Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter-1 

˚₊⋅─── /ᐠ - ˕ -マ ───⋅ ˚₊

The bell rings with a shrill noise, and the students start packing their belongings as their teacher concludes the lesson for the day. They chatter loudly, filtering out of the classroom steadily, and bid their goodbyes to their teacher, who smiles brightly in return.

Izuku watches his students leave cheerfully with fondness, waving his hand happily to the more reserved ones, hoping one day they will open up more and approach him with confidence.

Kouta doesn’t follow his classmates and shuffles towards him, with Eri right behind him. "Sensei-No, Big Bro Midoriya!” They say it in unison, making Izuku huff out a laugh. “What do you want, you little gremlins?” Izuku gives them his back and starts shoving whatever was on the desk into his briefcase as he half-heartedly regards them, acting indifferent just to annoy the little brats who are responsible for most of his stress. He would say it's only to get back at them for annoying him relentlessly. 

“Broooo~ Can we go out!! Give me a permission slip. Please!” Kouda whines while tugging at his blazer. Izuku is already shaking his head in disapproval. What should he ever do with them?

“Ni-chan, please!” Eri joins the tugging, now swaying him from side to side.

“No. You know there is an increase in villain attacks; you just started school, and no, you can’t fight them yet. Stay in the dorms, and in case of an emergency, call me.” He gently pries away their smaller hands and ushers them outside the classroom, despite their constant protests and weak jabs. They should try harder, maybe then he would budge. 

“We wanted to go to the mall…meanie…mido.” They mutter dejectedly. No, Izuku isn’t being controlling or unreasonable; he just really thinks staying safe is more important than shopping or wandering around when villains are at an all-time-high recently.

Seeing Aizawa snicker at his weariness from the doorframe mildly irritates him. Aizawa ignores his silent betrayal and simply pats Eri’s head as she passes him with a sad wave to return the gesture.

“Aizawa sensei.” He greets, collapsing on his chair. Kids are very tiresome, they somehow manage pull the strength out of his legs every single day. Very scary if he must say.
“Midoriya.” Aizawa stands behind him with fond eyes. 

“See how hard my job is? You kids were always looking for trouble.”

“You say that every day, sensei. Trust me, I feel terrible for what our class has put you through. Kids, hell-those ugh damn these kids are going to give me white hair sooner than later.”

Aizawa raises an eyebrow at the choice of words, amusement playing at the corner of his lips. But then again, his problem child had grew more confident and free in his speaking mannerism, yet Aizawa sometimes still misses Midoriya's occasional stutter, his high-pitched voice, and his over-the-top politeness. It was slightly annoying at worst and a trigger for cuteness aggression at best. 

Now Midoriya’s voice is deep and firm, straightforward, and at times snarky. The muttering is still there, just not in front of his students and all that often anymore. Aizawa was internally saddened by its gradual decrease in appearance, after all it was and hopefully continues to be his problem child's signature trait.

Aizawa briefly wonders if Midoriya is keeping his mutter in check to maintain his image in front of his class or is owning to the fact that he is usually blunt with his lessons and direct instructions to his students that it leaves no room for mumbling. Yeah, that's probably it. Indeed no free room for Midoriya's rampant thought process to overwhelm his students.

The two of them chat a little, whether it was about Bakugou going down on the charts due to the increasing chronic pain in his arm or perhaps how his personality couldn’t truly be mellowed down despite their combined efforts or about the fact that Midoriya is clearly lonely and misses his friends and hero life with every day that passes. Well that was uncalled for, he isn't a sad pile of loneliness. Or at least that's what he convinces himself before going to sleep.

Izuku only vaguely answers that question, but he knows Aizawa is worried. Aizawa lets it go albeit reluctantly, he can’t help but feel bad for all that his kid lost and experienced and that fact just never stops making him worry for the resident green bean. The scars are too deep, and as his teacher, there is just so much he could do and there is much he regrets not doing. Since his Midoriya's friends can’t see him often or spend enough time with him anymore, he silently re-promises himself to be by Midoriya’s side until one of them hits the bucket, preferably if it is himself.

They eventually part ways, with Aizawa getting ready for his patrol and Izuku going to the teacher's dorm. Izuku sometimes misses the Heights Alliance, the memories he made there, both good and bad flash before his eyes when he passes by the building that is so different, the only part that's kept the same is its name and location. That alright though.

He was out of the building when his phone dings with a notification; it was All Might. All Might asks him to meet near the airport, and so he walks to the parking lot with curiosity lining his features. As far as he is aware, his mentor was going to the US for a short visit and he already sent his farewell text. He shrugs off the thought and strolls ahead, a tune on his lips.

Two kids are playing rather roughly near the asphalt while he is monologuing some sentimental crap in his head, and before he knows it, he is running forward and catching the reckless kid in his arms, scraping his elbows on the pavement. Well, that stinks, because that was a nice dress outfit, moderately expensive and all.

The boy sheepishly mutters a ‘that was close’ and scurries off, leaving his friend without a second thought. It is awkward as the middle schooler hurries to lift himself up before Izuku can offer his help. An admiring glint shines in those black eyes as he recognizes Izuku as the famed Deku who played a big role in the paranormal liberation war and sputters about his admiration towards him and also starts rambling on about his own insecurities. 

Izuku waves his arms bashfully at the sparkly compliments and is quick to give the boy some well-meaning reassurance. 

They have a nice little talk before Midoriya tells him that ‘yes, you could also become a hero’ , the exact opposite to what he was told at that age. A strange feeling of nostalgia and dull pain grips his heart, and he can’t help but look back at the time he kneeled and cried after All Might told him those very words. What a day that was! He chuckles dryly at the precious memory, waving to the middle schooler as he jumped happily and waved back, returning Izuku's enthusiasm ten-fold.

With more internal dramatic monologues, he gets to his car without any more incidents and drives to the airport, and now he is facing All Might’s frail form with contained curiosity. 

All Might is holding a brief case of some sort, oddly similar to Hero costume bags. He proceeds to explain that it is an advanced heavy-duty hero suit that functions similarly to his old one and weakly yet somewhat accurately mimics One For All’s power; it is plated with sturdy metal, so it is heavier than he would be comfortable with; however, in the face of this opportunity, he wouldn’t be anything less than selfish if he complained about its few drawbacks. There are a lot of questions on his tongue but he holds back, mentally noting to check it out for himself.

“I don't know what to say. This must have been terribly expensive.” He worries even as happiness floods his veins with what this briefcase can change in his otherwise mundane life. He could be a pro-hero; he could fight alongside his friends, he could be so much more than what he settled for. It might feel like cheating with having this handed to him, and not having any actual quirk, but he is not above giving a kidney or more if he has the chance to fulfill his dream once more. All these years, he tried to keep his greedy mindset at bay, but now? He wants to try one more time.

A wide smile, bright as the sun itself, stretches over his face as an equally happy All Might rushes to inform him that this was a gift heavily funded by his best friend Bakugou, with his students personally pitching in. Pride surges through him at their thoughtfulness, and he can’t help the tears that gather in his eyes. This whole thing feels like a dream. 

Happy. Midoriya is glad that he is happy. A hero always smiles, even if they carry an unbearable burden in their hearts and with the burden that comes with this choice he will continue smiling.

They discuss deeply over the costume, about mundane life and the good old times before parting ways for who knows how long. He hopes he can see his mentor soon. Oh, how he loves that man so dearly, his first savior and the father figure he never had, of course he loves All Might, he would die for him on command.

The hours pass in a blur, and when Izuku pulls himself out of his thoughts, the sky is already dark from his window, and the water he finds himself submerged in up until his neck is now cold and borderline uncomfortable. With a grunt, he pulls out the drain stopper and empties the tub. Stepping out gingerly while all kinds of thoughts still linger uselessly in his head.

He can feel a headache forming, and all he wishes for is to sleep it off. The fatigue is terrible, and he wonders if the kids are going to cut him some slack tomorrow. They are heroes in training, surely they're observant enough to notice his exhaustion even if he doesn't show it, right? Well. if not he would have a talk with them and just continue hoping that they tone down the usual ruckus. 

Damn kids. Stupid brats, they always make him worried, always give him headaches, and they never talk in indoor voices. Such headache-inducing people. Maybe in the end, he really needs to lower his expectations. 

Izuku tiredly forms a neat schedule for tomorrow in his head, not having the energy to write it down on the planner by his desk. As he dons a fresh set of pajamas, he wonders how hard it would be to get the HPSC to sign off on the documents that will allow him to be on the field. Probably not too hard if he gets the issue directly handled by Hawks, he might be a busy man but Izuku is quite sure the avian has a soft spot for him or he likes to believe that is the case. He likes to be coddled at times okay?

Yet he can't shake off the unease that stiffness his shoulders at having to go through that documenting process.

Sure, he is practically considered a hero; he even has his license and UA graduate degree, but after graduation, he never went through official procedures to become a pro because, by that time, he had already lost all the ambers of OFA and was officially quirkless, so in his opinion, it was basically useless to try, and he was so goddamn tired of everything at that time. He went on a brief break, enjoying clean air with his mother, then took a teaching degree at Aizawa’s suggestion. Fast-forward another year and lo and behold, his nerdy ass is a teacher at UA.

One long sigh later Izuku flattens his frown and lazily towel-dries his hair as he humorously muses if little old Aizawa did that to have just one of his kids with him, namely him: Izuku Midoriya, the biggest problem child and villain magnet.

The thought is quickly dismissed because, no matter the circumstances, Aizawa as his teacher, would’ve surely wanted Midoriya to be the pro-hero he so worked hard for. Sometimes Izuku feels like he disappointed so many people by his decision to not pursue heroism, his mother, mentor, teacher, Katsuki, friends and the civilians as well but could they really blame him? No. Not really but he sure beats himself up for it every damn day. Izuku is heartbroken for not being able to make that turn into reality and settle with this job, surely it's honorable and rewarding but he knows that he still dreams much bigger than this. But hey! Today, after eight years of wishing for something more, he was presented with a chance and he will snag that chance! No more moping around. Hopefully.

With how his temple is pounding sharply, Izuku decides that is enough overthinking for the night. He has a big day ahead of him, after all.

Heaviness befalls his tired eyes as he blindly navigates his way through his suddenly-too-big room and falls face-first into the comfy confines of his bed. 

Dreamland gently takes his hand into a world of illusion, and he gladly goes with it—no fight whatsoever. He is tired. Maybe concerningly so.

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After what seems like an eternity of facing pure, antagonizing darkness, Izuku opens his eyes and is faced with a jaw-dropping scene.

The past users of OFA and even the hazy yellow form of All Might are staring at him dead in the eyes. The last time he saw them was six years ago; he kind of missed them. 

On another thought, he can’t feel himself; if his memory serves him right, he is butt naked, with only the green shadowy wrap keeping his remaining dignity, not that his nakedness matters here. 

Izuku feels a bit of a tingle on his fingertips, and then some prickles burst in his feet, and now he can move. So he faux-calmly approaches the thrones of the past users. 

“You have made it ninth.” One of them says, Izuku looks from the corner of his eyes, giving them a sharp nod. Feeling overly confused and spooked as to why he is here again, Izuku silently regards the first user, Yoichi. He can’t speak with the foamy mist covering his mouth, and he sure knows that they get the message.

“It's been a while, hasn't it?” The first user commented off-handedly. Izuku tries to ignore the stiffness he sees in Yoichi’s shoulder but that doesn't stop the alarms blaring in his head. “You must realize that you are back here for a reason.” Hikage intently gazes at him from the side before allowing Yoichi to continue.

Well, if he is being honest, he has no idea why he is here again. Why, after all these years, is he allowed to see what he once had? How did this even happen? Why was he in this forsaken dimension? 

Shigaraki. Midoriya remembers forcefully transferring One For All to the helpless villain in his last moments; then his power was no longer usable, and being told to let go of it; it was fully gone within the next year. And All For One has been defeated; Katsuki was the one to send him to a well-deserved death, so why? He had dutifully accomplished his purpose as the last OFA user. He made sure. They all did. Then that brings up the question of why and how he is here.

The answer? Izuku really doesn't know. But one thing he knew; he was never here for a good reason, a catch-up tea party with ghosts is highly unlikely.

“I’m sure you are confused. Allow me to explain, little one.” Yoichi takes a deep breath, now standing in front of his wrapped and very bewildered form.

Good, he could do with some explaining because his mind is tipping over a panic attack within the next three seconds if he isn’t getting any answers.

“ He is back. All for One. ” Izuku’s heart stutters in his chest at those dangerous words. 

What? No, he can’t be back. Izuku could just die of a heart attack right now and he wouldn't be sad.

He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back. He can’t be back — He can't!

They made sure he couldn't come back. Bakugou blasted him into oblivion. Shigaraki disintegrated in front of his very eyes. All the remaining members of the League of Villains were either arrested or killed. So there wasn’t anyone left for AFO to rely on.

Except if he has already planned this before. If he planted his seed of evil in an unknown victim and gave him his quirk. Or he might've split his conscience in an unsuspecting host body?

Can’t be. Haven’t they suffered enough? Hasn't he suffered enough? Why must this happen? Why must some humans be so greedy for chaos? The destruction from eight years ago—the war that killed and killed and took so much from everyone. Why? HOW?

“We don’t know how, but he is somewhere out there, whether it's just his quirk passed down to a hidden successor or he himself has sent his consciousness into a new body. It’s fully possible with his quirk. We can and can't expect anything from him. I don't know how, but sometime ago we all suddenly re-spawned back here with no explanation. Soon enough, someone else joined us briefly. A white-haired person covered in a dark red mist-similar to yours, and his eyes promise demise. We were somehow able to bring you here after lots of trials.” The silence stretches for a few uncomfortable seconds before he continues breaking Izuku's tattering sanity. How cruel of him to not let that information sink in his brain.

“We need to stop him.” First finishes with a ragged breath, eyes carefully scanning Izuku's shell-shocked expression. “Don't worry we will try to help you to the best of our abilities like last time.” No, that really isn’t helping.

“YOU need to stop him.” Kudo adds nonchalantly, but the fury in his eyes speaks of a different story.

Izuku loses all his strength and crumples to his knees, now a sorry pile of shaking bones and trembling eyes. The worst-case scenarios flash through his mind, green eyes flickering every second with a different emotion, varying from anger, horror, shock, sorrow, and lunacy. There he is, descending into insanity with the idea of having to repeat that nightmare.

He kneeled there, dead-still and concerningly unhinged, watching his carefully constructed world shatter before his two eyes. Well, metaphorically to a certain degree yet physically because for some unfortunate reason of bad timing and dramatic entering, the void ahead shifts into thick red fog and a white tuft of hair peaks at the very top, it is unsettling in the very least and violently triggering fight or flight instinct at worst.

The others seem to notice their uninvited guest as their heads snap towards the new addition, all tense shoulders and wide eyes. The other entity is still in the process of forming, so they quickly turn back to the last user, gazes mixed with expectation and entreatnes, and it makes him feel like he is shouldering society all over again.

And he can’t just say no; 'I have had enough of this shit' when Nana is looking at him with the most irresistible pleading puppy eyes and sad pouty lips. What is he supposed to do with that?

“Please Izuku. We are trusting you with this. So please put an end to this. Once for all, hmm?” Seventh places a comforting hand on his bare shoulder, and sadly, it doesn't comfort him even in the slightest. Also, Izuku has an irrational urge to correct him and tell him it is actually supposed to be 'twice for all' in this context. Call him crazy but he really is just a dumbass nerd. 

Diego and Bruce are sporting a somber expression, their eyes loosely regarding the red mist in the distance. While En and Hikagre pin him with soft gazes, worried but alert. Kudo is glaring daggers at the intruder, and Izuku makes an effort to follow his line of sight, knowing that he should absorb every bit of detail about this person while he can. 

White hair. That’s all he can get. How compromising.

Another white-haired figure pops up in his vision, and he is startled out of concentration. Yoichi just smiles at him worriedly, Izuku avoids eye contact because when he wants to be a coward he will be a coward, never mind the brave persona everyone regards him with, he too knows that just his hero-complex.

Looking towards his ride reveals the yellow shadow of All Might by his left, not saying anything but serving as a grounding presence in this isolated piece of existence. Izuku notes All Might’s lack of interaction on most of his visits here in the past, which is probably because he is the only one alive in this place if he ignores the threat.

Which he can't, by the way. He is here because of this threat.

Izuku desperately wants to grab his phone real quick and search ‘how to ignore the next symbol of evil?’ Maybe he was too desperate because, in the next second, he finds himself crawling away from this ghost land and blatantly ignoring the vestiges as they say or perhaps more accurately yell some probably important stuff.

He in all likelihood should be concerned. He should listen to what they have to say. Just turn around and see what is making them so distressed. He knows. Deep down, he knows.

It's that stupid white head. But he doesn’t want to see if his presumption is true. He just wants to get the hell out of here. Away from the promise of pain. Away from the dangers threatening his otherwise normal life. Away from the calamity that would befall Japan and hurt his precious friends again and now there are also his lovely students in the picture. 

No. His children can’t be hurt. They can’t be thrust into a war like he was. They can’t be the ones to shoulder this responsibility. It's not their job; it would never be under his watch. But, if he doesn’t want a repeat of history, shouldn’t he fight again? Face it head on? Not run away? This time properly, as it seems last time wasn’t a clean victory. It was never a sure win. What was he thinking living peacefully while this was brewing behind the shadows? How could he think it would just be over with someone like OFA? How was he so stupid?

Seriously, how stupid was he? How dumb is he? And yet he is trying to run away like the coward he is. Like the pathetic loser he was all those years ago. Those damned middle school years. His damned worthless self that chose not to do anything and even considered ending himself on more than one occasion.

Something cold and rough grasps at his ankle, and all Midoriya’s thoughts are rendered to a screeching halt in his head. 

Well, when did this villain in the making catch up to him? Real crazy shit, he usually is vigilant even in the middle of a panic attack.

He doesn't bother answering himself as he goes batshit crazy, kicking, screaming, and thrashing like a madman, the most unhinged threats lining his throat but never making it past his lips, obstructed by that green fog, his screams are muffled too, so the most threatening look he could muster is a bushwhacked dog- not exactly intimidating.

“You will see me again.” He stops as the voice rings inside his head. Inside not outside. Very strange. Incredibly terrifying.
“Take it as a warning, and prepare.” Slowly, very slowly, Izuku turns to look.

He is met with covered eyes, identical to how AFO had his covered in the first few times he crashed this place, and then right below is a mouth full of jagged teeth wholly unfitting into that jaw, a sticky red liquid pooling and spilling past those pale lips. He can now confirm it's not Shigaraki with the lack of crustiness.

Izuku kicks with all his might at the grotesque mouth but unfortunately his leg doesn't make contact with the hovering face. As horror washes over him, he numbly watches the figure pounce on him almost animalistically. Izuku hears some surprised and concerned shouts from behind, assumingly from past users, but his ears are ringing too much to be sure. 

Stringy blood drips into his face, and a hand is brought to his forehead. For a moment, Izuku thinks that’s it; he will lose everything under that palm, and he braces himself for the pain to set in. Skin touches skin, then a shrill scream rips out of his throat at the sheer pressure, and the world goes black. 

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Izuku wakes up screaming in the highest octave he can manage as a vocally untrained and tone-deaf male can. The pressure still crushing at the forefront of his skull, and the migraine from earlier now back in full force, harshly pounding the sanity out of his scrambled brains. 

His ears ring dangerously with warnings and pleadings, perhaps bells too. The room is still a blurry smudge of objects and shit in his screwed-up vision, so he sluggishly brings a hand to his eyes only to stop dead in his tracks as a greenish-black appendage makes it his line of sight. He blinks once, twice, and thrice, then flows the dark rope of matter to determine its source all the while hopping with every cell in his boys that it isn't what he thinks it is yet the universe isn't easy like that. There it is, wiggling at the base of his scarred sweaty palm, stretching over his fingers and spreading across the room with aimless branches sparsely sticking and looping around the furniture.

Black. Whip.

Oh, it is his good old black whip.

Wait what? Black whip? 

He would like to think that he is still dreaming, but the tingly sensation in his fingers and the crackling green lighting surrounding him are not helping his denial. As his eyesight further clears out, he can see the bright red lining of his lost power gleaming on his forearms, the sheer strength of it making his blood vessels expand and contract with every wave of rushing blood. It is a surreal feeling he hasn’t experienced in years. 

He missed this. This power. This multitude of sensations and emotions, and before he knows it, he is yelling at the top of his lungs, all loud and gruff, exhilarated and horrified at the same time because, what the actual hell, he has All For One once again, and it's awesome! And the reason for it being back is not so awesome!

Pause. Wait what?! 

Midoriya is absolutely floored, and he doesn't know how he even ended up on the floor. He is still screaming bloody murder, spouting shit after another, none of it above nonsensical and even toddlers concocted languages make more sense because he is crazy like that, especially under this kind of stress.

Good thing he is the only resident of the dorm, as Aizawa has moved out to the class 2A adjacent dorm and Izuku solely remains in the class 1A dorm since the other teachers have their own apartments. Izuku rolls around on his carpet silently  hoping his students aren’t hearing his very vocal mental breakdown with black whip, patiently following him adding to the dramatics of this not-so-comedic situation.

Once his torrent of horrified tears of fear lessen to a meek trickle and his crazed grin of happiness mellow into a twisted frown, he stops babbling thousand words per minute and actually sits down to think this shitscript over. The shitscript in question that is unfortunately his terribly terrible faith.

Realizing that OFA is still activated and uselessly draining his nonexistent energy, Izuku sits and scrapes his memories to remember just how the hell he dealt with this troublesome quirk again. It all soon comes back to him, and he swiftly retracts black whip into his body as the green lighting dissipates and the red lining disappears. 

Something familiar, heavy and strong settles in his body. Nostalgic is a nice word to describe his brief state of mind. Briefly, just briefly, because in the next second, his mind is a maelstrom of anxious thoughts and future planning, yet there are no clear instructions as to how to proceed from now on popping in his brain. It seems like he can never really get over his useless overthinking. Literally think of everything but the point. It stinks.

Not knowing what to do, he decides to confide this groundbreaking information in someone. Someone trustworthy. Someone who knew the beginning and the ending and was with him through it all. There are a select few but two that fit the criteria and one that checks all marks.

All Might? Maybe. No-probably.
But does he want to tell him? He should, yet all he can think of is his best friend. Kacchan. Yes, he should know what to do; he would be able to calm him down.

And so, with that thought in mind, Izuku reaches for his phone on the nightstand, stretching his sore muscles in the process just because he doesn't want to get off the ground and pick it like a normal person. Oh right, he is autistic. Not entirely normal after all, he just has so many issues to represent anything remotely normal. 

For a second, Midoriya thinks he might not be able to save the world this time if he has turned this lazy. Oh, how he misses his hardworking self. Not that he isn’t hard working anymore; it's just that he doesn’t have a reason to be that vigorous and energetic anymore. Izuku still works out every day, wakes up at ass-o'clock in the morning and goes on jogs, certainly keeps a healthy diet, but things like getting up to pick up his phone and drying his hair properly or changing that one broken light socket don’t sound too appealing.

In the end, the phone topples over, and Izuku is in a fanatic frenzy when checking for cracks. It better not fail; the technology of today is not supposed to fail him.

Eventually, he stops fussing when no faults are found and hesitantly scrolls through his contacts. He texted Katsuki in the evening with a long thank-you message with the latter having replied with a short 'of course nerd' and 'anytime' , so his number wasn’t too low in the contact list like most of the time. 

It makes him a little sad looking at his friends' contact, though, just sitting there with no time to keep in touch  and slowly but surely growing distant even if they all want to deny that glaringly obvious fact. Deep down, they do know and so does Izuku but when they do meet up nobody speaks of the mood-dampening topic.

The line rings once, twice, and some more times until the mechanical voice tells him to try again later. And he tries. And tries and tries, yet no pick up.

Just as he is about to panic more atop his underlying panic, Izuku jolts up as the cold junk of metal buzzes with a startling ring and makes him flop the device in the air a few times like a clown performing a bad juggle show before he answers back.

Katsuki's voice is gruff and heavy with sleep as he grunts into the speaker. Midoriya almost feels bad for waking him up, but on the bright side, he wasn’t dead in a ditch as he worried the case to be. Right then, his panic hits him in full force, reminding him of what he just experienced and what he was about to say. The alarms in his head start blaring at the unfortunate situation he has landed himself in, and Midoriya can’t help but start yelling all over.

[The voice call between you and Kachan has begun 00:02]

[[A/N: I don't cuss so just put up with the censoring.]]

“You better have a good reason as to why you’re f***ing calling at three in the morning.” 

“KACCHAN THIS IS BAD THIS BAD I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!”

 

“Nerd-”

"THIS IS CRAZY, THIS IS CRAZY AND I AM NOT CRAY CRAY!! YET!??"

“What the f-”

 

“BLACK WHIP!”

“ BLACK WHIP??? ”

 

"YES, ONE FOR ALL AND ALL!!”

“THE F*** YOU’RE SAYING??!!”

 

“ONE FOR ALL IS BACK which MEANS ALL FOR ONE IS TOO!!!”

“I NEED YOU TO F***ING CALM DOWN YOUR SHIT AND EXPLAIN!”

“CALM DOWN???? HOW??? EXPLAIN HOW???”

 

“F***ING TRY! OR ELSE, I’LL CONSIDER THIS ANOTHER PSYCHOTIC EPISODE AND GO BACK TO SLEEP CUZ I’M NOT SOBER ENOUGH FOR THIS!.”

"KACCHAN, ARE YOU DRUNK?!”
“NO, I’M JUST F***ING SLEEPY.”

 

“OKAY! I had a dream and I think I have my quirk back, and All For One might have returned in one way or another. UHH, SO I UM-UH NEED SOME HELP.”
“WHAT??!! NO, WHAT THE ACTUAL BLOODY MOTHER F***ING HEL??? YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS, IZUKU!!! HOW?! WHY!? WHEN! ARE YOU ON DRUGS??!”

 

“ I know. ”
“ THE F***?!”

Izuku is running in circles, pacing back and forth as he listens to Bakugou absolutely losing his shit and demanding an explanation that he currently doesn’t have the mental capacity to provide.

A meltdown is literally approaching him, and he hasn’t had one of those in years! So the idea of having a meltdown is further worsening his current mental breakdown, if that even makes sense. Simply put, he is a pile of overflowing anxiety and paranoia, and he isn’t able to speak properly. That's now everyone’s problem—well, Katsuki’s problem. 

It seems like his childhood friend can tell of his state from how ragged his breaths are in the other line of the call and the lack of words that are very much needed in this situation.

 

 

 

“Izuku breath. I will be there in a few, so stop panicking.”
“No. It’s past curfew, and you will be held up for long, and if you forcefully go to the dorms, it will be loud and still not quick enough, and you can’t wake my students.”

 

“Suddenly you know how to talk; so what do you suggest we do, smartass?”
“I will come to you. If my memory serves me right, I am pretty fast.”

 

“HUH? THE F*** YOU TALIN ABOUT? HOW FAST CAN A CAR-OH? ARE YOU REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT HAVING ONE FOR ALL!!?????? THE-”
“See you in a few.”

 

"WAIT, YOU CAN’T BE SE-”
“ Hang up.”

 

 

[The voice call between you and Kacchan has ended 04: 37]

With that task done, Izuku pockets his phone with shaky hands and heads to the balcony, wobbly on his feet from both paranoid fear and uneasy elation.

Green crackles of light flash surround him as he steps over the railing and takes a deep breath. He hasn’t done this for nearly a decade, and he can’t help but feel like a stranger in his own body. There is still vague familiarity sparing on his skin, but it isn’t nearly enough to get him used to it after all the time that has passed without OFA.

Despite inner turmoil, his glowing emerald eyes quickly scan over the Heights Alliance dorm, checking for any lit windows, and he is disappointed to see a few up. Well, he would just have to lightly scold them tomorrow. That is, if he makes it safely to 

Katsuki's apartment and does not break his neck or any other vital bones in the process because sadly he is prone to that shit.

In the next second, his legs are charged with bright, hot energy, and he is jumping from one roof to another, and like a second nature, a black whip spurts from his hand and latches on the poles and structure, giving him a smooth flight in the night’s chilly wind. Right. He forgot his jacket. It is very unfortunate that the weather is very cold to simply just ignore the chill.

Not the priority anyway. He has better things to worry about.
Like meeting Katsuki in one piece, scolding his students, and perhaps re-save the world, uh, Japan precisely. Oh, and tell All Might, who might or might not be on vacation. All in all he has to live to retell the tail, doesn't he? So yeah, too many priorities. Blasted. Evil bastards who make him work overtime.

Screw the ones who are born with evil in their hearts. Izuku chants in his head like a possessed shaman as he glides through the city skyline.

Focus. Focusing on his breathing and the tremendous power laying dormantly below him makes him relax easier. One thing he is happy about is that controlling the amount of strength he uses is much easier than it was as a teenager. He would have to write a lot of notes in his notebook, but for now, he would just gladly bask at the thought of using OFA freely without breaking any bones.

And, oh shit- incoming pole.
Fortunately, he dodges, but not before smacking his ear against the metal and bruising the area around his sideburns. Meh- dull pain in his old friend. Pain is the greatest motivator after all. 

Yes, what a great saying! Feet accelerating, brain fogging up, Izuku launches further ahead, spotting Tokyo's downtown apartment compound, and fires a black whip into the closest building wall to propel himself into the next building.

Sharp veridian eyes zero into one specific balcony and jump with just enough strength to not break the flimsy floor of it. Once he settles with a quiet thud, he looks down and is surprised to see speckling of blood around his feet. Before worry can take over, confusion butts in, he raises his feet to inspect, and, goodness gracious, he didn’t wear any shoes! With all the stunts he pulled, of course, his feet would tear! Such an unceremonious revelation.

How dumb of him! The only thing he has on right now are his pajamas and phone.
Hah, what a not-so-great start! He would get over it—no problem, just a few scratches. Bloody deep scratches that are definitely nothing but flesh wounds.

After disregarding his minor injuries Izuku just stands there for a good thirty seconds, trying to organize his thoughts and form a proper explanation, and during that time he is mildly disappointed that Katsuki still hasn’t realized his presence, still lacking a bit in terms of observation, huh? No wonder he fell short on the hero ranking list yesterday.

His wild brain calms down a fraction, he looks around and notes that the glass door is locked, so he decides on following the best course of action: knocking, genius. Seriously, what else is he supposed to do? Break it? Nah, he was over those days.

Sooner than later, he is greeted with the mildly humorous sight of a peeking, burrito-blanket-wrapped Katsuki from behind the curtains. His stealth skill is very admirable if Midoriya is lying—no, if he is being honest. On another note, Katsuki would really suck being a hero without his quirk; he might be quite smart, but more often than not, he doesn’t put his brain to good use.

Shame for shame.

“Get in, nerd! AHH HELL, YOU WERE SERIOUS!!” The blonde yells like it isn’t almost four in the morning, and the majority of the residents are not sleeping or trying to freaking sleep.

The vegetable-haired man looks at him in confusion for a bit, wondering why Katsuki is acting like he grew a second head, and then it clicks to him when his eyes follow 

Katsuki’s line of sight, and there it is in the form of black whip. It is still trailing behind him with no real intention put behind it, just like a lost puppy with infinite ‘please adopt me’ charisma. 

“Yeah… I was kind of serious, not gonna lie.” Pathetic response, but that’s the only thing that popped into his mind; it is very scrambled; his mind, nothing like his usually calculated or clever replies. He can’t really be blamed, can he? It was a crazy day and he is still very much in a subdued panic state.

“NAH, YOU GET YOUR NERDY ASS IN RIGHT THIS F***ING INSTANT.” Bakugou has the decency to step aside to let him in. At least he has enough brain cells to not have this very important conversation outside in the cold. He is freezing alright.

“Okay Kacchan.” Is his simple answer. He timidly retracts his black whip and lands one foot inside before he is stopped.
“Don’t okay me- WHERE THE F*** ARE YOUR SHOES?? AND JACKET??!” Midoriya blinks at him dumbly, fluttering eyelashes and all, and Katsuki is having none of it.

“You are not getting those dirty ass feet inside and bloodying my clean floor!” He reluctantly takes a step back and tiredly stares at his friend, waiting to hear the better solution that doesn't include letting him in, and cleaning up the mess later. But Katsuki is a strange man who doesn't think normally. Very fitting of the best friend title now that he thinks about it

“Stay right there, you moron; I’m going to bring a towel or some shit.” With that, he is gone, and Midoriya is left standing there like an idiot on the balcony. 

The people who don't know better would think he is a depressed kid, failed by adults and contemplating life, perhaps also ready to take a leap of faith and die alone. That's oddly descriptive? Probably because he was forced into that position several times throughout his life. And if Izuku thinks hard enough he would come to a conclusion that right now he isn't far off that breaking point. But he doesn't. He doesn't think.

Izuku sighs in forlorn exasperation, and as if the universe is laughing at his misery, a freezing gust of wind rushes over to his vulnerable body and gives him a terrible whiplash akin to to Todoroki Shouto's freezing open-palm-slap. He was unfortunate once to end up getting hit that one time Shouto and Katsuki fought and Izuku hates that he just experienced it  again. The wind won't even apologize like how sweet Shouto did.

Anyways, Izuku just knows the night isn’t going to be easy in the slightest. Just his damn luck, or rather, misfortune.

And Izuku hates this story development. His story was supposed to end. This shouldn’t have continued.

Well, the enigma on the other side of the city has other plans for the local broccoli’s future.

End Of Chapter-1 

˚₊⋅─── /ᐠ - ˕ -マ ───⋅ ˚₊

Chapter Text

Chapter-2

˚₊⋅─── /ᐠ - ˕ -マ ───⋅ ˚₊

For the record, Izuku is not an idiot, but only for a second; he lets his body take control, and where did that take him? The balcony railing. And now so-not-conveniently perched up on the tiny bit of concrete.

Something urges him to  Jump -  huh? Where did that come from? His mind races because even if he did still have suicidal thoughts pass his mind ever so often, Izuku has not acted on them for a long time.

What could have triggered this impulsive urge? Oh, he knows the answer very well. He is not ready to face his reality or his illusions. This situation is causing his suppressed emotions and inner demons to rise from the pits of his stomach and swarm his system. And it's all All For One's fault.

Seriously, when is that guy going to stop creating problems for Izuku?

Izuku sighs resignedly and lets the cold air sweep his hair and brush his pink skin. His feet sting a little as he awkwardly shifts his weight from one leg to another, silently cursing his explode buddy for taking his sweet time with that stupid towel. Izuku wonders if Katsuki forgot about him or if he was pulling his leg. He will be in trouble either way. 

Why? Because Izuku is freezing, teeth chattering and all. And he can’t handle this shivering coldness, this crushing responsibility, this impending danger. He can't .

He might abandon everything and jump to his death.

It's cold, and nobody can blame him. He is going mental. No, no one can blame him. No one should blame him; they really shouldn’t when the burden on his shoulders is the size of the Himalayan mountains.

One, two, he inhales. Three, four, he exhales.

Hell, the air he breathes is frigid in his throat. He hates the feeling.

Never mind, he will take care of it.

Dying is the only option.

One foot in the air and then-

"Hey, I got the-! Izuku!? Get away from the ledge!" Katsuki suddenly appears behind him. Before he can protest, defend, or do anything, he is pulled back from the ledge and flung unceremoniously into the apartment. He crashes into a shelf, causing a few books to fall over his head and intensify his migraine.

Izuku wants to pummel Katsuki for doing that but all he does is groan and slump against the hardwood. The despair washes over him in waves, and he feels utterly defeated for so many reasons that he can’t start listing.

"That was uncalled for," Izuku grunted, watching Katsuki shut the glass door and pull the curtain, all the while glaring at him. The intensity of the glare makes Izuku feel as if he had unknowingly eaten Katsuki’s daughter.

He knows why he's getting snarled at, so he doesn’t comment on Katsuki’s unsightly expression. 'Ugly' would be an underestimation, he muses. Wait, he is a positive person; he probably shouldn’t think like that about his friend.

“Uncalled for? Uncalled for? You’re f***ing crazy. Do you want to explain why the hell you did that? You know what? Don’t bother.” Katsuki scoffs and walks over to him, disapprovingly clicking his tongue when he sees the mess of books and blood.

Izuku wants to apologize as he is always causing trouble for his childhood friend, and he can't stop feeling bad about it. He vaguely notes that tears are gathering in his eyes, and it seems like his emotions are going haywire.

“Don’t,” Katsuki warns. So Izuku doesn’t. He doesn't apologize.

“Don’t say anything yet. Let's take this slowly. Bit by bit, okay?” Katsuki mumbles irritably, but his eyes are soft, and the hands inspecting his feet are gentle. Uncharacteristically so. Sometimes, Izuku is startled by Katsuki's fluctuating personality, as he is not yet accustomed to it. However, he still appreciates the kindness, even though he is more used to Katsuki's blunt and rough affection.

Katsuki looks up to meet Izuku's watery eyes, patiently waiting for him. Izuku nods, and in return, Katsuki hums and grabs Izuku’s ankles, cleaning his cuts.

"Let’s start from the top. How did you know... how did this happen, Izuku?" Izuku blinks, his tears clumping on his ridiculously long lashes as he rewinds his brain to form the right sentences. However, he ditches those thoughts and settles for three words, the three most appropriate words in this situation, in his opinion. "I don't know," is his eloquent answer. Very well thought out. Katsuki side-eyes him. "Don't shit with me," maybe not.

"Okay, okay," Izuku huffs." So, uh, I had this dream. You know, the one I told you about way back before? The One for All vestiges and stuff."

"Yeah, the vision or something, right? The last time was in the second year before you lost the embers. You said it was something like a farewell."

"Right, but even then, I only heard their voices. I'm unsure if I hallucinated them or if they appeared in real life. So it’s safe to assume that the last time I was in that dream-like dimension was during the war." Katsuki hums before leaving to retrieve the first aid kit from the nearby washroom.

Izuku is in the middle of the talk when the blonde reappears. "It's so strange. After eight years of nothing, just radio silence. Well then again, I don't have One for All anymore, so it's expected I wouldn’t have those... experiences again. Not that I was waiting for something to happen, okay, going off-topic, sorry about that. Huh, what was I saying... oh! The-" The words die in his throat as a low hiss slithers past his lips when Katsuki tightens the bandages roughly.

"Nerd. Focus." He ties it neatly, then leans over to fix the shelf and picks up the fallen books. Izuku internally scoffs. He is 100% sure his ill-tempered friend has never read any of those books beyond their summaries. Those books were a hundred pages at a minimum, and Katsuki is certainly not a person who enjoys novels.

He wonders if someone bought the books for him because it's unlike Katsuki to buy something he wouldn’t use. He is not an aesthetic person either, so that checks out. The last time he visited him, he forgot to ask about this out-of-character corner, and he figures that now probably isn’t the time to ask, given the tense situation at hand. The very situation he is not ignoring so he can muse over these humorous thoughts. Nope, not at all.

A snapping sound of fingers brings him out of his reverie. It was Katsuki’s fingers.

“Hmm, so I-uh saw the past users and they…they warned me.”

“About? No greetings?”

“Greetings? I don’t know…? Maybe, that’s not the point.”

“Right, I was messing with you. And the warning?”

Izuku purses his lips. The sweat collecting on his hairline is cold. His neck hair stands as a shudder runs down his spine. The thought of that evil incarnate sends him into a spiral. He doesn’t want to say his name. It's as if it will all become reality if he voices it out of his throat. But if he doesn’t and goes to sleep, then everything will be back to normal when he wakes up tomorrow.

A warm hand rests on his trembling shoulder, and he looks up to meet its owner’s eyes. Crimson red, sharp yet calm, meets emerald green, wide and scared. Izuku thinks he saw something akin to fear in the swirl of redness, but he doesn’t dwell on it. Besides, it was gone in the next second.

One sigh later, he is ready to continue. Well, maybe he's not, but his feelings don’t have a place in this matter. He can't let his fear downplay this situation. He sighs again.

"All For One," he whispers, his voice grave and dark.

Deep down, Katsuki probably had an inkling of the situation. He should have expected this revelation from Izuku, yet his reaction doesn't come anywhere near anything remotely accepting or that he had anticipated this. He freezes in shock at the revelation. Stiff as stone.

Katsuki doesn’t blink, speak, or even breathe for a whole minute. When he does, the look in his eyes is unnerving. The flash of fear is now back in full force. It's not just fear - with how wide his eyes are, it's pure, unmasked terror. Izuku mirrors Katsuki's expression. Now that he has voiced it, there's no returning to the peacefulness they once maintained. The carefully constructed reality has shattered, leaving nothing solid to pick up and patch up together.

"Are you kidding me?" Izuku watched silently as his friend grabbed his head and stood up to do something. He didn't know what Katsuki was going to do. There was so much uncertainty and hesitance. Bothering to wonder seemed useless right now.

It's frustrating, but it's not a new feeling. They haven't experienced it for a long time, which makes it even more frustrating. "I'm not. I wish I was," he said. "I know. I really know," he replied.

“Should’ve seen this coming,” Izuku looks down solemnly. “Should’ve seen this coming?” Katsuki stares at him incredulously. The silence stretches, doubt hanging in the air. “Izuku, I killed that bastard,” Katsuki asserts. “You didn’t,” Izuku refutes.

There is a tense pause before Katsuki snaps angrily at his face.

"Huh?! Okay, I didn't kill him, but I did push him to his downfall. We saw him die!"

"He didn't exactly die. He just...reverted himself to nothing."

Katsuki levels Izuku with an unreadable gaze in his eyes before yelling bitterly at the world. Izuku was met with frustrated sounds, but no actual words in response.

Because indeed, none of them actually killed him, AFO simply canceled himself, in whatever way that made it possible. He went from an ancient deformed potato face to a cocky middle-aged man after that he became an ugly baby with bulging eyes then nothing. There were no remains of a fetus, embryo, or even a zygote found on the battlefield, so it's safe to assume that the man ceased to exist. However, due to the extensive contamination and destruction, there wasn't much to be found under the rubble and amidst the corpses anyway. It's still disturbing to think about, no matter how many years have passed.

But that’s not the point. Maybe it is, but it isn’t the main point, they’re getting off-topic. Staying on track is harder than he thought. Izuku sighs again.

“Kacchan. Listen, there is more.”

“Of f***ing course, there is more.” 

A few disgruntled groans later Katsuki is finally out of his head and paying enough attention to him. Izuku can’t help but sympathize with his friend’s inner turmoil. His internal bedlam isn’t better, only barely kept from spilling out.

“The first user told me after One for All was gone, they were gone too, excluding All Might. I don’t know how that works exactly but I guess they didn’t simply die but rather had their consciousness locked in that domain or something of that sort. He said after some time they came into existence again and strange things started happening since then. A strange man intruded. At first, they thought it was All for One but later confirmed that no- it's not him but someone connected to him. They’ve not seen his face, I haven’t either so the identity is unknown. With the threat looming the vestiges tried to rekindle One for All, I’m not sure how long it took or when this all happened but today it worked. And here I am.” Izuku says all of that in one breath, his mouth running faster than his brain.

Izuku’s face is solemn and he knows Katsuki hates that look. Although, Katsuki doesn’t say anything and watches as Izuku takes a moment to breathe. Izuku can say the words didn’t even fully register in his head but Katsuki’s smart, he can lament on that later. For now, they have to keep themselves together.

“Since One for All has already chosen me as the last user I can’t pass this power or responsibility to someone else. I-I can’t even if I could I can’t do that to someone else. Even if I know I have a quirk again I…I don’t know…This whole thing is driving me crazy Kacchan. I don’t know what to do and I don’t want to do anything.”

The solemnity in his tone is gone and replaced with suppressed fear and anxiety. Izuku is falling apart under the invisible pressure placed on him. 

“The war. It took so much from us. A whole f**ing lot. No matter how brave people call me, no matter how strong my hero-complex is, I…I don’t think I can do this a second time. I know I won’t be alone, I won’t have to be, but I don't have the energy this time, and I'm certainly not the same reckless teen. I don’t have in me; That urge to act. It’s selfish. I am no longer suitable for this role. Kacchan. ”

He knows he is being pathetic. Utterly selfish and a grade ‘A’ coward. It doesn’t suit him. It isn’t what people remember him as. They remember the strong-willed, greatest fighter and the unrivaled hero Deku who saved Japan -the whole world actually.

But him? He is just a quirkless teacher who is trying to get by. Maybe help the next generation of heroes while he’s at it but that’s it, nothing more and nothing less.

They don’t know him. They don’t know that he is struggling with every day that passes by. The voices who mock him for his failures and the scars that ache as a reminder. They don’t know shit. And Izuku can’t pretend to be the same boisterous boy he once was. Full of life and reeking positivity. Everyone's friend and the class’s resident sunshine. The golden goose of UA and the one that declared victory.

That young green-haired lad isn’t him anymore. Izuku Midoriya isn’t Deku and Deku Isn’t Izuku Midoriya. But. If not him then who? Who is going to do it if not him?

Here comes the problem. He is unwilling to entrust this responsibility to anyone else. He might be a namby-pamby now but cruel was never a characteristic of his. He will never let anyone else shoulder this burden and there he can rest assured that his selflessness is still somewhere in him. Yet, it doesn't make anything better for him. He can’t pass this power even if he wants to and can’t step away from the incoming war when he is the center of it. 

“Izuku? Izuku! F***ASS NERD! LOOK HERE!!” Izuku jolts out of his thoughts at the sound of Katsuki yelling. He hasn't even realized the hands on his collar. It seems like he lost his touch if he wasn't aware of his immediate surroundings. 

“Huh? Uh yeah? What's up?” It sounds even dumb in his own ears. Katsuki is twitching with some strong emotions that Izuku would rather not name.

“THE F*** YOU MEAN ‘HUH’??!! YOU WERE SPIRALING! BASTARD DON’T 'WHAT’S UP’ ME AND SNAP THE F*** OUT!!” Well, that was certainly grounding. Not exactly comforting but that was never Explodo-man’s speciality so Izuku wouldn’t fault him.

“Kacchan talk.”

“HUH??!”

“Just keep talking. I-I can’t think right and I don’t want to hear what my head is telling me. So please?” Izuku pleads, shoulders shaking with the mental pressure harshly pressing him down into the black pits of his brain’s confines.

Katsuki is still put off by the whole situation and with how poorly Izuku is handling this, the blonde can’t help the anger that rises in the light of this misfortune. But if he can’t help his friend he would be damned for letting the green bean shoulder this alone. He would do this right this time, damn it!

Izuku Knows what his friend is thinking and smiles wobbly when he sees the man hardening his eyes with determination. However, with fists clenching and unclenching, Izuku might get punched in the face before being comforted.

And punch he does.

A heavy strike lands on his pert nose and an obnoxiously loud crack resounds throughout the otherwise quiet apartment. Blood spurts in the shape of a rainbow, and with the amount of blood gushing out of his nostrils there might as well be one. Actually no, he is just exaggerating. On another note, Izuku saw that punch coming from a mile away but made no move to avoid it. Why? He needed it. A grounding sensation of sorts. He is weird like that and that’s mostly Katsuki’s fault. They call it bad influence. He calls it soulmate shenanigans.

He presses his shirt to his violated nose and levels Katsuki with an indifferent look, waiting for him to go off. Katsuki huffs angrily, and Izuku already knows what he will say. He basically has it memorized. Ochako tells him that’s not normal. 

“FIRST WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO??! SECOND WHY THE F*** ARE YOU WHINING SO DAMN MUCH? ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON THE PRO HEROES? YOU THINK THEY CAN’T DO A GOOD JOB? THEY CAN’T HELP YOU? I CAN'T??!! HUH?! TELL ME YOU SHITTY BASTARD! FROM WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GETTING THOSE STUPID THOUGHTS!? WHO SAID YOU CAN’T DO THIS? YOUR BRAIN?! THEN TELL IT TO SHUT THE F*** UP!”

Katsuki tightens his grip on his collar and Izuku adjusts his shirt so he has more fabric in his hand to lessen his nosebleed. Katsuki is not helping. 

“AND YES! YES! YOU ARE BEING SELFISH! A F***ING COWARD! AND THAT’S THE BIGGEST PROBLEM YOU ASSHOLE! NOT ALL FOR ONE. NOT ONE FOR ALL! YOU!!! THE PROBLEM IS YOU! THIS IS NOT YOU! THIS IS NOT THE PERSON WHO LEADED THE WAR! THIS IS NOT THE PERSON WHO I PLACED ALL MY TRUST IN! THE WHOLE NATION DID TRUSTED! AND YOU KNOW THIS SHITTY ACT OF COWARDICE WAS NEVER A PART OF YOU! WILL NEVER BE AS LONG ST THE TWO OF US ARE ALIVE!”

Katsuki is shaking. Izuku doesn’t look at him, fearing what he would see in those burning red irises. He doesn’t even attempt to stem the steady blood flow from his nose, his hands by his side as he retreats to the shelf.

Katsuki is in his personal space and trembling with emotion, heavy breaths stroke his neck and Izuku can’t help but feel bad. For what? He doesn’t know. Everything. Maybe. He isn’t sure. That’s why he needs to listen to what Katsuki is saying. To understand what exactly is wrong with him.

“LISTEN YOU B****!” He wasn’t expecting the slap. Izuku takes great offense to that action because he was indeed listening until the smack on his cheek landed and pain shot into his botched nose. And a female dog isn’t the best insult by the way. He listens anyway.

“I DON’T CARE IF YOU ARE NOT THE SAME PERSON! I KNOW YOU CHANGED! HELL, WE ALL DID! SO WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT YOU BEING DIFFERENT!? HUH?! THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT. WHAT I DO CARE ABOUT IS YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM THIS BECAUSE OF YOUR SELFISH DESIRES! BECAUSE OF YOUR MISPLACED SENSE OF JUDGMENT AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT IS IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THAT LEFT! BECAUSE FROM WHAT I SEE, YOU’RE JUST A PATHETIC LOSER WHO CAN’T BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY, HIDING BEHIND ME WITH THOSE SORRY EXCUSES OF YOURS. AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A MAN!? YOU BASTARD, WHY ARE YOU SO USELESS!??”

Katsuki screams in his face, and Izuku ignores the cannonballs of spittle. Now is not the time to wipe his face, no matter how much he wants to. Besides, his face is already plenty dirty with all that sweat and blood, and soon, tears will be staining his blotchy eighteenth-century painting-like face. Awesome comparison if he must say. Completely out of topic. And so he refocuses his attention on the raging pomeranian, dismissing the disgustingly mighty globs of saliva that are spraying on him in favor of getting out of the emotional void he has been stuck in since Katsuki’s angry rant.

“ANSWER ME GODDAMIT!” Izuku looks up. Katsuki is panting with all the strain he bestowed on his poor throat and has his eyes closed so Izuku is spared from seeing his fears. Irrational as they might be, but there are things Izuku can’t face head-on.

Katsuki leans in, his breaths slower, and tiredly slumps his head on Izuku’s shoulder, still holding the ruined shirt securely in his hands. Izuku stands frozen for a second before his hands rise to Katsuki’s back and pats him gently. It seems like the roles are reversed, but he doesn't mind. It isn’t every day for his childhood friend to seek him out like this. So openly. So defeatedly.

“You are strong. ” The whisper shoots through his ear like a fireball, and he is rendered stupid with that one statement.

“Huh?” The black sweatshirt wrinkles in his grip as his hands stop patting the man in his hold. He didn’t come here expecting much, but he was not expecting to hear this, especially not from Bakugou Katsuki. 

He doesn’t know how to respond. He doesn’t think he is strong. What he knows is that he is weak, naive, and useless. And, those are Katsuki’s words, and they are true; so why?

“You are the strongest  person I know.”

“You are the bravest  person I know.”

“You are the most selfless  idiot I know.”

Izuku cries. 

“But you aren’t weak.”

“You aren’t selfish or stupid.”

“You are no coward. Courage is damn scared of you.” Izuku chuckles wetly at that.

Katsuki might be close to crying as well. The warm tears falling on his neck and rolling over his spine make it hard for him not to. And those stupid words he is spouting. They are so cringeworthy that he might start crying from the cheesiness alone. He continues, much to his chagrin. The nerd sure needs it. Maybe he needs it too.

“Kacchan...” Izuku tries. He feebly tries to get a word in but gets cut off before he can think of what to say. 

“SHUT UP. I’m still talking. You're the one who wanted me to talk; don’t stop me now dumbass.” Katsuki lightly punches his shoulder to make his point clear. 

“Look. I hate to say this, but if there is one person who knows you like the back of their hand, it would be me. Hell, I know you better than you know yourself.”

“So, believe me when I say this.” Katsuki lifts his head, and their gazes meet. Both are so full of sorrow and malaise. Izuku blinks, his emerald green zeroes on Katsuki’s ruby red, and awaits the words he isn’t ready to hear but desperately needs.

“You can do this. You can do this because it's you; because you aren’t the same anymore, you’re so much more now. And you can do this because I’ll be there by your side. We all will be there. So you don’t have to worry. You don’t have to fear. You can only fight.”

Katsuki is resolute in his words and confident in his manner. Izuku cannot detect any signs of deception. His gut feeling urges him to trust. He must muster the belief that everything will turn out okay and that they will get it right this time. Katsuki is not someone who lies. Deep down, he already knows the truth, but he is afraid. He is scared to believe, and this fear is preventing him from facing the hard truth.“That’s what we did back then, right?” A hand snakes around his shoulders.

“That’s all we know, right Izuku?” Their foreheads touch slightly and then connect fully.

Katsuki joins his crying club.

“You’re right.” Izuku grins, one that is bloody and wobbly on his face.

“That’s all we know, and that’s what we will do.” He says wetly, Katsuki smiles wide and brightly.

“We will get through this, Izuku .”

“We will, Kacchan .”

Izuku slides his head into the crook of Katsuki’s neck and snuggles his head in there. An annoyed huff resounds somewhere above him, but it isn’t long before he feels a chin rest on his shoulder, albeit hesitant at first.

They stay in each other’s embrace for some time, thoughts running wild, blood rushing through their veins, and ears ringing with all the emotions flooding their systems.

Physical affection is something difficult to come by in their relationship.

Having a rocky past, complicated views, and a mildly toxic friendship is an understatement; things like hugs, shoulder wrapping, and playful tugs aren’t a common thing with them. Even when they mended back and talked out their feelings, they never had that typical best-friend dynamic like the rest. Just like how jabs and shoulder wrapping are normal between Eijirou and Katsuki, side hugs and hand-holding are

regular occurrences between Shouto and Izuku. But the two of them? They are always butting heads.

So Izuku takes advantage of the circumstances, holds his friend closer, and cries into Katsuki’s shoulder, prolonging the somewhat intimate moment as long as he can. He feels like Katsuki is doing the same thing if the tightening hold is any indication. Well, he isn’t complaining, he is just damn happy he got a hug.

[A/N: And Hugs Bish! (crtome)]

Eventually, they pull apart, with Katsuki making a show of shoving him away and grumbling about clinginess. He only smiles at that. It was oddly surreal now that they were out of each other’s space. He hopes they could be more expressive daily, not only when one of the two is going through an existential crisis. 

After what seems like an eternity, they silently end their staring contest and look away in embarrassment from the earlier situation. With a nod, they start tidying the apartment. 

Surprisingly, Katsuki speaks first. He is uncharacteristically quiet when he asks some questions, which Izuku is more than happy to answer. They discuss the custom hero suit, its shortcomings and advantages, and what they would do with it now that Izuku has OFA again. It was supposed to mimic OFA quirks, minus danger sense, gearshift, and fa-jin since a support item can’t possibly recreate those powers.

They agree to proceed with the hero application and use the suit so it won’t go to waste with all the money and time invested in it then go pro hero and shit. Climbing the ranks is secondary and it’s best not to bring attention to himself. They will withhold the information of OFA and AFO for now but a select few would be told to keep a lookout for suspicious activity. As for preparations, they would have to discuss this with the UA staff and trusted pro heroes.

It's all easy to say but the two of them know it will be harder to act on. They will have to think about this thoroughly. Right now, their thoughts are driven by emotion, and it is best not to make rash decisions.

They discard the headache-inducing topic and somehow end up pouring all the ewwy gooey feelings and misplaced emotions, from when they were ignorant kids to weak-minded middle schoolers and all the way to traumatized high schoolers.

It's a conversation that spins around with many mixed feelings, some misunderstanding, different points of view, and a truckload of yelling and

crying. But, like always, they acknowledge their differences and agree to disagree. By the end of the day, they will always be the bestest of friends with standards that they will only ever understand. 

Izuku finds himself smiling as he listens to Katsuki’s not-so-genius plans of obliterating All for One’s ass into the Naruto universe. Naruto is stronger than any of them in the comic, so it should be easy for him to finish the job. That is if he and Katsuki manage to fail a second time. Huh, isn’t that an annoying thought? 

Nice thoughts. Good thoughts. Shit and giggles. Yes, that’s what Katsuki said earlier. He should try harder to drill that shit in his head. Shit and giggles it is. Woah! Look at that, Izuku Midoriya, the brightest boy out there. The optimum of positivity is manifesting blinding goodness. Be prepared sucker-!

Suddenly, an alarm rings and startles their souls out of their bodies. “I AM HERE! WAKE UP! I AM HERE! WAKE UP! YOUNG BAKUGOU! WAKE UP!” All Might’s voice bellows through the apartment and past the supposedly soundproof walls. Maybe these aren’t the best noise-canceling walls because not even three seconds later, a loud thump followed by a ‘SHUT UP’ yell sounded from next door. He wonders if the neighbor was listening in the whole night. Better not.

Katsuki scrambles to close it but it keeps going, and Izuku remembers he has a terrible headache. It’s been a while since he last wanted to punch All MIght square in the jaw. He can’t be blamed when All Might is busy frying his brain with his voice. He is a wimp, so he won’t.

Katsuki chucks the offending clock into the wall and only misses him by the hair. How rude. Then again, if Katsuki isn’t rude it's probably Toga. She’s dead though. Or that’s what they like to think. Ochako gave her statement but a solid body was never found. One can never be sure, especially now with the situation with All for One.

“Nerd, I gotta go. Patrol and shit.” Katsuki shoulders past him and rummages through his closet. Izuku looks back and glances at the wrecked digital clock. He gasps when he sees the time reading 06:19. That certainly isn’t good. Shit always hits the fan when he is sleep deprived. Well, he will have to pull through today without attracting attention.

It will take twenty minutes to reach the UA dorms, an extra five if he avoids people while using One for All. Eight minutes to get ready, quick shower, and dress up. Six minutes to reach the main building and classroom. That is approximately forty minutes. Not ideal, but he can make do with it as long as he is there before 07:30.

Slacking at his job and showing up late isn’t something he wishes to do. Besides, he is like a role model to his students if he runs late to class, then what? Cry. No, no go now.

“Yeah, I can’t believe we sat here for three hours. Catch you later Kacchan or else I’ll be late, also thanks for the chat! Appreciate it!” He waves his hand as he steps onto the balcony. Katsuki walks out of the washroom and grunts dismissively with a toothbrush in his mouth.

Izuku beams at him and steps over the ledge. Before he could activate float and black whip, a hand grabbed his wrist, holding him in place. He turns to face his friend, a question mark sitting on his forehead.

“Izuku,” Katsuki calls softly, a tinge of worry slipping past his lips. “Hmm?” Izuku hums, listening closely as the cold wind brushes by.

“Stay safe.” He mumbles, cheeks pink with the frigid weather or the embarrassment. “You too.” Katsuki lets go of his wrist and he immediately activates float, grinning.

“Talk to you soon Kacchan!” He giddly yells as he launches a black whip behind him. Sadly, he doesn’t look back to see Katsuki waving back, smiling around his toothbrush but quickly twisting into a frown when he catches a pigeon giving him a judgmental side eye. The pigeon rolls its eyes and flies away, following a broccoli on the run. But of course, the vegetable man doesn’t realize that a fat bird is in his tracks.

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

His estimation was wrong, and now he has only ten minutes before the first period. 

Izuku drags his legs to class 1-A, and he walks like a dead man on steroids if that even makes sense. It does make perfect sense to him, though. That might be his tired brain playing tricks on him. Anyhow, the rationality within him is dwindling. He might do something stupid in front of his students today, and Izuku is not looking forward to it.

Once Izuku is in front of the gigantic 1-A door, he sighs and enters with zero expectations. On any other day, he would hope his students were orderly and disciplined, but not today. Something in his brain tells him to be sterner. To scold them like Aizawa. Right. He did tell Izuku that he was being too soft with them. Maybe he should take the advice and show these kids that this field isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, and they would have to learn the proper attitude that will heighten their survival rates.

And so he makes up his mind.

But! He would do that after greeting them with a warm smile and an enthusiastic wave. Well, that is with whatever bit of enthusiasm is left in his system. It isn’t much, but he will manage. He will have to live up to that resident sunshine shit.

[A/N: I have one more  HELP ITS 4:23 AM]

“Good morning, kiddos!” He announces with the liveliest smile he could muster. Izuku isn’t surprised to see only half of the class present despite there being only five minutes left for class. About eight notice his existence and greet him back, some with bright smiles and others with timid waves, then return to their conversations. 

Eri is right behind him and in her hurry, she bumps into his back and unceremoniously falls with a pout. Izuku thinks it's adorable even amidst his brain haze. She immediately brightens at his presence and takes his offered hand wholeheartedly. 

“Sensei! You’re here! A bit late, something wrong?” Izuku dumbly blinks at her before he assures nothing is wrong. Eri looks at him suspiciously before gasping and pointing at his nose, the silent question clear in her eyes. When he doesn't say anything, she pokes his arm and asks vocally this time.

“Did you get into a fight? What happened?” Izuku tilts his head in confusion then his eyes light up, and he brings a hand to cover his bruised nose. It seems like his foundation didn’t do a good job of covering up the discoloration. He had taken longer to get ready because he was struggling to set the bone back the right way. After all, he hasn’t been punched in the face in a while. 

“Ah, don’t worry Eri. I didn’t open the light and fell!” She is not convinced but she lets him go anyway. He appreciates that.

Kouta arrives sooner than later, greeting him with a quiet ‘good morning Nii-san’ Izuku nods but not without telling him to keep it professional.

These two gremlins are still used to calling him informally, and he has to keep reminding them not to.

“You okay?” Kouta gestures unsurely at his face. Izuku nods again, albeit with some irritation. He throws the same excuse he told Eri and Kouta surprisingly buys it.

The bell sounds with a shrill ring and the kids take their time to settle down in their seats, still chattering away. Of course, some are still missing, possibly running late as usual. The noise makes his eyes twitch and his headache back in full force. And everything is getting on his nerves. Izuku knows he shouldn't feel like this, but he had a rough night and his students' behavior is grating on the last of his patience.

He hasn’t realized until now how laid back these children are. That’s probably on him. For being too soft. Too forgiving. Too easy.

Now that he thinks about it, these kids wouldn’t survive a day in the real world. Maybe the few with awareness or past experiences of the terrible reality would. But the rest of them? They won’t make it five years past graduation. Sure, they are here because he has deemed them people with potential. But was that also because he couldn’t find it in himself to fail them? To turn them back to their mothers and say they have no place in this workline? Many of them don’t have the right mindset or the proper attitude. And while he tries to talk to them, he can't get through them.

Maybe he was doing it wrong? Was he spoiling them too much? Does he come off as an easy person? Someone they could play around with and not face the consequences resulting from their ignorant actions. It is very plausible. They did cause trouble more often than not, and he hasn’t once reprimanded them nor sent them to the principal's office. The school year just started, but they were already this relaxed. Troublesome? Ignorant? Do they think this place is a playground? 

Izuku loves his students. They are like his children, and he would die for them. However, if he indulges them like this, they will never learn the harsh ways of the world. They would always look back at someone and wait for them to solve their problems.

No. No, Izuku would have to fix this, not for his satisfaction, but for their own good. This has gone far too long, and it's time for him to let them hold their weight. It seems like he has given wheelchairs to people with perfectly functioning legs.

Alright, today’s the last day they get away with things. “Go back to your palaces!” He tries, his voice a little hoarse from crying with Katsuki.

“Quiet down! Class started five minutes ago!” They finally hear him and take their leisure time to settle down. He sighs and scrapes his brain for words.

“Sensei, how did you like our gift?”

“Yeah, you can be a hero again!”

“The first quirkless hero! How cool is that!”

“The upperclassmen also pitched in!”

“They said they were your previous students and had every right to butt in.”

Caught off guard by the topic, Izuku pauses for a second before a genuine smile graces his lips. It's small and a tad bit strained, but a real one nonetheless. He would’ve been a hundred times happier if not for what had happened last night and the newfound realization that his students are lacking in too many ways. Fortunately, kindness and goodness aren’t one of their shortcomings, and that is a start. 

“Yes, I wanted to talk about that. Firstly, I’m very thankful for this amazing gift. I haven’t even done much to deserve this. Secondly, you didn’t have to. Like really! Thirdly, I'm so happy, and I’ll use it well. I planned on going to HPSC to file an application and see if I could get any hero work done later. I talked with Dynamite, and he told me how much all of you wanted me to be a hero again."

Their response is immediate. Voices overlap, and Izuku struggles not to show his growing irritation. It is a great occasion, but he isn’t able to celebrate it wholeheartedly. Of course, he is thankful. It's just that today isn't a good one. So, he attempts to quiet them down and de-escalate the flourishing ardor of his children.

He tries and fails. So sad, and he will be mad.

“Guys, calm down.” Well, didn’t that go above their heads?

“I have something to discuss with you all.” That gets their attention, and they finally stop behaving like hyperactive monkeys. “I need you to listen well because this is serious-” He doesn't get to finish the sentence as six students slam open the door, all huffing and sweating like they ran a marathon.

Izuku stares and stares and stares. They seem to get the message on his face that reads, ‘You better sit your ass this instant if you don’t want to get expelled’ Izuku was having none of their tardy-ass bullshit today. What is this? Pass time? This is a hero academy, for goodness sake! They’re heroes in training, and yet they are late for class. Will they show up late for an emergency as well? This is worse than he thought.

They scurry off to their designated places and laugh nervously. Usually, their teacher would only lightly scold them or sigh in exasperation, it seems like he is not doing any of that right now. And they are correct.

“Well, as I was saying, before we start class, there is something you kids need to hear, and it's not going to be nice.” They hold their breath, waiting anxiously. Midoriya Sensei never addressed them with that tone before, and the times when he was genuinely serious were far and in between, according to their seniors as they had yet to witness their lively teacher do anything remotely scary or momentous.

“Let’s take attendance first, shall we?” Izuku doesn't wait for their reply he doesn’t call their names either. Two seats are missing; he marks absent for those two specific students and hopes they have a good excuse that’s not ‘ditching classes’. 

“Do you know why Ren-kun and Natsuma-kun are not here  again  ?” Most of them shamelessly shake their heads, others look away as if thinking, and the rest act like they have no idea. He would’ve believed them if they didn’t live together. 

Izuku impatiently turns to one of his more honest students. “Moto-san?” She licks her lips before meeting his eyes. “I heard they were…ditching class.”He hums and pins another student. “None of you thought to stop them? Ichigo-kun? You are close with them did you not see them ditching?” Tatsumi Ichigo jolts at the mention of his name, then smiles sheepishly, hand scratching at his neck awkwardly.

“This is part of what I wanted to talk about.” He moves from behind the high desk and stands in front of it instead. His furrowed brow and stern expression make the students shiver. ‘Oh, we are screwed’ Is their single shared thought at that moment.

“Okay, let me start with this. Do I look easy to you guys?” The silence is deafening before Moto squeaks out. “No, not at all, Sensei!” One of the shouts. “Yeah…what brought that on?” Another says. Izuku side-eyes him, and he shuts up.

“If you don’t see me as an easy person, then how come you do as you please? I think I’ve been a little too soft with you.” He sweeps a glance over them before continuing.

“Now, I didn’t want to spoil the mood from earlier. Thank you again, and I need you to know that giving you this talk doesn’t make me feel any less appreciative of your kindness. It just has to be done, and it fell on today of all the days. Understood?” A chorus of ‘yes sir’ resounds through the classroom.s. “Listen carefully.”

When everyone quiets down, Izuku nods and starts, “I’ve noticed the whole lot of you are awfully laid back half of you show up late to class, after class starts, or do not show up at all. It takes you ten minutes to settle down even after the bell rings, and it's not like I’ve not told you before to be on time, to be respectful of school guidelines, and to abide by classroom rules. It can’t be too hard to show up before me. It shouldn’t be an issue to postpone idle chat, and there can be no excusable reason to disrespect me like this by not showing up at all.”

“I’ve only known you kids for two months, but I’ve been observing you just as long, and it's more than enough for me to tell you that 90% of you don’t have the right mindset to be a hero. Am I right? You're sitting here but don’t know your ideals, goals, or motivations. What about morals? Are you on the right track on that topic?”

“You want to save people? Great! You want to support your family? Admirable. You want fame and money? Questionable. Check your morals. You came for fun? Go somewhere else. You only want to fight villains? Awesome! But for what honorable cause that isn’t for your own thrill? Do you want to save villains? That’s noble-minded you slim chances, though. Maybe revenge? That’s selfish to a concerning degree. You just want to be a good person? No problem. Try your best for whatever grand reasons you have.”

They seem to contemplate his words. Most are determined, some are confused, and others look down in shame.

“Alright, that’s all nice, and stuff, but look at yourself and tell me. Do you have what it takes? Are you ready to commit to this arduous journey? Can you sacrifice your mentality? Well-being? Perhaps your quirk? You can lose that in a second. What about your life? Can you give it so that someone else lives? Are you okay with your family living on the edge? You wouldn’t be able to see them often. Do you have it in you to be a hero?”

Izuku is mildly disappointed that their answer is not an immediate ‘yes’ or a fervid ‘we will work to it’, maybe an ‘I’ll earn it’ but, then again he is saying all this because they haven’t realized the implications of this job and therefore unsure of sacrificing their precious youth, they’re yet to put everything on the line to be a hero. And so he was expecting those dithering expressions of darting eyes and hesitant lips. Izuku could easily see those who were already rethinking their decisions. 

“Of course! I already knew what I was going to face when I applied!” Eri chirps. Her uncharacteristic confidence snaps the rest out of their thoughts. 

“I know Eri. I know you and a select few who are ready for this, but the rest? I’m not so sure. I’ve not seen anything that will prove me otherwise. From what I’ve know many of you have lived sheltered you might have had mishaps I don’t know of, but you don’t have no damn idea of what the outside world is like in this field.” 

“A side note, if you're troubled by anything, and I mean anything. Please do tell me. I know it’s hard because I never talked my thoughts out loud to Aizawa sensei until the graduation ceremony, and that too when I was under alcohol influence. Not because I didn’t trust him but rather because I didn’t want to burden him with my troubles. And it was hard; don’t make the same mistake and stew too long in your head and share your problems with me or someone you're comfortable with. End of a side note, by the way. Back to what I was saying-” He is interrupted by a sniffle. It wasn’t loud, but in the otherwise deafeningly quiet classroom, it was noisy enough to make all heads turn towards the culprit.

Yuri Hyakuya- a buoyant young man who gets along with most classmates, overly emotional and highly talkative. He is somewhat like himself, yet he can’t be further than him. But of course, he is crying. Izuku really should've seen that coming.

Miano Shoyo wordlessly hands him a napkin; Hyakuya takes it graciously and blows his nose hard into it, instantly ruining the delicately embroidered fabric with stringy snot and salty tears the four closest students to Hyakuya scrunch in disgust. Shoyo angrily whispers to him to keep it, but he insists on washing it and then returning it.

Izuku clears his throat, and all activity ceases, attention redirected to him. Good. It's a start, no matter how small. A glance at the clock tells him he only has half an hour before homeroom is over and Ectoplasm’s math class starts. Yikes, he would have to wrap up this quickly. They didn’t even learn anything, dammit. He was due to finish the fourth unit of quirk theory today, but of course, that won’t be happening.

“Hyakuya-kun, are you okay?” He nods slowly, and Izuku mutters an ‘okay’ in return. 

“As I was saying, If you truly want to be a hero, you have to go back and see where you stand, what you have to give, and how you will proceed. But even before that! You have to be a decent human being. You'll have to come to class on time! Do your homework! Be nice to your parents! Be kind to your peers and respectful to your teachers! Do not get snarky because we don't speak nearly as much as Aizawa Sensei. I’ve been letting you off on a lot, and you know it.”

He pauses. A certain hothead bearing an uncanny resemblance to Katsuki appears to be simmering in silence. Listening to this lecture was probably not on his bingo list. His name is Hayami Kenji. Kenji is quite close to the two who ditched class; he's probably regretting not going with them.

Then again, it's great he is here a lot of this talk; is directed to him. Kenji has serious mood swings, undiagnosed anger issues, and askew beliefs about society and its functioning in general. He would have to have a more in-depth talk with that boy, and Izuku is not looking forward to it. But hey! At least, he knows Kenji has secretly admitted to looking up to Izuku- well, Deku as a hero.

“I noticed challenging behavior and hoped you'd recognize your mistakes without me scolding you. But that has yet to happen. You're here right now listening to this lecture about morals and crap. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. So, make an effort to do the little things first. You guys need to take baby steps in terms of the right attitude. Fix your mindset and build yourself into a respectable person.”

He knows his impetuous speech is coming out jumbled now, and it's hard to keep the sentences connected and stick to context, perhaps not to repeat something he already said three times; like being on time. But hey! He can’t seem to emphasize that enough. They’re never on time, and it's always his class. So annoying. Utterly irresponsible for heroes in training! If Tenya taught here, he would have a heart attack on the first day and brain aneurysm on a daily basis. 

That is off-topic anyway. Izuku will have to wrap this up neatly if he doesn’t want to look dumb in front of his students. When will he get to look cool? He needs those charisma classes from Shouto- wait, he's dense, so maybe Mina? Yeah right. She is super weird, but Izuku would never say it to her face except if he is drunk.

He pulls some pretty dangerous stunts when under the influence, and when he wakes up the next day, half of the world is in chaos. It's usually saying something insensitive to someone or revealing part of his crippling depression. Sometimes it's the crazy shit he does with Denki and occasionally Sero, like wrestling innocent bystanders or destroying any furniture available. The worst is when Katsuki is drunk with him. They’re about to start World War VIII. That's how much destruction the wonder duo are capable of.

Off-topic again. Seriously, Izuku needs to get his brain back on track!

“There will be a time when you won’t have anyone to fall back on, but then you would already be too used to getting help from others, and then it will be too late to do anything. Life is unfair. Incredibly harsh. I’ve lived through the paranormal liberation war and came out victorious, but I never felt so defeated in both phases of the war. It was terrible, the losses. Gosh, the loss was never so devastating. And let me tell you, everyone on that battlefield did their very best, yet it ended in a calamity. How is that fair in any way? And I pray with every fiber of my body that you don’t go through the same thing. At least not when you’re still in your teens. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare for one. That you could lay back and wait for help.”

He isn’t sure if this is the right thing to talk about when the trauma is still fresh in his head, but the look on Eri and Kouta's faces keeps him going.

“And like I said, it's unfair- the standards; I mean, and it only favors the best, so you will have a hard time proving yourself. Trust me when I say this on the first day, Aizawa Sensei said I had no potential as a hero and should pack my bags because I broke three limbs on the entrance exam. And even if I did fairly well in the first-year sports festival, I only got one internship scouting from Gran Torino, who has gone off the record, probably because I broke my bones several times. Disappointing right? But what can we do? You've got to have a flashy quirk. Family connections and maybe not break your bones,” Izuku hadn't meant to joke.

He earns a few snickers. A small smile tugs at his lips before he looks pointedly at his two favorite kids. Eri and Kouta.

“However, despite all the negative aspects I mentioned about the reality of heroes., it's an incredibly fulfilling role. To save even one person is a big achievement. It might be a passing moment to someone else, but to the person you saved, you will be remembered forever, and if you have enough compassion and a good memory, you will remember them too."

"The feeling is exhilarating, and you can’t get enough of it.”

Kouta looks like he is hiding a smile of his own, ducking under his signature hat and intriguingly staring at the mesmerizing Luminol flooring. Excellent acting. He is the ultimate optimum of indifference, and nobody can convince Izuku otherwise. Eri is adorable with the pink blush dusting her cheeks.

“With that said, be someone you can be proud of. Someone I can boast about. Someone your parents will brag about birthing. Okay, that came out weird. You get the picture! You will try your very best, and I’ll be with you with every step. So stop fooling around and take this seriously, or else I’ll deem you unfit for a hero and expel you,” he threatens.

Judging by their quiet snickers and unbudging emotions they don’t believe him. Looks like they're going to learn the hard way; after all, he learned from the best. Expulsion is the greatest weapon a teacher can wield. It’s just a threat for now, but they don’t have to know.

“I am not joking kids If I don't see a change in your behavior, I will AND I will expel you. I have full authority to do so. Someone who takes my word for a gag is someone who can’t respect the basic ethics of a hero. Such a person has no place in UA, and I’ll not hesitate to send you packing or crying.”

That gets their sweat glands to work. Good. Let them be scared. Green bean no more. Gone is the bubbly boy gobbly goo teacher. Here comes Izuku Midoriya, which is a cinnamon roll that will kill you. Natsume called him a pushover last week he will see him eat those words when he pulls him aside this evening. Oh, hell no. He has completely forgotten that he would have to repeat all this to those twin ditchers. Maybe he could ditch them in a ditch? No. That might not be the best course of action.

Anyways. Izuku spouts some more about heroism and shit, complains a little for not getting any work done in this class, and chastises them for past misdemeanors until all points are drilled inside their head for good. Repeating it over and over, making eye contact with each one of them as he passes their desks, seems to do the trick. He is not taking chances with these chiclets, thank you very much.

By the end of his word vomit, they all seem to be reflecting wholeheartedly even Kenji is mulling over one shit or the other. Well, he in specific, has a lot of shit to ponder on; if he isn’t doing it already Izuku would have taken it to ground beta.

“So take my advice with a grain of salt and strive to be a better person.” He finishes off with that. A resounding ‘yes sir’ goes through the ringing in his ears, and for a moment, he can see the airy figure of Nana Shimura wiggling her eyebrows at him. What’s that supposed to mean, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t even wish to know anymore. Now that these ghosts have started apparating out of nowhere again, Izuku is ready to end it all. He has done his part in terms of teaching and saving the world. Now, please let him die.

The students began taking out their math textbooks. There are only six minutes till the second period. Izuku watches before an idea pops into his head.

“Right, since we didn’t get any work done today, we will have to do something else-” A series of groans in different pitches interrupts him. Izuku swears if they don’t stop cutting him off mid-talk, he is throwing all their asses in jail- detention.

“I know you don’t want it, but this will be an individual assignment. I want you to go back to the dorms, think over what I said, and then for the assignment's first part write down what you understood and what you should change in yourself. The second part of the assignment is a list of the ideals of a hero and their job ethics. I'll send you the details in an email, so make sure to check that later. The deadline is… tomorrow. And no, you cannot use chat-GPT or any AI tools. I will catch you and expel you.”

He grinned so wide some of the children paled, sweat barreling down at the threat but it's mostly at the face of his making. Oh, maybe he should stop hanging out with Aizawa. His creepy grins were starting to rub on him. Well, it may be too late to do anything about it.

“Ichigo-kun.” The boy perks up at the sound of his name, somewhat afraid of receiving more  lessons . He’s still shaken up from the creepy toothy smile.

“Go get those two before the second period and tell them to see me after school.” He nods a little too quickly and bolts out of the room. Izuku huffs tiredly and waves at them.

They bid him goodbye as he grabs his briefcase and heads to class 1-C. Suddenly, quirk theory doesn’t sound all that appealing. Why did he even sign up for two subjects and three classes he doesn’t know? He must've been crazy four years ago. Or maybe it was just Nedzu committing employee fraud, but how does it apply in his situation? Izuku would have to think very hard to gather evidence but won’t.

He doesn’t have the energy to stand on his feet, yet he dares to entertain the idea of fighting legally with his sadistic rat battered by a boss. Nope. This was a mistake.

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

And just like that, he finds himself going through the day on autopilot. Yamada Sensei poked fun at him a few times. Aizawa was sleeping in his grimy-ass yellow fabric caterpillar, so he didn’t see his miserable face, which he is thankful for. Snipe shoots  finger guns at him for whatever reason, and Power Loader mouths a ‘rough day’ all the while giving him a look of empathy.

Izuku is eager for the day to come to an end.

It's during lunch when he plops down next to his ex-teacher-turned-coworker. Aizawa grunts in greeting, and Izuku tiredly greets back. “Good afternoon, Sensei.”

Aizawa gives him a look before returning to his jelly pouch. Izuku knows the man is going to ask sooner than later, and he has no idea where to start. Aizawa is one of his most trusted people, so he wants to tell him what’s bothering him, just not yet. He doesn’t have the mental capacity to talk about it. Also, his throat has run dry with all the lecturing and teaching. They’re only halfway through the day. It sucks.

“Problem child,” there it is. Gruff in pitch and soft in tone. The typical ‘   I am worried about you, and you better spit out your guts right now, but I won’t force you to say it’s   the type of concern that belongs to Aizawa Shouta and only Aizawa Shouta.

“Later. I will tell you soon. But for now… let me sort out my thoughts, and then I’ll come and talk to you. You know I will.” Izuku smiles in the most assuring way he can. “Okay. You better.” Aizawa nods and gets back to his precious jelly pouch.

They sit in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's grounding presence as they finish their sorry excuse for a lunch meal. Lunch rush was beyond sad when he saw Izuku passing him with a coffee cup and an apologetic smile.

“I took your advice.” Izuku suddenly says. Aizawa looks at him curiously, waiting for him to explain. “I’ve been too soft.” A faraway look in his emerald eyes. Aizawa blinks, not sure where this is going. “ Yes, you’re too soft.” He says slowly.

“I’m going to start expelling them if they don’t get their shit together.” Gone is the stoic indifference, and now all that's left of Aizawa is the mania that sends him into a cackling fit and tumbling out of his chair. 

Izuku didn’t think it was that funny. But his so-called nonchalant teacher is laughing like a madman, so that counts as a win, right? Izuku supposes he wouldn’t know.

End Of Chapter-2 

˚₊⋅─── /ᐠ - ˕ -マ ───⋅ ˚₊

Chapter Text

Time Line - JUN (06/10/2194) First Semester

Class 1-A Batch 57 [18 Students] *Updated* 

[He was not supposed to look like this] 

Name: Akihiko Akagi

Age: 15 (03/27/2179) 

Gender: Male

Quirk: Rapid Fire (Emitter) - Shoots fire projectiles from the palms.

Personality: (Introvert) Reserved, Socially awkward, and usually grumpy.

Appearance: Red all over. Slit eyes, reddish skin, and short (5 '3/ 164cm).

Friends: Moto, Yuri

[I wanted to add wings but they were meh]

Name: Haruka Saito

Gender: Female

Age: 15 (02/01/2179)

Quirk: Water dragon (Transformation) (Mutation) - Transforms into a semi-dragon & controls/produces water.

Personality: (Extrovert) Lively, optimistic, and strong-willed.

Appearance: Pretty fish. Black hair, long lashes, and very tall (6 '2/ 190cm).

Friends: Injiro, Seki

[He is a uhm idk]

Name: Katsu Akiyama 

Gender: Male

Age: 14 (07/14/2179)

Quirk: Phase Shift (Emitter) - Switches between attack and defense mode. Increases speed and strengthens an attack. 

Personality: (Extrovert) Confident, cocky, and bright-natured. 

Appearance: Ginger head. Yellow eyes, messy hair, and well-built (5 '8/ 179cm).

Friends: Ichigo, Injiro

[He looks up to Shinsou]

Name: Ishido Yasunobu

Gender: Male

Age: 14 (09/23/22179)

Quirk: Memory Relive - (Emitter) - Relieves any human’s memories from any timeline by staring at the target for 3 seconds.

Personality: (Introvert) Aloof, intelligent, with low self-esteem.

Appearance: Get some sleep. Baby face, eye bags, and lean (5 '10/ 180cm).

Friends: - Moto, Shoyo

[I love her but not as much as the cat]

Name: Yashiro Seki

Gender: Female

Age: 15 (04/07/2179)

Quirk: Shockwave (Emitter) - Sends shockwaves of energy with enhanced speed.

Personality: ( Extrovert) Carefree, energetic, and extremely reckless.

Appearance: Cotton Candy girl. Smiley face, plump lips, and cute (5 '9/ 177cm).

Friends: Injiro, Saito, Tadasuke

[Idk why but I love him but idk why he has 4 ears]

Name: Neko Tadasuke

Gender: Male

Age: 16 (05/30/2178)

Quirk: Feline (Transformation) (Mutation) - Transforms into a cat & has enhanced feline characteristics and abilities.

Personality: (Extrovert) Eccentric, neurodivergent, and mostly upbeat.

Appearance: Non-typical white cat. Pretty, pointy fangs, and lanky (6 '0/ 183cm).

Friends: Seki

[I couldn't find his iconic cap]

Name: Izumi Kouta [Existing Character]

Gender: Male

Age: 14 (12/12/2179) [Aged up]

Quirk: Water Spray (Emitter) - Sprays water from palms, pressure and amount can be adjusted.

Personality: (Introvert) Short-tempered, straight-forward, and generally unfriendly. 

Appearance: That one cap guy. Frowny face, split eyebrow, and of small stature. (5 '5/ 170cm)

Friends: Eri

[He was supposed to be smiling]

Name: Tatsumi Ichigo

Gender: Male

Age: 15 (06/03/2179)

Quirk: Phantom Fist (Emitter) - Hits from a distance, the closer the distance is the stronger the attack is, enhances eyesight.

Personality: (Extrovert) Talkative, cheery, and overly friendly.

Appearance: Resident Cinnamon. Tan skinned, Gray undercut, and pale eyes (5 '8/ 176cm).

Friends: Natsume, Ren, Kenji, Akiyama, Yuri

[This guy is hella sus avoid eye contact]

Name: Amaya Injiro

Gender: Male

Age: 15 (04/22/2179)

Quirk: Redirect (Emitter) - Redirects energy, attacks, and emotions through reflective surfaces.

Personality: (Extrovert) Sociable, playful, and sometimes dense. 

Appearance: Pink-eyed demon. Starry cheeks, sharp features, with natural eyeliner (5 '11/ 181cm).

Friends: Seki, Saito, Akiyama, Mako

[She got two horns cuz I said so]

Name: Eri [Existing Character]

Gender: Female

Age: 15 - (12/12/2178)

Quirk: Rewind (Emitter) (Accumulation) - Rewinds any living organism from minutes to years. Activated by touch, needs to detach horn for special cases.

Personality: (Introvert) Shy, open-minded, and emotional.

Appearance: Walking adorbs. Long hair, big red eyes, with horns (5 '5/ 169cm).

Friends: Kouta, Moto

[He stole Kouta's mini Bakugou place]

Name: Hayami Kenji

Gender: Male

Age: 15 (10/19/2178)

Quirk: Hydro Vortex (Emitter) - Creates whirlpools or vortexes of natural elements, trapping and pulling objects or opponents in.

Personality: (Introvert) Abrasive, narcissistic, and usually angry.

Appearance: Not-bob bro. Turquoise bob cut, dimples, and chiseled face (5 '9/ 177cm).

Friends: Natsume, Ichigo, Ren

[He thinks he's all that he's not]

Name: Maita Ren

Gender: Male

Age: 15 (05/01/2179)

Quirk: Lightning Beam (Emitter) - Projects focused beams of lightning energy, capable of piercing through most objects and opponents.

Personality: (Ambivert) Nonchalant, adventurous, and usually quiet.

Appearance: Wandering ghost. Pale, long burgundy hair, with cherry earrings (5 '9/ 176cm).

Friends: Natsume, Ichigo, Kenji

[I think he likes Hawks]

Name: Arakawa Nasume

Gender: Male

Age: 14 (07/28/2179)

Quirk: Eagle Wings (Mutation) - Holds a massive span of 9 feet long wings. Has the characteristics/abilities of an eagle.

Personality: (Ambivert) Sarcastic, mildly insensitive, and flippant.

Appearance: Brown birb. Piss eyes, gold earring, and built like a tank (6 '4/ 194cm).

Friends: Ren, Ichigo, Kenji, Mako

[Ahh this is sunshine boy don't hurt him]

Name: Yuri Hyakuya (Twin1)

Gender: Male

Age: 15 (11/14/2178)

Quirk: Photokinesis (Emitter) - Manipulates Light by bending reflective rays and generating light energy from sun rays or artificial light. The energy can be used to create a weapon as well.

Personality: (Extrovert) Emotional, shy and generous.   

Appearance: 2.0 Light baby. Adorable, button nose, small and short (5 '3/ 159cm).

Friends: Yuki, Shoyo, Ichigo, Akagi

[This is I am not an emo boy]

Name: Yuki Hyakuya (Twin2)

Gender: Male

Age: 15 (11/14/2178)

Quirk: Umbrakinesis (Emitter) - Manipulates & generates shadows of the living and non living. It's especially strong at night. 

Personality: (Introvert) Indifferent, pessimistic , and withdrawn.

Appearance: Child of darkness. Somewhat adorable, sleepy eyes, tall and slim (5 '10/ 180cm).

Friends: Yuri, Shoyo

[She was a last minute add in]

Name: Kayumi Mako

Gender: Female

Age: 15 (05/11/2178)

Quirk: Will-o-Wisp (Emitter) - Produce balls of purple flames and when grouped together, can be shaped into any shape they wish to use.

Personality: (Extrovert) Short-tempered, aggressive, and prideful.

Appearance: That one smelly lilac. Loose ponytail, smug smiley face, with a sleeper’s built  (5 '6/ 172cm).

Friends: Natsume, Injiro

[She is uhh a smooth operator]

Name: Miyano Shoyo

Gender: Female 

Age: 15 (01/25/2179)

Quirk: Slow Motion (Emitter) - Slows time and everything slows but themselves. If applied on a human eye contact is must, blinking deactivates it.

Personality: (Introvert) Socially inept, standoffish, and selectively kind.

Appearance: Ice prince(ss). Neat, siren eyes, with electric blue hair (5 '5/ 169cm) 

Friends: - Yuki, Yuri, Yasunobu

[Cutie patootie stay away from her] 

Name: Hina Moto

Gender: Female

Age: 14 (08/20/2178)

Quirk: Deadeye (Emitter) - Shoots, launches, and throws anything at a target with perfect accuracy by looking at them.

Personality: (Extrovert)  Bubbly, honest, and slightly anxious.

Appearance: Peachy & grapey. Messy purple hair, pink headband, and boba eyes. (5 '4/ 164cm).

Friends:  Eri, Akagi

NEW ADDITIONS (Class 1-B transfers)

Class 1-A  *[20 students]*

Appearance will probably be 2 chapters from now.

[His face is rounder but ehhh]

Name: Katsume Shimano [Existing Character]

Gender: Male

Age: 15 (03/06/2178)

Quirk: Cell Activation (Emitter) - Activates the cells in their body or another person's body through touch. This increases regeneration, recovery time, and can even improve physical condition.

Personality: (Extrovert) Determined, bright, and quite skittish.

Appearance: Golden retriever. Big googly eyes, pointy chin, with broad shoulders (5 '6/ 171cm).

Friends: -

[His glasses are darker but I wanted to show his eyes]

Name: Isamu Handa

Gender: Male

Age: 15 (01/30/2178)

Quirk: Sight Steal (Emitter) - Steals the opponents sight when direct eye-contact is made. It canno’t be deactivated, thus the glasses.

Personality: (Introvert) Rational, realist, and cool-headed.

Appearance: Shades man. Tinted glasses, short hair, and formally dressed (5 '9/ 177cm)

Friends: -