Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

. . .

“Legends never die
They're written down in eternity
But you'll never see the price it costs
Scars collected all their lives.”

—“Legends Never Die” by Against the Current

. . .

If you had the chance to change this, would you take it?

The question echoes in the head of Midoriya Izuku, the Ninth Holder of One for All and the successor to the former Number One Hero All Might, as he slowly stirs. He doesn’t even remember fainting but he knows something is wrong because he doesn’t feel any pain. After his clash with Shigaraki, he is sure that he had shattered the bones in his arms again and yet he feels nothing.

That question echoes in his head as he slowly lifts it, gazing around but he finds that he doesn’t see anything but pure white surrounding him.

No, that’s not true.

There are two others with him.

All of them are laying prone on the ground, though their heads are slowly raising. Bakugo has a scowl twisting his lips but a puzzled gleam in his red eyes as one hand goes to his chest where he had been stabbed by Shigaraki’s Quirk. Todoroki, one hand going to his throat, gazes around in puzzlement, probably wondering why he isn’t feeling the pain from the burns that he’d suffered at the hands of Dabi, of the villain whom had revealed himself to be Todoroki’s long lost elder brother Touya.

“Where the fuck are we?” Bakugo demands as he tries to sit up but finds that he can’t. He scowls in fury, slamming his hands onto the ground but, to everyone’s surprise, his Quirk doesn’t activate. In fact, Izuku can’t even feel the familiar hum of One for All surging through his body when he attempts to activate his own Quirk and a quick glance at Todoroki shows that the other boy can’t access his Quirk either.

The question echoes around them again.

“Who is asking that question?” Todoroki says in puzzlement. “I don’t...What is even going on? The last thing I remember was To...was Dabi’s flames…” He grits his teeth and looks down, some of his dual-colored hair falling over and shadowing his eyes. Izuku’s eyes soften and if he could move then he would try and comfort his friend.

“Tch, what the fuck did you do, Deku?” Bakugo demands.

“Why do you think I did something, Kacchan?” Izuku says in puzzlement.

Bakugo scoffs, rolling his eyes. “This is weird as fuck and you’re always at the fucking heart of all the weird shit that has gone on,” he says.

The question remains.

“Who the fuck are you?” Bakugo snarls.

I am the one who can give you the chance to change your future. But I must first know the honest answer to my question.

“How can you do that? Where are we anyway? Is this some sort of dimension traveling Quirk or something? Did you bring us here? Are we in another dimension? Or are we just spirits? Is that why we can’t move because we’re not, technically speaking, in this dimension of yours?” Izuku says, rambling to the point where Bakugo screams at him to shut up and he swiftly slams his jaw shut, blushing in embarrassment.

To answer your questions, my Quirk is known as Travel. I can travel between time or dimensions and I can take people to different times or dimensions. There are drawbacks, of course. Once I take someone to a different time or dimension, they cannot return to their previous time or dimension. Also, if they are taken to another time in which a different version of them exists, then their souls will automatically replace the souls of their other selves. Those are but a few of my Quirk’s drawbacks, that and it affects me as well. If I Travel too much then I will become stuck in a sort of limbo, in time itself.

“How the fuck is that even possible?” Bakugo demands.

I do not have time to explain. My Quirk only lasts for a few minutes. I must know the answer to my question before I can decide when to take you. If you had the chance to change your future then would you take it?

Izuku presses his lips together but he thinks about all the people that have been hurt, or died, since this entire conflict began. He isn’t sure of when they will be taken to but he does know that if he can change matters, if he can save more lives and prevent as many people as he possibly can from getting hurt, then he will.

“I’d do it,” he says.

“So would I,” Todoroki says quietly.

Bakugo scoffs. “I sure as hell would love to be able to beat the asses of the enemies far sooner so that this whole fucking war doesn’t happen,” he says.

You know, from what I have observed in my time stuck in time, I had expected all three of you to respond that way. All right. I know exactly to when I will send you. Good luck.

“Wait, where are you sending us?” asks Izuku in puzzlement.

A light laugh echoes around them. Oh that’s easy. I’m sending you back to the day that your Quirks awakened.

“Wait, that means we’re gonna have to relive everything from after our Quirks first awakened?” Todoroki asks.

Yup. Sorry. That’s the best solution that I have. I have to have a set point to send someone back to, something that is consistent, that never change s , and your Quirks awakening is a consistent. It always will be, even for you, Midoriya Izuku.

Izuku blinks in surprise because how did this person know his name?

I know all in this dimension. You will be sent back to then with all the knowledge that you have now, including everything that you have learned about your own Quirks, and all the memories of everything that has happened in this timeline up until this point.

Izuku’s eyes widen as the full weight of that implication rests on his shoulders. “Wait, does that mean…? I’ll have access to Black Whip, Danger Sense, and Float right from the very beginning? Along with being able to control 45% of One for All without breaking anything?” he says in surprise.

That is something that I do not know. I don’t really know much about One for All, beyond what I have seen, so what happens will depend on you, I would think.

“And are you seriously talking about your Quirk like that right fucking now, fucking nerd?” Bakugo says in annoyance. “In case you’ve fucking forgotten, Icyhot is right there.”

“Oh…” Izuku goes red upon realizing that he had started talking about One for All in spite of the fact that Todoroki knows nothing about the truth behind his Quirk, not even its name, and yet now he knows. He resists the urge to slam his face into the ground because he’s usually far more attentive to his surroundings than that, and yet he had been too shocked and concerned by the implications of this mysterious person’s words that he had completely forgotten about Todoroki’s presence.

I suggest just telling him. Not now, of course, since you don’t have time, but eventually. If the three of you are going to change the future, you will need to work together.

Bakugo scoffs. “Like I’d want to work together with fucking Deku and Icyhot,” he snaps.

How do you suppose you will be the Number One Hero who surpasses All Might if the villains win?

Bakugo curses. “Fucking bastard,” he snaps. “Whatever, fine, just get to the point, would you? You’re the one who fucking said you didn’t have a lot of fucking time.”

And I do not. I’m actually out of time. Good luck, Midoriya Izuku, Bakugo Katsuki, Todoroki Shoto.

Bright white light engulfs the area.

Then nothing.

. . .

Chapter Text

Waking up, disoriented, to the sounds of cheering and congratulations is not the most ideal way to wake up.

But, then, Bakugo Katsuki certainly hadn’t expected that stupid Quirk user who is apparently trapped in time itself—whatever the hell that means—to drop him in the middle of his preschool class on the day that his Quirk decides to make itself known to the world. Granted, since his Quirk had awakened while he had been in class, he should have seen that coming but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t annoyed.

He bites his lip to keep from scowling in annoyance at the various kids and teachers who are still congratulating him and closes his hands into fists. He hates this. He hates being a child again, going back to the way he had been while in elementary and middle school, back when he had been a pretty major jackass to everyone around him just because his Quirk is as powerful as it is.

It had taken him months before it had finally hit that he hadn’t been acting at all like a hero while he’d been growing up. He’d been a bully and a jerk, nothing like the hero he had always wanted to become, that he had always admired.

Sure, he isn’t about to be all friendly and shit with everyone around him but he supposes that if he is going to be the best hero who will surpass All Might then he should start by not being a bully and a jerk.

He gazes around the classroom and cringes upon seeing the admiration that shone in Izuku’s eyes. The green-haired boy is crouched at his side, gazing at his clenched hands with wide eyes and his mouth open in a toothy grin. The boy is far too excited, far too happy, far too following Katsuki around like a freaking lost puppy.

Katsuki resists the urge to rub his temples, or curse. The last thing he wants is to get into trouble with his teacher for cursing, especially since he isn’t supposed to know curses at four years old. And isn’t that a mindfuck? He’s a sixteen year old teenager, almost seventeen, and he’s stuck in the body of a fucking four-year-old, in a class surrounded by other four-year-olds whom he hasn’t even thought about in years.

Well, fuck. Okay, calm down, Katsuki. Focus. Don’t go making everyone suspicious of you ‘cause you’re acting weird.

“Are you okay, Kacchan?” Izuku asks, tilting his head to the side.

“I’m fucking fine,” Katsuki snaps back and resists the urge to smack his hand to his forehead. What the fuck did I just tell myself? Fucking hell!

“Bakugo-kun! Language,” the teacher—what’s her name again? Katsuki doesn’t even remember, nor does he really care—says with a firm frown.

“Sorry,” Katsuki mumbles, hoping that will placate the teacher and she won’t call his mom. The last thing he needs is for his mom to wonder where he had picked up that language, since he recalls that his mom doesn’t actually start cursing around him until he’s about thirteen.

“Just don’t do it again, Bakugo-kun,” the teacher says. “Now then, why don’t we talk about your amazing Quirk! It definitely suited for being a hero!”

“Yeah, I guess.” Katsuki glances at Izuku briefly and glances at his hands, thinking about what is going to happen in a few days.

Izuku is going to be diagnosed as Quirkless in a few days.

Katsuki knows that, in spite of everything that has happened in the future, he can always just go back to the way things had been, that he doesn’t have to worry about what is to come because it won’t be for years.

But something tells him that he hadn’t been thrown back into the body of his four-year-old self just because his Quirk had awakened when he was four. And if he is going to change the future then why the fuck does he have to wait?

He glances at Izuku again and huffs. He may not want to admit it out loud but Midoriya Izuku is a great hero in his own right—yeah, he won’t be the greatest as that is Katsuki’s endgame—and he deserves to become that hero. And Katsuki wants to be the one to beat Izuku after he has mastered One for All and become All Might’s true successor, to prove that he is better than even the wielders of One for All.

He can’t even look at Izuku now, so innocent and untouched by the horrors of the future that is coming in a little over a decade, and not see the battle-hardened, scarred hero in training that he ends up becoming, the same hero in training who literally fought Shigaraki Tomura after he had been granted All for One’s Quirk, and the power packed into that Quirk.

Tch. I will get better, I will become stronger, but I do not want to take the number 1 spot against you without you even putting up a fucking fight, he thinks as he stands up when the teacher announces that classes are over for the day. He holds out a hand toward Izuku who gazes at him with wide eyes.

“C’mon,” he says. “We’re gonna run home.”

“Okay!” Izuku says cheerfully, taking Katsuki’s hand and pulling himself to his feet.

Izuku will, someday, become the Ninth Holder of One for All, will soon become a powerhouse who can stand toe-to-toe with someone who has almost the complete power of All for One, and multiple Quirks, at his disposal.

He may as well start now in getting into shape. He may be diagnosed as Quirkless in a few days but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have to just sit by and do nothing but his usual hero stalking. Katsuki isn’t going to even try to stop that, since he has actually had the chance to look through one of those notebooks and holy hell are the fucking nerd’s analyses of other heroes so in-depth that it would probably put other analysts to shame, but he will make sure his friend will get stronger during that time.

Friend. Rival. Whatever.

It doesn’t matter who Midoriya Izuku is to Katsuki. So long as he gets strong enough to regain the strength and the power that he has because if they are going to work to change the future then Katsuki is not going to be lugging some fucking dead weight behind him. He will beat Izuku when he is at his full potential, at his full power, but that will be in the future.

For now, Bakugo Katsuki needs to focus on ensuring that there is a future for him to fight against Izuku again, and win to become the undisputed number one.

That takes priority.

. . .

The first time Todoroki Shoto’s Quirk awakens, he had been surrounded by his siblings, watching as his elder sister Fuyumi and his second eldest brother Natsuo play in the courtyard in their house. They gasp and dart over to join Shoto who has his left hand outstretched, flames dancing over the palm, while ice is crawling along his right side.

“Nice, bro,” Natsuo says with a grin, though there’s an uncertain gleam in his eyes.

Shoto knows why as he closes his hand over the flame, gazing around because, right now, he can’t really focus on his siblings talking about his Quirk around him. He is focusing only on one thing. He’s back in his four-year-old body, on the day that his Quirk had awakened, but that means…

Touya is here. He hasn’t left yet.

His eldest brother, who had ended up becoming a villain, is there. He hasn’t been proclaimed dead yet, and that means that he hasn’t become a villain yet.

Even though Shoto knows that he had been sent back to this point in time because it’s a consistent in his life, he doesn’t see why he has to wait to start making changes. And if he can save his brother, if he can stop his eldest brother from going through the pain of overtraining his Quirk in an effort to make Endeavor focus on him, and not on Shoto, and if he can stop his eldest brother from following the path of villainy then he will.

He will save Touya, no matter what.

“Where’s Touya-nii?” he asks. He isn’t used to his voice being that high or that soft and he realizes that being thrown back in time to when he is four means that he’ll have to go through puberty again.

Damn.

But if he can save his eldest brother, and make the future he came from into a better one, then he will.

“He’s in his room,” says Fuyumi.

“Okay.” Shoto darts off, ignoring his sister calling for him to wait. He can’t wait. He needs to see his brother now, and get the image of the white-haired demon surrounded by blue flames that Touya had become in those final moments of the war, before he’d been taken to that unknown dimension, out of his mind.

He has to see his eldest brother for himself.

He bolts up the stairs, darting past his mom, and heading toward his brother’s room. He slams his tiny fist on it once he reaches it. “Touya-nii,” he calls.

The door opens and there’s his brother.

Twelve years old, and already covered in some scars due to his strenuous training with Endeavor, Touya gazes at him with some concern in his turquoise eyes. His shock of white hair, inherited from their mother, falls in curls over his eyes. “Shoto?” he says in puzzlement. “What…?”

Shoto throws himself at his brother, wrapping his little arms around his brother’s legs and burying his face into his brother’s thigh. He is not going to let go. He won’t let go. He won’t let the bastard Endeavor—who is a complete asshole at this point in his life and hasn’t changed like he did during the war against the Paranormal Liberation Front—drive his brother away again.

He feels Touya rest a hand on top of his head. “What’s wrong, Shoto?” he says.

Shoto isn’t sure what he can say. It’s not as if he can actually tell his brother the truth, and even if he could then it’s doubtful that his brother will even believe him. But he needs to figure out someway to ensure that Dabi never comes into existence, that his brother doesn’t go down the path of villainy.

There is little that Shoto can do to stop what is to come, especially for him now that his Quirk has awakened, but if he can, at least, stop his brother from becoming a villain than that is something at the very least.

But he can’t explain any of that. So he does the only thing that a four-year-old can do.

“Please don’t leave,” he whispers.

“Shoto? Did you have a bad dream or something?” Touya asks and gently pushes him away before kneeling down in front of him, concern in those bright turquoise eyes, so unlike the hate and madness that glistened in their depths back during the war, back when that revelation had shocked Shoto to the core.

He nods slowly. That’s the only explanation that he can think of to explain himself to his eldest brother. “I...I saw...you...you became a villain,” he whispers. He may not be able to tell Touya the entire truth but that doesn’t mean that he can’t make it seem as if he had a bad dream that felt incredibly real. He knows his brother. Touya may be just as stubborn and ambitious as their father, though he will never admit it, and he may be a bit obsessive in his training to the point of training with his Quirk by himself but he is still a good brother.

At least, Shoto hopes that he had read his eldest brother right the last time.

Touya’s arms encircle him and pull him close, one hand resting on the back of his head. “It was just a bad dream, Shoto,” he murmurs, resting his chin on top of Shoto’s head. “Just a bad dream.”

Shoto feels tears well up in his eyes at the comforting, reassuring gesture. He does care. I did read him right. He feels so happy by that realization, so relieved, to find that his brother hadn’t already been gone before he got his Quirk, that his brother’s descent into villainy hadn’t already begun at this point in his life.

He buries his face into Touya’s chest, a soft sob escaping his lips. “I...It felt...it felt so real,” he whimpers. “Please don’t leave me, Touya-nii. Please!”

“I’m not going anyway, Shoto.”

But you will, Shoto thinks bitterly. Father will drive you away. You’ll leave for reasons I don’t even know, though I know Father is behind it. I just know it. And you’ll be presumed dead and then you’ll come back as a villain. I don’t want that to happen again.

“Promise me?” he says, pulling back and gazing up at Touya with watery eyes. “Promise me that, no matter what happens, you won’t leave me.”

Touya gazes down at him with a small frown on his lips. “Where’s this coming from, Shoto? Did that dream really scare you that much?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.

He’s only twelve, Shoto reminds himself. He only vaguely recalls his brother disappearing around his sixth birthday, which is only two years away. He isn’t sure if his emotions are coming out now because of all of those memories, because of the fact that he has the memories of his sixteen year old self in his four-year-old body, because of the fact that, thanks to Midoriya and his friends in Class 1-A, he’s become better at expressing his emotions.

This is the first time he’s actually cried in a long time though.

He nods slowly. “Please promise me,” he says.

Touya continues to gaze at him. “I promise I won’t leave you, Shoto,” he says.

Shoto holds up a tiny pinkie. “Pinkie promise?” he asks.

Touya ruffles his hair, a faint smile on his lips. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” he says. “You don’t want me to break that promise, huh? All right, all right.” He raises his own hand and gently encircles his pinkie around Shoto’s. “Pinkie promise. I won’t leave you, Shoto, no matter what.”

Shoto smiles and rests his head against his eldest brother’s chest.

“Shoto!”

And the moment is ruined.

But that doesn’t mean that Shoto won’t cherish the memory of the time he got to spend with his eldest brother before the hellish training his father is about to put him through begins.

Because he will. He won’t forget this day.

He just hopes that it’s enough.

. . .

“C’mon, keep up, slowpoke,” Katsuki calls over his shoulder, glancing at the smaller boy that is running behind him, panting as he struggles to keep up with the slightly taller boy.

“You’re running so fast, Kacchan,” Izuku protests as he struggles to keep up. “We’ve been running forever.”

“Hasn’t been that long, slow nerd. C’mon,” Katsuki calls, a grin stealing its way onto his lips upon seeing Izuku, puffing out his cheeks in determination, picks up the pace until he manages to come to Katsuki’s side. “See? Race ya home!”

“But you always win! It’s not fair,” the other eight-year-old boy protests with a groan, running a hand through his unruly dark green locks.

Katsuki shrugs. “I’m just that great, aren’t I?” he says.

“Yeah, you are great, Kacchan!” Izuku agrees instantly, as expected.

It’s been four years. Hard to believe that it’s actually been four years since Katsuki had been thrown back to the very beginning, back to the day that he received his Quirk. Already, things are changing, at least for him and the nerd. Unlike last time, when he’d been quick to look down on and bully Izuku for being Quirkless, this time, he took the news in stride and still remained at the boy’s side, even punching a few of his classmates in the face when they tried to bully Izuku for his Quirklessness.

Because, frankly speaking, he is not going to let those stupid children force Izuku to do something he’ll regret, not when the future depends on the two of them, and the other time traveler that Katsuki hasn’t been able to contact at all since this whole thing started. And not when Katsuki still has to make due on his promise to beat Izuku once he has reached his full power, and his full potential. Being sent back in time hasn’t put an end to that ambition, it has only prolonged it.

Those are his goals. Save the future, and become the undisputed number one hero by defeating Izuku once he has mastered control of One for All and reached his full potential.

Preferably in that order because there’s no point in becoming the undisputed number one hero if there is no future for him or anyone else.

“C’mon,” he says and takes off running, glancing over his shoulder to see Izuku running behind him.

They’ve been doing these runs ever since that day. It’s not just running. Katsuki has also been teaching Izuku some self-defense moves, and even managed to convince his mom and Auntie Inko to let Izuku and him take self-defense classes so that they can learn how to fight without their Quirks. Of course, Auntie Inko thought that had been done because of Izuku’s Quirklessness, so that he can still defend himself in spite of not having a Quirk.

But Katsuki’s alternative reason is to ensure, as much as he can, that Izuku is ready for when he becomes the Ninth Holder of One for All. Given what he saw during the Quirk Apprehension Test, after the shock of seeing that his childhood friend even had a Quirk, Izuku had absolutely no control over his power. Freaking All Might should have given him some pointers, at the very least, on how to control his power so he doesn’t go around breaking his fucking bones all the time.

Even if Izuku from the future will be sent back to the point in time when he receives One for All, if he can get into shape and his body ready to handle One for All sooner then they will actually have time to train Izuku in the usage of his power. At the very least, that will prevent anyone who is in the know from being too suspicious about why Izuku has such mastery over his Quirk right away.

Besides, Katsuki doesn’t know how the transfer works. He just knows that Izuku had ended up cleaning all of Takoba Seaside Bay to get ready to receive his Quirk so he figures that Izuku needed to get into shape. His mind may be that of someone who is already in shape, and has already mastered quite a bit of his Quirk’s power output, but his body won’t be.

Hence the extra training now. Better for Izuku to get into shape now than later. This way, instead of spending so much time getting into shape, they can focus more on what the hell they are going to do to change the future.

Maybe even get in touch with Icyhot before the first day of school at U.A., though Katsuki isn’t counting on that actually happening.

“Kacchan, everything okay?” Izuku asks as he comes to Katsuki’s side once they reach his house.

“Fine, nerd,” Katsuki retorts. “C’mon, I remember Auntie Inko saying that she was gonna be grocery shopping by the time we got back so we’re gonna go practice those self-defense moves Ito-sensei taught us.”

“Okay!” Izuku says cheerfully.

Honestly, way too cheerful.

But he supposes that’s just the way Izuku is. He doesn’t mind it…

“Would you stop being so damn cheerful all the time?” he says in annoyance and Izuku clamps his mouth shut but nods eagerly anyway.

…most of the time anyway.

. . .

“And there that guy goes! Straight outta the ring! He did it! Touya did it!” Fuyumi cheers as Shoto passes the living room, walking behind Endeavor but managing to catch a glimpse of the screen, a small grin stealing its way onto his lips as he sees his now sixteen-year-old eldest brother standing victorious in the center of the ring.

“He’s made it to the final round!” Natsuo says with a grin. “You go, Touya! Take home the gold.”

“C’mon, Shoto,” Endeavor snaps and Shoto stumbles when his father yanks his arm and guides him toward the training room.

It’s been four years. Four years since Shoto had pleaded with his eldest brother to stay, no matter what happened, and Touya had. He had kept his promise, staying with the Todoroki family in spite of the fact that Endeavor had turned his entire attention to training Shoto to surpass All Might instead. He had stayed in spite of the fact that he had been cast aside by Endeavor in favor of Shoto. He had stayed because…

“You are my brother. I promised you I would stay. And now I promise you that I will protect you too.”

Those words that Touya spoke to him after Shoto’s training with Endeavor began, and Touya had been cast aside. Shoto had been afraid that Touya would back down on the promise, or, worse, that he would keep on training by himself and potentially get hurt from overusing his Quirk. But, no, he hadn’t. He had stayed and, while he did continue to train, he hadn’t overused his Quirk and hadn’t added any new scars to his body.

He had stayed.

And now he is a second year at U.A., participating in the final round of his year’s Sports Festival and Shoto can’t help but be proud of his eldest brother. In spite of Endeavor tossing him aside, he has made a name for himself and Shoto is sure that he will be a wonderful Pro, and won’t let the asshole get in his way of doing that.

And of keeping both of his promises to Shoto.

That’s one less thing I have to worry about, Shoto thinks as he turns to face his father, wincing upon seeing that his father isn’t happy.

“Your last performance was subpar at best, Shoto,” Endeavor says firmly. “We are going to have to work extra hard today to make up for that.”

Shoto doesn’t respond, one hand raising to rest on the scar around his eye. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to do anything to stop his mother’s mental breakdown, or getting boiling water poured on the left side of his face, or his mother getting sent to that mental hospital. That had been a long time coming, he knows, but it still hurts that he hadn’t been able to prevent that.

At the very least, he has been doing what he can to see his mother more often than he had the last time. This time, he has Touya who has, on the weekends, taken him to the hospital to visit their mother whenever Endeavor is working. So he has managed to keep a decent relationship with his mother, which has helped to change the dynamic of his family.

Now if only his father would stop being such an asshole, and stop trying to attain such an unattainable dream, and actually just step back and see what he’s doing to his actual family, then things would be perfect.

But it had taken Kamino, it had taken All Might’s final fight with All for One, and the revelation of his true form, for Endeavor to start to change, slowly but surely.

Right now, Endeavor is too set in his anger, in his ambition, in his determination. There’s no way in hell an eight-year-old kid, even one with the mind of a sixteen-year-old scarred battle veteran, will be able to get through that.

So the only thing Shoto can do is focus on his training, on making it through to U.A., on regrouping with Bakugo and Midoriya so that they can start actually, truly, working toward changing the future together.

That is what he needs to focus on.

Everything else will have to rest on the back burner for now.

. . .

“You can become a hero!”

Fourteen-year-old Midoriya Izuku has been waiting for years to hear those words, words that he never thought he would ever hear from anyone ever since he found out that he was Quirkless. Even though his actions that day had been reckless, even though he had gotten in the way of his idol All Might’s work, even if it had been his fault that slime villain that attacked him had gotten free—and attacked Bakugo at that—All Might is still saying those words to him.

He can’t stop the tears. He can’t stop crying.

“You are the one worthy of inheriting my power.”

Those words throw him for a loop though and he lifts his head and gives All Might a puzzled look. That causes the scrawny blonde man—Izuku had been incredibly shocked to find out that All Might is as badly injured as he is, and that this scrawny form is his truly form, and he still is—to start laughing, blood spewing from his lips.

He goes on to explain his Quirk—One for All—and, for some reason, Izuku feels like he knows exactly what All Might is about to say. It’s almost as if he has heard everything All Might is telling him before, as if this moment has happened before and is now repeating itself. He doesn’t know why he has that feeling of deja vu but that’s what he’s feeling right now.

He doesn’t hesitate when All Might asks him, again, if he wants this power. He doesn’t hesitate to say “Yes! I accept!”

He won’t regret this. Somehow, someway, he knows that he won’t.

Thankfully, the years that he has been training with Bakugo has helped him. Apparently, he needs to have a suitable body in order to possess One for All, otherwise he’ll end up blowing off his limbs or something, and that’s a scary thought. But he’s already made some headway thanks to those self-defense lessons and that training he and Bakugo have been doing together for the past ten years.

“You’re almost a suitable vessel,” All Might says as he leads Izuku to Takoba Seaside Bay a few days later. “But we still need to work on getting you into a proper vessel. So we will work to clear out this bay.”

“All of this?” Izuku echoes in shock at the amount of debris and trash that litters the beach in front of him.

“Yup! We’ll follow the American Dream Plan that I created for you to clear out this beach. After all, heroes don’t just need to fight villains or rescue people. They also need to help out with the community,” All Might says with a grin, currently in his muscular form.

Izuku gazes at the amount of debris and, taking a deep breath, nods. “Okay! Let’s do this,” he says.

It takes six months.

During that time, Izuku continues his self-defense classes and his training with Bakugo as well as his classes at school, with Bakugo smacking him upside the head to wake him up whenever he starts dozing in the middle of class due to lack of sleep—and then yelling at him for that lack of sleep—but it all pays out in the end.

By the time six months has passed by, they are done, though Izuku is positive that they hadgotten extra help because there are times when he’d arrive at the beach to find that a small portion of the debris has been cleared out. He has wondered if someone is helping out with the beach on the days that he isn’t working on it, since he doesn’t work on cleaning the beach every day, but he pushes the thought out of his mind.

If someone is helping out then that’s their decision.

Either way, the entire beach of the Takoba Seaside Bay is completely clear, revealing the beautiful sunrise that is rising up over the sparkling waters of the ocean.

Even though Izuku is exhausted, he can’t help but scream his pride to the heavens.

“Oh my goodness!” All Might exclaims upon arriving at the beach. “You even cleared areas of the beach that I didn’t ask you too!” He darts forward as Izuku collapses from on top of the pile of junk he’d been standing on and catches him. “You did it, my boy!”

Izuku smiles tiredly up at his mentor. “I did it, All Might,” he whispers.

All Might grins at him as he gently places Izuku on the ground.

Once again, Izuku is faced with a sense of deja vu as he listens to All Might talk to him about all that he has done, as well as finally reaching the final point in which he will gain his power. Somehow, someway, he knows it all.

And that may be the reason why he isn’t at all shocked when All Might holds out a strand of his hair and says, “Eat this.”

Yeah, he’s disgusted by that request. Yeah, it’s unnerving to say the least.

But he isn’t surprised by the request at all.

He still stares at the strand of hair with an unnerved expression on his face. “Uh...really?” he says.

“Well, you have to ingest my DNA someway,” All Might admits. “This is one of the quickest ways! C’mon, now!”

Izuku resists the urge to groan but he takes the hair. He has to do this. He has to force himself to do this.

It’s disgusting. It truly is. He literally has to choke it down and he really wishes that he had a water bottle or something to help wash it down because that is nasty to say the least.

After he manages to choke it down, he frowns as he glances at his hands. “I don’t feel any different,” he says.

All Might laughs again. “Well, of course not,” he says. “You know what the stomach does. I’d say you’ll start noticing something in about three hours.”

“Three hours?”

“Yup!” All Might gives him a thumbs up, then grins. “And we’ve still got four months until the U.A. entrance exam, because of course you’re applying for U.A. ‘cause you’re an obsessive fanboy after all!”

Izuku nods eagerly. “It’s your alma matter! Of course I’m applying there!” he says.

“Knew it!” All Might says in amusement. “So we can start working to control this power for the next four months.”

“Okay!”

“Do you have anything planned today?”

Izuku thinks, then nods. “Kacchan and I have a self-defense lesson at one, and we have our daily run in a few hours, but I’m free later this afternoon,” he says.

“That’ll work perfectly,” says All Might. “That way, the power will have fully transferred to you by that point, I would think, so we can start working with it.”

“Right.”

“C’mon back here at...say three thirty?”

“Okay, All Might sir.”

All Might chuckles. “You don’t have to call me, sir. Makes me feel old,” he says and Izuku chuckles. “All right, kiddo. Why don’t you head home? Shower, get changed, rest! You’ve done a very good job here today, Young Midoriya, and you should be proud of yourself. I know I am.”

Izuku beams, feeling warm at the thought of All Might being proud of him. For some reason, he is overcome by another feeling of deja vu, as if he has heard All Might say similar words to him before. “Right,” he says and, turning, jogs away.

He doesn’t rest for long. He does take a quick shower, change into clean clothes, and eat breakfast but heads out to meet up with Bakugo almost three hours after leaving the beach. He still doesn’t feel any different but he supposes that he still has to wait for the power to finish transferring to him.

“You’re more awake then usual, nerd,” Bakugo says as the two of them jog around the corner, heading toward the intersection that lays a few blocks in front of them.

“I’ve been up since four this morning,” Izuku admits.

“Why the fuck are you always up that fucking early?” For some odd reason, Izuku has this odd feeling that question is rhetorical, as if Bakugo already knows the answer but still has to ask the question out loud.

He isn’t sure why he feels that way.

“Just doing some community service,” he says out loud.

“Hah? That fucking early? You’re a fucking nutjob, Zuku.”

Izuku shrugs, smiling at the nickname. He isn’t sure why his childhood friend had started calling him by that nickname, only that he seemed to get rather pissed off at himself when he almost called him ‘Deku’ that one time a few years ago. Izuku knows that part of his name can be read as Deku, which means ‘useless’ so he’s glad that he isn’t being called that.

He doesn’t know why Bakugo seems rather angry with himself for that slip up though.

He pushes that thought out of his mind as the two of them come to a stop at the corner, waiting for the pedestrian light to change color, and turns to his childhood friend.

But something happens.

He feels a hum echo in his head, he feels the rush of warmth rush through his body.

Everything around him spins. White light explodes in front of his eyes. He vaguely hears Bakugo yelling his name. The world slips away and then there is nothing.

. . .

“Damn it, fucking nerd!” Katsuki hisses as he catches Izuku when the green-haired boy suddenly collapses. He glances at his arms, frowning upon seeing the familiar glowing red lines of One for All flaring throughout Izuku’s form like a spiderweb and he narrows his eyes.

He got his Quirk today?

No, he realizes, they must have finished cleaning up the beach that morning, and All Might must have given Izuku his Quirk after that, but it must not have been transferred completely until that moment.

But that doesn’t explain the fainting.

He notices that they’re starting to draw a crowd and, a scowl twisting his lips, he yanks Izuku into his arms. “Nothing to fucking see here, extras! Move!” He barks out as, once the pedestrian light changes, he shoves his way through the crowd of concerned pedestrians and darts away.

He can only hope that no one else had seen the glow of One for All. But, for now, he needs to find someplace private where he can handle whatever the hell just happened. He hadn’t fainted when his Quirk awakened, he’s pretty sure that hadn’t happened to Icyhot, so why did it happen to Izuku?

Because he’s Midoriya fucking Izuku, that’s why! Katsuki thinks in annoyance because of course something weird is going to happen to Izuku. It always does.

He finds an empty corner of the park a few blocks away and, moving over to a tree, rests Izuku on the ground and sits down next to him, stretching out one leg and curling his arms around his other bent leg.

The only thing he can do is wait.

And hope that Izuku has answers to his many questions.

. . .

Of all places to Awaken, Izuku had not expected it to be in his own mindscape, surrounded by the apparitions of the previous holders of One for All. But, in all honesty, he should have expected something weird like that to happen when he was thrown to the past to the very day that his Quirk awakened.

Unlike with Bakugo and Todoroki, Izuku’s Quirk hadn’t awakened right away when he got it from All Might. It had taken a few hours for the transfer to be completed but Izuku had not expected to actually collapse when he awakened in the past.

“We are sorry about that.” The voice comes from the white-haired individual that is standing in front of him, his skin is pale and he is incredibly skinny but Izuku recognizes him. The last time he saw this man had been when he, and the other previous holders, had protected him and stopped All for One from stealing his Quirk during the war.

All for One’s younger brother – the first wielder of One for All.

“You can call me Yoichi, if you’d like,” the First Wielder says with a soft smile.

Izuku tries to speak but finds that he can’t.

“That’s right. You can’t speak while you are in this area, not now,” a soft voice says and Izuku turns to find Nana Shimura standing to his right with Daigoro Banjo standing on his other side. All of the users are there, though those two, and now Yoichi, are the only ones that he knows the names of. He doesn’t even know the name of the wielder who’s Danger Sense Quirk had awakened right before Nana’s Float had awakened. Oh and All Might, since his ghostly apparition is there too, though not clear because All Might is still alive.

“But I can guess your question,” the First Wielder, Yoichi, says. “This area is within One for All. When you were sent back in time, we all were sent with you, because you have become just as much a part of One for All as all of us.”

Izuku frowns.

“You can think your questions though, kid,” Daigoro says. “We’re connected so we’d hear them anyway, even if most of us won’t talk with ya.” He nods over to where two are completely ignoring the rest of them. “Those two aren’t exactly talkative ones.”

“You do enough talking for both of them,” a kid with a high collared trenchcoat and black hair says with a roll of his eyes.

“Hey, hey, no need for that, En,” Daigoro protests.

“We don’t have much time,” Nana says. “You were brought here because you’ve arrived at the point in time when One for All awakened within you, meaning that you have officially awakened in the past. We felt it prudent to tell you of what to expect.”

‘About the other applications of One for All that I gained during the war?’ Izuku thinks.

“Got it in one, kid,” Daigoro says. “From what we can tell, our Quirks are actually locked so to speak.”

‘Locked?’

“My theory,” Yoichi says quietly, “is that, while you are mentally ready to handle the other applications of your Quirk, we still have some control over the Quirks that are apart of One for All, and we can keep them locked for the time being. Another theory is that One for All is sentient enough to recognize that now is not a good time for those other Quirks to be made known.”

‘One for All is sentient?’ Izuku thinks in surprise.

Nana chuckles, ruffling his hair. “How else do you think we’re able to speak to you, even though all of us have already passed on?” she says. “All of our consciousness are within One for All, giving a whole new meaning to the statement one is never forgotten even when they pass on.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how that saying goes,” En says.

“It works though,” Nana says with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Either theory can work,” Yoichi says. “I only know as much as my consciousness has learned while being a part of One for All.”

“I don’t think they’re gonna be locked forever though, or that they’ll even remained lock until you are ready for them to unlock again,” says Daigoro. “’Cause there’s no denying that you’ve got a pretty amazing control over One for All by the time you were thrown into the past, and that’s not something you can lose just ‘cause you’re back in time.”

Izuku thinks about it for a long moment. ‘Does this mean that the other Quirks in One for All will be unlocked at some point in the future, but I probably won’t be able to control when it happens?’

“Yeah, that’s the simple way to put it,” the former wielder with a scar cutting across his face says. “Daigoro could have easily simplified it but he had to make it long-winded.”

“Shut it, Hikage,” Daigoro grumbles, much to En’s amusement.

“Let’s focus on what is most important right now,” Yoichi says. “You, and all of us at that, are back in the past, with knowledge of what is to come, and with your connection to One for All being as strong as it is. You can start making changes, yes, but there is one thing that you must do first.”

‘What is that?’ Izuku thinks.

Nana nods. “I know where you’re going with this, Yoichi,” she says and, turning to Izuku, adds, “You are going to have to tell Toshi everything.”

Izuku’s eyes widen. He knows that Nana is referring to All Might, since Toshinori is his full name.

“Toshi may not be dead yet,” Nana says and, nodding to All Might’s ghostly image, adds, “but he is still apart of One for All, even more so now in the past since he still has the embers of One for All. He will notice something is off because the embers of One for All within him will notice. Don’t forget what we said. There is a sentience to One for All after all.”

‘So he’ll know I’m not from this time?’

“No, it’s more or less that he will know that there is something different about you from the last time he saw you,” says Nana. “In a sense, he is right. He just won’t really understand that feeling, only because it’s a feeling coming from One for All itself.”

Izuku nods slowly. ‘I think I understand. All right. I’ll tell him,’ he thinks.

“And you must tell that other boy who came back into the past with you and Bakugo Katsuki the entire truth too,” says Yoichi.

‘But is that safe? All Might told me that…’

“Do you trust him?”

‘With my life.’ There’s no hesitation in his words as soon as he thinks them. ‘But…’

Yoichi smiles at him. “Then it will be fine,” he says. “The reason why I am saying this, Midoriya Izuku, is because you are going to be working closely with both Bakugo Katsuki and Todoroki Shoto to change the future, because you three are the only ones who know, and are the only ones who can. But if you are keeping things from Todoroki, that Bakugo already knows, then it will only drive a wedge that you cannot afford to have. You three need to be united if you are to succeed.”

“Such wise words from the First,” Daigoro says, wiping away a fake tear to which En rolls his eyes.

‘I...I think I understand,’ Izuku thinks. ‘Trust is the key here.’

Yoichi inclines his head.

“You’d best head back now, kiddo,” Daigoro says. “Probably worrying the hell outta that explosive friend of yours. Good luck. I don’t think we’ll be able to speak again like this for a while though.”

“We will always be with you, within One for All,” Yoichi says quietly.

“And don’t forget that,” Nana says quietly.

‘I won’t,’ Izuku thinks and an explosion of white light engulfs his vision and then there’s nothing.

When he wakes up, he finds himself gazing up at tree branches waving in the breeze. He slowly sits up and turns his head, not surprised to find Bakugo sitting beside him, scrolling through his phone. “Hey Kacchan,” he says.

“’Bout time you fucking woke up, nerd,” Bakugo says in annoyance as he puts his phone away. “What the fuck happened?”

Izuku rubs his eyes as he gazes around. “I was talking with the other wielders,” he says.

Bakugo raises an eyebrow. “So you’re awake,” he says. There’s a double meaning to his words that no one else would actually get but Izuku does and he nods.

“Yeah.”

He grunts in response, then says, “What the fuck do you mean you were talking with the other wielders? Aren’t they dead?”

“Apparently, their consciousness is apart of One for All so I was able to speak with them briefly,” Izuku admits.

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah, I don’t get it either. Okay, so now that I’m awake, we should get to work. Based on my conflicting memories, we have four months, right?”

Bakugo nods. “We’ll need to get a hold of fucking Icyhot if possible,” he says.

Izuku pulls out his phone and dials Shoto’s phone number, resting his phone against his ear. “That won’t be a problem,” he says.

“Zuku, what the fuck?”

The phone rings, then clicks and Shoto’s familiar voice says, “Hello?”

“Hey Shoto,” Izuku says.

“...Izuku?” Shoto says in surprise. “How do you have my number?”

“I memorized the phone numbers of every one in Class 1-A at some point,” Izuku admits and Bakugo stares. “I figured it would be useful in case I lost my phone or something. But that’s not important. We should get together and figure out what we’re going to do for the next four months before the entrance exam and everything starts.”

“I agree,” Shoto says. “Unfortunately, the flaming trashcan has a rather strict training schedule for me. I’ll be free this Saturday though. The flaming trashcan is going to be at his agency all day that day, and Touya-nii is already taking me to visit Mom that morning so we can meet up in the afternoon.”

“Wait, wait, wait, Touya?!”

“What?!” Bakugo exclaims.

Izuku winces but lowers his phone and puts it on speaker so he doesn’t have to repeat what Shoto is about to tell them. A quick glance around shows him that the rest of the park is completely empty so they don’t have to worry about anyone overhearing them. “You’re on speaker, Shoto. Kacchan’s here too,” he says.

“Yeah, I heard,” Shoto deadpans.

“Fucking Icyhot, what the fuck is this about Touya?” Bakugo demands. “Ain’t he a villain?”

“He didn’t become a villain until a few years after Endeavor started training me,” Shoto says. “He disappeared and was presumed dead when I was six the first time around and, since I came back in time to when I was four, I took steps to ensure that didn’t happen. Touya is still Touya. He’s a Pro Hero and still very much apart of my family. That also means that the League loses out on his firepower. “Well, that’s good then,” says Izuku, casting a sidelong glance at Bakugo who’s teeth are gritting and his eyes are narrowed. “Kacchan, if Touya is not a villain this time around then what happened at the forest training camp won’t happen because of him.”

“You can’t blame him for what happened in another life,” Shoto points out.

“I know! Fuck, I know. It’s just...Fuck!” Bakugo growls and clenches his hands into fists. “I still have fucking nightmares of that fucking day.” He squeezes his eyes shut. “But I’m all for fucking the League over without them even realizing it.”

Izuku chuckles. “I’ll agree with that,” he says. “Okay, so that’s already a major change that we had no part in. My Quirk awakening when it did is another major change, since it originally awakened on the day of the entrance exam, so we do have four months to try to figure out some semblance of a plan.”

“I agree,” Shoto says. “We should meet up this Saturday afternoon. There’s a park across the street from the hospital Mom’s in so we can meet there. I’ll send you the address. We can talk more then.”

“There’s something else,” Izuku says quietly.

“What?” Bakugo asks.

Izuku glances at him. “I’m going to tell Shoto the entire truth, about my Quirk,” he says.

“Why the fuck…?”

“Because you already know and if we are going to work together then trust is required. The other wielders are fine with it. In fact, the First Wielder even insisted that I tell Shoto the entire truth,
says Izuku. “On that note, they also insist that we need to tell All Might the entire truth too.”

“What?!”

“Is that wise?” Shoto asks, not even saying anything about the mention of Izuku’s Quirk, or the mention of other wielders.

“I was wary too,” Izuku admits. “But it’ll be fine. I’ll explain more when we meet up.”

“You’re not planning on telling All Might every fucking thing, are you?” Bakugo demands.

“No, not everything,” Izuku says with a shake of his head. “Just that you, Shoto, and I are from the future and we know what is coming but we can’t reveal everything because it might change too much if too much is revealed all at once. The way I see it, having All Might in the know will help.”

“If we are going along that logic then I think we should tell someone else too,” says Shoto.
“Who the fuck else should we let in on this fucking secret?” Bakugo demands.

“Aizawa.”

Bakugo pauses and a thoughtful expression crosses his red eyes. “That...is actually not a bad idea, Icyhot,” he says, looking surprised at the fact that he’s actually agreeing with the dual-haired boy. Izuku covers his mouth to hide his snickers but some must have escaped his lips because Bakugo glares at him and snaps, “Shut the fuck up, nerd!”

“Okay,” Izuku says once he’s managed to calm down. “So we have a general plan of what to do next. What time is it?”

“Twelve thirty,” Bakugo says after glancing at his phone.

“Already? How long was I unconscious?”

“Few hours. I figured something was up ‘cause weird shit always happens to you and that you’d be fine so I just told anyone who passed by that you were taking a nap. Considering you’ve been up since before four in the morning, it’s a decent excuse,” says Bakugo.

“Who knew you cared?” Shoto says.

“Shut the fuck up, Icyhot.”

“Anyway, so we will meet up...say about two in the afternoon on Saturday?” Of course, Shoto completely ignores Bakugo who seethes in annoyance at the blatant dismissal of his words.

“That should work,” Izuku says. “I don’t know how far away the hospital is though.”

“It only takes me half an hour to get to U.A. from my home, and the hospital is about halfway between my house and U.A. so it shouldn’t take you that long. I’ll send you the address now and I’ll see you at two.”

“Okay. Bye Shoto.”

“Goodbye.” Shoto hangs up and Izuku tucks his phone away as he stands up, swaying a bit and resting one hand on his head that is starting to throb.

“You better not fucking pass out on me, nerd,” Bakugo growls as he also stands up.

“I’m fine,” Izuku assures him as the throbbing eases and the disorientation fades away. “I guess my body is still acclimating to One for All’s presence but I’ll be fine. C’mon, we should get to our self-defense lesson.”

“Don’t tell me what to fucking do.” But Bakugo starts walking anyway and Izuku jogs after him, already going through everything that has happened—or will happen. Time travel is confusing—and mentally sorting and storing important pieces of information away.

They had four months to come up with a semblance of a plan. Izuku is going to use every single minute of that time as best that he can.

Chapter Text

Yagi Toshinori gazes out at the sparkling waters of the ocean, watching as the waves crashed against the sandy beach as the sun dangles in the sky like a locket. It’s already almost three thirty, and his successor is due to arrive at any minute, but Toshinori finds himself distracted. Something just feels different, not so much with his surroundings but rather within.

For some reason, One for All feels different.

Of course, Toshinori knew that it would feel different once he gave it away, since he would only have access to the embers of the power, but this feels different from even that. It feels strange but also comforting and familiar and Toshinori just doesn’t know what to make of it. He’s never felt that way in the entire time that he has had One for All, not even when it was first given to him by his master.

He shakes his head to clear it and turns in time to see Midoriya jogging toward him. He looks out of breath but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of strain or exhaustion like earlier. “Young Midoriya, you’re just in time,” he says.

“I kinda lost track of time and had to run all the way here,” Midoriya admits as he comes to a stop in front of him, running a hand through unruly dark green curls. “I got to talking with Kacchan after our self-defense lesson.”

Toshinori nods. “That’s fine, Young Midoriya,” he says. “Come, let’s begin.”

Midoriya hesitates, glancing at a spot past Toshinori’s shoulder, a pensive expression on his face.

“Is something wrong?” he asks in concern because he isn’t sure what to make of that pensive, uncertain expression.

He shakes his head, sending green curls into his face, and brushes them aside. “Yeah, everything’s fine. It’s just...All Might, can we talk before we start?”

Sounds important. “Of course.” Toshinori gestures toward the stairs and leads the way to them, sitting down and Midoriya sits down beside him, a frown on his lips as he wrings his hands together. It’s odd. He’s never seen his successor look so nervous in the time that he has known him, when he isn’t muttering about heroes and Quirks or isn’t in his usual hero worship fanboy mode.

This seems different.

“Young Midoriya, what is the matter?” he asks quietly.

Midoriya takes a deep breath, then turns to Toshinori. “One for All...did you know that there is a sentience to it?” he says.

“A sentience to One for All?” Toshinori knows that the previous wielders of One for All did leave their power within the power itself but for the power to actually have a sentience to it? It doesn’t seem like it’s possible and yet, for some reason, he can’t deny it almost as if he knows that to be true but isn’t sure how.

Midoriya nods. “Yeah. I didn’t realize it myself,” he says, “but...okay, I guess I’ll start at the beginning. All Might, um, I don’t know how to say this but I was told to tell you the entire truth and I’m not sure how much of the entire truth to actually tell you. I get why I have to tell you but there is so much and it’s quite a bit of information and I don’t know if I should tell you everything or if I should just tell you the bare minimum but I know that I have to tell you something and…”

“Young Midoriya, please stop, you’re muttering at a rapid pace and I’m finding it hard to follow along with you,” Toshinori says, holding up a hand and unable to keep the amusement out of his voice as Midoriya blushes and covers his mouth.

“Ah, sorry,” he says quickly. He takes a deep breath. “Okay, I guess...well...I guess I’ll just come out and say it. Me, and two others, are from the future.”

Toshinori blinks, stares, blinks again. He isn’t sure what to make of that revelation. It isn’t a joke. His successor doesn’t seem like the kind of person to joke about something like that, and it’s a pretty terrible joke if it is one.

“You’re what?” he says numbly.

“I know it doesn’t make sense,” Midoriya says quickly. “But it’s the truth. Me, and two others, are from the future, from around the time that I actually discovered that One for All is truly sentient and was able to communicate with the previous wielders, most of them anyway.”

“Wait, communicate with the previous wielders?”

“Sorry! Sorry! Ugh!” Midoriya runs a hand through his hair with a groan of annoyance. “I was trying so hard to not overload you with too much information at once and yet that’s what I ended up doing.”

Toshinori rests a hand on his shoulder, not sure what to say to that but deciding that he needs to reassure the child that it’s all right. Sure, he may be a bit confused but he’s sure that it’ll all make sense once the boy finishes explaining everything to him.

“Just go on with your train of thought, Young Midoriya,” he says gently. “I’m sure I’ll be able to make sense out of it once you’re done.”

Midoriya hesitates, then nods. “Okay,” he says and starts talking.

Toshinori listens. Midoriya doesn’t go into depth, only stating that the future ends up getting very bad to the point where chances are extremely high that the villains are actually going to win and the world is going to suffer for it. He explains how he, and the two others—Bakugo Katsuki and Todoroki Shoto—had been given the offer to go back in time to change everything and, not having anything to lose by accepting, they agreed. He explains how they have all the knowledge of the future within them, including anything that they ever learned in regards to training their bodies and their Quirks and their knowledge of heroics.

“In other words, you are a good year, if not more, ahead of your future classmates,” says Toshinori.

“And I have a decent control of One for All too,” Midoriya says. “During the conflict that led up to me being sent to the past, I could use up to 45% of One for All. I can’t use 100% without breaking something but I can use 45% without breaking something.”

“So you didn’t take to it right away, am I right?”

“Not like you did, no,” says Midoriya and adds sheepishly, “erm, the first time I used it, I shattered every single bone in my arm and both of my legs.”

Toshinori winces. Ouch. He hadn’t had that problem because he’d taken to One for All like a fish takes to water, capable of using one hundred percent of its power almost right away, even though he hadn’t been much older than Midoriya when Nana had passed on the power to him. “I see,” he says. “How much of your power were you able to use when you first got your power?”

“You told me, last time around, that it was about five percent.”

“Now that is impressive. To be able to increase the percentage of the power that you can use by forty percent in only a year is very good progress,” Toshinori says with a grin. “Can you use that percentage now?”

Midoriya nods. “Since I remember everything that I ever learned and every single training that I ever did, I can,” he says. “But I wanted to tell you that so you know of how much of this power I can actually use.”

“That makes sense.”

“There’s more.”

“Oh?”

Midoriya takes a deep breath. “One for All...All Might, I found out that...eventually, I’m going to gain access to all of the Quirks of its previous users,” he says.

Toshinori’s eyes widen in shock. “You’ll what?” he says.

“It’s true. In the future, I already have access to the Fifth User’s Blackwhip, your master’s Float, and the Fourth User’s Danger Sense. And, though they are locked right now, the other users told me that they won’t remain locked forever, and I can’t control when they unlock. I just know that they are going to unlock at some point, probably in that order.”

Toshinori presses his lips together as he thinks about what he knows about the previous wielders. There isn’t a lot out there about the second and third users, only because of how long ago that had been, but he should be able to look up more information on the Sixth user at the very least. “I’ll see what I can find out on my end,” he says. “The more information we have on those other Quirks, the better.”

“Agreed.” Midoriya goes silent for a long moment, then says quietly, “I know I said that I wouldn’t talk about what actually happens in the future but...I think that this is something that you should know right away.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about All for One. He’s still alive.”

Shock flares through Toshinori’s body. “What? But...I killed him myself six years ago,” he protests, one hand going to his side where the injury that All for One gave him is located.

“I know but we found out, this summer actually, that he isn’t really dead. I don’t think it’d be a good idea to talk more about what actually happens then but you should know about that at least,” says Midoriya. “But I’ll keep you informed of what’s going to happen when we get closer but I don’t think our future knowledge is going to be helpful at some point, after too many things have changed.”

“Yes, that is true.” Toshinori will admit that he’s still stuck on the knowledge that his master’s killer is still alive, that the greatest enemy the users of One for All, and the world itself, has ever seen is still alive. He takes a deep breath and releases it slowly as he gazes at Midoriya, studying the young boy whose eyes bear the scars of someone who has seen far too much in such a short time.

He’s only fifteen now, and yet it’s clear, by his eyes, that he has experienced far more than any fifteen-year-old should ever have to experience, whether they are heroes in training or not. They are still children. They don’t deserve to be caught up in such a dangerous conflict, in life or death situations, and yet, because they are heroes in training, that’s what ends up happening.

He curls his arms around Midoriya and pulls the boy close to him, closing his eyes. He doesn’t expect Midoriya to actually lean into the hug, to rest his head against his chest, and not make a single note of protest, almost as if he’s perfectly content with such a paternal gesture from his mentor.

“I’ll do what I can to keep you safe, Young Midoriya,” he says quietly. “If All for One is truly out there, and I do not doubt you so I am sure that he is, I will find him and beat him again.”

“Just...don’t risk your own life, All Might,” Midoriya says quietly.

Toshinori’s eyes soften. “So long as you do the same,” he says. “Based on what you have told me, I suspect you’ve been at the very heart of what’s to come, along with the other two who traveled back in time with you.”

“I will.”

Toshinori remains silent as he turns his gaze to the sparkling waters of the ocean. “Does anyone else know?” he says.

“No, not right now. We’ve agreed to inform Aizawa-sensei of what I just told you,” says Midoriya. “But, beyond that, we aren’t going to tell anyone about when we come from, or anything dealing with what happened to us.”

“I see. The less people who know, the better. The last thing we want is for word to get out to the wrong ears.”

“That’s what Kacchan thinks too,” Midoriya says with a faint smile and it fades as he adds, “We’re going to meet up this Saturday to discuss matters. That brings up another point.” He trails off, hesitation clear on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I believe that...it may be best for me to tell Shoto the entire truth, about One for All.”

Toshinori frowns. He isn’t so sure how to feel about that matter because Todoroki Shoto is Endeavor’s youngest son and, while Toshinori does have a great deal of respect for Endeavor, he also isn’t blind. He knows that Endeavor has been vying for his number one position for a while now.

“He won’t tell his father,” Midoriya says, almost as if sensing where Toshinori’s thoughts are going. “He won’t. He doesn’t really like the flaming trashcan anymore than I do, and he won’t reveal such sensitive information to him. But...since Bakugo already knows—he finds out in the future—I just feel that it’s better, for the three of us, if Shoto knows too. I promise I won’t tell him everything, about your injury or anything like that, but I think he deserves to know about where my power actually comes from, even more so because he had been present in the future when those other Quirks started manifesting themselves. And I don’t want him to start jumping to conclusions.”

“I take it that happened in the future.”

Midoriya mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like ‘freaking conspiracy theorist’ but Toshinori pushes it off, deciding not to worry about it. “Yeah, something like that,” he admits in a louder voice. “But...only if that’s all right with you.”

Toshinori’s eyes soften again and he raises a hand and ruffles his successor’s hair. The boy sitting beside him is really so very different from the boy that he saw that morning. He is scarred, he is traumatized, he is haunted by events that haven’t happened yet, and yet he is still willing to face everything that scarred him again in order to make that future he came from better. He is such a brave boy with such a wonderful heroic spirit.

And yet he is still asking Toshinori if it’s all right for him to talk about One for All with someone who is out of the loop, as if the power isn’t just as much his as it was Toshinori’s.

“You are a smart boy, Young Midoriya,” he says as he lowers his hand and shakes his head with a light laugh. “You understand the necessity of keeping sensitive information secret, and you understand of how dangerous it’ll be if knowledge of your power gets out to too many people, and yet you still have to ask something like that?”

“What do you mean?” Midoriya gives him a puzzled look.

Toshinori laughs, accidentally spewing some blood. “Don’t give me that look, young one,” he says as he raises a hand to wipe away the blood. “One for All is yours, Young Midoriya. You don’t have to ask me permission for who to tell about your power.”

A long moment of silence descends as Midoriya blushes in embarrassment and ducks his head, mumbling under his breath for a long minute before Toshinori smacks him upside the head to stop him.

“And stop muttering like that, kid,” he adds.

“S...Sorry!” The embarrassed blush gets hotter and he coughs, running a hand through his hair. “I guess...in hindsight, I really should have figured that out myself. I’m not sure why I didn’t.”

“Have you considered that it’s cause of your own past? The fact that you were Quirkless for the longest time before getting this power?”

Midoriya is silent for a long moment. “I guess, for the longest time, I always felt like this power is more of a borrowed power, a power that I have been spending months trying to make my own, that I guess I kinda just fell back onto that thought, because I haven’t quite finished making it my own yet,” he says.

“I do thank you for informing me of who you will be informing about this though,” says Toshinori. “If you trust Todoroki Shoto with this information then I will trust your judgment.”

“Thanks, All Might.” Midoriya goes silent for a long moment, then says, “I should tell Mom too.”

Toshinori raises an eyebrow.

“Not everything,” Midoriya adds, “but...I’ve been Quirkless my entire life, All Might, and Mom is going to be concerned if I suddenly show up with a Quirk. Last time around, I never did explain matters to her, and I regret it greatly. This time, I want to explain, at the very least, the bare minimum to her.”

“Would you like me to explain to her?” Toshinori offers.

Midoriya glances at him, then smiles. “Actually, I think that might help make the explanation go smoother,” he admits. He pauses, then adds, “Just...don’t be surprised if she faints when you take on your muscle form.”

“Faints?”

“Did you think that I’m the only Midoriya who’s a major fan of yours?”

. . .

Midoriya Inko is, quite frankly speaking, in the middle of a full-on freak out.

Why?

All Might—All freaking Might—is in her home, with her son, and asking to have tea with her.

All Might is in her home, and asking to have tea with her.

So, yeah, she is freaking out. At the very least, she managed to avoid fainting from the shock of All Might showing up at her home, with her son in tow, but only just barely. She did stumble and it had only taken her son’s quick reflexes to prevent her from just collapsing to the ground in utter shock. It takes her a few moments to regain her bearings enough to invite the Number 1 Hero into her home, and not stutter in shock that much.

Before long, the three of them are seated at the kitchen table with cups of tea resting in front of him. Inko keeps hers in her hands, more for something to do with her hands rather than the fact that she’s thirsty, as she watches All Might sip at his tea so casually. In spite of the fact that he barely fits into the small wooden chair, he still manages to look so casual.

It’s so disorienting.

Izuku makes his way back into the kitchen and slides into his seat, his phone being held in his hand in front of him. “For crying out loud, Kacchan! You cannot shove Endeavor off a rooftop and make it look like an accident!” he exclaims.

“It could happen,” Katsuki’s familiar voice says.

“If you could make it happen…” an unfamiliar voice also echoes out of the phone.

Izuku rolls his eyes. “Shoto no,” he deadpans.

“Izuku, why are you talking about shoving the Number 2 hero off a rooftop?” Inko asks in concern.

“We’re talking about hypothetical scenarios,” Izuku admits. “It’s a game we kinda came up with a few years ago, and we kinda just dragged Shoto into matters. Oh, Mom, this is Shoto. Shoto, this is my mom.” He turns the phone around and Inko sees that one of the small rectangles resting on the screen shows the image of a boy with heterochromatic eyes, one gray and one blue, and dual-colored hair, the left side is red and the right side is white.

“Hello Mrs. Midoriya,” Shoto greets with a polite incline of his head.

“Hey Auntie!” Katsuki says.

“Hello Katsuki,” Inko says, “and hello Shoto. Izuku, you know it is rude to be on your phone while we have a guest.”

“I know, Mom,” Izuku says. “Truth be told, Kacchan and Shoto were in the middle of playing our game when I called them. I decided that, since Kacchan already knows what All Might wants to talk with you about and I want to tell Shoto the truth anyway, might as well kill two birds with one stone. Are you somewhere private, Shoto?”

“Yeah. Fuyumi and Natsuo are visiting Mom. Touya’s working and the flaming trashcan is at his agency so I have the house to myself, for once,” says Shoto.

“Flaming trashcan?” Inko echoes. She isn’t even too sure why Katsuki is barking out a sharp laugh and Izuku is actually snorting in amusement himself.

“Nothing to concern yourself with, Mrs. Midoriya.”

All Might clears his throat. “I think we should get to why we are all here,” he says as Izuku rests the phone on the table, angling it so that Katsuki and Shoto can see all of them somewhat.

“Yes, I think we should,” Inko says, bringing her teacup to her lips and sipping at it. “Why has the Number 1 Hero come to speak with me?”

“It’s in regards to your son,” says All Might and, holding up a hand when Inko starts panicking, adds, “It’s nothing bad, I assure you. Your son and I have been training together for the past six months, Mrs. Midoriya. I saw in him a great potential, in spite of the fact that he’s Quirkless, and I realized that I wanted to help him cultivate that potential. That is why I have been training him, and why I granted him my power.”

“Your...power?!”

“Um, All Might, maybe start by telling her what that power is,” Izuku says, rubbing Inko’s back to calm her down.

“Right, uh, sorry. This is awkward,” All Might says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve never had to actually explain this quite like this before. All right. My power...is known as One for All. It is like a sacred torch, passed down from one user to the next. One user cultivates the power and passes it on and the process repeats. Your son...is someone that I believe will be a wonderful hero, and I have decided that I wanted him to be my successor.”

“You’re talking past tense. Have you already given him your...power?” Inko demands.

“Mom, it’s okay,” Izuku says. “He has and, in hindsight, we should have discussed it with you beforehand but hindsight is twenty/twenty. It hasn’t hurt me at all.”

Inko is only somewhat mollified by the fact that her son isn’t hurt.

“It’s just as your son says,” All Might says. “We should have spoken with you about this beforehand but...that was my fault. It was a major oversight on my end and I am truly sorry to be springing this on you after the fact.”

Inko narrows her eyes but she can tell that the Number 1 Hero is truly sorry for not telling her beforehand. She nods slowly and relaxes back into her seat. “My son has been Quirkless for years,” she says. “Why did you decide to give him your power? Is it just because you saw potential in him?”

“Part of it is, yes, but it’s also because, when I looked at him the day I met him, I saw something in him, a spark that just needs a little push to ignite. He may have been a Quirkless fanboy but, that day with the sludge villain, he showed far more courage, far more spirit, far more of what it means to be a hero, than anyone else there, myself included.”

“The sludge villain? Midoriya Izuku! What did you do?”

Izuku winces. “I…”

“Auntie Inko, he tried to save my life,” Katsuki calls and, when Inko turns toward him, he adds, “I was caught by the sludge villain. The other pros in the area weren’t doing a fucking thing to help but Zuku over there didn’t hesitate. Even though he didn’t have any power, he still fucking moved when no one else did. If he hadn’t intervened, I don’t think I’d be here right now.”

Inko pales as she gazes at the spiky-blonde-haired boy. Of course, she had seen the attack on the news, though her son’s involvement must have been edited out, and, of course, she had been quick to contact Mitsuki to find out the status of Katsuki. Finding out Katsuki was fine and had been saved by All Might had been a relief but she hadn’t realized that she hadn’t gotten the full story.

“Your son did far more that day than anyone else in the area had done,” All Might says, “even me. I am ashamed to admit that I hesitated and Young Bakugo nearly paid for my hesitationbut your son acted. Without any thought, without any concern to himself, he acted. Heroes often have stories of their younger days and one of the most consistent with each story is that, the first time that a hero saves someone, their body moves without them thinking about it.”

Inko gaze at her son who meets her gaze with a soft determined one of his own. She chokes out a soft sob and, wrapping her arms around her son, draws him close to her. He rests his head on her chest but doesn’t move, content to just let her hold him close to her.

“I’m sorry I worried you with my actions that day, Mom, but I don’t regret doing what I could to save Kacchan,” he says quietly.

Inko sobs and runs a hand through her heads. “You...You really are an amazing boy, Izuku,” she whispers. “Even if you were incredibly reckless and could have gotten hurt, you still tried to save your friend and I’m proud of you for that.”

Izuku smiles at that.

Inko turns her gaze back to All Might as she releases her son. “So that is the reason why you chose my son to be your successor?” she says.

“Yes,” All Might says with a nod. “I truly believe he will be one of the greatest heroes ever, once he has properly learned all that he needs to be a hero.”

Inko smiles softly and turns to Izuku. “I’m sorry, Izuku,” she says quietly. “All those years ago...when we found out you were Quirkless...I should have supported your dream but, instead...I just…”

“I know, Mom. It’s okay,” Izuku assures her.

Inko smiles at him. “You’re such a forgiving boy, and so very kind,” she whispers before she turns to All Might again. “I’ll support this, All Might, on the sole condition that you keep an eye on my son. Please, keep him safe as best you can. If he is to be your successor, teach him and raise him and take care of him. And I’ll give both of you my full support.”

All Might lowers his head. “You have my word that I shall,” he says firmly. “This is something that needs to stay between us though. Only a select few people know about One for All. The less people who know about it, the better.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Inko assures him.

“Neither will I, All Might,” Shoto says, then turns his head, adding, “Though this does confirm my theory.”

“No, it does not!” Izuku exclaims.

“Hey, All Might, in order to gain your power, what did Izuku have to do?”

“He did have to take in some of my DNA,” All Might admits. “It’s essential to passing on my power because the Quirk factor lays in someone’s DNA.”

“So, what you mean to tell me, is that Izuku has some of your DNA in him?”

“Well, I suppose, in a way, that’s correct.”

“Knew it! You are All Might’s secret love child!”

Katsuki bursts out into hysterical laughter as Izuku goes red, sputtering and waving his hands while All Might stares, clearly unsure of how to take the conclusion that Shoto had just jumped too.

“It’s not like that, Shoto!” Izuku cries. “How does that even make any sense?”

“Just admit it, Izuku.”

“I will not admit to something that doesn’t make any sense! Stop laughing, Kacchan!”

“Oh hell the fuck no. This is fucking gold,” Katsuki exclaims.

Izuku mumbles something that Inko can’t hear and shakes his head. “Anyway...can we please change the topic?” he says.

“Yes, that would be a good idea,” Inko says because even she is having a hard time trying to grasp what Shoto is even talking about. Sure, sharing DNA with All Might connects Izuku to him but to go so far as to call Izuku All Might’s secret love child?

No, that is a can of worms I really don’t want to open up right now. “What now?” she says.

“Now, I want to focus on training Young Midoriya,” says All Might. “We have four months until the U.A. entrance exams and the more Young Midoriya knows about his new power before then, the better.”

Inko nods. “I understand that. I’ll do what I can to help him from my end too,” she says.

“I have no doubt that you will.”

. . .

Saturday arrives and Shoto is standing outside of the hospital his mother is in, gazing out across the street at the park where he is going to be meeting Izuku and Bakugo. He glances at his side as Touya walks over to join him, after finishing signing them out of the hospital. “I’m meeting my friends in the park,” he says.

Touya raises an eyebrow. “Glad you made yourself some friends, Shoto,” he says. “Are those the two boys you told me you met that day that Fuyumi took you to the mall?”

That’s the lie that Shoto had told Touya in order to ensure that he had a cover for how he knew Izuku and Bakugo, since the chances of them having actually met any other way are slim. And his overprotective eldest brother probably won’t be so willing to let Shoto be around them if he told him that he met them online.

Touya is really taking both of his promises very seriously.

“Yeah.”

“I’d like to meet them.”

Shoto knows that won’t be a good idea. The last thing he wants is for Bakugo to have a panic attack and, given that Touya is the one—when he had been a villain in their last life—who had kidnapped him, that panic attack is bound to happen, and be pretty explosive. The last thing Shoto wants is for his brother to get a face full of exploding nitroglycerin.

“Maybe next time, Touya-nii,” he says.

Touya presses his lips together but nods. “Okay,” he says. “Just text me when you’re ready to head home. I’ll probably be patrolling this area anyway, since Eraserhead’ll get on my case if he finds out I took a day off without telling him.”

Touya becoming an underground hero hadn’t been that much of a surprise, given that he isn’t someone who really likes the limelight, but him working with Aizawa had been a major surprise. Even though Shoto knows that Aizawa is an underground hero himself, he hadn’t expected his brother to be learning with Aizawa.

“Okay,” he says and, making his way across the street, scans the park until he spots them.

They are seated at a stone table at the far end of the park, as far away from everyone else in the park as they can possibly get without getting too close to the street, and the people that populate it, that lays beyond the park’s boundary. He makes his way across it, raising an eyebrow upon seeing Izuku is bent over one of his notebooks, muttering under his breath as he scribbles away while Bakugo is literally lounging on the bench of the table, glaring at the sky.

“Hey,” Shoto says.

Bakugo lifts his head and scowls. “About fucking time,” he says and, sitting up, leans over the table to swat Izuku upside the head. “Yo, fucking nerd, Icyhot’s here.”

Izuku’s muttering is abruptly cut off as he raises a hand, rubbing his head and giving Bakugo an annoyed look, but he smiles at Shoto. Shoto flushes a little but takes a seat beside him when he scoots over. “Hey, you’re a little late but that’s fine,” he says.

“I ended up spending a bit more time with Mom than anticipated,” Shoto admits.

“Let’s get to fucking work,” Bakugo says. “What the fuck are we going to do?”

“I’ve been going over everything that has happened up until the point that we were sent back,” Izuku says, nodding to the notebook. “Many of those events are events that I don’t think we should focus on now. We should focus on what is closer to this point in time, and then spread out to the other events as they get closer.”

“That would make sense,” Shoto says quietly. “We can’t make plans for events that occur, say, this summer if we don’t first plan for what comes before that, because anything that changes in the months before summer may cause summer to change completely too.”

“We can’t plan too far ahead ‘cause that would be speculating too much on what’s going to happen, when, in reality, those things could change drastically because of changes we make right now.”

“Like how fucking Dabi isn’t going to exist anymore, which will cut down on the fucking League’s firepower, which will already change the forest training camp,” says Bakugo.

“Exactly,” Izuku says with a nod at Bakugo who scoffs at him. “So I think we should focus on events leading up to the Final Exams. Once we get closer to the Final Exams, then we can start looking at events after that.”

“That makes sense,” Shoto says. “All right. So the major event that’s coming up first would probably be the entrance exam. There is something that I want to do that may change things drastically.” He thinks about Yoarashi Inasa, the boy that he had snubbed harshly during the recommendation exam, so much so that Yoarashi actually declined his acceptance into U.A. just because he hadn’t wanted to learn with the son of Endeavor, who acted just like Endeavor. He doesn’t want that to happen, nor does he want to be compared to Endeavor ever again.

“What do you plan on doing?” Izuku asks, pen poised as if ready to scribble down Shoto’s idea.

“Yoarashi Inasa,” he says quietly. “During the provisional licensing exam, remember? He was supposed to be one of the recommendation students but he declined his acceptance in spite of how much he said he loved U.A. He did it because of me, because he didn’t want to study to be a hero alongside me, because of how I treated him during the recommendation exam. I was rather...callous toward him, snubbed him rather harshly and reminded him too much of Endeavor.”

“So much so that he would decline acceptance to the school he claims he loves?” says Izuku in in surprise.

“What a fucking idiot,” Bakugo grunts.

“No, I can understand where he’s coming from,” Shoto admits. “Back then, I had been so focused on becoming the number 1 hero without using my left side, that I just focused entirely on that, and ignored everything else. It took Izuku during the Sports Festival to knock some sense into my head, at the cost of his arms and fingers.”

Izuku winces, rubbing his fingers, though the scars are no longer there.

“So I’d like to change that. If I do it right then Yoarashi may end up accepting admission to U.A., which means that one of the other three recommendation students might not get in, which will change the dynamic of either Class A or Class B.”

“Yaomomo is the one who got admitted to Class A along with you,” says Izuku.

Shoto nods. “If that stays the same, and if Yoarashi ends up accepting admission, then it’ll either be Tokage Setsuna or Honenuki Juzo,” he says. “But whoever doesn’t get in can still take the General Exam and get in that way, so there’s no guarantee of who will not get into either class if Yoarashi gets in. We just know that if he accepts the admission, someone in either Class A or B will be replaced.”

“Let’s up it’s that Grape Juice fucker,” Bakugo growls.

“Speaking of changes in regards to that,” Izuku says. “I want to get Shinso into the Hero Course as quickly as possible too.”

“Shinso? You mean the bastard with the fucking brainwashing Quirk?”

Izuku nods. “His Quirk is incredibly powerful to the point where Aizawa-sensei, himself, trained Shinso with that joint training exercise being the test that Shinso needed to pass to get into the Hero Course itself. He has what it takes to get into the Hero Course but his Quirk isn’t combative.”

“That’s probably the reason why he failed the entrance exam, but still got into U.A. because he also applied for General Education as if he knew that would happen, which he likely did,” Shoto says.

Izuku nods. “But Shinso can still get into the Hero Course, the same way that I did,” he says. “I didn’t get a single villain point during the entrance exam, because of my lack of control over my Quirk, but I got in on the other aspect of the exam.”

“Other aspect? What other fucking aspect?” Bakugo demands.

Izuku raises an eyebrow in amusement. “Heroes don’t just beat up villains, Kacchan. One of the cores of being heroes is rescuing people,” he says. “That’s how I got in. I rescued Uraraka when she had been trapped under debris when the zero pointer showed up, and she rescued me when I fell after breaking my arm and both of my legs.”

“Ouch,” Shoto says with a wince.

“Yeah, ouch. If Shinso can get enough rescue points then he can get into the Hero Course that way,” says Izuku. “But actually telling him about the rescue points aspect of the exam is cheating but that doesn’t mean I can get close enough to him to hint at it. All he needs is to help out as many people that need it as he possibly can. Surely if the teachers see his willingness to help in the middle of the chaos of the exam then they will give him the necessary points to get in, just like they did for me.”

Bakugo hums, then shrugs. “If that brainwashing bastard does get into the Hero Course, that’ll mean that two of the classmates we had last time around won’t be there this time around,” he says. “I sure hope one of those two is that fucking perverted grape.”

Izuku nods in agreement. “I’ve noted that down,” he says. “If Inasa and Shinso get into the Hero Course then that will change the entire dynamic of both classes, especially in regards to the Battle Trials, and the Sports Festival, and the Final Exams.”

“The Sports Festival is going to be a major change,” Shoto says. “There is no telling how much of that is going to change now that Izuku has such major control over his Quirk, I am capable of utilizing both of my sides at the same time, and Bakugo’s control is far greater than it was the last time around.”

“If it ends up being us two in the fucking end, Icyhot, you better fucking use your left side,” Bakugo growls,

“I will,” Shoto says simply.

“Good.”

“We won’t be able to accurately plan anything for the Sports Festival,” Izuku admits. “There are far too many variables. The only thing that likely won’t change is the contests themselves. There is no guarantee that Bakugo will even be the one to make the opening speech at the beginning.”

“What? Of course I’m gonna be number one on the fucking entrance exam,” Bakugo growls.

Izuku smirks back. “We’ll see about that, Kacchan,” he says.

“Why you little…”

Shoto snorts in amusement. Ever since their fight after the Provisional Licensing Exam, the dynamic of their friendship/rivalry has definitely changed quite a bit. They aren’t exactly the best of friends, and Bakugo will probably never admit that they’re even friends, but that doesn’t change that fact, or the fact that they are also rivals.

“Getting into U.A. is a given for the three of us, I would think,” he says. “What about the first day? Aizawa will likely do that Quirk Apprehension Test. Do we hold back our true power? Or just go all out right away?”

“I am not fucking holding back at all,” Bakugo snaps.

“Not surprised by that,” Izuku says in amusement. “I think I should hold back though. All Might knows about how much control over my power I have but I don’t think we should show all of our cards right away, not unless we absolutely need to. For something like that apprehension test, we just need to show that we have a good control of our Quirks.”

Shoto nods in agreement. “I agree.”

“Tch, fucking losers. I’m going all the fuck out,” Bakugo says.

“More power to you.”

“You do what you want, Kacchan. You’re going to anyway.”

“Damn straight.”

“Okay,”—Izuku glances back down at his notebook—“The media’s break in is next. In light of how well Ida does as Class Representative, I say we should just leave that alone. I definitely don’t want to be Class Representative now anyway.”

Shoto nods.

“So unimportant. Let’s skip to the fucking good stuff. What’s next?” Bakugo snaps.

“U.S.J.”

All three of them exchange uncertain glances before Bakugo’s clears up and he scowls.

“That one is going to be a bit tougher,” Izuku say quietly. “The fact that All Might knows about when we come from will help. I don’t know if I want to actually tell him about what happens but I can, at the very least, ensure that he doesn’t go past his limit so that he’s at full strength, and at the U.S.J. when the attack happens.”

“That will prevent Aizawa from getting as injured as he was,” says Shoto quietly.

“That warp bastard is a major problem though,” Bakugo says.

“If we get Shinso in our class, Kurogiri won’t be a problem,” says Izuku. “Shinso’s Brainwashing doesn’t need eye contact or anything like that. All he needs is for someone to respond to him and he can take control of their mind. So long as Kurogiri doesn’t get disturbed by something, he’ll remain under Shinso’s control.”

“And if Shinso doesn’t end up in our class?”

Izuku taps his pen on the table. “All we need is to get one person outside, that’s it. Just one person, preferably Ida since he’s faster. All we need is to distract Kurogiri long enough for Ida to get to the doors.”

“But Kurogiri will separate us like last time if we’re not careful,” Shoto says.

Bakugo scoffs. “I won’t fucking attack that warp gate bastard this time,” he says. “If I don’t get in Thirteen’s way, that should give fucking Four Eyes time to get out.”

“You’ll have to stop Kirishima from leaping into the attack too,” says Shoto.

“Yeah, whatever, I fucking got it.”

“We might have to change our plan once we actually get into that situation because we won’t know exactly what we’re dealing with until we get there,” says Izuku.

“Anything can change what happens that day,” says Shoto in agreement. “Okay, aside from the Sports Festival, what is next?”

Izuku glances at his notebook and hesitates, then looks at Shoto. “Stain,” he says.

Shoto presses his lips together. “I’ll talk with Touya,” he says. “He and Ida Tensei are really good friends from the time that Touya interned at the Idaten Agency. Since Touya’s an underground hero, if I let slip a hint of the Hero Killer’s presence in Hosu City, Touya can head there to provide Ida some backup. If we can prevent Ida Tensei from getting hurt, it can save a heck of a lot of trouble.”

“Especially for Ida,” says Izuku with a nod.

“What the fuck are you guys talking about? You’ve got the looks of someone who knows something I don’t fucking know,” Bakugo snaps.

Izuku and Shoto exchange glances, then Izuku sighs. “Well, may as well tell him, since we might be able to stop it from happening anyway,” he says.

Shoto nods in agreement. “Endeavor wasn’t the one who defeated the Hero Killer,” he says to Bakugo. “Izuku, Ida, and I were. We were told to keep it quiet, and it was swept under the rug and Endeavor took credit, because we would have been severely punished for using our Quirks on a villain without our provisional hero licenses.”

“What the actual fuck?! You three fought the fucking Hero Killer? I knew I shouldn’t have chosen Best Jeanist for my fucking internship.”

Izuku laughs. “Oh don’t say that, Kacchan,” he says. “We all know that you have a great deal of respect for Best Jeanist.”

Bakugo grunts but doesn’t deny it. “Still, would’ve seen more fucking action had I chosen an agency in Hosu City,” he grumbles.

“It’s not like you knew,” Izuku says. “Shoto and I weren’t even really supposed to be there. Well, Shoto was because the flaming trashcan dragged him to Hosu City but I was just passing by on my internship. Ida, on the other hand…”

“Let me guess. He purposely chose a fucking internship in Hosu City ‘cause of what the fucking Hero Killer did to his brother.”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Tch, fucking moron.”

“He was emotionally invested.

“I repeat, fucking moron.”

“Either way,” Shoto says, “preventing Ida’s injury will prevent that fight from happening.”

Izuku taps his pen on the table. “I feel like I’m forgetting something,” he says quietly, brow furrowing and he starts muttering under his breath to the point that Bakugo groans and thuds his head on the table while Shoto sweatdrops

Izuku jerks his head up. “Native,” he says.

Shoto frowns, then understanding dawns. “If Ida Tensei isn’t injured, Ida won’t go after the Hero Killer, which means no one will arrive in time to stop Stain from killing Native if he catches Native like last time,” he realizes softly.

Izuku closes his eyes. “There has to be something that can be done. I don’t want to prevent Ida Tensei’s injury only for Stain to kill another hero,” he whispers.

“When we get closer to that time, I’ll talk with Touya and see if he can talk with the Idaten Agency and have them start patrolling in groups around Hosu City. Native’s part of Ida’s Agency so that should stop that. At the very least, he’ll have backup.”

Izuku nods in agreement. “That might be all that we can do,” he says. “Okay, what happens with Stain will depend entirely on if Ida Tensei gets injured or not so we can’t really plan for that.”

“The Final Exams are next,” Shoto says.

“That’ll depend on the way the classes are structured this time around,” Bakugo says. “If that Whirlwind Dude or Brainwasher get into our class, that’ll likely change everything.”

“Whether it does or not, we have to keep in mind that whoever doesn’t pass the Final Exam has to take those extra lessons during the forest training camp,” Izuku says. “I know I said no planning after the Final Exams, since there’s no guarantee of what our changes will cause to change during that camp but I think, just in case, we should try to ensure that everyone passes. That way Aizawa won’t have to have those extra lessons and can be present if an attack occurs.”

“I agree,” Shoto says with a nod. “But we can only help based on our prior knowledge and, once again, we won’t know of what the pairings will actually be until we get there.”

“I doubt Dunce Face and Raccoon Eyes’ pairing will change,” Bakugo says.

“I doubt Kirishima’s and Sato’s will change either,” says Izuku. “Sero’s might, depending on who’s in our class.”

“This is all supposing one of those four aren’t replaced by Yoarashi or Shinso if they do accept or get in respectively,” says Shoto.

“Tch, if they don’t have Shitty Hair in Class A, I’m gonna fucking scream.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to lose your boyfriend,” Izuku says with a cheeky smile.

“You’re fucking dead!” Bakugo lunges over the stone table and crashes into Izuku and Shoto sighs, stands up, and start working on separating the two of them.

“Okay, on a serious note, I don’t think Kirishima will be the one replaced,” Izuku says, nursing his jaw from where Bakugo managed to land a hit on his jaw before Shoto pried him off. “The others, I’m not so sure about.”

“I still hope it’s that fucking perverted grape,” Bakugo growls.

Shoto silently agrees with him. “We can’t do anything about that until we know the class structure,” he says. “I say that we shelve the Final Exam until after we know who’s in our class. Based on what we know about all of our classmates, and what you know about Shinso, I think we can figure out who will be paired, and against who.”

“Zuku can probably do that in his sleep,” says Bakugo.

“What? I can’t…”

“Fucking nerd, I’ve seen your Hero Analysis Notebooks. I will never say this again so don’t you dare make me fucking repeat myself. If anyone can predict who will be paired with who, and against who, for the final exam accurately then it’s you, fucking nerd.”

Izuku stares, eyes wide as Bakugo looks away, a scowl twisting his lips but a faint blush of embarrassment on his cheeks. Izuku blinks then smiles. “Aw, Kacchan…”

“Don’t even fucking think about it, bastard!”

Izuku chuckles but, apparently, decides against teasing the explosive blonde, probably because Bakugo won’t hesitate to throw an explosion right into Izuku’s face. “Okay, I think that might be it for now,” he says.

Shoto suddenly thinks about something, “Wait,” he says. “There’s one more thing that I’d like to, at least, touch on,” he says. “At the very least, I want to make sure you have it on your list. I-Island.”

Izuku blinks and smacks his forehead and quickly scribbles it down. “I had forgotten about that,” he says. “It happened so quickly between the Final Exam and the training camp that I hadn’t put it into perspective that it does happen before the training camp.”

“Doubt we can change anything from that,” Bakugo says.

“Except you and Kirishima not getting lost,” Shoto says.

“Shut the fuck up, Icyhot!”

“Still, we should keep that in mind. It happens so soon after the Final Exam that I don’t see any harm in, at least, touching base about it,” says Izuku. “But the only thing I can think of doing is ensuring that All Might and the other pros aren’t captured by those villains but that might be a bit hard to accomplish.”

“We could always head straight for the 200^th floor as soon as everything is shut down, since we’ll already know,” says Bakugo with a smirk. “Beat up some villain’s asses.”

“You know that we can’t do that,” says Shoto. “If we can get up to the top floor quicker than last time, we can free the pro heroes before everything happens.”

“And get Professor Shields’ device before the villains get their hands on it,” says Izuku. “If we can all make it to the vault together, I think we can, at least, get Shields and his device out of there before the villains get there.”

“That’s a major if there,” says Shoto, watching as Izuku scribbles that down in his notebook. “But it’s somewhat of a plan for that incident.”

“I think that’s enough for now,” Izuku says after he finishes writing that down. He closes the notebook and tucks it away, adding, “For now, the entrance exam is first.”

Shoto nods in agreement. “Should we meet again? Or wait until our first day?” he says.

Izuku glances at Shoto. “I’d like to hang out more before our first day,” he admits.

Shoto smiles faintly. “Yeah, I’d like that too,” he says.

Bakugo rolls his eyes. “Just kiss already, you idiots,” he says.

“K...Kiss?” Izuku squeaks, eyes wide.

Shoto just stares, his face going red and his entire left side bursting into flames.

“Ah, Shoto! You’re on fire!”

Shoto quickly works to control his flames while Bakugo literally falls off the stone bench, cackling hysterically, and Izuku yells at Bakugo to stop laughing at them.

Honestly, why did I suddenly feel so flustered at the thought of kissing Izuku? He thinks as he tries to put out his flames. He doesn’t know what to make of the warm feeling that he feels going through him as he finally manages to put out his flames but it’s there, and it doesn’t seem to want to go away.

And, whenever he looks at Izuku, that warm feeling gets stronger.

What is this feeling?

“Uh, ah, well, if you want…” Izuku stammers out, face red, as Bakugo finally manages to control his hysterical laughter but is still smirking his usual smirk at them. “Maybe we could...I dunno...hang out...um...next Saturday?”

Shoto’s own face is red but, at least, he isn’t bursting into flames this time. “Ah, sure, that sounds...good,” he says.

“You two are denser than fucking mules,” Bakugo deadpans, “especially Icyhot.” He stands up and sticks his hands into his pockets. “I’m heading home. Nerd, we’re keeping up with our training in the mornings though.”

“Yeah, I know, Kacchan,” Izuku says and Bakugo turns and walks off, slightly slouched.

Shoto, once he manages to control his blush, stands up and sends a quick text to Touya. “I should head home too,” he says.

Izuku nods as he stands up, tucking his notebook under his arm. “Yeah, I should go home too,” he says. “It was nice, being able to hang out outside of school, and not have to worry about anything for a moment.”

Shoto smiles softly and nods in agreement. “Yeah,” he says. “Things are about to get really crazy come April.”

“Yeah, and probably start happening really fast too.” Izuku waves and jogs off, heading after Bakugo, shouting, “Wait up, Kacchan! We’re catching the same train home!”

Shoto watches them go.

“So those are your friends, huh?”

He turns to find his eldest brother walk over to join him. “How long have you been there?” he asks because his brother had gotten there far quicker than he had anticipated.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t eavesdrop,” says Touya, folding his arms across his chest as he turns his gaze to the retreating figures. “I was apprehending an underground villain close by and decided to come and see if you were ready yet after dropping the villain off with the police. I was just getting to the park when I got your text.”

“Oh.” Shoto turns to gaze after them.

“From what I saw, they seem like good friends, even that spiky haired one even if he seems to have a permanent scowl on his face.”

Shoto snorts at that, covering it up with a sharp cough. “Yeah, he does,” he says. “And...I suppose we are.”

“You suppose?”

“You know I’ve never had actual friends before.”

Touya gives him a sympathetic look and ruffles his hair. “Well, from what I saw, the friendship you have with those two is strong, probably far stronger than you think it is. C’mon, I just got a message from Natsuo. The flaming trashcan is heading home early, saying that he wants to do an impromptu training sessions, so we should get home.”

Shoto grimaces. An impromptu training session is just Endeavor’s way of stating that he is furious and wants to unleash it, and what better way than to unleash it on the only one who has had to handle his flames since both of his Quirks awakened. He isn’t looking forward to that, not one bit.

“I wish I could protect you from him, Shoto,” Touya says quietly.

“I know, Touya-nii. You being there for me helps a great deal though,” Shoto assures him.

Touya ruffles his hair again. “I just wish I could do more,” he says.

So long as you aren’t a villain, so long as you are still a caring, compassionate brother, that’s all that matters. “I know you do,” he says. “C’mon, I don’t want the flaming trashcan to be even more angry ‘cause we weren’t home when he got home.

Touya nods in agreement and the two jog towards where Touya had parked his car.

I really hope the next four months go by quickly, Shoto thinks as he runs.

. . .

Chapter Text

Izuku darts forward, jumping off the edge of the building and landing lightly on the building across from it, repeating the process for the next few buildings, One for All humming as it surges throughout his entire body. Even though he’s only holding his power output at 15% for the time being, it’s still working well for the parkour training that he’s taken to doing with Bakugo and Shoto whenever they have the time. Normally, it’s just him and Bakugo but, every now and then, Shoto manages to get away from his family home to spend a few hours training with them.

Today, it’s the three of them. It’s the day of the recommendation exam and the three of them are heading toward U.A. through the less likely of routes: darting across the tops of the various buildings that line the streets leading to U.A.

“I didn’t even know you were so good at this, Shoto,” Izuku says as he leaps onto the roof of another building, green lightning crackling around him with each jump.

Shoto easily lands on the roof beside him. “Would you believe that I learned this from Touya-nii whenever the flaming trashcan wasn’t training me?” he says.

“I would, actually.”

Bakugo lands on the roof on Izuku’s other side. “Tch, why are you the only one who can use your fucking Quirk, Zuku?” he demands.

“’Cause mine’s not nearly as flashy as either of yours,” Izuku says. “I’m positive that only those who are really close to me, literally, can see the energy whenever I use this power. Yours and Shoto’s are pretty obvious and the last thing that we need is to get caught by the police for illegal Quirk use.”

“Tch.”

“It’s true,” Shoto says. “Apparently, it’s actually illegal to use Quirks in public, or in places that don’t have prior authorization for Quirk usage.”

Izuku stumbles and turns to stare at Shoto in surprise. “So...does that mean that Aldera Middle School has prior authorization for Quirk usage?” he says and hums. “Wonder if I should look into that.”

Bakugo grunts. “Not worth the time or effort, Zuku,” he says. “What happened the last time around didn’t happen this time around so there’s no point in fucking worrying about it.”

“I guess.” Izuku takes off running again, launching himself off the roof and, grabbing the rung of the fire escape, scales the ladder quickly, flipping onto the roof of the building beyond. Shoto and Bakugo follow suit and the three of them dart off, jumping from building to building until they come to the roof of a one-story convenience store that’s only a block away from U.A.

They all jump onto the roof of the store and, after deactivating One for All, Izuku follows Bakugo and Shoto off the roof, startling the couple that the three of them landed in front of.

“Did you just jump from the roof of that building?” the woman says incredulously.

“It’s none of your fucking business,” Bakugo retorts.

“Rude.” The woman scoffs and storms off with her boyfriend quickly hurrying after her.

“Really, Kacchan?” Izuku deadpans.

“I ain’t gonna fucking apologize. That lady shouldn’t’ve poked her nose into our business,” Bakugo retorts with a roll of his eyes and starts walking, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants. “C’mon.”

Izuku and Shoto exchange glances, roll their eyes in unison, and jog after Bakugo.

“So how does the recommendation exam work?” asks Izuku as they walk.

“There are three parts,” Shoto says. “The first is the written test, the second is a race, and the third is an interview. I’ll probably just go through it like I did last time, except I’ll try to be friendlier with Yoarashi.”

Izuku nods. “I’d wish you luck but, considering you’re so strong in your own right, I don’t think you’ll need it,” he says with a bright smile.

Shoto smiles back at him. “Thanks,” he says.

“Get a fucking move on! You’re gonna be fucking late, Icyhot!” Bakugo shouts from up ahead.

Shoto rolls his eyes. “Calm down, Bakugo. I do still have fifteen minutes,” he says as he strides over to join the explosive blonde and Izuku jogs after him.

“Tch, whatever. Don’t fuck up and lose your spot.”

“The flaming trashcan would never let U.A. hear the end of it if that happened.”

Izuku knows that’s true. But, as he listens to Bakugo and Shoto bicker, his smile dims ever so slightly. It’s so odd. It really is, being back in this time and yet everything being so very different. Last time around, Izuku had literally been in the middle of clearing out the last of Takoba Seaside Bay while Bakugo had still been a jerk and a bully and Shoto had still been the emotionless, cold-eyed teen.

But so much has changed, oh so much.

There have been many bad events in the future but also good events and, while Izuku does still have his own share of scars, of nightmares still waking him up at night, of past regrets and grief still haunting him, he also has many good memories, memories he will admit he is looking forward to recreating. Sure, he is sure that nothing happens the same way twice, and he’s sure that things are going to be different, but he is also sure that he, Bakugo, and Shoto are going to make many new good memories in the days, weeks, months to come.

The scars will always be there. The nightmares probably won’t go away for a while, if ever, and those past regrets and grief can still happen, but that doesn’t mean that Izuku can’t focus on the positive, can’t focus on the happiness.

Last time around, at this point in time, he had only ever felt positive, and happy, in the presence of All Might, while training with him, and with his mother

And now he also has Shoto and Bakugo.

And that’s something he never had expected to happen. Sure, he and Shoto had become the best of friends after the Sports Festival—and that warm feeling that he feels right now is suggesting something more that he doesn’t really want to worry about right now—but his and Bakugo’s relationship has always been strained to say the least. They hadn’t even really been friends in the waning hours of the war and, though Bakugo had nearly sacrificed his life to save Izuku’s, that had only been acting as a hero, jumping in without thinking to save someone who needed to be saved.

By the time of the war, Izuku would say that it is more accurate to say he and Bakugo had been rivals.

Now though, Izuku can safely say that he and Bakugo are back to being the friends they had been before Bakugo’s Quirk had awakened.

Even if Bakugo will never admit it himself, Izuku is positive that he feels the same way.

Of course, he won’t say so out loud.

He’s just glad that things are going well for the three of them, even if he doesn’t know for sure as to how long that is going to last. He knows of what is to come, they all do, and there is only so much that they can do right now. Right now, they just need to focus on the recommendation exam that Shoto is taking, and the general exam that Izuku and Bakugo are taking in a few days.

They reach the gates of U.A. and Shoto, pulling out the pass that he needs to get in to take the exam, inclines his head to the two of them and strides forward, holding up the pass so that the U.A. Barrier doesn’t activate.

“So what now?” Izuku asks, glancing at Bakugo who leans back on the balls of his feet.

“Parkour race back to my house?” Bakugo asks.

Izuku smirks. “I’m beating you this time,” he says.

“You fucking wish!”

The two of them take off, heading back to the convenience store where their earlier parkour race had ended, and start heading back to the way they had come, confident that the third member of their little time traveling group will be just fine.

. . .

The written doesn’t take long at all. It’s all the same questions that had been on there the last time he took it but Shoto takes his time. The last thing he wants is to turn it in too quickly and have the proctor running the exam think he’s cheating. It’s mind-numbing to have to take this written exam again and he resists the urge to yawn or rub his eyes or start playing around with his pencil as he puts off answering the last few questions. He lets a few others finish their exam first before he finishes his.

He scans the classroom briefly as he makes his way to the front but he doesn’t see Yoarashi. He must have been in another classroom when taking the written exam. He is sure that they’ll be placed in the same group for the practical though. He hasn’t really done anything to change that. Actually, the only thing that he has actually done that will have ripples is preventing Touya from becoming a villain.

But the consequences of that action won’t be made known for a while so he pushes the thought aside and focus on the upcoming race.

“The written portion is over!” Present Mic shouts as the recommendation students make their way into the lobby. “Next up is the practical part. Last is the interview. You’ll be in groups of six for the practical. Could the numbers we just called please proceed to the test site!”

Shoto, being number 23, makes his way over to join the rest of his group that are heading into the testing site. As expected, Yoarashi, at number 41, is walking at the head of the group, looking utterly excited to finally be there. Shoto can’t help but feel bad for how he had brushed him off so rudely in spite of his excitement, and the fact that he had just been trying to make friends.

Back then, Shoto hadn’t wanted to make friends.

This time, it’ll be different.

This time, he’s no longer focused on becoming the best and spiting his father. This time, he is determined to change everything, to make a better future for everyone. He will do whatever he can to prevent the war from happening or, if he can’t do that, at least lessen the number of injuries, and potential causalities, if not outright prevent them as best he can.

Focus, Shoto.

“Your test is a three-kilometer footrace. But this isn’t a race that can be finished just by running. Make use of your Quirks to reach the goal!”

Shoto crouches down and waits for the signal to begin, noticing the way that Yoarashi is watching him curiously. He doesn’t meet his gaze, focusing only on what’s in front of him for now. As soon as the whistle blows, he activates his right side and uses the ice to propel himself forward. No sense in showing all of his cards at once. He’ll keep his flames under wraps for the time being.

He can feel the rush of surging wind as he surges forward, the ice propelling him, as they near the finish line. He does try, he does, but Yoarashi manages to get across the finish line a hair before him, a gust of wind following him.

“And #41 is first, but only by a hair!” Present Mic shouts.

“Aww yeah!” Yoarashi shouts, excitedly. “I won! But who can say about the next time? You’re awesome, man! You must be Endeavor’s son or something, right! Too cool!”

Shoto casts a glance at him and shrugs. “I’m just an examinee, just like you,” he says. He holds out a hand. “Todoroki Shoto.”

Yoarashi grins and, taking Shoto’s hand, shakes it enthusiastically. “Yoarashi Inasa. It’s nice to meet you!” he says.

Shoto releases his hand. “You sure are excitable,” he says.

“I’m very passionate! I love U.A. It’s an amazing!”

“I’ve only ever heard good things about U.A. but I’m looking forward to it,” says Shoto.

Yoarashi nods eagerly. “You’re probably a shoe-in ‘cause you’re Endeavor’s son,” he says.

“I hope that I can get in based on my skill, not on my father,” Shoto says as he turns to gaze at the field. “I don’t want people to look at me and only see me as Endeavor’s son. I want them to see me as Todoroki Shoto.”

“I understand completely!” Yoarashi says with a grin, then bows his head, and entire body, so sharply that Shoto half-expects him to bang his forehead into the ground hard enough to draw blood like last time. “Sorry! Sorry for doing exactly that.”

“It’s fine,” Shoto assures him. “You didn’t know my name after all.”

“Yeah, that’s true!”

He is like this in the future too, always so passionate and excitable.

They, along with the rest of the recommendation students in their group, make their way out of the test site, watching as another group, one that includes Momo and Tokage Setsuna, make their way into the room. Both of them are classmates that had been present during the war, just in different locations, but Momo is the only one out of the two of them that Shoto sees as a friend, only because of all that they have been through being part of Class 1-A.

“So what do you plan on doing after the exam?” Yoarashi asks as they walk over to a set of seats, and Shoto tears his gaze away from his friend, giving her a silent good luck.

“I have a friend that invited me to get something to eat after the exam,” he replies, thinking about Izuku’s offer that morning if they could grab something to eat after the exam.

Bakugo had been quick to just roll his eyes, yell “just say it’s a fucking date already” and storm off, leaving Izuku a flustered mess and Shoto trying desperately to control his flames as his left side had burst into flames again.

Honestly, sure, he does have really strong feelings for Izuku but he isn’t sure if it’s those kinds of feelings. But, then, he’s never felt anything like that before so he isn’t sure as to what to make of those feelings, or how to understand them.

He pushes them aside for now.

“Got something on your mind?” Yoarashi asks.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Shoto murmurs.

“You went silent after talking about that friend of yours,” Inasa notes and tilts his head to the side. “You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really. I don’t really know what to say,” Shoto admits and turns to him. “What about you? Got any plans?”

“Not really, no, just gonna celebrate with my parents!” Yoarashi says with a grin. “Yeah, I know I don’t know if I got one of the recommendation spots but that isn’t gonna stop me from celebrating ‘cause you gotta think positively after all!”

Shoto nods and muses that Yoarashi really has that friendly attitude that he had completely missed the first time around. It had taken their shared provisional license training classes for him to see that side of him, and for Yoarashi to be willing to show that side of him to the boy who snubbed him the first time that they interacted.

I wonder how this is going to change everything, he thinks as he and Yoarashi continue to quietly talk with each other while they wait for the rest of the practicals to finish, and the interviews to start.

. . .

“You got in?” Izuku asks.

“Of course he fucking got in,” Katsuki says with a roll of his eyes as he lays, sprawled, on the couch, flipping through the channels on Auntie Inko’s television while Izuku is sprawled out on the floor, scribbling away in his notebook while listening to Icyhot on video chat on the phone.

“Yeah. It wasn’t that big of a surprise,” Icyhot says. “Touya-nii won’t stop congratulating me and hugging me. It’s such a major…”

“Mindfuck?” Katsuki offers as he finally settles on a station that is showing an old movie from about a decade earlier.

“I was going to say difference but...I guess that works. Touya-nii is so different as he is now, as opposed to how he had been as Dabi. Anyway, at the very least, since I got in, the flaming trashcan is leaving me alone for the time being so there’s that.”

“That’s good,” Izuku says, putting his pen down and folding his arms in front of him, resting his chin on them as he gazes up at where his phone is resting on the coffee table. “Do you know if Yoarashi got in?”

“I don’t,” Icyhot says. “He hasn’t told me anything yet. I don’t know if he’s gotten the results yet or not.”

“You have his phone number?”

“We exchanged them after the exam. Turns out my attempt to make friends with him this time around worked easily but, given how friendly he is, I’m not really that surprised,” Shoto admits, then pauses. “Oh, hold on a minute. I just got a message from him.” There’s a moment of silence. The screen goes black for a moment, then comes back on.

“Well?” Katsuki says, peering at the phone.

“Either Class A or B is going to change,” Icyhot says. “Inasa got in, and he accepted the offer. He’s going to be placed in either Class A or B but he doesn’t know which one yet. I didn’t find out my class until I got my schedule the day before the first day so he won’t know until then himself.”

“So that’s one change,” Izuku says and Kastuki, flipping over so that he’s laying on his stomach but facing Izuku, peers at his notebook, watching as he writes Inasa’s name and A and B with question makes next to both letters beside it. “Our test is tomorrow. I’m going to see about tracking down Shinso before then. I don’t remember seeing him in my area.”

“I wasn’t paying attention in mine,” Katsuki says.

“So I want to try to get to him before the practical begins,” says Izuku thoughtfully. “I still don’t want to be obvious about it so I’m hoping that Kacchan and I can, conveniently, run into him before the test and make mention of something that’ll get him thinking.”

“Let’s hope he isn’t a complete fucking moron who can’t connect the dots,” Katsuki says.

“He’s a lot smarter than you give him credit for, Kacchan.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Katsuki tosses the remote on the coffee table and stands up, stretching his arms above his head. “I’m going to bed. Yo, nerd, don’t stay up all fucking night chatting with your boyfriend. I ain’t gonna be fucking late to the exam ‘cause you fucking slept in.” He walks off while Izuku sputters out a protest and Katsuki is positive he sees Icyhot’s left side burst into flames.

He snorts. “So dense…” he murmurs.

He makes his way into Izuku’s room, since Auntie Inko had agreed to let him stay the night before the exam, and lays down on the sleeping bag beside Izuku’s bed. He closes his eyes but, as expected, he doesn’t fall asleep.

He hasn’t been sleeping well since he turned thirteen. While the nightmares hadn’t really bothered him when he first came back, they had made a vicious return when he turned thirteen, and now it’s left him with a bad case of insomnia.

He hates it.

But he knows that he needs his rest. He is not going to let exhaustion stop him from passing the exam again, and continue toward changing the future into a better one, and then securing his spot as the number 1 undisputed hero.

He rolls onto his side as the door opens and Izuku makes his way into the room. “Cut your chat with your boyfriend short?” he asks.

“Stop calling him that. He’s not my boyfriend,” Izuku protests, his face going red as he rests his phone on the nightstand.

“Yet,” Bakugo says.

“Shut up, Kacchan!”

“Man, you sure have grown a fucking backbone.”

“I blame the trauma.”

Bakugo snorts but can’t exactly argue that. The trauma that he, Izuku, and Icyhot all went through, that still has its scars etched into their souls and its nightmares haunting their minds, had forced them all to grow up, to grow stronger, to grow more independent.

He rolls onto his back. “Whatever,” he says and closes his eyes.

Again, he can’t sleep.

In fact, it doesn’t take long for a nightmare to tear through his mind. He can feel the spears that Shigaraki lunges toward Izuku tear through his body after he shoves Izuku out of the way, he can feel the agony that rips through him, he can hear Izuku’s scream of shock echo around him.

No, he can hear his own screams.

He sits up sharply, the sharp scream cutting off and a cold sweat covering him. He feels a hand on his arm and turns to find Izuku kneeling beside him, concern in his green eyes.

He grits his teeth and looks away. “I’m fine,” he snaps.

“I’ll stay,” is all Izuku says.

He growls out a curse but, since he knows Izuku well enough to know that even if he pushes him away, he will stay just as he said. He’s always that way. No matter how often Katsuki tried to push him away when they were kids the first time around, Izuku always stayed, always continued to follow him around like a puppy.

Last time, it annoyed him.

This time, it still annoys him but he accepts it.

“Whatever,” he growls and, laying back down, he closes his eyes.

It’s oddly comforting to have the other boy laying down right next to him, staying at his side just as he said he would.

And it’s comforting enough that Katsuki is able to fall asleep without any nightmares intruding upon his sleep.

. . .

Izuku gazes up at the massive school, at the two buildings that are connected in the middle by a walkway that gives it the shape of a massive H, and can’t help but feel nostalgia rush through him. Today is the day that everything officially begins for him and Bakugo. Today is the day and Izuku can’t help the nervous feeling that goes through him.

He glances at his phone, smiling at the three messages that he had gotten earlier. One is from his mother, one is from All Might, and one is from Shoto. All of them are wishing him luck, though Shoto and All Might’s end with them saying that they are sure he and Bakugo don’t need it.

“C’mon, nerd, move it,” Bakugo snaps.

“Aren’t you the slightest bit nervous?” Izuku asks, glancing at Bakugo who scoffs, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

“As if. I’ve got this in the fucking bag, just like last time, and I’ll take that number one spot again,” he says.

Izuku smirks at him, feeling his earlier nerves start to slowly go away. “Challenge accepted,” he says.

“What the fuck was that, nerd?”

“I said challenge accepted.”

“Why you little…”

Izuku laughs and jogs away and Bakugo storms after him.

Of course, even though he has done this before, even though this is the second time that he’s walked toward the exam, it seems fate wants some things to remain the same, no matter how embarrassing they are.

Izuku trips.

His fall is abruptly stopped and he groans upon hearing Bakugo’s hysterical laughter echo behind him but he twists his head to find himself gazing into very familiar brown eyes.

“Oh sorry about for using my Quirk like that,” Uraraka Ochaco says with a kind smile. “I just feel that tripping on your first day is a sign of bad luck!” She rights him and releases him, adding, “I’m so nervous though but I bet you are too. I hope I do well!”

“I’m sure you will,” Izuku assures her and holds out a hand. “Midoriya Izuku by the way.”

“Oh, right! I’m so sorry. I just started rambling and didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Uraraka Ochaco,” Uraraka says, taking his hand and shaking it.

“The laughing idiot over there is Bakugo Katsuki,” Izuku adds, waving a hand toward the still cackling Bakugo.

Bakugo’s laughter abruptly halts. “Hah? What the fuck, Zuku? Did you just call me a fucking idiot?”

“Good luck on your exam, Uraraka,” Izuku says as he edges away and, pointing at Bakugo, adds, “if the shoe fits…” and promptly books it away with Bakugo, a string of curses escaping his lips, charging after him.

Light nervous laughter follows the explosive blonde and Izuku grins, hoping that he, at least, eased some of Uraraka’s nerves for the upcoming exam.

He hums to himself as he runs. He remembers Uraraka had gained some rescue points when she saved him and that makes him wonder if she would have passed without those rescue points. All Might had said that both of them had passed but never said it was because of the rescue points or not.

I shouldn’t change that. I don’t want Uraraka to lose her spot in U.A. because she didn’t get enough points.

He decides that if things do happen like they did last time, and Uraraka does get hurt, he’ll do the exact same thing, and just make it so that Uraraka will have no choice but to save him, just without breaking any of his bones. If anything, he can just say that his Quirk had been exhausted when he took out the zero pointer.

That sounds plausible, right?

Thud.

Cackling echoes behind him as Izuku clutches at his nose from where he had just run into the door leading into the classroom where the written exam takes place. He rubs his nose and, ignoring his friend’s cackling, huffs in annoyance. What is with me today? I’m just gonna blame the nerves, he thinks as he makes his way over to his assigned seat, noticing that he’s sitting between Tsuyu and Ojiro.

It’s nice to see them again. The last time he had seen both of them had been before the war, before everything had gone to hell in a hand basket, after all.

Bakugo, a sharp grin on his lips, walks past Izuku, smacking him in the back of the head. “There was a fucking door there, fucking nerd,” he says.

“A little late there, Kacchan,” he says with a roll of his eyes, rubbing the back of his head.

“Not my fault you weren’t watching where you were fucking going, too busy being all flustered over speaking to a girl. Does your boyfriend know that you like girls too?”

“Shut up, Kacchan!” Izuku buries his face into his arms, face burning, and tries to ignore the cackle that escapes Bakugo’s lips.

Even though Bakugo has taken to ruthlessly teasing him whenever he can, Izuku will admit that he would rather have that than how their relationship had been the first time around. At least, this time around, he doesn’t have to worry about Bakugo threatening to blow him up or kill him every time they so much as make eye contact.

Sure, he still does that with everyone else, even Shoto, and, yeah, there are many times when he still does that with him but it’s few, and far in between, and usually only because Izuku is teasing him, or annoying him.

The latter happens far more often than the former but, considering Bakugo gets easily annoyed by Izuku, that doesn’t surprise him.

The written test begins and everyone falls silent. Izuku makes sure to take his time, even though he already knows the vast majority of the answers, so that no one can accuse him of cheating. He doubts Cementoss, who is presiding over the exam, will but better to be safe than sorry.

Bakugo has no such qualms. He’s finished in fifteen minutes, much to shock of everyone, and strides forward, handing the test to Cementoss and striding out of the classroom. He certainly doesn’t hold back but, then, he never has.

Izuku finishes his test about half an hour into the testing time and, after handing the test to Cementoss, joins Bakugo outside.

“You didn’t have to take that fucking long,” Bakugo says, leaning against the window.

“Didn’t want to make them suspicious,” Izuku says with a shrug.

“Tch, you shouldn’t have to fucking hold back like some fucking moron, stupid nerd,” Bakugo retorts.

“You do you, I do me.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

The rest of the written exam passes by swiftly and, before they all know it, they all make their way toward the amphitheater. Izuku examines the area and nudges Bakugo upon noticing a very familiar head of spiky indigo hair. Bakugo glares at him but he nods toward Shinso’s back and whispers, “Follow my lead.”

“Don’t tell me what to fucking do,” Bakugo growls and stalks forward, adding, “You follow my fucking lead.”

Izuku rolls his eyes but jogs after his rival. The two of them near Shinso and Bakugo, stuffing his hands into his pockets, turning his head toward Izuku but speaks loud enough for the indigo-haired boy to hear. “I heard about the practical from a friend who’s brother took it a few years ago. Apparently, they have to fight fucking robots,” he says.

“Robots?” Izuku echoes, deciding to just let his rival take the lead and play along. “Won’t that be challenging for someone who doesn’t have a combative Quirk?”

“It’s un-fucking-fair, if you ask me,” Bakugo scoffs. “My friend doesn’t have a combative Quirk. He still got into the Hero Course.”

“How?”

“Well, it’s cause he remembered what the core of being a hero is, of fucking course! You can’t be a fucking hero if you don’t know how to fucking rescue people. I mean it’s that fucking obvious. Why the fuck would a school deny someone who goes out of his way, and puts himself at risk, to rescue others? It’s so fucking stupid. This school would be stupid as all fucking hell if they denied someone who did exactly what heroes are supposed to fucking do.”

“You know, you’ve got a point,” Izuku says as they both stride past Shinso. He chances a glance over his shoulder in time to see a thoughtful expression cross Shinso’s face but he looks away before the indigo-haired boy can notice that Izuku is staring at him.

“Think he got the message?” he murmurs to his rival.

“If he didn’t, he’s fucking dumber than a short-circuited Dunce Face,” Bakugo retorts.

Izuku wants to protest but, since he’s seen what happens when Kaminari short-circuits his brain, he can’t because it’s true.

After Present Mic explains what they will be doing, to an unenthusiastic, nervous crowd of teenagers, and Ida interrupts just like had last time around, except without him calling Izuku out on his muttering—since he had gone out of his way to not mutter this time around—they are heading out toward their assigned areas.

“Good luck,” he says to Bakugo.

“Don’t fucking fail, nerd,” Bakugo retorts.

“Yeah, you too.”

“As if I will. I’ll be number one.”

“I repeat what I said earlier. Challenge accepted.”

“Tch, you ain’t gonna beat me.”

“Wanna bet?”

Bakugo glares at him but Izuku just smirks back at him. “I’ll take that bet,” he says. “If I win, you have to do the Thing in front of the entire class. If you win, I’ll do the Thing. And Icyhot will record whoever loses for blackmail material.”

“Deal,” Izuku says and the two of them shake hands and dart off toward their buses that will take them to their respective areas.

Once he reaches the gates in front of the area, he scans the area. He sees Shoji and Aoyama and Uraraka and Ojiro and Ida as well as several others, some of which are from Class B but most are people that he doesn’t even know the names of. He turns his gaze to the gates as he makes his way closer. He can see Uraraka taking deep breaths nearby but doesn’t interrupt her as he moves to the front of the group.

Everyone is watching, some are whispering about how he had been the one to trip that morning, but he ignores them. He’ll show that he isn’t someone that anyone can underestimate, not when he has such a control over his power, and not when he has seen far too many horrors that battling a bunch of robots is child’s play in comparison.

“Ready! Go!” Present Mic shouts and, when everyone glances at him in surprise, Izuku is already darting forward. Almost as soon as the gates open, he’s off, green lightning crackling around his form as he launches himself into the air, leaping from wall to balcony to rooftop as he makes his way deeper into the city.

Keeping One for All at a consistent 15%, he lunges toward the first robot that he sees, crashing a fist straight into its face, throwing it off his feet (1 point) before darting off, moving swiftly from one robot to the next. A two pointer falls to a swift kick to the head (3 points) and then a three pointer is taking down by a fist to the face (6 points) and Izuku keeps moving, springing from one robot to the next, punching and kicking his way through him, racking up points as he moves.

By the time he gets halfway across the city, he’s already at thirty two points, and he keeps moving. He can see that everyone is also working swiftly, and efficiently, to claim points for themselves. Uraraka is touching robots with the pads of her fingers and then releasing them once they’re in the air while Ida is using his legs to kick down any robots that get in his way. Aoyama’s Naval Laser is tearing through some robots while Shoji is perched on top of a roof, using his extra appendages to scout out for the locations of the robots before launching himself at them and Ojiro is crashing his tail into any robot that he lays his eyes on.

Izuku leaps toward a three pointer, slamming a fist, powered by One for All 15%, straight into it before leaping onto the roof of a nearby building (35 points) and jumping from one building to the next, parkour style, until he spots another three pointer robot. He dives downward, crashing a dropkick, powered by One for All 15%, straight into its head, slamming it straight into the ground (38 points).

“Hey! That was mine!” Mineta’s familiar small form cries.

“Sorry,” Izuku says and takes off, green lightning still surging around his form. It’s everyone for themselves after all so Mineta shouldn’t be that surprised but Izuku does still feel a bit bad for taking out that robot before him.

He pushes the thought aside, focusing on the test itself. He darts around a corner, bypassing several robots that have already been taken out, and jumping into the air when a two pointer surges out from an alley. He shoots forward, aiming his hand at them and flicking, unleashing a burst of wind pressure at 15% that surges forward and slams into the robot, sending it crashing straight into the building behind it (40 points).

Flipping in midair, he twists and lands on the roof of another building, darting across it and heading back the way he had come. They only have a few minutes left so Izuku is sure that the zero pointer is going to be making an appearance soon. He flicks his finger, powered by One for All 15%, at a three pointer that is attempting to attack him while on the roof. The burst of wind pressure surges forward to surge straight through the three pointer, throwing it off the building and it crashes into the ground (43 points).

He launches himself off the rooftop, landing in a light skid on the ground, firing off another flick of wind pressure at a two pointer that he landed in front of. The wind pressure tears through it, throwing it off its feet (45 points).

He shakes his hand. It’s starting to ache. He may not be breaking any bones anymore whenever he uses One for All at the maximum percentage that his body can handle, or any percentage less than 45%, but that doesn’t mean that his fingers, or his arms, or his legs don’t ache if he overuses it.

Quirks are like muscles after all. Even if he can control it at 45%, and not break anything, that doesn’t mean that he can overuse it and not expect any consequences.

The ground trembles violently.

“And here it comes,” Izuku murmurs, watching as the massive zero pointer makes its presence known, focusing its gaze at all of them. Everyone starts running and Izuku, after scanning the area to see if anyone had been left behind, starts following them. Uraraka might have already started heading away from the zero pointer.

A sharp cry of pain cuts off his thought and he whirls around.

No, she hadn’t. She is pinned by debris, right in the path of the zero pointer, struggling to get to her feet.

Just like last time.

And, just like last time, Izuku lunges away from the ground without a second thought.

The only thing going through his mind, other than save her, is don’t go over 45%.

Crackling green lightning continues to surge around his form as he sails through the air and slams a fist, powered by One for All 45%, straight into the face of the zero pointer, sending it tumbling backwards as the force of the punch causes its entire body to start breaking apart and it crumbles to the ground.

He huffs, glad that he doesn’t feel any pain in his arm but he doesn’t use his Quirk to slow down his fall. He had made that decision because he doesn’t know if Uraraka needs these rescue points or not.

The sharp slap to his cheeks when he is only a meter from the ground hurts but he ignores the pain as his fall is abruptly stopped.

“R...Release,” Uraraka stammers out and Izuku winces as he crashes the remaining meter to the ground. He pushes himself to his knees, wincing again when Uraraka promptly throws up from where she is floating on a piece of the fallen zero pointer’s arm. Slowly, he gets to his feet and moves over to join her, rubbing her back as she continues to throw up.

“Hey, thanks,” he says.

She gives him a weak thumbs up. “You...You saved me...first,” she stammers out. “So thanks.” She promptly throws up again.

Izuku is glad he had thought to move to the side of the floating arm.

“Time’s up!” Present Mic’s voice echoes around them. “The test is over!”

Izuku steps away from Uraraka as she lowers the arm she had been floating on to the ground, groaning miserably, but Recovery Girl is already moving over to join her. “Honestly, I’m glad there aren’t any serious injuries today,” she says as she rubs Uraraka’s back and then hands her a few gummies that are probably anti-nausea gummies.

“T...Thanks,” Uraraka stammers out as she takes the gummies.

“Of course,” Recovery Girl assures her. She turns to Izuku and studies him but nods. “Looks like you just got some scrapes and bruises, kid. Here, have some gummies.”

“Thank you,” Izuku says as he takes the gummies.

. . .

“He took out that zero pointer like it was nothing,” Nezu comments, “and he didn’t seem to think. He just launched himself at that zero pointer to prevent it from hurting that girl, and that girl had been quick to react to stop that boy from breaking anything when he fell.”

“I wonder why he didn’t use his Quirk to stop his fall,” Vlad King says.

“He might have exhausted his Quirk, or overused it when he used it on the zero pointer,” All Might suggests.

“That’s a good possibility,” Nemuri agrees.

Aizawa Shouta leans against the wall, humming to himself as he watches the replay of the green-haired examinee who had not only torn through various robots with ease while only sustaining some scrapes and bruises but also took out the zero pointer to save that girl. Just watching that boy, he can see the potential within him.

His eyes travel to another screen where another replay is occurring, this one showing Area B. His eyes are focused on the indigo-haired boy, the boy who hadn’t really used his Quirk at all during the test but, instead, took out some robots with debris that he found laying on the ground. But, at the same time, Shouta had noticed how quick the indigo-haired boy had been to rush to someone who had been pinned by debris or was about to be attacked by a robot from behind. He hadn’t hesitated for a split second. The second he saw someone hurt or pinned by debris or in danger, he ran to their aid.

“All right,” Nezu says. “Based on these results, these are the results of the villain points that the students have earned.”

Shouta turns his gaze to the screen. The image of the green-haired boy is resting next to the name Midoriya Izuku and he had gotten forty five points. He’s currently in eighth place but he knows that’s not all there is to the exam. His eyes travel along the board until he finds the image of the indigo-haired boy. He had only gotten twenty points, putting him in the fiftieth spot.

The brown-haired girl that had helped the green-haired boy had only gotten twenty seven points. She isn’t that much higher on the board than the indigo-haired boy. A boy with spiky blonde hair had ended up in the first place position with eighty two villain points.

“Okay, let’s move on to the second aspect of the exam,” Nezu says. “The rescue points! Let’s start with the student in first place.” The screen changes to show the replay of the boy Bakugo Katsuki. He had gotten eighty two villain points through sheer firepower, drawing the robots to him and then tearing through him with explosions.

But there is a moment when another applicant had gotten cornered by three robots and was struggling to get past them toward the end of the exam. Bakugo had launched himself at the robots, firing off such precise explosions that they obliterated two of the three robots without hitting the other applicant at all, and allowed the other applicant the chance to launch her own attack at the third robot, taking it out.

“I’d say that warrants rescue points,” Nezu says with a nod. “He seems to have reacted without thinking, and even checked on the girl after the robots were destroyed. What do you say?”

Signs rise up to show how many rescue points the rest of the teachers, Shouta and Vlad King among them, are willing to give the boy, which totals twenty points.

They go through the next students, granting rescue points or not depending on how they acted. When they reach the brown-haired girl, Uraraka Ochaco, they all agree on forty five rescue points, which bumps her up to the fifth-place spot. The green-haired Midoriya Izuku is next and, given that he had taken out the zero pointer without regard to his own safety to save Uraraka, and still walked away from it enough to check up on Uraraka afterwards, the teachers grant him sixty points, bumping him up to the number one spot by only three points.

Shouta watches as they go down the line of students until they reach the indigo-haired boy: Shinso Hitoshi.

“He didn’t get very many villain points,” says Nezu. “And he didn’t really use his Quirk.”

“He may have a non-combative Quirk, which was why he used whatever he could get his hands on, which is a stroke of ingenuity,” says Shouta. “He is smart and capable of using the environment around him to help him in spite of his Quirk not being able to help him. Far too many heroes focus too much in their Quirks that they neglect everything else, hence why I still believe this entrance exam is illogical and needs to be changed.”

“So you’ve said...many times before,” Hizashi says with a laugh, grinning at Shouta and nudging him, adding, “Man, you even talk about this at home when you should, you know, be relaxing with your gorgeous husband.”

“A gorgeous husband who will be sleeping on the couch if you don’t shut up,” Shouta deadpans.

Hizashi pouts but shifts away while Nemuri chuckles.

“But he did react very quickly to help his fellow applicants when they needed it,” Vlad King points out, pointing to the replay where Shinso is currently guiding an injured applicant away from a building that a robot had crashed into, right before the building finishes collapsing. “He went out of his way to help anyone that was pinned by debris and if he came across someone who was injured, he made sure they got away from the fighting so that they don’t get hurt more.”

“That is the essence of being a true hero,” Nezu says.

“Watching him during this exam, I see that he has a great deal of potential,” says Shouta with a nod.

“You like him already, huh?” Hizashi says.

“I don’t like any of my students.”

“Excuse my language but that’s bullshit,” Nemuri says with a laugh.

“I expelled my entire class last year.”

“Yeah, but you still like the students from the year before. Not to mention those kids you expelled last year were all reinstated only a few weeks later.”

“I don’t like any of my students.”

Nemuri just laughs.

“Hey, hey, Nemuri, don’t tease him. He doesn’t wanna admit to anyone out loud that he’s really just one big soft teddy bear,” Hizashi says with a grin.

“You’re on the couch for the next three days,” Shouta says firmly.

“Aww.”

“Either way, shall we?” Nezu says.

Shouta is one of the teachers who gives Shinso the full amount of rescue points for his end. Shinso ends up walking away with forty rescue points, bumping him up to the seventh spot.

“He’s in my class,” Shouta says, pointing at Shinso.

Vlad King opens his mouth.

“I wouldn’t,” Hizashi says with a laugh. “Shouta has definitely taking a liking to Shinso Hitoshi if he’s already claiming him for his class.”

Vlad King sighs, then says, “Fine but if that’s the case then I would like the recommendation student Yoarashi Inasa in my class.”

“That’s agreeable,” Nezu says with a nod. “We can decide the rest of the classes later. For now, All Might, why don’t you start preparing the recorded messages for all of those who passed the exam?”

“Sure,” says All Might with a nod before he rises to his feet and makes his way out of the room.

Hizashi stands up and wraps his arms around Shouta. “You weren’t serious about the couch, were you?” he asks.

“Couch, three days,” Shouta says firmly. “I’m sleeping with my cats for the next three days.”

“Aww.”

Nemuri laughs. “You two are too cute,” she says.

“Shut it, Nemuri,” Shouta grumbles, burying his face into his capture scarf in the hopes of hiding his blush.

Hizashi and Nemuri just laugh at him while Nezu cracks a grin.

. . .

Shinso Hitoshi hardly pays attention to the chattering of his foster siblings, content to just gaze out the window and completely ignore the rest of his foster family. It’s not as if they want him talking to him. They don’t like it when he talks to them, out of fear that he’ll use his Quirk on them, but, since he has never done that before, his foster parents had given him the benefit of the doubt and hadn’t thrown him out.

That doesn’t ease the resentment or the bitterness. All throughout elementary school and middle school, Hitoshi has dealt with a constant stream of people constantly stating how his Quirk is more suited for a villain. He can’t stop the resentment or the bitterness but, at the same time, he also can’t help but wish to prove them all wrong, to prove that he is capable of being a hero in spite of his Quirk.

He thinks about the entrance exam. It’s been a few days since the exam and he should be receiving the results soon. He doubts that he made it in, which is the reason why he had applied for General Studies as well, but he hopes that he can show everyone at U.A. that he can be a hero by winning the Sports Festival.

Still, as his thoughts stay on the entrance exam, he can’t help but think about those words he had overheard from those two applicants. The one with the spiky-blonde hair and the one with the mess of green curls talking about the very core of being a hero is rescuing and saving people.

And that got Hitoshi thinking. It’s true. Heroes aren’t just about beating up villains but also about saving people, rescuing them from harm, and getting them out of dangerous situations. His birth mom always told him that a true hero is someone who will gladly put themselves in the line of fire if it means saving the life of an innocent.

He had momentarily forgotten that but, after overhearing those two talking, he remembered.

Even if U.A. doesn’t take that into account, he doesn’t care. A true hero saves others, gladly puts their lives on the line to save lives, and that’s what Hitoshi did during the entrance exam, not because he thought it was necessary but because lives had been in danger.

Some of his applicants had been pinned by debris and he had helped to pull them free.

Some had been injured by debris or the robots and he had been quick to guide them away from the fighting so that they don’t make their injuries worse

A few of his fellow applicants had gotten outnumbered by robots and he had been quick to use the makeshift weapon he’d found to take out a few robots, and distract the rest, long enough for the others to get out of the line of fire.

And he had done it all because they needed help and he had the power to help them.

He remembers that kid who had been so terrified by the robots gathering around, the one who couldn’t even move even after he had managed to distract the robots to give him time to get out of there. He had been quick to ask him a question and, once he responded, used his Quirk to get the boy moving out of the danger zone.

The more he thinks about it, the more he muses that his Quirk can be a hero’s Quirk.

He can use his Quirk to save people.

His classmates just can’t see that for themselves.

Well, that’s their loss. I’ll show everyone that I am just as capable of being a hero as any one with a flashy or combative Quirk, he thinks firmly.

“Hitoshi!” His foster mom calls and Hitoshi turns toward him, not saying a word. His foster dad might not mind when he talks but he knows his foster mom prefers it if he stays silent. “Your results came in.”

He holds out a hand and takes the letter, standing up and making his way to his room. He holds the letter in his hand, narrowing purple eyes as he turns it over a few times before he finally snaps the steal and opens it up, raising an eyebrow upon seeing the recording device that rests in it.

He taps the recording device, both eyebrows rising upon seeing All Might’s familiar form in the projection.

“I am here, as a projection! I am speaking to you because, as of the start of the semester, I am going to be a member of the U.A. faculty, and will be aiding in the teaching of heroics!” All Might declares, surprising Hitoshi. He hadn’t thought that the Number One hero would be teaching at U.A., and certainly hadn’t expected the Number One hero to be giving him his results. He already knows he failed to get in and he isn’t too sure how to feel about the Number One hero telling him that he hadn’t gotten into the Hero Course. “But, back to what is more important to you. Young Shinso Hitoshi, I have come to inform you of your results. For the written exam, you passed with an impressive score of 95%, which is among one of the highest scores on that exam. As for the practical exam, I am afraid that you only managed to earn 20 points, which is not enough to pass…”

“Of course not,” Hitoshi mutters.

“...if that was all there was to it!” All Might says with a big grin and Hitoshi blinks. “After all, as heroes, and heroes in training, we must not forget that one of our cores is not busting up a bunch of robots but, rather, helping those in need, and saving the lives of others! That is why there is a secondary aspect to the exam! The rescue points! You, Young Shinso Hitoshi, walked away from the exam with forty rescue points, giving you a grand total of sixty points, which is just enough to pass!”

Hitoshi’s jaw drops, eyes wide in utter shock and disbelief. He has to pinch himself because this can’t be real. He has to be dreaming.

But, no, the pinch hurts so he knows he’s still awake.

This is actually happening. All he had done was the right thing by helping those that he saw needed help, and he had passed just because of that? It’s mindblowing but, at the same time, Hitoshi can’t help but smile softly.

A true hero is someone who is willing to put themselves in the line of fire in order to save innocent lives…

His mom’s words echo in his head and he can feel tears welling up in his eyes. He raises his hand, chuckling bitterly as he wipes away the tears. I feel like a crybaby, crying over this news. Even so, I can’t help but feel really happy right now, he thinks as he listens to the rest of the recording.

“You have passed, Shinso Hitoshi,” All Might declares, “You have made it into the Hero Course! Welcome to your hero academia!”

. . .

Chapter Text

The day finally arrives.

It’s the first day of their first year at U.A. and, while Izuku finds that he doesn’t really feel that nervous, though that’s probably because he’s gone through this before and is really just curious about how much has already changed, his mother is a different story. She is fussing over him, constantly asking him if he remembered to grab everything but he lets her. It’s nostalgic and Izuku doesn’t even care that he’s being fussed over in front of his friends.

Bakugo already knows. Inko already fussed over him earlier, much to his annoyance but, unlike his own mother who he is quick to yell and scream back at, he has never been able to so much as raise his voice, or even curse that much, around Inko. She may not be related to him by blood but, given that she and Bakugo’s mother are childhood friends, and she has been part of Bakugo’s life ever since the boy had been born only a few months before Izuku, she is basically Bakugo’s aunt in all ways but blood.

So Bakugo let it slide.

“Do you have everything? What about your hanky? You didn’t forget your hanky, right?” Inko says as Izuku, finishing putting on his shoes, makes his way past the door.

“I’ve got it, Mom,” he says with a fondly exasperated glance over his shoulder at his mother. “I’ve gotta go.”

Inko smiles back at him. “I’m so proud of you, Izuku,” she says.

Izuku smiles and heads toward the stairs, Bakugo pushes away from the railing and follows him, both of them joining Shoto who is waiting at the base of the stairs. “I was honestly expecting the flaming trashcan to drop you off at school or something,” Izuku admits as the three of them walked toward the gates beyond which a car is parked with Touya leaning against it.

“Last time, Fuyumi drove me,” Shoto says. “This time, Touya offered to drive me and I asked him if he was willing to take a detour to pick you up. I wasn’t expecting Bakugo to be here though. Sorry.”

Bakugo scowls. “Why the fuck are you apologizing to me? I’m fine, perfectly fucking fine!” he snaps, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his new U.A. uniform and not once glancing toward the white-haired Underground Pro Hero who is pushing away from the car. He does tense up but relaxes a few seconds later and that’s his only reaction to Touya’s presence.

Izuku is sure that’s a sign of progress but he also knows that his rival isn’t going to get over what happened at the training camp right away. It’s a slow process but, at the same time, he is making progress.

“Thanks again, Touya-nii,” Shoto says.

“No problem,” Touya says with a grin, tilting his head to the side and Izuku has to admit that even he finds it really odd to look at Shoto’s eldest brother and see him look so different from Dabi in their last life. He pushes the thought aside, reminding himself that, thanks to Shoto’s desire to save his brother from a life of villainy, Dabi will never come into existence.

“Besides, it has the added bonus of pissing off the flaming trashcan,” Touya adds as he walks around the corner and opens the driver’s door. “Since he doesn’t want me anywhere near his masterpiece, I went out of my way to be near his ‘masterpiece’. It’s only logical after all, since U.A. did hire me as an assistant teacher for the Hero Course.”

“You’re an assistant teacher for the Hero Course?” Izuku says in surprise as he and Bakugo climb into the back of Touya’s car, Shoto taking the passenger’s seat.

“Yup. I’m gonna be jumping between Class 1-A and 1-B, helping out both of ‘em as well as helping out with the other training exercises with the other teachers for both classes,” says Touya.

“Oh...cool! Do you think I could ask you some questions about your Quirk?” Izuku asks, pulling out his Hero Notebook and flipping to a clean page.

Touya shrugs. “Why not?” he says. “Ask away, kid.”

“Oh fuck!” Bakugo groans and Shoto closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, while Izuku beams like a kid on Christmas Day.

“What?” Touya says.

“Izuku’s a Quirk enthusiast, Touya-nii,” Shoto says. “He’s going to probably ask you a million questions about your Quirk before we even reach U.A.”

“It won’t be a million,” Izuku objects. “But I have to know! Since you’re an underground hero, not much is known about your Quirk but it’s fire-based, right? Reports have spoken about how the flames are always blue. Is that because you are producing flames that are hotter than regular flames? Blue flames are known for being far hotter than regular flames after all. The only type of fire that’s hotter than blue fire is white fire. Are you capable of regulating the temperature of your flames or are they always hotter than regular flames? Can they burn through anything? Is there a limit to the amount of flames that you can produce at a moment? Can you control what you burn?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there, kid,” Touya exclaims. “You weren’t kidding when you called him a Quirk enthusiast, Shoto. You sure know how to pick ‘em.”

Izuku blushes in embarrassment and clasps his mouth shut.

“What do you mean?” Shoto asks.

“Your boyfriend, of course!”

Shoto stares and Izuku squeaks, burying his face into his Hero Notebook. He supposes he should be grateful that Shoto hadn’t burst into flames this time around. “He’s not...That’s not…Touya!” the youngest Todoroki protests.

Touya laughs. “Well, if you’re not ready to admit that you…”

“Touya, please, shut up.”

“Fine, fine. Anyway, kid, I’m glad I understood most of your questions,” Touya says. “Yeah, my Quirk’s fire-based and they are blue because they are hotter than regular flames. As far as I know, in the years that I’ve been training with it, I can’t regulate the temperature. They’re always incredibly hot. I don’t know if they can burn through anything, and don’t really want to test that out. I don’t know if there’s a limit either, ‘cause I never tested that out, but I do have some control over what I burn, though that’s only really controlling the flames themselves. If it catches on fire, it’s gonna burn until the fire’s been put out. I can’t stop that myself just by turning off my Quirk.”

Izuku is scribbling everything that Touya just said into his notebook, thinking to what he knows about Todoroki Touya from his last life, back when he had been Dabi, and he muses that Touya seems to have a far better control over his Quirk this time around. He doesn’t seem to be hurting himself with his Quirk or, at least, if he has any scars, they aren’t as visible as they had been the last time around.

“Stop muttering, you fucking moron!” Bakugo yells.

“Ah, sorry!” Izuku flushes. He hadn’t realized he’d been muttering. Thankfully, whenever he starts muttering swiftly like that, no one can really understand what he’s saying.

Bakugo scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“Does he do that a lot?” Touya asks.

“Yes,” Shoto deadpans.

Izuku pouts.

. . .

Class 1-A. The door is larger than Hitoshi had expected it to be but he figures that it’s to accommodate others. He shifts his grip on his backpack and reaches for the doorknob. He’s nervous, though he hides it behind a blank face, but he pushes aside those nerves as he grasps the door and pushes it open. The classroom is already practically filled with various students who are chatting with each other, or arguing as is the case with a blue-haired boy wearing glasses and the spiky-haired blonde from the entrance exam while the green-haired boy is talking with a boy with heterochromatic eyes.

Some eyes turn toward him and a girl with pink skin and horns jutting out of her head grins. “Hi,” she says, waving a hand. “Don’t just stand there! Come and join the party!”

Most people don’t talk to Hitoshi so he really doesn’t know how to respond so he doesn’t.

“This isn’t a party, Mina,” a spiky-red-haired boy says in amusement.

“Sure feels like it! It’s so exciting that it’s finally our first day!” The girl, Mina, exclaims, practically bouncing in her seat in excitement.

Hitoshi remains silent as he starts heading toward his seat. The green-haired boy turns to him and smiles brightly.

“Hi, I’m Midoriya Izuku,” he says, holding out a hand.

“Shinso,” Hitoshi murmurs but doesn’t take his hand as he puts his backpack on the ground.

“You’re not that talkative, are you?” Midoriya says.

“I’m not here to make friends,” Hitoshi says coolly. “I’m just here to learn how to be a hero. That’s it.”

The boy with heterochromatic eyes and the spiky-blonde-haired boy both snort in unison, then the blonde says, “Ha! Yo, Icyhot, two thousand yen says that Midoriya proves that fucking statement wrong in less than two days!”

“What are you doing? A hero does not gamble…” the blue-haired boy begins.

“I’ll take that bet, and double it saying that the kid won’t last ‘till the end of tomorrow before Midoriya breaks down his walls,” the heterochromatic-eyed boy says.

“Deal!”

“Neither of you should be gambling. That is not befitting of a hero!” The blue-haired kid exclaims, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one hand and chopping his other hand downward.

Hitoshi sinks lower into his seat. He really doesn’t know why those two had just made a bet on whether Midoriya will prove his statement wrong, which won’t happen, but there is something about the way Midoriya’s eyes light up that makes Hitoshi think that he may have just accepted the terms of those two boys’ bet as a personal challenge.

It won’t work. I’ve never had friends before and I don’t need them. I’m not here to make them. I’m here to become a hero! Besides, he’s sure that once everyone finds out about his Quirk, they won’t want anything to do with him so he may as well cut his losses now rather than make friends and have them ditch him once they find out what his Quirk is.

“Oh, it’s you!” A voice exclaims and Hitoshi turns in time to see a brown-haired girl make her way into the room, a grin on her lips as her eyes land on Midoriya. “You’re the one who took out the zero pointer with one punch! That was so cool!”

Midoriya turns his gaze away from Hitoshi, and the two boys who are giving each other firm glares of determination, and smiles. “Thanks, Uraraka-san,” he says and, leaning back into his seat and smirking at the spiky-blonde-haired boy, he adds, “I didn’t even know about the extra points that are given out for rescuing people, I just did what I thought was right. Didn’t expect to get the highest score out of all of the students in the Hero Course though.”

“Fuck!” The spiky-blonde-haired boy screams, slamming his hands onto his desk and it explodes beneath him.

“The language!” The blue-haired boy exclaims, aghast at the sudden use of curse words in front of him.

Midoriya grins at the blonde. “Oh don’t worry about it, Kacchan,” he says. “You won’t have to keep your end of our bet today. Besides, I’m pretty sure our teacher is getting annoyed by the fact that no one has noticed him yet.”

Everyone jumps and Hitoshi starts, turning toward the doorway in time to see a yellow sleeping bag with a face poking out of it standing up. There is a vaguely annoyed look in those dark eyes but the man simply says, “It took all of you far too long to even notice that I was there, though, at least, you did quiet down rather quickly once you did notice. That won’t do though. This is the Hero Course after all and you all still have far too much to learn.”

“Who...is that?” Uraraka says in surprise.

“I’m Aizawa Shouta, your homeroom teacher,” says the black-haired man as he finally climbs out of his sleeping bag, reaches into it and pulls out a uniform. “I know this is last minute but put these on and meet me outside at the training field.”

Hitoshi frowns. What’s going on?

He finds out less than ten minutes later when he and the rest of Class 1-A are gathered on the training field in their gym uniforms. Hearing Aizawa mention that they are going to be having a Quirk Apprehension Test right now is a shock, and he can hear several of his classmates voice their own protests.

He’s nervous. He had only gotten into the Hero Course because of those rescue points that he had received. As he listens to Aizawa talk about the tests that they are going to do, all physical tests that students take in middle school without the use of their Quirk, he finds himself frowning. Once again, he is faced with another test that requires the usage of combative Quirks and he has to resist the urge to scowl.

This test is obviously favoring those with flashy Quirks because of course it does. Of course. “You know I don’t think it’s about what our Quirks are,” Midoriya says thoughtfully and Hitoshi starts because he hadn’t even noticed the green-haired boy had come to his side. “I think it might be how we use our Quirks that Aizawa-sensei is truly testing. Of course, that’s only my theory but who knows really? Only him, honestly.”

“Midoriya,” Aizawa says and Midoriya moves away from Hitoshi, who is frowning as he thinks about the green-haired boy’s words. “How far could you throw this softball in middle school?”

“About forty-seven meters, I think,” Midoriya says and catches the ball that Aizawa throws at him.

“Great. Now try it with your Quirk. Do whatever you need to, just don’t leave the circle.”

Midoriya hums but tosses the softball up and down and nods. “Okay, sensei,” he says and moves over to the circle. He hums to himself, glancing at the ball, then at the line of trees, a string of mutters escaping his lips before he nods to himself and, pulling his arm back as crackling green lightning surges around his entire form, he throws the ball.

It sails farther and farther and farther until it vanishes from sight.

“It’s important for us to know our limits,” Aizawa says as he shows his phone and Hitoshi is surprised to see that the ball had traveled 999.6 meters before it hit the ground. “That’s the first rational step to figuring out what kind of heroes you’ll be.”

The blonde smirks at the heterochromatic boy. “Told you he wouldn’t get past a thousand meters,” he says.

“He literally only missed it by point four meters,” the other boy deadpans as Midoriya walks over to join the two of them.

“Still…”

“Whoa, this is awesome,” the spiky red-haired boy exclaims.

“So we can use our Quirks for real? Man, the hero course is great!” the pink-skinned girl gasps.

“Awesome, you say?” Aizawa says, lowering his head. “You’re hoping to become heroes after three years here and you think it’ll be all fun and games?” He lifts his head and Hitoshi shivers inwardly at the cold look in Aizawa’s eyes. “Right. The one with the lowest score across all eight events will be judged hopeless and will be expelled.”

“What?!” Everyone exclaims.

Aizawa raises a hand and brushes his bangs back, a sharp grin on his lips. “Your fates are in our hands. Welcome, this is the hero course at U.A. High.”

Hitoshi grits his teeth, clenching his hands into fists. I can’t have my dream stopped here. I won’t have my dream stopped here. I’ll do everything in my power to prove that I belong in this course, no matter what.

. . .

“He seems worried,” Shoto says.

“Well, he has more of a handicap than anyone else because his Quirk isn’t combative,” Izuku points out, folding his arms across his chest and tilting his head to the side, a soft hum escaping his lips. “I wonder if he’ll pay any attention to what I said earlier ‘cause if he uses his Quirk to pass one of the trials then that will be enough for Aizawa-sensei.”

“Well, the fucking bastard did listen to us at the entrance exam so I guess he’s not a fucking moron,” Bakugo grunts.

“That’s probably the closest you’ll ever get to actually complimenting someone,” Shoto comments.

“Shut up, Icyhot!”

The trials begin after that. Izuku doesn’t really hold back that much during each trial but he still doesn’t use the max percentage of One for All that he can handle. He doesn’t need 45% of his power for these trials. 15% percent is enough, and still has him leaving some of his classmates in the dust. During the fifty meter dash, he even manages to tie with Bakugo by crossing the finish line at the exact same time as him.

“I fucking crossed first!” Bakugo yells.

“Aizawa-sensei, did he?” Izuku asks innocently.

“No, it was the exact same time,” Aizawa says.

“See?” Izuku waves a hand toward Aizawa and Bakugo lets loose a string of curses and storms off.

Shoto snickers in the background. “He really doesn’t like tying with you.”

“He likes losing to me even worse,” Izuku says with a snicker and moves away while Shoto jogs to the head of the track and, once the whistle blows, uses his ice to propel himself forward, easily crossing the finish line in under five seconds. Yaomomo, who had used her Quirk to create a pair of skates, crossed the finish line only a few seconds after him.

Izuku watches as Shinso is partnered with Kirishima. Kirishima is fast but Shinso is faster, beating Kirishima by two seconds. It’s not enough to really compete with Izuku’s and Bakugo’s times but it’s still pretty fast.

The grip test is a test that Shoji easily outshines everyone on.

The side-to-side steps is a test that Izuku vaguely recalls Mineta is the one who shined on. Since he isn’t in the class, surprisingly enough, it’s Jirou who shines on that one.

He can see that Shinso is getting a bit nervous, and uncertain, though his impassive face is hiding those feelings. He hopes that the indigo-haired boy remembers his words to him earlier. All he has to do is show Aizawa that he has potential, and he just needs to use his Quirk and show everyone here of just how powerful his Quirk actually is. That’s it.

That, along with Shinso’s determination, is what drew Aizawa’s attention to him during the Sports Festival after all.

It’s time for the ball toss. Izuku doesn’t have to go again, since he already threw his, but he is amused when Bakugo screams “die!” as he throws his ball while backing it up with a massive explosion that causes the ball to careen into the sky, pouring far more power into the explosion behind the ball than he had the first time around.

“1000.2 meters,” Aizawa says while everyone stares in shock.

“Ha! Take that, fucking nerd!” Bakugo shouts at Izuku.

“It was only point six meters further than Izuku,” Shoto deadpans.

“Shut up, Icyhot!”

“Ahem,” Aizawa coughs.

“Sorry, Sensei,” Shoto says. “I simply had to point that out before Bakugo’s ego got even more inflated than it already is.”

“What the fuck…?” Bakugo begins, hands starting to create tiny explosions in the palms.

“Shouldn’t we go on to the next person?” Izuku says quickly, not wanting to see his friend lug an explosion straight into the face of his other friend.

Or force Aizawa to use his Quirk for something stupid like this, since he knows of the drawbacks of Aizawa’s Quirk.

“Yes, that would be best,” Aizawa says. “Uraraka, it’s your turn.”

“Right,” Uraraka says and, taking a deep breath, moves into the middle of the circle. She touches the pads of all five fingers to the ball and throws it. It sails further and further and further away and vanishes.

Aizawa turns around the phone to show the ‘infinity’ symbol.

“Infinity!” Kirishima exclaims.

“Oh wow,” Aoyama gasps, his eyes twinkling in surprise.

“Shinso, it’s your turn,” Aizawa says.

Shinso moves forward, catching the ball that Aizawa tosses at him and moves to stand in the center of the circle. He tosses the ball up and down for a long moment, eyes thoughtful and a frown on his lips, but he turns his head. “Uraraka, what is your Quirk?” he says.

“Huh? Oh, it’s called Zero Gravity and…” Uraraka stiffens, eyes going blank.

“Come and stand by me in the circle, use your Quirk on this ball and throw it but release your Quirk after one minute,” Shinso orders calmly and, while the rest of the class stares in utter shock, Uraraka moves over to the circle, takes the ball, touches the pads of her fingers to it, and throws it. She waits and, once a minute has gone by, she releases the ball.

“Not bad at all,” Aizawa says, showing the phone that reads 5025.2 meters.

“Fucking hell,” Bakugo growls while Izuku and Shoto snicker at him. “And don’t you fucking laugh at me, Icyhot! Fucking nerd!”

Shinso steps away from the circle and Uraraka blinks, shaking her head and frowning. “What? How did…? What just happened?” she says, turning to gaze at Shinso’s back.

“Dude, that was...how did…? It was like Infinity Girl suddenly turned into a zombie or something,” Kaminari exclaims.

“What did you do?” Sero says in puzzlement.

Noticing that the others are starting to get uncertain and anxious, Izuku decides to intervene. He wants his classmates to understand just how great a Quirk Shinso’s Brainwashing actually is, and wants them to understand that it isn’t a villain’s Quirk and can be used for good and for rescuing and saving people.

“It’s your Quirk, isn’t it?” he says quickly, a grin stealing its way onto his lips. “Do you take control of people’s minds? How does that work? Do you have to make eye contact or does it work through using your voice? Can you give them more than one command or is it only one command? How long does it last? Can you decide how long it lasts? Can someone break free from your control somehow or do you have to release them?”

“Ah, well,” Shinso says, rubbing the back of his neck and looking shocked that someone is taking an interest in his Quirk. “It’s called Brainwashing. Um, if someone responds to me then I can take control of them. I don’t need eye contact, just for them to respond to me. I’m not too sure about the answers to the rest of those questions though.”

“Dude, you can control people?” Kirishima echoes.

“That’s a bit…” Asui begins.

“That’s so cool!” Izuku interrupts because he is sure that his classmates are even more wary and scared by the potential of Shinso’s Quirk. He had to try to make them see the benefits of that Quirk being used for heroics. “I mean, from what I’ve seen on television, villains talk a lot! If you can get a villain to respond to you, you could put an end to a fight in an instant, or even get the villains to turn themselves in!And I bet you can get panicking people to calm down, which can only help in certain situations. What you can do with your Quirk to help people is limitless! It’s so awesome!”

Shinso just stares as if he can’t believe that someone is actually saying that to him but Izuku is happy when he hears his classmates start murmuring among themselves, and many of them are either agreeing with him or coming up with other ideas of how Shinso’s Quirk can be used to help people and defeat villains.

“Even though you do not have a combative Quirk,” Aizawa says, “that doesn’t mean that you can’t be a hero. Heroes don’t have to have a flashy Quirk to have potential. I don’t have a flashy Quirk and yet I am still a hero after all.”

“You don’t, Aizawa-sensei?” Kirishima echoes.

“He’s Eraserhead,” Izuku says with a bright grin. “An underground hero with a Quirk that allows him to cancel out another person’s Quirk so long as he is looking at them, though the effect ends once he blinks. He basically fights Quirkless because his Quirk only allows him to even out the playing field, and doesn’t really work on those with mutations, but he is an amazing fighter without his Quirk.”

Silence falls on the group, until Shoto snorts. “Hero fanboy,” he deadpans.

“Big fucking time,” Bakugo says.

“Hey!” Izuku protests with a slight whine in his voice. “I can’t help it! Eraserhead is my second favorite hero, next to All Might!”

“I am flattered by that, Midoriya,” Aizawa says. “Though I am a bit surprised you know that much about me. I usually keep off the radar.”

“Yeah, you do,” Izuku agrees. “But...well...analyzing and watching heroes has always been a major hobby of mine and there are quite a few heroes that really stand out to me. You’re one of them, of course, and All Might, naturally.”

“That is a fucking understatement,” Bakugo deadpans.

Izuku thinks to the fourteen Hero Notebooks he has that are chalk filled with analyses of various heroes and their Quirks and their way of fighting and how they act around civilians and how they handle villains and shrugs. “Yeah, that’s true,” he admits.

“My words are, nonetheless, true,” Aizawa says, tucking his hands into the pocket of his pants as he gazes at Shinso for a moment, then turns his head away. “Let’s continue. We still have more tests to get through.”

The tests continue but, as they do, Izuku is happy to see that the rest of Class 1-A aren’t giving Shinso the cold shoulder or being mean to him. In fact, they are rather friendly around him, even if he seems to be trying his hardest to extract himself from the classmates, to hold true to his desire to not make any friends.

After the last tests are taken care of, Aizawa pulls out his phone. “And that’s that,” he says. “These are the results of the tests.”

Izuku notices that he placed third, right below Yaoyorozu and Bakugo respectively and right above Ida and Shoto respectively. Shinso seems shocked to find that he had placed in the tenth position while, surprisingly, it’s Aoyama who places last but Izuku has a feeling it has to do with him using his Quirk too much during one of the tests that left him with a massive stomachache for the rest of the tests.

“Oh, as for the expulsion thing, I lied,” Aizawa says and everyone stares at him as he adds, “I simply said that as a way of bring out your best performance. It was a logical ruse.”

Everyone stares.

Yaoyorozu sighs. “Of course it was a lie,” she says. “It was pretty obvious.”

“I don’t mean to contradict you, Yaoyorozu,” Izuku says, “but I’m positive Aizawa-sensei hadn’t really been lying. He would have expelled someone if they hadn’t shown him that they have potential and room to grow but, since everyone here did that, he didn’t.”

Yaoyorozu looks shocked, even more so when Aizawa nods his head in agreement.

“That is correct,” he says, then turns his head. “Head back to the classroom and pick up the information packets that are left in there. We are done for the day.”

Izuku watches him walk away, then glances at Shoto and Bakugo. “Now?” he asks quietly.

“I think it might be best,” Shoto says.

Izuku nods and darts over to join Aizawa, his fellow time travelers moving after him. “Aizawa-sensei?” he says.

Aizawa stops and glances at him.

“Can we talk with you, in private?” Izuku asks.

Aizawa raises his eyebrows. “What about?” he says.

“It’s important, and something that shouldn’t be discussed out in the open like this,” Izuku admits.

The Underground Hero continues to watch him for a long moment and Izuku shifts, glancing at the ground but not because his teacher scares him or worries him but, rather, because he is suddenly starting to feel overcome by memories.

No, I can’t think about that right now. I can’t! Izuku shoves the memory of the last time he truly saw Aizawa-sensei away. He can’t think about that. He has to focus, focus only on explaining matters to Aizawa, and hoping that his homeroom teacher will believe him.

“All right,” says Aizawa and turns his head. “We’ll talk in my office.”

Shoto moves to Izuku’s side, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asks quietly.

Izuku realizes there are tears in his eyes. He isn’t sure if Aizawa saw them or not but he quickly wipes them away as he slowly nods, turning to gaze at his friend, only to see him wiping away his own tears. “You remembered too?” he says.

“It’s hard not too,” Shoto murmurs. “The last time we saw Aizawa-sensei before today had been…” He trails off and doesn’t finish his statement. His hand clenches into a fist and Izuku reaches out a hand, gently taking Shoto’s in his in a comforting gesture. “If only I had gotten there faster…”

“Shoto…” Izuku squeezes his friend’s hand, a determined expression crossing his eyes. “We won’t let that happen this time around, not to Aizawa, not to Kacchan, not to anyone. We are going to do everything in our power to save everyone.”

Shoto lifts his head and smiles softly but nods. “Right,” he says, his own determination shining in his heterochromatic eyes.

“Of fucking course we are,” Bakugo scoffs. “Them bastards ain’t gonna know what fucking hit ‘em!”

Izuku nods in determined agreement and the three of them jog after Aizawa, who had stopped walking upon realizing his three students hadn’t been following him.

. . .

If Aizawa is surprised to see Toshinori watching his class, he doesn’t show it as he comes to a stop in front of the Number 1 Hero, who is currently in his muscular form. He simply raises an eyebrow as Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki come to a halt beside them, Midoriya inclining his head in puzzled greeting to Toshinori before he whispers something to his friends.

Both of them shake their heads.

Midoriya tilts his head to the side but shrugs.

“Don’t you have your own duties to handle, All Might?” Aizawa says.

“I read the report on what happened last year, Aizawa,” Toshinori says. “You did expel your entire class last year because you didn’t see any potential in any of them so you would have done that this time around if they hadn’t proven themselves to you.”

“Is there a point to you bringing that up?” Aizawa says.

“No, just glad to see that you see the same potential in Mid...er, in your students that I do,” Toshinori says.

Midoriya smacks his forehead. “I’ve gotta know,” he says, turning to Bakugo and Todoroki. “Were we absolutely terrible at keeping our connection a secret?”

Bakugo scoffs. “Well, fucking duh,” he says and, jerking a thumb at Todoroki, adds, “Fucking Icyhot thought you were All Might’s secret fucking love child for fuck’s sake.”

“And I was, technically speaking, right,” Todoroki murmurs only low enough for Midoriya, Bakugo, and Toshinori to hear. Toshinori chokes at the reminder and has to take a moment to get his breath back while Midoriya groans and hangs his head.

“Okay, okay. We’re not getting into how you are so completely wrong about that right now, Shoto. All Might, why don’t you come with us? What we have to tell Aizawa-sensei is something that I already discussed with you.”

Aizawa’s second eyebrow rises to join the first. “You said that what you had to discuss with me was important,” he says. “However, you have yet to explain why, or why All Might is privy to this knowledge. What is this all about?”

“Please, Aizawa-sensei, can we please talk in private?” Midoriya says quietly.

Toshinori notices how he tightens his grip on Todoroki’s hand, how Todoroki reciprocates the gesture, how both of them are trying not to look Aizawa directly in the eyes, how their eyes seem so distant, so hollow, so haunted, so scarred.

One look at Bakugo shows that, though there are no obvious physical signs that he’s experiencing the same thing like with Midoriya and Todoroki, he is likely feeling the same thing. His eyes are just as hollow, just as haunted, just as scarred, and he can’t seem to look Aizawa in the face either.

Every time either of their gazes pass over their homeroom teacher, different emotions play across their eyes before they abruptly look away. Anger for Bakugo, sadness for Midoriya, and, surprisingly enough, guilt for Todoroki.

Toshinori closes his eyes. These children...I just have to look into their eyes to know that the future they come from truly is worse than Young Midoriya had been letting on…

And he has to wonder why he, or any of the other teachers or Pro Heroes, had allowed such a thing to happen to these children, children who had only been about sixteen around that time in the future.

He doesn’t know, since his successor and the other two time travelers don’t seem too keen on discussing what actually happens in the future, at least not right now.

Aizawa lets loose a soft breath. “Something in your eyes tells me that this is far more important than you are letting on,” he says. “Fine. Let’s go.”

It doesn’t take them long to reach Aizawa’s office. Aizawa turns to face the three time travelers as Toshinori, still in his muscular form, leans against the front of the desk, gazing at them as well. “So what did you want to talk about?” Aizawa asks, leaning against the side of the desk.

The three exchange glances.

“Uh, well, um, how do I go about this?” Midoriya says.

“Why not just tell him like you told All Might?” Todoroki suggests.

All Might chuckles. “I do not think that would be a good idea, Young Todoroki,” he says. “When Young Midoriya told me, he went off on a tangent twice, and started muttering, and it took me a good minute to make sense of what he was saying.”

Midoriya’s face goes red in embarrassment.

“Of fucking course,” Bakugo says with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. “You know what? Fuck it. Aizawa-sensei, Zuku, Icyhot, and I are from the future, ‘bout a fucking year, or less than that, from now. Don’t really fucking know the actual time but it’s around there. There. Simple.”

Aizawa frowns at them.

“It’s not simple when you’re discussing a matter as complicated as time travel, idiot,” Todoroki says with a roll of his eyes.

“Don’t fucking call me an idiot, dumbass!” Bakugo yells back.

“You are one.” Todoroki says it with such a straight face that Toshinori has to marvel at how he manages to do that, speak with such a deadpan tone in his voice even when he’s insulting one of his fellow time travelers.

“Hah?!”

“Ah, Aizawa-sensei!” Midoriya gasps as Bakugo lunges at Todoroki, explosions erupting from his hands, only for the explosions to abruptly cut off.

“I managed to almost get through the entire day without having to use my Quirk,” Aizawa says with a long-suffering growl escaping his lips, his eyes glowing red and his hair spiking up around him, his capture scarf spiraling around him, though he isn’t using it right now.

Bakugo grunts but steps back, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at the ground.

Aizawa’s Quirk ends as he blinks. He raises a hand and pinches the bridge of his nose, a soft sigh escaping his lips. “Time travel is, something, that usually only exists in stories. Even in our world of Quirks, there has not been a single registered person who has a Quirk that allows them to travel through time, let alone send others back in time,” he says.

“Please, Aizawa-sensei, we’re not lying,” Midoriya insists.

“Aizawa…” Toshinori begins.

Aizawa holds up a hand. “I am not saying you’re lying,” he says as he turns his dark gaze to them. “I’m saying that it’s never happened before. That doesn’t mean that it can’t happen in the future. I’m an Underground Hero. Reading others is one of the skills that I have as part of my job, and I know that you aren’t lying. Your eyes, your body language, your tone of voice. You are either telling the truth, or truly believe that you are telling the truth. However, the scars in your eyes, which show that you have experienced much more than anyone else in your class has, suggests the former is more likely true.”

Midoriya sways, eyes wide. “You...You believe us?” he manages to get out, tears welling up in his eyes.

Aizawa tucks his hands into his pockets. “Even with how far-fetched it sounds, I do believe you, though that just proves to me that you really are going to be trouble, Problem Child.”

To Toshinori’s surprise, Midoriya breaks.

Those two words, somehow, shatters the dam and Midoriya is suddenly on his knees, crying hysterically.

Aizawa looks startled, even more so when tears start streaming down Todoroki’s face and even Bakugo has tears in his eyes.

“Problem Child?” Aizawa says in concern.

Midoriya continues to cry hysterically, bending over and trembling violently as he cries.

Todoroki chokes out his own sob and falls to his own knees, closing his eyes but the storm of tears erupts from his eyes either way, and the guilt gets stronger in his eyes.

“Fucking damn it!” Bakugo yells, tears streaking down his face. “Fuck it all! Fuck!” He screams out that last word as he collapses onto his knees and slams his hands onto the ground, ignoring the explosions that erupt from his hand as he bends over and screams and cries in unison.

Aizawa’s Quirk is activated in an instant as he gazes at the three time travelers before he moves forward and kneels down in front of Midoriya. In a swift movement, he has pulled all three of the time travelers close to him, even Bakugo who, surprisingly enough, doesn’t protest.

“Your reaction clearly states that something happens in the future, and it probably has to do with me,” Aizawa murmurs. “Calm down, Problem Children. Calm down.”

Toshinori’s eyes soften even as his heart cracks at seeing the three scarred, broken teenagers crying, or screaming curses, in front of him.

What kind of terrible future did they come from that they would all break just from the utterance of two simple words?

. . .

Katsuki finally stops cursing.

He can’t even find it in himself to be embarrassed that he literally lost control of his emotions, and even started fucking crying, because he can’t get those words of the teacher and Pro that he has come to greatly respect out of his head.

Aizawa is the teacher who has been with Katsuki, and the rest of Class 1-A, since the very beginning. He is the one who taught them, who helped them whenever they needed help, who always showed them, in his own way, how proud of them he is. He had basically become like a father figure to pretty much all of Class 1-A.

And yet he had nearly lost his life in the war.

As far as Katsuki knows, he may have lost his life but he and his fellow time travelers had been thrown back in time before that could be confirmed. He had been gravely injured after all so there is no telling of what happened after the battle came to an end, and Katsuki, Izuku, and Icyhot had been thrown back in time.

But that not knowing, and then seeing Aizawa alive and whole and even without the scar he got from the U.S.J. incident, had been part of the reason for that breakdown.

Aizawa remains kneeling in front of all three of them, though he is giving Katsuki space. He only has his hand resting on Katsuki’s shoulder while his other arm is curled around Icyhot’s shoulders and Izuku is curled up against him, face buried in his chest.

Icyhot is the next one to finally calm down enough to pull back and wipe away his tears. It takes Izuku a few more moments before he finally calms down and, though he is hiccuping from how hard he had been crying, he’s calmer down.

“Sorry,” Izuku whispers. “Sorry, it’s just...hearing those words again...I...I couldn’t help but remember what happened when we were sent to the past and…”

“You don’t have to tell me about it,” Aizawa says. “But I can hazard a guess. I won’t confirm it though.” He sits back on his heels as he pulls his arms back. “Your reaction further emphasizes that you have a great deal of scars and trauma weighing heavily on your shoulders. Have you considered speaking with Hound Dog?”

“No,” Izuku says with a shake of his head.

“What we have experienced is too important to entrust to just anyone,” Icyhot says quietly.

“There are only two people that we’re gonna fucking trust with this information,” Katsuki says firmly. “You and All Might. That was our decision and we ain’t gonna fucking change it!”

“We come from a terrible future,” Izuku says. “And we have been sent back to change it, to make it better for everyone. I know...I know that we can’t do it alone, Aizawa-sensei, but we can’t just trust anyone with what we know. We can’t! It’s too dangerous. What if the villains find out that we know more than we should? That’s giving us an advantage! And...And we can’t lose that advantage. It could...it could lead to a worse future!”

“You shouldn’t have to bear the burden of changing the future on your shoulders alone.”

“We are the only ones who know of what is to come so we’re the only ones who can,” says Icyhot. “You and All Might are the only ones that we truly trust with our lives, Aizawa-sensei. That is the only reason why we are telling you this.”

“I see…” Aizawa falls silent for a long moment, still watching them with calm eyes. “I can’t pretend that I understand what is happening, or how it is possible that you are from the future, but I do believe you. It is my duty as your teacher to ensure that you live, graduate, and become the heroes you have the potential to become. If the future as it stands now is preventing that from happening then I will help you in any way that I can.”

Tears streak from Izuku’s eyes.

“Thank you,” Icyhot says.

“Tch, what Icyhot said,” Katsuki grumbles and then nudges Izuku, adding, “And stop with all the crying, Zuku!”

“Sorry!” Izuku sobs. “I...do have a tendency of crying a lot, don’t I?”

“Tch, as much of a fucking understatement as your love for Icyhot.”

“Kacchan!”

Icyhot stares, face going red and his entire left side bursting into flames.

Aizawa groans but activates his Quirk, immediately putting out the flames. “Do me a major favor and stop making me use my Quirk too much, Problem Children,” he says in annoyance.

“Tell fucking Icyhot to stop bursting into flames every time he gets fucking flustered. It’s not my fault he and Zuku are denser than mules and won’t just fucking admit that they love each other!” Katsuki exclaims in annoyance.

“Pot calling kettle,” Icyhot mutters.

“And you shut your fucking face, Icyhot!”

Aizawa rubs his temples. “Is there anything that you can tell us about what is to come?” he says, interrupting the bickering that was erupting between Katsuki and Icyhot, with Izuku attempting to mediate the matter.

“We can’t tell you too much,” Izuku says, turning his gaze to the teacher. “We have to be careful. If we reveal too much then it might tip off the enemy that we know far more than we should. For example, something is going to happen next week, something that we have to be careful about how we handle. We have a rescue training exercise nextWednesday at the U.S.J., right?”

“Yes.”

“All Might, Thirteen, and you are supervising it, right?”

“Yes.”

Izuku nods slowly. “There’s going to be an attack,” he says and, when Aizawa curses and All Might pales, he adds, “a massive group of villains, led by a young man called Shigaraki, is going to invade the U.S.J., for the sole purpose of using their newest weapon to kill All Might.”

All Might frowns and another curse escapes Aizawa’s lips. “I’ll tell Nezu. We can set up precautions to handle this matter,” he says.

“You have to be careful,” says Izuku. “The reason why they attack during the U.S.J. is because, somehow, they found out about the rescue training exercise, and that Aizawa, Thirteen, and All Might are going to be there.”

Aizawa’s lips press together tightly.

“How?” All Might demands. “How did they find out about this?”

“There’s a break in,” says Icyhot. “It was after the Combat Trials that All Might has us do, I think a few days after that. The media basically gets in because someone, and we aren’t sure who, manages to break open the barrier to allow them in.”

“So we’ll be distracted by the media, thus allowing someone to steal information right out from underneath our noses,” Aizawa says.

“If we can stop the break in, we could prevent that from happening,” All Might says.

“That’s a big if though, since we don’t know who ends up stealing the information,” Aizawa says. “So, since chances are high, the infiltrator will still get that information, if those who show up to the U.S.J. doesn’t match up with the stolen information then they may get suspicious. Either they may think we have someone with a Quirk that allows them to see the future or something along that lines but it may cause them to change what they do afterwards, if they manage to escape.”

“It would change too much,” Izuku says. “Our knowledge of the future can end up useless if that happens but I have a plan that can ensure that no one in our class gets hurt. It may even lead to us arresting Shigaraki and his followers but that’s a big if there, given Kurogiri’s power.”

“He’s a fucking warp gate,” Katsuki explains upon seeing the puzzled look in Aizawa’s eyes. “The instant he sees that the tides have turned against them, I have no fucking doubt that he will take Shigaraki and fucking run. It’s what he did the last fucking time.”

“Shigaraki still got shot three times though,” Icyhot muses. “Anyway we can convince Snipe to aim for the head this time?”

“Heroes don’t kill, Shoto,” Izuku reminds him.

“Yes, I know. I’m just saying it would save us a hell of a lot of trouble in the future. But I know that’s wrong.”

Aizawa nods. “I am glad to see that you understand what is wrong with that, Todoroki,” he says. “Either way, if that warp gate prioritizes this Shigaraki person then that will still mean that we can apprehend his other followers. But our main priority is ensuring the safety of our students.”

“Hence my plan,” Izuku says. “If All Might’s there at the very beginning, Kurogiri might not target us but, at the same time, he won’t want us to leave, since we’ll just go and get backup so he may try to separate us just like he had the last time. Even if All Might focuses on that new weapon that Shigaraki has to go against him, and Aizawa-sensei focuses on the other villains, there’s still the problem of Kurogiri separating us, which will make it difficult for Thirteen to protect all of us, and get us out of there.”

“Get to the fucking plan already, fucking nerd!” Katsuki yells, annoyed by how roundabout Izuku is going with explaining his plan.

“I’m just giving some context, Kacchan,” Izuku protests. “They don’t know about what’ll happen after all.”

“Whatever.”

“Anyway, I was thinking...Shinso,” Izuku says, turning his gaze back to Aizawa. “I’m sure he’ll realize it during the whole incident but all he needs is to get Kurogiri to respond to him and he can take control of his mind and force him to let us leave. Once that happens, Shigaraki will be at, what he refers to as, Game Over. He won’t have any choice but to throw everything that he has at All Might and hope it works, or admit defeat and run. Whatever actually happens, we’ll be out of harm’s way.”

Aizawa hums. “That may work,” he says.

“We’ll have the added advantage of the fact that the villains won’t know about our Quirks,” says Izuku thoughtfully. “That’s what happened last time too. They had managed to separate us but they must not have known about our Quirks because they would have never dropped Asui in the Shipwreck Zone.”

Aizawa hums in agreement.

“So they won’t know about Shinso’s Quirk and he can use that to get us to safety. Kacchan has already agreed to not be a reckless idiot, and make sure no one else does anything stupid, so we won’t have to worry about that either. We can allow the Pros to handle this situation and pull one over the villains.”

“It’s a sound plan,” All Might says. “However, by how you have been describing matters, am I right to assume that Shinso wasn’t in Class 1-A last time around?”

“No,” Izuku says with a shake of his head. “He didn’t get into the Hero Course right away. Back in our time, he wouldn’t have started in the Hero Course until his second year.”

“Which means that he didn’t get Rescue Points last time,” Aizawa says.

Izuku nods, then turns to All Might. “Also,” he says, “on the day of the rescue training exercise. All Might, you need to avoid getting into any fights while on your way to work.”

All Might frowns. “My boy, why?” he says.

“You weren’t at the U.S.J. the first time around because you had overexerted yourself and went past your limit,” says Izuku. “As a result, you were only able to get there at the tail end of everything, and...too much had already happened by then that I...I don’t want a repeat of.”

Katsuki knows he’s thinking about how severely injured Aizawa had been.

All Might grits his teeth, glaring at the ground. “If I can protect my students better by being present from the very beginning of that exercise then I will,” he says firmly.

Izuku smiles. “I have no doubt you will,” he says. “Be careful with the villains’ weapon though. In our time, it was genetically altered to fight you at 100% strength so you’ll probably have to go beyond.”

“I will keep that in mind,” All Might says with a nod.

“Is there anything else?” Aizawa asks.

Izuku glances at Katsuki and Icyhot. Katsuki huffs and folds his arms across his chest. “I can’t think of anything that happens before the fucking U.S.J. incident,” he says.

“Neither can I,” Icyhot says with a shake of his head.

“What about after?” Aizawa asks.

“We can’t accurately predict the Sports Festival, since Shinso and Inasa being in Class A and B respectively already changes that big time,” says Izuku.

“That, alone, tells me that Inasa was not apart of the Hero Course last time.”

“He would have been but, last time, he declined his acceptance because he hadn’t wanted to learn alongside me,” says Icyhot quietly. “Last time, I had been far too focused on my own goals that I snubbed him and treated him terribly, which reminded him too much of the flaming trashcan, so he declined to attend U.A. I fixed that this time around.”

“Flaming trashcan?” Aizawa echoes.

“We really don’t like Shoto’s father right now,” Izuku admits.

“I don’t fucking like him at all,” Katsuki retorts.

“Well, Shoto and I don’t like Shoto’s father right now,” Izuku amends his statement.

Aizawa hums but nods. “All right. We’ll leave it at that for now,” he says. “This is a lot of information but I will start working toward coming up with an alternate plan for the coming attack, just in case.” He rises to his feet and Katsuki, realizing he’s still on the ground, quickly scrambles to his feet as Izuku and Icyhot follow suit. “For now, I think it would be best if you three head home. It’s been a long day, and probably even longer for you.”

“Thank you, Aizawa-sensei,” Izuku says quietly, “for believing us, and for being willing to help us.”

“I am your teacher, Problem Child. It’s my duty to keep you safe and protect you while you are learning to be heroes on your own. Besides, the burden you three are bearing on your shoulders seems to be very heavy. Let me ease that burden in any way that I can.”

“Thank you, Aizawa-sensei.”

. . .

“So what do you think?”

Shouta doesn’t respond for a long moment as he watches the three battle-hardened, mentally traumatized and emotionally scarred time travelers walk down the hallway, two are chatting casually to each other while the third is already storming off ahead with his hands stuffed in his uniform pant’s pockets.

“I think that they truly are wearing a heavy burden,” he says, turning his gaze to All Might, who has shifted back to his true form and is leaning against the desk again. “But I don’t think they’re lying. I know liars, and even those who truly believe that what they are saying is the truth, and Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki do not have that look in their eyes. Their eyes clearly show me that they have witnessed absolute hell.”

“I’ve gotten that same sense,” All Might says quietly. “All of them...there’s no denying that they have experienced trauma in ways that we just don’t know anything about. I agree with your statement. I want to ease their burden in any way that I can as well.” He pushes away from the desk and adds, “Their trust in us is strong too.”

“We must have earned their trust completely in the future,” says Shouta. He turns his gaze back to the door, brow furrowing. “I’ll keep this between the five of us but that doesn’t mean that I won’t do my own research. That name...Shigaraki...I’ll see what I can discreetly dig up on that name. I’ll also warn Nezu about the possibility of you working here getting leaked to the media, since I’m positive that’s going to be why the media is here when the break in happens.”

“If we can stop that from getting leaked, that may stop the infiltrator,” All Might agrees.

“It’s a long shot, yeah, but it’s worth trying, and might be the only thing we can do to ensure that attention isn’t drawn even more to my class. I won’t let those villains lay a single finger on my students,” Shouta says firmly.

“Neither will I,” All Might agrees.

“Shouta!” A shout sounds and Shouta sighs and turns, watching as Hizashi barges into his office, a grin on his lips.

“Yes, Zashi?” he deadpans.

“Oh don’t be like that,” Hizashi says with a laugh. “School’s out for the day! C’mon, let’s hit that cat cafe that you like so much then go home! I’m sure Sushi is eager to see you.”

Still can’t believe I let Zashi name one of my cats Sushi. Shouta lets out another sigh. “Fine,” he says and, with an incline of his head to All Might, he follows his husband out of his office.

“Something wrong, Sho?” Hizashi asks as they walk down the hallway. “You seem to have something on your mind?”

Only that I have three battle-hardened, mentally traumatized, emotionally scarred, time traveling teenagers in my class who are carrying far too much weight on their shoulders, Shouta thinks but simply says out loud, “Don’t worry about it.”

Hizashi continues to study him but finally nods. “Okay, though ya know ya can always talk with me if ya need to,” he says.

“Yeah, I know, Zashi.” Right now, I just want to rest and truly think about everything that I was just told.

. . .

Chapter Text

Shoto sits up sharply, a cry escaping his lips that he clenches his teeth together to abruptly cut off. He gazes around, recognizing his old room back at his family’s home. Even after so many years, he still isn’t really used to living in his family home again, after spending so much time in the dorms with the rest of his classmates. He should be used to it, since he did live here for many years before moving into the dorms, but he finds that he isn’t.

He and the rest of Class 1-A had been through so much by the time the war with the Paranormal Liberation Front had begun and, though his classmates don’t know about that, he still has the memories, still has the nightmares haunting his sleep. It has caused him to wake up screaming more often than not and he has to stop himself before he accidentally wakes up anyone else in the home.

Touya always knows though. He doesn’t know how, or if it’s because Touya’s room is next to his, but his eldest brother always knows when he wakes up from a nightmare. Today’s no exception. Even as Shoto breathes deeply and tries to push the remnants of his most recent nightmare out of his mind, the door to his room is opening and his white-haired eldest brother is moving over to sit beside his bed.

“Another nightmare?” Touya asks as he rests his arm around Shoto’s shoulders.

When he first started having the nightmare that plagued his sleep today, he’d flinched away from his brother. Now, he just curls up closer to him, relieved on the fact that he had managed to prevent that nightmare from ever coming true again. His brother won’t become a villain who tries to kill him in the future, and Shoto is grateful for that.

He nods slowly. “How do you always know?” he asks quietly.

Touya ruffles his hair, a faint smile on his lips. “I’m usually up this early anyway so I hear you,” he says. His turquoise eyes go serious as he adds, “Do you want to talk about it?”

No, because I don’t want to even think about what could have happened. “I’m fine,” he assures his brother out loud.

His brother doesn’t seem to believe him but, thankfully, he doesn’t push as he ruffles Shoto’s hair again and stands up. “May as well get up,” he says. “I’ll drive you to school again today. Always nice to piss off dear ol’ pops. Besides, I gotta get there early to talk with All Might ‘bout his class today.”

“Right…” That’s right. Today’s the combat trials. If Touya is going to be helping All Might out with them then that will change things a little bit. The pairings may end up being different too, since Shinso’s in our class now and Mineta isn’t. Oh, that also means that the school’s front gates are going to be basically blocked by a bunch of reporters.

“Yeah, I’d like to get to school early,” he admits.

Touya nods. “Sure thing,” he says and stands up. “But, just so you know, if you ever wanna talk about anything, you know where to find me. I’m literally only a door over.”

Shoto gives his eldest brother a soft half-smile and nods. He isn’t sure that he will ever take up his eldest brother on that offer, mostly because he can’t talk with his eldest brother on what is truly bothering him, but it’s still a nice gesture. “Yeah, I know. Thanks,” he says and, as he kicks the blankets off him, Touya walks out of his bedroom.

After taking a shower, Shoto grabs his phone and glances at it, surprised to see that there’s a message from Izuku on it

Izuku: Hey. R u up?

Shoto texts back a quick response.

Me: Yah. Heading to school early to

hopefully avoid those reporters

if they are out there

Izuku: yeah, me and Kacchan too. I hope

that the teachers were able to stop

them from finding out bout All Might

w/o alerting the enemy

Me: I’m not holding my breath

Izuku: yeah, me neither. See you at school

Me: see you then

Shoto tucks his phone away as he makes his way into the kitchen to get something to eat, nodding his head in greeting to Fuyumi, who is currently the only one in there since Natsuo is probably still asleep. He isn’t sure if his father is training or asleep or had already headed out early for his agency but he finds that he doesn’t really care.

His father hasn’t changed his attitude at all so Shoto does still resent him. He’ll probably continue to resent him until Endeavor finally takes a step back and takes a long, hard look at what his actions and his attitude are doing to his own family. And he isn’t sure how long that’s going to take to happen.

“Morning Shoto.” Fuyumi greets him. “Excited about your second day at U.A.”

“I guess,” Shoto says as he wanders over to the counter where a bowl of cold soba—his sister knows him too well this time around—is already waiting for him. It’s not the most traditional food to have in the morning but it is his favorite food, which is why Fuyumi always makes it for him. “Don’t really know what’s going to happen but I suppose it’ll be interesting.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it will,” Fuyumi says with a smile. “You’re still up a bit early.”

“Touya-nii’s taking me to school a little early today. He has to talk with All Might anyway about the class he’s teaching today,” says Shoto with a shrug as he carries the bowl over the table and, sitting down, starts to eat, adding, “I’m fine with it though. Two of my friends are heading over to U.A. early too so I’ll just hang out with them.”

Fuyumi smiles brightly at him. “I’m so glad that you have friends, in spite of Father…”

“...being a complete asshole?”

Fuyumi winces but says softly, “Well, I was going to say ‘being strict’ but…either way, those two boys that you became friends with have helped you a great deal so I’m happy about that. You seem really close to them, especially the green-haired one. Midoriya, right? You like him, don’t you?”

Shoto chokes on his cold soba and coughs, struggling to get his breath back as Touya, making his way into the kitchen, rolls his eyes and smacks him on the back.

“What did you say to cause him to start choking, Yumi?” he asks in amusement as Shoto finally manages to dislodge the noodle that had gone down wrong and slowly start to get his breath back, his face as red as half of his hair.

“I didn’t mean to make him choke,” Fuyumi says in concern. “I was just talking about Midoriya.”

“Oh. Right. Word of advice, Yumi, Shoto’s in denial. He doesn’t want to admit that he loves Midoriya for some reason I don’t even know, even though it’s clear to me, and to you apparently, and even to Midoriya’s friend Bakugo, that he does.”

“I don’t...not like that...he’s just a friend!” Shoto protests, flustered, and he isn’t surprisedwhen his entire left side bursts into flames.

Touya bursts out laughing while Fuyumi jumps up and immediately asks if he’s okay. He waves away her concern as he focuses on controlling his flames, while giving his eldest brother an annoyed look. The little gremlin grins at him with not a single ounce of repentance in his turquoise eyes.

“C’mon, baby bro. I wanna get outta here before the flaming trashcan wakes up,” he says.

“What did you just call me?!” A voice yells and Touya whistles innocently.

“I’ll be outside in the car!” He calls and bolts just as Endeavor comes storming into the kitchen.

Shoto swallows the last of his cold soba and, putting the bowl down, stands up. “I should finish getting ready,” he says and walks toward the door.

“Shoto.”

He stops, pressing his lips together but keeping his face impassive as he turns to face his father. “Yes?” he says.

“Do not embarrass me during today’s class with All Might. I want you to show him that you are on your way to surpassing him, just as you are meant to do,” Endeavor says firmly.

Shoto’s eyes go cold but he simply turns around and walks off. “I’ll show everyone that I am on my way to being the best hero that I can be. I’m not you,” he says and vanishes into the hallway, heading straight for his room.

He changes quickly and, grabbing his schoolbag, makes his way swiftly down the hallway, sidestepping around his father when he attempts to stop him and bolts out the door. He scowls to himself as he darts down the pathway toward where Touya is waiting by the car and has to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

Don’t let him get to you. He’ll get better. You just have to be patient.

Frankly speaking, Shoto isn’t so sure that he wants to wait forever for his father to start becoming a better person. He would rather have the Endeavor from after Kamino than the bastard that Endeavor is right now. But he knows he’ll have to wait. He isn’t even sure if Kamino will end up happening after all.

“You seem pissed. What did the flaming trashcan say?” Touya asks as Shoto climbs into the passenger’s seat.

“The usual. You gotta show everyone that you’re on your way to surpassing All Might. Don’t embarrass me. All of that.” Shoto closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, releasing it along with his anger and annoyance. “If he tells me that same thing every single morning before school, I will end up smacking him.”

“Do it,” Touya says.

Shoto gives his brother a long look.

“What? This is the most emotion I’ve seen outta you in a long time! I so wanna see you actually back up your words with action!”

“You just want to record it and post it online,” Shoto deadpans.

“That too.”

“Gremlin.”

“Thank you!” Touya grins at him and, turning, starts up the car and guides it away from the Todoroki Family home while Shoto leans back in his seat, turning his gaze out the window, a faint smile crossing his lips. Even though he calls his eldest brother that, he finds that he will always prefer Gremlin Touya to Villain Dabi any day.

“By the way, what did you tell him when he said that to you?” Touya asks curiously.

“I told him that I am going to show everyone that I am on my way to being the best hero I can be, and then reminded him that I’m not him. I think that pissed him off ‘cause he tried to stop me when I was leaving,” says Shoto.

Touya snorts. “It’s obvious you’re not him. You’re not a flaming trashcan,” he says.

“Thanks?”

Touya laughs. “And you never will be! All right. All right. Enough talking about the flaming trashcan. So are you ready to get over your denial and just tell that Midoriya boy that you love him?”

“Touya-nii!”

His eldest brother just laughs.

Shoto buries his face into his hands. How does Aizawa-sensei put up with Touya learning underneath him?

. . .

Shouta sneezes but simply wipes his nose with the back of his jacket’s sleeve as he scrolls through the results on the screen in front of him. He wonders if someone is talking or thinking about him but decides that it’s probably just Hizashi and pushes the thought out of his mind. Right now, he needs to focus.

So far, he isn’t having any luck finding any information on anyone with the name Shigaraki. It’s not an uncommon surname in Japan but there aren’t many registered Quirk users with that name, and none of the less than legal sources that Shouta has been searching through has come up with any leads. It’s almost as if the man doesn’t exist, though Shouta doesn’t doubt that his time traveling Problem Children are telling the truth about this man.

Unless that isn’t his birth name.

If that’s the case then finding the man might be a bit more difficult, unless he can find out something about that man. If he can find out the man’s birth name, that’ll help tremendously but if he just had something to narrow down the search then that’ll help.

He taps his fingers on the desk, glancing at his phone. Of course, he has the contact information of all of Class 1-A, just in case he needed to contact them or their parents. He picks up his phone, glad that he had gone out of his way to make it untraceable and, after switching screens on his computer to pull up the contact information of his class, he scrolls to Midoriya’s name and dials the number.

There’s a click a few moments later. “Hello?” a female voice says.

“Hello, Miss Midoriya,” Shouta says. “I’m Aizawa Shouta, your son’s homeroom teacher. I was hoping to speaking with him about something in regards to class yesterday.”

“Is everything all right?” Midoriya Inko asks in concern.

“Yes. It’s nothing bad, I assure you. I just wished to discuss with him something important that came up during the test I had them complete yesterday.” The art of lying is one that Shouta had mastered before he had become an Underground Hero. It’s not very heroic to lie, yes, but when one is an Underground Hero, they have a bit more leeway than the Aboveground Heroes who are always in the limelight.

“All Right. Izuku! Your homeroom teacher would like to speak with you before you leave,” Inko calls and a moment passes before Shouta hears the phone being handed off.

“Is something wrong. Aizawa-sensei?” Midoriya asks, sounding out of breath.

“Nothing’s wrong. Can we talk in private?” Shouta asks as he switches back to the screen on his computer that he had been on previously.

“Right, okay.” There’s a moment of silence, then Midoriya says, “I’m in my room. What’s this about?”

“I decided to do some extra research on that name that you gave me yesterday,” Shouta says, getting straight to the heart of the matter. “As an Underground Hero, I do have access to many sources of information that can’t be traced back to me so you don’t have to worry about information leaking out.”

A soft sigh of relief escapes Midoriya’s lips. “I trust you, Aizawa-sensei, but I guess I did get a little worried there but...I think that’s just ‘cause of everything that’s happened,” he says.

“You’re paranoid,” Shouta says, matter of fact. “But, given how bad things are when you come from, I’m not surprised that you would be. I figure that the more information we know about our enemy, the better. However, I have been reaching dead ends on that name. Is there anything about this man that can help me find information on him?”

Midoriya is silent for a long moment, a soft hum escaping his lips. “Shimura,” he says. “His birth name is Shimura. I found out...in the future...that Shigaraki is the grandson of Nana Shimura.”

Shouta types in the name, making a note of how Midoriya’s voice shakes a bit as he says that. He isn’t sure of what is behind that uncertainty, and even fear, in his student’s voice but he’s sure that it has something to do with how he knows that little fact.

“His Quirk is known as Decay too,” Midoriya goes on. “If he touches something with all five of his fingers, it’ll turn it to dust in a matter of seconds.”

Shouta keeps that in mind as he starts looking through information on Nana Shimura. There isn’t a lot but he keeps looking, humming to himself upon finding out that there’s a man who shares Shimura’s surname: Kotaro. He decides to look into that a bit more as he says out loud, “Thank you, Midoriya. I’ll see you in class in a few hours.”

“See you then, Aizawa-sensei. Oh and thanks.”

Shouta smiles to himself. “I have to do what I can to lessen the burden on your shoulders, Problem Child, since I am your teacher. This may be all that I can do right now though,” he says. “But I will find a way to ensure that your burden doesn’t remain as heavy as it is.”

A soft choked sob echoes on the other line. “And it’s for that reason that you’re among only two teachers that I’ve come to trust with my life,” Midoriya whispers. “You really are...great...Aizawa-sensei. I...I gotta go.” There’s a click as he hangs up and Shouta hums as he puts the phone down.

He has this odd feeling that he may have, unintentionally, caused his student to experience another flashback of that future he comes from. He sighs, raising a hand and rubbing his eyes before stretching out a hand and grabbing a mug of coffee, bringing it to his lips as he continues to scroll through the results.

He doesn’t plan on letting anything happen to his students, no matter what. Whatever happens in the future, Shouta will willingly walk through the fires of hell to ensure that that future is changed, and that his students get the better, brighter future that they deserve. And, even if he can’t do much on his end yet, he will still do what he can.

He may not know of what happens in the future, he may not know of how Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki had gotten as badly mentally and emotionally scarred as they have been, but that won’t stop him from ensuring that won’t happen.

Sushi meows and jumps onto his lap. Shouta puts his mug down and, running a hand through the tabby cat’s fur, he goes back to his research. He doesn’t have to head out for U.A. for some time and he is going to see how much information he can find out before he has to head out.

. . .

There are reporters gathered outside the gates of U.A.

Katsuki resists the urge to curse in annoyance, then wonders why the hell he’s resisting and starts cursing in annoyance. He thought that when he and Izuku left early in an attempt to avoid the media, that they would actually be able to avoid the media. Turns out, the media is already gathered in front of U.A., even though classes don’t actually start for another hour and a half.

Even Shoto is there with an annoyed Todoroki Touya at his side. Both of them notice Katsuki and Izuku and Touya waves them over. Katsuki still tenses upon seeing the man but manages to relax himself, cursing inwardly. He really wishes that he can stop doing that every fucking time he sees Todoroki Touya, since he knows the white-haired bastard isn’t the same as the black-haired scarred bastard that had kidnapped him in his last life.

But that doesn’t stop those memories from briefly popping up on the forefronts of his mind, and he has to shove them aside as he stuffs his hands into his pockets and storms forward, Izuku darting after him.

“Who the fuck spilled the fucking beans?” he growls, glaring at the reporters who are chatting with each other about what questions they want to ask All Might when he arrives. Katsuki, personally, hopes that All Might arrives without going through the main gates, just to spite those reporters.

“Don’t know,” Touya says with a shrug. “I just got a message from Nezu while on the way here. He warned me that it had been leaked that All Might was teaching here. They’ve been camped out since about an hour ago, according to Nezu, but since none of the students have arrived yet, Nezu hasn’t done anything yet. I think he’s hoping they’ll get bored and go away before the students arrive.”

“Fat fucking chance.”

“Yeah, that’s not likely going to happen,” Izuku admits. “Is there another way onto campus that doesn’t involve going through...that?”

“Other than up and over the wall, nope.”

“Can we go up and over the wall?”

“No.”

“Damn.”

“Did you just curse?” Icyhot says in surprise and even Katsuki gives the nerd a surprised glance because he honestly did not think that the green-haired kid had it in him to actually curse.

“I did, didn’t I? Oh, uh, sorry,” Izuku says, face flushing in embarrassment.

Touya chuckles. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, kid,” he says. “This situation calls for a cursing moment. Okay. Here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna go over there and distract the reporters. You guys make a break for the gates while they’re distracted.”

“How are you going to distract them, Touya-nii?” Icyhot asks.

Touya winks at him and strides forward, shouting, “Yo! Reporters! I know you’re waiting for All Might but how ‘bout a statement from the eldest son of the Number 2 Hero Endeavor? I got some juicy info on him!”

All the reporters exchange glances but immediately rush toward him, probably figuring they can get a juicy story out of Touya in addition to whatever they manage to get out of All Might when he arrives. Katsuki uses the Underground Hero’s distraction to dart toward the gates, Izuku and Icyhot quickly hurrying after him.

“I kinda feel sorry for the rest of our classmates,” Izuku admits.

Icyhot pulls out his phone and sends a quick message before nodding to himself at whatever is sent in response and adds, “Don’t be. Touya-nii just said that he’ll distract the reporters long enough for the rest of the students to get onto campus and then just let the U.A. Barrier do the rest,” he says.

“Well, that’s good then.”

Icyhot pulls out his phone again and snorts, adding, “And Aizawa-sensei and Present Mic-sensei have just arrived so they’re going to be helping to distract the reporters too.”

“I feel bad for the reporters,” Izuku admits.

“Don’t be. I fucking don’t. They reap what they’ve fucking sown,” Katsuki scoffs and storms off. “C’mon. Lunch Rush usually has breakfast served for students who arrive early and I fucking skipped breakfast this morning.”

“I’m not hungry but I’ll go with you,” Icyhot says.

“I skipped breakfast too so I should eat,” says Izuku.

The three of them make their way into the school and toward the cafeteria, gathering plates of food that Lunch Rush has placed out for the early birds that already arrived. As they scan the cafeteria, Katsuki is somewhat surprised to see that the indigo-haired Brainwasher is already there, as is a very familiar black-haired boy.

“Shoto!” Yoarashi Inasa shouts as he rushes over, a gust of wind surging behind him. “You are here way early!”

“Inasa, good morning,” Icyhot greets him with an incline of his head. “So are you.”

“I always show up to school early! And U.A. is so great! We get to have Lunch Rush’s delicious breakfast, which is so great! I love U.A.!”

“Really? I hadn’t fucking noticed,” Katsuki growls under his breath, eye twitching. For some reason, in his last life, Yoarashi annoyed him. It appears to be the same this time around too.

“Oh, hello!” Yoarashi says with a grin as he turns his gaze to Katsuki and Izuku. “I’m Yoarashi Inasa! I’m fine with you calling me Inasa. It is nice to meet you!”

“Hello Inasa. I’m Midoriya Izuku,” Izuku says with a kind smile. He waves a hand to Katsuki and adds, “The fuming Pomeranian is Bakugo Katsuki.”

“What the fuck did you just call me?!” Katsuki yells, glaring furiously at the fucking nerd who has gotten to be way too cheeky in this life. He doesn’t know why Izuku is far more cheeky this time around than he ever had been last time but he has the feeling it’s because their relationship isn’t nowhere near as volatile as it used to be. They may not be friends—or Katsuki won’t admit that they’re friends—but they are rivals, and they, along with Icyhot, are the only ones who know of what is to come. They have a sense of trust and understanding between each other that Katsuki doubts they’ll ever have to anyone else, not even Aizawa or All Might, though they might be closer to achieving that level of trust and understanding than the rest of Class 1-A.

Either way, that doesn’t mean that Katsuki doesn’t get annoyed by Izuku being a cheeky little nerd because he does, and very easily at that.

“He does resemble an angry Pomeranian!” Yoarashi says.

“Fuck off, Baldy! I’ll kill you!” Katsuki yells at Yoarashi, falling back on the old nickname he used to always say to Yoarashi in his last life.

“I’m not bald!” Baldy says, pointing to the short black hair on his head.

“C’mon. Why don’t we sit down?” Icyhot suggests.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’m hungry anyway,” Izuku says and Katsuki isn’t surprised at all to see Izuku making his way over to join Brainwasher and sliding into the seat across from him. Even if Icyhot hadn’t won the bet that they made the day before, Katsuki is sure that he will because he has no doubt the nerd will break down Brainwasher’s walls before tomorrow ends, at the latest.

“Hi Shinso, can we sit here?” Izuku asks.

Brainwasher raises an eyebrow. “You already are so I suppose,” he says.

“Great! So what brings you to school so early?”

Katsuki rolls his eyes as he sits down next to Izuku, Icyhot sitting on the green-haired boy’s other side while Baldy waves a goodbye to them.

“I’m gonna sit with some of my Class B classmates! Nice chatting with you, Shoto! And nice meeting you, Midoriya! Bakugo!” Baldy says excitedly.

“You too,” Izuku says.

Katsuki glances at him, then a thought occurs to him. “Yo, Baldy!” he calls.

“I’m not bald!” He points to his hair again.

“Yeah, whatever. Is there a bastard named Mineta in your class?”

Baldy tilts his head to the side, then shakes his head. “Nope.”

“Fuck yeah!” Katsuki grins, glad to see that the perverted grape bastard hadn’t managed to get into the Hero Course this time around. He turns to Icyhot and Izuku and holds out a hand.

They both sigh, reach into their pockets, pull out two thousand yen each, and hands it over to Katsuki.

“Fucking told you so,” he says with a sharp grin as he counts out the yen and tucks it away.

“Did you bet on whether someone would be in Class B or not?” Brainwasher says in puzzlement.

“We do things like that all the time,” Izuku says and smirks at Katsuki, who pales then scowls at the devious gleam in Izuku’s eyes. “That reminds me, Kacchan, you still gotta keep your end of our deal and do the Thing in front of our class.”

Katsuki pushes his tray away and bangs his head on the table. “Fuck!” He really had hoped the nerd would have forgotten about that but, given that it’s the nerd, he really shouldn’t have.

“You made a bet involving the Thing?” Icyhot echoes.

“And you have to record it, for...reasons,” Izuku says with a smile that is just as devious as the gleam in his eyes.

“Naturally,” says Icyhot with that same deadpan tone in his voice. “However, what did you bet on that Bakugo actually lost?”

“I beat him out of the number 1 spot on the entrance exam.”

Icyhot blinks, then tilts his head to the side. “Good job on knocking Explodo-boy off his high horse,” he says with that same deadpan tone.

“Fuck off, Icyhot,” Katsuki growls at the dual-haired boy.

“You three have an...interesting relationship,” Brainwasher admits uncertainly.

“To say the least,” Izuku says with a chuckle. “So, Shinso, how does it feel to be in the Hero Course? It must be amazing.”

“It is...different from what I expected,” Brainwasher admits. “I only got in because I took too heart what it really means to be a hero and started rescuing as many people that needed it as I could. I wasn’t expecting anything to come of it though.”

“I wasn’t either,” Izuku lies, a faint smile on his lips. “Those rescue points that I got are the reason why I knocked Kacchan out of the number 1 spot.”

Katsuki curses again.

“But I think you’re gonna be a great hero!” Izuku says with a grin. “Your power can easily help when going up against villains after all ‘cause you can probably easily get them to respond to you, and use your Quirk to get them to surrender or something like that.”

Katsuki hums quietly to himself, seeing what Izuku is doing. He’s getting Brainwasher thinking so that he will have that in mind when the U.S.J. comes around. It’s a nice plan, if the bastard takes to heart what Izuku is saying but, given that he had the day before, and during the entrance exam, Katsuki is sure that he will.

Let’s hope that’ll be enough to stop the U.S.J. from being as bad as it had been in our last life.

“Yes, I guess. Don’t really got any...combative experience but that is what the Hero Course will teach me, I’m sure.” Brainwasher goes back to his meal, adding, “And I appreciate that you are willing to be so nice to me, Midoriya, but I told you this before and I’ll say it again. I’m not here to make friends.”

“Heroes need friends too, Shinso-kun,” Izuku points out with a soft, nostalgic smile on his lips. “I’d think it’d be rather lonely not having someone to talk to about things other than work or hero stuff.”

Brainwasher doesn’t respond, still looking down at his breakfast, though he isn’t eating what little is left on his tray anymore.

Izuku reaches into his pack and pulls out a slip of paper, scrawling something on it and sliding it across the table. “If you ever wanna talk, you can call or text me,” he says. “Doesn’t even have to be about anything important. If you just wanna talk, don’t hesitate!” He smiles so brightly that even Brainwasher looks up and his lips quirk slightly in a half-smile before he abruptly masks it.

“I’m fine,” he says but, as he stands up, Katsuki watches as he snatches up the piece of paper and tucks it away before he turns around and walks off.

Izuku’s smile grows sad. “Based on what I know of his past, he’s not used to being talked to so casually,” he admits. “I hope that he’ll take me up on my offer and he sees that me, and probably everyone in Class 1-A, aren’t going to treat him differently ‘cause of his Quirk.”

“You always meddle when you aren’t supposed to,” Icyhot says.

“That’s the essence of being a true hero,” says Izuku as he returns his attention to his breakfast, adding, “Besides...we would never have become the good friends that we are right now if I hadn’t meddled with you, Shoto.”

“Yeah...good friends…” Icyhot avoids his gaze but there’s a faint blush on his cheeks.

Izuku keeps his gaze on his breakfast but his own cheeks are heated up.

Katsuki resists the urge to throw his hands up at the awkward tension that suddenly descends upon the two of them. This is getting to be so sad that it’s not even funny anymore. Katsuki runs a hand through spiky blonde locks. “Un-fucking-believable!” he exclaims. “What the fuck do I gotta do to get you guys to fucking admit what even I fucking know to be true? Lock you in a fucking supply closet?!”

“What are you talking about, Kacchan?” Izuku says.

Katsuki gives him an annoyed glare. Izuku and Icyhot have been dancing around each other ever since they met up again after they were transported into the past. Katsuki has been right there with them, watching them dance around each other, watching them push aside and deny the feelings that even he knows they have for each other—and it’s really really sad that he, who is terrible with feelings himself, knows that truth—and it’s getting annoying.

He knows it’s mostly because they have had these feelings for each other for a long time, though it’s only become apparent when they were sent back to the past. But he has noticed the way Icyhot has looked at Izuku back in their last lives, and the way Izuku has looked at Icyhot in the same way. They hadn’t been willing to admit it back then, too focused on their training and then on the actual war that they had suddenly been thrown into the middle of against the Paranormal Liberation Front.

He makes a note that he is going to get those two bastards together as soon as possible because this is getting to be too fucking annoying for him to handle on an every day basis.

. . .

“I am here! Coming through the door like a normal person!”

Izuku resists the urge to roll his eyes in fond exasperation as All Might strides into the room, very much not like a normal person. All of his classmates cheer around him while Bakugo rolls his eyes and Shoto just looks faintly amused. Everyone is asking questions left and right as All Might strides to the front of the classroom, his traditional smile on his lips.

“Today is the start of your basic hero training,” All Might declares. “The class that’ll put you through all sorts of special training to mold you into heroes. No time to dally. Today’s activity is this! Battle training!”

“Battle training?” Sero echoes.

“And for that, you need these!” All Might presses a button and the walls open up to reveal twenty suitcases that Izuku knows contains the hero costumes that U.A.’s main support company had created for them, based on the special request forms that they had sent them.

Izuku smiles as he remembers his mom’s gift to him, and how he had taken that but still went with the second hero costume that he had created. He may not need certain aspects of the costume just yet though, since he doesn’t want to show everyone that he knows far more than he should, given that he just started hero training.

Bakugo leans over his seat. “You think Icyhot’s costume is still the stupid one he had the first time around?” he says.

“I doubt it,” Izuku murmurs back.

“Wanna fucking bet?”

“You just want to get out of doing the Thing in front of the entire class. By the way, you still have to do that.”

Bakugo gives him a fiery glare but Izuku just smirks cheekily back at him. He scoffs and turns his head away, a scowl twisting his lips. “Fucking nerd,” he says.

“After you change, come out in ranking order to Ground Beta!” All Might declares.

“Okay!” Everyone states.

Izuku smiles to himself as he gets to his feet and follows the rest of his classmates out of the classroom, heading toward the locker rooms to get changed into their uniforms. He pulls on the gloves and shifts the metal, diamond-shaped respirator around his neck, leaving the mask dangling behind his head.

He makes his way over to join the rest of his classmates, all of them clad in their hero costumes. Bakugo’s remains the same as it had the last time around while Shoto’s is different, and Izuku muses that he should have taken that bet with Bakugo. Shoto’s costume is the same one that he wore during their internships: a dark blue jacket with elbow-length sleeves, a high collar that is joined in the center by a gray neckpiece, dark blue baggy pants, a metal-plated combat vest, and white boots. He has a brown utility belt wrapped around his waist with little metal capsules that Izuku knows contains medical supplies.

Bakugo grunts. “At least your costume isn’t stupid looking,” he says.

Shoto ignores him, in favor of inclining his head to Izuku. “Went with your beta costume, I see,” he says.

“It combines Mom’s gift to me with something that’s more...suited for a hero costume,” Izuku says. And doesn’t model itself after All Might like my first costume had.

He scans the area, and his eyes travel to Shinso.

Shinso’s costume is nearly identical to the costume he wore during the Joint Training exercise in the future, except for the color scheme. He is wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt and dark blue pants with dark purplerunning along the collar and along the seams and a dark-purple short-sleeved jacket that falls to his hips. He has a detachable mask-like device resting around his neck, which Izuku knows is his Persona Chords, but he doesn’t have the capture weapon that he had in the future, probably because he hasn’t been trained in its use yet.

Izuku makes a mental note to talk with Aizawa about starting Shinso’s training in the use of the capture weapon as soon as possible, and maybe even give him some training in other aspects of combat so that Shinso will be better prepared to handle the chaos that Class 1-A is going to be going through soon.

He isn’t sure as to what will happen in the future after all and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“Shall we begin?” All Might says with a grin.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

All Might looks puzzled at the sound of Touya’s voice and Touya, rolling his eyes, walks forward, grinning in greeting to the entire Class 1-A. Izuku notices that his hero costume is incredibly dark but, given that he’s an Underground Hero, that doesn’t really surprise him. He wears a sleeveless black shirt with a midnight blue combat vest over it, black pants with a midnight blue belt encircling his waist, and black boots on his feet. A hip length black short-sleeved jacket with midnight blue lines running along its sides and midnight blue trim rests over the shirt. Midnight blue fingerless gloves that Izuku suspects are fireproof rest on his arms. His currently windswept white hair, with small streaks of red near the roots that Izuku will admit he hasn’t noticed before, is in stark contrast with his hero costume.“You forgot to introduce me, of course,” he says with far too much cheer in his voice.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” All Might says. “My wards, this is Inferno. He will be assisting me in the battle training exercise that we will be completing today.”

Inferno?

“It fits,” Shoto murmurs.

“Tch, better than fucking Dabi,” Bakugo grumbles and Izuku has to agree with the explosive blonde.

“Sensei,” Ida says, raising his hand. “This appears to be the same field used in the entrance exam. Will we once again be performing cityscape maneuvers?”

“Nope,” All Might declares. “You’ll be moving on to step two! Indoor anti-personnel battle training! Villain battles are mostly commonly seen outdoors but, statistically, the most heinous villains are more likely to appear indoors. Between confinement, house arrest, and black market deals, in this hero-filled society of ours, the cleverest villains out there lurk indoors! You’ll be split into villain teams and hero teams and face off in two-on-two indoor battles.”

Asui raises her hand. “So no basic training?”

“In this day and age, practical training is far better at teaching you the basics,” Touya says, leaning against a nearby wall as his turquoise eyes travel from one student to the next. “You won’t be fighting robots this time around. You’ll actually be fighting against living breathing humans, which is what you will be facing when you actually go out onto the field.”

Asui nods and lowers her hand.

“What determines victory?” Yaoyorozu asks, raising her hand.

“Are you threatening to expel someone, like Aizawa-sensei did?” Uraraka asks in concern.

“How do we proceed to divide ourselves into teams?” Ida asks, raising his hand high.

“How fabulous is my cape? Ow!” Aoyama winces when Shinso, without a single look of repentance on his face, smacks Aoyama upside the head.

“All Might’s explanation will answer all of your questions, except Aoyama’s,” says Touya, “if you would be patient and wait for him to finish.”

Everyone lowers their hands sheepishly.

“And, yes, Aoyama, your cape is nice,” All Might says before he pulls out a script, much to Izuku’s amusement. Even Touya rolls his eyes in amusement, muttering something under his breath that Izuku is too far away to hear.

“Listen up! Here’s the deal,” All Might declares, “the villains will be hiding a nuclear weapon in the hideout. And the heroes have to go in and take care of it. The heroes have a limited amount of time to either capture the villains or secure the weapon. The villains must either capture the heroes or protect the weapon until time is up. Your battle partners will be decided by drawing lots.”

“Is that really the best way?” Ida asks.

“Of course it is,” Shoto says, folding his arms across his chest. “In real life, there are times when you won’t be able to partner up with someone you know for something like this so you have to work with whoever is readily available.”

“If you take too fucking long to organize a team just ‘cause you wanna team up with fucking friends or whatever then you’re just giving the fucking enemy more time to either escape or up their fucking defenses of course,” Bakugo says with a roll of his eyes.

“Shoto and Bakugo are right. Such random team ups occur far more often in the real world than you would think,” Touya says.

“Shoto?” Uraraka echoes.

“He’s Shoto’s eldest brother,” Izuku says.

“Oh.” Uraraka nods in understanding.

“Yes. All three of you are correct,” All Might says.

“I see. I apologize for getting ahead of myself. My mistake!” Ida says, bowing his head sharply.

“That’s fine. Now then, let’s decide the lots!” All Might declares.

The pairings, this time, are different. Instead of being paired with Uraraka, as had happened last time, Izuku finds himself paired up with Shinso. Shoto is paired up with Yaoyorozu, Bakugo is with Kirishima, and Izuku smirks knowingly at him to which he gets the middle finger thrown at him in retaliation. Ida and Uraraka getting paired together is a bit of a surprise but Izuku knows that they will work well together.

“Moving on, first up are these!” All Might declares, pulling out the two balls with the letters A and F on them. “Team A will be the Heroes and Team F will be the villains!”

“Ida and Uraraka the villains?” Izuku murmurs. “Ida did a good job being a villain the last time around and he knows about my Quirk as well as Shinso’s so he will probably find a way to keep quiet to avoid triggering Shinso’s Quirk. But he doesn’t know about Shinso’s Persona Chords, which will be to our advantage and…”

“Stop muttering!” Bakugo yells.

“You’re literally just rambling incoherently, Izuku,” Shoto adds.

Izuku flushes upon seeing that the eyes of everyone in class, and All Might, are on him. Touya is literally trying, and failing, to hide his snickers. He covers his mouth, his face going red. “Sorry,” he says.

“That’s fine,” says All Might. “The villain team will go in first. The timer starts in five minutes when the hero team sneaks in. The rest of us will watch via CCTV. Ida, Uraraka, you need to adopt a villain mindset. This is practical experience so go all out, don’t hold back. Though I will stop you if you take things too far.”

“Of course, All Might-sensei,” says Ida.

“Right!” Uraraka says and the two dart off to begin their preparations while Izuku jogs over to join Shinso and the two of them make their way deeper into the city.

“We’re at a disadvantage,” Shinso says, folding his arms across his chest. “If Uraraka touches us, it’s over and Ida has far more maneuverability than I do. You could probably could get close enough to get the weapon though.”

“Don’t count yourself out right away, Shinso-kun,” Izuku says, turning to face him and smiling, gesturing to the Persona Chords. “What are those? Something to help with your Quirk?”

He rests his hand on them and nods. “They’re Artificial Vocal Cords. I call them Persona Chords,” he says. “I thought about it while I was coming up with my costume idea because I realized that if I wanted to use my Quirk on the enemy, and they knew about my Quirk then they would avoid responding to me. But they would respond to an ally and this alters my voice so that it resembles the voice of someone else but it’s still my voice that’s speaking to them so my Quirk should still work.”

Izuku grins, already knowing this whole explanation because of the joint training exercise in the future. “Great, then here’s our plan,” he says.

“You already have a plan?”

Izuku folds his arms behind his head and smiles. “Let’s just say, I’m good at thinking ahead,” he says. In truth, he just knows Ida and Uraraka well enough, because of his future knowledge, to be able to devise a plan against them. He feels a bit bad that he can read his two friends so easily and come up with a strategy against them but he pushes that thought aside. The more one knows about the enemy, the better. That’s what Aizawa told him that morning after all.

Five minutes later, All Might is starting the timer and they’re heading in. They scale the wall, Shinso is surprisingly good at scaling the side of a building while Izuku is quick to use Full Cowling to jump to the window on the floor beneath the one on which the nuclear weapon is located. He opens the window and the two of them make their way onto the floor.

“Let’s go,” he whispers.

“Ida will probably arrive at any moment,” says Shinso as they walk.

“Once he does, you know the plan.”

Shinso adjusts the Persona Chords and nods.

It isn’t long before Ida, a maniacal laugh that is so over the top that it nearly sends Izuku into a fit of hysterics, charges toward them. He dodges out of the way of the kick that Ida aims at his side while Shinso ducks to the side and bolts.

“So you think you can get past me? I think not!” Ida declares with a laugh and lunges forward.

You are taking this way too seriously but I suppose that’s a good thing, Izuku thinks as he leaps into the air. “Catch me if you can, villain,” he declares and, with Full Cowling, he starts leaping from wall to wall so swiftly that Ida has to hurry to keep up with him. Green lightning crackles around him and Izuku quickly makes his way up the stairs, dodging to the side to avoid the kick that Ida launches at him.

He throws himself into the room in which is the nuclear weapon, landing on the ground in a light skid as he turns to face Ida. He isn’t surprised to see Shinso holding on to one of the pillars while Uraraka grins. She must have gotten him with her Quirk but that’s fine. In fact…

Izuku catches Shinso’s eye and gives him a swift nod as he dodges out of the way to avoid Ida and jumps to the side when Uraraka lunges toward him. Ida is swiftly making his way over to the nuclear weapon, taking over guarding it while Izuku is avoiding Uraraka. He dances out of the way, using Full Cowling to avoid Uraraka when she tries to touch him.

“Uraraka! Get behind him!” Ida’s voice echoes around them.

“Got it!” Uraraka shouts back and then freezes, her eyes going blank.

“Don’t move and let Midoriya capture you.”

She doesn’t move.

Izuku jumps down and, pulling out the capture tape, immediately winds it around her and pulls her to the ground. “Captured!” he declares and jumps back into the air, landing on the side of the pillar and lunging toward Ida.

“Hey Ida! We’re getting past you.” Izuku makes sure his lips move in unison with the words.

“You won’t get past me!” Ida declares and then freezes, eyes going blank.

“Step aside and let Midoriya claim the weapon.”

Ida mutely steps to the side and Izuku, twisting in midair, lands on the ground in front of the weapon and places his hand on it. “Claimed!” he declares.

“Hero team wins!” All Might’s voice shouts over the intercom.

Ida and Uraraka shakes their heads as they are released from Shinso’s Brainwashing and Ida frowns. “Oh. So that’s how that feels,” he says.

“I knew enough about Shinso’s Quirk to not talk to him when he tried to goad me into talking and yet still fell victim to it,” Uraraka groans as she struggles to sit up. Izuku jogs over to join her and starts removing the tape from around her.

“I must know, how did you manage to get us under your control?” Ida asks, turning toward Shinso, who is still trying to avoid floating to the ceiling.

“I will explain once I’m let down from here,” Shinso says.

“Oh, right, sorry!” Uraraka touches the pads of her fingers together. “Release!”

Izuku quickly uses Full Cowling to jump over to Shinso and catch him before he hits the ground, since he is a good distance off the ground.

“Thanks,” Shinso says.

Uraraka blushes. “Oops. Sorry! I should’ve made sure you weren’t that far off the ground,” she says with a sheepish smile as she rubs the back of her neck.

“It’s fine,” Shinso says as he and Izuku walk over to join him.

“Go ahead and head on back to the control room so we can discuss these results,” All Might’s voice echoes around them.

The four of them nod and, deciding to put off Shinso’s explanation until later, they make their way out of the room.

Izuku can’t help but admit, to himself, that he’s glad that things are changing. I mean I haven’t broken a single bone since I got sent back in time, he thinks.

Fate decides to laugh at him for that.

He really should not have tempted fate. He really should not have.

. . .

“Ah, it’s going to be a minute before the groups will join us,” Toshinori says as he lowers the transceiver where he had just heard Shinso telling him that they’re going to take Midoriya to Recovery Girl quickly and then join them in the control room.

“Why?” Kirishima asks in puzzlement.

Toshinori doesn’t want to explain, mostly because he has this odd feeling Young Bakugo is going to find what happened hysterical, but he supposes that he doesn’t really have a choice. If he doesn’t then there’s a good chance that Todoroki Touya, who also heard about what happened, will, judging by that amused grin on his lips anyway.

“They’re taking Young Midoriya to see Recovery Girl,” Toshinori admits and Bakugo raises an eyebrow at him while Todoroki gives him a puzzled look.

“Midoriya made it through the entire exercise without getting hurt,” Asui says, touching her cheek with a finger. “So why does he have to see Recovery Girl?”

“Well, he wasn’t watching where he was going and...tripped and fell down a flight of stairs and broke his arm.”

A moment of silence fell, then:

“Oh my fucking God!” Bakugo literally collapses onto the ground, hysterical cackling escaping his lips. “Only the fucking nerd! Only the fucking nerd can break a fucking bone after the fucking exercise is already done!”

“You are never letting him live this down, are you?” Todoroki says.

“Of fucking course not!” Bakugo continues to laugh.

“Why would you laugh about that?” Kaminari says, aghast.

“He’s not laughing at Izuku’s injury, Kaminari,” Todoroki assures him. “He’s just laughing at the fact that Izuku tempted fate, and fate decided to laugh at him. He’s really just laughing at the irony of this situation, since we both are sure that Izuku was thinking about how he hadn’t gotten hurt during the exercise.” Of course, he doesn’t explain why but Toshinori is positive it has to do with the time that they come from.

“Oh.”

It’s a few minutes before Shinso, Midoriya, with his arm in a sling and a pout of embarrassment on his lips, Uraraka, and Ida make their way into the control room.

Bakugo grins at him. “Have a nice fall, Zuku?” he calls.

Midoriya glares at him. “Shut up, Kacchan,” he grumbles and hangs his head, groaning in annoyance. “I’m never gonna live this down, am I?”

“Nope.”

“Great.”

“At the very least, you know now to pay attention to where you are walking, Young Midoriya,” Toshinori points out.

“Yeah, and to never tempt fate again,” Midoriya says with a sigh.

“Five thousand yen says he tempts fate again,” Bakugo murmurs to Todoroki.

“Fool’s bet. We all know that he will,” Todoroki murmurs back.

“I can hear you!” Midoriya says in annoyance.

“We know,” they both say in unison.

“The day those two started getting along, and agreeing with each other, is the day I knew I should’ve run,” Midoriya mutters under his breath and Toshinori resists the urge to crack a grin. Touya isn’t even bothering on hiding his grin of amusement.

“Anyway,” Toshinori declares. “Let’s get back to the analysis of this fight. Out of the four of them, who is the MVP of this exercise?”

Todoroki raises his hand and, when Toshinori nods at him, he says, “It was Shinso.”

Shinso looks surprised at that.

“Yes, Ida had taken to the role of villain surprisingly well,” Todoroki says as he folds his arms across his chest. “And if it hadn’t been for Shinso’s actions then I would have said Ida but Shinso is the one who took advantage of the fact that he is up against people who know about his Quirk. He used what he had at his disposal to use his Quirk while keeping Ida and Uraraka in a false sense of security. Since both Ida and Uraraka believed that Shinso was down for the count when Uraraka was able to use her Quirk on him, and focused their entire attention on Izuku, they failed to take into account that Shinso may have had another way of utilizing his Quirk. Thanks to the support item that he has on him, Shinso was able to make use of his Quirk to bring an end to this conflict swiftly and peacefully, without any injury, until after the exercise ended anyway.”

“Was that really necessary?” Midoriya grumbles, giving his friend an annoyed look.

Todoroki just smiles at him.

“That is correct, Todoroki,” says Toshinori. He pauses and, taking pity on his successor, adds, “Though the last part really wasn’t necessary.”

Todoroki shrugs but doesn’t take it back.

“Now then,” Toshinori says. “Let’s move on to the next exercise!” He reaches into the box and pulls out two balls, one revealed to be the letter B and the other one is letter G.

“Team B will be the heroes and Team G will be the villains,” Toshinori declares.

Bakugo huffs. “Why does this have to fucking happen again?” he grumbles.

“At least you aren’t gonna try and blow Izuku up this time,” Todoroki murmurs.

“Yeah,” Midoriya murmurs.

Toshinori decides, at the last second, that he really doesn’t want to know what happened the first time around during these combat trials. “The villain team will have five minutes to set up before the hero team goes in,” he declares.

“C’mon, bro,” Kirishima says with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bakugo says and the two of them make their way out of the control room while Todoroki wanders over to join Yaoyorozu.

“Hey Midoriya.”

Midoriya turns as Ashido jogs over to join him. “Yeah, Ashido?” he says.

“That was really cool, how you were jumping around all over the place and avoiding Ida,” says Ashido with a grin.

“Yeah, that was some damn good parkour moves there,” says Sero with a nod.

“I’ve done some parkour training in the past,” Midoriya admits. “And I figured that it would come in handy with my Quirk.”

Toshinori resists the urge to smile. His successor really has such a good handle on One for All but he knows that’s only because of the knowledge he has of the future, and everything that he had ever learned about his Quirk from the future. He finds himself thinking about the revelation that, eventually, his successor is going to get access to the Quirks of the previous users and concern goes through him.

While there hasn’t been any signs of that happening right now, Toshinori can’t help but worry for when, and he is positive that is a when, that happens.

I need to do more research on the previous One for All holders. Young Midoriya only knows about three of them who have Quirks, technically four if you count the First User, so I need to find out about the other three as soon as I can.

He needs to do everything in his power to prepare his successor for what is to come, because he doesn’t want his successor or the other two time travelers, to carry this heavy burden for too long. He will help to ease that burden and help to create a better future for everyone.

. . .

Katsuki folds his arms across his chest as he waits for the timer to start, glaring at the ground. He is sure that Icyhot is going to go for a quick victory but Katsuki isn’t going to let that happen. “Yo, Shitty Hair,” he says.

“It’s Kirishima,” Kirishima says.

“Yeah, whatever. You stay up here and guard the weapon from Ponytail. I’m heading out to kill that bastard Icyhot,” Katsuki says with a sharp grin, his hands already crackling with explosions.

“Ah, that’s not a very heroic thing to say,” Kirishima says but Katsuki, as soon as the timer begins, is already blasting away from the room, keeping in the air just in time to avoid the surge of ice. Kirishima yelps but hardens himself in time and uses his newly hardened body to smash through the ice, grunting.

“Damn, talk about overboard,” he mutters.

That’s fucking Icyhot for you. Katsuki propels his way down the stairwell with his explosions and, landing on the ice-covered ground, he skids across it but keeps moving. “Fucking Icyhot!” he shouts as he launches an explosion straight at the ice that surges toward him, obliterating it and charging forward, throwing himself to the side at the last second to avoid the surge of flames.

He grins sharply. “’Bout fucking time you use your fucking flames,” he says as he charges forward, unleashing an explosion at the ice that Icyhot sends toward him. He isn’t using both sides of his Quirk at the same time, probably because he, like the fucking nerd, wants to keep some cards close to his chest but Katsuki is fine with that.

This is a training exercise, and he’s just glad to finally be able to test himself out against Icyhot when he’s using both sides of his Quirk. It doesn’t matter that it’s not at the same time, so long as he’s using both sides of it.

“You sure you want to be focusing on me?” Icyhot asks as he jumps back to avoid an explosion.

“Tch, Shitty Hair can handle the weapon. I just wanna beat you while you’re using both sides of your Quirk, like you should have done last time!” Katsuki yells. Yes, he is still a bit peeved by that, even though it happened in his last life.

“That was last time.” A surge of flames rushes toward Katsuki who uses his explosions to propel himself into the air in time to avoid them, and the surge of flames is followed by a surge of ice that immediately puts the flames out.

He’s ensuring that his flames don’t catch the entire building on fire by using his ice quickly afterwards. Tch, guess he really is focusing on the exercise at the same time. Fucking bastard is so fucking annoying.

“This time, I’m going all out,” Icyhot says as his entire left side is engulfed in flames and Katsuki grins and shoots forward, raising his gauntlets and unleashing another explosion that Icyhot is forced to dodge out of the way of, a surge of ice shooting away from him as the flames go out. The wall of ice is enough to catch the explosion but Katsuki just lets out another one that tears through the ice wall.

He knows not to unleash too large an attack indoors during this exercise, since that’s what All Might scolded him on last time around, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t unleash smaller explosions in an attempt to get past Icyhot’s defenses.

This time, he won’t lose.

. . .

“Is it just me or is Bakugo not paying attention at all to the exercise?” Kaminari asks.

“Or, rather, on the fact that Todoroki is alone?” Ashido asks.

“He isn’t,” says Shinso, folding his arms across his chest. “He’s focusing all of his attention on Todoroki, not even paying attention to the fact that Yaoyorozu is not with him. But, at the same time, Kirishima’s Quirk does give him a bit of an advantage against Yaoyorozu. If she uses her Creation Quirk to create a weapon, it will have to be one to use in close combat, like a sword, because they need to treat that fake weapon like a real weapon.”

“So big weapons like cannons or flame throwers or things like that won’t be a good idea,” says Jirou, twirling her earphone jack around her finger.

Shinso nods in agreement.

“So I guess that was good thinking on Bakugo’s part,” Sero says.

“He’s underestimating Yaoyorozu,” Izuku says. “She’s one of the students to get into the Hero Course based on recommendations so I think she is far more clever than anyone’s giving her credit for.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Hagakure says. “Look at the screen. She’s found the weapon.”
All eyes turn back to the screen.

Touya pushes away from the control panel he’d been leaning against and walks out of the room, though only Izuku notices him leaving. He watches him go but decides against worrying about it as he turns his attention back to the screen.

. . .

Yaoyorozu Momo frowns to herself as she gazes at the weapon, and at Kirishima who is standing guard in front of it. His Quirk is current deactivated but Momo is sure that he will be able to activate his Quirk quickly, especially if he sees her. She knows that she doesn’t have to fight him. All she needs to do is get past him and claim the weapon.

She needs to find someway to distract him.

An explosion echoes behind and beneath her and she shivers as the cold continues to permeate the area around her. Her costume is not made for cold weather and she makes a note to make some adjustments to her costume when the winter months get closer. For now, though, it works because her Quirk works through use of her lipids and she needs access to bare skin in order to create something, or else it’ll just rip through her clothing.

But what can I make?

She hums to herself, crouching down when Kirishima’s eyes pass over the pillar that she’s crouched behind. She needs something to distract Kirishima that won’t endanger the weapon. It may be fake but Momo needs to treat this as if it’s a real situation, which means that she has to acknowledge the weapon as a true weapon, and anything that disturbs it can be catastrophic.

A smoke screen? Yes, that should work. The smoke won’t damage the weapon and if I’m quiet enough, I should be able to use that as the cover I need to get past Kirishima and to the weapon. She slowly removes her boots, since she can move quieter with bare feet, then focuses her Quirk, visualizing all the components that she needs to create a smoke grenade.

Once she has it down, and her Quirk starts working, she glances toward the door. Another explosion has echoed behind and beneath her and she finds herself hoping her partner, and fellow recommendation student, is all right.

Bakugo’s mistake was letting me past him, she thinks as the smoke grenade finishes being created and falls away from her chest to land in her hands. But he was too focused on Todoroki that he failed to take into account the danger that I posed.

She smiles to herself as she pulls the pin on the smoke grenade and throws it at Kirishima.

“Whoa, is that…?” Kirishima exclaims but the smoke explodes out of the grenade before he can finish his statement. He coughs, shielding his eyes from the smoke, and Momo darts away from the pillar, moving lightly on her feet as she darts around the edge of the room, her eyes fixed on the nuclear weapon.

She just needs to lay her hand on it, just touch it, and the exercise will be over in the hero team’s favor.

Another explosion echoes below but she ignores it as she runs lightly.

“Damn it!” Kirishima coughs and scans the area as best he can even though Momo is getting close enough to see the tears in his eyes. “Damn it, Bakugo! Why’d you let freaking Yaoyorozu Momo past you?!”

So even Kirishima sees Bakugo’s mistake. Momo smiles to herself as she darts forward and rests her hands on the nuclear weapon. “Claimed!” she declares.

“Hero team wins!” All Might shouts over their transceivers.

“Oh damn it!” Kirishima groans.

As the smoke fades away, Momo focuses on creating a wet washcloth and hands it to Kirishima. “Sorry. I didn’t think the smoke would be that strong,” she says.

“It’s fine. That was really cool though,” Kirishima says as he wipes his eyes with the wet washcloth.

“We should go check on our partners,” Momo adds.

“Yeah, definitely.”

They make their way out of the room and down the stairs, walking up on an interesting sight. The lower floor is pretty damaged with the windows all blown out, scorch marks on the ground and the ice only now starting to melt. Both Todoroki and Bakugo are on the ground, malleable metal bands wrapped around their forms, while an exasperated Todoroki Touya stands above them, arms folded across his chest.

“I had a feeling this would happen,” Todoroki-sensei says.

“Fuck!” Bakugo groans, thudding his head against the ice-covered floor. “I’m better than this! Why the fuck did I completely fucking space Ponytail?!”

“You were far too focused on fighting me while I’m using both sides of my Quirk,” says Todoroki. “But, Touya-nii, why am I tied up?”

“Oh, that? That was an accident.” Touya shrugs.

Todoroki gives his eldest brother an annoyed look. “Can you get me out of these?” he says.

“Oh, right. I should, huh?”

“How are you a fucking teacher again, you fucking gremlin?” Bakugo yells in annoyance.

Todoroki-sensei just smiles. “Eraser has been asking that question ever since Principal Nezu agreed to hire me,” he admits.

“Wait, Principal Nezu hired you? Never mind, that actually explains everything,” Todoroki deadpans.

“Yeah, it fucking does. That fucking rat is nuts.”

“I thought he was a bear.”

“I, personally, thought he was a dog,” Todoroki-sensei admits as he crouches beside Todoroki and Bakugo and starts removing the metal bands as Momo and Kirishima cross the remaining distance over to join them. “Ah, Yaoyorozu, Kirishima, good job,”

“Didn’t really do much on my end,” Kirishima admits with a sheepish smile as Bakugo and Todoroki get to their feet.

“Maybe not but you did learn something, right?”

“Yeah. Always be prepared when dealing with someone insanely powerful like Yaoyorozu!”

Momo blushes. “Ah, I’m not that powerful. My Quirk actually does have drawbacks,” she admits.

“All Quirks do,” says Todoroki-sensei. “Let’s get back to the control room. Are you two going to be all right and not try to fight on the way back?”

“We’re fucking fine,” Bakugo huffs.

“It’s fine, Touya-nii,” Todoroki says.

“Just being sure.”

It doesn’t take them long to reach the control room and, once they’re all inside, and Momo has used her Quirk to create herself more boots since she had left hers behind, All Might smiles. “All right, good job. Now, then, who is the MVP of this match?” he asks.

Midoriya raises his hand.

“Yes, Young Midoriya?”

“It was Yaoyorozu, All Might,” Midoriya says. “Kacchan and Shoto pretty much just started fighting and, while Shoto’s control over both sides of his Quirk is impressive, many of his moves were still incredibly reckless. Kacchan’s were just as reckless. They were treating it as an exercise, a chance to fight against each other, and not as the real-life situation that it’s supposed to be simulating. They were far too focused on each other too and didn’t take into account anything else, hence why Yaoyorozu was able to get past Kacchan and up to Kirishima. Kirishima’s mistake was that he had relied on Bakugo and hadn’t come up with a plan of his own in case Yaoyorozu made it past Bakugo. But not only did Yaoyorozu analyze the situation and come up with a plan that will work to distract Kirishima, but she did so taking into account the fact that they are supposed to be treating the weapon as real. She didn’t fight Kirishima, instead using the smoke as a screen to sneak past him and reclaim the weapon that way.”

“Right!” All Might gives him a thumbs up.

“It was the logical course of action,” Momo says simply.

“And, in situations such as this, sometimes, the logical course of action is the action that needs to be taken,” says All Might. “All right, let’s keep this going.”

. . .

It isn’t long before the rest of the exercises are handled. They go well with Izuku being the only one with an injury, something that Bakugo and Shoto don’t seem too keen on letting him forget anytime soon. He makes a point of ignoring Bakugo’s fall-related jokes and Shoto’s attempt to hide his own amused looks as he listens to All Might and Touya congratulate them all on a job well done today.

“Todoroki shall instruct you on what it is that you need to do next,” All Might states. “I shall see you all in class tomorrow!” He’s off so swiftly that he conjures up a cloud of dust in his wake and, while the rest of the class is a bit puzzled by his swift exit, Izuku knows it’s only because he’s run out of time.

“Yeah, well,” Touya says, “nothing much to it. You guys are getting homework.” Ignoring the groans from the class, he says, “You’re gonna do a short report on one of the exercises that you watched today. Go over everything that you learned about the situation and what you think could have be done differently. Turn it in next class. That’s it.” He waves a hand and strides off, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“It’s only the second day and we’ve already got homework,” Ashido complains.

“That is to be expected of U.A.,” Ida declares. “Let’s all head home so that we may get to work on that assignment.”

The rest of the class, some more reluctantly than others, nod in agreement and start heading in the direction of the main building.

. . .

Chapter Text

Izuku arrives early to U.A.

Just like last time, it’s completely swamped with reporters standing outside the gates, demanding that the teachers let them in so that they may speak with All Might. This time, though, he and Bakugo don’t have Touya to distract the reporters, since Touya had been asked to get to school far earlier than usual. Even Shoto is there and eyeing the reporters in annoyance.

“Can we…?” Bakugo begins.

“No,” Izuku deadpans.

“I don’t know. It would get us through quicker,” Shoto says.

“No,” Izuku deadpans.

“Tch, we’re gonna be fucking late if we gotta deal with those fucking reporters again,” Bakugo growls.

“Yeah and using our Quirks on them is only gonna get us in trouble,” Izuku says with a sigh. “Not to mention it won’t do anything to help the rest of our classmates.”

“So what do you suppose we do?” Shoto asks. “Sic Ida on them when he arrives and use that as a distraction to get past them and onto campus?”

Izuku raises an eyebrow at Shoto. “You know I wouldn’t have expected that from you. From Kacchan, yeah, but not you.”

“It seems like a good idea, given that Ida is the one who is the reason why half our class was able to sneak onto campus the first time around,” Shoto says with a shrug.

Bakugo snorts. “Those fucking reporters had to remind me about the fucking sludge villain incident. I was this close to up and decking one of ‘em,” he grumbles.

“I just used that I had to get to the infirmary as an excuse to get past them,” Izuku admits and, nodding to his arm, he adds, “Could probably use that excuse again.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you fell down a flight of stairs, fucking clumsy ass Zuku,” Bakugo says with a roll of his eyes and Izuku groans. At the very least, his mom hadn’t jumped to the conclusion that his broken arm had to do with his new Quirk, as he had been quick to explain that it had been because he hadn’t been watching where he was going and fell down a flight of stairs.

But, even though Recovery Girl had reset the bones, she still insisted that it remain in the sling for another day just to be on the safe side.

“What I don’t get is what happened to the barrier to begin with,” Shoto says with a frown. “What could have broken through the barrier enough to allow the media on, and cause that panic?”

Izuku turns to gaze at them with wide eyes as a thought occurs to him. He knows that someone had to have infiltrated U.A. to find out about the rescue training at the U.S.J. and that they had used the media infiltrating the U.A. campus as an excuse to get that information. But that means that whoever infiltrated U.A. had to have been working for Shigaraki, and Shigaraki’s Quirk…

“Guys,” he whispers. “Is it possible...do you think Shigaraki is in the city, close to U.A. right now?”

“You think…?” Shoto begins.

“I think so. His Quirk can easily break down the barrier after all,” says Izuku. “And, based on what we know, the person who got the information about the rescue training at the U.S.J. is working with the League so it makes since that Shigaraki would help that person out.”

“We still don’t know for sure if the person who stole that information about the rescue training is working with the League, or not, but it makes sense,” Shoto says. “We don’t really know much about what actually happened the day the media broke in, only what Aizawa told us in the future, and that had been the bare minimum when we asked him about it.”

Bakugo scowls. “If Shigaraki is in the fucking city then shouldn’t we fucking tell someone?” he asks.

“They can’t do anything, unless he’s actually posing a threat,” says Izuku. “Remember, no one knows of what Shigaraki is actually capable of. The U.S.J. incident is the first time that he actually does anything noteworthy. They won’t arrest him unless they have reason to.”

“If we could catch him in the act of breaking down the barrier though…” Shoto begins.

“It’s possible but, with the chaos of the media breaking in almost as soon as that happens, he’ll likely slip away during all of that. I don’t think we can stop that from happening and, since the rescue training is happening in only a few days, it’s too late to make any last minute changes to the schedule without tipping the enemy off.”

“So we’ve gotta rely on the fucking Brainwasher then?” Bakugo asks.

“If that doesn’t work, all we need is to get someone outside, even if it’s not Ida. So long as someone gets outside, they can run back to the main building and get help,” says Izuku. “For now, let’s focus on getting through that...and, no, we are not using our Quirks on them.”

“Fucking fine!” Bakugo growls.

Shoto sighs but nods in agreement. “It would not be a good idea,” he mutters and Izuku decides to ignore the slight disappointment he hears in his friend’s voice.

Ida arrives and the reporters pounce on him in an instant, probably because he is the first student to actually brave the masses and head for the gates first, even though the rest of Class 1-A, and a good portion of Class 1-B, are hovering out of the reporters’ way to avoid getting bombarded. As he gleefully starts talking about the kind of teacher All Might is, in a very long-winded technical way, Izuku, Bakugo, Shoto, the rest of Class 1-A, and a good portion of Class 1-B, are quick to use that distraction to get past the reporters.

Ida is very disappointed when the reporters turn their attention to someone else, which just so happens to be Aizawa, but makes his way onto the campus after the rest of the students. “It’s as if they didn’t want to listen to me talk,” he says in disappointment.

“Don’t worry too much about it, Ida,” Uraraka says.

“Yeah but thanks for distracting them,” Ojiro says.

“Yeah, all of us, and like half of Class B, were able to get on campus without getting bombarded thanks to you,” Hagakure says.

“Yeah, thanks,” Tetsutetsu calls from where he’s walking alongside Kendo. He gives Ida thumbs up and wanders off while Ida blinks, clearly surprised by the random thanks he just received from a classmates that he doesn’t know.

They make their way into their classroom and take their seat. It’s a few minutes before Aizawa, looking impassive in spite of the fact that he’s probably just as annoyed today as he had been the past few days they’ve had to deal with that mob of reporters, steps into the room.

“I’ve reviewed the results of your Battle training as well as the reports that you turned in to Todoroki,” Aizawa says as the door opens and Touya, looking annoyed, makes his way into the classroom, leaning against the board. “You have done well. Bakugo, Todoroki, do try to remember that class is not the time to hash out old grudges or petty rivalries.”

Bakugo grunts but nods in agreement.

“Okay,” Todoroki says.

“Midoriya, just pay attention to where you walk so you don’t injure yourself after an exercise,” Aizawa says.

“Yeah…” Izuku says while burying his face into his arms, face going red with embarrassment as Bakugo snickers in front of him.

“Now then,” Aizawa says. “It’s time that we did something that I have put off for a bit. It’s time that we decide on a Class Representative.”

Everyone cheers at the normal school activity before everyone starts shouting about how they want to be the Class Rep. Izuku remains silent, smiling softly as he listens to everyone chatter around him, until Ida cuts them off and tells everyone that the best way to choose a Class Rep is through a vote. Even if everyone votes for themselves, if someone manages to get more than one vote then it will show that they are likely the best qualified for the position.

Izuku nods in agreement.

“Will that be all right?” Ida asks Aizawa, who is already zipping himself up in his sleeping bag.

“Do what you want, so long as it’s decided by the end of class,” Aizawa says and promptly falls asleep.

As soon as he gets his ballot to write the name of his chosen rep on it, he’s already scribbling Ida’s name on it. He hands the ballot to Yaoyorozu as she collects them and carries them to the front where Aizawa, reluctantly, drags himself away from his sleeping bag to tally up the votes.

Ida walks away with three votes while Yaoyorozu and Izuku get two each.

“Huh?” Ida looks surprised.

“Wait, we’re tied?” Yaoyorozu says.

“I’m all right without being Class Rep, Yaoyorozu,” Izuku says. “So the position of Class Vice Rep is yours.”

Yaoyorozu frowns at him.

“I feel that you and Ida are better qualified to be our representatives,” Izuku says. “I’m not ready for something like that just yet.” I, more or less, just don’t want that responsibility weighing on my head when I already have too much weight on my shoulders.

“Very well,” says Aizawa. “The Class Representative will be Ida Tenya and the Class Vice Representative will be Yaoyorozu Momo.”

Ida nods as he strides to the front of the classroom and Yaoyorozu joins him, clearly deciding to accept Izuku’s reasoning and not protest his decision. “Very well, I accept this position and shall strive to be the best Class Rep that this class has seen,” he declares.

Yaoyorozu nods in agreement.

The rest of the day pretty much goes exactly as it had the last time around, including the mass stampede as soon as the alarm declaring a security breach echoes throughout the school. Izuku sighs as he watches Ida crash into the wall above the emergency exit sign and shouts at everyone to calm down, reminding them that they are U.A. students and that they must act befitting of that, and that it’s only the media.

If that doesn’t show that Ida is the best choice for Class Rep, nothing will.

As classes end for the day, Izuku is only somewhat surprised when Aizawa quietly asks him, Bakugo, and Shoto to stay behind once the rest of the class have already left. Once they’re gone, Aizawa returns to his desk and leans against the wall.

“I found out something,” he says. “About the Shimuras.”

“What about them?” Bakugo asks. “What’s so important about those people?”

“Shigaraki’s birth name is Shimura,” says Izuku. “That’s what I found out toward the end of the war during my fight with Shigaraki. He’s the grandson of Nana Shimura.” Only Bakugo and Shoto know the significance of that woman but they say nothing.

“I found out that Kotaro Shimura had two children, Hana and Tenko,” says Aizawa. “But, fifteen years ago, Kotaro, his wife, his daughter, and his in laws were all killed and his son went missing. There has been no record whatsoever of what happened with Tenko Shimura, only that he seemingly vanished after his family had been killed. Based on the crime scene evidence that I dug up, nothing was left at the crime scene, only dust and blood.”

“Dust? But Shigaraki’s…” Shoto trails off, face paling.

“He had to have been like...five or something fifteen years ago, since he’s like twenty or so now,” Izuku says, face paling. “Don’t tell me…”

“It’s possible, given what you’ve told me about Shigaraki’s Quirk,” says Aizawa quietly. “But, given how young he had been, I suspect that it was an accidental activation of his Quirk, given that his Quirk has a five-point-contact activation and those are insanely hard to control when they first awaken. It does not excuse what he will do come Wednesday, or what he did in the future that you come from. It’s simply a statement of fact.”

“It makes me...feel sorry for him,” Izuku admits. “But him seemingly disappearing, and then reappearing as Shigaraki, makes me wonder...could that have been when…?” He trails off thoughtfully because the more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. If All for One had found Shigaraki after he had just killed his family and was still so young then he could have easily manipulated him into going down the villain’s path, then that’ll explain a lot.

It doesn’t excuse what he will do on Wednesday, or in the future, but Izuku can’t help but wonder if, maybe, it’s possible to save Shigaraki.

After all, in that last moment, when the League had retreated, Izuku is positive he saw something deep in Shigaraki’s eyes, beyond the hate and anger and madness, that had been calling out for help.

“You shouldn’t feel sorry for a fucking villain,” Bakugo growls.

“Maybe I shouldn’t,” Izuku says, “but...in the future...there had been a moment, one tiny split second, when I’m positive I saw Shigaraki’s eyes asking for someone to help him and I just think...if it’s possible to save Shigaraki then I want to try.”

“It’s commendable to want to save a villain and turn them to the good side,” says Aizawa. “And it’s not wrong. However, you must also be fully prepared to do what needs to be done, to defeat and arrest Shigaraki, if it becomes clear that he is too far gone to be saved.”

“I know,” Izuku says.

“I don’t think that bastard can fucking be saved,” Bakugo says with a scoff.

“Maybe he can’t but...maybe not everyone is beyond redemption,” says Shoto. “Either way, I don’t know if Shigaraki can be saved. Yeah, he had a terrible childhood but so did I, and I turned out fine...eventually.”

“My childhood in my last life was terrible too,” Izuku says and Bakugo flinches, looking away with a scowl, “and I know I could have easily gone down that same path but I didn’t. It’s all about choice. Even if Shigaraki has made his choice, I believe that he can still choose a different path to walk.”

“You have a great ambition,” Aizawa says, “but you must also look to what is realistic, and what is true.”

“I know. I won’t be reckless. When it comes to Shigaraki, I can’t be reckless. He causes a lot of damage, a lot of tragedy, in the future. I can only hope that the actions that I take now can help to stop or, at least, lessen the magnitude of what’s to come. But if I have the chance then I’m going to try.”

Aizawa sighs, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “We’ll shelve that for the time being,” he says. “That’s far too much to unpack right now. For now, we should focus on the U.S.J. As you told me, the training schedule for Wednesday had been stolen but, since that’s only a few days from now, we can’t change it. It would take too long and postponing it will tip off the enemy just as much as changing who will be there.”

“We just need one person to get outside, if Shinso isn’t capable of Brainwashing Kurogiri,” says Izuku.

“I will do what I can to distract the villains,” says Aizawa.

“Please, be careful when going after Shigaraki,” says Izuku. “That weapon that Shigaraki wants to use against All Might is going to be there.”

Aizawa’s eyes soften and he nods. “I will be, Problem Child,” he says.

“Also, I’ve got a request,” Izuku says as he thinks about what happened during the Battle training a few days ago. “It’s about Shinso.”

“What about him?”

“In the future, when Shinso is taking the test to get into the Hero Course, you’re the one who took him under your wing and started training him in the use of your capture weapon,” says Izuku. “Since he doesn’t really have much combat skills right now and can’t rely on his Quirk, I was thinking that you could give him training with a capture weapon now.”

Aizawa hums but nods. “I’ll look into it,” he says.

. . .

“And you’re not going to be distracted by fights or crimes occurring around you on your way to work?”

“I said that I would not.”

“Just making sure. Today’s the day that everything happens after all.”

“I know, Young Midoriya. I will be there this time around.”

“I guess I’m just a bit worried, that’s all.”

“I understand. This is the first major thing that’s happening again for you, right?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“We will ensure that you and the rest of your class are kept safe, Young Midoriya. I promise you that.”

“Thank you, All Might.” Izuku hangs up and glances toward Katsuki and Shoto, who both are leaning against the wall outside of his apartment. They walk away from the apartment and head down the stairs. They had decided to take the train today. “He’s on his way to the school.”

“I’m glad that he’s taking your warning to heart and not jumping to every single crime that he hears about,” says Icyhot.

Katsuki rolls his eyes but he knows that All Might being at his full power is one of the advantages that they are going to have when the villains attack the U.S.J. today. So long as the Brainwasher doesn’t fuck things up with Kurogiri, it should be smooth sailing. But, if not...

They just need to get one person outside the dome. That’s it. If they can get one person outside then that one person can run for help. Katsuki will admit that Four Eyes is the best choice, given how fast he is, but he needs to be wary. Kurogiri can separate them if they aren’t careful after all.

“What do we do if that fucking warp gate does end up separating us?” he asks out loud.

“Get back to the front doors as quickly as possible, and don’t get in the way of Aizawa fighting the villains,” says Izuku. “He knows about the Nomu and that it will be there, and he knows about Shigaraki’s Quirk, which should help him to avoid getting as injured as he had last time. And, since All Might will be there from the very beginning, he’ll be focused entirely on the Nomu so Aizawa will just have to focus on Shigaraki and the other villains.”

“Tch, if that fucking warp gate separates us again, I’m fucking killing it,” Katuski growls.

“Like you tried to last time?” Icyhot deadpans.

“In case you fucking forgot, I had a fucking Nomu attacking me and All Might had to intervene. I had the bastard before that,” Katsuki growls. He pauses, then adds, “What about Flameball?”

“Flameball?” Icyhot echoes.

“He means Touya,” Izuku says. “Yeah, now that I think about it, Aizawa only said that he, Thirteen, and All Might would be at the U.S.J. but never said anything about Touya, even though Touya is an assistant teacher to the Hero Course.”

“He could be assisting Class B at the time, which is why he isn’t on the list of teachers that’ll be there,” says Icyhot.

“True. Shoto, do you think you could get a message to Touya if something happens?”

“Not if they’re interfering with our phones like they had last time.”

“True.” Izuku sighs in frustration and Katsuki growls and folds his arms across his chest.

“Why not just let Thirteen handle distracting the fucking warp gate so Ida can get out?” he asks.

“The last time that happened, Kurogiri turned Thirteen’s own power against her,” says Icyhot. “That’s how she got as hurt as she had but this is also supposing that Shinso doesn’t react in time to take control of Kurogiri’s mind.”

“We gotta be ready for anything, fucking Icyhot,” Katsuki retorts.

Icyhot gives him an annoyed look but nods in agreement. “I know this,” he says.

“Just in case you fucking forgot.”

Icyhot rolls his eyes.

Izuku smiles. “You know…” he begins and, when they glance at him, he says, “it’s so different seeing you two act like this. Before, you two basically couldn’t stand each other.”

“Yeah, well, shit happened,” Katsuki says with a shrug. It’s true. A ton of shit has happened and Katsuki really can’t see himself as ever going back to the way he had been before the war, or before Kamino for that matter. “We’re all stuck in the same shit together so we may as well get along so we can fuck the enemy up more easily rather than fighting each other all the fucking time.”

“What he said, without all the swear words,” Icyhot says.

Katsuki rolls his eyes. It’s not as if Icyhot doesn’t swear himself, because he does on occasion. The nerd is really the only one who hasn’t dropped the F-bomb at all but he pushes that thought aside. For now, they need to focus on what’s more important, and that is making sure the U.S.J. incident isn’t nearly as bad as what happened the first time around.

Katsuki doesn’t want Aizawa to get as injured as he had been the last time and, while he is all for kicking the butt of that warp gate and ensuring that Shigaraki can’t escape through him, he also knows that he can’t be reckless. He hates holding himself back but, in this case, he’ll keep some of his cards close to his chest, like the nerd and Icyhot have been doing since they got back.

“C’mon, we’ve gotta get going,” says Icyhot.

“Yeah, we know,” Katsuki growls and turns to Izuku. “You better not get your ass hurt like last time, nerd.”

“I don’t plan on it, Kacchan,” Izuku says as the three of them make their way toward the train station. “By the way, Shoto, I’m surprised Touya didn’t offer to drive us again today.”

“He got called away to work on a case early this morning,” Icyhot replies. “He probably won’t even be assisting with Class B today ‘cause I don’t know how long that case is going to take him.”

Katsuki stuffs his hands into his uniform pants as he follows Icyhot and Izuku onto the train upon reaching the station and move over to a spot next to the window. He leans against it, gazing out through the pane of glass, his thoughts on what is coming in only a few short hours.

And on the nightmares that had woken him up again. He glances toward where Izuku and Icyhot are talking to each other, neither of them aware of his look, but he doesn’t say anything. It’s not as if they don’t have their own share of scars after all but Katsuki can still, every now and then, feel the phantom pains of those wires spearing through his body. Even now, he can feel them and he has to concentrate in order to push the memory that had triggered those phantom pains away.

He can’t allow the trauma from the future to distract him from what he needs to do.

The U.S.J. is only the first of many life-changing events that are to come and, in comparison with the War, it’s nothing but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t still have its own scarring moments. Katsuki can only hope that the Brainwasher won’t fuck everything up and it won’t be nearly as bad as last time.

Then, maybe, the bad memories from the last time around can be replaced by better ones.

That’s what Katsuki hopes he, the nerd, and Icyhot can accomplish by their actions, to make the necessary changes to ensure that the bad memories from the terrible future they come from can be replaced by better ones.

Hn, I sound fucking inspirational or whatever the fuck that was.

He pushes the thought aside as he returns his gaze to the glass pane, doing what he can to mentally prepare himself for what is to come.

. . .

Shoto takes a deep breath, releases it, and repeats the process as he gazes up at the sky, his arms resting lightly across his chest. All around him, his class are gathered, waiting for the bus that will take them to the U.S.J. to arrive. All of them are chattering excitedly about the upcoming rescue training that they’re going to be doing as well as speculating on who is going to be aiding Aizawa and All Might in teaching them today.

Only three are more somber than ever.

Even though Izuku is putting on a brave face, smiling and chatting with Uraraka and Ida, his eyes say a different story.

Even though Bakugo is being his usual temperamental self, scowling and yelling at Kirishima and Kaminari when they start teasing him about being a fuming Pomeranian, his eyes are far more haunted than anyone will ever notice, unless they know what to look for.

As for Shoto, he stays clear of the rest of the class. Most of the class might see that as him being his usual coolly aloof self, who usually only ever opens up and reacts around Izuku and Bakugo, but this is merely his attempt to steady his nerves, to relax, to mentally prepare himself.

He may not have been at the heart of what happened, and certainly hadn’t gotten scarred by witnessing what happened to Aizawa-sensei, but that doesn’t mean that he had missed all of it. He had been present when All Might started fighting that Nomu, and had seen the sheer power of that Nomu firsthand.

But he hadn’t seen all of it. Maybe that’s why it’s easier for him to prepare himself for what is to come because he had only really seen the aftermath.

But, then, so had Bakugo.

Shoto lets loose a breath. He knows what the real problem is. Though neither Izuku nor Bakugo have said so out loud, Shoto is positive that all three of them can’t stop thinking about the future that they come from.

Specifically, the war, and all that happened during it.

“Everyone!” Ida shouts. “Everyone, on the bus, please make two lines and enter the bus in an orderly fashion.”

The bus’s layout doesn’t really work for the idea that Ida had in mind, much to his disappointed embarrassment, and Shoto finds himself taking a sit next to Izuku with Shinso on his other side, unlike last time. Bakugo is lounging on the seat on the other side of Izuku with Asui sitting on his other side while Kirishima, Ashido, Ida, Uraraka, and Kaminari are sitting across from them.

The bus starts off and Shoto turns his gaze out the window, listening to the conversations that are echoing around them. They don’t sound the same as they had last time, though Asui questioning Izuku on his Quirk and comparing it to All Might’s remains the same.

This time, Izuku seems prepared. “I’m pretty sure All Might doesn’t jump around like I do, Tsuyu,” he says.

“Yeah, All Might doesn’t hop around like a fucking bunny,” Bakugo scoffs.

“I don’t hop around like a bunny, Kacchan,” Izuku says in annoyance.

Shoto tilts his head to the side as he thinks about how Izuku’s Full Cowling causes him to jump from building to building, as well as his parkour training in the months before the entrance exam, and hums in disagreement. “You make an adorable green-haired bunny, Izuku,” he says with a completely straight face.

Izuku sputters, cheeks going red. “Shoto!” he cries, burying his face into his hands as Ashido bursts out laughing and Uraraka cracks a grin of amusement and Bakugo cackles. Even a small half-smile of amusement crosses Shinso’s lips before it fades.

“Well, you do,” Shoto says simply.

“I’ve so gotta draw that or something,” Ashido cries around her laughter.

“Please don’t,” Izuku pleads but Ashido is grinning with sparkling eyes.

Aoyama giggles as he leans over his seat to peer at them. “Though, back to Midoriya’s Quirk, you gotta admit it was rather strong, just like All Might’s, though not very flashy,” he says with a sparkle in his eyes. How that’s possible, Shoto still doesn’t know.

“If we wanna talk about flashy Quirks then we gotta mention Todoroki and Bakugo,” says Asui. “Though Bakugo’s temperament probably won’t make him very popular.”

“What the fuck? I can be plenty popular, Frog!” Bakugo yells.

Shinso coughs something that sounds suspiciously like ‘bullshit’ and Kaminari must have overheard him if the snicker that escapes his lips is any indication.

“See?” Asui waves a hand toward him.

Bakugo fumes.

“Ah, he’s just a fuming Pomeranian,” Izuku says with a cheeky grin.

“...the fuck? I’ll fucking kill you, you fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells back at him.

“Ow, Kacchan! I’m literally right next to you! You don’t gotta yell,” Izuku exclaims, rubbing his ears while Shoto has to bite his cheek to keep from snickering at the fuming expression on Bakugo’s face that really does make him look like an angry Pomeranian.

“Ugh, fucking cheeky ass nerd,” Bakugo growls and then glares at Shoto. “This is your fucking fault, Icyhot.”

Shoto tilts his head to the side. “And why is this my fault?” he says because he can’t, for the life of him, figure out why Izuku being far cheekier and sarcastic this time around is his fault. He’s pretty sure it’s because Izuku’s childhood had been different, considering he never did lose his friendship with Bakugo, even if Bakugo still won’t admit it’s friendship.

It is. It totally is.

“It just is, fucking Icyhot!”

“Yes because that’s a completely valid reason.”

Ashido chokes on air while Ida stares as if he can’t believe that Shoto just unleashed a sarcastic quip at Bakugo.

“Holy shit, Todoroki! I didn’t think you had it in you,” Ashido exclaims.

“He’s got a point though,” Kirishima says, leaning forward and grinning at Bakugo, tilting his head slightly to the side. “That’s not a very valid reason.”

Bakugo abruptly avoids Kirishima’s gaze, glaring at the ceiling of the bus. “I don’t gotta fucking explain myself to any of you extras,” he snaps.

“You can’t look Kirishima in the eye~” Izuku singswith a shit-eating grin on his lips.

“You should not be fucking talking. You’re fucking hopeless, you both are!” Bakugo yells back.

Shoto frowns. “Why do you say that?”

Bakugo stares at him.

Shoto stares back, completely serious because he can’t get what Bakugo is talking about.

Bakugo turns and bangs his head hard against the window behind him.

“Ah, Bakubro! Don’t do that,” Kirishima exclaims.

“Un-fucking-believable!” Bakugo groans, slamming his head one more time into the window pane. “Un-fucking-believable! I’ve already fucking spelled it out for both of you, you damn hopeless morons! Just fucking kiss already!”

Izuku and Shoto both go red, with Shoto’s entire left side bursting into flames as a result of his sudden flustered state, while Ashido chokes on air again and Kaminari yells at Aizawa that Shoto’s on fire.

“Problem Children, all of you,” Aizawa snaps in annoyance as he turns to glare at them, his Quirk lighting up his eyes and putting out the flames that had momentarily dominated Shoto’s left side. In spite of his flustered state, he is glad that he had been able to prevent his flames from touching Izuku. The last thing he wants is to burn him.

“Why would you even say that, Kacchan?” Izuku groans, burying his face into his hands. “I’ve told you this before! We’re just friends!”

“Y...Yeah,” Shoto insists, though, truth be told, that warm feeling at the thought of kissing Izuku is rearing its head again and he can’t help but think about it. It’s a good thing Aizawa’s Quirk is still activated, and fixated on him, because he’s sure that he would have burst into flames again at the mental images that thought brought to his mind.

His face still remains as red as half of his hair though and he ducks his head with a groan.

“Dude, you’re usually so laidback, Todoroki,” Kirishima says, leaning back in his seat, “and yet you’re all flustered all of a sudden.”

“It’s quite...odd,” Yaoyorozu says from her seat nearby. “I’ve never seen you like this before, Todoroki-kun.”

“Fucking Icyhot was never in love before,” Bakugo growls.

“Stop saying that!” Izuku cries.

“I’m not...that’s not…” Shoto just completely trails off and goes silent, unable to comprehend anything that’s happening right, nor those odd feelings that are going through him, feelings that, if he’s being completely honest with himself, he’s been feeling ever since the end of the Sports Festival in his last life.

Feelings that he can’t help but feel for the kind, green-haired sweetheart that is currently blushing a bright red with his face buried in his hands.

He shakes his head, still not sure what those feelings are.

Is Bakugo right? But...I don’t understand...why now? Or have I really been skirting around these feelings for so long? Is it because I didn’t know what they were before, and still don’t now, at least not really?

He doesn’t know.

“We’re here,” Aizawa says as he blinks and turns his gaze to the massive dome that the bus has come to a stop in front of.

All traces of humor fades immediately from the three time travelers. Bakugo’s earlier rage and annoyance is gone, his face going completely blank, his eyes glittering with anger that almost completely hides the uncertainty Shoto can see beneath. Izuku goes completely silent, somberness shrouding him like a blanket and his eyes going expressionless, impassive, haunted. Shoto’s own eyes go cold, his face rigid, his entire body tense and coiled like a cobra ready to spring.

This is it. The first of many major conflicts between the heroes of Class 1-A and the villains of the League of Villains is about to happen once again.

And Shoto can only hope that their plan will be enough to work.

. . .

All traces of embarrassment or humor or annoyance or even those flustered feelings are gone as Izuku follows the rest of his class into the U.S.J. Everyone is chatting about it, amazed by the place and by Thirteen’s arrival, but Izuku can’t focus on that. He’s too busy assessing the area, scanning all possibly places to escape should his original plan not work. The only thing that is different now than from the first time around is All Might, in all his muscular glory, is standing on Thirteen’s other side, his usual smile gracing his lips.

That is already bound to change everything.

Izuku glances at Bakugo and Shoto. They catch his eye and give him a slight nod, though a scowl dominates Bakugo’s lips. Bakugo moves over to stand beside Kirishima while Shoto is edging through the group to join Shinso while Izuku falls back so that he’s standing closer to Ida.

Neither of them pay attention to Thirteen’s speech. They are too focused.

We just need to get our class out of here. Once we’re out, Aizawa-sensei and All Might and Thirteen won’t have to worry about protecting us as well as fighting the villains. That’s all. We just have to all get out of here.

It sounds so simple but Izuku can’t be positive that it will be as simple as it sounds.

Their plan is simple, yes, but there are many things that can still go wrong. For now, though, they have their parts to play and they have to be quick.

As soon as the villains make their move, Izuku, Shoto, and Bakugo are going to make theirs.

He’s glad that Aizawa and All Might know, even if they don’t know all of the details of Izuku’s plan.

Just get our class out of the U.S.J. That’s all that we gotta do. We can let the Pros handle this.

Thirteen’s speech ends and Ida starts shouting, “Bravo! Bravo!” while everyone else cheers and Uraraka grins.

The lights start flickering.

Izuku moves to Ida’s side.

Bakugo moves to Kirishima’s.

Shoto moves to Shinso’s.

All Might and Aizawa move closer to Thirteen.

Down in the middle of the plaza, a swirling vortex of pitch-blackness materializes out of nowhere and tension descends upon the class in an instant as Shigaraki Tomura makes his first appearance, hands firmly in place on his face, arms and head. More and more villains spill out of the swirling warp gate as Aizawa and All Might step forward, Aizawa lowering the goggles over his eyes and All Might clenching his hands into fists.

“Thirteen,” Aizawa says firmly. “Protect the students and get them out of here.”

“What’s going on?” Sero says in puzzlement.

“Has the exercise already started, like with the entrance exam?” Shoji asks.

“No,” Aizawa says as he lowers his hand, goggles firmly in place. “Those are real villains.”

“What?!”

There’s no time to talk, Izuku thinks as he moves to Ida’s side swiftly. “Ida,” he whispers.

Ida jumps and turns toward him. “Midoriya…” he begins.

“You need to get back to the main building,” Izuku says swiftly, “tell the other teachers of what’s happening.”

“What? You can’t expect me to…”

“Did they only appear here, or around the whole school?” Shoto says in response to Yaoyorozu bringing up the sensors that should have warned them of the villains’ arrival. “Either way, if the sensors are not responding, that means they have someone with a Quirk that can do that. An isolated area separated from the main campus during a time when a class is supposed to be here. They’re not dumb. This surprise attack was carefully planned.”

“And because the sensors aren’t working, no one may know what’s going on here, Ida,” Izuku says quietly, swiftly. “You’re the fastest one out of all of us. We’ll be right behind you but…”

Movement sounds and Izuku turns in time to see All Might launching himself away from the crowd of students, tearing through several of the villains like they are nothing more than pieces of paper and lunging toward Shigaraki. As expected, Nomu is there in an instant, intercepting All Might’s attack.

Aizawa is already hot on All Might’s heels, his capture scarf already lashing out, grabbing villains left and right while his Quirk evens out the playing field. Thirteen is shouting at everyone to start heading back to the bus now.

“We’ll be right behind you, Ida, but go on ahead and warn the other teachers,” Izuku insists.

Ida swallows but nods. “You do raise a good point,” he says as he hurries after the rest of the students, heading toward the door.

For a split second, Izuku thinks that they might be able to get out before Kurogiri moves.

He’s wrong and all twenty students, and one teacher, skid to an abrupt halt when Kurogiri suddenly materializes in front of them, cutting off their escape.

“We are sorry to impose upon you,” says Kurogiri. “We are the League of Villains, and we have decided to appear before you today for the sole purpose of ensuring that the Symbol of Peace takes his last breath.”

“Like hell you’ll kill All Might!” Kirishima yells but Bakugo grabs him before he can lunge at the warp gate.

“However,” Kurogiri says as if Kirishima hadn’t spoken, “we simply cannot allow you children to bring reinforcements. I am afraid that I must ensure that does not happen.

Izuku places his hand on Ida’s arm, glancing over his shoulder in time to see Shoto whispering something to Shinso who is nodding slowly as if in agreement. Shoto gives Izuku a small thumbs up and he nods and turns to Ida. “When you have an opening, make for the door,” he whispers. “I promise we will be right behind you. We’ll be okay but you have to get through those doors as soon as you see an opening.”

“Midoriya, while you do raise a good point, I do not feel right…” Ida begins.

“You must,” Izuku says. “We’ll be fine.”

“Everyone, move back,” Thirteen shouts, moving forward and raising her hand.

Shinso strides forward. “Yo, villain, who the heck did you say you were again? I couldn’t hear you with the sound of Aizawa-sensei and All Might kicking the asses of every single one of your stupid-ass allies down there,” he says.

“You insolent little…” Kurogiri abruptly cut off, glowing yellow eyes going blank and distant.

Shinso smiles. “Move aside and do not stop any of us from leaving the building,” he says calmly.

Like a puppet on strings, Kurogiri moves his entire body aside, leaving the path to the door clear.

“Ida, go,” Izuku says sharply.

“Follow me!” Ida shouts and bolts toward the door.

Thirteen turns to Shinso and then inclines her head. “A bit reckless, young man, but, nonetheless, effective.” She turns and points. “You heard your Class Rep! Follow him! Hurry!”

Izuku exchanges glances with Bakugo and Shoto and the three of them hurry after the rest of the class. Thirteen remains at Shinso’s side, guiding him while he focuses his entire attention on Kurogiri, ensuring that his concentration isn’t broken so that he can maintain control of Kurogiri.

A rush of cool air suddenly erupts behind him and he whirls around in time to see Shoto conjure up a massive wall of ice that catches a hailstorm of blades. They embed themselves into the ice and Shoto lets loose a frosty breath. “I think the lead villain noticed something was wrong with that warp gate,” he says, being careful to avoid saying any names, since they aren’t supposed to know any names.

“How long does Shinso’s Brainwashing even last?” Kaminari asks from where he is still jogging toward the door.

“I hope it’s long enough,” Jirou says.

As far as I know, it’ll only break if Kurogiri is disturbed somehow, like how Ojiro broke free when he bumped into Shiozaki during the Cavalry Battle or like how I broke free by breaking my fingers to use One for All during my fight with Shinso. If any of those blades had gotten past Shoto’s wall of ice then that might’ve been enough to break Kurogiri free.

“We can discuss that more later. Go!” Thirteen calls.

The ice wall shatters.

Thirteen whirls around and holds out a hand. “Black Hole!” she shouts as she activates her Quirks, sucking in the blades and pieces of ice that are suddenly sailing toward her. “I’ll handle the villains that got up here. The rest of you, keep moving.”

Shinso darts away from Kurogiri, though his gaze is still fixed on the warp gate. Bakugo falls back to his side, not touching him but staying close enough just in case.

Shoto darts to Izuku’s side as the doors are wrenched open and Ida is out of them, activating his Quirk and speeding away from the rest of the class. “I’ll go and get help,” Ida shouts over his shoulder as he runs.

“Outside, now,” Thirteen orders as she continues to suck in the blades. She stumbles back, gritting her teeth. “Damn, there are so many of them. That warp gate must not have been the only one to get past Eraser when he blinked.”

“C’mon, you two morons!” Bakugo calls.

“Let’s go,” Shoto says.

Izuku nods and the two of them dart away. He suddenly gasps as he feels Shoto slam his body straight into him, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. His eyes widen in shock as he finds Shoto crouched protectively over him.

“Shoto…” he begins but breaks off, horror flooding his face upon seeing the droplets of blood falling onto his chest.

Blood pouring from the blade that had pierced straight through Shoto’s chest.

. . .

Katsuki curses upon seeing Icyhot ram himself into Izuku, knocking him down right as the stray blade that Thirteen’s Black Hole hadn’t been able to catch spears through Icyhot’s body. His eyes widen and he can’t help but remember.

Those wires surging forward.

Him shoving Izuku out of the way.

The pain. Such terrible pain.

He hears screams.

He doesn’t realize they’re his own until he feels hands on his shoulders.

“Bakugo! Calm down! C’mon, man, it’s okay!”

He can’t even stop the trembles. He can’t stop the fear. Even if the screams are dying away, he can’t see anything but blood and those terrible wires that fire away from Shigaraki’s form. He can’t stop feeling the pain.

“Breathe with me, bro. Breathe! C’mon! You’re panicking, Bakugo! Breathe!”

He doesn’t even realize that he isn’t breathing properly. He doesn’t even notice how much more rapid and harsher his breathing is getting. He can’t. He can’t notice anything else. The pain. The pain is so much. The blood is literally bathing everything around him.

“Kaminari! Sero! Help me get Bakugo out of here! He’s having a panic attack and he won’t snap out of it!”

Katsuki screams, lashing out and explosions erupt from his hands.

“Whoa, Bakugo! It’s us! It’s Kirishima, Bakugo! I’m your classmate! Calm down!”

He’s shaking. He can’t stop shaking. The fear. He can’t stop the fear. He hates it. He hates how weak he feels right now, how utterly helpless to the ghosts of agony, to the phantom pains. He hates it. This isn’t who he is. He is stronger than this, and yet it’s so hard for him to calm down. It’s so hard for him to stop seeing that blood, those dreadful wires, that cruel smile on Shigaraki’s/All for One’s lips. He can’t stop seeing it.

He can’t stop screaming. He can’t stop lashing out. He can’t stop the explosions that erupt out of his hands.

“Shit!”

“Kirishima!”

“It’s fine. I’m fine! I just activated my Quirk. I’ll get him out of here. Get out now! More villains got by Aizawa-sensei. Get out before they decide to attack you.”

Aizawa-sensei…

No. No.

Blood. Aizawa’s face soaked in blood. His entire body motionless, blood flowing from his hastily amputated leg, his eyes closed. His body is so still…

No. No.

He can’t be…

But Katsuki doesn’t know. He doesn’t know anything. He doesn’t know.

He hates it. He hates not knowing. He hates all of this.

The crackle of flames erupts followed abruptly by crackling ice.

“Kirishima…”

“I’ve got Bakugo!”

Katsuki feels nothing. He can’t hear anything. He doesn’t feel anything. He feels numb.

What is…? This isn’t…

Aizawa-sensei...Icyhot...Izuku…

Everything is so chaotic. He can’t even begin to make sense of what’s happening around him. He can’t. Nothing makes sense. Everything is mingling together. Present and future are all colliding within his head. He can’t make any sense out of anything that’s happening.

It hurts. His head hurts. His body aches. Those phantom pains are still assaulting him.

Everything hurts. Everything aches.

“It’s okay, man, we’re outside. We’re safe.”

For some reason, Katsuki is starting to feel the same way. He doesn’t know why. He doesn’t know what’s going on. Everything is still so muddled and still tinted with red but he feels safe, he feels secure, he feels warm.

The earlier panic fades. It all goes away, fading away like mist in sunlight, and Katsuki looks up to find himself gazing into the hardened face of Kirishima Eijiro.

He’s being carried. In Kirishima’s arms.

He’s being carried in Kirishima’s arms.

He shoves Kirishima, a scowl twisting his lips as his panic fades entirely. “Let me go!” he snaps.

“Hey, you’re back with us,” Kirishima says with a grin but the worry remains in his eyes.

Katsuki avoids his look, scowling and glaring at the ground as he shoves at Kirishima. No matter how part of him actually feels nice and comfortable in Kirishima’s arms, now matter how warm he feels right now, this is far too embarrassing.

Everything that just happened is far too embarrassing.

Fucking hell! Of all fucking times to have a fucking flashback and panic attack, it would have to be fucking now?! What the actual fuck?

He shoves at Kirishima again. “I said put me down, fucking Shitty Hair!” he shouts.

“Okay! Okay!” Kirishima quickly puts him down.

Katsuki sways and turns, noticing that the entire class, with the exception of Ida, are gathered around them. He whirls around. “Where the fuck is Zuku and Icyhot?” he demands.

“They’re still in there,” Kirishima say. “You were having such a massive panic attack that I just got you out of there as quickly as I could before it got worse.”

“Fuck!” Katsuki starts heading toward the building again but Kirishima grabs him. “Let me the fuck go, Shitty Hair!”

“You can’t go back in there,” Kirishima protests.

“Fucking Icyhot’s injured, you damn moron!”

The doors slam open before Kirishima can respond and Katsuki watches as Izuku stumbles out of the U.S.J., green eyes flashing with fear and worry and green lightning already crackling around his form. Held securely in his arms, his body stained with blood, his face pale, his eyes closed, is Icyhot.

“Todoroki-kun!” Uraraka cries.

“I’m going to the main building! Uraraka, please, make Shoto weightless so I won’t injure him more on accident!” Izuku shouts as he moves forward as swiftly as he can to avoid making Icyhot’s terrible injury worse. The blade is still there but Katsuki has no doubt that the nerd hadn’t wanted to risk moving it.

He has to fight back the urge to shiver at the sight of that blade impaling Icyhot.

Uraraka swallows and darts forward, touching the pads of her fingers to Icyhot, and then the blade itself so that it won’t weigh them down.

“Thank you,” Izuku says and darts off, crackling lightning erupting around his form as he leaps into the air, bounding from tree to tree so swiftly that he is little more than a blur of crackling green lightning.

“Don’t let the villains escape,” Katsuki says sharply, pointing at the door. “Barricade the door or something ‘till the teachers arrive.”

“I’ve got it,” Ponytail says as she moves forward, her Quirk already at work to create several metal bars that she starts stacking in front of the door while Tape Face darts forward, using his Tape to secure the door even further.

“Will Aizawa-sensei, All Might, and Thirteen be all right ‘till backup arrives?” Invisigirl asks in concern.

“They’re strong. I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Sparkle says, though he does look uncertain.

“This is too scary,” Tail whispers.

No one can deny that, not even Katsuki.

You can do this, Katsuki thinks as he turns his gaze to the domed building. All Might...you aren’t as weak as you had been last time. You can do this.

. . .

Izuku tears through the air, jumping from tree to tree so swiftly that he knows he’s almost just a blur to everyone who happens to look up. He barely pays attention to anything around him. All he is focused on is getting to the main building, is getting to the infirmary, is getting Shoto the medical attention that he needs.

Shoto’s face is still incredibly pale and clenched in pain. Blood is still falling from the wound. His breathing seems to be getting slower and that isn’t good. Izuku knows that he has to hurry.

Hold on, Shoto. Hold on. We’re almost there. Just please...hold on. I don’t want to lose you.

And Izuku knows that to be true but, as he moves, the more he realizes that those warm feelings he’s been feeling for so long are getting stronger and stronger.

He can’t bear the thought of losing Shoto anymore than he can bear the thought of losing anyone of his friends.

And yet…

That warm feeling is still there, is still hovering within him.

Bakugo’s teasing echoes in his head and, as he cradles Shoto’s bloodstained body close to him, as he recalls how Shoto had tackled him out of the way and got speared by that blade instead of him, he can’t help those warm feelings. He can’t.

It had been different with Bakugo. With Bakugo, it had just showed that he cared but not as a friend cares for a friend, or anything beyond that. He had cared as a hero who cared about someone who is defenseless getting attacked. His body had moved without thinking.

Shoto’s body had moved without thinking but, for some reason, Izuku can’t get that warm, soft look that Shoto had given him out of his mind.

He can’t stop seeing the way Shoto’s eyes had glowed with warmth and with something more.

He can’t get that look out of his mind.

“Midoriya!” A shout sounds and Izuku comes to a stop, peering down to find Midnight looking up at him.

“The U.S.J.,” he shouts. “Hurry! I’ve gotta get Shoto to the infirmary but All Might, Aizawa-sensei, and Thirteen-sensei need help!” He takes off again without waiting for Midnight to respond. Right now, he needs to get Shoto medical attention.

“Hold on, Shoto,” he whispers. “Just hold on. We’re almost there.”

Shoto gives him a soft, half-smile, eyes fluttering open, though only partially. “I...I’ll be...be okay…” he stammers out.

“Don’t talk,” Izuku insists. “Don’t...Just rest.”

“Y...Yeah…”

Almost as soon as he reaches the main building, Izuku is careening through it. He’s running so fast that he’s pretty sure he may have knocked a few people down but most people, upon seeing his bloodstained load, are quick to jump out of the way, one student is even shouting at someone to let Recovery Girl know she’s got a badly injured patient on the way.

Whether Recovery Girl had gotten the message by the time Izuku arrived, or had just been prepared for anything, he doesn’t know. He just knows that Recovery Girl is already ushering him toward the far end of the infirmary almost as soon as he stumbles into the infirmary.

“Is there anything that you need help with?” Izuku asks as he places Shoto’s body on the bed, holding him down gently because Uraraka’s Quirk is still working on him. Recovery Girl has to make adjustments to ensure that Shoto doesn’t float off the bed until Uraraka can turn off her Quirk.

“I can handle this, Midoriya,” Recovery Girl assures him and, upon studying him for a moment, adds, “But if you could get some bandages, that will help. We need to put pressure on the wound once I remove the blade, since he is going to start bleeding a lot once the blade is removed.”

“Got it!” Izuku darts off to get some bandages, already knowing the infirmary pretty well due to how often he’d spent hours, if not days sometimes, there in his last life.

He pushes that thought aside, focusing on helping Shoto. That’s more important right now.

. . .

Toshinori grits his teeth as he struggles to fend off the grotesque creature’s assault. Just as Midoriya had warned him, the creature is powerful. Even though he is operating at his full strength, since he had managed to avoid answering the three calls for help that he’d heard on his way to work he’s still finding it difficult to get past the creature’s defenses.

Shock absorption isn’t the only Quirk that this creature has, according to the light-blue-haired young man that Toshinori vaguely recalls Midoriya say is named Shigaraki. But it doesn’t matter. Toshinori is not going to allow him to win.

Even though the students have gotten out of the U.S.J., and Thirteen has come down to help Aizawa take care of the last of the villains, it won’t matter if this creature is not dealt with. He has to defeat this creature.

Go beyond.

Midoriya’s words echo in his head and Toshinori smiles to himself. He can tell that he is getting a bit weaker but, at the same time, he also knows that he isn’t near his limit just yet. But if he pushes himself beyond his limit, if he starts using more than 100% of One for All to power up each one of his punches, then he may risk decreasing the amount of time he can operate as a hero.

But he will do it, because his students and his fellow faculty members, are important enough for him to risk everything that he has left.

He will not allow Shigaraki, and All for One if he is behind this though Toshinori doesn’t know if he is or not, to get away, nor will he allow this creature to get past him. He will defend his fellow faculty members now that the students are out of harm’s way.

He can hear Shigaraki snarling and cursing, probably upset by the sudden loss of the students and the fact that they have likely called for help as soon as they got free from the U.S.J. But he doesn’t pay any attention to Shigaraki, focusing all of his power and his punches on the grotesque creature.

Every now and then, his fight with the creature would shift so that he can get a glimpse of Aizawia tearing through the villains and Thirteen rounding up the villains that Aizawa had already taken out. Shigaraki is already lunging toward Aizawa who whirls around, hair standing on end as his capture scarf wraps around Shigaraki. He yells as he is slammed hard into the ground but Kurogiri, who must have snapped free from Young Shinso’s Quirk when Shinso left the building, is already there, warping him away before Aizawa can secure the capture scarf around him completely.

Toshinori jumps back to avoid a punch from the creature and starts slamming punches into him. This time, he focuses on incorporating more than 100% of his power into each punch.

“I won’t allow you to win,” he shouts to Shigaraki who glares at him with fury flaring in his eyes. “You say that this creature has Shock absorption but that’s not the same as shock nullification! If he can handle my punches at 100% then I’ll just go beyond that! You’ve heard our motto before!

He continues to slam punch after punch after punch into the creature, driving it back as he grasps the embers of One for All, gathering all of his power as he shouts, “Plus Ultra!” and slams his fist straight into the stomach of the creature. The explosive force of the punch is enough to tear through the creature’s already weakened shock absorption and, conjuring up a massive gust of wind all around them, the creature is blasted away from the floor. It sails into, and through the air, crashing through the glass ceiling of the U.S.J. and sailing further and further and further away until it’s little more than a speck in the distance.

“You cheated!” Shigaraki yells, scratching angrily at his neck. “This was…They lied! Damn it! You aren’t weaker at all! Damn it!”

“Calm down, Shigaraki Tomura,” Kurogiri says as he moves swiftly to Shigaraki’s side.

“Now then,” Toshinori says as he turns to face Shigaraki, aware of Thirteen and Aizawa moving to his side, Aizawa’s Quirk currently activated and fixated on both Kurogiri and Shigaraki. “How about we end this peacefully? Surrender.”

“This is not how this was supposed to happen! Those damn...those damn students weren’t supposed to escape! This wasn’t supposed to happen! How?!” Shigaraki screams, scratching at his neck.

Kurogiri turns his head ever so slightly and tilts it to the side. “This isn’t over, Shigaraki Tomura,” he says.

“Yes, it is,” Thirteen says. “Eraserhead is erasing your warp Quirk so you can’t escape now.”

“This can’t be how this game ends! It can’t be! I demand a redo! This can’t be the end!” Shigaraki yells and grits his teeth, fury still shining in his eyes. “Sensei, this isn’t...Sensei…”

Sensei?

A sharp yelp of pain suddenly erupts and Toshinori jerks his head to the side to find Aizawa stumbling, one hand clutching at his arm, the hair that’s floating around him dropping.

He whirls around and lunges toward Shigaraki and Kurogiri, knowing that Aizawa had just blinked.

Kurogiri’s warp gate form spirals around Shigaraki’s form and, before Toshinori can grab either of them, the swirling vortex has encompassed all of the light-blue-haired young man’s form and they’re both gone.

“Shit,” Toshinori hisses.

“Eraser, are you okay?” Thirteen asks.

“I’m fine,” Aizawa says, his capture scarf already lashing out and grabbing a villain that had been crouched by the fountain and slamming her face down onto the ground, knocking her out. “I didn’t see her earlier and she took me by surprise.”

Toshinori lets loose a breath and turns to face the two teachers. “It doesn’t matter,” he says. “While the leader and the warp gate did manage to escape, the other teachers will help us to arrest the villains that are still here,”—he nods toward where the other teachers are rushing into the U.S.J. at the main doors—“and the students are safe. That latter matter is what’s most important.

Thirteen doesn’t respond.

“Is something wrong, Thirteen?”

“The students?” Aizawa asks, narrowing his eyes as he removes the goggles from around his eyes.

“Most of them are just fine,” Thirteen says finally, “Bakugo had a massive panic attack that forced Kirishima to use his Quirk just to avoid getting hurt from Bakugo’s explosions while he was carrying him out. And one of the villains’ had a Quirk that allows them to manifest blades out of their body, not unlike Moonfish, and, while my Black Hole had managed to suck most of them up, one got by.”

Toshinori pales. “Who?” he asks.

“Todoroki. He tackled Midoriya out of the way but that put him in the way of the blade itself.”

Aizawa curses. “Where are they now?” he asks.

“I last saw them leaving the U.S.J. The other teachers will know of what’s happened,” Thirteen says.

Toshinori nods, though he can’t help but worry for one of the three time travelers.

They join the rest of the teachers. Most of them have already spread out throughout the U.S.J to apprehend the knocked out villains, as well as determined if there are more in the building, but Midnight moves over to join them.

“What’s the status on the kids, Nemuri?” Aizawa asks.

“Eighteen of them are right outside,” says Midnight. “None of them are hurt, though Bakugo seems incredibly shaken.”
“Eighteen?”

“We ran into Midoriya on the way here. He was rushing back to the main building with Todoroki, who was badly injured,” says Midnight. “I suspect that both of them are with Recovery Girl right now.”

Toshinori lets loose a soft breath of relief but he isn’t that surprised that Midoriya had been quick to get Todoroki to Recovery Girl as quickly as possible.

“Touya was with us but, the instant he saw Midoriya and his brother, I told him that we could handle this and to go be with his brother,” says Midnight.

Aizawa nods but Toshinori knows that the other teacher is just as relieve as he is by the news.

Now he can only pray that Midoriya had gotten Todoroki to Recovery Girl in time.

. . .

Chapter Text

Izuku must have dozed off because, the next thing he knows, he is waking up to the feel of someone shaking his shoulder. He starts, jerking his head up, tensing, and whipping his head around, relaxing only a second later upon seeing All Might’s familiar gaze. The older man, currently in his true scrawny form, is seated beside him with concern etched into his face.

“All Might?” he says quietly.

“Hey,” All Might says, a soft smile on his lips before he turns his gaze to Shoto’s sleeping body. Izuku turns to gaze at it as well. Even though Recovery Girl had told him that Shoto will be just fine, and that Izuku can head back to his classroom, he hadn’t wanted to leave, hadn’t wanted to move from his seat, one hand clutching onto Shoto’s. In the end, Recovery Girl allowed him to stay for a little while longer but Izuku hadn’t expected to fall asleep. Uraraka had also released her Quirk at some point, though Izuku isn’t even sure if she and the rest of the class had gotten back to the main building yet or not.

“The rest of the class? Aizawa-sensei?” Izuku whispers.

“Fine,” All Might assures him. “We just got back from apprehending the villains in the U.S.J. and delivering them to the police but the students were escorted back by Cementoss earlier. They’re all in your classroom, waiting for Principal Nezu to issue an all-clear so that they can head home, though I suspect quite a few of them are going to end up coming here instead. Young Bakugo hadn’t even stayed in the classroom. He’s been outside the infirmary this entire time, absolutely refusing to leave and cursing about how much he’s going to kill Young Todoroki if he up and dies.”

Izuku cracks a smile at that. “That sounds like Kacchan, now anyway,” he says quietly and turns his gaze back to Shoto, his smile fading. He gazes around but, upon seeing that Recovery Girl isn’t around, he says, “I’m glad that we were able to change some things but...I hadn’t expected this change to happen. I just don’t understand. None of the villains got past Aizawa-sensei last time, except Kurogiri, and yet…”

“Nothing happens the same way twice,” All Might says gently. “But what matters is that Young Todoroki is going to be just fine, and no one else was injured, including your teachers. Even if we hadn’t managed to capture Kurogiri and Shigaraki, so long as everyone came out of this mostly unscathed, that counts as a win in my books.”

“Yeah, I guess. I just…” Izuku closes his eyes, gently squeezing Shoto’s hand. “I just...was reminded of what happened in the time I come from, and I just...for a second there...I thought...I just feared that…” He trails off, tears starting to streak down his face as he turns to gaze at All Might. “I was so scared, All Might. Shoto...This shouldn’t have happened and yet...and yet…”

“My boy…” All Might trails off but wraps his arms around Izuku, pulling him close to him almost as if he knows that’s what Izuku wants. Izuku releases one hand that had been clasped around Shoto’s hand and scoots closer to his mentor, pressing his face into the older man’s chest as he sobs.

“It’s okay to be scared,” All Might says quietly. “It was a scary situation. Even if I have no doubt that you faced even scarier situations in the future you come from, that doesn’t mean that it’s not all right for you to be scared over something that isn’t as scary as what you’ve experienced. It’s okay. Everyone gets scared, especially when it concerns their loved ones after all.”

Their loved ones…

Izuku turns to gaze at Shoto, remembering that warm look in Shoto’s eyes, that unreadable feeling that existed beneath the warmth, and he can feel that same warmth, that same unreadable feeling, going through him.

Their loved ones…

“He threw himself at me,” Izuku whispers, “he tackled me out of the way. If he hadn’t then I would’ve been the one hit by that blade. I don’t know if he moved without thinking or not but...the way he looked at me afterward...I just don’t get it.”

All Might chuckles and Izuku frowns at him, not sure why his mentor is laughing at him. “Oh, I am not laughing at you, Young Midoriya,” All Might assures him. “I’m just amused by how dense you’re being right now.”

“Huh?”

All Might sighs, rubbing his head. “Kid, I’m probably the last person to talk to you about this, ‘cause I’m an old man who’s way past his prime, but I was your age once upon a time. I know the look of someone who cares deeply for another person, and I have seen that look in Young Todoroki’s eyes every time he looks at you, along with confusion. I’m pretty sure Young Todoroki cares for you very deeply, and yet is very confused by his own feelings.”

“Cares for me? But we’re friends…”

“Kid, you’re a lot smarter, and far more observant, than many people I’ve met, and yet you can’t see what’s right in front of you?”

“Right in front of me?”

“I don’t know if he just hasn’t put it into perspective or something but...I believe Young Todoroki is in love with you.”

Izuku stares at his mentor because that doesn’t make any sense. He and Shoto are the best of friends, and have been ever since after the Sports Festival in their first life, but Izuku has never gotten the feeling that Shoto felt anything beyond friendship for him.

No...that’s a lie...I have...there have been signs, small signs, but…

The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that there had been small signs but, since he had been too focused on everything that happened after the Sports Festival, from the training camp conflict to Kamino to the Provisional Licensing Exam, to Overhaul, to the joint training exercise, to the work study with Endeavor, to the war itself, that he hadn’t really paid attention to them.

Now that he isn’t in the middle of the chaos that had been the last few months of his second semester, and the first few months of his third semester of his first year that had gone by so swiftly, he’s starting to notice what he hadn’t noticed earlier.

Even though Shoto had remained aloof, and socially inept in several ways, Izuku vaguely recalls how he would hang out with Izuku far more often than anyone else, which he hadn’t thought anything of since he hung out with Asui, Uraraka, and Ida all the time. He vaguely recalls the little glances Shoto would sneak of him, the way he had screamed in horror upon seeing Izuku, full of rage after the attack on Gran Torino, launching himself at Shigaraki, he remembered feeling his own heart break upon hearing the revelation that Dabi is Todoroki Touya because of the shock and pain that Shoto had been feeling and how much he wanted to take that pain away from him.

“And I think that you may feel the same way,” All Might says quietly.

“I...That’s not…” Izuku trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t even know if I can say it’s love, All Might.”

“Maybe, maybe not. You are only fifteen, and you only have the memories of a sixteen year old in your head, kid,” All Might says, “but that doesn’t mean that you don’t truly care for him because I know that you do. You haven’t released his hand once since I got here.”

Izuku flushes but he doesn’t want to remove his hand from Shoto’s. He doesn’t. It just feels right to be holding Shoto’s hand, to be constantly at his side, physically reminding him that he’s there.

All Might pats his shoulder as he rises to his feet. “Take your time in figuring out how you truly feel,” he says. “You’re only fifteen. You don’t have to have all the answers right away.”

“Maybe…” But, as Izuku gazes at Shoto’s sleeping body, and his mind flashes back to his first life and everything that had happened, and those warm feelings that he has been feeling, that Bakugo has been teasing him and Shoto about for months, are only getting stronger.

Maybe...just maybe...I think All Might might be right…

Recovery Girl walks over to join them. “If you are done, Toshi, I’d like to check up on my patient,” she says and frowns at Izuku, pointing at the door and adding, “And you should be heading home.”

Izuku shakes his head. “I’m staying until Shoto wakes up,” he says.

“Midoriya…”

“It’s okay. I already told Mom I’d be staying a bit longer here,” says Izuku. He’d called his mother earlier to inform him that he was going to stay behind at U.A. for a little while longer, and that he’d explain when he got home so that his mother won’t worry too much.

Recovery Girl lets loose a breath and gives All Might a long look. “Your successor is just as stubborn as you had been at his age,” she says.

All Might smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah...I know,” he admits.

“I believe this is karma.”

All Might coughs, wiping the blood from his mouth. “Yeah, probably so,” he admits and, when Izuku gives him a puzzled look, he says, “I used to drive my master crazy with my stubbornness when I was not much older than you.”

“Go on now, Toshi,” Recovery Girl says. “You should join Aizawa and reassure the rest of the class that Todoroki is going to be just fine, and please inform Bakugo to stop pacing a trench in the hallway.”

All Might nods and, squeezing Izuku’s shoulder, stands up and makes his way toward the door, shifting into his muscular form as he walks out of the infirmary.

He passes Touya who slips into the room beyond him. Recovery Girl gives him an annoyed look but Touya folds his arms across his chest, giving Recovery Girl a stubborn look in return. “He’s my brother,” he says.

“There’s been no change since the surgery was completed, Touya. There’s no need for you to keep coming back every five minutes. I told you that I would let you know when he woke up,” Recovery Girl says.

“I’m staying,” Touya says.

Recovery Girl clicks her tongue. “Do not disturb him, and be careful when he does wake up. The surgery may have worked to seal the wound but he is still weak and sensitive.”

“I know,” Touya says as he sits down in a chair on the other side of the medical bed, one hand resting on Shoto’s arm and his turquoise eyes studying Shoto’s pale face with concern in their depths.

So different from the deranged, madness- and hatred- filled eyes that had looked at Shoto in the future.

Izuku isn’t sure how Shoto had done it but he’s glad he had. Shoto has already been through so much in his last life that, at least, he doesn’t have to worry about fighting against his own brother again.

He turns his gaze back to Shoto as well, resting his second hand on top of the first.

. . .

Shoto stirs.

His chest is aching. Actually, everything is aching. It feels like he had just been speared through the gut.

His memories catch up to him and he realizes that, oh, he had just been speared through the gut. How am I still alive?

His eyes flutter open and he turns his head, eyes tracing over the head of fluffy green curls, and everything makes sense. Izuku…

Izuku must have been quick to get him to Recovery Girl, probably using his Quirk at the full power that he can manage without breaking anything to get him to the main building as quickly a he possibly could.

But Shoto is glad to see that Izuku is all right. When he saw that blade get past Thirteen’s power, he had been quick to move, to ensure that Izuku won’t get hurt, even if meant getting hurt himself because…

His feet had moved without him thinking but he knows that a part of himself had been thinking, had been thinking about how much he didn’t want Izuku to get hurt, about how he couldn’t bear the thought of losing Izuku without…

Without…

Those warm feelings surge through him again and, as his heterochromatic eyes travel to his hand, he notices that Izuku has it clasped between both of his. That warm feeling is getting stronger and the more Shoto thinks about it, the more he wonders what these feelings are. He’s never felt this way before. He can’t begin to understand them.

And yet he knows that they are good, they are nice, they are warm.

And they are all directed at Izuku.

Izuku’s head slowly lifts off the bed and he turns his head, raising a hand to rub his eyes. “Oh, I must have dozed off again,” he says, then his eyes widen upon locking with heterochromatic. “Shoto!”

Shoto gives him a weak smile. “Hey,” he says quietly.

Izuku releases his hand and wraps his arms around his neck, tears of absolute relief streaking down his face. “I’m so glad,” he whispers.

“Didn’t Recovery Girl say to be careful with him, Midoriya?”

Shoto turns his head to see Touya sitting next to him, a look of relief in his turquoise eyes.

Izuku flushes but removes his arms—Shoto frowns in disappointment at the lose of warmth from that hug—and returns to his seat. “Ah, right,” he says.

“Where…?” Shoto begins.

“Infirmary,” Izuku says.

“The others?”

“Fine.”

“Aizawa, All Might, and Thirteen?”

“All fine. No one was injured aside from you.”

“The warp gate and the leader?”

“They escaped but the others that had been in the U.S.J. have been apprehended.”

Shoto nods as he slowly sits up, being careful to not move too fast to avoid hurting his stomach again. It’s disappointing that they hadn’t been able to capture Shigaraki and Kurogiri but, truth be told, Shoto hadn’t expected that to happen, not this early in the game anyway. “I’m glad that no one else was injured,” he says.

“I wish you hadn’t been injured,” Izuku whispers, taking Shoto’s hand in his again and squeezing them. “I was so scared…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just didn’t want to see you get hurt,” Shoto says quietly, squeezing Izuku’s hand in return.

A light blush crosses Izuku’s cheeks but he doesn’t remove his hand. He does duck his head and mumble something under his breath that Shoto can’t make out. He decides not to worry about it, since he’s sure that if Izuku wanted him to hear, he would have said it louder, and turns his gaze to Touya.

“Glad to see you’re awake, Shoto,” Touya says. “How do you feel?”

“Tired,” Shoto says quietly.

“As expected. Recovery Girl’s Quirk likely took quite a bit out of you,” Touya says. He leans back in his chair, removing his hand from Shoto’s arm and resting it on his lap.

“Do Fuyumi and Natsuo know?” Shoto asks.

“Yeah. Unfortunately, the flaming trashcan knows too. Fortunately, he’s not the kind of bastard who’d come storming down here so you don’t gotta worry ‘bout that.”

Shoto grimaces because he’ll likely have to deal with his father’s reaction to what happened when he goes home, and more likely than not, it’s only going to be his father getting mad that he’d gotten injured to begin with. After all, he is supposedly Endeavor’s masterpiece, who is supposed to be strong and Shoto doubts that his father, as he is now, will see what happened at the U.S.J. as him being strong. He’ll probably be mad that Shoto had let his guard down rather than be upset that he got hurt, especially as he is this early in the timeline.

Izuku squeezes his hand. “Do you want to spend the night at my place, Shoto?” he says.

Shoto gazes at him in surprise.

Izuku fidgets, glancing down, a faint blush on his cheeks. “Erm, well, you don’t seem too thrilled on going home and I thought that, maybe, you could spend the night at my place ‘cause we’re friends,” he says.

Friends, right, that’s what we are.

For some reason, Shoto isn’t so sure that his feelings for Izuku are simply friendship.

Touya shrugs. “If the flaming trashcan says anything, I can make up some bullshit excuse for why if you really don’t wanna come home tonight,” he says. He reaches over and squeezes Shoto’s arm, adding, “Look, kiddo, if ya want one night away from the flaming trashcan, I don’t see a problem with that.”

Shoto gazes at his brother and smiles softly. He’d like to stay away from his father, even if it’s only for the night, because he really doesn’t want to deal with Endeavor’s reaction to what happened at the U.S.J. Sure, maybe he doesn’t know of how his father will react, but, at the same time, Shoto knows of what his father is like around this time and he is positive he has a good idea of his father’s reaction.

Or, maybe, that’s just his previous anger and resentment toward his father rearing its ugly little head.

He doesn’t know but he really doesn’t want to tackle those feelings right now, especially not when he is sure that tonight is going to be bad. Nightmares are something that he has been dealing with ever since he came back in time, and he knows that what happened today is only going to trigger many of those nightmares. He’d like one night of not having to choke back his screams, and hide away his crying, just to ensure that his father doesn’t see him as weak and try to train that out of him.

He needs just one night away from his family home.

“If you and your mom don’t mind, Izuku…” he begins.

Izuku squeezes his hand again and stands up, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll go ask her now,” he says and walks away, dialing a number and resting his phone against his ear.

Shoto frowns at the sudden loss of the warmth of his friend’s hand resting in his and shakes his head as if to clear it.

Touya raises an eyebrow at him. “Something on your mind, kiddo?” he asks.

He doesn’t answer for a moment, flexing his fingers and frowning as he gazes at Izuku’s back.

Touya follows his gaze and chuckles. “I’ve noticed you’ve been looking at Midoriya like that for months, Shoto,” he says.

“Like what?” Shoto says, turning his gaze to his eldest brother.

“Like that.”

Shoto frowns at him.

Touya lets loose a breath. “Damn it, Endeavor. Shoto being socially inept and dense is your fucking fault,” he growls, then turns to Shoto. “Tell me, Shoto, you and Midoriya are friends, right?”

“Of course. We’re best friends.”

“The way you look at Midoriya isn’t the way friends look at friends, Shoto.”

“Huh?”

Touya rubs a hand through his white hair. “Okay, I’ll try explaining it this way. You know about Keigo, right?”

That had been a shock. Finding out that Touya is dating Takami Keigo, otherwise known as Hawks, had been a shock, considering Shoto is positive that Dabi hated Hawks in the timeline that he had come from. But he supposes that’s because they actually went to school together and grew to be friends, and eventually started dating in their second year at U.A.

“Yeah,” he says. “What does that gotta do with me and Midoriya?”

“Everything. We started out as the best of friends too, you know? Then, one day, I started realizing that what I felt for Keigo was far stronger than just friendship. Took talking with some of my classmates before I realized that I had a crush on Keigo.”

Shoto frowns, then turns to Midoriya. “You think I have a crush on Izuku?” he asks.

“You look at Midoriya the same way I looked at Keigo not long after we started our second year at U.A.,” Touya says with a nod. “But you also are confused but that’s the flaming trashcan’s fault. Since you grew up not really interacting with kids your own age, until only a few months ago, you don’t understand a lot of what teens your age do. But I know ‘cause I did grow up interacting with kids my age. It’s not as if the flaming trashcan gave a damn about me after your Quirk appeared…”

Shoto winces upon hearing the resentment and bitter anger in Touya’s voice. Even though he had stayed, even though he no longer harbored that hate and that madness, even though he hadn’t gone insane, as he had in Shoto’s last life, that anger is still there. That bitterness is still there. That hate toward Endeavor is still there.

The only thing that’s really different about that hate and that bitter resentment and that anger is that it’s not directed at Shoto anymore. It’s all directed at Endeavor to the point where Shoto is positive that the only thing that stopped Touya from going down a dark path is that promise that Shoto got him to make.

But Shoto knows, for a fact, that if Touya could get away with it, he’d probably shove Endeavor off a building in a heartbeat.

It’s only those promises that is stopping Touya from doing that and damning the consequences.

He shivers and closes his eyes, thinking about the future, thinking about Touya’s madness- and hate-filled eyes, thinking about the agony of Touya’s blue flames washing over both him and his father, thinking about the pain of his own brother trying to kill him just to get back at Endeavor.

He feels an arm encircle his shoulders and flinches, jerking away from the gesture.

The arm vanishes. “Hey, hey, I’m sorry, Shoto,” Touya’s voice says quietly. “I don’t know what I said to make you upset but I’m sorry.”

Shoto shakes his head, realizing his hands are clenched into fists and forcing himself to relax them. “No, it’s not you...it’s not that...it’s just...Nothing. It’s nothing,” he says as he opens his eyes but doesn’t met his brother’s concerned gaze, fixing heterochromatic eyes on the hospital blanket draped over his form, dual-colored hair falling over and shadowing his eyes for a moment.

“Doesn’t seem like nothing...I won’t push though,” Touya says, adding the last part when Shoto tenses, about to snap back at his brother. He bites back the sharp retort and continues to stare at the blanket as he struggles to gather all those memories of that dreadful future and store them away.

“Let’s go back to what we had been originally talking about. It’s a far lighter subject,” says Touya. “As I was saying, you probably are just attempting to figure out how you feel about Midoriya but I’m pretty sure you feel the same way about him as I do about Keigo.”

Shoto bites his lip, his cheeks heating up but, the more he thinks about it, the more he wonders if his brother is right. He doesn’t know what it feels like to like someone as more than a friend, and yet his brother would know, and his brother seems to think that he does feel that way. His brother would know because his brother wasn’t isolated away from the rest of the world, and even his own family most of the time—when Touya couldn’t sneak him out to visit his mom or spend, at least, some time with his other siblings—like Shoto had been.

But if he does really like Izuku as more than a friend, what is he supposed to do with those feelings? Does Izuku even like him back, as more than a friend? What if he doesn’t? What will happen to their friendship?

“Whoa, whoa, Shoto, calm down,” Touya says and Shoto flushes upon realizing that his left side had started steaming from his agitated state and he takes a deep breath, releasing it, and focusing on reining in his left side’s power before he accidentally burst into flames again.

“Sorry,” he mumbles.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Shoto,” Touya adds as he retakes his seat—Shoto hadn’t even seen him stand up—and folds his arms across his chest. “Look, your feelings are normal and if you really want to know how Midoriya feels then just tell him. If he’s a true friend, he won’t let how you feel about him change your friendship, whether he feels the same way or not, but I’m positive he does feel the same way.”

“How can you be positive about that?” Shoto asks uncertainly.

“Have you not met your friend, Shoto?” Touya says with a light laugh. “I’ve only known him for a few months and even I already know that he basically wears his heart on his sleeve. Just tell him. You might be surprised by his reaction.” He pats Shoto’s shoulder and, standing up, wanders away, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “Text me if Mrs. Midoriya does allow you to stay the night at Izuku, or not, so I know whether to stay ‘till the old lady releases you or not.”

“Did you just call me an ‘old lady’?” Recovery Girl demands as she makes her way out of her office.

“No…” Touya is out the door in a flash.

Recovery Girl looks like she wants nothing more than to throw up her hands in exasperation, or roll her eyes, but she refrains. “How is he your brother again, Todoroki-kun?” she says.

“Well, he was born first to Mother and Father…” Shoto begins.

“That was a rhetorical question, Todoroki-kun. I don’t actually need to know,” Recovery Girl assures him, an amused little smile on her lips as Shoto flushes and mumbles an apology. Even after all those months he’d spent as Izuku’s friend in his last life, slowly learning how to socialize and interact with others that aren’t his family, there are still some things, like sarcasm or rhetorical questions, that he still doesn’t quite get.

Izuku walks over to join them as Recovery Girl is checking on the status of his stomach. “Mom says that you can stay the night if you’d like, Shoto,” he says, tucking his phone into his uniform pant’s pocket.

“Thank you,” Shoto says.

“Of course.”

After sending a quick message to Touya that he’ll be spending the night at Izuku’s, Shoto relaxes back in his hospital bed as Recovery Girl informs him that he’ll be good to leave the infirmary after another hour or so of observation.

The door to the infirmary opens and Bakugo storms into the place. “The all-clear’s been given,” he says. “Probably the majority of the class is gonna be heading here to check up on you, Icyhot.”

“Then you can tell them that he’s just fine,” Recovery Girl says. “I don’t want everyone to crowd him when he leaves the infirmary.”

“Tch, yeah, yeah, I’ll tell ‘em to not fucking crowd Icyhot,” Bakugo grunts and, turning, storms off. He pauses, then adds, “Glad you didn’t fucking die, Icyhot. If you’d died, I’d have fucking brought you back just to fucking kill you myself, got it?”

Shoto resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Yeah, got it,” he says.

Bakugo storms off, slipping out of the infirmary and Shoto turns his gaze to Izuku as he retakes his seat. “You aren’t going with him?” he asks.

“No, I think I’ll stay here with you,” Izuku says and, ducking his head as his cheeks heat up, adds quickly, “Ah, if you don’t mind, that is. I mean if you do mind then I’ll totally leave. Just say the word. I don’t want to be a bother while you’re resting so if you do mind then just tell me. I mean I shouldn’t be bothering you and...”

“Izuku…” Shoto sighs as Izuku, not hearing him, starts muttering to himself and, though Shoto can’t make out much of what he’s saying, he can get the general gist. Izuku is analyzing the situation and determining whether staying will actually keep Shoto from getting the rest that he needs or not.

“Izuku,” he calls again, cutting Izuku off and he looks at him in concern. “I’m fine. You’re not a bother.”

“But…” Izuku begins.

“You being with me is comforting...and I need that comfort right now.”

Izuku closes his mouth, eyes scanning Shoto’s face, and his eyes, but he must have seen the deep-seated scars because he nods in understanding. And he does understand. If anyone understands the emotional and mental scars that Shoto is dealing with right now, other than Bakugo, then it’s Izuku because all three of them all share those scars.

“Okay,” he says quietly and retakes his seat beside Shoto’s medical bed.

. . .

As expected, Kirishima and all of the extras from Class 1-A are gathered outside of the infirmary when Katsuki makes his way out of it. He glares at them in annoyance as he stuffs his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants, since everyone had changed almost as soon as they had gotten back to the main building.

“Icyhot isn’t getting released for another fucking hour,” he says.

“Can’t we see him?” Round Face asks.

“Tch, fuck no. Recovery Girl says that he needs fucking rest. He’s fucking fine. You don’t gotta crowd him like a crowd of fucking flies or whatever,” Katsuki retorts.

“Ah, don’t be like that. You’re just as concerned as we all are,” Kirishima says.

“Tch, I ain’t fucking concerned! Damn Icyhot is not gonna get taken out by a fucking douche like those annoying extras at the U.S.J. He’ll be perfectly fucking fine,” Katsuki says with a roll of his eyes, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the wall beside the infirmary’s door.

“So why aren’t you heading home then?” Brainwasher asks, raising an eyebrow.

“’Cause the nerd and I are catching the same train home anyway, and Auntie Inko prefers it if we travel together.”

“Hey, you do care,” Raccoon Eyes exclaims.

“Shut the fuck up, Raccoon Eyes!”

Raccoon Eyes just grins at him, clearly not fazed at all by his shout.

He huffs but, though he will never admit it out loud, he is relieved to see his classmates acting so normally. They aren’t as weighed down by the scars that they will gain in the future, even though they have gained some scars from what happened today. These scars are nothing compared to what the entire class got the last time around though.

At least, this time, they don’t have to worry about waking up from nightmares of what happened to Aizawa and Thirteen.

“Whatever,” he mutters.

The majority of the class ends up staying in the hallway, with Four Eyes casually suggesting that they all exchange numbers so that they can keep in contact with everyone if anyone wants to talk about what happened. Round Face agrees as does Frog Face, Raccoon Eyes, Dunce Face, and Kirishima and it isn’t long before everyone is onboard with the idea.

Even Brainwasher mutters something about it being useful to have the class in his contacts.

Katsuki doesn’t really care but, given that this is what happened last time, he already knows that they’re going to get their hands on his phone number somehow anyway. So he just mutters another “whatever” but gives his number out.

May as well give it out on his own terms then let someone else—and by someone else, Katsuki means Izuku since he is positive the nerd had been responsible for that the first time around—give it out for him.

“Great, now we can keep in contact,” Round Face says with a grin.

“Obviously,” Katsuki grumbles and ignores the annoyed look Round Face gives him. He still has some amount of respect for Round Face, based entirely on their fight during the Sports Festival the first time around, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t find her annoying, because he does. He pretty much finds everyone in his class annoying, except a few select people.

“We should get Todoroki’s number too when he leaves,” Frog Face says, touching her finger to her cheek.

“You really want to hang out here for another fucking hour?” Katsuki echoes.

“That’s what friends do!” Round Face says and Frog Face nods in agreement.

“I’m just here because Aizawa wants to talk to me after his meeting with the rest of the teachers,” Brainwasher says, leaning against the wall and folding his arms across his chest.

“Hey, by the way, I never did get to say this earlier but good job on Brainwashing that warp guy to get him to move,” Kirishima says.

“Yeah, that was an awesome job,” Dunce Face says, giving Brainwasher a thumbs up.

“Definitely quick thinking on your part,” Ear Lobes says, twirling one of her earphone jack cords around her finger.

“Midoriya was right. Your Quirk is powerful and you most definitely used it well today to get us out of harm’s way,” Four Eyes says.

Brainwasher rubs the back of his neck, ducking his head but not before Katsuki sees the small embarrassed smile on his lips. “Yeah, I guess,” he says.

Katsuki snorts. Izuku may have already broken down Brainwasher’s walls, in less than two days at that—take that, Icyhot!—so he’s sure that it’s only a matter of time before Brainwasher starts becoming friends with other members of Class 1-A.

This time, he’s starting out in their class right away, rather than waiting until the joint training exercise to even get the chance to join the Hero Course to begin with.

Tch, changes have already been made. It makes me wonder how much more is going to change, especially in regards to the Sports Festival.

But it won’t matter in the end because Katsuki is still planning on taking home the gold.

He and the rest of the class wait outside the infirmary for the next hour. Even though Brainwasher does speak with Aizawa, who tells the rest of the class to head home soon, he does stay while they wait for Icyhot to be released from the infirmary.

An hour passes by quickly, during which most of Class 1-A are seated, scattered, throughout the hallway. Some are in groups that are talking with each other while others are just hovering on the edges of the group, like Bird Brain and Brainwasher, and others are actually working on homework, like Four Eyes and Ponytail.

The door to the infirmary opens and eighteen sets of eyes glance up as one as Katsuki pushes away from the wall as Izuku and Icyhot make their way out of the room. Icyhot is walking slowly, one hand resting on his stomach, but his face is impassive.

“Todoroki-kun!” Round Face immediately jogs toward him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Icyhot says. “Recovery Girl just said to take it easy for a few days.”

“Well, it is good that Principal Nezu is closing down the school for the next two days because of what has happened,” Four Eyes says, raising a hand to push up the glasses on the bridge of his nose. “That way you will have more time to recover.”

“Is Todoroki-sensei taking you home?” Raccoon Eyes asks.

“No, I’m staying the night at Izuku’s,” Icyhot says.

Katsuki chokes while Raccoon Eyes gasps, her eyes wide with surprise, then she grins widely. “Oh hoh! Just what went on in the infirmary when we were all waiting out here?” she says, glancing between Icyhot and Izuku, who just blink at her in confusion, though Izuku seems, at least somewhat, understanding of what Raccoon Eyes is getting at, if the slight blush on his cheeks is any indication.

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t fucking tease ‘em, Raccoon Eyes. It flies right over their fucking heads almost all the time so there’s really no fucking point,” he says.

Icyhot frowns, confusion and uncertainty playing in his eyes, but he says nothing.

Kirishima shrugs as he walks forward. “Hey, don’t push ‘em. It ain’t manly to force someone to admit what they’re really feeling!” he says firmly. “Now, c’mon, we all know Todoroki is fine so we should all head home.”

Everyone nods in agreement. They all leave the school building at the same time before going their separate ways, with Four Eyes and Round Face joining Katsuki, Izuku, and Icyhot as they all head toward the same station.

Katsuki tucks his hands into his pockets, turning his gaze to the sky as he walks. The U.S.J. ended up not being as bad as it had been the last time around and he can’t help but wonder if they’ll be lucky and everything else that has happened to them won’t be as bad.

But, given what he knows about the League of Villains, and All for One and Shigaraki, he isn’t so sure that’s the case, especially for All for One. He doesn’t know too much about him but that man isn’t stupid. If they aren’t careful then All for One is going to notice something is off, and that’s something that Katsuki hadn’t really thought about before now.

He glances at Izuku who is chatting with Round Face and Four Eyes while Icyhot listens intently to what they’re saying. The only thing that they have going for them when it comes to All for One and One for All is the fact that no one, at this point in time, knows that One for All has been transferred to Izuku.

But if those other fucking Quirks start unlocking then it’s bound to make that bastard suspicious.

Katsuki can only hope that those other Quirks won’t be unlocked until after All for One has been locked away in Tartarus, whether it’s through Kamino happening all over again or something else entirely.

But that’s the thing. He isn’t even sure if Kamino will happen. He knows that the League targeted him because of his actions during the award ceremony, and the Sports Festival itself, but, since that won’t happen again, he isn’t sure that will happen. If he’s not kidnapped then there won’t be any need for the pros to go to Kamino to rescue him. All for One won’t have to reveal himself, All Might won’t have to reveal his true self to the world and be forced to retire.

But it will also mean that All for One won’t be arrested. He’ll still be out and about, pulling the strings behind the scenes of the League of Villains.

And if he’s still out and about, he may end up giving Shigaraki his own Quirk earlier.

That’s a scary thought and Katsuki grits his teeth but doesn’t say anything when Icyhot asks him if he’s all right. He just glares at the Half-and-Half bastard but storms off toward the train that he, Izuku, and Icyhot are taking.

After saying goodbye to Round Face and Four Eyes, Izuku and Icyhot quickly hurry after him. They find themselves an area of the train that isn’t that filled, since most people don’t actually start heading home from work for a few more hours, and huddle together so that they can talk without being overheard.

“Something’s on your mind, Kacchan,” Izuku says. “What’s up?”

Katsuki curls his lip. “Just thinking ahead,” he says. “I know we said not to start planning ‘bout everything after the Finals but I can’t help but think about the training camp.”

“What about it?” Icyhot asks.

“If the League isn’t going to fucking target me, like last time, then will they even attack the camp?” Katsuki asks.

“If they don’t then that just means that we won’t have to worry about what happens afterwards,” Izuku points out.

“That’s my fucking point. However much it fucking hurts that All Might had to retire after the Kamino disaster, that disaster is the reason why You Know Fucking Who was arrested, and couldn’t continue pulling the strings behind the fucking League.”

Izuku opens his mouth, closes it, and presses his lips together, brow furrowing. “You’re right,” he says and, reaching into his backpack, he pulls out one of his notebooks, flipping open to a clean sheet as he pulls out a pen and quickly scribbles that thought down.

“That might make things worse,” he murmurs, “but, at the same time, there is no way in hell I’m going to let what happened at the training camp happen again. We won’t have to worry ‘bout Dabi but they might find another heavy hitter to help the League out and, even if they don’t target you, Kacchan, they might target someone else.”

“Who though?” Icyhot asks.

Izuku taps his pen against the paper while Katsuki glances over his shoulder as the train comes to a stop at a stop that’s right before theirs. No one gets on the train and it starts moving again so he turns his attention back to his fellow time travelers. “In our class, there’s really only one person I think that the League might target,” Izuku says quietly, lowering the pen back to the paper. “Shinso.”

“You think they’ll target Brainwasher?” Katsuki echoes.

“Think about it. We all know of how Shinso was treated in the past, with everyone thinking he has a villain’s Quirk,” says Izuku. “If the League finds out about his Quirk, they may start to think the same thing, and may think of the benefits of having someone with a Brainwashing Quirk on their side.”

Icyhot hums. “You raise a good point,” he says.

Katsuki lets loose a breath. “Okay, maybe so,” he says, “but there’s another person that you haven’t fucking thought of.” It’s a thought that had suddenly come to his mind but, the more he thinks about it, the more Katsuki realizes that it’s a very real possibility, especially in regards to what has happened with a certain Quirk.

“Who?” Icyhot asks in puzzlement.

“Zuku.”

Izuku looks up, a little squeak of surprise escaping his lips. “Me? Why would they target me?”

“Think about it, fucking nerd,” Katsuki says with a scoff. “You told me yourself that you have no fucking idea when those other powers will start unlocking. What happens if the League finds out about that, huh? Don’t you think that faceless bastard will be, even a little bit, suspicious about why you have a power similar to All Might’s, and multiple powers at that?”

Izuku pales and Icyhot swears, both of them realizing the gravity of the situation that Katsuki had just pointed out to them.

“Shit, you’re right,” Icyhot murmurs.

“That’s...he might go after me if he, somehow, finds out about those other powers,” Izuku whispers, hugging his notebook close to him. “He’s fought against every single One for All user in the past so he must know their Quirks. If he sees me using their Quirks then it’ll be like a big target on my back.”

Icyhot shifts closer to Izuku, one hand resting on his arm. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Izuku,” he says quietly.

Katsuki resists the urge to snort at the rather obvious fondness in those words but folds his arms across his chest and leans back. “Yeah, I ain’t letting that fucker win, no matter what,” he says. “But, like you said, we can’t really plan for that ‘till after Finals.”

“We know where the villains are hiding out though,” says Izuku thoughtfully. “Could there be someway we can slip word to the pros of where they are?”

“That might change too much,” Icyhot says. “But, then, the League doesn’t actually get any stronger until after the incident with Stain. If that never happens, like last time, then they may end up losing quite a bit of their firepower right then and there.”

Izuku frowns but lowers his notebook and, opening it up again, quickly scribbles something onto the page, muttering to himself and Katsuki sighs but just lets the nerd continue his mutterings, at least for a few minutes.

“Okay, fucking nerd, stop with the muttering,” he growls.

Izuku flushes but stops.

“We can continue this discussion later. Right now, let’s just focus on the fucking Sports Festival that’s coming up,” says Katsuki. “We’ve got a few minutes before our stop so is there anything that can be predicted about what’s to come with that?”

“I think Inasa is going to be a major contender,” says Icyhot. “There is no denying that he is just as strong as Aizawa-sensei said he was during the licensing exam last time around. He’ll likely make it very far, probably even to one of the final rounds, and that means that whoever teams up with him during the cavalry battle will make it into the final rounds as well.”

“That means more than just two students from Class B will make it into the one-on-one battles,” Izuku says, scribbling that into his notebook. “Shinso made it far last time ‘cause of his Quirk so he may make it to the one-on-ones because of that too.”

“Anyone who goes up against him, who doesn’t know, will get knocked outta those rounds pretty fucking quickly,” says Katsuki. “But if he and I end up fighting, I’m blowing him the fuck outta bounds right away.”

“We both know enough about Shinso’s Quirk to not allow it to be used against us,” says Icyhot.

“So long as he doesn’t push certain buttons. He did that with me when he started insulting Ojiro,” says Izuku. He points his pen at Katsuki and adds, “Kacchan probably won’t last long against him ‘cause of that.”

“...the fuck? Take that back, fucking nerd! I will so last long against that bastard!” Katsuki yells back, fuming at the thought of the fucking Brainwasher getting the jump on him. He is going to be the number one hero and he is not about to let the damn Brainwasher get in the way of that.

“Yeah but you also have a temper and it’s really very easy to rile you up,” Icyhot points out.

“Fuck off, Icyhot. I’m not that bad.”

“That is bullshit.”

Katsuki scowls but the sad thing is, he really can’t deny Icyhot’s words. He knows that he has a bad temper, he knows that it doesn’t take much to get him annoyed or piss him off, and he also knows that Shinso Hitoshi is clever enough to use that to his advantage. If he does end up against the Brainwasher during the Sports Festival, he’s going to have to do everything in his power to hold his temper in check, and not snap at him.

Or, better yet, just blast the bastard out of the ring before he even has a chance to speak.

That works too.

The train comes to a stop and Katsuki stands up. He, Izuku, and Icyhot make their way out of the train and start heading toward the street that both Katsuki and Izuku live down. There aren’t very many people out and about, for which Katsuki is grateful. He doesn’t want to really deal with other extras right now.

“Do you want to continue this discussion now or wait?” Izuku asks when they reach his apartment building.

“Wait,” Katsuki grunts. “I just wanted to touch base on that situation but I really don’t wanna fucking delve into any of that shit too deeply right now.”

“I don’t blame you. Today’s been...while not nearly as bad as last time, it’s still been bad,” Izuku says, casting a worried glance at Icyhot who gives him a soft, reassuring half-smile in return. “I say we shelve the discussion for now.”

“Agreed,” Icyhot says.

“I’m going home,” Katsuki grunts and walks off, not even bothering on responding to Izuku’s goodbye. It’s not as if he ever does, and Izuku already knows that but that doesn’t stop him from saying it.

But, whatever. For now, Katsuki really just wants to forget about today.

And about the dark memories of the future he came from that today’s events had triggered.

And about the fucking panic attack that he had in front of his entire class.

But, more than anything, he just wants to rest, and maybe, just maybe, get some decent sleep without being plagued by memories of a future that might not even happen.

. . .

Chapter Text

Inko studies the boy standing in front of her. She’s only ever seen Shoto on video chat but the boy seems a lot more somber than she had expected. She still isn’t even sure as to what actually happened earlier, and why her son is coming home late, and why he had asked if one of his friends could spend the night out of the blue as he had. She knows that her son had said he’d explain but that doesn’t mean she isn’t worried.

“Thank you for having me,” Shoto says quietly.

“Of course, Shoto,” Inko says with a warm smile. “Any friend of Izuku’s is always welcomed in my home. Come in, please. Oh, did you come straight from the school?”

“Yeah,” Shoto says as he, taking off his shoes, follows Izuku and Inko deeper into their apartment. “My brother is going to stop by in a few hours with an overnight bag.”

“I see. Your parents do know that you’re staying the night, right?” Inko asks.

“My brother said he’d tell them.”

For some odd reason, Inko doesn’t really believe Shoto’s words but the way his face closes off the instant she mentioned his parents suggests that he probably doesn’t have the greatest of relationships with his parents. She knows nothing of the kind of life that Shoto lived, especially with the pressure of being the son of the Number 2 hero, but she isn’t someone who will press.

She may be worried but it’s not her place to interfere in the lives of someone else’s family.

“We don’t have much space,” she says. “But there’s enough room in Izuku’s room so you can stay there.”

Shoto nods slowly, uncertainly. “Sorry,” he says when she gives him a concerned look. “I’m not used to this. I’ve never been on a sleepover before.”

A soft sad smile crosses Inko’s lips. “Well then, we’ll make it a fun one,” she says. “We’ve got some board games you two can play, and you two can watch a movie if you’d like. I can make popcorn and hot chocolate.”

Shoto blinks. “That sounds good,” he says.

“Sounds great, Mom,” Izuku says with a bright smile and he turns to Shoto. “Let’s head to my room. Erm, right away, sorry ‘bout all the All Might stuff.”

Shoto just smiles at him but doesn’t seem too surprised by those words. He just wordlessly follows Izuku as he leads the way down the short hallway toward his bedroom. Inko watches him go before she turns and makes her way into the kitchen. She needs to get to work on dinner and decides to go with katsudon, since she knows that it’s her son’s favorite food, and she hopes that Shoto won’t mind that.

Her son and Shoto return to the kitchen after a few minutes and, as they sit down at the table, Inko hands them both mugs of hot chocolate and takes a seat at the table. “I’m going to make katsudon for dinner tonight,” she says.

“Katsudon? I’ve never had it,” Shoto admits.

“You never have?” Izuku sounds shocked. “It’s like the best food out there! And Mom’s is the best.”

Inko chuckles.

Shoto smiles. “Well, I look forward to trying it,” he says politely.

She smiles. He’s so polite and kind too and she isn’t blind to the way her son is gazing at Shoto. She knows that look. She looked at Hisashi the same way when she first met him in their second year of high school. My little boy...it’s hard to believe that you’ve grown up so much, and already have your first crush.

She doesn’t even care that her son’s first crush is on another boy. That doesn’t matter to her, so long as her son is happy. That’s what’s most important.

“All right,” she says as she decides to get back to the more serious matter at hand. “Now can you please explain what happened earlier today? The only thing that I’ve heard is that U.A. is closed for the next two days but they haven’t really contacted me to tell me what happened.”

“I think they’ll probably do that tomorrow,” Izuku says. “But, well, first off, you should know that we’re all okay.”

“That isn’t a good start.”

“I know. I know.” Izuku lets loose a breath, then goes on to explain everything.

Inko listens, face paling at the thought of her beloved baby boy facing off against villains, and only four short months after he had been given All Might’s Quirk—which is still something she is attempting to wrap her mind completely around—and she is glad to know that everyone’s all right. That doesn’t stop her from worrying just a little bit though.

“We were able to get out of there without anyone being seriously hurt,” Izuku says. “The teachers showed up while All Might, Aizawa-sensei, and Thirteen were taking care of the villains so everything worked out in the end. I’m glad for Shinso’s quick-thinking. If he hadn’t used his Quirk when he had…”

Inko shudders at the thought of what could have happened if Izuku’s classmate hadn’t stepped up to the plate when he had. “I’m grateful as well,” she says. “Still, though, it’s not even the end of your second week of school yet.”

“I know, Mom,” Izuku says quietly.

“But I am grateful that you’re safe,” says Inko. “I suppose that the teachers’ quick reaction is commendable, and the fact that you all got away from those villains safely is good too. But, still, I’m your mother, and I worry.”

“I know you do, Mom. Don’t worry.”

Inko continues to gaze at her son but nods. “I’m going to get started on dinner,” she says. “Why don’t you and Shoto head back to your room? You know where the board games and dvds are if you want to play a game or watch a movie while you wait.”

“Okay, Mom.” Izuku gets to his feet and heads back toward his room with Shoto following him.

Inko is about halfway done with dinner when the doorbell rings. Lowering the heat of the stove, she wipes her hands on her apron and makes her way to the door. She opens it to find a young man with messy white hair standing in the doorway, a duffel bag resting against his side. “Hello?” she says.

“Hey,” the young man says, turquoise eyes studying her. “I’m Touya. Shoto’s brother. I told him that I’d drop off an overnight bag for him for tonight.”

“Oh. Thank you. I’ll let Shoto know you’re here,” Inko begins.

“That’s okay,” Touya says. “I actually can’t stay. Eraserhead just contacted me. We’ve got a job in this area.” He holds out the duffel bag and Inko takes it.

“You’re a pro hero?” she asks.

“Don’t look like it, huh?” Touya chuckles. “I get that a lot. Nah, I’m an Underground Hero so I don’t get a lot of the limelight, which suits me just fine. I don’t like the limelight anyway. Besides, not looking like a hero means that people underestimate me.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Inko says.

“I need to go. Tell Shoto that Natsuo and Fuyumi say to text them goodnight when he goes to bed.”

Inko nods and watches as the young man walks away, not even bothering on taking the stairs. He literally just jumps over the railing and she, making sure the young man hadn’t hurt himself in that jump, decides that she really doesn’t understand Todoroki Touya.

. . .

“You really do have a lot of All Might merchandise,” Shoto says as he sits on the chair by Izuku’s desk, watching his friend—who may be more than that but he just doesn’t know that yet—try to organize some of the merchandise and get it off the floor.

“Yeah.”

“You don’t seem to have as much as you had in your dorm room back in our last life,” Shoto comments.

“Yeah, well, I kinda ended up getting quite a bit more after we moved into the dorms,” Izuku admits as he finally finishes organizing his room a bit and sits down on the bed across from Shoto. He fidgets a little bit, then adds, “So what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Right, this is your first time. Well, I guess Kacchan and I spend the night at each other’s place often, in this life, so we can play some board games. At least, with you, I won’t have to worry about disrupting to game just to ensure Kacchan doesn’t blow up the board.”

Shoto raises an eyebrow.

“Kacchan’s a sore loser.”

Shoto snorts in amusement at that. The Izuku from this time in their last life would never have dreamed of calling Bakugo Katsuki that but this Izuku doesn’t seem to have any such qualms. He still isn’t sure as to when Izuku turned into a cheeky little shit but he can’t say that he doesn’t like that about the other boy, because he does.

But, then, the more he thinks about it, the more he is starting to realize that there really are many thing about Izuku that he really likes.

Maybe Touya is right. But should I ask him?

He doesn’t know. He really doesn’t know.

“Um, Shoto, you’re starting to steam…”

Shoto flushes and quickly focuses on controlling his left side. “Sorry,” he mumbles.

Izuku just gives him a kind smile. “It’s no problem,” he says. “No problem at all. Okay, I’m gonna go grab some board games from the linen closet. I’m sure we can find something to do. I’m just glad that we don’t have homework, well, none that we can’t do tomorrow.”

“Ida’ll probably get upset that you procrastinated on homework,” Shoto comments.

“Oh he definitely will. We won’t be telling him that though.”

Shoto snorts in amusement and watches Izuku walk out of the room. He watches him go while his mind goes over Touya’s words to him earlier that day. He bites his lip as he turns his gaze to the window, brow furrowing in concern because he really can’t begin to figure out how to even approach the topic that has been dancing around in his head all day.

No, more specifically, ever since he’d tackled Izuku out of the way of that blade.

He doesn’t regret it but, at the same time, he still doesn’t quite understand where that reaction had come from. It hadn’t just been his feet moved before he even thought about it, it had been his mind screaming at him to save his friend because he couldn’t bear the thought of his friend getting hurt. At the same time, though, those warm feelings had gotten far stronger than ever before.

Every time he looks at Izuku, he feels so warm and flustered. Maybe that’s what Touya meant when he said that he felt the same way after spending so much time with Keigo. Still, though, to actually approach the subject with his friend and fellow time traveler…

He sighs and rubs his head, focusing on controlling the steam that’s rising up off his left side. The more he thinks about it, the more he wonders if he should just take the plunge and ask, like Touya had suggested. But just the very thought of doing that is causing all those thoughts to rear their heads in his head again, leading to a full on cycle of thoughts that are starting to repeat themselves.

“I’m back,” Izuku says as he walks into the room, carrying a stack of board games in his arms. He kicks the door closed behind him and sits down on the ground, placing the boxes in front of him, and Shoto slides off his seat to sit down across from him. “What do you feel like playing?”

Shoto smiles. “Nothing involving Hero Trivia because I know I’ll never win against you,” he says.

Izuku laughs. “That’s why Kacchan won’t play any games involving Hero Trivia with me ‘cause he always ends up flipping the board ‘cause he’s a sore loser,” he says.

Shoto snorts in amusement. “At least he doesn’t blow up the board,” he says.

“The game we usually play is limited edition. Mom would be so mad at him if he blew that up, and so with Auntie Mitsuki, since Dad paid quite a large amount of money to get that for me for my eighth birthday this time around,” Izuku says as he sorts through the board games, putting aside any games that involve hero-related trivia.

Shoto studies his friend for a long moment. That’s the first time that he’s actually mentioned his father. He remembers back during the Sports Festival the first time around, when he’d asked Izuku if he was All Might’s secret love child, and he knows that part of that had come about because of the lack of information on Izuku’s true father. It had been a small part, yeah, but it did play a part.

“You know that’s the first time that you’ve mentioned your father,” he says quietly.

Izuku doesn’t respond for a long moment as he stacks the board games that don’t focus on trivia. “I don’t really talk about my dad,” he admits. “Not last time around, and not this time around. It’s...complicated.”

Shoto lowers his head. “Yeah, I get that,” he admits.

“Well, I guess it’s not as complicated as with your family,” says Izuku quietly.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” says Shoto. “I won’t push.”

Izuku doesn’t respond for a long moment. “No, it’s okay,” he says, lifting his head and smiling at him. “I don’t really talk with my dad that often anymore. He kinda left when I was really young to work overseas, or, at least, that’s what Mom says but...I dunno. I guess I always got the feeling that Mom wasn’t being really truthful when she said that. But, since he’s never really in my life anymore, I don’t really think about him too often.”

Shoto’s eyes soften. It seems that he isn’t the only one with father issues but, at the very least, Izuku’s issues aren’t that bad compared with his own. Nonetheless, he reaches out a hand and rests it on his friend’s shoulder. “But he still sent you a birthday gift?” he says.

“He does, every year and I honestly don’t know what to make of that. I mean he sends a gift every year, and I know that he sends money to Mom to help her with the bills so that she doesn’t have to work that much if she doesn’t want to, but he never calls and he never visits. And what’s really strange is the fact that...that never happened the last time around.”

Shoto’s eyebrows rise at that. “That never happened last time?” he asks.

Izuku shakes his head. “No,” he says. “Last time around, when I was diagnosed as Quirkless was when my dad stopped contacting our family. Sure, he still sent money to help Mom with the bills but he never did anything with me, like the gifts he’s been sending all year this time around. I always thought it was because I was Quirkless but, now, I don’t know.”

“What changed from last time around to this time around?”

“The only thing that changed was how Kacchan treated me,” says Izuku. “And I don’t think that would have had anything to do with my dad.”

Shoto hums. “I guess the old saying that nothing happens the same way twice has more truth to it than we had thought,” he says. “I mean the U.S.J. still ended up being bad in spite of our preparations after all. And those combat trials were different than last time as well as what happened with the break in.”

“That’s true,” says Izuku. “I just don’t know what could have caused this change, since it seems rather major but, also, not really connected to me, you, or Kacchan.” He shakes his head as if to clear it and smiles at Shoto. “Let’s talk about something else. What game do you want to play?”

Shoto takes the change in subject in stride as he starts sorting through the stack of board games that aren’t trivia related. He picks up a few of them until he comes across Monopoly. “I’ve seen my siblings play this game before,” he admits.

“I like this game. Kacchan always gets annoyed by it ‘cause we, sometimes, spend hours playing it and it usually only ends when Kacchan flips the board,” says Izuku. “But I’m okay with playing if you want to. I don’t think you’ll flip the board.”

Shoto smiles faintly. “I’m pretty sure I won’t,” he agrees as he opens the box and starts setting it up in front of Izuku. They both choose their player pieces and the game begins.

. . .

Katsuki wipes some sweat from his forehead as he continues to slam punch after punch into the punching bag his dad had set up in the garage of their home. It’s late at night. Normally, he’d be asleep but he finds that he can’t shut his mind off and actually go to sleep. It’s been that way for a while now, ever since Izuku Awakened five months ago now that he thinks about it.

Ever since he and his fellow time travelers had started talking about how they were going to change the future, he hasn’t really been able to sleep that well. Normally he’s in bed by nine at night but now, at eleven at night, he just hasn’t tired himself out enough to actually sleep without nightmares disturbing him.

He’s sure that Izuku and Icyhot aren’t having that problem, given that they have each other, but Katsuki doesn’t have that. He huffs as he lowers his fists and wanders back to the bench to pick up his water bottle, taking a long drink of the cool water as he sits down. He pulls out his phone and scrolls through his contact list, newly grown to include everyone in his class.

His eyes linger on Kirishima’s number.

Back in the future, there’s no denying that Katsuki had started to really like Kirishima but hadn’t wanted to admit it to anyone, not even to himself really. But then his Work Study with Endeavor happened as had the war and he never really had any time to think about those feelings that he has for the spiky red-haired boy.

He doesn’t even know what happened to the spiky red-haired boy during the war, since he had been in the mountains when that giant creature—Gigantamachia—started making its way toward Shigaraki.

But that won’t happen this time around. We can find a way to beat fucking All for One and Shigaraki earlier so that the fucking war doesn’t happen, he thinks as his thumb hovers over Kirishima’s contact.

He bites his lip and scowls. He’s always been so bad at feelings, and actually talking with Kirishima as a friend is something that he hasn’t really been able to really do, not like the fucking nerd and his squad anyway. Sure, he had his own squad in the future but the way he speaks with them is different from how the nerd speak with his friends.

And yet they are still his friends, even if he doesn’t really want to admit it out loud.

Kirishima, on the other hand…

He sighs as he rubs his head, still gazing at the contact. He knows that the main reason why he wants to talk with someone is because it might help to get him to stop thinking about the future, and the nightmares that have come from the future. If he can just focus on something else, on the present, then it might help.

He taps Kirishima’s contact and his thumb hovers over the call button but he moves it over to the message button and he taps it.

Me: yo Shitty Hair

He doesn’t get a response right away and he wonders if, maybe, his red-haired classmate is asleep already. He starts to put his phone down to get up and start punching the bag again when it vibrates and he glances at the text.

Kirishima: Hey Bakugo! What’s up? 😁

He snorts at the enthusiastic response but his thumbs fly over the keyboard as he types a quick response.

Me: nothing. Can’t sleep

Kirishima: man, that sucks. Same though.

Today’s just been a really sucky

day

Me: tell me about it.

Kirishima: how’ve you been?

Katsuki hums as he thinks about how to respond to that. He’s still pretty terrible with feelings and he doesn’t really talk about his feelings at all. But he decides that he’ll, at least, be honest about how he feels.

Me: been better. U?

Kirishima: same. Can’t stop thinking bout

what happened and it’s stopping

me from sleeping

Me: fucking same. It’s annoying as fuck.

I fucking hate this

Kirishima: I don’t blame you, my man. I

do too. Hey, at least we have

the next two days off so there’s

that

Me: I guess

Kirishima: Hey, I just had a thought. U

want to hang out tomorrow?

Katsuki raises an eyebrow at the offer. They’ve only been in school for a little over a week, and have only known each other since that first day, and yet Kirishima is already asking to hang out? But, then, Katsuki has always known that Kirishima has always been really friendly from the moment that they met.

It’s one of the things that took him months to get used to but, eventually, he had, mostly anyway. He huffs but decides that, at the very least, hanging out with Kirishima will give him something to do but stare at the wall all day tomorrow.

He, Icyhot, and Izuku already roughly have a plan for what’s to come so they don’t really need to discuss that anymore right now. They can put that off for the time being so Katsuki doesn’t see why he shouldn’t agree.

Me: yeah, sure

Kirishima: 😲 Really?

Me: wouldn’t have fucking said that

if I didn’t mean it, Shitty Hair

Kirishima: srry. Didn’t think u’d be the

kind of person who’d like to

hang out

Me: I am perfectly fucking capable

of hanging out like a regular teen

Kirishima: 😂 Ah, calm down, man, I’m

just teasing ya! Wanna meet up

at the station? We can go see a

movie or, maybe, just walk

around the mall

Me: that’s fine

Kirishima: great! See ya then

Me: yeah, see you then

Katsuki puts his phone down and finds that chatting with Kirishima has managed to calm him down. He decides that he’ll get a few more hits into the punching bag and then he’ll try to get to sleep.

. . .

It’s to a sharp cry and cold that Izuku jerks awake. Sitting up sharply, he turns his gaze toward the source of the cry and, climbing off his bed, he moves over to kneel beside Shoto’s sleeping bag. The boy is shaking, sweat coating the left side of his forehead and steam rising off his left side from his agitated state, while his right side seems to be covered in a layer of frost.

Izuku stretches out a hand. “Hey, Shoto,” he calls quietly.

Shoto trembles but the cries die down. His eyes snap open and he gazes around rapidly until they land on Izuku. He starts to calm down but the fear and the guilt is still shining in his eyes. He sits up and reaches out a hand, taking Izuku’s in his. Izuku doesn’t say anything, just lets his friend hold his hand, ignoring the warm feeling that gesture causes to bloom within him.

“Sorry,” Shoto murmurs. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s fine,” Izuku says quietly, squeezing his friend’s hand. “What happened?”

Shoto doesn’t respond, gazing down at the sleeping bag that’s pooled on his lap as his hand clenches into a fist. “I was dreaming about the future,” he says quietly. “Specifically, about when I finally arrived to the fight. Just seeing how injured both you, Aizawa-sensei, and everyone had been at the time, I just...the nightmare seemed to paint what happened in a worse light than what actually happened.”

“I know the feeling,” Izuku says quietly with a soft hum escaping his lips. “That happens to me too. It’s okay though. It won’t happen this time around.”

Shoto closes his eyes. “I certainly hope so,” he says quietly.

Izuku squeezes his friend’s hand again and starts to stand up upon noticing that his friend has stopped trembling and managed to regain control of his Quirk to calm his agitated left side and warm up his right side. But Shoto’s grip on his hand tightens and he finds that he doesn’t want to let go, not yet anyway.

“Sorry,” Shoto murmurs.

“Don’t be,” Izuku says quietly as he settles down beside his friend, reaching with his free hand to his bed and pulling off his pillow and blanket, draping the blanket over him and Shoto and resting the pillow on the ground. “I’ll be right here.”

“Are you sure? It must be uncomfortable sleeping on the ground like this, since you aren’t in a sleeping bag.”

“It’s fine, Shoto.”

Shoto shakes his head as he unzips the sleeping bag and gently pulls Izuku closer. He flushes as he finds himself suddenly pressed against his friend’s left side. He can feel the warmth that his friend’s left side automatically generates and feels his own body heat up from how close he is to his friend.

“Ah, Shoto…” he begins.

“Is this more comfortable?” Shoto asks.

Izuku swallows but he will admit that it is but being so close to his crush is wrecking havoc on his emotions right now. His face is as red as a tomato and he can’t stop the flustered warmth that is rushing through him. He ducks his head.

“Ah, well, it is but...I just...this isn’t…” He stammers out.

Shoto turns his head to gaze at him. “If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to stay,” he says quietly. “I’ll be fine for the rest of the night.”

Izuku isn’t so sure that’s the case and he had already said that he’d stay at Shoto’s side. Sure, he hadn’t quite expected to be literally at Shoto’s side, and as close to him as he is right now, but he had meant what he said. He is not moving. “I’ll be right here for you, Shoto,” he whispers. “It’s fine, really. I guess I’m just not used to this, that’s all.”

“Yeah...me too…” Shoto trails off, heterochromatic eyes tracing over Izuku’s face and he flushes at the attention those beautiful eyes are paying to him before he ducks his face, mumbling something that even he can’t make out under his breath.

“Hey, Izuku,” Shoto whispers.

“Yeah?” he says, hoping his voice is steady but he can hear a slight tremor in his voice.

Shoto doesn’t respond for a moment, then whispers, “Well, I have been thinking...and...I know now might not be the best time to admit this but...I just...thought I’d get it out while I still have the courage to do so.”

“You’re one of the bravest people I know, Shoto,” Izuku says. “But if you want to tell me something right now, I’m okay with that. What is it?”

Shoto squeezes his hand. “I...I think I like you, Izuku, as more than a friend,” he says finally.

Izuku’s face goes red, his eyes wide as those warm feelings go through him again. “You do?” He flushes when he hears a slight surprised squeak in his voice and he ducks his head when he hears a faint chuckle escape Shoto’s lips.

“Yeah, I think I do,” he says quietly. “I just...I’ve been trying to figure out these feelings for a while now. I’ve been feeling them for a while now, since our last life actually, and...well...I guess tonight’s nightmare made me realize that those feelings aren’t going to go away, and I don’t want them to go away.”

“Shoto…” Izuku squeezes his friend’s hand, a soft smile on his lips. “I...I think I feel the same way about you.”

Shoto gazes at him in surprise but a soft half-smile crosses his lips. “Maybe Touya-nii was right. I really am quite dense,” he murmurs.

Izuku chuckles. “It’s not your fault if you are,” he says. “But, believe me, I am too. I never really thought about it ‘cause we had far too much on our minds when we started our Work Study with Endeavor. There’s a reason why Kacchan was getting so frustrated with us recently.”

“Yeah.” Shoto shifts closer and Izuku flushes when the other boy touches his forehead to his. “May I kiss you?”

That flush gets stronger but Izuku slowly nods and Shoto closes the distance between them, gently pressing his lips to Izuku’s. His lips are softer than Izuku had expected and a soft gasp escapes his lips but he soon relaxes into it, slowly kissing the other boy back, feeling the other boy’s arm snake around his waist. He ignores the chill that Shoto’s right arm is emanating as he leans closer to his friend.

“Whatever the future holds for us this time around, Izuku,” Shoto whispers as he pulls away from him, “know that I’ll be right there with you, throughout it all.”

“Same to you, Shoto,” Izuku says quietly. “And Kacchan will be with us too.”

Shoto nods in agreement and leans forward, pressing his lips to Izuku’s forehead. He smiles at the gesture and rests his head on the pillow, Shoto doing the same thing.

“Do you think you can sleep now?” he asks.

Shoto nods. “Yeah, I think I can,” he says and Izuku watches as he closes his eyes, his arm still wrapped securely around Izuku’s form. He curls closer to his friend—whom, he realizes, is probably his boyfriend now—and closes his own eyes.

For the first time in a long time, he finds himself drifting into a dreamless sleep, content and comfortable curled up next to his friend-turned-boyfriend.

. . .

When Shoto and Izuku walk into their homeroom class two days later, everyone goes quiet. This can be because they are holding hands, and Izuku is leaning against Shoto’s side with a smile on his lips while Shoto is smiling fondly down at him.

Then Bakugo exclaims, “Well, it’s about fucking time!”

“Wait, you two are together?” Kaminari says in surprise.

“Obviously,” Tokoyami deadpans.

“Aw man, the hottest boy in our class is already taken? It’s not even the end of the second week yet!” Hagakure whines.

“I know, right?” Ashido says with a pout.

“They do look so cute together though,” Asui says, touching her finger to her cheek and tilting her head to the side slightly.

Izuku blushes. “Um, maybe we shouldn’t have come in holding hands,” he says.

“We could have always come in kissing,” Shoto says.

“Shoto no!”

“Shoto yes.” Shoto proceeds to kiss Izuku in front of the entire class.

Bakugo literally falls out of his chair in shock, then yells at them to get a room.

Shoto releases Izuku, smiles at him, and walks off to his seat while Izuku just stares at nothing in particular, clearly stunned by the sudden kiss.

“Sit the fuck down, fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells as he climbs back into his seat, giving Sero a murderous glare when Sero starts teasing him for falling out of his chair.

Izuku jumps and, blushing, quickly runs to his seat.

Aizawa makes his way into the classroom, causing everyone to go quiet, and his eyes travel from Izuku to Shoto to Bakugo. “I want to speak with you, Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugo during lunch. Meet me in the lounge.”

They nod while everyone else exchanges glances.

“Um, are they in trouble?” Uraraka asks.

“No, they are not,” Aizawa assures her. “Now then, it is time that we discuss something of much importance. The Sports Festival is coming up.”

“It’s coming up already?” Hagakure gasps.

“Is it wise to have the Sports Festival in spite of the attack at the U.S.J.?” Kirishima asks in concern.

“It’s necessary to demonstrate that U.A.’s crisis management protocol’s are sound. That’s the thinking, apparently,” Aizawa says. “Compared to past years, there’ll be five times the police presence. Anyhow, our Sports Festival is the greatest opportunity you’ll get. It’s not an event that can be canceled over a few villains.”

He goes on to explain how the Sports Festival has basically become the Olympics of the current generation but Izuku doesn’t pay much attention, already well aware of this speech from the last time around. He only listens with half an ear to the statements coming from Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, and Jirou.

The rest of the day flies by and, before long, it’s lunchtime and everyone is still talking about the Sports Festival. They’re all excited as Izuku, gathering his stuff together, wanders over to join his new boyfriend who is packing his stuff away. Bakugo is listening to Kirishima talk excitedly, yet worriedly, about the upcoming Sports Festival and he doesn’t want to interrupt that.

“They’re all so excited,” he says.

“They have every right to be,” Shoto murmurs. “They don’t have to worry about villains until later. By the way, yesterday, I spoke with my brother.”

Izuku nods. “About…” He doesn’t finish his statement.

Shoto understands though as he nods. “He’s going to start taking jobs around Hosu City,” he whispers, “and he’s already gotten into contact with Team Idaten. He hasn’t approached the topic of them patrolling in groups yet but he says he’s getting to it.”

“Did he question why you would ask that?”

“No. I find that odd, yeah, but he knows me well enough to know that I would never request something like this unless I was serious. I suspect he may want to know more later though but he decided not to question me now.”

“And if he does ask?”

Shoto hums to himself. “I am still working that out,” he admits. “The only thing I can think of, right now, is that I ran into someone with a Future-based Quirk or something like that.”

Izuku hums. “That might work,” he says.

“Oi!” Bakugo storms over to join them, glaring at them. “What the fuck?”

“Sorry, Kacchan,” Izuku says with a sheepish smile. “But I saw you talking with Kirishima and didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Tch. If it has to do with...that then it’s fine,” Bakugo growls, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at them. None of the rest of the class seem to be paying attention, though that can be because they’re distracted by Uraraka’s sudden change in personality.

“We should probably go meet up with Aizawa-sensei,” says Izuku. “We can continue there.”

Bakugo grunts in agreement and the three of them make their way out of the classroom, heading down the hallway until they reach the teacher’s lounge.

All Might is already there, in his scrawny form, setting up some bentos on the table while Aizawa is curled up in his sleeping bag, only lifting his head when the three of them walk into the room and close the door behind them. He unzips the sleeping bag and climbs out of it while All Might waves for them to sit down.

“If you didn’t bring lunch, I took the liberty of getting you something to eat. No sense in skipping lunch while we talk,” All Might says.

“Thanks, All Might,” Izuku says as he sits down, Bakugo and Shoto sitting down around him on the other chairs available.

“What’s this about?” Shoto asks.

“We’ve been doing our own investigation ever since the U.S.J. incident,” says Aizawa as he perches on the armrest of the couch, folding his arms across his chest. “In particular, that creature that All Might fought against.”

“That creature had multiple Quirks,” All Might says. “Detective Tsukauchi, whom I’m sure you’re familiar with…”

Izuku nods.

“He determined that the creature had been genetically modified to accept multiple Quirks, but there is only one person out there who is capable of giving out Quirks freely to where they are accepted by the person they are given to.”

“All for One,” Izuku says quietly.

“Tch, that fucking bastard,” Bakugo growls.

“He is still alive, like you said,” All Might says and clenches his hand into fists but relaxes it a moment later. “We have that creature in our custody but haven’t gotten any information out of him. None of the other villains that were apprehended from the U.S.J. know anything either.”

“We theorized that Shigaraki literally just took random villains off the street to bulk up his forces to throw against you,” Izuku says.

“It would explain why they are so fucking easy to beat down,” Bakugo says, leaning back in his chair while Shoto is chewing on a mouthful of cold soba. Apparently, he hadn’t brought lunch, and All Might had remembered that cold soba is his favorite food.

“Either way, do we know if he will strike again soon?” Aizawa asks.

“He doesn’t actually strike again until summer,” Shoto says quietly.

“But he does show up again,” Izuku says and glances at Shoto. “In Hosu City.”

Shoto’s lips thin. “Right, the Hero Killer…” he says.

“Wait, you encountered the Hero Killer in your time?” All Might says, concern in his eyes.

“That’s a bit of a story,” Izuku admits.

“Those two, and fucking Four Eyes, fought and beat the Hero Killer but had to keep it hush-hush so the flaming trashcan ended up having to take the fucking credit. Also, fucking Handsy lets loose three Nomu in Hosu City right around the same fucking time,” Bakugo says. He tilts his head toward Shoto and Izuku, the former is giving Bakugo an annoyed glare while the latter is blushing in embarrassment.

All Might literally falls off the couch, spitting out blood in shock. “You what!?” he exclaims.

“Of all the reckless things to do, you actually fought against the Hero Killer,” Aizawa demands.

“To be fair, I was trying to get Ida to safety but I couldn’t really do much for Native. Both of them had been caught in the effect of Stain’s Quirk and couldn’t move,” says Izuku. “Shoto showed up in an effort to stall for time, and had informed the Pro Heroes who were only about five minutes behind him. Stain wasn’t exactly willing to just let us walk away so we were really just defending ourselves.”

Aizawa rubs his temples. “I have this odd feeling there is more to the story,” he deadpans.

“Since we’re already taking steps to ensure that the reason behind what happened in our time doesn’t happen, I don’t think we have to worry too much about what happened last time around,” Izuku says.

“So long as Team Idaten pays attention to Touya-nii’s advice and starts patrolling in groups,” says Shoto. “Not only that but Touya-nii says that he’s going to start working with Team Idaten in the coming weeks, after the Festival, and is even managing to drag Keigo into helping him.”

“Keigo?” All Might says, eyes wide. “You mean Hawks?”

“Todoroki is associated with the Number Three Hero?” Aizawa says.

“Associated with…?” Izuku echoes, tilting his head to the side as he glances at Shoto as All Might picks up his tea and takes a drink. “Wait, aren’t they dating?”

“I can see it,” Aizawa admits, resting his hands on his legs and narrowing his eyes. “Is there anything you can tell us about what will happen with the Hero Killer?”

“Just try to get word to the heroes about a potential attack on Hosu City,” says Izuku. “It’s not just the Hero Killer. Like Bakugo said, Shigaraki had released three Nomus into the city last time and I don’t think that’s going to change but that won’t happen until the week of our internships. The Hero Killer will attack on the day of the Sports Festival.”

“You know the exact date?” All Might says in surprise.

“Only because of who was attacked,” Shoto says grimly.

“Ida got a call during the Festival. His brother, Tensei, had been attacked by the Hero Killer,” says Izuku.

“I see...That’s why you’re going to such lengths to get Team Idaten patrolling in groups, and even getting Todoroki to Hosu City at that time, so that Team Idaten will have more backup,” Aizawa says as he raises a hand and pinches the bridge of his nose. “All right. I can get into contact with other Underground Heroes as well and send them, on an anonymous tip, to Hosu City on the day of the Sports Festival to give Team Idaten more backup.”

“Great, that solves that fucking problem,” Bakugo says. “Not much else we can do ‘till after the fucking festival.”

“The finals,” Izuku says. “Even though we aren’t really touching upon what happens this summer, since anything can still change that, it would help greatly if everyone was able to pass the finals. If even one person fails then that we’ll lose some firepower should what happened last summer happen again.”

“You know about the summer training camp then,” Aizawa says, a look of dread crossing his tired eyes. “Don’t tell me…”

All three of them nod silently, Shoto swallowing some cold soba noodles and putting his bowl down.

Aizawa closes his eyes and lets loose a quiet curse while All Might frowns.

“What’s wrong?” he says.

“Villains,” Izuku murmurs. “Last time around, villains attacked the summer training camp. We don’t know if that will happen this time around though.”

“It shouldn’t, not unless the villains are given a reason to attack,” Bakugo says. “And, frankly, there is only one reason why the villains would attack that is more likely to happen than any other.”

“And what would that be, Young Bakugo?”

Izuku is silent for a long moment. “All Might, I’m going to tell Aizawa-sensei the entire truth, about my Quirk,” he says. “He needs to know if he is to understand what Bakugo is getting at.”

All Might studies him, then nods. “Once again, my boy, you don’t need my permission,” he says. “It’s not my Quirk. It’s yours.”

Shoto smiles at that, remembering Izuku saying that to him the last time around during their fight.

Izuku nods and turns to Aizawa and starts explaining. He talks about All for One, about the origin of One for All, about how it is like a sacred torch, about how All Might had it but then passed it on to Izuku, choosing him as his successor.

Aizawa takes it all in stride, a soft hum escaping his lips. “And, since All for One is behind the League of Villains, if he notices that you have One for All, he’ll go after you,” he says, though his eyes burn and Shoto has to wonder how badly Aizawa would beat the ever living daylights out of All for One if he ever tried to lay a hand on Izuku, or on any of Aizawa’s students.

Even though it’s only been a few weeks, there is no denying that Aizawa is quickly becoming the father figure that he had been to the entirety of Class 1-A, and Shinso, in the future.

“Yeah,” Izuku says.

“Your Quirk can be simply passed off as a strength enhancement or energy enhancement based Quirk. It’s already called Superpower in the U.A. database. So for All for One to take notice of your Quirk, and connect the dots, something else has to happen, yes?”

“Yeah,” Izuku says with a nod. “I find out, in the future, that I will eventually gain access to every single Quirk of the previous holders of One for All. That means that, eventually, I’ll inherit seven Quirks.”

“Seven? But you said that you’re the Ninth Holder…”

“I was Quirkless,” says All Might and Aizawa raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised by that admission. “And, technically, he already has the First Holder’s Quirk, since that’s the very core of One for All.”

Aizawa’s lips press together and he hums. “If need be, you can make adjustments to your Quirk registration in the system,” he says.

“What should I put though?” Izuku asks.

Shoto hums to himself as he thinks and an idea comes to him. “Monoma,” he says.

Everyone stares at him.

“...the fuck?” Bakugo says in surprise.

“Monoma’s Quirk, I mean,” Shoto says. “It’s a Copy Quirk, right? What if you put your Quirk off as a permanent Copy Quirk, like you can copy up to seven Quirks and they are permanently copied but you didn’t realize that was your actual Quirk until Blackwhip, or whichever Quirk decides to unlock first if it’s not Blackwhip, makes it’s appearance.”

“That...might actually work,” Izuku says, resting his hand under his chin. “I mean I could always say, if anyone asks, that my Quirk permanently copies the Quirks of anyone that I touch, but only up to seven Quirks, which means that I could copy a Quirk without even realizing that I had copied it when I was little and, since I’ve never had to use it, that Quirk remained dormant until something happened to trigger it to wake up. That would also support the fact that the Quirks that the other users have aren’t exactly related to each other at all, since the Quirks that would have been copied would have been random because I could say that I had no idea as to what the Quirk of anyone I touch had been when I touched them. That seems like it would be a decent enough explanation, at least I think so. It might be a bit more complicated and…” Izuku’s words started dwindling down into mumbling to where his words start blending together and Bakugo’s eye twitches before he raises a hand and promptly smacks Izuku upside the head.

“Stop with the fucking muttering already,” he exclaims.

“Ah, sorry!” Izuku covers his mouth, face going red.

“I think it’s cute,” Shoto says.

Izuku’s face goes even redder and he squeaks out something that Shoto can’t make out.

“Anyway,” Aizawa says with a sigh, raising one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Midoriya’s explanation will work, at least for the time being, to appease the Hero Public Safety Commission, the public, and other heroes. The villains, on the other hand…”

“All for One will know right away, as we said before,” All Might says gravelly.

Izuku nods.

“That’s why, after the Festival when the Final Exams start approaching, we need to do everything that we can to ensure that all of our classmates pass,” says Shoto. “We should probably try and help make sure all of Class B pass too so that both you and Vlad King can be present if there is an attack.”

“Do you know who will attack?” asks Aizawa, narrowing his eyes.

Bakugo growls out a curse. “The fucking warp gate for one,” he says.

“Muscular,” Izuku says with a shiver.

“Moonfish,” Shoto says.

“Himiko Toga,” Izuku says thoughtfully.

“Probably the fucking villain Mustard, according to the extras in Class B,” says Bakugo.

“I don’t know the names of the other three that had been there last time. One was like a magician who can trap people and things inside marbles,” Izuku says. “And we won’t have to worry about Dabi this time around.”

“Why not?” Aizawa asks.

“Because Dabi doesn’t exist this time around.” And Shoto cannot contain the relief as he thinks about the eldest brother that he had, somehow, someway, stopped from going down the path of villainy. He is grateful to have Touya in his life, unlike the last time around, and he wouldn’t change that for the world.

Aizawa and All Might exchange glances, then All Might says, “I can get into contact with other hero agencies and see if we can, at the very least, keep a lookout for those villains. If we can catch them before they join the League then that would severely deplete our enemies’ numbers.”

“It’s a good idea,” says Aizawa. “I’ll get in touch with the Underground Heroes that I know and tell them to keep an eye out as well, as discreetly as possible, of course.”

“If we can catch Stain before any of this happens then we might not have to worry about the League getting new recruits,” Izuku says thoughtfully. “In our time, the League gained popularity because everyone thought that the League had been in league with Stain, which drew all of Stain’s followers to them.”

“We’ll handle that, Problem Children,” Aizawa says firmly. “You three should simply focus on the Sports Festival, especially since you will not have your knowledge of the future to help you out because you have already admitted that the entire festival is going to change because of the changes you’ve already made.”

The three of them exchange glances and Shoto hums. “We should get to training then,” he says.

“We can train at Takoba Bay Beach,” Izuku offers.

“I am all for getting the hell away from the flaming trashcan for the next two weeks when I’m not in school,” Shoto says. “I should ask Touya if he wants to help us train.”

Bakugo grins. “Wonder if the flameball wouldn’t mind sparring with me?” he says thoughtfully.

“Don’t beat Touya-nii up that badly,” Shoto deadpans.

“I make absolutely no fucking promises!”

Shoto isn’t surprised. Even if Bakugo has managed to finally let go of his grudge against Dabi, that doesn’t mean that he particularly likes Touya, and there is no denying that the scars from when Dabi had kidnapped him are still there. “Just don’t hospitalize him,” he says.

“Tch, whatever.”

Shoto knows Bakugo well enough to know that’s the closest he’s ever going to get to an actual agreement.

Aizawa stands up. “I am going to go speak with Shinso,” he says. “We only have two weeks and I want to get as much training with him as I can before the festival.” He turns and walks out of the lounge.

“I have this odd feeling Shinso is going to be stronger this time around,” says Izuku. “Wouldn’t surprise me if he gets farther in the competition.”

“Unless he’s up against you,” Shoto says and, jerking a thumb, adds, “but he might be able to get one over Bakugo, since it really is far too easy to get Bakugo riled up.”

“Shut the fuck up! That fucking Brainwasher won’t rile me the fuck up!” Bakugo yells.

Shoto rubs his ear. “I’m right here. There is no need to yell,” he deadpans.

“Why you little…”

Izuku jumps up and puts himself between the two of them. “Honestly, you guys were getting along,” he says with a sigh.

“Tch, fucking Icyhot still rubs me the wrong fucking way,” Bakugo huffs.

“I really don’t care how the fuming Pomeranian feels,” says Shoto.

“Why you little…”

Izuku runs a hand over his face. “Can you two, at least, wait ‘till we get to Takoba before you fight?” he says.

“Fucking fine!”

“Okay.”

“Honestly…” Izuku mutters but a faint smile crosses his lips.

“Why are you fucking smile, fucking nerd?” Bakugo snaps.

“It’s just...it’s nice to see you two acting like you used to,” Izuku says quietly, tears welling up in his eyes and starting to fall as he adds, “It’s just...really nice...to see things go back to the way they were, somewhat, before the war. It’s...I miss it. I miss this.”

Shoto wraps his arms around Izuku, drawing the green-haired boy close to him and resting his chin on top of his boyfriend’s head. “All three of us will do everything in our power to ensure that the future we come from won’t come to pass, Izuku,” he says.

“Tch, stop with the fucking waterworks. The fucking future we come from won’t happen, not if I have anything to fucking say about it,” Bakugo snaps.

Izuku nods slowly, a watery smile crossing his lips. “Yeah, the three of us can do it. I know that we can,” he says.

We’ve already done a good job of making changes as it is, Shoto thinks as he runs a hand through his boyfriend’s messy green curls. I don’t know what else we need to change but I know that we can do it too.

. . .

Chapter Text

The two weeks leading up to the beginning of the Sports Festival pass by in a blur. Most of it is dedicated to training, and Shoto goes out of his way to leave his home early in the morning before his father is even awake so that he doesn’t have to train with him. Touya helps to ensure that he can get out of the house without waking anyone up, and then accompanying him to train.

He knows that it won’t be long before Endeavor notices something is off. The fact that he hasn’t yet, and hasn’t confronted Shoto about his tendency of skipping out on the daily training sessions with him is a bit concerning. Endeavor is nothing if not determined and single-minded, focused only on his goal and nothing else.

He asks Touya that one day, a week before the Sports Festival, as the two of them make their way to the Takoba Seaside Bay. It’s early in the morning, so early that the sun hasn’t even risen yet, and no one is out. Shoto has no doubt that Izuku and Bakugo are likely already at the beach, since they have been getting up before dawn for the past week.

But he’ll worry about that later as he waits for his brother to answer him.

“He’s not happy,” Touya says, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants.

“How ‘not happy’ is he?” Shoto asks quietly. “Fuyumi and Natsuo…?”

“No, they’re fine. I’ve been taking the brunt of his anger. I’m used to it so I really don’t let it faze me. He can yell at me all that he wants but nothing will change my mind about keeping you as far away from that bastard as I possibly can now whenever I can.”

Shoto comes to a dead stop and whirls around to stare at his brother. Of course he knew that his father wasn’t going to react well to the fact that he keeps spending the night at Izuku’s or leaving the house early to ensure that he didn’t have to worry about encountering his father, or being forced to train with him when not in school. But he hadn’t expected Touya to be taking the brunt of his father’s anger.

“Touya-nii…” he begins.

Touya stretches out a hand and ruffles Shoto’s hair, though not before Shoto notices the burns scars that seem far worse on his forearm and the back of his hand. “It’s fine, Shoto,” he assures him. “I can handle it.”

“You shouldn’t have to!” Shoto grits his teeth and glares at the ground. “If I had known then…”

“That’s precisely why I didn’t want you to know.” Shoto’s looks up as his brother kneels down in front of him and takes his hands in his. “I’ve been dealing with the flaming trashcan’s anger and his flames and his harsh training regime since I was really young. Just because it stopped when your Quirk awakened doesn’t mean that I don’t remember it. And don’t forget that I have taken the brunt of his anger before whenever I would defend you or get in the way of his training with you. I’m used to it.”

Shoto scowls. “You shouldn’t have to,” he insists. “This...isn’t what I wanted.”He never wanted his brother to be constantly getting hurt by his bastard of a father when he went out of his way to get his brother to stay with the family, to stay with him, to not go down the path of villainy. All he wanted was for his brother to remain with him but is the price that has to be paid too high?

He doesn’t even know. Touya wouldn’t have had to deal with the pain of constantly getting hurt by Endeavor if he had left and, while it hurts Shoto to think about what happens to his brother when he left, he can’t figure out which is worse.

They both are incredibly bad. Either he stays and gets constantly hurt by the flaming trashcan’s flames and anger and harsh training regime or he leaves and gets constantly hurt by his own madness and starts hurting others around him. Both options are just terrible and Shoto wants nothing more than to find a third option, something, anything, to take away his brother’s pain.

He doesn’t realize he has tears streaking down his face until Touya is gently drawing him into his arms.

“Calm down, Shoto,” Touya murmurs, one hand resting on the back of Shoto’s head. “Listen to me, I’m an adult. I can handle this. I’ve been handling this, all for your sake, so don’t think that I regret this because I don’t. I promised you that I would stay and that I would protect you and I will not break either of those promises.”

“I just don’t like seeing you get hurt though,” Shoto whispers, pressing his face into his brother’s chest, feeling his brother’s badly scarred hand run through his hair.

“I know. It won’t be forever, Shoto. It won’t be. I’ve been working toward a surprise for a while now, one that will ensure that Endeavor can never lay a hand on either of us ever again.”

Shoto pulls his head back. “How? Endeavor’s the Number 2 Hero. He’s untouchable.”

“I will do whatever I must to keep you safe, Shoto, even if it means skirting the line between hero and villain,” Touya says firmly.

Shoto goes still, eyes wide as he recalls what happened in the future.

Dabi, in the future, had told him that he had released information about his past and everything that happened to him, and to the entire Todoroki family, to thoroughly ruin Endeavor’s career. He has no idea if that had actually worked or not, since he had been thrown back in time before he could see the fallout, but he suspects that it will be bad.

But he isn’t sure if what Touya is working on now is the same as what he did in the future.

“Just...be careful, Touya-nii,” he says finally. “The fine line between hero and villain is really fine and I don’t want to lose you to villainy.”

“You don’t have to worry, Shoto. I’m an Underground Hero. Underground Heroes skirt the line of villainy all the time,” he replies. “But I have no intention of becoming a villain. I’d never be able to keep my promises to you, and keep you safe, if I did.” He releases Shoto and ruffles his hair, standing up and adding, “Don’t worry ‘bout a thing. Your big brother will handle everything. Now, come on, I believe your boyfriend and your friend are waiting for us.”

Shoto blushes at the mention of his boyfriend, swallowing and reigning in his flames when he feels a few start to dance down the length of his arm.

That only causes his brother to laugh and start leading the way further along the beach. Shoto watches him go, pressing his lips together as he controls his blush. At the same time, he pushes his feelings over what Touya just said out of his mind. He’ll think about that later. For now, he should focus on preparing for the Sports Festival.

Everything else can wait for the time being

. . .

Bakugo immediately challenges Touya as soon as the brothers join them and, as the two of them start sparring, Izuku moves over to sit beside his boyfriend. He can tell something is wrong, with the red puffiness around Shoto’s eyes and the way he’s wiping his face while a few stray tears still streak down his cheeks. He frowns but curls his arm around Shoto’s shoulders. He’s not used to Shoto being this expressive with his emotions, he never used to be, at least not until the war, but he’s going to be there for him.

“What happened?” he asks quietly.

Shoto wipes the last of the tears away and turns to gaze at Izuku as Bakugo lets lose a curse and Izuku hears the tell-tale sound of a body hitting the sand, followed by another curse. He pays no attention to that, too focused on his boyfriend’s quiet distress.

“I guess I just found out something that’s...shaken me,” Shoto says finally, his voice quiet and impassive but Izuku knows him well enough to know that he is genuinely distressed by what he found out.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.

Shoto bites his lip, then shakes his head. “Not right now,” he says. “We can talk later. Right now, I want to watch Touya-nii beat the every living daylights out of Bakugo.”

“What the fuck was that, Icyhot?!” Bakugo, having overheard that, yells and winces when he’s thrown to the ground by a sharp jab to his gut.

Touya is grinning and Izuku can’t help but think that Touya’s grin right here is very similar to Dabi’s grin during the war, except without the madness in his eyes. Now, his turquoise eyes are actually shining with excitement. “Is that really all you’ve got? And here I thought you would prove to be a challenge,” he says.

“Shove it, bastard!” Bakugo lunges at Touya who dodges out of the way but Bakugo redirects his momentum to slam a roundhouse kick into Touya’s thigh, causing him to stumble. Bakugo pivots and slams a fist straight into Touya’s face while he’s distracted, putting enough force into the punch that it sends Touya tumbling off his feet.

“Ha!”

Touya flips to his feet and jumps forward but Bakugo dodges out of the way and they are sparring again, focusing entirely on each other as they exchange kicks and punches, as they dance with sand spiraling around them, conjured up by the movement of their feet.

Bakugo lands a sharp punch into Touya’s jaw but Touya retaliates by crashing his foot straight into Bakugo’s gut, sending him stumbling backwards. He only avoids tumbling to the ground by shifting his momentum to turn the tumble into a backflip that also succeeds in creating some distance between him and his opponent.

Izuku smiles to himself. It doesn’t surprise him that Bakugo is holding his own against Touya, without the uses of their Quirks, because he has always been good at hand-to-hand combat. Even though Izuku knows his friend well, he also knows that Bakugo is very good at reading another opponent’s moves, and adjusting his moves in response.

“He really is amazing,” he says.

Shoto tilts his head to the side. “For an explosive fuming Pomeranian, I suppose,” he deadpans.

Izuku covers his mouth to hide the snickers that erupt out of his mouth at that. It’s not so much Shoto’s words that he finds hilarious, it’s how utterly matter-of-fact Shoto’s words had been, as if he is just stating a fact out of an encyclopedia. “Honestly, Shoto,” he says with a grin and his grin widens upon seeing the soft half-smile that crosses his boyfriend’s lips.

Shoto still isn’t too expressive when it comes to his emotions, and he still doesn’t really smile that much, but he’s getting there. He’s slowly, but surely, opening up. Of course, he had been opening up in the future that they had come from but, this time, they don’t have to worry about the war and the League, hanging over their head while that’s happening.

They have time before shit hits the fan.

Izuku just isn’t sure when that is going to happen. He suspects that it’ll be after the incident with Stain, no matter how that ends up happening this time around, but he knows that he, Shoto, and Bakugo, as well as their allies in All Might and Aizawa, are doing what they can to prepare, at least somewhat, for what is to come.

A yell followed by a splash sounds and both Izuku and Shoto turn and Izuku fights oh so hard to keep from bursting out laughing as Bakugo, a scowl of fury on his lips, swims out of the ocean that a smugly-smirking Touya must have thrown him into. His spiky blonde hair is now plastered to the side of his head and his eyes are flashing, his lips twisted.

“He looks like a pissed-off drenched Pomeranian,” Shoto deadpans, his phone already out and snapping a picture while Izuku loses his fight to keep from laughing, and bursts out laughing.

“I’ll fucking kill you, Zuku! Stop fucking laughing! And put that fucking phone down, fucking Icyhot!” Bakugo yells in fury.

“Okay,” Shoto says and, tapping his phone, puts the phone down.

Izuku, managing to get control of his laughter, feels his phone vibrate. His eyes widen and he quickly pulls out his phone and opens it up, eyes widening even more upon seeing the new message on the Class 1-A Group Chat that Ida had started after everyone had exchanged numbers.

Shoto: (pic of a drenched Bakugo standing by the bay)*

Ashido: XD XD XD XD

Kaminari: oh my God! Ahaha! This is gold!

Kirishima: You took that pic, Todobro? Are you still alive? Please tell me you’re still alive!

Uraraka: That is gold! So saving that pic!

Tsuyu: I agree

Kirishima: don’t leave me hanging! Are you still alive, Todobro?

Izuku laughs as Bakugo charges toward them. “Did you do what I think you fucking did?” he growls.

Shoto gives him an innocent look. “And what would that be?” he asks.

Bakugo snatches Izuku’s phone out of his hand before he can respond to the Group Chat and his eyes twitches in fury upon seeing the picture. “You’re fucking dead! You and me, right now, fucking Icyhot!” he yells, tossing the phone back at Izuku who scrambles to catch it.

“Sure,” Shoto says with a shrug as he stands up while Izuku quickly responds to the group chat, where Kirishima, and now Kaminari and even Ida are inquiring about whether Shoto is okay or not.

Izuku: Shoto’s still alive, for now. Kacchan just challenged him to a sparring match

Kirishima: RIP Todobro

Ashido: F in the chat for Todoroki

Kaminari: F

Uraraka: F

Tsuyu: F

Yaomomo: Todoroki is very capable. I’m sure he’ll be just fine

Ida: It is very unheroic for a hero in training to murder another hero in training so Todoroki will be fine!

Hagakure: Um, I’m not so sure about that

Sato: agreed

Kirishima: Midobro, please, tell me! Is Todobro okay?!

Izuku laughs as he watches Bakugo and Shoto begin sparring. It’s aggressive and volatile from the very beginning but, due to the fact that they aren’t using their Quirks, they’re pretty evenly matched. Touya, who had come over to sit by Izuku, has a very pleased expression on his face.

“That was fun,” he says.

“What was, Todoroki-sensei? Fighting Kacchan, or throwing Kacchan into the bay?” Izuku asks.

“Both.”

Izuku sighs but he will admit that he prefers this Touya Todoroki to the Dabi that he had encountered in the future. “Shoto sent a picture of Kacchan when he got out of the water to everyone in our class,” he says.

Touya bursts out laughing. “That’s my little bro!” he exclaims around his laughter.

“Fuck off, Flameball!” Bakugo yells and barely manages to dodge out of the way of the sharp strike that Shoto aims at his side before he pivots and lunges toward Shoto.

Izuku turns his attention back to the group chat and responds to the question that he can see Kaminari, Ashido, Sero, Uraraka, Tsuyu, and Ida echoing.

Izuku: he’s fine. We’re training with Touya so Touya will intervene if Kacchan goes overboard

Izuku glances to the right in time to see Touya still busting a gut laughing. He’s laughing so hard that there are tears in his eyes. He turns his gaze back to the chat and types out another message.

Izuku: I hope

Kirishima: you hope?!

Izuku: he saw the pic that Shoto sent to everyone, and hasn’t stopped laughing for the past five minutes or so

Sato: RIP Todoroki Shoto

Ida: Midoriya, please, tell me that you will intervene!

Izuku: it’ll be fine

A crash sounds and Izuku looks up and sighs upon seeing that Bakugo had just thrown Shoto into the wall, and his hands are starting to crackle as he activates his Quirk while Shoto, pushing away from the wall, has ice forming up around his right foot and flames coiling around his left arm.

Izuku sighs and stands up, sending a quick message to the chat.

Izuku: nevermind. They just activated their Quirks. BRB

Izuku drops his phone and, activating One for All – Full Cowling, lunges toward them. “No Quirks, you guys!” he shouts as he crashes into the ground in between them, holding out his hands. “Do you want to get into trouble?”

“Tch, no one is watching us,” Bakugo snaps.

“We won’t do permanent damage to each other,” Shoto adds.

“No. Quirks,” Izuku says firmly. “Guys, you gotta remember that we don’t got our provisional licenses yet. We can get into a lot of trouble if we’re caught.” Izuku glances at Shoto who sighs but reins in both sides of his Quirk. Bakugo scoffs but, reluctantly, reins in his own Quirk as well and Izuku does the same.

“Your phone’s blowing up, Midoriya,” Touya calls.

Izuku jogs over to where he’d dropped his phone and picked it up, not at all surprised by the number of questions that are being sent throughout the chat from every single one of his classmates, all of them asking about Izuku’s last message.

He is quick to send a message to reassure his classmates that everything’s all right.

Izuku: guys, it’s fine. I calmed them down before they did something stupid

Ida: good! It is illegal to use one’s Quirk when in public without a hero license! They could have gotten into very big trouble if you had not intervened as quickly as you had!

Uraraka: I’m more concerned, and curious I’ll admit, about which one of them would’ve ended up in the hospital

Tsuyu: Probably both

Hagakure: definitely both

Kirishima: both

Kaminari: both

Sato: both

Ashido: oh definitely both

Sero: agreed. It’d be both

Ida: I must agree with everyone else. If they had fought with their Quirks, I have no doubt that both of them would have ended up in the hospital

Bakugo: the fuck?! I could have easily taken fucking Icyhot without ending up in the hospital!

Izuku turns his head to see that Bakugo had gotten to his phone, and must have read the most recent messages. He is still glaring at Shoto who had also picked up his phone but Shoto doesn’t look the slightest bit repentant as he types on his phone.

Shoto: Personally speaking, I am quite sure that I could have easily handled the fuming, explosive drenched Pomeranian without ending up in the hospital

Ashido: (insert spittake gif)

Sero: XD XD XD XD

Kirishima: and now Todobro is dead again!

Shoto: still alive

Izuku: only because Kacchan won’t attack when Touya is literally right there, and can easily just throw him back into the water if he tries anything, now that he’s stopped laughing his butt off anyway

Bakugo: fuck off, Zuku!

Izuku: just speaking the truth

Izuku puts his phone down after looking at the various laughing emojis that are being put on the chat now and grins at Bakugo who is fuming in annoyance. At least, he’s dry now, though his hair doesn’t look like it’s going to go back to being spiky right away.

Touya snickers. “Okay, kiddos,” he says. “I think that’s enough for today. You guys up for continuing this tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Shoto says.

“I’m all right with that,” Izuku says.

“You and I, rematch,” Bakugo growls, jamming a finger at Touya who tilts his head to the side, a smirk on his lips.

“I am all for throwing your ass back into the bay, you fuming Pomeranian,” he replies and strides off, laughing while Bakugo starts screaming curses at his back.

Shoto smiles faintly and turns to Izuku. “I should go,” he says.

“You want to stay the night?” Izuku asks quietly because he isn’t so sure that Shoto really wants to go back to his family home.

Shoto nods his head. “I’ll be all right,” he says. “I just...I want to be there for Touya.” He doesn’t explain why but Izuku doesn’t push.

“Okay,” he says.

Shoto reaches out a hand and takes Izuku’s in it before he leans forward and gently presses his lips to Izuku’s forehead. Izuku’s face goes red and Shoto’s face matches his, though, at least, he doesn’t burst into flames. He pulls back and says, uncertainly, “Um, was that all right?”

Izuku’s nods slowly. “Y...Yeah, that...that was all right,” he stammers out.

Bakugo rolls his eyes. “Get a fucking room,” he says and storms off, stuffing his hands into his drenched pant’s pockets.

“He won’t be saying that when he finally gets together with a certain spiky-haired boy,” Izuku whispers.

“No, he probably will,” Shoto murmurs back.

“...True…” Izuku smiles at Shoto and, squeezing his hand, releases it and steps back. “I’ll talk to you tonight. Please, be safe.”

“I will.” Shoto turns and jogs after his brother who casts a sidelong glance at him, an eyebrow raised. But, when Shoto gazes at him with determination in his mismatched eyes, Touya sighs in exasperation but nods in reluctant acceptance.

Izuku turns and starts making his way toward his apartment as well, tucking his phone into his pocket as he walks. He can only hope that Shoto will be all right.

. . .

Katsuki stuffs his hands into his pockets as he sits on the stone steps in front of his house, his gaze fixed on the street in front of him. It’s been a few days since the training session at the bay, and they have been going back there to train with Flameball every day since then, but Katsuki knows that that’s really all they can do. They can’t do anything about what is to come, except deal with it when it does come because of how massively different it’s going to be.

At the very least, he did get his revenge when he managed to throw Flameball into the bay during their last sparring match the day before. Icyhot taking a picture of that happening, and sending it to the group chat, had been a highlight, mostly because Katsuki actually hadn’t expected that to happen.

Today, they aren’t having a training session only because the flaming trashcan had decided to continue Icyhot’s training that day, and Icyhot couldn’t get away, and Kirishima had texted Katsuki, asking if he wanted to hang out for the day. Katsuki will admit that he does like spending time with Kirishima, even if he will never admit it to anyone—though he’s sure that Izuku and Icyhot already know—so he doesn’t mind taking a day off from training.

He knows that Izuku is actually spending the day with his mom anyway so he can’t train with him, and he doesn’t really want to get into another yelling match with the old hag who’s been getting on his case about getting out of the house for a while, and do something that isn’t training.

That’s really the main reason why he’s sitting on the stone steps outside of his house, waiting for Kirishima to show up, because he doesn’t want to deal with the old hag’s teasing if she sees Kirishima. Honestly, though, he won’t be surprised if she is watching, waiting, for him to show up.

He glances at his phone where Kirishima’s most recent message, telling him that he’s almost there, is resting.

He stands up and, stuffing his phone away, makes his way down the steps and toward the end of the driveway. He doesn’t want to deal with the old hag’s teasing anyway so may as well meet Kirishima halfway so that he can avoid all of that shit. He stuffs his hands into his pockets as he walks, making his way down the sidewalk.

“Hey, Bakubro!” Kirishima yells, jogging over to join Katuski with a sharp-tooth grin. “Thought we were gonna meet up at your place?”

“Didn’t wanna deal with the fucking hag interrogating you,” Katsuki says with a shrug and a scowl. It’s not that he doesn’t love the old hag, since she did give birth to him and take care of and raise him, but their relationship is odd to say the least, and that hadn’t changed this time around.

Kirishima doesn’t question that though. He just shrugs and grins. “Okay, that’s cool, man,” he says. “So what do you want to do?”

Katsuki shrugs. “I don’t care.” Truth be told, he hadn’t really thought about anything to do when Kirishima asked him to hang out, he never does. Kirishima is always the one who decides on what to do because Katsuki can never think of anything that doesn’t involve playing violent video games at the local arcade or training or going into the nearby mountains and hiking. He does love hiking but the travel time is far too time-consuming, especially for starting out too late.

“Okay. Hmm, how ‘bout we head over to the local gym? They’ve got a new rock climbing wall that we can do,” Kirishima offers.

Katsuki smirks. “Can’t wait to beat the other extras that are there,” he says.

Kirishima just laughs and shakes his head, already used to how Katsuki acts and talks about others. He may not really refer to the vast majority of Class 1-A as extras anymore but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t with the rest of the students at U.A. He turns his gaze to the street ahead, ignoring the way his cheeks heat up at the sound of his sharp-toothed friend’s laugh and the warmth that goes through him.

He scowls to himself. He’s not going to be thinking about that right now. Right now, just focus on beating those other extras and not think about anything else.

As it turns out, the gym isn’t that busy at that time of day so there are only three others trying out the rock climbing wall so Katsuki ignores them. He just smirks at Kirishima and jerks his head upward. “Race you to the top?” he says.

Kirishima grins, baring his sharpened teeth. “Oh, you’re on! Don’t go blowing things up when I beat ya though, bro,” he says.

“Ha! As if you’ll beat me!” Katsuki retorted, his smirk growing more challenging because, frankly speaking, Kirishima is one of the only ones in his class to ever truly challenge him.

“Let’s see about that. Let’s go!”

Katsuki grins and darts toward the rock climbing wall, Kirishima only a step behind him. They both latch onto the wall at the exact same time and starts climbing it as swiftly as they possibly can. In the end, Katsuki manages to reach the top a split second before Kirishima who just grins at him.

“Man, thought I could’ve beaten ya there. Guess not,” he says and gives him a thumbs up as he sits on the edge of the rock climbing wall where Katsuki is also sitting. “Good job.”

“Well, duh. This is nothing,” Katsuki says with a shrug. “I enjoy mountain climbing.”

“You do? That’s so manly, man!” Kirishima exclaims.

Katsuki shrugs again, turning his gaze to scowl at the wall. He will admit that he’s enjoying himself, just talking with Kirishima like this, again, and not have to worry about what is to come for the time being. Even so, the not knowing is something that still bothers him. He had been thrown back in time before he could see the fallout and conclusion of the war so he has no idea of what actually happened after the League retreated. He doesn’t know if Kirishima was okay by the end of that war or not.

“Hey, Bakugo, you okay?”

Katsuki shoves the concern and worry out of his mind and turns to scowl at the spiky-red-haired boy sitting next to him. “I’m fine, Shitty Hair,” he snaps and turns to glare at the ground instead, trying to ignore the brief gleam of hurt that showed up in Kirishima’s eyes at those words. “Just...thinking...’bout something that I can’t help but think about.”

“You wanna talk about it?” Whether the hurt is still in Kirishima’s eyes or not, Katsuki doesn’t hear it in his voice at all.

“Fuck no,” he growls. Even if he did want to talk about it, he doesn’t, he can’t because it deals with things that Kirishima doesn’t know, and shouldn’t know. Katsuki isn’t about to burden the boy he had come to truly care for—even if he will only admit that to himself—with the knowledge of what may come to pass.

Even more so because Katsuki is fighting so hard to ensure that none of the shit that he has gone through ever comes to pass again.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m fucking sure.” Katsuki doesn’t realize he’s gripping the side of the rock climbing wall tightly until he feels a hand rest on top of it. He turns to find Kirishima had shifted closer and is still looking at him, the hurt in his eyes is gone to be replaced by concern.

“You’re shaking,” he says.

Katsuki curses under his breath and turns his head away. He hadn’t even noticed that his hands are starting to shake. Damn it. He can’t have a panic attack or flashback, or whatever the fuck is about to happen because of the trauma from the future, bothering him now. He can’t. He’s already fucking panicked in front of his entire class. He won’t embarrass himself again by letting that happen in front of Kirishima.

“Hey. You don’t gotta talk or nothing,” Kirishima says soothingly, “but, sometimes, talking can help ya. I’m not gonna push ya though, Bakugo.”

Bakugo grunts and doesn’t respond for a moment. “Thanks,” he says grudgingly.

Kirishima squeezes his hand. “Anytime, my friend,” he says and, releasing his hand—much to Katsuki’s disappointment—he stretches his arms above his head. “Let’s race a few more times, then there’s an ice cream place not far from here. We can go there. My treat.”

“I can fucking pay for my own damn ice cream,” Katsuki retorts.

“I don’t doubt you can but it’s still gonna be my treat.”

“Fuck no. I’m paying.”

“No, I already said I would. A man doesn’t back down on their word. I’m paying.”

Katsuki glares in stubbornness, then smirks. “Fine, whoever wins the most races treats to ice cream? Deal, Shitty Hair?”

Kirishima smirks and holds out a fist. “Deal,” he says and Katsuki rolls his eyes but bumps his fist lightly against his friend’s. “But I’m gonna beat ya.”

“As if.”

Kirishima laughs.

In the end, Katsuki manages to win, but only by a split second.

He will admit that, in light of everything that’s raging in his head constantly because of all that’s happened, today has been a highlight. Just spending time with the one person in all of Class 1-A that was the only one that he tolerated for the longest time, and the one that has steadily become the one that he has come to love, has made the day worthwhile.

Even if he never had the chance to tell Kirishima how he felt in the future, Katsuki decides that he’s going to make sure that doesn’t happen this time around. But he will wait. For now, he wants to focus on what is to come, mainly the Sports Festival and the incident with Stain and Finals and I-Island and, of course, the training camp.

He can worry about his feelings later. There are more important things that he needs to focus on.

Or, maybe, that’s just your excuse because you don’t know if Kirishima will feel the same way about you.

Katsuki doesn’t want to admit it out loud but that thought is a very true thought. Since he never did get the chance to tell Kirishima his feelings—and he isn’t that great at feelings to begin with so actually admitting them is incredibly difficult—he doesn’t know if the red-haired boy had felt the same way in the future.

And there is no telling if he does feel the same way this time around either.

“Hey, Bakugo, you okay?” Kirishima asks, peering at him over his ice cream sundae.

Katsuki shakes himself from his thoughts and glances at his own sundae, which has pretty much turned into soup. “Fine,” he says.

“You sure, man? You were literally gazing at nothing for five minutes, and let your ice cream melt,” Kirishima says.

“So? What if I fucking like it like this?” To prove his point, Katsuki picks up the bowl and drinks the ice cream. He really doesn’t like it this way but the last thing he wants is for his friend to get more concerned over him.

Thankfully, while the concern still remains, Kirishima does chuckle in amusement. “Okay, okay, bro. Don’t give yourself brain freeze by drinking all of that in one go.”

Katsuki snorts as he finishes drinking about half of the ice cream and putting it down. “I don’t get fucking brain freeze,” he says. It’s odd but he never has, even when he and Izuku would eat ice cream as kids too fast and Izuku would always complain about a brain freeze but Katsuki never got affected.

“Dude, lucky! I hate brain freezes! They suck!”

Katsuki resists the urge to chuckle at the pout that crosses the red-haired boy’s face. He flicks his spoon at his friend. “You’re pouting like a fucking toddler,” he says.

“I am not!”

Katsuki grins at him as he dips his spoon into the ice cream soup. “Sure,” he says.

Kirishima huffs and digs into his own ice cream again. “So are you looking forward to the Sports Festival, Bakugo?” he asks.

“I’m looking forward to beating all of those other fucking extras,” Katsuki says with a smirk. Especially Icyhot who better keep his word and use his fire if we do end up fighting against each other again.

“It’s sure gonna be great,” Kirishima says. “I’ve always watched the Sports Festivals in the past and they get crazy!”

“Yeah, they fucking do.” Hopefully, it won’t be that crazy. Katsuki thinks about Izuku, and those other Quirks that he has just waiting to be unlocked within him, and he finds himself hoping that the Festival won’t end up too crazy that one of those Quirks unlocks.

But, considering how hectic the Sports Festival had been the last time around, he isn’t so sure that it won’t go crazy.

“But it doesn’t matter. I’ll still blow away all of the competition.”

Kirishima smirks. “If we end up fighting, know that I ain’t gonna hold back,” he says.

Katsuki’s grin is sharp and near feral. “I’d be fucking disappointed if you did,” he replies.

. . .

“And then Touya threw Kacchan into the water! It was great!”

Inko shakes her head in amusement. “How many times did that happen over the course of the past week and a half?” she asks as she busies herself with gathering the dishes together while Izuku and Shoto are also putting their plates together.

“Seven,” Shoto deadpans. He knows because he had taken a picture each time and posted it to the group chat before booking it in the opposite direction to ensure that he didn’t get an explosion thrown into his face.

Izuku shakes his head as he gathers the stacked plates and carries them over to his mom while Shoto leans back in his seat. It’s been a week and a half since the short break that they were given while they trained and prepared for the Sports Festival. Nothing new has happened, with the exception of his father getting more and more temperamental and Touya, purposely, insisting that Shoto stay the night at Izuku’s apartment more often than not.

Shoto doesn’t like it. He still fears for his brother, both of them actually and his sister, but, thankfully, his siblings have been staying away from the house whenever Shoto isn’t there. Natsuo is staying at the university that he’s attending, Fuyumi has her own apartment as does Touya but Touya is also constantly on patrol, taking more and more of Aizawa’s patrols just to avoid going home.

It still doesn’t sit right with him but he doesn’t say anything about it again, because he knows that his brother won’t listen to him.

“Hey, Shoto, you’ve got a gloomy look in your eyes? Everything okay?” Izuku asks as he moves back to join Shoto.

The heterochromatic-eyed boy nods slowly. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he reassures his boyfriend.

Izuku continues to gaze at him in concern but doesn’t respond as he reaches out an arm and wraps it around his shoulders, pulling him close. Shoto’s face goes red but, thankfully, he manages to stop himself from bursting into flames. He does steam a little but manages to control that before it gets worse.

“You know I’m here if you wanna talk, right?” he says.

“Yeah, I know.” Shoto leans against his boyfriend. He’s starting to get better about showing physical affection, mostly by emulating much of what Izuku does since he doesn’t exactly have a good role model when it comes to showing affection, but it’s still a work in progress.

“You two really are so cute together,” Inko admits.

Izuku’s face goes red.” Mom…” he protests with a slight whine but his mom just laughs at waves her hand.

“I’ll handle the rest of the dishes. You two can go back to Izuku’s room if you’d like,” she says and gives a stern look to Izuku. “You know the rules, Izuku, and don’t stay up too late.”

Izuku’s red face gets redder. “We don’t...that’s not...I know, Mom! But we don’t...it’s...I…” He stammers out while Shoto blinks, not getting what Miss Inko is getting at.

He opens his mouth, about to ask, but Izuku squeaks, grabs his arm, and drags him out of the kitchen, incidently activating One for All. Crackling green lightning wraps around his legs as he bolts out of the kitchen, dragging Shoto behind him, while Miss Inko shouts, in fond exasperation, “No using your Quirk in the house!”

“What was that about?” Shoto asks once they were in the safety of Izuku’s room.

Izuku huffs as he throws himself onto his bed. “Don’t worry about it, Shochan. It’s just Mom embarrassing me with her teasing,” he says.

“Oh...wait, Shochan?” Shoto frowns at the sudden nickname.

Izuku sits up abruptly, face going red and he starts waving his hands frantically. “Ah, sorry! Sorry! It’s just…I didn’t think it would be a bad nickname and it’s really just a term of endearment but if you don’t like it, I’ll stop and…”

“No, I like it.” Shoto realizes that he doesn’t mind that nickname. It makes him feel warm and happy that his boyfriend cares enough to give him an endearing nickname like that.

Izuku cuts his rambling words off and studies him. “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, Shochan. Oh, you’ve been standing this entire time? Here, sit down.” Izuku scoots over on the bed and pats the bed next to him.

Shoto frowns but moves over to sit beside his boyfriend. His boyfriend stretches out his hands and gently takes Shoto’s hands in his. Shoto finds his eyes trailing over them. Even though they aren’t there anymore, he can still visual where the scars had been in their last life. He raises Izuku’s hands to his lips and kisses the back of them, closing his eyes.

At least that won’t happen this time around.

“Um, Shochan?”

Shoto opens his eyes and lifts his head to find Izuku gazing at him with surprise in his blushing face. “Oh. Sorry,” he says.

“No, don’t be. It just took me by surprise, that’s all,” Izuku says with a bright smile that reminds Shoto of sunlight. But, then, Midoriya Izuku is sunshine incarnate so that isn’t a surprise.

Shoto releases Izuku’s hand and stretches it toward the other boy’s face. “Your smile is beautiful,” he murmurs, and Izuku’s blush deepens, even more so when Shoto rests his hand on his cheek. “Is this all right?”

“Y...Yeah…”

Shoto tilts his head to the side. “Sorry,” he says because he can tell that his boyfriend is a bit nervous. “Keigo gave me some advice on how to...um...flirt and it seemed fine but…”

Izuku leans into the hand. “It’s fine,” he says. “I don’t know how to feel about the fact that you’re getting flirting advice from Hawks but I don’t mind it.”

“At least I’m not using those pickup lines Keigo suggested I use,” Shoto says because, even with his limited understanding of what it actually means to flirt, even he knows that the pickup lines that Keigo suggested had been absolutely terrible at worst, and cheesy at best.

“I don’t want to know.”

“Yeah, you don’t. This is why I wish Touya-nii hadn’t told Keigo about my new relationship with you.”

Izuku giggles at that.

“Can I kiss you?” Shoto asks quietly.

Izuku smiles at him and leans toward him, pressing his lips to his. Shoto blinks but kisses his boyfriend back, gently wrapping his free arm around his neck and pulling him closer, the fingers of the hand still resting on Izuku’s interlacing with Izuku’s fingers.

Izuku leans into the kiss, closing his eyes and Shoto finds his own eyes closing as he deepens the kiss.

Frankly speaking, this is only the second time that Shoto has ever kissed his boyfriend but he doesn’t really think. He just does. He just falls into the moment, allows his own heart to guide his actions, and it works out well. Their breaths mingle and their faces are so close that Shoto can feel the warmth wafting off his boyfriend’s red cheeks.

It feels perfect and peaceful.

His phone ringing shatters the beautiful moment.

Sighing, Shoto pulls back from the kiss, and Izuku lets out a soft mewl of protest, and reaches for his phone, pulling it out of his pocket and glancing at it. “It’s Touya-nii,” he says as he answers the phone.

“Hey Shoto,” Touya’s voice says. “You still at Midoriya’s?”

“Yeah,” Shoto says.

“Good. The flaming trashcan came home early from the agency and isn’t happy. He’s demanding that you come home right away. I told him to fuck off and left the house. Don’t think I’ll be able to go back for a few days ‘till the flaming trashcan calms down. I suggest that you ask Miss Inko if you can stay for a few days. I do not want you anywhere near the flaming trashcan while he’s pissed off.”

“Touya-nii, you always say that,” Shoto says.

“Yeah, well, it’s always true.”

“I don’t want you to get into trouble, Touya-nii.”

“I’ll be fine. One of the reasons I became an Underground Hero is because of anonymity that comes with it. There are very few people who know about Inferno the Underground Hero after all, even the flaming trashcan doesn’t know my hero name. I should go. My patrol starts in a few minutes. Remember to text Natsu and Yumi before you go to bed.”

“And play nice with your boyfriend!” Keigo’s voice shouts in the background.

Shoto frowns. “Play nice? We always play nice but I don’t know if we’re going to be playing any games,” he admits, though he isn’t sure why Izuku is suddenly red.

Or why Keigo is howling with laughter in the background.

“Stop laughing, you overgrown chicken!” Touya yells back. “Shoto grew up fucking isolated and with fucking Endeavor! Of course he doesn’t know what you’re insinuating, and no, you cannot explain matters to him!”

“C’mon, babe. He’s fifteen.”

“Exactly why you need to keep your fucking mouth shut, you overgrown chicken!”

“Hey Shoto!” Keigo shouts almost as if he hadn’t heard a single thing Touya just said. “Just remember to keep your clothes on when you make out!”

Shoto suddenly pictures Izuku without a shirt on and his face goes red as his entire left arm to burst into flames. He quickly yanks his arm away from Izuku before he accidentally sets his boyfriend on fire while Touya screams, “Fucking chicken! You’re cut off for the next week!”

“But babe…”

“I will make it a fucking month! Don’t fucking push it!”

Keigo goes silent while Shoto focuses on reining in his flames. He manages to do so, glad that he isn’t wearing a long-sleeved shirt so nothing gets burned or set on fire.

“Sorry about my moronic boyfriend. I still don’t know why I’m with him…” Touya deadpans.

“You know you love me!” Keigo shouts.

“Honestly, you’re so fucking lucky that I do, you stupid chicken,” Touya grumbles. “Don’t listen to anything that Keigo says, Shoto. You’re too young to have to deal with Keigo being, well, fucking Keigo. So just ignore that.”

“Yeah, I think I will,” Shoto agrees.

“You’re so protective, babe. It’s really cute,” Keigo teases.

“You want me to add you sleeping on the couch for the next week?”

Keigo falls silent again.

“Honestly,” Touya mutters. “I’m gonna let you go, Shoto. Get some sleep and don’t forget to text Natsu and Yumi. Tell Midoriya that I say hello.”

“I will. Goodnight, Touya-nii,” Shoto says.

“Goodnight, baby bro. I love you.”

Shoto closes his eyes, feeling warmth go through him as those three words, words that he never heard come from the lips of his eldest brother after finding out who he had become in the time he came from. He says it all the time in this time though and Shoto, once again, can’t help but feel happy about that change.

Even if he still doesn’t know the repercussions that will come from ensuring Dabi never comes into existence.

“Goodnight, Big Brother. I love you too,” he says quietly and hangs up.

Izuku smiles at him. “You’re so much happier with Touya in your life,” he says quietly.

“Touya made my childhood bearable this time around,” Shoto admits as he puts his phone onto the bed beside him. “He says hi by the way.”

“He always does.” Izuku glances down at their fingers that are still interlocked with each other and smiles quietly as he gently squeezes Shoto’s hand. Shoto smiles at him, leans forward and gently kisses him again. Izuku lets out a soft gasp but kisses him back. He wraps his free arm around Shoto’s neck, gently pulling him closer and Shoto closes his eyes, deepening the kiss.

“We should get some sleep,” Izuku whispers against his lips.

“Yeah,” Shoto murmurs back and pulls away from the kiss, disentangling himself from his boyfriend and climbing off the bed.

Izuku squeezes his hand and smiles at him.

Shoto smiles back as he sits down on the bedroll that rests next to Izuku’s bed.

. . .

It’s the night before the Sports Festival.

All is silent. Everyone has gone to bed. Shoto is passed out on his bedroll with his face half-buried into the pillow and his arms curled up against his chest. Izuku is on his stomach, one arm dangling over the side of his bed, his eyes closed and his breathing even.

While he is asleep, he isn’t exactly dreaming…

No, instead, he finds himself in a very familiar mindscape.

One that he has not visited since the day One for All activated within him.

He gazes at the seven vestiges of One for All that are all gathered around him. Daigoro Banjo and the First Wielder Yoichi are the ones standing the closest to him, though he can see Nana standing just behind Daigoro.

“Welcome back,” Yoichi says quietly with a soft, kind smile on his lips. “Though I wish it were under better circumstances.”

‘This is just like what happened before the Joint Training Exercise, except without the vision of when One for All was created,’ Izuku thinks, knowing the other vestiges of One for All, with the exception of All Might since his form is still golden mist, can hear him when he thinks.

“Unfortunately, that’s the truth, kid,” says Daigoro. “I know that my Quirk is the one that will awaken but, at the same time, I can’t say when the others will wake up.”

‘So we don’t have an accurate timeline of when the others will wake up?’ Izuku thinks.

“Nope. I think we, as the vestiges, will only know the day that it wakes up but not when that day.”

Izuku can’t frown but he does feel uncertain and concerned.

Yoichi holds out a hand. “Remember, though, Ninth,” he says gently with a kind smile. “We are still with you, through all of this. You’re not alone.”

Izuku reaches out a hand toward the First Wielder. ‘I know. Thank you,’ he thinks as he gently brushes his fingers against the First Wielder’s.

Glass shatters and Izuku jerks out of his sleep, gazing at his hand and wincing upon seeing the glowing red veins of One for All wrapping around his arm. He looks up at the shattered window and at Shoto’s concerned look as he gazes at him, one hand resting on his arm.

The door opens and Inko pokes her head into the room, concern in her eyes. Her eyes widen in alarm upon seeing the shattered window and she steps fully into the room. “Izuku?” she says in concern, her eyes traveling to his hand and they widen upon seeing the glowing red veins of One for All.

Izuku closes his eyes. “What time is it?” he asks.

“Six in the morning,” Shoto says.

Izuku nods slowly, closing his hand into a fist before he turns to his mom and, opening his eyes, he gives her a shaky smile. “It’s okay, Mom. One for All is just acting up. It’ll calm down in a minute,” he says.

Inko doesn’t look like she believes him. “Are you sure?” she asks.

“I’m sure, Mom,” Izuku assures her. “I’m okay, really.”

Inko continues to study him but nods. “Okay. I’ll go get a broom and dustpan to clean up the shattered glass,” she says.

“I can get it, Miss Midoriya,” Shoto offers as he gets to his feet.

“Thank you,” Inko says and directs him to the closet where the broom and dustpan are located. As Shoto leaves the room, Inko turns her gaze to Izuku.

“If you need me, or just want to talk about what happened, I’ll be in the kitchen,” she says.

“I know, Mom, thank you.” Izuku smiles back at her. He doesn’t want to risk his mom by dragging her into this entire mess, in spite of the fact that it hurts to not tell her the entire truth, which is why he isn’t telling her anything.

For now, he just can’t. He can’t risk his mom getting hurt. He doesn’t know what he would do if he ever lost his mom.

He pushes the thought aside as Shoto makes his way back into the room, broom and dustpan in hand. He stands up, glad to see that One for All is no longer acting up but he knows that won’t be for long. Blackwhip is going to make its appearance that day and Izuku can only hope that it won’t be during the Sports Festival, but he finds that highly unlikely.

Maybe the League won’t be watching the Sports Festival this time around.

It’s a futile thought though. He has no doubt that All for One is going to have Shigaraki watch the Sports Festival for the sole purpose of learning all that he can about the heroes in training that he is, eventually, going to have to fight.

“We knew it was going to happen, just not when,” Shoto murmurs as he finishes sweeping up the glass and, dumping the glass in the trashcan, moves over to sit beside Izuku.

“Let’s try to get to U.A. as early as possible so we can speak with Aizawa-sensei and All Might. I’ll explain what happened to Kacchan when he meets up with us to head over to U.A.”

Shoto nods but rests his hand on Izuku’s arm. “Are you okay though?” he asks quietly.

Izuku doesn’t respond for a long moment, eyes traveling to his arm and he flexes his fingers a few times but nothing has changed. “I think I will be,” he says. “I’m a bit worried, yeah, but I’ll be okay.”

Shoto rubs his arm gently. “Just remember you’re not alone, Zuku,” he says quietly.

Izuku thinks to Yiochi’s words to him within One for All and he smiles softly as he gazes at his boyfriend. It’s not just Shoto and Bakugo and Aizawa and All Might that he has at his side, he also has the previous wielders of One for All within him as well.

“I know,” he says as he rests his hand on top of Shoto’s, curling his fingers around his boyfriend’s. “I know.”

. . .

Chapter Text

The Annual U.A. Sports Festival is the biggest event to occur in Japan for years, if not decades. It’s a major event in which all three years compete to showcase their training and the strength of their Quirks, among other things, for the entire world to see. Reporters clamor in front of the gates of U.A. while booths are set up within the courtyard, ready for the various people—parents, Pro Heroes, police officers, and so many more—to grace the area. As had been told to Class 1-A two weeks earlier, there is a massive police presence, as well as the presence of various Pro Heroes all wandering the grounds, searching for anything suspicious.

Todoroki Touya is one of those people, though that’s primarily because of the extra help that the Idaten Group in Hosu City got from other Underground Heroes to help them with their new decision to patrol in groups. Tensei had insisted that Touya should go and enjoy the Sports Festival and cheer his baby brother on, and Aizawa had assured him that Hosu City had enough heroes floating around to keep it safe, so he agreed.

He can only hope that the tip that the Underground Heroes, and the Idaten Group, had received about the Hero Killer isn’t true but, if it is, then the Hero Killer is going to be in for a big surprise.

Either way, that’s not his job right now. He had been quick to offer to do one of the first patrols for the sole purpose of ensuring that he can be in the stadium, in the First Years’ stage anyway, when the Festival actually begins. He wants to watch his little brother and see how far he gets, as well as how much he annoys the heck out of the flaming trashcan the entire time.

Of course the flaming trashcan is there. Touya would have been surprised if Endeavor hadn’t showed up. After all, his supposed ‘masterpiece’ is competing in the festival and Endeavor is going to want to see his progress, even more so because he hasn’t had that much of a hand in Shoto’s training in recent years.

Touya had gone through great lengths to keep Shoto out of Endeavor’s reach, even if it meant dealing with the brunt of Endeavor’s flaming anger. He rubs his arms, trying to ignore the phantom pains from the burn scars that litter his arms and pushes that thought out of his mind. Turquoise eyes scan the area as he wanders toward the area in front of the main gates where several students are making their way onto the campus.

Of course, some reporters actually, stupidly, try to follow the students in, triggering the U.A. Barrier that the staff had finally gotten fixed after it had been broken into earlier in the semester.

“Can’t those reporters get a clue? They ain’t getting in ‘till the Festival actually starts. They should really leave us alone. It ain’t manly for them to swarm us like vultures,” the silver-haired form of Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, from Class 1-B, says as he walks alongside the orange-haired form of Kendo Itsuka, also from Class 1-B.

“Agreed,” Kendo says and turns her head. “Oh, hello, Todoroki-sensei.”

“Kendo, Tetsutetsu,” Touya says with a short wave. “You ready for today?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Kendo admits. “I’m nervous though.”

Tetsutetsu grins, baring his teeth, and slams his fists together. “I can’t wait to see how everyone does!” he says, then shrugs and adds, “Though I am a bit nervous too. I’m okay with admitting that!”

He’s so excitable, reminds me of Kirishima from Class 1-A. “It’s natural to be nervous. I was during my first Sports Festival,” Touya says.

“Oh, yeah, I watched the Festival that you won. Wasn’t that in your second year at U.A.?” Kendo asks.

“Yup.” Touya grins. “Throwing my opponent out of the ring without using my Quirk was fun.” Sure, he had only done that because his father had actually watched the final match and he wanted to spite him by not once using the flames that he inherited from his father to win.

“You didn’t use your Quirk at all?” Tetsutetsu echoes in shock.

“I suppose, in a way, I wanted to prove a point to a certain flaming pile of garbage,” Touya admits and he waves his hand dismissively when Kendo opens her mouth to ask, “It’s not important. Don’t ask. You should go join your class.”

“Ah, right. See you later, Todoroki-sensei,” Kendo says before she and Tetsutetsu jog away.

A red feather suddenly flies in front of Touya whose eye twitches in annoyance as he snatches the feather out of midair and turns, raising an eyebrow as Keigo lands on the ground beside him, tucking his hands into his pockets as his wings tuck behind him. “What are you doing here?” he asks as he hands the feather back to his boyfriend.

“What? Can’t I come cheer on my favorite little Todoroki?”

“And here I thought I was your favorite Todoroki.”

“You are. You’re not little though.”

“That makes no sense whatsoever. You know what, it’s far too early to deal with you being, well, you so I’m just going to ignore that,” Touya deadpans, folding his arms across his chest and tilting his head to the side. “Why are you here really? Your agency’s in Kyushu.”

“I got a message from Principal Nezu about helping out with the security and, since I really wasn’t doing much in Kyushu right now, I decided to fly on over. It gives me the added benefit of seeing my handsome boyfriend again.”

“You literally just saw me last night.”

“That was so long ago though, babe.”

“You left at two in the morning. It hasn’t even been eight hours.”

Keigo huffs, folding his arms across his chest, a pout crossing his lips as his wings flutter behind him. “It’s almost as if you aren’t happy to see me,” he says.

Touya rolls his eyes. “You are such a drama queen, Keigo,” he says. “Of course I’m happy to see you. I just wasn’t expecting you.”

Keigo beams and he slings his arm around Touya’s shoulders, yanking him close, much to his annoyance. “Ah, I knew you loved me, babe!”

“I seriously wonder why I do half the time.” Touya pushes his boyfriend away from him in fond exasperation. Honestly, in the years that he had spent at U.A., he had never expected to end up in a relationship with Takami Keigo, with the winged child who’s smile always seemed fake around everyone else, except him.

Touya knows little to nothing about Keigo’s past, since Keigo hadn’t been willing to speak about it with him at all, but he knows that Keigo had come to U.A. under recommendation, though no one knew as to who had given him the recommendation. He just knows, from his own digging, that the Hero Public Safety Commission has had their eyes on Keigo for a while but he doesn’t know why.

He just hopes that it isn’t anything bad but he also doesn’t want to pry.

At least, so long as it doesn’t jeopardize his boyfriend’s life, or put the only three people in the world that Touya cares about—aside from Keigo of course—at risk, he won’t worry about it.

Keigo grins but spreads his wings. “I’m gonna go patrol the area again. I think the festival is gonna be starting soon and I already know you’re gonna wanna watch it all,” he says. “I’ll come and say hi at some point during the festival.”

Touya nods and watches as his boyfriend flies off, leaving behind a few feathers that he guides toward where a couple of students are struggling to pick up some items that had fallen off their booths. The feathers fly under the items and lift them up and back onto the booth to which the students shout out their thanks to Keigo who gives them a two-fingered salute in response.

Touya shakes his head in amusement. Keigo has always been good with people. It’s one of the reasons why his public rating is as high as it is, and that had played a major part in his rise to the Number 3 spot on the Hero Ranking Chart.

Touya starts making his way toward the stadium. The festival is going to be starting soon and he definitely wants to get a good seat to watch his little brother and see how far he gets. Truth be told, while Touya is going to be rooting for Shoto and won’t be surprised if he does end up taking the gold, he also knows that Shoto is going to have tough competition, especially in the form of Bakugo Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku.

But it’s going to be interesting to see how he does against all of his classmates, and the other students whom he will be pitted against.

. . .

“So you’re saying that you saw the vestiges, and spoke with them?” All Might asks in concern.

The three time travelers and their two teacher mentors are gathered in the lounge. Aizawa is sitting on the armrest of the couch that All Might is sitting in the middle of while Katsuki, Izuku, and Icyhot are sitting on the stools in front of the coffee table that untouched cups of tea are resting on. It’s about an hour before the festival and Izuku had been quick to gather all five of them together to tell them about what happened.

Katsuki folds his arms across his chest, a scowl twisting his lips as he goes over everything that Izuku had just said, including what the vestiges told him as well as One for All activating on its own. “This happened before, right?” he says. “The day of the joint training exercise. You mentioned that happening, briefly, after the exercise when explaining what happened before Blackwhip appeared.”

“The last time that I spoke with the vestiges was when One for All activated within me when I first got it,” Izuku says. “I wasn’t expecting to actually be warned ahead of time that one of those other Quirks was going to activate, even if it’s not much of a warning.”

“Tch, it doesn’t fucking help ‘cause we don’t know when the fuck Blackwhip is going to make its fucking appearance,” Katsuki growls. He has no doubt that, knowing the damn nerd’s luck, it’s going to end up during the festival, probably at a point in which attention will be focused more on Izuku alone. In light of what happened the last time Blackwhip activated, when Izuku had been fighting against Brainwasher during the joint training exercise, it makes sense.

Icyhot must have been thinking along the same lines because he says, “I think there’s a good chance that Blackwhip will appear during the final round, the one-on-one battles.”

Izuku’s brow furrows. “You’ve got a good point,” he says. “The last time Blackwhip activated, it had been when I was fighting Shinso and Monoma during the joint training exercise. I remember that I had been about to use my Air Force attack on Monoma when it happened.”

“What exactly happened?” Aizawa asks, leaning forward slightly.

“Blackwhip just appeared out of nowhere,” Izuku says. “I was angry because Monoma was insulting Kacchan, reminding everyone about what happened—which I don’t want to discuss—and it just appeared and started going out of control.”

“How did it feel?”

“It hurt,” Izuku whispers, gazing at his hands and clenching them. “When it first emerged, it was hurting and I was having so much trouble controlling it. It just kept lashing out at everyone and everything and I was afraid, scared that it was going to end up hurting someone.”

“But that didn’t happen, did it?” All Might asks.

Izuku shakes his head. “Uraraka jumped on me and tried to get me to calm down but, when it didn’t work, she turned to Shisno and yelled at him to brainwash me to stop me. That’s when I found myself talking with the vestiges again. Oh, wait, Daigoro did tell me that his Quirk is perfect for capturing someone, and that’s what I had been focusing on. I had been focusing not just on my anger toward Monoma’s hurtful words towards Kacchan but also on capturing him, as was part of the exercise. And Blackwhip activated in response to my desire. But if that is the case then does that mean that the other Quirks are going to activate when I need them the most? Or when I most desire to do something that one of those Quirks is perfect for doing, like Blackwhip is perfect for grabbing and capturing people? If that’s the case then it may be that the order in which the Quirks are activated won’t be the same but, at the same time, that also means that Blackwhip may not be the first Quirk that is unlocked, in spite of what the Fifth User told me earlier, unless I am focusing on capturing someone. I suppose that can happen, given what happens during the Sports Festival and…”

Katsuki slaps a hand over Izuku’s mouth, abruptly cutting off his mutter storm, his eye twitching and his head throbbing. “Would you shut the fuck up, nerd?” he snaps.

Izuku flushes in embarrassment. “S...Sorry,” he stammers out, his voice slightly muffled by Katsuki’s hand.

He rolls his eyes but releases Izuku’s mouth as he rests his hands on his lap. “It makes sense,” he says. “Even if Zuku’s explanation was way too fucking long-winded, it does. That would explain why Danger Sense activated when it did, or why Float activated when it did.”

All Might looks up at that but Katsuki doesn’t acknowledge his movement.

Icyhot tilts his head to the side but doesn’t question those words as he hums, resting one hand on his chin. “Those one-on-one battles last time around had been one-on-one fights where you had to either make your opponent unable to move, force them to say ‘I give up’, or get them out of the ring. Blackwhip, from what I saw, is perfect for all three of those things.”

“And the Fifth User must have known that if he was warning me about his Quirk being the first one that I’ll get,” Izuku says.

“This complicates things,” Aizawa says. “Am I right to say that this Blackwhip Quirk is rather...obvious?”

“Big time,” Katsuki grunts.

Aizawa hums and turns his gaze to Izuku. “Did you end up learning how to control it?” he asks.

“I did, eventually,” Izuku says. “I can control Blackwhip at the same percentage that I can control One for All without breaking anything, which is forty-five percent right now. I know I can control it but I can’t control it as soon as it wakes up because it’ll take me my surprise, since I don’t know when it will wake up. Once that surprise goes away, I can reign it in but it might take some time, time that I won’t have in the middle of a fight.”

Aizawa hums. “If I erase your Quirk when Blackwhip makes its appearance, that may solve that problem,” he says.

“Just don’t be too high off the ground when that happens,” Icyhot says.

“Yeah, the last thing I want is to break something because I fell from too high up. Kacchan still won’t let me live down tripping and falling down a flight of stairs after the Combat Trials,” Izuku says.

Katsuki snorts. “You are never gonna fucking live that down, nerd,” he says.

Izuku huffs.

“That’ll help with controlling Blackwhip before it can hurt anyone on accident, or cause any accidental damage,” All Might says quietly, “but I suspect there is more to it than just that. You were getting at something else, weren’t you, Aizawa?”

“I was,” Aizawa says. “The League will be watching the Sports Festival. Shigaraki would be a fool not to, since it will show him the strengths and weaknesses of the heroes that will, eventually, be his enemies. If All for One is smart then he will ensure that his successor does watch the Festival but I would not put it past All for One to watch the Festival himself, which means if Blackwhip activates then All for One will see it. Am I right to assume that All for One knows about the Quirks of the previous users of One for All?”

“He’s fought against every single One for All user, with the exception of the First, so he does know about all of their Quirks, except mine because I was Quirkless,” says All Might. “So, yes, he would know about Blackwhip, and is smart enough to put two and two together. If he sees Blackwhip then he will know that Young Midoriya has One for All.”

“And it’ll be earlier than last time around,” Izuku whispers to where only Katsuki and Icyhot can hear him. In a louder voice, he adds, “That just means that we’re gonna have to do what we can to decrease the numbers of the League as best we can, and get more backup as discreetly as possible for the training camp.”

“Get Touya to come with,” Icyhot says. “And try talking with Vlad King to see if he would be willing to offer extra tutoring or training for his class to better prepare them for the finals. We can help out our classmates to the best of our ability as well.”

“I’ll kick all of their asses into shape in no time.” Katsuki says firmly, already making plans to offer to train with Kirishima, Dunce Face, Raccoon Eyes, and Tape Face more often, and tutor them as well to help ensure that they won’t fail. He may as well include Sugar in that, since he knows Sugar is another one that ended up failing the practical exam.

Aizawa nods. “I believe that I can do that,” he says. “Touya is an Underground Hero just like me so that anonymity will help.”

“Keeping it as discreet as possible is good too,” Izuku says. “We still don’t even know how the villains found out about the training camp to begin with, since we were all positive that all precautions had been taken.”

Aizawa exchanges glances with All Might, both of them uncertain.

“You know something,” Icyhot says.

Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. “Nothing to concern yourself with,” he says.

“Considering all the shit that we’ve gone through already, I think we can handle whatever the fuck you know,” Katsuki retorts.

“There’s a spy in the school, isn’t there?” asks Izuku quietly and, when Aizawa’s eyes snap open and All Might turns to stare at him in shock, he adds, “It makes sense, when you really think about it. It would have taken too long for someone to use the media’s break in to get into the school, all the way to the teacher’s lounge or Principal Nezu’s office or wherever those plans had been stored, and get out all before anyone notices. So it would make sense that it would be someone who had already been inside the school to begin with. And then the training camp...the villains knew about the training camp, knew its exact location, what time it would happen, when it would happen, and who would be there. But that information had been kept secret until the last possible minute to the point where even we didn’t know of where we were going until we were already there, and we ended up leaving later than planned to further cover our tracks, and I believe that you even changed the location of the training camp at the last possible second too if I remember what you told me in the future right.”

Icyhot’s face is pale. “There’s a traitor in U.A.,” he realizes.

“Fuck,” Katsuki growls.

Aizawa closes his eyes again. “Unfortunately, Midoriya is likely right. There is likely a traitor in U.A. but we have, as of yet, to find any clue as to who this person is,” he says. “We don’t even know if they’re a student or a teacher.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Izuku says quietly, shivering. “I mean who would betray us to the villains?”

“That is the question of the day,” says Icyhot.

“I don’t give a fuck what their reasons are. When I find out who it is, I’m gonna beat the fucking shit outta ‘em,” Katsuki growls.

“Do try to refrain from that, Bakugo,” Aizawa deadpans and folds his arms across his chest, leaning back slightly. “But this is getting off topic. We are discussing things that haven’t happened yet, things that you have already told us you didn’t want to focus on until after Finals. I can start seeing what I can do for the training camp right now but you three need to focus on the Festival for now.”

“Yeah, you need to focus on showing the world who you are and how hard you have been training,” All Might says. “Even if you have already lived through this, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do your best.”

“I ain’t gonna just do my fucking best. I’m gonna take home the fucking gold and, this time, I am going to win the undisputed first place,” Katsuki says firmly and jams a finger at Icyhot. “You better not fucking hold back this time, fucking Icyhot.”

“I already told you that I wouldn’t, fuming Pomeranian,” Icyhot says coolly.

Katsuki’s hands explode in fury and he snarls out a series of curses that Icyhot completely ignores. Fucking Icyhot. I’ll fucking destroy him in the ring when we face off. He’s not the only competition that I have either.

“The festival is about to start,” Aizawa says as he jumps off the armrest and straightens. “You should head over to the waiting room and meet up with your classmates.”

“Try not to think too heavily on what is to come, and your own worries,” All Might says as he also rises to his feet. He moves around the table and, to Katsuki’s surprise, he wraps his arms around all three of them and pulls them close. He scowls but doesn’t shove the scrawny former Number 1 Hero away. He just huffs and glares.

“Let us handle some of this matter as best we can,” All Might says quietly. “Aizawa and I will do what we can to help with this matter.”

“Thank you,” Izuku says.

“Of course, my boys.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes but doesn’t respond to that as he waits for All Might to finish being all mushy and releases them. He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his gym uniform pants and turns his head. “Well, c’mon, nerd, Icyhot,” he says and walks off.

“Do your best,” All Might calls out as the three of them walk out of the lounge and head down the hallway toward the waiting room that the rest of Class 1-A are already gathered in.

. . .

“Hey, guys, where were you?” Kirishima asks when the three time travelers make their way into the waiting room. Shoto isn’t surprised when Uraraka, Ida, and Asui drift over to join them along with Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero. It seems that the groups of friends, the squads as the rest of the class had taken to calling, are forming up to be the same as they had the first time around.

“We just had to speak with Aizawa-sensei real quick,” says Izuku with a reassuring smile. “Nothing serious, just a couple of questions that I had.”

“You never have just a couple of questions, fucking nerd,” Bakugo says with a roll of his eyes.

“I hate to agree with the fuming Pomeranian but he’s right,” Shoto admits and ignores the withering glare and the screamed curses that Bakugo flings at him for that. Getting to see Izuku go red with embarrassment while also biting back a snicker is well worth it.

“Shochan,” he whines.

“Shochan?” Uraraka echoes.

Izuku goes redder.

Shoto shrugs. “It’s a nickname of endearment,” he says.

“Aw, how cute,” Uraraka says with a bright smile.

Asui touches her finger to her cheek. “You two may end up fighting against each other in this competition,” she says.

“Yeah.” Shoto folds his arms across his chest. “I will still care for Izuku even after this competition is over but that does not mean that I won’t put my all into beating him, and the Pomeranian at that.”

“Fuck off, Icyhot!” Bakugo yells.

Shoto tilts his head to the side. “Let’s just say that I am declaring war against both Izuku and Bakugo,” he says, “since they are clearly among the strongest in our class, and I do not plan on losing to either of them.”

Izuku’s eyes gleam. “I am looking forward to going all out against you, Shochan. I’m gonna throw your declaration of war right back at you because I don’t plan on losing either.”

“You better believe that I’m going to kick both of your asses so don’t you dare think that I ain’t gonna declare war on both of you ‘cause that’s exactly what I’m fucking doing,” Bakugo retorts, a sharp, feral grin stealing its way onto his lips.

“Oh boy,” Kirishima says nervously.

“Um, did our three strongest classmates just declare war on each other?” Sero asks.

“Yeah, they did,” Asui says with a nod.

“Guys, isn’t that a bit...much?” Kaminari asks.

“No, they all have a point,” Ida says, adjusting his glasses. “We are all going to put our all into this competition to show everyone here, and the world itself, exactly what we are made of. We must not allow our friendships or our relationships get in the way of our determination. Even so, at the end of the day, when all is said or done, those friendships and relationships will still remain, no matter who ends up winning.”

“Well spoken, Ida!” Uraraka says with a grin.

Ida’s cheeks redden and he coughs and adjusts his glasses again. “I simply feel that we should all aim for the top but ensure that we do not lose our bonds along the way,” he says.

“Again, so well spoken.”

Izuku smiles. “Ida’s right. At the end of the day, no matter who wins, we’re all still friends! Well, rivals in Kacchan’s case anyway,” he says.

“Here here!” Kaminari calls out with an excited grin.

“And we must head out now,” Ida says firmly. “We must not be late. The opening ceremony is due to begin in a few minutes and we must make haste if we are to remain punctual.”

“And there’s our Class Rep, as proper as ever,” Ashido says with a light laugh but everyone starts moving toward the door with Izuku, Shoto, and Bakugo moving to walk at the head of the group as they head down the hallway.

They make their way toward the main arena and, as Present Mic announces their arrival, Shoto gazes at the audience that are cheering for them. His eyes travel across the crowd and he smiles upon seeing Touya standing close to the bottom of the stairs, his arms folded across his chest. He does notice that Endeavor is also there, standing at the top of the stairs not far from the section in which Touya is standing. Whether his flaming trashcan of a father knows his eldest brother is there or not, Shoto doesn’t know.

He turns his gaze away from the frowning form of his father, biting his lip. No matter how often he insults his father, he can’t help but think about the man that his father had tried to become in the days after Kamino. Even though he knew that he was liable to never be truly forgiven, he had still tried so hard to, at least, gain atonement for everything that he had done.

Dabi pretty much threw all of his hard work down the drain.

But that doesn’t mean that Shoto doesn’t wish that his father would start working toward becoming a better person, hero, and father earlier. He would much rather have the father who had literally cried and hugged Shoto in the aftermath of the incident on Nabu Island and the father who had willingly taken Izuku and Bakugo under his wing during their second work studies and had thrown himself through the ringer to protect everyone during the war. He doesn’t want the overly-obsessive bastard of a flaming piece of garbage that Endeavor is right now but he, honestly, can’t say when his father will start atoning, or if that will even happen this time around.

He glances toward Izuku who is shyly waving at the crowd and smiles softly, sadly, as he thinks about the training camp. All for One will want to get his hands on Izuku if he finds out that Izuku has One for All, based on everything that Shoto has learned about One for All that his boyfriend has told him, and Shoto can only hope that Blackwhip will not make its appearance during the Festival at all. Because if All for One doesn’t know that Izuku has One for All, and has no reason to go after any of the rest of Class 1-A or Class 1-B then the incident at the training camp won’t happen.

Though neither will the aftermath, and All for One will still be around, pulling the strings behind the League.

Shoto shoves that thought aside. Maybe he is being selfish but, at the same time, he doesn’t

want anything to happen to his boyfriend. He casts a glance at Izuku, at his smiling face and those beautiful green eyes that, in spite of the scars that are cut so deeply within them, still shine with compassion and kindness, and makes a decision.

No matter what happens during this festival, or the consequences of what happens, Shoto will do what he can to keep Izuku safe. He has already made the decision to help in anyway to ensure that the future they all come from doesn’t happen but he adds another, personal, vow to that decision: he will keep Izuku safe and protected in anyway that he can.

Izuku casts a glance at him and smiles. “You okay, Shochan?” he asks.

Shoto pushes all thoughts of what’s to come out of his mind and gives his boyfriend a reassuring smile. “I’m okay,” he says.

“And here they come! The second Heroics class! Class 1-B!” Present Mic shouts and Shoto turns in time to see Class 1-B making their way into the room, Inasa is striding at the head, a grin on his lips as he waves excitedly at the audience.

“This is so awesome!” Inasa exclaims. “I can’t wait to get started!”

“So excitable,” Tokage says in amusement as she comes to Inasa’s side.

“I can’t help it! I love the U.A. Sports Festival!”

“Big shocker,” Bakugo grumbles from nearby and winces when Kirishima elbows him sharply in the side and glares at the spiky-red-haired boy. Kirishima just grins back at him, baring his sharp teeth and folding his arms across his chest.

“Don’t gotta be like that, Bakubro,” he says. “That guy is just really excitable. I don’t blame him. I’m so pumped, man!”

Bakugo rolls his eyes. “Yeah, obviously,” he says but there is a hint of fondness in his voice that Kirishima doesn’t seem to notice, but Shoto and Izuku does, if the smirk that Izuku shoots at the explosive blonde is any indication.

Bakugo responds to that smirk by flipping Izuku off, much to Ida’s shock.

“Bakugo! That is not professional at all,” Ida exclaims, chopping his arm toward Bakugo who just folds his arms across his chest, rolls his eyes, and scoffs.

Once all the classes are gathered, Midnight steps onto the stage and smiles at everyone, waving her whip around. “All right, everyone, let us begin!” She declares. “The Annual U.A. Sports Festival is about to take place but, first, let us have a few words from the Class Rep!”

“Oh shit,” Izuku says, face paling.

“Wait, did Midobro just cuss?” Kirishima echoes.

“He can cuss?” Uraraka says in shock.

“What’s wrong, Midoriya?” Ida asks.

Izuku groans, burying his face into his hands. “I forgot. I totally forgot! The Class Rep is the one who scored the highest on the entrance exam and…”

“Midoriya Izuku! Come on up,” Midnight calls.

Bakugo bursts into hysterical laughter. “Ha! Payback!” he shouts around his laughter.

“Stop laughing, Kacchan!” Izuku yells back, face going bright red.

Shoto pats his boyfriend on the shoulder. “Look at it this way, Zuku. At least you won’t be a fuming Pomeranian who basically turns the entire school against us in less than ten words,” he says.

Izuku is still red but he does crack an amused smile. “Y...Yeah, true,” he says.

“Shut the fuck up, Icyhot!” Bakugo yells back.

Shoto simply shrugs as if to say it’s true, because it is true. That is exactly what happened last time around after all.

“C’mon now, Midoriya Izuku,” Midnight calls.

“R...Right...what do I say? What am I even supposed to say? I’m not prepared for this. I didn’t prepare for this at all though, in hindsight, I should have because I knew it was going to happen and yet I didn’t prepare anything and…” Everything else that Izuku says jumbles together into an incoherent mutter storm that has the entirety of Class 1-A looking at him in concern.

Shinso sighs, running a hand over his face before he walks over and swats Izuku upside the head. “Calm down,” he says when Izuku yelps and clutches his head. “Just go up there and...I dunno...speak from your heart or something.” He rubs the back of his neck as he adds, “Just an idea, I guess.”

Izuku, rubbing his head, flashing a blinding bright smile at Shinso. “Thanks, Shinso,” he says, no longer looking as panicked, though some panic still remains in his eyes.

“Yeah, whatever. Just get going before everyone riots ‘cause you’re taking too long,” says Shinso with a roll of his eyes as he turns his head away, though not before Shoto sees a faint blush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

Izuku nods and, turning, jogs toward the stairs and makes his way up them. He hesitates upon reaching the microphone but Midnight nods at him encouragingly. He takes a deep breath and lifts his head and gazes around at the audience.

“Um, well, I’m not entirely sure what to say,” Izuku begins uncertainly. “But, uh, the Sports Festival has been something that I used to watch all the time while growing up. It was a day in which aspiring heroes, such as myself, were able to show the world their strengths and prove to the world that they are working hard to become the greatest heroes that they can possibly be. When I look out at my classmates, no matter which department they’re in or what their Quirk is, I see the same thing: aspiring heroes in training trying so hard to show the world that they are working hard to be the greatest heroes they can possibly be. Everyone here is capable of being a great hero. Everyone here has potential, no matter what department they’re in, no matter if they have a weaker Quirk or a Quirk that is seen as a villain’s Quirk. I know that you all do. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.” Izuku turns to gaze at his classmates, the microphone now held in his hand. “I’ll tell you all what I was once told so many months ago, words that still ring true today. It matters not who you are or what your Quirk is: you can be a hero! So go forth and show the entire world just what you are made of and prove to everyone, yourself included, that you are just as capable as everyone around here of being the greatest hero you can possibly be!”

Cheers immediately erupt from not only the students but the audience as well. Midnight is squealing with excitement, eyes closed as she dances in one spot while Shoto can’t help but clap while Bakugo grunts.

“Tch, I guess that wasn’t that fucking bad,” he says.

“That was so awesome, man!” Kirishima yells.

“So manly!” Tetsutetsu yells.

“So inspiring!” Ida says as he claps.

“Beautifully done, monsieur,” Aoyama says as he claps.

“That’s my boyfriend,” Shoto says with a smirk.

Uraraka giggles but she is also cheering Izuku on.

“That was such an amazing speech! You go, Midoriya Izuku!” Inasa yells from nearby as he pumps his fist into the air, an excited grin on his lips.

“Huh, so that’s what happens when he speaks from the heart,” Shinso says, tilting his head to the side but he is clapping along with everyone else. His tired eyes are watching Izuku but there is a gleam of understanding and realization in his eyes.

Izuku hands the microphone back to Midnight and makes his way down from the stage. He’s almost immediately ambushed by the vast majority of his class, with Shoto basically leading the charge. Shoto immediately wraps his arm around Izuku’s shoulders and pulls him close as Izuku buries his face into his shoulder, his face red with embarrassment as he listens to everyone congratulate him on his speech.

“I don’t even know what I was saying. I just spoke,” he squeaks into Shoto’s shoulder but loud enough for everyone else to hear.

“Words spoken from the heart, without thinking about them, are true words,” says Yaoyorozu with a kind smile. “You did well up there.”

“Heck yeah he did,” Ashido exclaims with a grin.

“Kudos, bro,” Kaminari says with a thumbs up.

“You really did well,” Sato says and Koda nods, giving Izuku a thumbs up as well.

“Good job,” Jirou says.

“Guys, this is so embarrassing,” Izuku mumbles into Shoto’s shoulder but everyone heard if the ripple of amusement that goes through the crowd of students around him is any indication.

“All right then,” Midnight declares. “After that wonderfully youthful speech from our Class Rep, let us get right into matters! The first game of the Sports Festival! What shall it be? It is this!” She swipes her whip toward the screen that is hanging behind her on which the words Obstacle Race rests.

And so it begins…

Shoto, listening with only half an ear to Midnight’s instructions about what to do during the race, turns to gaze at Izuku and Bakugo, the former of whom pulls free from him, and gives them a sharp grin of determination. “Meet you guys at the finish line?” he says.

“I’ll be sure to save you a seat when I get there first,” Izuku says with a smirk.

“Ha, as if you’ll be the one to get there first. That’s gonna be me. I might save you a spot,” Bakugo retorts.

“That is the kindest thing you have ever said to me.” Shoto says it with such a deadpan tone of voice that Izuku snickers.

“Fuck off, Icyhot,” says Bakugo with a scowl. “I’m so beating your ass in this race.”

“Just try it.”

“And don’t count me out,” says Izuku.

The rest of Class 1-A exchange glances but Shoto can see their own excitement and determination going through them.

“Let’s get ready!” Midnight shouts and everyone moves into ready positions.

“Ready! Start!” Present Mic shouts and everyone surges forward, heading straight for the tunnel that would take them into the track beyond.

Shoto is immediately at the head of the group, using his ice to freeze everyone in place. “Sorry but I’m going all out,” he says as he bursts out of the tunnel first and keeps on going.

. . .

Izuku expects it to happen, which is why he hung back. The instant Shoto’s ice had encompasses the entirety of the tunnel, freezing everyone in place, he’s on the move. Activating Full Cowling, he charges forward, bouncing from wall to wall so swiftly that he tears past Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, Ida, and Kirishima as they break free from the ice and surge forward. Explosions erupt from off to his right and he isn’t surprised at all to see that Bakugo is keeping pace with him.

“Don’t think that you’re gonna beat me with a cheap fucking trick like that, Icyhot Bastard!” Bakugo yells.

“That’s not enough to keep me down, Shochan,” Izuku calls as he surges forward, using Full Cowling to propel himself swiftly after his boyfriend and his rival as Bakugo manages to get a few feet ahead of him.

A powerful gust of wind surges forward and Izuku barely manages to twist out of the way to avoid a collision in midair as Inasa, wind swirling around his form, surges forward.

“That was so powerful! And so expected of you, Todoroki, but it’s not enough to keep me down!” Inasa shouts as he surges forward.

“Get back here, Baldy! Don’t go getting in front of me!” Bakugo yells as he increases the power of his explosions to propel himself faster.

“I’m not bald!” Inasa points to the hair on his head as he continues to surge forward.

Izuku grins sharply and darts forward, Full Cowling causing green lightning to crackle around his legs as he continues to rush forward.

They reach the first obstacle quickly. All four of them are quick to react though. When the first zero pointer appears, Shoto swipes his right arm into the air, ice erupting from his right side to completely freeze the zero pointer when it’s in the process of reaching for him. Inasa’s powerful whirlwinds surge forward and crashes into the second zero pointer, sending it flying into a tree several meters away. Bakugo aims his palms and a massive explosion tears the zero pointer in front of him to pieces. Izuku’s jumps into the air, Full Cowling in full effect as he surges forward through the air, crashing his feet straight through the zero pointer, tearing through the metal. A sheet of metal tears free and Izuku grabs it as he, using the falling zero pointer as a springboard, shoots through the air again.

Shoto is still, surprisingly, in the lead, though that can be because of the wall of ice that he conjured up behind him after freezing that zero pointer. Inasa’s whirlwinds and Bakugo’s explosions immediately tear that ice wall to shreds and, as they surge forward, Izuku uses the broken pieces of ice as springboards to propel himself after them.

“You little! That ice wall was a cheap fucking trick,” Bakugo yells from a few feet in front of Izuku.

“Everything goes so long as we don’t leave the track, Bakugo,” Shoto shouts back.

“It’s not enough to stop me!” Inasa shouts in excitement.

“Or me,” Izuku agrees as he continues to propel himself forward, glad to see that he’s still keeping pace with Bakugo and Inasa.

They reach the Fall and Shoto immediately uses his ice to glide along the ropes that connect the various stones that dot the otherwise empty chasm. Izuku skids to a halt but Bakugo and Inasa are already using their explosions and whirlwinds, respectively, to fly over the chasm. They are closing the distance with Shoto but Shoto is still managing to remain a few feet ahead of them, much to Bakugo’s chagrin if the screamed curses are anything to go by.

Izuku crouches down. One for All: Full Cowling 45%. He surges forward as crackling green lightning surges around his form and he bounds from one stone to another so swiftly that if anyone is watching from behind him, he’s probably little more than a blur of crackling green lightning. He closes the distance between him and Bakugo and Inasa and manages to bypass them, much to Bakugo’s frustration.

“Get back here, fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells.

“Catch me if you can, Kacchan,” Izuku shouts over his shoulder as he lands on the other side of the chasm and darts off after Shoto. Shoto is still far ahead of him but Izuku has no doubt that is because of the distraction he had caused by that ice wall earlier.

Surging wind howls around him and Izuku barely manages to jump to the side to avoid Inasa who is still grinning sharply as he surges past him. He doesn’t let up though, still running even as they near the final obstacle in the race.

The minefield.

Izuku skids to a halt at the edge of the field and steps aside, watching as Bakugo surges past him, screaming curses at Inasa. Shoto is already about halfway across and Bakugo manages to get past Inasa and his explosions propel him closer to Shoto. Shoto grabs his arm in an attempt to stop him from getting ahead and the two start fighting while Shoto edges his way around the mines. Inasa uses that opportunity to shoot past them, forcing them to forget their own fight to hurry after him as quickly as they can.

Izuku just darts into the minefield and, removing the sheet of metal from his back, starts digging up the mines. It had worked so well last time around so Izuku doesn’t see the point of not using the same trick.

He doesn’t want to be Number 1 this time around, only because of the massive target that gets placed on his back from those ten-million points, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to beat Shoto and Bakugo because he does.

The rest of the competitors have arrived and start edging their way around the mines, or glide across them swiftly enough to avoid the explosions—Ida—or just hoping from one empty patch of dirt to another—Tsuyu—or just running straight through without the explosions bothering them—Tetsutetsu and Kirishima.

Jirou darts past him and gives him a questioning look.

Izuku just smirks at her and gives her a nod before going back to his digging.

Jirou shrugs and keeps on moving.

Once he has gathered all of the mines that he needs, he grabs the sheet metal in both hands and throws himself, and the metal sheet under him, on top of the mines. As expected, the massive explosion is enough to send him sailing across the minefield, clearing the vast majority of it in a single bound. Inasa is a few meters ahead of Shoto and Bakugo and Izuku can tell that he is starting to fall toward the space between the three of them. He already knows what he’s going to do.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Bakugo yells right as Izuku slams the metal sheet between and in front of him and Shoto, conjuring up another explosion that propels him forward. He uses the momentum to barrel roll to his feet and darts off after Inasa.

Inasa tears through the tunnel and Izuku is only a few feet behind him. He bursts into the open to the sound of cheering. As expected, Inasa is standing a few meters in front of him, waving his hands with a massive grin on his lips. Izuku skids to a halt and waves at the audience before turning in time to see Shoto slide into the arena on a sheet of ice while Bakugo’s explosions propel him into the arena.

“You fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells as he storms over to join Izuku.

Izuku just laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hey, it worked last time. Why not use it again?” he says.

“That was still good thinking on your part,” Shoto says. “But you could have won if you had used your Quirk there at the end. Why didn’t you?”

Izuku shrugs. “I really don’t want to have a ten million point bounty on my head this time around.”

Bakugo snorts. “Well, I guess that means that I get to destroy Baldy over there and take his points this time around,” he says with a sharp grin at Inasa.

The rest of the students start making their way into the stadium. It doesn’t surprise Izuku at all that Ida and Uraraka immediately walk over to join them, congratulating them on how far they had gotten.

“Even with my Quirk, I still did so poorly. I do not know of how to feel about that,” Ida admits.

“My Quirk really isn’t made for that kind of thing but I think I did good,” Uraraka says.

Izuku nods in agreement.

“Yo, nerd, look at that,” Bakugo says suddenly, sounding smug and like he’s one second from bursting out into hysterical laughter.

Izuku turns and has to bite his lip to keep from bursting out laughing.

Shinso looks so relaxed and smug from where he is sitting on a chair that is currently being held by Monoma, Mineta—“Damn it, he did get into the school even if it’s not in the Hero Course. Fuck!” Bakugo yells—and Fukidashi Manga. Shinso hops off the chair and strides forward, releasing the other three from his control and ignoring the startled exclaims and yells that echo behind him.

“Ha, fucking copycat so deserved that,” Bakugo says with a sharp, feral grin. “So did that Grape Fucker who should not have gotten into this school to begin with! Ugh. Now I owe fucking Icyhot five thousand yen!”

“Yes, and I will be collecting during the break,” Shoto says.

“Fuck off,” Bakugo growls in annoyance.

Izuku tilts his head to the side. “Wait, you made a bet on whether Mineta would get into U.A. even if he doesn’t get into the Hero Course?” he asks.

“Yes. Bakugo thought that he wouldn’t but I thought that he might have made it into General Studies. As it turns out, I was right,” says Shoto with a shrug.

Bakugo curses at that.

Nearby, several Class 1-B students are cheering Inasa on for getting first place in the obstacle race.

“All right, all right, everyone,” Midnight calls. “Now that the Top 42 have been decided, it is time to go on to the next game. This one is going to be interesting, to say the least! It’s a Cavalry Battle!” She waves her whip toward the sign on which those words are resting and everyone gathers in front of the stage to listen to her instructions. Inasa looks startled when the point system is announced and everyone just looks straight at him. He just laughs, rubs the back of his neck, and grins at everyone.

“This is gonna be so exciting,” he says, not even the slightest bit fazed by the ten million point bounty that’s resting on his head right now.

Izuku turns to his fellow time travelers. “I’m going to ask Shinso to join my team,” he says quietly.

“Why?” Bakugo asks.

“Just in case. He’ll be the only one who’ll be able to stop me if Blackwhip decides to make its appearance during the Cavalry Battle,” Izuku says quietly. “But I don’t suppose you’re going to team up with me…”

“Fuck no. I’m beating your ass,” says Bakugo and, when Midnight gives everyone the go-ahead to use the next fifteen minutes to make their team, he turns and strides off.

“Shitty Hair! Tape Face! Raccoon Eyes! You morons are with me!” he yells.

“Well, that’s one way to make a team,” Izuku deadpans as he watches Kirishima, with a sharp grin, immediately jog over to join Bakugo while Sero and Ashido, exchanging glances but shrugging, walk after him.

“I think I will go with the same team I went with last time,” Shoto says. “Good luck, Izuku.”

“You too, Shochan,” Izuku says and watches as Shoto makes his way over to join Yaoyorozu and speaks with her quietly.

“Hey Midoriya!” Uraraka calls and Izuku turns as the shorter brown-haired girl jogs over to join him. “Let’s team up!”

“Sure!” Izuku says with a smile before he turns. “And I know just who else to add to our group. Shinso!”

Shinso gives him a confused look as Izuku makes his way over to join him with a puzzled Uraraka behind him. “Yes?” he says.

“Do you want to team up?”

“You sure you want me on your team? I’m not exactly combat ready.”

Izuku shrugs and, remembering the activation requirements for Shinso’s Quirk, simply says, “Uraraka, do you think we can use Shinso’s Brainwashing to help us get headbands?”

Shinso gives him an amused look while Uraraka nods.

“Yup. I can totally see that happening,” she says. “He’s pretty good at pushing people’s buttons and making ‘em talk.”

“So what do you say, Shinso?” Izuku says.

Shinso lets loose a breath but shrugs. “I have this odd feeling you’re going to insist so fine,” he says. “We’re still not friends though.”

Izuku just grins at him. “Yeah, we are. Hey, Tokoyami!” he shouts before Shinso can respond to that and jogs over to join his feathered classmate, leaving an amused Uraraka and annoyed and exasperated Shinso to follow him.

“You seem incredibly hyper right now, Midoriya,” Tokoyami notices.

“I think I’m still running on the adrenaline from the race,” Izuku admits as he takes a deep breath and releases it, repeating the process until he manages to calm himself down.

“I see. That was an intense race,” Tokoyami says. “Am I right to assume that you wish for me to join your team?”

“I’ve got a plan, and it’ll work well with you if you’re up for it,” Izuku says and briefly explains his plan once Shinso and Uraraka join them. “But we need a heavy hitter and you and Dark Shadow can definitely help with that.”

Tokoyami hums and closes his eyes but finally nods his head in agreement. “It is a sound plan,” he says. “Very well, I will join your team.”

“Thank you, Tokoyami.”

“Of course.” Izuku makes his way over to join Midnight to tell her of who’s on his team so that he can get the headband with their total score written on it. This time, their total is 590, which Izuku thinks may not paint as big a target on their backs.

He glances at the rest of the teams that have formed and are gathering around. Shoto’s and Bakugo’s are the same like last time so Izuku turns to see who Inasa has on his team and sees Shiozaki, Honenuki, and Tetsutetsu are gathered around the wind user.

Well, this is bound to change things.

“All right!” Midnight calls. “All the teams are gathered. So let us begin the Cavalry Battle! Ready! Start!”

And chaos descends upon the arena.

. . .

Chapter Text

Chaos descends upon the arena the instant Present Mic yells, “Ready! Start!”

It’s an absolute free for all, though Katsuki sees the vast majority of the teams are heading straight for Yoarashi. That isn’t to say that Yoarashi is making it easy for them because he isn’t. His whirlwinds coupled with Honenuki’s Softening Quirk are allowing them to keep the other teams away from them while Tetsutetsu is serving well to catch the brunt of some long-range attacks from the other teams while Shiozaki’s Vines are doing well to snatch a few headbands.

Katsuki doesn’t bother on going after Yoarashi, not now anyway. He’ll wait and focus on gathering as many headbands as he possibly can. Working together with his classmates is something that had taken him months to truly become comfortable with doing, and it truly had only been during the joint training exercise that he had been able to really work together with his team, and then everything went to shit not long after that.

He pushes those thoughts out of his mind. Don’t fucking focus on the future that might not happen. Focus on the now. “C’mon, Shitty Hair, Tape Face, Raccoon Eyes,” he snaps. “We’re getting more headbands.”

“Got it,” Tape Face says. “And do you really not know our names?”

Of course Katsuki does but he doesn’t bother in responding to that. “Just get a fucking move on. We’ve got a time limit for fuck’s sake,” he snaps.

“Okay, okay.”

“Gees,” Raccoon Eyes mutters but, nonetheless, the three of them start darting forward, moving toward the rest of the groups. Tape Face’s Tape works well to snatch at the various headbands of the groups that are too focused on Inasa to even notice their arrival but Raccoon Eyes does well to keep everyone away from them with her acid while Kirishima, his arms hardening and crossing in front of him, just plunges straight into the crowd.

Katsuki snatches at any headband that he can see as he gazes around to see where the other two time travelers are. It doesn’t surprise him to see Zuku rushing forward, moving swiftly in spite of the weight so Katsuki figures that Round Face had made most of Zuku’s team weightless to allow for better speed. Dark Shadow is surging away from Zuku’s team to catch any attacks that are aimed at him in an attempt to take his headband while Brainwasher, who is the last member of Zuku’s team, is casually mocking every team that they come across.

That explains why a few times actually look dazed as if coming out of a trance, and are missing their headbands.

Katsuki decides to avoid Zuku’s team for the time being. He knows that he can hold his tongue when in the presence of Brainwasher but he doesn’t want to risk proving his fellow time travelers right about his inability to hold his tongue around certain people. He does get easily riled after all and…

“Uh, Bakugo?” Raccoon Eyes says.

But Katsuki already notices it, feels it. His headband is gone.

His eyes harden. “Monoma?” he asks.

“Monoma,” Tape Face confirms.

His eyes flash. “We’re destroying that bastard,” he growls. “Kirishima, let’s go after that blonde fucker! Now!” He refrains from banging his fists on the red-head’s head like he had last time, instead clenching his hands into fists and twisting his head to glare at the smugly smirking blonde.

“Hey, hey, it’s not my fault that you got distracted,” he taunts.

“You’re fucking dead!” Katsuki yells as his group whirls around and charges toward the laughing blonde.

“Tape Face, get the one with the brown hair and tape his mouth shut,” Katsuki orders as they get closer.

“Why…?”

“Just fucking do it! He’s Quirk uses his breath.”

“Oh.” Tape Face nods in understanding and, as they draw closer, he aims his tape dispensers at the brown-haired kid that Katsuki thinks is called Tsuburaba Kosei, successfully managing to land a strip of tape across the boy’s mouth. The boy narrows his eyes but Katsuki is already slamming an explosion right at Monoma.

Kuroiro, Tsuburaba, and Kaibara are quick to get out of the way so that Monoma can avoid getting a face-full of exploding nitroglycerin but Monoma stretches out a hand.

“Raccoon Eyes, acid!” Katsuki barks out.

“It’s Mina, damn it,” Raccoon Eyes shouts back but throws some acid at Monoma, causing him to hiss in pain from the slight sting and that distraction is enough for Katsuki to stretch out a hand and snatch the two headbands that rest around Monoma’s neck, though he doesn’t get the third one. He rips them free and Kirishima quickly darts backwards.

“You got lucky,” Monoma shouts as his team charges after him.

Katsuki puts the headbands around his neck, scowling upon noticing that neither of them are his -team’s. “We’re getting our headband back from that bastard,” he growls.

“Got it.” Kirishima bares his sharpened teeth in a grin.

“Monoma’s Quirk can copy any Quirk so don’t let him fucking touch you either,” Katsuki adds. He is being careful of that because he does not want to be on the receiving end of his Quirk again. That happening last time had pissed him off big time.

“Got it,” Raccoon Eyes says.

“I don’t think he can copy mine,” Tape Face says. “I’ll see what I can do to stop him from copying your Quirk while you take back our team headband.”

“Good. Move it!”

“Gees, you could, at least, say please,” Raccoon Eyes says with a roll of her eyes.

Kirishima snorts in amusement. “Yeah, if Bakubro ever says please, I’m gonna faint from shock,” he says.

“You know what? You’re right. It would be way too shocking.”

“I can still hear both of you,” Katsuki says in annoyance.

“We know,” they both say in unison.

Katsuki huffs, rolling his eyes. But, honestly, it’s refreshing to hear his squad acting like they acted at this point in the timeline the last time around. “C’mon, we’ve only got so much time left,” he says.

“Got it.” The group charges toward Monoma. Tape Face’s tape fires away from his dispensers in his elbows as the three of them swerve around Monoma’s group and circle him swiftly, allowing Tape Face’s tape to wrap around Monoma, pinning his arms to his side.

Tsuburaba manages to get the tape off his mouth and, when Katsuki lunges toward Monoma to get his headband back. Tsuburaba lets loose a breath and a wall of solid air appears in front of them. Katsuki just slams his fist as hard as he possibly can into the solid air wall, knowing that, at this point in time, Tsuburaba’s Solid Air walls can’t withstand his fists.

The wall shatters and Katsuki reaches forward, grabbing the last headband around Monoma’s neck and ripping it free. “Let’s go,” he barks out to his group.

The rest of his group runs away from Monoma as Katsuki puts his own headband back around his forehead. No more distractions. We’re getting the undisputed number one spot. “After Baldy,” he shouts.

“Who?” Tape Face asks.

“The one with the ten million points, you idiot!”

“But he’s not bald.”

“Oh whatever. We’re still taking his ten million points from him,” Katsuki says firmly as he turns to scan the area, looking for Inasa. He spots the Class 1-B student, still fending off some of the other students and classmates that are trying to take his ten million points headband, and points.

Kirishima, Raccoon Eyes, and Tape Face immediately rush toward where the wind user is currently struggling.

. . .

“And that makes five,” Izuku says as he accepts the headband that Dark Shadow had managed to snatch from Fukidashi’s head and puts it around his neck. “And we still have our own headband.”

“Not from lack of trying,” Uraraka comments with a smile. “Jirou nearly did get it if Tokoyami hadn’t noticed out of the corner of his eye and sent Dark Shadow to guard our left side. Still, we’re doing good. Let’s keep it up!”

Shinso nods in agreement. He’s been doing really well with his Quirk. They managed to get four of their five bands because of Shinso’s Quirk and his quick thinking when they confronted some of the other teams. Even though some of those teams have attempted to come after Izuku and his teammates to take their headbands back, thanks to Uraraka making all of them, but Tokoyami, weightless, they are moving far swifter than before.

“How are you doing, Uraraka?” Izuku asks.

Uraraka gives him a thumbs up but she is paling and Izuku knows that she won’t be able to keep it up for much longer before she gets sick. “I’ll be okay,” she says.

“Tell me when you’re at your limit, okay?” Izuku says.

“I will.”

Tokoyami whips his head around. “Dark Shadow,” he orders sharply and Dark Shadow surges forward, blocking the scales that surge toward them from Rin Hiryu. Rin presses his lips together as he surges forward but Dark Shadow immediately gets between him and the team.

Horns surge away from Tsunotori Pony and Izuku bites his lip as Tokoyami, Shinso, and Uraraka jump back while Dark Shadow moves swiftly forward to swat the horns away from them. More horns fire at them, though Izuku notices that Tsunotori is getting tired. She doesn’t have strong a control over her Quirk because she hasn’t trained with it as much as she had before the joint training exercise.

But they are still strong, as is evident by the fact that they are capable of pushing Dark Shadow away from them.

More scales fire away from Rin’s arm and Izuku ducks to avoid some of them that surge toward his, one hand going up to make sure that his headband is still attached to his head. He is glad to see that it is and bites his lip.

“Move back, Tokoyami,” he calls.

Tokoyami nods and starts jogging backwards, Dark Shadow still moving swiftly to block and divert the horns and scales that are being fired at them.

“Shinso, can you do something?” Izuku whispers.

“Rin doesn’t seem like someone who talks that much,” Shinso murmurs back. “At least, he hasn’t said a single thing since he started attacking us. I’ll do what I can but we need to get closer so he can hear me over all of this noise.”

Izuku nods. “Tokoyami, have Dark Shadow shield us. We’re going to try to get behind Rin and his team,” he says. They are being pushed ever closer to the edge of the ring after all and, while he doubts they’ll get disqualified for stepping outside of the ring, he doesn’t want to risk it.

Tokoyami nods and Dark Shadow withdraws to hover in front of them as Tokoyami darts around Rin, forcing Rin and his team to whirl around to keep them in their line of sight.

“You’re the one controlling those scales, aren’t you?” Shinso calls as they move around the team. “Gotta admit, that’s some cool power there, even if those scales are so boring to look at.”

Rin’s eye twitches.

“I bet it would be cooler if they were bigger like dragon scales but they aren’t. I bet you can’t even make anything bigger than just that,” Shinso taunts.

Rin bites his lip.

“Hey, that ain’t nice…” Tsunotori protests.

“Don’t,” Shishida says swiftly.

“He’s doing that on purpose. He wants Rin to respond to him,” Kodai says. She turns and smirks at Shinso. “That won’t happen though. We know about your Quirk. You can’t Brainwash all of us.”

“No? You so sure about that?”

“Of course I am…” Kodai’s eyes glaze over while Shishida curses.

“Kindly stop talking for now and stand still,” Shinso says simply and turns to Shishida. “And what will you do? Turn beast on me? Is that your true nature?”

“You little…” Shishida snarls and abruptly stops talking, eyes wide.

“You stop talking as well and stand still,” Shinso says simply and turns to Tsunotori who looks confused by why two of her classmates aren’t moving and Rin who is scowling, eyes narrowed. “And you’re the kid from America, aren’t you?”

“Um, yeah…” Tsunotori goes still, eyes wide and blank.

“You can just stand there,” Shinso says.

Rin is biting his lip so tightly that Izuku is surprised that he isn’t drawing blood. He raises his hands and fires more scales off at them while nudging his classmates with his free hand, clearly trying to snap them out of Shinso’s Brainwashing.

“Tokoyami, now,” Izuku orders and smiles apologetically at Rin as Tokoyami orders Dark Shadow forward. Dark Shadow surges forward and, dodging around the scales that are fired at him, snatches the headband off Rin’s head. He takes the headband and drapes it around his neck. “Sorry, Rin, but all’s fair in love and competition. And I made a promise not to hold back.”

Rin sighs. “Okay, okay, that was a good plan of yours,” he says, “especially given that you noticed I wasn’t going to respond to anything Shinso said.” He grins and, smacking his three classmates upside the head hard enough to shock them out of Shinso’s Brainwashing, adds, “But that doesn’t mean that I’m not taking my headband back, as well as all of your headbands. Let’s go, team!”

“And that’s our cue. Tokoyami, run!” Izuku shouts.

Tokoyami takes off with Rin and his team running after them.

“Well, I will admit, I’m glad that Rin doesn’t seem upset with me,” Shinso admits as he moves alongside them.

“I think he gets that, in this competition, everything goes,” says Izuku with a shrug and yelps, ducking to avoid the scale that sails over his head, rushing through his unruly green curls. “And they’re too close! Uraraka, are you okay?”

“Y...Yeah. I can hold out...for a little...longer,” Uraraka gasps, taking a deep breath and releasing it but she is getting paler and looks to be getting more nauseous the more she holds onto her Quirk.

“Not much longer, Uraraka. Let’s just put some distance between us and Rin’s team and then you can let go of your Quirk for a while,” says Izuku quietly. He doesn’t like seeing his friend in pain after all, even though he knows this is just Uraraka’s own stubbornness that’s allowing her to hold on to her Quirk as long as she has.

“Okay,” Uraraka says and takes another deep breath and releases it as the group hurries as fast as they can, heading through the chaos in an effort to lose Rin’s team, even if only temporarily. Thankfully, it works and Rin’s team apparently decide to stop chasing them and go after the others to get their headbands for the time being.

Once they are at the far end of the clearing, where there aren’t many people, Uraraka releases her Quirk. She groans but manages to stop herself from throwing up so Izuku is glad that she had been able to stop using her Quirk before she got to the point of getting stick. He glances at the numbers on the headbands and does the mental math in his head.

“We’re doing good,” he says. “With our headband, we’re hovering at just over a thousand points. Nothing like Inasa’s points but I’m sure it’s enough to make it into the next round.”

“Agreed,” Tokoyami says. “However, you do not plan to stop, do you?”

“Oh no way.” Izuku grins, eyes sparking with maniacal determination as he thinks about his fellow time travelers. After all, this is a competition, and he had promised them both that he is not going to hold back. “I actually wanna see the look on Shochan’s or Kacchan’s face when I take their headbands.”

Uraraka snickers. “Ten thousand yen says Bakugo tries to kill you,” he says.

“Fool’s bet. It’s gonna happen,” says Izuku with a shrug.

“You don’t sound the slightest bit fazed,” says Shinso with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m used to Kacchan being, well, Kacchan. I grew up with him, you know?”

“There is much darkness in this endeavor but the benefits can outweigh the risks,” says Tokoyami. “Very well. We shall see if this works out as you are hoping that it will work out.”

Izuku nods in agreement.

. . .

Shoto actually isn’t that surprised to find that he does have a pretty big target on his back. Even if he doesn’t have the ten million points, the team that he had created does have a pretty sizable number of points on their side. Still, thanks to Ida’s Quirk, they are able to move swiftly throughout the arena, and, with Yaoyorozu creating something similar to a grappling hook—without the sharp ends—they are doing well to gather headbands. He already has a sizable number wrapped around his neck, and he still has his own.

That doesn’t mean that they don’t have enemies. They have already encountered many teams who have tried to take their headbands, including some of the teams they had already claimed the headbands of.

“On your right,” Ida says sharply as he swerves to the side to avoid Jirou’s earphone jack.

“I’m on it,” Yaoyorozu says, lifting up the shield she had created earlier to catch the earphone jack and push it away. She drops the shield and her eyes narrow in concentration as she refocuses on the task given to her earlier.

“We’ve got Kendo coming in on our left,” Shoto says sharply as Ida swerves around another group that attempt to grab at Shoto’s headbands. Kendo’s group darts forward and Kendo lashes out with her giant hand.

Ida propels their entire group past Kendo so swiftly that Kendo’s giant hand only swipes at thin air. Kendo smirks as she and her team whirl around and charge toward them.

“How many teams are coming after us?” Shoto asks, tightening his grip on the three that are supporting him.

“A good chunk,” Yaoyorozu says. “I’m counting, at least, five.”

“Why are they all targeting us all of a sudden?” Kaminari asks in surprise. “I though they’d all be ganging up on that wind user.”

“They did,” Shoto says. “But, upon noticing that Inasa’s group is far quicker, and far more defensive than they anticipated, everything just turned into a massive free for all so anyone, and everyone, is a target. Since we have a decent number of points right now, that does make us a target.”

“Damn it,” Kaminari grumbles with a small pout on his lips, much to Shoto’s amusement.

“Don’t worry. I have a plan that will, at least, decrease the number of teams coming after us, and give us a chance to go after Inasa and his ten million points,” says Shoto.

“Oh? What is this plan?” Ida asks.

Shoto lets a soft half smile cross his lips. “You’ll see. Yaoyorozu, how is it coming along?” he asks.

“It’s coming along but I need a few more minutes,” Yaoyorozu says, her eyes narrowed in concentration again.

“Let’s give her those few minutes,” Shoto says.

“On it,” Ida says and activates his Quirk again to swiftly propel himself around several more teams that had come charging toward them.

They are moving swiftly around the various groups, with Shoto reaching out and snagging any headband that he has easy access to in order to add to the growing pile of headbands that are wrapped around his neck. Just like last time, he had turned all of his headbands around so no one will know of the point value of each one just in case someone does manage to take one from him.

“Eight are chasing after us now, Todoroki-kun,” Yaoyorozu says.

“How much longer?” Shoto asks.

“I’m almost done. A few seconds, maybe. Just keep on moving.”

Ida nods sharply in agreement.

“Am I ever going to find out what this plan is?” Kaminari asks.

“Just be ready to fire off your Quirk when I tell you to,” says Shoto.

Kaminari blinks, then grins. “You mean go all out?” he asks.

“I would rather you not short-circuit yourself so just try to generate as much electricity as you can handle yourself,” says Shoto. He really doesn’t like seeing any of his classmates get hurt, even if it’s by their own Quirk, and he knows that came about because of everything that happened in the future.

Stain...I-Island...the forest training camp...Kamino...the Shie Hassaikai...Nabu Island...the work study with Endeavor...the War itself…

“Todoroki-kun, it’s ready!” Yaoyorozu calls out, breaking Shoto out of his thoughts and he, shoving those scarring memories to the back of his head, nods.

“All right,” he says and, as Yaoyorozu throws the insulated blanket over him, Ida, and herself, he calls, “Kaminari, go!”

“Got it!” Kaminari shouts and activates his Quirk, unleashing a massive surge of electricity that surges through every single team that is coming against them. They all shout in shock at the sudden shock to their bodies. Shoto shifts his right hand downward so that the ice hits the ground and sends ice spreading in all directions, using the electrical storm that Kaminari had just created as the perfect distraction to freeze all of the teams around him in place.

“Now, after Inasa,” he says as Yaoyorozu throws the blanket to the ground once the electrical storm had died down. Kaminari still ended up going over his limit and Shoto winces upon seeing the blank look in the other boy’s face.

I’m gonna talk to the teachers about finding a way for Kaminari to do this without short-circuiting his brain every time, he thinks as his group hurry in the direction that Inasa is currently in. The teams that had been converging on Inasa’s location had been caught in Shoto’s ice so they aren’t able to stop him, except to groan and yell at him about the unfairness of that attack.

But, well, all’s far in love and competition and all that.

“Man, that was awesome what you did, Todoroki,” Inasa exclaims as he whirls around to face Shoto. He has a few headbands wrapped around his neck as well with the ten million point headband resting around his forehead. “Now that’s what I call overkill but what else do I expect from someone who also got in on recommendations?!”

“You’re so excitable,” Tetsutetsu says. “It’s so manly!”

“So loud but also so innocent in your words,” Shiozaki says.

“Why don’t we focus on taking Todoroki’s headbands?” Honenuki suggests and shifts his feet.

“Ida,” Shoto says sharply.

Ida nods and shoots away from the ground just in time to avoid getting caught when the ground beneath their feet softens. He grimaces. “That Quirk is one that I am ill-equipped to go against,” he says.

Shoto nods and points his hand at the ground, sending ice surging across the ground, covering the softened ground in a thick sheet of ice. “Ida,” he says and Ida nods and, jumping onto the ice, uses it to glide forward swiftly.

“Honenuki,” Inasa calls.

“On it,” Honenuki says and moves forward, placing his hand on the ice. It melts in an instance but Shoto just sends more ice sailing forward, constantly replacing the ice that is getting softened by Honenuki’s Quirk.

Ida grits his teeth as he follows the path of ice that Shoto is creating for him.

“Oh, this simply will not do,” Shiozaki says, clasping her hands together. “I simply must do what I can to help out my teammates.” She closes her eyes as her hair raises up and vines surge away from them, heading straight toward the team that are struggling to get closer to Inasa. They detach from Shiozaki’s head and Shoto sees a chance.

He raises his left hand as flames coil around his arm. He sends a burst of fire rushing away from his left arm, completely engulfing the vines and turning them into cinders. Ice surges away from his left hand at the same time, crashing into Honenuki while he had been startled by the sudden appearance of Shoto’s flames.

“It’s up to you, Todoroki. I’ll get us close,” Ida says firmly and lowers himself into a slight crouch and the engines in his legs immediately fire up as he shoots along the ice toward Inasa’s team. “Reciproburst!”

Kaminari is thrown backwards, only just stopping himself from flying off the makeshift horse, while Yaoyorozu has to tighten her grip to ensure that she doesn’t lose her balance. Shoto’s hand shoots out as they go past Inasa and he snatches at the headband, wrapping his fingers around it and yanking it free.

Ida surges away from the team and whirls around as Inasa gasps, one hand going to head.

“Oh dang it!” he exclaims, then grins. “Man, that was some awesome move you have there. Took me by surprise just like those flames! But we’re not outta this yet!”

Shoto smiles. “I would be disappointed if you were,” he says.

. . .

Katsuki and his team charge forward, heading toward where the arena is covered by thick ice and Icyhot and Baldy are facing off against each other. Baldy no longer has the ten million point headband around his forehead so Katsuki knows that he has to go after Icyhot if he wants to get that undisputed number one spot like he wanted.

He is running out of time. There are only a couple of minutes left of the Cavalry Battle and, while Katsuki knows that he has earned enough points to make it to the number two spot, he doesn’t just want to stick with that. He still has time to earn more points and what better way than to aim for the top.

It’s just like Zuku said in his speech, everyone is aiming for the top, is aiming to show off their strength and their potential and that’s exactly what Katsuki is going to do with the time that he has left.

“We’re running out of time,” Raccoon Eyes calls.

“And we aren’t the only ones heading after the ten million points,” Kirishima calls, pointing and Katsuki turns to see that Zuku and his team are also heading toward the area.

He scoffs. “Well, get moving, you slowpokes. I definitely wanna get the ten million points before the fucking nerd gets a chance,” he says.

“It’s not like we have to keep this up. We’ve got enough points to get into the next round,” Raccoon Eyes says.

“Maybe we do but that doesn’t mean that I’m just gonna fucking stop. I’m gonna keep fucking aiming for the top ‘till the last possible second!” Katsuki shouts.

“That’s so manly!” Kirishima shouts and he grins, baring his sharp teeth, and he turns his head. “Let’s do this! We’re so gonna get those points.”

“You know what, what the hell? Let’s do this!” Raccoon Eyes cheers.

Tape Face nods in agreement and, as the group surges forward, Katsuki starts giving out instructions, remembering the same move he had used to take his headband back from Monoma. This may or may not work against Icyhot but it’s worth a shot.

The second are ticking down. He is sure that they are down to the last minute of the cavalry battle so he is going to make every second of that last minute count. Raccoon Eyes throws acid onto the ground as soon as he tells her to do so while Kirishima barrels through swiftly, his hardened arms crossed in front of him in preparation for any attack that may come his way.

Zuku, at the last possible second, swerves away from the group. “Tokoyami, now,” he orders and, as Katsuki surges past Icyhot’s form, his hand reaching out to grab at the headbands that are wrapped around Icyhot’s neck, Dark Shadow surges forward and swipes past Katsuki’s head. His hands close in on two of the headbands and he rips them free right as he feels the headband around his head get yanked free.

“Time’s up!” Present Mic shouts.

Katsuki stares at a smugly smirking Izuku as he takes the headband that is in Dark Shadow’s mouth and raises it up to show that it is, indeed, Katsuki’s own headband. His eyes flare with rage and he grips the headbands so hard that it’s a miracle they don’t explode.

“You sneaky bastard!” he yells. “I’ll kill you!”

“Worth it?” Brainwasher asks.

“So worth it,” Izuku says with a bright smile.

“And now let us get to the announcement of the top teams that shall go on,” Midnight calls after all the teams had disembarked and the final scores are tallied up. “In first place, Team Bakugo!”

“Wait, what?” Kirishima says.

Katsuki smirks and holds up the two headbands that he had grabbed, one of which is, indeed, the ten million point headband. “Thought you were clever hiding the numbers by turning the bands around, eh?” he says with a feral grin at Icyhot.

Icyhot huffs but just folds his arms and doesn’t respond.

“In second place, Team Midoriya!”

Izuku beams, still holding on to the headband he’d snatched from Katsuki at the last possible second while Uraraka cheers and Shinso and Tokoyami just fold their arms across their chest, nodding their heads in acceptance of the ranking.

“In third place, Team Todoroki.”

“I still made it to the next round,” Icyhot says simply while Kaminari gives everyone a thumbs up, saying ‘whey’ over and over again, since his brain is still short circuited. Yaoyorozu smiles in satisfaction and Ida nods his head in acceptance. “And I, at least, didn’t lose my original headband.”

“Fuck off, Icyhot!”

“And in fourth place, Team Yoarashi!”

“Yes! Even if we lost the ten million, we still made it to the next round. Heck yeah!” Yoarashi cheers.

“Even if we did lose the ten million, we’re still in the next round. Heck yeah,” Tetsutetsu cheers.

Shiozaki clasps her hands together. “Thank the angels that are watching over us,” she says serenely.

“I don’t know ‘bout the angels but I’m grateful to get into the next round,” Honenuki says.

“Congratulations to those whom have made it to the next round,” Midnight declares. “But for those of you who did not make it to the next round, fret not. There are still some events that you can participate in. After a break, we will be holding a Recreational Game event that anyone may participate in. For those of you who are heading to the next round, you may participate in them or you may not. That is up to you. For now, let us all have a break.”

“Thank God, a break,” Kirishima says, wiping the sweat from his forehead and smiling at Katsuki. “What do you say we go grab something to eat?”

“Yeah, sure,” Katsuki says and then glares at Izuku when the annoying nerd gives him a knowing grin. “Why don’t you shut the hell up, you damn nerd?”

“Did I say anything?” Izuku asks innocently.

“I’m perfectly capable of hanging out with Shitty Hair without you interfering.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“If you two kiss, please be sure to do so where no one can see you,” Icyhot deadpans.

Kirishima’s face goes as red as hair. “W...What…?”

“You fucking bastard! I’ll kill you, fucking Icyhot!” Katsuki yells and lunges at Icyhot who turns and bolts in the opposite direction. “Get back here, you bastard!”

Icyhot completely ignores him and Katsuki snarls out a curse as he chases after the dual-haired boy.

. . .

“Um, I should probably go make sure Kacchan doesn’t kill Shochan,” Izuku admits, giving Kirishima, who still seems to be in shock, an apologetic smile. “Sorry about Shochan, Kirishima. He’s been spending far too much time with Touya-sensei and, well, that is exactly something Touya-sensei would say.”

“Ah...right…” Kirishima still looks incredibly dazed, his eyes wide, his face red. “Um...well…”

“Why don’t you go after Bakugo, Kiri?” Ashido says with a faint smile. “We all know that you wouldn’t mind kissing him.”

Kirishima’s face goes even redder and he rubs the back of his neck. “Um, well, yeah. I mean...I guess I do like him, like really like him, but I dunno,” he says.

Ashido pats Kirishima on the shoulder. “Don’t be scared,” she says.

“I ain’t scared. I just don’t wanna make things awkward between us. That’s not manly. Besides, I don’t even know if he feels the same way.”

Sero tilts his head to the side. “You know, him trying to kill Todoroki isn’t really anything new so I can’t even use that as a good way of determining if he does feel the same way or not,” he admits. “But, frankly speaking, I’m pretty sure at least half of our class knows you’re pining for Bakugo, Kirishima.”

“Maybe not half of the class but definitely those who know about that date you and Bakugo went on during the weeks leading up to this festival,” Ashido says with a knowing grin.

“It wasn’t a date!” Kirishima’s face goes red again and he groans, rubbing his eyes.

Izuku smiles softly. “Hey, Kirishima,” he says and, when the red-haired boy turns to him, he adds, “If you have a crush on Kacchan, then just tell him. You’ll be surprised by his response.”

“You sure, man?” Kirishima asks uncertainly.

“I’m sure.”

Kirishima takes a deep breath, then his eyes harden in determination. “Okay. I’m gonna do it! I’m gonna tell Bakugo how I feel!” He turns and darts off in the direction Bakugo and Shoto had gone in, waving a hand at all the ‘good lucks’ that are being shouted after him.

“So what now?” Uraraka asks as the groups separate and start heading toward the cafeteria. “I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You did use your Quirk quite a bit today so far,” Izuku says, glancing at the brown-haired girl in concern.

She waves his concern away. “I’m okay now,” she says. “I’ll just have something light for lunch, just to be on the safe side.”

“That would be a good idea,” Tokoyami says. “I think I am going to find some peace and quiet before the next round begins. I will speak with you later.” He turns and walks off.

“So mysterious,” Uraraka says.

Izuku chuckles. “Yeah,” he agrees.

“What about you, Midoriya? Gonna go find your boyfriend and make sure Bakugo doesn’t actually kill him?”

Izuku smiles faintly. “I’m pretty sure Kirishima will catch up with them before that happens, and then Kacchan will be too distracted to harm Shochan,” he says.

“You mean to tell me…?”

Izuku grins. “Don’t tell anyone but Kacchan has liked Kirishima for a while now,” he admits. More than a while. He’s liked Kirishima since our last life. I don’t even know when in our last life he started caring for Kirishima the way that he does but I know that those feelings are still there, even if he won’t admit them out loud. How he acts around Kirishima is proof of that.

“I won’t tell anyone,” says Uraraka. “Maybe having a boyfriend will calm down Bakugo’s explosiveness.”

“Not gonna happen.”

Uraraka sweatdrops. “You sound so sure…”

Izuku just smiles at her. “I’ve known Kacchan my entire life, Uraraka. He may calm down a bit if he has a boyfriend but Kacchan is still Kacchan. Having a boyfriend won’t change his personality,” he says. “But, so long as he’s happy, I don’t care.” He deserves happiness, after all that he had done to redeem himself for his past mistakes, and after all that we have gone through during the war.

“You really care for him,” Uraraka says.

“He may not want to admit it but we are friends. I always want to see my friends happy and smiling,” says Izuku.

Uraraka smiles. “You’re such a kind person, Midoriya. I can definitely see why Todoroki-kun fell for you,” she says, then she nudges him and adds, “Now go find your boyfriend and kiss him. You’ve got time before the next round starts after all.”

Izuku’s face goes red. “Uraraka!” he protests.

Uraraka just laughs and keeps on nudging him until he gives up, sighs, and decides that he may as well meet up with Shoto.

. . .

Shoto is glad when Kirishima manages to catch up with Bakugo. That distraction is enough for him to slip away without the explosive blonde seeing him. He makes his way back the way he had come, folding his arms across his chest as he thinks about whether he should head back to the arena to meet up with Izuku or just meet up with him in the cafeteria

“Shoto…”

All those thoughts are thrown out of his head at the sound of a very familiar voice. His face schools into an expression of impassiveness as he lifts his head in time to see his father come to a stop a few feet in front of him. The flames around his face are burning hot and his eyes are like cold fire as they glare down at him.

“You’re in my way,” Shoto says coolly.

“And you are still being rebellious,” Endeavor says. “Ever since Touya started making excuses for why you aren’t home when we are supposed to be training, I’ve noticed that your rebellion is only getting worse. That brat is at fault, isn’t he?”

“Maybe I simply wanted to train my own way, without you breathing down my neck,” Shoto says, keeping his voice level. He no longer harbored much hatred toward Endeavor, only because he knows that the man is capable of becoming a decent human being, but that doesn’t mean the resentment isn’t still there. Endeavor isn’t at the point in his life where he will be able to actually step back and take a look at all the harm that he has caused to his own family.

Shoto wishes that he would just step back and do that, that Kamino didn’t have to happen in order for him to do that, that getting thrust into the Number 1 spot because of All Might’s forced retirement didn’t have to happen for him to do that.

But chances are low that anything he says right now will change his father’s mind. His father is still driven by his single-minded desire, by his goal to create a child and train that child to be strong enough to surpass All Might. Nothing Shoto says right now will have any impact.

“You do not know what it is you need to fulfill my desire,” says Endeavor firmly. “Touya is too weak with you. He doesn’t push you and is making you far weaker and far more pathetic than you should be. You are my masterpiece and you should be far stronger than you are now. As it is, even your relationships are making you weaker too, especially with that boy that All Might has his eyes on.”

Shoto’s lips press into a thin line. “Izuku is my boyfriend, whether you like it or not,” he says coolly. “I don’t care that you don’t like him. I don’t care that you think he makes me weaker because I know the exact opposite is true. Izuku is the reason why I am as strong as I am right now. Izuku is the reason why I am able to use my flames in spite of my hesitation toward using them for the longest time. You did nothing in that aspect. If it hadn’t been for Izuku, I would still be only fighting with half of my strength so don’t you dare say that Izuku is making me weaker.”

Endeavor folds his arms across his chest, still glaring down at Shoto who meets his glare with a cold one of his own. “Be that as it may,” he says finally, “that doesn’t change the fact that, had you trained with me as you were supposed to, you would be far stronger than you are now. Maybe that boyfriend of yours did spur you into using your flames but that doesn’t change the fact that your flames are still weaker than they would be had you continued to train with me.”

“I don’t need your help,” Shoto retorts.

“You are being far too rebellious, Shoto,” Endeavor snaps. “You could be so much greater if only you would listen to me!”

“I have no desire to listen to you,” Shoto snaps and strides past his father, adding coolly, “I am aiming to win this festival with every ounce of my power, and without any aid from you.” He storms off, his face clouded over with annoyance and resentment and a small twinge of sadness.

He just wants back the father who had come home and tried to make amends, the father who would visit his mother and bring her those blue flowers that Natsuo told him are their mother’s favorite, the father who actually cried upon seeing that Shoto was all right after the incident on Nabu Island, the father that willingly put himself through the ringer to protect everyone from Shigaraki and All for One.

He just wants that man, the man who actually was trying to atone for all that he had done, back.

“Shoto!”

He lifts his head in time to see Touya darting toward him, wrapping him in his arms before he has a chance to say anything.

“You’re doing so well so far,” Touya says and, pulling back, studies him. “But something’s up. What’s wrong?”

Shoto shakes his head and rests his head on his brother’s chest. “Nothing,” he says.

“You sure?” Touya’s scarred hand runs through Shoto’s hair.

He doesn’t respond for a long moment as he relaxes against his brother. “I ran into the flaming trashcan,” he says.

Touya tenses. “What did the bastard say?” he demands.

Shoto remains silent. “Just the usual,” he says. He tilts his head back and gives his brother a small half-smile. “It’s fine though, I’m fine.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure, Touya-nii, really.”

Touya continues to study him but finally nods. “All right, kiddo,” he says. “If you ever wanna talk though…”

“I know, Touya-nii. I’m gonna go find Izuku now.”

Touya nods and grins. “Just remember to kiss him in private,” he says and chuckles when Shoto goes red, flames running along the length of his left arm. “Oh and your arm is on fire.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Shoto deadpans.

. . .

“What’s this about?” Katsuki asks, frowning at Kirishima as the red-haired boy guided him away from the hallway that he had been chasing Icyhot down. The other boy had vanished almost as soon as Katsuki had been distracted by Kirishima’s arrival but he resolves to track him down, and throw an explosion into his face, later.

“I just wanted to talk, that’s all,” Kirishima says with a nervous smile on his lips.

Katsuki huffs. “You’re never this fucking nervous about anything, Shitty Hair,” he says as he folds his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall behind him and studying the other boy who nervously shifts his feet.

“Ah, well, I guess I’ve never actually come out and said this to anyone,” he admits.

“Say what?” Can he be…? Katsuki shoves that thought out of his mind, even if the very thought sends warmth going through him. But he doesn’t think that’s it. It can’t be. They haven’t known each other for nearly as long as they had known each other in the future so there’s no way that Kirishima can have any sort of feelings for him.

Kirishima takes a deep breath and lifts his head to gaze Katsuki in the eye. “Okay, I’m just gonna come out and say it. I don’t want this to make our friendship awkward though,” he says. “But...well...I like you, Bakugo. Like...really like you.”

Katsuki stares because he hadn’t expected the very reason he had dismissed to be the actual reason why Kirishima wanted to talk with him. “What?” he says numbly.

Kirishima rubs the back of his head. “Ah, now I feel stupid,” he mutters. “I mean I’m pretty sure you don’t feel the same way but, well, I guess I just thought now is as good a time as any to tell you. I hope that this doesn’t ruin our friendship.”

“Stop. Fuck, have you been spending time with the fucking nerd? ‘Cause that muttering sounds suspiciously like his,” Katsuki says, pushing away from the wall and holding up a hand to cut off the red-haired boy’s rambling.

Kirishima’s cheeks redden and he laughs. “Sorry. Didn’t even realize I was rambling,” he says, scratching at his head. “Um, I just wanted to tell you but...I guess that if you don’t feel the same way, I understand.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes as he strides forward. “Who says I don’t feel the same fucking way?” he says and, before Kirishima can respond to that, he leans forward and crashes his lips against the spiky-red-haired boy’s lips.

Kirishima’s eyes widen but he relaxes into the kiss, pulling back ever so slightly after a moment. “So does this mean that you like me too?” he asks.

“Oh shut the fuck up and kiss me, damn Shitty Hair,” Katsuki says in annoyance and kisses the red-haired boy who gladly returns the kiss, one arm snaking around the back of Katsuki’s neck as their lips press softly against each other’s.

He’s happy. He hadn’t expected Kirishima to actually like him this soon, and he wonders if Kirishima has always felt this way the last time around but just never plucked up the courage to tell him anything. He doesn’t know what changed, if anything, but he finds that he doesn’t care. He’s happy and, in spite of the shit storm that is heading straight toward them, he’s glad for this moment of pure happiness.

He pulls back from the kiss and Kirishima grins at him, baring his sharpened teeth. “What?” he growls.

“You’re such a good kisser,” Kirishima says.

Katsuki coughs and turns his head away, a scowl twisting his lips even as a blush of embarrassment crosses his cheeks. “Oh shut the fuck up, Shitty Hair,” he retorts.

“Eijiro.”

“Hah?”

“You can call me Eijiro, or Ei if you’d like,” Kirishima says, lowering his arm from behind Katsuki’s head and resting it on his hand. Katsuki glances at their not quite joined hands and rolls his eyes but takes Kirishima’s hand in his.

“Fine, Ei,” he says.

“Can I call you Katsuki?”

“Fine.”

“Can I call you Kacchan too?”

“Don’t push it.”

Kirishima grins at him as he squeezes his hand. “Okay, Katsuki,” he says but the smile that dominates his lips is enough to cause Katsuki’s own lips to quirk ever so slightly. He huffs and turns his head away.

“C’mon, I’m starving,” he says.

Kirishima nods in agreement and the two, hand in hand, make their way toward the cafeteria.

. . .

The recreational games go by quickly and, before anyone realizes it, it’s time for the final round: the tournament.

Izuku, once again, gazes at the board that is being broadcast on the screen in the waiting room where the pairings are being showed. His hand is tapping against the wooden table nervously as his eyes study the name.

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu.

Of all people for Izuku to go against, it would have to be the one person who can withstand Izuku’s kicks and punches quite well. All he has to do is activate his Quirk and it’ll be like Izuku is punching and kick steel. Just like Kirishima, Tetsutetsu is an unmovable wall when it comes to hand-to-hand combat.

Izuku knows he can use Air Force against Tetsutetsu, as that might be enough to throw him off balance and, maybe, push him out of the ring but he’s uncertain. The last time he went to use Air Force after having a vision about the vestiges had been when Blackwhip awakened though. The setup is similar to that and he knows that if he uses Air Force then Blackwhip may decide to unlock at that moment.

Blackwhip may be perfect for this kind of fight, where one has to immobilize their opponent, throw them out of the ring, or make them say ‘I give up’, but Izuku doesn’t want it to unlock. It’s too obvious. If Shigaraki is watching, and Izuku is absolutely positive he is, then All for One will be watching too and Izuku had been hoping to keep the fact that he has One for All a secret from that man for as long as possible.

He glances at his hands, clenching his hands into fists and takes a deep breath. The match is about to begin and he needs to steady his nerves. He can’t afford to go into this fight while being a nervous wreck.

I’ll figure it out. If I can wear down Tetsutetsu then that might be enough to get through his Steel Quirk and get him out of the ring. I might not even need to use Air Force.

He doesn’t want to lose though. He wants to show the world that he is here, just like he was supposed to do the last time around, and he wants to show the world, and his mentor, of how strong he had become. It may have been inputted in the system that his Quirk is a permanent copy Quirk and Blackwhip can easily be one of the Quirks that he supposedly permanently copied but that reason won’t work for someone who already knows about One for All.

He rubs his head as he pushes himself to his feet and, turning around, makes his way out of the waiting room. He stops upon seeing Shoto leaning against the wall outside it. “Shochan?” he says.

Shoto pushes away from the wall and wraps his arms around Izuku, one hand resting on the back of his head as he gently nestles Izuku’s head into the curve of his neck. Izuku gently presses his face into his boyfriend’s neck. Shoto has gotten better about his affection, though Izuku knows that he has been taking most of his cues from Izuku but he doesn’t mind it. It feels nice to be held so close to his boyfriend. “It’ll be all right, Izuku,” Shoto murmurs into his hair.

“I’m just worried,” Izuku says quietly. “I don’t want All for One to find out about how much One for All has grown, or that I have it, but...this is the perfect setup for Blackwhip to activate.”

“Do you want to throw the match?”

“No! Of course not! I can’t!” Izuku pulls back to stare at his boyfriend, shocked to hear that question come from his lips, but Shoto simply gazes at him with calm serious eyes.

“Then you need to see it through to the end,” he says quietly. “Maybe you are worried, maybe you are even a little scared, maybe you don’t want the truth to come out but it’s going to come out eventually. You shouldn’t have to hide your true power. I know you’re scared, and I’ll admit that I’m worried too, but you aren’t alone. I’m right here with you. Bakugo, All Might, Aizawa-sensei, we all are here for you. You aren’t in this alone.”

Izuku swallows as he remembers the vestiges’ words to him.

“You can’t stop Blackwhip being unlocked,” Shoto says quietly. “You already told us that. It’s going to unlock no matter what. Wouldn’t you rather it unlock in a controlled environment then, say, during our internships when you won’t have Aizawa or Shinso to stop you when the power goes out of control?”

Izuku swallows but he knows his boyfriend is right. “You’re right,” he says quietly. “I don’t want that to happen. And I knew it was going to happen during the festival from the moment that I had that vision of the vestiges last night. Maybe...just maybe...if it does unlock during my fight with Tetsutetsu, it might not surprise me as much and I might be able to take control of it right away.”

Shoto nods in agreement. “And, remember, Aizawa-sensei will be there. He’ll stop your Quirk if Blackwhip does make an appearance and ends up going out of control,” he says.

Izuku nods in agreement.

Shoto rests his hand on Izuku’s cheek and adds, “And remember, it’s your power, Izuku.”

Izuku’s eyes widen as he hears his own words thrown back into his face by the very person he had uttered those words to the last time around. Tears well up in his eyes and he gives Shoto a small, watery smile. “R...Right,” he says.

He pulls free from his boyfriend and wipes the tears away. “I should go,” he says.

“Good luck,” Shoto says and, turning, heads down the hallway, heading toward where Class 1-A are gathered in the stands.

Izuku turns and heads in the opposite direction, heading for the tunnel that will take him into the arena. He isn’t that surprised to find All Might waiting for him. He is surprised to see that Aizawa is also there.

“All Might, Aizawa-sensei,” he says in surprise.

Aizawa pushes away from the wall. “All Might came to wish you luck,” he says. “And I came to remind you that I will be nearby should something happen.”

Izuku nods. “Will you not interfere if it looks like I am capable of controlling it?” he asks.

“You said that, the last time this happened, you weren’t able to control it,” Aizawa points out. “And you even warned that if it takes you by surprise then you won’t be able to control it.”

“I know,” Izuku replies. “But, at the same time, I know that it’s likely going to make an appearance during my fight with Tetsutetsu so I may be able to control it because I’ll be expecting it to make an appearance at some point during my fight.”

Aizawa studies him and lets loose a breath. “I’ll be watching close enough that I will be able to use my Quirk the instant that it looks like you’ve lost control, and aren’t that high off the ground so try to stay close to the ground, Problem Child.”

Izuku smiles at him, softly, sadly. Even now, his mind still can’t help but remember the last time he saw his teacher. He pushes the memory away. “I’ll do my best,” he says.

“That’s probably gonna be the best I’m gonna get out of you, Problem Child,” Aizawa says with a sigh of annoyance.

“Either way,” All Might says with a soft smile. “Go out there and show the world just who you are, but be safe while doing that.”

“I will, All Might.”

“And it’s time to begin the third round! Though I will, apparently, be commentating this match alone because a certain someone decided to abandon me!” Present Mic shouts.

Aizawa rolls his eyes fondly. “The idiot,” he mutters.

“You love him anyway,” Izuku teases and darts off with a laugh when Aizawa gives him a dark glare and a “Get going, cheeky Problem Child!”

He takes a deep breath as he slows down once he reaches the entrance to the arena.

“First off! He is one of the strongest students of Class 1-A, and the one who scored the highest score on the entrance exam! Give it up for the Hero Course’s Midoriya Izuku!”

The audience cheers as Izuku makes his way toward the stage.

“Versus! The immovable steel fortress! Also from the Hero Course, it’s Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!” Present Mic yells as Tetsutetsu, a sharp grin on his lips, makes his way onto the stage.

“This is gonna be a nail bitter, I’m sure!” Present Mic yells.

“So you’re Midoryia Izuku, eh? The one who stole that headband at the last possible second in the last round. Kudos for that,” Tetsutetsu says with a grin. “But don’t think I’m gonna hold back.”

Izuku smiles. “I’m not gonna hold back either,” he says.

“Good! I can’t wait for a super manly fight!”

Izuku resists the urge to laugh because Tetsutetsu really does remind him a lot of Kirishima. They are a lot alike. He takes a deep breath, stretches his arms above his head and preparing himself. He will have to strike hard and strike fast if he wants to stand a chance against someone like Tetsutetsu.

“Ready! Start!” Present Mic yells.

With One for All crackling around his form, Izuku shoots forward, fist flying forward but Tetsutetsu is quick. His Quirk is activated in an instant and he crosses his arms in front of him to catch the blow. Izuku winces but, since he’s using One for All at 45%, it doesn’t hurt that much. It’ll likely bruise but he just pulls back and lashes out with his foot but, since the steel encompasses Tetsutetsu’s entire body, he isn’t surprised that it doesn’t deter him at all.

“It looks like none of Midoriya’s moves are even cracking that immovable fortress!” Present Mic calls out. “The match has barely even started and yet Midoriya Izuku is already in a pinch. How will he overcome the challenge of moving the immovable fortress?!”

Izuku flips backwards and lands in a crouch after his most recent attempt to kick or punch his way through Tetsutetsu’s Steel doesn’t work. He grits his teeth. He isn’t getting anywhere like this. I just need to immobilize him or throw him out of bounds. I don’t have any choice.

He takes a deep breath. Please, One for All…

He doesn’t know what he’s asking of his power as he, activating Full Cowling, leaps into the air. “My previous attacks aren’t doing anything but maybe this will do something,” he says as he aims his hand at Tetstutetsu, his fingers bent and preparing to flick an Air Force attack on him.

He feels the throbbing. He feels One for All thrumming and vibrating within him. He feels its power surge through him.

Blackwhip explodes out of him.

Chapter Text

Izuku hisses in pain as the black tendrils surge in all directions away from him, crashing into the walls of the arena, snuffing out some of the flames of the torches that stand at every corner of the stage, spreading out like a spiderweb of pitch black darkness. They don’t spread beyond the arena though and Izuku is grateful for that. Now he just has to ensure that they don’t spread into the audience. He has to ensure that the audience members aren’t hurt by this power.

No, no, it’s my power! I can control it! I will control it! Please, One for All, listen to me!

“What...What’s going on?” Tetsutetsu says in puzzlement as he ducks to avoid the black tendrils that are spiraling out of control.

Izuku doubles over, gritting his teeth, one hand gripping his wrist as he tries to ignore the pain from the black tendrils that are still surging around his body. Control, control, dial it down. Imagine the egg not exploding in the microwave. Dial it down. Control, he tells himself as he struggles to rein in Blackwhip, tries to keep it from spreading to the stands. He isn’t even sure why it’s going out of control. Last time, he had been angry. This time, he had just been a bit frustrated but nothing like that should have caused it to go out of control.

Unless it’s just going out of control due to being locked up and unable to function. One for All does have a sentience to it so Blackwhip might be lashing out on its own.

He knows that he can control it. He just has to keep working toward it.

It’s already digging into the walls and the ground and spearing high into the sky. Even Tetsutetsu is having a tough time, using his steel-hardened arms to swat the black tendrils away from him before they get too close to him.

Izuku grits his teeth. He’s too high into the air. He has to control it. He has to. He can control. It’s his power. It’s his.

One for All, please, calm down, please, listen to me! Calm down!

But it hurts. Just like during the joint training exercise, it hurts. He hisses as the black tendrils continue to writhe and strike random areas around the arena.

“That kid...he looks like he’s in pain!” One audience member shouts out.

“Someone, stop this!” Another shouts out.

“Midoriya!” He hears Ida and Uraraka and Asui shout from the stands.

“Eraserhead!” Touya’s voice shouts from the stands.

“He went too high up! He’ll hurt himself if I erase his Quirk now,” Aizawa shouts back.

Izuku grits his teeth. He hadn’t meant to jump that high. He hadn’t. He still needs to work on regulating how high he jumps with One for All but, right now, he needs to focus. Focus. He needs to regain control on his own.

He tightens his grip on his wrist.

“He is controlling it somewhat,” Aizawa calls out suddenly. “Look at where those tendrils are striking. He’s, somehow, keeping them only in the arena, they aren’t going into the stands themselves, and Tetsutetsu hasn’t been touched by them at all. He is controlling them. He just needs to control them more. You hear that, Problem Child?! You already are controlling your power! Focus and rein it in!”

“R...Right!” Izuku manages to gasp out as he focuses. Focus. He has to focus. He has to rein in Blackwhip. He pulls back, pulling at the tendrils. Slowly, but surely, they start to come back to him, still writhing and wiggling like black snakes flying through the air.

He gasps as they crash into his body, nearly sending him tumbling straight to the stage below. He thrusts his hands down and Blackwhip emerges from his hand again, but, this time, they only shoot downward and crash into the ground, allowing him to lower himself to the ground.

He lets loose a breath as he takes a shaky step forward, as the black tendrils vanish from around him.

Tetsutetsu gazes at him in concern. “Are you okay?” he asks.

Izuku nods slowly. “I’m...I’m okay,” he manages to get out.

“You’re bleeding.”

Izuku blinks and glances at his arm. Sure enough, blood is sliding down the length of his arm and dripping off the tips of his fingers, right where Blackwhip had shot away from his arm. He ignores the blood as he tightens his grip on his wrist.

“Midoriya, can you continue?” Midnight calls out.

Izuku takes a deep breath and nods his head. “I can,” he says. “I will. This isn’t over yet.”

Tetsutetsu’s eyes widen and then he grins. “I can’t tell whether you’re too determined to still want to fight after that or just plain insane but, either way, your determination sure is manly as all hell,” he says. “All right. If ya wanna continue then I’m all for it. Just don’t push yourself too hard, ‘kay?”

Izuku smiles at the boy and nods. “I won’t,” he says and darts forward, Full Cowling activating around his legs as he surges forward. He ignores the pain that erupts from his wrists as he calls upon Blackwhip. Now that he knows Blackwhip is unlocked, calling upon it is as easy as breathing, just like activating One for All has become for him since his training with Gran Torino.

Blackwhip emerges out of his hands and Tetsutetsu yelps in surprise when the black tendrils wrap around his body. He slams his arms into them but Izuku is already yanking them, ignoring the blood that erupts from his wrists and arms, and sends Tetsutetsu skidding across the ground. He grits his teeth, digging in his heels in an effort to try to stop Izuku from, literally, throwing him out of the ring.

Izuku doesn’t throw him out of the ring. He gets Tetsutetsu as close to the edge of the ring as he can and then, recalling Blackwhip, aims his hands at him. One for All – Shoot Style – Air Force! He flicks his finger, sending a surge of wind pressure, powered by 45% of One for All’s power, that slams into Tetsutetsu, starling the young man. He is blasted off his feet by the wind pressure crashing into his chest and he tumbles backwards, right off the stage where he crashes hard into the grass beyond.

“Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu is out of bound! Midoriya Izuku will advance to the next round!” Midnight calls, swiping her whip toward Izuku.

He, clutching at his bleeding arm, immediately makes his way over to join the silver-haired teenager. He holds out his uninjured arm and Tetsutetsu grins up at him and grasps his hand, pulling himself up.

“Can’t say I’m happy that I lost but that was an awesome match, man, even with the craziness of those black tendril thingies that showed up out of nowhere,” he says.

Izuku smiles at him. “You were a strong opponent, Tetsutetsu,” he says.

“Thanks! Let’s fight again sometime. Maybe, next time, without those black tendril thingies though.”

Izuku laughs lightly.

“Ah, you should get your arm seen to.”

Izuku glances at the blood that is still dripping from his arm. “Oh...yeah...I probably should.” He sways. He hadn’t even noticed that he had been losing far more blood than he thought he had been.

Tetsutetsu catches him when he crumbles to the ground. “I got ya,” he says and starts guiding Izuku toward the tunnel that will take them out of the arena.

. . .

It doesn’t surprise anyone that Shoto is the first one to arrive at the infirmary, barring All Might and Aizawa who are both already there. He makes his way past the empty medical beds until he reaches the bed that his boyfriend is laying on. His arm is wrapped up in bandages and he looks a bit pale but, other than that, he looks all right.

“Didn’t I tell you not to jump that high?” Aizawa deadpans, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Sorry. I guess I still have some trouble regulating One for All when I use it,” Izuku admits sheepishly. “I wasn’t expecting to jump that high up, honestly.”

“But you knew about this?” Recovery Girl asks, narrowing her eyes at All Might and Aizawa. “Why wasn’t I informed that this may end up happening?”

“It’s not their fault, Recovery Girl,” Izuku says. “I didn’t want anyone to know about it. I wasn’t expecting it to just appear out of nowhere while I was fighting Tetsutetsu so I didn’t think anything about it.”

Recovery Girl lets loose a breath. “All right, I’ll let it go this time,” she says. “Anything else I should know?”

“We don’t think that Blackwhip is going to be the only power that Young Midoriya will get access to,” All Might says after double-checking to make sure that the people gathered are the only ones in the room. Shoto frowns in concern as he sits down beside his boyfriend and takes his hand in his.

“Recovery Girl knows about One for All,” Izuku reassures his boyfriend.

Shoto relaxes.

“He knows?” Recovery Girl asks.

“He does,” All Might confirms.

Recovery Girl hums but settles down into a chair, resting her cane on her lap. “And what other powers should I be on the look out for?” she says.

“I don’t know much about the powers of the Second User and the Third User,” All Might says. “That had been so long ago that records of that time are corrupted at best, and nonexistent at worst, but the other powers from the other users are already known. The only one that may pose a risk to Young Midoriya is Float, my old master’s Quirk.”

“And do we have a good idea of when these powers will appear?” Recovery Girl asks.

“We only knew about Blackwhip because the vestiges spoke to Young Midoriya last night as a sort of warning but we didn’t know when it would happen,” All Might admits.

“I have a theory though,” Izuku says. “I think…”

The door opens and Bakugo storms in. “Yo, Icyhot, next time you’re having a discussion this important, send me a message sooner, damn it,” he snaps.

“He knows too,” Izuku says to Recovery Girl who frowns at the appearance of the explosive blonde. “And he should be here, since Shoto’s here too.”

Recovery Girl lets loose a breath but nods. “Anyone else in the know that is going to show up out of nowhere?” she says with much sarcasm in her voice.

Aizawa raises an eyebrow, looking vaguely impressed as if surprised that Recovery Girl is actually capable of being sarcastic. “No, it’s just us,” he says.

“Good,” Recovery Girl sniffs. “So your theory, Midoriya.”

“Right,” Izuku says. “I’ll try to keep it short but I think that the other Quirks within One for All won’t make an appearance until they are needed, for lack of a better term. Blackwhip activated today because the Fifth User told me that it’s a Quirk that can be best used to capture people. The goal of the one-on-one fights is to immobilize your opponent, throw them out of the ring, or make them say ‘I give up’ and Blackwhip can help with that. So it makes sense that the other Quirks will activate when they are needed.”

Recovery Girl hums. “What are these other Quirks that you know of?” she asks.

“The Fourth User’s Danger Sense and the Seventh User’s Float are the only ones that I know of,” Izuku admits.

“Stockpile is the original Quirk that One for All comes from so Young Midoriya already has that one,” says All Might. “The only other one I know of is the Quirk of the Sixth User: Smokescreen. I am still looking into finding out what the Quirks of the Second and Third Users are though.”

Recovery Girl hums and closes her eyes, letting loose a soft sigh. “All right. If those other Quirks do activate then I want to know about it,” she says as she opens her eyes. “I want to do a full check up on Midoriya each time a new Quirk is activated, to be sure that his body isn’t being overwhelmed.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re gonna get sick of seeing me by the time all of those Quirks are activated,” Izuku admits.

Recovery Girl pats him on the shoulder. “You’re a sweetheart, Midoriya. Your mentor really should have been the one to warn me about this though,” she says and gives All Might a stern glare that has the Number 1 Hero swallowing nervously.

“Ah...yes, that was a...glaring oversight on my part,” he admits, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I’ll say. Not letting the healer know that one of her students is going to end up gaining access to six other Quirks was most definitely a glaring oversight,” Aizawa says with sarcasm dripping like acid from his voice.

All Might flinches. “Perhaps that was the...wrong choice if words,” he says.

“You think?” Bakugo deadpans, rolling his eyes. “Is Zuku well enough to continue on with the Festival?”

“So long as he doesn’t overdo it, he’ll be fine,” Recovery Girl says. “Do try to keep the injuries to a minimum, Midoriya.”

“I’ve been doing good since school started,” Izuku mutters.

Unlike last time is left unsaid but it’s heavily implied.

“I know that you have been. Now then, go on and head back to your classmates. I believe the next match is about to begin,” Recovery Girl says.

“Yeah, let’s go see Ei kick the shit outta Bird Brain,” Bakugo says with a smirk.

“Don’t count Tokoyami out right away, Kacchan,” Izuku says as he swings his legs over the edge of the bed and stands up. Shoto stands up beside him and then raises an eyebrow at Bakugo.

“Ei?” he echoes.

“Do not even, Shochan,” Bakugo retorts and, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his uniform, turns and storms off while Shoto smirks and Izuku cracks a grin.

“He already gave his new boyfriend a cute nickname. How adorable,” he gushes and Shoto lets out a quiet laugh.

“I’ll fucking kill you, fucking nerd! And stop fucking laughing, fucking Icyhot!” Bakugo yells over his shoulder as he storms out of the infirmary. “Get a move on or I’ll tell the entire fucking class about what happened last week.” Cackling echoes beyond the door as Shoto and Izuku exchange horrified glances.

“He wouldn’t, would he?” Shoto asks.

“He most definitely would, and gleefully at that,” Izuku says.

Both of them run out of the infirmary as if the hounds of hell are after them, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.

. . .

“And they literally got buried underneath all of the garbage. They smelled like a fucking sewer for three days after that,” Katsuki says with a vindictive grin on his face as the entirety of Class 1-A either howl with laughter or snicker behind their hands or just give the blushing, embarrassed Icyhot and Izuku sympathetic yet amused looks.

“Man, you so should have recorded that,” Dunce Face gasps around his howling laughter.

“It’s not that funny,” Izuku grumbles.

“He did but I froze his phone and threw it into the bay,” Icyhot says with a shrug.

“Yeah, pissed me the fuck off when the bastard did that,” Katsuki says, throwing himself into a chair. “Still, it was funny as all hell.”

“To you,” Izuku mutters.

“And the whole fucking class. You deaf or something? Can’t you hear all the fucking laughter, Zuku?” Katsuki says, still grinning vindictively.

Izuku groans and buries his embarrassed face into Icyhot’s shoulder while Round Face pats his shoulder soothingly.

It’s a shame that Kirishima and Bird Brain are about to begin their match because Katsuki is sure that his boyfriend would have found that story hilarious too. He turns his gaze to the stage as Present Mic announce Kirishima, with an introduction that sounds way too similar to the one for Tetsutetsu, and Bird Brain.

“Present Mic really needs to work on his introduction. He literally called Tokoyami the ‘Bird’,” deadpans Raccoon Eyes.

Invisigirl chuckles. “Well, he’s not wrong,” she says.

A laugh sounds and Copycat pokes his head over the edge of the barrier, grinning at Izuku. “That last mach sure was explosive, eh? What the hell is with all those tendrils? You can’t even control your own Quirk and yet Class 1-A is supposed to be better than us? Hah. How…?”

Katsuki stands up and smacks an explosion straight into the wall beneath Copycat, hard enough to throw him backwards. “Shut the fuck up. I’m trying to watch my boyfriend beat the hell outta Bird Brain,” he snaps and storms back to his seat.

“I still say Tokoyami is going to win,” Izuku says.

“By the way, speaking of winning…” Icyhot holds out a hand toward Katsuki.

“Fuck!’ He had thought Icyhot had forgotten about that. He reaches into his pocket, pulled out the yen and throws it at Icyhot but Icyhot easily catches it and tucks it away, a smirk on his lips.

“You wanna bet again?” he asks. “I bet two thousand yen that Tokoyami will win.”

“Ha, you’re fucking on!” Katsuki says and the two of them shake, ignoring Four Eyes who scolds them for betting on their classmates.

“It’s as if they do not even listen to me,” Four Eyes protests and Round Face pats his arm comfortingly.

“I’m pretty sure Bakugo doesn’t listen to anyone, except, maybe, Aizawa-sensei and Kirishima, ribbit,” Asui says, touching her finger to her cheek.

Katsuki scoffs and turns his attention to the match, watching as Kirishima struggles to fend off Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow’s attacks. Dark Shadow is swift and, though Kirishima’s hardening is keeping him from getting hurt in the attack, he is also getting slowly but surely pushed back.

Damn it. C’mon, Ei! Don’t let the fucking Bird Brain beat ya! Katsuki thinks as Kirishima still tries to get past Dark Shadow’s attacks.

Kirishima yelps as one particularly vicious attack by Dark Shadow sends him tumbling backwards, right past the boundary.

“Kirishima Eijiro is out of bounds. Tokoyami Fumikage will advance to the next round,” Midnight calls out.

“Damn it,” Katsuki growls, yanking two thousand yen out of his pocket and throwing it at Icyhot who easily catches it, counts it out, and tucks it away.

“Betting on your classmates is not very heroic,” Four Eyes insists, chopping his arm sharply toward the two of them.

“It’s really just a game that they always play, Ida,” Izuku assures them. “It’s all for fun. It’s not like they’re actually using real money.”

Katsuki and Icyhot exchange glances and decide not to mention that they are, in fact, using real money. Granted, it’s money that Icyhot got from Touya who, in turn, got—read stole—from Endeavor so it’s not as if it’s their money that they’re playing around with. But they keep that fact to themselves. Like Ida said, it’s not very hero-like to steal, and gamble with said stolen money, but Touya really does walk the fine line between villain and hero.

Katsuki is just glad that he is more on the hero’s side this time around.

“Though the day those two started working together is the day I should have run for the hills,” Izuku admits, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I would miss you too much if you did that,” Icyhot says, kissing Izuku’s cheek.

Izuku sputters, face going red and arms flailing. “Shochan!” he wails, burying his flaming face into his boyfriend’s shoulder while Icyhot just smirks.

Katsuki rolls his eyes.

“Well, I’d better get down there,” Dunce Face says, getting to his feet. “My match is next! Wish me luck.”

“You’re up against a recommendation student. You’re gonna need all the luck you can get,” Earlobes says as she twirls the cord of her earphone jacks around one finger.

“So mean!” Dunce Face says with a pout but edges his way out of the stands and toward the entrance.

Kirishima and Bird Brain join them with Bird Brain taking a seat beside Arms while Kirishima, a pout on his lips, joins Katsuki. “Man, I couldn’t even get near him,” he says. “Dark Shadow is like crazy powerful,” he says. “Guess we won’t be fighting later on in the tournament.”

“We can always fight any other fucking time,” Katsuki says with a shrug.

Kirishima grins. “Yeah, that’s true,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to fighting you though, Katsuki.”

“You too, Ei.”

“Aww,” Raccoon Eyes gushes.

“Who knew that Bakugo was even capable of sounding that soft?” Frog Face says. “He’s usually always just yelling and cursing and exploding things.”

Katsuki slams his hands down on the empty chair in front of him, causing the back of it to explode, and whirls around. “What the fuck was that, Frog Face?” he snarls.

“And there is the Bakugo we’re all used to,” Frog Face says, waving a hand toward Katsuki who scowls at him. It’s only Kirishima gently resting a hand on his arm that keeps him from lunging at the annoying Frog, or throwing an explosion at her face.

“Calm down, Katsuki,” Kirishima says. “She’s just saying what she thinks. That’s just the way that she is.”

“Tch. Whatever.” Katsuki throws himself back into his seat and turns his gaze back to the stage.

. . .

Izuku watches as Uraraka gets to her feet and makes her way out of the stands. Recalling that she is going up against Bakugo after this match, he gets to his feet and follows her, not too surprised when Ida also walks after them. Shoto glances at him but he just smiles and leans down. “I’m just gonna check up on Uraraka,” he says quietly, kissing the top of his boyfriend’s head.

“Okay,” Shoto replies and turns his gaze back to the fight.

Izuku and Ida make their way into the hallway beyond and head toward the waiting room where they know Uraraka is heading.

“Do you suppose that Bakugo will hold back against Uraraka?” Ida asks as they walk.

“He won’t,” says Izuku with a shake of his head. “And, truth be told, I’m positive that Uraraka would be insulted if Bakugo did hold back against her. She may be a girl but she is a tough one, and I have no doubt that Bakugo will see that during their fight.” He already has, and I know that he has some respect for Uraraka because of their match the last time around but, at the same time, Bakugo will take into consideration what happened last time around and use that to his advantage. Thankfully, I know that Uraraka is good at thinking on her feet too so she should be fine. Still…

“I do not doubt that Uraraka is a tough girl,” says Ida. “And I do not doubt that she will give Bakugo a run for his money. I suppose that, since she is my friend, I do worry.”

“I do too but she’ll be fine.” The two of them reach the waiting room and Izuku pushes open the door, smiling when Uraraka lifts her head to gaze at them.

She gives them a smile. “Hey, I thought you were watching the match,” she says.

“We can afford to miss it if it means checking up on you,” says Ida.

“Check up on me? I’m fine,” Uraraka assures them.

“You sure? I mean no offense, of course, but you are up against Bakugo in the next match,” says Ida.

“I know.”

Izuku holds up the notebook he’d brought with him. “I did come up with some pointers for fighting against Kacchan if you’d like to take a look at them,” he says but he already knows the answer even before Uraraka shakes her head and gives him a reassuring smile.

“Thanks, Midoriya, but I’ll be okay.” She gives them a shaky smile and a thumbs up as she adds, “I know that this is gonna be difficult but I wanna show the world my own strength, just like you told us all to do during your speech at the opening ceremony, and I know that I have to fight Bakugo without anyone else’s help. But I’ll be fine. Let’s all meet in the finals!”

“Uraraka...of course, we will,” Ida says firmly.

“Good luck, Uraraka,” says Izuku with a smile. I know you’ll do wonderfully, he thinks.

He and Ida make their way out of the waiting room and head back to the area the rest of their class is gathered in. They arrive in time to see Inasa and Kaminari make their way onto the stage, Kaminari is cracking his knuckles while Inasa has that usual excited grin on his lips.

“Kaminari will have a tough time against Inasa,” says Shoto.

Izuku nods in agreement. “It’ll be tough for him, especially since he hasn’t learned the level of control that he has later on,” he says quietly.

Shoto presses his lips together but nods in silent agreement. Both of them know that their classmates do end up becoming far stronger, and far more in control of their Quirks, months in the future. But it takes time for them to get there, and they all have to go through quite a bit before they reach that point, and Izuku isn’t even sure that he will be able to stop much of what is to come.

He pushes that thought aside as he watches Kaminari discharge a massive electrical storm, going all out from the very beginning just as he had done against Shiozaki the first time around. Yoarashi’s whirlwinds propel him into the air, carrying him over the electrical storm before the electricity can reach him. Izuku knows that it’s over for Kaminari as soon as he sees that happen.

Yoarashi, still grinning broadly, unleashes a powerful whirlwind that crashes into Kaminari, who has been short-circuited from overusing his Quirk, and sends him flying out of the ring.

“Kaminari Denki is out of bounds. Yoarashi Inasa will advance to the next round.”

Jirou snorts. “He looks so out of it right now,” she says.

“Is that what happens when he overuses his Quirk?” Ida says, a frown of concern crossing his lips.

“I hope he’s okay,” Hagakure says.

Kirishima, who must have returned while Izuku and Ida had been talking with Uraraka, glances toward the invisible girl. “I’m sure he is. He’s a strong guy,” he says.

Jirou covers her mouth to hide her snorts of amusement as Kaminari is guided away on a stretcher by the medibots, his face blank as he constantly gives the crowd thumbs up. “Doesn’t seem that way right now,” she says once she manages to control herself.

“Midoriya.”

Izuku turns to find Tokoyami gazing at him with calm red eyes. “Yeah, Tokoyami?” he asks.

“We will be going against each other in the next round,” Tokoyami says. “It will be an interesting match.”

“Yeah. Don’t hold back, Tokoyami.”

“I do not plan to.”

“So whoever wins between Bakugo and Uraraka will go against that Class B Recommendation Student, right?” Kirishima asks.

Bakugo scoffs as he stands up. “You mean I’ll be going up against Baldy,” he says.

“Don’t count Uraraka out right away, ribbit,” Asui says, touching her finger to her cheek.

Bakugo stuffs his hands into his pockets and, slipping past Kirishima out of the aisle, makes his way toward the door at the back of the stands. “I don’t underestimate anyone,” he says and leaves the stands.

“He’ll hold back against Uraraka, won’t he?” Sero asks.

“No, he won’t,” says Izuku with a shake of his head. “And Uraraka would be insulted if he did.”

Ashido nods in agreement. “Anyone would,” she says.

Shoto tilts his head to the side. “Though if Uraraka does pull out a win against Bakugo, please remind me to rub it in Bakugo’s face later,” he says.

“I’ll be sure to do so, and make sure to carry your butt out of Bakugo’s firing range afterwards,” Izuku says as he pats his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“My hero.” Shoto says those words with such a deadpan expression on his face that it causes everyone around them to start snickering and Izuku just laughs along with the rest of them.

It really is refreshing to be able to laugh and joke around with the classmates that he will admit he has come to see as a secondary family in the waning days leading up to and throughout the war.

. . .

Katsuki stretches his arms above his head as he gazes at Round Face. She faces him with the same determined gleam in her eyes that had been present the last time they had fought against each other. She stretches her arms above her head, not once taking her gaze off him, and he grins sharply in response to that determination.

He knows that he has a bit of an unfair advantage against Round Face only because he already knows of what she will do. He is already prepared for it, already gearing up to ensure that her plan fails while also ensuring that he doesn’t use too much of his strength. He is capable of unleashing more powerful explosions due to the amount of training that he underwent leading up to the war, and Round Face doesn’t have the training she receives later on.

He isn’t going to hold back though. That isn’t the person that he is. Even if he knows that his power level, and the level of control that he has over his Quirk, does surpass Round Face, he also knows that she isn’t the type of person who would be happy if he held back. No, she is the type of person who will be greatly insulted if he held back against her.

But, still, he knows, from the first time around, that Round Face is good at thinking on her feet. She’ll be fine, even if he doesn’t plan on losing to her.

“Now that my commentating partner has finally returned, we can both commentate on this upcoming match,” Present Mic yells. “It’s the fiery tempered student who just narrowly missed getting the top spot on the entrance exam. From the Hero Course, it’s Bakugo Katsuki!”

Katsuki’s lips twitch. Tch, of course he would bring that up.

“Versus! She’s the on I’m rooting for! Also from the Hero Course, it’s Uraraka Ochaco.”

Round Face finishes stretching her arms above her head and crouches low, just like last time.

“Ready! Start!”

I aim to win. Katsuki launches himself into the air, explosions erupting from his palms to propel himself upward. He aims his palms at Round Face. AP Shot! He fires off several miniature explosions while he’s in the air, forcing a startled Round Face to quickly dive out of the way to avoid the massive rapid fire of explosions that are streaking downward.

“That rapidfire shot is intense! And driving Uraraka into a pinch very quickly,” Present Mic yells as Katsuki, using his explosions to propel himself through the air again, unleashes another series of small rapid fire explosions that succeed in throwing Round Face backwards. She grits her teeth as she skids across the ground, the pads of her fingers sliding along the ruined ground, causing her Quirk to activate and some of rubble to start floating.

As expected, the audience starts yelling at him, booing him for, apparently, playing with Round Face as rather than blasting her out of bounds. Just like last time, Aizawa is quick to defend Katsuki’s actions. He scoffs as he lands on the ground, darting forward and throwing an explosion at her, tearing through the still floating debris.

She is quick, dodging around the explosion and then darting toward him. Her face is still set in determination and she still keeps low to the ground but she must have realized that her previous plan isn’t going to work.

She darts off to the side, touching the pads of her finger to the rubble that already lay around them, causing it to rise up, which works to obscure her from Katsuki’s view. Katsuki cracks his knuckles as he pivots, scanning the rubble that is floating around him. It’s still rising but, right now, it’s hiding the girl from view.

Clever.

Katsuki will never admit it out loud but his fight with Round Face the last time around is the reason why he had come to respect her, even if it’s only a little bit. That tiny little bit of respect just went up a few notches.

But it’s still not enough.

He rests his hands close to each other as he concentrates his Quirk and, slowly, a sphere of light forms between his hands, waiting for when Round Face will make her move.

“Bakugo Katsuki isn’t moving. Does he have a plan?” Present Mic calls.

He hears movement behind him and pivots just as Round Face dives toward him, her hands outstretched.

He fires off Stun Grenade right into Round Face as soon as she’s close enough to be immediately affected by the point blank range attack. She cries out in shock and crumples, unconscious, to the ground.

Midnight makes her way onto the stage as Katsuki steps back, rubbing his wrists. “Uraraka Ochaco is unconscious. Bakugo Katsuki advances to the next round,” she declares and waves a hand for the medibots to join them.

Katsuki simply folds his arms across his chest. Not a bad plan. But she just doesn’t have the same level of experience that I’m used to her having. But he never holds back. That isn’t the person that he is. Even if he still had wanted to keep some of his cards close to his chest, that doesn’t mean that he will hold back against a powerful opponent who cannot be underestimated.

The next time he and Round Face fight, he is sure that she will be far stronger. He smirks inwardly. He’s looking forward to that.

But, for now, he needs to get ready because he is up against someone he has never fought before.

Yoarashi Inasa is powerful, Katsuki will admit that to himself, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t unbeatable. Katsuki will find a way to get past Yoarashi’s powerful Whirlwind Quirk and make it to the next round. He’s nothing if not stubborn and determined after all.

. . .

Shoto leans back against his seat, watching as both Sero and Shinso make their way out of the stands and heads toward the stage that lays below. Though they have to wait a little bit so that Cementoss can undo the damage done to it by Bakugo’s AP Rapid Shot, their match is about to start. He has to wonder how it will go, given that all Shinso needs to do is get Sero to respond to him and he’ll win the match.

But Sero knows that and he can just throw Shinso out of the ring with his tape.

“This doesn’t seem like a fair pairing,” he murmurs to Izuku.

Izuku hums. “Only because Sero knows about how Shinso’s Quirk works,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean that Shinso doesn’t know how to push buttons to get someone to respond to him. He did with me, even though I had warning of what to expect from his Quirk. Don’t count him out just yet.”

“I’m not. I suspect that Shinso is going to get farther than he did last time. The pairing is just unfair.”

“At least Sero won’t find himself completely engulfed by ice this time around.”

Shoto’s face goes red and he mumbles, “I was pissed…”

Izuku pats the dual-haired boy on the shoulder. “Yeah. It’s probably a good thing your fight with Shiozaki isn’t until later ‘cause if it was right after your talk with the flaming trashcan earlier then the same thing probably would have happened,” he says.

“I would like to think that I have more self-control now,” Shoto deadpans and then he raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend, adding, “And how did you know I ran into the flaming trashcan anyway?”

“Touya texted me.”

“Of course he did.”

“He’s just concerned.”

“I know.” Shoto sighs and turns his gaze to the stage, adding quietly, “It’s still hard for me, especially since I know my father can be a better person but…”

“He isn’t anywhere near close to that now.” Izuku blinks in understanding and his hand falls down Shoto’s arm to rest on his hand and he wraps his fingers around his.

“I just wish that I don’t have to wait until Kamino for him to start changing,” Shoto whispers, only low enough for Izuku to hear.

“I know.” Izuku squeezes his hand reassuringly and glances up as Bakugo throws himself into his seat in front of them.

“Good match,” Kirishima says with a sharp-toothed grin as he takes Bakugo’s hand in his. “Uraraka certainly didn’t give up.”

“She put up one hell of a fight,” Ashido says with a grin.

Bakugo scoffs, leaning back in his seat. “She ain’t weak. That much is for fucking sure,” he says.

“Hey Bakugo!” A shout sounds and Shoto turns in time to see Yoarashi poking his head over the side of the barrier that separates their two sections. “Looks like we’re going against each other in the next round! Looking forward to it!”

“I’ll fucking destroy you, Baldy!” Bakugo shouts back.

“I’m not bald!”

Monoma pokes his head up beside Inasa, a grin on his lips. “You sure are confident but you’re up against one of our recommendation students. Ha, you’re going to get your ass handed to you on a silver platter and…”

Bakugo stands up, strides over to the barrier and slams his palms straight into it, conjuring up an explosion that vibrates the wall and sends both Monoma and a startled Inasa flying backwards. “Shut the fuck up! I’m trying to watch the next match,” he yells and storms back to his seat.

“I’m pretty sure he just wanted an excuse to shut Monoma up,” Shoto says.

“When does he actually need an excuse?” Izuku says in puzzlement.

“I can hear you dumbasses!” Bakugo yells.

“We know,” Shoto and Izuku deadpan in unison.

Ashido starts laughing while Yaoyorozu smiles faintly in amusement and Jirou snickers.

“And, after that explosive fight, let’s begin Match 5,” Present Mic yells. “First off! He’s turned in an excellent performance to make it this far but what is with that Plain Jane expression? Does it ever come off? From the Hero Course Class 1-A, it’s Sero Hanta.”

“Present Mic really needs to work on his introductions,” Kirishima admits. “I mean mine and Tetsutetsu’s were basically the same exact thing.”

“Tch, you’re so much better than that metal knockoff from Class B,” Bakugo scoffs.

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course it fucking is!”

“Aww, thanks, babe.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Versus!” Present Mic yells. “The kid who has come far in spite of his non-combative Quirk. What kind of show will he show us now? Also from the Hero Course’s Class 1-A, it’s Shinso Hitoshi!”

“Oh, has the fight started yet?”

Shoto looks up to see Uraraka moving toward them. Her eyes are red and puffy and she has a bandage on her cheek but she, otherwise, looks all right as she slips past Shoto and Izuku. “Yeah, it just started,” Shoto says.

“Are you okay, Uraraka?” Izuku asks.

“Yeah, I’m okay. It was a tough fight and I put my all into it but I guess it just wasn’t enough,” Uraraka says.

“I’m sure you will be able to win the next time you fight against Bakugo,” Ida says, chopping his hand toward Uraraka who gives him a soft smile.

“Thanks,” she says and turns to gaze at the back of Bakugo’s head. “And I plan to get stronger so we will have a rematch, Bakugo.”

Bakugo tilts his head back and gives Uraraka a sharp, feral grin. “You do that. I’ll still destroy you.”

“Challenge accepted,” Uraraka says firmly.

Bakugo’s sharp, feral grin gets sharper.

A shout sounds from somewhere in the audience and everyone’s eyes turn to the stage. Shoto is more than a little surprised that Shinso had, somehow, gotten close to Sero. He would have thought that Sero would have used his tape to throw Shinso out of the ring by now. But, somehow, Shinso either avoided that, or Sero hadn’t gone with that plan.

“What did we miss?” he asks Yaoyorozu, who had been paying attention.

“Sero went to throw his tape at Shinso but Shinso pulled out a collapsible staff that he used to catch the tape and threw it at Sero like a javelin. He probably got that staff approved by Midnight before the festival began,” says Yaoyorozu. “He then charged at Sero before he could react to the sudden staff being chugged at his face and detach his tape.”

“He’s not using his Quirk,” Sato notes.

“Sero knows about his Quirk,” Tokoyami comments, closing his eyes. “It is clear that Shinso had another trick up his sleeve to get close to Sero.”

Shinso slams a fist straight into Sero’s gut, causing him to gasp in pain, then says something that no one in the 1-A stands can hear. Sero stumbles back and Shinso says something else as he advances, ignoring the tape that Sero launches at him that wraps around him.

“He should have taped the Brainwashing bastard’s mouth shut,” Bakugo grumbles.

“That would be a logical move,” Yaoyorozu agrees.

“Well, he didn’t think about that, and Shinso must have said something that pushed Sero’s buttons because look at him now,” Jirou says.

She’s right. Sero is completely still, eyes blank and body slack. Shinso smiles and says something else that has Sero pulling back the tape from around Shinso’s form, turning and walking right out of the ring.

“Sero Hanta is out of bounds. Shinso Hitoshi will move on to the next round,” Midnight declares.

“Sero might have won that match if he had taped Shinso’s mouth shut after wrapping him up in his tape,” says Izuku, scribbling away in his notebook. Wait, where did he even get that? Shoto doesn’t know. “But he must have been confident that he could throw Shinso out of the ring, and also not respond to whatever it was that Shinso was saying to him, so he didn’t think about doing that. Something Shinso said must have been enough to break Sero’s silence though but that just goes to show that Shinso does, indeed, know how to push certain buttons to get someone who knows not to respond to him to do exactly that.”

“You’re muttering again, love,” Shoto says and smiles softly when Izuku cuts off abruptly, his face going bright red and he squeaks, hiding his burning face in his notebook.

“Shochan!” he whines.

“What? If you can call me Shochan then I should get my own term of endearment for you, love,” Shoto says.

Izuku just buries his face into his notebook, another squeak of embarrassment escaping his lips even as Hagakure, Uraraka, and Asui snicker.

. . .

Izuku knows that the next two matches are going to be interesting to say the least. The first one is the one that he is a bit worried about. Unlike during the joint training exercise in the future that he comes from, when Ida had actually upgraded his Quirk so that he can use it for far longer, he hasn’t done that yet. And he is going against the same person that nearly defeated him in the future: Honenuki Juzo.

“He’s going to have a lot of trouble against Honenuki,” says Izuku quietly. “Especially as he is now.”

“If he’s quick enough and can get Honenuki off the ground before he can touch it then he might have a chance,” Shoto comments, watching as Ida and Honenuki make their way onto the stage. Sero is taking a seat on Kirishima’s other side, looking disappointed in himself, while Shinso takes a seat at the back of the stands.

“So what did you end up saying to Sero to get him to respond to you?” asks Izuku, peering over his shoulder at Shinso.

Shinso shrugs, leaning back in his seat. “I just kept mocking him and insulting him. I would have thought he would have realized what I was doing and taped my mouth shut,” he admits. “He would have won if he had thought of that.”

“I thought that I could keep my own mouth shut and not respond. But that last insult was a really low blow,” Sero says.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by what I said,” Shinso says and, though Izuku knows that he is still adamant about not making friends—and Izuku is really the only exception but Shinso won’t even admit that they are friends—he also isn’t someone who will hurt someone with his words and actually mean what he says.

“If you can get someone who knows about your Quirk to respond to you, I wonder what would happen if you came across an enemy. That was so cool,” Yoarashi shouts from where his head is currently poking over the side of the barrier.

Izuku turns his gaze away from the scene in which Ida is dragging Honenuki toward the edge of the stage while Honenuki is attempting to using his Quirk on the ground. He can’t seem to get his hand to touch the ground since Ida is doing a good job of keeping him off it.

“It works just as well on an enemy,” Shinso says.

Some people glance at Shoto as the memory of the incident at the U.S.J. comes back into their minds. While they hadn’t seen what actually happened to Shoto, like Izuku had, they had seen the aftermath, as well as Izuku speeding off to the main building with Shoto’s bloodstained body in his arms.

He shivers and Shoto glances at him before wrapping his arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. Izuku rests his head against his boyfriend’s chest as Monoma’s head appears next to Yoarashi’s.

“It’s really a shame that the guy with a villain’s Quirk got through,” Monoma says with a roll of his eyes. “He doesn’t deserve to…”

Shoto gets up, casually walks over to the barrier, and promptly smacks the palm of his hand straight into Monoma’s chin, throwing him away from the barrier. “Sorry. He made me mad,” Shoto says as he moves back to join Izuku who just cuddles against him again.

Yoarashi gazes downward then shakes his head. “Man, you’ve gotta stop saying things like that, Neito. I think Shinso’s Quirk is so cool! But, well, we aren’t out of this yet! I got into the next round and it looks like my fellow classmate did too! Man, no wonder Tokage just barely beat Honenuki to get the other recommendation spot. Glad he got through the general exam though,” he exclaims.

Izuku lifts his head and winces upon seeing Honenuki, somehow, break free from Ida’s grip and slam his hand onto the floor, causing the entire stage to soften. Ida yelps as he finds himself sinking into the ground, stopping when half of his body is caught in the softened stone.

“Ida, can you move?” asks Midnight.

“No,” Ida says through gritted teeth. “No, I can’t.”

“Ida Tenya is immobilized. Honenuki Juzo moves on to the next round!” Midnight calls out.

“Looks like you’re going up against Honenuki in the next round, Shinso,” says Izuku, lifting his head off his boyfriend’s chest to glance at the indigo-haired boy.

“I’m ready for him,” says Shinso simply.

Yoarashi starts laughing. “Now that’s what I like to hear! I really do love this school!” he exclaims. “But don’t count Honenuki out just yet!”

“He really is so passionate,” Ashido says with a chuckle.

“Far too fucking loud! Shut the fuck up already, Baldy!” Bakugo yells.

“Pot, meet kettle,” Shoto deadpans while Yoarashi points to his hair and says, “I’m not bald.”

“And you shut your fucking face too, Icyhot!”

Ashido chuckles again and gets to her feet. “Looks like we’re up, Yaoyorozu,” she says and Yaoyorozu nods and gets to her feet before the two of them make their way out of the stands.

Izuku pulls out his notebook and starts muttering under his breath as he scribbles down everything that he knows about both Ashido and Yaoyorozu. “Ashido is far more athletic than Yaoyorozu but Yaoyorozu’s Quirk is so versatile. Last time, she had underestimated Tokoyami so she may end up doing that with Ashido now. If Ashido gets close to Yaoyorozu then she can turn the tides in her favor but if Yaoyorozu can create something that will keep Ashido at bay, as well as something to shield herself from Ashido’s acid, she may have a chance. A simple shield that is resistant to acid may help to block the acid but can Yaoyorozu create something that won’t be affected by acid, especially when Ashido can control the solubility of the acid and…”

“Gah! Shut the fuck up, you fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells.

“You’re muttering a lot,” Shoto admits.

“Sorry!” Izuku flushes in embarrassment.

Yaoyorozu and Ashido make their way onto the stage and Izuku turns his gaze to the stage as Ida joins them, looking disappointed.

“You did good against Honenuki,” Uraraka says, patting Ida’s arm as he sits down on her other side.

“Perhaps but I still lost,” Ida admits. “And I am quite disappointed in myself. But I will simply get stronger and I will win the next time that we fight.”

“Good for you,” Uraraka says with a bright grin. Ida coughs and looks away, though not before a faint blush crosses his cheeks.

Hagakure leans between the two of them. “Do I sense a crush?” she says teasingly.

“Ah, that is not...Let us just watch this match!” Ida says quickly while Uraraka’s cheeks redden and she abruptly looks away.

Back down in the ring, Izuku watches as Yaoyorozu dances away from Ashido, a shield covering her right arm and what looks like a nerf gun resting in her other hand. She is firing nerfs at Ashido, forcing her to dodge out of the way and raising the shield to catch the acid that Ashido throws at her.

“Does Yaoyorozu have a gun?” Ojiro says in shock.

“It looks like it’s just a nerf gun,” says Asui, touching her cheek with her finger. “My siblings play with each other with nerf guns all the time. They don’t hurt but they are annoying. Yaoyorozu might be trying to annoy Ashido into making a mistake, or into letting Yaoyorozu get close to her. Oh! So that is her plan.”

Everyone watches, in surprise, as Yaoyorozu throws aside the gun and removes another that had materialized out of her bare stomach and proceeds to fire it at Ashido. Ashido yelps as a net appears out of nowhere and crashes into her, throwing her to the ground. She struggles to get free, and get up, but she can’t and, when she attempts to use her acid to break free, it doesn’t work.

“Whoa, did she really create a net that’s impervious to Ashido’s acid?” Izuku says in surprise.

“That was some quick thinking on Yaoyorozu’s part,” Hagakure exclaims.

“Very quick thinking,” Shoji agrees.

“Very,” Shoto agrees but there is something in his voice that has Izuku glancing at him. He raises an eyebrow and Shoto, catching the look, shrugs, leaning toward Izuku and murmuring, “I may have given her a bit of a confidence boost right before we all came up here before I went to meet you before your match. I didn’t like seeing how badly shaken her confidence in herself had been after the Sports Festival last time so I decided to see if I can help. She is my friend after all.”

“Ashido Mina, can you move?” Midnight calls.

Ashido groans and pouts. “No,” she whines.

“Ashido Mina is immobilized. Yaoyorozu Momo will move on to the next round,” Midnight declares.

“You do know that this means you’ll probably be going against Yaomomo in the next round, right?” Izuku says.

“I know.”

“You sound like you have a plan.”

“I may, or may not, be contemplating pulling a Touya and fighting without using either of my Quirks in the next round, just because I am quite curious about how the flaming trashcan will react,” Shoto admits.

“He will be mad,” Izuku admits.

“Probably, though I have no doubt what I have planned for my next match will already piss him off.”

“...Shochan, what are you going to do?”

Shoto just smiles, stands up, and walks out of the stands.

“Shochan! You can’t just leave me hanging like that,” Izuku protests but all he gets is snickers from his boyfriend.

Bakugo turns his head. “Ten thousand yen says he flips the flaming trashcan off on live television,” he says.

Izuku opens his mouth, frowns, then sighs. “I have this odd feeling that I should not take that bet,” he admits.

“Well, I will because there’s no way that Todoroki would do something like that on live television,” said Kirishima, holding out a hand toward his boyfriend who shrugs, takes Kirishima’s hand, and shakes it.

. . .

Touya is a bit surprised when the flaming trashcan makes his way to his side. He gives his father an annoyed glare. “Why don’t you find some other place to stand? Your presence is annoying,” he deadpans.

“You’re as insolent as ever, Touya,” says Endeavor with a scowl, the flames around his face flaring even hotter than before. “How you became a Pro Hero is still something that I have a hard time wrapping my head around.”

“I did it to spite you because I knew you would never think I could actually amount to anything,” Touya says and turns his head away, adding coolly, “Now, if you will excuse me, I have a baby brother to watch, and a flaming trashcan to completely ignore the existence of.”

Endeavor’s flames flare in rage.

“And now let us begin our final match of the first round,” Present Mic yells from the announcer’s booth as Shiozaki Ibara makes her way toward the stage on one side while Todoroki Shoto, his face an impassive mask, walks onto the stage on the other side.

“First off! She is the assassin of Class 1-B! From the Hero Course, it’s Shiozaki Ibara!” Present Mic yells.

“Um, excuse me?” Shiozaki says, raising her hand. “Um, why do you call me an assassin? I simply wish for a fair and even fight. I do not wish to take my opponent’s life.”

“Uh, sorry ‘bout that!” Present Mic calls.

“After all, we are all striving to be heroes and I do wish to be a hero that shall not harm another person,” Shiozaki says as light shines down on her and she clasps her hands together in front of her.

“Gees, I said I was sorry!” Present Mic yells back and coughs. “Anyway! Versus! One of the most powerful kids of Class 1-A! Also from the Hero Course, it’s Todoroki Shoto!”

“Shoto!” Endeavor yells and Touya winces, raising one hand to rub his ear.

Shoto turns his head to gaze at Endeavor, points straight at him, and proceeds to flip him off before turning back around and striding to the center of the stage. Everyone goes silent, until Touya doubles over and howls with laughter.

“I can’t believe he did that! I didn’t think he’d do it! Gahaha!” Touya can’t stop laughing, even as Endeavor rages silently beside him.

“Um, and with that rather...um...unexpected gesture, let us begin!” Present Mic yells. “Ready! Start!”

Shiozaki clasps her hands together and vines surge away from her form but Shoto is quick.

“Shoto!” Endeavor yells, still raging but managing to keep his rage out of his voice, which is impressive if Touya is being honest with himself. He will never admit that out loud, especially not to the flaming trashcan, but that doesn’t mean he can’t think it.

Shoto lets loose a frosty breath and ice surges away from him, rising up in a massive wall that catches the vines that surge toward him. He darts forward, gliding around the wall of ice on his own ice and sends another surge of ice flying forward, crashing into a startled Shiozaki and completely freezing her.

“Can you move, Shiozaki?” Midnight calls.

“I am afraid that I cannot,” Shiozaki says quietly.

“Shiozaki Ibara is immobilized! Todoroki Shoto will move on to the next round!” Midnight yells as Shoto rests his left hand on the ice and it melts, allowing Shiozaki to step free from the ice, though she does shiver.

Touya grins. “Congrats, baby bro,” he says and frowns at the flaming trashcan when he turns and storms away, ignoring the looks of wariness that the audience members are giving him.

. . .

Katsuki holds out a hand toward a shocked Kirishima who numbly reaches into his pocket, pulls out ten thousand yen, and hands it to him. “Pleasure doing business with you,” he says as he counts the yen while everyone else is in shocked silence, not so much from the quick match but from the fact that Icyhot had, indeed, flipped off his father on live television.

That had been great.

“Yeah, I made the right choice to listen to my gut and not agree to that bet,” Izuku says.

“He actually flipped off his father on live television,” Yaoyorozu, who had joined them along with Ashido a few minutes before the last match of the first round began, says in shock.

“I was not expecting that at all,” Jirou admits, twirling her cord around her finger.

“I don’t think any of us were,” Kaminari, who had joined them a few minutes ago as well after he recovered from being short-circuited, says.

“All right!” Present Mic yells. “Now that the first round is over! Let us keep on moving! Our next match, the first one of the second round, shall begin in five minutes!”

“Oh, that’s me,” Izuku says as he gets to his feet.

Katsuki glances at his rival. “Don’t fuck up out there, Zuku,” he says.

“I know.”

“And try not to do anything stupid like, I dunno, activate another Quirk,” Katsuki adds, saying the last part so quietly that only his rival, and fellow time traveler, can hear him.

“I don’t plan on it, Kacchan,” Izuku assures him and, making his way out of the aisle, jogs toward the entrance, Tokoyami following after him.

“Who do you think will win between those two?” Kirishima asks. “Especially in light of Midoriya’s new power.”

“Dunno. Probably Zuku though.” Though if Izuku does win then that means he and I will be facing off against each other in the next round. Hmm, might end up being a repeat of Ground Beta, now that I think about it, except that I’ll have to worry about Blackwhip.

Thankfully, Katsuki has fought against Izuku’s Blackwhip before, while they had been training with it in the months leading up to the war with the Paranormal Liberation Front. So he knows of what to expect, and how to counteract it. That doesn’t mean that he should underestimate Izuku though.

But he also knows that he can’t underestimate his next opponent.

Yoarashi Inasa is a recommendation student that even Aizawa had given kudos to after all.

Katsuki is going to have his hands full beating him. He will win. He knows that he will win. But it is going to be a hard-earned win. Of that Katsuki is absolutely positive.

Chapter Text

Izuku runs into Shoto on the way to the stadium and grins in amusement. “Of all things to do…” he says as he wraps his arms around his boyfriend. Shoto hugs him back, tucking Izuku’s head in the curve of his neck and gently kissing the top of it. “You know Kirishima lost out on ten thousand yen because of what you did on live television.”

“Worth it,” says Shoto.

Izuku laughs and pulls back from the hug to tilt his head up and gently kiss his boyfriend. Shoto kisses him back and, pulling back, rests his forehead against his. “Endeavor is going to be so mad, you know,” he says.

“I know,” says Shoto. “But I really don’t care.” He releases Izuku and adds, “Good luck against Tokoyami.”

Izuku nods and, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand, releases it and heads toward the stadium. As he walks he is a bit surprised when he rounds the corner and nearly runs into Endeavor. He huffs. He ran into Endeavor right before his second match of the Sports Festival the last time around too and he hoped that he wouldn’t have to worry about that this time around.

But, of course, as luck would have it…

“Hey, there you are,” Endeavor says.

Last time, Izuku was frozen in terror by the power and intense presence the Number 2 hero exuded. This time, he just meets the flaming trashcan’s gaze with a firm, determined one of his own. He can recall the last time that he truly saw Endeavor, not long after he had discovered the truth about Touya after risking his life and putting his all into trying to defeat the villains.

But that is far in the future, that is after he had already taken a step back to take a look at how he treated his family and started trying to atone.

Izuku knows that Shoto isn’t exactly ready to forgive his father for what he did but he is willing to give his father a chance to change, to seek atonement. But that was in the time that they had come from, that is not now.

“I saw what you did out there earlier,” Endeavor says. “That’s an amazing Quirk. Not only were you able to create much force with your fingers but those black tendrils certainly were incredibly powerful as well. I would say that the first part of your power is on par with All Might’s Quirk.” He points at Izuku who simply holds his gaze.

“I have to go. My match is about to start,” he says coolly and walks past Endeavor.

“My boy, Shoto, he has a duty to surpass All Might,” Endeavor says and Izuku tenses, hands curling into fists. “Touya has already caused me no end of grief by interfering and, while Shoto may say that you are the reason why he is as strong as he is, you are still a weakness to him, and he must not have any weakness if he is to fulfill his duty.”

“He is not a tool,” Izuku says coolly, cutting Endeavor off as he turns, fixing flaring green eyes on the Number 2 Hero. “He is not a weapon to be molded and used. He is a living, breathing, human being, with his own free will, his own thoughts and feelings and wants and desires. He is not, nor will he ever be, you.”

Izuku pivots and strides off, adding, “And, maybe, if you stopped looking at Shoto as a weapon to be used against All Might, you might see that, and more, for yourself.”

He makes his way toward the tunnel and walks up it. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down and relaxes his hands, that had clenched into fists. He isn’t sure why he said those things to Endeavor, chances are incredibly low that the Number 2 flaming trashcan will even listen to him, but he just felt the need to say that out loud with one of the only chances that he’ll have to actually speak with Endeavor.

But, for now, he needs to focus.

He’s up against Tokoyami, someone who excels at long range combat but who hasn’t, at this point in the timeline, overcome his close combat weakness. While Izuku doesn’t have the advantage of light on his side, he knows that he just needs to get close to Tokoyami in order to get an advantage.

Or use Blackwhip and Air Force to keep Tokoyami on his toes, and eventually tire him and Dark Shadow out.

Either way will work.

“Let’s begin the second round!” Present Mic yells from the commentator stand. “The first match of the second round is going to be epic! It’s Midoriya Izuku versus Tokoyami Fumikage!”

“I have this odd feeling Present Mic-sensei is going to think every match of this round is going to be epic,” Izuku comments as he stretches his arms above his head, studying Tokoyami who is standing on the other side of the stage with his arms resting lightly at his sides.

“Very likely so, yes,” Tokoyami says, closing his eyes. “Are you ready, Midoriya?”

Izuku cracks his knuckles, activating One for All and powering it up to 45%. Green lightning crackles around his form as he shifts into a starting stance, hands clenched into fists.

“Ready! Start!” Present Mic yells.

In a flash of crackling green lightning, Izuku surges forward, hands held forward and Blackwhip erupts from his hands, sailing forward.

“Dark Shadow!” Tokoyami shouts and Dark Shadow emerges from his stomach and surges forward, dodging around the black tendrils as Izuku dances to the side. He retracts Blackwhip and jumps back to avoid Dark Shadow’s claws.

One for All – Shoot Style – Air Force!

He flicks his his finger, sending a surge of wind pressure, powered by One for All 45%, and Dark Shadow winces as he’s blasted backwards several feet. He fires more shots, maintaining One for All at the current limit that he can use safely, forcing Dark Shadow to dodge out of the way.

Tokoyami darts away upon noticing that Izuku is attempting to get behind him. His eyes narrow as Dark Shadow swoops forward, slicing its claws toward Izuku. Izuku retracts his hands and thrust them forward, focusing on calling on Blackwhip and, as the black tendrils emerge from his arms, he sends them spiraling forward to crash into Dark Shadow, throwing him back.

He clenches his hands into fists. The last time, I nearly lost control because I lost control of my emotions. I seem to be controlling Blackwhip fine now, even though I will admit I am annoyed by my encounter with Endeavor.

He pushes that thought aside as he jumps back, crackling lightning erupting around his form as he launches himself into the air, recalling Blackwhip and firing off several more Air Force shots that send Dark Shadow crashing into the ground. Tokoyami winces but urges Dark Shadow who nods its head and launches itself into the air.

‘I’m not out of this yet!’ Dark Shadow yells as it lunges toward Izuku who yelps when the claw crashes into him, swatting him out of the sky like a fly. He hisses in pain as he crashes into the ground, wincing when Dark Shadow pins him down.

Tokoyami moves closer. “Do you give up?” he asks.

“No,” Izuku says as he wiggles, trying to break free from Dark Shadow’s grip. “I won’t give up.”

“You can’t move, Midoriya. Dark Shadow can keep holding you there until you give up,” says Tokoyami.

“I won’t give up.” Izuku focuses. He knows one way that he can get out of this jam.

“Midoriya Izuku, can you move?” Midnight calls.

“I’m not out of this yet!” Izuku shouts. One for All – Blackwhip – Froppy Style! He proceeds to fire Blackwhip directly from his mouth like a thick tongue that strikes a shocked Tokoyami right in the face, throwing him backwards. Dark Shadow, startled by the sudden attack, loosens his grip enough for Izuku to pull his arm free.

One for All 45% – Shoot Style – Air Force!

He flicks his finger. The massive surge of wind pressure crashes into Dark Shadow and, with a yelp, its sent flying backwards, straight into Tokoyami, sending both of them skidding backwards. Izuku, flipping to his feet, fires off several more Air Force air blasts that crash into Tokoyami one after another after another until Tokoyami is sent skidding out of bounds.

“Tokoyami Fumikage is out of bounds. Midoriya Izuku will move on to the next round!” Midnight declares, waving her whip toward Izuku.

Izuku lets loose a soft breath and lowers his arm. He winces because his fingers are aching, as is his mouth, but nothing’s broken so that’s good. He realized that he hasn’t used Froppy Style since the war, and he doesn’t quite remember it hurting his mouth like that.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t used it in so long.

He doesn’t know.

He walks over to join Tokoyami who inclines his head to him. “Good job, Midoriya,” Tokoyami says. “You took me by surprise by using that new power of yours from your mouth. I would not have thought of that.”

Izuku rubs the back of his neck. “I got inspired by a friend,” he admits.

Tokoyami hums but nods. “Good luck in the next round. You will either be up against Bakugo or that recommendation kid from Class B.”

“I know. Thanks, Tokoyami.”

. . .

“He used Froppy Style,” Icyhot comments from where he is leaning against the wall in the tunnel leading into the stadium.

Katsuki, standing across from the other boy, snorts. “Haven’t seen that used since he tried to use it to capture fucking Shigaraki during the war,” he says and smirks. “Tch, if the fucking nerd had lost to fucking Bird Brain, I would’ve been fucking pissed. I want my fucking rematch with him.”

Icyhot raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t you win your last fight with him? You know the fight that caused both of you to be put on house arrest?”

“That was before he fucking got Blackwhip. He’s stronger now so I wanna kick his ass even more now,” Katsuki says, glaring as Izuku makes his way into the tunnel. Izuku raises an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side in puzzlement.

“Why are you glaring at me, Kacchan?” he asks.

“He’s just pissed that he can’t fight you right now,” Icyhot says, pushing away from the wall.

“Tch. I’m not fucking pissed! I’m fucking calm!” Katsuki yells.

“Sure…”

“Fuck off, Icyhot.”

Icyhot ignores him as he wraps his arms around Izuku and pulls him close. “Good job, Izuku. I wasn’t expecting you to use Froppy Style though,” he says.

“It worked to get Dark Shadow to loosen its grip on me,” says Izuku as he leans into his boyfriend.

Icyhot hums. “You seem upset though,” he says.

Izuku grimaces. “I ran into the flaming trashcan, just like last time...I kinda told him off so he’s probably really mad at me,” he says. “I don’t regret it ‘cause a lot of what the flaming trashcan said to me annoyed me. That’s really why I’m upset, though telling him off did help with that a little bit.”

“Tell me about it while we walk back to the stands,” Icyhot says.

Katsuki pushes away from the wall. “Yeah, unless you actually cursed him out, I don’t fucking care. I’m gonna go beat Baldy’s ass right now,” he says and makes his way toward the entrance to the tunnel.

“Don’t underestimate Inasa,” Icyhot calls.

Katsuki flips him off, then stuffs his hands into the pockets of his pants as he makes his way onto the field upon hearing Present Mic announce that the second match is about to start.

“And let’s get to the next match!” Present Mic yells as Katsuki walks toward the stage, scowling as he watches Baldy wave at the crowd with a massive grin on his lips and eyes shining with excitement. “A recommendation student up against the most explosive student to ever grace the Hero Course? Oh boy is this going to be a doozy! It’s Yoarashi Inasa versus Bakugo Katsuki!”

“Did he really just say…? You know what, I don’t even fucking care,” Katsuki mutters as he studies the taller boy, removing his hands from his pockets and folding them across his chest.

“This is gonna be great!” Baldy yells.

“Gah, stop fucking yelling already! We get it, you’re excited!” Katsuki yells back.

“Pot calling kettle!” He is positive that’s Touya and he, turning to glare at Touya in the audience, promptly flips him off.

“And, after that rather...expected gesture, given it’s Bakugo Katsuki, let’s get this started! Ready! Start!” Present Mic yells.

Katsuki is in the air in an instant, knowing full well that he cannot allow himself to get hit by Baldy’s Whirlwinds. They’re powerful. Not only do they make him incredibly fast but they also pack a punch to them, as is obvious by how far out off the stage Dunce Face had been thrown earlier. AP Shot! “Die!” He yells as he fires a rapidfire of explosions that forces Baldy to throw himself into the air as well, wind surging around his form and guiding him as he dodges around the various explosions.

“Gotta do better than that!” Baldy yells.

Katsuki launches himself toward the ground, landing in a skid and whirling around. “That ain’t all I got up my fucking sleeve!” he yells, firing off another explosion that surges upward, widening more and more as it rises. Baldy yelps as the explosion hits him, sending him spinning upward. He twists in midair and dives downward, using his winds to slow his descent and darting forward, wind surging away from him.

Katsuki fires off another explosion as he launches himself into the air again, a scowl twisting his lips because Baldy is far faster than he had anticipated. His winds are strong too to the point where Katsuki could actually feel them pushing him before he’d launched himself into the air.

“Hey, I’m okay with this being an aerial battle!” Baldy yells with a big grin as he rises into the air, a whirlwind spiraling beneath his feet. More wind surges around him as Katsuki, explosions propelling him, fly around him, firing more AP Shots at him while he’s in the air. He needs more than just that. He needs to get the other boy back onto the ground or, at the very least, catch him by surprise.

Wait...that just might work.

It’s not like Katsuki has used that particular move yet in this timeline after all.

He grins sharply. “I ain’t gonna lose to some wind-wielding baldy!” he yells.

“I’m not bald!” Baldy yells back, still grinning though, which suggests that he isn’t taking any of Katsuki’s words seriously. It’s annoying but not completely, given that Katsuki doesn’t really expect anyone to take his nicknames seriously because he doesn’t mean most of them. The ones that he does mean are the ones reserved for bastards that he doesn’t like, like the flaming pile of garbage or the Handsy Bastard or fucking Flameball back when he had been Burnt Reject Flameball in his last life.

But that doesn’t matter now. What matters is winning, and Katsuki has just the move that will allow him to win. He just needs to keep Baldy distracted until he can get to the point where he can unleash it.

He uses his explosions to propel himself higher again, firing off rapidfire explosions at Baldy and at the ground, the latter to conjure up as much smoke as he possibly can to further blind Baldy to his moves. Even if Baldy uses his whirlwind to get rid of the smoke, Katsuki just needs a few seconds.

He’s got this in the bag.

He continues to fire off rapidfire shots after rapidfire shots and more and more smoke is conjured up as a result. He launches himself into the air and, using his explosions, propels himself into a circular motion as he surges downward, creating a tornado.

“Howitzer Impact!” Katsuki yells as he releases the fueled explosion in midair, sending it spiraling downward away from him to crash through the smoke. The massive explosion completely engulfs the other half of the stage and the vast majority of the ground beyond, even spreading as far as the stone wall itself.

Katsuki flips in midair and lands on the ground, skidding across it a few feet, raising his hands and prepared to unleash another explosion if his strongest attack hadn’t succeeded.

As the smoke clears, Katsuki lowers his hands upon seeing that Baldy had, indeed, been blasted beyond the boundary line. He’s covered in burns but it’s clear, by the fact that he’s still on his feet, that he had likely used his Quirk to keep from getting blasted into the wall.

“Whoa! That massive explosion was, akin, to a missile attack, and Yoarashi Inasa is still standing but he’s out of bounds!”

“Yoarashi Inasa is out of bounds! Bakugo Katsuki will be moving on to the next round!” Midnight declares, waving her whip toward Katsuki.

“Dude, that was so awesome!” Baldy yells.

“Tch, whatever.” Katsuki stuffs his hands into the pockets of his pants and, turning, he strides off. But he will admit that he is impressed with the recommendation student and a smirk crosses his lips.

Yeah, I can see why Aizawa-sensei told us to watch out for him during the Provisional Licensing Exam. I’ll give him some respect. He’s earned that much.

Not that he’ll ever admit it out loud but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel that way.

. . .

“Was it just me or did he release Howitzer Impact while in midair?” Shoto asks.

“He did,” Izuku says with a nod.

Shoto blinks and hums. “Should I be glad that he hadn’t done that during our fight last time, or upset for the same reason?” he asks.

“Given that you held back against him, I’d say glad,” Izuku admits. “He’ll probably try that against you if you do end up going against each other, which might not happen because he’s up against me next and I don’t intend to lose.”

Shoto smiles and wraps his arms around his boyfriend, gently kissing the top of his head. “When you win, it likely means we’ll be going against each other in the final round,” he says.

Shinso leans forward. “Are you too far too mushy for your own good that you’re forgetting that I’m still in this?” he asks.

“I’m not forgetting Shinso at all but I’m confident that I can win against him. This is supposing that he wins against Honenuki, who is a student who almost became a recommendation student,” Shoto points out, speaking directly to his boyfriend because he won’t put it past Shinso to practice his Quirk while waiting for his next match.

“Touche,” Shinso says as he rises to his feet and starts heading toward the door, passing Bakugo on his way back into the stands.

“Nice job, Katsuki!” Kirishima exclaims as Bakugo makes his way to his seat. “He certainly ended up being stronger than I was expecting but he’s a recommendation student so I’m not surprised. But you still held your own, and won!”

“Of course I won!” Bakugo says with a roll of his eyes. “Baldy put up a decent fight though.”

A laugh sounds and Monoma pokes his head over the barrier. “Just ‘cause Inasa didn’t win doesn’t mean that Class A is gonna dominate the rest of the competition. We still have Honenuki and he’s going to absolutely decimate the villain kid and…”

Izuku gets to his feet, strides over to the barrier, and promptly smacks the palm of his hand straight into Monoma’s jaw, hard enough to send him, with a yelp, tumbling away from the barrier. “Sorry but no one insults my friends like that,” Izuku says firmly as he moves back to cuddle against Shoto while everyone stares in surprise that the kind, sweet, wouldn’t hurt a fly Midoriya Izuku just basically bitch-slapped Monoma.

“Annoying moron deserved it,” Bakugo scoffs.

“Shinso isn’t a villain just ‘cause of his Quirk. Honestly, the stupid moron,” Ashido says with a roll of her eyes.

“I hope that you are not listening to him,” Ida says, chopping his hand toward Shinso, who’s still standing in the doorway with his back to them. “Because you must know that you are not a villain and you will never be a villain. You are going to be a hero, just like all of us.”

“Well said!” Uraraka says with a grin.

Asui touches her finger to her cheek. “I believe Monoma is just jealous,” she says.

“That’s a fucking given,” Bakugo scoffs. “He’s a fucking copycat reject after all.”

“Kacchan,” Izuku scolds.

“Well, he is!”

Izuku sighs and gives Shinso a smile, though Shoto knows that the indigo-haired boy can’t see it because he hasn’t turned around. “We’ll all be cheering you on! Give it all you got, Shinso!” he says.

Shinso finally turns around at that, gazing not just at Izuku but at the rest of the class as well. “I will,” he says and strides off.

“He’s so laidback and quiet. I really hope that we can get him to open up someday,” Hagakure admits.

“He did tell us on day one that he isn’t here to make friends so, maybe, that can be why he isn’t opening up,” Kaminari says thoughtfully.

“Well, we’re all his friends now, whether he likes it or not!”Ashido says firmly.

“Agreed!” Hagakure shouts.

“Definitely,” Izuku says with a nod and Shoto smiles when he hears the rest of his class voice their own agreement.

Bakugo just scoffs and says, “He doesn’t annoy me as much as the rest of you idiots so I guess he’s okay.”

“Is he including us in that?” Izuku asks.

“It’s Bakugo. I have no doubt that he is,” Shoto replies. He turns his attention to the arena as Present Mic announces the next match.

“It’s time for the third match of the second round! Both of these competitors gave us an impressive display, one with the power of their Quirk and one with the power of their words! Let’s see what kind of show they will show for us today! It’s Honenuki Juzo versus Shinso Hitoshi!” Present Mic yells.

Izuku leans forward, eagerness shining on his face and Shoto isn’t surprised to find his notebook already in his hands and a pen already resting on an empty page. He doesn’t question where that came from, since he hadn’t had it a few minutes earlier, but he can hear Uraraka questioning where that notebook came from out loud.

They can’t really hear anything that’s being said in the arena, since there are no microphones with the participants and Shinso isn’t yelling. He’s speaking calmly, hands tucked into the pockets of his pants as he talks.

“He’s doing what he did to me,” Izuku whispers, scribbling in his notebook. “He knows of how powerful Honenuki’s Quirk is and he knows that if Honenuki can activate his Quirk then it’s all over so he’s trying to push Honenuki’s buttons before the match even begins in an effort to get Honenuki to say something as soon as Present Mic starts the match. He must realize that he won’t stand a chance against Honenuki’s Quirk, which is cunning thinking on Shinso’s part.”

“You’re muttering again,” Shoto murmurs.

“Sorry!” Izuku squeaks in embarrassment but goes back to scribbling his observations as Shinso continues to say something that no one else can hear. Shoto’s eyes travel to Honenuki in time to see that the other boy is frowning, annoyance written clearly on his face as his hands twitch in annoyance.

“Ready! Start!” Present Mic yells.

Shinso says something that must have been incredibly low because the annoyance on Honenuki’s face gets even stronger and his mouth parts. He must have said something because his entire body goes still.

“And there it is!” Present Mic yells. “Shinso Hitoshi’s Quirk has been put into action! Man, what the heck did that kid say to get his opponent to respond to him? I’m kinda scared to find out what that kid does say to activate his Quirk!”

“But it is, nonetheless, incredibly powerful, and incredibly useful,” Aizawa’s voice suddenly cuts over Present Mic’s as Shinso calmly says something else, probably ordering Honenuki to walk right out of the ring. “His power can be used to calm bystanders down or get captured villains to talk or even convince villains to turn themselves in. His Quirk may not be combative in nature but it is, nonetheless, incredibly useful when it is applied correctly in any situation. Shinso Hitoshi will make a fine hero someday.”

“Yeah, he definitely will,” Izuku says with a smile on his lips. They may not have interacted with Shinso that much after the joint training exercise but Shoto does believe his boyfriend is right, based on that exercise and Shinso’s sheer determination to make it in spite of his Quirk.

At least, this time, he doesn’t have to wait until then to get his chance.

“Honenuki Juzo is out of bounds. Shinso Hitoshi will be moving on to the next round!” Midnight declares.

Shoto kisses Izuku on the cheek and stands up. “I’d better go. My match is next,” he says.

“Are you going to pull a Touya-sensei?” Izuku asks.

“I am considering it but, given that I’m up against Yaomomo, I’ll have to be creative about how I’m going to go about doing that.”

Izuku smiles and squeezes his hand. “You’ll be great,” he says.

“Thank you.” Shoto makes his way out of the stands with Yaoyorozu walking after him. They walk side by side for a while until they reach the point where they will split up to go to their separate entrance tunnels.

“Good luck, Shoto-kun,” Yaoyorozu says.

“You too, Momo,” Shoto says quietly and the two split up and make their way to their own entrance tunnel.

He is more than a little annoyed to find Endeavor waiting for him. “What?” he says, not even bothering on hiding the annoyance in his tone of voice.

“You should inform your boyfriend that it is not all right to talk back to a Pro Hero the way that he did,” Endeavor says.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t go around harassing my boyfriend, then he wouldn’t feel the need to talk back to you,” Shoto retorts. “Move. I’ve got a match to go to.”

“That boyfriend of yours is a nuisance, and a weight that’s dragging you down,” Endeavor says.

“You’re the nuisance, and the weight dragging me down.”

“I am simply trying to make you into the best hero out there, Shoto, and yet you keep throwing my aid away if you even accept it at all.”

“I don’t want to be the best hero out there if it means accepting aid from you.” Shoto strides past Endeavor, taking a deep breath and releasing it. He doesn’t want to unleash his anger upon Yaoyorozu, not like he had done against Sero the last time around, so he needs to calm down. He will still go through with his original plan.

He will fight Yaoyorozu for as long as he possibly can without using either of his Quirks.

“You are my masterpiece, Shoto, and…” Endeavor begins.

Those words…

For some reason, Shoto feels something snap within him.

“I am not your fucking tool!” he yells, whirling around to glare as fire flares along his arm and his face, his eyes cold with fury. “I am not just a god-damned weapon to be used! I’m a living, breathing human being but you’ve never given a damn about that. You only ever see me as a fucking weapon! As a fucking tool to be used in your completely irrational desire to surpass All Might since you can’t do that on your own! And your own ambition, your own stubbornness has torn your own family apart and you don’t seem to give a damn about that! I never want to be like you! I never want to be someone who bullies others to get what he wants. I never want to be someone who doesn’t seem to give a damn about everyone that he hurts in his quest to fulfill such an unattainable goal! I never want to be like you!” His voice cracks and tears well up in his eyes as he adds, “And I wish that you weren’t like this either! I wish that you would just step back and take a long, hard look at the person you’re becoming, and at what you have done to your own family, and see what I see! I just wish that you would…” He trails off and whirls around, storming off as the rest of his statement goes unsaid.

... change and start to become the better human being and father that I know you are capable of becoming...

He takes a deep breath and releasing it and repeating the process a few more times as he comes to a stop at the entrance to the arena beyond. He’s never actually snapped like that before, never even raised his voice but he just hadn’t been able to hold it back anymore. He knows that snap is something that’s been a long time coming, ever since he had been thrown back in time and had to face the man his father had once been and not the man that he had started to become.

He takes another deep breath and releases it.

“And now it’s time for the final match of the second round!” Present Mic yells. “It’s the fight of the recommendation students of Class 1-A! It’s Yaoyorozu Momo versus Todoroki Shoto!”

“Are you okay, Shoto-kun?” Yaoyorozu asks as the two of them step onto the stage and approach each other. “You seem upset.”

“I ran into a flaming trashcan and couldn’t contain my feelings anymore so I told him off and then stormed off,” Shoto admits.

“I see. Will you be okay?” Yaoyorozu asks.

Shoto nods. “I’ll be okay, Momo.”

She nods.

“Ready! Start!”

. . .

Endeavor seems unusually...quiet.

Touya had expected the flaming trashcan to start yelling at Shoto, even more so because of the fact that Shoto is literally fighting Yaoyorozu without using his Quirk. He’s literally taking the fight straight to Yaoyorozu and forcing her to fight him with her hands, dodging punches and kicks alike. Shoto’s quick movements are keeping Yaoyorozu on her toes, and not giving her time to think or even attempt to use her Quirk.

Touya is beyond grateful that he had given his littlest brother lessons in hand-to-hand combat, without going overboard like the flaming trashcan would have. The audience seems surprised that Shoto isn’t using his Quirk but Touya can hear their murmurings and most of them are impressed by Shoto’s skill with hand-to-hand combat.

He casts a sidelong glance at Endeavor. His flames seem to be flaring with rage and his arms are folded across his chest, fingers digging into his biceps, but he still isn’t saying anything. There’s an odd pensive expression in his eyes as if he had just been told something that startled him and got him thinking.

He doesn’t know what happened but finds that he doesn’t care. He turns his attention back to the stage, wincing as a particularly sharp uppercut nearly sends Shoto sprawling to the ground. Shoto stumbles back but pivots and aims a sharp jab toward Yaoyorozu’s side but she dances out of the way, lips pressing together as they continue to fight.

At this point, Touya is positive that Yaoyorozu had just given up on using her Quirk and is just fighting Shoto with her hands and feet just like he is fighting her. She’s a decent fighter but it’s clear that she doesn’t have quite as much experience with it as Shoto does because Shoto is starting to exploit many of the openings that Yaoyorozu is starting to leave. He dives forward, grabs Yaoyorozu’s arm and flips her over his shoulder, sending her sprawling to the ground close to the boundary. She’s quick, jumping to her feet but Shoto is already there, using his leg to sweep her feet out from under her and send her sprawling back to the ground, this time beyond the boundary.

“Yaoyorozu Momo is out of bounds. Todoroki Shoto will move on to the next round,” Midnight declares.

Shoto lets loose a breath, then holds out a hand toward Yaoyorozu who grasps it and pulls herself to her feet. She smiles and bows her head and Shoto inclines his head before the two walk off the stage side by side.

“Such a good show of sportsmanship! Bakugo, take lessons!” Present Mic yells.

“Shut up, Hizashi,” Aizawa says in annoyance.

“And now time for a break,” Present Mic yells, probably having just ignored Aizawa’s words as he usually does.

Endeavor turns and storms off.

Touya watches him go, narrowing his eyes, but follows him.

Endeavor doesn’t say anything, though Touya is positive that he knows that he is following him, but stops when they reach the hallway beyond the stadium’s doors that they had just walked through. He turns and glares at Touya. “What?” he says.

“Rude much,” Touya deadpans. “You seem out of it. Not like I fucking care or whatever but I was honestly expecting you to get pissed at the fact that Shoto hadn’t once used either of his Quirks.”

“Not now, Touya,” Endeavor snaps.

Touya rolls his eyes and walks past him. “Whatever. It’s not like I fucking care…” he says.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

Touya stops.

“You told me that you were going to leave and yet you never did,” Endeavor says.

Touya remembers that day. Two years after Shoto’s Quirk had materialized, Touya had gotten annoyed with Endeavor completely ignoring him, and all the training that he had forced Touya to endure, to focus his complete attention on Shoto. It got so bad that he had momentarily forgotten his promise to Shoto and got into a massive argument with his father, screaming at him until he finally yelled that he was done with all of this and that he was going to leave, and stormed out.

He would have left, if a six-year-old Shoto hadn’t bolted after him, latched on to his leg, gazed up at him with large, watery heterochromatic eyes, and uttered two words that caused Touya’s heart to break.

You promised.

Touya just couldn’t do it, not after hearing those words, not after remembering how absolutely terrified Shoto was when he ran into Touya’s room on the day his Quirk awakened, not after remembering when Shoto would purposely risk Endeavor’s wrath to seek him out just to check up on him and make sure that he was all right.

He remembers how Shoto would come into his room late at night, climb into bed beside him, and just stay there until Endeavor came looking.

He remembers how Shoto would come to him, shyly showing him a drawing that he had made during the very few times that he had for himself when the flaming trashcan was at the agency or busy.

He remembers how Shoto would come into his room, crying silently, and Touya would just pull back the covers and welcome him into the bed and comfort him from whatever nightmare was plaguing him. And boy did Shoto have a lot of nightmares and, though he doesn’t talk about them, Touya is positive they aren’t all because of the intense training Endeavor forces him to endure.

He remembers coming home after his first day at U.A. to an enthusiastic Shoto eagerly asking him how it went.

He remembers Shoto hugging him, which had startled the heck out of Natsuo and Fuyumi since Shoto really hadn’t been a big hugger when he was little, after he had won the Sports Festival in his second year at U.A.

He remembers Shoto, with much pride in his eyes, handing him a handmade congratulations card when he returned home after graduating from U.A. and gaining his Pro Hero License.

All those memories…

He knows the reason why he hadn’t left. And he doesn’t regret not leaving.

“Shoto,” he says, still not turning around to face his father. “I stayed for Shoto. I stayed for my baby brother, for the same baby brother who constantly risked your wrath just to come and check up on me, who constantly risked your wrath to break out of the isolation you were trying to force him into to come and play with me or show me a drawing that he made or ask me how my day was. I stayed for my baby brother who became my light and showed me that there is still good in our family. I stayed because…Shoto will be a great hero someday, and not because of anything that you do for him, and I want to be there for when that day comes.”

“Your attachment to him is making him weak,” Endeavor says.

“My love for my baby brother has been my greatest strength, and Shoto’s ability to love and care for others is his greatest strength.” Touya turns and glares at his father. “You have become so obsessed with your desire to surpass All Might that you have become completely blind to what it truly means to be a hero. But Shoto has not. Shoto’s compassion and his ability to love and care is the reason why he will be a great hero, because that is exactly what a hero is supposed to be. True heroes are not in it for fame or fortune or to be the strongest or to be ranked high in the rankings. They are in it for the sole purpose of saving and protecting innocent people as well as society itself! And that is what you have forgotten. You don’t care about being a hero. You only care about power, and that is what I loathe the most about you. You are not a hero, and you don’t deserve to call yourself a hero!”

Endeavor’s flames flare but Touya isn’t done.

“And, until you see that for yourself, until you step back and truly look at what you are doing, you will never see that for yourself and you will never be a true hero. You aren’t even a true human being with how you act and how you treat your own family and how you put your own ambitions and your own lust for power above what it truly means to be a hero!”

Touya turns around, adding, “My other reason for becoming a hero is because of Shoto. If it hadn’t been for him, I would have left, and I would have taken the road less traveled! Think about that, Endeavor. Think about the fact that, if it hadn’t been for Shoto’s ability to love and care for others proving that our family isn’t as bad as I thought it was, I would have become a villain!”

He storms off, hands clenching into fists.

He makes his way toward the infirmary, just in time to see Shoto leaving it. He walks over to join him. “How’s Momo?” he asks.

“Just a couple of bruises but she’ll be fine,” says Shoto. He frowns and adds, “What’s wrong? You literally look like you’re about to start burning something.”

Touya lets loose a soft breath and wraps his arms around Shoto, pulling him close.

His baby brother blinks but hugs him back, resting his head on Touya’s chest.

Neither of them say anything. Neither of them need to.

. . .

On the darkened streets of Hosu City, Ida Tensei pauses and lifts his head, raising one hand to turn on the radio that’s attached to his helmet upon hearing static and the voice of one of his sidekicks on the other end. He is currently patrolling the area with a couple of his sidekicks, as he and his Agency have been doing ever since they received that warning from Inferno about the possibility of the Hero Killer being in Hosu City on the day of the Sports Festival. While Tensei is sure that he should be able to handle the Hero Killer, having backup is always a good thing to have just in case the Hero Killer proves to be unpredictable.

But the voice on the other end sounds worried.

“Ingenium...we’ve...found...Killer...back…” Enigma’s voice sounds but it’s so badly cut up that Tensei frowns.

“I didn’t copy that, Enigma. Where are you?” he says.

Enigma lists the coordinates, speaking slowly so that the interference doesn’t cut them out and Tensei nods.

“We’re on our way,” he says and, tapping his helmet, turns his gaze to his sidekicks. “We need to head over to these coordinates. Enigma is in need of assistance. She mentioned a killer but I think she might have run into the Hero Killer.”

His sidekicks nod and hurry after Tensei as he turns and heads in the direction his GPS pinpoints the coordinates in. He taps his helmet as he moves, the engines in his arms propelling him forward while his sidekicks are easily keeping pace with him with their own Quirks. “Enigma, are you there?” he calls.

There’s no answer.

Tensei frowns but keeps moving as he calls for his sidekick again.

Still, there is no answer.

He doesn’t like this. He can only hope that Enigma hasn’t run into the Hero Killer, or worse. But a bad feeling is going through him so he keeps on moving, increasing his speed but, recalling Inferno’s warning about traveling in groups, ensures that his sidekicks don’t get left that far behind. Having backup is always a good thing, even more so because he is up against the Hero Killer, a villain who has already killed several heroes in the past.

Tensei does not want Enigma to be added to that list, or anyone of the sidekicks that he knows had been with her.

He rounds the corner. “Enigma? Big Shot? Anyone? Please respond,” he says firmly as he continues to run.

But there is still nothing but silence on his sidekicks end.

He grits his teeth but, taking a deep breath, taps his helmet again, switching the channel. “Ms. Joke? Mr. Brave? Manual?” he says firmly.

“I copy, Ingenium,” Ms. Joke’s voice says.

“We may have found the Hero Killer,” Tensei says firmly as he continues to move forward. “I need everyone to converge on my location. I have lost contact with four of my sidekicks. The last message I received from one of them was that they had run into the Hero Killer. They may be in need of assistance.”

“Understood. Mr. Brave and I are on our way,” Ms. Joke says firmly.

“This is Manual,” Manual’s voice echoes over the channel. “I’m in the middle of stopping a robbery but I’m sending some of my sidekicks to your location to aid you.”

“Thank you,” Tensei says and, tapping his helmet, he switches back to the channel that he shares with his sidekicks. “Enigma? Big Shot? Please, anyone, respond.”

Again, there is nothing but silence.

Tensei doesn’t like this, at all.

He finds himself praying that his sidekicks are all right, that their radios had just been broken and that’s the real reason why they aren’t responding. He darts around the corner up ahead and hurries toward the coordinates that Enigma had transferred to them, Aries, Heavy Step, and Jet Wing hurrying quickly after him.

“The coordinates indicate the alley a few buildings over,” Tensei says, glancing over his shoulder at his three sidekicks. “Heavy Step, Jet Wing, take the long way. Aries, follow me.”

Aries nods and, as Tensei activates the Quirk in his arms and launches himself into the air, she follows while Heavy Step and Jet Wing dart down the alleyway, heading toward where the alley intersects with another one. Tensei and Aries run along the roofs, parkour-leaping from one building to the next until they get close to the coordinates Enigma had sent.

They stumble upon a horror scene.

Tensei’s grits his teeth, fighting back the urge to curse as he skids to a halt at the edge of the edge of the building. His four sidekicks are laying scattered across the stone floor of the alley, blood pooling around two of their forms while the other two are laying, motionless, on the other side of a dumpster but without any blood surrounding them.

Enigma is one of the ones surrounded by a pool of her own blood.

“Oh dear,” Shinya whispers.

Heavy Step and Jet Wing dart forward, heading straight toward the bloodstained sidekicks but Tensei knows something is wrong. He whirls around and launches himself off the roof upon seeing movement in the shadows, barely managing to slam his fist straight into the masked face of the Hero Killer before his katana can make contact with Heavy Step’s arm.

He lands in a skid on the ground as Aries jumps onto the ground beside him, crouching down.

The Hero Killer straightens. “More false heroes,” he says as he raises his katana. “More fakes! I’ll purge all of you from this society.”

“You’re insane,” Tensei says. “But I will not allow you to harm anyone else! I am Ingenium and I shall be the one to defeat you and bring you to justice!”

“Justice?!” The Hero Killer laughs and lunges forward.

“Aries!” Jet Wing shouts.

“On it!” Aries rests her hands on the ground as the ram horns on her head get large. She bolts forward and Tensei follows her while Jet Wing jumps into the air, propelled upward by the fans that jutted out of her back and spread outward like wings. She glides forward swiftly while Heavy Step, slamming his fists together, darts forward as well.

The Hero Killer doesn’t look the slightest bit fazed as he darts forward, his katana flashing. Tensei dodges out of the way to avoid the blade, as does Aries and Jet Wing but Heavy Step isn’t fast enough and he hisses in pain, stumbling back when the blade cuts through his leg.

The Hero Killer jumps back and, raising the blade to his mouth, licks the blood.

Heavy Step freezes, crumpling to the ground. “D...Damn it!”

“Heavy Step!” Kadiri gasps.

“I can’t...I can’t move!”

Tensei grits his teeth. This guy’s Quirk has to do with blood? He licked that blood. Does that mean that he can paralyze someone by licking their blood? That can explain why two of his sidekicks don’t seem capable of moving on the other side of the dumpster.

He needs to get them out of here but he also just can’t let the Hero Killer get away. I’ll have to hold out as best I can until Ms. Joke, Mr. Brave, and Manual’s sidekicks show up, he thinks as he, activating his Quirk, speeds forward, propelled by the burst of power from the engines in his arms.

Aries darts forward, lowering her head in preparation to ram her horns straight into the Hero Killer.

The Hero Killer is quick though, dodging out of the way. Even though there is very little space to maneuver in the darkened alley, he seems to be doing well, using the dumpster and the walls and the fire escape ladders to his advantage. He’s fast, incredibly fast, faster than Tensei had anticipated.

Even though he’s outnumbered three to one, he’s still managing to hold his own.

This is going to be tough.

Tensei darts forward, intent on trying to close the distance between him and the Hero Killer, knowing that he needs to avoid that blade by any means necessary. While his armor will keep him safe from getting cut, he won’t put it past the Hero Killer to have a way around that.

The Hero Killer dodges around Aries’s attack, crashing a foot straight into her side and sending her skidding to the side. He twists and swings his blade toward Jet Wing’s neck and she barely manages to dodge out of the way by dropping and sweeping with her leg. The Hero Killer jumps back and spins in midair, throwing another dagger at Aries who yelps as it slices through her cheek. The Hero Killer is on her in an instant, long tongue snaking out of his mouth but, before he can lick the blood off Aries’s cheek, Tensei is there, ramming a fist into his face.

The Hero Killer jerks his head to the side as he stumbles backwards but he pivots and crashes a foot into Tensei’s head, hard enough to knock his helmet off and send him stumbling to the side. He curses but jumps backwards, barely avoiding the katana that comes swinging toward his face.

Jet Wing, her jet-wings flaring on her back, lunges forward, crashing a knee straight into the Hero Killer’s chest, sending him skidding backwards while Tensei lunges forward once again.

The Hero Killer is ready this time, pivoting and slamming a fist into Tensei’s face. He cries out in pain as a small blade that had been resting between the Hero Killer’s fingers sinks into his cheek. He jerks his head away and slams a sharp upper cut into the Hero Killer’s face, sending him stumbling back.

But the Hero Killer just smirks and, raising the small dagger to his lips, licks the blood on it.

In an instant, Tensei is on the ground, unable to move.

“Ingenium!” Jet Wing shouts and lunges forward but the Hero Killer dances out of the way, crashing a roundhouse kick straight into one of Jet Wing’s wings, sending her spinning into the dumpster on the other side of the alley.

Aries scrambles to her feet and darts forward but the Hero Killer jumps into the air, dodging the attack and landing right on Aries’s back. She cries out in pain as she is slammed, face first, onto the stone ground. The Hero Killer raises his katana and slams it downward, straight into Aries’s back, causing her to scream in agony.

“Aries!” Tensei cries, trying desperately to move but he can’t. His entire body is completely paralyzed and he has no idea of how long the Hero Killer’s Quirk is supposed to last.

The Hero Killer jumps off Aries’s bloodstained back and strides toward Tensei, raising the bloodstained katana.

“All fake heroes must be purged if this society is to ever change,” the Hero Killer says as he comes to a stop next to Tensei.

Tensei grits his teeth, glaring at the Hero Killer.

“I won’t kill you,” the Hero Killer says, raising the katana. “I’ll ensure that you serve as an example.” He brings the blade down.

Black sword-like constructs appear, crashing into the Hero Killer and sending him skidding backwards.

“Glad we managed to make it,” says Mr. Brave as he hurries forward, his hair extending away from him to form those sword-like constructs that are currently keeping the Hero Killer at bay. “Backup is almost here. Ms. Joke went to meet Manual’s sidekicks but I went on ahead.”

The Hero Killer curls his lip into a sneer but launches himself into the air.

“You are not getting away!” Mr. Brave yells, launching more sword-like constructs of his hardened hair at the Hero Killer but the Hero Killer is already out of range, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and vanishing from sight.

“Damn it!” Mr. Brave grits his teeth but moves forward, kneeling down beside Tensei. “Help is coming.”

“E...Enigma, Aries, the others...They’re more injured than I am. I just can’t move until the Hero Killer’s Quirk wears off,” Tensei says.

“Got it!” Mr. Brave darts toward Enigma, resting his hand on her neck. His expression turns sad as he retracts the hand and moves over to kneel beside Big Shot, also touching his fingers to his neck. Tensei can feel his heart breaking as the sadness in Mr. Brave’s face gets stronger and stronger as he moves from Big Shot to Aries and then from Aries to the other two that are laying so still on the other side of the alley.

Ms. Joke darts over to join them with several of Manual’s sidekicks hurrying after her. She immediately darts toward Jet Wing and Heavy Step and crouches down beside them. “Heavy Step still can’t move and Jet Wing looks like she just has a concussion,” she reports as she sits back on her heels. “What about the Hero Killer?”

“He got away,” says Mr. Brave as he walks over to join them.

Tensei lowers his head. “Are they all…?” he begins.

“I’m afraid so, Ingenium,” Mr. Brave says quietly. “We were too late for Enigma, Big Shot, Aries, or the other two.”

“That’s just five more added to the Hero Killer’s count. That is totally unacceptable,” Ms. Joke says, clenching her hands into fists, her normally joyous smile gone as a somber expression cross her face. She takes a deep breath and rises to her feet, raising a hand and brushing some bangs out of her eyes. “We need to stop the Hero Killer once and for all.”

“We’re going to need more help,” Mr. Brave says. “The U.A. Sports Festival is still going on though and I know that Hawks, Inferno, and Eraser Head are still there.”

“I think the only thing we can do is get help for Heavy Step, Jet Wing, and Ingenium and keep an eye out,” Ms. Joke says. “I am going to get in touch with some other Underground Heroes and have them come here. You’re gonna need all the help ya can get if ya wanna track down the Hero Killer.”

“Thank you,” Tensei says.

. . .

Aizawa Shouta lets loose a quiet breath as he lowers his phone, disconnecting the call he’d just received from Ms. Joke. He is glad that Tensei is all right but, at the same time, he knows that it hadn’t been a victory by any means. Not only is the Hero Killer still out there but five of Tensei’s sidekicks had all been killed in action, and Jet Wing is out of commission for a few weeks at least due to how serious her head injury had been.

“Something wrong, Sho?” Hizashi asks.

“Just some bad news. I’ll tell you later,” says Shouta as he tucks his phone away. “There’s nothing we can do about what happened right now anyway. And we still have the rest of the Sports Festival to focus on.”

Hizashi nods and turns his gaze back to the stage. The break that he had issued before the start of the third round is about to come to an end and Shouta knows that the next match is one that will probably be the most destructive yet.

Pitting two of the time travelers who have far more experience than the rest of Class 1-A, and far too many scars lacing their souls, against each other is bound to be a massively destructive match. Shouta can only hope that Midoriya won’t end up accidentally triggering the awakening of another one of those other Quirks that he says he will eventually unlock, or that Bakugo won’t go too far and end up obliterating the entire arena.

“All right!” Present Mic yells. “The time has come! It’s the third round, baby!”

Cheers erupt from the audience.

“Let’s get right to it! The first match of the third round!”

Shouta watches as Midoriya and Bakugo make their way toward the stage.

“The two with a history and a heated rivalry! Who will be the victor? Let’s see! It’s Bakugo Katsuki versus Midoriya Izuku!”

Shouta’s phone vibrates and he pulls it out of his pocket, grimacing upon seeing that it’s a message from Ms. Joke.

Ms. Joke: Update: Ingenium and Heavy Step are going to

recovery fully. No new intel on the location

of the Hero Killer. News on his Quirk though

Ms. Joke: he can paralyze his victims by ingesting their

blood. Not sure if there are other factors but

Heavy Step recovered before Ingenium did

Ms. Joke: will keep you informed if anything comes

up but will need extra backup. Team Idaten

took a massive blow

Isn’t that the truth…

Losing five sidekicks, and having Jet Wing have to take a leave of absence due to her injuries, cuts the number of sidekicks that are part of Team Idaten down by nearly half. He decides that, as soon as the Sports Festival is over, he’s sending Touya to Hosu City and, perhaps, Hawks may be willing to go as well.

He is glad that Tensei is okay though. That is one less worry on his back. He won’t have to worry about Ida Tenya going off on his own, like Todoroki said had happened in the timeline that he, Midoriya, and Bakugo had come from. That means that Midoriya, Ida, and Todoroki won’t end up having to face off against the Hero Killer.

For now, though, he’ll focus on the rest of the Sports Festival. That’s all he can do for now.

“Ready!” Present Mic yells. “Start!”

Shouta turns his gaze, watching as Bakugo and Midoriya lunge at each other, explosions erupting from Bakugo’s palms while Blackwhip erupts from Midoriya’s arms as they clash. Just as Shouta had expected, their fight is destructive to say the least, mostly on Bakugo’s part but Midoriya is doing well to keep out of the way of Bakugo’s explosions.

Something tells Shouta that this isn’t the first time that they have fought like this, without holding back, recently.

But he pushes that thought aside as he focuses on the match.

. . .

“This is eerily similar,” Izuku says as he dances out of the way of an explosion, recalling Blackwhip as One for All crackles around him.

“Except, this time, we don’t gotta worry about getting put on fucking house arrest,” says Bakugo with a feral grin on his lips as he throws another explosion straight at Izuku. Izuku leaps into the air, crackling green lightning flaring around his form. He isn’t surprised at all when Bakugo lunges into the air, propelled by his explosions and, pivoting in midair, throws another explosion at Izuku.

Izuku flips out of the way, firing off a series of rapidfire Air Force blasts at 45%, knowing full well that Bakugo won’t be happy if he holds back. He doesn’t have the gauntlets that Hatsume had made for him—he makes a note to talk with her about adding that to his costume as soon as possible—so he knows that he needs to be careful to ensure that he doesn’t over do it.

He knows that Bakugo is doing the same thing.

They continue to clash. Smoke from Bakugo’s explosions practically fill the entire arena, making it hard for Izuku to see more than a few feet in front of him but, due to how often he has fought against Bakugo in the days leading up to the war, he is capable of predicting where he’ll be to an extent. He twists and dodges out of the way of explosions and fires Blackwhip in the direction that he thinks Bakugo is.

Bakugo must have moved because Blackwhip meets nothing but thin air, and an explosion crashes into Izuku’s side. He yelps as he is sent tumbling toward the ground but, firing off an Air Force blast, is propelled into the air again. He flips and pivots in midair, firing off another rapid fire of Air Force shots as he does so. A curse echoes in the smoke, telling him that he had made contact and he lunges toward the sound of the curse.

Bakugo meets him head-on, bending backwards to avoid the kick that Izuku aims at his face and crashing an explosion straight into Izuku’s gut. Izuku is thrown backwards but slams Blackwhip straight into Bakugo’s side at the same time, sending Bakugo spinning toward the ground. He only just manages to avoid crashing into the ground by a well-aimed explosion.

Izuku lands on the stage, skidding backwards and dancing to the side to avoid skidding past the boundary line.

Bakugo lands on the ground in front of him. He’s panting, face coated with sweat and his arms are shaking. “That all you got, nerd?” he says.

“Not at all, Kacchan,” Izuku says, also panting and trying to ignore the strain in his arms and fingers. He decides to switch to Shoot Style to ensure that he doesn’t, accidentally, break his arms or fingers. He has managed to get this far without breaking something and he hopes to keep it that way.

Bakugo propels himself into the air. “I’ll fucking win, nerd!” he yells.

“I don’t think so!” Izuku yells back as he launches himself into the air again, One for All crackling around him. He shoots forward. St. Louis Smash! He aims his kick straight at Bakugo’s body but Bakugo thrusts both of his palms forward, unleashing a massive explosion that nearly hits Izuku at point blank range.

But Izuku, activating Blackwhip at the last second, grabs hold of one of the torches on the side of the stage and pulls himself toward it, getting him out of the way of the explosion. He retracts Blackwhip and lunges forward, crashing his kick straight into Bakugo’s side.

“Fucking bastard!” Bakugo yells as he is sent flying. He nearly sails over the boundary line but twists in midair and fires off an explosion in the direction of the stone well. The force of that explosion sends him flying back toward the center of the stage but Izuku is waiting for him, crashing a kick straight into Bakugo’s back and sending him flying to the ground. He crashes into the stone, hard enough to crack it but, as Izuku dives downward, he twists onto his back.

Izuku throws himself to the side in time to avoid the explosion that Bakugo throws upward toward him, wincing when he feels the heat brush against his arm. He had only just gotten out of the way in time.

He lands in a skid as Bakugo jumps to his feet and lunges toward him. Izuku darts forward as well. They dance around each other, exchanging kicks and punches and explosions but neither of them seem to be gaining any ground against the other.

“Tch.” Bakugo scowls.

“Guess we know each other too well, huh?” Izuku says with a grin as he dodges out of the way.

“You just fucking wait! I’ll beat ya!” Bakugo propels himself into the air and backwards before he shoots forward, his explosions propelling him in a circular motion.

Izuku swears and fires Blackwhip at Bakugo in the hope of catching the other boy before he can unleash his most powerful attack. At the moment, Izuku doesn’t have a counter for Howitzer Impact.

But Bakugo must have known that he was going to do that because, in midair, he abruptly changes direction and, before Izuku can redirect Blackwhip, it’s too late.

“Howitzer Impact!”

Izuku shouts in surprise as the sudden explosion crashes not directly into him, since Bakugo had changed direction at the last second, but close enough to him that the shockwave crashes into him. He is sent flying, crashing hard into stone and, with a groan of pain, slumps to the ground.

“Midoriya Izuku is out of bounds! Bakugo Katsuki will move on to the final round!”

Bakugo lands in the middle of the torn-apart stage while Izuku, holding his head and trying to ignore the stars that are flashing in front of his eyes, slowly pushes himself to his feet. Well, at least it doesn’t feel like I broke anything but ow! My back hurts.

“Next time, don’t blast me into a stone wall,” he deadpans as Bakugo jumps off the stage, a smug smirk on his lips.

“Next time, don’t fucking hit the stone wall,” Bakugo retorts and storms off, adding, “Get a fucking move on, fucking nerd, and get yourself fucking healed up or you’re gonna miss your boyfriend’s fight!”

Izuku sighs as he, rubbing his head, follows Bakugo.

. . .

Shoto and Shinso gaze at each other as they make their way out of the stands, after Shoto hugs his boyfriend upon Izuku’s return to the stands after getting his injuries seen to by Recovery Girl. It’s almost time for the final round, the one that will decide who will face off against Bakugo in the next round. Shoto is determined to make it to the final round once again but he knows that he will have to hold his tongue around Shinso. Shinso has proven that he is capable of pushing the buttons of even those who already know how his Quirk works and, while Shoto is a bit wary about what Shinso will say to him, he is still determined to keep his mouth shut.

I will make it to the final round on my own, without my father’s aid.

The two separate, heading toward their separate tunnels. Shoto half-expects his father to confront him again but there is no one there. He’s glad but, at the same time, a bit surprised. He had expected his father to speak with him and try to convince him to use his power in the next round. It’s his power so he is already planning on doing that.

“The second match of the third round is about to begin!” Present Mic yells as Shoto makes his way toward the stage, face expressionless but eyes flickering toward the stands.

Endeavor is still there, gazing down at the stage but Shoto is too far away to truly see his expression. Touya is also there, leaning against the railing with his arms folded over it, though he does pull back to give Shoto a thumbs up. Shoto resists the urge to roll his eyes at his eldest brother’s antics as he tears his gaze away from the stands to gaze at Shinso.

“So...Endeavor’s son, huh?” Shinso says, though Shoto notices he has his bō staff in his hands, though it’s not extended yet. “And here we all thought that my match with Sero was unfair. I’d say that this is pretty unfair as well.”

Shoto simply shrugs.

“Not going to respond to that.”

Shoto shakes his head.

Shinso hums. “You’ll probably just try to end this quickly. It’s honestly surprising that you didn’t use your power in your last match. I wonder if Yaoyorozu was disappointed and insulted that you held back against her. She probably was.”

Shoto bites his lip to keep from responding to that, since he knows Momo knew the reason why he had decided to not go all out in the last round.

“It’s the recommendation student versus the underdog!” Present Mic yells. “What kind of show will this be? Quick and easy is a given but who will make the first move? Let’s find out!”

“I don’t stand a chance against your power,” Shinso says. “It’s unfair that someone as great as you can get as far as you have, though it’s probably only because of your daddy. You probably get everything you could ever want from your daddy ‘cause he’s the Number 2 Hero.”

Shoto bites down on his lip so hard that he draws blood. He won’t allow Shinso’s words to rile him up. He can’t. He shifts his position into a starting one, preparing to unleash the Quirk on his left side. He won’t need his fire, and he doesn’t want to use his fire when he knows that it will end up hurting Shinso who doesn’t have anything to protect himself from them.

“Ready!” Present Mic yells. “Start!”

Shinso is quick. Shoto will give him that. The ice that he sends surging toward the indigo-haired boy is dodged as Shinso dances out of the way and darts forward, his bō staff slamming into the ground as Shoto sends another surge of ice toward him. He uses it to propel himself upward, carrying him over the ice.

“You’re not using your fire this time!” Shinso shouts. “Are you holding back? Don’t want to hurt poor little me? Huh? You got everything and yet you don’t even use what you have to its fullest potential. How pathetic!”

Shoto grits his teeth. Don’t let him rile you up. Don’t let him. He sends another surge of ice toward Shinso but Shinso dodges out of the way. He’s quick but Shoto needs to be quicker. All he needs to do is immobilize Shinso.

“You are holding back,” Shinso says with a scoff as he skids across the ground after using his staff to flip over another surge of ice. “Your fight with Shiozaki clearly showed everyone that you could have already won this match but you haven’t yet. It’s almost as if you’re hesitating.”

Shoto grits his teeth. He isn’t even too sure why he’s hesitating, why he isn’t just ending this match as quickly as possible when he has the power to do so.

“You think you’re so superior that you think you don’t even have to use your full strength against me to win? Well, look who’s proving you wrong!” Shinso shouts as he lunges forward and Shoto immediately sends more ice surging toward him but he dodges out of the way. “Your ice is weak, just like you. Guess being the son of the Number 2 Hero isn’t everything. You’re nothing more than a pathetic wannabee hoping to get by on the fame of his Hero daddy!”

Shoto grinds his teeth so hard down that he is honestly surprised they don’t crack as he sends more ice surging toward Shinso. He isn’t sure why he is hesitating but he has to stop. Shinso’s words are starting to get under his skin and he knows that if this keeps up then he’ll crack. He has to win before that happens because he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to break free from Shinso’s control if he lands himself in it.

He darts forward. You want me to use my flames, Shinso? All right, I will. He sweeps his left hand up as flames surge around them and fire away from him. Shinso holds his staff in front of him, pressing something on its side and wings flare up on either side of the staff to form a shield. He grits his teeth as the flames crash into it and Shoto blinks in surprise. The shield must be flame proof, which is a surprise given that it looks like it’s made out of metal.

“Well, at least you’re finally not holding back,” Shinso calls. “But you’re still a weak little weapon. How pathetic of the Number 2 Hero’s masterpiece...I wonder when Endeavor will throw you aside like he did with all of your other siblings like pieces of trash.”

Shoto’s eyes flash with fury and he literally chomps down on his lip so hard that he draws blood, the coppery taste flooding his mouth. Low blow, Shinso, real low blow!

Fire and ice flare in unison with each other, surging away from Shoto at the exact same time, sailing through the air to crash straight into the metal shield in a massive collision of burning ice that sends a startled Shinso flying. He crashes onto the grass beyond the stage, groaning in pain as Shoto lowers his arms.

“Shinso Hitoshi is out of bounds. Todoroki Shoto will move on to the final round,” says Midnight as she waves her whip toward Shoto.

Shoto lets loose a breath as he recalls his flames and his ice, then moves over to jump off the stage and approach the fallen indigo-haired boy.

Shinso sits up, one hand holding his head. “I’m honestly surprised you held back for a while there,” he says.

“I can’t tell you why,” Shoto says, holding out a hand toward the other boy. “Just...probably personal issues that I haven’t overcome yet. Sorry. Your last insult was an incredibly low blow.”

Shinso waves away Shoto’s hand as he pushes himself to his feet on his own. “I don’t mean anything by my insults,” he says. “I just do what I can to try to get people to respond to me.” He rubs the back of his neck, an awkward smile on his lips. “Sorry though. I don’t even know your siblings, except Touya-sensei.”

“It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

Shinso hums and, turning, walks away, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants.

Shoto glances toward the stands, and catches Bakugo’s gaze.

Bakugo grins at him, a sharp, feral grin.

Shoto simply holds his gaze.

The final round of the Sports Festival is about to begin.

Chapter Text

Crouched on the top of a building with his scarf flaring around him, the Hero Killer Stain passes a masked gaze over the city that lay stretched out down below. His thoughts are on the fight against Team Idaten and, while he had managed to kill five false heroes, he had been forced to flee when those underground heroes had arrived. It’s worrisome because there had been no indication that they had even been in Hosu City, and Stain is sure that he had not made his presence known in Hosu City until his attack on the Idaten Group.

Something doesn’t add up. It almost seem as if they had been warned I would be in Hosu City before I arrived. Perhaps someone with a Future based Quirk? He shakes his head, pushing the thought aside. It doesn’t matter. So long as he can shed the blood of the false heroes, he doesn’t care what happens. Bring all the heroes to Hosu City, he doesn’t care because he will kill them all. They are all fakes.

All Might is the only true hero. He is the only one that Stain will allow to defeat him.

He rises to his feet and jumps off the building, landing lightly on the one beneath him and darting across it. Parkour-jumping from one building to the next, Stain makes his way toward the more deserted area of Hosu City. He knows that there are still patrols of heroes going on, in spite of the attack earlier that day, and he knows that they are searching for him.

He won’t let the fact that he had retreated from those heroes earlier stop him. He will continue with his mission. Besides, he still wants to make an example out of Ingenium so he will track him down, and anyone that may be with him.

He lands on top of a building, skidding across it and crouching down upon noticing movement in the alley beneath him. He peers down in time to see a small group of sidekicks that he recognizes as part of Manual’s Agency darting into the alley, scanning the area before moving on.

He grins. I suppose they will have to do for my example to the rest of the heroes, he thinks as he launches himself off the roof of the building, using the walls and fire escape balconies and dumpsters to bring himself to the ground. He unsheathes one of his katanas and lunges toward the first sidekick.

“It’s the Hero Killer!” one sidekick gasps as he whirls around, just barely managing to dodge out of the way before Stain’s blade can cut through his arm. Stain simply redirects the blade, stabbing to the side and, upon hearing the shout of pain, yanks the blade back and brings it up to his mouth. He licks the blood and lunges toward the sidekick in front of him while the sidekick at his side drops like a stone.

“Go get backup!” the sidekick in front of him shouts as he holds his hands in front of him and bamboo stalks emerge out of his arms, sailing forward.

“I’m not leaving you,” the second sidekick insists. “You can’t face him on your own. Inferno warned us that we needed to stay in groups for this very reason!”

Inferno? Stain knows that name. The young Underground Hero who is, currently, studying under the Erasure Hero Eraserhead. Both of whom are teaching at U.A. Both of whom are false heroes, though Stain will admit that they, at least, don’t do it for the fame. That’s the nature of being an Underground Hero after all. They don’t get nearly as much recognition as heroes in the limelight.

But they are still just as fake as the rest of the heroes in this society, except for All Might.

It doesn’t matter that Inferno warned the heroes in Hosu City to start patrolling in groups. He had proved earlier that he can handle himself when up against a group of people, and he is only up against three sidekicks right now. This will be easy to handle.

Stain grins sharply and lunges forward. “All false heroes will be purged from this society,” he shouts as his katana slices through the bamboo stalks. He jumps back and up, landing on top of the dumpster in time to avoid the debris that the second sidekick had just thrown at him with his Quirk. He swipes his blade, cutting through some of the debris before lunging forward.

Even in the narrow confines of the alley, Stain has far more agility than these sidekicks, and is capable of using anything in his way to increase his maneuverability. This sidekicks are still too foolish and Stain can see the fear in their eyes when he tears through every one of the defenses that they throw at him. They panic and one of them runs.

Coward. No true hero would run from an enemy! All Might would never run from an enemy. Fakes. They’re all just fakes! Stain yanks two small daggers as he dances to the side to avoid the bamboo stalks that the first sidekick throws at him and throws the small daggers. They hit the fleeing sidekick in the neck, taking him down with a blood gurgle.

“No!” The first sidekick shouts and, pivoting, lunges toward Stain, swiping his bamboo stalks rapidly.

“So foolish! So pathetic! So unbefitting of being a true hero!” Stain hisses as he dodges the stalks of bamboo and lunges forward, his katana slicing through the stalks until he gets close enough to the sidekick to plunge his blade forward. It sinks straight into the man’s chest, causing him to gasp in pain and slide motionless to the floor when Stain removes the blood.

He wipes the blood away and strides over to the paralyzed sidekick. “You’ll serve as a decent example to the rest of this fake hero society,” he says and plunges the blade into the sidekick’s back, making sure to sever the spine but not go beyond that.

He hears sirens but ignores them as he wipes the blood off his blade and, sheathing it, launches himself into the air, bouncing from dumpster to fire escape to the roof and darting off. Another statement has been made and, while he is disappointed that he was unable to get Ingenium, he is fine with this statement for now.

He will keep on purging false heroes until this false hero society crumbles.

That is his goal.

. . .

“Hey Ida?”

Ida looks up as he lowers his phone as Izuku comes to his side. “Oh, hello Midoriya,” Ida greets him as he tucks his phone into his pocket and pushes away from the wall he’d been leaning against. Izuku studies the taller boy’s face but he doesn’t see any sign of grief or shock and he finds himself hoping that he’s reading his friend right.

He can only hope that Stain hadn’t gotten his hands on Ida Tensei like had happened last time around.

“Are you all right?” he asks just in case.

“Oh, yes, I’m fine. I was just speaking with my brother,” Ida says. “He’s disappointed that he hasn’t been able to watch the Sports Festival but he did congratulate me on making it as far as I had.”

“You did well, Ida,” Izuku says while, inwardly, breathing a sigh of relief. Ida speaking with his brother confirms that Stain hadn’t harmed Tensei. That’s one less worry off his shoulders.

“I plan to do better next time,” Ida says. “You certainly did well in your last match as well. You and Bakugo were toe-to-toe for the longest time.”

“Yeah, well, we know each other rather well,” Izuku admits, rubbing the back of his neck. “When you know someone really well, it’s hard to find openings.”

“Indeed. Come, we should return to the stands. I do believe that Todoroki and Bakugo’s match will be starting soon.”

“I think we still have a couple of minutes but, yeah, we should head back,” Izuku says.

Ida nods and walks away. Izuku watches him go but doesn’t move to follow him right away. Instead, he pulls out his phone and sends a quick message to Shoto and Bakugo.

Izuku: Tensei is all right

Shoto: That is good news

Kacchan: guess the fucking warning worked after all

Izuku smiles and, tucking his phone away, pushes away from the wall and turns, stopping in surprise when Aizawa walks over to join him. “Aizawa-sensei?” he says in puzzlement.

“Midoriya,” Aizawa says, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants. “We received word from Hosu City. Just as you warned us, the Hero Killer was spotted but, thankfully, Ingenium wasn’t harmed.”

“Ida confirmed that for me too but...you look worried,” Izuku says, studying Aizawa’s face because the perpetually tired teacher does have a gleam of worry in his eyes.

“Nothing to concern yourself with…”

“Aizawa-sensei, if this has to do with the Hero Killer then I think I should know about it. The Hero Killer’s rhetoric is the reason why Shigaraki’s League of Villains gets stronger,” Izuku says quietly. “If we can do something to stop that from happening then we should.”

“Let us Pros handle that, Midoriya,” Aizawa says firmly and, in a quieter tone, adds, “I told you already that if I can ease the weight of the burden on your shoulders in anyway possible then I will, and this is one way that I can do that. Do not concern yourself with the Hero Killer. I and the Pros that I have already gathered will handle it.”

Izuku continues to study his teacher before he slowly nods. “Don’t forget about the Nomu,” he warns. “Shigaraki will still likely release them into Hosu City during our internships.”

Aizawa nods.

“And...thank you,” Izuku adds with a soft smile. “Coming back into the past and being the only ones with the knowledge of what’s to come is a heavy burden and I really am glad that Kacchan, Shochan, and I don’t have to carry that burden on our own.”

“You are the ones that trusted me with this truth, Problem Child,” Aizawa says, raising a hand and lightly knocking Midoriya on the head. “So I should be grateful that I earned enough of your trust that you would do that rather than try to carry that burden all on your own.”

Izuku closes his eyes as he feels tears well up in them. “You...have been with us throughout it all, Aizawa-sensei,” he says quietly, feeling tears slide down his cheeks. “All the way until the end, you were there for us, protecting us, fighting with us, trying so hard to ensure that we survived and made it to graduation. You...You...Just be careful, Aizawa-sensei. I don’t want to lose you…”

He feels arms wrap awkwardly around him.

“Just as I told you when you first told me this truth, I have a feeling of what happened but I won’t ask,” Aizawa murmurs. “I can take care of myself though.”

Izuku doesn’t respond as he presses his face into his teacher’s chest, thinking about the future, about a bloodstained Aizawa with blood flowing from his hastily amputated leg and his face badly bruised and bloodied. He doesn’t even know if Aizawa had even survived in the future he came from, and he will admit that not knowing feels terrible.

But it won’t happen this time around. Kacchan, Shochan, and I will ensure that it doesn’t happen this time around. We will protect everyone!

Aizawa gently pushes him back. “You should head back to the stands. The final round is about to start,” he says.

“Right.” Izuku gives Aizawa a watery smile as he raises a hand to wipe the tears away.

“Honestly, Problem Child. Go on now.”

Izuku chuckles but turns and jogs away, heading down the hallway that will take him to the stairs at the top of which is the stands that Class 1-A are seated in.

. . .

It’s to darkness that they stir. The darkness is familiar, it’s the same darkness that they have been trapped in for a while now, but the voice that they suddenly hear echoing around them is anything but. They want to move, to shift, to do something, anything, so that they can see the source of the voice but they can’t. It’s as if they’re being held down by an invisible force, similar to the situation that they have been in since…

They don’t want to think about that, about the hate and anger that they can feel rushing through them, directed at a single person, and at a group of people. And yet...there are a small group that they don’t feel that way toward, a small group that chose to remain with them, a small group that they have come to see as their family.

But they aren’t there. No one is there, except for that voice.

“If you could change things, would you?”

They don’t understand. Who is this person? What does this person mean?

“The balance has shifted. It must be righted, evened out. You are the one who will even it out, should you choose to accept.”

They can’t talk. But their disbelief and confusion and anger echo around them.

“Yes, I understand your confusion. Think about it this way, if you are given the opportunity to go back in time, would you accept it, and all the consequences that such an act would bring with it?”

They think about the mentor that had betrayed and used them. They think about their family, about the members that they had lost. They think about their goal, and their desire, and the feelings of being used and manipulated, of being turned into little more than a puppet on strings.

The rage and the hatred rush through them once again.

“You can have your revenge, and you can choose your own path rather than following a predestined path as you have been doing. You can have everything that you once wanted.”

What they want more than anything, right now, is to snap the strings that are controlling them, is to break free from the puppeteer that they had wrongfully thought was on their side, and not in it for their own ambitions. What they truly desire is to fulfill their own ambitions, to create the world that they have wanted to create, for the family that they have claimed for their own.

“You still harbor that desire within you, in spite of everything, in spite of your slipping sanity.”

It’s not a question. It’s as if the strange voice can see straight into their soul, and they don’t know how to feel about that. It makes them feel exposed, and that only causes the anger and the hate to get stronger.

“Peace. You do not need to be angry with me. After all, I am the one offering you the chance to bring balance back.”

They still don’t understand that but they decide that they have nothing to lose by agreeing. They are already being drowned in the darkness of their own mind, already being pulled long like a puppet on strings by the very mentor that they had trusted above all else. It’s time that they snapped those chains, and started doing things their way.

They will fulfill their greatest desire, the desire that they have harbored within their heart even after their sanity started slipping, even after they had started hating everything and everyone. That deep desire had remained, buried deep within the shattered remnants of their heart.

Now that they have been buried deep within their own mind, they can feel it, they remember.

And they decide that they will make that deep desire a reality along with getting their revenge.

They accept.

. . .

For some reason, as he makes his way toward the concrete stage at the center of the arena, Katsuki feels a cold chill run down his spine. He frowns because a sudden bad feeling is suddenly rushing through him, as if his, Icyhot’s and Izuku’s mission had just gotten a heck of a lot harder. He scowls but forces himself to focus on his fight with Icyhot.

Icyhot has an uncertain expression in his eyes, though his face remains still and expressionless.

“And the time has come!” Present Mic yells from the commentator booth. “The final match of the Sports Festival. The battle that will decide it all! It’s Class 1-A’s two strongest students who are going to face off against each other right now! The recommendation student with an amazing control over both sides of his Quirk versus the hot-tempered student with just as amazing a control over his own explosive power! It’s Todoroki Shoto versus Bakugo Katsuki!”

The audience roars with anticipation.

“You look uncertain,” Icyhot says as he comes to a stop toward the center of the stage.

“So do you, fucking Icyhot,” Katsuki retorts as he also comes to a stop, hands stuffed into the pockets of his pants. “Something doesn’t feel right all of a sudden, and I don’t fucking like this feeling.”

“I do not either. We can focus on that later. Right now, let’s fight.”

Katsuki shoves that bad feeling away and allows a sharp, feral grin to cross his lips as he removes his hands from his pockets. “Gonna hold back?” he says.

“Ready!”

“Not on your life,” Icyhot replies.

“Start!”

A glacier of ice immediately surges across the stage and Katsuki snarls in annoyance as he finds himself shoved backwards as the ice encases him on all sides. It’s the exact same move that Icyhot had started out with last time and, with a series of curses escaping his lips, Katsuki starts using his explosions to tunnel his way out of the massive glacier.

“You fucking…!” he yells as he finally manages to tunnel out of the massive glacier. He has to quickly throw himself to the side when a massive surge of flames rushes toward him. An explosion erupts out of his palms, allowing him to careen into the air and he whirls around, a sharp grin crossing his lips as Icyhot, standing on top of a glacier of ice, surges upward to meet him.

Katsuki holds his hands out in front of him. “AP Shot!” He unleashes a rapidfire of explosions that Icyhot, throwing himself off the ice glacier, counters with an explosion of flames from his left side. The flames surge forward and crash into the small explosions, causing them to explode in midair. The shockwave sends Katsuki and Icyhot tumbling in opposite directions, heading straight for the floor.

Katsuki unleashes an explosion down below to catch himself while Icyhot conjures up another wall of ice that he glides along the side of until he’s on the stage. Katsuki lunges forward, more explosions erupting from his palms as he throws them at Icyhot who swipes his right hand up, bringing up a wall of ice.

“That ain’t gonna be enough,” Katsuki yells as he launches himself into the air to avoid the ice that surges toward him.

“Who says that is all I have up my sleeve?” Icyhot swipes his right hand upward and Katsuki, with a curse, has to use his explosions to propel himself even higher to avoid the massive glacier that is rising up rapidly beneath his feet. He aims an explosion downward when the glacier almost traps his leg in ice and a massive boom echoes as the ice glacier explodes.

Katsuki huffs. Putting up a decent fight, better than last time anyway, he thinks as he uses his explosions to propel himself into a circular motion. “Howitzer Impact!” he yells as he, once he’s getting close to Icyhot, releases the fueled explosion, sending it toward Icyhot.

“And another missile is being thrown toward Todoroki! The same missile that took Midoriya out of the match in the last round!” Present Mic yells.

A massive glacier erupts in front of the explosion and, as it crashes into the glacier, a massive surge of fire rushes forward, rapidly heating up the cooled air and producing a massive explosion that erupts throughout the stage. Katsuki yells as the shockwave crashes into him, sending him tumbling backwards. It’s only through a well-placed explosion that he is sent flying toward the center of the stage instead of beyond the boundary line.

He brings up his hands, ready to unleash another explosion as the smoke clears out, but he isn’t expecting Icyhot to tear through the smoke. Flames engulf his entire left side and consolidate around his fist—exactly as had happened during the joint training exercise in the last life—and he throws the punch. Though the punch doesn’t connect, the flames do.

They slam into him with the force of a speeding truck, sending him flying to the side, right out of the ring. He doesn’t have time to conjure up an explosion to prevent him from hitting the ground and, instead, crashes into the grass and skidding across it. He only just stops himself from hitting the stone wall behind him.

“Bakugo Katsuki is out of bounds! Todoroki Shoto is the winner of this year’s annual Sports Festival!” Present Mic yells and the audience roars with cheers.

Katsuki growls out a curse. Damn it. I wasn’t expecting fucking Icyhot to use Flashfire Fist but I should have, since I did tell him not to fucking hold back. Fuck!

“Sorry. That last move kinda ended up being far stronger than I had intended,” Icyhot says as he walks over to join Katsuki as he pushes himself to his knees.

“Don’t fucking apologize, dumbass.” Katsuki scowls, smacking the hand that Icyhot holds out to him out of the way. “I told you not to fucking hold back and you fucking didn’t. Should’ve fucking expected you to use your super move though.” He studies Icyhot. The other boy is covered in burns and most of the clothing on the top left side of his body are hanging in charred ruins. He looks like he’s about to collapse at any minute though with a faint feverish tinge to his forehead.

“Yeah...I haven’t used that move since…” He trails off but Katsuki knows what he’s about to say. He hasn’t used that move since their fight with Shigaraki during the Paranormal Liberation War, except that, this time, he hadn’t hit Katsuki with a punch. He had released the flames before the punch connected.

Katsuki doesn’t like to admit it but he knows that if the punch had connected, it would have severely injured him. He scoffs but decides that he’ll let that slide, this time, since he knows now that he needs to get stronger if he wants to truly beat Icyhot next time.

“You better believe I’m getting a rematch at some point, fucking Icyhot,” he says firmly as he stuffs his hands into his pockets and, turning, storms off.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Icyhot says.

. . .

“Dude, that was so awesome!”

That, among other various congratulations from his classmates, echo around him as Shoto makes his way into the stands. They have to repair the stage before they can hold the award’s ceremony and Shoto and Bakugo had been told to return to their class, after Shoto had gone to see Recovery Girl due to overusing his left side leaving him with a slight fever. It doesn’t really surprise him that most of his class are gathered around him, congratulating him or talking about their favorite moments during the match.

Izuku has his arms wrapped around Shoto’s waist, leaning against his left side with a grin filled with pride on his lips. “You did so great, Shochan,” he says. “Kacchan certainly put up a great fight though.”

“Don’t patronize me, fucking nerd,” Bakugo retorts with a huff.

“He’s not. He’s complimenting you, man,” Kirishima says in amusement as he takes Bakugo’s hand in his.

“That to. Tch, I fucking lost. You better fucking believe that won’t happen the next time we fight,” Bakugo says firmly, glaring at Shoto who meets his gaze with an even one of his own.

“I know this,” he says. “I’ll get stronger too.”

“Tch, I know you fucking will but I’ll be stronger in the end!”

“Hey, don’t count me out,” Izuku protests with a small smile on his lips as he pulls free from Shoto and grins at both Shoto and Bakugo with a challenge gleaming in his eyes. “I’m going to get stronger too, and I’ll beat both of you.”

“Challenge accepted,” Shoto says calmly.

“You better fucking believe I’m accepting that challenge,” Bakugo yells.

“Gees, would you calm down?” Shinso deadpans, rubbing his ears. “You’re so loud.”

“Tell me about it,” Tokoyami says with a shake of his head. “And always so angry.”

“I’m perfectly calm!” Bakugo yells.

Tokoyami and Shinso just exchange glances and shake their heads, clearly not believing him.

“The awards ceremony is about to begin,” Shoto says. “We should probably head down.”

The rest of Class 1-A, with the exception of Bakugo who just scoffs and rolls his eyes, nod in agreement and they make their way out of the stands. They are joined by the rest of the Hero Course, with Inasa immediately meandering his way through the crowd.

“Todoroki! That was amazing!” Inasa exclaims with an excited grin on his lips. “I am so going to be rewatching that match! It was so passionate! I loved it.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Bakugo huffs.

Shoto ignores him as he gives Inasa a half-smile. “Thank you,” he says quietly.

“That last attack...it was a lot like Endeavor’s, huh?” Asui comments, touching her finger to her cheek as the classes nears the tunnel that will take them into the arena beyond.

“It was Flashfire Fist,” Shoto says. “I made it my own.”

“So cool,” Hagakure cries, jumping up and down.

“It was an amazing finishing move,” says Ojiro with a nod, tail swinging behind him.

As everyone continues to chat and talk about the last match, Shoto finds his gaze going toward the stands as he follows the rest of his class toward the area where Midnight and the rest of the classes are already standing.

His eyes meet Endeavor’s and Touya’s eyes, the former standing on top of the stands with an unreadable expression on his face while the latter is leaning over the railing, yelling out congratulations that Shoto is only barely able to make out. Hawks is at Touya’s side, holding him to prevent him from falling over the railing.

The stage has already been made and Shoto makes his way toward the stage, moving to the stairs behind the Number 1 podium, watching as Bakugo makes his way to the second place podium while Izuku and Shinso are moving to the third place podium.

“Due to their exceptional strength that they did well in showcasing, Midoriya Izuku and Shinso Hitoshi will be sharing Third Place,” says Midnight with a nod toward Izuku and Shinso, the latter of whom had his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants while the former is blushing in embarrassment.

“And now the man who will present the medals!” Midnight announces and All Might’s familiar laughter echoes from the top of the stadium.

Shoto watches as All Might launches himself toward the ground, carrying the medals in his hands, though Midnight does interrupt his arrival speech just like last time. It’s awkward but Shoto is positive he hears Izuku snickering behind the hand that he has over his mouth.

All Might, like last time, moves from one student to the next. He gently drapes a bronze medal over Shinso’s neck, speaking quietly with him while giving him a gentle hug. He does the same with Izuku, though they hold each other for a bit longer and Shoto can see the absolute pride that shines in All Might’s eyes as he gazes down at his successor.

All Might moves on to Bakugo, holding out the silver medal but, when he moves to put it around Bakugo’s neck, Bakugo snatches it out of his hand instead. “I’ll take it,” he says firmly. “I’m not done! I’m gonna be the best hero out there, one that will even surpass you! Just you watch.”

“And I wish you luck, Young Bakugo,” All Might says but there is pride shining in his eyes as he watches Bakugo drape the medal around his own neck, still scowling but there is a firm determination in his eyes as well.

All Might then moves over to join Shoto, gently draping the golden medal around his neck. “You’ve done well, Young Todoroki,” he says. “I know that you have been through so much but you are making great strides into being the hero that you want to be. Continue on that path but never hesitate to ask for help should you ever need it.” He gently pulls Shoto into a hug as he adds in a quiet whisper, “And never forget that I am here if you ever need any help, with anything.”

Shoto inclines his head. “I won’t forget,” he says.

All Might steps back. “Though there was a winner declared during this festival, do not forget all those whom have put their all into today’s event,” he declares in a booming voice. “Today has showcased many young talents that are just waiting to flourish! And, without further ado, let me end this by saying one thing...Good job everyone.”

“Plus Ultra!” the rest of the audience yell, then pause, then start booing All Might, insisting that had been a Plus Ultra moment.

Shoto hides a snicker. Yeah, some things really don’t change. All Might is still an incredible dork at times.

. . .

Later that day finds the class in their classroom. Aizawa is talking with them about the next two days that they have off. But Izuku finds that he can’t concentrate on what Aizawa is saying. Something is off. There’s a bad feeling that won’t go away going through him, one that’s getting stronger and stronger and he doesn’t know what to make of it. It’s a good thing he already knows everything that Aizawa is going to say so he can be forgiven for spacing out.

He can tell by the way Bakugo keeps glancing toward the window or tapping his finger on the desk or Shoto keeps glancing toward the door leading into the classroom or taps his foot on the ground. They’re both anxious, both expecting something to happen just like him, and the confusion in their postures suggest that they don’t know where this feeling is coming from anymore than Izuku does.

But nothing happens. The windows remain untouched. The door remains unopened. Everyone starts chatting about what they are going to do during the two days they have off. Aizawa has curled up in his sleeping bag, though his dark eyes pass over Izuku, Bakugo, and Shoto as if noticing how tense and anxious all three of them are.

But nothing happens.

The bell ending the school day rings.

Nothing happens.

Everyone makes their way out of the school building, gathering in small groups and heading toward separate stations.

Nothing happens.

Izuku, Bakugo, and Shoto remain tense, anxious, as they walk with their groups of friends toward the entrance to the school. Uraraka is currently chatting with Asui about the Sports Festival while Ida is talking about how he had received a call from his brother after the festival ended, offering up a congratulations to Shoto. Kirishima is chatting with Kaminari and Sero about his match against Tokoyami.

Nothing happens.

Izuku glances at Shoto and Bakugo as they reach the station and start heading toward their train, waving a goodbye to the rest of their classmates that had walked with them. They walk onto the train without incident. Shoto shoots off a text to Touya to inform him that he’s heading to Izuku’s house and then will be heading home.

Nothing happens.

The bad feeling remains.

“Okay, why the fuck do I feel like something terrible is about to happen? And I’ve been feeling that since before the last fucking match of the Festival?” Bakugo demands in annoyance as he throws himself into a seat at the far corner of the train that is devoid of other passengers.

“I’m getting that same feeling,” Izuku admits, sitting down across from Bakugo. “I don’t know what to make of it but it’s been in my head since before the final match too.”

“I am getting the same feeling,” Shoto says quietly as he takes a seat next to Izuku. “But nothing’s happened.”

“That’s what I don’t fucking get. Nothing bad’s happened so why the fuck are we all having bad feelings? Neither of us have fucking future-based Quirks.”

“No, but we are displaced from our own time,” Izuku says, brow furrowing. “Maybe there was a consequence of us accepting that voice’s offer to be thrown back in time.”

“What kind of consequence though?” Shoto asks in puzzlement. “I don’t think any of us have felt this bad feeling before. And if it was supposed to predict something bad that’s about to happen then why didn’t we all get this bad feeling before the U.S.J. incident?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t fucking like this,” Bakugo growls. “Something’s wrong and I hate that I can’t fucking figure out what’s fucking wrong.”

“I just have this feeling that our quest to change the future just got complicated,” says Izuku.

“Well, fuck.”

But what is this feeling? Izuku rests his hand on his chest and gazing at his hand. Even though his Quirk is deactivated, he can almost see the winding glowing red veins of One for All spiraling around his arm. He can feel the power humming within him even though it’s deactivated and he realizes that One for All seems to be humming with the same uncertainty, as if the previous users are just as uncertain by this feeling as he is.

He knows that One for All has a sentience to it. He knows that he can speak with the previous holders of One for All so they are alive in that sense. He wonders if that’s the main reason why he can feel what they are feeling.

But that still doesn’t explain this bad feeling.

He doesn’t like it. He really doesn’t.

. . .

It’s too darkness that he wakes up.

It takes a moment for his disoriented mind to figure out where he is. The room that he’s in is familiar but comes from a memory that he has not thought about for months. With how much has truly happened over the course of the months following the last time he had been in this room, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he had only a vague recollection of the room.

There are game consoles resting on the ground with several games resting in their cases scattered upon the ground. There are gamer headphones resting by the gaming computer resting on the desk. The walls are bare, the window is curtained by thick black curtains, and the door to the closet is partially opened to reveal a pair of bright red shoes.

It’s all so surreal.

Truthfully, he hadn’t thought that strange voice would actually be able to do it but it had.

He is back, in the body of someone several months younger than he had been.

He doesn’t even know what day it is.

Reaching out a hand, he grasps at the side table where he knows the alarm clock is resting. His fingers close in on the alarm clock but he makes sure to keep one pinkie up as he pulls the alarm clock toward him, ignoring the time and just focusing on the date resting in the lower right corner.

May 8 ^th .

I see...It’s been one day since the end of the Sports Festival…

His memories conflict. The Sports Festival he witnessed last time hadn’t gone the same way this time around, which suggests that either he had been thrown into the past of a different timeline or there is someone else meddling with the timeline. Given that the voice said that it was sending him back to balance things out, since things are, apparently, off-balance, he suspects it’s more the latter.

That raises the question of just who is meddling.

Frankly speaking, he has a very good idea of who it is.

But he will confirm that later. For now, he needs to figure out how much has changed and decide on the best course of action for what is to come. From what he remembers from last time around, this is around the time that Stain makes his presence known.

He still harbors much resentment toward Stain but, while he doesn’t want to admit it out loud, he knows that it is because of Stain that he was able to get his family together. Even if it had taken him months before he truly came to see his followers as his family, they are still his, and he claims them as his family.

And he wants them back.

So that may mean making it seem as if he is working with Stain, just as he had, unintentionally, done last time.

And he knows he must also be careful. The bastard traitor that he once called mentor is still around after all. He doesn’t get his ass thrown into Tartarus until after his fight with All Might in Kamino, and he knows that is still a good few months away.

So he will operate in secret towards his own goal while pretending to be his bastard mentor’s little puppet.

He’ll get his revenge but he will have to be patient.

In the months leading up to the war, he has definitely learned how to be patient. There is so much that needs to be done, so much to change, so much to accomplish but he knows that he won’t be able to accomplish all of that right away.

He needs time.

But, for now, he must plan. He doesn’t need Stain this time around. All he needs is to make it seem like he is working with Stain. That is all. No one needs to know the truth of the matter after all. Even his future family, while they have an inkling that he doesn’t really follow Stain’s rhetoric, don’t know the whole truth.

A knock sounds on the door.

“Shigaraki Tomura, the master wishes to speak with you.”

He raises his head, crimson eyes lit up with cool determination, as he rises to his feet. “I’m coming, Kurogiri,” he says.

Shigaraki Tomura is back, and he is going to make the most of the chance that he has been given.

. . .

That bad feeling persists, even though the two days that Shoto, Izuku, and Bakugo have off have passed by in a blur. The bad feeling is still there even as Shoto, gazing out the window of the car as Touya drives down the road, listens to his eldest brother chat about his work in Hosu City, including how close they are to capturing the Hero Killer. While he isn’t given much details about that, he seems to be okay with allowing that much to get out.

But Shoto finds that he can’t really concentrate on that. He knows that his brother and Aizawa and the other Pro Heroes are going to be able to handle the Hero Killer—because if three students can defeat the Hero Killer, with all of them injured, then the Pros shouldn’t have too much trouble if they work together—so he doesn’t focus on that.

But even when he tries to concentrate on something else, it’s hard.

That bad feeling won’t go away. It hasn’t gone away in two days. In fact, it seems to have gotten stronger. It had gotten exceptionally strong the day after the Sports Festival and is hovering there at the moment, still a cobweb that refuses to be dislodged from his mind.

“Shoto, is something wrong? You’re unusually quiet,” says Touya with a frown of concern on his face.

“I know,” Shoto murmurs. “I just...nothing, never mind.”

Touya’s frown deepens. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right, Shoto?” he says.

“I know. I just...can’t...It’s fine, really.”

Touya hums but turns his gaze back to the road as the red light he had been stopped at turns green and he starts driving again. “All right. But if you’re still being bothered by whatever’s on your mind, don’t hesitate to talk to someone else, like your adorable boyfriend,” he says.

Shoto goes red. “Touya-nii!” he cries.

Touya laughs. “But in all seriousness, how are things going with you two?” he says as his laughter fades away.

Shoto’s blush fades away and he smiles. “It’s going great,” he admits. “We’ve been talking and hanging out a lot and we just keep getting closer. I...Actually, at some point, I want to bring Izuku over to meet Mom.”

Touya smiles. “I think Mom will be happy to finally meet the elusive boyfriend you won’t stop talking about when you visit her,” he says.

Shoto blushes again. “Do I really talk about Izuku so much?” he asks.

“Yup.” Of course, Touya is not someone who beats around the bush. He just grins as Shoto’s blush gets hotter.

“Gremlin,” he mutters.

“Thank you.”

Shoto hides his smile by gazing out the window again. No matter how often he calls his brother that, no matter how often he sees his brother as a Pro Hero working to save and protect innocent people, the more he can’t help but feel so incredibly relieved that he had stopped Dabi from coming into existence.

No matter how many times he has thought that, he can’t stop unthinking it.

“The flaming trashcan has been unusually...quiet too,” Touya notes, a hum of puzzlement escaping his lips. “He hasn’t forced you to train with him since the Sports Festival. He hasn’t even really spoken to you, except to make mention about how you are finally using your flames, and he didn’t even mention how you basically took his own Super Move and made it your own. I would have thought he would have had something to say about that but he didn’t. It’s...odd, to say the least.”

It is. But I don’t mind it. I just hope...could he be changing earlier than he had last time around?

Shoto doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to believe that, not until he’s absolutely sure of it.

Touya pulls up to U.A. and, after scanning his badge at the entrance and guiding his car into the teacher’s parking lot, he pulls into a parking spot and climbs out of the car. Shoto gets out as well, grabbing his messenger bag and slinging the strap over his shoulder. He turns to his brother as Touya walks to his side, ruffling his dual-colored hair.

“C’mon, time for school again,” he says.

Shoto smiles at the grimace that crosses Touya’s lips. “You don’t sound too happy. I thought you liked teaching,” he says.

“I do. But I’m in Class B this morning and if I have to hear Monoma rant about Class A one more time, I might end up just throwing myself through a window just to stop myself from slapping a certain annoying blonde,” Touya says with an annoyed scowl twisting his lips.

Doesn’t surprise me that Monoma annoys Touya. “Don’t do that, Touya-nii,” Shoto says. “It would hurt to throw yourself through a window.”

“I’ve done it before. It does hurt...a lot. Long story.” He adds the last two words when Shoto gives him an incredulous look because the thought of Touya throwing himself, willingly, through a window is a surprise.

“C’mon, now get to class, kiddo. You don’t wanna be late. Aizawa will have my head if I’m responsible for yougetting to class late,” says Touya, pushing Shoto’s upper back and he chuckles but nods and makes his way toward the elevator. Touya does follow him but, once they are in the hallway that will take them to their respective classrooms, he splits off and slips into Class B’s classroom.

Shoto continues on his way and makes his way into his own classroom. Half of the class is already there, gathered in small groups and chatting. As expected, they are talking about the Sports Festival and talking about how many people had recognized them from the festival itself.

“Hey Todoroki!” Mina greets with a wave of her hand. “Is Touya-sensei with our class today?”

“Not this morning,” Shoto says as he makes his way to his seat, surprised to see that Shinso’s seat is empty. He’s usually one of the first ones to arrive at school. “He’s in Class B right now. He’s not happy.”

“Why not?” Sero asks.

“Let’s just say a certain annoying blonde in Class B has caused him to threaten to throw himself through a window just to stop himself from slapping said annoying blonde,” Shoto admits.

“He wouldn’t really throw himself through a window, would he?” Momo asks.

“Momo, it’s Touya.”

“...True…”

The door opens and more of their classmates make their way into the room. Izuku is chatting with Uraraka while Bakugo has his hands stuffed into his pockets as he listens to Kirishima chat.

There’s still no sign of Shinso.

“Hey, did you see Shinso at all on your way here?” Hagakure calls. Apparently, she had noticed Shinso’s absence too.

“We didn’t,” Uraraka admits. “He’s not here yet? He’s usually always one of the first people here.”

“I hope everything’s all right,” says Jiro.

Aizawa makes his way into the classroom and everyone quickly makes their way to their seats. To their surprise, Shinso makes his way into the room after Aizawa. His hands are clenching the straps to his backpack but his face remains impassive.

“Shinso, are you okay?” Hagakure calls. “You weren’t here earlier and we got worried ‘cause you’re always here early.”

“Just...some things that I needed to handle,” Shinso says quietly as he makes his way to his seat behind Izuku and slides into it. He doesn’t meet anyone’s gaze as he drops his backpack on the ground and focuses his attention on Aizawa.

“Don’t pester him,” Aizawa adds. “If he wants to tell you then he will. For now, let’s get started. The Sports Festival, as you all know, was broadcast across the world. As such, we have tallied up the number of nominations that you have all received. I will display the total on the board.”

Everyone stares in awe at the list of names. Like last time, Shoto ended up getting thousands of requests. Bakugo is next on the list but Izuku and Shinso got a surprisingly large number of requests on their end too. Given that last time, Izuku had only gotten one nomination, it’s clear he’s in shock. Shinso is staring at the screen with wide tired eyes as if he can’t believe that he got almost six hundred nominations.

Shoto listens as Aizawa explains about the nominations, though he has already heard this before, and then explains about the internships that they will all be doing.

And then it’s time to choose hero names.

With Aizawa curling up in his sleeping bag and Midnight taking over the process, Shoto finds himself wondering what he should use as his hero name. Last time around, he had used his first name. This time, he wants to see if he can find something that will connect to both of his Quirks. He doesn’t want to have to fall back on his first name.

He taps his pen on the table as he thinks, eyes scanning his classmates. Some of them are deep in thought while others are already scribbling away on their pads. Izuku is already done, a satisfied smile on his lips, while Bakugo is glaring at his board as if he wants to set it on fire with his eyes. Shinso seems uncertain as he gazes at his pad, though Shoto can’t see if he had anything written on it.

“All right!” Midnight declares. “Why don’t we begin? Is anyone ready to present their names?”

And so the presentation of names begins.

Just like last time, Mina tries to gain approval for Alien Queen but Midnight doesn’t approve it so she goes back to the drawing board and ends up going with Pinky. Everyone else’s names are the same as they had been last time. Ida’s is one of the only ones to actually change but, given that his brother hadn’t gotten injured this time around, Shoto had been expecting that.

“I spoke with my brother and he has decided to pass on his name to me,” Ida says firmly as he raises his board with the word Ingenium written on it. “And so I shall try my hardest to live up to this name, and prove that I am worthy of it! I am Ingenium.”

“Perfect!” Midnight cheers. “You have some big shoes to fill though, Ida. Are you prepared for that?”

“I am,” Ida says with a nod.

“I like that enthusiasm! All right, let’s keep ‘em coming. We’ve got Bakugo, Midoriya, Shinso, and Todoroki left.”

Izuku stands up and makes his way to the front of the classroom. He gazes at his board with a smile on his lips. “This is a name that I hadn’t ever thought would ever suit me,” he admits. “But it’s been with me for so long that I simply couldn’t not choose it. It may mean one thing but a good friend of mine allowed me to see a different meaning to it.” He holds up the board and Shoto smiles. He isn’t surprised at all to see the word Deku written upon the board.

“I’m Deku. And I am perfectly all right with that as my hero name,” Izuku says firmly.

Midnight smiles. “Well, if you are comfortable with it then it’s fine,” she says.

Shoto gazes at his still blank pad and goes through his mind before an idea sparks in his head. Something that Uraraka had mentioned in his last life, about space-related ideas that she had been searching through until she found something that hadn’t suited her but did suit him.

A comet, which is basically just a hunk of burning ice sailing through space.

Burning ice, huh?

Shoto scribbles it down on his pad, a smile on his lips.

Izuku leans forward in his seat. “Hey, Kacchan, you think you can come up with a hero name that’s not ridiculously long?” he says with a teasing note in his voice.

“Shut the fuck up, damn nerd!” Bakugo retorts. “I know exactly what I’m going to call myself!”

“May I go next?” Shoto says, raising his hand.

“Of course,” Midnight says and Bakugo glares at him but Shoto just smirks at him as he makes his way to the front of the classroom.

“I would like to thank Uraraka for giving me the idea for my hero name,” Shoto says. “What she told me about this fits so I’ve decided that it will work.” He holds up the board as he says quietly, “The Burning Ice Hero – Comet.”

“Oh, that fits perfectly!” Midnight cries while Uraraka beams and gives him a thumbs up.

He inclines his head and makes his way back to his seat.

“Hah, guess it’s better than using your fucking first name,” Bakugo yells but jumps to his feet and strides forward. “Damn nerd. I made my fucking name shorter. Happy?!” He slams his board on the podium, a sharp feral grin on his lips. “The Explosion God Hero – Dynamight!”

“Take out the God part and it will be perfect,” Midnight says.

“Oh c’mon! It’s not like it had fucking Murder in it!” Bakugo screams in annoyance but he growls, takes his pen and crosses out the God part of his name.

“Perfect!” Midnight says, clasping her hands together while Bakugo, still grumbling under his breath, makes his way back to his seat.

Shoto chuckles at Bakugo’s fuming face and Izuku cracks a grin in amusement.

“You are laughing so much more recently,” Momo says quietly. “It’s nice to see you look so carefree enough to laugh.”

Shoto gives his oldest friend a soft smile. “Things change,” he admits. “But I think it was for the better.”

Shinso takes a deep breath but stands up slowly. He makes his way to the front of the classroom. “I also had some...inspiration behind my name,” he admits, casting a glance toward Aizawa. “From someone that I look up to who has helped me with so much more than just in class.” He holds up the board, adding quietly, “Coming from the latin word meaning control, I chose my hero name to be Imperium.”

“Ohh, I like it!” Midnight cheers.

Aizawa climbs out of his sleeping bag and moves to stand by the podium after all the hero names have been chosen. “All right,” he says. “Now then, internships are going to be starting next week. I want your decision on who you want to intern with by Friday. Turn them in to me once you have made your decision. The internships will last a week. If you have nominations, you may pick from those. If you don’t then you may pick from a list of pre-approved hero agencies that I will hand out.”

“Only a few days to choose though?” Kaminari says.

“Ugh, there are so many though,” Mina says with a pout.

Shoto accepts his list that Aizawa hands him and scans the names. He isn’t surprised to see that Endeavor’s Agency is at the top of the list. He is more than a little surprised, and very amused, to see that, right below his father’s agency, is his eldest brother’s name.

He stands up and walks over to join Izuku and Bakugo who are both looking over their own lists. Shinso had moved over to talk with Aizawa at the head of the classroom while the rest of the class are gathering in small groups to discuss who they may want to intern with.

“So,” he says as he slides into Shinso’s empty chair, “how angry do you think Endeavor would be if I chose to do my internship with Touya?”

Bakugo and Izuku stares at him but Shoto just shows them his list, pointing to the name resting beneath his father’s agency.

“He would be so angry,” Izuku says.

Bakugo starts laughing hysterically. “Do it!” he exclaims.

“I agree...do it!” Izuku says and cracks a grin as his eyes light up with amusement.

Shoto grins back at him. It’s not as if he really needs to learn anything from Endeavor. He had already interned with Endeavor once. He doesn’t need to do it again. Besides, he would like to have a good look at what it means to be an Underground Hero, even if he may not end up following that path like his brother had.

“I think I will,” he says.

“So who are you going with, Kacchan?” Izuku asks as Bakugo, finally, manages to get control of his laughter.

“I went with Best Jeanist last time,” Bakugo admits. “It was a disaster, but I did come to respect him. I’d rather do something that’s a bit more...hands on though. So I’m thinking Mirko.”

“The Number 8 Hero? Huh? I didn’t think she did internships but it’s nice that she sent you a nomination.And she does have a similar temperament to you,” Izuku comments and, when Bakugo gives him an annoyed glare, he adds, “Am I wrong?”

Bakugo grunts and looks away. “Shut the fuck up,” he retorts.

Shoto snickers.

“And you shut your face too, fucking Icyhot!”

Izuku chuckles again and glances at his own list. “Last time, I did my internship with Gran Torino, but that was mostly just to gain control of my Quirk. Since I don’t need to do that anymore, and have already learned much from him the last time around, I want to do my internship with someone who can help me with controlling Blackwhip better. Aizawa-sensei might be the best choice, since Blackwhip does function similar to his capture weapon. But he said that he and some pros were going to be handling the Stain issue and I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

“At least, this time, you won’t have to worry about Ida going off on a quest for revenge,” Shoto says.

“Why don’t you fucking go with Best Jeanist then?” Bakugo says, pointing at the list. “He did send you a nomination after all. And I’m sure he uses his fibers similar to how you would use Blackwhip. And, at least, you won’t have to deal with what I had to fucking deal with.”

Shoto snorts. “I wish I still had the picture,” he says.

“I’ll fucking throw you through a fucking window, fucking Icyhot!”

Izuku cracks a smile, then glances down at the list. “I’ll talk with Aizawa first, then make my decision,” he says.

The door slams open and everyone looks up as Touya storms into the classroom, eye twitching with annoyance.

“Touya, why are you here?” Aizawa deadpans. “You were supposed to be assisting Vlad King with Class B this morning.”

“If I have to listen to that annoying Monoma kid rant one more time about how much better Class B is to Class A, I will get my ass fired for slapping a kid!” Touya says, turquoise eyes flashing with annoyance. “Honestly. Can that kid get any more annoying?”

Shoto tilts his head to the side. “I thought you were going to throw yourself out of a window to prevent yourself from slapping Monoma, Touya-nii,” he says.

“Apparently, defenestration is frowned upon by Pros,” Touya deadpans. “So I just stormed out of there instead.”

“Would it actually be defenestration if you’re throwing yourself out of a window?”

“Why not? Technically, I am throwing someone out of a window. It just so happens to be myself. I’m someone after all.”

Aizawa runs a hand over his face. “Touya, are you seriously having a conversation about throwing people out of windows in my class?” he demands in annoyance.

“Would you rather I have a conversation about it, or actually do it?”

Aizawa looks like he is one second away from grabbing Touya with his capture weapon and throwing him through a window.

“Hey, Touya-sensei,” Kaminari greets with a wave of his hand. “We prefer you with our class anyway!”

“Yeah. You’re cool,” Sero says. “As cool as Aizawa.”

“Ah, thanks! At least someone appreciates me,” Touya says, giving a glare at the door, though Shoto suspects that the glare is aimed more at Class B, and probably Monoma, than anyone else.

“Touya, get back to Class B,” Aizawa says in annoyance. “You can supervise this class during their lessons after lunch.”

Touya huffs. “That’s supposing I don’t defenestrate myself first.”

“That isn’t even a word!”

“Well, it is now.”

“Out!”

“Fine!” Touya throws his hands up, turns, and storms out of the classroom.

Everyone just stares at the door.

“Well, that happened,” Kirishima says.

No one else knows what to say to that so they don’t say anything and just, slowly, drift back into their conversations.

“Yeah, I am definitely going to do my internship with Touya, just because of how much it’s going to piss off Endeavor,” says Shoto.

“Do it,” Izuku and Bakugo say in unison, Izuku’s eyes are glimmering with amusement while Bakugo has a feral grin on his lips.

. . .

After classes are over for the day, and Touya seems so much calmer when he is supervising Class A during the second half of the day, Izuku makes his way over to join Aizawa in the teacher’s lounge. Shoto and Bakugo are with him to turn in their own decisions so that Aizawa can approve them.

Aizawa isn’t the only one in the lounge. All Might is also there, currently in his scrawny form. They both look up as the three time travelers make their way into the lounge and Aizawa lifts his mug of coffee to his lips. “What brings you three here?” he asks.

“Shoto and Kacchan have their decisions for the internships decided,” Izuku says, “and I wanted to ask you something, Aizawa-sensei.”

Aizawa nods, putting down the coffee and accepting the papers from Shoto and Bakugo. “Mirko for Bakugo is...actually rather fitting. You can learn much from her, and she definitely has a similar temperament to you. Though I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.” He puts that paper down and picks up Shoto’s, raising an eyebrow. “And...you want to intern with Touya?”

“I’d like to learn more about what it means to be an Underground Hero,” Shoto says with a completely straight face.

Aizawa isn’t buying it. “And this has absolutely nothing to do with how majorly angry Endeavor will be that you chose to intern with your elder brother rather than him, of course,” he deadpans.

“Of course.” Shoto’s face remains straight.

Aizawa lets loose a breath. “Against my better judgment, I’ll allow it, on one condition.”

“What’s that?” Shoto raises an eyebrow.

“During the internship week, Touya and I will both be in Hosu City. Under no circumstances are you to engage Stain. You may have beaten him last time around but you will not put yourself in that kind of danger again. Understand?”

“I understand,” says Shoto.

“Um, that brings up my question actually,” Izuku says. “For my internship, I wanted to choose someone who can help me learn how to control Blackwhip better. And my first thought was to do my internship with you. You did nominate me.”

“If you wish to do your internship with me, Problem Child, that’s fine but my condition for Todoroki will extend to you as well.”

Izuku nods. “I understand, sensei,” he says. “But I’d like like to do my internship with you.”

Aizawa nods.

“Gran Torino is going to be disappointed,” All Might muses, then shivers.

Izuku smiles at his mentor. “I know but I already learned so much from Gran Torino last time around and what I need to learn now is not something that he can really help me with,” he admits.

“That is true,” All Might agrees.

After Izuku fills out the paperwork and hands it to Aizawa, he rests it on the stack of papers that have already been turned in. “Go on home, kids, and rest,” he says.

The three nod and, turning, they make their way out of the lounge.

“Should we have told them about that bad feeling we’ve been feeling since the Sports Festival?” Shoto asks because that bad feeling has not gone away at all.

“What the fuck can they do about a fucking feeling?” Bakugo growls.

“Kacchan’s right. They can’t act on a feeling, even more so because we don’t even know what that feeling is all about,” says Izuku. “I think we should just keep it in mind but not worry about it right now, not until we can figure out something more concrete about that feeling.”

He doesn’t like that he can’t do anything about this bad feeling to stop it, since he doesn’t know what it’s trying to warn him about, but that’s all he really can do right now.

. . .

Chapter Text

All for One is just as ugly as the last time Tomura had the misfortune of seeing him, before he had been thrown into the depths of Tartarus. Sure, he knows that, at some point, All for One had been busted out of Tartarus but that had been around the same time that Tomura had been sent back so it’s really just a vague memory, nothing more. It’s not that it matters. The ugly bastard still treats Tomura like his successor, like someone who will take over the underground and turn the current hero society to ash before rebuilding it in his own image.

This is the same bastard who is just using Tomura to fulfill his own ambitions, who just wants Tomura to use as a puppet that he is pulling the strings for. He seethes in rage at the very thought but is careful to keep his rage out of his eyes. Father resting over his face is helping to hide how he truly feels, though he really doesn’t need to have Father or the rest of his family on him anymore.

He had stopped wearing his family not long after he had ascended to the position of leader of the Paranormal Liberation Front. But he needs to keep up appearances, lest the bastard find out that Tomura is not quite as loyal to him as he used to be.

“You seem oddly tense, Tomura,” All for One says.

“It’s nothing, Master. Just thinking,” says Tomura.

All for One hums. “You are doing well so far, Tomura,” he says. “And I know you will only do greater things in the future. You can return to the bar now. I am sure that you have plans to come up with.”

“Yes, I do, and some games to play.” Tomura turns and makes his way out of the room. His meeting with All for One had been brief, with All for One just asking him about his future plans in regards to what he learned during the Sports Festival. Truthfully, after going through his conflicted memories, he knows that trying to gain Bakugo as a new recruit isn’t going to work.

But he also knows that All for One has his eyes set on Midoriya Izuku, on the boy who’s Quirk All for One says greatly resembles a quirk that he has been seeking to take back for centuries. Tomura knows which one he is talking about because it’s the same Quirk that he had tried to take from Midoriya in the future, that All for One used him to try to take from the kid.

It’s not like he cares about the kid. He doesn’t care about anyone but the family that he has claimed for himself. He just doesn’t want to do anything that All for One wants him to do. He wants to burn current hero society to the ground and rebuild it in his own image, and rule over it, but he wants to accomplish that on his own, not while being used as a fucking puppet by fucking All for One.

And he will accomplish that on his own, his own way. He won’t allow All for One to use him ever again.

But if he wants to do that then he needs to get All for One out of the picture. And do so in such a way that it will not draw attention to himself.

Of course, if All for One truly wants to try to steal One for All from Midoriya Izuku then I can just simply let Kamino happen all over again. After all, All Might is not about to let his own successor remain in the clutches of his archnemesiss so he will come to rescue him. And that will lead to the fight that not only forces All Might to retire but also leads to All for One being thrown in Tartarus.

In other words, if Kamino happens then Tomura will succeed in killing two birds with one stone.

But he must get to that point in the timeline without making All for One suspicious.

So, for now, he will work on recruitment. He will allow Stain to have his day, and unleash his Nomu on the city at the same time that Stain is spotted so that the media can jump to the same conclusion that they had last time. If his League and Stain are linked together then it will draw his old followers to him again.

Mr. Compress...Spinner...Toga...Twice...Magne...Dabi…

He can’t wait to get his followers back on his side but he will need to ensure that the media does make the assumption that Stain is connected to the League of Villains.

“You seem to be an oddly good mood, Tomura Shigaraki,” Kurogiri says as Tomura steps out of the warp gate into the bar.

“I simply have a good idea and wish to capitalize on it,” says Tomura with a sharp grin on his face as he raises a hand and removes Father from his face. He puts it aside and smiles at Kurogiri. “After all, I must increase the size of my League someway, right?”

. . .

Touya yawns as he walks out of his room.

It’s been a week since the Sports Festival, only a day before the internships are going to start, and Touya is about to head out to Hosu City to help Team Idaten and the other Underground Pro Heroes that are in Hosu City keep looking for the Hero Killer. Shoto, Aizawa, and Aizawa’s two interns—Midoriya and Shinso—are going to meet him there tomorrow.

He rubs his eyes and watches as Natsuo and Fuyumi walk over to join him. “Hey,” he greets them.

“Touya, you’re heading out already?” Natsuo says in surprise.

“It’s a good five hour train ride to Hosu City. My patrol starts at nine so I’d like to get their sooner to get an update on the search,” says Touya with a shrug.

Natsuo nods. “That makes sense.”

“Father is talking with Shoto right now,” Fuyumi says.

“Oh?” Touya raises an eyebrow but he backs away toward the window behind him.

“Yeah, he doesn’t seem happy but I don’t know why. He keeps demanding that Shoto tell him who he’s interning with, since, apparently, Shoto hadn’t chosen to intern with him,” Natsuo says and raises an eyebrow upon seeing that Touya is still backing away toward the window. “You know something, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Touya says with a smile on his lips as he calmly opens the window behind him.

“TOUYA!” Endeavor’s furious roar echoes from downstairs.

“And, with that, I’m out.” Touya grabs the windowsill and promptly throws himself out of the open window, landing on the tree branch and bouncing off it to land on the ground. He calmly stands up, gives Natsuo and Fuyumi a two-fingered salute when they poke their heads out the window, and darts off, cackling the entire way.

He cools down his cackling as he nears the train station and, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hero costume, he strides forward. Those that don’t recognize him give him odd looks but that’s mostly because of how he dresses. With his dark clothing hiding the various knives and other weapons that he has on his person, since he doesn’t like relying on his Quirk because of how much it can damage his own body, he looks like he’s going through an emo-goth phase.

But, then, Aizawa always looks like a hobo so Touya isn’t too surprised that people are underestimating him. He doesn’t really care. People underestimating him, villains underestimating him or making assumptions about him, have helped him to take down several villains in his career as an Underground Pro Hero. Being underestimated is one of the first things that he learned from working with Eraserhead after he had gotten his Pro Hero license after all.

And it does work exceptionally well, especially to get close to villains who think that he is on their side because of his various burn scars and the way that he dresses. He has taken down who knows how many underground villains and crime bosses because of that fact, because they make assumptions about him that lead to them thinking they have found an ally in him. And that’s always their first mistake.

Touya pushes that thought out of his mind as he makes his way onto the train heading for Hosu City. He grabs the pole to keep himself upright and leans against it, turquoise eyes pacing over the various people seated on the train. They are all talking with each other and not paying any attention to him, which is how he likes it.

That’s the main reason why he had chosen to become an Underground Hero. He doesn’t want the recognition or the fame or being in the limelight all the time. He thinks about the first time he ever saved the life of someone, back before he had even started at U.A., when he had used his flames to get a criminal who was beating up an elderly woman to back off. Even though that had left his arm severely burned, it had still gotten the man to back off.

Touya may have gotten into some trouble for using his Quirk without a license but the elderly woman’s gratitude had more than made up for him, had made him feel warm and, for the first time since he made the decision to stay with his family for his baby brother’s sake, happy.

That first time he saved an innocent life, he realized that he wants to keep on doing that. He hadn’t really thought about being a hero, due to the fact that he hadn’t wanted to be anything like his father. He hadn’t even wanted to stay with his family, if it were not for Shoto then he would have left a long time ago.

While he does say that he decided to become a hero for the sole purpose of spiting his father, who never thought he would amount to anything after he had been cast aside in favor of Shoto, he knows that the actual main reason is because he wants to save people. He wants to protect people like he protects his little brother, people who can’t protect themselves.

And it’s not for the money. It’s not for the fame. It’s not for any of that. He just wants to save lives.

Perhaps that’s why he does resonate a bit with Stain’s rhetoric. He has heard the few survivors of Stain’s attacks, the ones who had, unfortunately, been paralyzed rather than killed by Stain, recount about how Stain talks about how heroes aren’t supposed to be in it for the fame or the money or the status. But that’s as far as it goes, and Touya would never truly go as far as Stain has gone.

Stain is a villain. There is no doubt about that. The blood of the dozens of heroes that he has slain, or paralyzed, rests on his hands.

He needs to be brought to justice for his crimes.

As Touya gazes out the window at the landscape that blurs past him, he finds himself thinking to the warning his little brother had given him. First, the warning about Stain’s attack in Hosu City during the Sports Festival where Shoto had warned him to warn Team Idaten to start patrolling in groups. That warning had been true. Stain had attacked during the Sports Festival and, while Ingenium got away almost completely unscathed, the same can not be said for six of his sidekicks, five of which had been killed.

And then there was Manual, and three of his sidekicks. One had been paralyzed, two had been killed, and Manual himself, as Touya had found out only a few days ago, had been attacked and paralyzed by the Hero Killer himself.

He needs to be stopped before anyone else dies or gets critically injured.

At the same time, Touya is a bit uncertain about bringing his little brother to Hosu City with him. Even though he knows that Eraserhead had extracted a promise from his two interns as well as Shoto that they will stay away from Stain, Touya is still worried.

He understands Shoto’s desire to learn about being an Underground Hero, and how comfortable he feels around Touya, but Touya finds himself wondering if he should have withheld his nomination. He sigh and pushes the thought aside because he knows that the real reason why he hadn’t is because he is just being his usual overprotective big brother self. And he doesn’t want to get in the way of his little brother’s growth as a hero by being too overprotective of him.

Still, that doesn’t mean that he won’t do everything in his power to keep his little brother safe. He’s glad that Eraserhead extracted that promise from his little brother but he will ensure that his little brother keeps that promise in anyway that he can.

. . .

Izuku gazes around at his classmates that are all gathered on the station while Aizawa speaks with all of them, warning them against losing their hero costumes and calmly reminding them of the purpose of these internships. He’s standing next to Shinso, who is also interning with Aizawa, while Shoto is hovering nearby due to the fact that he will be heading for the same city as Izuku and Shinso. Ida isn’t with them, having decided to take an internship with Air Jet instead of with his brother.

Izuku is still glad that Tensei is okay, and that Ida won’t be anywhere near Hosu City and won’t get hurt by the Hero Killer this time around. If he has anything to say about it, no one of his classmates, or his teachers for that matter, will get hurt by the Hero Killer.

Of course, he probably doesn’t have any say about it, since Aizawa has already insisted that he stay out of anything involving the Hero Killer. So he pushes that thought aside and simply focuses on the more pressing matter.

The nomu.

In three days is when Shigaraki unleashes those three nomu into Hosu City, at the same time that the Hero Killer makes his next appearance, so Izuku knows that he’ll have to be ready to handle that too.

“That is all,” Aizawa says as he finishes his speech, which is exactly what he had said the last time around.

Shoto moves over to stand by Izuku as the students separate, heading toward their respective trains. “You ready?” he asks quietly.

Izuku takes a deep breath but nods. “Yeah,” he says.

Shinso glances at them, stuffing the hand that isn’t holding his hero costume’s case into his pocket. “You seem worried, Midoriya,” he says.

“Guess I’m just a little nervous, given where we’re going,” Izuku admits.

Shinso hums. “Eraserhead won’t let anything happen to us, nor will Inferno,” he points out.

“I know but still…” Izuku shakes his head. “No, no, you’re right. It’ll be fine.”

Even if that bad feeling is still there…

He pushes that thought aside.

“Come,” Aizawa says and leads the way toward the train that will take them to Hosu City and Izuku, Shoto, and Shinso jog after him.

It’s only a couple of hours before they reach Hosu City. Aizawa is quick to lead them to an ordinary-looking townhouse on the steps of which Touya, clad in his dark-blue costume and even darker blue trenchcoat with his arms folded across his chest, is standing.

“We’ll be staying here for the duration of our time in Hosu City,” Aizawa says with a nod at the apartment building. “Unlike Aboveground Heroes, Underground Heroes don’t have agencies of their own as they prefer to work in the shadows, out of the spotlight.”

“My kind of work,” Shinso says with a nod.

“We also typically patrol late at night,” Touya says as he unfolds his arm. “Since it’s still early, let’s get inside and settled. Oh, and Shoto...I heard you told the flaming trashcan that you’re interning with me.”

“You heard that?” Shoto says in surprise.

“More or less, Fuyumi told me, I heard Endeavor’s furious response, and I booked it out of there.”

Shoto raises an eyebrow. “And when you say you ‘booked it out of there’, what did you do?” he deadpans.

“Opened a window on the second floor, threw myself through it, and ran. I may or may not have been cackling the entire time.”

Izuku covers his mouth in an attempt to hide his laughter. Shoto is literally doubled over, not even bothering on hiding his own.

“Of course you would, you gremlin,” Aizawa deadpans. “How are you a hero again?”

Touya grins at him as he turns. “I passed the test, of course,” he says and strides toward the door.

“I reiterate...how?” Aizawa says in annoyance as he follows, gesturing for Izuku, Shinso, and Shoto to follow him.

Once they are inside the decently furnished and decorated building, Aizawa waves a hand toward the stairs. “There are only four rooms in this townhouse,” he says. “So two of you will have to share and, since I already know which two are going to be sharing, do remember that you are, technically speaking, true heroes right now and must act with proper decorum.”

“No funny business, in other words,” Touya chirps from behind Aizawa. “I don’t want to walk in on anything that isn’t proper.” The insinuation is as clear as glass to where even Shoto understands it as both he and Izuku go bright red, with Shoto’s entire left arm bursting into flames.

“Touya-nii!” Shoto cries, burying his face into one hand while clearly struggling to control the flames that are spiraling around his left hand.

“I...We wouldn’t...that’s not...huh?” Izuku stammers out, eyes wide, face burning.

“Nice going, Inferno. I think you broke him,” Shinso deadpans.

Aizawa rubs his temples and glares at Touya. “Why do I work with you?” he says.

“It was either me or Ms. Joke.”

Aizawa opens his mouth, closes it, then sighs. “Sadly, I would rather work with you,” he mutters, shakes his head and turns his gaze to the three interns. “We will refer to each other by our hero names from here on out. Go ahead and put your stuff down. Your rooms are the two closest to the stairwell. We’ll grab something to eat, since we will have a late night patrol at nine tonight. You won’t have to stay out as late as we usually do but I want you all to get a good taste of what it means to be an Underground Hero.”

The three of them nod in agreement and make their way up the stairs.

“No funny business,” Touya yells.

He has to duck to avoid the lamp that Shoto chugs at his head and Izuku, blushing, blinks before noticing the small table resting at the top of the stairs. Oh, so that’s where he got that. He decides against asking about it.

They make their way down the hallway, splitting up when they reach the rooms. Shinso slips into his while Izuku and Shoto make their way into theirs. It’s already furnished with two beds and Izuku moves over to one of them and puts his hero costume case and his backpack down.

“Everything is already different this time around,” he comments as he opens his backpack to sort through it, since he hadn’t just brought his hero costume. He is going to be in Hosu City for a week after all.

He feels Shoto wrap his arms around his waist and rest his chin on his shoulder and flushes at the closeness. “Yeah, it already is,” Shoto murmurs. “I mean I am doing my internship with my adorable boyfriend after all.”

Izuku goes red. “Shochan,” he protests.

“What? You are adorable,” says Shoto.

Izuku sighs and, twisting in Shoto’s arms, wraps his arms around Shoto’s neck. Shoto touches his forehead to his, brushing their noses together. “Honestly,” he says but his lips quirk into a faint smile.

Shoto closes the distance and brushes their lips together. Izuku leans into the kiss, deepening it as he feels his boyfriend pull him closer. He pulls back and smiles at his boyfriend. “We should probably get downstairs to get something to eat,” he says. He kisses him again before gently pulling free from his boyfriend’s arms. He chuckles again at the disappointment in his boyfriend’s eyes and heads toward the door.

Shoto follows him, his earlier disappointment fading as he follows Izuku down the stairs. They join Shinso and head toward the kitchen where Inferno and Eraserhead are currently working on making dinner.

. . .

Tomura observes the situation from on top of the water tower with a pair of binoculars resting in front of his eyes, watching as the various patrols that make their way down the darkened alleyways. All of them are searching for the same person, the elusive Hero Killer who had last been sighted earlier that day. It doesn’t surprise Tomura that the Hero Killer is only making an appearance in the dead of night. That’s how he always operates, and that hasn’t changed.

It’s the middle of the week and today is the same day that Tomura recalls is when he had released those three nomu into Hosu City. Last time, he had done that in order to get back at the Hero Killer for stabbing him but, this time, he’s doing it for the purpose of making it seem like the League and Stain are connected to each other, and are working together.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea, Tomura Shigaraki?” Kurogiri asks.

“I’m sure. I know what I’m doing, Kurogiri,” says Tomura as he continues to scan the cityscape.

“You haven’t even spoken with the Hero Killer and yet you seem as if you are about to do something that will, potentially, alienate him,” says Kurogiri.

“I assure you that I don’t plan on alienating him.” Tomura smiles behind Father. “I am simply thinking ahead. This will work to help us in the long run.”

Kurogiri studies him for a long moment, his glowing yellow eyes narrowing slightly. “You seem...different, Tomura Shigaraki,” he says.

“Oh?” It doesn’t surprise Tomura that his loyal bodyguard is the first one to notice that there’s a slight change to him. Kurogiri has been with Tomura not long after he had been taken in by All for One after the death of his family and has been the one watching over Tomura since All for One had always been far too busy to watch over him himself.

“Yes. You seem...calmer, more patient, more...cautious,” says Kurogiri.

“Is that a bad thing?” Tomura turns to gaze at his oldest, most loyal, family member. “I would have thought you would be glad that I am being more cautious and patient, that I am not rushing into matters like I did during the U.S.J. incident.”

“I am glad, just confused,” says Kurogiri. “You were not this way before the Sports Festival.”

“I suppose the Sports Festival opened my eyes and made me realize who, exactly, I’m up against. Those kids aren’t stupid, and they aren’t weak brats. They all have strength and power. And I need to be more cautious and patient if I want to win against them. They are, most certainly, not simple NPCs. I’d say the kids of Class 1-A are minor bosses in their own right, or can become minor bosses eventually.”

Kurogiri hums. “You do raise a good point,” he says. “What do you hope to accomplish by this though, Tomura Shigaraki?”

Tomura smiles again behind Father. “You will see,” he says and returns his attention back to the cityscape, scanning it for any sign of the Hero Killer, and of the various heroes that are patrolling the area. There isn’t as large a presence of heroes as had been there during the Sports Festival a week ago, according to what Tomura’s connections told him anyway. But there are still some. He just hasn’t seen all of them yet.

It’s late though so he figures that it’s going to be mostly Underground Heroes, as well as Ingenium and what’s left of his agency, and he won’t be able to really catch a glimpse of them, since Underground Heroes are good at blending in with the shadows. But he has a good enough vantage point that he should catch a glimpse of the Hero Killer when he finally makes his presence known.

Once that happens, he can unleash his nomu and simply wait for the fallout to strike.

The sooner Stain is taken care of, and Tomura makes it seem as if they are working together, the sooner he can get his family back together.

And, once that happens, he will ensure that things change. He won’t allow his family to be torn apart again. He won’t let what happened to Magne or Twice happen again. And he will not allow All for One to have his way.

He will win, he will burn hero society to the ground, he will rebuild society in his own image, and he will do all of that on his own.

Patience, he tells himself. You can’t accomplish all of that right away.

And he knows that he can’t. So he needs to focus on what he can do for now and, right now, that is getting his family back together.

. . .

Shoto, Deku, and Imperium jump from rooftop to rooftop, easily keeping pace with Eraserhead and Inferno as they parkour-leap from building to building only a few feet in front of them. He knows that the two Pros aren’t moving quite as quickly to ensure that their interns don’t get lost but it’s also to ensure that they are capable of seeing what is occurring around them.

So far, they haven’t encountered any trouble. Most of the other pros that are patrolling the area are on the ground, searching through the darkened alleyways in groups of four or five while Eraserhead and Inferno took to the rooftops of the buildings.

“We won’t be patrolling for long,” Eraserhead says as they come to a stop on top of a tall building and he turns to face them while Inferno moves to the edge of the building and crouches down. “Either Inferno or I will escort you back to the townhouse at midnight if we don’t find anything before then. However, if we do find the Hero Killer before then…”

“We are to stay out of the way and let you handle it,” Deku says, clearly remembering what he and Shoto had promised the day they had handed in their decisions to Eraserhead.

Eraserhead nods.

“Are you sure you won’t need backup?” Imperium asks quietly. “I could use my Quirk on him…”

“That’s supposing that he even responds to you,” says Inferno as he stands up, resting one foot on the edge of the building. “Stain seems like someone who does talk a lot, from what the reports of the other attacks have said, but he also isn’t stupid. He would not have gotten away with as many murders as he has if he had.”

Imperium presses his lips together, his tired eyes scanning the two pros in front of him before he inclines his head. “But if I have the chance, and it means saving a life, shouldn’t I try?” he asks.

Eraserhead is silent for a long moment, studying Imperium through his yellow goggles. Finally, he closes his eyes and lets loose a soft breath. “Stay with me, Imperium,” he says, “and if we do find the Hero Killer, we’ll find a way to get close but also keep you out of eyesight. That may be the best way to utilize your Quirk without putting you in danger,” he says.

“It’s a good plan,” Inferno says, tilting his head to the side and he crouches down, a scowl twisting his lips. “We’ve got trouble. Ms. Joke just gave us the signal. Someone has spotted the Hero Killer.”

“Where?” Eraserhead says.

Inferno raises his hands, signing something that Shoto can’t see from his position. He nods at whatever is signed back to him in response and turns to Eraserhead. “Three blocks down. Native and his team have run into him,” he says.

“Native…” Deku whispers, glancing at Shoto who presses his lips together into a thin line but nods in agreement.

Eraserhead hums and nods. “All right. We’ll head over there. Comet, remain with Inferno at all times. Deku, you and Imperium will remain with me. If Inferno or I tell you to run, do so. And do not look back,” he says firmly.

“Understood,” Deku says and Shoto and Imperium echo his words.

They parkour-leap from building to building, Inferno taking the lead. They are about halfway toward the location that Inferno had gotten when an explosion erupts from an area behind them. Deku skids to a halt and darts to the edge of the building, peering over it and cursing. “Nomu!” he shouts.

Eraserhead curses. “Just like we had been warned would happen,” he says, not glancing at two of the three interns. “How many, Deku?”

“Three.” Just like last time is left unsaid but Shoto knows that Deku is thinking that. He clenches his hands into fists and moves over to join his brother. He doesn’t want to leave the pros that are currently going after the Hero Killer to fight Stain on their own but, at the same time, he also doesn’t want to leave the three nomu to run free.

But I’m not supposed to fight. I promised my brother and Eraserhead that I wouldn’t.

Granted, he had promised not to fight Stain but can he stand a chance against the nomu? He certainly hadn’t been able to do much against the nomu that attacked during the war.

But these aren’t the same nomu.

He shakes his head, pushing that thought out of his mind. He had made a promise and he needs to stick to it. He can tell by the way Deku keeps glancing back in the direction of the explosion, and how he is chewing on his lower lip, that he is likely thinking along the same lines as Shoto.

Inferno stretches his arms above his head, a soft sigh escaping his lips. “I’ll handle the nomu,” he says. “Eraserhead, keep on moving. Back up the heroes that are going after the Hero Killer. Your Quirk can nullify the Hero Killer’s Quirk so you need to be there.”

“Be careful, Inferno, and don’t overdo it,” Eraserhead says firmly.

“I won’t. Comet, you’re coming with me. I want you to focus on helping the pros that aren’t fighting to evacuate the area.”

“Deku, go with them,” Eraserhead says. “Imperium and I will be fine on our own. Inferno, if you see any other pros that aren’t helping with the fight or the evacuation, send them to the location you got from Ms. Joke.”

“Got it. C’mon, Comet, Deku,” Inferno says and launches himself off the roof of the building.

Deku glances over his shoulder at Imperium.

“I’ll be fine,” Imperium says and darts off after Eraserhead as he starts parkour-leaping from one rooftop to the next again.

Deku chews on his lower lip but Shoto gently grabs his arm. “They can handle it,” he says quietly. “Last time, we didn’t have Eraserhead’s Erasure Quirk on our side. This time, they do. Stain won’t be able to use his Quirk if it’s deactivated, and they won’t be alone like Ida was.”

“Right. I just...I don’t want either of them to get hurt,” Deku says quietly.

“I know but, right now, we need to focus on those that are in danger of getting hurt because of those nomu,” says Shoto.

Deku nods. “You’re right.” He turns and, activating One for All, launches into the air, bounding from wall to wall until he is skidding on the ground next to Inferno. Shoto jumps off the building, using his ice to create a ramp that he slides down and then uses his fire to melt the ice quickly.

“Let’s go,” Inferno says and darts down the street in the direction of the plaza that the explosion had come from.

They arrive at the site with pandemonium raging all around them. Several heroes are struggling to keep the massive nomu in the center from making it further into the city. Another nomu is flying through the air with a citizen currently stuck in its talons and Shoto has no idea of where the third nomu is.

Deku launches himself into the air, Blackwhip exploding out of his arms and sailing forward, the black tendrils that erupted out of his left arm wrap around the flying nomu while the ones that came out of his right arm wrap around the citizens. Deku grits his teeth as he jerks his left arm downward, sending the flying nomu flying into the ground, as he dives downward. Shoto shifts his feet, creating an ice ramp that Deku slides down to bring himself to the ground, guiding the citizen behind him. He lowers the citizen to the ground and retracts Blackwhip from around his right arm. The flying nomu shrieks and struggles to break free and Deku grits his teeth as he struggles to keep the flying nomu from getting free.

“Release your Quirk on my command,” Inferno orders.

Deku nods.

Inferno moves forward, bring his hand up. “Flashfire Fist – Jet Burn!” he yells and a surge of brilliant blue flames that surge along his arm condenses into a white hot point at his fist and erupts away from it to sail forward. “Now!”

Deku retracts Blackwhip, deactivating his Quirk and the black tendrils vanish right as the flames crash straight into the flying nomu. It shrieks in agony as the white-hot flames burn through its body and Shoto bites his lip, trying hard to not shake. The last time he had seen his brother use that ability had been during the war, when Dabi had used it on him.

He can still feel the flames, the burning sensation surging through his form, his own screams erupting from his throat before they are abruptly cut off when the flames burn his throat.

“Comet!”

He feels hands on his shoulders and tenses.

“Comet, it’s okay. Breathe, Comet, breathe!”

He feels himself pulled close to someone as he shakes, as he struggles to breathe.

“It’s not Dabi. It’s not him. You’re safe. Dabi doesn’t exist. Your brother is a hero. Remember that. You’re safe. Your brother isn’t Dabi. Your brother is Touya Todoroki. Your brother is a hero known as Inferno. You’re safe. Dabi doesn’t exist.”

The words are whispered, so quiet that only Shoto can hear them.

“Follow my voice. Listen to me. Breathe. In. Out.”

He follows the instructions, breathing in slowly and letting it out slowly and repeating the process until he feels the panic fade. The phantom pain fades and the lingering mirage of blue flames engulfing his entire body fade away.

He slowly lifts his head and gazes around but Inferno isn’t around. “W...Where’s T...er...Inferno?” he begins.

“He was a bit startled when you started screaming,” Deku says quietly, “but, before he could see what was wrong, the other nomu in the plaza broke free and started heading toward us. He told me to get you out of here. I think you were too lost in the flashback to notice when I moved you.”

He swallows and gazes around, realizing that he isn’t on the edge of the plaza anymore but, rather, in an alley not far from the plaza that is currently engulfed in flames, both normal and bright blue. “Where is he? Where’s my brother?” he says as he gazes around rapidly because he doesn’t want to be the reason why his brother got hurt. He hadn’t expected to react that badly when his brother used his Quirk, or even that move, but he should have known that he would react badly. He should have known.

And he should have warned Deku.

A crash sounds and Shoto jerks his head up in time to see two pro heroes slumping to the ground from where they had crashed into the building. Shoto scrambles to his feet and moves to the mouth of the alley in time to see a sight that he doubts he will ever see again.

There’s his brother, blue flames engulfing his form.

But, right beside him with flames engulfing his entire form, is Endeavor.

They are right beside each other, their flames surging forward to engulf the massive nomu that is in front of them. Their flames are spiraling together, bright and deadly as it continuously surges around the nomu.

“They’re working together…” Deku whispers in shock.

The massive nomu roars as parts of its body regenerate and it surges forward.

“Right, forgot about that.” Deku darts forward. “Endeavor! Inferno! It can’t regenerate if its cells are carbonized! And its head is its weak point!”

Inferno jerks his head ever so slightly to the side but yanks his hands upward and blue flames surge away from him, crashing into the nomu’s head. Endeavor surges forward and grasps the exposed brain that is already engulfed in blue flames and his own Hellflame erupts from his hands. The nomu shrieks but its shrieks are quickly cut off as the Hellflame and blue flames incinerate its head.

Inferno stumbles back and falls to his knees, doubling over and clutching his arms to him.

Shoto bolts toward his brother’s side, carefully dodging around the flames that have yet to be put out, and falls to his knees beside him. “Brother,” he whispers.

Inferno takes a deep, ragged breath and releases it, repeating the process a few times but Shoto can see the burns that tore vicious scars into his arms. He isn’t sure of how far the burns reached but he suspects that it isn’t just his brother’s arms.

“You fool,” Endeavor says, turning around to face Inferno, a scowl twisting his lips. “You know that your body can’t handle your flames when you use it too much like that.”

“Don’t even, old man,” Inferno snaps, glaring at Endeavor with fire burning in his turquoise eyes. “I knew what I was doing. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, and you know it,” Endeavor retorts, the flames around his head flaring in irritation.

“I did what I had to do to stop that nomu,” Inferno retorts as he shakily gets to his feet and Shoto winces upon seeing that there are fresh burn wounds along his neck. He realizes that if his brother isn’t careful then he’s going to end up with burn scars just as bad as the ones that Dabi had in the future Shoto comes from.

“Please don’t over do it next time, Brother,” he says quietly. “I don’t like seeing you when you’re hurt.”

Inferno gazes at him and lets loose a breath but nods. “I’ll try,” he says. He straightens and gazes around. “There was a third nomu around here.”

Endeavor’s flames flare. “Where?” he demands.

“I was too busy taking care of the flying one, and this one, to really pay attention to that. You could have seen since you got here so late after all,” Inferno retorts.

“So childish,” Endeavor retorts. “How did you become a pro hero?”

“Spite, and because I knew what I wanted to use my Quirk for, to save and protect people.” Inferno scans the area and moves over to join one of the pros that are helping to guide some citizens away from the flames. “Did you see where the third nomu went?”

“I saw it take off that way,” the pro hero says, pointing in the direction that Inferno, Deku, and Shoto had come in.

Deku’s face pales and Shoto curses.

“Imperium and Eraserhead,” Deku whispers and, turning, takes off running.

“Deku!” Shoto darts after him because Eraserhead and Imperium don’t know about the third nomu that is heading right toward them. They need to be warned.

. . .

“Comet! Deku! Damn it! You’re supposed to stay with me,” Touya yells as he starts to dart after the two interns.

His body decides, at that moment, to give out on him.

He snarls out a curse as he collapses. His entire body burns. Arms, legs, chest, throat. Everything. He had used far too much of his flames and now he’s paying the price for it. He knows that there’s a reason why he doesn’t use his Quirk that often. He may not like his father but his father is right. He has his mother’s constitution and his father’s flames, which is a deadly combination because his body isn’t as resistant to his high-temperature flames as it should be.

But he hadn’t thought of that when trying to stop both of those nomu. All he had thought is that the citizens, and his little brother and Deku, had been in danger and he had the power to defeat them.

He turns his head. “Endeavor!” He barks out. “That nomu is heading in the same direction as the Hero Killer! Eraserhead and his intern are in that direction along with a decent sized group of pros. But they aren’t expecting the nomu.” He quickly gives Endeavor the coordinates that Ms. Joke had signed to him.

He doesn’t like relying on, or even working with, his bastard of a father but, right now, his father is the only one who actually has the power to take down the nomu on his own. He may have arrived late to this fight, and Touya hadn’t needed his help anyway, but he could have taken out the nomu on his own.

If he had arrived earlier, Touya might not be in the position that he is currently in.

But it’s not as if he can blame Endeavor—though he really wants to do so, just out of spite—because, truthfully, he hadn’t even known his father was in Hosu City to begin with. Endeavor showing up out of nowhere had been just as much a surprise to him as it had to the other pros still in the plaza.

But his little brother and his little brother’s boyfriend are heading straight into danger, are following the nomu and heading straight toward the Hero Killer himself.

And Endeavor is really the only one who can actually do something about the nomu before it can cause anymore damage or hurt the two students that are, recklessly, chasing after it.

He curses as he tries to get to his feet because he wants to help. He needs to help. He needs to get to his little brother’s side and protect him. That is what he vowed to do, that was the promise he made so many years ago. He needs to help him, to protect him.

His body won’t cooperate.

“Stay down.”

The voice that echoes above him doesn’t sound like one of the other pros.

“The others have gone to backup Mr. Number 2.” There is such snide, coolness in the voice but Touya finds that he can’t even lift his head. His body is hurting so much that even breathing hurts.

“Who are you?” a pro says.

“A...friend, shall we say? I’ll keep an eye on him. You should go help your companions.”

“Are you a vigilante?”

“If I am, I haven’t done anything wrong. I didn’t even participate in the fight. I’m just trying to ensure that the Hero Killer, and that creature, don’t harm anyone else by sending Mr. Number 2 backup. Go on. I know first aid. I can help him.”

Funny enough, Touya is absolutely positive the person that is at his side was being very sarcastic with those first three words. In fact, he doesn’t sound like he really means any of the words that he says, except for those last two statements. For some reason, he gets the feeling that the strange person means those last two statements but nothing of what else he had just said.

But no one else seems to have picked up on it because he hears the sound of feet running away from the scene.

He tries to turn his head but finds that he still can’t without agony coursing through him.

“You certainly put your body through the ringer.” He feels hand rest on his arms and lets loose a soft breath when the familiar cool sensation of burn cream is rubbed into his arms. “You’re lucky that I noticed what was happening and got the necessary medical supplies that were needed.”

“Who…?” His voice cut out on him.

“A friend...from a long time ago...or, perhaps, from what could have been…” The voice sounds wistful, oddly sad and nostalgic, but there is an undercurrent of icy anger that Touya can’t even begin to understand.

“I had suspected it was one person but, seeing you now, I wonder if I had miscalculated. Hmm, I am going to have to find out the truth as soon as I can because this is far too major a change for it to be caused by a single person.”

He winces as the strange voice presses more burn cream into his other arm.

“I won’t be able to get your back or your legs. You’ll have to actually get treatment at a hospital for that. But I did what I could for now.”

“Who are you?” Touya asks again because the voice’s first answer hadn’t been satisfying enough.

He hears movement at his side and manages to turn his head, ignoring the pain. His eyes widen upon seeing who is kneeling at his side, peering down at him with calm crimson eyes set in a pale, scarred face with locks of light blue hair framing it. He recognizes that face from the video surveillance he had seen of the U.S.J. incident.

“Shigaraki…” he whispers and grits his teeth, trying to get up, trying to do something, anything.

“Relax,” Shigaraki says, sitting back on his heels. “I don’t have anything against you. Seeing you here was a major shock, and a major change that I hadn’t anticipated. But I have to wonder how this came about.” He smiles. It’s a cruel smile that sends a cold chill run down Touya’s spine. “I guess I’ll find out when I speak to a certain someone. I suspect your brother had a hand in this.”

“You stay...away from my brother…” Touya snarls, trying to get to his feet again. “I’ll kill you if you hurt him!”

“So protective. Yes, that is such a major change. Relax. I have no intention of killing your brother, at least not right now. He is a thorn in my side but, right now, he is not on my radar.” Shigaraki stands up and gazes down at Touya who continues to glare at him, continues to try to get up, try to do something.

“Don’t be a fool and move like an idiot, Todoroki Touya,” Shigaraki says with a cool smile once again crossing his lips. “I could have easily killed you but I didn’t after all.”

“Why? Why leave me alive?” Touya demands.

“Why?” Shigaraki’s eyes take on a nostalgic gleam. “Because of what could have been…” He turns and strides off without another word, leaving Touya with far more questions than answers.

. . .

Izuku continues to move as swiftly as he possibly can after the nomu, bouncing from one building to the next. He’s very much aware that he is completely disobeying both Inferno and Eraserhead but he has to, at least, warn them about the nomu that is heading their way. He knows that’s part of the reason why Comet is following him.

He just has to get ahead of the nomu. Going over the rooftops might be the quickest way that he can do that so he launches himself onto the roof. A surge of ice erupts behind him and Comet is at his side in an instant, the ice melting behind him as the two of them start parkour-leaping from one rooftop to the next.

“Do you know the location of the Hero Killer?” Comet asks.

“I don’t but if he caught Native then maybe, just maybe, he might be in the same alley that we found him in last time,” says Izuku. “It’s a long shot but I remember that it had been in this direction, in the same direction Eraserhead and Imperium had gone in when we split up.”

“It’s as good a guess as any,” Comet says.

They continue to leap from rooftop to rooftop until Izuku nears the area where he had found the Hero Killer last time around. He skids to a halt on top of the building next to the alleyway and turns to Comet. “Do you see the nomu?”

Comet moves to the edge of the building. “I don’t see it. We may have lost it,” he says.

“We’ll still warn them just in case it finds its way here,” Izuku says and moves to the edge of the building, gritting his teeth upon seeing that the fight below is already pretty much going against the pro heroes. The Hero Killer is, indeed, there and seems to be holding his own in spite of the fact that he is up against three Underground Heroes and a few sidekicks as well.

There is no sign of Eraserhead or Imperium.

Native is there, slumped against the wall with blood falling from the wound on his shoulder.

Izuku grits his teeth, clenching his hands into fists. He wants nothing more than to leap down there and get Native and the sidekick that he can see laying on the ground with blood flowing from a wound in his arm, out of there.

But he had been told to stay out of this fight. He had been told to not get in the way of the other pros.

He had promised that he wouldn’t get in the middle of this.

Comet grits his teeth as he comes to Izuku’s side, his eyes traveling to the two injured heroes. “Where are Eraserhead and Imperium?” he whispers.

Izuku shakes his head. He doesn’t know.

“Fakes! All of you!” Stain yells as he dodges out of the way of one of the pros’ attacks. “You can’t kill me! I won’t let you! I’ll stain my hands with the blood of the false heroes that make up this society if it means cleansing it of that falsehood!”

“Just like last time. His presence…” Izuku shivers because his presence is still incredibly intimidating and malicious, causing a cold chill to run down his spine. Comet is trembling, eyes wide.

“I had forgotten how...malicious and strong his presence is…” his whispers.

A shout of surprise erupts and Izuku jerks his head toward the alley, surprise rushing through him upon seeing that Imperium had made an appearance. He is crouched at the edge of the alley, his capture weapon that Izuku knows Eraserhead had only just started teaching him how to use in the weeks before the Sports Festival currently wrapped around one of the heroes. It’s the hero that Stain had just been about to stab.

He yanks the hero out of Stain’s way.

Stain pivots. “A child?” he says.

“I won’t let you harm anyone else here,” Imperium says firmly.

“A mere child is standing…” Stain goes still, eyes blanking and Imperium smiles in triumph.

“Disarm all of your weapons and do not resist arrest,” Imperium says firmly.

Stain, eyes still blank, starts to remove his weapons and Izuku smiles. Maybe, just maybe, that’s all that it would take.

At least, that is the case until something comes sailing out of nowhere to sink into Stain’s shoulder. Stain hisses in pain and jerks back, whipping his head around while Imperium’s eyes widen and he curses.

“The shock of the stab! It knocked him out of Imperium’s Brainwashing,” Comet says in shock.

“But who?” Izuku turns but all he sees is a swirl of darkness that vanishes so swiftly like mist in sunlight.

A swirl of darkness...like a warp gate…

Shigaraki…

But Shigaraki isn’t working with the Hero Killer. Izuku had discovered that in the future. So why would he help the Hero Killer now? It just doesn’t make sense.

But, for some reason, that bad feeling that Izuku has been feeling since before the final match of the Sports Festival thrums within him, reminding him that it’s still there.

He has a sickening feeling that the bad feeling that has been bothering him for so long has something to do with Tomura Shigaraki.

And he doesn’t like it.

But he doesn’t like that Stain has turned his attention to Imperium now.

“You are but a child. This is not your fight,” Stain says. “Leave now.”

“I won’t leave. I won’t let you harm anyone else again. I’m a hero and a hero protects those who can’t protect themselves.” Imperium shouts.

Stain smiles but he doesn’t respond.

He figured it out.

“You false heroes are nothing more than fakes! And the ones you train are going to be just as fake as you all!” Stain shouts and Izuku realizes that he isn’t speaking to Imperium but, rather, to the other heroes that are still trying to get up as he lunges forward.

He had figured it out.

Izuku can’t just sit back and do nothing. I’m sorry, Aizawa-sensei. He launches himself over the edge of the building, surging forward and slamming a fist straight into Stain’s face, sending him stumbling backwards.

“Deku?!” Imperium says. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to save you, to save all of you,” Izuku says firmly as he feels One for All crackling around him. “I won’t let you harm them. Imperium! Start escorting the other pros out of here.”

“You…” Stain grins as he tilts his head back. “Putting others ahead of yourself, trying to get those who are injured out of here first, protecting them. You...yes...you are someone that is worthy of being kept alive. But the others. They must die. Step aside, boy.”

He acknowledged me just like last time. Izuku clenches his hands into fists, prepared to call upon 45% of One for All. “I won’t let you harm them,” he says firmly. “I’ll protect them with everything that I have!”

Stain’s grin gets wider. “Yes, you are indeed worthy. I will give you one last chance. Step aside, boy.”

“Never!”

Stain raises his katana. “Then I have no choice. The false heroes must perish!” He lunges forward and Izuku tenses, preparing to leap forward.

Only for a capture weapon to surge forward out of nowhere and Eraserhead is there, yanking Stain up and ramming his knee straight into Stain’s face. Stain is sent stumbling back but Eraserhead, grabbing the capture weapon, whirls around around and throws Stain into the wall. Stain hisses in pain but pushes away from it, surging forward, raising his katana.

Izuku prepares to attack.

“Don’t even think about it, Deku,” Eraserhead says firmly as he dodges out of the way. “Focus on the others! Get them out of here. And don’t even think about helping, Comet. I can handle this.” He twists out of the way to avoid the katana that Stain swipes toward his side.

“He has more blades on him than just his katanas, and spikes in his boots. Whatever you do, don’t let him ingest your blood,” Izuku calls.

Eraserhead inclines his head and Izuku, in spite of the worry that goes through him at the thought of leaving Eraserhead to fight the Hero Killer on his own, decides to leave it in his hands. He darts over to join Native and, kneeling down, gently helps the other hero onto his back. Imperium is helping the sidekick to his feet while Comet, having jumped down from the roof, is helping another hero up.

Izuku guides Native out of the alley and glances over his shoulder, wincing upon seeing the Hero Killer’s blade slam into Eraserhead’s shoulder. Eraserhead jumps back as Stain yanks the blade back but his eyes flash red, his hair floating around him, as Stain brings the blade to his lips. Stain smirks at that.

“The Erasure Hero – Eraserhead,” Stain says. “A false hero that can erase the Quirk of anyone that he is looking at. It seems even your Quirk works with me. But you still won’t win! All false heroes shall fall. The only one that I shall allow to kill me is All Might! The one true hero!”

Stain surges forward and Eraserhead dodges out of the way, his eyes still glowing red as he keeps his Quirk activated.

Izuku grits his teeth. Stain is so fast that he is even managing to avoid getting caught by Eraserhead’s capture weapon again. Stain tears through any attack that Eraserhead throws at him and surges forward and, suddenly, Izuku is overwhelmed by an image, of a bloodstained Eraserhead with blood pouring from his hastily amputated leg.

He can’t let something like that happen again. He can’t.

“Wait, Deku!”

But he’s on the move before he even realizes it. He surges forward, One for All crackling around him, powered up to 45%. One for All – Shoot Style – St. Louis Smash! He swings his leg, crashing it straight into Stain’s side, sending him flying down the hallway to crash hard enough into the stone wall on the other side of the alley that it cracks.

Izuku lands in a skid and would have gone after Stain again if Eraserhead’s capture weapon hadn’t wrapped around him in that instant, and his Quirk hadn’t, abruptly, cut off.

“What do you think you’re doing? I told you to leave!” Eraserhead hisses, eyes glowing red and his hair floating around.

“I couldn’t...He would have…” Izuku is trembling. He can’t even stop the tears that are streaking down his face. “I couldn’t watch you get hurt again! I couldn’t bear it!”

Eraserhead lets loose a sigh and yanks Izuku closer to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You really are a major Problem Child,” he murmurs. “But that does confirm what I had suspected when you first broke down after telling me of when you come from.”

He deactivates his Quirk and turns his gaze to Stain who hasn’t moved. “I think you kicked him too hard though.”

“I...used the maximum amount of power that I can use without breaking anything…” Izuku whispers, still shaking, still with tears streaking down his face, still unable to get the image of his bloodstained teacher out of his mind.

Eraserhead turns his head. “We need someone to help restrain Stain,” he orders.

Two heroes that are still capable of standing and walking immediately rush forward. They make sure to remove all of Stain’s weapons before tying his arms behind his back and guiding him toward the mouth of the alleyway.

Eraserhead follows them and, though he removes the capture weapon from around Izuku, he still keeps his arm around his shoulders. “Why are you even here?” he says. “You were supposed to be with Inferno, both of you.”

“We were but one of the three nomu escaped and we came to warn you,” Comet says.

“Where’s Inferno?”

Comet winces and looks down. “He...overdid it with his Quirk. I hope the other heroes are helping him because he was badly injured when we left,” he says.

Eraserhead lets loose another breath. “You should have stayed with him but I suppose I cannot fault you for wanting to warn us. Where is the third nomu?” he says to Izuku as the other heroes come forward and guide Comet away, asking him if he’s injured anywhere.

“It was heading in this direction but we aren’t sure where…”

“Found it.” That’s the only thing that Eraserhead says before he is shoving Izuku to one side and leaping to another while the other heroes leap to the other side as well, just in time to avoid the nomu that comes barreling toward them. The nomu twists and lunges toward the person closest to it, which happens to be Izuku.

“Deku!” Comet yells, whirling around while Eraserhead starts toward him.

But someone else beats him to the nomu.

Stain is there, leaping into the air and plunging a small dagger straight into the brain of the nomu and twisting it as the nomu crashes onto the ground. Izuku stares in utter shock.

Stain had saved his life, just like last time.

It had happened different but it ended up being the same.

“That other nomu...where is…?” Endeavor darts forward and stops upon seeing Stain who is crouched in front of Izuku. Eraserhead has his capture weapon at the ready, a scowl twisting his lips.

“Stain!” Endeavor starts forward.

“There’s a kid behind him,” one pro yells.

“We can’t get near him. He might harm the kid,” another pro shouts.

Eraserhead curses.

Imperium grits his teeth while Comet clenches his hands into fists.

Stain takes a step forward. “If I don’t fix it...if someone isn’t...stained with blood…! If heroes aren’t restored…!!” He takes another step forward and Izuku shivers, eyes wide as the same oppressive aura fills the arena that is enough to drive most of the pro heroes off their feet. Imperium and Comet, even though he has experienced this before, are among those. Even Eraserhead and Endeavor are taking a step back.

“Come!” Stain yells. “Just try me...you fakes! The only one allowed to kill me is…All Might, a true hero!”

And, just like last time, his words are abruptly cut off. His body goes still, unconscious but still standing true to his ideals, still standing against all of them.

. . .

Tomura leans back against the leg of the water tower that Kurogiri had dropped him off at after he intervened upon seeing the student his spy had warned him had a Brainwashing Quirk—he wishes that he had known that before this timeline’s U.S.J. incident. It would have fucking helped—use that Quirk on the Hero Killer. It just won’t do if the Hero Killer doesn’t get his chance to make his statement, the same statement that drew so many followers to his creed, those same followers who will soon become Tomura’s own followers, and his own family.

“It worked out rather well,” Tomura says and tilts his head to the side. “The reporters should be here. Let’s wait and watch the fallout, shall we?”

“You want us to be seen here, don’t you?” Kurogiri says.

“I want everyone to know that the Hero Killer and the League are connected, yes.”

“You want to claim the Hero Killer’s followers for your own. That’s why you did this. You want everyone to believe that you and the Hero Killer are working together because it will lead to you gaining the Hero Killer’s own followers as your own.”

“I did tell you that I wished to work toward recruitment, after all. And this…works well to accomplish that.” Tomura turns his binoculars to the plaza where he had left Dabi.

But, no, it’s not Dabi. It’s Touya Todoroki.

Something must have happened in the past of this timeline to cause Touya to not become Dabi, to not become a villain.

And Tomura is positive that it has to do with the others that are meddling with the timeline. He smiles to himself. There is more than one person meddling with time on the heroes’ end. I see that now. Touya Todoroki not becoming Dabi, in spite of the fact that this did happen the last time around, is proof of that.

And Tomura is positive he knows of who they are.

He can think of three off the top of his head.

And, soon, he will confirm that truth from one of the three that are on his mind right now.

Midoriya Izuku...I know that you have something to do with this. You have always been the biggest thorn in my side, more so than anyone else. And, yet, you are also the key to helping me get two major obstacles out of my way.

But, for now, he must prepare himself for when he gathers his family back together.

Chapter Text

Katsuki throws his bag down and slides into his seat, barely paying attention to the others that are chatting about their internships. It’s all the same stories, though Katsuki is sure what happened in Hosu City went differently. Even though Endeavor still took the credit for capturing the Hero Killer, something tells him that there’s more to the story than that. Even if Four Eyes hadn’t been present this time around, Icyhot, Zuku, and Brainwasher had, since they were interning with Aizawa and the Flameball who were in Hosu City.

“Okay, spill, what the fuck happened this time around?” Katuski says as Icyhot moves over to join them. Aizawa hasn’t showed up yet so Katsuki knows that he has some time to talk with his fellow time travelers.

“Similar to last time,” Izuku says, keeping his voice low. “Shigaraki released three nomu into the city at the same time the Hero Killer was found so we weren’t able to prevent that.”

“Fuck.”

“Thankfully, Shoto, Shinso, and I didn’t actually fight the Hero Killer. The only thing I did was punch him, and then kick him into a wall, but Aizawa-sensei was able to make it seem as if he had been the one that did that so none of us got into trouble.”

“The fucking flaming pile of garbage still took credit though.”

“Only because Aizawa isn’t one for the spotlight. He’s an Underground Hero. He’s not going to broadcast who he is for all the world to see, so Endeavor just kinda got the credit,” says Shoto.

“Bet he’s fucking pissed,” Katsuki says with a sharp grin on his lips.

“He was already pissed by the fact that I was doing my internship with Touya-nii,” Shoto admits, “so this just made his anger worse. No one was seriously hurt though and that’s really all that matters, right?”

“It is,” Izuku says with a nod. “I’m glad that neither Aizawa-sensei or Todoroki-sensei lost their teaching licenses, as had happened to Gran Torino, Manual, and Endeavor the last time around.”

Shoto nods in agreement.

Izuku turns to gaze at Katsuki. “How was your internship with Mirko, Kacchan?” he asks.

Katsuki grins as he thinks back to his internship. Unlike the last time around, when he hadn’t really done much with Best Jeanist, his internship with Mirko was far more involved. Not only did he actually get to train with the Number 8 Hero but he also got to help her out on the field. Sure, he hadn’t gotten to fight any villains—he fucking hates that he has to go through the whole fucking process of getting his provisional hero license again—but it had still been engaging.

“It went far better than the last time around,” he says. He doesn’t elaborate as the other students listen to Froggy talk about her internship. Just like last time, she helped to catch some smugglers with Selkie, Sirius, and the rest of Selkie’s agency.

“I think all of our internships went far better this time around,” Izuku admits, rubbing the back of his neck with a faint smile before he leans forward, pulling out his notebook as he adds, “But now we have Finals to think about.”

“Last time, Touya-nii wasn’t part of the faculty,” says Shoto. “Do you think that’ll change the pairings?”

“Likely so,” says Izuku.

Katsuki tilts his head to the side and jerks his head, a scowl twisting his lips.

Izuku immediately falls silent and doesn’t open his notebook.

“Hey Katsuki!” Kirishima says as he strides forward, slinging his arm around Katsuki’s shoulders. “How’d your internship go?!”

“Good. What about yours?” Katsuki throws Kirishima’s arm off his shoulders as he speaks but, as expected, his boyfriend isn’t the slightest bit fazed.

“It was great! I ended up doing my internship with Tetsutetsu. It’s not even funny anymore how alike we are.”

“Tch, you ain’t nothing like fucking Metal Rod,” he replies with a roll of his eyes.

“Wow, is Bakugo having a decent conversation with someone?” Sero gasps, poking his head between Kirishima and Katsuki.

Katsuki shoves him away. “Fuck off. Kirishima isn’t as fucking annoying as you, Tape Face,” he retorts.

“Hey. I’m not that annoying,” Sero protests with a pout.

Katsuki rolls his eyes. “Whatever,” he says and, pushing away from the desk, strides back to his desk as Aizawa makes his way into the classroom, Todoroki walking after him. The white-haired eldest Todoroki leans against the building, arms folded across his chest, though Katsuki sees bandages wrapped around his arms and his neck.

“Let’s begin,” Aizawa says and Katsuki pulls his attention away from the eldest Todoroki and focuses on the teacher.

The rest of the day passes by in a blur and, before he knows it, it’s time for their Heroics class. Just like last time, All Might has them do a rescue race where they can show what they had learned during their internships. Izuku is part of the first group, just like last time though the groups have changed, but doesn’t use his Shoot Style. Instead, he uses Blackwhip and Katsuki has to admit that what he learned from Aizawa during the three days before the fight with the Hero Killer is definitely coming in handy.

But Katsuki will still be stronger.

“Wow. Midoriya’s control over that new Quirk of his is amazing,” Dunce Face says in shock.

“Yeah. He’s only had it for a few weeks and he’s already gotten such a good hang on it,” Tape Face says. “His movements kinda remind me of me, and of Aizawa-sensei too.”

“He did intern with Aizawa-sensei so that’s probably why,” Raccoon Eyes says with a grin as she cheers Izuku on as the dark-green-haired boy continues to swing from pipe to pipe, green lightning crackling around his form.

Unlike last time, when he slipped, this time, Izuku makes it to All Might first, swinging up from one of the pipes using Blackwhip and landing, in a skid, in front of All Might. Froggy makes it to All Might next with Four Eyes, Arms, and Sparkles coming in right behind them, one after another, though with some minutes between the last two.

“Very good, you five,” says All Might with a proud smile. “All right, head on back. Let’s get the next group ready. The next group will be Shinso Hitoshi, Bakugo Katsuki, Kaminari Denki, Yaoyorozu Momo, and Jirou Kyoka.”

Katsuki grins as he cracks his knuckles and makes his way toward the entrance to the fake industrial area with the rest of his group. Frankly speaking, the only one he really needs to watch out for is Ponytail since her Quirk can still make pretty much anything. Brainwasher does have the capture scarf wrapped around his neck so he figures that he’ll probably use that too.

He is right. The instant the exercise starts, and Katsuki is in the air with his explosions propelling him higher, Brainwasher’s capture scarf is wrapping onto pipes and he using them to pull himself up and darting along the pipes. As expected, Ponytail has created grappling hooks that she’s using to climb the buildings and pipes and is running along them.

He keeps to the air, using his explosions to propel him across the industrial area, heading straight toward where All Might is standing. He isn’t surprised at all when he lands on the ground in front of All Might first, a smirk on his lips.

“Good job, Young Bakugo,” All Might says, giving him a thumbs up.

“Ha, child’s fucking play,” Katsuki says.

All Might just gives him an exasperated smile. “Not everyone has your experience, Young Bakugo,” he reminds him and turns his gaze to the rest of the students as they slowly start to trickle closer. Brainwasher ends up getting there next, with Ponytail not far behind them and Dunce Face and Earlobes are the last two to arrive.

. . .

The weeks go by and, before long, it’s the middle of June. Finals are two weeks away and Shouta finds himself sitting in on a meeting with the rest of the teachers, drinking his coffee and listening to the other teachers talk about who to pair with who for the final exam. He remembers the warning from his time traveling Problem Children and knows that he needs to find some way to give all of his students a better chance of passing the final.

He already knows, based on what an exasperated Midoriya told him, that Bakugo took it upon himself to drag Sero, Kirishima, Ashido, Sato, and Kaminari into impromptu studying sessions a lot over the course of the past several weeks. Midoriya informed him that it isn’t just study sessions. It’s also training sessions in the controlled environment of one of the gyms Shouta remembered he requested to use a month ago.

He hopes it will be enough.

He listens to the pairings until they get down to the ones he decides to give his input on. “I will agree with Kirishima and Sato versus Cementoss,” he says as he puts his coffee down. “They both rely too much on their Quirks and, going up against someone like Cementoss will force them to think far more critically to win.”

Cementoss nods in agreement.

“What about Yaoyorozu?” asks Present Mic, tilting his head to the side.

“Yaoyorozu is an exceptional student,” says Shouta. “Her intelligence is rivaled by very few and she is capable of thinking fast and on her feet, as she proved during her fight against Ashido during the Sports Festival. Ashido, on the other hand, is someone who greatly underestimates her opponents. She’s a bit cocky and jumps headfirst into situations. She could use someone as level-headed as Yaoyorozu aiding her.”

“You want to team them together?” Power Loader asks.

Shouta nods. “I think that Yaoyorozu provides a counter balance for Ashido. However, they should go up against someone that they cannot underestimate to help Ashido overcome her tendency to underestimate her opponent’s, which she can learn with Yaoyorozu’s aid,” he says. He turns his head. “Touya.”

“Hah?” Touya blinks at him. “Wait, you want me to be part of these finals? I’m just an assistant, y’know?”

“I know where Aizawa is going with this, and I’ll approve it,” Principal Nezu says.

Touya shrugs. “Fine with me,” he says. “I don’t think any of the students have even seen me use my Quirk, or seen me fight before.”

“That leaves Kaminari, Sero, Shinso, Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki,” says All Might.

Shouta leans back in his seat, gazing at the Number 1 Hero. “Bakugo and Todoroki versus you,” he says.

Everyone starts while All Might actually coughs up blood. “What?” All Might says.

“I think that pitting two of our strongest students against the Number 1 Hero will help them gain some humility and learn that, sometimes, it’s better to run and get help than to fight. I think that is a lesson those two still need to learn.” He doesn’t know of what happens in the future but, based on his own observations, he thinks that they could use a reminder of that lesson.

“I agree,” Nezu says.

All Might lets loose a breath but nods. “All right. I will agree with that,” he says.

“Let’s have Kaminari and Sero go against me,” Midnight says, a smile on her lips as she licks them. “Given what I have observed about them in my classes, I think it would work well.”

“Agreed,” Nezu says.

“That leaves Midoriya and Shinso versus me,” Shouta says and smiles, eyes sharp and feral. “With the emergence of his second Quirk, Midoriya does seem to rely a bit on his Quirk whereas Shinso is still learning how to fight with what he has on him, given that his Quirk is not combative. Not only that but Shinso can benefit from Midoriya’s analytical skill and Midoriya can benefit from Shinso’s non-Quirk-combat skills, since he has been training to fight since before he even started at U.A.”

Nezu hums but nods. “I will agree with that,” he says. “Now then, why don’t we turn our attention to the training camp.”

Shouta leans back in his chair as he listens to them discuss the training camp. They do mention several new security measures to be taken, in light of what happened at the U.S.J., and Shouta does hope it will be enough. He may not know, for sure, if All for One is going to go after Midoriya but he will do everything in his power to keep all of his Problem Children safe from that man.

He can only hope the security measures being put into place will be enough. He knows that, somehow, the League found out about the training camp in the timeline his time traveling Problem Children come from, and he knows chances are high there is a traitor in U.A.

That leaves a sickening feeling in Shouta’s gut. He doesn’t like the fact that he may have to look at his colleagues, or his own students, as a traitor but there’s just no other explanation for how the League found out about the training camp in the last timeline in spite of how Midoriya told him U.A. took extra care to ensure the camp’s location remained a secret until the last possible moment.

He rubs his temples. All of this time traveling shit is starting to give him a headache, and he isn’t even the one who jumped through time. No, it’s the three most powerful, and yet also most traumatized, students in his entire class that are the ones that jumped through time. Hell, he knows, for a fact, that them being from the future is the main reason why they are far more traumatized than the rest of his students.

He pushes the thought aside as he refocuses his attention to Nezu’s plan for the training camp. He’s glad that they are taking extra precautions in who they are going to have watching over the training camp, who they are going to allow to know about the location of the camp, and what security will be necessary.

Upon the mention of the date and time when the training camp will take place, Shouta leans forward. “Perhaps we can not discuss that just yet,” he says and, when all eyes turn to him, he adds, “we know that the League has been targeting the hero students, based on the U.S.J. incident, but, to be extra cautious, perhaps the location of the camp, and the time in which we leave, should not be disclosed until the day of, perhaps even only a few hours beforehand.”

Nezu hums. “You think if we decide on a time and date too soon, the League could find out about it?” he asks.

Hizashi frowns, leaning forward. “If that’s the case then wouldn’t that mean there’s an informant inside U.A.?” he asks.

Everyone starts at that and Shouta presses his lips together. He hadn’t wanted to bring that matter up but, in hindsight, he supposes it’s better that it’s brought up now, as opposed to later on. But, at the same time, if they discuss this matter then it may tip off the informant, if the informant is one of the teachers.

“If that is the case then there is no way of knowing who is the informant because none of us can truly prove whether we are the informant or not,” says Nezu. “Even I cannot prove that about my self. I do not think anyone can.”

“All Might might be the only one who isn’t the traitor, and that’s really only because of the fact that the League has been trying to kill him since the U.S.J. incident,” says Shouta.

“Not only that but just who the League is working for is the main reason why I am not the informant,” says All Might, glancing toward Nezu and Shouta, the former of whom presses his lips together, clasping his paws in front of him.

“You think it’s him, even though he’s supposed to be dead?” he asks.

“I know it’s him,” All Might says with firm conviction in his voice.

And we only know it’s All for One because of Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki, Shouta thinks but he knows that he can’t explain that to the rest of the teachers, even more so if there is a traitor among the faculty. If the League finds out that three of the hero students are actually from the future, and have knowledge of what is to come including the League’s own plans that involve them, then they will be in even more danger than they already are.

But he can see the confusion in the eyes of the rest of the teachers.

“Who are you talking about?” Nemuri asks.

Nezu lets loose a breath. “We do not know, for sure, if it is this person,” he says, “because we have all been operating under the belief that this person has been dead for the past six years. There is no irrefutable evidence that he’s still alive so there is no point in truly worrying about it.”

The way he says that suggests that he doesn’t really believe his words but Shouta, who is sitting right next to the rat-bear-dog creature, can see by the way his little paws are shaking and knows that he is incredibly worried about whether this is true or not. He finds himself wondering if he should speak to his Problem Children about getting Nezu into their confidence. They can truly benefit from having the genius on their side, and Shouta is positive that Nezu isn’t the traitor. Not only would he never work with someone who creates creatures like the Nomu, given how he had been treated as a lab rat himself, but there’s just nothing for Nezu to truly gain by joining the League of Villains.

“If we also bring attention to the fact that we believe this person is alive, then that informant may inform the League,” Hizashi says with a scowl. “But who is this person?”

“Unless any of us can prove that we are truly innocent, all of us are suspects,” says Nezu gravelly. “That will make it harder for us with the training camp, which is why we won’t be including a major hero presence with the students. Of course, the students Homeroom teachers will be overseeing it, as well as Touya given that he is an assistant to both Aizawa and Sekijiro, but I am thinking of contracting a hero group that isn’t affiliated with U.A. at all to aid in overseeing and teaching at the training camp. Beyond that, I believe it would be best if we take Aizawa’s advice to heart and wait until the very day of the training camp, if we cannot push it to only an hour or so before departure, before we reveal the location.”

“We could try giving out a false date too,” Touya suggests suddenly, leaning forward, eyes narrowing. “If there is an informant who tells the League about the training camp occurring say a week or so before or after it actually occurs then that could be enough to stop the League from trying something.”

“It’s a risk, even more so if someone in this room is the informant because, then, the League will know that the date giving out is a false one,” says Nemuri. “We can’t do a fake date too soon too, even more so because the students do have a week off for summer vacation, and I know that many of them already have plans. Yaoyorozu was talking about the tickets she received to attend the expo on I-Island after all.”

“Yes, and I am planning on going to I-Island myself, at the behest of my goddaughter,” says All Might.

Shouta hums and decides to ask his time traveling Problem Children about what to look out for on I-Island.

“Then, perhaps, we can put the date for the training camp as one week after it so that the students will be in the safety of their own homes, relaxing and recovering from the camp, when the League tries something,” Nezu says. “And if the League does attack during the date of the actual training camp, that will, unfortunately, cast suspicion on everyone here.”

Everyone goes quiet at that, some exchanging glances with others, and Shouta finds himself hoping that the villains don’t attack on the actual day of the training camp. He doesn’t want to suspect anyone here of being the traitor after all, since he does respect everyone here.

“What do you say, Snipe?” All Might asks, glancing toward the Pro Hero.

Snipe lets loose a breath. “The knowledge that there is an informant is worrisome,” he says, “but is there any guarantee that the informant isn’t a student?”

Silence befalls the group.

“I don’t want to even consider the possibility but, at the same time, it is sad that we must,” Thirteen says quietly. “But if it is a student then how do we determine that?”

Shouta presses his lips together. “The students won’t know the location of the training camp until the last possible moment,” he says. “So if we can gather all of the students phones and other electronic devices early, they won’t have any way of contacting the League once we reach the site of the training camp.”

“They won’t react too well to their phones getting taken away, since teens these days are really attached to their phones,” Cementoss says quietly.

“But I can see why it will be necessary,” says Power Loader and Ectoplasm nods in agreement.

“I don’t like that it is necessary, that we have to suspect even our own students, though,” he adds quietly.

“No one does,” All Might agrees with a frown.

“All right,” Nezu says. “Let’s get to work with setting up the final exams. After that, we can go over all that we have discussed today. Meeting dismissed.”

Shouta stands up and makes his way out of the conference room, not surprised when Hizashi falls into step beside him.

“I don’t like this, Sho,” Hizashi says with a frown. “Thinking that there might be a traitor in U.A. who’s been helping out the League, and having to suspect everyone, even actual kids. It’s just so…”

“Disheartening?” Shouta offers.

“Yeah, and it sucks too!”

Shouta stuffs his hands into the pockets of his pants. “I don’t like this feeling either,” he admits. He’s come to truly care for the students of Class 1-A, especially a certain purple-haired insomniac that he took under his wing, and he doesn’t want to even consider that they might be informants for the villains.

“C’mon, why don’t we head over to the cat cafe?” Hizashi offers. “Classes are out for the day after all, and I think, after that rather depressing conversation, you could use some cheering up.”

Cats do help make Aizawa feel more cheered up and he nods. “All right. When we get home, I want to call and check up on Hitoshi.”

“Right. Speaking of Hitoshi, any new news on his foster parents?”

Shouta grimaces. “They don’t want anything to do with him. Apparently, though they left Hitoshi alone, even though they continuously enforced the fact that they don’t want him speaking, they are being far more hostile toward him now. That’s all that Hitoshi has admitted to me,” he says.

“Those lousy…If they don’t want anything to do with Hitoshi then…”

“I’m already in the process of completing the necessary paperwork to foster Hitoshi myself.”

Hizashi beams and wraps his arms around Shouta’s shoulders, nearly driving him into the ground. “I knew you were a big ol’ softie! I didn’t even have convince you to do this!”

“You did enough of that last week, and the week before, and the week before…”

“I get it!”

Shouta rubs his ear, since his husband had accidentally used his Quirk when he said that.

“Oh, sorry, Sho.”

. . .

“So you think that the practical portion of the final will be a lot harder than the upperclassmen have been saying?” Hitoshi asks as he makes his way into the backyard of his house, glad that his foster parents and foster siblings aren’t home right now. Ever since the end of the Sports Festival, his foster siblings have been treating him with far more coldness than before, and his foster parents have been going out of their way to reinforce their belief that he’s a villain in the making.

When he had been little, his foster parents had been quick to force him to obey him and not talk to anyone, out of fear that he would use his Quirk on them, but now they are taking it to the extreme. Based on what Hitoshi has overheard from them, they think that he used his Quirk to manipulate everyone into allowing him to reach third place during the Sports Festival. It’s as if they don’t even know how Hitoshi’s Quirk works, or just don’t care.

Either way, they have been threatening to use extreme methods to keep him from talking so he’s taking to never talking when they are around. Given how his previous foster parents used to muzzle him whenever he spoke, out of fear, he doesn’t want to know what his current foster parents will do to him.

It’s not as if he really needs parents. He’s been pretty much taking care of and watching over himself since he was little. It’s only a legality, really.

Besides, if he truly wanted foster parents, it wouldn’t be the ones he has now.

“Yup. I’m positive it will be,” Midoriya says on the phone and Hitoshi can see the background bobbing behind him as if he’s walking. “Don’t ask how. It’s just a feeling.”

A scoff sounds in the background. “That’s the best you can fucking come up with?” Bakugo’s voice sounds.

“Shut up, Kacchan,” Midoriya retorts and dodges in time to avoid an explosion that sails over his head, singing part of his hair. “Hey! Do not set my hair on fire again, Kacchan!”

“It’ll make it look less like a fucking bird’s nest,” Bakugo retorts.

“Yeah, and if you get caught illegally using your Quirk, I’m not bailing your ass out.”

“When the fuck did you grow a fucking backbone, fucking nerd?”

“I blame the trauma.”

“...Touche…”

Hitoshi decides he doesn’t want to know what Midoriya means by that as he walks over to a tree and sits down, drawing his knees to his chest and resting his phone between them. “I’ve been working with the lessons Aizawa-sensei gave me to work on while at home so I should be okay,” he says.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Kacchan has been whipping his friends into shape so they should be fine too,” Midoriya says.

“Those annoying fuckers aren’t my friends!” Bakugo yells.

“Sure they aren’t.”

Hitoshi covers his snort with a light cough as Midoriya is forced to dodge another explosion. “Is that the only reason why you called?” he asks.

“Well, mostly just to chat,” Midoriya says. “Kacchan and I are just heading toward Takoba Seaside Bay to get some training in before the final exam in a few days and I wanted to chat with you beforehand.”

“Why?”

“We’re friends!”

Hitoshi sighs. He had tried so hard to not become friends with anyone in Class 1-A, not wanting them to turn their backs on him once they found out about his Quirk, but it hadn’t worked. He’s glad to know that his class, even after all these months and actually seeing his Quirk in action, still haven’t turned their backs on him. Even if his own foster parents are even worse than before, he supposes he is incredibly thankful that his class are still treating him well and as one of their own.

They haven’t turned their backs on him, in spite of his fear.

And Midoriya has pretty much pushed the whole friendship thing far more than the others to the point where Hitoshi had given up on trying to push him away. He just couldn’t. And, truth be told, even if he will never admit it out loud, he doesn’t want to.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he says.

The door slams open and Hitoshi looks up. He grimaces because his parents are home. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you guys at school tomorrow,” he says and, before Midoriya and Bakugo can respond, he hangs up, stuffing his phone away.

He ignores the cold looks that he receives from his foster siblings, and the sneers on the lips of his foster parents, as he makes his way back into the house. He doesn’t say anything, keeping quiet just like his foster parents want him to.

It’s only when his phone rings that his foster parents’ gaze hardens.

Hitoshi pulls it out and glances at the name, seeing that it’s his teacher.

“Who would call a villain like you?” one of his foster siblings—he hadn’t even bothered on learning their names—says with a sneer.

“My teacher,” Hitoshi says and answers the phone in spite of the fiery glares that his foster parents are giving him. “Hello?”

“Hello Shinso,” Aizawa’s voice says. “I just wanted to check up on you.”

“I’m doing fine,” Hitoshi assures him.

A soft hum of disbelief echoes over the line but Hitoshi knows that’s because Aizawa has seen, firsthand, how his foster parents treat him in the days after the Sports Festival. His parents had been their usual selves when Aizawa had come to visit, not even bothering on hiding their true colors because they had been operating under the delusion that Aizawa would agree with them.

Aizawa had spent a good twenty minutes telling them off before offering Hitoshi the opportunity to stay the night at his and his husband’s apartment, to which Hitoshi had accepted just for the night.

That’s really the other reason behind his foster parents rage. They seem to think that Hitoshi had used his Quirk on his own teacher, which he hadn’t but it’s not as if the bastards will believe that.

“My offer remains open, Shinso. If you want to spend the night at my apartment then you can,” Aizawa says.

Hitoshi glances at his foster parents’ rage-filled eyes and decides that he doesn’t want to be present for what will happen once he gets off the line with his teacher. “Yeah, I think I will,” he says. He pauses, then adds quietly, “Will you stay on the line with me?”

“Of course. Do you want to hear about the most recent cat we just adopted?”

Hitoshi beams as he makes his way to his room. He and Aizawa share the same love of cats so he is always looking forward to talking about cats. “What kind of cat is it?” he asks as he starts to pack his bags, shoving as much of his clothes and books into them. He doesn’t really have a lot to pack but he makes sure to get as much as he can. Maybe Aizawa will let him stay over for more than just a night.

“A Calico. She’s a beauty, very fluffy.”

Hitoshi grins. The fluffy cats are the cutest. “What’s her name? Please tell me that Present Mic didn’t name her,” he says. He had heard the story about the unfortunate cat that Present Mic named Sushi after all.

“No, I made absolutely sure to name her before Zashi got home. Her name’s Kaida. She acts all high and mighty like a dragon, even though she’s smaller than my hand,” says Aizawa.

Hitoshi chuckles. “She’s going to be the Queen of your apartment, isn’t she?”

“I do believe Sushi won’t be having that.”

Hitoshi chuckles again. Honestly, in the times that he has spoken with his mentor, he’s noticed that he’s far more relaxed and more capable of laughing and he had never thought that would be possible. But, then, he hadn’t known that Aizawa is far more relaxed, and more capable of joking and laughing, than most people will think. Sure, he has an incredibly dry sense of humor, and there is no denying that he is always in a state of perpetual exhaustion—much like Hitoshi if he’s being honest with himself—but there is far more to the Underground Hero than what he lets on.

He grabs his bags and makes his way toward the entrance to his house, ignoring the glares that he’s receiving from his foster parents. Since he’s still on the phone, they don’t say anything. “I’m on my way,” he says.

“All right. Are you still in your house?”

“No.” Hitoshi makes his way to the street.

“Good. Now, a more serious question: why did you ask me to stay on the line while you went to go grab your things?”

Hitoshi bites his lip. “It’s nothing…” he begins.

“Shinso, you already know that I know of how bad your foster parents are, and you already know that I would never look down on you for anything that you have to say. You do not need to be afraid of how I will react. I’m your teacher, and your mentor, and I want to keep you safe, from your own foster family if necessary.”

Hitoshi closes his eyes to stop the tears from falling. “Are you just saying that because it’s your duty as my teacher?” he asks.

“Do not think so lowly of me, Shinso,” Aizawa says. “I don’t just take any student under my wing. I knew, from the moment I met your foster parents after the U.S.J. incident that they aren’t the parents you deserve, and my last meeting with them after the Sports Festival only further confirmed that. If you’re not safe with them then I will do what I can to get you away from them, because you deserve more than what you are being given.”

Tears slid down Hitoshi’s cheeks as he opens his eyes. Of course he knew, from the moment Aizawa took him home with him after his second meeting with his foster family after the Sports Festival, that his teacher cared far more than he ever let on. But this just makes him realize that his teacher’s capacity to care truly is far larger than he had originally thought.

“Are you safe with your foster family, Shinso?” Aizawa asks quietly.

“I...don’t feel safe with them,” Hitoshi says finally, a little haltingly, still not sure if he should be revealing that.

“That’s all I needed to know. You can stay with me and Zashi for as long as you want. If your foster parents say anything, I will, personally, speak with them.”

More tears flood from Shinso’s eyes and he raises a hand and wipes the tears away. “Thank you,” he whispers, unable to speak louder out of fear that his voice might crack.

“You deserve it. No child deserves to live with a family that treats them terribly for something they have no control over. I’ll see you soon.” Aizawa hangs up and Hitoshi lowers his phone, more happy than he ever thought he would be. He walks with more purpose in his steps as he heads toward the train station.

. . .

Touya leans against the wall, watching as Aizawa puts his phone down. “Got in touch with him?” he asks.

Aizawa lets loose a breath. “I already knew it was bad but the kid actually admitted to not feeling safe with his foster parents. Given what I have learned about Shinso since I met him, he isn’t the kind of person who will ever admit something like that, not unless it’s gotten to the point where he has no choice because it’s getting worse.” He sighs and turns his gaze to Touya. “How did you figure it out?”

Touya pushes away from the wall. “The look in his eyes,” he says. “It’s the same look that I remember seeing every time I look in the mirror when I was growing up with the flaming trashcan, the look of someone who is constantly being looked down on, who is constantly being treated terrible for something he has no control over. You know my past, Eraser, you know that I was so very close to just snapping and breaking, and you know that the only reason why I didn’t is because I had someone in my corner, someone who gave me a reason to pull back from the edge.” He thinks about his baby brother who had risked their father’s wrath over and over again just to remain by Touya’s side. “And that kid needed someone who can pull him back from the edge too and he looks up to and has come to trust you since you started training him after the U.S.J. incident.”

“You think he’s close to snapping?”

“I think if he keeps getting treated as he has been by his foster family then he might, especially given what you know about his foster family,” says Touya. He folds his arms across his chest as he adds, “I should get going. I’ll take over your patrol for tonight, Eraser. Are you going to tell Shinso that you are planning on getting permission to foster him yourself?”

Aizawa hums. “I suppose I can approach the topic with him,” he says.

Touya nods and, turning, strides toward the window. He opens it and jumps onto the windowsill. “Later, Eraser,” he says and jumps out the window.

“Why can’t you use a door like a normal person?” Aizawa shouts after him in annoyance as Touya, jumping from balcony to balcony until he reaches the ground floor, chuckles and strides off.

As he walks, he finds himself thinking to the situation in Hosu City. It’s only been a few months, yes, but he can’t help but think about that day, about Shigaraki.

And those parting words.

Because of what could have been…

Shigaraki had sounded so wistful, so nostalgic, and even sad when he said those words and Touya can’t, for the life of him, figure out why. He had spoken as if he knew Touya, which doesn’t make any sense because Touya has never met that man before in his entire life. Their first interaction was literally in the burning streets of Hosu City when Touya had been so badly injured by his own flames that he hadn’t been able to do anything but send the other heroes after his baby brother and Midoriya.

I just don’t get it at all. Something feels off and he isn’t sure what is off.

He’s been feeling that way for the past few months and he doesn’t like it.

On top of that are the thoughts of what they had discussed during the teacher’s meeting a few days ago. The fact that there’s an informant in U.A., someone who is leaking information to the League of Villains, someone who is actively betraying the heroes and putting the students, including Touya’s own baby brother, in danger, makes his blood boil.

I won’t let anything happen to my baby brother, or any of my students.

Touya flexes his hands, glancing at them. New scars had been added to his hands and arms and his chest and collarbone because of him overusing his flames back in Hosu City. Thankfully, during the heroics classes that he’s been assisting All Might with for the past few months, he hasn’t had to use his flames so he hasn’t risked adding more injuries to his already pretty badly scarred body.

He’s been trying to avoid using his flames because he doesn’t want to become a liability.

Hosu City had been a one time thing.

But if he has to use his flames to keep his baby brother and his students safe, even if it means adding more scars to his body, then he will.

. . .

Katsuki grins sharply as he stands across from his five classmates that he has been dragging into one of the training gyms every other day since after the Stain incident. It’s not as if this is the first time that he’s tutored or trained with his classmates. After the dorms are established, he had taken to tutoring some of his classmates in certain subjects, and has trained with some of them, mostly Kirishima but Dunce Face, Raccoon Eyes, and Tape Face had, occasionally, joined in.

Today is no different.

“All right,” Katsuki says. “We’ve only got a few days before finals so let’s get to it.”

“Argh, c’mon, Bakubro,” Raccoon Eyes whines. “We’ll be fine. We’ve been training like every day for the past few months!”

“Not every day but still!” Dunce Face groans.

“I’m pumped for more training,” Kirishima says with a grin.

“You’re only saying that because you get to spend more time with your boyfriend,” Tape Face say with a laugh as he punches Kirishima in the shoulder.

“Why am I here?” Big Lips says, rubbing his eyes.

“’Cause you guys all got fucking problems that you gotta overcome if you wanna stand a chance at passing the practical final,” says Katsuki firmly.

“Hey!” Raccoon Eyes whines.

“We aren’t that bad,” Dunce Face protests.

“Besides, those upperclassmen said that we’re gonna be facing off against robots. It’s gonna be easy as pie,” Big Lips says.

“Ha, as if,” says Katsuki with a scoff. “Think about it. Not everyone in our fucking class has a combative Quirk. How the fuck will the teachers be able to accurately test Invisigirl and Brainwasher against fucking robots? Don’t be a fucking idiot. They’ll come up with something that everyone will be able to show all that they’ve learned. It’s fucking obvious!”

“Not to all of us,” Dunce Face grumbles and Raccoon Eyes nods in agreement.

Katsuki rolls his eyes. “Okay, so this is what we’re gonna do,” he says. “We’re gonna continue what we’ve been doing. Fighting without relying on our fucking Quirks or utilizing our Quirks is different ways than what you usually do.”

“I still don’t get why,” Raccoon Eyes whines.

“’Cause most of you morons all rely on your fucking Quirks all the fucking time, of course. What would you do if you were up against someone like Aizawa-sensei? Huh? You’d fucking die, that’s what.”

“Gees, harsh,” Tape Face says, rubbing the back of his head.

Katsuki shrugs. “You should be fucking used to that by now,” he says. “Anyway, I asked Icyhot and Zuku to help out for the next few days ‘till the finals. We’re gonna go over everything that we went over since these training sessions started, got it?”

A series of grumbles erupt from the five in front of him but they nod. Katsuki isn’t, by any means, a nice teacher but he is far more patient than one would think, and his classmates have admitted that he is a good teacher too.

Izuku and Icyhot make their way into the gym, the former waving at his five classmates. “So what are we doing, Kacchan?” Izuku asks.

Katsuki stuffs his hands into the pockets of his gym pants. “We’ve been working on weaknesses and fighting without using our Quirks,” he says. “So I thought we could do some training involving going against an opponent your Quirk isn’t suited for fighting against.”

Izuku nods in understanding, since Katsuki is basing most of his lessons on the final exams that his classmates went through last time around. This time, he wants Big Lips and Kirishima to go up against Icyhot who’s powerful control over his ice will give Big Lips and Kirishima a similar experience to going up against Cementoss. Raccoon Eyes and Dunce Face will be up against Izuku so that they can work on not underestimating their opponent, since they don’t know that Izuku has a far better control over his new Quirk than what they have seen. Tape Face will be up against Katsuki for the sole purpose of helping him to prepare for the unexpected, since he knows that Midnight taking Tape Face by surprise is what caused him to fail his final exam.

Katsuki quietly relays his instructions, in his own gruff, curse-laden way, and strides off. “Yo, Tape Face, you’re with me! Kirishima, Big Lips, you’re with Icyhot! Raccoon Eyes, Dunce Face, with Zuku. Let’s go,” he says.

“Good luck, man,” Kirishima says, patting Tape Face on the shoulder and walks over to join Big Lips and they move over to join Icyhot. Raccoon Eyes and Dunce Face move over to join Izuku who smiles at them.

“This is the deal,” Katsuki yells to be heard throughout the gym. “Your goal is to capture us but if you can’t fucking capture us, you can escape. Since I only got permission to use this gym, all you gotta do is get out of this gym and that’ll count as an escape. Fucking got it?”

“Got it!” Everyone shouts.

“Wait, why am I by myself though?” Tape Face protests. “The others are teamed up with someone.”

Katsuki cracks his knuckles, a sharp, feral grin crossing his lips. “’Cause you fucking suck at situational awareness, the others aren’t as bad.” He’s off in an instant, his explosions careening him into the air, toward the rafters.

Tape Face curses but fires his tape toward the rafters and repelling himself upward.

“We’ll do our lesson up here,” Katsuki says as he lands on one of the rafter beams. “We’ll say your escape point will be that vent over there.” He jerks a thumb over shoulder at the vent that’s on the far end of the ceiling.

Tape Face nods, eyes sharp with determination. “Okay.” He stretches his arms and smirks. “I’ve gotten better since the Sports Festival.”

Katsuki holds out his hands as tiny explosions erupt on it, that sharp, feral grin getting sharper. “We’ll see,” he says.

. . .

Shoto gazes at Kirishima and Sato as they stand across from him, his arms resting lightly at his sides as he waits for his current opponents to make their move. He knows what Bakugo is doing with these lessons: he’s recreating, in a way, the final exam from the last time around to better prepare the five classmates who failed last time around.

If Kirishima, Sato, Sero, Ashido, and Kaminari pass the final exam then Aizawa won’t have to give them extra lessons during the training camp, which means that if the League does attack then they’ll have extra firepower.

It won’t be as bad as the last time around, even if Shoto is worried about who is going to be targeted should the League actually attack. He’s still incredibly worried that Bakugo is right and Izuku will be the target though.

“Let’s start,” he says to Sato and Kirishima.

They grin and immediately surge forward.

Shoto calmly shifts onto his right foot and sends a massive glacier of ice sailing toward Sato and Kirishima, spreading it around so that it encircles them. He presses his lips together upon hearing Sato and Kirishima using their Quirks to start wailing on the glaciers, heading straight toward Shoto rather than heading for the exit, just like last time.

He hums to himself as he sends more ice surging toward Kirishima and Sato, sighing upon hearing them slamming fist after fist into the ice, still trying to break through the large glaciers that are surging toward them.

Cementoss will be doing the exact same thing so if Kirishima and Sato don’t figure it out then they’ll just fail again.

Shoto sends another surge of ice forward, using it to completely encase Kirishima and Sato. He moves forward to the dome of ice that he had covered Kirishima and Sato with. He peers through the ice in time to see that Sato is already being affected by the effect of his Quirk while Kirishima is still slamming his fist into the ice.

He sighs and, resting his left hand on the ice dome, melts the ice. “Time,” he says as the water cascades upon the two of them.

“Ah damn it!” Kirishima groans, flopping onto the ground.

Shoto tilts his head to the side. “Why didn’t you just try to escape?” he says. “You could have used your Quirks to break through the ice and get out of the gym.”

Kirishima huffs. “Running from a fight ain’t manly at all,” he says firmly.

“So...sleepy…” Sato says.

Shoto continues to gaze at them. “By getting help instead of taking on the villain on your own, you’re providing yourself with a greater chance of beating the enemy. We’re all training to be heroes but being heroes doesn’t mean doing everything on our own. Asking for help isn’t a bad thing. It’s far more manly to admit your weakness and seek help then overestimate your own strength and risk losing.”

Kirishima opens his mouth, closes it, and frowns, brow furrowing. “I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he says. He gazes up at Shoto and grins at him, baring sharpened teeth. “Hey, thanks for the advice. Man, you’re talking like you have a lot of experience. Probably from the whole incident with the Hero Killer, huh?”

Shoto knows that isn’t it. It’s only because of the War, the War that still haunts his sleep whenever he closes his eyes, the War that led to so many deep scars lacing his soul. Even if some of those scars won’t happen again, that doesn’t mean that the pain from the previous scars isn’t still there.

“Yeah, that’s true,” he says quietly and, after using his left side to melt the ice, he moves back. “Let’s go again.”

“Right! C’mon, big man, let’s get to work,” Kirishima says and Sato blinks as he shakes away the effect of his Quirk. He takes a deep breath then nods and the two of them step back.

Shoto immediately gets to work, unleashing another massive surge of ice to completely encircle Sato and Kirishima. He moves forward as he does so, prepared for if Kirishima and Sato do come after him but he notices that they don’t. As he darts forward, using his ice to propel himself higher so that he can see what is happening, he is happy to see that Kirishima and Sato are using their Quirks to create a tunnel leading toward the entrance to the gym.

He nods to himself as Kirishima and Sato make it out of the gym. Now let’s hope that they remember that during the final exam.

. . .

“I just gotta know. Why did Bakubro pair us up with Midoriya?” Ashido says as she stretches her arms above her head. “No offense but us against Midoriya seems very unfair to him.”

Kaminari nods in agreement. “He’s mostly a close quarters fighter, and uses kicks and punches mostly. And he doesn’t really have any control over that new Quirk of his, except to swing around with it like Sero,” he says.

“We’ve got this in the bag. I do feel sorry for Midoriya,” Ashido says.

Izuku is listening to everything that the two are saying, humming to himself as he stretches nearby. He doesn’t think they realize they’re talking as loudly as they are but, given who they are, it doesn’t surprise him. They’re underestimating him though, just like they underestimated Nezu during the final exam the last time around. He knows that’s why Bakugo paired them together, so he can imitate their final exam from the last timeline.

He rises to his feet and stretches his arms above his head. “All right,” he says with a bright smile. “Let’s get going. You guys against me. Either win by capturing me or escaping the gym.” He had purposely chosen a corner at the far end of the gym so that Ashido and Kaminari won’t be able to just waltz out the door but, at the same time, they still have an escape route.

Not that they will use it, given what he just overheard.

He powers up One for All to 45% and shifts into a starting stance. “Let’s start,” he says and he’s off, green lightning crackling around his form as he bounds toward Kaminari and Ashido.

Kaminari immediately unleashes electricity, though thankfully not the full voltage that he can unleash that will short circuit his brain, but Izuku is quick to dance out of the way, bouncing off the walls and the windows and the exercise equipment that lays scattered upon the ground. Acid is thrown at him from Ashido but he twists out of the way and, dropping the percentage of One for All down to fifteen, fires off an Air Force attack that crashes into Ashido. She yelps as she’s thrown backwards and skids across the floor.

“Oh shit! I forgot about that! That’s how Midoriya took out Tetsutetsu,” Kaminari gasps and immediately fires off more electricity as Midoriya, twisting in midair, lands on top of a weight lifting machine and kicks off it, upping One for All back to forty five percent.

“He’s hopping around like a green bunny! He’s so fast!” Ashido gasps as she scrambles to her feet and throws acid toward Izuku when he gets close to her. He dodges out of the way and unleashes Blackwhip, the black tendrils surge out of his arms but he grasps them as they surge forward and wrap around Ashido’s middle.

Ashido yelps as Izuku yanks her off her feet and sends her flying toward Kaminari. Kaminari only just barely manages to dodge out of the way but Izuku is already in the air again, Blackwhip emerges from his other arm and he grasps it as it sails forward to wrap around Kaminari. He yanks Kaminari off his feet and throws both of them into the cushioned mats in the corner, keeping Blackwhip wrapped around them as he lands on the ground in front of them.

“No fair!” Ashido whines. “When did you learn how to control your new Quirk so much better than before?”

“Practice,” Izuku says as he withdraws Blackwhip and folds his arms across his chest as Ashido and Kaminari get to their feet. “You underestimated me.”

“Ugh, yeah, we know. You’re like a crazy bunny!” Ashido complains, throwing herself onto the mat with a pout.

Kaminari rubs his waist as he also sits down. “Totally wasn’t expecting to get hit with those wind bullets or whatever the heck those are,” he says.

“I call it Air Force,” Izuku says as he sits down in front of them, crossing his legs. “Guys, when you’re up against someone you’ve never fought before, you can’t underestimate them based on what you’ve observed. In this situation, instead of fighting me, you should have run after seeing that your attacks weren’t getting anywhere.”

Ashido pouts, folding her arms across her chest. “I guess,” she says. “It just didn’t seem as if we had any openings.”

Kaminari sighs but nods. “Okay. We gotta keep that in mind though. If fighting doesn’t seem to be helping, then turn tail and run and find help,” he says.

“Getting help is always a good idea,” Izuku says with a kind smile and he jumps to his feet. “You guys wanna go again?”

“Are you gonna use that black thingie on us again?” Ashido says as she gets to her feet.

“Probably.”

Ashido huffs but nods. “Okay, fine, but you’re crazy powerful, Midoriya, and scary too,” she says.

“Agreed,” Kaminari says.

Izuku rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish laugh. “I don’t think I’ve had anyone call me scary before,” he admits. He stretches his arms above his head and powers up One for All up to 45%. “Ready when you are.”

Kaminari and Ashido nod and Izuku launches himself into the air. He’s pleased to see that, though Ashido and Kaminari do try to use their Quirks against him, they aren’t focused on capturing him anymore. They start using their Quirks to delay him so that they can get around him while also distracting him so that he can’t use Blackwhip against them.

One particularly surge of electricity surges toward Izuku when he bounds off the rafters toward them, prepared to unleash Blackwhip, and crashes into him. He’s sent flying backwards but twists in midair and lands on the ground in a skid just in time to see Kaminari and Ashido step out of the gym.

He straightens and grins, giving them a thumbs up. Now let’s hope they remember this if they go against Nezu like last time.

. . .

After a couple of hours, the training session comes to an end. Katsuki hums as he listens to the update from his fellow time travelers. He’s glad to the see the lessons he was trying to teach the five morons who failed the last time around are getting into his classmates’ thick skulls. He can only hope it’ll turn out for the best when finals actually come around.

“Whew, that was intense,” Kirishima says as he rotates his shoulders. “Todoroki, I didn’t even think your ice would be so hard to punch my way through!”

“I did start making it thicker during our third fight,” Icyhot admits.

“That explains it then. C’mon, big guy, let’s get going. I’ll call you later, Katsuki!” Kirishima says and guides Big Lips, who has a dopey expression on his face, away from the gym.

“I certainly learned not to underestimate the bunny over there! He’s like so incredibly fast, it’s insane,” Raccoon Eyes exclaims, waving a hand toward Izuku who is rubbing the back of his neck, a blush of embarrassment on his face.

“He’s bunny confirmed,” Dunce Face says.

“Guys!” Izuku protests, his blush getting deeper.

“He makes quite an adorable bunny though,” Icyhot says.

“Shoto!”

Katsuki rolls his eyes. “You two are way too fucking mushy,” he says, stuffing his hands into his pockets and striding out of the gym. He doesn’t have to look to know that Icyhot and Izuku and following him. He can hear them, mostly Izuku, chatting with Raccoon Eyes and Dunce Face only a few paces behind him.

They only have a few days left until final exams, and then everything that happens afterwards. The only thing that Katsuki knows he’ll have to worry about before the training camp is I-Island but there isn’t a lot that can be done to change that. He hums to himself because he doesn’t recall if he, Icyhot, and Izuku had even told Aizawa and All Might about what happened on I-Island.

After they part ways with Raccoon Eyes and Dunce Face and head toward their own train—Icyhot decided to stay the night at Izuku’s again—they make their way to the very back of the train. Thankfully, it isn’t that crowded so no one bothers them as they take their seats.

“Should we tell All Might and Aizawa ‘bout what’s gonna happen on I-Island?” Katsuki asks.

Icyhot tilts his head to the side. “We may as well,” he says. “I’ll still be there this time around but Touya’s coming with me. I’m serving as my father’s representative but I got an extra ticket because I won the Sports Festival and I invited Touya.”

Katsuki shrugs. “Mirko had a ticket but she found that the expo would be too boring for her tastes and gave it to me, along with an extra one, so I decided that it would be better if I was there to ensure you two don’t fuck things up.”

“Of course Kirishima is going with you,” says Izuku with a grin.

“Shut the fuck up, fucking nerd. You’re going ‘cause of All Might, right?”

“Yeah. He hasn’t approached me with the offer yet, since that won’t happen until after final exams, but I don’t think that’s going to change,” says Izuku.

“So the only change for I-Island is the fact that the Flameball is going,” says Katsuki.

“That will help though,” Icyhot says thoughtfully. “Touya isn’t one for the limelight so very few people know about him, let alone what he looks like. They won’t think he’s a hero so he likely won’t be trapped like the other heroes. He can help out a bit while we focus on getting to the top floor as soon as everything happens.”
“The others will try to stop us, at least Ida will,” says Izuku,, pressing his lips together. “And we can’t tell them that we know of what’s going to happen. But what we can tell them is that Melissa can turn the security system off, that if we’re careful then we won’t have to fight anyone. Mineta won’t be around to get us out of the eightieth floor like last time though.”

“We don’t need that Grape Fucker,” Katsuki says with a scoff. “Dunce Face will be there but I wonder who will be working with him.”

“We’ll have to wait and see who will be at the expo. Mineta no longer being in our class means that either Kaminari will be working by himself, or someone else will be working with him,” says Izuku.

“So long as we can get All Might free, and ensure that Professor Shields’ device doesn’t fall into the enemy’s hand, we shouldn’t have too much to worry about,” Icyhot says. “But if that does end up happening then you should make sure to get that glove from Melissa like last time.”

“I can use the vast majority of my power but Melissa’s support device really is the only reason why I was able to use one hundred percent without breaking anything,” Izuku agrees. “But I’ll have Blackwhip to help me this time around too.”

“Just don’t go accidentally activating another fucking Quirk,” Katsuki says.

“Believe me, I won’t. For now, let’s focus on finals.” Izuku whips out his notebook and flips open to a certain page. “I did do a prediction of who will be paired with who. You and I are unlikely to be paired together again, Kacchan. The only reason why they paired us together is because of how much we don’t get along as well as the fact that you don’t like working with anyone, which, I know, has changed since then. I am almost positive that you and Shoto will actually be paired together, and likely against All Might. What better way for the teachers to test you then to place the two most powerful students in our class together and have them go against the Number 1 Hero.”

“That...makes sense,” Icyhot says.

Katsuki scoffs. “They probably don’t expect us to work together,” he says. “They’re in for a fucking surprise though.”

Icyhot nods in agreement. “If we’re paired together then who will you be paired with, Zuku?” he asks.

Izuku tapes his pen—where did he get that from? That had not been in his hand a second ago—to his lips. “I’m thinking Shinso because while I rely on my Quirk a bit, Shinso relies on his own training with his capture weapon and any other physical training that he’s done before U.A. We counter each other and we can teach each other some things by having to work together. As for who we’d be up against, I’d have to say Aizawa. Aizawa is the only one who can completely cut me off from One for All, and all of its aspects, and put me on the same level as Shinso.”

“Makes sense,” Icyhot says.

“I don’t think most of the other pairings will change though. There are only two that I think will change, mostly because I am incorporating the fact that Todoroki-sensei is part of the faculty this time around,” says Izuku. “Given that Ashido has a bad habit of underestimating her opponents, I’d say that she will go against Todoroki-sensei, since no one has ever truly seen him fight, with or without his Quirk, but he isn’t someone that can be underestimated. As for who she will be paired with, having her paired with Kaminari is a failure in the making, no offense to either of them, and Aizawa does know about our desire to try to ensure that our entire class passes. I’d say that he’d pair her with someone who will provide her with a better chance of passing so Yaoyorozu, since she didn’t lose her confidence during the Sports Festival like last time around, can provide Ashido with some much needed rationality that will only help her. Kaminari, more likely than not, will be paired with Sero as a result, since Sero is the only one who doesn’t have a partner if the pairings do end up the same for everyone else. Um, these are just predictions though.”

Katsuki leans toward Icyhot. “I bet you twenty thousand yen that Zuku is right,” he says.

Icyhot hums, then shrugs. “It’s Endeavor’s money anyway so I’ll play Devil’s Advocate and bet you twice that that he’s off by one pairing,” he says.

“Deal.” The two of them shake on the deal.

Izuku sighs, running a hand over his face. “Do I want to know just where you got the flaming trashcan’s money this time?” he deadpans.

“No.” Icyhot’s expression is as deadpan as his words.

“Of course not.”

. . .

Chapter Text

On the day that finals are to begin, Izuku is pleased to see that there isn’t as much panic as there had been the last time around. Ashido actually looks rather confident, as does Kaminari, in spite of how poorly they had done on the midterms. Those tutoring sessions that Bakugo had dragged them, Kirishima, Sero, and Sato to must have definitely helped.

He’s grateful to see that the written test is the same as it had been the last time around. He does take his time on it though, since he can remember the answers he put down the last time around, and answers that he hadn’t known that he learned later on in his last life, but he doesn’t want to go to quickly. He isn’t surprised that Bakugo breezes through the sections that they’re doing today and hands his in not even an hour later.

Cementoss, who’s overseeing this portion of the written test, looks shocked as he accepts the packet while Bakugo strides out of the classroom with a smug grin on his lips. He makes a ‘hurry up’ motion with his hand to Izuku, and likely Shoto, and leaves the classroom.

Izuku resists the urge to roll his eyes and goes back to his test.

It gets harder and harder for him to delay finishing the test and he, with a soft sigh, finishes the last of the questions and stands up

about fifteen minutes after Bakugo. He walks to the front of the classroom and hands the surprised Cementoss his packet and walks toward the door, catching Shoto’s eye as the dual-haired boy scribbles on his packet and stands up. As Izuku makes his way out of the classroom, Shoto joins Cementoss at the front of the classroom, hands over his packet, and then moves over to join Izuku.

“I tried to take it slowly,” Izuku says, “but I just knew pretty much everything on the test.”

Shoto nods in agreement as the two of them walk over to join Bakugo who is waiting for them at the intersection of hallways. “We do have far more months of education than the rest of our class,” he says.

“Tch, that’s why I didn’t bother on holding the fuck back,” Bakugo says with a roll of his eyes as he turns his head. “I’m pretty sure All Might is in the teacher’s lounge. We can probably find Aizawa there too.”

They had also decided that, after the first day of the written test, they would find Aizawa and All Might and speak with them about what happens on I-Island. They can’t do much for the camping trip until they know of who passes and who doesn’t but I-Island is something that they can prepare for, at least somewhat. Izuku is sure that All Might isn’t going to be happy when he finds out about what Professor Shields is planning, and how far he’s willing to go to ensure that All Might remains the Symbol of Peace.

But the more worrying thing is the fact that Professor Shield and his assistant enlist the help of actual villains, as opposed to fake villains, and that is going to cause many people to get hurt. Izuku doesn’t want that to happen so he hopes that All Might and Aizawa can help him, Bakugo, and Shoto come up with a way to prevent that from happening.

But something else is also bothering him.

That bad feeling.

That feeling that he’s been feeling since right before the final match of the Sports Festival is still there. Even though he has been distracted by what happened with Stain as well as preparing for midterms and finals and coming up with ideas on how to handle some of the events that are coming up quickly, that bad feeling is still there.

But he finds himself thinking about one particular event that comes up quickly after the final exams, and before I-Island.

His encounter with Shigaraki at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall.

Izuku knows that he has to be careful with that encounter. He doesn’t want to make Shigaraki suspicious that he may know more than he’s letting on so he’ll have to be careful. He supposes that he can just let matters play out as they had the first time around, let Shigaraki rant about Stain, tell him the same thing he told him last time, and let Uraraka find him. That should be simple enough.

But, for some reason, that bad feeling won’t go away.

And, for some reason, it feels like it’s centered on Shigaraki.

But Izuku cannot figure out why that is the case.

“You got something on your mind, Izuku?” Shoto asks.

“Huh? Oh, no, I’m fine,” Izuku assures him.

“You sure? You nearly ran into the door,” Shoto says and Izuku looks up and lets out a little eep of surprise when he notices that he had been less than an inch away from running face first into the door leading into the teacher’s lounge. He flushes in embarrassment when he hears Bakugo’s cackling behind him and buries his face into his hands.

Shoto gives him an amused smile as he opens the door and makes his way into the lounge, a still blushing Izuku and a still cackling Bakugo follow him.

“Young Midoriya, Young Bakugo, Young Todoroki, what are you doing here?” All Might asks, in his true, scrawny form. He’s seated on the couch, a cup of tea in his hands and a surprised expression on his face. “Shouldn’t you be in the first part of your final exam?”

“We’re already done,” Izuku says, finally managing to calm down his embarrassment.

All Might raises an eyebrow but gestures toward the chairs that lay in front of him. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised, given that you have taken this test before,” he says.

Izuku takes a seat across from All Might with Bakugo and Shoto sitting on either side of him. “Where’s Aizawa?” he asks.

“Overseeing the General Education students’ written exam,” says All Might.

“Oh.”

“Is something the matter, my boy?”

Bakugo leans back in his chair. “We just came by to talk with you about I-Island,” he says.

“I-Island? Does something happen there?” All Might asks, brow furrowing in concern.

Izuku nods. “Last time around, villains invaded I-Island with the intent of stealing a device that Professor Shields had invented,” he says. “They took everyone at the reception party hostage and took control of the security system.”

“I am assuming that the three of you were in the heart of that mess.”

It’s not a question.

Izuku answers anyway. “Yeah. Melissa knows how to retake control of the security system and that’s what happened last time but you and all of the other heroes at the reception were still captured, and the three of us as well as the other U.A. students that were on I-Island ended up being the only ones who could get to the top floor. We tried to avoid fighting but we ended up having to, in self-defense.”

All Might presses his lips together in worry. “I don’t want to put any of you into danger,” he says.

“That’s why we need to plan,” Shoto says. “All we need to do is get to the top floor without alerting the villains that we are there if we want to avoid fighting and get the security system rebooted, which will free you and the other heroes that the villains capture. After that, we just let you and the other heroes handle matters. Touya being there will help as well, since not many people will recognize him as a hero.”

“You’re going to go ahead with this plan, even if I tell you not to, aren’t you?” All Might says.

Izuku nods. “Melissa is the only one who will be able to reboot the security system,” he says. “We just need to get her to the top floor, and do what we can to avoid alerting the villains to her presence.”

“Which means avoiding opening any doors and just sticking to the emergency stairs for as long as we possibly can,” says Shoto. He turns his head slightly and adds, “And Bakugo and Kirishima not getting lost trying to find the reception like last time.”

“Shut the fuck up, fucking Icyhot,” Bakugo yells back at him.

“He’s not lying,” Izuku says with an absolute straight face.

“I’ll fucking punt you through a fucking window!”

Izuku just smiles and returns his gaze back to All Might. “We’ll do everything in our power to keep everyone safe, and not fight,” he says.

All Might nods. “If Todoroki is going then, perhaps, Young Todoroki can keep in contact with him, keep him updated on your progress. If anything, Todoroki can join up with you to fight the villains and give you time to get past them so you do not have to fight them yourselves,” he says.

“That could work,” Shoto says. “If I can convince Touya to go to the reception with me, we’ll be with the rest of our classmates when the shutdown is initiated.”

Izuku nods. “Now we just gotta make sure Kacchan and Kirishima don’t get lost,” he says with far too much cheer in his voice.

“I’ll fucking murder you, you fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells at him in annoyance but Izuku just snickers at him.

“Perhaps a map of the tower will help,” All Might suggests.

“Tch, don’t patronize me, All Might. I don’t need no fucking map!”

“If that had been the case, you would not have gotten lost the last time around,” Shoto deadpans.

“That wasn’t my fucking fault! Ei should have kept his fucking phone with him. He was the one who got us the fuck lost!”

Izuku snaps his fingers. “Well, that’s solved then. Make sure Kirishima doesn’t forget his phone, and don’t get lost again,” he says.

“Quit fucking reminding me of the last time, you fucking nerd!”

All Might just gazes between the two of them in amusement.

. . .

The second and third day of the written test pass by rather quickly and before they know it, it’s time for the practical portion of the final exam. Everyone is gathered in front of the teachers in front of one of the many arenas that lay scattered upon U.A.’s massive campus. Shoto can hear Ashido cheering about how she has the final exam in the bag, and can’t wait for the summer camp.

He wishes that he can be excited about the training camp but he finds that he can’t, not when he knows of what is likely to happen. He can only hope that the warning he, Izuku, and Bakugo had given Aizawa will help to stop the attack on the training camp but that’s all he can do right now.

He listens to Aizawa and the other teachers explain how the practical portion of the final exam is going to work. It’s exactly the same as last time: students will be paired up and they will fight against one of the teachers. Their goal is to capture their teacher, or escape from the arena in which they are fighting in. The teachers will have a handicap, in the form of weights that will prevent them from using their full strength but they will still use ever single ounce of their power and their Quirks.

He knows all of this. He’s more curious about the pairings.

Principal Nezu, who’s perched on Aizawa’s shoulder, smiles at all of them. “Due to the uneven numbers of teachers, I have decided to sit this practical exam out,” he says. “So it will just be the ten teachers that you see before you. We have already decided on the pairings. Our first pairing will be Midoryia Izuku and Shinso Hitoshi…”

“Against me,” Aizawa says, a sharp grin on his lips

Shinso looks nervous but also determined.

Izuku doesn’t look the slightest bit surprised, just more determined.

“Next up, we have Todoroki Shoto and Bakugo Katsuki…” Nezu says.

A booming laugh sounds and Shoto shields his eyes from the sudden surge of wind as All Might lands on the ground in front of them, a large grin on his lips. “I will be your opponent!” he declares.

“Ha, the fucking nerd was right! Pay up, fucking Icyhot!” Bakugo says with a sharp grin at Shoto who rolls his eyes.

“In case you have not noticed, the other pairings have not been announced yet. There is still a chance that one pairing is different from what Izuku predicted,” he says.

Bakugo scoffs.

All Might just watches them with amusement in his eyes.

“The remaining pairings are as such,” Nezu says. “Ojiro Mashirao and Ida Tenya will be up against Power Loader.”

Ida and Ojiro exchange glances while Power Loader smiles at the challenge.

“Sato Rikido and Kirishima Eijiro will go against Cementoss,” Nezu says.

Sato and Kirishima exchange glances, then glance toward Cementoss, then glance toward Shoto, and then back at each other. Determination enters their gazes as they nod in unison with each other.

“Jirou Kyoka and Koda Koji will be going against me,” Present Mic says with a smirk. “So best bring your A-Game!”

Jirou’s jaw clenches in determination and Koda nods, though he looks nervous.

“Hagakure Toru and Shoji Mezo will be going against me,” Snipe says, adjusting his cowboy hat.

“Let’s do this!” Hagakure says.

Shoji nods in determined agreement.

“Tokoyami Fumikage and Asui Tsuyu will be going against me,” Ectoplasm says.

“Very well,” Tokoyami says while closing his eyes and Asui nods her head, one hand touching her cheek as she observes Ectoplasm.

“Uraraka Ochaco and Aoyama Yuga will be going against Thirteen,” says Nezu and Thirteen raises a hand while Uraraka nods, lips pressed together in firm determination while Aoyama just smiles, his eyes sparkling.

“Sero Hanta and Kaminari Denki will be going against me,” Midnight says, licking her lips.

Sero and Kaminari exchange worried looks.

“Finally,” Aizawa says, “Yaoyorozu Momo and Ashido Mina will be paired together.”

“Wait, if Nezu isn’t participating then…” Ashido begins.

“Yup! You’re up against me,” Todoroki Touya says as he saunters to the front of the class, a challenging smirk on his lips, his dark blue cloak swishing around his ankles.

Ashido grins. “Oh I definitely got this in the bag,” she says.

“Do not underestimate him,” Yaoyorozu says quietly.

Ashido opens her mouth, catches Izuku’s eye, and quickly closes it with a huff. “Still don’t think he’s gonna be that much of a challenge,” she mutters. “We’ve never seen him fight or even use his Quirk.”

“We will explain more about the actual test when we get to the testing sites,” Aizawa say. “All of the practical tests will start at the exact same time. Now let’s get moving.”

Shoto and Bakugo trail after All Might as Shoto says, “I’ll pay you after the test.”

“You better,” says Bakugo.

When they reach the arena in which they will start their practical exam against All Might, the Number 1 Hero turns to face them. “This is how it will work,” he says. “You will be up against me. Your goal is to either capture me, by getting these handcuffs on me, or escape from the arena. All of us will have handicaps in the form of these weights, like we told you before. There will be a thirty minute time limit and you will pass once you have completed one of the two objectives you have been given. During this arena, you must treat me as a villain because that is how I will be acting. You must use everything that you have been taught to come up with the best course of action, even if it means running and escaping. However, I am sure that you have already heard all of this before.”

Shoto nods. “It’s meant to simulate true battle as closely as possible,” he says.

“Let’s just get to it already,” Bakugo says, cracking his knuckles with a sharp grin on his lips.

All Might lets out another booming laugh. “Very well. Then let us begin,” he says.

. . .

The arena that Izuku and Shinso find themselves in is a residential one. There are plenty of buildings and street lamps and shops laying scattered upon the ground. There is no sign of Eraserhead but Izuku is positive that he is there, somewhere, watching, waiting. They don’t have long before the exam actually begins.

“We’re up against Eraserhead,” says Shinso. “Your Quirk is pretty much useless against him.”

“For so long as he can see me,” says Izuku as he stretches his arms above his head, adjusting his respirator and studying Shinso and the adjustments he had made to his hero costume. His Persona Chords are resting around his neck right above the capture tape that Izuku knows he has spent the last few months learning how to use. His uniform had been altered only slightly, gearing more toward black and dark purple rather than blue and white like last time. He has a belt wrapped around his waist on which are silver containers that contain who knew what within them. His boots are black and Izuku is positive he can see hilts poking out of them.

“You changed your costume,” he comments.

“After I started learning how to use the capture weapon with Eraserhead, I decided to use some of the other combat training that I’ve been teaching myself on my own,” Shinso says, reaching down and pulling a knife from within the boot. “It’s a dulled edge but it’ll still sting.”

Izuku nods, mind already coming up with possibilities. “What about those containers?” he asks.

“Medical supplies but there are some surprises within some of them.”

“Oh? What kind of surprises?”

Shinso smiles but tells him.

Izuku blinks, then grins. “That can work,” he says. He jumps to his feet. “Okay so here’s what we’ll do. We’ll head into the city. I’ll use Blackwhip to propel myself forward. The instant Blackwhip disappears, catch me with your capture weapon and be prepared to lug one of your surprises at Eraserhead.”

Shinso hums in agreement. “My Quirk won’t work on Eraserhead once he activates his own Quirk,” he says. “But all we need to do is either get the handcuffs on him or get out of this arena, but the latter might not be as easy given how quick Eraserhead is, and how he will likely be keeping an eye constantly on us.”

“He will need to. He knows of how strong my Quirk is, hence the whole reason that we’re paired against him to begin with. But I have a plan.”

Shinso gazes at him, then nods. “Let’s hear it.”

“The test shall now begin!” A voice echoes over them after Izuku finishes explaining his plan.

Izuku and Shinso look at each other and Izuku’s own determination is mirrored in Shinso’s purple eyes. They both turn and dart into the city, Blackwhip immediately emerging from Izuku’s arm and surging forward to wrap around a street lamp. He pulls himself into the air, swinging from one street lamp to the next while Shinso keeps pace with him, his own capture weapon allowing him to swing from street lamp to street lamp, as they head toward the far end of the city.

Izuku can feel the telltale sign of his Quirk being erased not even a minute later but Shinso is quick, his capture weapon wrapping around Izuku’s middle and swinging him up the instant Blackwhip vanishes. He flips in midair and lands in a skid on the roof of a nearby building, gazing around as Shinso jumps down to join him.

One hand removes one of his silver containers from his belt as they press their back together. Izuku can’t feel One for All so he knows that Eraserhead is within eyesight.

His eyes scan the area. “To your left,” he says sharply and jumps forward as Shinso jumps in the opposite direction right before Eraserhead’s capture weapon surges toward him. Eraserhead is on Izuku in an instant but Izuku backflips to avoid the capture weapon that surges toward him, keeping an eye on the red glow that flares beneath the yellow goggles that covers his teacher’s eyes.

“Midoriya, to your left,” Shinso calls out.

“Got it!” Izuku, diving to his left, flips on one hand to land on his feet, pivoting in time to see Shinso throw one of the silver containers at Eraserhead. Eraserhead’s capture weapon lashes out as he launches himself away from the container, wrapping around it and throwing it to the side where it explodes in a brilliant flash.

He read that move. I hope that he only anticipated that part of our plan, Izuku thinks as he barrel rolls away to avoid the capture weapon that Eraserhead sends flying toward him. He still doesn’t have access to his Quirk so Erasure is still activated.

Shinso dives forward and Eraserhead has to jump back to avoid the dulled blades that Shinso swipes toward him. He pivots, dancing out of the way of another slice and fires his capture weapon at Shinso.

Shinso dodges out of the way, removing a silver container and catching Izuku’s eyes. He nods once and, removing the silver container, drops it right as Eraserhead’s capture weapon wraps around him. He winces as he’s thrown to the other side of the rooftop while Izuku dives forward, hand wrapping around the silver container as he flips to his feet.

He pivots and throws the silver container at Eraserhead as soon as the other turns to face him, turning his head away just as it explodes. The instant he feels One for All return to him, he activates 45% of it and lunges forward, Blackwhip surging away from his wrists as Eraserhead’s eyes slowly adjust after the blinding light.

Blackwhip wraps around him but Eraserhead jumps forward and Izuku only barely manages to avoid getting a knee to the gut. He twists out of the way but he knows that there is a delay in when Erasure can activate again after he blinks so he knows that he has time. He winces at the sharp jab to his side but pivots, keeping Eraserhead’s attention fixated on him.

“You’re stalling,” Eraserhead realizes as Izuku, tightening his grip on Blackwhip, lets Eraserhead jump forward, ignoring the sharp pain from when Eraserhead’s knee jammed into his stomach. He isn’t going to loosen his grip on Eraserhead. Just a few more seconds. Just a few more.

White capture tape surges forward, wrapping around Eraserhead from behind, stopping him from moving forward. Izuku grins as Shinso, having finally untangled himself from Eraserhead’s first capture weapon, is standing behind their teacher with his hands gripping his own capture weapon tightly.

Izuku nods to Shinso who nods and the two jump forward at the exact same time. Izuku recalls Blackwhip and jumps to the side at the exact moment that Shinso cannons into Eraserhead, his full weight crashing into their teacher and forcing him to plant his face into the ground. He sits on Eraserhead’s back while Izuku darts forward and snaps the cuffs around Eraserhead’s wrists.

“Nice job, Shinso,” he says, raising a hand for a high five.

Shinso scoffs and rolls his eyes. “You are too excitable,” he says but, nonetheless, raises a hand and swats at Izuku’s in a lazy high five of his own.

“You did well,” Eraserhead says. “Are you going to keep using me as a chair though, Shinso?”

“You are quite comfy,” Shinso says in the most deadpan voice that Izuku has ever heard.

“Cheeky brat.”

Izuku giggles.

“Midoriya Izuku and Shinso Hitoshi have passed!”

. . .

Touya can say one thing for sure.

He’s having the time of his life.

When Nezu told him that he could go all out as the so-called ‘villain’ of this test, he had been all for it. Sure, he knows that he needs to ensure that his students had a way of defeating him, or escaping from the arena that he had chosen for his test, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t go all out. The arena he had chosen is one that is made up entirely of dry plains, and setting fire to said plains is incredibly easy.

Of course, he had left a couple of escape routes around the few waterways that crisscrossed across the plains. Whether his students will notice that or not, he doesn’t know but he has given them that opportunity.

He makes his way around the plains, keeping an eye out for any sign of Ashido and Yaoyorozu. The fire is spreading but, at the same time, he knows that it isn’t spreading throughout the entire arena. Nezu had made sure to put some safety precautions in place to ensure that Touya’s blue flames don’t spread to the rest of the campus. After all, he knows that Touya’s flames are far hotter than any other. There’s a reason why his Quirk is called Cremation after all.

He’s careful though. He doesn’t want to hurt any of his students, just give them obstacles that they need to overcome.

He makes sure to keep himself close to the waterways for when Ashido and Yaoyorozu eventually make their way in that direction, upon learning that those are the only ways that they will have to get out of there.

He dances out of the way of the acid that suddenly flies toward him and smirks. “Well, you finally showed up,” he says as Ashido darts forward, throwing acid toward him with a scowl on her lips. She dodges out of the way of the dulled knife that Touya throws at her and throws more acid at him but he is quick, even with the weights on his arms and legs, and dodges out of the way.

He won’t use his Quirk on his students, for the primary reason that they are hotter than normal flames and he will end up hurting them, so he has other methods to keep them at bay. He is keeping an eye out though, since he knows that Yaoyorozu is around there somewhere. He’s glad to see that Ashido doesn’t seem to be underestimating him, as Eraser had feared she would do, and is keeping her distance while also keeping her attention fixated on him.

He dodges out of the way of another surge of acid, resting his hand on the plains and a surge of blue flames surges across the plains. It’s not heading toward Ashido but, rather, toward the waterway that Ashido is edging her way toward. She scowls as she jumps back and bites her lip, uneasiness crossing her eyes upon realizing that there is only one way out of the arena now.

And Touya is standing in front of it.

He dances backwards as he throws a few more dulled throwing knives at Ashido that she has to twist and pivot to avoid getting hit by. They are dulled so they won’t hurt her, they’ll just sting and bruise, and distract her.

He makes sure to keep his gaze drifting toward the waterway that’s behind him, and the bridge that is untouched by his flames, the bridge that leads to the archway that will take his students out of the arena.

There is still no sign of Yaoyorozu.

Wait...no...there’s movement in the plains that aren’t on fire yet.

He hums to himself as he pivots, sending another surge of flames across the plains in front of the waterway, eliciting a yelp of surprise before Yaoyorozu throws off a blanket that must have been fireproof and rolls away from the flames. The fireproof blanket lands on the flames, putting some of them out and not catching on fire.

Yaoyorozu rolls to her feet and Touya twists, dodging more acid that Ashido throws at him, so that he can keep both of them in his line of sight. He’s still between them and the bridge, and waterway, and Ashido is getting annoyed as she starts forward.

“Mina, don’t,” Yaoyorozu says as she rests her hands on her stomach. “We just need to get past him. Fighting him with his Quirk isn’t an option.”

Touya doesn’t say anything. They don’t need to know, right now, that he’ll never use his Quirk on them, not when it will greatly hurt them. He doesn’t have control over how hot his flames are after all. There’s a reason why his father had stopped training him, after finding out that he had extra hot flames but his mother’s constitution, meaning his body isn’t made for his extra hot flames. But no body is made for how hot his blue flames get.

He can already feel the pain from his flames eating into his skin but he ignores it. As long as he steers clear of his flames after he releases them from his body, he won’t get even more burned than he already has been. He knows that he’s getting close to his limit though so he needs to focus on keeping Ashido and Yaoyorozu away from the bridge until time runs out without using his flames.

At least, that will give his students another opportunity to get past him.

“Mina, go!” Yaoyorozu yells.

Ashido darts forward, acid flying from her hands and Touya dodges out of the way, narrowing turquoise eyes upon noticing that Ashido is guiding him toward the water. He twists out of the way to avoid another surge of acid from Ashido, attempting to move away from the water, but Yaoyorozu is there, with a battering ram.

The battering ram slams into him, sending him flying and he crashes into the water with a splash.

He swims to the surface, spitting out water and watches as Yaoyorozu, looking tired, and Ashido hurrying across the bridge and past the archway.

“Good job, kids,” he murmurs as he swims to the edge of the water and climbs out as the intercom crackles to life.

“Yaoyorozu Momo and Ashido Mina have passed!”

. . .

The only thing that Sero Hanta can say, with absolute certainty, is that Midnight is crazy.

He and Kaminari had been quick to run the instant the exam began, trying hard to keep ahead of Midnight. They knew that if they got hit with Midnight’s Quirk, it’s all over and Hanta doesn’t want to lose, nor does he want to take those extra classes. The mask of his costume will keep him safe for the time being but Kaminari doesn’t have that same defense.

“Okay, we need to keep her occupied,” says Hanta once they are a good distance away, though they can hear Midnight calling out to them. “The gate to get out of here is behind her. We can knock her out though if you use enough of your electricity.”

“How though? The instant I breath in her Quirk, I’m out,” says Kaminari. “You don’t have that problem ‘cause of your mask.”

Hanta nods. “I know,” he says. “I’ll keep her distracted. My mask will keep me safe from her gas. I’ll give you some of my tape. Use that to block your mouth and nose and get as close to Midnight as you can. Once you’re close, I’ll use my tape to throw you into her. You use your electricity on her to knock her out and I’ll put the cuffs on her.”

Kaminari nods. “Sounds like a plan. Will it work though?” he says.

“I think it will. If not, so long as one of us gets passed the archway, we’ll pass, so I’ll just throw you out of the arena and try to follow you,” Hanta says.

“Let’s hope the first plan works ‘cause I ain’t gonna leave you, man,” Kaminari says firm.

Hanta smiles and turns. “Then let’s go,” he says and, launching his tape toward a rock formation, he sails into the air, landing on top of it. He makes sure his mask is in place as he shouts, “Hey, Midnight!”

Midnight turns. “Making your presence known like this? Either you have a plan, or you haven’t been paying attention to class,” she says with a purr, licking her lips as her whip strikes the ground.

“Who knows?” Hanta surges forward, firing his tape at Midnight but she dodges out of the way, her whip crashing into the tape and sending it careening away from him. Hanta starts parkour jumping from one rock formation to the next, firing his tape at Midnight that she is quick to either dodge, or swat aside with her whip.

Her attention is fixated on him. He just needs to keep that.

Kaminari jumps on top of the nearest rock formation, tape and part of his shirt covering his mouth and nose.

Hanta fires his tape, not at Midnight but at Kaminari.

“You missed,” Midnight says.

“Wasn’t aiming at you,” Hanta says with a smile as he wraps his tape around Kaminari and yanks him forward, throwing him straight into Midnight, knocking them both down right before a brilliant storm of electricity surges around. Hanta detaches his tape as he lands, in a skid, on the ground in time for the electricity to fade away. He darts forward, yanking the cuffs off his belt and, as Midnight struggles to get up, dazed from the massive electrical shock, he dives forward and snaps the cuffs around her wrists.

She hums and glances toward Hanta as he moves over to join Kaminari who is dazed but Hanta is glad to see that he hadn’t used his full power and didn’t short circuit his brain. “He held back,” she says. “But it was enough to distract me so that you could get close enough to put the cuffs on. Good job.”

“Sero Hanta and Kaminari Denki have passed!”

. . .

“Gees, Cementoss-sensei is certainly throwing everything he has at us,” Eijiro says as he slams his hardened fist into another wall of cement, glancing toward his partner who is doing the same with another cement block that rose up in front of him. They aren’t heading toward Cementoss but Cementoss must have noticed that they are going around him, if the strategically placed cement blocks are any indication.

But they are getting close. All they need to do is get to the archway and past it, before their Quirks give out on them. Otherwise, just like during their training with Todoroki, they’ll just get trapped by Cementoss’s cement.

Eijiro has no idea as to how Todoroki knew just how to prepare them for the final exams but he’s definitely thanking him after this is all over. Todoroki had given him and Sato a very important message, about the necessity of running instead of fighting when the odds are stacked against them. Even though Eijiro had always thought that running from a fight isn’t manly, he now realizes that running when the odds are stacked against you is far better than staying and risking being defeated, especially when it will just allow the villain to continue to cause havoc and hurt others.

And letting innocents get hurt because one doesn’t look at all options to keep them safe is not manly at all.

So Eijiro and Sato are working hard to get clear of Cementoss and through that archway.

“How are you holding up, big guy?” he asks as he slams his fist into another cement block and, jumping over the debris, darts forward.

“I’m still holding on there,” Sato says as he darts forward and rams his fists into the cement block that rises up in front of Eijiro. They both jump over the debris and Eijiro darts forward, ramming his entire hardened body through the next cement block and jumps over the debris. Sato darts after him, also jumping over the debris but overtaking him and slamming his fists into another cement block that appears in front of them.

Their work with alternating as they run toward the archway is working. It’s definitely giving them time, and time is what they need. Not only do they have a limited amount of time to get to the archway, but Sato also has a limited amount of time that his Quirk can remain active.

Already, they have heard that three of their paired classmates have passed the exam. They are well on their way to being the fourth pair. They just have to keep on doing what they are doing, alternating and moving as fast as they possibly can, to get out of there.

“Starting...to get a bit sleepy,” Sato murmurs.

“Almost there, big guy,” Eijiro says as he slams another fist into another cement block. He can see that they are only a few meters away from the archway. They can make it. They just have to keep going, have to keep alternating, have to keep pushing themselves passed their limits. “We can do it! Go beyond!”

“Plus Ultra!” Sato declares and surges forward, slamming his fists straight into another cement block and Eijiro, grinning, charges forward and slams his hardened body into another cement block. He grabs Sato’s arm and both of them bolt the remaining meter to the archway, diving through it.

“Yes! We did it!” Eijiro yells, turning and raising a fist.

Sato grins, in spite of the sleepy look in his eyes, and raises a fist and bumps it to Eijiro’s.

“Kirishima Eijiro and Sato Rikido have passed!”

. . .

Izuku makes his way into the viewing booth to watch the rest of the final exams. He’s glad to see that the five students who had failed the last time around had passed this time. He can see Ashido dancing with happiness as she and Yaoyorozu dart away from the archway that opened up into the arena in which they had been going against Todoroki-sensei. Kirishima and Sato are exchanging fist bumps right outside of their arena while Kaminari and Hanta are high fiving each other right outside of their arena’s.

He’s glad to see that the other teams are doing just as well as they had the first time around. Asui and Tokoyami’s teamwork is just as exceptional as it had been the last time around to the point where their exam goes exactly as it had the last time around. It ends with Asui removing the handcuffs from her stomach after she and Tokoyami are trapped by Ectoplasm’s giant clone and giving them to Dark Shadow who surges forward and snaps them around Ectoplasm’s leg.

“Tokoyami Fumikage and Asui Tsuyu have passed!”

Ida and Ojiro’s exam is the exact same too. Though Ojiro manages to get through the archway because of Ida’s well-timed move, Ida does still get stuck in the caved-in tunnel that Power Loader had created beneath him. Still, it works out in the end for both of them.

“Ida Tenya and Ojiro Mashirao have passed!”

Jirou and Koda are doing the same exact thing as last time too. Though they have a disadvantage in the fact that Present Mic’s Quirk is keeping them from using their own Quirks to their advantage, and Koda is still terrified of bugs, they do still work well. Just like last time, Koda gets over his fear of bugs and sets them on Present Mic before Koda and Jirou hurry past the terrified, bug-covered teacher and past the archway.

“Jirou Kyoka and Koda Koji have passed!”

Hagakure and Shoji are doing the same thing as they had last time, with Shoji running a distraction while Hagakure takes advantage of her invisible state to sneak up on Snipe and snap the cuffs around him.

“Hagakure Toru and Shoji Mezo have passed!”

Aoyama and Uraraka are having the same trouble that they had the last time around against Thirteen, though Izuku is happy when he sees Uraraka shifting her body and then letting go of the railing she and Aoyama had been holding on to. She twists in midair and crashes into Thirteen, using the skills she learned at Gunhead’s to slam Thirteen’s body into the ground and pin their arms behind their back. Aoyama jumps forward to land on Thirteen’s legs, preventing them from getting up, while Uraraka snaps the cuffs around their wrists.

Izuku is glad that Uraraka had taken his advice.

“Uraraka Ochaco and Aoyama Yuga have passed.”

He turns his gaze to the fight between Bakugo and Shoto against All Might. They are working well together, just as he had expected them too, though it’s a bit of a surprise that they are taking longer to pass their exam than the rest of the teams.

As he watches, he realizes what they are doing. They are launching their attacks at All Might, keeping him on his toes as he is forced to divert his attention from one student to the next as they attack him from different locations. He is quick though but he also cannot be in two places at once so whenever he moves to attack Bakugo, Shoto is there, unleashing his own attack, which forces All Might to focus on Shoto to avoid getting knocked out by Shoto’s fire and ice. And that allows Bakugo a chance to retreat and attack from a different direction, diverting All Might’s attention once again.

But he can see that All Might is getting tired.

They’re taking advantage of what they know about All Might. They’re tiring him out, Izuku realizes as he watches as a particularly large glacier surges forward but All Might slams straight into it, heading toward Shoto but Bakugo is there, a massive explosion erupting from his now bare palms that All Might is forced to dodge.

But a massive wall of fire erupts in the direction that All Might dodges in, forcing him to change direction in mid air and dive toward the ground, crashing hard enough to create a crater.

He looks up in time to see Bakugo spiraling toward him, explosions propelling him into a cyclone. Howitzer Impact slams into All Might and Izuku has to marvel at how All Might manages to stay on his feet, even though he is blasted several blocks away by the impact.

Shoto tears through the smoke, fire condensing to a white-hot point at his fist as he throws the punch but releases the flames before the punch can connect. Shoto’s version of Flashfire Fist crash into All Might, sending him flying straight into the side of a building.

Izuku realizes in an instant what the are doing, they are driving All Might closer to the archway, incidentally bringing them closer to the archway as well.

Bakugo surges forward, barking out something that Izuku can’t hear and Shoto, ice surging away from him, shoots off. They don’t go after All Might. While All Might is picking himself out of the building he’d cannoned into, Bakugo and Shoto are tearing through the archway, escaping the arena.

“Bakugo Katsuki and Todoroki Shoto have passed!”

“It looks like everyone passed, ribbit,” Asui says. She and Ida had joined Izuku in watching the rest of the matches a few matches ago, though had been silently observing them until now.

Izuku nods. And I’m glad. That means there will be more firepower when the training camp comes around, if it’s even needed.

. . .

Everyone gathers in Class 1-A’s classroom and Shoto lets a small half-smile cross his lips upon hearing everyone congratulating each other on passing the final exam. Ashido is practically dancing with Yaoyorozu, while the latter laughs and reassures Ashido that they would have never passed without her aid. Kaminari is recounting how he and Sero had won against Midnight, with Sero interjecting every now and then with a piece of information that Kaminari had left out.

Sato and Kirishima make their way across the classroom. “Yo, Todoroki!” Kirishima says with a grin. “I gotta thank ya!”

Shoto tilts his head to the side. “For what?” he says.

“For your advice, man! If you hadn’t given us your advice, Sato and I might’ve done with Cementoss exactly what we did with you while we were training, and that would not have been good,” says Kirishima.

“Yeah, we owe ya,” Sato says.

“You don’t owe me anything,” Shoto assures them. “I just gave you some advice. It was up to you whether you listened to it or not. Congratulations on passing though.”

Kirishima beams as does Sato.

“Everyone, take your seats,” Aizawa says as he walks into the classroom, Touya walking behind him, and everyone sits down only a few seconds later. “I have reviewed all of the tests, written and practical, and you will be glad to know that all of you have passed. As such, all of you will be going to the training camp, and none of you will have to take extra classes.”

“Hell yeah!” Sero shouts.

“Yes! Curry! Truth or dare!” Ashido cheers.

“I wasn’t done yet,” Aizawa says, eyes glowing, hair flaring around him, capture weapon spiraling around his form as his Quirk activates.

Everyone falls silent in an instant.

“You have all learned much in the past semester,” says Aizawa. “And the training camp will not be easy. You will learn far more during the camp. Touya will hand out the manuals that will list everything that you will need to bring with you.”

Touya rolls his eyes but picks up the stack of manuals and starts handing out stacks to each row. “By the way, Ashido, Yaoyorozu, while I commend you for your quick thinking, getting thrown into a river is not exactly fun,” he deadpans upon handing the stack to the row that Ashido is in.

Ashido smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, Todoroki-sensei, but Yaomomo and I thought it would be the best idea to distract you enough for us to get out of there,” she says.

“Like I said, ingenious plan, it just wasn’t fun.” Touya moves to the rest of the aisles and continues to hand out the stacks of manuals.

“When will the training camp take place?” Yaoyorozu asks as she raises her hand, resting the manual that Shinso hands her.

“You will be informed of that at a later time. Just be prepared after your week-long vacation is over,” says Aizawa.

Izuku flips through the manual and lifts his head when Hagakure suggests that they all go shopping for the items that they need on Saturday. Mostly everyone is onboard and Kirishima even tries to convince Bakugo to go with them. Izuku bents over a piece of paper and writes ‘we should keep this encounter as close to what happened last time as possible. You can still come but we can’t arouse a certain someone’s suspicions’ and leaning back, shifting the paper so that Bakugo can read it.

Bakugo leans forward, his head nodding ever so slightly. “Tch, it’s not like I got anything better to fucking do,” he says.

“What about you, Todoroki-kun,” Yaoyorozu asks.

“I usually visit my mom on Saturday but I’ll just visit her in the morning and meet you there,” Shoto says.

“Great! It’s gonna be so much fun!” Hagakure cries.

“I don’t know if I want to go,” Shinso begins.

“C’mon, Shinso,” Kaminari calls with a bright smile. “It’ll be nice for all of us to just hang out when not in school, don’t you think?”

Shinso catches Kaminari’s gaze, and bright smile, and looks away. “Ah...I suppose…” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess...I’m not used to...hanging out when not in school.”

“I’m sure you’ll have a great time,” Kaminari says, that bright smile still on his lips. “I mean we’re all friends, right?”

“I guess…”

Izuku chuckles. “You’re our friend, whether you like it or not,” he says.

“Why does that sound more like a threat than anything?” Shinso deadpans.

Izuku just laughs. “It’s not a threat,” he says.

“Yeah, our resident green bean cinnamon roll couldn’t hurt a fly,” Sero says with a grin.

Bakugo snorts.

Izuku, while still smiling, smacks Bakugo upside the head.

“Why you little…!” Bakugo slams his hands down on his desk, and it explodes beneath him.

Izuku just keeps on smiling.

“And, Sero, Midoriya may not be able to hurt a fly but that doesn’t mean he isn’t scary, because he is, and very much so at that,” Ashido says.

Kaminari nods in agreement. “Crazy scary bunny confirmed,” he says.

“It’s official. Bunny is Midoriya’s new nickname!” Hagakure calls. “All in favor?”

“Aye!” The rest of the class, including Bakugo and Shoto—those traitors—say in unison.

“Guys!” Izuku wails in embarrassment, burying his face into his arm. “Are you never going to let that go?”

Bakugo laughs sharply. “As fucking if. You are never going to live that the fuck down!” he says with a sharp grin.

Izuku groans.

“At least Izuku is an adorable bunny,” says Shoto.

“Shoto!”

Everyone just laughs at him.

Shinso sighs. “You are all crazy,” he says.

“You’re part of our class. You’re just as crazy as the rest of us,” Izuku says, patting Shinso’s arm with his free hand but still not pulling his face away from his other arm.

“Great…”

Aizawa, who’s dozing away in his sleeping bag while listening to the entire class talk, just rolls his eyes at the chaos that is erupting in his classroom. Izuku is positive that he doesn’t care what they do, so long as they don’t get into any fights, or burn the school down.

“So this Saturday. Let’s meet up at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall at, say, two?” Hagakure says, going back to what they had been originally talking about.

“Sounds good to me, ribbit,” Asui says.

“Yeah, that’s fine with me,” Sato says.

Tokoyami simply shrugs.

“Okay,” Shoji says and the rest of the class voice their agreement.

. . .

Tomura leans against the bar, gazing at the door and tapping his fingers against the counter. Kurogiri is wiping a glass while quietly talking about how it’s a good idea to use Stain’s ideology to increase the size of their group. Of course, he already knows about this, since that is the reason why he told Kurogiri that he’s going to try to make it seem as if Stain is working with him.

The main reason why he has done that is to lure his old followers back to him.

It’s a shame that he won’t be getting Dabi back. Finding out that Dabi had become a Pro Hero had left a bitter taste in Tomura’s mouth but, due to all that they had gone through and accomplished together in Tomura’s last life, he hadn’t found it in himself to kill Dabi, now Touya Todoroki, when he found him in Hosu City. That’s probably the only time that he will spare Touya, for the sole purpose of what could have been.

He will never admit it to anyone but he’s going to miss that scarred, rude, annoying bastard.

But he’ll be glad to get the rest of his family back together. Toga. Magne. Mr. Compress. Spinner. Twice.

This time around, he is not going to let anything happen to them, and he most certainly is not going to let All for One continue to run around behind the scenes unchecked.

He will find a way to ensure that the Kamino Disaster happens again, because he knows that is the only way that his old master is going to get thrown into the depths of Tartarus. And that is the only way that Tomura will be free to do as he pleases, to run his organization without having an ulterior motive hanging over his head, and without being used as All for One’s pawn in the grand scheme of things.

He will burn society to the ground, and create a world from its ashes, a world where he and his family rule and heroes are no more, and he will do so on his own. He does not need All for One’s aid, or his power, nor does he want it.

Not if it means losing all control over his own actions and becoming little more than a puppet that All for One is pulling the strings to.

The door opens. “Word of your connection to Stain has spread rather rapidly,” Giran says as he makes his way into the bar, cigarette dangling from his mouth. “We’ve already gotten some recruits who want to join up.”

“Oh?” Tomura says, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes! I have two with me right now. Come on in, you two.”

Tomura watches as two individuals walk into the room. He only recognizes one of them. Blonde hair stylized in messy two buns, a permanent rosy blush on her cheeks, sharp golden eyes, and fangs poking out from her teeth. Himiko Toga, the youngest member of my family.

The second person is someone that he never met in the last timeline. He’s tall, probably a foot taller than Toga, with pitch-black hair with silver streaks running through it, pale skin, a narrow face, and eyes so dark that they are practically black. He’s clad in a black jacket and black jeans tucked into black boots with a silver belt wrapped around his waist, and Tomura is positive he sees a holster for a gun resting on his hip. A gun user, then, like Mustard. Hmm…

“Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourselves?” Giran says.

“I’m Toga,” the girl says with a big smile, baring her fangs. “Himiko Toga!” Her introduction is the exact same as the last time around.

The other young man studies Toga. “And she’s nuts too,” he says. His voice is soft and cool. He turns his head and adds, “Amano Inei but I prefer my alias of Shadow.”

Tomura studies the man. “And what’s your story?” he says.

Shadow stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “Revenge, mostly,” he says. “But also because Stain’s ideology has been something that I have lived by for years. If you are someone who follows Stain’s ideology then you have my support.”

He reminds me of Spinner, except that Spinner’s acceptance of Stain’s ideology is far stronger, Tomura thinks as he casts his gaze over the two of them.

“What do you think?” Giran says. “I mean they did come all this way to speak with you.”

Tomura hums, tapping his fingers against the counter again, making sure to never rest all five fingers on the counter. Of course, he doesn’t even need all five fingers to use his Quirk now but the bastard All for One doesn’t need to know of how much stronger he has gotten, with his Quirk and otherwise.

He stands up. “I need to think,” he says and walks toward the door. “Stay here if you’d like for the time being. I just need to gather my thoughts before I make a decision.” He slips out of the bar and heads, grabbing his sweater as he walks and slipping it on, pulling the hood over his head.

Of course, he doesn’t really need to think. He’s already fully prepared to accept Toga and Shadow into his group. He may not know anything about Shadow, like he knows about Toga and the rest of his followers that he knows will come forward in their own time, but he can tell that Shadow will be a good addition to his growing League.

Whether he will end up seeing Shadow as family like he has the rest of his followers or not, that is still up for debate.

For now, he may as well head to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall.

He still believes that he isn’t the only one who is meddling with the past. Touya being a Pro Hero suggests that someone had meddled to cause that to happen and there are just too many inconsistencies with his memories that meddling is the only explanation. And he has no doubt who is the meddler.

The person who sent him back said that they were sending him back to balance matters out, which suggests that others had been sent back before him. And Midoriya Izuku has always been that thorn in Tomura’s side that he hasn’t been able to remove, the thorn that All for One has set his eyes on since the Sports Festival, the thorn that wields the only Quirk that All for One has never been able to obtain for himself.

The same Quirk that All for One had tried to use Tomura’s hatred and rage to obtain for himself.

But Tomura sees Midoriya Izuku as more than just the holder of One for All. Midoriya Izuku is the only one to truly stand toe to toe with Tomura while he had been at his most powerful, while he had been harboring the power of All for One’s original Quirk. Midoriya Izuku is the big boss that Tomura knows he needs to defeat if he wants to succeed.

But he cannot do that now. No, that will invite too much suspicion from All for One, and will not benefit Tomura at the moment. He needs to gather his strength, increase his numbers, and get rid of All for One, not necessarily in that order.

He’ll leave Midoriya alone for now.

For now, he needs to gather his old followers, get All for One thrown into Tartarus, get revenge on fucking Overhaul and make sure that bastard doesn’t kill Magne this time around, and regain control of the Meta Liberation Army and, if possible, Gigantomachia. After that, then he will take the fight to the heroes that stand in his way of burning society to the ground.

But one step at a time…

That first step is what he is focusing on now. Gathering his old followers to start increasing the size of his League. He can worry about the rest later.

As he makes his way into the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, he ponders how he wants matters to play out. He has always been incredibly observant so he knows that if he is careful then he can get more information out of Midoriya Izuku without him realizing it. He’ll keep things the same as the last time, get Midoriya alone, rant about Stain like had last time, get Midoriya to give him his own thoughts on the matter, let that brown-haired little girl find them, and then leave with a parting warning.

And he will observe Midoriya the entire time because if Midoriya is one of the ones that had been sent back in time before Tomura then he will have prior knowledge about this entire encounter. But if he’s smart—and the interactions that Tomura has had with Midoriya has told him that the boy is incredibly smart—then he will try to not draw Tomura’s attention to him, and try not to make him suspicious that the boy knows more than he is letting on. So he will likely try to keep the encounter the same as the last time around.

But there will be subtle gestures and wordings and the like that will give him away, tiny little details that Tomura will notice. He is a gamer and his observation skills come from the various kinds of games that he always plays, including games that require someone to be analytical and have keen observation skills. Anything that seems off or different about Midoriya’s body language will indicate all that Tomura needs to know.

He finds Midoriya easily enough. Like last time, the boy had been completely left alone by the rest of his classmates. He moves forward, making mention of how he recognized the kid from the Sports Festival, altering his opening statement to fit the fact that the Sports Festival had been different this time around by making mention of that secondary Quirk that had made its appearance.

“Oh, uh, yeah...kinda surprised people are still talking about that,” Midoriya says nervously, like last time, but Tomura notices how his shoulders tense, how his hands clench but relax a second later. He keeps that in mind as he drapes his arm around Midoriya’s shoulders, casually encircling his fingers around Midoriya’s neck, just like last time.

The boy is tense, far tenser than he had been last time. Even though everything is going exactly as it had the last time around, with only some amendments on Tomura’s own part to incorporate how different the Festival, and what happened with Stain, had gone, Midoriya is still incredibly tense.

But he isn’t afraid. Last time, he had been scared, in spite of how he had put on a brave face when reminding Tomura that he couldn’t harm anyone without the heroes swarming him. This time, there isn’t a single trace of fear in his posture, in his body language, even as he allows Tomura to guide him away like last time, even as he agrees to talk with him like last time.

No, not a single ounce fear.

Instead, his body is tense like a cobra rearing up to strike. He’s managing to maintain his facade but Tomura can see beyond it, to the hero in training who is trying hard to stop himself from fighting Tomura right then and there. But there is something else in his gaze when he turns his head ever so slightly to look at Tomura.

Pity. Sadness. Determination.

Tomura doesn’t know what to make of those eyes, eyes that seem to sear straight through his soul, as if the boy is looking not at him but at what lay beneath, at something that he doesn’t believe still exists.

He forces himself to focus on the matter at hand, not on those soul-searching piercing eyes. He forces himself to start talking about Stain, like last time, about how much Stain supposedly pisses him off.

He listens to Midoriya’s words, not at all surprised to hear Midoriya say the exact same thing to him as last time. But his soul-searching piercing eyes are still staring at him, are still filled with that sad pity and determination, are still looking at him and seeing something that Tomura can’t see himself.

The more Tomura thinks about it, the more he realizes that those eyes that are staring at him right are the same eyes that had stared into his own while he had been attempting to steal One for All from the boy.

It’s those eyes that make Tomura realize his earlier suspicion was correct.

This boy is from the same time that Tomura came from.

This boy also jumped through time.

“I see,” he says once Midoriya finishes speaking. “So it all comes down to him. It all comes down to All Might. So I don’t have to change anything after all! Thank you, Midoriya.” He smiles because it isn’t just his conviction that he had just confirmed by this talk with Midoriya but also who also had been sent back in time, who also has proven himself to be even more of a major boss than he had been previously. But he has already made the decision to leave the boy alive until he has accomplished his other goals.

Shigaraki Tomura still has use for Midoriya Izuku. This boy is going to be his key to accomplishing his second goal.

All for One has set his eyes upon Midoriya Izuku.

So Tomura will simply use Midoriya Izuku as the pawn necessary to drive All for One straight into the ground, and take the reigns and go out on his own, without ever being used as All for One’s pawn ever again.

The brown-haired hero in training arrives at that point.

Tomura lets matters play out like last time, releasing Midoriya, apologizing and saying that he hadn’t known Midoriya was with someone, and then warning Midoriya to not follow him.

“Wait, Shigaraki!” Midoriya yells as Tomura strides away, hands tucked into his sweater’s pockets. He tilts his head to glance at Midoriya over his shoulder in time to see the brown-haired girl whip her head around to stare at him in utter shock. “What is All for One after?”

“Who knows?” And I don’t fucking care. “You should be more concerned about yourself. After all, the next time we meet up might be when I decide to kill you.” Tomura strides off, letting the crowd swallow him up. It’s not like he actually means that last statement. It’s more or less going to be a few more meet ups before he decides to kill the boy, the next meet up is going to be something else entirely.

Kurogiri materializes once Tomura ducks into a space between two stores. “Take me to the roof,” he says and steps into the warp gate. He steps out on the roof of the mall, far beyond any surveillance cameras and other people. He gazes down as the mall is evacuated, not at all surprised to see Midroyia and the brown-haired girl being reunited with their own classmates but no one is looking up so he knows he’s in the clear.

He turns his head. “Let’s go back, Kurogiri. I have my answer for Toga and Shadow,” he says and strides off into the warp gate, vanishing from the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall as if he had never been there.

. . .

Chapter Text

I-Island is a massive floating island in which all of the greatest minds, and their families, live and thrive. It’s a place in which Quirks are allowed to be used without licenses, where scientists study Quirks and create support items for the various heroes in the world, where the biggest expo showcasing those items and research to the world is going to take place. Only a select number of people are allowed to attend the expo before opening day, and Shoto, as both the winner of the Sports Festival and Endeavor’s youngest son, is one of those people.

“Man, so many people,” Touya says as he strides at Shoto’s side as the two of them make their way deeper into the massive island, dodging around various heroes and civilians who are wandering the area. He’s clad in his hero costume that still makes him look like a goth who never grew out of it: his dark blue trenchcoat is almost black and covers the baggy black pants and black sleeveless top with a high collar that hide the burn scars that drape down from the collarbone to about halfway down his chest. At the very least, no one thinks he’s a Pro Hero, which Shoto knows will be to his advantage when everything happens.

“So where are you meeting your classmates?” Touya asks, casting a glance at Shoto as they meander their way around a crowd of fans who are gathered around one of the many Pros that are attending the pre-opening event for the expo.

“Izuku and Bakugo are the only ones who know that we are attending but I know some of my other classmates are attending. I just don’t know where they are right now. We’re meeting Izuku and Bakugo at that Villain Attack Attraction Site,” says Shoto.

Touya hums. “Well, may as well explore the area while we’re heading over there,” he says. “There’s the pavilion not far from here where they have a lot of different support gear that I’ve been wanting to check out.”

Shoto nods and follows Touya as he leads the way toward the pavilion. He scans the area as he walks but nothing seems out of place. He isn’t sure when Wolffram and his team are going to invade the island but he can hope that All Might might have headed it off at the pass before even arriving at I-Island.

His phone buzzes as he and Touya make their way into the pavilion and start wandering around the various displays of support gear. He pulls it out and taps open the message that his boyfriend had sent him:

Izuku: no go with Shields. All Might says that

Shields was acting very suspicious when

he spoke with him before we left for

the island

Me: I was hoping that he could have

headed everything off at the pass

pass but I guess we go with our

original plan

Izuku: Yeah. I’ve already let Kacchan know.

See you at the Villain Attack attraction

Me: see you then

Shoto tucks his phone away and jogs to catch up with Touya who had kept on walking when he stopped to respond. He comes to Touya’s side as the older man comes to a stop by one of the support gears on display. It’s a water-based support gear that will allow someone to submerge themselves in water and not be affected by the pressure of the ocean.

“Interesting,” Touya says. “Me and water isn’t a good idea but still interesting, unless I’m on fire. At least, that’s what Kei says.” He grimaces and Shoto covers his mouth to hide his snickers. He doesn’t know what story his brother is thinking about but he knows that Touya and Keigo’s relationship is an interesting one to say the least. Takami Keigo is an eccentric goofball who always gets on Touya’s nerves and, truthfully, Shoto is still trying to figure out how those two even got together.

But, when it comes down to it, he doesn’t really care, so long as his eldest brother is happy and not a villain.

“Maybe you need this for whenever Keigo throws you into water when you set yourself on fire,” he suggests. He may not know if that’s exactly what happened but the fact that Touya’s face goes red with annoyed embarrassment tells him that he hit the nail on its head.

“Shut it, brat,” Touya grumbles but ruffles his hair.

Shoto ducks out of the way, a frown of annoyance on his lips. “Touya-nii,” he protests.

Touya just laughs at him. “C’mon, we still have much of this pavilion to explore through,” he says.

Shoto nods and follows his eldest brother as he leads the way deeper into the pavilion, casually commenting on some of the support gear that they walk past and studying the rest closely. It makes him wonder if his eldest brother is thinking of adding a support gear to his hero costume, maybe something that can help him regulate his flames so that they don’t harm his body.

He doesn’t know if that will work, since he knows the only reason why Touya’s flames hurt his body is because he had his mother’s constitution, which is a dangerous combination with Endeavor’s flames.

He shivers at the memory of his fight with Dabi during the war, of Dabi’s words to him about the deaths he had caused with his flames, with the flames he had inherited from Endeavor.

“Hey, Shoto? Something wrong?”

He jerks out of the flashback and looks up to find that Touya is kneeling down in front of him, concern in his turquoise eyes. Seeing those eyes, without the madness and the hate that had been in them during the war, allows Shoto to slowly relax and, taking a deep breath, he relaxes further.

“It’s nothing,” he says quietly as he shakes his head, trying to dislodge the dark memory that clings to the forefronts of his mind like a cobweb.

He should be over this already. It’s been months since he, Bakugo, and Izuku had been reunited after they had been sent to the past, and Shoto has been in the past for far longer than just a few months. Being thrown into the past to the point when his Quirk activated is the reason why he was able to stop Touya from becoming Dabi after all. That means that Dabi doesn’t exist, that his part in the war that is sure to come won’t happen, and yet...and yet…

Why can’t I let go of those memories of Dabi that won’t happen now? Why do they still haunt me when it’s not going to happen this time around?

Shoto doesn’t know.

He feels his eldest brother curl an arm around his shoulders. “Remember you can talk to me ‘bout anything, Shoto,” Touya assures him. “I’m always willing to listen.”

“I know. I just...can’t...right now.” Shoto doesn’t think he ever will be able to truly talk with his eldest brother about the nightmares that haunt him. His brother only knows the bare minimum, and that had been from eleven years ago, and he just doesn’t think he can talk about anything beyond the bare minimum.

“All right. C’mon, we’re almost done with the tour. Then we can head over to the Villain Attack attraction,” Touya says.

“Okay.”

. . .

Izuku listens with half an ear as Melissa chats about the history of I-Island and the various attractions that are located scattered throughout the massive floating island. He’s heard it all before but he makes a point of making it seem like he’s paying attention as they wander around the various people scattered around them.

They had left Professor Shields’ lab earlier, with All Might reassuring Izuku that he would try to speak with the professor again as subtly as possible about what he is planning on doing.

“At the very least, I will try to caution him about the impending villain attack,” All Might reassured him.

Izuku doesn’t think that Professor Shields will listen to him. Considering that the security system that guards I-Island is on par with Tartarus, no one will ever consider that anyone can get through that system to attack the island itself. Not unless they are being let in by someone on the inside, like Wolffram and his team had been.

He can only hope that it’s not too late to put a stop to Shields’ plan before the worst comes to worst. And if it is, he can only hope that the spur of the moment plan that he, Bakugo, Shoto, and All Might had come up with will work.

“Are you okay, Deku?” Melissa says, jolting Izuku out of his thoughts.

He blinks and smiles at the taller blonde. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he assures her and, when she continues to study him in concern, he adds, “Really, I’m okay. So where to next?”

Melissa hums but decides against pushing and turns her head. “I was thinking the pavilion and then there’s a nice cafe not far from here where we can get something to eat and drink before continuing with the tour,” she suggests and starts walking again, adding, “the pavilion is where all of the inventions created by the various scientists on the island are being displayed for the expo. Some of those decisions are based off designs that my father came up with.”

“You really admire your father, don’t you?” Even if Izuku hadn’t already known that, he can hear the admiration in Melissa’s voice.

She nods. “I want to be like him,” she admits. “I’m a third year at I-Island Academy, studying to be a scientist just like my father.”

“That’s great.”

“What about you?” Melissa asks as they make their way into the pavilion and start walking from one invention to the next. “What made you decide to become a hero?”

Izuku smiles softly. “I’ve always wanted to help and protect others,” he admits. “And I’ve always admired heroes, like All Might. They were my inspiration and my role models growing up too. But it’s mostly because...I want to save, and I want to protect. I want to be able to help anyone who looks like they are in need of it, who are crying out for help and who need saving.”

He thinks about Shigaraki, about the look in Shigaraki’s eyes when they had been within One for All when Shigaraki and All for One had been trying to steal it. He remembers seeing beyond the madness and the rage and the hate in Shigaraki’s eyes to the lost, lonely young man who looked like he needed saving.

“It’s a worthy goal,” says Melissa, breaking Izuku out of his memories again and he, shaking his head to clear it, gives the blonde girl a wobbly smile.

“Yeah. It’s a tough one though,” he says and, changing the subject so that he doesn’t have to go down memory lane again, he adds, “So what do most of these inventions do?”

Of course, he already knows but it gives Melissa something to talk about and he doesn’t mind listening to the explanations again. He may have only known Melissa during the time that they had been on I-Island but the older girl had become a friend in that short amount of time. He is sure that won’t change this time around.

Just like last time, they find themselves running into Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Uraraka. Unlike last time, when they had thought that Izuku was on a date with Melissa—and Izuku is embarrassed because, thinking back, he hadn’t caught the insinuation until much later—this time, they just seem surprised that he’s there.

He has to caution Melissa to not bring up the fact that he came there with All Might before he introduces her to his classmates. “Guys, this is Melissa Shields,” he says.

“It’s nice to meet you all. You’re U.A. students too?” Melissa asks.

“Yeah, we are,” Jirou says. “Name’s Jirou Kyoka.”

“I’m Yaoyorozu Momo,” Yaoyorozu says.

“Uraraka Ochaco,” Uraraka says with a kind smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Let’s head over to that cafe that I told you about, Deku,” Melissa suggests with a smile. “We’re basically done with this tour anyway and I don’t know about you but I’m getting hungry.”

Izuku chuckles because he is too. “I am too,” he says.

It doesn’t take the five of them long to reach the cafe and Izuku finds himself scanning the area, looking for any sign of Kaminari, Ida, and whoever had come with Kaminari since Mineta isn’t part of Class 1-A anymore.

He is more than a little surprised by who had come with Kaminari to work as part-time staff for the cafe. Messy indigo hair, perpetually tired purple eyes with deep eye bags that’ll probably give Aizawa-sensei a run for his money…

“Shinso?” he says in surprise as the indigo-haired boy placed a glass of water in front of him.

“Shinso! Kaminari! What are you guys doing here?” Uraraka says in surprise.

“Oh, we got free tickets to attend the expo so long as we work during it,” Kaminari says with a grin as he slings his arm around Shinso’s shoulder, a grin on his lips.

“By ‘we’, he means ‘him’,” Shinso deadpans, shrugging Kaminari’s arm off his shoulders but not before Izuku catches sight of the faintest hint of red on his cheeks. He raises an eyebrow and Shinso gives him an annoyed look.

“I convinced Shinso to come with me!” Kaminari says with that blinding grin still on his lips.

“I have to know. How did you manage that?” Jirou says in puzzlement.

Kaminari just grinned. “Oh it was nothing special,” he says.

“Told my new foster dads that I needed to get out more and, since my new foster dads already know that I don’t get out enough, it really hadn’t taken long to convince them to let me go. Then they just both cornered me with it and I decided that it wasn’t worth arguing about,” Shinso replies, running a hand through his hair.

“Wasn’t expecting who Shinso’s new foster dads are though. Get this?! It’s…” Whatever Kaminari is about to say is muffled by a sudden white scarf that is wrapped around his mouth, startling Izuku who stares in utter shock as Aizawa strides forward.

“What did I say, Kaminari?” Aizawa says in annoyance as he releases the capture scarf.

“To not tell anyone until Shinso’s ready…” Kaminari says as if echoing something that has already been stated beforehand.

“And what were you about to do?”

“...Tell someone before Shinso was ready. Sorry Shinso.”

“It’s fine,” Shinso says. “It was going to come out eventually. Yes, Aizawa is one of my foster dads.”

When did this happen? Izuku thinks but another question on his mind is what is the Erasure Hero doing on I-Island. That is a major shock. The only Pro Hero that hadn’t been present the first time around that Izuku had been expecting had been Touya but now both Touya and Aizawa are here?

In hindsight, that may actually work out, especially in regards to Wolffram. If Aizawa can erase Wolffram’s Quirk then they should be able to get the device away from him before things go as badly as they had the first time around.

But he pushes that thought aside as Yaoyorozu asks the question he’s sure is on the mind of everyone present, except Shinso.

“What are you doing here, sensei?” she asks.

“Someone has to keep these two out of trouble, and I am not burdening Ida with that responsibility,” says Aizawa as he adjusts his capture scarf.

“We are not that bad!” Kaminari protests with a pout.

“You’re part of my class.” He says it as if that explains everything. “And aren’t you two on duty?”

“Shit!” Kaminari all but bolts away from the table while Shinso, tucking his platter under his arm, follows Kaminari back to the cafe while Aizawa tucks his hands into his pockets.

“Is it just you here, Aizawa-sensei?” Izuku asks.

Aizawa nods.

“Aizawa-sensei! Have you seen Kaminari and Shinso?” Ida says as he runs over to join them.

“They’ve already been sent back to work,” Aizawa says.

“Good! Good! Oh, hello, everyone!” Ida says.

“You’re here too, Ida?” Uraraka asks.

“Yes of course! Team Ida all received an invitation but, due to the fact that they are still working through cleaning up the mess in Hosu City, they were unable to attend so Tensei asked if I could go in his stead to represent the team,” says Ida.

“I see. I’m here because my parents have stock with some of the expo’s sponsors and I had two extra invites,” says Yaoyorozu.

“That’s how Uraraka and I got to go,” Jirou says. “The other girls are here too but they just can’t attend the expo until tomorrow when it opens to the public.”

“Are you a teacher at U.A.?” Melissa asks, glancing at Aizawa.

The Erasure Hero nods but an explosion erupts nearby, causing everyone to turn their attention toward it. Izuku gets to his feet and isn’t surprised when his classmates are quick to hurry over to the site, Aizawa moving swiftly beside them. But, upon seeing that it’s just an attraction based on villain attacks, they slow down.

Everyone, except Izuku, is surprised to see Kirishima in the arena, tearing through various robots with a sharp-toothed grin on his lips.

“Whoa, Kirishima’s here too?” Uraraka says as the group moves over to the railing, with Aizawa—who already knew that Kirishima would be there—just leans against the railing.

“At thirty three seconds, this competitor has moved up to eight place!” the announcer declares as Kirishima lands on the ground beside her, a grin on his lips.

“And next up!”

Bakugo strides forward, a grin on his lips.

“Ready! Go!” The announcer shouts and Bakugo is off like a light, explosions propelling him forward as he tears through robot after robot after robot, beating his record from the last timeline by three seconds.

“He cleared the event in twelve seconds, boosting him up to first place!” the announcer exclaims.

“Ha, child’s play!” Bakugo yells.

“Hey, Bakugo, I see Midoriya up in the stands,” Kirishima calls.

Bakugo launches himself into the air and Izuku yelps, throwing himself backwards to avoid his rival landing on top of him. “’Bout time you fucking showed up, fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells, grabs Izuku who yelps as he finds himself thrown into the arena. Bakugo peers over the railing and shouts, “Announcer! That nerd is next!”

“Um...okay?” the announcer says as Izuku picks himself to his feet.

“Next time, don’t throw me,” he shouts back at the explosive blonde as Kirishima, a look of amused exasperation, climbs the stairs to join the rest of his classmates by the stands.

“Just fucking get to it, fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells back.

Izuku huffs and, rolling his eyes, strides forward. He stretches his arms above his head and, activating One for All at 45%, prepares to launch himself into the air. He’s looking to completely beat Bakugo in this event, rather than only get to second place like last time.

“Ready! Go!” the announcer yells.

Izuku is off like a light, Blackwhip surges forward, spreading rapidly through the air and spearing through several robots at one time while Izuku uses Shoot Style to crash his steel-soled feet straight into the robots that Blackwhip hadn’t speared through. He twists around in mid air as he recalls Blackwhip and fires off three consecutive Air Force blasts that tear through the last robots before he lands in a light skid beside a shocked announcer.

“I...In only ten seconds, this kid has jumped up to first place!” the announcer exclaims in shock.

“Fucking nerd!” Bakugo yells.

Izuku just grins up at him as he launches himself into the air to land beside his rival. “What?” he says with an innocent tilt to his head that has Bakugo giving him an annoyed glare but, before he can say anything else, the ground rumbles. They turn in time to see a massive surge of pure blue flames rush forward, completely annihilating every single robot in the course.

“Whoa! With such amazing control, he beat the course in only nine seconds!” the announcer exclaims.

“Beat that, baby bro!” Touya Todoroki says from within the ring.

Shoto strides forward. “Excuse me?” he says to the announcer who glances at him in surprise. “I do apologize ahead of time for the damage but my eldest brother needs to have his massive ego deflated just a little bit.”

“That is all right,” the announcer says. “The walls surrounding the course are installed with shields that prevent anything outside of this arena from being damaged, and the course itself can be easily repaired.” She sounds a bit nervous as if she isn’t sure as to what Shoto has in mind.

“Good. You had best stand back.”

The announcer quickly scrambles back as Shoto strides forward, and proceeds to unleash Flashfreeze Heatwave, by cooling down the entire arena with his right side and then rapidly heating it up with his left side, which pretty much annihilated the entire arena, and every single robot caught within it, in a matter of seconds.

“Holy shit!” the announcer exclaims. “With that one move, this kid just beat this event in only five seconds!”

“Fucking Icyhot!” Bakugo yells as he launches himself over the railing. “What the fuck are you doing showing the fuck off like that?”

“Oh, you’re here,” Shoto says.

“Of course I’m fucking here, fucking Icyhot! Oi! Announcer lady! Fix the course! I wanna go again!”

“Um, there are others who need to go first who have been waiting,” the announcer begins but is cut off when Shoto scoffs.

“Why don’t you wait your turn, you fuming Pomeranian?” he says with much sass in his tone.

“Ha, you tell him, baby bro!” Touya yells.

Izuku throws himself over the railing, as does Ida and Kirishima, and hurries over to join his boyfriend. “You have been spending way too much time with Touya, Shochan,” he says while Kirishima wraps his arms around Bakugo’s middle to prevent the explosive blonde from lunging at Shoto and blowing his face off.

“This is not how ones who are representing U.A. are meant to act!” Ida exclaims, chopping his hand.

“I say let them go at it,” Touya says.

“You are not helping matters,” Aizawa says as he throws himself over the railing to land next to Touya and strides forward, capture scarf already flaring out to wrap around Bakugo who yelps as he’s thrown to the ground. “Calm down, all of you.”

“Aizawa-sensei! You’re here too?” Kirishima exclaims.

Bakugo lifts his head and blinks. “What the fuck is he doing here?” he says.

“Reasons that work out,” says Izuku. For us is left unsaid but it’s implied.

“Now act your age,” Aizawa says as he pulls back his capture scarf and walks over to join the announcer. “Excuse my students’ unsightly display.”

“It’s all right,” the announcer says and Izuku knows that she is probably incredibly relieved when the crowd of U.A. students leave the attraction a few minutes later.

. . .

Katsuki scrolls through his phone as he lays on the bed in the hotel room that he shares with Kirishima. The red-haired boy is pacing the length of the room in front of them, though not in distress but rather excitement as he talks about everything that they had discovered during their brief tour of the expo before going to that attraction.

He just listens to his boyfriend rant. It’s amusing and endearing, really, and it’s only this time around that Katsuki has come to truly appreciate Kirishima and the kind of person that he truly is. He’s kind and compassionate and so enthusiastic at times but also incredibly honorable and protective, prime hero material.

Still, I don’t even know what happened to him during the war.

That’s a saddening thought. Since he, Icyhot, and Izuku had been sent back into the past so soon after the League retreated, they have absolutely no way of knowing what happened to the rest of their classmates or the other pro heroes or their own teacher. They don’t even really know what happened to them, since all of them had been seriously injured when they had been transported to that space between dimensions or whatever the hell that person had called it.

He tightens his grip on his phone, resisting the urge to scowl, as his mind goes back to the war, goes back to the pain that he had experienced when Shigaraki stabbed him, goes back to the inner terror upon seeing how injured both Izuku and Icyhot had been, along with Aizawa-sensei and even freaking Endeavor.

And how powerful, yet completely unstable, Shigaraki had become after gaining All for One’s Quirk.

Katsuki can only hope that they will be able to change enough to prevent that from happening.

“Hey, Katsuki, are you okay?”

Katsuki tears himself out of his thoughts and lifts his head, a scowl crossing his lips. “I’m fine. Why the fuck do you think I’m not?” he snaps.

“Well, um, you kinda just snapped your phone in half,” Kirishima says.

Katsuki blinks and scowls upon noticing that he had, indeed, snapped his phone in half, too caught up in his memories of the future he came from that he hadn’t even realized he’d tightened his grip as much as he had. He scowls and drops the ruined phone to the ground.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” he growls.

Kirishima continues to gaze at him, then moves over to sit beside him, resting a hand on his arm. “You wanna talk about it?” he asks quietly.

“I told you I’m fucking fine!” Katsuki snaps.

Kirishima clearly doesn’t believe him.

Katsuki glares at the ground, not wanting to think of the last time that he saw Kirishima, back before they had split up into their separate groups and the war began. He leans into his boyfriend who seems surprised by the sudden move.

“Katsuki…” he begins.

“Don’t. Just...don’t say anything,” Katsuki murmurs.

Kirishima gazes at him, then smiles and squeezes his arm. “I’m here, Katsuki,” he says gently. “I’m here.”

“I know,” Katsuki murmurs. And I’m glad. He won’t say that out loud but he is. He really is glad that his boyfriend is here, with him, and he doesn’t have to worry about not knowing because the war is going to happen differently. If Katsuki can figure out how to use the future knowledge that he, Izuku, and Icyhot have then they may be able to prevent it from happening at all.

But so many things need to happen, and there are still so many variables that they have to keep in mind. There’s so much that they can’t really do anything about, due to lack of information since they only know as much as they had witnessed and experienced themselves.

Kirishima squeezes his arm and stands up. “Well, up for going to that reception today?” he says.

Katsuki rolls his eyes. “Fine,” he says and gets to his feet.

“What? Really? I was expecting to have to try and convince you,” Kirishima says in surprise as he fishes through his suitcase.

Katsuki wanders over to join his boyfriend and wraps his arms around his waist, resting his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Tch, I’d rather do something than just sit here and be fucking bored out of my mind,” he growls. “Even if it is just a stupid ass dinner.”

Kirishima chuckles, resting his hands on Katsuki’s arms. “You’re rather affectionate today,” he says.

“Tell anyone and I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kirishima turns around in his arms and wraps his arms around Katsuki’s neck, smiling up at him. “You’re just saying that but you’re really are rather soft, bro.”

“Don’t fucking insult me, Ei,” Katsuki retorts.

“You are.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Katsuki leans forward and crashes his lips against his boyfriend’s to which he chuckles but kisses him back, digging his fingers into Katsuki’s unruly blonde hair. Katsuki tightens his grip on his boyfriend, pulling him closer and gently nipping on Kirishima’s bottom lip.

They continue to make out until Kirishima’s phone starts buzzing.

“Um...I should answer that…” Kirishima says, reluctantly pulling away from the makeout session before he answers the phone. “Hello?”

He immediately yanks the phone away from his ear and Katsuki rolls his eyes upon hearing Ida yelling through the phone, reminding them that they were supposed to meet up in the lobby at six thirty and everyone is running late.

He snatches Kirishima’s phone out of his hand. “We’ll be there. Be fucking patient, fucking Four Eyes!” he yells back into the phone and, hanging up, tosses the phone onto the bed before kissing Kirishima again.

“We should really get changed,” Kirishima says, pushing him away.

Katsuki huffs but releases his boyfriend. “Fine,” he says and moves over to the suitcase, pulling out the suit that Kirishima had brought with him for him. He hadn’t bothered on packing one himself since he already knew his boyfriend would bring one.

It doesn’t take them long at all to get changed and then they are heading toward the Central Tower.

Halfway there, Katsuki asks, “Did you remember to grab your phone?”

“Oh shit,” Kirishima says.

Katsuki smacks his hand to his forehead. Fucking Zuku and Icyhot are never gonna let me live this the fuck down if we get lost again, he thinks but he doesn’t quite remember where the reception is, only that it’s on the second floor, and his own phone is broken.

Fuck! He wonders if he can get away with not telling Zuku and Icyhot about this but chances are low that will work.

He decides that he may as well start heading toward the 200^th Floor. If he’s going to get lost anyway then he may as well make it worthwhile and try to get as far up the tower before the security system shuts the whole thing down.

“Um, where are you going, Katsuki? Isn’t the reception this way?” Kirishima asks, gesturing in the opposite direction as they make their way into the central tower.

“It’s on the second floor, Ei. Can’t be that fucking hard to find. Let’s just hit the stairs and get to the second floor,” says Katsuki.

“Oh, makes sense! Okay, let’s go!” Kirishima jogs forward, taking the lead and Katsuki follows him as they make their way toward the nearest set of stairs. They start making their way up them but Katsuki purposely slips past Kirishima, blocking his line of sight so that he doesn’t see that they are passing the second floor.

The closer he gets to the 200^th floor, the better, since he will be able to help out. He won’t end up too late to stop Wolffram from getting his hands on Professor Shield’s power and the entire fight on the roof of the tower can be avoided.

It’s not like Izuku and All Might won’t be able to defeat Wolffram but the whole point of being sent back in time is to prevent as many people from getting hurt as they possibly can, so Katsuki is going to do what he can to stop that.

“Um, I think we might’ve passed the second floor,” says Kirishima as he jogs over to join Katsuki. “Maybe taking the stairs wasn’t a good idea.”

“Guess not. I don’t know where the elevators are though so I guess we just keep walking,” Katsuki says.

“Yeah. Ugh, I wish I hadn’t forgotten my phone so I could let Ida know that we’re running late and can’t find the party,” Kirishima mutters.

So long as we keep moving, we should get pretty high before the villains take control of the security system. When that happens, I’m heading for the nearest emergency exit stairs and keeping on heading up, Katsuki thinks, remembering that’s how Zuku and the others had gotten as high as they had before they had been caught on camera on the 80^th Floor.

“You seem deep in thought? What’s up?” Kirishima asks.

“Just trying to figure out how to find this stupid ass party ‘cause you got us fucking lost,” says Katsuki.

“I didn’t get us lost. I was following you.”

“Poor decision really.”

“...Was that a joke?”

Katsuki smirks at him.

Kirishima stares, then laughs. “Man, I didn’t think you had it in you! You really are something, Katsuki. But we should really keep going ‘cause I really don’t wanna get yelled at by Ida for being really late.”

“Tch, annoying Four Eyes doesn’t fucking scare me.”

“His lectures always hurt, man, always make me feel like I disappointed him or something. I swear he’s like the class dad sometimes.”

I’m pretty sure that role’s taken by Aizawa, Katsuki thinks as he listens to Kirishima continue to talk as they make their way further up the tower.

. . .

Shoto gazes at his classmates that are gathered around him. The only one that is there that hadn’t been there the last time around is Shinso, who is clad in a black suit and tie, though his unruly mop of indigo hair is still spiked and all over the place. The other two that are there that hadn’t been there the last time around are Aizawa and Touya, both of whom are still in their hero costumes but had decided to stay out with the students while they wait for everyone to gather.

The only ones missing are Bakugo, Kirishima, Izuku, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Melissa.

“I thought I said six-thirty. Where is everyone?” Ida exclaims in impatience.

The elevator opens and Shoto blinks, smiling a little upon seeing Izuku as he makes his way into the lobby. The suit and tie that he’s wearing compliments him far better than the one he had worn the last time around. It’s a deep forest green over a white button-up shirt that bring out the green in his eyes and black slacks. He really is quite handsome.

“Um, baby bro, you’re steaming,” Touya says in amusement.

Shoto goes red and quickly works to calm his left side down before his Quirk accidentally burns through his own suit.

Izuku walks over to join him, a smile on his lips. “Sorry I’m late,” he says and Shoto notices that he is wearing a red bracelet around his wrist, the gauntlet that he had gotten from Melissa the last time around.

Touya nudges him. “Aren’t you going to compliment your date?” he says.

Shoto goes red again. “Shut up, Touya-nii,” he hisses back but moves forward and gently wraps his arms around Izuku. “You look really nice, Izuku.”

Izuku goes red but rests his head on Shoto’s chest. “T...Thank you,” he says and smiles up at him.

The elevator door opened and Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou make their way into the lobby, apologizing for being late and they are joined by Melissa. Ida is staring wide-eyed at Uraraka with a blush coloring his cheeks.

“Is that everyone?” Touya asks curiously.

“No, we’re still missing Bakugo and Kirishima,” Ida says, tearing his gaze away from Uraraka with a cough that he tries to hide with a scowl of irritation. It doesn’t really do much to hide the blush that’s still on his cheeks though.

“Has anyone tried calling them?” Uraraka asks as she smooths the skirt of her dress down.

“Bakugo’s phone is going straight to voicemail and Kirishima isn’t picking up,” Kaminari says.

Ida huffs, his blush finally fading away. “Well, I suppose they will simply have to come in late. We must get going. We are already missing part of the reception and it is not proper to arrive late to these kinds of gatherings,” he says.

And then the security alert starts sounding.

Shoto grimaces, turning his head in time to see the shutters are slowly sliding over the windows as the female voice announces that the buildings on the island are going to be sealed off. So Wolfram is making his move, he thinks.

“I’m not getting a signal,” Ida says with a frown.

Jirou moves over to the elevator and attempts to turn it on before shaking her head. “The elevator isn’t working either,” he says.

“It’s strange that the system is going on high alert. That’s not the protocol for explosives,” Melissa says.

“We need to get down to the party. All Might’s there,” says Izuku.

“That will help,” Shinso says while Aizawa gives Izuku a long look. Izuku catches his eye and gives a slight nod to which Aizawa lets loose a soft breath but finally nods back in turn.

“Melissa, is there another way to get down there?” Izuku says.

“Um, yeah, the emergency stairs. It’ll get us close anyway,” Melissa says.

“All right. We’ll follow your lead.”

Melissa nods and leads the way to the emergency stairs with the rest of the group hurrying after him. Shoto and Izuku fall back to walk alongside Aizawa while Aizawa instructs Touya to stay with Melissa at the head of the group.

“What are you two planning?” Aizawa says.

“We need to get Melissa to the 200^th Floor,” says Izuku quietly. “She’s the only one available who can reboot the security system and release all of the heroes that are trapped. We can take the emergency stairs and if we can stay in the emergency staircase for as long as possible then we shouldn’t encounter any problems with the villains.”

Aizawa hums. “For as long as possible? Am I right to assume that you didn’t stay in the emergency stairs the entire time last time?”

Shoto shakes his head. “When we reach the eightieth floor, we get blocked. The only way out is to get to an emergency hatch on the second floor of the plant factory on the eightieth floor. But doing so would alert the villains to the fact that we are there,” he says. “Last time around, Bakugo and I fought the villains, mostly out of self-defense because the villains attacked us first.”

“This time, you have me and Inferno with you,” says Aizawa.

“Let Touya-sensei handle the villains on the eightieth floor,” Izuku says. “I don’t doubt that he can take them but we need you to get to the 200^th floor. If we want to stop the villains from getting as far as they had last time, we need your help.”

Shoto doesn’t know of what happened on the 200^th floor but he figures that it does end up getting rather bad if Izuku has to say that much.

“Very well,” says Aizawa. “Let Inferno and I handle any villains that we come across and keep on moving to the 200^th floor. If you encounter any villains, or any threats, when we are not with you, then I will give you all permission to defend yourselves. If it comes down to it, I will take the blame. For now, let’s see if we can handle this matter without having to worry about that.”

Shoto and Izuku nods and they hurry after the rest of the students when Melissa asks if something is wrong.

They make their way up the stairs and Touya joins them. “I just got a look at what’s happening in the reception hall. It’s bad,” he says. “All of the pros are trapped and everyone else are being held hostage.”

“Oh no,” Kaminari gasps.

Shinso narrows his eyes. “There has to be something that we can do,” he says.

“If we can free the Pros then that should solve that matter,” Izuku says.

“We can do that by rebooting the security system,” Melissa says. “But we’ll have to get to the main control room in order to do that. The security of this island is on par with Tartarus. We aren’t getting out of here anytime soon.”

“We can’t just sit back and do nothing though,” Jirou says firmly. “I say that we should get to the control room and do as Melissa suggested.”

“We are not Pros though. We do not have our licenses,” Ida insists.

“We can’t fight any of the villains,” Yaoyorozu says quietly.

“You’ve got us with you though,” Touya says, folding his arms across his chest. “It seems to me that you just need to get to the control room and Eraser and I can handle any villains that we come across.”

“Plus none of the villains have reacted to our presence in these emergency stairs so they may not know we’re here,” Melissa says. “These stairs will take us all the way to the floor on which is the control room. We can use these stairs to bypass any villains.”

“What do you say, senseis?” Ida asks, turning to Aizawa and Touya.

“I say let’s do it,” Touya says.

Aizawa closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Unless I tell you otherwise, you are not to engage any enemies,” he orders. “Stay to the emergency staircase and get as close to the control room as you can using them. Stay close to us. Shinso, your Quirk may be able to get us past any villains that attempt to attack us if they find out we’re here so be prepared to use it.”

Shinso nods. “Understood,” he says.

“Everyone else, do not use your Quirks unless I tell you otherwise.”

“Understood,” everyone says in unison.

“Miss Shields, lead the way. Touya, go and let All Might know what we’re doing.”

Touya turns and darts off. He returns a few minutes later and gives Aizawa a thumbs up.

Melissa turns. “This way,” she says and starts jogging up the stairs with the rest of the students and two teachers hurrying after her.

. . .

They all manage to make it to the eightieth floor, just like last time, when they encounter the same problem as last time.

One of the shutter doors is closed in front of them.

“Great, we can’t go any further because of this,” Jirou says in annoyance.

Aizawa lets loose a soft breath while everyone else uses the time they are stopped to get their breathes back. They had just run up eighty flights of stairs after all and, while they do have decent stamina due to their training, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a little winded.

“We have no choice but to go to the main hall,” he says. “That will alert the villains to the fact that we’re here so we’ll have to be quick. We’re on the eightieth floor.”

“That’s the plant factory,” Melissa says. “There should be another set of emergency stairs on the other side of the factory. Those ones shouldn’t be blocked but, if they are, there’s an emergency hatch that can get us to the next floor. If we’re quick then we can avoid alerting the villains to the fact that we’re not on the eightieth floor anymore.”

“Is there surveillance in the plant factory?” asks Touya.

“As far as I know, the surveillance is only in the hallways around the factory,” says Melissa.

Touya hums. “That can work in our favor if necessary,” he says.

“Let’s move,” Aizawa says and moves over to the door. “Ida!”

Ida darts forward, his Quirk activating, and he rams his leg straight into it, breaking it down.

“Let’s go,” Aizawa says and takes off into the hallway with the rest of his students following him and Touya dropping back to the rear of the group.

They make it about halfway down the hallway when the emergency doors start sliding shut in front of them.

“Shochan!” Izuku calls.

“Got it!” Shoto shifts onto his right side and sends a surge of ice forward, catching the next door before it can slam shut in front of them while Ida launches himself through the gap between the door and then crashes through the door on the wall. Aizawa waves the rest of his students forward and Izuku, activating One for All, bounds through the door with Shoto, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Uraraka, Kaminari, and Shinso hurrying after him. Touya jumps through and then Aizawa comes through before they make their way after Ida into the Plant Factory that lays beyond the broken door.

“The emergency stairs are over there, just beyond the elevator,” says Melissa.

“Can’t we just take the elevator?” Kaminari says.

Melissa shakes her head. “The elevator needs a specific access code to access, and it’s as impenetrable as a Tartarus prison cell. We’d be sitting ducks if we used that, if we could get into it,” she says.

“Um, the elevator’s moving,” Jirou says.

Everyone turns in time to see that the elevator is, indeed, counting down.

“They’re coming,” Shinso murmurs.

“Everyone, hide,” Touya hisses. “If they don’t know we’re here then we may be able to sneak past them and get into the emergency stairs.”

The rest of the students nod and Izuku darts over to the foliage. He crouches down beside Shoto and whispers, “Do you think Kacchan and Kirishima will be on this floor like last time?” too low for anyone but his boyfriend to hear.

“I don’t know,” Shoto murmurs back.

There’s a ding and Touya slowly peers around the foliage they’re hiding behind, narrowing his eyes.

“There’s no one here,” one of the villains says. There’s a moment of silence, then: “Yeah, well, we don’t see them brats. Do you really want us to look all over this stupid factory for ‘em?”

Keep on walking, Izuku thinks. Just keep on walking. Go back up. We’re not here. No one’s here.

He isn’t sure of where Bakugo and Kirishima are but the fact that they aren’t there is already a major change. He can only hope that they are doing all right.

“Wait, what?! What do you mean two brats are on the fucking roof?”

There’s a long moment of silence, then Izuku buries his face into his hands. “I found Kacchan and Kirishima,” he whispers to Shoto who also has his face buried in his hands.

. . .

“Tch, child’s fucking play,” Katsuki says as he launches himself into the air, perching on top of the elevator and peering down at the unconscious villains that had tried to attack him and Kirishima when they arrived on the roof of the building. Of course, they had been heading for the 200^th floor but, when the lockdown had been initiated, they had already been close to the 200^th floor. Katsuki had been quick to leave the tower itself and move toward the wind power generation system where he had met up with his classmates last time around.

Scaling that had been easy with his Quirk. Convincing Kirishima to come with him had taken some time but, after Katsuki told him that the best way to avoid the villains would be to get someplace that the villains wouldn’t think they would go, and that is the roof, he’d agreed. Of course, they weren’t expecting some villains to be guarding the roof but knocking them out had been quick and easy.

“Um, I’m pretty that we shouldn’t be doing that,” says Kirishima, waving a hand toward the unconscious villains.

“Tch, it was self fucking defense,” Katsuki says with a roll of his eyes. “Get up here, Ei. More are probably incoming.”

Kirishima quickly scrambles up the side of the elevator building and crouches beside Katsuki. “What do we do now?” he says. “Those villains likely alerted their leader to the fact that we’re here.”

“It’ll be fine so long as they don’t look up.”

Kirishima hums and peers over the edge of the building. “And if they do?” he asks.

“Wait for them to attack us, then blow them to fucking kingdom come.”

“Why am I not surprised that’s your answer?” Kirishima doesn’t wait for a response as he sits back on his heels and lets loose a soft breath. “So we just wait here, and keep quiet, until everything blows over and the other pros handle the threat.”

“For now ‘cause it’s a fucking death trap to enter the building now.”

“True.”

. . .

Shoto is beyond grateful that the villains are recalled back to the top floor, but still a little bit worried about Bakugo and Kirishima being on the roof of the building. At the very least, they learned from the villains that their comrades can’t find Bakugo and Kirishima on the surveillance cameras, which tells Shoto that they likely hid someplace where the cameras can’t see.

He hopes that Bakugo won’t do something stupid like try to take on the villains by himself.

Granted, he knows that Bakugo has become far more cautious during the war and is more willing to work with others and hold himself back when interference isn’t necessary. It’s a major change from how he had been on I-Island the last time around but Shoto is grateful for it.

“They’re gone,” Touya whispers. “Move as quickly as you possibly can to the emergency stairs.”

“Right,” the rest of the students whisper and dart off toward the stairs. Ida kicks it open, since they won’t open on their own, and they dart into the stairwell and begin to move up the stairs again.

They manage to make it to the 130^th floor when they encounter another problem.

A entire army of security bots.

Touya moves forward and sweeps his arm forward, unleash a torrent of brilliant blue flames that surge forward and incinerate the security bots. He grits his teeth and Shoto immediately moves to his brother’s side, swiping his right arm up and sending a massive surge of ice that freezes some bots and unleashing a surge of flames from his left arm that blasts several more bots off the walkways while badly burning through others.

“Don’t overuse your Quirk that much, Touya-nii,” he says quietly.

Touya grits his teeth but nods and lowers his arm, recalling his flames but Shoto winces upon seeing the charred skin on his arm. “I know,” he says.

“There are more incoming,” Jirou calls, looking up from where she had her earphone jack lodged in the walkway.

“We can confuse their senses with smoke bombs,” Yaoyorozu says, pulling back on her dress and using her Quirk to create smoke bombs that drop away from her skin. Jirou, Uraraka, and Shinso catch the smoke bombs that fall and, as more security bots surge forward, they lug them forward.

“Midoriya, with me,” Aizawa orders, unleashing his capture scarf and swinging himself forward and Izuku, jumping into the air, thrusts his hand forward. Blackwhip surges away from his hand, wrapping around several security bots, and he throws them into the walls. Aizawa crashes his feet into one security bot, sending it flying into another one before whirling around and sending his capture scarf to grab another security bot. He sweeps his capture scarf to the side, crashing it into several more and throwing an entire group of bots over the edge.

More smoke bombs surge forward from Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Uraraka, and Shinso with Kaminari grabbing a few for himself and lugging them forward.

“Keep moving,” Touya orders as he darts forward while Shoto moves right at his brother’s side, using his flames and ice to burn and freeze any bots that attempt to attack Touya. Izuku’s Blackwhip and Aizawa’s capture scarf are making quick work of many more of the bots and the smoke bombs are doing well to confuse their senses, making them easier targets to dispatch.

Izuku recalls Blackwhip and holds out a hand. “Todoroki-sensei, Shochan, move back,” he orders.

Touya and Shoto quickly move back right as Izuku unleashes one of his Air Force attacks, the wind pressure crashes into the large crowd of security bots, sending them all flying into the wall beyond and clearing a path.

“Go,” Aizawa, who’s hanging from one of the rafters to avoid the Air Force attack, orders. He swings himself toward the ground, landing in a skid while Izuku lands on the ground next to Shoto.

“How are you holding up, Yaoyorozu?” Jirou asks.

“I’m...doing okay. Getting tired but I should be all right,” Yaoyorozu says.

Jirou nods but stays at Yaoyorozu’s side as they continue to move while Kaminari moves to Shinso’s side and Ida and Uraraka moves forward to walk next to Melissa.

They move more floors up before coming to a halt upon reaching what Shoto recognizes as the server room.

“We can’t damage this room,” Melissa says, grimacing upon seeing more security bots surge toward them. “If the servers are damaged then it could do irreparable damage to I-Island’s security that we won’t be able to fix.”

Aizawa narrows his eyes. “We will not be able to get past these bots without fighting them, which will lose us time, and give the villains more time to plan for our approach,” he says.

“We need to get Melissa to the control room,” Izuku says. “I have an idea but it will require some of us staying behind to keep these bots busy.”

“I’ll stay,” Ida says.

“I...can still use my Quirk to create soft ammo and a cannon that we can use to slow these bots down without damaging the servers,” Yaoyorozu says.

“I’ll stay to help Yaoyorozu out,” says Jirou.

Aizawa nods. “The rest of you, come with me,” he says. “Your Quirks will only risk damaging the servers. Shinso!”

Shinso blinks but his eyes widen when Aizawa tosses something at him. He catches it, surprised to see that it’s a capture scarf. “You have two?” he says.

“Let’s just say...I was prepared,” Aizawa says simply. “Make sure to keep those security bots from hitting the servers.”

Shinso’s grip on the capture scarf tightens and he immediately wraps it around his neck and grabs it. “I will,” he says and, turning, darts forward, the capture scarf immediately moving away from his hands at his command.

Yaoyorozu, cannon already created and ready, is crouched on the ground, creating soft ammo that Jirou is loading into the cannon.

“Let’s go,” Aizawa orders.

The group dart off and Izuku moves to Aizawa’s side. “The wind generation system,” he says quietly while listening to Melissa suggest that from behind him. “We can use that to get to the top floor.”

Aizawa nods in agreement and, once they reach the wind generation system, he turns to face them. “We’ll go up in groups,” he says. “Miss Shields, Midoriya, you two are with me. Uraraka, can you make all three of us weightless?”

“It’ll be a bit tough, since I haven’t done more than two people before, but I should be able to,” Uraraka says and moves forward as Aizawa wraps both Izuku and Melissa in his capture scarf. She gently touches them all and throws them upward.

“Kaminari and Shoto, you two will go next,” Touya says firmly. “I’ll stay down here with Uraraka just in case more of those bots show up.”

Shoto nods in agreement, keeping his gaze fixed on his boyfriend, Melissa, and Aizawa-sensei. Thankfully, unlike last time, when they had accidentally stumbled upon one of the turbines, Aizawa makes use of the other side of his capture scarf to grab hold of the railing in front of the emergency exit before the turbine can blast them off course. He retracts the scarf, sending all three of them tumbling toward the walkway. It’s only when they are above it that Uraraka releases her Quirk, sending them all tumbling to the ground.

The door bursts open and Uraraka whirls around.

Shoto grits his teeth and moves forward, ice surging away from his right foot as more security bots surge forward.

Kaminari darts forward. “We ain’t gonna be able to get up there if Uraraka gets distracted by these bots,” he calls. “Todoroki, can you get me above the bots?!”

“Don’t over do it!” Shoto calls back as he sends ice surging toward Kaminari and creates a pillar beneath his feet that rises up and arches over. Kaminari slides off the edge of the pillar but crashes on top of the bots.

“Indiscriminate Shock! 1.3 Million Volts!” he yells as electricity surges away from his body, tearing through all of the bots and shutting them down.

Shoto darts forward, gathering his flames and condensing them into a white-hot point at his fist. “Flashfire Fist – Jet Kindling!” He shouts as he thrusts the fist forward, releasing the flames before his punch can make contact and the surge of white-hot flames surges forward and incinerates many of the bots that had been temporarily shut down by Kaminari’s electricity.

“Kaminari, move!” Touya calls and Kaminari jumps off the bot and stumbles, one hand clutching at his head but he manages to stumble away. He’s dazed but, at least, he hasn’t short circuited his brain.

Touya moves forward and thrusts his own fist forward, blue flames gathering at his fist at a white-hot point. “Flashfire Fist – Jet Burn!” he barks out, releasing the white-hot blue flames that surge forward and cremate the remaining bots.

He winces, clutching at his hand but, when Shoto glances at him, he’s glad to see that there are no new burns on his brother. But, just to be sure… “Touya-nii?” he says in concern.

“I’m all right,” Touya says. “Just aggravated one of my old injuries.”

“More might be incoming,” Uraraka says from where she has Kaminari leaning against her. “I should be able to get you three to the emergency exit though.”

“Send Kaminari and Shoto up first,” Touya says. “I’ll go with you.”

Uraraka hesitates but, upon seeing the stubborn look in the underground hero’s eyes, she nods. “Okay,” she says and waves Shoto over. Shoto moves over to join her and takes Kaminari’s arm. She gently touches both of them and throws them up. Shoto unleashes his ice to push some of the turbines away so that they don’t throw him and Kaminari off course and, once they are above the walkway, Uraraka releases her Quirk.

“Are you okay, Kaminari?” Shoto asks as he helps Kaminari to his feet.

“Y...Yeah, still a little dazed but I’m okay,” Kaminari says.

Shoto nods and the two of them dart toward the open emergency exit door.

. . .

Hearing Melissa’s distraught response to what her own father had been trying to do, and the reason why, hurts just as much as it had the second time around. This time, though, they have Aizawa on their side and Izuku can only hope that it will be enough to ensure that Professor Shields and his assistant don’t get hurt like last time.

He glances toward Aizawa who is resting in the shadow of the wall, as Izuku had asked him to do until Wolffram shows up, but Aizawa shakes his head. He hasn’t seen anyone yet, which means that Wolffram hasn’t showed up yet.

Okay, we can work with this, he thinks as he moves forward while Melissa yells at her father.

“How can you actually do this?” she cries. “Everyone has put everything on the line to save everyone!” She thrusts her hand forward from where she had been cut by one of the villains that Aizawa had knocked out when they first went through the emergency exit earlier. “They’re getting hurt and for what? Just to get your own project back? Why would you allow something like that to happen?”

“Get hurt? No, that’s not…” Professor Shields frowns. “The villains were fake. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

“Oh, we were acting of course,” a new voice says and Izuku tenses as Wolffram makes his way into the vault, a smug smirk on his lips. “But we were simply acting as if we were not real villains. And, yet...here we are. Sam, if you wouldn’t mind…”

“R...Right.” Sam snatches the device out of Professor Shield’s hands and starts downward.

Izuku is moving forward in an instant, Blackwhip surging forward and crashing into Sam, wrapping around him and slamming him face down on the stairs. The suitcase goes flying and Izuku, retracting Blackwhip, is on the move, Full Cowling in full effect as he surges forward.

“Oh no you don’t!” Wolffram hisses and slams his hand on the wall, only to frown when his Quirk doesn’t activate.

Aizawa pushes away from the wall, hair spiking up, capture scarf swirling around his form, and eyes glowing crimson behind his yellow goggles. “You should have paid far better attention to your surroundings,” he says.

“E...Eraserhead!” Wolffram gasps.

Izuku catches the suitcase and lands on the ground. He twists around and turns to Melissa. “Melissa, go, free everyone!” he orders.

“On it!” Melissa gives her father and Sam one more sad look before she turns and darts toward the entrance to the vault. One of the villains not under the effect of Aizawa’s Quirk surge forward but Izuku is there, slamming a Shoot Style St. Louis Smash into their face and sending them flying. He twists, holding the suitcase close to him and glances at Aizawa.

“You can’t…All our hard work…” Sam darts forward but Professor Shields darts down the stairs.

“Stop, Sam, this is getting out of hand,” Shields says, grabbing Sam’s arm. “We have to stop. It’s over.”

“It’s not over!” Wolffram surges forward but Aizawa is already unleashing his capture scarf, wrapping it around Wolffram’s form and slamming him into the ground. He jumps forward and lands on Wolffram’s back, slamming his face into the floor and snapping Quirk suppressant cuffs around his wrists.

“It is over,” he says coolly.

“It’s not! I still have my men! They’ll be here any minute!” Wolffram yells.

An explosion erupts down the hallway and Bakugo, a smug smirk on his lips, strides into the vault like he owns the place with Kirishima, who is deactivating his Quirk, moving behind him.

“Yeah, ran into like five morons while on my way back inside. Tch, was far too fucking easy to knock ‘em out,” Bakugo says.

“They did attack us first,” Kirishima says to Aizawa when their homeroom teacher gives them an exasperated look.

“I will let it go only because it was in self-defense,” Aizawa says with a soft sigh.

Izuku smiles faintly at that.

The rest of their classmates join them and Shoto moves over to Izuku’s side, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. “We did it,” he whispers into Izuku’s ear. “We changed the outcome.”

“Professor Shields and Sam weren’t hurt, and All Might didn’t shorten his time, so, yeah, we did,” Izuku whispers back.

. . .

The reception is in full swing.

With the arrest of Wolffram, and the lack of damage done to the tower itself, the reception was able to continue on, unlike last time when it had ended due to the damage done to the tower. All of the Pro Heroes that are present are enjoying themselves while All Might is chatting with Professor Shields and Melissa on the other side of the room.

Shoto watches everyone as he sips at the punch in his hands, smiling in amusement upon seeing Yaoyorozu quietly, almost shyly, ask Jirou if she would like to dance. Jirou is shocked, a faint flush on her cheeks, but she slowly nods and, taking Yaoyorozu’s hand, slowly makes her way onto the dance floor. Shinso is leaning against the wall, glass of punch in his hand but looking utterly bored with the entire thing, even when Kaminari jogs to his side with a bright grin on his lips.

“Hey, wanna dance?” Kaminari asks.

“You can dance?” Shinso deadpans.

“Rude. C’mon, I’m not a bad dancer,” Kaminari says and holds out a hand, that bright grin still on his lips but there is a shy look in the depths of his eyes. He’s nervous. Shoto can tell by the way his hand is shaking. He hums. He hadn’t thought that Kaminari had developed a crush on Shinso but he supposes that he hadn’t really had the chance to really notice that.

Shinso shrugs and, finishing his punch, puts it down and takes Kaminari’s hand. “Don’t step on my toes,” he says.

Kaminari beams and happily guides Shinso onto the dance floor. For some reason, Shoto can see Aizawa banging his head against the wall but he isn’t sure why.

Kirishima and Bakugo somehow ended up on the dancefloor as the song continues to echo around them. Kirishima is grinning widely as he and Bakugo twirl around the floor while Bakugo has a rare soft smile on his lips, one that he will probably forever deny actually graced his lips.

“They all look so happy,” Izuku says as he moves to Shoto’s side, sipping at his own punch.

“They do,” Shoto agrees, then glances at Izuku, admiring how handsome his boyfriend looks right now. He puts his punch down and holds out a hand. “Do you want to dance?”

Izuku’s cheeks go red but he also puts his punch down. “Ah, I’m not...that great of a...dancer,” he admits.

Shoto gently kisses his cheek. “You do know that I remember the concert during the Culture Festival,” he says.

Izuku’s face goes red. “T...That’s different,” he says.

“Not really. You’ll be fine. Just follow my lead.” Shoto guides Izuku onto the dance floor and gently rests his hands on Izuku’s hips. He blushes but curls his arms around Shoto’s neck as the two start slowly dancing to the music, swaying together with their eyes locked on each other. As the song continues to play around them, they lose themselves to it, and to each other’s eyes.

Shoto leans forward. “I love you,” he whispers, pressing his lips gently against Izuku’s. He lets out a soft gasp but gently kisses him back.

“I love you too,” he whispers.

Beautiful music continues to echo around them as they dance, as they sway, as they gaze into each other’s eyes, as they bask in the warmth of each other’s presence.

This conflict had ended on a good note. Everyone is all right. No one had been injured like they had the last time around. The villains have all been taken into custody and Shoto, Izuku, and his classmates and teachers can now enjoy the reception as they should have been able to do the first time around.

It’s a nice peaceful way to end the night.

. . .

Tomura gazes at the group that are situated in various places throughout the bar around them. His eyes travel from Spinner to Magne to Toga to Twice to Shadow to Muscular to Mustard. All of them, with the exception of Shadow, had been part of his original League before he had gotten control of the Meta Liberation Army. All of them, except for Shadow and Muscular and Mustard—since they had been arrested far too soon after they had joined that Tomura never really got to know them that well—are a part of the family that he has come to care for, and would gladly burn the world for.

Perhaps Shadow, and the other two if they don’t get arrested, will, eventually, become just like the rest of his family.

For now, though, they are the start. They are the ones who will be the first to follow him.

All for One is still running the show in the background but Tomura knows that if he plays his cards right then the ancient man will not be an obstacle in his path any longer, just like All Might will no longer be an obstacle in his path any longer.

He just needs one more piece to the puzzle, one more player to add to the setup of his next big conquest.

A disaster is about to happen once again, a storm the likes of which only a few people has seen happen before.

Tomura smiles behind Father as he gazes at his Vanguard Action Squad. “We still have some time,” he says. “My plan will be put into motion in two weeks time.”

“Two weeks?” Kurogiri frowns. “Our spy said that the training camp won’t happen until sometime three weeks from now. We may not know the actual day of departure nor the time nor the location of the camp but we do know that much.”

“Trust me,” Tomura says. “I know what I am talking about.” And he does. He knows that U.A. is getting suspicious about having a spy in their ranks, even if the last time around, they hadn’t started suspecting until after the Kamino Disaster. Now, he knows that they are suspecting earlier because of what the spy had revealed to him.

There is absolutely no reason for the training camp to be pushed off by a week, not unless the staff are suspicious that someone is leaking information. But that is just what the staff at U.A. wants Tomura to think. Had he not come from the future, and already knew that the U.A.’s staff took every precaution to try to keep the training camp’s location, and time and date of departure, a secret, then he might have fallen for the ploy.

But he knows. He knows that U.A. has taken precautions, has gone out of their way to try to keep the location of the training camp, along with the time and date of departure, a secret to the point where changing the date is an obvious ploy to throw the League off.

But Tomura knows. He is from the future. He knows Midoriya Izuku is from the future but chances are low that the Pros will believe Midoriya if he goes to them and tells them that he is from the future. Either they will not believe him, or he doesn’t want to risk others—and by others, Tomura means himself and All for One and the League itself—from finding that out.

If there is one thing that Tomura has in common with Midoriya Izuku, it’s their ability to analysis situations, and Midoriya is not an idiot. He will not want to risk his future knowledge becoming obsolete by risking exposing when he comes from to anyone who doesn’t already know.

And Tomura is only keeping it a secret because he needs Midoriya Izuku, he needs his little pawn to drive his former master straight into the ground so that he can continue on his own path without being used as a pawn, as a damn puppet, by that ancient asshole.

Once he has All for One out of the way, then he can focus on his other plans.

He already has plans for a certain mask-wearing yakuza member. He will not allow that bastard to get anywhere near his League. He won’t lose dear Big Sis Magne to that bastard again.

But that is neither here nor there.

For now, he must focus on driving All for One straight into the ground, and taking out All Might while he’s at it.

“My Vanguard,” he says to his new companions as he stands up, picking up the photo. “In two weeks time, you will head out to a designated location that I will give you on the day that you are to leave. I care not for what you do but you are to bring this boy to me.”

He holds up the photo.

“Alive and unharmed,” he adds, fixing his gaze entirely on Muscular as he says that, since he already knows that Muscular did get his ass handed to him on a silver platter when he fought Midoriya the last time around. If he does end up fighting against Midoriya again, Tomura hopes that he will remember his orders because he does not want Midoriya injured.

And that is primarily because he does not want All Might getting down on him, when he needs to focus entirely on defeating All for One. He still hates All Might but, at the moment, he hates All for One more.

“Understood,” Shadow says.

“Okay,” Toga chirps.

“Gotcha! No way,” Twice says, giving Tomura a thumbs up.

“We will handle it quickly and efficiently,” Spinner says. “And you better all ensure that boy is not harmed. He was acknowledged by Stain. Therefore, he must be kept unharmed.”

“We’ve got it, Spinner,” Mustard says, rolling his eyes, while Muscular scoffs but nods his agreement.

“It will be easy,” Mr. Compress says.

“Yes, we should not have any problems,” Magne says.

“Good,” Tomura says as he rests the photo on the bar and, retaking his seat, leans back against it. “Feel free to bring anyone else with him with you, just keep them unharmed too.”

His Vanguard nod and Tomura dismiss them with a wave of his hand. As they wander out of the bar’s main room, Kurogiri puts down the glass he had been polishing.

“Sensei wanted the attack to occur based on the spy’s information,” he says.

“Are you going to tell on me, Kurogiri?” Tomura asks, leaning against the counter and tapping his fingers against it.

“No. I am loyal to you. I just do not understand. Do you believe that our spy is wrong?”

Tomura smiles coolly behind Father as he turns his gaze to the ceiling. “I do not believe our spy is wrong,” he says quietly. “I know they are.”

. . .

Chapter Text

Katsuki studies Copycat and finds himself wondering if the blonde is the only one who failed the practical portion of the Final Exam like he had the last time around. Even though he is sure that Aizawa spoke with Vlad King about doing what he could to help Copycat pass, he doesn’t know if it did anything to help. At the very least, he doesn’t have to deal with Copycat mocking them because no one in their class failed the practical portion of the final.

That doesn’t stop him from being a general nuisance though but, thankfully, another, louder, person is completely drowning Copycat out.

“Shoto!” Baldy yells as he charges forward and shakes Icyhot’s shoulders sharply. “I can’t wait to actually train together with you during this training camp. It’s going to be so awesome. U.A. really is so great!”

“Yes...please stop shaking me,” Icyhot says, looking half-exasperated and half-amused as he’s literally being shook back and forth by the far too enthusiastic Wind user.

“Why are you associating yourself with Class A, Yoarashi?” Copycat calls over. “We’re clearly the better class to them!”

“Shoto is my friend,” Baldy says with a big grin on his lips as he smacks Icyhot hard on the back, sending him stumbling forward.

“And how are we a better class when you failed the practical portion of the Final?” Yanagi Reiko says quietly.

Copycat falls over while Katsuki lets out a bark of laughter.

“You fucking failed? Ha!” he says.

Copycat scrambles to his feet. “I bet some of you failed too! Probably more than our class!” he retorts, a sharp mocking grin crossing his lips.

“Nope. Not a single member of Class 1-A failed the final exam, either portions of it.” Of course Katsuki is incredibly smug and proud when he says that, even more so when Copycat does a pretty decent impression of a shocked goldfish at that news.