Aizawa couldn't remember the last time he had gotten a decent night's sleep. Between the late shifts at the station and their toughest case yet, it had been hard for him to find the time to rest. However, ever since the fire in Musutafu, Aizawa couldn't sleep for different reasons. Just one actually. And it involved that strange kid, Izuku Midoriya.

"So," his husband, Yamada, said, breaking him out of his thoughts. Aizawa almost forgot he was sitting at the dinner table with him. "Did you hear about that attempted robbery near Kamino Ward yesterday?"

"Oh, yeah." Aizawa looked up with a slight frown. "Tsukauchi went down there to investigate. Some kind of tremor apparently tipped a ramune bottle over and knocked the guy out before he could hurt anyone. The girl swears a ghost saved her life though."

Yamada whistled. "Ghost or no ghost, she got lucky! I heard the robber had a gun and everything."

"I know. It could've ended up a lot worse," Aizawa said, turning his attention back to the newspaper in his hands. For a while, the only sound in the room was the ticking of their cat-shaped clock on the wall. Aizawa did his best to ignore it, comfortable with the silence. Yamada, however, was obviously not.

"Shoutaaaaaa. You haven't even touched your food yet," his husband pouted, as he leaned over the table to look at him.

"Sorry, I got distracted," Aizawa said with a small smile, before eyeing what looked like very overcooked chicken on his plate. Well, that didn't seem appetizing at all. It almost made Aizawa forget all about the boy from the fire. Almost.

"Ugh, is my chicken that bad?" Yamada asked with a grin before putting some in his mouth. The blonde didn't even finish chewing before he spat it out and frantically shook his head. "Yeah, okay, it's bad. Like really bad. Don't even taste it. We can just order takeout instead."

Aizawa let out a tiny chuckle and watched as Yamada cleared the table, whistling something that sounded like "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles. On any other given day, Aizawa would've hummed along, but it still felt like his body was stuck reliving that moment when Izuku Midoriya called out his name.

Yamada seemed to notice Aizawa tense up because he didn't go back to his seat. He hovered around him instead. "Okay, it's clearly not about my chicken. So, what's up? You know you can tell me anything." Yamada put his hand on Aizawa's shoulder and squeezed, but Aizawa still didn't say anything. Instead, he narrowed his gaze at his badge on the table.

"You sure you wanna know?"

"Try me," Yamada cracked another grin.

Aizawa took in a deep breath before meeting his husband's brilliant blue gaze.

"He knew my name."

Yamada blinked a couple of times and cocked his head to the side. "Huh?"

"Remember the fire that happened in Musutafu a couple of days ago?" Aizawa asked, handing him the newspaper he had been reading.

"Mhm," Yamada shifted beside him and pulled up a chair while he skimmed through the pages. "I'm so glad you guys got everybody out in time."

"There was a kid we rescued and when he woke up he just randomly looked at me and said my name. I had never seen him before in my life," Aizawa said slowly as if coming to terms with it himself. He had yet to tell anybody about this experience. No one knew, not even Nemuri who had asked him about it that night when they drove home.

Yamada snorted. "Well, yeah, silly. Your name's on your uniform isn't it?"

"No, Hizashi. You don't understand." Aizawa turned towards his husband with a small frown.

"He called me Eraserhead."

Yamada's smile dropped in an instant and all the color drained from his face.

"Oh."

Aizawa almost immediately regretted telling him everything. He quickly looked away and stared back down at the newspaper in his husband's hands. It had been years since he had said that name out loud, let alone heard somebody else say it in public. Even now it still felt like he was committing a crime.

"A-are you sure, Shouta?" Yamada asked after a while. His hand hesitantly found his own, but Aizawa still didn't move. He didn't look at him either. "I mean, maybe you were just tired and imagined it. You don't have those bags under your eyes for nothing. N-not that I don't find them attractive or anything I just get worried about your health since you haven't been sleeping a lot lately either because of that case anddddd I'm going to stop talking now."

Aizawa took in a deep breath and shook his head.

"I know what I heard."

"Okay," Yamada nodded, his voice getting a bit higher each time he talked. "This is fine. We can figure it out. No need to panic," he said while clearly panicking. "Maybe he was a relative of someone you worked with back then? Maybe his parents—"

"Hizashi."

Aizawa didn't mean to cut him off but he was frustrated. He should have never brought this up in the first place. It was obvious how much his past life made Yamada uncomfortable and Aizawa didn't like thinking about it either. He had been a different person back then. "The only other person who knew that name is dead now. And the rest are in jail or hiding. They know better than to say it in public, let alone out loud."

"R-right," Yamada nodded again, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind his ear. Aizawa noticed his hands were a bit shaky and he mentally cursed himself in all the languages he knew. They didn't speak for a long time but Aizawa didn't push him. He waited for Yamada to continue or withdraw from the conversation. No matter what he chose, Aizawa wouldn't judge him for it. And he would most definitely never bring this up again.

"Well, then, um, did you investigate him already?" Yamada asked quietly.

Aizawa tried not to show his displeasure with Yamada's choice and gave a curt nod instead.

"Somewhat. I found out his dad was Hisashi Midoriya. But I guess that much was obvious because of his name." And the hair. But Aizawa didn't say that out loud. Honestly, the more he thought back to the kid's file, the more he felt like he was looking at Hisashi himself. It took him down memory lane and put him in a place Aizawa was not ready to revisit yet.

"No way! Wasn't he the guy who hired you in the first place?" Yamada asked, brightening up a little.

"More or less," Aizawa shrugged.

"Okay... so, then there you go! Hisashi Midoriya must have told his son about your past. Now was it rockin' of him to do that? Probably not, but it must have slipped out. Nothing to worry about. We can move on and you can finally get some rest," Yamada said with a smile. It was definitely forced though. Aizawa knew his husband well enough to tell when he was faking something that usually came naturally to him, but he didn't comment on it. That would just make things worse.

"Hizashi, he didn't know about my past. Hisashi Midoriya helped me get this job so I wouldn't go to jail." Aizawa picked up his badge and looked at his reflection on the surface. "Probably thought I was a troubled kid like the rest of them and wanted me off the streets," he mumbled quietly before setting it back down.

Yamada chewed on his bottom lip a little before speaking again. "Wasn't Hisashi like, really, really smart though? I remember he was a detective before he became the chief. Don't you think he could've figured it out?"

Aizawa shook his head. "I wouldn't have this job if he knew who I really was. Plus, there's no way he could've told his son about me either because Hisashi died when Midoriya was really little." Even if Aizawa had mixed feelings for the man, he still remembered that day. All of Japan did. It was one of the most tragic events in Tokyo history because it directly followed the inauguration of Hisashi Midoriya as the new Chief of Police— a mysterious explosion that killed hundreds of people, along with Hisashi himself.

"Oh. Right. Poor little guy never got to know his dad," Yamada said softly.

Once again, another heavy silence filled the room. Aizawa could tell by the look on his husband's face that he was starting to develop sympathy for the boy and that in itself was dangerous. Had he already forgotten that somehow Izuku Midoriya knew his name? A kid, with no seemingly crime-related activities, and a clean record— cleaner than anything Aizawa had ever seen before. It made him look even more suspicious.

"Look, I don't want you to worry about this. It's my problem and I'm going to figure it out," Aizawa said, standing up abruptly and putting both of their cups in the sink.

Yamada stood up too, wringing his hands in front of him nervously.

"Shouta."

Aizawa ignored him and made his way into their bedroom, reaching for the eyedrops on his nightstand. He cursed under his breath when he realized he was out. Well, shit.

"I'll just look into the kid some more. Find out if he's acting suspicious and go from there."

Another pause.

Yamada was in the doorway now, staring at his feet. The light from the hall made it look like he had a halo over his head. It caused Aizawa to feel even more guilty for roping him into this mess. It was just like high school all over again.

"Shouldn't you at least tell Tsukauchi or Toshinori about this?" Yamada asked. Those two were the only people still around that Aizawa figured knew something about who he used to be. However, they never commented on it or made it obvious that they knew, and Aizawa wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible.

"Trust me, Hizashi," he sighed, "it's better if I deal with this alone."

—

The day after Izuku discovered his quirk came and went in a blur. He ended up staying up again only because he spent all night testing out his newfound powers. Moving objects to and fro and learning how much he could handle without having the item fall in midair.

Izuku quickly found out though, that the hardest part about his quirk involved control. It was very easy to imagine the threads that connected to whatever he wanted to pick up and move. However, sometimes he would get too ahead of himself and the item zoomed at his face just like the chips and glass, hitting him with enough speed that it actually hurt. Additionally, once said item started moving, it was hard to get it to stop, but Izuku had managed to pull it off a couple of times with smaller things like pencils and erasers. He even tried pulling multiple things at a time but found that it gave him a headache. Still, it was nice to know he could do it.

But most importantly, Izuku found that he could move these objects around as well, not just have them rush towards him.

A lot of his quirk also involved mental work. He had to concentrate and focus, otherwise, the objects would fall or quickly change direction. But Izuku quickly found that he had better luck using his quirk with his hands. He had tried to pull a manga towards him by simply staring at it, but it barely lifted up off the desk. With his hands, however, it was easier to build up power and caused him less mental strain. His right hand worked especially well and seemed to be able to handle heavier things.

No wonder his plan to stop the robber had worked so well.

Izuku also spent the night thinking about what had happened at the convenience store. As soon as he helped the cashier girl tie up the guy, he wasted no time rushing back home. None of the police officers stopped him because his clothing blended into the night, but Izuku kept his hood up all throughout the train ride just in case. He quickly found out that they attributed the ramune bottle falling to a mini quake that shook the area and called it a lucky 'accident'. But Izuku stayed off the streets for a while just in case. He didn't know if the girl working there had seen him manipulate the bottle or if they would be checking the security tapes (later he would find out that she thought a ghost saved her life!) And the last thing he wanted was for them to find out about what he could do.

That also kept him up at night and he didn't know how to feel about it.

Izuku had a quirk. He had always wanted one. He had grown up in a world where 80% of the population had one, after all. Meanwhile, he didn't. Kids messed with him, adults acted like he was invisible, and his own mother felt sorry for him. And even if Inko would never admit it, Izuku knew he was the reason why Hisashi left them. Because who wanted to stay and take care of a quirkless son?

But things were different here.

Izuku had a quirk. He had always wanted one. He had woken up in a world where 100% of the population, not counting him of course, didn't have one at all. Where people didn't even know what the word meant and the only hero they looked up to existed on a manga page.

What would they think if they found out what he was like?

Would they consider him a hero? Or something else?

Would they take him to a lab and experiment on his body until Izuku forgot his own name and became a shell of his former self?

Would they torture him and treat him like an enemy spy?

Would they kill him?

Would they trust him?

Izuku shivered slightly and stopped trying to keep a pencil in the air. His quirk was harder to control when he was stressed. He wiped the sweat from his brow and slumped back into his desk chair, trying to relax and ignore the gruesome images that flashed throughout his mind, all of them showing his body being cut open by a bunch of scientists.

The feelings running through him were a mixed bag. Every time he got excited about his quirk, he felt a little afraid too. Not only was he in a new world he didn't recognize, but he had seemingly developed a power. Something no one else had. Something that could get him in trouble.

But deep down, Izuku knew that he had developed something that could get others out of trouble too.

Try as he might to think about the consequences of getting caught, Izuku kept coming back to the idea of saving people. He remembered the rush he felt while thinking about his plan back at the store, the strong desire to take the man down. If he hadn't gone out that day, Izuku didn't even want to think about what could have happened to the girl.

Instead, he thought about what might be happening to others in different places.

Right here, right now, someone out there was being attacked; their houses broken into, their children kidnapped and starved, all while they stared back defenseless.

Who would be there to save them?

The police force seemed to be overwhelmed. Izuku remembered reading all those articles about the increased crime rate. Not to mention how long it had taken them to arrive at the shop, probably because they were so busy dealing with other problems throughout the city.

He could use his powers for good.

Izuku didn't exactly know how he would go about doing that yet with virtually no fighting experience, but he would figure it out. He had to. And even though the concept of being caught terrified him, he could always find a way to cover up his identity. Superheroes with masks existed for a reason.

Except Izuku wasn't sure he could qualify as that yet either. Not the way he would be going about everything.

Izuku would be working more as a vigilante than a hero if he was being honest. Someone who fought crime illegally.

Illegal.

Izuku shivered again. Now there was another word that scared him.

Because if he became a vigilante, he wouldn't only have to worry about scientists and government officials going after him, but the police themselves. They would surely try to investigate him and stop him from putting his life in danger. Because, oh yeah, he would have the bad guys after him too. And then of course was his age. Izuku was barely fourteen and he didn't even know where he was going to go to high school yet. Back in his world, UA had been the only place he wanted to apply. Izuku didn't even know if it still existed and he felt too anxious to check. Maybe he would ask his mother about it later.

But the more he thought about everything, the more Izuku couldn't think of anything else to do.

The only thing he knew for sure was that it felt wrong to do nothing at all.

Why else had he been given these powers?

If he would have remained quirkless in this strange world, Izuku could just assume that whatever god that placed him here wanted him to get a break from his regular, miserable life. But his quirk had manifested and Izuku continued to be the same person he was before. The same ideals. Nothing had changed, except now he had the opportunity to live out his dreams.

He could become a hero.

Eventually.

So, that night, Izuku Midoriya decided that he was going to save people.

He turned his attention towards the pencil again and barely managed to lift it an inch higher this time. Until it suddenly changed directions and nearly poked his eye out.

Well, Izuku Midoriya was going to try his best.

One pencil at a time.

—

First things first, Izuku needed a disguise. He held off on calling it a costume even though the fanboy in him wanted to do so badly.

Be serious, Izuku, he scolded himself as he entered the store and heard the tiny bell chime overhead. This time he had taken the train somewhere closer to Tokyo so he wouldn't have to worry about anybody tracking him down or finding him suspicious. Izuku also planned on starting his vigilante work closer to home since the cities were smaller and would cause less commotion. However, he wouldn't hesitate to go somewhere farther if he needed to.

"Hello, young man. Can I help you find anything?" the nice old woman at the counter asked him while he passed by.

Izuku opened his mouth to speak and then closed it extremely quickly. "Um, no ma'am. Thank you. Just here to look."

He appreciated her kindness but Izuku couldn't afford to stop and talk to anyone. The fewer people that knew about what he was shopping for, the better.

As he rounded the corner, he carefully took out his list and read it over for the hundredth time that day:

HAIR

Black wig (stability? need bobby pins or else it won't work)

OR black temporary hair dye (will it get in my eyes? _ sweating is a thing. what if they throw me in water...)

FACE

Red contacts (ow, but also cool)

Black mask (must be black)

BODY

Black hoodie (will probably cut the sleeves off)

Long (important) dark green cargo pants with pockets down the legs (lots and lots of pockets to put stuff in)

SUPPORT ITEMS

Red belt that can match my shoes (might need to buy paint)

Elbow and knee pads in grey (black is okay too)

But unfortunately, Izuku didn't have much luck in the store. It was mainly full of All Might-themed costumes and the rest were flimsy things like capes and half-broken plastic masks with badly drawn imitations of the hero's face. If Izuku was going to take this seriously, he needed to find something durable. It didn't have to look good, but he didn't want it breaking down every time he went out on patrol either.

The only thing he managed to cross off from his list were the cans of hair dye, the contact lenses, and the face masks.

He tried a sporting goods shop next, grateful it wasn't too busy either. There, he was able to find the hoodie, the pants, and the knee pads. He also grabbed some for his elbow along the way just in case.

Better safe than sorry, he thought while they ringed up his purchases and he quickly exited the store.

By the time Izuku finished, it was a little past lunchtime. Even though he was hungry, he really wanted to get the last item from his list. The belt was essential. Not only would it allow him to carry small packs of water and medicine, but other things like first aid supplies and even his phone. Izuku had spent hours designing it, along with the rest of his costume. He chose black for his attire, for example, because the color blended in well with the night. The rest were purely stylistic choices or would guarantee him at least some degree of comfort.

He couldn't help but think back to the first costume he designed back in elementary school. It had been 100% inspired by All Might and he could have probably recreated it if he really wanted to. But as Izuku passed a manga shop that had the hero's face plastered all over the windows, he found himself looking away.

Deep down, a part of him was secretly okay with All Might not being a real person in this world. Because that meant his idol had never told him he couldn't be a hero. And if Izuku could pretend that day never happened, he would gladly stay in this universe forever.

Sure, it still freaked Izuku out that everything was different here, but maybe things weren't as bad as they originally seemed.

"Oi, nerd!"

Izuku froze. Maybe he spoke too soon.

He recognized that voice anywhere. It belonged to Katsuki Bakugou, his ex-childhood best friend, who turned bully. The most powerful guy in his class. The one he had looked up to almost as much as All Might. The one he had failed to save.

Wait.

If Izuku was really in another world then Bakugou was still alive!

"K-kacchan?!" Izuku turned around and nearly slammed into the taller boy's body.

Bakugou didn't seem phased and continued looking down at the greenette with his trademark scowl.

"Where the hell have you been?!" he asked, still very much yelling.

Izuku somehow didn't hear him though. He was too busy staring, trying to figure out if this was really the guy he had seen go up in flames days ago.

"You're okay!" Izuku shook his head, finally staring up into his eyes. His heart skipped a beat at the fiery red color. Somehow he couldn't find it in him to look away. Would Bakugou go up in flames when he wasn't looking and disappear again?

Bakugou's scowl deepened. "Of course I fucking am! Why wouldn't I be?! You're the one who's been missing from school cuz you were being stupid and almost got your body blown up. Don't tell me you're giving up on U.A. already?"

"Wait, what?" he asked, standing back a little. "Y-you actually want me to get in now?"

"Duh," Bakugou scoffed, "can't have a loser idiot as a best friend."

Izuku blinked.

Did he just call me his best friend?

The loser idiot part was familiar. But best friend?

Izuku didn't know how to react to that.

"Here," Bakugou said while pulling out a notebook from his bag. Izuku watched everything while holding his breath. "I've been meaning to give you this shit but you never showed up."

"Uh…" Izuku furrowed his brows at the notebook. Before he could recollect his thoughts, Bakugou started yelling again.

"ARE YOU GOING TO JUST STAND THERE GAWKING LIKE AN IDIOT OR FREAKING TAKE IT?"

Izuku scrambled forward and grabbed the notebook carefully. He made sure not to touch Bakugou's hands so he wouldn't provoke the guy any more than he probably had already.

"Y-yeah. Thanks, Kacchan. But, um, what exactly is this?" Izuku squinted at the front page labeled with the dates of the past week.

"What the actual shit, Deku. Did you lose your memory in the blast or something? It's notes from class," Bakugou said as-a-matter-of-factly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You… you took notes for me?" Izuku asked quietly.

He stared at the notebook a little while longer before eyeing Kacchan unsurely. It was as if he was looking at him for the first time.

"What?" Bakugou growled. "Why are you looking at me like that? I already told you. I don't need extras by my side who can't keep up."

Okay, that sounded more like Bakugou. But why was he being so… considerate? Izuku didn't even know what to say so he just shook his head.

"I'm sorry it's just that you've never—"

"IZUKU!"

Mitsuki Bakugou tackled him before he had a chance to finish his sentence, smothering him in her strong arms and taking away the little bit of breath he had left.

"M-Mrs. Bakugou— oof," Izuku winced as she squeezed him tighter. He forgot how passionate Bakugou's mother could be with the way she greeted people.

"Oops, so sorry. Got a little carried away," she giggled, pulling away slightly to caress his face. "But I'm just so glad you're safe! You have no idea how worried we all were after Inko called us and told us what happened."

"We?" Izuku asked, sneaking another glance at Bakugou.

The blonde in question looked up suddenly and narrowed his gaze at his mother.

"Oh, boy Katsuki had it the worst. He kept trying to go over and see you every hour but I told him you needed some space. It was kind of cute actually," Mitsuki smirked.

Kind of… what?

"SHUT IT OLD HAG. DON'T TALK ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE."

Izuku shifted his weight uncomfortably, watching as Bakugou's ears turned pink. He didn't know what was weirder. Waking up in a world without quirks, having one himself, or Bakugou actually being nice. If he could call it that. He looked down at the notebook and carefully flipped through the pages, running his hands over Bakugou's meticulous handwriting. Izuku had always wondered how someone so loud and aggressive could stay in between the lines. A small smile started forming on his lips.

"Lemme know if you can't understand any of it. I can help you figure shit out or whatever," Bakugou mumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking away.

"R-really?" Izuku couldn't help the childish gasp that escaped his lips. "You'd do that for me?" It just seemed too good to be true.

Mitsuki snickered behind them. "Mmm, he definitely would."

"ARGH, IT'S LIKE I SAID," Bakugou said, scaring off a couple of birds that hopped around the area. "I CAN'T HANG AROUND PEOPLE THAT HOLD ME BACK. NOW HURRY UP AND GET BETTER ALREADY, DEKU!"

"Katsuki, if you don't tone it down I swear to god," Mitsuki growled, pulling at her son's ear. Izuku watched them without saying anything. At least they were acting normal with each other.

Bakugou simply rolled his eyes and walked off. Izuku noticed he was wearing an expensive-looking denim jacket and was carrying things of his own. Shopping bags with the initials 'BJ' on the front. Something about the logo seemed familiar.

"Anyway," Mitsuki turned towards Izuku again with another cheerful smile, "want to eat lunch with us, Izuku? We were just about to get some ramen."

Izuku tightened his grip on his own bags and quickly shook his head. "Oh, um, no thank you. I have to head back because of a... doctor's appointment. You know, because of the burns and all." He didn't really have to go and the pain had become manageable, but what else was he supposed to say? There's no way Izuku was going to spend a meal sitting across the table from Katsuki Bakugou of all people. That was an invitation for disaster waiting to happen.

He glanced over at the blonde hesitantly again and chewed on his bottom lip. Bakugou was probably only acting nice because his mother was around.

Plus, Izuku had vigilante stuff to worry about. He couldn't waste time hanging out with someone who didn't even like him.

"Of course! We understand. But once you're all better you and your mother should definitely come over for dinner," Mitsuki said sweetly.

"R-right. I'll make sure to tell her that. It was nice seeing you again. Bye," Izuku said without looking at Bakugou. He could feel the teen glaring daggers at him while he walked away, picking up the pace to avoid talking to him. Izuku wasn't able to get very far though before Bakugou yanked him back by the collar.

"Deku."

Izuku gulped and quickly shut his eyes. Here it comes. Mitsuki had walked away and wouldn't be able to hear them. Bakugou must have been waiting for this moment ever since they started talking. Izuku wondered what kind of insult he would get today. Was the Bakugou of this universe more creative at least? He didn't have his quirk to use as an intimidation factor after all.

Brace yourself, Izuku.

"Stay out of fucking trouble or I'll kill you myself."

Wait, what?

Izuku opened his eyes carefully.

"DID YOU HEAR ME?" Bakugou leaned over and yelled in his face.

"Y-yes, yes! Loud and clear, Kacchan," Izuku squeaked out, standing straight and giving the blonde a salute.

Bakugou scoffed and let him go, pushing past him while he mumbled a bunch of things under his breath. Izuku simply watched as the blonde teen rejoined his mother and they disappeared around the corner. As if nothing was different. As if the way Bakugou was acting was normal all of a sudden.

"What just happened?" Izuku whispered to himself.

Was Bakugou Katsuki… worried about him?

I promise you there's a good reason why Bakugou still calls him Deku but I won't reveal it yet, MUAHAHAHAHAHA. It'll probably be a while even though I already wrote the dialogue for that scene;-;

LOTS of things going on in this chapter (it got a little long haha hope that's not a problem), including Aizawa's mysterious past. I wonder what it is ;) I'll take your guesses now, please! As for the story itself, I really hope the pacing is okay for everyone. There's just so much to unpack before we get to UA and anything that might resemble canon (I promise it's coming!) But for now, I appreciate anyone who stays with me. This is probably going to be a very long fic, haha *sweats*

I'm also just really excited to write Bakugou in as Izuku's friend and explore their dynamic together. It's something I thought long and hard about, to be honest. At first, I was going to make him never have met Izuku in the first place but I just didn't feel like that would happen. He also wouldn't bully him either. One of my reviewers brought up a really good point that Bakugou would have no reason to hate Izuku if quirks weren't a thing, and I think they were so right! So, thank you so much for leaving a review, I really agreed with your perspective.

But, oh my goshhhhh, as I was going over my drafts and stuff I realized I never introduced myself. You can call me Star! Thanks for reading my story, see you next time :)