#but also tomura giving something from himself to izuku. a choice. smthg that izuku hasn't really had control over

[mettywiththenotes]

It's probably too early to be laying out a theory based on no evidence, so let's just go with saying it's a concept I can't stop thinking about. If we're looking for potential ways Tomura could come back to life, how about this:

What if Tomura transferred a quirk to Izuku in his last moments? The restoration half of his quirk or just SOME quirk that can restore things in general. And this would be Tomura actively giving Izuku the choice to bring him back to life

If Izuku thinks he should stay dead, all that stuff Torino implied about killing also being a way to save, then sure, Tomura stays dead. The man was already in a position where he knew he would either win and destroy everything or be destroyed himself, so allowing him to stay like that would fulfill exactly what Tomura always thought anyway (that he was evil, meant to be opposed, meant to kill or be killed) and would keep everyone safe

But if Izuku believes Tomura should live, if he thinks he CAN live after all of this, if he deserves the chance to, then that's something he'll stick to as a hero, as someone who wanted to save him

Not only do I think this would be an interesting way to bring Tomura back, but this also goes hand-in-hand with the choice of saving or killing, Izuku's biggest decision that he was faced with in the void after the war, surely an ever-present possibility in his mind ever since that scene. Except this is on a more personal level, because this time there's no AFO keeping Tomura from being rescued, this time there's no vestiges telling Izuku to kill him either. It would be Izuku's choice to make and Izuku's alone

What would Izuku do? Would he bring Tomura back to life, do the thing he wanted to do? Would he decide to let Tomura die, allowing him to finally rest after everything he's been through?

Thinking about a point of transfer as well; when would Tomura have transferred the quirk? There's two options

Here, this point of contact

Or when this was happening, which would make sense since they were grappling and holding hands at the time. Izuku wanting so desperately to save him, Tenko not understanding why, but seeing his drive ("the will of a hero") and transferring the quirk to him anyway... If it can be done sneakily. Maybe at the last second, before his arms decayed

That would be the only instance of "open-palm transfer", like AFO did, but also, thinking about Izuku who transferred OFA through punches, it might be possible for Tomura to do something similar and transfer the quirk through the fist bump too

It's only a concept, even if it doesn't happen it's interesting to think about as an au or something