Archive of Our Own

"You know, Rex… you make a good other."

Those were the last words Deku said to his other, to the one who he made his enemy, but chose to be his friend… to Rex.

And with those words, and with Rex's advice… he woke up.

The One for All Hero: Deku, ranked number four all of Japan, despite saving the entire damned country when he was seventeen, half opened his eyes with a groan.

He sat up groggily while rubbing his face with his hands, his blanket fell off his upper body, revealing his toned, powerful muscles… he hadn't neglected a single day of training despite no longer having powers. Deku felt his scarred skin brush roughly against his face, the sensation when the scars on his palms touched the scar under his eye was less than pleasant, honestly.

"I went into that fight expecting Rex to finally kill me…" Deku muttered to himself before chuckling. "I'm such a moron… I should lay off the Dreams." He decided while stretching his arms above his head, he heard several satisfying pops and let out a long groan.

When he finally lowered his arms, he looked at the wall near his bed and grimaced, there were several fist shaped holes in there.

"Ah, darn." Deku muttered sheepishly. "Guess that dream fight was really intense… ugh, my throat's so dry…" He looked over to his desk, but his vision was so blurry since he just woke up. "I know I should have…" He extended his hand towards his desk, in his still groggy and sleepy state, he didn't consider the distance… and he didn't have to.

A black mass of energy shot out of Deku's palm and grabbed the water bottle on his desk.

Deku's sleepy eyes focused up just as the tendril snapped back into his hand, taking the bottle with it. Deku's fingers curled around the bottle reflexively.

"Wh-what?" Deku muttered in disbelief.

Had he fallen asleep with his armor on? It happened before…

A quick examination of himself, and… no… he wasn't wearing his armor. In fact, the briefcase that contained his armor, or rather was his armor, was in its charging station, glowing with the indication that it was fully charged.

"Am I still dreaming?" Deku muttered in disbelief, his breath labored from what he just saw… from what just happened.

It didn't feel entirely like a dream. While his experiences in that Realm were frighteningly realistic, while he had temporarily lost grasp of himself repeatedly… he knew that at this moment, he had to be awake.

Now, rather than calmly think things through, consider the possibilities, and perhaps test this strange phenomenon safely within his room, or head to UA, where he was a teacher, to test things in a controlled environment… please recall that the man in question was Izuku Midoriya.

And Izuku Midoriya…

(Play music: Blackway & Black Caviar – What's Up Danger)

Was absolutely fucking insane.

Deku popped open the water bottle while leaping out of his bed, the blanket caught on his ankle and nearly caused him to trip, but he managed to stay upright. He kicked off the blanket and took a step back while taking a long guzzle of his water.

He stood in the middle of his room, clad in only a pair of All Might themed trunks. Water slipped out from the corner of his mouth and trailed down his neck onto his chest. That waterdrop wouldn't remain lonely for long, since Deku pulled the half-empty bottle away from his mouth and poured it over his head, drenching his hair.

"I'll clean that up later." Deku said when he saw the puddle forming beneath him from the water dripping from his body.

He broke out running.

"If I'm not dead!" Deku shouted as he broke out of his room.

He ran out of his apartment and didn't even bother closing the door, he just ran down the hall with a frantic expression.

A few of his neighbors who were starting their day saw him, and all of them paled at the sight of their neighbor, the famous Ultimate Hero, running around half naked, dripping wet, and with a crazed look in his eyes.

Deku leaped down the stairs entire flights at a time, barely feeling the impact from each landing on his way down. He ran out of the building and towards a nearby high-rise, he received strange looks just like before, but he didn't care.

He charged into the tall building and completely ignored the elevators, he went to the stairs and started running.

With every step, he felt a thrumming within him… so familiar, yet distinctly foreign.

After what felt like an eternity, Deku finally reached the roof. He tore the door open and ran outside. He was instantly hit with the cold morning air, made worse by the altitude.

He breathed heavily as he stumbled towards the edge of the roof and looked down at the city below yet… he could hear the horns of cars, he could hear the buzz of life, he could hear his own heart in his ears.

And at that moment, he wondered if he really was about to do something so incredibly stupid…

He was on the verge of losing his nerve… but at that moment, he recalled two pieces of advice.

One he had heard only minutes prior.

'Why not give the Rex way of doing things a try?  Be a bit more assertive, enforce your Will!'

And the second…

'If you really want a quirk… there is another way…'

Down below, people saw a man in underwear at the top of the building, seemingly about to jump, those with enhanced eyesight, or were using their phones, recognized the Ultimate Hero. They shouted in concern and confusion… but all Deku heard was the next part of the words that once haunted him.

'Just pray you're born with a quirk in your next life…'

'And take a swan dive off the roof of the building.'

Deku took a deep breath and took a step forward. He fell off the edge of the building with his arms held behind him like wings. He felt the harsh wind whipping at his face, shrieking in his ears.

Every single nerve in his body screamed that this was a terrible idea, he was plummeting to his death over what might very well have been a hallucination.

However… he chose to take the risk.

Deku spun in mid air to face the top of the building that was growing farther and farther away by the second and threw his hand towards it.

… and nothing happened.

"Oh, no…" Deku muttered and kept throwing his hand up repeatedly. "C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!!" He screamed frantically. "Rex wouldn't have this problem…! He wouldn't have lost One for All to begin with…! But if I really was given another chance…!"

The ground was approaching rapidly, he probably had less than a second before he went splat.

"Then let me go…!" Deku pulled back his arm as green lightning ignited all over his body.

"BALLS OUT!!!"

Deku threw his hand up, and a thick black tendril shot out of his palm. It reached the top of the building and latched onto it. The tendril went taught a fraction of a second before Deku hit the ground, he felt a powerful pull on his arm, and he was yanked high into the air.

Deku stared in wonder at the sky around him, and the city below. His lips spread into a massive, elated grin. The same sinful grin that Rex had during their fight, the same grin he showed Deku how to make.

Deku threw his hand towards another building, and Black Whip shot out of it before latching onto the side of the building. It didn't wrap around like rope, it splatted apart like some sort of fluid, but each strand held strong and secured the Whip's grip on the building.

"Yahooo!" Deku swung himself towards the building before leaping off of it back into the city.

He swung into the road where cars were zooming by, he leaped from car to car while using Black Whip to shoot himself higher into the air by using the surrounding buildings as anchor points.

Deku heard people calling out his name, full of awe and confusion at what he was doing.

He jumped off a car and swung from a lamppost onto an office building, he ran across the window with ease, as if gravity didn't even affect him.

Oh, how he missed this!!

He jumped off the building and kept swinging to the roaring cheers of the crowd.

(End music)

Deku eventually came to a halt atop a building at the edge of town, he doubled over with his hands on his knees, panting for breath with his cheeks flush and his eyes shining.

And then he felt a snap in the base of his skull, it wasn't like Danger Sense… it was something else, but he could feel some sort of hostile intent a distance away.

Deku's grin widened, and he took off once again with the wind and lightning.

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

Even in this era where villainy was on the decline, there was still enough trouble to justify the existence of heroes.

Now one such case was happening, when a villain was attacking, and this one was pretty damned dangerous.

"No! It makes no sense, dammit!" The blue haired man dressed in white with rectangular, red glasses on his face screamed while punching the window of a store, the air around him grew colder with each strike. "Why are they called "Death in Venice" or "The Merchant of Venice"!? It takes place in Italy! Call the damned book "Death in Venezia"!! It's not that hard, goddammit! It pisses me off! It pisses me off!!!"

Nearby, several heroes have already been frozen stiff, this man's ice quirk was formidable.

The only hero currently not affected was a woman with long, silky white hair that covered one of her eyes. She was dressed in a white kimono, but it was shorter than a normal kimono, and had fur lining.  She had ethereal blue eyes and full lips.

"You've made your point, sir. However, desist from causing further damage." Reiko Yanagi, otherwise known as the hero Emily, demanded.

"No, fuck you!! All you heroes can go die!" The man screamed while sending a wave of ice towards Yanagi.

She gracefully leaped aside, aided by using her quirk on her boots to lift herself into the air. "Regardless of your feelings towards naming conventions, it does not give you the right to cause harm to innocents and public property. So, come Hell or highwater, I will stop you."

The man paused, stared at his reflection at the frozen window, his eyes were wide, his eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and his mouth was slightly agape. "Hell or highwater…?"

Yanagi narrowed her eyes. "Yes…? It is a common phrase-"

"N-no, I know that." The man turned around, his face almost looked calm. "And I get like half of it, right? I get the "highwater" part, okay? Since… maybe a flood can happen, yeah? Makes total sense, with me so far?"

Yanagi tilted her head while slowly drawing a nearby trashcan close to the man with her quirk without being too obvious. "I suppose-"

"But what the FUCK does "come Hell" even mean!? HUUUUUUHH!?" The man screamed as more frost exploded around him.

Yanagi didn't manage to retreat in time, and her boot was trapped by a bit of ice. 'Dammit!'

"What?! Is Hell supposed to sprout legs and come here!? Is it gonna rise out of the ground!? What the fuck!? It makes no sense! Dammit! I fucking hate this!!!"

Yanagi looked around in a panic, the civilians were sticking around, they weren't used to actual dangerous villains anymore, and neither her or any of the heroes present were equipped to deal with a villain of this caliber-

"SMAAAAAAAASH!!!"

A green blur passed by, all of the ice shattered instantly, evaporating off the trapped heroes without harming them, and the villain who created it was on the ground, gargling with a shocked expression.

Yanagi felt much the same, since the sight before her was something that should not have been possible in the slightest.

A man with the frame of a Greek God, covered in scars that told of harsh battles and horrible sacrifice, but with a face that still maintained its kindness despite all of the hardships endured. And then there was the most recognizable part… the green hair… still fluffy, but much more tamed, and with a side-part that was undeniably charming.

However, what was strange was that this man was not wearing his armor, in fact… he wasn't wearing much of anything. Only a pair of trunks that were colored like All Might's costume.

Not that any of the spectating civilians were complaining, mind you… since they were getting a first class seat to a show many wouldn't even dare to imagine… the hero who saved the world, in all his glory, his body that told of years of hard work on full display, with no armor to get in the way.

"Huh… so that's what he meant about burning it inside of the body." Deku said with a grin while looking at his clenched fist.

"Uhm…" Yanagi spoke up.

Deku's eyes snapped to her, and for a moment, Yanagi felt scared… as if she was a wounded gazelle in the face of a furious lion- no… something much greater… a dragon.

However, that feeling disappeared almost instantly, and Deku smiled widely. "Yanagi! Hey! Wassup!?" He asked while putting his cheek on his fist and leaning aside.

… he fell on the pavement since there was nothing to lean on.

Yanagi put her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, the nearby civilians all laughed openly.

"I meant to do that." Deku said with a charming smile while laying on his side on the asphalt.

"I'm sure." Yanagi nodded before deciding to address the elephant in the room. "Ahem, Deku… Midoriya… excuse me if this comes across rather gauche, however… I was under the impression that you no longer had… One for All…?" She said carefully while examining the lightning still wreathed around Deku's body like a divine aura, she could practically feel the power radiating off of him… a similar feeling to the aura he had exuded during his battle against Tomura Shigaraki almost a decade prior.

"Ah, yeah, weird…" Deku hummed before rolling back onto his feet and approaching Yanagi with a leisurely gait.

And she was struck by how much taller than her he was… they were about the same height back at UA, but clearly, Deku grew a lot over the last eight years… and not just in height, his muscles were even more impressive than the broadcast back then showed… he clearly didn't slack off on his training despite no longer being in active duty for a long time.

Deku leaned down a bit to bring himself to eye level with Yanagi… and egad… what beautiful eyes did he have… they sparkled like jewels. "Sorry if this is direct, Yanagi, but… are you free tonight?"

Yanagi's eyes widened at the sudden, brazen question.

"The fuck are you flirting fo-"

"Delaware Smash." Deku flicked his fingers behind him, sending the ice villain smashing through the store's window. "So… uh… is that a no?" He asked nervously with a rather adorable blush.

"It is a…" Yanagi's eyes trailed down to take in Deku's muscles, she bit her lower lip. "I am very much free, yes."

"Sweet!" Deku skipped back. "Then… uhm… eight in the evening, I'll pick you up from your place… wear whatever makes you comfortable."

Yanagi cleared her throat. "I suppose I should, however… it would make me comfortable if you… didn't." She looked at Deku with a slight smirk.

"What's that supposed to-" Deku looked down at himself. "Ah… this is embarrassing…"

"Please fight crime like this all the time!" One of the civilains shouted.

"What do I look like to you, Lemillion?" Deku wondered.

Yanagi giggled before noticing the villain getting up again. "Midoriya!"

The ground beneath Deku's feet froze instantly, but he was no longer standing on it. He was a few feet in the air, he twisted his body before swinging his arm at the villain, sending a Black Whip flying towards him.

The villain, with a surprising display of agility, leaped over the whip, the air around him froze instantly, and coated the Black Whip in a thick layer of ice the villain started skating on towards Deku.

"Incredible! You don't just make ice, you dramatically decrease the temperature of whatever you touch, you're just so good it looks like you make and control ice!" Deku complemented.

"La-dee-da! The handout hero has a brain!" The villain reached Deku and reached for him. 'All that energy circulating through his body is acting as a sort of buffer to the temperature in the air, but if I touch him directly-!'

(Play music: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 OST – If I Am With You)

Deku suddenly disappeared again, the displacement of the air sent the villain crashing back down to earth, all of the ice in the area shattered, causing a frigid breeze to blow.

The villain looked up to see Deku floating in the air on his back.

Everyone nearby stared in awe, no one even saw him move a muscle, he had just suddenly appeared in the air above the buildings.

And Deku, he just stared at the sky with hazy eyes, the clouds above passed so slowly. He tilted his head to the side to see the butterflies and the birds fly in the distance, their wings flapped ever so gently, as if they struggled against frozen time.

'This… all too incredible…' Deku thought as euphoria filled his veins. 'God, I feel good right now.' He chuckled as he remembered the one he gave up everything to save. 'I'm sorry, Tomura… but the truth is, I don't even care about you anymore. It's just that… the world… looks so beautiful right now.' He recalled the one who saved him. 'And I'm sorry, Rex… I'll be stealing your thing.'

Golden light was cast down from above, it framed  Deku as he gracefully moved through the air, as if he was standing straight.

"Throughout Heaven and Earth…'

Deku moved one arm above his head while the other was aimed down at the world beneath him.

"I alone am… the Honored One."

"Wh-what…?" The cold villain, for the first time in his life, was at a loss for words. The statement that Deku made was so absolute, so full of authority, that the absurdity of it did not register.

He declared himself a god, and no one present could refute him.

"I thought I'd never get to do this again, and now I feel like flexing a little…" Deku drew his arm back, his fist clenched tight. "Grit your teeth, villain… this might sting a little." The lightning around him intensified.

"W-wait!" The villain screamed, but Deku suddenly appeared in front of him, and not even a second later, the force of a hundred freight trains slammed into his stomach.

"SMASH!!!"

The villain went flying into the air with a massive blast of wind.

Everyone present stared in awe, especially since it suddenly started raining.

'He punched hard enough to change the weather…' Yanagi thought in amazement. 'He truly is just as strong as he was before…'

Deku tilted his head back to let the rain fall onto his face, he brought his hands up to his head and dragged them through his hair to slick it back.

'Let this rain I created wash away this complacent world…' Deku thought before turning his gaze to the people with a smile. 'To hell with the story of how "We all became the greatest", to hell with the story of how "We all kept reaching our hand out for all time"…'

Deku's smile grew to unnatural proportions as the lightning around him intensified even further.

"This is MY ERA."

(End music)

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

Deku arrived to work a bit late, since he had to head home and change… and shower…

He stepped through the gates of the school, dressed in his sharp black suit and green tie. As he walked through the halls, students whispered excitedly… they probably caught the story of what happened that morning.

And Deku really did feel like he was at the top of the world-

"Midoriya."

Deku sighed and turned around to face his old homeroom teacher, Aizawa was looking at him disapprovingly. "Aizawa."

"This is the second time you're late." Aizawa said plainly. "That's irrational."

Deku profusely apologized last time this happened… the first time he was exposed to the dreams. But back then, he was powerless… now…?

He took a deep breath and bowed. "I apologize."

Now, he was still in the wrong for being late, Aizawa was correct that as a teacher, he shouldn't waste his students' time. Even if he was powerful again, it didn't give him permission to disregard the opinions and criticisms of others.

"It's just…" Deku straightened up with a smile. "I woke up, and…" He held out his hand, and Black Whip shot out of it.

Aizawa's sole eye widened. And the students in the hallway all talked between each other with hushed tones and awed eyes.

"I have One for All again…" Deku chuckled with tears in his eyes. "I-I was so shocked that I just had to test if it was true… then I ended up stopping a villain…" He withdrew Black Whip and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm really sorry, it won't-"

"Stop." Aizawa said seriously.

Deku grimaced, sure he was in for a verbal smackdown, but Aizawa just walked closer to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Make sure this doesn't happen again, and swing by the nurse's office, we need to check what's going on." Aizawa said seriously.

"Ah, sure." Deku nodded, and Aizawa walked past him, but something felt off… Deku would check. "Aizawa."

A strange pressure descended on the hallway, Aizawa collapsed to the floor, and the present students all suddenly found it nearly impossible to breathe.

"If I hadn't gotten back One for All… if, say… I just happened to stop a villain attack on the way to school with my armor… would you be this lenient?" Deku asked without looking back at Aizawa.

"Wh-what kinda…?" Aizawa didn't understand the question.

The pressure suddenly disappeared.

"No, you're right, that's a weird thing to ask… I'm sorry." Deku apologized and made his way towards his classroom. "Get going everyone, stop loitering."

"Y-yes, Mr. Deku!!" The students all stuttered before running to their respective classrooms.

Deku arrived at the classroom, and stepped inside, a smile rose to his face when he saw his students. "Morning, everyone, sorry I'm late."

"Mr. Deku! Are you okay!?" One of his students, a girl with long, blond hair, violet eyes, and a fiery disposition, asked quickly as soon as Deku entered. The way she wore her uniform was against regulations, her skirt was longer than the norm, and she was missing her tie, instead, she had the top few buttons of her shirt undone.

"I'm fine, Xiao-Long, no need to panic." Deku assured her as he strolled up to his podium.

"Actually, Mr. Deku, I saw this video of you jumping off a roof in your underwear while I was on the train…" Another blond student, this time a boy with blue eyes, and a knightly air around him, raised his hand.

"Yeah… might have gone overboard this morning, but everything's okay, Arc." Deku said while raising his hands.

And then, Deku's favorite student spoke up. "Big bro!"

"Yes, Kota?" Deku never bothered to correct Kota when he called him "big bro", it was usually Kota correcting himself to be proper.

"Is it true!?" Kota asked while standing up. "Did you… do you… really have your quirk back!?"

The entire class went still, all of them heard whispers of what happened that morning, all of them saw the video of Deku taking a swan dive off a roof and then using Black Whip.

Deku took a deep breath before suddenly rising up a few feet in the air. "Does that answer your question?" He asked with an amused smile.

"How!?" A girl with short black hair with red highlights, and silver eyes, asked in shock.

"Ehhhhhh…" Deku's eyes moved in separate directions before snapping back in place with a loud, rubbery, twang. "Couldn't tell you, Rose. But I'll try to make sure I'm not late again, your education is incredibly important. So, for now… let's go over what training you'll have today!"

"Mr. Deku." A quiet boy with black hair with a single pink highlight raised his hand.

"Ren?" Deku gestured for him to speak.

"Are you gonna quit teaching because you have your quirk back?" Ren asked with his usual calm tone, but there was a clear sadness and panic in that question.

The entire class went silent in fear.

Deku looked at his students with a serious expression, and for a moment, they were all scared that-

"Pffft-!" Deku broke out laughing. "Hahaha! Are you crazy!? No way, I love teaching you way too much to give up on you just because I have power again!"

The students started tearing up.

"I love you too, Mr. Deku!!" An energetic girl with short orange hair shot up and raised her hand.

The silver eyed student, Rose, shot to her feet as well. "I love Mr. Deku more!!"

"Don't listen to Ruby, Mr. Deku!" The tall blond girl, Xiao-Long, stood up quickly. "I love you way more!!"

"I love Mr. Deku the most!" A white haired girl with regal features and a thin scar over her eye stood up with her hand raised.

Deku looked at his students arguing and did his best to contain his laughter, he really loved these kids so much… they were the reason he even bothered waking up for so long, watching them grow and become stronger was the only thing that made his life worth living.

'Even if I have my powers back thanks to you, Rex… I think I'll stick to teaching… I can't leave these kids behind when they need me.' Deku decided with a bright smile as tears prickled in the corners of his eyes.

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

The day went about as normal, and in the halls, Deku ran into a student from another class, but much like all students at the school, Deku knew him.

"Joestar, how are you today?" Deku asked politely.

The student was a boy with blond hair, mostly hidden by his beanie hat, he had blue eyes, his lips were painted blue as well, as were his nails. Another detail about the boy… was that he was confined to a wheelchair.

"You can just call me Johnny, teach." Johnny said seriously. "And I'm fine… still struggling… but I'll be fine."

"I already put in the request through the Support Department for a support item to help you walk." Deku kneeled down in front of Johnny. "Your performance at the Sports Festival was incredible, you're bound to make it to the Hero Course."

"I…" Johnny looked away. "I didn't care about the Hero Course, you know that."

Deku smiled and recalled just how hard Johnny worked to compete at the Sports Festival, how he kept up with all of the Hero Course in his wheelchair… and apparently, it was all because Deku encouraged him to, encouraged him to take himself seriously and not just wallow in anger and self-loathing due to his disability.

This year's Sports Festival included a race, similarly to Deku's first Sports Festival, and Johnny was a sight to behold, he managed to reach the lead during the final stretch of the race, and his words had warmed Deku's heart.

"The one who'll reach first place, and surpass Deku as the next Great Hero…! Is me: Johnny Joestar!!"

"Well… you did say you want to become the next Great Hero…" Deku recalled.

Johnny blushed and looked away. "That was in the heat of the moment, I'm not built for heroics like you…"

Deku smiled and shook his head. "Whatever you want to do with your life, Johnny, I'll support that. But if you want to take to the sky, you have to seize the opportunity."

Johnny lowered his head and looked at his lame legs. He had grown up idolizing heroes like Endeavor and Dynamight, thought they were the coolest and strongest… he thought the likes of Deku and Lemillion were lame.

He was a cocky shit who thought that just because he had talent, he could do whatever he wanted…

The sound of a gunshot rang in his mind, he could still feel that pain in his spine… the cost of his idiocy, his legs, his future career as a hero.

How could he be a hero when he couldn't even stand up?

Well… Deku believed he could do it.

"Whatever…" Johnny wheeled himself around Deku and started rolling down the hallway. "Try not to be too disappointed with me…"

"Your arms have gotten stronger." Deku remarked. "You'll be an amazing hero if you choose to be, Johnny."

"Yeah, well… at least you think so…" Johnny smiled to himself. "That's good enough for me-wow!" Someone slammed into the back of his wheelchair and gripped the handlebars.

"Yo, Johnny! I came up with a bit! It's fucking hysterical!" A student with gold teeth and cowboy hat leaned above Johnny to grin at him.

"Gyro, let go of my wheelchair!" Johnny complained.

"No, no! Listen, it's amazing!" The cowboy, Gyro, started wheeling Johnny down the hall while prattling off some sort of joke.

Deku grinned happily at the sight of the two friends, Gyro Zeppeli was a second-year heroics student, and he took Johnny under his wing… after prodding from Deku to at least give Johnny a shot. Their quirks were somewhat similar, and after a bit, Gyro grew very fond of Johnny, and though Johnny would never admit it, he was just as fond of Gyro.

"Mr. Deku!" A girl with black hair and a large bow on her head popped up next to Deku, she was holding a sheaf of papers in her hands.

"No real people fiction, Belladonna." Deku said without looking at her.

"But this one is about me finally seducing you." Belladonna said with a bright smile.

Deku shook his head and ruffled Belladonna's hair. "You really need to work on your jokes, Belladonna." He walked away.

"What jokes!? Why won't you accept my looooooooooooove!?" Belladonna fell to her knees and cried out in heartbreak while reaching for the retreating back of her teacher.

Deku really had no idea how popular he was with his students. He was not only the hero who saved the world, he was also just incredibly kind, approachable, and helpful. Cases like Blake Belladonna, students who developed a crush on UA's best teacher, were not exactly rare. Unfortunately for Blake, and fortunately for UA, Deku was an idiot and didn't take any student's confession seriously.

"One day…" Blake hugged her fanfics.

Xiao-Long walked by and sighed. "Blake, we all like him, but you have to give it up, he's a grown adult."

"My first boyfriend was eighteen when I annoyed- I mean, persuaded him into dating me, Yang!" Blake defended.

Yang blinked and stared ahead with squinted eyes. "Isn't your ex-boyfriend that deranged villain who goes around with a katana going "a true samurai does not concern himself with child support payments"?"

"Adam was a dark part of my life…" Blake muttered. "But Mr. Deku isn't like that! He's super kind, and not at all a violent psychopath like Adam!" She shot to her feet, her fanfiction still clutched to her chest. "Besides, I'd be way better for him than Whoravity!"

"Whoa, chill. I don't like that chick either, but calling her a whore is a step too far-"

"Lalalalala, I can't hear you." Blake cut off Yang.

"That's real mature." Yang rolled her eyes.

"Exactly, that's why I'm perfect for Mr. Deku!" Blake nodded quickly.

Yang groaned and face palmed.

"Guuuuuys!!!" The ever-squeaky voice of Yang's adorable half-sister, Ruby Rose, sounded out before she appeared before the two girls in a burst of rose petals.

"What's up, Ruby?" Yang asked.

"Mr. Deku has a date!"

Yang's jaw dropped while Blake's already fair skinned face paled considerably.

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

Reiko Yanagi had a very eventful morning, what with Midoriya somehow getting his quirk back out of nowhere, appearing to fight a powerful villain in his underwear, and then declaring himself as Buddha… he also asked her out on a date, and she was too focused on his abs and the… very enticing outline she could see straining the flexible fabric…

Anyway, it was early afternoon, and Reiko was sitting at a café with three of her old classmates, Yui Kodai, Kinoko Komori, and Itsuka Kendo. Tokage had a photoshoot that day, Shiozaki was helping with disaster relief in Hokkaido, and Tsunotori was in America, since she returned there after graduation, and she visited a few times a year, but… her home was in the States.

"Honestly, this is so hard to believe…" Kendo said while looking at the footage of Midoriya swan diving off a building and remanifesting his quirk.

"Well, it happened, I was there when he beat that ice villain." Reiko said with a short shrug.

"Anything else?" Kodai asked.

Reiko cleared her throat. "He… asked me out."

Kendo spat out her coffee, Kodai quirked an eyebrow, and Komori jumped in place excitedly.

"Ooh! Did you say yes?! Please tell me you said yes!" Komori reached over and grabbed Reiko by the shoulders before shaking her.

Reiko grabbed Komori's hands and removed them. "I said yes."

"Nice!" Komori gave her a thumbs up. "Midoriya's a serious catch!"

"I thought you were happy with Kuroiro." Kendo said while wiping the coffee off her lips.

"I am! Shihai's the best!" Komori said seriously. "But I'm not blind, and I'm happy that my friend got asked out by a primo bachelor like Midoriya!"

"Not wrong." Kodai shrugged. "Top five hero, steady job at UA, saved the whole world… catch."

"Obviously, yeah, but…" Kendo looked uncomfortable. "Isn't he with Uraraka?"

The other three girls looked at each other.

"They did seem rather close back at UA…" Reiko said with a grimace, wondering if she was getting in the middle of something messy.

"Been six years since UA." Kodai pointed out. "I barely saw 'em together… free real estate."

"That's a good point." Komori chimed in. "If those two had actually been dating, don't you think one of them would have said something against all those cuck memes?"

"What memes?" Reiko asked in confusion.

"Are you kidding? That's what caused Bakugou to drop from ten to fifteen, he had a massive meltdown over someone calling Midoriya a cuck and ended up scaring civilians." Komori pointed out.

Indeed, Bakugou was currently the number five, but before Midoriya's return to heroics a few months back, he was number fifteen. He had started his career at number four, Midoriya's current rank, but dropped to ten due to his… charming attitude. However, what caused him to drop to fifteen was an incident where he exploded on fans that called Midoriya a cuck. It was amazing no one was injured that day.

"So, yeah… buncha people have been joking for years that Bakugou and Uraraka have been banging behind Midoriya's back." Komori shrugged. "I'd think if Uraraka actually had stake in Midoriya, she'd have said something, riiiiight? Heck, the fact she didn't even respond feels suspect." She grinned mischievously. "So, I say you go for it, grab that mushroom with both hands!"

"Ah, I wouldn't recommend doing that on the first date." Kendo said quickly.

Reiko's cheeks reddened. "I… I suppose I should just take this opportunity, it's not every day you get asked out by the Ultimate Hero…"

"Hmm." Kodai gave her a thumbs up with one hand while texting with the other.

Reiko smiled to herself, she supposed she should enjoy her evening… if nothing else, she was sure Midoriya would show her a wonderful time.

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

Katsuki Bakugou had a commercial shoot that morning, so he hadn't checked his phone until afternoon. When he finally picked it up while taking a long sip of a bottle of ice-cold water, he saw footage of Deku throwing himself off the roof of a high-rise building.

He spat out his water and stared at the screen, then his jaw dropped when Deku manifested Black Whip… he wasn't wearing the armor, he was almost entirely naked.

"What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!!!" Katsuki screamed while looking through news reports and posts on the hero network.

And all of them were about the same thing, Deku miraculously getting back his powers and making his brand new debut dressed in a pair of All Might themed underwear.

"Motherfucker! Why aren't you wearing the Dynamight underwear I sent you!?" Katsuki screamed indignantly.

An intern who passed by looked at Katsuki with a baffled expression. "Pause?"

"Bitch, who was talking to you?!" Katsuki snapped, sending the intern scurrying. He dialed Deku's number and put the phone to his ear. "Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick-"

"Kacchan, buddy, I'm in the middle of class-"

"What the fuck were you thinking!?" Katsuki screamed into the phone.

"Ah… you saw me taking on that villain-"

"Dude, fuck the villain, you can beat scrubs like that in your sleep!" Katsuki shouted, almost offended that Deku thought Katsuki didn't have the upmost faith in his skills. "What the fuck were you thinking jumping off the roof of a skyscraper?!"

…

"Deku?" Katsuki asked once the line went silent.

"Okay, so you remember back in middle school? The day of the Sludge Incident?"

Katsuki's eyes widened. "No…"

"And you said…"

"No…!" Katsuki repeated.

"Y'know, if I really want a quirk…"

"No! No! No!" Katsuki started hyperventilating. "Deku, come on! You should know better than to listen to me!"

"Look, it's really complicated… I'll explain it tomorrow."

"Fuck tomorrow, what do you got that's so important that we can't meet tonight!?" Katsuki demanded.

"I… got a… date…"

Katsuki stood there silently for a moment. "Beg pardon?"

"Huh, you don't usually do that-"

"Deku!" Katsuki snapped.

"What? I ran into Yanagi, I thought she looked really nice, and I asked her out!"

"Yanagi? The ghost girl?" Katsuki asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, you know… why not?"

Katsuki considered it, he scratched his scar before smirking. "Fine, fine, you have fun on your date… let's meet up tomorrow, we'll go fishing or some shit."

"I'd like that. See you tomorrow, Kacchan- Higashikata! You can't just punch people because you think they were hitting on Hirose- Hirose, for the love of God, stop falling for it every time he tells you there's something behind you! He wants you to look away so you won't see him being violent-! Oh, no, don't either of you start that with me. Sorry, Kacchan, gotta go. See you tomorrow."

"See you then, Deku." Katsuki hung up before smiling. "Damn… I'm happy for him."

A camera flash blinded him temporarily, he blinked away the discomfort to see the intern from earlier holding up his phone.

Katsuki stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

The intern turned the phone to Katsuki. "Your smile is already trending, the fans are loving it."

Katsuki considered it for a moment, he put his finger against his lips with a contemplative expression. "Shit, I'll take it."

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

Of course, the news of the quirkless icon, the One for All Hero: Deku, seemingly getting back the quirk he gave up when he saved the world spread like wildfire before lunchtime.

News networks were discussing the footage of his jump and of his battle against the villain, and most importantly.

"Throughout Heaven and Earth… I alone am… the Honored One."

"Well, I can say we're very honored to be witnessing this!" The news anchor said after watching the clip, the audience chuckled and smiled. "Regardless of the state of dress, that I doubt any of us are complaining about, the question on everyone's minds is… how did Deku get his quirk back? And what will this mean for his career going forward? To discuss this question, be brought in a very special guest!" She grinned excitedly. "Everyone give a warm welcome to the Number One Hero! Lemillion!"

A blue clad butt popped out from the middle of the desk.

"Who ordered peaches!?" An enthusiastic voice shouted before Lemillion emerged completely and landed on the chair next to the anchor.

"Ahaha, yes, your famous peach joke…" The anchor laughed uncomfortably. "So, Lemillion, you were Deku's upperclassman, what are your thoughts?"

"I'm mostly confused on why he needs the quirk back, since to me, he was just as awesome without it!" Lemillion said with a thumbs up and a grin, but his optimism faltered. "But I'll say this… if having One for All again helps Deku save even more people and give them smiles? Then I see no problem whatsoever! Deku was already a cut above the rest with just the suit, now that he has his powers again, he might just shoot past me even faster than I was expecting!"

"Well, I was mostly shocked he didn't already!" The anchor said with a tight grin. "At least he never shoved his butt in my face."

"Ahaha… I have several harassment lawsuits pending." Lemillion laughed sheepishly. "What should I do, Sir!?" He cried dramatically while the audience laughed.

The anchor leaned in closer to Lemillion, "Do you seriously have harassment lawsuits.

Lemillion made a "so-so" gesture with his hand, a nervous expression on his face.

"Oh, dear…" The anchor sighed, once again earning a laugh from the live audience in the studio.

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

As the school day was winding down, Deku glanced at his phone and grimaced at all of the missed calls from his old classmates, he really did not want to speak to any of them at the moment, especially since his final confrontation with Rex was, at least from his perspective, just that morning… he wanted to sort things out.

Honestly, he only answered Kacchan because he had no conflicting feelings about him, Kacchan was his friend, he was a terrible bully once, but now they were friends again, and you know what they say "a bully turned friend is a friend to the end"… or at least that's how he chose to see it.

His phone buzzed, and a caller ID he hadn't seen in… he didn't even remember… flashed across the screen: Ochako Uraraka.

Deku made an annoyed face and rejected the call instantly… he had no time for this, he needed to get home and prepare for his date with Yanagi.

He put his phone in his pocket and packed up all of his work.

"Well, well, if it ain't the hottest topic of the day!" Present Mic came up behind Deku and pointed at him with both hands.

"Hey, Mic." Deku greeted without looking away from organizing his desk at the teachers' office.

Mic raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "You don't usually leave this early unless there's patrol, what's up?"

"I… uh… got a date today." Deku said with a nervous smile.

Mic's smile widened. "A date?! Are you and Uraraka-"

"No." Deku said bluntly.

"Huh?" Mic recoiled.

"Not Uraraka, why would I go out with her?" Deku asked with a confused snort. "Anyway, gotta head out. I wanna make tonight perfect for Yanagi."

Mic's jaw dropped. "Yanagi…?"

"See you later, Mic!" Deku ran past him with an excited smile.

Mic stared at Deku until he left, and then looked at the other teachers in the office. "I didn't imagine that, right? I thought he liked Uraraka!"

"Well… it's been years, right?" Ectoplasm said unsurely. "Maybe he just moved on… it's not like those two have been talking as far as we know."

"W-well, maybe, but…" Mic slumped. "Dammit, my parlay."

Aizawa groaned as he passed by. "Betting on the students' love lives is irrational-"

"You put down a bet for Arc to date several girls in his class, don't you start." Mic pointed at him.

Aizawa coughed into his fist and looked away. "He just gives off that vibe."

"No, come on." Vlad chimed in. "Xiao-Long and Belladonna are obviously gonna end up together, it's so obvious."

Every teacher present looked at Vlad in disgust. Honestly, the idea that Yang Xiao-Long and Blake Belladonna would end up together was the dumbest thing any of them has ever heard. Just the very thought was ludicrous. And whoever shipped the two of them obviously can't tell their ass from their elbow, since they have the worst taste imaginable for relationships.

But really… who would ship those two?

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

Deku arrived at his home and took a quick shower before trying to style his hair differently to try and look nice for Yanagi. He gave up when he realized that nearly every other style he tried exposed the scars around his scalp, he really did not want to draw attention to that.

He looked over his different suits with a frown. "What do I wear? What do I wear…?"

Deku gasped, an idea struck him, he would ask the one man he could always count on, his role model and the one who turned him into the man he was today!

All Might.

Deku went over to his desk to pick up his phone and dialed All Might's number. All Might picked up in one ring.

"Young Midoriya, what a pleasant surprise."

"Hey, All Might!" Deku greeted happily. "Do you have a moment to give me some advice?"

"Certainly, my boy! Ask away!"

"I have a date, what do I wear!?" Deku asked in a panic.

The line went silent for a moment.

"All Might?" Deku cringed.

"Sorry, I was just surprised. Anyway! What kind of date is this? And where are you taking young Uraraka-"

"It's not Uraraka." Deku said dully.

"Eh?"

"Yeah, no idea why I'd ask out Uraraka. I'm going out on a date with Yanagi." Deku explained.

"Young Yanagi? Hmm… well… before we get to what you will wear, what is the date going to be like? A restaurant? A movie? A picnic?"

"Uhm…" Deku swallowed. "Well… Yanagi is big on horror stuff, so… I figured I'd take her to the woods and make it seem like it's haunted?"

…

"Was that a bad idea?" Deku asked quietly.

"… Young Midoriya, it's sweet that you're considering her interests, but a forest serial killer experience is a bit much on a first date. You should take her out to dinner-"

"After scaring the life out of her, I should take her out to dinner!" Deku realized.

"Wait, no-"

"Thanks, All Might!! You're the best!" Deku declared and hung up the phone, he grabbed a black suit and tie and dressed himself before running out to get his car keys.

However, rather than go through the door like a normal person, he jumped out of the window and slowed his descent with Float.

He missed having power so much!!

He had a hypothesis to what was happening… it wasn't that he had One for All again, no, that quirk was gone and never coming back. What he got was magical power manifesting in identical function to One for All.

After all, he saw many versions of himself who wielded magic, and the traversal of the Realm of Dreams that led him to meet Rex was magical in of itself. And within the Dream Realm, he had access to One for All's abilities, due to how intrinsically tied it was to him and his memories.

He just managed to manifest these powers in the waking world!

He was curious what else he could do with the Dreams, but he… he didn't want to try anymore. He spent more than enough time within the Realm of Dreams, losing his sense of self, barely able to hold himself together through his resentment and regrets.

"Wait…" Deku's feet gently touched the ground, and a smirk rose to his face. "I was able to do THAT in Rex's dreams…" He chuckled and headed for his car.

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

Reiko Yanagi waited outside of her apartment building at seven fifty-nine PM, she wore a short, shiny black dress that she had made herself, she had a bit of a talent for sewing, after all, she was the one who made Kendo's pageant dress back in the day. But since Midoriya told her to be comfortable, she forewent high heels, since she never liked those, and just stuck to wearing knee length, black leather boots with spikes around the soles… she just liked how they looked. And she did her hair up in a bun, since she thought it would be nice to look like she put some effort into her appearance, but she did leave one eye covered with her bangs, as per her habit. She even put on a bit of makeup, not a lot, since she wasn't one to just cake the stuff on, but she did put on bloodred lipstick that made her lips look like she just got done cannibalizing someone… if very cleanly.

A minute later, a sleek, black sports car pulled up right in front of her. The passenger's side door lifted itself up to reveal Midoriya sitting in the driver's seat, dressed in a sharp suit and smiling warmly at her.

"Hey, there… uh… beautiful… need a ride?!" Midoriya offered in his usual, characteristically awkward, if very charming, way.

Reiko couldn't help but smile. "That would be delightful. Thank you kindly." She curtsied at him before smirking, earning an adorable laugh from… well… potentially the strongest man alive.

It should be illegal how cute he was! He was a grown adult with a body that would make Heracles and Achilles combined weep with envy, and the power to change the weather with just the physical might of his body… and he was so cute!!

Reiko slid into the passenger's side seat with floaty grace and buckled the seatbelt. "Your car is really nice."

"All Might thought so too." Midoriya smiled as he pushed the button to close the door. "I let him drive it when he came to visit from America to bring me the armor, since I was way too jittery to handle the wheel at the time!"

Reiko giggled as well while the car's engine purred, and the vehicle itself began moving. "I would imagine so… still, you don't strike me as the type to splurge on a luxury vehicle."

"Would you believe me if I said I bought it on a whim?" Midoriya asked while leaning his arm on the window's ledge, he was holding the wheel with one hand. He weaved through traffic with practiced ease and patience.

"I would like to hear that story." Reiko said honestly.

"So… as it goes, I was out with Kota and Eri a couple months back, y'know, watching over them, helping Kota prepare for the entrance exam." Midoriya recalled.

Reiko hummed. "Ever the teacher, even before the bell tolls."

"Suppose." Midoriya chuckled quietly. "Anyway, we were out shopping, since Eri needed to buy guitar strings, and Kota needed more school supplies. And there was a car dealership nearby, Kota and Eri both wanted to check out the cars, because cars are cool."

"The Cars are indeed cool." Reiko agreed. "Oh, and the vehicles aren't bad either, I suppose." She said thoughtfully with glance towards Midoriya to see if he got it.

"Ah! Like the band!" Midoriya snapped his fingers with his free hand.

"Yes, indeed!" Reiko nodded quickly.

"Yeah, Eri listens to their music a bunch." Midoriya recalled.

"Ah, a girl of fine tastes." Reiko said pleasantly. "Oh, but… I interrupted your story, please do continue."

"Sure, sure." Midoriya tapped his fingers on the wheel. "So, some creep in a varsity jacket strolls up and starts hitting on Eri."

"Varsity jacket? In Japan?" Reiko asked skeptically.

"I kid you not, Yanagi, the guy looked like he stepped out of some pre-quirk era high-school flic, the bad ones." Midoriya said with a disgusted expression. "Now, he's going on and on about how he's there to pick up his new car, it was this really nice-looking red convertible… I think? So, he's being way too familiar, and offering Eri to be the first to ride his car if he gets a ride too… really classy."

Reiko scrunched her nose in revulsion. "How repugnant."

"Mmhm, and this guy is like… nineteen at the youngest, I think he might have even been closer to twenty-two, closer to our age than to Eri's… so as a responsible adult, I step in and ask him to back away." Midoriya recounted.

"And did he listen?" Reiko wondered sarcastically.

"Of course not, those types never do." Midoriya snorted. "And he didn't seem to recognize me… since this was before my big return to heroics."

"It boggles the mind how people didn't recognize you, you saved the whole world." Reiko pointed out.

Midoriya took a deep breath through his nose. "Trust me, I've thought the same for a loooooooooooooong time, but let's not get into that, beautiful."

Reiko's cheeks reddened. 'Beautiful…? He said it before, but… does he really think I'm beautiful?'

"Now, I hate to sound arrogant…" He trailed off with a strange expression, for some reason… it felt wrong to deny his arrogance, but he pushed past that. "But these new "tough guy" types are soft as heck, girl! I remember… back when you could tell who really ran things! But all these new types… walking around… goddamn… chest poked out and stuff? Like heck you talking about?"

Reiko nodded along.

"Whole time… where the guys like Kiryu at, shawty? Tough guys who can really control the traffic!" Midoriya snorted. "Nah, that way of speech doesn't suit me much, does it?"

Reiko giggled and shook her head. "Not at all, but I enjoyed it."

Midoriya laughed a bit as well, the two enjoyed that moment of levity as the city lights passed by. "So, anyway… this guy was really trying to look big and strong, thumping his chest like some gorilla… called me an old man… you know, despite me being like… what? Two years older than him? Ridiculous." He shook his head. "He calls me a broke loser in a cheap suit. And says that trash like me shouldn't be hanging around places like that dealership and hogging "Fine Shyt" like Eri- Sir? That is a fourteen-year-old girl." Midoriya said with a disbelieving, indignant laugh. "And he said "Fine Shyt" full English, and I reiterate, fourteen."

"What a scumbag." Reiko gagged.

"Mmhmm? So then… he goes on and on about how I'm such a broke boy, and how I'll never get paper like he does, and how he has all the motion because his daddy signs the big checks…" Midoriya sucked in his lips with a short chuckle and grinned at Reiko from the side.

And boy… that face was doing things to her!

"So, while he's ranting, I'm checking the cars, and I see the most luxurious, most expensive car there… and I buy it in front of him, cash." Midoriya stated with a slightly smug face.

Reiko let out a low whistle, her face set in an impressed half smile.

"I told him that unless he can afford ten cars like mine, he's nowhere near good enough for Eri." Midoriya said with a careless shrug. "Boy walked out with his tail between his legs… quite literally, he had a tail."

"And so, you're now stuck with this expensive car." Reiko concluded with a giggle.

"If it helps, it was well worth the price, it's so fun to drive!" Midoriya gushed. "I'll let you drive it sometimes, if you want."

"I'd love that!" Reiko agreed. "However… if you only recently bought this car… what did you drive beforehand?"

"Ah, just that secondhand Chinese car, got it fresh out of UA, and it served me faithfully for years… gave it to Kota as a congrats for making it to UA." He snorted. "Mandalay almost killed me for giving Kota a car when he wasn't even old enough to get a license."

Reiko found that amusing as well.

"Eh, that car will be great for him, teach him some responsibility before he does something stupid with his first big paycheck and tries to buy a car like mine." Midoriya said as if he was expecting his younger brother figure to act like an impulsive idiot.

However, Reiko did recall the story of how Midoriya and Kota Izumi met… or rather, the day Kota's fist of fury met Midoriya's family jewels.

"This does leave with one question…" Reiko said carefully. "You just carry enough cash to buy a luxury car?"

Midoriya gulped. "Not usually, but I wanted to spoil Eri and Kota that day…"

Reiko snorted. "So… enough to buy… this car… is just to "spoil" them? How much do you make?!"

Midoriya cleared his throat. "Let's not get into how much money I make as just a UA teacher, you're not gonna like the answer."

"Oh, come now, it cannot be that-"

Midoriya told her.

"Bullshit!" Reiko snapped. "Just your UA salary alone is more than what I make!?"

"And that's without accounting my added income from my work as the number four hero, as well as all of the adverts and products." Midoriya recalled. "All in all… I actually earn more than Togata too…"

"You have quite the hustle, I'm impressed." Reiko took a breath to calm herself down.

"Yeah, you know, the grind never stops." Midoriya shrugged.

Reiko was about to respond when she noticed that there haven't been lights for a while. "Wait, where are we-"

The car suddenly sputtered out and stopped moving, Reiko looked around… she saw a lot of trees.

"Ah, cripes…" Midoriya muttered and manually opened the car's door to step outside while pressing the button to pop the hood.

Reiko watched him carefully as he lifted the hood of his car and checked under it, she could see the flashlight of his phone over the top of the hood and under the gap. Midoriya then lowered the hood back down with a grimace and walked back to the door, but rather than enter, he leaned on the car and poked his head inside.

"Engine's shot, this car's going nowhere." Midoriya said with sigh. "Sorry, but… guess we're walking back to the city… I'll come pick up the car later… damn… here I was trying to show off to you, but…"

"Not at all." Reiko said quickly as she opened the door and stepped out as well. "I would be delighted to take a moonlit stroll through the woods with you, Midoriya."

Midoriya smiled hesitantly and quickly went around the car to offer Reiko his arm.

"Hnnhnn… such a gentleman." Reiko happily took his arm, and the two began walking through the forest.

Midoriya was holding his phone out to cast a light on their path. "Not really what I was hoping for… but I guess that's par for the course."

"Don't say that." Reiko chided gently. "I had wonderful time conversing with you, and now in this isolated darkness, we can speak even more on our way back to civilization."

"I guess that's true…" Midoriya muttered before glancing aside.

A loud snap sounded out, startling Reiko. "Eek!" She shrieked and clung to Midoriya even tighter.

"Yanagi? Are you okay?" Midoriya asked in concern.

"I-I am… I was simply startled." Reiko said while trying to get her breathing under control.

"Startled? Aren't you all about the horror stuff?" Midoriya questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Reiko harrumphed. "Jump scares are not true horror." She said haughtily. "I wish to be frightened, not startled! A jump scare is like a comedian tickling you and saying "look, you're laughing!", it is substandard, it is unearned. Jump scares are what hacks use to get cheap screams! True horror is about ambiance!" She declared with a flourish of her free arm, since the other was still clinging to Midoriya's. "It stokes and scratches at the darkest recesses of the human mind! It is an artform! And jump scares are an insult to that artform!"

When Reiko calmed down from her little tirade, and took a deep breath to regain her composure, she noticed Midoriya staring at her with wide eyes.

Reiko cringed. 'Oh, no… I went and lectured him, he probably thinks I'm an utter killjoy, a veritable wet blanket… egad, I'm going to die alone!'

"Wow…" Midoriya breathed out in wonder. "I had no idea it was so deep! You're so passionate, Yanagi!"

"Wh-what?" Reiko gasped quietly.

"It's so fascinating, and I love how heated you got!" Midoriya gushed. "It reminds me of how I get with quirks! Isn't it amazing? That passion!?"

Reiko smiled hesitantly. "Yes… it is."

"But…" Midoriya hummed with a thoughtful frown. "What if the jump scare wasn't the point?"

"Beg pardon?" Reiko tilted her head.

"A jump scare as a sort of… "punch line" is cheap… but what if instead it is used as a type of distraction to set up something else?" Midoriya challenged.

Reiko took a moment to consider it. "Well… I suppose it would depend on the execution." She reached into her right boot to take out her phone, that she had put there since she forewent a purse, and her dress had no pockets… but to her shock, it wasn't there. "What the devil?"

"What's wrong?" Midoriya asked calmly.

"M-my phone is gone…" Reiko muttered. "I planned to use it to add light to our path, however… it is as if it was never there…"

"Strange…" Midoriya scratched his scar with his phone, he closed his eye to not be bothered by the light.

"May I use yours to locate it?" Reiko requested.

Midoriya winced and handed it over. "I'd love to help, but there's no signal here, see?" He showed off the screen.

"Oh, drats…" Reiko sighed.

"Don't worry, I'll come back here later to grab my car when it's brighter out, and I'll look for your phone." Midoriya promised. "And if I don't find it, I'll buy you a new one… it is my responsibility since I brought you here."

"You truly are such a gentleman." Reiko complimented. "It is a shock to me that you asked me out, of all people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Midoriya asked confusedly.

"Well… you are a top five hero, not just that, but the Ultimate Hero, the one who saved the world." Reiko pointed out. "There should be women falling over themselves to date you."

Midoriya's face went slightly sour. "You might not remember this… but when our second year at UA started, after the war and stuff… Kacchan and Todoroki were swarmed by fangirls… and only one person came up to me and said they looked up to me…" He sniffed shortly. "Story of my freaking life, I make the big sacrifices, I take down the big villains… but other people reap the big rewards." He scoffed. "Kinda pathetic, when you think about it…"

"I don't think so… I've never thought of you as pathetic." Reiko said honestly. "I respected your strength back at UA, well… feared it, honestly."

"After the war, I didn't even have strength." Midoriya reminded her.

"You still did… the type of strength only a man like you can have, you kept smiling, encouraging, pushing others to be greater, even when you lost your power." Reiko leaned her head on Midoriya's shoulder. "To me… there is no greater hero than you."

Midoriya sniffled and wiped away a few tears with the back of his sleeve, Reiko pretended not to notice, she didn't want him to feel embarrassed.

"Still… I would have thought that you'd have already found a partner in the last eight years… your female classmates would have to be quite foolish to not notice what an incredible catch you are!" Reiko declared.

"Think so?" Midoriya looked unconvinced.

"I was genuinely convinced you had something with Uraraka." Reiko said offhandedly, and to her surprise, Midoriya just scowled. "Is something the matter?"

"No… it's just… anything between me and Uraraka was all in my head… at least that's how she made me feel." Midoriya said shortly. "But let's not talk about other women while I'm on a date with you."

"Ooh?" Reiko put on a smirk, but she was a bit suspicious. "So quick to change the topic? Is the reason you asked me out some form of revenge against those who spurned you rather than attraction to m-" Reiko gasped when Midoriya pulled her by the arm and pushed her back into a tree. "M-Midoriya…?" She stuttered before wincing when Midoriya slammed his palm on the trunk of the tree near her head. 'The Kabedon Maneuver™?! Midoriya is formidable indeed!' She thought in a panic.

"Now, look here…" Midoriya leaned closer to her. "When I asked you out, it didn't have a thing to do with Uraraka… I asked you out because I want you to be my girl for real." He stated with utmost sincerity. "Fuck my classmates, fuck Uraraka, all that garbage doesn't mean a thing to me." He pinched Reiko's chin and tilted her head up to look him in the eye. "Baby, I'm focused on us."

Reiko's face went cherry red, her heart hammered so heart in her chest that Midoriya could probably hear it. And her legs were shaking… wow, he really made her weak in the knees!! How the hell has no other girl tried to snatch him up yet!? Did Reiko just win a cosmic lottery she didn't even know she signed up for?! Was she the luckiest girl in the world?!

"Now, come on." Midoriya gently pulled her away from the tree and directed her to hold his arm again. "Let's keep moving."

"Y-yes, let us…" Reiko breathed out heavily and leaned on Midoriya to support her shaky legs. "And…"

"Yeah?" Midoriya looked at her curiously.

Reiko blushed and looked away. "I will tell you once we are back to civilization… but I have a feeling you will like what I say…?" She said with a hopeful smile.

Midoriya smiled at her as they continued walking through the dark forest.

Every so often, another loud snap would echo from the darkness, causing Reiko to shriek and cling tighter to Midoriya, and Midoriya would take it all in stride… if only with a few laughs.

"Do not laugh at my expense!" Reiko pouted.

"Sorry, it's just that you're so cute when you're startled!" Midoriya said defensively.

Reiko pushed him away playfully and walked ahead with a faux huff, she glanced back at him with a fake pout- was she hearing music?

Midoriya smirked and skipped ahead of her, he turned midstride to face her and walk backwards. "It's close to miiiiiiidnight~ And something evil's lurking in the daaaark~" He twirled his phone between his fingers and made it disappear with a wave of his hand, robbing them of its light, and leaving only the moon to illuminate their path. "Under the moooooonlight~ You see a sight that almost stops your heart~"

Reiko giggled when Midoriya clutched his chest dramatically and stumbled behind her. She turned her head to look at him dancing around her like an utter dork, but she liked that about him.

"You try to scream~ But terror takes the sound before you make it~" Midoriya cooed teasingly.

Reiko pouted exaggeratedly and nodded with an obviously forced whimper.

"You start to freeze~" His entire body locked up and fell back, but he backflipped onto his feet and dashed around Reiko to face her. "As horror looks you right between the eyes~ You're paralyzed~"

Reiko rolled her eyes playfully as Midoriya continued to dance around her.

"You hear the doooor slam~!" Midoriya spun around to face Reiko while making a slapping motion, a loud echo like door slamming shut rang in Reiko's ears. "And realize there's nowhere left to run~" Midoriya twirled around Reiko and stuck his hands out. "You feel the cooooold hands~" He stumbled back to get behind Reiko and hold her shoulders. "And wonder if you'll ever see the sun~"

Reiko giggled and held Midoriya's hands as he leaned in over her shoulder to smirk at her. He let go of her and skipped forward to walk alongside her, and Reiko, feeling a bit more energetic than usual, skipped with him.

"You close your eyes~ And hope that this is just imagination~ Girl~" Midoriya sang lowly while Reiko gently raised a hand to hold his face for a moment before Midoriya skipped back to get behind her again. "But all the while~" He held her shoulders again. "You hear a creature creepin' up behind~ You're out of time~!"

Before Reiko could try to hold Midoriya's hands again, he let go of her shoulders and blurred ahead of her. Midoriya held up a finger, almost warningly, but the smile on his face only served to excite Reiko.

"They're out to get you~" Midoriya dashed to Reiko's side and held his hands out with his fingers curled like claws. "There's demons closing in on every side~" He clapped his hands, and suddenly, Reiko swore she saw movements between the trees. "Ooh!!"

It was getting pretty hard to see, even through the moonlight… it seemed like some sort of thick fog settled in the forest. So perhaps Reiko was just imagining it all.

"They will possess you~ Unless you change that number on the dial~" Midoriya warned Reiko before cozying up beside her with an arm around her shoulders to draw her closer to him. "Now is the time~ For you and I to cuddle close together~ Yeah~"

Reiko happily did so, but pouted when Midoriya let her go.

"All through the night~ I'll save you from the terror on the screen~" Midoriya sang while making a rectangle in the air with his fingers. "I'll make you see~!"

Reiko giggled and continued dancing around the forest with Midoriya, content to let the man set the pace and lead the dance.

She was so enamored with the sight of Midoriya dancing in the moonlight that she failed to notice the movements coming from the forest surrounding her and her date.

And then the beat suddenly stopped, and Reiko felt as if someone poured cold water over her neck. She sobered up and looked around to see shadowy figures step out from the smoggy forest to surround her and Midoriya.

The sight frightened Reiko, of course it had, but she wasn't a pro hero for nothing, she was prepared to fight alongside Midoriya. However, just then, Midoriya grabbed Reiko's shoulder hard enough to slightly hurt her.

Reiko winced and looked at Midoriya, only to gasp in fright when she saw him covered in the same shadows as those creatures- wait a goddamn minute!

"Pfft-!" Reiko stifled her laughter when the shadow creatures started dancing, with Midoriya in the lead.

Reiko remembered exactly what song Midoriya had been singing to her… and exactly what dance that song was famous for.

Midoriya and the shadow creatures clapped their hands above their heads before crouching low with their hands on their legs while shaking their heads like bobbleheads.

Reiko clapped repeatedly while laughing with delight as Midoriya continued the dance.

Midoriya suddenly spun around, the "shadows" exploded off of him as he sang. "'Cause this is Thriller~! Thriller night~! And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike~ You know it's Thriller~! Thriller night~! You're fighting for your life inside a killer~! Thriller!"

Reiko just couldn't stop laughing, it wasn't that she found what Midoriya doing laughable at all, or rather, not the effort of it. She found it funny, but she was so touched by the effort and the spectacle.

"'Cause this is Thriller! Thriller night~!" Midoriya came closer to her and held her face to direct her gaze to him. "Girl, I could Thrill you more than any ghoul would ever try~!"

Reiko's laughter ceased instantly, her face went red and her eyes widened.

"So let me hold you tight~ And share a killer~! Thriller~! Ow~!"

Reiko was drawn into the dance until the song ended, and by then, she was left panting for breath and slumped against Midoriya. She wasn't at all out of shape, but she was genuinely exhausted, if extremely happy.

"Wh-what was all of that?" Reiko asked between breathy giggles.

Midoriya cleared his throat and gestured to the shadow creatures… they were made of broken wood and leaves held together by Black Whip. Then he pointed at his feet, and Reiko saw Black Whip extended out from beneath his pantlegs.

"It took a while to set up… all those sounds were me breaking trees until I gathered enough material to pull this whole thing off." Midoriya admitted sheepishly.

"What for, though?" Reiko asked.

"Well… I figured that you'd like a classic like this… you know? A real life horror experience, only not as dangerous, so you'd know you were safe…" Midoriya rubbed the back of his head. "I wanted you to have a memorable first date."

Reiko looked at him with shining eyes. "You did all of that… for me?"

"Well… obviously." Midoriya nodded earnestly. "I told you, I want you to be my girl for real, Yanagi… I wanted to make the effort."

Reiko was shaking, she had no idea what to say.

"Although… I did scrap the initial plan and went for just covering myself in Black Whip, since what I had originally planned was just traumatic." Midoriya coughed into his fist while the Black Whip puppets fell apart.

"And what, pray tell, was that plan?" Reiko had to know.

"You're not gonna sleep if I show you." Midoriya warned her.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic-" Reiko's words died in her throat when, rather than the charming man that was Midoriya, what stood before her now was a twisted, inhuman monster with spears for bones, blades for teeth, and hellfire for eyes.

It still looked vaguely like Midoriya, but it was a mangled abomination that would frighten any mortal foolish enough to gaze upon its form.

'I…' Reiko thought in shock while bringing a hand to cover her mouth… or rather, the drool leaking from it, hearts pulsed in her eyes. 'I’m turned on.'

And just as it appeared, the malformation vanished, leaving Midoriya behind.

"H-how did you do that?" Reiko whispered.

"I'll explain later, it's a long story." Midoriya chuckled. "Anyway… I lied about the car breaking down." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out Reiko's phone. "Also, I swiped this from you during the first jump scare using Black Whip…"

Reiko barely contained her giggles while taking her phone back.

"Anyway, we should head back to the car, I'll drive us to the restaurant and-"

"Fuck the restaurant." Reiko said bluntly.

"Ah… what?" Midoriya looked at her with that adorable confusion of his, he looked like a puppy.

Reiko grabbed him by the lapels of his suit and dragged him closer to her before pressing her lips against his in a searing kiss. Midoriya's eyes widened in shock, and before he could fully process what was happening, Reiko pulled back with a loud sigh.

"Take me home." Reiko said bluntly.

"Wait, seriously?" Midoriya looked so panicked. "I-I thought you enjoyed-"

"Precisely!" Reiko put her finger against Midoriya's lips to shut him up. "You told me that if you showed me that macabre form of yours, I would not be able to sleep, but you miscalculated gravely, Midoriya… take me home… and I will not let you get a wink of sleep tonight."

Midoriya's eyes widened slowly in realization, and the next thing Reiko knew, she and Midoriya were running back to his car, and she was giggling the entire way like some lovestruck school girl.

This was the best first date of her life! And she hoped it'd be the last too!

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

The next day, Reiko was sitting in the same café as yesterday with her female classmates, this time, Tokage managed to join them, however, Shiozaki and Tsunotori were still absent.

"You went on a date with Midoriya!?" Tokage asked excitedly. "Holy shit, you go, girl!"

Reiko smiled shyly and hoped no one would notice that she was using her long hair, that was completely down, to hide her neck-

Tokage's detached hand brushed Reiko's hair aside to reveal her neck and the hickey that marked it. "And look who got lucky~"

Reiko blushed in mortification.

"On the first date?" Kendo asked judgmentally.

"He was so charming!" Reiko insisted. "He took me on a stroll through the woods in the dark, set the mood to make it spooky! And he recreated Michael Jackson's Thriller for me!"

Kendo, Tokage, Komori, and Kodai all stared at her.

Komori leaned back and folded her hands on her lap. "Yep, that'd do it."

"Kinoko!" Kendo looked at her aghast.

"Nah, she's right." Tokage twirled a lock of her dyed blond hair around her finger with a contemplative expression. "If a guy did that for me, I'd put out on the first date too… I'm a slut for that kind of effort."

"It's not being a slut, it's being appreciative." Kodai said critically. "If you find a guy willing to put in so much effort for you, and he's just genuinely kind and sweet… you don't need much more."

"Huh… guess so." Tokage shrugged.

"So… you and Midoriya are official now?" Kendo asked Reiko.

Reiko nodded while covering her neck again. "We are officially a couple… he woke up early to make us breakfast before he headed out to go fishing with Bakugou… and he told me he wanted to keep seeing me… and I said I'd be delighted to be his girlfriend. He kissed me and said I made him happier than he was on the day he received One for All…"

"Oh, now that's just so sweet!" Kendo couldn't deny it.

"He values you more than that practically godlike power? Yeah, Midoriya's a major keeper!" Tokage nodded repeatedly. "Damn, what was that Uraraka thinking, fumbling a bag like that?!" She laughed.

"Well, her idiocy is my gain." Reiko smiled giddily, a strange sight for her friends, since even in all their years of knowing her, they weren't aware she could be so radiant.

She was always beautiful, but more in a gloomy sort of way. The same way a haunted, gothic castle was beautiful.

"I've gotten myself the best boyfriend in the world!!" Reiko declared.

The girls looked at each other and smiled, they really were happy for Reiko.

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」

"-and you don't even have the decency to wear the same clothes as yesterday for me to make fun of you taking the walk of shame." Katsuki grumbled.

He and Izuku were sitting side by side on plastic crates in a fishing pond, dressed in casual clothes. Izuku was wearing black cargo shorts and a Dynamight T-shirt. And Katsuki was wearing jeans with a Deku themed tank top.

Because if your best friend doesn't wear your merch in public… is he really your best friend?

"Sorry, about that, Kacchan…" Izuku muttered.

Izuku… yeah… he was Izuku Midoriya, wasn't he? He spent so long in those dreams, he had lost hold of his sense of self, and at some point… the name that defined him was that insult that Katsuki gave him, the curse that Uraraka branded him with when she changed the meaning of it, and the scorn of Rex…

But he didn't mind being Deku… Deku saved the world, Deku had the most incredible students, Deku had a beautiful, cool girlfriend, Deku managed to come to terms with Rex and regain his powers and then some…

Being Deku wasn't so bad after all… but he wasn't just Deku, he was Izuku Midoriya as well.

"So, you finally gonna explain to me how you got One for All back?" Katsuki asked while pulling back his line to take his hook out of the water, the bait was gone, but there was no fish. "Dammit…"

"It's been a day." Izuku reminded him with a soft huff before shaking his head. "It's a long-" His phone buzzed, he took it out of his pocket to see Uraraka trying to call him. "Tch…" Izuku rejected the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

"Who was that?" Katsuki asked.

"Uraraka." Izuku answered before feeling a pull on his line. "Ooh!" He started reeling back the line with an excited grin.

"And you just rejected the call like that?" Katsuki asked while skewering a worm with the hook before tossing it back into the water. "That's not like you…"

"I'm done chasing after her, Kacchan." Izuku said seriously while plucking the fish he caught off his hook and tossing it into the bucket of water between himself and Katsuki. "She could have given me a clear answer either way, acceptance or rejection… but in the end, she didn't really owe me either, I accept that, it was her choice… now it's my choice to walk away, to focus on my own happiness." He explained while hooking a worm for another cast.

Katsuki nodded slowly while carefully watching his bobber gently sway in the water. "The entire class are shocked… all of them want to know what's going on… they want to talk to you."

"Well… that's too damned bad." Izuku said while casting his line into the water with a bored expression.

"That's cold." Katsuki laughed amusedly, but he didn't sound like he was reproaching Izuku.

"Maybe so, but… it boils down to choice again." Izuku explained. "I respect everyone's choices, they had their careers, their lives, their… everything else to prioritize, that's okay. I'm choosing to do the same, to prioritize on what's important… Reiko, my students, mom, you, and…" He grinned when he felt a pull on his fishing line, he spun the reel and pulled the rod back, a large trout was yanked out of the water. "The number one spot! For a start!!!

"Whoa! Look at that beauty!" Katsuki marveled at the sight of Izuku's catch.

"We're gonna be eating good!" Izuku laughed as well while Katsuki ran to grab a bigger container for the trout.

Katsuki brought over a large icebox and Izuku dumped the trout inside.

"So… the number one spot for a start?" Katsuki asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Yep!" Izuku nodded excitedly. "I realized something… when you told me to focus on what I want…" He looked at his scarred hands… and rather than feel shame, he felt as if each of them was a badge of honor. "I thought I already achieved my dream back then, that I "completed" One for All, and saved Tenko… and that was enough… but I realized that it wasn't. I wanted more. What I had up until now wasn't bad… I love my students, I love my job as a teacher, but I missed flying with you so much… and I'll be honest, I was also lonely, y'know?"

"I get'cha." Katsuki nodded.

"So… I… I want to keep striving." Izuku grinned at Katsuki while clenching his fists. "Japan's number one hero to start, then number one on the global rankings, as well as the greatest teacher in UA history, as well as the greatest hero to ever live, and…" He blushed. "It's awkward to say, since Yanagi and I just started dating, but I want to have a family too! I want to be a dad!"

"I'll be the cool uncle, right?" Katsuki asked quickly.

"Like there was ever a doubt." Izuku assured him. "But you see… I want so many things!?"

Katsuki looked at Izuku, and a bright smile appeared on his face, tears prickled in the corners of his eyes. "I'm glad… I really am so happy… that you're finally letting yourself say what you want, Izuku."

Izuku started tearing up as well, but before he could say anything…

(Play music: My Hero Academia OST – The Day Has Come)

Both his and Katsuki's phones buzzed, an emergency… villains were attacking.

Izuku and Katsuki grinned at each other.

"No rest for the wicked, huh?" Katsuki asked with a huff.

"Nope!" Izuku tossed the fish in the bucket into the icebox and hefted on his back, secured by Black Whip, as he and Katsuki broke out running before they both blasted off into the air together.

'This is the story…'

As they both soar across the sky together, they looked down at the world below, and the people screaming out their names as they flew by… Izuku felt at ease.

'Of how I accepted certain choices… and rejected others…'

All over Japan, the heroes of the legendary Class A received the notification that Dynamight and the newly repowered Deku were heading towards a villain attack together… but all of them were too far away to join them at the time… all they could do was watch from afar.

'It is the story of how I chose to embrace the good in my life… and strive for even more…'

The two of them ended up passing above the café Reiko was at with her friends, and a smile rose to her face when she saw her boyfriend fly above her. She used her quirk on her shoes and lifted herself into the air to join him. The other girls from the former Class B looked at each other and ran to join in, they were heroes after all.

'The story of how I learned the value of enforcing my Will, without sacrificing a thing.'

Izuku smiled happily when he saw Reiko in the air beside him, a smile she happily returned.

'This is the story of the different possibility that made me…'

Izuku saw the group of villains monkeying around on a reinforced truck, and he drew his fist back as black and red lightning crackled around his hand.

'The happiest I could ever be!'

Izuku recalled All Might's advice from all those years ago... he clenched his ass and screamed from the depths of his heart.

"SMAAAAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHH!!!"

「ALTERNATE POSSIBILITY」