I should probably have mentioned that the genre of this story is crack treated seriously. Ah well, mentioning it now. I should also warn the folks who are here for prospective shipping that I'm not doing pairings in this fic, sorry! Well, besides Izuku's parents being married and that being somewhat relevant in future chapters. I like platonic family and friends and that's what I'm sticking with. :)

"Hello, Toshinori Yagi speaking."

"I am so glad you picked up."

"Young Midoriya! I saw the news! It's wonderful that you're safe, but what on earth happened?"

"I don't know. I think he noticed me coming. Dodged, shut off One for All with Aizawa-sensei's quirk, grabbed me before I could move. Then he invited me to tea and parlay."
"He what?"

"I'm as confused as you are."

"... And then what happened?"

"We talked about the government for several hours. He agreed to step down. I guess he arranged it while I was busy looking over the paperwork he shoved at me. Then when I called his bluff, he invited me to his press conference and… actually did it?"

"What the hell?"

"Exactly."

Izuku didn't quite remember how he'd escaped from the horde of press. It was a blur until he found himself on a rooftop about two miles away, where he sat down and tried to process everything.

He went over the events in his memory following the Announcement, attempting to put them in order. He'd robotically answered a few questions screamed in his face by the excited media, operating on some ingrained instinct from UA's rigorous interview training. He'd definitely activated One for All at some point and used a quirk-powered leap to escape the human barricade that surrounded the platform. From there it had been the usual feeling of the world rushing by as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, bouncing off of walls and letting the acceleration fill his mind to block out everything else.

Like the fact that… he was now the new dictator in charge of Japan?

No, no, that was definitely a trick. It had to be. If it wasn't, then… his mind threatened to slip back into the blankness that had filled it ever since All for One had disappeared into thin air. He dragged his mind back from the brink and forced himself to think. If it wasn't a trick - and there was no way it was the truth, no way in hell - but if it wasn't a trick, Izuku had to… do something. Do what?

He checked his phone. He'd left his laptop in the Tokyo Imperial Palace. He wondered if he'd get it back.

You have 43 missed calls. You have 136 new messages. You have 10 new emails.

Huh. That had to be a record.

He wasn't ready to deal with his friends, or mother, or Yagi. He checked his personal email account as he idly watched the message count climb.

Three spam emails. Five from former pro heroes who hadn't been heard from since All for One had chased everyone into hiding. He wondered why they'd decided to contact him now (don't think, don't think). One from Bakugou, titled 'I know you'll look here first asshole'. One from an unknown email address.

He tapped the unknown email.

From: Unknown

To: Izuku Midoriya

Re: Many Apologies

Dear Supreme Overlord Izuku,

I apologize for springing this on you so abruptly. However, I believe you made it sufficiently clear that you would not accept should I have made the offer directly. As you are the only person I feel is qualified for the task of setting things right, I have left Japan and my position to you.

As I am sure it would be overwhelming to so abruptly hold the responsibility for an entire nation, I have left some helpers at your disposal. You are free to do as you please with them - up to and including arresting them - but I would recommend that you refrain from doing so, at least for now. Aside from the points we've discussed, they know where everything is and can be trusted with small jobs such as fetching paperwork or administrating the lesser state departments. Shigaraki has taken a particular interest in agriculture. I think it would suit him, at least until you find a replacement to your liking.

You will find them in the National Diet Building, which you may visit at your leisure; they will keep the lights on until you are prepared to assume your new responsibilities. Do try hurry, though, I wouldn't leave them in charge of anything important for any longer than strictly necessary.

While it is understandable if you decline to take advice from yours truly, I have left a series of notes on the practical aspects of running a government on your laptop, which I have taken the liberty of sending back to your home. You are fully capable of taking what you wish and putting your own unique spin on it. I would not have put the country in your hands if I didn't have faith in your ability to rise to the challenge.

Congratulations, and my best wishes for your complete success in the days to come.

Yours,

All for One

Izuku was going to kill him. Izuku was going to find him and kill him. But first he had a few other things to deal with, like the fact that the villains were in charge of the government until Izuku himself relieved them of the responsibility.

After dropping a quick "I'm alive" in the Class 1-A group text (228 new messages now, he'd read them later) he called Yagi. Yagi didn't understand the situation any better than himself. Describing the email shed no new light on anything whatsoever. It was nice to have a partner in his confusion, if nothing else.

Izuku told Yagi that he was going to go deal with whoever All for One had left behind immediately. Yagi insisted on being there when Izuku confronted them. Izuku thought this was a terrible idea. Yagi pointed out that he'd been scared enough when Izuku went to confront All for One, dropped communications for several hours, then popped back up on the news standing behind All for One himself. Yagi was unwilling to spend any more time wondering if Izuku was alive. He'd prefer that Izuku bring more backup, but if Izuku was going tonight, he was coming along.

That was fair, Izuku decided. Or he was still too far into a state of shock to argue.

Izuku swung by his home to pick up his laptop and a nervous Yagi (who joined Inko in a tearful group-hug ambush the moment Izuku walked through the door), and headed for the National Diet Building. Yagi wore a hat with a brim that shaded his face in an attempt to hide his features from casual observers. Izuku changed back into his hero suit, put his green hoodie on over it, and decided that was sufficient as a disguise. As an afterthought, he shoved several quirk suppressants and tranquilizers into his pockets.

"You should check your texts, my boy," Yagi said after a few minutes of inconspicuously skulking through alleyways. Even if Izuku was now (supposedly) Supreme Overlord of Japan, it wouldn't do to attract attention, and while Izuku could certainly carry his mentor over the rooftops, walking would give him time to think anyway. As soon as his buzzing head and urge to murder All for One calmed down.

"I don't know what to tell them," Izuku said. "I'm not even sure what happened myself. I did tell them I'm alive."

"That's good," Yagi said. "Young Bakugou has been texting me nonstop since the announcement, except for the brief periods in which I believe he was texting you. He wants to set up a rendezvous for tomorrow."

"Ah." That was something Izuku could deal with. He checked the email from Bakugou, studiously ignoring a certain other email, and noticed that amidst various expletives and insults indicative of Bakugou's own shock, there was indeed a demand to gather the class the following afternoon at 3 pm for explanations. If Izuku was reading the invective right, there was also someone he needed to meet.

Izuku would have to deal with everyone eventually. Tomorrow was fine. Tomorrow, not today, was more than fine. He sent a quick response agreeing to that before slipping his phone back into his pocket.

They walked in silence for a few more blocks. They should probably hurry. Izuku didn't want to.

"I'm going to kill him when I find him."

"I don't blame you."

A few more blocks of silence.

"Do you think this is some sort of trap?"

"I don't know. To my knowledge, he's only ever tried to kill his problems directly. This isn't something he does."

"So why now?"

"I don't know, Young Midoriya. I don't know."

They should probably take a train if Izuku wasn't going to use One for All-enhanced parkour to reach their destination. They plodded past the train station. Neither of them looked at it.

"If this isn't a trick… want to be Secretary of State?"

"If this isn't a trick, I will assist you in any way I can."

That was good. Izuku wondered who else he could get to help him. He had people he trusted to help him, but few of those had the sort of experience it would take to run the government. Of course, Izuku himself didn't have that sort of experience either. If his afternoon of research was right, the government wasn't being run properly in the first place. Maybe no one was truly qualified.

This time Yagi was the one to break the silence.

"What did you two even talk about for that long?"

"Lots of things. Apparently the government's been illegal for 200 years and All for One wanted to shove the proof at me."

"What?" Izuku passed a handkerchief for Yagi to wipe the sprayed blood from his chin out of reflex.

"It was pretty convincing evidence."

"Illegal?"

"I can show you the paperwork later if I'm really… whatever this is. Not Supreme Overlord. That's a stupid title and I'm not a villain."

"Indeed."

"..."

"What are you planning to do, Young Midoriya?"

"I'd love to make this someone else's problem, but I don't think All for One would allow that. Things can't go back to the way they were. So I suppose… I'll be spending a lot of time figuring out how the government works and beating the system into something workable and constitutional. After that's done I'll hold elections and then pretend none of this ever happened."

"Not a bad plan."

"Executing it is going to be the hard part."

"True. I'm sure you'll rise to the challenge."

The familiar words gave Izuku shivers. How long had they been walking? He could see another train station down the street.

"Maybe we should take the train, Young Midoriya?"

"I suppose."

They were lucky. The train was mostly empty, and the few people aboard ignored them. They rode in silence. They disembarked at a train station a few blocks away from the National Diet Building.

"If they attack us on sight, I'm grabbing you, taking out Kurogiri if he's there, and booking it."

"Sounds like a plan."

The white building and its sprawling grounds loomed impressively.

This was such a bad idea.

No one stopped them at the gate. No one stopped them at the steps that led up to the entrance, or at the entrance itself. Kurogiri, however, was waiting when they entered. He bowed. Izuku wanted to punch him, but bowing wasn't an attack on anything but Izuku's sanity, so he let it pass.

"Supreme Overlord Midoriya," Kurogiri said calmly, "would you permit me to escort you to a meeting room to discuss how things will proceed from here?"

"Did you all know All for One was planning this?"

Yellow-smoke eyes narrowed. "He informed us of his plans to turn the country over to someone he deemed fit for the role. He strongly implied that the person he chose would be someone we were not on good terms with. That is the extent of our awareness."

"Fine." Izuku wasn't happy, but he didn't have any better ideas. "Lead on, I guess."

Kurogiri made no mention of the skeletal shadow at Izuku's back. Izuku chose not to raise that point either.

"I would offer to warp you to the room," Kurogiri said in an apologetic tone as he led them out the massive lobby and through a spacious hallway, "but I assume you would prefer not to entrust yourself to my Warp Gate."

"This is fine, thanks."

Their footsteps echoed in the otherwise-silent hallway, only muffled when they walked over thick carpets. The lighting was dim enough for Izuku to wonder whether the shadows hid the rumored bloodstains, or whether he was simply imagining things due to the atmosphere. It was some small comfort to find something more in-line with what he expected from criminal masterminds.

They heard the meeting room before they found it. Clearly not everyone's opinion was entirely in line with their ex-Overlord's. At least someone agreed that this was a terrible idea.

"- prove himself worthy."

"Shut up, Machia. If you pull the same thing on him that you did on me, the building won't be standing, and that would be a pain." Shigaraki, no surprise there.

"If he fails to prove himself, I will leave him be. I promised this to my Master. But he must show himself worthy if I am to follow him." That was definitely Gigantomachia. He had a rather distinctive voice. All for One reportedly used him as a bodyguard, not that evil incarnate ever seemed to need one. Izuku already felt a headache forming.

"Both of you shut up, he'll be here any minute and we want him to like us. If that's even possible." Was that Dabi?

Izuku turned to Yagi and held out his laptop bag. "Would you mind waiting outside and keeping this safe for me? It sounds like I may need to do some dispute resolution first."

"Certainly, Young Midoriya." Yagi looked a bit pale as he took the bag.

Izuku listened to Gigantomachia and Shigaraki's now-overlapping voices, marched past a fidgeting Kurogiri, and threw open the door. That had the blessed effect of silencing the room.

Izuku looked across faces of villains who had terrorized the nation, threatened so many people he loved, that All for One had left as his "helpers". It appeared most of All for One's hangers-on had already fled, leaving behind a small honor guard. Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Gigantomachia, and Dabi, from the looks of it. Izuku couldn't tell if he was more surprised that more hadn't stayed, or that these had stayed at all. He took a deep breath and let it out, along with the desire to activate One for All and obliterate this room from existence.

All for One spoke the language of threats. Maybe it would be an effective form of communication with his minions.

"I don't have to prove anything to you," Izuku stated in a deliberate, icy tone. "I woke up this morning with the full intention of fighting All for One. That happened, I failed, and instead of killing me he dumped Japan in my lap and told me to fix it. I plan to do that, but I will not waste my time proving myself to everyone who asks. It will take too much time that could be spent actually fixing things." He stepped further into the room, every eye following him. "I've had a very long day, and I would love nothing more than to arrest, or obliterate, every single one of you. So you have three options: try to kill me now, which would at least give me a punching bag for a frankly absurd amount of stress; tell me exactly why you're of more use to me walking free than pumped full of quirk suppressants and thrown in the nearest secure facility; or surrender peacefully and we'll jump straight to the part where I arrest you. I suppose you could try running, but you've had plenty of opportunity to do that already so it would be idiotic to wait till now, and chasing you would also be great stress relief."

Not that they needed to know that an arrest would be problematic due to the whole Constitution issue. Or… would it? Dictators were unconstitutional too, and as far as Izuku knew he'd just been installed as a dictator. A temporary one, of course - there was no way in hell that this would be permanent - but still. He'd figure that out later. For now he'd let them have a chance to convince Izuku that they were worth keeping around; he couldn't exactly let them loose on the innocent populace. If they were here, working for him, he could keep an eye on them.

Gigantomachia was the first to move, sinking into a chair that had to be specially-made to fit someone of his size. "For now, I will follow, Supreme Overlord. I will see you prove yourself through your actions."

"That easily?" Shigaraki hissed.

"He speaks with the voice of my Master."

"I don't hear it." Shigaraki sounded petulant.

Izuku cleared his throat and forced that thought to the back of his mind for later. The back of his mind was getting overpopulated. "First order of business, don't call me that."

"But you are the Supreme Overlord, as my Master, All for One, decreed."

"It's a stupid title. Call me Midoriya."

"All for One would not have used a stupid title, and it would be rude to treat you with less than your due respect. You are the Supreme Overlord."

Izuku counted to ten in his head, and decided this argument wasn't worth it. He'd argue the point later, likely after he figured out what he actually wanted to be called. "Whatever. Is this everyone?"

"It is." Kurogiri was the one to respond this time. "The others believed you would try to arrest or kill us immediately, and left."

"You didn't agree?"

"We were willing to stay despite that threat. We owe everything to All for One, and this was his wish."

"Alright then, I suppose that will make this quicker. I want your names - real names, not villain names - and why you think I need your help more than I need you locked up. Oh, and before I do that, I have someone to invite in. If you work for me, you will be working for him. Anyone with complaints about that can stuff it, and anyone with violent complaints about that can be launched into the stratosphere. Your choice."

Shigaraki was aware of his previous identity as Tenko Shimura. Kurogiri said that he'd once been Oboro Shirakumo, but he didn't have memories from when he went by that name (Izuku recalled All for One's threats from earlier that day and shivered at the implications of why Kurogiri was missing those memories). Gigantomachia claimed he didn't remember having any other name, but asked to be called Machia, which Izuku chose to consider when Gigantomachia dropped his insistence on calling Izuku 'Supreme Overlord'. Izuku only narrowly avoided gaping when Dabi introduced himself as Touya Todoroki. From the man's signature burns and the very public death of Endeavor a few months prior, Izuku had a sinking suspicion about how Dabi's loyalty had been purchased.

Izuku was surprised that they took Yagi's presence so well. Shigaraki and Gigantomachia glared a bit, but that was to be expected. He felt the frustration recede ever so slightly with his mentor's warm presence at his side. Yagi, too, asked the occasional clarifying question, which helped draw a rather strange picture of the last few years.

It seemed that All for One had spent those years training the lieutenants of the Paranormal Liberation Front - especially those most loyal to him - how to run governments. A good part of their absence from villainous activities was because many of them were busy studying, mostly online but with some choosing to attend classes at the universities themselves. What time wasn't spent studying was spent gaining hands-on experience as CEOs of companies or taking government jobs under pseudonyms, with All for One providing quirk-based disguises for those with particularly distinctive appearances. Yagi coughed blood several times learning that the League of Villains and associates had escaped his notice by trying legitimate careers on for size.

Everyone present had taken online courses for the past few years in political science and other fields of preference. After All for One's email, it was with dull surprise that Izuku learned Shigaraki had obtained a bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences, of all things. He claimed to have been inspired by a game, Starview something or other? Izuku could only hope he learned something actually useful beyond the game.

Kurogiri's Ph.D in Communication Theory was impressive in its own right; he'd already been studying in his free time raising Shigaraki. Dabi had chosen the ironic field of Criminal Justice and Rehabilitation. Gigantomachia had a focus in Telecommunications. The latter two were nearly finished with their bachelor's programs, they claimed; they'd only been studying since All for One broke out of prison, less than three years. Double majors were difficult.

While interesting, degrees were hardly enough to give Izuku reason to let them run around bothering people. More importantly, as All for One said, they knew where everything was.

"I have spent the past few months finding every vault and secure facility the previous government hid around the country, and can warp you to any of them for further investigation. I believe you will consider the contents of a few of them to be of interest," Kurogiri offered. "I also ensure that district and city governments receive some form of oversight and support, as I can visit at any time."

"I'm in charge of the filing system. No way you'll be getting through that mess without me." Dabi grinned. It was probably supposed to be a friendly smile. Izuku felt nauseated.

"Every big operation needs a gold farm," Shigaraki said. "I'm in charge of making sure the NPC gold farm keeps running."

"Stop scratching. Are you talking about taxes?"

Shigaraki stopped scratching. "Yeah, and other Department of Commerce stuff. What else would I be talking about?"

Izuku supposed that was important. Whose idea was it to put Shigaraki in charge of that? Oh right, All for One. That did explain a lot. He massaged his temples. "And what about you, Gigantomachia?"

"Communications and defense."

"I thought Kurogiri was in charge of communications?" Yagi calmly interjected.

Dabi jumped. Maybe he'd forgotten Yagi was there.

"I screened communications for All for One. Coordinated intel. Stopped heroes when they tried to disrupt things. For you, it will be villains that need to be stopped. I'm the best bodyguard."

"He really is," Shigaraki added.

Gigantomachia was an odd choice for an aide, until Izuku thought about it. Gigantomachia, from what Izuku could see, only spoke when he thought it was important, and kept things blunt and short when he did. Additionally, Izuku probably needed to know the composition of whatever intelligence network Gigantomachia ran, if nothing else. But the other point… "I can take care of myself."

"You need to sleep sometime," Gigantomachia argued.

"I'll think about it," Izuku said. He stood. "Well, I suppose those are reasons enough to let you… keep doing your jobs for the moment. I'll have more questions later, and I'll review your efforts once I find other people for government positions, hopefully in a few days. In the meantime, one finger out of line and you'll find yourself with a first-class ticket to the nearest prison or cemetery." Izuku stared hard at Shigaraki, who started scratching again. "That includes killing anyone whatsoever. Villain, hero, random person who attacked you, I don't care. If you absolutely must, knock them out until I can talk to them myself. If I hear about a single murder from any of you - and I have my ways - you're out, even if that means I have to run this entire government by myself. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Supreme Overlord."

"Of course, Supreme Overlord."

"You got it, Supreme Overlord."

"Yeah, yeah, Your Mightiness." Izuku nearly choked at Shigaraki's term of address.

"Don't call me that either," Izuku said tiredly. He glanced at Yagi, who looked almost as exhausted as Izuku felt. "Now, as much as I would love to go home and sleep for about 24 hours straight -" or lie down and not get up until this nightmare had safely ended without Izuku's involvement -"I have some reading to do. I need a cleared office and some peace and quiet. I'm sorry, Yagi-san, I don't think I'll be able to escort you home."

"I'm staying with you," Yagi said firmly. "I think you were going to show me some paperwork?"

"Fine," Izuku said. "Kurogiri, do you know where the paperwork is that All for One showed me today?"

"Indeed."

"Bring that to the office too. Well then?"

Dabi escorted Izuku and Yagi to the requested office while Kurogiri fetched documents. The chosen room was complete with two brightly polished and utterly empty wooden desks, two of the most comfortable office chairs Izuku had ever encountered, and stacks of paperwork. Izuku, after a few pointers, left Yagi to the paperwork while he investigated his apparently tampered-with laptop. He chose to ignore the small radio devices Kurogiri brought for himself and Yagi to communicate with the resident villains, as well as the fact that Izuku could hear Gigantomachia settle outside the room. He hoped it was for bodyguard duty and not to keep them trapped.

All for One had obligingly left a shortcut to the reading material on Izuku's desktop. When opened, Izuku was nearly left speechless with the sheer amount of information. How did this even fit on a laptop? His hard drive still had plenty of space left, he found when he checked it.

He settled further into his chair, feeling the odd urge to crack his knuckles. It was time to read.

Izuku woke to his shoulder being gently shaken and Yagi leaning over him. "Young Midoriya, I'm sorry to wake you, but it's nearly two o'clock. I believe you had a meeting at three?"

Izuku bolted upright from where his cheek had pressed against the keyboard of his laptop. He grimaced; he probably had a keyboard imprint on his face now. How long had he been sleeping? He last remembered checking the time at 11 am when Kurogiri had set a plate of food at his elbow… "I do. Thanks, Yagi-san."

"Of course, Young Midoriya." He patted Izuku's shoulder. "I've let your mother know that you are safe and here."

Izuku nodded. That was important, and he'd entirely forgotten in the chaos of everything. Sorry, Mom.

He'd been pointed to the nearest bathroom the previous night, and upon entering it now he found it stocked with unopened toiletries, all of the same brands Izuku used at home. Creepy. He freshened up, stared mournfully at the fading marks on his face, regretted his lack of coffee, and dashed out to where Yagi was waiting alongside Kurogiri, who had a thermos. Kurogiri held the thermos out to him. That was creepy too. Izuku eyed it for a moment, but he hadn't been poisoned yet from eating or drinking things served by villains, so it was probably fine. He took a large gulp. It tasted like the same type of coffee he drank at home. Izuku would stop thinking about that now.

"Thanks," Izuku said, because he could be polite even to villains. "I'll be back. Don't let anyone burn the place down."

"Of course, Supreme Overlord."

Izuku needed more coffee.

"I imagine that you would not wish for me to know the location of your associates," Kurogiri added, "but I would like to offer my services for transport to a location of your choosing. The nearest station, at least."

Izuku thought. Why not, they'd had plenty of opportunities to kill or kidnap him already. "Sure, drop me at the corner of A and B Avenue." It was within walking distance of the rendezvous point, and had a quiet little coffee shop where Izuku planned to inhale about a gallon of caffeine before he had to meet his friends.

One warp later, and Izuku was guzzling coffee and contemplating his existence while the barista cast furtive glances in his direction. This was alright. He could do this. It wasn't so bad being temporary dictator of Japan, right? Just a few weeks of sorting things out, and he'd be able to put all this behind him. It was a lot of work, sure, but he'd done some pretty incredible things already and could do this too. Plus Ultra and all that.

"Japan is going to go down in flames and it will be my fault," he said in a monotone.

"You've been doing excellently so far, my boy."

Izuku giggled hysterically, and gulped the rest of his coffee. Which of course meant that he needed another cup of it. He went to the counter and said as much to the barista, who put in the order.

"Sorry for asking, but are you… um… Supreme Overlord Midoriya?"

"No." He refused to be Supreme Overlord anything. He was barely fine with 'temporary dictator'.

"I'm sorry for the mistake, sir, you kind of look like him. Your coffee will be up shortly."

The next cup didn't make his life any clearer, but Izuku felt marginally more prepared to deal with it. Which was good, since they had 10 minutes until the meeting. "I suppose we should go now."

Walking into the warehouse Class 1-A had chosen as their meeting place was… chaotic.

"Hey man! Holy shit, I still can't believe that was you on the news last night. Whatever you said to All for One must have been manly as hell."

"Deku! Are you okay? You should've asked for backup! We're your friends, remember? I could've floated him off into space if you'd brought me along!"

"Midoriya, that was incredibly dangerous and I must protest the disregard you showed for people who care about you! You should have informed us of your plans to confront All for One so that we could form a proper team for the task. Failing that, you should have told us about your new appointment -"

"Mon ami, you were a star upon the stage of the country. Next time, you will not falter, for I shall teach you the art of shining so brightly that no amount of surprise can darken your splendor~"

"Midoriya. You were reckless, but you did well." At least Todoroki supported him.

"DEEEEKUUUUU!" Several explosions signaled the end of anyone else's ability to talk for several minutes.

At least Bakugou's verbal and physical explosion calmed everyone else down. The building was singed afterward, but the rest of Izuku's former classmates had lapsed into silence.

"I swear, Kacchan, I don't know what All for One was thinking. And I couldn't have taken any of you along, I know he can't take my quirk but I'm sure he can take all of yours."

"You think a fucking quirk is -"

"Yes, that's important! I didn't know he had Aizawa-sensei's quirk, but that doesn't change anything."

"Oh, speaking of that. Get over here, Dry Eyes."

"That's Aizawa-sensei to you, kid."

That voice… it couldn't be…

"Sensei?" Izuku said, in a very small voice.

Aizawa stepped from behind Satou's large form, familiar dead-eyed grin in place. He looked more rested than Izuku had ever seen him. "It's always you getting into these things, isn't it, Problem Child. And good to see you too, Yagi."

Something about that was the last straw from the previous day and a half. Izuku stared, stared some more, and started bawling. Dimly, he heard Yagi's exuberance over Aizawa's reappearance, and Bakugou yelling for Todoroki to "get the hell over there until he stops leaking". He felt multiple hands and arms hugging him, holding him up, guiding him to what was probably one of the old crates left lying around the warehouse and pushing gently until he sat.

Everything was overwhelming and terrible, but it would be okay. He had his friends. He had Yagi. Aizawa was here, and alive.

They'd figure this out, somehow.

It's going to be alright.