A/N: Hey All,
First fic in this fandom, and glad to be here. For those curious, I've got another fic in the RWBY fandom, though that one is on hiatus for the time being. This idea has been rolling around in my head for a while, and kind of snowballed after reading a few other time travel fics. I'm pretty sure this one's shaping up to be different (but what do I know), so hopefully that's something you're looking for. I'm still fiddling around with the format and a couple other things, so bear with me. If you're wondering about the chapter title and why Compress isn't in the tags or fic just yet, there's a bit of a theme I'm working on that I'll go into a bit more at the bottom. This fic is also cross-posed on AO3, if anyone here likes reading on there. Also, I'll try and stay on top of throwing out warnings chapter by chapter in this note. If I miss something, let me know. Otherwise, happy reading, and happy holidays!
Chapter 1: The Magician
Chapter Date: 12/21/20
"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity." – Henry Van Dyke
… … …
It was past midnight on a Thursday. A time for rest…or, it should have been.
Twenty-one people jolted awake. Some laughed. Some screamed. Some hit things. Most spouted obscenities.
Every single one cried.
… … …
Midoriya Izuku woke up feeling rather refreshed. That in of itself was strange, considering how much his last year of middle school was shaping up to be like the first two.
'Come on Izuku, it's still early in the first month! Sure, the past two years haven't set a great track record, and we've got our career aspiration consultations coming up, and I have Kacchan in my class again-'
"Izuku, are you up? I thought I heard you on one of your tangents!" Inko's voice filtered past the door as Izuku's jaw clamped shut.
'I-I did it again!' Stumbling out of bed, Izuku quickly stepped out into the kitchen where his mom had already begun setting the table for breakfast.
"There you are, dear. I didn't want you in danger of being late in your first week." His mother smiled, and Izuku felt the tiniest bit better about heading out to school.
"It's alright mom. The only reason I usually leave so early is in case there are any hero fights to watch on the way for my notebooks," Izuku responded as he started tackling breakfast, his gaze away from his mother's momentary flinch.
"O-of course, dear. Make sure you eat up and get your energy, though; I have a feeling that today will go well. Maybe things at school will pick up for you!"
This time it was Izuku's turn to stiffen under his mother's earnest gaze. "Y-yeah, I'm sure things at Aldera will be fine, considering that it'll be time to move onto high school soon."
'At least I've got the end of the week to look forward to.' The thought sprung up unbidden as Izuku went about his morning routine, making sure to grab his latest quirk notebook off his desk on his way out of the apartment.
"Have a good day, mom! I'll see you soon."
"You too, Izuku! Be safe!"
… … …
'That was the closest I've seen Kamui Woods in action, and to get debut data of Mt. Lady was lucky!' Izuku was jotting all the new information he could into their respective entries before most of his class arrived and he was forced to put the notebook away.
'With Mt. Lady's gigantification and the speed at which she grew, there's also the potential for destabilization if the ground isn't sufficiently compact…unless there's a factor to how her mass is affected dependent on the height that she grows too, but then would it be more detrimental to grow so tall in fights or-'
BANG
Izuku flinched, but realized it was the sound of the classroom door getting slammed open again. For better or worse…usually worse, his class this year was pretty excitable. Then again, he had yet to meet anyone that was quite like Ka-
"Izuku?"
Something ground to a halt. Izuku was pretty sure it was his brain.
Because someone had just called him by his real name, no slurs, sneers, insults or nicknames attached. He could count the number of people who did that on one hand and have fingers to spare. And none of them should be at school.
To put the icing on the cake, it was Kacchan who had said it. Kacchan, who had called him Deku since they were toddlers. Kacchan, who had bullied him for a decade. Kacchan, who had used his quirk on Izuku's body "just for the hell of it."
Kacchan, who was now looking at Izuku like he'd seen a ghost.
"Kacchan? Are you okay?" Izuku tensed as Kacchan's look grew even more fragile. Before Izuku could blink, Kacchan had crossed the room with his hands raised. "W-wait Kacchan, hold-"
Hands that Izuku had only ever seen exploding wrapped around him with a gentleness that he was sure Kacchan didn't possess, even as the boy himself seemed to cling desperately to Izuku.
"I-Izuku…I-I'm…I'm sorry." Kacchan choked the words out, and honestly Izuku felt like choking too because what the hell?
But, first things first. Izuku jerkily moved his arms up, afraid that any movement might set Kacchan off and end whatever was happening. Shaking hands awkwardly patted his old friend on the back. "I-it's ok, Kacchan…is everything alright?"
At the first pat on the back, Kacchan had slowly stiffened. At Izuku's question, Kacchan pulled himself back from the hug, and looked Izuku in the eye.
And there were no furrowed brows, no narrowed eyes or pinprick pupils signaling adrenaline. There was only untold amounts of pain, at a level that Izuku had never seen in his friend before, or that his friend had never let himself show.
"We need to talk. After school." The gruff tone might have tricked others into believing Kacchan was back to normal, if it wasn't for the hoarse quality that told of unshed tears, and what was going on!
"Hey Bakugo, you want some company later? You know we're always game for making the weirdo try and see reason!" Izuku had completely forgotten that they were inside a classroom, and that class hadn't even started yet. The other students who were inside the classroom were gaping with slack jaws at the interaction, which is about where Izuku was at, except for the sneer plastered on the face of one of Bakugo's friends.
Bakugo said nothing, as he slowly turned to face his friend. Walking back towards the wall, he stopped in front of the long-fingered student with a tension that weighed down the air itself.
"I'm only going to say this once, so listen. Fuck off and leave me to my business."
If the sheer poison in Kacchan's voice had been made physical, the long-haired boy would have dropped dead on the spot. As it was, the whole class shivered, then stared as Kacchan walked slowly to his desk diagonal from Izuku's, and sat down without so much as a twitch towards putting his feet up.
Everyone flinched as the bell rang, and their teacher slid the door open. "Alright kids, grab your seats and zip the lip for now!...Did I miss something?"
As the students still standing shuffled to their seats, Izuku kept his gaze glued on Kacchan's tense form ahead of him. No hint of his face was visible from behind, but after having known Kacchan his entire life, Izuku could tell, clear as day.
Something was wrong.
… … …
The school day had sped by in a crawl…yes, exactly how it sounded. Time inched along when Izuku imagined that Kacchan wanted to tell him something good, and then vanished in blinks when he feared their talk might go poorly. The mind was a wonderful thing.
Despite all that though, the last bell had rung and everyone was packing up for the day. Nearly every eye in the room was on Kacchan as the blonde methodically tucked away his books, and Izuku didn't dare blink as he tried to piece things together.
Kacchan had been deathly quiet today, even by the standards of people without explosion quirks. He'd been punctual, gotten perfect marks on his homework, and answered every question that the teachers had asked him during classes like the perfect student. And that is what was off.
There had been no feet on the desk, no quirk use during class, and no addressing his classmates as "extras." More shocking, there had been no cursing.
Even earlier, when one of their teachers had brought up the career aspiration forms and mentioned Kacchan's goal of U.A., the boy had just set his jaw and nodded his head without a peep. And when the teacher had mentioned Izuku trying to get into U.A., Kacchan had only leaned his head back and glanced a single eye at Izuku before turning back towards the front. That was it. No mentions of quirkless, weak Deku.
Izuku was convinced that either Kacchan had been hit by a quirk, or that everyone else had been. Because for this drastic of a change to happen to Kacchan of all people would require someone dying, and with Izuku reasonably sure that Auntie Mitsuki, Uncle Masaru and All Might were the only people that Kacchan cared about, that likely wasn't the case.
It was with these thoughts swirling around Izuku that he wordlessly followed Kacchan out of the classroom…likely to his death. He probably should've written a will just in case, but maybe there was still time to jot something down in his notebook before-
"Izuku." The green-haired boy snapped his gaze back to Kacchan, who was looking at him again, pain still leaking out from whatever wall he'd tried to throw up during the day. "I know my word means less than dirt to you. Just…I won't bully you anymore. I promise."
Only Newton's First Law kept Izuku's legs from buckling and sending him face-first into the floor. The first words he'd wanted to ask nearly spilled from his mouth, but he kept his mouth and muttering shut until the two had finally stopped by the fish ponds behind the school. Izuku looked around, noting that the location and the sounds of the fish would keep most conversations out of earshot. Then he looked at Kacchan.
His friend had gone rigid. Throughout the day, he'd been far stiffer than the self-proclaimed king of the school had been before. But here, in a spot that Izuku could've sworn was probably ten feet from one of the times where Kacchan had gotten rough with him, the explosion user now stared at a section of dirt and grass with a focus that he'd expect only military snipers to have.
After Kacchan had gone over a minute without averting his gaze from that particular spot, or even blinking, Izuku cleared his throat. "U-um, Kacchan?"
Instantly, red eyes were on his green, and Kacchan took heaving gulps of air as it looked like he hadn't been breathing earlier. With palms flat against his legs, he spoke. "Today is Thursday, the sixth of April, right?"
Izuku nodded automatically, not quite expecting that line of inquiry, before Kacchan continued. "Have…I acted…weird, at all, this week before today?"
Now Izuku was really lost as he tried to parse out the question. "Umm…well, you set off a decently-sized explosion during the first day of class to "remind everyone who the best in the school is," but y-you know how everyone uses their quirks at school anyways, ha-ha! And you've also called everyone in class "extras" and "secondary characters" about a dozen times this week so far…n-not that that's not normal for you..." Izuku trailed off as Kacchan actually seemed to grimace at Izuku's response.
"That's enough. Thanks." Izuku shut up at that and stared. And then it got even stranger. "Izuku, I'm sorry for everything I've done to you since we were kids. I was arrogant, and crude, and did things to you that would've, should've, labeled me as a villain a hundred times over."
And now Izuku was pretty sure he was the one who'd been hit by a quirk, because there was no way in hell that Kacchan was bowing to him, a tremble in his voice that Izuku had never heard before. "I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, and it won't be enough. I just…hope that one day you might see me as a…friend, again."
Then, before Izuku could even think about responding, Kacchan straightened and walked away, leaving only the sound of running water to fill the absolute silence. In the haze that was his thoughts, his legs were already carrying home as he passed into a tunnel.
And as putrid sludge filled his vision and gravelly words gurgled towards his ears, the thought finally occurred to him.
'I didn't get the chance to ask Kacchan anything…'
"I AM HERE!"
… … …
Maybe not knowing things, not asking questions of your idol, was better than the alternative.
Izuku could barely move his body, barely wanted to. After nearly experiencing death twice, by villain attack and by falling off the leg of the number one hero, he was more than ready to call it a day. And that wasn't even delving into the existential black hole that was his conversation with All Might.
'The number one hero would know best, after all…if he doesn't think I can become a hero without a quirk, I guess it really is impossible…if even All Might could get so badly injured, then I probably wouldn't stand a chance…and what that would do to mom…' Izuku's feet trailed behind him, and his hand clutched at the notebook that contained All Might's autograph. Somehow, the sheets of paper were so, so heavy.
BOOOOM
Izuku's head swung to the side, only now registering the crowd at the entrance to the shopping district. Body reacting on habit, he made his way into the crowd. 'To be around for three villain attacks…today is really something else…'
Then he caught sight of the villain.
'What-he-how…he must have fallen out of the air while I was struggling not to fall earlier…' Izuku's legs wobbled. "This is my fault…"
As the crowd chattered about the student caught by the villain, Izuku clutched at his face, the phantom feeling of the sludge crawling all over still present. 'I'm so sorry…please hang on! Someone will come to save you, a hero will be there…someone…'
Pleading red eyes met green again, and something fundamental shifted.
He was halfway to Kacchan before his brain started working again, and the sight of the sludge villain from this angle only sent fresh terror spiking into his heart. 'What do I do, what do I do!?'
A right arm covered in sludge raised up, and despite himself, Izuku saw a savagely grinning Kacchan with sparks lighting up his palm, rearing up for a right hook. With nothing but his backpack on his person, Izuku twisted and slipped underneath the right arm, and with his fist locked in a vice grip on the straps, swung his backpack like a crude flail, slamming home into one of the villain's eyes as the villain shrieked. Not letting up, Izuku grabbed his backpack and mashed it into the other eye right beside Kacchan's head, eliciting another shout of pain from the villain as the sludge seemed to slide away from Kacchan's face and torso.
"KACCHAN!" Dropping the bag, Izuku clawed at the sludge holding Kacchan's right arm as Kacchan looked at him in pure shock and disbelief. "TAKE MY HAND!"
"Izuku…why are…you here?" Kacchan rasped, throat raw from trying to scream his way free.
Out of everything Izuku could think of in that moment, Kacchan's pleading eyes came back to him. "Because…your face seemed to be calling for help!"
Tugging with all his limited strength, Kacchan's right arm was free, but his remaining limbs were still trapped as the villain regained its composure. "YOU BRAT! I'LL KILL YOU!"
In an instant, Kacchan's crimson eyes sharpened as the boy snarled. "IZUKU, STAND BACK!" Out of instinct, Izuku scrambled away as he saw Kacchan's palms, one trapped in sludge, one in the open air, light up.
The villain's left arm raised high into the air, ready to slam into Izuku. "DIE, BRAT!"
As the arm began to drop, Izuku's vision flashed white and the world fell away.
… … …
"Good for nothing!"
A flash of heat and light…
"So, why are you trying to enter in the same arena as me, huh?!"
His notebook, in ashes out the window…
"Take a swan dive off the roof and pray you'll be born with a quirk in the next life!"
The fish ponds, far below…
'…'
A fresh notebook, his note the only thing written in it…
'…Goodbye, mom…I'm sorry…'
Open air, and then…
… … …
"LIKE HELL!" Izuku startled as Kacchan crossed his arms and planted his feet, palms pointed at or in the sludge as they sparked. "X-MORTAR!"
An explosion rocked the entire shopping district as the sludge villain splattered against the walls and ground, blown away by the sheer concussive force. Despite his steady footing, Kacchan was knocked back into Izuku, who grit his teeth and kept them both standing. As the dust and smoke settled, Izuku glanced down at Kacchan leaning heavily on him with trembling and reddened arms, before looking over to the assembled heroes with a naked expression of desperation.
The world stood still for a moment, before erupting into thunderous cheers.
"That was amazing!"
"-kids were both so brave!"
"Those moves-"
"That quirk-"
As Death Arms and Kamui Woods rushed in and kept the crowd and reporters at bay, Izuku let out a deep, deep breath, and prayed that the day was finally done throwing literally everything at him.
"I AM HERE!"
'Of course not.'
"DEATH ARMS, AND KAMUI WOODS! THANK YOU FOR KEEPING THESE YOUNG MEN SAFE! I CAN TAKE CHARGE OF THEM FROM HERE!" Both heroes were surprised at All Might's sudden appearance, but the veteran recovered faster.
"Uhh, thanks for the offer All Might, but these two should still probably give their statements to the police before-"
"WORRY NOT! I HAVE A FRIEND IN THE FORCE WHO WILL BE MORE THAN WILLING TO TAKE THEIR STATEMENTS IN A MORE COMFORTABLE SETTING! FOR NOW, MEDICAL TREATMENT AND BEING RETURNED TO THEIR FAMILIES SHOULD BE THE PRIORITY, YES?" As the heroes nodded, All Might turned to Izuku and Kacchan, crouching down so that he was level with them and cupping his hands. "Young Midoriya, would you and your friend like to come with me? I can take you to a location much more appropriate to receive any treatment for your wounds, and I can ask my friend to come to your homes for your statements if you would prefer to return home. Is that alright?"
Izuku nodded dumbly, relying on Kacchan to be his usual, aggressive self. Instead, Kacchan was gazing at All Might with something unreadable in his expression, before hissing out an affirmative.
"WONDERFUL!" Within minutes, Izuku and Kacchan were being led into a cab while All Might signed another autograph for a driver who insisted on trying to fit the hero in his cab.
"PLEASE, TAKE THESE BOYS TO U.A.! I WILL MEET THEM THERE!" At that, All Might closed door and was leaping off before his words registered in Izuku's brain.
"WAIT, WHAT?!"
… … …
"YOU!" BANG "ARE!" CLANG "THE!" BONG "STUPIDEST!" CRACK "MAN!" SMACK "ALIVE!"
"P-PLEASE SHUZENJI, HAVE MERCY!"
"NEVER!"
As Izuku sat on one of the infirmary beds in U.A., next to a bandaged and contemplative Kacchan, watching the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl beat the absolute stuffing out of the number one hero with a cane, he wondered for the eighth or ninth time today if he hadn't slipped into some alternate universe.
All Might's friend, a detective named Naomasa Tsukauchi, had just left after taking both Izuku's and Kacchan's statements to pass along to the police, but promised to return. The moment that he'd left though, All Might's supposed protection against Recovery Girl's cane came to an end, leading to the current moment.
As the heroine's stamina tapered off, her shouts became mutters and grumbles. "Honestly, it's like you're still a fresh-faced rookie with the way you act sometimes! This all could've been avoided if you managed to keep track of that villain."
"I APOLOGIZE RECOVERY GIRL, BUT THE VILLAIN SLIPPED FROM MY POCKETS DURING A MOMENTARY LAPSE IN-"
BANG
"THAT'S WHAT YOUR HANDS ARE FOR, YOU MORON!" Just as it looked like Recovery Girl was about to get her second wind, she calmed down and faced Izuku and Kacchan with a smile that Izuku now knew hid an immense capability for rage. "Now, All Might and I have to step outside for a moment dears, but we'll be back in a few minutes or so. If you both need to talk with one another, feel free. I promise there are no cameras in here, and I'd have the rat's head if he tried to get me to break patient confidentiality for him."
As both pros left the room, Izuku couldn't help but wonder if this was where the fever dream he was obviously in came to an end, but it seemed content to continue for the moment.
"Hey." Izuku turned to the side, taking in Kacchan's bandaged arms and his now-default soft expression. "Thank you, for saving me from that villain. I don't think I could've escaped from him on my own."
Izuku was about to spit out automatic responses before various events of the day caught up to him in rush, like so many puzzle pieces, and he stilled for a moment, settling back on the bed. "From what it looks like, I think you could have, but I think that's beside the point for the moment. If you wouldn't mind, I have some questions that I think you can answer."
Izuku turned to look at Kacchan, who gave a wary but resigned nod, before continuing. "You're not Kacchan, are you?"
Kacchan flinched and opened his mouth, but Izuku held a hand up as he continued. "S-sorry, that was a terrible choice of words. What I'm trying to say is, I think there's something going on here, something that you might know about. Your behavior at school today was completely different from what it was like this week, let alone the past ten years. Our talk after school showed me that you're experiencing immense suffering from something, but with that level of pain, there's nothing that sticks out to me unless you got hit by a quirk. I've also observed your habits and your progress with your quirk for ten years now, and I've never seen anything close to the level of what you did today with the sludge villain. And…"
Izuku paused, because while everything else he'd just listed was strange in of itself and drew red flags for Kacchan, this drew one for himself. Still though… "When the sludge villain was about to hit me, and you were in front of me…for a moment, my vision flashed white and I experienced something, something horrible…I would say it was my life flashing before my eyes, but what I saw had never happened to me…"
There was a pause, and then a loud swallow. "…What…what did you see?"
"I…saw what might have happened today if you had acted like you normally do, or maybe even worse than that." Kacchan flinched, but Izuku pressed on. "You made fun of me for wanting to go to U.A., and threatened me, and threw my quirk analysis notebook out of a window. A-and then…you said-"
"Stop." Izuku saw Kacchan's hands trying to press against his ears, despite the pain that irritating his palms must have been causing him. "Please. I get it."
"T-then you know how strange it must be, all of this. Because that spot behind our school that you were staring at earlier, that's…" Izuku trailed off, because the shame on Kacchan's face told him all he needed to know.
"Izuku…I…" Both boys turned towards the door as a knock came through.
"Boys? Is it alright if we come in?" Recovery Girl's inquiry piqued Izuku's curiosity as he and Kacchan answered in the affirmative. Was All Might actually still here?
The door opened, and inside came one of the strangest assortments of people Izuku had laid eyes upon. All Might was there, still in his muscular form, though now that Izuku knew the secret of his time limit, the strain on his face was easy to pick out. Behind him was Detective Tsukauchi, his expression inscrutable. Following after was Recovery Girl, who gave a warm smile at both boys, though her eyes swept between the two. And finally, even shorter than Recovery Girl, was-
"That's right. It's me, Nezu. Am I a dog, or a mouse, or a bear? Who knows! But more importantly, I'm the principal!" If Izuku hadn't been an avid hero lover, he would've been flabbergasted at laying eyes on one of the smartest, if not the smartest, being on the planet. A glance sideways told him that Kacchan somehow wasn't fazed in the slightest.
"Hmm…I normally receive a stronger reaction than that. I take it you either have heard of me then, or perhaps come across one of the few pictures of me still existing on the internet." Nezu looked like we was about to continue, but a cough from All Might cut in. "Still, I'm sure that everyone here is short on time, so I suppose we'll just have to dive right in. First, I'd like to congratulate you both on assisting All Might in the capture of the sludge villain, both captures of course! You both displayed wonderful skills and initiative, which leads me to my next point; this."
As Izuku registered that he'd just received a compliment from the principal of U.A. of all people, his eyes focused on the object being held up by Nezu. Specifically, the very familiar handwriting on the front of it.
"Imagine my surprise when All Might informed me during a quick review of the evidence that one of the very students that aided him also had a notebook dedicated to analyzing quirks. The prose is slightly long-winded, and some of the information in individual entries is tangential, but there is quite the raw potential here within these pages…potential that I find myself intrigued by." Nezu's black eyes glittered with something a little too sharp to be glee. "Midoriya Izuku, I take it you are interested in attending U.A.?"
Something was slowly trickling into Izuku's brain, but at the moment he could do nothing but nod.
"And what course will you be applying for?"
Air was a precious resource in this room, and Izuku's eyes bounced unbidden between Nezu, All Might and Kacchan, before he steeled himself. "H-hero course, sir."
"I see. Well, I presume I should pass the baton to All Might then." The Principal stepped back as All Might stepped forward, coughing again.
"Young Midoriya, I would like to thank you and correct a mistake of mine…and make a proposal to you. Both, of you." All Might's eyes glanced at Kacchan, whose gaze was solidly and intensely focused on the hero. "If you had not acted when you did earlier, I would have truly been nothing but fake muscles and insincerity, so for that, I thank you."
"I-it's alright, All Might. I was the one who disturbed your work and let the villain get free, and I was arrogant enough to act like I did without a quirk so-"
"But at the time when no one acted, you were the one who did. You, a timid, quirkless, boy acted when everyone else was waiting for the 'right' hero to arrive." All Might grimaced, like the idea of the 'right' hero was distasteful to him. "When all the great heroes talk about how they started, each and every one echoed these words: 'My body moved by itself!'"
Izuku's heart was thudding against his ribcage now, and he worried if Recovery Girl would need to save him.
"This happened to you, right?"
Something was squeezing tight inside. "…yes…"
"Then allow me correct myself, and say what I did not before."
There was no smile on All Might's face, but the pride and warmth seeped into his words. Izuku was trying hard not to break down and cry in front of a room full of the most important people he'd ever met.
"YOU CAN BECOME A HERO."
But with that, the tears flowed out as something deep within finally loosened.
… … …
It took Izuku about a minute, far longer than he liked, to stop crying tears of joy, but he eventually pulled himself together. Luckily for him, nobody seemed to be disgusted or exasperated with him yet. All Might was still radiating pride, Detective Tsukauchi had a small smile, Recovery Girl had a much larger smile, and though Nezu wasn't smiling either, his eyes continued to glitter as if he'd struck gold.
And Kacchan was still looking at All Might with that same intense focus, though his brow had infinitesimally lowered.
"Now, I believe we should discuss that proposal. But before we do, I must ask; do you consider Young Bakugo a friend, Young Midoriya?" All Might's question caught Izuku off-guard…actually, everything about today was catching him off-guard, but the principle remained true.
Izuku's hesitation must have intrigued the adults, as Nezu and Detective Tsukauchi exchanged a look. Meanwhile, Kacchan was trying to work his mouth to form words. "…I-"
"Yes. He's my friend." Izuku was staring at All Might as he gave his answer, but he knew that Kacchan's face must have shown open shock. Next to All Might, Tsukauchi gave him a nod, which seemed to satisfy the hero, who gave a deep exhale…and shrunk down into his skinny form. "A-ALL MIGHT-"
"Relax, Young Midoriya. Tsukauchi, Recovery Girl and Nezu all know about this form of mine. As for Young Bakugo, I suppose that given the circumstances, he should be allowed to know too." All Might quirked an eyebrow at Kacchan's stone-faced expression. "Young Bakugo, I must admit that I thought this form would come as more of a surprise to you. Did you…know about this form of mine?"
"…The strain on your face was pretty obvious, and you kept coughing at weird points of the conversation with blood on your lips and hand. Plus, you favor one side even out of combat. It's not very visible, but up close, I put it together after a while." Kacchan couldn't cross his arms at the moment, but his nonchalance at having discovered one of the world's greatest secrets came across clearly. "So what's this proposal about?"
All Might himself was coughing in surprise. "Haaagh!...Well, it should come as no shock that you are bright as they come, Young Bakugo. Very well. You both know the secret behind this form, but you have yet to learn the secret of my strength! And that is my quirk; a power not unlike the sacred torch of legend, passing from one bear to the next."
Izuku had to reach deep into his well of surprise, but it came easily enough. "A quirk…that can be passed on?!" He was about to launch into one of his quirk tangents, but All Might was charging on.
"It's the power to transfer power…and the name of that vaunted ability to which I've been entrusted is none other than One For All." All Might paused, glancing between Izuku and Kacchan. "I've been searching for a successor for ages…so I was shocked today to find not one, but two potential successors!"
"Two…?" Izuku's brain sluggishly pieced the implication together, and he looked over at the next bed, where Kacchan's red eyes met his green ones. For perhaps the first time today, maybe even this lifetime, they were on the same wavelength of surprise…but the question still needed to be asked. "Why us?"
"Because you, who, despite having no quirk, and being a mere powerless fan of heroics, were the one who shined brighter than any of the other so called "heroes" there today with an intellect and strategy to save your friend." All Might then turned to Kacchan. "And you, Young Bakugo, despite being a captive and victim of a villain, showed an indomitable will to win, and the power to match that will. Tell me, why did you place yourself in front of Young Midoriya like you did?"
Kacchan shifted, and met All Might's electric blue eyes without a hint of doubt. "Because I swore to my damn soul to protect Izuku."
All Might nodded and smiled wryly, seemingly pleased with Kacchan's answer. "And that is the heart of why I see you both as potential successors, and the crux of the problem. Both of you possess noble hearts brimming with the desire to protect. With Young Midoriya, there is a sharp wit to hone One For All. And with Young Bakugo, the physical capability to harness and bring One For All to new heights. I personally do not believe I can go wrong with either of you, but you know one another better than I know you both, and so I leave the decision in your hands. Young Midoriya, who do you think should receive this power?"
If it'd been even twenty-four hours ago, Izuku could've claimed he knew Kacchan like the back of his hand. But now, all of this, including Kacchan, was unknown to him. But he could envision it, see it, even feel it, the dream of becoming a hero like All Might within his reach. All he had to do was say himself. But…
If he wasn't kidding himself, a part of him knew this Kacchan too. Knew the potential hero that Kacchan could be, if only he would change. And change he certainly had, to the point where he'd risked life and limb to protect Izuku. With the power of his own quirk and One For All at his disposal…
"Kacchan should get One For All." All Might nodded solemnly, before turning to Kacchan as Izuku resolved not to cry a second time in front of two pros and the principal of U.A.
"Young Ba-"
"Give One For All to Izuku, and I swear if you give it to anyone else, I will blow this school to the ground." Izuku was actually shocked out of his incoming spiral.
"K-Kacchan, you shouldn't-"
"No. I won't sit here and let what should be a roomful of supposedly smart adults pass you over in favor of someone with a good quirk again. The rat knows as well as I do that having an actual brain beats sheer power any day, and when it comes to quirks, you're better at it than me by several magnitudes. And most importantly, you've got the strongest heart of any one I know, and from what I've heard today, I'm including All Might in that list too." Kacchan marched right past Izuku's sputtering. "A strong man, who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power…but a weak man, knows the value of strength, and knows compassion. With my quirk, I'm pretty set in my ways, but Izuku will know what to do with One For All better than I ever will."
"Kacchan…" Izuku swore to himself that he wouldn't cry again, but…
"Well, I can't say that I expected as much, but I'm glad to see that my optimism was well-founded." At last, All Might smiled, and even in his skinny form, it was brilliant. "You see, I was favoring Young Midoriya as a candidate, but profess that this discussion could have influenced me in either direction. I am so very proud to know that you both possess character standing above even the best heroes, and comforted to know that each of you has such a steadfast friend to count on. With that said, I believe I should now rephrase my question."
With a grunt, All Might transformed once more to his hero form, and smiled at Izuku. "YOUNG MIDORIYA, WILL YOU BECOME MY SUCCESSOR AND ACCEPT MY POWER?"
Strength that Izuku didn't know he had, but Kacchan believed he did, kept his gaze steady and unwavering. "Yes!"
"WONDERFUL! THEN I SUPPOSE WE MAY BEGIN DISCUSS-"
"Hey All Might. I've got something left to say." Where Kacchan found the courage to interrupt the Number One Hero during what may have been the most important speech of either of their lives, Izuku likely wouldn't ever know. "You mentioned earlier that you owe both Izuku and I for helping out with the sludge villain. That still true?"
"Why, of course it is! Why do you ask?"
"I take it Izuku considers becoming your successor more than enough, and then some. As for me though, there's something else that I want, and I think it's in your power to help grant." At that, Kacchan cracked a smirk that looked uncomfortably similar to the ones Izuku was used to seeing.
"V-very well, Young Bakugo! You may give your suggestion to me so that I may determine if it is within my authority to grant…and then we should return you both to your homes, or I fear I may become suspected of kidnapping at this rate!"
… … …
Izuku sat on his bed, barely fighting off the exhaustion that piled up since the start of the day. Everything that'd happened after accepting All Might's offer had only added to that.
His mother had run the spectrum of nearly every single emotion upon his return home, and then run the spectrum again after noticing his escort being All Might. Honestly, he should have been far more awed at seeing All Might in his apartment, but it was all Izuku could do to give his mom the abbreviated and redacted version of events that'd been worked out back at U.A. between Izuku, Kacchan and the adults. He still had to tell her what he had to look forward to for the upcoming year.
Speaking of the year, All Might had exchanged contact information with Izuku and promised to reach out to his successor by tomorrow on more details. Izuku could admit to feeling a bit relieved at that, if only so that he could properly emote to the news tomorrow.
And Kacchan. Oh God, Kacchan. They hadn't had another moment alone before the two had been returned to their own homes, but the blonde had unceremoniously dropped his number into Izuku's phone, and promised that he would explain his situation to Izuku. Or was it the situation? He just said that he needed-
"More time. That's something I can agree with at the moment." Izuku laid down on his bed, and let the enormity of the day soak into his bones, ups, downs, twists and turns all. "At least the longest day in the world is over…"
… … …
Throughout the afternoon, evening, and night, twenty people had seen clips of a very specific villain attack. One that showed a green-haired freckled boy and blonde-haired explosions user.
Clips showing the boys defeating the villain by themselves.
Clips showing All Might himself whisk the two away.
Clips showing a fiercely protective Bakugou Katsuki for Midoriya Izuku.
And twenty variations of the same thought ran through their heads.
This is not how it happened.
A/N:
The Magician: A unique being, with willpower, resourcefulness, and gifts that others do not possess. These set one apart from the crowd, and aid in beginning new projects or overcoming adversity. Don't wait; everything needed to achieve the goal is already present.
So, this is the theme I'll be toying around with. For those who get it, congrats. For those unaware, the title(s) relate to tarot cards and their readings. Now, I'll acknowledge that their meanings are subjective and varied, but I generally try and make them understandable even to those who read from the cards on a regular basis. As for how it relates to this fic, I'm not exactly sure on whether this means that I'll be reaching 78 chapters, or only hit 78 chapters (haha), but hey, we'll see.
As noted above, the aim is to get updates out on Mondays, but if that changes, I'll throw warning out in a note. And if they're not already out yet, I've put work in to put out the first few chapters on the same day, so enjoy! If you have questions or comments, feel free to let me know. Be seeing everyone soon.
-SE
Next Chapter Date: 12/21/20
