Izuku's POV

Orion took his stunt in the burning buildings better than Izuku thought he would. The older man only lectured him for an hour for letting the exhausted vigilante go to bed. By the time he laid down the sun was just starting to rise.

Somewhat against his will Izuku took it easy for the next week. Specifically he avoided going out on patrols and focused on the coding Orion was trying to teach him.

Coding was a skill Alex had started to teach him but never finished. With his perchance of annoying heroes it would be an invaluable skill. So he studies and studied hard. Orion was the best hacker in CIRO even now he was unrivaled by those with tech quirks.

While Izuku was learning and practicing his coding he occasionally caught Orion working on something else. The code in it seemed to be of photographic images but beyond that he didnt understand.

Coding wasnt the only thing on his mind unfortunately. Orion had made the suggestion at bringing another into the fold. Specifically Bakugo Katsuki, his former best friend turned bully. If he still had the maturity that he did in the year leading up to the Fall Izuku wouldn't have such a hard time making the decision.

The point was, however that Bakugo had the maturity of a fourteen year old. Unlike Izuku and the others he didnt have the memories of the Fall. If he answered Izuku's code, and that was a big if, Izuku would have to prove that he was telling the truth.

Bakugo wasnt someone who would just take his word for it. Just like Alex he would need proof that what they were saying was true. Alex would be a little easier since he already knew Orion and what his quirk entailed. Izuku didnt have that same luxury with Bakugo.

The decision either way shouldn't be made unless he was absolutely sure. Bakugo could very well turn them in the moment he heard they were vigilantes. Or he could listen to their explanation and proceed to call them lunatics and liars.

So many risks and possibilities. Always a chance for something to go wrong. Out of everyone from the previous timeline Bakugo was the one he couldn't abandon. That was what made the decision for him. He would tell Bakugo but when was now the question. He could wait until Echo and Charlie finally arrived. Or he could push head long into it now.

As the days passed though he grew increasingly restless. It was definitely time to return to patrols. If he didnt he was sure he would find a way to annoy someone that wasnt his favorite hero or detective. Annoying them was too easy.

Even making plans to meet his old informant were being drawn out. Giran the old bastard set their meeting for the second saturday of next month. Unlike most of his other meeting he would not have the cover of night to help him. Giran set their meeting in the middle of the day. He would have to be cautious about where he chose to change into his vigilante gear. Otherwise he may just attract unwanted attention.

Orion grumbled about him returning to patrols but didnt try to stop him. Once he was geared up he took to the rooftops. Doing his usual runs and stretches ensured there was no lingering pains from the injuries.

Criminals had gotten bolder in his absence. There were more on his route than was usual. Izuku took them down with ruthless efficiency before sending a message to Tsukauchi. Getting back into the swing of things was easy. It wasnt like he was running for his life. Or killing monsters that should have existed in the first place.

Around two am he paused on a rooftop to catch his breath. So many criminals but no heroes. Given the area it wasnt unusual but he would have thought Eraser would be out. That man gave Izuku a run for his money at times.

Izuku pulled out his phone and scrolled through all of his four contacts. It was sad to think he only had four phone numbers in his phone. Life of a quirkless he guessed. No one wanted to be around someone like him.

His finger hesitated over Bakugo's name. He could call the other boy now while things quiet. Or just message him given that it was two in the morning. A message would probably go over better than a phone call. Again he hesitated before he typed out the code for time travel.

Izuku: Shadow Spire

There was a slight tugging on his clothes signaling he was about to have company. Jeanist wanted to play? Maybe he should run and allow the other to chase him.

Jeanist called out as he came up onto the rooftop, "Dont run. I'm not here to fight you."

Izuku leaned back on his heels as he questioned, "So you talked to them then? You work faster than I thought you would, Best Jeanist."

"Delta," began the hero before a contemplative look crossed his face and he continued, "I'll listen with an open mind. I'm pretty sure All Might and his friend only gave me the very basics of what that old villain did. According to All Might however the boogeyman died in their battle four years ago."

Before Izuku could reply his phone buzzed with a phone call. He felt the blood drain from his face as he saw the caller id. Bakugo got back to him a lot faster than he thought the other would.

So tell them together or separate? Did he trust Jeanist enoough to share his secrets right now? That was the current question. If they didnt believe him it would make for an interesting escape again.

A decision that was once again made for him. There was a recognizable sound of a bowstring being released. He barely was able to push the hero out of the way in time. Before Jeanist had recovered Izuku's eyes were searching the darkness.

Two figures dressed in similar attire to him dropped onto the rooftop. Izuku greeted with a small smile, "Echo, Charlie. It's good to see you both again."

Echo greeted in return his French accent coming out more than what he remembered, "Delta you are a pain in the ass to track. Why are you so difficult to track down?"

Izuku replied with a grin, "Well if I made it easy for you I would have to deal with more heroes. I have to wonder if you figured out my patrol or just followed the string of criminals, Jeanist?"

"A bit of both. Are you going to answer my questions?"

That got him sharp looks from his two brothers in arms. Discretely shot a message to Bakugo asking him to meet him near Castle.

Then to Jeanist, Izuku said coldly, "No. I'm not going to answer your questions tonight. You may have let me go for a time but I dont trust you enough to tell all of our secrets. Earn our trust and then we will talk. Until then know this. The boogeyman is still out there. No matter what All Might says."

The fibers of Izuku's clothes tightened again. Not a moment later another arrow was drawn by Echo aimed at Jeanist's knee.

Charlie growled, "I wouldnt if I were you, hero. While we may have been separated for awhile. We are still extremely protective of each other."

It took a moment but eventually the fibers released him. Another glance at Jeanist told him what he wanted to know. With a nod towards the hero he took off running again. No words needed to be exchanged between him and his team. Even being apart for several months they still remembered.

Once he was sure they wouldnt be followed Izuku redirected them towards Castle. Patrol was done for the night he needed to talk to Bakugo. Unsurprisingly his ex best friend was already there when they arrived. His head snapped up as the three of them dropped onto the streets.

Wary red eyes watched them. Izuku could see Bakugo sparking off his quirk in warning. From the way Echo and Charlie stiffened they noticed it too.

Izuku said reaching up to turn off his modulator, "Bakugo it's me. Sorry about the sudden appearance but these two are my friends. They just arrived."

"What is this, Deku? You send a code in the middle of night and when I answer you come dressed as a vigilante," snapped the angry pomeranian.

Glancing around them Izuku said, "Not here. There are too many ears on the streets. You can either come with us and get answers or not. Your choice."

"Prove you're Deku."

Izuku leaned back on his heels as he replied, "When you get into UA you want to intern with Best Jeanist. The reason for this is because you met him when you were five and he told you that he looked forward to seeing what kind of hero you became. You even got his autograph."

The anger seemed to drain out of Bakugo with his answer. It was one of the few times that the other had talked to Izuku without anger. Understandably the other had been so proud that he was told that he could be a hero. That the Number 8 hero at the time would watch for him.

"You are Deku then. I'll follow you but try anything funny and I'll fucking blast you into next week."

Ah there was the Bakugo he knew. Foul mouthed and tempered but practical when it was required. He was curious to find out what Izuku knew. To find out how far in the future Izuku had come from.

Leading Bakugo to Castle only took a few moments. They went in the back way not only to avoid unwanted attention but to give Orion a heads up. The back door had an alert that would signal Orion when it was used. They had agreed it would only be used if someone he wasnt 100% sure of was brought in.

Pushing open the door he allowed the three to enter before him. Then he called out loud enough echo Echo through the building, "Orion I'm back with company!"

That received twin looks of disbelief from his partners. Yeah yeah he knew. Trusting others wasnt part of the plan. All plans flew out the window however when he turned back into a fucking thirteen year old. He survived his fight with Muscular because Orion was there to patch him up. They would need to accept Orion as he had come to.

He led them up to the next level where Orion was typing away at the computer. Bakugo let out a low hiss at the sight of the sleeping bags and gear laying around. The sound made the older man turn around to face them.

He greeted with a tired smile, "Welcome Charlie and Echo. Delta here speaks quite highly of both of you."

Echo stated his eyes widening with surprise, "Stephen Bartowski codename Orion. Never thought I'd be seeing you again. Arent you supposed to be on the run from CIRO and the Ring?"

Orion flinched at the use of his real name but answered, "Just Ring but they have members everywhere," then to Bakugo he said, "You're not what I was expecting Ground Zero."

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Izuku sighed as he dropped his hood and pulled off his cowl, "Find anywhere you'd like to sit, Bakugo. This explanation will take awhile."