"And you're sure that's what you saw?"
Izuku nodded, looking down as he fiddled with his hands. Telling All Might about his dream was the right thing to do, but looking at him for longer periods of time was still a stretch for him. Toshinori understood though, and Izuku was glad he did. Kacchan seemed to have less trouble with eye contact, at least if it was just All Might, and so he was staring at the man with his arms crossed, acting as if he didn't want to be there.
"It's bullshit, right?" Katsuki asked. "There's no fucking way part of me is inside One For All."
"I know what I felt," Izuku muttered, trying to defend himself even though he knew how absurd it all sounded. "The first and the second came to me and they somehow summoned Kacchan. I don't know how, but they did. They even said the tenth hadn't been able to manifest like that since recently, which would mean that-"
"It's all interconnected?" Toshinori finished, raising a brow. "That the timelines are somehow intertwined? Sequential?"
"I know how it sounds," Izuku sighed. He knew it sounded stupid and absurd, definitely when taking Eri's rewind quirk into account. Because how could any of this be possible? Who was to say Izuku wasn't imagining things? Seeing what he wanted to see? Feeling what he wanted to see? Kacchan's essence within One For All... It was impossible, wasn't it? But that's just the thing: they thought time travel was impossible too, once. Maybe they just didn't understand everything, not fully, not yet.
"Don't worry, I believe you," Toshinori added quickly. "It's just... It all seems so unlikely, and we don't really have a way to investigate this unless you're willing to experiment over multiple timelines."
"And we're not doing that," Katsuki hissed, hating the idea of having to go through childhood again and again for who knows how long.
"And we're not doing that," All Might agreed. "Not if another rewind can be avoided."
"I know," Izuku sighed. This was all so frustrating! It was like every time he got somewhat close to getting some answers, he ran into a wall. Even after all these years, after being trapped in the past for so long- They still couldn't figure out what this was, exactly. How time travel was even possible. No, the technicalities of it all were still a blur and Izuku didn't know whether they'd ever truly figure it out, not unless Jikan came forward and confessed.
"Hey, it's gonna be fine," Kacchan whispered, gently grabbing his hands, stopping Izuku from wringing them together. "We'll get to the bottom of this."
Izuku forced a smile and nodded, flinching when the door creaked open.
"All Might, it's time to-"
Izuku tensed up when he heard Aizawa's voice and he could feel Kacchan's grip tighten on his hand. Shouta froze up, too. He didn't know All Might had visitors, let alone the two people who were avoiding him at all cost. No, Shouta thought the number one hero was simply resting up, and maybe mentally preparing himself for what was to come. That's why he was here, after all. To get him so they could start moving to the USJ and set up their ambush.
"I'm sorry, I'll leave you to it," he said, already closing the door again.
"It's okay!" Izuku exclaimed, startling everyone in the room. "I don't- You're not intruding. We were finished here, anyway."
He didn't look at the door as he got up, pulling Kacchan up with him. Instead he focussed on All Might, on his sunken eyes and wild blond hair. It was just like he said back then on the beach. Looking at him was easier when he didn't resemble the same person. When his brain could separate the face of his mentor and the face of the man he killed.
"Thanks for seeing us on such short notice, All Might."
"Oh, uh, of course! Anything for you, my boy," Toshinori smiled, taken aback by Izuku's sudden mood change. Normally he was never this formal with him, not anymore at least. "Please don't hesitate to tell me when you come across any new developments."
Izuku nodded, looking away again as he tugged his boyfriend along to the door. Aizawa wordlessly moved aside, not wanting to cause any unnecessary scenes. He closed the door behind him once the two students had left.
"Young Midoriya is making progress," Toshinori noted. "I'm glad."
"Why did they want to talk to you?" Shouta asked as he made his way over to the couch.
"Midoriya had an odd quirk dream," All Might explained without really explaining anything at all. He was sure Shouta understood, though. "It doesn't really matter now. How are the preparations? Is everything ready?"
"Nezu is going full out on this, so what do you think?" Aizawa asked, making the blonde snort. Once Nezu set his mind to something, it was impossible to stop him. He didn't earn the nickname rat god for nothing, you know? That man could pretty much bring any plan into fruition. "I'm more worried about you. Are you going to be okay?"
"I haven't used One For All yet today, so I should be fine," Toshinori assured him. He still had his three hours and that should be more than enough to deal with one Nomu and some low life criminals on top of that.
"That's not what I'm asking and you know it," Shouta frowned. The fact his colleague was avoiding the question was more than enough information, though. "...You don't have to be there, you know. We can handle this much on our own."
"No, it's fine, I... I want to be a part of this," All Might stated, getting up from his chair. "Young Midoriya isn't the only one who needs to confront his fears."
Yeah, what kind of mentor would he be if he didn't show his students that he, too, was doing the best he could? That he was facing his inner demons, just like they were? He couldn't cower behind his colleagues forever, not now that the number one hero title was still bound to his name. No, he needed to stand tall, be strong, be the pillar this society needed him to be.
//\\
\\//
Izuku stumbled back with a groan as he was hit in the chest. Katsuki quickly covered for him, though, punching Neito away before he had a chance to attack again. They were supposed to have practical hero classes this afternoon, but since most of the hero teachers went to the USJ, the hero course students were left to practice quirkless combat on their own. Class 1-B decided sparring in duos would be a good exercise, since there were enough people involved to give them a challenge but not enough to make things chaotic and unpredictable. It was a good exercise to do unsupervised, although Izuku wasn't having a great time.
He couldn't focus on his opponents, couldn't seem to get his head in the game, not when he knew the ambush was in full swing. When he knew that the League was attacking the USJ, using a Nomu, a person turned monster, in order to defeat All Might. That and Kurogiri... Izuku didn't want to know what Erserhead was going through, knowing Shirakomu was still in there, that he was still somewhat conscious of everything that was happening. Kacchan was having more luck on that front, happy with the distraction that this training provided even if he wasn't allowed to use his quirk.
"Aw come on! Where's that fire huh? You two used to be the heart of class A!" Neito exclaimed. Izuku didn't know if it was whining, complaining or mocking, but knowing Monoma, it could be all of the above.
"Everyone's got their off days, copycat," Katsuki hissed, going in for a right hook, only to be blocked by Kendo. Right, their opponent wasn't alone, either. "Oi Deku! Get your ass in here!"
"Yes Kacchan!" Izuku reacted, more on reflex than anything else, kicking Itsuka away. She went flying out of bounds, even if his kick wasn't boosted by One For All, and oh, maybe he'd gained more muscle than he thought he did over the years..?
"Crap," Monoma muttered, panicking a little as Katsuki put on his feral grin. It didn't take long for him to be eliminated after that.
"You're gonna need to do better than that if you wanna beat us, you fuckers!" Katsuki exclaimed when they emerged victorious. Izuku didn't feel like he did a whole lot during that fight, even if he did eliminate one of their opponents. And let's be honest, Kacchan was a combat tank with or without his quirk. He could've taken on both of them on his own easily.
"Geez... Class A students really are monsters," someone mumbled in the background, but Izuku had caught it anyway. They weren't class A students anymore, though. They were practically all pro heroes, too, so the term students in and of itself was outdated. Still, that wasn't the part his brain latched onto. No, the fact someone had called them monsters, even if this was supposed to be some kind of praise, an exaggeration of their abilities- The term monsters echoed through his mind and his body ceased to function all together, simply freezing up as he was leaving the battleground to make room for the next sparring match.
"...Izuku?" Katsuki called out, reaching out to take his hand, only for Izuku to flinch away at the lightest touch. His breathing hitched, his eyes wide in panic. Oh no. No, this wasn't good. Not at all. Kacchan looked so hurt, too, and that only made everything worse, didn't it? Izuku didn't want to be here, wanted to run, to hide- You're hiding. He could hear Second's voice as if he was still inside that dream, as if he never woke up in the first place. You're trying to run away from who you are, who you were. And really, was that truly so bad? "Izuku."
Izuku was pulled out of his trance again, still panicked, still a mess, but more aware now. Kacchan was still looking at him, so was the rest of the class, and he was still standing there, at the edge of the battlefield.
"It's okay," Katsuki whispered. "We're safe. You're safe. Breathe, okay? Can you do that for me?"
He nodded, hating the fact he needed to be treated this way. That Kacchan, of all people, had to calm him down. A boy who had just as much trauma as he had, if not even more. And he hated the fact that everyone was here, watching, gaping at him like he was some kind of exotic animal in the zoo. There was nothing he could do about it, though. He just had to endure it, get through this and hope nobody brought it up again. Though, with his luck, this would be all the class talked about for the rest of the week.
"I'm fine," Izuku breathed, still a little shaky. "Just, uh, panicked over nothing. It's not a big deal."
Katsuki frowned, clearly about to argue with him, only to be interrupted by one of their classmates.
"Phew, you really gave us a scare there, Midroiya!" Testutetsu exclaimed with a beaming smile, patting him on the back as he stepped down from the platform. "But hey, you sure showed those guys, am I right? That kick was awesome!"
"Y-yeah, thanks!" Izuku smiled, happy to change the topic even though he could still feel Kacchan's eyes on him. Everything returned to normal soon enough as the next pairs walked on the battlefield and one of their classmates counted them down. With another match in process, people's attention was quickly dispersed and Izuku was once again far away from prying eyes.
"You okay?" Katsuki whispered while everyone else was distracted.
"Yeah, I'm fine now, I promise," Izuku said. "Just...heard something that, uh, triggered me a little. It's really nothing to worry about, I was overreacting."
"You know I'm not buying that, right?" Katsuki asked. "Come on, tell me what triggered you at least. I'll make sure these extras know their place."
"It's not a big deal, Kacchan," Izuku sighed, only to have the ash blonde give him this deadpan look of disbelief. "Someone said we were real monsters- They meant it like a compliment, you know, like, we're super strong and stuff... I just... The term set me off, I guess."
"Tch, they should watch their mouths," Katsuki grumbled, throwing an arm around Izuku's shoulder in order to pull him in close. "Stupid, useless extras."
Izuku hummed, trying to focus on the quirkless fight in front of him, but without much success. Why did he have to be so weak..? Why couldn't he just act normal- be normal. His whole life he'd been an exception, something odd. First he was quirkless, then he was a late bloomer and after that he was All Might's successor, the one who held one of the most unique quirks in the world. He'd always been a crybaby, too. Always been weirdly obsessed with analysis and statistics and reports- Stuff normal people found boring. Izuku was a plain boy in an extraordinary world, and he was sticking out like a sore thumb.
And now... Now he was here, in this new class, surrounded by people he knew, sure, but he was still different. Even Kacchan, who was most like him, was more normal than he was. Because Kacchan didn't get triggered as easily, didn't let the trauma they went through get to him. He'd even tried to hide a part of it from Izuku, just so the green head wouldn't worry, and wasn't that thoughtful? Wasn't that just evidence enough that Izuku can't actually handle life alone? That he's weird and odd and that he didn't belong-
"You're overthinking, nerd," Katsuki muttered. "I can basically hear your brain working overtime. Come on, spit it out."
"...Kacchan's so strong," Izuku sighed. "Doesn't get triggered by stupid things like a single fucking word. So stupid. I'm so stupid, I-"
"Hey," Katsuki called out, tilting Izuku's head with his free hand so he was forced to look at him. "I never really cared about what random extras have to say about me, and apparently this isn't any different. Which is great, for me, but I get where you're coming from, Izuku. And I've got triggers too. Different ones. Just cause you don't see them, doesn't mean they're not there."
"...What are Kacchan's triggers?" Izuku asked quietly. Maybe if he could relate- Maybe if they were somehow still alike, it would ease this growing sense of unease within him.
"Separation," Katsuki told him. "Isolation. To be restrained, confined, away from you."
Oh... Oh. That made sense, didn't it? It made sense in an awfully painful way, and Izuku kinda wished he never asked.
"It doesn't matter," Katsuki shrugged, squeezing his shoulder a little tighter, pulling Izuku just a little closer. "We'll get through it, like we always do."
"Yeah," Izuku softly agreed. It was the only thing they could do right now.