Archive of Our Own

Shouto and Izuku are like magnets, it’s been said. Shouto can’t deny that he’s always felt a pull towards Izuku. He won’t lie and say it was love at first sight, because it wasn’t love when he felt those eyes following him in the halls, or when he would hear bright laughter as some invention explodes again in the cafeteria. It wasn’t love, but curiosity. Izuku holds his attention like no one else, but it wasn’t until the Sports Festival that Shouto realized what about Izuku drew him in so much.

The boy, while strong and smart and beautiful (all of which Shouto had known the first time Izuku handed his ass to him), was perfect. He was horribly romantic, even when he didn’t mean to flirt, and he had the ability to lift up those around him. It’s what makes Izuku such an amazing friend, as well as partner.

Shouto and Izuku are like magnets, Shouto would agree. Like opposing charges, Shouto can’t help but feel that they are perfectly balanced while never quite in agreement. At first, this was obvious. The two approached their relationship from wildly different perspectives, and that turbulence can still be felt in echoes.

Shouto feels those echoes when he looks at photos from their second year, from the time after Izuku dumped him seemingly out of the blue and before Izuku had cried in Shouto’s arms, begging for forgiveness. The Shouto in those photos doesn’t smile, because the ache in his cheeks no longer came easy. The Shouto in those photos is often alone, and when he isn’t he is detached from the others in the photo. The Shouto in those photos didn’t know how to deal with heartbreak, and the Shouto now doesn’t either.

The Shouto now has only become better at masking it.

He recognizes the signs from second year.

Izuku’s training has eaten into mealtimes and breaks whenever he can get away with it. Aizawa and Mic try to keep him in check at school, but they have jobs to do, and ‘babysitting’ isn’t technically the job of a teacher. All Might watches over him during Izuku’s work-study hours, which helps, but Shouto knows that his boyfriend is losing weight, and he’s fidgety and stressed like he always is when he sleeps too little.

Izuku hides his phone from Shouto, who would never have even thought to check what’s on the screen. He speaks in whispers to Uraraka in the common room late at night, and abruptly changes the subject once he realizes Shouto is nearby.

Shouto and Izuku are like magnets. Just like there is an undeniable pull between them, Shouto feels that they are just as capable of pushing one another away.

Shouto isn’t good with heartbreak. He never has been.

Shouto and Izuku are like magnets, it’s been said. They never part for long, even if they are pulled apart by force. Izuku thinks that’s terribly unromantic, because he hates pretending as if being with Shouto isn’t a choice. There isn’t some force bringing them together. Izuku chooses to be with Shouto, and Shouto, for whatever reason, chooses to stay with Izuku.

The other students are packing their things, chatting idly with one another as they say their daily goodbyes. Izuku is pressed against Shouto shamelessly while the taller boy props his chin on top of Izuku’s head.

“Marry me,” Shouto says. It’s become routine, and Izuku is so grateful that at least one of them can be so transparent.

“Not yet,” Izuku’s eyes slide closed, bracing for something he knows won’t come.

Shouto doesn’t even flinch, knowing to expect the answer by now, “Okay,” he says, pulling away and lightly kissing Izuku as he does, “See you after work?”

Izuku nods, “See you later.”

Class 3-A is used to the two’s antics by now, and they’re just glad that they act more like a sappy old married couple than newlyweds (Kacchan and Kirishima had definitely been more “open” about their relationship). Izuku says goodbye to his classmates before rushing off to All Might’s agency.

Paperwork.

All Might may be the city’s number one hero, but he’s also one of the leading heroes in inflicting property damage. His power quirk has a radial effect that can cause significant damage even when All Might’s attack has not made contact. The government covers the majority of costs, but the mountains of paperwork are the consequence of such an arrangement.

“Young Midoriya,” All Might asks after Izuku glances at his phone one too many times, “Is everything alright?”

Izuku laughs nervously, “Sorry, I’m just a little distracted.”

All Might hums knowingly, “Boy troubles?”

Izuku waves his hands frantically, “No, not at all! Shouto and I are going really strong right now-”

“You’re fine, Midoriya,” All Might says, cracking a smile, “I was just teasing.”

“Oh.” Izuku deflates, “Sorry, I’m just worried about a friend.”

All Might hums, “That’s rather unfortunate. Will they be alright?”

And isn’t that the question of the century. “I hope so.”

“Well, there’s nothing you can do for them right now, right? How would you like to go on patrol? That always helps me take my mind off my worries.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Excellent work!” All Might praises after Izuku returns a cat stuck in a tree to the ground, and Izuku’s spirits lift slightly. “You’ve come so far since we met. I can’t wait to officially take you on as my new sidekick!”

This is what Izuku wants.

It’s what he’s always wanted.

Why does it feel so wrong?

Izuku smiles anyway. He trusts All Might with his life, and if his quirk is so keen on rejecting the #1 hero, it can kindly fuck off.

All Might smiles fondly, reaching out and ruffling Izuku’s hair.

Izuku feels the large battle scarred hand atop his head, and his hair weaving and tangling around the man’s fingers.

But for a moment.

For just a small, small moment.

It’s not All Might he sees.

“Eat up! We have a long day of training ahead of us tomorrow, and you don’t want to do that on an empty stomach, trust me.” Dark black curls bounce as Midoriya Hisashi laughs, and it seems so genuine. So full of love.

No!

Izuku tries to force the memory away.

He sometimes has nightmares about his father. Ones that are based in reality (like some of the very real ‘training’ and ‘vigilante work’), and ones that are based purely on Izuku’s fears. He can deal with nightmares. He can deal with the chill that takes him as the sweat across his chest and face cools, with the pure terror and heartache.

These are worse.

He can handle his father being a villain.

He can’t.

He can handle his father being dead.

Almost.

He can’t handle his father being… being his dad.

There was a time Izuku loved his dad.

He still does. He loves him and misses him and it kills him because his father was using him and-

“Thank you, All Might,” Izuku says, trying not to feel sick.

“Deku!” Ochako greets, and her normal cheer is so obviously absent, though it’s clear an effort is made.

Izuku sits beside her on the bench in the park. The same bench he and his dad used to run past every morning.

She crumples.

She leans fully onto him for support, and the sobs come without resistance. “She’s-She’s-”

“It’s okay.”

She cries, “It’s not!”

“It has to be,” Izuku says.

For two years now, Ochako has betrayed her classmates-her friends-over and over and there never seems to be an end in sight.

“Why is it never enough for her?” Ochako whimpers into his chest as he soothingly strokes her hair.

Izuku likes to think he knows Toga Himiko. Better than most, at least.

Her favorite color is pink, though if you ask her, she’ll say it’s red. She has a cat named TC (short for ‘The Cat’) because she refused to name the poor thing and risk ‘getting attached,’ nevermind the fact that he’s nearly 12 now and not once has she ever forgotten to feed him or clean the litter box. Her parents are never home and the servants are afraid of her, so she runs the house. Anything she asks for, she is readily given, and when it is not, she takes it.

Perhaps that’s exactly it.

She’s only ever learned to take.

“I don’t know,” he says instead, because she doesn’t actually want to know. She wants it to stop. “We’re going to stop her, Ochako.”

“And what if we don’t?”

“We will.”

“We’ve been trying to stop her for years now, Deku, I don’t think-”

“Don’t think,” Izuku says, “You trust me, right?”

She nods.

“Then trust me, we’ll stop her.”

“I don’t know-”

“Then stop worrying about what ifs. You don’t know, so stop bracing yourself for bad outcomes.”

“Right,” she says. She sounds better, but still not entirely convinced. How can she be when she’s still trapped?

Izuku returns to the dorms a little later than expected, having stayed with Ochako in the park more than he usually does. Whatever Toga has planned, it must be big if it has rattled Ochako so much. Ochako is stronger than people realise (it’s what makes her such a great spy), and she’s been doing this long enough that she’s adjusted to the general anxiety of it all.

Izuku kept his boyfriend waiting, if the setting sun is any indicator. Shouto’s own shift ended about an hour ago, and Izuku had promised to already be back by then. He isn’t surprised in the slightest to find Shouto waiting for him in his room.

What does surprise Izuku is the way Shouto practically flings himself at Izuku the second the door is closed. Shouto’s mouth connects with Izuku’s, and Izuku, though startled and confused, reciprocates.

Shouto’s normally not this forward with his more physical… affections. He will happily hold and cuddle and caress and kiss Izuku, both in public and in private, but Izuku usually is the one that has to take the lead in the bedroom.

Shouto bites into Izuku’s lip, probably sensing Izuku’s wandering thoughts.

That’s new, too. Shouto isn’t so rough when he’s actually in the mood. He usually only gets this way if he needs a mental release rather than a physical one.

Shouto grasps Izuku’s uniform by the collar before backing himself (and dragging Izuku with him) toward the bed. Izuku pulls back as Shouto starts fumbling to remove clothes, “Wait, hold on a second-”

Shouto cuts him off with a kiss, but Izuku presses Shouto down again and says, “I said hold on.”

Shouto stops, looking sheepish.

Izuku asks, “What’s wrong?”

“Why does something have to be wrong?”

Izuku isn’t very impressed by the question, “You know that’s not what I mean. You’re not… being yourself right now. Did something happen?”

Shouto avoids Izuku’s gaze. “It’s nothing, really, I just… I need to do this right now. I need to feel… wanted.”

Izuku softens at that, “Shouto, you know I’m always here for you. We don’t need to do this for me to want you.”

An emotion flickers through Shouto’s eyes quicker than he can analyze it. Shouto’s body untenses, however, and he places his hands on Izuku’s waist. His voice and expression are confident when he practically purrs, “And what if I want you?”

Normally, Izuku would push a little more on this, but Izuku’s emotions are a little all over the place right now too, and they could always talk things out after.

“Well,” Izuku smiles, “that’s a whole different story.”

Their mouths reconnect, and it’s better this time.

“You were home late,” Shouto says, once they’re clean and changed.

Izuku lies, “Sorry, I saw Kacchan while I was on my way back. We hung out for a little bit and I lost track of time. Were you worried?”

Shouto looks stricken, “Well, I wasn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

Shouto and Kacchan had a complicated relationship to say the least. The two had their ups and downs, and constantly fought over their clashing personalities and different attitudes toward Izuku. Izuku thought that things had been going great between them recently, but he might just be out of the loop.

“I figured you were out with Bakugou,” Shouto says, “or Mei or Toshi-I even briefly entertained the idea that you might have gotten caught up in paperwork and you were too polite to ask All Might for permission to text your boyfriend.” It’s almost scary sometimes how well Shouto knows him.

Shouto gestures toward his phone on the side table as he continues, “and then Bakugou tells me he saw you with some girl. He was patrolling, so he didn’t get a close look at her, and he asked if I knew who you were out with.”

“Kacchan’s shift ended at 4:30,” Izuku said confidently, “Same as me, why would he have been patrolling?”

“He’s been working late to save up for Kirishima’s birthday present, remember?”

Izuku’s blood ran cold.

He’d forgotten.

“Oh no.”

“Izuku-”

“Shouto, I promise you it’s not what it sounds like.”

Shouto huffs, “Then why would you lie?”

“It wasn’t just some random girl-” Izuku starts.

“Oh, well that’s reassuring-”

Izuku groans frustratedly, “Now you’re just being difficult.”

“Because my boyfriend is probably cheating on me-”

“No.” Izuku says firmly, “I have never done that, and I never will. I lied, yes, but not about that.”

“Then just tell me what’s so innocent.”

“I was with Ochako,” Izuku says, “we were talking about some personal stuff, and I was trying to respect her privacy.”

Shouto rolled his eyes, “Right, and Uraraka definitely didn’t want me to know that you’d even talked with her.”

“I really can’t talk about this.”

“Fine.”

“What?”

“Fine. If you are cheating, you aren’t going to tell me. If you aren’t, you still won’t tell me, so what’s the point?”

“What has gotten into you?”

Shouto looks like he’s ready to cry, “You’re doing it again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can recognize the signs now, they’re the same as last year.”

Izuku flinches, knowing exactly what he’s talking about.

The break up.

“You wouldn’t talk to me then, either. I pushed and pushed and you dumped me. Even when we got back together, you didn’t want to talk about it, so I gave you space but…” He looks Izuku in the eye, “Please don’t keep pushing me away. If something is going on with Uraraka, that’s fine, but stop lying about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Izuku says, knowing it’s not enough.

“I know something is going on with you, too.” Shouto says, “I take it you don’t want to talk about that either.”

“I need time, Shouto.”

“And I’ll give you what I can,” Shouto promises, “but that time is going to run out eventually.” He gets up, “I’m sleeping in my room tonight.”

Izuku is too busy reeling to stop him.

Why is it that Izuku feels like he’s running away when Shouto’s the one leaving?

“Deku, this is crazy,” Ochako says.

Now that Shouto isn’t sharing a bed with Izuku, he’s been waking up in the middle of the night and staying up. The brain’s creativity center is most active at night, and Izuku took advantage of that to come up with a new plan for Toga.

Izuku argues, “He’s never been wrong in his predictions, and, if he vouches for you, you’d receive protection from prosecution as a double agent.”

“Sir Nighteye hates using his quirk, especially on people he knows.”

“And that’s exactly why he’ll do it.”

“What?”

“He knows you’d never ask him to do it if it wasn’t absolutely necessary,” Izuku says, “and if he knows what’s coming, we can try to change it.”

“But the future has only ever happened as he’s envisioned it, how could we change it?”

Izuku shrugs, “Then we don’t.”

“Sometimes, you make no sense.”

“I make perfect sense,” Izuku counters, “If he envisions the future, he will be seeing a future influenced by us knowing Toga’s plans, meaning we will most likely succeed in stopping her, and then the future won’t need to be changed.”

“Isn’t that a paradox?”

“Yes, and yet the universe still exists, despite Nighteye using his quirk all the time.”

“My head hurts.”

“Sir Nighteye has painkillers at reception in his agency.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“It’s where All Might keeps his.”

“Why do we want to be heroes again?”

Izuku laughs, and for the first time in a while, Ochako’s answering smile is genuine.

“How is your friend?” All Might asks during a patrol.

Izuku answers, “We’re working on a potential solution. I’ll tell you if it goes well.”

All Might nods, “It’s quite noble of you to be so devoted to the struggles of those around you even while you face your own.”

“What?”

All Might says, “Present Mic played that audio file for me-” A child rushes toward the two of them, firmly planting herself behind them and gripping into the material of Izuku’s jacket. “Ah-Hello, little one.”

The girl has long, pale blue hair swept up into a ponytail. Her eyes are wide and red, and above one of them is a curved horn that starts just below her hairline. She looks terrified.

There’s a bandaid on her upper arm where the sleeve is rolled up, reminding Izuku of when he’d had to catch up on a decade’s worth of vaccinations (not fun). Izuku asks, “Did you just get back from a doctor’s office?”

“Don’t mind her,” a blonde man says, stepping forward, “She gets spooked easily.”

All Might smiles charmingly, “Children often do.” He laughs, “What upset the little one so much this time?”

The girl’s grip tightens, and Izuku doesn’t miss the way she goes pale.

“She spent the day with her aunt,” the man says, “and her aunt likes to tell ghost stories. I think she gets a kick out of watching Eri get paranoid.”

Eri buries her face in Izuku’s suit.

Izuku tries to pat the girl’s back reassuringly. He’s getting bad vibes from this guy, and he’s sure All Might is too.

The #1 Hero nods, “I see. Deku here can be quite skittish with horror films.” He smiles at Eri, ignoring the indignant hey! from Izuku, “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be just like Deku here when you grow up!”

The blonde laughs, “Wouldn’t that be quite the surprise?” He takes a step closer to Eri, “Let’s not bother the heroes anymore, okay? I promise no ghouls or zombies or ghosts will get you.”

Izuku holds Eri close. Like hell is she-

“Go ahead, Young Eri,” All Might says, “Deku and I will even escort you home if it will make you feel safer.”

Izuku tries to smile convincingly, “Totally! There’s no need to fear when All Might is here!”

“We’d hate to inconvenience you so,” the blonde says, “Come on, Eri. I’m sure your sister must be worried.”

Eri flinches.

Before Izuku can react, she releases the hero-to-be and rushes to the stranger’s side. The pair leave quickly.

“We’ll need to report this to the police,” All Might tells Izuku, “While we don’t have anything solid for something like domestic abuse, we can file it under suspicious activity-”

“We need to go after them.”

All Might sighs, “You know we can’t do that.”

“But she-”

“Is perfectly safe, for the time being.” All Might says, “We can’t do anything until she’s confirmed to be in danger, and rushing in now could be what puts her in danger, and would leave other civilians at risk while we abandon our post.”

Izuku clenches his fist.

All Might starts leading the way back to their normal patrol route, but he says, “Your instincts are good, Young Midoriya, as is your logic, but you must balance the two of them. Heroes must balance the law and their passion.”

Izuku doesn’t like it.

“You heard the audio file?” Izuku prompts, changing the subject.

“I did,” All Might says, allowing the conversation to drop, “and I was very proud to hear that you’d come so far in your journey.”

It doesn’t feel like he’s done anything. Not anything important, at least.

The tape is played on Mic’s podcast, though the hero had reservations about it.

Are you sure this is what you want to say? It seems a little-

Izuku was adamant, and Mic couldn’t argue.

“Hello, listeners, my name is Midoriya Izuku, and I was last on this podcast nearly two years ago. When I signed off last, I really thought that was my final goodbye, but there’s something important I need to tell you all. Trigger warnings for this podcast include kidnapping, abuse, and death, continue at your own risk.

“My father is Midoriya Hisashi-was, my apologies-and he abducted me as a child. I defended him for years, and I did it because I thought I had consented to it, and to everything that happened afterward. I was a child, and it was foolish of me to think a four year old agreeing to live with his dad was the same as agreeing to kill anyone he pointed at. I’ve had stones hurled at me by the child of one of the men I killed, and he looked me in the eyes and promised he’d kill me when he grew up and I-I was just like him. I was hellbent on avenging my father, and I was so busy mourning him that I hadn’t even considered who he was. I excused his behavior, and the abuse he inflicted on me, and that endangered countless victims. It made them think that they are at fault for what they went through, and I didn’t see that my words were hurting people.” There’s a pause. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry, and I hope that you all can forgive me for the pain I’ve inflicted. I hope to serve you all as a hero, but only if you’ll have me.”

Shouto is waiting in Izuku’s room when he returns to the dorms, and Izuku is startled. While they never officially broke up, he’d definitely gotten the impression that they were on a break.

“I heard the tape.”

Izuku is confused. “I thought you didn’t listen to Mic’s podcast anymore?”

“Momo sent it to me.” Shouto explains, “and Mina, and Kirishima-Hell, even Mineta-”

“I get it.”

Shouto asks, “Why did you say that?”

“I’m sorry, I should have told you before airing it-”

“I don’t care about that,” Shouto dismisses, “I mean, why did you blame yourself?”

Izuku doesn’t understand. “What are you talking about? I clearly said that my father is to blame-”

“If you really felt that way, you wouldn’t have apologized for how his abuse affected you.” Shouto says, “You would have corrected your past statements, not apologized for literally being manipulated by your abuser-”

“Can we not-”

“Is this what’s been bothering you?”

“No.”

Shouto looks disbelieving.

“Can’t you just be happy for me?”

“How can I be happy watching you run yourself into the ground? You keep pushing yourself at everything and I’m not sure you’ve slept in days-”

Izuku looks away from Shouto, “I need my boyfriend to support me right now. Today’s been a lot and my phone is blowing up and-”

Shouto rises from the bed and pulls Izuku into his arms. “All I want is to support you, Izuku, but you need to let me in.”

Izuku buries his face in his boyfriend’s neck.

“We could call your mom,” Shouto suggests, “I’m sure she’s thrilled you were able to talk about what happened so publicly.”

Izuku takes a deep breath. He mumbles, “Okay.”

“Okay,” Shouto agrees, but he waits until Izuku pulls away to reach for his phone.

Izuku doesn’t notice the four missed phone calls from Ochako until later that night, when he wakes from another nightmare.

“He did it,” Ochako says, “but he says it was… wrong? Usually, seeing someone’s future is like seeing someone’s life played out as a movie. It’s what makes his quirk so useful. But, with me, he said it was like it would loop after so many frames in and go down a wildly different tangent. The ‘ending’ of the movie keeps changing.”

Izuku tilts his head, “Why would-” His eyes widen at the realization, “Toga’s changing her plans! And because he hasn’t read her future, he can’t predict what choices she’ll make!”

Ochako nods, “That’s what he thought too. What scares me is that she must know that Sir Nighteye wouldn’t be able to see her plan so easily. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have continued to rely on me so much once I started working with him.”

“Toga’s pretty smart,” Izuku agrees, “but she’s not all-knowing. She might just plan on you not being there at all, which would also explain why he can’t see her in your future.”

“Sir Nightye unofficially suspended me,” she says, “While I’ll still be working with him, I lose most of my security clearances, and I can’t access information unless half of it’s already redacted.”

Izuku says, “I can’t blame him for being cautious. Was he at least understanding?”

She nods, “I guess a close friend of his had a similar situation when they first started out as heroes.”

“Then, we can count on him to help us,” Izuku says, “He’ll protect you from other heroes, and help us figure out a game plan to fully take advantage of this situation.”

She seems unconvinced, “I have a hard time believing it’ll be this simple, Deku.”

“Then stop thinking,” Izuku says. He smiles, “We’re at the beginning of the end, Ochako. Enjoy it a little.”

She smiles, “Okay, but I blame you if things go sideways.”

“Hey!” Izuku says, feigning offense as he playfully pushes her.

It’s then that his eyes catch on Shouto, who quickly looks away. He’s far enough that Izuku knows he didn’t overhear, but close enough that Izuku knows what he saw.

“Did Nighteye say we could tell anyone?”

Ochako seems confused by the question, “Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of all this? Can’t really be a double agent if we don’t keep this quiet.”

“Right.”

“Are you alright, Deku?”

“I’ll catch you later, Ochako.”

He doesn’t wait for a goodbye before making his way over to his boyfriend. Shouto focuses his attention on his phone, where he seems to be having a text conversation with Bakugou.

Izuku and Shouto don’t talk about anything important, but it’s nice in a way, acting as if there’s nothing important to talk about.

Class 3-A has never seemed so grim as when Izuku steps through the door. He’s alone, aside from Shouto, who is seated while he waits for a lecture that will never start.

Shouto is different. His posture is rigid and his face expressionless. Those beautiful eyes of his (the ones that he always admired), are distant when normally they’d be piercing. There’s something painfully familiar about this Shouto, even though Izuku had never known him to be so cold.

Izuku knows he’s dreaming from the too-blurred edges on every surface. When he reaches out, he half expects his hand to pass right through his lover, whose eyes have finally slid over to his direction.

He’s right and he’s not, in the most sickening way.

Shouto’s skin blisters and sizzles and melts where Izuku’s hand makes contact. The smell of decay rapidly fills the classroom, and Izuku can’t help but watch as Shouto’s muscle pulls and snaps away from Izuku’s touch. The muscle tenses and stills even as it writhes under Izuku’s horrified gaze. Bone splinters like wood burned on just the wrong side of ‘artful’ and finally Shouto speaks, though he remains impossibly stoic, “And now we see the truth, don’t we?”

A memory better forgotten forcefully rips Izuku’s mind away from the scene. Where the classroom before had been nothing but blurry, the image greeting Izuku now is jarring in its clarity. Hands hold Izuku in place while Midoriya Hisashi’s unblinking eyes stare back from the mangled body. While the cause of death was officially death by crushing, anyone looking at the body could agree that the man looked like he’d been burned from the inside out.

Knowing the man’s quirk, and how it nearly killed him, Izuku knew he probably was.

When Izuku is jolted back to the classroom, he realizes what Dream Shouto had reminded him of.

Death.

“I thought it was me you saw,” Shouto continues, his face flickering to Endeavor’s, “but it was never me, was it?” Shouto disappears completely, thoroughly overtaken by the image of Endeavor. “You saw him, just like everyone else.”

“That’s not true!” Izuku cries out, even as he stumbles away from the #2 hero.

Shouto’s voice continues to spit venomously, “You saw me as a tool, then. You never loved me, you only wanted to use me!”

It stings. Even though that little voice in Izuku’s head had been telling him as much for a long time, it was still potent when it was Shouto telling him so.

Izuku still tries to reassure his lover, along with himself, “I’m not the type to fall in love at first sight, or even be honest.” Izuku continues, “Shouto, I love you, and it kills me that I tried to use you to get to Endeavor-But, Shouto, I never saw Endeavor when I looked at you.”

Izuku wakes with cheeks damp from tears and a throat hoarse from screaming. Hovering above him, looking irritated, is Bakugou.

“Alright, damn nerd,” Bakugou says, “You and I are going for a walk.”

Bakugou stops where the two of them had fought, first year. The explosive boy is nonchalant as he says, “Well, out with it.”

“What?” Izuku asks, still half-asleep.

“Are you really gonna act like you weren’t crying in your sleep like a baby?”

Izuku huffs, indignant, “Aren’t you supposed to be mad at me?” The death glares Izuku had been on the receiving end of had communicated Bakugou’s distaste well enough.

“Oh, I’m pissed. You cheated on Half-n-Half and used me to lie about it, but like shit am I gonna lose sleep over whatever is bugging you.”

“I didn’t cheat on him.”

Bakugou rolls his eyes, “Real convincing. You’ve rejected the candy cane’s proposals how many times now? You scream fear of commitment. You might have him defending you, but you can’t fool me.”

“That’s not-whatever.”

“Too chicken to fight me?”

“I’m tired, Kacchan.”

“And I’m tired of your bullshit!”

It’s like a dam breaks.

“I’m scared of becoming my dad!” Izuku admits after holding it in for so long, “I was using him when we first got together, and I love him and he-”

“You are a fucking idiot.” Bakugou interrupts, looking baffled, “A complete. Fucking. Idiot.”

Izuku deflates, “Real helpful, Kacchan.”

“No, really. Mind-numbingly so, oh my god.”

“Do you have a point?”

“Let me guess, this is why you and Prince Zuko broke up last year?” Izuku nods, and Bakugou continues, “Absolute moron.”

Izuku whines, “Kacchan…”

“No, you listen to me. Cheater or not-”

“Hey!”

“You are nothing like that monster,” Bakugou continues, undeterred, “Todoroki knew when you got together that you didn’t love him, just like he knows you love him now. It’s hard to manipulate someone when you can’t even lie to them.”

“It’s not-”

“Just talk to Elsa, stupid. That guy knows trauma, and he’ll understand how you’re feeling a lot better than you think. It won’t magically fix you and your stupidity, but communication will do wonders for your relationship. That’s what upset Icy Hot so much in the first place, even before you cheated.”

“I am this close to murdering you.”

Bakugou is unimpressed, “You won’t. You know I’m right.”

“I hate you.”

“Talk to Doubleshot on Ice. I’m sick of his moping.”

“Kacchan, that drink was literally discontinued before our parents were born-”

“Anyone worth their salt knows it’s not called shaken espresso, what garbage is that?!”

“I’m concerned that your biggest concern here is what a discontinued drink is called-”

An explosion shuts Izuku up quickly, because the two of them then have to sneak past Aizawa to the dorms.

Izuku does not talk to Shouto. With all the things competing for his attention, it slips his mind.

Now that All Might’s clued in on Ochako’s situation, he’s decided to focus their attention on Toga and her group. Izuku recognizes some of the people she talks with. Sometimes, he’ll fill All Might in on what he remembers about them from his time on the streets.

Sometimes, like in Dabi’s case, he sees an opportunity.

Dabi clearly didn’t want in on Toga’s newest scheme, and Izuku isn’t sure if it’s more because of his distaste for the girl or his distaste for outright villainy. Izuku’s father had introduced them shortly after Dabi started to make a name for himself as a thief, and Izuku had recently found Dabi working as a dance instructor, of all things (at a studio owned by Chisaki Kai, known yakuza, but Izuku hopes that Dabi is turning over a new leaf by making a mostly honest living).

“He’d be a good in.”

All Might eyes Dabi and Toga, who are currently arguing as the former tries to forcibly remove Toga from the studio. “Wouldn’t he draw suspicion if he suddenly agreed after a display like this?”

“No.” Izuku says, “Toga’s desperate. She’s asked him for help at least three times since we’ve started watching them. They’ve never gotten along, and she knows he’d normally never agree to some big scheme. If he agrees, she’ll be too relieved to suspect him at first.”

“Your knowledge of the villains of this town astound me, Midoriya.”

“My father wanted me to have friends,” Izuku says, “So he introduced me to those he thought would benefit me.” Izuku points to the man accompanying Toga, “And others, I met through working as a vigilante. That one fought me once or twice. He excels in evasion and retreat tactics.”

All Might hums, “I suppose I could suggest to Sir Nighteye the possibility of this ‘Dabi’ being a potential ally to Young Uraraka-”

“Actually,” Izuku changes his mind, “knowing him, he wouldn’t get directly involved in hero stuff either. He gets real touchy when heroes come up. I think he’s got a history with them, but he’s never been really talkative.” He suggests, “He’d probably be willing to tell us what he knows about her plot though.”

“You think he’d hand it over that easily?”

“Honestly? Yeah.”

“Would you mind acting as our middle man? If he doesn’t like heroes, I don’t imagine he likes police either. You, at least, would be a friendly face.”

“No problem.”

It’s a problem.

Every time he so much as thinks about visiting Dabi in his downtime, Toga stages some mini attack, and Izuku rushes to stop her only to just barely catch her retreat. It’s tiring him out, between work and school and emergency hero responses.

Mei tries to distract Izuku by talking about her newest babies-in-progress, but there’s only so much she can say before Izuku passes out, face falling into his cold ramen that he’d barely touched. Toshi teaches Izuku the wonders of coffee to help him stay awake long enough to study, but the crash is so bad that he oversleeps in the morning.

Shouto even starts sharing a bed with him again. Even though Izuku hasn’t communicated shit, his boyfriend doesn’t push for anything, and he steadies Izuku when the exhaustion becomes too much.

Finally, Toga must be as tired as Izuku is, because he finally makes it to the studio. Dabi doesn’t bother looking up from his phone when the bell above the door chimes. “No classes at the moment. Please see the schedule on the whiteboard for-”

“It’s me.”

Dabi looks up, “Ah. Still not teaching you how to dance.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“It never is.”

“Do we need to have this conversation every time?”

“Yes. It’s the only thing keeping me sane.”

Izuku is starting to remember why he only talks to Dabi when in an exceedingly good mood. “We need to talk about Toga.”

Dabi groans, “Nevermind. Leave.”

“She won’t tell me what she’s up to.”

“Villains usually don’t share their plans with heroes.”

“Could you tell me what she’s up to?”

Dabi does a weird coughing thing that Izuku suspects might have been a laugh, “She doesn’t even know.”

That confirms one of Izuku’s theories.

“She’s obsessed with the idea of doing something big to bring all eyes to her. Attention-seeking, like always. The only solid thing she’s got right now is that girl.”

“What girl?”

“She claims this girl can permanently erase quirks. She’s been borrowing the girl from her guardian to synthesize some drug.”

“Holy shit.”

“I forget her name. Emika? Erika? Er-”

“Eri.” Izuku says, “It’s Eri, isn’t it?”

Dabi shrugs, “If you say so. I never met her.”

Before Izuku can say anything else, Dabi says, “Now, get out. I don’t need Chisaki catching word that heroes are sniffing around the place.”

Izuku holds his hands up in surrender, “I’m going, I’m going.”

Sir Nighteye is the one who leads the rescue attempt for Eri. He’d been watching Chisaki’s movements for a while now, but he’d never suspected that the girl walking around with someone completely unrelated to the yakuza would be something big.

Izuku and All Might can’t assist, because their presence would attract too much attention with their public personas. Ochako does go, however. Despite the technical success of the mission, when she calls Izuku, it’s with a choked up voice and sheer panic.

“Sir Nighteye is in a coma,” she confides in him, “what are we going to do? We can’t keep tabs on Toga’s plan.”

“Eri’s safe, right?” Izuku asks.

“Yeah, she’s going to be hiding out with Aizama and Mic until we figure out a safe place for her.”

“Then we’ll figure it out.”

“How are you always so sure?”

“I have to be.”

“Young Midoriya,” All Might says after a long shift.

Izuku is wrung out and exhausted from stress, nightmares, and obligations, but he doesn’t say any of that. “Yes, sir?”

“Please, sit with me a moment. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you before you start planning for life after graduation.”

Oh my god, he forgot about graduation.

Izuku must start muttering anxiously under his breath, because All Might starts waving his arms in a calming manner. “Don’t worry, you have plenty of time before graduation! I don’t mean to make you nervous.”

Izuku calms enough to sit beside his teacher. He gets a weird sense of deja vu. The tone of all of this reminds Izuku of that horrible, horrible conversation first year, but realistically he knows it can’t be anything like that. Both him and All Might have grown too much for history to repeat itself like that.

“I know I told you about your quirk, All For One, back in your first year, and I’m sure you’ve gathered by now that my own quirk, One For All, is heavily related to it.”

Izuku nods, “It’s why I feel so strange around you.”

“And I, you.”

“Wait. You feel it too?”

All Might nods, “It’s how I knew about your quirk when we first met. I recognized you from the news, but it’s not like I could have predicted that he gave his quirk to a 14 year old.”

“11, I think.”

“What?” All Might looks thrown by the correction.

Izuku clarifies, “I think I was 11 when he gave me his quirk-Well, when he started. There’s so much to the quirk, it takes a while for it to really sink in.”

“You do realize how that’s worse, right?”

Izuku shrugs.

All Might must sense that Izuku doesn’t want to think much longer on those particular memories, because he continues from where he’d been side-tracked, “Our quirks sound like they are two sides of the same coin, but there’s a little more to it. Let’s start from the beginning.

“All For One was one of the first quirks to naturally manifest, and the user soon discovered that he could give and take quirks at will. His brother, who was thought to be quirkless, was one of the few people that All For One allowed near him, and one day All For One forced a quirk on him that would give him unmatched strength. The brother’s new quirk ended up combining with his previously hidden quirk, which strengthened quirks over time, and allowed for the power to be passed from user to user.

“This man was the first user of One For All.”

Izuku lets out a gasp, “You mean-”

All Might confirms, “Our quirks were once one and the same, Deku. While I was taught by my mentor that One For All was meant to finally take down All For One, I’ve found myself questioning that recently.”

“What do you mean?”

Izuku has learned to begrudgingly accept that his power isn’t inherently evil, but it doesn’t stop his own fears. He still feels Midnight’s quirk beneath his skin, simmering and begging for release. It’s on All Might’s orders that he has not returned her quirk. One For All mutates quirks, and her body has adjusted to being quirkless. We can’t know what would happen if the power was suddenly returned to her.

“As long as One For All and All For One remain separate, and are passed from generation to generation, the cycle will continue.”

“I won’t pass it on.”

“And you’d take from this world a quirk that could stop any villain and save countless lives.” All Might says, “If you choose not to pass it on, that’s fine, but you have to remember that as a hero you need to consider the bigger picture.”

All Might continues when Izuku does not immediately answer, “I’d been looking for a successor when we met, and I couldn’t help but think that if anything had been different, I might have one day given my quirk to you.”

“What?!”

“You were strategic and brave, and you already had a commitment to saving others.”

“We’re getting distracted. Are you saying you’ve found a successor?”

All Might says seriously, “I’m saying that I was wrong. I’d been so set on seeing All For One as the enemy that I didn’t see what was right in front of me.” He places a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, “I think that, if I were to return One For All to you and combine the two quirks, we could end the cycle.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“Dead serious.” All Might says, “They were originally one quirk, right? It only makes sense to restore it, especially since whoever the next user would be would have both good and bad in them, which gives them greater potential to be a hero than anyone who came before.”

“I don’t like this…”

All Might nods, “And that’s okay. It’s something to think about, and we should probably figure out what we wanna do before your official debut as my sidekick.”

“I need to go.”

Izuku takes off before All Might can get another word in.

Scratch what Izuku said about growing or changing. It was clearly bullshit.

Shouto is fidgeting on the edge of Izuku’s bed, wondering if maybe he shouldn’t be here. He and Izuku are still together, aren’t they? They never said they were done, and Shouto sneaks into Izuku’s room most nights, but Shouto can’t help but feel like maybe they’re ‘off again’ as Momo would describe it.

Izuku looks like he’s falling apart, and even random people from other courses at UA have stopped him to ask about Izuku. While he appreciates the fact that people are looking out for Izuku, he hates that he doesn’t know much more than they do.

Shouto has a mental list of the things he knows are bothering Izuku: 1) Izuku is having nightmares-ones that affect him deeply enough that he refuses to tell Shouto about his brain’s latest batch of horrors, 2) Izuku is working on something big with All Might, and he suspects Uraraka and Sir Nighteye might be involved based on the news reports of that raid, 3) Izuku is thinking about his dad again, and deeply enough that he issued a public apology out of the blue, 4) Toga’s attacks have him on edge.

Izuku’s door creaks loudly, a result of Toshi and Izuku roughhousing and knocking the door hinges loose and hastily trying to fix it before Aizawa could find it. Shouto looks up to see Izuku looking panicked.

“Izuku, are you-”

Izuku plops himself in Shouto’s lap, pulling Shouto to him in a desperate hug.

“Izuku?”

“I can’t tell you yet.” Izuku says, “I want to, but I can’t.”

Shouto says, “I’m not here because I’m mad at you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I wish you were mad at me.”

“What are you talking about?”

Izuku says into Shouto’s neck, “I know anger. I know how to deal with it, but I hate making you so… so… worried.”

“I’m always going to worry.” Shouto says, “And we take turns worrying, don’t we? It’s why you always text me during my breaks. It’s to check in on me when I’ve been with my dad too much.”

“Well, that’s not the only reason-”

Shouto continues, “But my point still stands. We’re a team, Izuku, whatever you want that to mean. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on, but you don’t have to tell me anything.”

Izuku lifts his head to become more level with Shouto. He seems to have relaxed, even if only a little. Eventually, he confesses, “I don’t know if I’m ready to be helped,” Izuku looks nervous, “I’ve always been bad about accepting that kind of thing, but I think I want to try.”

Shouto opens his mouth to respond, but Izuku continues, “Not yet. There’s other people involved in a lot of it, and I can’t talk about that stuff yet.”

“And the rest of it?”

“You’ll think it’s silly.”

“I won’t.”

“You will.”

“Try me.”

“Later.” Izuku says, “Right now, I just want to do absolutely nothing with my boyfriend.”

Izuku startles awake from another nightmare. Shouto’s there with him, and while he’s definitely still half-asleep, Shouto rouses to comfort him. “You’re okay. You’re safe. We’re in your room at UA.”

Izuku turns over. He’s not ready to face Shouto like this.

He’s had nightmares before, and Shouto’s had his fair share too. Anyone with the trauma or stress either of them have would be the same. Izuku’s nightmares have never been this bad before, though.

He’s had nightmares of Shouto’s death. He’s had nightmares of his own death. Both of these things are expected when you choose to be a hero, and he can talk about those nightmares freely. They’re normal amongst his friends and classmates, if you can believe it.

“Am I making it worse?” Shouto asks when Izuku’s been quiet too long.

Izuku says, “No.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No,” Izuku says, more firmly this time.

“Then I won’t,” Shouto says, moving to be closer to Izuku, though he does not touch Izuku.

He says it like it’s easy. Like staying is as easy as breathing.

And maybe it is, for Shouto.

Izuku’s never been known to stay in place for long. He fidgets and murmurs and crowds make him nervous and no one who knows him expects him to stick around.

For Shouto, Izuku wants to try.

Izuku is on the bus back to UA from his mom’s house when the woman next to him says, “The raid was your idea, wasn’t it, ‘Zuku?”

Izuku freezes, recognizing the cadence of the woman’s speech. It’s one of the quickest ways Izuku has discovered to identify Toga in disguise.

She continues in spite of his panic, “It’s got your name written all over it, even if you didn’t show up yourself. You know we’ve been improving that drug since your first year at UA? You ruined the first batch when you were retrieving… oh, what was his name again? It’s been so long since I’ve been able to talk to him.” She sighs remorsefully, “And he would have made such an interesting friend too.”

“Leave Kacchan out of this.”

“And your precious Ochako too, right?” She giggles, “You always were so selfish. You hog all our friends’ time and attention.”

Izuku says, “What do you want, Toga?”

“I want you to stop butting in.”

“I can’t do that.”

She hums questioningly, “Oh? Why not?”

“I’m a hero.”

“And what am I?” Toga teases, “Since you love your labels so much.”

Her voice is taking a dangerous edge, and Izuku takes stock of his surroundings. There’s too many civilians. He can’t do anything without causing a panic or getting someone hurt.

“A villain.”

She rolls her eyes, “You know, that always bothered me about you. Everything’s just so simple to you. You have a filing cabinet in your brain and files go wherever you want them to, rather than where they should be.”

“What?”

She groans impatiently, “You push your own ideals and expectations on others. You always have. Remember when we were little and you made me watch all those All Might movies?”

“That’s what friends do.”

“They watch other types of movies too, Izuku,” she says, “All Might inspired you to be a hero, and that’s fine, really, but you wanted him to do the same for me.”

“And why is that such a bad thing if I wanted to be a hero with you?”

She flicks Izuku’s ear, “You’re really bad at listening, you know. I don’t know why I’m friends with you.”

“I’m a great listener if you make sense.”

Another flick. This one draws blood as her nail catches. She doesn’t try to absorb it, however, surprising even Izuku. “The world abandoned us. They forgot you existed until your dad died and then suddenly they pretended to care. Doesn’t that hurt you at all?”

“No one abandoned you!”

“You did.” She says, and Izuku flinches, “My parents haven’t been home in months, and even with my face all over the news, they don’t call. Even my own sweet Eri left me.”

“She’s not yours.”

She hums, “You and your labels again.”

“So, what, this really is all just a cry for attention?”

She laughs, “Of course not! Did Dabi tell you that or something?”

Izuku freezes.

She says, “I knew you two were back in contact. It’s why I didn’t tell him anything worth knowing. He knew it too.”

“Oh.”

“The world abandoned us, Izuku, and we’re not obligated to protect it. You made your choice, and this is mine.”

Izuku tries to reason with her, “But surely there’s something out there for you-”

“I’m going to make this world my own. My every whim, every dream, every want will be met graciously and eagerly by my adoring subjects.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I can’t be who you want me to be, and you need to stop trying. There isn’t enough blood in the world to be your perfect little doll. Don’t you get it? I’m going to destroy those boxes of yours, one by one.”

The train stops, and Toga stands.

She steps off the train, and before he can follow her, she’s disappeared in the crowded station. Izuku knows she’s likely changed shape yet again, and that she won’t make herself known to him again.

“Hey, Deku! Lemillion just told me that you ran into-”

Izuku cuts her off. This isn’t why he called. “I’m telling Shouto, Ochako.”

“What? No, Deku-He hasn’t gotten cleared-”

“I’ve been keeping this from him for three years, Ochako. He deserves to know, and we all know who the traitor is here.”

Ochako gasps, hurt, “You said you understood!”

“I do, and I would do the same thing, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t betray us. You didn’t even tell me. It was Toga who outed you. And it was me who convinced you to tell Sir Nighteye.”

Ochako is quiet, but finally she says, “You’re going to tell him anyway, aren’t you?”

“I thought you deserved a heads up. I know Shouto can keep a secret.”

“Good luck, I guess.”

Izuku knows he’ll feel bad later for how he talked to her just now, but right now? Now, he just feels like he can breathe.

The only thing standing between him and telling Shouto is himself, and that shouldn’t be the case for much longer.

“Uraraka is the traitor?” Shouto echoes.

Izuku nods, “She’s been helping us where she can, but with Toga escalating things, she and I decided to get pros involved.”

“You only thought to do this now?”

“Correction,” Izuku says, “we were only ready to do it now.”

“So, that explains why you’ve been stressed and sneaking around with Uraraka.”

“I was definitely not cheating.”

“I know. It was something I came up with in the moment, and Bakugou was the one who really pushed it later.”

Izuku groans, “I know, he was insufferable.”

Shouto laughs, “Believe me, I was worse.”

Izuku doubts that, but he decides to ignore it, “With all of the Toga stuff, it’s been… digging up some old memories, and my anxiety’s acting up.”

“What do you mean?” Shouto knew Izuku had anxiety, but Izuku had always downplayed it with his boyfriend.

“Well, I started to think the worst of myself, to put it nicely,” he says, “and when it gets really bad, I start comparing myself to my dad.”

“Izuku, no…” Shouto says, knowing where this was going.

Izuku shakes his head, “I know, I know, and it sucks and I can’t help it. I freak myself out and I start overcompensating. I figure I can’t manipulate you if I’m not dating you.”

“Were you going to break up with me again?” Shouto asks, but he doesn’t sound mad, or even judgemental.

Izuku shrugs, “I don’t know. I didn’t really ‘plan’ on breaking up with you back then either. My brain gets too fried to think straight.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize what you were going through,” Shouto says, “I wish I could have helped you somehow.”

Izuku says firmly, “There’s nothing you could have done about it.” Shouto tries to argue, but Izuku cuts him off, “I don’t want to fight with you right now.”

Shouto stops before huffing out a frustrated breath, “I wouldn’t call it ‘fighting.’”

“Exactly. Healthy communication time.” Izuku takes a deep breath, trying to work up all the courage he can, even though he knows he shouldn’t be anxious. He knows. “Shouto, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you, and I want to ask it before I can talk myself out of it.”

Shouto looks confused, “You can ask me anything.”

“Will you marry me?”

Shouto goes rigid.

“Shouto?”

“I think I misheard you.”

“I want to marry you.”

“But… you always… ‘not yet?’” Shouto seems too shocked to form coherent thoughts.

Izuku nods, “I always wanted to marry you someday. Now I just have the guts to make it official.”

Shouto practically launches himself at Izuku, kissing him. Between kisses, Shouto says breathlessly, “Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes.”

Izuku and Shouto awake tangled up in one another and feeling better rested than they have been in months.

It’s 2 in the morning and the school’s emergency sirens are blaring.

Both boys are up and bolting for their shoes in the dorm’s entryway. Normally, they’d face the pointed looks and teasing glances from their friends, but no one even notices them as all the heroes-in-training rush to answer the call to action.

Class 3-A evacuates the dorm, clad in pjs and quirks at the ready. Outside is a battlefield.

Villains practically span the entire main courtyard, and between them and the pros fighting them, Izuku can barely make out what’s going on. Midnight’s quirk calls to him, and he can’t deny that it could work, but it’s too risky. He doesn’t know who might be immune, and he could do more harm than good by knocking out all the pros.

Ochako looks ready to scream. This is it. This is the end, and she doesn’t know who she’s supposed to fight alongside. She turns to meet Izuku’s gaze, and even though she looks scared, she nods in spite of it.

Izuku’s eyes dart around the field, looking for something in particular.

Someone.

There’s a crackle of lightning that Izuku would recognize anywhere, and his own quirks hum to life, either to help him run away or join in. Shouto knows what Izuku’s going to do.

He doesn’t stop him.

Shouto and their classmates rush into battle, and Izuku teleports to All Might’s side. The hero is locked in combat with three of Twice’s clones, and he calls out, “Midoriya, they’ve got some of Eri’s darts!”

Izuku doesn’t have to ask what that means. He’s known this was coming since first year.

It’s real now.

Izuku can’t go looking for the pros who’ve become quirkless. He’ll need to leave it to his classmates to step in.

Izuku spots Toga between bodies in motion. She’s gleefully watching as the heroes become panicked when their quirks fail, and she’s looking for blood.

“All Might,” Izuku says, “if you give it to me now, will you be quirkless?”

“Wait, you want to do this now?!”

Izuku teleports on top of one of the twice clones, knocking them to the ground in their shock. The clone dematerializes with little fight.

“Will you be quirkless, All Might?”

“No,” All Might grunts as a lizardman tackles him from behind. All Might dislodges the villain easily.

Izuku eyes Toga again. She meets his gaze and grins.

He knows he should hate her. He knows.

He can’t.

“It’s time to end this,” Izuku says, and the words roll through him like their own kind of magic.

All Might cuffs the lizardman, holding out a hair to Izuku, “Let’s end it, then.”

Izuku swallows the revulsion and deja vu.

Izuku eyes his soup suspiciously, “There’s a hair in it.”

His dad only laughs.

Izuku doesn’t let himself think. He accepts the hair and the power that comes with it. The effect is near-instant, to Izuku’s relief. He can feel One For All warming him from inside.

He feels… whole.

One For All has filled the void Izuku hadn’t realized was there.

“It’s your power.”

Lightning crackles along Izuku’s limbs, and he knows this quirk isn’t fully his just yet. He hasn’t mastered it.

He sees shadows in his periphery, but rather than frighten him, they calm him. Something is familiar about these strangers. He launches himself at Toga, who looks startled by his newfound speed, but she dodges.

“You’ve picked up new tricks!”

Izuku launches himself at her again, running on pure instinct for once.

This time, she tumbles back under his weight, and her body makes a sound as it connects harshly with the concrete. Izuku suppresses the urge to wince sympathetically.

The previous One For All users-Izuku knows them now, even if he can’t explain why or how-gather around him, and one places his hand on Izuku’s shoulder.

Let go.

Izuku feels One For All and All For One swirl together dangerously. He can’t tell the difference between them.

Was there ever one to begin with?

“Uh, Izuku?” Toga says, trying to shake off his suddenly still body.

He leans in close enough that his voice is directly next to her ear. “I can’t change you, Toga,” watching tv, playing with TC, watching Dad leave for ‘work,’ nightmares, blood, “but I will save you!”

He lets go.

For a moment, Izuku thinks perhaps Bakugou would be proud, because he feels like a bomb going off.

Glass shatters. Those nearest Izuku are thrown on their asses as they fail to stay upright.

Midnight’s quirk activates soon after, knocking out those who rush to try to stop him.

Izuku thinks he hears Shouto call his name, followed by All Might, but he slips into unconsciousness before he can confirm anything.

Izuku jolts awake in the nurse’s office, and Recovery Girl, for once, doesn’t look cripplingly disappointed. “There you are,” she says kindly, “I was wondering when you’d return from your little nap.”

“You-I-Toga-”

“None of that now,” she flashes a light in Izuku’s eyes, “Follow the light with your eyes, sweetie.” Izuku complies. She hums, jotting something down on her chart.

“Recovery Girl, I need-”

There’s a knock on the door. Izuku looks over to see it’s already open, and his boyfriend-fiance-standing there with his knuckles still raised against the door. He asks, “Can Izuku accept visitors?”

“He has been awake for barely a minute and you want to talk about visiting?”

Shouto doesn’t falter, “Is that a no?”

She gestures to the seat pushed against the wall frustratedly, “You’ll be quiet and wait until I’m done.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Finally, Recovery Girl starts to explain the situation, “All Might told me you combined your quirks out there. Absolutely horrible decision to try that mid-battle, but fortunately for you it worked out.” She checks Izuku’s vitals, revising and updating her chart, “Whatever you did, you completely wiped out half the battlefield. Not only did you knock out the people fighting closest to you, which were mostly villains, you neutralized the effects of the drug from Eri’s darts.”

“So, they all-”

“Everyone has their quirks back, and the villains have been rounded up and detained.”

“And Toga?”

“Toga too.”

And, just like that, it’s all over?

Izuku fidgets uncomfortably on the hospital bed. For so long, it’s been go, go, go.

He doesn’t know how to feel when it all just… stops.

He chances a glance at Shouto, who seems to have all the patience in the world now that Izuku is awake and seemingly well.

“What do we do now?”

Recovery Girl rolls up her papers and whacks him with it, “You graduate! Focus on your studies before you do more stupid and reckless things! You are literally in a hospital bed-”

Shouto laughs, like the ass he is.

Izuku smiles, even as Recovery Girl continues her verbal assault.

Maybe everything will turn out alright after all.

Izuku’s ready to try. He’s sick of living in the past.