"Sometimes it takes sadness to know happiness,

noise to appreciate silence,

and absence to value presence."

-Unknown

Naturally, the entire school was thrown into an uproar.

Just as Deku had feared it would.

"EHHHH! THAT'S-... THAT'S IZUKU??!"

"What. No way. H-How is that possible? I mean, they look alike, but..."

But among all of them, there was one that didn't look confused at all, but like a piece of a puzzle that had been confounding him had finally fit. Of course, then that feeling of understanding turned to rage. He wasn't certain how, but that piece of trash had managed to... managed to effortlessly win a fight against him. He had been off guard, but that was never a fucking excuse in his book. And... And this was Deku.

A shivering, stuttering little trash-like good boy who never would have been able to win against him in a fair fight or curse, for that matter.

"You... You're Deku, is that right? Not just something they're making up for the hell of it?"

Deku gazed at him with those indifferent, yet piercing red eyes of his.

He debated internally whether it was worth bothering with this universe's Bakugo Katsuki and actually responding. Although knowing the blonde, he'd probably prove to be even more annoying if he just didn't respond now; he weighed the pros and cons before reluctantly opening his mouth.

"Yes. How interesting that even across different universes, that form of address doesn't change."

Of course, if he didn't get in a subtle dig at Bakugo every time he opened his mouth, his name wouldn't be Deku.

"Then how the hell did you manage to even touch me, you little piece of shit?!"

He sneered.

"You act like it's something hard to do."

The students in the cafeteria truly didn't know what to say. Was that... really Deku..? They all unconsciously craned their necks to look at this universe's Izuku Midoriya, and he looked like he was on the verge of passing out from secondary nerves. Slowly, like a rubber band that had been stretched to its limit before it sprung back to its original position, they looked at the other Izuku Midoriya. He was still there.

Some subtly pinched their bodies, but sure enough...

The images before their eyes didn't disappear.

Aizawa silently heaved a sigh; it seemed like they wouldn't settle down and that the fight before definitely wasn't a coincidence. Still, while it was annoying, it was rather nice. Practically every teacher was aware of Bakugo's... rather vocal dislike of the young moss haired kid. Or ash haired, in this case. While he personally didn't see the harm in toughing up the children as long as there wasn't permanent harm, it was a chore to hear his angry puppy yells each and every time.

Not to say that he didn't grudgingly tolerate all the little rascals that were his students, but Bakugo was a more trying one.

"Okay, okay..." None of the mutters or loud shouts of surprise from the peanut gallery.

"All of you. Shut your traps. Haa... He'll be joining 1-A for the time being, so all of you show him-... Hey, you. You were in 'my' class, right?"

"Yep."

"You heard him. You won't have to show him around but treat him nicely throughout his stay here. That's all from me; enjoy lunch."

He disappeared a moment later, and the crowd seemed to be in a state of suspended tension; the slightest poke or nudge would set off everything, like a beehive to whatever had irritated its regular habitat. Perhaps a beehive to a certain yellow-colored bear with a red shirt. In any case, it didn't matter in this instance; the beehive was going to get poked and stirred no matter what. And in this case, the irritant was time.

Because the whole cafeteria exploded all at once in the form of overexcited teenagers.

It was gruesome and tiresome, but eventually, he got out of the brunt of the questions by the time lunch had ended. He could only take being asked, 'Are you really really Deku?'', 'How do you have balls of steel? You took Bakugo like it was nothing!', and 'What's where you're from like?' so many times before he went crazy. There was also one notable declaration of, 'Will you marry me..?' that was almost as troublesome as all the other questions combined.

(Obviously, he said no. Like. Really? He was from an alternative universe and most importantly, she had just 'met' him a few minutes ago! Still, he didn't reject her too harshly, at the very least. That was half the battle if he was to be honest. The rest was comprehending the sheer absurdity of the question.)

It was when he got to the classroom itself that things seemed to get... off a beat, somehow. The people that he had known and seen during his stay at UA were different, somehow. Uraraka didn't have the step in her stride, one that spoke of hard-won accomplishment and confidence. Todoroki seemed more subdued and colder in general. He hadn't seen him crack a single smile the whole time.

Which... That was still rare during his stay at UA, but at least he did it.

The most evident one was Bakugo. He was the epitome of a typical bully; loud, superiority complex, and a striking urge to clobber to death whatever didn't align with the way the world was supposed to be. He could tell that it was throwing Bakugo from a loop even from here. The look of disbelief and frustration on his face combined in a special sort of grimace that was hard to look at. His Bakugo, on the other hand...

He had grown up, frustratingly enough.

It was all the more evident when he compared the two versions side by side-...

'Wait a second...'

He withheld the urge to facepalm deep within himself. For. Bakugo Katsuki, the Bakugo from his universe that had tagged along and forced them into this whole situation in the first place, was now face to face with the one that was native to this universe, Principal Nezu close behind. Deku could almost hear the sigh of Nezu from the back of the room. He felt like sighing himself. It was really quite absurd.

This whole situation was absurd.

"...Izuku! I see you in that little corner over there; what the hell's going on?!"

He felt his forehead crease automatically.

"Nezu didn't tell you anything, did he? ...To put it bluntly, we're currently in an alternative universe because of your stupidity."

He stood up from his chair, casually, even as tick marks rose on Bakugo's head before they fell with a sigh. He could acknowledge that the reason the situation was like this was because of him; he could hear whatever Deku said within that swirling vacuum of darkness, after all. Not that he would regret his actions. In fact, this was almost an opportunity all on its own. He had all this time where he knew for a fact that he was, indeed, Izuku Midoriya. It worked out rather nicely, in fact. It didn't matter that it was an alternate universe either.

(Of course, this was very, very weird for the teenagers. It seemed completely out of the bounds of all possibility for Bakugo to act like that.)

Meanwhile, Deku was already near the door when he called forth little, almost microscopic bursts of electricity before clamping down on the shoulder of the Bakugo from his original universe (just a little bit; it would only allow him to transmit his voice to him), before casually strolling out of the room, although not before adding one last sentence.

"I remember completing that assignment a while back. Since we're doing nothing else for the day, may I be excused?"

Aizawa blearily peered up from his outrageously yellow sleeping gear, before shrugging.

"If you completed the work, you're free to go wherever the hell you want to. Just stay in the building."

Upon receiving permission, he merely nodded like it was par for course before stepping out of the classroom. Deku did have to do some investigation, after all; if he spent all his time trapped inside a classroom, he would never make any progress. Not that it necessarily needed his help, but there were somethings that he'd rather be cautious with than not. Nezu looked on with interest, but simply slid to the side without saying anything and letting him pass. Bakugo, or rather Kacchan (just to differentiate them) fell in line after him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Until he felt Nezu's deceptively neutral gaze on his back.

And until he heard Aizawa's reprimand.

"I said if you completed the assignment. Get in here, sparky."

"Eh?! I did the fucking assignment as well!"

'Ahh... That's Bakugo, all right.' Was the collective thought of the whole entire class.

"Just do it. It won't take you that long. Or can you not even complete one little assignment?"

He smirked, although there was a touch of anger around the corners of the otherwise completely smug and sufferable look.

Still, he was trying. That was already good.

"...Don't look surprised when I do it in less than half the time you took, you insufferable bastard."

With that, he stalked into the classroom with a completely disgruntled and irritated look now that he wasn't in the view of Izuku. The whole class just kinda sweatdropped at that because he was so clearly trying to look good in front of the otherworldly Izuku. It was... rather unexpected and rather hilarious as well. To think that there would ever be a day that Bakugo acted like that... The very idea was out of this world, which... was rather appropriate for this situation.

Of course, Deku didn't realize this, for he was already out of the door.

He couldn't help but curve his lips in a bitter crescent when he heard what he did say, though; he really was growing up.

The thought slightly sickened him because each and every moment he was in this new dimension, it seemed that he was forced to confront the fact that that little old childhood bully of his who screwed his life over wasn't the same anymore. He had been that for a long time, really.

For the given definition of a long time, anyway.

For him, it felt like he was stranded in a sea of chaotic space-time that seemed to last for eternity and onwards. One moment could feel like a blimp, whereas one second could feel like ten at times. Sometimes even more exaggerated. It depended on his mood, really. It was also one of the main reasons his actual resentment had been ground away; time felt like it was in a constant state of flux around him and he felt... old.

Like he was in a perpetual rain cloud and couldn't see the sun.

Well, it didn't really matter. It is what it is.

And it was as simple as that.

Or at least, it was supposed to be that black and white. For a mere second later (or was it an eternity?), the other Midoriya came bumbling down the hallways, looking like a nervous wreck, but also strangely animated and determined. He felt like he was looking at youth, actually. That was the best description. If he was a world-weary old soul, his was a bright and energized one. The sheer difference was astounding, really.

They were supposed to be the same person. (Where was it that he had messed up so terribly?)

"Would you, uhh, mind talking for a bit? I-If it's not a problem, of course..."

He sighed. He really felt old now.

"Fine. Do your worst."

His eyes lit up with a bright, vibrant green that was blinding and a smile that was equally so, if not more.

"...Really?! T-Thank you!"

He scratched his head, a bit awkward. He was somehow hyper-aware that they were the same person now, and it was weird, to say the least.

"So. Why do you want to talk to me?"

"Umm. Well. About Kaccha-, Bakugo. I-If that's alright."

The little bubble of awkwardness popped and all he felt was tired.

"If we're going to do this, you'll have to articulate yourself clearly. And if something's a bad topic, I'll stop you there. Don't worry so much."

He blinked.

And then he nodded slowly. It seemed that the kid was getting used to him, at least.

"How... How did you become his friend?"

It took him a moment to comprehend the question.

"Me?! Friends with him?! Why would I ever do that..?"

He truly, really did not understand.

While he had acknowledged that he had grown up, he had no intention of ever being friends with him.

Yuck. While it was true that he didn't even have a friend, to have Bakugo fill that spot would be too sad.

"You sure you really wanna be friends with that bastard?"

He looked taken aback at the profanity for a second, but soon enough, his features fell under the hum on contemplation.

Slowly, he shook his head. A bit unsure, but there regardless.

"Let... Let me ask something else, then."

He smirked, slightly. The kid was learning.

The kid took it as the validation he oh so desperately needed.

"Tell me..." His eyes were burning, despite being green."How do I surpass him..? How do I get him to acknowledge me?"

He paused, his eyes lighting up with a bit of hope.

"And... How do I become like you?"

He gave one look at the kid (amid the swirl of dread and horror because he should not want to be like him, he should never even think about it-) and laughed a short, painful chuckle. His roughened and calloused (and bloodied) hands gently patted the sheer fluff of other him's hair.

"You don't want to be like me. Trust me."