Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

No One’s POV
It was just a normal day for class 1-A. “WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE?!”

“Bakubro! Calm down!”

Yup, completely normal. Shota Aizawa/Eraserhead looked around the room they were in and saw his class, Vlad King’s class, some faculty, pro heroes, and VILLAINS? Aizawa looked at all of his students doing attendance in his head. “Has anyone seen Midoriya?”

Slowly the other students looked around and saw that in fact, he was right, Izuku Midoriya was nowhere to be found. All of a sudden the room was lit up by a giant screen in the front.

“Students, heroes, villains relax! Today I will be showing you different things such as different realities, different outcomes, and just things that have happened. For example, All Might, what if you had been a few minutes later when the sludge villain almost killed him? Bakugou, what if he took your advice? Some of these events might have happened too. Anyways all of these clips have one thing in common. They are all about Izuku Midoriya, the resident cinnamon roll/broccoli boi. By now I am sure you have realized that said broccoli boi isn’t here, don’t worry he is fine. He will be joining in a little bit! Your quirks do work but that doesn’t mean you go and kill each other. Anyways the list of everyone here is Classes 1-A, 1-B, Mei Hatsume, LOV, Stain, Overhaul, AFO, and pro heroes, All Might, Endeavor, Hawks, Eraserhead, Vlad King, Midnight, Present Mic, Snipe, Nezu, Lunch Rush, Gran Torino, Cementoss, Thirteen, Ectoplasm, The Wild Wild Pussycats, and Recovery Girl. Also, there are civilians Rei Todoroki, Natsou Todoroki, Fuyumi Todoroki, Hitoshi Shinsou, Eri, and Kota Izumi. Just press play and the scenes will begin! There is food, drinks, beds, and bathrooms in the back.”

“Mom?” “Rei?” “Shoto?” Multiple voices rang throughout the room.

Present Mic looked at the five Todoroki family members and yelled, “Hey, hey, hey we got a full family in here!”

Shoto shook his head and said, “Let’s just start!”

“Todoroki’s right, let’s just start,” Aizawa said, wishing he had coffee as he was already feeling a headache coming.

Nezu pressed play and the screen turned dark and the words, ‘A few minutes too late.” appeared on the screen.

An alleyway appeared on the screen and in it was Izuku Midoriya.

“Nothing good ever happens in alleyways!” Shigaraki snorted.

All For One looked down at him, “I found you in an alleyway.”

Shigaraki snorted again, shrugging as he looked at the screen.

“That idiot, you can’t go out, telling people to kill themselves. What if I really jumped? What will he do then? Uh? My dreams have turned into fish food. That’s enough, give it back. Damn it. Stupid jerk.” Midoriya stopped walking, turning as he saw his notebook being surrounded by fish.

“Hero Analysis Notebook #13?” Nezu smirks out. Aizawa, Mic, and Midnight turned to see their boss with a shit-eating grin on his face. They all slowly look away, preparing for the world to end.

“Deku was bullied?”

“Damn, poor kid!”

“Yeah he was bullied, I’m more worried about the suicide part!”

Multiple heads turned to Hawks realizing that he was right.

“Bakubro, didn't you guys go to the same middle school?” Multiple people turned to Bakugou. He was silent, staring at the screen.

Bakugou nodded and slowly thought about what to say, “Yeah the shitty nerd got bullied a lot. The teachers didn’t do anything about it.”

Nezu slowly turns to look at him, “What middle school did you guys go to?”

“Aldera Junior High, why?”

“Oh, nothing, just planning a lawsuit.”

“Urgh! Hahahahahaha! Urgh...urgh…. a VILLAIN?”

“RUN!” Surprisingly it wasn’t a student who yelled that, it was Mic.

The sludge villain attacks Midoriya as he attempts to run away. “Don’t worry, I’m just taking over your body. It’ll be easier for both of us if you don’t fight back. It will only hurt for a minute. You’ll feel better soon.”

‘I can’t breathe.'

“Grab all you want, my body’s made out of fluid. Thanks for the help. You’re a real hero to me, kid. I didn’t know he was in the city. I gotta get out of here fast before he tracks me down.”

“Didn’t know who was in the city?” Spinner questioned.

All Might stared at the screen wondering if it was going to show what happened or if something different happened. “He’s talking about me. I recognize this.”

Multiple eyes turned to All Might in question. “It was about ten months before the entrance exam. It was the first time I ever met Midoriya.” All Might answered with a fond look on his face.

‘My body...is getting weak. I...I….think I’m dying. No way… this can’t be the end. Somebody….please….help.’

“I thought you met Deku here? Where are you?” Uraraka questions.

“I think I am in the sewer.” All Might replies not noticing the questioning glances.

The lid of the sewer flies at the sludge villain. “Have no fear, you’re safe. Now that I am here, that is.”

The sludge villain attacks All Might as he dodges. “TEXAS SMASH!!!”

“Huh? I….can't….hold….myself…..together.”

'Is...that….All...Might?'

Midoriya closes his eyes as the screen goes black and opens at a different place. Bakugou was standing in an all-black suit staring at something off-screen, holding a rose.

“What?”

“Is this what would have happened if I was a few seconds later?”

‘Shitty Deku, I may have told you to take a swan dive off of a roof but I didn’t mean it…’

Eyes slowly turned to look at Bakugou who was silent. “Bakubro, please don’t tell me that you told Midoriya to jump off a roof?”

The villains were huddled together judging him. “Should we have really tried to recruit him?”

The villains all shook their heads as they waited to hear what he said. Spinner was shaking his head and Magne looked furious but the person who made the rest of the league worried was Shigaraki. He was mumbling underneath his breath as he scratched furiously at his neck ignoring all of the blood.

“Bakugou, did you tell him to jump off a roof?” Aizawa was beginning to get mad.

No one but Kurogiri noticed that AFO was silent as he glared intensely at the young boy, mad that the blonde had told his son to kill himself. Kurogiri was confused as to why his master was so angry about it.

Bakugou nodded as he stared at the screen silently. That was when people started to feel it. The temperature was starting to lower dramatically, as people started shivering they looked at the boy responsible for the temperature decrease.

“Todoroki, are you okay?”

Before anyone could grab him, Shoto Todoroki lunged at him. “HE WAS ONLY EVER NICE TO YOU!!! HOW THE HELL COULD YOU TELL HIM TO KILL HIMSELF!? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND TOLD YOU TO JUMP OFF A ROOF?!”

Shoto’s mother and siblings were staring at him in shock. His father was the only one who reacted, “SHOTO STOP!”

Aizawa’s capture gear flung out and grabbed Shoto but some damage was already done. When Shoto was close enough he switched so he was using both his fire and ice and he did some damage to the boy. Natsuo and Fuyumi stared at their brother in shock. They both thought that he only used his ice still. “Shoto, when did you start to use your fire?”

As he started to bring the room back to a normal temperature he answered his siblings not looking at them. “Midoriya got me to use it during the sports festival and I have used it since a little bit after that.”

The villains stared at the boy surprised, they had never known that he was refusing to use half of his quirk. Before any of them could question why he never used his fire he turned back to the screen and pressed play on the remote.

‘...I didn’t think you would end up getting killed later that day.’ The camera turned to see a headstone with the name ‘Izuku Midoriya’ on it. ‘I am so sorry. To you and Auntie Inko,’ The screen turned to black as the words ‘The End’ appeared on the screen.

The room was silent as people started to cry silently until it was broken by a loud wail. Everyone was shocked to see Aizawa trying desperately to console his husband who was sobbing uncontrollably. The villains turned their heads to try and hide the few tears that did manage to surface while watching the screen.

*This is a reminder that I do not own My Hero Academia*
*I don’t do many author notes so when I do I highly recommend that you read them.*

Chapter Text

The room was silent, the tension lingering in the air after the universe had ended. The heroes - both students and pro’s alike – sat scattered around, a quiet hum of shock and disbelief still clinging among them all. The villains weren’t much better. Everyone’s eyes occasionally flicker between the now darkened screen, Bakugou, and Midoriya. Everyone was wondering what on earth they had witnessed. A universe where Bakugou had suicide-baited Midoriya. A universe where none of them ever ended up meeting Midoriya after he had tragically perished in the hands of the sludge villain. It was a lot to digest.

Bakugou himself had barely uttered a word since the footage had ended. He sat with clenched fists, shoulders tense, seething quietly to himself. Everyone knew he was angry, but what he was angry at—whether it was himself or the alternate version of him they’d just watched—no one could quite tell. Midoriya, on the other hand, was pale, his eyes wide with a mixture of horror and empathy for his alternate self. He wasn’t sure how to feel after watching his own demise unfold.

“We need a break,” Aizawa spoke up, breaking the silence. His voice was calm, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes as he glanced between Midoriya and Bakugou. “Let’s take five. We’ll process this.”

The room agreed in nods and murmurs, and everyone scattered to grab a drink or a snack to ease the tension. Midoriya stood from his seat, looking at the others, his mind still swirling with emotions from what they'd just witnessed. It was overwhelming.

As he moved towards the snack table, he found himself grabbing a bag of chips absentmindedly. But when he reached for the bottle of soda, he noticed a lone figure standing in the corner of the room, one that stood out in a way he wasn’t expecting.

Dabi, leaning casually against the wall, his eyes seemingly lost in thought, stared at the empty screen. His smirk from earlier had faded, replaced by a rare stillness. Midoriya hesitated, wondering if now was the right moment to speak. After all, Dabi had always been an enigma—someone whose presence was both intimidating and intriguing.

But in that quiet, strange moment, Midoriya found a strange urge to talk to him, if only to distract himself from the heaviness in the air.

“Uh... you want some chips?” Midoriya asked awkwardly, holding up the bag in a tentative gesture.

Dabi glanced at him, his expression unreadable. There was a moment of silence before he pushed himself off the wall and took a step closer, taking the chips from Midoriya with a half-smirk.

“Sure, kid. Not sure why I’d want to, but what the hell.”

Midoriya chuckled nervously. "Yeah, sometimes you just need to eat something when things get weird."

Dabi’s eyes flickered to the screen, then back at Midoriya, a quiet sigh escaping him. "You and I both know that was... messed up. That universe was a joke."

Midoriya nodded, biting his lip, still unable to shake the image of his own body crumpled in the sludge villain's grip. “Yeah. It felt so... wrong. I don’t know what’s worse—seeing myself fail or seeing you guys go watch all of that.”

Dabi tilted his head, staring at Midoriya for a moment before answering. "You're soft. Too soft, for your own good."

Midoriya blinked, surprised by the bluntness of Dabi's comment. "What do you mean?"

“You care too much about what happens to other people. About your alternate selves. The universes don't give a damn about that," Dabi explained, taking a slow bite of chips, his voice tinged with bitterness. "If anything, it’s just a reminder that we're all expendable."

Midoriya frowned, hurt by the coldness in Dabi's words. “That’s... not true. I mean, yeah, the universes are different, but that doesn’t mean we should stop caring about each other. It’s... it’s about who we choose to be now, right?”

Dabi snorted, an amused but cynical expression flashing across his face. "Look, kid, you’re still holding onto that hero ideal. Maybe that’s what makes you different from me. But in the end, the worlds are filled with people like me, who see it all as pointless. They either burn out or get crushed."

Midoriya was quiet for a moment, thinking about what Dabi had said. He wasn’t wrong—Midoriya had seen how dangerous the world could be. And yet, despite everything, he couldn’t give up on his dream. He couldn’t abandon the hope that things could change.

“I can’t just let it go,” Midoriya muttered, his voice soft but firm. “I can’t stop hoping for something better. Even if it means I might fail, I have to keep trying. That’s... who I am.”

Dabi’s gaze softened ever so slightly, though his expression remained mostly unreadable. He raised an eyebrow. “You really think you’re different from me, huh?”

Midoriya nodded slowly. “Yeah. I don’t think the way you do. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get why you feel the way you do. I know it’s hard.”

For the briefest moment, there was a flicker in Dabi’s eyes, something almost like understanding. But then it was gone, replaced with his usual aloofness.

"You're lucky, kid," he said quietly, more to himself than to Midoriya. "You're lucky you've still got that hope."

Midoriya was silent, wondering if he'd just caught a glimpse of something deeper within the villain. Something that, even now, still held on to the slivers of humanity Dabi had buried beneath his anger.

The two stood there for a moment longer, the only sound being the crunching of chips. The rest of the room seemed to fade away, as if the universe itself had paused to let this strange, unexpected conversation unfold.

Finally, Midoriya spoke again, his voice lighter this time. "Maybe one day you'll see it, too. That it’s worth it, I mean."

Dabi didn’t answer, but his eyes met Midoriya’s, and for just a fleeting second, there was a silent acknowledgement between them.

As the break continued, the two quietly returned to the others, the weight of their unspoken understanding lingering in the air.

But as the next universe began to load, neither could quite shake the strange bond that had formed, however fleeting, between a hero and a villain—two souls from different paths, but not so entirely different after all.

Chapter Text

The screen brightens as the next universe begins. The words ‘Unfiltered Connection’ written in harsh, bold letters. 

Izuku Midoriya sat in front of his camera, his fingers tapping nervously on his desk. His YouTube channel, Unfiltered Deku, was growing rapidly, and his audience loved the raw, honest nature of his videos.

“Woah Deku! You're a YouTuber in this universe! That’s so manly bro!” came Kirishima’s voice.

He reviewed anything and everything - tech gadgets, gaming equipment, other streamers, and even some issues posed towards society. His most recent stream was going to be a reaction to a streamer who was seen as someone very controversial in the online world, someone who had gained a cult-like following despite - or maybe because of - his dark, unsettling content.

Shigaraki snorted, lowering his voice so only Midoriya would hear him. “Cult-like following? Jesus Christ kid, are you reacting to Stain or some shit?”

All Might and Aizawa’s heads snap over to look at the two as Midoriya erupts into laughter. Aizawa who already didn’t like the leader of the League of Villains sitting next to his problem child. Them sitting next to each other and not interacting was great, but this was different. Whatever it was that Shigaraki just mumbled made Problem Child laugh and he didn’t like it or trust it.

Tomura Shigaraki. Known to some as the Leader of “The League of Villains” - a group of streamers who posted dark, unsettling videos.

Midoriya snorted again, whispering to Shigaraki, “I thought that Stain had cult-like fans. But to be fair the League of Villains is kind of a cult.”

Shigaraki’s head snapped over to Midoriya, “You take that back!”

Aizawa couldn’t hear what the two young men were talking about and looked towards his coworkers who all didn’t seem to like what was happening. Aizawa looked over to where some of his other students were sitting and mumbled, “Jirou, can you hear me right now.”

Jirou, who was subtly listening in on Midoriya and Shigaraki, looked up, making eye-contact with Aizawa, and nodded. “Good! Can you hear what Midoriya and Shigaraki are talking about? It’s making some of us pros a little nervous.”

Jirou nods once more, “Next break we get, could you come over to the pro’s and explain what they keep whispering about please.” Another nod in response.

Izuku wasn’t sure why he was so intrigued by Shigaraki’s presence on the internet. The man had never shown his face - only a mask that was designed to look as though someone had put their hand on his face and left it there. All anyone knew about what he looked like was that he had bright blood-red eyes and that he had greyish blue hair that was about shoulder-length. His content was filled with harsh critiques of society that bordered on nihilism. It was like watching a car crash that you couldn’t look away from. Some saw him as a “villain” of the internet, some as an “anti-hero” but one thing was very clear: Shigaraki had a commanding power over his audience. 

“Oh woah Shigaraki is a YouTuber as well! Are there no heroes and villains?”

“He still has a handlike object covering his face.”

“This universe is interesting.”

“I know that Midoriya and Shigaraki and the main people we are watching, but why?”

Today’s video for Unfiltered Deku, was a reaction to one of Shigaraki’s latest streams. He took a deep breath, clicked go live, and pressed play on the video.

The stream began with a dimly lit room, Shigaraku’s shadowy figure barely visible in the corner of the frame. His voice was low, raspy, and deliberate.

“You all pretend like you know how the world works. But the truth is, you’re all just following the same tired rules, the same systems that keep you in place. Break free, or don’t, but don’t pretend you have any control.”

Various heroes, hero-students, and villains turn towards Shigaraki. As he is sitting next to him, Dabi loudly goes, “wow boss. You actually have a brain in that head of yours.”

Shigaraki’s head snapped towards Dabi, “Do you have a death wish or something patchface?”

Izuku raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t deny the raw energy in Shigaraki’s words, but he also couldn’t bring himself to fully agree. He knew that the world was dark but Shigaraki was making it seem a lot darker than it was…right?

Aizawa and All Might look towards their student surprised. As do many other heroes and heroes in training. Aizawa turns to make eye-contact with Jirou again, who nods as she is still eavesdropping. Jirou listens, surprised to hear Shigaraki ask the class cinnamon roll, “Do you really agree with me on that?

Midoriya seemed to pause for a moment, “Yeah, our system is flawed and people hide behind masks so they don’t get frowned at or discriminated against. Our world is severely messed up Shigaraki. But I don’t think that we are completely doomed like you make it seem like we are.”

To Jirou’s amazement, Shigaraki hums thought and responds, “Right you are Izuku Midoriya, you just don’t seem to stop surprising me do you.”

He paused the video, “Well, what a way to start a stream. He really doesn’t hold back at all, does he?” 

Izuku chuckled nervously, unsure if he was actually laughing or if it was more than just uncomfortable. His audience, ever the supportive crowd, chimed in with their own opinions and mix of comments.

User123: “I think Shigaraki onto something…but like, YIKES, do you have to say it like that!”

HeroFan64: “Deku, you’re gonna react, right? Tell us what you think!”

ShigarakiFan4EVR: “LOL, I can’t wait til Shigaraki see’s this”

Dekuisthebest: “LOL, Deku’s reaction is going to be priceless. He's gonna roast this guy!”

“Oh my god Mina look at some of those account names! Dekuisthebest?!”

Midoriya and Shigaraki seemed to make eye contact, Dabi leans over so both of them will hear him and says, “Why do I have a feeling this universe is much better than the last one but is also going to be very weird.”

Midoriya nods slowly, “I feel the same way right now.”

Izuku felt the weight of their expectations. It was his job to be real, to tell his honest opinion, and always speak the truth. But the more he listened to Shigaraki, the more he felt that he was right.

The video continued, and Shigaraki’s words grew more cutting. “You don’t even know who you are. You hide behind the masks of kindness and responsibility, but deep down, you know the truth. You’re just like me, you just don’t have the guts to admit it.”

The pro-heroes seem to turn a little grim, as they start whispering to each other, “If he has such a mass following as this YouTuber then what will happen in our universe?”

“What if he gets a following like that in our universe?”

“Y-Young Midoriya a-agrees with him?!”

Izuku frowned. His finger hovering just above the pause button, but the words gnawed at him. He had spent so much of his life trying to be the hero everyone expected him to be, by always speaking the truth and giving his honest opinions on matters, but, was he really just hiding behind a mask like Shigaraki said he was? Before he could respond, his phone buzzed with a notification from Instagram: Someone has sent you a message. 

“Wait, what?”

ILUVUDEKU: “What’s going on? You look confused?”

DekuFan69: “Hey you're streaming, get off your phone haha!”

Izuku snorted at the comments coming in as he replied, “Sorry guy’s someone has messaged me on Instagram, one second and I will continue.”

Confused, he looked to see who was requesting a message. Message request from Tomura Shigaraki.

Both men seemed to freeze not realizing that this universe would have them actually interacting with one another, the self-proclaimed Deku-squad was growing more and more concerned.

Tomura Shigaraki: “Nice reaction. You seem to think you have the right to judge me, but you also seem to understand exactly what I am saying.”

Izuku froze, his heart racing. There was no way this could be real. Could it? Was Tomura Shigaraki watching his stream that was about him?

“Ah-Young Midoriya?” All Might called from further away from them. Both Shigaraki and Midoriya turned. “Do you feel like that here? In o-our universe?”

Shigaraki froze. Was All Might’s successor about to agree with how he views the world? Was this really happening?

Dabi lowered his voice just enough where Midoriya wouldn’t overhear, “boss are you alright? 

The slow nod in response didn’t seem to satisfy Dabi but he let the matter drop just as Midoriya seemed to have gathered his thoughts. “W-well, I mean, he’s not exactly wrong if you think about it. For example take you, All Might, think about how you interact with civilians, your students, your colleagues, and then your friends. You act differently with all of them due to the mask you use or I guess the persona you use.”

To everyone’s surprise a voice next to Midoriya popped up, “I agree with Midoriya and well I suppose Shigaraki as well. Look at my father, he acts very differently when he is home compared to when he is out in public.” The rest of the Todoroki family nods in agreement with Todoroki.

He clicked on the profile. It was definitely Shigaraki - the haunting face mask and incredibly, eerie, cryptic bio. Izuku felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could think of a possible response, another message popped up.

Tomura Shigaraki: “I always thought that everyone was the same. Trying to make sense of a senseless world. But you seem to be different then the rest, Deku. You seem as though you may understand it.”

“No offense Shigaraki but I cannot tell if these are insults or compliments.”

“To be honest brat, I think they may be a mixture of both.”

“Well that’s really helpful.”

“Will you two stop whispering to each other like two people in a secret relationship?”

Everyone turned to the two young men screeching in unison, “WHAT THE FUCK DABI”

Aizawa looked over at Jirou who’s skin had gone about three shades paler. Not liking that he whispers to the rest of the pros, “After this universe is over, we are definitely taking a break and we need to speak with Jirou because whatever Problem Child and Shigaraki are whispering about seem to be making her really uncomfortable.”

Nezu nods as he stares confused at Midoriya who has started to resemble a strawberry with the blush he had going on. “Aizawa-kun, what do you think Dabi said, because Midoriya is blushing quite hard right now.”

“To be completely honest Nezu, I have no idea and Jirou’s reaction to whatever it was, is beginning to make me nervous.”

Izuku’s fingers trembled. He had to reply, Shigaraki had to have noticed that the chat was open. His heart thudded heavy in his chest as he typed back.

Deku: “What do you mean? I am just being honest with my fans and reacting to your stream.”

Toga leaned close to Dabi and Twice, “Is it just me or does it seem like they are flirting in this universe?”

Dabi grins, “I’m so glad I am not the only one thinking about it.”

He stared at the screen, waiting for a response while also being mindful that he was still streaming. He locked his phone and set it down, turning back towards the camera, apologizing and saying, “Sorry everyone! I can easily respond later once I have finished this. Anyways, let’s get back to the video.”

“Brat are you seriously making me wait for you to respond? You left me on open?”

“Stop calling me brat, it’s weird, just call me by my name.”

“Nah, I'm good.”

Izuku continued his way through the video, wondering what Shigaraki’s response was going to be, feeling slightly bad that he hadn’t yet responded or opened the chat again. As he filmed his outro and said goodbye to his fans, his phone buzzed once again. Logging out of his computer he picked up his phone and logged back into instagram.

He opened his chat with Shigaraki and noticed the response was a video message. Pressing the video, Shigaraki appeared on the stream, his blood-red eyes seeming to be gleaming in the dim light. His voice seemed more unsettling than usual. “Honesty? Do you seriously think that you are the only one who tells the truth? Everyone hides behind something. Even you, you may not even realise it yourself, but you definitely seem to agree with me about people hiding stuff.”

“You know I really hate to say this, but he’s actually making a really good point.”

“URARAKA!”

“What? Am I wrong?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean you have to say that.”

Izuku’s breath hitched. For some reason, Shigaraki’s words were cutting through him, exposing parts of himself that he didn’t even realise were there. He never thought that a faceless man on the internet could get under his skin this much.

Izuku’s musings were interrupted by a new message request. It was another member of the League of Villains.

Dabi: “You know, Shigaraki really likes to mess with people. Don’t let him get in your head. But if you want real trouble, you should try talking to me. I’m not anywhere near as cryptic as the boss. That type of shit just pisses me off.”

Dabi snorts, “Yeah I really do hate when you try to be all cryptic. It’s annoying as fuck.”

Izuku blinked surprised, Dabi? One of Shigaraki’s friends? He had heard of him before - another notorious streamer with a reputation for being just as unpredictable as Shigaraki, but had a much more laid-back vibe. He hesitated for a second before typing back.

Deku: “I’m not trying to get into any trouble, just trying to understand.”

Dabi: “Well, good luck with that. The boss doesn’t make it easy on anyone. But hey, if you ever want some chaos, you know where to find me.”

Dabi leans over Shigaraki and stage-whispers, “Y’know kid, even if in this universe you wanna create some chaos, i’m always down.”

Todoroki turns to unknowingly look at his elder brother, “He has a chaos rule. If he is going to create chaos he must have at least one other Deku Squad member with him.”

Shigaraki chokes on his water, “Seriously you have a chaos rule? What’d you do start a fire?”

Todoroki hums nonchalantly, “Yes, he did. Aizawa-sensei was upset.”

Izuku couldn’t help but chuckle. For the first time that day, the tension lightened and his shoulders untensed. But his mind was still buzzing with Shigarki’s words.

A few day’s later Izuku decided that he was going to take a different approach. He was once again going to go live but this time he was going to respond to both Dabi and Shigaraki.

“Hey, everyone,” he began, his voice seeming more subdued than usual. “So, I’ve been thinking a lot after my last reaction video… and I guess, I’m kind of still processing everything that Shigaraki said. You know, about masks. I think there is a lot of truth to what he said. I’ve spent my whole life trying to live up to this image, to be the most perfect version of myself…but what if deep down I’ve been hiding who I really am?”

He paused, his fingers gripping his desk as he tried to collect his thoughts. “Deep down I think that we are all a little like Shigaraki. Afraid to face the truth, but wanting to, at the same time. I know that I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I’m trying to figure it out. I can say for certain that Shigaraki is most certainly not wrong though, a lot of people hide behind masks.”

“Wow, Deku, if you ever decide you don’t want to be a hero anymore, you definitely have the opportunity to work in politics.”

“Yeah i’d vote for you in a heartbeat”

“You seem like you would actually care about your people and try to help everyone.” Eyes turned to see Kurogiri as the one who surprisingly said that.

Izuku’s heart raced as he spoke his outro, wondering how his followers would react to such a different video. It was a stark difference to his usual energetic content, but something about being vulnerable in this situation felt…right. As he logged off his computer he heard his phone buzz once. A new instagram notification from Shigaraki.

“Jesus boss, stop stalking the poor kid. He goes live and you instantly message him.”

Tomura Shigaraki: “That’s much more like it. I was right, you do understand what I am getting at. Don’t pretend that you aren’t interested in all of the chaos this is causing. You’re one of us, whether you want to admit it or not.”

The two young men turned to each other, both unknowingly wondering the same thing. How similar are we to one another?

Izuku took a deep breath. He stared at the message, the pull he felt towards Shigaraki and his words seeming stronger than ever. Maybe Shigaraki was right. Maybe there was more to him than just the mask he wore for the world. Maybe it was time to stop hiding.

As his screen lit up with a new stream notification—Shigaraki was live—Izuku couldn’t help but click the link. He didn’t know where this connection or understanding was going, but he couldn’t help but think that this was only the beginning, and maybe, just maybe, he didn’t want to stop.

The End

“Alright, I don’t know about everyone else but I want to get some more snacks and maybe a blanket or two.” Kaminari says as he and Mina walk over to the snack table.

Everyone seems to scatter for a few minutes. The League of Villains and the Deku Squad seemed to agree on picking two members to grab snacks and blankets. While Jirou walks straight towards Aizawa and the other proheroes. “Jirou, are you alright? You seem surprised.”

Jirou looked over at her sensei and her principle, both were proheroes that she not only looked up to but also trusted with her life. “Sensei, I think that Shigaraki and Midoriya may be becoming friends. They seem to get closer with this last universe.”

Aizawa and Nezu nod, “Thank you for telling us. If you hear anything else you want to discuss feel free to bring it up to us during breaks.”

“Of course, enjoy your guys' break.”