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Chapter Text

The first thing Toshinori felt when he awoke from his coma was pain.
A searing pain that started on his right side and spread across all his abdomen and chest. The fluorescent light of the hospital room hurt his eyes, while the smell of disinfectant clogged his nostrils, making him nauseous.

"W-Where ... where am I ...?" he gasped in a daze, fogging up the oxygen mask on his face.

"The Central Hospital of Musutafu" a cold female voice promptly informed him.

Toshinori felt the muscles in his neck creak as he turned his head on the pillow, toward the black-and-white figure sitting beside him.
A woman with incredible pale skin, long black hair pulled back in an elegant braided bun, and deep dark eyes was peering at him from the chair next to the bed. She was wearing a black suit with gray vertical stripes, palazzo pants, and a tuxedo-style jacket closed by a shiny sash belt; black tie and shiny black shoes.

Despite the pain, a faint smile spread across Toshinori's face seeing her "Hey ..."

"So, you've decided leave the sweet embrace of oblivion to return to this world of pain and tears" the woman said slowly "Look at you, you look like a bloody sunflower denied water, fragile and dying. Just seeing you like this ..."

"..."

“… it makes my blood burn, you should let villains beat you like that more often”

If he hadn't suspected that doing so would only cause him more pain, Toshinori would have laughed.
Only his wife could find a near-death experience arousing.

“As exciting as it sounds, I'm afraid I wouldn't survive a second round, my dear …” a bloody cough broke his voice, turning his lips red in a way that made Wednesday want to kiss them.

Her husband had never looked more beautiful to her. Half-dead, pale, thin as a skeleton with sharp features and that couple of blue irises gleaming inside the black sclera like sapphires hide in a skull.
In those condition, he almost looked like a true ADDAMS, not only an outsider married to one of the family.

“Such a shame, Cain had already chosen your funeral urn” the woman said, offering him one of her rare, small smiles.

The blond snorted. “Of course he did, that little devil”

“Now I wonder though, did you manage to kill that man?”

At that question, Toshinori’s genuine smile twisted into something more ... sinister, something you wouldn’t expect to see on the face of a hero, much less the face of the Symbol of Peace himself as the memories of his battle with the bastard resurfaced in his mind.  
“I felt the moisture of his brain matter run through my fingers as I cracked his skull” the blond whispered, without worrying about being too graphic in the description.

Pure satisfaction dripped from his tone  “And it was great, almost …”

“Cathartic?”

“Yes”

“That's because revenge is always cathartic, mon cher” Wednesday sneered, shaking his hand “Perhaps, now that you’ve finally eliminated your nemesis, you will consider the idea of retire?”

“Not until I find someone who can replace me, cara mia” Toshinori declared, returning the squeeze.

"Let's start looking then. The sooner we find him, or her, the sooner you can offload your tedious role as Symbol of Peace, and I can finally have my husband back home, where he belongs"

"What? Finally tired of trying to kidnap me during work?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'll never get tired of kidnapping you, Toshinori" replied Wednesday "You look too good in chains ..."

***

Chapter Text

“…Since I don't have a Quirk, and maybe for some other reasons I don't know, everyone's always made fun of me" -If not worst- Izuku added mentally "So, you know, I don't know how to explain it …”

“…”

“… I think helping people is amazing. Being able to save others wearing a fearless smile on the face. That's why one day, I'd love to become a hero too!! Just like y-…?! WAAAAAAHHHHH!!”

Toshinori leaned wearily against the balcony railing while waiting for the green-haired boy to stop screaming.

“W-What is this …?! Are you an impostor!?” the boy finally shouted.

“No, I'm still All Might” the blond sighed calmly, hoping to sound convincing enough despite the blood dripping from his mouth.

“But, but, but, h-how ...?!”

“It's a long story…”

Explaining the reasons behind his current state of health to a random middle school kid certainly wasn't part of his plan for that day, but he'd seen his true form so ...
He had to make sure at least that the kid understood the importance of keeping this a secret.
And all this fuss just because he had to ask him a question? Damn, not even a serial killer was that desperate.

"Even if I don't have a Quirk, I can become a hero too?" the boy tried timidly, once they'd closed the parenthesis on his idol's true appearance.

All Might stared at him for a long time in silence, his thoughtful expression somehow made even more intense by the blackness in his eyes.

Then he spoke "It depends. How high is your pain threshold?"

"... Huh?!"

*** 

Learning that his idol was not only married but he also had two children was an even more shocking revelation for Izuku than all the One for All's situation.

"How is it possible that no one knows?!" he asked.

"Very few people know my civilian identity" All Might replied, leading him toward an imposing wrought-iron gate whose bars were bent in a way that almost resembled a row of sharp teeth. "My wife and I value our privacy very much; it's part of the reason I asked you to sign that confidentiality form before bringing you here"

Izuku nodded, staring in amazement at the imposing residence beyond the gate.

It was a large, three-storey mansion with an "East Coast" aesthetic, but with a rather ... dark color palette, favoring primarily gray and black tones.
If he had to be honest, it gave him the impression it was in need of a major renovation.

It definitely wasn't the kind of house he would expect Japan's No. 1 Hero to live in.

In the other hand, there were sunflowers. A LOT of them, growing luxuriantly in the garden surrounding the house; practically the only real pop of color in that postcard-like black-and-white backdrop.
"Make sure you keep your feet on the path" All Might warned him, leading the way up the driveway "Flowey doesn't like strangers"

Izuku blinked "Who is Flowey?"

"Oh, just a plant monster infesting the garden" the Hero replied candidly, ignoring the boy's astonished expression as he opened the door.

"A plant what-...?"

"Kids, I'M HERE!!" the blond announced using his classic catchphrase.

The foyer was quite large, though unfurnished, and it led to the various parts of the house.

Izuku barely had time to take a couple of steps inside when a gigantic double-edged AXE fell from the ceiling. The only reason the blade didn't slice him in half like a fish was All Might's quick reflexes; in fact he immediately pulled him toward himself, grabbing him by the collar of his uniform.

“Tsk, missed” a female voice commented flatly.

“Nice try, Viper ...” Toshinori congratulated with an amused smile. 

-Nice try?!- Izuku thought, casting an incredulous glance at the adult. It almost killed them!!

“... But you need to increase the speed of the swinging”

“Noted. Welcome home, father”

A girl appeared at the top of the staircase in the foyer.

At a glance, she looked about the same age as Izuku.
She had very pale skin, long blonde hair tied in a high, fluffy ponytail, and eyes so dark brown they were almost black. She wore a black Gothic Renaissance-style dress with a knee-length skirt and long sleeves, ripped black stockings decorated with a print of white Christian crosses, and low-heeled black boots.

Izuku felt a cold shiver run down his spine as the girl’s gaze shifted from her father to him.

Chapter Text

It was a summer day that Wednesday met Toshinori for the first time.

He was twelve; she was ten and on vacation in Japan with her family.
That day, she had managed to escape her parents' surveillance to go for a walk alone with her pet scorpion Nero ... yes, you heard right, not a dog, not a cat, a SCORPION, and by pure coincidence, her steps took her right onto the road that ran alongside the orphanage where Toshinori was staying.

She wasn't doing anything wrong (for once), she was just walking around with her little venomous friend when she was surrounded by three kids her age on bicycles who began harassing her and taunting her.

"What kind of freak has a scorpion for a pet? Look, it even has a leash ..." one of them said, while the other two forcefully pushed her against the wall, clearly intent on keeping her still.

She would have been forced to witness her scorpion mercilessly crushed under the wheels of a bike if it hadn't been for Toshinori, who happened to be passing by.

"Hey!! Leave her alone ..."

He punched the boy in the face before he could kill the scorpion, knocking him off his bike. His accomplices were so surprised that they loosened their grip on Wednesday, who was quick to take advantage, first stepping on one's foot and then elbowing the other one.

She bent over quickly to take her scorpion in her hands.

"RUN!!"

Toshinori, as she would later discover, didn't have a Quirk, but the three bullies did, and the element of surprise could only give them a temporary advantage.
So he didn't need to be told twice and ran off with her.

"...Why did you help me?"

“They had no right to treat you that way … u-uh, your scorpion doesn’t sting, does it?”

Wednesday smiled slightly to herself, fondly remembering the way Toshinori had shivered as Nero climbed onto his shoulder. It took so little to make him shiver back then, like all so-called "normal" people, and yet, despite that, he made no attempt to shake him off.

"If Nero wanted to sting you, he would have done it by now" Wednesday stated, staring at him with an impassive expression.

"Nero?"

"It's his name"

"Oh, huh, cute? I think ...?"

They spent a lot of time together that summer, both intrigued enough by each other's nature to ignore their respective flaws, like Toshinori's overly bright smile. (Even now, unless she had sunglasses handy, she was forced to squint when her husband smiled like that).

Then, alas, the summer came to an end, and Wednesday returned to America with her family, causing her and Toshinori to lose touch.

Seven years passed before fate decided to bring their paths together again, except this time it was Toshinori who had to endure the discomfort of a nearly eight-hour intercontinental flight, crammed into a noisy metal cylinder where, for some absurd reason, carrying weapons was prohibited.

Wednesday managed to recognize his smile in the corridors of Nevermore Academy, despite the veil of sadness that dampened it.

“Toshinori?”

“…Wednesday? Is that really you…?”

That was how she discovered that the Quirkless boy she had befriended so many years before had indeed achieved his dream of becoming a hero, but at the same time had become the heir to a power that put him on the black list of one of the most dangerous villains ever to exist.
The one who had killed his Master in front of him, forcing him to flee to America.

Sometimes Wednesday wondered if it was some higher power that had decided to lead him, of all places, to Nevermore; a school that not only did NOT offer Hero courses, but had also educated several famous american Villains (a fact the institute was very proud of).

But who knows, maybe that was precisely what made it the perfect hideout for Tosh.

Reconnecting with him was ... nice, more than she could have expected, barring the annoying interference of her friend Enid, who for some reason already considered them an "adorable couple".

Wednesday's journey down memory lane was suddenly interrupted by the daring entrance of a green-haired boy into her office, who immediately slammed the door behind him. The unmistakable sound of several knives sinking into the wood on the other side of the door followed his entrance.

“U-Uh, I'm sorry …?” the boy stammered, frozen in place by Wednesday’s scrutinizing gaze.

It took her only a few seconds to figure out what was happening, since Midoriya Izuku had been “training” in their estate for over a week now -Cain must have passed to knife throwing ...-

“You’re lucky, I’m in a good mood” the woman said, waving at the desk “Hide”

Literally having no time to weigh his options, Izuku dove under the desk, hiding behind the drawers.

Exactly a second later, Cain entered.

His eldest son, seventeen years old, was the spitting image of Toshinori.
Same facial features, same blue eyes. The only difference between the two was the hair color, jet black with just a few blonde strands peeking out here and there, and his impassive expressions.

At the time, he was wearing a simple black tank top and matching track pants.

“Good afternoon, Mother” he greeted her respectfully “Forgive the intrusion, but I'm sure my target must have come in …”

“Oh yes. He jumped out the window” Wednesday lied calmly. After all, her son had no reason not to believe her, not on this, and luckily for the green-haired boy, the window was already open.

“I see” Cain murmured, frowning thoughtfully “It’s remarkable I missed him. Perhaps Father didn’t make a bad choice.”

“Perhaps” the woman agreed.

Wednesday wasn't sure what to make of Toshinori's chosen successor. At first glance, he hadn't seemed like much, but unlike a certain pretentious former sidekick, she intended to respect her husband's wishes.

It was HIS Quirk after all.

"I'll go look for him outside" Cain declared, approaching the old full-length mirror in the corner of the room "See you at dinner, mother"

"See you later, dear" Wednesday greeted as she watched her son DISAPPEAR inside the mirror using his Quirk.

She waited a few seconds before calling to the boy "You can come out now"

"T-Thank you, ma'am" the boy squeaked.

“You can thank me by living up to Toshinori's expectations” Wednesday replied without even looking at him as she went to sit at her desk, in front of her old-fashioned typewriter “Now leave, I left Viper in a rather thorny situation and I need silence to concentrate …”

“Viper?” Izuku chirped, thinking of All Might's youngest daughter “I escaped one of her traps a while ago, she seemed … f-fine” He shivered, remembering of the way the blonde girl disturbingly smiled at him.

“I'm talking about the protagonist of my novel series, not my daughter …”

***