Overview: A story for “My Hero Academia” fandom revolving around the relationship of Aizawa Shouta and Yamada Hizashi and how they have been swapping souls and bodies since they were teenagers.
Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia)
Relationship: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic
Characters: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Kayama Nemuri | Midnight, Iida Tensei | Ingenium, Tsukauchi Naomasa, Nezu, Shinsou Hitoshi, Original Characters
Rating: Teen Audiences
Word Count: 7,825
Summary:
Aizawa Shouta was not a rested person by nature and was typically a very sleep deprived middle schooler, to the point his thoughts were fuzzy for a long time upon waking up, it took half the day for him to remember any plans made the night before, and it was a fifty-fifty chance as to whether he would fall back asleep upon first waking up or not.
Yamada Hizashi, by nature, was a very bright and cheerful person and often found himself enjoying the spontaneity that life provided; such as finding himself swapping bodies with someone who he had never met. The fact his switches with Aizawa Shouta had been ongoing for a year, happened at random times, and left doctors utterly baffled was nothing more than a fun adventure, in his eyes.
~
Aizawa Shouta was tagged with a quirk that forces him to switch bodies with Yamada Hizashi, a kid his age who he had never before met. As life goes on, however, and the switches persist through their childhood and adult life, he finds that switching with Hizashi may have been more of a blessing than a curse; something others see as well.
Soul Bound
★★★
Aizawa Shouta was not a rested person by nature and was typically a very sleep deprived middle schooler, to the point his thoughts were fuzzy for a long time upon waking up, it took half the day for him to remember any plans made the night before, and it was a fifty-fifty chance as to whether he would fall back asleep upon first waking up or not. That was what made it so odd when he opened his eyes to see warm morning sunlight. He also felt like he was filled with boundless, unending energy.
Pushing himself up with a grunt of effort, Shouta rubbed at his eyes and gave a large yawn, mumbling under his breath a soft, “Early.” As soon as the word was out, however, Shouta felt his spine go rigid, adrenaline shooting through him as he realized he hadn’t heard any sound.
Stumbling out of bed, Shouta yelped as he hit the floor with enough force to knock the breath out of him, eyes wide and darting around a bedroom that wasn’t his; something he could tell even past the blurred vision that was filled with colors that seemed wrong.
Feeling like his heart was about to pound its way out of his chest, Shouta pushed himself to his feet, eyes wide at how wobbly and off balance he felt, as if the body he was in… wasn’t his.
Focus, Shouta thought to himself. Think about this logically. Is it more likely to wake up with missing hearing, worse vision, and in a different room, or is it more likely I’m in a body that’s not mine?
With his world of quirks and heroes and villains, the latter was looking increasingly likely, especially when Shouta inched his way back to sit on the bed and saw a small end table with a pair of glasses and what looked like hearing aids.
“Okay. Small steps,” Shouta mumbled to himself, wincing as he felt the words leave, and yet he didn’t hear a sound of them. Shaking it off as best he could, Shouta quickly placed the glasses on, relieved when the world came into crisp focus – minus the odd colors. The hearing aids were a lost cause seeing as Shouta had no idea what to do with them, but the sight was good enough for now; especially when he saw a mirror that he quickly made his way over towards, balance still off-kilter and shaky.
“Swapping bodies with someone random it is,” Shouta said to himself, staring at the face of a kid that looked to be roughly his age. It was also a kid he had never seen before in his life, one with curious eyes that might be green, or a very bright brown, that had incredible concentric circles, a splattering of freckles across the bridge of the nose, and bright golden hair that almost put sunlight to shame.
Definitely a quirk, Shouta thought, frowning as he went over his recent memories. He didn’t remember being hit by a quirk in the last few days, but it was always possible in a world like theirs. Nothing even odd had happened to him, though- Well. Not including the villain attack downtown where he had helped save an old man from being hit by a piece of falling building.
Now that he thought about it, the man had shaken his hand, thanked him for saving him, and then smiled and said that in return he would help him. Shouta hadn’t paid it much mind at the time, of course, but now he was starting to wish he had since it was possible that handshake had been a bit more than just a friendly gesture.
“I don’t see how this is helping me,” Shouta said, or at least, he hoped that was what he said. It was hard to tell since the kid he had switched bodies with was apparently near deaf, had horrible vision, and was colorblind. What a hassle.
Taking another look around the surprisingly neat and tidy room that seemed covered in sheet music and old CDs, Shouta finally saw blank paper and pens sitting on a desk, a few scattered pieces of homework showing the kid’s name to be Yamada Hizashi.
Taking a seat at the desk at once, Shouta uncapped one of the pens and tugged a piece of paper over, taking a moment to organize his thoughts before he began writing. The least he could do was introduce himself, apologize for the mess that was, in small part, his fault, and give an explanation as to why the two switched bodies for what Shouta hoped was only a few hours – a day, at most, if they were lucky.
Quirks with effects like body switching usually only lasted for a short amount of time, and the old man Shouta had helped hadn’t seemed nefarious in his offer to help; although, Shouta was starting to think he hadn’t exactly been a ‘nice’ old man.
Right. That looks like a good letter, Shouta mused to himself, pleased that everything fit on a single side of the page. It was short, to the point, and gave exactly the amount of information needed. There should be no complaints once the switch happened again. Just to be sure it was seen, though, Shouta grabbed the paper and tucked it under the hearing aids he wasn’t even going to try to figure out.
Deciding that a body switching quirk was not going to stop him from sleeping in on the weekend, Shouta removed the glasses, crawled under the covers, and went to sleep with the hope that he would wake up in his own body and his own bed.
He was therefore surprised when he woke up again and it was with his usual grogginess and exhausted body, vision blurry for only half a moment before he was looking around his familiar bedroom to see it was much cleaner than the night before. There was also a glass of cold water, a plate of what looked like a quick lunch, and a letter beside it addressed from a Yamada Hizashi all beside his bed.
Pulling the plate and the letter into his lap, Shouta decided that the next time he saw that old man in public, he would only glare at him instead of starting a fight. Yamada Hizashi wasn’t so bad a person to switch with, in the end.
★★★
Yamada Hizashi, by nature, was a very bright and cheerful person and often found himself enjoying the spontaneity that life provided; such as finding himself swapping bodies with someone who he had never met. The fact his switches with Aizawa Shouta had been ongoing for a year, happened at random times, and left doctors utterly baffled was nothing more than a fun adventure, in his eyes.
Aizawa, judging by his letters, seemed to find it all a bother unless the switches happened when he needed help on his English homework. Hizashi had yet to break and give him the answers, but he did leave plenty of notes for his odd-yet-charming pen pal. It was an accurate description since Aizawa and he communicated through letters since someone still didn’t have a phone.
“Ah, you really need to clean your room more, Aizawa,” Hizashi grumbled to himself, taking a moment, as always, to appreciate the better vision and hearing that his friend had. Adjusting to an entirely new body had been terrifying and difficult, at first, but Hizashi liked to think he was okay at being Aizawa after a year’s intermittent practice.
“Right! What were you in the middle of, then?” Aizawa had at least been in his room for this switch, so that made it easier on Hizashi. A quick glance showed that the desk was covered in high school applications, all of them geared towards those with an interest in Heroics.
Hizashi supposed they were nearing the end of middle school – he certainly had been getting his moms’ help with his own applications. A quick shuffle through the ones Aizawa had collected revealed a half-completed one to U.A., Hizashi beaming as he placed that one on top.
The two had found out rather early on that they both had an interest in becoming pro heroes and, after that, their letters had become filled with training tips, encouragement, and facts and news on their favorite heroes. Aizawa, Hizashi had found, tended to admire the heroes who were more underground.
“You had better get in,” Hizashi said, mock frowning down at the U.A. application that had Aizawa’s name scribbled across it. “We need to be classmates and actual best friends!” As it was, the two lived several districts apart, something Hizashi had only managed to pry out of Aizawa recently. It would take four trains at least to see Aizawa in person.
His moms might have fallen in love with Aizawa and already claimed him as another son, but that didn’t mean they’d let him run all over the city to try and meet him. Maybe he could leave a letter to convince Aizawa to at least meet him halfway.
Shaking his thoughts off, Hizashi stood from the desk Aizawa must have been working at before their switch, stretching lightly and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as best he could. A quick look showed numerous nutrition pouches, far too few water bottles, and the conviction that Hizashi knew what he would be doing for the rest of the afternoon.
Heading for the kitchen, and noticing that Aizawa’s apartment was as empty as it always seemed to be, Hizashi hummed to himself as he started pulling out the items needed to make a lunch that consisted of actual food instead of what was essentially jelly pouches.
“I need to guilt you into eating more,” Hizashi frowned, poking at ‘his’ stomach and narrowing his eyes. They had both been training for hero entrance exams, but Aizawa was on the wrong side of thin. “I’m going to fatten you up if it’s the last thing I do!”
As the words bounced off empty walls into barren rooms, Hizashi sighed to himself and turned the stove on. While Hizashi didn’t mind the switches between him and Aizawa, he couldn’t help but wish for the possibility of being able to see and talk with the other through more than just letters.
While Hizashi knew he was on the more social end on the spectrum, spending all day in an empty apartment with no one to talk to just seemed… lonely.
“Don’t worry, Aizawa,” Hizashi whispered, listening to the quiet, almost inaudible sleep roughened voice fill the kitchen. “I promise that when we meet, we’re going to be the best of friends.”
Aizawa’s body grew tired easier, there were times where everything seemed to just hurt, and his eyes were constantly dry and burning, but Hizashi would spend days in Aizawa’s body if it meant the other got a break from all the loneliness, silence, and pain that seemed to build up around him.
Hizashi supposed he did have a sort of hero complex, but he figured that was alright. Aizawa seemed to have one, too, after all, and that meant that they were going to meet one day face-to-face.
Hizashi couldn’t wait.
★★★
Kayama Nemuri liked to consider herself fun, outgoing, open minded, and always open to new and interesting ideas, which meant she often found herself wondering how she had befriended her childhood neighbor and the literal embodiment of death in the teenager who was Aizawa Shouta. If she had to guess, it no doubt had something to do with the fact that Nemuri was one of the only ones on their block not startled by the fact Shouta randomly swapped bodies with someone who he had never met; something that now could no longer be said.
“I can’t believe you,” Nemuri shook her head, arms crossed as she frowned down at Shouta or, well, she supposed it was Yamada Hizashi, at the moment. “You finally meet the kid you’ve been body switching with for almost two years and you almost knock his teeth out! I’m surprised he – you – are still conscious! And you.”
Nemuri turned around and glared down at the teen that was inhabiting her best friend’s body. The kicked puppy look with wide, startled eyes, a vulnerable expression, and the plea that was clear for all to see had her cooing as she grabbed his cheeks, exclaiming a soft, “Oh, but you’re just adorable. I would love seeing this expression when you’re in your proper body.”
“Quit doing weird things to my face and leave him alone,” Shouta grumbled, the expression familiar even on a face that was bruised and different. “He probably didn’t recognize me when we had our match and I can tell right now he can barely hear with how much damage his hearing aids have taken.”
“He definitely didn’t know it was you.” Ah, right, Iida Tensei was in the recovery room with them. He seemed to be as close to Yamada as Nemuri was to Shouta, so she couldn’t be too surprised. Especially with the way Shouta had used a very effective roundhouse kick to knock Yamada out of the ring of the final match of the Sports Festival. “His glasses cracked back in that minefield race and his hearings aids near blew out, too. Hey, at least you guys didn’t switch until after the match!”
Shouta snorted, pushing blond hair out of his face as he laid back down on the bed, wincing from what must have been a nasty bruise. “They wouldn’t have known how to score us,” Shouta yawned, looking momentarily frustrated. “Did you not sleep last night?”
“Hey!” Yamada yelped, pouting with Shouta’s face. “I don’t want to hear that from you Mr. I Have Both Insomnia And Narcolepsy.” There was a grumbled complaint, but Shouta didn’t offer too much of a fight. That, alone, was suspicious.
“How long do these switches usually last?” Iida asked, sinking down in the chair he had claimed as soon as they were all sure their idiot friends weren’t about to die. “I’ve only seen one and that one lasted half the day, didn’t it?”
Nemuri plopped herself on Shouta’s bed, grateful that the second years’ Sports Festival wasn’t until tomorrow and she, at least, wasn’t covered in bruises and bandages like the boys, before she answered with a blunt, “We never have any idea.”
“It’s sort of random,” Yamada admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck and looking away towards the window. It was a very Shouta gesture, considering it was coming from someone else. “I think the longest it ever lasted was… a day?”
“Both of us falling into deep sleep seems to reset it.” Shouta wiggled around on the bed for a moment, almost kicking Nemuri off before he grunted and sat back up. “Your back hurts.”
“That’s because someone threw me over his shoulder and almost broke my spine,” Yamada hissed, Shouta looking entirely unphased.
“Wow.” Shouta yawned to hide a smug smile and Nemuri fought not to laugh. “Sounds like a jerk, if you ask me.” Before Yamada could complain, Nemuri startled as both boys collapsed back onto their beds as if they were puppets with their strings cut. Nemuri noticed Iida scrambled to stand and looked panicked, Nemuri rushing to explain.
“It’s alright. This happens when they switch back, sometimes, especially if they’re hurt or tired which, as you can guess, happens a lot with these two. Just give it a few minutes.”
Iida reluctantly sat back down, Nemuri watching with some worry herself before the two boys groaned, Yamada the first to speak as he struggled to sit up. “How is it that even after a full day of fighting your pain is still worse than mine?”
“Luck,” Shouta grunted out, sounding as if that word took the rest of the energy he had. His usual grumpy expression was back, but Nemuri was stunned to see it fade into a smile when Yamada suddenly sat up and shouted his name. “If you were going to yell, you should have done it back on the field-”
“You’re here!” Yamada scrambled off his bed and almost hit the floor, Iida looking like he was about to have the youngest heart attack in history.
“Hizashi! You were just healed after taking multiple attacks! Get back into bed and get some rest.”
Yamada paused, looked at Iida, and then held eye contact with him as he crawled into Shouta’s bed without missing a beat. Nemuri decided then and there that Yamada was going to be her new favorite for a while. He seemed fun. “Hizashi!”
“What! I’m back in bed!” Yamada stuck his tongue out and then snapped his attention back to Shouta, beaming at him and looking like a literal embodiment of sunshine. Nemuri was certain that Shouta actually squinted. “Hi! My name is Yamada Hizashi, but you can call me Hizashi. I’m a first year at U.A., I love music, and bugs are the worst thing ever created on the planet.”
Nemuri knew Shouta was a goner when he chuckled and smiled a smile that Nemuri had never seen; something soft, fond, and what was no doubt something that was only for Hizashi. “Hi. My name is Aizawa Shouta, but you can call me Shouta. I’m in the General Education department at U.A., I love sleeping as much as possible, and it’s nice to meet you.”
Well, Nemuri thought to herself. At least they make a cute couple. She had a feeling that these two were going to turn out just fine.
★★★
Iida Tensei had been friends with Hizashi since they met during their entrance exam for U.A. and helped each other survive a robot designed to ‘push them to their limits,’ or, as Hizashi insisted, they survived the school’s best attempt to kill them. Their friendship had only grown as they were well into their second year; to the point that Tensei knew that Hizashi was going to be his friend for a very, very long time. As such, it was his duty to tell him what an idiot he was.
“You’ve known each other for years, you routinely switch bodies with each other, you seem to know each other’s thoughts, no one can defeat you two when you pair up for joint exercises, and I’ve just pinned you for the fifth time in the last hour because you can’t stop looking at him. Just confess to him already!”
Hizashi was panting harshly, trying to get his breath back as he glared up at Tensei with what was more of a pout than a glare. He probably didn’t even realize that his gaze was starting to stray over to where Shouta was practicing in the rafters of the gym they were in with the latest version of his capture scarf. This time he was practicing aerial silks. Tensei didn’t envy him.
“Hizashi.” Tensei fell into a crouch before properly sitting next to his friend who was still on his back and looking absolutely lovesick. “You’re not that stupid.” It was clear as day that Shouta was just as gone over Hizashi as Hizashi was over him.
“What if I ruin it?” Hizashi asked quietly, shaking his head before Tensei could speak. “I know, Tensei. I- It’s not that hard to see. I’m not scared of him not feeling the same, I’m scared that he’ll think we make for better friends and I won’t be able to get over my feelings for him.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the optimist of us all?” Tensei sat back on his hands, looking to where Shouta was locked into a pose, bands wrapped around his back and legs and keeping him steady in a way that was more performer than pro hero. Tensei made sure to wave when Shouta noticed them looking. “You two have been looking at each other since he transferred into our class. I don’t think it’s going away at this point.”
Hizashi grumbled, Tensei watching his cheeks flush a bright pink when Shouta gave them a smile before focusing back on his practice. They were both gone over each other to the point that Tensei was ready to beg Nemuri for help in locking them together in a closet for a few days.
“Yeah… that’s part of the problem.” Hizashi’s entire posture radiated defeat to the point it looked like someone had gotten him a puppy and then shot the puppy in front of him. It was almost sadder than it was pathetic. “What if he thinks it’s not worth the risk?”
“What if he thinks it is?” Tensei kept his voice soft, almost laughing as Hizashi groaned and threw an arm over his eyes dramatically, glasses shoved crookedly out of the way. “Come on, just tell him.”
A flash of movement had Tensei looking up, watching as Shouta dismounted from the rafters and wrapped his scarf back around his neck as if the gesture was becoming second nature. It probably was considering how much practice he had put into starting to master his weapon.
“Tensei, I can’t just tell him,” Hizashi whined, keeping his eyes covered as he whined and complained and groaned as always. “I mean, what am I supposed to do, just go up to him and go ‘Hey, Shouta-’”
“Uh, Hizashi, maybe now isn’t the time for your dramatics,” Tensei hissed, half getting up to shut up his best friend himself seeing as Shouta had walked over and was now in hearing range and had visibly perked up at hearing Hizashi say his name. Like a freight train, though, Hizashi plowed on.
“Shut up, Tensei, I’m trying to say it’s not like I can just go up to him and say, ‘Hey, Shouta, I’m stupidly in love with you and I want to spend as much time as I can with you and take you out on dates and kiss your cheek and hold your hand and other stupid stuff because I’m in love with you!”
Hizashi threw his arms up in the air as he finished, knocking his glasses back into place over his eyes and sounding frustrated and overwhelmed. Tensei was reaching for his quirk and ready to either run, grab Hizashi and run, or grab Shouta and run because he saw the exact moment Hizashi made eye contact with Shouta, who had wandered even closer and was staring at Hizashi with the most emotion Tensei had ever seen on his face before.
A heavy silence like the moment before a fight broke out settled around all three of them, Tensei ready to try his best to diffuse the situation before Shouta was speaking first. “Tensei.” Oh, it looked like Tensei was going to die first. “Leave.”
“I, uh, are you really sure that’s the best idea right now?” Tensei cautiously got to his feet, now ready to tackle Shouta and scream for Hizashi to run. Shouta experiencing emotions could be dangerous for them all. “Why don’t we just talk this out-”
“Unless you want to see something that you’re never going to be able to unsee, I suggest you run.” Shouta squared his shoulders like he was going into battle before he tugged at his binding cloth and… dropped it on the floor. Hizashi started to scramble up like he was going to run before Shouta was pouncing and pinning him to the floor in a hold that was less heroic and more- Oh.
Tensei slowly took a few steps back as Hizashi started babbling excuses and pleas and looking completely panicked. Tensei was still just close enough to hear Shouta mumble a soft, “Hizashi. Shut up.” He then bent down in a clear, telegraphed motion that had Tensei turning around fully and leaving the gym quickly.
Tensei took a moment to feel pride and happiness for his friends before realizing their lovesick behavior was only going to get worse. Ah, well… At least they were happy.
★★★
Tsukauchi Naomasa liked to think he was a cheerful enough person, but after a thirty-two-hour shift dealing with an outbreak of debuting villains around all of Japan, he was starting to think happiness was an illusion and he would never get a decent amount of rest again. The only reason he was sane after passing hour twenty-six was due to the fact he was working with a couple of new heroes who had recently started making a name for themselves.
“Yo! Tsukauchi! This should be the last of ‘em for now!” Present Mic, a cheerful media hero with a powerful voice quirk, was running up to him and gesturing to where there were over a dozen villains tied up. “Looks like they weren’t ready for the powerful one-two hit from U.A.’s favorite hero duo-”
“We’re not a duo!” The call came from where Eraserhead, an underground hero who had been viciously effective since he appeared on the scene, ambled over to them at a more sedate pace. “Any other reports nearby come in?”
“A few, but other officers and pro heroes have already responded. The last I heard of the pro hero Midnight just took care of a riot a few blocks west of here.” Naomasa assumed Midnight was one of their friends going by the proud looks on their faces. “We’re almost done here, as well, but I would like your help in interviewing one of the civilians rescued on scene.”
Present Mic frowned with a calculating look behind his sunglasses and Naomasa could easily see why villains would be afraid of the usually energetic hero. “Is he withholding information?”
Naomasa shook his head with a quick, “Oh, no, he’s been quite helpful from the few words I’ve exchanged with him. Eraserhead, though, you’ve been working on this case specifically for a while, yes? I feel as if you might have more knowledge in this matter.”
“Present Mic’s been helping me,” Eraserhead nodded, yawning before tilting his head back and putting some eyedrops in each eye. It must have been a common occurrence since Present Mic didn’t seem worried. “He’ll be just as much help.”
“Excellent! Right this way, then. He’s resting inside the ambulance after a blow to his head from some falling debris. Nothing serious the EMTs have assured me, but they want to take him to the hospital as soon as we’re doing getting a general picture and his contact information if we need it.”
The three of them trudged over, Naomasa making a small note to try and convince the two heroes to go home after this. They looked even more sleep deprived than Naomasa, but then, he wasn’t the one fighting villains and getting punched in the face on little to no sleep.
As soon as they were over to the ambulance and done with introductions, Naomasa tensed as he watched Eraserhead jump before blurting out a surprised, “You?” The civilian, Mifune, and Present Mic looked just as surprised.
Mifune’s surprise cleared up first and instead turned into something like delight as he smiled and said, “I knew you would be an amazing hero.”
What followed was not a conversation about gang activity, but a conversation on how apparently Present Mic and Eraserhead randomly switched bodies due to this man’s quirk, which led to a very complicated friendship, no doubt, and the knowledge that a civilian had used their quirk on someone without consent.
Naomasa was in the process of wondering if he was morally obligated to charge the man when he saw Mifune smiled at the two and offered to undo the quirk’s effect. “It wouldn’t take more than touching both of you at the same time with no ill effects on either of you.”
Well, that solved that, then. Except Present Mic and Eraserhead shared a look, a smile, and then Present Mic chirped out a cheerful, “No thanks!” Mifune didn’t seem surprised, but Naomasa couldn’t help an incredulous look. Randomly switching bodies was nothing except a recipe for disaster, but, well, Naomasa supposed the two had survived this far.
“I understand,” Mifune nodded, a serene smile on his face. “If it helps, the initial switch was not random. My quirk is interesting in that it only switches somebody with the body of their soulmate.” Oh, Naomasa might have to look that quirk up. It sounded like an odd one; odd, but interesting.
“Really?” Present Mic looked delightedly surprised, which made him seem a lot younger than he came across. Eraserhead, he noticed, only contently leaned against Present Mic’s side with the first smile Naomasa had seen from him.
“We know,” Eraserhead said softly, Naomasa deciding to leave the two be for a moment and question the few other civilians on the scene. He supposed that was why Eraserhead’s denial of being a hero duo had registered as both true and false with his quirk. How interesting those two were. Naomasa couldn’t wait to work with them again.
★★★
Takada Suki was a sleep-deprived high school student studying sound engineering, music history, and was the night radio intern for the up and coming radio show Put Your Heads Up! which was led by the pro hero Present Mic. Suki’s internship meant little sleep, a dependence on energy drinks and coffee, and a lingering sense of paranoia that everything in life was going to come crashing down around her. She loved it. She also knew the station and Present Mic’s show like clockwork, so when she suddenly heard the broadcast go silent in the middle of a product placement, Suki felt pure panic fill her entire body.
Three seconds passed, Present Mic sounded like he was a few seconds from panicking himself as he finished up the product placement, and then he announced that they were going to take a short music break; a music break that shouldn’t have happened for another fifteen minutes. Still, Suki was a professional intern and, as such, she put on the playlist, made sure Present Mic was off air, and then rushed to the recording room fast enough she almost slammed the door into the wall.
“Oh. You must be that radio intern he always talks about,” Present Mic said, as if he had no idea who she was. “Takada, right?” Suki managed a squeak, Not Present Mic, because that couldn’t be Preset Mic, sighed and waved his hand as if everything was okay. “Relax. My name is Aizawa Shouta and I was tagged with a quirk in my childhood that makes me switch bodies with Hizashi – Present Mic here – at random.”
The words were tired, lethargic, and had none of Present Mic’s upbeat and wild energy, which was bad. It was very bad. Suki tried for a hello and instead squeaked out a weak, “We’re going to get shut down.”
“That seems a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” Not Present Mic – Aizawa? – raised an eyebrow as if everything was just fine and Suki was overreacting – which she wasn’t.
“No! It’s not! You’re nothing like Present Mic! You’re probably a depressing old man who sits at home all day with his cats!” The offended look just meant it was true, Suki figured. “This is bad. This is so, so, bad. We have a Q&A session in half an hour about people’s favorite hero stories and we can’t cancel because people wouldn’t listen anymore and if they don’t listen we’ll get shut down and this station isn’t that popular, yet, and please this counts as credits so I can graduate-”
Suki possibly lost consciousness for a few minutes because when she finally calmed down, she noticed she was the one sitting down and Aizawa was patting at her back and looking worried. When he seemed sure that she was okay, he sighed and stood back up. “Okay, show me the basics of the equipment I need to know, here, and I’ll take care of it. And stop panicking. You’re not going to be shut down.” They were with that lazy, tired voice as announcer.
Still. Suki was an excellent paid intern and took her job seriously, so she walked Aizawa through the basics until the music break was due to end, at which point she scrambled back to the booth, said a prayer to whatever gods were listening, and put Present Mic back on air.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Suki listened to the half second of dead air on their broadcast before, over the speakers, she heard a familiar, cheerful, upbeat voice.
“Yo, my dear listeners, and welcome back to Put Your Hands Up! radio! I’m your wild and pro hero host Present Mic and we’re here to bring you sweet jams, fun stories, and the protection you need from the pre-processed crap you’ll find on every other station!” Present… Mic?
Suki looked through the viewing window and saw Present Mic look momentarily bored before he was launching back into it, gestures stilted and not at all wild and free like Present Mic, so… it was still Aizawa, then. “We hoped you enjoyed our extended music break – a special treat for all you listeners out there who just need a little chill time with some sweet jams – but now it’s on to the main event!”
He was actually pulling it off. They hadn’t switched back, like Suki thought, Aizawa was just mimicking Present Mic perfectly, introducing the Q&A segment, taking calls, giving advice, sharing wild, and not really PG stories, and just doing everything perfectly. The only time he slipped was during one of their last callers who claimed that Present Mic was his favorite hero and had been for a long time.
Aizawa had been silent for a beat too long, looking honestly emotional before he was getting back into character. Suki may have only been a high schooler, but even she could tell that the caller had very likely been the actual Present Mic. She supposed Aizawa was a friend of his, then. Although, judging by the emotion in both their voices during that call, Suki was thinking they might also be more than ‘just’ friends.
“And with that I’m afraid our night together comes to an end, listeners! It’s been fun, yo, but even us night owls need to catch some sleep. Not to fear, though, because we’re going to send you out with one last jam to end the night.
“First, though, remember that next week is all about quirks! Email us at our website with all your wild stories about crazy quirks you remember or just call us on the night of the show! Tell us everything and remember to keep those hands up as we end another night and start another beautiful morning! My name is Present Mic and here’s to all the heroes keeping us safe out there! Good night and good morning, Japan!”
Suki gave a thumbs up, switched on their parting song, took Aizawa off the air, and collapsed forward the same time Aizawa collapsed backwards in his chair. Flicking the switch that would let her voice be heard in the room, she mumbled a quiet, “You owe me ice cream. I like coffee flavored.”
Aizawa gave her a thumbs up without looking and Suki decided that, if nothing else, at least their show would be alright if Present Mic and Aizawa ever switched bodies again. Honestly… she was so unappreciated in her time.
★★★
Principal Nezu of U.A. high school liked to think that little surprised him, not only due in part to his quirk, but also because he had been teaching teenagers and cultivating them to be heroes of Japan for several years. There was little surprise to be had in life once one dedicated themselves to teaching high school students. The newest development among the school, however, had even him thrown for a loop.
Nezu had long since known of the quirk that affected his former student Aizawa Shouta and caused him to switch bodies with his friend Yamada Hizashi. He had seen it happen a number of times over the years both when they were students and now when they were teachers; although it had drastically decreased as they had grown older. It seemed, however, that emotional and physical distress could act as a button to purposefully trigger a change and keep a change.
Aizawa and Yamada had always been good at piloting each other’s bodies, but it was getting to the point that even Nezu was having difficulties in telling who was who in the days following what was the USJ incident. Their bond had no doubt saved lives when Aizawa appeared in Yamada’s body and screamed about an attack at USJ, gathering them all and collecting a frantic Iida Tenya along the way. Everyone had survived, but it was the aftereffects of that battle that was beginning to worry Nezu.
Whereas before they had switched every few days or once a week at most, now they were switching every few hours, sharing the pain of Aizawa’s traumatic injuries and allowing Aizawa to attend debriefs only hours after the event had happened, providing detailed descriptions of the villains that were there, their motives for appearing, and everything else.
Yamada would often appear a few hours later, chiming in with his own theories and opinions in tracking down the villains and identifying them, and then a few hours later they would once again switch. Every time it happened, Nezu could see the gasp of breath they both took, as if stunned by the lack of pain after being in such a hurt body.
It was the stumble and gasp of relief Aizawa took on the latest switch that led him to the room where Aizawa was recovering under Recovery Girl’s careful watch. It had been a few days, now, but Aizawa was still in critical condition and often Yamada was sitting beside him, or, depending on how one looked at it, Aizawa was sitting beside Yamada, as he was now.
“Hizashi is too stubborn.” Aizawa greeted, turning to look at Nezu with that frustrated expression of his, familiar even with Yamada’s features. “I don’t suppose you could convince him to stop forcing the switch with me, next time you see him.”
“It’s amusing that you think he would listen to me when he never did even as a student,” Nezu chuckled, pulling a seat up and sitting beside Aizawa. “You have control over the switch, now?”
“To a degree,” Aizawa mumbled, Nezu able to see the gesture he made that would indicate he would be hiding behind his binding cloth. Fifteen years since Nezu had first begun teaching him and he had changed so little. “It’s more of an emotional choice than a logical one.”
“Hm.” Nezu looked down to Yamada, the body wrapped in bandages and knocked unconscious to prevent the feeling of pain as much as possible. “Well, I doubt he’ll listen to me about the switches, but I just came to inform you that you’ll both be taking time off until both your bodies are healed and in good condition.”
“What?” Aizawa glared at him, but it was much less intimidating with Yamada’s face, who Nezu had seen cry hundreds of times. “That could take weeks for my body alone, and the students-”
“Have been given time off, are recovering themselves, and would understand. Your own body is still considered to be in critical condition and Yamada’s body has gone days without proper rest or food. Plus, how can you effectively teach your students when you and Yamada are switching bodies every few hours? You might know each other’s lesson plans, but enough to teach each other’s lessons for days at a time?”
Aizawa sat in a frustrated silence, Nezu sitting with him for a long few minutes before he was getting up and reaching up to pat Aizawa’s hand lightly. “The faster you allow your body to heal, the less Yamada will need to suffer that pain with you, yes?”
“That’s cheating,” Aizawa grumbled, expression lightning as he glanced back to where Yamada was asleep. “Fine. No more than two weeks, though.”
“That sounds quite acceptable as long as those two weeks start once your body can stay awake for longer than an hour,” Nezu smiled before he was leaving the recovery area, humming lightly to himself as he wondered if he should ban the two from campus just to be sure. He decided against it, deciding that if it was one thing that would get them to take care of themselves, it was the thought of the other not taking care of their bodies. They were efficient, though, and powerful in their own right.
Nezu had never seen Yamada’s quirk used quite so brutally as when Aizawa had been piloting his body at the USJ. Hm. Perhaps he would have those two teach more battle simulations together with the students. For now, however, he would leave them to their rest. They had certainly earned it.
★★★
Shinsou Hitoshi liked to think that he was physically stronger than most of his fellow General Education students due to the rigorous training Eraserhead – Aizawa – put him through daily in order to make sure he had a chance to make it into the Heroics department. He had failed at the Sports Festival, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other ways of getting into Heroics, and Hitoshi, no matter how much it hurt or how overwhelming it was, had promised himself that he wouldn’t let Aizawa think he had made a mistake in taking him under his wing. So, yes, at this point he was ahead physically of his other classmates, but he was nowhere near the level of Aizawa himself.
The man held back so much during their training and never left a mark on him, but it still felt like Hitoshi was winded, exhausted, and had no strength left by the end of it. Aizawa was always focused, never let up in his attacks, and saw Hitoshi’s own attacks coming from a mile off. That was why when Aizawa fumbled during one of their daily training sessions and suddenly seemed caught off guard, Hitoshi didn’t hesitate to use it against him, charging at him and ready to knock him down.
He was not expecting to be wrapped up in Aizawa’s scarf and thrown against the floor with enough force to knock the wind out of him. When he finally managed to get his breath back, he immediately hid his frustration with a grunt and a glare. “That’s cheating. You said we weren’t going to use our scarves this time!”
“Wha- Oh! Hitoshi! Oh, jeez, I’m sorry, kid, i forgot- Here, let’s get you up. Are you okay? That was a pretty hard hit- Did you hit your head?! Ah, please tell me you didn’t-”
“Y… Yamada-sensei?” Hitoshi squinted at Aizawa who was making a lot of unnecessary hand motions and tumbling through his words and had an expression of unending guilt. It was definitely Yamada. “Oh. I guessed you two… switched.” That explained the fumble, he supposed.
“Sorry,” Yamada grimaced, undoing the cloth from around him and helping him back to his feet. “We’ve switched in the middle of fights just enough times that it’s instinct to just use the cloth. Are you alright?”
“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Hitoshi tilted his head, studying all the differences curiously. Aizawa had explained about the body switching he and Yamada did due to a quirk used on him in childhood, but Hitoshi had only seen the tail end of it happen once. “Are you okay?”
“No need to worry, herolet,” Yamada laughed, loud and bright and a lot like Present Mic. It wasn’t Aizawa, anymore, that was certain. “We’ve switched so much that a lot of times we can just continue on with whatever the other was doing! You were in the middle of sparring?”
“No quirks and no weapons,” Hitoshi nodded at once, still staring because, well, this was cool. “So, you guys practiced so you can fight and use each other’s quirks whenever you switch?”
“Yup!” Yamada chirped. “Shouta’s even taken over my radio show a time or two during switches. It was actually him on air during last weekend’s broadcast.”
“That was Aizawa-sensei?” Hitoshi was certain his laugh was hysterical. “You’re telling me that was actually him the whole time? There wasn’t any difference between him and your normal broadcasts, though!”
“You watch my show?” Fuck. Yamada was looking gleeful and Hitoshi could feel the mistake he had made. He needed a distraction.
“You want to take a picture with me? I don’t think I’ll ever get a picture of Aizawa-sensei smiling, otherwise.” Hitoshi could see Yamada wavering before he gave a huff.
“Fine, but hurry up. Knowing Shouta, he’d march over here in my body to make sure I’m not ‘telling you anything stupid.’”
Quickly doing as told, and maybe a bit too happy about it all, Hitoshi felt no shame and taking a couple dozen pictures of him and Yamada making stupid faces at the camera with cat ears on almost every one of them. The galaxy cat ears were so far his favorite.
They were just setting up for another one before Hitoshi saw, through the camera screen, the door to the gym behind them open as slowly as it might in a horror movie. Hitoshi swallowed as he saw Aizawa in Yamada’s body glare at Hitoshi’s phone. The three of them were silent before Yamada chirped out a cheerful, “Smile!”
Hitoshi snapped the picture, Yamada started cackling, Aizawa’s expression got darker, and Hitoshi ran. It was nice to know he was getting better, especially when Aizawa snapped out a fierce, “Shinsou Hitoshi you had better delete those pictures!”
Instead of that, Hitoshi clicked his phone open again, angled his camera up, and took another picture. Hitoshi was only half in frame, Yamada was beaming in a way that made it seem as if Aizawa wasn’t up to something horrible, and Aizawa was making Present Mic look like some avenging creature of death.
Hitoshi set the picture as his phone background and decided that for as weird as his teachers were, they were pretty amazing people. He made sure to email the pictures to himself, though. Just in case.
★★★
Mifune Kichi. Quirk: Soul Bound. This quirk, once activated, allows for the person affected to switch bodies with their “soulmate.” The soulmate is not fated, but instead the person that the afflicted is most likely to get along with in personality. This quirk has a time limit of one year unless the bond is maintained by those afflicted and, even with maintenance, breaks after a max of five years.
The longest recorded instance of a soul bond that is still active is seventeen years and has shown no signs of deterioration.