Chapter Text
Touya mulled over his schedule for the upcoming weekend.
He’d get back to the apartment in about 30 minutes and have time to cook dinner before Hawks got back. A big dinner as well - his boyfriend texted him an hour ago to inform him he’d skipped lunch again.
He’d need to collect Natsuo from volleyball practise tonight - his (not so) little brother was finishing late and Fuyumi was too busy catching up with marking her students’ tests to pick him up.
What else?
He’d be working Saturday, so that was all he had to do tomorrow.
And Sunday - Sunday was date night with Hawks - the first time they’d been able to plan one in a while with how busy they were.
They’d start off at that restaurant his mother recommended. Then they’d go to some bar Touya found near the pier - it looked a little seedy but hey, they were both pro heroes. That was aside from the point anyway - the point is that it was near the pier. Hawks loved flying over the water for some reason.
And then, of course, Touya would propose to him.
Not that he’d told anyone that, not even his mom.
He was debating doing it in mid-air while flying in Hawks’ arms. Hawks may drop him. And then dive into the water to save him. And then they’d both end up swimming back to the pier, drenched and choking but… engaged, hopefully.
Touya was snapped out of his daydream by someone shoulder-checking him hard. Startled, he was pushed to the side but regained his balance - while the person who ran into him was sprawled on the ground from the collision.
… She was just a teenager, Touya registered. By the way she looked up at him with an apology and started running again, he doubted she meant any harm. She then bumped into another person and fell to the ground again, clutching her head.
Touya frowned and stepped forward to - he didn’t know - stop her? Ask what was going on? Help her, at the very least.
Later, when he'd look back on the following series of events, the whole thing would be a blur. It all happened way too fast.
A man came running from behind him, calling the girl a thief. The girl attempted to get up, but then clutched her head and yelled. The man approached her, and Touya didn’t like the look on his face. He was there in an instant, telling the man to calm down - the girl got up and reached towards the man in a move that looked like a hand-based attack - and she may have been a thief but Touya knew things would be easier for her if she didn’t attack -
So Touya reached out to knock her wrist, assuming her quirk, whatever it is, would be activated by her palm alone.
Such a quick, thoughtless action.
The next thing he felt was pain.
A suffocating pain, like being forced into a space he didn’t fit into, being manipulated and warped in odd, uncomfortable ways – he almost screamed.
But after a split second, the pain receded, and he was standing exactly where he had been before.
The girl was gone, though. His hand clutched air.
The man was gone too. The people walking down the street had somehow switched places. One gave him a double-take after looking up from their phone, apologised, then walked around him as if they hadn’t seen him there a second ago.
Touya’s heart skipped a beat and he started to feel dread pool in his stomach. He knew immediately that it was a quirk. Time lapse, perhaps?
No. He checked his phone – it was barely two minutes since he checked how long he’d have to cook dinner.
... He had no other ideas. Even when he started walking again, quicker than usual, hands in his pockets, he struggled to process what had just happened through a vague fog of panic.
After a few minutes of walking along familiar streets with nothing out of the ordinary, though, he began to convince himself that everything was ok. He’d tell Hawkes what happened, maybe head down to the police station for observation.
That was when the first clue that something was horribly wrong appeared right in front of him in the shape of a large, flashy billboard.
He stood in front of it for what felt like hours, staring, processing.
It was a billboard showing the number one hero.
… which was supposed to be All-Might. Unless something had suddenly happened to All-Might within the last hour since Touya had checked the news, it should still be All-Might.
And even if something had happened to All-Might, it would be Hawkes up there, as the current number two hero.
But up there, staring back at him in a static image, was a man who had been sentenced for domestic abuse and put in prison years ago.
His father.
The number one hero: Endeavor.
That-
That wasn’t right.
It was a joke, right? One in poor taste, but a joke nonetheless.
Touya glanced around to see if anyone noticed the insanity, if anyone was laughing. Nobody was. People glanced at the billboard, sure, but then they carried on with their lives.
He even saw a child clutching an Endeavor plushie – just like the one Hawkes carried around as a kid.
He stared at the billboard once again, wide-eyed, feeling the hysterical urge to scream in the middle of the street.
… Wherever this was, it wasn’t home.
Touya ended up sitting on a bench watching the snow, hood up despite not really needing a shield against the cold, registering that he was too late to pick up Natsuo.
His car wasn’t parked where he left it.
And why would it be? The world had gone crazy.
After everything – calling phone numbers that either didn’t exist here or were answered by strangers – his building key not working – the curtains of his apartment, which he could see from the outside, being a different colour – seeing his father’s face on adverts and in shop windows -
His last resort was walking to Natsuo’s volleyball practise, but then it became too late, so now he was here. On this bench. Maybe if he slept there that night, he’d wake up in his own bed at home and everything would be normal again.
Hawks would forgive him for disappearing for the night, probably. Natsuo wouldn’t be angry about having to walk home because he was Natsuo and not a snarky asshole like Touya - but god, Natsu’s teammate had just been attacked by a villain and that made Touya worry.
Natsuo may have Endeavor’s build, but he wasn’t a hero. As far as Touya knew, he never even wanted to be one. He wasn’t made to fight.
A man walked past the bench, and Touya’s heart clenched because it looked just like his little brother. Right down to the lack of warm clothing in freezing weather - his volleyball hoodie with the number 17 on it, and -
Wait.
“Natsuo!” He shouted, getting up and walking fast towards the figure that was maybe a little too hunched over to actually be Natsuo, now he thought about it -
But then the figure turned around, and Touya breathed a sigh of relief.
“Natsu, thank fuck.” He breathed, approaching him. “Listen - something’s wrong, and my car wasn’t where I thought it was gonna be, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to pick you up, but, I just - something really weird is happening and I don’t know what’s going on-”
Touya trailed off.
Natsuo had never looked at him like that.
Wide eyes, hunched over, avoiding eye contact…
“Do-” Natsuo stuttered, “Do you need help from a hero or something? I know my dad is - you know - but I don’t think I can help. Sorry.”
Touya stared.
“I have a phone if you need to call someone?” Natsuo continued awkwardly. “It’s kinda cold out so, you know. I’ll try to help if I can but again, I’m not like my dad. Call me Todoroki, ok? Are you in my lectures or something?”
“...I’ve tried calling you.” Touya said slowly, knowing that neither of them were on the same page, but not knowing what else to say. “I tried calling you, and mom, and Fuyumi, and Hawks, and even my boss, but - anybody who actually picked up wasn’t them.”
Touya took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at Natsuo, who appeared to be pretty uncomfortable. He’d even taken a step back.
“Natsuo. Fuck - it’s me. I’m your brother. How can you-”
Touya pulled down his hood and watched for any reaction.
He got one.
Natsuo took another step back, frowning as he searched Touya’s face. His frown deepened, then turned into something that wrenched on Touya’s heart. Like watching a tragedy play out before your very eyes.
“You - you look like-”
To Touya's horror, Natsuo’s wet eyes glinted in the dim light of the nearby streetlamp.
“What the fuck kind of reaction is that?” Touya whispered. “What, did I fucking die, or something?”
He immediately slammed his mouth shut when Natsuo flinched, and then just stood there, silent, blinking his eyes hard.
… Maybe he was supposed to be dead.
It would explain a lot, he thought hysterically.
Fuck.
But – it wouldn’t explain everything, right? Besides, how would that explain Endeavor getting the number one hero spot, or everyone spontaneously deleting their numbers or-
… Was he even in his own version of reality?
“Where the fuck am I?” He muttered to nobody in particular. “What did that quirk do?”
Natsuo took a step forwards.
His voice came out firm, despite the catch in his throat.
“You can’t be. You can’t because he died when he was ten.”
Touya was sure, in hindsight, that there was a better way he could’ve responded to that.
In his panicked state, however, he lifted his hand and activated his quirk. Blue fire licked his fingers, illuminating their faces and melting the snow that had clung to his jacket sleeve. It was supposed to be for identification. Proof that he was here, and very much alive.
And for his effort, Natsuo retracted his step forward, gaping between the fire and Touya’s face. Touya hastily put the fire out and raised his hands in surrender. It tore him apart that Natsuo would ever react to him like that, like he was being threatened.
“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to - listen, Natsu, I’m your brother and I would never hurt you, ok? I think I’m-”
Touya mulled over how to word his explanation of what was happening when he himself didn’t even know.
“I believe you. I think – the Natsuo I know – he’s had me around his whole life. I don’t think you’re him. Earlier a girl used her quirk on me, ok? I think I was sent here - and I’m a version of – and I didn’t-”
Didn’t die, he couldn’t finish.
He saw understanding spark in Natsuo’s eyes, though. That was a start.
“Endeavor was arrested for domestic abuse. He never made it to number one hero.” He said softly, reaffirming his own reality. “I was supposed to pick you up from volleyball practise tonight - you’re the best guard your university has had in years, and you’re on your way to making it to nationals, right? Fuyumi usually picks you up but she’s busy marking tests tonight.”
He didn’t know if he should keep going. Natsuo was watching him, his eyes still wet, and he looked just about as cold as Touya felt.
Then it hit him.
If the Touya in this universe was dead then -
Natsuo’s brother had died.
He’d suffered a tragedy that Touya had no comprehension of. Touya didn’t even want to begin to think about what he would do if…
And now here Touya was, bringing that all up to the forefront.
“Natsuo, I’m so sorry. I just – I don’t know what’s happening and - I was supposed to be there for you - this must be so difficult for you.”
Touya watched as Natsuo’s tears finally fell.
“Touya?” Natsuo whispered tentatively.
Touya nodded, not knowing what to say or do. If he was right and this is some other timeline or universe then… this Natsuo was a stranger. Right?
But as he continued to stare at his little brother, he corrected himself. This Natsuo was his little brother in his mannerisms, his voice, his kindness when he thought Touya was a stranger…
Natsuo still looked a bit frozen.
Touya lay a hand on his arm and pulled him gently towards the bench, where they both sat down, snow catching in their hair.
“Take some time. This is a lot.” Touya said, mouth dry, running his hands through his hair.
The tense silence gave him some time to think. There must be a way home. He’d already hurt Natsuo so much just by being here - why hadn’t he just gone to the damn police station or something? Would they have even helped him or just called him crazy?
What came next? How would he even begin to find a way back to his own timeline? He supposed he could find the girl somehow - this universe’s version of her. That could work. If he could just stall around that area for a while, he could bump into her at some point, and he was pretty sure he would recognise her in a crowd-
“You look like mom.” Natsuo said, voice cracking, interrupting his train of thought.
“What?” Touya responded, lifting his head from his hands.
“When I pictured you. Older. You always looked like dad. But you look a lot more like mom. I recognise her in you.”
“…I get that a lot.” Touya said quietly.
He briefly wondered where his timeline split from this one, but he didn’t think Natsuo was up for that debate.
“I’m calling Fuyumi. I think this counts as an emergency. She’ll know what to do.” Natsuo said, sounding unsure.
Touya watched the snow alone as Natsuo spoke on the phone a small distance away from him. He thought he heard Natsuo telling Fuyumi to brace herself, but the rest was lost over the harsh wind.
Great. Another little sibling to traumatise. Touya thought he may just start tearing his hair out when this version of Fuyumi started crying just from looking at him.
They waited until a car’s headlights approached in the distance.
“I’ll - uhh - explain. Stay here, ok?” Natsuo said before approaching the car.
Touya pulled his hood up and continued watching the snow.
He wasn’t left waiting for long.
When Fuyumi appeared before him, it took a whole two seconds to register it was her, and not mom. It – it was how she held herself. How she looked at him curiously and calmly as she walked to stand right in front of him.
He stood up too, and she wasted no time in reaching up to pull his hood down.
Touya couldn’t get over how… motherly the action was. She looked so composed despite her wide eyes. He waited for her to start crying, or even for her to demand an explanation, but instead she carefully put her hands on his shoulders and brought him down into a warm hug.
He hugged her back, glad for something to hold onto, and sunk into her. He realised in that moment how much tension he’d been holding in his body.
“Touya. You must be so scared.” She whispered, moving a hand to the back of his head.
…He felt like he was ten years old again, being hugged by mom after having a nightmare.
The realisation hit him like a punch to the stomach: Fuyumi grew up as the oldest sibling here. She’d spent the majority of her life without him around to watch out for her. With Endeavor still free to do as he pleased.
But that didn’t explain why she was acting like… like mom…
“Hi, ‘yumi.” He said softly.
She hugged him tighter, and then let go to study his face.
She was crying, of course she was, but her tears didn’t make Touya uncomfortable like he thought they would.
“Let’s get you home, ok? It’s late - I don’t have work tomorrow so let’s go to sleep and figure out how to get you… back to your real home in the morning.”
Touya nodded tiredly, his throat too tight to respond, and both him and Natsuo followed Fuyumi into her car.
“Natsuo-bro?”
“Oh, hey, Hawkes-bro.” Natsuo’s cheerful voice came from the phone, “Was just about to call you.”
Hawkes laughed.
“Your game ran late, then? Thought so. Listen, can you tell Touya to pick up food on the way back? I’m starving here, and he’s got his phone off or something-”
“Oh. Uh. He didn’t pick me up in the end. I figured, you know, he’s been busy recently, and it started snowing and I like walking in the snow-”
“Wait, what?” Hawkes stopped him. “He didn’t pick you up?”
“Nah. It’s fine, though, honestly, the walk’s only 30 minutes.”
Hawkes frowned. Getting home late was one thing but…
Touya had been very insistent on giving Natsuo lifts since his teammate got attacked walking home after practise.
He quickly checked the bedroom to see if Touya was taking a nap or something, but it was cold and empty, like the rest of the apartment.
“Did he call to say he was at work, or something?” Hawkes asked Natsuo, pulling the covers up just to make sure.
“No. You said he had his phone switched off, right?”
Hawkes stood in silence in his apartment, trying to think it through. He was almost certain Touya got off work at a normal time today. He always had his phone on him. He always called if their plans had changed, especially when it came to his siblings...
“This is really out of character for him, isn’t it?” Natsuo observed aloud, the cheer gone from his voice.
Hawkes noticed his chest feeling a little tighter and breathed deeply to ease it. There had to be some kind of innocent explanation - there always was.
“I’m gonna call Mahou to see if he’s still at work or something. He probably is. You know what covert ops can be like.” He said, hoping it came across as calm.
“Yeah. I’ll call mom to see if he dropped by. Keep me updated?”
They said their goodbyes, and Hawkes took a few seconds to even out his breathing before picking up his phone again.