Chapter Twenty-Two:

At first Izuku hadn't understood why Toshinori was trying to rush him off to the hospital. He would be happy to keep hugging his mom forever. Then he realized his blood was seeping into Inko's shirt from a thousand cuts all over his body. The ache running throughout his body from the electric shocks caught up with him. Touching his cheek, he realized it was swollen and puffy. He also had a black eye. Izuku let Toshinori carry him over to the ambulance waiting outside the disaster zone. Meanwhile, police showed up with a metal box to take away All for One to Tartarus' medical bay.

Izuku didn't have a phone, so he begged the nurses for information as they examined him. It turned out that Izuku himself was the most injured civilian causality at Kamino, thanks to the evacuation. Nezu had refused to turn Tomura and Kurogiri over to the police, claiming them as U.A. informants. It looked like a legal battle would be ahead there. Due to his many regeneration quirks, All for One was going to survive his injuries. Izuku wished he'd thrown the frying pan a bit harder. In his defense, he'd been tired.

Izuku didn't dare ask what the media might be saying about him. He'd learned from bitter personal experience that it would probably be a shitshow. He decided to hold off until he felt recovered.

"I am here!" a voice boomed from the hallway. "To bring you Recovery Girl, your phone, and a change of clothing!"

Izuku could very badly use new clothing. His school uniform was a total loss after the battle at Kamino. Now he wore only a hospital gown. "Please, come in," he called.

While Recovery Girl gave Izuku a healing kiss, Toshinori said, "I brought your phone so you wouldn't be too bored here. Your mother gave me a spare key and told me where to find your clothing. The doctors are examining her, but I'm sure she'll be over to visit as soon as you're done."

"Is Mom hurt?" Izuku asked, starting to stand up.

"Lie back down," Recovery Girl scolded.

Toshinori said, "Mrs. Midoriya was unharmed by the flying debris, thanks to the protective efforts of your classmates. However, the doctor diagnosed her with mild dehydration from crying. Speaking of which, you should drink too." He produced a water bottle.

Izuku took a long sip. He hadn't realized just how thirsty he must have been until the cold water hit his tongue. "Ahhhhhh, thank you. Are my friends going to get in trouble?"

Toshinori said, "As far as the police know, your mother and classmates didn't arrive until after the fighting, and I'm certainly not going to tell them any differently. There will be no talk of vigilantism. But Nezu plans to have all three of them in remedial lessons. I think he'd put your mother in remedial lessons too if she wasn't too old."

Izuku stretched his arms, feeling much better after the healing. "Thank you," he said to Recovery Girl.

Recovery Girl patted him on the cheek. "Make sure you rest and drink lots of fluids. You're a good kid. I'm happy I lived long enough to see someone hit All for One with a frying pan. You should be proud of yourself. I'll see you back at U.A." She turned and left the room.

Gazing after her with a lump in his throat, Izuku asked, "Does that mean I did well enough against All for One that Nezu decided to let me stay at U.A.? Or does Recovery Girl not yet know about me getting expelled?"

"Expelled?" Toshinori recoiled. "My boy, why would you possibly think that you were getting expelled?"

Izuku twiddled his thumbs. "I spent the entire school year spying for a villain. Most schools would call that a lot worse than the usual juvenile delinquent offenses. I must be the most obvious case for expulsion in U.A. history."

Firmly, Toshinori said, "No one blames you. You were placed in impossible circumstances, but you rose to the occasion, saved many people, and even defeated All for One. You're the most successful student in U.A. history! Nezu and I were afraid that you might not even be interested in returning to U.A., since you only took the entrance exam because All for One threatened you. I came here to try to persuade you to stay. Nezu insisted that I bring U.A.'s promotional brochure about career opportunities. Of course, it's entirely your choice, my boy—"

"I want to stay," Izuku interrupted. "It's been my dream to attend U.A. since preschool. I've memorized the brochure. When I said I was a big fan of yours, I meant it. I know I've acted oddly toward you, because of the spy thing. But I always wanted to attend U.A. because it's your alma matter."

Toshinori smiled. Unlike his usual heroic grin, it was a soft and shy expression. "That makes me very happy." He pulled out a chair and sat down. "You can take a break before you return, as long as you need. I know you must be exhausted after your ordeal. All the teachers have expressed willingness to tutor you to help you catch up when you feel ready to go back to school, myself included."

Izuku looked down. "Thank you. I'm going to need a lot of help, since I lost my quirk." His lip wobbled. "As you already know."

"I'm very sorry, my boy," Toshinori said solemnly. "I fear that getting a quirk back from All for One would be most unlikely. He hoards quirks like a dragon. When he does give back a quirk, it could be booby-trapped. He's exploded previous employees for failing him. I would not recommend accepting anything from him—he'd only offer if it was a trap."

"I already figured." Izuku took a deep breath. "Fortunately, I have Aoyama's example to prove that quirkless people can become heroes."

"Oh, yes, there's certainly that option." Toshinori paused, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "I would never discourage you if you picked that path. But. It's not your only option. Quirkless people deserve a hero, but young Aoyama already has that covered. You could accept One for All."

Looking away, Izuku asked, "Are you offering this out of guilt or pity? It's not your fault that All for One kidnapped me and stole my quirk."

"Of course it's not pity!" Toshinori recoiled in shock. "I already offered to make you my successor before you lost your quirk, remember?"

Izuku said, "That was only because All for One manipulated you into thinking that I was an ideal hero."

Toshinori drew himself up to his full height, hair tufts bumping the ceiling slightly. "All for One certainly did not order you to convince me to redeem Tomura Shigaraki. You inspired me when I was at my lowest point. I believe that you exemplify the heroism that I seek."

Izuku blinked back tears. He was dehydrated. He shouldn't be crying even more. In a shaky voice, he said, "I thought for certain you'd change your mind after you found out that I was a spy."

Toshinori shook his head. "I'm sorry I gave you that impression, my boy. Clearly I should have clarified my intentions sooner. But I couldn't have given you my quirk while All for One was free. I needed all my power to fight him, and I didn't want to make you a target. All for One destroyed my teacher's family. I couldn't risk the same happening to anyone else, especially not a child, so I only sought out a successor after I believed him to be dead. It shook me to discover that All for One still lived. But I had every intention of offering you my quirk again after I'd settled everything with my old enemy. Frankly, I was afraid you would turn me down. I wasn't even sure if you wanted to become a hero or if All for One blackmailed you into it. I'm glad that you still want to attend U.A. and All for One didn't destroy your dream. As I said before, I'd like to mentor you whether you accept my quirk or not."

Now Izuku couldn't help the tears. He sniffled as drops fell onto his hands. "I want to accept, but I don't feel worthy. I've never felt worthy."

Warm arms settled around Izuku. Toshinori pulled him into a hug. "My boy, you are the single best successor for One for All in its entire history. You've already defeated All for One! That's the entire purpose of our legacy! You kicked his ass when you didn't even have a quirk. Besides, you're not even the first One for All holder who started out as a villain or a spy working for All for One."

Izuku looked up. "Seriously?"

Toshinori nodded. "The dawn of the age of quirks was a messy time. We have a more checkered history than you might think. The very first holder was All for One's younger brother, and the second and third holders rescued him from a bank vault, so it's practically a tradition at this point for us to steal our successors from All for One. I'll tell you more about your predecessors later, but I'm confident that they would all accept you. In fact, the past users would curse me if I didn't snatch you up right away. I'd never be able to face my teacher's grave if I failed to make the person who defeated All for One into my successor. To be clear, young Midoriya, I'm not saying that you have to take my quirk. Just that there's a very real chance the ghost of my teacher will murder me if you don't."

"Whelp, I can't have that after I tried so hard to save your life." Izuku laughed, wiping away his tears. "I would be honored to inherit One for All." He could barely believe he was speaking those words. It would be a dream come true, to inherit his idol's quirk. Izuku knew it would be a huge adjustment. He would have to start from scratch learning how to use a brand-new quirk. He still felt bitter about losing his years spent cultivating his naval laser, but he decided to focus on the positive side—he was about to obtain the ultimate piece of All Might merchandise.

Toshinori's grin returned. "The honor is all mine. I've already prepared a cover story with Nezu about your change in quirk. Officially you were spying on All for One on behalf of U.A. and he kidnapped you and swapped your quirk as a punishment. What with how One for All is going to break your body at first, it definitely looks like a booby-trapped quirk."

"Huh?" Izuku asked a little nervously.

With a chuckle, Toshinori yanked off one of his yellow hairs and held it out. "Eat this hair!"

Izuku gaped. "Huh?"

"I've been waiting so long to tell someone that," Toshinori said with a nostalgic smile on his face. "It's a rite of passage among One for All holders."

"So the hair is a joke?"

"No, you seriously have to eat it."

Izuku had to drink two bottles of water to get the taste of hairspray out of his mouth, but at least he was no longer dehydrated. He didn't feel any different so far. A part of him still could not believe that he would be getting One for All. It felt like a prank. But he knew Toshinori would never be so cruel. This was real. Kacchan would be so jealous. With this, there would be no doubt who had won their ongoing competition for best All Might merch collection. Izuku smiled.

A knock sounded on the door, then Inko threw it open without waiting for a reply. She ran in and hugged Izuku as tightly as if she never planned to let go.

Izuku had no problem with that. He had missed out on a lot of hugs from his mom over the last couple months. "I'm here. We're safe. It's okay." He patted her back.

Between sobs, Inko gulped out, "I have wonderful news!"

"So do I," Izuku said. "My news is the best news in the world."

Inko smiled through her tears. "I bet your news can't possibly be better than my news."

"I got All Might's quirk," Izuku said proudly. "It's a transferrable quirk, and he wants me to become his successor. Not just because I lost my quirk, but because he found me worthy. I'm so happy!"

"That's wonderful, baby. Your father is going to jail."

"You win! That's the best news ever!" Izuku burst into happy waterfall tears. "For how long?" He didn't dare hope that Hisashi would get a particularly heavy sentence for merely refusing to tell anyone that he had check-ins with All for One. An expensive lawyer would probably get him off by claiming he'd been threatened by a villain.

Inko said, "The American authorities investigated Hisashi for connections to All for One, and it turned out he's involved in embezzling from his company and smuggling illegal weapons abroad. He's looking at several decades in prison. I think the best part is that he got arrested in America so our neighbors may never even find out."

Izuku wiped his eyes. "Let people talk, I don't care as long as he rots in jail." After Izuku had given up on any justice, he would take anything he could get.

A nurse poked her head into the room. "Is something wrong?"

The two crying Midoriyas turned toward her. Izuku sniffled, "My father is going to jail."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be! We're celebrating!" Izuku and Inko burst into fresh tears of joy that flooded the hallway as the astonished nurse fled.

After Izuku had been moved to a new, less waterlogged hospital room, he bid his mother a tearful farewell. The hospital staff hustled them apart before they could cry hard enough to flood another room. The doctors wanted to run a few tests on Izuku because of his exposure to the poisonous gas. He doubted it was necessary but agreed to humor them. Inko promised to have dinner waiting for him after he got released from hospital.

While waiting for his test results, Izuku scrolled through his favorite All Might fansite. He studiously avoided googling his own name. He needed a little more time to brace himself for the damage. Toshinori probably would have told him if he was in any legal trouble. Nezu could be trusted to handle that.

Aoyama's voice drifted from the doorway. "Am I the first?"

Izuku looked up. "Come in!"

Aoyama stepped into the room dressed in casual clothing, or as casual as the wealthy boy ever got: a blue cardigan and silk pants. "I was cleared by the doctors to head home. I wanted to see you before I left the hospital. I'm sure the other two will come by as soon as they can. How are you feeling?"

"Good as new, thanks to Recovery Girl." Izuku flexed a bicep. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. Especially after, well, I betrayed everyone…"

"There is nothing to forgive, mon ami." Aoyama smiled. "All this time, you were trying your hardest to protect everyone at U.A. Someone could have died at U.S.J. or the Sports Festival or the training camp, if not for you."

Izuku flushed. "I did my best. Maybe someone else could have done better." When Aoyama opened his mouth to protest, Izuku spoke over him. "I have something important to tell you. I wanted you to hear it from me first, in case you got upset. All Might has a transferrable quirk that he offered to give to me after I lost my quirk to All for One. I've accepted."

"Bonnes Nouvelles." Aoyama tilted his head. "Why would this upset me? I'm happy for you."

Izuku swallowed. "I was afraid you might call me a sellout. I could have become a quirkless hero, like you."

"You don't have to take the same path as me, mon ami." Aoyama shrugged. "You love quirks. I've known that since nearly the moment I first met you. Of course you'd want one. I know that you'd long for a quirk even if we lived in a world where quirkless people were the majority. Someone so talented in quirk analysis as you deserves a quirk like an artist deserves a paintbrush."

Izuku blinked back tears. He'd been crying too much today and flooding too many rooms. "That means a lot, coming from you. I always thought that you were the person with the most right to judge me for taking a quirk from All for One back when I was a child. After all, you stayed strong and chased after your dream despite all the quirkless discrimination. I admire you for that."

Aoyama glanced behind his shoulder to check for other people, then closed the door. "May I tell you un secret? After All for One's arrest, my parents confessed to me that they nearly contacted him to purchase a quirk. They were most relieved they did not, naturellement. But when I was a young child who wanted to become a hero, I'm certain I would have made the same choice as you and accepted the quirk. Then perhaps I would have come to U.A. as the spy while you were the normal student. So you see, I'm the last person who has any right to judge you."

"Whoa." Izuku shook his head, shocked at the sudden shift in his world view. "I'm sure you would have done your best to save everyone too, and we would have still been friends."

"Who knows? I'm glad I was never in the position to find out what I might have done." Aoyama smiled slightly. "But no matter the universe, I would always be honored to be your friend, Izuku Midoriya."

Shouto arrived shortly after Aoyama left. He slipped into the room, whispering, "My father is being overprotective. He tried to follow me around the hospital waving bandages and parenting books like that makes up for years of not caring about my mental health. He tried to feed me nourishing soup." Shouto shuddered. "He can't cook, of course. It smelled like an old shoe. I pretended to take a sip, then pass out from food poisoning. I escaped while he panicked. We probably only have a few minutes before he finds me."

Izuku took a deep breath and blurted out, "Todoroki, I'm sorry."

"You should be! You had the Endeavor holiday party video for days if not weeks and you didn't show it to me?" Shouto sighed. "Since you shared the video with the world, I forgive you."

Izuku blinked. "I meant for lying to you."

Shouto said, "I already knew you were lying to me from nearly the moment we first talked. I mean, it was pretty obvious that my big brother isn't fit to be anyone's mentor. I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."

Izuku swallowed a lump in his throat. More tears threatened. "How can you be so nice and accepting?"

"I have Endeavor as a father and Dabi as a brother. My own mother poured boiling water over my face, but I forgave her." Shouto shrugged. "Did you really think I wouldn't forgive you for trying to save your mother's life?"

"Thank you." On an impulse, Izuku reached out his arms. Shouto accepted the hug. It was a little awkward, like Shouto didn't know quite where to put his arms, but nice. Izuku said, "This might sound strange coming from me, but don't let anyone walk all over you. There's such a thing as being too forgiving and accepting."

"That's why I have friends to look out for me." Shouto squeezed him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do anything to make it up to you? I was prepared to offer compensation for all the trouble I've caused." Izuku drew back with a smile.

"I largely enjoyed the trouble you caused, especially to my dad." Shouto hesitated. "There is one thing."

"You can have anything except my All Might merchandise."

"You call Bakugo by his nickname but me by my last name." Shouto pouted slightly. "I think we've become good enough friends to use first names."

Izuku felt a warmth under his chest. "You're the best friend I could ever have, Shouto."

"Thank you, I-Izuku." Shouto beamed.

Endeavor burst through the door. "Shouto! You need to get your stomach pumped!" He grabbed his son by the collar and dragged him off.

As Shouto vanished through the doorway, he said, "Hey Dad, I'm on first-name basis with my very first friend."

Endeavor groaned. "Oh, no, not the feral kid."

"The way you hate him is a bonus!" Shouto's voice faded into the distance.

Izuku barely had time to sit back down on his bed before Katsuki burst through the door. The explosive boy wore a hospital gown with bare feet. His eyes blazing, he growled, "I'm going to kill you!"

Backing away, Izuku said, "I thought we agreed that you'd try to express yourself in less murderous ways when you have a problem with me. You've got the right to be angry. I hurt you on All for One's orders."

"That's not why I'm upset! You did what you had to do to protect Aunt Inko." Katsuki blew up the chair next to the bed. Panting, he growled, "I'm angry because you never told me! I would have helped you! Why didn't you tell me? Is it because you didn't think I was good enough? You didn't trust me? I'm the only one who thinks of us as friends?"

Izuku shouted over him: "Because your acting ability stinks worse than a ten day dead mackerel, Kacchan. I saw you in our school play! Our drama teacher had to be carried out in a straitjacket! Half the audience was singed and ten people were unconscious!"

"Oh, shut up. Murder Explosion Kill King Hamlet was awesome."

"Afterward our drama teacher sued Aldera for quirkism, and the judge took one look at the video of you playing Hamlet and said there was no way you got the role on personal merit. Your acting was literally so bad that it shut down our middle school."

"Many great artists go unrecognized in their time." Katsuki kicked the bed. "Don't try to change the subject! You've been trying to push me away all school year. Even if you didn't tell me the truth, you could have asked me for help in smaller ways."

"Then you would have gotten in trouble with me! I didn't tell you because I had to protect you, okay?"

Katsuki grabbed the front of Izuku's shirt and dragged him so they were eye-to-eye. "That sucks! I let what you said at the Sports Festival go, because I knew you didn't mean it. I realized that a week later, anyway. But you actually did mean what you said just now, so that hurts even more. A friend is someone you rely on, not just someone you protect! You're treating me like trash!"

"Not everything is about you, Kacchan!" Izuku shouted back. "I have issues that make it very difficult for me to go to other people for help."

Katsuki screamed, "I figured that out! I'd kill you if you went to someone else for help before me but at least you decided to be the martyr and go down alone! That's fucked-up! You should let other people extend a hand to you sometimes!"

"Maybe I will go to you for help next time if you stop threatening to kill me over every little thing!"

"Then let's both fucking try to improve our massive mental health issues!"

"Fine, then!" Izuku hugged Katsuki, and Katsuki nearly lifted him off his feet with the force of his embrace. Izuku could no longer restrain his tears, a mingling of happiness and catharsis.

From the doorway, the nurse screamed, "Oh no you don't! Don't you dare flood another room! And what happened to that chair? That does it, I'm throwing you both out!" She dragged them away.

Katsuki got a reprieve from banishment long enough to change out of his hospital gown. That meant Izuku had to leave the hospital alone. When he saw the crowd of reporters, he winced. He tugged his hood over his hair, planning to make a run for the cab he'd ordered.

The reporters were rather rudely pressing close to look at the faces of everyone who exited. Izuku tried to dodge, but still caught the eye of a suited reporter. Thrusting a microphone in Izuku's face, the reporter screamed, "Do you have anything to say to your adoring fans? Just one word?"

Huh? That sounded surprisingly positive? Mind reeling, Izuku made a run for it.

The reporters chasing him shouted, "What do you credit for your astonishing success as a hero at such a young age? Did you have any mentors who inspired you?"

"How do you feel about becoming the symbol of a campaign to change the laws on quirk use?"

"Do you plan to prosecute the manufacturers creating bootlegged merchandise of you?"

"Any hints about your hero name?"

"Could you give us just one quote for all your fans?"

Izuku leapt into the cab. The reporters pressed their faces against the window and shouted as he drove away.

Safely in the back seat, Izuku finally googled his name.

The news was…entirely positive? People were praising him for beating All for One? Well, Izuku had beaten All for One, he just hadn't expected much credit for it given his past experience with the media. There was a poll about his future hero name with a million votes. He'd been voted into the top ten heroes?

Izuku felt a bit faint. He took another sip from his water battle. That didn't make the lightheadedness go away. When cab driver only asked for an autograph as payment, he signed on reflex.

At home, the smell of katsudon drifted in from the kitchen. Izuku smiled. "Mom, I'm home!" Whoa, it felt good to say that.

Inko rushed out, dusting her hands on her apron. She hugged him. "I hung up decorations to celebrate your father's coming trial—and you returning home, of course." She gestured at the streamers and balloons hanging overhead. "It turns out we have plenty of money even though my job replaced me while I was imprisoned. All Might's lawyers shook down the places making bootlegged merchandise of you until our bank account is full. There are so many zeroes in the checking account that I nearly fainted."

Izuku made a mental note to thank Toshinori later. "All the decorations look amazing, Mom."

"I even got a cake. You should have seen the look in the baker's face when I asked for the writing. He kept asking me if it was a joke."

Izuku followed his mother into the kitchen. The vanilla sheet cake had an angry-looking man in prison uniform printed on the front, with big blue words reading: Congratulations Your Father is in Jail!

Inko said, "I invited over the Bakugos after they get back from picking up their son at the hospital. They're the only other people who can really appreciate the reason that we're celebrating."

Izuku chuckled. "The cake will console Kacchan now it looks like we're not going to be able to fly to America to beat up my father."

"Hopefully he'll get beaten up in prison," Inko said optimistically. "Principal Nezu and All Might offered to help me get a divorce, but I plan to wait a bit just in case someone shanks my husband and I can collect the inheritance and life insurance. I heard they don't like pedophiles very much in American jails."

Dabi sat on the sofa, scrolling through job postings on his phone. Earlier that day, Endeavor had suggested that Dabi should get a job. Dabi found this very insulting because clearly it was his job to make his father suffer for the past. Then Endeavor had said that Dabi might work at his hero agency. This gave Dabi a warm feeling deep inside his chest that for once wasn't his own quirk trying to kill him. However, Dabi couldn't possibly accept so easily. He'd decided to apply for half a dozen different jobs so that he could have several offers before he graciously gave in after his father begged for him to join the family agency.

"I'm home!" Shouto called.

Dabi grunted.

Shouto sat down on the sofa next to him. "This is my sofa!" Dabi protested.

"This place has a great view of the front door. I'm here to watch the show," Shouto said. "Miruko is coming over for dinner, and Dad doesn't know yet. I want a front ticket when she arrives."

Dabi grinned. "Now that sounds like fun. Very well, since you tipped me off, you can stay."

"I'll protect you from Miruko." Shouto nudged Dabi.

With great dignity, Dabi said, "I could have taken Miruko if she hadn't hit me from behind." Even he didn't believe it, but he had a reputation as a big brother to maintain.

Shouto wasn't actually so bad, even though Dabi felt compelled to give his little brother a hard time on general principle. Hanging out with the Todoroki family had been unexpectedly fun. At the minimum, family dinners were a constant source of drama.

Dabi made a decision. He texted Izuku to delete his revenge video. Dabi couldn't possibly destroy his family now that he'd discovered it was much more fun to watch the disaster up close and personal.

Izuku had taken two weeks to rest, recover, and spend time with his mother. Then he'd broken his arm accidentally activating One for All, and realized he needed to go back to U.A. for help mastering this.

Returning to class wasn't as strange as Izuku had feared. All the other students surrounded him, asking questions and expressing sympathy for his ordeal. But when Izuku started to get tired, Shouto waved the rest of the class away and they immediately complied. The students fell to talking about the makeup training camp instead. Apparently the Wild Wild Pussycats would be involved and All Might had gotten special permission to hold the new camp on I-Island.

Izuku nearly choked when Aizawa and Kurogiri entered class together. Gesturing, Aizawa said, "This is my new assistant teacher. He'll answer to either Mr. Kurogiri or Mr. Shirakumo."

Kurogiri bowed. "Please look after me."

Aizawa looked happier than Izuku had ever seen him. The bags under his eyes were gone. Izuku felt glad.

Izuku still struggled to use One for All. In Aizawa's mysteriously mellow mood, he assigned Izuku strength training to help with his quirk activation. Yamada and Nemuri lurked around watching the lesson—or rather, it soon became evident that they were watching Kurogiri. Eventually Aizawa called them over and let them join in on the training too.

After class, Izuku approached the teacher's podium. "Mr. Kurogiri, how's Tomura doing?" They hadn't had a chance to talk since he'd been released from the hospital. His texts had bounced, making him suspect that Tomura's phone had been confiscated.

Kurogiri smiled. "He's adjusting well. We're both staying at Might Tower—which is a polite euphemism for house arrest. But I could bring him over here if you'll keep it a secret?"

"Yes, please," Izuku said. Kurogiri opened a portal and stepped through it.

While they waited, a small voice asked, "Are you done teaching?" Eri stood in the doorway. She wore a Miruko T-shirt, sneakers with Miruko's name and picture on the side, and a bunny-eared headband. A rabbit doll was tucked under her arm.

"All done." Aizawa held out his arms, and Eri leapt into a hug.

Looking over his shoulder, Eri waved at Izuku. "It's my hero!"

Turning around, Aizawa balanced Eri on his hip. "Midoriya, you're her second favorite hero after Miruko."

Cheerfully, Eri said, "I use the sound of Overhaul's defeat as a lullaby every night."

"We're still not sure how she got that video," Aizawa whispered. "I thought it would be too violent for her, but she loves it."

Earnestly, Eri said, "I wanted your merchandise, but my uncles said it was booty-leg-ed. That means it was stolen. So I waited until you got the money to ask for this." She held out her wrist, where a decal of Izuku's face mask and hoodie appeared on her watch.

"It's very cute," Izuku said. He patted her head. Now he no longer had to feel guilt or anxiety around her.

Eri whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Mr. Rabbit." He jolted, surprised. She grinned at him and winked.

Aizawa sighed. "Eri wants to attend U.A. someday. I can already tell she'll be a real problem child like her hero." His tone was fond. In a more serious voice, he said, "Midoriya, thank you for your part in bringing Oboro back home. I don't have the words to explain how much that means to me."

Izuku flushed. "I-I didn't do much."

"You beat All for One," Aizawa said dryly. "If that's not doing much, the rest of us might as well retire."

Izuku stammered so hard he had trouble speaking.

Aizawa said, "I'm offering you private tutoring whenever you'd like, as well as a temporary pause on all grading. You have a new quirk to get adjusted to, you should take me up on it."

"I will. Thank you." A bit of tension leaked out of Izuku's shoulders. The sound of air displacing behind him made him turn around.

Tomura stepped out of a portal with his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Player Two."

They found a bench where they could talk. Tomura said, "That was an OP move you pulled. I'd be a little miffed at you for tricking me and risking your life except it was too awesome to be mad. Sensei got rekt."

"Thanks. I'm glad to see you. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad to see you're not locked up."

Tomura said, "Because I rescued your ass, Nezu is passing me off as an informant. I got parole as long I'm under All Might's supervision. I'm not allowed to leave Might Tower without him. Uh, don't tell anyone I'm here."

Izuku said, "All Might is a teacher at U.A., I'm sure it's fine."

Tomura sighed. "Ugh, I gotta do community service and mandatory therapy too, but it could be worse."

"Are you okay staying with All Might?" Izuku asked cautiously.

Tomura scratched his neck. "Since I'm not listening to Sensei anymore, I realized that I don't have any reason to blame All Might for my past. It's weirdly unrealistic to hold All Might responsible for every tragedy in Japan just because he didn't stop all of them."

"That's very mature of you."

"Also, All Might got me a dog." Tomura whipped out his phone and showed a picture of an adorable brown corgi. "Just look at that cute little nose! I'm naming him Mon-chan Junior. Sensei never let me have a dog."

"That's all it took to make you switch sides? I wish I'd known that sooner," Izuku joked.

Tomura's face sobered. "I'm sorry. For a lot of stuff. I wish I'd switched sides sooner. I've apologized to your mom, too. I was one of the people keeping her prisoner. I want to make amends with her and I've been talking to my psychiatrist about how to do that."

Apologies made Izuku feel awkward. He was fine apologizing himself, but he never quite felt like he'd earned them in return. "You were there when it counted. Show me more dog pictures."

Willingly, Tomura flipped through several more pictures. "Isn't he the best dog ever? Also, check this out." Tomura pulled out his Eraserhead keychain. "The real Eraserhead autographed this for me. He said I can call him Uncle Shouta! For a moment I seriously worried I might have died and gone to heaven, but then I realized a villain probably wouldn't go to the good place."

"Former villain." Izuku nudged Tomura. "What do you plan to do with your life now?"

"I'm not sure. All Might arranged tutors for me. It turns out I'm missing schooling in a lot of subjects before I'll be ready to get a GED. Maybe I'd like to become a game designer or a social activist."

Izuku sighed. "You get to live with All Might. I'm a little jealous."

"I'm jealous of your mom's home cooking," Tomura said. "I miss it."

"Good!" Izuku straightened. "Mom wanted me to invite you over for dinner tonight. You can bring All Might too, in order to satisfy the conditions of your parole."

Tomura grinned. "I wouldn't miss that easter egg for all the loot boxes in the world."

When Izuku returned to the school building, he passed Tenya and Ochaco in the hallway. They were chatting together at the water fountain. He stopped, took a deep breath, and made his resolve. Approaching them, Izuku waved, "Hi!"

They both turned around. "Hello," Ochaco said, a curious look on her face.

Izuku said, "I want to apologize to both of you for what I said on the first day of school. I insulted you both just to push you away. You two clearly wanted to be friends, and I was afraid of getting close to anyone because of All for One's orders. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings."

Tenya said, "That's completely understandable, Midoriya. I don't feel that you were to blame for your unfortunate circumstances. If anything, I'm still in your debt for Hosu."

Ochaco added, "You already apologized to me."

Izuku shuffled his feet. "I know, but this time I wanted to explain myself. I've been trying to clear the air with everyone now the truth is out in the open."

Tenya and Ochaco exchanged glances. Then Ochaco asked, "Do you want to start over? We could still become friends."

Izuku smiled. "I'd be honored."

Izuku had disguised himself before going to the graveyard with sunglasses and an unseasonably heavy wool hat. After weeks, the media fervor around him still hadn't died down. Principal Nezu had suggested that Izuku was making it worse by being mysterious and he should give a few TV interviews. But Izuku knew he'd stammer his way through them. Surely if he just kept avoiding the press then eventually they'd become less obsessed with him.

The graveyard was mostly deserted. Izuku walked along the path until he reached the new gravestone for Tsubasa. Izuku had purchased it with his own merchandise money. Stooping down, Izuku left a bouquet of chrysanthemums. Clasping his hands together, he whispered, "Thank you for saving me."

Then he turned and left, heading to where his mother waited to pick him up in her new car.

Izuku set the table as his mother carried out a pot of steaming hot rice. Toshinori and Tomura were coming over for dinner, as had become a tradition. Kurogiri often joined them as well. The stir fry smelled wonderful, a peanutty scent drifting from the kitchen. Izuku could finally smell food without feeling nauseous. Since his mother had returned home, he'd been eating wonderfully on her amazing cooking. He'd regained four pounds already. All Might had assigned him a heavy calory diet for his muscle training.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get that," Izuku said, running to open the door.

Toshinori held a bottle of wine and a roll cake. "I brought drinks and dessert."

Izuku smiled. Even now, he still got a small fanboy thrill from seeing All Might in his house. He'd carefully hidden the merchandise upstairs in his room. "Come in. Where are Tomura and Kurogiri?"

Toshinori rolled his eyes. "Tomura couldn't be torn away from the game he was playing. Kurogiri promised to teleport him over so I wouldn't be late. I swear, Kurogiri spoils that boy." Despite his words, Toshinori's voice held a note of affection.

Izuku said, "If Tomura is late for dinner, then he'll answer to Mom."

"That will certainly teach him a lesson." Toshinori took off his shoes, then set down his wine and cake on the coffee table. In a more serious voice, he asked, "May I have a word with you alone, my boy?"

Izuku swallowed. "Is this about me breaking my arm the first time I activated One for All? I'm working on a way to fix that. I've got ten pages of notes about it."

Toshinori said, "I've been talking to Gran Torino about that as well. He's coming up to visit so he can train you." A brief flicker of fear passed across Toshinori's face. "I'm confident he can help you. And he's probably mellowed a little over the years."

"I'll take any help I can get."

"Don't worry, my boy. All the previous holders had an adjustment period, myself included. The quirk has been growing stronger over time. You'll need training to master it. That's not what this is about." Toshinori sat down on the sofa. "All for One wants to meet you in Tartarus. He promised to give information about his operations, but only to you."

Izuku stiffened. "Oh. I suppose everyone wants me to go?"

"The staff of Tartarus and the HPSC insisted that I pass along the message." Toshinori didn't look happy about it. "I agreed under the condition that they're not allowed to pester you after asking once."

"Do you think I should go?" Izuku asked in a small voice.

Toshinori said, "I think that All for One is a liar and he won't give you any useful information. He wants to play head games with you. The only reason to go would be if you want to see the old bastard rotting in prison. Don't feel compelled to do it as a sacrifice for the greater good."

"Okay." Izuku took a deep breath. "I don't want to."

Toshinori smiled. "I think that's the right choice. I'll make certain no one bothers you about this again." He stood up. "Now, let's help your mother carry out her delicious dinner."

It felt good for Izuku to turn down one of All for One's so-called invitations. Finally, for once and for all, he was no longer dancing along to All for One's tune. He could spend time with the people whose company he preferred. With a smile, Izuku followed Toshinori to dinner.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: The Gap Between Expectations and Reality

Media: Legend has it that Izuku Midoriya has never given a TV interview because his publicity team is worried that he'll lose his temper and destroy the studio.

Izuku: The more they build me up as a dangerous badass, the more likely I am to have a panic attack in the middle of an interview.

#

Omake: One for All Vestiges React

Nana: Toshi, of course I wouldn't haunt you to death if you don't make Izuku Midoriya into your successor—but I would haunt everyone who lowered his self-esteem to make him think he's unworthy.

Second: I'LL haunt Eighth if he doesn't bring us that kid. He hit All for One over the head with a frying pan! I already love him like my own son.

En: Tell Midoriya that he can have my quirk as a bonus if he becomes our successor.

Hikage: Maybe we should not tell him about my quirk, it's kinda awful.

Yoichi: I've only had our cute and adorable Ninth for a day and I'll already kill myself and everyone in this shadowy bank vault if anyone tries to take him away.

Banjo: Uh, but we don't have Ninth yet. He hasn't accepted Toshinori's offer.

Yoichi: Murder time!

Third: Put down the knife, the kid just accepted!

#

Omake: Tomura's Face-Heel Turn

Tomura: Even if I quit villainy, I still hate All Might. I refuse to live with the two-tufted idiot!

All Might: Would you like a dog?

Tomura: Boy, would I ever! Have I ever told you how handsome your hair tufts look, new dad?

#

Omake: Tomura Has Three Father Figures and Dabi Couldn't Get One to Pay Attention to Him

Tomura: Funny how we both switched sides at the same time.

Dabi: I haven't turned, Handjob. I'm thinking about it because my father wants me to become a hero so much. Heh! He's practically begging me.

Tomura: I know how you feel, it gets tiresome. I had three father figures fighting over me: Kurogiri, All for One, and All Might.

Dabi: …Consider our friendship ended.

#

Omake: The Only Good Reason to Go to Tartarus

All for One: I stole your naval laser quirk. I bet you want that back.

Izuku: I got a new quirk, and it has six additional quirks inside! Ooo, it just so happens to be the quirk you want the most in the entire world, too. Neener-neener.

Author's Note: Having Izuku visit All for One in Tartarus to brag would have been funny, but I decided it would be far more fitting to have Izuku refuse All for One. For this entire fic, All for One forced Izuku to dance for him like a trained monkey. Now Izuku can ignore All for One. It's the ultimate insult for a megalomaniac.

When I first started writing this fic, I considered having Aoyama get One for All for a proper role swap. But early on, I decided that All for One would steal Izuku's quirk at the climax. I thought Izuku deserved a replacement. Thus, I left One for All with All Might, so it could make its way back home to Izuku in the end.

From this point forward, Izuku will get to enjoy a much happier school life without the threat of All for One looming over him. Thank you to all my readers for watching over his journey until he reached his happy ending. A special thanks to everyone who left comments and kudos, you're the real fandom heroes.

Finally, check out my new TV tropes page for Walk a Mile in Another's Shoes. Delete the spaces to get the link:
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Fanfic/WalkAMileinAnothersShoes