Unfinished Stories

Power In Numbers (My Hero Academia)

"My boy, what's wrong?"

A smooth, silky tone calls out in concern. It was deep and had a hint of a honeyed exaggeration, yet it also washed Izuku in a sense of calm and comfort he hadn't felt in a while. He should, by all reason, deny the voice behind him the brunt of his most vulnerable thoughts as it rang alarm bells in his head, yet he felt like he had no one. Not All Might. Not his mother... and he had no friends of his own to cry on. He was at the edge of the cliff, the edge of his sanity.

The edge of this rooftop.

So Izuku turned around from the open, yawning air before him, and took a good look at the man who called out to him. He barely felt the shock that would come of the mans appearance, only a low hum of acknowledgment as he took a sight of his head. His outfit was that of businesswear, clad with a crisp black suit and a luminous white undershirt. He didn't have a tie, but he didn't need one. The boy thought the knot of it would interfere with where the rather unsettling helmet's edges met his chest in a tight seal. He could hear it if he listened closely, a rasp to his breaths and a very faint intake and release of air that he can connect to that akin to a life support system.

This man commanded an aura of respect and danger under the air of comfort he sensed. He had gotten rather good at reading peoples body language with someone of his background. Of his enviroment.

Izuku noticed the silence and the anticipation radiating off of the man. He imagined him quirking an eyebrow under his mask. Not wanting to he rude, he spoke in a dead yet sheepish tone.

"I...I'm fine, really... I was just... admiring the view. " His lie rang unconvincing even to his ears. He felt the mans doubt almost instantly. He shifted around, uncomfortable with the situation before the man released a chuckle and magically released the tension from the air... was this his quirk?

"Admiring the view? Well... I'll admit, it's quite a nice view, but perhaps not standing so close to the edge is a start so as not to scare this old mans frail heart." He held up a hand to his chest and chuckled once more. He felt more at ease as he allowed himself a light chuckle before returning to his downtrodded mood. The man tilted his masked head before reaching behind himself... and pulling one of his analysis notebooks with him, its singed cover is instantly recognizable to him. He gritted his teeth as a wave of emotion washed over him. He would not cry, not now, not again in front of the man.

"This... is your?" His tone shifted, that exaggerated inflation became fainter as it took on a gentler note. The man looked down ('how can he see through the full sheet of metal?') and flipped through some paged before humming and nodding to himself. "Quite impressive work. I have known many analysts in my field of work, yet none can approach such quality. Have you studied for a while?" He said it so casually, as if it didn't break Izuku's final wall.

"You... don't think it's bad?" A flicker of emotion returned to his voice, the helpless and meek hope that was so snuffed a few hours ago. The man could sense this and knew he was pulling the right strings. The man nodded and tapped his fingers against the pages before shutting it. He crouched down to a partial kneel as he faced the boy at eye level, conveying every bit of confidence and resolution in his next words.

"My boy... It's remarkable. The way you dissect and piece together ideas and quirks, It's a work of art. It reminds me of me when I was your age. I'm a sort of an analyst, too." The man admitted the last part in a sheepish tone, as if embarrassed to admit it. The boy tried his hardest to hold in the tears. Someone had complimented his work, someone hadn't dismissed him or tried to demoralize him. He felt hope returning to him as he spoke in a soft whisper.

"Thank you..." Izuku shifted unconsciously away from the edge of the roof. the man was pleased with himself as he allowed the gentle rumble of his voice to do its magic.

"It's my pleasure..." The man admitted hinestly before standing up to his full height and looking down at Izuku.

Izuku felt like he owed the man something, anything fir giving him a spark of the fire that once lit his soul.

"I...I'm Izuku..." Izuku spoke meekly and held out a shaky hand. The man smirked under his mask and gently shook his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, young Izuku... I call myself All For One"

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A world where all for one gets to Izuku after all mights blunt words (original I know).

I think I kinda rushed the last part? Long day xd.