(AHGHJDFKKDFH this is so cute!! so pRETTY!! This is by grand dutchy on the server!!)
Izuku is glad that All Might suggested they wait until after the celebration brunch to do the transfer. He is so, so glad.
He doesn't think he could've handled the prying gazes from the other diners for much longer. Judgmental fuckers, aren't they? All of them. But besides the uncomfortable staring, he's also glad they left because they kind of need more privacy for this. A crowded restaurant isn't exactly the best place to discuss an age-old secret that has the capability of destroying Japan if discovered by the wrong people.
There's no telling who's watching anymore. Hell, the fucking waiter could've been a spy, though he hadn't raised any red flags in Izuku's mind. And trust him, the boy had watched the man very carefully. He'd watched everyone very carefully.
You can never be too cautious.
They're back at Dagobah beach, standing on the roof of a secluded pavilion for no specific reason. Izuku just likes to be up high, and he only offered one excuse to the hero, saying that the beach has been getting crowded nowadays and they should be where no one can see them. The man had accepted the reasoning with no problem, and so here they are.
The sun is beating down on them at this time of day, as it's always the hottest during the afternoon. Izuku shamefully admits to himself that he just wants this over with, despite Extract being very excited about getting another quirk. It's almost like his given quirk is alive and can read his thoughts, which is kind of scary. Because for one, how does it know? And two, why is it getting happy when it's not even going to be used in the transfer? Izuku doesn't need to steal One for All, not that he'd ever in any other circumstance.
But Izuku can't lie and say he's not a bit excited about this either. He can't wait to see what the new quirk will do to his existing ones. He's practically vibrating with nerves.
That is until All Might holds out his fist and says, with as much conviction as twelve thousand burning stars: "Eat this!"
Izuku is, again, very glad that they're alone, as the noise that comes out of his mouth is one that will embarrass him until the day he dies. He clears his throat to speak. "Eh?"
All Might lifts his fist up a little higher to show the golden strand of hair that's floating in the faint breeze. He looks suddenly sheepish, and he rubs at the back of his neck in a way that Izuku's come to realize as the hero trying to find the right words.
"To inherit my power you have to have some of my DNA," he explains, almost confusedly. "That's how the transfer works, my boy. I told you this, did I not?"
Izuku blinks once, then twice. "Well, yeah, but I just... didn't think it would be this way."
"Well, what were you expecting?"
The boy's mind instantly goes blank. What had he been expecting? It's not like there are many other options for DNA transfers.
"Uh, I don't know. Maybe a blood transfusion?"
He gets a frown in return. "I thought you didn't like doctors, my boy?"
"I don't," Izuku confirms, though he's surprised the man actually remembers that bit of information. The boy himself can't even recall when he'd told the hero that. "But this still isn't exactly how I imagined it."
"So, do you still want my quirk?"
Not really.
"Yes."
"Then let's not waste time! Come on, Young Midoriya, eat!"
Izuku takes an instinctive step back when the hero lifts his hand up again. "Actually, on second thought, I—"
"Eat, my boy!" All Might practically shoves the hair in his face. "Eat!"
"Wait, this isn't—"
"Eat!"
The boy's screams can be heard all the way from the city.
"Stop laughing! It's not funny."
Ms. Hanako merely laughs harder at Izuku's pout. She doubles over, clutching her stomach with a frail arm. "You accidentally ate his hair? Oh my, dearie, that sounds quite interesting."
"It was traumatizing!" He corrects, still mildly offended.
"Don't be so dramatic," Kioka says, voice heavy with amusement. "Now tell me, what did it taste like?"
Izuku glares at her. "You too? Please, somebody end me."
Ms. Hanako thankfully takes pity on him, and the older woman sends a mischievous look at her daughter. "Now, Kioka, don't tease him too much. I'm sure it was a rather unpleasant feeling."
"What, like a worm? Or more like string cheese gone wrong?"
Izuku gags. "Please don't! I can still feel it stuck in my throat!"
The two women laugh louder and continue talking, and Izuku can only pretend he's annoyed by it. He's busy putting mini slices of pepperoni on a small pizza, along with some banana peppers and other meats, and once he's done he slides it into the oven.
The shop is closing up earlier than usual today, so he'd stopped by to help them with the last orders. He's been visiting them less and less with everything that's been going on, and he's happy he was finally able to find some time to be with Ms. Hanako.
His jobs are coming more frequently, and it's hard to pass them up when he's already barely scraping by with the money he has.
He moves on to the appetizers as Ms. Hanako goes to the dining area to wait more tables.
Kioka squeezes past him to get to the soda dispensers. "So, when are ya bringing that kitten of yours?"
"She's not really a kitten. The vet said she's just over a year old."
The woman hums but doesn't look away from her work. "Vet? I thought you couldn't afford a vet?"
"I can't." He grins. "I guilt-tripped the receptionist lady at one of the walk-in offices to get a free checkup."
There are only a few circumstances where manipulation is good, Izuku thinks. That being one of them.
"Why am I not surprised?"
Izuku giggles. "In my defense, I had to make sure Missy was healthy. Being on the streets for most of her life isn't good for her health."
"Guess not." Kioka takes the pizza he prepared out of the oven and sets it on the counter, ringing the bell once to let Ms. Hanako know it's ready to be sent out. "Say, what was that you were talking about with Mom? Something about UA?"
Glad that they have something else to speak about, Izuku excitedly chatters about the entrance exam and his results. He can't tell them much about All Might and how exactly he came to eating the hero's hair, but he can tell them whatever he wants about UA.
While it's good that Ms. Hanako and the rest of the family won't push him about certain things, Izuku can't help but feel kind of guilty for not telling them everything. He knows they get it, and he also knows that he's putting everyone in danger when he tells them anything about All Might or himself, but he just can't stop.
They've shared so much with him, it's only fair that they know a bit about some of his own life, even if it's just a little. He doesn't like being dishonest, despite how much he seems to lie all the time, whether it's to himself or to the authorities. It makes him feel dirty. Almost like a villain.
And yet, just like any other form of manipulation, he can't help the lying. Or, rather, the evasion.
It's an hour into work when the restaurant closes for the day. Izuku helps wash the remaining dishes and hums softly to himself, swaying his head to the tune of a classical song playing on an old radio in the corner.
Ms. Hanako joins him in cleaning up the kitchen. It seems Kioka already left. "What's on your mind, honey?"
"Hm? Nothing. I'm just a bit tired, 's all."
The woman narrows her eyes. "I have plenty of years behind me to know when somebody's lying, child. But as long as you're alright, that's all I can ask."
Izuku sighs to himself. There it is again: the deception. He finds lying easy, he truly does. It's almost natural for him to spin any web of lies off his tongue and pass it as the truth, but that doesn't make it any less shameful to do. It's especially difficult when he lies to someone who truly cares about him.
He wishes they didn't. It would be so much easier that way.
"I just—" He cuts himself off and then frowns. "You remember Kacchan, right?"
A small snort. "How could I not? That boy manages to blow something up every time he comes in here."
Izuku shivers at the reminder and continues to wipe down the stoves. "Well, I haven't been entirely honest with him either about this whole thing, and I feel pretty bad about it." He pauses for a moment, deep in thought. "He's my friend. Shouldn't I be telling him about all this?"
Shouldn't I tell him that I now have the quirk of our shared idol? The man we've both looked up to for the majority of our lives?
The woman tuts. "Well, friendship is based on trust, isn't it? I'm sure you have your reasons for keeping quiet, but I'll tell you this: lying to the ones you love never turns out well. They'll figure it out eventually, and it might not end pretty. For both sides, in fact."
"I know, but I still can't help but feel like something bad will happen if I tell him. It's like—it's like a gut feeling, I guess."
"Are you afraid of what he'll say?" She cocks a hip. "Or of what you think he'll say?"
And if he's being honest with himself, it's definitely the latter, but again, Izuku isn't always honest. Even when it only concerns himself.
"I... I'm not really sure. Maybe both? I know he'll have some strong opinions about it, but I kinda already expect that from him." He wipes his hands on a towel and faces her. "What do you, um, think I should do? You don't have to answer, I just don't know what—"
Ms. Hanako doesn't hesitate. Her eyes are as kind and intelligent as always. "I think you should confide in your friend, seeing as you don't have many at the moment. You never know when you might lose him."
And alright, that makes him feel like shit. The boy knows she's talking from experience.
"But," she continues. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard. If it's a gut feeling, listen to it. You know your own boundaries."
Do I? Or am I just being paranoid like I am with everything?
The truth is that he doesn't want to put Kacchan in danger. Sure, he's already in danger. Since the moment they met when they were just babies, Kacchan has been in danger. But Izuku doesn't want to make that worse.
He doesn't tell Ms. Hanako and Kioka everything because they're fine with not knowing, they understand.
But Kacchan is different. He understands, of course, but he doesn't seem to care about that. He's always been stubborn, and he's always wanted to be involved. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just makes Izuku feel like shit when he's faced with situations like this.
If he tells Kacchan about One for All, his friend might become a target. The less he knows, the better. But there's also that sinking feeling in Izuku's heart that tells him that if he were in Kacchan's shoes (hey, he'd grow a couple inches), that he'd want to know about it as well.
And so, to put it simply, everything is fucked. Izuku is either a shitty person who puts their friend in harm's way by telling him a secret, or a shitty person who lies to their friend and acts like nothing's changed. There's no in-between.
Christ. The quirk hasn't even set in yet and Izuku is already panicking. He's been doing that a lot lately, it seems.
"I'll be heading out now. Everything's finished here, so just make sure to lock the back doors when you leave, alright?"
Izuku nods his head even though he can barely hear her over the fuzz in his ears.
He has to get himself together.
Spying on people is fun. Especially when you're getting paid to do it.
Now don't get the wrong idea. Izuku isn't a stalker, per se. He just likes to study people. He likes to keep tabs on his clients to make sure they're safe, of course, and he also does it as insurance in case something goes wrong.
But he doesn't just spy on his clients, he spies on everyone he's ever come into contact with, either as Rabbit or as Midoriya Izuku. It's a precaution, in a way, and it's also just to give Izuku more leverage. It's something he can use as a bargaining chip whenever he gets himself into a sticky situation.
He tracks their movements, their battles, their weaknesses, you name it. He knows their friends and finances, their every indiscretion. Hell, he even knows the color of their underwear!
This guy, for example, doesn't wear any. Not that he needs the added protection down there; the dude doesn't have the balls to do much of anything good.
Izuku is currently crouching in the rafters of a nearby tower, spying on the wealthy businessman drinking champagne in the building over. He's in one of his many penthouses, chatting with a coworker.
This coworker of his has been coming over very often. Over the past few days, Izuku has come to realize that their relationship goes much deeper than what the man would probably like anyone to know.
He's not meant to take him down or extract him from his location. The client that gave Izuku this job only wants information on the target, at least for now. Izuku didn't ask any questions, not when he'd seen the number of zeroes after the first number on the promised check.
Sometimes it's best not to know what he's getting himself into. It's not like he's going to murder the guy, nor is he going to give away top secret information.
The businessman is cheating on his wife, that's all. Not to say that that's okay! It's just that things could be a lot worse. That little bit of information, however, will make Izuku's client very happy. It's an easy way to take down politicians and people of high power.
"AINA," the boy whispers, detaching the armband and holding it up like a camera phone at the window. "Can you zoom in for me?"
"Of course. Would you like to send this footage directly to your pinned contact?"
Izuku smirks to himself. "Why not? Give him a live shot."
He might enjoy ruining politicians' lives a little too much.
The thing is that Izuku can figure out a lot about his targets in a short amount of time. It's even easier now with AINA, who can search all the records with this guy's name and billing information. It seems he dabbles into the Black Market almost just as much as he cheats on his wife.
Which, for one, is kind of creepy, and for two, only adds to his rich boy-slash-douchebag personality.
Even Izuku doesn't spend ten hours a day surfing the dark web, and he does that pretty often to get the best deals on mechanical parts and weapons.
This guy is sick, so Izuku is glad his client brought this to his attention. Even if he doesn't get paid for the extra work, Izuku is going to make sure this man gets arrested. Hm. He should probably text Eraserhead or Tsukauchi about it. They'd be within legal grounds to take him down with the evidence Izuku has.
It might be faulty evidence since he isn't obtaining it legally, but nobody has to know that.
Speaking of Eraserhead, Izuku hasn't seen the underground hero in a few days. Their meeting is coming up soon, so he's looking forward to it. He wants to hear the man's voice again.
Does that make me clingy? The hell is wrong with me.
It's been a few hours after the transfer with All Might, and the sun is starting to go down. Izuku can feel the quirk taking effect. It's almost scary.
Of course, he'd felt the change immediately after inhaling the hair due to Extract and it's sensory awareness, but he's only just now feeling the power of it. And oh boy can he feel it.
Something itches at the back of his throat, and Izuku frowns a little. When he coughs into his hand he can see little specks of blood on his palm.
He knows instantly why that's happening, so he doesn't freak out too bad.
Extract used to do that to him all the time when he was younger. The quirk basically forces him to take other people's powers, and so when he doesn't, he's the one who pays for it. He's scared Kacchan and the rest of the Bakugou family plenty of times like that before.
It hasn't done it in forever, not since... not since he acquired the multiple quirks he has now. It calmed down after that happened. And for it to be starting up again now, that can only mean one thing: One for All is indeed strengthening his other quirks.
And fuck, that's a great thing; that's exactly what he'd been hoping for out of all this. But that's also a very, very bad thing.
That bad feeling he gets with Extract now will only grow exponentially with this new addition, and Izuku suddenly realizes how fucked he really is. The sudden increase in strength and power in his core is making him feel a little dizzy, and he has to shake himself out of his thoughts to focus on reality.
It's time that he experiments a bit.
"AINA, initiate Shutdown Protocol Four, please!"
Instead of a verbal response, the AI just flashes the words of course, I'll speak with you later, Izuku, before shutting off completely. He fluffs out his unkempt hair to hide the earbuds before dropping down from the rafters. He's on the top floor of this building, and there's nobody there since it's usually reserved for business meetings. He'd done quite a bit of research on this company before sneaking in, just to make sure.
He smooths out his clothes a little bit since he's not even in his Rabbit costume and takes the elevator down to the bottom level. It's almost laughable how easy it was to bypass their security. He didn't even need to mess with their cameras and stuff, he just had to create a diversion so he could get past the guard just inside the front doors.
The same guard that's staring at Izuku in utter disbelief as the boy slips out of the doors. He doesn't dare stop him, though.
Like Izuku said. Pathetically laughable.
What makes it worse is that the company is all about home and cyber security. Yeah. Not too secure, huh?
The sky is pitch black by the time he puts a halt to his other spying deals and stops on top of another building, this time for a different reason. He wants to get a feel for things. The transfer is complete by now, he knows it. It has to be with the sudden giddiness he's experiencing.
He can feel the energy buzzing under his skin. It's so much stronger than his usual enhancements. He's almost drunk off the feeling, and his previous dizziness makes way for euphoria as he tests out Boost in his legs and feet. It's obviously different: it's stronger. He can run quicker than before.
Not by too much, but the change is noticeable enough. If Izuku wanted to, he could train himself to go a little farther. He could be even faster.
Boost isn't the only quirk affected, just as he thought. He'll have to find time to test out his other powers and write down his findings, but for now, Izuku wants to try out the newest addition to his quirks.
The one that matters the most, now. By far. He has to protect this one more than the others, that's for sure. It holds the greatest face value, and also the greatest personal value. There's no way he's going to let this one slip out from his grasp now that he's got it.
He holds up a fist and glances around, trying to find a nice target for practice. What better time for training is there than right now, on a deserted rooftop at just a little past ten at night? Anyone could see him if they really looked.
He doesn't know exactly how to activate One for All. It sounds silly, but the only information All Might offered him on the topic was just clench your butt cheeks and think of greatness! It'll come to you naturally, my boy! So, yeah. He's basically starting from scratch.
He's sure it's similar to Boost, as they're both power types and a form of body enhancement, so it should be like powering up a battery. He just has to imagine it, right?
Izuku stands in front of a large billboard and wrinkles his nose. It's showcasing an ad on Endeavor merchandise. The flame hero doesn't get a lot of screen time on any news outlets or videos, so it's a bit of a surprise that his face is even on here.
A welcome surprise, now that Izuku can vandalize it. The hero should be grateful that the boy is too lazy to get his spray cans as well. He would've had a field day with the man's chiseled face; a face perfect for drawing dicks on.
Izuku rears back a fist and gets into a stance, his back against the billboard railing. He clenches his butt like All Might said (who knows, maybe that is how you use it) and imagines himself opening up its vast energy reserves in his mind. His heart beats a little faster inside his ribcage, and he forces himself to calm down.
He knew how to work it. He told me how to work it a long time ago. I can do this.
Izuku pictures it all in his mind, recalling terrible, terrible words of instruction, and releases everything he can as he drives his fist forward.
The huge gust of wind that follows nearly knocks him off the small ledge he's on, and Izuku has to hold on as his fist goes straight through the reinforced metal billboard with a crackle of red lightning.
Almost like it was nothing more than wet paper.
It seems to take an entire ten seconds for the air around him to return to normal, and Izuku is left reeling, eyes wide as saucers.
Oh. Wow. That was cool as fuck. And also: he hopes no one just saw that, because the billboard is fucking destroyed, and so is part of the building a little ways behind it—the courthouse, he realizes.
Okay, that one wasn't his fault this time.
But fucking shit does his arm hurt now. What in the holy hell did he just—oh. Why does his shoulder burn so much?
When Izuku looks, he's mildly surprised to see that his entire arm is mangled. He can see it better once he angles his body into the light from a nearby streetlamp. All the way from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers his skin is a deep mixture of purple and black, and the faintest bit of steam rises from the appendage. The pain is spreading like a wildfire all of a sudden, and he stumbles a little, holding back a hiss.
What the hell just happened? He obviously punched Endeavor in the throat, evident by how there's literally nothing left of the billboard in front of him, but how did that lead to him breaking his entire arm?
Too much power, Izuku thinks, still riding out the waves of white-hot pain that continue to course through him at different levels. He must have tried to use too much of One for All's power without any personal energy or strength to back it up. But still. Why did it recoil that much? It's an emitter type quirk, so it should have some obvious drawbacks, but not like that.
Fuck. How does All Might deal with that?
Lights flicker on in the apartments and houses around him, and Izuku scrambles down from the billboard immediately. He does not want to get caught like this, nosiree. That's a definite trip to jail if anyone who cared enough were to see him.
He won't be able to get home quickly without the use of one of his arms; his dominant arm, to be exact. He's gonna have to walk back the normal way. Just for a few minutes until he can get close.
The few people on the streets at this time of night are giving him strange looks, which only serve to piss Izuku off more. He's getting really tired of folks looking at him like that.
To be fair, his right arm is kind of mangled. They might be a little irked upon seeing that, but still. Doesn't give them the right to judge or ogle. He's not an animal. He only looks like a rat half the time.
"Hey, kid! What are you doing out here?"
Great. Just fan-fucking-tastic. Izuku doesn't even have to look behind him to know it's a cop. A new one, at that.
In this part of town, Izuku knows practically every officer and hero. He's run into trouble with all of them at least once by now, and they all know him by name. They also know not to disturb him unless he's doing something worse than just breaking curfew.
Which means this cop is definitely a rookie. He doesn't know Izuku, so he won't let him off the hook like all the other cops.
And so Izuku does the only thing he can think of: he runs. He hadn't planned on booking it home, and yet here he is.
He's run from so many cops and police officers in just the past couple of years alone that the process is practically ingrained into his brain by now. Get up high and don't look back, that's his rule.
Unless an underground hero is following you, then you're just fucked. Getting up high doesn't do shit. Learned that the hard way the first time around.
Detective Tsukauchi works late on these kinds of nights, and Izuku could do without a lecture right now. Running is his only option.
It turns out that the rookie cop must have been informed about him in one way or another, as he curses loudly when Izuku scales the side of a small shop and runs across the roof.
"Damn you, kid, get down!"
"No, you get down!"
Another curse, this one slightly more confused than before, but Izuku keeps sprinting. He has to hold onto his broken arm as he goes, which fucking hurts.
Time seems to blur along with the pain, and before he knows it he's shouldering open his door after climbing the stairs and booking it to his first aid kit. He can't do much about it right now, but he can wrap it up so he doesn't jostle it. Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.
"Hiya, Missy! Didn't get into too much trouble while I was gone, right?"
He doesn't waste any time in feeding her after fixing up his arm, petting her all the while. He makes sure to put a dish of warm lactose-free milk on the ground beside her water as a small treat. She loves milk, and so of course he's going to spoil her with it. He doesn't use milk for anything anyway, so he doesn't bother getting the regular kind.
Most cats can't have cow milk since their digestive system can't always process it correctly. Other kinds of milk are usually best for them, and it's not like he minds spending the extra money.
He's been living off of coffee and instant ramen and rice for this long now; it's not like he needs anything else.
Using his left hand to sketch out ideas instead of his right is hard, but not as hard as he'd thought it'd be. He's not exactly ambidextrous, but he was trained on how to use his non-dominant limbs almost as easily as his other ones. He's a little thankful for that now as he lays out all the facts.
Okay, so he's not strong enough to use the full potential of One for All. The small part of Izuku's mind, the prideful part, is kind of offended by that fact, but the other part isn't all that surprised. The boy is honestly a little more disappointed in himself more than anything. It's his own fault for not being a good vessel for the quirk.
Another negative as to why I shouldn't have said yes.
But that's alright, he'll have to work up to it. The quicker the better, no matter what he has to do. He doesn't think One for All affects the metabolism, though Izuku already knows he's going to have a problem with that because of Boost. He's sure his hunger will spike even worse than it is.
It's a nuisance to have to keep breaking bones every time he uses it, and learning to control the output at this rate is still hazardous, so he has to create something that'll suppress it. Something that'll limit how much he can use of it, but also something that won't suppress the usage of his other quirks as well. As much as he'd like to pretend that most of those quirks don't exist, they do come in handy when he's in awful situations.
It's best to keep them ready as a backup, even if he can't use them publicly.
He also needs something that'll take off the edge of Extract. That's the main thing on his mind. He can't be throwing up blood everywhere like All Might. Especially since High School starts up in spring—just a couple weeks away.
Hm. He made AINA, right? So how hard can making a quirk suppressor with that many limitations be?
A suppressor that doesn't need batteries or some other source to power it all the time, and one that won't affect his regular enhancements or quirks but affect only two in particular? Okay, so maybe it'll be a little difficult.
His eyes shift over to the extra parts and junk on his desk, and the ideas and blueprints that suddenly shoot through his mind like a slideshow causes him to shake his head. "Nothing can ever be easy for me, huh?"
Missy meows, and the boy dutifully takes that as a no.