alex kinda felt intrigued, if anything.

"Your shit?! Those are mine! I always get my batch here. Find yourself your own elsewhere!" He ground his teeth, clenching his fists in anger.

Alex almost chuckled at the ravenous tone of the kid.

'He looks like a Pomeranian with rabies with that hair of his. pff—' he thought absentmindedly.

Oh well, they do say noisy dogs are all bark and no bite—' 

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the teens angry insults paired with sparkling lights erupting from open palms. It looked like tiny fireworks exploded near his arm.

Sensing danger he swiftly yanked himself out of reach, letting out a worried yelp.

Katsuki was livid.

"Give me the damn chillies, you jackass—!" But before he could lunge himself at the target,  he felt that burning sensation in his nose... No! Not again. Why now?—

His hand flew to his face as he sneezed with a resounding "choooo—"

He got back in his stance, but the fucker was out of the door, only coins clanking down on the cash registry.

That sucked. That day sucked. That jackass sucked.

...

Days stretched out as the exams results wouldn't come.

Katsuki layed lazily on the sofa as his parents bickered about some dumb outing they were planning to have. Misuki would give an idea, then whine for his dad to chime in, only then to turn down whatever his option was. 

"Argh- come on, Masaru! You never pick where we go!" Her voice rose without any real anger behind.

"It's alright, honey. I'm happy as long as you're happy.", he answered voice calm and soothing.

"No! You're not getting away with this anymore. We always go to same ones. It's always either Tsumugo or the ramen place down the street. Don't you want to try something else?" She playfully tugged at his arm.

"I promise you, I'll be happy with any place you pick, Suki" he grinned, as he pat her unruly hair.

"And I promise you— I'll go wherever you pick!"

His father finally hummed with intrigue. "Well, how about we go to that one place near the park?"

"Sanremo?!" Her voice shrieked. " Nooo, anything but Sanremo... " she deflated.

"Katsuki!" 

"...what?"

"Katsuki!!"

"I'm right here, you old hag! What?!" he sat up, as she shouted.

"Do you want to go to Sanremo today?"

"No?" he replied with annoyance.

 "See Masaru? The boy doesn't want to go there. Pick another, please" she muttered into his side with contempt. The man simply chuckled 

"How about we go to Tsumugo once more?"

... 

The whole place was loud. Groups of regulars laughing and talking each in their booths. Katsuki was sulking on the table (not that he would admit so thought). His parents were chatting as always. The old hag would scold him for his posture, his attitude, his growling instead of words, etc.

Finally the god forsaken waiter was here, so they couldn't get this thing over with!

"Suki, what are you hoping to get?" asked her husband.

"You chose, babe. You know me better."she clasped his hand in her own.

"Hey, brat. Quit with the long face and get something nice while we're still here." Her voice sounded less like a scolding and more like a cheer up.

The grumpy teen rolled his eyes as he asked for his favourite dish in this place.

"Just the usual curry... Extra spicy" The waitress winced.

"I'm so sorry, sir. We just ran out of curry for today, but there's so many options that have similar —"

"Damnit!—"

"Language, dumbass!" his mother exclaimed.

His second choice was Mapo Tofu. It was alright, since the dish was Bakugo's favourite. It wasn't nearly as spicy as in other places, but it would do.

"Oh!- I heard that Izuku also applied to UA. Did you see him at the entrance exam? I wonder how Inko is doing these days..." His mother trailed off.

"I've seen the nerd, but there's no way he's getting in, that's for sure" his voice held an edge, but he played it off as his usual attitude.

"Don't be rude! Zuku is a smart kid, he'll get into the general course for sure."

And there it was. Nobody expected the weakass to go for heroics. Somehow hearing it from his own mother got on his nerves.

"What's it to you? Not like Inko's gonna be buddy-buddy with you again as soon as we get to the same school"

"You little-!" She held herself back, reminding herself that she's the adult.

"Inko-chan will come around eventually. We've been talking occasionally at the store, lately." Her voice softened, but her crossed arms showed annoyance. 

"Whatever you say, old hag. Anyways, I'm leaving first... got plans with some extras."

He pulled away from the table. Waving goodbye, while his mother kept causing a ruckus.

...

That was a annoying outing for sure.

The food was quite stale, having waited for it to be chosen for too much time. Honestly, he was still in a bad mood and everything just kept grading on his nerves. He walked out of the booth slightly slouched.

He just wanted that spicy curry to solve all his problems— but no! It had to be out of stock. He took a deep breath, when heat hit his nose. Yes... That's the curry he's talking about.

His feet carried him to the source. 

Shock.

That's how he would describe his state. By the largest table in the restaurant sat the same stranger from the store. He wore the same lame beanie and his sleeves were rolled up as he devoured plates of food like a pig. Nine maybe ten dishes laid out for one guy alone.

And in those plates... His favourite curry

"You!"

_______________

The walk back home was silent. 

Mitsuki was glaring daggers at the teen, but refused to say anything.

This time the boy had crossed the line when he attacked an innocent customer at the restaurant. The poor guy had to use his quirk to defend himself from the raging explosions raining down. Katsuki demanding for him to hand over "his curry".

When the Bakugo's heard the uproar they bolted to its source just to find their own child causing a scene.

Masaru couldn't have been more thankful to the man that agreed to not press charges against his unruly son. It would've been devastating to see his future be gone after this.

He and Mitsuki profusely apologized for the commotion when the owner kicked all of them out of his business.

Masaru frowned with a sigh. The way home felt awkward with only the taps of their shoes, breaking the silence.

Mitsuki still looked on edge, but he knew she couldn't stay mad at him for long...

Life in the Bakugo family was chaotic at times, but he wouldn't trade it for the world. That's for sure.

_________________

Alex fell into quite the routine.

The days after his escapade passed like a blur. Time flew by when he was having fun.

At first he held the Midoriyas' at an arm's length, not wanting to be a target of scammersm Eventually, he got a general idea of how they were. Kind and painfully selfless.

Countless misunderstandings later the Midoriyas' convinced the dimensional traveler to stay with them.
Alex wasn't stoked, but getting some sort of guidance was a must.

He needed to figure out where to go from here by gaining knowledge of the world. So his first thought was finding a library, untill Izuku showed the magical world of the internet.

The invention known as a computer resembled those machines made by Foolish for his underground bunker. Similar display, but different controls and panels that popped up when he held and pressed a "plastic" device called a mouse.

Honestly, the whole ordeal resembled a communicator, just bigger and much more advanced. And with enough time and effort, he was able to acces the place called Quirkle.

A search engine or whatever Izuku said...

Here he could look for anything he could think of. And his mind fell straight into work as he painfully slowly  typed all types of questions from «What's a tatami?» to «What are the main legislative acts or statutory instruments in Japan?».

The more he read the more impressed he felt as tons of knowledge appeared on the screen. 

But one thing made him loose that hopeful glint in his eyes. According to the law, there was no legal way of existing without identification.

You want to rent? Present your ID. You want a car? Show them your license. You're looking for a job? Bring your social security papers. 

And getting all these would take months... Maybe years.

This wasn't the Greater SMP, where you could just claim some inhabited land and call it your own. Everything was carefully measured, every action thoroughly categorised. 

At times the flood of useful information overwhelmed the otherworlder as he felt his headache rise. Sometimes he just had to get out and take a much needed break.

Then he started noticing, what he had close around. Instead of annoyance and rejection, Izuku and his mother received him with a foreign tenderness and care. Almost like they cared for his wellbeing. 

It...was... bizarre and nostalgic even. He wanted to chase that feeling at times.

He started to let out small pieces of himself to them, explaining his world or telling some jokes. Sometimes, he would cook them foods from before... Recipes from a long time ago. A time before the storm that ruined his life.

For the first time in a long while he felt seen. He felt grounded in the present and stable.

But he wouldn't let the false peace lead him into a trap of vulnerability. 

Or so he thought.

Chapter Text

His home hadn't felt this alive for years. No longer was it lonely and quiet when his mother was busy. With their new charming roommate he and his mother simply didn't have time to waste. Every day was a first for their guest.

His mom was determined to help the young man get back on his feet. After the incident with the money, she was convinced that he should not be left unsupervised — at least for now. So she forbade him from gambling as soon as he offered to do get back the money.

'Honestly though… who in their right mind would decide that going to a casino was a good way to make money? Alex was out of his mind for that!', thought Izuku.

Regardless, it was quite amusing to see an otherwise mature young adult being treated like an overgrown teen. He made himself look like some big smart adult, but when it came to jokes and picky eating, his immaturity shone through. Inko would boss him around then. And Alex would usually oblige out of some sort of respect, maybe for her being an elder or for being the host.

Just seeing how grumpy he looked while stuffing his face with vegetables made Izuku burst into laughter. His mom had insisted he ate those broccolis. He joked, asking why they would eat their own kind.

(He hoped the joke would give him leeway... It didn't).

Izuku laughed like he hadn't in a long while. But his laughter quickly died down when his mom placed the godforsaken bell peppers in his plate.

Now it was his turn to frown at his dish with disgust.

...

Alex was a very refreshing addition to their lives. A charismatic guy, full of sarcastic remarks and a unique attitude. Despite his complete lack of Japanese social etiquette, just by the way he would carry himself, it made him magnetic to be around.

That's why seeing him learn about this world, this culture— felt incredibly entertaining to those around. It was, honestly, heartwarming.

But enough about the routine days—

today was gonna be a special one.

A long awaited letter lay unassumingly on their doorstep.

_________________

Quackity was once again exploring the streets of Musutafu. They always carried an industrial air to them. It was like being in LN, but tenfold. The fumes, the smells, the presence of life. It never failed to amaze him just how full and alive this city was.

He weaved through streams of pedestrians of all different kinds. Those glued to their phones looked possessed clenching them like a lifeline. Tired children passed by, returning from school, chatting along, obstructing the pace. Dark gloomy businessmen, hurried through crowds not caring who was in their way to their workloads.

Alex stopped before a lamppost clenching his head. It was just a bit overwhelming really... So many people... Not mobs, not animals. Humans. Not even in his Mexican homeland server did he see so many players gathered. 

He decided to change his focus.

The sign on a building caught his eye. The written inscription morphing in his mind into something he knew, something he could understand. 

How peculiar. He didn't know the language, but his mind supplied the meaning.

He shoved his hand in a pocket as he fished out a card. Stepping closer in awe, he pushed in the glass doors.

The place was neat and tidy. Rows of identical shelves placed through the halls. The shift in temperature was evident and the smell was fresh, not sterile, but clean. Walking around felt like visiting a capsule of knowledge. 

If the internet felt like looking through a window into a sea of information, then this library felt like you were in that sea. It felt more tangible, it felt real.

Everyone is taught in their lives that knowledge is power. But there are few who actually know which knowledge gives you the most.

Alex was one of them.

Despite his humble background, as a child he longed to be someone, to do something big. So he studied and learnt. It started with philosophical books about power and state. About how governments came to be and how laws were invented. Odd books for a kid.

Then he delved into codified laws and political studies. Where as his peers would prefer running around exploring dungeons in other servers or doing PvP duels... he would stay home and read.

Not all servers had laws, but all of them had certain rules and customs. Even the the arachy-ridden server of 2b2t had it's rules. Unspoken rules that if broken would lead to your destruction. But the server he grew up in was the complete opposite of that hellhole. It was controlled and relatively peaceful, but Its rules were not set in stone.

Today, you are innocent. Tomorrow, the cops decide that you are a criminal and... surprise!— you're stuck in juvie...

Tommy once asked him about it. He's only told the whole story once and nobody believed him—, so he settled for saying that he was in “fun juvie”  “for having too much fun”. 

So when he finally got an invitation to a new server, it was a fresh start. Getting in a server with no prejudice? You kidding? He was on cloud nine! Here he would finally get to use his abilities and passions to build something better, to make a fair government.

Or at least that was his goal when he first encountered L'Manburg and tried fixing their unjust elections. 

And now look at him...

Back in the trenches. It reminded him too much of nights looking for slime research, desperately clinging to hope. Digging through books like a mole. Trying to find just the right one—

......

"Are you looking for something in particular?"

He spun around searching for the source only to find a small figure looking up with piercing eyes. Her two comically big pigtails slightly bounced as she inclined her head to the right in a questioning manner. His suspicion grew, but he pushed it away.

“Um... Yeah, I'm kinda struggling to find something—”

“Then why not use the app to search the title?” she questioned placing her hands on her hips.

“App? Like uhh- phone app?” He reminded himself from Izuku's long explanation of how his new "cellphone" worked.

“You don't have it installed? Jeez— must be your first time in here.” She motioned for the device to be placed in her hand.

He handed the phone with intrigue, while explaining his situation.

“Well... I'm new to this whole technology thing. I mean I do know the basics but— you know what I mean?”, he glanced back and she was rapidly tapping the screen. So fast he could barely see windows pop up.

“Figures... You've got no Antivirus, no VPN, no private server enabled— Might as well just post all your personal info on HeroTube for all to see.”

Quackity's eyes widened comically. “What does that mean? Have I been using the phone wrong?—”

“That's an understatement.”, she interrupted him shortly. "Also there's no password— Oh! The app has finally loaded. You can search your book now." She tossed him the phone and he struggled to not let it fall. She turned left to leave.

“WAIT! W-what about all the other stuff you mentioned?”

She glanced back with  tired tone. “Yeah, yeah. I fixed those stuff too, while the app was loading. You can check it yourself or whatever.” She waved a hand dismissively and got lost in forest of bookshelves. 

Alex looked down at the phone scanning the display. A lone search engine popped up. Must be the library's.

It's been almost a week since the entrance exams and Katsuki's been on edge... He knew he passed, but the doubt was still there. So his irritability wouldn't subside. On the contrary, this past week he has been close to exploding himself from the nerves.

After getting a scolding from his old hag, about rightfully (in his opinion) scaring that extra at the restaurant, he now started noticing the fucker wherever he went!

It's like the guy suddenly popped into existence and started taking over the entire neighborhood.

Katsuki would see him at the store occasionally buying some beer. Then he'd stumble upon him near the station with huge books in hand. He even saw him near his house the other day. And that was truly his last straw. He was so unimaginably tempted to explode his hat off from the sheer annoyance it gave him to see the fucker constantly.

Not to mention that the prick was suspicious as shit! Like why was he always buried in the strangest book titles like:

• "Vigilantism: moral duty or mob law",
• "Quirkism: history of the oppressed";
• "Heroes — substantive and procedural rights and their role in the executive branch".

And the worst part is — the weirdo was smiling while reading that boring shit! And Katsuki knows that it's boring to death, because he tried reading them hours later.(Trying to find something incriminating)

But before you judge him— He was just investigating a stupid foreigner, okay? That weirdo was definitely in some illegal bullshit, that's for sure.

'It's not like I was trying to find the strange looking guy in the first place! It just so happened that the beanie wearing jackass is constantly in the way!' he reasoned.

Speaking of which, why was he always in a hat?, he wondered.

Does he have a bald patch? Is he wearing a wig? Why does he always wear a jacket over his stupid duck looking wings?

Maybe he'll call him Featherbrains from now on. 

...

The sun was beaming unbearably above, when the crowd pushed him off to the side. 

What was decades ago a quiet town in the Shizuoka prefecture, was now a bustling city full of tourists and onlookers, waiting to see the best heroes in Japan or dreaming of getting into UA one day. 

On hot days like this, it was truly unbearable to walk the streets without melting.

The people were practically swarming you as you tried to get to your own destination. And your journey wouldn't be without incidents either.

On such a day Katsuki was making his way to a store, hoping to finally find his favourite spices. He wasn’t in the mood for detours.

His wallet sat heavily in his pocket as he marched with his usual misplaced confidence. 

When— a familiar figure caught his eye.

It was the blue tracksuit weirdo, he came to despise.

His mind started raising with irritation, when suddenly he felt a shove—

Some extra had sharply pushed him from behind, before quickly pulling him upwards as to not let him fall. The stranger mumbled some apologies under his breath and started walking away, when hand stopped him dead in his tracks.

Reaching into his back pocket, Katsuki froze.

His wallet was definitely gone.

He turned and his steps quickened—

"Do you think I was born yesterday?!" Bakugo roared with a bubbling anger. He pulled the small man to the side.

“Give me back my wallet, you thief!”. He let out explosions from his free hand. That would garner attention.

"I said give me my shit, fucker!" His hand flew to his collar.

Around, a crowd started forming— commuters, students, an old couple with shopping bags. All murmuring worried words.The man whimpered under his hold but wouldn't speak up.

“Kid! Please don't attack me, I have no idea what you're talking about!” The rat was straight up lying! And apparently that was all it took for the masses to start gasping.

“What a scary boy!”

“Must be a delinquent, honey... how sad”

“Poor man is getting harassed”

Katsuki turned around furious. 

“Are you out of your minds? This jackass clearly pickpocketed my shit. Just look at that guilty mug of his!” He defended himself fruitlessly.

But it was too late. The crowd had already decided. A group of bystanders waited eagerly to see what would happened next, all wondering when someone would come to the man's aide.

...

Suddenly, a figure came closer. A very familiar one, in fact...

“Jeez... Don't you get tired of harassing innocent people left and right? How's it that every time I see you you're causing a scene.” The voice said in a mocking tone.

Katsuki gave a short gasp of surprise before letting out something akin to a growl to the stranger butting in.

“You again?! Featherbrained freak! Get lost, this has nothing to do with you." , he briefly left his target to sag back on their feet. 

“Oh come on. Stop being a bully! The poor guy is struggling here”, said Quackity while sneaking an arm over the disheveled man's shoulders. His grin grew wider as he pulled him closer in a friendly manner.

“Look! He's barely able to stand, let alone steal something, ain't that right, boss?”. He shook the man lightly, but the other didn't answer.

“I'm sure you left your wallet elsewhere and just decided to blame whoever was close.” His voice calm but with an underl sarcasme that grated on Katsuki's nerves.

“Like hell I did! I'm a thousand percent sure I—”

Katsuki finally noticed the man slipping away. “Hey! The fuck you're letting him go for?” His palms sparkled with hesitance from the shock.

He was ready to bolt after the thief, but the masses conveniently obstructed his view, blocking him from his target. All he could do was just stare with bloodshot eyes.

He couldn't believe this was happening to him. His eyes chased the figure long gone, hoping to spot it. 

The thief had been right there in his grasp just moments ago. And now he's gone, as well as his wallet. What kind of bullshit was this?

...

Watching the brat lose his shit was too entertaining for Quackity to simply walk away from. So he eavesdropped a bit and found an opportunity to weasel his way into the conversation.

The teen was the same explosive brat that he saw a couple times before. Always acting like a territorial chihuahua, all bark and no bite.

...

Katsuki was conflicted. Should he run after the robber even if he couldn't see him? or should he teach this jackass a lesson and explode his face?

He stood frozen in thought when a hand pushed his head down, ruffling his pointy hair. He almost sent a right hook but his fist was caught in a palm.

But that's not what made him stop.

The hand was not what he'd hit. The palm wasn't empty.

The man took a step back catching Katsuki's puzzled face. He had such a smug grin, but slowly it morphed into an amused one as he flicked the item to its owner. Almost like a deck of cards. 

Katsuki stilled, when his hand caught the leather. But his eyes wouldn't leave the mysterious figure that walked passed him.

"Guess, today was your lucky day, kid." The man snickered cheerfully.

"Gotta be more careful next time!" He added disappearing into the crowd, meanwhile, Katsuki's eyes fell down on his item.

His fingers found the zipper as he flicked the thing open. Counting through the bills and cards, he payed little attention to the pictures stored below. The old hag, his father sporting a dumb grin and an old photo of the nerd being shoved almost out of frame by the extras surrounding him.

...

The walk back felt unusually calm and quiet.  Blue hues painted the streets as lonely streetlights chased off the darkness. 

An occasional yawn broke the silence as Katsuki clutched the heavy bags of food.

He felt like he should be angry at something, at the suspicious weirdo especially, but... he couldn't help but think that—

maybe he wasn't that bad.

Quackity made his way back with a skip in his step. Something about meddling in other's business made him so giddy and enthusiastic. He felt it when helping Tommy take down Dream. He experienced it on the Red Banquet...

All in all, it reminded him of simpler times. 

And it was surprisingly a fulfilling thing — to do something without expecting anything in return.

He could almost get used to it.

almost

...

The apartment complex came into view. But when he entered the home there was an obvious shift in usual calming mood.

You see...

An envelope was found. 

Izuku stared intently at the carefully sealed paper. At first he was planning on opening it in solitude, so it would be less embarrassing when he receives a rejection, but then his roommate came home and insisted on checking out his results.

Saying Izuku was nervous would be an understatement. 

This was what he trained for! This was what he spent almost a year for!

He could physically feel himself shivering from stess.

Meanwhile, Alex looked relaxed laying on his bed kicking his feet. His face showed a somehow bored expression since watching a teenager fumbling an envelope wasn't the most interesting thing on the planet.

Finally Izuku tore up the paper holding the key! Instead of normal mail a small disc fell out on his desk.

Curious he reached out  when—

"BOOYAH! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION NOW!", the image shone brightly on the wall, showing a comically big man dressed in a fancy yellow suit. The colours so bright, it hurt to glance at.

"Wait All Might?!" Alex could hear Izuku gasp with a thrill.

"But this is from UA, isn't it?"

"I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE! BUT WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT PAPERWORK", he coughed awkwardly.

"My apologies, young man. The truth is— I didn't come to this city just to fight villains!—

— YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE NEWEST UA FACULTY MEMBER!"

Izuku's eye went wide as plates. "You're seriously going to work at UA?", he asked as if expecting an answer.

Then a hand reached from out of frame, catching the hero's attention.

"Huh!? Oh! Sorry I have to wrap it up— But I have to show him something first-" The hand moved disapprovingly.

"Wait... I have to do how many of these?!" All Might screeched but then let out a sigh, defeated.

"cough-cough. Anyways... Even if you passed the written test! You got zero combat points in the practical exam."

"Sorry"

Izuku's eyes were fixed on the image, retinas burning...

He knew this already... Of course he knew. It's all he'd been worried about.

He was a failure...

"Fortunately there were other factors!"

The scarlet sun hid under the horizon, as tired commuters flocked the streets. Another busy day in the heart of Tokyo ended with a beautiful sunset filling the city with its fleeting warmth.

The hero's boots dangled over the now familiar ledge. Today was a good, slow day. Even more so than usual, but the man still felt... restless.

It was his last day in Tokyo, before returning to Fukuoka. The commission had received his long awaited reports, so now they didn't have any reason to keep him away from “his agency”.

Yeah, right..."his agency".

As if it wasn't completely operated by their agents— down to the meal plans on Sundays.

He sighed, stretching his feathery limbs.

“Looks like he won't show up today either”, he murmured absentmindedly.

How unfortunate... He was so sure he had found himself a nice flying buddy... guess not.

Pushing himself up with a yawn, he finally flung his wings up with a jolt. The powerfull things beat up and down, quickly launching him up to ascend. The fresh air hit his face with a chill.

A small...tiny part of him still hoped the two would somehow meet again.

Chapter Text

The wind fluttered clothes as the dark loomed over the two figures. The hospital loomed ahead, its windows dark except for the dim glow of emergency lights showing through windows.

A cool breeze rustled through the parking lot as Toga bounced on her toes, her excitement barely contained.

“This is gonna be so easy,” she whispered, grinning. “In and out, like a ninja.”

Beside her, an older guy scoffed, shoving his scarred hands into the hoodie's pockets. “Yeah, because ninjas are totally known for breaking into hospitals to steal blood.”

“Oh come on! This is necessary. I'm just... exercising my right to healthcare.” she whispered with a wicked smile.

“By sneaking in as a doctor?”He raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, sure."

Dabi honestly didn't get where this newfound self-righteousness was coming from. Yeah, he was glad the pipsqueak was in high spirits and all, but whatever that stranger had said must've seriously messed with her brain.

Until now, the only one of the two engaging in sketchy shit was him. But now she was ready to break into hospitals? Do activism? Whatever for... And most importantly, go back to school?

Kinda shocking. Almost impressive. Although... it oddly put him at ease, since maybe Toga didn't need to go downhill like him—she didn’t need to become a criminal...

Well except for today of course.

...

“Alright, so here's what I'm thinking.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially.

“I sneak in. Get into the server room. Obviously, disable cameras and look for where they store the good stuff—”

“Stop calling it that!” Dabi growled in annoyance, rubbing his temples.

“Would you rather I called it my beautiful and tasty burgundy red liquid?!” She responded with a Cheshire grin.

“Nevermind. Just get back to your "plan", will you...”

“Okay. So, then you go in and help me find the place and carry the stuff till we're out!”

“That's it?”

“Yup."

Dabi pinched his nose with annoyance, but eventually he caved in.

...

Dr. Kenji Mori adjusted his glasses as he stepped out of the hospital’s back exit, exhaustion weighing on his shoulders. The night shift had been brutal, and all he wanted was to forget about everything and crawl into bed.

He never saw the shadow detach from the wall behind him. Pairs of eyes watched, ready to strike...

A gloved hand clamped over his mouth. Before he could react, a sharp crack echoed as Dabi’s elbow connected with the back of his skull. The doctor crumpled without a sound. The blow wasn't critical, but it sure as hell would bruise. 

Toga skipped over, twirling a small pocketknife between fingers. “Ooooh, nice hit!”

Dabi rolled his eyes. “Just be done with it quick.”

Toga knelt beside the unconscious doctor, carefully pricking his arm with small hesitance. The metal was covered in crimson, as she brought it to her lips, taking a delicate lick .

Her pupils dilated, her grin widened. "Mmm~! So professional, but a bit corporate~!" She licked her lips. "Doctors always taste so… responsible."

"Ew..." Dabi scoffed with faked judgement.

Toga stuck her tongue out at him before rifling through the doctor’s coat, pulling out his ID badge. She slipped it around her neck, then shrugged into his lab coat.

Well ... Now came the difficult part.

...

Inside the hospital, Toga strode down the hallway, humming cheerfully. Nurses and orderlies passed by without a second glance—just another doctor on the night shift. Occasionally, some looked back as if questioning their colleague, but a simple wave would satisfy their curiosity.

Finally. She paused before a sign that read—

« サーバールーム »

(Data room)

Toga pulled a hairpin out of her coat (one from her messy buns) picking the lock in under thirty seconds.

"Too easy~!" She smiled, mentally thanking Dabi for the life lessons.

Inside, the hum of electronics filled the air. Toga immediately started poking at the monitors while subtly checking for guard on the camera feeds. A few keystrokes later, the screens flickered to black. 

“Boom. No more witnesses,” Toga said, triumphant.

Feeling the transformation wear off she hastily messaged her accomplice, shoving the phone back in her pocket.

Making her way out, she saw a window snap open. The clinging dark figure, jumped in with trained precision. Both then made their way to the medical records room, sticking to the shadows. Toga was practically vibrating with adrenaline, while Dabi kept glancing over his shoulder.

The room was full of monitors and stacks of books filled with records. Thankfully, none of which they'd need checking since a helpful map hung on the wall, showing the hospital's layout.

 ...

Rushed footsteps echoed through the quiet hospital hallways. The harsh overhead lamps bleared as the two ran passing countless doors.

Dabi sighed, relief filling him, seeing how unseen they were by the staff. The place wasn't totally barren but the few nurses who managed to catch a glimpse of the thieves, were much too preoccupied with their own things to care.  Besides, they were finally there. Toga fiddled with the lock a couple times the door flung open.

“Now we take the stuff and—”

“And get arrested?” said a raspy voice from behind, making them flinch.

They turned with a jolt taking in the person behind.

Messy blue hair lazily tied into a bun, chunky glasses making the eyes twice as big. And hands full of paperwork. Some papers flying off to the side.

The two exchanged glances.

“You punch, I drink” channeled Toga, hoping the eyes would convey it.

“I burn, you run” thought Dabi, glaring back.

“He definitely wants me to punch first” reasoned Toga.

*Cough* *cough*

The man's coughing interrupted their silent frenzy.

“You two aren’t the first, you know.”

Toga yelped, nearly stabbing herself with the blade in her pocket. Dabi whirled around ready to strike.

The nurse stood by the doorway, shoulders hunched. He looked tired, unimpressed, and—worst of all—completely unsurprised. 

Toga’s brain short-circuited. “We—uh—we were just—”

“looking for the bathroom? visiting a friend? lost in the hallways?” the man supplied in a monotonous voice before sighing.

“Look, I get it. Prescription paperwork is exhausting. But breaking and entering isn’t the answer.”, he pinched his nose in annoyance.

“What is it this time? Plasma deficiency from extra limb growth syndrome? Stem cell therapy for flexible bones?...Forget it, just follow me to reception. You'll tell me on the way.”

Both watched in shock how the man maneuvered his enormous stack of papers while turning around.

“Dabi, we're busted! What do we do now?!”, Toga whispered anxiously, but continued following the medic.

Dabi on the other hand was conflicted...

On one hand, the guy could be just taking them straight to the police, which would be the worst-case scenario...

On the other, maybe they might get off scot-free.

As long as the nurse isn't lying.

While the two pondered over the dilemma. The man continued speaking.

“So what's the deal this time? You've got poor parents, no parents, no ID?”

“N-no we have 'em! They're just on a business trip.” Toga lied.

“Noted.”

“Well what's the deficiency you're facing? You reached the blood banks section”, he added. “General medicine is in the other wing of the building...” 

Himiko hesitated for a bit but ultimately decided to open up... just this once. The nurse with all his confrontational personality and disinterested appearance, kinda looked— surprisingly non-judgemental?

He looked like he wouldn’t care no matter what you said.

Also he was a bit of a cutie, Himiko thought. So maybe it's just her personal biases speaking.

“It's uhh-. My quirk makes me need blood? Just... a little bit~” She wasn't going to tell him she needed to drink the blood though—

The man took a deep exhausted sigh.

“Oh like that one Vlad King guy? Yikes... the paperwork's gonna be mental. No wonder you resorted to stealing.”

“Vlad who?", Toga asked.

“Vlad King? That one blood hero guy? From what I know he uses his blood to fight or something, so he constantly receives blood transfusions here and there.”

Himiko’s face brightened, her eyes widening in fascination.

“There's a blood hero?! That's so cool! His blood must be so red and pretty! If only I could meet them and maybe give em a taste-” she stilled.

“-ty snack. Yep gift him a cupcake or something!”, she laughed awkwardly hoping that the man wouldn't question her words.

Dabi rolled his eyes in the back. All this hero talk was irritating him, for obvious reasons.

Time passed and so they eventually reached the reception desk.

 ...

You don't want to know the amount of documents they were handed to sign after that...

First day of high school and Izuku looked like it was his last day on earth.

Alex stretched lazily on the couch while watching how the kid fumbled with school supplies.

In a way he did understand the kid's nervousness. After all he was training to become a hero— the top of the top! He would grow to become one of the biggest celebrities, while having as much power as many politicians.

When thinking of his future plans Quackity weighed a lot of factors...

Comfort, interest, notoriety—

Power

But mostly enjoyment. Sure, he owned a fortune even by the server's standards—but what fun was there in buying his way through life? 

Building an underground haven sounded exceptionally fun, but what next? Living in luxury and with no real relationships just like before? 

This time, he'd try something new.

Heroes, in Q's opinion, held too much social power—but that's exactly what made the career so lucrative. They wielded too much influence—media darlings, untouchable by law. 

No wonder Quackity himself felt compelled to try it. 

But that would have to wait. Legally, he didn't even exist— let alone have the necessary training to do heroics.

So he settled for the next best thing.

Vigilantism.

Izuku was kinda freaking out. 

His homeroom teacher turned out to be Eraserhead himself!

And let me tell ya, Eraserhead was not happy with Izuku. The glare was evident from the start!

So you can imagine what hearing one of your idols threatening you with expulsion could do to a boy. 

So he decided to cheat...

sorta...

But before delving into that— let's rewind for a bit.

...

The morning was pure chaos. The usually spotless bedding was now scattered on the floor collecting dust, while its owner ran around grabbing his stuff in a hurry. There wasn't a way for anyone to enjoy their sleep with such a commotion. But Izuku couldn't feel guilt for waking his friend up, since he was the reason Izuku overslept in the first place.

The night before his big day. The two spent hours testing different aspects of Q's “powers”. Izuku was fascinated by the vast number of uses each one of them could provide! Just the potion making and building was comparable to an incredible creation quirk. Speaking of which.

Out of nowhere Alex took out a huge “recipe” book, which now sat heavily in his bag. A book full of "craftable" items.

According to Alex, it wasn't really possible to give others your recipe book, since everyone had one as default. Izuku speculated that something must've changed in this world and now his items were changing to make more sense in the new reality. 

Anyways, before sleep could claim him completely. Alex had a sudden realisation.

...

“Zuku? You asleep yet?”

The boy hummed in acknowledgement. 

“Remember you mentioned your quirk? And that it broke your bones or something.”, Alex sat up, looking determined.

“Yeah... Unfortunately it's too powerful and my arm couldn't take it...”. Izuku flinched as something suddenly fell on his cot.

Sitting up, he picked up the item, seeing its golden hue.

“There. It's a golden apple. Basically, it just uhh-. I guess it quickly heals without lasting effects and also solves hunger, but I wouldn't use it for that.”, his voice hoarse from exhaustion.

Izuku's hands trembled around the smooth surface.

When was the last time someone—

other than his mom and All Might—

had gifted him anything?

His chest tightened like a vice, the apple stem digging into his palm. Izuku ran a thumb over the golden stem. It was stiff. But the fruit looked delicious.

He swallowed hard. “You didn’t have to—”

“Take it as a congratulations gift.” Alex said softly while lowering himself down on the mat. 

Izuku clutched the apple, tears threatening to spill.

For the first time in years, a friend gave him a gift. And if he'd need it? He would put it to use.

Chapter Text

2*27年04月01日

UA Academy,  Musutafu, Japan

Izuku Midoriya was by no means a cheater. If anything, he was the most honest student any teacher would ever meet.

No matter what schemes his classmates would pull, how many workbooks they'd ruined, or how many times his answer had been copied— his conscience always stayed clear.

He wouldn't ever trick a teacher—

Untill today.

Izuku's hands trembled as he felt his hope dwindle.

The situation was worrying.

Their homeroom teacher— Aizawa-sensei, was it?— appeared stealthily, causing a lasting impression on his peers. His calm but menacingly monotonous voice was a bit unsettling. Not to mention the grin that came after. 

Instead of a welcoming ceremony, the class hurried off outside to meet their first challenge.

The Apprehension test began.

...

As expected, the fresh air did little to calm Izuku's nerves when he anxiously watched every single one of the kids display their wonderful gifts in full glory. The blue haired guy, or Tenya Iida, flashed by with intense speed, Kacchan launched himself ahead... then threw the ball with booming explosions. Uraraka sent the ball flying to infinity and beyond—

What an interesting quirk she had.

But his usual muttering about quirk related theories would need to wait.

He needed to think of something... He had this incredible power, that destroyed his body when used!...

Control...what he needed is control.

But there was no time left—!

Very soon it would be his own turn to try his luck at the last exercise.

Or it would be his last chance, depending on how you see it.

Up till now, everyone had already showed what they had up their sleeves, displaying what they're capable of with their quirks—

Everyone except him.

Finally, with a shaky step he approached the perpetually frowning man.

“Um- sorry. Aizawa-sensei? Can I go to the bathroom, please?” , his voice almost wavered.

The man who was seemingly fully concentrated on the current test subject finally glanced away.

“Sure... Just don't take too long. We don't have all day to wait for you.” his voice calm but to the anxious boy menacing. Something in his cold stare sent a chill up his spine.

Hurrying away to the locker rooms, Izuku only hoped that the teacher wouldn't be suspicious of his sudden absence.

Every bone in his body was against using any dirty tricks.

But desperate times called for desperate measures.

And besides— would it really be cheating if he was simply taking essentially a form of supplements before a physically taxing exercise?

'Okay, why does that sound like something Alex would say?', he mused with a small smile, while shuffling items in the bag to find—...

And there it was..

The golden apple

Izuku remembered Alex mentioning it being able to cure any damage and even giving additional health hearts (whatever that meant).

It was a bit of a gamble, to be fair. Neither of them knew if this would even work.

Would this “otherwordly” fruit really take effect on someone who wasn't meant to ever even lay their eyes on it?

Bringing it up to his lips, Izuku carefully bit it's shiny and smooth exterior.

Surprisingly, it didn't taste otherworldly. 

The crunching sounds filled the empty hall. Such a seemingly small action disturbing the peace.

Looking down, Midoriya swallowed the remaining core, stem and all, just in case.

And with a knot in his throat, he finally sprinted out through the doors. His face tense but laced with a new sort of determination.

No matter what.

I'll become the hero I dreamt of being... 

As the others came into his view he could only remind himself of what All Might had told him before.

“Control comes with practise. Of course you couldn't fully grasp One for All yet... But you just need to keep trying.”

His deep set eyes met his own, what before looked like hollow skeletical pits now carried a grounding feeling.

“Come on! Think of what it felt like when using the power?”

Izuku staggered, “— like an egg in a microwave!”

The allegory clearly not encompassing the full picture.

“Yunik!!” coughed out All Might, his occasional English lifting up the mood.

“Then keep that image in your head, young—

“Midoriya Izuku—!"

As if coming back from a trance, Izuku flinched as he was called to the front.

Classmates left and right whispering...

“—doesn't look good for Midoriya...” Tenya's voice could be heard.

"Ha? Of course, he's a quirkless loser!” Kacchan's booming voice interrupted. The rest of the conversation blending in as Izuku pondered.

This was really his last chance

And he needed to show his worth!

Izuku stepped into the throwing circle, the ball clutched tightly in his fingers. His knuckles whitened as he squeezed it, his mind racing through calculations—how much power could he use without breaking himself? How much of One For All could he channel before his bones splintered? He exhaled sharply, steeling himself.

He had to do this. He had to.

With a sudden burst of motion, he reared back his arm, his muscles coiling like springs, and for a fraction of a second, the familiar surge of coloured energy crackled through his limb.And then

—nothing.

The ball meekly fell to the ground with a sad plop.

Izuku’s breath hitched. His heart pounded in his chest with confusion and panic. What—? What just happened?! He stared at his hand, flexing his fingers as if expecting the energy to return. But it didn’t. It was gone. 

'Was it — the apple?', he staggered.

Then, the voice—dry, unimpressed, cutting through the silence like a blade.

"I erased your Quirk."

Izuku whirled around, his eyes widening as they locked onto Aizawa-sensei.

“The entrance exam was definitely not rational enough, if even a kid like you was accepted!”

The man’s scarf—no, his capture weapon—floated around him like a living thing, his hair defying gravity as his eyes burned a fierce, glowing red. His gaze was piercing, merciless, and the goggles layed round his neck...and in that instant, Izuku knew.

“The Erasure hero...Eraserhead!”, his voice hitched before he realised he was speaking aloud.

(Somewhere close by a nervous ball of energy watched from the sidelines. Feeling like a worrying mother hen as the boy was being reprimanded.)

“From what I can tell, you can't control your quirk. What are you... trying to become incapacitated?”, his deep voice accused the boy.

His white scarf yanked him closer, continuing the threatening speech.

“ ...after saving just one person your body becomes just a useless doll.”

Izuku's insides tumbled as he heard the following words...

"Izuku Midoriya. With your power you can't become a hero."

Something bitter twisted in his gut as he tuned out the rest of the words.

Realistically, Aizawa-sensei was right... He couldn't rely on a one use quirk. He desperately needed to learn control, but... He also had the apple's regen, right?

No. He couldn't place his whole trust on something unknown... That's not a rational way to go about things. He needed to find a real solution...

He needed to find a way to minimise the damage...

Or like his teacher said... To not become “a doll”.

...

A reckless idea took root in his mind.

Eraserhead was still watching him, those bloodshot eyes unblinking, his Quirk missing for now. The class murmured around him, some in pity, others in confusion. Bakugou’s glare burned into his back, almost like he demanded for him to do something.

Izuku exhaled.

And then—he moved.

His arm snapped back, muscles coiling once again like a loaded spring. But this time, instead of flooding his entire limb with 100% of One For All’s destructive power, he funneled it—

He guided it all — into a single point. His index finger.

The moment the energy surged, his world exploded in pain.

CRACK.

A sound like a gunshot split the air as his finger ruptured from the inside, skin purpling instantly, blood vessels bursting under the strain. But all was overshadowed by the loud whistle of air as the sphere soared up to the sky, shooting ahead like a bullet.

The agony was white-hot, searing, enough to make his vision flicker—but then, just as quickly, something shifted.

Dust kicked up around him, his hair whipping back from the sheer velocity. For a moment, there was only silence.

A strange, tingling sensation spread through the shattered bone, cooling its hellish heat. 

Izuku quickly covered his hand, wondering if  molten gold threaded through his bones, as the fractures knitted themselves back together in real time.

It was working! The apple's effect was showing!

But it wasn’t enough. The regeneration was incomplete, lagging behind the damage. His flesh remained swollen, the skin darkening into a deep, ugly bruises—but the bone beneath? It was whole. Not pristine, not unharmed, but... somewhat functional? Izuku brought the palm up with an awe.

Then—

"705.3 METERS."

The robotic voice shattered the moment as the world around around came into view. 

Boys and girls gasped with astonishment and awe. Whispers of his incredible power.

He didn't dare look into his teachers eyes, as the tears threatened to spill...

So he wouldn't see the stern teacher's amazed grin at his displayed cleverness...

Nor would he notice the proud grimace on his mentors face.

2*27年04月03日

North-East Musutafu,

Outskirts of Tokyo

Neon lights blared at passers-by, luring the eyes with their caustic colors. Like exotic flowers, waiting for their next unsuspecting victim.

Anyone else looking at the bright decorations would not have remained indifferent, but these two weren't the casual bar patrons.

The man fondled the paper surface. His smirk didn't really reach his eyes as he waited for the promised light.

“The fucker just vanished!" A voice laced with vicious rage vibrated through the dimly lit alley.

"Maybe he already leaped towns” “Or not!”, his other voice responded, before he could stop himself. 

Magne growled out a frustrated curse. Her sunglasses sliding off as she fished for the lighter in her patched up pockets.

Meanwhile the man absently ran a hand through his blonde scruffy hair. Strands frayed from the rough tugging.

The old off-white wifebeater clung to his frame, its stretched-out neckline sagging to one side, exposing a sharp collarbone. 

“ 'was gonna use it to... get some work done, 'cause...”, she scoffed under her breath, “you know what I mean—”, her massive fist tightened with something difficult to name.

Magne trailed off and Jin wouldn't pry, opting for a drag of his newly lit cig.

Kenji— no, Magne wasn't a good person. Easily angered, unstable and often violent with strangers.

She’d smash a rum bottle over some drunk’s head just for looking at her wrong. She could easily slam one's face with no remorse, always getting in fights for lost chips...

This wasn't the first time and certainly wouldn't be the last she'd done it.

But then again, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, so to speak.

Magne was a mess.— But so was he.

A broken man with no purpose.

Truth be told, he understood her. Not completely, of course. Nobody could understand another completely, but he knew where her frustration came from. The inner turmoil, the endless fight her mind was having.

'She wants to be seen as who she is. Seen for her identity'

'—Not that it's my problem!'

He leaned back, watched the runny smoke disappear.

Maybe that struggle was what kept him from ignoring her complaints and going back to his apartment. 

There was an unspoken sense of comradery in their talks. Twice knew mental struggle firsthand.

Maybe not the same one as his mind literally splitering, arguing with itself, contradicting, tearing him apart from the inside. Lately, he hadn’t been sure which thoughts were truly his anymore... But the loneliness that came with it?

The isolation?

Yeah, he wasn't new to that.

And maybe that struggle wasn't what caused for her to be this way, but who's to say he's any better?

“How many weeks has it been since then?”, he wondered aloud, his voice deceivingly cheerful.

“A month!” she tossed the lighter. The cheap plastic landing by the man's leg.

Jin gasped with exaggeration.

“And he hasn't been spotted at any bars or clubs yet?”

...

“Yeah.. you're not catching him any time soon” “— or ever” he let out a tired chuckle, when Magne growled.

“You're pushing your luck today, bitch ass”, she scoffed with an eye roll.

“If it makes you feel better— I think you would've lost the money one way or another anyways~”, his voice melodic letting out a teasing tone.

“Shut your ass up or I'll blow your brains out!”, she cussed him out, her voice loud but with no real venom. (Or so Jin choose to believe). It amused him that she didn't deny it.

Then she flipped him off with a growl.

“I swear, if I EVER meet that fucker again!— I'll make him regret being born—”

She stormed out to the heavily lit street, leaving the man with no goodbyes.

After a bit of silence then man stood up.

“Welp... That could've gone South real quick! — or North~!”.

He glanced at his flip phone real quick. And it was—

'Late'

'—But not late enough to call it a night '

Putting out the cigarette under his feet, he sighed.

Convenience store it is...

Twice trudged toward the convenience store, hands shoved deep in his pockets. His head was a warzone tonight, voices clashing, overlapping, tearing him apart from the inside.

"Shut up, shut up,—no, keep talking. I like the noise."

He gritted his teeth, fingers twitching at his sides. Sometimes, he wanted to split. To let the clones out of him, fill the empty streets with their loud chatter, their chaos—anything to drown out the silence of his “own” mind. 

How pathetic that is... — It’s embarrassing!— Everyone is lonely not just him. How stupid.

He kicked a crumbled can, watching it clacker across the pavement.

Jobs never really lasted for him. People never stayed.

Too unstable, too unpredictable, too... much, they all said.

Strict japanese employers who liked stability and efficiency would take one look at him— and he would be out, shown the door with the same excuses.

No one really looked at who he was. No was no room in their neat little world for a man who couldn’t even agree with himself, a man who couldn't meet the status quo.

"I don’t need ‘em anyway! —Yes I do. Rent’s due next week."

A sharp sound cut through his spiraling thoughts.

A grunt. A thud. A hissed curse and steady thumps. 

Almost like hits against something firm.

Twice’s head snapped up, as quickly round the corner—

Down a narrow alley, a figure in black clothing, cloak and all —on the shorter side but lean, quick, face covered, and some kind of porcelain mask strapped to his hip painted with an unnerving  smile—

:]

Okay, maybe the smile wasn't creepy, but it's owner certainly was, as he drove his fist into a thug’s gut, again and again. Behind them, a woman clutched her child, wide-eyed and trembling. The little girl clutching her mom's legs stifling the sobs, seeking comfort.

'How peculiar!—and strange...'

"What’s this then?" Twice muttered, stepping closer with an unnerved chuckle.

The masked man—kid, really, his eyes young, as he quickly glanced at him and away. He—yanked the thug’s collar, slamming him against the wall, a violet sword appeared in a hand glittering with energy. "Try that again," he growled, voice rough but still young. "And it won't just be a beating next time.”

The thug wheezed, scrambling back before bolting down the alley.

The woman rushed forward, bowing hastily, but still clutching her daughter's hand. "Th-thank you! He—he tried to—"

"Yeah, yeah," the stranger waved her off, with a soft but low voice. "Just get outta here, you two"

The woman nodded frantically, ushering her child away. Leaving the guy standing awkwardly.

Twice whistled, clapping slowly. "Nice work, kid! Real heroic! —Or stupid! Cops’ll have your ass for vigilantism!", he cheerfully jabbed, before boisterously laughing.

The masked man turned, his dark eyes glinting above the dark mouth-cover .

"The hell do you care, asshole?"

"I don’t!—No, I do really! That was impressive!" Twice grinned behind his own “mask”.

Then—sirens. The sound distant, but quickly closing in.

“Shit...” the guy mutter.

Jin didn’t think twice, as lunged forward, grabbing the guy’s wrist.

"C’mon, buddy!"

"The fuck—?!", the other screeched, his cape flaring up as some sort of flying wings.

"Less talking, more running, my guy! —Unless you wanna explain yourself to the cops down the block!"

The two ducked through backstreets, Twice leading, or dragging him all the way til they skidded to a stop outside a rough looking door.

His own apartment... Yes, he decided to lead a complete stranger to where he lived... how sensible.

He fumbled with the keys, shoving the door open and yanking the stranger inside before slamming it shut.

...

The masked man doubled over, catching his breath. "Did you just… kidnap me?"

Twice cackled lightheaded from the run. "Yep! —Wait, no! I call this a rescue!” “—Unless you’d rather be in handcuffs?"

The stranger straightened, probably frowning under that mask. "...You’re insane." He said dryly side eyeing him heavily.

"And you’re welcome! — Wait! Where is my thank you?"

A beat of silence. Then the stranger huffed—almost a laugh. He must be weirded out by his attitude, Jin thought, a little self conscious.

"Name’s... uhh- Quackity," he said.

Twice raised a curios eyebrow at the unusual name.

"Twice," he replied. "Or Jin. Or neither! Depends on the day!"

Q snorted. "Yeah. Yeah, I get it. Whatever's fine."

After a slightly awkward pause the other spoke.

"...Thanks. I guess." Quackity rolled his eyes, but there was no real malice in it. “But what's up with this place?”

Twice flopped onto his couch, kicking his feet up. "So. You hungry? Thirsty? I’ve got water."

The guy shook his head. "Nah. But… a drink would sound nice right about— now."

Jin watched the man sigh with a tired huff, something was weighing his new friend down.

“Then— I've got the perfect place for you, my friend! — or almost perfect!”

Chapter Text

The previous day...

Morning had started early as Izuku woke up the whole household for his first day at school. At the time, Alex had just lain on the couch with nothing left to do except watch the two Midoriyas flutter around the apartment looking for school supplies. 

In a way, he did understand the excitement of the kid starting a new chapter in life. He'd been there, done that. But it still felt surreal to him that Izuku was this worried about something as simple as school. 

Lately, watching the teen go about his day enjoying his carefree life, he'd been remembering the kids from back home. He wondered...was this what Tubbo's and Tommy's worries should've been at that age... 

They shouldn't have been running around trying to start drug businesses with questionable "brothers" who then sent them to battle for selfish and pathetic ambitions. Because yes, it'd been a while since he'd opened his eyes and realized that the man was truly scum and—

The slam of the door halted his thoughts.

Izuku had left, which meant lazy time was over. Today he decided to act the right way. The...more conformist way.

Deep down he knew this wasn't going to work since he wished for much more, even if he never got what he really wanted. 

But— fuck it. He was starting anew. Let him try getting a "normal" job first. Blending in with the rest in this world. Accepting that he wasn't meant for greatness... Was this what Charlie would've wanted? Would this make him... a "good" person? The answer remained unknown, but he wouldn't ponder on it any longer.

As he walked with purpose down the flooded streets, he chased away his doubts. He was going to become a lawyer's assistant or secretary or whatever else would get him closer to the profession he felt ready for.

After all, learning by heart thousands of laws across all six Japanese codes had to do him some sort of good, right?

Wrong.

Alex felt the intense disappointment as interviewers one after another rejected his offer on the spot.

And he noticed the pattern all right. 

As soon as they saw him come in—it was like their brows slightly raised and smiles slightly tensed.

Was there something wrong with his face?

"We are profoundly humbled by your gracious application, Kamoto-san, and the evident passion conveyed within."

«Humbled»? So what he means is that it wasn't to their expectation...

"After deeply admiring your exceptionally unique qualifications and reflecting upon our current organizational needs with the utmost regret, we find ourselves unable to come to a decision on the invaluable opportunity to collaborate."

...What a way to say that they're looking for someone more "qualified."

"We sincerely hope your multifaceted talents find a fitting path to flourish, and we remain eternally grateful for your esteemed consideration."

In other words—your skills are useless to us so get lost.

Quackity had never in his life heard such an exasperating way of speaking. It was like their overly sweet words hid the most deadly poison as they masterfully avoided saying the obvious. And it's not like he was a newbie in business, but—my god!—did their overly polite insults get creative...

Someone a little less perceptive would've never noticed their microaggressions, but he knew better. Their body language slightly betrayed their smiling façade. If they didn't want him for the job, why not just say it loud and clear? This felt worse to take in.

Alex's suit felt stuffy and sweaty after running from firm to firm, looking for vacancies with no success.

Pathetic.

It felt so pathetic running around hearing rejections left and right. A feeling long forgotten, yet somehow deeply familiar.

To think that no matter how much knowledge he showed, how much initiative he proposed—what they really observed was his lacking portfolio, devoid of complete identity documents or previous employment certificates. Not to mention that most, if not all, would look down on him with unspoken, disguised disrespect. If not because of the lack of formal education—then because of the "foreign" look to him. 

But enough was enough. He wouldn't tolerate this anymore. Two humiliating days of attending every job interview you could think of was what broke the dam.

Changing out of the constricting suit that reminded him too much of his past, he sneaked out of the narrow alley. 

Glancing around looking for pesky city cameras, he flung up the elytra-covered wings. 

There's something about seeing all life from above, almost like looking back at the insignificance of your own. From up here it all seemed so meaningless and empty.

Looking down on the buildings, Alex finally knew. He had made his choice. There was no going back now.

And as the last rays of sunshine dispersed, Alex was ready to find his first prey.

...

So that's what had happened before he got kidnapped by a scruffy man on the streets, claiming to want to help. Twice? was overly cheerful and honestly kinda weird, mostly in the funny way. That's why Quackity decided to entertain the "old" man and join him for some drinks...

As long as he paid, of course.

"So... What do you think of the place? Best nightclub in the city! —No, it isn't," Jin exclaimed with a grandiose pose.

The place was...alright, similar to the one he'd been to before, if not a bit shadier. The patronage looked even more disheveled. People danced and drank left and right. But it would do, he supposed.

As they entered the small foyer, Quackity's eyes fell on the gambling area first. Twice wouldn't stop chatting with the waiter, so he took his chance to slip away for a bit and come back shortly.

His companion didn't need to know this, but Alex was loaded by this world's standards. And his highly pure golden bars would make him a fortune if he only got to exchange them for cash. Getting the chips was as easy as last time, the cashiers pushing the full bag, eyes sparkling with greed. Luckily for him—the government didn't take any tax on gambling gains...

"You seem to be lost in thought—not really!" he felt a slight shove from the cheerful man.

"Just wondering if you always invite masked strangers into your home... You sure seem to be careless, Twice." Alex stepped closer summoning away the clanking bag.

The low hum of conversation filled the dimly-lit bar, broken occasionally by the clink of glasses and the lazy drawl of a song. A slight haze of cigarette smoke curled under the amber lights, giving everything a soft, blurred edge—like the memory of a better time.

Alex sat hunched over the counter, his black hood pulled low over his masked face, clothes draped and held up by leather straps, boots scuffed but sturdy. He stirred his beer, glaring a hole in the drink, debating if showing his face was even worth the thing. 

Across from him, Jin Bubaigawara leaned back in his stool, his ever-quirky expression softened for once into something more grounded. The tattered coat he'd picked up hung off one shoulder, and a half-smile twitched at the corner of his mouth as he studied the young man.

"You know," Jin began, his voice rough but not unkind, "you're a bit young to be kicking people's asses out there. Ain't ya scared to get caught?"

Alex didn't look up from his glass. Just shrugged, like that was all the explanation he would give.

Jin sighed as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "Something's definitely bothering you—or cat got your tongue!"

Nothing.

No reply, no shift, no eye contact. Just the clink of Alex's bottle against the counter.

Jin didn't push. He exhaled slowly and glanced around before taking another sip. "Guess I'm not the best person to give lectures anyway," he said with a dry chuckle. "I've had my own...run-ins. Let's just say the law and I—we don't really dance well together."

That caught Alex's attention a bit. He lifted his head slightly, curious eyes studying the disheveled man with interest. Still as sharp and guarded as ever.

"Problem is," Jin continued, tapping a finger to the side of his head, "I've got a messed-up brain... Or maybe it's the world that's messed up. Either way..." His eyes drifted away with a wince. "People don't stick, ya dig? Relationships crumble. Jobs? Hah." He chuckled again, but without humor, as if reliving a memory.

"Nobody wants to hire the guy who can't look 'normal' for five minutes without spiraling."

Alex listened, eyes flicking to Jin briefly, then away again.

"But staying positive helps," Jin added, voice quieter now. "Talking, too. Doesn't fix everything...but makes it feel lighter. So...don't bottle it up's what I'm saying..."

The words settled between them like dust. Alex swallowed hard, jaw clenched. He didn't want to feel anything. Didn't want to let the cracks show.

He couldn't tell Jin about the interdimensional mess that dropped him here, about the crumbled mess waiting back home, about his doubts and fear that he would never admit to having. He couldn't say how it felt being alone in a world he barely knew—how rejection from the career he trained for had left a void he was willing to fill with bruised knuckles and adrenaline.

So he didn't.

Instead, he said...

"I don't have any ID."

Jin raised an eyebrow.

Alex sighed in response. "Can't find any job without it. Can't get anything, really," Alex went on, voice low but steady. "So...if there's nothing I can do...then I do what I can."

Jin leaned forward, resting both arms on the bar. "Huh."

He let the silence hang for a moment as Q kept stealing glances. Suddenly, Jin gave a loud laugh, clapping a hand on Alex's back. "That was well said, buddy—it was so cheesy!"

Pulling him into a sideways one-armed hug, he led him a bit closer.

"I knew you weren't a bad kid," he said with a grin.

Alex didn't resist. Didn't return the hug either—but he didn't pull away...

After they ordered another round, the two talked about nothing. Jin shared stories, most sounding exaggerated beyond belief—how he once robbed a hotdog stand with a toy hotdog, how he got into a shouting match with a vending machine that took his coins but didn't deliver. And it made Alex laugh. Genuinely.

Later, Jin slipped a folded piece of paper across the counter. Before Alex could open it, Jin stood up, stretching with a groan like his bones didn't quite fit right.

"Well, I gotta bounce. Stuff to do, trouble to dodge, you know the drill."

Alex did not know the drill...

Alex looked up, confused. "What's this? You leaving your trash here?"

Jin scratched the back of his head, hesitating. "Just...a little help." 

"And be careful out there... If anything happens, you know my address, kid," he said with a crooked grin.

He turned to leave but paused at the door, glancing back over his shoulder.

"...And visit sometime, m'kay?"

Then he was gone, swallowed by the night.

Alex unfolded the paper. It was an address. And scribbled beneath it, in barely legible handwriting:

"+81 97 ***3 **11– for work call Giran"

Alex stared at it for a long moment, then slid it into his pocket, hand lingering there.

The bar felt quieter now, the stool beside him empty.

Maybe it's time to go back, he thought as he stepped towards the exit. The black heavy cloak swished as he walked, now feeling way too warm after a few rounds of beer.

You'd think such unusual fashion would make someone stand out, but it seemed quite the opposite as no one even gave him a glance. 

Well... No one except the weird stranger entering the bar. Speaking of which, their attires kinda matched, no? Dark boots, black pants and grey belt. And a familiar-looking white scarf covering his neck as the long dark locks cascaded. The man moved slowly but confidently, at first observing around, as if assessing or searching, before their eyes met. And that's when Alex knew something was wrong.

A feeling of dread broke him out in a sweat. 

Uneasy... He felt uneasy as he stepped out of that door, feeling an uncomfortable gaze on his back.

Careful not to look back, he breathed in the polluted air. There was no time to waste, so he climbed up to the rooftop, seeing no one around. But something told him to stop to think back. He was forgetting something. Something important...

Oh well... Must've been the wind, right?

Chapter Text

Stuffy.

That's the word one would use for such a small cramped room, more akin to a storeroom closet than a proper bedroom. Not that one would complain about it faced with their financial situation. 

But despite its oppressive size what truly crept up on you was the stillness and the silence that seemed to invade one's mind in such ways, that one sought comfort in any noise, any stimuli, only to not stay one on one with your thoughts.

Only steady taps of a keyboard could be heard. Pressing away the otherwise stainless quiet. At times like this even the soft comfortable blankets felt like a heavy load on your shoulders, covering you into the cocoon of safety.

Starting her special kind of school felt— liberating at first. She could study faster as an external student with no distractions, no interruptions...

Truly. For someone looking to review a ton of missed material this was the best choice. The wise choice.

But as quickly as the advantages started to show, she realised how glaringly bad she wanted a “normal” routine.

And life stayed... lonely.

After days of lurking through group chats and online communities a couple users became a sort of comfort for her to talk to from time to time.

Of course, with no real names or ages shared, but with a kinship of identities to go off from.

*Ding*

A new notification popped up.

There's still so much homework.

—a thought that plagued her each day.

With a high pitched groan Himiko caved in under the temptation. Dragging the cursor to her inevitable fate.

“New post from @DracXrusader” popped up.

! New post from @DracXrusader !

 

@DracXrusader:

Hot take but mutant type quirk users should be allowed to yell back when someone kicks them out of a store for no goddamn reason. @Stupidfuckingcombini          

DracXrusader or Draco, how he went by on the net was a user fond of activism-esque posting, always showing his self-righteousness. His posts criticizing anything from daily routine discrimination to even some heroes' actions was what made Himiko want to get closer to him. And eventually she did.

Opening the chat she quickly typed a message.

________________________________________________

DracXrusader: Talk t ya guys later thn

How's it going:3 ✓

________________________________________________

His post weren't that popular, sporting maybe over a hundred likes on a good day and usually a couple hundred dislikes on a bad one, but as the two began posting similar content on the feed,  they were bound to feel a sort of comaradery between them.

Eventually the constant online activity led Himiko to discover another like-minded friend.

________________________________________________

How's it going:3 ✓

@Octopi152: Nothing much.

@Octopi152: First day of classes and all

___________________________________________________

@Octo how did classes go~?  ⟨send⟩

___________________________________________________

Should she really be this close to people she's never seen before? Maybe not... But she didn't really have someone to talk to even at school... Same was happening to Octo apparently. It was unclear wether he was new to school or simply lonely, but it seemed like he felt quite self-conscious about his appearance to others, from what she could gather, that led to few interactions and friends.

Although, lately he's been much happier, maybe something good happened today at school.

“Classes were okay... I think I did well, but our teacher is scary. He even threatened to expell some students on our first day!”

Himiko shifted closer to the dusty screen.

“No way, not cool at all !!! >:0 That can't be legal, sue his ass, Octo! What a dxck”

Immediately a string of text popped in—

“There no need really! It's okay. He called it a logical ruse?... Probably just wanted us to put in more effort."

— to which Toga started making snarky comments at said mysterious teacher, asking all sorts of questions about her friend's school day. 

Shortly after their energetic bickering Draco joined in... but much less interested in the school talk. Even so, he stil asked if Octo's classmates were nice to him and friendly.

The guy seemingly had barely finished highschool and never liked to talk about his experiences there. A bit intriguing but Himiko wouldn't pry. Each of them had their secrets after all.

The young man's insecurities seemed to evaporate as he excitedly talked about the latest show of protest from his favourite activist groups. Small incidents that rarely got in the news, but made it into niche online communities.

Days on end the three would discuss anything from recent unusual heroes to funny post on the feed.Today was no exception, and time flew by as they were having fun. 

Hearing the soft clanking of keys next door Himiko knew for a fact— it was time to go sleep. Giving a friendly goodbye to her friends she then shut off the device ducking under her covers.

Everything would be okay now. 

Things could only get better from here...

...

The apartment fell quiet as he walked to the counter. Bills, payment checks and notces littered the surface. Things he was in no mood for to deal with. Not after the long shift and especially not after seeing that flaming trash can plastered all over the city.

Dabi needed some kind of distraction, something to take his mind off of things, before he insincerates the kitchen altogether.

As if fate, his eyes fell on the remote control. After all it was a rarety to find it outside of the confines of the ratty couch. It was late but just a bit of TV wouldn't do any bad, would it?

The screen flickered on and a formally dressed lady popped up.

“Breaking news— Another hero found dead on the streets of Nagano. Police refuse to give out any details, but it's clear that the suspect has not been detained yet.—”

'The police are so pathetic' Dabi scoffed while grabbing his phone.

“Whether this is the doing of one individual or that of coypcats, will be discussed by our expert—”

The scene flickered as the camera showed an older looking man with hanging dog ears on the sides.

“Good morning, everyone. I'm Sou Kenji, former detective officer. What we have here must undeniably be another atrocious crime by the same individual as in Tokushima. Some speculation led me to believe that the suspect might be the extremist going by Stain, the hero killer...”

As he munched on the stalle chips, he couldn't help but be drawn to the mentioned name...

“Officer, are you suggesting that this might be a problem that could escalate to a national level threat?”

Maybe he should look him up?

“All we know for now is that the individual has been spotted in the areas close to the crime scene, but I wouldn't doubt that our police force will send out the appropriate warnings if that became a necessity—”

After all, what bad could come from this...

Alex hopped in through the window, sneaking slowly to the couch. His only hope was that noone would wake up from the noise. 

Thankfully, it seemed like nobody had followed him home. Since he knew he's not built for stealth per se.

As an experience politician and strategist Quackity developed a powerful intuition that he wouldn't dare  go against. It had saved him from Bad's cultish ramblings and helped him leave Schlatt's side just at the right time to witness his demise.

The one time he ignored his instincts, his old friend Charlie stabbed him in the back—literally—shoving him to his death. Who would've thought that the one he most helped would be the one to wish his end.

But with feelings and grievances aside, today’s escape left him with one big problem...

The chips! He never exchanged the gambling chips.

The velvet sack, heavy for its size, was still full of them. Since he never even got to play at the bar.

The idea was that if he exchanged the bar of gold, then he wouldn't have to look for any jobs for some time. He'd always have a sum there on hand. But after seeing that unsettling man at the door he completely forgot what he planned...

So maybe it wasn't too late to go back to play a quick round of blackjack?...

No. That was a terrible idea. Especially since it was almost sunrise.

Besides, he pondered, something was definitely not right with that stranger from before... The guy didn't attempt to come close to him, yeah... But something about that scarf with that hair was really familiar and it sent a shiver down his spine...

And those red eyes. They radiated a threatening aura. Almost like he was trying to drill a hole through his skull.

Speaking of... Where did he last feel such a piercing gaze—

...

...

Right! It was that time...

Oh.

It was that time...

“Shizuoka Police Headquarters, Detective Tsukauchi speaking. How can I help you?”

...

“Ah! Eraser, it's you.”

The day was proving to be a stressful one for his hero friend. Tsukauchi has already heard of the incident at UA, reporters storming the school like it's the Capitol and all. His desk sat cluttered with case files, and a half-empty coffee cup sitting atop a stack of witness statements. The sleep deprived detective laid back in his creaking chair, phone pressed to his ear as he listened to the report on the other end. 

"Suspect is now in custody. Multiple witnesses confirm he was beaten after attempting to assault a woman and her child in the alley. No other injured and no sign of the individual who intervened."

Tsukauchi exhaled through his nose, grabbing a pen and jotting down notes on a legal pad with his usual practiced precision. His tie is slightly loosened, a sign of another long shift, but his posture remained rigid—professional, even at signs of clear exhaustion.

"Description?"

Eraserhead’s voice crackles through the receiver, calm but clipped.

"Male, dark, maybe black clothing, utility belts. Apparently, carried a medieval-style shield. One witness claims to have seen a glowing purple sword, but there's no corroborating accounts. Could be an exaggeration."

Tsukauchi’s jaw tightens, his fingers drumming against the desk in a quick, irritated rhythm. The shift was proving to be a long one.

"Another vigilante... Just what we needed.", he rubbed at his eyes with a sigh, “Surveillance?"

On the other end, Eraserhead’s tone remained flat, unemotional. As if he wasn't the one who's workload just doubled.

“The request was already submitted. Although, there's no cams at the scene of crime, the footage from nearby alleys should be delivered within the hour."

Before Tsukauchi coulf respond, the office door swung open and in went officer Tamagawa, striding in with a manila folder in hand. His expression was almost eager, his steps, as always, quick. 

He mouthed "Got a lead on the case you wanted," and slid the file on the desk.  

Still clutching the phone to his ear, Tsukauchi noded to his partner and flipped the file open, he scanned the contents only to then— freeze. His grip on the phone almost slipped. His other hand flattened against the desk as if bracing himself. 

"Tsukauchi? You still there?"

 Eraserhead’s voice cut through his daze and Tsukauchi’s pulse kicked up. His voice now sounded low, almost breathless with sudden urgency.

“Shouta, we have him in the bag...”

A pause. Then Eraserhead’s tone sharpened.

“What? Who?"

“I need you at Shin Tori, Aoi-ku as fast as you can get there."

Tsukauchi was already standing, snatching his coat from the back of his chair.

"I said who is it? What are you talking about", Erasearhead's voice hardened with annoyance.

But Naomasa was too far gone to care, his lips curling into something between a grimace and a grin—his expression of triumph.

“The foreigner..."

"The All For One wannabe is there."

Chapter Text

Izuku messed up... He shouldn't have given in to the temptation, he really shouldn't have cheated.

Remember the golden apple that Alex gave him? Yeah, that might've been the beginning of his problems. Because from then on things started going badly left and right.

It's been years since Yagi Toshinori had felt so fulfilled with his work. Who would've thought that watching over someone's progress could fill him with such... warmth and pride.

Of course, he always looked forward to finding his successor. Picturing their relationship as something close to what he'd had with his master in the past... Maybe that's why he stubbornly refused Nighteye's recommended candidate.

Yagi's idealistic nature had made him believe that someday he would find his perfect successor, the one destined to become the next symbol of peace.

Now he firmly believed it to be Izuku Midoriya. A young kid fated for greatness.

Young Midoriya's tremendous determination and pure desire to help was exactly what a true hero needed in All Might's eyes. So he had accepted the small scrawny kid and trained him to get into the best hero school in the country.

And believe him when he said that seeing  the kid's hard work rewarded was one of the best feelings he's ever had... 

Is this what a father feels when he saw his kid succeed?...

.

.

.

And maybe Yagi wasn't that bad of a teacher after all if the boy had improved so much in just a week or so. No, really. He definitely gave him good advice, not like that creepy Aizawa Shouta who couldn't see true potential if it hit him in the head!

We'll see who laughed last, Mister "I'm so dark, mysterious and menacing"! Ugh...

Stupid Eraserhead, his successor would prove himself ten times over, mark his words.

Anyways, he couldn't keep getting distracted anymore. It was time to get the little heroes to their first fighting grounds after all...

Today, Young Midoriya would get valuable experience.

First day of school for Katsuki Bakugo went as expected.

He was top of class with no one coming even close to his results. It was only natural for him to be on top and to relish in his greatness. Intellect, power, popularity... He gained it all easily and with little effort. This school would be no different from his last, making today the start of his path to success.

But something managed to ruin his mood...

Or rather someone—

Deku. Yes, it was Deku. Because it was always Deku at the scene of crime, wasn't it?

The absolute loser not only got into the hero class but also suddenly developed a quirk out of his ass?! The hell?

“Late bloomer” he says— Shut your bitch ass up. The fucker is fifteen fucking  years old damn it. Late bloomer my ass!

But that was yesterday. Today Katsuki would get his answers, all right. He would make Deku confess to hiding his quirk for all those years. And he would beat the nerd up for looking down on him.

Mark his words.

Today, Deku wouldn't get away scot-free.

...

The cityscape looked deceptively real. Countless skyscrapers scattered all over the training grounds. Amidst it all stood the kids, their bright and colourful costumes contrasting with the place. And with them, a tall powerful man exuding power and safety to those who were in need. Painting an unusual picture of mentorship in middle of deserted streets.

And then there was him. Katsuki Bakugo, the one who'd show these extras who's in charge! He not only would outperform all of his classmates, but one day— sooner or later he would surpass All Might and leave the current number one hero in the dust.

As the rules of the battle trial were explained. It was time to sort groups and pick opponents.

And look at that! How convenient it was that he's getting paired against the biggest loser in class. Deku.

...

I look around and all I see is nervous faces. All I hear is mindless chatter and laughter, it seems they all feel dread before their first battles.

But I'm not like them. I'm ready. I am ready to show my true potential and I can't wait to crush those who dare insult me. Deku thinks he's so much better, doesn't he?

How long has he been taking me for a fool? How weak does he think I am— to never have used his quirk for all those years.

Oh well, that won't be important when I crush him to bits...

“Bakugo!”

He'll regret mocking me all this time—

“Bakugo-kun!”

...

Suddenly the blue haired tin can approached Katsuki while waving his hand in a robotic manner, interrupting whatever thoughts plagued his mind.

“Bakugo-kun! We shall carefully plan our evil plans to secure the bomb and keep the heroes at bay, thus playing the perfect role of villains!”

“Shut—up already, you're blowing my brains out with your stupid chatter.” Katsuki interrupted his presumed to be partner.

While he's here sitting through this dork's annoying lectures, precious time is being wasted that he could've used to beat the nerd.

A signal rang.

Finally. The battles are on. 

And he leapt. 

Katsuki launched himself upfront into the corridors as Iida could do nothing but scream for him to come back. But it was all useless screaming. Katsuki wouldn't look back. Katsuki wouldn't need any stupid strategies that Four-eyes would come up with.

He's got one goal only.

And that is to win by eliminating his opponent as fast as he can.

As his boots scraped the floor and the air filled with dust and smoke. He ran though the rooms with fierce determnation. A feeling born from anger and frustration that kept egging him on to go forward. To go further and cross boundaries.

Left, right and no sight of people when finally—

He saw a familiar green splotch.

A boom.

Midoriya scrambled away as the explosive punch made him dodge urgently. Uraraka quickly regained her composure, but still looked dazed.

Deku, the loser he was, prepared to dodge his next moves. And in those green eyes Katsuki could see that sweet hesitation.

He's frightened and cornered.Surely, he'll use that fuck ass quirk any second now.

Tsk

Instead he dodges.

But this time Katsuki feels resistance.

Bakugo got yanked into the air as Izuku pulled him over his body dunking him down on his back. Bakugo could only groan from pain at the contact.

“I analyzed every amazing hero. Even you... Learning everything I could from them.”, Izuku fixed his posture, but still trembled.

“You can call me Deku. But I am not the same defenseless kid” his face formed into an unfamiliar expression.

“From now on Deku is the name of a hero!”

Ha...

Ha!

He really thinks he's so much better when he's just dust under my feet!

Katsuki pulled himself up, glaring daggers at his prey.

“Deku", his voice sounded foreign to his own ears.

“You're so scared...”

And Izuku must've seen his scowl now, since he's cowering away, telling something to the other scrambling extra.

“You're shaking in your boots you're so scared!... But you wanna fight me anyway—

That's why—

I hate you!”

Katsuki's explosion's launched him across the room, closing the distance between his blows. But somehow the nerd managed to lean away from his fists.

Katsuki landed a kick to Deku's shoulder before his legs was stopped with a pitiful rope.

Seriously? A rope? He's still treating this like I'm not a threat, is he?!

As Izuku screamed something to Uraraka, Katsuki finally broke free from the grip, feeling himself falling backwards 

___________________

The veteran hero felt amazement as he watched the once-weak boy stand up to a talented opponent. 

Katsuki's villainous role perfectly complemented his aggressive fighting and strong character. The boy preferred to go on the offensive before his opponent had time to come up with a plan. A solid strategy, if only his partner had known what he was up to.

Young Midoriya was at a clear disadvantage when it came to quirk control and use, but maybe his ingenuity would let him see the possibilities...

But as he watched how Uraraka reached the room with the “bomb”, ready to observe their fight, suddenly one of the kids voices caught his attention.

“Look! Bakugo-kun is doing something to his gauntlets.”

What?

A jolt of alarm shot through him.

He quickly looked back to the boys. And one of the cameras was invaded by smoke, before shutting down entirely. The explosion passing dangerously close to his successor.

Thankfully he managed to get down before it could do much damage.But it was a dangerously close call.

With hesitance, All Might turned on his microphone.

“Bakugo! Use that stored up power and—”

He didn't get to finish his sentence as the other rushed in with another punch.

Damn it.

I know I should stop this fight, but for Midoriya's experience...

In a matter of seconds, another monitor went out. There's hardly any visibility of the fight.

Now or never, he should—

.

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck!

Deku was dodging his hits an still hadn't used his stupid power! 

“You think you're so much better than me, don't you?!”, his voice screeched.

“Pretending to be quirkless and taking me for an idiot, but guess what! You're still useless quirkless Deku!”

With manic eagerness he pulled on his charged gauntlet. Letting the biggest explosion he's ever managed to rage through towards his opponent.

Only to end up destroying the column behind him.

Tsk

“Bakugo-kun!”

“Young Bakugo!”

“Did you cause that blast?”

Shut up

Shut up

Shut up

Shut up

Why can they all just shut up?!

“Bakugo, use that stored up power once again and—”

!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHY CAN'T THEY JUST FUCK OFF!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!

White clouded his vision when he pretended to blast away Deku's costume but instead dodged and fired down from the back. Easily changing trajectory with a blast that doubled as a smoke screen.

Now he just needed to punch from the back and then—

Tsk

Unexpectedly Deku shifted away at the last second. The right hook flew past him.

That's it.

All Might be dammed.

I'll win no matter what.

As his left hand swiped ahead his hand landed on the wall, scattering into pieces.

Fuck this

Time's almost up

I can't lose—

That's it...

I'll make sure he can't dodge this...

In a desperate move his hands grasped in prayer, rising above. His goal clear in mind. Billions of particles would erupt from his hands creating the perfect trap. Ringing and raging from his palms and under his enemy soles.

This was it. The final move. If the nerd wouldn't go down to a punch, he'd erase the entire floor from under him. Let him fall. Let him lose. Let him be buried in the rubble of his own arrogance.

His lips peeled back from his teeth in a savage grin. Dodge this, you stupid Deku!

A perfect finishing move.

Now or never.

Nothing could stop him from releasing this hell.

Now or—

.

.

.

.

.

His red raging eyes met forest green ones.

And in them... not terror nor hatred...

Worry.

Why

The same worry.

Why

The same eyes.

With more determination, he pulled on his gauntlet with his teeth. He stormed in with all he had... Feeling his skin ignite with the force of gunpowder.

The hands flew down.

He was mid-punch—

This was his victory. 

And his face fell.

It was only a glimpse 

A mirage.

A dark, thick trickle working its way down the side of a face, carving a path through the dust and grime. It wasn't sweat. Sweat didn't have that viscosity, that awful, deep crimson color.

His focus shattered. The tunnel vision exploded into a horrifying wide-angle lens.

The trickle became a river. It was pouring from his hairline, a torrent of blood that sheeted down, flooding his eyebrow, dripping into his eye. Deku didn’t even seem to notice it; he just blinked against the flow, the red liquid welling in his lashes before spilling over his cheek.

Embedded in the left side of Deku’s skull, just above the temple, was a monstrous shard of concrete. A jagged spear of reinforced masonry, almost as thick as Katsuki’s wrist. Jutting out, a grotesque, structural part of him now. Chunks of his green hair were plastered to it, dark and wet with a mixture of blood and concrete dust. 

...

...

...

...

As his hands met collapsed the floor underneath.

All he could do was watch him plummet.

The world didn’t slow down; it fractured.

The twin suns of destruction had erupted from his gauntlets, aimed downward, into the floor beneath. The concussive force was immense, the sound a physical thing that could punch the air out of his lungs.

The fall wasn't graceful or silent as concrete walls shattered around the two caging them each from above. 

An ugly cacophony in his ears of desperate voices and clatter tore his ears, but all he could focus on was the bloodied boy being dragged by the darkness below.

So they plummet.

Cold.

The concrete was cool to the touch. His left foot was buzzing under the pressure of something unliftable. However he pushed, his body was caged in a dark, coffin-shaped space.

Except for muffled voices somewhere above, all Katsuki could hear was his own raspy coughs, full of dust and debris. Particles threatened to enter his system any way they could. His eyes burned from the painful irritation. All they could see was an imprinted picture of a face—an image he'd never forget.

An image he'll never forget.

This wasn't what he wanted.

No.

This couldn't have happened.

What he saw...

Suddenly, blinding light engulfed his eyes.

“Young Bakugo!” a deep voice called.

“Can you hear us?” another asked.

The words hardly got through the ringing in his ears, but the faces finally came into view: a scowling hero and an old lady, both looking down from the rubble above.

Everything happened in a blur as someone lifted the fragmented pieces and pulled him up onto a medical bed. He could try to understand what was being said, but his mind repeated the same questions again and again.

Did he really... kill Deku?

Chapter 17.5 

“Izuku, it's time to wake up!”, his mothers voice rang through the calm.

“Izuku, come on wake up...”, the voice became more frantic.

“Ninth, come on.”

With a jolt, Midoriya jumped up from his sleep only to bump into something hard above.

“Ouch...”

What?

He had already opened his eyes, but everything was still just as dark. Feeling his surroundings with his fingers, it seemed he was trapped in a small cave. But how was that possible? He was just at UA, wasn't he? They had trial battles, and then... Kacchan was injured. His head was killing him...

They were fighting, and then the wall broke, and some debris hit them both, and then the floor caved in...

...

Right. So first, he needed to check his vitals. For that—

He reached into his pockets and winced. “Ouch! What the hell?!”

Reaching into his other side, he turned his phone's light on and saw small shards of glass spilling from where he had reached.

“No.... That was the potion Alex gave me today,” he whined with desperation. “How am I supposed to heal this back pain and headache now...”

...

Earlier today, Izuku had begged his roommate to gift him another golden apple, just in case, since he was still convinced that Aizawa could expel him once he found out he cheated on the first day.

After a minute of kneeling Dogeza style, the other tossed him a couple of apples and a small bottle without a word, seemingly not seeing them as much of a treasure at all.

The extra apple sat securely in his backpack, while the magical potion was for an emergency situation, just like this one. But now he had gone and spilled it all on the ground?!

Great job Izuku... 

But to be fair, Alex hardly explained what the bottle contained and he doubts he'd know how to use it anyways...

After a few sighs and shifting Izuku finally started to hear voices from above. 

“Hello? Is anyone up there?”

His legs were quite numb now, and his bruised back was painfully nudging concrete. Not to mention the grime stuck to his left eye, which he tried to scrub away with his palm.

“Izuku!”  a booming voice laced with desperation reached his ears.

That was All Might, wasn't he?

“All Might! I'm here.”

“What are you waiting for, idiot?” another voice chimed in, a lot less cheerful but no less worried. Was that... Aizawa-sensei?

As soon as the debris from above moved away, strong arms lifted him into the air.

“Young Midoriya! You're alright!” He shook him up and down like a kid would his Christmas gift.

“Ow! Ouch! Slow down, please, All Might!” His eyes were starting to spin, and it was now apparent that his body had definitely suffered a few fractures here and there.

“Oh! I'm sorry, young Midoriya. I was just glad to see you're okay—” he sheepishly lowered the kid, giving him a once-over.

“Cough cough almost okay, I meant... My boy, we need to transfer you to Recovery Girl ASAP.”

Meanwhile, Aizawa groaned in frustration behind them, unable to cuss out the number one hero in front of a kid. What a booming first lesson the dumb hero had conducted...

Wait till the rat hears about this...

His student truly looked horrible. Blood stuck to his face and injured hands, his costume was torn to pieces, and reddish patches stained the green fabric. It was a miracle the kid had fallen only one story down and that the column beside him had shielded him from being crushed by debris. Judging by his injuries he's not on the verge of death, but pretty darn close to it.

As they led away the beat up kid the hero felt an intense gaze from the side.

A glance back and it was...

Katsuki Bakugo.

But his gaze wasn't on him; it was on Midoriya. His eyes were wide and rounded, almost in terror, piercing through the space. On his face was... surprise? Disbelief? Or terror?

Eraserhead couldn't decipher what the hardly conscious boy was thinking.

But regardless, sooner or later he would get his answers on what happened while he was away.