point of no return Chapter 1, a my hero academia/僕のヒーローアカデミア fanfic

Welcome to a rather unconventional BNHA OC story! This is also cross-posted on Ao3.

As FFN doesn't have a tagging system...

Additional Tags:
Parallel Universes
Alternate Universe - Time Travel
Voicemail
Angst and Fluff
Missing Persons

"Hey, this is Zoran. If you're currently listening to this recording, that means that I'm away for some pro-hero business. If you can't contact me within the next few days, then feel free to inquire about my status at the Hero Public Safety Commission."

Beep.

"...a mission, seriously? You promised me that we were going to go out for some yakiniku tonight! What happened to drowning our sorrows in beer?"

A disapproving sigh.

"Not cool, Zoran, not cool. You didn't tell me about any kind of mission last weekend. Man~! I guess I'm going to go pester Ryukyu or Miruko about grabbing something to eat, then. You owe me food once you come back."

Beep.

"So I know it's only been two hours since I called buuuuut guess what, guess what? Ryukyu actually agreed for once! I went out with her and Miruko for some yakiniku; it was really good, by the way, in case you were wondering. You're missing out, Zoran. Weren't you the one who wanted to go out for yakiniku in the first place? Not that I blame you, the place you recommended was pretty good, actually."

A chuckle.

"We even ran into a couple of elementary schoolers who begged for our autographs and pictures; can you imagine? The No.3 hero with two other top pro heroes in casual clothes — good thing Ryukyu was there, otherwise the press would've assumed that Miruko and I were dating. Again."

A groan.

"Can't a male and female hero get along without being shipped? Then again, the fanart was kinda interesting. Do you know that we have a ship name? I was super surprised since most people don't know you. Zorawks . Doesn't it sound like some kind of stupid drink? Our real names would probably sound better together: Ma—oh, wait, rampant villain on the streets. Talk to you later."

Beep.

"It's been three days and you still haven't gotten back to me about the yakiniku. I know you're probably on some high-class, top-secret mission, Miss My-Quirk-is-Super-Powerful, but you could at least try to send me a text. I know you take your phone with you on missions, Zoran: what happened to the whole 'we're best friends!' gig?"

Static.

"We agreed to that last Christmas, didn't we? Rule number 32: best friends must keep in contact with each other as much as possible. Ah, by the way, today I ran into Endeavor. I swear, he was trying to incinerate me with his eyes."

A snicker.

"The guy doesn't have much of a sense of humor, huh? All I did was swoop in and save the—seriously? Another villain? See you later, I guess."

Beep.

"It's been a week~! You know, you're definitely breaking at least five of the rules of friendship that we established. I thought we got over the whole silent treatment thing back in our trainee days? The cool and angsty phase you had was not fun, by the way."

A chuckle.

"Hey, hey, come on...throw me a bone. You can't leave your great and glorious bestie hanging like this, can you? I'll die of heartbreak. Miruko's been telling me that I've been too mopey and spacey recently without you here to scold me. I mean, I still apprehend the villains — I ran into a crazy villain with wings like mine the other day: you should've seen our cool aerial battle. Maybe you did, actually! All of the news networks kept replaying the same footage over and over for the rest of the day. One of the guys at the yakitori stand gave me a couple of sticks for free. You know, now that I think about it, Miruko's probably right, huh? You always nagged me to stay on focus, so without you here, I guess it's sort of boring. You know, even if you deny it, you were always the more reckless of the two of us…"

A sigh.

"...come home soon, stupid, so I can nag you for a change."

Beep.

"No reply. Okay. Cool. Just...finish up your mission quickly so we can grab a beer together or something, okay? It feels as if it's been forever since we last did that...now that I think about it, it has been awhile since we've gone out to drink together."

A thoughtful pause.

"Are you mad at me because of that one time when you drunkenly kissed Fat Gum? Because I already apologized for teasing you about it, okay?"

Another pause.

"...then again, you came over again later, so that must not be it, huh. Hard mission, I guess? Good luck, Zoran. You got this. Think about it this way: you and I will both be kicking villain ass under the same sky. Romantic, right?

A pause.

"...okay, I didn't mean to say romantic. Don't take that the wrong way, Zoran. It's just my blabbermouth again. You know all about it already; I've heard the lectures. Just...I'm here, you know?"

A chuckle, somewhat bittersweet.

"I'll always be here, kicking villains' asses and rising in the ranks. I know you're always telling me to quit, but...it's not that bad, really. I protect the city, they love me. Mutually beneficial, am I right? Though, sometimes...ahaha...hey...come back safely, alright? I don't want to hear about how you stubbornly threw yourself into some battle and broke your leg, you got that?"

Beep.

"Hey, how hard must the mission be for you to not even text me for two weeks?"

Beep.

"They're not telling me anything, Zoran. Stupid old geezers...I do everything they ask of me and they won't even tell me your location. What kind of mission did you accept? And...why didn't you tell me beforehand? I could've thrown you a party. Beer, barbeque, games — just like last Christmas, remember that?"

A dreamy sigh.

"Leading everyone to the mistletoe was one of the highlights of my night. You know, I was talking with Miruko the other day and she agreed that we should all do something like that again. Who knows? Maybe I'll get All Might and Endeavor to attend. Could you imagine how the press would react? Hm, I wonder how they would act as drunk—gahhh, again?"

Several crashes in the background.

"Why are they always attacking when I'm talking to you? Talk to you later, Zoran."

Beep.

"Three weeks. Miruko and Ryukyu are getting worried. Hurry up and finish your mission, stupid. You're blackening the name of all of us glorious pro-heroes. If you don't show up in the next week, I'm taking away your best friend privileges."

Beep.

"One whole month and still no bestie in sight. Are you ghosting me?"

Beep.

"...you know, there was a meteor shower last night. Were you watching? It reminded me of our training days, back when we'd sneak up to the rooftops for a breath of fresh air. Sometimes...even though I hated it back then…"

A pause.

"Sometimes, I miss those days. That meteor shower resembled the one I saw yesterday. If you think rooftop views are great, then you should try watching a meteor shower in the sky with me, sometime. It was amazing."

A pause.

"It would've been better with you there."

Beep.

"It's been two months. Talk to me, Zoran. Come on, please? Shouldn't I get some special treatment as your best friend?"

Beep.

"Miruko's birthday just passed. We just had a small party: the usual gang, a bit of cake, some presents. She's worried about you, you know. We all are."

Beep.

"Three months. The Yuuei Sports Festival is coming up...some of the higher-ups think I should take a young prodigy under my wings. What do you think?"

Beep.

"His name's Tokoyami. He's a pretty cool guy. He has potential, at least. I've got a pretty good feeling about him. He'll need guidance, though, and I think I can give that to him...heh, listen to me, Zoran. I sound like an adult for once! You know, you should probably bring me a present once you come back. I bought you a lucky talisman from Kyoto. Fair trade, right?"

Beep.

"Internships ended. It's kind of lonely without a bird-themed hero-in-training snarking me at every turn. It's also kind of empty without you nagging me about my reckless habits, you know. When are you coming back?"

Beep.

"Where the hell are you, Zoran?"

Beep.

"Hisakawa Maki, if you don't give me word about your wellbeing, I swear I'll reveal your name and role to the press. They've been wondering if there are any 'shadow heroes' who operate more covertly, you know. And they'd go wild once they learn about how close you are with all of us; you'd become a news sensation, everyone will know your real name that you hate so much, and the paparazzi would harangue you at every corner. You'd probably sulk for ages after, but...who knows? Maybe that'll convince you to finally answer the phone, dammit."

Beep.

"Just a text. That's all I'm asking: just a text. Please?"

Beep.

A drunken hiccup. Slurred.

"Fuck you, Zoran. Stay away for all I care."

Beep.

"...that was a lie. You're the person who knows me best...the person who I trust most. Didn't you promise that…"

A pause.

"Just...come back, Zoran."

A sigh.

"...I miss you."

Beep.

"You know, we always talked about how your teleportation would bring you to places far away...places where I might not be able to reach. Back then, you promised me that you wouldn't leave that far, that you wouldn't slip out of my grasp...but you know, I've changed a lot since then. So I'll make you a promise instead: it doesn't matter how far...I'll find you and drag you back home no matter what. You're coming home."

An awkward cough.

"...I'm serious, you know? I'll come flying to you, Zoran. Always."

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