All Might

Katsuki doesn't have time to think about what he remembers or not, when he hears the voice behind him, the villain's voice. It sounds familiar. And then he remembers the lack of air and the almost asphyxiation. Katsuki knows he was in danger and Izuku—Izuku what? His head spins, and Katsuki braces his hand against the wall of the alley. They both survived, he knows, but there's a nagging guilt and anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

He feels cold sludge wrap around his wrists. It raises goosebumps on his skin, and he knows what will happen next, knows that he'll struggle for his breath for what seems like hours as his consciousness slowly fades. Katsuki breaks out into a cold sweat and he struggles to get free. The sludge is too liquid to be vulnerable to his explosions and too solid to get away from. It crawls up his arms and around his neck. He'll suffocate. He'll lose himself. 

As long as Izuku is safe, it'll be fine.

As long as Izuku is safe, it doesn't matter what happens to him.

His vision starts to blur, and his lungs ache. His head feels fuzzy, and he knows there are mere seconds left before he loses consciousness. Then there's a giant gust of wind and a loud voice. He feels his body collapse into strong arms. The next thing he knows, his eyelids flutter open and—All Might? This feels wrong. It's not what happened last time. It's different. Too different.

All Might holds up the soda bottles that now hold the sludge villain before sticking them in his pockets. Then he bids farewell.

"Wait!" Katsuki yells as he dives for one of All Might's legs. 

He doesn't know what he's doing or why he's doing it, but he knows that All Might has to give Izuku his quirk. Or, or does he? Katsuki knows Izuku will fight if he knows there's something to fight for, but if he doesn't have One for All, then the villains wouldn't come after him. Katsuki closes his eyes, trying to figure out what he should do. He wants Izuku to be safe, but he also wants Izuku to be happy. And if all Izuku has ever wanted to be a hero, is it really his job to take that chance away?

All Might shakes his leg. "My boy, can you let go? I must deliver this villain to the police."

Katsuki loosens his grip slightly. He could ask All Might for help. All Might is a hero, and he is therefore obligated to help, but—Katsuki feels like if he tells anyone he's been reset, something very, very bad will happen. He swallows, throat tight. His lungs still ache from lack of air.

"If I have a friend who doesn't have a quirk but wants to be a hero, what do I do?" He asks.

All Might stops trying to walk away and instead leans down to remove Katsuki from his leg.

"That's a difficult one," All Might says. "I'd recommend the police force or being a detective. There's plenty of important work to be done that doesn't need a quirk."

Katsuki grits his teeth. That's hardly the answer he wants—it's not what Deku would want to hear. It's not what he deserves to hear.

"I mean, is it possible for someone quirkless to be a hero?" Katsuki restrains himself from saying more. He knows Izuku got the quirk from All Might. He knows Izuku hadn't been born with a quirk. Ergo, it is possible to receive a quirk from someone else, at least if the quirk is One for All.

"It's happened before, hasn't it? It can't be impossible, he has to be a hero–"

"My boy, I know it's a lot to handle." A heavy hand is placed on Katsuki's shoulder. "But sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to."

The pro hero pauses, and Katsuki looks up at him. That's when a cloud of steam erupts, filling the air. It's gone in a moment, leaving an emaciated All Might in its wake. 

Katsuki doesn't even bat an eyelash. This he remembers–the thin, almost-skeletal man that guided them. This he remembers when he's forgotten so much else. Katsuki bites his lip bitterly.

"All Might," Katsuki says, "can you meet him? Just meeting you would…would mean a lot."

All Might eyes him suspiciously, and Katsuki thinks maybe he should have faked surprise. But there's not time to say anything. One of the bottles fell to the ground when All Might transformed, and now it's rolling towards the end of the alley. Katsuki makes a move to dive for it, but it's too far away. It rolls onto the sidewalk of a busy street, and Katsuki has to watch as an innocent person kicks it and the cap flies off. The sludge monster disappears into an empty sewer.

"Shit," All Might says.

He couldn't agree more.