Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku doesn’t know where he is, but his feet ache from walking. It’s dark, dark enough that he can barely see his hand in front of his face, and the strange mist that he had seen a few hours ago is still swirling around him. His head pounds, his body hurts.

It has to be a dream, all of this, Izuku reasons with himself. There’s no way his mom…she wouldn’t be. It's impossible. He’d make it home soon, and she would be there, smiling, asking him about his day, making dinner. Their home would be standing. He's sure of it.

The earthquake that had hit earlier had been severe. Izuku is currently walking through a decimated part of the city, where the buildings were older and not updated to the most stringent earthquake regulations. Their apartment is a heap of rubble now and his mom…

She hadn’t made it out.

Izuku had removed himself from the debris of their destroyed home earlier, his face as pale as a ghost, covered in grime and dust from the building. There were screams, panicked crying all around him, the sounds of sirens. Izuku smelled smoke, realizing something nearby is on fire. People all around him, covered in dust, screaming, in shock. No one noticed him, a small five-year-old, walking like a ghost away from the wreckage.

He wanders for a long time like that until it’s dark outside. The power grid is out in the city so its eerily dark, and quiet considering its too dangerous to drive on the roads and no one had electricity. Izuku instinctively hides from people, the odd mist still swirling around him. He’s not sure what the mist is; it’s dark, a midnight blue, swirling around. If Izuku looks for too long into the mist, he’s sure he sees figures, faces.

He doesn’t look too hard, scared of what he might see.

When he passes a storefront window under a flickering streetlight, Izuku catches sight of his reflection. He looks pale, his pajamas torn and covered in dust. His face has tear tracks down it and his eyes look like they’re clouded. He rubs at them, but the cloudy film still stays over his eyes.

Izuku sees his reflection trembling, hiccuping with sobs, and he wipes at his face. He doesn’t know what’s happening, and he’s terrified. The mist swirls around his arms, almost as if it’s caressing him, and Izuku decides to keep walking. He’ll need to find a place to sleep tonight. The thought of asking for help doesn’t even cross his mind. Without his mom, no one is safe. He’s too afraid. 

Turning to head down a nearby alley, Izuku tenses when he hears a wounded-sounding whimpering. He stops in his tracks, his heart hammering hard, tiptoeing down the alley. Eventually, he spots an injured black dog laying on its side. Izuku relaxes, walking over to the poor animal and sitting down beside it. 

The dog’s lower half is a mangled mess, obviously injured in the earthquake, and its breathing is harsh and labored. Izuku reaches over to pet the dog’s head gently, trying to offer it some comfort.

“You’re okay,” Izuku soothes, talking to the dog and himself, “Everything’s okay. I won’t leave you alone, I promise.”

The dog whimpers again, and Izuku sees its chest shuddering. His heart aches, knowing that this dog is probably going to die, just like so many other people did today, like his mom-

Izuku shakes his head. He can’t think about that right now. 

Unbeknownst to him, the mist begins swirling around his arms again. Izuku bends down, watching sadly as the dog takes a few shuddering breaths, rattling in his chest.

“It’s okay,” Izuku tells the dog, “You’re gonna be okay. Just sleep now.” 

The dog whimpers, and Izuku watches the light extinguish from its eyes. His heart aches, looking at the poor dog. The dog did nothing wrong. It died terrified, scared. Izuku feels like crying, like shaking the dog and asking how could you leave me like that all alone? He chokes out a sob, and a strange feeling shoots through him.

Izuku doesn’t know why, but he puts his hands on the dog’s ruined haunches, beginning to rock in a circle. The dark blue mist curls around his body and figures in the mist begin to take clearer shape. Izuku sees ghostly looking people and animals, all moving in one direction. Hovering over the dog’s body is the same kind of mist-like form. 

Without much thought, Izuku reaches for the misty thing and tugs. He shoves it down into the dog’s body and he feels a sickening kind of lurch in his stomach. Izuku keeps pushing, not understanding what he’s doing at all. After a moment, Izuku gasps, snapping backwards.

The mist is gone completely and Izuku looks down in shock to feel a long, slobbery tongue lick his cheek. Izuku falls backwards, shocked when he sees the dead dog up, on its paws, and very much alive. The dog barks happily, spinning in a circle before licking Izuku’s cheek again and running off, presumably towards home.

“You…you brought it back to life,” someone says and Izuku turns around, his heart hammering with anxiety.

There’s a person at the end of the alley, someone very tall, with big hair and sunglasses. Izuku wonders why someone would wear sunglasses at night, in the dark, but the flickering nearby streetlight combined with the light of the moon peeking from behind a cloud gives him a better picture.

The person at the other end of the alley is a hero, one that Izuku knows very well. It’s a hero from the top twenty, Present Mic, and Izuku’s been listening to his radio show nearly every night since last year. Izuku’s jaw drops, but before he can say anything, a wave of exhaustion hits him and he pitches forward.

“Hey, are you okay?” Present Mic asks, sounding like he’s rushing towards him. Izuku is too exhausted to look up, though, and he soon feels himself being picked up. 

“Eraserhead, I need backup immediately,” Present Mic says, sounding urgent, “I found a kid, he’s hurt. What’s your status?” 

There’s no reply that Izuku can hear, but then Present Mic says, “Alright, got it. I’ll meet you there. Listen, there’s more, but I think I should tell you in person.”

Izuku doesn’t know what’s going on, his mind overwhelmed from what had just happened. His mom, gone. The dog…Izuku had done something and that dog had come back to life. It was so strange. Could he bring his mom back, too? Is this his quirk?

“Kid, are you conscious?” Present Mic asks, sounding a little out of breath. Izuku manages to make a small mumble with no discernable words.

“Good,” Present Mic murmurs gently, “What’s your name?”

Izuku blinks, managing to open his eyes enough to see Present Mic’s face, realizing he’s bundled in the hero’s arms. “Um…Izuku Midoriya.” 

“Izuku, it’s nice to meet you,” Present Mic says calmly, “I’m a pro hero, my name is Present Mic. I’m taking you to the hospital, okay?”

Izuku nods a little. “Know you. Like your show.” 

“My radio show?” Hizashi asks, and Izuku nods, his head pounding. “That’s cool, little listener. I’m always happy to meet a fan.” 

Izuku’s eyes close again, falling against Present Mic’s chest. It’s all a blur after that; he hears sirens, murmuring voices, feels some pokes and prods. Izuku thinks he’s been asleep for a while when clearer voices interrupt his muddled thoughts.

“I’m glad he’s not hurt,” a man’s voice says quietly, “You said you found him in an alley?”

“Yeah,” Present Mic sighs, sounding grave, “But Shouta…it’s like I said. There was a dead dog, for sure dead. Izuku touched it and brought it back to life, just like that. He needs a quirk evaluation immediately.” 

“Shit,” the man responds, “Fuck, Zashi. If that’s true, this kid…”

“I know,” Present Mic murmurs, and Izuku feels someone gently running their fingers through his hair, “Poor guy, he’s so little. They did a check on him. His apartment building collapsed, his mom died. She was his only family. He’s an orphan.”

There’s a silence as Izuku’s heart aches. He knows that logically his mom is gone and he’s alone, but to hear it so plainly is shattering. Curling up under the blanket, Izuku tries not to start crying.

“Hey, buddy, are you awake?” Present Mic asks him softly, “Izuku?”

Izuku, unable to avoid responding to one of his personal heroes, opens his eyes. Present Mic looks a little more casual than before, his super tall hair tied back in a bun, and his sunglasses tucked away. There’s another man next to him which Izuku instantly recognizes as the pro hero Eraserhead, another one of his personal favorites.

“Eraser?” he asks quietly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, “Present Mic, why is Eraserhead here?”

Eraserhead’s eyes widen. “You recognize me? How, kid?”

“I like heroes,” Izuku blushes, looking down at the bed, “I think your quirks are really cool. I don’t have a quirk yet.”

Present Mic and Eraserhead share a look before Eraserhead says, “Uh, actually kid…we think that you do. There’s a doctor coming to do a quirk assessment on you right now. We’ll stay with you, okay?”

Izuku nods, relieved that they’re not leaving. He finds them both reassuring, especially Present Mic, since he looks up to them both so much. Izuku’s always loved heroes, but to meet two of his favorites at once was almost overwhelming, just like the rest of tonight has been. 

“My name is Hizashi Yamada,” Present Mic says quietly, making Izuku snap his head up, his eyes wide, “You can call me Hizashi, if you want.”

Izuku’s shocked. He knows Present Mic’s name. He knows a pro hero’s name.

“Hizashi?” he asks quietly, almost bursting with excitement, and Izuku smiles. He knows he must look like a wreck, covered in grime, tears, and his hands stained with the dog’s blood, but he looks down at himself to realize that he’s been cleaned up, and he’s wearing little hospital scrubs. 

“That’s right,” Hizashi murmurs, smiling, “I just figured if I can call you Izuku, you can call me Hizashi.” 

Izuku is suddenly overwhelmed. Hizashi was being kind, almost too kind, and Izuku’s heart aches. He hasn’t cried or really faced yet that his mom is gone, too caught up in the shock from the earthquake and whatever had happened with the dog. He is desperate for comfort, leaning forward and resting his head against Hizashi’s chest.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Hizashi says gently, picking Izuku up and holding him close, “You’re going to be okay, little one.” 

Eraserhead’s been quiet through the whole interaction, but Izuku can see his eyes softening at the sight of Hizashi holding him. He locks eyes with Izuku and smiles gently, walking over to sit next to Hizashi on the bed. 

“My name is Shouta Aizawa,” Eraserhead says calmly, “You can call me whatever you want, kiddo. Hizashi here is my husband. We’ll keep you safe, okay?” 

Izuku is shocked. He knows two heroes’ names now, and they’re married! He can hardly believe it.

“Zawa?” he says quietly, earning a very fond look from Aizawa.

“Yeah, kid, that’s fine,” Aizawa smiles, sharing a look with Hizashi, “Listen, I know you’ve been through a lot tonight. A lot of people are going to want to ask you questions, but Hizashi and I will stay with you the whole time, for as long as you want, alright?” 

Izuku nods, leaning against Hizashi. He can’t deny he’s relieved, knowing that the two heroes are going to stay with him. It’s been a long and terrible night, and Izuku has too much to process. His mom, his home, the dog, his quirk. Meeting the heroes. He feels like his head is spinning.

Soon, there’s a knock on the door and Izuku looks up to see a woman in a doctor’s coat, looking at him with a smile.

“Hello there,” she says politely, “Izuku Midoriya? I’m here to do your quirk assessment.”

Izuku just blinks at her, while Hizashi explains to her the entire situation from the alley. By the end of it, the doctor looks grave, although she doesn’t comment on it. Izuku watches her take out a little machine that looks like a scanner, and a computer. 

“Alright, Izuku, please hold out your hand,” she says, “You’re going to feel a little prick, okay?”

Izuku nods, wincing only a little when she pricks his finger. He hears her typing a lot and checking something, mumbling to herself before she gasps.

“My god,” she says, staring at Izuku with something like horror, “This…this goes against the laws of nature. It shouldn’t be possible.”

“What do you mean?” Aizawa asks, sounding serious, “What shouldn’t be possible?” 

She looks at Izuku before shaking her head, turning the laptop around to show Hizashi and Aizawa the readings. Izuku can’t make heads or tails of what’s on the screen, but it obviously means something to the heroes, both of whom look very serious. 

“According to these readings, his quirk gives him the ability to revive the dead,” she says, sounding like she doesn’t believe what she’s saying, “And he can use the power, but at great cost. Each time he revives someone, it will take a tremendous toll on his body and mind.” 

“Hell,” Aizawa says gruffly, looking down at Izuku, “Well, kid, does that sound right to you? You brought that dog back, right?”

Izuku nods, his heart hammering hard. He…if he can find his mom, he can revive her.

“Take me to my mom,” he says, tugging Hizashi’s sleeve, “Please, please, take me to her! I can…I can save her, please!”

Hizashi winces, keeping his hand on Izuku’s back. “Izuku, I’m sorry. No one’s…they haven’t found your mom, yet. The apartment building caught fire. No one’s…no one’s been found inside.” 

Izuku knows what this terrible sentence means, hanging his head down. His body starts to shake as he realizes his mom is really gone. Izuku doesn’t think he can bring someone back from ashes. He has a feeling their body needs to be intact. 

Hizashi rubs Izuku’s back as the quirk counselor talks to them all, his ears ringing. Soon, he begins to cry, sobbing into his hands. He feels someone tuck him up in their arms. It’s not Hizashi though, and he realizes Aizawa is holding him. He clings to the hero’s shirt, sobbing into his chest. He’s not sure how much time has passed, but he hears another voice in the room. 

“Eraser, Mic, he’s in danger,” a man says, “With a quirk like his, he’ll be at the top of every villain’s target list. The commission, too. His quirk will be in high demand. He needs to go somewhere safe, and he needs to go now.”

“We’ll take him,” Aizawa says from where he’s holding Izuku, “Hizashi and I will take him. We just got hired at UA to start teaching next year. There’s staff apartments there. It’s the safest place in the city.”

“Good. I’ll expedite the adoption paperwork. He needs a new last name, something people can’t use to track him.” 

There’s a pause and then, “Use Shouta’s. Make him Izuku Aizawa. Shouta’s underground, so less people will recognize the name.”

Izuku doesn’t know what’s happening, he just clings to Aizawa’s chest. Too much happened tonight, too many terrible, awful things. He doesn’t know, he doesn’t understand. He just wants to be safe, he wants to be home, he wants his mom. 

Izuku sobs into Aizawa’s chest, thinking of nothing but midnight blue mist and his mom’s green eyes. 

Chapter Text

When Izuku wakes up next, it takes him a moment to realize that he’s not at home. The entire terrible night rushes through his mind as he sits up, feeling shaky and scared. He seems to be laid out on a futon in what looks like an office. It’s a small room, clean and bright, and Izuku can see sunlight streaming through a nearby window. 

Standing up, Izuku looks down to see someone changed him into an extra long t-shirt. He’s not sure where he is or what happened exactly. He tiptoes out of the room, surprise coming over his face when he sees Aizawa sitting at a table drinking a coffee and Hizashi humming as he flips pancakes in a kitchen. 

An apartment. Izuku must be in their home, remembering the two heroes are married. The conversation he had overheard last night comes to his mind. His quirk, his mom. Adoption.

Did Aizawa and Hizashi really adopt him? It seems impossible. Why would two pro heroes want a kid like him? Especially a kid with a quirk like his, so unnatural and scary? A kid who couldn’t even save his own mother. Izuku’s trembling before he realizes it, standing in the hallway. 

“Hey, Izuku, good morning,” Aizawa says, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts, “Hizashi’s just making breakfast. Do you want some?”

Izuku shivers, realizing he’s not only scared, he’s also cold. Understanding comes over Aizawa’s face and he stands up, grabbing something next to him and kneeling down in front of Izuku.

“Here,” Aizawa says gently, handing over a stack of clothes, “We got these for you. Why don’t you go and change, and then we can eat and talk about everything, okay?”

Izuku nods, feeling a bit strange as he takes the clothes from Aizawa. He heads back to the little room where he had been sleeping, taking off the long t-shirt and putting on the clothes. They appear to be a little sweatshirt with the UA hero school logo with a matching pair of sweatpants. There’s even a pair of UA themed socks. Izuku tugs it all on before walking back out, feeling a lot warmer.

“You look like a walking advertisement,” Aizawa smirks when he sees him, “But that’s all they had that would fit you in the school store. Come on, you can sit by me. Hizashi’s almost done making breakfast.” 

Izuku sits next to Aizawa at the table, looking around the apartment with curiosity. It’s clean and bright, with beautiful wooden floors and cream colored walls. The entire main room is open, with a kitchen furthest to the right that has a countertop with little stools in front of it. Next to that is the table where they’re sitting. From there, Izuku can see the living room, with a big, squishy looking couch and a television. A large window to the right faces out over what looks like the UA campus.

Behind them is the hallway where the little office Izuku had slept in is, along with a bathroom, and what he can only assume is Hizashi and Aizawa’s room. It’s bigger than Izuku’s apartment with his mom, and he can’t help but stare out at it.

“Breakfast!” Hizashi calls cheerfully, bringing out a big plate full of pancakes, smiling at Izuku. “Hey, kiddo, you like pancakes? Want syrup or anything?” 

Izuku just blinks. Hizashi’s long, blonde hair is down, tied in a bun behind him. He’s wearing a t-shirt and plaid pajama pants and looks utterly casual. Aizawa is dressed similarly, black sweatpants and a long-sleeved Present Mic branded hoodie. His hair is tied back, too and Izuku is surprised at how normal they both look. 

“Izuku?” Hizashi prods gently, and Izuku nods. Hizashi smiles, putting syrup on a few pancakes on a plate for Izuku, putting the plate in front of him.

“What do you want to drink, kid?” Aizawa asks, “Water, juice? Milk?”

Izuku swallows hard. He’s too anxious to talk, too overwhelmed from the night before. He wants orange juice but he doesn’t know how to ask for it. Hizashi and Aizawa seem to pick up on this and Hizashi just smiles gently. 

“How about you nod when I say the one you want?” Hizashi asks softly, “Water? Juice?”

Izuku nods when Hizashi says juice, and the hero smiles. “Okay, what kind of juice. We have apple and orange. You want orange?”

Izuku nods, relieved when Hizashi beams, heading into the kitchen and grabbing the carton of orange juice, pouring a glass for him. Izuku is too anxious to thank Hizashi, but he smiles, taking the juice and having a few sips. 

Hizashi settles down at the table and the three of them eat. Hizashi and Aizawa don’t pressure Izuku to talk, but they do shoot him fond smiles and ask him if he likes the food. Izuku nods, finishing his pancakes and wiping his hands and mouth, trying to be as polite as he can, the way his mom taught him. 

Once breakfast is over, Hizashi and Aizawa both have coffee, and Izuku has a little more juice. He’s still not sure of what to do or some, relieved when Aizawa begins talking.

“So, Izuku, do you remember last night, when we said we were going to adopt you?” Aizawa asks, a little tactlessly. Izuku nods, swinging his legs on his chair. He’s not sure of what to say. 

“I’m sorry we couldn’t ask you if you wanted us to adopt you,” Aizawa continues, sounding a little grieved, “But we had to take you, for your own safety. We’re at UA right now, this is where we live. It’s your home now, too.” 

Izuku would normally be frothing at the mouth at the idea of living at UA, with two pro heroes no less, but the shadow of the terrible devastation of the earthquake, his mother’s death, the loss of his home, and his terrifying quirk, it all washes over him in a dark wave. 

He ducks his head down, tears in his eyes. He doesn’t know what to do, what to say. He feels a warm hand on his shoulder, and Izuku curls into it on instinct. Soon, his tears begin to fall and he lets out little hiccuping sobs. Someone picks him up, rocking him as he cries, and Izuku tucks his face into them.

“You’re alright,” Hizashi murmurs, “You’re safe. It’s okay to cry, Izuku, just let it out. You can cry as much as you need to. You’re completely safe here, I promise.”

Hizashi continues to murmur things to him as Izuku lets out choking sobs into his shirt. Hizashi rocks him, rubbing his back and whispering soothing things to him. Izuku doesn’t notice as Aizawa handles all the breakfast dishes, Hizashi walking over to the couch and holding Izuku against his chest. 

Izuku cries for a long time. His heart aches, for his mother, his home, everything. The poor dog, dying in his arms and then barking happily. The terrible things he’d seen in those mists. The quirk he had, a kind of quirk that no one would want. His entire life turned upside down in a matter of hours. 

Soon, a strange sound rumbles through Izuku, and he feels a sleepy calm come over him. It comes to him that Hizashi is humming, using the power of his voice quirk, the one Izuku’s read all about, to send soothing vibrations through Izuku’s body. It calms him enough that he soon stops crying, curling his fingers into Hizashi’s shirt. 

“There you go,” Hizashi murmurs, “Feeling a little better?”

Izuku nods, keeping his hands clutched to Hizashi’s shirt. He does feel better. He’s still terribly sad about his mother, the grief all-encompassing, but he knows that Hizashi and Aizawa are both here. They’re going to protect him, they’re going to keep him safe. He lives with them now. 

“Hey, how are you both doing?” Aizawa asks gently, sitting down next to them on the couch and wrapping an arm around Hizashi’s shoulders, leaning over to run his fingers through Izuku’s hair. Izuku’s eyes are half-lidded, exhausted from crying as he puts his thumb in his mouth, keeping himself tucked up against Hizashi.

“I think we’re just a little tired and very sad,” Hizashi murmurs, “Overwhelmed, I think.”

“Makes sense,” Aizawa replies quietly, “But we’re safe here, all of us. Nothing bad can happen at UA, right Hizashi?”

“That’s right,” Hizashi says, “UA is the safest place in all of Japan.” 

The words soothe Izuku. He’s safe here. He’s safe in their apartment, with them, and he lives here now. If he can’t be with his mom, this is the next best place, and Izuku is relieved he has the heroes’ protection. 

After a few minutes, Izuku looks up at them both, still clinging onto Hizashi. He feels a little better now, safer than before, and he’s not as scared as he was a while ago. Izuku’s head is still reeling with everything that’s happened, but he knows that he’s safe. 

“I live here now?” Izuku asks softly, the first words he’s said since the night before.

“Yeah, kid,” Aizawa murmurs, “With us. We’ll keep you safe and love you as our own. We know we can never replace your mom, and we won’t try to. But we’ll be there for you now, okay?”

This soothes Izuku who just nods, looking at the both of them with a mixture of relief and awe. They’re pro heroes, larger than life, and yet Izuku feels a kind of warmth in his chest when he looks at them, something that reassures him. He feels like he can ask them more questions. 

“The doctor said…doctor said I saved the dog,” Izuku mumbles, confused, “But it was dead.”

Aizawa and Hizashi share a look before Hizashi says, “That’s right. It’s your quirk, Izuku. You’ll get to name it, when you’re ready. It seems you can bring people and animals back from the dead.” 

Izuku’s eyes are wide. Of course, he had naturally dreamed about his quirk from a young age. His mom could attract small objects to her, and she had always said Izuku's father could breathe fire, so he assumed he would have a quirk like that. But reviving the dead? Izuku feels cold just thinking about it. He’s only five, he can’t have a quirk like that.

“We’ll help you learn to use it and control it,” Aizawa says, “Hizashi and I are pro heroes, obviously, but we’re UA teachers now, too. There’s a lot of people here on campus who can help you learn not just school subjects, but also how to use your quirk.” 

Hizashi shifts them so Izuku’s still in his arms, but more comfortably able to look at the both of them. Izuku isn’t anxious anymore, their kind words soothing his nerves. 

“Izuku, when we adopted you last night, we had to make a decision that might make you sad,” Hizashi says seriously, looking a bit guilty, “Do you understand how powerful your quirk is, Izuku? How much…villains might want a quirk like that?”

Izuku flinches, but he nods. He can imagine what some of the bad villains on tv would do with his quirk. They’d bring back all their terrible friends. 

“We’re not trying to scare you by telling you this, but in order to keep you safe, we had to change your family name legally,” Aizawa adds gently, “You’re now legally Izuku Aizawa. I’m sorry we did all of this without asking you, but we were just trying to protect you.” 

Izuku’s stomach aches a little. Midoriya, his mom’s name. Midoriya. All the Midoriya’s were gone now. His dad died before he was born, his mom in the earthquake. And now his name gone, disappeared into nothing. Izuku should be angry, should be crying and wailing, but against all of the terrible things he’s had to go through in the past day and night, Izuku can only manage a kind of sick grief. He’s not angry at Hizashi and Aizawa, he understands that they’re just trying to protect him, but it still makes him sad.

“Izuku Midoriya could be traced,” Aizawa continues, sounding pained, “But Izuku Aizawa is not on any quirk registration. Your quirk is registered to Izuku Midoriya, not Izuku Aizawa. For all intents and purposes, you’re legally quirkless.” 

Izuku blinks, only understanding half of that. 

“It will make it harder for someone to find you,” Hizashi says, rubbing Izuku’s back, “That way, if anyone at the hospital remembers the little boy who brought a dog back to life, they won’t be able to track you, okay?” 

Izuku nods. He understands. Understands he has a terrible, awful quirk that took away his name. It saved the dog, which was good, but because of it, Izuku has to be a secret. Has to stay here, in this place, without seeing his mom or his home ever again because they’re dead and gone.

“Am I gonna keep seeing scary things?” Izuku asks, his voice almost a whisper. The ghostly spectors from the night before making his stomach feel cold and sick.

“What scary things, kiddo?” Hizashi asks. 

Izuku winces. “The bad things in the mist. They were all going away last night. I couldn’t talk to them and they couldn't see me.” 

“What did they look like?” Aizawa asks, his voice tinged with curiosity. 

“Like…shadows,” Izuku whispers, scared, “But I didn’t see them too well until I touched the dog. Then…I saw them.” 

Hizashi and Aizawa share a worried look before Hizashi hugs him, the warmth of his embrace making Izuku relax a little. He supposes he trusts them so easily because they’re pro heroes, but Izuku isn’t questioning it too much. They’re the only security he has now.

“Why don’t you take a nap, Izuku?” Hizashi asks gently, “Shouta and I are going to get a room all set up for you. You can sleep in our bed, if you want!”

Soon, Izuku finds himself tucked up into their king sized bed, the covers pulled over him. He hasn’t been awake for that long, but using his quirk for the first time and the shock and grief of everything make sleep come easy, and soon he’s out like a light.

When he wakes up next, Izuku yawns, sliding out of the giant bed and heading into the hallway. He walks down past the bathroom before spotting the office door open with the lights on. He can hear Hizashi and Aizawa’s voices inside and Izuku ducks in curiously.

He gasps when he sees the state of the office. The desk in front of the window is still there, but the computer and papers on it before are gone, and replaced with crayons, coloring books, and art supplies. Izuku sees glow in the dark stickers on the ceiling of the room, over the futon he had slept on last night. On the futon there’s a cheerful looking stuffed bear. 

Izuku sees the wardrobe is open, full of kid-sized clothes, and there’s a bookshelf with a few stacks of children's books and a number of action figures, blocks, and other toys. It’s a wonderful room, and he knows immediately this is all for him. The kicker is the posters on the wall, heroes like All Might, Edgeshot, Wash, and even one of Present Mic. Eraserhead doesn’t have hero merch as an underground hero, but Izuku resolves to draw a poster of Aizawa to add to the wall. 

“Like it?” Hizashi grins, gesturing around, “We put an all call out to our friends and they had all this sent to UA. If there’s any toys or things you want, let us know. We want you to be happy here.”

Izuku is overwhelmed, walking over to the bed and picking up the stuffed bear, hugging it close to his chest. It’s soft and warm, and Izuku soon feels tears welling up in his eyes again. If his mom could see him, would she be happy? He begins to cry a little, burying his face in the bear’s fur. It’s Aizawa who comforts him this time, sitting down next to Izuku on the futon, holding him close as he sobs into the teddy bear.

“I w-want my mom!” Izuku chokes out, “I wanna g-go home!” 

He feels bad saying it, because Hizashi and Aizawa are really nice and they gave him a super cool room, but he feels homesick and terrified.

“It’s okay to want that,” Aizawa reassures him, rubbing his back, “It’s okay to feel sad and it’s okay to cry. We know you miss your mom, it’s okay to cry for her.”

Izuku cries long and hard, until he feels like all the tears in his body have dried up. Aizawa holds him the whole time, and Izuku only pauses from crying to drink water out of a sippy cup that Hizashi brings him. The three of them sit on the futon on the floor, Izuku wedged between them both. While he cries, they talk, telling him stories, soothing him.

Hizashi hums, singing softly to Izuku, while Aizawa rubs his back. They don’t tell him everything will be okay, or that he shouldn’t cry. They let him cry, let him be sad, and they keep him company. Izuku is grieved, beyond exhausted from everything that has happened. Izuku knows that he’ll have to face learning more about his quirk, and probably soon.

As Hizashi sings and Aizawa holds him, he resolves that it can wait until tomorrow, desperate to be comforted now.

Chapter Text

The next couple of days are very painful for Izuku. They hold a small, private funeral for his mom. Since there’s no body and no chance of recovering her remains in the ruins of the burned apartment building, they have a grave marker placed for her in a local cemetery and a shrine for her in their apartment. 

Izuku finds himself feeling more and more attached to Hizashi and Aizawa by the day. They haven’t gone to work since they found him, staying with him at home so they can bond. They read to him, watch cartoons with him, feed him three meals a day and give him snacks. They play with him, nap with him. Izuku has bathtime and bedtime, just like with his mom, and he finds himself feeling very clingy towards both of the heroes after only a few days.

At first, he wants primarily to be with Hizashi, since it’s him who found Izuku, but Aizawa’s arms become just as much of a comfort. Izuku trails his new teddy bear all over the apartment, a little teary and upset most of the time. They haven’t talked to Izuku about his quirk since his first day with them, seemingly just letting Izuku get used to his new home and his new circumstances.

Izuku has a lot of bad dreams, waking up screaming and crying almost nightly as he relieves his mom’s death, the earthquake, the dog. He dreams about the beings in the fog, too, and Hizashi or Aizawa will wake him up when he starts screaming in his sleep, sitting with him as he processes the nightmares.

One day, about a week into Izuku living there, Hizashi and Aizawa tell him it’s time to explore UA’s campus. Izuku perks up at this, eager to see the hero school. It’s a weekend, so there’s no students on campus, and he’ll be able to meet some of the other teachers and also see the classrooms and training grounds.

After breakfast and getting dressed, they head outside onto the UA grounds. Hizashi scoops Izuku up and puts him onto his shoulders, to Izuku’s delight, and they begin to head towards the main UA building. It’s a warm day, sunny and breezy, and Izuku feels a bit better at being outside. 

“Where are we going?” he asks quietly. Izuku doesn’t talk very much, even though his mind is always going a mile a minute, but he’s getting more comfortable initiating questions with his new guardians. 

“We’re going to see UA’s principal, Nezu,” Aizawa explains, “He’s very eager to meet you. He’s an animal that has an intelligence quirk, and he’s absolutely brilliant. I think you’ll like him a lot.” 

Izuku’s intrigued by the description, ducking down when Hizashi leads them through the doors of UA. Once inside the main building, Hizashi gently sets Izuku on the ground, and Izuku stands between both of them, taking Hizashi’s hand with his left and Aizawa’s with his right. It makes him feel safe and protected, walking in between them. 

They walk up a giant staircase, Izuku between them as he takes in all the images in the hallways. There’s photos of students from years past, UA banners, and many classrooms. There’s even a photo wall of heroes who have graduated from the school, including his own guardians. It’s very cool, and despite the week Izuku’s had, he’s still excited to be there.

Hizashi and Aizawa point things out to him as they walk together, and soon Izuku finds himself outside of the principal’s office. It has a grand wooden door, and Aizawa knocks on it once before a kind voice says, “Come in!”

Aizawa opens the door and Izuku’s eyes widen when he sees Principal Nezu for the first time. He’s some kind of white animal, with round ears. Izuku’s not sure of what kind of animal he is, but Nezu’s eyes look kind. He’s sitting behind a giant wooden desk, with a big window behind him. In front of the desk are a few chairs, which Hizashi and Aizawa sit in. Izuku climbs onto Hizashi’s lap, looking curiously at Nezu.

“Ah, welcome Izuku,” Nezu smiles, sounding genuinely pleased to meet him, “I have heard a lot about you from Aizawa and Yamada. It seems you have quite the powerful quirk, young man.”

Izuku just tilts his head, unsure of what to say. Nezu is very interesting, and Izuku finds himself unable to look away from the principal. Nezu grins after a moment, folding his paws together. 

“Izuku, tell me, if you were to see a building on fire, and you knew people were trapped inside of it, what would be the first thing that you would do?”

It’s such an odd question that Izuku is thrown for a moment. He thinks for a moment, all of the possible options going through his mind. The obvious answer would be to call the fire department, to call the heroes, to stay away from the fire. But he thinks about his mom, about that poor dog in the alley, and Izuku knows that isn’t the first thing he’d do.

“Go inside,” Izuku mumbles, his thumb in his mouth as he leans against Hizashi, “I’d go inside.”

He misses Hizashi and Aizawa sharing a concerned look over top of his head, Izuku’s attention fully on Nezu. Nezu is looking at Izuku the same way you’d look over a particularly complex puzzle, a grin spreading on his face. 

“I see,” Nezu says, “And why would you do such a thing?” 

Izuku tilts his head, chewing on his thumb. “Because…because I could get the people out. Stop them from burning.” 

“A true hero’s instincts,” Nezu says, “If not a little reckless. I think we can work with this. Izuku, how did you bring the dog back from the dead?”

Izuku freezes. He hasn’t talked about this in a few days, a cold wariness settling inside of him. His quirk feels forbidden, something he shouldn’t be allowed to use. He bites his lip before answering, not wanting to disrespect Nezu. 

“It’s like I touched the dog and it was alive again,” Izuku explains clumsily, gripping onto Hizashi’s arm for support, “I grabbed onto it and shoved it back into its body.” 

There’s a silence after this, Nezu still looking at Izuku with that same calculating expression. “And tell me, do you think you could do this with any corpse?”

Izuku shakes his head, suddenly sure of the answer. “Uh-uh. I think if someone has been dead too long I can’t grab their spirit, because they’d go away with the other ones in the blue mist.” 

It’s the only way Izuku knows how to explain what he saw, the spirits in the mist. He knows it might be hard for the others to understand, but he hopes that he’s explaining it well enough.

Nezu looks troubled. “Unfortunately, I think you would be able to revive them. I sense a lot of energy inside of you, Izuku. I believe you could in fact revive a body without its host. An empty vessel, to be commanded. This is what the villains would want you for. An army of the undead, obeying and mindless. Imagine the destruction that could cause.”

Izuku doesn’t totally understand, but he’s scared by the ominous words, clinging to Hizashi and trying not to hide his face. Nezu is intense, staring at Izuku without blinking. 

“Nezu,” Aizawa warns quietly, “He’s only five.”

“Five and already carrying a terrible burden,” Nezu counters, “Everyone will want this quirk. Villains, heroes, every desperate soul who’s lost someone. Other countries, foreign governments. Military leaders and gang members. Izuku will be a target his entire life. Public school is out of the question, he must stay on UA’s campus and remain legally quirkless for his own protection. In the meantime, I will teach Izuku myself.”

Hizashi and Aizawa seem stunned. Izuku is simply terrified, the weight of Nezu’s words washing over him. He’s saying bad people will come after Izuku, try to hurt him. Izuku is scared, so scared, and he wants nothing more than to hide, to not show his face. 

“You will teach him?” Hizashi asks, and Nezu nods.

“Yes, I will,” Nezu replies, as if he hasn’t just shattered Izuku’s entire world, “As will all the UA staff. Izuku will have enough to deal with having this quirk. It will be too dangerous for him to leave UA’s campus for a very, very long time. Our goal is to help him survive to fifteen, to the UA entrance exam."

Aizawa stiffens before he says darkly, “That’s enough.”

Nezu doesn’t look offended as Aizawa glares at him, Hizashi shooting him a warning look. Izuku’s not sure what passes between his guardians, but Aizawa backs down, not saying anything else to the principal.

“Now then,” Nezu continues cheerfully, “Izuku, your quirk needs a name. As you are not in formal quirk counseling I will train you, along with your guardians and the rest of the UA staff. What do you want to call your quirk?” 

Izuku shakes his head. “No name. It’s too scary.”

“Young one, giving it a name might help you control some of that fear,” Nezu prompts, “It’s easier to think of things if you can put a name to them.” 

Izuku considers this for a moment. He’s only used his quirk once, but he decides on something quickly. 

“Living Touch,” Izuku mumbles, “Because I touch dead things and they become alive again.”

“Wonderful!” Nezu grins, “Alright, Living Touch it is. Now, Izuku, you can be honest about Living Touch with me and the rest of UA’s staff, but to anyone else, including UA students, you are quirkless. Do you understand?”

Izuku nods, fear creeping into the pit of his stomach. He understands that grown ups are asking him to lie and his mom said lying was something only bad people did. But on the other hand, he’s pretty sure his mom would be okay lying if it was to save his life. 

“I will see you tomorrow for your first lesson,” Nezu calls as Aizawa picks Izuku up, tucking him close as the three of them exit the office. When the door is closed and they’re a good distance away, Aizawa curses, wrapping his arm around Izuku as they walk.

“Damned rat,” he snarls, “He scared the hell out of the kid. I’m livid, Zashi.” 

Hizashi sighs, looking sadly at Izuku. “I know, but let’s remember our audience, Shou. Hey, Izu, do you want to go meet some of our friends? I promise they won’t be as, uh, intense as principal Nezu.” 

Izuku nods, a thumb in his mouth as he rests against Aizawa. They walk for a while, until they reach a room labeled Staff Lounge. They enter, and Izuku sees a bunch of different people sitting around a table, laughing and talking. 

First, he recognizes the pro-hero Midnight, her long dark hair cascading down her back. It reminds Izuku of his mom’s dark hair, making him feel a pang of sadness. Next to Midnight is the hero Snipe, one of his guns strapped to his back. Beside him are two people Izuku doesn’t know, one man who looks like he’s wearing a black mask with yellow lighting on it, and another man with blood in tubes all around his body.

“Aizawa, Yamada!” Snipe calls cheerfully, “Aw, is this the little guy?”

“Yes, this is Izuku,” Aizawa says, “Izuku, these are our friends and the other UA teachers. Do you recognize any of them?”

Izuku nods, blushing a little as he feels very shy. “M-Miss Midnight,” he says in a small voice, “And Snipe.” 

“Good job, kid!” Midnight grins, sounding ecstatic before she jabs her thumb to the right, “These two are Ectoplasm and Vlad King. Nice to meet you, Izuku. You can call me Auntie Nem.” 

Izuku’s feeling shy, but the other heroes are very nice. He spends the entire visit with them playing with the thing Aizawa wears around his neck, his capture weapon, and not talking at all. Despite that, he enjoys listening to the conversation around him, feeling a bit more relaxed. 

It begins to get late and Izuku’s eyes are drooping, dropping his head down against the capture weapon. Aizawa notices immediately, murmuring to Hizashi that they should leave soon.

“We should get going,” Hizashi says gently, “We’ll see you guys soon, okay?” 

“Alright, thanks for bringing him by. He’s a cute little guy!” Snipe exclaims. 

After a round of goodbyes, Izuku is nearly asleep against Aizawa’s chest as they walk back, his eyes completely closed. Hizashi and Aizawa talk nearly the entire time they walk, and it’s gentle and quiet. Izuku finds them both warm and bright like the sun, a light that leads him back from the darkness of his nightmares. He clings to Aizawa a little harder, more than grateful for both of them.

Once back at the apartment, they give a very sleepy Izuku a bath and have him eat a little and brush his teeth before tucking him into bed. They had gotten him a little bedframe and a new mattress, and Izuku likes falling asleep higher up off of the ground. 

“Goodnight, Izu,” Hizashi says, brushing the hair out of his eyes.

Aizawa brings the covers up to Izuku’s chin, smoothing them down. It’s soothing. 

“Night night,” Izuku mumbles sleepily, arms wrapped around his bear “Love you.”

Chapter Text

Izuku doesn’t like it when Aizawa and Hizashi go back to work. They’re teachers, so they have to be gone during the day, but they’re also pro heroes, which means on opposite evenings, they go out on patrol. On top of that, Hizashi has his radio show on the one night he doesn’t patrol.

It becomes apparent after a week of them trying to go back to their old schedule that it won’t work for their new family. Izuku’s a wreck whenever one of them leaves, not able to sleep properly or focus on his schoolwork. During the day it isn’t too bad, with Nezu pulling him for his private schooling, but evenings and nights are very hard.

Quickly, they make concessions to their schedules. Aizawa does some daytime patrols on the weekends to free up his nights and Hizashi sets up a workstation in their bedroom where he can record his radio show, instead of having to go into a studio. Both of them cut back on their patrol schedule so they can try to have a few nights a week where they’re all home at the same time.

Meanwhile, Izuku grows more comfortable at UA. With Nezu and his parents’ help, Izuku flies through the elementary school curriculum. He works on reading, math, science, and history, but Nezu also adds philosophy to the mix. The other UA teachers help him too, Nemuri teaching him art and Ectoplasm helping him with math. His parents teach him martial arts forms and sparring, which he practices with a lot of his teachers.

At home, Izuku plays with his toys and reads his books. He curls up on the couch and watches movies with his parents, plays games with them. His favorite spot to nap is usually on Aizawa’s capture weapon, enjoying burying himself underneath it.

“Kiddo, I need this before I go on patrol,” Aizawa says gently one evening, his voice laced with fond humor. Izuku’s wrapped up in the capture weapon, nearly asleep, as he looks up and pouts at him.

“Stay here,” Izuku whines, “I don’t want you to leave.”

Izuku says it every time one of them goes, but it still seems to affect Aizawa and Hizashi. Aizawa looks pained, sitting down next to him and putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t want to leave you, either, Izu,” Aizawa murmurs, “But there’s people out there who need my help. I can’t not help them, it’s my job. Zashi will be here with you, okay?”

Izuku pouts but he crawls out of the capture weapon, handing it back to Aizawa a little shamefacedly.

“Here, dad,” Izuku murmurs, “Sorry I slept on it.” 

There’s a long silence and Izuku sees Aizawa looking at him with an immensely fond expression, running his fingers through Izuku’s hair. He looks emotional, but Izuku’s not sure why.

“It’s okay, buddy,” Aizawa says, sounding a bit choked up, “You can sleep in it whenever you want.” 

Aizawa kisses his forehead before walking over to the bedroom, kissing Hizashi goodbye. He heads off to patrol and Izuku stays on the couch, swinging his legs a little sadly. Hizashi comes out and sits next to Izuku on the couch, putting a gentle arm over his shoulders. 

“You doing okay, Izu?” Hizashi asks kindly.

Izuku just shrugs, “I miss dad. I don’t like it when you guys leave.” 

Hizashi stares at Izuku, the same fondness and love in his eyes that Izuku had seen from Aizawa earlier. Izuku just leans into Hizashi’s embrace, feeling slightly better. 

“We don’t like leaving you, either,” Hizashi murmurs gently, “But sometimes parents have to leave their kids to go to work, just like you have to leave us to go to school, right?

Izuku nods, “I know, daddy, but I still don’t like it.” 

Hizashi hugs Izuku a little tighter, leaning over to kiss his forehead. Izuku relaxes into the embrace. Hizashi and Aizawa really do feel like his parents now. Of course, Izuku still misses his mom and no one will ever replace her, but he’s never had dads before. At least, not that he can remember. 

“Your dad and I love you so much,” Hizashi says, his voice as soft as anything, “We’ll keep you safe, Izu. Always.”

On top of his normal school lessons, studying, and homework, Izuku also has quirk counseling lessons of a sort with Nezu. Since Izuku is legally quirkless, he can’t access quirk counseling outside of UA, but as he’s not allowed outside of the grounds either, it wouldn’t be something he could do, anyway.

Nezu is an interesting teacher. He doesn’t talk to Izuku like he’s a child, more like he’s a curious puzzle Nezu is trying to solve. He uses grown-up sounding words and complicated language, asking Izuku philosophical questions and prompting him to think harder about his quirk. 

Today, Izuku is with Nezu in the library, trailing after the principal. Nezu is wearing his usual waistcoat and pocket watch, making Izuku feel a little underdressed in his Present Mic hoodie and athletic pants. At only six, Izuku still gets tired in the afternoons, wants naps, and enjoys playing with toys. But when he’s with Nezu, Izuku feels older, more important somehow. 

“Ah, here we are,” Nezu says, stopping at the bottom of one of the shelves towards the back of the library. As massive as the UA library is, there’s shelves that are generally untouched by students, old books kept mostly for posterity and historical records towards the back. The books smell old, dusty, but Izuku kind of likes it. Usually, when Nezu brings him back here, he’s in for an interesting day.

Nezu bends down, grabbing a large black book from the bottom shelf. He carries it over to a nearby table, gesturing for Izuku to sit down next to him. The book is huge, at least six hundred pages, and it’s entitled The Encyclopedia of Necromancy. Nezu opens the cover, and Izuku looks down to see the book written in a tiny font, with more big words that Izuku can’t read yet. 

“This is the next book we will be studying,” Nezu explains calmly, “It contains all known historical information about the science of necromancy, the historical implications of it, and the legends and lore behind the many human gods of death. Have you heard of necromancy, Izuku?”

Izuku shakes his head. It’s a big word and it sounds a little forbidden, like Izuku isn’t supposed to think too hard about it. 

“Necromancy, in a simplistic definition, is the ability to communicate with the dead, often for the purpose of seeing the future,” Nezu explains, “In other cases, it can refer to the reanimation of the dead. Tell me, what does that sound like to you?”

Izuku tilts his head. “Like…my quirk?”

“Yes, exactly,” Nezu nods, smiling, “You see, there are countless legends of humans in a variety of cultures regarding necromancy and gods and spirits of death. For example, Hades, the lord of the Underworld in greek mythology. Anubis, in the religion of the ancient Egyptians. Even in the Christian Bible, there are discussions of necromancy.”

Izuku ponders this for a while before he asks, “Am I a necro…a necro..”

“A necromancer?” Nezu prompts, making Izuku nod. It’s a hard word to say.

Nezu smiles, “Well, let’s research necromancers, and then you can tell me.”

They study for the rest of the day together, Izuku learning all sorts of legends and myths about the different religions of the world and how they relate to necromancy and possibly, to Izuku’s quirk. Izuku isn’t bored at all, asking Nezu lots of questions. By the end of the lesson, Izuku’s head is spinning with all the information he’s learned. 

After he and Nezu put the big book away, they head out of the library onto UA’s grounds. Izuku is walking next to Nezu in comfortable silence, looking out across the grass. Izuku smiles when he looks across the grass and sees Aizawa walking their way. Izuku runs towards his dad, Aizawa smiling as he kneels down, Izuku barrelling into his arms for a hug.

“Dad! Dad!” Izuku grins excitedly, “I read a really big book with Mr. Nezu today! And I learned all about necro…necromancy, too!”

“That’s very cool, kiddo,” Aizawa says genuinely, standing up and taking Izuku’s hand, “Daddy’s on patrol right now, so it’s just us tonight. Nezu, you want to come over for dinner?”

“That is very kind of you,” Nezu says sagely, “Although, I must decline. I have a meeting I must attend. Now, young Izuku, let’s discuss your next lesson.” 

Izuku’s not listening though, staring instead to their right. On the ground under a tree is a dead bird. It looks like it fell from the nest, its wings broken and shattered. Izuku feels the same odd sensation in his stomach that he felt with the dog. The odd midnight blue mist swirls around him and he begins to see the eerie figures in the mist. 

Izuku lets go of Aizawa’s hand, kneeling down next to the bird. He sits next to it, reaching out his hand. It’s like he can’t stop himself.

“Izu, wait-”

“Aizawa, it will be alright,” Nezu interrupts, “Besides, no one but Yamada has seen Izuku use his quirk. In order to help him, we should see it in action. I also cannot deny that I am extremely curious.” 

Izuku begins rocking in a circle, seeing the odd spirit form of the bird hovering over its body. He puts one hand on the wounds on the bird and Izuku reaches for it, fingers grasping the misty form of the bird. He shoves the spirit back inside the bird and Izuku gasps, lurching backwards as the bird begins to tweet, flying in a circle.

“Quick, catch it!” Nezu calls, and Izuku sees Aizawa very carefully grab the bird mid-air with his capture weapon. The bird struggles, but Aizawa gently takes it in his hands, trying not to distress the creature. 

“We need to examine it and see if it’s fully healed,” Nezu explains, “Do not worry, young Izuku, we will release the bird after Recovery Girl takes a look at it.” 

Izuku nods, feeling a bit sick and tired. He grips onto Aizawa’s pant leg and the three of them walk to the infirmary. Once inside, Nezu asks Recovery Girl to examine the bird, which she does quickly.

“The creature is in perfect health,” Recovery Girl says, “No injuries, well fed. A perfect specimen.” 

Nezu nods, as if he had expected this. “I assumed so. Izuku, please open the window. We’ll let it go, now.” 

Izuku moves over to the window, opening it as Recovery Girl opens her hands. The bird sits still in her palm for a moment before launching off out the window. Izuku watches happily, despite feeling tired.

“Come here, young man,” Recovery Girl says, gesturing to Izuku. He turns to her, heading to sit on a hospital cot. 

The adults don’t say anything as Recovery Girl assesses him, pursing her lips. “He has minor dehydration, exhaustion, and is showing minor malnutrition as well.”

“Interesting,” Nezu says, “It appears it does take energy from his own body to revive. I imagine that if he tried to revive a larger animal or a human that it would take more energy than he currently possesses.” 

Aizawa walks over, sitting next to Izuku and taking his hand. “Can you heal him, Chiyo?”

“Of course I can,” Recovery Girl says, leaning down and kissing his forehead. Izuku immediately feels better, just a little sleepy. He slumps against Aizawa, who reaches down and picks him up, tucking him against his chest.

“I’ll take him home,” Aizawa murmurs, “Nezu, I’ll want to talk about this later.” 

“As will I. For now, let him rest.” 

Izuku fades in and out while Aizawa carries him back to their apartment. Izuku’s hands are curled in his dad’s capture weapon, warm against his chest. Izuku hears Aizawa talking quietly to someone, realizing he’s on the phone. 

“Zashi, can you come home early tonight?” Aizawa asks quietly, “Sorry, it’s just that Nezu made Izuku use his quirk. Yeah, on a dead bird. I want to talk to Izu about it with you there. Okay. I’ll see you soon. Love you.” 

Izuku doesn’t say anything, just curls against his dad’s chest. Eventually, Aizawa walks them up the stairs and into their apartment, gently setting Izuku down on the couch. Izuku curls up, sighing happily when Aizawa takes off his capture weapon, letting Izuku hang on to it. 

Izuku sleeps for a while, awakened by his parents’ soft voices, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He blinks blearily to see Hizashi and Aizawa sitting at the kitchen table, both talking in hushed whispers over coffee. 

“Hey, kiddo,” Hizashi murmurs gently with a smile, “Have a nice nap?”

Izuku nods, walking over to the table and climbing up in his chair. There’s already a glass of juice at his place, which he drinks happily, realizing that he’s very thirsty. After he drinks about half his glass of juice, Hizashi talks first.

“Bud, your dad said you brought a bird back to life today,” Hizashi says gently, “Did it feel the same, like with the dog?” 

Izuku nods, “Yeah, just like that. I grabbed the misty stuff and put it back inside the bird.” 

“And this…‘misty stuff,’” Aizawa says, “Is it the same mist you talked about when your daddy found you? The dark blue mist with the people in it?”

Izuku nods again, swinging his legs a little. “Yes. It’s where people go when they die. In the mist. If I’m quick, I can grab them and shove them into their bodies. That’s how they don’t die.” 

“Incredible,” Hizashi says under his breath, sharing a look with his husband, “Izu, honey, your quirk is amazing. You’re amazing. But your dad and I are worried.”

“Worried?” Izuku repeats, chewing on his thumb, “Why worried?” 

Aizawa sighs. “Because, using your quirk makes you tired, and hurts your body. We don’t like that Nezu let you go through that today. But we wanted to ask how you feel about it.” 

Izuku considers this for a long moment. He knows why his parents are worried, he knows parents have to worry about their kids, and that they don’t want him to be hurt or scared. But using his quirk didn’t feel as scary this time. In fact, he felt happy he had helped the bird. 

“Um…I feel pretty good,” Izuku says honestly, “I’m glad I helped it. And the dog, too. I just dunno if I’d be able to help a human person.” 

“Hopefully, you’ll never have to use your quirk that way,” Hizashi says gently, reaching over to squeeze Izuku’s hand, “But in the meantime, your dad and I want you to promise us you won’t use your quirk without talking to us, or Nezu, first. It’s too dangerous until we know more about how your quirk works.”

Izuku nods. “I promise, daddy.”

Chapter Text

Izuku’s out playing in the grass at UA when it happens.

He’s alone, the teachers in class and Nezu in a meeting. Izuku’s allowed to be on the grounds alone as long as he doesn’t leave campus. He looks up from his playing to see a beautiful butterfly, speckled wings and his eyes lighten, chasing after it playfully. Izuku’s so intrigued in following the butterfly that he doesn’t realize he’s followed it outside the UA gates.

He’s on the sidewalk, chasing the butterfly down the street before he realizes how far he’s gotten from the school. He spins around, but he realizes in a moment of sheer panic that he’s completely lost. There’s strangers all around him and Izuku is terrified, knowing any single one of these people seemingly on their daily commute could be after his quirk.

Izuku ducks into an alley, shaking a little. He reasons he’s not that far away from UA, so someone will come and find him soon. Remembering what he had read about getting lost, Izuku decides resolutely to stay still until a trusted adult comes and finds him. He tries not to cry, shivering with fear on the ground of the alley. 

He’s just about to chance standing up and walking back when he feels a hand come over his mouth and another around his waist. Scared, he tries to get himself free, but he hears a terrifying voice in his ear, one that makes Izuku completely freeze.

“Don’t struggle unless you want to get hurt, kid,” a man’s voice snarls in his ear, “You match the description of someone my boss has been looking for a little too closely, so you’re coming with me. Now, be good and don’t scream, unless you want me to kill you and everyone you love.”

Izuku’s trembling, completely terrified. He knows he shouldn’t have left UA, he knows he’d be safe if he was still there with his parents, but he was foolish. He hadn’t been paying attention, and now he had been caught by bad people, just like Nezu had warned him about.

Izuku’s shaking, his eyes full of tears as he feels the person tie a gag in his mouth and toss him in the back of a car. Once inside, the hulking man who found him leans over, tying up Izuku’s hands and feet, too. The man is horrible looking, with unnaturally bright blonde, greasy hair and teeth sharpened into fangs. He smells bad and the car they’re in is dingy and rusty, making banging noises as it moves. Izuku can’t see who’s driving.

“Tell them we’ve found the brat Nightfish has been looking for,” the hulking man snarls to the driver, “And to get everything ready, we’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Izuku is so scared that he thinks he might actually pass out from fear. He trembles, closing his eyes and praying that someone, anyone will notice he’s gone from UA and come to find him. He reasons that these villains aren’t very smart, because they grabbed him right nearby UA, which means they’ll be easily found. The thought makes Izuku feel a bit relieved, although he hopes nothing bad happens to him before his parents and the other teachers can find him.

The car ride is short, and Izuku soon finds himself picked up, carried by the disgusting man inside what looks like an old, abandoned hotel. Izuku is unceremoniously chucked into a windowless room, the door slammed shut behind him. He can hear a click of the door being locked, and he wriggles in his restraints to try and get a good look at where he is.

It’s a simple room, white walls and a dirty tile floor. He thinks he sees an attached bathroom, which is a relief, but there’s nothing in the room save for a dusty blanket and a thin pillow. Izuku manages to get his wrists free after a lot of wriggling around, eventually able to untie his feet and remove the gag from his mouth. The man hadn’t tied him up very well, obviously assuming a little kid like Izuku wouldn’t be able to get free.

When the restraints and gag are off, Izuku tries the door, but it doesn’t budge. Trying not to cry, he walks into the bathroom to look at it. It’s dirty, but the sink and the toilet both work, which is a relief. Izuku has water, at the very least. 

“D-Daddy,” Izuku whispers, tears in his eyes as he thinks of his parents, “Dad, where are you?”

After a while, Izuku starts to cry a little harder, walking over to the dusty blanket and pulling it over himself. He begins to rock back and forth as he sobs. He wants his dads. He wants to be bundled up at UA, safe at home. Izuku hates himself for being careless, burying his face into his knees as he cries. This is all his fault because he was acting like a child, not paying attention.

A few long, scary hours pass and Izuku is too scared of the man who kidnapped him to call for help or ask what’s going on. Eventually, he hears the doorknob click again and Izuku shoves himself back against the wall, not wanting anyone to come near him. The door opens and Izuku sees the same man from the car, looking at him with a kind of sickening grin.

“Let’s go, kid,” he growls, raising an eyebrow, “Huh, I see you got out of your ropes. Move your ass, or I’ll give you something to really cry about, brat.”

Izuku stands on trembling legs, following the scary man out of the room. They walk through a dark hallway that looks like it’s falling apart, illuminated by only one flickering lightbulb. Izuku’s legs are shaking, but he knows the guy is going to hurt him if he stops walking, so he presses forward.

Eventually, they enter a large room, illuminated by another flickering lightbulb. There’s a woman in a suit sitting in a leather office chair, and Izuku notices with a lurch in his stomach that she has daggers instead of hands. Behind her stands at least ten other people, all either strapped with weapons or with very obvious physical quirks, all staring at him.

Kneeling in front of the woman in the chair is a terrified looking man. He doesn’t look violent like the others, instead he looks like a regular office worker, wearing a suit and looking completely horrified, tears streaming down his face.

“Welcome, Izuku Midoriya,” the woman grins, her teeth on full display as she drags her claws across the chair, “You may call me Nightfish. You see, I have spent a considerable amount of money and time trying to track you down. A certain informant of mine heard all about you. I must admit, I wanted you all to myself.”

Izuku’s shaking, he can’t help it. These people are clearly villains, or at the very least, they’re not heroes. He looks at the terrified office worker kneeling in front of the woman calling herself Nightfish, and Izuku realizes the man’s hands are bound. 

“Please,” the man stammers, “Please, I have a wife. Children. Please, let me go.” 

Nightfish cackles like she’s in a bad supervillain movie, reaching down to run one of her dagger-like fingers down the man’s cheek, drawing blood as he hisses in pain. Izuku can only stand there, horrified as she flexes her hand. 

“First, we need to see if little Izuku Midoriya’s quirk is all it’s cracked up to be,” Nightfish says, “Ryder, do it.” 

Izuku watches, unable to look away as the hulking man who had kidnapped him walks over, brandishing a dagger. Before Izuku can blink, the man drags the knife across the neck of the poor office worker in one swift, awful movement.

Izuku can only stare in horror as the man tries to garble, reaching up to grab pitifully at his neck. Blood pools quickly around him on the floor and his skin turns pale. It looks violet and painful, and Izuku feels his body shaking as the man pitches forward, dead. 

“Revive him,” Nightfish snarls at Izuku, “Now.”

Izuku can’t move. His mind is blank with panic and horror, shaking as he stares at the body slowly draining blood out onto the dirty floor. A lurch in his stomach makes Izuku turn to the side, vomiting harshly at the sight.

“Don’t throw up again unless you want me to break your legs,” Nightfish snaps, “Revive this man now, or I will kill you, your mother, and your pathetic little friends.”

Kill your mother. Izuku realizes the villains don’t know she’s already dead. Meaning they don’t know about his dads, and they won’t be expecting the heroes to be looking for him. They probably don’t even know that he lives at UA. Despite the terrifying sight of the dead body in front of him, it gives Izuku a little courage. 

“Do it now, you disgusting brat,” Nightfish snarls.

Izuku kneels down in front of the poor, dead man. His knees hit warm blood and Izuku feels like he might be sick again as the blood keeps pooling around him. The blue mist is already beginning to swirl around the man’s body, and Izuku reaches out a shaking hand towards the man’s neck. He can see the form of the man’s spirit beginning to emerge over his body and Izuku begins to sob with terror. 

Izuku’s hands are shaking, unable to keep them steady as he tries to touch the terrible mortal wound. He can hear the villains jeering at him, threatening him, but Izuku can’t move. He just can’t face the terrible sight of the man’s body, sprawled out in front of him. The blood feels warm and hot, and it’s so much, too much. Izuku didn’t know this much blood could come out of one person.

Izuku wants to go home. He wants his dads, he wants his bed, his teddy bear, he wants this nightmare to end. Crying, Izuku reaches up a shaky arm towards the spirit of the man, still crying with terror. He just touches the mist when a loud explosion rocks him to the side, throwing them all to the floor. 

Covered in blood and shaking, Izuku can only lay there as he watches a dozen heroes and police all but burst into the room. Before Izuku can even take a breath to call for help, almost every single one of the villains is down, in handcuffs or pinned. 

Izuku can only stare at the corpse of the man in front of him, realizing with sinking horror he had missed the chance to revive him. The man’s spirit was already gone. Izuku can just make it out in the distance, traveling with the other spirits in the strange, midnight blue.

“Izuku!” a desperate voice calls and Izuku’s head lurches to see Hizashi running towards him in full hero costume, his face pale with fear. He spots Izuku, relief in his eyes turning to fear when he sees the blood all over his son. 

“D-Daddy,” Izuku trembles, unable to stand. Hizashi reaches his side in less than a second, grabbing Izuku without a word and running out of the building, beelining straight for an ambulance. Izuku is still shaking, unable to stop seeing the poor man murdered over and over in his head. They had killed him like he was nothing, just to force Izuku to use his quirk. 

“Izu, sweetheart, is any of this blood yours?” Hizashi asks, sounding out of breath, Izuku shakes his head, clinging to his dad with a mixture of horror and relief.

“D-Daddy,” Izuku whimpers, dropping his head down on Hizashi’s shoulder, “I w-wanna go h-home. I w-wanna go home r-right now.”

“I know, honey, soon. I promise. I’m not letting you go,” Hizashi murmurs, rubbing Izuku’s back, “Your dad’s coming, he’s dealing with the villains right now.” 

Hizashi’s voice sounds wrecked, like he’s scared too, and Izuku is almost sick again at the thought of the terrible fear that had flooded him watching the man be murdered in front of him. Hizashi carries him to an ambulance, where a person in a medical uniform begins asking Izuku all sorts of questions. Izuku can’t answer them, though, his body icy cold as he shakes.

“He’s in shock,” they say to Hizashi, “This blood isn’t his, the police will need his clothes for evidence. It looks as if he has no injuries at all, but he should still get checked out at the hospital.” 

Izuku is gripping Hizashi’s leg when the back door of the ambulance wrenches open and a furious Aizawa is there, his eyes flashing with half a dozen emotions as he looks at his son.

“D-Dad,” Izuku stutters, still clinging to Hizashi, “D-Daddy.” 

“We’re here buddy, we’re not leaving you,” Aizawa says, cramming in the back of the ambulance. The sirens turn on as they begin to drive to the hospital, Izuku shaking in Hizashi’s arms as his parents try to soothe him. 

The next little while is a blur, lots of doctors and nurses asking him questions, pokes and prods, lights, beeping machines, and before Izuku can make heads or tails of it all, he’s sitting on a little table with his parents helping him undress. 

“Izu, we have to give your clothes to the police,” Aizawa explains gently, “I’ll take them in this big envelope and Daddy will help you get cleaned up, okay?”

Izuku just nods, a cold numbness flooding through him. He’s still not sure what’s happened, having trouble processing the terrible thing he had just witnessed. He doesn’t struggle as Aizawa gently removes all of his clothes, placing them carefully in a bag, which he hands to a nurse. Hizashi takes Izuku over to a little shower in the hospital room, helping Izuku get clean. 

After the shower, Izuku’s dried off and Hizashi puts him in a pair of hospital scrubs, tucking him up in a hug. Hizashi is using his voice quirk to soothe him, rocking Izuku in his arms. 

“Tsukauchi’s here,” Aizawa says gently, walking over to kiss Izuku’s forehead, “He says we can be with him, but it’s better the sooner we can do the interview. What did the nurse say?”

“Shock,” Hizashi murmurs, rubbing Izuku’s back, “But no injuries. They didn’t hurt him.”

“Thank god for that,” Aizawa replies, sounding exhausted and a little angry, “Come on, Zashi, let’s get this over with. I want to get him home as fast as possible.” 

Izuku, still in Hizashi’s arms, is carried to another room, where a nice looking man in a suit sits at a table, smiling gently. Normally, Izuku would like him, but he reminds Izuku of the man who he had just seen murdered, and he turns and presses his face against Hizashi’s chest. 

“Eraser, Mic, thank you for coming so quickly,” the man says, “Izuku? My name is Detective Tsukauchi. I’m a police officer, I work with your parents quite frequently.”

“He’s nice,” Hizashi tells Izuku gently, “Dad and I aren’t leaving, honey, promise.”

Izuku turns his face to look at the Tsukauchi, put a little at ease by the man’s nice smile. Izuku sees Aizawa next to him, and he has a sudden urge to bury his face in his dad’s capture weapon.

“W-Want d-dad,” Izuku manages to whisper, and Hizashi passes Izuku to Aizawa wordlessly. Izuku immediately buries his face and hands into the capture weapon, shaking a little as he tries not to cry. 

“Izuku, Tsukauchi has a lie detection quirk,” Aizawa explains, sitting down with his son in his arms, “He’s going to ask you questions about what happened today. We caught all the bad people who did this to you and they’re going to jail for a very, very long time. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

Izuku’s stomach twists. They didn’t hurt him, not really. Just that poor man, the one who they cut open like an animal, bleeding out, his skin icy cold and pale, his eyes empty…

“Alright,” Tsukuachi says, “For the record, I am recording this interview. Izuku, can you please tell me what happened to lead you to leave UA earlier this morning?”

Izuku keeps his face pressed against Aizawa as he says, “Chasing a butterfly.” 

“I see,” Tsukauchi says warmly, “Was it a pretty butterfly?”

Izuku turns his head towards the detective, feeling put at ease a bit by the man’s gentle tone of voice and his smile. He manages a nod.

“That’s nice,” Tsukauchi says, “So, you were chasing a butterfly. Where did you follow the butterfly, Izuku?”

Izuku blinks. “Um…to the street. But then I got scared because I was lost.”

“That must have been very scary,” Tsukauchi says, “What happened when you realized that you were lost?”

“I sat down so dad and daddy would find me,” Izuku mumbles, “But a big, scary man found me first.”

Izuku explains how the man grabbed him, shoved him in the car, bound and gagged. Hizashi and Aizawa look visibly disturbed by the story, but they don’t interrupt. When Izuku gets to the part about Nightfish and the room with the villains, he gets quiet.

“So this man, the one Nightfish called Ryder, she asked him to do something?” Tsukauchi prompts.

Izuku nods, his face white as a ghost, nausea churning in his stomach. “Y-Yeah. She…she told him to…to… do it and he cut the man’s throat.” 

Aizawa hisses and Hizashi curses softly, reaching over to squeeze Izuku’s hand. Izuku is still shaking, feeling sick and scared. 

“I see,” Tsukauchi replies, sounding very serious, “After Ryder did this, what happened?” 

“She told me…Nightfish said I had to…” Izuku swallows, looking up at his parents. He’s not supposed to talk about his quirk.

Aizawa nods. “You can tell him, Izu, it’s okay. You can trust him.” 

Tsukauchi looks curious, but he doesn’t interrupt, watching the three of them with interest. 

“She told me to revive him,” Izuku says quietly, terror evident in his voice, “I could s-see his spirit, but I got sick, I was too s-scared. And I c-couldn’t…I couldn’t g-get him back to his body in time. He w-went into the mist. And then daddy was there.” 

After this, Izuku buries his face against Aizawa’s chest, unable to say anything more. He begins to cry, completely terrified and sick to his stomach. He misses Tsukauchi concluding the interview and his parents leaving, taking a car back to UA. Hizashi takes Izuku for a while, Izuku crying himself nearly sick in his parents’ arms. 

Once they’re back on UA’s campus, Hizashi and Aizawa take him home as quickly as possible, bringing him to the apartment. Izuku hears Aizawa talking on the phone to lots of people, other heroes, the police, Nezu. Hizashi rocks Izuku in his arms on the couch as Izuku cries.

“D-Daddy,” Izuku chokes out, “Daddy, I’m scared.”

“I know, honey, I know, I’m so sorry,” Hizashi murmurs, trying to soothe him, “I’m so, so sorry you had to see something like that. You’re safe now, baby, you’re at UA. Your dad and I won’t let anything bad happen to you, we promise.” 

Izuku soaks up the words, pressing his face against Hizashi’s chest. Aizawa comes to sit down next to them, running his fingers through Izuku’s hair. Hizashi uses his voice quirk to soothe Izuku, rocking him in his arms. After a while, Izuku’s eyes flutter closed, his fingers curled in Hizashi’s shirt.

“God, Zashi,” Aizawa chokes out, sounding truly grieved, “When I saw him all covered in blood, I almost…”

“Ssh, babe, I know,” Hizashi whispers, still rocking Izuku, “We need to get him a therapist, so he can process this. He saw someone brutally murdered. I don’t…”

Izuku is half-asleep, the words washing over him in waves as his parents talk. He just wants to be safe here, not thinking about the mist, or the dead man he couldn’t save. Exhausted and overwhelmed, Izuku buries his face against Hizashi and tries to calm himself. 

“You’re alright, Izuku,” Aizawa murmurs, “Everything’s going to be alright now. We promise.”

Chapter Text

After Izuku’s kidnapping, he’s terrified of almost everyone. He has nightmares nearly every time he falls asleep, sometimes dreaming of his mom’s death, but mostly of watching the man being murdered over and over again. He wakes up sobbing, his parents usually at his side, trying to soothe him enough to go back to sleep.

His parents have a therapist come to UA so Izuku can start talking about everything he’s been through. Izuku supposes it helps a little, but he’s still mostly just scared of anyone and everyone that aren’t his parents. Izuku doesn’t even like walking past the UA gates anymore, afraid that he’ll pass too close to the street and be taken again. 

Nightfish, the woman who was the leader of the people that captured him, turns out to be a minor gang leader in the city. Obviously she hadn’t thought through her plan very well, because she and all of her people were captured, thrown in prison for murder and kidnapping. It was discovered one of them was working in the hospital where Izuku was taken after the earthquake, and passed along information about his quirk to Nightfish.

It’s a terrifying prospect. Nightfish and her goons were small-time, but any one of them could have spilled the secrets of Izuku’s quirk to whoever would listen. It’s entirely possible the whole villain underworld knows about Izuku’s quirk now.

Because of all of this, Aizawa and Hizashi have become even more protective than before. Both of them make sure Izuku’s never alone, even on UA’s grounds for the first few weeks after his kidnapping. Izuku loses almost all his desire to play, staying curled around a book or studying lessons from Nezu. His childish dreams and wonder seem to have died when he watched the man’s throat slit open. He’s terrified and scared, especially with how often he sees the mist.

Izuku had thought for a while the midnight blue mist only appeared when someone died near him, but Izuku’s beginning to understand the mist is always there, he just doesn’t always perceive it. Once he gets the thought in his mind that the mist is never-ending, he sees it almost constantly when he’s outside, and sometimes inside, too. He tries not to look too closely at it, not wanting to see the undulating figures that swirl inside of it. 

He knows the mist carries the spirits of the dead…wherever it is that they go, and Izuku feels wrong and bad whenever he looks at it for too long, like it’s a forbidden thing he’s not allowed to see. It makes him feel a little sick and anxious, afraid of what he might be close to touching.

Weeks pass, then months. By the time Izuku is six, he’s well into working on middle school subjects, spending most of his time reading and mostly keeping to himself. While he’s worked through a lot of his fear, Izuku hasn’t used his quirk since he revived the dead bird years ago, and he hasn’t left UA since his kidnapping. 

His parents try to make his world as big as possible, despite the fact that he’s not allowed to leave UA’s grounds. Izuku’s not been off school property since his kidnapping, at Nezu’s orders. Izuku knows that his parents hate that he has to live like this, caged up on the grounds, but Izuku honestly doesn’t mind it, at least not yet. He doesn’t have any friends, anyways, and if he stays on UA’s grounds he won’t be taken by bad people again. He’s safe here. Besides, UA is very interesting, the library is huge, and there’s lots of places to explore. 

His parents are proud of him, but Izuku can tell they’re not entirely happy with his upbringing. Izuku knows his dads wish that they could take him to the park, the zoo. Send him to school. But the dark mist that swirls around Izuku’s field of vision is a constant reminder that he’s not normal. He can’t leave the grounds, not until he can defend himself properly. 

One night, when Izuku’s almost asleep hunched over his textbooks at his desk, he hears his parents talking out in the living room, using the hushed voices they reserve for when they’re talking and they don’t want him to overhear. Izuku perks up, wondering what they’re saying.

“He needs friends,” Hizashi whispers sadly, “He needs to socialize with people his own age.”

“I know,” Aizawa replies, “I feel so guilty. We brought him here and caged him up. I feel like this is all our fault. I know he thinks he’s happy, but he has no idea what he’s missing out on.” 

Izuku’s stomach clenches, knowing that his parents are talking about him. He hates that they feel like this, but he doesn’t know what to do to reassure them that he’s okay.

“We didn’t have a choice, we have to keep him safe,” Hizashi sighs, “But I hate that he doesn't have friends. Is there anyone we can think of that has a kid around his age? Someone he could get to know?”

“Endeavor has a son about Izuku’s age,” Aizawa says, “And since he’s getting busier now as the number two hero, I bet we could convince him to drop the kid off here. He could train with Izuku and they might end up being friends.”

Izuku’s stomach tightens. A friend? He hasn’t spoken with another kid in what feels like literal years.

“I hope so,” Hizashi sighs, sounding truly devastated, “I feel like we’re failing him. Keeping him isolated, fuck, Shou, I just…I know he knows we love him, but I can’t stand the thought of him being cooped up like this for much longer.”

“Me either,” Aizawa replies, sounding just as upset, “I don’t know if we’re making the right choices for him. I just…we came so close to losing him. I can’t stomach the thought of him being taken again. It would only take one villain, one corrupt government official, for us to never see him again. He needs to get stronger.”

“He does, but I want him to be a kid, too,” Hizashi murmurs, “He hasn’t gotten to be a kid since…since he saw that man die. Do you know what he told me the other night when you were on patrol? That he sees that mist all the time now. Our son is constantly surrounded by death, every minute of his day.”

There’s a pause and then, “Fuck, Zashi. I just…I want to give him something, something that isn’t death related or those damned books Nezu makes him read. I feel like we’re failing him as parents. I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

Izuku’s heart aches when he hears Aizawa start crying. He’s never heard his dad cry before, not ever, and he hates it. Unable to eavesdrop anymore, Izuku quietly walks out of his room and heads straight for the couch where his parents are sitting, worming his way between them. Aizawa hastily wipes his eyes, but Izuku just leans over to hug him.

“You’re not bad parents,” Izuku mumbles quietly, “You’re the best. I love you.”

“We love you too, kiddo,” Hizashi says, sounding very emotional, “I’m sorry you heard all that, we thought you were sleeping.” 

Izuku just keeps hugging Aizawa, who rubs his back and kisses the top of his head. Izuku’s heart hurts for his parents. He knows it must be hard for them, dealing with his quirk and not being able to live a normal life.

“I want to make a friend,” Izuku says shyly, “Can I, please? You said…you said Endeavor has a son?”

Aizawa nods, smiling a little, “Yes, Shouto Todoroki. He’s just about your age. Endeavor is pretty strict, but I think if we asked Shouto to UA on the pretense of training, he’d let him come. I have a feeling he needs a friend just as much as you do.” 

“Okay,” Izuku murmurs, wanting to do anything he can to make his parents happy. “I’ll try, dad.”

It’s the day that Shouto is supposed to come to UA for the first time, and Izuku’s excited. He’s wearing his favorite blue long sleeved shirt and soft black pants, ready to play. He knows he can’t tell Shouto about his quirk, but he decides to do the best he can to be honest and a good friend to Shouto.

Izuku asks Nezu about what it’s like to make friends and the principal just stares at him, tilting his head.

“I am unsure, as it is a fairly human concept,” Nezu says calmly, “However, I would imagine it is the same as any other relationship; built on trust, respect, and safety. Honesty. Simply put, young Izuku, be yourself, and it should come easily to you.” 

Izuku isn’t quite sure he understands all of that, so he opts to do the best he can to make Shouto feel welcome. He doesn’t know that much about Endeavor, but his parents always look a little unhappy when they’re discussing the number two hero. Endeavor seems to cause a lot of destruction and civilian casualties when he does hero work, and he sounds kind of scary.

Currently, Endeavor is standing on the UA grounds with Shouto at his side, looking at Hizashi and Aizawa. Izuku is standing next to Hizashi, looking at Shouto with curiosity as he tries to avoid Endeavor’s gaze. His new friend has red and white hair, a large scar covering one of his eyes, and he’s wearing what look like expensive training clothes. 

“Thank you for providing him with this opportunity,” Endeavor is saying to Hizashi and Aizawa, “I fully expect to see a large improvement in his skills. Currently, Shouto is in a rebellious stage and refuses to use half of his quirk. I would like you to train that out of him.”

Hizashi looks uncertain, but Aizawa just nods once, clearly not wanting to waste time sharing words with Endeavor. Endeavor looks satisfied, completely ignoring Izuku as he looks down to Shouto.

“Shouto,” Endeavor barks at his son, “Do not waste this training opportunity. I expect a full report when I pick you up at five.” 

“Yes, sir,” Shouto says quietly. Endeavor turns, nodding to Hizashi and Aizawa before he heads out of the gates, presumably on patrol. Izuku feels a rush of relief when the hero leaves, turning his attention to Shouto, who looks unsure.

“Well then!” Hizashi beams, clapping his hands together, “You hungry, Shouto?”

Shouto looks confused, but he nods, following them back up to the apartment. Izuku is bursting with excitement, but he’s a little shy, too. He can’t remember the last time he played with someone else his own age, it was probably before his mom died. 

“I’m Izuku,” he says to Shouto as they walk into the apartment, “It’s nice to meet you!”

“I’m Shouto,” Shouto says quietly, although it sounds forced, “It’s nice to meet you, too. Um, are we training here?”

Aizawa and Hizashi share a look before Hizashi says gently, “Shouto, we’re just going to have lunch. Then we thought you and Izuku could play with some toys and hang out. Don’t worry, it’ll be our secret, okay? We can train the next time you stop by, if you kids really want to.” 

Shouto’s eyes widen, like he doesn’t believe it, but he’s distracted when he sees the lunch that’s laid out on the table. Hizashi had gone all out earlier, with Izuku and Aizawa’s help, and they had put together a modest feast. Dumplings, ramen, even sweets. His eyes boggle and they all sit down around the table. Shouto looks a little lost.

“Come on, let’s eat,” Aizawa says. Shouto takes some food, eating politely as Izuku watches him. Blue mist swirls around Shouto’s toes and Izuku wills himself to ignore it, to not look at the figures that undulate behind his new friend. His stomach feels a bit queasy, but he tries not to be too weird.

“Um, do you go to school?” Izuku asks Shouto.

“Yes, I do,” Shouto nods, “Doesn’t everyone?”

Izuku shakes his head. “I don’t, at least, not public school. I passed the elementary school exams so Mr. Nezu teaches me middle school stuff, and the UA teachers, too.”

Shouto’s eyes widen a fraction, looking genuinely interested. “So, you must be very smart, then.”

Izuku blinks. “Um…I dunno about that, I just have a lot of time to study. I’m not allowed off campus, so I spend most of my time studying and training.” 

Shouto flinches, his shoulders hunching up past his ears. Izuku wonders what he’s said wrong. Aizawa seems to realize it though. Izuku wonders what’s so bad about training?

“I think your training is different from what Shouto thinks of as training, Izu,” Aizawa says gently, as if reading his mind, “When you say training, you just mean working with us on your martial arts, right?”

“Right,” Izuku says with a smile, “It’s really cool! I get to spar in the gyms and one time Snipe-sensei even let me shoot his guns!”

Hizashi blanches. “He did what?”

Izuku bites his lip, forgetting he had promised Snipe he would never, ever tell his parents about that, ever. 

“It’s totally safe daddy, really!” Izuku says, blushing a little as his parents stare him down. Shouto is watching the interaction with curiosity, but he doesn’t look upset. “And it’s not like he let me use real bullets or anything! I just fired blanks at targets.”

“Oh, is that all?” Aizawa says, sounding exhausted, “Just firing blanks, huh? I think Snipe is off babysitting duty, Zashi.” 

“Dad,” Izuku whines as Hizashi laughs. The corner of Shouto’s mouth twitches like he might smile, looking relaxed as the three of them tease each other. 

Lunch is nice and Izuku manages to get Shouto to start opening up. It’s such a nice conversation that Izuku can even ignore the mist for a while, focusing on getting to know his new friend. Eventually, the conversation switches to that of quirks.

“My quirk is Half-Cold, Half-Hot,” Shouto says quietly, making Izuku look at his hair, the red and white split directly down the center. They’ve finished eating and Hizashi shooed them from the table while he does dishes with Aizawa, telling them to go play in Izuku’s room. 

“Cool!” Izuku exclaims, “So you can make ice and fire?”

Shouto nods, “I only use my ice, though.”

“Why?” Izuku asks, “The fire sounds cool, too!”

Shouto pauses for a long moment before he says quietly, “I don’t like using my fire. I’ll become a hero without it.”

Izuku’s not sure what to say to that, sending Shouto doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. He understands, after all, he has to hide his quirk, too. He has his own secrets. 

“Well I’m sure your ice is awesome,” Izuku says, wanting to salvage the conversation, “Um, do you wanna play with me? I have some toys.”

Shouto blinks at him, looking confused. “I thought we were training with your parents today?”

Izuku blushes. “We can train, if you want. But since I’m not allowed off campus, my dads thought maybe…we could be friends.”

“Friends?” Shouto asks, his eyes looking painfully conflicted, “Us?”

Izuku nods, his stomach twisting. “Yeah, but I’ve never had a friend. At least not since I was super little, I don’t think. So I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“Me either,” Shouto murmurs, “I’ve never had a friend either, outside my brothers and sister. I’d…like to be your friend.”

Izuku smiles, a warmth in his chest. “R-Really? Me too.”

It’s evident after a moment that neither Shouto or Izuku really know what to do now that they’ve declared their newfound friendship. Izuku hands Shouto his teddy bear as a show of good faith. Shouto squeezes it, and smiles. 

Things are fun after that. Shouto and Izuku play with blocks, watch an All Might movie, and eat a snack. After the snack, Hizashi reads them a story and before Izuku realizes it, he and Shouto curl up together on the couch and fall asleep. 

Eventually, Izuku wakes up to see Hizashi gently picking up a still sleeping Shouto. It’s evening now and Izuku yawns, rubbing his eyes. Aizawa smiles at them from the dinner table as Hizashi tucks Shouto in his arms.

“I’m meeting Endeavor out front,” Hizashi whispers, “Shouto will be back next week to play with you more, Izu.”

Izuku nods, smiling at his sleeping friend. He’s not alone anymore. He has a friend! He wishes he could say goodbye to Shouto, but his friend is out like a light. 

Later, when Hizashi comes back, he tells Aizawa with a pained expression that Endeavor was happy with how tired Shouto looked, that they must have really exhausted him during training today. Izuku’s not sure what to make of it all.

“Shouto, dodge! Izuku, watch your left!” Aizawa shouts.

They’re in UA’s Gym Gamma and Shouto and Izuku are practicing combat. Izuku’s using a capture weapon, like Aizawa’s, and Shouto is flaring his ice. His flames flicker weakly at his side, neither Izuku or his parents able to get Shouto to use the fire yet.

At age ten, Izuku’s already passed the national middle school exams and is beginning to work on high school material. He’s training with his parents in mixed martial arts along with Shouto. Izuku decided he’ll apply to UA for high school in the heroics course, giving him a goal to work towards for the next few years. Shouto’s goal is the same, so apart from hanging out with his best friend twice a week, Izuku gets to train with him, too.

During the day, Izuku gets more bold as he gets older. He even sneaks into some of UA’s high school classes, hiding in the vents to listen to lessons and take notes. He doesn’t want the UA students to see him, so he’s like a little shadow or a ghost, flitting around the school out of sight of all but the teachers. 

He’s had an unorthodox education, but Izuku enjoys it. He doesn’t have a strict schedule, and while it’s starting to become frustrating being trapped on campus, he tries to get as strong as he can in the meantime. 

Izuku ducks Aizawa’s attack, using his capture weapon to grab onto his dad’s leg. Seeing the opportunity, Shouto ices the entire weapon, all the way up to Aizawa, effectively freezing him until Aizawa cancels out Shouto’s quirk. Aizawa grins, landing back down on the floor.

“Nice work, kids,” he praises, “Pizza?”

Shouto has permission to sleep over under the guise of more training, for which Izuku is ecstatic. After pizza and a movie, they settle down in Izuku’s room, playing some board games and talking quietly. After Hizashi and Aizawa tell them tonight and they promise they’ll sleep for at least a few hours, the conversation turns quiet in the dark.

The moonlight streaming through the window makes Izuku feel pensive. On nights like these when he’s alone, Izuku will contemplate many things, but mainly the mist. He sees the mist every waking moment of his life now, but he’s able to mostly avoid spotting the eerie figures, the souls of the dead. He harkens it to the legends about the river Styx and the souls crossing the ferry into the Underworld. It’s ominous, but it doesn’t terrify Izuku the way it first did. 

Sometimes, he still has nightmares about his mother’s death, the dog, even the bird. The worst is reliving the death of the man when Izuku was kidnapped, still brutal to think about years later. Shouto doesn’t know what Izuku’s quirk is, but he knows that it’s intense and that Izuku has to stay legally quirkless for a reason. 

“Izuku, what happened to your mom and dad?” Shouto asks him quietly, out of the blue. The question takes Izuku by surprise, sitting up in his bed and looking down where Shouto’s curled up on a futon. Izuku clutches his well-worn teddy bear, confused.

“Have I never told you that story?” he says with surprise, watching Shouto shake his head. “Oh, um it’s not that much to tell, really. I never knew my birth father. He died before I was born. My mom was killed in that big earthquake that hit when we were five. My dads found me and adopted me, and I’ve been here since.”

Shouto takes this in for a long moment before he murmurs, “That must have been really hard.”

It was, but the hardest part about it for Izuku wasn’t the loss of his parents, it was the gaining of a terrible power that goes against the laws of nature and beliefs of people all over the world. But he can’t tell Shouto this, so Izuku just smiles weakly. 

“Well, I got my dads, and UA, and we’re friends, so it’s not all bad,” Izuku says, “I mean, I miss my mom a lot, but I wouldn’t trade my dads to change the past, you know?”

Shouto nods, hugging a pillow close to his chest. Shouto’s pretty tight-lipped about his feelings, but he’s started opening up to Izuku more over the years. Izuku decides to risk asking a question.

“Shou, why do you really not use your fire?” Izuku asks. Shouto flinches, looking down at his hands. For a moment, Izuku considers apologizing and not asking ever again, but Shouto looks up at Izuku with a sad expression on his face.

“Do you…I mean, have you ever heard of quirk marriages?” Shouto asks. 

Izuku nods, his stomach doing an anxious swoop as some of the blue mist curls around his hands. “Yeah, they’re illegal. Why?” 

“Because…that’s what my dad did,” Shouto confesses, “He as good as bought my mom for her ice quirk. He was trying to make a kid with the perfect combination of their two quirks. My three older siblings were failed experiments to him, until I was born. That’s why he trains me so hard. I just…he’s so big and I can’t fight back, but he can’t force me to use my fire. I won’t let him.” 

“Shouto,” Izuku winces, squeezing his teddy bear, “That’s…that sucks.” 

Shouto laughs humorlessly, bringing a hand up to his eye. “I know, it does. But what’s worse is my oldest brother, Touya. He wanted to train with my dad so badly, but my dad just brushed him off. Eventually, he lost his mind and burned himself alive out on the mountain behind our house. He died when I was five, just before I met you.” 

Izuku freezes. In all the years he had known Shouto, he had never mentioned this. Izuku’s heart hammers hard in his chest, but he doesn’t interrupt, not wanting Shouto to feel like he has to stop. 

“My mom lost her mind a few weeks after Touya did,” Shouto says quietly, “Or maybe she already was losing it, I dunno. My dad was hurting her and she hated the side of my face that looked like him, so she threw boiling water on me. Endeavor sent her away, I haven’t seen her since.” 

Izuku slides down off of his bed next to Shouto on the futon, still clutching his well-loved teddy bear. Izuku’s been through terrible things too, but Shouto’s life is as complex as a Greek tragedy. Izuku had always figured Endeavor wasn’t the best dad, but he had never imagined something like this. 

“I can’t really remember Touya or my mom that well, but I still get sad about them sometimes,” Shouto admits, “Is that strange?”

“No,” Izuku swallows hard, trying not to get too emotional, “No, it’s not. I get sad over my mom, too. And…and when I was kidnapped, and I saw that man die? I get sad about him, too. It’s natural, it’s human.”

“Human,” Shouto mumbles lying on his back and looking at the glow in the dark stars on Izuku’s ceiling, “You know, I’ve always been jealous of you. Your parents…they’re so kind. And they chose you. You chose them, too. Your family…I have my siblings and both my parents, but we’re nowhere as close as you three are.”

Izuku reaches over to squeeze Shouto’s hand with a watery smile, resolving to make his friend feel better. “You’re part of our family, Shouto. You’re my best friend. You can stay here as long as you want.”

Shouto smiles at him and they fall asleep together, tangled up on the futon. For once, Izuku doesn’t dream at all.

Chapter Text

Despite the fact that Izuku’s been trained by Nezu and the other UA teachers for years, he’s still relieved and surprised when he passes the UA recommendation entrance exams, and is placed in class 1-A. Since his quirk is still secret and Izuku had to pass the exams essentially quirkless, he’s feeling pretty proud of himself.

At fifteen, Izuku is beyond ready to begin his high school career. He’s well into college academic work now, but since he will be in the heroics course, he’ll focus mainly on his training. Aizawa had been training Izuku for years to use support items like capture weapons, and Snipe had helped Izuku with basic weaponry skills, much to the chagrin of his parents.

Izuku was now relatively competent in using long-range projectile weapons like target guns and arrows, and he can also use a bo staff. His favorite support item is still the capture weapon, enjoying using it in his training sessions. 

“Is it going to be weird being in your dad’s class?” Shouto asks him. They’re currently in Izuku’s bedroom, playing a board game and talking about their futures at UA. Shouto also made it into class 1-A with him, for which Izuku is very pleased.

“I mean, I guess,” Izuku says, shrugging, “But I knew I was going to be in their classes at some point if I got into the heroics course.” 

Shouto nods, looking pleased. “I’m just relieved I’ll be spending more time here.”

Izuku winces. His parents had tried for years to get Shouto out of Endeavor’s house, but they’re tied in legal knots. Since Shouto won’t come forward and outright say his father is abusing him, there’s only so much Aizawa and Hizashi can do. The best they can manage is coming up with some ridiculous looking training regimen that requires Shouto to be at UA three days a week in the summer. It’s the most they can get Endeavor to agree to. 

Shouto’s grateful, Izuku can tell, but he’s still always quiet and sad when he comes over after spending time with his father. Izuku knows Endeavor’s training is harsh and brutal, and while Shouto had long since accepted using his fire half, Endeavor didn’t make his life any easier in training. 

“Shouto, you know my dads can get you out of there,” Izuku says gently, his stomach twisting like it does every time they talk about this, “You could go live with Fuyumi, or even stay here-”

“I can’t,” Shouto says quickly, his eyes darkening, “Besides, I’ll be here a lot more because of school. It’ll be fine.” 

Izuku doesn’t say anything else, but he does feel a bit sick. He wishes he could help Shouto more, but all he manages to do is try to make Shouto happy when he’s here. He and Shouto are best friends of course, but Izuku still has secrets from him. Shouto has picked up enough over the years to tell that Izuku isn’t actually quirkless, but seems to understand that Izuku can’t talk about it. 

“Are you going to be allowed to leave campus for field trips?” Shouto asks Izuku, abruptly changing the subject, “I know that first year students are supposed to train at the USJ, and my father told me there’s usually a training camp as well.” 

Izuku frowns a little, biting his lip. Despite being fifteen and a very capable fighter, Izuku still isn’t allowed off campus. He hasn’t used his quirk since he brought the bird back to life as a small child and he sometimes believes he’s quirkless himself. However, despite that, Nezu still has not lifted his restrictions to allow Izuku off campus. He’s been stuck at UA for nearly his entire life. 

Fortunately, it’s a big campus, but Izuku can’t deny he feels left out of life. Despite Shouto’s hard circumstances, he’s still free. Izuku watches the news, eyeing the people doing their shopping and feeling a pang of envy. Often, he sits up on the roof of the staff apartment buildings and watches the city in the distance, wishing more than anything that he could be out there, with everyone else.

“I don’t know,” Izuku says quietly, his stomach twisting, “I know…you probably have questions, Shou. I’m sorry I can’t tell you.” 

Shouto shakes his head. “I can tell it’s serious. I know you would tell me if you could. I won’t deny that I am curious, and I hope that when you can tell someone, you’ll tell me first.” 

“Of course,” Izuku smiles, endlessly grateful for his best friend, “Um, do you want to watch All Might vs. Mothra?”

Shouto smiles at the mention of one of their favorite bad B-movies. “Always.” 

Later that night after Shouto goes home, Izuku is sitting at the kitchen table with his parents. Hizashi and Aizawa are talking about the first week of school and what Izuku can expect. He’s interested to hear that All Might will be a teacher this year at UA as well. That makes Izuku a bit nervous; he knows all the UA teachers so well, they’re like aunts and uncles to him. Having to meet a new person is a little anxiety-inducing. 

“Um, dad?” he says, addressing both of his parents as they look up at him, “What am I going to tell people about my quirk in class? Won’t we have to train together?”

Aizawa and Hizashi look at him with worried eyes and Izuku can tell they’re once again feeling guilty. Despite Izuku knowing none of this is his dads’ fault, they shoulder the brunt of the blame for Izuku’s situation, which they put on themselves. For years, Izuku’s been lying, saying he’s quirkless to anyone who would ask. The only people who still know are his parents, Nezu, and the UA staff. 

“It's your choice what to say,” Aizawa says gently, “You can keep saying you're legally quirkless, or give some ambiguous answer. We know it’s hard to lie. But just so you know, eventually, you will be able to tell them. You’ll eventually have to trust your peers with the truth, not just about your quirk, about us as well. If you can’t trust your future hero partners, you’ll be in real trouble. This won’t all be a secret forever.” 

Izuku nods, the knot of anxiety in his chest loosening. He remembers what Shouto had asked him earlier, hoping against hope he’ll be allowed to leave for field trips. 

“Um…and field trips?” Izuku asks, eyes full of hope, “Will I be allowed to go on field trips and off campus training with my class?”

Hizashi smiles warmly at him, “Yeah, kiddo. Nezu approved it this morning. You’ll have to make sure you stay in sight of a teacher, but you’ll be allowed off campus for educational purposes.”

Izuku beams, his heart hammering with anticipation. “Can we…can we have educational things at the zoo? Or the amusement park? Can we go to the summer festival?” 

His eyes are practically shining as he vibrates with excitement. He gets to leave campus. When he was a little kid, it wasn’t so bad being stuck at UA, but as a teenager, it’s becoming torture. He wants to experience all the wonderful things he sees on tv, that he hears about from Shouto and the other UA teachers. 

“We’ll see, kiddo,” Aizawa says gently, his eyes full of emotion, “I want you to experience all those things. We’ll have to play it by ear, okay?” 

Izuku nods, feeling like his heart will burst at any moment. He’ll get to experience the world beyond the confines of the UA boundaries. Izuku knows there’s a risk at leaving, there always is, but he’s not the scared five year old that was kidnapped all those years ago. Izuku can defend himself now. 

He’d like to see someone try to kidnap him for his quirk.

The first day of UA arrives quickly. After changing into his new uniform and breakfast with his parents, Izuku and Aizawa head to class 1-A, while Hizashi heads to his English classroom. Aizawa busies himself at his computer, mumbling to himself as he answers emails. Izuku gets settled in his desk, hoping Shouto will be one of the first to arrive.

The classroom door opens after a while and Izuku looks up to see a boy with dark hair and glasses walk in. He’s holding himself proudly, and Izuku instantly feels a little shy. He’s gotten better at talking to people over the years, but Shouto is still his only real friend. He hasn’t had to introduce himself to someone new in a long time. 

“Hello, I am Tenya Iida,” Iida says to him, walking over with a smile, “I am very excited to be at UA! My quirk is called Engine. What’s your name?” 

Izuku shifts before he says quietly, “I’m Izuku Aizawa. I’m…excited to be here, too.”

Iida’s eyebrows raise. “Aizawa? But isn’t our teacher also Aizawa?”

“That’s me,” Aizawa deadpans from his desk. Iida’s face turns red, turning to bow in Aizawa’s direction over and over.

“Aizawa-sensei!” Iida gasps, bowing for a fourth time, “It’s an honor to be in your class, sir! My brother, Tensei, wanted me to tell you hello.” 

Aizawa smiles, “How is Ingenium doing these days? We haven’t worked in the same precinct in a while.” 

“He’s doing very well!” Iida gushes, his eyes wide, “He’s rising in the hero rankings weekly. We’re all very proud of him!”

Izuku watches the interaction with interest. Iida seems a little over enthusiastic, but kind. After speaking with Aizawa for a while, Iida sets down his things and turns back towards Izuku.

“So, are you related to Aizawa-sensei?” Iida asks curiously. Izuku nods, remembering that his parents gave him permission to tell. They decide as a family to keep Hizashi and Aizawa’s marriage a secret for their own privacy, meaning Izuku can’t be too familiar with Hizashi in class. But since Izuku shares a last name with his dad, there’s no point in hiding Aizawa’s relationship to him from his classmates.

“He’s my dad,” Izuku says quietly, watching Iida look surprised, “Um, so your brother’s Ingenium? That’s really cool, he’s a great hero.”

Iida looks positively delighted, beginning to ramble to Izuku about just how cool his older brother is. Izuku likes listening to Iida talk, genuinely interested in what Iida has to say. After a while, the classroom door opens again. Iida turns and walks over, greeting the new students as they walk through.

Izuku sees a boy with tired-looking eyes and purple hair, a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair, and a boy that looks like he has the head of a raven or a crow. Iida greets them all enthusiastically, but Izuku stays quiet. The boy with the bird head sits down at his desk and Izuku gasps as some kind of large shadow comes out of him. 

“Soul-kin! Soul-kin!” the shadow says, its mouth opened in a grin as it launches itself at Izuku. Izuku is surprised, but he soon has a lap full of the shadow creature as it nuzzles against him. It feels cool, like the midnight mist that Izuku’s used to seeing. The mist itself seems to like the shadow creature as well, curling around its claws.

“Dark Shadow!” the bird-head boy says, rushing over, “My apologies, Dark Shadow usually doesn’t…show himself, in this manner.” 

Dark Shadow is currently in the process of chewing on Izuku’s tie and Izuku is petting its head like a cat. Dark Shadow feels nice, like a good version of the things he sees in the mist. He’s not entirely sure what kind of quirk Dark Shadow is, but he likes it. 

“It’s alright,” Izuku says quietly, “He’s very friendly. I’m Izuku Aizawa.”

“Fumikage Tokoyami,” Tokoyami says sagely, “Dark Shadow, let go of him, please.”

“No!” Dark Shadow snarls, snuggling up in Izuku’s lap, “Soul-kin. Shadow-kin, like me.”

Izuku’s eyes widen a fraction. Could Dark Shadow sense his energy? Izuku isn’t naive, he knows he has a connection to spirits and death, but he wonders what it is about him that Dark Shadow is sensing. 

“Shadow kin?” Tokoyami asks curiously, “Interesting, I have not heard him say that before. What did you say your quirk was?”

Izuku’s saved from answering when the classroom door all but explodes open, Dark Shadow hiding back inside Tokoyami. A boy storms in with a feral grin, his spiky blonde hair looking as riled up as he seems to be. Something in the boy strikes an odd kind of familiarity in Izuku, but he’s not sure why.

The boy sits down at his desk, swinging his feet up on it, and Iida rushes over, begging him to get his feet off of school property. Aizawa has slipped out somewhere in the last few minutes, so there’s no scolding when the blonde guy starts swearing. The girl with the brown hair and the purple-haired boy aren’t saying anything, just watching.

The class slowly fills up, relief flooding Izuku when Shouto walks in. He stands up to greet his friend, feeling much better at having someone familiar with him in class. After a few minutes, the last classmate has entered the room, a blonde-haired girl with blue eyes that has an odd sort of glow around her. 

Izuku takes his seat, smiling internally when the classroom door bangs open. Aizawa is looking at them all levelly, with no smile or emotion on his face at all. Izuku’s seen his dad’s introduction to the first day of class 1-A before, and he knows that his classmates are in for a tough day. Izuku’s not intimidated because he knows his dad so well, but Izuku sees a few of his classmates looking wary.

“Welcome to Class 1-A,” Aizawa says, folding his arms and looking genuinely intimidating, “I am Shouta Aizawa, pro hero Eraserhead, your homeroom teacher for the year. We will begin today with quirk assessment tests. Head to the gym and change into your uniforms. I want you out by the baseball field in ten minutes or less.”

A girl with pink skin and horns raises a tentative hand. “S-Sir? Um, it’s just…isn’t the entrance ceremony happening soon?” 

“This is class 1-A in the heroics course,” Aizawa reminds her, “If you are not serious about your education, leave immediately. We don’t have time to waste on things like ceremonies, if you are truly serious about becoming a hero.”

The girl sits down, looking a little chastised. Izuku shares an eye roll with Shouto at Aizawa’s dramatics. His dad is tough, but Izuku knows that deep down, he’s a softie for his students. 

“Baseball field. Nine minutes now,” Aizawa says, and everyone stands up to leave.

After changing in the locker room, they head out to meet Aizawa at the baseball field. He’s standing next to a circle he’s drawn in the ground in the dirt. There’s a cage full of baseballs next to him and he’s holding a small device in his hand.

Once the entire class is there, Aizawa begins to explain. 

“Testing your maximum capabilities is the most logical course of action,” Aizawa says firmly, “We will begin with physical quirk assessments. You may find some of you have an advantage on some of these tests over others. Your ability to think outside the box and use resources around you will also be considered in these assessments. Katsuki Bakugou, you’re up first.”

The boy with the spiky blonde hair moves towards Aizawa, and Izuku’s struck again with that odd sense of familiarity. He wonders vaguely where he’s seen Bakugou before, but he’s stopped when he watches Bakugou launch the baseball over six hundred meters with his apparent explosion quirk.

“Excellent,” Aizawa says, “Alright people, anything goes, just stay in the circle. Kaminari, next!”

Izuku watches his classmates take the test, interested in their quirks. The girl with the odd outline around her throws the baseball with her hand, but it doesn’t go very far. She looks like she might cry, and Izuku feels sympathy for her. Iida does a spin kick with the engines in his legs. The purple-haired boy, Shinsou Hitoshi, uses some kind of mind control to get a girl with an anti-gravity quirk to float the baseball for him.

Shouto wraps a kind of whip of fire around the baseball and spins it, launching it a distance to rival Bakugou’s. Eventually, it’s Izuku’s turn, and he has already come up with a plan. He knows he has to respect his dad in class, but figures it might be okay to use their familial relationship, just this once. 

“Izuku, you’re up,” Aizawa says, and Izuku can hear some murmurings behind him at hearing their teacher call a student by their given name. 

Izuku steps forward, standing in the circle and looking at his dad. Izuku’s quirk won’t help him in this test at all, but Aizawa had said anything goes. Izuku offers to give it a shot. 

“Sir, can I borrow your capture weapon?” Izuku asks bluntly. He hears someone gasp behind him.

Aizawa raises an eyebrow and sighs, unwinding it and handing it to his son. “Kid, you better not break it like the last two.”

“I’ve gotten better since then,” Izuku counters, ignoring the whispers from his classmates. Izuku wraps the baseball and expertly spins it, maneuvering the capture weapon to launch the ball a decent three hundred meters. Not as impressive as Shouto or Bakugou, but a decent score nonetheless. 

“Well done,” Aizawa says with a proud smile, “Jirou, next!”

The rest of the morning they do numerous physical and quirk assessments. Long jumps, obstacle courses, races. Izuku may not have a flashy quirk like some of the other people in his class, but due to his extensive training, he’s able to keep up without a problem. After the tests are over, the class is ranked. Izuku can see the girl with the odd outline around her, Hagakure, is ranked last. She’s crying, clearly upset, and Izuku feels bad as his dad dismisses them for lunch.

“Are you okay?” he asks her kindly. She sniffs with a nod.

“Y-Yeah, just embarrassed,” she says, “I mean, I thought my quirk was powerful, but it doesn’t really give me any combat powers, you know?” 

Izuku tilts his head, wondering about the odd glow. “What is your quirk? Is it that glow around you?”

Hagakure stares at him, like he’s unsure if he’s joking or not. “What…what do you mean? It’s invisible, I’m invisible.”

Izuku gapes at her. “But I can see you. Are there other people who have been able to see you before?”

Hagakure looks stunned. “You can see me? But how? No one can see me, not even my parents. I can barely even make out my own reflection. What…what do I look like to you?” 

“You have shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes,” Izuku tells her as they walk back inside, “And um, pale skin.” 

“Wow,” she says, her voice quiet, “What’s your quirk? It must be that that’s allowing you to see me.” 

Izuku winces. He remembers how Dark Shadow had clung to him earlier, his apparent ease with Aizawa, and now, seeing Hagakure. He can’t explain all of it, and he definitely can’t tell her his quirk, so Izuku steels himself to lie, again.

“I’m…legally quirkless,” Izuku says quietly, watching her mouth fall open in shock, “I don’t know why I can see you. I grew up around UA, though, and I studied with Principal Nezu. It might be because of that.”

“You’re quirkless?” she gasps, sounding both shocked and intrigued, “But how…you scored so highly on all those assessments! You really did all that without using a quirk?” 

Izuku nods. It’s not a lie, he didn’t use his quirk on those assessments. Hagakure lets out another wow and the two of them follow their classmates into the gym. 

After changing in the locker rooms, it’s lunchtime, and Izuku beelines for Shouto. Once they’ve gotten their food from Lunch Rush, they settle down at the end of a long table. 

“Good work today,” Shouto tells him through a mouthful of soba, “On the tests. It was pretty cool that you asked your dad for his capture weapon.”

Izuku grins. “Thanks. You did well, too. I was proud that you used your fire like that. You’ve really gotten better with using it since we were kids.”

“Yeah, well, I guess I figured that it’s time to grow up,” Shouto says with a half-smile, “You were right. When you were ten, and you told me it’s my quirk to use, and not his.”

Izuku smiles back and they eat in a comfortable silence for a few moments until members of their class begin to sit down with them. Next to Shouto is Hitoshi Shinsou, and next to Izuku is the brown-haired girl with the anti gravity quirk, Ochako Uraraka. 

“That was an intense morning,” Shinsou says, shoveling some food into his mouth, “Is your dad always like that, Izuku?”

Izuku blinks. He wasn’t sure how everyone seemed to know already that Aizawa was his dad, but he figures it’s pointless to deny it. “Um, no. I mean in class, yes, but not at home. He’s a great dad.”

“Wow, he’s your dad?” Uraraka asks, her eyes wide, “That’s crazy! So, you’re related to a pro, too? Todoroki, you’re Endeavor’s son, right?”

Shouto winces, nodding. Izuku gently taps his foot under the table, a sign of silent support. Shouto presses his foot back against his, a sign that he’s grateful. 

“Everyone, listen up!” Iida suddenly booms from the other end of the table, half standing up, “We have heroics with All Might next, and I believe it would be good for all of us to share our names and quirks, so we are prepared for the exercise!” 

There’s assent to this, and Izuku’s stomach twists. They go through everyone, and Izuku is surprised by some of their quirks. Shinsou has a brainwashing quirk, but he won’t explain to anyone how it works. Izuku is intrigued by all of them, but his stomach sinks when they finally get to him.

“Um, I’m Izuku Aizawa,” he says quietly, a few of his classmates looking surprised, “Aizawa-sensei is my dad. And I’m…um, I’m legally quirkless.”

A silence follows this before Bakugou scoffs. “No fucking way. How would you not only get into UA but also score decent on the tests this morning if you didn’t have a quirk? Your dad wasn’t cutting you slack, either. Don’t fucking lie.”

Izuku’s cheeks are red from the scrutiny. “It’s true. I am legally quirkless. You can check my entrance paperwork if you don’t believe me.”

“He isn’t lying,” Shouto says, making the others turn to look at him, “I’ve known Izuku since we were kids, he’s telling the truth.”

Bakugou scoffs, like he still doesn't believe it, but he doesn’t press the matter again. Izuku knows the explanation doesn’t add up to Hagakure and Tokoyami though, both of whom have reason to believe that Izuku has something going on besides simply being quirkless. 

Fortunately, Izuku is saved by the bell signaling the end of lunch, the conversation switching from him to excitement about having All Might as their teacher for the next class. They head to their heroics class together, and there’s only a few moments before All Might comes bursting through the door. 

It’s a whirlwind, All Might telling them in a booming voice to change into their new hero costumes, each of them grabbing a briefcase with their class number on it. Izuku had designed his costume with his parents and Nezu over the summer, and he’s pleased with the final design. His inspiration had been Charon, the ferrier of souls to the Underworld in Greek mythology, often depicted wearing a black hooded robe. Nezu had been particularly happy he had chosen that as his inspiration. 

The costume consists of a hooded black long-sleeved shirt, made out of a material that’s very difficult to rip or burn. The sleeves extend down to his wrists, where he wears black fingerless gloves with grip pads on them. His pants are black too, with strategic pockets to hold a variety of weapons and medical supplies. Around his neck is a black capture weapon, all his own, and his outfit is completed by a bo staff on his back. 

Once changed, he looks at Shouto and smiles. His friend’s outfit was fairly simple too, a blue jumpsuit with white boots and a utility belt. On his arms were bracers to help him channel both his ice and fire. He looks cool, and Izuku gives him a thumbs up. 

The entire class meets up at Ground Beta, a training facility on UA property that Cementoss had built, making the area look like a normal city, perfect for training. All Might gathers them in a kind of observation deck overlooking the city. Izuku watches in surprise as All Might pulls out a piece of paper and begins reading off directions, sounding a little robotic.

“Hero students will be split into teams, two against two!” All Might reads, “A hero team and a villain team. The villain team will be guarding a sphere that is meant to emulate a nuclear reactor. If the villains protect the reactor or capture the heroes within the time limit, they win! If the heroes touch the reactor or capture the villains in the time limit, they will win! Alright, time to pair off.” 

Izuku is paired with Shouto, to his relief, and they’re made the hero team against Iida and Shinsou. They’re given a few minutes to strategize, and Izuku talks quietly with Shouto. 

“You should go for the reactor,” Izuku murmurs, “I’ll stop them with my capture weapon. Oh, and don’t talk to Shinsou. I have a feeling his quirk relies on verbal activation.” 

Shouto nods, “Agreed. I’ll use my ice to climb the building and I can smoke them out with my fire if needed.”

“READY STUDENTS?” All Might’s booming voice comes over the PA, “AND….START!”

Shouto is off like a light, ice climbing up the side of the building. Izuku stays in the shadows, creeping forward until he spots Shinsou, dressed all in black like him and with some kind of mask over his face. Izuku watches Shinsou spin a dial on the mask before he says clearly, “Izuku, where are you? I need help!”

Izuku stares, because the voice that just came out of Shinsou sounded exactly like Shouto’s. Realizing Shinsou must have some kind of voice changer, Izuku opts to say nothing. Shinsou tries again.

“Izuku! They got me! Where did you go?” 

Izuku quietly unwinds his capture weapon, flaring it out and using it to wrap around Shinsou’s legs. Shinsou curses in surprise, tripping and falling forward on his face. Just as that happens, All Might announces that Shouto touched the nuclear reactor, and the hero team are the winners.

Izuku walks over, gently untangling Shinsou from his capture weapon, a bit red in the face. “Sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

Shinsou smirks, taking Izuku’s hand as he pulls him off of the ground. “You didn’t. How did you know I wasn’t Shouto?”

“I saw you use the voice changer,” Izuku says, “I was behind you.” 

Shinsou grins at him, “Impressive. Are you sure you don’t have some kind of stealth quirk?”

“Positive,” Izuku responds as they head back up towards the observation deck, “Your quirk is really cool, by the way. You need verbal activation to use it, right?”

Shinsou raises an eyebrow. “In a way. I like to keep that to myself, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon. Good match today, Aizawa.” 

“Thanks, you too,” Izuku says, heading back in with the rest of the class.

After the battle trial is over, Izuku says goodbye to Shouto and his new classmates, heading towards the staff apartments when the building clears out a little. He knows his parents will probably still be in their classrooms, so he decides to do some of his homework for Nezu. 

Since Izuku’s already passed the first year curriculum, he’s being given different assignments than the other students. Currently, he has an essay on quirk theory for Nezu, advanced calculations for Ectoplasm, and another essay for his dad in English. His teachers are pushing him, but his focus this year is on his combat skills. 

If he can get strong enough, maybe then Izuku won’t have to hide anymore. 

Chapter Text

Izuku’s not exactly expecting his days in the hero course to be calm, or easy, but this is more than he was expecting to handle. Outside the front gates are a terrifyingly large number of reporters, all shouting and clambering, trying to get students’ attention. Izuku hears a lot of them yelling about All Might.

Some students are eagerly talking to the press while others are trying to slip around them. Izuku’s relieved he’s inside the grounds, knowing the press isn’t allowed to enter school grounds. He stays far away from the gate, texting his parents about the chaos. He figures they already are aware, but he feels a responsibility to help his classmates that look uncomfortable with the press. 

Once he’s in the 1-A classroom, Izuku sees more than a few of his classmates pressed up against the windows looking out at the press.

“Fucking vultures,” Bakugou scoffs, “They find out All Might’s here and lose their shit. It’s embarrassing.” 

“It’s very unbecoming of them,” Iida agrees, “And dangerous for the students. They’re impeding so many from getting to class on time!”

The rest of the morning goes by with everyone shooting glances out the window at the press, still pushing up against the gates, as if waiting for All Might to come out and give a statement. Today’s class schedule is a bit different than yesterday, as they have their non-heroics classes, primarily Math, English, and Art. 

Hizashi’s class is first and Izuku loves his dad, but he’s bored to tears. Most everyone in the class is at a conversational English level, but Izuku is completely fluent. Hizashi speaks English to him all the time, and Izuku reads books in English and watches English shows, so he doesn’t have much to learn from the class.

Hizashi winks at Izuku a couple times throughout class, as if giving him silent permission to work on something else. Izuku smiles back, pulling out one of the books Nezu had assigned him to read. A large one about mythology and death, Izuku is soon captivated by the words. It’s in English, so Izuku figures it can pass as doing work for the class.

“Aizawa, you should focus on your assignment,” Iida whispers next to him, “Not read in class!”

Izuku smiles, knowing Iida is just looking out for him. “It’s okay, I’m completely fluent in English. I already passed out of the English high school exams last year, so I’m allowed to do my own studying in this class. I cleared it with Present Mic before the start of the year.” 

Iida looks surprised, but he doesn’t bother Izuku about it again. The rest of the class passes peacefully, Izuku reading through a few chapters of his book and taking notes for the next meeting he’ll have with Nezu. 

Math and Art pass in a similar fashion, Izuku breezing through the math problems Ectoplasm put on the board. In art class, Izuku’s able to fully sink into his thoughts. They’re working on figure drawing today, and Izuku instead sketches Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld. Despite the fact that Izuku hasn’t actively used his quirk in years, the midnight blue mist he sees constantly, the undulating figures all around him, make him feel connected to the stories and myths he reads.

At lunch, Izuku still sits with Shouto, but today Shinsou sits next to him. Iida is at Shouto’s side and it’s a nice lunch, opening up to his classmates and talking about this and that. They’re halfway through lunch when a loud, wailing alarm suddenly pierces through the cafeteria. A few people scream and there’s shouts of “what’s going on?” 

“Intruder alert. Intruder alert. All students, evacuate the building immediately. This is not a drill. Intruder alert,” a mechanical voice comes over the PA. 

Izuku thinks about the press outside, realizing quickly that they must have broken through the safety barrier outside the campus and onto the grounds. He moves to stand to follow the evacuation order, but he’s immediately knocked back into his seat as people start running past the table. 

Izuku’s shocked. It’s total, complete pandemonium in the cafeteria as students run, screaming in a panic for the door. He’s actually struck completely shocked, unsure of what to do. He shares a panicked look with Shouto, who’s also still in his seat. Before either of them can act, Izuku looks up to see Iida being floated up to the ceiling by Uraraka.

“Remain calm!” Iida shouts over the crowd in his loud, booming voice, “We are UA students! I’m sure you can get a hold of yourselves and exit in an orderly fashion!”

Iida continues to calm everyone down and it shockingly works. Izuku’s chest unclenches as the rest of their class stands up, following the others out of the cafeteria. When everyone’s safe on the grounds, teachers come over and soothe the upset students.

“Please remain calm,” Midnight says, walking through the crowd of students, “The press broke through the UA barrier, which is why the alarms went off. There’s no emergency and you can return to your afternoon classes.” 

Izuku walks with Shouto, trying not to look at the mist out of the corner of his eye. Out on the open grounds like this, he can see it in the distance, the line of spirits undulating in and out of the curling midnight blue. It always sets his teeth on edge, especially since all the spirits are going somewhere. 

“Are you alright?” Shouto asks him bluntly, and Izuku nods, plastering on a fake smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Izuku lies, “Come on, I don’t want to be late to homeroom. My dad’ll kill me.” 

Once in homeroom, the others are talking about the alarm and how cool Iida was at calming everyone down. In fact, when Iida walks in, Kirishima starts a round of applause, making Iida blush beet red.

“Way to go, man,” Kaminari whoops, slinging his arm around Iida’s shoulder, “That was totally awesome. And Uraraka, you were super cool too, for lifting him up like that.”

Uraraka blushes, waving her arms, “Thanks, but it was all Iida. That speech was amazing!”

“I was only doing what any student should!” Iida exclaims, his face still red, “Maintaining a calm and level head-”

“Is very impressive for a first year student on their second day at UA,” Aizawa interrupts, walking in with a smile on his face, “Good work, Iida. You made your class proud. Now, everyone sit down. We still need to elect class representatives.” 

Hagakure stands up, brushing her hair behind her ears. Izuku wonders vaguely what everyone else sees when they look at her. Just floating clothes? He can’t wrap his head around it. 

“Sir, do we really need to hold elections?” she asks, “I mean, Iida should obviously be class president! He was so cool today, and you already know all the rules and stuff, right?”

Iida’s mouth is open, gaping like a fish. A few other people chime in and not a single person in class looks upset at the idea. Izuku smiles, nodding in agreement. 

“That may be, but we still need to hold elections,” Aizawa says, sounding bored, “Cast your votes now. You can vote for yourself, too. Just know that being class president and vice president come with a lot of extra work.”

There’s excited murmurs as Yaoyorozu passes out some little slips of paper and the class casts their votes. Aizawa looks through them a few minutes later, counting them up.

“Based on this, your class president will be Tenya Iida,” Aizawa says, “Vice president is Momo Yaoyorozu. Congratulations.” 

Cheers erupt around the classroom and Izuku smiles at both of them. He’s mostly just relieved he’s not class president, not wanting the additional work of managing the class on top of everything else he has to do in his private lessons with Nezu.

“Now that we’ve handled that, I’ll remind you that our class field trip to the USJ is in a couple of days,” Aizawa says, sitting down at his desk, “Use this time to catch up on homework, you’ll need it.” 

Izuku opens the large book he’s in the middle of reading, while most of the class is busy congratulating Iida and Yaoyorozu. He’s so engrossed in his reading that he doesn’t notice when Bakugou sits down backwards at the desk in front of Izuku, staring at him.

“Oi, Eraserbaby,” Bakugou says, making Izuku look up.

“Eraser…baby?” he says, “Do you mean me?”

Bakugou scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Of fucking course. Listen, I know your dad is Aizawa-sensei, but what about your mom? Who is she?”

Izuku blinks, shocked by the extremely personal question from someone that he doesn’t know. He’s so stunned, he just answers.

“Uh, she’s dead?” Izuku says, confused as to why Bakugou cares, “A really long time ago. My dad adopted me.”

Bakugou nods, as if he suspected that answer. “Yeah, see you’ve been driving me insane since yesterday because you look so damn familiar. My mom had a best friend years ago, Inko Midoriya. Died in a big earthquake. She had a son called Izuku, so I was wondering if that was you. We used to play together, or some shit.”

Izuku just stares. His brain almost whites out. He doesn’t remember Bakugou at all, but he’s struck with the familiarity that he felt yesterday when he first saw him. And his name, Midoriya. Izuku hadn’t heard it since he was kidnapped. Ignoring the fact that Bakugou knows a secret that could get Izuku into major trouble, he is struck by the fact that Bakugou is someone he knew before. He hadn’t really considered anyone from his past besides his mom.

“Yo, earth to Eraserbaby,” Bakugou says, waving his hand in front of Izuku’s eyes, “So? Is it you?” 

Izuku nods, his face still pale. He’s glad no one else is overhearing their conversation, swallowing hard. “Y-Yeah. It is. I’m sorry, I don’t remember you, or your mom.” 

“Tch, it’s fucking fine,” Bakugou says, rolling his eyes, “I don’t really remember you, either, except that you were a snot-nosed crybaby. Anyways, my mom was asking because she never found out what happened to you after the earthquake.”

“Oh, um, well, I’m alive,” Izuku offers uselessly, “And I live…with my dad now, so.” 

“Obviously,” Bakugou scoffs, “Look, if you want, my mom has pictures and stuff of your mom. She said she’d send them to you, if you want.”

Izuku does want that. He hasn’t seen his mom’s face since the night she died. “Yeah, that’d be nice.” 

The waver in his voice betrays his emotions and Bakugou just nods before standing up and heading to go talk to Kirishima. Izuku’s head is reeling with what he’s just learned, surprised that Bakugou even thought to recognize him. He’s trapped in his head all day, thinking about the past and his quirk. 

After homeroom, Izuku has his private lesson with Nezu. He heads up the stairs and into the principal’s office. Nezu is in his usual spot, behind his desk, and Izuku sits down across from him. Nezu’s talking to him, but Izuku can’t process it, his head still reeling. 

“Izuku, you seem to have something on your mind,” Nezu says calmly after a while, “Care to share?” 

Izuku blinks, embarrassed. “Sorry, sir. I just…a classmate of mine remembered me today, from before the earthquake. I was thinking a lot about my mother, and…and my quirk.” 

Izuku knows it’s pointless to hide anything from Nezu, and he’s learned over the years that being blunt with the principal is better than trying to beat around the bush. Nezu looks at Izuku with a calm expression, and Izuku sees the mist curl a little around Nezu’s paws. 

“Does this classmate of yours remember your original surname?” Nezu asks.

Izuku nods, “Yes, he knew my mom’s name too, Midoriya.” 

“I see,” Nezu sighs, “Well, we will have to deal with that. In the meantime, tell me what you have discovered in your research this week.” 

Izuku pulls out the large book from his bag, trying to shake himself out of the thoughts of Bakugou, his mother, his past. He puts the book on Nezu’s desk and tries to get his brain into academic mode, trying to contain his emotions. 

“I’ve been reading more about Charon and the river Styx,” Izuku says, “I think it’s the best analogy for my quirk. The spirits I see, it’s like…they’re on a mission to go somewhere. I can't interact with them unless I touch them. It makes me curious as to where they’re going.”

Nezu nods. “Yes, it makes sense. Part of me wonders if your human mind is rationalizing what you see to fit into your world view. I wonder if you were raised somewhere else, in a different time and place, if you would see these spirits differently.” 

“It’s possible,” Izuku says after a moment, “I mean no disrespect, sir, but why does it matter what they look like? I mean, they’re spirits either way, right?”

Nezu eyes him with a grin and simply says, “Perhaps.” 

Izuku feels a twinge of fear inside of him. If Bakugou remembers him, are there others who do, too? Is Izuku’s quirk at risk again? He thinks about the kidnapping, about the poor man who was killed in front of him. It flares up like an old ache in his heart. 

“Do you think I could have really done it? Saved that man?” Izuku asks Nezu quietly. 

Nezu regards him for a moment before asking, “The one who you saw murdered? It’s hard to say. I imagine that you could have. Logically, it makes sense if you were able to save the bird and the dog. Spirits are spirits, yes? A human spirit would logically appear larger to you than a bird’s, so you would just need to grab it and put it back in the body, just like with the animals you saved.” 

Izuku swallows hard. “I just hate not knowing, but at the same time, I don’t want to use my quirk. I don’t really want to know if I can…can do that, save someone like that. Because that means I’d see someone else die.” 

“True, but you will see much violence in your hero career,” Nezu says, “It is highly statistically likely that you will see someone die in front of you within the first three years of your hero career. You must be able to face it. In the right hands, your quirk could quite literally work miracles, Izuku.” 

Izuku’s stomach twists. He doesn’t want to work miracles, he just wants to keep his friends and family safe. The rest of the lesson with Nezu goes as it usually does, until Izuku is dismissed. He walks back to the staff apartments, tired and aching. The press has finally cleared out from UA’s front gates and Izuku is looking forward to spending time with his parents.

When he enters the apartment, all the lights are on and Hizashi blares the radio loudly in the kitchen, singing along with some awful pop song and cooking. Aizawa is stretched out on the couch, half-asleep with papers on his chest. Izuku smiles in spite of the day he’s had. His parents always make him feel better. 

“Welcome home, Izu!” Hizashi calls, waving at him from the kitchen as he cooks on the stovetop, “How was UA day two?”

Izuku tugs off his shoes and sets down his bag, Aizawa sitting up and smiling at him. 

“It was okay,” Izuku says with a shrug, unable to keep the exhaustion out of his voice, “I’m going to take a shower.” 

“Sure, kiddo,” Aizawa replies, looking at Izuku with an expression he can't place.

Izuku takes a long, hot shower before he bundles up in his coziest pajamas and meets his parents out by the dinner table. Hizashi and Aizawa are both already sitting down, working to serve three plates of food. Izuku slides into his seat, yawning a little in spite of himself.

“We had an interesting call from Nezu,” Hizashi says gently, “After your lesson was done.” 

Izuku freezes, swallowing hard. “Did he…tell you about Bakugou?”

“He did,” Aizawa answers, “Kid, it’s okay. Bakugou isn’t out to hurt you, he doesn’t know what your quirk is. You’ve got nothing to fear from him, okay?” 

Izuku nods, watching Hizashi scoop more rice onto his plate, “I know, it’s just that…it got me thinking about my quirk again. I mean, I see the mist all the time, but I haven’t really used my quirk since I was a little kid. When I told people I was quirkless, it didn’t really feel like a lie.” 

“Your quirk is extremely powerful, kiddo,” Hizashi says, voice much more serious than normal, “One of the most powerful I’ve ever heard of. It’s something to be proud of. Don’t forget that, okay?” 

“Okay,” Izuku says, clasping his hands together before eating the rice, “Mmm, dad, this is good.” 

Hizashi beams, “I know! Okay, my two favorite people on earth, please eat all of this food. Shou, no coffee tonight, either my love. You need sleep. Izuku, you also have to take some vitamins, you’re burning a lot of calories in training.”

“Dad,” Izuku laughs as Hizashi mother hens them. The mood lightens after that and for a few, precious minutes, Izuku forgets his worries and troubles. 

Chapter Text

When the day of the USJ field trip finally arrives, Izuku is so excited he can barely stand it. Class 1-A has changed into their hero uniforms, and Izuku is practically bouncing as Iida shouts at them to get on the bus in an orderly fashion.

Izuku slides into the bus pressing up against a window. Izuku’s actually not been in a car or a vehicle in years, since he’s been on campus, and he presses his face against the glass with a mixture of excitement and nerves. Shouto sits down next to him, smiling at his obvious eagerness.

“I hope it’s not disappointing,” Shouto tells him, “Outside of UA, I mean. It really doesn’t look all that special to me.”

“That’s because you’re used to it,” Izuku says, practically vibrating, “I haven’t left campus since I was five years old! I wonder how long the bus ride will be?” 

Shouto smiles, leaning back against the seat. “I think about twenty minutes, with traffic.”

Izuku is excited about the field trip, of course, but he’s mostly excited to go somewhere else. Despite having permission from Nezu, he still had been drilled in safety procedures not just by the principal, but his parents, and the other UA teachers as well. Snipe had insisted that Izuku add a small dart gun to his costume for his own protection every time he goes off campus.

Bakugou’s been shooting Izuku looks since their conversation a few days prior, but Izuku tunes all of this out. He’s leaving UA. Even if it turns out to be the most boring field trip on the planet, it will feel special to Izuku. He almost feels like cheering after Aizawa takes attendance when the bus rolls out.

Since Izuku’s not used to vehicles, it makes his stomach lurch as the bus moves, grabbing onto Shouto’s arm for support. He actually feels a bit queasy, shaking his head to try and steady himself.

“You okay?” Shouto asks.

Izuku nods, although his face is nearly as green as his hair. “Yeah, I just…forgot what it feels like to be in a car. I’ve never ridden in a bus before.” 

“Look out the window,” Shouto suggests, “It’ll help.” 

Izuku does, and his queasiness is eventually forgotten as the bus drives out of the UA gates. His heart skips a beat, pressing his face against the glass. He feels like a little kid again, taking in the sights and sounds. He sees cars, dozens of them, and people walking the streets. Business people on their way to work, kids in school uniforms, people doing their shopping. It’s thrilling. Izuku even spots a few local heroes as they ride through the streets. 

“Enjoying yourself?” Shouto smirks after a few minutes of Izuku pressing his face against the glass.

Izuku nods, wonder on his face. “It’s all like on tv, Shou! Look, it’s a McDonalds! I’ve never been there before!”

Shouto actually laughs at that. “I promise, as soon as you’re allowed off campus for more than field trips, I will take you to get fries.”

“Really?” Izuku asks, his eyes big, “Thank you!”

He’s so overly excited by what he’s seeing out the window that he can almost ignore the mist. It’s much more visible out here, swirling and curling around everyone it passes. Izuku sees figures undulating inside of it, hands reaching out of the mist, ghostly, white eyes-

“Oh my gosh, we’re here!” Mina squeals, sounding thrilled, “Guys, look!”

Izuku looks out the other side of the bus to see the towering USJ building next to them. Aizawa stands up, directing them all off the bus. Izuku follows Shouto out of the seat and hops down onto the ground. He marvels for a moment about standing on ground that isn’t UA school property. 

The rescue hero, Thirteen, is standing outside the doors to the USJ, waving at them cheerfully. The class heads over, eager to begin the day. The warm sunshine beams down on the class, and Izuku is happy.  

“Welcome!” Thirteen calls to them, “Welcome, everyone, to the USJ! You’re here today to practice the basics of rescue heroics. As you might know, my quirk allows me to create a black-hole like suction in my fingertips. It’s very helpful when clearing away debris and other things in order to help rescue civilians.” 

Thirteen leads them inside the USJ and Izuku’s jaw actually drops. He’s never seen a place like this before. It’s bigger than several football fields, packed with all sorts of different kinds of locations. There’s a water rescue area complete with shipwreck, a desert, a ruined city simulating an earthquake zone, and a center courtyard type area where they’re currently standing. 

“As you can see, the USJ is outfitted for all types of rescue operations,” Thirteen says, “Today, we will split the class into two groups. Five of you will operate as rescue heroes, while the other fifteen will be victims of the disaster. We will rotate throughout the day so everyone has the opportunity to be a hero, and in all areas of the facility.” 

Thirteen continues to explain the operation, but Izuku is distracted. The swirling midnight-blue mist that he always sees is mixed with a strange, thick, black and purple mist in the distance. Izuku’s never seen it before, staring at it.

“Sensei, what is that?” someone asks, and everyone turns to look at the center of the facility. In the middle of the black and purple mist, Izuku is surprised to see three living figures step through it. It’s hard to make out through the blue mist he usually sees combined with the new, strange black and purple one, but he makes out a few distinguishing features.

Firstly, there’s a man who appears to be made out of the mist himself, with bright yellow eyes and no visible mouth. Next to him is a shorter figure, hunched over and covered in what look alarmingly like severed hands. Beside both of them is some kind of creature, mostly black with some red lines on its skin. Its brain is exposed, and Izuku gets the sense that this creature, whatever it is, isn’t really alive.

“Stay back,” Aizawa says, his voice tight and anxious, as he looks down at his phone, his jaw tightening, “Listen everyone, these are real villains. Do not panic. Thirteen, protect the students. Iida, you’re the fastest. The cell service has been cut. I need you to run back to UA as fast as you can.” 

“But sir-” Iida protests.

“Now!” Aizawa barks, “There’s no time, hurry!”

Iida nods, looking conflicted as he turns and runs through the front doors. Not even two seconds after he leaves, the black and purple mist swirls in front of the doors, effectively blocking any of the rest of them from getting out. 

Izuku feels sick, remembering the people who had attacked him the last time he had left UA’s grounds. Scared, he looks to his dad for comfort, feeling even more afraid when he sees dozens of villains appearing in groups all over the USJ. There must be over a hundred of them. Aizawa looks calm, walking straight towards the first three in the center, his face calm as he slides down his patent yellow goggles.

“Students, stay behind Thirteen,” Aizawa orders, “I will engage them. Do not attempt to get involved.” 

Izuku’s heart pounds. His dad is an incredible hero, he knows this, but surely Aizawa can’t be planning on attacking all of the villains alone. He takes a shaky step forward, clenching his ists.

“Dad, let me help,” Izuku says, his eyes hard, not betraying the anxiety he feels, “I can help keep some of them off your back.” 

A few of his classmates’ eyes widen. Shouto steps forward to stand next to Izuku, the others looking at him in surprise. 

“Yes sensei, let us help,” Shouto says, “We’ve trained with you for years, we can help you.”

“No,” Aizawa says, his jaw tightening, “This isn’t a training exercise, this is real. You’re fifteen years old and neither of you have hero licenses.” 

Izuku lurches forward. “But Dad, there’s too many of them! Please, let us help you!”

“Kid, you’ve grown up around heroes your whole life,” Aizawa says gently, his gaze locked on the villains, “You know that there’s no such thing has only having one trick up your sleeve. All of you, listen. Stay together and do not engage. Thirteen will protect you.”

“Dad,” Izuku chokes out, but it’s too late. Aizawa rushes towards the villain group closest to him and immediately takes three of them down, slamming them into the ground with his capture weapon. He makes quick work of more of them, locking on the center where the three villains are still standing. 

“Don’t worry,” Shouto murmurs next to Izuku, “Aizawa is very strong. These villains seem to be low-level. Iida will get help and Aizawa will be fine.”

Izuku nods, hoping that Shouto is right. Before he can say anything, that black and purple mist swirls around all of them. It feels icy cold and sick, and Izuku finds himself frozen in it, unable to move. 

“Nice to meet you,” the figure in the mist says, the one with the yellow eyes, “We are the League of Villains. We are here, for one reason. To kill All Might. It seems, however, that he is not here. No matter.”

Before the villain can say anything else, Kirishima and Bakugou charge him with a hardened punch and one of Bakugou’s explosions. When the smoke clears, the figure is still standing, undulating slightly. Izuku grits his teeth.

“Stay back!” Thirteen calls, “Do not engage!”

“My job is to scatter you…to your deaths,” the man in the mist growls, and before any of them can move again, they’re each wrapped in the icy cold mist. Izuku closes his eyes, feeling a swooping sensation in his stomach. 

When he next opens his eyes, Izuku finds himself somewhere in the USJ, the desert area if he’d have to guess. He immediately scans the area, sliding under a nearby overturned car, relieved that there’s so many objects around the USJ to hide behind. He takes a few moments to collect his thoughts, to calm his nerves.

Villains were attacking. Real villains. His dad was in danger, his classmates were scattered. Shouto, all of them. He knows it would be stupid to try and take on a bunch of villains by himself, so he opts for the next best plan; get back to the center. He knows his dad is amazing, but he can’t fight all the villains off on his own indefinitely. Even if Iida runs as fast as he possibly can, it will still be too long before help can arrive.

Once Izuku is fairly certain there’s no villains around him, he tugs his hood over his head and makes sure his stun gun and capture weapon are in his hands. He quickly scans the horizon for a way back to the center, spotting a path he can take mostly out of sight. Resolving to help any classmates he finds along the way, Izuku begins to run.

He’s lucky, running into no villains at all. He can hear battles in the distance, screams that make him wince. He hopes, prays to his classmates, Shouto, Thirteen, that all of them are safe. But right now, he has to focus on his dad. His dad needs him.

When Izuku finally reaches the center of the USJ again, his heart sinks. His dad is still standing, unconscious villains all around him. He looks terrible though, bloody. Parts of his costume are broken and Izuku can see his goggles cracked, hanging around his neck. 

The mist villain who had scattered them is standing again next to the one with the severed hands and the creature with the exposed brain. Izuku is suddenly sure that these are the three in charge of the operation, the leaders. 

He keeps himself hidden, creeping as close as he dares out of sight, hoping that he can overhear something that will help him help his dad. 

“Kurogiri, did you scatter all the brats?” the one with the severed hands is saying, sounding bored.

“Yes, I did,” the yellow-eyed mist man responds, “They are currently fighting for their lives, just as you ordered, Shigaraki.” 

Shigaraki. Kurogiri. Izuku has two of their names now. He stores that in his mind, it’s more than useful to know. 

“Good,” Shigaraki grins behind the severed hands, “Now when he comes they’ll be all bloody and broken! My nomu will crush him and all the rest, smash them into the dirt like the NPCs they are. Nomu, get ready.”

The creature with the exposed brain shifts a little next to Shigaraki, and Izuku has a better idea now of the power structure. Judging by how orders are being given, Shigaraki is in charge. The nomu seems mindless, definitely not human, and Kurogiri appears a subordinate to Shigaraki. Izuku winces when he hears a cry of pain, whipping his head around to see Aizawa on one knee, coughing up blood as he brings the last villain to the ground around him. 

“Annoying,” Shigaraki sighs, “Eraserhead’s just too cool. It looks like we’ll have to take him out. Nomu, use Eraserhead as a warm up. Destroy him so you’re ready for All Might.”

Izuku’s heart races as the creature rears itself up. He doesn’t even have time to move before the creature runs at an impossible speed. Aizawa spots it, cursing as he manages to dodge out of the way, evading it as best as he can. Izuku stands up. He knows…something bad is going to happen. The mist, his blue mist, is swirling, agitated, curling around Aizawa’s legs. 

Foreboding, the sense of death floods Izuku’s mouth, his tongue. The dog. His mom. The bird. The man, his throat slashed. Aizawa, bloody and broken. Izuku watches, running as fast as he can, his arm outstretched as the nomu turns, slamming into Aizawa’s side. 

Izuku can only watch, running as Aizawa falls to the ground. Shigaraki laughs, moving towards Aizawa’s collapsed form, kicking his stomach before reaching down. Izuku’s so close now, he’s only ten feet away. He suddenly, desperately knows he can’t let Shigaraki touch his dad.

“No!” Izuku screams, but it’s too late. Shigaraki puts five fingers on Aizawa’s chest, and his skin and flesh begin to decay. Blood pools around him and Izuku watches five feet away, three, two, one.

He stops in front of his dad just as the light leaves his eyes.

“Oh? Another npc?” Shigaraki asks himself when he spots Izuku. All Izuku can do is stare at his dad. Aizawa’s eyes are open, but there’s no life, not at all. Izuku’s numb watching his dad’s blood seep out, leaking on the ground until it stains Izuku's shoes. Before Izuku can even process what he's seeing, he’s on his knees in front of his dad's mangled corpse.

“D-Dad?” Izuku stammers, pale as a ghost, “Dad…w-wake up.”

“Ooh, dad is it?” Shigaraki asks, sounding gleeful, “Wait, nomu, don’t kill this one. I want All Might to see this little scene. You brat, your daddy here is dead. How does that make you feel?”

Rage, sick fury, burns in Izuku’s heart. He hears Shigaraki taunt him again as he kneels in his dad’s blood, memories surging through him. Vaguely, he sees the mist curling, Aizawa’s spirit starting to rise out of his body. The figures in the blue mist turning to stare at him, their eyes empty and cold. 

Izuku is staring. Aizawa, his dad. A thousand images rush through his mind. His dad, teaching him how to use a capture weapon. Reading him a bedtime story. Tucking him in. Teasing him, playing with him. Letting Izuku practice braiding his and Hizashi’s hair. The three of them, curled on the couch.

Izuku has tears streaming down his cheeks before he realizes it, reaching out to grab his dad’s hand. It’s already getting cold. Time feels endless, each second like an hour as his dad’s lifeless, dead body is laid out before him.

A crash from somewhere near the front of the USJ reveals the entire wall dismantled, the UA staff bursting through with Iida at their side, but Izuku doesn't see them. He misses Snipe shooting a bullet directly into the nomus’ brain, stopping it long enough for All Might to Detroit Smash it into oblivion. He misses Shigaraki’s enraged scream, missing Kurogiri warping both him and Shigaraki out of the USJ.

Izuku doesn’t know how long it’s been. Aizawa’s spirit is still hovering over his body, like it doesn’t want to leave. Izuku is stuck, kneeling next to his dad's body. 

“S-Sensei!” someone screams from behind him, “Oh god, n-no.” 

“Holy shit, Aizawa-sensi…he’s…” 

Izuku can hear screaming, crying, sobbing behind him, but one voice stands out over the rest, making Izuku’s body clench in grief and devastation.

“Shouta!”

It’s Hizashi, Hizashi running towards his son, curled in his husband’s blood on the ground, Aizawa’s broken body splayed out in front of him. Aizawa, dead.

“Oh god, no no no,” Hizashi begs, and his voice destroys Izuku. “Fuck Shouta, no…”

Izuku is rocking in a circle before he can realize it, hearing Hizashi sobbing, curled over the body of his husband. They’re in full view of the UA staff, his class, but Izuku…he can stop this. Aizawa’s spirit has started to drift away, heading towards the others in the mist, and Izuku is determined to grab it before its too late.

He rocks faster, the blue mist seeping into his irises as he presses his hand on the wound on Aizawa’s chest. He hears gasps from those around him, hears a devastated Hizashi call his name in a panic, but the noise soon whites out around him. All Izuku can see are the spirits, the blue mist. Aizawa’s spirit has drifted towards the others, moving slowly. 

Izuku lunges forward, his love and fear for his dad’s life fueling him to move. He grabs onto Aizawa’s spirit, gripping it tightly and tugging, hard. Izuku feels his own energy draining, struggling with everything he has to pull on Aizawa’s spirit. With one, harsh tug, Izuku slams his dad’s spirit back into his lifeless body.

He gasps, agony surging through him. It’s painful, utterly painful, and Izuku can feel his dad’s wounds knitting themselves back together under his hands. The skin Shigaraki had disintegrated coming back together. He hears Hizashi’s shocked cries, gasps of Izuku’s name, and Izuku just keeps his hands on his dad’s body. He waits, flooding him with energy as his eyes are still clouded with the mist, until every last, tiny wound is fixed.

Suddenly, as if bursting out from under water, Aizawa lets out a shocked gasp, sitting up so quickly it makes Hizashi jump.

“Shouta,” Hizashi chokes out, gripping him desperately, his tearstained face looking ragged and afraid, “You…you…”

Aizawa blinks, looking around him, utterly confused. Izuku’s eyes are still clouded over, his body feeling suddenly drained of energy. He pitches forward, caught by Aizawa who still looks completely disoriented. Izuku manages to hang onto consciousness long enough to hear Hizashi scream for an ambulance before everything goes black. 

Chapter Text

Izuku’s dreams are terrifying. 

He wanders through mist that begins with the familiar midnight blue he’s come to associate with death, before it morphs to black and purple, Kurogiri’s gleaming yellow eyes looming through it. He sees Aizawa die, over and over, feels his dad’s blood gushing over his hands. Every splintered bone, ever terrible injury his dad had gotten from the nomu and Shigaraki, all flooding through Izuku’s body.

He hears Hizashi scream, hears his friends dying, All Might dying, and he can’t stop it. 

“Izuku, honey, it’s time to wake up,” a gentle voice says next to him. He can feel fingers in his hair. The voice is warm, and it’s like a beam of sunlight cutting through his nightmares. “Come on, kid. You’ve been asleep long enough.” 

Izuku blinks his eyes open, wincing at the bright, white light that immediately floods them. He sees two blurry figures next to his bed, and he’s flooded with relief seeing both of his parents sitting there, looking ragged and exhausted. 

Hizashi looks by far worse off, dark circles under his eyes, his hair in a haphazard bun and wearing what looks like his hero costume with one of Aizawa’s sweatshirts on over it. Aizawa actually looks pretty good, just his usual tired. He’s in hospital scrubs, holding onto Hizashi’s hand.

“Hey, buddy,” Hizashi says gently, his voice wobbling a little, “There’s our favorite son.” 

Izuku blinks, memories rushing back as he sits up slowly. He snaps his eyes to Aizawa, fear pounding in his heart.

“D-Dad,” Izuku chokes out, his voice small and scared, “You…you d-died.”

“Yeah, I did,” Aizawa says gently, Hizashi looking sickened, “And you brought me back, kiddo. Do you remember?”

Izuku nods. He remembers the sickening mist, the blood, the pain. How horrible Aizawa’s injuries had felt, the agony in his body, all of the terrible things he had felt when he was bringing his dad back to life. 

“I…remember,” Izuku mumbles, feeling sick to his stomach, and very afraid. He feels bad, like he touched something he shouldn’t have, something forbidden and sick. He feels small, like a terrified, lost child. Izuku draws his knees up to his chest, burying his face against them.

“Hey, you’re alright,” Aizawa says gently, rubbing Izuku’s back, “Thank you so much, Izuku. I can’t…there’s no words to describe how grateful I am. I don’t remember it, but Zashi said it looked like it took a lot out of you.” 

Izuku sniffs, his face still pressed against his knees. “I remember.” 

“You do?” Hizashi asks, voice sounding ragged. Izuku looks up, wincing. Hizashi looks like he hasn’t slept in days, his eyes flickering to Aizawa every few moments, as if he doesn’t believe his own husband is next to him.

“It’s been three days since the USJ,” Aizawa murmurs, still rubbing Izuku’s back, “Everyone’s really worried about you. We’ve had to kick Shouto out of the hospital three times now, and Iida tried to stage a ‘respectful protest’ so they could come and visit you.” 

Izuku’s touched that his classmates seem to care about him so much, but he’s struck with the realization that they all saw. His friends, all the teachers. Everyone saw his quirk. There’s no keeping it a secret now, not after he had revived his dad in front of everyone.

“Izuku, you saved your dad’s life,” Hizashi says tearfully, “You…you brought him back from the dead, baby. Thank you…thank you so much.”

Hizashi’s voice is choked with grief and Aizawa squeezes his hand, looking down at Izuku like he’s a miracle. The love in both of his parents’ eyes is almost too much to look at, and Izuku finds he can’t bear to look at it. Not after he had touched that abyss. His body feels stained from the mist, like if he looks down, he’ll see nothing but death on his hands.

“We love you so much, Izu,” Aizawa says gently, “You’re incredible, kid. We’re so happy you’re awake.”

Izuku chokes out a little sob, surging forward and pressing his face against Aizawa’s chest. Aizawa shushes him, holding him in a tight hug as Izuku sobs into his chest, gripping the back of Aizawa’s hospital scrubs.

“D-Dad,” Izuku sobs, wailing like a little kid, “You d-died dad, you died.”

“I know, I know, I’m so sorry,” Aizawa murmurs, rocking Izuku, “Everything’s okay now, all because of you. We’re all safe, Izu, all three of us.” 

Hizashi’s crying too, wrapping his arms around both of them, seemingly overwhelmed with emotions. It feels like some strange dream, Izuku’s body feeling light, like he could float away any moment. The terrible, icy cold mist on his fingers, the way it had felt to touch his dad’s very soul. Izuku’s grappling with the very concept of the afterlife and death.

He shouldn’t have done it. He knows the laws of nature don’t account for his quirk, he’s a freak. Reviving his dad had felt forbidden, like he’s not allowed to touch anything clean ever again. He’s dark, bad, wrong. Despite the intense sensation, Izuku is relieved, so relieved that Aizawa is there, that he’s alive, that their family is safe. 

After a long cry, Izuku finds himself unable to bear to have Aizawa out of his sight. Aizawa indulges this, having the nurses bring some food for Izuku while Hizashi falls asleep in the corner of the room on a chair. Izuku knows his friends want to see him, but he still feels unstable, unable to keep himself steady.

“Kid, your class saw. All of them saw you. They know about your quirk, and about your dad and I as well,” Aizawa had told him, “After everyone was checked out, Nezu made them all sign NDA’s with the police, slapped them with a gag order. If they want to stay enrolled at UA, they can’t talk about your quirk with anyone outside of the class.” 

Izuku feels terrible that his classmates were given that ultimatum. He doesn’t regret bringing his dad back, but he knows that things are about to get a lot more complicated at school. He’s never had to tell anyone about his quirk, not since he was a very small child, and he has no idea how to explain it. 

Izuku’s laying back in his hospital bed as Aizawa and Hizashi both sleep in chairs next to him. Izuku doesn’t have his phone, so he’s just laying there, his head churning with thoughts. After a few quiet minutes, there’s a soft knock on the door.

Aizawa and Hizashi don’t stir, a testament to how exhausting the last few days must have been for them. Standing in the doorway is Nezu, who enters before closing Izuku’s hospital door behind him. It’s a private room, so they’re completely alone. 

“Young Izuku,” Nezu says quietly, walking over as Izuku sits up to greet him, “I am glad to see you awake.” 

“Thank you, sir,” Izuku whispers, his parents still asleep. He knows Nezu must have heard, or maybe even seen, what Izuku did at the USJ, so he’s steeling himself for a hard conversation. 

“So, we have seen that your quirk is indeed strong enough to revive a dead person,” Nezu says at once, making Izuku feel an icy pit in his stomach, “Did it feel different than when you resurrected the dog, or the bird?”

Izuku swallows hard, nodding. “Y-Yeah, it did. It felt… wrong. Like I shouldn’t be doing it, like…like it was forbidden.” 

“Interesting,” Nezu says, Hizashi stirring from his sleep as the conversation continues, “Did the feeling come before or after you touched your father’s spirit?”

“A-After,” Izuku murmurs, sick to his stomach, “It was like…I was taking him away from something. I was interfering with something bigger than me, than all of us. Like…I wasn’t following the rules.” 

Nezu just looks at Izuku as Hizashi blinks fully awake, murmuring a sleepy ‘hello’ to the principal, who nods back. “And whose rules did it feel like you were breaking?”

Izuku winces. “I can’t say…it…I dunno, just something bigger than me. I don’t think I could explain it if I tried.” 

Hizashi watches the conversation, his face tightening a little. He reaches over to squeeze Izuku’s hand, smiling gently at his son. “You don’t have to explain it, kiddo. You saved your dad’s life. Whatever the cosmic rules are, that’s nothing to regret. Without you, he’d be dead. We’d be at his funeral right now.”

Izuku knows this to be true, hardly able to stomach the thought of his dad’s funeral, of how terrible it would have felt to sit there next to his dad’s corpse, watching Hizashi sob over it until they took Aizawa’s lifeless body away. He shakes his head, fists clenching tightly. 

“But isn’t it like playing god?” Izuku asks, feeling sick to his stomach, “Why should I be the one who decides who lives or who dies? Why do I have power like this?” 

“That isn’t for you to decide,” Nezu says firmly, “You do have this power, and so you must decide whether or not you will use it.” 

Hizashi senses Izuku’s distress, looking at his sleeping husband before rubbing his thumb over Izuku’s hand. 

“Think of yourself like a really, really good doctor,” Hizashi suggests, “You can only use your quirk for a few minutes after their death to truly revive someone, right? It’s the same as a doctor. A good doctor can restart someone’s heart and bring them back, too. You’re like a fancy AED, bringing back someone’s pulse.” 

Izuku blinks at his dad. “An…AED?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Hizashi beams. He still has dark circles under his eyes, and Izuku’s heart aches, remembering how Hizashi had screamed for his husband. It was terrible to listen to, and Izuku never wants to hear his dad grieved like that again. He tries to take Hizashi’s words to heart, to consider thinking of himself like a doctor, like some kind of medical professional.

Truthfully, Izuku wishes he could do something to help before people die. If he has to use his quirk in the worst circumstances, he supposes he can, but if he can save someone’s life before he needs to…

Izuku won’t need to touch that mist ever again.

“My quirk can revive the dead, but what if I can help stop people from dying?” Izuku asks quietly, “I…I want to help. I want to be useful before someone dies.”

“Interesting,” Nezu says, looking as if he’s considering something, “Would you consider doing an internship with Recovery Girl? She would teach you the basics of medical care. With your sense of death, you would make an excellent combat medic.” 

“A…medic?” Izuku asks, the word feeling strange on his tongue, “I…yeah, I could try.” 

Nezu nods, “Good, it will be done then. Oh, and Izuku, you will not be participating in the Sports Festival this year due to quirk exhaustion. However, if you would like, you may work with Recovery Girl in the infirmary during the Festival to begin working on your medical skills.” 

Izuku just blinks, hardly able to take this all in. “O…kay.” 

Nezu smiles. “We’ll speak about this more at your next lesson. Recover well, Izuku. Yamada, please tell Aizawa I wish him well.” 

When Nezu leaves, Izuku just sits on the bed, his head reeling. He still feels lost, a little confused. His head is reeling from the conversation with Nezu. Hizashi moves to sit next to him on the bed, wrapping an arm around him.

“Try not to think too hard about it, Izu,” Hizashi tells him gently, “You did an incredible thing, one your dad and I will never be able to thank you enough for. Please, whatever conflict you may be feeling, just focus on that. See, look?”

Hizashi is pointing to Aizawa, whose chest is rising up and down as he sleeps. Tired, but very much alive. 

“You did that, Izu. You brought him back to life. Never, ever regret that, because your dad is amazing. We need him, UA needs him. Japan needs him. You brought him back, and I will never be able to tell you how grateful I am.”

Hizashi is nearly in tears by the end of the speech, Izuku turning to tuck his face against his dad’s shoulder. They sit like that for a while until the nurse comes with Izuku’s meal. Aizawa wakes up and the three of them chat around Izuku’s bed. Izuku manages to eat half his food while Hizashi goes and gets him and Aizawa some sandwiches from the hospital cafe, all three of them eating together. 

“Can I see Shouto?” Izuku asks after he’s done eating, “I…owe him an explanation.” 

“Sure, kid,” Aizawa says, “He’s dying to see you. The others are going to have to wait until you’re back at UA, but we’ll bring Shouto here.” 

A few hours later, Aizawa and Hizashi step out to give Izuku time to talk with Shouto alone. Shouto looks relieved to see Izuku, walking over to his bed and sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. 

“Hey,” Shouto smiles, “How are you feeling?” 

Izuku shrugs, “Weird, but okay. A little…off, I guess.”

“Makes sense,” Shouto sighs, leaning back in his chair, “It’s not every day you bring someone back to life, right?”

Izuku winces, guilt burning in his chest. “I’m sorry I never told you. I just…I couldn’t. I wasn’t allowed to. Nezu said everyone would want my quirk, villains, heroes, governments. I was only allowed to talk about it with my parents. The USJ is the first time I’ve used it since I was six.” 

“Wow,” Shouto remarks, impressed, “I understand why you couldn’t tell me. I’m not angry, or upset. It’s your secret, and I’m sorry you were forced to use it in front of all of us, and especially on your dad.” 

Izuku smiles weakly. “Thanks. It’s been kind of intense. Nezu says I’m going to start training with Recovery Girl now, and that I can’t do the Sports Festival.” 

“I’ll win it for you, then,” Shouto says solemnly, and Izuku grins, his heart feeling suddenly lighter. 

“Thanks, Shou. I’m glad you’ve got my back.”

“Always.”

Chapter Text

When Izuku walks into Class 1-A for the first time after the USJ attack, there’s a hush that falls over the room. Izuku is the last to arrive this morning, but Aizawa has tactfully not entered the room yet, under the guise that he needs to go talk to Ectoplasm about something, giving Izuku some time with his friends.

All nineteen of his classmates stare at him with a mixture of respect, awe, and a little fear. Izuku supposes if he saw someone’s eyes turn to dark mist and bring a dead person back to life, he’d be a bit unsettled, too. He can’t blame them.

“Dude,” Kirishima says, breaking the silence “What you did at the USJ was so freaking manly. Are you okay?”

Izuku nods, his face tinged red. “I’m fine. I just had really bad quirk exhaustion, that’s why I was gone for a few days.”

Shouto gives him an encouraging smile from his desk, but Izuku can see lots of inquisitive faces. He knows they must have a million questions. Glancing behind him to make sure the classroom door is closed so no one can overhear, Izuku rubs the back of his head awkwardly.

Dark Shadow slides out of Tokoyami, nuzzling against Izuku’s chest and begins to chew on his tie. He makes affirmative noises as Izuku gently scratches his head, surprised when Dark Shadow rumbles, a kind of odd purr.

“Feel like me,” Dark Shadow says, clinging to Izuku, “I like it.”

No one says anything for a moment and Izuku’s eyes flick to Tokoyami in silent apology, but he doesn’t seem upset. Izuku remembers that Dark Shadow and Tokoyami are mentally linked, so Tokoyami must approve of Dark Shadows actions on some level to tolerate him being close to Izuku. 

“That's why you can see me,” Hagakure says quietly, looking up at Izuku with a smile as he pets Dark Shadow, “Because you can see spirits and they're invisible too, right?”

Izuku shrugs, still blushing as he’s unused to the attention. “I mean, I guess. I can’t really explain that, honestly.” 

Bakugou is staring at Izuku intensely, his red eyes tracking Izuku up and down. It’s a deep enough stare that it makes Izuku uncomfortable, turning away. He feels guilty when he looks at them all, knowing Nezu must have cornered them right after the USJ, after such a traumatic time, and forced them all to sign NDAs. It makes him feel a little sick.

“I’m sorry…about the NDA’s,” Izuku says, wringing his hands together, “I didn’t want you to have to keep my secret.”

“Why do we need a gag order?” Kaminari asks, sounding confused, “I mean, your quirk is scary as hell, but it’s also cool? Like…why’s it hush hush? And honestly, what is your quirk, anyways? I mean, we obviously saw…what happened, but it was kind of hard to tell what was going on.”

Izuku decides to answer the latter part of the question first, relief flooding him as he gets to talk openly about this for the first time. 

“My quirk is called Living Touch,” Izuku says quietly, everyone’s attention completely on him, “If I can get to someone’s side fast enough after they die, I can bring them back to life. That’s how I…saved my dad.”

Iida’s eyes widen. “How? You…you healed Aizawa-sensei’s wounds, as well. Is it a healing quirk?”

Izuku shakes his head, trying to ignore the swirling mist in the room. He might as well be totally honest. “N-No, it’s not. It’s…I can see the spirits of the dead. I uh…if I’m fast enough, I can shove someone’s soul back into their body. If they get too far away from me, they go with the others, and then I can’t catch them.”

A ringing silence follows this statement and Izuku can’t blame his classmates for looking unnerved. He doesn’t know the belief systems of the others in his class, but it would take an amount of acceptance of an afterlife for anyone to believe him. For anyone who’s religious in any way, he’s sure they’ll interpret it in the way that they see fit. He’s uneasy, which Dark Shadow seems to sense, slipping back into Tokoyami’s shadow.

“What do spirits look like?” Shinsou asks bluntly, leaning back against the classroom wall, “Sorry if it’s a rude question, I’m honestly just curious.” 

Izuku frowns, trying to recall just how someone’s spirit looks. With his dad, he had been in such a panic, he hadn’t gotten a good look at his spirit. He stares out towards the grounds, the swirling midnight blue mist curling at the bottom of everything, watching the endless row of souls he always sees to try and make them out. 

“Oi, nerd, what are you staring at?” Bakugou snaps, sounding like he's running out of patience.

“I’m looking at them,” Izuku says, voice distant, “The spirits, I mean. I don’t know how to describe them…they’re like shadows. Impressions. Not a ghost, like in the movies. Or what you look like, Hagakure. Not even like Dark Shadow. It’s like something you see out of the corner of your eye, but you’re not sure if its real.” 

Izuku knows he’s not doing a great job explaining, but he’s not even sure what he sees is the real interpretation of what spirits look like. For all he knows, it’s his mind playing tricks so his quirk works better. He has no frame of reference to know if what he sees is real in any sense. 

“You can see spirits right now?” Jirou asks, “Like, all the time?”

Izuku nods, watching the blue mist curl around his feet. “Yeah. Um…and there’s kind of this…dark blue, almost black mist that they send everywhere. From my perspective, it’s everywhere, all the time.” 

More silence follows this and Izuku blushes again, feeling the scrutiny of everyone as they look at him with confusion. 

“Why did you bullshit us about being quirkless?” Bakugou asks, folding his arms and snapping Izuku out of his thoughts. 

“I am legally quirkless, it’s not a lie,” Izuku explains, “Izuku Aizawa has no registered quirk. Only Izuku Midoriya does.”

“Midoriya?” Iida asks, and Izuku nods. He then explains the earthquake, how Hizashi had found him. The dog, being whisked to the hospital. His mother’s death, changing his name. A horrified silence follows this explanation, but he can tell Bakugou still isn’t totally satisfied. 

“So, you have a weird fucking quirk,” Bakugou shrugs, “I still don’t get all the damn secrecy. I get not parading it around around, but you and IcyHot are best fucking friends, or whatever. Why the fuck was it it even a surprise to him?”

Shouto blinks, looking a little confused that the attention is on him, and Izuku winces. 

“Because my quirk is…” Izuku trails off, a little embarrassed, “I was kidnapped once as a child. They murdered an innocent man in front of me to get me to use my quirk. After that...Nezu said everyone would want my quirk, heroes, villains, governments, gangs, and anyone who’d ever lost someone. I had to stay at UA for my own protection and lie about my quirk status. The USJ was the first time I’d left UA grounds in ten years.”

Even Bakugou looks surprised by the last bit, and the room goes quiet again after this announcement. Izuku isn’t sure what else he should say, if anything, but he’s relieved when Iida speaks up and breaks the awkward silence.

“That sounds exceedingly difficult,” Iida says gently, “But we’ll keep your secret. Not just because of the NDA, but because we’re your friends. We’ll support you.” 

His classmates nod and Izuku relaxes a fraction. He smiles nervously, feeling a little better than when he had first walked into the classroom. His classmates may be a little unsure about him, but they’re good people, and Izuku feels proud to know them.

“Thanks,” he says shyly, “I…um, I’ll try to be worthy of your support. And your trust.” 

“Hey, having you around is pretty good security,” Kaminari jokes, slinging an arm around Izuku’s shoulders, “Hard to be scared out in the field when you know someone can bring you back to life!”

It’s a little hard to sit out while his classmates prepare for the Sports Festival, but Izuku has a lot on his mind. There’s the internship with Recovery Girl that he had agreed to with Nezu. She was expecting him to be at her side for the entirety of the Sports Festival, which Izuku was looking forward to, in the main. However, since the USJ, Izuku’s been very distracted.

His parents and him have been sleeping horribly, all of them having nightmares. Izuku’s are about not getting to Aizawa fast enough, and the terrible things he had felt in the mist. Hizashi’s are of watching Aizawa die, holding his corpse. While Aizawa doesn’t remember dying, he dreams of a void, an emptiness, and the pain he had felt when Shigaraki had killed him.

It’s not making for very pleasant nights. 

Izuku has a problem of his own to worry about, one he hasn’t shared with anyone yet. Since he touched his dad’s spirit and revived him, the shapes Izuku sees in the mist look much more real. If he looks hard enough, he can see past their empty eyes to make out features, faces. Some of them even open their mouths and he hears eerie, wraith-like noises, like the sound of scratching branches mixed with the call of a raven or a crow. 

Unsettled doesn’t quite describe how Izuku feels about it. He begins to see omens of death everywhere, no doubt exacerbated by his extensive knowledge on the subject combined with his imagination. He sees crows, cats, black dogs, any and all death omens. He thinks he hears whispers in the dark when he tries to sleep, voices of the dead. It’s like the veil between him and the spirits has been lifted ever so slightly, and Izuku can see just a little more.

He’s not sure if he likes it.

Izuku tries to shake himself out of this, not wanting to put more on his poor parents’ shoulders. While Aizawa is working through his ordeal, Hizashi is taking Aizawa’s death and recovery the hardest of the three of them. He begs Aizawa not to go on patrol for a while, and he looks haggard in a way Izuku’s never seen his dad be before. More than one night, Izuku gets up to find Hizashi in the living room, watching television with a blank expression, dark circles under his eyes as he tries to chase the nightmares away.

In a way, the Sports Festival is a good distraction. While Aizawa hates announcing, Hizashi loves it, so the two of them are assigned the announcers as usual. Izuku makes himself busy in the infirmary with Recovery Girl. While he doesn’t know anything beyond basic First Aid, Recovery Girl assigns him simple tasks, like restocking bandaids and being ready to help her if she needs ice packs or medication refills. He learns that she only uses her quirk after she exhausts her medical practice, since her healing quirk drains the energy of the person she’s using it on.

“During the Sports Festival, that means we have to get people in and out quickly,” she explains to Izuku as they go through the checklist for the day, “And believe me, some people are worse patients than others. Expect a lot of bravado today, Izuku.”

Izuku nods, trying to ignore the mist that curls around Recovery Girl’s legs. He notices that people who are older, naturally closer to death, seem to have more mist around them. Recovery Girl is the only elderly person Izuku’s ever really spent much time around before, so he notices the difference a lot. 

“Now, if today goes well, we’ll begin your real medical training,” Recovery Girl says, pulling Izuku from his morbid thoughts, “First, we’ll recertify you in first aid and wilderness first aid. You will also need trauma certification, and CPR, of course.”

Izuku nods, helping her fold some bandages. “Um, okay. And then…how will I train with you?”

“After you are certified, you will start taking private lessons with me alongside your regular lessons with Nezu,” Recovery Girl explains, “Your other teachers will be informed of this. Since you have already passed the third year high school exams, your homework will now consist entirely of projects from myself and Nezu. If you are serious about medical training, it will consume much of your previous free time.” 

Izuku is a little overwhelmed by this, but he nods. If he can do anything to avoid the terrible feeling at the USJ of watching Aizawa die, of watching that poor man bleed out, his throat cut, Izuku will do it. He doesn’t want to feel useless in the face of injury and death. He wants to go in, armed for battle to face it. 

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Izuku says with determination, “Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it. I promise.” 

Recovery Girl looks at him with a fond smile. “Of course, I know that. You’ve always been such a good boy, Izuku, even when you were very small. Now, let's get a move on. The first event is an obstacle course, and that always leads to some very interesting injuries.” 

There’s a tv screen hanging on the wall in the infirmary where they can watch the matches. That way, they’ll have an idea of who’s coming down if they see an injury on screen. Recovery Girl tells him that there’s a medical team standing by that will bring students to her that need help.

After the opening ceremony, Izuku smiles as Iida gives a stirring speech about UA pride, representing class 1-A. Technically, Bakugou should have given it as he scored first on the entrance exam, but everyone knows that’s a terrible idea. Bakugou is an excellent fighter, but he’s not an orator, and hadn't wanted to give a speech anyways, whereas Iida found it an honor. Iida has the crowd clapping and chanting “Plus Ultra!” by the end, so Izuku figures it’s a job well done. 

The obstacle course begins, and ten minutes into it, students begin to flood the office. Most people just need little things, like bandaids, some burn cream, cleaning and bandaging of wounds. One or two more serious injuries come in, a broken wrist, a sprained ankle, which Recovery Girl handles herself. 

After the group events and the one-on-one matches begin, the injuries begin looking a little more serious. Sero comes in, teeth chattering as he nearly has frostbite from being stuck in Shouto’s ice quirk. Recovery Girl warms him up and Shouto’s just handed him some hot tea when a nearly unconscious Kaminari is half carried in, looking a little loopy.

“This happens when he overuses his quirk,” Izuku says to Recovery Girl, “His electricity can ‘fry’ his brain.” 

She scoffs, “Foolish boy, there’s ways to fix that. Alright, give me the syringe, he’ll need my quirk, too.” 

The afternoon is a blur of bandaids, burns, topical cream, unwinding bandages, and refilling ice packs. Izuku watches Recovery Girl pop Hagakure’s shoulder back into place from where it was dislocated in a match with Sato. It’s interesting to watch, especially since Recovery Girl can’t see Hagakure at all. Izuku feels good at being able to help, verbally describing the injury so Recovery Girl knows the state of it, since Hagakure is gritting her teeth too hard to talk.

Shinsou comes later, too, with a nasty cut across his forehead, given to him by a boy from 1-B. Izuku gets permission from Recovery Girl to clean and dress it himself, feeling a surge of importance as Shinsou thanks him with a smile before heading back out to sit with the rest of the class. 

The final match of the event is Shouto against Bakugou, and Izuku already knows they’re both going to need a lot of healing. With all the other students tended to, Izuku just watches the match with Recovery Girl, listening to her sigh and click her teeth every time Bakugou’s explosions get too close to Shouto, or Shouto burns or freezes parts of Bakugou’s body.

“They’ll need my quirk by the end, both of them,” she sighs, rubbing her forehead, “It’s always like that with those flashy quirks. They’ll need to learn eventually people like us can’t fix all of their problems.”

People like us. Izuku’s not sure if she’s referring to his quirk, or his desire to work as a medical hero in combat, but he’s touched. He feels a swelling in his heart as he gets ready to help her heal Shouto and Bakugou for the eventual medal ceremony. Izuku can’t help but let out a little cheer when Shouto wins, knocking Bakugou into the area wall with a coordinated ice and fire attack he had been working on in training.

Sure enough, Bakugou and Shouto come to the infirmary soon after, Izuku helping Shouto wrap some cut fingers while Recovery Girl scolds Bakugou and uses her quirk to heal his burns. She helps Shouto next, tutting the entire time.

“So reckless,” she scoffs, “But well done, to you both. Now, go accept your medals.” 

When they leave, Recovery Girl shoes Izuku off as well, telling him that he did a good job and she expects him tomorrow after class. Izuku thanks her, heading towards the locker rooms where he knows his class will be waiting.

After congratulating everyone, Izuku meets his parents and they walk back to the staff apartments, Izuku telling them excitedly about his day. 

“That’s great, kid,” Aizawa smiles when Izuku tells them about his new plan to work with Recovery Girl, “I think that’ll be really good for you.”

“So do I,” Hizashi says, sounding a bit hoarse from announcing enthusiastically all day, “Come on, I’m beat. What do you say to pizza for dinner?”

That night, after dinner, a shower, and a movie, Izuku drifts off to sleep in bed, his heart full of excitement and hope. 

His dreams quickly betray him.

In his dream, the midnight blue mist unfurls like a dense, thick fog. Izuku can hear the sound of a boat gently moving through water, and hears unsettling voices. The boat pulls into his vision, a dark figure in the center, using a long, thin stick to push through the pitch black water. Izuku stares, reaching out towards the boat, when the ferryman turns, staring at Izuku.

The ferryman has no face, his head covered by a black hood. Where the face should be is just a dark, gaping hole, an empty terrible void and Izuku chokes in fear. The ferryman raises a hand, pointing at Izuku with a skeletal finger, and Izuku wakes with a gasp. 

He’s sweaty, and his heart is hammering hard. He turns to see it’s in the early hours of the morning. He can hear his parents snoring gently in their room, and he sits up, running a shaky hand through his hair. The dream had been so visceral, so real, that Izuku feels like something incredibly important has just happened, but something terrifying, too. 

Without thinking much of it, Izuku stands up, grabbing his blanket and pillow and heading into his parents’ room. They don’t wake, but Izuku throws his pillow down on the floor at the foot of their bed, laying down on their fluffy rug and tucking his thick blanket around himself. He might be too old to crawl into his parents’ bed when he has a nightmare, but sleeping on the floor of their room is the next best thing. 

Izuku curls up to sleep, closing his eyes and trying not to panic, afraid of what the spirits of the dead will whisper to him in his dreams.

Chapter Text

When Izuku wakes next, he's still on the floor of his parents’ bedroom, and he can hear quiet, tense voices coming from the living room. He sits up, rubbing his eyes and seeing that both of his parents are gone from their bed. One of them has draped a thicker blanket over Izuku on the floor and he wonders why they’re both awake in the middle of the night.

“You can’t, Shou, please,” Hizashi begs, almost in tears from the living room, “Stain, he…he almost killed Tensei tonight, please, I can’t lose you.”

Izuku’s stomach clenches with nerves, standing up and peeking out the door and seeing Aizawa putting on his hero costume and looking sadly at his husband. Tensei Iida, Ingenium, is Iida’s older brother and one of his parents’ friends from their school days. Izuku’s never met him, but he hopes that Tensei will live.

“I can’t just ignore a patrol call,” Aizawa tries to reason, wrapping his capture weapon around his neck, “Especially not one like this. They need all the underground backup they can get out there. Stain’s killed over forty people now, he can’t be left on the street.”

Stain. Izuku flinches at the name. A serial killer who hates heroes, Stain has been making his mark by killing any hero he deems false, claiming he’s a vigilante and doing it for the ‘greater good.’ Izuku agrees with Hizashi, Aizawa shouldn’t be going anywhere near Stain. 

“I watched you die,” Hizashi says, voice ragged, “Please, don’t make me stand over your corpse again, Shouta, I can’t.”

“Zashi,” Aizawa murmurs, pulling Hizashi into a hug. He murmurs into his ear, things Izuku can’t hear. Hizashi clings to him, fisting his hands in the back of Aizawa’s shirt.

“You won’t lose me, Zashi, come on, love,” Aizawa murmurs, kissing his forehead, “I promise, everything is going to be alright. You need to stay here with Izu, I’m just running my regular patrol route, that’s all. Snipe will be with me the whole time, and you know he’s got my back.”

Izuku’s heart aches listening to Hizashi beg for his husband to stay. He wants his dad to stay, too, but he knows logically that Aizawa is an incredible hero and he’s likely not in any danger. This is what Izuku tells himself as he walks out into the living room.

“Hey, kid,” Aizawa says as he pulls on his hero costume, “Sorry, we didn’t want to wake you. Did you hear me say what happened?”

Izuku nods, Hizashi looking unbearably conflicted as he watches his husband dress.

“I’ll come with you,” Hizashi says, determined, “I know it’s not my precinct, but I’ll come, too.”

“Hizashi,” Aizawa says firm, but gentle, “No, love. Stay here. You need rest, and someone has to stay at UA to protect the school and Izuku, alright?”

Izuku doesn’t want Aizawa to leave, but he understands Hizashi is probably feeling worse off than he does right now. He tries to think about what might help, walking over to squeeze Hizashi’s hand.

“Go, dad,” Izuku says to Aizawa, trying to smile despite his anxiety, “We’ll be okay here. We’ll have breakfast going for you when you get back.” 

“Thanks, Izu,” Aizawa murmurs, leaning forward to kiss Izuku’s forehead before pulling Hizashi into a kiss. Hizashi hugs him a little too desperately, with a fist clenched in his shirt.

“Be safe,” Hizashi says, his voice muffled by Aizawa’s shoulder, “I love you.” 

“I love you both, too,” Aizawa says, eyes sad as he looks at both of them, “I’ll text every hour, but I have to go. I’ll be back in few hours, okay?” 

After Aizawa leaves, Hizashi turns to Izuku, tugging him towards the couch. Hizashi sighs, leaning back as he rubs his face. Izuku winces when he sees the protruding dark circles under his dad’s eyes, like he hasn’t slept properly since the USJ attack. Izuku can understand, his own heart is pounding with fear.

“Thanks for being brave,” Hizashi says after a long moment, “I’m sorry, kid, I’ve just been having a hard time thinking about what happened to your dad.” 

By the time Hizashi finishes his sentence, Izuku is already crying. What was he thinking letting Aizawa leave like that? He should have told Hizashi to go with his dad, they both should have gone, anything could happen out there, anything.

“Izu,” Hizashi murmurs, reaching over to squeeze his hand, “Aw, kiddo, it’ll be okay. I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to upset you, I didn’t want you to see all that.”

Izuku just cries harder, burying his face into his hands. The mist that he always sees is laying low on the apartment floor, and there’s no spirits in sight, but Izuku remembers what it felt like to touch his dad’s soul, the weight of the action he had done. What if Aizawa got in trouble tonight and Izuku wasn’t there?

“D-Daddy,” Izuku sobs, a name he hasn’t called Hizashi in years. He feels young, afraid, terrified. He had felt Aizawa’s cold body and had seen the light drain from his eyes at the USJ. Despite being surrounded by death every waking moment and in his dreams, Izuku has a hard time reconciling still that his parents can die. 

“Sweetheart,” Hizashi says, sounding grieved, “Come here.”

He pulls Izuku into his arms on the couch, rocking him like he’s a small child. Izuku sobs, crying harder than he has since the hospital after the USJ, and he clings to Hizashi like he’s the only thing still tethering him to the earth. After a few painful minutes, he hears Hizashi humming for him using his voice quirk, and it soothes Izuku down to his bones.

“Your dad will be alright,” Hizashi murmurs, rubbing Izuku’s back, “He’ll come back and we’ll have breakfast and everything will be fine. Listen, I don’t want you to sleep alone tonight, but I don’t want you on that floor, either. Let’s crash on the couch, okay?”

Izuku nods, wiping at his eyes. Between Hizashi’s anxious, exhausted state and Izuku’s tearful one, they manage to get the large down comforter from the master bedroom. Izuku grabs his old teddy bear off of his bookshelf, not even pretending he doesn’t want to cuddle it as he sits back down on the couch. Hizashi has made them both some glasses of water, raising up the blanket on the couch so Izuku can crawl in next to him.

Once burrowed in the warm blanket, Izuku hugs his bear and leans into Hizashi’s side. He feels so young and so very vulnerable. Hizashi leans over, tucking his arm around Izuku’s shoulders as he turns on a quiet nature documentary, both of them too anxious to sleep. 

Despite his fears, Izuku finds himself beginning to nod off a while later, warm from Hizashi’s embrace and the blanket, drifting off on his dad’s shoulder. It comes to him later that he’s dreaming, and Izuku’s stomach sinks.

In the dream, Izuku is standing on a large boat packed with other people. It’s daytime, bright outside, and there’s no sign of the mist. Izuku can see the shore in front of him, tantalizingly close, and on the shoreline are his parents and his friends. They’re calling to him, and Izuku waves, jumping out of the boat into the water and swimming.

Izuku swims hard, but no matter how hard he tries, the shore gets further and further away, until the people he loves are pinpricks in the distance, and Izuku is alone in the icy cold sea. Panic fills him until a large skeletal hand reaches into the water, grabbing Izuku and throwing his wet body back aboard the ship. All the other passengers are gone, and Izuku is alone with the ferryman.

The man turns his head towards Izuku and he’s flooded with a terrible fear as he looks into that hulking, dark abyss where the man’s face should be. The ferryman reaches out and grabs Izuku’s shoulder, and that’s when his brain gives him a break.

Izuku wakes with a startled gasp, lurching up next to Hizashi on the couch. He’s shaking like a leaf, trembling in Hizashi’s arms. Hizashi asks him if he’s alright, but Izuku doesn’t answer. The dream wasn’t that bad, but it felt ominous, like Izuku was seeing something very important.

“It’s just a bad dream,” Izuku whispers, mostly to himself as Hizashi holds him close, “Just a bad dream.”

“That’s right,” Hizashi says quietly, “Just a bad dream. You’ve only been asleep for a little while, kiddo. Come on, lean against me. You need more rest.” 

Izuku’s heart is still going a mile a minute as he leans back down, snuggling against his dad. “Y-You do too, dad. We both do.”

“I’ll get rest when your dad comes home,” Hizashi says softly, gently petting Izuku’s hair, “Now sleep, honey.”

Izuku drifts off, and he doesn’t dream this time, soothed by Hizashi’s presence.

When Izuku wakes up again, he’s relieved to see sunlight streaming through the windows and Aizawa sitting at the kitchen table. Hizashi is across from him, both of them looking exhausted, but fine. Izuku sits up, walks over towards the table and hugs Aizawa tightly, relief flooding him. 

They’re having a hard time as a family, but at least for now, they’re all safe here.

At school that day, Izuku isn’t the only one with dark circles under his eyes. Iida is sitting hunched in his desk, looking like he hasn’t slept at all. Izuku’s parents told him over breakfast that Tensei was badly wounded, and would likely never walk again. Izuku knows that Tensei will learn to adapt, but in the meantime, his hero career is effectively over. Iida is understandably having a difficult time coping with his brother being in so much pain. 

Midnight is leading the lesson today, helping all of class 1-A brainstorm their hero names. After the night he’s had, trembling against Hizashi like a child, Izuku’s not feeling particularly heroic. He’s sitting with Shouto and Shinsou, trying to figure out a half-decent name to call himself.

“I’m going to be Siren,” Shinsou declares, “Alluding to my brainwash quirk and also how I use the voice changer. What do you guys think?”

“I like it,” Shouto agrees with a nod, “I’m just using my first name.” 

Izuku blinks, staring at his best friend. “You’re going with Shouto? But isn’t that…kind of against the whole point? Your hero name is supposed to hide some of your identity, right?”

“Yes, but any name that alludes to my fire, to Endeavor, will only remind people of him,” Shouto explains, “I want a name that has no expectations, so I can build a reputation from the ground up. I don’t want to head out there with a name as heavy as Endeavor’s. I just want to be myself.” 

Izuku smiles, proud of his friend. “That’s cool. I’d be proud to work alongside you, Shouto. And you too, Siren.”

Shinsou beams, “It’s really cool being called by your hero name. What are you going with, Izuku?”

Izuku’s had been harder to choose. He had toyed with a number of names, alluding more to his newly learned healing skills than his actual quirk, but in the end, he wants to be true to himself. Most names that would suit his quirk don’t sound particularly heroic, but he had finally settled on something.

“Well…I was thinking about Necromancer,” Izuku says, tapping his chin, “But it’s a bit of a mouthful to say in the field, so I thought about shortening it to Necro. What do you think?” 

“Necro,” Shouto says experimentally, “I like that. It doesn’t immediately allude to your quirk, but it doesn’t try to hide it, either.” 

Shinsou nods, “Yeah, it sounds cool. Necro. Yeah, that feels good to say.” 

After the class chooses their hero names, Aizawa passes out work study packets. During the Sports Festival, heroes had been watching to see students that they wanted to sponsor for a work study. As Izuku didn’t participate, he doesn’t have a packet, but he’s already planning on working with Recovery Girl.

Shinsou fills out a form for Aizawa, while Shouto worryingly selects Endeavor’s agency. Izuku shoots his friend a worried look, but Shouto just smiles. 

“He can’t hurt me now,” Shouto explains quietly, “I’m stronger than him. And despite the fact that I despise him, his quirk is closest to my own. I can use him for knowledge. I’m not afraid anymore, Izu, don’t worry.” 

Izuku is proud of Shouto’s resilience, remembering the terrified kid he had met all those years ago, scared about lying to his dad about playing with action figures and watching movies. He smiles at Shouto, relieved that after years of living under his father’s thumb, Shouto is holding his own. 

Izuku’s internship with Recovery Girl is off to an interesting start, to say the least.

“Hold still,” Recovery Girl says, sounding fondly exasperated as Snipe wheedles away from her. She puts her hands on her hips and huffs as the hero looks abashed, grinning sheepishly at her from under his mask.

“Aw, come on Chiyo, you know I can’t stand those injections,” Snipe says, turning towards Izuku, “Come on kid, help me out.” 

Izuku’s eyes widen a little, looking at Recovery Girl a bit anxiously. “Um, Snipe-sensei, I think you should just-”

“Stay quiet and get your required vaccination? Yes, I think so, too,” Recovery Girl sighs, “Come on now, Snipe, you face villains every day, plus corral the third year students. I think you can handle a little pinprick, can’t you?” 

Snipe groans, throwing his hand over his eyes as Recovery Girl quickly injects him in the arm.

“Ow, that hurts!” Snipe hisses, “Fuck, Chiyo, warn a guy. Don’t tell your parents I swore in front of you, Izu.”

“I won’t,” Izuku grins, watching Snipe eye Recovery Girl distastefully, “I don’t think they’ve ever forgiven you for letting me shoot a gun when I was six.”

Snipe sighs. “They were blanks and you were with me. Are they seriously not over that yet? Well, at least you got good at target practice. Am I all set here, Chiyo?”

“Yes, yes,” she sighs, waving him off, “I swear, you’re worse than the students. Stop getting hurt so much and you won’t have to get the antibiotic injections, too.” 

Snipe pales, saying goodbye hastily before exiting the infirmary, his cape making a whoosh as he heads out the door. Izuku can’t help but crack a smile. He doesn’t want to make fun of Snipe, but it is a little funny seeing one of the bravest people he knows put off by such a tiny thing like a needle. 

“Are most of the teachers like that?” Izuku asks her curiously as they restock one of the medical kits. 

“It depends,” she says bluntly, “There’s people like your parents, who grit their teeth and bear anything, but that can be just as bad because they don’t admit how badly they’re hurting. Your job as a medical professional is to look past what they’re verbally telling you to see if they’re hiding anything.” 

Izuku nods, his head already swimming with questions. “How do you decide whether or not to use your quirk? I mean, isn’t it tempting to just…heal the injury quickly?” 

“Certainly,” she admits, “However, keep in mind that my quirk isn’t all-powerful. There are a number of injuries my quirk can’t heal without killing the person I’m using it on. That’s why I became a doctor, so I could use my quirk and my medical skills in tandem.”

The rest of the week flies by, Izuku spending time not only in the infirmary but shadowing Recovery Girl around the UA grounds. He helps her with everything from illness, to injury, and general checkups. He even gets to help soothe a sobbing second year injured in a training exercise while Recovery Girl resets their broken leg.

It’s hard work, but interesting. Nezu postpones their weekly lesson so Izuku can spend more time with Recovery Girl. She has him reading medical textbooks and doing homework about anatomy so that he can better help her. 

By Friday, Izuku is tired, but exhilarated. He’s happy to find that he enjoys working with Recovery Girl, that helping the injured and the sick makes him feel needed. The mist doesn’t bother him as much and he can almost ignore the spirits, the ghostly hands that move just out of his field of vision. 

Every student doing an internship that week is required to work one evening with their assigned hero, and Izuku is spending his with Recovery Girl. She had planned to spend the time teaching him some more advanced first aid, when her pager goes off.

Looking down at it, her face tightens.

“Put on your hero costume, Izuku. We’re headed to Hosu.” 

Izuku has a dozen questions as he changes quickly, grabbing his own medical kit and strapping it over his shoulder as he follows Recovery Girl. It occurs to him as they head towards the staff parking lot that Izuku’s not sure if he’s allowed to leave. He hasn’t been off campus since the USJ.

“You must stay with me at all times,” Recovery Girl says firmly, “Nezu is giving you permission to leave and your parents are aware. There’s been an incident with Stain and we’re needed.”

“Right,” Izuku says, his stomach dropping at the mention of Stain.

They drive to Hosu quickly, Izuku feeling a bit queasy in the passenger seat. Recovery Girl is so short that she’s sitting on one of her giant medical textbooks as she drives, squinting her eyes. She lurches on the brakes every so often and Izuku’s stomach twists, gripping the side of the car door with white knuckles.

After a while, Recovery Girl parks just outside of what looks like Sir Nighteye’s hero agency, getting out of the car. Izuku follows her and his jaw nearly drops as he sees helicopters, real helicopters, flying over the city.

There’s dozens of police officers and local heroes, and Izuku can see smoke in the distance. He hears sirens from firetrucks and the noise is overstimulating. He hasn’t been out in the city like this since the night of the earthquake and he feels a little overwhelmed.

“Ma’am, thank you for coming,” a police officer tells her, sounding out of breath, “Eraserhead and Present Mic captured Stain, but there are at least three casualties that need attending to.”

Izuku perks up at the mention of his parents, but says nothing. The officer blinks as he stares at Izuku, as if just realizing he’s there.

“This is Necro, my student medical intern for the week,” Recovery Girl says. Izuku feels important hearing his hero name spoken aloud like this, standing up a little straighter.

“Right, well you’re both needed,” the officer says, ushering them towards a police car, “We’ll escort you to the scene. Two of the people that need medical attention are UA students and the other is the pro-hero, Native.”

Izuku freezes. UA students? He knows that Stain has been active in the Hosu area, but god if some of his friends were attacked by Stain, Izuku’s not sure if he could handle that. He’s relieved that the officer doesn’t say anything about his parents being injured. Knowing them, they heard people were in danger and swooped in, catching Stain off guard.

Once in the police car, the officer driving speaks to them, sounding very serious.

“It’s dangerous on the roads, so I’m taking you the back way,” he says gruffly, “On top of Stain, Endeavor is dealing with some kind of attack, that’s what all the flames are. This whole city is going to hell.” 

“Enough of that,” Recovery Girl says, sounding like she’s scolding the man, “There will always be villains and always be battles to clean up after. Griping about it does no good. Take us to the scene, don’t be afraid to step on the gas.” 

The officer does, and Izuku’s stomach lurches as they drive. He’s keeping silent, but his mind is going a mile a minute, anxious and worried about what they’re going to see. Soon, a cluster of police cars and ambulances come into view, just outside of an alley. Izuku’s relieved to see both of his parents standing talking to some police officers.

“Stay with me,” Recovery Girl tells Izuku as the car stops, “We’re needed over by the scene.”

Izuku follows her, looking over at his parents again. They’re still in deep conversation with the police, looking very intense, so they don’t notice him. Pleased they’re not seemingly hurt, Izuku turns to track where Recovery Girl is walking, his stomach sinking when he sees the scene.

The pro hero Native is slumped against the wall and appears nearly dead. The mist doesn’t curl around him at least, so Izuku knows the hero is alive, but his attention is quickly taken by the two figures in the alley.

Crouched on one knee, shaking, is Iida. He’s in his hero costume and he’s covered in blood, wincing in pain. There’s an EMT next to him, asking him questions, but Iida looks like he’s having a terrible time getting any words out. Panicked, Izuku looks at the other figure. He feels a spike of anxiety as the figure doesn’t move, laying on the ground. There’s medical officers there helping, but when Izuku spots the two-toned colors of his best friends’ hair, it takes everything in him not to take off running.

Why were Iida and Shouto here? How had they engaged with Stain? Izuku’s head is reeling.

“What’s the situation?” Recovery Girl asks the nearest EMT. Izuku’s relieved to see Aizawa jogging over, looking a mixture of exhausted and worried. 

“Native was brought down by Stain,” Aizawa explains, “Iida was tracking Stain and came across this in the alley. Stain appears to have some kind of paralyzing quirk, he managed to injure both Iida and Todoroki. Present Mic and myself arrived on scene and managed to capture Stain. He’s currently on his way to Tartarus.” 

“S-Sorry, sir,” Iida grits out, sounding out of breath, “I d-didn’t…”

“Later, Iida,” Aizawa says, gentle but firm, “Necro, you should go check on Todoroki.” 

Izuku nods, watching as Recovery Girl kneels down over Iida. He jogs over to Shouto, relieved when he sees his eyes open. 

“Izu-Necro?” Shouto asks, sounding confused, his voice slurred like Iida’s, a likely after effect of Stain’s paralysis quirk, “What’re you…doing here?”

“Helping you,” Izuku says, eyeing the cut on Shouto’s shoulder. The EMTs obviously can fix Shouto, but they seem to want to give Izuku a chance to do it. They watch him carefully as he cleans Shouto’s shoulder wound before bandaging it like Recovery Girl told him.

“You’ll be fine,” Izuku says, knowing it’s true. There’s no mist around Shouto, either. “But you should go to the hospital. How did you even get here?” 

“Iida…needed help,” Shouto manages to say, hissing in pain as he sits up, “Thanks.” 

Izuku wants to talk to Shouto more, but he’s whisked off into an ambulance. Recovery Girl is finishing up with Iida, barking orders at the EMTs to get all three injured people to the hospital immediately. 

Once they’re in the hospital, Izuku’s attention turns towards the smoke he sees in the distance, likely from Endeavor’s fire. An odd sort of tugging sensation is in his stomach, noticing with a sinking feeling that he sees a lot of mist in the direction of the fire. He wonders how many are dead.

“Where is in the most danger?” Recovery Girl asks him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“What?” he asks her, Aizawa looking at them both curiously.

She sighs, nodding her head towards the fire. “You can see things I cannot, correct? So I’m asking you, Necro, according to your quirk, where are people in the most danger?”

Izuku tracks the mist to where it seems to be the most concentrated, about a half a block from where he sees all the smoke.

“There, something’s happening there,” Izuku says, pointing towards it. Recovery Girl nods, shouting at the police officers.

“You heard the boy, head over there, now! You likely have civilian casualties,” she says and shockingly, they all immediately go in that direction. 

Izuku feels strange, like he’s in an odd dream as Recovery Girl brings him and Aizawa over to where Hizashi is standing. 

“Hey Necro,” Hizashi says, keeping his voice professional, “Recovery Girl. We’re headed to the hospital to check on the kids, do you want to ride with us?”

Hopping into an ambulance is an odd experience. The entire ride, Izuku’s mind is churning. He feels bitter, like he should have helped his friends. Sure, he dressed Shouto’s wounds and he pointed out where some danger might be, but Izuku isn’t helpless. He can fight. Maybe, if he had gotten to Stain when the fight was still happening, he could have helped prevent his friends getting hurt. 

The feeling persists as they enter the hospital, Aizawa going to check on Shouto and Iida. Izuku isn’t allowed in the room, sitting with Hizashi in the waiting area. He still feels that bitter, angry feeling, and his troubled expression must be showing on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Hizashi asks, point-blank. They’re mostly alone, so he’s dropped his professional hero appearance, his eyes only concerned for his son. 

“I just…hate not being able to help,” Izuku says, curling his fists, “I can fight. You’ve all been training me since I was five. I can shoot guns, use a bo staff, a capture weapon. I’m a black belt in mixed martial arts. And so far this year, I’ve just…been on the sidelines.” 

Hizashi looks at him for a moment before reaching over to squeeze Izuku’s hand. “Kid, you’re fifteen. You should be on the sidelines until you have your provisional license. Internships are meant to be a shadowing opportunity, not getting involved. Shouto and Iida broke more than one UA rule tonight. It’s taking everything in your dad to find a loophole to not expel them. He’s reading them the riot act right now.” 

Izuku swallows hard, feeling a little bad for Shouto and Iida. When his dad is disappointed, he gives the dressing down of a lifetime, and Izuku always ends up feeling extremely guilty for disappointing him afterwards. He’s only been on the receiving end of a speech like that a few times in his life after exceptionally reckless and stupid things he had done, but that was enough. 

“Besides,” Hizashi continues, lowering his voice to a whisper, “You didn’t have to use your quirk tonight. I’d call that a win, considering we were dealing with the hero-killer, Stain.” 

Izuku nods. He’s grateful he didn’t have to use his quirk, either, and that everyone was alive and safe.

“You and dad were pretty cool,” Izuku says quietly, “Capturing Stain. I’m really proud of you both.”

Hizashi beams, “Thanks, kid. I admit, it’s a lot easier to go out there now when I can see your dad at all times. Now come on, dad’s going to meet us by the car. Recovery Girl’s releasing you for the night.” 

The drive home is quiet, Izuku pressing his face against the window in the backseat. Driving at night time is a whole different experience, the colors of the neon signs and the city lights blurring into something almost magical as Aizawa drives them back to UA. None of them talk, there’s just the quiet sound of the radio playing. 

Once they’re back home and everyone’s had a shower and changed into pajamas, Hizashi makes some tea and they all sit curled up on the couch. It’s been a big night, and Izuku feels safe sitting in between his parents. 

“We’re proud of you, kid,” Aizawa says, looking at Izuku with a smile, “You were really level-headed out there tonight. That was a pretty intense scene to walk up on. Your tip about where the injured people were saved probably at least six civilians tonight who had gotten caught up in Endeavor’s villain fight.” 

Izuku digests this for a moment, the tea warming his hands. “Good. I just…I wish I had been able to do more.”

“Someday you will,” Hizashi says gently, “You’ve always wanted to help people, ever since you were little. When you pass your provisional license exam in a few months you’ll be able to do more, okay?” 

Izuku nods, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. They haven’t talked much about the USJ as a family, but Izuku’s feeling vulnerable tonight. 

“I’m so sick of not sleeping,” Izuku sighs, sounding ragged, “How are you two doing? With…with everything?”

A silence follows this, and Izuku knows his parents are aware of what he’s talking about. Aizawa sighs, running a hand through his hair while Hizashi presses a bit closer to Izuku.

“I’m getting there,” Aizawa murmurs, reaching down to squeeze Izuku’s hand.

“Trying to get there,” Hizashi smiles weakly at the two of them, “Trying to remember what I have here, right in front of me.” 

Izuku nods. He’s trying to remember that, too. His dad died, yes, but Izuku was there. He resolves then as he looks at his parents that he’ll always be there. Until the natural end of their very, very long lives, he’ll keep them safe. 

Chapter Text

Izuku had been so caught up with what happened at the USJ that he had almost forgotten about final exams. Izuku doesn’t have to take the written exams, since he already passed the high school curriculum with Nezu years ago, but he’s given an alternate exam made by Recovery Girl and Nezu, with extremely difficult questions about medicine and philosophy.

He manages to pass, but the practical exams are still looming. Currently, all of class 1-A and most of the UA staff is in Ground Beta, Aizawa standing and giving them instructions.

“Welcome to your practical examination,” he says, eyeing his class with a calculating expression, “Today, the goal is simple. You will each be paired with a classmate. The pairs will be randomly selected. Each pair will face off against one of the UA staff members.”

“We have to fight the teachers?” Uraraka gasps, sounding nervous, “But…but sensei!”

Aizawa raises an eyebrow, “No need to be scared. We will not be going our full force in these tests. However, that being said, do not expect this to be easy. Your goal is to either catch your assigned staff member in handcuffs, or to have one or both students escape through the exit gates at the side of Ground Beta.” 

After Aizawa answers questions, the pairings are read off. Shouto and Bakugou are teaming up together against All Might. Shouto looks determined and Bakugou bloodthirsty, so Izuku is sure that it will be an explosive match. He’s interested to find that he’s been paired with Shinsou, and they’ll be going up against Aizawa.

Izuku had figured he wouldn’t be allowed to match up against his parents, but Nezu approves it. Izuku heads over to Shinsou, who is standing leaning on a pillar in the corner. 

“So, we’re up against your dad, huh?” Shinsou sighs, “Fuck man, your dad is intense. Any ideas on how to take him down?”

Izuku’s mind flashes to Aizawa, laying limp and lifeless in his arms. He shakes it off, saying “Um, well, I’ve trained with him for years. I think I can probably figure out how to get behind him, but he’s pretty tough. He won’t go easy on us.”

“Believe me, I know,” Shinsou smirks, “Training with him for a week on that internship was insane. He moves crazy fast, and his instincts are out of this world. I think we need some kind of strategy. He knows how my quirk works, so it might be hard to trick him into getting under my brainwashing.”

“How does it work?” Izuku asks, “I’m sorry to be so blunt, but if it’s a strategy, then I want to know so I can help you.”

Shinsou sighs. “I don’t mind telling you, especially after you came clean about your quirk. Basically, it’s brainwashing. I can temporarily control a person’s thoughts and actions, but only if they verbally respond to a question I ask. Aizawa will be expecting me to ask a question, to catch him off guard.” 

Izuku considers this for a moment, eyeing Shinsou’s voice changer. A spark of inspiration comes to him.

“Use my voice,” he says, watching Shinsou raise an eyebrow, “To make you sound like me. It’d…throw him off.”

“Not bad,” Shinsou grins, “Okay, so here’s what we’re gonna do.” 

A little while later, Aizawa is standing in the center of Ground Beta, playing a villain. Shinsou and Izuku have take their respective positions, both eyening Aizawa as Nezu calls “Start!”

“I am a horribly evil villain,” Aizawa deadpans, sounding bored as he swings his capture weapon towards Shinsou, “Fear my wrath.” 

“I’m terrified!” Shinsou snorts, ducking under the capture weapon. Izuku uses the moment to scatter, running towards a hiding place while Shinsou heads in the other direction. The plan was for Shinsou to start talking in Izuku’s voice, to get Aizawa to answer a question, distracting him while Izuku ran for the exit gate.

Aizawa manages to get a few good hits at Shinsou, clearly not using his full power, or even a fraction of it. Shinsou’s able to evade, and escape, hiding so they can put their plan into action.

Izuku had figured Shinsou would do something like whisper, sound like casual talking, but his stomach drops when he hears his own voice suddenly cry out in pain from across Ground Beta.

“Shinsou, help me, please! I’m…I’m stuck!” Shinsou begs in Izuku’s voice, “My leg’s stuck, I can’t get out!”

Izuku freezes. He can still see Aizawa in the distance, and it looks like he’s stiffened a bit. Izuku knows he should be running for the gate, but he feels a sick pull in his stomach, not wanting his dad to be scarred by this exam after everything they’ve been through lately.

“Don’t shout, you’ll give away our position!” Shinsou hisses back in his own voice, making it seem like he and Izuku are actually near each other, “I’ll get to you, sit tight!”

“I t-think I broke my leg,” Shinsou says in Izuku’s voice, sounding so convincingly in pain that it even makes Izuku wince. 

Aizawa knows logically that Shinsou has a voice changer, so Izuku’s fairly certain his dad won’t fall for it. Aizawa starts moving towards the sound of the voices, and Izuku takes the opportunity to run as fast as he can towards the gate.

The gate is in sight when Izuku hears his own voice screaming in agony from across Ground Beta.

“Dad, please where are you? I’m hurt!” Shinsou cries in Izuku’s voice, and Izuku hears his dad snap. 

“Shit, I'm coming, kid. Where are you?”

“Here! Can’t you see me?”

“No, I-”

There’s silence, and Izuku knows Shinsou must have Aizawa under his brainwashing quirk. Izuku runs as fast as he can, bursting through the gate. He doesn’t want Aizawa to be tortured anymore. 

“Izuku Aizawa has escaped through the exit gate,” Nezu’s pleasant voice comes over the PA, “Shinsou and Aizawa have passed. Please exit the exam area.” 

Izuku turns back and immediately runs to the center where he sees a sheepish looking Shinsou standing in front of Aizawa. Aizawa looks normal, but Izuku can see the line of tension in his face.

“You were smart,” Aizawa says to Shinsou, although his voice wavers a little, “Using my emotions against me. That’s a well-deserved pass.”

Izuku runs over, noticing his dad eyeing him with what looks like relief. Izuku feels guilty, he should have been more specific with Shinsou, should have told him not to bait his dad with something like this, after everything their family had been through lately. 

“Come on, we need to clear out,” Aizawa says to them, smiling a little although it doesn’t reach his eyes, “Present Mic has his group next.” 

They exit the grounds and Shinsou excuses himself, leaving Izuku and Aizawa alone for a moment. 

“I didn’t…know he was going to do that. Scream like that,” Izuku murmurs, feeling awful, “I’m so sorry, dad.”

“It’s alright,” Aizawa says, sounding genuine, “It seems I have my own weaknesses to work through as well. Don’t apologize for succeeding. You two don’t have physical quirks, you have to use what you can in order to win.” 

Izuku’s still not happy as he looks at his dad’s tense face, but he nods, not wanting to discuss it more in public. He’s relieved to have passed the exam, at any rate, turning to watch Hizashi’s exam. 

The pair he’s working with are Jirou and Kouda. Kouda’s ability to communicate with animals seems to be what they opted to use. Izuku winces when he realizes what’s happening, knowing that it’s not just Aizawa that’s going to have a rough night.

Hizashi has kept his voice quirk on partial volume, enough to shake them up, but not enough to cause any real damage. In the fight, he hadn’t noticed Kouda leaning down to whisper something to what appears to be the ground.

Kouda calls a literal horde of insects and bugs to crawl all over Hizashi and Izuku watches as his dad begins to sweat. It takes a minute but eventually Hizashi breaks, screaming, and Kouda and Jirou are both able to escape. 

“Shit,” Aizawa hisses under his breath, “Poor Zashi.” 

Izuku agrees. The bugs have all scattered, but Hizashi is white in the face, brushing off his arms and legs as he trembles, shakily announcing that Jirou and Kouda have passed. Hizashi hates bugs, but Izuku figures that even if he didn’t, having bugs crawl all over you was pretty disturbing.

Hizashi excuses himself quickly, white in the face. Aizawa and Izuku can’t leave the exams, but they share a worried look. Hizashi could normally brush something like this off, but he hasn’t been himself lately, and Izuku’s concerned. It's hard to focus on the rest of the exams, but Izuku tries, keeping his attention on the other matches. Some of his classmates don’t pass, but Izuku knows with training, they’ll be given another chance.

After the exams, Aizawa and Izuku quickly change and head back to the apartment. When they enter, Hizashi’s bundled up on the couch with tea, looking a little shaken, but alright.

“Dad, are you okay?” Izuku asks bluntly, walking over to sit next to him, “I’m really sorry about what happened with the bugs.”

Hizashi nods as Aizawa sits on his other side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Yeah, I’m okay, kiddo. I was just…thrown off. Shinsou does a pretty convincing imitation scream of yours. The last time…I heard you scream like that was the USJ. The bugs were just kind of the icing on the cake today, you know?”

Izuku flinches, his stomach tying in knots as Aizawa leans over to kiss Hizashi’s cheek.

“It got to me, too,” Aizawa murmurs, tucking Hizashi into his side, “It’s not the kid’s fault, it was an amazing tactic to use. Using your enemies’ weaknesses against them is a good strategy, after all.” 

Izuku grips his legs, looking at his parents with a guilty expression. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested Shinsou imitate me. I thought he’d just try to confuse you, I didn’t know he was going to pretend that I was hurt.” 

“It’s really okay,” Hizashi says, reaching over to squeeze Izuku’s hand. “Honestly, honey. Things have just been rough lately, for all of us. Might be time to re-up those commission mandated monthly therapy sessions, huh Shou?” 

“Probably not a bad idea,” Aizawa says, his voice gentle as he gently runs his fingers through Hizashi’s hair, “Kid, how are you doing with everything? Your life’s changed pretty drastically the last few weeks.” 

Izuku just shrugs. “I…I don’t really know. I mean, things have been…weird lately. And I keep having these dreams.”

“What kind of dreams?” Hizashi asks. They’ve all been having nightmares, but Izuku hasn’t talked about his much yet.

“I’m usually in a boat, or in the water,” Izuku says with a faraway look in his eyes, “And there a man in the boat, a person in a black hood. They turn to me, but they don’t have a face, and their hands are like a skeleton’s. They just stare at me and then I usually wake up. It just feels really…ominous.” 

Hizashi wraps his arm around Izuku so all three of them are cuddled together. Izuku snuggles against him, feeling a little better. 

“Sounds ominous,” Aizawa says softly, “Do you feel like they mean anything?”

Izuku shakes his head. “I don’t know. They definitely feel…important.”

“I’ve been dreaming, too,” Hizashi sighs, sounding endlessly exhausted, “About the USJ. The three of us need to break out of this, it’s hurting all of us.” 

“We will,” Aizawa murmurs, “This family is tough. We’ve all been through a lot. We’re going to be okay. I’m not dying again, and neither are any of you.” 

Hizashi doesn’t look entirely convinced, Izuku snuggling closer to him. Izuku always feels like a very young kid in these moments, like he needs to be tucked up in his parents’ arms in order to fall asleep. 

“I’m coming to training camp with you,” Hizashi says suddenly, making Izuku look up in confusion, “I know it’s just supposed to be 1-A and 1-B, but I’d lose my mind stuck back here with the two of you out in the woods.” 

“Training camp?” Izuku asks, “What camp?”

Aizawa sighs. “We were going to announce it after exams. There’s a week-long training camp coming up with the Wild Wild Pussycats. It’s usually just the homeroom teachers that attend.” 

Izuku takes that in for a moment. A week-long training camp in the woods. That means Izuku will be somewhere else, besides UA, for an entire week. He’s never spent more than a few hours off UA property, excluding his hospital stay, and Izuku is overwhelmed at the possibility. Is it really safe for him to leave UA for that long?

“I’m coming,” Hizashi says firmly, and Aizawa nods.

“Alright, I think that’s a good idea,” Aizawa says, “Izuku, you don’t mind if we both chaperone a field trip, do you?”

Izuku raises an eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Aizawa before he says, “Of course not. I’d be relieved, actually. I’ve still never slept anywhere besides UA grounds since I was five.” 

Chapter Text

The week after exams is full of preparation for the upcoming training camp. Izuku spends time at home making a list with his parents of what they need. Excitingly, Uraraka has put together a visit to the mall for the entire class on their day off so they can all prepare for the camp together. It’s the first unsupervised outing Izuku has ever had. 

“Now kid, I know you’re excited, but it’s important that you are never alone, not even for one minute, okay?” Hizashi says anxiously, watching as Izuku puts on his shoes, “Your dad and I are putting a lot of trust in you. Nezu’s condition for letting you off grounds is that you stay with at least two of your classmates at all times.” 

Izuku knows his dad is only worried because every time Izuku’s gone off UA grounds something has happened. But he’s too excited about his first real hangout with friends alone that he finds it hard to be worried about anything. 

“I promise, I’ll stay with Shouto and Shinsou the whole time,” Izuku says, grabbing his phone and wallet, “And we’ll only be at the mall, we’re not going anywhere else.” 

“Cover your hair,” Aizawa says, his arms folded, “Your hoodie stays up the whole time. Don’t draw attention to yourself.”

Izuku tries not to sigh, knowing that his parents just want him to be safe and want what’s best for him. “I’ll keep my hood up, I won’t talk to any strangers, and I promise I’ll be completely fine.” 

Hizashi and Aizawa both look worried still, but it’s Hizashi who breaks the stern parent act first, smiling at how happy Izuku looks.

“Alright, kiddo. Have fun. Buy something for yourself that’s not camp related, okay?” Hizashi says and Izuku nods eagerly. 

After saying goodbye to his parents, he runs to the UA front gate where Shouto is waiting for him, Shinsou at his side. Izuku beams, stepping off the grounds with confidence. It still feels forbidden to walk away from UA like this, and Izuku can’t help but grin.

“What’re you so happy about?” Shinsou asks, smirking at Izuku’s face, “It’s just the mall.”

“I’ve never been!” Izuku grins, making sure his hood stays up, “And I’ve never walked off the grounds like this before, this is the first time I’ve left UA ever for something that wasn’t for class or my internship. Shouto, do they have McDonalds at the mall? You said you’d get me fries!”

Shouto smiles, looking amused but also genuinely pleased for Izuku. “Yeah, I think they do. Come on, we’ll take the train, it’s just a couple of stops over.” 

Izuku’s never been on the train before, awed by the whole process of getting on and off at different stops. He can’t help but stare at everything, like a tourist, mouth agape as he experiences so many new things. 

“Man, your face,” Shinsou grins, “Is the train really this fun for you?”

Izuku nods, hanging onto a pole as the train jerks a little, speeding down towards their stop, “Yeah, it is! How much further until the mall?”

“Just a few minutes,” Shouto explains, with the patience of a parent trying to calm an excited child, “The rest of the class is already there.” 

Once they get off at their stop and out of the station, Shinsou leads them to a massive-looking building. The mall is enormous, bigger than anything Izuku had imagined. There’s a sea of cars in the parking lot and sights and smells everywhere. 

“Wow,” he exclaims with wide eyes, “This place is huge.”

“It’s like going shopping with an alien,” Shinsou sighs fondly, watching Izuku stare out at the cars. Shouto has stopped to bend over to inspect some rocks in the grass and Shinsou mumbles, “Make that two aliens. Come on, you guys.” 

Once they make it inside of the mall, Izuku’s excited to see the rest of the class standing in the center courtyard area, all talking and staring down at their phones with the list that Aizawa had sent out for what they need to purchase. 

“Hey!” Uraraka beams at them, waving them over, “You three are just in time, we’re just deciding how we’re going to break up to go and get all of this stuff.” 

Izuku’s barely listening, staring around at the mall with a look of awe on his face. It’s giant, three stories tall, and there’s more people inside than Izuku’s ever seen at once. Parents, children, other teenagers, business people, shop owners. All kinds of people and quirks visible, and Izuku can’t help but stare.

“Earth to Izuku,” Shinsou laughs gently, shaking his shoulder, “Come on man, what do you need to get?”

Izuku looks down at his phone at the short list he had come up with his parents. “Oh, um, I need a sleeping bag and sunscreen, bugspray, that kind of stuff."

“Cool, me too,” Shinsou says, “Todoroki, what about you?”

“I don’t need any of it, I used my father’s credit card and already had everything shipped to my house,” Shouto admits, not sounding sorry in the least, “I’m just along for the ride.” 

Bakugou barks out a laugh at that while Iida looks scandalized, and Izuku grins. He’s never really hung out with a group of friends like this before. While he’s had playdates with Shouto since he can remember, it’s never been totally unsupervised like this. He likes this feeling, being with his friends. It’s fun.

As soon as the group meets up though, it seems like they’re splitting off. Some people need clothes, others camping supplies, and soon, Izuku is left alone with Shinsou and Shouto while the others head off to get what they need, planning on meeting back up in an hour or so.

“Well, you said a sleeping bag, right?” Shinsou yawns, “I need one, too. There’s a store that sells camping equipment down that way, let's stop there first.” 

“I want french fries,” Shouto says seriously, “That’s really why I came today.” 

Izuku’s eyes brighten. “Me too! Can we go to the food court first, please?”

“God, you two are like children,” Shinsou sighs, “Yes, kids, we can go have french fries. But we do actually have to do some shopping, remember.” 

Izuku laughs and Shouto grins, and Izuku’s heart feels light. He barely notices the mist, ever present as it curls around on the ground, creeping up around some of the people that he sees. He’s so caught up in the moment with his friends he doesn’t notice the large swirl of dark mist that curls around one person sitting directly behind them. 

Shouto frowns down at his phone, murmuring a quick, “I have to take this.” He steps to the side and Izuku winces internally when he hears Shouto say “Father.” Endeavor was calling, which was never a good sign.

Shinsou sighs, leaning against the wall before he looks down at his phone to check the time. “Hey, I’m just going to run to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a few.”

Izuku nods, making sure he stays nearby Shouto, with enough distance to respect his privacy on the phone call. Without anyone to talk to, Izuku begins observing the crowd, the darker mist getting his attention. There’s a person sitting hunched on a bench in a hoodie, mist so heavy around them that Izuku half-wonders if they’re dead.

He’s entranced, never seeing that much mist around someone before. He walks closer, surprised when the person looks up at him and smiles. He can’t see their entire face, only their grin, and Izuku is even more surprised when they stand up, walking over and slinging an arm around his shoulders.

“Hello there, Izuku Midoriya,” they hiss in his ear, and Izuku’s stomach drops, “Don’t call out and don’t struggle, or every one of these useless npcs is dead. Do you remember what my quirk does? What I did to your precious daddy?”

Izuku freezes. Shigaraki. The man from the USJ who had murdered his father in cold blood, who had called his death a warm up. Izuku feels a rage inside of him, an anger such as he’s never felt before, tempered only by terror when he realizes Shigaraki has four fingers clamped around his neck. 

“Now, be a good little student and come sit with me for a while,” Shigaraki says. Izuku tries in vain to look at Shouto, but he’s lost in the crowd now. Izuku knows Shinsou and Shouto will come looking for him soon, so he just has to hang on for a little while longer. Cursing his terrible luck, Izuku tries to think of anything he can say to keep Shigaraki engaged. If the villain is here, he must want something.

“You killed my father,” Izuku snarls, real rage in his voice. Shigaraki laughs, sounding a little like he’s wheezing as he leans backwards, looking up at the ceiling.

“See that’s funny, because as far as I can tell, Eraserhead is very much alive,” Shigaraki grins, making Izuku’s stomach sink, “Don’t try to hide it, Izuku. I know all about your very, very interesting quirk. About the villains who kidnapped you when you were a child, the spirits you see, that beautiful, terrible mist. I know about it all.”

Izuku stays silent, his heart hammering with anxiety. There’s no way that Shigaraki could know about that, not unless…not unless there was a spy at UA. Not unless someone in his class had blabbed. He tries not to focus on that for the moment, knowing that if Shigaraki is aware of his quirk, Izuku is in serious danger. 

“You see, I heard an interesting thing,” Shigaraki continues, tapping his fourth finger against Izuku’s neck in a terrible candace, “I heard that your quirk can bring back someone’s body, without their spirit. Sure, we could use you to revive powerful villains killed in battle, but we could use you to make nomus fast. Do you think a regular player’s body could keep their quirk and strength without a soul? Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out?” 

Izuku’s being strangled now, so he doesn’t say anything, coughing and spluttering a little as Shigaraki tightens his grip. The mist swirls around both of them weaving in between Shigaraki’s fingers, and Izuku knows he’s in serious danger here. 

“A little birdie told me about you, little necromancer. I think adding you to the party would enhance our XP. Give us bigger spoils, too,” Shigaraki continues, as casually as if he’s talking about the weather. 

“My dad…will…destroy you,” Izuku chokes out, his face purple now, “You can’t…win.” 

Shigaraki laughs, actually slapping his leg with his free hand. “I don’t give a shit about Eraserhead. It’s All Might I want. All Might, I want his head on a pike, I want his end game cutscene. I want it all.”

“Let go of him.”

Izuku flicks his eyes up, relief flooding him when he sees Shouto standing in front of Shigaraki, holding out his cellphone, Shinsou at his side. 

“The police are minutes away and I have UA on the phone right now,” Shouto continues, “Release him.” 

Shigaraki just laughs, letting go of Izuku and all but pushing him towards Shouto. In the chaos, Shigaraki slips into the crowd while Izuku coughs and splutters, bystanders rushing over to see what’s wrong and if they can help. 

“Izuku, are you okay?” Shinsou asks and Izuku coughs, giving a weak thumbs up.

“Fine,” he says, voice a bit hoarse, “Is everyone else alright?” 

The mall police are escorting everyone out of the mall as cop cars ring the outside. Izuku winces when he realizes that his parents will definitely be terrified, reaching for his cell phone to call them. Before he can, a police officer takes him to an ambulance outside, past his worried classmates and has him checked out.

“You’re alright,” the EMT says calmly, “He just-”

“Bruised my throat near the larynx,” Izuku says, voice still a bit hoarse, “I know it will cause dysphagia, but I’ll be okay. It doesn’t hurt that much.” 

The EMT smiles, “Are you a medical student?”

“Training to be,” Izuku replies, blushing a little, “Um, am I cleared to go to the police now?”

The EMT sends him off and Izuku heads towards a police car. His head is ringing a little, walking out to where the police cars are waiting. He’s ushered into the back, surprised to see that it’s not empty.

“Izuku,” Aizawa says, sounding truly relieved. He tugs Izuku into the back seat, hugging him tightly, “Hell, kid, are you alright?” 

“I’m okay, I’m fine,” Izuku soothes, gripping onto his dad’s arms, “Shigaraki didn’t hurt me. He just threatened me.” 

Aizawa curses, kissing Izuku’s forehead. The police officer in the front seat begins driving, presumably to the station, and Izuku feels a little lightheaded.

“You have to do a police interview,” Aizawa says gently, “Your dad is panicking, he’s going to meet us at the station.”

Izuku nods, biting his lip. His mind is reeling with everything, the strange concentration of mist around Shigaraki, the things the villain had known. The plans he had revealed, it was all too much to process.

Once inside the police station, Hizashi meets them and pulls Izuku into a tight hug.

“Izuku, god,” he chokes out, “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay dad, really,” Izuku reassures him, “I promise, I’m not hurt.” 

The three of them are gently ushered into a conference room. Once inside, a man Izuku vaguely recognizes is there, sitting at a table and wearing a suit. 

“Hello Izuku. Do you remember me?” the man asks, “My name is Detective Tsukauchi. I interviewed you once when you were very young.”

Izuku flinches, the kidnapping incident back in his head in full force. “I remember. You have a lie detection quirk.”

“Good memory,” Tsukauchi smiles, gesturing to chairs as they all sit down. “Izuku, this is an informal interview, but I’m still going to record it. Can you please state your name, age, and quirk status for the recording?” 

“Um, Izuku Aizawa. I’m fifteen and I’m legally quirkless,” Izuku mumbles, blush tinged on his cheeks. 

“That’s true,” Tsukauchi says calmly for the recording, “Alright, in your own words, please explain what happened this afternoon at the mall.” 

Izuku bites his lip. He can’t really be truthful without stating what his quirk can do. He looks at his parents for help, who seem to understand what the issue is. Tsukauchi raises an eyebrow, stopping the recording.

“Is something the matter?” Tsukauchi asks.

Izuku nods, twisting his hands together. “It’s just…I am legally quirkless, but a lot of this has to do with my…quirk. So, I can’t be honest with you without talking about it. You…you remember what it is, right?”

“I do,” Tsuakuachi says gently, “Izuku, I ask that you trust me. I know it must be terrifying having enemies everywhere, but I swear on my life that nothing you tell me will leave this department. Trust me when I say we have to keep much bigger secrets than this. Your identity will be completely safe.” 

Izuku nods, put slightly at ease when his parents nod encouragingly at him. He takes a breath, and begins to explain.

“I was with my friends, Shouto Todoroki and Hitoshi Shinsou,” Izuku starts, “Um, we had decided to split up as a class to go buy things for training camp. Shouto had to take a call from his dad and Shinsou went to use the restroom. I was standing alone and then I saw a really dark concentration of mist.” 

“Mist?” Tsuakuchi asks, “Can you explain that in further detail, please?”

Izuku nods, his hands twisting together in his lap. “Y-Yeah, my quirk. I see mist all the time, it’s like a really, really deep blue, almost black. It tends to curl around people who are…um, who are closer to dying. I’ve never seen a concentration like this before around one person, so it caught my attention.” 

He continues to explain how Shigaraki sequestered him alone, sitting him down on the bench and threatening to decay and kill him and all of the bystanders around him. 

“I accused him of killing my dad,” Izuku says quietly, “But he knew that my dad was still alive. And he knew about my quirk.” 

Hizashi’s eyes widen in panic, sharing a look of fear with Aizawa. Izuku doesn’t stop talking though, needing to get all of this out. 

“Shigaraki knew about my quirk,” Izuku tells the detective and his parents, “He found out somehow. He didn’t see it at the USJ, Kurogiri warped him out before I revived my dad. So someone must have told him. He knew details, things I’ve only ever said out loud to my class and the UA teachers.” 

“There’s a spy at UA,” Aizawa curses, gripping the chair arm tightly, “Fuck!”

Izuku winces. It’s the conclusion he had come to as well, but it makes him anxious to hear his dad agreeing with him. He continues through the rest of the interview until Tsukauchi thanks him, and he and his parents get a ride back to UA.

They don’t talk much until they’re in the apartment, Izuku wedged on the couch with his favorite blanket and tv show on, eating some pasta that Hizashi had reheated. His parents are shooting him worried looks every few minutes, obviously scared, and Izuku’s stomach twists like it’s full of snakes. 

“Shigaraki wants me to build an army from dead people,” Izuku says, his eyes faraway, “He wants…he wants to see if I revive someone, if…if their quirk will still work. He wants to use me as a weapon to build an army.”

Hizashi curses, sitting next to Izuku and taking his hand, “Izu, we will never let that happen. Your dad and I will never let him touch you again.” 

“I shouldn’t go to training camp,” Izuku says miserably, “Every time I leave UA, something bad has happened. I couldn’t even go to the mall without being targeted by a villain. Nezu was right, I should just stay on the grounds until I’m an adult and can defend myself.” 

“Hey, none of that,” Aizawa murmurs, sitting in front of the couch on the ottoman, reaching over to put a hand on Izuku’s knee. “Kid, you deserve to live your life. And your dad and I, we want you to be safe, of course, but you can’t stay isolated here forever. Before Shigaraki at the mall, you were having fun, right?”

Izuku nods, remembering how excited he had been to see everything. “Yeah. Shouto was going to take me to get french fries at McDonalds. I was really excited to try them, but we never got a chance.”

“You’ll get your damn french fries,” Aizawa says so seriously that it makes Izuku laugh a little, “I mean it, you’ll live your life. We’ll have to take precautions, but you deserve to go to training camp, you deserve to be with your friends.” 

“I agree,” Hizashi says, “As much as I want you to stay here, bundled up with us forever, that’s not what’s best for you. And if Shigaraki touches you again, I’ll turn Voice up to a hundred percent and I’ll blast him into the ocean.”

Izuku smiles in spite of everything that happened today, grateful as always, for his parents. He hopes his friends are okay, too, knowing that it took a lot of courage for Shouto to stand up to Shigaraki like he did.

“Come on, let’s eat and watch that terrible show you both like,” Aizawa suggests, gesturing to the television. Hizashi gasps in mock offense as Izuku grins.

“Uh, dad, weren’t you the one who set it to record every new episode?” Izuku teases. 

The rest of the night is peaceful, and while Izuku tries to put his worries about Shigaraki out of his mind, it still weighs heavily on him. He can tell his parents feel it too, catching them both looking at him with worried eyes. Izuku tries to work past it, focusing on the tv, texting his friends to reassure them he’s okay, and focusing on the future. 

Chapter Text

After the incident at the mall, Izuku’s felt a bit of trepidation about going to training camp. Now that he’s actually on the bus in full hero costume, sitting next to Shouto, he feels a different kind of trepidation.

“Bus sing-a-long!” Kaminari shouts standing up and turning around, “Who knows any camp songs?”

“I do!” Mina squeals, and starts leading the bus in some ridiculous call and response song. Izuku presses his head against the window with a smile in spite of himself, Shouto sitting next to him with his eyes closed. Their bus is full of class 1-A, Aizawa, and Hizashi. 1-B is in the other bus with Vlad King. 

The bus ride is supposed to take hours, so Izuku had planned to sleep, but it’s impossible to do now that everyone on the bus is singing. Hizashi has joined along too, but Aizawa looks like he’d rather die than sing, and it makes Izuku smirk in spite of himself. 

He focuses on his hero costume, which has had slight adjustments since he last wore it. The base is the same, but now he has more pockets and a utility belt full of different medical supplies. He had stuffed them full of gauze, tape, bandages, even a tourniquet for severe emergencies. He had passed his wilderness first aid certification, so Izuku is officially one of the health officers for the camp, under supervision of his teachers. He won’t be allowed to do anything major, but he can use his supplies to heal cuts and bruises. 

Letting his mind wander, Izuku thinks back to a conversation he had with Nezu before the trip. It had been their last lesson, Nezu drilling him on philosophy topics when he had begun asking him about his quirk. 

“Why do you theorize that your quirk heals wounds?” Nezu had asked him.

Izuku thought about it for a moment before he answered, “Because the energy of the spirit is stronger than the body. Logically, my quirk would be pointless if I put someone’s spirit back inside of them and then they just died of their wounds.” 

Nezu had praised him for the interesting theory, and it left Izuku with a lot to consider. His quirk was something strong, he knew that, and like anyone’s quirk, he’s sure it has untapped potential. That being said, the only time he can really use it is when someone dies in front of him, so Izuku can’t say he’s that eager to push its boundaries. 

“We’re stopping,” Shouto murmurs next to him and Izuku looks up in surprise. They’re still an hour off of their arrival time, so he’s not sure why they’ve stopped here.

“Everyone, off the bus!” Hizashi calls cheerfully and the whole class exits, moving to go stand next to 1-B and Vlad King. In front of them are a group of heroes Izuku only knows a little about, the rescue heroes the Wild Wild Pussycats. 

“Hello!” the leader of the Pussycats says, “My name is Mandalay. We’ll be helping you out this week. See down there?”

She points towards a white building a fair distance away in the valley below them, surrounded by trees. “We own all of this land, it’s private property, so quirks are allowed. It’s about a three hour journey from here to there.”

Izuku gets a bad feeling, turning towards Aizawa and seeing a smirk on his face. His stomach sinks, backing up a little on instinct.

“If you make it past my monsters by noon, you get lunch!” one of the Pussycats grins, before slamming her hands into the road. 

Everyone screams as the earth under their feet shifts and moves, and before Izuku can do anything, they’ve been flung down into the ravine. He stands up, brushing dirt off of himself and wincing at all the minor wounds he sees on the people around him. Cuts, scrapes, bruises. He suddenly understands Recovery Girl’s impatience with the recklessness of heroes. 

He would never call out his parents or pro heroes in front of his classmates, but Izuku isn’t impressed. He knows that the adults wouldn’t have actually hurt them, but accidents happen all the time, and he found that stunt irresponsible. 

“Ouch, shit!” Kirishima hisses, looking at a cut on his arm. Izuku instantly reaches for his medical kit when a voice in his head stops him. 

“Don’t rely too much on your combat medic!” Mandalay says, using her telepathy to talk to them all at once, “Izuku Aizawa, only heal them if it’s absolutely necessary. It’s okay to push through a little pain!”

Izuku glares up at her, totally unimpressed as he ignores the order, calling up the hill where the heroes are standing and watching. He cleans Kirishima’s cut, ignoring the giant earthen monsters that have sprung up out of the ground. 

“Sorry, but Recovery Girl’s orders supersede yours when it comes to medical matters,” Izuku calls back to her while he patches up Kirishima, “And she said to practice as much as I could.” 

Izuku thinks he sees his parents smiling at him, but he doesn’t have time to look. As soon as Kirishima thanks him, the two turn to run and catch up with the rest of their class. It’s a long, grueling morning. Izuku bandages two more cuts, wraps a twisted ankle, makes a makeshift splint for someone’s finger, and gives someone a cold pack for a burn. 

By the time they reach camp, Izuku is livid. When he had been training with Aizawa and Shouto, they would get minor injuries all the time, for which Recovery Girl always gently scolded them. Izuku totally and completely gets her now. He has enough to deal with, thinking of Shigaraki and the mist, he doesn’t need to be worried about people getting infections and injuries on top of that. 

While the others run towards lunch, Izuku walks up to his parents and Vlad King with a very unimpressed expression. He thinks they even look a little chastised as he folds his arms.

“Six lacerations, two twisted ankles, a burn, a splint, and a near concussion,” Izuku lists off, “That was way too intense. Recovery Girl would kill you if she knew about this.” 

Hizashi looks sheepish. “Well, kid, you’ve been in the field. It’s rough out there! It’s good to have experience in a safe environment, right?”

Izuku sighs, shaking his head. “I guess, but you’re lucky no one got seriously injured. If you’re going to pull something like that again, I need to know in advance so I can restock my medical kit.”

“Got it,” Aizawa says, “Now go eat, kid.”

The next few days are grueling, but also fun. Izuku does have to patch up other students, but mainly, he gets to train. He sees the mist out here of course, but since it’s so big and there’s so many trees, he can’t make out as many spirits. The mist doesn’t seem as overwhelming either as it does inside, floating around like it’s part of the natural landscape. 

At night, they soak in the hot springs, roast marshmallows over the fire. Both Shouto and Izuku tell the others they’ve never made s’mores, which is apparently a crime, so their friends show them how. Izuku sits out as late as he can, staring up at the stars. With the light pollution around UA, Izuku’s never seen skies like this.

He feels small, infinitely so, like he’s a speck in the universe, a link in the cosmic chain. He wonders if the water would reflect the stars like a mirror, if the river would look full of the stars. He has trouble falling asleep at night, so taken with being out in nature like this.

Something about the forest calms him down. He would have expected the opposite, spending his entire life in the city, but he feels like he belongs out here. His quirk seems calmer, the energy in his body more relaxed. He resolves to spend more time out in nature even after camp is over, enjoying his time. 

A few nights into camp, the heroes pull the students into a large group at the center of camp to explain that night’s activity.

“Alright, tonight we have…the test of courage!” Hizashi exclaims with excitement, “Aizawa, take it away!”

Aizawa sighs, speaking with much less enthusiasm. “This test will test your resolve. We will take it on opposite nights, reversing roles. Tonight, 1-A will take the test with 1-B serving as the antagonists. 1-B students, you will position yourselves in the woods. You may use your quirks or other means necessary to attempt to frighten or startle 1-A students. Physical contact is not allowed. 1-A, your job is to face your fears in pairs, to make it to the center of the forest, and collect a card with your name on it. Bring your card back to camp and you’ll pass. Questions?” 

After the explanation, their class is paired up together. This time, Izuku is pleased to be working with Shouto. He figures his dad did that on purpose, knowing Shouto is the person Izuku feels the most comfortable with in the entire class. They’re also sent in first, which Izuku assumes is also his parents’ doing, wanting Izuku in and out as quickly as possible.

Izuku isn’t really afraid of any of the 1-B students, but he definitely jumps a few times when one of them makes a loud noise. Shouto seems unaffected, mostly bored, as they head towards the center of the woods.

The mist is moving strangely tonight, and Izuku can make out more shapes in it than usual, mostly of animals. He sees a ghostly deer, turning towards him with glowing eyes, its antlers high above its head. There’s a ghost of an owl flying above it, some rabbits, and even squirrels and mice. Izuku thinks it looks like some deranged version of a children’s cartoon, all the dead animals walking together.

“What are you looking at?” Shouto asks quietly, spotting Izuku staring off into the distance. 

Izuku blushes, remembering they’re trying not to be distracted. “Sorry, it’s just…spirits. I see lots of them out here. Shapes of deer, owls. They’re moving together just like human spirits do. It’s interesting to watch, they seem a lot calmer out here.”  

Shouto nods as if this is a perfectly normal thing to hear someone say. “That’s interesting. Where are they going, do you think?”

The question strikes a foreboding in Izuku, who shakes his head. 

“It’s like…I can see them heading to the same place,” Izuku says with some trepidation, “But I can’t look at where that place is. If I try…I feel really, really bad. Like I’ll get sucked into it.”

“Is it scary?” Shouto asks, both of them completely forgetting about the test of courage. 

“No, it’s light,” Izuku murmurs, “Warm, bright. I think it’s…whatever my mind is conceptualizing as the afterlife. But it’s something…living people aren’t supposed to see. It’s like…I think my quirk just puts me a little bit closer to the veil between life and death. I think that’s the mist that I see. I’m close enough to touch, but I’m not really part of it, you know?” 

Shouto looks at him with an intense expression. “I don’t know. That sounds…very heavy, honestly. Have you seen these things your whole life?”

“Since my quirk manifested,” Izuku murmurs, making sure to keep his voice quiet so as not to be overheard, “But I’m used to it, it’s normal to me. Like your flames and your ice are to you.” 

Shouto is quiet after that, seemingly contemplating everything Izuku has said. They walk in relative silence for a while until Izuku suddenly sees the spirits in the mist move. They don’t run, they’re not afraid, but they shift off their path and it makes him look up. 

“Something’s wrong,” he says urgently, getting Shouto’s attention, “Something bad.”

“1-B?” Shouto asks, and Izuku shakes his head.

“No, something’s wrong,” Izuku repeats, pulling out his phone. Just as he’s about to call his dad, a wall of blue flames shoots up in the forest about three meters ahead of them, and Izuku hears someone scream.

“Get down,” Izuku hisses, tugging Shouto down into the grass. Izuku pulls out his phone, pressing the contact for his dad. He curses silently when the call disconnects, realizing that there’s not enough service to make a call or a text in the woods. 

He and Shouto sit for a moment longer until Izuku hears another scream, a cry for help. He and Shouto may be scared, but they’re also hero students, so they both stand and begin running straight for the scream. They make it a few meters before Izuku hears a voice in his head.

Students! This is Eraserhead. I am using Mandalay’s quirk to talk to you. You are under attack from the League of Villains. This is real and is not part of the test of courage. You have permission to use your quirks to defend yourselves, but do not engage unless you have to.

Izuku blinks, looking at Shouto, who had heard the same message as well. Izuku is about to open his mouth when he hears his dad’s voice in his head again, this time, a private message.

Izuku, I know you can’t respond, but they’re after you. Shigaraki’s here for you. If you’re near Shouto, have him get you out of there and back to camp as soon as you can. Hurry! Dad's coming to find you. Hang in there, kid.

Izuku relays this to Shouto, who nods, but before they can make a move, the blue flames surge in front of them, effectively walling them in. There’s a laugh behind them and Izuku turns to see a girl not much older than him in a school uniform wielding knives. She giggles, winking at him.

“You’re both cute,” she grins, showing brilliant white teeth, “I’m Himiko Toga. I just want a little taste of your blood. Just a teensy mouthful. A bit off your arm, maybe? Or your face? That would be so intimate!”

Shouto begins launching an attack of ice and fire at Toga while Izuku covers his back, stomach dropping when a tall, scarred villain steps through the blue flames. Izuku pulls off his bo staff, spinning it before holding it in front of him, glaring at the villain.

“Oh wow, a stick, I’m so scared,” the villain yawns, looking down at his phone, “Shigaraki, I found the brat.” 

Izuku lunges towards the villain with a shout, managing to spin kick him in the side. He knows it’s reckless to fight, but if he just stands there, he’ll be a sitting duck. The villain looks annoyed, but Izuku keeps attacking him, using his capture weapon to try and tie the villain’s hands together.

“Enough of this shit,” the guy curses, lunging forward and wrapping his hand around Izuku’s throat. Izuku stays still, eyeing the guy’s free hand, currently covered in flames hot enough to kill. 

“Izuku!” Shouto cries, and there’s the zing sound of a knife being thrown. The villain holding Izuku curses as the knife accidentally grazes his arm. 

“Toga, watch where you’re throwing that shit!” he snaps.

“Sorry, Dabi!” she giggles. 

Izuku is still standing there, his throat and life in Dabi’s hands. It’s at this moment that a group of his classmates come bursting into the forest, Bakugou at the front. Shouto is down, hissing in pain as he has a long gash on his arm from one of Toga’s knives.

“Oi, fuckhead, let him go!” Bakugou snarls at Dabi. Dabi just raises an eyebrow and Izuku’s stomach sinks when a portal like the USJ appears behind them.

“Nah, I don’t think so. Say bye, kiddies,” Dabi says sarcastically, backing up into the portal, dragging Izuku with him. Izuku hears his class screaming for him and sees Bakugou move to lunge.

“No, stay back!” Izuku chokes out, “Kacchan, don’t!” 

The childhood nickname slips from his lips and Izuku sees Bakugou’s eyes widen in surprise. It’s the last sight he sees before the portal completely covers his vision, as the League of Villains warps him from camp.

When he next opens his eyes, Izuku’s tied down to a chair and Shigaraki is standing right in front of him, grinning with wide eyes.

“Welcome to the League of Villains Headquarters, Izuku Midoriya."

Chapter Text

Izuku stares at Shigaraki, his heart pounding with fear and adrenaline. He had managed a few days off UA property this time, but once again, he’s been kidnapped. Izuku’s getting sick of villains ruining his plans. Annoyed, he looks around the room. 

He spots Kurogiri standing behind what looks like a bar, cleaning glasses. In front of him on bar stools are Dabi and Toga. Izuku spots the cut where Toga’s knife grazed Dabi’s arm slowly leaking blood on the table. In the corner, there’s another table with three people around it, someone with a reptilian quirk, someone wearing a top hat and a mask, and another person who seems to be having a conversation with themselves. A tall, muscular woman is leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, staring at Izuku. 

“Well, it seems I finally caught you,” Shigaraki grins, somehow looking even more threatening without the severed hands he usually wears, “I have to admit, I didn’t think it would be that easy. I mean, after all, you are the son of two pro heroes.” 

Izuku’s eyes widen in surprise. If Shigaraki knows about Hizashi as well, that probably means he knows everything. Izuku opts not to give away anything personal if he can help it, but he spares a thought for his poor parents, knowing how distraught they’re going to be.

“When they find you, they’ll rip you apart,” Izuku says, his eyes hard, “You won’t touch Eraserhead again. Present Mic will destroy you before you can get within ten feet of him.” 

Shigaraki laughs, throwing his head back. “Now, now, that’s not very heroic, is it? Did I hurt your daddy's feelings when I murdered Eraserhead? Good thing they had you, little cheat code. You changed the rules of the game, didn’t you? A real necromancer in the party.”

Izuku looks over at Dabi again, wincing when he sees him bleeding all over the bar. Dabi doesn’t seem to care, but Izuku knows how to fix it and he’s taken an oath as a medical student to help heal the sick and wounded, no matter who they are or what terrible things they may have done. 

“Tch, his quirk can’t hurt us and he can’t run,” Shigaraki says, sounding almost bored, “Untie him. If you try anything Izuku, I’ll decay you.”

“No, you won’t,” Izuku says simply, “You need my quirk.”

Shigaraki smirks. “That’s true, I suppose. How about this; if you try anything, I’ll ash your dear old dads. I promise you, we don’t need them.”

Izuku knows the villain means it. He’s already killed Aizawa once. Nodding, Izuku stays still as the villain with the top hat releases his restraints. Izuku stands up, rubbing his wrists before walking over to the bar. No one says anything, but Izuku is too distracted by Dabi’s very glaringly obvious open wound to focus on anything else.

“Um, Mr. Kurogiri?” Izuku asks, wondering how to address the warp villain. Kurogiri stops cleaning the glass he’s holding, staring at Izuku with something like bewilderment.

“Yes?” he asks in a deep voice, “What can I do for you, Izuku Midoriya?”

Izuku doesn’t bother correcting them using the Aizawa last name. There are no Midoriya’s left to hurt, after all.

“Um, do you have a first aid kit?” Izuku asks. Kurogiri nods, the others watching with interest as he turns behind the bar and grabs a small white box, handing it to Izuku. 

“Are you injured?” Kurogiri asks curiously. Izuku shakes his head.

“No, I’m a medical student. I intern under Recovery Girl,” Izuku says, dragging the first aid kit over to Dabi. “Give me your arm.”

Dabi just stares at him incredulously. “Excuse me, what?”

“Just give me your arm,” Izuku mumbles, grabbing the kit, “I’m a medical student like I said, that cut on your arm needs treatment.”

Dabi keeps staring as Izuku pulls out an alcohol wipe from the kit, wishing they had been wearing their hero costumes for the test of courage tonight. His costume had a lot more first aid supplies on it than this tiny kit. Izuku’s willing to bet any medication inside this thing has expired. From the look of the rest of the League and Dabi’s scars, Izuku’s pretty sure they don’t usually bother fixing themselves up. 

“This might sting,” Izuku says after the cut is clean. He pushes gauze down on the cut, watching as Dabi’s face spasms. No one talks, all of them staring at Izuku. Dabi seems stunned, but he doesn’t say anything. Izuku winces after a while, realizing the cut needs stitches.

“Kurogiri, what about a sewing kit?” Izuku asks. It’s primitive, but if he can sterilize the thread, it’ll be better than leaving the wound open and exposed, “Oh, and the strongest pure alcohol you have, please.” 

“Of course,” Kurogiri replies. Everyone’s still just staring. Izuku mumbles to himself, grabbing the bottle of alcohol from Kurogiri and pouring it over a needle and thread in the medical kit. It’s complete guesswork, and Recovery Girl would probably be screaming at him if she were here, but Izuku has to do something.

“Okay, now this will seriously hurt,” Izuku tells Dabi bluntly after he threads the needle, “Do you want something to bite down on?”

Dabi stares at him before he scoffs, “Kid, do you not see that my entire fucking body is one giant wound? I can’t even fucking feel shit, if you want to sew me up that badly, just fucking do it.”

Izuku shrugs, biting his lip and getting to work. Despite his bravado, Dabi does wince and grit his teeth as Izuku sutures up the wound as best as he can. It’s primitive, but it should keep the wound from getting infected. Izuku puts more alcohol over the now stitched-up wound. Finally, Izuku wraps it in bandages from the kit, using the metal fasteners to hold them together.

“There,” Izuku murmurs, pulling back, “Don’t unwrap those for the rest of the day. I can change them later for you.” 

Dabi rolls his eyes and moves to stand up. Izuku grabs his uninjured arm and yanks him back down in his seat, Dabi turning to stare at him with an expression so enraged and shocked it almost knocks Izuku back a few feet.

Feeling as though he’s been possessed by Recovery Girl’s spirit, Izuku sits up his full height and glares at Dabi.

“You will sit down,” Izuku hisses, “And you won’t move, or you’re going to pull those stitches out and ruin all my hard work.” 

Shigaraki bursts out laughing at that, and Izuku is surprised when the other villains start laughing too.

“I’m starting to like this kid a lot,” the muscular woman in the corner grins, “I’m Magne, but you can call me Big Sis or Mags, if you’d like.”

“Spinner,” the man with the reptile quirk grins, showing multiple rows of sharp teeth. 

“I’m Twice! No, Jin!” the man talking to himself says, jerking a little in his seat, “We’re happy you’re here- we’re going to kill you and feed your body to the dogs!”

The villain in the mask and top hat stands and does a flourishing bow, before he reaches up and pulls a bouquet of flowers out of nowhere in an impromptu magic trick.

“You may call me Mr. Compress,” Compress says, sounding as if he’s smiling behind the mask, “I believe you already know Toga and Dabi from your encounter in the forest. It is very nice to make your acquaintance, young Izuku.” 

Dabi is staring down at his arm with an unreadable expression while Toga giggles, waggling her fingers at Izuku before spinning around on her barstool, laughing harder. 

“This is fun! We should have kidnapped Izuku a long time ago,” she laughs, “Oh, Izuku! Do you have a hero name? We all have villain names, so you must have a hero name.” 

Izuku blinks, figuring it would be best to answer their questions. “It’s uh…Necro.” 

“Necro…like necromancer?” Shigaraki asks, his eyes lighting up, “This is perfect. Your name is already villainous. You’ll fit right in. Here’s the deal, Izuku Midoriya. We’re recruiting you. As of right now, you’re one of us.”

“Yeah, welcome to the League!” Toga beams, “Can I taste your blood yet?”

Izuku freezes, his eyes narrowing. “My parents are heroes. There’s no way that I’m becoming a villain, no matter how much you try. I refuse.” 

“Newsflash, kid, my shitty old man’s a hero too, and look at me,” Dabi grins, downing a drink that Kurogiri had given him, “Doesn’t matter who your parents are. Sensei wants you, so you’re one of us. That’s it.”

It’s definitely not it, but Izuku knows when to keep his mouth shut. They’re going to take him whether he likes it or not, so the best thing he can do is to play along, at least a believable amount. If he can get on their good side, get them to show sympathy for him, maybe he can convince one of them to let him go. 

He knows his parents are coming, and the rest of the UA staff, the police. They’re already on their way, and Izuku’s sure he won’t be here too much longer. 

“Dabi is correct,” Shigaraki says from the other end of the bar, holding a handheld game console and staring at the screen, sounding bored. “We’ll use you to resurrect some people soon, be ready for that.”

“I’m not letting you use my quirk like that,” Izuku says quietly, “It would kill me anyway. It takes an enormous amount of energy to revive even one person.”

Shigaraki raises his eyebrows, smiling cruelly. “Well, it’s a good thing you’ll be with us for a very long time then, Izuku.” 

That night, Izuku is locked in a bedroom down the hallway. He supposes he can’t complain, there’s an actual futon with a blanket and an attached toilet and sink, so while the accommodations aren’t five stars, he can sleep, use the bathroom, and he has access to water. He’s shocked when Compress knocks on his door and hands him a bowl of ramen, surprised that they’re bothering to feed him.

He eats, curling up under the blanket on the futon. So far, nothing terrible has happened to him, but he needs to keep a level head. His phone is gone, obviously taken off of him when they took him from camp, and there’s no way for his parents to track him. He needs to go along with the League’s plans without using his quirk. 

Trying not to give into fear or despair, ignoring the desperate part of him that wants to go home, Izuku tries to keep a level head, and plan. 

The next day, Shigaraki grabs him and unceremoniously tosses him into another room. Inside is one of the most terrifying people Izuku has ever seen. The man is hooked up to machines, looking half alive. The mist curls around him, almost drowning him. Izuku swears he can see hands in the mist, trying to pull the man down with it. He gets the sense this person has cheated death.

“Hello, young Izuku Midoriya,” the man says, in an eerie voice that makes Izuku’s skin crawl, “I am known as All For One, but you can simply call me Sensei.” 

All For One appears to have no eyes, and his mouth is hidden by a kind of gas mask. He’s so twisted and warped that he doesn’t even look human anymore, like something out of Izuku’s nightmares. 

“Your quirk is truly amazing,” All For One almost whispers, “It is a power I would love to possess, but the downsides…I could not risk it. I do not wish to be surrounded by the spirits of the dead. Tell me, how many people have you resurrected?” 

Izuku is terrified, but he opts to be honest. “Just…just one. My dad.”

“Ah yes, Eraserhead,” All For One sighs, “I see. We’ll need to test you more. Kurogiri, send him to the Doctor.” 

Before Izuku can say anything, he feels his body covered in Kurogiri’s mist. When he next opens his eyes, he’s in a completely different room. He’s not even sure if he’s even still in the same building. He’s surrounded by tanks filled with eerie looking liquid, nomu creatures like the one from the USJ floating inside of them.

A man in a lab coat is talking to himself, standing over a table. Izuku realizes with a sick lurch that there’s a body on the table. A human person. It appears to be a woman, maybe mid-twenties. There’s no spirit energy around her at all, and Izuku can immediately tell she’s been dead for a while.

“Ah, Izuku,” the doctor says, waving him over as if they’re well acquainted, “Come here. Tell me, can you revive her?” 

Izuku stares at the corpse in horror, his hands shaking. She’s obviously been murdered, a deep gash in her throat. “N-No. She…she’s been dead too long.” 

“See, I think you can,” the doctor says in a sickly-sweet voice, “Now come on, try. Unless you want Toga to use you as target practice later. Believe me, her knives hurt.” 

Izuku swallows hard. He doesn’t want to do this. If reviving his dad felt forbidden, this feels evil. Every cell in his body seems to be screaming no at him as he raises a shaky hand over her body. There’s nothing to grab and the mist seems to be fighting him. Izuku gets the sense he can force some of the mist into her body, but she’ll effectively be a zombie.

“Hurry it up!” the doctor snaps, “I don’t have all day. Fuck it, Kurogiri, send Shigaraki. The boy needs motivation.” 

A few moments later Izuku hears a few people behind them, turning to see Shgiaraki and Twice standing there, both looking confused. 

“Well, what the hell do you want?” Shigaraki asks, “Sensei sent you the kid, didn’t he?”

“He won’t do his job!” the doctor snaps angrily, “I have deadlines. Important work to do! I don’t have time to babysit this brat.”

Shigaraki walks over leaning to whisper in the doctor’s ear. Izuku can just make it out. 

“If your brain wasn’t the only one in Japan that could create those brilliant monsters, I would splatter your head out onto this floor,” Shigaraki says in an extremely threatening voice, “I suggest you play nice with me, or I may just lose my patience.” 

As a show of how serious he is, Shigraki reaches out and decays the doctor’s lab coat, leaving him spluttering furiously. Izuku’s hands are shaking, unable to take his eyes off of the murdered woman’s corpse.

“Izuku, do it,” Shigaraki orders, “Now. You only need one arm for your quirk to work, yeah? So if you won’t do it, I’ll just decay one of your arms. Maybe your legs too, so you can’t run.”

Izuku flinches, knowing that Shigaraki is absolutely serious. He leans forward, pressing shaky hands over the corpse. He reaches down for some of the mist and feels a violent lurch in his stomach. He tries to force the mist inside of her, but if feels so repulsive that he turns to the side and vomits. 

“I c-can’t, it’s wrong,” Izuku gasps, his eyes wild, “It’s dead, it’s just a shell, there’s….n-nothing, it’s so d-dark. It hurts. Please, don’t make me, I don’t want to, I don’t want to.”

“Hey he sounds like me! Cursed brat couldn’t be more different!” Twice shouts from behind. Shigaraki and the doctor say nothing as Izuku sobs and gasps, the horror of what he had almost done fresh over him.

“Twice, take him upstairs,” Shigaraki says quietly, “Tell Kurogiri to give him an apple juice or something.” 

Izuku is shaking as Twice grabs him, rambling in his ear. Izuku thinks they may be warped away, but the next thing he knows, he hears Toga laughing and Magne’s voice. 

“What’s wrong with Izu?” Toga gasps, sounding like she’s upset. Izuku feels like he might be sick again, and Twice basically shoves Izuku into a couch in the corner, where he drops his head into his shaking hands.

“Boss told him to resurrect a corpse. The brat is a weakling! He tried, but he said it was bad and then he threw up! The doctor, the doctor is bad. Shigaraki is mad, let me tell you! We’re mad, not Shigaraki!”

Twice’s explanation seems to make sense to the other villains and no one bothers Izuku for a while. Izuku can only feel the icy cold, the wrongness of it all as mist curls around his feet. A choked sob escapes his lips as he wraps his arms around himself, not caring he’s having a breakdown in front of the most wanted villains in Japan.

“Shit kid, was it really that bad?” Dabi scoffs from near where he’s sitting. 

Maybe it was the fact that Izuku had fixed Dabi’s arm earlier, or the fact that he sounded a little bit like Aizawa when he talked like that. Maybe it was Izuku’s insane day, or the terrible thing he had gone through, but he finds himself desperately turning to Dabi for comfort.

“The v-void,” Izuku manages to say, his eyes dark and wild, “They m-made me t-touch it. You’re not…you’re not supposed to touch it, it’s wrong.”

“Okay,” Dabi says, sounding a little unsure, “Why can’t you touch it? What, does god zap you or something?”

Izuku shakes his head, still trembling. “N-No, it’s wrong, it’s bad. It stains you. I’m t-tainted. I c-can’t…I can’t do this, he’s going to m-make me do this. I d-don’t want to be dragged into the r-river.” 

Izuku knows he’s not making any sense, but he’s so overwhelmed and shaken up that he doesn’t try to explain more. Eventually, he feels someone thrust a water bottle into his hands, which he drinks gratefully, and Magne makes him eat half of a sandwich. 

“Kid’s fucked up,” Spinner says after a while, “Do you think this plan will really work?”

“Maybe not, but he’s still useful if one of us goes down,” Dabi shrugs, “At the very least, it’s security if we die. He can bring us right back, as long as he’s nearby. According to our source, when he brought Eraserhead back, he healed all of his wounds.”

Our source. Izuku knows for sure now, there’s a spy at UA, probably in his class, and he feels sick to his stomach. He manages to get a hold of himself by the time Shigaraki comes back, looking stony-faced.

“What happened?” Dabi asks immediately, “You look like shit.” 

“I had to ash the doctor,” Shigaraki sighs, as if it was a mildly annoying task instead of brutal murder, “Sensei wasn’t happy with me.” 

“You killed…the doctor?” Compress asks, sounding confused, “But what about the nomus?”

Shigaraki grins, jabbing his thumb at Izuku. “With him, we don’t need those things. Imagine, an army of the dead, still possessing their quirks, able to be controlled like puppets. Sensei thinks it’s possible. We’ve just got to train the kid out of his instincts.”

Izuku almost throws up again. Train him? To what…to create zombies? He’s going to be sick. He looks up, his hands trembling. He gets the sense, despite how insane some of them are, that League aren’t all bad. They seem to follow their own sense of morality and have some level of empathy. Izuku tries to appeal to that.

“Please,” Izuku begs, “Don’t make me do that again. I don’t even think it will work. I just…I want to help people, I want to save people. I don’t w-want to touch death like that again, it makes it mad.”

Izuku is struck by the realization that the mist he’s been seeing his whole life feels sentient. Like an ancient god he needs to barter with, mist imbued with the thoughts and emotions of every living being that’s ever passed through it. He can’t dig energy out of the mist without angering it, and it’s not something he’ll risk again. He doesn’t want to think about what he wants it to create.

“You’re crazier than Jin,” Dabi scoffs, slouching in his barstool. He glances at the bandage on his arm, though, looking back at Shigaraki. “Maybe we should give him a few days. He’s no use to us like this.” 

Shockingly, Shigaraki agrees. “Alright, no experiments for a few days. Izuku, come walk with me.” 

Izuku stands up on shaky legs, following Shigaraki down the hallway. Shigaraki opens a door to a very normal looking room. There’s a bed and bathroom, and an impressive desk and gaming setup. Izuku realizes this must be Shigaraki’s room, wondering why he’s in here at all.

“Sit down,” Shigaraki orders. Izuku sits on the bed while Shigaraki takes the desk chair, booting up his computer and pulling up some complicated looking game that takes up two monitors. Shigaraki doesn’t talk for a while as Izuku sits on the bed, saying nothing.

“Why did you stitch up Dabi’s arm?” Shigaraki asks after ten minutes of silence, “It’s been driving me fucking insane. He kidnapped you, and the first thing you do is heal him. Why?”

Izuku is surprised by the question, but he opts to be honest. “Because he was hurt, and I could fix it. I don’t like seeing people hurt. I want to save them.” 

Shigaraki scoffs, scratching at some dry skin on his neck. Izuku mulls over the interactions he’s witnessed here, the terrifying conversation with All For One. He has a feeling he knows a little of what’s happening here, and he opts to try and appeal to any rational part of Shigaraki that’s left. 

“I want to be a medical hero,” Izuku tells him quietly, “I want to save people before they need my quirk. I don’t want to ever use my quirk again, not if I don’t have to. If I become a real doctor, I can save people before they need to be revived at all. That’s what I want to do.”

“Not a limelight hero?” Shigaraki asks, “Aren’t you in the heroics course?”

Izuku nods, “Yeah, but not everyone in my class wants to be the number one hero. Sure, some people do, but most of us just want to do our best, you know? To help. My parents always said they didn’t care what I did as long as I was happy. It’s hard to be happy though when everyone wants to kidnap you all the time.” 

“Hm,” Shigaraki hums, “Yeah, I suppose this isn’t your first event getting kidnapped. You’ve gone through this dialogue before.”

“What do you want, Shigaraki?” Izuku asks quietly, trying to ignore the anxiety in his chest, “Do you really want everyone to die?”

Shigaraki scoffs, smashing buttons on his keyboard as he plays his game. “No, I want to play video games. But in order for the world to be right Sensei has to cleanse it. He needs to use me to do it, so I follow him.” 

“Why?” Izuku asks quietly, watching Shigaraki’s hands still, “You’re stronger than he is. I know…something’s not right with him, but you have one of the strongest quirks I’ve ever seen. You and the rest of the League seem like…well, like friends. Why is he the one giving orders? From what I’ve seen, your friends respect you, not him. If anyone's going to lead the League, it should be you.”

Shigaraki just stares at him, his eyes wide and scared, making him look like a young child. Before Izuku can say anything else, there’s the sound of shouting and a loud explosion coming from the front of the bar.

“Fuck!” Shigaraki screeches, rushing out of the room. Izuku hears voices, hears someone shout that they’ve restrained Kurogiri. Izuku runs, stumbling a little as he bursts out into the bar area. Most of the League has vanished, but Kurogiri is in restraints. 

Izuku makes a move to run out the door when he trips on shaky legs, still off balance from before. A police officer helps him up, escorting him out of the bar. Outside, there’s a ring of police cars, ambulances, police tape, and half a dozen heroes. Izuku feels pure relief when he looks out to see his parents standing there, looking scared and worried until Aizawa spots him, calling his name with a shout.

They rush over, Izuku practically falling into Aizawa’s arms. He’s shaking, his face buried against his dad’s chest as Aizawa kisses his head, Hizashi hugging him from behind, both of the murmuring how much they love him, how relieved they are that he’s safe. 

“We’ve got to move!” someone shouts, “The villains are fighting each other, it’s going to hell out there! All Might’s engaging, but Shigaraki’s just killed one of his own!”

Izuku wonders which of the League Shigaraki would have killed when his heart freezes. The conversation they just had…could it be?

Izuku is being escorted into the back of an ambulance by his parents when he hears a stunned officer say, “I have confirmation. All For One is dead.”

Chapter Text

Izuku’s not physically injured, but he’s checked over in the hospital anyway. His parents stay with him the entire time as he’s evaluated, looking haggard and worried. Once Izuku’s pronounced physically healthy, he’s allowed to take a shower in his hospital room. Someone produces a change of clothes for him, a simple hoodie and sweatpants. He changes. Everything feels robotic, distant.

He keeps seeing that dead woman, laid out on the table. Shigaraki, talking about decaying the doctor. Stitching Dabi’s wound. Hearing that Shigaraki had killed All For One. Was it Izuku’s fault? Did he cause a death? The void, the terrible wrongness of it all. 

Izuku sits on the hospital bed now, his head still spinning. His parents look exhausted, desperately worried, and Izuku’s heart aches for them. He’s not sure how many days he was missing, but by the look of his parents, they’ve had more than a few sleepless nights since he was taken.

“How long?” he asks, his voice sounding shaky and thin, “How long was I gone?”

“Two days,” Aizawa says, reaching over to run his fingers through Izuku’s hair, “We didn’t stop looking for you, Izu. We’ve been out searching for you since camp.”

“Everyone helped,” Hizashi adds, resting his hand on Izuku’s arm through the rough hospital blanket, “Your classmates, the other UA teachers, the police and the pros. It was actually your classmates who found you first.”

Izuku blinks. “What?” 

“Yaoyorozu,” Aizawa explains quietly, “She managed to stick a tracker she made on a nomu that was attacking the training camp. When the villains cleared out, she and a few of your friends made a plan to follow it to try and rescue you.”

Izuku’s shocked. That plan sounds ludicrous, but he can’t help thinking that if he were on the other side of things, if someone else had been captured, he probably would have wanted to go search for them as well.

“Who…went with her?” Izuku asks, curious as to who would risk potential expulsion for him.

“Shouto, of course,” Hizashi says quietly, “Shinsou, Bakugou, and Kirishima all joined her. They had almost made it off UA’s campus when your dad caught them. Fortunately for them, they weren’t expelled as their information turned out to be invaluable to finding you.” 

Izuku tries to take this in, still feeling a little sick to his stomach as he tries to process everything. His head aches, his mind is exhausted, and he wants to tuck himself into the hospital bed and sleep for a week. Everything still feels too much.

“We’re so happy you’re safe, Izu,” Aizawa says, his eyes full of love and worry, “We love you so much, kid. We’re just…so relieved you’re alright.” 

“I love you too,” Izuku croaks out, feeling terrible at putting his parents through this, “When can we go home?”

Hizashi and Aizawa share a look before Hizashi says, “Just after your police interview. We asked Tsukauchi to do it, since you already know him. Once that’s done, we’ll get you discharged and take you back home, okay?” 

Shortly after this, Tsukauchi arrives and the interview is stilted, awkward. Izuku tries to explain everything, suturing Dabi’s arm, Shigaraki’s threats, meeting All For One. His parents had visibly paled when he explained the meeting with Shigaraki and the doctor, and their pale faces all but drained of color when Izuku talked about how they tried to make him revive the corpse.

“She was…she was just a shell,” Izuku tries to explain, his voice faraway “And they made me touch it.”

“They made you touch the body?” Tsukauchi asks for clarification.

Izuku shakes his head. “N-No, not the body. The…the void, the mist. Whatever it is that the dead travel in. They wanted me to t-touch it, but I couldn't. I’m not supposed to.”

His parents look visibly disturbed now, more than worried, but Izuku doesn’t have words to really explain the phenomenon he’s experiencing. The mist seems alive to him, like it has every thought and emotion from every being who’s ever passed on. Whatever spirits are, whatever the after life is or isn’t, Izuku has a deep knowing down to his bones that he can’t touch the mist.

“Who says you aren’t supposed to?” Tsukauchi asks calmly.

“N-No one, just…” Izuku stammers, “It…I can’t explain it. It’s not…there aren’t words to describe it. Whatever death is, I’m not allowed to touch that. No living person is allowed to. It’s breaking…breaking a rule. Some really, really important rules. It feels really b-bad to break.” 

Tsukauchi watches him patiently. “Bad like you’ll be in trouble?” 

Izuku’s stomach twists and all he can manage to say is “Worse.”

Tsukauchi looks like he wants to ask more questions, but Izuku isn’t sure what else to say. Now that the secret of his quirk is out to his class, the villains, he feels like he doesn’t need to hold so much to his chest. He opts to try and explain, for his parents’ sake if nothing else. Tsuakuchi has also been there for Izuku after every terrible thing that’s happened to him, so he wants to explain it to the detective too.

“The mist…” Izuku manages to say, “It’s like…like the veil between the living and the dead, I think. The spirits of the dead move through it, and they’re all…they’re all going somewhere. They move in lines like they’re being herded, or…or going down a river. I don’t know if what I see is real, or if it’s my mind just…processing something that isn’t supposed to be understood. I keep having dreams about Charon and the river Styx.” 

“Charon?” Tsukauchi asks, “The ferrier to the Underworld in Greek mythology?”

Izuku nods. “Y-Yeah. In my dreams he…he points at me, grabs me, tugs me on the boat. It feels like…like death is telling me its my turn.”

Hizashi and Aizawa are listening with rapt attention but they both look alarmed at his last sentence. Izuku winces, realizing that it came out wrong, and moves to explain. 

“Not my turn to die,” he clarifies, seeing his parents look slightly relieved, “But my turn to…to ferry them, or something. I just know that death has rules, and my quirk breaks them. I can revive people, but…but I shouldn’t. Whatever it is that rules over death, nature or…or something else, my quirk makes me feel wrong.”

A silence follows this, no one seeming to know what to say. Tsukauchi is still recording, looking at Izuku with an unreadable expression before he blinks, getting back to his professional expression.

“Alright, I hear you, Izuku,” Tsukauchi says, “So, after you refused to revive the woman because of all of that, what happened next?” 

Izuku tells the rest of the story, down to being in Shigaraki’s room and telling the villain that he didn’t need All For One, didn’t need his sensei. For that, Izuku feels a little ashamed. He had only meant to drive a wedge between All For One and the League, to try and save them, not to end the life of someone else.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Aizawa says instantly, “Izuku, listen. All For One…the things he’s done, the people he’s murdered, the lives he’s destroyed. While we don’t condone death, his absence from the world will end so much suffering for so many.” 

Izuku hears the words, but they don’t absolve the guilt he feels. He knows he didn’t pull the trigger, didn’t kill the villain himself, but he may as well have with how he influenced Shigaraki. Not wanting to upset his poor parents more than they already are, Izuku doesn’t press the matter, wanting to finish his interview quickly.

After Izuku answers all of Tsukauchi’s questions, the detective leaves the three of them alone in his hospital room. Izuku is exhausted, bringing a tired hand up to his face and rubbing his eyes. He’s been through so much in the last few days that his brain can hardly keep up with all of it.

“Can we go home?” Izuku asks quietly. He hates the hospital, he wants to be home, asleep in his own bed. He wants to be in the safety of UA, where no villains can touch him, where he’s safe with his family, his teachers, his friends.

“As soon as they discharge you, we’re leaving,” Hizashi murmurs, his voice as gentle as anything, “Izu, honey, a lot has happened since you were kidnapped. All For One’s death, it changed things…a lot. At UA and in the city.”

Izuku hears the trepidation in his dad’s voice, looking up to see Hizashi looking unsure and Aizawa looking visibly upset. He wants to ask what’s wrong, but Aizawa beats him to it with his explanation.

“We found the UA traitor,” Aizawa says, his face dark and stormy, “He turned himself in after All For One’s death. Claimed he was forced to do it. They’re interrogating him and his family now.” 

Izuku’s stomach sinks. They had suspected a traitor, but hearing that they confessed almost makes it worse, makes it real. This person, whoever it was, had sold him out. Bared his secrets, endangered his life, his parents’ lives, and the lives of their entire class.

“Who?” Izuku asks, almost scared of the answer. It has to be someone from his class. He knows this, bracing himself for the answer.

“Aoyama,” Aizawa spits out, sounding livid, and Izuku freezes. Aoyama , the boy in his class with the navel laser, the one who speaks in French and loves glitter, parties, and hair braiding. Aoyama, who plays loud music, complains often of stomach aches, and is always nice to Izuku. Aoyama, who sold Izuku’s information to the villains, the reason he was kidnapped, the reason he had to touch the void.

“I know it’s a shock, but it’s true,” Hizashi says sadly, seeing Izuku’s stunned face, “We don’t know the whys or the hows yet, but he seemed truly upset, like he hadn’t wanted to do it. It seems his parents got him caught up in it all.” 

“Doesn’t matter,” Aizawa says in a clipped voice, “Because of him we almost lost our son.”

Izuku’s head spins. “Does the rest of the class know?”

“Yes,” Hizashi says, trying to keep calm for his husband and his son’s sakes, “Aoyama told them first, confessed to them all at UA. Bakugou and Kirishima…restrained him. He needed Recovery Girl’s quirk before the police took him.”

Izuku winces. It still seems unreal, that the joyful boy from class could have been so…so lost to do such a terrible thing. He imagines Aoyama standing in front of All For One, telling the terrifying villain about the training camp, the internships. God, the USJ.

The reason the villains knew about the USJ was because Aoyama told them. Aizawa died because of Aoyama. Izuku’s distress must show on his face at the realization, because Hizashi starts murmuring to him, but Izuku can only look up at Aizawa in tears.

“You died because of him,” Izuku chokes out, tears in his eyes, “He…he s-sold you out, and you…you…”

Aizawa flinches, pulling Izuku into a hug. “Kid, I’m alive. You brought me back. Whatever Aoyama did, he’s in police custody now. He and his parents can’t hurt anyone else ever again. I’m safe, dad’s safe, you’re safe. I’m alive. Feel my heartbeat?”

Izuku nods, pressed against his dad’s chest. It’s so much to take in, too much. Aoyama. One of their own, a betrayer. Izuku feels sick. It takes Aizawa hugging him and Hizashi using his voice quirk to hum soothingly for Izuku to keep himself together.

He’s just managed to calm down when the hospital doors open and All Might steps through. Izuku stares in surprise, still not really ever used to seeing the number one hero up close, even after having him as a teacher. He’s not sure why All Might is there, maybe to relay information to his parents? 

To Izuku and his parents’ surprise, All Might walks over to his bed, and pulls Izuku into a bear hug. Izuku freezes in the embrace, unsure of what to do when the number one hero hugs him tightly.

“Thank you, my boy,” All Might says, sounding truly grateful, “You have no idea how incredible you are. The service you have done for Japan is the greatest since quirks emerged. You are a true hero.”

Izuku has no idea what’s going on, staring at his parents over All Might’s shoulder, who both look equally shocked. All Might pulls back with a grin, looking at Izuku like he’s something marvelous as he keeps a hand on his shoulder.

“Because of you, Japan will not fall,” All Might declares, “Through simple words to Shigaraki, you stopped a terrible man from bringing an awful fate to all of us. Shigaraki and the others are still a force to be reckoned with, but without All For One…”

All Might looks up at the ceiling with a grin. “I’m the last holder. It can all finally end, with me.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Aizawa asks, clearly having no patience for anything else strange to happen today. All Might just lets out a great, booming laugh as he thanks Izuku again, heading out of the room with a spring in his step, looking happier than Izuku’s ever seen the hero.

“What the fuck,” Hizashi says in a rare curse, “I’m starting to think everyone is going insane. Look, I’m going to see if we can get you out of here, okay, Izu? Just sit tight with your dad.”

Izuku nods, a tingling feeling spreading throughout his body. He doesn’t understand. All For One, Aoyama, All Might. All of it is too much. Shigaraki, the dead girl, the void, Dabi’s arm. It all makes Izuku want to scream. He manages to keep a hold of himself until Hizashi comes back, telling Izuku he’s being discharged.

On the car ride back to UA, Aizawa catches Izuku up to speed on what’s been happening at UA. Izuku’s exhausted, a tired that runs bone-deep, but he tries to stay awake for his parents’ sake.

“Cementoss is building dorms,” Aizawa explains, “After you were kidnapped, it was the last straw for Nezu. He’s having all of the students move to the dorms and until everything calms down, all off-campus activities are temporarily suspended. Your whole class is moving to campus.”

Izuku tries to take this all in, his head still reeling from the strange visit with All Might and the revelation of Aoyama’s betrayal. It feels like he’s dreamed everything up since training camp and he’s some strange kind of alternate reality. Shaking his head a little, he stays quiet during the ride, missing his parents sharing worried looks. 

When he’s finally back home, Izuku beelines straight for his bed, burrowing himself in the sheets and tugging his old teddy bear to his chest. A feeling of safety envelops him, knowing that nothing can really get to him inside the UA walls. 

Aizawa and Hizashi change out of their hero uniforms and into pajamas before coming into Izuku’s room, clearly loath to leave him alone. Aizawa sits in Izuku’s desk chair and Hizashi on the end of Izuku’s bed looking at him with worried eyes. 

“I don’t want to live in the dorms,” is what Izuku says first, “I wanna stay here.”

“That’s fine,” Hizashi says quietly, “We want you to stay here, too. At least for as long as you want and so we can all heal together. I think the three of us would get better sleep if we can all keep an eye on one another.” 

Izuku’s so relieved to be home that he doesn’t realize how exhausted he is, his eyes drifting closed. He’s asleep within what feels like seconds, and soon, he’s dreaming. 

In his dream, Izuku stands in front of the villain from his childhood, Nightfish. She grins, sitting in an armchair with one leg slung over the side. In front of her is a trembling figure, the poor man in the suit who had been killed in front of Izuku as a child. Izuku watches as Nightfish laughs, pulling out a dagger. She reaches for the man, but her figure morphs into Shigaraki’s.

Dream Shigaraki reaches out his hand towards the trembling man with all five fingers. Before Izuku can move, the man turns into Aizawa, and Shigaraki presses all five fingers to his face, decaying him in one horrible instant. 

Shigaraki turns towards Izuku with a terrible, feral grin, but his face morphs slowly into the nothing , the void. Izuku tries to scream, but he can’t move as Shigaraki walks over, leans down, and presses his hand to Izuku’s chest-

He wakes up with a gasp, shooting up in bed. The lights in his room are off now and the clock says it’s well into the late hours of the night. Izuku realizes after a moment that he’s crying, his body trembling and feeling weak. The nightmare had felt so visceral, so real, that Izuku can’t keep hold of himself, beginning to sob into his hands. 

Soon, the sobs escalate into gasps, and Izuku clutches at his chest. He sees Nightfish’s lackey slash the man’s throat over and over in his mind, sees Aizawa dying at the USJ, the woman’s body laid out in the League with that terrible doctor, All For One’s face.

“Izuku, you’re alright,” Hizashi says, walking into Izuku’s room and turning on the lights, “You’re safe. You’re at UA, it’s two thirty in the morning. Dad and I are both alive, and so are you.” 

Hizashi is at his side in an instant and Izuku is still shaking, little gasps coming out as his chest tightens. He can’t breathe, he can’t breathe, and through his terrible panic, he remembers what he’s studied with Recovery Girl.

PTSD. Panic attack. Izuku’s having a panic attack. He can’t think rationally about it, especially feeling such unadulterated terror from his nightmare, but he tries to calm himself down by telling himself that he’s safe.

“Izu, sweetheart, you need to breathe,” Hizashi says, sounding upset, “Come on, sweetheart. Can you take five deep breaths with me? I’ll count them with you.” 

“I’m h-having a panic attack,” Izuku chokes out, his voice a thin gasp as he grips onto his dad, “I n-need to c-calm down. I need to…to calm down.” 

Aizawa enters the room looking very worried as Hizashi tries to help Izuku calm down. Seeing Aizawa there helps, because it’s proof that Shigaraki didn’t kill him again, and both of his parents are alive. After several minutes of Hizashi expertly calming him, Izuku can breathe again. He feels like he was run over by a car, but he can breathe. 

“Rest, Izu,” Aizawa murmurs, “We’ve got you.”

The next morning, Izuku changes into comfortable clothes and he heads to the new Heights Alliance dorms with his parents. There’s an unspoken agreement between all three of them that Izuku doesn’t want to be alone in any capacity right now, so they escort him to the dorms together. Izuku’s shocked when he sees the building for 1-A.

“It’s huge,” Izuku comments, staring up at it, “Cementoss did this all in one weekend?”

“Yeah, apparently he had the plans ready to go in case of emergency,” Hizashi explains, “Your classmates mostly moved in yesterday, so I think they’re all there. Ready to go in?”

Izuku nods as Aizawa opens the door and he hears gasps and shouts of his name.

“Izuku!”

“Oh my gosh, we were so worried!”

“Are you okay? We missed you so much!”

There’s a cacophony of calls and shouts, but it’s Shouto who reaches him first, pulling Izuku into a hug. Izuku freezes for a moment, surprised. Shouto’s not usually overly tactile, but the fierce hug reminds him that his friends were worried, and they had tried to save him.

“I’m okay,” Izuku says when Shouto pulls back, still looking worried, “They didn’t hurt me.”

“Good,” Shouto says quietly, “We missed you.” 

The others come up, hugging him, telling him how happy they are he’s back. Mina and Hagakure tug him around the common area of the dorms, showing him the kitchen, the baths, the television and couch area. Aizawa and Hizashi make themselves comfortable on one of the couches a bit away from the class, both working on things on their computers. The sight calms any nerves Izuku may have had. 

Despite the happiness and relief at seeing his friends again, the mood is subdued. He sees a few people, especially some of the girls, looking truly upset, and Izuku’s stomach clenches when he remembers that class 1-A is now nineteen, not twenty. No one is speaking about it, but Izuku can tell it’s all on their minds. 

Resolving not to spiral into another panic attack, Izuku moves towards the kitchens where Bakugou is standing around the kitchen island barking orders at Shinsou and Kaminari.

“Where is the fucking salt?” Bakugou snaps, folding his arms, “Seriously, you two are useless.”  

“It’s here, oh great and mighty Lord Explosion Murder-”

“I’ll kill you, Dunce Face.” 

Izuku smiles, the interaction familiar. He looks down to see Bakugou scooping up something off a tray and tossing it into a bowl, throwing a copious amount of salt into it, before mixing it. Shinsou smirks at Izuku, sliding Bakugou a few more spices.

“We told Bakugou you got interrupted at the mall before you could get to the food court,” Shinsou explains, pointing at the bowl, “And that you wanted McDonalds.”

Before Izuku can say anything, Bakugou thrusts a plate into his hands. It’s full of warm, steaming french fries, homemade. Izuku stares down at them in shock before looking back up at his childhood friend.

“Not McDonalds, but that’s shit anyway,” Bakugou scoffs, “I made those in the oven. Eat them and like them, shitty nerd.”

Izuku is touched, smiling as he reaches down, eating one of the fries. It’s salty and delicious, and Izuku’s embarrassed that his eyes well up with tears when he takes the first bite.

“They’re really good,” Izuku says, “Thanks, Kacchan.” 

“Whatever, nerd.”

Chapter Text

Over the next several weeks, Izuku manages to recover. The League of Villains and Shigaraki haven’t shown themselves since All For One’s death. Izuku still has no idea what All Might was talking about in the hospital, but since All For One is gone, there seems to be a lot of chaos and upheaval in the villain world. 

His parents are being called out on patrol almost nightly, but they receive instructions from Nezu to stay at UA most of the time, superseding the patrol requests. With the instability in the villain world, Nezu wants at least seventy five percent of the staff there at night at all times, and anyone off-campus within reach. Since the teachers are all living on campus now, too, Izuku feels very safe. 

Aoyama’s betrayal has most of class 1-A subdued. Despite the fact that Izuku wasn’t close with Aoyama beyond friendly conversation, he can’t help but feel absolutely gutted when he thinks of how much hurt his classmate caused Izuku, caused his family. Izuku’s sure there’s more to the story than Aoyama and his family simply being villains, but his parents tell him that it's all classified, and Aoyama will not be returning to UA.

His friends don’t talk about Aoyama, not with each other, but each of them is placed in mandated therapy with the school counselor, a hero called Hound Dog in order to process everything that’s happened this year.

Through all of the chaos, the world settles enough for Nezu to begin allowing small off-campus excursions, such as students being allowed to go home on weekends, and even out for ice cream or to go shopping. Without All For One and the League suddenly vanishing, there seem to be no immediate direct threats to UA students. 

Because of this, Izuku and his classmates are able to study for and take their provisional hero licensing exams. The exams are held a few weeks after Izuku’s kidnapping, but he manages to pass, along with the rest of his classmates. 

Izuku’s proud when he shows his parents his new license, bearing his hero name. Izuku even has his real quirk listed, as they’re legally required to, and he finds he feels no fear when he looks down. His quirk is no longer a secret, Aoyama made sure of that, and he knows he has enemies everywhere. Despite this, Izuku is determined to continue his medical research with Recovery Girl, telling his parents he plans on going to medical school after he graduates from UA.

“There’s an accelerated program for medical heroes,” Recovery Girl tells him one afternoon, “It’s extremely difficult and very prestigious, but I believe if you study hard your next years at UA, you could be accepted.”

And so, Izuku has a goal. With his license comes the exciting opportunity to do internships with a hero of his choice. He had of course assumed he would be working with Recovery Girl, but she explains that due to her schedule, she can’t take him on as a full time intern until his second year. 

“Besides, you need field experience,” she tells him, “Ask Aizawa. He’s already taking on Shinsou and your combat styles are similar, correct?”

And so that’s how Izuku finds himself a week later in his hero costume, shoved in a dark alleyway with Shinsou at his side, both of them trying to stay in the shadows. Aizawa is an expert at underground heroics, and Izuku is in awe of his dad after just a couple of days of shadowing him.

He’s currently meeting with a contact to get information about some Yakuza threat, and Shinsou and Izuku aren’t allowed to make themselves known. When Aizawa is done, he walks back into the alley with a grin.

“Siren, Necro, come out,” he says, fully in his Eraserhead voice, “We’ve got the needed information. I need you two to finish patrolling this area while I hand deliver this to Nighteye. It’s too sensitive to say over coms.”

“Yes, Eraserhead,” Shinsou says, Izuku nodding. Aizawa’s gaze lingers on Izuku for a split second before he takes off with his capture weapon, heading in the direction of Nighteye Agency. 

“What do you think is going on?” Izuku asks Shinsou once they’re back on the street. This area of town is quiet, not a lot of crime, but they’re both on high alert. Aizawa had told them earlier that while it’s an area that looks clean, over half the buildings are owned by the yakuza. 

“I’m not sure, but I bet we’ll hear soon,” Shinsou murmurs back, their eyes scanning the street. It’s mid-morning, so there aren’t too many people out, most of them already at work. They head through the streets and alleys together, running into nothing besides a couple stray cats. 

They’re just about to turn around and head back towards their designated meeting point with Aizawa when the hair on the back of Izuku’s neck stands up. The mist is curling, surging around one dark alley that they had passed by earlier, and Izuku feels a deep sense of foreboding.

“Siren, stop,” Izuku says, turning to look, “Something’s down there.” 

Shinsou doesn’t question it, even though Izuku knows he can’t see the mist. Izuku walks towards the alley, shocked when instead of a villain or a dead body, there’s one, tiny little girl. Her hair is pale, her eyes as red as Bakugous, but what takes Izuku’s attention is the dirty, torn nightgown she wears and the scars and bandages that cover her body.

“Hey, are you alright?” Shinsou asks her gently. The girl shakes her head, almost shaking with terror. 

“My name is Necro,” Izuku smiles at her, “That’s Siren. We’re hero students. Do you need help?”

She shakes a little, her eyes darting behind her in the alley. “I’m Eri. P-Please, help me.” 

The request makes Izuku’s blood run ice cold, looking back down the alley where the mist is swirling. He sees a few spirits moving around something in the back, and he suddenly knows that someone is back there, and whoever they are isn’t good. 

Izuku puts a gentle hand on Eri’s arm to reassure her, but it’s too late. A figure steps out of the shadows, one that makes both Shinsou and Izuku tense. Eri looks petrified, but she doesn’t turn around. The man is tall, in a large coat and wearing what looks like an ancient plague mask.

“Eri, sweetheart, it’s not good to run away,” the man says, his voice almost sickly sweet, “Forgive me, my daughter is simply having a tantrum. Eri, it’s time to come home.”

Eri looks up at Izuku with eyes so full of fear it makes him sick. He doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, but he knows this girl is hurting, and this man, whoever he is, is hurting her. He keeps his hand on her shoulder and gives a reassuring squeeze. Shinsou seems to gauge the situation the same way as Izuku, keeping his voice sounding with a forced politeness. 

“Sir, we’re hero students,” Shinsou says calmly, although Izuku can hear the underlying tension in his voice, “Do you and your daughter need any help?”

The man shakes his head. Izuku’s heart pounds, praying the man will answer Shinsou’s question.

“No, we are-”

The man’s eyes glaze over. Shinsou is staring at him, and Izuku knows he has the man under the effect of his quirk. After a long moment, Shinsou turns to Izuku, his eyes wide.

“I can only hold him for a few minutes,” Shinsou says, “He’s got a strong mind. When he breaks out, he’ll try and kill us. You have to take her.”

Izuku shakes his head, gently putting Eri in Shinsou’s arms, “No, you can run faster than I can, and you’re better at using the capture weapon. Go!”

Shinsou looks like he wants to argue, but he nods, both of them realizing there’s no time. Fortunately, his quirk works from a distance, and he’s able to keep the man under his control while he escapes with Eri.

Izuku stays in sight of the alley, keeping his eyes on the man as he texts Aizawa an SOS and his location. Aizawa responds immediately asking for details, which Izuku doesn’t have time to give. A few seconds after he sends the text, the man breaks out of Shinsou’s quirk with a furious yell of rage, his eyes locking on Izuku.

“Do you know what you have done? Who you have angered?” the man growls, stepping forward, “I will destroy you.”

Suddenly, Izuku’s earpiece clicks on, a rustling in his ear. He hadn’t wanted to speak out loud before, but he can hear his dad connecting to try and talk to him.

“Necro, we’re coming,” Aizawa says as Izuku watches the villain come closer, “Shinsou called us and filled us in, he’s heading back to Nighteye Agency with the girl. Do not engage that villain. His name is Chisaki Kai, Overhaul. He’s one of the heads of the yakuza. You have to get out of there, now!"

Izuku freezes as Overhaul walks closer. He wants to say out loud that he doesn’t have a choice but to engage, but Overhaul moves before he can. The ensuing fight is mostly Izuku just trying not to die as Overhaul tries to kill him. Izuku’s seen enough of villains with touch-based quirks like Shigaraki to deduce that Overhaul must have a similar quirk, the way he keeps lunging for Izuku. His quirk becomes apparent when Overhaul’s hand grabs onto a telephone pole and it melts. At least, that’s the best way Izuku can describe it. The pole is in a heap on the ground, a kind of pile of materials. Some kind of disintegration quirk?

“Stay still, you brat,” Overhaul roars, launching forward. Izuku throws out his capture weapon, latching it around Overhaul’s foot and yanking. Overhaul curses, touching the weapon. The entire thing disintegrates, including the part around Izuku’s neck. Feeling exposed, Izuku dodges, knowing his physical attacks will have no effect on the villain whatsoever. 

Izuku eventually lands with his back to the pavement, eyes wide and horrified as Overhaul lunges for him. He’s sure he’s about to be killed when a blurred shape smacks into Overhaul, knocking him a distance away. Izuku stands, looking over to see a third year student he knows only vaguely, Togata Mirio. 

“Cheers!” Mirio grins, launching forward as he engages Overhaul. Izuku’s surprised to see police officers, even Sir Nighteye himself, ring the street, staring at Overhaul with their quirks flared, ready to engage.

The fight that follows is intense. Overhaul is clearly an excellent fighter, using his quirk to destroy the street, anything around him. He keeps screaming in a roar, calling for Eri, and Izuku thanks everything he can that Shinsou got that little girl away from this monster. Overhaul knocks a few police officers to the side, causing them to groan in agony, and he runs over to pull out his first aid kit. 

Mirio lunges for Overhaul again, and Izuku sees his mistake. Overhaul swings to the side, pulling out some kind of gun and shooting Mirio with it, causing him to cry out and fall to the ground almost instantly. 

Nighteye screams, “No!” from the ground, running towards Mirio, but it’s too late. The mist curls around Nighteye’s legs, creeping up to his chest. Izuku runs, as if in slow motion to try and stop him, but it’s too late. Overhaul reaches down on the street and grabs a jagged piece of a metal pole that had been broken in the fight, thrusting it straight through the hero’s heart.

The life leaves Nighteye’s body almost immediately, just as Izuku reaches his side. He’s so focused on Nighteye that he misses Overhaul being taken down behind him, the remaining heroes and police subduing the villain.

Izuku kneels down at Nighteye’s side, watching the man’s spirit begin to float out of his body. Izuku moves fast, turning the body over and yanking out the metal spike. He hears shouts around him, but Izuku tunes them out. Nighteye’s blood stains his hands, his knees. Just like at the USJ, Izuku begins to rock in a circle, his eyes turning the strange color of the mist. He hears someone behind him call out, “Don’t touch him!” Izuku keeps rocking, Nighteye’s lifeless eyes staring up at him. 

He places his hand inside Nighteye’s wound, the sensation making him feel sick. The mist surges, curling around the injury, and with his other hand, Izuku reaches up, and grabs Nighteye’s spirit. Nighteye’s spirit feels confused, but Izuku ignores it, tugging the spirit down and placing it back in the body. He keeps his hands on the hero’s chest as the terrible wound knits itself back together, the blood replenishes. 

Soon after, Nighteye opens his eyes with a gasp, sitting up and staring at Izuku in absolute shock. There’s a group of heroes and police officers nearby too, also looking stunned at the apparent miracle they had just witnessed. Izuku's head aches, his body exhausted as he sits back.

Nighteye is still staring at Izuku with shock and a bit of horror in his eyes. “You…defy the laws of nature. The laws of science.”

“It’s my quirk,” Izuku says calmly, although his heart is racing, “It’s called Living Touch. I can revive the dead, given I can get to them fast enough.” 

Nighteye’s eyes are wide, stunned, but they’re both broken out of it when Overhaul roars in rage behind them. He’s bound by a capture weapon, and Izuku can see Aizawa panting hard next to the villain as they work to get him into an armored police van. Someone sedates the villain, making it easy to get him inside. Izuku doesn’t relax until the armored van leaves the scene.

Aizawa walks over, helping Izuku to his feet and wincing at the blood he sees. Nighteye is standing now, staring at Izuku still like he’s not real, like he doesn’t believe Izuku exists.

“You…it’s impossible,” Nighteye says, staring at his own hands, “Today was my death. I’ve known it was my death for years, it was inescapable.” 

“You did die,” Izuku reminds him, trying to stay calm as his stomach rolls, trying to stay concious “I just…brought you back.” 

Nighteye burns holes into Izuku with the intensity of his stare. His voice is quiet as he says, “You shouldn’t exist.”

“Watch it,” Aizawa snaps, clearly losing patience, “That’s my son you’re talking to.”

“I mean, your quirk it…it changes futures,” Nighteye gapes, sounding like his entire world has shifted on its axis, “Changes the inevitable.”

“Can’t you just thank the kid and get over it?” Aizawa asks gruffly, “He saved your damn life.”

Nighteye scoffs, still looking shocked, “You…you have no idea the visceral violation of having your soul wrenched back into your body!”

“I do, actually, because he’s saved my life, too,” Aizawa explains calmly, “And every day I wake up to him and my husband now is a goddamned miracle, and if you can’t see that, you’re blind. Take the win, Nighteye. My kid gave you a second chance at life. Don’t squander it by being too rigid to see past your own worldview.” 

Izuku is silent throughout this, his head pounding. An ambulance has come to take Mirio and there’s already police trying to fix the damage Overhaul did to the road. He wavers a little as Aizawa puts a steady hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, Izu,” Aizawa says gently, ignoring Nighteye’s stare as he leads Izuku away, “Shinsou and Eri are safe. We need to get you checked out. You did good, kid."

Later that day, after Izuku has given his statement to the police, he’s back at UA in his comfiest clothes, bundled on the couch. Reviving Nighteye hadn’t been as emotionally upheaving as it was to save his dad, which Izuku chalks up to his connection to seeing his father’s mangled corpse. Izuku knows it was reckless to revive Nighteye in front of so many people, but he doesn’t regret it. He saved a life, saved a hero and he’s glad that despite his confusion, Nighteye is still alive. 

“I’m starting to think you’re an actual danger magnet,” Hizashi says next to him on the couch, “How are you feeling, kiddo? Still got a headache?”

Izuku shakes his head, “No, it’s okay. It’s…not like it was with dad at the USJ. I’m just tired. Is…that little girl okay? Eri?”

“Yeah, your dad’s with her and Chiyo now,” Hizashi sighs, “Poor thing, Overhaul’s been experimenting on her for her quirk since she can remember. That thing he shot Mirio with? It was a quirk suppression bullet. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like it’s permanent.” 

Izuku’s eyes widen.”He was…experimenting on her? On that little girl?”

Hizashi nods, looking deeply troubled. “Yes. He’s a monster. Her quirk is called Rewind, it allows her to rewind time on any living being. He’s been making a serum out of her blood, that’s why she has all the scars. She can’t control her quirk though, that’s why your dad is with her.” 

Izuku nods, exhausted. He tucks himself against Hizashi and tries not to think too much about the potential consequences of using his quirk again. He’s just managed to settle when Hizashi’s phone goes off, his face darkening.

“Izu, we have to go to Nezu’s office,” Hizashi says urgently, “It’s Shigaraki. He’s sent a message.”

Chapter Text

Izuku walks with Hizashi towards the main UA building with trepidation. Aizawa had called, telling Hizashi that Shigaraki had sent a message to them, and that was all they knew. Hizashi looks troubled and Izuku can’t blame him, it’s been another roller coaster of a day with Overhaul and Nighteye, and Izuku wants rest.

Once they’re in Nezu’s office, Izuku sees Aizawa and the rest of the UA staff apart from Recovery Girl all sitting around a conference table and looking grim. 

“Izuku, Yamada, welcome,” Nezu says in his usual pleasant tone, “Please sit.” 

Izuku sits down next to Aizawa with Hizashi on his other side, looking at the principal with curiosity. Nezu turns a laptop around in front of him and pushes play on a video without any explanation.

The video is dark for a moment before Shigaraki appears. He’s standing in front of a white wall and isn’t wearing the severed hands. Izuku thinks that the villain appears tired. It’s quiet for a moment before Shigaraki begins to talk.

“By now you know that I killed All For One,” Shigaraki begins, sitting down in a swivel chair and rocking side to side in it, “I destroyed his dialogue and ended his final cutscene. You have no idea how lucky you heroes are. Ask your precious Hawks if you want more details, and when you get him, tell him that he’s not as good of a spy as he thinks he is.” 

Izuku takes this in for a moment, wondering why Shigaraki is bothering with this call. He knows that Aizawa and the others have already seen it, but they look tense, Aizawa’s jaw twitching.

“The League is going underground,” Shigaraki says, voice exhausted, “Our party is damaged. We lost two of our own. Necro, do you remember Big Sis Mags? Compress’ magic tricks?”

Izuku freezes, not expecting to be addressed at all. His stomach twists a little, remembering the muscular woman and the man with the top hat who had made the bouquet of flowers appear.

“See, we all saw the video of you bringing Nighteye back to life,” Shigaraki continues, sounding excited and a little manic, “I knew you were a cheat code, but that was something else. If you give yourself over to us, we won’t attack UA. We just want our party members revived.”

Izuku stares as Hizashi tenses next to him, cursing under his breath. Shigaraki’s threat sounded desperate, and despite all of the terrible things the villain has done, he finds himself feeling sympathy for him and the others. 

“Our warp gate is gone. Compress and Mags are dead,” Shigaraki sighs, sounding exhausted again, “Necro, give yourself up and we’ll go off the map, do different quests. You have my word that if you come to us, we won’t hurt you or any of the npcs in your party.”

“He’s insane,” Aizawa hisses, looking close to snapping. Izuku reaches over to squeeze his dad’s arm.

“Necro, I can’t believe the brat who sewed up Dabi’s fucking arm would ignore two dead party members. Mags and Compress were good. You can save them. They haven’t been dead that long. If you’re ready to help, then leave UA. We’ll find you.”

The video ends abruptly and Izuku stares, feeling stunned. Shigaraki was a threat, and he could be lying of course, but something about the sincerity of the words and the tiredness in his voice make Izuku feel sympathetic. 

“Obviously, we can’t allow you to go,” Nezu says simply, “However, it does raise the question of school security. It’s been shown on multiple occasions that Shigaraki very definitely follows through with his threats, so we can likely expect an attack on campus.”

Izuku’s stomach lurches thinking of his parents, his friends, Eri. He doesn’t want anyone to be hurt.

“Let me go,” Izuku says, his parents staring at him in shock, “I don’t think Shigaraki’s lying and if I go I could stop the attack. I can’t…revive people if they’ve been dead like that, but maybe I can talk to him, convince him. He told me he just wants to play video games. I don’t really think he cares about being a villain that much.”

“Absolutely not,” Aizawa says, folding his arms. His face is serious but his eyes are scared.

“No way,” Hizashi agrees, “Izu, we can’t let you. It’s way too dangerous and you’ve already been through enough this year.” 

“Kid might have a point,” Snipe suggests, making both Hizashi and Aizawa glare at him, “We’d send him in with protection, obviously, trackers and coms. He wouldn’t be alone. Could be our best chance to end all of this. All Might, you’re closest to the situation, what do you think?”

All Might sighs, looking at the ceiling with a pensive expression. “I think you’re very brave, young Izuku. I also think that you’re right. Aizawa, Yamada, I know this isn’t what you want to do as parents, but try to think of the situation logically. Izuku has the best chance of talking Shigaraki out of any attack, especially if his friends' lives are on the line.” 

Izuku chooses not to mention that he already told the League he can’t revive people long dead, but he still truly thinks he can help. He stays quiet for a moment before he thinks about all of his friends on campus, and looks up with determination.

“I’m doing it, with or without help,” Izuku says firmly, “I can help and I want to. I’m not scared of them, they won’t hurt me.”

“Honey, they could take you,” Hizashi says, sounding grieved, “Take you away where we can’t get to you. Your quirk is beyond valuable to them, you know that. We can’t just let you walk into a trap.” 

“They won’t take him,” Midnight chimes in, “I agree with Snipe, let’s sic Izuku on the bastards. Layer him up with coms and trackers, follow him on the roofs, get to their base. Without their warp gate, the League can’t move too fast. Without All For One, they’re small, fractured. If two members are down, that only leaves five remaining.”

Izuku thinks through who’s left. Twice, Spinner, Shigaraki, Toga, and Dabi. He resolves that he can do this. 

“Let me help, please,” Izuku says calmly, looking at his parents, “I know you’re worried, but I can do this. I have my provisional license, I fought Overhaul. They’re not trying to kidnap me, they’re just desperate.”

“Desperate people can do terrible things,” Aizawa says, although he sighs, seeming to know he and Hizashi have lost the argument. “Look, we’re going to be right behind you. Your dad and I are both coming. Snipe, Midnight, All Might, since you three spoke up, I want you on this, too. If he’s going to do this, you all will take responsibility for his safety.”

Hizashi’s quiet, turned away from everyone and Izuku can see him trying to collect himself. Izuku reaches over to squeeze his hand.

“It’s going to be okay,” he tells Hizashi, “I promise, dad. I can do this.”

Izuku is outfitted in his hero costume, trackers sewed in every layer, placed in his shoes. Midnight gives him a com small enough to hide in his ear. Once he’s totally outfitted, Izuku walks through UA’s gates. He waits a few minutes until a rusty black car pulls up in front. He’s shocked to see Spinner driving, showing Izuku all his teeth as he grins.

“Toss your phone and get in.”

Izuku leaves his phone on the pavement and slides into the car, knowing that his parents and the other teachers will be tracking right behind. It’s a long drive, Spinner taking them down to the warehouses near the docks by the ocean, to a section of abandoned ones, rusting and falling apart.

"Izu, don't react," Hizashi's voice comes quietly through the com in his ear, "We're not going to talk to you much on here, but we're following you, kid. We see the car and we know exactly where you are. You're safe, honey."

Izuku's relieved, but he tries not to show any emotions on his face, glad to know he has backup in case something goes wrong.

“We’re here,” Spinner says, parking the car, “Shigaraki’s waiting.” 

Izuku gets out and follows Spinner inside a nearby warehouse. It’s all but empty, holes in the roof and sides. He spots Dabi first, leaning against the wall and staring at something. Toga is sitting on an upside down old crate, looking uncharacteristically listless. Twice is standing next to her, having a conversation with himself. In the center is Shigaraki, kneeling over what look like two, frozen figures.

“Izu!” Toga calls with a gasp when she sees him, “Shiggy, look! He showed up!”

Shigaraki looks up and it strikes Izuku suddenly how small they all look. When he had been captured at the camp, they had seemed terrifying, a real threat, but now they mainly just look tired. Weak. Even a little sad. 

Spinner leads Izuku closer to Shigaraki and Izuku winces when he looks down, seeing the lifeless bodies of Magne and Mr. Compress. They both look like they were wounded in battle, and there’s a sheen of what looks like frost over them. 

“We’ve been keeping them on ice, thanks to Geten,” Shigaraki says, sounding distant, “So? What are you waiting for? Bring them back. The ice should preserve them, right?”

Izuku swallows hard, walking over to the bodies and kneeling down. There’s the mist he usually sees of course, but the spirits are in the distance. He can tell that no matter when Compress and Magne were killed, their spirits are long gone. 

“How long has he been dead?” Izuku asks quietly, looking at Compress first since he’s closer. 

“Three days,” Dabi calls from behind them, looking stony-faced, “Fucker took a major hit in a fight.” 

Izuku nods, looking down at the body. Compress’s physical form may have been preserved by the ice, but his spirit is long gone. Izuku reaches for his quirk, but the only thing that happens is a sick, cold, wrong feeling that floods through him when he tries to touch the mist. There’s no spiritual energy around Compress at all. 

“There’s nothing I can do,” Izuku tells them after a long moment, “His spirit, his soul, whatever you want to call it. He’s at peace. If I resurrect him, he’ll be an empty shell, it won’t be him.”

Izuku flinches when he hears Toga start crying behind him, remembering that these people, whatever terrible things they had done, were friends.

“You’re lying! You lie!” Shigaraki snaps “Bring him back, now! The ice works, it keeps the body preserved.” 

“I can’t,” Izuku tells them honestly, “I would if I could. His body…it’s fine, but his soul is gone.”

“And Magne?” Toga asks, her lip trembling, “Is she…gone too? Can you save her?”

“I can’t, if I revive them…it’ll kill me, and they’ll just be empty shells,” Izuku tries to explain, “Soulless. They’ve both already...moved on. I’m sorry.”

Shigaraki curses loudly, staring down at the bodies of their friends. Twice and Spinner look emotional too and Izuku senses a terrible rage and sadness in Dabi. It’s hard to watch, and Izuku flashes back to kneeling over Aizawa’s corpse, the rage and sadness inside of him. His mom, the man he saw murdered. Death is never fair, and he feels it viscerally in this moment.

“You said their spirits are gone, right?” Shigaraki asks after a long moment. Izuku nods, wondering where he’s going with this. “What about their quirks? If…if you brought back their bodies, would they have their quirks attached?”

Izuku flinches, his stomach rolling at the thought. “I can’t do something like that, I refuse. You’d regret it, they’d be…they’d be soulless, automatons. It wouldn’t be your friends.” 

“I don’t have friends!” Shigaraki screeches, sounding deranged, “I have underlings! I have…I have…”

Shigaraki drops to his knees, putting his head into his shaking hands. Toga comes over and squeezes Shigaraki’s shoulder. Izuku feels strange for witnessing this incredibly private moment of the villan’s grief. 

“They weren’t supposed to die,” he manages to say, “We…it was over, it was all over. Sensei was gone. We were supposed to be free.” 

“Without Kurogiri, we couldn’t really do much,” Dabi murmurs, stepping over to look down at Compress and Magne’s corpses, “Come on, Tomura, you already know that All Might is all but quirkless, there’s no point in this anymore.” 

“I know,” Shigaraki sighs, looking up at the ceiling, “I just don’t know what else to do.”

Izuku stands there as they grieve, and his heart lurches when he sees Dabi begin to superheat his hands. Blue flames dance around his fingers as he kneels down, pressing one of his hands on Compress’ chest. The flames erupt and soon, Compress's body is burning. Dabi does the same to Magne and Izuku wonders for a split second if the villain has gone insane. He realizes then that Dabi is exercising perfect quirk control, keeping the flames only around the bodies, effectively cremating them.

Toga’s crying, leaning against Twice and Spinner. Shigaraki and Dabi are standing with stony expressions as they watch their dead friends burn. Izuku’s earpiece is silent, and he knows the heroes are listening, waiting for something to happen. Izuku feels privy to something he shouldn’t be seeing, he doesn’t deserve to be part of their grief. 

“They’re…off somewhere else,” he tells them as the bodies burn, “The spirits I see, they’re heading somewhere. It’s…I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s warm and bright. That’s where they are.”

“Warm and bright,” Spinner sighs, looking down at the flames, “I guess that’s as good of an end as any.” 

The conversation is stilted, quiet. Shigaraki turns and stares at Izuku as the flames begin to whip the last embers and ashes up towards the ceiling. His pale, grey skin is pallid in the flickering blue, his red eyes full of emotion that Izuku can’t interpret.

“Go,” Shigaraki says quietly, exhaustion filling his voice, “Get out of here. We’re done. All of us. Tell the heroes it’s over. They can fucking have the city. Their fucked up society, the whole system. Tell them that they won. We’re done.” 

Izuku feels a very odd sense of sadness at the words, considering the villains have just essentially surrendered. He finds himself suddenly wanting the fight back in all of them, hating how broken up they look about the death of their friends. He looks up at the villain who killed his father, threatened his life, tormented his friends, kidnapped him, and he feels nothing but sympathy.

“You don’t have to be done,” Izuku says gently, “I think all you can do is the best you can. And that doesn’t mean you have to be villains. There’s…a lot out there you could do. Just…don’t give up, okay?” 

There’s a moment of quiet before Shigaraki smiles, folding his arms as Dabi’s super-heated flames embroil the bodies, destroying the last physical remnants of their friends. 

“We’ll see you again someday, player two.” 

Izuku is filled with half a dozen emotions, watching as Dabi grabs Toga and uses his flames to launch up to the roof while Spinner climbs up the wall. Shigaraki grabs Twice’s sleeve and before Izuku can even call out, they’re all gone. 

He’s left with the smouldering ashes of the two villains, feeling a strange sense of peace as he looks down at the rubble. Their souls were free. These ashes, this place, it’s all over. Izuku feels safe in a way that he hasn’t since he was very, very small. 

“Kid, sit tight, we’re coming to get you,” Aizawa’s voice comes through the com in his ear, and Izuku smiles in spite of his gruesome surroundings. 

In spite of all the odds, he did it. The League was disbanded, All For One was dead, and Izuku is finally free.

Chapter Text

When Izuku exits the warehouse, his dads are the first people he sees. Hizashi reaches him first, hugging Izuku so tightly that he thinks he might burst. Aizawa is there next, wrapping his arms around both of them and pressing a kiss to Izuku’s forehead.

“We’re so proud of you,” Aizawa murmurs softly, “Come on, kid. Let’s go home.” 

Since Izuku had the coms in the whole time, a police interview isn’t necessary. He’s able to head straight back to UA and to home, taking a shower to get the scent of smoke off of his body. He changes into a pair of comfortable athletic pants and a UA hoodie before heading out into the living room. 

Hizashi and Aizawa are sitting on the couch and Izuku’s heart aches with relief and happiness to see them there. The entire year spins through his mind, from the USJ, Stain, to his kidnapping, and the incident with Overhaul. His parents made it through, despite all the odds, and so did he. Izuku walks over to the couch where his parents are wrapped up with each other, sitting down next to Aizawa and resting his head on his shoulder. 

“It’s over,” Izuku sighs, exhausted, “It’s really over.”

“Yeah kid, it looks like it is,” Aizawa says, running his fingers through Izuku’s damp hair, “We’re so relieved you’re alright. How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Relieved. Happy,” Izuku yawns, “Mostly tired. I feel like…like a huge weight’s been lifted. I didn’t realize how scared I was of the League until I saw them looking so…so small tonight.” 

Hizashi squeezes Izuku’s hand. “You were incredible, Izu. You held your own, you didn’t let the emotions get the better of you. We’re so, so proud of you.” 

Izuku curls into Hizashi’s arms, Aizawa still stroking his hair. His eyes are half-lidded, feeling like he could sleep for days. Neither of his parents leave, and Izuku thinks he has never felt quite so safe.

“Rest, sweetheart,” Aizawa murmurs, “You can see your friends tomorrow. We love you so much.”

Izuku falls asleep in his parents’ embrace and for the first time in months, he sleeps for twelve hours straight, and he doesn’t dream at all. 

“Izuku, you’ve got to stop being so awesome,” Kaminari whines. They’re in Heights Alliance, and Izuku’s just finished explaining to everyone what had happened the night before. Shouto won’t leave his side, looking very worried as Izuku talked about everything. "You keep taking on the villains without us!"

“Were you hurt at all?” Shouto asks, worry evident in his voice as he looks Izuku up and down as if scanning him for injuries.

Izuku shakes his head. “No, I’m okay. How are you all doing?”

The class is still evidently very affected by Aoyama’s betrayal, and Izuku knows it’s an ache their class will carry for a long time. Aoyama has been expelled from UA, and Izuku doesn’t know his status, whether he’s been arrested or placed in witness protection, but it’s likely they won’t see him again for a long time, if ever. Izuku’s trying to make his peace with that.

"Everyone's dealing," Shouto says quietly, "In their own way. It'll take time, I think."

Izuku nods understandingly. He thinks that if he can forgive someone like Shigaraki, who literally murdered his dad, Izuku can try and forgive Aoyama for betraying them. If All For One really had Aoyama’s family under his sway, there was probably nothing Aoyama could do besides turn over information.

“Mirio’s okay by the way,” Shinsou tells Izuku, “The one who helped you when we were saving Eri. She was able to use her quirk to help him get his back.” 

“That’s good,” Izuku smiles, “How is Eri?” 

Shinsou grins, looking happier than Izuku remembers seeing his friend before. “She’s doing really great. The teachers gave her a really cool room, it’s got toys and books and everything. She’s got to stay on UA grounds until she can control her quirk, but with all of us helping her and Aizawa, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Izuku’s heart swells. He knows what Eri’s getting into growing up at UA. While she might be trapped for a while here, she’ll be safe, and the UA staff are the best. Izuku thinks of them all like aunts and uncles at this point, and he hopes Eri will feel the same kind of support as she grows up. 

“Oi, nerd, did you hear about All Might?” Bakugou shouts from across the room. Izuku blinks in surprise, remembering Dabi’s strange comment about All Might being all but quirkless.

“No, what happened?” Izuku asks. Shouto sighs next to him, looking a little lost.

“All Might retired,” Shouto says quietly, “Endeavor is the new number one. Apparently, All Might sustained injuries in a battle years ago that slowly drained his quirk energy. He made an announcement about it. He’s still going to teach us but he looks…different.”

“Skinny as a twig, you mean,” Kaminari says, “He goes by Toshirini now. Oh, and he said that he used to be quirkless and then someone passed down a quirk to him? And since All For One was his mortal enemy or something, now that he’s dead, the quirk is going to cease to exist.” 

Izuku blinks, taking all of this information in. He remembers All Might saying something about being the last holder. He’s not sure what to make of all of it, so he just nods, trying to process it all. Aoyama, All Might, the League. Izuku feels like a giant wave has crashed over him, shrouding his entire body and pulling back, taking away bits of him, but leaving parts, too. 

He feels almost giddy and so alive, like the first breath of fresh air on a cold winter day. Like he’s staring out at the endless expanse of stars, an infinitesimal speck in the incredible cosmos. Izuku feels like he could run, jump, fly. He doesn’t know where the feeling comes from, whether he’s just dizzy with relief or if it’s from somewhere else. 

The emotional exhaustion and the fear he’d been living with for so long is lessened and the things he’s been running from since he was a child feel truly over now. Of course, Izuku isn’t stupid or naive. He knows as long as he lives, there will always be people who will want him for his quirk. There will always be villains, always another League ready to try and dismantle society. 

But for now, he’s looking forward to the future with nothing but relief and the excitement of anticipation. His heart is light and he has a future to look forward to. First, he’ll graduate from UA and join the medical hero program. Then he’ll really be able to help people as both a doctor and a hero. It’s exhilarating to think about.

“Come on,” Shouto smiles at him, breaking him from his thoughts, “Your parents are here, they’ve brought Eri. I know she wants to thank you.” 

Izuku stands up, walking over to where his dads are standing, Eri looking wide-eyed at all of them, her hand in Aizawa’s. She waves at Shinsou, who smiles back, before her eyes catch Izuku’s and she smiles.

“Necro!” she says, running forward and throwing her arms around him. He stumbles a little from the force of the hug, kneeling down so he can reciprocate. “You’re here! Thank you so much, you and Siren saved me.”

“Of course,” Izuku smiles at her, “We’re heroes, Eri. That’s what heroes do.” 

After that, there’s an impromptu celebration in Heights Alliance. Jirou cues up her best party playlists and Yaoyorozu uses her quirk to create some party decorations, like balloons and streamers. Mina and Hagakure decorate the common area with them, singing along to Jirou’s playlist.

A group of boys are huddled around the television playing some sort of racing game, laughing and shouting. Bakugou is in the kitchen with Sato, the two of them kicking everyone out so they can put some food together.

Eri is sitting in front of Shouto, who’s delighting her by creating snowflakes from his hand. Eri is awed by them, catching them in her palms and giggling from where she’s sitting in between Shinsou and Izuku. Aizawa and Hizashi watch the whole scene fondly from the couches, both looking more relaxed than Izuku’s seen them in weeks.

Love fills him up as he looks around, all his dearest people in one place. Sure, things aren’t perfect, but Izuku’s made some kind of peace with everything, and he knows now that whatever happens, he can face it. He looks around Heights Alliance as Shouto continues to entertain Eri, his gaze drifting to the midnight blue mist that he always sees, watching it swirl gently across the floor and curl in the corners.

The familiar mist ghosts along his toes, as wispy as fog, and Izuku finds himself feeling strangely fond of it. The mist looks curious, almost like a cat as it rubs up against his legs. Against his better judgment, Izuku reaches down to run his fingers through it, pleased when instead of a sick, wrong, feeling, he just senses a vague curiosity. 

He imagines Charon, the ferryman, looking at Izuku with the void of a face, a kind of nod of the head. Death, giving Izuku its approval for not reviving Magne and Compress. He resolves then and there to use his quirk for good in the future, and only when absolutely necessary. 

Izuku feels, in a strange way, like he’s made peace with his own quirk for upholding his principles. The mist feels friendly, peaceful, and for once, Izuku allows himself to turn and blink at the bright, white light in the distance where the spirits around him drift towards.

It’s bright, endlessly so, but warm. Izuku feels his chest unclench as he realizes what he can do with his quirk. He can save people, yes, but he can also help souls go to this light if it's their time, to be at peace. He can be the ferryman, the Charon in his own story. Izuku’s fingertips tingle, unaware that his eyes have changed to the swirling, midnight blue. These souls, this mist...Izuku feels responsible for them. He can help.

“Izuku,” Shouto murmurs next to him, breaking him out of whatever trance he was in, “Are you okay?” 

Izuku turns to his friend and smiles, a peace like he hasn’t known in years washing over him. “Yeah. I really think I will be.”