Me: dang i have an idea for a halloween chapter but i can't use it until next year bc of spoilers, guess i'll just quickly write summoners into a mini-fic instead
Me:
Me: ...oh hey look another idea-

i was reminded of a comment i made last year ("...and sometimes on halloween the kids dress up as All Might but still go about their hero duties and it's hilarious because they all do bad impressions of him and everyone looks forward to it") and figured i'd base this chapter on it (:

anyyyway um. stay safe if you're gonna be out trick-or-treating or partying or whatever it is you're planning to do tonight!! stay hydrated and don't eat too many sweets!! but most importantly: have fun :D

Discord server, if you wanna cyberbully me about my atrocious typing skills: https://discord.gg/DSBF4dP

~

Izuku opened the doors to his wardrobe, an excited smile on his lips. He pushed aside the Eraserhead costume, the Nana Shimura outfit, and the Midnight clothes he'd worn because he'd lost a bet, snickering to himself at the memories that accompanied each one. His gaze lit up as it settled on the ludicrously bright suit dangling from a hanger: red, white, blue, and yellow practically glowed in the shadows.

October was a very entertaining month, both for the fledged heroes of Class A and the citizens of Japan. For a reason no-one could totally recall, but possibly stemmed from Izuku accidentally going out on patrol in an All Might onesie on Halloween years ago, he and his classmates started to dress up as All Might when the day arrived, filling the hours with hilariously bad impressions, blinding smiles, and hearty laughter as deep as they could manage. The tradition had spilled over into the rest of the month, and the heroes would go out dressed as their predecessors and tutors, paying loving homage to those who raised them and protected them.

He grabbed the outfit, smooth fabric slipping over his fingers. A few scuffs and immovable bloodstains still marked the colours from a few unfortunate situations. Izuku lowered it and stepped inside, tucking his feet away in his classic red shoes, struggling to pull the costume up for a few moments until it finally snapped into place around his throat. It pressed tight against his form, leaving nothing to the imagination, in true All Might fashion. He adjusted the yellow bracers that extended over his hands as gloves for supporting his bones, and padded across his bedroom to grab the headband and slide it over his green curls, giving him the classic bunny-ears-esque look of All Might's hairstyle.

Izuku stepped in front of the mirror, glancing himself up and down and unable to hold back the sudden burst of laughter at his reflection. He looked like a child again, dressing up as his idol.

Clearly, some things hadn't changed in two decades.

Izuku checked the time, plucked at the fabric of his suit one last time, then headed over to his balcony, opening the doors and letting a cool autumn breeze rush over him. He hopped up onto the railing, letting his Quirk sparkle over his body before he launched himself into the air.

A lifetime of adoration lent itself to him smoothly slipping into his mentor's style of movement, crossing the city in huge leaps and bounds, Silver Age cape billowing out behind him like a crimson river. He caught sight of his reflection as he flew past the glinting windows of a skyscraper, half-turning to face it with a grin and salute towards the occupants he could only see faintly within, pointing and cheering at him. It warmed his heart to know he could bring people joy with such a simple action.

There wasn't any reports of villains in his earpiece. He looked around nonetheless, scanning the skies for smoke and dust, straining to hear beyond the howl of wind in his ears. The whole city was swathed in seasonal colours, carved orange pumpkins sitting on walls and cotton cobwebs tangled around signposts. Even the weather was appropriately gloomy for such a spooky day.

He landed lightly on a rooftop and peered over the edge, down at the street. A few kids noticed him, pointing up excitedly, and he beamed back at them with a wave. Parents ushered them onwards, but one child stayed, staring up with big, awed eyes.

No matter how many years he'd been in the field, having people look at him with the same admiration he'd looked at All Might with was heartwarming.

Izuku gazed back at the kid for a few more moments, listening for any signs of a fight before grinning and dropping off the roof and onto the pavement. Since he had time, he may as well make some peoples' days. The mother smiled happily, gentle hand on her child's shoulder, seemingly barely hiding her own excitement as Izuku approached.

"Hey," he said warmly, then remembered he was supposed to be in character and puffed out his chest, doing his best All Might impression to repeat his greeting. "Hello, citizens!"

The child didn't say anything, but her eyes grew even wider, looking entirely starstruck.

Still, he couldn't blame her – it wasn't every day the current Number One Hero walks up to you and perfectly imitates a previous Number One Hero.

"Say hi to Deku, sweetie," the mother prompted with a slightly nervous laugh.

"H-hi!" She squeaked out, stepping back and clutching onto her mother's arm, shyly hiding behind it.

Izuku's smile turned fond, and he forwent the larger-than-life All Might persona, crouching down to be less intimidating, his cape pooling around him. "It's nice to meet you! Do you like Halloween?"

"Y-yeah!"

"That's great – me too! I always dressed up as my favourite heroes when I was little, so, um... I guess nothing's really changed, huh?" He giggled sheepishly, relieved to see the girl ease up a bit. "Are you going to dress up as a hero for Halloween? Or maybe someone from an anime? Or will you go for a classic spooky ghost?"

Her eyes apprehensively cast up to her mother, pleading. The woman softened and let out a laugh of her own, placing her palm on her child's head.

"Hazumi's going to dress up as you, actually," she explained, one corner of her lips quirking up mischievously. "She thinks you're just the coolest - don't you, sweetie? She wouldn't stop talking about how cool you are and how she wants to be just like you when she's big-"

"Mum!" The girl cut in, red-cheeked and embarrassed, tugging on the arm. "Don't tell him! That's mean!"

"It's really cool that you admire me! I'm honoured," Izuku gushed genuinely, grinning so wide his eyes squinted shut. "You wanna be a hero, then?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! You're so awesome and you're always smiling and you make me feel like I can do anything!"

Don't cry, Izuku, he told himself mentally, not wanting to alarm these poor people.

"That's..." His voice cracked and he dipped his head with a smile. "That's so sweet. Thank you. I'm really glad I inspire you."

"There is one thing Hazumi wanted to ask you, though," the mother added quietly, causing him to look up again questioningly.

Izuku nodded, turning his gaze back on the girl and making sure to keep his posture as non-threatening as possible so he didn't scare her. "Of course, go right ahead, Hazumi-chan!"

She shrank down, fiddling with her fingers and staring at her feet. "U-um... W-well, I... Can I still be a hero i-if..." Her voice faded to barely a whisper- "if I'm Quirkless?"

He didn't even blink, even as his heart squeezed with sympathy – being Quirkless was even rarer, now. "Hazumi-chan, you can definitely be a hero. You can be anything you want to be, when you put your mind to it. What sort of hero do you want to be?"

The girl perked up considerably. "I want to be big and strong, like you! But I also wanna fly like Uravity!"

"Well, you can get big and strong on your own power, but there's lots of useful support gear to choose from if you want to fly! You could get hover-boots, or a jetpack, or a glider... All sorts of cool things!" He beamed at her, delighted by her blatant excitement as she bounced in place, tugging at her mother's arm.

"Thank you, Deku," the mother said sincerely, sounding a little choked up.

"It's no problem, really," he assured, letting out a thoughtful hum before pulling a pen and notepad from a hidden pocket in his belt, scribbling down some numbers and handing the paper over. "Here, some companies to help you in future. Some support companies, some places that specialise in battle training, and a couple of guidance offices, if you ever need any help."

"Thank you!" She responded earnestly again, staring in awe at the paper before delicately tucking it away in her purse.

"In the meantime, dance and martial arts lessons are a good starting point," he explained, glancing back to the girl. "Then, when you're a bit older, you can be super good at fighting!"

Hazumi punched the air. "Yeah! I'm gonna be the best hero ever!" She faltered, flustered. "W-well, not as good as Deku..."

He let out a laugh, warm and joyous. "I think you're going to be amazing, Hazumi-chan."

"Um, if it's not too much trouble, Deku... would you mind if I took a picture of the two of you?" The mother asked hesitantly, taking out her phone.

"No trouble at all!" He said, standing up.

Hazumi raised her arms towards him, looking hopeful. He glanced to the mother for permission before stooping down and picking up the girl, letting her sit on his arm as they both smiled at the camera. They changed poses and expressions every few seconds, pulling silly faces and baring their teeth like warriors, then dissolving into giggles.

"Alright, Hazumi, we need to get you to school," the mother told her reluctantly.

"No!" Hazumi clutched tighter to Izuku, her arms circling around her neck. "I don't wanna!"

Izuku gently patted her back, considering something as the mother spluttered out frantic apologies, stepping closer and trying to pull her child back, to no avail. Every time she tried, Hazumi just pressed herself closer, whimpering and whining, pressing her face into his neck.

The mother backed up, troubled and embarrassed. "I'm so sorry about this, Deku. She's normally so well-behaved."

"I probably would've done the same if I had met All Might-san when I was a kid," he admitted with a laugh. "But, I have an idea... It may not be flight, but I can jump really high."

She seemed to understand, nodding and lightly ghosting her fingers over her daughter's back. "Sweetie, if Deku jumps you really high, will you go to school after that?"

Hazumi was silent for a moment, then nodded into his neck, pulling back and looking awed at the prospect. Izuku smiled warmly at her, offering a wave to the mother as she started to record. He turned around, making sure the girl was completely secure in his arms, then activated his Quirk and hopped onto a low roof. She let out a nervous squeak at the sudden movement, but then cheered, urging him to leap higher, to which he obliged. Izuku carefully jumped onto a higher roof, barely pausing before bending his knees and launching himself even further skyward, then landing lightly on his toes on the highest building in the local vicinity.

Wind tousled their hair, chilly and autumnal, bringing scents of rain and hot food. Hazumi peeked out from his arms, eyes going huge as she stared out at the city sprawling below. Izuku cautiously walked them a little closer to the edge, scanning the streets until he spotted the mother, far beneath them, down the road. He jostled the child into one arm, using the other to point her out.

"Look, there's your mum!"

"She's so teeny!" Hazumi exclaimed, waving both her arms and giggling elatedly.

They stayed there in silence for a few more moments. The girl was twisting and peering at everything she could see, opening her mouth and chomping down on air, both of them laughing. She squeaked in surprise as a fleck of rain landed on her cheek, turning her gaze skyward to gaze at the smooth grey clouds, wonder dancing across her features. Hazumi stuck out her tongue to catch the droplets, and Izuku did the same, only to wrinkle his nose with a displeased noise as water splashed on his nose instead. She looked at him and giggled as he swiped his sleeve across his freckled face.

"So, what do you think of the sky, Hazumi-chan?" He asked softly.

"I want to live here!" She cheered, tiny hands splaying towards the heavens, eyes squeezed shut in a wide grin.

A fat raindrop splashed on her cheek and she recoiled, trying to hide in his arms. He chuckled, using his spare arm to shelter her head.

"Yeah, it's probably about time we got you back to your mum. Hold tight, Hazumi-chan!"

She squealed as he dropped down onto a lower roof, but the initial startle faded into unbridled delight, laughter spilling from her lips and getting carried away in the wind as he launched himself along, cool rain splattering over his face. He landed lightly, sprinting across the rooftop and leaping over a gap, getting a whoop of excitement. Izuku dropped onto the lowest building, jogging a few paces to burn momentum, then carefully hopping back down into the street and hurrying back to the mother. Hazumi was a little wobbly on her feet, her hair windswept and her face glowing with elation.

"What do you say, sweetie?" The mother said with a joyful smile.

"Thank you, Deku!" Hazumi yelled, throwing herself forward and hugging his legs before drawing away.

He grinned, grabbing his notepad again and carefully writing out 'You can be a hero, Hazumi-chan!' followed by his bold signature, then handed it over to her. She clutched it like it was the most precious thing in the world. The mother put away her phone and opened an umbrella, ushering her daughter closer to keep her sheltered.

"Take care, okay?" He said softly, smiling at both of them, then pausing as his earpiece buzzed, a crime report crackling through. "Ah, I've gotta go. It was nice meeting both of you. Good luck with your goals, Hazumi-chan!"

*

He dropped from the dreary sky and landed in an effortless crouch on the tarmac, his red cape fluttering down around him before he straightened up and turned to the closest police officer. "What's the situation?"

"Bank robbery turned hostage situation," they informed him grimly. "There's ten of them. They're all in fancy dress so we've yet to get positive identification on them."

Explosions sounded overhead, but Izuku didn't even flinch, accustomed to the familiar pitch and frequency. He merely moved aside a few steps to give his friend a good landing spot. Kacchan let his blasts phase out as he drew close to the ground, easily dropping the last few feet and bending his knees to soften the impact. Even he had dressed up as All Might, not willing to be outdone by anyone else and having a costume as brilliant as his rival's, although with the addition of his gauntlets and arm supports to avoid hurting himself.

The hero turned and raised an eyebrow before scoffing at his rival. "The cape? Really, Deku?"

"It's helpful, Kacchan! I made sure it was reinforced and had all sorts of proofings, so I can shield civilians!" Izuku grabbed a fistful of the silky fabric, stretching it out across his torso. "Give it a go!"

Kacchan glared for a moment before huffing and raising a hand to make a small explosion, ensuring he obviously rolled his eyes so everyone knew he was unwilling. "Wow, yeah, great. Any plans about the hostage situation, huh?"

Izuku immediately straightened up, letting his cape swish back into place as his gaze hardened. "Knowing their Quirks or weapons would be helpful." He turned to address the officer. "Is there any way we can hack into the security feed and see what's happening?"

The officer looked thoughtful then nodded, speaking into a radio as he hurried off in another direction towards a black van where most of the other police squad were gathered. Izuku turned his gaze to the perimeter, where the civilians had been cordoned off behind barriers, guarded by a few officers to ensure no-one passed the boundary and endangered themselves. A few people looked hysterical, some clutching onto one another and crying, others begging to be let through.

Kacchan elbowed him, nodding towards the crowd. "Go reassure them, Deku. I'll get more details about the situation."

"Alright, Ground Zero-chan," he responded softly, giving a private, thankful smile to his friend before they parted ways.

Izuku easily slipped into his heroic persona, pulling himself up just a little taller and keeping his head held high with a steady gaze, each step firm and confident. People calmed a little at his approach, and a fresh wave of hope flooded through the crowd. They automatically grew silent as he slowed to a stop in the middle, carrying enough authority to quiet whole swathes of people without a word. His grin was unwavering and his anxieties were pushed deep down.

"It's going to be okay," he assured, powerful voice effortlessly carrying over the gathered eyes. "Why? Because I am here!"

His proclamation successfully lightened the tense atmosphere, even gaining a few giggles. Admiring gazes followed his every move, bright and trusting in a way that made his heart swell. They held so much faith in a twenty-two-year-old, and part of him still wondered if he could live up to their expectations.

"You don't need to worry," Izuku added, a little softer, back to being Deku. "Ground Zero-chan and I are both here to handle the situation, with the support of our hard-working police force. We'll have this resolved as soon as possible, I promise!" He bowed, blinking warmly at the crowd. "Thank you for your patience."

He turned and padded back towards his friend, palm patting lightly on Kacchan's back as he passed. Kacchan turned to glare at the offending hand, nose scrunched in a sneer. Izuku's lips curved in a smug grin, going to make a sly quip before his eyes landed on an approaching figure, also dressed as All Might. His face lit up.

"Soundwave-san!" He said excitedly, always happy to see a friend.

"Heard there was a hostage situation," Kyouka responded, twirling the earphone wire around her finger, then she plugged it into the ground and closed her eyes to listen. "I can make out forty heartbeats."

"So, that means there's thirty hostages. Locations?" Izuku reached over to snag the building's blueprints from the back of the van, holding it up to his friend.

She grabbed a highlighter, glancing over the layout and making circles to represent the hostages. "All in the middle."

"To stop us from bursting through a wall and immediately getting to them..." Kacchan muttered, frowning over at the building. "Have the villains got a movement pattern?"

She plugged in her other earphone jack, silent for another thirty seconds. The negotiator was growing more agitated as he tried to bargain with those inside, casting a worried look at the heroes. Izuku refused to let his anxieties show. If the worst came to the worst, he'd amp up his Quirk to maximum and speed inside to get the hostages to safety, even if it would end up with him being injured.

"It's really hard to hear things," Kyouka said finally. "Everything is sort of... muffled, like there's water, but it doesn't sound quite the same."

There was a suppressed cheer of triumph. An officer sitting inside the van motioned towards them, turning the laptop so they could see the screen. It was a live feed through the security cameras, giving them precious insight into the bank's interior. The hostages were in the main atrium along with all the villains, likely unable to move anywhere else when the bank went into lockdown. What was most peculiar was the thick layer of black covering the ground, glinting under the low lights when the villains did their best to wade through it, clearly with a lot of effort. Every civilian was sitting in the middle, huddled together and shivering where they sat in the inky substance.

"Oil," Kyouka whispered in realisation.

"Search the database for people with oil-related Quirks," Izuku ordered immediately, squinting at the screen to discern some more details, then pointing out the one villain who moved with ease. "That one. She's the one with the Quirk. Likely has a volume limit, and it's probably not much more than what we can see here. Don't let her get into a smaller space, because she could fill it up."

"Got it, Deku," the officer confirmed, already getting to work along with the others.

"No explosions," Kacchan grumbled bitterly, reaching around to the back of his belt and pulling out a small cube that unfurled into a sort of whip, running his gauntleted hands over it.

"Good thinking, Kacchan," Izuku agreed. "We can't risk igniting the oil."

Kyouka's earphone jack abruptly withdrew from the ground, curling over her shoulder as she turned to look behind her, purple lips curving into a smile. Izuku followed her gaze, resisting the urge to shield his eyes at the sudden bright sparkling. Yuuga posed flamboyantly for a moment before strutting forwards, hips swaying and and perfectly styled blonde hair bouncing with every step. He, too, was dressed as All Might, except his entire costume was studded with rhinestones and sprinkled with sequins and glitter, so he glinted and glowed resplendently.

"I look magnifique, non?" He crooned, obligingly waving towards the crowds at a few elated calls of his name.

"You look great, Sparkler-san," Izuku confirmed hastily, shooting a glare at Kacchan who seemed ready throw insults.

Kyouka stared in disgust. "Yeah, very, um... bright."

"Merci," Yuuga sang.

She suddenly raised a hand for silence, gaze flitting sideways in the direction of the building. "They're arguing. There's... three approaching the door."

Oil oozed out as the front doors were shoved open. Just as she said, three of the villains were padding out with their hands raised. There was an uneasy pause before someone barked an order and a small group of officers dashed over and cuffed the surrendering villains, then guided them away from the scene. Yuuga was brought up to date on the situation whilst the others observed the bank with sharp eyes.

"I think seeing four All Mights was too much for them," Kyouka snickered behind her palm.

"We should strike now, then, to take advantage of their unbalance," Izuku suggested, scanning over his friends and mentally running through possibilities.

"What's the plan, mon ami?" Yuuga asked, a little less playful, a little more stern.

*

The villains were distracted by the negotiator as the heroes got into position.

"Ready?" Izuku asked softly into his earpiece, gaining affirmatives – his cape was securely tucked up into his belt. "Alright, go."

There was a crash as Yuuga blasted a precise hole through one wall. Izuku and Kacchan twisted into view of the doorway whilst the villains were distracted with the other two heroes. The hostages caught sight of them and brightened up, but rapidly huddled down when motioned to do so. Izuku raised his hand towards them and flicked his fingers with a small amount of his Quirk, tearing a pathway straight from the entrance to the people. Black oil sprayed up on either side, providing enough cover for him to dash in, grab several hostages, and speed back out, then repeat the process.

After five rapid loops, the oil had settled back into place, and the villains had split their focus between the four heroes. There were still some hostages remaining, and both Izuku and Kacchan rapidly moved through the oil to stand protectively in front of them. Yuuga flung a small bath-bomb-esque object from his waist, and it exploded when it slammed into a villain's chest, splurging glittery slime out and swiftly cooling to trap the villain in place. Kyouka smacked away a small projectile with her earphone jack, plugging the other one into her stereo system and blasting her heartbeat loud enough to dislodge the top layer of oil and distract the other villains. Kacchan snapped out his whip, wrapping it around a villain and tugging them closer to knock them out and carelessly fling them towards the entrance. Izuku was swift in snatching the defeated villains and ferry them to the front door to be taken away, and even quicker to return to his position.

Four villains and ten hostages remained.

"Come quietly, please," Izuku ordered firmly. "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

Two of the villains glanced at one another before laughing scornfully. Izuku raised his hand to flick again, sending out a sharp gust of air that scoured through the oil towards them. It abruptly vanished when it came into contact with a villain wearing an All Might mask. Yuuga flung another glitter-bomb, but the villain whipped around, mask wrenched up to expose their open mouth. A gale tore from their lips, flinging the bomb back, narrowly missing the hero and instead dropping into the oil and expanding into a glimmering pink platform that both he and Kyouka hopped onto.

Did it just absorb and reflect wind power, or all powers? Was it strengthened on the rebound, or did it remain the same? What was the absorption limit?

"If you surrender, I'll give you some sweets, since it's Halloween," Izuku offered with a smile, spreading his palms peaceably towards them.

Sharp spikes rammed up from beneath the oil in a beeline towards him. He lowered himself just enough to angle his flick in such a way that it would shear off the pointed peaks, leaving small rock platforms in a sea of black. Izuku huffed, tearing off his cape and twisting around in the same motion to carefully drape it around the remaining civilians, offering his winning grin to reassure them before spinning back to face the villains, expression stern.

"Alright, plan B, then."

Kacchan compressed his whip back into a small cube, launching it across the room. Kyouka caught it smoothly, snapping it out towards the villains with a beat of her heart to capture the villain's attention. Yuuga flung a pastel blue bath-bomb into the air, and she flicked her weapon towards it, swiftly slicing the bomb in two and causing blinding sparkles and foam to explode everywhere.

Whilst the villains were preoccupied, Izuku grabbed onto Kacchan and leapt upwards. He unlatched one of his gauntlets, removing the canister of his sweat and pouring it in a shaky circle around the villains. The sweet scent of caramel permeated the air, causing the several of the villains to spin around in startled realisation, just in time to see the pair drop back into the oil. Kacchan crouched, palms sparking tauntingly, and with a grin he ignited the nitroglycerin.

It exploded spectacularly in a ring, bright and loud, but not powerful enough to cause serious injury. A few lit flickers landed on the oil, creating a halo of fire that encircled the nervous villains. Their eyes glimmered in the firelight as they backed into the centre, snarling at one another.

Kacchan elbowed Izuku. He shook his head and abruptly turned around, hopping back over to the civilians who were peeking above the cape in awe. The fire wasn't spreading at a rapid rate, and Izuku knew it would put pressure on the oil villain to retract her Quirk, so he wasn't concerned – but it was still wise to evacuate the final hostages in the time they'd bought.

Izuku grabbed the last few people and sprinted outside, waiting for a few moments until he could see the police officers rushing over to collect the hostages, then turned back and returned to the inside of the bank, reattaching his cape as he did so. The fire had dissipated, presumably absorbed by the same villain as before. They turned towards Izuku and Kacchan – the biggest threats – and exhaled a violent breath of roiling flames. Both dodged easily, jumping to opposite sides.

Over the scorching fire, they locked gazes. Kacchan's lips curved into a dangerous smile, and Izuku nodded.

He took out the other canister of nitroglycerin, flinging it out in a spray across the oil and setting it alight with an explosion, hiding him from views. Izuku dashed around to the other side to meet up with his other friends, forcing the villains to be trapped between scalding temperatures and determined heroes. The fire was spreading a lot quicker, helped along by the occasional tactical explosion from Kacchan, creating bursts of heat that had the villains flinching away.

Camaraderie crumbled before their eyes as three villains turned to glare at the other one. She puffed up, fists clenched and whole body tense, clearly hoping for another way out of the situation that would let them leave on top. Izuku let One for All dance over his skin as a precaution, ready for any situation.

After a few more stressful seconds, she deflated, and, with a noise like ocean water withdrawing, the oil retracted back inside her, forcing the fire to extinguish. Not a single stain remained in the bank, and only the stepping-stones, a platform of solid foam, and a hole in the wall gave away the fact that there had been an attack.

Slowly, the villains raised their hands in surrender. Izuku was first to step forwards, retrieving some Quirk-suppressing cuffs from his belt and clicking them onto her wrists. He caught her eye and gave her a grateful smile, pressing a wrapped sweet in her palms, much to her confusion.

"Thank you for surrendering," he said earnestly.

She blinked at him with wide eyes, then let her head drop, fingers curling around the gift. Izuku watched as his friends secured the other three villains, giving each of them a sweet and praising them for not escalating the situation into something fatal. He glanced at his fellow heroes, checking that none of them were badly hurt. Kyouka lightly flicked his cheek with her earphone jack and tossed the cube back to Kacchan, who snatched it out of the air and tucked it back on his belt.

"We done here?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Mon dieu, I hope so," Yuuga trilled, face pinched. "I need to take a shower. C'était affreux."

"I think everything's okay," Izuku answered uncertainly, looking to his friend. "Kacchan?"

"We've wasted enough time. Let's just fuckin' go already," he snapped, heaving the villain towards the entrance and leaving the others to follow in his wake.

*

"That was quite a brilliant performance this afternoon, my boys," Toshinori rumbled proudly, rustling the printed-off article to emphasise his point.

Kacchan clicked his tongue, glancing away and slumping deeper into the sofa. "Yeah, whatever. It would've been quicker if Deku had taken down that oily bitch sooner, then I could've used my fuckin' Quirk."

"Thank you, Toshi-san!" Izuku added for both of them, hands wrapped around a warm teacup as he wriggled a little on the cushions to get comfier.

Toshinori's blue gaze glowed bemusedly, flitting between them as if he was about to say something before thinking better of it. He grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully cut out the article, crumpling up the excess paper and putting it aside before grabbing a plastic pocket and sliding the article inside. Kacchan grumpily held out the ring binder, letting Izuku grab it and pass it over to Toshinori, who beamed at them, then secured the pocket in place. He flipped through the other pages, eyes crinkling fondly as he observed all their previous heroic feats, going all the way back to when they were still kids at UA. Izuku couldn't help but flush affectionately, reminded of how much of a doting father Toshinori had become – he even had some photos on the fridge.

He let himself relax, placing the cup back on the coffee table and leaning sideways into his mentor. A content sleepiness washed over him, feeling warm and safe and all things wonderful, sitting in a room with two of his favourite people. Izuku's eyes fluttered shut.

"Young Izuku?" Toshinori murmured, a hand carding through his green curls.

"Mm."

"Young Izuku?" He repeated, a little louder. "My boy...?"

"Is he asleep?" Aizawa muttered – and, wait, that didn't make sense, what - "Midoriya?"

"Perhaps we should let him rest. He looks tired," Toshinori whispered.

"No, we shouldn't," Aizawa denied, and then a hand was shaking at his shoulder. "Problem Child, wake up."

Izuku let out a displeased mumble, pressing his face deeper into his – his arms. Not a pillow. Not Toshinori's shoulder. Huh?

"Midoriya," the teacher grumbled exasperatedly, a finger prodding at the boy's cheek.

"Noo..."

Aizawa huffed, taking in a slow breath. "Izuku."

Izuku snapped into focus, eyes blinking open and brain whirring to try and work out what was going on. He was in a classroom with Toshinori and Aizawa, not at Toshinori's house with Kacchan. The tension slipped from his shoulders as he finally realised what had happened – he must've been lost in thought for a while and dozed off. His lips quirked in a smile at the memories of that Halloween, so many years ago, and yet so many years away.

"Are you alright, my boy?" Toshinori inquired softly, concern lining his features.

The kid lifted his head off the desk and rubbed at his face sleepily. He stretched, wincing at the pain in his back and neck from being slumped over so awkwardly, then got to his feet a little clumsily. Aizawa and Toshinori were both watching him with varied levels of obvious worry, tense in a way that suggested they were ready to leap forward and catch him if he fell. The thought made his chest warm pleasantly.

Izuku stepped forward and spread his arms, silently dragging both of them into a hug. He stayed quiet, face pressed into their clothes and hands clenched tightly in the fabric. A large, bony hand splayed uncertainly across his back. Aizawa didn't dare return the hug, but did loosen up a little after a few seconds.

"What's this about?" He asked cautiously, voice a little gentler than usual.

"I just... I really love both of you. So much," Izuku admitted, slightly muffled.

"I love you too, Young Izuku," Toshinori responded in little more than a whisper, palm sliding up to cup the back of the boy's neck.

Aizawa said nothing. Izuku tilted his head up to peer at him. The teacher averted his dark eyes after a couple of seconds of staring. Aizawa blindly reached up to pat the boy on the head, then swiftly let his arm drop. Izuku hid his face again, satisfied.

Despite being thrown across time and space, some things truly never changed.

~

im so impatient about this season finishing airing, i just wanna finish writing the next arc of ticked off akjsdhjsd it's so frUstrating!! idk maybe i'll manage to plan out another fic idea real quick and use nanowrimo as motivation to write it... we'll see i guess!