Chapter Text
The healing process was always the hardest part for Izuku. He usually got the best sleep of his life while in a coma. The world is silent for those moments, and the only thing that he would hear is his heart pumping for blood every few minutes— 50 beats per minute to be exact. Or the people who come by to visit him, trying to tell him, between their sobs, how much they miss him, and wishing for his speedy recovery. Sometimes even the clicks of their footsteps were a comforting sound to hear as they slowly faded away, leaving him to slumber in the silence.
Izuku loved it when he was in a coma; he liked the feeling his body would have, because for at least a little while, he got his well-earned rest. Which was funny for him to say, as the most stubborn boy on the planet. The many hours of sleep he would gain back after forcing his body past the limit to stay awake during battles. And the dreams— oh, the dreams! His mind would torture him with, sometimes, he fantasized of a life where All Might hadn't chosen him, where he went with Mirio instead. He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it. He wonders what he would be up to… maybe he would feel at peace and content with knowing that he tried, instead of all the overwhelming emotions he gets now with thinking of what type of hero he could have been.
Izuku knew better than anybody that he should not be having these thoughts. But ever since the vestige had left his body, he was finally alone with his mind. Free to think whatever he wanted, without somebody whispering in his ear about all his wrongdoings. Was it so wrong for him to deal with his trauma in his own way? He didn't want to talk to everybody and repeat the same bullshit that they wanted to hear from him. The quirk that he spent longer training for than yielding was slowly fading from within him, and the only evidence of it ever being there was the many scars he had littered around his body; his arms, legs, chest, and even his cheeks, taking his freckles with it. Now he only has 4 diamond-lined freckles in his right cheek, although thankfully his hair did grow back quicker than expected, which made him feel some bit of normal again.
Yet after everything, Izuku was more concerned about Kacchan. He remembers vividly the horrific scene of watching his body lie there, almost dead, as he started to become cold. Midoriya couldn't even breathe throughout his battle with Shigaraki; his body was moving on pure adrenaline, impulsively running to defend. His thoughts were on Kacchan. Even now, they always are, always thinking of the boy and of how he must be feeling. Izuku would not lie to himself anymore; he knew better than anybody else that he was in love— in love with Katsuki. He must have always known this. Bakugou was the only one who ever made him feel like there were butterflies inside his stomach, the one who drove him mad, the one who made him want to fight for more, to succeed no matter what. His drive, his pride, his sorrow, they all belonged to him.
He would never force him into a relationship, not when he treasures the new friendship they have, that would be too selfish for him to do, even if there was a slight chance of him feeling the same way. Izuku just couldn't fathom a reality in which Bakugou ever loved him in that way. He treasures the apology that he had given him in the rain, of course, only he would be able to bring him back. Only Kacchan.
Entering the new year, Izuku promised himself that he would not dwell on his past. He had made up his mind, he would finish school, graduate with honors, and maybe go to a university. Most heroes don't bother with furthering their education, I mean, being a hero makes you enough money— even in your rookie years, to buy a home and maintain a decent lifestyle. Midoriya valued education; he was a life-long learner, and loved being as knowledgeable as he could. That's why, in the back of his head, he always thought of attending university, he wanted to know what it would be like to experience life outside Japan, learning. Ever since he told his close friends about his new status, they look at him with these pity eyes that he absolutely loathes. Anytime he’s talking or sparring with them, he can see it, the image of himself that they made for him, it has been distorted. He’s no longer somebody that can compete— no matter how many times they tell him that having a quirk doesn’t matter. It always comes back to this. Being quirkless is not a burden to him, not anymore, he’s fine. He just wishes everyone else would realize that, and stop treating him like a child.
Fortunately, Izuku would have his mind on other things. When Class 1-A came back after Christmas break for the new semester, their class was informed of the two new students that would be joining them.
"Do not scare them away, and for the love of god, be respectful." Aizawa said while rolling out of his yellow sleeping bag.
"Mr. Aizawa, we promise to be on our best behavior!" Mina exclaimed "How exciting, I wonder what their personalities are!" She added while clapping her hands together.
"I agree wholeheartedly with Ashido, let us be good classmates and help out our new comers with whatever they need!" Iida added, while chopping the air.
Footsteps could be heard from outside intertwined with many voices, he could distinguish one of them being All Might’s. The door slid open, and All Might came in first, no longer in his 'hero' form. "Please, ask me anything if needed I will be more than happy to help out." He said to the mysterious figures from the door, in English.
That's weird, Midoriya thought, he knew that All Might was fluent in the language as his mentor was always rambling on and on about America and it's amazing 'cultures.' His thoughts silenced themselves as he saw the two figures walk to the front of the class. Whoa, he had never seen two people look so polished, with the way they wore the uniforms they looked like models. They look like twins, almost identical only differing in gender, a boy and a girl.
"Class, I am excited to introduce to you the Guerrero twins, Atzi and Izel, they are from the United States." All Might said excitedly. They both bowed in sync with one another. "Nice to meet all of you, please take good care of us." spoke the younger male, he was tall and good-looking, like a movie-star. His voice was low and commanding, creating a silent void throughout the class. Of course, that only lasted for a couple of seconds, the after shock becoming no more when the girl spoke up.
"We are so excited to be attending U. A. I hope we all become good friends." she said, smiling sweetly at us. Her American accent was more prominent when she spoke. Izuku was intrigued just like everybody else, this semester was about to become more fun than ever before.
Everyone wanted to talk to the new foreigners, they were jumped as soon as they had finished their introductions. I was also interested in learning more about them, but I felt bad with the way everybody was overwhelming them. I understand the feeling all too well. My thoughts were soon disrupted by Denki's excitement.
"Your hair is so cool, dude!" Kaminari spoke, raising his fingers dangerously close to Atzi's hair. Fortunately, his hand would never make it, Mina smacked it back swiftly. "Denki, that's rude, you can't just touch people's hair like that!" she angrily said towards the blonde. He rubbed his hand playfully while making a face, "I'm sorry, I didn't know." Denki turned to face him. Atzi let out a low chuckle, "Don't worry about it." He grabbed a piece of his hair between his fingers. "These are called Dreadlocks. They are my favorite style to wear." He explained to the boy.
"How come you and your sister decided to come to U.A.? Doesn't the United States offer one of the best hero programs?"
Izuku was surprised, it was Kacchan who asked. He was leaning a little on his chair. His face was calm, even with his little scowl. One part of Izuku was glad that somethings never changed even after everything.
"Well our parents just thought that we should have more exposure to different cultures, and they decided on Japan." Atzi said, facing Bakugou.
"Of course, it also helps that we are 6,000 miles away and unable to annoy them anymore." Izel playfully, she was standing next to Atzi's desk.
The seating chart had to be changed in order for everyone to fit. Sero was moved back, replacing Tokoyami, Atzi sitting in his place next to Kirishima and me. Izel replaced Sato, and he was now behind her and Uraraka. It was a tight fit, but Mr. Aizawa made it work.
After class ended, Hagakure planned a hang-out in the common room. She insisted that it would help the twins get settled in better. Since it was Friday, it quickly turned into a giant sleepover. The floor was filled with blankets and pillows, and the dress code was non-negotiable— because of the girls. I put on my All Might jammies and plain white shirt, and made my way to the living room. There were only a few spots left, either between Kacchan and Kirishima or Atzi and Iida. I didn’t want to bother Kacchan, so I chose to sit next to Atzi.
This wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be, everybody was laughing and cracking jokes. It felt nice to see my friends smile again, after what they've been through it made me happy to see them act like this. Out of nowhere, I felt somebody bump me on my shoulder… It was Atzi. He whispered leaning towards my ear, "You know where the bathroom might be? I don't want to get lost."
I got up to show him and after he was done we ended up in the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water, "Are you thirsty…uh— I never got your name actually?" he said, meeting my eyes, pouring another glass.
"Izuku— Izuku Midoriya, but everybody just calls me Deku." I said accepting the cup.
"Deku? I mean, I'm not a professional in the Japanese language or anything, but doesn't that mean useless?" He said with a smirk.
I let out a giggle, "Yeah, it does, but I like it." I took a quick sip before adding. "The name is important to me, it has a special history, so I turned it into a name that people can look up to."
"Really? I knew I recognized your face from somewhere… you were the boy who fought against all those villains." He said while snapping his fingers. "You don't look like somebody who has gone through a war?"
“I assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about.” I replied in a playful tone, hoping he would sense this and avoid the topic. Luckily for me, he was more than willing to shift the conversation.
He had his arms crossed with one holding the cup near his lip. “What about you?” I asked. “You don’t look like a person who would willingly fly across the world to attend a hero school. Your family must be well off to be able to set this up for you guys.” I questioned him, some part of me was genuinely interested in knowing but I realized I may have come across as rude.
“No, my family is… comfortable.” He replied smiling.
“Comfortable..? And how comfortable are we talking?” I say, looking up at him.
He chuckled softly. His eyes shutting for a moment before speaking. “Let’s just say, enough for All Might to be our letter of recommendation.”
“No way, you have ties with All Might Sensei! How do you know him!” I said excitedly. It wasn’t all the time that I found out about All Might’s past, even less his friends. For as much as he loved his time in America, he never told me of the people, only telling me of the “good” experiences he had.
He placed his cup down at the counter before looking back at me.
“The truth is I lied about something… not intentionally— just, it's been a long time since someone has cared enough to ask me these questions.”
“Well, whatever it is, I promise to understand. You may not know this now but I am a great listener— apparently.” I tried to say jokingly.
His eyes squinted for a moment.
“My last name isn’t actually Guierrero… well it is one of them— but not my main last name, if you understand what I mean.”
“Do you prefer it over your ‘main’ one?” I replied back. Why would this be a problem? Silly, but I don’t judge.
“I guess, when I use my real name people tend to act differently… so if I tell you, promise me, you won’t suddenly start looking at me weird.” He asked, leaning against the fridge.
“Don’t tell me it’s a weird sounding last name, because I assure you that I would never joke about something like that.” I replied truthfully.
“Of course you wouldn’t… have you ever heard of the De La Barrera family.”
My eyes widened. “De La Barrera”, that last name is not only legacy, but important to hero history. Before heroes were legalized only 7 out of the 189 vigilantes that took the first hero test were passed to use their quirk as pros in Rhode Island. “Y-you are related to one of the seven heavenly families.” I stumbled out, amazed at the thought.
“You promised me you wouldn’t look at me weird, Deku.”
I tried composing myself.
“That’s amazing, you’re amazing, I can’t believe it!”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of em’ hero fanboys.” He asked, tilting his head slightly.
“What— of course not! I’m totally normal about this.”
“Mmmh” he replied.
“I promised you, didn’t I? And since I’m so good at keeping those, I promise to keep this to myself, I swear!” I lifted my pinkie to meet his face. “Oh gosh, I should have my journal right now! Why don’t I have it with me? You don’t mind if I ask you some questions right? I just– I’ve never met anybody with such important hero ties like you, I mean if it wasn’t for your forefather, this— we might not even be here! I haven’t even asked about your quirk, how could I have forgotten that I—”
I slapped my hands over my mouth. He had a funny look on his face, as if he was holding in a laugh. Biting his lip, he let out a chuckle, his hands patted my shoulder. “Relax, I ain’t going anywhere. You can ask me all the questions you want...”
“Really!”
“Tomorrow.”
Oh.
“For now, why don’t you show me to my room, I have the number but no idea where it is.” He pulled out his phone, showing me the information. His room was next to Kacchan’s, how… convenient, “Yup, I know exactly where that is…”
As we got closer towards the room, he was telling me more about himself. Something I’ve noticed from meeting him is just how charismatic he is, like for example our conversation, he easily dominates it, giving me the answers I want but always leaving me wanting to know more.
“You are a very interesting person, Deku.”
“I’m the interesting one? You are the one whose hero-royalty!” I pointed to myself, sarcastically saying. When we made it to the front of his door, he turned to me and put his hand out, extending it towards me.
“Thank you.”
I stood there for a second before quickly shaking his hand back. He had a strong grip, his eyes never once looking away from me.
“I promise to give you an all-exclusive session about me tomorrow.” He said grinning. When he let go and opened his door, he turned back to me for a final time. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight!” I replied back a little too loud. That was by far one of the most interesting conversations I've ever had with somebody. I have always wanted to meet somebody with an amazing history like his. I looked down towards my palm, I think I'm a little star-struck. I can’t help it, I’m a hero nerd first. Before I could walk back to my room, from the corner of my eye, I could see a recognizable figure, it was Kacchan. He was leaning on his door frame, glaring directly at me.
“Had fun, Deku?”
“Waa-chan! I’m sorry I didn’t see you, I was just showing our new classmate back to his room. I hope Kacchan had a good time tonight.”
His eyes were glaring even harder at me, crossing his arms, his demeanor was strange, it’s almost as if he was angry with me. But why would he be? I haven’t done anything to upset him, matter of fact I haven’t even spoken to him since the hospital. I mean how could I, when all I've been able to think about is how amazing he looked on the battlefield. He’s always been able to come save me in my time of need, no matter the consequence, he shows up. And that time I’ll never forget the smile he had, even on the brink of death, Kacchan always manages to look so cool. I snapped out of my daydreaming, remembering who I was standing in front of.
“…with me” Oh shit. I completely missed what he said to me! It sounded important. My eyes widened, trying to piece together what he could have told me.
“Hey nerd, did’ya hear me!”
“I’m sorry Kacchan, what did you say, I missed it…”
“I said, tomorrow come train with me!.”
Ah, training with kacchan. Like old times, when I still had a quirk, Kacchan was the only one who understood the magnitude of my quirk, so he took being my partner very seriously. But now that I don't have one anymore, I wondered how he would go about it. Kacchan always had a weird way of showing that he cared, I suppose I have been acting very distant, and I really want to spend some time with him…
“Okay, Kacchan.” I said, smiling towards him.
His gaze softened, his crossed arms becoming loose a little. “Good, just cause you ain’t got a quirk no more, don’t mean you can slack off!” I giggled, of course not. “I fear, Kacchan would never let me.” I replied back, knowing how he was, tomorrow was going to leave me sore.
“Be ready by 9, I’ll meet you at the gym.”
When I finally made it to bed, I stared at the ceiling for a moment. I haven’t taken the time to train since my return from the hospital. Nobody has really forced me, either. Kacchan’s right, I can’t start slacking off just because I’m quirkless again! That would be a total waste of all the effort everyone has put into me. But before falling asleep, I picked up my phone and opened my notes app. What are some good questions to ask Atzi? What does one even ask a legacy child? I mean, how did it feel to be apart such a family, is the pressure so immense you want to be away from it all. Even though I wasn't All Might’s biological son, everyone seemed to treat me as if I was. The expectations of just being his protege are a lot as it is, funny how both of us ended up at square one again. I closed my eyes, and felt my brain begin to silence itself. I missed my bed sooo much…
.
.
.
Doin' more than I've ever done for anyone's attention
Take notice of what's in front of you
'Cause did I mention? (Ow!) you're 'bout to miss a good thing
And you'll never know how good it feels to have all of my affection
And you'll never get a chance to experience my lovin' (ow!)
You Don't Know My Name (Alicia Keys)