This one shot is over two years old! I can hardly believe it. It's one of my favorites though, and in honor of my birthday, I really wanted to share it with you guys. I hope you all enjoy. Happy Saint Patrick's day!

(I tried to edit it a bit to polish it up but it may still be janky ahhH)

Third person pov

The possibility of One For All being sentient doesn't occur to Izuku at first.

He's not sure why it wouldn't. It's an ancient power not explainable in the least, breaking the limits of what they know to be possible in regard to quirks. Izuku has pored over books, forums, research reports, dissertations, blogs.

It is an impossible variable that should, according to the laws of the world itself, not be possible. One could argue that this could be said for just about any of the uncanny abilities humanity had obtained, but this was a whole new ballpark.

This went beyond mutation and genetics. This broached into something supernatural, Izuku is sure. Though really-- if he hadn't thought it before, he sure as hell does now.

It starts slow. An awareness encroaching into his own, testing the edge as though to see how much purchase it can get before Izuku pushes back. He doesn't notice it in the beginning-- not until it's threaded its roots through the part of Izuku that is... well, himself, he supposes.

It surrounds him before it begins to move in. It bleeds into his day to day life in the most unexpected of ways, and soon Izuku isn't sure he's the same person at all. He's not even sure he can be called a 'person' anymore. No, he's more of a 'people' than anything else.

He notices the first real occurrence at breakfast one day. Looking back, Izuku is nearly certain there's been other instances like this before and he just hadn't noticed. This one just sticks out particularly because it contrasts so greatly against what was.

It's sudden, sharp, and pricks him with a pin of awful realization. Sato and Ojiro have taken over the kitchen, with the help and instruction of Tsu, who was used to cooking meals for her siblings. Izuku's in the lineup dishing himself up some food, happy and content. He has no idea what's coming. The beginning of the end.

"Midoriya, you didn't get any eggs, ribbit." Tsuyu pointed out. It was an innocent thing and a fairly good point, because Izuku always gets eggs.

They're a part of his striking diet that keeps his limbs from blowing off his body. They're chock full of nutrients he desperately needs and have been a constant food in just about every single one of his meals. Which is what makes this all the more noticeable. And earth-shattering.

"Um." Izuku makes a face before he realizes what he's doing or saying. "Yeah, we don't like eggs."

(Which is not true. At all, even slightly. He loves eggs. Eggs are great, and he is an "I" not a "we". Thank you and goodnight.)

Izuku stops in his absolute tracks. Tsuyu does the same, pausing with the spatula half raised. They stare at each other like it's some sort of Western standoff, Izuku's eyes bigger than her semi-indifferent ones.

Her gaze shines with minor confusion that he honestly mirrors tenfold, because what the fuck? That's... wrong. He can feel it in his chest, foreign and not right. It doesn't fit. How was he not aware of this chunk inside of him? It's crooked, out of place, and...

And it's not that it's not supposed to be there, per se, it's that it wasn't before. It fits, but not the way the piece that was there before does. Izuku isn't sure how he feels about that.

He clears his throat and rubs his chest with the heel of his palm, forcing a smile and shoveling some eggs onto his plate in contradiction to his statement. Tsuyu doesn't say a word. She just watches him like she knows something he doesn't.

Which really, she probably does. That would be very on brand of her and Izuku would be more relieved than mad, because at least that would imply someone had an inkling as to what that just was. Because he sure doesn't.

Something buzzes in the back of his throat, and he feels his stomach turn at the sight of his egg-laden plate. Which is, again, not correct. He loves eggs.

Or he did. Apparently.

One bite of the supposed-to-be-glorious food and something in him flops sickeningly. His entire face screws up in a way that even Shoto notices, and he's really just... not great at reading expressional cues. His brows furrow with concern as Izuku slowly and painstakingly chews, swallowing with great trouble.

Something akin to hysterical disbelief fills the freckled teen. What the fuck? No really, he wants to know. Please. He's desperate.

"Are you okay?" Shoto asked, voice a reassuring rumble tinged with worry. Izuku manages to hum out a choked up response, raising his orange juice to desperately wash the taste down.

His friend puts a cool hand on his shoulder, looking genuinely distraught on his behalf. Izuku wipes at his mouth with the back of his hand, looking down at his plate with hardly hidden incredulity. His stomach roils uncomfortably, the smell causing it to spiral and spin. Izuku sniffles, frowning deeply.

"I... don't like eggs?" Izuku says it in total disbelief. He doesn't like eggs. Why doesn't he like eggs? He loves eggs. Loved them, apparently, ugh. This is awful. He looked at Shoto, trying to convey his total panic with his eyes alone. "Shoto. I don't like eggs. Like, at all."

This is the worst thing that's ever happened to him, barring maybe that time Kacchan got kidnapped. And that time he mangled both arms so badly they now had nearly unbearable chronic pain in them.

Shoto held his gaze for a good few seconds, to give credit where credit is due, before beginning to wordlessly shovel his spring rolls over onto Izuku's plate. Izuku picked one up sadly and shoved it in his mouth. Neither of them said anything more.

That should've been the end of it. Well, maybe not. There was no 'should've' about this situation. It was unnatural and weird and Izuku has decided he hates it. The only reprieve is that the next time it happens, it's not as intrusive as the egg thing.

(He takes his diet very seriously and very much enjoys eating. It was a dent in his plans to have eggs suddenly off the menu. Absolutely vile, the most heart-rending thing to ever happen to him.)

Maybe that's why the next thing that happens is more of a relief and less of a total freak out. Ish. Okay, maybe it's still a total freak out, but not an egg-level one... kind of.

He's in history with Snipe when it happens. Again, it's not a vomit-inducing change to his taste buds this time, thank god. It comes rather as a realization. Like a discovery he's come to all on his own, which is significantly less rattling to begin with.

And yes, okay. You might call him dramatic for still losing his shit over the whole egg incident, but who wouldn't? His food preferences do a 180 and he's just supposed to be fine with that? Now he'll probably never get to love eggs again! That's-- that's just fucked up!

Not the point right now. Mr. Snipe is saying something, drawling on about a power point nobody is interested in whatsoever. Except maybe Izuku himself, Momo, and Iida. Kacchan too, but he was trying to keep it on the downlow to uphold his bad boy reputation. As though the entire dorm didn't already know he went to bed at eight PM and followed the dorm rules to an absolute T.

Also not the point. Mr. Snipe switches the slide and Izuku... bursts out laughing. Immediately.

It's loud. Like, horrifying loud. He's not sure he's ever laughed this way before, fully and heartily. Everyone turns to look at him, because of course they do. He's laughing like he's a forty-year-old-man who likes American football and just saw the sitcom of the century play out in real time.

He just can't help it though. Even when Snipe's blank mask turns towards him in a way that somehow manages to convey his absolute, utter lack of amusement. Izuku gasps for air because--

"That's wrong." He giggles, hysterical. How does Izuku know it's wrong? Great question. Someone get back to him when they figure that one out too. "Oh my god. That did not happen like that!"

It's about the dawn of quirks and the revolt against the powers wrongly imprisoning those with physical mutations. It details the death of one of the earliest pro heroes to ever walk in Japan, named Lug Nut not for his quirk, but for his absolute idiocy and love for cars instead.

Izuku's not sure how he knows that either, but the information is there. It's just... in his brain. He knows it. Anyway, the slide has a very dramatic summary that tells of how they righteously bombed the dastardly Sazaki Institution and broke everyone being held there out.

Everyone knows the story, which has been a famous part of Japan's founding quirk history for a long time. The infiltration started a very long chain reaction that eventually led to the anti-discrimination laws still in place today. It unearthed the mistreatment of those with mutations and the inhumane environment they were kept in.

The entire institution had basically been slavery in an ill-fitting trench coat, where they forced mutated individuals to do manual labor in poor conditions. It had been ass, but they hadn't blown anything up like the slide said.

"Really." Snipe doesn't sound impressed. Izuku howls. Izuku Midoriya, losing his shit in history class. What dimension are they in?

"His quirk had absolutely nothing to do with anything mechanical, or bombs. He was just an idiot with a sports car he couldn't get to run!" Izuku insisted with passion he didn't usually have. He teemed with humor, his previous nerves miraculously missing and his stutter not present. Katsuki turned around in his seat to give him a slightly wide-eyed look that he expertly ignored. "His quirk could mimic any voice. It wasn't anything that impressive. All he had to do was call people with a VPN and milk them for information. He wasn't even at Sazaki until later! He got drunk, pretended to be the literal king of Japan, and got them to open the door for some of our--"

Izuku stops dead in his tracks, expression twisting with confusion when the realization of what he's saying hits him hard between the eyes. How does he know this? How does he remember this?

He gets the distinct impression that Snipe is raising an eyebrow at him. Justified, but you know. A feeling of wrongness settles over Izuku like a blanket, because this clearly isn't right. This happened years and years ago. Way before his existence was even possible, before it was even a concept in someone's mind.

It's like ice water down his back. Something in him goes cold, and he slowly rises out of his seat. Kacchan is staring at him like he's afraid Izuku may be the one to combust this time. He honestly feels like he might.

Izuku swallows thickly, mouth feeling unusually dry. Uh huh. Uh huh. This is definitely better than not liking eggs anymore, but by how much? It doesn't make sense. And if something about him doesn't make sense, well, he's got a really good umbrella to catch all the reasons and explain away why.

"I... need to go talk to All Might." Izuku decides, horrified. He grabs his backpack and swipes his notebook off the table. "L-Like right now."

Snipe nods and points at the door. Izuku rushes to go but feels himself stop almost against his will. Not... Well, no. That's not quite right. It's more like he can't help himself rather than it being against his will, because he definitely has full control over his body. The urge is just-- overwhelming.

He flips back towards the board and stares at the picture of Lug Nut. He looks familiar and something in Izuku is bubbly and warm when he gazes at the photo. Fondness, like he's peering at an old friend.

Even if said old friend wasn't actually the dramatic hero who stormed the Sazaki, guns blazing, and killed everyone like the history books boasted. Literally no one died. It was a peaceful liberation, if nothing else. Why does he know that?

"Him and I made out on a dare once." Izuku announces suddenly. Kaminari chokes on nothing, and Izuku makes a face. He experiences a full-body recoil. What? What? No! Social suicide wasn't supposed to be a part of this! "No I did not. Oh my god, ew. Why do I-- okay, I-I'm leaving! Sorry!"

He leaves.

He's not supposed to run in the halls and normally he doesn't break the rules, but his brain is racing a mile a minute and shows no signs of slowing. He's drawing closer and closer to a very horrifying conclusion. It's the only logical one he can think of.

All Might passed him a quirk. A quirk that stockpiled energy and had the vestiges of the past users floating around in it like ghosts. What if it had stockpiled more than just power? What if it had memories and preferences that weren't his own?

All Might... All Might hadn't had this issue, had he? He ate eggs all the time. They'd eaten eggs together. He loved eggs. This was not fair!

He blazed around the corner and almost took Present Mic out when he did. The blonde voice-hero managed to leap to the side just as he slammed into the teacher's lounge like hell was on his heels. Izuku all but kicked the door down, chest heaving.

Everyone turned to look at him, but his eyes were set on All Might. The man looked like a deer caught in headlights as Izuku approached like a panther might stalk up to a rabbit, eyes wide and entire body expanding and contracting with nervous energy. Mr. Aizawa raised a brow from his place on the ground, watching with idle interest.

"You!" Izuku gasped out, trying to catch his breath. Toshinori flinched, watching with big eyes as Izuku waved a hand around sporadically before settling on pointing at him. It was very accusing, which is good. Because he's in an accusing mood and really wants to cry. This is actually happening to him right now. Like, in real time happening to him. "You made me eat a personality disorder!"

"Uh." Toshinori chokes out, uncomprehending. Izuku lurches closer, slamming his hands down on the man's shoulders with enough force to level a building. Which he normally would never do. "I-I did?"

Izuku hardly ever touches his mentor, let alone grabs him and gazes hysterically into his eyes to convey his displeasure. But apparently he's not himself! That's the only way to explain this.

"I don't like eggs!" Izuku all but shrieked. Mr. Aizawa had sat up now, looking less like he wanted to take a nap and a little more like he wanted to prevent the potential murder about to take place right before his very dry eyes. "And I remember making out with someone. When I was twenty-two. How old am I, All Might?!"

"Sixteen." Toshinori wheezes out, looking terrified. Izuku gave him a good shake to emphasize how utterly destroyed he's feeling right now. First eggs, now this.

How does Izuku know he's a cuddly drunk? He hasn't consumed even a single drop of alcohol in his entire, short life! Yet he knows, somehow, despite that! That's ew on so many levels, and also it needs a spoiler warning. He didn't even get to find out for himself!

"Sixteen! I am sixteen!" Izuku released him, taking a step back before Aizawa could tackle him to the ground and cart him off to the nearest mental facility. He threw his hands up in the air. "I'm haunted! And maybe 15% possessed! I ate ghosts! You fed me ghosts!"

Toshinori very slowly stands up, making no sudden moves. This freak out is maybe... okay, Izuku admits it. It's a lot more severe and present than the egg one was, but that's mostly because he's discovered what's going on. Not because he corrected his history teacher.

Can the world get any more fucked than this? Izuku's life is riddled with some of the worst luck to ever luck. Clearly that fact is holding strong and true no matter how careful he is not to put himself into dangerous situations.

They take the conversation elsewhere so Izuku can calm down, even though there's no point. He feels overly anxious for some reason, but not in the social anxiety sort of way. In a more paranoid sort of way, like's suddenly hyperaware of every potential danger that could be and currently is.

Mr. Aizawa watches them go as Izuku devolves into the outer rings of what's probably some sort of psychotic break. It was honestly a long time coming, haunted or not. Deep breaths, Izuku. Everything is zen. It's all zen, chill, and cool.

He talks to All Might. He apologizes, mortified by his actions. Toshinori grimly tells him that he would've done the exact same thing because eggs are amazing and a staple food that no one should be without. Izuku agrees with great distress, glad for the solidarity.

He has to wonder-- is this legal? This feels illegal. He's still a minor and the ghosts aren't minors, so surely they're not allowed to possess him. It feels like a breach of privacy. Is this assault? Is he being assaulted, or is that the panic talking? They're non consensually changing his taste buds and planting homosexual memories in his brain!

Toshinori tells him to try and hold it in and not panic. Too late, because he just told everyone he'd made out with Lug Nut on a dare, but you know. He'd also had a breakdown in the teacher's lounge, which was also something Izuku Midoriya would normally never dare to do.

Izuku's coining this nerves thing as ghost-business. He had devolved too quickly into panic for it to be normal. That brand of hysteria wasn't like him-- he had a logical mind and thinking process, and never would he jeopardize the secret of One For All like that.

This felt unfamiliar. It was almost certainly another aspect of the whole ghost thing, which just-- feels like being cheated. He gets a cool quirk, but at the cost of no eggs and double the anxiety? Does that sound fair to anyone? Because it doesn't sound fair to Izuku.

Toshinori made the promise to research the past holders as much as possible and to convene with Gran Torino, who probably knows more because he's old, experienced, and mean. He tells Izuku-- in simple, softer terms-- to suck it up and deal with it. And to write down every occurrence he can and see if he can separate them.

If he can tell what characteristics group together maybe they can make some connections. Izuku asks why this is happening to him and why it didn't happen to All Might. All Might squints at him and tells him his luck is 'literally shit, my boy' which Izuku already knew.

Very helpful. Izuku goes back to the dorms in a daze.

Nobody mentions it at first. There's not even any snickers. Just some concerned looks, because he's obviously unhinged and they know something is up. They probably assume he's just finally cracked and that's it.

Izuku almost thinks nobody is going to bring it up at all. Even Ochako fails to hint into it, and she had been prime suspect number one on the list of those most likely to interrogate him. Thus, it's a bit of a surprise when Shoto pulls next to him.

He's doing that thing where he tries to look casual but absolutely doesn't in any capacity. Izuku presses his lips into a thin line and stares at him as he sidles into the seat next to him. Idly, he folds his hands on top of one another.

"So." Shoto starts after a beat of silence, eyeing him. Izuku eyes him back. "You like men."

Izuku stares at him blankly. Shoto stares back. Not... what he'd expected, but he shrugs and nods anyway. It's a small consolation that he'd identified as bisexual even before the whole OFA thing. At least he knows that part of him is... well, him.

Though, if these ghosts possess him into being straight he may genuinely croak. He can't imagine it. Can't even fathom it. Women are amazing and he respects and loves them, but men? Both? He appreciates both.

Men are-- they're attractive and like, hot, and Izuku's lizard brain says just-- yes. Yes, all around the board. You get it. He doesn't want to lose that. His options getting halved? He can't afford that.

"Okay." Shoto says after Izuku's confirmation. He stands up and gazes down at Izuku, apparently satisfied with what he's learned. "Good. Stay like that."

Izuku's not sure if he means stay on the couch or stay bisexual, but he plans to do both anyway so it's not a big deal. Shoto doesn't reappear so he assumes he did mean the latter. Not his business right now.

There's bigger fish to fry. He has roommates. In his body. They're fucking with stuff, too. Are they doing it on purpose or is it bleeding through the thin membrane separating them and into Izuku's pea-sized thinking organ on accident?

It's incredibly hard to say. General consensus? Life sucks and he wants to cry. Which isn't exactly new, but it feels more prominent right about now.

For a few days it's okay. Still no eggs and he also has a sudden, passionate hatred for waffles in the context of pancakes vs waffles, but that's alright. Pancakes are better so he can sort of get behind it. He writes it down and deduces that this preference belongs to the same person who apparently made out with Lug Nut.

Whoever they are, fuck them, by the way. Kaminari will never look at him the same way again, Izuku is pretty sure. He's never said anything but the sidelong glances and raised brows are still there. He's not even trying to hide them.

(Izuku would flip him off but he's pretty sure that urge is a result of his subsequent possession as well. Viva la resistance.)

They're training when the next world-upending event occurs. Still not as bad as the eggs but pretty goddamn close. It's definitely more serious. For one thing, Izuku almost gets killed as a result. And then for another, he almost kills someone else. It's a mutual thing and for once, it's entirely Izuku's fault.

He's sort of glad Toshinori is here today. That was he can see the severity of this issue and pump the gas a little. Seriously, did he need to salt himself? Wear a rosary? Perform an exorcism? Izuku is open to trying new things.

It happens in the middle of him sparring with Katsuki. Izuku gets in a good hit to the back of his knee and Kacchan faceplants so hard his ancestors probably felt it. Izuku feels like several people are applauding him in the back of his consciousness, a giddiness that isn't his own bubbling through and causing him to smile as Kacchan scrapes himself up off the pavement.

He's got blood on his face and a scowl that causes Izuku to snort audibly. Wrong move. There's a track Izuku is supposed to stay on concerning Kacchan and he just veered off it in a sharp left.

"Shut your goddamn mouth, you dumb Deku." He hisses venomously, and oh no. Izuku can feel it but he can't stop it. Like projectile vomit. Or a woman's period. Not that he knows what that feels like, but Ochako is very descriptive and it sounds just about as unpleasant as this feels.

"Not our fault you look fucking stupid." Izuku says, loud enough that the entire gym falls still in shock. He pauses. Blinks. Cringes visibly and takes a step back, raising his hands in meek surrender in hopes of salvaging this situation. Only there's nothing left to be salvaged because he's pretty sure he just nuked it. "I did not say that."

Kacchan stares at him in total disbelief. Toshinori is also gawking at him, and Mr. Aizawa's brows are raised so far they're about to merge into his hairline, never to be seen again. Mina bursts out into raunchy laughter that doesn't help at all.

Izuku fights a smile valiantly, internally screaming curses at himself and his ghosts to shut the fuck up. There's a tingle that tells him he's in danger as Katsuki slowly raises to his feet, still staring at Izuku like he's never seen him before. Izuku would do the same in his shoes. What the hell?

"What... the fuck did you just say to me?" Kacchan's voice is eerily soft, an undercurrent of danger sending alarm bells screaming in his head. And Izuku just. Snorts. Again. Because apparently he has a death wish and is intent on digging his own grave.

Great. This is great. Kacchan's palms are heating, his face is turning red, and he's definitely about to rip out Izuku's jugular with his own bare teeth. Bathe in his blood, dance on his grave, and then deface it with neon red spray paint.

"We think you're an idiot, mean, and we don't like you." Izuku says, snapping a hand over his mouth soon after. His other hand comes up and pries it away because it's a traitor. Izuku watches it happen in muted terror. "You're the human equivalent to a steaming heap of garbage and we're going to piss on your front lawn when we become Number One Hero and-- no I'm not. Not doing any of that just, not. Wasn't me. I am so sorry. I didn't say that! We did! Sorry, no, I-I didn't mean that-- We did. I-I mean, um, no. Oh my god. Why is this happening to me?"

Betrayed by his own body. This is the worst day of his life. Barring the eggs, because Izuku just really loved eggs.

Kacchan's face twists, he lunges, and then comes the punchline in the form of about a dozen inky black tentacles exploding out of Izuku's back like some sort of eldritch abomination. His jaw drops as they shoot forward, grab Kacchan around the middle, and... and chuck him. Across the gym.

Like, they literally come out of Izuku's body and punt Kacchan like a football-- he isn't exaggerating here. He hears Mr. Aizawa let out a strangled sort of noise and the tentacles retract under his glowing red eyes. There are several shrieks of surprise and perhaps mild fear. Toshinori looks very pale. Good. He should be.

Katsuki sails, victim to the Stephen King level of horror that had just crawled out of Izuku's spine. The green haired boy reaches a blind hand back to pat himself on the back, almost as though to reassure himself its still there. Yep. He's still whole and so is the suit.

Did that just happen? Kacchan is still flying so it must've happened. Holy shit. He really is possessed. Not by ghosts, though, not after that. Demons? Does he have a demon in him? Several demons?

This is awful! Maybe! It should be awful but he's feeling really self-satisfied right about now. Or maybe it's his ghosts that are. Christ, save him now.

There's silence and a bang when Kacchan hits the other end of the gym. Shoji is there to catch his petrified body as he falls. Izuku gawks, turning to stare wide-eyed at Mr. Aizawa as though he has answers.

His usually-calm teacher mirrors his 'what the actual fuck?' expression perfectly so that's no help. All Might also looks mortified. Izuku turns to look at the rest of the class. They're all staring at him like they're waiting for him to start laughing and say it's all a prank.

If only it were that easy. At least then Izuku would still be able to enjoy his eggs.

The silence is broken by Shoto, who breaks out into a round of applause that isn't appropriate given the situation whatsoever. It's appreciated though, especially when Iida of all people joins in.

Izuku does suppose Tenya has some murderous tendencies that are probably pretty pleased with the fact that Izuku maybe just killed Kacchan in cold blood. Or maybe it was hot blood, since Katsuki had been supercharged like a heater on crack in his rage. Izuku swallows thickly and forces a smile onto his face.

He's not in trouble or expelled on the spot, miraculously. Kacchan is also alive. It's a good thing, so why is Izuku disappointed? He tries not to let it show on his face and ignores the way Mr. Aizawa's eyes drill into the side of his head.

He shuffles after his teachers as they disperse class back to the locker rooms. Izuku's heart is thundering so hard and fast he's pretty sure it's about to give out on him. Maybe that would be a good thing at this point. At least then he'd get some reprieve from whatever the hell's going on. If he was 15% possessed before, he'd put himself at 37% possessed now.

Mr. Aizawa reaches out to clap a hand on his shoulder and lead him to an empty meeting room when Izuku side steps. His expression sharpens and something cool fills him unbidden. He levels his teacher with a stern look he would normally never wear. It's happening before he registers it and yes, it is humiliating.

"Don't touch us." Izuku bites out. And then he stops. Mr. Aizawa raises an unimpressed brow.

Izuku bursts into tears.

~~~~~~

"So he's being haunted?" Jiro sounded like she didn't believe it. Izuku shrunk into himself slightly, stood at the front of the class like a half-assed science project being presented by an unenthusiastic student who hardly tried. Mr. Aizawa sighed heavily and nodded. Jiro made a considering face, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. "Huh."

She seemed thoughtful as she observed Izuku, like she thought a ghost would pop out of him and wave to her. It wouldn't even be surprising at this point.

"What a mad banquet of darkness." Tokoyami rumbles, eager. At least one of them is. "Dark Shadow said he sensed the presence of several void-dwelling entities within the deepest crevices of your psyche, spiraling outward into the abyss of your mind, but I did not believe him."

They all turned to stare at him. Tokoyami nodded, Dark Shadow popping up over his shoulder to nod too in both approval and confirmation. Izuku really doesn't want to think about what that means for him.

Izuku sniffed a bit and tried very pointedly not to make eye contact with Kacchan. He ended up meeting Shoto's eyes instead. His friend was intently staring, posture very taut. Izuku raised an eyebrow and sent a slight SOS with his eyes. He didn't think the signal made it through.

"...Right. Just-- if he says something out of the ordinary, try not to freak about it. Expect that he may be a little... off." Aizawa instructed drawly. There were several nods and a few verbal confirmations. "He's not a danger to you as long as you don't piss any of the ghosts off. So, don't be like Bakugo. It's very simple."

More nodding. They seemed shockingly unconcerned about the fact that Izuku was currently a walking corn can of dead people. He says corn can because corn cans are almost always left in the pantry for obscene amounts of time and they always have outer damage despite doing absolutely nothing but sitting there, whether it be dents or tears in the label.

Sums him up pretty well. He feels like he's playing dance dance revolution except the song keeps changing midway and he also doesn't actually know how to play. That and there's a crowd filming him, which is basically a guarantee that he'll end up bullied on Instagram reels later.

Things are fine, though. Nobody asks about the ghosts because Mr. Aizawa told them explicitly not to do anything to purposely trigger them into action or they'd be expelled, and he doesn't kid around. Izuku glumly makes his way through the day.

He blazes through chemistry, which is normally his weakest subject. Are the ghosts trying to give him academic knowledge in an attempt to earn his forgiveness? Because-- wait.

He knows how to make a bomb. He knows how to make lots of bombs. Why does he know how to make so many bombs? He's a domestic terrorist waiting to happen.

"Izuku." Shoto draws his attention away from his lunch and thoughts of mass destruction. Izuku blinks a few times, registering the first name usage with a sniff. Are they on a first name basis now? Alright. He can roll with that, he guesses. May as well since his entire life has been fractured into a million different pieces that he can't figure out how to put back together. "What is your view on marriage?"

Ochako and Iida stop mid conversation to turn and look at him in a bewildered manner. Tsuyu slurps at her soup in a way that's purposefully loud. Izuku blinks at Shoto a few times.

He looks very eager, leaning forward slightly in anticipation of Izuku's response. Izuku shrugs a bit, not really sure where this is going. Where is anything ever going with Shoto? Is this related to the sexuality question from earlier?

"I mean... it's fine, I guess. I want to get married one day." Izuku nods, more to himself than to anyone else. He actually feels like he's been married before, now that he's soul-searching. Must be a ghost thing.

Shoto looks excited by his words, scooting forward even more. Izuku finds himself leaning forward too just to copy the action, because it feels like he's supposed to. Shoto reaches across the table and grabs his hand. Izuku squints at it. Shoto points to himself with emphasis.

"To me." Shoto says. Izuku looks away from their hands and squints directly at him instead. Tsuyu starts to actually choke on her soup. Izuku opens and closes her mouth a few times, glancing over a Uraraka and Iida for pointers.

They're too busy gawking to be of any help so Izuku just shrugs again. You know what? Why not. Shoto is the prettiest person he's ever seen and the best friend he's ever had. That wraps it all up and puts a neat bow on it, doesn't it?

"Sure." Izuku allows. Shoto beams so brightly it's actually a little blinding, and a warm, bubbly fondness fills him. Count on Shoto to brighten his shitty day. Izuku does love him greatly, as proven by his willingness to break his bones for him and do literally anything for him ever.

He can totally see spending the rest of his life with Todoroki. The ghosts seem to agree too. He's pretty sure that's a good thing. At least it means he could marry Shoto without them interrupting if he wanted to.

"Excellent." Shoto whipped out a stack of papers, flipped through a few, and then slid them across the table with a glittery pink pen to boot. Izuku is pretty sure it's actually Ochako's. By the way his brunette friend is currently patting the pockets of her blazer, he's going to assume that's the case. "Sign these."

Izuku blinked down at the paper but his hand was moving before he could really comprehend what was on the page. He watched, unimpressed as his brain took over and moved to sign the papers on his behalf.

He sniffed a bit as he flipped through the pages without really seeing them, more focused on the pen moving than what was actually happening. If it's Todoroki asking him to sign it it's probably nothing bad. Iida began to sputter and Ochako was now trying to keep Tsuyu from suffocating.

Shoto snatched the papers back gleefully when he was done. He grasped them like they were made of absolute gold. If it makes him happy, it's definitely good news, right? Probably.

Izuku watched him leap out of his seat and run faster than Izuku's ever seen him move in all their time together. He looks down at his hand, which drops the pen like it just got caught red handed-- pun intended. He presses his lips into a thin line, brain very slowly putting together what just happened.

There are puzzle pieces here. Izuku's assembling them. Not very fast, but it's definitely happening. Dot uno and dot dos are connecting. The talk of marriage, and the papers which had said... oh, he--

"Did I just marry Todoroki?" Izuku sighed, dragging the traitorous hand in question down his face tiredly. Ochako burst out laughing, which was answer enough. Izuku just stared down at his lunch tray, which had no eggs on it whatsoever.

Honestly, as far as ghosts went, this was one of the best things that ever could've happened to him. Hot husband who's nice to him, genuinely likes him, listens to his ramblings, definitely cares, who he gets along with? Izuku blinked, looking at his hand in new light. He pursed his lips.

"Huh." Izuku flexed his fingers. "Maybe you guys aren't so bad."

He gave himself a thumbs up which really sums the situation up quite nicely. He shrugged and kept eating, ignoring Iida's wide-eyed gaping and Tsuyu still dying in the seat next to him. He let himself smile a little.

He's married now! Izuku just got married. In UA's cafeteria, which wasn't what he'd had in mind, but you know. Was he supposed to have prepared vows? No, that's stupid. This was all very last second.

It took a few days for the change to hit. Aizawa was calling role and stopped dead, head slowly raising to meet Izuku's gaze. Izuku didn't say a word, even though he could tell one of his inner demons wanted to blurt something out. Something no doubt embarrassing.

He watched his teacher cycle through the five stages of grief very potently before he seemed to settle into an expression that could only be described as sheer exhaustion. He muttered something and marked Izuku's name off as present, shaking his head.

And yeah, that's how Izuku's new life as a Todoroki starts out. Shoto had explained that he wanted to take the name back as his own and make it theirs, because he loves Izuku and it also makes Endeavor mad. Understandable and completely logical in Izuku's mind.

Izuku just beams at him and says he's on board. Shoto grabs both his hands and gazes deeply into his eyes, and then goes on some spiel about how he is also staking his claim and saying that Izuku is his forever now.

Izuku just narrows his eyes and nods along, sort of impressed when Shoto shows him the twitter fanpage he's started to worship Izuku. It's very flattering and unnecessary. He's really not impressive at all, but if it makes Shoto happy... yeah, alright.

Mic congratulated them in English, sparking another small event in which he found out he is fluent in the language. He can also speak French and now Aoyama will not leave him alone. What's worse is that with the sparkly blonde hanging off his arm, Shoto is seething.

It's actually a little flustering to see him so jealous. Enough that more black tentacles pop out of his back and break a window. Kacchan screams in a high pitched sort of way that speaks to his definite PTSD. They all stare at him after silence reigns. Shoto grabs Aoyama by the shoulders and bodily shoves him away.

They start holding hands because it's nice and it soothes Shoto's nerves. Mina asks if they're dating. Shoto says that no, they're not, but doesn't elaborate by saying that they're married. Izuku just shrugs and they go back to updating Shoto's Deku fanpage. It's slowly becoming a place in which they plan out their future dream home and come up with names for all the cats they'll have going forward.

Izuku has a newfound fear of ladybugs that he can't explain and knows what Gran Torino's favorite pair of underwear look like now. No idea why but he's not going to ask. He also starts floating in the middle of training and Ochako starts crying because she thinks it's her fault, trying desperately to release him to no avail.

They end up having to get Sero to lasso him around the ankle. Shoto leads him around like a balloon for half the day before he falls and lands in a heap on top of the boy. Shoto looks very pleased, patting one of Izuku's thighs. Mr. Aizawa is so, so tired.

Being possessed is... okay. After the initial shock to the system, Izuku can't say he's fazed all that much anymore. He has some weird dreams every so often in which he isn't himself, but they're easy to ignore.

Izuku somehow unlearns how to type and also can't roll his Rs anymore, which sucks. In contrast, knows how to fix broken microwaves and finds himself oddly amazed by the automated ice dispenser in the fridge for no reason he can pinpoint.

He gains a preference for fuzzy socks and the color banana yellow. He likes tangerines and knows how to tap dance, but only to certain songs that nobody actually listens to these days. He's also a great cheat at pretty much any card game.

Izuku comes to terms with it after a month of marriage with Todoroki when another 'event' happens. He's moved into Izuku's dorm room and they have wedding bands now. Don't ask him how it progressed to this point because even he isn't sure.

He'd called his mom at some point to break the news but apparently she already knew. Shoto had asked her to sign off on it since they're both minors and she had happily. He'd also gotten Endeavor to sign it. Because Endeavor had been under the impression that Shoto was marrying Momo Yaoyorozu, not Izuku Midoriya. This fact leads them to now.

Endeavor's definitely figured it out now-- probably because their Deku-fanpage-turned-couples-blog had blown up after they posted a selfie together that displayed their wedding bands. Izuku feels irritation bubble underneath his skin as the flaming man fumes down at him, absolutely enraged.

Shoto doesn't seem very impressed either, holding Izuku's hand and not seeming to see what the big issue was. It's not like anything is all that different. Everything's the same. They're just like, married now. That's all.

"We don't like you." Izuku announces. It's the first time he's felt full, unanimous agreement with his ghosts. Something buzzes to life under his skin at the realization, electric and present.

It feels like he's resonating with... himself. Or something. Either way, static begins to leak out of his every pore, seeping into the air like smog from a factory pipe. He can see Endeavor tense a little, flames flaring dangerously.

Izuku's green gaze turns to steel. He opens his arms to the feeling and he asks for its help. He doesn't want Endeavor here. They do not want Endeavor here.

"You." Endeavor seethes. "You're All Might's brat. The boy who tainted my son."

"Actually, he proposed. And he tops." Izuku says before he can stop himself. Jiro starts laughing somewhere distantly behind them. Shoto just nods, not at all concerned with this part of their personal life being revealed.

Endeavor falters, and Izuku just... really hates this guy. Genuinely really hates him. All of him does-- all of him, all of his ghosts. It feels powerful. Like this mutual agreement was all he really needed all along. Maybe he should've realized it sooner. Why play push and pull when he could just sink into it and be?

"We don't want you here." Izuku's frown deepens. His voice echoes a little when he says it, and he can almost hear other tones overlapping with his own.

They're all saying the same thing at the same time and it projects outward. He feels centered and steady. He straightens and his shoulders level out, no longer weighed down. One For All stops thrashing under his skin and settles happily into his veins, feeling welcomed.

His body has stopped rejecting it likes its a virus and started ushering it in, allowing it to meld into his being. He can feel it wrap around and around, but it doesn't tighten and constrict like it does when he uses too much power or pushes against the ghostly urges.

It drapes, graceful, careful, and protective. This is how it's supposed to feel. This is how it's supposed to be.

"You impudent brat!" Endeavor hisses. Izuku meets his gaze head on, and his eyes aren't green. They're not any one color in particular at all, in fact. Endeavor stops, freezing in his tracks. "Wh-Who--"

The man's expression slackens as a miasma of different hues flit through Izuku's eyes. They thrum, and Enji unexplainably feels like he's staring down more than one person. He feels like he's being towered over. Like he's a bug that's about to be squashed.

It's a sickly, clammy feeling that climbs up him, starting at his feet and coating him in oil. His throat closes up. He chokes a little, brow furrowing.

He cannot stop his terror. Never has he felt this afraid.

"We do not like you." Izuku insists, and then he grins. Shoto looks rather lovestruck as he does it. "Leave."

Endeavor leaves. Izuku goes inside and makes himself a bowl of eggs.