Chapter Text
Izuku had been told by many people throughout his life that his luck was horrible. He was in agreement with that fact, but even still, there were some days that still managed to surprise him. Meeting Shigaraki at the mall, that time he somehow managed to miss the train just before a Villain attack hit the tracks behind it, shutting down all train lines to it. Over and over, Izuku would continuously be surprised by his abysmal luck, and yet over and over, he’d somehow manage to make it out and tell the tale.
He should've known the second he saw the woman running from the officers on his usual route, that something was going to happen. Nonetheless, he activated Full Cowling, and rushed forwards. Though he wasn't in costume, he had taken to carrying his provisional license everywhere, for occasions such as this.
Without any kind of speed or mobility quirk, the woman wasn't hard to catch up to, and then grab. “Don't try and run off!” Izuku warned her, looking over his shoulder towards the approaching officers. Just as he did so though, he felt an odd, woozy feeling flow through him. His head snapped back to his hand, which he could see glowing faintly with yellow cracks, beginning to crawl up his arm. “What the-” He murmured, before quickly letting go of the woman, who had dragged her arm to force his hand to grab her bare wrist. No doubt whatever this quirk was had been activated by skin contact. “Deactivate it!” Izuku ordered, slightly panicked. It didn't hurt, but the yellow light was continuing to crawl up his arm.
“No can do hun.” The woman practically jumped up, as he recoiled. “No take backsies.” She grinned, before catching sight of the officers once more, and taking off.
One of them stopped next to Izuku as they ran past. “Shit, kid are you okay!?”
Izuku turned to look up at him. “Definitely not feeling great. Damnit, I need to get back to UA.” He hissed out worriedly.
The officer nodded. “All right kid, I've got a car around here, they can take care of her. C’mon let's hurry, I don't like the look of that.” He said, eyeing the ever expanding cracks with unease.
“I don't like the feel of it much either.” Izuku murmured. “Lead the way.” They didn't quite run to the officer’s car, but they did hurry. With him having been on his way for groceries, it wasn't as if they were far from the school, and by the time they had reached the main gate, the light had only spread to the middle of his chest. “Aizawa!” Izuku said, relieved. He had called the man on their way, and he had said he was coming but it was still certainly nice to see him. A comfort for his currently worried state.
The man’s quirk activated instantly, but nothing changed. “Shit kid.” The man said, stepping forwards, and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, helping to hold him up as he continuously felt weaker. “C’mon, let’s get you to Recovery Girl's office!”
The walk felt like it was forever. Izuku was getting lightheaded, and he was having a hard time paying attention to what was happening. There was a blur of activity around him, reminiscent of the few times he was put under anesthesia. People moving and buzzing about, small, incoherent sentences murmured to him that he distantly responded to with an equally confusing murmur, but one that evidently made sense to them.
He could feel himself being lifted into a bed, the sterilized white glow of the nurse room slowly beginning to fade. His ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton, his fingers puffy and numb, and his eyelids weighted down as if they were metal. The last thing he saw was a blurry vision of Recovery Girl, Aizawa, and Yagi looking down at him.
-(o)-
He felt sore. Exhausted beyond belief, starving and just generally, like shit.
The sheets weren't particularly comfortable, nor was the gown he wore, but he at least recognized it almost immediately, having worn it many times before, unfortunately. His eyes blinked open slowly. UA’s nurse room. He let out a shaky breath. He was alive. It was blurry and a bit hard to think about, but he hadn't died from that yellow crawling light.
He felt awful though. Evidently whatever quirk he had been hit by had some longer lasting effects, he could only hope they’d go away eventually. With a large amount of effort, he slowly pushed himself up the bed just a bit more, to be leaning forwards at least a small bit.
Nezu was sitting on the chair in front of him. “I see you’ve woken up!” The chimera chirped, though his voice sounded slightly different.
“Principal Nezu.” Izuku let out a breath. “It’s good to see you. Do you have some…” He looked around, coughing slightly. “Some water, or a drink or something?” He smiled weakly.
The man nodded, standing up from his chair. “Certainly Young Man. Give me just a moment to retrieve it.”
Izuku nodded. “That’s fine. I think the worst of it’s over anyways.” He coughed. “Just still feeling awful.” He amended.
The man nodded, stepping out of the room before returning with a glass of water, and a bowl of soup. “I had Lunch Rush keep this warm for you. I’m unsure if you feel up to stomach it, but I assumed that soup would be easier on you than anything else.”
They were set down on a tray that folded up over his bed, and Izuku slowly pushed himself up a bit more, to properly sit.
“Thank you sir.” Izuku murmured, taking a sip of the water. “Did you speak with the officer yet?” He asked, looking down at the bowl of soup. “I can try my best to help give some information.”
Nezu looked at him for a moment, before nodding. “So long as you feel up for it Midoriya.”
Izuku nodded taking a sip of his soup, finding it at just the right temperature. “I don't know what happened at first, just saw the officers chasing her. She was quicker than they were though, so I stepped in. I pinned her quickly, before turning to look at the officers. I handn’t noticed her arm had pulled the sleeve out from my hand, causing me to grab her bare wrist instead, which caused the yellow cracking.” Izuku took another sip, before looking up to make sure the chimera was following.
“And could you explain that to me? I’m afraid I only arrived after it had ceased, and I’d like to hear it described in more detail.”
“It was like this yellow light glowing from my skin, in the shape of like, cracks. It made me feel weak, and nauseous, continuously growing.” He frowned. “I told the woman to deactivate it, but she told me ‘No take backsies’.” He quoted. “The further it spread the worse I felt. I think it was up to my head by the time things started getting hard to remember.”
The chimera hummed. “Certainly an oddity. We’ll have to do some research into who this villain is, if they even have a record. Hopefully if they do not our quirk registry is close enough otherwise.” He sighed. “Now on to more important business. I’m afraid I haven't been entirely honest with you.”
Izuku frowned, looking up at him. “How?”
“You are clearly well acquainted with me. I played into that, but I will admit that I have never met you before in my life. I can presume some things, but I believe you have somehow managed to travel to another universe.” The Principal spoke calmly, waiting for Izuku’s reaction.
Izuku stared at him. “W-What? But then, why would you… What?” He was lost, so completely lost.
“Though your provisional License was issued this year, listing you as a student of UA, I do not currently have a student named Midoriya Izuku in any of my classes, nor do you have an official birth certificate.” He paused. “I do, however, have a Midoriya Izuna in Class 1-A.”
“Izuna?” Izuku asked incredulously. “Isn't that a girl’s name?”
“It is indeed.” Nezu replied. “Out of curiosity, could you tell me my name?”
Izuku paused, staring at him. “Principal Nezu.” He waited just a second. “Please tell me that’s your name.
“I would suspect I am a male in your universe then? I am Principal Nizou. Female, in case that wasn't clear.”
Izuku stared at him- her. He stared at her in disbelief. “Am I… Is everyone just…”
“The opposite gender? I would presume so.” Nizou said. “Aizawa?”
“Man. Mid-Kayama Sensei?”
“Man.” Nizou sighed. “It would seem your suspicion is correct. You appear to be from a world in which everyone’s gender has been swapped! Naturally this of course includes yourself as previously mentioned.”
Izuku nodded weakly. “That’s… I don't really know what to say to that to be honest.” He closed his eyes and leaned back. The water helped his dry throat, but he still wasn't feeling any better.
“Well, as you are a hero student, and it’s likely your timeline has followed much of the same major beats as ours if you having your provisional license is any indication, I see no reason not to allow you to join the class while you remain in our care. Did you perhaps participate in work studies?”
Izuku nodded, not opening his eyes, despite how rude it might be. “Yeah. I interned with Sir Nighteye. Though, I assume that’s different?”
“Indeed. Her name is Lady Nighteye, though your counterpart did still intern with her, and I’m assuming you participated in the Overhaul raid.”
Izuku nodded. The Principal continued to go over previous events, from the USJ, to Kamino, to Hosu. All of them more or less lined up the same, with the sole exception of everyone in question being the opposite gender.
“I am curious as to-” Nizou cut herself off, and Izuku opened his eyes faintly to look at her. “I apologize, it seems I hadn't realized how drained you are. I’ll save this for another day.” She said after another moment. “Get some rest. I’ll bring Izuna later on so that you two can properly meet.”
Izuku smiled slightly and nodded. “Thank you Principal.” It didn't take long for him to drift off, the exhaustion and unease still reducing his energy to basically nothing.
-(o)-
Izuku woke up feeling better rested than he could ever remember. There was a slight bit of pressure on his hands, and it only took him a moment to wake up enough to open his eyes.
Staring down at him was someone so familiar and yet so different. Her hair was the same color as his, but longer, and only slightly more manageable. Her eyes were a deep, solid green, and just below them, on each cheek was the same diamond freckle pattern he bore. She seemed surprised for a moment, upon seeing him wake up, but she smiled down at him.
“Hi.” She said quietly, her voice almost the same tone as his, simply more breathy and lighter. She was nervous, Izuku could just tell. He glanced down at their hands, seeing the same patchwork scarring from his overuse of One For All back at the Training Camp. She held his hand gently, loose enough that he could pull it away, but firm enough to offer comfort.
He couldn't help it. He huffed out a laugh before he had even thought about anything else. Her smile widened into a grin and she giggled. “Hi.” He replied, sending both of them laughing again.
“This is so weird!” She murmured excitedly. “The implications of an alternate universe having almost the same exact sequence of events, despite the genders of everyone being reversed are fascinating to think about!”
Izuku’s eyes lit up. “I know right! Like, misogyny is less of a problem these days, but it’s still not perfect, so to see history progress the same despite that is really weird! Though I guess if all of the same history has happened it means that women were always the ones in charge.”
They both paused, staring at each other, before their smiles returned again. “Izuna Midoriya, in case you haven't been told already.” She offered.
“Izuku Midoriya.” Izuku grinned. “It’s weird sharing a last name with someone I’m only just now meeting.”
Izuna laughed. “You think it's weird for you? It's even stranger for me! There I was, hanging out with my friends, when all of the sudden Miss Aizawa called me over to bring me to the nurses office, and I was given a very, very brief explanation of this whole thing. At least you had something weird going on!” She paused after she said that, before her eyes widened. “Oh no, is that rude or insensitive!? I’m so sorry I didn’t-”
It was an experience to be on the other end of one of his apologies. And yet, he already knew she hadn't meant anything bad by it, because he probably would've said something similar had their roles been reversed. “It’s okay.” He said, cutting her off, the hopefully reassuring look on his face doing a good enough job at getting her panicked expression to disappear. “I know you didn't mean to be, and you weren't. You’re fine.”
She hunched in on herself slightly, but her smile reappeared slightly. “Oh, that’s good.” She murmured. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, and her smile widened. “So, um, welcome I guess?” She said, her other hand raising to her neck.
“When you said there were two of them, I was really hoping they weren't the same person.” A tired, low voice spoke up. Izuku’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked past Izuna, to find a woman who looked eerily similar to Mr. Aizawa. “I can see that was a pipe dream.” The woman said, shaking her head, before turning to look at them. “Problem children.” She said simply.
Izuku had to fight the smile on his face at the familiarity. Everyone was so much like their other selves, it was both extremely confusing, and fascinating in equal measure.
“I must confess this truly is fascinating! Seeing the subtle similarities and differences between each other, including how you treat each other!” Nizou spoke. “Truly, I believe myself and many of the other teachers believed you might be suffering from self confidence and self worth issues. While that may not entirely be incorrect, I can also see that you do care quite a bit. Though whether that is because this other version of you is another, physical and independent person remains to be seen!” She paused after a moment, an oddly abashed look appearing on her face. “Ah, though perhaps I should appreciate the discoveries we have already made. I do not wish to make either of you uncomfortable.”
Izuna shared a glance with him, before sending a soft smile to Nizou. “It’s okay! We both understand what it's like to want to understand something, even if others might consider it invasive or creepy. We know it’s coming from a good place!” She reassured her.
Nizou did look relieved, which was certainly a good thing. “Now then, if I may, I do have one test I would like to perform. Izuku, am I to assume you’re feeling much better? Based on how you look and your demeanor so far I would suspect so.”
Izuku nodded. “Yes sir. I feel probably better rested than I have in years.”
“Excellent. Now then, would you mind letting go of each other's hands? Keep close, simply stop touching for a moment.” Nizou explained.
Izuku frowned questioningly at the Chimera, but he began to comply, and Izuna did the same. Almost the instant their hands were no longer touching, Izuku felt all of that energy vanish, going back to feeling exhausted and a slight bit lightheaded. “Woah.” He murmured, his tone clear that something was wrong.
Instantly, Izuna grabbed his hand in both of her own, eyes wide and panicked. The second he felt her skin touch hers, the exhaustion disappeared, and that rested feeling returned. “It is as I suspected then.” Nizou stated.
“What just…” Izuku murmured, trying to wrap his head around it.
“What happened!?” Izuna worriedly asked.
“I suspect that Izuku needs to remain in contact with you, as he seems to fall back into exhaustion otherwise.” Nizou explained, glancing between the two. “I am sorry, but you will need to stick together for the time being. I do not like the idea of seeing whether or not Izuku’s exhaustion gets better, stays the same, or possibly gets worse without contact, and I’m sure that you would agree with me on that.”
Izuna nodded instantly, a sharp, authoritative glare sent towards Izuku, who was about to speak up. Wisely, he kept his mouth shut.
“That’s certainly not ideal.” Aizawa said with a sigh. “Suppose it can't be helped though.” She shook her head. “Problem Child.”
Izuna tilted her head slightly. “Yes, Miss Aizawa?”
The teacher shook her head. “Other Problem Child.” She clarified. “I don't even need to ask if you’re the same as our problem child so I’ll just say this. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. You’re a UA student, and that means you’re our responsibility, whether you come from our UA or otherwise. I don't doubt the other me would do the same for Izuna, so I’ll do it for you.”
Izuku couldn't help the wide eyed stare, and the tears that formed in his eyes. “That’s…” He lost the battle, and tears started rolling down his face as he cried, a smile on his face regardless. “That’s so nice of you!” He warbled, his voice cracking. He could see that even Izuna had tears in her eyes.
Miss Aizawa looked away, a hand on her neck, though her expression didn't change at all. “Just doing my job, Problem Children.”
“To save Miss Aizawa from her embarrassment, perhaps we ought to get the two of you some food?” Nizou asked, drawing the attention to her.
Izuku began to calm down, huffing out a laugh, hearing Izuna giggle at his side. “I could definitely eat.” Izuku admitted.
Izuna immediately piped up. “Katsudon!” She practically yelled, before she blushed, and looked down. “Uh, if that’s possible that is.”
Both Izuku and Nizou laughed, while Aizawa shook her head good naturedly. “Understood Problem Children. I’ll be back in a bit.” She walked out of the door, with Izuna smiling at confirmation of her request.
“You seemed quite vehement, Miss Izuna.” Nizou said, an eyebrow raised.
Izuna’s free arm went up to her neck, and she wore a sheepish grin. “Ah well, it’s our… mine at least, comfort food.” She glanced at Izuku, as if only just realizing there was a possibility of something else. There wasn't of course, Katsudon was the pinnacle, so he nodded, and she continued. “I just figured it might help.”
Nizou looked happy with that answer, turning to Izuku. “If I may ask then, you seem to be taking this fairly well. You are not concerned?”
Izuku frowned slightly. “Most quirks don't usually last that long sir. I’d assume I’ll be going back relatively soon. And even if not I’d figure you have a plan?”
Nizou nodded. “The villain’s counterpart is likely in the police system, and on the off chance they are not, the quirk registry system should suffice. Should you not simply return on your own, we may be able to get them to send you back, should our universes be directly connected.”
The nervousness Izuku felt mostly went away. “So then, while I’m here, I guess we’re gonna have to be pretty stuck together?” He asked in general, though looking towards Izuna.
Nizou stood from her chair. “I’ll leave you two a bit of time to talk with each other if there’s nothing you require from me.” Neither spoke up, and so the Principal left the room.
For a moment it was silent. Then Izuna turned to her. It was a bit awkward, now that it was just the two of them. They had already done their greetings, but Izuku had never been the best with people, and he suspected she was similar. “What are you thinking?” She eventually asked.
Izuku definitely looked like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She had horrible timing, what with his last thought being that she was socially awkward. “Uh…” He didn't want to lie to his own counterpart, but at the same time he didn't want to be rude.
Izuna seemed to sense this, and held up a finger. “I’ve got an idea. I tend to have a habit of overthinking things, and I’m betting you do too. But we’re basically the same person, at least up until you actually showed up. So what’s the point in hiding things and being embarrassed when chances are we’ll be thinking something similar. If it’s just us, or it can be whispered, and the other just says truth, we have to say whatever we’re thinking. No matter how weird, rude, creepy, or disgusting it might be to other people.” She said, and instantly Izuku was reminded of his mumbling and notebooks being described as that by others. “You’re thinking about our analysis right? The stuff we put in our notebooks?”
Izuku’s eyes widened, but he nodded. “Yeah… I was.”
Izuna grinned. “That’s because it was what I was thinking about when I used those words. That’s what I’m talking about! So, before when I asked you what you were talking about, Truth!”
Izuku blushed, a bit embarrassed, but played along. “I was thinking that we were both socially awkward.” He admitted.
Izuna frowned playfully at him, but he could tell that she wasn't really upset. “I see how it is, mister!” She said, pouting.
Izuku laughed. “You’re the one who wanted to hear!”
She raised a finger before pausing. “You know what? That’s fair.”
Izuku realized that perhaps his earlier assessment wasn't quite true. Sure, he was socially awkward most of the time, and she no doubt was too, but with each other it was like that all went away. Maybe it was because they knew the other likely had the same issues as themselves, or maybe it was because they were already holding hands, but it felt like he wouldn't be judged for just being himself.
“Scooch.” Izuna said, nudging him gently on the side. “Lemme sit.”
Izuku complied, and moved over, while Izuku squeezed herself onto the nurse’s bed next to him. It was tight, the bed absolutely not designed for more than one person, but they made it work.
“So, tell me about your class!”
-(o)-
By the time Aizawa had returned with dinner, the two had been talking for a while. Their worlds seemed almost identical, except for some small details. Most of which had to do with their gender and names being swapped. Regardless, the Katsudon was just as good as Izuku remembered it being, and he was glad that Izuna had asked for it.
They had also been joined by another person, someone who looked eerily similar to Gran Torino at first. It had taken Izuku a second to realize it was this world’s version of Recovery Girl.
“Well you certainly seem to be doing better son.” He said gruffly, walking over to get a better look at Izuku. “Now, I was told that if the two of you stop touching, your exhaustion returns. Would you be willing to show me?”
Izuku nodded, and he let go of Izuna’s hand. A moment later, with only a bit of hesitation, Izuku pulled his hand away, and he could feel his eyelids grow heavy. “Still drained.” He murmured.
Recovery Boy tilted his head slightly, before walking around, inspecting him. He hummed occasionally, and grunted at others. “I believe I have an idea for what’s causing this.” He eventually said. “You can touch again.” He said offhandedly.
Instantly, Izuna grabbed his hand again, as they both turned to look at Recovery Boy for the explanation.
“Universe hopping quirks are rare, certainly, but they aren't unheard of. There is an odd concept in universal travelers known as resonance. A universe holds a specific signal of sorts that all inhabitants bear. When traveling across, your resonance no longer fits with the universe you are in, and so you experience some strain. Most times, the quirk of either the sender, or their counterpart in the new universe bears the weight of this strain, artificially modifying the Traveler's resonance. This will eventually run out, and the sudden shift tends to send the traveler back to their universe.”
Izuku and Izuna both nodded, mostly following.
“This hasn't happened with you. The quirk that sent you here likely does not have a function to match resonances. Therefore, the only way to avoid the strain is for something else to mask your resonance.” The man gestured to their clasped hands. “You are doing so by staying connected.”
Izuku pressed his lips together. “That’s good then right?”
Recovery Boy gave an indecisive look. “Yes and no. Yes, because it’s a simple fix, and most importantly, your body will be slowly adding on to your resonance to allow you to exist in our universe without the need to mask yourself. Eventually, you won't need to be touching constantly.” He frowned. “The downsides mean that there will not be a sudden snap back to your original resonance, prompting you to be sent back on your own. We’ll need to find the counterpart of the villain who sent you here to get you back.”
Izuku took a deep breath. “Okay.” He said after a moment. “I can deal with that.” He said, though certainly a bit unsure. He would need more to to really think on the implications of what that meant.
“While you remain here, we will treat you as a student like any other. You’ll be joining 1-A in classes, and once the two of you are able to properly separate, will be allowed to join heroics training as well.” Nizou said kindly.
“Thank you sir.” Izuku said, bowing his head.
“It’s getting late.” Recovery Boy said. “The two of you should be getting some rest soon. Come with me, I’ll be moving you into an extended stay room, which has a bigger bed.”
Slowly, Izuku pushed himself up and off the bed, planting his feet on the ground. Izuna had moved her hand to his shoulder, so that he could brace himself if he needed to. It seemed unneeded though, as he had enough strength to walk so long as they stayed touching.
The room Recovery Boy brought them to was a fairly basic one. Still clearly intended for patients, but with an actual bed and a desk in it, as opposed to a nurse’s bed. It would be big enough to fit them both, which Izuku only just now realized they would have to do.
“I'll get you some nightclothes.” Aizawa said, before stepping out of the room.
-(o)-
“Kick her ass Iida!” Sero chanted, cheering at the screen.
“I don't need to do anything of the sort!” The girl said, an uncommon grin on her face. “She isn't close enough for me to bother!”
“Ooh, Burn!”
Deijii was having way more fun than she was expecting to, when she had heard Iida was going to be joining them for their party games today. She was expecting the girl to be her usual stickler for rules and a general buzzkill, but she was fairly certain. No one had expected the girl to be this competitive. She was destroying everyone at Mario Kart, Bakugou desperately trying to take her down, on her tail the whole way, yet unable to close the distance.
A phone rang on the coffee table. Specifically Iida’s phone. Deijii, as the closest one not playing, picked it up, and looked at the contact. “It’s Aizawa, Iida.” She said, glancing at the girl.
“Would you be able to answer it? If he needs me, I can pause.” She said, not looking away from the screen.
Deijii nodded. “Sure.” She stepped away from the chaos before answering. “Yello, what’s up Miss Aizawa?”
“Kaminari? What are you doing? I called Iida.” His teacher was clearly a little confused.
“Iida’s in the middle of a game right now, she asked me to answer the phone for her. Do you need her? She can pause if you do.”
Aizawa didn't answer for a second. “No, it’s fine. Would you be able to run an errand for me instead then?” She eventually asked.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Could you go to Midoriya’s room, and bring a set of nightclothes to the nurse’s office? She’s fine, but we need her help with something so she’s gonna be staying here for the night.”
Deijii’s eyes widened a bit. “She’s okay though?”
“Perfectly fine. Would you also be willing to ask Ashido, then Uraraka, in that order if they have a spare set they’d be willing to lend for the night? We’ve got someone about their size who needs them.”
“Sure!” She paused. “Actually, do you want me to get Yaoyorozu to just make a set? I’m sure he wouldn't mind stopping by.”
“Only if neither Ashido or Uraraka have a spare set. The person who needs them should only be here for one night, and there's no need for Yaoyorozu to make a whole new set of clothes for a single night.”
“Gotcha! Alright gimme a couple minutes, and I’ll be there with the stuff!”
“Thank you.” Her teacher hung up shortly afterwards, and Deijii went back to the common room, putting Iida’s phone back on the table.
The girl had already finished and turned to look at Deijii. “What did Miss Aizawa need?”
Deijii waved her off. “Just an errand. I’ve got it, you keep your spot.”
The girl nodded, smiling. “Thank you Kaminari.”
“No problem.” Deijii turned away, walking over to the table, where Minagi was sitting. “Yo, Minagi!” The boy turned to look at her.
“Deijii, whatcha need?” He asked, figuring the girl had a reason for calling out to him.
“Aizawa says we got a guest in the infirmary who needs some nightclothes. She wanted me to ask if you’ve got a spare set you’d be willing to lend them, cause you’re about the same size.”
Minagi stood up. “Yeah, sure, I gotcha!” He hooked an arm around Deijii’s shoulder and began walking to the rooms. “So you got stuck being the errand girl?” He asked.
Deijii shrugged. “Eh, Iida is kicking Bakugou’s ass and I wasn't gonna make her stop on account of delivering some clothes. That girl needs this.”
Minagi laughed. “That’s definitely true. Gotta say, I wasn't expecting her to get into the spirit of game night so quickly.”
“Me neither, but I’m glad to be surprised.”
They stopped outside of the door to Minagi’s room. “Alright, gimme one sec.” The boy stepped in, and shortly afterwards, stepped back out, a shirt and shorts in hand, no doubt a pair of boxers as well. Deijii took them. “Anything else?”
She shook her head. “Nah. Just gotta grab Mido a set too. Apparently she’s helping them out and is gonna stick around over there tonight.”
“Alrighty then. Tell her I said hi!” Minagi said, waving, before returning downstairs.
It didn't take long for Deijii to reach Midoriya’s room, and retrieve a set for her as well, before she began the short trek to the infirmary. She wondered what exactly could've happened that would require Midoriya to stay overnight, but couldn't really come up with anything if she herself wasn't affected.
That is to say, when she finally reached the infirmary, and was led into the room by Principal Nizou, it was certainly a shock to see not one, but two Midoriyas sitting on the bed. “What the…”
Midoriya, her one, blinked at her, before smiling. “Oh, Kaminari, you brought the clothes! Thank you!” She said. “Would you be able to bring them here?”
Deijii stared for a second, before she began to walk forwards slowly. “What…” She struggled to put her thoughts into words. “What is happening? Why are there two of you?”
The other Midoriya sheepishly scratched her… His? Neck. “Ah, so about that…” Definitely a guy then. “I’m from another universe.”
Deijii’s Midoriya grinned. “One where everyone’s the opposite gender!”
Deijii stared at them. “This is so weird.” She said simply.
“It’s really weird for me too.” The other Midoriya said. “I know you as a guy, so it’s strange to see you as a girl.” Deijii couldn't even imagine that. She was very happy as a girl. She handed over the clothes only just now realizing the two were holding hands.
“Uh…” She paused, confused as to whether or not she should ask.
“He needs me to act as an anchor right now.” Deijii's- Izuna said. “If I’m not touching him, all the energy gets sapped right out of him.”
Deijii decided that she didn't need to think about this anymore. “Alright then.” She paused for a second, glancing between each other before turning to Aizawa. “Did you need anything else?”
Aizawa shook her head. “No, that’s all. Thank you Kaminari.”
Deijii nodded, taking one last glance at the two Midoriyas, before heading back to the class.
-(o)-
“Alright.” Nizou said after Deijii had left. “I do not belive that there is anything else to discuss, at least for the time being. Do you have anything else you require from us?”
Izuku glanced to Izuna, and after a moment, both shook their heads. “No, I think we’re okay.” Izuku said eventually.
“Then we’ll leave you be. If there are any developments through the night, the call button is on the desk.” Nizou waited only a moment, before exiting the room, Recovery Boy following him out. Aizawa stayed only a moment longer, before she too eventually left.
For a while, there was silence, both of them simply content to exist. “We should probably get ready for bed.” Izuku eventually suggested.
Izuna nodded, before she paused, frowning slightly. “So uh… How are we going to do this?” She questioned.
It took Izuku a second to process, before he realized exactly what she was talking about. Changing. His cheeks turned pink. “Um… We could just, turn around?”
Izuna was just as pink as him. “We have to keep touching, remember?”
Izuku nodded. “Right… just one at a time then? One of us changes, while the other holds their hand behind them, and just figures out where they need the other to hold?”
Izuna pressed her lips together. “Okay. Do you want to…”
“Sure.” They both stood up from the bed, and Izuna dutifully turned and stared hard at the door, her arm held out behind her. Izuku felt very weird just holding her hand as he undressed, and put on the clothes this world’s version of Mina had lent him. It was extremely awkward, and the shirt was just as weird, requiring him to switch hands multiple times to put it on. Eventually though, he had finished. “Alright.” He said, prompting her to turn around.
Her cheeks were burning, and he had little doubt he was any better than her. “My turn now.” She said, and he took a step away from the bed, facing the door, and holding his hand behind him. His eyes were squeezed shut even despite the fact that he couldn't see her. Another version of himself she may have been, but getting undressed in front of anyone was embarrassing. “Done.” Hesitantly, Izuku turned, finding her changed. She grabbed their clothes and pulled him towards the desk to put them down on, before they walked back to the bed.
Climbing on, Izuku was the closest to the lamp, and he turned it off as they both got under the covers, still holding hands. “Good Night.” He murmured.
“Good Night Izuku.” She replied.
-(o)-
Izuku woke up feeling amazing once again. He was comfortably warm and cozy, with a calming weight pressing against him. He didn't open his eyes for a bit, drifting somewhere between asleep and awake. It was nice, he didn't remember his bed being like this before, but he hoped it would stay. It took him a bit before his brain caught up and reminded him this wasn't his bed.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to find a sea of dark green in front of him. He took a breath, realizing what he was feeling. Somehow, over the night, Izuna had shifted from simply sleeping on the other side of the bed, holding his hand, to being fully tucked into his side, her face in his shoulder.
His movement must have woken her up, as she pulled slightly back. When her eyes opened, they were closer to each other than ever before. Both were staring into the others eyes, and he could feel his cheeks starting to burn. Despite that, neither moved, and neither looked away.
He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to react. And yet, at the same time, he wasn't sure if he wanted to anything, comfortable in their current position despite the embarrassment.
He could see Izuna swallow, before she opened her mouth. “Truth.” She murmured quietly.
Izuku hesitated only a moment, remembering their deal from last night. “It’s nice waking up next to someone.” He admitted, terrified of her reaction.
She nodded, almost unconsciously. “What, never had a one night stand before?” She joked instead.
Izuku’s face burned red. “As if you have!” He countered, before fully recognizing what she said. “B-besides, that's completely different from this!” He pointed out.
Izuna giggled a bit. “That’s fair.” She admitted. Her face got more genuine after a moment. “It is.” She eventually said quietly.
“Huh?”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she averted her eyes. “It’s nice… waking up like this. I told you we probably have the same thoughts about stuff like this.”
Izuku thought for a moment. “So when you say truth…” He murmured. She turned back to look at him. “It because you’re thinking something embarrassing and you want to know if I’m thinking the same thing.” He said more than asked, but it was a question nonetheless.
Izuna’s cheeks turned pink, and she whined a bit, tucking her face back into his shoulder. That was an answer, he supposed.
“Oh.”
It took them a moment to do anything. “We should get up.” Izuku eventually said, recognizing they probably shouldn't just stay like this all day.
Izuna pulled back slowly, the blush still on her face, unable to meet his eyes. “Yeah.”
Izuku paused, before he stopped her from pulling away more. “You don't have to be embarrassed.” He said, uncertain in his words, but not their meaning. “It’s a good system. I just didn't realize that was how you were using it before.”
Izuna looked up to him, frowning slightly, before she relaxed, seeing he was telling the truth. “Okay.”
Slowly the two woke back up, eventually going through the whole process of changing once again. During it though, as Izuna was putting on her shirt, her hand slipped from Izuku’s. Mentally, he braced himself for exhaustion, though she quickly grabbed his hand again, and he didn't feel anything. “Huh?” He questioned.
“Are you okay!” She quickly finished putting on her shirt, before rushing over to him, prompting him to open his eyes and face her.
“Yeah…” Izuku said, confused. “It didn't happen.”
Izuna stared at him for a second. “Wait what?”
“Hold on.” Izuku said. He flipped their hands so that Izuna’s hand was under his before letting go. They stayed touching despite that. Slowly, Izuku lifted his hand up away from hers, and when he finally stopped touching her, he still felt fine. It was only when he was about an inch away from her that he felt the exhaustion settle in. It caused his hand to drop slightly, falling back within range. “It’s already happening.” Izuku said, his eyes wide.
Izuna grinned. “That’s amazing!” She grabbed his hands and bounced a bit. “It might be possible for us to train together!”
It was an absolutely adorable reaction, and Izuku couldn't help the grin that formed on his face, though Izuna no doubt thought he was just happy at the same thing.
A knock on the door interrupted them. Izuna let go of one hand, turning to face the door. “Come in!” She said.
Aizawa opened the door of the room, and walked in. “Good, you’re awake. Principal Nizou wants to speak with you two.”
Izuku glanced towards Izuna, finding her doing the same. That was mildly unsettling. The woman has been fairly willing to speak with them here yesterday. Why did she need to summon them today? “Okay…” He said.
The walk to the Principal’s office was relatively quiet. Neither of them know what was going on, and Aizawa wasn't keen on talking. As they approached the door, they knocked, and Nizou’s voice called out. “Come in.” The principal did not sound like her usual chipper self. Something was wrong.
“What exactly did you need Ma’am?” Izuna asked with clear hesitation.
The Principal gestured for the seats, before nodding to Aizawa, who left the room. “I have news on the villain who sent you here.” He said, as they took their seats.
Izuku swallowed. “I take it not good news.” He pointed out.
Nizou frowned. “Not particularly.” She admitted. She reached a paw out, and turned her computer screen so they could see it. “This is the villain who used their quirk on you Izuku. Or at very least, their counterpart.”
Tochika Mizutsure. Quirk: Traveler. When used, golden cracks appear on the targets body where skin contact was made. As the cracks spread, the target becomes incapacitated. Once fully covered, the target disappears, reappearing in the linked universe.
It took a moment for Izuku to find it. The issue.
Born: 17/3/2183
Died: 3/10/2216
That was yesterday. Tochika had died yesterday.
Izuku stared at the screen in disbelief.
“This explains quite a bit, and complicates them.” Nizou said. “Your continued exhaustion for instance.”
“And me getting back home.” Izuku said tonelessly, the reality of the situation hitting him. Izuna’s grip on his hand tightened, obviously trying to provide some comfort. “How?” He asked simply.
“In place of Izuna being sent over, Tochika used his quirk on one of the officers attempting to arrest him. Given his quirks appearance, the officers used their firearms. Tochika sustained lethal injuries.”
Izuku took a breath, trying to calm the whirlwind in his mind.
“Rest assured, we will do everything we can to find a way to send you back.” Nizou attempted to reassure him.
“That doesn't necessarily mean it’s even possible in the first place though.” Izuku pointed out.
“No. It does not.”