Chapter Text
In the world, there are a lot of rules that go unspoken. This is one of them.
No one. And, that means no one. Messes with Izuku Midoriya.
Though, that was always going to happen, for someone like him.
“Hisashi?” On a dark, summer night, Inko held onto her husband’s hand with a soft grip.
“What is it?” The dark haired man looks down at her, eyebrows furrowed with concern. The ocean breeze is cool against their faces for a moment. Dagobah beach always has beautiful dusk time views.
“Are you…” Inko looks up at him. Her emerald eyes wide and watery. “Are you keeping something from me?”
Whether out of pure instinct or a lapse of reason, Hisashi’s hand is pulled away from Inko.
Ink pulls her arm back, holding her hand over her heart. The golden wedding band shines faintly in the twilight. “I know that you’re not telling me something,” She says. “And, whatever it is, I need to know.”
“…And what would you think of me?” Hisashi quietly asks.
“I love you, Hisashi,” Inko says. “And that won’t ever change. But… I need you to tell me the truth.” Her right hand moves down, gently touching the base of her stomach. She lets out a breath as her eyes move to meet Hisashi’s again. “Please.”
The man stares at her for a moment. You would think someone like him wouldn’t be surprised by anything, but this was doing it. “…Inko…” He says. “Are you-”
“Tell me.” Inko’s hands ball into fists.
“…Okay.” Hisashi lets out a long breath. He steps closer to Inko, hands gently taking hers. “It’s a long story, though. Will you sit through it for me?”
Inko gives Hisashi’s hands a soft squeeze as she nods. “Anytime.”
“Daddy!” Izuku wobbles through the open doorway, peering into a mostly dark room illuminated only by a bright computer screen.
Sitting at a desk covered in papers and other scattered junk, Hisashi looks up in surprise.
“Zuku?” He turns in his seat and smiles. “Now, how did you get down here?”
Izuku just laughs, his unsteady legs giving out from under him so he lands unceremoniously on the ground. He holds up his hands to Hisashi expectantly.
“You’ll worry your mother with all this.” Hisashi pushes himself away from the desk and walks over.
Izuku giggles as Hisashi wraps one warm arm around the toddler and scoops him up against his chest.
“Hisashi?” Inko’s voice calls from the corridor. “Do you know where-”
“He’s right here.” Hisashi leaves his office, careful to close the door behind him. It’s been only a few weeks since they moved into the new house, but their apartment was getting too cramped with the newest member of the family. Inko had been quick to set down the rules, however, which means all of Hisashi’s work is kept to his study and nowhere else. She initially had been… more confused than upset, but she ended up true to her word and stayed by Hisashi’s side regardless. Hisashi. He’d picked the name on a whim a few years ago, but it’s grown on him more than he’d expect. So, for now, he’s Hisashi Midoriya to the world.
And through his computer screen, through his voice modulators and under his mask, he’s All for One.
It had been Inko’s idea initially. And after Izuku had overheard, there was no putting it down. On a warm afternoon, with a seven-year-old Izuku tightly holding his hand, Hisashi stands in the fountain square of a nearby park. Hisashi checks his watch periodically while Izuku is enamoured by the falling autumn leaves.
Then footsteps approach with the appropriate crunching sound. Izuku, who’s just caught a bright red leaf in his hands, looks up at the same time as Hisashi.
A woman with a dark eyepatch and blond hair in a neat, tight bun walks beside a slouching boy in a loose black hoodie and jeans. Her eyes move to Hisashi immediately and, wordlessly, she directs the boy towards them.
Izuku spares a glance up at his father.
Hisashi smiles.
“…Hmph.” The boy’s face is mostly obscured by his hood, but Izuku catches the pale hair and red eyes underneath.
“Tomura.” Hisashi raises an eyebrow at the boy.
Tomura looks up and rolls his eyes. He reaches up and pulls back his hood, revealing his messy hair and sunken eyes. He scans the surrounding park for a few moments before finally looking at the father and son. “…Master.”
“Now, what have I said about calling me that?” Hisashi hums. “Well, never mind.” He pats Izuku on the shoulder. “We thought it was high time that the two of you could meet.”
Izuku eyes Tomura a little warily, hand holding tightly onto Hisashi’s. But after a moment, he tries a soft smile. “H- Hello…”
Tomura scrunches up his nose. “He’s tiny.”
“You were the same size at the same age, you know,” Hisashi says.
“…Hm.” Tomura looks Izuku up and down. “…Hello.”
Izuku splits into a grin. “Hi!”
“You already said that.” Tomura deadpans.
Izuku pauses a little thoughtfully, the red leaf in his free hand shifting in the wind. “My name is Izuku, it’s nice to meet you,” He finally says. After a moment of consideration, he offers the leaf to Tomura. “Isn’t it pretty?”
“…” Tomura stares at it. Then he looks up at Hisashi. “…I guess.” He awkwardly takes it. “Thanks?”
“You’re welcome!” Izuku beams. “Daddy says you’re like… um…” He taps his chin. “Like another family! So do you want to go play?”
“…” Tomura stiffens for a moment. “I…”
“Tomura.” Hisashi looks down at him. “Remember what we talked about? It’s alright.” He nods his head towards Izuku.
“…Okay…” Tomura lets out a breath. “Whatever.”
The two boys wander away from the fountain and Izuku immediately becomes preoccupied with the piles of fallen leaves and the soft grass underneath. Tomura is obviously hesitant at first, but he’s ends up contentedly following Izuku up some lower hanging trees.
“What are you planning with this?” The woman looks at Hisashi. “It’s… grossly domestic.”
“Everyone needs to find a balance in their lives, Ricochet,” Hisashi says. “What do we stand for, if all we do is fight? I need to see the world that I seek to change.”
“…Hm.” Ricochet hums to herself. “If you say so. Shigaraki is getting along well with his training, regardless. Though he’s picked up a bad habit of playing video games too often.”
Hisashi chuckles. “He’s still a child. Let it be for now. Soon they will all learn enough to make their own choices in this world.” He checks his watch. “It’s a shame Tomura can’t go out so much.”
“It’s not for us to decide,” Ricochet says. “The police still have his file open.”
“Make sure he doesn’t feel too boxed in in the meantime,” Hisashi says. “And open up his internet access.”
“…Are you sure about that?”
“It’s fine. And I’m sure Izuku will bother me into letting the two chat again soon anyway.”
At twelve years old, Izuku is weird. His room is filled with hero paraphernalia, all sorts of posters and figurines to make any collector jealous. But, a cursory glance shows a little more. It shows the loaded handgun resting on the side of the desk. It shows the perfectly ordered notebooks labelled ‘Quirk Analysis’. It shows all the legal villain merchandise available on the public market, and a little more than that.
Izuku sits at the pale wood desk with his laptop open. On the back, a little sticker reads ‘SMASH’ in a comic book font, right next to a gun loaded with a red rose.
Typing away, the preteen is entirely focused on what he’s doing, so much so that he doesn’t notice when the door to his room is pushed open by a familiar figure.
“…Now, shouldn’t you be asleep by now?”
“Dad!” Izuku slams the laptop shut as he quickly spins around to face him.
Hisashi raises an eyebrow. “What were you looking at? Nothing illicit, I hope.”
Izuku pouts. “No way!”
“Then what’s so interesting to keep you up until midnight?” Hisashi asks. “Your mother gets on my case for staying up this late for work, so don’t think she’ll cut you any slack.”
Izuku sticks out his bottom lip and, slowly, reaches over to his computer. “You have to keep it a secret, though.”
Hisashi smirks. “Oh?”
“Just- come over here!” Izuku gestures for him to come forward as he reopens his computer. A website advertising cruise ship getaways pops up on the screen. “Mom… She mentioned that she really wanted to go on a trip like this, so I wanted to see if she could go on her birthday this month…”
Hisashi leans in, eyes scanning the screen. Then, his mouth splits into a wide grin. “How were you planning to pay for something like this?”
“I- I don’t know!” Izuku frowns. “I just wanted to see…”
“And all those other tabs open for flower places?” Hisashi chuckles as Izuku continues to squirm.
“Don’t make fun of me!”
“I’m not!” Hisashi holds up his hands in surrender. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
“… You do?” Izuku peers up at him.
“Mmhm.” Hisashi hums. “But it’s not something you need to spend all your allowance on, alright?”
“But-”
Hisashi pulls out his cellphone and starts scrolling through his apps. The updated version had actually been his birthday gift from Inko and Izuku that year, since he’d been stuck using an old flip phone for the last ten years. “She likes red and white flowers best, you know.” He grins down at his son. “I’ll sort out this cruise thing, okay?”
“…O- Okay!” Izuku nods.
Hisashi laughs. “Now, get to bed before your mother notices all this noise. And don’t complain when you have to get up for school tomorrow.” He turns to head back to the doorway.
“…Yeah, okay.” Izuku deflates a little. “Um… thanks, Dad.”
Hisashi pauses beside the door for a moment… And then he looks over his shoulder with a soft smile.
“Anytime.”
“Deku.” Bakugou glances up as the green-haired boy walks past his seat.
“Morning, Kacchan.” Izuku spares him a smile.
“…Whatever.” Bakugou lets out a short huff of breath as he leans back to rests his shoes on the desk in front of him. The classroom is just filling up for the first class of the day and while it’s sort of strange for Izuku to almost be late, Bakugou doesn’t bring it up. No, that nerd will mind his own business if Bakugou does the same.
No one messes with Izuku Midoriya.
Bakugou’s not going to take that chance.
When his parents first moved house, Bakugou could tell they were miserable. His dad’s job sucked and whatever landlord they were under was nothing short of a class A jerk. Bakugou may have been young at the time, but he wasn’t stupid.
Then, they met some of the locals.
The Midoriya’s where weird. Inko was kind and lovely, like a new aunt to Bakugou who was happy to dote on him alongside her own son. The father, Hisashi, was weird, though. He had a glint in his eyes, a curl to his lips like he was keeping secret the funniest joke in the world. Still, they were nice. And Izuku was a component enough kid that Bakugou wasn’t immediately bored. While the two boys went to school and excelled in their classes, Bakugou knew that his parents were struggling.
One day, in the last year of junior high, Izuku finally asked him. Bakugou had shrugged, mentioning his dad’s job and the rent for the house before moving right on. Izuku had nodded to himself like he understood entirely.
The very next day, Bakugou’s dad had a new job offer. Not too far away, but not close enough that they could stay in the same house.
Only later would Bakugou find out that the Midoriya’s were already planning to move as well, and it happened that two houses on the same street were up for purchase.
On the first day of middle school, Bakugou and Izuku walked to school together with hardly a word said. Well, by this point, what more was there to say?
“Dad?” Izuku knocks at the door of the study. He can hear muffled voices inside, but no immediate response.
Izuku bites his lip. “Dad!?” He tries a little louder and knocks again.
There’s a shuffling and, with a click, the door opens a fraction.
Deep bags sit under Hisashi’s eyes, heavy and tired. Still, when he looks down at Izuku he smiles. “Hey, kid. What’s up?”
“Dinner’s in a few minutes,” Izuku says. “Um, are you doing work?”
“Unfortunately.” Hisashi pats his son on the head. “Tell your mom I’ll wrap things up as fast as I can, okay?”
“Okay…” Izuku nods and watches Hisashi pull the door closed again. Before it all the way cuts off, though, he hears the start of his father shout.
“For the last time-”
Izuku walks back to the kitchen. “Mom? Dad’s doing work stuff, but he says he’ll try to finish soon.”
“Thanks, Izuku.” Inko emerges from behind a tall island bench. “How about you get some plates out for everyone while I finish up here?”
“Okay.” Izuku walks over to the tall cupboards but, before he opens any of them, he stops. “…Mom?”
“Yes?” Inko hums softly to herself as she stirs the contents of a large pot.
“Dad… isn’t a bad guy, is he?” Izuku turns to look at her.
Inko stops, steam rolling up into the air. “…Why do you ask?”
“I was just thinking…” Izuku shrugs. “I… I know what you and him say about his work, but… why does everyone else think differently?”
“…The world does its best to understand,” Inko slowly says. “but sometimes, it doesn’t. Your father is doing what he can for us, you know. Everything on TV or online… all about some kind of perfect world? I don’t think good and bad can be so easily told apart.”
“…Yeah.” Izuku turns away. “That’s what I thought.”
“You should always make your own decisions about these sorts of things, though,” Inko adds. “You’re getting old enough.” She glances over at Izuku with a mix of concern and soft melancholy.
“…I know.” Izuku carefully picks up three plates. He spins around and smiles at his mother. “And… whether I have a quirk or not, I’m going to try and make things better too. For everyone.”
Inko’s eyes widen for a moment and then her mouth tilts up into a wobbly smile. “Oh, Izuku…”
“Ah, Mom! Don’t cry, I didn’t-”
“Who’s crying?”
“Dad!”
“What’s with the atmosphere in here?”
“I- It’s nothing…”
“Inko, the pot will boil over at this rate.”
“Ah, sorry!”
“Mom, wait, I’ll help!”
“Oh, jeez…”
Late one night, Izuku wakes up to the sound of the front door opening. He sits up, heart suddenly racing. But then there’s the sound of keys and shoves being taken off.
Slowly, Izuku climbs out of bed and heads out into the hall.
“…Dad?” He whispers.
There’s a few more soft footsteps.
“Dad?” Izuku continues down the short stairwell and out into the downstairs living room. A faint light glows from the kitchen, heavily obscured by a dark silhouette.
“…Izuku?”
Izuku breaths an audible sigh of relief as he turns the corner. “Dad, what…”
One arm draped over the door of the fridge, the other grabbing at a frozen water bottle tucked into one of the shelves, the man standing there does not look like Hisashi.
But he wears his collared shirt, one that looks normal from a distance but when you get close, it has a faint pattern of marching penguins disguised as checkers. Izuku remembers picking it out at the store when he was five or six, thinking it was the best thing in the world.
But this man has thick scar tissue up his jaw, over his nose and practically entirely engulfing his eyes. Only a faint glint tells Izuku that he’s seen.
“Izuku.” The man straightens up, pressing the frozen water bottle to his scarred face. “You.. should be asleep.” He lets out a breath. “This is not how I saw this going down.”
“…Dad.” Izuku blinks. “Are you… okay?”
Hisashi lets out a noise that sounds like a laugh. “Good question.” He shakes his head. “You know, I was worried it would scare you.”
“That’s what you really look like?” Izuku asks. “…Does it hurt?”
Hisashi taps the water bottle with his finger. “It’s my job to worry about you, Zuku. Not the other way around.”
“…You’re the one who came home in the middle of the night with no face.” Izuku frowns.
Hisashi blinks for a moment, then he laughs. A proper, humorous laugh. Then he stops. “Oh, shit. Inko is definitely awake now.” He chuckles. “It’s just work stuff. Business.” He looks back at Izuku. “I didn’t get into any trouble, if that’s what you think. This… just happens sometimes.” He presses the water bottle closer as, with a click, the light turns on in the hall.
“Hisashi!” Inko walks in draped in a fluffy robe. Her eyes move to Izuku. “Oh, Izuku, you should be in bed.”
“I think we all should be.” Hisashi straightens up. “Sorry, Inko.”
“What happened?” Inko asks. “…Trouble?”
“Just the usual.” Hisashi shakes his head. He straightens up, giving Izuku line of sight on the black collar tight against his neck. With one hand, Hisashi reaches up to it and hits a button. There’s a hissing noise and a puff of white smoke for a moment.
And then he looks normal again.
Inko lets out a long sigh. “Head to bed, Izuku.” She gently rests a hand on his shoulder. “We can talk more in the morning.”
“…Alright.” Izuku nods. “Goodnight.”
The bell rings for the end of class.
“Have you already looked at high schools, Kacchan?” Izuku peers over Bakugou’s desk as he packs all this things up.
“Of course.” Bakugou scoffs.
Izuku grins. “U.A., then? I’m sure you’ll make the entrance exam.”
“No sweat.” Bakugou shakes his head. “…And you?”
“Oh, I’m still figuring it out,” Izuku says. “Maybe the U.A. general education course? But other schools have better general courses as well…” He smiles to himself. “It would be nice to go to the same school again, though.”
“…It’s not like we have to pick now,” Bakugou says. “Another semester at this shit hole to go.”
Izuku chuckles a little at that. “You’ll have to start censoring yourself if you want to be a popular hero, Kacchan, or you won’t get on public TV.”
“…Whatever.”