Where Every Scroll is a New Adventure
Major BNHA Manga Spoilers Ahead
It was a difficult time after the war for Midoriya. Despite his victory, there was a lot he had to deal with in the aftermath. By the time he graduated, the backlash from the war died down and he was able to enjoy his time as the greatest hero.
Midoriya started a lot of programs for people being discriminated against because of their quirk. He also worked hard to start organizations that protected quirkless people. Even if he’d never be the number one hero, he’d still find ways to save people. The phantom of Shigaraki always reminded him to continue forward at the same rate he had been going.
Interviews were a very common thing for Midoriya. He did interviews more to bring awareness to problems going on rather than to be personally recognized. That was one thing people admired about him. Nonetheless, he was popular, and people were interested in him. There would always be times when he couldn’t necessarily avoid talking about himself.
Many individuals looked up to the hero Deku and some even developed deep parasocial relationships with him. Midoriya, of course, tried not to think about it much. He appreciated all of his fans, but he didn’t believe he was someone people could idolize.
There was a popular company that would make support items for everyday individuals to help them handle their quirk. A lot of quirks go against usual human anatomy making it hard to live normally. For instance, having a quirk where the individual grows drastically every time they eat.
The company worked closely with Midoriya as he funded a lot of their bigger projects to make it cheaper for those who need the gear. It was brought to Midoriya’s attention that they were being sought out by a popular talk show for an interview.
Midoriya was volunteered by the company to be the one to attend.
Not worrying much, as their biggest investor, he happily agreed to attend the interview. It was another chance to talk about the company’s goals and how those in need of help should remember there are always places to go. The pro of being popular was that he could use his platform to do good in the world no matter how big or small the goal.
Class 1-A had been super close, but the war made things rather awkward. There were a lot of unresolved traumas, and a lot of important discussions were avoided. When the class graduated their communication only declined further. A big part of their lack of communication was the tight schedules they were given during their first years as hero interns at big hero agencies.
There was no bad blood, but the lack of communication when serious conversations needed to be held broke the strong bond. Midoriya was the main victim of it. Everyone avoided him, worried he’d tear open the wounds they wanted to hide away.
When they realized that Midoriya had been reaching out for help and not to help, it was already too late. Midoriya finished his schooling to be a hero but never went to an agency or had a career as a pro hero.
Only those who stayed in touch knew he went to college to get a degree in business and education. Aizawa was more than happy to give him a recommendation as well as to vouch for him to be hired. Nezu didn’t have to be convinced to hire Midoriya when everything was said and done.
Who would have thought the first thing they would hear about their old friend for the first time in years would be a crazy news article?
Fuck a McChicken Izuku Midoriya, formerly known as hero Deku, opens up during his recent interview. He describes his relationship with the public and reveals more intimate parts of his life as a public figure. ... Despite the heavy topics throughout the interview things take a hilarious turn of events when talking about the public's perception of him.
Everyone who knew Midoriya in U.A. rushed to watch this recent interview he had. Much to their surprise, he looked amazing. His skin glowed and his style significantly changed. He carried himself with great confidence and remained incredibly welcoming.
Many tried skipping the part that was the most replayed but found that they needed a bit more context and backed up to the beginning of that conversation.
“Moving on to something more lighthearted! Let’s talk about modeling!” began the interviewer, Katagiri Nanao, as she flashed a bright smile.
Midoriya perked up, a bit surprised by the question. “Oh, okay! I’ve never been asked about my modeling gigs before!”
Katagiri nodded, raising a hand to exaggerate her agreement. “Which I have to say is crazy! Those magazines immediately sell out whenever you’re in them!”
“Thank you, I appreciate it. Now, what would you like to know?” questioned Midoriya, leaning back in his seat calmly.
“What was it like to be in the public eye as a model and representative than as a popular hero figure?” inquired Katagiri, her body language and expression signaling she wasn’t eager to get gritty details but rather a bigger picture of who Midoriya is.
Pausing momentarily, the question seemed to only grow louder in Midoriya’s head. “Well, it was strange but incredibly freeing.”
“Why do you say that?” pressed Katagiri, finding Midoriya to be an incredibly interesting person.
“I harbored so many bad memories during my time as a hero. My body has been damaged beyond repair. Through the fight with All for One, I lost my quirk. I lost the respect of many people when the news broke. I didn’t see a point in trying to become a hero anymore. It didn’t seem fulfilling, and people deserve someone better than me. Changing careers was the best decision of my life.”
With his back straight and tall, Midoriya looked directly into the camera with a shameless smile. He wasn’t going to sugarcoat how it had been a hellish experience for him.
Katagiri slowly shook her head, aware of how bad things had been for Midoriya. “I must applaud your perseverance. You were only sixteen years old when the first war broke out and freshly seventeen when the final war occurred. To have the entire world depend on you must have been scary.”
“I believe the scariest part was the lack of empathy I received from the public. It was a scary point in time, but I had grown adults screaming at me and calling me a monster. It was extremely dehumanizing,” confessed Midoriya with a tone that sounded rather distant as the memories rushed back.
“It’s a shame what the world did to you. I’m very happy to know you are in a much better place now,” shared Katagiri, her finger tenderly wrapping around Midoriya's heavily scarred hand.
Midoriya took a deep breath, doing his best not to cry. Giving Katagiri’s hand a quick squeeze he went back to where they left off. “I think being in the public eye is much easier now that they don’t expect anything out of me.”
Katagiri grinned, slapping her hands against the arm of her chair. “I believe it! I don’t think I’ve seen one negative thing said about your appearance in magazines.”
“Oh really? I mean, I purposely avoid seeing anything negative written about me,” meekly admitted Midoriya, scratching the back of his neck.
“This may be a personal question, and you don’t have to answer, but would you say you are an insecure person or are sensitive to hateful comments?” asked Katagiri hesitantly. She did not want to put Midoriya in an awkward position, but she wanted to know if there was a reason he avoided negative comments.
“No, not necessarily. I don’t see much of a point worrying about what people think of my body as much as I care about what they think of my motives,” answered Midoriya fluidly, a calmness returning over both him and Katagiri as the question didn’t offend him.
Katagiri couldn’t help but be surprised to hear that Midoriya didn’t care too much about what others thought about his body. Sure, models appear to be confident, but most people have something they are insecure about or would want to change. If strangers were saying rude things or pointing out the insecurity, Katagiri assumed it would affect anyone including Midoriya.
“Why’s that?” asked Katagiri with amusement in her tone.
Midoriya’s expression surprised everyone watching. A charming smirk spread across his lips and his eyes returned to the screen with a dangerous glint of mischief.
“It's flattering knowing men desire me. But then I remember a man would also have sex with a McChicken. So, I don't let it get to my head.”
It's hard to imagine that that interview was everyone’s reintroduction to Midoriya. Well, at least that was the case for everyone who abandoned and forgot about Midoriya when he left the hero sphere. Nonetheless, people found themselves missing that space Midoriya used to fill. Guilt was quick to accompany that loneliness.
Meanwhile, those who remained close to Midoriya were thriving when they saw the hilarious moment in the serious interview.
Bakugo, one of the few people who remained in contact with Midoriya after they graduated from U.A., laughed uncontrollably. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone to call the freckled nerd. Todoroki, another one of the few people, smiled at the screen and scooted closer to Bakugo to also get in on the call.
Unaware of how he had just broken the internet, Midoriya quickly picked up the call with a happy greeting. “Kacchan!”
“Hey Izuku. Icy-hot is here too,” warned Bakugo, looking at Todoroki who was creepily smiling at the phone.
“Hi Shoto,” welcomed Midoriya gently, having a soft spot for Todoroki after everything he’d been through.
“Hi Izuku,” replied Todoroki calmly, shoving his head in front of Bakugo’s to get closer to the phone speaker.
Bakugo quickly swung the phone away as he shouted, “Ever heard of personal space Icy-Hot Bastard?”
The duo’s mini fight was cut short by the beautiful laughter emitting from the other end of the call. Midoriya needed that laugh; he missed his lunch break and was in desperate need of comic relief.
“So,” drawled Midoriya from the other end of the call, “not that I mind you calling, but what do you need?”
Bakugo smirked, looking at the captions of the video he had just watched. “Does sex with a McChicken sound familiar?”
Silence was the only response Bakugo got. Midoriya practically melted off his chair and into a puddle on the floor. While he knew that his interviews did reach far and wide, he didn’t think that his friends watched them, let alone Bakugo and Todoroki.
“Izuku?” called out Bakugo, the happy tone prior had been replaced by a concerned one.
Feeling guilty about ruining the mood, Midoriya complained, “I can’t believe you saw that.”
“It’s all over the news, Nerd,” chuckled Bakugo, watching as Todoroki instantly relaxed.
“What!?” Midoriya’s scream nearly caused Bakugo to drop his phone.
“Yeah, everyone is talking about how funny it is you said guys would fuck a McChicken,” pitched Todoroki, feeling proud for helping his friend process the information.
“Oh god… while I am happy this grabbed people’s attention, this is not what I want to be known for,” sighed Midoriya as he ran his fingers through his bangs.
Bakugo rolled his eyes while Todoroki frowned.
“Come on Freckles. Now that people have seen that viral clip there is a chance they’ll watch the whole interview or follow you on social media. One way or another, this is not only funny as hell, but it’s a good business opportunity,” offered Bakugo. He was aware Midoriya was used to unwanted press, but he has never had to worry about people focusing on something that could overshadow his mission.
Midoriya let out a soft huff before focusing on Bakugo’s words. “You’re right! Besides, I didn’t lie. I shouldn’t care about a man’s opinion of my appearance when they would fuck my armpit if I let them.”
Let’s just say Kirishima was highly concerned when he came back to the agency for his lunch break only to see Bakugo and Todoroki knelt over laughing.
Izuku Midoriya grew up believing he lived a good life. He was always full of energy, obsessed with the hero world, and desperately wanted to be friends with everyone.
One thing that set him apart from his peers was that his father was an interesting character. Inko and Hisashi Midoriya seemed to balance each other. Inko was sweet and stern. Hisashi was sour and childish. Izuku often used that to his advantage.
Hisashi was mostly absent from Izuku’s life. Sure, Hisashi was always around, but he never behaved the way a father should have. It seemed as if entertaining Izuku was nothing but a burden and an inconvenience. Given the task of receiving his father’s love, Izuku did anything in his power for an ounce of attention.
Fear of abandonment was the driving force of Izuku’s childhood. That followed him to his teen years.
Now that Izuku was attending the U.A. High, the best hero school in Japan, the “cracks” in his perfect personality were on display. He took up a lot of the traits that made up his mother. He was sassy, goofy, nerdy, stubborn, compassionate, loving, and talkative.
When the first war hit and everyone was scrambling, it seemed that his upbringing came to a head.
If it had only been Inko in the picture, he could have consoled his crying mother before escaping U.A. High to take the target off the school. But Hisashi was also in the picture, and he was able to keep a better leash on his son.
For the first time in his life, Izuku wanted nothing more for Hisashi to avoid him again. Maybe Hisashi was just showing face for Inko. At least that was what Izuku was trying to convince himself.
With each hour that passed once he woke up, Izuku grew more antsy. He had already finished his goodbye letters to his classmates. On top of that, he talked to Toshinori, Gran Torino, and the pro heroes he’d be working alongside when he went on the run.
When news reached class 1-A that the pro heroes were going to be doing something and that Izuku was involved, the group decided to invade his hospital room. They had no plans of letting their friend go through this battle alone.
“That idiot!” hissed Bakugo as he stormed down the hallway, leading the group of his classmates.
“Why didn’t he talk to us,” wondered Todoroki quietly, right on Bakugo’s heels.
Uraraka sighed, focusing on the door numbers. “This is Deku we are talking about. He never talked about his troubles.”
Right beside Uraraka was Iida. He let out a huff as he commented, “It’s rather concerning that he's getting involved in something big and we aren’t informed about it.”
“I’m sure everything will be okay once we talk to Midoriya guys,” reassured Kirishima, not believing what he was preaching.
“Yeah! Midoriya is impulsive, but he wouldn’t do something too reckless,” agreed Kaminari, feeling rather optimistic about the entire situation.
Jiro shook her head, mumbling, “That has to be the dumbest thing you’ve ever said. This is Midoriya we are talking about. He’s always being reckless.”
Mina smiled at Jiro, feeling a bit better with the lighthearted banter. “Let’s just hope we can talk to him about what we have been hearing and get some answers.”
Less than ten seconds later they reach his room. Right as Bakugo was about to blast the door open, his anger vanished. Shouting could be heard from inside the room.
“What are you saying? We are in the middle of a war!” shouted Izuku.
The entire class quickly huddled by the door; Jiro used her quirk to help them eavesdrop as well.
“Here are some things a war needs Izuku. Conflict, stakes, a way to benefit, and clearly you staying here to rest and train for the inevitable second wave,” listed Hisashi in a couldn’t-be-bothered tone.
“But the villains are after me! Targeting the people I care about and eating babies,” argued Izuku, not understanding why Hisashi wasn’t understanding.
Bakugo and Uraraka shared a confused and disturbed expression. Iida and Todoroki shrugged considering Izuku often said crazy things out of seemingly nowhere.
Hisashi seemed to be munching on something as when he began to speak, it was clear something was in his mouth. “Yeah. Thankfully that’s not our problem. It’s time to pull the plug.”
“Pull the plug?” spat Izuku in disbelief. He couldn’t believe how selfish his father was being. Deciding to let it all out, Izuku attacked, “I have to protect my friends and save the hurting child inside Shigaraki! I have to do the right thing! Do what you never did as a dad! Put in a little effort.”
Class 1-A was officially panicking. Not once had Izuku ever mentioned having family problems or a bad relationship with his father.
Todoroki couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. After all, Izuku helped him through his family troubles, childhood trauma, and his generally bad relationship with his father.
Bakugo on the other hand was pissed off. If he had known that Hisashi was a piece of shit father, he would’ve gotten his parents involved. After all, Mitsuki adored Inko and would do anything for her.
It seemed that the rest of the group was eager for answers considering something like this was so out of the blue. The conversation was emotionally charged on Izuku’s end, but Hisashi seemed to care less.
“Alright, cut the high road routine. We both know about Shigaraki’s shitty situation and how he now has All for One. You accepted One for All, the only quirk that can defeat him. Shigaraki’s pathetic life is in your hands. You go save him,” taunted Hisashi, clearly proving Izuku right. He didn’t put in any effort in supporting his kid.
Bakugo glared at the door. He was tempted to bust it down and blast Hisashi to hell. Despite never interacting with the man before, he made up his mind that Hisashi was an insufferable asshole he didn’t want to be bothered with.
Todoroki on the other hand was still caught off guard by Hisashi’s words. All for One and One for All were mentioned. Shigaraki had AFO and Izuku had OFA. They were opposites and destined to battle one another? Uraraka caught on as well and felt the fogginess in her mind clear up a bit.
“So, you refuse to let me leave, but you want me to save Shigaraki? You’re really going to believe that I, your son, can’t be trusted with pro heroes?” interrogated Izuku, more than happy to point out the flaws in his father’s hurtful comments.
“Yes, Izuku. I don’t trust you. Because you’re not my son,” shouted Hisashi, fed up with the conversation.
Kirishima gasped, appalled by such a cruel thing for Hisashi to say to his son. Uraraka shook her head, a pang of guilt eating her up inside with the knowledge that Izuku had to deal with Hisashi for his entire life.
Todoroki had flashbacks to the things his father would say to him out of anger. Endeavor loved using the phrase “If you can’t do ____ then you’re no son of mine”. It seemed Hisashi was close to no better than Enji.
Bakugo’s hands twitched as the fabric of his school uniform was singed. The blood rushing through his veins was overwhelming, but it didn’t compare to the nightmarish thoughts running through his head. He wanted to kill that bastard. Izuku was an incredible person and the fact Hisashi couldn’t see that was crazy.
Much to everyone’s shock, Izuku fired back quickly, not too upset by the statement, but rather annoyed. They could hear movement from inside the room as Izuku exasperated, “Oh, God. Yes. I’m one of infinite Izuku’s with infinite fathers and infinite universes! It’s called a hug Dad! It won’t kill you.”
The conversation was derailing so fast. Mina and Kaminari were already tapping out from being able to react. Todoroki was struggling a bit too. The majority of class 1-A felt as if they were missing vital information. It would make sense with how Izuku never brought up Hisashi.
Bakugo was lucky enough to know most of what was going on, the only thing he didn’t understand was Izuku and Hisashi talking about a multiverse in the middle of a conversation about Shigaraki and Izuku wanting to save people.
Despite all of that, Jiro and Sero snickered at Izuku for shaming his dad. It was funny to hear Izuku be sassy and mock someone.
“Yeah, don’t be so sure. Do you know why every Hisashi made sure their little boy was quirkless? The same reason why I’m not surprised you want to go on this suicidal villain destruction tirade. You were a scary fucking kid,” admitted Hisashi shamelessly.
Bakugo was having a crisis while the rest of class 1-A were trying to process the insane confession they just heard. Hisashi made sure Izuku was quirkless. Yet somehow Izuku had a quirk in this reality.
The teens also couldn’t comprehend why Hisashi would say Izuku was a scary kid. Sure, he could be pretty intense and spooky when in battle, but he was super kind, energetic, and a pure hero. It seemed that Hisashi didn’t know his son at all.
Izuku let out a laugh of disbelief. “Oh my god.”
Everyone was more than happy to hear Izuku was in the same boat they were in.
“I didn’t take your quirk to punish you. I did it to protect the neighborhood," revealed Hisashi bluntly. Izuku didn't respond so Hisashi explained, "Not in a noble sense. It was more to sequester you before I had to start, you know, cloning a replacement for every less-than-polite kid or gullible little animal that might cross your socio-path."
With more context to back up Hisashi's insane statements from before, they were now more curious about Izuku's childhood. They could imagine how he'd be a lot to handle. He was a very curious person and always found his way into trouble. Still, that was something they liked about their classmate.
Bakugo, who grew up with Izuku, didn't have the slightest clue about what Hisashi was talking about. Izuku was annoying, sure, but he was obsessed with becoming a hero and saving people. This story Hisashi spun up made no sense.
"This bastard is lying," whispered Bakugo, growing more irritated.
Uraraka and Todoroki glanced at Bakugo. They were glad to hear Bakugo say what they were thinking. While their thoughts and feelings about Hisashi were biased, Bakugo knew Izuku when he was young.
"You would rather believe I'm evil than admit that you are a bad father?" remarked Izuku rather calmly. It seemed that the disbelief wore off and the disappointment settled in.
Hisashi was quick to respond as he clarified, "Oh, dude. No. No, bad father all the way to the max here. I'm a fucking nutcase, and the acorn plopped straight down baby."
The entire group got a bad feeling about all of this. No matter what the result of the conversation was, it was clear that Hisashi was an unreliable narrator in this case. He was contradicting himself left and right, being overly rude, claiming Izuku was crazy, and then making it sound like Izuku had to be crazy just because he was.
"Look at some of the shit you asked me to make you as a kid," started Hisashi as the sound of wind and something crashing could be heard. The group immediately assumed that Hisashi had opened a portal to get a box of items from his home or something.
“Ray guns. A whip that forces people to like you. Invisibility cuffs. A parent trap. A lightning gun,” listed Hisashi as he picked up the items one by one.
With each item Hisashi announced, class 1-A’s jaws dropped lower and lower and their eyes grew wider and wider. They struggled to comprehend what they were hearing. They could hear the jingling of metal and the rubbery noises of plastic. These items were real.
The one thing no one could understand is why Izuku would ask for any of those items. He was a quirkless kid with a dream of becoming a hero. Why he’d ask for things that could cause harm or suggest criminal activity made no sense.
In the cases where the item wasn’t dangerous, they found themselves growing sad. For instance, the whip that forced people to like Izuku. They couldn’t conceptualize people who didn't naturally like him. He was a magnetic force that attracted people.
“A teddy bear with anatomically correct innards. Night vision googly eyeglasses. Sound erasing sneakers. False fingerprints. Fall asleep darts.”
Magically Hisashi’s prior statements started making sense. If Izuku was asking for items that made it seem like he was planning on stalking and killing someone, they could understand why he was so stern.
The one thing that had Bakugo stumped was he never saw any of the items mentioned before. Izuku’s little bag he used to carry around everyone only had a crappy hero notebook and some hero figures. He rarely had the book bag on him anyway.
While Uraraka, Todoroki, and Iida were concerned by the things their best friend asked for, they were more curious than anything else. How did a child come up with half of those ideas, especially the teddy bear with organs?
“A lie-detecting All Might action figure. An indestructible baseball bat. A taser shaped like a ladybug. A fake police badge. Location tracking stickers. Rainbow-colored duct tape. Mind control hair clips. Poison gum,” continues Hisashi effortlessly. It seemed like he was going to account for every item that was in the container all the items were in.
Kaminari and Sero let the shock fade away and they were suddenly snickering. There was something so humorous about Izuku being a bloodthirsty child.
Bakugo on the other hand was freaking out because some items sounded like faint memories. If he felt like he remembered some of the items, it meant there was a high probability Izuku carried them around often.
Uraraka and Todoroki seemed to process a big issue simultaneously. Hisashi was creating these things. If Izuku asked for a bomb, it seemed like Hisashi would mindlessly make one for Izuku and shove him out the door.
At the best, Hisashi was neglectful. At the worst, Hisashi was an abusive piece of shit. He would make insane and dangerous items for his child without even considering how Izuku could hurt himself or others.
It was a blessing that Izuku managed to calm down and chose the right path of being a genuine hero with the mission of saving people. Inko must’ve raised Izuku all by herself because there was no way Izuku reflected Hisashi.
The group barely had a moment to reflect when Hisashi spoke again and said, “A green, sentient switchblade.”
Before anyone could process what Hisashi just stated, they heard the flipping of a switchblade accompanied by a horrifically human voice.
“Hi Izuku! You’ve gotten taller. Shall we resume stabbing?”
Jiro and Momo’s jaws dropped as their heads slowly turned to look at each other. The fact that Izuku grew up with a custom, humanlike knife was something out of a movie.
Todoroki was growing increasingly concerned about how Hisashi managed to make the items in the first place.
Kirishima and Kaminari were jealous that Izuku got a bunch of cool things in his childhood. They did have to remind themselves that Hisashi was a shit father and Izuku deserved better.
Bakugo on the other hand was still trying to recollect ever seeing any of the items. Maybe Izuku had them hidden or requested Hisashi to make an invisible backpack. Still, never once had Izuku used those items.
As horrible as it was, Izuku let the bullies push him around and insult him despite having gear to protect himself. Bakugo probably would have left Izuku alone if he had ever seen any of the items.
“Has it occurred to you that I asked you to make those things because I wanted you to spend time with me? Had it occurred that if I asked you to make those things, it was to protect myself from the bullying I endured because of my quirkless status?”
Suddenly all concern the group had for Izuku’s sanity vanished and empathy kicked in. It made a lot of sense when they thought about it. Izuku wouldn’t have asked for those things before the age of four.
If Hisashi stole Izuku’s quirk and put a giant target on his son’s back of course he’d lose friends and be a target of bullying. Izuku was probably lonely and wanted his parents' attention.
With his father being some kind of inventor, it made sense that someone as smart as Izuku would try to knock out two birds with one stone. Some time with his dad and getting useful items.
Nonetheless, Bakugo understood why he never saw Hisashi. Hisashi was a crazy ass adult with no sense of morality. He was a bad father and a disappointment of a person.
“Wait what? Why? Didn’t you play with those three boys all the time? You wanted to be a hero so deal with the consequences of that,” scoffed Hisashi as he once again dismissed his son’s serious problems.
Uraraka was incredibly disturbed. Izuku had confronted his dad about wanting attention and how Hisashi’s decision to steal his quirk did more harm than good. So how did Hisashi take that entire statement and just go right back to square one? The topic of Shigaraki has already passed so why was Hisashi simply chalking all of this up to Izuku wanting to be a hero?
Bakugo was done with Hisashi and was happy to tell Iida to go get Aizawa. Japan may be a wreck now, but Hisashi was not about to make UA a scary place for Izuku.
As Iida rushed away, Izuku responded. To no one’s surprise, Izuku was hurt and betrayed by his father’s reaction. It must have stung to know his father never once cared about him.
“Oh my god! This is your fault! I am not a bad person. I’m going to leave UA, I’m finding Shigaraki, and I’m fixing this!” shouted Izuku as the sound of a window breaking rang out through the room.
Bakugo burst through the doorway in the moment, terrified Izuku was hurt. All he saw was a broken window, a hospital gown lying on the hospital bed, a pile of letters sitting on the floor, and Hisashi standing near the bed with a stunned expression.
Bakugo wasted no time charging at Hisashi as he screamed, “You fucker! Do you have any idea what you just did?”
Todoroki vaulted himself out the window, hoping he’d be able to catch Izuku before he got away. Uraraka rushed out with Todoroki, knowing every second counted.
By the time Aizawa reached the room, Hisashi was unconscious, Izuku was gone, and Todoroki and Uraraka came back empty-handed.
After countless days of searching, fighting, and struggling to get Izuku to return, they succeeded. They had to give Izuku a bit of time to rest and recover, but when he was good enough to chat again, they all had one question.
“Can we see your sentient switchblade?”
Sometimes luck never seemed to be on Izuku Midoriya’s side.
When Midoriya was a young teen, he was the victim of a hit-and-run. He had been walking on the sidewalk, minding his business, ready to return home after a long day at school when he was struck by a car. The car kept driving, but fortunately, a nearby security camera caught the entire thing on tape.
When he was admitted into the hospital he was rushed to the OR for immediate surgery. His spleen had torn so badly that it had to be removed.
While in recovery from his surgery, hospital staff quickly realized Izuku’s legs were paralyzed and assessed the damage. The prognosis was dire. Midoriya was likely never to walk again.
What made the entire situation even worse was that when Midoriya returned to school, the people he thought were his friends had outcasted him. People he had never even met before started teasing him and calling him all types of derogatory names. All because he had been the victim of a crime and was now disabled.
Katsuki Bakugo, one of Midoriya’s childhood friends, decided to throw away over a decade of friendship. The friendly “Midoriya” he always confidently called out was replaced with a disgusted “Deku”.
Doing his best to ignore the betrayal of everyone at his school, Midoriya decided he would take control of his life. Soon all his free time was spent at the rehab facility as he fought against his body to walk again. While the chances were slim, he wanted to fight against the odds.
By the time Midoriya’s middle school graduation ceremony came around, he had made incredible progress. While he still needed to utilize arm canes because his legs would still occasionally buckle, he was able to walk down the aisle to obtain his awards.
No one in the school knew Midoriya had been training to gain motor function in his legs again. So, when Midoriya magically rose from his wheelchair, grabbed his arm canes, and made his way up to the principal to receive an award, the entire school went crazy. Many were amazed and couldn’t deny they were impressed.
Bakugo on the other hand was pissed. Midoriya made a fool out of him, and he’d never forgive him for that. Unfortunately for Bakugo, Midoriya didn’t apply for the same school as him.
Whatever childish grudge Katsuki had; he couldn’t make Midoriya any more miserable than he already was. For the first time since they were babies, Midoriya wasn’t a part of Bakugo’s life.
Against all odds, fate brought Bakugo and Midoriya back together. Despite being separated by an hour-long drive, attending separate universities, and having a close to zero chance of running into each other, there was one thing that could overcome all the barriers. That was school sports.
Somehow, they both took an interest in competitive weightlifting. One moment, Bakugo is basking in the glory of his great performance, and then he’s met with the sight of Midoriya lifting the same weight with ease. Despite the wave of emotions that crashed on Bakugo, he and Midoriya seemed to agree to keep their distance.
All it took was one competition for Katsuki’s teammates to be fond of Midoriya and his teammates. Technically speaking, each student was responsible for themselves, so the pressure of competition was evenly distributed. The lack of school vs. school made it a much more welcoming environment.
It was hard not to like Midoriya once a person caught wind of his story of overcoming being paralyzed.
Midoriya was more than happy to become friends with everyone competing. They all shared a similar interest, so he didn't see the harm in becoming close with an opponent from another school. It was nice to no longer be held down by the past.
Now people could look at him as an idol rather than a waste of space. He overcame the challenges life threw at him and now he was standing on the same level as Todoroki Shoto, the son of pro-wrestler Endeavor and the boy who had the attention of everyone in the room.
The funniest thing was that Todoroki only had his eyes on Midoriya. That was the case for most of Midoriya's fellow team members. Uraraka, Iida, Momo, Aoyama, Tsuyu, Ojiro, and Shoji were all obsessed with Midoriya and everything he did.
It took three competitions for it to become impossible to keep the distance.
"Kacchan."
"Deku."
With a greeting only containing their childish nicknames, whatever awkward tension had been building between them disappeared. They both decided to leave the past in the past and share a rivalry that wasn't anything serious. It was a freeing experience for both Bakugo and Midoriya.
The end of their first year was approaching and the competitions were getting increasingly serious. The biggest competition was hosted by UA, a giant corporation that produces weight-lifting gear and trains some of the best weightlifters to date.
The weightlifting competition was to determine qualifiers for the semi-finals. Unlike any other competition, this was going to be on live television instead of an online live stream. When the event came around, the building was filled with an exhilarating energy.
Usually, at competitions all the competitors were chatting amongst one another. This time teams were stuck close together so not a lot of mindless chatter was happening. Nonetheless, Bakugo’s team and Midoriya’s team stationed themselves side by side.
Safe to say, Izuku Midoriya was a beast. Looking at him around campus, anyone would believe he was just another lanky nerd. When summer came around and people got a look at his incredibly muscular legs, people grew interested in just how strong their peer was.
While Bakugo and Kirishima recognized that Midoriya was strong judging by his muscles, they didn't believe that he would be stronger than them.
Kirishima didn't want to seem judgmental, but Midoriya's muscles appeared significantly smaller than his and Bakugo’s. He also noticed Midoriya was wearing compression socks and sports tape around his knees signaling injuries.
Kirishima and everyone else sharing the same thoughts as him were proven wrong. Midoriya was still going strong after countless rounds passed with the weight steadily increasing. If anything, no one could tell if he was struggling or not. The weight appeared to move with his body, showing no resistance against gravity.
The next round arrived, and the weight was at a staggering 250 lbs./115 kgs. Nearly everyone had tapped out except for Midoriya, Bakugo, and a couple of upperclassmen. Kirishima had maxed out at 225lbs./102 kgs.
As Midoriya listened to the buzzer ring, he lowered his calloused and scarred hands to the barbell with a grin. In a flash, he engaged his body to effortlessly raise the weight and then swooped his body into a squat as the weight was swung up and placed at the shoulders. With ease, Midoriya pushed up, finishing his squat without struggle.
Much to everyone's surprise, Midoriya rested the barbell on his chest and shoulders.
"What the hell is he doing?" hissed Bakugo, irritated at this dramatic display. For a moment he believed Midoriya was trying to get himself disqualified.
"Is he okay?" whispered Jiro in fear of Midoriya's wellbeing.
Their attention was grabbed by Uraraka who had loudly gasped and covered her mouth. Bakugo turned to Kirishima before looking back at Midoriya. "The fuck?"
"I don't know bro," answered Kirishima, concern laced in his tone.
Suddenly, Midoriya raised one hand to support the barbell while his other hand rose into the air to reveal a finger facing the wrong direction. Everyone in the room turned to watch Midoriya as news of a dislocated finger reached everyone in five seconds.
As the people at home and the crowd in the room watched Midoriya try and bend his finger, they also focused on his face. The most shocking part of the entire situation was that Midoriya's expression was calm and didn't signal discomfort.
Putting all the weight of the barbell on his upper body, Midoriya removed the hand that had been stabilizing the bar to grip his finger and snap it back into place.
“Holy shit,” croaked Bakugo with a disbelieving grin.
Todoroki stared at Midoriya in amazement as he breathed out a soft, “Woah.”
On the other hand, Uraraka sported a wrinkled nose, curled upper lip, and squinted eyes as she stared. “What the fuck?”
Kirishima stared with a dropped jaw and mortified eyes. Mina rested a hand under Kirishima’s dropped jaw before closing his mouth. Her mouth was also hanging wide up. Kaminari closed Mina’s mouth with his mouth also hanging wide open. Jiro shook her head at the entire situation and turned to leave the area.
Some people in the room let out yelps of shock, disgust, and amazement. Still, despite the small noises, the room was completely silent.
Bakugo stared up at Midoriya, choosing to ignore the pounding in his chest and the sweatiness of his palms. All he could do was stare at Midoriya and watch as he finished his jerk after dislocating and relocating his finger from his clean.
After returning both hands to the barbell and fixing their positioning, the weight was back onto his hands and arms. Not needing a moment to catch his breath or brace himself for the jerk, Midoriya thrusted the barbell over his head and locked his arms tightly.
After another buzzer rang out, Midoriya let the barbell crash to the ground with a loud bang. At that moment, the entire building erupted with screams and cheers. That was the most badass thing the weightlifting community has experienced in a long time.
Despite how intense the moment was and how Midoriya should've been also celebrating such an epic moment, he did the opposite. Midoriya turned to the cameras, offered a sweet smile with a gentle wave, and walked over to where some medics were waiting.
Midoriya had dislocated his finger, and it was rather painful. His teammates raced after him, clearly not letting him run away from their praise. Meanwhile, Bakugo watched him leave with a gaze that worried Kirishima, Kaminari, Mina, and Sero.
The rest of the competition flew by. Somehow Midoriya getting injured and still performing like a pro boosted every competitor’s morale. People were lifting weights they had never dreamed of lifting before, and they were trucking it along.
There was a thirty-minute waiting period for scores and rewards. During that time, countless reporters tried to find Midoriya to interview him about the finger incident.
Soon reporters weren’t the only ones looking for Midoriya. His teammates couldn’t find him, nor could Bakugo’s teammates. They all wanted to ask him questions and make sure he was okay.
Behind the building in-between rose bushes, Bakugo and Midoriya hid away from the world. They both knew their rank and were less than worried about making it back on time. It wouldn’t be the first time they got a lecture from their coaches.
“That was sick as fuck Deku,” admitted Bakugo, looking at Midoriya’s splinted finger.
Midoriya looked up at Bakugo with a giddy smile. “Thank you Kacchan. I was worried they were going to disqualify me.”
Bakugo’s large hands grasped Midoriya’s wrist and tugged it close. “Did it really not hurt?”
It was quiet for a moment before Midoriya turned his body towards Bakugo. “I thought you knew this, but I experienced nerve damage all through my body. While my legs were paralyzed and I had to work to gain motor function back, my hands never lost function, but I lost a lot of feeling in them.”
“Is that why you’re avoiding those idiots inside?” questioned Bakugo with a smirk.
“What?” squeaked Midoriya, putting all his body weight onto the wall of the building.
“Yeah, there were a shit ton of reporters looking for you in there?” confirmed Bakugo, following Midoriya’s lead and resting.
Midoriya shook his head with a grin. “I had no idea. But now that you mention it, I have no desire to go in. I don’t want to explain my entire life story to them.”
It wasn’t hard to understand why Midoriya wouldn’t want to answer questions. His answer couldn’t be simplified to a simple I just like snapping my fingers back into place.
“All of the people would probably ask you the same boring question anyways,” sighed Bakugo, looking up at the setting sun.
A comfortable weight was placed on Bakugo’s shoulder. The soft fluffy hair touching his neck told him everything he needed to know. Without saying a word, Bakugo placed a hand on Midoriya’s propped-up knee.
After letting the comfort of Midoriya’s touch fester inside him, Bakugo decided to say what was on his mind.
“Sorry for being an asshole,” grumbled Bakugo, looking away.
“Glad to know you realize you were an asshole. Let me nap for five minutes and consider yourself forgiven,” yawned Midoriya as he relaxed further.
Bakugo didn’t bother responding, but he did have to smack Midoriya three minutes into the peaceful nap. “Stop touching my pecs.”
“Shut up Kacchan,” hissed Midoriya with a childish grin.
The flash of a phone caught the duo’s attention, and they looked up fearfully only to be met with Todoroki holding up a phone. “About time. I’ve been waiting two months to get my money.”
Midoriya gawked at his best friend while Bakugo was already on his feet, ready to battle.
“I’m going to kill you Half-and-half bastard!”
“I like you.”
“Huh?”
“I like you!”
“Yeah right, I’m not interested in your games.”
“What?”
“Are you deaf? I don’t care about what you have to say Deku.”
“Ah, okay. I understand.”
It had taken Midoriya months to gather the courage to confess to Bakugo. A part of him always knew he loved Bakugo, but he never had the chance to address how he felt.
They had gotten much closer throughout their time at U.A. High and Midoriya had reason to believe Bakugo felt the same way. Unfortunately, Midoriya was mistaken. Bakugo made it very clear he wasn’t interested in Midoriya and that whatever Midoriya wanted to express wasn’t important.
The wonder duo’s once strong and seemingly unbreakable bond was broken.
In the days following Midoriya’s rejection, he didn’t bother speaking to Bakugo. While he still had an unshakable crush on Bakugo, he couldn’t bring himself to talk or be around him. It hurt too much.
The entire class instantly noticed the shift in Midoriya’s mood and mannerisms. Usually, Midoriya was happily calling out to Bakugo and walking around with him. Mina was the first to rush over and ask Midoriya what was happening on day three.
“Are you okay?” asked Mina worriedly, trying to keep her voice to a hush.
Midoriya took a moment to smile, and the action looked like it hurt. Following his physical reaction, it took a couple more seconds for him to respond. Through gritted teeth, Midoriya answered, “I’ve never been better.”
Mina grabbed Midoriya by the arm and dragged him out of the room. “Cut the shit, let’s talk.”
Uraraka got up and quickly followed the two outside of the classroom. Mina closed the door behind them and grabbed Midoriya’s shoulders.
“Spill.”
“Wait, what’s happening,” questioned Uraraka quickly. She didn’t want to assume what Mina was telling Midoriya to talk about, but she hoped it was about his concerning behavior.
“Midoriya here is acting weird and is avoiding Bakugo. I’m asking what happened,” informed Mina, looking at Uraraka before turning back to Midoriya.
“It’s nothing guys, really,” sighed Midoriya, waving his hands.
Uraraka and Mina gave each other an unimpressed glance before pointing their stare at Midoriya. Midoriya wilted at their expression. Uraraka called her best friend out quickly. “Nothing my butt. You look like a kicked puppy. I’m worried about you.”
“Yeah, we just want to know what’s upsetting you,” agreed Mina, keeping her voice hushed and gentle. She’s been more careful around Midoriya after the war.
Midoriya stared at the ground with such intensity it scared the two. Midoriya felt his lip wobble as the dam of tears behind his eyes was prepared to break. Despite doing his best to compose himself and act like everything was okay, he couldn’t.
He wasn’t okay. He wanted to cry. He felt embarrassed, ashamed, and undesirable. If Bakugo had politely rejected Midoriya, that would have been easier to bounce back from, but that wasn’t the case.
Bakugo spat on Midoriya’s heart. While Midoriya knew Bakugo could be harsh on his bad days, it was still extremely out of character for him.
In the middle of the hallway, Midoriya crumbled. His shoulders trembled as he let out loud sobs he tried to muffle. Uraraka jumped at the suddenness of Midoriya’s breakdown.
Mina swallowed hard as her frown deepened. Guilt started eating her up, worried she overstepped a boundary and hurt Midoriya.
Uraraka pulled Midoriya into a hug, not bothering to waste words when it was clear Midoriya wasn’t going to hear them anyway. Mina on the other hand began to guide Midoriya and Uraraka away from the classroom for more privacy.
Kirishima, who had been on the other side of the door, turned around with a pale face. The rest of the class who were waiting for Kirishima to fill them in all felt their expressions fall when they saw his face. It was clear Midoriya wasn’t doing okay, and Kirishima’s expression confirmed their fears.
“Guys… Midoriya’s crying,” revealed Kirishima slowly with panic laced in his voice.
Todoroki walked over, growing nervous. “What do you think could’ve caused him to be this upset?”
Iida shook his head, crossing his arms. “He was already acting strange yesterday afternoon. He skipped dinner.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard Midoriya cry like that before. Sure, he’s been through hell, but this cry is heartbreaking,” explained Kirishima, looking at the rest of his peers.
“I hope it’s nothing too serious. Midoriya’s been through so much already,” recalled Momo, letting her fingers nervously fidget.
Bakugo on the other hand was trying to keep his cool. It was quickly becoming apparent that Midoriya’s breakdown was because of what went down earlier that week.
He didn’t have a good reason for why he acted the way he did or why he said the things he did. He just assumed Midoriya was messing with him, and Bakugo took it personally because he was genuinely interested.
Too bad he went and fucked it all up.
Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he pushed back his chair and stalked to the doorway. With one strong swing he threw open the door and quickly slammed it shut behind him.
Crying quickly met his ears, and he turned his head to spot Uraraka and Mina failing to console him. Bakugo stalked his way over, feeling his pulse pick up at the sound of Midoriya crying knowing it was his fault.
“Pink cheeks, raccoon eyes, leave,” instructed Bakugo with a seriousness they hadn’t seen or heard in a while.
The duo instantly backed off, making their way back towards the classroom. Meanwhile, Midoriya was struggling to get himself together. He didn’t want Bakugo to see him in such a state. Midoriya didn’t want Bakugo to know he still held so much power over him years later.
“Izuku.”
Midoriya quickly cut him off, raising a hand. “Don’t.”
Bakugo stilled, not expecting Midoriya to respond with such hostility. “I just wanted to apologize.”
“Wow. Really? That’s surprising,” scoffed Midoriya, lowering his hands to show an unimpressed expression accompanied by red puffy eyes.
“Don’t be a smartass,” fired back Bakugo, not one to take disrespect lightly.
“Well, excuse me for not being nice after how you spoke to me yesterday,” replied Midoriya bluntly, crossing his arms.
Bakugo paused, balling his hands up. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Izuku, please. If you will… let me explain.”
Midoriya narrowed his eyes, taking a step forward. “Please, enlighten me as to why you don’t care about anything I have to say and that my feelings aren’t important to you.”
It was quiet for a bit, Midoriya watched as Bakugo’s face turned a rosy shade of pink. The resentment, anger, and hurt that Midoriya had been feeling almost instantly faltered. This wasn’t an expression Midoriya expected to see on Bakugo’s face.
“Kacchan?”
“Shit, this is embarrassing!” admitted Bakugo angrily, rubbing his face.
“What?” questioned Midoriya with concern, a part of him was worried Bakugo was embarrassed about feeling the same way.
Bakugo looked into Midoriya’s beautiful green eyes before revealing, “I thought you were pranking me.”
Midoriya stilled, his worried expression morphing into something resembling irritation. “Excuse me? Why would you ever think I’d fake confessing to you?”
“I saw you with Pink Cheeks yesterday whispering about something like weirdos,” explained Bakugo.
“Hey!” yelled Midoriya, offended by the unnecessary detail.
“Let me finish Freckles! After you guys were done whispering, I overheard Pink Cheeks talking with Dunce Face and Raccoon Eyes. They were laughing about some great prank and your name was mentioned a lot. You approached me less than ten minutes later,” detailed Bakugo, crossing his arms.
Midoriya looked up at Bakugo to see the way his expression softened, and his eyes were filled with remorse. Butterflies filled Midoriya’s gut as he realized he still had a chance. Bakugo may really like him.
“I don’t know about any prank, but I’m about to go find out,” hissed Midoriya, his blood boiling at the realization his friends set him up.
“Hold it right there. You aren’t going anywhere,” countered Bakugo, swiftly grabbing Midoriya’s wrist.
Snapping his gaze up to Bakugo, Midoriya was put back into the present. His head was all over the place as one strong emotion after the next came over him.
“Do you,” started Midoriya before having to stop and swallow a lump in his throat. “Do you like me too?”
Bakugo pulled Midoriya’s arm. Midoriya flew towards Bakugo, yelping before feeling a muscular arm hold his waist. “Fuck that cheesy kid shit. I’m in love with you, Izuku.”
Before Midoriya could get a word out Bakugo captured his lips. Midoriya let out a relieved sigh as he melted into Bakugo’s arms. Bakugo let go of Midoriya to set both hands on his waist and pull him close.
Midoriya swiftly moved his hands to Bakugo’s shoulders before sliding them up the nape of his neck. He felt his legs get weak as Bakugo kissed him like he was the most perfect person in the world.
When the two pulled away for a moment, Bakugo declared, “We are dating.”
“Just kiss me again,” sighed Midoriya and he looked up into Bakugo’s piercing stare.
Bakugo didn’t waste a minute to capture Midoriya in another kiss. They both ignored the fact that class had started, and they were definitely going to get in trouble for kissing in the middle of the hallway.
Meanwhile, Uraraka and Mina were staring at the duo with dropped jaws. Kirishima had opened the door to get an update and was also frozen in surprise at the sight of Midoriya and Bakugo making out in the hallway.
Their teacher took one look at what was going on in the hallway before going right back to the teacher's stand. It was about time the two teens figured out their feelings. The teacher no longer had to deal with the strange air that surrounded the two.
By the time Midoriya and Bakugo returned to the room, everyone knew what had just happened. Todoroki pointed a finger at the duo with a smile. “I’m glad to see you finally figured out the obvious.”
“Ha?” shouted Bakugo, hand ready to blast Todoroki to space.
“Good for you two! I was wondering when you’d finally get together,” cheered Mina, clapping her hands.
Midoriya was bright red, covering his face in embarrassment at the realization all his classmates heard and witnessed their confession and kissing. “Oh god.”
The teacher cleared their throat, grabbing the attention of everyone. “You may all talk about your personal lives after class. Let’s leave both Bakugo and Midoriya alone and continue our lesson.”
Twenty students all sadly shuffled back to their seats. Bakugo sneakily took Midoriya’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Midoriya flashed Bakugo a giddy smile before squeezing his hand back.
Even if the way they started dating came from a less-than-ideal situation, Midoriya couldn’t be more grateful. If it took a misunderstanding and some tears to get the ball rolling, then so be it. Bakugo would spend the rest of his life making up for it.
Midoriya was now dating the boy of his dreams.
Mina was devilishly tapping her fingers together as she stared at Midoriya. “Sorry, but you lost the bet.”
“I didn’t even agree to the bet,” argued Midoriya nervously, not recalling Mina even stating it was a bet.
“Nonsense,” hushed Mina, rising from where she was sitting to grab her phone that was currently charging.
Midoriya groaned from where he was sitting. The sound caught the attention of Uraraka who was returning to the common room from filling up her water bottle. “Deku? What’s wrong?”
Midoriya looked up at Uraraka in despair. “It’s Mina.”
“What is she up to this time,” remarked Uraraka with an amused grin.
“She’s forcing me to do something because I lost a bet I never agreed to,” explained Midoriya weakly, sinking into the couch in despair. When it came to Mina, nothing could be done once she had an idea.
Uraraka nodded, sitting down next to Midoriya. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad. Besides, it’s not like she can force you to do anything outside the dorms.”
Relaxing a bit at the reminder it was storming outside, Midoriya took a sip out of his water bottle. “You’re right. It can’t be that bad right? She’ll probably force me to play a little prank on someone or something.”
“Probably, either that or she’ll make you do her homework,” laughed Uraraka, recalling how Mina once tried getting Momo to do her work but was forced to have a tutoring session instead.
Mina rushed back in with her phone and a bright smile. “I want you to recreate this!”
Midoriya raised a brow, letting Mina squish onto the couch with him and Uraraka. Mina had a video pulled up and it was some guy standing in heavy rain strutting, doing air splits, and backflips over music.
Uraraka couldn’t hold back her laugh. Mina immediately proved the both of them wrong when they assumed the dare would be her usual silly antics.
“I can’t do that! I’m going to fall! Besides, if anyone sees me out there-!” argued Midoriya in a panic, trying to do whatever it took to get out of this.
Mina shook her head and pressed a finger against Midoriya’s lips to silence him. “Nope. Look, I’ll be nice, and I won’t force you to wear the big fluffy coat and ripped jeans.”
Midoriya sighed in defeat, not seeing much harm in the dare when no lightning was outside. The only risk was him getting sick and he decided to set down some conditions of his own.
“Have a towel and warm tea prepared for me. If I end up getting sick you owe me katsudon until I’m recovered,” ordered Midoriya, willing to do the dare, but wanting to have some say in what happened.
Mina extended her deal with a wide smile. “Deal! Uraraka, would you be an angel and grab that stuff? I’m going to go out to record this!”
Midoriya wilted, forgetting that Mina loved having everything on her phone. He couldn’t blame her though, some of these simple funny moments were nice to look back on when things got rough. Uraraka smirked and threw herself up. “Fine, but I’m going to need that video for myself.”
Kirishima was curious about what was going on and approached Uraraka. “Hey, where are Mina and Midoriya heading off to?”
Uraraka crossed her arms with a grin. “Mina is forcing Midoriya to recreate some video out in the storm.”
“No way! I gotta see this!” laughed Kirishima, immediately pulling out his phone and texting one of his multiple group chats. He sent the quick message “Come down to the common room immediately, it's important,” to Kaminari, Sero, Bakugo, and Jiro.
Kaminari and Sero came down along with Sato, Ojiro, and Tokoyami. Jiro came down with Momo and Hagakure, and Bakugo came down alone. It seemed that Bakugo thought it was something serious because he practically exploded when he saw the rest of the class wasn’t there.
“What the hell Shitty Hair?” shouted Bakugo, immediately sending off some small explosions.
“Woah man, calm down! Everyone, follow me to the window!” instructed Kirishima, not trying to set Bakugo off even more.
It only took seconds for the group to understand why Kirishima told them to come down urgently. Mina and Midoriya were standing in the open field as rain was crashing down. Mina had her phone held up while Midoriya was doing mind-boggling flips toward her.
While Midoriya could do a perfect split, he had trained kicking enough that he could fake it. If he did an air split fast enough, no one would be able to tell his left leg didn’t perfectly come up all the way. When Midoriya reached Mina he managed to land his last flip without falling and went straight into a backflip.
Once Midoriya stuck the landing of his back flip he took in a quick breath, jumped into the air and shot his legs out, faking the split like a pro.
Mina collapsed to the ground, cackling. Midoriya crossed his arms and looked up at the sky that was dark and pouring down rain. Midoriya then looked down at Mina, said something, and suddenly Mina was sprinting back toward the dorm building.
Uraraka was already standing by the door with towels and warm tea waiting for them in the kitchen. Mina launched herself inside, the rain covering her face and mixing with her tears. “My phone!”
“Yeah, that’s my bad,” chuckled Midoriya, knowing that they had to retake the dance at least ten times before he got it right.
Walking further into the dorm, planning on going to the kitchen, the two froze when they saw the large group standing near the windows. Only the group was staring at them in disbelief and glee.
Midoriya bolted off before anyone could even ask him where he learned how to do any of that. Mina on the other hand didn’t stick around because she had to make sure her phone was okay. She couldn’t lose the video after just getting it!
Midoriya was fresh out of the shower when he texted Uraraka that he was sorry for not sticking around for the tea she made him. It seemed that Uraraka didn’t mind too much, even going as far as to say she’d reheat it and send someone up to deliver it to him.
Feeling bad and not wanting her to go out of her way to do something she didn’t have to, Midoriya frantically typed it wasn’t necessary and it was no big deal. A knock interrupted Midoriya’s guilt as he stared at the typing bubble from Uraraka. Rising from where he was sitting, Midoriya approached his door and pulled it open.
Bakugo stood in the doorway with a wide smirk. “So Izuku. Care to explain?”
Midoriya yelped, backing into his room. “Kacchan! What are you doing here?”
“Pink Cheeks. Now, tell me why you were out there performing like a goddamn acrobat,” demanded Bakugo, inviting himself in with two cups of tea.
“It’s really not as interesting as you may think. Mina told me I lost a bet and she dared me to recreate a video,” elaborate Midoriya swiftly, not wanting to beat around the bush when it came to Bakugo.
“Go figure. Why do you always manage to get wrapped up in her dumb schemes,” grumbled Bakugo, crashing onto Midoriya's bed.
Midoriya smiled a bit, looking at his desk where Bakugo managed to put down the tea without him noticing. “If I knew how, I wouldn't have been out there.”
Bakugo scoffed, staring at Midoriya where he was standing. “Where the hell did you learn how to do a split?”
“I can’t really do a split, but after using my legs so much I guess I got more flexible,” assumed Midoriya. He didn’t know how he managed to get so limber. He did his usual stretches to avoid injuries but didn’t go out of his way to work on flexibility.
“It sure as hell looked like a split to me,” argued Bakugo. It didn’t take a genius to see a true split.
Midoriya smiled, sitting next to Bakugo on the bed. “When the rain clears up we can head to the gym and see for sure.”
“Alright, just don’t cry when you find out I’m right,” professed Bakugo confidently, making a home on Midoriya’s bed.
“You’re an idiot,” laughed Midoriya, finally lying down next to Bakugo.
“Shut up!”
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.
Confidence was one hell of a drug. Izuku Midoriya was used to helplessly hoping for a brighter future even though he never had the confidence to back up his desire. Suddenly he had the body he had always dreamed of having, met his idol, gained a quirk, got into his dream school, and had more friends than he could count with his fingers.
It was safe to say Midoriya gained confidence. Where he’d usually stay on the sidelines and try to make himself as small as possible, he was now running face-first into the limelight. There was something exhilarating about showing off his abilities as a hero and how he was the best at what he did.
His ex-bully, Katsuki Bakugo, tried to break down Midoriya’s confidence in the beginning. It was only a matter of time until he realized just how much he liked seeing Midoriya all confident and empowered. It took some time to get used to, but Bakugo was quick to learn from his mistakes and atone for them.
For the young heroes in training, their third year came around before class 3-A could comprehend how fast time was passing. Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki were the notorious big three. It only made sense after they fought the most dangerous villains in the war.
Midoriya didn’t realize how great it could feel to be on top. He was already a villain magnet before they figured out his quirk, so not much was going to change.
Imagine Midoriya’s shock when some random, first year, hero-in-training nobody tried starting a feud with him. Of course, it was all one-sided.
Uraraka, Midoriya, and Bakugo were having their weekly spa day when Mina rushed in holding her phone. “Oh my god! Guys, you gotta read this!”
Midoriya sat up, removing his head from Uraraka’s lap. Midoriya’s face was only half-done and Uraraka was holding a container of clay face mask.
Bakugo was already finished, his spiky bangs held back with an Edge Shot-themed headband. Bakugo rolled his eyes, not thrilled that their quiet time was interrupted.
“What’s up, Mina?” questioned Midoriya, slightly worried by Mina’s tone.
“Some random first-year at Ketsubutsu Academy was attacking you online!” revealed Mina in anger, not appreciating some random person trying to defame Midoriya.
Bakugo and Uraraka’s attention was captured, heads snapping to watch Midoriya’s reaction to see if they needed to attack this fool. Midoriya was frozen momentarily, considering how he wanted to respond to this news. Knowing this first-year was already going to be reprimanded by a majority of Japan, he didn’t worry too much. He did defeat Shigaraki on live television after all. Picking a fight with the person who saved the world is a stupid move.
Throwing an apple slice into his mouth, Midoriya shrugged. “Eagles don’t fly with chickens.”
Uraraka and Bakugo’s heads snapped away from Midoriya to each other. While they knew Midoriya could get sassy, they didn’t realize he was capable of throwing out insults that would put a chronically-online jerk to shame.
“You are so right about that Midoriya. They said that your quirk wasn’t even that good because of your scars. They said something about them making you look old,” groaned Mina, not bothering to read the post out loud to Midoriya.
“What? I’m so timeless and sexy though!” gasped Midoriya, well aware he was anything but sexy at the moment. He had on an AllMight headband, a hot-sauce-stained tee shirt, and a pair of Bakugo’s old baggy sweatpants.
Bakugo smirked, looking at Midoriya. “Damn right Izuku!”
Uraraka laughed to herself, happy to be surrounded by people who would never let something so childish get to them. It gave her the courage to take every insult or unsolicited comment and return it with nothing but the brutal truth. She felt a sense of ease around them and knew that they felt the same way with her.
“When did you get so sassy Deku?” questioned Uraraka, amused by this sudden wave of iconic clap-backs.
“After dealing with the past users of One for All for so long, you learn to return their energy,” revealed Midoriya, remaining vague about the reason why he’s sassy with them.
Bakugo didn’t say anything as he got up from his seat and joined Uraraka and Midoriya on the carpet. “This little shit had been acting all innocent around you and the rest of our class, but he’s a brat as soon as he’s alone with me.”
Midoriya feigned hurt, not enjoying this personal attack. “How dare you make these accusations about me Kacchan?”
“Accuse? No, I’m exposing you,” corrected Bakugo, his smirk wide and threatening.
“Sorry Deku, but I’m with Bakugo on this one,” chuckled Uraraka, more than happy to fluster Midoriya for no specific reason.
In response Midoriya huffed and began messing with his hair. Mina was holding back laughter, secretly recording the entire exchange. “What are you doing?”
Midoriya looked over to Mina with an oddly calm expression, “Huh? Oh, I’m just pulling out the grey hairs this experience has given me.”
Mina could no longer contain her laughter, loving how witty Midoriya truly was. It seemed the Uraraka was on the same boat and fell into laughter as well. Bakugo smiled, looking at Midoriya before sneak attacking him and giving him a noogie.
After the four calmed down, Mina seemed to remember her whole point of coming in. “Are you going to do anything about it?”
Bakugo cracked his knuckles. “Well, I’m going to blast that extra into outer space for taking shit about Izuku like that. The idiot wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him saving the fucking world.”
Midoriya smiled, letting his hand rest on Bakugo’s back to feel his heartbeat. “No need. I’m not going to do anything. Me ignoring him is letting him know that he is irrelevant to me. Giving him attention would only give him power.”
“Yeah, and I don’t think we have to worry about teaching him a lesson. Midoriya is too popular for his fans to not attack this guy,” reminded Uraraka, aware of how crazy some of Midoriya’s fans could be.
Midoriya grinned, looking at his hands in thought before looking over to the three. “I want to see if I can convince Nezu to bring his class over to train. That way I can make an appearance. I know the moment he spots me he’ll start to panic.”
Bakugo nodded, meeting Midoriya’s gaze. “All bark, no bite.”
“Just like you,” commented Midoriya with sly wit.
In an instant, Bakugo was after Midoriya. Explosions filling the room. Spa day was ruined.
Little Goofy BkDk comic! I felt like drawing for the first time in forever today!
Izuku was minding his business, scrolling through his phone as he tried to blend into the background. After all, he was the laughingstock of Aldera Junior High. There wasn’t a day when insults weren’t thrown at his face.
The school day hadn’t yet started so Izuku got to relax before the wrath of his peers was unleashed upon him. Katsuki came in and didn’t immediately come to ruin Izuku’s day, signaling that Izuku would be attacked later in the day when something mildly inconvenienced him.
“Everyone, take your seats,” instructed the teacher, entering the room with a stack of papers.
Izuku sighed, putting his phone away. The hero news blogs were dry this week anyway.
The teacher began calling attendance as usual. When the adult reached Izuku, he perked up a bit. “Midoriya, someone is waiting for you outside.”
The entire room faced Izuku with a stunned expression. Katsuki scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah right! No one would waste their time to visit this quirkless loser.”
Hifumi never took his eyes off Izuku as he laughed, “Totally! It’s probably the nurse coming by to tell him to stop bothering her.”
The classroom was filled with sickening and ignorant laughing. Izuku was more than happy to get out of the room, heading to the door without much thought of who could be waiting for him.
Sliding open the door, Izuku’s jaw dropped as instantly saw a tall man with white fluffy hair and freckles.
“Darling! Guess whose back from jail!” cheered the man with open arms and a bright smile.
Izuku blinked slowly, feeling the burning gaze of all his classmates. The teacher was frozen in shock, beyond uneasy about leaving this ex-inmate with his student in the hallway.
Izuku shook his head, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the classroom. Izuku slid the door shut behind him and moved closer to his father. The teacher held up a finger to the class and approached the door. While they couldn’t care less about what happens between Izuku and his classmates, they did care about Izuku possibly being left alone with someone who could be a potential threat.
“Dude, what the fuck?” questioned Hifumi.
“Hell if I know!” seethed Katsuki, unaware Hisashi was in jail. From what Mitsuki told him, Hisashi was overseas for business.
Meanwhile, in the hallway, Izuku had to deal with his fresh-out-of-jail father.
“Dad, did you really have to shout like that,” groaned Izuku, crossing his arms.
“Of course, I heard what those little shits said about you in there. Had to send them a message,” huffed Hisashi, unremorseful as ever.
Izuku smiled, finally reaching out to his father. “I missed you.”
Hisashi smiled, pulling Midoriya into a tight embrace. “Not as much as I missed you!”
Izuku couldn’t help but laugh, missing moments like these. “So why did you come to my school?”
“Well, Inko went to pick me up from the prison early and left you a note telling you to stay home,” commented Hisashi, not sure about what the note said considering he only found out about it when they returned to the apartment and Izuku wasn’t there.
“Oh! Mom’s barely home so I usually skim the letters she leaves. I read “don’t leave” and figured she meant for me to not leave my notes at home. It’s happened before,” chuckled Izuku sheepishly.
Hisashi grinned brushing Izuku’s bangs out of his face and caressing his freckles. “You’ve bulked up since I’ve last seen you.”
Izuku smirked, flexing his arm. “Yeah, I’m trying to be as strong as you.”
“Can’t wait to have arm wrestles with you,” remarked Hisashi fondly, ruffling Izuku’s hair. “Now go on and grab your belongings. I’m taking you home.”
“Oh thank god. I was not in the mood to waste away here today,” celebrated Izuku, letting his entire body hunch over dramatically.
Entering the room again Midoriya soon realized that the entire class had been eavesdropping considering all the teens who sat in the back of the classroom weren’t in their seats. Katsuki and his lackeys stared at Midoriya in disbelief.
Izuku sheepishly announced. “Sorry for my Dad’s shouting. He’s just excited to be back.”
The entire school was filled with rumors that Izuku had a super dangerous father associated with the mafia. The only part of the rumors that was true was that Hisashi had been in jail and that he would happily destroy the lives of anyone who dared to lay a hand on his son.
It was safe to say the worst Katsuki did for a while was call Izuku “Deku”.
Izuku never knew a life without his mother. It was always Inko and Izuku against the world. Izuku never once met his father Hisashi and he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Inko was everything Izuku needed and without her being at the forefront of his life, he’d never become the person he was. It was all thanks to his mother.
Inko died at the age of sixty. It was out of the blue and she had died of a heart attack. Izuku was only thirty-five. The day he got the call his mother had died was the worst day of his life.
His hero work kept him busy and he rarely got days off. Whenever Izuku managed to get the time, he’d always have dinner dates with his mother. It was clear Inko had appreciated those little moments together.
They’d cook together, catch up on life, and just cuddle for hours. They felt like the time they shared always slipped away and those moments felt so short even if they spent the whole day together.
Izuku and Katsuki got married at the young age of 20. They didn’t want to waste a moment and desired to experience all life had to offer.
When they were sixteen, they watched the other die. They knew how fragile and short life could be. Death was promised and they wanted to enjoy the life they had left.
Holidays and celebrations were always a grand event. Inko and Mitsuki would often hang out together, but having their family members join them for a party was an exhilarating experience. Every day, every moment, was lived to the fullest.
Izuku could say there was so much more he wished he could have experienced with his mother, but he was satisfied with the time he did have with his mother.
It didn’t make things any better, but having no regrets was something that made Izuku grieve his loss without any guilt laced with it. Izuku could miss the amazing woman Inko was and miss his perfect mother.
For months, Izuku was inconsolable. Katsuki did everything in his power to help Izuku through Inko’s death, but he couldn’t imagine the pain Izuku was going through. Katsuki loved Inko dearly, but he didn’t know what it was like to lose his mother. Katsuki didn’t even want to imagine a life without Mitsuki.
It was a random Friday when Mitsuki had invited Izuku over to have some tea and talk. It was nice to just talk to someone who cherished Inko just as much.
Mitsuki was crying, hugging Izuku. “I ran out of her pickled daikon radish! I don’t know what to do!”
Izuku paused, feeling something click in his mind. Even if Inko was no longer with him, there was something she did that no random person in the world could mimic. Inko’s cooking and baking were inimitable. The only person on the planet who could make Inko’s recipe was Izuku.
Izuku pulled back, his hands resting on Mitsuki’s shoulders. “I’ll make you some!”
Mitsuki’s eyes widen, blinking away her tears in surprise. “Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Yes, I’d love to make it for you,” reassured Izuku, his face filled with an excitement he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Mitsuki seemed to melt, relief flooding her. “Thank you, Izuku. I can’t wait to taste it!”
Izuku grinned, quickly hugging Mitsuki again. “You won’t be able to tell I made it, trust me.”
The next day rolled around and a beautiful Saturday greeted Izuku. Izuku threw himself up and took over the kitchen. The windows were opened and the morning breeze lulled Izuku into a peaceful rhythm.
The sunlight warmed his skin, matching the warmth his heart felt while making the same food Inko happily prepared him when he was a child.
Katsuki walked over and instantly spotted the mess. Shaking his head with a small smile, Katuski made his way over. Wrapping his arms around Izuku’s waist, Katsuki pressed a tender kiss to Izuku’s temple. “What are you getting into?”
“Just cleaning out the fridge,” fibbed Izuku, knowing Katsuki wasn’t going to buy it.
“Sure and I’m not your husband,” remarked Katsuki, giving Izuku a gentle squeeze.
Izuku sat down the knife before turning around to hug Katsuki. “I’m making some pickled radish for your mother.”
Katsuki paused before a look of recognition crossed his face. “She’s probably over the moon knowing you can keep supplying her addiction. She’s obsessed with Inko’s pickled food for as long as I remember.”
“Yeah, I can’t believe I was so depressed I forgot that I can remake all the foods my mom made by heart,” chuckled Izuku, snuggling into Katsuki’s secure hold.
“Anything I can do to help?” questioned Katsuki, knowing the answer was going to be no, but he wanted to check anyway.
Izuku shook his head before pecking Katsuki on the lips. “Nope. This is quick and easy to make.”
Katsuki nodded before releasing Izuku. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Within thirty minutes, Katsuki heard a loud thumping in the kitchen. Rushing out, Katsuki watched as Izuku jumped in place, filled with excitement as he was chewing. Katsuki sank in relief upon witnessing the childlike joy written in Izuku’s expression and bouncing.
Izuku spotted Katsuki staring and quickly shoved the pickled radish into Katsuki’s mouth. Katsuki immediately could tell why Izuku was so excited. The crunchy yellow radish tasted exactly like the kind he had eaten his entire life. It was identical to Inko’s.
Izuku knew that if he kept making food that tasted identical to his mother’s, he’d never stop eating. If food was how he planned to keep his mother alive, he’d happily eat each meal like it would be his last.
“Good job, Izuku. It’s perfect,” complimented Katsuki, diving in for more.
“It’s so wonderful,” cried Izuku, following his husband's lead and eating more.
Inko may be gone, but for the rest of Izuku’s life, he’d never have to live a day without her beautiful, one-of-a-kind meals. Inko showed her love through food and Izuku would forever be grateful that homemade meals will forever be their thing. Even after death.
Midoriya was thrilled to take Katsuma under his wing once he passed the UA entrance exam. UA High offered housing for those who didn’t have a place to stay, but anyone living at home could commute if they desired. Katsuma had no problem staying at the dorms, but his father had his reservations.
Katsuma's father recalled the young hero who saved his son. Reaching out to Midoriya, the father asked if Midoriya would be okay with hosting Katsuma while he attended UA High. Midoriya already had Kota staying in his place since he lived right next to UA and had no problem having another kid stay.
His apartment had felt very empty alone, so he appreciated the company.
Katsuma and Kota got along much to Midoriya’s joy. Kota saw a lot of Midoriya in Katsuma and took it upon himself to protect Katsuma no matter the costs. Katsuma was introduced to Eri through Kota and boom, a friend group was formed.
It wasn’t until a couple of months before their first year ended that Kota approached Midoriya to explain his worries about Katsuma’s girlfriend. The girl was from the business department.
According to Kota, the chick was trying to keep Katsuma away from him and Eri. That information wouldn’t be as concerning if it weren’t for the fact the girl would get angry if Katsuma talked to them.
Midoriya wasn't inexperienced in the dating world. Midoriya knew what kinds of people to stay away from romantically. He had been in many failed relationships, but most of the time it was because he knew his worth and what he wanted out of life.
Midoriya knew that the red light was blinking and the warning sirens were blaring. Kota's explanation was enough to concern Midoriya. Midoriya would kill for his children. There was no way he was going to let some grubby future Hero Commission worker hurt his baby.
Kota knew just how far Midoriya would go for those he cared about and was more than happy to throw the emotionally and verbally abusive girlfriend under the bus.
Unfortunately, Midoriya didn’t have to initiate the conversation because the following day Katsuma came home crying. Midoriya told Kota to give them a moment, not wanting to risk Katsuma hiding information because Kota was with them.
Kota and Katsuma got along, but sometimes embarrassing things happen in a relationship. Midoriya wasn't naive. After all, he went to UA High and his classmates were less than innocent when their third year at the school rolled around.
“Katsuma? What happened?” cooed Midoriya, letting the young teen rush into his arms.
“It’s Okamura," wept Katsuki, hiding his face in Midoriya's baggy shirt.
Midoriya tried to not sound aware of what was going on to get a full explanation. “Okamura? Your girlfriend? What did she do?”
“I was just talking to Shoji-sensei with Kota and Eri about your upcoming patrol. Okamura must have been watching and started screaming in my face about how I was hiding stuff from her and that I was a horrible boyfriend,” cried Katsuma, clearly distressed that he was screamed at for no reason.
Midoriya did everything in his power to not walk out of the home, tell the kid’s parents everything, and then tell Nezu to expel her. No one made his son cry, especially for no reason.
Midoriya let out a soft sigh before pulling back and cupping Katsuma’s wet face and using his thumbs to wipe away tears. “Has she done stuff like this before?”
“Yes, all the time. She won’t let me have any friends. She’s constantly trying to make me sneak out and spend the night,” revealed Katsuma, making it clear that Okamura isn’t respecting his boundaries or what he cares about.
Midoriya was becoming more worried than anything else. It was clear what Okamura was trying to pressure Katsuma into doing. Midoriya understood Katsuma was getting older and it wouldn’t be shocking if he was curious about sex. But, if Katsuma wasn’t interested in doing it and Okamura was trying to get Katsuma to do dangerous things even if he wasn’t interested, that was a serious problem.
“If she gets this angry at the little things, she will only get worse as time passes. This girl doesn’t respect the people you care about. She doesn’t value your space or privacy. She doesn’t care about your comfort. I’ll support whatever decision you make, but don’t expect me to allow her to step foot in this house because if I see her, she’ll be too scared to even look your way once I’m done talking to her,” said Midoriya in a scarily calm voice.
Katsuka weakly smiled, simply sinking into Midoriya’s touch and hiding his face into Midoriya's puffy sweater. “I’m scared to end things with her.”
“Don’t be. She’d be stupid to try messing with you. Having you under my wing, every hero in the school would be willing to die for you. Okamura would be expelled immediately as well. She's not fit to be a hero if she lashed out at you," reassured Midoriya, brushing Katsuma's bangs around to fluff them.
"You're right. I'll ask Eri and Kota to be nearby when I do it!" chirped Katsuma, feeling a lot better about getting himself out of a bad relationship.
Three days have passed since Katsuma ended his relationship with Okamura. The breakup was far from easy and peaceful. Eri had to step in when it sounded like Okamura was preparing to strike Katsuma. Kota had been waiting for the moment Okamura tried anything so he had permission to physically intervene.
After the breakup, Okamura wasn't backing down. It was clear she wasn't when Kota and Eri couldn't find Katsuma one day. When they were looking around, they soon realized they couldn't find Okamura either. Kota and Eri's calls went to voicemail when they attempted to call Katsuma.
Panicking, the duo ran to the teacher's lounge to help them find Katsuma. Nezu caught the drift of what was happening and quickly checked the cameras only to find Okamura forcefully dragging Katsuma to a vacant classroom.
Kota tried to beat the heroes to Okamura, but they got to the empty classroom first. Katsuma was unconscious and Okamura was caught red-handed restraining a beaten-up Katsuma to a chair. Heroes were sent to capture and restrain the teen.
None of the adults knew what to do. When it came to Midoriya, no one messed with his kids. When it came to children in general, Midoriya would happily destroy anyone who even tried to put a child in harm's way.
The adults were evenly split about telling Midoriya. Half wanted to fix the problem in privacy knowing Midoriya would raise hell. The other half wanted to immediately tell him so hell wasn’t raised upon them, there was no stopping Midoriya and he would find out any moment now.
While the adults were deciding what to do, Kota urgently called Midoriya.
"Izuku! Izuku!" shouted Kota, not waiting for Midoriya to greet him.
Deku, who was currently in the middle of capturing a villain alongside his hero partner Dynamight, froze at Kota's frantic tone. "Kota? What happened? What's going on?"
"It's Katsuma! Okamura-," started Kota, only to be cut off.
"I'm on my way," announced Midoriya in an eerily calm tone.
All Kota could do was smile as Midoriya ended the call abruptly. His dad was pissed and Okamura was going to wish she never met Katsuma when Midoriya was done with him.
Bakugo blasted the villain, watching the police force rush to capture the unconscious villain. Turning to Midoriya, Bakugo froze when he saw Midoriya's dark expression.
"Izuku? What the hell?" yelled Bakugo over the sirens.
"Something happened. I'm heading to UA. Right. Now," seethed Midoriya, shooting his gaze to his best friend.
"I'm coming with. You look like you're going to kill someone," remarked Bakugo, eager to see what was about to go down.
Midoriya chuckled to himself, freaking out Bakugo. "Oh, once I know what that dumb girl did, I just might."
Katsuma was in the nurse's office, currently getting his vitals checked since no one knew exactly what Okamura did to knock someone as strong as Katsuma out. The adults were still discussing their mode of action when Nezu revealed that Midoriya was here.
The adults were panicking, trying to figure out what they were going to tell the number one hero. Their panic only doubled when they found out the number two hero, Midoriya's hero partner, the one and only Bakugo Katsuki, was with him.
Kota and Eri were beside Bakugo as Midoriya took the lead. Midoriya entered the nurse's office, immediately tending to Katsuma. "I'm going to kill that little punk. I guess she is stupid enough to hurt one of my precious jewels."
Katsuma silently cried into Midoriya's chest, feeling safe in the presence of his guardian. "She... she."
Midoriya shushed Katsuma, seeing that Katsuma was not ready to talk about what happened. Turning to the new nurse, the pro-hero Healflame, Midoriya tried to remain kind.
"What did Okamura do?"
"From what I can tell, she failed to properly inject Katsuma with an unknown substance I'm getting tested now. Okamura also physically attacked Katsuma once she injected the substance into him, most likely the way Katsuma ended up unconscious. There will be some bruising on his head, wrists, and legs, but is fine otherwise."
Midoriya screamed at Nezu, Katsuma's teacher, and Okamura's teacher. The fact that Okamura wasn't in handcuffs only enhanced his rage.
"So you failed to protect my child, but you are now protecting a criminal? That monster practically kidnapped and assaulted my child in this school and you all are protecting her?" shrieked Midoriya, his face growing red from how angry he was.
Nezu bowed his head and sighed, "We can't do anything. Okamura's case depends on Katsuma."
"And you wanna know why you can't do anything? My son was knocked un-fucking-conscious!" Midoriya couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "You know, after all the shit my class went through in our time here, you still manage to fail to protect children Nezu."
Nezu remained silent, staring at Midoriya in shock and hurt. Everyone in the room knew Midoriya hit where it hurt. No one could blame Midoriya because what he said was true.
Shoji rushed to bow before Midoriya. "I sincerely apologize for the harm I have caused Katsuma and I'm planning on apologizing to him personally. He mentioned Okamura was a bit on the crazy side, but I didn't know to the extent. I have failed your son and I promise to make it up to the both of you."
Midoriya smiled, patting Shoji's shoulder before giving it a tight squeeze. "The first thing you can do to make it up to me is to get that brat's parents here... now."
Shoji nodded, leaving the room to make the calls. Bakugo marched over and crossed his arms. "This is why you can't even break the top ten. If you paid attention and cared about your students, none of this shit would've happened."
Kota scoffed, "They didn't even seem to hurry when I told them to find Katsuma!"
"Yeah, they tried to tell us that we were being dramatic," ranted Eri, happy to call out the teacher's neglect.
Midoriya looked at Bakugo. "Kacchan."
"What nerd?"
"I need you to stop me if I can't hold back anymore."
Bakugo nodded, the only one equipped to stop Midoriya if he lost his cool. It wasn't often that Midoriya lost control of his emotions, but then again, Midoriya always struggled to control his heart when those he loved were hurt.
When Okamura's parents finally arrived, Midoriya guided them to a private room to discuss what happened. Midoriya genuinely believed that if he talked to the parents, they'd come to a resolution.
It didn't take long for Midoriya and Okamur's parents to disagree.
"Our precious daughter would never do that!" cried the girl's mother.
Midoriya narrowed his eyes, getting suspiciously calm. "Oh? So you want to play that game."
The woman wasn't having any of it. "How dare you insinuate our child was capable of harming Katsuma! She loves that boy with all her heart!"
"You're daughter may have loved my kid, but she had a horrible way of showing it. Your daughter is the reason why they broke up, she made my son cry. Your child is a demented lunatic! She assaulted my kid!" argued Midoriya, his composure slipping.
The woman gasped, pointing a finger at Midoriya. "You're crazy! I don't care if you're some hot-shot hero, you're the crazy one!"
"I don't care if protecting my son makes me crazy. And... just so you know, parent to parent, I don't care what you say anymore. I was willing to come to some kind of resolution, but that's over now. I won't let your criminal of a child get away with what she did and she will not be getting away with a lousy slap on the wrist. Her future is over," promised Midoriya heartlessly.
"You can't do this!" exploded the woman, her face bright red as panic settled in her gut.
"Oh, but I can, and I am more than happy to let you know that your daughter will never become a hero because I am going to get her banned from this school and all other hero schools. Your child is a villain and if she does manage to get away with this... I will make sure that the rest of her life is a hell she can't escape,” vowed Midoriya, his smile anything but welcoming.
Midoriya happily got up and left the horrified mom and neglectful dad in the room. Opening the door, Midoriya was met with Bakugo and Kota eavesdropping. Midoriya rolled his eyes at Bakugo's stunned expression.
"Damn Izuku. You should date me," suggested Bakugo, shooting his shot.
Kota fake gagged, offended. "Back off old man!"
Midoriya patted Bakugo's bicep. "Ask me later Kacchan. I'm in the middle of something."
"The middle of being a badass," complimented Kota, smiling at the memory of Midoriya giving those parents a piece of his mind.
Thankfully with Midoriya's power and status, Okamura was expelled and charged with assault even though most children don't ever get serious charges. The substance Okamura tried to inject Katsuma with was another piece of evidence that made it easy for Midoriya to get his way.
Katsuma had a quick recovery and his bond with Midoriya somehow managed to get even stronger. Kota and Eri also managed to get even closer to Katsuma, growing even more overprotective. Midoriya was happy to shelter and defend the kids who were put under his care.
No one fucked with Midoriya’s kids.