Okay, this was new. Katsuki had never actually experienced an One For All dream before. Not unless he was lying next to Izuku, at least. But he was pretty sure he went to bed alone last night, and yet, somehow, he was here, sitting in an uncomfortable tall chair. His limbs were wispy, hard to see, to control, and his voice sounded warbled, as though he was speaking through something thicker than air. The other vestiges seemed to notice something was off about him, but they didn't say anything, not as long as Izuku was standing in front of them.

"This is an absolute disaster," he cried. Katsuki already knew what he was talking about, memories of the evening crossing his mind. They weren't his own, and it felt weird. He felt like he should be more freaked out about this than he was, but then again, something like this had always been a possibility. Didn't mean he had to like being sucked into Deku's consciousness though.

"You're overreacting," Nana assured him.

"It's for the best Eraserhead is in the know in this situation," Second added. "He'll be able to take better care of Eri and we won't have to worry he'll betray us."

"He's going to tell everyone," Izuku stammered, pulling his hair. "He's going to make them remember and they're going to be so mad and disappointed and- And I can't look at Kacchan! I can't face him without having accomplished anything!"

Katsuki scowled, glaring at the green head, feeling his emotions waft off him in waves. So this is what his other self meant when he said Izuku was heartbroken... Katsuki could feel his anxiety spike at the thought of having to talk to him, could feel the emotional turmoil, could see bits and pieces of their argument flash through his mind. Izuku was scared of another rejection. Fuck.

"I haven't changed! I'm still so selfish and Kacchan- Kacchan will never look at me the same again," he sobbed. "I can't... I can't let him remember. I wouldn't be able to take it. I wouldn't be able to look at him if he stared back at me with those- those eyes-"

The hell was that supposed to mean?! Katsuki yelped and turned to glare at Nana when she hit him. She eyed the green head, unspoken words hanging in the air between them. Comfort him. Tch. Fuck. Fine! Whatever.

"It's not gonna be as bad as you think it is, Izuku," Katsuki told him, watching his ex stiffen at his voice, his eyes anywhere but the ash blonde. "I'm fucking pissed, sure, but can you blame me? You crossed a fucking line. One I thought you'd never cross. I should've known though, this is how you've always been."

"You... Kacchan will never take me back," he choked out. "He's finally got enough of my bullshit... I've put him through so much and I took it all for granted and now- Now he's gone and I can't- I love him so much!"

"I love you, too," Katsuki mumbled, rising from his chair. Seeing Izuku like this was too much. Feeling what he felt, knowing he was the cause of this shit storm- It didn't sit well with him.

"You don't know anything!" Izuku exclaimed, making him freeze in place. "You're not him so stop acting like you are! Stop pretending like you know how he feels! Just- Just go away!"

Before he knew what hit him, he shot up in his bed, gasping for air. His heart was hammering in his chest, sweat rolling down his back, making him shiver.

"Fuck," he breathed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes, trying to calm down. Izuku had forced him out of his dream, had sent him flying back to his own body. God, it felt awful... Would Izuku know? Would he realize it was him? He hoped not. He hoped he could just forget about it all and move on. Hoped he'd never be sucked into another dream again. But he knew that was wishful thinking. They were connected in a way that couldn't be undone, and a part of Katsuki didn't really mind all that much. At least now he felt like he could finally understand him in a way he hadn't been able to before.

And it sucked.

It sucked so fucking hard.

"Goddamnit," he muttered, falling back onto his pillow and staring at the ceiling. Izuku's martyr complex had taken over entirely and here he was, being petty and not telling him he remembers everything. Standing by the sideline as he watched his childhood friend struggle and drown. No, that wasn't entirely true. Katsuki had been helping him secretly, trying to keep Eraserhead away from him so he could carry out his plans. That would only serve to make things worse, now that he thought about it. Keeping Izuku isolated, no matter how much the green head wanted it, wasn't good for his well-being. Katsuki should've known better.

And so he reached for his brand new phone, something he had to whine to the old hag about for over a year. Izuku wouldn't have one yet, so all he could do was ring the house phone and hope Izuku picked up. In the middle of the night. On a school night. Maybe leaving a message for him would suffice just as well. It would probably be better that way, then he wouldn't have to freak him out during this god awful hour and he'd be able to sleep. Katsuki wouldn't though. He wouldn't be able to close his eyes again without telling Izuku everything, without getting rid of that burden.

"...Hello?"

Katsuki froze up for a moment when the call actually went through and he heard Izuku's voice on the other side of the line.

"If you keep beating yourself up about this shit, you're not gonna get anywhere," Katsuki stated, although he didn't know whether he was telling that to the other or whether he was trying to comfort himself. "The vestiges are right, you know? Eraserhead knowing is a good thing, and I... I should've told you sooner, too."

"Ka- Kacch-" Izuku stammered, seemingly choking up. This must be really overwhelming for him, but Katsuki just needed to get this off his chest.

"I wanted to teach you a lesson," Katsuki shrugged, ignoring Izuku's mental breakdown for a second. "That was an asshole move, I admit. I'm not gonna fucking apologize for it though, not unless you get your mind out of the gutter and realize just how much of an idiot you are for blindsiding me all those years."

"You- How?" Izuku asked, having difficulty forming words in this state. His mind was reeling, his thoughts bouncing around in his head, different theories forming all at once. How long had Kacchan been here? How did he even regain his memories in the first place? And then he remembered Aizawa saying something about a possible helper and-

"It's One For All," Katsuki explained. "My connection to it is stronger than it was before, and since it's a quirk of the mind, well, as soon as I came near you, my memories flooded back to me. I bet it'll be the same for All Might."

Yeah, he'd thought about this. If Katsuki, as a vestige of One For All, could feel this much, then All Might must definitely feel it. He'd held the quirk far longer than Katsuki did, longer than any of the vestiges had, really. He was sure that if he came near Izuku at one point or if he so much as looked at him, he'd instantly regain his memories through their quirk connection.

"Izuku? Are you still there?"

"I... I'm here," he stammered. "I just- I can't- How- How much do you know, Kacchan?"

"Everything," Katsuki admitted. There was no point in lying about it. "We share a mind, Izuku. You can no longer hide any secrets from me."

That should be a good thing though. Now Katsuki would know whenever Izuku was hurt, whenever he was suffering. He could tell Izuku was freaking out about it though, hearing wheezing on the other side of the line. The vestiges better be comforting him right now or Katsuki was gonna mess them up.

"Hey? You know I love you, right?" Katsuki said after a while. "I'll always love you, Izuku, no matter what. That's why I only want what's best for you. Sharing a mindspace only means I'll be able to keep a better eye on you."

"Do you... Do you really mean that?" Izuku asked, clearly crying.

"You calling me a liar?" Katsuki huffed.

"No! No, no, no, no. I'd never call Kacchan a liar," Izuku said quickly. "I... I love you, too."

"I know," Katsuki smiled. "Get some sleep nerd, we'll talk in the morning."

//\\
\\//

Izuku hadn't known why the vestiges had been so insistent that he answer the phone in the middle of the night after the awful meeting they just had, leaving Izuku exhausted and weary and feeling even more crestfallen than before. When he heard Kacchan's voice, when he heard him explain, he realized why. Suddenly there were two other people who knew about the future instead of just one. And for the first time in this life, he had a spark of hope again. Maybe... Maybe he could make amends with Kacchan. Maybe their relationship wasn't lost after all.

"So when are you and sensei meeting to talk things over?" Katsuki asked. He'd dragged Izuku aside the moment he arrived at school, confirming he hadn't actually dreamed up that whole interaction last night. "I know your last conversation wasn't uh great."

"That's an understatement," Izuku huffed, unable to look Kacchan in the eye. "I... I still have questions for you, you know?"

"Fire away," Katsuki shrugged.

"Can you... Can you see them?" Izuku asked, not clarifying who he was talking about. He didn't have to, either.

"Yeah," Kacchan answered, glancing aside and staring directly at En, who gave them a small wave.

"He can hear us too!" Danjiro exclaimed from Izuku's other side.

"They're annoying," Katsuki continued, glaring at the fifth.

"Oi!"

"You heard me, Fifth," he grinned, as if the number was supposed to be an insult somehow.

"Oh, you're going to get it-!"

"That's enough," Izuku said, the ghost of the past disappearing in an instant. His control over them had seriously improved over the course of his lifetimes, which was a good thing in these kinds of situations. "And I thought your essence was already a bad enough influence, always riling them up and giving me a headache."

"Well, yeah, cause it's me, idiot," Katsuki said, as if he enjoyed annoying him, and yeah, that checked out. "This essence inside you? It's me, Izuku. It's a part of my heart and soul, and it knows what it's talking about. So don't you ever dare to call me out on not knowing how I feel, got it?"

"You- My dreams-"

"Yep," Katsuki said. "And I don't appreciate being forced out like that. The feeling fucking sucks."

"Sorry," Izuku said, his face flushing red. That was Kacchan?! Kacchan had seen him at his most vulnerable, his most open, a way he could only be within his own mind, with the parts and extensions of himself that wore different faces and used different names. People who didn't exist outside of his head. But Kacchan... Kacchan could confront him outside of his dreams, outside of these raging feelings and thoughts swirling around inside of him.

Like a storm, a tornado, soaring endlessly until all is destroyed. And if Izuku was a tornado, Kacchan was a shelter. Unwavering and strong, sustaining the strong winds like it was nothing. Until... Until Izuku finally broke through and pushed him away too... Until he had destroyed whatever relationship they had left. But then again, Kacchan had told him he still loved him...

"A tornado, huh?" Katsuki hummed, making Izuku tense up. How-?! Could he read his mind in real time?! That was super invasive! "I try not to, but it's harder when you're sitting this close to me."

"Ah, uh-" Izuku stammered, scooting a bit further away. He could tell Katsuki wanted to reach out to him, but he refrained from doing so. Probably didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. He'd always been considerate of personal space, after all.

"A tornado is pretty accurate though," Kacchan continued. "You're strong, trying to do everything solo as you destroy all the bridges you've built, and you make everyone around you stare in awe and fear."

"...That doesn't make me feel any better."

"It's not supposed to, idiot. Cause you're not supposed to be a damn tornado," Katsuki stated, flicking his fingers against Izuku's forehead.

"Aw! Kacchan!" he whined. "What was that for?!"

"You're a gentle breeze at most," Katsuki said, totally ignoring Izuku. "Ruffling people's hair, bringing a much needed fresh wind on a hot day... You're far too kind to act this cruel, and deep down you know that too."

"Then what else am I supposed to do?! Nothing seems to be working!" Izuku exclaimed, shouting over the ringing of the school bell.

"Seems like our time's up," Katsuki shrugged as if this whole conversation was no big deal. It was a big deal though. It was to Izuku. It was when he hadn't been able to talk this freely to anyone in years- decades, even. "Let me know when you're meeting with Aizawa. I'll make sure to clear my schedule so we can come up with a plan together."

Izuku stiffened when Kacchan showed him a small comforting smile, as if he was consoling a little child after a villain attack. It was professionally perfected, unwavering and unchanged since their very first lives. This is what a real hero looks like, he reminded himself. This is the face of a person that wins to save.

"You were never in this alone, Izuku," he said, his tone gentle yet firm. It was as if a child had just messed up and he was trying to tell them he wasn't mad, giving out instructions on how to avoid it in the future. Izuku guessed that was what he was doing. "So it's not a matter of what you're supposed to do, but what we can do. Got it?"

Izuku didn't know why he teared up. Why it felt like a weight had fallen off his shoulders. He never wanted anyone else to get involved! He didn't want others to get hurt! For the people he cared about to go through all this suffering! And yet... Yet he was so relieved, it almost felt surreal. He heard Kacchan sigh before he was wrapped up in a pair of strong, warm arms.

"We're gonna be late for class, you know?"

"Don't care," Izuku sobbed. They'd seen it all before anyway.

"You're right," Katsuki chuckled, roughly messing up his hair before pushing him away. "Come on, let's have a ditch day."

That idea had never sounded more amazing.