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The second that deep, harrowing voice spoke, causing even the dust in the air to still, Izuku couldn’t breathe.
He and his friends hid behind that crumbling brick wall, hearts thundering, fists clenched, unable to move as the villain kept them frozen out of sheer fear.
Except, Izuku wasn’t frozen out of fear. His heart raced and his body stood still, but it wasn’t because the villain, whose presence caused the ground to shake, was a few measly meters away from him. It was because the voice that rang out across the battlefield, echoing through the smokey air and fallen buildings, evoked memories of the man that tucked him into bed and kissed his wounds when he got hurt. He heard that voice nearly every night over the phone as he recounted his day, encouraging him no matter how difficult things got.
Katsuki’s appearance, slicing through the silence in the air as he choked, broke them out of their stupor. He was the reason they were there, breaking an innumerable amount of rules in an attempt to rescue him from the villains that decided he looked like enough of a villain to be one.
Izuku didn’t really remember making the plan, only that they were now careening through the air, gripping onto each other for dear life. As Kirishima called out for Katsuki with an outstretched hand (he wasn’t bitter about that, he wasn’t), he looked down.
The ground laid beneath him, trembling, as the villain who could only be All For One traded blow for blow with All Might. And, like they could sense Izuku’s gaze, the two of them looked up at him. Their fists remained in the air, arms pulled back and ready to punch, but never moved.
Even though his face was completely covered by a mask, Izuku could’ve sworn that All For One was smiling. His body almost imperceptibly relaxed, posture straightening and arms falling to his sides.
“Izuku,” All For One said, speaking his name into the air with a familiarity that shook Izuku to his core.
There was no denying it. And strangely enough, he didn’t want to.
Izuku’s grip on his friends faltered, hands slipping and his mission forgotten. He found himself falling through the air, plummeting toward the ground. The cold wind whipped against his face, yet his gaze was stuck on the man that stood on the ground with an undeniable air of deadliness.
He didn’t hear the yells from his friends, shouting for him to propel himself back toward them. He didn’t hear All Might begging for him to get as far away from the battlefield as possible. All he could hear was the voice he’d known since childhood, bringing him love and comfort for as long as he could remember.
Before Izuku knew it, he was in his arms, held in such a way that he knew there was no safer place to be.
“Dad,” Izuku whispered, his voice breaking. “Y-You’re here.”
There was no doubt in Izuku’s mind that this was his dad. The way he held him, what he smelled like, and the suit he wore (minus the tie, of course), were all the same. He couldn’t help the tears sprung from his eyes, his chest shaking with the abundance of emotion in his heart. He threw his sore, aching arms around his dad as best he could, clenching his fingers in the fabric of his suit.
“Oh, Izuku,” his dad said, and Izuku could hear the love in his voice. “Of course I am.”
“I-I missed you so much,” Izuku choked out. “I thought that—that you’d—”
“I would never leave you, Izuku,” his dad said. The certainty with which he spoke told of the truth his words held.
“Promise?” Izuku asked, feeling as fragile as the spider lilies people used to leave on his desk.
“I promise,” his dad said, holding him close. “I’ll always be here for you.”
Izuku hummed and tucked his face into his chest, soothed by his comforting presence. Being held in his arms, even with how old he was, brought him happiness.
“Give him back,” All Might grit out, ending the peaceful moment between father and son.
Izuku had completely forgotten where they were, the angry voice of his ‘teacher’ bringing him back to the present. It felt as though time had stopped just for them, granting them a few moments of calmness amidst the chaos.
His friends were long gone, having probably escaped like they’d planned. Dust and rubble surrounded them, the area littered with the bodies of fallen heroes and civilians alike. Pale moonlight cast everything around them in an eerie white, emphasizing the deep shadows that threatened to swallow them whole if they got too close.
But Izuku couldn’t find it in himself to feel scared—the tight hold his dad had on him cemented that fact. Why should he be when he was here?
All Might’s face was twisted into a scowl, which looked rather frightening on his gaunt face. “Give my successor back, All For One.”
His dad laughed, managing to be condescending in every way possible. “I don’t think so, All Might.”
“I won’t let you hurt him!” He yelled.
“Hurt him?” His dad laughed. “Now, why would I do that?”
“Stop playing games!” All Might yelled once again, but he was really just grasping at straws. “Let Young Midoriya go!”
“Well, I could, but I think that’s up to Izuku,” his dad said, looking down at him. “What would you like, Izuku? Do you want to go back with that buffoon you call a teacher, or stay with me?”
Izuku swallowed and looked between All Might and his dad. What did he want to do?
As much as he knew he should go back with the heroes, back to UA, he just… couldn’t see it. Here, now, in his dad’s arms, he could only think of him—the person who’d been with him through everything life had thrown at him, when even his mom couldn't bear to face him. When he didn’t have a quirk, he was the only person in the world who fully believed in him and encouraged him to achieve his dreams. And even though his dad was a villain, Izuku wanted nothing more than to be with him, to come home to a hug and kind words instead of the pained looks his mom gave him.
Izuku couldn’t imagine letting this opportunity slip through his fingers, even if it meant giving up UA—giving up being a hero. Because, if he didn’t have his dad by his side, the only one who loved him wholeheartedly, what worth was there to being a hero?
“Dad,” Izuku said, and it was so quiet, he could hear a pin drop. “I want… to go with you.”
“D-Did you just say ‘Dad’?” All Might asked, his voice trembling.
“Haven’t you figured it out, All Might?” His dad asked, a smile clear in his voice. “Well, you never were very bright, so I can understand why it hasn’t dawned on you yet.”
“Y-Young Midoriya,” All Might said, looking like he wanted to take a step forward, but held himself back. “Please, you’re just confused. Come with me and we can take you back to UA—”
“No,” Izuku said firmly, scowling at him. “I’m not going back with you. None of you believe in me—in who I actually am. Underneath this quirk, I’m still a quirkless kid, whose dreams you crushed, in case you can’t remember.”
“Young Midoriya, please,” he begged, but it was no use.
“You’re just wasting your breath, All Might,” his dad said, scoffing. “You’re pathetic, really. Can’t you see that you’ve already lost?”
All Might muffled a bloody cough into his palm as steam seeped from his skin, revealing his emaciated form when the air cleared. He looked utterly defeated, hunched over like he could barely stand, his costume hanging off his boney shoulders in such a way that he looked like a man masquerading as a hero—and wasn’t there truth to that?
“Ah, has your time with One For All come to an end?” His dad asked. “I suppose it’s rather fitting that you ended up delivering it to me on a silver platter. Just as it was gifted to you, it has been returned to me.”
“I-I’m not done,” All Might said, though his breath was labored. “I can still fight.”
But he didn’t move—he didn’t return to his muscle form, he didn’t wind his arm back for a punch, he didn’t do anything. He just stood there, trying to catch his breath and failing, slumped with exhaustion. Panting and weak, he propped himself up on trembling legs, eyes fixed on the ground like he couldn’t meet their gazes.
It was over. His flame had been extinguished, smothered by the sheer power of his opponent. He had nothing left, not an ounce of strength to salvage what he’d lost.
All Might was just as weak as those he tried to save.
Izuku smiled. There was something satisfying about seeing the person who was once his idol fail to do anything but watch as he was defeated, unable to stop his world from being destroyed. It was inevitable—from dust he was created, and to dust he shall return. He was just as useless as he was before he accepted his power.
“Thanks for the quirk, All Might,” Izuku said, almost feeling pity for the mockery of a hero that stood before him. “I’ll put it to good use.”
If he thought his sickly complexion couldn't get any paler, he was wrong. “I t-trusted you.”
Izuku laughed. “So did I, but look where that got me.”
“Goodbye, All Might,” his dad said, turning his back on him. “Frankly, I hope you die a very painful death.”
He walked away, activating Kurogiri’s quirk to open a portal in front of them. Before they walked through it, Izuku peeked over his dad’s shoulder to look at All Might.
A strong gust of wind pushed its way through the destruction, fanning the flames that consumed the carnage of the battle. The number one hero fell to the ground, collapsing in a bloody heap of broken bones and mangled flesh.
Gran Torino flew to his side, but it was too late. He looked at Izuku in anguish, and Izuku couldn’t help but smile at him. It wasn’t the pretty kind, the one they teach you to make when you become a hero, but the kind that promised no compassion for those who dared stand against him. The kind that reveled at the sight of his opponents at his feet, begging for mercy, for their poor, pathetic lives.
“My, you’re a natural, Izuku,” his dad said proudly. “Then again, you are my child.”
“I just thought about what you would do when we played heroes and villains when I was younger,” Izuku said, feeling warm at the memory. “Is that why you always volunteered to be the villain?”
“That might have been why,” he laughed. “I had to set a good example.”
“I guess it worked,” Izuku smiled.
“It did,” his dad said. “You will be an excellent heir to the empire I’ve built.”
“Really?” Izuku asked quietly. “What if I’m not—”
“There isn’t anyone else I would want,” he said. “You, my son, are the only one capable of such a thing. Even from afar, I’ve made sure to foster your potential. Your greatness is inevitable.”
As daunting as ruling an unseen empire sounded, Izuku wanted to do it. He wanted to be by his dad’s side, breaking down hero society piece by piece, watching as the pillars that held it up, fell.
“Okay,” Izuku said. “I’ll do it.”
The swirling portal sat in front of them, waiting to take them to whatever their futures held. The air of the battlefield was filled with sounds of grief and devastation, survivors mourning the loss of their beloved heroes. Helicopters circled overhead, capturing the complete and utter ruin beneath them, watching on in horror as Izuku turned his back on the society that broke him.
“Are you ready?” His dad asked.
Izuku nodded.
And with that, they stepped through the portal. With One For All and All For One reunited at last, the world didn’t stand a chance against them.