Chapter Text
Shouta’s POV Run 40:
Shit. Hitoshi was right. You really don’t get used to the way Izuku’s quirk makes you feel. Even after this many times. He still felt sick to his stomach and like he was going to throw up. This is not a good way to start the morning. Judging by how many days have passed in all the previous runs, he felt safe in stating that this would be about 6 months since he started or at least the equivalent of 6 months. It was hard to say just how much time actually passed when one constantly goes back in time. Either way, Shouta thinks that his body should be used to this by now and finds it offensive that it isn’t.
Blindly he reached over, sighing in relief when he felt that the bed was empty. That had to mean that Hizashi had already gotten up for the day and was either getting ready in their bathroom, or he was making breakfast. If it was a weekend day it would be the latter.
That was the other thing that sucked about Izuku’s quirk. It made him super disoriented when he first woke up. The smell of bacon and sweet batter filled his nostrils when he sat up. So it was the weekend. Good to know. That meant that he could sit here a little while longer and think about the last run and try to get his lingering emotions under control. The last run was enough to give him nightmares for a long long time.
Previous Run: A week before Summer Camp
“Okay, we have everything set. First, Mustard will fill the forest with gas. So we send Todoroki out first. Even though he has been making progress with his fire side, it still is ingrained in him to use his ice first. So that will use that to make sure the gas freezes and doesn’t spread, just like we did during the last 3 runs.” Izuku states as he, Hitoshi and Shouta stood over the map of the Wild Wild Pussy cat’s land. The vast expanse of the forest was once something that they thought would protect them, but after having the league of Villains attack them there multiple times, it was turning out to be nothing but an obstacle and a hindrance.
“I’ll have Yaomomo make gas masks for her training. It’s complex enough that it will challenge her and she won’t think anything of it. And if she does, I'll remind her that there will be plenty of times where this will come in use. She’ll probably leave it alone after that.” Shouta crossed his arms over his chest. It was one of the only ways that he could think of to make sure that they would have what they needed without raising suspicion. It worked out pretty well the last time and it was certainly better than her making Russian nesting dolls. Last time, he, Izuku and Hitoshi were at least able to get most of the kids out of the forest and back home safely. That is until Dabi decided that he was going to set the entire forest on fire at the last minute. The flames consumed everything and with the reaction that it had to Mustard’s gas? None of them had lasted long after that. That reset, there had still been at least 10 kids in the forest. But they didn’t find that out until they were back at the hospital. There wasn’t even enough to identify the bodies. They had to figure out who had died by who wasn’t there.
“Okay, that has the gas covered, but what are we going to do about Dabi?” Hitoshi spoke up, clearly stuck on what happened last time as well“How are we going to make sure that he doesn’t do what he did last time?”
Izuku looked up from the map and met Hitoshi’s gaze. Staring at him intently.
“That’s where you and I come in. We will be out in the forest to make sure that doesn’t happen. We might have to use your quirk if that's the case.”
“Then shouldn’t I come with you? In case we need to reset again? It could be dangerous to have to track all the way back to the base with all of that going on.” Shouta didn’t like this idea. He didn’t like it at all. The thought of both of them being so far away if they needed to go back didn’t sit right with him. After Run 35, it made sense. He could stand by and watch as one of them gets hit with something like that again. There was just too much blood coming out of Asui. He still felt bad that she took the hit for Hitoshi.
“Shit. I didn’t even think about that. But yea, it would make sense for all of us to be out there. That way if Hito’s quirk doesn’t work, then we can use yours as a backup.” Shouta was thankful that Izuku agreed easily. He was very ready to argue his point if he needed to. Izuku ran his hand through his hair, a gesture that he often did while thinking or stressed.
“Okay, that's settled. What do we do if…” and so they continued on, trying to cover all possibilities until finally:
“Alright, we have a plan. And we have a back up plan, and a back up plan to the back up plan. Let's go.” And hope and pray that it works this time, was left unsaid even if they were all thinking it.
Current Run:
Their plan was supposed to work. Shouta thought that they had thought of everything that they could have. They had back-up plans for the back-up plans! But it still wasn’t enough. For some reason, right when Dabi had been put under Hitoshi’s quirk, he had gotten stabbed by a wayward tooth from Moonfish. Distractedly he glanced at his students. As planned, Kirishima and Tokoyami were fighting against Moonfish, but they weren't doing well, both bleeding from various cuts and breathing hard. Still they had a determined expression to press onwards and keep fighting. Even when Shouta told them to get out of there so that they could live.
Shouta turned back to (hopefully) use his quirk on the fire user but it was already too late. Way too late. The azure flames lit up the forest like a demented version of christmas. The flames engulfed everything and anything that they came in contact with. That included two of his kids from his class, three if he counted Dark Shadow. He could still hear their screams as the fire burned through flesh and bone. The burns on his own flesh seemed to not be painful, and he wasn’t sure if he should be grateful that they were bad enough to not feel them, or concerned that they were in fact that bad.
The only hope he had was that Izuku was close enough so they could all reset. And with perfect timing, he hears two bodies land heavily on the earth beside him. Turning his head to speak with them, he’s at a loss for words when he takes in their disheveled states. He couldn’t exactly see Hitoshi but he could hear the sound of him throwing up everything that they had managed to eat earlier. Izuku wasn’t doing much better. He was pale and had his hand reached out like he wanted to save them. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes. His mouth opened and shut multiple times.
All the while, Dabi had a pleased look on his face. Like he was proud of what he just did. It made Shouta sick to his stomach at the fact that somebody could be this mentally unstable. When they had enough evidence and could make sure that the charges stuck, he and his kids would make sure that Endeavor would pay for everything that he did. Dabi may have been the one to cause all of this today, but Endeavor was the one that made this mess. Maybe one of these Runs he could convince Izuku to just let him take of the Flame hero. Permanently. That was a train of thought for another time though. Preferably when he wasn’t half lying on the ground burned and bleeding.
“Izu! We need-” Hitoshi was cut off by his own coughing. The smoke was so thick in this area that Shouta could barely hold back his own.
“R-right. Activate. Save. Point.” The familiar and by now almost comforting lurch in his stomach was the last thing Shouta felt before he willingly let the black nothingness of Izuku’s quirk take his consciousness.
-----
Shouta hadn’t even felt the tears going down his face until another hand was on his face. Wiping them away. The touch was grounding enough that he could finally make out where he was. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, Hizashi, his loving oh so sweet husband, was kneeling in front of him. Looking at him with concern and so much love.
“What’s the matter, Shou? Everything okay? You came back to bed really late last night and just fell asleep.” Hizashi's voice was kitten soft and that is exactly what caused the dam to break. Tears were quickly spilling from his eyes, which in the back of mind still shocked him. He didn't know that he could cry like this with his dry eyes. He leaned forward so that his head was resting on Hizashi's shoulder and let himself cry. Cry and mourn for the loss of his students, for Vlad(even if he didn’t really like the man), his class, for the Wild Wild Pussy Cats; all of them. Every shuddering breath brought a new wave of pain. He didn’t bother to hold himself back. He doesn’t think that he could even if he tried. The grief and all that loss was too much to just put away and not think about.
“I tried so hard! I tried so hard to save them, Zashi! We had a plan! It was supposed to work. We were all supposed to make it out alive!” He pressed his head further into his husband's shoulder as he whisper shouted the words. He clenched his fist a couple of times to try and get rid of some of the rage that was inside but it did nothing.
“I’m sure you did, Shou. You are a good hero. I know that you wouldn’t have allowed them to die if there was anything else that you could do.” His husband was running his hand down his back as he spoke. Shouta wasn’t sure how long the two of them stayed in the position, but he felt better afterwards. His eyes and head hurt from the crying but his soul felt lighter. He will always be eternally grateful that his husband is as caring as he is. Caring for him and comforting him without ever asking for the reason why. A reason, in this case, he wouldn’t have been able to give, because for Hizashi, none of the horrors have happened yet.
Hizashi POV Run: Not Applicable
Hizashi is worried about his husband. And for what he feels like is a good reason.
Now normally, his husband acting off and tired wasn’t an unusual thing. He was an underground hero. It was to be expected sometimes. But this. This was weird. Even for him. He refused to even look at Hizashi sometimes and when he would ask if there was anything that he could do to help, he got the stilted reply of “I’ve got it Zashi, just something I need to work through.” The smile that he was sure was supposed to be reassuring was anything but. It was forced and not well practiced.
Which was not like his husband at all. They told each other everything. Even the small things. So, Hizashi was worried. Along with that, he wasn’t even sure what he was worried about. And that was what was driving him insane. Even if Sho would tell him that it was a work case that he couldn’t talk about. He was also a hero! He understands that sometimes they both get cases, Shou more often than himself, that are confidential. That would be infinitely better than being in the dark like this. At least then his own anxious thoughts wouldn't spiral.
He still made it a point to keep up his hero smile and go about his day like nothing was wrong. He tried his best to push down the negative feelings that he was experiencing. After all, he was probably just on a super important confidential underground assignment that he really couldn’t talk about. Yea, that had to be it. While communication was important to them, they both knew when they signed up to be heroes that they wouldn’t always be able to talk to each other about missions and things of the like until after it was over.
He felt lighter, when he reasoned that with himself. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Shou probably just can’t talk about it yet. So there was no reason to worry. It’s just a mission. With a little more pep in his step, he went to Shouta’s classroom. It was lunchtime and his husband had forgotten his lunch, again. So maybe they could spend this time together, cuddling and teasing each other. That would at least set his own nerves at ease.
When he approached the classroom, he heard voices coming from within. He slowed his walking, in case it was a student talking to his husband about something private, so he wouldn’t intrude. If it was Kayama on the other hand, he would gladly barge in. When he was close enough to the door, he could start making out the conversation that was happening inside.
“-ay, but do you know how hard it is to not tell my husband? He’s been worrying about me lately and asking questions. I feel bad for deflecting them but I don’t know how else to go about it. We can't keep doing this.”
The sound of Shouta’s voice makes Hizashi pause in the hallway, especially the underlying notes of frustration. What was he talking about? And with who? If it was mission related, he and whoever he was talking to wouldn’t be doing it at UA. Not when there were so many other places to talk and not be overheard by the rat overlord.
As he stood in the hallway, he debated about what we should do. Part of him just wanted to walk right into the classroom and see what’s going on. He reasoned that it would be their fault since they were talking about it at UA. On the other hand, he could just walk away and confront his husband about it later... Which would probably just result in another deflection. So he would have even more questions, and even fewer answers.
In the end, his curiosity got the better of him and he waited by the door of the classroom. Hoping that maybe he will hear something and set his mind at ease. He felt a little bad for trying to get information this way, but Shou was apparently done talking, so this had to make it okay....Right?
“Shouta, I know that it’s hard. I’m not saying that it isn’t. But I just don’t know if we should. It was already a stretch to bring you in on it. To be honest, I don’t even know if we can. It’s not that we don’t want to not tell him. If the circumstances were even just slightly different you know that he would have been told in a heartbeat. And I would hate to bring him into this and then have all of the progress that we have made for the past three months be for nothing.” The other person talking to Shouta sounded younger. Almost like the age of their first years. He knew, he recognized the voice but couldn’t put a face to the voice. Then he realized they were also calling Shouta by his first name. There were a total of 3 people that had the privilege of calling Shouta by his given name, himself, Kayama, and Nezu. That voice was none of those people. This made his stomach churn and his heart beat faster, and not for a good reason.
Casting that
sickening
thought aside, the other part that his brain latched onto the time frame. Three months? They have been working on this, whatever it was, for
three months?
And he didn’t notice? He felt like he was going to throw up. He covered his mouth with his hand and gripped his thumb in his fist to try and quell his revolting stomach. He wanted to leave but at the same time, wanted to keep listening in. So maybe some of this would be cleared up.
“I know. I was thinking about that too. It’s just hard to see him like this and have to keep it a secret. I know that it’s selfish of me to ask but...” His voice trailed off. But another new voice joined in the conversation.
“I get it. I wouldn’t like keeping something like this either. And it’s not an ideal situation. For anybody. But I think that if we keep to the plan as is, then nobody should get hurt.” The other voice was another that he again recognized, but couldn’t say who it belonged to. So now there were two people that were in on this....whatever it was.
“Yea, the plan that we came up with should work this time. And as much as it pains me to say this, what he doesn’t know, literally can’t hurt him. At least... not like last time.” The voice sounded pained as the words came out and Hizashi thought he was going to cry. His emotions were getting muddled into his logical thinking and he was starting to assume the worst. What was such a big deal that they couldn’t just come out and tell him? He was super understanding. At least he thought he was. And what happened last time? His mind was going into overdrive trying to look for what this could be about. Analyzing everything in the past 3 months. Was there a time when someone tried to tell him what was going on and he blew them off? He didn’t think that he would act like that around anybody, but… it was possible. He worked three jobs and this did cause him to be very busy. Maybe if they caught him when he was in a hurry?
“What if we make a compromise?” Shouta asked.
“Like what?”
“If this doesn’t work out the way that we want it to, we will talk about this again. And we at least try to tell him. See if maybe it will work. There’s always a chance that it will. And if anything happens to me, we can cross that bridge when we get there. I’ve just grown to care about you two and I hate seeing what this does to you. But I also hate lying to him. Especially about something like this.” Hizashi held his breath as he waited for the answer. The fate of… something rested on whatever answer was about to follow.
“Okay,” a beat of silence passes and the same voice continues. “Okay, fine, but if it doesn’t work for some reason then we will have to leave him out. I don’t want this to be more emotionally damaging to all of us than it already is.” The first voice was firm and with no wiggle room. There was more said but Hizashi couldn’t bear to listen to this anymore. Not when the thought of being left behind was said. It hurt too much. Logical thinking was out the window now and tears were forming in his eyes. He didn’t think that he was such a bad husband that he would need to be left out like this. Because from the way they were discussing it, it wasn’t just a temporary thing. It sounded permanent. The thought of having his husband act like this all the time was too overwhelming to even fathom. It made his breath catch in his throat and lock up. It wasn’t often that he struggled with being non-verbal, there were times and occasions when it happened.
When he was further down the hallway, he touched the back of his neck, where his shared soul mark seemed to burn his flesh. The little black bird with red eyes and yellow markings once brought him joy. It was a sign that he and Shouta were meant to be together. That they would always be together. But now, touching it didn’t bring him comfort like he wanted. Instead it was more like a heavy weight on his neck that served as a reminder that no matter who it was, there was always a chance that they could leave. Even if they were bound together. He couldn’t stop the flow of tears that went down his face. Or the sob that bubbled its way up and out.
He made his way to an empty classroom and locked the door once he was on the inside. He slid down the door until he was sitting on the floor. And then he let himself cry. Cry for the loss of the one person that was supposed to love him no matter what. The only thought that hurt more, was that he couldn’t even pinpoint what could have caused his husband to want to leave him in the first place.
-------
“Shit, Zashi is crying again.” Shouta ran his hand down his face and tried to think of a way that he could comfort his husband. He knew that what Izuku and Hitoshi were saying was logical but that didn’t mean that he liked it. It was hard to lie to his husband like this. Even if it was for the better. He reached up to where his soul mark was and rubbed it. Hoping that maybe it would have a calming effect. Sighing he let out the breath he was holding.
“Look, from where I'm standing, it’s looking too not pretty. We’ve already tried to do this 9 or 10 times already with no success. We are outnumbered at best and we are out matched at worst. Shit, I'm even thinking that we might have to bring Nezu into this, just so that we can actually stand a chance. As it stands right now the entirety of my class except for the three of us has died in some way, shape or form and I don't know about you, but their screams are burned into my memories. The way they cry out for mercy or for somebody to save them. Their blood has seeped into my skin and I feel like no matter how many times I wash myself, I just… I can’t get it out.”
“It’s the same for us too, or well at least for me...Their screams, they haunt my nightmares...” Hitoshi admitted. One hand was placed over his stomach as if holding it would bring some sort of comfort. Or at the very least, prevent him from throwing up.
Izuku swallowed the mouthful of rice and bit his lip. Tears were already at the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall at any second.
“I never said it wasn’t hard. I acknowledge that it is. This is exactly how Hito and I felt during the USJ. This is exactly why we keep having breakdowns. You only saw the one because that’s when we brought you in, but we went through it so many times. We tried so many plans and scenarios to find a way so that everybody can survive. But in the end, we could usually barely save ourselves. We couldn’t save them...” Tears were steadily falling down his cheeks. His voice was thick with emotion and tears. He doesn’t bother to wipe them away. More will just replace them. Hitoshi is by his side in seconds. Wrapping him in a hug, whispering that everything will be okay, knowing he wasn’t actually able to guarantee that.
To Izuku’s surprise, Shouta was there too. Wrapping his arms around both of them.
“I’m sorry Izuku, Hitoshi. I didn’t mean to make you cry. This is just… overwhelming for me. But… the similarities between now and when you two went through the USJ are starting to add up. I think it's best for all of us if we try to bring in another person.”
“But what if my quirk won’t allow it? We don’t know the limits of my quirk.” The protest was weak even to Izuku, but it was still something that he worried about.
“Well, consider this quirk training then. If we can bring back another person, that's great. If we can’t, then we burn that bridge when we get there. But we need to bring somebody else in so that we can actually stand a chance.” Izuku sat there for a moment, pushing back his emotions and thinking about everything logically. Trying to consider every angle that he could think of. His thoughts kept circling, coming back to two main facts.
- Shouta was right, they can’t do this just the three of them. They needed more fire power and preferably somebody with a quirk that could be used long range.
- It would be easier to pair off if they needed to. None of them would have to be alone if they brought in somebody else.
Those two things coupled with his and Hitoshi’s nightmares starting up again? The appeal was definitely there. It wouldn’t hurt to try to bring in another person. It would have to be somebody that they trust though.
“Well of course it would have to be somebody that we all trust. We would be spending a great deal of time with them.” Hitoshi snarked. A wet laugh bubbled up from Izuku. This was one of the many reasons he loved his soulmate. Hito always had a way of making him laugh when he was sad. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but it was still nice to hear that the two were at least on the same page as him.
“I stand by the fact that we should bring in Hizashi.” Shouta stated as he withdrew his arms so that he could look both of the teens in the face. Their faces were still blotchy red from crying, but at least no new tears were coming.
“Well yea. You're saying that cause you loooove him.” Hitoshi dragged out the word teasingly. He shot a knowing look at their companion.
“That is one reason, yes, but I also have logical ones too.” Shouta glared at Hitoshi, even as a slight blushed warmed his cheeks.
“Oh, this I have to hear.” Hitoshi leaned his head on one hand, waving the other for Shouta to continue. While Shouta was trying to convince them that his husband would be the best, he needed to stick to the facts. So he did what he was known for, he bluntly laid down the facts and his own reasoning.
“Well for one, he is also another pro hero, specifically a limelight one. He will have access to more gear and more of the networks. Yes, I have access, but my sway is primarily with the underground and twilight. If we bring Hizashi in, we would have access to limelight networks as well. And more gear. Not only that, but his quirk can be used for long and short range. Right now we have two quirks that in their own right are powerful and useful, but mainly suitable for one-on-one combat. Against hordes of enemies like we have been dealing with? We’re not that great of a match up. Lastly, he may be blonde and have the appearance of being an airhead, on purpose, if I may add, but he was one of Nezu’s students just like I was. He has the capability of planning and being deceitful when he needs to be, he just likes to hide that to give him the upper hand if need be.” When he was finished, Hitoshi was shocked.
“Holy shit. Um. Okay. I was not expecting that monologue.” He ran his hands through his hair and let out a breath.
“Well, that was, well, actually pretty convincing. I don’t think it would hurt to at least try.” He slid his gaze over to his soulmate. “But what do you think, love? It’s your quirk. You're the one that gets the ultimate say so.” Izuku already knew the answer that he was going to give. He realized, he subconsciously already had made up his mind before they came into the classroom today. Even if he didn’t want to admit it.
“Well, then it sounds like this is a good time to bring Hizashi in. We also already agreed that we didn’t want to repeat the USJ,” a shudder goes through all of them as they remember the events. “So it makes sense that we would bring him in now instead of the next run. What’s the worst that could happen? And if it doesn’t work out, we can just reset and try again.” He took Hitoshi’s hand in his own and squeezed. The answering squeeze he got made him smile. Turning to face Shouta he said with determination,
“Let’s give this a try and see if it works.” Shouta wrapped him in another hug. The appreciation rolling off of him in waves as he repeated to Izuku,
“Thank you. Thank you so much. I think I might have a plan that we can use. And it might actually work. But first, let me go find Hizashi and calm him down so that I- I mean we can explain everything.” It was weird to see the usually almost catatonic man so lively.
“Okay, we’re going to wait in your office. It’s been an emotional day for all of us and I really don’t think I can go to class right now.” Izuku was gathering up the now empty bento boxes and placing them in his book bag. Hitoshi handed the last of it and grabbed his own bag, slinging it over his shoulder.
“Yea, I agree with Izu. I don’t think I can focus on class.” he snorts halfheartedly." It's not like we’ve been to this class like 5 times already anyways. Bringing Hizashi in is a huge jump for us and we definitely need to talk about it with him as well.” Shouta nodded his head instead of saying anything. He had figured that neither one of them would be going back to classes today. It’s not like they need to, really, just like Hitoshi already said. It wouldn't hurt for them to take a small break before they had to dive into battle again.
“Okay, I’ll come find you when I’m done talking with Hizashi. I just hope that he can forgive me...” Shouta bit his lip in worry. He knew that Hizashi was understanding, the past couple of days had shown that much, but would he be understanding about this?
“Shouta,” Izuku’s hand landed on his arm and gave him a playful slap. “I’m sure that he will be able to forgive you. Now based on what you have told us about him in other the resets, I do see that he might be a little over dramatic about it, but that’ll probably be about it.”
“I really hope that you're right.” Shouta led them out of the classroom and locked it behind himself. There wasn’t going to be another class in his room until after heroics training this afternoon.
Hitoshi and Izuku went to head for Shouta office near the main faculty room and Shouta took a different turn down another hallway full of more classrooms. They didn’t say anything as they split up, just nodded at each other in silent encouragement and continued walking.
The two teens didn’t pay any attention to the staff that was giving them weird looks as they made their way to Shouta’s office. They didn’t really care what others had to say to them.
Once inside Shouta’s office, they didn’t bother to lock it. Nobody came into Shouta’s office anyways. Mainly because the man was never actually in his office when people were looking for him, but that's besides the point.
Izuku set down his bag at the end of the couch that was there and flopped down onto it, groaning as he settled into the cushions. A second thump of a book bag hitting the floor was all the warning he got as his soulmate picked him up and placed him on his lap. He let out a noise that definitely was not a squeak of surprise.
He glared at his soulmate, but there was no real heat behind it.
“What? I wanted to cuddle you and I couldn’t do that with you laying face down, hogging the whole couch to yourself.” A playful smirk accompanied the words. Izuku felt his heart beat a little faster as he replied,
“And you couldn’t have just said that? I would have moved over, you know.”
“I know, but this is more fun.” A couple minutes later they were both happy and comfortable. They had flopped over sideways, Hitoshi spread over most of the couch with Izuku tucked in his arms and half draped over him. Izuku’s ear was right next to his soulmate's heart and the constant thump thump thump was relaxing to listen to. And when Hitoshi started humming and running his fingers through Izuku’s hair, it didn’t take long for Izuku to fall asleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Okay, we just need to go find the kids and we can all talk about this together. They should be in my office.” Shouta grabbed his husband's hand and led him down the halls of UA. It was quiet this time of day. Most of the rest of the students and faculty are in class for the afternoon, so they didn’t have to worry about running into anybody.
He knocked on the door to his personal office where he knew Hitoshi and Izuku were waiting. It was more for show than actual purpose, because without waiting, he and Hizashi walked in. The two teens were on the couch. Hitoshi sprawled over one half while Izuku took over the other half with his feet in Hitoshi’s lap. They both looked up when the two adults entered. Izuku gave Hizashi a soft smile and waved. Hitoshi cracked an eye open and gave a two finger salute. Judging by the way Hitoshi looked like he wanted nothing more than to be left alone and how bright Izuku’s eyes seemed now compared to earlier, Shouta knew exactly what they had been doing while waiting for him to get his husband.
“I take it, you two took a nap?” Shouta was only a little jealous if they did. Normally this would be his nap time too, but Zashi was more important than his already fucked up sleeping habits. Maybe he would actually sleep tonight? That was a wonderful thought.
“Yea,” Izuku sheepishly said while placing his hand on his neck. “Earlier wiped both of us out, and your couch is comfy.”
“That’s the exact reason he picked it.” Zashi piped in smiling brightly at the two on the couch. Both of the teens turn their focus to the voice hero and the back to Shouta. A look of question was written all over Izuku’s face as he asked.
“Everything all good?” The question was loaded, he knew. If he answered that it wasn’t then the three of them would reset and try another time. Approach the situation differently. It was the stipulation that they had in place from the first time that they even started discussing it back in what his kids called Run 30.
“Yea, everything is good. We talked it out.” He glanced over to his husband and gave him a small, barely there smile. Hizashi returned in full force, almost making him look like the personification of sunlight.
“Fuck, if he’s going to keep doing that, I need sunglasses.” He had brought his arm up to cover his eyes, so only his smirking mouth spilling complaints and his purple hair were visible. “Too damn bright.”
“You know, I could say the same about you soulmate.” Shouta shot back without hesitation.
“Yea, but Izu is sweet innocent bean. You would never. You might make him cry.” Hitoshi sat up straight, leveling Shota with a look, quick to retaliate and defend his soulmate.
“He’s right though Sho, you wouldn’t.” Hizashi teased as he wrapped his arms around his waist, feeling the slight bit of tension that Shouta was feeling earlier melting away. He knew that it was the right thing to bring his husband in and let him know about all the secrets he’s been keeping for a while, but he was still concerned that Izuku and Hitoshi were only doing it because he was an adult and their teacher at that. He didn’t want them to feel pressured to do something against their will. To hear them bickering was a welcome anxiety reducer.
“Zashi! I did not advocate for you so that you could betray me in such a manner!”
“It’s not betrayal, if it's the truth, Shouta!” Hitoshi tacks on.
“That’s it, I don’t like either of you anymore. Izuku is my favorite.” He even turned his head so that his husband couldn’t kiss him. He wasn’t about to kiss a traitor.
At least for another 2 minutes that is.
“Hey! I’m your soulmate! I should automatically be your favorite!” Hizashi protested,still trying (in vain) to steal a kiss.
“Yea, not a reason to steal mine either!” Smiling, they both looked to Izuku to see if he was going to chime in. But instead he looked… pensive. Not even a chuckle left his lips. Shouta wasn’t even sure if he knew what they were talking about. When did he start zoning out?
“Izu, you look like you are contemplating saying something that somebody might not like. What’s on your mind?” And for that and many other reasons, Shouta was grateful that Hitoshi can read Izuku as well as he can. Because to Shouta, Izuku looked fine. Maybe lost in his thoughts a little bit, but nothing to worry about. And clearly, he is wrong about that assumption.
“I think we should also talk to Nezu about this.” Izuku says to the three people in front of him. He looked at each one of them. Hitoshi’s eyes held nothing but love and trust. Hizashi’s eyes were indifferent to the situation. Not really caring one way or another if they talked with Nezu. Shouta on the other hand, he was the person that did not like what Izuku had said,
“You know, when I said earlier that I thought we should bring Nezu into this, that was a moment of distress. I don’t think-” Shouta was cut off by Nezu patting his head. He caused everybody in the room to jump. Nobody was really sure (probably the vents, it was usually the vents, but a quick glance upward confirmed they were close) where he came from but nobody wanted to ask either.
“Now, now, Shouta. Don’t disregard your own ideas. They do tend to be helpful after all.” Nezu’s cheery voice was at odds with the somber atmosphere of the room, but it wasn’t unwelcomed.
“Nezu, where did you come from?” Hizashi was looking around the room, trying to see if he could put together where his boss had entered from. Shouta’s office was known for not having large air vents that could easily be transversed, he had specifically picked it for that purpose. And the main door to the office was still closed from when Hizashi and Shouta entered mere moments ago.
“Don’t worry about such things, Hizashi-kun. We have more important matters to discuss.” Nezu waved his paw dismissively as he turned away from Hizashi to face Izuku.
“Now, I hear that what we have on file for your quirk might not be entirely accurate, is that correct?” Nezu folded his paws and waited patiently for Izuku to start talking. Izuku glanced at where Hitoshi was sitting, silently asking if this was a good idea. Hitoshi glanced around the room at all of the adults that were present and in a movement so small most wouldn't have noticed it, nodded his head. If worse comes to worst, they could reset. Gathering his thoughts Izuku started to speak.
“There are some things that are and some that aren’t, but I'll start at the beginning.” It took Izuku the better part of 3 hours to recall everything that had happened as well as go over his quirk. Shouta and Hitoshi would chime when they could or needed to, but for the most part let Izuku do all the explaining. When he finished, his boyfriend handed him his water bottle. Grateful, he took it and almost drained the entire thing. His throat was dry from talking that much, and felt a little bad that Hito was having to feel that pain too. Even if it was only a little bit.
“Hmm, that certainly is interesting. And you're sure that Midoriya-san has no idea about your quirk and what it can do?” The question itself was innocent enough, but Izuku still felt himself getting defensive.
“Of course she doesn’t,” He spat. “She doesn’t even believe that I have a quirk. She only registered it like that so that I wouldn’t be ‘A stupid, worthless, quirkless Deku’ on paper. Honestly I would be genuinely surprised if she even knew what school I was going to.” Out of the corner of his eyes, Izuku could see the gears turning in Shouta’s head.
“Kid, she had to sign multiple papers for you to attend here. I know that there are at least 15 for the hero course alone.”
“She had a stamp of her signature made. She told me that if I need anything signed for school to just use that so that I don't bother her.” He shrugged. It was easier that way. She didn’t ask him questions and he got to stay away from her. In his eyes, it was a win-win.
“Besides, how else did you think I was sneaking out every day when I came to meet with you and Toshi? She’s not exactly the most observant, Shou.”
“Well, blatant child neglect aside, back to the topic at hand.” Nezu called before his teachers could say anything else off topic. “Now Izuku, the only reason I was asking is because as you know, with quirks like these, the less people that know about them, the better. I’m just making sure that the information and conclusions I have drawn are accurate so that we can proceed accordingly.”
“So, Listener, if I was hearing you right when you were explaining your quirk, you said that you couldn’t bring back the whole class right?” Hizashi asked gently.
“Yea, we tried but it just kept reading ‘error’. There wasn’t even a message with it.” Izuku explained again.
“Well, if that’s the case, then, the five of us should all ‘reset’. We can debate all day about the possibilities, but the only way science ever progresses is to actually do something!” Nezu states from his perch on Shouta’s shoulder.
“Alright chill, this time, we for sure have few people. So at the very least, it’ll give you a better idea of what your upper limits are!” Hizashi pointed his finger guns at Izuku with a big smile on his face. And while the man was right, that didn’t help his growing anxiety.
Izuku was nervous. He was trying to bring back 4 people, not including himself. He was almost certain that he would be reaching the limits of his quirk soon. The only concrete thing he knew was that he was unable to bring back his entire class. But that doesn’t give him much of a starting point. But like Shouta said when they first brought him on, the only way to find out with his quirk was to test it. So that’s what he would do. When everybody was ready Izuku reached out to his quirk.
And just like any other time he said those same three words, the text box with memories pulled up for him to choose from. He selected a memory that happened about 2 hours ago earlier that day. It would be a short trip so hopefully it wouldn’t put too much strain on himself or anybody else. That and he knew that everybody that would be going back with him would end up in the same room and, more importantly, not near other people. The less questions they had to answer the better.
“Activate Save Point.”
*Warning!*
Izuku furrowed his eyebrows at the message. That never happened before. Or maybe it did at the USJ and he just didn’t have the time to read it? Or it didn’t because there were so many more people? Voices around him were asking questions but he ignored all of them in favor of reading the additional text that was now showing.
*User is attempting to bring back more than allowed capacity. If user goes through with reset, all members will lose their memories of all previous runs, placements are not guaranteed, and death is a possibility for 1 or all member(s). Do you wish to proceed?* And just like any other time, there were two options that Izuku could choose from.
“My quirk can’t handle bringing back this many people. But there was a warning that popped up this time. It said that if we go back with everybody, then we
all
will lose our memories of the previous runs, including this one.” Izuku selected the no button and the textbox faded from his vision. He opted to not share the other two possible outcomes with the others. He wasn’t going to do it either way.
He definitely wasn't not telling them because he was never aware that
death
was actually a possibility for using his quirk. Nope. Not being scared about that at all.
“So now we have to decide who gets to go back and who has to stay out of the loop… ” An uneasiness fell over the room. Izuku knew that he had to go back no matter what. It was his quirk afterall. But whom to take with him? He would really rather prefer Hitoshi. He was his soulmate and he’s seen first hand what can happen when you keep things from your soulmate. He wasn’t too keen on having that happen to himself.
“Before we discuss this any further, I have a solution.” Nezu hopped off of Shouta’s shoulder and instead stood on top of the man’s desk.
“I will not go.” The room was quiet on top of the uneasiness now, as they waited for Nezu to explain. No one was trying to counter what the stout said, but that didn't mean that they didn’t want to hear the reasoning behind it.
“Izuku has to be one of the ones that goes back, that much is clear. As well as Hitoshi. They are soulbound after all. As for the three of us? Well, it only makes logical sense that Shouta-kun and Hizashi-kun go back. Shouta is excellent on defense as well as close range offense. He also already has experience with Izuku’s quirk. Hizashi-kun would do well on long range offense, as well as planning and strategy, not as much as myself, granted, but I did teach him during his school days afterall. I can plan and work behind the scenes but that isn’t going to help much. At least not in the ways that I foresee mattering. I am an intelligence hero, not a combat hero. From the sounds of it, you need the firepower more than the additional intelligence. With all of that in mind, it makes the most sense for me to stay behind.” Nezu took a sip of his tea -When did he brew that?!!- while he waited for them to speak.
“But you’re the smartest being on the planet, doesn’t that count for something?” Shouta asks. Admittedly he was glad that Nezu had offered to stay behind. He already had to go through not telling Hizashi about all of this and he really didn’t want to do it again. And he didn’t fancy being on the flip side of that coin either. Even if he wouldn’t remember it.
“It does, and that brings me to the next part of the solution that I came up with. It should be easy to take back with you so there shouldn’t be a problem there. ” He holds up a plain black notebook he had stolen from Shouta’s desk, jotting down notes during Izuku's explanation earlier. There was nothing differentiating it from any other notebook. But with the way he was presenting to them, it was like he was handing them the answers to the universe. Who knows? Maybe he was in a way. Izuku took the notebook from Nezu as he was explaining what was in it. Taking this chance to flip through it, so that he could familiarize himself with its contents.
“Now, the first part of this notebook is just notes that I was taking as you were going over what had happened, Izuku. So that part might not be as much help to you, but when and if you need my help, it will be helpful to me so that I know what is going on. Now, make sure that if you lose this, need to copy it, or something else, that you do so exactly. I have put code words in each page so that when I read it, I know that it was truly me who did it. It's a precautionary item on my end.” As Izuku was looking through the notebook, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. It all seemed like normal notes. The simplicity yet complexity of these notes both amazed and confused him.
“This way, High Specs will still be of use to you. If you need my help, just show it to me and I will understand and help you to the best of my ability. In addition to that, you also have Hizashi’s fire power that I know you will need that I simply cannot provide. This is the best solution for all of us.” Nezu smiled as he finished up. Izuku was done looking through the notebook and handed it to Shouta who had his hand stretched out.
That… wasn’t a bad idea. It worked out a lot better than Izuku thought and hoped it would. It also made it easier to tell the stout goodbye as he started up his quirk. Because yes, while he wasn’t coming back with them, they had the journal as proof. So in a way, they weren’t actually losing him. He would still be able to help them when they needed it. And if Izuku could count on anything in this life, it’s that they were going to need all the help that they can get.
“Thank you, Nezu. This will help us so much.” Izuku said with as much sincerity as he could put into simple words. Even then it didn’t feel like enough.
“Don’t worry about it, Izuku. Your secret is safe with me. But the longer we sit and wait here, the more you four procrastinate on what must be done.”
“Right, well, now is as good of a time as any.” Izuku started gathering power for his quirk when Hizashi asked.
“So, I didn't think to ask this before, but what does his quirk feel like? Do I need to prepare myself at all?” He was looking between Shouta and Hitoshi for answers. Both of them looked at each other and then back at the voice hero. At the same time they asked him,
“Have you ever been on the inside of a snow globe that was being shaken by an angry toddler?”
“What?! No?!”
Save Point Activated. Starting Run 41.