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“Izuku! It’s been so long since you’ve come to see me!”
Izuku side-stepped an overturned jar leaking some mysterious supervillain goo as he walked to his bedridden father. “Yeah… I wonder why…”
“Oh please, we’ve been over this. My decor is simply on brand for a villain of my prestige, jars of goo are all the rage right now.”
Izuku rolled his eyes knowing full well that All for One wouldn’t be able to see it. “That’s not the reason and you know it.”
“Are you still hung up on my battle with All Might?”
The mention of All Might reminded Izuku why he was there. “About that,” he started. “There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about.”
All for One sighed. He pressed a button on the side of his bed and slowly the bed buzzed with the effort of slowly moving All for One into a sitting position. “I knew this was coming,” said All for One with some trepidation.
“Dad…”
“Don’t do this to me, Izuku.”
“Please—”
“My poor heart, I can’t possibly take it.”
“Dad—” repeated Izuku.
“I’ll die if you say it, you know I will.”
“You’re immortal,” said Izuku without an ounce of sympathy.
“That’s how important this is to me. My immortality would simply disappear.”
“I’m a hero, Dad.”
Despite having expected this, All for One gasped and put a heart to his chest. “I’m dead.”
Izuku ignored him. “I know it’s not the lifestyle you wanted for me, but this is who I am, I can’t change it.”
All for One let out an exaggerated sob. “And after all that I did to raise you. Where did I go wrong?”
Izuku crossed his arms. “I know things were different ‘back in your day,’ but this is just a part of me that you’re going to have to accept. I love to save people, not fight them. I’m a hero.”
“Stop it! You’re breaking my heart Izuku,” All For One sniffled, “This is just a phase. You just haven’t met the right nemesis! Just look at me and All Might, don’t you want a relationship like this?”
“Ugh! It’s not a phase Dad! Why don’t you understand that I hate villains, not heroes?”
“What about you and Bakugou?” All For One suggested, “I always thought you two had something that went beyond the typical schoolyard rivalry.”
“Eww! No, Dad! I just… dislike Kacchan. I don’t despise him.”
“Then someone else! I’m sure there is someone who you can learn to despise. One day you’ll find a hero so righteous and honorable that you’ll start to feel hate like you never have before.”
Izuku shook his head. “No, Dad. I know how you feel about this, but I promise that this is the real me. I’ve known ever since I was little.”
“I told your mother we shouldn’t have let you watch those hero cartoons. They promote a holy lifestyle and turn children from natural rebellion. It’s the damn entertainment industry, trying to convert our children to the path of God.”
Izuku groaned. “Nothing ‘turned me hero’, I would have been like this regardless.”
All for One laughed. “Of course you wouldn’t! When I was young being born a villain meant you stayed a villain, none of this changing sides nonsense. The idea that you can be whatever you want is a completely new ideology thought up by heroes who just want to destabilize the side of evil.”
“See this is why I told you to stop reading Henchman Weekly, it’s all propaganda. People have turned from the dark side for centuries, it’s just that society has begun to be more accepting of people like us as of late.”
“Preposterous! You’ve been brainwashed.”
Izuku sighed. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. Mom made me promise I would though.”
“Your mother is far too accepting of these new-age theories,” scoffed All for One.
“My mother accepts me for who I am and doesn’t question my legitimate emotions,” countered Izuku.
“I only want the best for you, Izuku.”
“Right now the best thing you can do for me is to just let me become the hero I was always meant to be.”
All for One sighed. “Fine. But don’t think for a moment that means I’m okay with this lifestyle.”
Izuku pursed his lips. “Yeah, I think that’s pretty clear.”
“Well, now that that’s out of the way do you have any other life-shattering revelations for me?”
Izuku shrugged. “I’m gay?”
If it was possible for a man missing half his face to look exasperated All for One managed it. “Now why on earth would I care about something as trivial as that?”