Work Text:
It was official, he was a villain magnet. Izuku blinked as the sky swirled with clouds above him. One second he was teamed up with Kacchan against some wanna-be league (the original league was long gone) and they were arguing over the fact that they both were classed as the new number one.
Izuku had swore (he would have to apologise to his mother) when he saw Kacchan get hit by a low blow, he had promised the blonde he would stop taking hits for him when they left high school. But seeing the angry villain scream ‘I am going to make sure you never make it as a hero!’ before using their quirk, it was that stupid heroic move before thinking situation that was going to get him a long lecture later.
Izuku groaned and covered his eyes, it was quiet and he didn’t want to deal with Kacchan screaming at him right now. He just wanted the ache and burns to go away…wait, it was too quiet…
“Kacchan! That person needs help!” came a shout and Izuku felt his blood freeze, because that was his voice but way too young.
“Don’t be stupid, Zukie! That’s a hobo!” came another voice and Izuku felt his heart stop. Moving his arm and turning his head towards the two children, he saw red and green staring at him. One with worry and the other with anger but also wariness.
“Hobo?” he felt himself say and then sit up, his hero suit was in tatters and he had scrapes and bruises blooming on his skin. “I had a teacher who looked like a hobo, but was actually a hero.” Izuku mused, knowing Aizawa was probably cursing his problem child right now.
“OHMYGODITSAHERO!” came a squeal from the young greenette, Izuku winced slightly because he had done that when he was younger, he had jumped up and down like that. “Kacchan!” the younger him turned to the still glaring kid.
“You got proof, hobo?” Ah, Katsuki, he never really did change from his biting attitude. Izuku pulled his license out and showed him. “What kind of name is Deku? You a useless hero?” the blonde asked, disgust on his face.
“Ha, no.” Izuku pushed himself up and rubbed his head, headaches sucked, “My childhood friend gave me the name when I couldn’t use my quirk. But when my quirk did come in later, the name became I can do it! and well, it stuck. Sometimes you don’t get to pick your hero name.” Izuku looked back at the two kids. They couldn’t be older than three or four.
“Kacchan, mommy said not to go past the swings.” the greenette, himself, was tugging the blonde. “We should go get help,” he added in a loud whisper. Katsuki, as a child, was oddly adorable as he nodded and looked back to the older Izuku before motioning for the hero to follow.
The two toddlers ran towards two women, who made Izuku melt slightly because his mother would always be his soft spot. And here she was before the stress of raising him alone made her a nervous wreck like him. He gave a weak smile when the green eyes of his own mother took him in. It was less easy to brush off the fact he was a 24-year-old now.
“Mommy! This hero needs help!” Baby Izuku tugged at the woman, “He is called Dekiru and he is hurt, can we help?” the younger asked before smiling just as brightly as All Might. Kacchan scoffed and stayed close though, protective. This meant it was before the doctor’s appointment then.
“Why don’t you go with Auntie Mitsuki to get some first aid stuff and I will check him over?” Inko asked, her voice holding back tears, the toddlers both nodded seriously before heading after the older blonde. “Izuku?” she whispered after they were gone.
“Hey mum, erm, surprise?” he winced as the woman pulled him into a hug. He patted her back lightly as she cried.
“You became a hero! My baby!” she was smiling now and looking at him properly, “Look at you! So handsome!” Izuku blushed deeply and laughed lightly, clearly embarrassed.
“Mum, come on.” He kept a hold of her because she was real and he wasn’t alone. “I don’t know how long I have before the quirk wears off, but, I could probably do with some clothes.” It was a bit too breezy and people were starting to look over.
“Right, right! I’ll tell Mitsuki we went back to the apartment, let’s go!” the woman pushed him off towards his old home. And wasn’t that weird? Looking at his mother’s home before UA, before his breakout on the charts and with dad’s stuff still lying about the place. Izuku stopped in the hallway as Hisashi walked out of the kitchen to give Inko a smile and kiss.
“Where is little Izu-” Red eyes met with green and Izuku offered a pained smile, because this man was his father. “Izuku?” the man asked, looking slightly pale at the way he looked probably.
“Hey dad.” Izuku felt his chest constrict because this man had left and never kept in touch. He had simply gone to work in America, or at least that was what Mum had said. He had only been five at the time.
“Oh my god.” The man broke into a grin before taking him into his arms, “My boy!” he laughed, smoke rising from his lips that made his mother laugh and bat him away. Fire hazard. Izuku watched them interact and felt himself sink slightly because they were happy. Hearing the door go, he saw a blur of blonde and green run past towards the two adults.
He didn’t belong here.
“So, I take it you and the brat became hero partners?” Mitsuki asked, as she hung her coat up and gave him a sly grin.
“Ah, no.” Izuku looked back at the kids, “We are rivals, he says it keeps things interesting. And we have a…erm.” he looked towards his mother, and the man she married, “…We have a tendency to take hits for each other which is bad. Though the group of us take bets on the next situation. I can honestly say I lost this time.” he looked back towards Mitsuki, who was offering a small, sad smile.
Izuku offered a strained smile back before Inko came and pulled him towards the bathroom. Handing him some clothes from Hisashi and some bandages. Changing was weird, he pulled the shirt on and looked at himself in the mirror. So much like his father, but with his mother’s colours.
The rest of the day was spent talking to the two toddlers about being a hero, baby Izuku had fallen asleep first. Adult Izuku looked up to see Kacchan staring at him intently.
“What’s up?” he asked, closing the Hero notebook number 1 with slight reverence. This book would lead him right to All Might.
“You’re Zukie.” the toddler asked, with a frown,
“Mm.” Izuku offered a smile and tilted his head, waiting for the other half of whatever the toddler wanted to ask.
“I called you Deku. Why?” the blonde child asked, eyes searching for something. Kids were too smart sometimes, Izuku thought back to Eri and how smart she was.
“We are what…three now? Next year when you get your quirk, I…I won’t.” Izuku gave a weak smile and looked toward the sleeping boy. “I won’t for a long, long time and people can be cruel to someone who is different.” he leaned forward, so they were face to face. “But Kacchan will always be my best friend, even if you forget.” he ruffled the blonde spikes and laughed at the grumble.
“I’ll protect you!” Katsuki declared and Izuku chuckled again,
“I don’t need protecting, Kacchan, what I need is a friend.” he smiled a bit brighter before standing and letting the boy cuddle in with his own Izuku. Walking towards the kitchen he saw his father washing the dishes.
“Oh, hello my boy.” the man grinned and it warmed Izuku a little, but also made him incredibly sad.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Izuku asked, watching the black-haired man nod and dry his hands before turning his attention onto the older greenette. The man obviously struggled over the fact his son was a grown hero, though he had yet to tell them he was joint number one.
“Sure, kid.” Izuku noted the dragon-like aspect of the man and the habits Izuku himself had picked up. The fact this man liked knowing things, and had books and books of information in the office. Izuku had found out that this man was an Analyst, and Izuku wondered only for a moment if he would have followed this man’s path after the diagnosis.
“You wouldn’t leave if you had a choice, right?” Izuku asked, watching as the man stopped before looking at Izuku differently. “You wouldn’t go, without saying anything, right?” he added, hoping it was just his childish brain that couldn’t remember.
“Izuku, son, I would never leave if I had a say in it. Why?” Hisashi walked closer and put his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Did I leave?” he asked, confused and slightly hurt. Izuku shrugged a little and felt tears well up in his eyes.
“Mum said you went to America, but I never heard from you or…” he stopped as his throat burned, “I just wanted to check, that it…it…”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Hisashi said clearly and lifted his boy’s chin so green met red once again, “I love you, my boy, and I would never leave you and Inko behind.” he said honestly, he knew what that meant, but remained silent as the young adult cried in his father’s arms. Hisashi knew that if Inko said he went to America it meant he was gone, dead, and his body had been sent back to be buried with his parents and siblings.
The two stayed like that until Izuku felt a tug, a deep soul tug, seven different whispers that it was time.
“I think it’s time to go.” Izuku mused and wiped his eyes, looking at his mother and father, “Time to face the music, right?” he joked, before walking towards the exit. He glanced back at the couple that raised him. And offered a bright smile before the world shifted and tilted.
Izuku glanced around and found himself back in the middle of a battle. Kacchan was screaming, explosions keeping him airborne, it was like someone pulled him out of deep water at the sound. Kacchan was still fighting, for himself and everyone,
“BRING HIM BACK!”
Izuku would never admit it, he smiled and activated One For All, Blackwhip lashed out and pulled the now surprised villain to the ground. They gasped as the concrete met them,
“H-how? N…n-no-one…ever came back!” they hissed as he clicked cuffs on her, he offered her a smile and looked towards his childhood friend.
“YOU SHITTY DEKU!” Izuku braced as the blonde landed on him, glaring with tears and a grin, “Don’t Fucking DO THAT AGAIN!” he snapped,
“Yes Kacchan, Of course, Kacchan.” Izuku mused and looked towards the villain, “Sorry, how long was I gone for?” he asked, ignoring the flashes of the media and focusing on the hero in front of him.
“Fuck, I don’t know, felt like fucking forever. Auntie would kill me if I lost you, shitty Deku.” the blonde grumbled and handed the villain off to the police before looking at Izuku with a weird look in his eyes. “That’s your…wait…” Izuku offered a smile again as he watched Kacchan go through what could have happened.
“You went…”
“I went.” Izuku nodded and looked towards the sea of people cheering, crying and waving. “You were adorable.” He ducked the left hook and laughed, before going with him towards the first aid tent.
Izuku made a note to talk to his mother later, but for now, he just lived in his time. Wondering if he changed anything. His memories hadn’t, and the look of anger and sadness on his best friend, he hadn’t either. Probably time travel rules, he always went back and he was always going to be a hero. Even if his mother cried when they found out his quirkless status, even if everyone hated him through middle school. Izuku found himself smiling brightly because he was always going to meet All Might and Aizawa-sensei.