Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everyone at Aldera Middle School knew that Izuku Midoriya had a quirk. However, no one could say quite what it was. Midoriya had ears with pointed tips and beautiful nearly-translucent butterfly wings capturing a hundred shades of green, but no other signs of an animal mutation. Aldera’s principal would swear that the Midoriya boy had been registered on the first day of school with a plant growth ability. Then he’d spotted Midoriya talking to a crow on the school rooftop. When he’d gone to check the boy’s file again, it said “Nature Affinity” so he assumed he’d remembered wrong. The principal might have complained about the vague description, but Midoriya’s parents had paid a hefty sum of money to enroll him quickly. There had been some fuss about Midoriya getting expelled from his last forty-nine schools. The principal had been paid too much money to remember.

Izuku Midoriya’s homeroom teacher believed he could communicate with plants and animals, a very strong ability. But a couple times the teacher noticed the boy levitating his pen to his hand. The wind around him died away when his teacher looked at him. The Midoriya boy moved unnaturally fast and gracefully, and his gaze was a bit too sharp. Normally the teacher would have favored a student with a strong potential for heroics, but he found the boy unnerving and disliked his wings.

The other students would bring their dying houseplants to school. Midoriya could cure a plant with a single touch, as long as it had even the smallest spark of life left in the brown leaves. However, he always insisted on being paid. The prices weren’t high: he would do it for a pencil or a stick of pocky. Midoriya said that it wasn’t good to owe favors, with a smile as if he was sincerely trying to help out his fellow students by charging them. The other students went along with Midoriya’s eccentricities because he was very helpful to have around, and a very amiable boy, always ready to lend a hand.

Sometimes the students and occasionally a teacher brought their pets to school to talk to Midoriya, out of curiosity or to correct ill behaviors. Usually Midoriya played along with a smile. Dogs barked at the mailman less after talking to him, though he could do nothing about begging for scraps at the table. In one case he frowned and told a girl very sternly that her nervous rabbit was very lonely and needed another for company. Rabbits did not fare well left in a cage alone. Something about the look in his eyes, white pupils faintly glowing, made her run to the nearest pet store and buy a second rabbit that very afternoon.

A teacher from another class brought in a cat with a limp, who kept her tail tucked in and avoided human contact. According to the teacher, Midoriya’s healing services were cheaper than a vet. The cat had a broken leg. Midoriya whispered something to her, then she leapt into his arms and clung to him. After that, there was a public scene where an angry Midoriya refused to give the cat back to the teacher. The principal had to come and insist. Yes, the cat did look in bad shape but there was no proof of abuse. Midoriya asked the teacher three times if he was sure he wanted his cat back, then whispered something in her ear again. She leapt out of his arms with her leg healed. The next day, the teacher was found dead in his home with his throat ripped out. The paw marks around his body looked like they belonged to a lion or tiger. The cat was never seen again.

Midoriya’s homeroom teacher was secretly a member of the Creature Rejection Clan, and he considered it his duty to spread his beliefs to young, impressionable students. He’d found fertile ground in Aldera Middle School, where strong quirks were prized and the weak were trampled. It hadn’t been too hard to find excuses to criticize and beat down every student in his class with a mutation. He’d also slanted his history lessons to make those with mutations look more responsible for the early chaos during the dawn of the age of quirks.

Though the new student, Midoriya, had been very annoying on that subject. He would correct the teacher whenever he said anything not completely factually accurate. Though Midoriya had only been at Aldera for two months, he found mistakes on a regular basis. The teacher had already been predisposed to dislike Midoriya because of his wings. Although wings were not the ugliest of mutations, Midoriya still couldn’t be called a proper human. He ought to keep his mouth shut around his betters.

Looking through a sheet of papers, the teacher said, “Everyone has turned in their career plans. Excellent! I see you all want to become heroes.” Laughter greeted this statement. Only Midoriya had written “vigilante” instead, but the teacher looked for a weaker victim. “Watanabe, of course, is simply not qualified for hero work with such a pathetic ability.”

Watanabe’s antennae drooped. She had a bee mutation that gave her compound eyes, wings, and yellow-and-black fuzz all over. As a result, she’d become the teacher’s favorite target. With a sob, she ran out of the classroom.

From the other side of the classroom, Midoriya said, “Watanabe has one of the stronger and more versatile abilities in the class. I would rank it more useful for hero work than yours.” He spoke matter-of-factly but with very little respect due toward a teacher.

It was a sore sport for the teacher that his ability only let him extend his arms. He comforted himself that at least he wasn’t a creature freak. “Of course you’d say that, Watanabe is your girlfriend.” There was nothing like a little romantic humiliation to hurt a teenage boy. The laughter from the class edged the teacher on. “You could command her to date you with your quirk if you’re so desperate.”

Midoriya frowned. “Watanabe is not my girlfriend and not an animal. Besides, I don’t command animals, I only speak to them.”

The teacher sneered. “Of course you’d say that, you don’t want to scare off your girlfriend.” The same joke only drew a few laughs this time.

“Are you accusing me of lying?” Midoriya asked. He spoke in the same even tone, but his green eyes became as hard and cold as the bottom of the sea. His wings had drawn up aggressively.

“It’s a joke.” The teacher rolled his eyes.

“Then do you retract your false words?” Midoriya persisted.

A strange tension simmered in the air. The teacher’s instincts screamed for him to back down, but with the eyes of his class on him, he couldn’t do it. “You’re not as smart as you think you are, Midoriya. You keep trying to correct me about history, but I know far more than you. Everything I say is true!”

Midoriya leaned back in his seat with a satisfied expression. His wings relaxed. “You have given your word, now we will see if you can keep it.”

What the hell did that mean? The teacher snapped, “No more lip out of you, or I’ll give you detention.”

Midoriya shrugged, expressively silent.

The teacher resumed his lesson. “Mutants are unable to live in modern society and better off in their own separate commune. In fact, I only promote this separation out of kindness.” He kept expecting Midoriya to interrupt as usual. But Midoriya remained silent. Perhaps the brat had learned to keep his mouth shut. The teacher’s face itched.

“It’s been scientifically demonstrated that those with animal mutations lose some of their human intelligence—” The teacher itched at his face harder. Why did it just keep getting itchier? Why did he feel something soft under his fingers?

A student gasped and pointed. “Your face! It’s sprouting hair!”

Most of the class glanced at Midoriya, who was reading his textbook as if this had nothing to do with him.

The teacher stomped over. With false bravado, he demanded, “Midoriya, stop this nonsense at once.” Even under these circumstances, when he could now see brown fur running down his arms, he couldn’t bring himself to let go of his pride. He had to appear in control.

“You made a promise not to lie,” Midoriya said. “You’ve already told two lies. I don’t recommend a third one.” He turned a page in his book without looking up.

“Whatever you’re doing, stop it! I’m not afraid of you!” The teacher’s words cut off as his nose elongated and his mouth twisted wider.

“That’s a lie,” Midoriya said calmly.

The teacher fell forward, falling out of his clothes as he transformed into a weasel.

Hysterical students fled the classroom. One of them dragged over the reluctant principal. Sweating, the man took in the classroom with desks overturned, empty except for one green-haired boy still reading. “Midoriya, what’s this I hear about you turning your teacher into a weasel mutant?”

“No, he’s an actual weasel.” Midoriya pointed at the small brown-furred weasel running around in circles and squeaking. “He hardly deserved a lovely mutation in exchange for all his lies. He’s still lying even now. I told him that the transformation would wear off if he’d be honest but I’m not sure he’s capable of it.”

“You have an animal transformation quirk? Why isn’t that in your file?” The principal grasped at the only thing that made sense in all this chaos.

“I can honestly say that I do not have a quirk that turns people into animals,” Midoriya said with a slightly amused emphasis on the word “quirk.”

The principal bellowed, “Even your parents’ money isn’t worth this! You’re expelled!”

As soon as night fell and the building was empty, Aldera Middle School got razed to the ground by a tornado, but not before they added the fiftieth expulsion to Izuku Midoriya’s record.

Hanging his head, Izuku pushed open the gate to his family’s townhouse. “Sorry, I got expelled again.” His initial self-righteous anger had worn off, and now he felt guilty about facing his parents. They’d spent so much money to find even a lousy middle school like Aldera that would take him. He’d been truly trying to fit in this time.

“Surprise!” Three voices chorused in unison. Yoichi, Kaiji, and Sanzou stood below a banner reading: Congratulations on 50 Expulsions.

The grey two-story townhouse had a traditional sliding lattice door and a gabled roof made of interlocking curved clay tiles. A row of bushes obscuring the small yard from view, as well as more potent magical protections. The trio had hauled a folding table outside and covered it with a two-tier strawberry cake, half a dozen types of roll cakes, mochi, cupcakes, and dango on a stick.

Izuku blinked back sudden tears. “Whoa. I mean, I’m sorry. I screwed it up after you had to bribe the principal to get me in.”

“Bah. Money.” Yoichi Midoriya shrugged, his wings rippling. “Human currency is nothing but numbers in a computer. We can always create more of it. Compared to the days when humans wanted gold, it’s easy.” Yoichi was easily Izuku’s tallest uncle, with vivid green eyes and white pupils. His hair was naturally white, but it rarely stayed that because it changed based on his whim and mood. Currently, his hair was bright pink. He had beautiful white butterfly wings so translucent as to be invisible unless the sun hit them at the right angle.

His tattoos also changed constantly. Their human neighbors thought that Yoichi had temporary tattoos, which was true for a given value of the word temporary. Currently his white tank top exposed two tattoo sleeves. His right arm was covered in cherry blossoms woven around a clock. If one looked carefully, the hands on the clock moved to show the correct time. The flowers had been slowly blooming for the past couple weeks. His left arm had a tiger and dragon locked in battle, their claws digging into each other. When he waved his arms, a single drop of blood fell from the tiger’s injury and struck the ground.

Kaiji slapped Izuku on the back. “You’re carrying on the family tradition of getting thrown out of boring places. The three of us have notable list of bans including the dog park, the library, Tokyo Stadium, and the fae realm. You’re just getting started on your rap sheet, kid.” Kaiji was the shortest but most muscular of the trio, with red hair and a huge scar running across his face. As a human, his skin always looked more ruddy and less ethereal than the other two.

Grinning, Sanzou said, “Kaiji got so banned from the fae realm that even the prison refuses to take him. They put him on the list of natural disasters. There’s a kill on sight order out on him.” Sanzou had blue-grey hair pulled back in a high ponytail (Yoichi claimed he only wore his hair like that to try and steal the title of tallest one). As an elf, his ears had sharper points and he could retract his wings.

Izuku chuckled and dropped his backpack to the grass. “You’re the best dads ever. I’ll help you search for a school that I haven’t been expelled from—after the party.”

“The guest of honor gets the first slice of cake,” Yoichi said cheerfully, ushering Izuku to the table. The white-frosted cake was covered in strawberries so each slice had one.

As Izuku cut into the cake, he said, “As much though I appreciate the party, there’s a chance the police are about to bust in here and arrest me.”

“Already taken care of,” Sanzou said. “No one at Aldera will remember your name or face.”

“Well-done, Papa.” Izuku took a bite of cake. Mmm, the frosting was perfectly light.

Sanzou specialized in illusions and mental trickery, as Yoichi and Izuku specialized in nature magic. Kaiji was the only human in the family, in the know because he’d been taken by the fae as a child and swapped for the changeling Sanzou. Apparently, the trio had met during the incident when everyone had gotten banished. At some point along the way Kaiji had eaten a golden apple that made him immortal, fortunately allowing him to live as long as the other two. Sanzou described this incident as “the least of Kaiji’s crimes in the fae realm.”

“This is very good.” Izuku took a stick of dango. “But I think you made way too much food.”

“We’re expecting more company,” Yoichi said. “Oh! Here they are!”

With a swirl of black feathers, Nana Shimura dropped down from the sky. She was a tengu, a Japanese crow demon. She clapped Izuku on the back. “Congratulations on destroying that hell school Ald-something.”

Izuku chuckled, already feeling better. “It was a very dreadful school. I tried hard to keep my head down, but the lessons were frequently wrong and the teachers favored the kids with the strong quirks to a ridiculous degree. Um, I realize it’s my own fault for getting expelled from all the good schools.”

“Nonsense,” Nana sniffed. “Japanese education has gone far downhill. Back in my day we were taught by hermits living in mountains.”

Izuku joked, “And you had to climb the mountain in the snow every day, uphill both ways. I’ve heard it before, Aunt Nana.”

She laughed. “All I’m saying is, your principal could benefit from living in a mountain for a bit. Society would also benefit.”

“Nana, I’m glad you could make it.” Kaiji cast her a concerned look. “We didn’t want to trouble you…I know today is the day of your granddaughter’s birthday and you wish you could be with her.”

“I could use a distraction from thinking about that.” Nana sighed. “Let’s talk about something else.”

Izuku’s ears pricked up. He’d never known that Nana had a grandchild but it seemed like a sensitive topic and now wasn’t the time to ask. Yoichi’s hair had streaked blue just at the brief mention, though the pink was already coming back.

Sanzou handed Nana a roll cake. “I made your favorite matcha flavor.”

The gate flung open, and Banjo cried, “How could you get the party started without me?” The oni had bright red skin and horns. The black and white spiral tattoo on his neck had been drawn by Yoichi, who ran a tattoo parlor for magical creatures on the lower level of the townhouse. Although Izuku knew that his three fathers’ real vocation was vigilantism. The guests today were all fellow vigilantes, with Nana as the sole official hero.

“I brought a gift,” Banjo said, handing a wrapped package to Izuku.

“Oh! You didn’t have to.” Izuku flushed, arms straining under the weight. “This isn’t a party for a special occasion—I just got kicked out of school.”

“Then my gift will help you,” Banjo declared before falling on the food table and devouring half of it. No wonder Izuku’s fathers had made so much, if they’d invited Banjo.

Izuku pulled off the red gift paper. It was…a hammer? Did Banjo expect him to destroy his next school too?

A four-inch tall pixie with black hair fluttered off Banjo’s shoulder. En whispered, “Banjo doesn’t understand the difference between human school and military training. He thought you’d need a weapon. It’s made of silver, no iron.”

“That’s very kind of him,” Izuku said. Like Sanzou and Yoichi, he wore a charm under his shirt that allowed him to touch cold iron without being burned. Such measures were necessary to survive in the modern mortal realm. Proximity to iron still weakened his magic. Raising his voice, Izuku called, “It’s a beautiful hammer, Uncle Banjo. Perhaps you can teach me to use it.”

A pure white cat strolled out of the bushes. Even without the tang of magic in the air, Izuku would immediately recognize his uncle Hikage. Kneeling down, Izuku petted the bakaneko, a cat demon. “Would you like some milk, Uncle Hikage?”

Hikage said, “Yes please, and I’ll take some tuna if you have it.” Although Hikage spoke in meows, Izuku could understand perfectly.

Izuku went to the table. “Do we have any tuna?” He spotted it next to a flower cupcake. “Never mind.”

Kaiji snorted. “Of course we have tuna, we knew that Hikage’s antisocial ass couldn’t be bothered to turn back into human form.” As a human in a family with three fae, Kaiji was the only one who possessed the ability to lie, but it was a running family joke that he was actually the worst at deception. He was certainly the worst at tact.

“Dad!” Izuku hissed, elbowing his human father as he poured the milk.

Hikage told Izuku, “Your father is just salty because he used to have a phobia of cats, before he gave himself exposure therapy until it was mostly gone.” Izuku giggled as he set down the tuna and saucer. He hadn’t heard this story before.

“Hey!” Kaiji shouted. “I know you’re mocking me! Even if I don’t naturally speak cat, I’ve been around you enough to pick up on that tone of meow.”

Laughter filled the yard. The magnolia flowers perked up and grew, as plants often responded to Yoichi and Izuku’s moods. Izuku had to take a deep breath to stop the grass from growing too high. The sun shone a bit brighter overhead. On Yoichi’s neck, a fanged grin and two blue eyes blossomed from his skin and winked. The Cheshire Cat tattoo appeared in random places all over Yoichi’s body, usually when he laughed.

Nana attached her phone to a speaker and started playing music. Both fae and tengu loved to dance. Soon the party was in full swing. Izuku danced with everyone in the family. Since Nana was so much taller, he rested his palms against hers. En danced in the air with Izuku. They both flitted and circled each other, rising above the bushes.

A century ago, the fae wouldn’t have flown where humans might see them. Izuku would have needed to hide his wings under an illusion spell whenever he went out. But since the dawn of the age of quirks, no one batted an eye even when Izuku used magic in front of them. It had become a golden age for fae and yokai (aka Japanese demons). The wild fae, who were at the bottom of the food chain in the fae realm, had mass immigrated to live in human cities.

Sometimes Izuku wondered what the fae realm was like. But according to his parents, he could legally only visit the fae realm alone after he turned eighteen. They’d warned him that his family had a certain notoriety there and it was a dreadfully stuffy place anyway. Apparently he wasn’t missing out on anything.

Izuku’s new school was halfway across Japan, so his fathers had spent a week crafting a fairy ring that he could use to teleport over. Izuku felt sorry for the trouble, but Yoichi had assured him that it was worth it, because his new school was one of the top ranked academically in Japan. That would be a welcome breath of fresh air after Aldera. This time, Izuku was determined not to get expelled.

Although Izuku did not need to hide his butterfly wings or pointed ears in modern human society, he still had three issues to be cautious of when interacting with humans.

First of all, fae couldn’t lie. Most of the time this posed little problem, because no one was going to ask Izuku if he was secretly a fairy. Besides, he could always toss off a sarcastic “yes” and pass it off as a joke. He sometimes risked causing offense because white lies were the basis of human manners, but his parents had taught him how to equivocate and avoid questions. Instead of “nice to meet you” he’d learned to say “it’s a pleasure,” a handy phrase that left it ambiguous as to what “it” referred to. After all, Izuku took pleasure in thwarting the human language. When asked “how are you” he had a range of humorous responses to avoid every human’s favorite lie, “I’m fine.” In a lighthearted tone to avoid offense, he could say “My lawyer has stated that I don’t have to answer that question” which was technically true because Hikage had a law degree. “My psychiatrist says that I shouldn’t discuss it with strangers” was also technically true because En had taken an online therapy course once. “I still have a pulse” usually won him a smile or a chuckle. He found that replying, “Depends, is it Friday yet?” was always well-received by humans, and questions were never lies.

Secondly, the touch of iron burned Izuku unless he wore the charm Yoichi had made for him. Since iron was everywhere in modern human society, he counted himself fortunate to have a solution. He kept his charm on a silver chain under his shirt and checked regularly to make sure it was still there.

Thirdly, any promise that someone else made to Izuku became binding and vice versa. If he carelessly said “let’s always be friends forever” then he’d be stuck to a human for the rest of both of their lives. Izuku could avoid making promises himself but could not control other people. Every single time a human said “thank you” they put themselves in Izuku’s debt unless he asked them for something to discharge the favor. This last one posed the greatest challenge, because humans thanked each other for everything from life-saving to holding the door open. Fortunately, he could easily release them from their promises. Izuku had formed a habit where every night before going to bed, he would recite, “I free anyone of any obligations they made to me today.” This was much easier than trying to keep track of who had thanked him every day.

Izuku headed downstairs wearing his new uniform: a tan suit jacket with matching pants. His black loafers clicked on the wooden floor.

Yoichi knelt down before a circle of mushrooms growing through the living room floorboards. He waved his hand, and glowing blue spots appeared running down the mushrooms. Without looking up, he said, “I tested it earlier. You’ll come out behind the tool shed at your new school. No one is there at this time of day, the gardener comes by earlier in the morning.”

“Perfect.” Izuku hugged Yoichi. “I appreciate how much time you put into this.” It was polite for fae to acknowledge the value of a gift even if they did not say “thank you.”

Yoichi rose, kissing his son on his cheek on his way up. “I hope you have a lovely time at school. Don’t be afraid to get expelled again if they deserve it.”

Izuku snorted. “You probably have a bet with my other fathers about how long I’ll last at this school.”

Recoiling, Yoichi placed a hand over his heart. “Would I do that?” His lower lip wobbled. Also, his hair flashed mischievous purple, a tell.

Izuku raised his eyebrow. “Don’t pull that trick on me, Poppa. You’re the one who taught me how to deceive without lying.” Izuku stepped into the circle and teleported.

The air shifted, becoming hotter and more humid. Izuku stood on woodchips with a shed to his right and a chain-link fence to his left. A boy with half-red, half-white hair had one leg over the fence. They stared at each other with mutual faces of “busted.”

Izuku had been caught on his very first day of school. Surely even Yoichi hadn’t bet it would happen so quickly! Taking deep breaths, Izuku tried not to catastrophize. He could pretend to have a teleportation quirk. It wouldn’t be the first time Sanzou had to sneak into a school and change his quirk registry. But what ability name could theoretically combine teleportation with his nature powers? It tended to be difficult to hide how plants reacted around Izuku. Plus how would he explain that he could only teleport to exactly one location? Oh, right, what if he pretended to have used someone else’s teleportation quirk? Izuku opened his mouth, already planning how to phrase “My father used his ability to send me to school” in a way that wasn’t technically a lie.

Before he could speak, the boy pointed at the ring of mushrooms around his feet and asked, “Are you a fae? Awesome! I’m a yuki-onna.” He grinned and the white half of his hair covered with frost. His skin seemed to glow like moonlight, frost crystals dancing around him. He had heterochromatic eyes, and the grey one glowed. “My name is Shouto Todoroki.”

Izuku gasped with delight. “Yes, I am! I’m called Izuku Midoriya.” The phrasing was deliberate—all fae used fake names. Names had power. “Nice to meet you.” He reveled in being able to say that because, for once in his life, it was completely true.

Izuku had never met another magical creature his own age before. Most of those with magic were immortal, and reproduced rarely. Those precious children were carefully guarded away from the human realm. Shouto seemed equally delighted to have a classmate he could share his secret with. When the school bell rang, the two of them quickly exchanged phone numbers and a promise to meet at lunchtime.

After fifty schools, Izuku had been through the new student drill often enough to do it on autopilot. He barely paid attention to his morning teachers, already eagerly anticipating lunch.

Shouto and Izuku met to eat behind the toolshed, out of the way of everyone else.

“What brought you out here this morning, anyway?” Izuku asked.

“I was late and taking a shortcut,” Shouto admitted. “How about you?”

“The ground here is good for growing mushrooms.” With a flick of Izuku’s will, the grass grew thicker to provide them a comfy place to sit down. Shouto’s eyes widened slightly. Izuku basked in his success. Shouto had a handsome face (especially because of that dashing scar), a cool demeanor, and power. Izuku instinctively wanted to impress him.

Shouto sat down. “Th—” He stopped himself. “Wait, it’s rude to thank a fae, isn’t it?”

“I don’t mind.” Izuku chuckled. “It’s less that it’s rude, and more that it’s dangerous. I could use your thanks to claim that you owed me a favor. Not that I would, of course.”

“Oh. I thought it was a slight,” Shouto murmured as he opened his lunchbox. He had a convenience store sandwich, an apple, and carrots inside.

Izuku’s lunch had been prepared by Sanzou, the best cook in the family. The bento box had six compartments inside, containing sushi, shrimp tempura, a small pork cutlet on rice, vegetables cut into cute shapes, steamed egg custard, and a black sesame cookie for dessert. Shouto cast a longing glance as he bit into his cold sandwich.

“You can have some, if you’d like. I’ve got plenty.” Izuku offered a piece of sushi.

“Th—how kind of you.” Shouto’s eyes lit up. “Would you like some of my lunch?”

Izuku had plenty of food, but he accepted an apple slice to complete the bargain. Exchanges were politer than favors.

Dabbing his mouth with a napkin, Shouto said, “You’re probably wondering why I’m not a girl.”

Izuku hadn’t been, actually. He knew that yuki-onna meant snow woman, a race of all female ice spirits. As a fae, Izuku struggled with the conception of gender being so binary. Fae had fluid gender identities and bodies, switching it around depending on their mood that century. During puberty, Izuku had changed his mind a couple times before settling on boy for now. Izuku was aware other races tended to pick one gender and stick with it, but he hadn’t remembered that until Shouto had brought it up.

Shouto continued, “I’m half-human. My father used to be a hero before he took a leave of absence to look after us kids. I have both yuki-onna powers and a quirk.” He raised his left hand, and fire glowed around it, his blue eye seeming to burn. “I have everyone at school convinced that I have a Half Hot, Half Cold quirk.”

Izuku laughed. “Humans will believe the most ridiculous things! At my last school I used a dozen different powers, and people still thought it was all one quirk.”

“I used to go to school up in the mountains where it didn’t matter because everyone knew,” Shouto said. “I convinced my parents to let me go to school here so I could meet kids my own age and get in touch with my human heritage, but it was actually to look for my big brother.”

Izuku hmmed, his wings perking up with interest.

“When I was young, there was an accident. Our house burned down and I got this scar.” Shouto touched his face. “I don’t remember much about how it happened. My oldest brother, Touya, died in the fire. Or at least my parents said so. On an online conspiracy theory forum where I hang out, I found pictures of a petty criminal in the mortal realm who looks a lot like Touya. I told my parents, and they got weird. My dad can’t lie for his life, it makes his whole face turn red. They’re definitely hiding something from me.” His jaw set with determination. “I’m going to figure out the truth.”

“Whoa, that’s awful,” Izuku said. “I can’t imagine my parents lying to me. Because they can’t, of course. They’re fae. It must be difficult if your own family can deceive you.”

Shouto pulled out two pictures from his wallet, one of little boy with red hair, and one of a scarred punk with black hair. “Have you seen a man who looks like either of these pictures?”

This must be Shouto’s true purpose for spilling his tragic past to someone he’d barely met. Either that, or Shouto was a chronic over-sharer. Izuku took a close look at the photos. “I’m sorry, I haven’t seen him. I could help you investigate local villain reports. If you text me those pictures, then I’ll post them on some hero fan servers. Hero fans are amazingly up-to-date on villain information.”

“I would be most grateful,” Shouto said solemnly. “I asked a couple people for help so far minus the yokai part. But they all looked at me funny, then left.”

…A chronic over-sharer, then.

“How did you come to this school?” Shouto asked.

“I got expelled from all the ones close to me.” Izuku shrugged. “At my last school, I turned my teacher into a weasel. He was already a weasel in spirit, I just made it official. Except that’s an insult to honest weasels.”

Shouto’s eyes widened. “Were your parents very angry?”

Izuku laughed. “They were proud, actually.”

“Whoa.” Shouto’s eyes got even wider. “I wouldn’t dare face my mother if I froze a teacher.”

Izuku felt a special glow from impressing someone he wanted to impress. He sat up straighter.

Shouto asked, “What court are you from? For animal transformations, I’m guessing spring or summer. But I hadn’t heard any of the courts had produced a prince recently. Are you incognito?”

The fae realm was divided into four courts where the seasons never changed from spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each court was ruled by a monarch of great and terrible power.

Snorting, Izuku said, “I’m no royalty! I’m merely a common wild fae.”

Shouto gasped. “If you could say that without any equivocation, then…you actually believe it.”

A sinking sensation filled Izuku’s stomach. “What does that mean?”

“An ordinary wild fae couldn’t turn a human into an animal. Even a stronger fae couldn’t manage it in the human realm, with cold iron everywhere.”

“What makes you so sure? You didn’t even know why it’s dangerous to thank a fae.” Izuku’s voice rose and his wings unfurled defensively.

“The thing is…it’s not dangerous, usually. It’s considered rude precisely because the lesser fae see it as someone looking down on them, taunting them with a favor they don’t have to keep. Most fae can only bind someone if they specifically make a promise. Only royalty can turn even a generic thanks into an oath.” Shouto sounded nervous and maybe a little pitying. It made Izuku’s stomach sink even further. “Sorry,” Shouto whispered, hanging his head.

Shouto could be lying. A yokai could lie as easily as a human. Izuku had nearly convinced himself of it, except that tiny apology sounded so sincere.

But Izuku’s parents couldn’t lie. Except for Kaiji. Izuku wracked his brains, and yes, Kaiji had been the one to sit Izuku down and tell him about the courts and that his family were wild fae. How dare his fathers use Kaiji to lie to Izuku? How dare they take advantage of Izuku’s unconditional faith in everything they said? Now Izuku had been humiliated by knowing even less about his own people than a yuki-onna. Had his parents deliberately isolated him from other fae to stop him from learning the truth? Everyone at the party must have known, but they’d all kept it from him. Everyone in Izuku’s life had been lying to him!

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything,” Shouto mumbled. “I’m sure your parents had a reason. I know my parents are trying to protect me by keeping me away from Touya, I just don’t agree with them.”

Remembering how just moments before, he’d bragged that his parents would never lie to him, Izuku’s cheeks burned. He leapt to his feet. “I need to make a call.”

Flying over the fence, Izuku found a spot of forest too distant to be overheard. As soon as he landed, the grass withered around him. Overhead, angry black clouds formed. Izuku called his home number.

Yoichi picked up. “Izuku, are you enjoying school?”

“Am I a royal fae?” Izuku demanded.

Silence came from the other end. That silence was an answer in and of itself. Fae had great difficulty getting around direct yes or no questions.

“What court did we come from? Why did you lie to me?” Izuku’s wings flapped so hard that he started to rise off the ground in his agitation.

“I’m sorry,” Yoichi whispered. “H-how did you realize? Please, this might be very important.”

Izuku snarled, “A yuki-onna attends my school. It turns out that any yokai can look at me and figure it out in a few minutes! But you left me in the dark!” Hurt teenage pride bubbled up in his voice. He’d been made into an utter fool.

“Oh, phew, not a fae,” Yoichi muttered.

Izuku shouted into his phone, “If it’s so important that other fae don’t know, then why didn’t you tell me? I can’t keep a secret if I don’t know what I’m supposed to conceal!”

“I’m sorry,” Yoichi repeated. “We agreed to tell you when you turned eighteen. I wanted to tell you sooner. But Sanzou said that he never wanted to know about his biological parents and as a teen he wished he’d never even found out about being a changeling. Since he’s the closest we have to someone who was adopted, I deferred to his judgment. Even though the human books said we should tell you.”

“I’M ADOPTED?!” Izuku shrieked. He shot up in the air, banging his head on a tree branch, then fell down with a curse.

Izuku had never fussed about which of his three parents were biologically related to him. It didn’t matter. Sanzou was his Dad, Kaiji was his Papa, and Yoichi was his Poppa. Izuku had assumed that Yoichi had probably given birth to him, because for the first ten years of Izuku’s life, Yoichi had been in a female mood and gone by Mama. (Hence why, after Yoichi decided to switch, he’d gotten the last pick paternal title.) Also, Izuku and Yoichi clearly had the same powers. Izuku could honestly say that he didn’t care if he was biologically related to his parents or not, but he couldn’t stand being lied to again.

“I didn’t say that you were adopted,” Yoichi said quickly.

“You implied it! Tell me right now: am I adopted?”

Slowly, Yoichi said, “I’m biologically related to you.”

“But you’re not my father or you would have said so! Don’t you dare lie to me again!” Izuku’s voice filled with tears. Sometimes he hated being an easy crier. He wasn’t sad, he was angry.

Yoichi gulped audibly. “Izuku, I can’t tell you the truth. I made a promise to your other fathers that I wouldn’t. I want to tell you. I’ll go to them and persuade them right now. As soon as they release me from my oath, I’ll tell you everything.”

Izuku breathed heavily, holding back his tears. It wasn’t good enough, but it was all he would get. “I have the right to know,” he said hoarsely.

“You do, and it might be dangerous for you to not know why this must be secret. I’ll tell you soon,” Yoichi pleaded. “I’m very sorry.”

Izuku couldn’t say it was okay, because he couldn’t lie. He hung up.

After wiping off his face, Izuku flew back over the fence. Although the lunch period was over, Shouto still waited for him with a concerned expression. “You should go to class,” Izuku said flatly. “I don’t think I can.” School was the last concern on his mind. He could plead sick. With the current condition of his stomach, he’d barely need to equivocate.

Shouto said, “Since you offered to help me find my brother, I tried to think of a way to help you. If we’re playing hooky, then want me to take you to visit the fae realm? We could easily find someone there to reveal what court you’re from.”

Izuku gaped. “I thought I couldn’t enter the fae realm until I turned eighteen.”

The expression on Shouto’s face said it all. Yet another lie. The last remaining thread of Izuku’s temper snapped. He knew his parents probably had a good reason to forbid him, and he didn’t care. It would serve them right if he disobeyed them. “I accept your offer. Let’s visit the fae realm.”

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: Katsuki Bakugo is Not at Aldera But If He Was…

Katsuki: I’ve met a rival with a quirk as strong as mine.

Izuku: I can truthfully say I do not have a quirk as strong as yours.

Katsuki: False modesty, eh? From now on, we’re competing to get into U.A.

Izuku: I have no interest in becoming a hero, too many rules. I’m going to be a vigilante like my parents.

Katsuki: Hey! Are you saying that being a vigilante is harder than being a hero? Are you telling me that I need to become a vigilante to defeat you?

#

Omake: Shouto the Oversharer

Shouto: I’m looking for my villain older brother…though legally only using a quirk is considered villainy, not magic, so maybe he’s half a villain. Whoops, forget you heard me say anything about magic or not being human.

Classmate: Why are all the hot ones crazy?

Shouto: Someday I’ll meet a fae prince who likes my inability to lie.

Chapter Text

Izuku gasped and looked in all directions as Shouto pushed back the gate to a traditional Japanese mansion. “You live here all by yourself?” Sculpted pine trees lined the path to a house even larger than their entire school. The sun gleamed off the grey clay tiles. The sprawling garden even had a pond with a red drum bridge running across. Perhaps Izuku shouldn’t be surprised—the yuki-onna were a notoriously wealthy and powerful clan. They had roots deep in the power structures of Japan, both the human and other.

Shouto said, “This used to be my father’s family home when he worked as a hero. I have the place all to myself, currently.”

Oh, right, Shouto was also the son of a former top hero. He came from money on both sides of the family.

The interior of the home had tatami mat floors and watercolor scrolls decorating the hallway. Taking off his shoes, Shouto said, “We need to wear traditional clothing if we want to blend in. I’ll lend you one of my yukatas. Everything is a hundred years out of date in the fae realm.”

Izuku nodded. His parents had said the same thing, in derisive tones. According to the trio, there was nothing worth seeing in the fae realm. Izuku had always wondered if that might not be partly sour grapes, since they weren’t welcome. Now he also wondered if they’d been discouraging his curiosity about his homeland.

Upstairs, Shouto handed Izuku a purple yukata with a darker purple coat. “This is a few years old, I think it will fit you.” Because Izuku was shorter than him, Shouto didn’t say. Izuku was often amused by how humans and yokai alike avoided saying what they feared might be offensive, even if it was a fact. Izuku’s average height didn’t bother him.

“It’s made of fine material,” Izuku said, fingering the airy cotton. “Can I cut a hole in the back for my wings?”

“Oh, right! No problem, the yukata doesn’t fit me any longer. You can keep it.” Shouto handed him a pair of scissors. “You can change in the bathroom.” He pointed.

In the bathroom down the hallway, Izuku dressed himself. A yukata was a Japanese robe with a cloth sash around the waist. A thin decorative belt with a lacquer leaf clasp held the sash in place. The outfit came with white socks and geta sandals, traditional footwear with a black fabric thong and a flat wooden base elevated by two tall teeth. Izuku held onto the shoes instead of putting them on before he left the house. Straightening his belt, he stepped out.

Shouto had changed into a black yukata with a blue wave pattern on the neck and belt. The dark color made his serious eyes gleam. A small glittering snow globe hung from a cord around his neck. He asked, “How does the clothing fit?”

“Perfectly.” Izuku spun around to show off, and to watch Shouto’s eyes watching him. “Do you have a bag I could borrow for my wallet and phone?” His backpack would clash with this lovely yukata.

“No one uses money in the fae realm, and your phone won’t work,” Shouto said. “It would be considered very rude to bring anything with even a little bit of iron to the fae realm. Your phone is definitely out. You can leave your backpack at my place.”

Izuku had to admit this made sense, but he felt naked without his phone. It reminded him that he’d be completely out of his element in the fae realm and reliant on Shouto to get home. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Izuku liked Shouto, but they’d known each other for a day—not nearly enough time for Izuku to assess Shouto’s trustworthiness or his reliability. Izuku should make an excuse to call this off. Now that his red-hot rage had worn off, he could see his stupidity. His wings drooped.

Shouto gestured at the door. “I can set up a portal for us outside.” He spoke casually about it, as easily as inviting Izuku to the arcade to play some games. Izuku would feel humiliated to admit to a wealthy, sophisticated boy his own age that a fae was too scared to visit the fae realm. He pictured himself crawling back to his parents and admitting he couldn’t figure out his own heritage without their help.

Even though Izuku knew he was being reckless, he wasn’t going to stop. In the worst case scenario, he could keep turning people into weasels until someone showed him how to get home.

Outside, Shouto led Izuku to the bridge. He touched runes running down the side, and the pond began to glow. “I set the portal to the fae realm, in the market. A lot of my friends hang out there. You probably already know this, but there’s a strict rule against attacking anyone else at the marketplace. It’s a truce area. Not that you seem like the type to start trouble, but remember, even if someone else baits you, you can’t attack first. There’s a powerful magical field around the marketplace that will rip you to shreds.”

Izuku nodded, pretending he’d already known that. “Of course.”

“Stick close to my side—no one dares mess with my family.” Shouto stepped over the edge and into the pond. But instead of a splash, the glowing blue light enveloped Shouto and he vanished.

Izuku looked down into the shimmering water, summoned his courage, and leapt.

When Izuku opened his eyes, he stood in a completely unfamiliar world. Giant trees grew up from the ground, more massive than any Izuku had seen outside a textbook. Each tree held a shop in its roots, with glass doors and windows. More shops spread up the tree branches, going up as far as the eye could see. The trees lined a cobblestone street. More open air stands and tents covered the ground. All manner of items sat on the tables: glowing fruits, body parts in jars, tall sweet-smelling vases, beautiful embroidered paintings, jewelry, sweets on sticks, colorful electricity crackling around tubes, and a million more strange and mysterious treasures. The air smelled like leaves and something tangy—the smell of magic. The air here was crackling with power. Izuku had spent all his life in a world of cold iron, and he could immediately tell the difference. He felt energized and free, as if he could fly around the massive trees a hundred times. The magic itched under his skin, bubbling and demanding to be let out. His wings shot open. He rolled on the balls of his feet, barely managing to stay on the ground. Looking down, he saw tiny flowers had sprouted under his sandals.

A constant chatter rose off the crowd. Fae filled the street and flew overhead from shop to shop amongst the branches. The sellers shouted to attract customers. Most of the people here were clearly fae with their beautiful shimmering wings, but Izuku also spotted other creatures. A tengu leaned over a food stall, inspecting the strange, colorful fish. A harpy flew overhead, chatting with a fae woman. A kitsune darted down the street, nine tails waving.

Shouto blew on his hand, and a whisp of ice flew off down the street. Ice crystals danced around his body, chiming in the air. A few seconds later, the wisp returned to Shouto’s hand. He said, “My friends are having a snack at the picnic ground.”

Izuku managed to tear his eyes away from the fluffy kitsune and resist the suicidal urge to pet. He followed after Shouto. Every stall fascinated him, but he forged on. They stepped off the road behind a tree, to a grassy clearing. Fae sat at the picnic benches, chatting and eating. Near the edges, a centaur stood in front of a bench. A ghostly shape wavered in the air next to him.

“Hi!” Shouto raised his hand in greeting. “This is Izuku Midoriya, the fae I told you about. Izuku, you can call the centaur Tenya Iida and the sylph Ochaco Uraraka.” Of course these would not be their real names. Not just fae but all magical creatures used second names, because fae weren’t the only beings capable of binding someone by their true name.

“Welcome,” Tenya said with a nod. The centaur had glasses and dark hair.

The white whisps solidified into an adorable girl with round cheeks and a brown bob. Her white dress flowed around her, constantly shifting shape like a cloud. Long, beautiful white wings extended from her back. The air around her felt chilly. Her form seemed wavy, but Izuku glimpsed claws on her fingers and razor-sharp tips to her wings. Sylphs, or air spirits, had a reputation for being some of the most vicious fae. “You’re welcome to share our food, with no debt.” Ochaco gestured at the strawberry mochi on the table.

That careful phrasing was just like a fae. “I appreciate it.” Izuku sat down and took a bite. He felt a bit disappointed that it tasted like perfectly ordinary mochi, the same as anything he could pick up from a convenience store in the human realm.

Ochaco held out her hand, hovering it just over Izuku’s shoulder. Even without touching him directly, she felt ice-cold. “You’re definitely a summer fae. I can feel my claws retracting just from being around you.” She turned over her palm to show her now-short nails. “You must be of royal blood, to have such an effect on me.”

“Ah, so Shouto told you about my request.” Izuku flushed and tried to stop it. Among humans, it would have been more polite for Ochaco to ask before checking his magic, but among fae, asking first would have put him in her debt. She’d simply done what he’d wanted without asking so that he owed her nothing. That was a true kindness among their kind.

“I’m certain what I felt, but it makes no sense.” Ochaco’s forehead wrinkled as her body faded away. “King All for One is the only surviving royal of the summer court, and if he had a child, then it would be big news.”

Tenya suggested, “A powerful fae might keep his child a secret and send him away as a changeling to hide him.”

“I was raised by fae parents,” Izuku clarified.

Ochaco shook her head. “King All for One isn’t the type to protect another person. He’s cruel and vicious. I bet he’d throw his own child to the redcaps to test if he would survive.”

“Don’t let her worry you, she’s prejudiced,” Shouto told Izuku. “Ochaco belongs to the winter court, and they’ve always been enemies with summer.”

Ochaco stamped her foot down, freezing the ground. “It’s true! Even the summer court calls King All for One exceptionally cruel. Countless refugees have fled from summer to winter because our King All Might is the only one strong enough to stand up to All for One. Like Ashido…ah, Ashido!”

“Just what I was thinking.” Tenya adjusted his glasses. “Ashido would surely know more than us. I’m not a fae, and sylphs are only loosely associated with any court.”

Turning to Izuku, Ochaco said, “Mina Ashido is a summer fae, but her family fled to shelter with winter. I’m sure she’d have a better idea of the latest court gossip. Her parents used to be high-ranking before they angered All for One.”

By this point, Izuku was insanely curious. It seemed far too much like a storybook tale for him to turn out to be a long-lost prince. More likely he was a distant relation avoiding this cruel king. Regardless, he was dying to know. “I’d love to talk to Ashido.”

Shouto held out his hand, about to summon his wisps. Ochaco said, “You don’t need to look for her. I saw her earlier at the Yggdrasill dance club.” Her large brown eyes sought out Izuku’s. “Be careful. You can trust Ashido, but don’t let just anyone get close enough to touch you. I think you’d better keep your identity a secret until you know more.”

Izuku nodded. “May your magic be strong,” he said, a fae saying meaning thank you.

Izuku and Shouto walked down the street together, Izuku’s head twisting and turning in all directions as he took in the sights. There were so many lovely goods on sale, but he had no idea what currency to use to buy them. “Does the marketplace use a different type of money?” Izuku asked.

Shouto said, “Everything here runs on favors. People bank credit with the marketplace, and that’s how they buy smaller goods. Bigger ones often rely on barter.”

“Oh.” Izuku wouldn’t be able to buy anything. It was a shame, he’d wanted a souvenir. His wings drooped to drag on the cobblestones.

Shouto pointed at a giant yew tree stretching high up above. “The dance club is located near the top, but I can’t fly. Can you—?” He clamped his hands over his mouth. “Sorry, I keep forgetting that I shouldn’t ask you for favors. I haven’t met many fae until recently. I was raised in the mountains.”

Izuku took pity on Shouto and knelt down. “Get on my back.”

“Are you strong enough?” Shouto asked doubtfully as he put his arms around Izuku’s neck. “Your wings are very beautiful, but so thin.”

Izuku laughed. “Do you think wings could lift my heavy bones without magic? They can carry as much weight as I have power for.” With one huge flap, they took to the air.

The stalls became small below as they soared up through the trees, wind whipping at Izuku’s hair. He was surprised Shouto felt so warm on his back—ah, but then, Shouto had fire as well as ice powers. Shouto had a very muscular chest and belatedly Izuku wondered if he should have been embarrassed to invite someone he’d just met on his back. But they were already flying so he might as well enjoy it.

A massive open-air platform rested near the top of the tree. Fae danced on the floor and above it, bobbing and weaving in the air. A band played a jaunty jig.

Shouto pointed at a girl with pink hair, light pink skin, and yellow horns. “That’s Ashido.” Spinning two fans in her hands, she danced her heart out. The air around her sizzled as she moved. Her pink butterfly wings turned purple at the tips with two dark purple spots resembling eyes. She wore tan pants, white socks with no shoes, and a coat with a cherry blossom pattern and the standard sweeping sleeves—formal wear, but suited for dancing.

Izuku dropped down from the sky to land next to her. Hopping down, Shouto waved. “Hey, Ashido!”

Mina Ashido turned around with a broad smile. With a flick of her fingers, her fans melted away. “Todoroki! Who’s your friend? I thought I knew every fae our age.” She wiped sweat off her forehead.

“Call him Izuku Midoriya,” Shouto said, raising his voice to be heard over the music. “He lives in the human realm.”

“That explains it. I’m here with some friends, let me introduce you.” Mina vanished into the crowd, then reappeared dragging several boys. “He’s called Eijiro Kirishima.” She waved her hand over a red-haired boy with tall white horns and a whiff of smoke rising from his nose.

“Oh whoa!” Izuku gasped. “You’re a dragon!” He circled around Kirishima, noting his red-scaled tail sticking out the back of his yukata. “Hmm, it looks like you have European heritage with that tail. You’re a fire-breather, aren’t you? I can tell by the sulfur scent of your smoke.” He clasped his hands over his mouth. “Sorry, I’m mumbling, I do that when I’m excited…”

“Bro, you’re awesome! Most people can’t guess that fast.” Kirishima laughed, flashing sharp teeth.

“Do me next!” A blond boy with a black lightning bolt in his hair waved his hand. Pointed furry ears stuck up on his head. “I’m Denki Kaminari.”

“Easy, you’re a raiju.” Izuku replied.

“Eh? How did you know?” Kaminari asked.

Izuku said, “You smell like lightning.” Raiju were a type of Japanese yokai with a wolf form, also called thunder beasts.

Kaminari winked. “You’re actually only half right. I’m half-Raiju, half wild fae. My magic is harder to detect because I have every court in my lineage. I’m not strong in any type of magic, but I’m a jack-of-all-trades.”

Izuku chuckled, acknowledging the point. “It must be cool to use so many types of magic.”

“I’m Hanta Sero, and I’m sure you can tell what I am.” Sero gestured down his body, with the lower half of a spider. He was clearly a Tsuchigumo, a spider yokai.

“Guess Bakugo next!” Kirishima pointed at a blond boy with perky orange dog ears.

“This is Katsuki Bakugo,” Shouto said. “We’re friends.”

Katsuki bellowed, “We’re certainly not!”

“He says that about all of us,” Mina whispered to Izuku.

“You’re an Inugami,” Izuku said. He could tell a dog yokai by the dog ears. But what kind of dog? He assessed the color and shape of the fur as well as the tail. “Hmm, are you a Pomeranian?”

“I’m a wolf, you shithead!” Katsuki growled, the air exploding around him.

Izuku had his doubts, but he’d learned from humans that it wasn’t polite to call people out on minor lies. “Ah, I see.”

Shouto asked, “Ashido, can we speak to you alone for a moment? It’s important.”

Mina nodded. “Let’s go somewhere a bit quieter.”

The three of them headed down a giant tree branch, away from the music. Mina asked, “What has you making such a serious face, Todoroki? Trouble with your love life?” From her chuckle, this was clearly a joke.

Shouto said, “Izuku is a royal summer fae, and we’re trying to figure out where he came from.”

Mina frowned. “That’s not possible.”

Izuku forestalled any further argument by lightly touching her shoulder.

Mina jolted as if electrocuted. “By the last leaf of summer!” She turned a shaky gaze on Izuku. “I stand corrected. You’re definitely a royal from my court.”

Izuku said, “I was told that your king is the only surviving royal, but, well, clearly I exist. I was hoping for any clues about my origins.”

“King All for One isn’t the type to want an heir. He killed everyone between him and the throne, after all.” Mina chewed on her lip.

Shouto said, “Uraraka also thought it unlikely.”

Mina said, “King All for One had a younger brother. But he vanished decades ago. Some people say he was abducted, others say he’s dead.”

“A brother…” Izuku thought of Yoichi, who had the same powers as him and a very similar face. Yoichi had insisted they were biologically related. Then was Yoichi his biological father after all? But Izuku had thought he was adopted. Unless Yoichi had phrased it in a confusing manner to try and make Izuku think he was adopted. But why would Yoichi want that? Everything was all tangled up in Izuku’s head.

Mina continued, “The Summer King adored his little brother, and whatever happened to him, it made All for One completely lose his mind. Ever since then, his temper turned mercurial and murderous. He was always cruel—as typical for fae royalty—but after he lost his last family member, he lived for no purpose except to take over the fae realm. King All Might allied with both Queen Miruko and Queen Star and Stripe, the first time three courts have been on the same side in millennium. Even so, all three of them together have barely been able to hold back the spread of summer.”

Shouto whispered to Izuku, “Miruko is the queen of autumn and Star and Stripe is the queen of spring.”

Mina continued, “There are rumors that someone betrayed King All for One to seal him away and steal his brother. Other people say the Iron Maelstrom injured All for One so badly that he fell into slumber. It happened before I was born. Afterward, All for One was bound for decades until he got free. Ever since his awakening, the Summer King became suspicious of his own people. I’ve heard he was always a little mad, but his imprisonment made him worse.” Mina’s fingers dug into her arms. “He seizes on any excuse to drain summer fae of their powers and turn them into mindless slaves. It almost happened to my parents, before we fled. You shouldn’t let him find out about you. If he sees you as a rival, then you’re dead.”

The fear and trauma in her voice was too real. Izuku shuddered. Reality had started to set in about the dangerous consequences of his little adventure. His parents must have had a reason to hide him. Izuku had been furious at his fathers, but he also knew they loved him and wanted what was best for him. They had probably been trying to protect him from this terrifying fae king whose mere name made Mina break out in a cold sweat.

“I appreciate the warning,” Izuku said quietly.

Mina said, “If you need protection from All for One, then I know King All Might would help you as he saved me and my family.”

The suggestion made Izuku’s wings draw back. He feared he’d already spread his identity around too recklessly among people he barely knew. Even though Izuku had no understanding of the politics of the courts, he could still guess that a king of winter would have political uses for a royal of summer. This had all spun out of control too fast. Izuku needed to return home and talk to his parents.

“I appreciate the offer. But…” Izuku hesitated, struggling to figure out how to phrase this not as a request. “I really think it would be better if you didn’t tell anyone my identity before I have time to talk to my parents. My adopted parents, I mean.”

“I wouldn’t tattle-tale without a good reason, not after you trusted me.” Mina tossed back her head.

That was better than Izuku had hoped for, sincere words—not a promise but fae knew better than to promise lightly. It was as close as Mina could come to agreeing without binding herself. “I’ll discuss your kind offer with my parents.” He inclined his head at her, striving not to show just how nervous he felt.

They let Mina return to her dancing. After flying Shouto down to the street, Izuku said, “I think I’m ready to go home.” He didn’t want to explain why with people all around him. He wished he’d been more discrete from the beginning.

Shouto said, “Before we leave, I owe you for the ride.”

Izuku laughed. “I release you from any debt, and you shouldn’t say something like that to a fae.”

“Ah, right.” Shouto rubbed the back of his neck. Two dots of color formed on his cheeks. “I wanted to buy you a souvenir in exchange.”

All thoughts of caution flew out of Izuku’s head at the prospect of getting his hands on a treasure from the fairy marketplace. Lifting a little off the ground, he gasped. “Oh! I would love that!”

Shouto smiled, softening his eyes. “You can pick nearly anything you’d like. I have plenty of credit.”

Izuku hesitated. This generosity actually made it more difficult for him, because he had no idea the value of anything in this place and didn’t want to be greedy. “Could you help me pick?” That seemed like the best solution since Izuku had no idea what he wanted.

“I’d be happy to. Let me show you one of my favorite shops.” Shouto led Izuku to a round building nestled in the roots of a pine tree, with a colored glass roof. Inside, rows of jewelry spread out. Unlike a human store, there was no glass to stop thieves, but Izuku could feel the dangerous magic in the air that served as a stronger deterrent. Real, living vines with purple flowers wound all over the cases and the walls. A blond boy sat behind the desk in the front. Shouto waved at him. “Hi, Aoyama.” Turning to Izuku, he said, “Yuga Aoyama’s family runs this store. They’re spring fae, as you can probably tell by the decorations.”

Izuku nodded, pretending he’d known and making a mental note that spring fae loved flowers.

Aoyama called back, “Ah, one of my favorite and most wealthy customers. Who is your friend?” He had sparkling rainbow wings.

Shouto said, “He’s Izuku Midoriya. I’m picking out a gift for him.” In a lower voice, Shouto said, “I like this place because all the accessories come with useful magical enchantments.”

Aoyama stood up. “Your ‘friend’ has such lovely green eyes! Would he like an emerald ring, perhaps? We have rings that can turn you invisible or smite your enemies.” The fae boy circled Izuku. “Do you have pierced ears? You don’t look like you have pierced ears.”

With a cough, Izuku said, “I was hoping to find something not too expensive. It was only a very small favor.”

Without batting an eye, Aoyama said, “Yes, yes, I understand. Come here.” He led Izuku to a case of fans. “Do any of these catch your eye?”

Most of the fans had the traditional folding shape, a couple were paddle fans. They had a range of colors and patterns, from a mountain nature scene to ocean waves. Izuku pointed at a green fan with a black bamboo background. “What does that one do?”

Aoyama said, “All of our fans have a handy trick.” He picked up the fan, and it shrank down into a jade pin. “You can fasten this to your belt to keep it hidden.” He flicked the fan, and it grew in size again. “This fan summons the wind.” He stuck his arm out the window and waved the fan. A gust of wind shot out, knocking a leaf off the nearby tree. It landed on a passing harpy, who squawked.

“I’ll take that one,” Izuku said, because it was cool and because he still wanted to get out of here quickly.

“It costs ten credits,” Aoyama said to Shouto, who nodded and stuck out his hand to shake and seal the deal. Izuku wished he had any idea how much that meant in yen.

“I’m glad I got a souvenir. You’re most generous,” Izuku said to Shouto. “It’s beautiful.”

“The magic lasts for one hundred years or your money back,” Aoyama said. He handed Izuku the fan. Their fingers brushed.

Aoyama turned pale. “I wish you hadn’t let me touch you,” he said softly. “You see, my family’s shop owes a debt to All for One.”

Izuku took this as the warning it had almost certainly been intended to be. He turned and ran out of the shop. From Shouto’s puzzled gasp, he hadn’t heard what had been said, but he followed Izuku.

“Is something wrong?” Shouto called.

“How do we get back to the human realm?” Izuku shouted back, still trying to put distance between himself and the Aoyama Shop. He slipped the fan into his belt.

Shouto said, “I can transport us from anywhere, if you give me a few minutes to cast the spell.”

“Then here would be great—” A wave of hot air struck Izuku’s face. The heat alone forced him to a stop.

A fae with crimson eyes stood blocking Izuku’s path. His curly white hair had been pulled back into a bun with a traditional Japanese crown as a headdress. The round golden crown was decorated by a massive red ruby, chains of fire opal beads, and a golden phoenix on top. Even without his high sandals, he towered over the other fae. Pure black wings spread behind him. He wore a dark red nagagi, a formal type of kimono, with a black haori coat. Two white tassels hung on either end of his coat’s himo cord. A golden sun crest had been stamped five times across his coat, one on the back, two on each sleeve, and two symmetrically on the chest. Even without the crest of summer, Izuku would have known this fae as All for One by the crackling magic radiating off of him. He smelled of saltwater and citrus and freshly cut grass and everything summer. The sun above seemed drawn to him, casting his skin in a rosy glow. The branches of the nearby trees leaned toward him. Izuku had to dig in his feet to stop himself from being pulled in too, drawn by that power so tantalizingly similar to his own.

All for One smiled, a gentle expression that did not quite reach his eyes. “My beloved son, I’ve finally found you. I’m told that you go by Izuku Midoriya?”

Izuku had considered the possibility that he might be All for One’s son, but never seriously. Everyone else seemed to consider it unlikely, and he felt too ordinary to be a prince, but even more so, he hadn’t wanted it to be true. This had the power to rip his peaceful life to shreds. Would he still be able to return to his parents? What if the fae king wanted him back? Izuku might be upset with his parents at the moment but he’d never, ever give them up. He certainly wouldn’t trade them for some overdressed weirdo.

The fae around them were staring. They’d clearly heard. The secret was out. No one dared speak a word, but the faint sound of wings flitting backward could be heard. Suddenly the three of them had a lot of space.

Words would not come to Izuku. He needed to say something clever to get out of this situation, but he felt like a leaf tossed around by a storm. His manners took over. He bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“Such good manners, but there’s no need for my own son to bow to me.” All for One stepped closer. Izuku’s feet slid backward. All for One opened his arms, offering a hug. Izuku stepped away. The fae king did not look pleased, but he made no move to force the issue. Izuku felt relieved at this evidence that the marketplace rules would not let All for One grab him without permission.

Shouto put a hand behind Izuku’s back. “Even a king can’t break the truce of the marketplace. We can leave, and he can’t stop us.” Ice was radiating off Shouto so strongly that it froze the air, but it was a comforting grip, keeping Izuku in place. A wind of crystals whipped around him, playing with his hair. Both of his eyes glowed. Above, a heavy cloud started to form.

All for One spoke sharply: “Because you are accompanying my son, I will forgive your rudeness in implying that I might hurt him.” As his gaze fell on Izuku, his tone gentled. “I invite you to have a meal with me. We have much to talk about.”

“I must beg your pardon, I’m not hungry.” Izuku was glad he could say that honestly. “I must return home. Perhaps you could issue another invitation for another time.” One Izuku carefully did not promise to accept.

“Where there is life, there is always need of food.” All for One snapped his black fan open, a sharp sound. “If you come with me, then I have information most relevant to you. I could tell you about your past and how you came to the human realm. I could tell you where to find the older brother of your yuki-onna friend.”

Izuku had been opening his mouth to make a polite refusal, but the words froze. Next to him, Shouto gasped. Izuku could have restrained his own curiosity about his past, but he knew how much this information meant to Shouto.

Shouto had been kind to Izuku since they’d first met, had granted Izuku contacts with his friends, and had given Izuku a valuable gift. As a fae, Izuku should have known better than to accept a gift that would indebt him. Even if he hadn’t spoken any promise, his parents had taught him to repay his debts.

Swallowing, Izuku said, “If you promise you won’t stop me from leaving afterward and to tell me what you know about Todoroki’s brother, then I’ll have a meal with you.”

“I couldn’t stop you even without a promise.” All for One raised an eyebrow, looking down at Izuku from behind his fan. “Surely you know that? Did your friend not tell you the rules of the marketplace?”

Eyes on All for One’s face as if watching a dangerous dog, Izuku said, “Nevertheless, please promise.”

“Very well. I promise not to prevent you from leaving after our meal, and I will answer three questions about the eldest Todoroki son.” All for One’s smile widened, and Izuku had such a bad feeling.

They retired to a nearby restaurant that immediately vacated as soon as All for One showed up and requested a table. Izuku had already been aware that All for One terrified everyone, but seeing such graphic evidence made him wonder if he’d made a mistake. All for One insisted that they dine alone, and Shouto insisted on waiting by the door.

The fae restaurant looked no different from the ones in the human realm, except perhaps rather old-fashioned. The dining areas were sectioned off by shoji, partition doors covered by white paper with a latticework wooden frame. The low tables had no chairs, only cushions on the floor. A scroll of Japanese characters wishing for a pleasant meal hung on the wall.

The chef and wait staff had run off, but this posed no problem for All for One. He swept his sleeve across the table, and a fancy meal appeared: plates of tempura, okonomiyaki, steaming hot udon, sushi, and unagi on rice. “Please, help yourself.”

“With no debt?” Izuku asked pointedly.

All for One smiled. “I’m glad that you know the rules, despite not growing up in this realm. Yes, with no debt.”

Though All for One tried to frame it as if he’d been only testing, Izuku didn’t buy it. That had been an attempt to trap him. Indebting Izuku wouldn’t have violated the terms of their deal, but All for One could have used the debt to trap him. It was an important reminder that Izuku was facing a much older and wilier fae. He would need to keep his wits about him. The trick was also such a classic that he felt a little insulted.

Izuku stared at the food, reluctant to eat. But he had to in order to get his questions answered. Even though he could think of no way this would backfire on him, he still felt nervous. He ran through all the rules about food in his head. He wasn’t a human, so it had no power to trap him in this realm. He’d clarified there was no debt. Crap, could the food be drugged? He should have made All for One promise not to drug the food. But no, that would violate the rules of the marketplace.

All for One took a piece of sweet potato tempura with his chopsticks and ate it in neat bites. After watching the older fae swallow, Izuku picked up a piece of shrimp tempura and dipped it into the sauce. It was hot and delicious.

“How is the food?” All for One asked.

“Excellent,” Izuku said. He dabbed his lip with a napkin as he prepared his first question. He would like to simply demand All for One say everything he knew about Shouto’s older brother, but it had to be phrased as a question for it to count. “Where is Touya Todoroki?”

“I don’t know,” All for One said.

Izuku winced. He’d suspected he might get an answer like that, but he’d also hoped All for One wouldn’t be trying to hide information about a topic irrelevant to him, so he’d still tried it. A direct question was harder to weasel out of and a general question brought more information. Unfortunately, there was a real risk All for One had been bluffing about knowing anything of importance.

“Don’t look at me like that,” All for One said. “I wasn’t being evasive. To the best of my current knowledge, Touya Todoroki is in the human realm, likely in his father’s hometown. There have been reports of him committing petty crimes there. See? I gave you extra information for free.”

“Most gracious,” Izuku said, with a tilt of his head in acknowledgement. His first question had been intended to confirm something important: if All for One would actively try to deceive him, which would necessitate how carefully he phrased his future questions. It seemed like All for One sincerely didn’t care about Touya and wouldn’t bother to conceal anything. That would make this easier. “What does Touya intend to accomplish in the human realm?”

All for One said, “He wants revenge on his father, and he believes if he becomes a villain then he can destroy his father’s heroic reputation. I don’t think he’s figured out yet that his father is no longer a professional hero. That boy is not the sharpest sword in the armory.”

Izuku asked, “If you were me, how would you find Touya Todoroki?”

“Oh, that’s a good one.” All for One’s eyebrows rose. “If Shouto Todoroki makes it known that he’s in the human realm, then Touya will seek him out.”

“You’ve been very helpful, and I appreciate that you gave me more than the bare minimum of information.” Izuku shoveled sushi into his mouth, determined to finish this meal as quickly as possible now that he had what he wanted. He would rather not spend more time with a powerful fae who possibly wanted to kill him.

“Since we still have ample food to finish, I propose a swap.” All for One regarded Izuku with an amused expression, playing with his fan. The fae king took a long, elegant sip of soup. “I will answer three of your questions, if you will answer three of mine.”

Izuku hesitated. It would be foolish of him to believe he could trick a fae lord in a game of twisting the truth. But he’d come this far looking for answers about his past. At the least, he wanted to know just how badly he’d screwed up by exposing himself. “I’ll agree, under the condition that we can refuse any question we don’t want to answer.” Izuku planned to play this game very, very cautiously.

“Agreed,” All for One answered easily. “You may go first.” He said this as if admiring his own graciousness.

Izuku took a sip of water as he considered how to phrase his question. “Do you intend to harm me physically or emotionally, based on a reasonable person’s definition of harm?” He’d tacked on the last part as a common trick to prevent fae from using weasel definitions of harm.

“Absolutely not.” All for One leaned forward, his eyes blazing. “You’re my son, Izuku. My precious only child from all my eons of existence. I would never harm you. I’m sure you’ve heard my reputation—all fae monarchs have one. You can’t rule a court without earning enmity. But although I deal harshly with my enemies, I have a soft spot for family. I am not the jealous, insecure type of king who would murder you for being my heir. Here and now, I swear an oath to you.” All for One raised his hand holding his fan. “I will never kill you under any circumstances.”

Izuku gasped, a piece of sushi falling off his chopsticks. He had never in a million years believed that a fae king would swear such an oath to him. They didn’t even know each other, but All for One had still bound himself not to kill Izuku even in self-defense.

Izuku’s mind raced, trying to find loopholes in the promise. But he could find none. The oath had been direct in a way that fae rarely spoke. Since fae could not break their promises, they liked to leave themselves outs. Izuku knew that he was an inexperienced young fae in front of a king, he knew that All for One had plenty of reason to deceive him. Yet he still couldn’t think of any reason for All for One to make such an oath, except that he sincerely meant it.

What did Izuku know about All for One? Nothing except a few rumors that had come from All for One’s enemies. Shouto at least didn’t seem to have anything bad to say about All for One, except that he was dangerous as all fae kings were dangerous. At this point, Izuku had to believe that All for One was completely sincere, a father who only wanted to find his long-lost son.

“That is an amazing oath.” Since All for One had given him so much, Izuku decided to offer some honesty in exchange. “I can’t say that you’ve completely erased my doubts, but I feel greatly reassured. You were right, I feared you might want to kill me.” Izuku hesitated, weighed the value of All for One’s oath, and offered a little bit more. “For what it’s worth, I have no interest in harming you or overthrowing you. Not that I expect you had any fear of a child like me, I’m only attempting to return the favor.”

All for One hummed. “You’ll certainly get offers from my enemies, but they’d only be interested in using you as a distraction without expecting you to succeed. You should beware the other three courts. Some will think of how they might use my son against me, and at least some will wonder if you might make a good hostage.”

Izuku nodded, regretting even more that he’d been so careless. He hoped he could trust Shouto’s friends.

“My turn.” All for One leaned forward and vanished the sushi that Izuku had dropped on the floor. “Where do you currently live?”

Izuku might trust All for One more, now, but certainly not that far. “I refuse to answer.”

All for One merely shrugged, apparently not having expected an answer. “Who raised you?”

“I refuse to answer.”

“Do you visit the fae realm often?”

“I refuse to answer.”

“What powers do you possess?”

“I refuse to answer.”

Tapping his fan against his hand, All for One said, “You must answer something if you want me to give you information in return.”

Raising an eyebrow, Izuku said, “I have a feeling that you’re eager to tell me about my past. If so, it would be in both of our best interests if you ask a question I’m willing to answer. Next question.”

All for One took a moment to ponder, eating his sushi. Finally, he asked, “What did those who raised you tell you about me?”

“Nothing.” One word, to give away as little as possible.

“Nothing?” All for One’s eyebrows rose. “But you seem so wary of me.”

“Everyone who I met in the fae realm told me plenty about you.” Izuku smirked. “Also, that counts as your second question.”

All for One threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, very well, I’ll allow it, since my adorable child was so clever.”

Allow it? Izuku had won, fair and square. The first word had clearly been spoken in a questioning tone. He swallowed his irritation. Oath or not, he was better off not deliberately antagonizing a fae king. There were countless subtle ways All for One could make his life difficult. It would be better to allow the king to save face.

Izuku asked the question he’d been planning in his head while eating. “How can I find my other parent, or information about them if they are deceased?” There were more useful questions Izuku could ask, but he wanted to know the answer to this one the most badly.

“There was no other parent. I created you from magic, as the strongest fae can.” All for One dabbed at his lips with a napkin. “You’ve wasted a question, so we can call it even.”

But Izuku didn’t consider the question a waste. He had learned something very important: All for One had deliberately decided to have a son. The immortal fae didn’t need heirs. If All for One had crafted a child then he must have wanted one. But then how had Izuku ended up separated from his father and in the human realm? Surely his parents wouldn’t kidnap a baby, they all had strong senses of justice.

He was not hungry, despite the high-quality food, so he played with the rice on his plate as he thought. For his final question, should he ask for practical information about his powers? Or should he try to learn the truth about his past? Should he ask a narrow question or a general one? General questions were easier to avoid, but narrower questions gave less information. His instincts told him that All for One was quite eager to tell him a story. Perhaps Izuku needed only to ask a general question, then let the fae king talk.

Izuku asked, “How did I come to the human realm?”

“That’s quite a story.” All for One leaned back in his chair, and Izuku resisted the urge to pump his fist in the air. He’d been right.

All for One began, “I can understand and sympathize with your fears that I might prove a danger to you, because I spent most of my early life dodging murder attempts from the previous Summer King. The old monarch was jealous of any rivals yet astonishingly unable to use birth control. My parents died in his purge when I was very young, so I was never completely certain how precisely I was related to the former monarch, but my powers were a death sentence. I ascended to the throne to save myself and my little brother. (Or sometimes little sister, but it was brother the last time we spoke.) My enemies plotted against me and stole my brother away from his room as he fought against them.”

Izuku inhaled in surprise. He’d been assuming that Yoichi was probably the king’s brother, because there couldn’t be that many stray royal summer fae wandering around. It surprised him that anyone had managed to kidnap Yoichi. Also, if Yoichi had been taken by force, then why hadn’t he returned to the fae realm when he found out his brother had been unsealed? Izuku paid attention to what All for One didn’t say as well as what he did. It was interesting that All for One referred to his enemies in vague terms instead of just saying “the winter court” or something else specific.

All for One took a moment to hide his face behind his fan. “My enemies sealed me into slumber. While I was unable to protect you, my own court left you in the human realm. Perhaps it was to protect you, perhaps to remove a claimant to the throne. Since I awakened, I’ve been searching for you and my precious little brother.”

Izuku nodded, making a mental note to investigate this fae history everyone else apparently already knew about.

“Since I was unable to retrieve you, it pleases me that at least you still ended up with family,” All for One said.

Izuku stiffened. “What makes you say that?”

He’d already used up his last question, but All for One answered anyway. “I recognize that charm under your shirt.” He reached out a sharp nail, hovering over Izuku’s chest, not quite touching—and pointing directly at the necklace under his yukata. “I smell magic to ward off cold iron. My dear little brother was never strong—not by royal standards. He was more powerful than the common fae, of course. Just not as strong as me. But he always had a deft hand for complicated charm work.” All for One smiled, and his teeth were a little too sharp. “He had ill health as a child, so he worked on his charms while in bed. I have fond memories of looking after him. I love him more than any treasure in the world.”

Curses, Izuku had given away more than he’d intended, just as he’d feared he would. Did All for One know his other two parents as well? His parents liked to joke about Kaiji having a kill-on-sight order in the fae realm but that became a whole lot less funny if Izuku had just revealed his papa’s location to the fae. Unfortunately Izuku did not have enough information to guess the risks of this situation. If only his parents hadn’t kept so many damn secrets. He swallowed, trying to think of something to say that would be true and deflecting. Nothing came to mind.

All for One said, “I worry constantly about my dear brother’s safety. There’s a chance he could have been enslaved and enchanted by those around you two. That would be a reason why he never returned to me.”

Izuku’s heart shuttered shut. As if! Having spent his entire life with his fathers, he knew how much they loved each other. Besides, “there’s a chance” was weasel language for fae. There was a chance that there was currently a teapot orbiting the sun between Earth and Mars, no matter how small that chance might be. No, Yoichi must have a reason for his secrecy. And Izuku would not be the one to reveal him. The longer this dragged on, the more Izuku suspected he’d give away accidentally. “I’m full. Will you do me the kindness of asking your last question?”

All for One regarded him carefully. “Are you safe and well?”

Izuku’s wings flapped. “Oh! Yes, I am. I’m living a very good life.” His heart softened that All for One had used his last question in such a fatherly way. Even in hyper-paranoia mode, Izuku found it difficult to deny that All for One cared for him.

All for One reached out to pat Izuku’s head, and this time Izuku let him. “I don’t expect you to make any promises, but I hope I’ll see you again. You can leave a message for me at the Aoyamas.”

Izuku made a neutral noise. He hadn’t ruled out the possibility of meeting with All for One again. It would be interesting to get to know his biological father and learn more about his powers. But he really needed to talk to his parents first. His head was in a whirl. All for One couldn’t have been lying about Yoichi getting kidnapped and didn’t mean any harm to Izuku. But why then had the trio kept Izuku such a strict secret? Why had they never returned to the fae realm after All for One woke up?

Shouto met Izuku outside the restaurant, and Izuku asked to be taken back to the human realm immediately. He’d had enough excitement for one day. Izuku changed back into his school uniform, fastened his fan in pin form to his chest, and then told Shouto everything he’d learned from All for One about Touya Todoroki.

Nodding along, Shouto did not seem surprised that his older brother wanted to hurt his father. There must be some family history behind that.

“I’m very grateful to you.” Shouto hesitated. “I wanted to show you a fun time in the fae marketplace and help you learn more about your heritage. I never anticipated All for One would get involved. I hope I didn’t cause trouble for you.”

At times like this, Izuku wished he could tell a polite lie. Instead, he could only say, “I hope so, too.”

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: Unresolved Sexual Tension

Aoyama: (Looks at Izuku and Shouto who met less than a day ago.)

Aoyama: Oh, yeah, they’re totally banging!

#

Omake: Truth from a Point of View

Izuku: My heroic parents would never kidnap a baby!

Yoichi: What some people call kidnapping, I call uncle custody rights.

#

Omake: The Parents’ Freakout

Sanzou: …Izuku isn’t picking up his phone.

Yoichi: It’s okay, Izuku is a very good child. He only commits normal levels of fae mischief like turning his teacher into a weasel. He wouldn’t do anything reckless until we have time to talk to him.

Kaiji: Is this boy he met cute? Because I did a lot of dumb stuff after I met you.

Yoichi: I’M NOT EMOTIONALLY PREPARED FOR MY BABY’S FIRST CRUSH.

Chapter Text

Izuku knew his parents would be furious at him for disobeying them and going to the fae realm. But he had no choice except to come clean. The stakes could be too high. First, he cast a charm on himself to check for any magical tracking. Then he flew home with all the speed of his magic. By some stroke of luck, he did not run into any annoying human authorities to lecture him about using his “quirk” in public, because he wasn’t in the mood.

Upon the sound of footsteps, Yoichi flung open the front door. His eyes were red and puffy from crying. His hair had turned jet black, which meant negative emotions had consumed him. Izuku had only seen that shade on his poppa a couple times in his entire life. The last time had been when Sanzou had taken a bullet to the stomach during a vigilante mission. Izuku’s wings drooped. He’d been trying very hard to convince himself that perhaps there had been a misunderstanding over All for One’s intentions and exposing his identity would turn out harmless. But Yoichi wouldn’t be so upset without a very good reason.

“Izuku!” Yoichi flung his arms around his son and squeezed. Sniffling, he said, “I’m glad you’re back. I know you must be busy on your first day of school, but when you ignored my texts and calls, I got…worried. I’ve talked to Kaiji and Sanzou. We’ve agreed to tell you everything. We should have sooner, and I’m sorry.”

His parents didn’t know he’d been in the fae realm. Of course they didn’t know. Izuku squirmed. He ought to tell them right away, but…maybe he should find out what they had to say first. (Deep down, he knew he was stalling.)

Yoichi rubbed small tears from his eyes. His ears drooped. His tattoos had completely stopped moving, the dragon and tiger sheepishly hiding their faces from view.

Quietly, Izuku said, “I’m not as angry any longer. I know you must have had your reasons.” And he felt too guilty to be properly furious.

“You’re such a good boy! Too forgiving!” Yoichi swept Izuku off his feet in another hug. Half his hair turned white, streaks running through the black.

Taking Izuku by his hand, Yoichi led him to the living room. Kaiji and Sanzou sat on the couch.

Clearing his throat, Sanzou said, “I’m sorry. We both talked Yoichi into waiting longer to tell you the truth. We’d planned to tell you as soon as you were old enough to know how to lie. But after All for One got unsealed…we freaked out.”

Kaiji nodded. “I’m sorry, too. For what it’s worth, I’ve never lied to you about anything else.” His face scrunched up in thought. “Except that one time I told you that I didn’t know who’d eaten the last pocky, that was me. Oh, and once I told you that I was going out to the shooting range when I was shopping for your birthday presents. I think that’s it.”

Izuku barked out a small laugh. He sat down in the armchair across from his parents. “Please just spit it out before curiosity makes me do something else batty. No matter what you have to say, you’re still my parents.”

Yoichi settled on the couch between his partners. “It’s a long story. Um, should I start at the beginning? Or do you want me to get straight to the part where we adopted you?”

“Please start at the beginning,” Izuku said. A longer story would give him time to figure out how to explain his own reckless actions.

Yoichi began.

Once upon a time, two brothers and their mother lived in an impoverished village in an isolated corner of the Summer Realm. One day, they returned home from school to find their house had burned down. They knew their mother was dead because her body lay on the doorstep, face-down with a spear between her wings. Summer court soldiers swarmed the area. The older brother put a hand over his younger brother’s mouth and cast a spell to conceal them long enough to slip away. The little brother was too young to fly, so the older one carried him on his back. The younger one pressed his nose into his brother’s shoulder and tried to cry silently, tears streaming down his cheeks. The older brother reached up to squeeze his hand, and said, “It’s just us from now on.”

The two brothers had the blood of summer royalty, which was a death sentence. The jealous and grasping Summer Monarch brooked no challenges to their authority. The older brother said that the only way for them to be safe would be to overthrow the current monarch. They got disguises. The brothers joined the guard, which under the old monarch took even children. They rose in the ranks while hiding their true powers.

The older brother proposed that they swap names. Names held great power for the fae. All fae used fake names, because anyone who knew their true name could command them against their will. However, there were benefits to swapping names as well. If the brothers knew each other’s names, then they could share their magic, they would know if the other one was in danger, they could find each other across great distances, and their healing and protective spells would have greater effect.

Different courts had different traditions for naming. The Summer Monarch decreed they would name each child so they could have total control. The brothers’ mother had defied this order to name them herself, then afterward cast a spell to make herself forget their names. Good parents did this, bad ones kept the ability to control their children forever. Sometimes close families or partners would share their names so that they had equal control over each other, but could share the magical benefits. It took a great deal of trust, to believe the other person would never give you a false name, use yours against you, or carelessly give away your name.

The younger brother loved and trusted his big brother unconditionally, so he immediately agreed.

Kaiji snorted. “All for One was a bastard even back then.”

“I don’t think so,” Yoichi said with a frown. “Big brother could have given me a fake name instead of his real one. Back in those days, he trusted me too.”

Sanzou said, “Don’t you two start that old argument right now. We have a story to tell our son.” He gestured at Izuku. “Go on.”

The older brother was clever and charismatic. He turned the loyalty of the guard to himself, slayed the previous monarch, and crowned himself the new king. The younger brother believed they would finally be safe and happy.

But the older brother claimed that it was not safe for his younger brother to venture out without a contingent of guards. The court should have grown safer over time as their power stabilized, but the Summer King’s paranoia only increased, until he insisted that his younger brother stay in the palace. Insisted using his true name.

At first, the younger brother assumed that if his beloved big brother would use his name, then it must be important. He went along, though he kept asking if he could help his brother in any way. He was given some meaningless tasks arranging parties and decorating the palace.

The younger brother paid close attention to the political situation, and he did not like what he learned. When they’d been children, they’d talked about how they could spread prosperity across the summer realm and stop other children from ever being forced into the guard to eat. Instead the new Summer King seemed only interested in increasing his guards and expanding his power. He started encroaching on other territories. The younger brother felt very unhappy that there were still kidnapped human slaves working in the palace. Hadn’t they been planning to save everyone? His older brother let him free a few of them, then kept the rest working out of sight.

As the younger brother became more upset, the older brother started commanding him more. He was ordered to stay within the palace walls at all times and fight anyone who tried to take him out. He was ordered to sit still for grooming and hand-feeding at his brother’s whim. He was ordered to wear certain clothes like a dress-up doll. He was ordered to stop complaining about the slaves and stop helping them escape.

Fed up, the younger brother screamed, “I order you to stop giving me orders, H—”

But he could not finish the name, because first, the older brother bound the younger one to eternal silence.

Throughout the Summer Realm, the Summer Prince was known for being beautiful and frail. He made appearances at banquets and festivals dressed in fine clothing and jewelry, always close to his brother’s side. He carried a pen and notebook with him to write in. The Summer Prince couldn’t speak.

“He what?!” Izuku shrieked. “I’m going to kill him!" Izuku couldn’t believe he’d had a civilized meal with the fae who’d bound his poppa to silence. He should have stuck a fork into All for One’s eye.

“That’s my boy,” Kaiji said with a laugh, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Why not just make you forget his name?” Izuku asked. “Wouldn’t that have been easier and safer?”

Yoichi said, “We could only share magic and know each other’s locations because we had each other’s names. If big brother had made me forget his name, then he would have lost that. He wanted the benefits without the risks of trusting me.”

Sanzou clarified, “Not that they shared magics—All for One drained Yoichi of all his power. He was always obsessed with power. Later he figured out how to turn fae into mindless servants by draining them of their magic, and it all went downhill from there.”

Izuku asked, “Couldn’t he have just bound you not to speak his name? And couldn’t you have written his name down?”

Yoichi said, “He ordered me not to write his name, or give anyone clues, or a whole long list of loophole closers. And yes, he could have let me speak as long as I didn’t say his name. He’d just gotten tired of arguing with me.”

“Narcissistic asshole,” Kaiji muttered.

Yoichi said, “Since we’re all being honest, I should tell you that I’m not technically banned from the fae realm like Kaiji and Sanzou. In fact, my brother’s people would actively drag me back if they found me. But I can never return or my brother would use my name against me again.” True names didn’t work in the human realm. Fae whose names became too widely known would flee over.

“He wouldn’t be able to use your name at the marketplace, that would count as an attack,” Sanzou said. “Even so, I wouldn’t risk it. I’d be nervous to even take you into the winter court.”

“I’m glad I don’t have that problem,” Kaiji murmured. Names held no power over humans, fortunately for them since they spread their names around so easily.

Izuku had been named Mikumo Akatani by Yoichi. Then Yoichi had taken a potion to forget the name as soon as Izuku was old enough to know it himself. He wondered why All for One hadn’t named him. He nearly asked. But then his papa started speaking.

Kaiji said, “My turn, next.” He bit his lip, tensing.

When the story began again, Izuku felt relieved to forestall his admission a bit longer.

Once upon a time, there was a boy who never stopped being angry.

The boy was human, but the fae realm was all he could remember. He’d been stolen away from his parents as a baby, a sickly fae changeling left in his place. The fae took human children to obtain helpful slaves who could handle metal tools, for entertainment, and because they could. No one in the human realm knew about the captives. No one was coming to save him.

An elderly human woman looked after the boy, until her mind started to go. In a forgetful state, she dropped a dish. Their annoyed fae owner ordered her to dance until she fell over dead. That was the boy’s earliest memory. It was the first time he felt angry. It would not be the last.

When barely out of diapers, the boy was put in charge of looking after other stolen babies. Frequently the children would be sold off and taken away. The boy tried to fight back every time one of his children got taken, and was beaten every time. Each time, his anger and hatred grew deeper and more vicious.

The boy was sold and sent to work in the fields when still pre-pubescent. He hated it and did as little as possible, no matter how many times he got lashed. The overseer got annoyed and enchanted the boy to work until he fell down, so the boy jumped off a barn roof and broke his own arm. He would rather hurt himself than be any use to his captors.

The other field slaves kept their heads down and tried to avoid attention from the fae. Sometimes, nobles came by and hunted the slaves for sport. A human life was worth less than an insect in the fae realm. The boy tended to stand out, which was not a good thing. Once he bumped into a fae while running away and got cursed with boils all over his body. Another time, a laughing fae woman stripped him naked because she wanted to see what a human body looked like, then cursed him to dance nude for her amusement. He made several escape attempts, even though he had nowhere to go. The fae found his defiance so entertaining that they let him live. Once when he hadn’t been doing anything except working, a group of fae teenagers pushed him into a lake and threw rocks at him every time he tried to swim to shore. He sank down and barely managed to hold his breath long enough for them to get bored and wander off. That night, the boy tossed and turned with lurid fantasies of escaping home to his fellow humans, bringing back an army, and killing all the fae.

The boy’s anger was so hot and dangerous that even the other slaves avoided him for fear of getting dragged down with him. Like most humans, he had a quirk—a minor ability that let him change the speed and trajectory of small items. He used it to toss pebbles at the overseer without getting caught. The pebbles also let him open latches. He ruined several shipments of grain on-purpose by letting the insects in, before he got caught. Then he was whipped so badly they clearly meant to kill him.

The other slaves tended to the boy the best they could with no medicine, then left him in bed as they returned to work. The boy tossed and turned, feverish and knowing he would die soon. He didn’t want to die in a narrow cot in a windowless shack. He wanted to see sunlight one last time. So he crawled out of bed and staggered down the dirt road. He did not know where he was going or how long he walked. He simply wanted to die free. Finally, he collapsed.

The boy woke up to the buzzing of flies around his injuries and the smell of horse dung near his nose. A soldier dressed in the livery of the Summer Guard knelt over him. The boy punched on instinct, knocking the soldier’s helmet off. The fae had shoulder-length white hair and green eyes with white pupils. He was only a child himself, about the same age as the human boy.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” the fae solider said gently. He extended his hand, green light glowing. The boy’s back already felt less painful, and as the light touched him, his bleeding cuts healed. To his shock, he realized the fae was saving his life.

“Leave me alone!” The boy pushed the fae away. “I don’t want help from a monster like you! I’d rather die!” Secretly, the boy longed for death. He wanted to kill as many fae as he could, or at least take one of the bastards down with him, then die himself. Then his suffering and anger would finally be over and he could rest.

The child-soldier landed with a grunt. Picking himself up and dusting off his bottom, he said, “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a human, you don’t have to repay your debts. If you hate fae, then you should take anything you can get from me and use it to get revenge.”

“You want me to take revenge on you?” the boy asked, dumbfounded. He would be certain that there must be some trap, except fae couldn’t lie. They could commit all manner of cruelties and deceptions, but no outright lie could pass their lips.

The child-soldier shrugged. “Hopefully not me in particular, but…I wouldn’t blame you. Not after the things I’ve seen happen to humans. I don’t want to be in the guard, but I have to eat.”

It was the first time it had ever occurred to the boy that not all fae were wealthy nobles or slave-holders. Some fae didn’t have enough to eat and had to work under masters they disliked. He felt uncomfortable with this revelation. It had been easier when he could just hate all fae. His anger had sustained him through the misery of his life.

While the boy was stunned in shock, the child-soldier took advantage to grab his shoulder and finish healing him. He said, “There are escaped human slaves living in the forest. We’ve been sent to hunt them down a few times, but I led the others astray. If you go there, you’ll find shelter.” He drew a map in the dirt. “Erase this after you’ve memorized it.” Then the child-soldier turned and walked away.

The boy leapt up and shouted, “Hey, you! I hate fae, so I refuse to be in debt to you! Someday, I’ll save you in return!”

The child-soldier shot a cynical look over his shoulder. “Do your best to stay alive to keep your promise.” A smile flashed across his face, transforming the baby fat in his cheeks with a hint of future beauty.

The boy’s heart hammered. For the first time in a long time, he felt an emotion that wasn’t anger.

“I fell in love with you at first sight,” Kaiji said, kissing Yoichi’s forehead.

“Aww! My hero!” Yoichi hugged him in return.

Sanzou chuckled. “You fell for the first person who was ever nice to you. That’s understandable.”

“You’re a cynic.” Yoichi elbowed Sanzou. “It was destined love.”

“Papa!” Tears streamed down Izuku’s cheeks. He’d seen the scars on his father’s back, so he’d had some idea that Kaiji had a hard past, but hearing the cruelties his father had experienced as a child broke his heart. Izuku leapt over the coffee table, half taking flight, and flung his arms around Kaiji’s neck. “I’m so sorry!”

“It was a long time ago,” Kaiji said, patting Izuku’s back.

Izuku wept hard enough to soak his father’s shirt. “I’ll never forgive anyone who hurt you!”

“I settled that score a long time ago, too,” Kaiji said.

The boy grew into a young man. The man became the leader of a gang of human rebels. Whereas before the humans had only been trying to hide and survive, their new leader was determined to fight back. He led attacks on fae travelers, stealing weapons and magical items. The fae court used cold iron in the walls around their territory to repel attacks, and the humans stole chunks of it. The leader sought out two things above all else: weapons from the human realm, and a way home. Though rare, some fae had artifacts letting them snag items from the human realm. The leader learned the locations of several portals in the courts, if they could rally the other slaves and break through. The fae didn’t even bother to count their slaves or keep close track of them. Fae had a very low opinion of human intelligence or threat potential, and besides, the fae assumed the humans had nowhere to flee. Rebels were able to slip in amongst the slaves, spread word of the escape plan, and gather information.

The rebels targeted nobles, seeking out the items they needed. When the Summer Prince’s caravan passed through, there was a brief discussion about if it was worth attacking. The rebels believed not. The guards were too heavy. But their leader could not let such a rare chance pass—a chance to steal treasure and a chance to kill one of the hated royals.

Late at night, the leader used a stolen invisibility cloak to sneak into the prince’s tent. He decided it would be better to kill the prince first, to remove the risk of him waking up during the theft. He knelt over the bed, an iron dagger raised. The fae underneath him was hauntingly beautiful, but the leader hated too much to care. He hesitated because something in those perfect features seemed familiar.

Green eyes snapped open. The leader gazed into the white pupils of the same fae who had saved his life years ago. His hand froze, dagger hovering in the air.

Soldiers burst into the tent, and the leader realized by attacking the prince, he must have triggered a magical alarm.

The prince moved the fastest. He shoved the leader under the bed and cast a spell to cloak him from sight and magical detection.

Soon soldiers filled the tent. The leader crouched low to the ground, his heart hammering. How had that scrawny, ill-fed boy become a prince? And why had he saved a human criminal again?

A commander with a plume in his helmet asked worriedly, “You didn’t attempt to harm yourself, did you, Your Highness?”

The prince shook his head and mimed falling out of the bed. He wore a pale nightgown that left his legs bare. The light silk clung to his body. All of the guards except the commander turned their eyes away from him. It surprised the rebel leader that the guards even dared be in the prince’s chambers at all. Where did they get their nerve?

“We have to check you for weapons. That’s the protocol.”

The prince nodded and held out his arms. The leader watched in astonishment as the prince was patted down. Since when could common soldiers treat royalty like this?

After the soldiers left, the leader emerged from under the bed. The prince wrote a note and held it up.

“Sorry, I can’t read,” the leader said.

The prince’s face fell. He looked very sorry. His mouth opened but no sound came out.

“You can’t talk?” the leader asked. Funny, there had been nothing wrong with his voice last time they’d met.

The prince shook his head. He scribbled on his notepad again, then held it out. There was a crude drawing of the camp with stick figures indicating guards. An arrow drew a path to the best escape route.

“You saved my life again. I’m grateful.” The leader wanted to ask why, but it seemed cruel to ask complicated questions of someone who couldn’t talk. Instead, he settled for a yes-or-no question. “Are you a prisoner?”

The prince nodded.

“You could escape with me. My invisibility cloak would fit two people. It wouldn’t be safe for you back at my camp, too many people hate fae, but I’d take you anywhere you want to go.”

The prince sighed. He walked up to the edge of the tent, then froze with his leg raised.

“You can’t leave.” The leader frowned. “Did someone—it must be the king—magically bind you by your true name? Is that why you can’t speak?”

The prince nodded.

The Summer Prince, the jewel of the summer court, had been trapped and enslaved. The leader felt shook. “You’ve saved my life twice, so I’ll definitely return the favor next time I see you. Do you want to come to the human realm with me? Then no one will be able to use your name against you.”

The prince eyed him with one raised eyebrow. The leader got the impression the prince would have discouraged him from risking himself, except he wasn’t taking the offer even slightly seriously. The leader scowled. “Though I may not be a fae, I still keep my oaths.” He crossed his hand over his chest. “I swear that I’ll free you.”

The prince laughed, a completely silent sound, but it made his face even more beautiful. He hurried the leader out of his tent.

Yoichi said, “For the record, my note was trying to warn Kaiji about how much danger he’d be in if my brother caught him, tell him that all the items in my tent had tracking magic on them so he shouldn’t steal them, and give him instructions on how to escape.”

Kaiji shook his head. “I’ll never understand why you saved me after I came to kill you.”

“I didn’t blame you,” Yoichi said.

“That’s the part I don’t understand.” Kaiji put an arm around him. “But I’ll always be grateful.” They kissed. Yoichi’s hair turned bright red and his flower tattoos bloomed. Sometimes his hair color gave his son a little bit too much information about his emotional state.

Izuku rolled his eyes. “You two and your PDA.”

Yoichi snuggled over to Sanzou and kissed him passionately.

Izuku rolled his eyes all the way to the back of his skull. “You three and your PDA!”

Leaning against Yoichi, Sanzou said with very little enthusiasm, “I suppose it’s my turn.”

Once upon a time, a changeling was left in place of a stolen human baby. The changeling came from a branch family of the royal autumn court, but he’d been born with a lung illness and the court healer decried that he would not live longer than a year. It was customary among the fae to leave sickly babies in the human realm and take a strong, healthy human child instead who could at least be used as labor. Sometimes if the babies survived, the parents would come back for them, but this changeling was one of a huge family and quickly forgotten.

However, the changeling’s human parents did not give up on him. They dragged the baby to doctors around the country and nearly bankrupted themselves paying for expensive surgery abroad. His mother stayed up late at night holding his hand when he had coughing fits. His father tinkered with his leg braces to make them fit better and decorated them with colorful stickers together with his child. They tried out different meal plans until they found foods that his sensitive stomach could digest. Under their tender care, his health steadily improved.

The changeling was a solemn-faced, often silent child whose inability to lie frequently put him in awkward social situations. His parents believed he had autism, so they read countless books and enrolled him in therapy. (The therapist later concluded he was not autistic but he still found the sessions very helpful.) The parents fought a legal battle with his school to get accommodations for his allergy to iron, after his teachers assumed he was faking it.

His quirk was a very strange one. It let him do all manner of things: he could decay organic material with a touch, yet his vegetable garden yielded the best harvest in the neighborhood. The trees in their backyard just kept growing bigger until the neighbors complained. He had supernatural reflexes and could summon gusts of wind. His mother borrowed his ability to send her to sleep with a touch to combat her insomnia. He could hypnotize people looked into his eyes. Like many mental abilities, his was considered villainous. He wouldn’t have messed with anyone’s mind because he hated deception, but the other kids didn’t believe that. His parents fought two more legal battles over quirk discrimination and bullying.

After trying a couple sports, the changeling settled on fencing. He loved the strategy of battle and training his body to move as he desired. He was very good at it. His parents attended all his matches, even though neither of them had ever been interested in sports. His mother knitted him a lucky headband to wear. After his coach called him a prodigy and recommended him for special training, his father quietly sold off his stamp collection to pay for it. In the same year that he graduated college, the changeling won an Olympics gold medal in fencing. His parents gave him a functional samurai sword, specially made without iron, as a congratulations gift.

The changeling often had difficulty adjusting to human society, but he considered his childhood happy, because he grew up surrounded by the warm and unconditional love of his parents. He might have continued in blissful ignorance for the rest of his life, if he hadn’t run into another fae at a fencing competition who told him everything.

It would have been one thing to learn that he’d been adopted. It was another to learn that he’d been swapped at birth, his parents’ real child stolen away. From what he heard, humans were treated as slaves and entertainment in the fae realm. It made the changeling sick to the stomach. He could no longer receive hugs from his parents without being overwhelmed by guilt. He decided he had to tell them.

His parents had trouble believing it, at first. But the other fae had taught the changeling a bit of magic to show them. They told him that he was their son no matter what, and they loved him just the same. As they hugged him, he had no doubt they meant it.

But late at night, the changeling overheard his mother crying. His father asked him with tears in his eyes if human children were loved in the fae realm. The changeling had never wished so hard that he could lie. His parents treated him the exact same afterward. Their love did not change one bit. But he could tell they were wracked with guilt for never even noticing that their son had been kidnapped. His mother in particular seemed to feel that she was a failure for not being able to tell the difference and for not protecting her baby. She sank into a depressed state and struggled to leave her bed.

The changeling wandered around his family home, looking at the faded wallpaper and out-of-date kitchen. He wondered if they would live in a nicer house if they’d had a less difficult, expensive child. He went to his room and looked around at the awards and trophies. Everything he had received, all the love and care, had been stolen from the silly humans who had raised a cuckoo chick as their own, while their real child suffered as a slave. His stomach twisted. He could not take the guilt any longer. He had to make this right.

The changeling trained his magic. He heavily researched the fae and integrated himself among those living in the human realm for the sake of obtaining more information. From one of the refugees, he purchased a charm that used two drops of his parents’ blood to track their son. He took his samurai sword and tied his lucky headband around his forehead. Then he went to the fae realm to bring back his parents’ stolen child or die trying.

Izuku had always assumed that his grandparents came from Kaiji’s side of the family, since they were human. However, his grandparents had treated all three of his parents like their own children. Kaiji, Sanzou, and even Yoichi referred to them as Mom and Pops. Izuku visited his grandparents in their house up north every holiday and had many fond memories of them. His grandfather loved quirk analysis just like him, and his grandmother hand-sewed clothes for him with wing holes. They had both doted on him.

Sanzou said, “Your grandparents never understood much about the fae realm. They don’t know that you’re a summer royal, or what that means. You mustn’t blame them, they never lied to you.”

Izuku nodded. “I don’t blame them.”

Kaiji ran his fingers through his hair. “I never told them the details about my past. I thought it would be too upsetting.” He shrugged. “Besides, I’m not big on talking about it.”

Yoichi said, “Now we get to the part of this story more relevant to your past.” He swallowed. “My next part.”

It was a total coincidence that the changeling arrived in the fae realm on the same day that the Summer Prince decided to seal away his brother.

The prince had been bound with many orders: not to harm his brother, not to harm himself, not to try to escape. After a careful analysis for loopholes, the prince concluded he could not possibly kill his brother no matter how much he wanted to by that point. The king had ordered his brother “Do not attempt to harm me by my own definition of harm.” The fae used such language to prevent loopholes. However, if his deluded older brother could claim to be protecting him by locking him up, then the prince concluded that a nice long nap would clearly not count as harm by his brother’s own definition. In fact, maybe it would even improve a certain someone’s grumpy temper!

It took years of planning. The prince carefully requested gifts with the magical materials he needed. He created a paper charm with his brother’s true name using a collage of letters, since he could not write the name down. He smiled and played along like a compliant doll. Not only did he allow his brother to handfeed him and snuggle him like a stuffed animal, he encouraged it. One night, as his older brother slept with his arms around him, the prince cursed his brother to sleep forever, then raised up a glowing coffin around the bed to prevent anyone from interfering with his spell.

And it was once again a total coincidence that the Summer Court found their king trapped in eternal slumber on the same day that the human slaves revolted.

Izuku raised his hand. “Is this why you three keep a glass case of mystery charms in the basement, next to a label In case of psychotic brother, break glass and a hammer?” He’d always assumed that had been a movie reference or a joke.

Yoichi coughed and twiddled his thumbs. “The glass protects the charms from being exposed to cold iron. I’ve been creating charms to seal my brother every month since I learned he’d woken up. They’re time-consuming and it’s a waste of magic, but—”

Sanzou reached over and squeezed Yoichi’s hand. “It’s not a waste of magic if it makes you feel better.”

Kaiji muttered, “At this rate we’ll need them.”

Yoichi told Izuku, “I’ll teach you how to use a sealing charm later. It should be easier to put All for One to sleep after I laid the groundwork with the first sealing. The problem is getting close enough to touch him. I gave one of my charms to King All Might, but he hasn’t succeeded yet. I don’t dare get within range to let my brother control me again.”

Kaiji said, “Before the magic lesson, let’s finish our story.”

The rebels stole an enchanted bag that let them snag items from the human realm, and they used it to bring in thousands of guns. They made their own bullets from pure iron. They distributed the weapons among the slaves. Critically, they obtained several machine guns. And the humans rose up in an angry, armed mob determined to slaughter any fae between them and the portal to the human world.

The fae were not prepared. Most of the local fae had never even been to the human realm, except in the brief moments necessary to steal a baby. Many had never even heard of guns. In fae eyes, humans were pitiable and laughably weak.

The entire fae realm would never forget the sight of the Winter Queen lying dead at the feet of a mere human with iron bullets swirling in the air around him.

Using a pair of stolen gauntlets, the rebel leader could use his quirk to manipulate iron bullets with precision. The iron all over his body protected him from magic. After killing the queen, he took a golden apple off her body that healed the worst of his injuries. While leading the attack to free the slaves in the winter mines, the leader slaughtered his way through enough nobility that a half-human, orphaned changeling later rose to become the next winter monarch for lack of anyone else to put on the throne. This bloodbath earned him a name that the fae would only speak in whispers: “The Iron Maelstrom.”

As the rest of the slaves fled through the portals, their leader made his way to the Summer Palace, alone. He did not intend to put anyone else’s life at risk, not with his comrades so close to their freedom. But he had a promise to keep.

“That’s why there aren’t any slaves in the fae realm today,” Kaiji concluded.

“Phew.” Izuku had been hoping so, since he hadn’t seen any humans at the marketplace. He canceled a couple plans in his head.

Sanzou said, “After that, new laws were passed with heavy punishments for fae who revealed their existence to humans or brought any humans to the fae realm.”

“Not out of compassion or any remorse for their crimes, mind you.” Kaiji snorted. “The fae nobles realized if they got their asses kicked by a slave revolt, they weren’t going to win a proper war with humanity.”

Yoichi said, “It was the first time most fae had come into contact with modern human weapons. Time moves slowly for fae. In the past, a single fae could usually beat even a large number of humans in a fight. But quirks were a game-changer.”

“Guns were even more of a game-changer,” Kaiji said dryly. “To say nothing of nukes. Even more importantly, humans outnumber magical creatures ten thousand to one.”

Sanzou murmured, “Not that war would necessarily occur if the truth came out. I think quirks have made humanity more accepting of people in different forms. Not universally, there’s still discrimination, yet we here can all testify that a society with room for all kinds of powers has room for magic too. But if humans first learned of the fae by finding out their children were being stolen…nothing could possibly anger any species more than a threat to their young. They would have come with an army.”

Feeling a little nervous, Izuku asked, “Why didn’t the freed slaves tell everyone?”

“We negotiated a hefty compensation with the new monarchs to keep our mouths shut.” Kaiji shrugged. “A war would ultimately have been bad for both humans and fae, and I got my chance to shoot slave owners on my way out. I killed anyone who tried to stop me from escaping and left those who cowered with an iron bullet in the leg to remember me by. We wanted vengeance and got vengeance—any more would have been dragging in uninvolved parties. But honestly, if I hadn’t met Yoichi, then I might have started a war and to hell with the consequences.” Kaiji glanced at Yoichi with a gentle expression. “I had an unhealthy amount of hate in my heart, back then.”

“New monarchs.” Izuku counted mentally. “Papa took down the old Winter Queen, and Poppa put the Summer King to sleep. What about the other two?”

“My group never attacked Spring. They only take abused human children, and raise them as their own. They even sheltered escaped slaves, despite pressure from the other courts to turn us over. We had no grudge against them. They’ve always been the good court, at least by fae standards. As for Autumn—” Kaiji pointed. “Sanzou took down the Autumn King. It was a big help to our revolt, let me tell you that.”

The changeling returned to the autumn court greeted with a banquet in his honor. After all, he was lost royalty. When he’d been weak, he’d been worth nothing, but now the other fae saw a strong and capable prince. The various political factions of the court were quick to court him. His parents welcomed him as if they’d never thrown him away.

In the autumn court, each baby fae was named by the king to ensure he could control them. His memory was kept perfect by magic. The changeling didn’t consider it anything personal when he put his sword through the king’s back. He’d simply needed to kill the only person who could stop him.

The court rose up, baying for blood. The changeling had an escape route prepared but found it blocked by a giant oak tree sprouting from the ground. He took down two royal knights before he was cornered.

Then the changeling went berserk.

The autumn fae were the children of the twilight, the dying of the summer as it turned into winter, the border between life and death. They had a special gift. Autumn fae were generally considered weaker than summer or winter. But at the price of draining their lifeforce, an autumn fae could summon a brief burst of incredible power as a dying gasp.

As the berserker rage filled the changeling, his hair grew longer, his nails turned into claws, and his entire body glowed. A trail of leaves, a howling wind, and a smoky burning scent followed in his wake.

When an autumn fae went berserk, for a brief window until they died, nothing except a royal could halt their rampage. And when a royal autumn fae went berserk, all four courts fled to hunker down from the storm.

The changeling had learned that it was forbidden for human slaves to leave because they knew the existence of the fae and might expose magical creatures to humanity. Since he would not be able to buy his target’s freedom, he’d used his final option. He’d already lived longer than he ever would have without his parents’ loving care. Even if he died in this place, then he would ensure that his parents still had a son afterward.

Rather than fight a walking catastrophe, the fae hid and waited for the berserker to die on his own. The changeling who they would later call the Omnicidal Prince moved toward the summer court, following his tracking charm and leaving a trail of decay in his wake.

After sealing his brother’s bed under every layer of magic he could summon, the summer prince sat in an armchair and waited. His brother’s orders still bound him. He could not try to escape this room. He did not know what would happen to him after the court uncovered what he’d done. His brother’s followers might want vengeance, though they would fear to kill him. His brother’s enemies were more likely to do away with him in order to clear their path to power. But he did not fear death compared to an eternity as a living doll.

It was strange that no one had arrived yet. The sound of commotion drifted from the outside.

The door fell with a spray of splinters. A human stood with his foot raised from kicking it down. Flashing a smile, the leader said, “I’m here to repay my debt, Your Highness.”

The prince had a million things he wanted to say, yet nothing came out of his parted lips.

The leader laughed at the shocked expression. His armor was smudged and covered in icicles. He had bruises all over his visible skin. A tattered bandage wrapped around his side. In that moment, that grimy face was the most beautiful sight the prince had seen in his entire life. Extending a hand, the leader said, “Come with me, and I’ll get you out of here.”

The prince longed with all his heart to take that hand, but then his orders took over. A vine rose up and slapped the hand away. He could barely control himself from stabbing that vine into the human’s heart while his guard was down.

Frowning, the leader dropped his hand. “You don’t want to leave? I’m not gonna force you.”

Tears filling his eyes, the summer prince frantically shook his head.

The leader’s eyes widened. “You can’t leave! You’ve been ordered to fight anyone who tries to take you away.”

The prince nodded.

“Ugh, your brother is a whoreson. No offense intended to you or your mother. Very well.” The leader cracked his knuckles. “I’ve already defeated one royal fae today, let’s make this two for two.”

The entire wall blew in. The changeling stood wrapped in darkness, only his eyes glowing. When he took a step forward, he left a hole in the ground. Wind howled around him, carrying dead, black leaves. He was terrible yet magnificent. A bloody sword hung from one hand. Raising his other arm, he created a glowing portal in the air. His voice emerged as a creaky rattle: “This will take you to the human realm. We need to hurry, I don’t have much time left. Mom and Dad are waiting for you.”

“Who?” The leader blinked. “Um, you’ve got the wrong person. I’m a bit busy at the moment repaying a debt.”

“Our parents’ blood led me to you,” the changeling insisted. “Come with me. Whatever debt you have, I’ll pay it for you or kill who holds it.”

“No killing! I’m here to rescue him.” The leader pointed at the summer prince. Magic seizing his feet, the prince leapt away.

The changeling frowned. “He doesn’t want to come with you, though?”

“He does! He’s been bound by his true name to fight anyone who tries to take him from this room,” the leader explained. “He can’t speak, either. I need to take him to the human realm so the bindings on him will break and he’ll be free.” The prince nodded frantically to express his agreement with this plan.

“So if I help you kidnap this other guy then you’ll let yourself be kidnapped by me? Deal!” The changeling cracked his knuckles. “I’ve already taken down one royal today, I daresay I’ve got enough juice left for two.”

“That’s my line,” the leader said, and charged.

Against his own will, the prince summoned up a wave of vines to stop them. He could not defy his orders, but he sent them around wildly, trying to be as ineffective as possible.

The leader shot bullets from his gauntlets, using them to sever the vines. He avoided hitting the prince, but just the proximity of iron decreased fae powers. The changeling swung his sword, severing the vines.

The prince tried to contain himself, he truly did, but his power exploded from him. Creepers leapt up from the floor, tangling the men’s legs. Hissing vines with stingers leapt from the walls. A massive tree sprang up between them.

The greenery around the changeling decayed. The tree trunk nearly fell on him, but he jumped away. He deliberately directed his trail of destruction to avoid hitting the other two, and it rebounded on him. He groaned, cracks forming down his face. “Are you sure you gotta have this guy, bro?”

“Don’t call me bro, you weirdo, I don’t even know you!” the leader cried. “We don’t need to defeat him, just get him through the portal.”

“Got it.” The changeling slammed his foot down, and the floorboards decayed. The prince fell forward.

The leader leapt, grabbing the prince and hauling him toward the portal. Against his own will, the prince’s hand raised, fingers turning to claws. He wanted to scream a warning. He wanted to cut off his own hand to stop himself. Yet still his claw slashed down into the leader’s face. With a supreme effort of will, the prince stopped himself from ripping the human’s head clean off.

Despite the blood pouring down his face, the leader locked his arms around the prince and screamed, “Now!”

The changeling shoved them both through the portal, falling after them.

As the air of the human realm hit the summer prince, his bonds fell away. A strangled cry erupted from his rusty throat. For the first time in years, he was free. He crawled over and touched the leader’s bloody face, inserting healing energy to seal over the cut.

Next to him, the changeling thrashed. The stench of death radiated off him. The prince grabbed his head, summoned all his power, and healed.

It felt as if he was pressing against a mountain. The prince hissed and summoned more power from his exhausted body. More and more light injected into the darkness, until he could finally see the changeling’s face under the mass of shadows. Only then did he let himself collapse.

Izuku realized now why All for One had been able to say that Yoichi had been dragged away fighting—because it was technically true. Thinking of how he could have lost all three of his parents made him shudder. He reached out and took Sanzou’s hand.

“I’m fine now,” Sanzou said, squeezing. “Yoichi’s healing ability is amazing. I was the first fae to survive a berserker rage in a hundred years. Actually, the previous one ended up in a permanent coma, so I’m not sure that counts.”

“It was a close thing,” Yoichi said, his face unusually sober. His hair shifted to a sedated grey. “With all my healing power, I could barely drag Sanzou back from death. And I’m considered one of the strongest healers even by royal summer standards.”

Sanzou said, “I’ve only recovered maybe five percent of my old magical power. That’s why you’ve never seen me do anything particularly royal.” He shrugged. “It’ll come back in a century or two.”

“Because I had to heal Sanzou, I couldn’t completely erase my hero’s scar.” Yoichi touched Kaiji’s face, his fingers tracing the deep red line. “But I adore your scar. It gives you such a rakish charm.”

Leaning into Yoichi’s touch, Kaiji said, “Whenever I see my scar, I’m reminded of how feral you are and it turns me on.”

Yoichi giggled. “Not in front of Izuku!”

“Yes, please, not in front of me,” Izuku groaned.

Sanzou said, “I helped the other two adapt to the human realm. My parents took in an extra fae without even batting an eye. By the time they were ready to leave the house, we’d all fallen in love, so I went with them.”

“Now you finally now how we all got banished to the human realm,” Yoichi said. “Except for me—I’m encouraged to return by my dear brother. But I can’t, because he’d use my name against me again. He’d rather everything go back to how it used to be. All for One never admitted that I’m the one who sealed him away. He blamed it on Kaiji, actually.” Yoichi scowled, a swirling darkness like a hurricane running through his white hair. “Both of you got cool nicknames, and I didn’t even get credit for my deeds! I disrupted the order of the fae realm, too.”

“I’d let you have the Omnicidal Prince title if I could,” Sanzou said. Turning to Izuku, he said, “No one in the fae realm understood why I killed the Autumn King, so I got a reputation as a psycho killer. Kaiji’s rep is even worse. He’s the boogeyman that fae use to scare their children.”

Face serious, Yoichi said, “There are enough fae who want revenge on us, and Kaiji in particular, that it’s critical to keep your identity secret. We wanted to wait to tell you all of this until you were old enough to deceive people and hide your powers. Then All for One woke up, and we got paranoid. We were terrified to let you visit the fae realm, we couldn’t come with you…and it was easier to tell you that you couldn’t go. I’m sorry.”

“Wait!” Izuku raised a hand. “If you sealed All for One away, then how did he become my father?”

“That’s where the story gets weird.” Yoichi sighed.

“How did you realize that All for One is your father?” Sanzou asked with a sharp look.

“Process of elimination made me suspect it,” Izuku said weakly. “I’m a royal summer fae, and there aren’t any other around except Poppa and All for One.” This was true, it simply didn’t reveal how his suspicions had been confirmed.

Sanzou still looked suspicious, but didn’t say anything.

Yoichi explained, “You weren’t born the conventional way. You were created by magic. You appeared next to All for One’s sealed tomb as a baby. The summer court believed that All for One created you by accident while trying to break the seal. He separated a part of himself to create a vessel that would either hold his consciousness or break him out. But the magic got severed too early, and it created a baby.”

Izuku took a moment to digest this. “I’m a clone?” Damn, today just kept getting freakier.

“Not exactly. Children created from magic aren’t identical to their parents like a science fiction clone,” Yoichi said. “By the laws of the fae realm, you’re considered All for One’s son. You should have been the next summer king. But you’d been created to free All for One. How do I put this diplomatically? Not all of the summer court wanted my brother back.”

“No need to be diplomatic.” Kaiji snorted. “All for One was a cruel king, and the fae do not use the world cruel lightly. It says a lot about him that summer preferred to remain leaderless over him. They had the other courts gnawing at their territory and still didn’t want him back.”

“So the summer court left you in the human realm,” Sanzou said.

Kaiji said, “You’re lucky no one killed you or gave you a name to enslave you. A royal slave would have made a lovely puppet king.”

Yoichi slapped Kaiji’s arm. “Don’t say that!”

“It’s true. He ought to know the danger.” Kaiji rubbed his wrist. “I’d assume they just wanted you far away to avoid waking All for One up. Since I’d promised to return if the fae started stealing human children again—” He bared his teeth “—they struck a deal with a human family instead. A man named Kotaro Shimura had a quirkless son. He struck a deal to look after you until the court wanted you back, and in exchange they gave magic to his son.”

Yoichi shuddered. “It ended terribly. Kotaro didn’t tell anyone that young Tenko had a bit of tengu blood. He’s actually Nana’s grandson. Fae and yokai power do not mix well together. There was a nasty explosion of power, but fortunately I detected it from a distance. I arrived fast enough to stop anyone from dying, then sealed Tenko’s destructive powers. That’s how I found you.” Yoichi beamed. “For lack of any other awake relative, I considered myself to be your legal guardian. We quickly left before the summer court or the human child protective services could dispute our claim.”

“And we’ve got no intention of giving you back just because All for One woke up,” Kaiji growled. “I saw what he did to Yoichi. That bastard isn’t fit to be a father.”

“That’s assuming All for One even sees you as family,” Sanzou murmured. “He created you as a tool. He might even kill you as a threat to his throne.”

Yoichi reached out and took Izuku’s hand. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. The fact that you found out about your heritage on your own proves that we waited too long.” He cast annoyed glances at his partners. “Can you forgive us?”

“I’m sorry,” Sanzou said. “I told the other two you’d be happier not knowing that you were adopted, but I think I was projecting my own issues on you. Being adopted isn’t a bad thing. It’s not like you found out that you’d been swapped as a baby while your parents’ biological child was enslaved. That would be bad. Someone could hypothetically still feel guilty about that one years later.”

“I’m sorry, kid,” Kaiji said. “I honestly just didn’t want to talk about my past, and I was afraid it would make you see me in a different light.”

Three pairs of pleading eyes turned on Izuku. He swallowed. “After everything the three of you went through, I understand why you’d be paranoidly protective. I forgive you. I’m not even angry any longer.”

“You’re such a good kid!” Yoichi tackled him with a hug, then his other two parents dragged them into a group hug. Yoichi’s hair turned pink with happiness. “Now that you understand, we can figure out a way for you to safely visit the fae realm.”

Oh, no. Now Izuku would have to come clean about what he’d done. His ears drooped. “About that! I have good news and bad news. The good news: All for One doesn’t want to kill me. The bad news: I know that because I took a little trip to the fae realm and he told me so himself.” Izuku widened his eyes adorably. “But I forgave you, so you’ll forgive me too?”

Yoichi’s shriek exploded the window.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: If Yoichi’s Wit Hadn’t Been Bound to Silence

Yoichi: So if Kaiji is here to kidnap me, and Sanzou is here to kidnap Kaiji…then I’m going to kidnap Sanzou!

Sanzou: Why?!

Yoichi: I just thought we should close off this circle.

#

Omake: What Happened to Sanzou’s Biological Parents

All for One: Apparently if a certain pair of idiots hadn’t swapped their child for a human brat, then Kaiji would have never entered the fae realm and Sanzou would have died of his illness as a baby and I could have been rid of both spiky-heads before they stole my brother. Naturally I exterminated the fools responsible.

#

Omake: War Averted by Power of Love

Young Kaiji: I’d never fall in love with a fae! I hate them!

Adult Kaiji: Think about how furious the fae courts would be that a mere slave scored two hot fae princes.

Young Kaiji: …How hot are we talking?

#

Omake: Oopsie

Sanzou: Since humans aren’t allowed to return home after learning about the fae, I had no choice but to go on a rampage and commit regicide to bring Kaiji back.

Yoichi: Actually, plenty of humans have returned from the fae realm. Usually they’re supposed to take a memory erasure potion or be enchanted not to speak about us. But there have been exceptions. Frankly that rule didn’t get taken all that seriously before Kaiji himself made the fae way more wary of humans.

Sanzou: …Huh. I didn’t know about that. I feel like history could have gone very differently if my knowledge of fae law hadn’t been so spotty.

Yoichi: I got freed so I’m going to say it all worked out for the best.

#

Omake: Savagery

Sanzou: I used to think that my parents would have lived a happier life if they had a less difficult child than me. Then I met Kaiji, and I realized they would have been in for a rough time either way.

Kaiji: Hey!

#For the record the parents do not agree #They’re both such good boys who call and visit regularly with the adorable grandson #But seriously Kaiji would have been the more difficult kid despite being human #Sanzou was winning Olympic gold medals as a young adult #Kaiji would have been getting arrested at protests

#

Omake: All for One’s Revenge

All for One: Even though my traitorous little brother imprisoned me, I arranged for it to be blamed on the Iron Maelstrom so the dear child would be able to return to my loving arms and everything would return to normal.

Yoichi: I got no credit because of you! I wanted a cool name just like Kaiji and Sanzou. I could have been the Family Slayer Prince or Summer’s Doom. Instead I just went down as a footnote in history, the tragically kidnapped or dead victim. Stop pretending you did it for me—I know you just didn’t want to admit your foolish little brother got one over on you.

Chapter Text

“Sweet seasons, we need to run.” Yoichi had turned as pale as his now-white hair. “I’ll pack a bag with essentials. We can send movers back for the rest.”

“Returning would be risky.” The pallor of Kaiji’s face made his scar stand out. “Maybe we should burn the house down.”

“Wait!” Izuku waved his hands. “There’s no need for arson. All for One has no idea where we are.”

Skeptical green and red eyes turned on him. “That’s what All for One wants you to think.” Yoichi’s wings trembled.

Sanzou placed a hand on Yoichi’s shoulder. “Let Izuku speak first. A few minutes shouldn’t make a difference. We’re in the human realm. All for One can’t come after us easily here.”

“Right.” Yoichi wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Right. He wouldn’t come here, in a place full of cold iron. Not without a plan to take me and drag me back…” He shook even harder, so fast his wings beat against the sofa. His partners put their arms around him.

Seeing his father’s clear terror made Izuku feel lower than a redcap. “I’m really sorry. I messed up. All for One knows that I’m living with you, but I swear I didn’t give away anything about our location.”

Izuku poured out his story quickly but thoroughly. When he reached the conversation with All for One, he tried to give the exact wording as closely as he could remember, aware it might be important. Then he lowered his head and waited for judgment.

Yoichi elbowed Kaiji, then Sanzou. “See! I told you both that it would be dangerous to let him get old enough to realize we weren’t being honest with him. He met All for One while running around looking for answers we could have given him.”

Hanging his head, Kaiji said sheepishly, “You were right, and I’m sorry.”

Because they weren’t properly angry with him, Izuku felt even more guilty. He deserved more parental wrath. Yes, they’d been wrong to keep secrets. But Izuku had known he was making a mistake and done it anyway. He could have been out of the fae realm without All for One noticing him if he hadn’t stopped for a souvenir.

“At least it doesn’t sound like All for One got any important information. I’m sorry as well,” Sanzou said, meeting Izuku’s eyes. “You should have come to us for answers first instead of carelessly letting so many people know, but I realize it’s partly our fault that you didn’t trust us.”

“No, I trust you, dads!” Izuku insisted. “I just lost my temper. And I wanted to see the fae realm very badly.” And he’d wanted to impress a cute boy, but he’d rather tie weights to his wings than admit that to his parents. “I screwed up. Am I in trouble?” He looked up from under his eyelashes.

Sanzou said, “In this case, I think the consequences of your own actions will be punishment enough.” He glanced at the other two, who both nodded.

Izuku’s stomach sank. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll have to withdraw from your new school,” Sanzou said. “All for One saw you together with Shouto Todoroki. Given his many spies, it would be too easy for him to figure out where the Todoroki boy goes to school.”

Izuku winced. This was a true blow. He’d been so excited about going to school with Shouto. His new school had been an upgrade from Aldera in every regard. But his dad was right—this was the consequences of his own actions. He’d exposed too many clues about his location to All for One. “I understand.”

“It might be a good idea to homeschool you for a while,” Yoichi mused. “My brother has connections in the human realm. They’ll be looking for a boy with butterfly wings. Besides, if I teach you at home then I can help you train your magic and answer your questions about the fae realm. Hmm.” He looked at his partners. “Do you think we need to move?”

“The house should be safe,” Sanzou said. He turned to Izuku. “Fortunately, your new school isn’t located even remotely close to our home. If anything, maybe the school will be a red herring for All for One to chase after.”

Izuku knew his dad was trying to make him feel better, and didn’t think he deserved it. His ears drooped and his wings wrapped around himself.

Yoichi said, “I don’t see any reason you couldn’t stay in contact with the Todoroki boy. You can still be friends outside of school.”

“Really?” Izuku’s wings perked up.

“Sure, just don’t tell him where we live for now,” Kaiji said. “It sounds like he’s been a good friend to you, but you just met him. It’s too soon to trust him. All for One has a gift for getting his fishhooks into people.”

That was sensible. Izuku nodded. “Should we meet in public places?”

“That would be best for now,” Sanzou said. “Unlike fae, yuki-onna don’t universally honor guest rights. It would be too easy for All for One to lay a trap at the Todoroki residence. But he’d be unlikely to attack you in an area full of humans and cold iron.”

“I’ll make a charm for you to wear just in case, to alert us if you’re in danger,” Yoichi said. He wagged his finger. “That’s the second consequence to your actions. You’ll need to wear an alarm charm at all times, and keep your phone’s location turned on, and text us every hour.”

Izuku nodded. All of that made sense with a maniacal fae monarch chasing after him (and his poppa too.) More and more, Izuku regretted revealing himself to All for One. He was happy with his current family. All for One had just created Izuku as a tool, could someone like that even be called a father? What right did he have to disrupt Izuku’s peaceful life? Under different circumstances, Izuku could have found room in his heart for another parent. But he would not forgive someone who had hurt his poppa by committing the unforgivable sin of enslaving him with his true name.

Izuku frowned as a horrible suspicion occurred to him. “Did All for One wake up because of me?”

“No, why would you think that?” Yoichi asked. “He slept for over a decade after you were born, then woke up a few years before you visited the fae realm.”

Izuku fiddled with his hands. “Because that’s why he made me.”

Sanzou said, “We think that All for One made you in attempt to create another him. Clearly that failed. You had no connection to his revival. Probably All for One clawed his way out of the seal on his own. He’s powerful enough to do that, unfortunately. It’s lucky that All for One decided to see you as a family member not a failed tool, since he said he wouldn’t harm you.”

“It’s not lucky at all.” Yoichi wrapped both his arms and his wings around himself. “It would be better if he didn’t care about Izuku and left him alone. When it comes to family, he’s completely obsessed.”

Hesitantly, Izuku said, “All for One promised not to harm me physically or emotionally, based on a reasonable person’s definition of harm. That’s pretty good. He also vowed to never kill me.”

Yoichi laughed in a hoarse, twisted way. “Big brother made me wish I was dead, by the end. Your phrasing was as clever as I taught you, but remember—a mad fae’s word cannot be trusted, because he believes his delusions to be true. All for One’s definition of reasonable is warped and twisted. My brother locked me up, prevented me from speaking, treated me like a pet or a living doll—” Yoichi spat out the last word. His shoulders heaved. The dragon and tiger tattoos, bristled, snarling. Even the Cheshire cat bared fangs, nearly leaping off his skin. “Yet if you asked my brother, he would be able to tell you that he never harmed me.”

Kaiji brushed Yoichi’s hair, and Sanzou whispered something soothing in his ear. His wings stopped beating quite as hard against the cushion, though they still trembled. “If only I’d never let him find you,” Yoichi muttered in a broken way. “I’ve failed you.”

“No, I’m the one who screwed up.” Izuku knelt down and took his poppa’s hand. “I’ll take your words to heart. I’ll be careful, I promise. I’ll stay on-guard. I won’t believe All for One’s lies.”

“Good,” Yoichi whispered, squeezing his son’s hand.

Sanzou said, “As your last consequence, you won’t be able to visit the fae realm for the foreseeable future. Before you came home, we’d discussed taking you to visit the winter court. The Winter King All Might is like a son to Nana, and we could have gotten an invitation for you and Yoichi. As for me and Kaiji…”

Kaiji said, “King All Might doesn’t have a problem with us, except maybe annoyance that he got forced into becoming monarch after I killed the last one. But it would start a riot if I went near winter. Eh, not as if I want to go back there. Too many bad memories.”

Sanzou said, “We could have allowed you to visit the fae marketplace as well, if you took precautions to disguise your magic and wore gloves. But now it’s too dangerous. As you’ve seen, All for One has spies everywhere.”

Izuku had expected a third consequence, as they usually came in threes. This was also his fault, but it still stung. It would have been amazing to see the winter court. He hung his head. “I understand.” A small sigh escaped his lips.

“Awwww!” Yoichi hugged Izuku. “Maybe we can persuade King All Might to visit us instead. Do you think there’s a chance if I use the puppy eyes on Nana?”

“We might get on his schedule sometime next year,” Sanzou said dryly.

“Or maybe the kid could visit the yuki-onna mountains instead, and meet his new friend’s family,” Kaiji said. “Trust me, they’re way cooler than the winter court. There’s just as much snow, but fewer snooty bastards. The fae courts are blah blah rules and endless intrigue. Yokai know how to throw a proper party!”

Yoichi said, “Maybe we could still take you to a fae court, later after the search becomes less intense.” He muttered to himself, “What ingredients do I need for a proper disguise potion?”

Even though Izuku was being punished, his parents were already trying to think up ways around the consequences he’d earned. They spoiled him, and he knew it. He felt a warm feeling under his chest. This was his family. Nothing he’d learned today or in the future could ever change that.

A light breeze blew across the public park, rattling the swing set and rustling the leaves of a massive oak tree. Izuku crouched down in front of two squirrels, holding up a photo of Touya Todoroki on his phone. “If you find him, there will be a rich reward. I’ll feed you all winter.”

The squirrels chattered at him.

Izuku sighed. “I know it would be easier with his scent, but I don’t have any of his old belongings. Please at least keep an eye out. You can have these berries. They’re grown from a fae garden.” He spread out the raspberries and strawberries he’d taken from home.

The squirrels gathered up their treasures, then scampered off.

Shouto said, “You’re very kind to help me out like this.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I haven’t had any luck looking on my own, even though All for One said Touya would come to me. I hope nothing happened to my big brother.” On the weekend, Shouto wore casual clothing: jeans and a blue-and-white striped turtleneck.

“There’s no debt between us. This is too easy a task. Animals will work for a bit of food.” Izuku stood up, dusting off his tan pants. Today, he’d picked out a light green shirt with a dark-green collared T-shirt on top. Aunt Nana had once told him that the outfit made the green in his eyes pop. It was normal to want to look nice when meeting a friend, or so he told himself. Putting two fingers in his mouth, Izuku whistled birdsong.

A cardinal fluttered down. What a disappointment—cardinals were some of the stupidest birds. If only Izuku could lure over a crow, he’d reunite Touya with his family before the day ended. Nevertheless, Izuku started his spiel again. Holding up the picture, he said, “Hello! I’m looking for the person in this picture, but older. He would be an adult man by now.”

The cardinal chirped.

Izuku sighed. “I know the photo shows a child. This picture was taken a decade ago. We’re looking for this person, but he’ll appear older. Do you understand?”

The bird cocked its head sideways with a long, drawn-out tweet.

Izuku’s eye twitched. “Yes, the boy in the picture is a nestling! We just established that. Imagine you’re looking for this face, but on someone bigger and taller.” He listened to more tweeting. “Of course two-leggers grow taller when we get older, did you think we’d shrink? Oh, never mind. Just keep an eye out for a human with red hair and blue eyes, using a fire ability.” He offered some seeds to the cardinal, even though he had scant expectations.

From the playground, a few children cast Izuku curious looks, but no one seemed bothered. Earlier a little girl had come over asking if she could pet a squirrel but he’d had to tell her no, they wouldn’t appreciate that. Quirks had been such a wonderful boon to non-humans. No one thought twice about seeing magic, as long as Izuku didn’t have the misfortune to run into one of those unpleasant people who threw a tantrum about any quirk use in public places.

Leaning over to Shouto, Izuku whispered, “I don’t think we’ll have much luck with the cardinal, I’ll count myself lucky if the bird even remembers this conversation tomorrow.”

“It was worth a try,” Shouto said philosophically.

Izuku said, “I’ve talked to every interested animal in this park. We can hit up a few other places.” He gently shooed three butterflies off his hair. Butterflies and bees tended to be drawn to him—Yoichi said they longed for his inherent magic even though they could not taste it.

“First, want to grab a drink and a snack?” Shouto gestured at the Starbucks across the street. “It’s my treat, I want to repay you for all your help. No debt, of course.”

Izuku smiled. “You’re learning to talk like a fae. That would be nice.” His throat felt a little parched after producing so many animal sounds.

They sat down at a small outdoor table. No one was near enough to listen in, but Izuku wasn’t too worried about talking in public anyway. If an ordinary person overheard them discussing fae matters, they would just think two kids were talking about a video game or TV show.

While eating his cookie, Izuku gave Shouto a brief version of his parents’ story, stripped of personal details. He wasn’t allowed over at the Todoroki mansion any longer, and rather than hiding it, he figured it would better to be honest about why he had to take precautions. Shouto already knew about him being All for One’s son.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone,” Shouto said. “I wish I was a fae, so I could bind myself with a promise.” He rubbed his forehead. “I wish I hadn’t taken you to the fae realm.”

So did Izuku, but he blamed himself. “It was a great trip while it lasted.”

“You shouldn’t tell just anyone what you told me,” Shouto said. “A lot of fae would treat you differently if they knew you as the Iron Maelstrom’s son. He nearly wiped out the entire winter royal bloodline. His revolt killed two percent of the fae population.”

Stiffening defensively, Izuku said, “They shouldn’t have been kidnapping people to keep as slaves, then.”

“Oh, I agree.” Shouto shrugged. “I’m not a fae. The yokai were quite pleased over the slave revolt, for many reasons. For one thing, the fae slipping in power let yokai groups rise to dominance. For another, we yokai were scared that the fae were dealing so carelessly with humans that they’d blow all of our secrecy wide-open. In the modern era, a lot of yokai live among human society and had ethical objections to enslaving them. Even the yokai who don’t get along with most humans hate the changeling thefts. The fae sometimes steal our kids, too.”

“Huh?” Izuku’s drink nearly went down the wrong way. He took a moment to swallow carefully, then asked, “Wouldn’t that be too obvious?”

“We certainly do notice, so the fae try it less often. But it happens.” Shouto fiddled with his half-empty cup. “One of the most recent famous cases happened to the Shimura family of tengu. Nana Shimura angered the former Winter Queen somehow. I think she sheltered some runaway human slaves. The Winter Queen had a baby with a slave that she had no interest in keeping, since he was half-human. So she swapped him with Nana’s baby. That kid later became the current King All Might, so he got the last laugh.”

This explained how Nana knew the Winter King All Might. Izuku asked, “The tengu didn’t notice?”

“Not right away,” Shouto said. “The Winter Queen used magic to suppress the All Might’s power, and Nana’s son Kotaro was half-human. At first no one noticed that her baby appeared just like an ordinary human. Later Nana figured it out and stormed winter to get her biological son back. It could have been a happy ending, but Kotaro demanded that she cut all ties with All Might. Nana wouldn’t cast out the son she’d raised, so he rejected her and moved to the human world. He refused to let her see her grandkids. The Winter Queen thought the whole affair was a hilarious prank, but the tengu were very angry and cut off all diplomatic ties.”

“Oh, poor Aunt Nana.” Izuku shuddered. Nana had never talked about this in front of him. Maybe it was a sore spot for her? Izuku wondered if Kotaro had tried to get fae powers for his son Tenko because he had confusion over his own identity after being raised in the fae realm.

Sipping an iced latte, Shouto said, “Relations between tengu and fae have been restored since All Might became the Winter King. The joke is on the Winter Queen: your father killed off her and her favored children until only the changeling remained to be crowned. That’s just one incident in the long history of fae and yokai power struggles.”

Izuku said, “I didn’t realize contemporary fae-yokai relations were so complicated. I should have, though.” His parents had given him history lessons about the conflict in the past. But Izuku had been raised in a peaceful era where all magical creatures were bound by the same rules involving secrecy toward humans and no open warfare with each other. His parents had many friends from different species. He’d just sort of assumed the enmity was all in the past, which in retrospect seemed naïve.

Shouto nodded. “Some yokai don’t even accept fae as being Japanese. Which is silly, in my opinion. The first fae crossed the ocean hundreds of years ago, way before we made contact with humans from the West. But magical creatures can live thousands of years, and hold long grudges. Some yokai are still bitter about the Yayoi people supplanting the indigenous Jōmon humans in a thousand BCE! The fae courts dominating over the yokai in Japan feels recent to our elders. The oldest yuki-onna back home still refer to fae as ‘those damn foreign invaders.’ They lionized your human father as a hero for knocking down the fae and leapt in the protect him from fae retribution without even being asked. Several different elders unsuccessfully tried to turn your father into a yokai. And, uh, they didn’t ask for permission first. But it’s a compliment for yokai.”

Izuku blinked. This explained an old memory from his childhood. He had a very hazy recollection of Kaiji hiding in the attic while Sanzou chased a giant two-tailed cat around the house while waving a frying pan. Yoichi had been banging on the attic door trying to convince Kaiji it would be lovely to turn into a cat.

Izuku asked, “I wanted to visit the yuki-onna mountain…will my fae heritage be a problem?”

“No, no, that’s just old people being old. You’d be welcome.” Shouto waved his hand. “I’m sure my friends would be cool with you, too. Young fae these days don’t believe in enslaving humans—it’s the modern era and everyone loves visiting the human realm and buying their cool electronic goods. And everyone’s got a new respect for human bullets, thanks to your father. A lot of people these days would say ‘his cause was just but he went too far,’ though no one has a good explanation for how the slaves would have been able to free themselves non-violently.”

“Typical,” Izuku sighed.

“Some people would tell you that Spring would have negotiated with the other courts to stop slavery, but that’s nonsense. Spring tried for centuries without getting anywhere. Speaking of which, the Spring Court was very smug about the revolt, since it let them rise to power over the other three.”

“That’s interesting to know.” Izuku swallowed the last sip of his drink. “I don’t think I’ll be allowed anywhere near the fae marketplace any time soon, though. My parents are convinced All for One would find a way around the marketplace rules and kidnap me.”

“If anyone could, then it would be All for One. His silver tongue is legendary,” Shouto said. “Maybe he’ll be too busy to come after you. He’s locked in a heated power struggle with Winter and Spring. Autumn has never really been a contender for dominance, but they’re also the territory no one wants to invade because of their berserkers. Legend says the Catastrophe Queen Miruko even survived after going into berserk state. She lost an arm and a leg, though.”

Izuku was more than willing to change the subject away from All for One, letting Shouto give him some court gossip about Miruko being pressured to abdicate the throne after her injuries and her explosive response.

“I’d be happy to buy you anything you want at the marketplace, since you can’t visit,” Shouto said. “You’re helping me out a lot, after all.”

“Much appreciated. I really like my new fan.”

Shouto’s eyes went down to Izuku’s shirt, where he wore the transformed fan as a pin. “Oh, you’re wearing it today.”

“It matches my shirt,” Izuku said as if he hadn’t done that on-purpose. Sweeping up his trash, he asked, “Shall we move onto the next location? I thought I’d try talking to some ducks at the lake.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” Shouto stood up. “I wish I could tell you more to help you find my brother, but I don’t remember much. My dad used to want us kids to be heroes, but Touya had some problems with his powers because of his half-yokai body. There was an accident. We thought Touya body had burned to ashes. It affected Dad so badly that Mom talked him into quitting his job and moving to the mountains. The yuki-onna possess magic to help us kids stabilize our bodies.”

“You’re not in danger, are you?” Izuku asked.

“No, I’m the luckiest kid. My powers perfectly balance. My other brother has no powers. My older sister has ice powers but a body sensitive to cold. Fortunately, she’s able to use fae charms to prevent herself from freezing over.” Shouto sighed. “If relations had been better with the fae when my big brother was young, maybe he could have used charms to…” He shook his head. “I just want to find Touya and make sure he’s all right. And I want to know what happened in the fire I can’t remember.”

Izuku touched Shouto’s arm. “Ducks are smarter than cardinals. I’m sure they’ll help us.”

“Thanks.” Shouto covered his mouth. “Oops! Sorry!”

Izuku laughed. “I release you from the accidental debt.”

“I’ve gotta get better at that,” Shouto said as they left the Starbucks together. “Imagine if I accidentally thanked All for One.”

“I doubt that situation will ever come up.” Izuku chuckled. “He didn’t seem like the type for random acts of kindness.”

“Should we call a cab to the lake?” Shouto asked.

“I can fly you, if you’d like.”

“Flying?” Shouto’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please.”

Izuku knelt down to let Shouto climb on his back.

At Izuku’s speed, the three kilometers to the lake went by in five minutes. They landed on the grass, next to a wooden gazebo. Chestnut trees ran along the dark, murky water. Ducks and a couple geese clustered around the sandy bank. There were two vending machines with pellets of duck food inside. A sign instructed the visitors to only feed the ducks their designated food, for their health.

Turning to Shouto, Izuku asked, “Do you have any coins? I only have my credit card on me.”

“I think so.” Shouto fished around in his pocket and came up with coins to feed into the vending machine.

The ducks jumped to alertness at the sound of the vending machine and waddled over, clearly unafraid.

Izuku held up his phone. “I’m looking for—” He stopped because the ducks only had eyes for Shouto holding the pellets. “I think we’ll have to feed them first before they’ll listen to us.”

Shouto tossed out a handful of pellets, and the ducks fell on them. He smiled. “This is kinda fun. Look at them go. Hey!” Shouto frowned as a large goose pushed away several ducks to hog the food. He quickly tossed more pellets off to the side so the ducks could scramble over and get some.

“Looks like you’re having fun.” A man stood with his hands in the pockets of his overcoat, which was far too heavy for the sunny day. He looked (and smelled) like he’d dressed himself from the dumpster behind a Hot Topic. Black hair had been styled in a questionably spiky manner. He had bright blue eyes and multiple piercings. There were scars and stiches all over his face, to the point where he barely seemed held together. It made Izuku want to ask if he was okay. Except what if he had a zombie quirk? That would be super-rude.

“Yes, this is surprisingly fun,” Shouto said earnestly. “Would you like to feed the ducks too? I used up all my pellets, but I have another coin.”

Izuku wondered if he should tell Shouto not to talk to the weird stranger. This guy had bad vibes. A strange, mean half-smirk quirked up the corners of the man’s lips.

“I believe we have more important matters to discuss than ducks…little brother.” The man waved his hand over his head, and his hair color shifted to white. The color bleached out of his clothing. Blue sparks of fire danced down his arms, singing his already-ripped sleeves.

“Touya!” Shouto gasped. “I’m so glad…that you’re alive…I really thought you’d died back then…” Tears fell down his cheeks.

Izuku felt a bit confused about why the hair color change had revealed anything. Didn’t Touya have red hair? But presumably Shouto knew his own brother. The quirk was a more telling sign.

“I go by Dabi, these days.” Dabi shrugged. “A little bird told me that you were looking for me, baby brother.”

“Oh, so the animals found you.” Shouto nodded.

Izuku said, “Cardinals are smarter than I realized. I didn’t give that bird enough credit. I’ll have to come up with a generous reward of seeds.”

Dabi looked disconcerted. “Huh? No, it’s just a saying. I was told by A—A—oh, never mind.” He accidentally stepped on the food pellets. A hungry goose hissed at his ankle. Dabi hopped away, his heel landing in bird poop. “Aw, man, I just got these boots!” He wiped his shoe off on the grass. “Can we go somewhere to talk that’s less full of birds?”

Shouto wiped his wet face, then smiled. “Of course! We have a lot to talk about.”

The three of them went to the gazebo. Immediately, Shouto threw his arms around Dabi. “What happened to you, big brother? How did you survive the fire?”

Dabi patted Shouto’s back. “You, see, little brother, I didn’t.”

Shouto gazed up, wide-eyed with confusion. “You…didn’t what?”

The charm in Izuku’s pocket glowed, signifying danger. He screamed, “Shouto, get away from him!” At the same time, Izuku summoned up vines bursting through the floorboards to try and drag the brothers apart.

Dabi burned away the vines and ignited the gazebo. Izuku’s plants shielded him and pushed him away from the blast. Ducks squawked and fled.

Dabi stood amongst the wreckage of the gazebo, Shouto pinned under his boot on the ground. Raising his arms high, Dabi cried, “No living man stands before you now! Touya Todoroki died, and Dabi rose from the ashes!”

Izuku had a feeling that Dabi wasn’t just being melodramatic. As Dabi spread his arms wide and spun in a strange dance, his skin seemed to wither and his body became slightly transparent. His coat frosted over, glowing with ice crystals. Certain types of fae were undead, like Dullahan and banshees, but Izuku had never heard of an undead nature spirit before. However, he had no time for scientific speculation.

Shouto twisted under Dabi’s boot, his brow furrowed in concentration, but neither fire nor ice came from his hands. Dabi laughed. “It’s futile, little brother! King All for One gave me a charm to suppress your power—at least long enough to finish this.”

The situation had gone from bad to worse. His parents would be coming, if he could hold Dabi off long enough. Izuku bit his lip and concentrated. Water rose up from the lake in a flood, dousing Dabi and the burning gazebo. The algae attacked Dabi, wrapping around his body like chains.

His wings humming, Izuku flew forward and grabbed Shouto, throwing him away from Dabi. As soon as the contact broke, frost and fire appeared on Shouto’s skin.

The lake water struck Izuku, sucking him in with a rushing sound. The charm at his waist had turned blindingly bright. He batted his wings but could not break free from the force drawing him in. Water made his wings heavy. The swirling light and roaring sound prevented him from seeing or hearing.

The lake had turned into a portal. Desperately, Izuku grew a massive oak tree straight up from the ground. The tree exploded with a shower of leaves and twigs, bisecting the sky and the water. Reaching out, Izuku nearly touched the trunk. Then the swirling portal dragged him in.

Izuku landed on his hands and knees on a polished wooden floor. He coughed and sputtered, a bit of water having gone down the wrong way. The water in his eyes made his vision blurry. But he faintly made out the red hem of All for One’s kimono.

Leaning down, All for One petted Izuku’s curls. The fae king crooned, “You never reached out to me. Here I thought we’d been getting along so well.”

Izuku snarled, “You stole my poppa’s voice!” He knew he couldn’t win, but he wanted to get just one blow in. Drawing back his fist, he punched.

All for One caught his fist. A hazy reddish mist rose off the fae king, smelling like too-strong flowers. The scent overwhelmed Izuku and cast a haze over his mind. As he toppled forward, All for One picked him up.

One last time, Izuku tried to shove the fae king away, then he dropped under.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: First Date

Izuku: I’m free this weekend, want to go looking for your missing brother?

Shouto: Hmm, that’s an unusual date idea but I’m going to assume cultural differences. It must be a fae thing. I’ve heard All for One makes everyone who want to court him go on a quest to find his missing brother.

#

Omake: Alternate Ending

Dabi: You stupid goose, get away from me. (Kicks the goose. The goose attacks. Scene of horrific violence ensues.)

Shouto: Oh, no! Big brother died again!

#

Omake: The Real Issue Here

Izuku: You’re a monster!

All for One: Because I kidnapped you?

Izuku: Because you sent Dabi to kidnap me! I can’t believe I got caught by Dabi. Freaking Dabi! I’m so humiliated. At least being captured by Tomura would have let me retain my dignity.

My Author's Note got too long for the character limit on Ao3 so I'm including part of it here. For today’s Dad for One week prompt, Dabi got the “But no living man am I!” quote. Heh, I keep letting great All for One lines go to other characters. I even let Dabi have a magical girl transformation sequence.

Today, Possiblycringe (tumblr) / BucketOfMud (Ao3) / Popsicles (discord) drew Dabi’s dance and it’s glorious! Both Dabi and All for One have such evil smirks. There is also a bonus sketch of dramatic Dabi. The tumblr link is at https://www.tumblr.com/possiblycringe/722791221895036928/heres-my-art-for-chapter-4-of-me-and.

I almost feel sorry for Kotaro because he had a very hard life after his abduction. Then when he returned home, he had to watch Nana and All Might act close when his mother felt like a stranger to him. But Nana wanted to grow closer to Kotaro, he just kept pushing her away. He saw her motherly love as a zero-sum competition. All Might wanted to become brothers but Kotaro shot that idea down fast. They both tried to be sensitive toward him but Nana would never stop loving All Might like a son and Kotaro wouldn’t accept anything less. When Hana was born, Kotaro let Nana see her for the first year, just long enough to get attached and give Nana hope they could reconcile. Then Kotaro told Nana that she would never see her granddaughter again unless she cut All Might out of her life. It was calculated and breathtakingly cruel. All Might even offered to stop talking to Nana or pretend to stop. But Nana refused. She had a feeling Kotaro would continue to use his children to control her if she let him. She decided it would be less painful for her grandchildren if they never knew her as opposed to her dropping in and out of their lives while they got used as pawns in a malicious game. Also, she never could have rejected her adopted son even as a ruse. Her husband died a long time ago, so she was All Might’s only family. She knew how much it hurt him even to offer. Not unlike canon, Kotaro’s pettiness and inability to forgive ripped his family apart.

Chapter Text

Izuku kept his breathing steady and his eyes closed as he woke up. He inhaled, seeking any invisible clue about his surroundings. An intense floral scent hit his nostrils: morning glories, carnations, hydrangea, and zinnia. A fae nose could detect such fine details. The air felt warm but not uncomfortably hot. Admittedly, summer fae had a high tolerance for heat. Soft sheets rubbed against his back. He lay on his side with his wings folded. The blanket over him felt light. A faint breeze tickled his hair.

“I know you’re awake,” All for One said.

Izuku’s eyes shot open and he sat up.

He’d been placed in a giant bed shaped like a sleigh with white morning glory vines creeping up the back. A gauzy curtain fell over the bed, though it hung open to let All for One watch him sleep. The fae king sat in a wicker chair with his legs crossed. Tall, thick ryegrass grew up from the floor. The walls looked like the hollowed-out inside of a tree. Moss ran up the ceiling. An entire garden of flowers grew around his bed: all the same ones he’d smelled. Each flower had green petals. A branch sprouted from the floor, forming the shape of a bookshelf. There was a dark purple cushioned seat tucked next to the windowsill. Two half-open doors led to a closet and a bathroom.

There was no light, because there was no need with the giant window taking up most of a wall. A thick forest spread out below. Izuku could tell from the branches stretching out his window that he was, in fact, inside a hollow tree. A very high tree, towering far above the others. The sun beat hot overhead. Although Izuku felt strange admitting it, he felt more healthy, well-rested, and brimming with magic than he had ever been in his entire life. The lack of iron felt wonderful, but this was even stronger than the effect of the fae marketplace. That shining, brilliant sun overhead seemed to nourish him. It was as if he’d spent his entire life on allergy medication, and now could breathe clearly for the very first time.

Izuku had been changed into a soft, silk white robe. The realization made him flinch. “My clothes…”

“Human items aren’t allowed here.” All for One spoke as if this should be obvious. “You can still have your broach.” Sounding as if he thought himself very generous, he included his head at the green fan pin sitting on the end table. “I removed the dangerous magic.”

Izuku snatched the fan up. He was tempted to put the sharp edge through All for One’s eye, but that would be very foolish. The older fae was too powerful to be turned into a weasel, unfortunately. Even if Izuku could somehow win against a fae king, he had no idea how to get home. He licked his lips.

All for One held out a cup of cold water. “Here.”

Izuku eyed it suspiciously. “You already tried that trick, father dearest.”

He’d meant the title sarcastically, but All for One smiled. “Your knowledge of your own culture appears to be lacking. No summer fae needs to fear eating food in our own realm. Imagine if we had to be wary before every single meal! You will not incur a debt for anything you eat here. This is your palace and your kingdom.”

Izuku hesitated, staring into the clear water with his throat itching. This sounded legitimate. Izuku had never needed to ask his parents to clear him of debt when eating at home. Yet still he turned All for One’s words around in his mind, looking for any hidden loophole. A fae so mad that he could lie should not be trusted. For that matter, what if the drink was drugged?

Eyes narrowed, All for One growled, “Drink the water, Kazuki Shigaraki.” Then he smirked as if he’d believed he’d done something clever.

Izuku realized that 1. All for One believed Kazuki Shigaraki to be his true name; and 2. The command had zero impact on him.

True names were tricky for fae. Normally your true name was your first one whether you knew it or not. But fae had sometimes been able to change their true names. The trick: you had to honestly believe your true name was something different. The more calculated the attempt, the less likely it was to work. A handful of pitiful fae had accidentally made their fake, commonly used names into their true names by neglecting to think of themselves by the old one, and then they had no choice but to flee the fae realm. That was another reason why some fae considered it wise to swap true names with their most trusted loved ones, to keep the names in use.

Izuku had always believed his true name to be the one Yoichi had given him: Mikumo Akatani. Even now he felt no pull towards the name Kazuki. He expected this had a lot to do with him refusing to acknowledge All for One as his true father. If he thought too hard about this then it might stop working.

There were only seconds to decide what to do. Izuku had every reason to let All for One believe that his control had worked. This could be an important weakness to exploit to escape. It was worth the risk of a drug in the water. Reaching for the glass, Izuku drank.

The water tasted milky and smooth, which gave Izuku a brief moment of panic before he realized it was mineral water.

All for One smirked. “Now we have that out of the way, let’s lay down some ground rules. Children need boundaries. Kazuki Shigaraki, by your true name, I bind you: you will obey any and every direct order from me. You will not circumvent my orders. You will not leave the summer palace, and you will fight anyone who tries to remove you. You will make no effort to dethrone or seal me. You will not harm yourself or me, nor stand idle when you could prevent harm.” As an afterthought, he added, “Oh, and you won’t harm your Uncle Yoichi either.”

Izuku gaped, stunned that All for One’s very first order had been for him to obey all other orders. Whoa, he wasn’t even giving Izuku a chance to cooperate before skipping straight to total enslavement. Not that Izuku had been planning to cooperate, but still. It was also extremely telling that All for One had not forbidden Izuku to stand by idly while Yoichi got harmed. From a fae king, there was no chance that part of the order had been omitted accidentally. All for One intended to do things to Yoichi that he knew Izuku would classify as harm.

All for One was watching him carefully. Of course Izuku would be expected to have a big emotional reaction to being enslaved for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, Izuku had never been a particularly good actor. And he didn’t feel horrified, just pissed off.

To hide his expression, Izuku threw himself onto the bed and buried his face into a pillow. His shoulders heaved, his wings bristled, and he made sounds imitating sobs.

All for One patted his head. “There, there. It won’t be so bad. You’ll get used to it. Yoichi got used to it, after the initial temper-tantrum.” His voice held a wistful note.

Izuku shuddered, for real this time. “You’re a lying oath-breaker.” That was a heavy insult, and he spat it out with according venom. “You swore not to harm me.”

“And I meant every word,” All for One said. “I’m your father, and it’s my job to protect you even when you don’t want it. In your home, you’ll become the summer prince you were always meant to be.” His fingers ran through Izuku’s curls. “I brought you here to heal you from the taint of that wretched human and changeling. They destroyed my little brother, twisted him and turned him against me, then used him to seal me away.”

Not true, Yoichi had sealed All for One away of his own initiative. But All for One had somehow convinced himself of this despite the timing not adding up. A fae who could lie to himself so well that he could deceive others was a twisted abomination. Izuku shuddered again.

“You need rest, little prince. A temporary order: do not leave this room until I return for you.” All for One rubbed the space between Izuku’s wings and sang a soft lullaby, which Izuku realized was meant to lure him to sleep. He faked it to get the fae king to leave.

Once alone, boredom quickly set in. Izuku explored his small bedroom and found nothing to use as a weapon. His captivity already pressed on his spirits. The door had not even been locked, due to All for One’s confidence in his orders. The open window made his wings twitch. But realistically, Izuku would not last long being hunted alone in the summer realm. He needed to fake compliance long enough to convince All for One to take him out of the palace. Then perhaps he would have a real chance.

By the seasons, his parents must be worried sick. Shouto probably blamed himself. Looking back, Izuku realized he’d made a mistake in phrasing his question “If you were me, how would you find Touya Todoroki?” All for One had known Dabi meant harm to Shouto, but someone like the fae king wouldn’t hesitate to use Shouto as bait. Izuku had thought he’d been so clever at the time, but he’d walked into a trap. All for One had planned to use his connection to Dabi from the beginning. What had happened to Shouto after Izuku’s capture? Had Dabi hurt him? Izuku paced faster, wings fluttering hard enough to kick up his sheets.

Someone knocked on the door. All for One probably wouldn’t knock. Izuku opened the door a crack.

A fae stood in the hallway. His skin appeared to be made of swirling black shadows, completely obscuring his face. The shadows rose up to form jagged wings at his back. His eyes glowed yellow. He bowed. “Your Highness, I’m here to help you get dressed. My name is Kurogiri.”

Izuku gasped. “Did you…just give me your true name?” Fae introduced themselves saying they were called by a certain name not that it was their name.

Kurogiri said, “I’m dead, so I no longer have a true name. Only His Majesty can command me. As he took my magic and breathed back his own power into me, I belong to him.”

Then this fae (former fae?) was one of All for One’s mindless servants. Izuku’s skin crawled. The power radiating off Kurogiri felt like summer, yet stripped of all life. It was wrong, wicked, an abomination. But that wasn’t Kurogiri’s fault, and Izuku’s parents had taught him manners. He stepped back and opened the door. “I appreciate your help.”

Kurogiri selected a green kimono. The matching green coat had white and black swirls on the sleeves. Izuku didn’t need help getting dressed, so he persuaded Kurogiri to leave and then come back to fasten his belt.

Although Izuku had hoped to leave now, Kurogiri went into the closet and came out with a box of jewelry. A dazzling number of shinning jewels filled the case. Kurogiri selected a set of five rings, each attached to a silver chain that in turn attached to a silver-and-diamond bracelet. He slid it onto Izuku’s right hand. Izuku didn’t like it—it felt like he was wearing chains. But no one asked him. Kurogiri added an identical set to his other hand. Next came jade beads over his neck. Kurogiri fussed with his hair, deeming it too short for a bun but slicking it back. Finally, Kurogiri placed a crown on his head: a golden tiara interwoven with sapphire, rubies, and diamonds. A large emerald sat heavily in the dip down on his forehead.

Izuku murmured, “That looks more like a Western than a Japanese crown.”

Kurogiri said, “The summer prince’s crown dates back to before the fae crossed the ocean over to Japan.”

Izuku startled. He hadn’t expected a reply.

Kurogiri held up a mirror. “How do you like it?”

There was no way to respond both politely and truthfully, but Kurogiri didn’t deserve to be blamed. Izuku settled for: “You did an excellent job.”

“I agree,” All for One said from the doorway. The fae king swept into the room and lifted Izuku up in his arms.

Izuku squirmed on instinct, then went limp, afraid he would reveal his secret. Except he hadn’t been ordered not to squirm so maybe he could have? Maybe it would be more suspicious not to struggle? Aargh, this was going to become frustrating very quickly.

All for One carried Izuku into an old-fashioned office with bookshelves covering two walls. An ink well and many scrolls sat on the desk. He set Izuku down in a chair with a red velvet back. “You can play here while I work, like my little brother used to.” He handed Izuku a box full of large wooden puzzle pieces. “Why don’t you solve this?”

“Uh…how young do you think I am?” Izuku pushed the small puzzle together in five swift movements.

“Good job.” All for One patted his head. “It appears I’ve missed so much of your childhood. There might be a way to make you younger again…but I need you to look like yourself for now…”

Izuku shuddered and revised his estimate of how long he had to escape.

All for One handed Izuku a book. “Here, this used to be a childhood favorite of mine.”

Izuku took the book without looking. “I’ll read peacefully without disturbing you, if you will please tell me what happened to Shouto Todoroki.” Fear for his friend had been scratching at the back of his mind.

All for One raised an eyebrow. “You’ll sit quietly regardless if I order it…but very well. Such a small request can be granted. After you came through the portal, the fight drew the attention of human heroes. I ordered Dabi to leave. Shouto Todoroki suffered no harm other than being stepped on. It would not be politic for me to pick a fight with the yuki-onna at this time. But now I have the Clan Head Rei’s son as a hostage, I will be able to prevent them from supporting the Winter King.”

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. Then he frowned. “Order? Hostage? Does Dabi not serve you willingly?”

All for One chuckled. “I have control over the minds of those I raise from the dead. Dabi owes me such a massive debt, he’ll never be free of it. That fool is so easy to manipulate, he believes that he’s serving me of his own free will. A little tweak to his mental state is all that it takes to send him into a rage. Why, he’d even kill his own little brother for me! What a worthless, weak-willed creature. I’ve clouded his mind until he feels nothing except hate. If he goes too far, then an order jerks him back in line.”

“I’m surprised you so carelessly risked the secrecy of the magic world to kidnap me,” Izuku muttered.

“Bah. Humans attribute everything to quirks. Dabi is just another villain to them.” All for One flipped his hand. “Besides, I could have used Dabi as a scapegoat if anything went wrong. No one currently connects him to me.”

“Clever,” Izuku said. Evil, but clever. He was currently pretending to be a nice, cooperative prisoner who developed Stockholm Syndrome super-fast, and this was his first chance to offer a compliment he could say honestly.

All for One smiled. “I learned such tricks to survive. Fortunately, you have me to look after you, so you’ll never need to struggle for your life.”

There was nothing positive to say to that, but fortunately All for One did not seem to expect a reply.

As All for One sat at his desk and worked, Izuku read. His parents had given him this same fantasy book before, but it was a mindless way to pass the time. When Izuku itched his ankle, he noticed something written on the chair leg. Bending over, he read: Help, help, I’m bored out of my mind.

It was Yoichi’s handwriting. Izuku found it more horrific than funny. How long had Yoichi been trapped in this chair by an insanely possessive brother? No wonder Izuku’s parents had been so frantic to take him away as a baby and keep him from All for One.

Kurogiri knocked on the door, then entered. “Your Majesty, Dabi is here to see you. He’s brought Tenko Shimura.”

Izuku stiffened upon hearing the name of Nana’s grandson.

All for One smiled. “Excellent. You may bring him in.” He turned to Izuku. “Do not speak a word in young Shimura’s presence.”

Sarcastically, Izuku mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key.

A young man with shaggy white hair entered. Licking cracked lips, he said, “Than—um, I mean, I’m greatly honored that you agreed to meet me, Your Majesty. I’ve been manifesting summer fae magic, and I believe that I’m a changeling. I’m looking for my biological family because I’ve been having trouble controlling my powers. My friend Dabi said that you might be able to help me.”

All for One smiled, a normal smile for once, which meant it must be fake. “Helping changelings is within the scope of my duties as king. Of course, there will be a small price.”

Izuku paled. He remembered the story of Kotaro Shimura obtaining fae magic for his son. Tenko was looking for family in completely the wrong place. Nana was Winter King All Might’s foster mother, which made her All for One’s enemy. All for One definitely planned to take advantage of this situation. Izuku refused to let that happen to his Aunt Nana.

Ripping off his crown, Izuku threw it like a discus. The priceless summer artifact smashed through the window with a crash. Looking directly at his father, he smiled brightly.

All for One rubbed his forehead. He mumbled, “Yes, this rebellion happened with Yoichi too. He always hated crowns. Young man, no dessert after dinner for you. Sit there while I retrieve the crown.” All for One vanished the rest of the window with a blast of magic, then flew out.

As soon as they were alone, Izuku hissed, “Psst! I know your grandmother, Nana Shimura. She’s a tengu. You had fae magic implanted as a child. All for One hates your grandmother and has no good intentions toward you. Turn him down, but do it so that he doesn’t realize you know. And please, please, please don’t tell him that I spoke to you or he’ll make me pay for it.”

Tenko gaped, shocked at the outpouring of words. “How do you know—?” He stopped talking as All for One returned.

Izuku was taking a big risk. But Nana was family, and that made Tenko family too.

All for One flew over and placed the crown on Izuku’s forehead. “There you are, little prince. A new order: no deliberately destroying your clothing or losing your jewelry.”

Tenko cleared his throat. “You look busy. Perhaps I should come back tomorrow? I’ll sign a contract if you have it ready then.”

Distractedly, All for One nodded. “Yes, it’s Izuku’s first day and I have many preparations to make. Return tomorrow, and I’ll have a contract prepared. Kurogiri will show you out.”

As Tenko left, Izuku heaved an internal sigh of relief that his gamble had paid off.

With the exception of that excitement, the day passed boringly. All for One barely interacted with Izuku as he worked. From the overheard bits, he seemed to be preparing a ball. Izuku couldn’t help noticing that All for One didn’t seem interesting in getting to know him so much as possessing him and showing him off.

Even at mealtime, All for One seemed much more interested in teaching Izuku about the summer realm than learning anything about Izuku’s own life. Izuku got to hear a lot of stories about Yoichi’s childhood. He was curious, because his poppa never talked about it. After All for One told a “funny” story about tricking Yoichi into thinking one of his servants wanted to help him escape as a lesson to teach him to trust no one, Izuku understood why Yoichi didn’t talk much about his past.

That night, All for One tucked Izuku into bed with a stuffed rabbit. “If you have trouble sleeping, you’re welcome to sleep in my bed.”

Izuku twitched. “It will be fine. I fall asleep very easily.” Goosebumps raised down his arms at the infantilizing tone. When it became obvious that All for One wouldn’t leave until he slept, he faked slumber again.

Even after that, All for One spent too long watching before he finally left.

The next morning, Kurogiri dressed Izuku up in another fancy outfit for breakfast. Over an omelet, All for One asked, “Do you know how to dance?”

Izuku’s wings flared up. “Of course I know how to dance.” The question was extremely insulting. You might as well ask a merperson or selkie if they could swim.

“Good, otherwise we’d need to fake an injury,” All for One said. “Kurogiri will test your dancing after breakfast, then dress you in your costume. You will be introduced to all the fae from around the courts who I could gather on short notice this evening. You will behave. There will be no mischief and broken windows like yesterday.”

It wasn’t a request, because Izuku had no choice. Whoa, being forced to pretend to obey orders didn’t feel a whole lot better than actually being forced to obey orders. He stabbed his omelet viciously. “Why are you in such a rush to introduce me anyway…?” His voice trailed off as he realized. There was only one reason All for One would be in such a hurry and invite foreign guests to his ball. All for One wanted the world to know that he had Izuku. To be more precise, he wanted Izuku’s parents to know.

Izuku remembered All for One’s confidence that he would get his brother back in his grasp. He would serve as bait for his poppa. And unfortunately, he knew it would work.

All for One chuckled. “I think it’s important that a family spend time together.” Either he thought Izuku too stupid to pick up on such a blatant hint of his true intentions or he didn’t care.

Izuku felt so sick he could barely choke down his food.

Dancing practice with Kurogiri was at least a little fun, because All for One didn’t bother him. Kurogiri said the king was too busy preparing for the ball. In a quieter voice, Kurogiri added that All for One had been in a bad mood because Tenko didn’t return, so Izuku should do his best to behave.

Izuku was not thrilled about a costume getting picked out for him, but he felt relieved to be out of the heavy and constricting kimonos. Kurogiri dressed him in light green pants with a dark green jacket. The jacket had a pattern of little bunnies and white ruffles in the front. The outfit came with a small green sequined mask, as if All for One wanted to hide as little of Izuku’s face as possible. Next Kurogiri placed on a headband with soft, floppy green bunny ears that fell down over his cheeks. There was a cotton tail (also green). And of course the outfit came with more jewelry: golden rings on his fingers and wrist cuffs as tight as chains. Finally, Kurogiri added sparkles all over his face like extra freckles.

When All for One strode into the room, Kurogiri immediately bowed and retreated. All for One was dressed like a demon king: a scaled red bodysuit with an armored black coat. Silver spikes jutted from his shoulders. The belt at his waist had a clasp shaped like a bat and glowing with a flickering internal fire. More silver spikes jutted from his knee-high boots. His mask was obsidian and ferocious, with golden ram’s horns rising above his head. Black bat wings spread behind him.

Izuku startled. “Did you shapeshift your wings?”

“Oh, no, this is merely a little illusion magic.” All for One winked, and his wings shifted to black butterfly wings, then back again. “You looked adorable, my little bunny.” He bent down to kiss the top of Izuku’s head between the rabbit ears. Then he extended his hand. “Come.”

Pretending a compulsion to follow orders had gotten old real fast. Izuku grabbed the hand before his hesitation looked suspicious. He’d damn well better be able to use this against All for One later.

All for One ripped his claw through the air, opening a swirling portal. They stepped through.

The ballroom was already full, but all noise stopped when they arrived. The massive room had red and gold walls, with gilding running down the pillars and a fresco of frolicking fae above. The chandelier was truly massive, made up of what must have been thousands of crystals, with four separate smaller chandeliers dangling around the larger one in a square.

All for One walked Izuku down a red carpet, toward two cushioned red thrones against the back wall. One was large with a gold back, the second smaller. The guests stared as they passed. Everyone here appeared to be fae, judging from their wings. Most wore animal masks and costumes, though Izuku also glimpsed a few others, such as a blue jester mask, seashells, and a flower headdress.

When Izuku passed a man with spiky red hair, a scar, and gauntlets, he stumbled. But a second glance quickly revealed this was not his papa—the fae was much taller and skinnier with a longer face.

Following Izuku’s stare, All for One murmured, “I see someone came dressed as the Iron Maelstrom. What poor taste.” Something dark lurked in that droll tone, making Izuku fear for the life of whoever had picked that foolish costume.

Now Izuku noticed several other guests dressed up as humans: a woman in a sparking green flapper dress, a man in a samurai costume. Given that the theme of this ball seemed to be animals, Izuku wondered if this said something about how fae viewed humans. Or maybe he was too sensitive—All for One had dressed as a demon after all.

Inclining his head at the samurai, All for One whispered, “Quite a few fae think that’s the latest in human fashion.”

Izuku stifled a giggle. No wonder it had taken the fae so long to notice that humans had guns.

At the other end of the room, All for One sat down on this throne and waved Izuku to the smaller one next to him. Raising his voice, he called, “I’m pleased to present my son, Prince Izuku. You may resume.”

The band started playing again, a traditional Japanese folk song. The masked fae around the room whirled and spun.

Izuku looked around. There was a food table on the right wall. He did not see any windows, and there was only one door in the front. Armored fae stood guard. He didn’t think he’d be escaping today. But then, he’d already known that. He needed a better plan. Unfortunately, that required patience.

At the least, he’d love a bit of time away from All for One. Leaning over, Izuku whispered, “Can I dance, too?”

“A prince should not ask his inferiors to dance.” All for One looked indifferent. “If someone else requests a dance from you, then I’ll allow it.”

Izuku slumped down in his seat. That sounded suspiciously like a no. Then what had been the purpose of testing his dancing? Just for him to sit here bored? “How often does anyone ask you to dance at these affairs?”

“You’d be surprised,” All for One said cheerfully. “I’m a fae king. I’m considered quite a catch.”

Izuku stared.

All for One laughed. “You should see the look on your face! Jealous at the idea of sharing your father?” His taunting tone made it obvious he was joking. Even he couldn’t be that deluded. He reached over and pinched Izuku’s cheek.

“Excuse me?” a hesitant voice called. “May I have a dance with His Highness?”

Izuku sat up straight. A girl stood before his throne with her hand extended. She wore a flowing white dress with a pink sash and a feathery white-pink boa so thick it nearly looked like a coat. A crown of pink feathers rose off her flamingo mask. She had pink hair and yellow horns—Mina Ashido!

Mina winked at him. He started to reach for her hand.

“Not with the traitors’ daughter,” All for One said coldly. The entire room seemed to become hotter even as the light dimmed. The murder radiating off him made the closest dancers stumble and fall.

Mina’s legs shook and her wings folded tightly. Casting one last glance back at Izuku, she stumbled away.

Izuku slouched. “I knew you meant no.”

“No need to pout, bunny.” All for One stroked Izuku’s curls. “I’ll let you dance with the next fae who isn’t one of All Might’s fools.”

“No one is going to ask me after you put on that display,” Izuku growled.

“P-please pardon me, oh magnificent king and beautiful prince. If I’m bothering you at all, then I’ll go away,” a high-pitched voice squeaked. “Um…m-may I…have a d-dance?”

To Izuku’s astonishment, he recognized this fae as well: Yuga Aoyama, sweating so hard he’d soaked his cravat. He’d dressed like a French cavalier, complete with the curly white wig and a white mask with black lace around the eyes. But his rainbow wings were unmistakable.

“Go on then, you can dance with the lad,” All for One said, smiling indulgently.

Izuku leapt to his feet and grabbed Aoyama’s hand before the offer could be revoked.

The music had shifted to a lively jig. Izuku took the lead because Aoyama could clearly barely remember the steps.

Aoyama whispered, “I’m sorry for turning you in.” His hands were so sweaty it became difficult to hold on.

“You’re forgiven. I never blamed you,” Izuku said, surprised at the apology. Aoyama had owed a debt to All for One, what else could he have done?

“I don’t want to be involved in this,” Aoyama muttered. “I’m only here because I really am sorry, and because Ashido and Uraraka get scary when they’re angry. They thought that All for One might not let you dance with a winter fae, so Ashido tried first. They were hoping he wouldn’t recognize Ashido. Then they forced me to ask you! Uraraka had to sit on Todoroki to stop him from trying.”

“Todoroki is here too? I thought the ball was only for fae.”

“May I cut in?” Shouto asked, answering the question. He wore a furry snow leopard’s mask covering half his face. His suit had a white-with-black-spots pattern. He had a cat’s tail and tall white boots. Strangely, his ears were pointed like a fae. His shimmering silver wings gleamed like knives. Surely the wings must be fake, but they moved slightly.

Aoyama threw Izuku at Shouto, then fled, heading straight for the exit.

Izuku fell forward, ending up with his face pressed uncomfortably close to Shouto. At this range he could feel the yuki-onna’s slightly frosty breath tickling his face. “Hey,” he said breathlessly.

“How are you doing? Did All for One hurt you?” Shouto demanded, grabbing his face to examine him.

“I’m physically unharmed, just trapped here.” Before anyone bumped into them, Izuku grabbed Shouto’s hands and spun him away. “How can you be here?”

Shouto dipped Izuku as an excuse to lean close, then murmured into his ear: “Uraraka snuck me in, disguised as her brother. Sylph and yuki-onna magic feels very similar. She’s using illusion magic on me, to give me fae ears and wings. We have to stay within eyesight of her so she can manipulate my wings to move.” He jerked his head at the food table.

Ochaco stood by the punch bowl, munching on meatballs on a skewer. She waved at them. She’d dressed as an angel, with a short frilly white dress and flowing lacey sleeves. Her pleated skirt turned black at the bottom, almost as if she was an angel in the process of falling. She had a halo made of half-white, half-black feathers. Combined with her claws and knife-like wings, she gave off the impression of the type of angel who cried “Fear Not!” She tossed her skewer in the trash, then grabbed another one. With her other hand, she wrapped mochi in a napkin and slipped it into her purse.

Instinctively, Izuku looked for All for One too, but he couldn’t see the fae king amongst the crowded dancers. It gave him a tiny bit of relief.

“You look amazing as a fae. Not that you don’t always look amazing.” Izuku flushed. The music turned faster, forcing him to step rapidly and making it even harder to think. “The costume, I love the costume, it’s very you.”

“How kind of you to say.” Shouto twirled Izuku. “Your bunny costume looks adorable.”

“I’d prefer cool or ferocious.” Izuku sighed.

“I wouldn’t dream of underestimating you.” Shouto spun them in a circle. “I’m sure you could bite through my throat like a carrot.”

“You say the nicest things.” Izuku giggled.

The fast beats made it difficult for them to find a moment to talk. At least it was fun dancing with Shouto. He had an instinct for moving with the beat.

Fortunately, the next song was a slow one. Izuku put his arms around Shouto’s back and pressed their cheeks together. Then he whispered, “Is it safe for you to be here?”

“Not at all,” Shouto whispered back. “All for One made a promise guaranteeing the safety of his guests. That’s the only reason Ashido and Uraraka’s parents let them come. However, I’m not invited so I’d be in big trouble if anyone found me.”

“Then you should leave,” Izuku hissed, struggling to keep his voice low.

“I had to see if you were safe with my own two eyes.” Shouto held on a bit tighter. “It’s all my fault that you got captured. I’m sorry.”

It was on the tip of Izuku’s tongue to send Shouto away. But he realized that running away like Aoyama could possibly look suspicious. It would be better to finish the dance, then have him go. “No, please don’t blame yourself. I made plenty of mistakes to lead me to this point. It wasn’t even entirely Dabi’s fault. It turns out All for One has been controlling his mind.”

“That’s helpful to know.” Shouto sighed, his breathing soft against Izuku’s neck. Even under the present circumstances, Izuku couldn’t help blushing. Shouto cradled Izuku’s face, blocking their lips from being read. “I’m sorry, I’ve thought of a million plans, but I can’t find a way to get you out of here. There are too many guards.”

“I know. This ball is a trap.” Izuku wouldn’t expect someone who hadn’t been friends with him for very long to take on All for One. “Please don’t risk your life.”

Shouto’s body heat burned hotter from his internal furnace. “I’ll find a way to help you. My parents are powerful, and this is our fight, too. All for One has my big brother.”

That was a very good point. However, Izuku wasn’t optimistic. Hopefully the Todoroki parents would keep Shouto’s recklessness under control. Izuku murmured, “Could you pass along a message for me? Tell the tengu Nana Shimura that All for One has his sights set on her grandson.”

Their faces still touching, Shouto nodded very slightly. “I will.”

“And tell my parents not to come to the fae realm. All for One is using me to lure them into a trap.”

Swaying with the music, Shouto hesitated. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to contact your parents. You never told me where you live, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to tell me now. All for One probably isn’t eavesdropping, or he would have interrupted us already. But even if the odds are low, the risk is too great.”

“You’re right. It wouldn’t be worth it, not to tell them what they already know.” Izuku’s eyes stung. “Not to give them a warning…that they won’t even listen to…” Because Izuku knew his parents would come for him, no matter what. Kaiji and Sanzou would die, and Yoichi would be enslaved. It would be all Izuku’s fault, for making the poor choices that had led to this point. His stupid teenage rebellion would end in the death of his family. Tears overflowed from his eyes and dripped down his face.

Shouto stopped dancing. He put an arm around Izuku’s shoulders. “It will be okay.” With people turning to stare at them, he did not say what would be okay.

Izuku sniffled and tried to stop his tears, but they only fell harder. Shouto pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped at his face.

In a voice that cracked the air, All for One demanded, “Did you make my son cry?”

The crowd parted as the furious fae king rose up in the air.

A skewer sticking out of her mouth, Ochaco flew forward and grabbed Shouto, knocking him backward. Mina quickly danced in front of them to hide them from view, dragging along her partner, a girl with chin-length dark purple hair and an asymmetrical fringe. She was doing an excellent impression of someone failing to notice the sudden lack of music. White mist rose up around Ochaco and Shouto, then they vanished. Ochaco must be using her illusions to hide them.

Izuku leapt in front of All for One and wrapped his arms around his waist to stop him. “Dad, he didn’t do anything to hurt me. My emotions overwhelmed me suddenly. I’m tired. Please, take me home.”

All for One looked down at Izuku’s teary eyes, and his expression softened. “Perhaps this was a bit much for your first time out in public. Very well.” The fae king wrapped Izuku up in his wings and carried him away.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: How Dabi Got Bound, Version One

Dabi: Thank you for saving my life, kind fae king.

All for One: Got you.

Dabi: This is so embarrassing…I thanked a fae…I’m going to pretend to be serving him of my own free will because it’s too embarrassing.

#

Omake: Dabi Joins the Darkside, Version Two

All for One: Serve me or I’ll make you dance to death.

Dabi: (Crying from joy) I always wanted to die dancing! I’ll devote myself to your cause.

All for One: Whelp that unintentionally worked out in my favor but I still feel annoyed.

#

Omake: Pre-Ball Preparations

Shouto: Do my leopard fangs look adequately ferocious? I need to show Izuku that I’m capable of protecting him.

Ochaco: Can someone else carry my belongings? I’m stripping all the contents of my purse so that I have as much room as possible for swiping food.

Mina: All for One will never recognize my pink hair and yellow horns if I’m wearing a mask. My disguise is perfect!

#

Omake: Time is Hard for Fae

Fae wearing a 1920s flapper dress: Heh, look at that fool in armor! I’m wearing the latest human fashion from America.

Izuku: Uh, did you get it from a store selling retro clothing?

Fae: Yeah, doesn’t retro mean trendy among the humans?

#

Omake: Misunderstandings

All for One: Ah, I see that the Ashidos have realized their daughter is the only summer fae of an appropriate age to make a match with my son, and decided to use her to worm back into my good graces. How trashy.

Mina: Um…no offense to Midoriya, but my parents would disown me if I made them in-laws with All for One.

#

Omake: Against the Natural Order

Shouto: If only I was a fae so I could attend the ball. But if my family was fae then my oldest brother would be good at dancing.

Dabi: Hey!

#

Omake: Priorities

Shouto: I’m here for true love.

Aoyama: I’m here out of guilt.

Mina: I’m here for the rightful heir to the throne.

Ochaco: I’m here for the free food.

Chapter Text

Back in the bedroom, All for One sat Izuku down on his bed and clasped his hands. “What’s wrong? Did someone insult you? That would be an insult to the throne. Give me a name, and I’ll take care of it. Are you feeling unwell?”

WHAT WAS WRONG?! How about the fact that Izuku had been kidnapped and enslaved by a madman? Or how he was being used as bait to catch his parents? The most infuriating part was how All for One asked as if he genuinely didn’t know. The second most infuriating part was that All for One clearly believed he was practicing good parenting. The fae’s voice held a tired note, as if he was thinking, My child interrupted my party with his annoying display of weakness but I’m going to comfort him instead of scold him because I’m such a GREAT PARENT.

Izuku could practically see All for One awarding himself a father of the year medal, and it made him furious. “If you actually gave a damn then you’d already know! Does your brain have oak wilt?”

“Am I going to have to add an extra order for language?” All for One pinched his forehead and visibly calmed himself. His voice became soothing. “Now, now, I can’t know how to make you feel better if you don’t tell me.”

“When have you expressed the slightest interest in knowing my mind?” Izuku shouted. “You faked interest in my life for one meal before you kidnapped me! Then you made me sit in your office dressed like a cute doll without even talking to me. You couldn’t make it more obvious that you only view me as an object to obtain.” Izuku had plenty more to say, but he stopped talking because he realized this tirade would be counterproductive to his plans. He took deep breaths, his wings bristling. If he punched All for One in the nose then his entire ruse would be up. But that insufferable face made such a tempting target.

All for One drew back, his lips parted in surprise. “I didn’t realize you felt like that. Yesterday I was too busy throwing together the ball at the last minute. I see how it was a lot to expect of someone raised in the human realm, to attend a fae masquerade right away.” All for One made it sound like Izuku had been raised in a pig pen. “It was necessary. But now that I’ve spread word about your presence, you can remain in private until you feel more ready. I’ll set aside time tomorrow for us to bond. How does that sound?”

Whoa, All for One had completely missed the point. The very last thing Izuku wanted was father-son bonding time. However, it would be indisputably helpful to his plan to fake appeasement. Izuku hesitated, his wings shifting. “Can we go outside? I’d like to see more of the fae realm.”

All for One said, “We’ll have a picnic in the palace gardens.”

Not as good, but still better than Izuku had expected on his first try. Izuku nodded. “That sounds much better than yesterday.” He phrased his words carefully because he couldn’t say he wanted to go on the picnic without choking on the lie.

All for One said, “You must be hungry. You never got a chance to sample the food table. We’ll have a family dinner tonight and you can tell me all about yourself.”

Izuku stifled a groan, because he’d asked for this.

“…Then I turned my teacher into a weasel.”

All for One laughed uproariously. “What a natural fae prince! I’m glad that Yoichi at least taught you how to use your powers. How has Yoichi been doing? Is he looking after his health? He had weak health as a child.”

Izuku winced. He’d directed the topic to his many expulsions, because All for One loved hearing about him tormenting humans. But All for One kept asking about Yoichi. It might turn into an order soon. Izuku feared giving away anything about how to find his parents, and also feared giving away that he could defy orders. Better to talk willingly, but be vague. “I never would have guessed, he’s always been healthy. He moonlights as a vigilante. He fell into the job accidentally, actually. He stopped a terrorist attack from the Creature Rejection Clan and got accused of vigilantism. Being motivated by spite, he decided to make the lie become true.” A story from before Izuku had even been born should be harmless enough.

All for One’s lips twisted. “Yoichi always had an excess of compassion. And pettiness.” His tone held an emotion difficult to place, some swirl of positive and negative reminiscence.

“He’s into gardening. Our garden has won countless prizes. And he has a parttime job as a tattoo artist.”

“Tattoos? Those body mutilations favored by human criminals?” All for One wrinkled his nose.

Izuku took the cue to change the subject. “We had private lessons together about fae culture. He used to sing me a lullaby from his childhood.” He hummed the notes of The Fairy Lullaby. “Do you remember that one?”

All for One’s smile returned. “Yes, my mother used to sing it to my brother and I as children. I sang it to Yoichi after we were on our own.”

“Poppa was too young to remember much about his mother. I’d love to hear more from you,” Izuku said, trying to change the subject.

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped. Enunciating each word, All for One said, “You will refer to your uncle as Uncle Yoichi. That’s an order.”

Izuku sank down in his seat. He’d screwed up. Now a single slip of the tongue might give him away.

…Come to think of it, why hadn’t All for One yet ordered Izuku to give up his parents’ location?

Should Izuku count himself lucky and avoid the topic? But it made no sense. All for One wouldn’t have become a fae king without understanding how to control people. It should have been his very first question. Unless All for One knew that Izuku’s true name was different, and this was all an elaborate test.

There was not the tiniest chance in humanity’s hell that All for One had planned an elaborate ball to lure in Yoichi when he could have just asked Izuku a question. Izuku had to know if his entire escape plan had been compromised. Time to rip off the last leaf of summer. “Why haven’t you asked me where to find Uncle Yoichi?”

“Because he’s no longer in the human realm,” All for One replied. “He left shortly after you. The Winter King made an extremely controversial decision to rescind the exile of my brother’s kidnappers. They’re in winter right now.”

Izuku swallowed, his appetite suddenly gone. He’d known his parents would come for him. But this confirmation still shook him.

That night, he could barely sleep.

The sun felt harsh to Izuku’s baggy eyes and aching head as All for One led him outside. A picnic basket floated next to them. Izuku looked around and plotted escape routes.

Right away, he noticed the huge marble wall around the palace. It spread off into the distance, easily miles around. It protected a huge oak tree growing into the shape of a palace with turrets and pointed towers. Furthermore, a shimmering magical net overhead prevented flying. Maybe it would be smarter to find a portal.

The garden around the palace looked gloriously untamed. Wildflowers and moss grew around tall trees. Flowers suited to shade clustered near the roots: foxglove, hydrangea, lily-of-the-valley, primroses, and violets. A field spread off to the left, full of hibiscus, peonies, sunflowers, marigolds, and more stretching out as far as the eye could see. There was no path, so All for One and Izuku flew over the flowers instead. The smell nearly overwhelmed him, dirt and leaves and so many floral scents mixed together. Though the plants seemed disorganized, Izuku could tell they were all healthy so they must be tended to by a gardener. The more invasive species had been carefully prevented from taking over. There was a method to the madness.

When All for One found a shady spot of grass under a yew tree with no flowers, Izuku became even more convinced that the garden had been carefully planned. There was even a tiny stream running past the nearby tree. All for One threw down a checkered blanket. He pulled out a cup from the picnic basket and dipped it into a stream, then took a sip.

Izuku recoiled instinctively.

All for One laughed. “The water in the summer realm is always clear and delicious. You’ll find it far better for your health than the mortal realm water, full of chemicals. Besides, as a fae prince, nothing except a curse can make you sick.”

That was true, but Izuku’s human-raised instincts still flinched at drinking straight from a stream with a muddy bottom. All for One offered him a cup. Izuku sat down and had a small sip. He had to admit it tasted wonderfully pure and cold.

All for One put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. A white tiger ran through the garden. In only a few strides, it had gotten close enough for Izuku to tell this tiger was three times the size of a normal one. He leapt up, wings spread to take flight and magic forming on his fingers.

“You need not fear.” All for One laughed. “This is my pet, Gigantomachia.”

That seemed obvious after the fight and flight instinct had worn off. Izuku forced himself to stay in place as those giant paws shook the ground with each step. After the ball, he wouldn’t let himself appear a crybaby again.

Gigantomachia rolled over to expose his belly. All for One rubbed his tummy. “Would you like to pet him, too?”

Izuku definitely would. That fluff was irresistible. He buried his hands in and petted, gently at first. Gigantomachia purred like a freight train. When the tiger sat up, Izuku nearly flinched away, but he stood his ground as Gigantomachia licked his face.

“He can smell your relationship to me,” All for One said. “I raised him to be loyal to our family. I’ve been transforming him into a Byakko.”

“Oh, is that how he got so big?” Izuku scratched between the tiger’s ears. He remembered reading that a tiger who lived for five hundred years would turn into a Byakko, a very powerful yokai with control over wind. “Can you talk?” he asked, looking into those big blue eyes.

Gigantomachia rubbed his head against Izuku’s chest. All for One said, “He’s still in the process of transforming. He growled something that sounded like a word a month ago, and I felt like a proud parent. If only I’d been there for your first word…”

Izuku didn’t like how the fae king looked at him, as if he was contemplating deaging magic again. He changed the subject. “Boy, I’m hungry. What’s for lunch?”

“Whatever you would like.” All for One grinned. “Stick your hand in the basket and wish for a food, and it will appear.”

Izuku tried wishing for an apple, and pulled one out of the basket. “Whoa, how useful.”

All for One pulled out a hunk of raw meat on a stick and tossed it to Gigantomachia. The tiger leapt up in the air and swallowed the meat whole.

Izuku ate until he was stuffed. All for One ate more lightly and asked Izuku questions about his hobbies and favorite books. It felt more relaxing than the previous meals. All for One was trying, and Izuku wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He picked up the sense that All for One kept getting smugger as lunch progressed. He hoped either he was imagining it or it was because they were supposedly bonding.

All for One closed the picnic basket. Izuku gave Gigantomachia one last pet, then they started back to the palace.

Just as they nearly reached the door, light flashed above, creating a portal. Yoichi shot down from the sky with his wings folded back like a hawk, screaming, “Hisashi Shigaraki, don’t speak or move!”

Multicolored light rose off All for One’s body and caught Yoichi, pinning him to the ground. It happened too fast for Izuku to react. All for One purred, “Nice try, little brother, but I enchanted myself not to be able to hear my own name shortly after I woke up. I had to drain half my own court for the necessary magic, and all those lives were very much worth it.”

Dammit, Izuku had nearly given himself hope of using that name. The grass under Izuku’s feet bent, longing to grow and attack All for One. By great force of will, he restrained himself. He knew he would lose in a one-on-one battle against a fae king. And he’d give away his ace up his sleeve: that he didn’t need to follow orders. He struggled to understand what was happening—why in the name of magic would Yoichi have attacked so recklessly and alone?

Vines rose up to tie Yoichi’s arms and legs, although he thrashed and struggled. Another vine covered his mouth. Izuku gritted his teeth, his wings folded tightly and his ears standing on end. All for One knelt down and cradled his younger brother in his arms like a baby, brushing his hair off his forehead. “Kazuki Shigaraki, by your true name, I bind you: you will obey any and every direct order from me. You will not circumvent my orders. You will not leave the summer palace. You will not harm yourself or me, nor stand idle when you could prevent harm. You will not use my name to seal me—yes, I’m making that one explicit this time. You will not speak unless I ask you a question. You will never, ever speak my true name or use any other means to reveal it.”

Even despite the horror of the situation, Izuku still felt indignant that apparently All for One had named him the exact same name as Yoichi. It might have been forgivable as lack of creativity, but it seemed more likely that All for One had never viewed Izuku truly as his own individual.

All for One flung back his head and laughed. “I knew you would come for Izuku! I knew it! I could feel you scrabbling at my magical wards the whole picnic. Did you imagine you were being subtle?”

A muffled sound came from Yoichi, choked by the vine. His hair had turned black to reflect his mood.

The vine retreated, and All for One asked, “Why did you come alone? Where are the thieves?”

“They wouldn’t come,” Yoichi snapped. “They’re scared.”

Izuku put up a hand to cover his mouth. He did not believe that for one second. No matter how scared his parents might have been, they would have come for him. There was enough ambiguity in the wording that Yoichi must have meant they would not come at this particular moment or to this particular place. But why?

All for One chuckled and kissed his younger brother’s forehead. “Now you see them for the liars and cowards that they are. They never would have dared steal from me if I hadn’t already been sealed.” His hands roamed over his brother as if confirming that he truly existed. All for One hissed upon pulling up Yoichi’s sleeves to reveal his tattoos. The tiger on Yoichi’s arm snapped ink jaws at him. All for One clucked his tongue. “Look at what you’ve done. You’ve mutilated yourself. You used to be so pretty. Fortunately, I can fix this.”

Power flowed from All for One’s hands, washing over Yoichi’s body. Yoichi screamed.

Izuku leapt forward, heedless of his plans, but the blazing pillar of light pushed him away. In a blink of an eye, the light dyed down. Yoichi lay in his brother’s arms, sweating and panting. His hair had returned to its natural pure white, slick and stuck to his forehead. His beautiful tattoos were gone. All the color seemed to have gone out of him, leaving him pale as if he might wisp away into the wind. His arms hung limp. Izuku shuddered. A tear dripped down his face to see his poppa look so sad and washed-out. Screw the plan, he wanted to shift into something with teeth and claws and rip out All for One’s throat—

With great effort, Izuku took deep breaths and stayed in place. He used his own grass to hold his feet down. The magic of the summer realm filled Izuku, but instead of spending it on powerful magic, he took it and stored it away. All for One stroked Yoichi’s hair, unaware of the close save he’d had. (Izuku knew he couldn’t have won, but he would have at least left a scar.)

All for One hummed The Fairy Lullaby as he rocked Yoichi. It was creepy, as if he thought Yoichi was an infant. Each note set Izuku’s teeth on edge.

“I’ve got you,” All for One whispered, pressing a kiss onto Yoichi’s forehead. “I’ll never leave you again. You can be the precious jewel of the summer court once more. I’ll remove that dreadful human and changeling from your mind. I can erase them from your memories. It will be as if they never existed. Then it will only be the two of us again—three now, with Izuku. Just family.”

Yoichi shuddered. Izuku’s fists clenched so hard his nails dug into his palm.

All for One stood up, lifting Yoichi in his arms. Glancing back, he addressed Izuku: “Return straight to your bedroom without detours. I shouldn’t need this with your other orders, but just in case: you will never speak my true name or use any other means to reveal it, and you will never use my name to seal me. Hmm, I could find a potion to erase it from your memory, but if we both know each other’s names then I can use your magic. I’ll have to ponder it…depending on how well you behave.”

Izuku’s jaw clenched. He did not know if he could speak without baring his teeth.

All for One turned away, not seeming to notice or care about his son’s anger. He carried Yoichi through the doorway of the palace. Leaning down, he murmured, “I’d better drain your magic first. You’re too much trouble when you have magic. Always the little rebel, ever since you were a child. I’m still not at full strength after waking up. I thought about taking Izuku’s magic, but he’s just a child and it seems a shame not to let him ever experience how to use his powers. You came at just the right time, little brother. Afterward, I’ll take away all your memories of the human realm. Then your taint will be erased.”

Energy cracked through Izuku, as hot as the summer sun. He could never, ever allow that monster to take his poppa’s memories away. It might be foolish, but he would pick this moment to fight. The ground under his feet started to shake. Izuku’s nails grew and his teeth became sharper. The air was hot and full of his power. Even the sun above shone brighter.

Yoichi looked over his brother’s shoulder and winked at Izuku.

That wink made Izuku return obediently to his bedroom. There was clearly a plan. Izuku had known from the beginning there must be a plan—his parents weren’t fools. All for One had only believed Yoichi would come so recklessly alone because he underestimated his brother. Without knowing what the plan might be, Izuku didn’t dare do anything to interfere. But he burned with the need to know. He could not sit idle with the stakes so high.

When Izuku opened his bedroom door, Shouto Todoroki stood on the other side.

Izuku sprang inside and closed the door. “How did you—?”

Shouto pointed at a shimmering portal in the air. “I found you by tracking your fan pin. The summer prince said that All for One would be too distracted with his capture to notice anyone else breaking through the wards. It looks like he was right.” Shouto spoke astonishingly casually given what would have been the consequences if he’d failed. “Let’s go. I’m in charge of getting you out of the palace. Your poppa has a plan. He digested a curse. When All for One drains his magic, it will infect him and knock him out. Then your other two fathers will break into the magic draining room and seal All for One. Yoichi already gave them All for One’s true name. If the autumn prince can get close enough to touch All for One, then he can seal him.”

Izuku gasped. “But All for One can’t hear his own name—”

Shouto said, “The summer prince guessed as much. They’re going to use paper charms with All for One’s true name.”

“Even so, Poppa letting himself get captured was insanely risky! What if All for One had asked Poppa to reveal all his plans?”

Shouto said, “The summer prince placed a second curse on himself to erase his memories if anyone tried to interrogate him. But he said there was a good chance his older brother would want to drain his magic before anything else. Apparently All for One has a thirst for magic that borders on addiction. It looks like he was right.”

“Yes…” Izuku said slowly.

Shouto beckoned at the portal. “Come on. I had to beg your parents to include me after I tracked them down, and I promised we’d leave right away.”

Something about this all felt…too easy. Why hadn’t All for One forced all of Yoichi’s plans out of him? Even Izuku had found Yoichi’s answer too ambiguous—a fae king must have noticed. Izuku flashed back to All for One admitting he’d never asked about Yoichi’s location because he already knew it. Perhaps All for One hadn’t wanted to trigger any spells that might attack Yoichi if he was forced to talk. Just as Yoichi knew All for One, his older brother knew him back. Suddenly, with a strange confidence he could not explain, Izuku felt certain that All for One had already taken counter-measures. It had been a good plan, but it wasn’t going to work.

“It’s a trap,” Izuku said. “I have to go to my parents.”

Shouto bit his lip. “They knew they might fail, that’s why they made me promise to get you out of here.”

“But I have my own trump card that my parents didn’t know about. All for One thinks I’m bound to obey him, but I’m not.” Sighing, Izuku sagged from his ears to his shoulders. “Please, I can’t abandon them.”

Shouto shrugged. “I’m already in trouble for the rest of my teens when my parents find out about this, we might as well get in trouble together. Let’s go.”

Izuku laughed, then flew the door. Shouto ran after.

“Follow me,” Izuku said. He could sense All for One’s location by the buzzing of power, somewhere deep under the palace. Abandoning subtlety, he sent vines to bust a hole through the floor and fly down. Shouto used ice to glide after.

They landed on the dirt floor of the basement level, where the air smelled dank and lichen lit the walls. A steel door was ahead. The sounds of metal clashing came from inside. Dabi stood outside, heat radiating off him. “You’re out of your rooms, little rabbit.” His teeth gleamed white in the darkness. Upon spotting Shouto, Dabi put his hand on his forehead and laughed. “Little brother! I thought I’d have to hunt you down to kill you, but here you are.” His voice held a maniacal edge. His mouth twisted strangely, almost as if he didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or weep. Fire burned behind his blue eyes, erasing conscious thought.

Shouto stepped forward. “I’ll handle my big brother. Go to your parents.”

“Are you sure?” Izuku asked.

“Last time he took me off-guard and prevented me from using magic. This time, I’m ready.” Shouto did not take his eyes off Dabi. “This is my fight. Go.”

Izuku felt the magic in the basement building stronger, and knew he had to leave now or he would be too late. “I’ll repay this debt.” Then he flew forward.

Dabi didn’t pay any mind to Izuku at all. The two brothers clashed in a dizzying blast of blue and yellow fire. Ice cracked down the walls. Izuku flew faster. The door burned with magic. He knew breaking it down would drain all of his power.

As Izuku approached the door, he shifted, shrinking down into a tiny butterfly with green wings and sliding through the crack.

The laboratory was beautiful, with a golden domed ceiling and colorful glass bottles lining the stone walls. A shimmering cylinder stood in the middle like a beacon. Glowing red sigils danced in circles around the cylinder. Purple lines ran down the floor like cracks of lava. Bloodstains also tarnished the granite ground. The cylinder had hooks for chains at the bottom to hold the prisoners about to be drained of their lives. Kurogiri must have died in this place, or whoever Kurogiri once had been.

A hole had been shattered in the back wall, revealing a cold room. Rows of bodies were barely visible in the dim light, stretching back far into the distance. A struggle must be happening beyond, as a crack ran down the ceiling. A giant block landed in the laboratory, shaking the shelves. The light of magic coming from the battle was blinding. Izuku’s weak insect eyes could barely see over the blazing energies of magic.

A weak groan came from the corner by the hole. As the dust cleared, Izuku saw Yoichi lying on the ground. His arms and legs had been bound with vines. They crept up his neck to gag his mouth. Blood trickled from his scalp.

Izuku flew forward. Before he could get far, the hole in the wall blasted open twice as big. Two shelves fell over, releasing colorful gasses into the air.

All for One stepped through the hole, framed by billowing dust. He held two limp and bleeding bodies, one in each hand. Izuku’s heart stopped. So did his butterfly wings, nearly sending him to the ground before he got ahold of himself.

All for One threw Kaiji and Sanzou to the ground. They were both bleeding from countless cuts all over their bodies, ripping their clothing to shreds. Kaiji’s arm was bent at a funny angle and Sanzou’s hair ran red from blood. Izuku feared, for a horrible moment, that he’d been too late. But he saw Kaiji’s finger twitch and Sanzou’s chest rise. Even more importantly, he saw Sanzou’s fist held a dozen paper charms. Izuku’s anger hardened into cold resolve.

Tears streaming down his cheeks, Yoichi fought against his bonds. All for One knelt down and flicked him in the forehead teasingly. “It was a good try, but I know you’re smarter than to come at me without a plan. I think you gave Izuku a dreadful scare, though. I wonder what trap you left in your magic for me? We’ll have plenty of time to figure it out.”

Yoichi whimpered something around his gag. The tone and eyes made it obviously a plea.

All for One shook his head. “No, I can’t hold myself back from killing those two thieves. But I’ll be merciful and erase your memories afterward.”

Yoichi wailed into the gag. His skin turned even paler from the exertion of trying to use his magic despite the orders binding him. The scent of smoke rose off him, then All for One’s orders shut off his magic before he burned himself from the inside out. His eyes rolled backward.

All for One stood up, gazing down at his prisoners. “I’d kill you both with my own two hands, but I don’t want to touch you.” The air around him hummed, and lightning formed at his fingertips.

Izuku flew forward, a small butterfly buffeted by the currents. He landed on a paper charm with All for One’s true name. Then he transformed back. As his insect leg shifted into a hand, Izuku grabbed onto All for One’s wrist and screamed, “Hisashi Shigaraki, by your true name, I seal you!”

The charm glowed as it activated. All for One couldn’t hear the name, but that didn’t matter because Izuku slammed the paper name directly on his skin. Mist rose up to envelope All for One. His lips moved, forming the word “Kazuki,” and Izuku knew the fae king was giving an order.

“That’s not my true name,” Izuku said coldly. “You never knew who I am—who we are.” He gestured at Yoichi.

The mist wrapped All for One as he fell to the ground, his eyes closed. It formed an impenetrable white bubble around him shaped like a coffin. The summer king lay sealed away once more.

Izuku ran to Yoichi and grabbed the vine, sending a tendril of magic to wither it away. “Kazuki Shigaraki, I free you of all orders.” Then he ran to Sanzou, who looked the most injured with the blood from his head beating a steady pace against the stones. Laying down his hands, Izuku healed. His dad’s blood felt hot and sticky between his fingers.

Yoichi ran over to Kaiji’s side and started healing him (which was why Izuku had freed Yoichi first.)

The door opened. Shouto dragged in Dabi’s unconscious body by the back of his coat. His frantic eyes fell on Izuku, then All for One’s sealed form. “You did it! We have to get out of here, I heard the mindless servants coming down the stairs.”

“They can’t be moved yet,” Yoichi said, looking down at Kaiji with fear in his eyes. Izuku agreed. He did not dare release his grip pouring out healing energy.

“Look out!” Izuku screamed, seeing Kurogiri appear behind Shouto.

But Kurogiri dropped to his knees and addressed Izuku: “I stand ready to serve the new summer king.” Behind him, a long row of silent servants bowed to the floor.

“Me?” Izuku asked in disbelief. His magic sputtered out for a brief moment before he got it under control and resumed healing. “No, no, I’m too young.”

Kurogiri swiveled to face Yoichi. “Then you are the new summer king?”

“Absolutely not!” Yoichi yelped. “I have a tattoo business and a vigilante career to manage.”

Kurogiri turned to face Izuku, who protested, “I’m busy studying for my entrance exams!”

Kaiji’s leg straightened. He mumbled and started to sit up. “We’ll settle this later,” Yoichi said. He ordered Kurogiri: “Bring bandages and healing herbs.”

Kurogiri nodded and rose.

In a voice barely above a whisper, Kaiji said, “Sorry…lost…”

“It’s okay now.” Yoichi smiled shakily. Blood dripped down his forehead to stain his white hair. “Everything is over. We won. Izuku won.” He gazed at Izuku with watery eyes overflowing with pride.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: Long-term Goals

All for One: If enslavement is good enough for my relatives then it’s good enough for the entire fae realm. In fact, let’s include the yokai too!

Izuku: Despite your problematic position no one could accuse you of being biased by species.

#

Omake: Uncreative

Izuku: I can’t believe you gave me and Yoichi the same true name!

All for One: It seemed easier to keep you under the same name, as Extension of Myself Number One and Extension of Myself Number Two.

Yoichi: This is why I gave myself a fake name meaning “First Son” in Japanese.

#

Omake: Rewriting Reality Part One

All for One: My one mistake was trying family bonding since clearly no one appreciated it.

Izuku: I would have happily picnicked with you if you’d started with less kidnapping and enslavement.

#

Omake: Rewriting Reality Part Two

All for One: At least I got to beat up Kaiji and Sanzou and nothing can take that away from me. I avenged my little brother’s head injury.

Yoichi: You were the one who injured me in the fight!

All for One: But they forced me to do it so it’s really all their fault.

Chapter Text

Izuku sat with his legs dangling over the wall of the summer palace. Staring at the barren ground below, he grew flowers.

All for One had been draining the summer realm of magic, as he drained his own people of magic. Outside the beautiful, lush palace gardens, dead cracked brown ground spread in all directions. Yoichi had wept when he’d first seen it. Izuku had been unnerved. He’d seen his poppa shed tears before, but never weep so silently and hopelessly. He wanted to make it right.

Ever since then, Izuku and Yoichi had taken turns pouring magic into the summer realm. They both had access to royal magic now, as Izuku was the new summer king and Yoichi was prince-regent for him. Izuku still hadn’t properly figured out how to control it. The power felt like a wild horse or perhaps a tiger underneath him. Annoyingly it was interfering with his ability to use regular small spells. Yoichi had never been given proper access to royal magic and was fumbling as well. He thought the other monarchs might be able to help them learn. For now, Izuku could at least pour power back into the land.

As Izuku stared at the ground, the green grass spreading out from the wall grew longer. He had nurtured trees lining the road. Under his gaze, they grew a foot taller. Izuku panted, tired. His hands and wings shook. He had not come even close to running out of magic, but he’d hit the limits of what his body could handle. Flexing his wings, he prepared to take flight.

A white cloud appeared on the horizon. Izuku squinted. The cloud was moving too close to the ground to be natural. Even from this distance, he could feel the cold radiating off it, an intrusion into his territory.

As the frosty wisps came closer, Izuku could make out Shouto’s face. The yuki-onna waved and mouthed something indecipherable.

“Winter intruder!” bellowed a deep voice below. Kurogiri shot out of the palace gate, wielding a long spear.

“No!” Izuku cried. Wings folded back, he shot down.

Izuku crashed into Kurogiri before he could reach Shouto. Green light blazed around his body. He’d had a notion of using vines to hold Kurogiri in place. But the power came too hot and fast to be controlled. What if he destroyed Kurogiri?! Izuku tried to drag his magic back.

Kurogiri screamed. His voice sounded different, less gruff. The shadows around his face briefly pulled back, revealing light blue hair and sparkling blue eyes.

Izuku grabbed Kurogiri and held him up. The darkness retreated from his body, leaving a fae with glowing blue wings. He looked unnaturally pale, almost like a corpse. Izuku grabbed his wrist, and was relieved to feel a faint pulse.

Shouto landed on the ground. “Oh no, I’m sorry. I drop into the winter realm all the time, I should have remembered to be more careful with summer. I was in such a hurry to tell you—this is my fault.”

Wetting his lips, Izuku said, “Actually, I’m not sure if this is good or bad. Kurogiri looks fae again.”

“That’s Kurogiri?” Shouto’s eyes widened.

Closing his eyes, Izuku sent out a tendril of magic to summon his poppa.

Yoichi met them at the entranceway to the palace. He looked resplendent in a white kimono with a red coat. A Sakura hairpin pulled back his newly bright pink hair. But he remained bare of tattoos. Izuku still winced to look at where they had once been.

Shouto and Izuku carried Kurogiri between them, one arm slung over each of their shoulders. Izuku said, “I tried to heal Kurogiri, but he’s still asleep.”

Upon seeing Kurogiri, Yoichi’s eyes widened. “Oboro…” He swayed. “I suspected Kurogiri was him, but I was never certain.” Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He dashed them away. “I’ve been crying too much lately.”

“That’s okay. It’s a family tradition,” Izuku joked.

Yoichi waved a hand, and Kurogiri levitated in the air. “I once knew Oboro Shirakumo, the jester of the summer court. You’ve changed him back.” Yoichi brushed back the wavy blue hair to touch Oboro’s forehead. “He’s just sleeping off the magical exhaustion. Izuku, this is amazing. You saved him. This means we can save the other mindless fae.”

Ears drooping, Izuku admitted, “I don’t know how I did it.”

“Then we’ll experiment until we figure it out,” Yoichi said. “I’ll take Oboro to the sickbay. You should enjoy your time with your friend.” He walked away, Oboro floating after him.

Shouto asked, “Does this mean I’m not in trouble?”

“Nah, it worked out for the best,” Izuku said. “What brought you here in such a hurry?”

“My mom thinks she figured out how to wake up my big brother,” Shouto said. “But we need your help.”

Dabi, aka Touya Todoroki, had fallen into a coma since All for One had been sealed away. The yuki-onna had speculated that with All for One gone, Touya was like a puppet with cut strings. Clan Head Rei had brought in numerous magical experts with no luck.

The palace had a mirror in the throne room capable of teleportation. Of course, only royals could activate it for security reasons. As Izuku tinkered with the settings, Shouto explained, “Only summer magic can wake my big brother up. We suspected as much from the beginning, but Mom was afraid it would turn Touya into your puppet. I told her that we could trust you, but she didn’t think that switching from one master to another would be good for his mental state.”

If Rei didn’t trust him, Izuku wouldn’t blame her. She’d never even met him. There were probably complicated political implications to the young summer king controlling the son of the yuki-onna clan head. “I wouldn’t control your brother. I’d like to help.”

Shouto said, “Mom thinks that if you create a charm with a lock of your hair or a drop of blood, we can give that to my brother and use it to wake him up, but without creating a link between you like the one All for One used to pour hatred into Touya. It would cost a bit of your magic, and we’d owe you a debt.” When Izuku opened his mouth, Shouto added, “My mom understands what it means to owe a fae debt and she’s serious.”

Izuku would have promised to help for free, but he knew as a king he ought to take the favor. Especially because he’d be giving up magic that belonged to the whole kingdom and could be used to regrow the land. Royalty made everything more complicated. He still lived in hope that he could persuade Yoichi to take over as king permanently and free him. Yoichi had insisted that he shouldn’t take the throne before Izuku was old enough to know what he would be giving up. Izuku recognized a cop-out when he heard it. They both had launched campaigns to persuade each other.

Swiveling the mirror, Izuku asked, “Does this look like your home?” The mirror showed a snowy mountain, a swirling ice palace visible through the falling snow.

Shouto nodded. “That should be close enough.”

“Let’s go save your brother.” Izuku hadn’t been overly impressed with Dabi but he would do it for Shouto. He cast a spell to keep himself warm, then stepped into the intimidating cold.

Rei stood on the sweeping ice staircase. At first glance it seemed like she wore a kimono, but on a closer look, opaque glowing snow cloaked her and trailed down along the floor. Blue frost patterns covered her body. Her bright red lips stood out against paper-white cheeks.

The palace floor and pillars gleamed. Icicles hung down from the ceiling. Snowflake patterns formed on the glass windows between the pillars. “We’re grateful that you came so quickly, Your Majesty.” Rei inclined her head, one sovereign to another. “I’m already in your debt for freeing my oldest child from All for One, and soon I will owe you a second time. As soon as I heard of Touya, I wanted to invade summer to retrieve him. But as the clan head, any move I made could result in a war. It would have been irresponsible of me to drag my entire network of allied yokai into conflict with the fae. I intended to negotiate with All for One—but any bargain would have been unpleasant. We kept it from our children to avoid giving them false hope until we knew if the resurrection was real or an illusion. Then Shouto charged off.” She cast her youngest son an exasperated but fond look. “If he’d been caught as well, I would have been in serious trouble.”

Izuku cleared his throat. “It’s an honor to meet you, my lady. Your son came to the summer realm to rescue me, and he’s been a good friend to me. I think we can call the first debt even.”

“But Touya caused you to be captured in the first place,” Rei said. “I must insist. It’s a matter of honor.”

Izuku was still weak on court protocol but he felt it would be rude to refuse a second time. “I respect your honorableness.”

Enji Todoroki walked up and put his arms around his wife. She nestled her head against him affectionately. Izuku recognized Enji from his old hero merchandise. A decade had passed since Enji had retired as a hero, yet he looked healthier and happier. His eyes had a softer light than when he’d been Endeavor. Enji said, “I agree with my wife—we’re in your debt.” Glaring at Shouto, he said, “And you’re still losing phone privileges for a month for sneaking out.”

Shouto crossed his arms and did not look sorry.

Rei led them up the stairs. Touya lay on a bed made of snow with his arms crossed. Strangely his hair kept shifting: one moment black, the next red, then white. Izuku recognized this as a sign of magical instability. “What should I do?”

Extending her hand, Rei formed an ice crystal. “Please put a bit of magic into this. We don’t need very much. I’ll take care of channeling magic to keep my son resurrected afterward.”

The first time Izuku tried, he exploded the crystal. Wet drops hit Rei’s face and absorbed into the frost patterns.

“Ahhhhh! I’m sorry!” Izuku flushed to his hair roots. He’d put in too much magic.

“A little ice can’t hurt me.” Rei smiled gently. “Please try as many times as you need.”

The second time, Rei ducked the ice fragments. The tenth time, Izuku managed to create a glowing green flower inside the crystal.

Rei placed the crystal on Touya’s chest. It sank into his skin. Slowly, blue eyes opened.

“Touya!” Rei cried, flinging her arms around him and sobbing.

“Where am I?” Touya mumbled. “Mom?”

Enji ran over and grabbed his son’s other side, tears streaming unabashedly down his face. Shouto knelt down next to the bed. Izuku retreated to the hallway to give them a bit of privacy.

Eventually, Rei and Enji came out. Smiling radiantly, Rei said, “Touya would like to apologize to you for his role in kidnapping you.”

“Is he back to normal?” Izuku asked anxiously.

“Even better,” Rei said cryptically.

Izuku stepped into the room, then paused to hear Touya and Shouto talking.

Touya said, “Your scar is all my fault, little brother. I’m sorry. I thought I could stop my quirk from overheating by taking a bit of your ice magic, and you agreed—but you were too young and I pressured you into it.” He hung his head. “My parents told me it wouldn’t work, and they were right. I burned down the building and hurt you.”

“So that’s what happened,” Shouto murmured. “No one would tell me.”

“Probably they didn’t want to taint my memory, not that I deserved it.” Touya ran his fingers through his hair. “Especially since I got turned into a puppet by our enemies. I don’t remember much of it. Just constantly being angry all the time. I forgot about my good memories of our family and had nothing but hatred.”

“That wasn’t your fault. You were brainwashed,” Shouto said. “I don’t blame you for what happened when we were children, either. You were what, eleven or twelve? Younger than I am now, certainly. You didn’t know better.”

“You grew up to be such a good kid.” Touya ruffled Shouto’s hair.

Shouto looked up. “Midoriya is here! You can apologize.”

Touya shrugged. “Eh, I guess I’m sorry for kidnapping you even though it wasn’t my fault. Your evil dad was the one who controlled me. If anything, I should be asking you for compensation.”

“Big brother!” Shouto chopped Touya on the head. “Apologize properly!”

“Ow!” Touya rubbed his head. “Weren’t you just saying it wasn’t my fault?”

“It’s fine, really.” Izuku shrugged. He wasn’t going to hold being brainwashed against someone.

Shouto wailed, “You’re embarrassing me in front of Midoriya!”

“What, do you have a crush in him or something?” Touya snorted. Shouto blushed crimson. Leaning closer to stare at his face, Touya laughed. “You do! I thought I’d have at least a few more years before I’d need to give anyone the shovel talk.” Touya raised his voice and looked at Izuku. “Hey, you, I burned myself to ashes so you’d better believe I could do it to you.”

“Stop it!” Shouto shrieked. “We only just met, it’s too soon!”

Izuku, who’d been about to convince himself that this was only brotherly teasing, froze. Too soon? As a fae, he was very sensitive to the subtilities of words. Did that mean Shouto actually…

Touya laughed. “You just met and you already took on a fae king for him. I’d say you’ve got it bad.” He slung an arm around his little brother and glared at Izuku. “For your information, yuki-onna have very intense and challenging courtship rituals—”

“Speak one more word and I’ll kill you!” Shouto made good on his threat by strangling Touya.

Enji rushed into the room. “Touya, no bullying your brother—wait, it’s Shouto this time!”

After the parents settled the brotherly quarrel, Rei insisted on treating Izuku to some of her homemade sugar cookies (with no debt). Then Shouto left with Izuku.

Izuku noticed that Shouto didn’t seem willing to look him in the eye. He cleared his throat. “I think we’re a bit too young for me to start researching yuki-onna courtship rituals, but I like you a lot. I think you’re cool, Todoroki.” He winced. “I swear I didn’t mean that as a pun.”

Shouto looked up, his eyes sparkling. “Do you want to start as friends and see where it goes from there?”

“I’d like that. And I’ll save my first dance for you at the next fae ball.” Izuku held out his hand, and Shouto squeezed it.

When Izuku arrived home, he found Yoichi standing in the front lawn, burying a body. Vines obscured the corpse and wrapped around, dragging it into a pit in the ground. Then the earth swallowed it up.

Yoichi turned around, holding a bloodstained hairpin in his hand. His hair had darkened to reflect his bad mood. “There was another assassination attempt. With my older brother gone, everyone thinks summer is weak. In particular, they think I’m weak.” His hair went from dark blue to angry-red. “I don’t even think this one was trying to kill me! He wanted to use me as a hostage against Kaiji and Sanzou, would you believe the nerve?”

Izuku shook his head. “Shocking. One person to kidnap you, that’s an insult. Do we know who sent the assassin?”

“Redcaps work as mercenaries. I doubt he knew his own employer.” Mournfully, Yoichi asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to take over the kingdom early? The fae have had child kings without regents before.”

Izuku knew his poppa was kidding—although Yoichi definitely didn’t want the throne, he’d never leave Izuku to handle this mess alone. Nor would either of them trust someone else to guard over the seal on All for One after last time. He responded in a similar lighthearted tone. “No way, I at least want to graduate from college in the human realm. What if we find some other sucker to pass it off onto?”

Yoichi sighed. “You joke, but I’ve already looked for distant cousins and came up emptyhanded.” He mopped the blood on his cheek with a handkerchief.

Izuku spotted a new tattoo on his poppa’s wrist: an open birdcage with a small chick flying out. The wings flapped very slowly on his skin. “Oh, what a lovely new tattoo.”

Yoichi’s eyes lit up. “I meant to show you.” He held out his arm. “I got this to symbolize my freedom from All for One. I’m raising the chick into a full dove.”

“I’m sorry that you lost your tattoos for me,” Izuku said softly. They had represented years of work to ink and for Yoichi to cultivate the living tattoos. Some had been done by human artists long since dead. A living tattoo would never come back the same way twice. They had been irreplaceable.

“It’s not your fault.” Yoichi patted Izuku’s head. “I knew big brother would do that. He was always insanely controlling and he treated me like a child. I made the sacrifice willingly. I’ve been making plans for my new tattoo sleeves. I’m trying to view it as a fresh start with a new canvass.”

Izuku recognized “trying” did not mean the same thing as succeeding. “You don’t have to hide being upset around me. I’ll work on blaming All for One instead of myself.”

Yoichi laughed. “That’s the correct way of looking at it.” His hair turned pink from pleasure, and the chick on his wrist grew a bit.

Izuku hesitated, then blurted out something he’d been wanting to say. “By the way, I erased my memory of your true name. Dad made the potion for me as soon as he woke up.”

“Oh!” Yoichi blinked. “You didn’t have to rush to do that, I trust you.”

“Yeah I did, because no one should have your name ever again.” It meant a lot to Izuku that Yoichi hadn’t immediately anxiously asked him to erase his memories. But Izuku would never have waited long enough to make Yoichi ask. He would never be All for One.

Yoichi hugged Izuku. They nestled close together, breathing in the sweet smell of the garden.

Then Yoichi said, “Oh, I got so distracted burying the corpse that I forgot to tell you—Oboro woke up.”

When Izuku arrived upstairs, the sound of merriment drifted from the sickbay. Oboro sat in his bed, balancing a quill pen on his upper lip. He laughed, letting it drop. Izuku was surprised to see the serious Kurogiri with such a big grin on his face.

Three people surrounded Oboro. Looking over their shoulders, he waved at Izuku. “My savior! Come meet my best friends. This one goes by Shouta Aizawa.” He pointed at the dark-haired bakaneko with cat ears and a tail. “And this one by Hizashi Yamada.”

A second mouth sprouted from the back of Yamada’s blond head and cried, “You didn’t tell me the little king would be so adorable.” Ah, a two-mouthed yokai.

“We’re in your debt for saving our friend, Your Majesty,” Aizawa said seriously.

“I agree.” Yamada bowed.

The favors crackled in the air, revitalizing the summer magic flowing through the room. Izuku felt a little overwhelmed and not sure how to respond as a king. He settled for responding as a person. “I’m glad I could help, and I plan to keep helping the other mindless fae. Oboro, you looked after me when I first came to this palace, but I don’t know if you remember.”

“I remember flashes.” Oboro bounced over. “I wish I’d done more to help you when you were captured.”

“That wasn’t in your control in the slightest. If anything I feel like you’re owed reparations for what the summer court has done to you.” Izuku decided to commit himself like a proper king. “Is there anything you’d like?”

“Uh-huh!” Oboro nodded. “I’m throwing a big party to celebrate my return, please let me host it in the castle.”

Izuku blinked. This new exuberant personality would definitely take some getting used to.

Elbowing his friend, Aizawa hissed, “His Majesty must be busy preparing for his coronation. Don’t impose on him.”

“Oh, a small party of just your friends should be fine.” This was a very small favor compared to what Izuku had been picturing. “It will take a while to prepare for the coronation.” According to Yoichi, the coronation needed to be an extremely formal affair as a show of strength for the Summer Realm. And there would need to be top-notch security because even a failed assassination attempt would be embarrassing.

“Excellent!” Oboro tried to hug Izuku but his friends dragged him off, lecturing him about being rude to royalty.

As it turned out, Oboro’s idea of a small party with just his friends included nearly a hundred people. Oboro had a lot of friends, and he’d invited their families, and he’d also asked the children to bring along their friends so that Izuku could meet others his own age.

Izuku and Yoichi had already released many of the mindless servants from their bondage, but most of them immediately fled the summer kingdom afterward. This was understandable but had left them understaffed. So the family had been working hard preparing for the party.

After spending the entire morning cleaning the ballroom together with his poppa, Izuku’s wings drooped with exhaustion. Even with animal helpers, it had been a lot of work. But he still had to carry in the food.

Sanzou and Kaiji were hard at work in the kitchen. Healing magic had gotten them both into tip-top shape, but wounds from the Summer King did not completely heal. Sanzou had a new cratered scar poking out of his hair below his ear, and Kaiji had several long scars running up his arms.

The two of them coordinated their efforts with practiced skill. Sanzou flipped an okonomiyaki out of the frying pan—a Japanese pancake with octopus and cabbage. Kaiji drizzled sauce and seaweed flakes on top while Sanzou poured batter for the next pancake.

“I’m here to take the finished food,” Izuku said.

Sanzou gestured at the counter. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

“Seriously, when we thought we’d lost you—” Tears came to Kaiji’s eyes. “You mean so much to us! We love you!” He hugged Izuku.

“Yes, you’ve told me that a dozen times since you woke up, Papa.” Izuku patted Kaiji on the back.

“I’m so proud of you,” Kaiji whispered. “You defeated All for One himself! I only wish I could have seen the look on his face when you sealed him. You’re the strongest, bravest kid in the universe. And I’d still be able to tell you that if I was a fae.”

Kaiji had said that half a dozen times too, but Izuku still felt warm inside to hear it. He murmured, “My parents taught me how to be strong and smart.”

Sanzou came over and kissed the top of Izuku’s head. “You would have been talented no matter your parents, but I’m glad we got to raise you.”

The giant wood burning stove growled like a dragon. It had a glowing green tube extending from the top and red eyes above the flickering flames. Kaiji and Sanzou ran to check up on their cookies. Izuku flicked his fingers, and the food floated down the hallway after him.

By the time Izuku finished moving the food, Yoichi had picked out their outfits. The party was casual dress, but according to Yoichi, even picking out the correct casual clothing had meaning for royalty. Izuku didn’t understand the court protocols yet.

Yoichi helped Izuku fasten a tan yukata with green stripes. Then Yoichi put on a pale pink kimono a shade lighter than his hair. The sleeves and bottom had a flower pattern. Izuku helped Yoichi fasten his red silk obi into a butterfly knot.

This style of kimono was female rather than male. Izuku had noticed that Yoichi had been shifting toward a more feminine manner of dress lately, as well as a few small changes in facial features and body shape. But among the fae it wouldn’t be polite to comment before Yoichi formally switched pronouns. Fae in general made a point of not asking personal questions because they couldn’t dodge them with polite lies. It was better to wait and let other fae tell you whatever they wanted to share at their own pace.

Yoichi let part of his hair flow loose, with part pulled up into a bun with a small, golden crown as befitting a royal regent. Izuku had been pleased to learn he didn’t have to wear a crown because he wasn’t the party host. That thing made his head ache. However, he did make sure to fasten on the fan pin that Shouto had given him. Izuku had made certain Shouto would be invited. They’d promised each other a dance.

His wings trembling with nervousness, Izuku went to the entranceway to let in the guests.

Cheerful chatter filled the ballroom. The room was too large for even a hundred people, so most clustered around the long food tables. Kaiji and Sanzou had outdone themselves with a Japanese feast. There was no band, but Yoichi had brought over speakers from the human realm to play gentle traditional music.

The guest of honor, Oboro, had decided to see how many petite cakes he could balance on his nose. Yamada laughed while Aizawa stood ready to catch them. A dark-haired spring fae named Nemuri Kayama stood alongside them, edging Oboro on.

This was an informal party, so the guests wore all manner of clothes. Yamada and Kayama both wore yukatas, whereas Aizawa had decided to wrap himself up in a sleeping bag. The adults largely dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, but most of the younger ones wore modern clothing.

Nana stood by the punch bowl, looking elegant in a long, black dress. She was chatting with Tenko and All Might. Tenko had formally thanked Izuku earlier for rescuing him from All for One. As the winter king, All Might was not supposed to be here so he’d used illusion magic to make himself look skinny.

Izuku’s uncles En and Banjo were currently in conversation with his three parents. Hikage was nearly invisible unless someone knew how to spot him lurking against the wall but he was listening. Banjo waved his arms wide as he told a story. Yoichi laughed behind his hand. Sanzou wore a grey suit, and Kaiji wore jeans with his “Kiss the Chef” apron still on. Izuku wasn’t sure if that was an accidental oversight. Should he say something? Or would that just give his fathers an excuse to indulge in PDA again?

The other fae were giving Izuku’s parents a wide berth. He suspected it must be because of Kaiji’s reputation in particular, judging from the terrified looks cast in his direction. It annoyed Izuku a little. How dare strangers treat his papa like a monster in his own home? But Izuku supposed he shouldn’t make an issue of it unless it bothered Kaiji.

Izuku looked around, hoping to see Shouto. Had he arrived yet?

“Midoriya!” Mina waved at him from next to the dessert table. As one of his first orders, Izuku had lifted the exile on her and her parents. But he’d yet to have a chance to see her because he’d been so busy.

By her side, Ochaco slipped mochi into her purse. She looked up and smiled at Izuku, too.

“I’m glad you two could make it.” Izuku walked over. “I haven’t had time to tell you yet how grateful I feel. Even though we barely knew each other, you still tried to help me at the ball. And you saved Todoroki from himself.”

Mina slapped him on the back. “It was fun! Just never tell my parents. Hey, get this. Uraraka got stopped by the guards when we left the ball. I nearly had a heart attack, but it turned out she’d filled her purse full of desserts.”

Ochaco blushed, white frost swirling up around her. “In my defense, fae balls have the most amazing food.”

“She even argued the guards into letting her leave with her mochi stash.”

“You should be grateful! They were too distracted to pay any mind to Todoroki and his disguise while they were arguing with me.”

Izuku laughed. “You’re welcome to take away our leftovers.”

Mina whispered, “Be careful, she’ll take you up on that.”

A furry white blur shot forward and leapt on Mina, licking her face. “Gigantomachia!” she cried, hugging him and rubbing under his chin.

“Whoa, he doesn’t take to just anyone.” Izuku petted Gigantomachia’s head. Fortunately the tiger had immediately transferred his loyalty to Izuku after All for One had vanished.

Mina explained, “I used to play a lot with Gigantomachia when I was a little girl, before my family had to flee the summer realm.” She rubbed her nose against his. “Who’s a good boy? Yes, you! I missed you, too.”

Gigantomachia purred and rolled over to show his belly. Mina rubbed his tummy, cooing nonsense.

“Hey, Midoriya, I didn’t know you’d been invited to this party.” Kaminari walked over, wearing shorts and a tropical shirt. Sero followed after him. Ochaco briefly glanced up from the food table to wave at them, but otherwise seemed consumed by eating. Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s as she swallowed another miniature cake. Mina was too distracted dangling a piece of yarn over Gigantomachia to even notice her friends’ arrival.

Izuku smiled. “I wasn’t exactly invited because—”

“You snuck in! I respect that.” Sero laughed. “You should be careful, though. There are some unsavory rumors going around about the new summer king.”

A devil of mischief seized Izuku. “Oh, like what?”

“Apparently someone was stupid enough to kidnap the son of the Iron Maelstrom.” Kaminari shuddered. “I mean, if you want to commit suicide, maybe don’t drag the entire fae realm down with you? Every fae has been cowering at home in terror since we found out the Iron Maelstrom had returned.”

Sero said, “It gets juicer! At first everyone assumed the Iron Maelstrom’s kid must be human. But rumor in the marketplace says the Iron Maelstrom and the Omnicidal Prince got married and had a son. Which I didn’t believe at first, because why would the Iron Maelstrom hook up with a fae?”

Kaminari said, “I assume they bonded over their mutual love for brutally murdering fae.”

“That would make a surprising amount of sense, actually,” Sero said. “Do you think they swapped massacre techniques as courtship?”

Kaminari covered his eyes. “What kind of terrifying monstrosity of a son would those two produce? I assume the kid is six feet tall and has fangs dripping with blood. He must feed on the souls of innocent fae.”

“But what does this have to do with the summer royalty?” Izuku asked innocently, barely stopping himself from laughing.

Sero said, “I heard a rumor that All for One’s brother is the kid’s other dad, and it turned into a big custody battle. All for One kidnapped his nephew and the others came to find him.”

“By the seasons!” Kaminari gasped. “With that kind of bloodline, the kid must be a total psycho.”

“Definitely.” Sero nodded. “The kid defeated All for One before his parents even had the chance. The new summer king must be the single most terrifying fae to walk the face of the earth. I’m glad he’s not here, or I would have been too scared to come.” He gestured at the empty thrones in the back of the room.

Izuku could no longer restrain his toothy grin. “I’m the new summer king.”

Sero and Kaminari looked at him, looked at each other, then ran at Mina screaming, “Save us!” They both hid behind her.

Mina looked up from petting Gigantomachia. “What did you two do?”

“We’re sorry!” Sero sobbed, clinging to Mina’s leg. “We didn’t know, Your Majesty! Ashido, please ask your king to spare our miserable lives.”

Crouched down and hiding behind Mina’s other leg, Kaminari said, “You look less terrifying than I thought, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. I just thought the Iron Maelstrom’s son would be more of a walking killing machine.”

“Shhh! Stop making this worse!” Sero hissed.

Izuku said, “I’m adopted.”

“Oh, praise the seasons,” Kaminari whimpered.

Izuku said, “All for One is my biological father.”

Kaminari collapsed into a pool of tears.

Looking down at them, Mina said, “Really, you two are embarrassing me.”

Oblivious, Ochaco kept devouring desserts like she had a bottomless stomach.

Although Izuku had circled around the entire room, he still hadn’t found Shouto. At times like this, he really wished the fae realm had cell phone service. Izuku knew that Shouto wouldn’t stand him up. That was the whole problem. If Shouto was late then something must have happened to delay him. Izuku didn’t know if it was a big event or a minor one. Should he stop by the yuki-onna’s mountain just in case? Or wait a bit longer?

Izuku’s musings were cut off by a piercing scream.

The entire room turned to watch as Yoichi stabbed a hairpin into the eye of a redcap. The pin was attached to the royal crown. Without the hairpiece, his pink hair fell loose over his shoulders. Vines erupted from the ground, dragging the dying goblin deep into the earth. A splatter of blood hit Yoichi’s kimono. Then the marble tiles fell back into place as if they’d never been disrupted by an impromptu burial.

After a murmur, the party resumed. The guests went back to dancing and eating. One assassination attempt didn’t stop a fae party.

Izuku ran over. “Are you injured, Poppa?”

“Not in the slightest. None of the blood is mine. But this outfit was new, and it’s hard to get bloodstains out of silk. Ugh.” Yoichi tucked his bloody crown into his obi. “But! I have good news! Before he died, the latest assassin called me ‘The Butterfly with a Stinger.’ True, I was hoping for a more badass nickname, but at least I’m starting to get a reputation.”

“That’s great, Poppa.” Izuku gave Yoichi a two-handed high-five. “If you keep on murdering assassins, then I’m sure your nickname will keep getting more brutal and dark.”

“Yeah!” Yoichi’s wings perked up. “Perhaps there are benefits to being prince regent after all.”

Kaiji rushed over. Flicking a drop of blood off Yoichi’s face, Kaiji sighed and gazed into his eyes. “You’re never more beautiful than when you’re covered in blood, love.”

“Kaiji! Not in front of Izuku!” Yoichi giggled.

Sanzou cleared his throat and held out his hand. “I agree. May I have the next dance, darling?”

“I have two hands.” Yoichi offered a hand to each of his partners. The three of them danced together, sometimes in a triangle and sometimes taking turns twirling each other. Kaiji and Sanzou didn’t seem to care about getting blood on their hands from touching Yoichi. However, the rest of the guests were staying far away from them and the trail of blood they left on the ground as they spun in circles. Yoichi laughed, pure joy on his face as he hugged his lovers close.

“Excuse me?” The voice came from behind Izuku. “May I have this dance?”

Izuku turned around. Shouto Todoroki wore a pure white suit with a dark blue tie. Silver snowflakes gleamed on his hair. With a slight frown, he said, “Sorry for being late. My big brother accidentally set fire to the palace again. I had to find a new outfit. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry, I would have strangled him even harder this time. You promised to dance with me first, and I kept you waiting so you couldn’t dance at all.”

“Oh, no one else was asking me to dance anyway,” Izuku said. “Apparently I’m considered a rabid monster.”

“How strange. I find your feral smile very attractive,” Shouto said seriously.

And Izuku found it attractive that Shouto found feralness attractive. It must run in his family. Smiling, he held out his hand. Something about the look in Izuku’s eyes made Shouto blush. He took the offered hand. As the music shifted to a waltz, the two of them swirled on the dance floor. And the other fae moved out of their way.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: The Greatest Sacrifice

Kaiji: In order to save our son, will you give up anything?

Yoichi: I’d give up my life! My freedom! And my tat—my tat—yes, my tattoos too, but give me a moment to mourn them.

#

Omake: Worth a Shot

Izuku: Hey, Mina. As the only other summer fae I know, would you like to take the throne? My poppa and I don’t want it.

Mina: Sorry, I’m heading back to winter! Unexpectedly it turns out I would prefer freezing forever!

Izuku: I get it, no one wants this damn heavy crown.

#

Omake: Looking Out for Her Son

Rei: What would you like to repay our debt? An artifact from the treasury, eternal air-conditioning, my youngest son’s hand in marriage?

Izuku: Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?

Rei: You should hold onto your favor, I have a feeling you two might want the marriage option in a decade.

#

Omake: Look at the Bones

Sero: Somehow, we’re both still alive. Unless the summer king is only toying with us and plans to kill us later. All for One used to do that.

Kaminari: He looks so harmless, but do you think he’s like the killer bunny from Monty Python?

#

Omake: Same Priorities

Tenya: What a relief that All for One has been sealed away.

Kaminari: No longer will fae tremble in fear of being stripped of their magic.

Aoyama: I’m finally free! I can stop crying at night!

Mina: My exile has been lifted.

Ochaco: I’ll miss the food at his parties.

Everyone: …

Ochaco: What? He had an amazing buffet spread!