Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a blur, between giving himself up for Kouta, getting thrown into a portal, and landing hard onto the dirty floor of the bar. Shigaraki smiled at him, but Izuku couldn’t hear anything other than the ringing in his ears.

All that matters is that Kouta is safe.

The cuts on his arms told him this was real. It wasn’t some terrible nightmare that he could wake up from, something that could be fixed easily. He was somewhere that he wasn’t sure of, unknowing of his classmates’ fates, and he could barely move. His head was foggy, swimming in confusion and pain, and the next thing he knew, he was in a simple bedroom, with no windows and two doors. His legs hurt, but he pushed past the pain, standing shakily. One door led to a bathroom, he discovered, after falling on his face twice. Simple, but notably lacking in any sharp objects that could somehow aid in his escape. His head still hurt, but the ache was noticeably retreating. Around his ankle was a Quirk-Suppressor cuff, and the weight of what he’d done started to slowly sink in. He was in a hideout, presumably surrounded by villains, with no hope to escape, or to even use his Quirk to do so. It was likely the villains had Kacchan as well, but then, where was he? Did someone manage to save him, or was he being held the same way Izuku was, confused and alone?

Nothing made sense, his entire body was aching, and he hadn’t even touched the second door.

Steeling himself, he pushed past the pain in his legs, and dragged himself towards the door, leaning heavily on one wall to support himself. It was hard, his arms protesting the moment he moved them forward, but he trekked on, feeling as though he’d climbed a mountain, when in reality, he’d barely walked ten feet. With one arm braced against the wall, he reached the other out, arm shaking, and grabbed the door handle, turning it-

Nothing. The knob didn’t move at all, and he was in too much pain to break the door down, not to mention he had no clue if there were villains on the other side of it. He was stuck here, for the time being. Instead, he resigned himself to his fate, at least until he could move without the risk of his legs giving out. Slowly, he walked back to the bed, collapsing in it and groaning at his nose being squished. Readjusting, he wiggled around until he was on his back, at least slightly more comfortable this way. His eyes had adjusted to the low light, and he could now tell that there was at least a desk in the room, with paper and some pencils lying on top. The walls were bare, no personal accents, so it was unlikely someone slept in this room. It could be used as an office as some sort, Izuku thought. The bed was still made, which meant that someone had merely laid him down on top of it, unless he’d come in here himself? His head was too foggy to recall anything, and if they’d done something to his memory, he didn’t want to make it worse by trying to remember.

He hoped the rest of the class was safe, at least.

~

A day or two likely passed, although Izuku couldn’t truly be sure. He stumbled between wakefulness and deep sleep, and often when he woke up there would be food on the desk. He refused to eat, at first, paranoid about being drugged, until his stomach rebelled hard enough that he nearly doubled over in pain. His arms didn’t hurt anymore, and his legs were certainly more stable, but that didn’t mean the pain was gone. His head was still clouded, but it hurt less than it did. And eventually, he relented, sitting down at the desk stiffly, uncomfortably noting that the meal was katsudon. Water, bottled, with the seal still intact, although that didn’t mean Izuku trusted it. It was strangely, disturbingly, good. It was just how his mother made it, which only raised more concerns. Were they trying to butter him up, so he’d join them?

Sometimes, voices drifted through the wall, whispers about someone called Sensei and asking about a doctor. Mostly though, they were too hard to make out, faint as they were. There must’ve been a camera in the room, he supposed, to tell if he was sleeping or not. Trying not to go down that train of thought, he shoved the bowl away, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He hadn’t been changed (thank god) but someone had wrapped his arms. It was so strange, he didn’t know what to make of it. Hands still slightly shaky, he grabbed a piece of paper, checking for any identifying writing and finding none, he started to write about Shigaraki and the other villains he’d caught a glimpse of during the training camp. It was far from perfect, observations based solely on the brief interactions and combat he’d seen them participate in, but it was certainly a start. He needed something to do, either way, and it was a good way to occupy his mind. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, and he needed something to do before he lost his mind.

~

His routine remained mostly the same, drifting in and out of consciousness, food often sitting on the desk when he awoke. His head slowly cleared itself, but the fog that sat heavy on his memories after being taken was still there. He wasn’t in pain, but the confusion hadn’t lessened. There was no one, no villains, no threats, nothing. The isolation was slowly getting to him.

And then Kurogiri appeared.

It was sudden, the shift in the air, and Izuku felt himself scramble backwards onto the bed, the irrational urge to hide under the bed sheets only squashed down by the realization that he’d look like an idiot if he did. The misty villain was calm, seemingly ignoring Izuku’s panicked state, and opened one of those terrifying portals, motioning for Izuku to follow.

There was no reason to, no threats, no bribes, not even any words.

Izuku took a breath, and stepped through.

~

The portal led to a dark room, with beeping machinery and wires strewn across it. A man sat on a chair, tubes connected to him, the top half of his face a map of ropey scars. Only his mouth remained, and it was split into a grin, with far too many teeth to be comfortable. Izuku felt his legs shake, fear suffocating him. There was danger radiating off the man, an aura of terror so strong Izuku was proud that it was just his legs shaking.

“Midoriya Izuku.” The man tilted his head. “Come closer, child. There is no need to be afraid, I am merely… returning what I have stolen.” The voice seemed… familiar. Like a distant memory, something that Izuku tried to remember, but couldn’t quite grasp. Without thinking, Izuku stepped forward, slowly, until he could hear the machinery even more clearly, surrounding him from all angles. A large hand came upon his head, and Izuku had to resist the urge to fidget. The man’s palm glowed red, and Izuku gritted his teeth, confusion overcoming fear. The man retracted his hand, and Izuku’s head felt heavy, and he stumbled back, falling into another portal that dropped him on top of his bed, bouncing him slightly as he landed.

What just happened?

Chapter Text

He’s not entirely sure what’s been done to him, but it’s unlikely that it’s good. Between the glowing hand, an unsettlingly familiar voice, and the fact that he’s not being tortured, something is clearly going on behind the scenes. What that is, Izuku has no idea. He’s still in the bedroom, the second door is still locked, and he’s still in pain. Tears constantly prickled at the edges of his eyes and it’s misery, being stuck with no interaction like this.

And then the door was kicked in with enough force that it dented the wall. A loud cracking noise alerted Izuku, and he jumped up, ignoring the pain in his head, and got ready for a fight.

Instead, it was All Might, smoke pooling around him, in his true form, in all his skeletal glory. Izuku burst into tears of relief, sprinting forward and practically jumping onto his mentor, mindful of his injury.

“All Might-“

“You’re safe now, my boy. Young Bakugou is already with the police, but we went through a lot to find you!” All Might hugged him back, hero costume pooled around him, too baggy for such a thin frame.

“Can we please leave? I haven’t seen the sun in days.” Tightening his hold, All Might smiled brightly, not unlike his signature grin.

“Of course, my boy.”

~

Izuku never realized how exhausting it was to be kidnapped. Or, really, how exhausting it was to be rescued after being kidnapped. He’d never seen so much paperwork in his life, and between interviews with police and doing his best to comfort his mother, he was dead on his feet by the time he went home. Collapsing into his own bed for the first time in several days, he stared at the smiling visage of his mentor, and finally let himself relax.

His dreams had other plans.

In a foggy dreamscape, he was surrounded by shadows, each whispering to one another. Before he could move or speak, one raised his hand, and silence fell. A fringe covered one eye, long and unkempt hair framing his face. He was thin, almost sickly, pale.

“It doesn’t surprise me what he did to you, I suppose. Apparently forcing abilities onto people is something he does to family often.” The thin man looked up, piercing green eyes staring right into Izuku. “I’m sorry for what my brother has done. He’s always ten steps ahead, but that’s his greatest weakness.” The other shadows began to whisper once more, a cacophony of voices, overwhelming Izuku until-

Waking up in a cold sweat was never pleasant, and especially not after such an unsettling dream. Rubbing his eyes, Izuku stood, untangling his legs from the bedsheets, kicking them onto the floor next to his bed. Checking his phone, he saw that it was nearly time for him to wake up anyways, and he resigned himself to being awake. Shuffling to the bathroom, he flicked on the light, frowning at the dark bags under his eyes. He splashed water onto his face, trying to calm his beating heart.

It was just a dream, just a dream. It wasn’t real.

~

Moving into the dorms was certainly… interesting. His mother had been hesitant, but they’d talked that night, softly over dinner.

“Mom, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m going to be a hero either way. You can either let me be trained by professionals, or…”

“Or you run wild without training. I know, Izuku it’s just… those days when you were gone were the worst of my life. I’m so afraid for you and I-“ She sniffled, and Izuku felt tears brimming in his eyes too.

“You aren’t going to lose me. I promise, mom.”

Now he was here, living at U.A. with his classmates. It wasn’t quiet, that was for sure. Stuffing twenty hero-hopefuls into a building during daylight hours was chaotic enough, but make that twenty-four hours? It was a miracle the dorms didn’t burn down in a single day. Between Kaminari short-circuiting himself, and Kacchan’s more… explosive tendencies when it came to cooking, it was bound to be interesting.

“I literally had to brainwash them so they wouldn’t go try and rescue you and blasty boy. Didn’t report them, obviously, but holy shit, they were determined.” Shinsou had talked to Izuku once they moved in, sitting in his room on the floor.

“Y-yeah, that’s Kirishima for you. He’s loyal to his friends.” Shinsou snorted, standing and stretching.

“No shit. This class radiates chaotic energy.”

“Yeah, and you c-certainly contribute to it, Shinsou.” Before he left the room, Shinsou turned and winked at Izuku.

“Well, I’m not denying it, am I?”

~

“My boy, did any of them do something to you? You’ve been awfully quiet.” Now that the last embers of One For All had faded, All Might was stuck like that, skeletal body still sticking out in a crowd due to his height. Eating lunch with him didn’t make Izuku feel much better, even if he’d known about this form beforehand.

“Well… I did speak to All For One… but I don’t think he did anything?” The glowing hand thing was Izuku’s problem, not his mentor’s. Nothing so far had happened, and it was possible it had merely been All For One trying to scare him. And if he had done something, Izuku didn’t want anyone to think he was too weak to be a hero. He’d already had trouble convincing his mother, he didn’t need to have the same issue with All Might.

“Such a thing would be quite unsettling, I suppose. His behavior was so strange, giving himself and the League up like that.” Izuku nearly spit out his food.

“H-he gave them up too? But why, he clearly built the League from the ground up, so why turn them in too?”

“I’m not sure, my boy. But that man is always scheming, he’s bound to have a reason for such actions.” Izuku frowned, unsatisfied with the answer. Why on earth would an ancient supervillain give not only himself, but someone who was clearly his student or perhaps successor up? And who were those shadows he’d seen, and why was the one so apologetic?

Nothing made sense. Izuku hadn’t told All Might about the dream, not yet. Partially out of concern for what the shadow had said, and partially because he was almost completely certain his mentor had likely never had such visions. The way Izuku wielded One For All was not how All Might had, so it was reasonable that they’d have different experiences.

He’d figure it out, eventually.

Chapter Text

“Well that sucked,” Izuku mumbled, dragging his foot back to his dorm. Apparently, his body had decided that he hadn’t broken enough bones quite yet, and made him trip over his own two feet, breaking an ankle. Recovery Girl was off campus, and so he’d have to live with it simply wrapped until she came back the next morning. It hadn’t even been One For All breaking his bones! A simple misstep and he was on the ground. At least Iida had finished their objective during hero training, so not all was lost.

“You really can’t go very long without breaking your bones, can you Midoriya?” Shinsou snickered, adjusting his backpack over his shoulder. Izuku had to use the taller boy as a crutch, and it was embarrassing how low Shinsou had to stoop to do so.

“I guess so. I just wanted to catch Asui, not break something!” He beamoned, ignoring the giggles from Shinsou that we’re getting louder.

“At least no one broke out of your Quirk. I wish it weren’t a verbal response, it’d make life a lot easier,” Shinsou sighed.

“Yeah, but you can’t just rely on your Quirk all the time, Shinsou. Even Aizawa-Sensei can’t use his all the time.”

“I know I know. I’m just glad I got to be in on recommendation. Even if it meant they made another slot. Damn Quirkists.” Izuku frowned at the last part, although he knew what it was like to be judged for a Quirk (or lack of one). Not that he could tell Shinsou that part.

He still hadn’t figured out what All For One had done, nor what the strange shadow meant. He put it out of his head, the pain of his stupid ankle more pressing than anything else. He could think about what a supervillain had done to him when he could actually properly walk. Iida had offered to carry him back, and while Izuku had refused then, he wished he taken him up on it now.

“Do you want me to text Iida? We’ve got another while to get back to the dorms, and you probably shouldn’t put a lot of pressure on your ankle,” Shinsou offered, and Izuku nearly shook his head, stubbornly clinging to his pride, then realized Shinsou was probably right.

“Please. I don’t want to make it any worse.” Shinsou nodded, his phone already out, typing away. “He’ll be here soon. You know Iida.”

“I do.” Sure enough, the sound of heavy footsteps came towards them, and Iida was there, military straight posture as always.

“Thank you, Iida. I just don’t want to make it any worse, and-”

“It’s no problem! I would be willing to do so even if you weren’t worried about such a thing, it would be wrong to let you struggle if you’re in pain!” Iida wasted no time, scooping Izuku up, carrying him bridal style and speeding off towards the dorms. Shinsou picked up his backpack, waving them off with a smirk.

I’ve got good friends.

~

There was screaming in the dorms. It was ear piercing, awful. It sounded like someone was being murdered, and Shouta was not willing to bet on whether it was teenagers being stupid or if someone had actually broken in. These kids had been through enough already, dammit, they didn’t need anything else on top of it. There weren’t any alerts about an intruder, but Shouta wasn’t about to leave a student’s life in the hands of technology. He was paranoid, sue him. Storming up the stairs, ignoring doors opening as people tried to find the source of the screams, he sprinted to the source of the noise: Midoriya’s room. The problem child. Of course. Not bothering to knock, Shouta barreled through the door.

Midoriya was on the ground, writhing in pain, screaming himself hoarse. Tears streamed down the sides of his face, and he was curling in and out of a ball, arms and legs spazzing everywhere. On instinct, Shouta activated his Quirk, hair rising from his shoulders. Midoriya coughed, taking heaving breaths, unfurling his limbs slowly.

“S-sensei? What’s happening?” Logically, Izuku was being affected by a Quirk, if Erasure was undoing at least some of the effects. However, Shouta couldn’t keep his eyes open forever, and Midoriya likely didn’t want him to. Sleep would likely work, however, even if it were Quirk-induced.

“I’m not sure yet, problem child. It’s a Quirk, though. I’m going to get Midnight up here, see if she can knock you out.”

“O-okay. T-tell me when you need to blink.” Shouta nodded, cursing his eyes. Midoriya was bracing himself, like he was ready to bite back screams again at any moment. Shouta pulled his phone out, without looking, shooting off a quick text to Recovery Girl, and then, after a moment of hesitation, All Might. As he was typing out a text to Nemuri, Iida approached.

“Sensei, what’s wrong with Midoriya?” Iida asked, concern evident in his voice.

“Iida, go get Midnight, she’s in the teacher’s dorms, get her back as fast as you can. Everyone else, back to your rooms or I will expel you.” Shouta could not, under any circumstances, turn his head to make sure they left, but the threat should be enough to deter them from staying. He heard people slowly shuffle away, and the sound of Iida gunning it downstairs.

“Midoriya, I’m going to need to blink. Iida is getting Midnight, they’ll be here soon.”

“D-do it, sensei. I-I’m ready.” The shaking in his soft voice told Shouta otherwise, but they didn’t have a choice here. Midoriya tensed up, and Shouta let himself blink, just long enough that his eyes weren’t screaming in pain. Midoriya made a small squeaking noise that would probably be funny if Shouta weren’t so concerned for him. He had been kidnapped, and while he didn’t say that the League had done anything to him, only god knows what they might’ve. But it was a strange delay, if it was some kind of Quirk, seeing as how it had been almost two weeks. Whatever, what mattered now was getting Midnight here and getting Midoriya knocked out. Shouta’s eyes burned, but he kept them open, watching Midoriya’s chest heave slowly.

Just as he was worried he’d need to blink again, Iida came up the hallway, carrying Midnight in his arms. He set her down quick, and she immediately sprinted into the room, rolling up her sleeves, and activating her Quirk. Midoriya fainted quickly, and Shouta closed his eyes, angry at himself for leaving his eye drops back in his room.

“Fuck me, what happened Shouta?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’m taking him to Recovery Girl. Iida, good work, but go to bed. I’ll update the class as soon as we know what’s happening, I promise.”

“T-thank you, sensei.” Iida hesitated at the doorway. “Please take care of him. He won’t do it himself, I fear.”

With that, the boy walked away, the least animated Shouta had ever seen him. It was likely traumatizing to see his friend screaming in pain, he supposed. Nothing to do for it now, not that Shouta was ever particularly good with comforting people. He lifted Midoriya in his arms, nodding to Nemuri on his way out.

“Did you text Recovery Girl?” She asked. He nodded, adjusting Midoriya in his arms. The kid was heavier than he looked.

“I did. Do you mind staying with them for tonight? Hopefully I won’t be all night, but I’ve got no clue.” Nemuri nodded her head, running a hand through her sleep-tousled hair.

“I’ve got it covered Shouta, worry about your problem child right now. I didn’t get him with a huge dose, but it should be enough to at least keep him asleep.” She sighed, shoulders untensing. “You don’t think this was the League, do you?”

“I’m not sure yet. We’ll find out soon, hopefully.”

Chapter Text

Waking up in the nurse’s office sucked, Izuku decided. Two people were whispering near him, hushed voices thick with worry. Groaning, he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He wasn’t in pain, which was… strange. His arms and definitely his fingers usually had a static-like tingle to them, a small but constant feeling. But the static was gone, replaced with a strange nothingness that was unsettling.

“Oh thank the gods, you’re awake.” That was Aizawa-sensei, but why was he here? Did he do something during hero training-

He’d broken his ankle. He’d broken his ankle, and Recovery Girl wasn’t on campus, so he’d hobbled back halfway to the dorms before finally giving in and letting Iida carry him. And then he’d woken up screaming. The pain had been bad enough, spreading from his entire body, and he barely remembered Aizawa-sensei running up the stairs and using Erasure-

“Oi, breath, problem child.”

“Ignore him, dear. He’s concerned.” That was Recovery Girl.

“What happened? Why- why did that hurt so much?” Recovery Girl frowned, checking his ankle over.

“I… I’m not sure. Your ankle is fully healed, better than my Quirk could, with no lingering effects, it seems. And, your fingers are straighter. If the League did something, they certainly did something… strange.” Checking his fingers, they were indeed straighter than before, like he hadn’t broken them multiple times. That, combined with the lack of static in his arms, made a feeling of dread pool in his stomach. Why would All For One give him something that healed him? Did a different Quirk hit him?

“Are you sure the League didn’t do anything to you? Anything you can remember could be helpful.” Izuku paused. He should probably tell someone, but now he was worried they’d be mad at him for not saying anything. On the other hand, he was in the infirmary, fingers disturbingly straight, with a healed ankle that shouldn’t exist.

“A-actually, I s-spoke with All For One. He- he did something to me, but I don’t know what.” Staring down at his hands, Izuku had a thought hit him full force. “Recovery Girl. Is there a way to check if someone had a Quirk?”

”I am merely… returning what I have stolen.”

“You could map someone’s genes, but in general, people do an x-ray of the toe joint. Mind you, the extra joint isn’t a guarantee someone’s Quirkless, but it’s far more likely than not. Unless you’re a first or second generation Quirk user, but all- well, most of them are dead.” Izuku glanced at Aizawa-sensei, not wanting to reveal the secret of One For All, but his mind was swirling with the worst possibility. He must’ve gotten the hint, because he sighed, standing up.

“Whatever this is, you don’t want me to hear it. But I will want a full explanation at some point, kid.” Izuku could do nothing but nod, watching him as he walked out the door. Once it was fully shut, he turned to Recovery Girl, who was already typing away at her computer.

“Your doctors never mapped your genes, did they?” She asked.

“No. I’ve got the extra joint.” Izuku shook his head, hands starting to shake. Recovery Girl hummed, shuffling papers.

“What exactly did he do to you, Midoriya?”

“He- he put his hand on my head, and told me he was ‘returning what he’d stolen’.” Recovery Girl sucked in a breath through her teeth, standing once more.

“We should talk to All Might. He’s at Tartarus, currently, talking to All For One.” She walked over to a phone on the wall, dialing quickly, and Izuku gulped, the dread taking form in his mind of a faceless monster.

~

“What did you do to him?”

“No time for pleasantries, then, All Might? And you’ll have to be more specific, I’ve done quite a lot of things.” The smirk on the bastard’s face made Toshinori almost sick, the knowledge that his successor was sitting in an infirmary bed after waking up screaming, according to Aizawa.

“You know what I’m talking about. He’s a child, what the fuck did you do to him?” If he’d done something to young Midoriya’s Quirk, only god knows what could happen. One For All was already a volatile Quirk, Midoriya didn’t need anything else on top of it.

“Oh, already swearing, are we? I’ve already turned Tomura’s little project in, what else do you expect me to give up? Or are you bitter that you were too weak to save him from me?” Toshinori gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the sinking in the pit of his stomach.

“Answer the question. You don’t play games with people unless you don’t want them to see what you’ve truly done, and we’ll figure it out at some point. You might as well quit while you’re ahead.” A sigh, dramatic, and All For One shifted in his bonds.

“If you must know, I merely returned what I stole when he was young. I wonder how you’ll feel when you figure it out.” All For One smiled. “Good luck, Yagi.” His emergency phone rang, and he sprinted out of the room, answering as soon as the door closed.

“He’s awake, and you need to get back here.”

Toshinori left Tartarus, dread boiling in his gut.

~

“Is young Midoriya alright?” Izuku heard All Might before he saw him, head still swimming with confusion and fear. He’d slammed his eyes shut earlier, the lights in the nurse’s office too bright for his aching head. Upon hearing his mentor’s voice, he opened them, wincing at the brightness that flooded his vision.

“All Might?”

“My boy, are you okay?” All Might shook his head. “Why am I asking that, you're in the nurse’s office,” he mumbled to himself.

“What did All For One say, Toshinori? Anything useful?” Recovery Girl asked. Aizawa-sensei had come back into the room at some point, dropping off clothing for Izuku so he wasn’t in his pajamas all day. According to man, he’d gotten Present Mic to cover for his classes. Izuku could only imagine how that would go.

“He said he was returning what he’d stolen when Midoriya was young. I’ll be honest, that doesn’t make any sense to me.” Izuku nodded.

“Yeah… that’s what he said to me, too. His palm glowed red, and then…”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Izuku twiddled his thumbs nervously, refusing to look up at All Might.

“I-I was afraid you’d think I was weak. I wasn’t even sure what he’d done at the time, and it didn’t seem right, I guess? I’ve already had trouble convincing my mom to let me be a hero, I didn’t want to have to prove it to anyone else.” All Might sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“I know that you’ll be a hero, no matter what. He’s the one who made me like this, did you really think I’d say you weren’t fit to be a hero if he’d done something to you? You’re a child, not a pro.” Izuku felt tears forming in his eyes, and he ignored the whispers between Aizawa-sensei and Recovery Girl behind him, leaning over to hug All Might.

“I’m sorry. But that doesn’t fix the problem right now, does it?” Izuku asked. All Might shook his head, frowning.

“It doesn’t. Him saying he was returning something implies he took a Quirk, but that doesn’t make any sense, right? And even if it were, why would he take such a thing? Your ankle is fully healed, right? That doesn’t make any sense, considering your parent’s Quirks.”

“What Quirks do they have, kid?” Aizawa asked. All Might’s head whipped up, like he’d forgotten then man was there.

“I-I told him, sorry All Might. It- there’s no good cover, otherwise.” Aizawa nodded.

“He did. I can keep a secret, although we will be having a long talk about how you painted a gigantic target on a student’s back. Later.” All Might gulped, then nodded to Aizawa.

“Right.”

“Anyways, my mom has attract small objects, and I haven't actually seen my dad since I was what, nine?” Izuku said, nerves rising. Several things were starting to make sense, even if he didn’t want to think about what it meant.

“He has fire breathing, correct?” Recovery Girl asked. Izuku bit his lip, foggy and faded memories slowly coming back to him. It would certainly explain a lot of… strange occurrences from his childhood. The lack of scars from Kacchan, the fact that several of his childhood friends(?) went missing, even the money that he and his mother received every month, despite there being little to no contact.

“Yes? My mom always said he did, but that… might not be true…” The adults in the room sputtered, All Might coughing up blood, Recovery Girl handing him a wad of tissues without even looking in his direction.

“Midoriya. Explain, now,” Aizawa demanded.

“Okay, I saw him breath fire, but I also saw him use telekinesis on stuff, and not just attract like my mom. Also, he definitely used a healing Quirk on me, something that got rid of scars. I, uh, got into a lot of fights as a kid.” Aizawa raised an eyebrow at that last part, but otherwise didn’t comment. Recovery Girl swore under her breath, and All Might went very, very pale.

“Did- did your father have white hair?” He asked, quiet.

“Yeah,” Izuku responded, even quieter.

“Oh.” And then, in vehement english, “Fuck.”

Chapter Text

“Oh god, can I-” Izuku choked on his own words, swallowing hard. “Do I- do I have his Quirk?” All Might frowned, a shadow passing over his face.

“I’m… not sure, my boy. It’s certainly… possible. I would suggest testing it, normally, but right now… it’s perhaps best no one knows. Besides, a healing Quirk would be easier to explain than…” Izuku bit his lip, worrying it between his teeth.

“Do- do you want One For All back? Since-” All Might grabbed his waving hands, gentle, looking up to Izuku.

“My boy, I trust you. I trust you. You didn’t even know he was your father, and there is no one more worthy of carrying One For All.”

Unsurprisingly, Izuku burst into tears, even as his mentor hugged him, clutching him close.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t test… you know…” All Might hummed, pulling back to let Izuku wipe at his eyes.

“It’s likely for the best. I’m merely worried about you not being able to give it back. In time, I’m sure I can find some way to convince Aizawa to let you test it with his supervision.’’ Izuku sniffed once more, then smiled.

“Thanks, All Might.”

~

“Can- can I tell you guys something? It’s- important.” Izuku swallowed, mouth dry, fidgeting with nerves. Uraraka, Iida, Shinsou, and Todoroki all looked up, each with varying expressions, from Iida’s loud and animated concern, to Todoroki’s barely-visible furrowed brow.

“Of course, Midoriya! What’s the problem?” Iida asked, worried. He had seen him screaming, Izuku thought, he’d brought Midnight up to knock him out. He’d seen all their worried faces though, both from his screaming, and the lack of scars on his hands. It was strange, now, he could hold a pencil and write no problem. His hands didn’t shake like they used to, and it was certainly nice, of course, but it healed what even Recovery Girl couldn’t. Which meant that something else had been done to him, and he wasn’t sure he liked what it was.

“In- we can talk in my room. I can’t- I don’t want other people to hear.” They weren’t anywhere super public, but he didn’t trust any type of recording, U.A. campus or not. And he didn’t trust someone else walking in on their conversation. They all started towards the dorms, a heavy atmosphere hanging above them.

“Sure. Whatever it is, you can tell us, and we swear we won’t tell anyone, okay?” Uraraka smiled as she said it, clearly trying to bring up the mood. Izuku gave her a weak smile, worry still churning in his stomach.

“T-thanks, guys.”

The rest of the walk was in relative silence, although Shinsou and Todoroki (which was a combo Izuku never saw coming, but whatever) chatted slightly, and Iida kept opening his mouth like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure how. It was tense, but they made it up to his room no problem, which likely meant that this conversation was not going to end well. Things never ended well for Izuku.

“Alright, what’s wrong? You’ve been twitchy all day, so it’s gotta be important,” Shinsou said, sitting on the floor. Uraraka and Iida followed suit, and Todoroki hesitated a moment before sitting on the bed, patting the space next to him while looking at Izuku. He checked that the door was locked, and sat down, nerves still running high. They were here now, no turning back.

“Okay.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, so- so when I got kidnapped by the League, I talked to the villain who destroyed Kamino.” Someone hissed through their teeth, but Izuku had his eyes shut (when did he close them?) and couldn’t see who it was. “He- he put his hand on my head, and told me he was returning what he’d stolen from me.” The room digested that, but Izuku didn’t dare open his eyes.

“Wait, couldn’t that guy give and take Quirks?” Todoroki asked, and Izuku nodded, biting his lip hard.

“He- he gave your Quirk back? But you have a Quirk, right?” That was Uraraka, her normally bubbly voice subdued in confusion.

“We- we think he switched them out. But he gave my original Quirk back. And-” Gods, was he really going to tell them this? “And he’s my father. Which means that my Quirk-”

“Is probably like his. Fuck.” Shinsou reached for his hand, squeezing it. “It’s okay, Midoriya.”

“But- what- what if I’m like him?” His voice was a whisper, fearful of what they’d say.

“You’re nothing like him! You, Midoriya Izuku, are not a damn thing like that monster!” Uraraka said, a hissed declaration, confident enough that Izuku opened his eyes. He wasn’t surprised to find he was crying, but he was when he saw that Uraraka and Iida were too.

“I know this might seem… strange, considering what you’ve told us, but have you checked what the Quirk is? It could be like your mother’s,” Iida suggested, but Izuku shook his head.

“It’s not. I tried, believe me, that was the first thing I did when I figured it out.” Izuku put his head in his hands, letting tears fall freely. Todoroki put his hand on his shoulder, making Izuku look up to him.

“We are nothing like our fathers,” He told him and pulled Izuku into a hug, which made him cry even harder, clinging on, even when he felt the others join in, creating one big group hug. Once Izuku had stopped crying, he was released, everyone rubbing at their eyes.

Shinsou grinned at him, looking a terrifying amount like Aizawa, which managed to snap Izuku out of the rest of his mopey state.

“So… have you tested it yet?” Iida spluttered slightly, but Izuku shook his head.

“I’m too scared I won’t be able to give it back. I- I don’t want to take something forever.” Izuku was haunted by All Might’s words, terrified of becoming like his father, terrified he wouldn’t give it back because he didn’t want to give it back. Shinsou shook his head at Izuku’s words.

“You can’t be afraid of it. Take it from someone who knows, if you don’t learn how to use it, you won’t be able to learn how to not use it.” Izuku sighed, hunching over on himself.

“Midoriya, it’s your Quirk. It’s like what you told me,” Todoroki said.

“Yeah, but-”

“But nothing, he’s right,” Uraraka said, standing. “Deku. Take my Quirk.”

“W-what! I can’t just take it, what if I-”

“Don’t focus on the ‘what ifs’! You have to try, okay? I’ll stop you if something’s wrong,” Uraraka held his shoulder, and Izuku sighed. He wasn’t going to win this, not against the combined forces of Uraraka, Shinsou, and Todoroki, even if Iida was maybe on his side.

“You shouldn’t push him, but… they might be right, Midoriya. Everyone has trouble controlling their Quirks, and you’ve already gotten a late start. You should try, while we have other people around and we aren’t training.” Nevermind, Iida was not on his side.

Squaring his shoulders, Izuku reached out, placing his hand on Uraraka’s head. He could feel her Quirk, swimming around. There was a sensation in his hand, a tingling, and he felt the instinct to pull. His palm glowed red, and he lifted off his hand, just as Uraraka blinked.

“Oh, that’s weird.” Izuku ignored her for the moment, instead walking over to his desk, and placing all five fingers on a book lying there. It lazily floated up, bouncing down slightly as it touched the ceiling. He pushed all his fingers together, whispering a tiny “release”, and the book fell to the ground, once again affected by gravity. He caught it, swearing under his breath when he touched it with all five fingers again, having to release it once more before making sure his pinky was up.

“Okay, now to give it back. It didn’t hurt when I took it, right?” Uraraka shook her head, swaying slightly.

“Sorry, it’s just… strange. But no, it didn’t hurt at all.” Izuku nodded, walking back over to her, and placing his hand on her head once more. The pull feeling was gone, replaced with the feeling to push, like the Quirk could sense it’s original owner. He shoved the healing Quirk he’d been given to the back of his head, and followed his instinct. His palm glowed once more, and he stepped back. He handed her the book, and she made it float, no problem.

They experimented for a while, giving and taking both Uraraka’s and Shinsou’s Quirks, fearful of the destructive power of Todoroki’s, and mutant aspect of Iida’s. The giving back aspect was most challenging, Izuku found, as it was difficult to locate someone’s Quirk if he had too many. He’d probably need to write the ones he knew he had for sure down somewhere, preferably in code, so no one would be able to tell what he meant.

“We won’t tell anyone, so don’t worry about it, okay Deku?” Uraraka smiled, leading them out the door. Todoroki and Iida followed suit, but Shinsou hesitated at the door for a moment, looking around for potential eavesdroppers.

“And remember, you can’t be afraid of it. Your Quirk doesn’t define you, you define it,” Shinsou said, nodding. Izuku nodded back, a weight off his shoulders.

~

Shouta wasn’t entirely sure what had really happened. One minute, they were in the common room, him grading as his kids students either studied or pretended to, the next, Midoriya was being dragged off by two men, handcuffed, but not fighting back. On instinct, he stood, ready to fight.

“What the hell are you doing?” One of the men turned to glare at Shouta, sneering.

“We’re from the Hero Public Safety Commission, here to take Midoriya Izuku in for questioning.” Shouta didn’t back down, resisting the urge to grab Midoriya and run.

“Really? And no one from the Commission decided to inform us?”

“You didn’t need to be informed, and therefore, you weren’t.” Shouta glared, gritting his teeth. There was nothing he could really do, not without breaking the law into pieces. The men continued, and the common room was now dead silent, his students all sporting similar wide-eyed expressions. Midoriya turned around to face him, biting his lip, even as he was forced forward.

“It’ll be okay, sensei.” He gave Shouta a shaky grin, wincing when one of the men tightened his grip on Midoriya’s arm. Shouta damn near leapt on the men, Commission and the law be damned. What the fuck was happening? Midoriya hadn’t done anything wrong, and the League and it’s leaders were in jail. The Commission had nothing to gain by taking Midoriya in for questioning, and U.A. hadn’t released the DNA test proving that All For One was his father. The only people who’d seen it were All Might, Recovery Girl, Nedzu, Midoriya, and himself. Shouta knew he’d told a few of his friends, terrified of what his father was, but they wouldn’t have said anything to the Commission. Hitoshi had never been hesitant to make his opinions on them clear, and even if Shouta tried to keep those opinions quiet, he never tried to change them. Shouta didn’t trust any one thing when they commanded such powerful figures. There was no one to keep the power of the Commission in check.

This was bigger than himself, bigger than U.A. Hizashi had suggested there was a traitor. They just might not have been one for the League.

Shouta tailed them, careful, until they got too far, off campus. Swearing, he ran back to the dorms, ready to find a way to calm his students down. The common room was still silent when he came back, his students in a state of shock, trying to figure out what Midoriya could’ve done. The only exceptions were Todoroki and Shinsou, who were looking at one another with wide eyes, whispering softly to each other. Iida eventually spoke up.

“Sensei, what just- what just happened?”

“I’m not sure.” He held up a hand to stave off the questions he knew he’d receive. “I will get to the bottom of this, I promise. For now, I’d suggest this stays between all of you. The Commission controls who gets their licences, and it’s not a good idea to piss them off.” The class burst into whispers at this, but nodded in agreement.

~

sleep deprivation gang (and class dad)

Shinsou: I’m calling bullshit
Shinsou: The commission didn’t need mido for questioning they’re pissed about his quirk

Uraraka: I’m agreeing with that calling bullshit

Todoroki: I am too. I don’t trust them, they let my father climb the ranks.

Iida: I too, find it highly suspicious! They are meant to help organize and coordinate heroes, not arrest or interrogate people!

Shinsou: Alright whos down to overthrow the gov with me

Chapter Text

In for questioning, his ass. It’s been two weeks, and Keigo knows damn well the kid is being held under the Commission's main building. Little human contact, in a tiny cell. He remembers that well, the lack of people, when he threw up after training too hard, when he refused to train. He only did that a few times before he learnt his lesson.

And now they’ve got Midoriya Izuku there, claiming the kid is a danger to society, worried about his father locked up Tartarus. Not that they could really come out and say they knew, the implications that the Commission undermined U.A.’s authority would not go over well, even if the Commission should technically control them, not the other way around. But an entire generation of heroes, the best and the brightest around, a lot of them come from U.A. The Commission won’t piss off an entire generation of up and coming heroes, although they might’ve already. The kid was more charming that he knew, polite to a fault when Keigo sees him through the one way glass that the kid knows is there. That might be out of fear more than inherent character trait, of course, but Keigo can’t worry about that right now. Either way, it’s concerning to see the Commission so paranoid about this. The kid clearly didn’t know about his dad, and was presumably just as confused as the Commission. Keigo wasn’t even sure how the fuck the Commission knew, just that they did.

The kid’s files were being kept off the computer, the Commission’s paranoia preventing them from putting them anywhere they can be hacked. Keigo’s got high access to all files, because the Commission trusts him, their little trained hunting bird.

He grabbed the copies he’s gotten, staring at them for a long time. Scanning them over, reading every word again and again until they start to jumble together.

Something... uncomfortable settles in his gut.

~

“This isn’t right! Deku didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Uraraka is correct!”’ Iida chopped his hands, trying to hold back his own anger.

“And we can’t do anything about it. The Hero Commission controls everything. Do you really think we can go against them?” Hitoshi asked, apathy disguising his worry over Midoriya.

“I know, but-”

“It doesn’t feel particularly heroic to just ignore it and pretend nothing’s wrong!’ Uraraka was fired up, enough for manners to be thrown out the window, Hitoshi noted. Iida didn’t even sputter at being interrupted. They were all shaken up, even after two weeks. No movement from the Commission. Midoriya was officially missing, and they’d all gotten a “warning” against speaking out about him, telling them all that they’d lose their place at U.A. at the least.

“I’ve tried using my sperm donner’s place as Number 1 to see if I can locate him, but there’s just nothing. All I know is that he’s not in Tartarus, because they don’t want him near his father,” Todoroki said, arms crossed, glaring at nothing in particular. “There’s nothing we can do right now, but I’m pretty sure Aizawa-Sensei or Nedzu won’t stand for it. They’ve got far more power than us.” The group was unhappy, but settled for the time being. Iida and Uraraka both nodded at this, walking out of Hitoshi’s room. Todoroki made eye contact with Hitoshi, nodding as the others left. Todoroki stayed behind, waiting until they both left. Todoroki sat down on Hitoshi’s bed, looking him in the eye.

“You wanna break him out, don’t you?”

~

“Hey, Tenya! What’s up little man?” Tensei was smiling, even as Tenya felt a churning in his gut.

“Ah, not much, really, just worried about…” Tensei’s smile fell.

“Midoriya? I know, everyone’s looking for him.” He put his hand on Tenya’s shoulder, bringing another smile. “It’ll be okay. We’ll find him.”

“That’s good, but I’m actually asking for advice.” Tensei nodded for him to continue. “If something, or someone, that the world considered heroic had done something… bad, but you couldn’t do anything against it without risking your status as a hero, what- what do you do?” Tensei frowned, looking him in the eye, and Tenya could practically see the questions he was thinking.

“...I’ll be honest, I’m not completely sure. But you have to be a hero to yourself, Tenya. If this isn’t justice, or isn’t heroic, then it’s a hero’s job to stop it.” Tensei smiled once more. “You’re a good kid, Tenya. If you don’t think it’s right, then it probably isn’t.”
“Thank you, Tensei. I… I have a lot to think about.”

Tensei doesn’t know about it. That alone makes Tenya more wary than before, even as he walks back to his bedroom. The Commission told everyone that Midoriya was missing. The Commission took him, and threatened his classmates if they spoke out about it.

“This is not justice,” He whispered to himself.

~

“You know that the Commission will censor anyone who speaks out against them, and not just in the form of a cease and desist. Uraraka’s heart is in the right place, but…” Shouto frowned, biting his tongue.

“Yeah, I know. Buncha Quirkists, too,” Shinosu grumbled. “I remember that they were pissed about dad recommending me for U.A. Claimed I’d amount to nothing more than a villain, despite the fact that I was raised by a pro fucking hero.”

“Trust me, I’m the last person who supports them, after everything they let happen.” Shinsou turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

“Did they know?”

“Did they-” Shouto scoffed, “Of course they did! I found the fucking records of them helping that bastard pay people off! They just didn’t want to lose the Number 2 for publicities sake. You know how his agency was infamous for going through Sidekicks like crazy?” Shinsou nodded. “Well, that was because they tried to report him for abuse. Everyone who tried got forced out, labeled a burnout, and got any license they had revoked,” Shouto spit out, anger bubbling up.

“Assholes. Well, do we have any paper trails of bribery?” At his questioning look, Shinsou continued.

“We could expose them there, and then the idea that they essentially kidnapped a student and declared him missing wouldn’t be so far fetched.”

“There’s a few trails, but that’s on my father’s side, not the Commission’s. Sadly, they aren’t stupid.” Shouto shook his head. “And, they’d cover anything up, when it comes to heroes. We’d be labeled villains.” The two sat in silence for a moment, and Shinsou stood, walking over to his desk.

“We either be heroes without Midoriya, or become villains for him.” Shinsou sighed, looking to Shouto.

“Yeah.” Shouto stood from Shinsou’s bed. “I think I know which I’d rather be.”

“I do too.” Shinsou held out his hand, nodding to him. Shouto took it, hesitant, and Shinsou squeezed, smirking like a shark. “We do this together, then.”

~

Two knocks was all it took for Shouta to be on guard, immediately standing, capture weapon in hand, creeping towards the noise. Silent footsteps led him to the window, where Hawks was carefully flying, steady. Shouta opened the window, staying directly in front of it. He wasn’t wearing his hero costume, Shouta noted, so this wasn’t official business, although that didn’t mean it wasn’t business of some sort. Still strange, he could count the amount of times he’d interacted with Hawks in a more casual setting one one hand, and those were from being dragged to parties and gatherings by Hizashi.

“What do you want?” Hawks paused for a moment, and Shouta raised an eyebrow. This was something very strange, indeed.

“Depends. Got cameras in there?” Shouta shook his head, suspicious. Hawks being off duty was already strange enough. Whatever was happening, it was big, and it was bad. “Good.” Hawks met his eyes, serious. “I know where Midoriya Izuku is.”

Stepping aside, Shouta let Hawks in.

~

Wherever her baby was, she prayed he was alive. Yagi came over for tea to tell her, weeping right along with her.

”You aren’t going to lose me. I promise, mom.”

She only wept harder when she thought of his words.

“Please, Izuku, come back. Please, please, please be alive.”

Chapter Text

“This is suicide, isn’t it?” Keigo looked Shouta in the eye, miserable. There was no good way to get the kid out, not without burning the whole damn building down and hoping he got out alive. But neither man is willing to risk civilian lives in this, not knowing Midoriya’s heroic tendencies, all personal morals aside. He’d go back if he even thought someone was in danger.

“Yeah. But we have to get him out.”

The teachers were kept in the dark. Nedzu knew, because the principal knew everything, and was going toe to toe with the Commission on the legal side of things. It’s a slow, miserable process, especially since the Commission provides funding for U.A., and a choice between keeping one student locked up versus losing over half their funding is really no choice at all. For the seemingly greater good, Midoriya would have to remain locked up.

Yeah, fuck that. That’s Shouta’s problem child they’ve got locked up, and he’ll be damned if he just lets the poor kid rot. First things first, though, he needs to reel his class in. They’re about five seconds away from rioting, and while Shouta is down to destroy the Commission, it’s going to require a plan, not senseless anger.

~

Kaminari Denki was a generally easy going guy, who made friends with everyone, smiling and joking about his poor grades and poorer study skills. The terrible study skills probably were his fault, though, he just didn’t understand how to study, or how people did it for extended periods. He didn’t have the motivation to dedicate himself fully to one single thing for hours on end. Nor the patience, not unless it interested him. English was his best subject because of this, his love for stupid English music and movies fueling his desire to understand what was being said. A lack of motivation was what drove his seeming stupidity.

He didn’t have a lack of motivation now, though.

It was almost like a movie, watching Midoriya get taken by those guys from the Hero Commission, and Denki wasn’t a genius, but it didn’t take one to realize that something was off about it. The class as a whole (with maybe the exception of Bakugou) loved Midoriya, even if they didn’t normally interact. The guy was sunshine incarnate, it was impossible not to at least like him a little. The one who led them to victory, who gave himself up for someone else, who was smart and calculated at the worst of times when everyone else panicked. Denki had heard the stories from Tsuyu and Shinsou, about how he’d gotten them out safely at the disaster that was the USJ. Midoriya had a heroic spirit that the entire class did their best to match.

And now he was gone. The entire class had a weight on it’s shoulders, a heavy cloud of worry and fear. Even the people who didn’t see Midoriya get dragged off like a lamb to slaughter heard the warnings the Commission gave, the whispers of Shinsou and Todoroki.

(All the boys of the class saw Todoroki’s scars, the bruises and burns before they all moved into the dorms. They’d all made a collective pact not to mention it unless Todoroki brought it up first, and he never did to anyone but Midoriya.)

The class, as a whole, wasn’t a fan of the Hero Commission. Denki had heard through the grapevine of Mina and Jirou that Yaomomo was pressured to keep her figure slim, despite how much her Quirk would benefit from her eating more, her looks be damned. Bakugou, in turn, had whispered about how much he was groomed to be a hero, how much teachers before had looked the other way. Shinsou hated the Commission with a fiery passion, angry at the years of being told he’d amount to nothing more than a villain. He’d rant for hours, if you gave him the time and space. It would be impressive if it weren’t so depressing.

Even Iida, the man who loved heroes and rules and the systems that made rules for heroes, didn’t like the Commission. Denki had heard him, on more than one occasion, mumble about justice. It made sense, in a way. Iida was close to Midoriya. Their entire little group was, and it would’ve hit them pretty hard.

Denki had always lacked motivation, and Midoriya had sparked some of that motive back into him, as much as anyone could, really.

Well, now the motivation to find him was there. An electricity Quirk made sense, for someone who liked computers and all things tech. Learning to hack into important government files was the next logical step, really.

(And if Yaomomo caught him, and happened to help him, well, that was no one else’s business but theirs, now wasn’t it?)

~

Momo had always been taught, even from a young age, that appearances matter. Her parents would tell her this as she fussed against getting her hair pulled up so tight it hurt her scalp, giving her uncomfortable heeled shoes and dresses that never quite covered her chest as much as she wished they would. Appearances matter, she’s told, because if she’s going to be a hero, then she’s going to be in the spotlight even more than she already is, that she’d better stay pretty and thin. She’s told to ignore it when boys stare at her uncomfortably, when she wishes she could be small enough that no one could see her. She’s told it’s her duty as a hero to show off that much skin when she asks if her hero costume can have a few changes.

”It’s only practical,” they say, and she swallows every thought she has and nods politely.

Momo has always been taught, from a young age, to be meek.

Class 1-A, the most chaotic class she’s ever even heard of, throws out everything she’s been taught, catches it again, tosses it into a blender, and destroys it so thoroughly she’s actually kind of impressed. It’s class 1-A who builds her up, who fights battles for her when she’s too afraid to speak out against something. It’s Mina, who comes with her when she’s getting refitted for her hero costume, who’s forceful enough to make the designer agree to give her a zipper instead of a completely exposed chest.

”Practical my ass! What if something slips off during battle? What if someone throws something, and pierces right through her bare skin? It’s not ‘practical’, you’re just a fucking perv!”

Mina has very colorful language, Momo finds out, when she’s angry and fired up for her friends. Everyone in the class is close, but the girls all band together, looking out for one another, and it’s them who convince her she’s not what she sees in the mirror, horribly disfigured and lumpy and big and ugly and everything people had told her she can’t be. Even Bakugou calls her out on her “bullshit”, as he calls it, slamming another helping in front of her at dinner and yelling at her to eat more.

Losing Midoriya puts a damper on them all.

When she walks out into the kitchen one night, it’s late enough that no one (besides maybe their poor teacher) should be awake. Kaminari is, though, typing on a computer in silence. When she creeps up behind him, he’s… programming?

“Kaminari,” she whispers, “What are you doing?” She’s admittedly lucky he didn’t short circuit himself. In his defense, though, he doesn’t try and cover up what he’s doing. He looks her in the eye, uncomfortable, and whispers right back.

“I’m trying to hack into the Hero Commission to find Midoriya.”

Momo nods, and goes back to her room to research how to make an untraceable computer, down to the smallest parts she needs.

Momo will not be meek, not here, not now, not when it matters.

(And if she starts to eat more, gain a little weight, gain a little more muscle than before, and she’s only aided by Bakugou’s cooking efforts, well, it’s not like anyone is going to tell her to follow the Commission’s advice to stay slim.)

~

Katsuki is going to be a hero with Deku, not against him, dammit. If that means he’s a hero to himself, then it means he’s a hero to himself, fuck it. His middle school teachers did him no favors, no fucking way. They put him on a pedestal, placed a crown on his fucking head, and let him believe he was the king. The rest of the class fell into place, except Deku. Deku, who never fought back (because when he did, he got in trouble), who never ran from danger (because he knew he’d be a easier target), who looked down on him for so many years (because Katsuki was weak, because no matter what, Deku knew he was).

Deku, who was dragged off by the Hero Commission. Deku, who went with a smile.

Deku, who was just kidnapped again. Fucking hell, Katsuki isn’t going to take that shit lying down. Being Number 1 would be boring without competition.

(And if he throws himself into strategies, pushes himself to his limits in training to point he passes out and Recovery Girl scolds him, well, the rest of the class was right beside him.)

~

Tsuyu is very logical, if she says so herself. It’s not logical for her friends to call her Asui, so she tells them not to. It’s not logical for some of her classmates to go on some insane suicide mission to try and save Bakugou and Midoriya, so she tells them not to. It is logical to comfort them when the two are kidnapped, to comfort them because they feel so powerless.

Logic goes flying out the window when they all see Midoriya get dragged off.

She tries to think about it rationally, tries to think of reasons that they’d need to “question” him and never return him. She tries, and she fails. There’s no reason for it, there’s no logic behind it, because she’s missing something that the Commission isn’t. She knows that Midoriya asked some of his other friends to talk to him in his room, and that the conversation was private. Tsuyu tells herself to not be hurt by this, because she knows Midoriya, and she knows that she’d likely go to a teacher, depending on what he told them. Logically, she’s missing something.

When Shinsou suggests they go against the Hero Commission, she wants to protest. Breaking the law makes them no better than villains, correct?

But the Hero Commission, who is meant to control define heroes, does the least logical and heroic thing they can do when they take Midoriya. If they define heroes, then are those heroes truly worth it?

Perhaps it’s her loyalty to her friends that wins out in the end, when she agrees with Shinsou.

Perhaps it’s her agreement that it’s not fair, it’s not logical.

(And if she agrees with Iida’s passionate proclamations for justice, if she calls her family one last time, hoping that it won’t be goodbye, but logically understanding that it might be, well, only she would see her own tears.)

Chapter Text

Rallying the rest of the class is slightly harder. Everyone is here to be a hero, to fight on the side of the Commission. They’re worried, of course, but it’s hard to question the thing they’ve been dreaming of doing, for many of them, their entire lives. Shouto is down, Shinsou is down, but the rest of the class… isn’t. Not from what Shouto can tell, although Shinsou seems convinced that Iida, Momo, and Kaminari of all people are also willing to help fight.

But in the end, they’re family, in their own, terrible, trauma-induced way. You go against one of them, you go against them all, even if it takes some time for everyone else to get pissed off enough that they lose it.

(No one can forget the “prank” they pulled on Monoma, that may or may not have traumatized him, after he insulted Aizawa one too many times. The amount of time they’d spent cleaning up the glitter and mild acid was worth it.)

Shouto told Midoriya about his father, and the rest of the proclaimed “Dekusquad” knows, albeit from a much shorter and told-by-Midoriya version that wasn’t censored, but also didn’t include all the more… gory details.

And yet, as they all slowly hate the Hero Commission more and more, Shouto wonders if it would be the tipping point for a lot of them. Maybe not to go against the Commission directly, but to not go with them, either. There’s no real way to know, not unless he bites the bullet and takes the leap. It’s a terrifying thought, of course. The rest of the boys in the class know he’s got burns, burns on both sides, and they don’t go to him directly, which he’s thankful for, but it’s still… uncomfortable. Details are harder to hear, harder to talk about. He thinks about his scar, about the panic he feels when he hears the whistle of a kettle.

There’s one big group chat with everyone in the class in it. It’s not official by any capacity, and even poor Iida had given up on regulating it. He stares at his phone, the message he has written, for several long, heart-pounding moments. There is no taking this back, once he hits send. It’s there, written in stone, for all of them to see.

Traumatized, but like, in a way that made us funny

Todoroki: I need to talk to everyone at once. I don’t want to say it again. Meet me in the common room in five.

Yaoyorozu: Is this about Midoriya?

Todoroki: In a way, yes. Please.

Ashido: we’ll be there, todo!

Bakugou: I’d better be important, half n half

Todoroki: It is.

No going back now.

~

Five minutes later (okay, more like ten, but that was because Kaminari has poor time management skills), they’re all gathered, looking to Shouto, and it’s legitimately terrifying. He’s about to spill all of his childhood trauma to a bunch of people in hopes it’ll rally them enough that they’ll be willing to essentially overthrow a government institution. No pressure, not at all. He just has one shot to get this right, and it’s what will either save or possibly doom his first friend, who listened and believed him. Nope, not at all terrifying.

“Uh, are you gonna talk, bro? No pressure, or anything, but just, curious.” Kirishima is as reassuring as ever.

“Yes, I am. Sorry, this is- a big deal.” Shouto takes a deep breath, steeling himself, closing his eyes. “Have any of you heard of Quirk Marriages?”

“Yes? But weren’t those, like, outlawed a while ago?” Kaminari asks, the rest of the class nodding along.

“They were. That doesn’t mean they don’t get swept under the rug.” Shouto touches the edge of his scar, and he can see some of his classmates putting the pieces together. “My father got one, even after they were outlawed. He-” Shouto swallows, hard. “He bought my mother, when she was only eighteen.” There are several gasps of horror. “He wanted to- create a child, who would overcome All Might, because he never could. My older siblings are all his ‘failures’. He pushed my older brother, Touya, so far that he ended up burning himself alive.”

“God.” Shouto’s not sure who says it, but it gives him the courage to continue, for some reason.

“When I came along, and had my half hot and half cold Quirk, he was delighted. He used to ‘train’ me, as soon as it came in. He was determined to have someone who would do what he couldn’t.” Shouto takes another deep breath, the memory of a whistling kettle coming back full force. “I won’t go into full detail, but my mother, she tried to stop him. A lot. She was terrified of him, but she was protective of me, too. He did a lot to her. And, eventually, she got too scared to even be in the same room as him. I’m sure you’ve noticed I look a lot like him, on my left side, with my hair and eye.” Another hard swallow. “She was in the kitchen, boiling water for something, and I came in. And she saw my left side, and saw my father instead.” The class is dead silent, until Shouto hears a small explosion go off.

“What. The fuck.” That makes Shouto’s eyes open again, the shock of hearing Yaomomo swear enough to break him from his thoughts. He blinks twice, because the fury on his classmates faces is impressive. He’s never seen them so mad, or horrified. And that’s saying something, considering the year they’ve been having.

“Did no one notice?” Someone, he’s not sure who, asks. He shakes his head, because this is why he told them.

“He paid a lot of them off. Anyone he couldn’t pay off, the Hero Commission paid off. The Endeavor Agency went through sidekicks like crazy because if they tried to report it, they got their license taken away, if they didn’t get thrown in jail and labeled a villain.”

“Fuck them!” Mina blurts out, face puffed in anger. Her hands are balled into fists at her side, and she’s trembling with anger. “Fuck them and everything they’ve done!”

“Yeah!” That’s Sero, agreeing with her proclamation, raising his fist. The rest of the class joins in, fists in the air, and amongst the chaos that ensues, Yaomomo walks up to him.

“Me and Kaminari have been doing our best to… get into the Hero Commission’s files. No luck so far, but I think we’re getting close. If we find anything on your father, do you want us to do something with it?” Her voice is soft, comforting, but Shouto can see the hardness in her eyes.

“No. If we’re going against the Commission, we’re going to need all the ammo we can get. It’s part of the reason I told the class.” His shoulders are tense, and he knows he’ll likely get a headache from how hard his jaw is clenched, but it’s worth it, in the end. She pats his shoulder, calm.

“Just let us know if you change your mind.” She turns to watch the rest of the class. “They won’t get away with this any longer, Shouto. We’ll take them down.”

~

It’s horrifying. Something about Endeavor had always rubbed Hizashi the wrong way, of course, but he never had any reason why. His brash nature, his collateral damage, his single-mindedness about being Number 1, there were a lot of reasons that could explain it, but nothing concrete. And then he overheard Todoroki. When the entire class gathered in the common room, Hizashi knew something was happening, but did his best not to pry. Teenagers were always weird, and they were still in shock over Midoriya’s disappearance. There was something else going on, even if Shouta was being frustratingly tight-lipped about it.

Hearing about Endeavor being an abuser wasn’t something Hizashi had expected. They were all trained, as teachers, to look for signs of abuse in the home. It was exhausting, of course, to think about what could be happening behind closed doors. It was more horrifying to hear about it. The staff had spoken about Todoroki’s scar, but they’d done their best to be respectful about it, curiosity merely getting the better of them. But for it to be his mother, to be the result of what sounded like years upon years of physical and emotional abuse made Hizashi sick to his stomach.

Getting Todoroki out of that bastard’s house would normally be step one, but the man is Number 1. Japan is relatively stable, at least as much as they can be, what with All Might’s retirement, but even still, accusing the Number 1 of child abuse is… big. It would likely destabilize japan.

“Can we even really do anything about it, though?” Asui’s voice floats through the cracked door. “He’s Number 1, wouldn’t that ruin Japan?”

“And? So fucking what, if it ruins Japan, then it deserves to be fucking ruined! If that man’s a hero, then fuck being a fucking hero, I don’t want shit to do with him!” Several small explosions go off from Bakugou, angry and screaming as he is. “I’m going to fucking help Deku, and if that makes me a fucking villain, it makes me a fucking villain! Those fuckers can’t get away with just fucking kidnapping him!”

Oh, Hizashi thinks. That’s where Midoriya went, although it doesn’t explain why. Shouta mentioned that one of the villains did something to the kid, but nothing specific. They all knew that Midoriya had woken up screaming one night, and that a few days later, he was gone.

If the Commission took him, it spells disaster for them all.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s not panicking, really, he isn’t! He’s just mildly worried that the Hero Commission is unaware of the hornet’s nest they’ve just kicked, over and over again, spat on, then laughed about said hornet’s nest. Because his father (and oh, god, don’t go down that rabbit hole of thought Izuku, it doesn’t end well) still has Search. And can presumably see Izuku’s every move.

The cell he’s in is tiny, of course, but it’s literally a bed and a bathroom (who’s only sense of privacy is a curtain, and Izuku’s pretty sure there’s a camera somewhere back there) so that’s to be expected. The boredom is not. He’s bored. So bored. There’s nothing to do, his food gets delivered by drones, and the last person he talked to was literally Aizawa-sensei, and that was (by Izuku’s count) about a week or two ago. The days blend into one slog, because there’s no sense of time down here, no windows, no clocks, nothing. No paper to write on, no pencils or pens so he could write on his hands, the trays the food gets delivered on is taken away, and everything else is disposable and breaks down within the hour. Pacing is just about the only thing he can do, besides sleep anyways, but the isolation is starting to get to him. Sure, he was decently isolated during his formative years (read: from Quirkless diagnosis to going to U.A.) but he at least had his mother, and yes, his classmates from back then were far from kind, but at least it was human interaction.

He’s read about the effects of solitary confinement on humans, how it makes them slowly lose it. When he read it then, it was with a detached sort of curiosity, something that stemmed from boredom and morbid fascination with the limits of the human mind. Living through it is something he never wanted to do, and it’s not like any of those little articles that he’d skimmed through had any advice on how not to lose your mind if solitary confinement was your fate for the next foreseeable future. People tend to think that criminals deserve such a thing, and while Izuku would agree in some cases, even his father gets visitors sometimes.

He hopes someone told his mother- well, he’s not sure what he hopes they told her. From what he can deduce, they’ve likely declared him “missing”, not dead, but at some point, they’ll stop looking, because it’s a waste of resources to try and find someone who’s no longer breathing. Of course, Izuku’s location is perfectly known, by both his father and the Hero Commission, and while he’s sure that the Commission knows that his father has Search, he’s not sure if they know the limits of his Quirk. Because Izuku shares this with his father, he knows those limits.

He knows that All For One has Quirk-Suppressant resistance, and after a certain point, he’d literally built up an immunity to the stuff. He’s not sure how or why, but it’s likely due to the fact that he’s technically a second-generation Quirk user, because his father is a first. Quirks worked differently back then, and All For One is unique in its own right, so it’s very possible that the chemicals that stop the Quirk Factor from activating simply aren’t effective in a Quirk Factor that’s so old. The composition of Quirk-Suppressants has changed, he knows, so an older formula would be more effective against him and his father, but he’s not about to tell that to the Hero Commission.

He’s sure his captors have noticed, but what can they really do about it? He hasn’t tried to escape, he hasn’t even fought back. There’s no one to hear him beg to be let out, there’s no one to fight, there’s nothing but four blank walls and a door that blends in perfectly. Short of bashing his head against the walls, he can’t distinguish anything from anything else, the bed really being the only thing that helps him to orientate himself.

Other than that, he’s really bored. That’s the weirdest part, he thinks. He should be terrified, crying perhaps, but his tears have long since dried. He talks to himself, filling up the silence with his own mutterings and conjectures. He tries not to be loud, in an effort to keep what he can from the Hero Commission. If they want to keep him in the dark, he can keep them in the dark too.

~

He’s got another Quirk. Strange black whips can extend from his arms and fingertips. They're huge, useful for mobility he’d bet. They hurt like hell to use. And he’s got to be angry enough to use them, and he can’t really direct them towards anything yet, but he’s got another Quirk. Lovely. At least this one came from One For All, instead of his father, seeing as how he’d blacked out immediately after using them for the first time and woke up in that weird dreamscape again. A smiling man appeared above him, introduced himself as Banjo, and told him the name of the newest Quirk: Blackwhip.

“Well, that’s one way to make a debut with them, I guess.” Izuku’s eyes would’ve snapped open if he hadn’t been dreaming.
“Wha-”
“Blackwhip, kid. A top notch Quirk, although it’s definitely gotten bigger now. Name’s Banjo.”
“I don’t need anymore Quirks.” Izuku felt exhausted. The Hero Commission’s latest tactic after the Quirk-Suppressants clearly weren’t working anymore was to pump some weird gas into his room, likely to put him to sleep. It worked, for a bit, until he built up immunity to that, too. But his body still felt heavy, the irregular sleep he’d been getting making it worse. And now, he can’t sleep at all, lights randomly flashing and loud, jarring noises that he knows he shouldn’t be able to hear.

“Well, yer gettin’ em, kid.” Another hand reached out to Banjo, landing on the man’s shoulder. Long pale hair, green eyes. The First, something in Izuku whispered.
“Your… shall we say… ‘unique’ genetics means you can use multiple abilities, without the backlash. It also means you’ll get everyone else’s abilities, I’m afraid.” Izuku must’ve made a face, because Banjo added on.
“He means Quirks, kid. And yeah, your daddy’s genes means you’ll get all of ‘em.” If he could use his arms, Izuku would’ve put his head in his hands.
“Kill me.” A thought occurred to him. “Wait, if I pass One For All, does that mean whoever gets it would get All For One?”

The dream ended before anyone answered. Of course.

~

He can put all five fingers to the wall and hear anything, soundproofing be damned, he finds out on accident. One moment, he’s leaning against it, bracing himself, the next, he can hear people talking.

“He’s still resistant to the suppressants, correct?” One voice asks, female.

“Correct. The sleeping gas is no longer working as well. We might have to take more… drastic measures. That child, you know the temporary subject?” That one’s a man.

“Ah, Eri, correct? What about her?” The female voice asks.

“Her blood, it can erase a Quirk. She’s being kept by Chisaki Kai, Overhaul, last vestiges of the Yakuza. We might need her blood in order to solve this… problem.”

Izuku freezes. He- he doesn’t want to lose his Quirk. He doesn’t want to lose One For All, he cannot lose One For All before handing it off, and hey, maybe he’s gotten slightly attached to All For One, sue him. He also doesn’t like what they’re implying about this “Overhaul” guy. Clearly they know about him, and they haven’t sent any heroes after him. Izuku bites down on his anger, lest Blackwhip explode out once more, and instead clenches his other hand that’s not braced on the wall.

“The child” implies something worse, too.

Alright, fuck it.

Two loud pounds of his fists, hard enough that he’s slightly surprised there’s no cracks in the wall.

Those fuckers.

“What the-?”

“I know you can hear me. Using a child? How low can you fuckers stoop?” Okay, he’s channeled his inner Kacchan with all the swearing, both in his head and out of his mouth.

“These walls are soundproof, how-” He smiles as he slides down the wall further, taking his hand off of it. That was stupid, impulsive, and oh god, so satisfying. Hours and days and weeks of nothingness has taken its toll, dammit, and at this point, he’s just glad he got a response, no matter the consequences.

The worry about his father escaping hasn’t left him, but now, he’s too numb to care. At this point, he might take the bastard kicking down his door, keeping All For One in jail be damned.

Chapter Text

It’s ugly. That’s all Denki can think, as he dumps files onto the hard drive Yaomomo made for him. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Someone named “Takami Keigo”, taken in when he was young (too young) by the Commission, and raised to be a hero. Raised to fight against… something. There’s no wars going on, not at least to his knowledge. Why did the Hero Commission steal a child? Why, why, why?

A lot of people either don’t know or don’t care about Hawks’ real name, but Denki does. Every single red flag in his mind is raised, high as they can go, and then some. A child with red wings, who could control said wings, precisely and perfectly, who’s eyes were sharp like his namesake, constantly on guard. It doesn’t make sense to Denki.

Hand-to-hand combat training, weapon training, leaving the kid blindfolded for hours on end to make him see with his feathers. Some of those, Denki can understand, if he had less morals and more hatred in his heart.

Resistance to torture, isolation, sleep-deprivation? It makes his stomach turn.

Denki’s never even met Hawks, but he likes the guy well enough, even if Tokoyami complained about his mentor after his internship. Something about his attitude and whole demeanor is chill, calm and collected. Denki likes that, it’s cool to see, but not worth literal torture towards a child, heroes be dammed.

The scrubbers that he, Yaomomo, and Mei had made had worked wonderfully. One was a riskier type, made specifically to be caught by their system, so they’d be on higher guard to look for more of its kind. It was faster, though, and they’d gotten a bit of information before the Commission caught on. Another was slower, more secure, and worked wonders due to the high amount of traffic the Commission saw digitally.

The third was the hardest to make, but worked wonders in the end, which brough Denki to Hawks’ files. Making themselves look like legitimate users was not easy, and it took a very compromising favor to Mei, but it worked. It was worth the soot in Denki’s hair from one of her… bigger explosions.

There’s still nothing about Midoriya, and these are the Commission’s most secure files. It took the combined efforts of him and Yaomomo, with Hagakure sneaking them energy gummies to keep themselves awake, but they got in, left themselves a backdoor, and collapsed for the next forty-eight hours. But there’s nothing here, no files mentioning him, no pictures, nothing. It doesn’t make sense, and while it doesn’t eliminate the possibility that Midoriya is locked up somewhere else, Denki doubts it. He’s not in Tartarus, confirmed by Todoroki, and the Commission even has files mentioning most high-profile villains and where they’re contained. It’s a correlation to hero rankings, because popular opinion is one thing, and arrest rates is another.

(They also found a backdoor into U.A.’s security measures. The cameras are closed circuit, but the digital tapes of them were not.)

He’s the only one who can see these files, because he’s not going to betray Hawks like that, but… he doesn’t have a way to get into contact with the hero. Tokoyami, on the other hand…

“Hey, man, can I ask you a favor? It’s about… ya know…” Tokoyami nods, tilting his head towards his room. Denki follows, ignores the gothic decor (Denki had to admit, he committed to his aesthetic well) and steels himself.

“I’m not going to show you the original files, but I think there’s something you need to know about Hawks.”

~

“Purely theoretically, how do you feel about Midoriya’s… disappearance?” Fumikage needed to tread carefully, if Hawks wasn’t on their side in this, then it was best to not let the man know much. Hawks turned to him, taking off his visor, deliberately covering part of it.

“Theoretically, I feel that it’s horseshit.” And then, Hawks put his visor back on, smiling. “Sorry, got kinda dirty. Anyways, like I said, it’s a shame, but there’s not much any one person can do. The Commission has got me running ragged to find the kid. I’ll keep you updated, you’ve got my number.”

“I see. Thank you for the update, we’re all worried about him.” Fumikage understood the need for secrecy. What Kaminari had shown him… No child could give consent to become a hero, not that young. People had accused U.A. of raising child soldiers before, but what the Commission had done was far worse. Hawks was practically owned by the Commission, there were bugs in his visor, in his furniture, in his everything. There was no good way to stay off the books, not when everyone could hear what they were saying at all times. If what Jirou had heard through the walls was any indication, however, it was highly likely the man was just as aware of such a thing. Escorts off campus were annoying, and Hawks wasn’t able to grab him from U.A. either, but Mic was at least accommodating.

“Thank you for escorting me, sensei. I know this isn’t ideal for anyone.” Mic waved him off, hypnotic eyes staring into Fumikage.

“It’s no problem! Besides, we all know that Midoriya ain’t gonna save himself.” Fumikage felt his eyes widen, but nodded. “I know, trust me. I’m far from the Hero Commission’s biggest fan.” He lowered his voice. “I heard about Todoroki.”

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to help, then?” Mic turned to him, grinning.

“Count me in, little listener.”

~
FUCK the commission

Tokoyami: Mic knows, and is on our side.

~

“They’ve been isolating him, he’s starting to lose it. We need to get him out, now.” Shouta rubbed his forehead, an increasing pressure slamming against his head. Keigo was correct, they needed Midoriya out, and they needed to do it now.

“One of us will have to create a diversion. The other takes the kid and makes a break for it,” Shouta said, knowing that the plan was barebones and almost useless. Midoriya had a heroic streak in him a mile wide.

“Commission can take one of us, easy. Both of us would have to give ourselves up for this to work,” Keigo responded.

“And rely on Midoriya, the most heroic, self-sacrificing child I’ve ever met in my life, to let us go.” Shouta swore under his breath, putting his head in his hands. “There’s no way that’ll work.” Keigo put a hand on his arm.

“We’re out of options.”

~

”We’re out of options.” Kyoka swore softly, unplugging one of her jacks from the wall. She motioned over to Yaomomo, who dropped what she was doing and headed over.

“What’s wrong?” Kyoka nodded to the wall.

“They’re planning on sacrificing themselves for Mido. There’s no way that’ll work.” Yaomomo bit her lip, then pulled out her phone. “They’ve been keeping him isolated, apparently. He’ll lose his mind at this rate.”

“We’re doing this, then.” She typed out a message, and Kyoka felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

~

FUCK the commission

Yaoyorozu: Everyone, down to the common room, outside sensei’s door, now.
Yaoyorozu: I don’t care what you’re doing, we’re doing this, now or never.

Momo put her phone away, taking a deep breath. This was real, this was happening. Seventeen pairs of footsteps came from behind her, sounding like a stampede. Iida was the first there, of course, followed closely by the rest of the “Dekusquad”. Bakugou’s group was next, and even Kaminari and Sero were there, serious. When Momo did a quick headcount and found everyone present (including Present Mic, who was so quiet she hadn’t even noticed him), she nodded to Jirou.

Hawks and Aizawa always used to lock the door when they had their little “meetings”, although they’d almost always answer if you knocked.

Mic decided that knocking wasn’t fast enough, and kicked the door down instead.

“What the- Hizashi, why the fuck did you kick down the door- and why is the entire class behind you?”

“Sensei, no offense, but that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. Midoriya’ll come back for you guys, everytime.” Jirou brought the class forward, face purposely neutral.

“Jirou, we can’t-” Aizawa stuttered, but Jirou interrupted him.

“You can. If we help. If you’ll let us help you. Either way, you can’t stop us.” Aizawa sighed, and Hawks’ eyes turned hard.

“There’s no turning back from this. The Hero Commission will not let you off easy. If you aren’t fully willing to go to jail, then walk away.”

“This is not justice! We would not be heroes if we walked away!” That was Iida, passionate. The entire class nodded along, and Momo stepped forward.

“We have the barebones of a plan, but it involves all of us, and it requires both of you.” She turned to look Hawks in the eye. “And… we found some… disturbing files about you, in the Commission’s server. With your permission, we’d be willing to release them to the public, and create a diversion to aid the plan. If not, we’ll figure something else out.” Hawks paled, wings twitching.

“Which files?” Momo hesitated, and turned to Kaminari.

“The ones about your… training. I was the one to find them.” He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “I’ll be honest, it was mostly out of curiosity. I was looking for where Midoriya is. I’m the only one in the class who’s actually read them.”

“And everyone else knows the basics?”

“We know that it was wrong. We know that it’ll cause outrage, if you’re willing to let us release it.” Hawks’ jaw twitched, his wings betraying the tension in him. Finally, he sighed.

“Do it. The world is going to know either way. Might as well tear them down as hard as we can.” Kaminari nodded, walking out of the room.

“I’m also willing to release what my father did. I know the medical records are there, and the hospital security is worse than the Commission’s.” Todoroki stepped up, next to Momo. She reached out her hand, and he took it, squeezing lightly.

“We’ll need to do it the day of. It’s highly likely the Commission will put all efforts into getting rid of the evidence of wrongdoing, which will work for us in this case, they’ll be off guard.” Aizawa silently turned to the papers on the table behind him, scribblings of plans and maps of the underground cells that his student was likely in.

“I can get us in the front door, but leaving is going to be harder. He’s being kept underground at the main Commission building. If that electric kid can hack into scheduling, I can tell them you’re all there for a tour, then sneak you down.” Kaminari had come back, laptop in hand, typing away.

“Now that’s easy. I can make a note that you’ll be taking half of the class for this ‘tour’, make them some security passes, and then release the files on both you and Todoroki’s shitheel of a dad, that should scramble them around enough that they won’t be on high alert internally. Plus, I think I might be able to get into their cameras, put them on a loop. You’ll be able to take people out as long as you’re quick.” Hawks frowned, then turned to Aizawa, who spoke next.

“They’ll call in heroes.”

“They won’t if the other half of us are causing chaos in the city. That’ll keep heroes at bay,” Shinsou shot back.

“And, I can be the rest of the class’ cover! We say I’m subbing for you, and that protects them! And if I happen to run into a villain attack and cause a little collateral damage…” Mic smiled, pushing up his glasses.

Chapter Text

“Where is he, All For One? Or aren’t you concerned about your own son?” A dark chuckle came for All For One, smiling wide.

“You truly think I don’t know, that I don’t care? It would be impossible for me not to, Yagi. If you’re still under the impression I don’t hold all the cards, then I’m afraid I’ve overestimated you by far.”

~

“We say our goodbyes tonight, if you haven’t already. Anyone who needs an escort, come to me, Mic, or Hawks.” Shouta looked out at his students kids faces, grim determination plastered on them all. No one stepped forward, dead silence falling on the room, sitting heavily on all their shoulders. Seeing the changes in all of them made both pride and fear swell in his chest, the knowledge that this might not work weighing heavily on all their minds. But Keigo was correct, Midoriya would lose his mind at this rate.

They’d talked about waiting another week, but Kegio shot it down instantly, citing the fact that Midoriya had started to break his own fingers, determined to feel something, apparently. The healing Quirk fixed them instantly, of course, but it was still horrifying to hear about second hand. Midoriya was used to breaking his own bones, had cripled his hands nearly beyond repair during the Sports Festival, and yet, he was breaking them once more, out of sheer apathy and numbness. It was concerning, to say the least. There was no more time to wait, no more time to plan.

“No one?” The class nodded collectively, but Shouta could sense the nervous energy there. “This is your last chance to back out. I’m not going to hold it against you.”

“No offense, Sensei, but our minds were made up when we saw Midoriya get dragged off,” Kaminari spoke up, his serious look out of place from his normally carefree expression. “We’ve all put way too much in to stop now.”

“Yeah! We’re doing this!” Ashido yelled, pounding her fist into the palm of her other hand. Shouta nodded, then nodded to Hizashi and Keigo.

“Make sure you’re packed up. Hero Costumes are already loaded up, and anyone who has support items, those are there too. Everyone who’s not on the tour, meet with Mic when class would normally start, except Kaminari.” The boy nodded when Shouta said his name, squaring his shoulders. “Get rested up. We’ll talk in the morning.” Keigo headed out, a lazy salute in response to Shouta, although he could see the tension there. Hizashi patted Shouta’s shoulder, a grim smile on his face. The rest of the class headed up, whispering amongst themselves, but they were taking this seriously enough that Shouta was confident they’d go to sleep. Turning to Hizashi, he spoke again.

“The safehouse is ready, right?” Shouta asked.
“Yep. It’s an old factory, essentially, gutted and reworked. Not a great part of the city, but with so many pro heroes and heroes in training, I’m not terribly worried. And everyone gave me their stuff, so we’re set there.” Hizashi let out a deep sigh, biting his lower lip. “Are we really doing this, Shou?”
“You heard Hawks. He’ll lose his mind, and I don’t think they really understand the wasps’ nest they’ve kicked. Midoriya is powerful, if he snaps, the Hero Commission will go, and it’ll be a bloody, bloody end.” Another sigh from Hizashi, who nodded.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Shou.”

~

“You don’t hold all the cards, All For One. You’re blind, in any sense of the word. We will find Midoriya, before you can let any plans take form.” Another rough laugh, short and half-way barked out.

“I’m not saying you won’t. If you really think I don’t plan at least ten steps ahead, you’ve got another thing coming, Yagi.” All For One straightened in his restraints, clicking machine guns following his every move. “He’s not always going to have blind faith in you, and you shouldn’t have blind faith in anyone else. If you really wanted to save him, you would’ve never given him that power in the first place.” A grin was plastered on All For One’s face, and Toshinori glared, trying to stop his hand from shaking. “You ought to think about the powers that put you on that pedestal of yours in the first place, All Might.”

~

Denki woke up early, taking one deep breath, before getting ready, shoving the last of anything he needed into his backpack. Laptop, phone, hard drive, headphones, and one family picture he was too nervous to pack. Taking one last look at his dorm room, he swung his backpack over one shoulder, and closed the door.

It wasn’t a long walk to the bus stop, and it was an even shorter one when he didn’t need to worry about U.A.’s security measures. They’d been made to keep people out more than keep people in, although you’d usually need to be a hero or have a hero escort to leave. That wasn’t an issue, seeing as how Denki had a copy of Aizawa-sensei’s license, perfectly made, thanks to Yaomomo. It would get him out, and he didn’t need to worry about the system flagging Aizawa as “out”, not when they figured out you could toss the card itself close to the scanner again to flag the hero as “in”, instead. It was in a slim black wallet, unlikely to be noticed or picked up before his classmates left for their “tour”. Even if it were, the license was about to be useless, anyways.

The morning air was slightly cold, a small layer of dew sitting atop the grass as he stepped onto the bus, headed straight towards the train station. No one paid him any mind, which was to be expected, he supposed. Casual clothes, and most people riding right now wouldn’t care either way, likely coming home from overnight shifts, or heading to early morning ones. His hair was distinctive, but a beanie pulled low hid most of it, and having two-toned hair wasn’t that strange, nowadays. Paired with glasses, the lenses popped out, he didn’t really look like himself, which, hey, was sort of the point right now. It’d be better for everyone if he weren’t followed, even if he was paranoid enough to know he’d be taking two trains and walking pretty far to get to his destination.

Still, it was nerve racking, the knowledge that this was happening. This was reality, and reality was that Midoriya was going to be saved, one way or another.

When he got off the second train, he made his way to his destination, a safe house Mic had found, in a rougher area that meant few heroes patrolled, and no one would ask too many questions. He took the long way, purposefully making loops and a confusing zig-zag pattern across alleyways and streets. It was deserted, although it wasn’t surprising to Denki. Made sense that people wouldn’t be out so early, not if they used the cover of night to do more… sketchy activities. That worked for him.

The sun was rising over some of the buildings around him when he made it to the safe house, an old abandoned factory that was completely gutted, nowadays. It was too big to be used by any small-time gangs, and too small for any operations that were much bigger than the class. There were beds set up, military like cots, and while there wouldn’t be a lot of privacy, there wasn’t much of that in the dorms, either. There were “rooms” of a sort, sectioned off by thin walls that didn’t reach the ceiling, but they could clean this place up later.

The main thing that it had was that the closest Wi-Fi signal was both unguarded and strong enough to sustain streaming, which was what Denki needed. He opened his laptop, plugging it into an outlet on the wall, after kick starting the generator. He didn’t produce quite enough to keep the laptop charged, and he didn’t want to short-circuit anything. This was too important.

~

“Think of it this way. Do you truly think Izuku is better off with the heroes? You’d ask him to suffocate himself, would you not? He would be terrified of his own powers, and you’d do nothing but encourage that fear,” All For One said. Toshinori shifted in his seat, slightly uncomfortable, but still willing to fight, even if it was a verbal spar.

“That Quirk is dangerous. You alone prove that.”

“Any Quirk is dangerous, Yagi. Or are you saying like father, like son? You say you trust him, yet you don’t trust him enough to let him use what is his.” All For One grinned. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. His little friends helped him along in that regard, despite your efforts. He knows what he can do, and they convinced him not to fear it, a far cry from your paltry efforts to control my son.”

“He’d hurt himself,” Toshinori bit back, knowing it was weak.

“He’s already done that. And that wasn’t even my fault, now was it?”

~

The “tour” was boring, mainly because it wasn’t real. Shouto was full of nervous energy, doing his best to keep his entire leg from bouncing. It would be very, very bad to arouse suspicion. They were about halfway through when an alert sounded on his phone, and he barely held in a smile, the knowledge that Kaminari had done his job perfectly bringing him vindictive joy. He hadn’t asked either of his siblings, which made him an asshole, sure, but this was worth it. Fuyumi had an apartment she could go to, and Natsuo spent as little time at home as he could, and Shouto couldn’t risk anything by telling them. It was too important.

(That, and he was nervous he’d be putting them at risk for being accomplices, and he might not know his siblings all that well, but he didn’t hate them.)

Two shouts sounded from behind them, and Hawks took that as cue, pressing a button on his visor, and Shouto nodded to him when he saw that the light on it was blinking red.

~

“Toshinori, have you seen the news?” The fact that Naomasa hadn’t greeted him like usual when he picked up the phone was concerning enough. The panic in his voice made Toshinori’s heart race.

“What happened? Did All For One-”

“No!” Naomasa practically screamed into the receiver. “It’s the Hero Commission, files got leaked! Read the news, and there’s-” Someone had burst into his office, and Toshinori barely listened to the quick conversation with half an ear on speakerphone, sprinting towards U.A.’s gates. Fuck it, he’d text Vlad about the change in plans on his way, if the man didn’t know already from Nedzu.

“Hawks’ visor is streaming, I’ll send you the link. I don’t know what’s happening, Toshinori, but it’s 1-A and it’s not good.” Well, when was it when it came to that class? But they were on a tour at the main Hero Commission building, why on earth would they be in danger? Naomasa hung up as Toshinori got onto the train, texting Nedzu who responded with a positive, telling him that the other half of the class, along with Yamada, was unaccounted for. Swearing under his breath, he tapped the link Naomasa sent him.

~

Links to the stream were everywhere, every major social media, the Hero Commission’s own public site, several pro hero agencies’ sites, U.A.’s site, popular blogs, anything and everything Denki could get his hands on. It was, in a word, glorious. The Commission would scramble, if they weren’t already. They’d covered their tracks well, of course, but they’d likely find the leak quickly and get it patched up.

Denki hadn’t quite uploaded all the files to public servers, but he’d come pretty damn close. Nothing that would compromise any heroes (besides Endeavor and Hawks, but one of them was a child abusing piece of shit and the other wouldn’t be a hero much longer), but nothing else was left untouched. Mostly, it was the corruption in the Commission, as well as how hard they’d fought against villain rehabilitation programs, because it would reduce their overall power. It was a commonly discussed problem amongst many heroes, because yes, bringing in villains was great for rankings, but not great for the general public, who often lost property or lives in bringing in said villains. Some heroes pushed against rehab, saying it wouldn’t do anything, others accused them of just wanting the spotlight. Some heroes pushed for it, but plastered their faces everywhere so much it didn’t do anyone any good. It was a mess, either way.

And now, Hawks’ visor was streaming. No one had said anything yet, although Todoroki had waved to the camera, awkward as ever, and some of the tension Denki had in his shoulders drained. He laughed softly to himself, and Mina raised an eyebrow at him.

“Todoroki is really awkward.” She snorted, looking over his shoulder. Denki knew she was exhausted, from the way she was so quiet. It was reasonable. Her and Tsuyu had been causing chaos for almost two hours now, and they’d just switched out with Kouda and Aoyama. Mic was out there too, but he was also far more used to fighting for longer. Tsuyu had gone to one of the beds, resting her eyes. She hadn’t gotten much sleep, likely too worried about this, and Denki didn’t want to bother her. Yaomomo was out too, shooting out fliers and taping one of the documents about Endeavor’s abuse on every hero agency’s door she could get to.

(Best Jeanist, had, apparently, caught her, looked at the fliers, nodded to her, and turned on his heel, after taking one of them and posting it on his door.)

The stream was excellent quality, all things considered, and Denki took a moment to think of the irony that the Commission’s insistence on good tech was about to be their downfall. They were still following their guide, but then the man turned to grab something, and Hawks took the opportunity.

~

One quick punch to the underside of his jaw, and the bastard was down in an instant. Eraser caught him before he could hit the floor, and the class went dead silent, focused. It was eerie how quick the shift was from fun-loving class to dead-serious mission mode. It made Keigo’s life easier, either way. They quickly made their way to the elevators, Keigo swiped his card, but before they could all squeeze in, one of the guards ran up to them. It was unlikely they could get through ten hero kids and two pros, but him raising an alarm would end this before it began.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He asked, reaching for a gun at his side.

“And why would you need to know, weather boy?” Shinsou asked, glaring at the man. Keigo was suddenly glad the Hero Commission didn’t like the kid, because while they’d kept a close eye on him for a while, they’d stopped once Eraser took the kid in. That, and this guy was clearly new, because he didn’t immediately attack. Which meant he had no clue what the activation for Shinsou’s Quirk was.

“Weather boy-?”

“Go lock yourself in the bathroom and don’t come out for an hour.” Effective. Although not against the second, who’d rounded the corner, saw the class, and tried to turn tail and run. Eraser caught him with his capture weapon, slammed him into the ground, and nodded to Keigo.

The elevator dinged, and they crammed themselves inside.

~

Izuku was still bored. There was something going on upstairs, but he’d taken to breaking his fingers so often he figured they might just be trying to find a way to actually sedate him. Whatever, the isolation had made him apathetic towards many, many things, and he might actually take being sedated if it means he’ll see something else besides the white walls.

Two rhythmic thumps were his only warning before the door was kicked in with enough force it flew off the hinges. Iida stood, proud as ever, and Izuku shot up.

“Deku!” Uraraka flung herself in, hugging him so tight he thought she might suffocate him. He could feel tears soak into the shirt he was given. She pulled back, eyes widening slightly at his hair.

“U-uraraka? Are- are you real?” She felt real, but sleep deprivation had fooled him once or twice. He felt her hand squeeze his, and she smiled.

“We’re real. And we’re getting you out, now,” She said, guiding him towards the door.

For the first time in weeks, Izuku saw something other than white walls.

Chapter Text

Todoroki calmly helped break the cuff on his hand, and Izuku finished the job with one powerful flick of his fingers. It blew into bits, and his now-broken finger repaired itself easily. Aizawa-sensei and Hawks motioned them forwards, and they started to move, even if Uraraka and Todoroki steadfastly refused to let him go. Iida looked like he might start holding Izuku too, if his hands frozen in the air were any indication. Izuku gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile as they ran forward.

“Hold on, someone’s ahead. Stay back, be ready to run.” Hawks stopped them, detaching a feather and holding it tight. The class froze, and Izuku fell into a battle stance on instinct. A guard rounded the corner, and sprinted towards them, dodging under Hawks’ attack. He grabbed Aizawa-Sensei and Shinsou’s arms, freezing them in place. The rest of the group turned to grab them, but the guard pulled a gun and pointed it at their heads.

“One more step and they go down.” That made them all stop. Izuku was behind the guard, along with Todoroki, Uraraka, and Iida. “And I’ll even cut you all a deal. Midoriya over there goes back in his little cell, and I let you all off easy.”

“Really? You’re willing to kill a bunch of kids over, what, exactly?” Hawks asked, but Izuku could see his wings twitch. This was bad. Izuku clenched his fists, and Uraraka tightened her grip on his arm.

“I am. It’s worth it, to keep that kid locked up. They didn’t tell you what he can do, did they? You just listened, like you always do, Keigo.” Izuku hated this. The right thing to do would be to give himself up, to let the rest of the class go in exchange. But there was no guarantee that it would even work, that the Commission wouldn’t destroy them anyways.

Todoroki made the decision for them, freezing the man’s arm, making him drop the gun on reflex. Hawks scrambled for it, kicking it away quickly.

“You realize I need movement to free them from my Quirk, right? They’ll suffocate if I don’t touch them again.” The man sneered, ugly and proud, like killing innocents was a heroic thing to do.

Anger bubbled in Izuku’s gut, the fear and isolation and misery all caused by people who locked him up for nothing. He always did his best to stay calm, stay peaceful, because he was so used to being the Quirkless nobody who had to be polite and quiet. But then the Hero Commission just had to ruin that too, now didn’t they?

Izuku gritted his teeth, broke free from Uraraka, and made his own choice.

“Nothing? Really? You’re just gonna-” he broke off when Izuku gripped the back of his head, and pulled. The man screamed in pain, and Izuku felt his chest tighten, but kept going, yanking the Quirk as hard as he could. Something settled in his head, and he let go. Shinsou and Aizawa-sensei stumbled forward, coughing.

“Give it back!” The guard screamed, still trapped by Todoroki’s ice. “Give it back!” Izuku felt sick to his stomach, but he shook his head, knocking the man out with a hard elbow to the face. Tears pooled in his eyes as Iida and Uraraka nudged him forward. The anger dissipated into horror. Izuku looked down at his hands, another Quirk floating in his mind.

“Come on, come on, we’re almost there Deku!” Uraraka encouraged, even if Izuku felt like he should just go lock himself back up. They dragged him along, headed towards a large elevator door. Izuku let them, one thought playing on a loop in his head.

I’m just like him.

~

Somewhere in Tartarus, surrounded by machine guns and cameras, All For One smiled to himself.

~

Toshinori could barely believe what he was seeing. Young Midoriya was okay, if slightly thinner, but his eyes… they were empty, like he didn’t believe what was happening.

The Hero Commission knew. All For One knew, of course. Hawks and Aizawa clearly did.

All Might was a hero, who didn’t hold grudges, who upheld the law, who smiled in the face of fear and anger.

(Good thing he wasn’t All Might anymore.)

Toshinori felt hatred sear what was left of his gut. Fists shaking, he nearly cracked his phone, standing up briskly.

He had… something to take care of.

~

The upstairs of the Commission was a mess. Alarms blared, people on high alert, papers strewn everywhere. Keigo ignored the chaos, and instead focused on getting everyone out. There was a window, close to street level, that he’d unlocked earlier. Motioning for everyone to follow, he made his way over, shoved it open, and flew out slightly. Eraser evidently understood, along with the two halfway dragging Midoriya. They led him to the window, and handed him off to Hawks, who started to fly towards the safehouse, nodding to Eraser. He paused for a moment, watching as the rest of the class started to lower itself down, one by one, while a riot began to form in front of the Commission building.

Good.

Keigo flew faster, knowing he needed to ditch everything quick, and he yanked off his visor. Turning it to face himself, he gave a wicked grin before letting it drop and going on their way. Midoriya shifted minutely in his arms, tears falling down the kid’s face. Keigo’d ask, if he thought Midoriya would be able to actually hear him. He wore headphones for a reason, okay? Speaking of which, he’d need to ditch those too, but they needed to land first. Spotting a deserted alley, he landed softly, setting the kid down. Keigo ripped off his headphones, wishing he could destroy them easily. Midoriya, as if he could read Keigo’s mind, held out his hand for the headphones. Keigo handed them over easily, and Midoriya snapped them in half, calm.

“I’m just like him,” Midoriya whispered, and Keigo winched. He was not good with this sort of thing. Squeezing Midoriya’s shoulder, he gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“You’re not. They locked you up, kid. Even if you’re angry as shit, even if you wanted to do what you did, for once, you gotta believe they deserved it.” Midoriya nodded, although Keigo could tell this wasn’t the end of the story.

“We need to keep moving,” Keigo said, the knowledge that the Commission would be on their tail weighing heavily on his mind. Midoriya nodded, and off they went.

~

Hawks and Midoriya were on their way. The door was electronically locked, and Denki kept a close eye on the camera directly outside, waiting for their return. If all went to plan, they’d get in, call back the rest of the class, and figure it out from there.

Two sharp raps drew his attention. Hawks, halfway carrying Midoriya, waved to the security cam, smiling cheekily. Denki scrambled to let them inside, the door clicking as the locks disengaged. It swung open, groaning, and Hawks rushed inside. Denki got to his feet, and some of the others around him did too. The door locked behind them, and Midoriya stood up straight, looking at them in disbelief.

“You- you all worked together to break me out?” Denki smiled at him, and Tsuyu walked up to him, a finger on her mouth.

“Of course we did. You’d do the same for us, kero.” Midoriya, predictably, burst into tears, hugging Tsuyu tight. She patted him on the back awkwardly, and Denki took pity on her, pulling Midoriya into a hug of his own.

“The others will be here soon. They scattered, but there’s already a protest forming outside the Commission building.” Hawks stretched out his back, wings fluttering.

“More like a riot. Seems like Bakugou is using his explosions liberally,” Mina corrected, looking at Denki’s laptop. A video feed, directly outside the Commission’s main offices, played. She turned the laptop to face them.

“Is that-”

~

Chaos. Toshinori could only describe it as pure, unbridled chaos. People screamed, someone had some sort of fire Quirk and was creating huge heat flashes, and young Bakugou was not shy about using his explosions. That last point was the most concerning, because if he didn’t get out of here, the police cruisers Toshinori passed by would get him first.

Shoving his way through the crowd, Toshinori made it to Bakugou, who was grinning maniacally, being held by two people on their shoulders, making his explosions go (mostly) harmlessly over everyone’s heads. Toshinori made eye contact, and Bakugou paled, before setting his jaw. He clenched his fists, and Toshinori held his hands up in a placating gesture. Bakugou got down, nodding to the two holding him aloft, and gestured for Toshinori to follow.

“You gonna turn me in, old man? Cause I’m not going down without a fight.” There was no way Bakugou could win against a seasoned pro like Toshinori, lack of One For All be damned.

“No. I’m turning the other way, but I’m also definitely not warning you that there’s police cruisers close by.” Toshinori cracked a grin, and Bakugou smirked back.

“Then I shouldn’t tell you that we’ve got an old warehouse at these coordinates,” He handed Toshinori a piece of paper, “and that we’re not stopping until we burn this fucker down.” With that, he sprinted away, in a seemingly random direction, before ducking into an alley. Toshinori bit back a laugh, then carefully put the paper in his pocket, a new destination in mind.

~

People trickled in, one by one, after Izuku got over the shock of seeing his mentor at a riot. Yaomomo came back, exhausted but smiling, and she nodded to Izuku before collapsing onto a bed, Jirou close behind, who cuddled up next to her and when did that happen?

Kacchan was grinning from ear to ear, followed closely by Mic-sensei, who’s hair had drooped down slightly. Aizawa was behind them, rolling his eyes at Mic’s hair, then giving Izuku a tight-lipped smile, which only made more tears form in his eyes.

Most of the rest of the class was already here, lounging around or sleeping, with the exception of-

“DEKU!” Uraraka threw herself at Izuku, tears in her eyes. “I missed you so much! We were so worried!” Iida pushed up his glasses, his eyes suspiciously misty.

“We were all quite worried, Midoriya! We could not let this stand!” Iida proclaimed, before being dragged into the hug by Mina. Todoroki, on the other hand, stood awkwardly to the side, glancing at Aizawa-sensei and then back to the group hug. Aizawa rolled his eyes, and (gently) shoved Todoroki into the pile.

Izuku was practically melting under all the people hugging him, but it was a warmth he was grateful for, the loneliness of white walls and an empty room still fresh in his mind. Todoroki added even more warmth to it, but it didn’t matter. There was so much to do, to take care of. If (or at this point, when) the Hero Commission falls, it’s not going to end well. It’ll likely be chaos, without anyone to regulate heroes at all. Eri, Overhaul, and the entirety of the Yakuza need to be taken care of. His father probably wouldn’t stay in Tartarus for long, and some of the League was being held there too.

None of that mattered right now, being cuddled in his friends’ arms.

He was free. He was alive, and he was free, and the sun coming in from one of the big windows on the wall never looked so beautiful.

Chapter Text

Hi guys! This chapter will be deleted in a few days, but I’m making it just to let everyone know that this work is now going to be a series! I’ll be making one shots (and maybe a few multi chapter things) for this universe, but not right now. Every other day is fun, but I’m a little burnt out from it! Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you all like where this series goes!