A/N: Hi guys, I'm back with a chap! Sorry for the longgg wait, motivation has been a bit...yikes. Firstly, THANKS SOSOSOSOSOS MUCH TO MY FRIEND ASTRO FOR HELPING ME WITH THIS ONE! You're one of my most favorite people online EVER, and you really helped me manage to do this! Thank you!
This cover gives me the melodic vibes I wanted in this chapter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BRPw9skC8M
Without further ado, let's go~!
------
Searching for Multiverse...
Searching for Multiverse...
Searching for Multiverse...
Multiverse found: "He used to be mine."
"Oh, this sounds slightly different than the usual universes." Shoji wonders, "The ones we usually see are about pain, betrayal, hurt all that stuff, but this one...it seems like...mourning. "
"Guess we'll see." Tsuyu dismisses, when suddenly an earth-quaking shudder echoes in the meadows.
"Sh*t, there's nowhere to shelter!" Gran Torino cursed, scanning the area for typical places one would hide under during an earthquake; there was none. Beautiful, peaceful grasses and bushes, roses and thorns met his gaze, pleasantly still despite the shaking.
Then, as soon as it had come, the shaking disappeared.
"Was that- was that an earthquake?" Kota asked, cracking open his tightly shut eyes. "Can this place even have earthquakes?"
No one had an answer.
----
"Iida." Todoroki spoke, quiet and simple, yet it broke the silence into fragments of glass. Tenya jumped up, and swivelled round to face his friend.
"Todoroki-kun?"
Ice-blue and glacous grey softened, and Tenya stiffened at the change.
Why did his eyes look concerned? Nothing was wrong.
"Are you okay, Iida?"
No.
Well, yes- he was okay. Nothing was wrong.
Nothing.
"Why would I not be? I am of great health and-"
"You're doing it again." Shoto interrupts, and his gaze is intense. Deep with a sense of regret, of frustration. "Just like before Hosu; you're denying your own feelings. You don't have to be strong all the time, Iida."
And so he broke.
"I'm such a hypocrite." Tenya laughed, tears springing up in the corner of his eyes, "I told Uraraka-chan to trust in Midoriya, and hope that he will confide in us one day. Yet...when I see that there is a possibility Midoriya-kun could've become...become a monster like Stain." Iida spat, tears rolling down his face, "It scares me. How little I really know about our friend. He tries to help all of us so much and yet..." Tenya sobs, and Shoto- with little knowledge on what to do- puts a reassuring hand on the taller male's shoulder.
"It'll be okay. We'll learn and appreciate Midoriya; bit by bit, piece by piece, no matter how many shards there are."
Suddenly, an earth-quaking shudder shatters the moment, and they quickly think of going back to the rest of their friends and teachers; with a puff of smoke, they were back.
"What happened?" Tenya asked, rubbing the last of the tears from his slightly red-rimmed eyes.
His friends politely didn't poke him about it, and informed him of the situation.
"We're not sure!" Ochaco answers helpfully, ushering her friends to sit down. Together, they started watching.
(A/N: Sigh, haven't even started the universe and already got hurt/comfort)
The screen opened with nothing but blur. Figures fuzzy in noir as it zoomed in on someone in front of a mirror bordered by lights. Clearing up, it showed Izuku, staring almost solemnly at his reflection; it changes from him to a battered, bloodied version of his hero costume, to the little, hopeful boy he once was.
His eyes flicker to a small notebook on the counter. And with a pen in his hands, he begins to write as a piano starts to play, his voice interjecting the melody to sing.
"It's not simple to say
Most days I don't recognize me."
"Why did we see the progression in the mirror?" Momo asked, finally letting her high ponytail free. Gosh, that put strain on her scalp. "Is the boy that "used to be mine" his younger self?"
"Aw that's so sad..." Eri pouted, "so it's like Deku lost himself as he grew up?"
"What a smart lil' listener you are!" Yamada laughed, patting the girl's head, but a strong surge of concern flickered in his eyes.
How Eri could tell so easily...could make up a meaning to an image so quickly...it was almost like she could relate.
And that hurt. It hurt, that as a member of the heroes, he couldn't save this girl from living out a nightmare for so long.
It was a truth that everyone had to accept- that not everyone could be saved. Yet, despite this knowledge, the taste of that pain, the truth still burned.
His eyes flicker back to the mirror, observing each and every detail about himself that he could see as his pen draws words onto the paper.
"These shoes and this apron
That place and its patrons
"Of course it's the f*cking river.." Bakugou murmured, as different memorable places flashed on screen.
"The beach." Toshinori recognised, smiling gently. Oh, the many joys and work that blossomed there. His reminiscient gaze snapped, when a quick vision of the Dagobah- in all its bright, clear glow- became stained with shadows.
Lucid waves became crimson with blood, the piles of trash that should've been moved during Midoriya's training became piles....piles of corpses. Toxic green eyes, large and wide yet so, so wrong glowered back at Yagi, a predatory smirk embracing its face. Its lips began to move, yet no sound came out; 'You...not...only one', Yagi read, and then he was staring back at his own brilliant blue eyes.
A second he saw, yet an eternity he learnt.
Shaking his head, Toshinori resumed watching but a gut instinct- one developed from decades of hero work- screamed and struggled inside him.
Something was wrong.
Have taken more than I gave 'em."
He scribbled sentence after sentence in his little pad, line after line in messy handwriting.
"What does he mean when he says that the places have taken more than given them?" Tsuyu asked, sticking her tongue out slightly in thought.
"Maybe..maybe it has something to do with how Deku-kun treasures each and every place, but in truth they have hurt him?" Ojirou wonders, his tail drooping slightly.
'But then...surely, One for All...no, he's right. The legacy has hurt him, indeed.' All Might frowned, guilt entwined in his expression. 'Was it truly right to have given him such a difficult position to uphold?
"It's not easy to know
I'm not anything like I used to be
Although it's true
I was never attention's sweet center
I still remember that boy."
He pauses, and puts the pen down. Taking one last look in the mirror, he gets up, and exits the room, ending out in a concrete hallway.
"Attention's sweet center?" Aizawa asked, "So he was used to being in the shadows then... I wonder if he worries when people notice him then...maybe social anxiety of some sorts?"
Shota's personal experience left unsaid, but laid obvious.
"He's imperfect but he tries
He is good but he lies
He is hard on himself
He is broken and won't ask for help
He fixes himself up, pulling out a pin in his hair before taking a right to some stairs.
"This is so accurate..." Shoji sighs, and looks around at his classmates.
Because it isn't just Midoriya-kun that constantly burns himself out and refuses to ask for help when he does.
It's something written in the potential of heroism; the desire to strive further and not know when the limit is.
And Shoji wants to pay them back, give them a hug; wants to let them know that it's okay now.
There's no need to kill yourself to save another.
He is messy but he's kind
He is lonely most of the time~"
He steps up onto the stage of the theater, bright but empty, only stage lights as company as he wanders to a piano, the spotlight shining on the chair, as if calling Izuku to play.
"This universe...it's so lonely." Jirou says, voice subconsciously quiet as to not break the gentle melody. "Looking around, there's nothing but space...and Midoriya with a piano."
"It's so lonely and isolated...is it because we haven't shown him our support enough? That we haven't told him how manly he is?" Kirishima starts, but Bakugou cuts him off
"Don't victimise yourself like that Sh*tty Hair. It doesn't matter how good of friends you are...trust takes time either way."
' The trust you lost.' Katsuki thought, before shaking away.
He's not ignoring the truth, but simply not prioritising it.
There's no point pondering on the past when he can change for the future.
"He is all of this mixed up
And baked in a beautiful pie."
He follows the light, adjusting himself as he faces the piano in front of him.
"He is gone but he used to be mine.."
Hands floating over the ivory, he begins to play.
Silence resounded in the crowd, as the stage lights create a halo around viridant locks; a soft breeze seems to come and rustle them gently, making Midoriya's shirt flutter.
He looks like an angel.
His heart is bleeding.
"It's not what I asked for
Sometimes life just slips in through a back door
And carves out a person
And makes you believe it's all true
And now I've got you."
The shadow of Izuku shines with the light that outlines him as he plays the piano, fingers dancing over the keys as he sings passionately.
"I think...in a way, he's signing this to himself." Chiyo starts steadily, slowly, her eyes opening up a bit to glisten with understanding, "It's an apology to his younger self; for the broken parts of him that the young'un has tried to ignore and suppress. He's mourning for the boy that he used to be, mourning for the suffering he has gone through."
"And you're not what I asked for
If I'm honest I know I would give it all back
For a chance to start over
And rewrite an ending or two
For the boy that I knew
Who'll be reckless just enough
Who'll hurt but
Who learns how to toughen up when he's bruised
And gets used by a man who can't love.."
And in an abrupt moment, he stops playing. Pausing over the keys as he gets up.
"Regret is something that can't be changed. It will constantly be there, I suppose, but we just gotta live with our own decisions." Hawks smiles widely, "There's nothing else we can do, ay?"
"And then he'll get stuck and be scared
Of the life that's inside him
Growing stronger each day
'Til it finally reminds him."
Walking down the stage, he reaches the backdoor and pushes it, exiting the theater.
"To fight just a little
To bring back the fire in his eyes
That's been gone but it used to be mine."
"I think it's also about finding back the things that used to bring happiness, things we give up because society tells us they're not important." Kaminari laughs, "I mean life's too short to care for unnecessary opinions isn't it?"
"Yeah!" the people who heard him chorus.
The wind blows heavily as he belts his words,
"Used to be mine!"
As everything calms down, he takes a seat on the stairs, taking a deep breath before singing softly. It was a whisper compared to just a moment ago, but the emotion was still just as strong.
"He is messy but he's kind
He is lonely most of the time
He is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
He is gone but he used to be mine.."
The hologram fades.
"I want to give him a hug." Kouda mumbles crestfallen, and the others couldn't help but agree.
Chance of probability...
Calculating...
90% possible.
Searching for Multiverse...
Searching for Multiverse...
Searching for Multiverse...
Multiverse found:
------
A/N: FINALLY, OMG THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN IN MY DRAFTS FOR LIKE 2 MONTHS LMAOO
But anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter full of random hurt/comfort xoxo
BTW, some more dark elements come into play! Corpses? Blood ocean? Random earthquakes?! Oooo, what's happening next -3-
Keep updated for more (hopefully not in another month, and in two weeks instead TvT)!
Have a Plus Ultra day/night~!