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Izuku was in the middle of an intense battle, equally strong fists from both himself and his opponent coming at full force. He’d been separated from his dad, Eraserhead, when one of the criminals took off with a hostage. Despite being grateful his adoptive father trusted him enough to leave him on his own, he could probably use some help.
“Meadow!” Ah, speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Grey fabric yanked at his attacker, pushing him into the opposite wall with a thud. Thankfully, that had been enough to render him unconscious. Sighing in relief, Izuku pulled out his (now legal) handcuffs and placed them on the man.
“Thanks, da-Eraser. What happened to the other one?”
The Underground Pro huffed, moving to the side to show him said criminal unmoving in the binds of his capture weapon.
“The hostage okay?” He knew the answer, but confirmation is always nice.
“Are you indirectly questioning my abilities as a Pro hero?”
The vigilante laughed, recognising the joke behind his stoic expression. “Maybe, you are getting a little old, aren’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll make your overly sweet coffee when it gets to that point.”
Eraserhead mumbled something along the lines of, ‘no such thing as too sweet’ and the greenette couldn’t help but burst into giggles. There is definitely such thing as too sweet, but apparently, his dad can handle any and every amount of sugar thrown in his path.
Suddenly, there was a shuffling behind him. He turned around, finding his apprehended friend awake and grinning. The man’s accomplice struggled within his binds, alerting the hero that he also had someone to keep an eye on. What they hadn’t taken into account was that their powers worked together as well as on their own. A swirling portal of buzzing green and deep black sucking in Izuku, giving them no time to react outside of cut-off yells in distress.
Shouta know stood alone in the alleyway, portal having closed after taking his son. In a fit of desperation and rage, he kicked the figure behind him back into unconsciousness and stormed towards the other.
“What they hell did you do to my kid?!” He yelled, fist bunching up the fabric of his shirt. The fucker had the audacity to laugh in his face.
If it hadn’t been for the sirens coming to a stop beside them, the hero swore he would’ve ended up in prison for murder. Detective Tsukauchi stepped out, walking towards him before pausing.
“Aizawa? Where’s Meadow?”
The Underground hero snarled, throwing the man still in his grip back into the wall. Turning to his friend, the anger in his bones did nothing but simmer.
“These two had some sort of warping Quirk. The portal dragged him in. Lock these dimwits up before I end up being the one interrogated instead,” he walked away, the vibration of his phone indicating the end of his patrol.
How could he explain this Hizashi? He was going to be absolutely livid.
___________________
Well, this was odd. Not waking up in the U.A staff lounge, no that was quite common, it was that he couldn’t remember how he’d ended up there. He’d dreamt of an overextended battle with his dad, then being sucked into some sort of portal.
Whatever, he probably wouldn’t wake up in the morning so his pops brought him here.
Groaning as he stood, he realised his body ached all over. As if he’d recently been in a fight without medical attention afterwards. That’s not necessarily new, but the greenette hadn’t been on patrol for two days, there wasn’t a chance that was it.
Ignoring all of the rambling his mind produced, he walked out into the hallway, lazily scratching the scars on his arms. They were always itchy, it was so annoying. Not bothering to knock, Izuku opened the class 1A door.
“Dad, did I go on patrol last night or something? Everything hurts and my scars are itchier,” who knew such a simple question could freeze up and entire classroom?
“Midoriya, wha-” his eyes snapped onto the student who’d addressed him. He glared, face twisting into a snarl.
“How did you find out that name? Is Katsuki starting something? I swear to fuck I’ll bite your damn nose off, brats,” he spoke, disgust wrapping his tone in vicious ribbons. His mother had died two years ago and his family name had been changed ten months ago. If it really was that explosive blonde, he was going to kill him.
Emerald eyes scanned the class, faces stunned in shock, some with a hand to their mouth. Looking over to the man at the front, his posture visibly relaxed. Although, it was a little odd he hadn’t said anything about the mention of his former name.
“G’morning, dad. Did papa bring me in this morning or do I need to see Nana for memory loss?” He joked, then noticed the look of distress on his face. That was worrying. “Dad? Are you okay? Did you get injured again on patrol?”
He quickly moved to inspect him, eyes traveling across his hero costume for any tears or indications of wounds. As he circled him, he noticed 1A was unnaturally silent, their attention focused on them. Blocking out his nerves, he continued to search. Finding nothing, he stood from his crouching position and smiled in confusion.
“What’s wrong? I know papa freezes up sometimes, but you always make it a point to be ready for anything. Did I drink the last of the coffee?”
The dark-haired man stared for another moment, scanning over for anything out of the oridinary, landing on his arms.
“Problem child, what in the world are you talking about? What happened to your arms?”
Isn’t that weird? He’s always known what happened, Izuku had told him ages ago! Unless…
“You’re not my dad,” he whispered, eyes widening in partial shock, partially fear. Who was this if it wasn’t his father? Backing away slowly, he kept his gaze locked onto the man in front of him. Does papa know?
His back hit the wall beside the door, breath coming out in uneven gasps. He had to tell papa, what if his dad had been taken and that was an imposter? His lips trembled at the thought, quickly bolting towards class 1C.
There was an eruption of noise from the 1A, muffled questions and yells he couldn’t understand. The panic was getting to him.
Reaching the room he’d been running for, he slammed open the door. Twenty pairs of eyes landed on him, his brother included. Why did he look so annoyed? Usually he was glad when Izuku interrupted class.
“What’s wrong with Midoriya?” Someone whispered, looking over him with an unreadable expression. He grimaced, memories of his mother’s stiff body flashing behind his eyelids. Shoving them away, he bolted towards his papa, who had been eyeing him carefully.
“Papa! I- I don’t know what’s going on with Dad, but that’s- it’s not him! He- he doesn’t remember who I am and everyone keeps calling me ‘Midoriya’! Why do they know that?” The greenette was hyperventilating, his hands being thrown around to show his anxiety.
Lime-green eyes widened in confusion upon hearing the word ‘papa’, his mouth opening and closing to respond. That’s when it hit Izuku. He didn’t know who he was either. His breathing sped up impossibly faster, his vision spotting. Sprinting out of the classroom, he heard multiple people call out ‘Midoriya’.
He shivered involuntarily at the reminder of his mama, tears flowing freely down his face. Was this a nightmare? No matter how many confused looks he got, he continued sprinting towards Nedzu’s office. Surely his gran-paw would know what was happening? Maybe it was a memory altering Quirk?
Barging inside, the principal looked directly at him, black beady eyes covered in the same confusions as everybody else.
“Gran-paw! Dad and- and papa both d-don’t remember me!” He cried, sobs clawing their way to escape his throat. The stoat simply stared, analysing the situation before speaking up.
“Midor-” another loud sob echoed through the room, doors still wide open for any and everyone to hear.
“Why does everybody know that name?!” He begged, “Dad and papa said nobody would know! Why?!” Betrayal gripped at his logic. He knew they wouldn’t have done this as some sick prank, nor would they have done it in general. But the idea that they could’ve clouded at any rational thoughts he had.
There were several voices behind him, some questioning what was going on and others ordering things. Then, Recovery Girl stepped out from the crowd, Nemuri and Shouta close behind her, with a needle in hand. He shrieked, falling to the ground as he pushed himself toward the back corner in a desperate attempt of getting away. The R 18+ hero tugged at her uniform, insisting everyone hold their breath. Before she could rip it, Izuku opened the window he was pressed against and jumped out.
Screams called out a mixture of names, Midoriya, Izuku, Deku. Thankfully, because he’s used to jumping out of windows (U.A’s more often than not), he landed in a roll and ran to the staff dorms. Footsteps echoed behind him, but he’d be damned if he couldn’t fend off one singular person.
He stopped abruptly, knocking the person off balance at the change, and fled into the shadows. As if it were second nature, he disappeared. Not even he could hear himself. The figure looked around carefully, observing every movement. Izuku jumped from where he was perched on the U.A barrier.
The person couldn’t dodge in time, tumbling down to the ground from the impact. He groaned, clearly having been unprepared for this reaction. The vigilante glared venomously, pulling out handcuffs from his back pocket. Which reminded him, why was he in his vigilante suit?
Anyway, he forced them on, keeping a foot perched against his back. After he was secured, Izuku tugged at his hair, asking one simple question.
“Who the hell are all of you, and what did you do to my family?”
Technically, that was two, but that’s besides the point.
A strained voice spoke from beneath him, familiar onyx eyes glaring back at him. “My name is Shouta Aizawa. Your mother is perfectly safe at home, where you should be currently.”
The greenette snarled, the betrayal like a stab to the gut. “My mama has been dead for two years. You should know this, Eraserhead. After all, you’re the one who adopted me.” He tugged harshly, earning a glare. “Show me your Quirk or I’ll snap your neck right now,” if there was even a chance this really was his father, he’d take it.
Bright red eyes bored into his and relief flooded his senses for a brief moment. He uncuffed the hero, backing away a safe enough distance to fight if he needed to. Yes, there’s a pretty big chance he’ll be overpowered, but he knew the little tricks and habits of his father.
“Izuku,” the man started carefully as he stood up, “I want you to think about the situation. Before this, what were you doing?”
Izuku thought about it. He remembered the day before, how he lounged on the family couch and drank apple juice, watching animated English movies with his fathers. Then, his dad had to go on patrol and offered for him to come, so he obviously accepted. Since it had been hotter lately, he wore his tank-top turtle-neck shirt. Everything had been fine until these two delinquents started a nasty fight. One had a mild personality Quirk where you’d shift your personality to match those of an alternative self, and the other had the ability to warp, like Kurogiri.
Oh, shit.
The greenette held up his finger, turned to the U.A barrier, and banged his head against it. How could he have been so stupid? He crouched down, hugging his knees with his arms as he mumbled, head resting against the cold metal. Suddenly, he jumped up and ran straight towards the Underground hero, who had been frozen because he didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t on either of his job descriptions.
“Alright, what are you to me in this universe?” The dark-haired man raised an eyebrow. He sighed dramatically and dragged a hand down his face. “You know! Like, are you my dad, uncle, mentor?”
“I’m your… teacher,” he answered hesitantly. Izuku stared up at him, expecting more. His jaw dropped at the revelation there was no more.
“That’s it?! You don’t try to stop my vigilantism, mentor me, find out I’m homeless, introduce me to papa, foster me, bring me to U.A, adopt me or give me a cat?” He pouted at the thought of not having his precious Catsudon.
“We’ll… go back to all that later. Who is ‘papa’?” Izuku snorted. How could he not know his own husband? Speaking of which…
“SHOUTA! Are you okay? What’s going on with the little listener?”
The green-haired child smiled sweetly, waving as he bounced on the balls of his feet. “I’m alright, Present Mic. Just realised I’ve been brought to an alternative universe, no biggy. Anyway, that is. You know, you’re husband? You’re my dad, he’s papa… I swore that was common sense,” he teased.
Both heroes froze, faces brightening with a deep red by the minute. Izuku stood still, observing the reaction.
“What, are you guys just dating right now? You’ve been in love since U.A second year, you told me. Whichever of you has a hidden ring, whip it out right now.”
“We- we aren’t-” Hizashi stuttered, skin flushed. That’s when he realised.
“Oh my goodness. You’re just as oblivious in this universe, aren’t you? Alright, fine,” he cracked his knuckles and smiled mischievously.
“Dad is head over heels for you, has been since you first made eye contact, but was too scared to say anything in case he ruined your relationship. Papa fell in love when you first smiled at one of his stupid jokes and hasn’t spoken up because he knows you prioritise work and doesn’t want to get in the way.”
There was a thick silence, neither of the men able to look at each other. Izuku stifled a giggle and walked past them, back towards the school. They stood there stiffly, neither knowing how to react. Eventually, they glanced at each other and agreed to talk after classes were over. That was a win in the boy’s book.
He entered confidently, not that it seemed that way. His posture was slouched lazily, hands rubbing against his puffy eyes. He needed a nap. First, however, he had to see if he had any injuries from that stupid battle.
As he walked, students turned to stare, whispering things he couldn’t bring himself to care about. It’s not like this is his universe, why should he care what they think? Besides, he doesn’t in his own anyway.
Stopping outside of Recovery Girl’s ‘Med Bay’, he knocked lightly before entering. The elderly woman looked at him with slight surprise before smiling softly.
“Hey there, sonny. What’re you here for today? Hopefully you don’t break as many bones,” ah, Nedzu must have filled her in. There’s no way he hadn’t figured it out by now.
The greenette snorted, “Only sometimes. Villains can be a real bitch. I just need to see if I have any injuries from last night’s patrol, that’s when I was brought here. Sorry for earlier, by the way.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, peeling off his shirt to reveal big bruises and a few lacerations. It certainly wasn’t a pretty sight, but it wasn’t as bad as a few of his past injuries. Staying as professional as ever, Recovery Girl didn’t react and began inspecting.
He didn’t squirm when she felt around for broken ribs, his pain tolerance was unnaturally high. Maybe bullying and vigilantism isn’t so bad. Raising his hands to cover a yawn, he realised he wasn’t wearing his facial gear. It probably wasn’t a good thing that he hadn’t noticed earlier when he rubbed his eyes, but that’s whatever. Hopefully his dad had brought them home, it would be a pain having to make them again.
“Can you tell me what happened so that I know I’ve assessed everything?” She asked, effectively dragging him from his head.
“At some point I was thrown into a wall, I think? A lot of punches, a few kicks. The fucker literally tried to pants me! Never once have I ever been more grateful for including a utility belt to my outfit,” he started mindlessly rambling as the woman continued to inspect his wounds. She kissed his forehead to heal his damaged ribs and heal the cuts, but she couldn’t do anything about the bruises. Apologising briefly, he waved her off.
“This is nothing. I mean, you can probably tell, but I’ve dealt with worse,” he chuckled lazily, missing the glimmer of concern in her eyes. “Alright, I’m going to nap on the staff lounge. If dad stole it, I’m sleeping behind it.”
He waddled off, itching his arms again. Do those damn things ever stop?
Arriving at his destination, he realised basically every teacher was inside of there. Including All Might. Grumbling, he trudged inside and flopped on top of the couch’s backrest. Sure, they probably didn’t appreciate him doing that, especially because they don’t know him, but what’re they going to do? Kick a poor child to the curb?
Someone cleared their throat and Izuku peaked over his arms to find everybody staring at him. He sighed and pressed his head back into his arms. Life was so much easier when people recognised who he was.
“Young Midoriya, what are you doing in here?”
Not only did the greenette hate the man who’d just spoken, but he’d just used his former family name. If that didn’t grind his gears then nothing would. He was across the room in less than a second, backing All Might into a corner.
“Who do you think you are, Toshinori Yagi? Do you think that just because you’re the ‘Symbol of Peace’ you can go around crushing dreams?”
Nemuri gasped, everyone else watched in silence. Izuku turned around briefly, flashing a gentle smile as he greeted her. “Hi, Aunt Nem! Sorry, I’ll be done in a second.”
As if it were nothing more than a light switch, he turned back with cold eyes, voice sharp enough to cut through the tension in the room.
“Do you remember what you told me that day? I sure do. Here, let me give you a reminder,” he said, clearing his throat to speak clearly.
“Can you be a hero without a Quirk? No, I honestly don’t think you can. Some villains are just too tough to beat without powers, you’d just be a liability. You could be a doctor or a police officer. It’s fine to dream, just make sure those dreams are attainable. Be realistic.”
All Might gulped, guilt evident in his eyes, but Izuku didn’t stop.
“You know, I actually proved you wrong. I’ve been saving people for three years just fine without a Quirk. Funniest part? The day after you crushed my hope, Endeavour and his recklessness got my mother killed.”
Multiple gasps this time.
“Tell me, have you ever held the body of your mama as she took her last breath? Felt her choke on her own blood? Had to pull her from under the rubble of your home and carry her to a paramedic? Watched the light in her eyes dim with death? Have you ever experienced that? Would you be able to live with yourself knowing you failed?”
He didn’t reply.
“Yeah, I thought so. The next time a Quirkless child comes up to you, how about you give them a little bit more than dust. It shouldn’t have been mama’s job to tell me I could be a hero while she died. You’re a pathetic excuse of a hero.”
Izuku hadn’t raised his voice, hadn’t threatened him, hadn’t cried. His voice was hollow with pain, every word chewed on and spit back up. Rather than staying, he backed away slowly, straightening his posture a little. When he turned to face the rest of the staff, he had a smile. It didn’t reach his eyes, it’s been doing that lately.
Nobody knew how to speak, their words a tangled mess on the tips of their tongues. Nemuri pushed past it, forcing herself to speak before he could leave the room.
“M- Izuku, you’ve done good.”
She didn’t ask, didn’t pry for answers, just accepted what she’d learnt and spoke. It wasn’t sarcastic, rude or empty. All Pro heroes know of the pains that come with their roles, but this kid hadn’t asked to be thrown to the wolves so early.
He turned back around, eyes dulled but his smile was genuine. “Thanks, Aunt Nem. I guess it’d make sense for you to be great in all universes.”
Before anybody could react, he was gone. Travelling in the shadows like a ghost.
Izuku was mentally and physically exhausted. Lashing out felt great, he hadn’t done that since Katsuki insulted his mama after she died. The problem was that he had just told a room of adults, teachers no less, about his past. He already had a destination in mind, but then familiar indigo popped up.
His brother! Well, adoptive brother, but found family is family.
“Hitoshi!”
He spun around, confusing written across his face, “Mi-”
“Izuku. Don’t call me anything that isn’t along the lines of Meadow or Izuku.”
If possible, he looked even more confused. Either way, he continued with a sigh. “What do you want, Izuku? Are you here to flaunt your flashy Quirk in my face?”
Now it was the vigilante’s turn to be confused. Quirk? “Sorry, what Quirk? Don’t tell me I have a Quirk in this universe.” He had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with All Might’s ‘secret’.
Hitoshi snorted, glaring simultaneously. “Green lightning, super speed, strength, some weird black whip. Sorry to ruin your bragging party.”
He tried to hold back a laugh, biting the inside of his cheek. Oh, how absolutely perfect this was going to be.
“This is going to sound crazy, but I’m Quirkless dude. I can guarantee you I was born Quirkless in this universe and someone with a stockpiling Quirk passed it on. That makes the most sense anyway, I’ve never been particularly lucky.”
The purple-eyed teen stood in shock, clearly not having expected that. Wait, had he even realised he was from an alternative universe?
“Anyway, I just found out my dad doesn’t adopt me in this universe and I’m pretty bummed out about that. In mine, you and Eri are my siblings, Ochaco being a centimetre away from joining in. I know Eri lives with dad right now and he’s contemplating asking about your home life, so tell him about being in foster care. If you think he won’t believe you, show him the muzzle scars. Trust me on this, he already sees you as his kid.”
Once again, he turned away before he could reply, becoming one with the shadows.
Finally, finally, Izuku has made it to his destination. The classroom of 1A.
He opened the door, nineteen eyes shooting over at the sudden motion. Yawning lazily, the greenette gestured for his dad to move and ducked under his desk. There were a few whispers of surprise, but he ignored them.
Shouta crouched down, meeting the sleepy eyes of an oddly familiar teen. His sleeping bag had been placed carefully in front of him so the hero could grab it at any time to use.
“You alright, Problem child?” He asked, just in case.
“Yup, just had a few injuries healed. If anybody asks, I’m dead.”
The dark-haired man snorted softly, ruffling his hair as if it were natural. The boy leaned into it, sighing. He wasn’t too sure how much of what he’d been through was what his Problem child had gone through, but he was going to find out.
Grunting as he stood again, nineteen pairs of eyes locked onto him.
“Alright, fine. Be quiet and raise your hands if you have a question, he’s sleeping off injuries.”
Instantly, ten hands shot up.
“Ashido.”
She hummed thoughtfully, “Who is he and why does he look exactly like Midobabe?”
Despite being literally under a desk, Shouta could sense the boy’s shoulders tense. Right, the whole last name thing.
“He is Izuku. Please call him by his given name to avoid confusion,” a hand tugged at his pants and he bent down to see what his (his? Where did that come from?) Problem child needed.
“Thank you, dad,” he knew he wasn’t technically his dad, but Shouta felt oddly paternal for the greenette. He smiled fondly, although it could barely be considered a smile. The bright one he got in return made it worth it.
He stood and answered more questions until finally, there were only two people left. Everybody else had been wondering about the alternative universes, so hopefully these guys would be the same.
“Kaminari?”
“What happened to his arms? I don’t mean to be rude or whatever, but they looked gnarly. It’s worse than our Mi- Izuku,” ah, so he jinxed it.
“Most of them were because of me,” a soft voice spoke up, curly green hair poking up from behind the desk. Nobody interrupted him as he spoke.
“I’m a vigilante, Meadow. I’ve been doing it since I was twelve, but I was doing… other stuff before that. Like this one,” he pointed towards a hand-shaped burn, “You’d have thought it came from Katsuki, but this was an acid Quirk. Similar to Mina’s but more destructive than anything.”
Three more hands shot up. Izuku rubbed his eyes again and smiled. Reminds him of one of his first interactions with them.
“Yes, Iida?”
“Vigilantism is illegal! Why would you be a vigilante when you can be a hero legally? It’s simply illogical!” His hands chopped up and down, voice loud and clear for everybody nearby.
“Did you know U.A is the only school that allowed Quirkless to attend? Did you also know they were only able to add that rule after I’d been living on the streets for a month?”
His hand movements stopped and he stared. Izuku continued.
“Why is heroism decided on what’s legal and what isn’t? Are you telling me that you would rather watch a person die than jump in to help? Do you want to guess how many lives I’ve saved in the last four months compared to how many Endeavour have killed?”
Shouto tensed slightly at the mention of his father. It was understandable. Izuku was working on getting him put away in Tarturaus. He ignored the appalled look some of them gave him and moved on.
“Ochaco? Also, has Present Mic offered to adopt you yet? If not, you should talk to him about it.”
She spluttered before clearing her throat and continuing, “You implied you were Quirkless, is that true?”
He grinned, “I see you’re just as observant in this universe. Yes, I am Quirkless. As I told Hitoshi earlier, I’m almost certain I was born Quirkless here too. It’s rare, but there’s such a thing as passing on a Quirk. It’s called stockpiling.”
Before anybody could call out and demand answers, his eyes locked onto crimson red ones. They held guilt and anger.
“Hello, Katsuki. I really do hope you aren’t as cruel in this universe. Hopefully because mama hasn’t died, you don’t have a crooked nose.”
“Auntie obviously isn’t dead, hell you mean a crooked nose?” He lashed out, demanding rather than asking.
Izuku simply sighed, glaring as he replied. “Yes, yes, I’m aware of how much luckier my alternative self is. To answer your question, you made a joke about how ‘missing my mum made me even weaker than before’ and I beat you into the ground.”
It’s true, he could still feel the cartilage break under his fist as he sat on top of the boy and pounded punch after punch. Ignoring the gasps, he once again moved onto the next person.
“Sero?”
“You keep calling Aizawa-sensei dad and Mic-sensei papa, what’s up with that?”
Ah, his favourite question. His smiled widely, propping himself up to sit of the desk and swing his legs over the edge. Izuku could basically feel the aggravated sigh his dad produced.
“Well, apparently here they’re oblivious here. Alright, give me a show of hands of who has noticed the strangely romantic and sexual tension between both Eraserhead and Present Mic,” he called for, watching every hand raise hesitantly while the man turned to the wall and banged his head.
“Thankfully, in my universe, they get married when they’re like… twenty-four? I don’t know, I’m still angry they didn’t invite me. They keep saying they didn’t even know I existed, but still!” He pouted, grumbling about the unfairness of life.
“Anyway, because Endeavour, the biggest piece of flaming shit to ever exist,” Shouta and Shouto both snickered quietly, “Burnt down my apartment building during a villain fight and killed my mama,” the laughter died down instantly. “I was homeless for like four months.”
“I lived in an abandoned dumpster and decorated it with thrown out fairy lights and stuff. Dad noticed I was getting sloppier because of the malnourishment and asked what was going on, so I broke down and told him everything. Then, he brought me to the police station and let me meet papa for the… second time, I guess?
“I don’t know, I’m a regular caller on the radio show. Yasashi, they called me. Well, still call me, I suppose. I’m a guest speaker now. Anyway! I cried again, they used their emergency foster licenses to take me in, gave me a cat and adoption appears for my fourteenth birthday, all of that yada-yada.”
Suddenly, green lightning and black glitches covered his body, similar to his alternative self’s Quirk, apparently, and heard the yelps of distress.
He raised his hands to calm everyone, a few standing from their seats. “Hey, hey! It’s alright everybody, this is the same stuff as when I was brought here. Don’t worry, I promise I’m fine. My pain tolerance is through the roof.”
He turned towards his dad, a relived smile on his face. This time, it did reach his eyes. “Don’t deprive yourself of the things you deserve. Eri loves you as her dad. Hitoshi has been wanting to bring it up for weeks now, I can tell. If nothing else, at least let yourself accept the love they have to give. These students wouldn’t be here without you, you’re more than you see yourself as.”
As if on que, he disappeared into the black and green glitches. All eyes were on the teacher who simply stood in shock, staring at the space his Problem child once sat.
Maybe… maybe he was right. If he could do it in one universe, why not the other?
____________________
Meanwhile, with the YamaZawa household.
“AHHH!”
Three pairs of footsteps echoed down the hallway, equally as desperate to find out what had made Eri scream. When they arrived, Shouta had his capture weapon and Quirk ready, Hizashi was scanning the room and Hitoshi was in a fighting stance. However, that all melted when their eyes landed on the pile of three other humans curled together.
“Izuku?” Hizashi asked quietly, noice trembling in disbelief.
Green haired poked up from the pile, emerald eyes following soon after. He cracked a smile, “In the flesh!”
Suddenly, it was a pile of six.
“Izu! You idiot!” Hitoshi scolded, hiding tears in his eyes.
“Don’t ever do that to me or your father ever again,” Shouta grumbled, squeezing tighter as if to reassure himself he was there.
“I was going to play UNO with you, Zuzu,” Eri sniffed.
“Yeah, you ruined our plan of demolishing you,” Ochaco chuckle wetly, pushing herself into the hug as much as humanly possible.
Hizashi just mumbled sweet nothings, reassuring everybody that they were okay.
Izuku pulled away slightly, Eri stilled curled in his lap while she cried silently, apart from the occasional sniff. He looked at them all, really looked. This was his family. In a way, everything bad had given him everything good. Sure, he was glad that his alternative self still had his mama, but he couldn’t imagine life without this. Without random tickle attacks, morning sarcasm with coffee, movie nights.
This was his life and he loved it. For once in his miserable existence, he saw a path without fear. It was new. But not unwelcome.
Tears glimmered in his eyes as he looked between each person. They all meant so much to him, more than anything. When warm water fell, he didn’t feel any sadness. He felt so much relief, happiness. Things he’d only ever experienced with his mama.
When he was enveloped in soft warmth again, he didn’t fight it. Melting into the embrace of his loved ones, Izuku let himself cry.
They weren’t going to judge him, criticise his habits, push him around. They just loved and cared and wanted him.
And that was all he needed.