Chapter Text
He felt dead.
His limbs ached and his throat was impossibly dry, his tongue like sandpaper against the roof of his mouth.
Izuku didn’t think he ever felt this terrible in his entire life. The only thing that came close was that memorable festival night where he ate takoyaki and was bedridden for three days. It was like that, times a hundred.
Izuku opened his eyes slowly but quickly closed them when the light hit him and proved to be too harsh. He gritted his teeth for a moment and opened them anyway, a small headache starting to form. As a wave of exhaustion washed over him as he sat up straight against the bed.
He blinked at the unfamiliar room. It looked a lot like his room. The All Might posters littered the walls of the room neatly. A bookcase tucked in the corner with his All Might figures standing proudly with some new ones he didn’t remember purchasing. Even his sheets looked like they were ripped straight from his bed. The only indicator that this wasn’t his room was the faint beeping sound coming from the heart monitor that was perched next to his bed.
“The hospital?” Izuku stated.
How did he end up…
Wait.
The villain, All Might, Kaachan..
Izuku swallowed. It was all his fault.
Guilt clenched at his heart tightly. His hands trembled but somehow he pulled the sheets roughly off of him. He didn’t see a nurse’s button anywhere in the room to call for help and he really needed to find someone to let him know that Kaachan was alright. Maybe he had a room of his own and he could apologize in person for what happened.
“Hello?” He called out tentatively.
He carefully untangled himself from the sheets placing two unsteady feet on the ground. His legs wobbled dangerously, making Izuku quickly grab the side of the bed to keep his balance.
That villain must have really did a number on him then. He thought to himself.
He shuffled carefully across the room moving from bed to table to bookcase to reach the doorway.
“Hey..” He calls out cautiously at a nurse passing by. She turns doing a double take as her eyes grow wide making Izuku immediately regretted calling attention to himself but presses on anyway. “Do you uh, do you know if Kaac- I mean Bakugou, Katsuki is here?”
The nurse doesn’t respond. Shock gracing her features for a few awkward moments. She shakes her head, quickly coming to her senses as she immediately springs into action. Grabbing Izuku so that he could lean all his weight against the nurse.
He yelps, surprised by the contact, but melts against her anyway.
“What are you doing out of bed?” she says incredulously as she carefully maneuvers Izuku back to his bed, much to his displeasure.
She fumbles to get the radio that’s attached to her belt sending out a call for any staff to come to room 212 as soon as possible.
“Um-“
“How long have you been awake?” The nurse cuts in quickly, taking the clipboard that was hanging at the front of the bed. Producing a pen from her pocket as she quickly jots down a couple of notes.
“Maybe thirty minutes or so, but can you tell me where Kaa-“
“Can you tell me your name?
Izukus eyebrows came together in confusion.
“Midoriya, Izuku?”
The nurse looks at him carefully.
He licks his lips and swallows with difficulty. Painfully aware that he could really use a glass of water right about now. “Midoriya Izuku.” He says, this time with a lot more confidence than he feels that he should be when telling someone his own name. She nods scribbling a couple more things down.
“Do you know where you are?”
“The hospital…can you please just tell me if Kaachan is okay.”
The nurse sighs, stopping in the middle of her writings and in that moment Izuku is so scared to hear what the nurse has to say next. What if Kaachan got so hurt that he could never use his quirk again? What if that villain succeeded in becoming Kaachan? Or worse what if Kaachan was dead all because of him, all because he got in the way of All Might trying to be a real hero. And it was all his faul-
The nurse, as if sensing Izuku’s distress gives a small reassuring smile. “Bakugou is fine.” After a while she rolls her eyes. “Probably more than fine; actually once he finds out your awake I’m sure he’ll visit you as soon as he can.”
“Um..okay..” Because the idea of Kaachan willingly coming to visit him seemed to be just as scary. “Does that mean that Kaachan already checked out?”
The nurse just waved him off. “Like I said he’s fine, lets focus on you for a few minutes, alright.”
“Alright.” Izuku nodded feeling at least a little better knowing that Kaachan was okay. The next few minutes were spent answering a few questions like the name of his mom, where he lived, what middle school he attended and the name of his favorite superhero. That last question seemed to gauge a small frown from the nurse as she eyed the room. Izuku only gave a small nervous laugh looking down at his blanket as he mumbled All Might.
“And lastly,” she said with a hint of hesitation. “What's the last thing you remember?
Izuku grips his blankets tightly looking anywhere other than the nurse. He knew it was inevitable he’d had to share what happened. With so many pro-heroes and a large crowd of people he was bound to talk about it eventually.
He took a deep breath.
“I remember the slime monster attacking Kaachan…and that the pro-heroes couldn’t really do anything. So I uh.." He winced, knowing that his response would probably sound stupid. “Tried to help Kaachan myself.”
He expected the nurse to chastise him. A quirkless kid trying to save someone from a villain was basically suicide, but strangely enough the nurse said nothing only nodding her head as if the news didn’t surprise her.
“All right, that’s all for now Izuku.” The nurse said putting the clipboard back in its original place at the front of the bed. “Please rest until the doctor comes in to see you.”
“Um okay, I’ll try.” He stutters out.” Worrying his lip, keeping his eyes remained on the bed. “But before you go could I have a glass of water?”
The next couple of hours were spent in the company of nurses. All of them seeming to be on a first name basis with him even though he didn’t recall ever meeting them. They all smiled kindly at him and did what they called a routine checkup. Though Izuku never remembered his doctor’s visits being quite this extensive nor did he remember them ever being this exhausting. A testament to how long he had been bedridden. He couldn’t help feeling embarrassed that a petite nurse had to help him stay upright on the scale.
Which left him to wonder, how long had he been in the hospital in the first place, but whenever he asked the nurses how long he was out, they all went quiet and avoided the question. Choosing to talk about safer topics or continue on with their tests. At least a month if the state of his room was anything to go by. But why would his mom move the majority of his personal items in the first place?
Then there was the room….
It was an incredibly large room given that it was just himself. Additionally, he had no roommates which begged the question. How was his mom able to afford a personal room in the first place?
Guilt gnawed at him sharply. He hoped his mom didn’t get herself into debt just because he did something stupid.
He shook his head trying to will the negative thoughts away. He’ll just have to ask his mom when she got here. The nurses told him that she was stuck in traffic but that she would be arriving shortly and that he should rest so that he could be energized when she came by.
He sighed, sleeping was the last thing he wanted to do. He felt like he had already done enough of that already. He picked up the remote control that one of the nurses left him and started clicking slowly to see what was on.
It didn’t take long for something interesting to pop up.
It seemed that a local villain was terrorizing the city again, but by the looks of things it seemed like the fight was basically over. Izuku leaned forward in interest, raising the volume so that he could listen better.
A news anchor stood bravely in front of a ravaged scene. The streets were a mess, a large crack splitting it down the middle. Some cars were pushed to the sides completely smashed. A few heroes had already taken the initiative and started helping by cleaning up or doing short term fixes. Other heroes could be seen urging a crowd of people back who seemed more interested in taking pictures than being pushed back away from danger
“….and the 49th hero Shouto, the villains rampage was stopped. “ The news anchor said smiling. The camera chose this moment to zoom in on a faraway figure who seemed to be helping one of the police officers push the villain into the police cruiser.
Shouto? Izuku narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t like he could call the news team to correct their mistake. The nurses had yet to give him his phone. Though in all likelihood it was damaged beyond repair thanks to the Slime Monster Villain. He groaned, just another thing that he had to make up to his mom.
It wasn’t uncommon for hero’s to change position on the hero board. In fact it was fact of life, the only thing that really stayed the same were the top ten heros. Something must really shake up the hero world for someone like All Might or Endeavor to be knocked out of their spots. Still, he had never really heard of Shouto before and if he remembered correctly Mt. Lady or Kamui Woods were always neck and neck for the 49th position.
The newscaster continued, the focus of the camera moving back on her.
“I'll be sure to get a comment from Shouto as soon as we can. He won’t be able to weasel himself off of this one.” She gave a small wink at the camera her smile large and mischievous. Just as she was about to say more she paused, her eyes turning to the right as she pushed the earpiece closer to her person as if to listen closely to what was being said. Her face fell, frustration evident on her face as she gave a wry smile at the camera.
“Ah it seems that the 50th level Hero won’t be available for comment at this time.” She said, as if it was a tired rehearsed line.
He frowned, even more confused than before. He didn’t have time to contemplate the inconsistency further before more nurses came back to check on him.
There was a knock on the wall that alerted Izuku that someone was at the door. He sat up carefully in his bed wincing at the strain but noting it wasn’t as bad as it was that morning. He flattened the sheets smiling carefully at the elderly women standing at the doorway. He narrowed his eyes not quite believing what he saw before shooting his arm forward with a pointed finger.
“Y-Your Recovery Girl.” He stuttered out. He floundered for a few more seconds his mouth wide open as she walked slowly inside, her syringe cane hitting the floor audibly. Her large smile never wavering. His eyes widened as he forced his arm down, waving his hands frantically in apology. “I’m really sorry! I didn’t want to come off as rude it’s just that you’re a really well known pro hero-“
“My, My so you do have a mouth on you.” Recovery Girl said with a chuckle picking up the now familiar clipboard from the edge of the bed.
Izuku scratched the back of his head in a familiar nervous gestures. Peering nervously from the bed to Recovery Girl and back. She was a big name in the hero world treating heroes like Endeavor, Kamui Woods, Best Jeanist, and even All Might himself. Still given her reputation it was weird that she was here looking after him of all people. Recovery Girl should be healing actual heros that needed to be at their best for future missions or when a villain decides to strike the city like they did this morning.
Another pang of guilt hit him sharply but he swallowed it down as best he could.
“Just uh- What are you doing here?” He paled when the words came out of his mouth. He really didn’t think that question through at all. “N-not that I don’t appreciate you coming to see me at all, it’s just, well…Shouldn’t you be helping some heroes? It’s just that my injuries shouldn’t be as bad as well someone like All Mi- I mean Endeavor.” He said catching himself quickly.
Recovery Girl looked at Izuku her smile warm and kind, making him feel slightly at ease.
“You don’t have to worry about that deary. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want too.” She said flipping a few more pages. “Besides one of my old students asked me too, he doesn’t ask for much so how could I say no?” There was a twinkle in her eye as she leaned heavily against her cane.
Students?
He didn’t think he knew anyone that would know someone like Recovery Girl. Or at least know someone who would be able to hide the fact that they knew a Pro Hero. He wanted to push further but Recovery Girl flipped all the pages back.
“From what we’ve gathered you’re completely healthy. A little weak but that’s understandable under the circumstances. A little physical therapy can fix that up.”
“Understandable?” Izuku said confused.
“No apparent brain damage, no loss of memory, perfect functionality in you limbs you’ve made a full recovery.” She continued reading off the top of the page.
“Your very fortunate my dear.” She said almost fondly. Though why that was, Izuku wasn’t sure.
Izuku cleared his throat a little embarrassed by the look Recovery Girl was giving him. “Can you tell me how long I’ve been out?” He mumbled. “No one’s been able to give me a straight answer.”
There was a sigh as Recovery Girl made her way to the closest chair at the side of Izukus bed and sat in it. She placed her cane carefully against her chair, interlacing her fingers together on her lap.
“When you were admitted into the hospital you had multiple broken bones, lacerations and was unresponsive.”
Izuku blinked in surprise as he lifted his arms. There weren’t any casts on his arms or legs when he woke up. It was a little surprising to hear how badly he must have been hurt without any of the evidence. It was possible that someone like Recovery Girl had used their quirk on Izuku but somehow he doubted that’s what happened.
Even in hospitals healing quirks weren’t particularly common. Which is why someone like Recovery Girl is better suited to helping heroes.
Which led to the possibility of being knocked out long enough for his injuries to heal on their own. The implication being that Izuku had to have been knocked out long enough to make a full recovery. Now that he looked carefully he could see faint scars on his arms that he hadn’t seen before. So faint that the only indication they were there was the light discoloration of raised skin.
“So..Uh what does that mean exactly?” He said licking his lips nervously.
The sound of footsteps hitting the tile floor echoed loudly. It brought Izuku and Recovery Girl's attention to the door, to find someone bending over leaning heavily against the edge of the doorway. Their hair a mess and the bag that they were carrying on the floor in front of them. It took a couple of moments for Izuku to realize that it was his mom currently gasping for air.
“M-Mom?”
It was like the world stood still for a couple of moments.
There was a visible flinch that went through his mother’s frame. Her gasps inaudible as she slowly looked up to see him. Her eyes growing watery from the impending tears. Izuku felt his own eyes start to flood.
“Izuku..” She said as she rushed forward, barely avoiding Recovery Girl as she barreled into Izuku gripping him into a tight hug. He gasped, but returned the gesture, happy to have his mom here finally. While the nurses were nice there was nothing more comforting than having his mom by his side.
She wept openly for a few more minutes. Before reigning in her emotions pulling back to see Izuku. Her hand cradling his face carefully.
His mom was older. The wrinkles on her face ran deeper and her hair had already started sprouting some grey hairs. His stomach churned nervously knowing that he was to blame for some of those.
He gripped his mother tightly. “Im sorry mom.” He managed to say. “I really didn’t mean to worry you I ju-“
She shook her head. “I don’t care anymore. I'm just…” Her breath hitched and Izuku felt her grip tighten. “ I'm, just so glad to have you back Izuku.”
He swallowed but nodded his head anyway.
Her hands were still grabbing ahold of Izukus arms. Not that he was complaining, enjoying the contact and presence of his mother as she took a seat at the edge of his bed.
“Ms. Shuzenji.” Izukus mother said as an afterthought as she regards Recovery Girl with something akin to embarrassment. “I’m really sorry for interrupting.”
Recovery Girl only shook her head and told her it was no problem. Taking out a small pink handkerchief and handing it to Inko. Her hand wrapping around it gratefully dabbing it carefully against her eyes to wipe away her tears.
“What were you telling Izuku?”
“His results.”
His mother frowned. “Without me?” Hurt evident in her tone
“So far I only told him about his initial injuries. I would never tell him without you here.”
“Tell me what.”
The two women share a look.
“The doctors treated your injuries but after a couple of weeks you refused to wake up.” Recover Girl said, putting a hand on Izukus knee, the familiar comforting gesture doing little to ease his panic. “I know this might be difficult to hear deary but you’ve been in a coma for the past five years.”
“F-Five years.” He stuttered out. “That…. can’t be right?”
But it made sense didn’t it. The weird questions, the fact Kaachan wasn’t even in the hospital in the first place. The fact he had a room to himself and why the majority of his personal affects were here. It was the reason that all his injuries were gone, and he felt extremely weak. It was because he hadn’t walked in five years.
Five years.
He lost five years of his life.
“Im sorry Izuku.” He heard his mom say.
“Hows that possible.” Izuku said at a loss for words, looking at his hands noting how they had grown longer and more defined. He curled his fingers into fists as he looked away. “What did you do to….bring me back?”
“Nothing.” Recovery girl said. “You woke up entirely on your own.”
It was a lot to take in. Just yesterday the only thing he wanted most was to get into the same school as All Might. Now he was five years behind. Forget getting into the high school of his dreams, he had to worry about getting his GED and getting into a good university with a freshman level of education.
“Izuku…”
He looked up into the concerned eyes of his mother.
“I know this might seem scary but we’re going to get through this together. Okay?”
He wanted to smile and tell his mom that he was fine. Really. But the tears welled up without meaning too and he collapsed into himself, clutching his mom like the lifeline she was.
His mom was with him for hours staying by his side drinking some tea to calm his nerves. Recovery Girl had left a while ago being polite enough to give mother and son their privacy. It was awkward at first to find topics to talk about. So Izuku settled for listening to his mother talk about her day at work. Her soothing voice tying him to the present away from his thoughts.
At the very least no matter how many years, it was nice to know that his mother still enjoyed her job as a teller and that the same complaints from before were still a constant.
There was a knock on the door. The nurse from earlier gave a pained look at his mom.
“Im sorry to interrupt Mrs. Midoryiya but visiting hours are over.”
His mother frowned. Before Recovery Girl left she did mention that they would be keeping Izuku for observation. Even though Izuku woke up with surprisingly little side effects it was a still necessary precaution to make sure he was okay. It still made him a little sick to his stomach to be here another two months no matter how familiar the surroundings were. It just reminded him how long he had already spent in this room.
“It’s just for two months.” Inko said as if reading his mind. “I’ll be sure to come here first thing in the morning.”
The statement was meant to be comforting but pulling his mother away from her job….
How many times had she spent waiting here for him to wake up exactly? Izuku didn’t think he could ever make peace with that guilt.
“Ill be fine mom.”
“Izuku..” She says tearing up before wrapping him up in a tight hug.
They stay like that for a couple of minutes neither one of them wanting to let go before the nurse gives a small cough.
“Like I said i'll be back in the morning..” She says more to herself then to Izuku. She lingers in the doorway for a while more before leaving alongside the nurse.
The room becoming painfully quiet as the door shuts behind them softly. The sound of the heart rate monitor grounding him to this room. It was dark outside, the moon was out. Izuku rubbed his eyes, aware that his eyelids were drooping heavily but the last thing he wanted to do was sleep.
He’d spent enough time doing that.
He fumbled for the remote control turning on the T.V. and flipping through the channels. There’s nothing on the news and Deku settles for something safe like a kids show to put his mind at ease. Though, it does little to ease the anxiety that's been brewing since this morning.
Now that he was alone it was harder to push the thoughts of his future away. Five years, he couldn’t wrap his head around that.
Five years is how long it took to get to kindergarten. Five years is longer then it would take for him to complete high school. Five years would be..
He grit his teeth fighting back the tears from coming back. He’d done enough crying for today.
He furiously wiped them away, wishing fervently that he had his notebook, any notebook really. He was always better at writing his thoughts down. Because he needed a game plan, no matter what his mom and Recovery Girl said. He did have a lot of catching up to do. He needed to look into schools, most likely online since he couldn’t imagine walking into a classroom now. Could he cram four years of education in one year? Is that even how this sort of thing worked. Izuku itched to get his hands on his phone so he could find out.
He flopped back on the bed, watching the hero save the day on the television screen. A treacherous thought entering his head.
Could he still be a hero?
He scoffed his eyes wandering to the All Might action figure on the shelf.
Even after all this, he still held a small childish hope that he could be a hero. Something that even All Might couldn't really extinguish.
So maybe he couldn't be a hero in the way he wanted to be. He could always follow All Mights advice and become a police officer. Maybe an investigative reporter, he was fairly confident in his writing abilities to pull that off.
But the thought didn’t fill him with the same amount of excitement.
He’ll get over it. He had too, for his mom. He had to take responsibility for all the money she had spent, for all the time she has spent raising him all by herself.
The ending credits for the cartoon starts playing and Izuku figures now’s as good a time as any to head to sleep. But before he turns it off, he hears footsteps coming from the hallway. He narrows his eyes as he listens in on the sound. Its too heavy to be one of the nurses and visiting hours were over, maybe the cleaning crew? But if that were the case then he would hear wheels from the trash can that he saw them push around.
He clutched the covers tightly, unable to look away from the doorway. He didn’t think he could go to sleep until he figured out who it was. After all hospitals were common enough targets for villains to be concerned.
He braced himself as the steps got louder, once he saw the figure he didn’t stop tensing.
“So sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up.”
The familiar smug smirk graced Kaachans face. His hands in his pocket, as he sauntered in.
The first thing he noticed was that Kaachan had grown exponentially. He was always the taller one between the two of them, but to see such a drastic change just reminds him how much time Izuku had lost. At the very least everything else seemed to be the same, even Kaachans wardrobe. He still seemed to stick with darker colors and loose fitting clothes. The leather jacket was a nice touch, it only seemed to heighten his more delinquent like appearance.
The explosion of blond hair the only form of color to his entire appearance. If Izuku did the math, Kaachan should be about nineteen years old.
Still, the most shocking thing other than Kaachans appearance was the fact that he was standing in the room. In the middle of the night. To visit him, Deku, his childhood friend, that he had a falling out with years ago.
There’s a small explosion that jolts Izuku from his reverie.
Kaachan had that irritated look on his face as he snapped his fingers causing another small explosion. Izuku winced, wondering if the noise was loud enough for his neighbors to hear. At least he didn’t have a roommate.
Though more importantly it seemed that Kaachan had learned how to better control his quirk. He took a mental note to put it in his journal.
“Is this how you treat guests Deku.” He said taking a seat where his mother had sat in for the entire afternoon. “Stare at them for twenty minutes and not say shit.”
He felt himself flush with embarrassment. He didn’t realize he’d been staring that long.
“S-Sorry! I just, well, I wasn’t really expecting you.” He cringes immediately once the words leave his mouth. That was definitely not the right thing to say. “I mean not that, I didn’t want to expect you, it's just well, the time, and the fact that it's been so long and I figured Kaachan would have forgotten about me or be too busy with um your stuff to visit...” He finishes weakly, faltering when he sees Kaachans gaze boring down on him.
“Well at least some things never change.” Kaachan said, lacking the usual heat behind it. It sounded more irritated then angry.
Deku frowned unable to find the right words before settling with a hesitant. “I guess so.” Before looking away from Kaachan to pluck at a stray string along the covers.
It was quiet after that. The only noise came from the T.V. Another cartoon had taken the place of the previous show. Though the characters seemed to be having a more pleasant conversation than he was.
Surprisingly though, Kaachan doesn't complain about the silence now. From the corner of his eye he can see Kaachan settle in comfortably. His legs splayed out as he leans back against his chair.
Its weird seeing him this quiet at least, this close to him personally. By this point he would have yelled and stomped off somewhere where Izuku wouldn’t see him. Or at the very least beat him up. This was a foreign experience reminiscent of the times they were kids.
He wasn’t sure what to say. When he woke up he would have loved the opportunity to know that Kaachan was okay, and well a small part of him is relieved that he is okay. That last time he saw him he was in the mouth of a very dangerous villain. It was one thing taking the word of the nurses, and his mother, and another entirely to be faced with the fact that Kaachan is more than fine. Though, he always assumed it would be a struggle to find Kaachan.
He always pictured him being the one to leave the hospital to track down Kaachan and see how he was doing. He expected it to be rocky, maybe even violent knowing how Kaachan is on a regular basis. And while he wouldn’t deem this meeting as completely civil. It wasn’t playing out how he originally imagined either.
He pulled at the stray string on the covers effectively tearing it out. He twisted the spare string between his fingers.
He always planned on meeting Kaachan again and asking him what happened the past five years. He wanted to know if he made it into U.A. The answer was probably yes, but he wanted to hear it from Kaachans mouth directly. Whether he had managed to become a pro hero, whether it was everything they dreamed of when they were kids. And now that he had the opportunity he felt himself hesitating.
He felt that was due in large part to their shared history. Small talk were usually discouraged when they were younger. Talking in general was usually discouraged, so working up the courage to just ask was hard for Izuku.
He pulled the thread between his fingers, the string taut. It broke easily with a low snap.
“Um,” He started, unwinding the broken string from his fingers. At the mention of his voice he could feel Kaachans gaze back on him. “So, what have you been up to Kaachan?”
It's the wrong thing to say given the glare he receives right afterword.
“After al- What the fuck you think I’ve been up to dumbass.” Its cutting enough for Izuku to look back at the floor. His eyes clenched tight in anticipation for another yell or worse a punch. Old habits sure did die hard, even under these circumstances.
He doesn't open his eyes, not even when he hears Kaachan mutter something under his breath.
“I'm working as a pro hero, in the fucking city.”
“Oh.” Deku says at a loss on how to respond.
The answer could even be considered polite if it wasn’t for the cursing. Though from Kaachans pinched face it didn’t come easy.
He swallowed. Well if Kaachan was trying then he might as well continue to try.
“Thats really cool, Kaachan.” He said and meant it. “How long have you been a pro hero?”
“About a year.”
Izuku nodded. That made sense he was only nineteen so he probably graduated just recently.
Probably from U.A. too. He eyed Kaachan warily who returned the gaze easily.
He wasn’t gonna touch that bee nest of problems with a ten foot pole.
So that left little to talk about. He asked about Kaachans family. Whether he was living on his own, pretty mundane tame questions if Izuku were being honest. Kaachan to his credit did answer his questions but never beyond a simple one word answer.
Leaving them to stew in silence rather quickly. But even with an obvious end to the conversation Kaachan didn’t show any signs of leaving.
He’s also surprised none of the nurses had come in to kick Kaachan out either. Which a small part of him was glad for. He didn’t think anybody could get Kaachan to leave anywhere quietly and seeing that there were other patients actually sleeping he didn’t want to disrupt their rest.
That still left Izuku to suffer alone. The only thing comforting him at this point was that it seemed Kaachan seemed just as uncomfortable by the reunion as he did. He wasn’t even looking at him at this point preferring to look out the hallway.
Not knowing what else to do and figuring the cartoon chatter was eventually going to wear at his nerves he changed the channel. He chose to go back to the news figuring it was at least somewhat safe.
He tried to stifle a yawn as he listened to the newscaster drone on about the weather.
Sunny skies for tomorrow, maybe he can convince one of the nurses to open the window. The room got a little too stuffy with so many bodies inside and he could use some fresh air.
“If your tired then sleep idiot.”
He turns, facing Kaachans irritated face head on.
“Uh but,” Your here? He didn’t quite say but knew that Kaachan understood. And instead of leaving he yanked one of the pillows from Izukus bed so that it would lay against the wall. Only serving to further confuse Izuku.
Kaachan shot him another glare.
“Did I fucking stutter, Deku. Go the fuck to sleep.”
He yelped as he turned his head away from the screen and closed his eyes. His heart thumping rapidly but forced himself to settle down. The only noise he could hear was the soft murmur of the television. With his eyes closed, he reasoned he would fall asleep when he heard Kaachan leave.
But he never heard them.
Izuku wasn’t the type to dream. Most of of the few dreams he recalled were vague and often had an emotion attached to them. Sometimes they were happy, sad, anxiety riddled but he could never pinpoint what actually happened.
So the dreams he had while in his coma, (if he had any )he didn’t remember. They were little vague somethings that he could barely decipher.
This dream was different, more vivid then previous experiences, but unlike previous times he couldn't see. It was dark and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't open his eyes to take a look at his surroundings. He was incapable of moving. Not his hand, his legs, mouth. His body a physical cage that he was trapped in.
So more nightmare then dream then. He did his best to stifle the dread that started to creep up against his heart.
So while he could not see, he could hear and smell. Which is why he knew he was in the hospital room, thanks to the now familiar beeping of the heart rate monitor. The thick smell of antiseptic being an additional clue.
He heard other things too, nurses talking with each other. The squeaky sound of wheels being turned against linoleum floors. Wherever he was at was a lot louder then where he was before. This place seemed like it was constantly moving in comparison to the quiet silence from the hospital room he woke up in.
He heard the sharp sound of a curtain being pulled.
Curtain? There weren’t any of those when he woke up in his room.
He heard a chair being pushed back.
There was a man's voice and a woman’s voice that sounded a lot like his mom talking.
He couldn't make out what they were saying. It just sounded like mumbling with one or two words coming out like bad radio connection. The last thing he heard was his mother crying before waking up to the sun shining down on him and the chair next to him empty.
The rest of the week was busy. The nurses were in and out of his room, taking tests, checking his temperature. His mom had come in for the first two days but Izuku managed to convince her to go back to work. She hasn’t accumulated nearly as many days off as she wants Izuku to think.
So the week drags on with too many people sticking needles into him and too many doctors telling him he had shown vast improvements since the previous day.
He still felt tired. He was able to walk a little farther than the first day. But it still left him embarrassingly out of breath for a simple walk around the hallway. And if that's not exhausting then the physical training they enroll him in is just as grueling. It does the job.
When he wasn’t doing physical therapy he was stuck in his room. The only form of entertainment was the T.V. It felt like a waste of time to be sitting around doing nothing so he asked for a computer. Even a pen and paper would do.
It took some convincing. The majority of the staff being wary to introduce him to something that was just a click away from present day knowledge. They had to let that go. Eventually, he was going to leave the hospital. The sooner he figured out how the political climate was the sooner he could integrate into society. They told him to take it slow before handing him a laptop. The All Might stickers shining brightly on his old laptop. He signed in with little problem as he booted up the old computer.
It was an old thing that he got when he was in middle school. he only really used it when he needed to write school papers. If he had the option he would have preferred his smartphone. He knew the slow connection was due more to the computer than the actual connection. Which is why he did most of his research at the library on his phone.
He fought the urge to look up current events figuring he needed to focus on finding a school that would accept him. Or better yet a program that would accept him and give him his GED.
There were several programs many of which were online, thankfully. Most of them seemed pretty intensive. They were geared for teaching people how to pass the general education test that would grant him the equivalent to a high school diploma. He was smart, but could he handle an accelerated program like this?
He put some promising schools in a word document to further discuss with his mom.
Which is where Inko found him, face stuck in front of the computer screen. When he saw her arrive he smiled closing the computer quickly. He didn’t think he was on the computer for that long, but he was the type to get lost in his work.
She smiled though it seemed a little too tight. Her eyes focusing on the computer for a second before resting back on Izukus face. She walked easily to the chair next to him, setting her purse down on the table.
“How was your day sweetie?”
“Um good. Went over some physical training today so nothing super different. But hey they gave me my laptop so there's that.” As the days in the hospital progressed he found himself slowly losing things to talk about with his mother. It wasn’t just that he was stuck in the hospital with little to do. His mother had quickly become familiar with the routine he was stuck in by now. Other then the few additional exercises he gets during his physical training there wasn’t much else.
He tried to ask what was new with his mom but every attempt only seemed to put his mom in a somber mood.
Leaving them with little else to talk about.
“What are you looking at?”
“Oh you know some schools, news that sort of thing.”He tried to play it off as cool.
He could see his mother physically swallow. He had to stop himself from sighing, giving off an easy smile. “Not U.A.” He reassured her.
He tried not to take the sigh of relief that left her mother's lips personally.
“Speaking of U.A. Katsuki-kun graduated not too long ago.” She smiled. “He did very well from what his mother has told me.”
The information wasn’t surprising. Kaachan had already confirmed to him a couple of nights ago that he was a pro hero. He always proved to be a very capable person and there was never a shadow of a doubt that he would get accepted into U.A.. It's part of the reason Izuku looked up to him when they were younger. And a big part of him feels happy for Kaachans accomplishment. Another part of him can't help but feel a little envious.
“That's great.” He said with more feeling then he believed. “Im happy Kaachan was able to go to UA he always wanted to go there.” We always wanted to go there.
He shook his head before looking at his mom, a few more questions coming to mind.
“Did you know Kaachan visited me recently?”
His mom froze, mumbling something to herself before grasping a strand of her hair. Twirling it in a familiar gesture of anxiety.
“The nurses didn’t mention it.” She must have seen Izukus reaction before she started waving her hands. “Not that its uncommon for Katsuki-kun to visit you unannounced. With school and well, work now, he's always had odd hours.”
Even in the middle of the night? He couldn’t help but think. He didn’t want to get Kaachan in trouble if that were the case. Especially since he was at least a little civil.
One thing did stick out from him that he thought was weird.
“Does he normally visit me?”
“Enough times for the nurses to remember him.” She smiles a faraway look in her eye as if recalling a fond memory.
The first visit was a surprise in itself. But to know that Kaachan was one of the more frequent visitors next to his mom is a bit surreal. The Kaachan he grew up with would never visit him.
“Katsuki-kun has changed a lot over the past few years, Izuku. For the better I think.” She said her voice softer than he's ever heard her. “Plus you were always friends right?”
Izuku just frowns. Its something he always wanted. To have a relationship like they had when they were kids. But he wasn’t so sure that's what they had before he ended up here.
A month passes like this. During his time there he discovers he's in a long term care facility. Which would explain why the whole ward seemed deafeningly quiet. From what he’d seen. Him waking up was the most excitement that this hospital has seen in a while. Luckily they seemed to have the staff to meets those needs.
Doing some diggin on his own he found that Hosu Long Term Care was a really well respected organization. He tried not to think about the price tag associated with that legacy.
He was still grateful, the staff had shown him nothing but kindness during his time here.
So when it was the last day of his stay, he was strangely sad to see them go. The nurses wouldn’t stop crying as they waved goodbye to them as he got his stuff packed and ready. Many of them had even given him small gifts to see him go. It took a lot of convincing to allow him to carry some of his belongings home.
The rest of the room still needed to be packed. They assured him that someone was already in charge of doing that and that the rest of his things would arrive tomorrow in the morning.
His mother was waiting for him in the lobby. Looking the happiest he's ever seen her. He waves goodbye to the nurses as he joins his mother out the door. She immediately gestures for izuku to pass him one of his bags. He wants to protest but the look on her face leaves no room for argument.
He hands her one of the lighter bags before making their way down the street to the train station. It was a short ten minute walk from the hospital but his mother gestured for him to go in the opposite direction.
He looked at her a little confused.
“I thought we could eat out tonight.” She said softly an earnest look in her eyes. “To celebrate your discharge.”
He is at a loss for what to say. He wants to indulge his mom but at the same time he just wants to go home. It's already been so long and eating now, no matter how much of a needed change of pace was unappetizing at the moment.
“I even invited Katsuki-kun to come eat with us.” She said helpfully, as if the invitation would entice Izuku with coming.
“I don't know mom..”
“It's only for today. Plus its, you haven’t been, wait no that's not right.” She said curling into herself.
Izuku gave a resigned sigh and smiled at his mother. He guessed he could handle an hour or two. “Okay, it's just for a little bit.”
Her smile was blinding.
The trek to the restaurant didn’t take long. It must have been a reflection on how late he was discharged that it had gotten dark. It was just a ramen shop that seemed a little out of the way hidden from the main crowds. The lights from the entrance illuminating the pathway beautifully. It was simple, nice if he were being honest.
A nice waiter beckons them inside the restaurant and takes them to the booth in the back. They settle in, Izuku putting his bag carefully underneath the table.
The restaurant wasn’t too big, they still managed to squeeze a couple families inside. Who seemed to be laughing creating a cheery atmosphere inside the restaurant that was simply infectious. The waiters handed them some menus before leaving to fetch their drinks.
There was a short list of what was available with a few helpful pictures showing off the store specialties. The beef bowl seemed especially appetizing but he balked a little on the price.
“Go ahead and order whatever you like sweetie.” She said seeming to sense his hesitation.
He gave her a weak smile before looking back at the menu. He didn’t notice someone come up to their table until he heard his mother give a loud greeting.
“Katsuki-kun.” His mother said brightly.
He froze raising his gaze at Kaachans pinched expression. He was wearing that same leather jacket from two months ago.
He swallowed, giving a hesitant greeting in Kaachans direction. His mom did tell him that Kaachan was coming but it was another thing for him to actually come. He half expected him to blow the invitation off.
“Sup, Aunty, Deku.” he said by way of greeting before sitting next to his mother a minor relief for Izuku.
The moment was tense. Even the waiter seemed to know something was amiss as he brought Izuku and his moms drinks. Taking their order as quickly as possible and gathering the menus. His mother on the other hand seemed oblivious.
“I’m so happy to have both of my boys here. Brings back memories of when you two were kids.” She bubbled as she took a sip of her water.
Izuku didn’t have his menu to hide behind this time. He aimed a polite smile in Kanchans direction. He responded with a cool glance that did little to ease Izukus nerves.
His mom sharp as she is, started talking about topics that Izuku recognized as safe. She talked about her job which much to Izukus surprise, Kaachan contributed way more to the conversation then he did. They talked about Izukus physical training, they talked about Kaachan moving out of his parents home to his own apartment. The fish that his mom had gotten a few months ago. They were Bettas and apparently they didn’t take up much space.
They talked for awhile and while Kaachan wasn't particularly nice exactly, well rude would be a more apt descriptor. He wasn't painfully awful like he was before.
What he gleaned from the conversation was that Kaachan and his mom had seemed to have gotten really close over the years. Kaachan never stopped being rude to his mom but he toned it down substantially. And whatever rude comment he did say in his moms direction it only seemed to fly over her head as she laughed and teased Kaachan in her own way.
And while Izuku didn’t feel like he contributed much to the conversation he found it a lot more enjoyable than he thought he would.
Before Izuku knew it the food was already at the table.
The waiter does a good job of balancing the plates and handing them out. Izuku grabs his, being careful not to burn his hand.
The food is delicious. While the food at the hospital wasn't bad exactly it was often boring and bland. It was nice to have something a bit more indulgent and well slightly more unhealthily.
“So Deku,” Izuku looks up curiously slurping up his noodles loudly as he did.
Kaachan zeros in on him, his face serious. “What are you plans exactly.”
“Katsuki-Kun.” His mom said sharply.
“What?” Kaachan said defensively. “I’m just curious.” He said shoving a few noodles down his throat.
He swallowed, the sick feeling at the pit of his stomach came back. It was a simple question most people would ask it. Heck, Izuku asked it more times in the past month then he ever had in his entire life. It was reasonable and quite normal for Kaachan to ask.
“Its fine mom. Its not really a big deal. Im, I’m gonna finish my schooling. And I guess ill go from there.”
If Kaachan seemed appeased by the question he didn’t look it. He took another spoonful of the broth.
“So your not gonna continue with that dumb dream of being a hero, right.” He said casually.
Leave it to Kaachan to go directly at the heart of the issue.
“Thats not fair Katsuki-kun. Its too soon to talk about this.”
Izuku gritted his teeth. Its possible if Kaachan didn’t bring it up his mom and him would never have talked about it. Continuously dancing around the topic but never saying anything for fear of hurting the other.
Kaachan never had those reservations.
“The sooner he gets the message the better. Unless we want a repeat of last time.” He said aiming a look at Izuku who looked away in shame.
His mom looked conflicted, twirling her hair anxiously.
She agrees with Kaachan, and Izuku cant really blame her.
Just like Kaachan to see right through him. Of course he still wants to be a hero. He thought All Might telling him no, losing five years of his life would convince him but nope.
He stands up and excuses himself. His mom protests telling him that they don't have to talk about this right now.
“I just need some air mom, I’m okay I promise.” He lies, as he walks, (runs) outside. The tears come faster then he expected. He knows it's impossible. His mom, Kaachan and everyone he knew told him a quirkless kid can't be a hero. Even All Might, there's just no way. Yet, why cant he push this dream away?
There’s always flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe his quirk will manifest.
He leans against the first hard surface he can find. Putting his forehead on the cool brick of the buildings wall. He struggled to catch his breath. He stayed there by himself, alone and wanting to clear his thoughts.
Distracted he didn’t hear the steps coming in his direction.
“So you really are stupid enough to go for it huh, shitty Deku.”
He turns around sharply, almost falling flat on his face with the intensity. He wipes his eyes quickly with the sleeve of his shirt. “You’ve made your point already Kaachan.” He said letting his frustration color his tone for once.
He didn’t need a gloating Kaachan right now.
Was it too much to ask for Kaachan to leave. It's not like Kaachan was every good at just letting something go.
There is a moment of silence. The only sounds are coming from people walking home from a long days work. The sounds of cars honking to get to their next destination.
“Look your not gonna be able to be a hero the way you are now. Get used to it, But theres other ways you can make yourself fucking useful.” He stiffens as he hears steps coming closer, but jumps when he feels something poke at his chest.
Hesitantly, he moves his arm out of his face to see Kaachan handing him a business card.
He expects to see Kaachans smirking face when he looks up but is astonished to find the same casual face he wore during dinner. He takes that as a sign to take the card. Izuku rubbed his eyes wiping away the excess tears before taking the card and reading it.
In big bold orange letters it read, ‘Ground Zero’. The rest of Kaachans information was on the card. He gave Kaachan a quizzical look earning him a sigh of annoyance in return.
“And here I thought you were smart.” Bakugou said with a smirk. “You need a job dumbass. You can't be mooching off your mom forever and I’m being a goddamn saint by offering you one.”
The explanation made even less sense. “I was under the impression that you didn’t work with quirkless losers” If the reply came sharper then he wanted it wasn't his fault. Kaachan always made him wary and brought out things in him that he wasn't really quite fond of. Besides this seemed like a trap to end all traps.
Kaachan hated him. Ever since he got his quirks they’ve never had any semblance of a civil relationship. Even if Kaachan had changed over the past five years Izuku wasn't here for them. It was hard to repaint an image of a person you have known for years in the span of a few hours.
It also begs the question why Kaachan would even want someone like him. Kaachan had made it known how he felt about his quirklessness
Kaachan snorted. “Don’t get it twisted shitrag, your working ‘for’ me not ‘with’ me. Even quirkless, Dekus like you can do paperwork.” He leaned against the wall. “You’ll be doing the boring stuff that I can't be assed to do, appointments, phone calls the works.”
Izuku frowns. He does need a job, he was already planning on taking online classes anyway. It's not like he can go to U.A now. He tries not to focus on the sliver of disappointment.
“I'll think about it.” He said, because working with his estranged, childhood friend didn’t seem like a good idea.
Kaachan only shrugs. “Whatever, it's no skin off my back. Ill give ya a minute to pull yourself together. Don’t take too long if not ill just hear it from your mom.”
He leaves, causing deku to be even more confused than before.
Kaachan didn’t laugh at him. At the very least he expected an ‘I told you so’, but not a job offer. He frowned, it was just something he’d have to figure out later.
He spent a few moments collecting himself. Its hard, but he manages after ten minutes. After a few more deep breaths he goes back inside.
“Katsuki-Kun we’ve been over this I said I would pay this time.” He hears his mom say sounding more exasperated than ever. He looks on curiously as Kaachan is holding the check above his moms head. The waiter look on nervously.
He can't help but give a small laugh at the scene.
“And I already told you Lady that you don't have money to pay for stupid shit.” He drops cash on the table. He turns to give the waiter a sharp look. “And you better give me the change asshole. Service here fucking sucks and your ass definitely doesn't deserve it.”
The waiter gulps, as he leaves the table quickly. Izuku supposes some things never change.
His mom caught his eye, waving for him to come and sit with them. “Izuku, honey are you doing okay?”
The familiar guilt crawls into his heart again. He needs to stop making his mom worry.
“Yeah, sorry mom i just needed some air.” He said as convincing as he can be. He knows his mom doesn't believe him but she lets it go. Inko just gives him a fond smile.
Kaachan pointedly doesn't look at them, crossing his arms.
“Thank you Kaachan for the meal.” Because Izuku no matter how many years have passed has always remembered his manners. His mom chimes in with a thanks of her own.
Kaachan just rolls his eyes and tells them to shut up. Yeah some things really didn’t change.
It doesn't take long for the waiter to come and drop off the change and true to Kaachans word leaves nothing behind. Though if he saw his mom leave a couple of yen he didn’t say anything.
Deku couldn't help giving them both a fond smile.
Deku grabs his stuff from underneath the table before walking outside. They say goodbye, his mom scolding Kaachan, that just because he was living on his own didn’t mean that he couldn't visit his mom once in awhile.
Kaachan only rolls his eyes.
And just as they were about to leave Kaachan grabs him by the arm. He startles, eyeing Kaachan warily.
“Think it over.” He says seriously before he walks off.
He can sense his moms imploring eyes on him. She doesn't seem to know what's going on either, well that makes the two of them at least. She doesn't ask and he doesn't say anything and they walk talking about the food and other minor things as they walked home.
They get home and Izuku is happy to note its the same as he remembered it. They go in quickly eager to escape the October bite. The familiar smell of home overwhelmed Izuku's senses setting him at ease.
The inside looks about the same with a few additional picture frames littering the walls of their home.
“I’m uh, gonna put my stuff away mom.” He says awkwardly.
He walks upstairs to his room and hesitates. The nameplate on his door never seemed so foreign and yet so familiar. His mom hovered behind him.
“Your room is how you left it since.. well.” She says awkwardly, fidgeting with her hands. “I only ever went in there to clean but left everything else just in case…” She started tearing up and Deku didn’t hesitate. He hugged his mom as tightly as he could the tears flowed messily down his face.
“Never do that again honey.” She said her voice hitching as she kept trying to control her breathing in the midst of her sobbing. Izuku just nodded clutching her even tighter.