-Rain of Sins-
-Dark Revival: Ch 5-
Bakugo was many things, but a “people person” was not one of them. Truthfully he didn’t have that many friends, wasn’t great at public speaking, and with how quickly he usually resorted to shouting, there was a genuine argument to be made that he could be socially awkward.
“I know you’re the Sovereign of Sins.”
…
“ Fuck , man, I suck at this. Can I get a redo?”
Izuku tilted his head. “What are you talking about? Is this some sort of joke and I’m out of the loop? I’m a doctor Bakugo, not a Villain. How would that even work? I spend all my waking hours working on projects here, I don’t have time to be a Villain.”
It was a good deflection, and Bakugo wondered where he learned it from. It was only the fact he’d known Izuku since they were kids that he caught the way the scientist’s eyes sharpened.
“Cut the shit, I saw you at the coronation. Don’t pretend I didn’t.”
“You see, that's strange because Dr. Kyudai Garaki, my mentor, also saw me during the coronation. We were working on a research project in his lab together- check the staff logs if you want, they show I was checked into the Hospital the entire time.”
“From what I’ve heard, you’re a big shot here, the type of big shot that could change those logs without anyone saying anything.”
“You’re blindly dismissing my evidence out of hand, without giving any proof of your own- this has to be a fallacy of some sort.” Izuku rolled his eyes. “Do you actually have anything concrete to back up this ridiculous claim of yours, or were you just in a pissy mood and needed someone to yell at?”
“My evidence is an eyewitness testimony from myself.” Bakugo growled. “So stop deflecting and just admit you slipped up! You wouldn’t be asking about evidence if you weren’t worried you might have left some!”
Izuku’s eyes narrowed. “I’m asking for evidence because without it your claim is just that- a claim. Completely baseless. Actually, considering I’m a person of moderate fame after announcing Kronos to the world, this might even classify as slander.”
Shit. This wasn’t going to plan at all. Actually wait, there hadn’t been a plan in the first place. Fuck! Maybe that was the problem?
“If that’s all you’re here to waste my time for, then I’m going to ask you to please leave my building.”
“Wait, no, you can’t-”
Bakugo was cut off by the sound of the door opening.
A short mutant girl walked into the room, wearing a secretary uniform, and shuffling through papers. If the fangs, insect wings, honeycomb retina, and hair over one eye didn’t give everything away, the fucking bee pin on her collar and black eye from when he socked her in the face, most certainly did.
“Hey Bossman, I got those production papers you requested… oh…” Kuin trailed off as she stared at Bakugo with wide eyes.
The door slowly swung shut behind her, and a heavy tension settled on the room, wound as tight as a compressed spring.
Izuku’s arm snapped up, his coat sleeve sliding back to reveal the barrel of a hidden Entropy launcher. Kuin threw her papers to the side as she jumped backwards, landing in a fighting stance in front of the door, cutting off any escape.
“Woah Woah Woah! For fucks sake Izuku, I’m not going to turn you in!”
“Do you really expect me to believe that, after you tracked me all the way here?”
Bakugo scoffed and backed away slowly with his arms raised. “You were always after Endeavor! Just because I’m not a genius doesn’t mean I can’t figure that out, it’s not exactly rocket science.”
“You’re right, I was after him. And more importantly, I got him. What’s it to you? Going to try to lecture me on how revenge is wrong?”
“Not at all.” Bakugo licked his suddenly very dry lips. “He killed Auntie Inko. I’m not saying what you did was right… but the fucker deserved it, especially so with everything that came to light recently. All that fucked up quirk breeding shit.”
Izuku watched him for a long while, with an unreadable expression, every second adding another bead of sweat to the back of backugo’s neck.
“You’re right. He did deserve it.” Izuku slowly lowered his arm, and with his fake smile gone, Bakugo could see his real emotions for the first time since he entered the room.
Izuku looked impressed but unhappy to be so. Kind of like a teacher who was surprised that you actually did well on the bonus assignment, and was annoyed because now they had to go back and redo the class paperwork to pass you.
“So you’re not here to get a confession. You’re not here in some half thought out attack. That leaves me with a question.” Izuku crossed his arms with the most confused look that Bakugo had ever seen on his face. “What are you actually even here for? Did you just decide to risk your life trying to confirm a hunch? There’s no way you’re actually that dumb, right?”
“I guarantee you, he is.” Kuin huffed as she put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently.
Bakugo took a deep breath and stood up straighter. “I’m here to apologize.”
“...About what?”
“Everything! I treated you like shit!”
“Look, I told you this at the festival. We were kids, I’ve moved on, I’m over it, I have much bigger things to worry about at the moment.”
“Bullshit.” Bakugo scoffed. “I made your life Hell for years.”
“You’re right, you did. Which is why your apology is very much not accepted. But also, I don’t care. I’ve grown up. I’ve moved on.”
“The fact you’re pushing so hard that you’ve moved on, just proves you haven't.” The blond said with total confidence, like he was some kind of expert on this.
“Okay then, for the sake of getting this over quicker, let’s assume your hypothesis is correct.” Izuku rolled his eyes. “I still don’t accept your apology, nothing changes, what would you have me do.”
Bakugo planted his hands on the desk and leaned forward with a serious face.
“Hit me.”
“What?”
“Punch me!”
“Uh, no thank you?”
“Do it, coward!”
“I’ll hit him!” Kuin chirped and raised her hand.
“No! No one is hitting anyone in my office!”
“Come on, I won’t even block it! Just get mad, and fucking deck me! Think about all the times I pissed you off!”
“I am a man of logic and reason.” Izuku said calmly. “I’m not going to punch someone in my own office.”
“Ha! Tell that to Endeavor! You’re one of the most emotional people I’ve ever known.”
“Endeavor was a special case. I am a scientist, a man of rationality, who has moved on with my life.”
“Okay Mr rationality, that means we’re good then, right?” Bakugo crossed his arms. “You don’t care about how I told you to always give up on your dream of being a Hero, and how I called you a quirkless nobody?”
Izuku’s eye twitched, but he didn’t rise to the bait.
“You’re over how I would shove you around anytime you talked about UA? You’re over how I burnt those notebooks of yours? Those had to be hundreds of hours of notes and sketches, fried to a crisp and thrown out a window! You don’t care about that anymore, right? You moved on from the bruises and the burnt clothes?” He scoffed. “It’s not a big deal what I told you on the job assessment day? How it’d be easier for you to just give up and try to be reborn with a quirk? How I said you should go to the roof and take a swan di-”
Bakugo’s rant was forcibly cut off with a blinding pain as his jaw snapped shut and he was knocked backward, spinning as he crumpled into a heap on the ground.
His ears were ringing, his jaw was rapidly reddening with a massive bruise, blood was filling his mouth from a loose tooth, and stars dotted his vision.
“Solid fucking shot.” Bakugo said as he weakly raised a thumbs up. “You should have hit me with that one fifty fucking years ago, dumbass.”
Izuku stared at his outstretched fist with wide eyes, still registering what he’d done. After a few seconds he shook his head and shoved it into his coat pocket.
“Oh, good grief.” He sighed and pinched his nose with his left hand. “Heroes really are all lunatics .”
“Ah.” Bakugo winced from his spot on the floor. His vision was still spinning, and he didn’t feel like getting up at the moment- the floor was feeling rather comfortable today. “They’re trying to fix that, I think, after what Endeavor's been doing got leaked. I got booted out of the program about a week ago.”
“You got kicked out of UA? For what?” Izuku asked in confusion. “Last I heard you were top of your class.”
“Because I’m a fucking fraud.” Bakugo scowled and looked away. “All Might would have never done what I did at Aldera.”
The scientist stared down at him, and Bakugo shivered as he watched the gears slowly turn behind those glowing Emerald eyes. Abruptly, Izuku stepped out from behind his desk and briskly walked towards the door.
“Follow me. Kuin, stay here and cover for me. Also pick up all the paper you dropped, I still need it all sorted. Help Bakugo up if he needs it, because I’m sure as fuck not going to.”
“I’m not helping him up!” The bee whined. “I’m still healing from all the bruises he gave me!”
“As if I’d let you help me up. You blew off my fucking leg.” Bakugo scowled and climbed to his feet. But if he’d hoped for sympathy, it was very misplaced. Kuin huffed and stuck out her tongue at him.
“Hey, you said I beat you up pretty good, right? Is your face sore?”
“A little, why?” Kuin asked as she reflexively raised a hand to brush against her black eye.
“Cuz just looking at it is fucking killing me.”
A laughing Bakugo was then chased out of the room by a very angry bug. It wasn’t enough to make up for his leg, not even close, but it was a half decent start.
-Rain of Sins-
Stain clenched his fist, then opened it, then clenched it again.
It was strange. It was almost as if he’d never lost it against that old Samurai Hero.
The Spook had taken a blood sample, plugged it into one of his vats, and then a few days later he had offered to attach a brand new hand on him.
It was exactly the same size and shape as his last one, apparently because it had been custom grown from his DNA. But there were small differences that acted as reminders of what it really was.
It lacked the calluses from years of holding a sword, the scars from years of fighting, and the aching thumb joint that had developed as he aged.
“Wow, you’re really back at a hundred percent, huh Stainy senpai?” Toga asked from her spot on the training room floor, her face pinned harshly down by his boot on her cheek.
“Not quite.” He grumbled as he stepped back, avoiding tripping over the other groaning Blood Guard members without even looking at them. “This hand is new to holding a blade, it’s raw from the grip after just a short training spar.”
“Do you think the Sovereign would be willing to give me a new hand? I’ve always wondered how it would feel to lose one.”
“With how easy it was for him, I wouldn’t doubt it.” Stain grumbled. “...I have an assignment for you.”
Immediately Toga was on her feet, giving him a cutesy salute that was a mockery of the real thing. “Toga Himiko, cutest Blood Guard Captain, reporting for duty!
From the corner of the room, a battered Spinner muttered something about how he was combat ready, but it was muffled under all the bandages the medics were wrapping around him.
Stain ignored him.
Toga did too.
“We’re working with that man because our goals are roughly in the same direction, but with Endeavor taken care of, the time we stop being useful to each other is much closer than before. Still a ways off, but closer. But the Spook has taken an interest in you everytime you're around.”
Toga blushed and squealed as she brought her hands to her rosy cheeks. “Oh that’s so cute! And he’s so tall ! I’m so glad I wore my best sweater when visiting! I wonder if he’d let me bite him?” She grinned goofily, rubbing her legs together. “Of course I’d never cheat on you, Stainy, but maybe just a little nibble? Uuuuu! I wonder what his blood would taste like!”
“Your sweaters are all oversized, baggy, and useless in a combat situation. You don’t even use them to hide concealed weapons.” Stain ignored Toga’s outburst, causing her to pout. “No doubt what he’s taken an interest in is your quirk, and the strange ways it messes with your head. If he ever approaches you with an offer you are to accept it, and use the opportunity to get on his good side. He is a dangerous man, and when the time comes that we must part ways, we will need every ounce of inside information on him that we can get.”
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“You want me to be an undercover spy? Butter him up and get him to like me? Without even having to use my quirk?” Toga’s grin sharpened. “You got it!”
Maybe she really would get to nibble on Mr dark and mysterious.
-Rain of Sins-
Bakugo followed Izuku, but even the lingering taste of weird gray sand-foam couldn’t stop him from looking around in awe as Izuku led him through the top most layers of the Origin Lab.
“This is a type of genetically modified corn that requires only about half the water normal corn needs to grow, and is resistant to disease. It’s perfect for drier climates that struggle with agriculture! Here is a type of wheat that we’ve modified to grow three times as many kernels on a single crop, massively increasing output! They’re both part of a long term project to increase food production around the world, bringing down food prices in a way that doesn’t harm the farmers themselves- they’ll be able to produce more without the need for more land or new equipment.”
“Over here all these tanks are devoted to ‘Geko’ which is a project to streamline the growth of cloned limbs to a point where it’s commercially viable for anyone with a moderate income to afford the procedure. If we can get it to work we’re going to patent it, and then lease that patent to companies all over the world to set it up in hospitals everywhere.”
“Down that hallway is the virology department, all developed to the study and experimentation of diseases. Their shining accomplishments so far include a powerful new general purpose antibiotic, which uses a bio engineered virus to target and destroy a whole list of pre-selected bacteria types while ignoring everything else, including human cells. They’ve also made a cure for Leukemia, and a treatment that can theoretically reduce the chances of genetically passing down cancer to your children. Unfortunately all of these will need years if not decades of human trials before the health administrations will let them on the market.”
“Why are you showing me all of this?”
“Because, now that I’ve calmed down, I’ve realized you’re really not a threat. You couldn’t beat Kuin in a fight, let alone everything I have down here. And since you’re no longer a UA student, no one would believe you if you claimed I was a Villain.”
Bakugo frowned but didn’t say anything. It was true, after all.
“But I’m also showing this to you because I want you to understand something.” Izuku glanced at him over his shoulder. “I’m not a Villain by choice. I’m a scientist, and I want to make the world a better place with my discoveries. I would be more than content to spend my days buried in my lab, pursuing the mysteries of the world. The only reason I ever act is because my hand is forced.”
“Does that mean you’ll stop?” Bakugo questioned with a raised eyebrow. “With Endeavor gone, justice served for your Mom, there’s no reason to keep hurting people… He is gone, right?”
“He’s not dead. Not yet.” Izuku scoffed. “I’m keeping the bastard alive so he can watch everything he spent his life building fall apart in front of him. As for if I’ll stop…”
He turned around to face Bakugo, crossing his arms as he did so.
“I’m going to ask you a question, we’ll discuss it, then I’ll ask you a follow up question based on your very predictable answer. If you were fighting a powerful Villain who you couldn’t possibly defeat, and your options were to have your quirk taken and survive, or risk almost certain death attempting to run and get away with your quirk, what would you choose to do? There’s no one around to save, and victory is not an option.”
Bakugo frowned, it was a stupid fucking question, and he wanted to call bullshit on it- there was no such thing as an invincible Villain. But he put aside the ‘other options’ he wanted to give, and thought about the two he was given. There wasn’t really much of a choice between them.
“I would try to get away.”
“Even if you’ll almost certainly die?”
“Of course! I’d have to! That type of guy wouldn’t just fucking go away after beating me, other people, including me, are going to have to fight them again! I would be useless without my quirk.” Bakugo said without thinking, before pausing as he realized what he said might be insensitive to the very dangerous Villain he was already on the bad side of. “Shit, I didn’t mean-”
“But you did mean it.” Izuku cut him off. “You believe that you’d be useless without your quirk. You believe that with all your heart. You believe it because you were raised to value your quirk more than yourself.” He paused to let that sink in. “Why did everyone say you would be a great Hero as a kid? Did they compliment you on your drive, your ambition? No, they told you how great your quirk is. Did UA let you in because they were impressed with how hard you trained to get there, or because of your quirk’s potential?”
Bakugo stared at him, completely tongue tied by what Izuku was saying. He was so taken aback that there wasn’t even the burning urge to shout that he had been working to suppress.
“Society has never valued your achievements, they have only ever valued what you could show them your quirk could do, and they taught you the same thing. Your self worth is tied to your quirk, you believe in your quirk and not yourself. Me being quirkless and having the same ambition as you challenged that, questioned the only piece of yourself you were raised to value, and so you hated me.”
Izuku shook his head slowly.
“...I pity you just as much as I despise you. Now listen closely, and I’ll tell you exactly why the Villain Prometheus exists.
“Quirks are a boon to Humanity that we have so completely misused that they have become our prison! Silent and rotted but with the golden lure of an anglerfish, we have taken quirks in and allowed them to twist our entire society! They are our economy, they are our culture, they are practically our religion!
“They divide us into invisible castes that no one can label yet everyone can see! The concept of a meritocracy is gone! Your quirk predestines what you will be, a healer will be a doctor, you were pushed to be a Hero , and if someone is born with a quirk that is unsavory to the masses, they will be rejected and shunned.
“Villains are made as much by us as they are by their quirks, and Villains need Heroes to defeat them, which further reinforces the caste system, which pushes the people at the bottom down even further, which leads to ever increasing Villains. This has made a might-makes-right world, where we envy the strong above all others! Is it any wonder why abuse of power has turned out to be so common among the top Heroes? Is it any wonder Endeavor concluded the best way to cement his legacy would be to artificially breed and even stronger quirk?
“Quirks provide quick and easy solutions that keep us from advancing with technology, it has made us lazy and unwilling to challenge problems that we don’t have the right quirks for! Before the quirk collapse we had a colony on the moon, and were experimenting with artificial gravity that could be used to take us to Mars! We had AI working alongside us! Great machines that skimmed the atmosphere, undoing centuries of climate damage, and letting us mold the weather to our will!
“Now our greatest achievement is an abnormally large boat that can float around the Pacific ocean. It’s pathetic! But it doesn’t end there! Quirks threaten our very existence!”
Izuku scowled and began pacing.
“Every generation, quirks combine to create even more powerful offspring, and not only is it not slowing down, it’s accelerating! At the dawn of quirks they were weak, you could do a lot with finesse but raw brute power wouldn’t get you far at all. A century ago, the most powerful quirks could threaten a large group of people. Half a century, a small town. Today, an entire city. And in the future, entire countries. The Quirks Singularity theory isn’t a theory, it’s a fact! The government already keeps track of children born with powerful quirks they can’t control. How much longer do we have until one is born that is completely unstoppable?”
Bakugo swallowed the nothingness that was filling his throat and keeping him from breathing, his world seeming to tilt as Izuku spoke.
“So what are you wanting to do? Erase quirks? Is that what that black gas was doing?”
“Removing quirks? Yes, I want to find a way to do that quickly and cheaply. Erase them entirely? No, not at all! Quirks are a tool that can benefit Humanity in incredible ways if used correctly!” Izuku shook his fist in passion. “I want to make their riches available for everyone, make them as easily exchangeable as clothes! I want to let people pick up any power they could need for any situation, and make it possible to take them away from dangerous people who would use their abilities to kill and steal!”
“Am… Am I fucking missing something?” Bakugo’s brows furrowed. “That doesn’t seem very Villainous to me.”
Izuku smiled slightly at that. “Thank you for saying that, you really do have your head on tighter than you used to. But next time you're around Heroes, or any of your chums from UA, ask around for their opinions. I guarantee you, you’ll find yourself in the minority about that. People have been taught to value their quirk over every other piece of themselves, and they are very defensive about anything that could threaten that. Also, unlike you, there are plenty of powerful people who got where they are thanks to their quirk alone, and not because of any effort on their end.”
Slowly, his pacing stopped, and he took a stance in front of Bakugo.
“Now for my second question, and I’m dead serious about this one.” Izuku looked him dead in the eye and stepped towards him. “What are you going to do when I tell you that the completely overwhelming and indestructible Villain from the first question is real?”
…
Bakugo blinked.
“What?”
“You heard me. Think about everything I just told you about quirks, how we rely on them, how we practically worship them, and then think what kind of power a Villain capable of stealing them would be able to wield.” Izuku scowled. “The quirk stealing boogeyman stories you were told as a child? Those aren’t fairy tales. They’re not like Red Riding Hood or Goldilocks. They’re real . He’s been sitting in the background, soaking up powerful quirks like a sponge for over a hundred years.”
“There’s no fucking way! If he really was around that long someone would have noticed!” Bakugo growled. “And All Might would have punched his fucking face in!”
“All Might did. All Might lost . Ever wonder why he spends such little time actually on patrol? Or why he’ll occasionally just not show up to national emergencies, even though he’d been active earlier the day? It’s because he’s hiding a terrible injury in his lower chest that heavily restricts the amount of time he can be active. It’s why he hasn’t taken off his shirt in over a decade, despite doing it all the time in his early career. It’s why he will occasionally cough up blood in battle despite not having been hit.”
“That’s how I know you’re making this shit up! All Might couldn’t have lost! Not to anyone!”
“I’ve seen it with my own eyes! All Might is injured! And not only is the Villain still alive, he’s back! All for One is back, and he’s coming for All of Us !”
Izuku shouted and violently poked a finger into Bakugo’s chest. The blond had never heard the name before, but it had a cold weight to it that sent shivers down his spine.
“You said you weren’t interested in fighting me now, because what I did was deserved, so listen closely. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better. Civilians, Heroes, and infrastructure aren’t my targets, but the sheer scale of what’s on the horizon will have fallout, and there will be casualties in the crossfire. But know this!” Izuku leaned forward. “The monster I’m gunning for makes Endeavor look like a saint! And not only does he deserve what I’m throwing at him, it’s the only option I have left! The only option any of us have left!”
Bakugo stumbled back as Izuku pushed him.
“Is that what the giant Lizard was for? I thought it was to stall All Might, but if this guy really exists…”
“Yes. Project Rapture was developed for the sole purpose of creating singularity killers. It’s the best shot I’ve come up with for dealing with him.”
“Making giant monsters to fight an ancient evil, it sounds like a fucking cartoon plot.”
“They’re not all planned to be giant. If you truly want to apologize for everything you’ve done then take what I’ve told you, and work on the problem from your end. The Bakugou I knew was driven, ambitious, brash, and unshakable. If you’re anything like that prideful snot who I was dumb enough to look up to, then you’ll find some way to do some thing. It might not be big, it might not be much, but anything that will move the needle even slightly is worth it- especially if I don’t have to spend any resources on it.”
“Okay, so let me get this straight.” Bakugo took a breath and pulled himself together. “There’s a Villain who can take people’s quirks, and he’s been stockpiling them for a century.”
“Over a century. He’s been around since the Quirk Collapse.” Izuku filled in.
“Since the- oh Fucking Hell ! Okay, so he’s been gathering every powerful quirk he can since quirks existed , he not only fought All Might but injured him badly. Now he’s back and no one has anything on his level. So you are making all the crazy demonic looking bullshit to fight him?”
“It’s not demonic, it’s efficient form design. Demons don’t exist .” Izuku corrected in a dangerous tone.
“I saw footage of those fucking Crows, they’re fucked up looking.”
“Not. Demonic.”
“Right. And so this guy, who bested All Might is back. And even though he’s so far out of our leagues it’s not even fucking funny, you’re telling me about it because you’re hoping I’m dumb enough to do something stupid about it.”
“To put it bluntly? Yes.”
Bakugo nodded and chewed on the inside of his cheek, as his brain worked. The aimless haze that had clouded his mind began to clear slightly. Everything he’d ever worked for had been pulled out from under him recently. First Momo made him realize he was kinda a shit person, then Endeavor made him disgusted with the idea of being the best at all costs, and then he was kicked out of UA, forced to give up on his lifelong goal of being a Hero.
He was still directionless, and without a clear path forward, but now, with a threat so big that it literally couldn’t be avoided, he had a vague goal.
And if that goal was so unbelievably far above him that it was akin to childish delusion? Well, he had already been trying to reach All Might, so nothing had really changed.
“Heh.” Bakugo smirked and cracked his knuckles, his quirk popping tiny sparks around his hands. “Don’t even bother with ‘Project Rapture’ anymore. Project: ‘kick this fuckers ass so badly he cries back to his bitch of a mom’, is gonna take care of everything.”
“Yes. Sure.” Izuku drawled, unimpressed and monotone. “And Project: ‘spend no time, money, or resources on a lead I don’t have to pay attention to, and hopefully distracts All for One’s attention away from my work for a little bit’ will hopefully leave soon so I can get back to important things.”
“Aw come on, have a bit of faith.” Bakugo grinned and slapped him on the shoulder. “We’re gonna destroy this asshat!”
“Bakugo Katsuki, if you can somehow defeat All for One, not only will I accept your apology and forgive you for everything you have ever done, I will personally invite you to be best man at the wedding I will never have.”
“All the more reason to ruin his day then! Where do I start? I got kicked out of UA and I’m not dumb enough to assume you want me hanging around here. You’re one of the most dangerous people in Japan, you’ve gotta have, like, super secret evil Villain contacts, or something.”
“Contacts are the only thing I’ll be giving you.” Izuku said. “As you are, you don’t stand a chance. You’ll need training and manpower.”
“There’s the Blood Guard, led by Stain. Go on a rant about hating Endeavor and they’ll let you in without question. They’re violent nutjobs who hate Heroes, but with your general pissy attitude, shouting, and aggressive remarks you’ll fit right in. It’s easy training and equipment.
“There’s that vigilante group running around, the Gentle Knights. I don’t have contact with them, and have no idea what they want, but they’re easily identifiable thanks to the videos of them online. Two of your old classmates have joined the group, so you might have an in where I don’t. I can give you a map detailing the locations of every video they’ve published, but that’s all. They have an ingenious hacker in their group who covers their tracks impossibly well. If they can hide from my information network, and the Safety Commission's at the same time, they can almost certainly help you hide from All for One when you inevitably piss him off.
“There’s also your old UA friends, they still have access to top of the line Hero classes. Ask them to keep you up to date on what they’re learning in combat classes, spar with them, and have them cover your back if you can get them to. But be careful with who you tell, All for One has ears everywhere- even in UA and my own labs.”
Izuku’s eyes flashed green and Bakugo’s phone buzzed.
“That’s everything I can give you, including a list of criminal hotspots in the underworld you can hit up for info brokers. Don’t bother trying to trace it back to me, you won’t be able to.”
“Yeah, yeah. I won’t try to use anything you give me against you, save the vauge threats for someone else.”
“It’s not a threat, it’s a warning . If at any point you get cold feet- be it when you realize just what you’re up against, or when things get serious and chips start dropping.” Izuku grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him close, his eyes glowing with smoldering embers of old anger.“Stay out of my way, or I will erase you.” He released him and stepped away. “Got it?”
“G-Got it.” Bakugo choked out, rubbing his throat.
“Good.” Izuku snorted and held himself back from tacking on a ‘which one of us is stuttering now’ comment. “Now I’m going to teleport us back to my hospital office, and you’re going to get out of my sight. If for whatever reason we meet again at some point, you will not know who I am, you will not act like this meeting ever happened, and you will not ask for my help with anything at all.”
“Not yet. I’ve got one more thing to ask.”
“Of course you do.” Izuku scoffed.
“Hey! This one’s fucking important!” Bakugo snarled and stuck out his arm. “I want to donate.”
“Donate what?” The scientist asked with interest as the ex Hero student rolled up his sleeve.
“My quirk. To that program of yours. That one you announced over TV.”
“I obviously won’t say no, but I think you misunderstand.” Izuku said as he eyed the extended arm like a child would a christmas present. “Kronos is only offering low power quirks at the moment because having more than one strong quirk puts a lot of strain on the body and leads to very bad long term health problems- such as death or loss of higher cognitive functions.”
“Don’t fucking care, take a copy anyway.” Bakugo hesitated with a frown. “Give it to some quirkless kid you find. Give them a chance to knock their bullies around for a change.”
Izuku’s eyes widened and he stared at Bakugo, completely caught off guard, and struggling to process what he’d just heard.
“I- what?”
“I didn’t fucking stutter.”
“I guess you didn’t, sorry.” Izuku shook himself and suddenly he was the same model of professional he had been when Bakugo had first entered his office.
He pulled a syringe from his coat, stepped forward, and slowly extracted a blood sample. It was quick, and entirely painless beyond the initial small prick. Only a few seconds later, Izuku stepped away, holding a vial of blood in his hand that he was looking at with barely concealed wonder.
“Thanks.” Bakugo said as he pulled his sleeve back down.
“No, thank you.” Izuku said, giving him an odd look. “Just so you know, this doesn’t change anything. But… well I guess you’re starting to remind me of how you were before you got your quirk. I’ll make sure this gets put to good use, something not muddied by my more questionable projects.”
An awkward silence fell between the two. Old friends, old enemies, neither socially graceful, with no words willing to come forward.
Luckily Izuku was saved from the situation when his phone rang.
“What do you need, Kuin?” He asked as he answered the call with his quirk.
“We need you back here NOW! There’s a guy headed right for your office, and we sure as Hell can’t stop him!”
Izuku didn’t ask questions, he immediately sent a ping for a warp, and a flood of gray foam washed over him and Bakugo, dropping them into his office.
But, in hindsight, maybe he should have at least asked for a name.
Before Izuku could sit in his chair, or Bakugo could even finish spitting out the rapidly dissolving sand, the door blasted open with a blast of hurricane wind.
“I AM HERE! AND COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!”
-Chapter End-