Archive of Our Own ^beta

1. 

Aizawa was not the first to meet them. He wasn't even the second. Doesn't mean he didn't know who they were. 

Heroes call them the Blur. As cliche as the name was, there wasn't much else people could call them. Their descriptions were vague and their actions had no ties between them besides being involved in hero fights. All anyone knew about them was that they'd appear suddenly and finish off a hero fight before taking the villain with them, all evidence of them being there surmounting to a few eyewitnesses claiming to have spotted a black blur in the sky. 

Word spreads fast among heroes, and soon everyone knew about the Blur. There were rumors that they were not a person at all, but instead a miracle worker from the heavens. Some said they were a vigilante. Some said they were a villain. However, the most popular theory was that they were an underground hero who wished to avoid fame but still wanted to 'save the day'. Which, of course, put Aizawa at the center of everyone's attention. 

Despite the numerous amount of times he denied having any affiliation with the Blur, his colleagues remained suspicious of him. It took the Blur appearing while he was teaching class alongside All Might for people to start believing him. His husband had laughed for hours, questioning their friends about how they could possibly think him of all people could be the Blur. His quirk didn't even fit the general description of the Blur's (not that anyone was certain what his quirk was). 

So yes, when he finally did meet the Blur, he knew who they were, even if he hadn't interacted with them before that. That is, once he figured out the man he spoke with was indeed the Blur. 

It went like this: 

Aizawa was patrolling alone late in the night, like usual, when he heard a loud crash from a nearby alley. He'd frowned and made his way towards the sound. While his ears might be going from spending so much time around his nosy class, it would be near impossible not to hear the clang of garbage cans knocking over, cats hissing, and loud, vibrant strings of curses. 

He peaked his head into the alley, goggles down and quirk on standby. It was likely some drunkard who lost their way home, but one could never be too cautious. And if did turn out to be a drunk fellow, past experience tells Aizawa that those are the people who need to be affected by his quirk the most. After all, alcohol does lower inhibitions and control - including quirk control. 

In the dark, Aizawa spotted a figure sitting in the center of the alley rubbing at their head. Around them, garbage littered the pavement and what appear to be a phone lay broken beside the stranger. 

"Not the phone," the stranger groaned just loud enough for Aizawa to hear. They reached for the phone, fumbling with it. The damage was intense, the device having been snapped in half. "Shit. I'm so dead when I get back." 

Carefully, Aizawa stepped towards the man. He made it not one step before the other snapped their eyes to him. Frowning, Aizawa wondered how he knew he was there. He thought he'd been quiet. 

Now that Aizawa could see his face, he noticed he adjourned a black medical mask, covering majority of his features. His eyes were mostly hidden by dark hair hanging in front of them, but hints of green irises peaked through the black strands. The rest of his head was concealed by a grey hood attached to a black sweatshirt. 

"Oh. Hello," the man regarded, not at all thrown off by the hero's presence. 

Aizawa remained wary as he took the man in. He replied, "What are you doing back here?" 

"Nothing," the stranger supplied. His shoulders tensed. "I mean, not nothing but y'know, not anything to worry about. I just fell." 

"From?" 

"My window." 

Aizawa glanced up at the buildings creating the alley. He raised an eyebrow. "From the closed window four stories up?" 

The man blinked at him, shoulders hiking up to his ears in a sheepish manner. ". . . Yes?" 

Then, he barely had time to react as the man lurched to his feet and made to run up the actual wall. Aizawa thanked years of training when his reflexes brought his quirk to life while he struggled to comprehend what kind of man would think running up the wall was a good escape route. The worst part is, he probably would have succeeded if not for Aizawa's quirk, the stranger already having reach halfway up. Quirk erased, the man fell back to the ground with a yelp. 

"Ow, fuck," they groaned, rubbing at their head. Aizawa secured him with his capture weapon and positioned himself directly in front of them. He leaned towards them and glared. 

"Who are you?" 

The man glared back. He said, "Nobody. Can you please untie me? I have places to be." 

"Like?" Aizawa prompted. 

"Not here." 

He wasn't impressed with this man in any way, shape, or form. He didn't appear intoxicated, which was one thing, but he certainly wasn't a random civilian either. If he was anyone, the most likely option would be a villain. It was late at night and this man wore all black, including a mask, and his responses were dodgy at best. All of Aizawa's teachings told him this man was a villain. . . and yet he hesitated to label him as so. 

There was something achingly familiar about the stranger. Like remembering a dream. It was an odd feeling, the sense that Aizawa knew he hadn't met this man. He did not recognize his voice, nor his hair, nor his clothes. Still, his instincts screamed that he knew him, just a version of him that was slightly to left of what is before him. 

It was unnerving. 

"You have one chance to tell me what you're doing out here before I take you to the police," Aizawa warned. 

The man, once again, appeared unaffected. He sighed, hanging his head. He said, "All right, all right. Let me just--" 

A loud pop echoed through the alley as the stranger ripped apart his capture weapon and bolted past him. Aizawa cursed under his breath. How on Earth had he broken his scarf? There was no time to dwell on that detail as he madly chased after the man. Screw his patrol route, he wasn't letting this man slip between his fingers. 

Rarely does Aizawa have to run as hard as he does then to keep up to keep up with the mystery person. His lungs are ready to give as he follows the man down the streets of Musutafu. On top of that, he has to keep his quirk activated. If his earlier attempt to run up the wall was anything to go by, the man likely had a quirk involving speed or, at the very least, his legs. There's no doubt he'd loose him if he allowed quirk usage. 

So he was tired and his eyes were ready to bleed when a villain comes out of literal fucking nowhere. 

The man darts a corner and then boom - Aizawa finds himself in a villain fight at three in the morning. The best part? The man seems to have taken it upon himself to punch the villain in the face. The shock of it forces Aizawa to blink. 

At this point, Aizawa thought he'd know better than to be surprised by this sort of thing. Between his psychotic class and the past ten years of night patrols, he'd assumed he'd seen it all. Watching a possible criminal pummel their fist into a raging centipede-looking woman while she aimed a gun at their head was a new one for him. 

In the time it took Aizawa to blink, the woman was disarmed and tied up by a black substance extruding from the stranger's hands. Little flickers of green energy crackled like static on the man's arms. It faded before Aizawa could properly get a look. 

"You should have sent someone better," the man said to the centipede-woman. He bent to pick her up before throwing her over his shoulder with surprising strength. His baggy clothes must hide more muscle than Aizawa thought. "Really, don't they know who they're dealing with?" 

"We will get you one day," she hissed. 

"Mhm. I look forward to it," the man replied before knocking her out with a blow to her chin. 

Aizawa was unsure what to make of the situation. On one hand, the woman with the gun has been dealt with. On the other, he still has to deal with the odd man and whatever is going on with him. 

As if reading his thoughts, the man look over his shoulder at Aizawa. He said, "I'll be getting out of your hair, don't worry." 

"I can't let you do that," Aizawa warned. 

"Maybe not, but you don't have much choice." He saluted him. "Don't stay up too late! Peace!" 

Just like that, the man disappeared. All that remained of him was a dark blur darting across the street - like the man ran so fast he could barely be seen. Aizawa stared even after the blur quickly disappeared. 

Well. He knows who the man was now. 

The next morning, Aizawa walks into class sporting heavier eye bags than usual. He'd spent the whole night before trying to find the Blur again but did not succeed. He only got half an hour of sleep in the teachers lounge before his classes started. 

"Um, Mr. Aizawa?" one of his students - Midoriya - said upon seeing him. The boy hesitantly walked up to him, a coffee cup clutched in his hand. "Are you okay?" 

"No," he grumbled. Between his capture weapon needing repairing, his lack of sleep, and Hizashi being mad at him for not coming home last night, his day was not going well. Saying he wasn't alright was putting it nicely. 

"But that doesn't concern you," he tacked on. His students shouldn't worry for his health when they have their studies and own lives to focus on. 

"Oh. Well, if it makes you feel any better, Uraraka and I thought you might need this." Midoriya placed the coffee cup on his desk. He smiled at him quickly before darting back to his group of friends. 

Aizawa eyed the cup for a moment before a soft smile worked it's way onto his face. Midoriya may be be a problem child, but at least he's not the problem today. As he takes a sip of the coffee, he lets his issues with Blur disappear. 

He'll get to that another day.  

2.

Todoroki is not ashamed to say he has a dozen posters in his dorm room containing conspiracies relating to all sorts of heroes. He is also not ashamed to admit that his classmates may or may not have displayed said conspiracies in the school for April Fools, not that anyone knows those were his posters. Actually, he's quite certain a good chunk of the second and third years think they're Midoriya's. 

Regardless, the point is that Todoroki is proud of his conspiracies - even the ones he knows are far fetched. (All Might is Midoriya's father and one day he will prove it) 

His newest theory? The Blur who's been sweeping away villains left and right is secretly a villain themselves and is trying to recruit people to help him destroy hero society. He thinks of this theory as he watches a dark blur trail across the sky from where a hero fight had only just started, and now quickly ended. 

Technically, Todoroki wasn't on patrol and therefore didn't have to go after the Blur. Then again, how is supposed to know if anyone else saw where the Blur landing? Maybe he's the only one who noticed and if he doesn't follow them then he'll never get caught? 

The decision is easy as he abandons his errands and makes for where he last saw the black streak touch down. He gets there in less than two minutes. 

When he gets there, he finds an abandoned building. He remembers seeing it go up for sale a little under a month ago, though the hole in the side of it is new. He steps through the rubble, eyes surveying the room. Inside, he spots just who he was looking for. 

The Blur sits with his back to a wall and what seems to be a villain unconscious next to him. Blur holds his legs close to his chest, hands fumbling with the rolled up cuff of his pants. Todoroki doesn't flinch at the sight of blood oozing down his calf. 

"That's unfortunate," Todoroki notes out loud. 

Blur's head whips up, his eyes locking with Todoroki's. Blur's eyes are green; the only spec of colour among his black. . . everything. They look like Midoriya's, although Todoroki only ever truly gets to see Midoriya's eyes when he's angry - like at the sports festival. This man's eyes hold no anger. 

"Shouto," he says. There's a tone to his voice that sounds almost relieved. 

Todoroki tilts his head. "You know my hero name?" 

"Your hero- oh! Your hero name. Shouto. Right," the man says. He rubs at the back of his neck. "That's um - that's what I meant. Yup. Hero Shouto." 

Humming as if to show he understood what on Earth Blur was rambling about, Todoroki nodded. Then he froze the ground without any warning. 

Blur glanced down as ice encased his feet and legs. He looked back to Todoroki. "Rude." 

Todoroki shrugged. He need not explain himself. The man could be a villain for all he knows (he hopes he's a villain just to be right). Freezing him is a valid precautionary move and he will not apologize for it. 

Blur now restrained, Todoroki brought himself to crouch down in front of him. He popped open one of his medical capsules, dragging out gauze and disinfectant. Gently, he dabbed the disinfectant around the cut in Blur's calf, getting rid of any dirt or cloth tatters. The wound wasn't too large, not compared to some of injuries Todoroki has seen. Cutting off the circulation and wrapping it should work until Todoroki can deliver Blur to the police. 

"What are you doing?" Blur questioned. "Aren't I a villain to you?" 

Todoroki stared at him. "So?" 

For a moment, Blur gaped. It was easier to see his eyes through his bangs from this distance. Now that he was closer, his bangs looked less natural and more like he'd intentionally made them cover his features. Blur looked away, eyes flitting to the ground. The corners of them crinkled. He chuckled under his breath. 

"I always forget you were like this back in the day," Blur says. "Sometimes it takes a bit for me to remember you weren't just an angry boy with too much going on to care for injuries." 

"Back in the day.  . .?" Todoroki asked, struggling to grasp what the man just said. 

Blur waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Don't think too hard about it. I find it's easier that way." 

He tilted his head, frowning. "You make no sense." 

"I do. You just don't understand yet." 

Todoroki resigned to not try and figured out what he meant. He continued to bandage Blur's wounds in silence. Every now and then, he'd glance up to see Blur staring at the other villain laying beside him. Todoroki didn't know what his deal was, but he'd figure it out eventually. Something more was happening here. 

Hesitantly, Todoroki finished off tying the gauze and asked, "What were you planning on doing with that guy?" 

Blur shrugged. "Taking him back to where he came from." 

"Why?" 

Blur's hands fiddle with each other in his lap. His eyes drift back to Todoroki's, the green of them capturing all of the latter's attention. Slowly, Todoroki watched the man's eyes crinkle at the corners, hints of a smile peaking through his medical mask. It was bright - like All Might's smile. A heroes smile. 

"To keep everyone safe," Blur said. "Who would I be to let a villain run rampage around here?" 

All that Todoroki had assumed about the man flew out the window. A month ago, Todoroki had been sitting in his room with Midoriya and shared with him his thoughts about being a hero; how sometimes he didn't feel like one. Midoriya had told him otherwise and so he'd asked how he knew. How did he know when someone was a hero? 

"You just do," Midoriya had said. "Sometimes I look at someone and I know they're a heroic person. And you, Todoroki, are a hero." 

Looking at Blur, Todoroki finally understood what he meant. He couldn't explain the feeling bubbling in his chest or why it was only then that he realized there was no way Blur could be evil. He just knew, without any rhyme or reason to it. Maybe it was his smile, or maybe it was the way he spoke with such honesty, but regardless of what it was that changed Todoroki's mind, he still let the ice around Blur to melt and fade away. 

Blur gawked at his unfrozen legs, gaze flicking between them and Todoroki. His brow furrowed as he asked, "What did you just do?" 

"You should go," Todoroki said, ignoring the man's question. He pushed himself to his feet and turned away. "Before anyone sees you." 

He hears Blur jump to his feet. There's a moment of silence before he hears a whispered, "Thank you," and then hears nothing more. 

When he turns back around, any trace of Blur is gone along with the villain he'd been carrying. Todoroki sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, heading towards the exit. If anyone asks what happened, he'll say the villain got away. Or maybe, he'd say he never saw him at all. 

Todoroki smiled to himself. He hopes he did the right thing. 

He has a conspiracy book to refill. 

3. 

The day Sero meets Blur, their interaction sends his mind reeling, even if it's short lived. 

The Yuuei student had been minding his own business walking through Yuuei's outdoor area for some fresh air when he saw the man. He'd been startled by him more than anything. One second he was the only one sitting outside in the grassy area and the next, a hooded figure rolled over the school's concrete boarders, landing flat on their butt. 

That's when they'd looked up to see Sero gaping at them. Their eyes widened and they blurted, "This isn't what it looks like." 

Sero squinted at the newcomer, eyeing their dark clothing and black medical mask. "What is this not supposed to look like?" 

"Whatever you think it looks like," the man said. 

"Like someone is breaking into Yuuei?" 

"Uh. . . yes." 

Sero doesn't waste any time in shooting his tape towards the stranger. His quirk coils around the man, yanking him towards Sero. He leans over him, planting a foot on his chest as he pushes him to the ground. He snaps, "Who are you? What are you trying to do?" 

The man seems to barely register his words as he glances down at the tape holding his arms to his sides. Sero picks up fainting muttering from the man and strains his ears to hear. 

". . . never been caught by you before. I wonder if with my newer strength I could break out? Is the tape like Aizawa-sensei's scarf? I broke through that but with the adhesive of this would it be easier or harder? Maybe if I used twenty percent of my power I'd be able to probably get away but then he'd see my energy and maybe connect me to me. . . " 

Sero blinked, mind reeling. Rambling and power percentages? He only knows one person who talks like that. But this can't be him. This man is bigger, a least a few inches taller, and his voice his deeper. It can't be. 

"Midoriya?" he said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 

"Yes?" The man snapped his head up then his green eyes went wide. "I mean no! Who? I don't know what you're talking about, haha!" 

Sero feels himself stumble back a step more than he actually controls the action. Eyes wide, he feel his stomach drop while staring at his friend. The person before him doesn't look like Midoriya, not really. This man had darker hair and his hands look more scarred. His stature is different and his eyes shine with a gleam different from his classmates. Still, they're a green he's known for almost a year now, and while he can't see half his face from his mask, he knows that his mouth runs like Midoriya's. 

Of all things Sero expected that day, a run in with a slightly off kilter Midoriya was not one of them. His brain already started running through possibilities. Was this a secret brother of Midoriya's? His father? A distant uncle? What explanation is there for this random appearance? 

"How?" Sero asked. 

Not-Midoriya shrugged. "Time travel." 

Briefly, Sero wonders if he snagged a brownie from the fridge that morning and forgot. He was either tripping heavily, or this was real and he needed to sit down. 

He sat down. 

"Shit. No, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have told you that," Midoriya says as Sero moves to cradle his head in his hands. His world spins as Midoriya continues to ramble. "You're probably freaking out. Oh lord. You weren't supposed to see me, and I wasn't supposed to tell you that. I'm so sorry." 

Sero looks up at the man through his fingers and deadpans, "Midoriya. Shut up for a minute and let me process." 

"Right." A moment of silence passes and then he speaks up again. "Uh, I don't really have a minute though so if you could untie me and process later, that'd be great." 

Sero pulled away from his hands. He glared at the man who apparently was some time-travelling version of his friend. He says, "No offense, but I don't trust you yet." 

"Offense taken," Midoriya grumbles. He sighs and shoots him an exasperated look, one Sero had never seen on Midoriya before. "Look, I get that this is bizarre and cracked but I really need to get going before another time traveling idiot breaks into Yuuei and tries to kill some kids. So, y'know, untie me please?" 

"Did you just say 'cracked'?"

"Not the point! Focus, Hanta!" 

And all right, fair, but easier said than done considering Sero was face to face with what is heavily implied to be his classmate's future self. This taller, stronger, different sounding man that is Midoriya. Sue him if he's finding it a tad difficult to stay on track while trying to wrap his mind around that little detail. 

It's not that he didn't think time travel was possible. No, he fully believed that in their world packed with quirks of all kinds there was bound to be something like time travel. He just never thought an encounter with so would be as. . . personal. 

Midoriya isn't the closest of Sero's friends, but he's close enough that seeing an older form of him is jarring. His stomach twists uncomfortably, his mouth tasting stale. 

Breath, he told himself. 

He inhaled deeply, then faced Midoriya again. He asked, "How do I know I can trust you?" 

Midoriya sagged against his restraints, clearly realizing he wasn't getting out of this situation easily. He rolls his eyes and answers, "Your favorite colour is orange because that's the colour your parents painted your room when you were little since they accidentally ordered the wrong paint. You have a tiny scar between your shoulder blades from your cousin scratching you in a pool and you constantly picking at the scab. And, you're afraid of snapping turtles even though you won't tell anyone that for another year or two yet."

If he wasn't already sitting down, he thinks his legs would have given out. 

Gaping at the man, Sero struggles to pull himself together. He hadn't told Midoriya about any of those things. "How-" 

"I'm from the future. I know things your timeline's Midoriya doesn't," Midoriya responded, shrugging. "Now, please untie me." 

Without thinking, Sero let his tape slack from where it was wrapped around him. That small slack was all it took for Midoriya to jump out of his hold, green energy running along his arms and legs. 

If he had any doubts that this was Midoriya before, they all disappeared then. He knew no one but the boy who's made the air fizzle like that, energy consuming everything with the raw power of his quirk. 

"Thanks," Midoriya said. He dropped into a pre-jump stance, glancing Sero's way. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay? You don't want to mess with time anymore than I already am." 

Numbly, Sero nodded. 

"Great!" He saluted him. "See ya in a few years, Hanta!" 

Sero stared as Midoriya launched off the ground towards the center of Yuuei's campus. He barely saw him move, only catching a glimpse of the blur that passed in front of him. Recognition ignited in him, his jaw dropping. 

"Oh," he said out loud as the pieces clicked in place. 

Midoriya - the Blur - was gone and all Sero could do was stare at the empty space he'd once been with growing bewilderment. 

After several minutes, he made his way back to the dorms in a dazed state. When he stepped into the common room and saw fifteen year-old Midoriya lounging on the couches, he barely repressed the squeak threatening to leave his mouth. Right then and there, he knew it would be a long week before he talked to his classmate normally again. 

Sero collapsed on his dorm bed as soon as he could. 

Honestly? Fuck time travel. 

4. 

Bakugou doesn't know who the hero he meets that Saturday is, only that he snagged his win. 

He's at home that weekend, like the rest of his class, and is coming back from getting groceries for his hag of a mother when he spots the villain. He knows they're a villain the moment he sees them just as he knows his own name. It feels right when his eyes settle on the figure lingering outside his apartment complex and the word villain comes to mind. 

Quietly, he sets down his grocery bags and lets heat consume his hands. It's harder in the fall months as the brisk air restrains his sweat. Still, he manages to draw a few sparks to his fingers, readying for an explosion. 

The villain has yet to notice him as he stalks toward him. He's careful, softening his steps with his toes and avoiding the crunchy leaves littering the ground. Soon enough, he's at the villains back. 

Moving his hands to behind him, hiding the sparks pooping along them, he says, "Waiting for someone?" 

Despite what most people think, he's not impulsive. He knows that while his instincts scream danger, he shouldn't act until he's certain. The villain may very well be a civilian. 

They turn around and face Bakugou at his question. Their hair is a neon green and stops at their shoulder. Piercings are scattered across their sharp and angular features and sunglasses conceal their eyes. Bakugou maps out their clothes, making note of the gun strapped to the hip, half hidden under their long black coat. 

Bakugou grits his teeth. 

"I am," the stranger answers. "Is that a problem?" 

He doesn't miss the way their eyebrows raise every so slightly at the sight of Bakugou - how their shoulders tense too. 

Bakugou chooses shrug, feigning nonchalance. "Not if you don't make it one." 

They must pick up on the implications of his tone for their act drops. They regard him with a new hostility, head tilting to the side. "Don't worry, Dynamight, I won't cause you any trouble." 

The way they emphasize 'you' pulls at Bakugou's gut, picking at every warning instinct he has. The casual drop of his name doesn't help. If they knew him, then they likely knew he lived here. Whatever this was, it was planned. 

He moves his crackling hands to his front and sneered. "Who are you and what the fuck do you want?" 

"I'm not scared of you like this, Dynamight." The villain's hand shifted to their gun, fingers brushing against the metal of it. "You are nothing like this." 

Anger surfaces in him, clawing at his chest and running down his arms to his palms that burn like fire. How dare this nobody extra call him nothing. How dare he say his name like it's a childish title he will never grow into. He should feel fear in his presence not treat him with such disregard. 

Scowling, he barks, "What the shit do you think you're getting at, huh? I'll kick your ass if you make one move!" 

They pull out their gun. 

Bang! 

Bakugou ducks just in time. He hears the whistle of the bullet blowing past him as he rolls on to ground, legs going to sweep the villains feet out from under them. Lessons with Snipe have shown him it's better to disorientate his attacker before trying to disarm them and not risk getting close to the gun. 

His counter-attack his successful. He watches the villain fall to the ground, hands and feet splaying across the concrete. They groan and Bakugou makes to kick the gun from their hand. Picking up the weapon, he empties it of an bullets and throws it to the side. When he faces the villain again, they've pushed themselves into a crouch, glaring up at him. 

"You think that's all it takes to stop me?" they taunt, grin stretching across their face. 

Bakugou clucks his tongue. "You think you're so powerful as to beat me? Stupid bitch-ass excuse for a villain." 

Suddenly, a new gun materializes in the villain's hands. Bakugou's eyes widened, staring down the nozzle as the villain's finger pressed the trigger. He could do nothing as an alarming bang! rang through his ears. He wouldn't roll in time. He was going to be shot - 

A blur of colour and he felt his body being dragged to the side. Arms had wrapped around him and in a second, he found himself no longer in front of the gun, but at the apartment complexes entrance. He blinked, staring at the new person standing before him. They were decked out in black down to the colour of the bangs hanging in their face and mask hiding majority of their features. 

"Close call, huh?" he said to him. It was surely a he with how their voice tipped towards the deeper end of the spectrum. Normally he's not one to judge based off those sort of gender rules, but, like with how he knew the other stranger was a villain, he knew this was a man. It tickled some part of Bakugou's brain, like a memory he couldn't quite grasp. Familiar yet also not. 

He didn't get to respond before the man looked over his shoulder back at the villain. He mumbled a quick, "shit," before looking back to Bakugou and saying, "Wait here. I'll handle this." 

Then he was off, diving towards the villain who appeared baffled by his arrival. He was a blur, zig zagging to avoid bullets as he barreling into the villain. By the time Bakugou blinked, the villain was restrained with the man standing proudly in front of him. 

Bakugou watched with curiosity. The man held himself like a hero, head high and shoulders pulled back with his hands on his hips. He acted like one too - dragging Bakugou away and then dealing with the attacker in a ridiculously fast time. Yet, Bakugou didn't recognize them. Not just their clothes but also the way they moved. Between growing up with Deku and spending his own early years obsessing over heroes, he knew nearly every hero in the area. This man was not one of them. 

So, just as the stranger had done with the villain, Bakugou lunged and tackled him to the ground. After all, better safe than sorry. He should assume he's an enemy until proven otherwise. 

The man let out a grunt as he hit the ground belly fist. Bakugou presses his knee into his back, pinning his wrists to his sides. 

"What's with you and pining everything that breaths," the man mutters quiet enough that Bakugou barely caught it. "It's such a strange fighting tactic." 

"You got shit to say? Say it to my face bastard!" he demanded. 

The man huffed under him. "I can't exactly turn my head one-eighty, sorry. Unless you want to get off of me?" 

Bakugou's nostrils flare, lips curling back into a snarl. Cocky little motherfucking piece of sh-- 

"Wow. Mr. Hero himself getting wrecked by a teenager," the restrained villain says, effectively cutting off Bakugou's thoughts. 

"Knock them out, please," the man under him said with an annoyed groan. 

Bakugou did so, hitting them on the head, but only because he was sick of their shit too. He didn't take orders from anyone. 

He looked back down at the man, brows furrowing. The villain had called him a hero, like he knew who he was too. Bakugou scanned their clothes and confirmed that no, they didn't look like a hero outfit at all. The man didn't set off any of Bakugou's instincts either. He didn't seem to be a villain, nor a hero. Just someone. Not even a civillain really. 

He felt. . . like an equal. 

It was stupid to think so. The only person he'd even think about calling his equal was Kirishima - and that was only because the spiky bastard was insistent on being at his side and could withstand even his most powerful of blasts. Not even heroes were equals to him. 

Despite how ridiculous and invaded it made him feel, he couldn't shake the little whisper in the back of his mind that screamed he should stand with this person. Like he knew him but not quite yet. Which is stupid and impossible. He's being crazy. 

"Who the fuck are you?" he snapped, teeth clacking. 

The man shifts under him and simply says, "I think you all have been calling me the Blur." 

And yeah, okay. He'd guessed so the moment he saw him quite literally blur past him, but that didn't help him. No one knew who the blur was. Whether he was good, bad, or somewhere in between. 

"Tell me something I don't already know!" 

"You're a bitch." 

Bakugou prickled. "I'm going to kill you!" 

"Please don't." 

The worst part was that Bakugou technically couldn't kill him. Not with these circumstances, anyways. It still didn't keep him from wanting to blow his face up into the next decade. Why did he talk to him like this - like he was safe to mess around with? Did he know who he was? 

He pressed his knee more into his back. Blur exhales and finally says, "If you don't want to call me that, you can call me Green." 

"You aren't even wearing green, dumbass," he said, frowning. 

He could tell Blur was smiling as he retorted, "Maybe it's just my favourite colour."

"I'm not calling you Green." 

"Whatever floats your boat." 

Bakugou growled. He'd never talked with anyone like this but that odd feeling of familiarity came back to them. It irked him to no end. If he could just pin point where it was coming from, what memory - 

Without warning, the Blur stands up with Bakugou still pressing him to the ground. The teen yelps as he falls off of him, rolling to the ground. Blur seems unfazed as he straightens and brushes down his clothes. He regards Bakugou with an amused look. 

"Knocking you off is so much easier at this age," he says. 

Bakugou bristles and curses under his breath. He's trapped villains under him before but this random man is able to brush him aside like he was a feather. What the actual fuck? 

Blur picks up the unconscious villain, tossing them over his shoulder. He nods at Bakugou. "Don't take me stealing your win too personally. I'm sure you could have handled this one by yourself, however I have a job to do so. . . sorry?" 

"What the actual fuck?" he says out loud this time. 

Blur chuckles and shakes his head. "Yeah, I know. I have to go. See ya, Dynamight." 

Then he's gone. 

Bakugou glances between where he stood and the pile of groceries he left on the ground, half wondering if he dreamed the entire situation up. His frown deepened as things made less and less sense. 

What the actual fuck. 

5. 

Lately, things around Midoriya have been. . . off. There's no other way to put it. 

It's not the kind of off that most people would notice. People don't say weird things. Trees don't sway oddly. Signs of an apocalypse never come. This kind of off isn't loud with it's presence, it's just there. Like the feeling one gets when they think someone's watching them - the hairs on the back of his neck rising, his quirk preparing for use and his eyes constantly scanning the shadows. 

He'll be alone - or with others on the rare occasion - and he'll think he feels a villain nearby. Normally he's right about that sort of feeling. Especially since the last year with the league of villains and his senses being heightened. There's a cold draft, like a warning, and he'll turn around and see the danger a second before anyone else. 

But sometimes he'll get that feeling and when he looks over his shoulder, there's no one there. Just a small gust of wind and a trail of leaves carried away with it. 

He thinks he's going a little crazy. 

At one point, he tried mentioning it to his class just to see if they felt it too but Sero had chuckled awkwardly and quickly changed the subject. Sero's been acting weird lately. 

When he tells his mother about it, she says he's been too stressed lately and it's causing his nerves to go haywire. Maybe she's right. It's probably his own paranoia working overtime. There are no villains targeting him only to disappear when he turns around. That's absurd. . . right? At least he tells himself that until he meets him. 

One day, he gets that strange feeling and when he looks over his shoulder, it's just in time to see a dark figure tackle someone else. Their arms wrap around the other and their legs brace like they're about to jump. Midoriya doesn't know why he does it, but he chooses then to grab onto their leg as he'd done to All Might almost almost two years ago. 

Holding on to this person feels a lot like holding onto All Might. 

"Not now! Crap!" the person roared as they sailed through the sky. 

Midoriya doesn't know how they landed, only that he felt relieved when his feet touched the solid concrete of one of the city rooftops. He took a second to regain his balance then face the person he'd attached himself to (and who had quickly pushed him off). 

They were taller than him, enough so that he had to angle his head slightly to meet his eyes. Eye's that were green like his. 

"You," they say, voice slightly muffled by their black mask, "are a nuisance." 

He winced, shoulders raising. He reminded himself why he grabbed onto the man in the first place and said, "I need to know if you're the reason I've been feeling off lately." 

The man raised a brow, the arch of it disappearing under his dark bangs. "I am." 

It's such a strange admission to hear. He's relieved, in part, that he's not crazy. The rest of him thrums with a dozens questions about who this man is, why he's been following him, if there's more villains like the one currently hanging limply from his shoulder. Is he a hero? Someone else entirely? 

Instead of asking any of those, he simply asks, "Why?" 

He's not sure how, but the man seems to get what he means. He doesn't need to clarify, doesn't get an answer he isn't looking for. He hears exactly what he wants to know. 

"To protect you." 

Midoriya frowns. A memory of people constantly holding his hand in every aspect of his life resurfaces in his head. His teeth lock, his blood cooling. 

"I don't need protecting," he argues. 

"I know." 

And he says it like he's never been more certain of anything else. More than that. He says it like he's proud - as if he knew all the work Midoriya has put in to prove to those around him that he didn't need to be coddled. It surprised him more than the appearance of the man. No one had ever said that too him, not like this at least. 

Midoriya stumbles. "You - You do?" 

"I do," he says, nodding. "I don't do what I do because I think you can't handle these guys. I trust that you could defeat and capture anyone sent your way right now. What I don't believe you can do is get these villains to wear they belong after you're finished with them. You - or anyone you know - can't get them to their proper place. I can." 

I can. 

Midoriya feels a little in awe of how certain this man is about everything he says. He's confident, more so than anyone Midoriya has met (besides maybe Kacchan on his good days). 

"Who are you?" he can't help but ask. He wants to know desperately. He could write a dozen pages about him in his notebook if he'd let him. 

"It doesn't matter who I am," is the answer he receives. The man stands taller, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Actually, you weren't supposed to ever see me. I mean, I knew you would eventually but that's not the point." 

"You knew?" 

He shrugged. "Call it foresight. I was once in a very similar position as you and I found out about the person protecting me. We always do." 

It's not right the way he says 'we'. It unsettles Midoriya, grabbing at the pits of his stomach and yanking hard. He tries not to think too hard on it. 

The stranger must take his silence for something else for he then takes the hand not holding the villain on his shoulder and places it on Midoriya's head, ruffling the hair there. His tone is laced with fondness when he speaks again. 

"You're going to be an amazing hero, Izuku. You can't even begin to picture what the world will be like with you as a pro. Just wait and see. You'll blow everyone away." 

He gawks at him, hot tears pricking at his eyes, ready to spill over. He asks, "How do you know?" 

The man smiles so wide it can be seen from behind his mask. "Call it foresight." 

There's so many questions he has for him, so many things we wants - needs - to know. But, before he can think to open his mouth to ask them, Midoriya finds himself alone on the roof wondering where the man had gone. 

While he wanted to search for him, Midoriya didn't know what else to do but to walk back to where he'd been and continue on with his day. He had a feeling that if he looked, he wouldn't find him. He never looked. 

Days dragged on after that and not once did he feel off like he had before. He never saw the man again, even as his memory of meeting him became blurry and the only thing he remembered was his kind voice telling him, you'll blow everyone away.  

Maybe that man was right and they never were supposed to meet. Who he was didn't matter, their meeting didn't matter, but what he told him did. He was okay with that. 

He had a feeling that the man was okay with that too. 

+1

The last time the Blur is ever seen, he isn't caught. When All Might meets Blur, it's because Blur wants him to. 

Izuku has been darting through time for days. It's been months for the timeline he keeps going back to but he's not following their rules. It's always just a quick drop in for him - grab the villain and take them back to his timeline, then go right back to do it again. Four days straight of doing this and he starts to make a few mistakes. 

It's expected. Technically everything in the past is expected, but even without prior knowledge his team and him would be able to predict that his tired mind would start to slip up. It starts with Aizawa, then Shouto catches him, and then Hanta and Katsuki, and finally ends with his past self. 

That's all there should have been. When he asked those who knew them if they'd ever met the Blur, those were the only people who'd responded. Those five were all there should have been. 

Then he sees All Might. 

It was his last trip to the past. He was only supposed to sweep Yuuei for any villains he might have missed before heading back. Of course, he was Midoriya Izuku so the plan didn't stick. The moment he saw All Might, everything fell apart. 

The former number one hero sat on the bench outside 1-A's dorms, appearing to admire the schoolyard view. He was in his real form, hollow cheekbones and all. Izuku had spotted him as he was leaving from checking behind the dorms for villains (he's found one there before) and it was like the world had stopped. 

Time didn't exist to Izuku when he saw the face of his old mentor. All the precautions that his teams had laid out disappeared as his mind screamed, talk to him. It didn't matter what he was supposed to do, not anymore. 

It was selfish, he knew that, and he still sat down on that bench. 

Sitting at All Might's side brought on too many memories. His hand on his shoulder during graduation as his mother took a picture of the two of them grinning. His support as he bandaged Izuku back together after a bad fight. Him proudly presenting him to world as number one hero, the symbol of hope, like he had known all along that he'd make it there. His hand held tightly in Izuku's own, the sound of the busy hospital masking over their pained silence and tears as they tried to avoid the inevitable. 

Now he was back at his side. His presence pulled at Izuku's heartstrings, snapping them one by one till he started to wonder if there was anything holding him together after. 

"It's a lovely day, isn't it?" All Might says instead of greeting him. 

Izuku nods. He chokes on his words when he replies, "It is." 

It's raining. The sky is a light grey, covered by clouds that release water upon the earth. The pitter patter of drops hitting the concrete fills Izuku's ears, tangling with the sweet smell of wet grass. The over hang of the dorm building keeps them dry, safe to watch as the rest of the world is drenched. 

Yagi always did love the rain. 

Thunder rolls in the distance and All Might turns to him. He looks him up and down, not seeming even slightly phased by his skeptical appearance, and asks, "What brings you to Yuuei, young man." 

Young man. He hasn't heard that in forever. For a moment, he thanks his mask for covering his quivering lip. 

"The past," he answers. He couldn't bear to lie. Not to the man who practically raised him to be who he is. 

All Might hums. He looks back to the rain, eyes darting across the grass as he looks to track the patterns in which the water falls. "Were you a student here?" 

"What feels like a long time ago, yes," he says. Sighing, he tacks on, "And what also feels like just yesterday. I loved it here. I still love it here." 

"Now that I can understand," All Might agrees, a little chuckle mixing with his words. "It's amazing watching my students learn here after being one of them myself. It's hard sometimes not to get lost in thought remembering the old days. Then again, it's hard not to get lost in thought thinking about the future my students will bring." 

He wants to say that he has no idea how changed the future is because of them. He wants to tell him that he gets lost in thought too. He wants to hug him and share how much he longs to be in his life again - how he misses the smile he gets when he sees the rain. 

Instead, he says, "A load of contradictions we are, huh?" 

All Might smiles. He glances at him again, blue eyes flicking from his mask to his bangs to his own eyes. His smile doesn't falter as he asks, "What's your name, young man?" 

He should leave. There's no question about it. If his team knew what he was doing here, they'd flip. He should really go. 

But, he keeps seeing himself sitting in front of a river bank with his hands sifting through the sand. He can hear the sounds of the water passing by, running into rocks and cooling his toes where he's dipped them in. There's a pain in his chest as he wonders if most of his mentors ashes are still there or if the winds and rains have swept them away. He knows how heavy he feels at that riverside and he wonders for a moment if he ever has to move from this bench. 

"Midoriya Izuku." 

Izuku pulls down his hood and takes off his mask revealing his face, trembling lip and all. 

All Might stares. His eyes seem to catch of the scar winding from his temple to his jaw for a moment before moving to his freckle cheeks and green eyes. Izuku hears him take a sharp intake of breath and knows that he believes him. All Might has always believed him. 

"How?" he breathes, voice shaky. 

Izuku half smiles. "Time Travel? It's complicated. There was this girl with a quirk that could send people back in time and she decided the best way to use it was to send villains back in time to kill me before I came the number one, but then her twin found me and sent me back in time to stop them, so I've been running around capturing future villains and sending them back to their timeline before they can harm mini-me. And time is a loop so anything I do has technically already happened and can't change the future, which makes the villains kinda dumb actually, but that's not the point. Point is that I can technically tell you. So yeah. I'm Izuku. Future him, at least." 

Unexpectedly, All Might laughed. Izuku found himself stunned as his unfiltered laughter rang in the air. Even when All Might was still around in his timeline, he hardly laughed. It hurt his lungs too much. It'd been years since he heard his laugh outside of old videos. 

"After that explanation, how could you not be young Midoriya?" All Might said, explaining what he found so funny. 

"Izuku." The correction slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. "You called - call me Izuku in the future." 

The way All Might's smile ticked downward showed he'd caught his slip up but he'd never know based on the way he continued past it like there was nothing to discuss there. He simply regained his smile and said, "All right. Izuku, how are you?" 

His lips wobbled even more as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. His lungs felt tight and his hands shook in his lap. 

"I- I'm the number one hero, like I said I would be. Or, was before the ranking system was abolished. I save so many people, Yagi. You're going to be so proud." 

"I am and always will be proud of you." All Might's smile softened. He placed a hand on his knee. "But I asked how you are." 

He couldn't take it anymore. He remembers so clearly what is was like to hear that phrase every week - how it felt when he stopped hearing it from him all together. Tears sprung from his eyes and a sob racked his throat as he curled into himself. He cried, tears spilling down his cheeks like the rain pouring on the ground. Everything felt too much. The pressure in his eyes, the pain in his lungs, the stinging in his eyes - all too much. 

All Might's hand shifted from his knee in exchange for his arm wrapping around his shoulder. A comforting weight always there when he broke apart. 

For some reason, he cried harder. He choked on air and sunk deeper into All Might's embrace. In the grey of the storm, the sun felt out of reach - like it would never return. Izuku wondered if he'd ever stop crying over the man holding him. 

"I'm so sorry, Young Izuku," All Might whispered to him. 

He cried till he felt the tremors in his hands cease and his eyes were dry. All Might stayed at his side the whole time, never saying anything but letting a dozen unspoken words pass between them. Too many sorry's and too little thank you's. He could never thank him enough. 

Finally, he pulled away from his mentor and wiped at his eyes. He took a deep breath, letting the rain air fill his chest till he felt peace return to him. Slowly, carefully, and fully. 

"How are you?" All Might asks again. 

Izuku musters a small smile. "Better now." 

He means it. The world is less overwhelming. 

"Tell me about the future," he says and so Izuku does. 

He tells him about everything he misses, knowing he'll fill in the gap between then and now eventually. He talks about how Katsuki's second round of students just graduated. He mentions that Iida and Uraraka's first child is on the way. He rambles on about his team from his agency that are always there for him. He talks about the hero program titled 'Yagi's Youth Heroics' for homeless kids looking for an education in the hero industry. He even talks about the decision to never marry that Shouto and him had come to because of their careers. 

All Might doesn't ask about where he is in all the wonderful stories Izuku weaves. He nearly starts crying again out of thanks. 

In the end, his voice is raw from talking and All Might's smile is wider than when they begun. Izuku soaks in the bliss of it all for a moment before he remembers the responsibilities he has. 

"I should go," he says, standing abruptly. 

All Might catches his wrist. His hands are warm. Not cold like they'd been last time he saw him. He smiles at him as he always does. "I'm glad you're happy." 

"I. . ." Izuku struggles to find words. "I'm glad too." 

His wrist is released. All Might clear his throat. "Well then. Safe travels?" 

Izuku laughs. "Yeah. Safe travels. . . " 

He doesn't want to leave. To leave All Might again - it nearly tears his heart out. He faces All Might, the device he was given to notify when he wants to return to the future clutched in his hand. 

There's a certain pain to knowing he has to leave, no matter what he wants. The past is the past and he can't cling to it. He's learned that much in all the many years of his life. There are people counting on him in the future. There are more people he loves in the future waiting for him to return home. All Might may not be one of them anymore, but he's learning to live with that. He can't stay. 

"I'm going to miss you," he tells the man who was like a father to him. 

All Might holds his gaze. "I'm proud of you, Izuku." 

Izuku presses his device and lets the future fold around him. He sinks into it, the smell of his agency overtaking that of the rain; the faces of his friends and colleagues lapping over All Might's till they were all that he could see. 

When he was firmly in the future, his smile wavers for a moment. He'd be okay without All Might. 

He'd be okay. 

He smiled and faced his friends, spreading his arms wide. 

"I'm back." 

He couldn't help but grin wider when the launched at him. He's right where he's supposed to be.