Work Text:
Aizawa Shouta is a logical man. He doesn't put stock in rumours or silly conspiracies. So, when rumours of a ghost haunting UA start spreading a week into the new year, he doesn't pay attention to them. Instead, he puts his focus into his new students and their field trip to the USJ.
Aizawa Shouta is a logical man. He trusts himself, trusts his instincts. So, when he gets off the bus to the USJ and feels more wrong than he has ever felt in his entire career he sends Iida off to fetch All Might before they go in. He doesn’t notice the muttering then. Only as he’s losing consciousness in a puddle of his own blood does he hear the soft voice.
“-orry, sorry, sorry-”
Izuku hated his life. But as he stands next to Eraserhead's broken body he decides that he hates this much more. He is truly powerless now, unable to warn anyone about the planned attack, unable to save anyone and unable to tell anyone about that thing currently wearing his skin. Not for the first time, he finds himself agreeing with that sludge freak. He really is the perfect disguise.
Thankfully, everyone survives the newly-dubbed 'USJ Incident' and the sports festival continues as planned. Shouta isn't happy about it. Not when his students are still recovering from a traumatic event, not when he nearly lost two students to Shigaraki even if one of those students has now dropped out. Mic agrees (Hizashi nearly lost him, nearly lost his everything). But Nedzu did make some good points so Shouta uses this opportunity to watch for potential transfers.
He notices a purple-haired general education student who shows potential. And despite his denial when Mic asks, he notices how similar they are. The same eyes, the same deceptively tired appearance, the faked nonchalance and most importantly, the same drive to prove the world wrong about them. Brainwashing can't have been popular amongst his peers. He hates it but he knows how the world works.
(He also notices how the temperature in the room drops seemingly at random. The condensation on the glass, the muttering that stops and starts and signals the temperature change. He thinks he's imagining it at first, then Mic comments on it and the muttering ceases entirely. The drastic change only proves that something was happening even if neither of them are sure what.)
Down in the stands Hitoshi prepares for the final round. He's up against Bakugou Katsuki but he's not worried. He'd clocked the blonde's personality during his declaration of war. Typical strong quirked asshole, but he might be more prideful than anyone he's ever met. And if he's right, too prideful to accept advise or help from anyone even his classmates, which means that he won't know his quirk.
Speaking of classmates, here comes one of his.
"Midoriya."
"I thought I told you to call me Izuku, Hitoshi?"
"Don't call me that" he snaps.
Midoriya was... weird. He didn't make sense. He's quirkless, but he doesn't act like it. He isn't skittish or shy, not bitter or mean. He's arrogant and confident in a way he shouldn't be, in a way no-one should be. Hitoshi had thought him angry, angry at the world, at the system that hurt him, but he isn't. He is angry, but the target of his ire seems to be heroes and heroics in general (why is he at a hero school?). But even that wasn't entirely surprising, its his attitude towards him that he hates the most. He reminds him of old classmates, people that wanted to use him, the cruellest of his peers, who wanted him to join in on the 'fun'. There's no other word for it.
Midoriya is villainous.
"Why not? I thought we were friends Shinsou."
"I'm not here to make friends."
Midoriya takes another step closer. He's too close. "That line again? But I suppose it makes sense. Not many friends to find in a hero school."
Hitoshi sighs "I'm not interested in making meaningless connections." Midoriya doesn't respond. "Would you move? You're being creepy." He doesn't expect a response but he reaches with his quirk anyway.
"-'m sorry."
His quirk latches on and he has to quickly fix his expression. Midoriya hadn't moved his mouth but he'd definitely heard his voice. He sounded so different, so much softer, there was genuine kindness in his tone.
"What is it?"
Hitoshi blinks. Midoriya isn't under his quirk. He's looking up at him curiously. This has never happened before.
What?
"What do you mean 'what'?" Oh he'd said that out loud/
"It's nothing. I've got a match to win. Bye."
He'd thought for a moment that Midoriya was lying about his quirk status, since that seemed like telepathy. But his quirk still had something and Midoriya was unaffected. He shakes his head and lets his quirk go. He steps out on the field.
He wins.
There's no denying that someone is helping them after the battle at Kamino Ward. There's too much evidence. There's also no denying that they are helping. As an underground hero Shouta always suspects the worst when it comes to mysterious helpers. They're often trying to gain a hero's trust before betraying them. Its why so many underground heroes dislike vigilantes. He'd been skeptical after Iida and Native had managed to run from Stain even while their bodies should have been paralysed. Passengers in their own bodies they had said. But after the training camp, he knows for certain that whoever this is is genuinely trying to help.
Kouta had described how Muscular froze mid-attack and an unfamiliar voice had screamed for him to run.
Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had spoken of a soft voice that had managed to calm Dark Shadow's rampage.
And Ragdoll had come running back to camp while completely unconscious rambling apologies.
The mystery helper had even lead Shouta to his students trying to plan a foolish rescue by using Hagakure's body.
Unfortunately, they seemed unable to explain though not for lack of trying. After ratting out his students they'd tried to explain but the words hadn't really come through properly. Only pieces, he'd managed to make out some words and phrases: "traitor", "UA", "student", and "not me". Concerning, especially since Nedzu seemed to agree. Shouta wants to strangle whoever keeps putting his kids in danger but it'll have to wait for now, they have no leads and he's currently pre-occupied watching Bakugou. His behaviour has been getting worse and the way he keeps going after Shinsou isn't very heroic. His position in the course is less solid with everyday.
Like everything this year, the Yakusa raid is extremely odd. Shouta was aware of Mirio's odd quirk development but seeing it in action is something else. But that isn't the weirdest thing. The mysterious vigilante, 'Spectre', as they've dubbed them is at it again. All the villains seem to have trouble with their quirks even when Shouta isn't there and the experienced fighters are distracted by them and fall easily. However, once they reach Eri, things fall apart. Overhaul seems completely unafflicted, unlike his followers. Shouta is hit with a quirk, his eyes shut, and he can only listen to the carnage as he blinks slowly.
When it finally wears off he takes stock of the crumpled battlefield. Mirio stands triumphant over Overhaul, Sir Nighteye is being loaded into an ambulance (he'll make it, but it'll be a close thing) and Eri is running at him. The young girl crashes into his legs and starts sobbing. Despite the completely unexpected turn of events he wastes no time and scoops her up gently. He softens his voice as much as he can.
"Hey, little one its alright now, you're safe I promise."
When she speaks her voice clearly shows her exhaustion.
"I know. Brother said you'd save me." That's alarming.
"Brother? You have a brother? Is he still in there?"
"...No, he's right there." She sounds confused. She's pointing to an empty space at Shouta's right.
He goes to ask who she's talking about but finds her passed out in his arms.
All is quiet and he hears the voice again then, not from her body but still clearer than ever before.
"Thank you."
He gives Eri a sad smile as she finishes telling the story he relayed to her.
A broken boy. An absent mother. A hellish school. A friend turned monster. A false idol. A true monster. His death and how his body lived on.
She understands some of it, he knows. Too much. But she's the only one who can hear him and he can't stand to see his body being used to hurt people anymore.
"None of them noticed?" Eraserhead's voice is tight with anger. "A villain killed you and has lived in your body for a year and a half and no one noticed." It isn't a question.
Eri is crying. But her eyes only hold sadness not guilt. Good. He was worried she would somehow find away to blame herself. He's glad he waited a bit longer to tell them. Overhaul's manipulative words are already fading.
The heroes on the other hand are a different story. Their eyes are filled with guilt.
"We didn't notice either." Present Mic speaks so quietly it hurts.
He scowls slightly. A hero complex seems to come as standard.
"It isn't your fault. You didn't know me." He waits for Eri to relay what he said but he doesn't need to. All of them jolt and their eyes snap to him
"Kid? Is that you?"
"Eraserhead? You can hear me?"
Mic speaks next "Yeah, little listener. We can see you a bit as well." Between Mic's twisted face and shaky voice he can tell what he isn't saying.
"Oh this is how I actually look now. No defining features except my face. Just vaguely body-shaped. I suppose I've gotten stronger if you can see me. Eri can see me because of Overhaul's quirk." He pauses for a second to let that information settle. "Anyway, like I said, it isn't your fault. You didn't know me before. Even though the imposter is in your homeroom it doesn't mean you should've noticed, especially since he went out of his way to avoid you."
"Still-"
"No."
Eri chooses that moment to run into Izuku's legs, surprising everyone when she actually collides with them.
Izuku, in an attempt to comfort her, turns, crouches and wraps his arms around her. Before anyone else can get a word in Eri's horn begins to glow, clear sign of her quirk activating. Most likely due to her intense emotions. Aizawa reacts quickly, quirk flaring, but Izuku is between him and Eri. And his wispy form is somehow enough to block Erasure. For Izuku, all he knows next is bright white followed by pitch black.
Shouta can only stare at the two sleeping children on the floor, he can see both of them breathing softly. Hizashi hands him a blanket and he numbly wraps it around Izuku's (surprisingly warm) body.
"What do we do now?"
"Well I think that's obvious Shouta-kun!"
He sighs "Principal Nedzu."
"Young Izuku has a young growing mind. We are teachers. Even if this recent development hadn't happened I feel the answer is clear, no?"
A groan from the floor interrupts them. Izuku blinks awake, and glances down at his body. He meets Shouta's gaze.
"Huh.... does this mean I have two bodies now?"
Shouta sighs again. Hizashi screeches. Nedzu cackles.
"Yes Problem Child."
Bonus:
"Sensei? What's happening?"
"Shinsou-kun! Congratulations on winning the sports festival! You did amazing and you're going to be a fantastic hero! I'm so sorry for how he acted towards you!"
"... What the f-"
"Don't swear in front of Eri!"
"Young Izuku."
"Yes Principal Nedzu?"
"When he was being interrogated, the sludge villain mentioned 'gibberish notebooks'. Do you know what he was referring to?"
"Oh yes, my hero analysis. I guess he couldn't decode them."
"...Tell me, how would you feel about becoming my personal student?"
"Say Shinsou. You've been spending a lot of time with Midoriya? What happened to "I'm not here to make friends" huh?"
"I don't know what you're talking about Ashido."
"Sure."
"S'not my fault he's like an adorable kitten."
"Of course not."