Archive of Our Own

¿Por qué no puedo creer en alguien más grande que yo mismo al que culpar?
¿Como de egoísta es querer dejar a otro arrendar mi vida?
¿Qué pasa si ya no quiero tomar decisiones, cómo ser, cómo amar?
No hay ningún destino
Solo quiero descansar

(Why can't I believe in someone else bigger than myself to blame?
How selfish is it to want to let someone else rent my life?
What happens if I no longer want to make decisions, how to be, how to love?
There is no destiny
I just want to rest)

Descanso, Paul Thin
Reboot

"Another one, please."

"Rough night?" The bartender asks, taking a pair of tongs and refilling the empty glass with an ice cube. He then opens a bottle of whiskey and pours it for him.

"You could say that."

Izuku takes the glass and downs it in one gulp, letting out a deep sigh as he feels the alcohol burn in his throat, down his chest, and into his stomach. Without a word, he gestures to the bartender for a refill, who complies. While the man does his work, he turns around in his seat to watch the television hanging on the wall of the bar.

It's late, too late for him to be at this hour in a remote bar on Kamino when he has work tomorrow.

But hey, who cares.

"The hero Tentacole arrived this morning in the Naruhata district. He's expected to give a conference tomorrow on the advancement of heteromorph rights. Please, stay tuned for it.”

Izuku watches as the channel changes as soon as the journalist finishes her sentence. He turns to the bartender and sees him holding the remote. He looks around. There are more people, but not many either; he assumes it's the normal amount for a Tuesday night. The man continues to change the channel until he stops at a radio station.

The man has slightly red skin, small horns, and a devil's tail that can barely be seen through the bar.

An heteromorph.

"It's late, drunks appreciate music, not politics," he explains, feeling Izuku's gaze on him. "Good boy, he's a great hero."

"Yeah," Izuku replies, turning back in his seat and grabbing his glass. "he is."

The man apparently doesn't ignore the familiar tone in his voice. "Acquaintance?"

"Yes." Izuku truly hopes that, just as he noticed the pleasant tone, he'll now realize that he doesn't want to elaborate on his relationship with Shoji.

"I'm glad." The man smiles and walks over to the bar to clean it up.

Izuku sighs and lifts his glass. He swirls it around in boredom, watching the liquid swirl and the ice tap a steady rhythm against the glass walls.

It's not that his relationship with Shoji is bad, far from it. He gets along with all of his former classmates. They try to see each other often, as much as their work lives allow, but they're not the close-knit group they were in high school.

"Do you miss it?" Aizawa asked.

"Ugh, shut up, ol’ man." Izuku thinks to himself as he drinks.

"So?" Uraraka asks, sitting on the couch in the dorm's common room. They aren't required to stay there since restrictions were lifted after the war, but sometimes they like to get together for a couple of weeks. They lived together a lot there, so it's normal for it to feel like home. "What do you plan to do after graduation?"

It's a bit of a stupid question, from the outside looking in. They're in a hero class, so the general job prospects are pretty obvious. The question is more about which agency they'll apply to, or if they plan to start one, or even freelance.

Although, well, they're an exceptionally close-knit class, so even those questions have, for most, a clear answer.

Except for one.

Izuku can feel the stares on the back of his neck from his position in the kitchen, staring into the refrigerator, now wondering if there's any chance the appliance will absorb him so he doesn't have to answer.

"Well, I was planning on starting my own agency," Momo replies, the fake tone quite obvious in her voice, trying to pretend the question doesn't have any hidden agendas against one of them in particular.

The traitor.

"I already have a job offer from Fat Gum, so... yeah, that's it." Kirishima answers as well, with the same fake tone as Yaoyorozu.

"I'll probably end up freelancing in the underground. Aizawa-sensei offered me to be his partner, but since he doesn't have an agency, it'll have to be on my own." Shinso also answers, though at least this answer is genuine. The poor guy hadn't been very clear about his future until now, so it's comforting to see that he already has an answer.

"And you, Midoriya?"

Ah, and there it is, the brave (and stupid) Kaminari is the one who dares to ask him the question directly. The tension that settles in the air waiting for his answer could choke anyone.

"You can ask him things directly, you know? He won't bite you."

Izuku inwardly thanks Katsuki, because he couldn't see himself having to call his classmates out like that, either on the poor attempt at questioning or on the way they always seem to walk on eggshells when it comes to him.

"We didn't mean to make him uncomfortable-" Mineta tries to retort.

"You're doing a shitty job, then."

Izuku snorts as he closes the fridge and turns around, watching as most of his classmates alternate between regret and sad expressions.

"I don't know exactly what I'll do," he replies, rounding the kitchen island and sitting next to Katsuki. "No... I don't have much time left with One For All, so being a field hero is... out of the question..." Saying it is difficult, he realizes. "I'll think of something. I want to keep helping people, I just have to figure out how to do it."

Ah, congratulations, Izuku, now the atmosphere is unbearable.

"I-" Izuku stands up quickly, notices Katsuki's gaze on him, but doesn't turn to look at him. "I'm going to get some fresh air."

It's only when he's closing the door to the building that he can clearly hear his best friend's reply.

"You're a bunch of idiots."

His classmates never learned to cope with the fact that he'd lost his Quirk.

Izuku has lost count of how many times he sighs a day. At this rate, he'll get rusty. He knows his... friends... don't mean any harm, but it's painfully obvious that they aren't, well, Quirkless. And they never were. And they probably never will be. And if they do, they'll never truly understand what it's like to be genetically Quirkless, inferior, useless.

Not Hawks, having lost his Quirk completely. Not Aizawa, not Jirou, with their disabilities. Not even Toshinori, whose heroic image is enough to overshadow any hint of Quirklessness in his life.

"There you are."

Izuku turns his head at the familiar voice. Before he can react, the familiar figure sits down next to him.

"A teacher shouldn't be out partying on a Tuesday night."

"Calling this a party is depressing."

"Call it what you want, you work tomorrow, you shouldn't be out drinking at 2 A.M."

"You work tomorrow too."

"I'm working, kid."

Izuku's only response is to take another drink. When he goes to ask the bartender for a refill, a hand stops him.

"No, that's enough."

"I wasn't going to get him another one," the bartender replies. "It's almost closing time, and you've been here a while. I meant to call a cab."

"That won't be necessary, I appreciate it, sir." Izuku frowns at how they treat him like he's still a teenager. He's 24, for God's sake, he can take care of himself.

When they lift him out of his seat and he feels dizzy, he realizes that maybe, right now, he can't take care of himself.

"How much is it?"

"No." Izuku tries to stop his companion from taking out his wallet and paying the bill.

“Shut up.”

His complaints are useless. His bill is paid while he receives a sideways glance from the bartender. He's downed two whole bottles; he should pay for them himself. 

He can get out on his own; luckily, he doesn't need a carry or use someone as a cane. He's a little dizzy, and if he gets distracted, he'll probably start walking in zigzags, but it's not the worst drunk he's ever been; he'll manage.

When he realizes which direction they're going, he stops and frowns.

"My house isn't this way."

"I know. You're sleeping at my house tonight."

"..." His frown deepens, if that's possible. "Shouta, you've already paid my bill; you don't have to keep spoiling me."

"I'm not spoiling you. I'm making sure you go to work tomorrow."

"What about your job?"

"I'm self-employed; my workday ends when I want it to. And today it ends at 2 a.m."

"Fuck off." He curses, bringing a hand to his face, his index finger and thumb rubbing his eyes.

Aizawa seems to notice his frustration and, for a moment, relaxes. "Look, if you really don't want to, I can call a taxi and-"

Izuku interrupts. "No, okay, I'll go. You win. Just..." He swallows, needing a glass of water. "Please don't treat me like a teenager. This isn't the first time I've done this."

"That's what worries me, kiddo."

"Whatever."

They spend the rest of the drive in silence. The streets are quiet, the crime rate has dropped drastically since the war and the work of restructuring the hero system. Izuku bets Aizawa could count on one hand how many raids and serious fights he's had to deal with in the past few years.

"How did you know I was here?" Izuku asks after a while.

"I know you like the back of my hand." 

"That doesn't answer my question, Shota." 

Aizawa sighs and scratches his head. His already naturally messy short hair doesn't change much from the action. "Toshinori called me, said you seemed weird this morning, like... gone." He taps the steering wheel a couple of times. “And you seem to… I mean, it seems that every time you need time alone, you go to Kamino, I just needed to check the pubs near Ground Zero.” 

"Gossipy old man." Izuku curses. 

"He cares about you. Don't be so hard on him." 

Izuku glances at him and then looks at the car's dashboard as if the paint and the blue-gray hue were the most interesting thing in the world. "He's not my father." 

"Keep telling yourself that.”

When they arrive in Musutafu, courtesy of Aizawa and a surprisingly peaceful car ride, it doesn't take long for them to reach the older man's apartment. An underground hero doesn't earn much to afford more than a simple apartment, but luckily they can afford a more comfortable one thanks to Hizashi and his dual salary as a hero and teacher.

"Keep quiet. Hizashi and Eri are sleeping."

Izuku has to force himself to keep his "probably" quiet. He doesn't think it's a good idea to tell Aizawa how his daughter and Kota keep staying awake playing video games.

The first thing he does is go to the kitchen for a much-needed glass of water. The dehydrating effects of the alcohol are starting to take their toll. Then he goes to the bathroom to wash his face to get rid of the residual dizziness. The good thing about the nearly hour-long trip from Kamino is that it's given his system time to digest the alcohol. It's unlikely he'll wake up with a hangover tomorrow, so his only concern will be the four hours of sleep.

"I left you pajamas in the guest room, and some underwear too, in case you want to shower," Aizawa whispers from the doorway.

"I'll shower tomorrow when I wake up. Right now, I just want to pass out."

"Sounds good to me."

Without another word, Izuku leaves the bathroom, and Aizawa follows. Honestly, he doesn't need the man to guide him; Izuku has been here enough times to know the apartment like it's his own home.

"Do you need anything else?"

"No," he answers, sitting on the bed and untying his tie. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Aizawa leans closer and ruffles his hair a little. "Get some rest, Izuku."

"Same to you."

Not long after the rattling of Aizawa's prosthetic limb stops echoing through the hallway, Izuku passes out on the bed.

"Professor?"

A nod from Nezu is all the answer he gets.

"I noticed you didn't write anything on your career guidance form."

"I didn't know what to do at the time," he replies, still digesting the question his former principal just asked him.

"Were you thinking about something?" Nedzu crosses his arms, and Izuku doesn't miss the subtle sideways glance he casts at his side. "Since graduation, have you looked for a job?"

Izuku notices Toshinori's hand on his shoulder and the subsequent comforting squeeze. Along with his mentor and his principal, Aizawa also stands by the door with his arms crossed.

There is no one else in the room.

"I was thinking about traveling. Seeing the world and trying to figure out what I want to do and..." Izuku inhales and puffs out his chest, trying to release his thoughts. "Trying to figure out who I am now."

"It's not a bad plan." Nedzu approves, appreciating his initiative. "But my offer stands, Midoriya. Would you like to teach here at UA?"

"I'd have to think about it, if possible."

"Of course."

They have nothing more to talk about, so he and his two (former) teachers leave the office.

"It's not a bad offer, young man," Yagi tells him, walking beside him.

"I know." Izuku nods. "It's just that I didn't expect it; I never really thought about teaching."

"You'd be good at it." It's Aizawa speaking. "You're good with children."

"It's not the only strong point a teacher should have," Toshinori comments, probably speaking from experience, given his disastrous start as an educator.

"The kid is smart, has great analytical skills, and on top of that, he's good with children. Better?" Aizawa says in a tone that almost sounds teasing.

"Meh, you're not wrong."

"Izuku, if you're really unsure, you can tell Nedzu. He'd probably even be willing to wait until after that trip you wanted to take," Aizawa tells him, scratching his head.

"I don't dislike the idea of ​​being a teacher. It's just something I haven't considered."

When they arrive outside the center, they sit on the grass and relax a bit.

"I feel like I'm falling behind in everything. I've always been so sure I wanted to be a hero that I never questioned what to do if that wasn't possible, even before I had One For All." Izuku confesses, under the watchful eyes of his mentors. "I'm lost now. I don't know who I am if I'm not a hero."

"You don't need to be a hero to save someone." Aizawa says.

The words of his youngest teacher tickle his brain, and when he realizes why, he looks at Aizawa in amazement. Those words are the same as Izuku's in his emotional funk after his brief era of vigilantism. He didn't expect Aizawa to remember them, much less throw them in his face.

"You can still help a lot of people; you don't have to be a hero to do it. Or at least not in the traditional way."

"You sound a little biased, Aizawa," Yagi says, in an amused tone. "Are you sure you don't want the young man as a coworker?"

"And put up with the problem child for the rest of my working life? Not in my dreams," the dark-haired man replies, though Izuku knows he doesn't mean it.

"All teachers have to pass a probationary period. Give it a shot." Yagi pats his disciple on the back.

"A probationary period that I don't know how you passed." Aizawa teases him again.

"Privileges of One For All."

"Ah, yes."

Izuku looks at his two mentors in amusement. He never thought they'd get along so well, even though outwardly they seem to simply tolerate each other as colleagues. He doesn't know if something has happened between them, but he's glad they're friends.

"I'll try." Both adults turn to look at him, one smiling wider than the other. "Although I like it, I don't think I'll limit myself to UA."

"What do you mean?" Yagi asks.

"UA is... elitist, to put it simply. Mine was a huge exception. If my goal is to help kids like me, even though the Quirkless trend is declining and we're a few decades away from extinction, the kind of kid who needs the kind of help I needed isn't exactly the archetypal UA student." Izuku explains. "The kids who need confidence in their dreams are kids who don't have the skills to get into an elite academy like this in the first place."

"I don't follow you, kid," Aizawa confesses.

"Who would you say needs more help? A kid like Kacchan or a kid like Aoyama?"

"Oh."

"I think the most valuable thing UA will find in you is that Quirkless empathy of yours, kid." Yagi comments. "I... I kind of forgot about it, and back in my day, being Quirkless wasn't that rare, so I saw this difference in treatment as somewhat... natural." The look of discomfort he makes makes Izuku laugh. "Besides, I've had a Quirk for much longer than I've been Quirkless, so I've never been the best at these things. You know what it's like to fight that."

"I just want to be the kind of person who tells a kid they can be a hero."

"Deku-nii, wake up."

Izuku groans as he rolls over in bed and tries to go back to sleep, ignoring the hands poking at his side.

"Deku-nii."

The voice doesn't stop, and Izuku growls again. "Let me sleep."

"You have to go to class."

"I graduated from high school eight years ago." He groans again, covering his head with his pillow.

"You're the teacher."

Izuku bolts upright, looking around in a panic, not knowing where he is. As his heart calms, he remembers what happened last night and how Shouta dragged him home.

Eri looks at him, amused.

"You're a mess."

"Thanks," he answers listlessly.

His usual morning routine doesn't change just because he's in someone else's house: he showers, brushes his teeth because his mouth stinks of alcohol from the night before, and puts on a clean suit that Aizawa luckily kept from the last time he used his home as a hotel room.

When he's a little clearer, he heads to the dining room, where a happy family is waiting for him. Aizawa is combing Eri's hair while Hizashi pours him some coffee.

"Here," he says, pushing a cup toward him. "You have ibuprofen on the bathroom shelf in case your hangover is worse than usual."

"Thanks, Yamada-san," he replies, taking the coffee and taking a long sip.

"Don't mention it." Hizashi smiles at him.

A few minutes later, Aizawa has finished combing the teenager's long white hair and smiles as he receives a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm leaving. I love you!"

"Won't you give your daddy a kiss?" Eri laughs and runs to Hizashi for another kiss on the cheek. "Now then, have fun, sunshine."

"Bye!"

"Poor me, my little sister doesn't like me."

Izuku sees perfectly well how Eri exaggerates the eye roll and holds back her laughter as she approaches Izuku and gives him a tight hug. The young adult can't help but notice how the girl almost reaches his shoulders.

"Love you."

Eri breaks away from him and this time runs toward the door and goes to class, but not without a "be careful" from Aizawa as a goodbye.

The family game with Eri relaxes Izuku greatly. This girl has been the equivalent of his little sister for eight years, and given his almost parental relationship with Aizawa, the only thing he doesn't share with the girl is blood.

Aizawa runs as best he can through the throng of people and debris swirling around the now completely empty wasteland. The sunlight blinds his one eye as he uses a random branch as a makeshift walking stick.

‘For your life, Shouta. Run, you have to get there, you have to get there.’

He looks up at the sky as he collides with a body he doesn't bother to recognize. He strains his gaze as long as he can and watches as a black blur falls from the sky.

"Someone catch him!" He hears a scream that sounds very similar to Kaminari's. “Please! Someone!”

Izuku is falling from the sky.

Aizawa has to catch him.

Just as Izuku is about to hit the ground, someone manages to catch him.

"I've got him!"

Aizawa thanks all the gods of every religion he knows for Iida's speed quirk. And the only thanks the teenager receives from him is a nod. They don't have time to waste.

Izuku's expression seems almost peaceful, and his silhouette, wearing the All Might shirt, gives the impression that the young hero is smaller than he actually is. He turns back to Iida, who looks at his friend with concern and a hint of fear, and he also looks much younger.

They're children.

Aizawa curses himself.

"We need aid!" He shouts at the top of his lungs, hoping someone with a regeneration quirk will come to his aid. Meanwhile, he sees his student place his hand on Izuku's head, trying to stop the bleeding. "Iida, go, I'll take care of it. Rest."

"But sir..."

"You're exhausted. Please let the adults take care of the rest. You've done enough."

Iida seems to listen and separates himself from his companion, falling backward not far away and letting out a deep sigh as he surrenders to unconsciousness.

"Shouta!"

Hizashi quickly approaches his position, accompanied by a pair of medics, and Aizawa once again thanks whatever deity is up there.

He watches as the professionals pull him back and ensure his son's survival.

The image of Izuku without his arms will haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Hurry up!" the paramedic shouts. "He's bleeding out!"

Aizawa sits on the floor and, for his own sanity, tries to ignore the screams and trust that Midoriya will be okay. Instead, he turns his head to search for the rest of his children.

Everyone who came through the portal is alive, but his eyes linger on Bakugo.

Surprisingly, he's staying awake.

As best he can, Aizawa gets up and walks over to him.

"Bakugo." The blond barely raises his head to look at him. Aizawa is surprised the younger boy is able to move.

"How is he?"

"They're treating him; he's lost a lot of blood," he answers, sitting down next to him.

"We won."

"Yes, we did."

"He won."

"He did."

Shota can't help but smile when Bakugo gives the softest, most peaceful smile he's seen from the teenager since he's met him, as if he's finally at peace. The blond falls onto his back and lets out a long sigh as he looks up at the sky.

Aizawa can't help but stare at the stitched wound on his chest.

"Kid."

Katsuki glances at him. "What?"

"Don't scare me like that again."

And the young hero has the nerve to laugh. “I’ll try my best, old man.”

.

"He's awake."

Aizawa doesn't need to hear anything else the doctor has to say. The moment he says that short sentence, he bolts out of his room as if his life depended on it. The sound of his prosthesis hitting the hospital floor resonates through the hallways as he runs toward the room where Izuku (and Toshinori) is resting.

When he arrives, he doesn't even have time to be surprised (because no, he isn't) that Bakugo is already there.

"Aizawa-sensei." Izuku acknowledges his presence.

And the first thing Aizawa notices—and damn his soul for noticing it, and damn the world for allowing it—is that Izuku's eyes aren't shining.

And the underground hero fears that since the first war, Izuku's eyes will never shine the same again.

He stands there, uneasy about what to do, the adrenaline that brought him here quickly dissipating at the sight of his student awake, and a much sadder and more melancholic emotion taking over his mind as he assimilates what they've experienced, all in their first year, just entering their second without a normal promotion.

And God knows what these kids need most is normalcy.

They risked their lives for a society that adults were supposed to fix, a society corrupted by the mistakes of his generation and the previous ones, and the consequences of a hatred that none of them caused, but that they inherited, and they decided to do something about it.

These children have waged war against a society that failed them, and they decided that they were going to be the last people that society would fail.

And with the responsibility of change comes the responsibility of maintaining it.

Bakugo and Izuku, who are standing in front of them, the symbols. Uraraka, who risked her life to save a girl abandoned by everyone. Todoroki, who had to right his father's wrongs. Shoji and Koda, who held their own fight against their own world, a much more mental fight that only they could fight, but whose beginning dates back to the actions of hundreds and the inaction of thousands.

And Shigaraki.

That's a name for another time.

These children have done more than can be asked of any human being, and their lives have just begun.

Your children, your poor children, your Class 1A, Aizawa Shota.

"Sensei?" It's Bakugo's voice that snaps him out of his reverie.

And now he takes the moment to really look at the beacons of his class, the lights that guide them.

And at some point, Aizawa realizes, they've begun to guide him as well.

Both are bandaged from head to toe, although, for Izuku, the expression takes on a more literal meaning. Bakugo's arm is completely bandaged, and Aizawa can only imagine what his wound really means. He saw the boy's entire fight; he knows where most of his injuries come from, which seem to be the predominant ones. If he suffered any more after Oboro took him away, they don't seem to be visible.

His broken arm worries him, but it's what he can't see beneath his clothes that gnaws at him.

"How's your heart?”

"Oh," Bakugo clearly hadn't expected the question. From his spot, Aizawa can see the piercing gaze Izuku is giving his friend. "Uh... Fine, I think," he answers, bringing his good hand to his chest. "The doctor doesn't know how I was moving, that I’m lucky to be alive, honestly. How... how is he?" he asks. And Aizawa reckons this sort of insecurity doesn't suit his student at all.

"Alive."

"I'm... I'm glad." Bakugo looks down. His shoulders tremble slightly, and Aizawa knows better than to point it out. The blond is allowed to be vulnerable without anyone making a big deal out of it.

"And you?" This time he turns his one-eyed gaze on Izuku.

The boy, like his friend, has the right side of his head and face completely bandaged, and Aizawa would find the coincidence even funny and poetic if it weren't the opposite with Deku that it is with Bakugo. Aizawa doesn't know where his wounds come from or how far they extend, and the one wound he fully saw no longer exists, at least not on the outside.

"My arms are fine," Izuku replies, knowing exactly what his teacher's head is spinning. "They feel weird, but I have them, I'll stick with that."

Bakugo looks at Izuku strangely, obviously not knowing what he's talking about. The younger of the two tells him with a look that he'll tell him later; Aizawa recognizes that kind of body language very well.

"I received a head wound from one of the mutant hands of Shi-" Izuku's eyebrows furrow, and he automatically corrects himself. "Of Tenko." No one comments on that. "I'll have a scar on my cheek, a pretty big one, and another on my head, but my hair will cover that one when it grows back."

"That cut is going to look horrible on you," Bakugo comments, laughing.

"Probably, maybe I will get a short hairstyle," Izuku admits, also laughing. "My organs are fine, most of them. My lungs are a little damaged from how the Gearshift affected my body, but they're supposed to function normally again with rest."

"For that, you'll have to rest," Aizawa adds, familiar with his student's history with that word.

"I know. Believe me, fighting isn't among my priorities right now."

"You better be."

There's a silence, not awkward, but it delays the question on everyone's mind, which Aizawa isn't yet willing to ask.

Fortunately, Toshinori decides to make his presence known.

"I think it's a rude gesture that you don't ask me how I'm doing, Aizawa."

If the hero is surprised by All Might's sudden comment, he doesn't let on. Although, judging by Bakugo's cheeky smile, he's noticed how his shoulders have tensed in fright.

"That's because I had to know you were there." Bakugo has the courtesy to get up for a moment and pull back the curtain separating the two beds so Toshinori can decently join the conversation. "How are you?"

"The doctors say they've never had to put in so many screws.”

"That answers the question surprisingly well." Aizawa lets out a small laugh. "You're a reckless old fool, Toshinori."

"What can I say, once a hero, always a hero."

"That's fine, just try not to get killed."

"Don't worry, young Bakugo took care of that, thanks, young man."

Bakugo blushes a little, and Aizawa can only be glad that, at some point, they still maintain that fanaticism for their favorite hero, that kind of childishness, innocence, of being acknowledged by their childhood hero, their idol, even though he's their teacher and they spend more time with him than they could have dreamed of in the past.

"It's nothing." And All Might smiles at Bakugo's peculiar way of thanking him. "That old All For One didn't know what hit him."

"You succeeded where I failed, be proud of that."

Aizawa believes the blond doesn't exactly need more pride or fame to go to his head, but another part of him believes the boy deserves recognition. After risking his life, after losing it, he deserves to be thanked and recognized as the hero he is.

"As for..." Yagi's voice becomes more serious. "As for One For All..."

Aizawa tenses, the question he didn't dare ask now weighing heavily on the room.

"We were talking about it before," Izuku continues, glancing at Bakugo. "I'm left with the smoldering embers of the Quirk." He lights his arm in the familiar light, but instantly extinguishes it. "I only have the superpower one."

"Kid..." Aizawa knows where this is going.

"I'll lose it. If I rationalize it right, it'll probably last until graduation. Maybe a little longer, but it'll end."

"Sorry." Is all the man can say.

"Don't worry," he replies. "Being Quirkless again will be hard, but I'll have to get over it. I'm more worried about what I'll do after I graduate. I won't be able to be a hero without a Quirk."

That last sentence weighs on the three present like a train weighing on their heads. And it seems Bakugo is much more affected by it than the other two. Aizawa knows it's not because of the statement itself, which in any other context would be accurate and logical, but the fact that it comes from Izuku's mouth makes it wrong.

"Anyway, I don't want to think about it right now; it's not worth it. I'm grateful for everything and for the opportunity that was given to me."

And Aizawa can feel proud of how his student is dealing with it, at least for now, knowing everything he's already had to endure regarding not having a Quirk.

Izuku won't be able to focus on the future if he lives stuck in a present tormented by its past.

"I need a moment," Bakugo says, leaving the room surprisingly quickly for his condition. Aizawa looks at the two OFA successors, waiting for an explanation.

"He hasn't taken the news well," Izuku explains, smiling sadly. "He wanted... He wanted to become a hero by my side, and that... That can't be anymore."

Aizawa nods sadly. It's not the same, but the man can empathize with what Bakugo is feeling; he went through a similar grief after Oboro.

"Uh..." Bakugo's shape appears through the door again, and everyone in the room looks at him strangely. "Someone wants to come in here. I'll be leaving now, sorry."

The blond opens the door fully, and a white blur crashes into Aizawa's leg. He doesn't even notice when Bakugo closes the door.

"What are you doing here?" The man asks, puzzled, placing a hand on the girl's head.

"I wanted to see you. Mirio-nii brought me."

"I don't like you being in the hospital, and you don't like it either."

The little girl nods, wiping away the tears that have inevitably flowed from her eyes with her tiny hands. "I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to see you," she repeats.

"Eri..."

The girl turns around quickly. Izuku can't help but stare at what remains of her horn.

"Thank you." He gets up from his lying position and, as best he can, sits on the edge of the hospital bed. His legs dangle without energy, and he tries to look at Eri with everything he has: determination, strength, gratitude, love. "Thank you, thank you so much."

Eri freezes, her pupils widening, and she doesn't seem to be breathing. Her eyes glaze over in a matter of seconds, and her mouth twists.

"You saved my life."

The girl runs toward him and, not caring about his condition, neither she nor Izuku, jumps on him. She wouldn't have reached her destination if Izuku hadn't made the effort to pick her up and receive the boost, pulling Eri onto him, and she clinging like a koala to his torso.

"You're my hero, Eri."

If someone asks Izuku later if he noticed Aizawa hugging them both and a slight wetness on his head, he won't say anything.

"I'm happy."

Aizawa looks at Izuku while he waits for the coffee maker in the staff room, where just the two of them are, to deliver his much-needed caffeine.

It's been several days since he had to pick up his problem child from the pub in Kamino.

"The suit they made me feels great. I can't wait for my license to be processed so I can get back to the field."

While Izuku speaks, Aizawa refills the cup with coffee and adds a pinch of salt. Sue him; it tastes good. As the young adult speaks, the older man looks at him with a small smile.

"Are you quitting teaching?"

"What?" Izuku asks in surprise, as if the thought had never crossed his mind. Aizawa finds it hilarious. "No! I wouldn't even think of it. I love my job, I love helping people the way I do."

"You weren't thinking like that last week."

Izuku glares at him, as if scolding him for reminding him of his unhealthy conflict-solving methods. "I mean, I've always had a thorn in my side for not being a hero, Shota."

"And what changes now?"

"Now it's... real. I've never fully appreciated what I do. I've always seen it as the second option, the only one left. It wasn't an active choice of mine, but a backup plan."

"Hm?" He urges him to continue.

"Now I can be a hero, and having a real choice, I've realized that even if I had kept One For All, I probably would have ended up teaching anyway."

Aizawa looks his former student, now coworker, up and down. "I'm glad to see you happy; you deserve it."

Izuku hides behind the stack of internship forms he has to review. "Don't say things like that, how embarrassing..."

Aizawa takes a moment to notice how, because of the scar on his head, Izuku's hair now has a natural parting on his right side that looks surprisingly good on him and gives him an air of maturity that he didn't have with his naturally messy hair.

"You're a kid."

"That's how you bought me."

"Unfortunately for me."

They both fall into a comfortable silence. Izuku begins to review the internships while Aizawa corrects some exams he has pending.

It's incredible, the black-haired man thinks, how Izuku seems to radiate an aura of happiness with his mere presence, and sadly, he realizes it's because the energy the boy used to transmit hasn't reappeared for many years.

His teaching job helped him recover a bit after the war; having something to do kept him distracted from thinking about how his classmates fulfilled their dreams and inevitably left him behind. Not deliberately, of course; it's only natural for people to grow up separated by their lifestyles and jobs, but it was sad to see how the rest of the class became like tributaries of a river, separated from the riverbed but inevitably meeting in the sea, while Izuku remained, how to put it, like an oxbow lake.

Things improved a bit when Izuku saw how his work and actions were useful. Nedzu helped the boy a lot and implemented a collaboration system, first with the city's high schools and, later, a general promotion of UA with high schools across the country. Izuku quickly became a well-respected man, and his lectures and seminars on heroism and Quirks had almost perfect attendance and participation rates.

And although it meant more work for UA, a student access plan was established, a bit fairer than the robot field tests, which paid special attention to the students' unique Quirk characteristics. It also included pooled funds for specialized heroism education for Quirkless children, in collaboration with the support course.

So yes, work has kept him very distracted, although from time to time he ends up in a bar drinking himself to the point of complete inactivity, usually on nights where his mental state is more fragile than usual and the fact that he saved the country and the world for nothing hits him like a train.

No one usually recognizes him as the boy who fought Shigaraki live for the whole world to see. That fight fell by the wayside as the heroes of the next generation began to carve out their own niche in society. The euphoria of novelty made people relax about his exploits.

In part, Aizawa thinks Izuku appreciates that; he's not someone prepared for the fame All Might achieved. Izuku isn't someone who saves for fame or money; he fought for what he believed was right and just, and that's it.

"What are you thinking about?" Izuku snaps him out of his reverie.

Aizawa crosses his arms and frowns slightly, trying to summarize his train of thought in a few words. "About everything that's led us here."

"...The internships?"

It's Izuku's serious tone that makes Aizawa laugh. "No, idiot. About you and what you've accomplished. I don't tell you much, Izuku, but I'm proud of you, and I'm so glad you can be a hero; you deserve it so much."

"Hey, hey." Izuku stands up and smiles crookedly, approaching Aizawa. "What's this about now?"

"I don't know, I was just thinking about how I haven't seen you this happy in so long, and now..." Aizawa quickly wipes his eyes, even though the tears haven't finished falling yet. "After the war, I've never seen your eyes shine like this."

"Dude, you're going to make me cry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, fuck." Aizawa dismisses all formalities because this is his son, damn it, he can be vulnerable with him. "I'm glad you're back to the Izuku Midoriya I know, kid."

"What does that mean?" Izuku laughs as tears stream down his cheeks and grabs Aizawa's arms.

"Just me" He responds, pulling the boy into his arms and giving him a hug. "I love you, Izuku. Thanks for being you."

"Even a problem child?" Izuku replies, laughing and returning the hug.

"Even a problem child."