Yeaaaaaaaaaah... My friend asked for a part two of this AU, and I have a hard time saying no to them... So yeah, suffer. Or enjoy.

7401 WORDS WHAT THE FU--

Also, after this will be the last chapter of All Falls Down. O boy.

Anyways, enjoy!

-------

"Get back here you little shit!"

The boy continued to run, pulse pounding through his ears and adrenaline spilling through his veins as he fleed from the scene. There was a man tailing him through the alleyway, chasing him with the intent to kill after the kid had made the foolish decision of stealing his wallet. The thug yelled out to him again, but he did not answer. He just kept running, hoping he could lose this fucking stalker in the twist and turns of the alley.

"Just give up!" The man jeered "I'm gonna beat yo' ass anyways, let's get it over with already!"

That only made the teenager run faster. His chest burned, and he felt a cramp coming, but he ran. He ran because he wasn't ready to die.

He turned another corner.

Shit!

His heels dug into the ground, jerking him to a halt as a solid brick wall came into focus. He searched around desperately for an exit, or a ladder or... something!

But the only way out was the way he came. Which was where that man was.

Dull yellow eyes glared at him from under a black tattered baseball cap, filled with bloodlust as the man stalked forward.

"Game over, kid." He growled as he reached into his pocket, only to pull out a sharp shiny object. A knife.

The boy stumbled backwards in attempts to distance them, only to have his back hit the wall behind him. He cursed, eyes flickering to every inch of the alleyway for a chance to make it out of this alive.

Nothing.

There was nothing.

A lump formed in his throat. He really didn't want to die, not here... he had so much to do, so much to change in the world. He had to change quirk labels, and quirkless mockery. He had to change the lives of people like him and his sister, who were mentally and physically abused for 'imperfect' traits. He had to change the lives of people living with the fear of not being accepted because of a dangerous quirk, or an odd quirk, or even not having a quirk at all. No, he wasn't even close to that...

And that was because that prick was blocking his path to continue, a weapon in hand to end his journey... to kill him.

The man lunged forward.

Everything went in slow motion as he staggered towards the boy, body lowered and blade outstretched, eyes wide and smirk stretching across his scarred face while his target just stood there.

No! Move, dammit! That's what he told himself, bit his limbs wouldn't move. His mouth was dry, and his forehead was drenched in sweat. What was he gonna do? What could he do?

His eyes travelled to the slowed movements of his soon to be killer's feet, watching as he placed one clumsy foot in front of the other as if he was following a line towards his target. The blade shimmered in the moonlight that peeked through the walls of the alley, reflecting off the boy's face making him look even more frightened. And he was terrified.

I don't wanna die...

I don't wanna die.

I don't wanna die!

When in his most helpless moment, he noticed an opening. The man was only focusing on the spot of the boy's chest he was aiming for. He didn't look anywhere else, probably because he was confident he had his victim right where he wanted them... this meant he wasn't paying attention to his feet.

The boy gulped, before forcing his mind to work.

His quirk activated.

Suddenly the man was in the air, legs flung upwards as he was swept quite literally off his feet. He grunted as his back slammed into the concrete, eyes squeezed shut as he attempted to sit up.

"You're... gonna pay for tha--"

A foot slammed into his chest forcing him back onto the floor, followed by somebody climbing on top of him and pinning his wrists with a hand and a foot. Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to see the boy towering over him, knife raised above his head.

"No, no!" The man screamed while attempting to squirm out of the boy's grasp "You can't do this to me, man! I-I have a family, and I have to look after them--"

"You think I care?" Snarled the younger male, emerald eyes glistening with fury as the moon shone behind him, giving him and ominous, paranormal glow "I have a family, I have people I care about. Did you think about that before you raised a weapon against me? Fuck no."

The thug began to breathe heavily "Please- please I'll do anything!" Begging wasn't something someone like him would do. But really, what can you do when you're pinned down in an alley where no one can hear you, with a knife pointed down at your chest. Beg. That's all you can do. Beg, and hope your abductor had the mercy or stupidity to let you go.

But, alas. The boy only let out a mocking laugh, and pressed the sole of his shoe harder against the thug's wrist to emit a pained whimper.

"You can promise me you'll me less of a pushover, when I see you in hell."

The knife plunged downwards, and the boy could feel an unfamiliar crunch go through his arm as the man's body jolted. Blood spluttered onto the kid's face as he ripped the blade out, only to go in for another attack. And another. And another. Each time the man would cough, or wheeze, or splutter out blood, his legs weakly kicking for a fighting chance of escape.

They became weaker.

And he became silenter.

And eventually, his head dropped onto the ground, his yellow eyes lifelessly gazing up into the night sky as crimson liquid oozed out of his mouth and chest onto the red stained concrete.

He was dead.

The boy, realising what he had done stumbled up and off, and he felt blood rolling down his arms and staining his face. The blood of the thug; the man he just killed.

Killed...

He killed somebody!

After dropping the knife, he turned and vomited into a corner of broken bottles.

---

"Oi, Rapunzel!"

Gladion groaned, batting away the obvious foot prodding his ribs "Fuck off..."

"Gladion I swear get your pale ass off this couch or so help me, I'll burn you into an actual french fry." the same bored voice threatened, giving the blonde's side one last kick. Gladion let out a growl and sat up, burying his face in his hands.

"I don't believe I ordered a wake-up call, Dabi... and I was having such a lovely dream..." he grumbled, looking up at the other male who ever so rudely woke him. The ravenette scoffed, blue eyes glaring as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah well tough shit. We have a mission."

"Wow, rude. Maybe I have plans."

"Oh get off, Aether, you have nothing to do and you know it."

Gladion groaned again "I didn't wake up to get insulted, you marred piece of shit. Either tell me about the mission or piss off."

"Fine." Dabi sighed out in exasperation, the the staples that held his face together stretching out his pout "The heroes are having a party tonight, and apparently All Might's supposed to show up."

"Oh, goodie..."

"Shut up. The crusty piece of shit made you the lookout, as well as Miss Stabby over there." He nodded towards Toga, who was very creepily trying to convince Spinner to 'donate' some of his blood. Gladion grimaced.

"Her? Really? What am I supposed to keep her on a leash?"

Dabi shrugged "Dunno, she said she'll control herself until All Might appears. But, keep an eye on her just in case.

"Don't tell me what to do." Gladion sighed out as he stood, stretching his arms over his head. "Anyways, how are we gonna get in? I know Mosquito girl can just disguise herself as someone else, but what about me and my obvious as fuck hair?"

Dabi smirked, stuffing his hands inside his pockets "Creativity."

"Wow, that's rich coming from you." Gladion scoffed out, gesturing to the marred flesh covering the majority of Dabi's body.

Yeah. As you can tell, he didn't like Dabi much. He didn't like anyone here, to be honest. But work is work, no matter who you work with. But believe it or not, Dabi was the only one he could actually... tolerate. Whether that being because they were a similar age, or they had the same ideals, he didn't know.

"Whatever." Dabi scoffed, turning on his heel to leave "just be there."

'I said don't--"

"Or you'll have no hair to hide."

Gladion scowled at the empty threat, letting air out of his nose like an angry bull before flipping the male off. He plopped back onto the couch, only to straighten again when Dabi poked his head around the corner.

"By the way, your pro girlfriend might be there." He grumbled, Causing the other male to blush.

"She's not my girlfriend..."

"Sure."

"She's not! And why mention her in the first place?"

"I'm just saying..." The male's expression suddenly darkened, and he held up a steaming hand towards the blonde "Don't let her get in the way, or I'll kill her myself."

The coffee table knocked over.

"You will do no such thing!" Gladion hissed, emerald eyes glowing with fury as his hair whipped around him. Dabi, however was unaffected, and only turned his back to the infuriated man boredly.

"Then I guess you'll have to make sure you aren't... distracted then."

"Fuck you."

---

*knock knock knock*

"Megan."

*knock knock knock*

"Megan."

*knock knock knock*

"Megan!"

Growling out in irritation, Megan swung herself out of bed and charged towards the door, slamming it open and glaring at the green haired hero on the other side.

"Hau! I'm trying to sleep, how the fuck did you get into my house?!" She barked, eyes glowing and teeth sharpening as a strand of her messy bed hair fell in front of her face. She was not a morning person.

"Lillie has a key, and why are you still in bed?" Hau crossed his arms "It's 1 the afternoon."

Or an afternoon person, apparently.

"Come on, I don't have work until tonight." The girl whined "Can I please have some peace?"

"Nope." He popped before grabbing her arm and dragging her to the front room, where Sun and Lillie already sat "We gotta get you ready, cuz All Might knows how long you take."

"Ready?" the pro scrunched her nose up like a confused child "Ready for what?"

Sun smirked and rested his chin on his palm, which was propped up on the armchair he sat in "For tonight, don't tell me you forgot."

"Um..."

"Wow."

"Hey, get off my dick!" Megan snapped, nudging Hau off her arm "Work has been piling up on my ass, you know how villain activity is this time of year!"

"Yeah, and that's exactly why you need a break!" Lillie suddenly beamed as she reached into a large paper bag, only to pull out a gorgeous purple dress with a black ribbon tied around the torso area.

A dress?

A break?

Wait a minute...

"Oh hell no, I told you I'm not going to that party!"

"Yes you are." Hau retorted.

"No I'm not!"

"Oh you're so going." Sun scoffed.

Megan groaned "Guys, I appreciate the gesture, but I can't afford to relax right now. The L.O.V are more active than ever, they're recruiting more and more which is making Tokyo so much unsafer. Villains don't take breaks, and neither should I--"

"GUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH!"

The remaining three heroes threw their heads back, groaning loudly at their friend's boring-ness levels. Megan sweat dropped.

"Come on, guys. I know you hate me working overtime, but--"

"UGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Okay now y'all are being childish!"

"And you're being a stick in the mud~" Lillie sang

"I don't--" she stopped "STICK IN THE MUD?!"

She stomped forward, a finger pointed to the tip of Lillie's nose making her go cross-eyed "I am not a stick in the mud! I just think there's more important things than parties and holi... days..."

Her friends watched with smirks of victory as realization washed over her face. She let out a puff of air before plonking onto Sun's lap, fiddling with her shirt which represented her idol; Vlad King.

"Okay..." she muttered as Sun began combing her knotted hair with his fingers "Maybe I've become maturer--"

"Um." Hau cut her off, pursing his lips together and shaking his head in denial. It made her think...

"I've... become responsible?"

She was met with the same treatment.

Lillie clicked her tongue "Guess again."

"Umm... Logical?"

She received a harsh tug of her hair, causing her to fall back against Sun's chest. The boy rested his chin on her shoulder, grin apparent from the corner of her eye as his arms snaked around her waist and imprisoned her. This gave the other two a chance to approach.

"Megan."

"What...?"

"Deny it all you want," Lillie sighed out, no longer holding a teasing tone and instead giving her friend a serious frown "But I think it's clear what your problem is."

Just then, three indexes were pointed towards her, and at the same time three voices spoke:

"You've become boring."

Okay.

You can call the Beast Hero: Nullify a lot of things.

But you do not, call her boring.

"Okay fine!" Megan yelled out while flinging her arms into the air, narrowly missing whacking Sun with her elbow "I'll go to your stupid party! But if anything goes down in my area, I'm holding you three responsible."

"Aye ma'am!" Hau responded, but his beaming face contrasted with the military salute he performed. Suddenly Megan was lifted by Sun, who stood from his spot in the armchair and replaced it with the girl.

"Here!" Her vision was suddenly blackened by a piece of silky fabric tossed into her head, which she instantly pulled off messing up her recently tidie hair. Lillie grinned excitedly "You don't need to check if it fits because I already know your size down to the unit! It'll fit you perfectly!"

"Like a glove..." Megan muttered in a sarcastic tone, wondering how she became friends with such bright bubbly people such as them with her shitty attitude.

She stared down at the dress and groaned.

This is stupid.

---

"This is stupid!" Gladion groaned, running a hand over his gelled back hair for the umpteenth time, as if he was afraid it would spring out any second. An arm hooked around his own, and crazy laughter was quite audible next to his right ear.

"Oh come on, Gladi!" A girl with long lilac hair urged as they entered the party "Look at this place! It has sooooooo many people, heroes and civilians everywhere!" She squealed "Think of all the blood we'll spill! Drip~drop, drip~drop! Oh, I should've brought my jars!"

Gladion sighed, prying her off him as soon as her grip got too tight "Toga, I'm not one to judge someone's state considering my own mental shit..." He turned to her, completely serious "But you have issues. Besides we're here on a mission, we can't just kill blindly."

"Buzz kill!"

Please keep your voice down..."

Gladion glanced around the area once more, his eyes, which had been covered with coloured lenses to hide his natural colour, narrowed to navigate their target. It was still a little early, but you could never be too sure with these heroes.

"So," he gestured to Toga's disguise "Who's this?"

The girl grinned "This cutie I found on the way here! She was so much fun to play with!"

"And the body?"

She waved a dismissing hand "I took care of it, don't worry! Dab-Dab told me to dispose of all evidence, anyways!"

"I still think you two are an item..." Gladion muttered again, mostly to himself "Well as long as we don't have the cops on our assess. We don't wanna make this mission harder than it already--"

He stopped. Not just his words, but his entire body jolted to a halt.

"Gladi?! Hellooooo!" Toga sang out, waving a hand in front of his clearly baffled face. But he didn't move; he was frozen with only his eyes moving, following only one person in the room. In that moment, no one else mattered.

She was like a fallen angel, that's the best he could describe it. Her attire consisted of a purple knee length dress with a dark grey ribbon wrapped neatly around the waist area. Matching grey flats were on her feet, and a gorgeous jade necklace rested on her collarbone that glimmered in the light of the chandelier. And her hair, usually down and unkept, now pinned into a neat bun with the strand usually covering her eye swepped over to rest just above her eyebrow.

This was the first time he'd seen her in person, in over a year.

And she was standing right there, fifteen feet away from two dangerous wanted villains. And one of those villains was a psychopathic serial killer, who basically wanted to stab everyone in this room.

This was bad.

Gladion had to think quickly. He had a job to do, but that included restraining and possibly killing every hero at this event. She was a hero, so she was a target.

He had to get her out of here, but how could he with Toga on his ass all night?

An idea popped into his head, causing a devilish smirk to form on his face.

"You know what, Toga," He mused, pulling the female's wrist away from his face "I think we should split up!"

"What?! But Dab-Dab said--"

"For all we know All Might could be hiding, it would be easier to find him if we split. We can cover more ground that way."

Toga's mouth opened for a moment "All Might's... hiding?"

"Yeah, so why don't you find him..." Gladion pretended to look around, before pointing opposite of where she was "Why not try over there?"

Without wasting a beat Toga grabbed her dress and dashed in that direction, not even bothering to wave as she yelled out "Oh All Might~! I'm coming for youuuu~!"

Gladion stood there, massaging his temple as he thought about what got him in this mess. However, there was no time for that.

He had a hero to snatch.

---

Megan huffed angrily, glancing around the ballroom with a twitchy eyebrow as she allowed her teeth to grind against each other.

They left me...

'They' being her friends. Sun, Hau and Lillie had walked in with her, but divided as soon as they entered to do their own thing. Hau and Lillie probably went to greet their old teachers that allowed them their career, whereas Sun most likely left to seek out his colleague and highschool crush ThornBow; more casually known as Ein Irving.

"Well frick," Megan laughed humorlessly "What am I supposed to do now?"

"You could always try socializing. Or perhaps a dance with me fits your fancy."

She shivered at the smooth, alluring voice that spoke from right behind her. She recognised it, but she couldn't connect the voice to a face. It wasn't one of her colleagues, she could be sure of that.

"That depends," she mused, slowly turning to the mysterious man "Who's aski--"

She stopped when she made eye contact with the stranger, tongue holding onto the 'i' for the longest time before she swallowed in bewilderment.

"What's the matter?" A man stood with his hand outstretched, a playful smirk stretching across his face while his synthetic looking grey eyes shined with expectancy. His blond hair was slicked back, but a few baby hairs swept down over his forehead. There was a scar over his right eyebrow, but Megan paid it little mind as she stood there gaping like a fish. "Beast got your tongue?" He teased.

Oh no, he's hot!!!!

"D-Do I know you from somewhere?" Megan asked, trying to act cool but failing due to the obvious stutter she had acquired. This obviously amused the male as he watched her lift her hand to slide into his own.

"We may have bumped into each other a few times." he shrugged while leading her towards the band playing, where a few couples already stood leading each other around "You know how to dance, right?"

"Unfortunately."

He raised an amused eyebrow "Unfortunately?"

"Mmh. My father thought it would be necessary to make my siblings and I partake in one sport on top of quirk training, and being the sparkly pink seven year old I used to be, I chose dancing." She groaned "So I'm quite familiar with it."

The temptation to 'oof' was strong.

"Well, at least I'll be keeping my feet tonight." The man joked as he twirled her around and pulled her into him, causing her to let out a tiny squeak "Just so you know, I don't hold back."

"I...I'm not sure that means what I think-- Eep!"

As soon as the music started Megan was swept across the floor as if she had been pulled away from an attack last minute, forcing her to cling onto her dance partner with an iron grip which earned a laugh from him.

"So you can leap into a battle fearlessly, but when a handsome stranger dances with you, you become... this."

She frowned "You're awfully narcissistic, aren't you? That's not very attractive."

"Well it's gotten me this far."

"It's also probably the reason you quite obviously don't have a date to this party."

The man's movement faltered slightly as he stared down at the hero, eyes widened "That was low."

She shrugged.

With a chuckle he twirled her around and pulled her back "So, those three heroes you're almost always with... Air-Ride, Snowstorm and Blade? Did they not accompany you to this Evening?"

"Okay, first of all it's Windsurf, Snow-cloud and Blaze." Megan huffed "And they did. It's just two if them are social idiots and the other is basically a lovestruck schoolboy."

"Well then, I'm sure they--"

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and heroes alike!" Boomed a loud, overly enthusiastic voice that paused all movement in the room. On the stage, that the party surrounded was Present Mic, grinning widely as he announced "The moment you've all been waiting for! The Greatest... The strongest... Our one and only symbol of Peace, ALL MIGHT!"

Almost immediately, a large buff man dashed onto the stage to strike a pose, laughing his signature laugh as he addressed the cheering audience "I AM HERE!"

He's here... finally...

Gladion's expression darkened as he glared up at All Might, before allowing his eyes to scan the area. A head of purple hair stuck out near the front, which he was almost certain belonged to Toga. If she could control her urges and wait for the attack, he figured he'd have about half an hour before their buddies arrived.

No time to waste.

"Hey, um..." He began as he recovered from his villain mode, placing a hand on the heroine's waist "I feel a little light headed, do you mind accompanying me outside?"

Megan turned to him in concern "Oh, sure. Do you need any help walking?"

"I think I'll be alright..."

Nodding, she lead the way to the gardens outside the venue with the man following close behind. He gave All Might one final glance, and secretly pushed the button inside his pocket to send a signal to Dabi. He would be taking part in the assault,

But there was something he had to ensure, first...

---

It seemed to Gladion that his poor disguise worked after all. Megan hadn't commented on his identity once, so she must not recognise him.

Should he feel proud, or offended?

The two of them continued walking until they made it to a bridge, where they leaned against the railing to stare at the flowing stream underneath. It was a comfortable silence, really. Their company was enough to keep them content. Neither of them were really good with large events anyway.

But then, Megan spoke.

"So, what are you doing here Gladion?"

.

.

.

Ah, so she did know... she was just waiting until they were somewhere less crowded.

The boy's eyebrows raised in surprise. He expected her to be mad, but when he turned to her she looked more amused. A nervous laugh escaped his lips, as he removed the uncomfortable contacts from his eyes rather easily.

"You figured me out, huh?"

She smirked "Wasn't hard, really. Perhaps you would've fooled others, because the media has never actually seen your face, but you can't fool me."

"Oh yeah?" The boy raised an amused eyebrow "So what gave it away?"

"Your obvious as fuck hair."

"Ah..."

Megan snickered before turning towards the water again, her fingers tapping the railing lightly "Your eyes threw me off a bit, though. Who'd think a simple colour change would almost change your entire appearance... Oh and by the way, you didn't answer my question."

"Hmm?"

"What you're doing at this event."

He suddenly pursed his lips together. This girl could easily report him, she said she wouldn't let him off the next time they met. So he had to be careful with what he said.

"I... was assigned a mission to gather information here..." He tried to sound convincing as he fibbed "Nothing major, and no harm done. Not this time around."

Megan didn't seem convinced by the way her eyebrows knit together. As a hero, it was her duty to keep the guests tonight safe. But as Gladion's friend, that was hard to do.

It should be fine as long as no one got hurt... right?

After a moment, she sighed out in defeat "Can you promise me no one's in danger?"

Could he truthfully promise that, no. To him, the air reeked of death, because he knew at least a few people would die tonight. He couldn't tell her that, however. As much as he cared about her, she was classed as an enemy. He couldn't take any chances.

"Yes," He falsely confirmed "Villain's honour."

She tried to hide a snort, but failed as Gladion turned to her.

"What?"

"S-Sorry, it's just... I didn't know villains had any honour."

He faked an offended gasp "Well now, that's just rude!"

"Says the wanted murderer!" She scoffed loudly, covering her mouth after "Sorry."

"Don't sweat it." He smirked "So, are you giving me another freebie?"

"Don't make me change my mind, Tangler."

"Tangler?"

"Thought it sounded better than 'Octo-hair'."

"Sounds like a fucking Pokémon."

"Do you want me to call the heroes?"

"No! No no," Gladion screeched and blocked her escape with his arm, gripping the railing to cage her between him "I'll behave, I promise."

Megan stared up at him in shock. She noticed how the moonlight reflected off his eyes to give them an odd paranormal glow. It would be scary, in some situations. But now? They were absolutely breathtaking.

Gladion noticed her staring, and he smirked "You're lookin' at me like how you you used to look at ice cream, m'dear~"

Her face instantly heated up from embarrassment as she shoved him away, "Am not!"

He smirked "It's a sin to lie, ya know."

She flipped him off.

"That's also a sin."

"Well then I guess I'll be seeing you in hell, won't I?" She mused while brushing down her dress, before tucking her loose hair behind her ear. Gladion chuckled, which gave her butterflies, but she didn't make it known as she turned to the moonlight "You know, I don't really like these events. Even if they come with being a hero, I'd rather avoid them if I can..."

"But...?"

"But, well..." She glanced at him from over her shoulder, flashing him the first gentle smile she'd given all night "With you here, it's not as sucky... Actually, it makes me think back on old times. Do you get that?"

Gladion's eyebrows raised in surprise as all amusement left his face, replacing it with tenderness as he approached. Once beside her again, he outstretched his hand to turn her face towards him, locking eyes with her. He leaned closer and took her hand, not allowing her to look away from his gaze.

"Megan..." he murmured softly "Not a moment goes by where I don't think back on old times. Wishing it was different, wishing we could've grown up normally, side by side... then I could've done this without worrying about 'sides'."

"D-do what?"

"This."

Megan watched as he grew closer with her heartbeat accelerating to unbelievable levels. He was going to kiss her, again?! Not that she minded, but she thought it was a one time thing. Apparently not!

Her eyes fluttered closed, unsure of what else to do other than await his soft lips against hers.

BOOM!

And then an explosion went off somewhere inside the building behind them.

Megan gasped and jerked her head out to peer behind Gladion, only to have her eyes widen as she noticed smoke extending to the sky from where the party was being held.

Could it be...

Her mouth felt dry when she swallowed, and she looked up at Gladion. Her heart lurched when he didn't meet her eyes, which only confirmed her hunch.

Villains...

"Gladion, what did you do--"

She could finish her sentence as Gladion grabbed the back of her head and yanked it down, slamming it into his knee to knock her out cold. She fell limply to the floor, and Gladion could see a small trickle of blood running down the side of her forehead. His jaw clenched painfully, but he continued nonetheless.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered gently while squatting down, undoing his tie in the process and staring down at her with undeniable guilt "But I have a job to do, and I can't let you get caught up in it..."

Once he had tied her up and hid her in a nearby bushand ensured no one was around to see him, he bolted off towards the building. He pulled a facemask out from his pocket and used it to hide his identity. He didn't want the world to know his identity, not yet.

Like a ninja he dashed into the panic, shaking off his jacket in the process before jumping over a piece of fallen ceiling. When he was over, someone caught his eye. In the middle of the room was Dabi, Toga (who was no longer disguised) and many other villains, fighting All Might.

He smirked, figuring now was the time to make himself known.

All Might dodged the many attacks that were thrown at him, whether that being Toga's knife or Dabi's flames, doing his best to not to cause harm to any of the cowering civilians behind him. He raised a fist to punch Dabi, but it was caught by multiple strands of spaghetti-like hair that tossed him into the ground.

"No fair, you started without me!"

All eyes turned to a piece of rubble a little ways away from where their battle was, only to see yet another villain standing in front of it with his hands casually in his pockets. His face had been concealed by a mask, but the evil glint in his eye made it clear he was smirking. His hair retracted and cascaded gracefully over his face, as if it hadn't been gelled back moments ago, and he reached up to crack his knuckles menacingly.

"No matter..." he sighed in what sounded like exasperation "I guess I'll just be late to the party."

---

Fuck, what happened...?

Megan groaned at the annoying headache that hit her as soon as she woke up, attempting to nurse it with her hand... only--

"What the..." she muttered when tugging her wrists against a piece of fabric that bound them behind her back, looking over her shoulder to see what it was.

Gladion's tie...

Anger and betrayal bubbled inside of her as she remembered how she was knocked out in the first place. He said no one would get hurt! He lied to her! And here she was laying in the dirt, bound and beaten while an attack was taking place in the exact place she was supposed to be.

She felt used.

Is this how you end up when you trust a villain?

Tied down.

Deceived

Alone.

Unable to do anything.

Heartbroken...

Screams of civilians filled her ears, which confused her. Shouldn't they have been evacuated by now? Just how many villains were in there?

Were her friends okay?

Was Gladion okay?

She shook her head. She shouldn't be concerning herself with him right now; he was the enemy. She had to make sure everyone was safe.

A beastly growl emitted from her throat as her bone structure began to change, allowing her to rip through the tie that restrained her and slam her claws into the dirt. She roared out as if to tell everyone she was on her way, before sprinting towards the fight like a cheetah locked on to prey.

Because she knew exactly why the villains were here. To destroy the symbol of peace. To destroy All Might. She couldn't let that happen, even if it meant fighting someone she cared for.

Don't make me hurt you, Gladion...

---

All Might coughed. He was reaching his limit, he could tell. But he couldn't run from the fight, now. There was too much at stake. Luckily for him, most of the villains had retreated to either help their comrades, or because they were unable to continue. So that meant only one villain remained. Unfortunately, this villain was really strong, he hardly even moved from one spot.

"Tch," The boy scoffed behind his mask "This is the symbol of peace? Come on, I thought I'd have a challenge for once..."

Another wave of pain struck the buff hero as he was whipped by the villains quirk.

"I thought you'd be fun, but really you're just annoying..."

All Might felt his knees give way, making him fall to the floor with a round of coughs.

Click

His eyes widened, for now he was being held at gunpoint by the boy with paranormal green eyes. He swore he'd seen those eyes before, not on him necessarily...  these eyes were so much different- colder even. Like those of a bloodthirsty animal.

"Let's get this over quickly, yeah?" The boy spat "As fun as you are, I have a job to do."

"My boy... is this really what you want?" All Might croaked, which only made the villain reach for the trigger.

"It is. Although I don't hold a grudge against you, there are a lot of people out there who aspire to be like you. How do they end up? Stuck up and judging!" He growled "Killing you will be my first step to changing tha--"

A loud roar echoed through the badly crumbling building.

And suddenly, All Might wasn't the one Gladion was pointing a gun at anymore.

His pupils shrunk in horror. How did she escape? How was she able to recover from that blow so quickly?

Why was it that his only weakness was standing between him and victory?

"Get out of the way." He muttered coldly, but she didn't move an inch "I said piss off, mutt!"

Megan stood her ground. She wasn't going to let him shoot All Might, even if that meant taking the bullet for him. However, it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. The gun in Gladion's hand began to shake, and his features soon lost the villainous expression only to be replaced by fear.

"You aren't my target..." He tried to sound harsh, but it only came out as shaky and scared "B-But I will shoot you too... don't think I won't!"

You won't.

I can see it in your eyes

Once again Megan didn't move from her spot, but this time she proceeded to sit on the ground and meet Gladion's gaze. He was trembling.

"D-don't make me shoot..." he stuttered. His mouth was dry, and his palms were sweaty. The gun was slipping from his grasp, but he held onto it. He hoped she'd get scared and run, but really he knew she wasn't that person. It seemed like he had already failed the mission, and all because he allowed himself to fall for a hero...

"You really aren't moving, are you...?"

She shook her head, seeming to say "You want him, you gotta kill me first."

Gladion gripped the gun tighter, tears of frustration welled up in his eyes. He was so fucking close! What did she matter?!

Just pull the trigger.

Pull it!

And he did.

BANG

Megan's eyes squeezed shut as a metal clang echoed across the structure. She expected to feel the pain of a bullet ripping through her chest, but there was nothing...slowly, she opened her eyes.

Only to see Gladion had pointed the gun upwards towards the ceiling. His breathing was ragged and his shoulders were shaking, his head down as he lowered the gun to stare at it.

Why'd she have to be here... the one people he couldn't kill...?

A sudden crack made their heads jolt up in surprise, only for their eyes to widen in horror. From the bullet hole Gladion created, the ceiling began to crumble over him. Megan quickly snapped her head to him, hoping he'd be running. But he remained still, petrified as rubble began to fall.

Move! Move already! Megan screamed out in her head, as she began running towards him. It's going to kill you, move you stupid Frenchfry!

She leapt forward, and pushed Gladion with her out of the ceiling's course.

---

Gladion coughed as the dusty air entered his lungs, his rasped breathes echoing as the smoke cleared. He glanced down only to see a trembling girl on top of him. A hero with unkempt hair and a ripped dress. A hero...

A hero that just saved his life, even when he threatened to take hers.

Suddenly she propped herself up on her hands and knees, giving him a teary eyed smile that made his heart break.

"T-That was too close... are you okay?"

His eyebrows furrowed "You saved me..."

"I did."

"A villain..."

"I know."

"That just threatened to kill you..."

"I know, Gla--"

"Why? Why would a hero save a villain like me?" He asked, gripping her shoulders and shaking her desperately. He was breaking down, either from almost dying or almost killing her...

Megan sighed and took his wrists, prying them off but not letting go.

"My job is to save people, Gladion. Whether that being civilians, heroes or even villains. I'm here to save everyone I can, no matter what." Her grip suddenly tightened, causing him to look up at her again "I just wish I could've done the same back then... save you from this... but I wasn't strong enough."

Gladion gasped and freed his hands to cup her face as soon as her voice broke, wiping the tears and dust from her cheeks "Hey, no, this isn't your fault. You were a child, it was me who wasn't strong enough. There was nothing you could've done."

"That's what hurts..."

He winced at her broken voice, and connected foreheads with her "I'm sorry..."

"For what...?

"...For everything."

Crack

They gasped at the god awful familiar sound of a building collapsing, which made Gladion pull Megan closer to him and look around.

"Crap... not again." He growled.

Megan squirmed slightly "We gotta get out of here, Gladion!"

"How! There's no way we can get out that quickly!"

Yes there is!" She broke free free from his grasp "Ride me!"

He choked "W-What?!"

"I said--" She paused, before slapping his arm hard "Get your mind outta the gutter, perv! That's not what I meant!"

Jumping up while still glaring, she transformed and gestured to her back with her snout. Gladion stared in confusion, before making an 'o' shape with his mouth.

"Are you sure? I mean, wouldn't it be weird if..."

She began tapping her claws against the ground impatiently, eyes narrowed as she let out a quiet huff. Another tiny piece of ceiling fell, which made him snap out of his moment

"You're right, we should go!" Quickly he jumped onto her back, and she took off with him clinging onto her neck. Behind her the building began to collapse, causing her to run faster than she usually would in this form. It wouldn't be good for her human body, but right now her main concern was making sure Gladion got out alive.

It was her job. As a hero, and as his friend.

"Look out!"

Gladion's scream alerted her to a halt, just as a large piece of rubble fell in front of them. A shocked growl emitted from her throat, but she continued to flee as she jumped over and pressed on. Gladion's cheek was pressed against her neck, and his arms and legs were clinging onto her for dear life. He knew she was risking her life for him, and he wanted her to stop. But honestly, he knew he'd be doing the exact same thing if he had the chance. Even if he was a good for nothing villain...

The building continued to collapse around them, which caused Megan to push herself harder until she began to pant. She had never, ever run this fast before, not even when saving civilians. So why with Gladion?

She secretly glanced down at him, and her eyes softened. She knew why...

The moment didn't last long as concrete narrowly missed her, causing Gladion to gasp. Another one was coming down, heading towards them at extreme speed. She wasn't going to make it in time! What could she do?!

The only thing she thought of... Quickly, she bucked Gladion off her towards the clearing, causing him to land roughly and roll in the dirt like a rag doll.

CRASH

His eyes widened as soon as he realised what had just occurred, and he scrambled to his feet searching desperately for the girl.

*Cough cough*

"Shit, Megan!"

He ran towards the rubble as soon as he heard the painful coughs of his hero, only to have his pupils shrink in horror at the sight of her. She was back in her human form, laying on her stomach and coughing in pain, with half of her currently being crushed under the concrete. As quickly as he could, he used his quirk to push the rubble off her so he could pull her into his arms to inspect her. It looked bad...

"Idiot..." He whispered, hugging her close yet gently to not cause any more harm "I get you're a hero and everything, and it's your job to save everyone... but what about yourself?"

A weak hand brushed against his cheek. He opened his eyes to be met with a tired smile.

"My main concern was you..."

"But... But, I..."

He could finish his sentence, so instead he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She was shocked, but returned it regardless. But after a moment her head fell back, which caused Gladion's heart to lurch and eyes to snap open.

She was still breathing, thank god!

But she wouldn't last long like this. He had to find somewhere to put her, where the heroes would find her. Or find someone he can trust would bring her to safety.

"Nullify! Young hero, are you there?!"

He gasped at the familiar voice of the symbol of peace. It seemed like his prayers were answered, but in the worst way. Why him?! How could he just hand Megan over to All Might like this, without making it look like he was helping her? But really, did he have a choice?!

Unless... he can make it look like he's paying a debt.

Gently, he lifted the girl up into his arms and kissed her forehead, realising time was short.

He didn't have his mask this time, but he didn't care if he was exposed. Because this hero, that somehow pounced back into his life, meant more to him than his identity.

All Might continued to look for the young girl that saved his life. He had seen her a few times already, on TV and in action. She was an amazing hero, but she was also a little too risky even for a hero. And she showed it by saving an armed villain from getting crushed by falling concrete. He had to find her, who knows what kind of injuries she'd gotten from that narrow escape. And what of the villain? Would he have hesitated to kill her this time? What if he--

"All Might!"

He turned quickly to see the boy from before, maskless with someone in his arms. Nullify.

"Let her go, villain." He demanded "No one has to get hurt."

Gladion scoffed with a roll of his eyes "Calm down. I may be a villain, but I leave no debt unpaid." Using his quirk, he lifted Megan out of his arms and extended her to All Might "Take her. It's a life for a life. Be grateful I didn't make her injuries worse."

All Might took the injured girl, but didn't take his eyes off the boy glaring down at him. Gladion stuffed his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

He paused, but didn't turn around. He couldn't bear to look at Megan's helpless form any longer.

"What's your name?"

His eyes widened. What was he supposed to say?! He couldn't say his real name, then he'd know. They'd all know. He thought back on all the names he'd been called, for one that would be a suitable cover-up.

---

"Don't sweat it." He smirked "So, wait, are you giving me another freebie?"

"Don't make me change my mind, Tangler."

"Tangler?"

"Thought it sounded better than 'Octo-hair'."

"Sounds like a fucking Pokémon."

---

He smirked slightly.

"Call me Tangler. Remember that."

And with that he used his quirk to hoist himself up, leaving his hero in the hands of good and fleeing from the scene. He'd see her again, he knew he could count on it.

And hopefully next time...

He wouldn't get pounced on by her heavy as fuck beast form!