Hey, remember when I had Izuku and Hitoshi take gymnastics/acrobats but never showed it? Yeah, we're finally seeing them put their skills to the test!

Finals were coming up. Everyone was training and studying like there was no tomorrow. Momo even went as far as to host a study party for everyone at her house. Izuku and Hitoshi declined the offer but that didn't stop others from doing so.

Naturally, this included Izuku and Hitoshi alike. It was after school on Thursday, finals were tomorrow, and they had to squeeze in as much training as they possibly could with their friends. The gym was filled after school. Nearly everyone in 1-A was inside of the gym using the equipment to their advantage.

Hitoshi was on the high bar, dangling by his knees and doing sit-ups with Izuku doing pull-ups on the bar next to him. Izuku's arms were burning, but it was a pleasant burn, a burn he's grown used to. Up he went, his chin touching the bar, and then back down he would go. A grunt left his mouth as he could feel his shoulders shake just a little bit, but he wasn't done, not by a long shot-

Hitoshi flipped himself back and grabbed onto the bar with ease. The movement was so smooth and made Izuku stop and look at him. He looked so bored as he just dangled there holding onto the bar with one arm. Hitoshi started to swing himself back and forth before grabbing onto the bar with both hands and swinging a little more vigorously until he had enough motion to flip himself up. He did a single flip in the air and grabbed the bar on his way down.

Hitoshi then just dead-hung before looking over at Izuku. He raised a purple eyebrow at Izuku in a challenge and Izuku smirked. It was unspoken between them, but the challenge was accepted. Izuku carefully maneuvered his arms around and twisted himself so he was now facing the same way as Hitoshi. Izuku sucked in a breath and he started to swing himself back and forth.

Hitoshi started to do the same.

First, they both swung back and forth to gain momentum then they both flipped up in the air almost completely in sync with one another as they flipped in the air and both managed to grab onto the bar at the same time. Both grinned at one another only slightly out of breath. Izuku didn't speak a word. He simply used his upper body strength to hold himself up while he moved one leg up so it was against his chest and he put the back of his knee against the bar. Once it was on the bar he managed to move the other leg so it was also braced against the bar then he hung upside down. He wanted to do what his brother had done just moments before. It was just a simple flip-and-grab.

He kicked his legs off of the bar and watched as the world spun. He shot his arms out to grab the bar. He managed to grab it, but it stung when his bare hands slapped against the bar. "You make it look so easy." He smiled at Hitoshi.

"Yeah, I'm pretty proud of my abilities when it comes to the high bar."

"You should be. It's amazing, you could rival dad."

Hitoshi's cheeks flushed with pink and he laughed. "Thanks… wanna see who can do the most flips before they fall?"

"Sure!" It was a challenge they both knew well. Hold on to the bar and flip until you fall- or in Izuku's case- get sick. He felt so bad for his trainer when he accidentally vomited on the mat. The competition was immediate. They turned round and round the bar with ease. It was all going well, until maybe the third or fourth (maybe even fifth) flip when Izuku started to feel dizzy.

Urg… I don't feel so good… Cujo started to protest when Izuku just continued to spin. He felt like one of those toys on a pull line that would endlessly spin.

Izuku felt sickly and he had to let go. He learned the hard way that if he didn't stop now he would vomit. So, he fell face-first on the mat. He then lifted his leg up like one would do to show off before the judges during a competition. He heard Hitoshi, and a few others, laugh. "You good, Zuchan?" Hitoshi inquired and Izuku felt the mat move from the added weight as his brother joined him.

Izuku only gave his brother a thumbs up. "Nobody move me." He let his arm drop like dead weight as he rested his head on the cool feeling mat. "I need a minute."

"Hey, when you're done feeling sick… do you…I dunno…wanna do a balancing act?" Hitoshi sounded nervous as he asked this. Izuku could just picture his brother rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. "It's been a while since we have last done one together and… I dunno…"

'A balancing act. An act of trust.' Izuku realized why Hitoshi was so nervous. It's the first time Hitoshi asked for trust since he's been caught doing the unthinkable- erasing Izuku's memories- that was. This was Hitoshi unofficially asking for forgiveness.

Izuku frowned and he looked up at his brother. "I-" He cut himself off and then looked away from Hitoshi. Izuku had to think about himself and he had to really look deep inside of himself and ask… 'Do I trust him?'

In some ways yes and in other ways no.

'I can't fully trust him, a part of me isn't even sure if I can ever fully trust him again for what he did. He violated me in ways that I would never believe him of being capable of. He really damaged my trust for him.'

Maybe he could lessen the question. 'Do I trust him not to let me fall? Do I trust him to catch me if I do fall… yes. I think I can trust him to do that.'

"Okay." He looked back up at Hitoshi and his brother broke into a grin.

"Awesome…" He breathed out in masked excitement he almost looked like he was going to burst out crying, but he held himself together.

Izuku and Hitoshi had to take off their shoes before attempting to do this as neither of them had beam shoes on. "Top or bottom?" Izuku asked as he stretched his legs out.

"Bottom, you're lighter than I am plus shorter."

"Hm." Izuku smiled a little.

Hitoshi got down on his back and the two of them quickly got into a familiar position with Izuku balancing by holding on to Hitoshi's hands. Hitoshi and Izuku put their feet together with Hitoshi's legs up in the air. "Okay, on three." Izuku breathed as his body rocked a little. "One-" He lightly kicked off. "Two-" Another cautious kick off but not fully upright. "Three!" Izuku flipped his body in the air. He nearly went too far and felt his whole body sway while he desperately held onto Hitoshi's hands, thankfully he managed to keep his legs straight in the air after a bit of correction.

Neither said anything as they focused solely on keeping each other up and perfectly balanced.

"Wow- Wowowow." Denki came up and watched the two of them. Both brothers looked at him and Hitoshi smiled.

"You think that's impressive?" With no prompting, Hitoshi started to slowly and carefully bench press Izuku like this.

"You show-off." Izuku lightly teased Hitoshi.

"Can you balance me?" Denki eagerly asked and both brothers looked at one another.

"I can try… but why don't we start small? Zuchan think you can help?" Hitoshi inquired. Izuku nodded with a smile. With no effort at all Izuku carefully tipped his legs back until his feet were touching the ground and he could easily just flip himself upright with little to no effort.

"Okay, Denki. This is a balancing act, so the aim of the game is for you to properly balance on Hichan. The main point of a balancing act between parties is trust. If you don't trust your partner then it's not going to work. Like, I would never trust someone from 1-B to do this with me as I don't know nor trust them not to drop me. Do you trust Hitoshi?"

"Of course!"

"Good, step one is done. Next you've got to be okay with touching him because you're gonna get close."

Denki's face dusted with pink and he could only nod.

"Okay, now I'm going to help you with this part. Grab on to Hitoshi's hands."

Next to sleeping beside the blonde this was the closest Hitoshi has ever been to Denki. Their fingers interlocked and their faces were only inches apart from one another. They were so close that Hitoshi could feel Denki's hair lightly tickle his face. He gave an awkward smile. "You need a haircut…" He whispered to the blonde.

"I-...I was thinking of letting it grow… think you can lend me some hair ties when it gets long enough?" Denki whispered back with a cheeky smile on his face and this time Hitoshi blushed.

"Okay, good. The next step is the tricky part and where I'll jump in to help. Hitoshi is going to put his feet up and you're going to put your feet on his." It was a little awkward but they did as told. They wobbled a bit but soon steadied. "Awesome. Now I'm going to help you with this part as it's a little tricky to do on your own. I'm going to grab your legs so don't freak."

Izuku leaned down and gasped at both of Denki's ankles. Then, slowly, he helped hoist Denki's legs up into the air. "There we go… now, the point of this is balance. You need to keep your legs as still as you possibly can. I'm going to let go of your legs and let you handle the rest…" Izuku was careful as he let go of Denki's legs and took one big step back.

Denki's arms shook the moment he was on his own. "Whoa-" He gasped while trying to hold himself up fully. "It's like a handstand-" He paused and swallowed a gulp of air. "-But on hard mode.

"You're not wrong." Izuku didn't know how to feel when Denki said that. He was in the right, it was a handstand in hard mode. Izuku just never thought of it that way.

"Uh- 'Zu, my arms are getting weak." Denki started to sweat while his arms shook more and more. "A little help here."

Izuku was careful as he grabbed Denki's legs to help lower the blonde back down to his feet. Once on his feet he quickly became upright and straightened his shirt. "That was an experience! We'll have to do that again sometime! Now, if you don't mind me, I think I need to work on my upper body some…" He whispered nervously before scurrying off.

Izuku watched him go before smiling to himself and returning to training while they had the time to do so.

Cujo watched his otherself sleep. Izuku was peacefully sleeping in his bed and there Cujo was, just simply watching. 'How did this come to be?' He would think in the dead of night as floated up in the far corner of the ceiling. He was a quirk, another manifestation of Izuku with a desire for quirks and power…

At least that's what he was taught only to learn that it was wrong. That he was more than a quirk, he was more than his very own quirk. Their quirk. All for One. He was more than that. At least that's what the old man thought. The old man and his otherself. Even after regaining some, not all, but some of his early childhood memories his otherself didn't shun him.

"No, Cujo, your outburst was justified. You were scared you had every right to kick All for One in the gonads. Shoulda kicked him harder in my opinion…"

Or Even.

"You were a scared and angry child wondering why the world hated you. Does it truly justify you jumping on Hichan and punching him? No. It doesn't. But you know what? It also doesn't justify Hichan locking you away. He was just like you. Scared. Now you know that you can't act that way, right?"

It was so weird. But yes, Cujo did know that he couldn't act that way anymore.

Izuku groaned in his sleep before twisting in his bed. Then his eyes fluttered open. His eyes were glazed over with sleep as he just stared at Cujo. "What are you doing?" Izuku croaked and pushed himself up so he was sitting up.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep. You have finals tomorrow." Cujo answered earnestly while looking at Izuku.

"Mmm," Izuku grunted and laid back down without any more prompting. "Quit staring at me while I sleep….It's creepy."

Cujo gave a small bit of a smile at that before vanishing from the room entirely. He would respect his host's wishes for tonight. Besides he had something else on his mind anyways. Off in the void, he was and he started to walk.

Cujo walked and walked through the darkness of the void that was until he would inevitably reach his destination. He paused and looked at the giant vault. The vault that would mirror the one All for One shoved him in once-

"If you refuse to leave then you can stay in here!"

Cujo hated that vault. He hated the darkness that encroached on him. He still remembered pounding on that door and clawing at it until his and Izuku's fingers would bleed. He screamed and screamed but nobody would come for him. Not until he would leave.

Then, when he would inevitably leave and let Izuku take control again, Izuku would just sit there and patiently wait. No screaming fit to be had. Only soft hisses as he looked at his chipped and bleeding fingernails. All for One would return and like usual he would scoop Izuku up in his arms and kiss those bleeding and broken fingernails. Cujo remembered screaming about how unfair it was, about how much he hated his otherself and hoped he would die. This anger, of course, bled out the next time he came out with him attacking Toshichan unprovoked breaking Toshichan's nose with a punch.

The sick thing? All for One had no care for Toshichan. Only Izuku cared for Toshichan, which was why Cujo attacked him. Cujo wanted his otherself to feel the same pain he felt and seeing how Cujo couldn't do that he decided to go after the next best thing. Hitoshi. Cujo knew that he deserved to be locked away by Hitoshi for all he's done to him.

Cujo walked up to the vault and paused. He swallowed hard while looking at that big door. Then, he raised his fist, but he never got to knock. No, the door opened before he could get that far. There, Yoichi, his uncle, stared at him with such a harshness that it made Cujo freeze on spot.

"What are you doing here?" Yoichi demanded.

"I-" Cujo swallowed, sucked in a breath, and tried again. "I… would like to talk to you and the others…"

"Uh-huh." Yoichi narrowed his green eyes at Cujo. "I don't believe you."

"And that would be fair, however, I'm not asking."

"Why should I even entertain you?"

"Because I know what One for All fully entails. Something that you've kept secret from Izuku, your host. Something I have also been keeping secret from him."

Yoichi stared at Cujo with a leveled unwavering stare. "And what would that be-"

"Don't try and play dumb with me. I know what a quirk entails, fully. It's a stockpile quirk and you've got seven other quirks at your disposal." Cujo narrowed his eyes at Yoichi. "I know the other me is getting close to unlocking one. The question is, which one? Float? Blackwhip? Smokescreen-" Yoichi raised his hand silencing Cujo swiftly.

"Okay, you've made your point. Yes, Izuku is getting close to unlocking a quirk. But why is that so important that you feel the need to talk to us?"

"Negotiations."

"Come again?"

"Ne-go-tia-tions." Cujo spelled out each syllable for Yoichi. "Because once he unlocks a quirk, I also have the ability to use it and there's nothing you can do about it and I feel like that'll piss you off. I want to negotiate with you. All of you about this. About which quirk will best suit my host coming up."

"And if we say no?"

"Then I'll tell my host the cold truth about One for All. One that'll make him pass it on for sure. That One for All is going to kill him. The truth about Hikage's death. One for All takes a toll on the body and with Izuku having a quirk, me, it's going to kill him faster. In fact. If you don't do this, I won't just tell the other me. I'll tell Shouta, his adoptive father. He needs just one excuse to get rid of you and that's more than enough."

If possible, Yoichi paled. "You wouldn't dare."

"Maybe. But are you and the rest going to risk it? Have your grand plan of using my host to get back at All for One go up in smoke?"

"..." Yoichi's stare turned into a narrowed-eyed glare. "You remind me so much of him, it's not even funny… come in. It seems we have much to discuss."

The written exam was a piece of cake. At least to Izuku that was. He did see some of the others sweat and fidget at what was in front of them. Still, the written exams were done Friday morning and now they moved on to the practical exams.

"We're fighting robots. That's what that crazy 1-B said anyways. Easy-peasy." Denki had chatted animatedly while they all got changed in the locker room.

Izuku frowned and gave his head a shake. "It feels too easy."

'Besides, with what All Might had stated on Monday, he basically confirmed that they aren't planning on us fighting robots.' Izuku thought while he jumped into his suit.

You need upgrades to your suit.

'Oh hey, you're awake. You've slept in later than normal.' Izuku greeted Cujo. 'And I know. I should consider arm braces and leg braces alike. I'll probably hop by the support course after finals to discuss it with Powerloader. I've just been putting everything off lately…'

Not just braces. I would also suggest a different fabric. I'm sure this stuff is fine, but I know you're going to need a tougher fabric with how strong your attacks can be. You need something to withstand high wind speeds. You know- why don't you make a suit out of the same fabric that your scarf is made of? Cujo suggested while he touched the scarf that Izuku had hanging in his locker.

"Hm. A suit made out of fabric and steel alloy?" He grabbed the scarf and gently tugged it. Of course, it was a very strong fabric, the strongest Izuku has ever seen.

Think about it. Think about how fast the old man is with that scarf of his. It's perfect for high winds and hard blows.

"I will think about it, Cujo. Thank you for the advice- Ow!" Izuku didn't expect to be nailed in the back of the head by Bakugo's elbow. He rubbed at his head as he turned to glare at the blonde.

"If you're going to talk to that lame quirk of yours then do it in your head, nerd, not all of us want to hear a stupid one-sided conversation-"

"Sad because nobody likes you? Then again it's hard to like festering garbage such as yourself- Cujo!-"

Bakugo was in Izuku's face in a second. "What did you just fucking say?!" Izuku heard a snigger and turned to see Hitoshi trying to hide his laughter, but unfortunately, it was seen by Bakugo fairly quickly. "You got something you want to say, Mindfuck!"

"Just that I don't like you." Hitoshi quickly snapped back with a smirk on his face. "And by god. I hadn't gone deaf. Stop screaming like a two-year-old. You want to complain about Zuchan talking quietly to Cujo when you scream at every little infraction. Someone talks normally to you? You scream. Someone does something you don't like? You scream."

A growl left the back of Bakugo's throat and Izuku wasn't the only one in that room to roll his eyes. "I have something else I could scream about, Mindfuck. If that's what you prefer." Bakugo threatened lowly while stepping threateningly close to Hitoshi.

Izuku assumed the position and got between them. "Go get changed." He demanded while pointing Bakugo back towards his locker. "You're wasting time."

"You think you can boss me around, Deku-"

"Yes! Because I'm the class representative! Now go get changed and stop wasting time!"

"I don't see you telling you 'twin' the same-"

"He's changed!" Izuku gestured to Hitoshi. Who was indeed changed fully into his hero costume. "No stop wasting time! Yours and Mine!"

The locker room was silent after that with everyone else quickly getting changed and rushing off to join their class. However, Izuku waited until everyone left and he looked over at Bakugo. Who glared daggers at him. "Don't you ever throw that shit in Hitoshi's face again," Izuku growled. "Dad and I apologized and told you the truth because we felt you deserved to know as you were right the entire time. But you threatening to out him in front of the class was uncalled for. He knows what he did was wrong."

"If you ask me: He shouldn't be in the hero course. This is a place for heroes. Not people like him who erase memories because they're 'scared.'-"

"You shut your fucking mouth. You were not there. You don't know what he went through. I was. I do know what he's been through. Let me ask you, Kacchan: Do you believe I have a sentient quirk now? Or are you going to shove me again? Rally the others against me like you did the day I was kidnapped? Or what about you pushing me into the river? You burning me? Hurting me? Poping explosions in my face? Don't sit there and act high and mighty when you, my 'protector' that you once claimed to be, were nothing more than a bully with a superiority complex."

What Bakugo saw at that moment were Izuku's eyes a brilliant green aglow with fury. Then, without another word, Izuku turned his heel and stormed out of the locker room leaving Bakugo alone. Until the blonde would inevitably come to join him and the rest of the class that was.

They stood inside of the main building and waited as Mr. Aizawa, along with the rest of the teachers, all stood in front of them. This included Toshinori in his All Might form. Izuku's stomach did flips as he narrowed his eyes at his father.

Oh. Heh. Okay.

'Care to share?' Izuku inquired as it sounded like Cujo figured something out.

It's them.

'Hm?'

You were right. We're not fighting robots. We're fighting them.

Izuku licked the inside of his cheek before nodding. 'You're right. That's what All Might was alluding to.' Izuku was just upset that he hadn't picked up on it sooner. Then again, his dad (and All Might) did a good job at hiding it.

"Is that everyone, Class Representive?" Mr. Aizawa asked and Izuku quickly did ahead count. He then nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now, I'm sure some, or all, of your assumed you were to be fighting robots todays. Well, you're wrong. No, you will not be fighting robots for your finals. You'll be fighting us." Mr. Aizawa gestured to himself and the teachers. Some teachers smiled at them, others waved, while a couple did a cheek smile and wave all the same. They were enjoying this.

A few of class 1-A gasped at the idea, while others gave nervous laughs. "Oh, I'm gonna faiiilll." Izuku heard Kaminari whisper behind him.

"Now, the rules are simple. You are to either capture the teacher assigned to fight you, or you can try to escape the simulation through one of the Nedzu gates." Mr. Aizawa pointed up at a nearby screen and everyone looked at that. "If you can do that. You'll pass the exam. Now, We, the teachers are aware that this is an unfair fight. So, to help you guys we're going to be waring weights on our ankles and wrists to slow us down."

The teachers all made a show of actually putting on these weights in front of the children. Even Nedzu. When Izuku watched Nedzu do this he felt a little… worried for whoever had to go up against Nedzu because he knew it would be a battle of wits, not strength or quirks.

"We are also aware that it would be nearly impossible for one student to go up against just one of us, so, we've put most of you in teams of two, with a few exceptions. Please look at the screen to see your partner and just what teacher you'll be fighting against.

As Mr. Aizawa finished saying this the board appeared. It showed the teams with pictures of each student and beside that would be the picture of the hero they would be fighting.

"Uh- Da- Sir." Izuku rose his hand and turned to his father. "There appares to be a mistake. I have no partner." It wasn't completely lost on Izuku that he, of all people, would be going up against his father.

"That's right. Because you do have a partner Izuku. You have Cujo-"

"Fuck no!" Came Hitoshi's sudden yell. "I am not working with him!" Hitoshi aggressively pointed at Bakugo. "Wasn't battle trials enough!?"

"I'm not fucking working with him either!" Bakugo snarled and both boys seemed to have reverted back to five as they crossed their arms in defiance.

"You have to. Non-negotiable." Mr. Aizawa sternly told both boys. "If you don't. You fail."

"I would rather fail." Hitoshi hissed between tightly clenched teeth.

"That's up to you, Hitoshi. It's up to all of you in fact. But just know. If you fail, be it voluntary or not: you will not be allowed at the training camp. Is that what you want?"

Hitoshi went quiet as did Bakugo. Truthfully, as did all of them.

"That's what I thought. Now, I'm sure you also noticed, it's not just you and Bakugo. Yaoyorozu will also be a part of your team as I'm sure you've seen just who you three will be fighting. We felt to give you guys a fighting chance." Mr. Aizawa stated firmly and Izuku saw for himself just who Hitoshi, Bakugo, and Momo would be fighting.

All Might.

The three of them were fighting All Might. The number one hero.

Izuku truly felt for them and made a note to help them with some pointers when the teachers would leave.

"I believe that's everything?" Mr. Aizawa looked back at the teachers and they nodded. "Good, now there will be a fifteen-minute grace period between each team. You can all speculate the battles here on the TV. Each battle will also only be fifteen minutes long. You will be given handcuffs to capture your opponent. Failure to capture those you're up against or get through those gates in that time period is an auto-fail. Am I clear?"

Students mumbled, all looking unsure of themselves. Mr. Aizawa cleared his throat. "Am I clear!?" He stated louder and this snapped everyone to attention.

"Yes, Sensei!" They all yelled.

"Good. The first battle will be me and Izuku/Cujo. We'll be inside Ground Alpha. You have fifteen minutes to prepare. Don't waste it." The two locked eyes and Izuku could see his reflection inside of his father's own eyes. They stared at one another for a long moment before Izuku nodded.

"See you there, old man," Izuku smirked a little at the brief moment of confusion his dad displayed as he expected Cujo's tone, but Cujo never came.

Shouta smirked, turned, and, with the rest of the teachers, walked out. The pawns were set and now it was just time to play. Izuku grabbed Hitoshi's sleeve to stop his brother from stalking off. "His stomach." He whispered lowly so only Hitoshi could hear him. "If he has you. Aim for right here." He poked his brother where All Might's battle wound was.

Hitoshi nodded. "Understood."

"Toshichan. You want him to answer you?"

Hitoshi gave another nod, not even caring that Cujo was the one talking to him at the moment. "Then, listen to me very carefully. Here's what you need to do…"

Izuku stretched both his neck and legs out as he looked around Ground Alpha. Ground Alpha was a darkened enclosed gym. Almost like the downpour zone in the USJ. It was simulated to give the feeling of the night while rain drizzled down lightly.

'We're in his zone.' Izuku realized while looking around. It wasn't as big as Ground Beta because it was enclosed to maintain this nighttime feel. Izuku saw that this place was like a downtown area. Dark with not much going on say for a few shops and even a car or two parked by said shop.

Elaborate.

'Dad works is best in the cover of night time. This also limits our vision so we may not know where the exit is right away. They did this so in case we do slip out of his quirk we can't just run straight for the exit.' Izuku explained to Cujo.

I see…

'It gives him a better chance at stealth as well. The rain will hide his footsteps, but dad has always been light on his feet. So, we need to keep our ears sharp.' Izuku pulled on his hood out of nervousness.

Izuku felt Cujo stir a little beneath his skin. Izuku tightened his hand against Cujo's.

I want control.

"I know you do," Izuku whispered. "But for now let me stay in control. I need to think of a plan."

Cujo stirred again but a loud bell caused both of them to sharply look up in alarm. "May the first exam- Eraserhead Vs. Kind Bandit- Begin!" Came Nedzu's chipper voice through the whole enclosure.

It was time and the first thing Izuku did was run.

'First things first, Cujo! Find the exit." Izuku felt One for All crackle under his skin as green lightning started to lick at his flesh for a moment, but only for that one moment. It died as soon as it happened. 'Okay, yeah, faster now!' Izuku knew he just had to get out of his father's line of sight.

Get out of his line of sight and jump as high as you can. Get a birds-eye view! Cujo encouraged and Izuku nodded. A birds-eye-view will help him spy the exit-

Izuku spotted something out of the corner of his eye and only just managed to jump all the way to the right as his father's scarf shot out of the cover of darkness. Because of Izuku's quick thinking, he managed to just avoid the scarf. 'If he gets us, it's game over.'

So, Izuku sped up to a run. He couldn't see his father, but he knew by the fact that he couldn't use One for All that his father could see him. Izuku could feel his father's eyes on him in the darkness and he tried to pick up the speed before turning down an ally. Once down the alleyway, his quirk sprung to life for, again, just a moment before dying inexplicably.

Capture scarf on your left!

Izuku jumped back just as the familiar gray scarf reached out to him. It was coming from the alleyway-

'He's not on the roof!' It was a gamble when Izuku grabbed his own scarf from own his neck and shot out towards the powerlines. The scarf wrapped around the lines tightly and he went up into the air. Izuku saw red, literally, he saw his father's glowing red eyes peer out of the darkness for just a second before suddenly his father and him were both in the air. With his father using his own capture scarf to grab onto Izuku's leg. Izuku gasped as he was face to face with his father.

Izuku got ready to start punching or kicking or something get his father away from him but- 'I can't-' He realized as his dad was getting closer and closer to grab him. The way the world seemed to slow to a crawl. 'I can't attack dad!'

I can-

Izuku had no choice as Cujo briefly took control. The quirk swung his leg out with a sicking speed, nailing Shouta in the stomach so hard that it caused Shouta to go flying onto a nearby rooftop.

Now! Jump now while he's not looking!

Izuku wanted to scream, to ask his dad if he was okay, but instead, he gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his own scarf and he propelled himself upward, using One for All to create a small wind to help bring him nearly to the top of the enclosure.

There!-

Izuku could see it for only that quick moment. There, in the farthest right of this darkened city was the exit. Suddenly there was a pressure around his chest and the next thing Izuku knew all the air escaped his lungs as his father managed to wrap his capture scarf tightly around his chest. Suddenly, Izuku was thrown back, but not released. Then, he hit a rooftop at speeds that he'd rather not think about. Because his arms were bound the side of his head smacked into the cement and he saw little white dots dance around his vision.

"Did you really think it was going to be that easy, Izuku?" His father questioned as he jumped quickly onto the roof with Izuku. Izuku couldn't see his eyes, not behind his goggles.

Again, time seemed to slow as his father approached.

Other me, this isn't working.

Izuku started to stand, he felt his hood slip from his head. 'I noticed… ' He wanted to groan as he could taste a bit of blood. One of his lips busted from the impact. His father tightened the capture scarf and Izuku gasped out a little.

'We need another plan.'

I have one.

'Tell me…'

"Don't tell me you're giving up, Izuku. C'mon, I didn't train you to quit. Not this early in the game." His father lightly sneered and Izuku hung his head.

He then mumbled something.

"What did you say? I can't hear you when you mumble."

"I said: I realized why we haven't beaten you yet, Old man." What a sight to behold as Izuku and Cujo both merged into one. Their hair remained curly while white strands intermeshed with the green and when they looked up at Shouta he saw that their eyes were half and half. With Cujo's red on top and Izuku's green on the bottom.

Shouta couldn't help it. He smiled. "That's more like it."

With the capture scarf already tightened around them, it was easy for them to simply jerk their body to the left causing Shouta to jerk forward suddenly. This forward jerk caused him to get closer to them and with no effort, they kicked Shouta right in the chest. He went flying back from the power they put behind their kick. It was no little bunny kick. No, they put all of their power and strength into it. He nearly went off of the roof but just managed to correct himself.

Shouta had no time- absolutely none- when Cuzuko's fist slammed into his cheek. He thought Cujo was fast, no, when merged- there was no comparison. Shouta was weightless as he flew once more. He slammed through a window and hit the ground before rolling to a stop. He grunted for a moment before getting right back to his feet. He expected to hear the buzzer, that they had won, because clearly, when like this there was no way he could keep up with their speed.

Hell, just for merging he would let them have this win.

But no.

They were still on the roof. Waiting for him. They locked eyes and Cuzuko beckoned him with their index finger and a smirk on their face.

Oh.

This was no longer about the final. They, both Cujo and Izuku, wanted to capture him. They wanted that win.

He smiled again. "Okay." He breathed out. "Bring it on." Then he grabbed his scarf and used it to propel himself right back up to the roof. He activated his quirk, canceling out their speed. Then he lunged aiming to get them around the middle, but Cuzuko grabbed his arm and spun Shouta around. Shouta used his leg to try and kick out their legs, but Cuzuko, shockingly, used their elbow to get him right in the face.

Once Shouta had his eyes shut he felt his goggles snap off of his person before clattering to the ground. Shouta jerked his head forward and quickly thrusted his head forward, knocking his forehead into Cuzuko's face, causing the other to let go and grab on to his nose out of reflex. Shouta took that glorious moment to grab his capture weapon-

But suddenly a scarf, one that was forest green in color, was wrapped around his own chest.

Then, Shouta Aizawa got a taste of his own medicine (a taste which he would find to be bitter.) as Izuku tightened the scarf around Shouta's chest. Immediately his chest couldn't expand and he found the oxygen to be knocked cleanly out of his lungs. Shouta still wanted to reach for his scarf, but his arms were pinned to his sides with a force he didn't think was possible. He felt like a fish as he desperately tried to breathe by opening his closing his mouth. Then, Cuzuko kicked Shouta to the ground and cuffed him with ease.

"Kind Bandit has passed the exam!"

Shouta was still gasping for air despite the announcement that Izuku had won. He had to look over his shoulder at his soon to see just what was keeping him from releasing Shouta.

Cuzuko was still keeping a rock hard grip on the scarf, preventing Shouta from moving (or breathing) but he was now grabbing at his hair. His breathing looked erratic as he shook his head. Then, at that moment, red sparks crackled along his skin- no, not sparks, mist. Dark red mist swirled around him. Cuzuko grabbed onto himself dropping his capture scarf and allowing the man to breathe.

Shouta stood cautiously. "Izuku, Cu-" He stopped when he saw the red mist now starting to surround him.

"Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" both of them wailed while grabbing onto their hair.

Then. Shouta's quirk was gone. The pressure that was always behind his eyeballs relieved and for just a second he wanted to sigh in utter relief. Until he realized just where it went to. It wasn't hard either.

Cuzuko- no- Izuku, They unfused, was on his knees with his hands covering his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry." Izuku whimpered fastly as his shoulders shook. "It just happened we lost control. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He wailed into his hands.

"It's okay- remember, you can just give it back."

"..."

"Izuku…look at me." Shouta kneeled beside his son. "It's going to be okay. Just look at me…" He would be patting his son's back to help ease his son's anxiety. So, he'd have to use his words. "I'm not mad. Accidents happen."

Izuku slowly lowered his hands from his eyes. Izuku's eyes twitched and slowly he opened them to look at Shouta- then his, Izuku's, hair started to rise and move like it was weightless or underwater.

Shouta will never get Izuku's pained screams out of his head when Erasure was fully activated. Izuku was truly in complete pain as the wail echoed through the whole of Ground Alpha. Then came the blood. Blood started to slowly leak out of Izuku's eyes as his screams intensified.

"Shit! Shit! Medic bot! We need a Medic bot!" Shouta screamed while trying to break the cuffs around his wrists. "Izuku! Shut your eyes!" He yelled at his son to get Erasure to die down. But Izuku was too wound up, too scared, neither he nor Cujo were properly thinking as it was clear they were in too much pain.

The doors to the enclosure was thrown open by a blast of wind. Shouta felt a strong gust of wind blow his hair back almost violently as he hit the ground on his side. Then suddenly Izuku's wails quieted down into mewling whimpers. "Easy, Young Aizawa…" Shouta sat up to see Toshinori, still in All Might form, kneeling beside Izuku. A piece of cloth wrapped tightly around Izuku's eyes. Izuku's bleeding eyes. Blood dripped down Izuku's face in long thick streaks. Across his face and chin alike. It was a gory display that made Shouta feel sick. Izuku clung to All Might's arms.

"I'm sorry-" He heaved out a panic-stricken breath before inhaling loudly. "I'm so sorry!" He then started to rock himself back and forth. Erasure was off that's all Shouta cared about right now. He turned to All Might and stood back up.

"Break these. I'll get him to the infirmary. Put him under quirk suppressants until he calms. Then we'll see about him returning Erasure. Keep the finals going. Do not stop. And keep people away from him."

"Understood." It wasn't hard for All Might to crush the cuffs.

Shouta grabbed Izuku, who flinched when Shouta touched him. "Easy, it's just me." He whispered while helping Izuku to his feet. "Get on my back."

"I'm sorry-"

"It's okay. Just get on my back."

"Don't be mad at Cujo! Please!"

"I'm not. Izuku. I'm not mad." He turned and gently touched Izuku's cheek. "Quirk accidents happen. You and Cujo, while are getting better, aren't perfect. It's illogical to think you wouldn't have one to be honest. That's why I wanted to fight you both. Now please, calm down before you pass out." He turned back around and with a little help from All Might they got Izuku on his father's back. Izuku was shaking while also sniveling and openly weeping. "Toshinori… Thank you." Shouta gave the man a nod of respect before taking off.

What's weird? Despite Shouta no longer having Erasure. He realized he didn't feel quirkless.

He would later learn when reaching for the quirk suppressant pills on the top shelf that he wasn't.

Izuku didn't just take Erasure. He gave Shouta Object Attraction.