AN: Thanks for reading and leaving a review everyone!

As Izuku entered the room, he saw his old friend turned bully turned rival lying on the bed. Bandages covered his torso with both his right arm and leg wrapped in casts.

It was a sight he never thought he'd see.

"Deku." Bakugo's eyes narrowed as he hissed out his old nickname. "What the fuck do you think you're doing here?"

"I was visiting Shizu and noticed you were here," Izuku explained as he closed the door behind him. "I… thought it was time we talked."

"What is there to talk about?" Bakugo scoffed.

"A lot has happened between us Kacchan."

"Don't call me that," Bakugo growled.

"Fine." Izuku sighed and closed his eyes. "It doesn't feel right calling you that anymore, either."

"You're damned right." Izuku swore he saw something flash across his eyes.

An awkward silence filled the room as the two stared at each other. Izuku stared at the explosive blond who was refusing to back down. Despite his glare, however, Izuku couldn't help but notice how defeated Bakugo looked.

"When?"

"When what?" Bakugo asked back.

Izuku blinked in surprise, having not realized he had even spoken. "When… when did everything change?"

"The bridge," Bakugo replied, as if he immediately knew what Izuku was talking about. "When you reminded me of All Might."

Izuku winced. "H-how is that bad?"

"Because you were quirkless!" Bakugo snapped. "You were weak and pathetic, a loser in every sense of the word. You were supposed to join the other quirkless kids, just fading into background noise, being extras."

"But I didn't," Izuku retorted.

"No, you didn't." As Izuku watched, he saw a flash of an emotion he never thought he'd find in Bakugo's eyes: fear. "And then you disappeared for fifteen months."

"Mom found out how little Aldera cared about a quirkless kid like me," Izuku confirmed.

"You're not quirkless now," Katsuki pointed out.

"I'm not." Izuku sighed. "You know what a late bloomer is, don't you?"

"Of fucking course I do. After Aizawa came to Aldera last year, the principal nearly shit a brick when he found out."

"I wasn't hiding anything," Izuku said adamantly.

"Of course you weren't." Katsuki blinked first and broke his gaze with Izuku, covering it up by leaning back in his bed to get more comfortable. "You can't hide anything for shit."

"T-thanks," Izuku said, relieved that Bakugo bought the explanation so easily.

"Why are you really here?" Bakugo asked.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," Izuku replied softly.

"How do you think I'm doing?" Bakugo growled. "You disappeared for over a year and then you and Round Face destroyed the entrance exam. The one I spent ten months training for! And then you made everything look so effortless while I'm stuck dealing with that extra, Shizu–"

"Shizu's not an extra!" Izuku balled his fist. "She tries her hardest every day, wanting to make people's lives better. That's… that's what it means to be a hero."

"What happened at Montross, Deku?" Bakugo asked. "You've changed. It's almost like you're a different person."

Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat, lowering his hand and opening it. "I found friends, Bakugo. Real friends. And I met the most amazing girl. And you know what we did? We lifted each other up. We didn't need to tear everyone else down. With Ocha… I feel like I can do anything."

"Tch," Bakugo scoffed. "Spare me that weak bullshit."

"It's not bullshit," Izuku said. "You said it yourself. I'm not the weak Deku you knew, and it's because of the people around me."

It's because of the friends I made in 1-A, back then, and now.

"All Might didn't need friends to reach the top," Katsuki retorted.

Izuku stiffened, remembering Toshinori's words. "Do you think that made him happy?"

"What does it matter?" Katsuki scoffed. "He's the best hero Japan has ever seen. I didn't think I'd need to explain it to you of all people."

"You don't," Izuku agreed. "He's the best hero. But what did he give up to reach the top? We… never asked that question."

"Huh?"

"What do you think All Might gave up to reach his position?"

"Everything. And if that's what it takes to be Japan's number one, then I'll do it too!"

Izuku felt a flash of anger come over him.

I know what it's like to give up everything. He wanted to yell.

Instead, he took a deep breath and shook his head. "That's sad, isn't it? Not having any friends, any confidants?"

Katsuki's eyes went wide for a moment before his facade slammed back into place. "Who cares about a bunch of extras anyways?"

"I do," Izuku admitted.

"Tch, figures. You're just proving you don't have what it takes to be number one."

"You're wrong," Izuku said, fire burning in his eyes. "I'm stronger for having my friends– for having Ocha in my life."

"Spare me that power of friendship bullshit." Katsuki closed his eyes. "I guess I was worried for nothing. You're still the same Deku after all."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Izuku said with a faint smile. "And you're still the Bakugo I remembered."

"Of course I am. And I'm gonna prove it by becoming the number one hero, no matter how strong your late blooming quirk is."

"But who will you celebrate with?" Izuku asked, turning toward the door. "And who will visit you in the hospital when you get hurt?"

"Huh?" Bakugo's eyes snapped open, only to see Izuku's back.

"Nobody should be lonely, not even Japan's top hero," Izuku elaborated. "And I think All Might would agree."

"Deku what–" Bakugo started, but Izuku opened the door and left, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Ochako noticed the sad look on Izuku's face the instant he stepped through the door. Detaching herself from the wall, she closed the distance between them.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"He didn't want to listen," Izuku said.

"I'm sorry Izu," Ochako said softly as her hand found his.

"I guess… after earlier I was a little too hopeful," he said sheepishly.

"That's so you though." Ochako squeezed his hand for emphasis. "It's not your fault that he's so… him."

"You don't have to hold back on my account."

"No, but I will anyway."

"Thanks." Izuku gave his girlfriend a soft smile. "I just hope someone makes it through to him."

"He's still got time," Ochako assured her boyfriend. "You've done all you can, now we just have to trust others to finish the job."

"You're right," Izuku admitted. He glanced down at their enjoined hands and then back up to his girlfriend's face. "Can we go somewhere quiet? I think I'm done for today."

"Me too," Ochako agreed.

Tugging her boyfriend's hand, the two left the hospital, having done all they could for now.

"Thanks for visiting Kiri," Aika said weakly with a smile on her face.

"Anytime, Shizu," Eijiro replied, giving the girl a toothy smile.

Stepping out of the room, Kirishima stretched only to notice the nameplate on the next door.

"Bakugo's here too huh?" Eijro mused. "Guess that makes sense."

He had intended to just leave. But something gave him pause.

As he stood there slowly lowering his arms, he remembered Shizu's words and actions at the USJ.

"Even if she got hurt, Shizu still wants to reach out to that villain," Eijiro reminded himself. "I dunno if I'm that manly yet, but if she can do that, I can give a classmate a second chance, can't I?"

"Of course you can!" Eijiro said, balling his fist in front of him. "I dunno what his problem is, but there's only one way to find out."

Nodding to himself, he walked the short distance to the door and knocked on it. "Bakugo?"

"Who's there?" a voice called from inside.

"It's Kirishima."

The time seemed to stretch on as Eijrio waited. He was almost ready to give up when he finally heard his answer.

"Come in."

Slowly turning the handle, Eijiro stepped inside to see his classmate laying there, his arm and leg wrapped in a cast. He couldn't help but wince at the sight.

"I heard you got injured, but I didn't know it was this bad."

"This is nothing," Bakugo insisted. "I'll be back on my feet in a week."

Eijiro's eyes went wide. "You're gonna push yourself that fast?"

"Of course." Bakugo gave him what Eijiro assumed was a smirk, but it was crooked and weak. "I can't let an injury like this slow me down."

"Why?" Bakugo responded by glaring at him, but Eijiro was undeterred. "Why are you pushing yourself so hard? I get that UA is super competitive but–"

"But nothing!" Bakugo spat. "If I want to be the number one hero, I can't let something like this stop me!"

As if to demonstrate Bakugo tried to wave his cast around, but Eijiro noticed as he bit his lip in response to the pain.

"That ambition's great and all, but what good's it gonna do if you permanently injure yourself the first week of high school?"

"What do you know?"

Eijiro sighed as he gestured towards a chair. "Mind if I sit?"

Much to his surprise, after a short deliberation Katsuki nodded yes. Taking the opportunity he was given, he grabbed a chair and spun it around, sitting on it backwards. Leaning on the back, he continued.

"Look, I may not know a whole lot about battlefield injuries, but I've seen enough weight training injuries at the gym. People who insist on going further and pushing themselves past their body's limit. Sometimes it works, but all it takes is one mistake, and they're permanently injured."

"Weaklings," Katsuki scoffed. "I'm better than that."

"That's what they always said too."

Katsuki sat there glaring at Eijiro, but it was obvious there was no bite behind his gaze. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because you're my classmate," Eijiro pointed out. "Why wouldn't I care?"

"That's not how the world works." Bakugo frowned. "When we graduate, we'll all be competing for rankings."

"Some of us don't care about the rankings," Eijiro retorted.

"Tch." Bakugo looked out the window. "Why bother if you're not striving to be the best."

"In middle school, I froze up when some of my classmates were in trouble." Sitting upright, he slammed his fist into his open palm. "I don't want to do anything like that ever again. I want to learn to be a courageous hero and protect people from danger. And…" He recalled Aika's actions. "I want to become courageous enough to help those who need it, no matter who they are." He rose to his feet as he saw Katsuki turn his attention to him. "If that means I'm lower in the rankings as a result, then that's fine by me!"

"Hmph," Bakugo replied.

"I'm just sayin'." Eijiro sat back down. "What's the point of being number one if you throw everything away to get it?"

Bakugo's eyes went wide before they narrowed as he laser-focused on Eijiro. "Did Deku put you up to this?"

"Deku?" Eijiro blinked.

"Fuck– Midoriya."

"No! Why would he?"

"Nevermind." Bakugo sighed and turned away. "I must be a sap magnet," he mumbled to himself.

Eijiro looked at Bakugo, but it seemed like the other student wasn't interested in talking further. With a weary sigh, he stood up. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're okay. I'll see you when you get back to class."

"Hmph." Bakugo closed his eyes. Eijiro wondered if he'd even reply, only to be shocked when he spoke next. "Thank you."

Eijiro gasped before a wide grin appeared on his face. "Mind if I come back again?"

"Only if you leave the sentimental stuff at the door. I don't think I can take any more of that."

Eijiro laughed. "Sure thing."

As he opened the door to leave, he stopped when he heard Katsuki speak again.

"When classes start back up tomorrow, I've got a message for everyone. Tell them that they'd better not be slacking, 'cause even with this head start, I'm still gonna blow them out of the water."

Eijiro turned his head and saw Bakugo staring at him, a fire starting to return to his eyes. "I'll let them know." He then exited the room, closed the door, and leaned against it. "I guess he's not a lost cause after all." He turned his head to look down the hall where Aika's room was located. "Thanks, Shizu."

After finishing his second day of paperwork, Toshinori made his way to the Midoriya household for dinner. Now that his stomach was back, he had learned to appreciate food a lot more than he did before his battle. And while he may be biased, his girlfriend's cooking was some of the best he had ever tasted.

Gently opening the door to the apartment, Toshinori tried to sneak in…

…only to have Inko leaping at him.

"Good evening Toshi!" she called out as she flew through the air, her arms wide.

"Good evening Inko," Toshinori replied as he caught the woman, their arms wrapping around each other as she buried her head in his shoulder. "Did you have a good day?"

"Mhm," Inko said. "Work was quiet, and the kids were out, so I just let music fill the apartment."

"That sounds better than my day," Toshinori admitted. "I swear every day the pile of paperwork I need to do for the USJ attack gets even larger."

"Can't you have anyone else do it?"

"Normally yes, however the information surrounding this particular attack is very sensitive… and it involves young– your son and Uraraka."

"I knew that part," Inko admitted as she leaned up to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek before lowering herself to the floor. "Izu was telling Himi about it the night before but was being evasive." She let out a sad sigh.

"And with good reason," Toshinori said. "Did he tell you anything specific?"

"No." Inko shook her head. "Just that they were expecting to be attacked and that I shouldn't worry. That it was all an elaborate trap to capture the villains and fix things." She gave Toshinori a sad smile. "Of course things didn't play out that way, did they?"

"Of course not," Toshinori sighed. "And did he tell you about who we arrested from the incident?"

Inko shook her head. "Was he supposed to?"

"We never discussed it properly," Toshinori admitted sheepishly. "But I believe it's best that you know."

"Why?" Inko felt worry creeping up her spine.

"Let's go sit down first."

Worrying at her lip with her teeth, Inko nodded silently and led Toshinori to her living room, where they sat down on the couch. Once they had gotten comfortable, she turned toward the hero.

"Who did you arrest?"

"Thanks to your son, we arrested Tomura Shigaraki. However, that name is an alias. His real name… is Tenko Shimura."

Inko gasped. Her eyes went wide, filled with horror as she raised her hands to cover her mouth. "Shimura…"

"Yes, he is your nephew."

"And Izu knew this?"

"Of course." Toshinori had a sad look on his face.

"I thought that my brother's family was all…"

"Due to the nature of time travel, we were not sure if anyone from his family survived until two days ago," Toshinori admitted. "That is why we didn't tell you."

"Because it was someone else in Chako's timeline."

"Precisely." Toshinori nodded gravely. "However we were mistaken, and it turns out that the woman Ochako faced was another of Nana's grandchildren. And in this timeline, both have survived."

"My brother had two children… and they're villains…"

"I wish it were different." Toshinori looked broken and vulnerable as he spoke. "But in his attempt to hurt me, my greatest nemesis has unfortunately gotten your family involved in one way or another."

"That's…"

"Monstrous."

"What are you going to do?" Inko asked, her eyes begging Toshinori for positive news.

"Fortunately, other than this attack, neither of them have any major crimes against them. However-" Toshinori grimaced. "-young Tenko had been fed lies for fifteen years and taught to hate me. And Young Hana is still free and roaming Japan."

"You're going to try helping him, right?"

"Of course." Toshinori closed his eyes. "Those children wouldn't have it any other way."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Inko asked.

"You–" Toshinori blinked in surprise. "But you're just a civilian."

"Need I remind you that this 'civilian' opened her home to a little girl and gave her a family." Inko crossed her arms as she stared down Japan's number one hero. "And now she's enrolled in UA training to become a hero instead of a future villain," she finished proudly.

"You are right," Toshinori conceded as he bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"I know I can't do much," Inko continued, "but it sounds like Tenko might not listen to you. Not if he's been indoctrinated like you claim."

"And you think you can do better?"

"I don't know," Inko admitted. "But maybe he would be more receptive talking to his civilian aunt instead of a hero?"

"Perhaps." Toshinori smiled at his girlfriend. "You really are an amazing woman, Inko."

Smiling, Inko stood up and closed the gap between them before she sat herself in Toshinori's lap. "I try. Someone has to set a good example for Izu and Himi."

Toshinori sputtered at that, causing Inko to laugh. "You–"

"Think of it as revenge for leaving me out of this," Inko said as she leaned back into her boyfriend's chest, closing her eyes as she felt his arms wrap around her.

"I deserve it," Toshinori agreed. "I had hoped to end everything at the USJ, for their sake."

"Nothing is ever simple when they're involved," Inko chuckled softly.

"No, it isn't," Toshinori agreed.

With plenty of time before dinner, the two continued talking, shifting to lighter topics to brighten their mood for the evening. Tomorrow, Toshinori would face young Tenko, but for now, spending time with Inko made him feel like everything would turn out alright.