Chapter Text
“WHAT?!”
Midoriya grimaced at the volume, though felt sheepish when he realised just how outlandish his claim was. He dipped his head to hide his face (with little success).
Then he began to wring his hands together, and mumble quietly.
“I know it’s not uhh… within the bounds of anything you’d expect to happen and of course it seems like an ordinary Monday to you all but-”
Kirishima waved his hands placatingly, eyebrows furrowed in worry.
“Woah, woah Midoriya, it’s okay. We don’t really get what’s going on though.”
Izuku’s face lit up like a strawberry, from all the attention and the fact that he was mumbling. In his defence, Dad had gotten used to it so he stopped being aware of when he was and wasn’t doing so.
“Sorry guys… um I’ll tell you a little bit about why I’m acting really strange… sorry about that by the way… but I’d also like to wait for D-er- Aizawa-sensei before going into detail if that’s ok?”
All his classmates nodded their assent except for Bakugo who let out a little “Tch.”
The class shifted around to sit on some desks and chairs, while Izuku moved to lean nervously against his own desk. He had a view of all of his classmates from his position. He had cried so many tears lately, but he really couldn’t help the fact that his eyes welled up at the sight of friends once gone too soon. Koda caught his eye to send him a gentle smile, and signal a reminder to breathe. Izuku beamed in response. His friends were so nice to him! The class relaxed marginally at the smile. Whatever had happened, it looked like their friend was going to be okay.
While Izuku mentally prepared himself to talk to his class, he took a moment to reflect. He was nervous, but not for the same reasons he would have been two years ago. He had grown in confidence (and in height! But as Dad had tearfully noted during their very nice hug that morning, he was small again.) He wasn’t afraid of speaking up to his friends, even if it was a crowd that would have scared fifteen-year-old him. He still remembers the first media training class with Mt. Lady, after all. No, he was nervous for a completely different reason.
Or, more accurately, he was afraid.
He was afraid of hurting his friends, spreading fear. Of his friends hurting themselves. When he tried to put himself in their shoes, hearing about a friend who time travelled from a time where they were all dead, you could guarantee Izuku would work harder than he’d ever done in his life to help his friend. He knew his classmates would think similarly. They had all been key players in the war. Every single one of them. They had simply become that powerful for civilians they didn’t even know. That hurt them enough. He saw the constant tension in their bodies, and the darkened eyes they tried to hide. For some, he saw the hidden winces of phantom pains. For all, he saw the tears that wouldn’t come.
How far would they go for their friend?
How far would he go?
Considering he mangled his fingers over half a quirk, the answer is probably not something he’d want to know. He knows his friends are no pushovers either when it comes to helping others.
A lightbulb switched in his brain. His head whipped up, startling those closest to him.
There was one surefire way to not only prove that he was being 100% truthful, but that the situation would be under control, and they wouldn’t need to risk their health over training and worrying.
He speedily whipped his phone out to inform his Dad on what he was going to do, and put it away just as quickly.
“Deku? Is everything okay?” Oops, he was worrying his friends again. He smiled comfortingly at Uraraka.
“Everything’s fine! I just had an idea that I think will help. Do you all mind following me to the field where we did the quirk assessment on our first day?”
Yaoyorozu stepped forward hesitantly.
“We wouldn’t mind Midoriya, this seems important… but Aizawa-sensei will be here to start class soon. Or, help us figure out what’s going on according to what you said earlier at least. Shouldn’t we stay where he knows we are?”
Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
“Sorry! Should have led with the fact that I just told him where we’re going. And Principal Nezu knows the general situation as well so everything should be fine.” He informed the others as he walked out of the room and gestured for the others to follow.
They were walking down the hall as a class now, Izuku fronting them as he led them to the field. He turned his head to indicate he was listening to Ojiro, who seemed to remind Izuku how very not normal his situation was.
“...did you message sensei?”
“Yeah!”
“...is having his phone number a recent thing?”
“Mhmm! Got it this morning.”
“Ah.”
Izuku willfully ignored the rays of confusion his friends were radiating and slowed as they reached the ball throw pitch.
He turned to face Yaomomo.
“Yaoyorozu could you please make me a ball to throw with a tracker like the one Aizawa-sensei had?”
It was clear she was still confused but she did so regardless, and handed the ball to Midoriya. He took it, and weighed the ball contemplatively in his hands before facing his class once again. His eyes strayed around before focusing on Bakugo as he began to speak.
“I already said that I haven’t seen you all since you died, right?”
He received slow nods.
“Well, I’m really glad you’re all trusting me enough to follow me out here with no explanation.”
The class could feel themselves being drawn in. Something about Midoriya’s demeanour was not something they had seen on him before. It was a strange self-assuredness that he seemed to have completely lacked just the week before. There was a deep weight to his words. There was experience. There was power.
Deku tossed the ball absently in his hand.
“See, for you all, it’s been an ordinary weekend.”
His right arm began to glow red.
“But for me, I lived the next two years to come where this power-”
The sonic boom sounded before the gust of wind formed.
“- was cultivated.”
And he turned charged green eyes to his class.
In the silence that was left, clouds began to form.
Standing in front of his class, he breathed, serene. The young heroes were too shocked to react.
Then, slowly, with a trembling hand, Yaoyorozu held the measuring device up to her peers.
Some people literally dropped to the floor in disbelief at the figure.
With raw power from One for All, and a small amount of stored energy from Fa Jin, Izuku Midoriya had launched the ball outside of the earth’s atmosphere.
It was infinity. Something that had previously only been achieved by someone who could literally nullify the effect of gravity. He did it with gravity.
From the ground, Kaminari stuttered in disbelief. “I- i… infinity…”
Midoriya thinks he heard a wheeze from Tokoyami’s direction.
Uraraka gaped out an unbelieving “I didn’t touch it… Deku… what?”
His class slowly processed what he had just done, but there was one member whose world had seemingly just been flipped on its head.
Kacchan had gone as white as a sheet.
Izuku thought back to what his and Kacchan’s relationship was like at this point. He didn’t know about One for All. They hadn’t had the fight, nor faced the trigger for the fight that finally paved the way to the beginning of a healthier rivalry, and the start of a reborn friendship. Right now, to Kacchan, he was still the useless pebble in his path. Now that he was considering his position logically, he didn’t even know why Kacchan hadn’t tried to literally explode him out of the surprise hug he received only ten minutes prior. He took a moment to feel a little bit bad for Kacchan, before reaffirming to himself that he needed to show his class he was strong. The bad future wouldn’t happen anymore. Not while he was here.
When Izuku tuned back into his class, he realised they wouldn’t be up for questions at this moment. Instead, he gently led them all back to the classroom, grimacing upon realising how bad the class must look to anyone else who saw them.
By the time he guided his last friend back into the classroom, Asui thanking him with a small “Kero,” a dark figure entered his peripherals.
He smiled at his dad, eyes betraying his slight concern for his class.
Izuku felt a hand plop on his head and shift as his dad gently ruffled his curls. Then he received a gentle look.
“Was it a bit too much for your friends?”
Izuku moved into his Dad’s space.
“A bit.”
“Your throw could be heard from kilometres away. Made it rain too.”
Izuku turned his head to the window. Oh. Oops.
Shota hummed lightly.
“We’re not the only ones here anymore.”
The double meaning was not missed by Izuku.
“Right.”
Midoriya felt his dad pull him in for a quick, encompassing hug, which he affectionately returned, before pulling back simultaneously.
“Are you ready to talk to your friends, Izuku?”
“Yeah. Are you gonna be okay Dad?”
The still new address made Shota’s lips quirk involuntarily.
“I’ll be fine, kid. I have you with me.”
Shota would fight All For One by himself to preserve the smile Izuku aimed at him. He tapped his child’s back. Deku got the message.
“Let’s go in.”