Chapter Text
Izuku doesn’t know how he got here. The last thing he remembers is going to sleep in his room after his mom had let him watch his favorite All Might video. But now, Izuku is staring at a group of teenagers who all look shocked in a place he doesn’t recognize, and there’s another little boy with him as well.
The other boy is terrified, shaking and staring in fear at the others around them, and Izuku feels a surge of protectiveness. He doesn’t know what’s going on, but if he’s going to be a hero like All Might, then he’s going to protect this boy.
“Todoroki, Midoriya,” one of the big kids says, making them both stiffen. How did these strangers know his name?
Izuku turns to the other little boy, who is trembling even harder now. He has really cool hair, red on one side and white on the other, and his eyes are two different colors. He looks about Izuku’s age, so Izuku figures they can be friends. He reaches over to take the other boy’s hand, squeezing it to reassure him.
“Who are you?” Izuku asks the older kids, his voice wavering with fear despite his conviction, “How did we get here? How do you know my name?”
Izuku wonders if ‘Todoroki’ is the other little boy with him. He decides it doesn’t matter right now, as long as the other boy is safe.
Some of the big kids exchange nervous looks before a girl with brown hair kneels down in front of them, looking gentle and kind. Izuku relaxes a fraction.
“My name is Ochako,” she says quietly, “You might not remember right now, but we’re friends. It looks like a quirk made you two forget some important things. I promise, you’re safe. You’re at UA right now.”
Izuku’s eyes boggle out of his head. “UA? The hero school. Whoa, I have to tell Kacchan!”
There’s some whispering at this and a tall, blonde boy with very familiar red eyes steps out from the back of the group, looking down at Izuku with folded arms. Izuku’s mouth drops open.
“K-Kacchan?” he asks in awe, “How…you’re so big?”
Kacchan kneels down, looking at Izuku with a sigh. “Deku, you always get yourself in the dumbest fucking situations. And you too, Todoroki.”
The other boy gasps, hiding behind Izuku as he shakes with fear.
“It’s okay, Todo-todo…roki,” Izuku says, stumbling over Todoroki’s name, “Kacchan looks scary, but he’s really nice, I promise.”
Todoroki doesn’t say anything, just stays behind Izuku, their hands still clasped together.
“You can…call me Shouto,” Shouto says very softly, so soft that no one but Izuku could hear. Izuku nods, turning to give Shouto a hug, pleased when the other boy relaxes into his arms.
“You’re safe, Shouto,” Izuku says firmly, “Mom says UA is a good school and the pro heroes that teach here are good. And Kacchan’s the best, so we’re alright.”
Shouto nods, hiding his face against Izuku’s shoulder. “I’m gonna get in trouble.”
“In trouble?” Izuku asks, forgetting about the big kids watching them, “From who?”
Shouto looks terrified before whispering, “My dad. He’s…he’s gonna find me and he’ll be s-so mad. He…”
Shouto puts a hand over his mouth and Izuku is horrified to see his new friend start to tear up. It makes Izuku tear up also, and soon the two of them are crying, not hearing the panicked teenagers behind them calling a teacher for help.
“What the hell is going on here?” an adult voice says, and Izuku looks up, his eyes practically boggling out of his skull, as he wipes away his own tears.
“You…” he stammers, looking up at the man who’s just walked in the room, “You’re Eraserhead. Shouto, this is the pro hero Eraserhead! He can take away people’s quirks! What are you doing here, Mr. Eraserhead, sir?”
Eraserhead shifts completely, his previously angry expression switching to something gentle. Izuku feels more at ease. He still has Shouto’s hand in his own, which is making him feel a lot better.
“That’s right, kid,” Eraserhead says gently, “I’m a teacher at UA. This is the dorm where class 1-A lives. Do you know how you both got here?”
Izuku shakes his head, “Uh-uh. I was watchin’ All Might on the computer and then I fell asleep and then I was here.”
Shouto seems petrified as he stares at the pro hero, unable to say anything at all. Eraserhead watches him for a moment, but Shouto eventually ducks behind Izuku again, seemingly too afraid to say anything.
“Alright,” Eraserhead says calmly, “I know this must be very scary, but we’re heroes, and we’re going to help you. I’d like to take you to UA’s nurse, Recovery Girl. She can make sure you’re both healthy and then we’ll figure out what to do from there, alright?”
Izuku just nods, too excited about the prospect of seeing Recovery Girl to think of much else. Shouto is still silent, trembling behind Izuku like a leaf. Izuku just knows he wants to meet more heroes and protect his new friend, and hopefully see his mom.
“I can’t,” Shouto chokes out, and Izuku turns to see his new friend shaking. He looks halfway to an anxiety attack, and Izuku knows what those look like, he and his mom both get them.
“Why can’t you?” Eraserhead asks calmly, no anger in his voice.
Shouto trembles anyway, looking petrified at the pro hero, keeping his hand locked in Izuku’s. “Mom…I have to wait for mom. She says…she has to know where I am, all the time. To keep me safe.”
Eraserhead looks at him for a long moment before Kacchan interrupts them with a quiet, “Sensei.”
Izuku can’t hear what Kacchan says to Eraserhead, but he watches the pro hero nod stiffly, his back rigid as Kacchan talks to him. Izuku takes the moment to hug Shouto, letting the other boy cry onto his shoulder.
I want mom, Izuku thinks, trying not to cry again. He’s so confused. Kacchan is bigger and he’s just wound up at UA? Could this be some kind of dream, or some kind of quirk? And what does Shouto have to do with all of this?
“Come on, you two,” Eraserhead says gently, holding out his hands. Shouto gasps, hiding behind Izuku and refusing to take the hero’s hand. Izuku just stares at Eraserhead, the reality of the situation finally hitting him as his eyes start to well with tears.
“Where’s my mom?” he asks as the tears start falling down his cheeks, “W-Why aren't you telling us how we got here? This…this isn’t right, is it? Something’s the matter?”
Eraserhead sighs, pulling his hands back with a tired expression. “Smart as ever. Okay, you’re right, Izuku. Something isn’t right. Do you two see all these hero students behind you too?”
Izuku nods, looking at the UA students with confusion before looking back to Eraserhead.
“Well, those are your classmates,” Eraserhead explains calmly, “You two were hit by a quirk earlier tonight. You’re both normally older and hero students at UA.”
Izuku’s mouth falls open, looking over at Kacchan with surprise. Honestly, it makes more sense than everything else.
“Is that why you’re so big, Kacchan?” Izuku asks, “Is…is my quirk cool? I don’t have my quirk yet so I don’t know what it is.”
Kacchan’s face spasms before he sighs, “Yeah, it’s pretty fucking cool, Deku.”
Izuku beams, feeling his heart swell with happiness. He’s training to be a hero, just like he always wanted, and just like All Might. Kacchan said his quirk was cool. He can’t wait to see what it is.
He’s distracted from these thoughts when Shouto starts whimpering behind him, dropping Izuku’s hand. Izuku turns to see his new friend making odd gasping noises and clutching at his chest.
“Shouto!” Izuku cries, “What’s wrong, does your chest hurt?”
Before anything happens, Eraserhead swoops in and kneels down in front of Shouto, eyes calm and kind. Izuku starts crying, scared by the wheezing sounds Shouto’s making. Kacchan steps over and picks Izuku up, and he buries his face against Kacchan’s chest as he cries. It’s really scary hearing Shouto make those sounds.
“Shouto, you’re having a panic attack,” Eraserhead says steadily, “I know it feels scary, but nothing bad is happening. I want you to listen to me and follow my breathing.”
Izuku cries into Kacchan’s chest while Eraserhead calms Shouto down. Eventually, the awful noises stop and Izuku looks up to see Eraserhead holding a shaking Shouto in his arms.
“Bakugou, carry Izuku, I’ve got Shouto. We’re going to Recovery Girl.”
In Recovery Girl’s office, Izuku and Shouto have both calmed down. She checked them over for injuries, said lots of things about how she couldn’t fix the quirk that made them little, and gave them each a small piece of candy.
Shouto’s exhausted looking, his eyes red-rimmed from crying, as he lays down on a cot in the office. While the adults are talking, Izuku walks over and lays down next to his new friend, cuddling close to him. Shouto stiffens for a second before turning around and slinging an arm over Izuku.
“They are certainly adorable like that,” Recovery Girl sighs from where she’s talking with Eraserhead, “Bakugou, thank you very much for your help. You can return to your dorm, now.”
Izuku hears a door open and close after a moment and the sound of someone sitting down in a chair. Shouto is asleep and Izuku has his eyes closed, so he decides to pretend he’s asleep, too. Maybe the grownups will say important things if they think he’s not listening.
“I don’t know how to fix this,” Eraserhead sighs, running a hand through his hair, “Eri…she’s not lost control of her quirk in so long. We’re lucky she managed to stop herself before she rewound them both completely.”
“How did it happen?” Recovery Girl asks, and Izuku feels someone drape a blanket over him and Shouto, snuggling into the other boy.
“Shouto and Izuku were taking her to a movie night in Heights Alliance. She ended up falling asleep and having a nightmare and Izuku apparently tried to console her, but in her distressed state she lost control of her quirk. She’s…distraught right now, Hizashi and Hitoshi are both with her.”
A silence and then, “Not to tell you how to parent, Aizawa, but shouldn’t you be there? You’re the only one who can stop her if her quirk gets out of control again.”
“She’ll be fine now that she’s awake,” Eraserhead sighs, “But I’ll go home soon. In the meantime, we have to reach out to some other agencies, possibly out of the country. So far, Eri’s quirk doesn’t seem to have a time limit, which means if we can’t find someone with a quirk opposite hers, Izuku and Shouto might have to grow up all over again.”
Izuku falls asleep to the sound of Recovery Girl and Erasherhead’s worried voices.
When Izuku wakes up, he feels something very warm pressed against him and he turns to see Shouto sleeping beside him. Everything comes rushing back, and he remembers he’s been turned little (strange) and is now living at UA with his new friend (exciting). The only bad part is he doesn’t remember anything and he hasn’t seen his mom yet.
Izuku sits up, rubbing his eyes as he yawns. The sun’s still rising and he hears the sound of an adult snoring nearby, looking to see Recovery Girl’s fallen asleep on her desk. Izuku winces, carefully sliding off the bed to grab an extra blanket from a shelf in the corner, unfolding it and clumsily putting it around her shoulders.
Shouto wakes up to the sounds of the rustling blankets, eyes blinking with confusion as he looks around, gaze finally falling on Izuku. In the night, someone had changed them into tiny nurses scrubs for pajamas and Izuku can seen Shouto’s confusion at the entire situation.
“Good morning!” Izuku whispers cheerfully, climbing back on the bed with Shouto, “Do you remember me? I’m Izuku, Izuku Midoriya!”
“Shouto Todoroki,” Shouto says softly after a long moment, “Are we…really at UA, Izuku?”
Izuku nods, reaching over to squeeze Shouto’s hand. “Uh-huh! Eraserheard and Recovery Girl took care of us last night, but now I’m bored. Do you wanna go explore with me?”
Shouto shrinks back, looking scared as he whispers, “Won’t…won’t we get in trouble?”
“I don’t think so,” Izuku whispers excitedly, tapping his chin, “Eraserhead said we’re really UA students, so we should be allowed to walk around, right?”
Shouto considers this for a moment before nodding. Izuku beams, carefully wriggling off the bed. In their tiny scrubs and without shoes they look even younger, both of them taking the other’s hand as they head to the door of the medical wing. Izuku slides it open, mouth dropping when he looks down the long hallway.
“C’mon, let’s go!” he says excitedly, and they head out of the room. They stare at everything in the halls with awe, both never having been in a place like this before.
“Shouto, will you be my best friend?” Izuku asks out of the blue, missing Shouto’s eyes widen in surprise, “I mean, I have Kacchan as a best friend, but you can have two best friends.”
Shouto looks like Izuku has bestowed a great honor on him as he nods solemnly. “I’d love to be your best friend. I’ve never had a friend, not outside of my siblings.”
“Then we’ll be best friends forever!” Izuku squeals, pulling Shouto into a tight hug, “Come on, let’s run!”
Shouto looks at Izuku and smiles which makes Izuku beam. Their hands are tight together as they run down the hallway, laughing and generally having fun. Neither of them notice a person walking down the hall towards them and they smack directly into their legs, both falling over.
“What’s this?” a man’s voice says, and Izuku looks up to see a very skinny man with blue eyes and blonde hair staring at them in shock, “Young Midoriya? Todoroki? Is that you?”
Izuku feels a little anxious as he doesn’t recognize this adult. He knew Eraserhead and Recovery Girl, but this is a new person. He has a hard time with strangers. Shouto’s stiffened next to him as well, so Izuku can tell his new best friend is also a little wary.
“Forgive me, you must be frightened,” the man says with a kind smile, “Here, I’ll show you something that will make you feel better. It’s a secret, though!”
They both watch the man and Izuku’s eyes widen to the size of saucers when the skinny man poofs and turns into All Might right in front of them. All Might grins at them both for a few seconds until he turns back into the skinny man, coughing a little bit.
“All Might,” Izuku gasps, practically vibrating, “All Might, Shouto, it’s All Might!”
Shouto is staring at All Might like he hung all the stars in the sky and Izuku is jumping up and down, more excited than he’s ever been in his life as he begins to babble questions.
“All Might, why are you skinny? Is it because you have a secret identity? Do you call yourself All Might when you’re skinny? How does your quirk work? Are you a teacher at UA like Eraserhead?”
All Might just laughs, crouching down and smiling at them both. “Curious as ever, young Midoriya. Well, yes, I am a teacher at UA. Your teacher, in fact. I call myself Yagi when I’m skinny like this, which is sort of a secret identity. The way my quirk works is a secret. Now, why don’t the two of you come with me? Lunch Rush is just getting started on breakfast.”
As if on cue, Izuku’s stomach growls loudly. He turns to Shouto to blush, but Shouto is staring at All Might with his eyes sparkling. He lets go of Izuku’s hand and walks over to the hero, putting a hand on his leg as he stares up at All Might’s face.
“All Might,” Shouto says softly, his face hopeful, “All Might, can you please take me away with you? I don’t wanna go home.”
Izuku’s confused by that but All Might winces, suddenly looking a bit more serious. “Why is that, young Todoroki?”
Shouto looks down at the floor, mumbling, “Because my dad is scary. He hurts momma, and Touya. And…Touya says dad’ll hurt me, too, once I get my quirk. I don’t want dad to hurt me. He’s…he’s really mean, All Might, sir. He makes momma sad and everyone cry.”
All Might looks pained as he puts a very, very gentle hand on Shouto’s head. “I am sorry you are going through that, little one. I promise I will keep you very safe, do you understand? And you too, young Midoriya.”
Izuku looks at Shouto with wide eyes, not answering All Might.
“Your dad is scary, too?” he asks quietly, Shouto turning to look at him as Izuku continues to talk. “My daddy breathes fire and it scares mom. He…he burned me and she yelled at him and then he never came back again. Maybe we should yell at your dad.”
“Yelling’s scary,” Shouto mumbles, leaning forward to hug All Might’s leg, “Wanna stay with All Might instead.”
Izuku can understand that, walking over to hug All Might’s other leg. “Yeah, you’re the best hero in the world, All Might.”
All Might looks a little unsure of what to do with his charges so he just stands, each of the boys gripping onto a different one of his legs. Shouto and Izuku both giggle as All Might begins walking slowly, each of them attached to a leg as he moves them down the hall. They’re distracted from how silly it is to be clinging to All Might that they miss the hero pulling out his phone to send a quick text.
Once they make it back to Recovery Girl’s office, a very tired looking Eraserhead is waiting for them outside of the door. Izuku hops off of All Might leg and runs over, tugging on the hem of Eraserhead’s shirt.
“Good morning, Mr. Eraserhead!” Izuku says, looking left and right before leaning in and dramatically whispering, “We found All Might!”
“I see,” Eraserhead says calmly, before locking eyes with the other hero, “Sounds like you two had an adventurous morning, Recovery Girl’s been looking all over for you two. Listen, All Might has to talk to me about something very important, so how about you two go back inside the office and play? I think Recovery Girl has some stuffed animals in there.”
Izuku gasps, tugging Shouto’s hand as they rush in the room. They find some teddy bears on a counter and pull them down, each hugging one as they sit on the floor. Recovery Girl isn’t in the office, so they settle on the floor to play, Izuku keeping an ear out for the whispers.
“Todoroki said what?” Eraserhead snaps in a whisper to All Might, “Shit, that makes everything more complicated.”
“It’s not just him,” All Might murmurs, “Midoriya mentioned…”
The conversation is too quiet for Izuku to follow, so he turns back to Shouto as they begin to play with the teddy bears, Izuku pretending his is All Might.
“Detroit smash!” Izuku giggles, lobbing the bear at the wall and watching it bounce off, “Did you see that, Shou, the bear did All Might’s special move!”
Shouto nods with a small smile, “I like All Might and Eraserhead. They’re very nice for pro heroes. Have you met any pro heroes before?”
Izuku shakes his head, “Uh-uh. But I wanna meet all of them! Now I’ve met Eraserhead, All Might, and Recovery Girl. That’s three heroes! How about you?”
Shouto looks sad all of a sudden, looking down towards the stuffed bear in his lap. “Um, my dad is Endeavor.”
Izuku’s mouth drops open, looking at his new friend in shock. “Really? Your dad is a pro? What’s that like, is he nice? Endeavor seems kinda scary on tv, but he also sort of reminds me of my dad, which isn’t his fault.”
“He is scary,” Shouto whispers quietly, clutching the bear, “He’s not very nice. He’s mean to villains, but he’s mean to us, too.”
Izuku frowns, remembering earlier when Shouto said his dad was mean and scary to their family, and he feels bad for his friend. He grabs the bear he Detroit smashed into the wall and comes to sit by Shouto, reaching over to pat his friend’s head gently.
“It’ll be okay,” Izuku says seriously, “All Might and Eraserhead know about it now, so they’ll keep you really safe. I bet you never have to see your mean dad ever again!”
Shouto’s eyes sparkle with hope. “R-Really? You think so?”
“I know so,” Izuku says firmly, “Because even if they can’t do anything, my mom is the best and she’d take you. You could stay in my room! I have a lot of cool toys you can play with.”
“Boys,” a gentle voice says and they look up to see a fond Recovery Girl looking at them along with Eraserhead and All Might, “The heroes had a big, long talk about you, and we’ve decided you’re going to go stay with Eraserhead for a little while. He lives on campus with Present Mic and a little girl just a bit older than you named Eri. Does that sound okay?”
Izuku’s eyes are practically boggling out of his head at the mention of another pro. Shouto looks equally stunned, although Izuku’s not sure if it’s for the same reason.
“P-Present Mic?” Izuku nearly screeches, standing up and jumping excitedly, “I love Present Mic! He has a cool radio show and he calls everyone listener and his quirk is so cool! Did you know that he can release a sonic boom? Also, his hair stands up straight because of the force of the sound waves he emits. Oh, oh, he knows three languages! Japanese and English and Sign-"
“Seems Hizashi’s got a little fan,” Eraserhead smirks, kneeling down in front of them, “You two ready? You can take the bears with you. Recovery Girl has to stay here, but you two should thank her for watching over you all night.”
Shouto looks at Recovery Girl and bows respectfully, the stuffed bear still clutched in his hands. Izuku follows suit, wanting to be polite to the nice hero who had let them sleep there all night.
“You two can keep those bears,” Recovery Girl smiles, “I’ll ask Creati to make some new ones on her off time. Aizawa, are you sure you’ve got them? You already have a little one.”
“Hitoshi can help,” Eraserhead says, and Izuku realizes that the hero’s name must be Aizawa, “He’s in on this whole situation. All Might, thanks again. I’ve got them from here.”
Aizawa leans down and picks up both of them, one in each arm as they clutch onto their stuffed bears. Izuku is suddenly very tired, leaning against Aizawa’s shoulder as his eyes droop closed, letting himself fall asleep in the hero’s arms.
“They’re…so small,” a voice says and Izuku blinks, rubbing his eyes. He looks around to see he’s laying on a futon with Shouto on the floor of an apartment he doesn’t recognize. Aizawa is standing in the kitchen talking to a tired-looking teenager with purple hair. A girl with silver hair is holding onto Aizawa’s hand, looking scared and sad.
Shouto is snoring, his face smashed into Izuku’s legs. The teddy bears from Recovery Girl are on the futon with them and Izuku almost squeals with delight when he sees a sleeping orange cat curled up on the edge of the futon. They appear to be laid out in a living room.
All of this pales when another person steps out of the office, and Izuku gasps.
“Present Mic, Present Mic!” he squeals, jumping up and jostling Shouto awake. Izuku rushes over to the blonde pro hero, jumping up and down in front of him.
“You’re Present Mic!” Izuku screeches, “You’re so cool, I listen to your radio show every night before I go to bed! How do you keep your voice quirk from wrecking everyone’s radios? Do you think if everyone in the world turned into your radio station and you unleashed a sonic boom that it would destroy all the radios in the world?”
Present Mic starts laughing, leaning down to ruffle Izuku’s hair. “You’re a pretty cool kid, little listener. Hey, Izuku, have you met our kids yet?”
Izuku’s jaw is practically on the floor. “Mr. Present Mic, sir, you know my name? Shouto, Present Mic knows my name!”
Shouto is staring at Present Mic with the kind of awe little kids have when seeing a mall Santa Claus and the purple haired teenager snorts a laugh.
“Wow, Midoriya’s even more hero obsessed at this age, jeez,” he snorts, leaning back on the counter. “Wouldn’t have expected the same from Todoroki.”
Shouto’s walked over next to Izuku, both of them still staring at Present Mic, Shouto with awe, and Izuku with excitement. Present Mic seems endeared, kneeling down in front of them both with a smile.
“Can you two keep a secret?” Present Mic whispers dramatically, and they both nod. He looks to the side before grinning and stage whispering, “I’m married to Eraserhead. You call him Aizawa. My name is Hizashi. We have two kids, Hitoshi and Eri. You're with them in our apartment at UA right now."
Izuku nearly explodes at learning another pro hero’s name, but he’s distracted by the little girl, Eri, at Aizawa’s side walking over to them both.
“I’m sorry,” Eri says sadly, looking at both of them. She’s twisting her hands together, looking like she might cry and Izuku feels bad.
Shouto tilts his head curiously before asking, “Why?”
“B-Because I did this to you,” Eri cries, rubbing at her eyes, “It’s my fault you’re small again. I’m so sorry!”
Izuku walks over and reaches up to gently pat the girl’s hair. “It’s okay, we’re fine. And you didn’t mean to, right? Shouto and I don’t remember being big, so it doesn’t really bother us. Please don’t cry.”
Shouto nods with agreement, stepping forward and pulling Eri into a hug. Eri throws her arms around him and Izuku hugs them both, glad that Eri isn’t crying anymore.