Chapter Text
“You have no right to do this!!” the HPSC president shrieked as a pair of police officers gripped her upper arms.
“Oh crap, wait really?” Hawks feigned surprise, before lifting a piece of paper up to his eyes. “Huh, says here there’s an order for your arrest! It sure looks like they have the right to do this to me!”
After Endeavor had brought the HPSC’s questionable methods to light in the press conference, the public had demanded a transfer in power to someone more trustworthy and moral. The current president was none too happy about that, obviously, and had refused to be removed from her position. It had gotten to the point where her subordinates had needed to call the police to get her to leave - which showed just how happy they were with their boss.
The HPSC president growled at Hawks, trying to jerk away from the police as they cuffed her wrists. “You work for me! For me! Not these oblivious fools, so move your ass and help me!!”
With a quirk flap of his wings, Hawks was in the president’s face, bending down to look her dead in the eye. “Or else what?”
The president flinched from the malice in his tone.
“You’ve been giving me orders all my life. I’ve been forced to do things - inhumane, atrocious things - all to upkeep your twisted version of perfect. You’ve created a terrible society that just spawns violence and hatred in a never ending circle, and I’m sick of it. And a lot of other people are sick of it too.”
Hawks straightened, the dark glint in his eyes making the president shudder.
“You deserve what’s coming to you and more, for treating people like puppets and the world like your play. It’s a miracle I never snapped.”
His words stunned the president to silence, and her mouth remained shut all the way out the door of her office.
“That bitch never could figure out how to shut up.”
Hawks blinked in surprise at the words from Mera, who was nominated to be the new HPSC president, before he snorted. “You’re already a better president.”
“I don’t know about that,” Mera mumbled, his sleep-depravity dragging down his tone, while his eyes wandered over what was now his office. “But the issues with HPSC were apparent to me for a long time. Now I actually have the ability to do something about them. Probably won’t help my sleep schedule though…”
“I’m just glad we’ve now got a president who actually cares,” Hawks said.
“Oh yeah, one of the first changes we’re implementing,” Mera started, turning to look at Hawks. “You’re gonna be cut free from the HPSC. No more missions or assignments from us. You’ll get to choose your own incidents to respond to, instead of needing approval from us.”
Hawks’ lungs drew in a breath of disbelief, as his eyes went wide with amazement.
“You’re your own hero now, not property of the HPSC.”
The words froze Hawks in place, but he felt like he was floating, like he was gliding through air that made his body and feathers lighter. His wings prickled outward, feeling the forces that had confined him his whole life dissipate. The chains that had binded his thoughts, chains of expectation and regulation, broke off, leaving behind the feeling of soaring through clouds.
He didn’t have to obey some higher power now. He was released from the stress of being controlled.
Hawks was truly free.
He couldn’t remember the last time he got to make his own choices, without some other force hovering over him, their looming presence promising pain if he made the wrong decision. This feeling of freedom had never existed in his life before, had it?
He remembered Toga at the yakuza raid. Is this feeling she had found after leaving the League? The feeling of finally being outside of the grasp of dangerous, powerful influences - free to act and feel for herself. Free to be herself.
That’s what Twice was experiencing now too, Hawks realized with a smile. It felt wondrous, like he had clouds for lungs and sun rays for bones.
“Thank you sir,” Hawks bowed, gratitude glowing in every vibration of his tone. Tears of raw shock and emotion welled up in his eyes.
His breath hitched. When had he last cried?
Mera offered him a small but real smile. “You’re very welcome.”
As his teardrops glittered through the air and landed on the floor, Hawks felt something new rising up in his heart, like a sunrise after a long, cold night. He never thought he’d feel hope, or excitement for the future before.
Both the trapped villains and the trapped heroes had managed to find freedom.
“Oh wow she’s so cuuute!!” Toga squealed as she bent down to extend her hand out to Shinso’s cat. Sharpie’s pale blue eyes studied her for a moment, judging if the girl was worth her time.
“She likes people with trauma,” Shinso stated, before sipping from a cup of coffee he’d made in the rehabilitation center’s rec room, at their coffee maker.
“Then she should love us!” Twice exclaimed, who still wore his mask, even with jeans and a jacket. “Though I don’t know, I’ve never really been an animal pers-”
“Ooo!” Toga beamed as Sharpie brushed her forehead against her knuckles, accepting her. The blonde reciprocated the action with some scratches at the cuff of Sharpie’s neck. “I think she likes me.”
The cat started purring as Toga continued to give her rubs, and Shinso smiled faintly. “Yeah, she does.”
“I thought she’d like Twice and Himiko,” Midoriya said, grinning as he watched the scene. He and Uraraka were settled close to each other on the couch, with Twice and Shinso in two comfy chairs across from them, while Toga remained crouched on the floor with Sharpie next to the coffee table between them all.
Midoriya and Uraraka were able to snuggle together like that after talking to Toga about their relationship. They hadn’t wanted to keep it a secret from her, and she’d taken it much better than they expected. She said she’d learned about respecting boundaries in her therapy sessions, along with methods to mitigate her jealousy.
In short, she was happy they were together and wouldn’t impede on their relationship.
“We have brought refreshments!” exclaimed a voice from the doorway, where two people were posing dramatically. Gentle held up a box of sweets and candies, with La Brava doing jazz hands to emphasize its importance.
“Oh yay!!” Toga exclaimed, springing up from the floor. Sharpie’s eyes went big from the sudden movement, and she stood up and trotted over to Twice, before leaping up into his lap. Twice’s eyebrows shot up, while Gentle set the box full of sweets down on the coffee table.
The former villain’s hands hovered on either side of the cat, not sure what to do with her. Sharpie helped him out though, by rubbing her face against his palm and snuggling up against his stomach and purring. An amazed smile fell on his lips as he brushed his hands over her fluffy fur.
Even though the smile wasn’t visible under the mask, Toga and Midoriya both noticed it, and their hearts were filled with joy.
By the time Twice looked up from the cat, everyone had grabbed a treat of some sort from the box - fruit gummies or Pocky or mochi - meaning it was now his turn to choose.
“What’s left?” Twice asked, not wanting to stand up with a cat on his lap.
La Brava peaked over the rim of the box. “Just a couple bars of chocolate - one dark and one white.”
Twice visibly cringed through his mask at the mention of white chocolate. “I’ll take the dark, please, not the white!”
“Sure thing!” La Brava tossed him a bar of dark chocolate. “Good choice too.”
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, with Gentle adding, “White chocolate is so terribly harsh on the taste buds.”
“I’m so glad you all have taste,” Shinso commented. While Twice lifted up the bottom portion of his mask to pop in a square of chocolate, Shinso continued with, “Sharpie seems happy with you.”
Twice blinked down at the cat. “Oh yeah! And the crazy thing is, I’ve never even owned a cat before. Think I’ve been missing out.”
“Maybe when we get out of here we can get one!” Toga cheered, settled on the floor next to Twice, while Gentle and La Brava were across from them on the couch with Midoriya and Uraraka.
As Twice felt the cat’s purrs vibrating against him, he could do nothing but nod in agreement.
“How are things going for you here?” Midoriya asked.
“Pretty great! Everyone’s really friendly!” He dipped his head a little. “The therapy sessions are rough though…”
“Well duh, if they were easy, they wouldn’t help!” Toga replied, peering up at him from the ground.
Twice inclined his head towards her. “That’s true. It’s just a lot, with everything there is in my head to work through.”
“Luckily, you have some wonderful peers to support you through your journey!” Gentle proclaimed, and Twice’s expression brightened at the reminder of his newfound friendship.
“Yeah, exactly!” Twice exclaimed, the sudden jump in his mood apparent.
Throughout the course of the conversation, Midoriya had been watching Twice to see if any of his erratic tendencies were still bothering him. While he had shown some jumps in mood, going from slightly downcast to cheery (or vice versa), it wasn’t as extreme as what it had been in the League. Previously, he had gone from grumbling over his existence to the most ecstatic person Midoriya had ever seen in the time it took to blink.
Midoriya knew these tendencies were from the traumatic event he’d experienced, where his mental state had snapped and split. If he was improving, that meant he was overcoming his trauma too. The thought brought a smile to his lips.
“What about the other League members?” Toga inquired. “I know what happened to Dabi and Shiggy… but what about Spinner and Mr. Compress?”
“From what I’ve heard, they’re doing alright too,” Uraraka offered the blond a reassuring smile. “They’ve also landed in a rehabilitation center. I don’t know how it compares to this one, but they’re being taken care of.”
Both Toga and Twice seemed to relax at that, as they exchanged relieved looks with each other. Their friends were safe.
But then Twice’s brow furrowed, and he hesitantly asked, “How did they handle Shigaraki’s death? Were… were they upset or happy or, I don’t know, relieved?”
Midoriya answered with a soft voice. “I think Spinner and Mr. Compress were just glad Shigaraki broke out of All For One’s control in the end, in the same way they broke away from his leadership.”
Toga nodded along with slow bobs of her head. While she definitely hadn’t liked Shigaraki, she’d never wished death upon him, so hearing he’d disintegrated himself had been quite upsetting. She and Twice had taken some time to talk over it together.
“I have a question too!” La Brava’s hand shot into the air, her energetic tone immediately lifting the mood. The way her eyes honed in on Midoriya made him nervous. Her hand lowered from the air to aim a finger at Midoriya’s guitar, which he’d left in the corner of the room. “Can you play that?”
“Uhm,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sort of?”
“He’s amazing at it,” Shinso interjected, and Midoriya’s nervous smile turned bashful.
“I’m sure he’d love to play something, if you’d like!” Uraraka turned to look at her boyfriend. “That is why you brought it, right?”
“Yeah, though I’m still not the most confident in front of other people-”
“You were able to play in front of all of those people at your school festival!” Toga countered. “I’m sure you can handle playing a song for a few friends.”
Her use of the word ‘friends’ warmed his heart. “I guess that’s true.”
While he cast a glance at his guitar, Gentle responded with, “I’m sure whatever you decide to play would be an absolutely delightful listen.”
It only took a few seconds of thought for Midoriya to recall a song that he was sure everyone in the room would enjoy, and everyone’s encouraging gazes resting on him convinced him to push aside his worry. After retrieving his guitar from the corner and settling back down next to Uraraka, his fingers hovered above the strings for a moment as he rehearsed the chords in his head.
The strums started out slow and low-pitched, easy enough to play, but heavy enough to carry emotion.
“Have you ever felt like nobody was there?” he started singing, quiet and hushed. “Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?”
Knowing who he was in the room with, he chose a song they could relate to - a song that had carried his spirits after transferring to UA.
“Have you ever felt like you could disappear?”
He remembered how their stories had started, how the rejection and loneliness had broken them.
“Like you could fall, and no one would hear?
He played a couple high-pitched chords, slowly, so that there was more silence in the air than music. It gave the words time to sink in.
“Well, let that lonely feeling wash away.” A soft smile split his face, and the strumming picked up in speed. “Maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay.”
His smile widened as he remembered his own reason, his revived hope for the future, all thanks to the kindness other people had shown him.
“'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand,” his eyes flicked up to Shinso across from him, and the boy gave a small smile. “You can reach, reach out your hand.”
He remembered their emotional talks at the Sports Festival and summer camp, before turning to Uraraka next to him, as the strumming picked up further.
“And oh… someone will come running.”
A bright grin spanned her face, displaying her support, and then Midoriya looked towards the former villains in the room.
“And I know, they'll take you home…”
His strumming went quiet again, with only a single high-pitched strum between each line. His soft but strong voice carried the melody in the air.
“Even when the dark comes crashing through,” his eyes landed on Twice, thinking back to all the mental torment he’d survived. “When you need a friend to carry you.”
Twice’s eyes were big, almost childlike, as he listened to the song, and Toga was beaming up at him.
“And when you're broken on the ground.”
Toga had clawed and fought to overcome her past, but now she truly had the ability to be herself.
“You will be found.”
From Toga’s beaming smile, Midoriya looked to Gentle and La Brava to the side of him.
“So let the sun come streaming in.” Gentle’s eyes filled with light when a stronger strum vibrated the air. “'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again.”
Those two had taken a chance when turning themselves in, and they had turned out so much happier for it.
“Lift your head and look around.” His eyes swept across everyone in the room, the smile on his face big and genuine. “You will be found.”
All the former villains in that room had struggled to leave their flaws and despair and anger behind them, but now they were facing a brighter future, one with less broken people and more stories of hope.
“You will be found.”
Midoriya believed their stories would work to lift up the future generation. It would teach them that all isn’t lost, that there is always a path to a better life. Their stories would show them how to choose hope and kindness over hatred and pain.
“You will be found.”
Fewer people would let their past dictate them. They’d find home - just like Midoriya had in Class A, and the others in the rehabilitation center.
Instead of being alone and abandoned, they’d be found.
“I fricking knew it!” Bakugo exclaimed.
The blond had a large bag slung over his shoulder, heading into UA to drop off his luggage for the dorm rooms before school started the next day, while Midoriya was heading out the gates, away from UA.
“What, was it really that obvious?” Midoriya asked sheepishly.
Bakugo cocked his head to the side. “Heck yeah. There’s no way you weren’t going to end up attending UA. It was only a matter of time before the principal invited you.”
“I guess that’s true… it still felt amazing to have it confirmed though.”
Bakugo took a moment to trace Midoriya’s small smile with his eyes, remembering a time when smiles from the boy were scarce. The corner of his mouth turned upwards at the thought of how much the former villain had improved - how much they’d both improved, especially in their relationship.
“Hey, we’re friends now, right?” Bakugo asked.
Midoriya blinked at the question. “I think with everything we’ve been through, it’d be difficult to say we aren’t. So yeah, friends.”
Bakugo nodded, and Midoriya could tell how happy he was with his answer by the way the corner of his mouth tugged upwards a bit more. “Cool.”
Midoriya took a step away from the gates, beginning his departure. “So, see you in school tomorrow, I guess?”
“There’s no ‘I guess’ about it!” Bakugo corrected sharply. “Getting kidnapped or hospitalized or choosing a terrible career aren’t allowed to stop you from attending UA this time!! I won’t accept any excuses.”
The former villain laughed lightly. “Alright then, see you tomorrow.”
“You better,” Bakugo said as he turned away and started walking towards UA.
Midoriya shook his head and smiled, before remembering why he was leaving and who he was supposed to meet.
The teen spotted All Might sitting at one of the benches at the beach, the wind blowing his hair while sunlight accentuated its goldenness.
“Hey, All Might,” Midoriya greeted as he took a seat next to his mentor.
The retired hero gave him a warm smile. “Hello, Young Midoriya. Are you excited to start school tomorrow?”
The teen answered with an enthusiastic nod. “It’ll feel great, going there as a student this time, instead of a villain or rehabilitant.”
All Might hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes sparkling with pride. “It truly is astounding just how far you’ve come, Young Midoriya. And I can’t wait to see how much further you’ll go.”
“Thank you for what you said during your speech,” Midoriya replied, dipping his head gratefully. “Everything about how you believe in me, despite my past and what I’ve done. It really meant a lot.”
“Of course.” All Might placed a hand on his successor’s knee. “Anything I can do to lighten the load, just let me know.”
Midoriya nodded in understanding. “Thank you… again.”
All Might chuckled. “It’s not a problem. What about you and Young Uraraka? How are you two getting on?”
The teen’s expression instantly softened at the mention of his girlfriend. “It’s amazing. She’s unlocked up doors I never thought would be open for me, and I could gush about her for hours.” He laughed a little, before remembering something. “Oh yeah, we had a conversation the other night about, well, what type of symbol I would be. Like how you were the Symbol of Peace for bringing low crime rates and a sense of safety for everyone.”
All Might tilted his head curiously. “What did you come up with?”
Midoriya grinned at him, a happy glint in his eye. “The Symbol of Hope.”
It didn’t take much thought to see how perfect and fitting the name was for his student, and All Might’s chest swelled with pride. Midoriya really was paving the way for a better future for everyone - not just heroes or civilians.
The retired hero teared up thinking about it all. It was a miracle he’d found such a kindhearted and worthy successor.
“The name’s perfect.”
It was the first day of school, Midoriya’s first day in class.
Everyone was in their seats except him. Aizawa had him at the front of the classroom, facing his friends and fellow students. Looking up at him, their gazes were welcoming and thrilled, elated to finally accept Midoriya into their ranks. They knew he’d climb them quickly.
Midoriya’s uniform hadn’t broken in yet, so it still felt a little stiff and unnatural to wear. But he knew he’d get used to it. He also knew he had some schooling to catch up on, but he had lots of caring friends and teachers to help.
“You have a new student joining you this year,” Aizawa announced in his usual monotone voice, but there was a pleased tug to his mouth, turning it to a smile.
They all knew Midoriya would be joining them already, of course, but the introduction gave a feeling of newness and fresh beginnings.
“Introduce yourself,” Aizawa asked.
Midoriya smiled as he recognized how this was a bright reflection of his first night at the dorms. “I’m pretty sure they already know who I am.”
The corner of the teacher’s mouth turned upwards more. “Just do it.”
Nodding in understanding, Midoriya turned his gaze to his classmates. An anticipatory excitement hovered in the air as they waited for his introduction.
His eyes fell on Bakugo for a second, and the blond had a satisfied smirk on his face. Their relationship had traveled leaps and bounds, going from hate and resentment to trust and honesty, from bully and victim to friends. Bakugo’s character had changed drastically through it all. Midoriya knew they’d stay close on their future path, their competition feeding into their success.
His look flicked across the room to Iida’s beaming smile. At Hosu, Midoriya had shown him how to be a hero, even as a villain. In return, Iida had taught Midoriya about how to let go. Their interactions had been one of the contributing factors to helping Midoriya forgive Bakugo, leaving behind the obsessive hate, just like Iida had learned to do with Stain.
His gaze went from president to vice president. Yaoyorozu had a new, genuine look of hope and exhilaration on her face, similar to what Midoriya had discovered. They were both freed from All For One, and were now reaping the benefits of their freedom. Midoriya knew they’d remain close friends.
Right in front of her, Shinso had a smirk of relief and happiness. He was Midoriya’s first friend, the one who had pursued a friendship with him even when he was still a villain. Midoriya didn’t know if he would’ve managed to find hope in hero society, if it hadn’t been for Shinso showing him that rejects really could find a friend group to call home. Now his friend was just happy to see him where he belonged.
The last person his eyes settled on was Uraraka, with her wide, delighted grin. Her eyes were practically sparkling at seeing him in a UA uniform. Midoriya’s smile widened as he thought of all the emotional support and loving kindness she’d provided him, and just how much she’d transformed his life. She truly never gave up on him. He couldn’t wait to see where their relationship carried them in the future.
Midoriya thought of the League briefly, and how they had followed in his footsteps, choosing to pursue rehabilitation. Just like him, they now had the option to leave their dark pasts behind them.
But there would be more like them in the future. There would be more lost souls in need of saving, more people who were unaware a brighter path existed.
That’s why he would become a symbol. He’d become the bright light in those people’s dark lives, guiding them to a happier future. He’d use his broken past to save people from stumbling down the same road. In a way, it almost made him thankful for all the torment he experienced, because it gave him a means to transform the world.
He smiled at Uraraka’s name for him. The Symbol of Hope, that had a nice ring to it.
A thankful grin on his face, and a confident ring to his tone, he introduced himself.
“I’m Izuku Midoriya, and I’m going to be a hero, and nothing - not even my past or people who don’t believe in change - is going to stop me.”
Very few villains start out saying, “I want to be evil and hurt people when I’m older.”
They get to that point by being pushed and shoved by circumstances that were out of their control.
But still, at some point they have to make the choice. They have to choose to cross that line into villainy.
But deep down, they really don’t want to.
That doesn’t mean they’re lost forever though, since that’s only half of the story.
Their stories are still redeemable. They can find where they belong.
It’ll take a lot of effort and support and unrelenting compassion. There’ll be a lot of brokenness and pain to work through.
But with devoted care and friendship, they can leave their dark past for a bright future.
All they need is a reason to Hope.