Chapter Text
One minute, Aizawa is making his favorite tea. The next, he hears the familiar boom that comes with someone (a problem child) messing with the space-time continuum. He doesn’t even bother to turn around.
“If you destroy my cat condo again, I will make your past self deep clean the entire dorm. Do you hear me?” He does not get paid enough to deal with this.
“I will replace anything I may have broken.”
Aizawa pauses mid pour. Shouto? It’s never been Shouto. “Go ahead and sit. Do you have time for tea before you go back?”
“Yes, thank you.” Aizawa pulls out another mug, mentally preparing himself for the worst. While an adult problem child showing up is annoying, it isn’t actually concerning. If Shouto Todoroki is involved, that means the problem children might actually be in trouble.
There were some things Aizawa would never admit. One being he was like Bakugou: he just liked to complain sometimes. Another was that he still had nightmares about losing Bakugou on the battlefield a year ago.
Aizawa sets a full cup in front of a now grown up Shouto. God, he’s massive. He might even be taller than Bakugou’s future self. Aizawa holds in a smirk at the thought.
“I just got everyone through the war. Please tell me there isn’t another one.”
Shouto stares at his tea, gathering his thoughts. These kids are going to be the death of Aizawa.
“It’s not a war, sir. But I do need to speak to my younger self.” The Hatsume device on Shouto’s wrist beeps. It looks like the one Midoriya used. Shouto pushes some buttons and the beeping stops.
Aizawa finishes his tea before pulling out his phone. He shoots off a message to present-day Shouto’s school communication device.
Todoroki. Please come by my private office. Time and discretion are of the essence.
Aizawa gives this Shouto a once over. He’s not in his hero suit, thank God. Aizawa had to keep spare clothes for when Bakugou shows up in full gear. The size difference between the two Shoutos is enough to throw anyone off, but the hair and the scar make him unmistakable.
“Come on, future Todoroki. Let’s get you a disguise and head out.”
———
Beeeeeeeeep. Beeeeeeeeep.
“You better not get that, Icy Hot! I am not done beating your ass!” Bakugou was down a point. Normally, Shouto would have kept sparring. Bakugou would pick a fight for a week if he wasn’t given the chance to even the score.
But the alert was high priority. It made all of them pause.
“Let him get it, I’ll tag in!” Midoriya called from the sidelines.
Shouto nodded to Midoriya in thanks before heading toward his bag. He dried himself off with a towel before grabbing the hand held.
Unwashed Pirate Cyclops: Todoroki. Please come by my private office. Time and discretion are of the essence.
Shouto groaned. “Bakugou.”
Bakugou snickered. Last week it was Creepy Crusty Caterpillar.
“Seriously? Kacchan! What did you do this time?”
“Beat me and I’ll tell you! Lose and I’ll show you. But you’re starting with Icy Hot’s score-“
Shouto tuned out their “bickering.” (Bakugou had blasted him into a wall the last time he called it flirting.) He hated the idea of not showering, but Aizawa never contacted them outside of school hours. And he said time mattered. And he couldn’t remember the last time Aizawa had requested to speak with him alone. If it were about his family, Aizawa wouldn’t tell him to come alone.
It took him less than ten minutes to meet Aizawa outside his office. “Head in, I’ll keep watch.”
“You’re not coming in?” Shouto paused.
“When the space-time continuum is on the line, the less people who know things, the better.”
Shouto didn’t know what to make of that. He turned the door knob and stepped into Aizawa’s office. There was a large figure with his back facing Shouto. He froze. He knew that frame.
Endeavor.
He shut the door with a little more force than he meant to. Shouto was not interested in whatever conversation Endeavor-
The figure turned, pulling his hood down. “Shouto. I’m also Shouto, from 10 years in the future. Our friends need your help.”
Shouto’s mind began sorting data. Was time travel even possible? With quirks, probably. But this could be some kind of illusion. However, He had immediately assumed Endeavor at the man’s build… which he supposed could be his own in a few years. Aizawa’s comment on the space time continuum suddenly made sense. Aizawa chose to leave him alone with this man, in his office.
And Aizawa was not one to risk any student’s safety, especially now.
“I’ve been trying to think of what I could say or do to prove that I’m you. I’ve come up with three options. The first, a secret only we know. We write fan-fiction online and have quite a large following. The second, I’m going to show you the quirk trick you’ve been working on in secret.” Future Shouto lifted his right hand and created a decent sized chunk of ice. With some concentration, he formed a beautiful, intricate ice dragon a little bigger than his hand.
“Why a dragon?”
“You should almost have a flower down now, right? We make Kirishima a huge ice dragon for his wedding. They are my favorite now.”
“And the third?”
Future Shouto sighs. “I tell you why I’m here.”
Shouto waits.
“We spend 8 years helping Bakugou, in secret, fund a suit like All Might’s. Just for Midoriya to say no to joining Bakugou’s agency. For Bakugou to lose his damn mind when Midoriya decides to date Ochako out of nowhere. Bakugou goes to America and even cuts Kirishima off. No one has seen or heard from him in over a year. And Midoriya? I came here from Midoriya's bachelor party. He passed out after drinking himself stupid and breaking half of his own apartment because Bakugou never showed up. Poor Ochako is going to marry someone who doesn’t even love her the way she deserves to be loved. She thinks he just needs time. I had so many chances to say or do something, to help. Now it’s too late. I watched everyone burn their lives down. I thought being a good friend was not getting involved, and keeping everybody’s secrets.”
Future Shouto’s eyes are watering, but his voice shakes from repressed anger.
“We all survive the war, and for what? For everyone to be miserable. Aizawa doesn’t even get to keep Eri. They use the fact Aizawa let Eri fix Midoriya’s arms against him. Everyone sacrificed so much, and I’m the only one who wins. I’m the number two hero. And it feels like shit.”
Shouto doesn’t want to, but he believes him. “What do I need to do?”
“Anything is better than nothing, but honestly? Whatever the hell it takes.”
Fair enough.
They spend the next half hour or so brainstorming ideas before Future Shouto pops back out of existence.
———
Shouto used the next few days making plans. Could he just out Midoriya and Bakugou? Sure. He could. But Future Shouto had warned against “direct” interference. He had a whole list of “Do Nots” based on Hatsume’s space-time continuum concerns.
Simplified, he couldn’t tell anyone anything about his future self’s visit. He had to act within his “normal range of actions.” Basically, as if he had never met his future self. Tweaking the timeline, not destroying it completely. Choosing something besides the obvious low conflict choice, when the obvious one was nothing.
Shouto stared at his computer screen for a long time before clicking the post button. He didn’t want to change his mind, so he went to the common room with a textbook. He sat where he would have minimal disruptions- against the wall.
Mina squeals from across the room. “DENKI!!!! Did you see??? Our favorite writer might write about us finally!!!!”
“What are you idiots talking about?” Bakugou snaps.
“Cats in Cups! She writes the best fanfics I’ve ever read!” Mina was shoving her phone in Kaminari’s face.
“No way! She never writes about real people! She said it’s creepy and rude.” Kaminari’s nose was practically touching the screen.
“Probably because it is creepy and rude. Even Icy Hot over there knows that.” Bakugou rolls his eyes.
“No, bro,” Kirishima jumps in. “Her stories are so manly!”
“And there isn’t an ending she can’t fix! I’ve decided her ending to Supernatural is canon now. Destiel forever!”
“Oooooh! Let’s give her some material!”