Word Count: 3,048
Warnings: Angst, combat
Information: Still working on this story. I decided to let people read it because it has been a long time since I've actually written and posted something. I hope you all enjoy!
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The snow was falling ever so slightly, but the chill in the air was crisp and sharp. The air was so cold that Izuku could see his breath even when he wrapped a scarf around his mouth. His mittens weren't winning the battle against the icy chill, and his boots weren't doing any better. He needed new winter clothes; however, most stores were selling higher prices due to the holiday season. Although, it was a good thing lots of other items were on sale. He could just order online, which he's thought about multiple times over the past few weeks. As he walked on the icy paved sidewalk towards the mall, he received a call. He fishes the phone out of his pocket but couldn't press the answer button because of his mittens. If he took his mittens off they would be even more cold than they were, but he proceeded anyway. Izuku tries to answer but stumbles on some ice and drops his phone, cracking it on the pavement. He groans angrily and picks it up, turning it over and mourns slightly over the cracked screen. He needed a new phone anyway. Good thing he was doing some holiday shopping.The phone rang again, luckily it still worked to some degree.
He picked up this time and heard the cheery voice of his mother. "Izuku, honey! Are you still staying in that apartment?" Inko questioned.
"Sure am," Izuku said in a not so happy tone.
"What's wrong? Do you not like it there?"
"No, no, I do. It's just that I think I want a smaller place? It feels too big for one person..." Izuku trailed off with a somber silence. Inko pressed her lips together, deciding not to mention anything. Izuku internally thanked her for that. "Oh! What did you want to talk about?"
"Nothing serious, I just needed to know so I can send you some presents for christmas."
"Mom, you don't need to do that."
"Hush. I want to do that, and you're my son. What makes you think I won't get you anything? It's a holiday and I'll be damned if I don't get you a present."
Izuku chuckled, "You've done so much for me already!"
"And I'll continue until the day I die. Just because you're an adult now doesn't mean I stop being a mother," she told him wholeheartedly. Izuku smiled, his empty hand clutching over his heart with a soft loving smile on his face. He couldn't have asked for a better mom. No parent is perfect, but he loved his mom because to him, even with her flaws, she was perfect. It made him think of a time when he was happy and laughing with all his friends. "I'll have to come visit you soon. I want to be there for you on christmas, I just don't have enough money to get a plane ticket."
Izuku slightly scowled until his face lit up in happiness. He didn't mention to anyone that he'd be flying back to japan for two weeks. He finally got time off work even if he didn't want to stop. Being a workaholic is like an addiction, so his boss practically threw him out the door and told him to take a break. "Aren't you staying in Tokyo? That means your flight is around 1,087 dollars. Well, in yen that would be around... 125122.40 yen."
"Izuku, did you really just do that all in your head?" Inko asked, trying not to laugh. Izuku could hear it though.
"No, I used a calculator like a normal person," Izuku said, chuckling.
"I think a casual person would have just looked on the internet," Inko laughed. Izuku blushed, feeling embarrassed. He did look up the initial flight. He just had to use a calculator to translate USD into Japanese Yen. "It's okay, though. You said you'd be flying out here for the new year?"
"Yeah! I promise." Izuku replied.
"Great! I'll see you soon. I have to go. The doctor is here."
"Okay, I love you," Izuku said as he started walking through the door of the mall.
"I love you too," and with that the conversation ended. The warmth of the mall hit him like opening an oven after baking cookies. It was at this moment he worried why his mom called him so late. It may have been day time in the US, but that meant it was night in Japan. He took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. He walked towards a clothing store and looked for mittens. He found a nice green and white pair. He smiled, and looked at the price. Just like that his smile wavered. It wasn't like he couldn't afford them, he just thought it was ridiculous how highly priced a pair of mittens were. He bought them anyway, and continued along to buy a new warm coat. He was walking until he heard a soft, "Excuse me mister?" Izuku turned and looked down at a little girl with soft blonde hair and striking red eyes. His heart pulled at him and he could feel his throat hurt.
"Hello, are you lost?" Izuku crouched down and gave her a kind gentle smile.
"No, I'm not lost. I just saw you with the green mittens and thought you looked like Deku. Are you Deku? You look like him!" She smiled and bounced on her toes with wide happy eyes. Izuku chuckled and nodded his head.
"I am. Are you a fan?"
"YES! You're one of my favorite heroes!" She spun around in a circle and the smile on her face made Izuku want to cry tears of joy.
"Did you want an autograph?" Izuku asked.
"What's an... an autograph?" She asked.
"It's where someone writes a memento, which is a souvenir, something of value that reminds you of a person, place or event. It's where I'd write my name and a small note for you on whatever you want like a notebook or toy," Izuku explained.
"Oh... I don't have any of those for you to write your name," The little girl pouted.
"How about you pick anything you want in the toy store, and I can sign it for you," Izuku offered. The little girl smiled widely before thinking.
"I don't have money."
"That's okay, I can get it for you. Consider it a holiday gift," Izuku said. "Where are your caretakers?" He asked. She ignored him and took his hand, forcibly leading him to the toy section. She looked and looked until she saw a bracelet. She grabbed it and handed it to him.
"I know you can't write on it, but knowing you will get it for me makes me happy. I'll keep it forever and ever!" Izuku smiled and went up to the cashier. The cashier's mouth dropped and Izuku chuckled before handing him the bracelet. He paused before checking it out. The dude asked for a picture and Izuku happily took one with him. He gave the little girl the bracelet and helped her put it on. She smiled and ran into his leg, hugging him tightly. Izuku felt gloom wash over him a little. He hugged her back and watched her wave goodbye. "Thank you Mister Deku!" She was soon out of sight. Izuku smiled and walked out of the mall. He carried his items in a large bag. Some people looked at him as he walked by. Others whispered but he wasn't paying attention.
He found his way near a coffee shop. Many people were rushing by, and he soon knew how to navigate through the chaos. Izuku still ended up bumping into someone. "Shit! Watch where you're going bastard!" The voice yelled. The guy's face dropped once he saw the green haired boy. "Deku..."
"Kacchan? What... What are you doing in New York? In America?" Izuku asked him incredulously.
"Special case. I won't be here long," Katsuki gruffed out. There was an unspoken silence, and it felt awkward. The two didn't say anything for a while until Katsuki spoke again. "Did you wanna, I don't know, get a damn coffee or something?"
"Yes! I-I mean... yes," Izuku smiled, and something inside Katsuki hurt. The two of them head inside the coffee shop to bask in the warmth and smell that follows. They found a table and Katsuki said he would order for them. Izuku sat down, placing his bag on the floor next to him. The line was long, he ended up waiting twenty minutes for Katsuki to come back with two drinks. "I'm surprised you didn't lose your cool," Izuku said casually.
"I almost did," Katsuki chuckled, placing Izuku's drink in front of him. Izuku didn't say it, but he felt happy that Katsuki remembered his order. It's cheesy, but it made him content for a brief moment. Their conversation was met with another bit of silence, not awkward but there was this tension that filled the air. "How's your time in New York, Nerd?"
"Oh! It's amazing. Chaotic. Lots of crime actually," Izuku stated.
"I bet you enjoy playing hero, huh?"
"I am a hero. You are too. Although, you enjoy the beating more than the saving." Izuku said before he could stop himself. His tone was snarky. It got uncomfortably quiet again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean–"
"You're right," Katsuki calmly said before sipping his drink. Izuku looked at him with anxiety. "I know how you meant it."
"No, really. I didn't mean to say it the way I did."
"But you did. At least, a part of you did. And that's... that's okay. I deserve that." There was quiet again. Izuku opened his mouth to speak but then flashes and squealing came upon them. A group of girls walked up to them being giddy and shy. Katsuki rolled his eyes and sneered but Izuku sighed and smiled. They asked for pictures and much to Katsuki's disliking he was practically forced to join in. After that, the paparazzi showed up. "Shit. Deku, I have to go. If people know I'm here, which they do now, it could hinder my assignment." Izuku didn't even think of that. "I guess I'll see you around." With that Katsuki left faster than a dog seeing a squirrel. Izuku got up soon after, not wanting to sit in this uncomfortable atmosphere. The paparazzi shoved cameras in his face and he was anxious, tired, and almost shoved one of those cameras into their faces. But he kept moving, not answering any questions, and waving a small hand, and a sweet smile before calling a taxi and quickly getting in. The taxi driver didn't ask for any pictures or talk that much, but they were nice and respectful. Izuku was grateful and could finally catch his breath. He told the driver to head towards his apartment. The drive was nice as he reflected on what happened. He hadn't seen Katsuki in three years. Three. That was so bizarre to Izuku. They've always been near each other. Never in their life have they been too far from one another.
The taxi stopped in front of the apartment, and Izuku left a generous tip and got out with his bags. He walked up the stairs, feeling the weight of his day. A day that wasn't even over. As he grabbed his keys, he dropped them and groaned. He lazily picked them up and opened the door before locking it. The christmas tree was in the corner of the living room, white and twinkling with red and golden ornaments. Small presents were under the tree from his friends. Izuku walked into the kitchen, and made some simple noodles. He then got a call from a number that made his heart stop every time it called. He answered. "Hello?"
"Is this Midoriya Izuku?" The person on the other line asked.
"Yes..." His voice was breathless and he felt sick. What were they going to say?
"We wanted to inform you that Midoriya Inko underwent surgery. There were some complications."
"W-What... What type of complications?"Izuku felt like he could cry.
"Her treatment wasn't working and she went into cardiac arrest during her surgery," Izuku couldn't breathe. "She is okay now. However, we fear that she's getting worse," Izuku felt like throwing up.
"How much worse?"
"We don't have an exact estimate. But her condition is deteriorating quickly. It would probably be best if you see her as soon as you can."
Izuku was quiet and so was the lady on the other side. She apologized to him and he felt slight comfort. Not enough to calm him. He thanked her and then hung up. He wasn't hungry anymore, and all he wanted to do was go home. Then he got another call and he was ready to break the rest of his phone. He forgot to buy a new one after cracking it this morning. He answered the phone again, and sighed as he was called to take care of a villain. He suddenly gained more energy. Happy to save people who need it and to put this energy into something good. He was there in less than three minutes but when he got there, Katsuki was there as well. Other heroes too. They made eye contact and Katsuki's brows furrowed and Izuku quickly looked away.
The fight began abruptly, as a villain who could fly by manipulating wind started to blast everyone away. Katsuki and Izuku fought well, almost like they were back to the way they were. Izuku had new moves and Katsuki was impressed. He started to show off his new moves and Izuku smirked. Something about competing was thrilling and inviting. Exciting in a good way that motivated both to do their best together. The Wind Villain managed to knock a pillar off a building. That pillar knocked against another. This created a domino effect and people were running around while other people were still in that building. Izuku's eyes widened and he joined two other heroes toward that building. Katsuki and two others handled the villain. The building fell slowly at first, but became increasingly faster as it started to crumble and turn to dust. Someone fell out the window. A little girl with blonde hair and striking red eyes. She had a pretty bracelet. A bracelet Izuku immediately recognized. He activated Float and used Black Whip to catch the girl in the sky as the building fell. A hero leading people away to safety took the little girl from Izuku's hands as he ran back into the fight. The rest of the building fell and Izuku caught it. He clenches his jaw and he could definitely feel the weight of it. He wouldn't be able to hold it much longer.
Katsuki punched the guy in the nose and blood splurted out as the Wind Villain used his quirk to float higher. Katsuki used his explosions to follow him and make a bright light, temporarily blinding the villain. A strong gust of wind threw him against one of the other heroes (Slip n' Stick) whose quirk was a sticky slime. They could manipulate this slime, and make objects to climb and walk on. They used this slime as stairs on other broken buildings to reach the villain. The slime could also be very slippery depending on which one the hero wanted. Slip n' Stick and Katsuki (Dynamight) fell on the ground. Hard. And Katsuki felt a rock go into his skin. This pissed him off more. He grabbed his other teammate, Bat. Bat had bat wings and was blind. But they also had echolocation. Almost everyone in their family had horrible eyesight. Sadly, a dominant gene. Bat was an amazing hero and usually worked at night and stealth missions. Both Bat and Katsuki flew up and attacked the villain. Bat screeched in Wind Villain's ear and he punched Bat in the face. Katsuki grabbed the back collar of Wind Villain and thrusted his empty hand up. He used a big explosion and he and the villain sped towards the ground. Dust flew up in the air and got into Katsuki's eyes and mouth. He coughed as saliva cornered his mouth. He could taste the dirt and inhaled the grit from the ground.
The villain wheezed and his eyes were wide as tears collected in them. He was stunned and couldn't move. Katsuki wiped his mouth and coughed again. Smirking at the villain in victory. The villain passed out as his head was slightly bleeding. Katsuki made sure not to kill the guy, so he slammed his back instead of his head. But that didn't stop the momentum from the fall, it did however lessen it as the main target was to knock him out. Bat landed on the ground, panting. "You good?" Katsuki asked and Bat nodded their head. Slip n' Stick limped over and handed Katsuki handcuffs. He cuffed them as police started to walk over. That's when they heard the rest of the building start to collapse.
They all looked over and Katsuki's heart practically flew out of his chest as he saw Izuku kneeling on one knee holding a whole building. He caught Izuku's eye less than a second before the whole building fell. His heart dropped and he sprinted towards the building. Other heroes followed in pursuit as more arrived at the scene. "DEKU!" Katsuki yelled as he moved a large rock. A larger hero arrived and helped move some debris. Katsuki thought about blasting it away, but didn't want to risk anyone's safety, let alone Izuku's. People watched and reporters took pictures as the newscaster started talking. The little girl with the bracelet watched with worried eyes. It took five minutes before they could lift part of the building and see Izuku who wasn't moving. He was still so Katsuki couldn't even move. Paramedics rushed past him and placed Izuku on a gurney and started to take him into an ambulance. All Katsuki could do was watch as they took him away.