Chapter Text
When Izuku opened The VOID, he logically knew that a majority of his customers would be a little shady. His little cafe and bakery was tucked away in the darker parts of the city. His regulars consisted of businessmen that ran drug trades, prostitutes, small time criminals, and sometimes big time criminals. Giran, the information broker, often stopped by just to say hi. Izuku frequently reminded him that no business was to be done in his shop. Outside the doorway, he didn’t care. Inside was a different matter.
This was a palace where one could be void of all prejudices. Any discrimination of any kind would quickly get your ass put on the pavement. Izuku, the little 15-year-old boy who ran the shop by himself, was a kind person. He sold his baked goods at a fair price and made heavenly coffee in the early mornings. His shop was open from 7pm to 7am for his targeted consumers. If he had leftovers, he would drop them off in spots around the neighborhood for those who couldn’t afford anything.
That didn’t mean he lacked rules, however. Other than discrimination, you could not: conduct any form of business that included selling, buying or trading; any form of fighting was prohibited in all rights; quirk usage was allowed, but expected to be playful or light in nature; no heroes of any kind, underground or not, were allowed in; and finally he’d really appreciate not being robbed.
Over the year he had been serving his community, he had built up a reputation. He had regulars, newcomers, and the occasional hero that tried to get in. Eraserhead was the most persistent followed by Midnight. He suspected that Eraserhead was here for the coffee and maybe some recon, but Midnight was definitely there to investigate and weirdly flirt. She was quickly banned and once word got around, she wasn’t allowed anywhere near the place. It warmed Izuku’s heart that the people around him cared that much.
He wondered if it would be different if they knew he was quirkless. It didn’t matter. They would never find out anyways. In this neighborhood, Izuku would take his genetic and state-assigned damnation to the grave. No one would know. While he loves his community, some of them would let the power get to their heads and he’d be right back where he started. Others would pity him. He’d rather die than get pitied these days. So, he kept his mouth shut. Let them spread rumors. He would not confirm nor deny anything.
Izuku kneaded the dough beneath his fingers with good pressure. It was about 3am now and the last customer had left forty minutes ago. He stood pressed into the flour-covered counter, the one behind the display glass of his delicacies. This way, he could work while keeping an eye on the front door and the window wall to the street.
His shop had a cozy feel to it. Sage green walls with white and teal blue accents, with an occasional dash of pink, greeted his customers. He had a few tables for two, some bean bag chairs, a bookshelf, and a chalk wall that anyone could use below the menu. Many people left touching reviews under their favorites.
Izuku was lost in thought, falling into his repeated, familiar motion before the bell above the door rang. He glanced up to see a surprising, but not frightening, sight.
In front of him was Tomura Shigaraki, a villain from the news. He was the leader of The League of Villains. They had been attacking hero schools, hero monuments, and many upper class public locations. They had hit the Grand Mall of Japan just last week, and by judging the roughness of clothes, had hit another target.
Shigaraki was in a black t-shirt, pants, knee boots, covercoat, with a red cape over his shoulders. Brown fur lined the edges of it. Izuku could see what seemed to be the hand he usually wore in his pocket. Behind him, more people filed in like they had just jumped from the news channels to here.
Next was the dark haired man with many, many burn scars. Izuku didn’t pity the man, but empathized with him. He could feel the scars over his shoulders and all down his back itch. His name was something like ‘Dabi’. He had an interesting quirk and an even more interesting goal. At least, from what he saw on TV. His jacket and pants were torn up and had multiple holes. One of the tears in his pants seemed to have blood seeping on the inside.
After him was a girl his age with blonde hair. He remembered that she usually wore her hair in two buns, but tonight she was sporting just one. Next was a man in full costume who kept changing his body language and postures.
A tall ginger woman walked in with a pink overcoat that dropped to the floor. She wore a white button up and black slacks underneath, and honestly? Izuku was living for it. After her was a man with a lizard or gecko quirk, and finally a mystery man.
The last person to enter was a man who had to be at least 8 feets tall. The ceilings in the cafe were high but Izuku felt sorry that he still had to duck to enter the shop. He wore crisp suit with no tie and held himself like god was the one who should be fearing him.
Izuku never judged people for their scars and never would. Still, Izuku was a little shocked as the man had no face. More accurately, it looked like his face caught on fire and someone tried to put it out with a fork. All that was left was his mouth, which was set in a small smirk. A small tube connected from under his jaw to his throat.
Izuku set down his dough, wiped the flour from his hands and headed towards the register. He didn’t feel uncomfortable, but he could tell that the group was tense. They obviously weren’t sure what to expect of him but Izuku held no qualms with them. They were trying to change society and Izuku stood for that. Especially taking down corrupt heroes like All Might and Endeavor.
“Good evening!” Izuku greeted them enthusiastically, a smile bright on his lips. “What can I get for you?”
Shigaraki and Dabi stepped forward to look at what was displayed in the glass. The man in the grey and black suit, reptile-quirked man, and the tall, dark-suited man looked at the menu. Which again, Izuku wasn’t one to judge, but how was the man with no eyes reading?
The girl with blonde hair bounced right up to Izuku with a lovesick face. Her clothes, along with everyone else’s, were a little torn. While she was giving off a vibe of being energetic, Izuku could see the bags under her eyes. The crows feet and the pale skin. Izuku knew that kind of tired.
“Hi!” She called out, leaning over the customer side of the counter. She blew a piece of hair that had fallen from her bun, eventually tucking it behind her ear. Her face fell in that second but it quickly came back up. “Do you have anything with blood in it?”
Izuku had a lot of different ingredients for different dietary needs, but he wasn’t able to get the permit to carry blood. He tried and tried for months to get it but the health board was firm about it. They didn’t give permits to quirkless people. He had insects, wood, all kinds of plants, spices, and even cement powder but not blood. Izuku felt for the girl. He hated it when he couldn’t serve someone.
“Sadly, no. I couldn’t get the permit.” Izuku told her the truth. He crossed his arms as a thought came to him. “To be honest, I can see you’re a little pale. If you’ve got a transfusion kit I don’t mind donating.”
Izuku didn’t miss when the room stopped. Every head snapped towards him and Izuku didn’t try to hide the confusion on his face. Had that been offensive? Aw, he didn’t mean to insinuate that she looked bad!
“N-Not that you look bad, or anything!!” Izuku stammered out, “I just thought that, ya know, I’m healthy enough and haven’t donated in a while so it would be okay. I’m so sorry if I offended you, I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t get the blood work permit because the Health Department said that they didn’t give permits to ‘people like me’ so I’ve had to go without it, which really sucks. Well, you would certainly know. A-Anyways, point being, even if I don't have the stuff from banks I don’t mind sharing, I mean, I’ve got plenty of it! Oh god, that was probably stupid.”
The villains around him watched as he rambled on and on. God, why didn’t someone just stop him? His face just got redder and redder and nobody was saying anything. Izuku’s prayers were answered a moment later when the girl with wide eyes looked right into him.
“R-Really?”
“Of course!” Izuku rushed out, “As long as there’s no long-lasting side effects or other health concerns, I don’t mind. Dietary needs are very important. You shouldn’t be deprived of what your body needs to function. That’s wrong and cruel.” Izuku went on a little spiel about quirks. Honestly, discrimnation these days was so stupid! “All I ask though is that we wait until I have everybody else’s order prepared first. For cleanliness’s sake.”
The grey-black man, as Izuku had come to call him, yelled, “Hell yeah!” followed by a “Should we really trust him? Offering your blood is pretty weird.”
“O-Oh…” Izuku said quietly. He touched the base of his neck, pulling at his curls.
He glanced over at all of them, each seemingly looking him over. Shigaraki was by far the most critical, a grim but somehow neutral face stuck on. Dabi was just watching his every movement. If he was going to be attacked, Dabi would do it first. The ginger lady was hard to read beyond the crossed arms and sunglasses. Reptile man seemed to be mulling something over. Izuku thought they’d turn him down and leave a very awkward next 10 minutes before the scarred man in the back spoke up.
“I think it would be fine.”
His voice was surprisingly baritone and relaxing. Izuku was sure that others would piss themselves at that voice but as long as it was vouching for him, he didn’t care. The group in there shared a glance to each other, and then suddenly life was back in the room. Shigaraki and Dabi were having a quiet conversation about flavors. Grey-black man was talking to himself about the menu with the ginger lady behind him with a thoughtful look. The reptile man looked at him like a puzzle, but turned to see the menu as well.
Izuku looked up at the man who had spoken. Izuku felt like he could see even without eyes. There was no other way to explain the feeling of being observed. He gave the tiniest, most subtle, respectful nod towards the man. Izuku had to control his surprise when he nodded back to him. He quickly turned his attention back to the girl.
“So,” He started up, “Are there any side effects I should know about?”
“Well, when I get blood I can transform into that person. I don’t have to, but it’s an urge. Two, I don’t have a transfusion kit. My quirk lets me bite people and it doesn’t even hurt! Or so I’ve been told…” She trailed off.
“That’s amazing!” Izuku shouted out much louder than he intended, “When you transform, do you get a person’s medical conditions too? What about their quirk? Do you get the same scars? Are you transforming based on their DNA or their current state of being? If you eat something the original person is allergic to, would you have a reaction to it as well??”
The girl in front of him laughed as Izuku rambled on with a spark in his eyes. Izuku enjoyed seeing a genuine smile from her. He didn’t want to freak her out or upset her, but her quirk was just so interesting!
“Ha! I like you, you’re super sweet!” She complimented him, turning Izuku red. She stuck her hand out across the counter. A small scratch ran across her arm. “I’m Himiko Toga, she and her pronouns pretty please. It’s wonderful to meet you!” Izuku took her hand gently, flour spreading to her surprisingly coarse hands.
“Izuku Midoriya, he, him, or them. The pleasure is all mine!”
“Tomura Shigaraki, he, him, them,” The blue haired man from a few feet over called out. He had been leaning over the display with Dabi for a while but he was standing straight now. “I want two of the blueberry filled donuts, a croissant, then an iced mocha with 3 shots of espresso.”
Izuku was in shock for a second before letting go of Toga’s hand. She made a sad noise at the loss of his hand but he had work to do. Izuku picked up his notebook and pencil and wrote the shorthand version of his order.
“Sugar and cream?”
“Duh.” Shigaraki huffed out. “Dabi wants the same coffee, but two boston creams instead.”
“Okay, together or separate tickets?”
“Together,” Shigaraki answered quickly. He glanced over at his party. “Sensei’s footing the bill tonight. Get whatever.” This was followed by a few celebrations, a couple or thank yous, and the man in the suit preening in the corner. ‘Sensei’ as they called him seemed to be the man in charge. Interesting.
“Magne, she and her, sweetheart,” The ginger woman called out, “A tea with honey and a strawberry muffin.”
“Alrighty then. Oh, I have to say, I love your jacket! Where’d you get it?”
“Thank you!” Magne responded with a warm tone, “Giran, that old bastard got it from somewhere. I don’t ask as long as he provides.”
“Ah,” Izuku made a noise of understanding. Giran. She was alright, Giran was an old bastard. “That’s typically the best thing to do with him. If you ask questions, he’ll ask questions , and then it’s one big mess. I swear, he’s just in this business to piss around with people.” Izuku noted quickly with a few expressive faces before changing the topic. He pointed at the grey-black man with his pen, “And for you?”
“The name’s Twice! No, it’s not! He and him are good. I want a jelly filled donut and a tea. Yeah, and I want it hot!”
“Alrighty, next?”
“The name’s Spinner. He and him are good. Just water and hot ham and cheese.”
“Thank you Mr.Spinner, and you Miss Toga?”
Toga squealed, did a little turn on her feet, and fell back on the counter with her momentum. Izuku giggled back at her. “Hmmmmmmm,” she drew out the noise, “I wanna a chocolate jelly donut and a glass of you!”
“Well, I sure can do that!”
She really had a sweet tone. Izuku couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Anyone else would think she was creepy or being crazy, but Izuku knew better. People didn’t act the way they did without a reason. Toga was being extremely polite and keeping the mood lighthearted, so why shouldn’t Izuku do the same? She was being respectful, ergo, he would be respectful.
Izuku looked up from his notebook of short-handed orders towards the last guest. Izuku felt the room shift awkwardly for just half a second, as if asking “ will he really ask the man with no face if he wants anything?”
“Anything for you sir?”
“No, thank you for the offer.”
After his offer, Shigaraki gave him what Izuku knew was a rare, tiny smile. He was pleased that he had remembered his boss. Izuku quickly got to work on their orders with deft hands. He washed his hands and delicately picked up his goods with paper holders. He slid them into bags with his colors and pressed on a sticker with the VOID logo.
He set the separate orders out in line on the front counter until he got to Toga’s order. He set hers out and laid it on a tea plate, just the right size to hold her donut. He placed it left of the baggies.
“So Miss Toga, how does this go?” He asked calmly, covering the small doubt he had in his mind. She squealed in joy. Before she could speak up, Dabi spoke up.
“You’re probably gonna wanna sit down for this. It’ll leave you a little dizzy.”
Izuku followed instruction. He came from behind the counter and took a seat in one of the customer chairs. Toga approached him and he laid out an arm for her. She grabbed it gently, then looked up at Izuku. Her eyes were asking if he was sure. Izuku gave her a nod.
When she bit into his wrist, he couldn’t help but think about her quirk. She had sharpened teeth that sunk into his skin flawlessly. She was right, it didn’t hurt at all! The suction on his wrist felt a little weird, but nothing close to painful. Just strange.
She stayed on for a minute or two and Izuku could see her shoulders relax. Some color came back to her face. It warmed Izuku’s heart to see her feeling better, no matter how potentially weird the situation was. After her mouth detached, Izuku brought his hand up to examine it. There were two small puncture wounds, but they weren’t bleeding; which meant that her quirk might have some minor healing ability, unless her teeth weren’t as thick as they seemed?
“Thank you Zuzu! I super duper appreciate it! You taste so sweet.” Toga complimented him.
“Oh, no problem! It was super cool to see your quirk in action! Stop by anytime you're a little low. I don’t mind donating.” Izuku offered while turning and stretching his wrist. It felt no different than before. Izuku stood up as Toga went on to wash his hands behind the counter.
“Really! Big Sis Mag was right, you are a total sweetheart!”
Izuku chuckled at her and wiped his hands dry. When he got back to the counter, he nudged all the bags forward. Izuku had already decided from the first few minutes of them being here that they wouldn’t charge them for their order. They were all run ragged, Toga was starving, and they all looked like they needed some medical attention and a three-day coma.
“Here you go! I hope you enjoy!”
“How much?” Shigaraki asked while opening his coat, presumably for his wallet. At least, Izuku hoped it wasn’t something like a gun. That would suck.
“On the house.” Izuku said with a smile. He held his hands together in front of his stomach to prevent him from fidgeting with them. Shigaraki shot him a look between are you serious and are you afraid?
“N-Not because your villains or a-anything,” Izuku stuttered out, “You just look like you’ve had a rough night. So please, it’s on the house.”
“No, you’ve already been far too kind of us tonight. At least let us pay.” Spinner spoke up for the first time. He was looking at Izuku with something akin to conviction. Too bad for him, Izuku had his own convictions, and his stubbornness of course.
“Not to overstep any boundaries, but when’s the last time someone gave you a gift? Completely out of the act of being kind, and not for influence?” Izuku asked bluntly. The silence in the room spoke for itself. None of these people had been shown real kindness in a while. Izuku looked at everyone in the room and they barely managed to cover the shock and sadness on their faces. The man in the back who Shigaraki called ‘Sensei’ spoke up.
“Are you sure, child? Even villains like us?”
“Absolutely,” Izuku said with confidence, “You so more than anyone else. It’s not like regular civilians will, and god forbid a hero comes into my shop. I have three rules, no business inside The Void, no fighting, and no heroes. Their fake asses can stay on the street,” Izuku was interrupted by Dabi whispering a ‘hell yeah!’, but Izuku kept going, “After all, that’s where they will always put anyone that doesn’t meet their standards. They don’t care for-” Izuku used air quotes, “people like me. People like us. So, yes, I am sure. If they are going to fail to be decent people, I won’t.”
The man smiled from his chair. Izuku had apparently said something right for the first time in his life. Izuku and him made, well, what one with eyes would call eye contact, before his words caught up with him. Oh man, he went off and ranted on them! Again!
“A-Ah, well, I didn’t mean to rant on you guys. I just mean it. The free food, I mean. Not every time mind you, this is a business,” That earned Izuku a few laughs, “but for tonight, take it. Go home, take a breather.”
“I love free food! Can we go to sleep now? I’m gonna pass out soon.”
“You kickin’ us out?” Dabi asked with a smirk.
“What?! No! Not at all! That’s not what I-”
“Stop teasing the poor boy,” Magne reprimanded Dabi at just the perfect time for Izuku’s brain to shut up. “He’s been very kind to us tonight, don’t embarrass him.”
“That’s very respectable of you. These fake heroes could learn something from you. You are a real hero.”
“Thank you, Mr.Spinner, but-” Izuku paused and tried to control the simmering anger from an old wound in his chest down, “I’m no hero.”
“That’s awesome! He’s a scary dude!”
“Ooo, so you aren’t all sunshine and rainbows.” Dabi laughed as Mange hit him on the arm. She was definitely the mom figure of the group.
“Who crawled up your ass and died?” Shigaraki asked with a fairly neutral face, but his voice was curious.
Izuku responded with, “You haven’t unlocked my tragic backstory yet.” which was apparently the correct answer as Shigaraki smiled.
Izuku had always been socially awkward with his peers, but since moving out to the villain’s territory, he’d found his place. He still has some nerves talking to people, but he didn’t mind his little quirks (ha). They didn’t mention the stuttering, or rambling, or when his words came out all wrong. The villains he had come to serve were far kinder than anyone else had been to him.
They all came up to the counter and Izuku handed the bags to their respective owners. Each gave him a sincere thank you. Izuku said a simple ‘you’re welcome’ or ‘no problem!’ each time. They all started heading towards the door except for the mystery man in the back. Shigaraki sent him a glance but the man waited until everyone had exited.
Izuku’s heart rate picked up against his will when the man stood up. Without a word, he headed towards the door. Right before he reached it, he paused and turned to look at Izuku.
“Your kindness won’t be forgotten, Izuku Midoriya.”
“N-no problem! Have a good night, and come back anytime! We’re open from seven PM to AM, every day of the week.”
“Oh, I think we will be coming back.”
“O-oh!” Izuku let out a surprised noise, “Thank you! I’m glad all of you enjoyed it.”
“Do you mind if I ask a personal question? No pressure to answer, my boy.”
Izuku swallowed. This could be anything, from store issues, information, to even where he lived. Izuku couldn’t get a read on the man- which was a one red flag. The other, much larger red flag was the sense of superiority the man gave off. He could end anybody’s life with a thought and Izuku could feel it. Against his better thought processes and survival instincts, he nodded.
“What did you mean earlier by, ‘wouldn’t give permits to people like me’ ?”
Izuku sighed. Every time he had to lie about his quirklessness it hurt. He didn’t want to live in the shadows, but he also didn’t want to be murdered. It was sad that there was nowhere that the quirkless could truly fit in. They would always have to hide, even in the underground.
“They took one look at my quirk registration and told me no. I would have asked a family member-” Izuku remained careful around what he specifically said about his mother, “-but as the operator, manager, and cook, I have to get the permit. Ergo, 15 and shitty quirk, no permit.”
He responded with a thoughtful noise. He brought up a hand to his chin to think, much like Izuku did himself. He seemed to be debating something, or looking over all the facts.
“Well, I do have a contact in the Health Board. Your quirklessness-” Izuku stopped breathing, and flinched back, “-should have no effect on that. I’ll make sure you get any and all permits you need. After all, you are doing something wonderful for the community here.”
Izuku couldn’t think and couldn’t stop thinking all at the same time. How did he know Izuku was quirkless? He hadn’t told anyone here. He’d been away from his mom’s house for about a year now. Did he know him from the neighborhood? He could have recognized him from the sludge villain incident that had made a lot of headlines. Izuku would like to say he looked a little different, the flour bags and machinery buffing him up some. His hair was still all wild, green curls though. How did he know?
“P-Please don’t tell anyone. Please” Izuku asked with obvious fear in his voice. He was offering to get him permits, which was great, but he was much more intimidated than grateful at the moment. The man chuckled at him before opening the door.
“I won’t,” He said on his way out, “See you again, little Midoriya.”
The door shut behind him with the ring of the bell that hung from it. Izuku couldn’t wipe the cold sweat from his brow. That man had known he was quirkless. That was a very dangerous thing. Izuku swallowed again, tried to shake off his worries, and returned to his dough. He pressed, kneaded, and shaped the dough with his anxieties. He’d bake away all his troubles. Maybe one day they would be sold and eaten far away from him.
Izuku would realize later he never got the man’s name.
This is how Izuku Midoriya became known as Persephone, the safe haven for all villains. From the smallest pick-pocketer to the most popular S-rank villain. The VOID was for all who needed a moment of kindness in the underground. A moment to be void of all responsibility, prejudice, crime, and sins. To be voided was to be true.
Izuku Midoriya became a hero in a very, very different way.
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Art by 2000DragonArmy!!