A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter than usual. It's sort of an in-between, but important chapter. I need some calm before the storm that is Kamino.
...~AIV~...
(Many Hours Later: Amidala General Hospital: Izuku's Room)
"He still out?"
Kyouka nodded as she used her jack to place her phone down on the windowsill. A phone call on her jacks was basically torture at the moment. Her jacks were still fluctuating, but it was far less frequent, which hopefully meant One For All was fully settling in. She rested her hand down on Izuku's leg, watching his chest rise and fall with his slow breathing. "Like a light."
"Damn," All Might sighed on the other line. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised after what you told me he went through. How are you holding up? Didn't the rest of your class already get discharged?"
Everything he went through, except the One For All awakening, split...thing.
That wasn't an over-the-phone conversation. That wasn't even a "Just Kyouka" conversation. She absolutely needed Izuku for that. She could just repeat back to All Might what Nana had said, but this involved both of them in every way possible. Besides, All Might really didn't need this piled onto all the stress he was under.
She and Izuku also had some decisions to discuss before talking to All Might about all this. They had a lot of careful steps to make going forwards. Nothing would be the same.
"I'll be just fine. I'm getting discharged tomorrow morning. I'm staying the extra day for him, but I can push it so far. How's the raid party coming along?"
"Eh, slower than I would want, but...at the same time I don't want things to ever be ready."
"You really think he'll be there?"
"I don't know. I hope not, but with our luck? I wouldn't bet against it. Speaking of which, I..." All Might trailed off, with Kyouka able to hear him pace back and forth. "Nevermind. I'll hold out hope that Young Midoriya wakes up before tomorrow night. I've gotta get back into the station, but call me if he wakes up, okay?"
"Of course. Later, All Might." She walked back over to the windowsill and hung up, pressing her forehead against the cool glass. They just got out of the fire, and yet she had a strong feeling that the flame was about to spark an explosion. Walking back to the bed, Kyouka ran a hand through Izuku's hair, sighing as she sat down on the bed, "What am I going to do with you?"
"Mm, you were right." Kyouka's eyes widened as Izuku's opened, blinking away the blurriness in his vision as his hoarse voice came out. "I'm going to be hearing that for the rest of my life."
"He-! Hehehe!" Kyouka wasted no time in leaning down and kissing him, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "And I'll be there to keep asking it."
Izuku couldn't hug back with his casted up arms, so he just tried to embrace her warmth, "How long have I been out?"
"Nearly two days," Kyouka pulled back, hand on Izuku's chest. "You've woken up a few times, but only for a few seconds at best."
"Mn, I don't remember. I'm still so tired. And starving. Are you okay?"
"I'm just fine," Kyouka shrugged. "Don't worry about me, I was looked at a long time ago. Do you want me to call the doctor in?"
"Mm-mm, not yet," Izuku shook his head, a big yawn escaping his throat. "I assume we have plenty to talk about, and we should do it while we have the privacy."
"Izuku, you just woke up not even five minutes ago. We can worry about it later, you need to get those casts off of you, some food in you, and I need to call your mom. She's been in-and-out of this place a million times over the last couple of days."
"Hmhm," Izuku chuckled a little, unable to resist the tiny smile growing on his lips. "But, she's okay?"
"She's gonna be a lot better when she sees you awake."
"And the others?"
"Some of 1B are in comas. One of the League's quirks rendered them unconscious, and they haven't woken up yet. But, as far as I can tell, everyone from our class got out of there, and nobody died. Pixie Bob and Ragdoll were discharged this morning, I think. All Might told me Ragdoll has been put under lockdown until after the raid. To everyone else, who knows why she was being kidnapped? But, to us? I think it's safe to say we've been spared a whole lot of trouble with All For One not getting his hands on her quirk."
"Absolutely...And Kacchan?"
Kyouka shook her head as she rubbed his chest, "They think they know where the League is hiding. All Might told me the raid is tomorrow night. Didn't even need Momo's tracker, Tsukauchi was dead on. Some old dive bar out in Kamino Ward."
"Good...Good..."
"Hey, I know that tone. We did everything we could, but the League clearly planned this out. Shigaraki was ready, and we weren't. We had no reason to be. Who would think they'd want to kidnap Bakugou of all people?"
"But that's exactly it," Izuku furrowed his brow as he stared up at the tinted white ceiling panels, Tomura's smile ever-present in his memory. "Why Kacchan? Out of everyone, why him? When I spoke to Shigaraki, he didn't seem to express any interest in him. He only talked about Kacchan when he brought up ou-..."
"Uh oh. What? Whoa-Hey, careful!" Kyouka tried to push Izuku back down as he shot upright in his hospital bed. She was just happy that his arms were fully healed, otherwise he would have just caused himself a boat-load of pain. "What's wrong?"
"He brought up our fight at the Sports Festival. He knew about Kacchan, just like your dad did. He could tell our fight wasn't normal, it was filled with hate and grudges. He knew I didn't have a good past, but he..." Izuku's breath came out shaky, looking at Kyouka, "...he's learning."
...~AIV~...
(Kamino Ward: Unknown Dive Bar)
"So, what are we supposed to do with him?" Compress asked his teammates as he leaned back against the bar, glass of wine in hand. "We've been at this for days now."
Dabi shrugged as he rested his arms on the counter, "Got no idea. I still don't see how recruiting him was supposed to be a big deal. We managed to turn a clearly emotionally unstable teenager, whoop-dee-fucking-doo."
"I couldn't even get any blood from him," Himiko grumbled, trying to scrub her cardigan with white vinegar to remove all of the scorch marks. "Why didn't we tie him up?"
"We did," Compress replied. "He burnt the ropes...To be fair, we didn't exactly think that part through. But, at least he was smart enough to know he can't escape, and now he's been fully bound up in some of my old escape artistry gear."
"Where is he anyway?" Dabi asked Kurogiri, who had been cleaning glasses behind the bar. "Hands move him?"
"One of the unused rooms in the building next door," Kurogiri answered him as he moved to dry the washed glasses. "Shigaraki decided to speak to the boy alone. He felt you were all a bit...much."
"Fair."/ "Fair."/ "I just wanted to cut him a little."
"He's asked not to be disturbed. I believe he has an idea."
...~AIV~...
(Previous Night: Next Door Abandoned Apartment Building)
Katsuki sneered down at the floor, continuing to stay as level-headed as he could manage. At least he wasn't in some fucking dungeon. He'd gladly take the old, dingy, brown and empty apartment.
The company, however...
A shaggy, pale, sleepy-looking asshole, a shadow man, a record-breaking burn victim, a schizophrenic, a psychotic schoolgirl, a ninja lizard, a magnetic woman, and a magician...
If Katsuki knew anything about comedy, there was a joke there somewhere.
"You know," Katsuki looked up, seeing Tomura walk through the door, "You haven't eaten since you got here. Do you think we're trying to poison you?"
"..."
"You haven't even used the fucking bathroom. And we offered."
"..."
Tomura rolled his eyes, walking over to the pack of bottled water on the wooden table resting against the far left wall, it being one of the only pieces of furniture in there.
"You see? Fresh pack, just opened. Here, watch." Tomura unscrewed the cap and lifting up the hand on his face, taking a large swig of the water and showing Katsuki the partially downed bottle to prove he had actually drunk it. "Not poison. Wouldn't make sense to kidnap you just to do that. I'm not here to kill you, and please ignore my friends. They don't really know anything about social norms. Although, neither do I, and from what I can tell you don't either. But, who needs social norms anyway. Do they even exist in our world?"
"Is there a rest stop between here and the fucking point, or can I jump out of the car into moving traffic now?"
"Hmhmhm, not yet. Trust me, I wanted to get to this sooner too."
"Why'd you wait so damn long then?"
Tomura pulled up a bar chair, sitting backwards in it and facing Katsuki, his arms resting on the back of it. "Because I'm waiting for three things. One, your rescue party. Don't worry, shouldn't be long now. Two, I needed Kurogiri to get sick enough of you in the bar for me to move you into a secluded spot. Three, I needed my team to believe we were actually trying to recruit you."
Katsuki's brow furrowed, growing both a little more nervous and wary, "...You're not trying to recruit me?"
"I'm not. Had no intentions of it, but they don't need to know that. Well, not yet, anyway."
"But, you're their worthless leader. So, who's idea was this?"
"Mine," Tomura shrugged, taking the hand off of his face and hooking the fingers on the back of the seat. "It's not you that I want. But, I do want what you know."
"What I know? Oh fuck me, you're joking? You're trying to get information out of a student?"
"Not about UA," Tomura shook his head, leaning the chair forward. "I wanna know a little bit about your past. Specifically, your past with a little mutual frenemy of ours...Izuku Midoriya."
Katsuki faltered, eyes widening for a split second. He made an attempt to return to his poker face, but he just couldn't after a reveal like that. "...What?"
"You see, I'm in a bit of a conundrum. I'd like to learn some more about him, but there are a few issues with that. He'll never talk. He and I didn't exactly have the best first impressions of each other, so kidnapping him wouldn't make things better. Kidnapping his girlfriend wouldn't do that either, not to mention she'd never talk and they're attached at the hip anyway. This is all coming from the hypothetical situation that I even could manage to capture him, which is near impossible. So, that leaves you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. I'd like to come to an understanding. You see, I've got this sneaking suspicion that there's more to him than he lets on. Odds are he's incorruptible, but there's something buried deep. Something that comes out around a certain someone. If you haven't guessed by now, that's you. I remember your fight with him during the Sports Festival, and I have a keen eye for seeing things in people. I can see that lingering darkness in their eyes. Trust me, I've got personal experience. I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager it can trace back to you. At least, you're a rest stop between here and the fucking point. I did a little digging, and as it turns out? What do you know? You both come from the same school. So, that grudge match between the two of you doesn't have a little story behind it. I think it has a God-damn novel behind it."
"But...Why? Why Deku?"
"Deku?" Tomura peered at Katsuki, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I remember that's what you called him before the portal closed. Useless? Why would you call hi-...?"
...Useless.
Quite the nickname. That didn't seem right, though. Midoriya had proven himself far beyond a title such as that. His quirk...
His quirk wasn't his quirk. Was that lightning stuff not his powers? It sure didn't seem like it. Back at the USJ, he seemed just as confused about it as everyone else. He fought almost exclusively with One For All, as far as Tomura could tell. He supposed that if Midoriya had a quirk beforehand, then some would find it strange. Did people even develop quirks that late? One For All had to come with some sort of cover story.
But, that didn't matter. Tomura could only see this leading to one probable conclusion.
Izuku Midoriya was quirkless.
All Might found another quirkless kid like him, took him under his wing. That had to be it. Calling somebody useless wasn't a random insult; it's targeted. It's specific. You have an exact reason for calling somebody useless. He was quirkless, he had to be.
A quirkless kid, given the title of Useless?
Huh...
Tomura looked up at Katsuki, his smile slowly growing as gray met red.
Oh, this was gonna be good.
"Deku, huh? You come up with that?"
Katsuki scowled, grumbling as he turned his gaze back to his lap, "You know what? Fuck it. I don't need to know your reasoning. I don't care why you're so interested in him. I'm not telling you jack-shit."
"Oh, but you just did. Some hero you are, huh?"
"The hell are you talking about?"
Tomura shrugged, sauntering over to Katsuki with his hands in his pockets, circling the chair, "Gotta have a lot of courage to walk into UA while knowing you're just one big piece of shit, huh? Or, maybe you knew you'd be safe? You knew Midoriya wouldn't tell on you? How'd you condition him into keeping what you've done a secret? Must've beaten him pretty hard over the years to be that scared of you..."
"...Got no fucking clue what you're talking about."
"Really? Here, I'll do the math and you can tell me where I go wrong. Let's see, take your constant anger, your personality, and mix it in with such an ego that he calls everyone worthless— Stepping stones, I believe you called them at the festival— and refuses a medal from All Might himself, purely because he didn't like how his fight went. Even though, by the way, you won that fight fair and square. A fight, by the way, you seemed to enjoy participating in. Throughout the rest of the festival, you blew everyone else away as quickly as possible. None of your matches lasted longer than a couple minutes. But, Midoriya? Nah, you liked it. You held him down, burned him when you could have thrown him out, all with a big smile on your face. Let's also add in you having such a great quirk, something that in this society I'm sure you were loved and adored for."
"You done?"
"Just one more thing. To top it all off, let's add in how someone like that would feel...about competing with a quirkless boy." Tomura chuckled at Katsuki's flinch. It was quick, blink and you miss it, but it was there. "Uh-huh. Midoriya was quirkless, wasn't he?"
Katsuki sneered at him with a roll of his eyes, "Was quirkless? You really are a fucking idiot. You don't stop being quirkless."
He had no fucking clue why this freak wanted to know any of this, or why he wanted to learn about Deku. He had to dodge around these questions, give him nothing.
"Trying to protect him? That's nice, but too little too late, don't you think? Besides, you'd be very surprised, but that's not for me to explain. But, I have to ask, why would you call him Deku? His quirk seems very powerful, don't you think? Surely he wouldn't be called useless for such a power."
"...Doesn't matter. Still a useless dumbass. I don't have to explain shit to you."
"Aw, c'mon," Tomura put his hands on his knees, getting close to Katuski's face. "You're a smart kid, Bakugou; quick on your feet. Surely you can think of even a decent lie, an excuse. What are his parents' quirks? Does he show any sign of those? Was he weak or something? Quite the leap in power in such a short amount of time, don't you think? Gimme something."
"..."
"Nothing? Just gonna keep glaring at me like a grumpy little pomeranian? Thought so. Damn, I mean, no wonder he hates you. People with quirks like mine are treated like shit, but quirkless? Oh man, people act like they don't even exist. They're pooled into the freaks like me. Hell, it's common knowledge that Quirkless suicide rates are over double that of anyone else in the world, and nobody says a damn thing. Did you know that?" Tomura once again waited for an answer, but Katsuki remained dead quiet. This brat was a God-damn gold mine, and he didn't even know it. "I bet you did. Damn, if I had known this from the beginning, maybe I would have actually gone through with trying to recruit him instead. I would also bet you have a lot of questions right now, about both Midoriya and myself. But, I'm afraid I've got nothing for you."
"That's fine," Katsuki finally spoke. "Not like I could get any answer out of the pile of ash I'm gonna turn you into."
"Ha! Look at that, we do have something in common. Afraid not, though." Tomura suddenly grabbed the shielded cuffs that covered Katski's hands, decaying them into dust as they crumbled to pieces on the ground. "Eat. Drink. Use the fucking bathroom for fuck sake. You've earned it. Don't bother fighting or running, You're being watched, not like it matters. You can't escape anyway."
Katsuki rubbed his wrists, feeling the heat build up in his palms, "You think I'm afraid of taking you all on myself?"
"Nope. You're afraid of dying horrifically though. Or, maybe turning you into a Nomu. I've heard that's actually worse. I'm your best shot at getting out of this alive. First, I have some things to take care of. I think Midoriya and I may be on different sides, but we see eye-to-eye. Our visions, our mentors, our influences, all warped and changed us to be different. But, stripped down to the bare bones...You know what? Change of plans. I've got a little research to do. Don't get too comfortable, though. Soon, you and I are gonna take a little field trip. We'll meet some of your friends while we're there. After that, we'll see if you're going home safe and sound, or in an urn."
Katsuki's hand shot forward, sparks igniting the dark room. But, a small portal suddenly appeared in front of him, his hand going through and reappearing behind his head, blasting him from behind. Katsuki stumbled, gasping as Tomura casually grasped his throat tightly, a lifted pinkie away from death.
"Hm. Thanks, Kurogiri. You know, yo-...Oh?" In the struggle, something had fallen out of Katuski's pocket. Tomura shoved him back into his seat, leaning down to pick up the small black disk. He examined it closely, seeing a tiny blinking red light on the surface. A mic? Or...
A tracker.
"Hmhmhm. I've gotta stop underestimating you kids. How'd you even get one of these?
"Fuck you," Katsuki growled, hoping Tomura couldn't see the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. "You've made your decision already. If you're gonna kill me, do it and save me from more of your boring speeches."
Tomura tossed the tracker onto the table, leaving it unharmed. He turned away, only looking back at his captive as he shut the door, "Oh, no. It's not gonna be my choice to make."
Tomura headed down the steps of the building, pulling out his phone and searching up the Musutafu satellite maps. Heading through the connected door, he found himself back in the bar. The part of his team that hadn't gone back to their room looked to their leader as he grabbed his black coat from the nearby chair, throwing it over his gray hoodie.
"I'm heading out."
"Where to?" Dabi asked.
"Do you care?"
"If you're about to compromise us, yes."
"We're already compromised. They've been watching the bar for hours."
"...What?"/ "...What?"/ "...What?" Dabi, Toga, and Compress all asked with wide eyes.
Ignoring them, Tomura slid his phone in front of Kurogiri, tapping the satellite coordinates on the screen, "Take me there, if you would."
Kurogiri raised a brow, "...Should I ask."
"Not yet."
"Hm..."
A portal spiraled open next to Tomura as he took his phone back and pulled up his hood. "I'll text you when I'm done. Keep watch on the kid, but don't hurt him. Toga, stop asking him questions about Midoriya and Jirou."
"But I need to know what their favorite colors are and why it should be red!"
"Watch her until I get back."
Without letting them reply or ask any more questions, Tomura disappeared through the portal. Once he exited out the other side, he breathed in the night air, grateful for its substitution of the bar's smell. After looking around and making sure he was completely alone, he stepped out of the alley and into the street. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he gazed up at the building before him, ready to explore.
Setting off on his mission, he walked through the large gate, his eyes skimming the sign on the brick fence.
"Aldera Junior High"
...~AIV~...
(Present: Amidala General Hospital: Izuku's Room)
"We need to go."
Izuku tried to move out of bed, but was instantly shoved back down to the mattress by Kyouka, a firm hand on his chest. "No, we don't. Bakugou's not gonna say a word about you."
"Exactly! Who knows how long we have until Shigaraki figures out it's a dead end and kills him?"
"That's not a question we can answer. What exactly can we do in this situation? The raid party is already onto the League. We can't call All Might to tell them to hurry up, because this is entirely based on information related to our secret. You haven't even been discharged, seen your mom, our friends, none of it. And, forgive me for being a little selfish here, but I kind of need someone to talk to about these crazy new powers or I'm gonna go ballistic."
"Well, then I-..." Izuku shifted his eyes as he thought; a look Kyouka instantly recognized as his 'Has a stupid, crazy, might work plan' look.
"Oh no. What?"
"...We go rescue him ourselves."
"I-?! Wh-?! What?! Tell me you're joking."
"I-"
"Actually, I'll answer for you. You're joking."
"He can't have that much time left. What if the heroes get there too late? Sure, Kacchan might be kept around as a bargaining chip, but I wouldn't want to risk a bet like that on people like them. They clearly have no qualms with killing teenagers, and Kacchan isn't exactly...uh, sociable. He also has no qualms with fighting when the odds are heavily against him. Believe me, I've seen it with my own eyes. He's on a timer, and if we can't tell the Pros, then we need to act ourselves. We can call Momo, get a way to locate his tracking device-"
Kyouka held her hand up, stopping Izuku's rambling. She blinked a few times in silence, formulating a proper response. Handling Izuku was a technique she had mastered, but handling a determined Izuku was a nearly unstoppable challenge.
But, she was the Izuku Master. She had this.
"I indulge your recklessness a lot, Izuku, but I'm forced to draw the line somewhere. We're staying here until you're discharged, and then we're going home."
"Kyou-"
Kyouka shook her head, hand gently resting on his shoulder. Her jacks tapped together as she sighed, but addressed her boyfriend firmly. "I'm sorry, but for once, this is someone out of our reach. Izuku, I know for a fact that you're so much smarter than this. I know saving lives overrides our logic at times...Okay, a lot, but still. This isn't like when we saved Tenya. No one was coming, or knew he was out there with Stain. The heroes and police know where Bakugou is. They're gathering a bunch of heroes and police as we speak, mapping out the building, and making plans. They're watching the building, Izuku. So ignoring us dying if we went in there, we'd probably get arrested first. Say we don't get arrested? We make it inside? What have we just done? We just brought the two people All For One wants to meet the most right to his doorstep, and he doesn't even know he wants to meet me yet. Something that I think you and I still need to heavily discuss with All Might."
"I know, but...b-but I-"
"Izuku, I know we failed to save him, and I don't feel any better about it. But, do you remember what I told you back at camp? Your safety is my top priority. Our love aside, if you try to play vigilante right now, you'll die. Cause if all of our suspicions are correct—And let's be real, they are— All For One can't be far from the League. You go, you and I go, you and whoever we bring goes, and odds are we die. Bakugou included. This isn't me asking or begging with you, Izuku. It's a command. You're staying here. I may be new to these powers, but I'll fight like Hell to keep you in this hospital. You're the key player when All For One comes back in full, and the last thing we need is for you to throw your life away. I get it, sitting by and doing nothing sucks. It really, really does. But, you trust All Might, don't you?"
"I-...Of course I do," Izuku sighed, brows furrowed as he stared up at the ceiling.
"Then trust him now. He'll get Bakugou back. I mean, who else am I going to antagonize?"
"...Everybody?"
Kyouka smirked, pecking his lips, "Smartass. I taught you too well. But, that's okay, you can make up for it with the other reason I can't have you dying on me. I'm gonna need someone to guide me through this One For All stuff."
Izuku scoffed, leaning back against the headrest. He closed his eyes, utter dread pouring into his heart like venom, "Right. The other reason I can't go anywhere. I...I-I...I'm quirkless again. After all that, I-"
"Yeah, about that..." Kyouka smiled, reaching her finger out to Izuku's nose. "Boop."
A flash of green and violet sparks appeared at the contact, with Izuku feeling the rush of One For All flowing through his muscles. "I-? Wh-What?! I mean, h-how?!"
"Talked to Nana last night, and she finally had some answers for us. Long story short, One For All is here to stay...in both of us."
Izuku gawked in silence, mouth agape as he tried his damndest to process what he was hearing. "...I'm going to need the long story version."
"Right. Scoot over," Kyouka sat down next to Izuku as he moved over, preparing Nana's explanation in her head. "Okay, so, do you remember telling me about Paranormal Singularity Theory?"
"...Oh boy."
"Exactly. That whole thing Nana told you about One For All growing too fast for your body? Well, One For All went through a Quirk Awakening during its transfer from you to me. Since it couldn't survive in one body, it spread to two. From what Nana and I could gather, the stockpile is accessible to both of us."
"We pull from the same pool of energy. So that's why your punch against Muscular didn't do anything. I was at full power, so you couldn't draw on much of One For All. It was all pulled to me." Izuku sat in complete awe, trying to process the full ramifications of what was going on. "It's a balancing act. I can't use one-hundred percent if you're using One For All, and vice versa."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm terrified to use one percent. So, at least ninety-nine percent is available to you right now."
Kyouka had One For All! They both did, and neither had to lose it! What was he even supposed to think?
His first thoughts were obviously confusion, but now he felt almost...excited.
It was almost a miracle. Not only was he alive, but he now shared his power with Kyouka. The possibilities were flowing through his imagination. They could train together, learn together, battle together! Yes, they had already been doing all those things, but this was an entire new level of experiences.
However, it also came with a new list of problems.
How was he supposed to explain it to All Might? What about the class? Or Mika and Kyoutoku? It would be hard enough to make everyone believe that Kyouka manifested a second quirk, but one identical to Izuku's? Not only that, but she grew this quirk at the age of sixteen? He already had Kacchan suspicious about his quirk, but adding Kyouka would throw everything out of whack.
"We have to keep this a secret. There's no way you can use One For All at school."
"Agreed," Kyouka nodded. "I quite literally can't think of a single lie or excuse that would make any of this make sense. I guess maybe your quirk somehow had an awakening that allowed you to share some of it-...Halfway through that I realized I was just describing One For All. Okay, nevermind. Secret it is."
"Yeah. Well, on the bright side, we're lucky you've been training with me for a long time now."
"Uh, you trained for a year before I joined you and still can't handle a fourth of your power. I'm still absolutely screwed right now."
"True, but we'll get there."
"Speaking of that, I'm not gonna lie to you. And, if you tell me I have to, then I will. I know our situation doesn't leave me with much choice, but...Do I have to get super buff like Nana? Cause, I know I have my body issues, but I'm not sure that's what I want."
Izuku hummed in thought, but quickly shook his head, "I don't think so. You'll need to be in shape, of course. But, it all depends on your body type. I'm not going to ever be as big as All Might or Nana, but that doesn't matter. I could train vigorously every single day for hours and hours, but at a certain point it'll only do so much for me in terms of One For All. I haven't grown that much in terms of build since I got it. A lot of One For All is exposure. You just have to get used to it yourself, and let it get used to your body as you use it more and more. We can figure out what you need to do to look the way you want. Maybe you can even be a sleeper build."
Kyouka chuckled as she rested her head on Izuku's shoulder, flexing her arm to show off her honestly already well-developed muscles. "I'll really scare my old man. I can't wait to challenge him to an arm-wrestling match."
"You probably would've won without One For All at this point," Izuku chuckled. "But, let's train you with the low percentages before we do that. You're probably safe at 5% right now, but we'll threshold test that later. We don't want you accidentally ripping his arm off. But, you actually did bring up another topic we should talk about. Your parents...Do you think we sh-?"
The door to the room suddenly opened, a surprised nurse walking in to see Izuku fully awake in bed. After seeing their position, she crossed her arms, a smirk on her lips as she raised a brow at Kyouka, "How long has he been awake?"
"E-Eh, not long, I swear," Kyouka stuttered out as she quickly got out of the bed. "Guess I just forgot to say something. Excited, and all..."
"Uh-huh, sure. I'll get the doctors, see if we can get those casts off of you. And, please, call your mother. We've had to mop up her tears from the lobby for days now."
"Yes, ma'am." Izuku nodded, chuckling a little as she walked out. He turned to Kyouka with a shrug, "We'll table that conversation for later. Call my mom for me? I would, but uh..."
Kyouka giggled as he wiggled around his cast up arms, "I'm on it."
*Knock-Knock*
The couple looked back up towards the doorway, seeing Aizawa standing in the doorway. "About time."
Kyouka couldn't hide her little smile as her teacher walked in with slicked-back hair and gray two-piece suit, "Looking dapper, sir."
"After the past few days we've all had, I'll let you get away with that."
"I'll take it. What are you doing here?"
"I needed a break from the media. Vlad was coming to visit his students, and I figured I should see how you two were doing," Aizawa grumbled under his breath as he rubbed his eyes. "How long are you still here for? I figured you'd be out by now, Jirou."
"Ah, you know, just making sure..." Kyouka shifted her eyes around the room.
"You convinced them to let you stay, didn't you?"
Kyouka dropped the charade, sitting on the side of Izuku's hospital bed, "He's my responsibility. Besides, it's on UA's yen, not mine."
"Fair enough, I suppose."
Izuku looked over to his girlfriend with a deadpan expression, "You make me sound like a dog that can't be left alone."
"Exactly."
"I-. You-...Mm."
"And that's about all the romantic banter I can take for one day."
Kyouka furrowed her brow, "We said one thing."
"Exactly. Besides, I should let you be with your families." He took his leave, moving to exit the room. But, Aizawa stopped at the door, turning back to his students. He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe as he addressed them. "When the Pussycats came to pick up Pixie Bob and Ragdoll, Kota told me everything that happened up on that cliff. They also told me you two are the reason Ragdoll is still with us. I know how you're probably feeling about Bakugou, but you probably haven't even thought about just how much you did the other night. You two, every student out in that forest. Off the record, but...I don't think I've ever been prouder of a class. Don't tell anyone I said this, especially All Might with how much I've already accused him of favoritism, but I'm especially impressed by you two. Not just from camp, but from this entire school year. Don't feel bad about not being able to save Bakugou. You'll realize in your careers that you can't save everyone, it's impossible. Focus on those you did save last night, which probably includes most of everyone at camp. I saw the villain you took down, and if he got loose, it would have been catastrophic."
Izuku sighed, feeling Kyouka grasp his hand in his lap. "Thank you, sir. Muscular, is he...?"
"Alive. Barely, and very surprisingly, I might add. He'd most likely be dead if your arm wasn't basically a sack of flimsy flesh at that point. If you're worried about taking lives, well...I should probably dedicate a day in class for that. It's a very delicate topic, but it's important to go over with you all. But, just don't worry about it for now. Go home, get some rest. Enjoy the rest of your summer. But, you should know, my expectations from you have skyrocketed. Don't expect any leniency from me after this."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Good. Oh, I almost forgot." Aizawa reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a folded up piece of paper. "When I saw Mandalay, she gave me this. She said it's from Kota."
He handed Kyouka the paper, and walked away. Kyouka turned to Izuku with a smile, "Did you hear that? He loves us."
"Maybe reaching a bit there, Kyouka," Izuku chuckled as one of the doctors and the nurse returned, rolling a cart into the room.
"Let's take what we can get."
She set the paper down on the bedside table, planning to read it with Izuku once the doctors were done. As the doctor pulled out a cast saw, she grabbed her phone from the windowsill, opening up her contacts list. She really would rather give her ears a little break, and decided that texting was probably the best option.
She sent everyone the same text.
"He's awake."
...~AIV~...
(One Hour Later: Izuku's Hospital Room)
"...I probably should have spaced out who I texted a little better."
"Yep," Izuku nodded in agreement as he gazed around his room of visitors, his head still wrapped in his mother's arms with no intention of leaving. Inko, the Jirous, Ochako, Tenya, Shoto, and Momo had all shown up at around the same time, and almost all of them were being ushered out of the room by the nurse.. Even if All Might wasn't busy, it was probably a bad idea for him to show up. But, he promised to get there as soon as he could.
The nurse continued to gently push their friends out of the room, " C'mon people, I'm afraid only family members are allow-"
A loud whooshing sound suddenly filled the room, with Mei flying through the open window, a jetpack attached on her back. She landed, brushing the dead bugs off of her goggles and smiling wildly at the room's other inhabitants. "How's our boy doing? Ah!"
The nurse yanked Mei's arm, tossing her in with the rest of the teens and shutting the door.
The doctor blew a raspberry as he turned to the Jirous, "How'd they even get past the front desk? Technically only direct family is allowed in during examinations, but I have a strong feeling that trying to get your daughter out of the room would be like trying to take a fish away from a bear."
"Pretty much," Kyoutoku nodded.
Anyway, Mr. Midoriya, your bones sustained heavy damage, and it took quite a few different staff members' quirks. It was like trying to put broken glass back together, but your arms should be in tip-top shape. Although, as I'm sure you've seen, I'm afraid the scars are here to stay."
Izuku nodded, sitting up to gaze down at his arms for the dozenth time in the last hour. When the nurse had taken off his casts, he wasn't sure what he was expecting. He was just happy nothing was beyond repair, but he wasn't expecting such stark contrast on his skin.
One scar ran across the back of his hand. Moving up his arm was a long scar that ran from the middle of his bicep to the back of his arm. Finally, the third scar was shorter, running diagonal from his tricep to his shoulder.
These weren't his first scars. Physical ones, that is. These were definitely the first noticeable ones.
He had a tiny, very faded, almost invisible scar just above the crook of his elbow. He believed it was from his arm break when saving Ochako in the Entrance Exams.
He had another faded scar above his middle knuckle of his left hand index finger. He got that one from slamming his fingers into the concrete of the Sports Festival ring, keeping him in the ring to secure his victory.
Now, these new scars were from saving Kota and Kyouka, leading them to One For All changing into what could be the new key to their future.
The scars were worth it. Every single one. If scars were what it took to save the people he cared about...
He felt Kyouka lightly ran her fingers over the scar on the back of his hand, then moved up to the one running across his bicep.
...then he'd get a million more.
"Our doctors that have quirks related to skin care can only do so much," the doctor continued. "I can see about making a special call to Tokyo, bu-"
"No, no, it's fine," Izuku quickly cut him off. "That's too much trouble. I...I think they're fine."
"Hm, alright. If you change your mind, give us a call. It'll fall under your school's coverage, so you won't have to pay. After operations like yours, we like to keep patients around for at least another night, but you should be out tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, doctor."
As the doctor and nurse took their leave, Kyouka leaned into Izuku's side and continued to rub his scars. She whispered in his ear, "Maybe I'm weird, but scars from a self-sacrificial battle against a super powerful villain? Pretty sexy."
"I heard that," Mika's jack shot out, poking her daughter's leg.
"No you didn't. But, are you sure you don't wanna look into finding someone that can get rid of them? Or, at least fade them?"
"No, really, I'm alright. Some scars are a pretty small price to pay for you and Kota's lives. I got these scars doing what I dreamed of doing my whole life."
"Almost being killed by a psychopath?"
"Hmhm, sure. Why not?" Izuku chuckled.
"Please don't phrase it like that," Inko sighed shakily. "I'm doing my very best to remove that fact from my mind."
Kyouka nudged him, a laugh of her own in her throat, "I get what you mean though. They're like weird trophies, in a way. Oh, speaking of Kota, I almost forgot."
Kyouka grabbed the letter from the bedside table, handing it to Izuku. He unfolded the paper, holding it between them so Kyouka could read it alongside him.
[Dear Midoriya and Jirou,
Thank you for everything. For saving me, for trying to help me the whole time at camp, and for saving Ragdoll. Please get better soon.
Kota.
P.S. Sorry for trying to punch your junk, Midoriya.]
The letter was very short, and the handwriting was messy, but it was everything.
Kyouka hugged Izuku's arm, her eyes roaming over the letter again, "I know we're not supposed to let this kind of stuff get to us. As in, it's all a part of the job. We do it because it's right, not for the thanks, but...this still feels good."
Izuku nodded, managing to fight off the stinging behind his eyes as he folded the letter back up, "Yeah...Yeah, it does."
"You guys got another fan?" Kyoutoku asked with a smile.
Kyouka raised a brow at her father, "Another?"
"Yeah, another. We were all here first."
"What? Parents don't count."
"Uh, yes we do," Mika chimed in. "You wouldn't be here if we weren't fans of you."
"You're legally required to be fans of me, or I would've been taken away years ago."
As the Jirous began to go through typical innocent bickering, Izuku merely chuckled as Inko kissed the side of his head. He counted them. He knew Kyouka did too, she was just doing her usual thing with them.
As much as he said he hated looking back at his past, he really wished he could go back and show his past-self Kota's letter. He didn't have to tell him about All Might, One For all, meeting Kyouka. They could be nice surprises. But, after all those years, to see that one letter from someone he saved would have kept him going, as opposed to the letters he wrote.
Like him, Kota knew that life could drastically change in a single moment.
He just hoped Kota now understood that it didn't mean life could stop you.
...~AIV~...
(Midnight: Kyouka's Hospital Room)
Kyouka rolled over, a scowl on her face as she covered her jacks with her hands. They were already plugged into ear plugs, but even the muffled sounds were overwhelming.
When Nana said the fluctuations would stop soon, she didn't tell her that One For All would leave her volume at max.
She could hear it all. The heavy rain splashing against the windows and walls, the nurses and doctors whispering to one another outside in the halls, the heart monitors in other rooms. She couldn't focus, much less sleep.
As much as the beeping of the monitors annoyed her, the rain was definitely so much worse. It sounded like someone was continuously spraying into her ear with a hose.
What the hell was she supposed to do?
Of course the past wielders can exposition bomb her when she gets the quirk, but now she has to figure it out by herself.
Well, not entirely by herself.
Out of all the sounds, she was still able to hear the clicking of the door, and footsteps approaching the bed.
Izuku gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "I can tell you're not asleep."
"Because One For All is being a major asshole right now...Or assholes? You get the point."
Izuku sat on the edge of the bed, a solemn look on his face. "Your jacks are still acting up?"
Kyouka opened her eyes, rolling on to her back. "Complete sensory overload."
Izuku nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose. He whispered so he wasn't too loud for Kyouka. "I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't think about that. I'm so sorry for forcing this on you."
Kyouka reached her hand out and placed it on his forearm. "Hey, you did what you had to. You thought you weren't coming back, and needed to pass on the quirk. If anything I'm flattered to be your first choice...Even though I was the only one there. I was your first choice, right?"
Izuku chuckled, "Of course, we've talked about this."
"Besides, you didn't exactly plan on this evolution. I'm sure in the end I'll be so happy to have this, but-" Kyouka suddenly flinched as a car outside the hospital honked its horn. "...Right now, it sucks."
"Is there anything I can do?"
Kyouka sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Two things. The first is helping me retrain my quirk. When I was little, sounds were like this back then, too. I couldn't control my jacks. But, now it's that times a thousand. So, I need something to focus on."
"Like what?"
"That leads me to my second thing." Kyouka lifted the covers up, "Get in."
"I like this plan." He slid in next to Kyouka, wrapping his arms around her. "Now what?"
"Sleep." Kyouka burrowed into Izuku's chest, her jacks between their bodies. "I need to focus on one object, retune my jacks, figure out what level I need to set my hearing to. I need a new normal."
"So what are you listening to?"
"Your heartbeat." Kyouka, over all the other sounds, could hear the rhythm of Izuku's heart. She honed in on each beat, doing her best to drown out everything else. Eventually, Izuku's heart overpowered the rest of the noise. She could still hear the rain, but it turned into a muffled pattering.
"Is it working?"
"Definitely...Izuku?"
"Mhm?"
Kyouka scoffed into Izuku's chest, "How am I going to do this? This power, the strength...How do you handle it?"
"A-Ah, that's not a good question to ask me, because I still basically have zero idea what I'm doing. I'm still learning, b-but-...I thought the same thing, but then I met you. I was going to give it up, hand it right back to All Might. Then, you believed in me. Some random person in a nurse's office believed in me. Since then you've been helping me get to where I am today. So, I'll do the same for you."
Kyouka leaned up, kissing him in gratitude. "Thank you. Speaking of All Might...How are we gonna explain this to him?"
"We can do this gently and slowly, or bluntly and quick about it."
"...Izuku."
"Bluntly it is."
"You know me so well. This is one of the many reasons why I love you."
"Number one is because I give you so much ammo to tease me with, right?"
"And my point is further proven. But, earlier in your hospital room, you were about to bring up my parents. Izuku, when this is over, I...I know I'm the newest member to the whole One For All thing, but I think it's time-"
"To tell our parents," Izuku finished for her. "Your parents and my mom. This whole thing has become so much more complicated. I've already been thinking about finally telling my mom, but after this? They've gotta know. And, unfortunately, I think I'm about to completely reverse my progress with your dad."
"C'mon, Izuku. He'll just need to process it, they all will."
"Process that I didn't just make his only daughter a direct target of the most dangerous, world-ending villain in the world, but made her a direct combatant against him?"
"...Okay, it's not good, but he's gotta deal with it. Staying was my choice. I was given every chance to leave, fully aware of All For One, and I didn't. Not gonna. One For All might not have been my choice exactly, but I certainly don't regret it. Even if I could return it, and I don't know if I can, I wouldn't. I'm a hero, a choice he supported. As far as I'm concerned, it's all a part of the job."
Izuku chuckled dryly, looking out the window and into the night, "Even I have to admit, there's a lot of crappy parts of this job."
Kyouka nuzzled his chest, watching the rain hit the window with him, "Yeah, a ton, but...It's been worth it, I think."
Izuku smiled, pressing his cheek against her hair, "No doubt."
...~AIV~...
(Next Morning: Hospital Front Lobby)
"Okay, you two should be all set."
"Thank you." / "Thank you, ma'am." Kyouka and Izuku thanked the receptionist, handing their respective stamps back to Inko and Mika.
The two mothers kept chatting, moving towards the entrance with their children in tow. Kyoutoku had left to get the car and bring it around to the front. But, before they got too far, the receptionist called back to Izuku.
"Mr. Midoriya! One more thing, I almost forgot. But, you received some mail this morning." Izuku shared a confused look with Kyouka before walking back to the window. The receptionist pulled out an envelope, Izuku's name written boldly on the back. "I went to your room this morning to deliver it, but you weren't there."
"O-Oh, uh, sorry. Bathroom, probably."
"Mhm. So, I didn't want to barge into Ms. Jirou's room and interrupt you two. Anyway, here you go."
Izuku took the letter, completely dying inside. Kyouka looked as if she was trying to collapse in on herself next to him. How quickly did word pass around in this damn place? They were incredibly grateful that if Mika did hear that, she was opting not to react to it. "Th-Thanks...Um, there's no address on this. It just says my name. Do you know who dropped this off?"
"I'm afraid not. I was away from my desk for only a few minutes, and came back to find it here."
...Uh-oh.
"Right. Thanks again." Izuku nodded off to the side, signaling Kyouka to follow him. They weaved through the waiting room until they were outside on the sidewalk. Cars parked and passed by in the main roundabout out front as Izuku opened the letter. "Why do I have a feeling this isn't going to be anything like Kota's letter?"
Kyouka sighed, "Because it won't be."
Izuku held the letter out for Kyouka to read with him. Neither recognized the handwriting, but the first line made it apparent who the writer was.
—"Found your little tracker. Not bad, gotta admit. Don't worry, he's not dead. He's not been hurt. But, he's not where the tracker says. He and I have gone somewhere special, a bit more familiar to you. You want him back? He's real annoying, so it won't be any skin off my back. I got what I needed from him anyway. So, I have a proposition for you. Don't call anyone. Don't call All Might. He has an appointment tonight with someone special anyway. Just me and you two, cause I know you won't let him go alone, Jirou. See? I'm accommodating.
7 O'Clock tonight. Come to Aldera.
Let's all of us have a little chat.—
...~AIV~...
A/N: Okay, just to be completely clear with everyone in case you didn't pick up on it, One For All did not double. It did not split in half. The stockpile is shared and accessible between two bodies, that being Izuku and Kyouka. Kyouka's punch on Muscular didn't do anything, because Izuku was at Max Power. She couldn't draw on what wasn't there. It's a balancing act, but things will evolve and change. Trust me on this. Also, if anyone has an issue with One For All transferring so fast, Canon retconned that already. So, bite me (even though nobody has said anything about that)
Also, some of you have questions about the multiple quirks within OFA, but that will be answered in due time. It's already (mostly) planned out as to how that will be handled. But, my whole approach to OFA's evolution is to make these two busted, while also balanced at the same time.
Also, in case you didn't get it from the ending, but uh...There's no Katsuki Rescue Squad.
Yeah, sorry, but it all boils down to the different direction for Tomura. It's gotta go down this way to further establish his role. I also really didn't want to just write it all just to be super similar to canon.