#dfohiko verse

[angstandhappiness]

alternative: Toshi was still given up and then adopted and Gran only tells him that afo is his biodad and doesn't mention their relationship so Toshi ends up thinking his birth mother gave him up because afo abandoned them and didn't give any support and then killed his chosen mother and he's going to make him pay for those things all while gran is like 'ha ha wow yeah no i am avoiding the emotions that would come from that reveal forever actually' I'm not sure which one i like more they both have such potential dhfjvbv

LMAO OP YOUR TAGS ARE A DELIGHT

@chaos-is-my-lifeblood How To Murder Your Father: All Might edition

In all might is afotorino child au

All might didnt fight afo only because of nana. But also years of child support

Imagine growing up with your single dad and the woman who ends up being like a mother to you, quirkless, until your mother figure gives you get quirk but then some horrible super villain comes along and kills her, and then when you're angry and hurting and you're sparing with your father but it's more fighting than training, you tell him you're going to hunt down the villain, and he tells you that you can't and to make sure you don't, he finally tells you that villain is, biologically, your other father who hurt him and then basically abandoned you

I'd be so angry that I'd be as strong as All Might when I got back from college too, just out of sheer rage.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

too much like their father

[shih-coulda-had-it]

marveling

(a commission from a ko-fi supporter! check out my ko-fi!)

[shih-coulda-had-it]

FEBUWHUMP | "YOU LIED TO ME." | WC: 572

Several weeks after All for One’s arrest at Kamino Ward, Toshinori is extended an invitation to meet Yotsubashi Rikiya at a fancy upscale restaurant that, Rikiya’s secretary assures him, can cater its menu to suit whatever dietary needs Toshinori is subject to. Toshinori, peering down at the bowed white-furred head, decides not to be offended.

He also decides not to tell Gran Torino about the meeting, a decision he regrets when he is seated across from Rikiya’s coldly furious expression.

The waiters seem to sense the brewing hostility, because the one sacrificed to bring them a pitcher of iced water practically squeaks when Rikiya says, “We’ll need a few minutes to decide what to eat.”

“Okay!” the waiter says, and flees to safety in the kitchens.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Toshinori scolds. “He forgot to drop off the menus.”

Rikiya looks down his nose at Toshinori. “Then you decide his tip.”

“It’s going to be really generous.”

“Soft-hearted as ever, I see.” Rikiya folds his arms together. His twin has always been more angular in form (in part, Toshinori admitted to himself, because Toshinori loved sweets and All for One spoiled him with a new kind every chance he got), but they match now. It’s a strange mirror to have, after all these years. “... You lied to me.”

“Hello, pot, I’m kettle.”

“Detnerat’s secrets are nothing compared to what just happened with father. You told me--you swore to me that he died six years ago,” Rikiya hisses. He jerks his chin at Toshinori, giving him a vicious once-over of a glare. “And what’s with this? Did dad forget to feed you or something? This is my look. Get your own.”

“It didn’t happen all at once,” Toshinori protests. “And I was sure I killed him. His head was caved in, Rikiya. There was--there was so much blood.”

“Clearly not all of it was his.”

“... No. Not all.”

“Why didn’t you finish the job at Kamino Ward?” he pushes, and he ignores the incredulous look Toshinori feels crossing his face. “No one would have blamed you for it. Maybe a little shock, maybe a bit of distrust in the industry, but if you went to jail, I would’ve sprung you.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever told me,” Toshinori says, blinking.

“It would obviously have indebted you, stupid.”

“Oh.”

Rikiya rolls his eyes and kicks Toshinori’s leg under the table; if their dad was here, Toshinori thinks ruefully, then at least Toshinori could have used the old man’s cane to fight back. As it is, Toshinori kicks back. They have a scuffle hidden behind the white tablecloth, and an entire war waged with grimaces and furrowed brows.

Eventually, Toshinori admits, “You and dad think I should’ve killed him, but I couldn’t. Not… not in that situation. There are many children where I work now. If I had smashed his head open on camera, if I’d blown a hole through his stomach or lungs after he revealed my true state… Even you would have to admit that it would have been a mistake. Not just for publicity’s sake. For society’s.”

“It always comes back to that,” Rikiya says. “Oh, well, what do you know? Next time, just invite me to the fight, and I’ll do it. Third time’s the charm.”

“If you’re so insistent, go hire an assassin and murder All for One in his cell,” Toshinori snaps. 

“Like it’s that easy!”

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Think AFO would introduce Torino to his cool new son Tomura he found for free off the side of the road

this was AFO's initial plan in dad fails of the week, chapter 6. because CLEARLY the biggest issue lingering between them was the lack of a pitiable child to bandage the relationship, and considering his husband's attachment to the Shimura woman, doesn't Tomura fix both issues???

(and then Toshinori practically domed AFO, at which point AFO switched courses to bodysnatch Tomura instead. "it's not weird," AFO insists. "look, the body even has the Shimura woman's smile!")

[shih-coulda-had-it]

okay. okay. this is a horribly angsty idea so im asking for permission before i write it and make it the next oneshot lmao

og idea: all might afohiko test tube baby. classic dfohiko verse, it has a deathgrip on my brain and ive been meaning to write it, etc etc etc

idea i had in the process of writing above: dfohiko baby is not all might. dfohiko baby is kotaro shimura, who nana decided to pretend was her own son when sorahiko went running to her with a kid like "help me hide him." afo is not aware of this at any point. canon proceeds as normal.

thoughts?

on the one hand, hilarious, because there's no greater fool than AfO, if he's orchestrated the events such that Tenko IS his grandson, and now his grandson refuses to acknowledge the familial ties between him and AfO and Sorahiko.

on the other hand, that is so mean to Sorahiko, because if canon proceeds as normal post-giving Kotarou to the Shimuras to raise, and Nana's husband dies after that, and Sorahiko is watching from the roof as his son (her son) cries at being separated from his parent (for the second time), and then he finds out his grandson is out to murder Toshinori (successor-student-son) AND Izuku (successor-student-GRANDSON)?

Sorahiko, in the hospital post-Kamino: my life is a joke

AfO: weird how compatible Tomura's body is with mine. oh well. time to relive life with Sorahiko. someone kidnap my husband.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

4B + Toshi Rikiya Twins mayhaps?

HELL YEAH. Honestly, this could apply to them as adults too, but I like revisiting their junior high years.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

In the twin au as young children Toshinori and Rikiya are fighting and AFO separates them saying they shouldn't fight. It leads to a conversation about how AFO had a twin brother too and they fought a lot, but then his twin died and he wished they hadn't spent so much time fighting so they should be nicer and cherish one another instead of fighting all the time.

He conveniently omits the reason why they were fighting and that he's the reason why his brother is dead in the first place.

AFO is the parent who whips out traumatic family lore at the most random of times, to really instill 'family values' into his sons. Toshinori and Rikiya learn he had a twin early, and then it takes another few fights to learn that their uncle is dead, and a while after that, they're told that Yoichi was definitely Quirkless like them, but rejected AFO's offer of a Quirk. And they don't want to be dead like Yoichi, right?

(Rikiya: Father, I would like this specific Quirk. I know you have it. You have told us at length how you picked it off some 'self-righteous militant'. I think I should have it because *starts the PowerPoint*

Toshinori: *doubt.jpg* Dad told us that correlation doesn't mean causation. I think I might wait until I'm older, Father.)

And then Toshinori and Rikiya ask Sorahiko about his side of the family, and if he has any cool stories or dead siblings. Sorahiko tells them that the Torinos were a very boring family, and that he led an extremely normal childhood. The twins are deeply unsatisfied.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Too bad Yoichi never got to meet the twins, they were awfully cute when they were small.

If Yoichi had survived to meet the twins, he would have survived to meet Sorahiko as AFO's husband. Do you know how pained Yoichi would be? Can you imagine him having two precocious Quirkless nephews? And one takes a Quirk from AFO, and the other doesn't, but somehow stumbles onto OFA (successfully passed down as in canon, it's just that Yoichi's been made, like, immortal if powerless) anyway?

Toshinori: omg Yoichi-jisan guess what i found a mentor who thinks i can inherit her quirk it's called One for All

Yoichi: oh

Rikiya, at a separate time and place: Yoichi-jisan, i'm thinking about impersonating a descendant of Yotsubashi Chikara, and i want to start my own League, but i'm okay with calling it the Meta Liberation Army

Yoichi: oh no

Sorahiko, breaking into the latest vault: let's go, brother-in-law, we've got multiple tracking Quirks to break and my soon to be divorced husband on our ass.

Yoichi: oh no oh fuck

[shih-coulda-had-it]

that dfohiko verse AU with toshinori and rikiya as test tube twins

//

WC: ~1000. Fun detail that I didn't actually incorporate in the snippet but I feel compelled to tell you anyway: All for One named Rikiya ("power" + "to be"; riki + ya), and Sorahiko named Toshinori ("genius" + "law"; toshi + nori). This absolutely positively does not give the twins issues about which parent loves them more (big lie).

//

(age seven)

“Who’s older?” Rikiya demanded, because he was canny enough to know that there was something to be held over his brother’s head if he could secure the status. 

“What does that matter?” their dad asked, levelly.

Toshinori had other concerns. Dinner, mostly, because their dad had cooked. He usually did when their father was out on business. “I told you they don’t know,” he told Rikiya, digging into his omurice with barely restrained glee. “We got dropped off by a big white bird, so they can’t tell.”

“That’s not what happened,” Rikiya said. “Garaki-hakase said--”

Their dad’s head tilted. “Said what?”

It was not like the doctor had told Rikiya to keep what he had said secret. And, anyway, Rikiya was pretty confident that everyone had to follow what his dad told them to. If not his dad, then definitely his father.

“He said that you and otou-sama ‘knew us from the beginning,’ and that he ‘was there to scream our lungs out for the first time,’” he recited. “But even Garaki-hakase wouldn’t tell me who was older! All he said was that you’d know.”

Their dad made a noise in the back of his throat, like a scoff. 

“I guess I could call you Riki-nii,” said Toshinori dubiously. “But Toshi-nii sounds just as good!”

Rikiya looked first at Toshinori’s guileless face, then at the spoon clutched tight in his hand. Before he could throw the spoon, their dad reached over and curled his fingers over Rikiya’s fist. Firm enough to prevent further movement, but not enough to hurt. It was warm.

“What does it matter?” their dad asked again.

“I wanna be older than Toshinori.”

“Because?”

He frowned down into his bowl. Saying what he really wanted out loud would alert Toshinori to what he was missing, and the last thing Rikiya could win at was a competition with his brother to get what he wanted. Toshinori always got what he asked for; Rikiya needed to take it.

“Because I want a younger brother,” he said.

“Can we have a younger brother?!” Toshinori interjected, and at his words, their dad twitched back. Rikiya’s hand felt cold without the restraint.

“No.”

Stated so plainly, flatly, forcefully--it was clear that their dad wasn’t even up to entertaining the idea of a third child, which Rikiya was fine with. But Toshinori didn’t get the message, because he only made an idle humming noise and then said, like it was a cunning loophole, “What about a younger sister?”

“No,” their dad repeated. “The two of you are enough. For us and for yourselves. You don’t need another sibling.”

“Okay,” said Rikiya, “but otou-sama talks about his younger brother all the time.”

“That’s his own deal.”

“Do we have to fight for it? Like, whoever wins is the older one?” It was surprising to hear the question not come out of his mouth, but his brother’s. That was a concern. Toshinori was getting the gist of what was going unspoken. Well, Rikiya thought blackly, it was only a matter of time.

“If I catch either of you starting a fight about who’s older,” their dad intoned, “I’ll end it. The two of you are twins. You’re equals.”

There wasn’t really anything to say back to that. Rikiya sulked into his dinner, and so did Toshinori, but it was definitely for different reasons.

(age eleven)

Toshinori knew Rikiya was glaring at the wall, picturing Toshinori’s neck, and he refused to quail. He got dared, so of course he would follow through. It was just… It was just a little daunting, to have the question put to him, to put to their dad, who wasn’t exactly the greatest at emoting soft feelings.

Still. Toshinori got dared, and so he would dare.

“Tou-san,” he says carefully. He is sprawled on his belly in bed, covers drawn up to his shoulders, sleeping cap wrestled over the ruffled mess of his hair. Half of Toshinori’s face is squished into his pillow, but even half is good enough to peer anxiously up to their dad’s face.

“Yeah?”

“You wanted the both of us, right?”

A strange expression crosses the usually grim countenance. Neither Toshinori nor Rikiya got the eyes of their parents. Toshinori sometimes wishes he looked a little more like Rikiya, who had the curve of their dad’s nose. Their father liked to tease Rikiya by tracing its bend and delighting in its prominent trait, and Rikiya pretended to hate the attention, but Rikiya once told Toshinori that it was definitely preferable to, you know, not having any defined features of their parents.

Probably the worst thing Rikiya’s ever called Toshinori was ‘donor-child’, but considering Toshinori came out of that fight on top, teeth bared and knuckles bruised, Toshinori’s inclined to leave the incident behind them. His father had been weirdly pleased, hauling him off his brother.

“You’re my child,” his father had said, before picking up Rikiya too. “And you are too, Riki. The things we pass on aren’t purely about appearances or meta abilities.”

Backlit by the hallway light, dressed down in casual clothes--their dad wasn’t a househusband the way their father teased him, but Toshinori noticed him wearing the trappings of normalcy for once, and some part of him had thought vulnerability. 

“... Yeah,” their dad says, gruffly. “The both of you.”

Toshinori quails first. He lets his eyes slide away, burning in shame, and clears his throat to say a quiet goodnight. Their dad inclines his head, the dusty gray of his hair catching yellow glares, and then he leaves, closing the door shut behind him. They wait in the dark for a long, long minute.

And, quietly, Rikiya says, “He hesitated.”

“He still said it,” says Toshinori, staring at that closed door. Something had gone through their dad’s face, and Rikiya had definitely had his back to them, so it’s up to Toshinori to decipher it. He doesn’t think it was a bad expression. Their dad loves quietly, that’s all. Toshinori shouldn’t have pushed the matter so clumsily into the open.

“He had to. He probably thinks we’ll run to otou-sama and get him in trouble.”

“Stop talking about the worst case scenario like it’s gonna happen,” Toshinori mutters, and he digs his nails into the pillow.

“It’s because you won’t that I have to,” Rikiya sniffs, and there’s a creak of the bedsprings. He’s curling tighter in his blankets, Toshinori would bet anything, because he’s doing the same thing.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Seeing tiny Toshi in canon and he looks feral, I just know in the au where AFO and Sorahiko are his dad's that raised him Toshi was a huge menace to them

baby Toshinori is the single most exuberant child that could have been born between AfO and Sorahiko, and the moment they realize Toshinori's temperament leans 100% sunshine, they're looking at each other like "did he get this from you??"

[shih-coulda-had-it]

that designer baby thing with tomura now got me thinking about afo taking random kids from his orphanages and showing them to Gran Torino like "see this is our special baby 🥺 it makes you want to stay with me so bad, you'll never ever me. accept the kid as ours now plz" (spoiler alert, it never works and has the opposite effect)

okay i was legit planning a whole gif illustrating what canon characters AfO could've presented to Sorahiko as their 'new child', but i soon realized that there's too many potential children. like. my running list was

young toshinori (that was the obvious one)

tomura (also obvious)

eri (most adoptable child in bnha)

touya post-sekoto (doesn't gran torino like fixer-uppers?? isn't that why he lives in the shitty apartment building??)

chrono(stasis) | kurono hari (this one was just for crack purposes)

vlad king | sekijiro kan (also for crack purposes)

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Do you think AFO sang lullabies to baby Yoichi?

No, not really. But I do like to think that in dfohiko verse, he sings, “Swim On, Taiyaki-kun!” to a baby Toshinori because it annoys Sorahiko.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Would the current Toshi vs AFO fight go the same or different in the DFO w/ Toshi universe?

I can finally confirm that it would go differently. For one thing, Prime Torino's back in the game.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Gran torino: I'm passing the phone to the guy who if I had to hang out with or choose to have my organs removed one by one, I'd choose the organs

All for one: I'm passing the phone back to my husband! :D

*all for one passes the phone back to gran torino*

Gran torino: 🧍🏻‍♂️

men who will not take a hint: these two

[shih-coulda-had-it]

If I may ask what is the original context for afohiko? I am still making my way through the manga so I definitely may not have gotten to a pertinent part yet so I preemptively apologize if that is the case. Is it based on an interaction they have, or was it spurred more from you imagining how they would interact and enjoying the way their personalities fit together? Either way your content of it is very enjoyable and very interesting. :] I also like how expressive your art style is! I hope you are having a nice day.

Aw, thanks :DDD

tl;dr (but I’m not putting it under a read more because I’m feeling obnoxious): the original context for afohiko is that I want Prime Torino to be popular, and if I have to bait people onto my blog with hot AfO, then I’ll fucking do it. It’s still honest work!

//

Okay. So, for context, what you need to know first is that I am a strong promoter of Prime Torino. I love him, he’s hot and miserable and devoted to lost (well, debatable) causes. And I want other people to love him too, but this is a thankless task because Prime Torino is very notably a traumatizing jackass.

I still want people to love him. So I scheme, quite constantly, for ways to slot Prime Torino into AUs and ships.

Around two years ago, April 2021, @pocketramblr made a Google Poll for cursed ships. GranAfO got 1%. This is pretty unremarkable, except for the fact that I could refer to it a month later, and assign the genesis of All for One x Gran Torino onto her when some anon (possibly frustrated that I kept dodging Nana x AFO questions) asked me about it.

And at first I was like, ‘Oh, ew. AFO is a jackass.’ And then I started drawing it, and I ended up with one of those standard kabedon poses with Prime Torino against the wall. Which got me these kind of reactions:

What could I conclude? That by drawing an attractive All for One with Prime Torino, I could bait people into thinking twice about Prime Torino. (MY AGENDAAAA)

DfO Week was then announced; between my own afohiko art and the few asks Pocket fronted for an dfohiko thought experiment, I was inspired to start writing the first of many branches of dfohiko verse. I like to ground my fics with a bit of basis in canon, but you gotta understand--this is a crackship. I’m shooting blind here except for a few key references/facts:

1. Gran Torino survived the initial retreat with Toshinori in tow, even though AFO certainly must have seen them fleeing the scene. Sorahiko then survived the following decades AND Kamino Ward despite evidence of AFO’s insane scorched earth policies.

2. The Ultra Analysis book has this for a quick 101 of Gran Torino’s perspectives of a few characters:

For a character assigned as ‘nuisance’, AFO sure doesn’t bother swatting him into a hole six feet deep. And for name-calling AFO a ‘monster’ + having an infamous stance on killing to save, Sorahiko is incapable of dealing damage. (Undoubtedly because he knows he would get squashed like a bug. But I digress. This post is for reading too deep into the unspoken bits.)

3. Gran Torino in his fight with Kurogiri ends up saying, “If you’ve got a preference for a date, then I’ll go with you wherever you want.” (Crunchyroll subtitles, E78). This is obviously one of those one-off lines, and not even canon to manga, but I like referring back to it as an indicator of Gran Torino’s Bad Taste in Men.

All this to say… afohiko is hilarious to me, and I can draw/write them as hot disasters, in both ways oblivious to the red flags at the start and end of their relationships. Emphasis on hot. You think Prime Torino’s hot, right? Did I succeed in my agenda?