A/N:
The people have spoken, so here we are. :D
This will be the last part of the Wings! AU so I hope you enjoy it! If you do then feel free to leave a like and/or comment to let me know.
Also, I am not sorry for the cliffhanger in 17.1. :)
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Onto the continuation...
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"I know you're awake, my precious Nestling".
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-o-O-o-
Izuku choked, his blood running cold and his lungs aching for him to take another breath. The footsteps picked back up again, getting closer and closer to the nest the curly-haired student was coiled up in. The man stopped directly at his side, Izuku facing him with his back. A soft sigh was heard, then the nest dipped under the villains' weight.
The silence that followed seemed to stretch on forever, making the pit in the teen's stomach only expand. His father hummed silently, a familiar melody he hadn't heard since he was little. It only made his heart hurt more. Izuku felt his muscles relax against his will, his wings slowly sinking back onto the nest's surface from their protective position.
"You know why I'm doing this, my emerald. Both I and your mother want nothing more than for you to be safe". Hisashi spoke in a mellow tone, placing his right hand on top of Izuku's messy curls. The teen flinched back but didn't make any move to get away. He knew better than that. The ever-so-slight rattling of the chains was a painful reminder.
Continuing his humming, the supervillain began mindlessly carding through the green locks, making sure not to accidentally tug on any knots. "Did... Did mom know..?" Izuku frowned at how broken his voice sounded, recoiling slightly as his father leaned forwards. "I assume that she had a hunch, but never brought it up". He mused thoughtfully, before turning to softly coo at the confused look his son shot at him.
The teen stiffened at his father's faint grin, quickly directing his gaze back down to his cuffed hands. "Why... why now? If you didn't want me to become a hero in the first place, then why-?!" Izuku's voice raised, his wings fluttering up, only to be restricted by a smooth movement of the supervillain's hands. "Now now, little one. There's no need to get yourself so worked up. After all, we have all the time in the world".
Hisashi unfolded his own wings, spreading them out lazily, but the teen knew that the man was making sure to show that there was no way out for him. Showing himself completely open and relaxed to display his power and authority. Izuku gulped shallowly, eyeing his father's abnormally large wings with furrowed brows and picking nervously at his chains. The supervillain frowned at this, a hand encasing one of Izuku's shackled ones.
"I truthfully didn't want to result in such drastic measures but I know that if I hadn't put these on you...". He mindlessly tapped the metal of the cushioned cuffs with an unpleased click of his tongue. "You would've tried to leave your nest again and only injure yourself more. And we can't have that, my nestling". Hisashi murmured, gently grazing his thumb over the angry red indents on his son's skin.
Izuku just narrowed his green eyes at him, tempted to rip his hands out of the man's grip but he decided against it, knowing that it would only backfire and worsen his situation. "You... You didn't answer my question yet". He nervously piped up, staring at the scarred spot of skin where his father's eyes would've been. The villain halted his movement for a few seconds, seeming to contemplate something before resuming the soothing motion.
His smile returned, but it looked less genuine this time. Izuku shuddered. "Ah, right. I do owe you some explanations, don't I?" Hisashi hummed, his wings folding back into their earlier position as he leaned back. "Very well then. Let me tell you about the story of a little fledgling, who was dearly loved by his parents. His parents, who would've done anything to keep him safe from the horrors of the world, protected in his nest". He started slowly, tilting his marred face away.
The teen just listened in silence, crossing his legs under the blankets to get more comfortable. "The little fledgling was a small, wondrous thing. Easy to impress and invested in the heroes of society, against his parent's hopes. He wanted to be just like those heroes, wishing to save others with a smile on his face. But after his fourth birthday, it all came crashing down because he didn't develop a power like all the other kids, which made society deem him as worthless".
Grimacing at his own words, the supervillain let go of his son's hand and massaged his temples instead before returning to telling the story. "His parents were relieved, not having wanted their hatchling to even try and be a hero in the first place. But his sadness and hopelessness made them reconsider their opinions, as it was breaking them to see him destroyed like that". He sighed deeply, turning back in Izuku's direction.
"Sadly, before they could come up with a solid plan to cheer him back up again and help him on his path to becoming something better than a hero, a top-tier analyst, the father had an emergency at work and had to leave unexpectedly, leaving his beloved nestling alone with his mother. On that work trip, he got gravely injured and almost died, not being able to return to his family for years, having to watch them from afar...". The frown returned to his features.
"And before the father could intervene, he felt the familiar and yet so dreaded pull of his little brother's power being passed on once more. And to his horror, it had reached his child. The one thing he fought so hard to protect...". Hisashi reached out, his hand brushing through Izuku's unruly hair and playing with his curls while Izuku held still, not daring to move a muscle. "Had it not been for his... my injuries, then I would've been there and stopped that blonde oaf from burdening you with this power".
The supervillain gritted out angrily, his wings raising to show his frustration as Izuku's own tightened up. After a few more seconds of tense silence, All For One loosened his posture, letting his wings sink back onto the nest again. "But what's done is done. You fell right back into my grasp and now you're safe here, little Izuku. I promised you that I would protect you until the very end... And now that you're finally home, there is nothing that will keep me from looking after you. Even if I have to restrain you or immobilize your wings to do so".
Izuku stifled in surprise, harshly flinching away from the villain sitting next to him with a frightened expression. But Hisashi just observed him in silence, keeping a firm grip on his son's shoulder. "Please don't fight it, my treasured nestling. I only want what's best for you. And I'll even let you keep the power if it comforts you. I know my little brother loves to look over you and I don't want him or the others to scream bloody murder if I try to extract him...". The man explained, letting go of the frightened teen's shoulder and lifting himself off of the edge of the nest with little difficulty.
A spark of One for All bloomed in his chest, helping Izuku stay focused and letting him know that it was still there. He grasped that feeling, squeezing it tightly as he watched All For One pace through the room, away from the nest. "You're horrible, Dad". Izuku hissed out, only to freeze up in terror at the words that slipped from him. The supervillain stood deathly still, his wings twitching ever so slightly, but he didn't turn around.
Gulping down the rising sense of dread, Izuku managed to continue. "I-... I may have gotten hurt a lot... But- But I've gotten better! I found so many friends in U.A. and I am happier than I was, ever since I turned four! And you-! You have no right to take all that away from me just because I was born worthl-... quirkless! I followed my dream and you can't just make me throw all of it away because you want me to be "safe"! I'm no longer the small, frail child I was back then! I'm-!".
His voice died in his throat as he gasped, desperately choking for air, helplessly clawing at the unrelenting pressure squeezing around his throat. Tears sprung from his eyes as Izuku tried to free himself to no avail, weak and unable to do anything to get the gigantic hand off of his throat. "Please- Please I- ...can't brea-". The hold only got tighter, like a snare constricting around a clueless animal.
"Papa please I'm sorry- I'm-!"
The air quickly returned to his lungs, his breathing erratic and cut off as he coughed. Izuku blinked through the tears that blurred his vision, noticing that his father hadn't moved from the spot he had halted on. What had just happened...? Was that an illusion? His father would never do that to him, right? The teen continued to sputter, the heartbeat droning in his ears slowly lessening. "Don't you dare call yourself worthless, Izuku. And listen to me when I say that you'll stay in your nest". All For One's voice droned out, carrying a sharp edge with it, that made Izuku shrink back further, his wings puffing up with fear.
A suffocating silence followed, only broken by the occasional coughs and rattles of the metal chains. Izuku shook violently as the villain turned back in his direction, ducking his head away and avoiding looking at him. "They're not coming to save you, nestling. You're my son and therefore seen as a potential threat. The public won't let you become a hero, even if they rescued you. It's over".
All For One approached the nest, yanking up the chains shackling Izuku to the nest and breaking them with a simple squeeze of the metal. The green-haired teen blinked, startled by the villain's sudden action and ruffling his wings as a warning. The man stared him down for a few more seconds before turning on his heel and marching away. "I'll be back in a few hours with some food. Feel free to get familiar with your new room until then. You'll be spending a lot of time in it from now on".
And with that the supervillain vanished with a splash of black goo, disappearing from Izuku's sight and leaving him alone with his new room and thoughts. The former hero student forced down a sob, shakily standing up from the Nest and letting his legs get used to standing again. He took a few more deep breaths, glancing around the room before slowly dragging himself over to the desk.
Might as well try and find something that would help him get the cuffs off while he waited...
-o-O-o-
"What do you mean, you can't track them down?!" Eraserhead yelled, his eyes shining a bright red as he snarled at the furry principal of U.A. Nedzu simply shook his head at the furious teacher, his beady eyes reflecting the monitor he was previously staring down at in concentration. "You're one of the smartest being on earth, hell, maybe even the smartest of all! So how are you not able to find my student?!" The black-haired teacher gritted out, slamming his fist onto the table.
Next to him stood an anxious Present Mic, who desperately tried to calm his husband down and stop him from throwing himself at the quirked animal. "I need you to calm down, Shota-kun. Yelling will do us no good in this case". Nedzu reminded the agitated pro-hero, only to get a huffed growl in response.
Yamada softly clasped his hands around Aizawa's shoulders, his bright green eyes saddened as he shook his head at his distressed husband. "Shota, as much as I want to find him too I have to agree with Nedzu. Shouting won't do anything and will only wear you down". He spoke gently, his yellow and light-green feathers fluffing up and brushing against Aizawa's black and red ones.
Eraserhead relented in his husband's embrace, sighing quietly as his hair fell back down and his eyes returned to their original onyx color. Present Mic continued squeezing the distraught teacher's shoulders, steadily grounding him before his eyes flickered back to the mammal typing away on his computer. "How should we proceed, Principal Nedzu?". He asked carefully.
Nedzu seemed to frown, halting his movements for a second before turning toward his second monitor with a gleam in his beady black eyes. "I'm not certain that I alone will be able to locate All For One's lair alone, but perhaps..." He pressed a button under his table, automatically opening the door to his office and surprising the people standing in front of it.
"You might be able to help us out, young Yaoyorozu?" Both Yamada and Aizawa glanced over their shoulders, shifting their wings to have a look at the students following their class president. The black-haired girl nodded at her teachers, a determined expression on her face. "Yes, I believe I have something of importance that could help you track down Midoriya".
She dug a hand into her pocket, pulling out a small device with closely resembled a type of phone. "A tracker?". Hizashi exclaimed, excitement leaking into his tone as Aizawa's stance stiffened up. Kirishima grinned, stepping next to Momo as he pointed at the device. "Yao-momo put one of those things on us in case something happened while we tried rescuing Bakubro from the villains!".
The teachers shared a stunned look while Nedzu grinned, holding out a hand for Yaoyorozu to pass him the tracker. "Excellent, taking precautions, no matter how minor they seem, is always important". He chuckled, inspecting the screen of the device with an unreadable expression. "Midoriya was the one that gave us the idea and with Yaoyorozu's help we were able to go through with it". Todoroki spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck.
Humming thoughtfully at the blinking screen, the principal began typing away at his computer, his paws speedily dancing over his custom keyboard. Everyone remained silent as they watched him do his thing, knowing that Nedzu would most likely need to focus on his task before not even a minute later a high-pitched 'ding!' rang through the room.
Nedzu grinned, his fangs showing slightly as he raised his gaze from his monitors.
"Get ready, everyone. I've found him!".
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Within the span of a mere hour, several pro heroes had been contacted and informed of the plan. The location had been thoroughly checked with satellite images and building plans while a few vehicles and ambulances stood ready in case things got bad. They planned to go in for a surprise attack, wanting to distract All For One as long as possible while a rescue team snuck in to get Midoriya out.
A few students of 1-A were also pulled in for the mission since a lot of pro heroes were either busy themselves or injured. Eraserhead stood in front of the rescue team he was leading, scanning over his team members and mentally coming up with several outcomes this mission could lead to. "This is a very serious matter, so I don't want any mistakes on our part, do you understand?".
He droned, his wings flexing at his sides as he crossed his arms. The heroes and students nodded back at him, fixing their coms to their hero suits in case they got separated during their attack. "You have all seen what that man is capable of, so be prepared to run for your life in case he gets anywhere near you. You're the rescue squad, not the attack or distraction team. Now hurry up, we've got a student to save".
We're coming, Problem Child. Hold on just a little longer.
-o-O-o-
Izuku blankly stared at the surface of the plastic desk, his wrists aching badly from all the fruitless attempts he had made trying to clammer the quirk-suppressing shackles off. Nothing in this room had helped him, though he already had the suspicion that All For One wouldn't have let him have anything sharp in the first place. All the furniture was either made out of plastic or something else.
Even clanging the metal against the walls and floor did nothing. Now he was slumped down in the plastic chair, lost on what to do other than wait for his father to return. Izuku grimaced at the thought of having to see the supervillain again, folding his arms on the table and letting his head sink onto them as he silently wept. He still hadn't gotten over their argument. But how could he?
Tightening the grip on his arms, Izuku furled his wings close to himself protectively, shielding himself from the room he was kept in. He hated it, he wanted out and back to his classmates. Cold tears rolled down his face and dropped onto the desk's surface, forming a small puddle the longer he cried to himself.
This was too much.
In moments of prolonged silence like these, the thoughts he so desperately tried to suppress rose to the top, whispering to him and taunting him, only stressing him out even further. Izuku felt weak and small. He despised it. He had worked so incredibly hard to get to where he was and now it was all torn away because he couldn't just hold on for a few more seconds! The teen gritted his teeth, his fingernails digging into his scarred flesh and coming close to drawing blood.
Within his core, One For All twisted and turned, sending shivers down his spine. It felt like the quirk was trying to embrace him- the previous users tried to calm him down. Yet the feeling was still too faint to have a big enough impact. Izuku let himself spiral, the light in his viridian eyes dimming as he slowly began to float away.
He dissociated, already too far gone to take notice of the black portal appearing in a corner of his room.
"..mer-...?"
Away from this room, some would call a vault,
"...ling?"
away from his captor,
"Iz...u?"
far away from reality-
"Izuku!?".
The green-haired teen blinked, his blurred vision focusing on the figure standing in front of him.
Wait, figure?
He reeled back, falling out of his chair as his wings flew up in a flurry, trying to prevent him from hitting the floor only for strong hands to grab onto his arms, pulling him back into a firm chest. Hisashi quietly shushed the hyperventilating student, moving his left hand through the disheveled curls and combing them out of his face.
Despite his want to struggle and get out of the man's hold, Izuku found he had no strength left in him, his muscles screaming at him for moving too quickly a few seconds ago. "Please, just leave me alone". He croaked, utterly exhausted, his mind was still foggy from being pulled out of his half-conscious state.
Instead of a reply, all he got was a nearly inaudible sigh, his father never ceasing as he stroked through his messy curls. They stayed like that for a while, Izuku's wings slumping down and hanging limply from his back while the supervillain rocked him back and forth, not uttering a word. Soon enough the teen could feel himself slipping away again, his eyes closing against his will and sinking against his father's body in search of warmth.
Meanwhile, All For One just watched his child succumb to his exhaustion, a frown on his marred face as he held his softly trembling son. He gently squeezed his son, slowly standing up from his knees and pacing over to the nest before halting in his tracks. With his several sight-based quirks he peered down at the amassed blankets and pillows, glancing down at his sleeping son.
He stood there for a minute or two, an inner war raging in his head before he froze, one of his motion-sensing quirks firing off and alerting him of a trespasser. The supervillain grimaced, opening the portal of black goo and carrying his son through it, onto the second level of the abandoned facility he had set up as a temporary hideout for Izuku so he could finish up the actual vault he had been planning on upgrading.
Izuku groaned slightly, turning in his hold and fluffing up his wings with a huff. Hisashi smiled softly, marching over to the bed in the room and carefully letting the teen down onto the mattress. Once his son was settled, he turned around, facing the window to get a good look at the approaching heroes. A certain individual caught his attention, making his smile falter.
"I envy you... Eraserhead".
Almost as if he heard him, the underground pro spun around to stare up at the window. All For One reacted fast enough to duck out of his line of sight and stepped back into the shadows of the shabby room. He sighed, re-opening the portal and calling forth several Nomu to face the heroes. "Hurt them as much as you possibly can. But don't you dare get anywhere near my son or I will make sure to tear you apart myself".
The Nomu's grunted in response, marching down to the exit of the building to face off against the approaching heroes. Hisashi silently watched them scurry down the hallway before turning back to his son. "Your mother will be furious if you're not back soon, won't she...?". He chuckled lowly, ruffling the sleeping teen's hair one last time before reinforcing the door with a lock and disappearing in the swirl of black goo, leaving his son behind for the heroes to find.
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"Mid-...? ...I fou-....! He's...!"
What...?
"...ve asid-! We ne-..... out! Tak-...."
Why did that voice sound so familiar...?
"Oh tha-..... -rist! Probl-... -ld".
Was that...? But how? Did they finally find him? Or was this all a dream?
Blinking drowsily, Izuku slowly let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting, making out the face of-
"Aiz...awa?" He murmured, squinting his emerald-green eyes up at his teacher's worried but relieved expression. "Hey there, Problem Child". The pro hero breathed out, heaving the teen up from the mattress he had been lying on a few seconds prior. Izuku blinked in confusion. Mattress? But wasn't he just down in the room with his father...? Where-?!
"Hey, focus on me, kid. You're fine, everything will be okay. Thank god for that tracker- Now let's get you out of here before All For One decides to show up". His teacher hushed him, following some other people out of the room. Izuku barely had time to process what was going on, too fatigued to even bother anymore. Aizawa held onto him tightly, as if he was afraid that he would be taken away again- Look, you've made him worry all over again.
The student flinched, gaining a concerned look from the pro hero but just shook it off, guiltily glancing away. Their group moved down to the lower floors, dodging some heroes who were fighting off two Nomus. Eraserhead protectively lifted his wings, shielding Izuku from any stray attacks or debris as they ran toward the exit of the old facility.
"Look! There's Aizawa-sensei! And Midoriya!" The voice of Jirou called out, drawing Izukus's focus in her direction as he noticed a few of his classmates standing beside her, excitedly waving to them. He shakily raised his right hand, waving back at them before noticing that the metal shackle, which was supposed to erase his quirk, was nowhere to be found. Only the angry red indents were left on his scarred flesh...
and a note...?
"Oh..." He gasped softly, his eyes widening as the pieces in his mind fell into place.
"Every nestling grows up someday, don't they?"
Izuku smiled lightly, glancing over his shoulder to the abandoned warehouse. "Thank you, Dad". He whispered under his breath before letting his sensei gently pull him toward the ambulance, his black and red wings protectively wrapped around him for cover. In the distance, a certain man watched the heroes lead his son away, a placid expression decorating his scarred features.
"As long as you're happy... We'll meet again soon, my precious bird". All For One sighed, turning away and putting his breathing apparatus back on. He activated his quirk with the snap of his fingers, disappearing from the roof he had been standing on, departing without being spotted by anyone.
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A father's choice...
to see their child bloom and be joyful.
Even if they have to let their child go for them to achieve that happiness.
No matter how much it hurts.
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-o-O-o-
Omake:
Aizawa: Never, ever do that again. Do you understand me, Problem Child?!
Izuku: Yes, sensei. I'm sorry.
Aizawa: *glares, rubbing his temples* Seriously, we were-... Your classmates were all worried about you. How do you always manage to get yourself into these types of situations...
Izuku: Honestly, I would love to know that myself...
Aizawa: *sighs* Well, at least you're safe now. Let's get you to recovery girl before your class decides to hog you-
Class 1-A, somewhere in the distance: MIDORIYAAAAA-!
Aizawa: I swear to god-
...
Inko: *barges through the door, followed by both Nedzu and a nervous All Might* IZUKUUUU, MY POOR BABYYY!
Izuku: Uwah! M-Mom! I-
Inko: I WAS SO WORRIED! Are you okay? What did that bastard tell you?! Do you want me to find him and gut him?!
Izuku: Mom it's alright, he didn't really- wait what.
...
Izuku: ...
All Might: ...
Izuku: ... All Might... I'm-... I didn't know...
All Might: ... You're not him. Young Midorya. And I'm so, so terribly sorry. I- I just stood there and watched him take you-! *balls his fist in frustration*
Izuku: I... All Might... I can't blame you, I was quite shell-shocked myself...
All Might: But it's no excuse for me to not have acted. Who knows what he could've done and I didn't do anything to stop him. I'm a horrible mentor... And I don't deserve you as my student. Please, forgive me. *drops to his knees in a bow*
Izuku: *panics, jumping up from the hospital bed* Ah, y-you don't need to bow-! It's fine-! Really. You're here now and I wouldn't even be here without your help. So, please.
All Might: *wipes away tears, nodding slowly* Thank you, young Midoriya...!
...
Aizawa: Now that we're finally done with all of this... Extra homework. For all of you, except Asui, since she didn't contribute to any of this. And notify your parents that there will be several buildings constructed on U.A.'s campus for you to move into. An extra security measure Nedzu has come up with to keep you all safe and prevent any more villain attacks.
Class 1-A (minus Tsuyu): *groans* Yes, sensei... Sorry, sensei.
...
And thus, everything went back to normal...
Aside from Izuku's wings.
His father's pattern didn't vanish, but he didn't mind.
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A/N:
Jesus fucking christ, I am so done- I really want to bash my head against something rn.
No matter how much I tried the ending never sounded right so this is what I ended up with.
Oh well, I can't be bothered anymore.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this AU! If you did then feel free to leave a vote/comment to let me know.
:)
Anyways, time to go back to suffering while building that Minecraft world someone commissioned from me. I hate everything.
Bye bye!
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Next Up: 18 - Coming Home (Soulparent! AU)
Word Count: 4513 (This is a little longer than I wanted it to be...)
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13.02.2023