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It all seemed so sudden.
Midoriya had been trying to pick up the pieces of his life after the war. After losing his quirk, he’d been trying to find his place in UA. Midoriya was so focused on trying to find himself again, he failed to see what was forming between his classmates.
Class 2-A was nearing the end of the school year when it came out that Todoroki and Bakugo had begun dating. Midoriya, who had loved Bakugo since childhood, was devastated.
Uraraka seemed worried for Midoriya because she was the only one aware of Midoriya’s crush on Bakugo. Rather than congratulating the new couple, Uraraka quickly rushed Midoriya off to her room.
“How could I have not seen it?” cried Midoriya, tightly squeezing Uraraka’s pillow.
Uraraka let out a shallow breath. “I knew they were getting closer, but I didn’t think they’d be getting closer romantically.”
Midoriya tried his best to speak, but sobs came out instead. Uraraka gently rubbed Midoriya’s back, pity in her eyes.
“It’s all my fault. If I wasn’t so worthless Kacchan would have noticed me,” wept Midoriya, his back hunching forward as he began hyperventilating.
“Never say that again. You are the greatest hero that’s ever existed. You are beautiful. You’ve done an amazing job despite the shit thrown your way. Never amount your worth to a boy’s attention,” lectured Uraraka, cupping Midoriya's face and shooting Midoriya a warning stare.
Midoriya wilted a bit, his lips wobbling. “I’m a horrible friend.”
Uraraka’s frown deepened, her concern getting worse. “Why would you ever say that? You’re an amazing friend. I couldn’t imagine anyone filling the space you have in my heart.”
“I should be happy for them. I should be down in the common room congratulating them. I should be laughing and doing something dumb with you, not crying in your room about heartbreak. I’ve been a crappy friend since the war,” revealed Midoriya, staring up at the ceiling.
Uraraka crashed beside Midoriya, grabbing his hand gently. “I’d rather be here to support you at your low points like you always did for me. While I hate to see you upset, I’m happy I can be here for you. There’s always another day to do something stupid and fun.”
Midoriya remained quiet for a bit, taking deep breaths as he gathered his thoughts. “I want to get away from here.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Uraraka, curious as to what Midoriya was thinking.
“I want to see the world, maybe transfer schools. I don’t want to be some hero sidekick. I think that would hurt more than not being a hero at all,” confessed Midoriya, finally opening up about the thoughts he’s had since the war ended.
Uraraka sat up, looking down at Midoriya. “Really? You want to leave?”
Midoriya sat up, quickly grabbing tissues to wipe his runny nose. “Honestly… yeah. I just don’t feel like this is the place for me anymore. I feel isolated and trapped. I’m only here because of you all.”
“I don’t want you to leave, but I understand why you want to. Sometimes it’s hard to be here without all the reminders of the past. We used to be so youthful and happy,” reminisced Uraraka, recalling how innocent it all used to be.
“Now everything is so… so ugly,” commented Midoriya, picking at one of his dozens of scars.
Uraraka hesitated a bit before responding, “Yeah. I don’t know if you feel the same, but it also seems empty.”
“Mhm. Maybe it makes me childish, but I think Kacchan and Shoto getting together was my final straw,” mumbled Midoriya.
“Whatever you decide, just know I will support you and be there with you through every step,” reassured Uraraka, grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose.
The rest of class 2-A were shocked by the sudden news of a relationship. Kirishima was beyond confused. He had thought that Bakugo and Midoriya were in a secret relationship. There was this oddly electric tension between the duo.
Iida was supportive of Todoroki and Bakugo’s relationship, but he was extremely concerned for Midoriya. It was clear he didn’t take the news well and Uraraka was quick to drag him off. It was clear there was something he didn’t know.
Kaminari and Jiro were supportive, cheering on Bakugo for making a move. Many students decided to confess their love after the war, worried about the possibility of never being able to get the chance to. Kaminari and Jiro were one of the couples and they were going strong.
Many others in the class were surprised and happy. It was always fun to have a new couple to tease and pick on.
When Todoroki and Bakugo decided to tell the class that they were dating, they were the most excited to see Midoriya’s reaction. They couldn’t wait to see his shocked expression and hear his happy analysis mumbling which was rare since the war.
They did not get the reaction they expected. Midoriya’s eyes widened in shock, but a smile didn’t accompany it. His pained expression came as fast as it left, but both Todoroki and Bakugo saw the hurt in his face.
Midoriya was quick to cover up whatever he was truly feeling and offer a smile. Except his smile was nothing in comparison to the blinding, toothy smile we wore day in and day out when they were first years.
Before they could reach out to him or even look to one another to make sure the other saw his reaction too, Uraraka made a move. Uraraka wasn’t smiling as she snuck her hand into Midoriya’s and guided him away.
Midoriya didn’t put up a fight and mindlessly followed. They watched as Kirishima turned to ask Midoriya and Uraraka what was up, but quickly shut his mouth after seeing something.
Kirishima shot Uraraka a thumbs up with a sympathetic frown and Uraraka nodded her head in response.
Todoroki and Bakugo quickly felt concern bubble to the surface. The first thing that came to mind was that something was going on with Midoriya that they weren’t aware of. The second thought they both shared was that something was going on with Midoriya that they should have been aware of and completely forgotten.
“We’ll talk to Izuku later,” whispered Bakugo, resting a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder.
Todoroki nodded, raising a hand to rest on top of Bakugo’s. “Okay, good. I’m worried.”
Midoriya spent a lot of time with Toshinori after the war. When all of class 2-A tried avoiding Midoriya to avoid their feelings, Toshinori was the one Midoriya could open up to.
The mentor-student, father-son duo bonded deeply over the loss of One for All. Toshinori was nearing the end of his mental recovery and Midoriya was in the beginning of his. They lost it within a year of each other so they could bond over something they miss. They could bond over being quirkless, gaining a quirk, and being quirkless again.
After Midoriya could maintain his composure for longer than five minutes, Uraraka suggested that Midoriya talks to All Might. “I think All Might would be a great person to talk to about wanting to get away. Maybe he could offer some advice or wisdom,” offered Uraraka, flashing a gentle smile.
“You’re right. I’ll go talk to him now,” agreed Midoriya, feeling a lot better with Uraraka guiding him in the right direction. Right now, he needed someone he admired and someone who would want the best for him.
Uraraka rose from her bed and tightly hugged Midoriya. “I just want you to know… no matter what you decide to do, I’ll always want you to be a part of my life. You are the best friend I could have asked for and I don’t plan on letting you escape our friendship.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” laughed Midoriya, carefully hugging Uraraka.
Midoriya stood by the elevator and called Toshinori. “All Might.”
“Young Midoriya!” cheered Toshinori from the other side of the phone.
“Can we talk?” asked Midoriya shyly, suddenly feeling nervous that Toshinori might reject.
“Of course. Is something wrong?” inquired Toshinori, concern laced in his tone.
Midoriya panicked, not wanting to worry Toshinori. “Not necessarily! It’s just I have a lot on my mind, and I wanted to talk about it with you.”
“Well, perfect you called me now! I’m going on my afternoon stroll. I can meet you in front of the 2-A alliance and you can join me,” invited Toshinori, practically beaming where he was standing.
“Okay, I’ll be down quickly.”
“See you soon, Young Midoriya.”
“See you, All Might.”
Midoriya quickly took the elevator down to the ground floor and quickly made a beeline for the entrance. Most of class 2-A was still down in the common room and watched Midoriya make his way out.
Kirishima jumped up from his seat and rushed over. “Hey Midoriya!”
Midoriya quickly turned to face Kirishima with a kind smile. “Hi Kirishima, what’s up?”
“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” revealed Kirishima, lowering his voice to keep people from hearing.
Midoriya couldn’t stop the surprise from showing on his face. “Oh, uh,” stammered Midoriya before taking a deep breath and smiling. “I’m okay. I just needed a moment. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Kirishima shook his head with a toothy smile. “Nonsense! You have nothing to apologize for! But seriously… I thought you are Bakugo were dating and just hiding it from everyone.”
“Well, I can’t lie… I thought Kacchan felt the same way. Guess I was naive and too blind to notice the truth,” chuckled Midoriya bitterly.
“If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here for you. I actually wanted to ask you to go to a hero convention with me. I bought two tickets, but Kaminari ditched me at the last minute,” wined Kirishima, throwing his head back dramatically.
Midoriya clapped his hands together, excited that hero conventions were still happening. He hadn’t had the time to think about silly things like that in a while. “I’d love to go with you!”
Kirishima perked up, beyond relieved. “Really? Great! I’ll text you the details later. Anyways, where are you going?”
“Oh— crap! I am going to have a talk with All Might! Sorry! I really must go! He’s probably waiting on me!” rambled Midoriya, backing away quickly to the doorway.
“It’s alright man! See you later!”
Midoriya threw on his shoes and ran out. Most of the class had heard the part that Midoriya was going to talk with All Might. His panic was loud enough for everyone to eavesdrop. Looking out the window, they watched as Midoriya approached All Might who was standing by the bottom of the stairs.
Toshinori naturally opened his arms and Midoriya quickly rushed into the embrace. After a quick, but tight hug, Toshinori appeared to ask Midoriya a question. Whatever Midoriya said stunned Toshinori, but Toshinori didn’t appear to be completely surprised by whatever was said.
“So, what did you want to talk about, Young Midoriya?”
“I think I want to move away from here,” confessed Midoriya, a bit worried about Toshinori’s response.
Toshinori took a moment to compose himself and respond, but he smiled. “That’s understandable. May I ask why?”
“I don’t think I want to become a hero just to be a sidekick. That may make me a selfish person, but I don’t think I can mentally handle being so close yet so far from my dream,” explained Midoriya, beginning to walk.
“That doesn’t make you selfish. I understand why you’d rather just scrap it all than be a sidekick. What would you rather do than be a hero? Have you thought of that?” questioned Toshinori, wanting to make sure Midoriya had mapped out his plan thoughtfully.
Midoriya nodded, looking up at the sky. “Yes… I was thinking about going to the US and becoming a support item developer with Melissa Shield. Since we are both quirkless and interested in heroes, it would be cool to work together.”
Toshinori perked up at that. He was very fond of Melissa despite the betrayal of her father, David Shield, who had been his sidekick. “That’s a great idea. I’m sure you’d easily be able to transfer to a school in the States. I’d even accompany you since I’m familiar with California.”
“Really? You don’t think I’d be making a mistake?” questioned Midoriya, feeling a bit uneasy.
“If leaving Japan for a couple of years would make you happier and allow you to try something new that would bring joy to your life, I don’t think you’d be making a mistake,” rationalized Toshinori, providing Midoriya with a new outlook on leaving UA High.
Midoriya smiled, feeling a bit relieved. “Yeah. I think I’ll finish this school year and transfer over for my third year.”
Toshinori grinned, holding a thumbs up. “You could even do a student exchange program. You could remain a hero student and try out different things.”
“Yeah… I’ll talk to Aizawa and Nezu about it. I think leaving for a bit would be for the best. I was already on the fence, but today pushed me over the edge,” sighed Midoriya, looking down at his scarred hands.
“What happened?” questioned Toshinori worriedly.
Midoriya’s face glowed a bright red as he realized he’d never really talked about his love life before. “Well, it’s a bit embarrassing to say out loud but, I like Kacchan… romantically.”
“Ah, I figured something more was going on between you too,” chuckled Toshinori, happy to hear Midoriya wasn’t afraid to love.
“Kacchan… is dating Todoroki,” whispered Midoriya, feeling his throat tighten from having to say it out loud. The wound was still too fresh.
Toshinori stopped walking, feeling his heart break as he watched Midoriya crumble before him. “Oh, my boy, I’m so sorry.”
Midoriya didn’t fight it when Toshinori wrapped him up in his arms and gently rubbed his back. Midoriya rather melted into the touch as he began to cry again. “I feel so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid, you're far from it,” argued Toshinori, refusing to let Midoriya talk badly about himself.
“I should have confessed when I had the chance. I should have noticed that Kacchan had his eyes on someone else. I was just delusional,” cried Midoriya, tightly squeezing Toshinori’s shirt.
Toshinori frowned as Midoriya cried into his chest. He hated to see Midoriya cry. Watching your kid experience his first heartbreak was devastating. There was nothing you could do to help.
Toshinori took a deep breath before pulling back. “I may not know what it’s like to fall in love with my best friend and they fall in love with another. But I do know what it’s like to never confess and regret it later. As the number one hero, I was never able to keep a long-term relationship. Whether it was out of my control, or I was scared.”
“Really?”
“Really. So never feel bad for not confessing but take it as a lesson. Many people experience what you are going through. Take this moment and never hesitate when it comes to love,” encouraged Toshinori, offering Midoriya a heroic smile as he wiped away Midoriya’s tears.
The rest of their walk was peaceful. The sun was shining brightly, and the air was warm. Midoriya cherished moments like these. The war seemed like a faint memory when the world was so beautiful, and he was spending his time beside the man he grew up admiring.
Uraraka and Midoriya agreed to meet after dinner to talk. It just so happened that Todoroki and Bakugo chose that time to approach Midoriya to check up on him.
“I’m really worried about Midoriya,” sighed Todoroki, wishing the elevator would move faster despite Midoriya’s dorm only being on the second floor.
“I’m sure Izuku’s fine. We are probably being paranoid,” guessed Bakugo, going against his better judgment.
By the time they reached Midoriya’s floor, they could faintly hear him talking. The couple paused, carefully inching closer to Midoriya’s dorm room door. They could hear Uraraka's voice as well.
Todoroki and Bakugo exchanged a wary glance. They thought Uraraka and Midoriya had already talked today. They were curious when Uraraka and Midoriya got close again considering the two had distanced themselves after the war.
“See, I told you he’d be the best person for you to talk to!” gloated Uraraka for being right.
“Yeah, he was supportive of my plans and ideas,” noted Midoriya, his voice upbeat.
The shifting of sheets could be heard from inside the room before Uraraka asked, “What is your plan? I don’t think you ever told me exactly what your ideas were.”
Todoroki and Bakugo were equally lost. Midoriya hadn't mentioned plans or ideas recently. The last serious conversation Midoriya had with either of them was about how his training was going. Even then, he didn’t have much to say.
Neither Todoroki nor Bakugo realized how little they knew about Midoriya anymore.
Midoriya was quick to respond to Uraraka. “I was planning on moving to the United States. Specifically, California to work with Melissa Shield. Since we are both quirkless, it would be nice to work with her.”
Bakugo felt his heart momentarily stop, horrified to hear Midoriya wanted to leave. After the last time Midoriya left UA, he’d never heard Midoriya entertain the thought of leaving again. It would be an understatement to say Bakugo didn’t want Midoriya to leave. He dreaded the mere thought of not seeing Midoriya each day. He couldn’t imagine not being able to see Midoriya smile and hear him say Kacchan.
Todoroki felt sick, unable to imagine not having Midoriya at arm’s reach. After having Midoriya there at every stage of his life, he didn’t want to lose someone so important. Still, Midoriya has been nothing but supportive to him, so he wanted to return the same support.
“That’s actually a really good idea! Are you planning on continuing your hero education or are you going to change your goal?” questioned Uraraka with excitement in her voice.
“All Might said he'd set me up with a foreign exchange student program if I wanted. That way I could get the best of both worlds. Still, I think I may just go into support gear with Melissa,” answered Midoriya, still leaning more toward giving up on being a hero.
It was quiet for a bit. Todoroki and Bakugo remained frozen in place, waiting for Midoriya and Uraraka to finish their conversation before fully panicking.
“You sure you don’t want to be my sidekick? We’d be one hell of a team,” teased Uraraka, even though there was a trace of sorrow in her voice.
“No… I wouldn’t even want to be Kacchan's sidekick,” opposed Midoriya quickly.
“Damn. Is that just because you don’t want to be a sidekick that bad or is it because of your unreciprocated feelings?” interrogated Uraraka, struggling to make light of the entire situation.
Bakugo felt his entire world stop. Izuku Midoriya had a crush on him. Midoriya, his childhood friend, loved him. Deku, the boy he fought next to during a war, wanted to be with him. Midoriya liked him the entire time.
Todoroki on the other hand felt incredible guilt. While it wasn’t his fault and Bakugo had been the one to ask him out, he couldn’t help but feel like he stole Bakugo from Midoriya. He couldn’t help but feel like he was inconsiderate of Midoriya’s feelings. If he had known Midoriya liked Bakugo, he would have never accepted the confession.
“A mixture of both. It may sound stupid but after the war… I fought with my mother so hard to let me stay here. At that point in time, you all were ignoring me. Kacchan was all I had, and I didn’t even know how to talk to him… but I stayed because of him. Now that he’s with Todoroki, I don’t have anything to stay for. They have each other now,” lamented Midoriya, feeling a bit empty now that he was saying it out loud.
“It’s not stupid. It makes a lot of sense. Besides, an upside to you going to the United States for a bit is you’ll have the opportunity to move on,” offered Uraraka, feeling bad for Midoriya.
Midoriya seemed a bit happy as he announced, “All Might said he’d even go with me! Wouldn’t that be amazing?”
Uraraka gasped, clapping her hands. “That would be perfect! I think having him around would be good for you. Since you’ll be experiencing a lot of changes by moving.”
“I’m a bit nervous to move because of that. Making new friends while learning a new language and picking up a new career goal is a lot,” sighed Midoriya loudly.
“You’ll have no problem making friends!” refuted Uraraka, offended Midoriya was nervous about having to make new friends.
Midoriya was quiet in response. Bakugo and Todoroki shared a concerned glance. Uraraka's voice greeted them first. “Deku? What’s wrong?”
“What if they think I’m worthless or ugly? I’m covered head to toe in scars, my hair is uneven, I’m quirkless, I’ll be the UA High dropout,” listed Midoriya, not bothering to downplay his concerns.
“Listen to me very carefully. I said this earlier, but I think you need the reminder. You became the greatest hero to ever exist. Those scars are reminders of the blood, sweat, and tears you sacrificed for the safety of others. Your hair will finish growing out by the time fall comes around.”
Midoriya opened his mouth only for Uraraka to shush him violently. “Silence! You won’t be known as a UA dropout. You fought in a war that many pro heroes didn’t survive. Everyone will be super excited to be in a class with you! Besides, who cares if you’re quirkless? You could probably lift this entire building with your pinky.”
Midoriya couldn’t help but laugh at that last comment. “I guess you’re right. Still, I just don’t think I’ll ever be the same. I don’t want to give up on being a hero, but the world is unfair.”
“Why don’t you take up Toshinori’s offer? Be a foreign exchange student in the hero program. Work with Melissa and have her develop support gear for you. You can still be a powerful hero! You still have all your combat knowledge under your belt,” suggested Uraraka, trying to motivate Midoriya to not give up on his dreams.
“I’ll talk to Aizawa about it. I’m not even sure if I’ll end up moving to America. I just think I’d be a lot happier if I got away from this place,” admitted Midoriya.
Bakugo and Todoroki rose to their feet and tried to gather their thoughts. Todoroki whispered to Bakugo. “What if we pretend to get off the elevator? That way he won’t know we overheard.”
“Yeah, let’s go,” agreed Bakugo, sneaking into the elevator before closing and opening the door.
The duo was talking at a normal volume and immediately noticed Uraraka and Midoriya stopped talking.
Bakugo knocked on the door, trying to remain calm. “Izuku? It’s me and Todoroki. Can we come in?”
“Yeah, Uraraka is here too,” answered Midoriya calmly.
Bakugo opened the door and walked in. Todoroki followed close behind, stopping to slowly close the door. The first thing both noticed was that Midoriya’s room lacked its usual amount of All Might merchandise.
Bakugo nodded at Uraraka before confronting Midoriya. “What’s going on Izuku? You’ve been off today.”
“It’s just been a weird day,” answered Midoriya shortly, not even sure how to speak to Bakugo anymore.
Todoroki frowned, sitting in Midoriya’s desk chair. “Are you sure that’s it? You seemed off this morning and even seemed a bit off when talking to Kirishima.”
Uraraka turned to Midoriya, curious. “You talked to Kirishima earlier?”
“Yeah, Kirishima approached me earlier. He just invited me to a hero convention. I was super excited and agreed to go, but I guess I just started thinking about how different everything is now and how I haven’t had time to go to one,” rambled Midoriya, quickly coming up with an excuse.
Todoroki nodded, knowing that wasn’t the truth, but took it. “Oh, that makes sense.”
Bakugo narrowed his eyes, wanting Midoriya to be honest. “What about this morning? You were acting strange. Pink Cheeks here dragged you off.”
“It was a rough morning, that’s all. I’m fine,” dismissed Midoriya, not planning on telling Bakugo or Todoroki anything.
“Okay, as long as you’re okay. I was worried,” replied Todoroki, not wanting Midoriya to withdraw any further.
The rest of the talk was bland and awkward. Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugo were aware of how broken their friendship was, but there was no easy way of mending it. The war changed each of them so much and they never took the time to talk about everything that happened. They seemed to dodge the touchy subjects and handle them on their own.
Bakugo had to deal with the trauma of dying on the battlefield and the effort it took to rehabilitate his arm and strengthen his heart while also being careful. Todoroki was busy dealing with mending his broken family and the physical recovery of each person. Toya was the worst and Enji was in close second. Still, Todoroki didn’t have any desire to open up about what was going on or how he was feeling about the situation.
Midoriya was dealing with something else entirely. Midoriya was still trying to recover from the events that occurred early in the year. The large number of near-death encounters he had provided his nightmares with unlimited fuel. The backlash from countless civilians in the fallout of the first war made him scared to show his face in public. Seeing all his friends and idols injured and fatally wounded on the battleground was horrifying and those moments would forever be imprinted in his mind. Those were just some of the things Midoriya had to deal with. He also had things like losing both of his arms, feeling like he failed to save Tenko, missing the past users of One for All, and being quirkless again.
There was so much Midoriya held inside and struggled to cope with. Midoriya knew his friends needed just as much help as he did, but he never truly bounced back after initially feeling ignored. It was very similar to the isolation he felt when he was young and quirkless.
Bakugo and Todoroki never reached out and Midoriya was too depressed to put energy into maintaining relationships. Now Bakugo and Todoroki were happily dating and finally seeing just how badly they failed Midoriya.
Midoriya completed his second year at U.A. High before quickly leaving for America. Toshinori and Inko followed closely behind, ready to give Izuku the future he deserved. Class 2-A, now 3-A missed Midoriya's presence, realizing too late just how much he needed their attention and support. They had to watch Midoriya mentally and physically recover through news articles, reports, and social media posts.
Todoroki, Bakugo, and Uraraka never told anyone the reason why Midoriya left Japan and U.A. High. Even though Todoroki and Bakugo broke up shortly after five months of being together, they’d forever remember they were the final nudge Midoriya needed to leave.
Izuku Midoriya was familiar with grief. Throughout his life, his precious heart loved too much. So when tragedy struck, the pain oftentimes felt unbearable. His generosity was taken advantage of far too many times. His compassion was abused. He lost people faster than he gained. Izuku Midoriya was very familiar with grief.
His father disappeared for a job across the world. Hisashi was too busy to send a text. He was too busy to say happy birthday. He was never there. All he was, was an idea. Only the thought of him existed to Izuku. The grief he felt from losing someone he never knew hurt the worst.
The people Izuku considered friends left him at the drop of a hat. No one stuck around. No one defended him. They changed faster than Izuku could comprehend. One second they played in the sand and in the next they were throwing sand at him. They were no longer people Izuku knew.
Izuku lost the one person he desired the most. Katsuki Bakugo became a star. Something so far away he’d never dream of being able to touch. Katsuki glowed and shined brilliantly. He was perfect in Izuku’s eyes. Izuku would chase Katsuki, refusing to give up. While the new version of his friend wasn’t tasteful, Izuku still knew how amazing Katsuki was deep down.
As Izuku grew up so did his list of losses. Quirkless people that he would meet on social media died. Once he got into U.A. he gained a lot of friends and strong adult figures, but just like in the past, people still left. His teachers died, many heroes died, villains died, and innocent civilians died. Midoriya at one point ran away, having to lose everyone he cared about to keep them safe. He watched the world crumble around him. Some of the people he held closest almost became memories.
Through all of it, Izuku persevered. He dealt with grief in many different ways. His method always changed and alternated depending on what and how.
Izuku was now in the middle of his third year at U.A. and couldn’t have been happier. His friends were alive, his teachers were alive, and villains were at an all-time low since the rise of quirks decades ago. Heroes were still needed by all means, but the League of Villains no longer existed and no war was about to break out.
Izuku had time to visit Eri and Kota more often as his workload was not nearly as big as it was in his first year attending U.A. The kids grew so much within two years. One day Aizawa informed Izuku he would need a babysitter for Eri. Izuku dropped everything to do so. Izuku took her out to the school’s garden, finding it a beautiful day to go outside.
Katsuki and Shoto got asked by Hatsume to go get Izuku quickly. She needed his opinion on some gear she was making for a first-year. They wanted recommendations and Hatsume knew asking the quirk analyst would help shorten down her list of ideas. The duo tracked him down to the garden with Eri after asking around.
Eri was currently weaving some flowers together, mimicking Izuku’s instructions. Izuku had asked about Aizawa and how she enjoyed living with him. Eri was more than happy to talk about her father, but suddenly she went quiet.
“Eri-chan? Is something wrong?” asked Izuku, worried that the chattering girl suddenly went silent.
Eri seemed to be contemplating something before looking up at Izuku. “Mister Deku, I have a question.”
“Go ahead,” encouraged Izuku, knowing Eri would ask no matter what. She knew she could ask Izuku anything.
Eri sat down the half-weaved flowers on the ground and focused on Izuku. “What is your Dad like? I can’t remember you ever telling me about him.”
“Oh, that’s because I never met him Eri. He went away for work before I got a chance to remember him,” revealed Midoriya, speaking to her in a soft tone.
“Why was he away for work for so long?” questioned Eri, not understanding why Izuku’s dad just wouldn’t be around.
Izuku shrugged, weaving Eri’s flowers for her. “I don’t know. His work was too important I suppose.”
Eri frowned, sad Izuku’s dad wasn’t around. “What about others?”
“Others?” repeated Izuku back to Eri, confused about what she meant.
“Yeah. The grandpas and grandmas and stuff. All of those people!” revealed Eri, a chipper grin on her face.
“Well, when I was young… they seemed to leave,” chuckled Izuku, unable to bring himself to tell her why.
Eri’s eyes widened, shocked Izuku was a lot like her. “Why did they all leave?”
Katsuki and Shoto arrived at the garden, spotting the two. They approached and saw the two talking. The expressions on Eri and Izuku’s faces signaled they were having a serious conversation. Katsuki walked right over, shamelessly snooping. Shoto went right alongside Katsuki. He wanted to know what Izuku was talking about.
Izuku was quick to come up with something, anything to keep Eri from getting too upset. He raised his head to see the sky peek through the leaves of the tree they were under.
“Sometimes special people come into our lives, stay for a bit, and then they have to go.”
Eri frowned, scooting closer to Izuku. “But that’s sad.”
“It is,” agreed Izuku solemnly. Izuku returned his gaze to Eri, resting his hands on the cloth of his slacks, smoothing out the wrinkles. He remembers how it felt to lose Toshinori. The news that Toshinori wouldn’t be around for much longer struck him in the gut so hard he couldn’t move. He couldn’t lie and say that it wasn’t hard. He smiled softly at her, tilting his head to the side. “But the bit where they were here was happy wasn’t it? Like Lemillion. When he was around, those were happy times.”
Eri’s eyes lit up, seeing the point Izuku was making. She giggled, a bright smile appearing as she nodded. “Yes! I brought his quirk back!”
Izuku hummed, nodding his head in acknowledgment. He recalled how monumental of a moment that was for everyone. Still, the thought reminded him of the war where no one walked away a winner. He pushed those feelings down, finding unconditional love for the girl he saw as his little sister.
“Maybe that makes it all worth it,” chuckled Midoriya, looking down at the flowers before putting one in her hair.
Eri smiled, touching the flower happily. She could understand what Izuku was saying. She missed Mirio always being around, but the time when he was around was a happy time. It made the time he was away bearable.
Shoto stood there, gripping the fabric of his shirt. He could feel his heart pound beneath his knuckles. The expression on Izuku’s face gnawed at him. The way Izuku said everything so mindlessly made Shoto realize Izuku thought of loss, a lot. Shoto lost a lot in his life, yet he couldn’t begin to deal with the grief in healthy ways. It took outside help to get to the point he was currently at. Even with the help he got, he couldn’t say there was anything that made it worth it. Not losing Toya, Rei, and the list of others he lost.
Katsuki watched with a blank expression. No matter what Izuku did, he couldn’t hide anything from Katsuki. Katsuki could see the strain in that smile. He could see the exhaustion replace the hope that was once in Izuku’s eyes. It made his palms sweaty. The way he felt was similar to the way a person would get when they had an itch they couldn’t scratch.
Katsuki loved Izuku. Izuku was like a porcelain sculpture, handcrafted by the heavens. Izuku's heart was made out of gold and he had the strength that could rival Gods and Goddesses. Katsuki looked at Izuku and drowned in hills of green. Izuku was the human embodiment of green: symbolic of life. His eyes, his hair, his everything.
Katsuki fell hard and Izuku had no clue. He watched Izuku tend to Eri with the maternal instincts he knew mimicked Inko. He knew deep down what Izuku was thinking the whole time. He knew what Izuku went through and how he dealt with losing people. Katsuki knew he had scared Izuku on numerous occasions when it came to “going away”.
Katsuki was about to step up and ruin the special moment, but Eri stopped him in his tracks. “Mister Deku… I don’t want you to go. You’re special.”
Izuku looked at Eri and his eyes widened. “Eri, I’m not going anywhere.”
“But you’re going to be a hero next year.”
“I am, but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving you,” reassured Izuku, giving her an earnest smile.
“You’re not?” sniffled Eri.
Izuku scooped her into a gentle embrace. “Nope. Never ever.”
Eri cried into Izuku’s shoulder, hugging him tightly. Izuku rubbed circles on her back as tears made their way down his cheeks. His smile cracked as he listened to the relieved cries of Eri. Izuku pulled back and tucked her fly-away hair behind her ear before wiping away her tears. “You won’t be going anywhere either. You’re just as special.”
Eri smiled, patting Izuku’s tears as well. “Never! I’d never leave!”
Izuku laughed, rising to his feet and extending a hand out to her. “Good, because who else would I have tea parties with?”
“Yeah, and you can’t leave because no one else can make me candy apples,” threatened Eri adorably, taking Izuku’s hand and jumping up.
Izuku patted her head, smiling fondly. “Speaking of food, it’s about time we get you some lunch. What are you hungry for today?”
Katsuki revealed himself to Izuku and Eri. Todoroki magically appeared beside Katsuki and waved at the two. “Hi.”
Izuku’s face lit up. “Kacchan! Shoto!”
Katsuki crossed his arms. “Hatsume needs your help when you get the chance. Also, I’m making us lunch today. You’ll burn down the kitchen.”
“I’m completely capable of cooking Kacchan,” sassed Izuku, raising a brow. Izuku had cooked before Katsuki on numerous occasions.
Shoto lowered his head in shame. “I can’t cook.”
Eri smiled up at Shoto. “Me neither! We are the same!”
Shoto perked up, nodding at the small child. “We are.”
Izuku was distracted by the two’s little scene and smirked. “Well, neither of you has to worry about that. It seems that Kacchan has you covered since he won’t let me cook.”
“Ha! Don’t try and do that guilt-tripping bullshit Izuku,” roared Katsuki, all bark no bite.
Izuku smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “Just saying the truth Kacchan. Let’s go then, me and Eri are hungry.”
As the four made their way into the main building, Katsuki wrapped an arm around Izuku’s shoulder and bit his chubby cheek. Izuku, used to the violent forms loving Katsuki showed, lightly bonked his head against Katsuki’s.
“Nothing makes it worth it if I can’t have you by my side,” murmured Katsuki into Izuku’s ear.
Izuku’s heart melted at Katsuki’s voice and his words of affirmation. Izuku leaned his head on Katsuki’s shoulder, using his free hand to wrap around his bicep. “You know I can’t live without you either,” whispered Izuku.
Izuku may be used to grief… but he will never be prepared when the time comes he loses the ones he holds the closest for good. But for now, Izuku has everything he could ever want. Eri, Shoto, and Katsuki had everything they could ever want. As cheesy as it sounded, it was because they had each other. They had love to keep the grief at bay or they made themselves believe so.
The End!
(also ignore the fact I referenced a scene from the kid's show Bluey in the episode “Camping” 😭 and ignore the fact that I thought about making a fan fiction because of it 💔 it was emotional okay?)