Work Text:
“My child, how are you feeling?”
Shouto looks up, moving his red and white fringe out of the way to spot the towering presence of Yaoyorozu. He blinks at her before shrugging, gesturing to everyone standing around him. Bakugou’s looming over Midoriya and grinning, cackling as Iida looks vaguely uncomfortable.
Shinsou’s hovering nearby, looking like he’s asleep while Monoma’s trying to get Bakugou’s attention, flexing and proudly showing off his cape as per usual. Shouto gives Yaoyorozu another look, watching as she struggles not to laugh.
“I see,” Yaoyorozu smiles, putting a warm hand on his shoulder. “Well, you’ve accomplished something spectacular today, Shouto. You’ve reunited the underground with your pure spirit and determination, and you’ve managed to set us all free. We will never be able to thank you enough.”
“Right!” Midoriya stumbles forward, Bakugou and Iida at his heels. Shouto glowers at him for a moment; it’s a bit rough having to befriend everyone, especially when your supposed “friend” kept a huge secret from the rest of the underground. He honestly doubts he’ll be able to get the wails and ghostly sounds of the amalgamates out of his head anytime soon. As long as Midoriya tells everyone what he actually did, then they’ll be fine and actually be proper friends this time. “Ah, Shouto?”
Shouto looks back at Midoriya, blinking when Midoriya wrings his hands nervously and wipes the sweat on his lab coat. “Do…do you think Yaoyorozu and Iida will get back together? We’re all free now, and that means I can go on dates with Kacch—UH, go watch anime all the time in my pajamas! And make some ramen!”
The human looks over at Yaoyorozu, who’s deep in conversation with Shinsou and laughing, putting her hands over her mouth. They seem to be bonding over knock-knock jokes as Monoma complains, trying not to smile. Shouto looks back at his friend (?) and shrugs, giving his best “dunno” expression. Midoriya nods thoughtfully and taps his chin with his claw, eyes narrowing. “You’re right. We’ll see how this goes, then! We’ve got time to figure it out on the surface!”
Shouto continues to have a few conversations with everyone else, managing a small smile when Yaoyorozu laughs loudly at one of Shinsou’s puns. When Iida gets close, eyes lighting up at his (ex?) wife, Monoma fixes his cape and stands tall, trying to get his attention even now.
Bakugou looks happy to be there, even though his title as Captain of the Royal Guard is officially dissolved. With the way he’s hovering over Midoriya, Shouto’s glad that his really weird date with the Royal Alchemist paid off. Hopefully they won’t use him as a messenger anymore and have him deliver a letter with no name on it.
“Shouto?”
He turns around, seeing his pseudo mom again. She looks tired but proud, a familiar gleam of tears in her eyes. “I know you’ve had such a long journey, and we will follow you out to the surface when you’re ready.” Yaoyorozu clasps her hands together, smiling softly at Shouto. “In the meantime, would you like to take a walk to see all of the friends you made? It might raise your spirits after what has occurred. We’ll wait for you as long as you need, my child.”
Normally Shouto would shake his head no and continue on, but something calls to him, nostalgia settling in his bones. So instead, he nods and Yaoyorozu lets him go, waving as he heads back through Iida’s castle. He takes the scenic route as he travels through the Hotlands and Waterfall. He avoids Midoriya’s laboratory and winces as he passes Bakugou’s house, still weirdly on fire even now.
Snowdin is just as pretty as he remembers it, briefly stopping to see how Monster Kid is doing before heading on. He lets the snowman know that his piece is still secured in his inventory, giving the sentient pile of snow a brief smile before making his way back to where he started from.
Even through the crunch of the snow as Shouto approaches the door to the Ruins, he can’t help but feel like his adventure isn’t done yet. There’s something waiting for him at the other end of Yaoyorozu’s home, and he’s worried he won’t like the answer.
He recognizes the layout of the Ruins compared to the castle and snorts quietly, weaving through hallways like he’s done it his whole life. Yaoyorozu’s house still feels just as warm as it did the first time, but Shouto feels older now. Maybe saving this timeline does that to you.
He pauses at the entrance of the Ruins, realizing what lies beyond the door. If he’s right, then he should be okay, but holds his head high and steps forward to the place where he took his very first steps into the underground.
The spot where he first met Shigaraki is cooling down, still illuminated by a single ray of sunshine. Shouto confidently steps through it and goes through the gate, catching sight of a familiar figure ahead of him.
Sure enough, there’s Shigaraki—er, Tenko, standing at the edge of the golden flowers that broke Shouto’s fall, gazing down at them wistfully. Shouto walks forward, letting his footsteps alert the other. Tenko pauses but doesn’t look up, staring down at the flowers with his shoulders up to his ears. “Don’t worry about me. Someone has to take care of these flowers.”
Shouto gestures to the gate he has to go through to get back to his new family and points at Tenko. The former villain scowls, jaw tight. “Leave me alone. I can’t come back, alright? I’m not letting them see me again. Why are you here, anyways? Are you trying to keep me company?”
Shouto scrunches his nose and sits down in the golden flowers. He crosses his arms, and Tenko looks like he admits defeat when he sits down next to him, gently caressing a flower.
“You’re a smart kid,” Tenko mutters. “Why would you come here? You know the rumors surrounding this stupid mountain, so why come anyways? You knew what could happen if you came up here; people are supposed to disappear. Unless, of course…”
Shouto doesn’t answer him. He doesn’t have to; they both know what the implications are, and Shouto doesn’t need the reminder of why he’s there in the first place. This way was far better than anything he would’ve had to deal with on the surface.
Tenko gives him a grim smile. “Yeah, you know what I mean. You’re not the first, obviously; I know why Dabi climbed the mountain before you.” Shouto jolts at the mention of the former human that looked uncomfortably like him. “He hated all those people on the surface, apparently. Never went any further than that. But I can tell you guys aren’t the same regardless. He…wasn’t the greatest person, but…I guess you’re someone I should’ve been around instead.”
It’s hard for Tenko to spit this out. Shouto can see it in the way he clenches his fists and tries not to look at the other boy. It’s rough, especially since they grew up together. And if what the research in Midoriya’s lab implied, then it was even worse when Tenko’s idea to save Dabi failed miserably and left him as Shigaraki for years and years.
“I was probably projecting on you.” Tenko continues, taking Shouto’s silence as a means to go on. “It sucks, but that’s why I was getting desperate at the end there. And since you’re hearing me out right now, I wanna explain that when Dabi and I combined our souls together, that jerk was actually the one that wanted to use our full power against the humans. I’m the reason I became Shigaraki, and I’ve hated myself every day since then.
“‘Kill or be killed’, y’know?” Tenko shakes his head, letting out a shaky breath. “What a lousy way of thinking. I did the right thing though. I got us home and made that choice myself. You freed my home in the end, so I guess it wasn’t all that bad.”
Shouto reaches forward and puts his hand on Tenko’s shoulder, feeling the shiver go through his back. Even if he had to fight Shigaraki before, this is who was at his core the entire time; a scared, heartbroken kid, who just wanted his friend back.
“Appreciate you listening,” Tenko exhales, keeping his gaze locked on the flowers. “You should really go be with your friends now. If you see me again in the future, just think of me like I am now.” Tenko gives Shouto a small grin. “Someone you considered a friend for a little while. Be careful out there, yeah?”
It feels like their conservation is coming to an end, and Shouto and Tenko stand up together. Tenko hesitates before putting a hand on Shouto’s shoulder. “Don’t kill, and don’t be killed, alright? That’s the best you can strive for. See ya.”
Tenko turns around, and Shouto takes a minute to process everything that’s been told to him. He’s breathless, staring at Tenko’s back. He was fighting against Shigaraki a while ago, standing tall and refusing to die even as he was blasted over and over again. This whole time, he’s been staying as a pacifist to make friends and get out of the underground safely, and he never thought he’d be fighting against a kid.
They’re…kinda the same, if Dabi hadn’t veered Tenko towards a path of destruction and revenge. Two kids who just desperately wanted a friend. It’s come at the cost of Tenko having to potentially stay behind while his family leaves, but…does he?
(Shouto vows, then and there, that he’ll bring this up to Midoriya one of these days after they settle in. Even if Tenko does turn back into Shigaraki, well, flowers are able to be transported, and maybe all they need is love and sunshine. And a pot.)
He reaches towards Tenko, hand outreached. He’s been a pacifist this entire time, and he’s not about to change that now. There’s a golden glow starting to appear around Tenko’s hand, but he tries hiding it as he looks back and widens his eyes before scowling.
“Just go, Shouto. Don’t you have anything better to do?” Tenko says, turning back around with his shoulders up to his ears. And…that’s that, really. Shouto won’t force him to come with, especially if he’s making another hard choice this time too.
He does, however, take a few steps forward to wrap Tenko in a hug. The former villain of the underground trembles as he latches on one final time, and Shouto rubs his hand up and down Tenko’s back, giving him one final reassurance.
Too soon, they split. Shouto knows to respect his decision so he squeezes Tenko’s hand once, twice, and then turns away with a wave. He doesn’t know if Tenko does anything else after he exits through the gate, but he doesn’t look back.
He makes his way back through Snowdin, Waterfall, and Hotland again, finding an odd sense of peace in his chest when he sees his friends again. They’re all ready to go, chatting and lighting up when they see him. “Shouto!” Yaoyorozu calls, excitedly waving him over. “Shinsou was teaching me about these things called ‘emojis’, and they’re quite pleasant to text! Look, see, I sent one to you while you were on your journey—”
“Make one for me!” Bakugou demands, shouldering his way in. Midoriya, at his side, squeaks and tries not to trip on his lab coat. “Hold on, Kacchan! The matter of kaomojis are really important and it’s a very difficult process to pick the correct one for the conversation!”
“Can I see?” Iida asks politely, hovering nearby and trying not to look like he’s listening in on Shinsou and Yaoyorozu’s conversation. “Someone will have to teach me how to text when we leave, of course, as I’m not quite sure how to type on a small device.”
“I prefer phone calls!” Monoma calls out, puffing out his chest when Bakugou barks out a laugh. Shinsou gives his brother a fond look. “It’s always fun to talk to your friends over the phone and attempt to do a cooking lesson!”
“As long as you don’t burn my goddamn house to the ground.” Bakugou snaps his teeth together, conjuring a spear in his hand and looking pissed. “Whatever. I can build a new one anyways and you can get a room too, Deku, so we can watch those anime shows you mentioned.”
As Midoriya gasps with excitement, Yaoyorozu pushes everyone back so Shouto can have room. “Let him breathe,” she commands, still regal even after all this time. “Shouto, are you ready to go? With the Barrier destroyed, we don’t have to worry about being trapped here anymore. As long as you’re ready, we’ll face it together.”
Well, yeah. That’s pretty much it. Shouto can’t think of anything else, so he nods and his friends form a group behind him. Yaoyorozu seems nervous next to him, so he reaches over and takes her hand, feeling comforted and safe. If he’s lucky, maybe she’ll bake him another Butterscotch pie.
“I see you’re as nervous as I am,” Yaoyorozu exhales, giving him a kind smile. “But now you’ll never be alone again, so let’s do it together! Lead the way, Shouto.”
He leads them through a gray gate, and then stops before a dark purple gate. Beyond that, there’s the feeling of weak sun on his body, and Shouto feels Yaoyorozu’s hands tremble. “Thank you for being brave enough for all of us, my child,” she says, and Shouto already knows he’ll be asking to stay with her throughout all of what comes next. “Shall we?”
Shouto nods, and they walk together to the surface, hand in hand and into the sunshine.