Timeloop Trouble

Chapter 38 - Camping under the Stars

"Yeah, that's not going to happen kid."

Izuku could scream.

He felt like he'd been so close to unraveling the mystery behind OFA, having spent years studying it while also helping young heroes grow. He almost had it figured out, he was sure of it! And then All For One launched an attack he hadn't been prepared for- One no one was prepared for. Izuku had allowed his past memories to dull his senses, hadn't picked up on the changes, the signs that something was about to happen. He hadn't been as involved in the hero scene, either. Hadn't been on the front line. But he'd still become a casualty of a gruesome war he saw begin, only to never see the true ending to all that violence.

He supposed he should at least be a little grateful for Jikan.

"What do you mean, doctor?"

What can he possibly mean by that, mom? I don't know! Maybe it's just not gonna happen. Izuku huffed, feeling frustrated and worked up more than anything. If he wanted to make a difference in this life, studying biology and maybe anatomy would be a must. If Mirio was struggling with the acceptance of the quirk then Izuku had to solve it. And even if he didn't solve that problem, he could still look into preserving All Might's strength. Jikan wanted to preserve him, right? So maybe if he lasted long enough, this time loop would finally end. Maybe if he bought enough time, a group of pro heroes could finally put a stop to this madness.

And so he did.

Izuku set his mind to the idea of becoming a doctor, one specialized in quirks and their effects on the human body. He drew out a path for himself to follow, every step taking him in the direction he wished to go. Nothing was going to stop him from reaching his goal, from stopping this loop once and for all. He didn't care whether Kacchan hated him or not, whether All Might would ever look his way, whether the world tried to beat him down because of his quirklessness. None of it mattered. All Izuku wanted to do was free everyone, save everyone.

"Hey, uhm, Deku?"

Izuku glanced up from his books, wanting to get some more study time in during lunch. So he went to the school library in the hopes of being left alone while he tried to comprehend this new matter. He hadn't expected Kacchan to show up, nor had he expected him to seem so nervous to talk to him. They didn't exactly talk a lot to begin with. Izuku wasn't bullied, but he didn't get involved either. He was left alone most of the time and he was fine with that. Having no friends wasn't an issue, definitely not in middle school, not when Izuku knew most of these people were absolute trash to start with.

"Yes?"

"Can we talk? I wanna ask you something," Katsuki whispered, glancing aside at the librarian, who was glaring at them. They were very strict on the whole no noise thing.

"Sure," Izuku said, bookmarking where he left off before packing up his things and following Kacchan out into the hallway. "What did you want to ask me?"

"My old man has been nagging at me to go camping with him over the weekend and I'm only allowed to bring one other person over," he started, but Izuku could tell it was an excuse. Kacchan loved to go camping and mountain climbing with his dad, and Masaru would happily care for any and all friends his son brought along. "The other extras won't go."

"So you thought of me?" Izuku asked, a little confused.

"You're more fun to talk to than my old man, even if you're a nerd," Katsuki scoffed, making Izuku roll his eyes. Always trying to put on the tough guy act, huh? "Besides, don't you still want revenge on me for winning the pond skipping competition?"

"Oh my god, we were six, Kacchan," Izuku breathed out.

"But you remember," Katsuki grinned.

"I don't care-"