Chapter Text
Shouta technically wasn't on patrol. He had just been on an errand for nezu, (that rodent hadn't changed one bit in the 2 decades shouta had known him) but why not take the Rooftops and why not keep an eye out for trouble? It's second nature. So while he wasn't technically on patrol, he'd made 2 arrests on his way home.
And if his “way home” is actually an intricate, randomized circuit that takes him through the shadiest parts of town? Well he may be in his 40s but Eri's rewind has left him looking not a day over 30, so really there's no harm to the detour. He could do without Hizashi’s jokes about being into younger men though.
It's odd, feeling the sun on his face as he swings from his capture weapon. He's so used to the dead of night and early mornings that doing hero work in the daylight still feels novel, even after so many years. But it's good, a good warmth on his face, and a good ache in his arms and legs.
Until suddenly it's not. He can't pinpoint the shift but he's running with a purpose now. And his lungs burn and his legs ache and why why why and not again not again not again-
He's been a hero for so long, he's seen death, he's prevented so many, but this, this he's only felt once before. He can't explain it but he knows it's the same thing. He can't do this again, he can't. But he can, because he's a hero, so he runs.
And he runs and runs and leaps and lands and runs.
And somewhere along the way he realizes it's not the same, it never was. He doesn't taste panic and loss on his tongue like last time, no.
He's Just as desperate, if not more so if that's even possible, but there's something else, and it tastes like… hope?
And suddenly he sees a child on a roof. He doesn't think. He needs izuku to be safe. But that's not izuku, he knows. He knows the child is gone and that he's just projecting. He knows the child isn't izuku… until it is.
The child turns around and the first thing shouta registers is green green green.
Familiar green.
“Uh? Can I help you?” The green says, with a voice scratchy and rough from disuse.
Shouta Can’t help it. He knows he's lost in his head in a different time, he knows this isn't izuku but it is.
“Izuku?” Stupid stupid stup-
“Yes? Do I know you?”
Shouta let's him go and takes 2 steps back. And he can only guess at the expression on his own face because izuku's own face morphs from confusion to concern to tentative understanding.
“Oh. Do I know you, like, from before?” He says hesitantly.
Shouta sits down.
“I'm going to take that as a most likely.” Izuku says, starting to sound more sure of himself. He takes a a few steps back and joins shouta on the floor. “So, where did I know you from? We couldn't have been that close if I don't remember you. And I remember all the people that were nice to me so you must not have been very-” he cuts himself off abruptly making shouta look up. And it's izuku's turn, it appears, to stare wide eyed. “Eraserhead!? I thought you'd be older! I- I mean, well this is how you looked in my past life s-so I thought you'd be older so I didn't recognize you right away and also being yanked when you don't expect it kinda throws you off balance and- and I mean well I never met you then so why do you-”
“On the roof.”
“Wha-”
“I tried to save you, but I failed I'm sorry”
“No it's ok i-” he cut himself off abruptly once more “the voice, it was you”
“The voice?”shouta asks incredulously.
“Yeah it's my last memory before I-” Izuku proceeds to make a splat noise and shouta can't process anything that's happened in the past 10 minutes.
“So let me get this straight. You died, and got, what, reincarnated?” shouta rubbed at his temple, feeling himself go numb to try and process this logically, he's going to need to call his therapist after this.
“I guess? It could be my quirk but I'm not too keen on testing it out. No one needs to be a baby twice.”
“Why Didn't you tell anyone?” And clearly some of his frustration leaked into his tone because while he didn't snap he sees Izuku lean away from him slightly like he'd be ready to bolt.
“You assume I didn't? I tried but no one believes a 3 year old saying anything and once I was diagnosed quirkless it was hopeless.” Izuku, because yes this is izuku, frowned.
“Sorry i shouldn't have assumed”
“It's fine” Izuku sighs.
Shouta takes a moment to look around the roof. It's Wednesday isn't it? He turns back to izuku, who doesn't seem to be in much of a rush. “Don't you have school? Aren't your parents worried?”
The boy let out another long world weary sigh “no parents, orphanage. Would have tested out of middle school but they didn't let me so I just stopped going. No one's complained yet.” He shrugs.
And shouta looks at him, really looks at him. He's different from midoriya izuku.gone is his green curly poofy hair, in its place straight thick black hair pokes out of a short ponytail at the back of his head, and bangs coming down to frame his face, Jagged like they were cut with kitchen scissors in the dark and haven't been introduced to conditioner. A few black piercings dot his ears. His freckles and tan skin are gone, replaced by skin paler than shotas own with a few moles on his face, the most prominent being under his eye. His once scrawny frame is now built with muscle visible through his long-sleeve shirt. His hands are rough from work. And scars litter his exposed skin, a few wrap around his neck, one through his eyebrow, on his nose bridge and another on his jawline.
“Do you want to stay with me for a while?” He says after a long pause trying to sound more casual than he feels. But he wasn't casual enough it seems because Izuku rears back looking at shouta suspiciously, tension lining his frame .
“Why?” He grits out.
Shouta sighs, he approached this wrong. “Listen kid, i'll be blunt, I failed to help you in your last life, and I've regretted it for the past 14 years, please, let me help you in this one.” He looks at the kid in the eyes trying to convey his sincerity. Izuku looks at him for a long moment, eyes searching. And finally.
“Fine, but if it doesn't work out I'm going back to the same orphanage”
“Deal” shouta will take it, and he knows just by looking at the kid that this is a massive leap of faith for him.
“I need to make a phone call” Hizashi is never going to believe this.