Chapter Text
Nezu had a stern look on his face as he looked at Aizawa. "Let me be quite clear. The only reason you are not being fired as of this moment is because you realized you have been tricked and lied to by those corrupt law enforcement officers, calling us the moment you realized that Mr. Midoriya was being illegally interrogated."
Shota looked shocked. He knew he didn't deserve his job after what he had done. "I have no right to teach the next generation of heroes, let alone the students I forced into this mess."
"No, you don't." Nedzu responded then sighed. "But I am just as equally to blame as you. If I simply showed you what Mr. Midoriya had in that notebook instead of testing your resolve, we wouldn't have been stuck in this mess."
Shota looked stunned but didn't respond back.
Itsuka, All Might and Detective Tsukauchi brought Izuku to the infirmary. Recovery Girl's gaze hardened as she took in the bruises and had All Might and the detective redress the teen in a spare gym uniform. After that, she used her quirk on Izuku and he drifted out of consciousness.
Even though Itsuka was impatient and wanted to badger All Might about what her boyfriend said about the truth of his quirk, she put Izuku's health first. She turned to Detective Tsukauchi. "What Aizawa said after that interrogation. Was it true? He didn't know those jerks in the precinct would put their hands on Izu?"
Detective Tsukauchi sighed. "I am just as surprised but it was all true." His phone then vibrated and he took it out. He sighed in frustration. "Great. Just great."
"What's wrong?" All Might asked.
"Sansa is bringing Nezu and Aizawa back to UA. Nezu wants me to be there when Aizawa tells Class A that Izuku is not the traitor."
"You tried to expel young Izuku on the first day for not meeting your standards and you still had the audacity to pull this." The emaciated All Might said, the anger present in his voice as he looked at the erasure hero with a look of contempt while Naomasa was inside questioning the green haired boy inside the interrogation room. "You have no right to call yourself a hero or a teacher."
~
All Might's words echoed in Shota's head while he walked down the hallway of the main campus building. How could he have been blinded by fear of his own student? Midoriya was more heroic than he ever was. From the USJ to Kamino to the Shie Hissaikai raid.
Shota leaned against the wall, wrapping his arms around his torso. He closed his eyes to stave off the tears he felt forming. His student, his Problem Child, hated him.
Shota knew he fucked up so badly and he had no idea how he could come back from this. If he could. If he deserved to. He was supposed to protect these kids but he let himself get so wrapped up in the fear of a traitor and in that moment when he saw that notebook, his assumption was the common denominator in every single villain attack.
He thought about the USJ. His kids watched him with fear before he headed into the plaza. His students teleported away to different zones. Shigiraki inches from disintegrating Asui's face. Thirteen torn open by her own quirk.
He thought about Tensei in his hospital bed. Paralyzed from the waist down by the Hero Killer.
He thought about the training camp. Mandalay's sudden warning. Hearing the screams in the forest. Seeing a physically broken Midoriya with a scared Kota on his back. Tracking down the unconscious students in the aftermath. Finding out Bakugo and Ragdoll were gone.
He thought about Kamino. How the near-mythical All For One surfaced. How the villain and All Might fought and nearly leveled a city. Finding out a handful of his kids were in the middle of that trying to rescue Bakugo on their own.
He thought about the Shie Hassaikai raid. Nighteye's death. Togata losing his quirk. Finding Eri. Seeing Midoriya being close to being rewinded out of existence by Eri's quirk.
He thought about Nabu Island. The HPSC sending his kids to an island without supervision. Finding out his kids were fighting three villains by themselves and that one of them had the All For One quirk.
He thought about Oboro, the friend he lost long before all this. And he didn't want to risk losing anyone else.
Telling the kids and the police was a huge fucking mistake. Because now he was losing Midoriya.
Midoriya was angry and it was his fault. His students were supposed to be able to trust him. But Shota had ruined that with one illogical choice. He should have trusted Midoriya instead of letting his fear consume him.
He so badly wanted a second chance, a way to fix this. He also didn't think he deserved that.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat this. You fucked up." Hizashi said bluntly, causing Shota to realize he had been crying this whole time.
Before Nezu and All Might left to get the little listener back, Hizashi was appointed by the stoat to tell the rest of Class A that they were excused from class for the rest of the day. The look he gave them when he heard a few of them talking badly about the green haired listener shut them up. Despite how angry he was at Shota, the voice hero was not going to treat his best friend like crap.
Shota blinked through his tears at the blurry form of his friend. "I know."
"As long as you know," Hizashi sighed, pulling Shota away from the wall and into a hug.
"They tried to break him and I watched. I'm a monster, 'Zashi." Shouta sobbed into the familiar shoulder.
"The little listener constantly breaks himself, Sho." Hizashi joked solemnly. "He's a strong kid. And you're not a monster. You just messed up."
"What if he never forgives me?" Shouta asked quietly.
"Then he never forgives you," Hizashi answered bluntly. "That's up to him. If he can't handle being around you, then it's fine. He'll be fine. He'll still be a hero."
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Well, it did. And you need to find a way to move forward. You can't wallow in self-pity when he's the one hurting. He's the child here."
Shota sighed. "I know."
The two friends saw Detective Tsukauchi walk up to them.
"How is Midoriya?" Hizashi asked.
“He’s still a little bruised but he’s resting now thanks to Recovery Girl’s quirk.” Detective Tsukauchi said. The two heroes took a deep breath.
"You don't deserve to be a hero. Give me my quirk back and get out of my sight. I can't believe I wasted my time with you."
"No please, All Might.'
Izuku sighed inside the One For All mindscape while his physical form was resting, feeling the effects of Recovery Girl's quirk. He replayed that little 'nightmare' a few times.
-'It makes me wonder if that would have happened.' Izuku thought to himself.
When Izuku appeared in the vestige realm, he found himself with more of his body visible since he was able to use 40 percent now. But he was practically naked which irritated him. He concentrated and his hero suit covered his body. The previous vestiges introduced themselves except for two men standing in the back facing away from him. They wore some kind of battle uniform. The man on the left had ginger spiky hair and the other had turquoise hair that was tied into a spiked up ponytail.
-'Izuku.. Toshi would never turn his back on you. Not after everything you have done.' Nana said while the incomplete vestige of the Symbol of Peace looked saddened that his boy still had doubts.
-'Even if Yagi betrayed you, which is impossible given the time you two spent together and if he demanded One For All back, it would be null and void because it was not done willingly.' Yoichi reassured him.
(A/N: I'm going to be real here. When I see a sus traitor story with All Might being ooc and taking back OFA, I question it because Izuku is supposed to willingly give it away and I don't think All Might asking or threatening counts as willingly. Of course that's just my opinion.)
-'Plus we would rather stay with you. No offense to that Togata kid.' Daigoro said.
Izuku took the successors' words to heart. He will continue to become a hero despite what his classmates and teacher did to him. With a hardened resolve, his vestige starts to fade away from the vestige realm as his physical form begins to regain consciousness.
-'Tell Toshi I said hi.' Nana said with a smile and Izuku nodded.
"Where should I start?" All Might asks while his successor was sleeping on the hospital bed in Recovery Girl's office.
"How about you start from the beginning?"
"The beginning, beginning or young Izuku's beginning?"
"There are two beginnings?" Itsuka asked with wide eyes.
All Might explained everything to Itsuka. She looked stunned.
"This is so much to take in. I can't believe Izu carried this burden all by himself." Itsuka said.
In a few minutes, Izuku began to stir awake. He let out a groan and the three occupants turned to look at him.
"How do you feel, my boy?" All Might asked.
"Tired and angry." Izuku said as he slowly sat up with Itsuka's help. "How long was I out?"
"Almost an hour. I had told young Kendo about One For All and how I met you."
"I see." Izuku said and turned to Itsuka. "I understand if it was too much for you to handle and you don't want to be with me."
Itsuka put a finger to his lips. "I won't leave you. Everyone might see One For All as this big deal but you are the same Izuku that I always admired."
Izuku looked surprised. "You really mean it?"
Itsuka nodded. Izuku smiled and kissed her hand, making her blush.
"Thank you, Itsu. The means a lot to me." Izuku said and turned to All Might. "I was in the vestige realm."
All Might looked surprised. "You were?"
"Honestly at first I was surprised. Thought you'd like to know and Mrs. Shimura said hi."
All Might looked shocked. "You saw my master? You talked to her?"
Izuku nodded, a small smile on his face. "She said she's proud of the man you become and proud of you stopping All For One's reign of terror. She also told me she knew you would never turn your back on me when you found out about the traitor suspicion."
"I'm pretty sure master would be disappointed in me if I let my fear get the best of me. And Recovery Girl would have berated me for doing such a thing."
"And call in Torino to do the same thing if Toshinori had forgotten his roots." Recovery Girl said.
"I omitted something last time we were in the infirmary."
"What are you talking about?" Itsuka asked.
Izuku looked down. "I.. was going to kill myself instead of coming here."
The other three occupants looked horrified.
"I was just done with everything the past few days in the beginning and everyone talking about the quirkless got to me. I assumed they knew I was quirkless because they said all those things so freely. But I didn't know how wrong I was at the time and I almost gave those idiots what they wanted: A reason to be freed from the damned Deku. When I rushed out of the classroom and I was at the staircase, I was contemplating going upstairs to do the deed or downstairs to Recovery Girl's office. A voice in my head told me not to do it and to think about the children I saved. Now I know that voice was Mrs. Shimura in my head." Izuku said. "I withstand everything life has thrown at me but I became so weak at that one moment."
"Izu.. please tell me.. you still don't feel that way." Itsuka was sniffling, burying her head on Izuku's chest and a small wet stain forming. The green haired boy rested his chin on the top of her head, tears overflowing from the emotions that rushed back to him.
Izuku shook his head. "No. Mrs. Shimura was right. I shouldn't depend on my classmates anymore to get stronger. Just the people I care about. But a part of me wants my classmates to get on their knees and beg for forgiveness, for them to be remorseful, for them to be ashamed. Only for me to say that I wish I never became their friend if they would betray me that easily for a stupid notebook."
Before anyone could respond, a short and slightly chubby green haired woman in winter clothing ran into the infirmary and threw herself at Izuku with slight waterfall tears. "My baby!"
"M-mom?!" Izuku was shocked to see his mom at UA. "What are you doing here?!"
Itsuka also looked shocked. 'M-mom?! Izu's mom is here?! I wasn't ready for this. Do I look presentable?'
"Detective Tsukauchi called me and said that you were taken in for an interrogation. Then the principal let me in and I was escorted here by Midnight. She's quite different from her TV persona." Inko Midoriya explained.
"I'm sorry for not telling you last week when I came home for New Years. A part of me didn't want to worry you and the other part of me was scared that you would abandon me or disown me." Izuku said in shame.
"Oh honey. I would never do that to you and I'm not mad at you for not telling me. I am livid at your classmates and your teacher for believing such a thing." Inko reassured her son. She then noticed Itsuka.
"Um hello. I am.."
Inko interrupted her. "You must be Itsuka. I'm Inko." She hugged her son's girlfriend. "I'm so happy I finally got to meet you."
Itsuka realized that her boyfriend's mom was just as affectionate as him, making her smile. She was glad that she wasn't currently being hit by the waterfall tears. "It's nice to finally meet you as well, Mrs. Midoriya."
"Oh please dear, call me mom. It would be rude of me to have you call me that or by my name after Izuku told me so much about you." Inko said, releasing Itsuka.
Itsuka looked at Izuku. "You told mom all about me, Izu?"
"Since New Years. I had to tell mom about the beautiful girl that I now call my girlfriend."
Itsuka's heart leaped in her chest. "I am so spoiling you with kisses when we get back to the dorm."
Izuku didn't say anything, making All Might, Inko and Itsuka laugh at his imitation of a strawberry.
"I can't believe I let this happen," Shota said as he and Tsukauchi walked to the 1-A dorm.
Tsukauchi frowned, detecting the truth in his words and sighed. "I see. But it did. Be lucky that it wasn't all the teachers against Izuku."
Once they got to the dorm, they found the students in the common room except Bakugo and Todoroki. Shota noticed some of the students looked worried for him, which he's not surprised. Shota had been so blinded with fear, but it wasn't an excuse. So even though he's never felt like less of a hero, he stands tall to address his class.
"I'm sure you all have had concerns about Midoriya." Shota starts, only to be immediately interrupted.
"Has he been arrested?"
"He deserves to go to Tartarus for being the traitor."
If the rage in Tsukauchi's eyes was not enough to say something, Shota for once was kind of glad Bakugo and Todoroki were not downstairs because the dormitory would have been demolished hearing these questions.
"ENOUGH!!" Shota's eyes glowed red, his hair rising. The students asking questions immediately shut their mouths.
"Midoriya is not the traitor. He was proven innocent."
"Innocent? Are you sure?" Sero blurted out.
Tsukauchi leveled a glare at the teen. "My quirk is called Lie Detector. It has a 100 percent success rate. Even the most seasoned criminal wouldn't escape my quirk."
It took a few minutes but it was now obvious to the two adults who were on the green haired boy's side and who was not. The looks on the faces of the students that turned their backs on Izuku in the common area were instantaneous to the sleep deprived hero and detective. From the shock to the disbelief to the horror of what they have done the past weeks.
Ashido had started crying, her usual pink features turning puffy and red as she looked at her teacher like he was a monster.
Iida had collapsed onto the couch. His eyes looked lifeless and numb as his teacher.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...." Mineta repeated to himself, muttering as he used the wall to steady himself.
Kirishima, Aoyama, Jiro, Tokoyami, Shoji, Koda and Sato looked away from their classmates.
Naomasa didn't like the looks of the ones that betrayed Izuku. it clearly said they believed their friend would actually betray them.
"You kids really thought Izuku was a traitor." Tsukauchi said. "After everything he has done for UA and put himself through, you turned your backs on him."
"But his notebook, sir. Iida and Aizawa sensei said that his notebook would be full of our weaknesses to take us down." Yaoyorozu said in disbelief, looking between Iida and Aizawa. She looked devastated. She remembered seeing Ashido almost melt Midoriya's arm. She should have scolded the pink-skinned girl but she just stood there. She looked down on the quirkless, forgetting about Melissa and Ragdoll. She really is a disgrace of a vice rep.
"We were wrong. He only listed Bakugo, Todoroki, Ojiro, Kaminari and Uraraka to help with their quirks. In the back pages of the notebook, he had ways to counter those weaknesses and even drew support items for Uraraka, Ojiro and Kaminari." Aizawa explained.
"Iida, d-did you know that there were notes written in the back?" Uraraka asked, realizing how badly they messed up.
"I.. I did not. I made a mistake." Iida said quietly, his voice hollow and broken as he looked down in shame. He felt like a disgrace for fearing someone he called a friend.
"You don't get to say you made a mistake after what you did!" Ashido exclaimed. She choked on a sob realizing how wrong she has been, how wrong they all have been. She tried to melt Midoriya's arm off. She called him Deku. She made her boyfriend ignore him because she thought she was protecting him from Midoriya's lies.
"You don't get to act like victims," Tsukauchi said with the anger in his voice showing, making the students flinch. "You turned on him because you refused to use your own heads and trust him after everything he has done."
"We didn't know Aizawa sensei would be wrong about this!" Ashido exclaimed loudly. "He was never wrong about anything."
"Aizawa is the epitome of wrong in this school. He has made errors in every bullshit ruse he put you through." Tsukauchi said. "As far as I'm aware, Izuku has sacrificed more than any of you because that's what a true hero does. Exactly like All Might had done."
"S-so when is Deku coming back?" Uraraka whispers, sniffling. She feels awful, she'd been one of the hardest on Izuku.
"I don't know." Shota said.
With that, Naomasa and Aizawa leave the dorm. Nobody said anything.
"How could we ever think that Midori was a traitor!?" Ashido cried out in guilt, breaking the silence. "He always wanted to help us."
"Maybe we can go see him." Uraraka suggests.
With no other way to deal with their grief, the class plans their apologies, and can only hope that Izuku will forgive them. He was the center of their whole class after all.
There was a scoff as they looked at Jirou. Her eyes were narrowed and fists clenched as she stared at Ochako. "You say that so easily when you know how you treated him, are you stupid?"
"Jirou, there is no need to speak like that." Iida said quietly.
"You're not better! You were our class president and you were the one that started all of this! You guys were his best friends and you turned your backs on him!"
"Kyoka calm dow-"
"Don't tell me to calm down, Yaoyorozu! You were just as stupid and gullible as Iida!" Jiro snapped, causing Yaoyorozu to look shocked.
"Why can't you be happy for them?! If you feel so guilty, you shouldn't be taking it out on them!" Ashido interjected.
"It's not guilt! I'm not the one who's trying to bother him, trying to apologize when I know that what I did can't be fixed! Even though we messed up having Midoriya's back, I at least let him know that Tokoyami, Shoji, Sato and Koda and I are not against him, which I can't say for most of you! You all actually thought he would betray us! Even Kirishima believed Green was innocent without hesitation and didn't participate in your bullying!"
"Please calm down, this is Deku! He'll at least give us a chance to-"
"Shut up!" Uraraka flinched as she was cut off. Everyone turned around to look at the source of the voice. Bakugo and Todoroki were standing behind them. They were both angry.
"We warned you extras that you took shit the wrong way with that fucking notebook. We told you, didn't we? You extras wanted Izuku to get expelled and sent to Tartarus. You fucking call yourselves heroes?" Bakugo snarled.
Like the rest of them, Ashido wanted to make amends with the green haired boy. "Look. We were wrong to be scared of Midori but.."
The pink skinned girl's voice cut off as the door to the dormitory was flung open with a surprising amount of force.