He gave into the urge and gently wrapped his arms around the furry principal, who answered the gesture in kind. He tried his best to suppress his sobs and ignore the faculty and police staring at him.
"I'm sorry, Midoriya," Nezu patted his back gently before releasing him. The principal still stood on his lap, ridiculously close to someone who could steal quirks and who had admitted to killing people. "I didn't know your father made you watch something so barbaric. I shouldn't have pressed."
Izuku shook his head. "I, I shouldn't feel like this. It was my fault, and I knew, I knew what dad would do. I, I could have saved them if I hadn't fought him. I don't know why I thought it might be different."
"You wanted to know if you were doing the right thing in coming to us," Nezu promptly filled in the blanks. "Giving your father one last chance to prove you wrong and to be a better man than you thought."
The words pained him, but he nodded despondently.
"That's a natural response to uncertainty in a family dynamic, or so I've observed," Nezu replied with a chirpy voice. "We'll work on your anxiety when this is over, but know for now that I, for one, do not place the blame on you for what your father has done."
"Nor does the law."
Chief of Police Tsuragamae finally reacted to the scene before him, face still serious but with a slightly less tense mien. " While there will need to be a thorough investigation after we apprehend your father, any actions taken because you were coerced with the threat of harm to yourself or to others are the fault of the person coercing you. In instances like this, when it's a minor whose guardian is pushing their criminal behaviour through cycles of abuse, the situation is almost always decided in favour of the child. With Tsukauchi here to verify your statements, I'm confident that—given your position and the threat-level of All for One—the prosecutor will decide that any actions you took fall under coercion or extortion. I will make sure you are not seen by the adult courts, but I don't believe you will see the family court either should UA put in their petition."
It was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. "Thank you. Thank you, sir. But, umm, my father never abused me, sir. He hurt other people, but not me."
That comment earned him a look, but it was not given a response. Tsuragamae motioned to the computer he'd transferred the files to. "The only question left for debate is whether you will be legally allowed to use your quirk in the fight against your father."
There was a sharp jolt of fear. "I have to get permission?! No, that's a horrible idea! Licenses go through databases, hackable, government-accessible databases! Dad has eyes everywhere, you can't just file paperwork about this! And you can't expect me to stand to the side and let the heroes fight my dad without—"
The dog chief raised one furry hand to stop him. "You may have grown up encouraged to use your quirk all the time, but what you're proposing is illegal. No one is legally allowed to use their quirk on another person without the proper permissions. You're trying to get back on track and that means following the laws, Midoriya."
Izuku clenched his fist angrily. "You're talking about the difference between dead heroes and alive ones and that all depends on some fine print or paperwork? The more people who know about this, the more likely my dad is to find out! He'll take me away, disappear, and I'll never see anyone ever again! Following the rules could get people killed! How is that okay?"
"Calm down," it was Eraserhead who spoke this time, voice low. "We know you are worried about your father finding out, but we know who we can trust. He won't find out. And if your involvement is necessary to capture your father, you will be allowed to be involved. Stop being dramatic."
'You're being dramatic, son.'
Izuku sank a little under Eraserhead's gaze.
"It will be alright," Nezu promised. "You must understand, Midoriya, that you are still underage. While you have been raised with training and fighting as a part of your routine, that is not normal for a child, not should it be. It is, in fact, quite illegal. To involve a minor in a life or death situation is not something that we would ever take lightly, no matter how useful you are or how small the risk is. I understand that it may seem foolish to you, but we only have your best interests in mind."
Izuku cringed back into his seat. That's what dad said. Why was everyone so convinced they were right? Were they right? Probably, but it also seemed so arbitrary. It wasn't like he was a normal kid. He knew how to fight and use his quirk—he was qualified for this, so he shouldn't be barred. It was as simple as that.
"How do you think your father will react if you were to fight with us?" Midnight asked, concern etched into her face. "If you fought, what would he do?"
Izuku shook his head violently. "Stop. Dad does not hurt me. He would never hurt me. Even if this plan doesn't work, even if he found out what I was doing, even if I spat in his face and dug his grave he wouldn't hurt me! You don't understand. He loves me. You all want me to say he's a bad father, that he's abusive or that he doesn't care about me, but he does! Too much, yes, but the worst he does to me is hurting other people in my place. Don't you get it? I'm the only person who could fight him and not get killed! In fact, he would drop everything and come for me instead of you, but only to take me away. I'm the only person who doesn't have to be afraid of him."
"But you are." This came from Eraserhead. His voice didn't sound so bored anymore. "You are afraid of him."
The jab made brought Izuku's guard up faster than anything. He grabbed at Tsukauchi's hand and placed it on his forearm.
"You need me!" Izuku snapped, hands banging on the table. Tsukauchi nodded to the table. "I'm not afraid of what he'll do to me. Listen to me; aside from All Might I'm the only one who even has a chance of stopping him. You haven't seen how much power father has. No one has, not really, except for me. He has . . . thousands of quirks. I've seen all of them, I know all of them by heart by now, and they're built up in him like a mountain. You can't beat him in a one-on-one fight; All Might knows that."
That little jab felt kind of good, but the hero glared at him. "It at least took off the top of his head; he shouldn't be alive."
"I healed him," Izuku said, much to the horror of the room. "He's my father! I wasn't going to let him die! I want him in prison, not killed!"
"He won't be stopped by prison walls!" All Might roared. "He's too dangerous!"
"All Might—" Tsukauchi tried to interject.
"That's why you need me!" Izuku pleaded. "I can take his quirks! He needs to be distracted, and it'll hurt, it will probably put me out of commission for a while, and maybe I'll miss the ones he's actively using, but I've tried to take his quirks before and I think-I think I'm strong enough now to actually do it! It doesn't have to be a fight to the death! I can make it safer, I can help!
Tsukauchi nodded. "True."
The room was silent for a moment, until Nezu smiled kindly at the young, panicked heir. "So, you didn't come just to help the heroes. You came to protect your father."
Izuku nodded, eyes wet. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't … I just … I love him. And if I just lead All Might to him, one of them will die. I can't even guarantee it will be my dad, even if I'm there."
"Hmm . . . so you decided to put yourself into the equation in order to tip the balance, is that right?" Nezu questioned with a head tilt. "You love your father and yet you have to stop him. But to do that, you need All Might."
Izuku flinched. "I need, I mean, yes. He's the only one who can distract him for long enough."
"True."
"Hmm," Nezu peered down at him, an Izuku never felt under more scrutiny. "Yet . . . you do not want All Might to fight him, do you? If you did, you would have simply led All Might to your father without my interference. You would have helped from the sidelines, never revealing yourself, and then it would be over. Is our involvement because of his injury?"
"No!" Izuku shook his head frantically. "All Might—All Might can do anything! With me, with me he could win. I just . . . I just . . ."
"Yes?" Nezu leaned closer.
"I-I don't want to see him hurt again."
Izuku snapped his mouth shut. Damn it, why do I overshare, all the time? This time, All Might did turn around with inscrutable eyes. Everyone's eyes were fixed on his and his involuntary admission. He fiddled with his hands, not looking up anymore.
"I-I was there, last time," Izuku whispered. "I don't want to see that again."
A squeeze on his forearm. "True. And same here, kid."
Nezu's glance was the definition of sympathetic, even when All Might's wasn't. Something about the mammalian principal soothed him enough to earn his trust, even just a little bit.
"I see. You are putting yourself in this situation because you believe yourself stuck between the two sides, hmmm?" The mouse smiled softly. "You do love your father. But you also love All Might and want to protect him."
"Love?" a few professors whispered, but quieted as Izuku muttered a low, almost indiscernible, "Yes." All Might himself was refusing to look away even though his face turned graver with each word spoken.
"True." Tsukauchi looked at him with an indiscernible look. "How long have you known All Might?"
"Ten months." He couldn't take this. Izuku hid his face in his free hand, trying so hard not to gouge his skin in his frustration. "He was training me to be a hero until yesterday."
"What happened yesterday?" Aizawa stared between the two of them.
All Might turned away from everyone. "That's when I found out the truth about Midoriya."
"You didn't find out, I told you!" Izuku screeched, tearing the hand from hid face so he could glare at the hero. "I didn't have to, I didn't need to, but I did! You told me it wouldn't matter, you told me it didn't matter who my father was or what my quirk was! You told me that it wouldn't change anything! You were my mentor! You told me you'd always be there for me! I trusted you!"
"I trusted you!" All Might reared on the boy. "And you turned out to be the son of my mentor's murderer! The one who crippled me!"
Meeting All Might's eyes was too hard, Izuku had to turn away. He hid his tears and his trembling by pinching his face tight.
"Nothing to say? Any other lies?"
"I never lied!" His punched the table, his fist throbbed. "Tell him, tell him I never lied to him!"
Tsukauchi nodded to the table somberly. "True."
"See?!" Izuku motioned to the detective. "I never lied, All Might, never! Not to you. I told you before you decided to take me on that I was a villain kid! Why can you be kind to other villain kids and not me? Why is my dad the one exception?!"
"Because he's irredeemable! He's evil!"
"He's not!"
"You'd say that if you had no idea what good even was!"
"How can you say that?!" He couldn't stop himself from looking up at his mentor, only to see him still in All Might form, and still unbelievably angry. Izuku's heart was breaking again. "You told me I was good, you told me I had the heart of a hero, even if I had done terrible things, even if I had hurt people, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO SAID I WAS LIKE A SON TO YOU!"
All Might froze. The whole room seemed to be holding their breath as Izuku's shoulder's rose and fell with his labored gasps.
"Don't pretend those ten months never happened," Izuku whispered, one last desperate plea. "Please. Hate me, fine, I understand, but don't sit there and pretend I'm some stranger. I don't know what other fathers look like, but everyone's right, okay? I didn't know just how different my father was to a good one until I met you, until I started comparing him to you."
When All Might remained silent, Izuku had to suppress a broken sob in his throat.
"I-just listen, okay?" Izuku pleaded. If his friend was the one telling if his words were true, there was a chance that All Might would believe him. He had to say as much as he could, he had to convince him.
"Everything I told you about my mom is true," Izuku said. "Everything I ever told you on that beach was the truth. I don't want to be like my father."
He took a deep breath. "Those morning when I passed out were when my father would force dozens of quirks onto me to try to force me to stay home. He wanted me too tired to leave him, and maybe I should have done what he wanted but you were more important, All Might.
"And …" his voice cracked, "when you told me that I didn't have to finish the beach, that it didn't mean I wasn't worthy, I cried because my dad would never have done that. He would have told me I hadn't done enough, hadn't prioritized the right things. But you, you told me that trying was enough. It meant everything to me.
"I still want to be your successor," that was a risk to say out loud, but it needed to be said. "I still want-I want to stay with you when my father gets imprisoned. I know I can't, that you don't want me anymore, but . . . even if that isn't a possibility anymore, it would be ok if it just meant more mornings drinking yogurt at the beach. With you."
There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Nezu, the plushy that he was, looked a little glossy even as he cleared his throat.
"Tsukauchi, is everything he said true?"
"True."
Izuku watched as the sound seemed to travel up All Might's back. But still, the blue eyes that had always been so much brighter than his father's were clouded over. Nothing he aid was making it through.
"Please, what can I do so you stop hating me?" Izuku pleaded with his once idol, desperate for something besides the indifference he was being given. "I'm here, I'm trying, I'll do anything you want, anything, just tell me what it is that I can do to convince you that I'm not him. Please, All Might. Just tell me what you want from me and I'll do it."
A pause. "True. He would."
The room felt too still to hold such emotion. Tears fell from his eyes and he sucked back his sobs, the only sound to echo in the space.
All Might didn't move for a moment, but when he did it wasn't towards Izuku or his seat. His words drove All Might from the room and the door slammed shut behind him. The thunk of the door shook him through his skeleton, a testament to the distance between them.
"I do not believe he hates you, Midoriya," Nezu interjected now, addressing him with a small, comforting smile. "Don't tell him I said so, but All Might has always acted on instinct rather than intellect. Your existence has him rather at odds with himself. It does not excuse his behaviour, not at all, but it does mean that this actually has very little to do with your actions and more to do with his own ingrained beliefs. How he is behaving is not your fault."
The sentiment was nice, but he really had no idea how to respond to that. Izuku had been hiding who he was for ten months; how was that not something wrong? It was all soft memories and now heartache made worse with the knowledge that people had lost quirks and died while he'd been goofing around with All Might.
Tears gathered forcefully in his eyes and he turned away from the room. "I shouldn't have trained with him. All it did was hurt people and make things worse. I should have just said no. I had to take hundreds of quirks just to keep my father happy, and it doesn't matter anymore because All Might hates me and dad is furious. It was all for nothing."
"It was not for nothing," Nezu comforted him, making him snort in disbelief. "Trust me, Midoriya. It will be alright."
After a beat of silence, Aizawa interjected. "What comes next, Nezu? Besides hanging All Might from the flagpole."
The startled laugh from Izuku was enough to make the whole room relax and snort alongside him. Even Eraserhead grinned a little, although it did seem more of a promise of pain for a certain number one hero than any sort of mirth.
"I suppose we arrange a meeting with Midoriya ahead of the operation," Nezu chirped. "We could then hammer out the final details, gather the groups, and place some sort of tracking device on his person so we know when to engage. Does this sound alright with you?"
"We'd have to find a way for me to sneak out," Izuku answered despondently. "That didn't end so well last time, and it'll be even harder now."
"Oh?"
Izuku braced himself against the table, tears still sliding down his face. "I m-mean, I can try. I might be able to portal a hand over or something if I use an illusion quirk on Kurogiri if I'm left with him, maybe, but it would only be for a minute or two at most. Or if you only needed me for like fifteen minutes before, I could run away. He would find me fairly quickly though. It would be a good way to lure him somewhere, I guess, but then if you're not ready and I'm caught, I don't want to know what dad would do."
Nezu frowned seriously. "You make it sound like you're under watch, Midoriya."
He bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah. I'm being punished right now for sneaking out of the house to talk to All Might. I was already in trouble for that, that thing, refusing dad a few weeks ago, and then I just had to go stabbing Kurogiri with a paralytic barb and running away. Dad is furious. He thinks I'm rebelling, suicidal, letting Kacchan influence my thinking. He thinks I don't love him enough, so I'm not allowed out of his sight in case I do something stupid. I shouldn't complain, he hasn't killed anyone over it that I know of, but it means I don't have … anything, really. No privacy. No school. No bedroom. No freedom. Dad will be watching me all the time. He's waiting at the front gates, probably wondering where I am."
He was surrounded by heroes, and the thought of returning to his dad left a bad taste in his mouth as much as it felt normal. Nezu seemed to genuinely care about him, the other heroes didn't seem too unnerved by him, and it made his heart feel squishy in his chest.
"I know we need some way to communicate, but I don't know how to do that in a way dad won't notice," he appealed to the heroes. "I don't have the right quirk for that. Everything I have has some sort of physical change that goes along with it or some visible element, and I don't have a minute alone right now. Not even bathroom breaks are unsupervised. This is the only time I have before I'm-I'm-I'm—he's going to make me-I don't want—"
Izuku rubbed the tears in his eyes, as if more weren't coming immediately to replace them. "It's fine. He knows about Kacchan, so I don't care what he does, I just can't disobey him again. I'll do whatever he wants if he leaves Kacchan alone."
They took a break then, just for a few minutes. Nezu scrolled through the documents he'd given him and spoke in hushed tone with the Chief of Police, probably about how this was going to work with Izuku being under constant guard. His quirks itched to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he held them back.
He was huddled down in a chair now with a blanket laid across his shoulders by Tsukauchi and a glass of water from Midnight cradled in his hands.
"I'm sorry about All Might," Tsukauchi told him awkwardly. Izuku looked up at him curiously. "I like to think we're friends, but I don't know what's gotten into him."
"My dad killed someone close to him and tore out his stomach," Izuku muttered, sinking low into his seat. "I knew he would be upset."
Tsukauchi rubbed the back of his head. "Well, yeah, but it shouldn't be aimed at you. I had my doubts about you too, but you've been telling the truth this whole time. It actually takes a habitually honest person to keep up the truth for that long. You'd be surprised how many people know my quirk and still lie. I'll talk to him, okay?"
"…Thanks."
It was silent except for Nezu's mutterings for a moment before Midnight took the seat next to him and grinned widely.
"You're doing good, kid," Midnight comforted. She winked. "You're gonna be a sweetheart to teach."
Izuku's heart leapt at the hint. I got in. But then he thought of the zero pointer. That reminded him. "Umm, Principal Nezu?"
"Yes?" The mouse looked up briefly, eager.
"Please make sure to divide the wrecking ball points with Shoji, and, please, don't count any of the points I got using a quirk," Izuku said. At the teacher's confused looked, he hurried to clarify, "For the exam. I wanted to do it quirkless, but it got messed up when I saw the gravity girl get hurt. Please don't count that."
"You know the zero-pointer isn't worth anything," Nezu pointed out with an amused grin.
Izuku laughed, for the first time the noise sounded like it should from a fourteen-year-old. The room was quickly enchanted by the sound.
"What's so funny, kid?" Aizawa gruffed.
"If that giant piece of overkill wasn't some sort of test, I don't know what it was," Izuku snickered. "Come on, Nezu, that was the worst lie I've ever heard."
The teachers actually laughed with him, Nezu included.
"Well, he's not wrong," Midnight giggled. "But you were so heroic, Deku. You have to know we award points for heroism."
Izuku smiled a little. "I guess. But, umm, and I don't want to undermine anything, I get it if I have to wait for the scoring or if you will reject my application for other reasons, just, did I do it? I know I split the points for the parking garage with Shoji, but, with that, without whatever points I got from the zero-pointer, did I do it? Did I do it quirkless?"
Nezu gave him a warm smile. "Even without the additional rescue points, Midoriya, and with the division of points for the crane incident, you received 81 villain points. You are well into the top tier and would have received a formal acceptance just on those points alone. You did, in fact, do it quirkless."
Tears welled up in his eyes and he bowed to the principal. "Thank you."
"Why did it matter so much, kid?" Aizawa monotoned from the sidelines. "Why no quirks?"
Izuku peered up at Eraserhead, trying to think of exactly how to put the pain he'd seen into their perspective.
"My father, how do you think he gains power?"
The room held their breath.
"Quirks," Izuku explained. "His trade is quirks, always has been. It's not bad, not really. Quirks are … beautiful. They're good and they have a heart of their own. Dad gives people quirks when they want them and it's like giving them a priceless treasure. I may not like how most of my quirks came to me, but that doesn't mean I hate them. I love them. I used to think I was a dragon gathering and protecting treasures in its hoard. I compare them to gems. Gems that glow so bright inside everyone that it is impossible to see them and not smile … but …"
Izuku bit his lip, thinking. "… but I've seen too many people do horrible things just so my father will give them or their children quirks. Because people hate quirkless people. Because people want acceptance, or power, or revenge. He gets more and more power every time someone tells a quirkless person that they're less capable, less important, just less. It does so much harm."
The room was still as he recounted his thoughts, a sort of thoughtful quiet.
"People think it's justified," Izuku explained, thinking back to All Might's talk with him all those months ago. "It's not seen as malicious when they say that certain jobs are dangerous, like being a hero, and so the quirkless shouldn't try for those. If they want to save lives, they should be a doctor instead. But then someone tells them that every other person at the hospital has a quirk that can heal people, or close incisions, or identify infection, and since they can't be even a good doctor compared to them then why should they bother? They could be a better nurse, right? Then the nurse's have useful quirks and they're relegated to cleaning bedpans and even then they have a hard time holding that job because if someone with a quirk comes along it goes to them anyways. Every time, they're left wondering why they're the bottom rung on every ladder."
Izuku sighed. "That's how dad gets his power. People who are denied one time too many or who want the power to fight for themselves all come to him asking for help. I don't blame them, not for coming to dad or giving up on society. Society doesn't make room for people without quirks, or people with weak quirks, or even people with quirks not suited to their chosen profession, so their only choice is to either give up or fight back. My father's the only one that will give them a chance."
Finally coming to grips with his desire, he looked up at the heroes. "If I'm allowed to be a hero at all when all of this is over, I don't want my story to start with me taking a test with hundreds of quirks and blowing everyone away. I want it to start with me not using any quirks at all. I wanted to get in because of my hard work, not my power, to show anyone without a quirk that they can do it. I just … thought it might help. Somehow."
He was immediately in between two massive breasts as Midnight spun him around.
"Oh, you're a keeper!" she squealed. "Nezu, come on, we're keeping him, right? Please?"
Izuku was finally detached and allowed to breathe as Nezu nodded. "We'll certainly try, Kayama. Come now, there are a few more things to discuss before All for One decides to storm the school in search of his son."
Everyone took a seat around the table and turned their attention to Nezu and the beagle chief.
Izuku?
He jumped in his seat, heart racing.
Dad.
The room watched in fascination.
Are you alright, son? His father's voice dragged down his conscious mind, making him shudder. His father was frustrated right now, frustrated that he wasn't there. The other children are all coming out and I can't find you.
I-I'm coming! Just give me a minute!
A pause. Izuku, I've sent your friend to come get you. We'll talk about this later.
Yes, dad. His father's presence faded in his mind until it was nothing.
He turned his bloodshot eyes to Nezu. "Dad's wondering where I am. I don't have much time. Do you need anything else from me?"
The mammal tilted his head. "Is there a way we can organize his takedown in the next few days? You could inquire of your father and send us a time that works for you?"
"No!" Izuku blurted out, shocking everyone. No, that couldn't happen. Not when All Might looked ready to keel over. "No, no, that wouldn't work. You'd be facing more than just my father, and even then . . . no. You're not ready."
"The information you've provided is quite thorough, woof," Tsuragamae barked. "Nezu tells me we have enough to mount the operation now, provided we can determine All for One's exact location."
"Right now, he's just outside the UA wall," Izuku pointed out glibly. "But you need more than that. You need to be completely sure where he will be. And he, er, I mean, All Might would need to be able to work with me, and the pros I've listed would need to be briefed and trained in the basics of how to fight a nomu."
"Well, let's arrange for a day out, then," Nezu cackled. "I think I have an idea on how to make All for One comply."
There was a sudden knock on the door. "DEKU!"
"Kacchan!" Izuku sprinted for the door, coming face to face with his friend. A friend who had a scrap of paper in his hand and a determined look in his face. "You met dad?! Are you okay?"
"Can it." Kacchan pushed past him and into the room of heroes like he belonged there. "Look, Deku's old man sent me to get him. I told him Deku was panicking somewhere about the exam, but that doesn't buy him any time. He's gotta go."
Nezu nodded cheerfully. "That's fine. We were just wrapping up. Midoriya?"
Izuku stood at attention.
"Look for your admissions letter next week," Nezu said with a mischievous smile. "It will have the answer to getting you alone for a few days. You should also tell your father about your quirky encounter with the zero pointer. It will set things up nicely."
Izuku nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir."
"Now go on," Nezu prompted gently. The heroes stood in front of him, all looking properly supportive and sympathetic. "We'll see you soon. Just a little longer, yes?"
Izuku nearly teared up again, but Kacchan grabbed him by the arm and yanked him forward to snarl in his face. "You better not be giving up, got it, Deku? We're getting you outta there if I have to blow him up myself, got it?"
"Kacchan, no," Izuku muttered, looking warningly between him and the Chief of Police. The explosive boy sniffed and refused to take back his words. "Just be careful and don't go fighting anyone, Kacchan. If you get hurt, you know I'm going to leave dad and come to you, right? That's what this is for."
He tapped the boy's palm significantly. Kacchan reddened a little, but Izuku soldiered on. "If you get hurt, I'm coming. So unless you want me to get in trouble with dad again you had better stay safe."
Kacchan scowled in frustration. "Fine. Now get going, Deku. I'm gonna have a chat with the heroes."
That made Izuku pause, but the determined set of Kacchan's jaw told him that whatever it was, he didn't want Izuku to know about it. So he ducked in to give Kacchan a hug. "You still don't hate me?"
"Nah," Kacchan huffed. "You're damn annoying, though. Go, stupid. You're risking the whole operation just to hug me. Clingy Deku."
Once again, Kacchan made him smile. He beamed at his friend with the brightest smile he'd worn in hours. "Bye Kacchan."
The door shut behind him with a bang that could only be Kacchan as Izuku ran for the exit. Time to face dad.
Katsuki glared at the offending door that kept him from following Deku. It was frustrating to let the nerd go again, to send him back to that psychopath, but Deku had to go and he had to stay and talk to the heroes. It sucked.
"Bakugou, you met with All for One alone?" Best Jeanist asked him, heavily disapproving. "After everything we discussed, you still put yourself in danger?"
He shoved his hands inside his pockets and glared defiantly at the fashion hero. "It's not like I planned it! His old man was waiting near the gates and he wanted to talk. Wasn't about to pretend I didn't see him."
"What happened?" Nezu prompted. "I gather it's something important?"
He shoved a piece of paper at the group, showing them the numbers on it. "His number. The bastard wanted to know how far I'd go for Deku and when I told him the nerd couldn't get rid of me, he offered to train me. Some nonsense about being a good 'helpmate' or some crock like that. It's obvious he wants to use me against Deku."
"That makes sense," Midnight considered. "Midoriya told us he's been more rebellious than normal this last month; if All for One is hoping to get closer to him again, it would help to have someone he cares for on his side to keep him there."
That was what Katsuki thought too, he didn't need to hear it parroted back to him, although It was gratifying that a pro thought the same.
"I want to do it."
Present Mic and Midnight seemed surprised, but Aizawa and Nezu didn't. In fact, the creepy-smart principal looked pleased about it for some reason. "Oh?"
"Deku doesn't see things clearly," Katsuki argued. "He thinks he deserves what his dad does. If he can't make the call, you need someone who can."
"You're being illogical," Aizawa reprimanded him. "Midoriya says his father won't hurt him, but he has made the opposite statement about you. You would be in much more danger than your friend. We can't let you do that."
"You think I can't handle it?!" he snapped at the hero. "You're nuts if you think I'm leaving Deku alone with that guy for weeks again! Not after what he did!"
Katsuki was a ball of barely contained frustration and rage, but he stopped yelling when the mammalian principal stood up.
"You're right to be worried for him," Nezu said, patronizing him with his calm. He held back his anger by shoving his hands in his pocket so he wasn't tempted to blow something up. "But jumping into this might end worse for you than being left alone would end for Midoriya. We have to consider all the consequences, young Bakugou, including the worst of them. Like death, for example, or losing your quirk. He's a cruel man. I don't feel comfortable putting you in his hands."
Katsuki fumed. "So I have to just sit on this?! Again?! I did that before for All Might, you think I'm gonna do that for you?! Fat chance!"
The teachers all shared a look. Finally, the Chief of Police interjected. "We will keep you in the loop, Bakugo, but I cannot say we will let you be involved. We will save it for an emergency. If it becomes necessary, we'll talk about sending you in. Only as a last resort, understood?"
He bared his teeth but kept them together. These were heroes. He had to believe they were at least less idiotic than All Might.
His father had brought welcomed his with open arms and a charming smile that didn't match the fact that he had waited an hour for his son to get out of the school.
At least he could appease his father because of Nezu's advice. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting dad."
"Did you perform poorly?" They rounded the corner where Kurogiri would be picking them up, his father guiding him with a firm hand on his back. "Your friend said you were upset."
"I actually think I did really well, dad, I got lots of points. But, umm, I knew there would be a giant robot, but I wasn't prepared for how destructive it was. I panicked," explained Izuku nervously. "I'm sorry, I wanted to do it quirkless, but I used my quirks, dad. Arrowhead and some others. I kind of … destroyed it."
His father laughed, loud and long. Even though it was a good thing that his father was so happy, Izuku blushed furiously in embarrassment. He didn't have to laugh that hard.
"All that fuss about not using your quirks," his father teased, "and you use it in a spectacular way in the end. Oh, son, you still find ways to delight me."
"Dad," he whined, but inside he was relieved. His father was happy, he wasn't questioning his missing hour. Everything was alright. "It's not funny. Now we have to update the quirk registry, and I need to figure out what to name it. What on earth am I going to call it?"
His father smiled down at him affectionately. "Perhaps something similar to my own? Another Dumas quote, perhaps. Oh, or this latin phrase I love, omnium contra omnes. It means 'all against all.' That would be accurate and vague. Then 'all' would simply be a description of a generic, full-body augmentation quirk. Simple."
Izuku did not like the name, but didn't say so out loud.
"I so want to keep you to myself today," his father sighed mournfully.
That was an ominous phrase, piquing Izuku's interest. Why wouldn't he spend the day with his father? It seemed so obvious that he'd be spending the evening after his exam with his father, the idea of anything else was just outlandish.
Kurogiri's portal opened before them and his father smiled down at him. "There's a lot of work to do, though. Tomura wants his special friend up and running before you start school, and there's a little meeting we should attend with a new ally."
Right. Punishment. Even with the happiness in his father's face, the grip on his arm before he was marched through the portal was still too tight. Dad may be happy to see him, to know that he finally used a quirk in public, but he wouldn't be sated with those small things. Being late probably didn't help. Izuku's stomach turned a little when they went through the portal into the well-lit laboratory.