Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

A shoulder slammed into his, knocking him roughly against the wall of lockers where he nearly failed to remain upright. “Watch where you’re going, Deku,” someone sneered. He didn’t even raise his eyes to see who. It didn’t matter if he knew who it was or not. 

Another hand reached out and slapped his books out of his arms while someone he couldn’t see ripped his bag off his shoulder, no doubt bruising his skin with the force. It wasn’t the first time. It wouldn’t be the last. He was used to it. After all, he was a weak, pathetic nobody. He couldn’t defend himself. 

At least, that was what he’d been told. Izuku dared to lift his eyes, hands already reaching for his fallen possessions, and he froze when a set of angry red eyes glared down at him. The other boy didn’t do anything, didn’t activate his quirk like he so often did, but the message in that glare was enough. 

Izuku was weak in everyone else’s eyes. A part of him believed it, though he knew what he could do. He knew what his quirk could do. 

He was only four when he developed his quirk. It was only a week after Bakugo got his own. Back then, he’d still called the blond ‘Kacchan’, though after the years of pain and suffering at the hands of his former friend, Izuku didn’t call him that. The two children had been playing at the river’s edge near the Bakugo’s home. It was while Bakugo was showing off his quirk that he lost his balance and fell into the river. Izuku had stood at the edge of the water, unsure what to do. His instinct had him throwing out a hand toward where the blond fell, and it wasn’t until he felt energy jolt through his fingertips that he realized it was his quirk. Bakugo had come out of the river slowly, dripping water off his sodden clothes, and the two of them had stared at each other with wide eyes. As soon as Bakugo’s feet hit dry land again, Izuku had embraced him tightly, fear and relief mixing in that single action. 

He’d saved Bakugo. With his quirk. His quirk like his mom’s. Of course, he’d gone running home to tell her, grinning and practically shouting about what he’d done. But she hadn’t reacted how he thought she’d react. Instead of smiling and congratulating him like he’d seen other parents do—like he’d seen the Bakugos do—his mom sat him down with wide eyes. He hadn’t known it at the time, and it had taken him far too long to understand, but his mom had. His quirk was powerful, much more powerful than hers ever was. Even back then, she’d only been able to lift small objects with her quirk, having to strain to lift those small items across the room. Yet a four-year-old had used his quirk to lift a person. She knew then that his quirk would only grow from there, that he’d be more powerful than all his peers. 

It had made her fearful, and fear drove people to desperate places. 

She had told him then that he shouldn’t use his quirk to its full extent, that he had a responsibility to make sure he didn’t hurt others with it. He’d told her of course he wouldn’t hurt others with it, that he just wanted to help people and show his friends at school the next day, but his mom had shaken him roughly, eyes somehow getting wider and tone becoming frantic. She had told him he couldn’t use his quirk like the other kids, that he had to pretend. “You like playing pretend, don’t you?” she’d asked him. He hadn’t known what to do, so he’d nodded. 

Over the years, she had reminded him to only show a fraction of his power. She’d hammered it into his head that it was better to endure and keep from fighting than to stand up and use his quirk. 

He’d loved his mom, so he began to show only a fraction of his quirk, no matter how much Bakugo demanded to see it. Izuku recognized it too late—their friendship had begun to change because of this. The other boy grew frustrated with Izuku, especially when he realized someone with such a weak quirk had saved him. For some reason, it was something he couldn’t stand and could not abide by. 

Izukue hated it. He hated pretending sometimes. He had often thought about showing his quirk’s power to his friends, the same friends who had abandoned him not too long after his quirk came in, but he remembered the pleading in his mother’s tone, the desperation in her eyes. 

The first time Bakugo hurt him with his quirk, he called Izuku ‘Deku’ with hate in his eyes. After Bakugo crossed that line, things changed for the worse. Everyone had seemed to realize that Izuku was weaker than they were and wouldn’t fight back. Bakugo had paved the way for them without even realizing it. 

Throughout elementary school and into middle school, Izuku had played the weakest link, the one everyone knew they could hurt without repercussions. The teachers didn’t seem to care. He hadn't understand why. He still didn’t. 

But his mom told him it was his responsibility to bow his head and endure, that he shouldn’t fight. 

The rest of the school day went by quickly. No one messed with him while in class, though it also meant no one talked to him or bothered to acknowledge him. But as soon as the bell rang, he usually found himself under the heated gaze of a classmate or receiving a subtle kick as they walked by. The teachers didn’t notice, whether by choice or coincidence. 

The end of the year was approaching, so of course they were all talking about where they’d be going to school next year. And that was the thing, wasn’t it? Izuku had once dreamed of being a hero—still did, if he was being honest, though he knew it was a ridiculous dream. He didn’t know what he was going to do, where he was going to go. Maybe he could join a Support Course somewhere? He knew he was smart enough to get in if he really tried. 

Nearly the entire way home, he mulled over the possibilities. His heart just wasn’t into it. He didn’t know what he wanted. He didn’t know what he was allowed to want. 

His mom was in the kitchen when he came through the door. Her eyes flicked up and down, taking in his appearance as she always did. She saw the bruises and the singed sleeve of his uniform where Bakugo had managed to catch him after school. She would have to have been blind to miss all of it. 

She came to his side, putting both hands on his shoulders. “I know it’s hard, sweetie, but you’re doing so good. Sometimes allowing yourself to be weak is its own strength.” 

He nodded as he always did, mumbling an agreement. He didn’t really understand, but he trusted her. 

His mom went back to the dishes, but she asked, “I know the school year is ending soon. Any ideas where you want to go to high school? It’s an exciting time, the choice you make matters!” 

Of course it mattered, he just didn’t know how to make it. “I don’t know. I haven’t narrowed it down just yet,” he said. 

“That’s alright. It’ll be okay.” 

It didn’t feel okay. 

The end of the year seemed to rush to greet him and suddenly it was the last day of school before summer break. Thankfully. Izuku was nearly at the end of his rope, unable to endure much more of Bakugo’s anger or the disdain of everyone around him. He never felt like he took a full breath when he was at school. A break would do him some good. 

He wanted nothing more than to show them he was able to fight, that his quirk had grown much stronger without them knowing, but he knew he couldn’t betray his mom like that. She’d asked him to endure for a little longer and he would honor that. 

The day ended and he walked home like he usually did. It was actually a wonderful walk—the weather was perfect, no one messed with him, and he felt like a thousand pounds had been removed from his shoulders. He dared to call it a good day. 

However, when he stepped into the apartment he shared with his mom, he did not expect to find his dad standing in their living room, his smiling mom tucked under the man’s arm. Izuku dropped his bag on the floor and eyed the man warily. He hardly knew Hisashi Midoriya, which was entirely the man’s fault. He had left the two of them when Izuku was just a kid, disappearing without a trace. 

Hisashi met Izuku’s eyes and sneered, though his mom didn’t see it. 

His mom ended up sitting him down in his room that night, crouching in front of him with a smile and wide, eager eyes. She told him his dad had come home after all those years, that he was finally ready to commit to the family. It was during that painful conversation that she touched his knee and asked him to be strong. “I need you to be good for your dad. This is our chance to finally have a regular family!” 

He knew it had been hard being a single mom, and she seemed so excited to have him back. But it didn’t sit right with him. However, he took one look at her begging smile and bit down on his reply. For her, he could do this. All he was able to do was nod, flinching when she patted his shoulder roughly and left. 

For the next few weeks, Izuku avoided his dad, which was unfortunate since it led to him avoiding his mom. Since he didn’t have school, he made excuses to be out of the house, but it didn’t seem to matter. His mom was so preoccupied with his dad that she hardly noticed when Izuku came and went. She was smitten and it showed. Her knight in shining armor had returned. 

He wasn’t a knight to Izuku. The man hadn’t done anything to Izuku, other than watch him with a glare or an expression that conveyed his disgust. 

It shouldn’t have been a surprise when his parents sat him down, but it was. Hisashi’s dark gaze made Izuku want to hide in his room. It held plenty of promises. 

“Your dad and I were thinking about high schools for you,” his mom began, pulling out what looked like a brochure. “Your dad found this great school, and I think you should give it a chance.” 

He took the brochure, mouth dropping open in…he didn’t even know what. There were too many emotions suddenly in his head, drowning him. “Mom, this is a boarding school.” 

She nodded. “I know, and it’ll be hard to be away from you, but it’s a good school. With your grades, you’d be able to get in. I think getting away for a little bit would be good for you, maybe help you figure out what you want to do.” 

He opened it, mouth dropping completely open when he saw where it was. “This is in Hokkaido! That’s about as far away from you guys as I can get!” 

His mom hesitated, sharing a look with Hisashi. Izuku clenched his fists, brochure crinkling under his hands. They wanted to send him away. They wanted to send him all the way to Hokkaido? To a boarding school where they’d likely never be able to visit, and if they could he doubted Hisashi would allow it. 

Why the hell was Hisashi allowed to walk right back into their lives and change things? Why was he allowed to take Izuku’s mom away from him after abandoning them?

“Honey, this school is one of the best in the country. We just want to give you the best chance you can get, to graduate and be able to go get a good job. You’ve been unsure of what you want to do, where you want to go. This is the answer.” 

He almost laughed. “How could you send me away? How can you say this is for me? I don’t want this.” 

His mom hesitated, but Hisashi stepped in. “I suggested this school to help you figure out what you want to do with your life. Someone your age should have an idea, but you don’t. You need to start thinking about these things.” 

They argued about it back and forth, but in the end, both Izuku and his mom were in tears. Izuku knew he’d lost as soon as she told him it would be hard to send him there, but it would be for the best. Before leaving the room, she hugged him tightly and whispered, “Thank you for being so strong. I love you.” 

He sat there on that couch for nearly an hour after her and Hisashi went to bed, silent tears flowing down his cheeks. In one afternoon, Izuku had been dismissed by his own mom. He was devastated to the point of numbness, though he occasionally felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if his own heart was threatening to tear itself apart. He didn’t know what to do or how everything had fallen apart so quickly. 

It didn’t feel fair. None of it seemed fair. Not his childhood. Not the bullying at school. Not being told he was moving to Hokkaido for school. 

Sometimes life was not fair. He knew that now. 

XXX

The trip to Hokkaido was silent, uncomfortably so. His dad didn’t bother driving him and he was thankful for it. While his mom tried to engage with him, he didn’t respond with anything more than a grunt. She got the message quickly. 

Izuku was nursing that ache deep in his chest. With each mile they covered, bringing him closer and closer to the school he would be spending the next three years at, he became more disengaged. He’d thought his mom loved him and wanted the best for him. It had been the two off them against the world all his life. But as soon as Hisahi came home, she decided he wasn’t enough for her. As soon as his dad came back, she abandoned her son, the same son who had done nothing but try to please her. 

He wanted to be angry, but his anger didn’t last long. In its wake, all he had was an unending fatigue. 

His mom helped him move in. The boarding school had nice dorm rooms, and thankfully he didn’t have to share it with anyone. The two of them stood apart, not quite sure how to say goodbye. It was his mom who spoke first. 

She took the few steps to his side and hugged him tightly. He didn’t bother lifting his arms to hug her back. When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. “I love you. I know you’ll do great here, Izuku.” 

His lips felt glued together. He didn’t even nod. Why would he? He was there because she’d been convinced it was for his own good. She didn’t listen to him when he’d protested before, so why would he bother again? It was as if the cell door had already closed. 

The school year started and it became abundantly clear that he was far from home. He felt…alone. It felt stupid to admit that, but he was alone. Obviously. He didn’t know anyone there and he had a difficult time reaching out to the boys in the same hallway as him. It was like he was watching the world move on through a window and he didn’t know how to open it. 

During those long nights in his dorm, he tried to plan his future. He tried to find something he was passionate about, something he could do. But no ideas came. It took all his energy just to engage with his classmates, though even that he struggled with. 

When he finally pushed himself and managed to get pulled into a group of boys, all they talked about was becoming heroes, but it was more of a passing fancy than an actual plan they were pursuing. During those conversations, he kept his mouth shut. He occasionally thought of Bakugo, the boy who had shouted his plan to become the Number One Hero. He wondered if he got into UA. It was likely he had.

Izuku recognized that he was miserable, but it wasn’t anything new. There were some good things about the school, though. He wasn’t used as a punching bag like he had at his middle school. In fact, his new school put much less emphasis on quirks and more on intelligence, which he had. 

He didn’t feel the pressure to hide his quirk, which was likely why he started training in his room. Nothing big, just lifting the things around his room while he sat at his desk and finished his homework. When that was no longer a challenge, he sought out the gym. Quirks were allowed in the gym, to a degree, and he used his when no one was around. 

All it took was finding an activity to occupy his mind and the misery he’d been feeling was lifted. It might have been stupid, but it was something he found purpose in. Working his body got rid of all the excess energy that kept him awake at night, and it certainly allowed him to express his frustration and anger without hurting anyone. He might have been punishing himself, but he refused to admit that. At the same time, he worked his quirk. He’d ignored it for too long and was now making up for it. 

It was during these sessions that he discovered how strong he truly was. His range improved until he could control weights across the room without straining. It was exciting, though he had no idea what he was doing it for. A hobby, he guessed. 

His parents visited occasionally, though only a few times a year. The visits were short and usually incredibly awkward and forced. His mom played nice and pretended everything was okay, like they were a big happy family. 

He didn’t bother going home during the holidays, not when it was optional. It didn’t feel like home any longer. There was nothing waiting for him back there, not friends and certainly not the loving mom he’d known before. He still called her occasionally, but he was distanced. The calls usually left him feeling empty, so he put them off whenever he could.

Unsurprisingly, he enjoyed studying. He’d always been intelligent and found a challenge in his studies. It was no different in his new school. His school offered a special program to its students, which he took advantage of. The students had a chance to test out of certain classes and begin taking college courses. He tested out of math and science and was on the fast track to graduating with a partial degree before he even stepped foot on a college campus. The school also required its students to learn a second language, but he took it a step further. Over the course of three years, he became proficient in English, Spanish, and sign language. As it turned out, when you didn’t have many friends you had plenty of time for other things. 

During his last year in high school, he finally hit a growth spurt. He had packed on muscle while working out, but he was finally filling out his frame. While he wasn’t exactly a giant, he was certainly taller than before. It was nice to look in the mirror and struggle to recognize the boy he’d been before. He looked…strong. He didn’t look like the weak Deku that Bakugo had known. 

At graduation, he stood near the entrance to campus as he waited for his parents to arrive. Honestly, he couldn’t care less if they came, but his mom had insisted. While he waited, he glanced around at the booths set up along the front walk. They were mostly job recruiters, jobs he didn’t care about and didn’t really look at. He didn’t listen to their practiced speeches as he walked by, hardly seeing anything around him. 

It wasn’t until a heavy hand fell on his shoulder that he turned, snapping to attention. It was a man in a military uniform, towering over Izuku with a stern look on his face. Izuku glanced past the man at the booth he stood in front of and realized the man was a recruiter. 

“What do you plan on doing after graduation?” the man asked, voice low and commanding. 

Izuku didn’t shrug, though he was tempted to. “I haven’t decided.” After all, becoming a hero was a dream he’d long since rid himself of, but nothing else sounded appealing. The thought of becoming a doctor or a lawyer wasn’t tempting in the least. He didn’t want to go work a nine-to-five job and be just another cog in the machine. 

The man looked him up and down, and Izuku had no idea if he was disappointed by what he found. Not until the man said, “You look like a strong young man. I think you’d be an excellent candidate for the armed forces.” 

“I’ve never thought about it.” Izuku glanced around, making sure his parents weren’t there yet. He found it difficult to meet the man’s eyes. He was so intense. 

“I think you should consider it, especially if you don’t know what the next step is for you. Joining the military is a great way to develop some skills and decide what you want to do.” The man reached back and grabbed a brochure. Izuku took it tentatively. 

He didn’t see himself as someone who could join the military, let alone thrive there. He wasn’t violent or cold. He wasn’t someone who could do what would be required of him. 

Except maybe he could. As he thought back to everything he’d achieved, the young man he’d been seeing in the mirror for the last year or so, he realized he didn’t know himself all that well. The self-image he had was skewed, and maybe, just maybe, the recruiter was seeing something in him he didn’t yet see in himself. 

He didn’t have time to respond before his mom found her way to his side, hugging him lightly. He fought a grimace at the touch. Izuku was ushered away from the man’s table, but he kept the brochure in his hand the rest of the evening. At times, he found it difficult to look away from it. 

Two weeks later he found himself leaving his home for good, entering a career field he’d never thought about before. 

XXX

Becoming a soldier was no easy feat, but it was just another thing for him to throw himself into. He became obsessed, and to his credit, he recognized it might not be entirely healthy.  

As he soon figured out, he enjoyed creating himself. He was choosing to leave behind the boy he'd been, kicking him to the curb as quickly as he could. It was a choice he made as well as a choice made for him by his instructors. He was screamed at, kicked down, punished, and torn down on a daily basis, but he saw results. Every waking hour was spent furthering his skills, honing his body and mind to be the best soldier he could be. He wanted a place he could fit in, people he could call a family. Strangely enough, he found that in his comrades. 

The stupid, idiotic things everyone else focussed on didn’t touch him there. No one cared about how weak he’d been but how strong he was in the moment. Everything he got, he earned. With sweat. With blood. With tears sometimes. Every ounce of strength and skill he possessed was his to claim. 

It was in boot camp he realized he had an inner rage that had been shoved down for far too long. Now, it was another weapon he could use, ready when he needed it. No one could match his tenacity or will. No one was as stubborn as he was. It quickly earned him respect and a place he called home. 

As it turned out, all those years of learning to take a beating really set him apart. 

His intelligence did not go unnoticed either. He was often used as a translator as soon as he was out of boot camp, and the superiors who worked with him respected him for his diligence. For once in his life, he had a place he felt comfortable and welcomed. There was something only he could do, even without using his quirk. 

It wasn’t as if he never used his quirk while out on missions. In fact, he was given complete freedom on that front. His quirk didn’t stop bullets, but it was because of that power that he was able to carry his comrades to safety when they were injured or grabbed ahold of an attacker before contact was made. Izuku was often found standing in front of his comrades, even as a mere private, a hand outstretched while his other held a gun. 

He wasn’t exactly sure when it happened, but he had completely abandoned the boy he’d been before. The thought of returning to that life left a terrible taste in his mouth.

Over the next several years, he rose in the ranks rather quickly, reaching the rank of sergeant and soon taking a position of responsibility as a team leader. It was something he gladly carried on his shoulders. 

Something he took great pride in was bringing his men home after each mission, each and every one of them. They were his new family and he protected them with everything he had—and they did the same. He acted as a team leader for nearly six years, which made it much harder to say goodbye when the time came. 

He had just returned from his latest mission, his unit joining another to take on a small but deadly terrorist cell that had been planning on entering Japan, when he was approached by a man wearing black fatigues, a single golden shield stamped on the man’s shirt, right over his heart. Izuku watched him warily. He wasn’t an old man, but he was maybe ten years older than Izuku. 

“Sergeant Midoriya?” the man asked, coming to a halt in front of him. 

“What can I do for you?” 

Izuku recognized the mannerisms the man subconsciously performed. He was former military, most likely a part of an independent contractor. Not only was it the way he moved his hands and the way he walked, but there was a hardness in his eyes that belonged to soldiers alone. That theory was confirmed when the man held out a hand and said, “You can call me Cardinal. I’m a supervisor for a company called Iron Shield. We are a private military contractor that acts all across the world. I’m here to offer you a job.” 

Izuku lifted a brow. “I’m not really looking—” But Cardinal held up a hand. 

“Don’t say no just yet. I understand coming to you and asking you to leave your career is sudden and shocking. I was in your position at one time, believe it or not.” He smiled wryly at Izuku. The man glanced around before jerking his head toward the front gate, toward the city beyond. “I’m starving. Why don’t you let me buy you a meal and I say what I need to say. You don’t have to say yes, but I at least want to make the offer and tell you what we do.” 

Izuku supposed that was fair. Besides, he was starving too. “Alright. You can choose the place.” 

XXX

Cardinal chose to take Izuku to an American-style restaurant. Izuku had never been to America before and he found he enjoyed their food. He ordered a burger and fries and Cardinal ordered them both beers.

As soon as the waitress dropped off their drinks, the man spoke. “As I said, we’re a private military contracting company called Iron Shield. We take pretty much every type of job you could think of, so if you have a niche we can usually accommodate that. To name a few assignments that have been given out, we’ve been sent to take out terrorist cells, take on villains the heroes couldn’t manage to defeat, and recover several kidnapped politicians and their families. We do anything and everything, working in teams as well as individuals. The higher-ups receive job offers and us supervisors overlooking our agents give them out. All our agents choose what jobs they take. There aren’t any required missions—you are in charge of where you go, when you go, and how often you choose to get paid.” 

“Wait, you run team missions and individuals?” Izuku asked. 

Cardinal grinned. Damn it, he knew he had Izuku hooked. Already, it was an interesting proposition. “Yes. There are times when an assignment requires a team of Iron Shield agents. It isn’t often, but it happens. When we get a job like this, the supervisor, aka someone like myself, will contact the agents he or she thinks would fit the job description. If they want to take the job, they sign on. If they don’t want to take the job, they decline. As simple as that. From there, it works just like what you’re used to. A team leader will be in charge of the mission and the agents on the job. We’re actually down one team leader, which is why I’m here.” 

As Izuku laughed, Cardinal pushed forward. “You came across our radar a few months ago. Since we’re all former military, Iron Shield has plenty of contacts that alert us when there might be a new candidate for recruitment. Over the last few months, I have personally looked through your file and spoken to plenty of people in your life, both your superiors and the men under you.” The man took a long sip of his beer, briefly pausing while the waitress came with their burgers. Cardinal took a few bites, Izuku sitting silently waiting for him to continue. 

“Where was I? Oh, right, the interviews. Everyone who has worked with you had nothing but wonderful things to say. You’re a capable leader, someone with plenty of experience and drive. From what I can see in your file, you’ve never even had a reprimand. The men you lead made it clear that they trust you completely. That’s a good sign.”

Izuku took a bite of his burger, swallowing quickly. It was delicious, but he couldn’t exactly focus on it when Cardinal sat grinning across the table and the job offer sat between them. “So you want me to join Iron Shield as…” 

“A team leader, if you wanted that position. Not just a team leader, you’d also act on solo assignments, but when necessary you’d fill the team leader role.” 

He nodded slowly. Interesting. “Walk me through how these assignments work.” After all, he was used to being told where to go and what he needed to do. The thought of being in charge of his own missions was…daunting. 

Wait, was he actually considering it? 

“As an agent, you are able to look through the current job offers. Your supervisor will often decide what jobs are most appropriate for you to receive, but it’s not as if we keep many jobs from you. Sometimes there are jobs that others are more qualified for, such as snipers, pilots, and even explosive specialists. Those are the extremes, but you understand.” 

Of course, that was only logical. He was qualified in many areas, but on the other hand, he also understood he wasn’t an expert in all those things. If there was someone better for the job, they should take it. 

“Once you find a job you want to take, you tell your supervisor. They’ll get the details for you, and once you decide to take the assignment will sign on as the acting agent.” 

“Aright,” he said slowly, still thinking. “What’s the salary like?” 

That made Cardinal’s smile grow. “I’m glad you asked. Our agents make upwards of three times the amount you’re making now, on average. Of course, it depends on how many assignments you take. Some jobs pay more than others, and leading a team mission pays the best. To put it simply, our salary is incredibly high. We have high standards for our members, but we pay for the skills you’ve obtained.

“You will have free reign over your life. You don’t take orders from anyone. There will never be a situation when a supervisor makes you take a job. You get to decide which jobs you take. If you only want to work two jobs a year, that’s your decision. Though, from what I know about you, that won’t be the case.” 

No, it wouldn’t. He was kind of a workaholic. He didn’t have much of a life—he didn’t go home to visit, didn’t have any friends outside of the military, and he didn’t have a social or love life. The military was it for him. 

But there he sat, thinking about leaving it behind. 

“I know this is a lot of information to take in.” Cardinal pulled out a single sheet of paper from inside his jacket pocket, unfolding it and sliding it over to Izuku. When he looked closely, it was obvious it was a contract. “You’ll find the details listed there. Should you decide to sign it, you are an agent for Iron Shield for at least three years.” 

He stared at the contract, hardly registering that Cardinal slid his card across the table and stood. “This is my number. I can give you twenty-four hours to decide. If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll take that as your answer. Though,” he said, tilting his head sadly, “I hope you’ll contact me. You would be a great addition to the team. I think you could do very well for yourself at Iron Shield, Mr. Midoriya.” 

With that, the man left, leaving Izuku sitting there with a half-empty beer and too many thoughts. 

XXX

He had fifteen hours left to decide. Laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, he tried to force himself to make a decision. It wasn’t working well. He’d been laying there for a few hours, though sleep remained far off. He suspected it would remain that way for the rest of the night. 

It would have surprised no one to see him marching to the range. The building wasn’t far, and thankfully no one was inside when he entered. 

With ear muffs fitted over his ears and a cold pistol in his hands, he went to work. Bullet after bullet, magazine after magazine. It didn’t help him empty his head of the doubts he had. 

Because he wanted to take the job. It was tempting—he would be his own boss for once, take on new adventures. He had more options with Iron Shield, but leaving behind him men? Leaving behind everything he knew?

Maybe that was it. He had been doing what he’d been told to do since the day he was born. In a way, he enjoyed it. He enjoyed not having to make those decisions. Yes, he had to make decisions in the field. He had the mind of a tactician and used that mind on all his missions, but none of those were his. Those were missions for his superiors, entrusted to him to complete. 

Joining Iron Shield meant he took missions for him, whenever he wanted. He was in charge of completing them however he wished. But it also meant leaving his men. It meant leaving that isolated world. It meant leaving the man he was when he was within those fences. 

When he finally shook himself out of his thoughts, he realized he was holding an empty weapon. He set it down on the bench and pulled off the ear muffs. He turned, prepared to grab another box of ammunition, but he was met by five men. 

“Shit!” he shouted, nearly throwing his ear muffs.

Of course, all his men laughed. Bastards. 

“Why,” he ground out. 

“We knew you’d be out here, sir. You’re not as unpredictable as you think.” 

He sighed, grabbing the empty gun and beginning the tedious process of breaking it down and cleaning it. “That doesn’t explain why you’re all out here, scaring the shit out of me.” 

They all laughed. His sniper smiled knowingly. “We wanted to know your decision. Figured now is a good time, since you’re trying to decide.” 

That made him stop his actions. “You know about the job offer? How?” 

“We all received calls from this company called Iron something. Private military. They wanted to know about you, said they were looking for a new team leader. We were wondering when the job offer was coming, and after seeing you go off base with a man we didn’t know and return…conflicted, we knew the time had come.” 

He could only stare at them.

Apparently, the look on his face was priceless because they chuckled. “Stop laughing at me,” he snapped. They were awfully cheerful that night. 

One of his men raised his brows and asked, “So? Are you leaving us?” 

He looked down at the disassembled gun on the bench in front of him as a distraction. 

Iron Shield was in front of him, offering a new and exciting adventure. But where he was at was comfortable. Familiar. He’d been living and breathing that life for…so long. 

“You’re going, aren’t you?” 

He looked up, feeling heartbroken. But he nodded, feeling like he was betraying—

“About time,” one of his men muttered. 

“Excuse me?” 

His sniper strode forward and put his gun back together for him, throwing it to one of the other guys to put away. “Sir, you have been the best leader we’ve ever had. You're an amazing soldier and are capable of anything you put your mind to. If you wanted, you could probably rise in rank to one day be a general.” 

There was a long pause, long enough for him to ask, “But?” 

“But you’d be settling. You’d be wasting your potential. With all due respect, I think you should leave. Take the job.” 

Izuku sighed. “You don’t even know what the job is.” 

“True. But I know you, and if it has you this conflicted then it must be good.” 

He hated how right his men were. He hated how easy the decision was. 

Just as morning came, he sat outside on a hill, watching the sun rise, phone in hand. He dialed the number on the card. Cardinal’s voice immediately answered. “I am happy to get a call from you, but this early? Seriously?” 

Izuku laughed tiredly. “I have my decision.” 

Within the week he was packing his bags and leaving base, a heavy heart weighing him down. But there was a strange buzzing under his skin as he stepped into the next phase of his life. 

XXX

Cardinal had told him Iron Shield worked around the world, but he hadn’t really understood how far their reach stretched until he joined their ranks. There were bases all over the world, owned and run by Iron Shield. 

The base he found himself stationed at after first joining had been in northern China. There, he began the training required by all agents when they joined, though he did get shipped off to Russia, Africa, and even America for a few short weeks. 

He’d gotten by—he was fluent in Japanese, English, Spanish, and sign language, but he knew absolutely nothing about Russian. Thankfully another new agent came with Izuku to Russia, a man who’d been born and raised in that very country. He acted as a translator for Izuku. Unfortunately, the two of them hadn’t been able to grow close. Iron Shield sent him off to America while Izuku went back to China when their training in Russia was complete. 

Iron Shield trained Izuku extensively. He’d thought his training up to that point had been bad, but man was he wrong. The men and women in charge of ensuring the new agents were up to the required standards were brutal. They possessed skills far above his own, but soon he joined their ranks and could hold his own against them. It took time, sweat, and blood, but he got there. 

After months of training, Izuku was cleared from probation and let loose. He hadn’t seen Cardinal again until he walked onto the base he’d be calling home for a while, finding the man standing beside a hummer with his arms crossed. The base was in China, right near the border of Vietnam. He knew he’d have to really commit himself to learn Mandarin. He’d gotten by during his training, but if he was going to be there for a while he knew he needed to become fluent. Just another thing he was adding to his mental to-do list.

Izuku approached hesitantly. “Cardinal?” he called softly. 

The man strode forward and extended a hand, which Izuku shook. “Hey, kid. Good to see you survived Refining.” 

“Refining? Is that what you call the hell I’ve been living?” He was being dramatic, but still. 

It made Cardinal chuckle under his breath. “Don’t feel special, we all had to go through it. The trainers don’t mess around when it comes to making sure our agents are ready. And now that you are, let me get you settled.” 

The rest of the day was spent showing Izuku where his room was, a room he didn’t have to share with anyone, where his new office was, and everything else on base. There was a quirk gym, a gym for those who didn’t want to mess with the possible danger of quirks in an enclosed space, and a range that was almost always open.

Cardinal didn’t overwhelm him with information, though he did leave him at his desk where a pile of files sat. “I know you haven’t even unpacked, but whenever you’re ready for it, these are cases I think you’d be good for. Take a look whenever you feel like it. Just know, if the pile sits for too long, the others might begin picking at it.” 

He spent nearly the entire night sitting at his desk, combing through the files. They were good jobs, promising high intensity and a high payout. He sorted them out and vowed he’d look through them more thoroughly later. 

Eventually, he met the rest of the agents under Cardinal. Some only acted as independent agents while others introduced themselves to Izuku, stating they would be with him when the job required a team. It was a little overwhelming at first to meet them and understand he would be leading them, but it got better with time. 

In the next few years, he truly blossomed. As a team leader, he always made sure he went above and beyond with the research for the assignment and everyone was fully prepared for anything to go wrong. He did everything in his power to make sure everyone returned to base relatively unscathed. They didn’t come together as a team for jobs very often, but he enjoyed them when they came across his desk. 

As he quickly found out, Cardinal hadn’t lied during their initial encounter. True to his word, Izuku was given free rein to do as he pleased. He traveled all over the world for his assignments, some small and a walk in the park while others took every ounce of skill he had to make it home. He gained plenty of extra scars to prove it. There was never a shortage of job offers on his desk, usually placed there with a smile by Cardinal. Izuku found he actually enjoyed having the man as his supervisor, though he certainly had his quirks. 

There were a few places he had no desire to return to. As it turned out, Russia tried to kill everyone. Period. He was no exception. He’d had a few assignments there, but after his last job he vowed he would never go back. It had nearly killed him—he’d managed to make it back to base before he bled out, though the surgeon had been called to pull a few bullets out of him.

Nearly three years after his joining Iron Shield, he returned from his latest assignment in Mexico and sat at his desk, nursing his latest wounds. They had a medic on staff who shortened the healing process, but she couldn’t make the wound go away immediately. It still took time, infuriatingly. He was indebted to her. At that point, if she knew he was returning she met him at the gate, expecting the worst. It was usually the right call. 

His latest assignment had involved breaking into a secure compound to rescue a rebellion leader who had been captured and held for torture. The man hadn’t been in the best of shape, but he was alive. However, he’d been very unhelpful in the escape. Izuku had ended up with the man slung over his shoulders, both of them bleeding like stuck pigs—Izuku from the bullets that started flying the moment he stepped foot outside what he could only describe as a dungeon and the man he did not know by name from the torture inside. 

Izuku sighed, thumbing through the stack of job requests that had piled up in his absence. He’d only been gone for a few days, but there was a never-ending supply of jobs Iron Shield received. He was tired, and he knew he could take a vacation if he wanted to, but he liked having something to do. 

As team leader, he was usually given the bigger assignments. It was his job to decide if a team was required, and if it was, Cardinal needed a list of agents he wanted to ask to join him. But that day, he didn’t really want to pick up a job as a team.

There were times when he went months without wanting to work with other agents. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them—the opposite, actually—but sometimes he didn’t want to worry about the people behind him. Besides, when it was just him on a job, he didn’t have to explain his plans to anyone else. He could make them and put them into action at the same time. 

He flipped open the next file and stared at the request. “Huh,” he mumbled. Interesting. It was a request for a bodyguard. That in itself wouldn’t have been something he’d consider taking, but the request was to be a bodyguard for a hero . 

The request stated there have been hits taken out on a hero and there was an ongoing investigation to find out what group was sending the hitman. It didn’t sound promising to him, but what the hell did he know?. The request also added that the hero needed a live-in guard, someone who could be there to protect the hero at all times. The strange part was that no matter how hard he looked in the file, the hero in question was never named. 

The job location made him really think. 

It would take him back to Japan. Tokyo, to be more specific. It wasn’t close enough to his home to bristle, but he felt he didn’t have many good memories in Japan. 

The problem was, Izuku still liked heroes. It was more about the quirks than their status as a hero, but there were a few he genuinely admired. Though, those were usually Underground heroes. The job was tempting. He didn’t hate his home country, but it did make him hesitate. 

Out of curiosity, he called Cardinal, waiting the long minute it took for the man to pick up the phone. 

“Midoriya, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Cardinal said in Japanese. 

That was another thing entirely. Izuku hadn’t known until he came to the base, but Cardinal had an intelligence quirk. It had its limits, but he picked up on languages faster than what was humanly possible. He didn’t know the reason for it, but the man had learned Japanese recently and practiced with Izuku. Practice was a loose term since he was just as fluent as Izuku. 

“I’m looking at a job offer right now. Case Number is 55609. I might be interested, but it doesn’t say who the hero is that I’ll be protecting. Wondered if you had any more information.” 

There was a pause, the silence filled with typing as Cardinal no doubt pulled up the case on his computer. “Ah. I remember seeing this job. I noticed the same thing and reached out to the hiring company. Unfortunately, I was told the hero couldn’t be mentioned until the contract was signed because it’s still an ongoing investigation. I assume they want to keep the hero’s name out of it since they don’t know who is attacking him or her.”

Izuku frowned, flipping over the page he was holding, as if the information he wanted was hiding where he’d already looked. “That’s stupid.” 

“ I agree. I tried to tell them that we are about as secure as it gets and the name wouldn’t be leaked, but they were pretty firm on the decision to keep the hero’s name out of it.” Cardinal sighed on the other line, more typing filling Izuku’s ear. “With that being said, are you thinking about taking it? It pays really well. Plus, it’s in your neck of the woods. Might be nice to go visit some family or—”

That made him snort. “Yeah, I won’t be visiting family.” 

“Alright. Well, I have the file pulled up already. Do you want me to put your name on it or should I send it to someone else? They’re pretty eager to get this job filled.” 

Izuku considered the details of the job. It would be for an unknown amount of time he’d be away from base, staying with the hero until the job was done, which meant he’d be there until the hiring party was caught and no more hitmen were out to get whoever it was he was protecting. But, on the other hand, the job paid better than the last four of his jobs combined. He wasn’t obsessed with money, but it was something to think about. Plus, the job was in Japan, which meant he would at least be familiar with the language and environment, unlike some of his other jobs. There was something to be said for being sent to a country where he didn’t know the customs and could hardly understand the language. 

“You know what, I’ll call you back. Give me an hour,” he told Cardinal, and hung up. 

On his desk, he grabbed a single sheet of paper, blank, and drew a line down the middle. Pros and cons lists made everything simpler. Break down the problem and look at the small pieces, not the entire monster. 

Cons first. 

• Closer to home

Izuku had no intention of seeing his parents, but still. He hadn’t spoken to them since he joined the military, dodging his mom’s sparse calls over the years. After a while, she got the message and stopped altogether. She didn’t know where he was or what he was doing, and he was fine with that. If he were being honest with himself, he still struggled with getting over with the things she’d made him internalize for all those years, whether she meant to or not. She was the reason he’d made himself a victim for no damn reason when he could have made it all stop in a heartbeat. She’d been the one to choose that asshole that abandoned them, inadvertently abandoning Izuku by her decision. 

• Unknown length

The job could take days, weeks, or even years. There was no way to tell if he would be there for far longer than the job was worth. 

• Unknown hero

The job could be torture if the hero turned out to be an asshole. He didn’t know who he was going to Japan to protect, not yet. There was a good chance he wouldn’t like them or they wouldn’t like him. 

He jotted down a few more trivial cons, but he felt those were the main ones to consider.

Next, he wrote down the pros. 

• Not set in stone

As an agent of Iron Shield, he was entitled to nullify a contract if he thought the circumstances warranted it. The company didn’t let their agents do it often, but if the job became too risky, exceeded the job description, or the agent fought for it, the contract could be nullified and passed on to someone else. It came with a price, but it was still an option. He’d never had to do that, though. 

• Money

That one didn’t need much explanation. Maybe he’d take a vacation or two as soon as the job was completed. 

• Adventure

He almost felt stupid for writing that, but it was true. The unknown aspect of the job was actually intriguing. He had never been hired to be a bodyguard, let alone to protect a hero. It would be an interesting experience. Not only that, but it would keep him on his toes, keep his reflexes sharp. It was experience, and experience in his line of work was everything. 

He tapped the list with his pen, frowning. 

“Damn it,” he muttered, snatching the phone up and dialing Cardinal back. 

XXX

A week and a half later, Izuku stepped out of the airport in Tokyo, backpack slung over his shoulder and a duffel bag hanging from his clenched fist. He was setting foot in his home country for the first time in several years, and even then, it had been a diverted flight that took him there years ago. The air smelled exactly as he remembered it, yet completely foreign. 

He stepped close to the street with a wave, managing to hail a cab from the busy street. The address was burned into his memory and he rattled it off to the driver. 

After signing the contract, he’d been given more details, though he still didn’t know who the hero was. Cardinal had told him the agency the hero worked for, the one hiring Izuku, said they couldn’t disclose the hero’s name even with the contract signed because there was still the possibility of compromised intelligence. Again, Izuku thought it was stupid, but he couldn’t do anything about it. If they wanted to act like morons and believe their little secretive game was working, more power to them. Sometimes ignorance was bliss. 

The agency his assignment worked for was run by former UA students who had all graduated together. The list of heroes making up the agency wasn’t public knowledge either. It was called Alliance and was considered to be one of the most effective and well-respected agencies in Japan.

When the cab pulled up, he took a moment on the sidewalk to stare up at the massive building. It was clearly one of the newer buildings in the area, shining and standing tall. The architecture was beautiful—someone had clearly put in a lot of work in designing it. 

Izuku went to the front desk, eyeing the exits as he went. It was as nice on the inside as the outside. Unfortunately, there weren’t any posters or pictures of the heroes who made up Alliance. What a shame, but at least they weren’t stupid. 

“How can I help you?” the woman at the front desk asked, smile borderline painful. 

Izuku fought a sigh. The time had come. “I’m Mr. Midoriya. I was hired to—”

Her eyes lit up and she picked up the phone beside her computer. He narrowed his eyes at the action and interruption. “This is Veronica at the front desk. I have Mr. Midoriya here and I need someone to escort him upstairs.” 

As soon as she hung up, she smiled his way and said, “Someone will be right with you. Feel free to step over to the elevators.” 

After being away for so long, engaging with people from other countries and cultures, he found Japan to be…stiff. Or maybe he had been uncivilized by the military and Iron Shield. That was entirely possible. 

The elevator opened and a tall, strong-looking woman marched out. Her eyes locked onto him and she stuck out her hand. “I’m Summit. I’m one of Red Riot’s sidekicks. If you’d follow me, I’ll take you upstairs and we can get you all settled.” 

Red Riot. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t be sure. 

As the floors ticked by, he ran through his mental checklist. He wasn’t carrying a gun due to the strict laws in Japan, but Cardinal told him they’d work on getting him a permit if they could, though it didn’t look promising. He had a few knives he’d been able to bring along, locked in a secure case during the flight. He’d pulled them out and stashed them on his person as soon as he was off the plane. It wasn’t a gun or two, but it was better than nothing. 

Iron Shield would be sending him a package as soon as he had an address where he’d be staying. They had a few inventors working for them that were constantly making new weapons.

The elevator opened and Summit led him down a hall where it turned into a large open sitting area, offices surrounding it. 

“Ground Zero isn’t in his office right now, but he’ll be here shortly,” Summit said quickly. Before he say anything to that, she turned on a heel and left. 

Izuku didn’t know who Ground Zero was, but it was likely that was who he was hired for. He pulled out his phone and began to type the name into the search bar, but the office door directly to his right opened. 

The man who exited was large. He was tall and muscular and looked like he could probably throw Izuku across the room if he felt in the mood. But the expression on his face was pleasant. Eager. His eyes lit up when he spotted Izuku and he rushed forward. “You must be Mr. Midoriya. We’re glad to have you with us.” 

The man shook Izuku’s hand aggressively, though without malice. “Honestly, you couldn’t have come at a better time. I don’t think I have it in me to house Kats any longer.” 

Izuku pulled his hand back and put a step between them. While he was trained to take down larger opponents, he felt overwhelmed by that man’s presence. Izuku took a moment to look the man up and down, looking for an obvious quirk without finding one. He had bright red hair gelled up in almost comical spikes. His costume only covered his arms and the lower half of his body, leaving his muscled chest and stomach exposed. Maybe a creation quirk? 

“Do you know who I’m here for? I haven’t been given the name of the hero,” Izuku asked. “I’ve heard the names Red Riot and Ground Zero, but I don’t know who they are.” 

The man laughed, smacking his forehead. “Sorry about the confusion. I’m Kirishima, but my hero name is Red Riot. You can call me Kirishima. Or Red Riot. Honestly, I don’t care either way.” He shook Izuku’s hand again, laughing as he did so. Izuku found the man didn’t hide his joy like most people did. He was oddly refreshing. “You’re not here for me. You’re here for Ground Zero. He should be on his way. I sent him a text when we got the alert you’d arrived.” 

A door behind the two of them opened and both men glanced over. A woman walked out, a happy but much more reserved smile on her face. “Midoriya, right? We’re happy to have you. I am in your debt. The thought of having our house occupied by that overgrown pomeranian for one more night is a little…” She trailed off, glancing at Kirishima for guidance. “I love our angry boy, but he’s been putting a damper on things.” 

Kirishima looked at her fondly, and it was then Izuku saw the rings on their fingers. Married, then. He didn’t know how that worked in the field and he made a mental note to ask. There were plenty of reasons not to have a significant other or spouse in the same career field, let alone working in the same agency. 

“I’m Pinky, but you can call me Mina.” 

Just as he’d done with Kirishima, he looked her up and down, marking a few things about her costume. First, she wore a face shield, though it was pushed up into her pink hair. She also had on a full, reinforced bodysuit. Though it was certainly colorful and flashy as expected for a limelight hero, he could tell it was of good quality. She likely had a quirk dealing with some kind of toxin, if he had to guess. Not everyone was immune to their own quirks, otherwise she wouldn’t bother with the face shield. 

“What heroes are a part of this agency? It’s not public knowledge,” Izuku asked. 

Kirishima nodded. “That was on purpose. We have a few Underground heroes in our agency, for one, but we also wanted to have as much privacy as possible. Our entire lives are public knowledge, so we try to keep even a little bit of it to ourselves.” 

Understandable. Izuku said as much. 

“I can give you a list of the heroes we have as well as pictures of them,” Mina said helpfully. “I would hate for you to mistake one of them for someone here to attack Zero.” 

Izuku nodded. He glanced around, still not seeing anyone else in the room or hallway. “So…who am I here for? You said Ground Zero, but I did not know who that is.”

Kirishima smiled, though it was tense. “You’re here for Kats. Er, I mean Ground Zero. He’s a tough one, so I hope you’re up for the challenge.” 

A bad feeling settled in his stomach, but he didn’t have time to do anything about it before heavy steps sounded in the hall. Later, he would curse himself for not putting everything together. 

The man that appeared in the doorway wasn’t as large as Kirishima, but he was intimidating. But maybe that had something to do with the glaring red eyes. 

For a moment, the two stared at each other, Izuku questioning if he was hallucinating. Time seemed to stop as he took in the hero, costume nothing less than what he expected from the man. 

It was Bakugo who moved first, taking a strangely hesitant step into the room. “Deku?” he growled.