Work Text:
Hitoshi doesn’t wake up until Midoriya smashes a vase.
Or until his Quirk does, anyway.
He doesn’t know how he slept through the rest of it– Midoriya’s panicked, heaving breaths even as he dreams, the comforter he flung off, the weak, sleepy pleas of “no” and “stop.”
It’s something Hitoshi will ponder later, bleakly wondering if something else was affecting his normally disjointed sleep schedule.
Either way, things are already out of control when Hitoshi wakes up. He’s used to waking up in chaotic environments, so it only takes him a moment to focus on Midoriya.
It’s immediately clear that something’s wrong.
From the carnage on the floor of comforters, vases, and who knows what else to the angry, tangled mess of black and green vines that writhe and twist their way across the room, Midoriya at the epicenter. There’s no easy way to get to him, or to help– Aizawa is either out of the building or dead asleep, and there’s no time for Hitoshi to go find out which it is.
Hitoshi considers throwing something soft at him, in the hope that it hits and wakes him up, but quickly reconsiders. If his Quirk is already active, it may become even more hyper aware if it senses an “actual” threat in the room. Even if it doesn’t, that still isn’t exactly how he wants to wake Midoriya up from what’s clearly a nightmare.
Which leaves just one option.
With an exhausted groan, Hitoshi rolls out of bed and to his feet. He can normally cross the renovated office in three quick strides, his and Midoriya’s beds purposefully on opposite sides of the small room. It takes him a minute longer with Midoriya’s Quirk on the fritz, lashing out on everything it can reach, but it still doesn’t take long for him to reach Midoriya’s side.
Hitoshi grabs his shoulder.
Gently shakes him.
And reels back when Midoriya bolts upright, his gaze rapidly shifting around the room until it finds its target.
Hitoshi watches him with horror as his Quirk rescinds, leaving the room cluttered and dark.
Dark, except for the faint light coming from Midoriya’s purple, glowing eyes.
“Hitoshi?” he asks, eyes wide and innocent. “What’s wrong?”
“Well, I–”
Hitoshi’s world goes blank.
–
From the phone records of Midoriya Izuku.
Today at 2:44A.M.
Outgoing call to Aizawa Shouta
Call duration: 3 minutes 23 seconds
[Aizawa Shouta: Midoriya, what–]
[Midoriya Izuku: Sensei! Please, come quick! It’s Shinsou, I don’t know– I don’t–]
[AS: Midoriya. Breathe. Status report.]
[MI: Okay. Okay, okay. No hostiles, I don’t think any injuries, we’re both in our room at the agency. Shinsou woke me up from a nightmare, and the room was all messed up, I think it was my Quirk, but when I asked him what happened, he just went… blank. I really don’t know, Sensei, but his eyes aren’t tracking me, and he can’t answer any questions. I don’t want to touch him and make it worse.]
[AS: I’m almost there, kid, I kept my patrol close to the agency. Keep watching Shinsou. Start a timer of how long he’s out of it for, and we’ll deal with it when I get there. I’m going to hang up now, okay?]
[MI: I– okay, Sensei.]
–
“Explain it to me again.” Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose.
Midoriya cringes, obviously on the verge of tears. Again.
Hitoshi would be more sympathetic if he knew what was happening, but as it is, he can barely hold in his grieved sigh.
“I woke up. Midoriya was having a nightmare, and his whip Quirk was going crazy . I woke him up, his eyes were purple, and I don’t remember anything from when he asked me what was happening to when you got here, Sensei,” Hitoshi dutifully recites. “Something’s up with his Quirk.”
“Have you tried to use your own?” Aizawa asks.
“I– no,” Hitoshi admits. He had thought about it, of course. But if he had tried to, and he couldn’t…
Besides, who would Hitoshi even try it on? Midoriya, who is clearly going through something? Aizawa, who is just trying to help them?
“Try,” Aizawa tells him. “See if it works on me.”
Hitoshi bites his lip, trying to stave off the anxiety.
His Quirk is fine. Everything is fine.
“Why can’t you share secrets in a cornfield?”
“What– because it has too many ears,” Aizawa answers, recognizing the joke after a momentary pause.
Hitoshi reaches for the tenuous mental connection that will allow him to grab hold of Aizawa’s mind.
Only to fumble when he realizes that there’s nothing there. Hitoshi isn’t trying to search for Aizawa’s mind among dozens of others, as he has to during training. He isn’t overtired and tugging on every little response he receives.
There just… isn’t anything to grab.
Hitoshi stumbles backwards, his back clashing against a wooden desk.
“Shinsou…” Aizawa trails off, a fresh wave of concern washing over him.
“I can’t,” Hitoshi spits out, shaking his head. “I– I can’t do it, Sensei.”
Even before his Quirk came in, Hitoshi doesn’t think he’s ever felt this… empty.
Another round of tears begin to flood Midoriya’s eyes. Hitoshi is nearly hyperventilating, himself– his face buried deep in the crook of one elbow as he tries to regulate his breathing, his other hand used to brace himself against the desk.
Aizawa glances between the two of them, and what a pair they make. Two interns trying to stave off panic attacks because one somehow took the other’s Quirk.
‘No,’ Hitoshi reminds himself, ‘He didn’t take my Quirk.’
But what else could have happened?
“Hitoshi,” Aizawa says urgently, interrupting the increasingly erratic chatter streaming through Hitoshi’s brain. “Think. Do you have any idea what could have caused this?”
Hitoshi almost laughs. “Do I– Midoriya! He did something to my Quirk. His was going haywire, I woke him up, and suddenly, he has my Quirk.” Hitoshi pauses, as another possibility comes to him. “Or… I didn’t think anything happened at the time, but we did run into a villain at Kioto mall yesterday.”
“How many perpetrators? Any sign of their Quirks?” Aizawa asks.
“Two of them. At least one of them had a teleportation Quirk, but they both teleported at some point…” Hitoshi trails off, wishing he’d remembered anything helpful. He hadn’t given the low-level villains much thought, though. As third years, he and Midoriya have seen people do much, much worse things than rob a few stores in a mall.
“Only one of them had teleportation,” Midoriya says quietly. The only thing he’s said since Aizawa first burst into the room, capture weapon at the ready. “The other one’s Quirk could have been anything.”
“I’ll have to call the department and have them check the records,” Aizawa sighs. “I think we all see what’s happened, at this point.”
Hitoshi reburies his head in his hands, unwilling to even risk looking at Midoriya, just for fear of losing himself.
Silence hangs for a long, tense moment.
Eventually, Aizawa orders them both to sit down somewhere while he calls the station. Midoriya, already standing at the foot of his own bed, simply flops down. Similarly, Hitoshi sinks to the hard wooden floor, his back scraping against the desk.
He zones out while Aizawa makes the call, his mind blissfully empty for a few all-too-short minutes.
From the look on Aizawa’s face when he hangs up, though, Hitoshi knows he’s not going to be happy with whatever answer the station gave him.
Midoriya sits up, clearly having sensed the rising tension.
Aizawa’s gaze flickers between them both, finally settling on Hitoshi. “Our culprit is Moriyama Keiko. Her Quirk is called Swap. On paper, it swaps people's Quirks for anywhere from 24 to 120 hours. Clearly, something went wrong.”
Something, as in: somehow, Midoriya has both Hitoshi’s Quirk and his own, while Hitoshi is left with nothing.
Hitoshi can’t help but glare at Midoriya, even if logically, it isn’t his fault. Weird things happen around Midoriya all the time, so why should this swapping Quirk target the both of them? Midoriya’s already proven immune to Monoma’s Quirk, and considering the mutations his has gone through, is it really out of the question to say that this Quirk-affecting Quirk would be just as ineffective as the rest?
The look on Midoriya’s face, though…the way he avoids Hitoshi’s gaze…
For some reason, he feels guilty.
Whatever happened, whatever went so wrong that it left Hitoshi Quirkless while giving Midoriya his quirk…
Midoriya knows something.
“I’m going to call the station back and see if there are any records of her using her Quirk, and do some research,” Aizawa says, interrupting Hitoshi’s realization. “I need you both to at least try and get some more sleep. I don’t want you building bad habits, but if one of you needs to take the couch right now, I’ll allow it. I know tensions are running high, but it’s not going to get better if you’re both sleep deprived. More than usual, anyways,” he adds, with a wry look at Hitoshi, then makes a face like he immediately regrets the joke. Hitoshi can barely muster even the smallest grin.
One look at Midoriya makes it clear that he isn’t leaving– rather, he seems to be wishing the floor would give out and swallow him whole.
Hitoshi isn’t particularly interested in trying to sleep, despite the late– or rather, early– hour, but he doesn’t want to sit in the living room while Aizawa tries to sort shit out. At least if he’s in his own bed, he’ll be warm while he contemplates the frankly ridiculous situation he’s in.
He tells Aizawa as much, bids him goodnight, and dives under the covers the second his teacher leaves the room. Hiotoshi resists the urge to scream into his pillow.
If this is just the second day of his internship and it’s this crazy…
Then again, what had Hitoshi expected, when he learned that Midoriya was going to be joining him for this round of internships?
They’re friends, sure. Hitoshi’s “loner” schtick hadn’t held up long against 1-A’s determined, forceful friendship, and Midoriya’s group of friends quickly scooped him up for themselves. Even still, he hung out with Todoroki and, somehow, Iida more than he did Midoriya. So while he wasn’t exactly against the resident Problem Child joining him, he wishes he’d better prepared himself for whatever bullshit was inevitably going to follow.
As Hitoshi eventually drifts into sleep, one thought haunts him:
What does Midoriya know?
–
From the phone records of Midoriya Izuku.
Today at 5:58 A.M.
Recent searches:
quirk swap
quirkless quirk swap
how to tell secret
how to not be scared
all might smile compilation
–
When Aizawa wakes Hitoshi up at eight, Midoriya is already out of the room.
“He’s having breakfast,” Aizawa explains, seeing Hitoshi’s searching gaze. “I’ll let you get yours in a minute, but I wanted to talk to you one-on-one first.”
“Okay…” Hitoshi trails off, unsure of where this is going.
“I talked to the detective, who questioned Moriyama. She said she’s never seen anything like this happen, because of her Quirk or someone else's. Nothing helpful online, either,” Aizawa tells him grimly.
‘Fuck,’ Hitoshi thinks.
He must make some kind of face, because Aizawa’s gaze immediately softens. “I know, kid. I’m sorry I don’t have better answers for you.”
“You– my Quirk is going to come back, though. Eventually. Right?” Hitoshi can’t help but ask, regretting the words as soon as they’re out.
Somehow, Aizawa’s gaze turns sadder. “I wish I could say for sure, but with so many unknown variables–” He stops himself, clears his throat, and says, “I wouldn’t give up hope just yet, Shinsou.”
“Right,” Hitoshi says numbly.
A tense, heavy silence falls over the room.
Hitoshi avoids Aizawa’s gaze as the man searches for something to say.
Eventually, he turns away. “You should eat something, Shinsou. I made pancakes.”
On another day, during another internship, Hitoshi would’ve snarked about how he hoped they weren’t burnt, or something to that effect.
As it is, he can barely drag himself to the living room.
Hitoshi doesn’t want to be wary of Midoriya. He doesn’t want to look at his friend and feel wrong.
But still, Hitoshi’s question stands:
What does Midoriya have to feel guilty about?
–
From the phone records of Midoriya Izuku.
Today at 8:11A.M.
Midoriya Izuku · 8:02 A.M.
are you awake
Yagi-Sensei · 8:04 A.M.
I certainly am! These old bones don’t get much sleep these days, I’m afraid.
Yagi-Sensei: 8:05 A.M.
Is something the matter, my boy?
Midoriya Izuku · 8:06 A.M.
Shinsou and I ran into a villain yesterday. Found out after the fact that she had a Quirk swapping Quirk.
Yagi-Sensei · 8:07 A.M.
Oh dear, that does sound stressful! Are you concerned about Young Shinsou handling himself with OFA? I’m sure that with you to help guide him, his limbs will remain intact. :)
Midoriya Izuku · 8:09 A.M.
He didn’t get OFA, Yagi-Sensei. That’s the problem.
Yagi-Sensei · 8:11 A.M.
Ah. I see…
Yagi-Sensei · 8:11 A.M.
is typing…
–
When Hitoshi and Aizawa make it to the shabby, makeshift kitchen they set up in the office, they find Midoriya poking at his pancakes, eyes glued to his phone.
“Everything alright, Midoriya?” Aizawa asks lightly.
He looks up, startled. “Yes, Sensei,” Midoriya says, rubbing his eyes.
Hitoshi is immediately startled by the suitcases that hang from them, though he really shouldn’t be. Midoriya doesn’t sleep well under the best of circumstances. Of course he’s more exhausted than normal. He half-heartedly returns Hitoshi’s wave, but won’t meet his eyes.
Aizawa pulls his attention to the small stack of pancakes he has prepared, offering Hitoshi the choice of regular or chocolate chip pancakes.
“Why’d you make pancakes, Sensei?” he asks, scooping two of the chocolate chip ones onto his plate.
“All Might taught us during a ‘staff development’ session, and gave everybody enough pancake mix to last for a year,” Aizawa explains with a shrug. “I keep some here, since they’re pretty quick and easy to make.”
Right now, the three of them are holed up in an old, shoddily-renovated Hero agency. For all three of his internships with Aizawa, they’ve started out right here in this building, though this is the first time Hitoshi has shared a room. His second year, they ended up in Tokyo for the second week of the two-week internships, but it looks like they’ll be stuck here this year.
Not that there will be any shortage of interesting things.
Breakfast is short, quiet, and awkward. Hitoshi and Aizawa aren’t great at small-talk on the best of occasions, and Midoriya clearly isn’t up to the task of carrying the conversation. He keeps glancing at his phone, in fact, thumbs flying across the screen as he responds to whoever he’s texting.
Hitoshi tries not to worry about it, but there isn’t much else for him to think about.
He’d pull his own phone out, but Aizawa isn’t using his, and Hitoshi’s parents always enforced the ‘no phones at the table’ rule.
Eventually, when he’s nearly done with his second pancake, Hitoshi asks, “What’s the plan for today?”
“Originally, we were going to take the train to Nagoya for the day to get the experience of patrolling in a new area,” Aizawa says. “I’m still deciding what we should do today. Either we’ll use the gyms here and work on some basic technique things that don’t rely on Quirks, or head back to Yuuei to see if Recovery Girl has any insights.”
“I–” Midoriya starts, only to cut himself off when Hitoshi and Aizawa simultaneously turn to look at him. He glances back down at his phone, takes a deep, steadying breath, then announces: “I know why the Quirk swap went ‘wrong.’”
Hitoshi does a double take, glancing at Aizawa’s (equally shocked) face to make sure he heard right. He thought Midoriya knew or did something , but to have it confirmed…
Midoriya presses on. “It’s because of me. Er– because of my Quirk.” He takes a slow, deep breath.
Hitoshi clenches his fists, urging himself to be patient.
“My Quirk is called One for All. It’s a stockpiling Quirk that has been passed down through eight generations, making me the ninth user, and before All Might gave it to me, I was Quirkless. That is why Hitoshi is Quirkless now. His Quirk swapped with my original Quirk, which really wasn’t a Quirk at all, since, y’know, Quirkless, but–”
“Back up a second,” Aizawa interrupts, blissfully halting Midoriya’s rambling. “Start from the top of the story, kid.”
And he did.
–
“I’m sorry I couldn’t– didn’t – tell you earlier,” Midoriya murmurs, easily audible in the silence that has overtaken the room.
“Don’t,” Hitoshi says, one elbow propped up on the table as he stares out into the room. As he doesn’t stare at Midoriya. “I can’t– just– don’t. Please.”
“We’re glad you told us,” Aizawa smoothly cuts in. “It’s helpful to know in regards to the current situation, and in hindsight, connects a lot of dots.”
Somehow, Midoriya’s face only grows more terrified. “I–”
“Don’t,” Aizawa interrupts, voice as gentle as Hitoshi has ever heard it. “I know this must’ve been hard to tell us, but you have to let us process. Let Shinsou think about it. Okay?”
“Okay,” Midoriya agrees, nodding quickly. “Okay, sorry, I’ll just. Be quiet now. Sorry.”
Aizawa sighs. “How about we send Shinsou off to cool down for a little bit, and you and I can talk privately, Midoriya.”
Hitoshi is already on his feet as Midoriya hesitantly agrees.
Aizawa catches his arm as Hitoshi tries to walk by. “I’ll text you when we’re done, but don’t feel like you have to come out then, okay?”
“Okay,” Hitoshi says.
The moment his arm is released, he practically sprints to the room. Hitoshi flops onto his bed, face-first, and this time he gives into the urge to scream into his pillow.
He feels a little bit better after that. Hitoshi knows he won’t be okay until he has his Quirk back, though.
If anyone else had told him that they grew up Quirkless, received a generations-old Quirk from All Might, and that that was why everything went so horribly wrong, Hitoshi would laugh in their face.
It’s an unbelievable story, each twist and turn crazier than the last.
Hitoshi knows Midoriya, though. Knows him inside and out, and trusts him to have Hitoshi’s back through thick and thin. Knows him from months of shared study dates and mall outings, and heartfelt holiday gift exchanges with friends. He never told Hitoshi about this.
But Hitoshi knows Midoriya.
And Midoriya can’t lie for shit.
–
From the phone records of Shinsou Hitoshi.
Today at 9:43 A.M.
Shinsou Hitoshi · 9:11 A.M.
do you have any new pics of soba
Todoroki Shouto · 9:14 A.M.
Yes.
Todoroki Shouto · 9:15 A.M.
[attached: 3 images of a black cat with white paws in various poses around the Todoroki household.]
Todoroki Shouto · 9:16 A.M.
Fuyumi has been sending me updates. So far, Father has not realized she exists.
Shinsou Hitoshi · 9:17 A.M.
thanks for the pics
Shinsou Hitoshi · 9:18 A.M.
Good. I hope it stays that way.
Aizawa Shouta · 9:43 A.M.
If you’re ready, you can join us.
✓ Read at 9:43 A.M.
–
By the time Aizawa calls Hitoshi out of his room, he feels slightly less overwhelmed. He still can’t quite wrap his brain around Midoriya’s insane story, though he knows it’s true.
He barges out into the common area before he can overthink it.
(Hitoshi’s done enough of that these past forty minutes.)
He finds Aizawa sitting in a desk chair, computer in his lap, while Midoriya sprawls across the two-person couch. He sits up as soon as the wooden floor creaks under Hitoshi’s feet, and positively beams when Hitoshi decides to sit down next to him. Still, despite his smile, it’s clear that he’s been crying for a bit.
Not exactly out of character for Midoriya, but still…
“Are you okay?” Hitoshi asks.
Midoriya lets a shuddery breath escape. “I’m… as okay as I can be, I guess,” he says with a shrug. “I still can’t believe that I’m the reason you’re Quirkless now.”
“I mean, I can’t either,” Hitoshi admits, “but now that I know what happened, it really isn’t your fault, Midoriya. I’m just glad to know that my Quirk will come back.”
“I– me too,” Midoriya sighs. “I don’t know if I could live with myself if I had your Quirk while you had nothing.”
“Well, I think you’d have to,” Hitoshi tells him. “It would suck. It would be hard, and terrible, and I probably wouldn’t want to talk to you for a bit, but I’d get over it, and so would you. As terrible as that would be, we’re Heroes. Bouncing back is part of the job description.”
“Well… I guess you’re right,” Midoriya admits. “I’d do whatever I had to to make it up to you, you know. I’ll do whatever I have to, if you’re still mad now.”
“You don’t– and wouldn’t– have to do anything but let me process,” Hitoshi says. “It’s not your fault. And it wouldn’t be your fault, if we ran into some villain who could somehow permanently swap Quirks.”
He stares Midoriya down until he nods in agreement.
(Incidentally, he doesn’t notice Aizawa subtly watching them from the corner of his eye as he ‘types’ on his laptop.)
“I know the next few days are going to be weird, for both of us, but we’re going to be okay,” Hitoshi tells him, as sincerely as he can. “We’ve fought supervillains with our hands tied behind our backs. I think we can handle some weird Quirk shit for a few days.”
“You’re right,” Midoriya admits. His eyes take on a determined glint. “We’re going to be just fine.”
“You’ve done what now?” Aizawa demands, nearly interrupting Midoriya.
“Er–” Hitoshi and Midoriya both freeze.
“We told you about that, right, Sensei?” Hitoshi asks, hands raised in a vaguely placating manner.
Aizawa’s eyes glow red. His hair rises from his shoulders.
“You most certainly did not. You better start talking.”
Midoriya and Hitoshi exchange wary glances, neither of them wanting to be the one to tell this particular story.
Aizawa’s face somehow grows stormier.
“Now.”
–
After Aizawa is done chewing them out and promising to make them rue the day they snuck out of the dorms to go on an unsanctioned snack run, he gives them the rest of the afternoon off. Even for him, expecting them to function like normal the day after their Quirks swapped in the weirdest way possible is a bit too cruel.
The day after that, though, is apparently fair game.
“If only his mercy extended until our Quirks were fixed,” Hitoshi moans.
“I know,” Midoriya agrees between small sips of water.
“You two are just getting started,” Aizawa tells them, overhearing their conversation. “That was just the warm-up for today’s real activity: Quirkless sparring.”
Hitoshi groans, but he and Aizawa both know it’s more for show than anything. He really does need as much practice as he can get, even if he loves to complain about it. Especially with taking yesterday off– to his everlasting frustration, his muscle memory never lasts long when he takes even a short break.
One glance at Midoriya, though, and it’s clear that he is genuinely worried.
“C’mon, Midoriya,” Hitoshi says, smiling slyly at him. “You know that we’re still going to crush him.”
“Oh, you won’t be fighting me,” Aizawa interrupts with a sadistic smile. “You’ll be fighting each other.”
Hitoshi immediately meets Midoriya’s gaze.
He smiles.
“Bring it on, Midoriya.”
The other boy hesitates, then says, “I hope you’re ready to lose.”
It’s clear that his heart isn’t in it, but Hitoshi tries not to worry about it. Yet.
His concern only grows when Aizawa calls their match to a start and Midoriya doesn’t rush him. He doesn’t always start their spars on the offensive, but combined with the other… odd things Midoriya has been doing…
It could all be a tactic. Hitoshi can’t risk being caught off guard– Aizawa still makes fun of him for looking around after he said, “Look, a cat!”
So he goes on the offensive.
Aizawa times the fight.
Hitoshi wins in twenty seconds, after successfully pinning Midoriya down for five.
“Hitoshi’s point,” Aizawa calls.
He rolls off of Midoriya, who weakly says, “Good job, Hitoshi! That was really–”
“Cut the crap, Midoriya. You let me win.” He wags his finger at Midoriya “Don’t even try to deny it. I’ve gotten way better at sparring in the past few years, but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell when you’re taking it easy on me. Don’t you remember what Aizawa told you two years ago when we first started training together?”
“‘If I take it easy on you, you won’t ever learn how to take on more experienced opponents,’” Midoriya recites dutifully. “But–”
“No buts! It’s not even that I’m more inexperienced today,” Hitoshi points out. “You’re just nervous.”
Midoriya takes a deep breath, preparing to refute Hitoshi’s argument. “I know that you’re as skilled as ever, but with what happened to our Quirks– how can you focus, knowing that your Quirk is gone? If I lost One for All… if I was Quirkless again… I don’t know what I’d do.”
“You would keep going,” Hitoshi tells him. “Yeah, it’s weird not having my Quirk, but I’m as strong as I’ve ever been. I’m not going to let that stop me from kicking your ass fair and square. Don’t underestimate me.”
Midoriya’s eyes light up with new determination. “You’re right. I won’t make that mistake again.”
They set up for their next match. Aizawa calls time.
Midoriya kicks his ass.
And Hitoshi couldn’t be happier.