Author's Notes:
Hey guys, apologies for updating so late, I've been having trouble coming up with good lines and points in the story but blah, a bunch of procrastination as well as general writer's block I guess (which sucks.), anyways from this point until the next... I dunno like 234565634254 chapters (just kidding, it probably won't take THAT long... I think.) we'll be covering the Sports festival arc of My hero Academia (or "Boku no")
A lot of fluff and backstory is present in this story, though the next few chapters will be about the actual sports festival.
Also by the request of the user Percbeth 4 Life, here's more Nejire!
Enjoy!
Midoriya Apartment
The evening had started to set in since the late Saturday afternoon's retirement. The skies had turned into a cordial and glimmering orange, slowly overtaking the blue of the afternoon sky. A gentle and warm vibrance seeping into the cooled hue as the tips of the soothing blanket evolved slowly into a rich and deep purple. The sun lay deep over the horizon, taking a last peek at the glimmering city before it ventured onto the other parts of the world that need its guidance. The moon sat in the far distance, watching from the opposite ends to watch over the city below in the sun's absence. Lights had started to appear within the city and the many apartment blocks of Tokyo as many had returned home from their jobs as only a few remained outside to enjoy the calm and friendly atmosphere. The number of cars on the streets dwindled as the most prominent noise in the neighborhood was the quiet chorus of birds chirping away to those willing to hear along with the soft breeze of the wind.
Inside the Midoriya apartment, the two green haired brothers sat comfortably on their couch that resided within the apartment's spacious living room. Beyond where the two sat was a large flat screen television, of which was installed on the cream wall, a knee height drawer of sorts was stationed under it to keep all of their equipment needed to operate the monitor. In front of the two boys was a plain square table, of which the wooden surface of the platform was enveloped in a flurry of an excessive amount of various notebooks and paper, scrambled with an intermingled collection of pens and pencils within the mix.
Deeper within the apartment was Inko, who was currently working in the kitchen that was assigned beside the corridor that led to the apartment's various rooms as well as the front door's entrance. The jade haired woman stood in front of a large pot with a wooden spoon in hand as she happily hummed a tune she had likely heard from the radio this morning while stirring up whatever was inside of the pot. An assortment of prepared dishes was already stationed around the kitchen's counters with a steaming rice cooker preparing a dish of rice patiently in the corner.
The large screen porch window that sat next to the two boys allowed for the passing sky to bloom the sprinkles of dots in the sky. The calming sight of the shining stars watched over the two as the brothers happily talked and discussed a few topics, of which the younger of the two had seemingly asked something of his brother, of which made the amber-eyed boy stop in his tracks to think. Putting up a hand to his chin in thought as he stared at the boy curiously with a raised eyebrow.
"The sport's festival, huh? I guess it is about that time..." Izumi questioned as he looked up from his notes, laying his pencil as well as the notebook down onto the table, of which he started to tidy the mess up upon noticing how messy it had gotten. Izumi had worn a simple loose black shirt, accompanied by fitted beige cargo pants. His brother, who had sat opposite of him had worn a comfy brightly colored All Might merchandise shirt and black sweatpants in preparation to retire for the night. As expected of the number one fanboy if the number one hero. Izuku nodded eagerly in response, his emerald eyes gleaming with excitement along with a soft smile.
"Mhm, Aizawa sensei had said that the festival would be held in the following week on Monday during school time." He replied with his finger to his chin, to which Izumi nodded in response with a small smile, placing his hand on his cheek in reminiscence of the past year's events.
"I see..." He turned towards Izuku, his amber eyes softly offering a reassuring stare as he ruffled the boy's hair with a kind chuckle. "Well, do your best Izuku. Mom and I will be watching you." He said enthusiastically, of which resulted in the freckled boy blushing from the encouragement. Despite the expected support from a brother like him, he was still slightly flustered given his only recent development of receiving compliments from his new friends, but his smile conveyed his appreciation of his brother's support. The two turned towards the kitchen, of which Inko stood near the counter window with a bright and proud smile on her face seemingly having listened in on the two's conversation.
"I'll be watching from the TV at home when it comes around since I have time off from work on Monday, so do your best honey!" She said, bringing out one of the dishes and placing it on the dinner table. The woman then walked up to the two, leaning down to kiss the crown of Izuku's head affectionately, offering her child a kind smile as he turned to meet her gaze. "You've grown up so much, Izuku... I'm proud of you."
Izuku chuckled before standing up to embrace the shorter woman lovingly as he held her tight with a maternal passion. "Thanks, mom."
As the two separated, she kindly smiled towards the two with a soft nod before returning back to her work in the kitchen upon hearing a familiar whistle of steam rise from the rice cooker. Knowing that dinner would be prepared soon, the two opted to sort out all of their papers to leave the coffee table clean for later use, sparing their mother from having to help them tidy their own mess.
Izumi turned towards Izuku with a curious expression as he sat back on the sofa, all of his notes tidied into a neat pile. His hand rested upon his knee, of which the palm of his hand allowed for his cheek to perch upon it's soft yet slightly calloused surface. "Are you sure that you're prepared for what's to come? I mean, the sports festival isn't something that people take lightly, especially considering that it offers a prime opportunity for people participating to be noticed by the pro heroes watching and potentially have the chance to be recruited in their agencies. So people will obviously be trying their hardest to earn the top spot of the tournament..." The boy paused for a moment in thought before continuing, "Besides, your control over One for All is still precarious, not to mention that it will likely leave you in a state of a disadvantage if you end up sacrificing an arm or two."
Izuku sighed at the remark but nodded in response as the statement was indeed true. "Yeah... Using All Might's quirk will put me in a major disadvantage if I use it too early..." He raised his head to face Izumi with a determined expression on his face, the fire burning in his rich emerald eyes evident to him. "...But as long as I remember what All Might taught me, then I should be fine."
The amber-eyed student blinked, his expression softened as his lips curled into a slight smile, "Hmm, you mean the egg in the microwave metaphor, right?" Izuku nodded in response, of which made his brother act in a similar fashion. A small sigh escapes Izuku's lips as he rounded up all of his papers and notebooks in a similar fashion to Izumi's own small stack, though his darkened eyes shifted to the side uncomfortably, and Izumi more than knew the reason why. The third year student could only huff in response to the boy's behavior. Izuku's emerald eyes latched onto him curiously upon feeling a small pat on his shoulder, Izumi only offered him a softened gaze with kind and reassuring eyes, "Izuku, One for All is your own quirk now. Try not to think of One for All as something that you borrowed from the number one hero, it's something that you earned on your own accord, or else it'll hold you back. You earned it from him because you have the makings and spirit of a great hero, and I think that All Might feels the same."
Izumi was more than aware of Izuku's lack of belief within himself as his upbringing with Katsuki had taken a toll on his own self-esteem. The topic of bullying was something that naturally wouldn't leave his peripheral. He had grown up with the single yet constant reminder of who he was to the world because he wasn't born special like others, it was something that he had yearned for ever since he saw that one image of All Might's bright smile, yet when the time came, reality came crashing down on his dreams. Besides, he was there to listen to Izuku's small bubble of self-doubt to All Might upon finally meeting the pre-requisites of the number one hero's training. The fateful morning where his life would change forever.
I'm too blessed... but I feel like I'm cheating...
Those words had summed up his feelings upon receiving the power of All for One, and to be fair, many would feel the same. Not every man is born equal, Izuku knew this all too well. From being a quirkless nobody in everyone else's eyes to having one of the if not the most powerful quirk in the world known to man, one could certainly find it like using a cheat code within a video game. The common phrase, "With great power comes great responsibility" comes heavily in this regard as the boy, who had learned to accept the truth of his weakness from such an early age would consider more than just the benefits of acquiring such a power. The pressure of having to succeed the world's symbol of peace, the doubt and hesitation upon considering these mind breaking truths would definitely break even some of the strongest of men.
Izuku smiled appreciatively of Izumi's words, they really did help set him straight when he needed him most. He was glad to have someone like him, as well as everyone else around him supporting him on the journey of reaching his previously near unattainable dream of becoming a hero. "Thanks, Nii-san."
Izumi nodded in response before folding his leg over the other before perching his arm on top of his knee that supported his head as his hand cupped his cheek. "I may not know how One for All works, but remember that even if you have a tremendous power like that, the sports festival is made to test your own individual strength. That means that it won't only test your abilities to beat the enemy in front of you, but it also factors in how you do it and how you overcome an obstacle with or without the use of your quirk." Izuku knew that those words had come from experience, he himself had been gifted with an incredibly dangerous quirk which had come with it's fair share of incidents that would never be spoken again within the family. He too had gone through many ordeals where power had proven to become more like a curse rather than a boon.
Leaning back, he turned his head to the side; his amber orange eyes were attracted to a single framed image that sat on the polished wooden table that sat between the two chairs, joining them together. A smile formed on his face as nostalgia welled within him, though he simply shook his head but his smile remained. "Over the years the sports festivals are held, we know that the event is primarily consisting of three major events." He started, Izuku turned his full rapt attention onto him as he spoke.
"One is a preliminary individual test to cut down the number of contestants, the most likely one being an obstacle race of sorts to determine the collective students' abilities to overcome different types of obstacles. Two, a teamwork based event where you will need to participate with a team to take down others for the purpose of testing skills related to co-operation as well as an individuals ability to judge their compatibility with one another in terms of quirks and fighting styles." The freckled boy nodded, furiously writing down on his notebook as well as adding a few little notes on the side, making Izumi smile at his brother's perceptive and detailed judgement in making notes, not to mention his ability to plan ahead. Though even if his skills could be considered to be above that of many others, there was a necessary warning that he needed to mention before Izuku got carried away.
"By the way, I must warn you that you'll have to be careful in proceeding against those of different classes, not to mention your own." He spoke in a calm yet stern tone. Izuku stopped in his tracks as he looked up to eye him curiously, Izumi sighed knowing that Izuku had most likely not considered the possibility yet, but he understood that Izuku would most likely not want to think of such an experience again, but many others saw it as more than just a nightmare but rather a boon. "Your class especially had the misfortune to experience a real villain attack."
As expected, Izuku tilted his head to the side in confusion, though his lips curled downwards at the rather bitter memory. "What's so important about that?" The emerald eyed boy asked innocently, though it was clear that he didn't want to talk about it too much and Izumi obliged. "What's important is that you guys had successfully been able to survive on your own in a life or death threatening situation. You may not know it yourself, but consider the fact that being able to experience such a thing is a necessary thing for heroes to grow. You've gained a will to survive and fight to protect lives, being able to handle high tension situations like that will mean that you won't easily succumb to pressure, not to mention that you become more decisive and confident that the actions you make are right..." Izumi folded his arms and sighed again, though it wasn't directed towards Izuku from what he could tell, rather by the way he looked out into the glass door frame that painted the view of the evening sky.
"Like it or not, but people tend to gang up against those who have an advantage in a competition. They're the largest threat that they feel the need to extinguish, not to mention that they want to prove themselves better than you." He turned his head towards Izuku, his amber orange gaze meeting his own emerald green one. "I do hope you understand where I'm getting at here." He cautioned worriedly. Izuku considered his words for a moment before his mouth opened in the dawn of the realization before he grimly nodded. "So we'll be put in a disadvantage from the start by the other classes." Izuku said quietly, Izumi nodded confirming the truth of his statement.
"That's right, but I should also mention that works the other way too." Izuku's eyes widened for a moment before his expression contorted into one of though in ponderance of what he could mean.
"The school has left us a chance. Depending on our results at the sports festival, they'll consider our transfer to the hero course."
"If you get too carried away, I'll sweep your feet out from under you."
Carried away, huh?
Izumi seemed to notice the realization that bloomed on Izuku's face as he nodded. "Some may consider being able to survive such a significant event such as a villain attack as an achievement of sorts. And by all means, it is one... but people who let it get to their head tend to forget about the small details, and instead find themselves losing because of something they foolishly decided to turn around from."
The two fell into silence for a moment, Izuku lowered his gaze in thought as he started chewing on the end of his thumb, a swarm of possibilities crowding his mind. There were definitely some he saw in his class that would do such a thing, and it was no doubt something that he had to genuinely consider. However, he was awoken from starting his mumbling trance as he felt his brother's reassuring touch on his shoulder, who offered him a kind smile. "Don't worry about it too much Izuku, it's just something that you need to take note of. Remember, this is a competition to take the top spot and be noticed by those higher up. Be confident in your abilities and I'm sure they'll shine through the crowd." Izuku blushed at the compliment, not to mention the imagery of him being more special than the others much to his reluctance but he nodded appreciatively at his brother's support.
"Alright." He said quietly, though a small smile made it's way onto his face as Izumi smiled and ruffled his hair playfully, eliciting a small chuckle from the boy. Their natural and supporting bond would always lighten the atmosphere into a more comfortable one, they were simply comfortable around each other due to the fact that they believed in each other's trust, not to mention that many events had brought the two closer as a result of experiencing things many were lucky not to have. Deciding to continue where he left off, Izumi sat back, sinking into the couch.
"Finally, we have the tournament." Izumi finished with a reminiscent smile as he remembered his own experiences of participating in the rather thrilling one on one event. Izuku couldn't help but become nervous at the prospect of having to face someone on his own, but he knew that there may not always be someone nearby to help him, not to mention that it was necessary that he be able to stand up and fight for himself when the situation called for it. "Of course, I'm sure you know the purpose of such an event. It is the main reason people tune into the sports festival after all." Izuku nodded eagerly, having seen many of the past year recordings of the event where the aspiring students were pitted against each other in a show of power and technique, he couldn't deny that it was stimulating and exciting.
"Mhm, they were always fun to watch. But I still think that yours were always the best to watch, Nii-san." Izuku complimented idly coupled with a bright and enthusiastic smile that emanated light from behind him.
'So pure...' Izumi thought as he could only smile and nod in appreciation of his brother's kindness. He quickly moved to sit beside Izuku before wrapping his arm around Izuku, hugging him lightly. The latter happily warmed up to the embrace as he leaned in enjoying his warmth.
"Do your best, we'll be proud of you no matter what place you finish in," Izumi whispered, patting his head softly as Izuku nodded wordlessly. The two separated soon after to continue their discussions of the sports festival, even going as far as to consider some event possibilities. In the middle of their rewatchings of some previous year recordings, a soft melody played from Izumi's phone, of which buzzed lightly as it was pressed against his legs from within the confines of his pockets. Izumi's brow raised curiously as he wondered who could be calling him right now, though he decided to quickly draw out his phone to assess who it was.
As he did so, a soft smile spread across his face as a brief notification text from a certain cheery bluenette had asked for him to meet her in the resident park that was near both of their houses. Taking a moment to quickly text back a reply, he pocketed his phone again before turning to Izuku who had noticed his brief distraction. "Sorry, I need to go out for a bit to meet Nejire. We can continue this later, okay?" He apologized but Izuku simply nodded, waving off his apology with a small knowing smile before getting up himself.
"That's fine, but you'll still be having dinner with us, right?" Izumi nodded in response to his innocent question. Izuku nodded back before moving to turn the TV off and after, went to help Inko with whatever she needed.
The amber-eyed boy took a moment to stare back at the evening sky that was starting to dip into a soft violet. With a parting sigh at the pretty sight, he moved to stand near the kitchen entrance to call out to his mother. He peered around the corner to find the woman sanding over a large pot, Izuku had stood nearby and chopped up any spare vegetables needed for the dishes. "Mom, I need to go out for a bit. I'll be back shortly." Izumi gently called out to her as to not accidentally scare her.
Inko turned her head towards her son, her hand still attentive of whatever she was cooking. She simply smiled and nodded in response to his call as she went back to continue cooking dinner.
"That's fine, be safe honey."
He took a moment to look back towards her, his gaze softened before smiling softly, waving back towards her.
"Of course."
Walking over to the entrance of the apartment, he briefly sat on the ledge step to put on a normal pair of black and white sneakers before standing up and reaching out to grab a comfortable jacket on his way out. Izuku watched as his brother had left the apartment on whatever errand he was handling, a few plates and silverware cutlery in his hands. His eyes were glued to the door since his brother's departure but he seemed to smile lightly and chuckle before moving to continue setting up the table for his return.
The sound of his footsteps brushing against the lightly carpeted floor echoed the hollow halls. The cream colored hall was illuminated by the gentle hotel lights that glowed from the corners of the sturdy walls, lightly illuminating the ceiling before a line of lights settled in making a more bright atmosphere as of the sun's retiring absence.
It was relatively empty except for the few people who came to their homes to turn in for the day, a few greeted him with tired smiles to which he gave them a polite wave. He was rather glad to have nice neighbors who inhabited the rooms next to his, their quiet and tired natures upon returning from their respective jobs didn't have them offer many conversations, but a simple smile and wave were enough for him as well as them. He had heard from some of his friends that their's can get pretty rowdy in contrast with his own.
Making his way down to the entrance lobby of the building complex, he was greeted by the familiar sight of the napping receptionist that sat quietly snoring away behind their monitor. Not wanting to bother them, he quietly exited through the front doors to be met with a refreshing cold breeze. It was a particularly normal setting for this time of day, not too cold but it was refreshing to those cramped up in office jobs all day. Glazing his eyes across the street, a few people had walked back and forth from his vision, soft idle chatter was brought across the wind though he didn't pay too much attention to that. Having no reason to stop, he continued making his way to his destination of meeting Nejire at the park.
Taking his time in glancing up towards the sky but being mindful of staying on the right path along with upping his pace from not wanting to keep Nejire long. His feet stopped in their tracks, halting the sound of his footsteps briskly hitting against the concrete as he noticed a familiar head of blue hair seated on a two-seated bench stare off into the sky with a gentle expression on her face. It was quite the opposite of how she would usually act around others as she was a lot more energetic and free, but it was a welcome and charming sight seeing her have a look so calm and peaceful.
She had worn a light black puffer jacket with a simple white shirt underneath it that had a splash of black painted across her chest. Below, she wore a comfortable set of blue jeans and brown ankle boots to keep her legs warm from the cooling breeze as well as the night's approaching cold. A comfortable scarf was fastened loosely around her neck as she seemed to sink into its warmth, her gloved hands patted her thighs lightly as she hummed a soft melody in waiting of Izumi's arrival.
Smiling to himself, he treaded onwards. His continued footsteps alerted the bluenette of his presence as she turned her head towards him with an expression of slight surprise, but it soon morphed into a bright smile as she hopped onto her feet to meet him halfway. The soft chirping of birds rang around them as they commemorated their reunion with a warm hug, along with exchanging their own brief greetings before sinking into each other's comfortable embrace. The two smiled giddily as they broke off from each other, but continued the link of their ties by intertwining their fingers and locking them together firmly. With a smile, Nejire led him towards the park bench she had been seated on previously, to which the forest haired boy happily complied. Together they sat on the wooden seat with warm smiles in their warm company, the pleasant sight of the glistening stars starting to appear from the seemingly endless blanket of nightfall.
"So, what's up? Was there something you needed of me, or was it just that you wanted to meet up with me?" Izumi asked the smiling bluenette with curiosity glimmering in his amber eyes. Whatever her answer may be, he always would enjoy her company. The wavy-haired girl giggled lightly before moving to hug his arm before resting her head on his shoulder, all the while maintaining his gaze.
"Close, but I came to tell you that Principal Nezu wants class 3-A to be there at the sports festival as a measure of 'extra security'" She said simply, her smile had numbed down to a soft-lipped line as she returned her gaze to the endless sky. Izumi raised his brow curiously, though it certainly did make sense that the principal would do such a thing.
Ever since the USJ attack, it's been taking the news by storm with the rise of this new group called the "League of Villains", though the man prospect that piqued everybody's attention was the bio-engineered weapon, the Nomu. The monster's presence was alarming not to mention that most that had been granted the details of it's creation felt more than disturbed. While there were people who had inherited meta-morphing quirks would gain the appearance and traits of different creatures or even substances, though the humanoid creature was something man-made rather than a creature birthed by mother earth's hands.
The upperclassmen of Yuuei would certainly be considered to be reliable agents to be counted on, considering that they have a good sense of navigation of the school's grounds, not to mention that they've already been trained to graduate by the end of the year to officially become heroes. But what exactly they were needed to do, Izumi didn't know, so he let her continue to which Nejire happily obliged. She smiled upon seeing the look of thought appear over Izumi's expression, it was a trait that showed he thought things through.
"He said that we would be allocated a class to watch over the students attending, and he also said that we're allowed to sit with them if we wish." She said, her eyes drifting back towards the amber-eyed student beside her. He turned his head up in thought. Thinking about it, he did consider that it may be uncomfortable having men in black suits watch over the crowd as a form of protection. Having people they recognized as relatively friendly would indeed make the atmosphere much lighter, besides, the sports festival was for entertainment, people didn't need to feel as if they were going to be assassinated. Izumi nodded in response as he turned towards the bluenette.
"Alright, so do we know which classes we've been assigned to take care of?" Izumi inquired, Nejire nodded affirmatively with a disarming smile before divulging in a small fit of giggles, covering her mouth to not seem impolite with the thought that occurred in her mind.
"Yep. He said that you'd be taking care of class 1-A, since most of them are quite familiar with you, Mr. Hero." She teased, poking his chest; causing the forest haired boy to blush but chuckle in acknowledgement of that fact. Besides, Izuku was inside that class as well, so perhaps it did make sense that he would be posted there, though he would never object to such a job.
"Haha, I guess that makes sense." He replied lamely, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head at the rather obvious prospect. Nezu always did want the best for his students, what better way to make them feel safe than give them someone they know of already. Nejire giggled for the same reason, though she did have something else she needed to mention.
"Not only that but Togata, Tamaki and I will also be with you!" She cheered in an excited manner with a closed-eyed smile. Izumi widened his eyes in surprise, but he quickly came to understand why. Seeing as the three had always worked best together even if their individual strength and skill was that of the top of their class, perhaps Nezu had thought it best to bunch them together rather than split them up. It wasn't as if there weren't other combos and teams amidst the rest of the class, though those three seemed to have the most chemistry. Even if they had provisional hero licenses, they weren't allowed to act independently and fight on their own unless certain circumstances were at play. They were to be granted allowance to follow on any signs of suspicious activity as long as the higher ups were aware of their position. It only made him curious as to why the rodent principal had decided to bunch them with him, not that he was complaining. Perhaps it was also due to his close relation to the three that he decided to do so.
"Sounds fun." He said enthusiastically as Nejire agreed wholeheartedly as she sat up to stare intensely at his face, he was of course fully prepared for what was about to come.
"I know, right! I can't wait to see what kind of quirks they have! We only know a few of them since we only watched battlefield B at the day of the entrance exams for the freshmen, though I'm really excited to see how creative they are with their abilities, not to mention what kind of combos they can come up with! It would also be nice to meet them in person, I can't wait to make some new friends! Maybe Ryuko would take interest in some of the new freshman, though she did mention that she was rather picky concerning picking heroes for her agency, though then again, I was chosen at her agency in my first year at Yuuei, so maybe we could get more people with us! Though we haven't had a great deal of people recruited, though the office seems pretty quiet a lot of times." The bluenette frantically ranted excitedly to the boy beside her, to which he could only chuckle and agree with whatever she went on about patiently.
As the two finished their talk about their own thoughts of how the next sports festival would go, the two had settled into a comfortable silence as they resumed watching the world pass by. Izumi turned towards the bluenette to which she did the same thing, he smiled as he squeezed her hand lightly eliciting a soft giggle of contentment.
"It really is quite nice... being able to spend time like this with you, watching the beautiful sky..." Izumi said softly while Nejire could only smile. Though her expression curled into something more sly as she poked his cheek with a cheeky closed eyed smile.
"Gee, I didn't know that you were such the romantic, dear!" She teased lightly with a small giggle, the amber-eyed boy could only laugh in response.
"Maybe, but it's true. I really do enjoy being with you Nejire, I wouldn't want to do anything else." Nejire's face flushed as her surprised expression quickly melted into one of rare bashfulness, though that didn't stop her from feeling the same as she simply replied with a soft "Yeah... it's nice being able to spend our time peacefully where we can take a break from all this hero stuff." Izumi nodded in response to her quiet comment before he leaned in to kiss her forehead softly, earning a few giggles from the bluenette before he joined in the fit of laughter before settling back into his seat.
His head turned back to the sky that was graced with the now visible array of sparkling stars. This was a common occurrence within their many outings, with their training in serving the world as it's protectors, they rarely had time to admire what was around them. Many would simply forget about the beauties that this world had to offer, though it was only why they needed to work hard to preserve such a calm peace. "Mhm, but we'll still play the roles we've taken on, when we are needed. That's what being a hero is all about, right? Like a stage play, though the situation is more than just entertainment for those that watch." Izumi explained with an open hand. Nejire thought about it for a moment, taking a second to envision it within her head before smiling in agreeance.
"Yeah, that's right."
The soft buzz of his phone had once again taken his attention as he quickly excused himself and brought out the display.
Izuku: We'll be having dinner soon, when will you be coming back?
To be honest, he had forgotten about returning in the first place. If not for Izuku, he probably would have forgotten it entirely unless Nejire would bring it up at a later point. The amber-eyed student let out a soft exhale that spoke tones of his reluctance yet there were hints of gratefulness in his small smile. Dinner was important after all.
Iwaizumi: Yeah, I'll be heading back now. I'll see you soon.
Izuku: Okay, see you then.
Swiftly pocketing his phone, he returned his attention back to Nejire who sat patiently yet her expression showed that of understanding as it appeared that she knew of what his brief distraction entailed. "Do you need to go home? I suppose it is around that time..." She mused, placing a hand on her chin as she briefly brought out her own phone to check the time, confirming her assumption. Izumi nodded wordlessly, yet his apologetic smile had led to her shaking her head in a reassuring manner. "It's okay. I suppose it's time I get back as well!" She smiled sweetly, yet her averted eyes also showed a hint of sadness in their parting.
Though it appeared that fate had other plans for the two as a low growl had wrestled it's way between the two, breaking the somber atmosphere. The two stared at each other wide-eyed, though Izumi tilted his head to the side upon seeing Nejire's face flush lightly in embarrassment. Though that embarrassment didn't last for too long as she burst out in a laughing fit, it dawned on Izumi that it was her stomach that had yelled out its cries for food. He couldn't help but join in as her laugh appeared to be infectious as her bubbly nature usually was.
Nejire wiped a small tear from her eye, her face still flushed but from her burst of giggles instead. She smiled apologetically towards Izumi as she covered her mouth with one hand. "Hehe, sorry about that. I haven't eaten yet." Her boyfriend nodded understandingly, a small smile playing at the edge of his lips as he waved off her apology.
"It's alright, dear..."
Though as he uttered those words, a thought had crossed his mind. Taking a moment to think on it, he had settled on going through with it. It wasn't as if he hadn't done so before.
He turned his attention back to the bluenette in front of him, who stared at him curiously. "Do you want to come by to my place for dinner? I'm sure my mom would like to see you again." He proposed with a soft smile. Nejire's face had fashioned a look of surprise, though it quickly melted into a bright enthusiastic smile.
"Of course! It's been a while since I've been back at your place. I can't wait to see Inko-chan and Izuku-kun again." She cheered before moving to gently grab Izumi's hand with an eager expression on her face. The amber-eyed boy could only chuckle and nod in response as the two set off back to the apartment.
The two walked hand in hand back through the apartment. Having entered through the front doors of the familiar lobby of the apartment complex Izumi and his family moved in, she let out a soft gasp of giddiness upon seeing the nature of the building as if it was her first time here, though it would really be more like the 300th counting the two and a quarter years the two have known each other. Though she kept her giggles to a softer volume upon noticing the familiar sleepy attendant who was staring at the monitor screen sleepily with a fresh cup of coffee beside them. Upon noticing the two, they offered a kind smile to the pair as they smiled back happily.
Nejire couldn't help but admire the place every time she had come here, it really had a refined yet homey feel to it. It was much different from where she lived, though she didn't mind that much. However, her primary attention was titled to the boy beside her who held her hand. Time had seemingly passed by as the two had finally reached the familiar door that was represented by the polished Midoriya nameplate that hung proudly on top of the varnished brown door. Wringing out a brass key from his pocket, he quickly slid it in and twisted it around for a moment before an audible yet soft click had revealed the door's entry.
Turning his head to the bubbly girl beside him, he gently led her inside before closing the door behind them. Nejire smiled as she stepped up to the small wooden ledge, taking a moment to take in the familiar sight of the gently colored beige walls and wooden supports that lined the corners and turns of the house. The aroma of delicious food had left a noticeable impression on her as it usually did when she would stop by for either dinner or a simple chat with Izumi and Inko, even Izuku at times when he didn't seclude himself from her as of his shyness.
Even Togata and Tamaki would occasionally come by to have a chat with Inko while Izuku would usually stay in his room. It wasn't as if the freckled boy didn't like them, but much rather he was extremely shy and didn't want to get in the way of his brother's social life, or he so believed despite the many attempts the four would try to get past the small introductions. Luckily, he was able to open up a lot more upon being admitted into Yuuei, where he even made a lot of friends by his own efforts, though it wasn't so much a surprise that he only really recognized Nejire due to her frequent visits to their home and had many times where she would join them for dinner.
Izumi chuckled at the expression his girlfriend made before quickly depositing her shoes and hanging his jacket before moving to take hers, which had snapped her out of her trance. She turned to give him a grateful smile as she thanked him silently for his courtesy. As the two had put away all of their extra layers of clothing, they went in hand in hand to greet the other inhabitants of the home.
"Mom, Izuku, I'm back!" He called out to the other two residents of the apartment as the two walked into the open space that combined the living room as well as the space used for dining together. Izuku was the first to notice their entrance as he had sat on the living room's sofa with a bright smile, his head turned to Izumi. "Oh! Welcome back nii-san-" He quickly paused upon noticing Nejire walk behind him, happily waving at the boy.
"Ah! I didn't know you would be here as well, Nejire senpai!" the freckled boy remarked in surprise. Nejire simply grinned holding her hips.
"Well, I haven't had any dinner yet and I couldn't pass up an invitation to have some of Inko-chan's cooking to finish the day!" She buoyantly cheered while Izumi smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you and mom, Izuku." Though the emerald-eyed boy simply shook his apology off with a wave of his hand.
"It's no problem, I'm sure mom would be delighted to have you with us." He said, moving to grab an extra plate and utensils for Nejire. Before long, hurried footsteps made their way out towards them, revealing the familiar image of the forest haired woman of the family.
"Ah, it's been a while Nejire chan!" Inko's voice rang out as the two turned their heads to the bright and smiling face of the chubby yet exuberant woman. She appeared to have walked in from the kitchen just beyond where the table was as she held a small tray of food, her hands wrapped in scarlet red mitts.
"It's nice to see you again, too Inko chan! I hope I'm not intruding, but I was wondering if I could join you guys for dinner?" She asked politely, to which Inko smiled brightly and nodded joyously. "Of course! You're always welcome here sweetie." Nejire matched the woman's smile and said her thanks as she moved to help with bringing out the other dishes along with helping with the servings of rice for each plate. Smiling at the sight, Izumi went to help the girls with bringing the rest of the dishes out for the night. Once everything was set, an abundance of food was laid out on top of the table, Nejire leaned forward hungrily, drool threatening to spill from her mouth. "Oh my, I may have gone a bit overboard!" Inko commented heartily, not that anyone was complaining about that.
It was only a matter of time before the four finally began to dig into their delicious meal.
"Ah, that was soo good!" Nejire said exhaustedly as she sunk into the comfort of their sofa, her expression melted into one of satisfied delight. Inko, who was sitting opposite of her on a perpendicularly placed sofa next to her one simply chuckled and placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter as she waved her compliment off.
"Oh, you, it's not that good," Inko said, slightly embarrassed yet she couldn't resist enjoying the small swell of pride she felt within her. Nejire shot back up leaning towards her with a most serious expression.
"You're too modest Inko chan! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd eat your cooking every day if I could!" The bluenette exclaimed before the two women burst into a fit of giggles that led into a long talk about their lives and catching up with recent events with a broad range of topics due to Nejire's seemingly endless knowledge of conversation topics, though she didn't hesitate to stop and listen to whatever Inko had to say.
The two brothers had volunteered to wash the dishes that remained of their meal, setting aside any leftover foot to be stored in plastic containers before leaving them in the fridge for future use, and potentially breakfast for the next morning. Feeling the rush of warm, heated water on their skin felt rather refreshing of all that had happened in the short amount of time that the year had started. Being able to relax like this and enjoy time with those close to him were memories that Izumi cherished, and were ones that Izuku would come to understand as he grew as well. "You seem happy." Izuku's voice rang out from beside him. Turning his head towards him curiously, the freckled boy merely shook his head as he dried the remaining drops of lukewarm water on a plate before placing it back in a cupboard. "It's just nice to see you smile like that Nii-san, you usually look so troubled sometimes."
Izumi looked at him, his eyes widening slightly before he returned his attention back to the dishes with a closed-eyed smile. "Is that so?" He asked as Izuku chuckled lightly in response.
"Mhm, I'm glad that Togata, Tamaki and Nejire senpai have been such a good influence for you. I still remember how you were since you first joined Yuuei... you always looked so sad when you came back." Izuku drifted off before Izumi handed him another plate for him to dry, which he happily obliged.
The third-year student sighed in reminiscence of those times, "I know... I suppose I just wanted to make life better for us." He said quietly as Izuku nodded in response sadly.
"Ever since dad's passing, mom would always overwork herself for our sake... I just wanted to make things easier for her, and you." He paused a moment before shutting the lid of the tap, halting the flow of the water. "You remember, right? How she would always look so tired when she would come back home late, there were even times where she would fall asleep once she sat on the couch. She was lost without him... we were lost too." Izuku stayed silent as Izumi took in a deep breath to stop himself from shaking. He turned to grab two clean mugs, turning back to Izuku, he looked at him for a moment before nodding appreciatively. Nodding back with a smile, he quickly prepared some hot chocolate, done the way their mother had always done for them.
"I know it was especially hard for you, nii-san... you were there when dad..." He stopped upon realizing what would come out of his mouth next, he quickly covered his own lips in hopes of not getting the right message across, it simply slipped out... but the damage was already done.
He was right, he was there when his father died that night. He remembered it all to well; the feeling of weakness, the pain, the overwhelming and sickening powerlessness to do anything. He was no match for the villains that appeared before him. After that incident, what left of that day was a hospitalized boy who was badly injured, another child clinging onto their broken mother... and their dead father. All he wanted back then when he saw their shadowy silhouettes was their blood. Seeing his battered up and bruised body in front of them, blood pooling underneath him as he weakly called for him to run away... Something in him changed that day, something died there at that moment. He could remember those lonely nights where he would seclude himself from both his mother and his brother.
That night he returned back with a flurry of bandages that was wrapped around his torso and arms, some even on his face. They wanted to help him, they wanted to talk with him about it, but he didn't want to listen. After they left he would quietly open the door of his tomb to traverse to where the other two were located. He found the two sleeping together on the couch, holding each other tightly, their faces red from crying. Sighing to himself, he had gone back to his parent's room to retrieve the large thick blanket that belonged to his mother and father. Every moment he stayed in there, he felt like he was suffocating, the painful and dredged up memories of his father only reminded him of what they lost.
Returning back to the two, he gently draped the covers over them in hopes of not waking them up and placed pillows under their heads. As he was about to leave, he spotted the sharp glint of a glass panel bordered by a wooden frame. Turning his head and walking towards it, he froze upon seeing what was encased in the thick polished wood.
"Why would she keep that..." He remembered himself muttering harshly before he angrily switched off the light and bidding the two a goodnight before wallowing in his own sadness.
Inside that wooden frame was a picture of their family, just the four of them. It was something that they still kept today and was still sitting at it's same spot on the coffee table. The photo included the entire family when Izuku and Izumi were six and eight respectively.
The photo was taken when the family had visited the bustling city of Tokyo, where they had spent a night away with laughs and smiles, they each held a funny pose with bright smiles to be taken in the memory filled image. Their father was the tallest of the four as he wrapped his family in a big hug with a big goofy grin spanning the width of his face, Inko and Izumi were seen smiling and laughing, Izuku proudly stood in front with an all might figure in his hand that he had bought from a nearby donki store.
His name was Hisashi Midoriya. He was a tall and lean man with a clean-cut face who had a curly mess of pitch black hair and warm yet bright orange eyes. he was known for having the ability to breathe fire, though being a popular and star private investigator as well as a chief policeman, his quirk was restricted in use. Izumi had only known the man for around 8 years since the start of his life, but everyone including himself loved him.
They had spent a lot of time together, bonding as a family. He always managed to crack a smile on their faces even in during the darkest of their days. He was kind, patient and passionate, he also had a strong sense of justice due to his desires to help right the world of evil as he would always tell them. He was smart, strong and hardy. He also had a great sense of humour as his jokes would never fail to put a smile on their faces. Even in face of danger, he was always able to handle the toughest situations with a smile, even in his last few moments.
He had died in an attempt to chase after a villain before he was brutally murdered and met his unfortunate demise.
That night, the four of them had set out on a special occasion to eat at a restaurant which had just made a grand opening. It was a particularly fancy restaurant that was commissioned for the higher-ups in the community. Being invited to the event due to Hisashi's connections, the four of them were able to celebrate Izumi's birthday that night in a way that both Hisashi and Inko believed he deserved. The 24th of September was a date that they'd always remember.
For them, it was the date that celebrated both life and death.
On their stroll across the city to pass time before their reservations had come to use, Hisashi was informed by his superiors that there were sightings of three suspicious characters in a nearby local park that required his immediate attention as they didn't want to disturb the public or cause any outbreaks of panic in the city. Despite his initial reluctance to agreeing, he was assured with the fact that there were heroes going along with him to check the scene along with the fact that he was simply needed to ensure that the area was safe and that the situation would be resolved quickly if it were to be a hoax. But what set him on edge was that this park was located right in front of the restaurant the four of them would be attending, knowing that the four of them would be in danger if he didn't do something, he agreed without hesitation.
The man sighed in annoyance as he slipped his phone back in his pocket before he turned his head around to meet the worried gazes of his family. He could only do his best to smile reassuringly as he told them that he needed to go, though he had supplied that he would be able to join them once he was finished. Izumi could still remember his words as he averted his eyes and fiddled around nervously, he was more concerned for his well being than his disappointment of his father parting with them for the time being. The man chuckled to himself as he knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulders causing the boy to look at him.
"Don't worry about me, Iwaizumi. I'll be back before you know it... Stay with your mother, alright? I don't want you guys getting separated."
The child could only nod in understanding, offering a concerned smile. After a few more parting words to both Inko and Izuku as well as a parting kiss for his wife, he quickly fled the scene as his dwindling figure blended in with the crowd that swarmed the city of Tokyo. Trusting their father, the three of them continued onwards to the restaurant, seeing as their reservation's appointment was coming up soon.
He would never forget the dreadful scream the three of them along with the surrounding crowd had heard echo from the dark terrain of trees as they had reached their destination. The three's eyes widened as the strained voice that became the topic of voice among the crowd was recognized as Hisashi's own. Without any pause, the amber-eyed boy broke off from the crowd despite his mother's protests along with his brother's cries. He wasn't sure what overcame him then, but he knew that his father needed his help.
He knew it was dangerous, he wasn't an idiot. Though considering that he would have parted from the rest of his family while risking being spotted by a hostile villain, he supposed he was one; but that didn't matter to him. Izumi ran and ran, not bothering to look back as he was only able to provide a meaningless and absent apology to those in his way. He would push people away from his path, undeterred by some of the probably earned complaints by the pedestrians that crowded Tokyo's streets. Despite the crowd, he would push through every little gap he could find and weave through the sea of people to find the dreaded nightshade forest of black, it's leaves glimmering under the moonlight. By the time he had made his way to the park's entrance, the area had gone silent, absent of any more ill fated screams. With a soft huff, he broke back into a sprint with a desperate hope of finding his father alive.
Hisashi was nowhere to be found within a basic view of the park, the pathway lanterns being his only source of navigation across the entire terrain of darkness. His presence absent from any of the concrete paved sidewalks made for visitors as the scene was surrounded by the thick and dark trees that were found heavy in population, he was hidden from the spotlight. He would run, his footsteps echoing in the eerily silent and grave darkness that would conceal a terrible occurrence. The only clue he had leading towards his father was a small flickering light that had grabbed his attention throughout his desperate search of the area, found near the outskirts of the park as he ran and ran. Perhaps it was a distress call that shone through the thick leaves, though he had found that he was the only person nearby the scene, most others having fled since police had arrived and kept the area on lock-down since the bloodcurdling scream that had arose through the darkness had it's intended effect of the mass of people scrambling around in confusion.
His father had a fire breathing quirk, Izumi and Izuku knew this very well because of the various tricks their father would have shown them as children. The light itself was considerably weak, though that wasn't surprising since he would be most likely injured if his cry could call for anything. Even if he was the only one around, he would be damned if he didn't try to help. With the light as his only silver lining to his father, he didn't think twice before breaking back into a sprint towards that single beacon of hope.
Leaves had blurred his vision along with bits of dust clung to his face from the remnants of the rustling leaves, branches scraped his arms as he wildly pushed forward towards a small opening lit by a small fire. The light had become closer and closer, yet as he was about to break into the opening, he tripped on a small protruding root that had caught his foot, shifting him off balance as he crashed to the floor with a painful thud, revealing his presence to those around him.
Izumi could only groan in pain, raising his hand to his head with squinted eyes, though he endeavored to push himself off the ground as his head lifted towards the image that would be burned into his mind for the rest of his life. Despite all the hope that welled within that young child, it wasn't long before he would come face to face with the battered and bloodied body of his father laid strewn in front of three figures, heavily burnt as small embers flickered across his body giving off a small light for all to witness the brutal beating he had suffered.
The three shadow clad figures had a noticeable and stark difference in height. A tall man had stood under the shadowed base of a large tree had simply opted to watch as the brutal beating continued; he appeared to be the oldest of the three purely due to his stature and build towering over the other two yet he did not make a single move to stop nor encourage them. Though his face was concealed in the darkness, the light offered by the moon had offered the sight of the man's sense of fashion as he was well dressed in a black suit, accompanied by a collared white shirts along with black dress pants and matching clean shoes.
Of the two that had stood right beside Hisashi, delivering a mindless assault against the man like mindless creatures, one appeared to be in his early teens. Despite their head being turned away from sight, Izumi could make out a dark maroon red head of hair by the lingering embers that laid across Hisashi's body. The boy was quite a bit taller and had a more muscular frame in comparison to the boy on the opposite side of him, yet he couldn't match how brutal the other boy's assault was on the poor man. The boy seemed to be around Izumi's height, yet when he turned towards Izumi, he could see his eyes flash a cold and merciless blue and bore deep into his soul, paralyzing him. His midnight black hair was disheveled as his appearance was unkempt and pale, though the sheer animosity that the boy exuded had him as still as stone.
Izumi's face was devoid of any color as his amber eyes dulled in fear, he could only stand there motionless, his throat was dry and hitched, failing to make any sound at all as his voice had disappeared. Though despite the fear that coursed in his veins, keeping him in place, he couldn't help but drift his gaze towards the man he had called his father. The man's breaths were shallow as the rise and descent of his chest slowed, yet despite all the pain that he felt, his dull amber eyes turned to meet Izumi's own as a small flicker of recognition sparked within his amber orbs. "Izumi..." He breathed silently, yet the amber eyed boy could hear it all the same. Nothing else mattered to him, the rest of the world was tuned out from the crisis that Izumi faced. The man he had looked up to was there, lying beaten; without any hesitation, he clumsily stumbled towards Hisashi before kneeling at his side, shaking him with a desperate hope to wipe away the clear daze that he was consumed by.
"D-dad... no..." Izumi cried out, desperately trying to find any sort of hope that he would live. The two boys that had previously assaulted the man had stood aside from Izumi's presence, silently making their way back towards the man's side as their faces were once again cloaked in the darkness. They made no attempt to stop Izumi from trying to save his father, yet he was only a child, it was a fruitless endeavor.
The amber eyed boy felt tears drip from his cheeks, a luminescent orange glow had dyed each drop with a faint light that slowly stained Hisashi's shirt. Whisks of electricity crackled around the boy as his body glowed a soft orange as he continued to cry, he hunched over his father's body as his hands desperately clawed at his eyes to abstain from looking at his father's pained expression.
Darkness would be his only comfort as his hairs stood on end while the lashes of lightning grew stronger and more powerful. The three onlookers had to stand back to avoid being accidentally injured by the field of energy that grew around the boy. It was only when Izumi felt a soft gentle hand rest on his arm that reality would crash back down on the boy as he was met with his father's stern gaze full of pity, blood seeping from his mouth as his hand trembled from the sheer amount of effort it took to hold it there. "I-Izumi... that's enough..." Hisashi croaked out, yet he let out a small grunt of pain, causing his hand to slip away.
Reacting quickly, he swiftly and gently held his smaller hands over Hisashi's own, intertwining their fingers for their desperate yet fleeting company. Tears freely flowed down his cheeks as his hand was brought up to his cheek "P-please!... don't go..." The amber eyed boy sobbed into his father's skin. His eyes widened as he felt Hisashi's hand softly cup his cheek, his eyes darted back from his hand to his father's gaze as he softly smiled at his son. His breathing was heavy and labored yet his arm was slowly brought across the back of Izumi's head, bringing the boy close to his chest with the last remaining strength he could muster.
"I'm sorry Iwaizumi... I don't have much time left... please tell... your mom and your brother... my last thoughts... were of them..." He said softly, the soft vibrations drumming through Hisashi's chest brought Izumi to shut his eyes and return his embrace. Hisashi could only shift his gaze up to the night sky, framed by the darkened leaves of the forest around him. It was a pity that his life would have to come to an end, but he knew that this day would have come eventually. The muffled sobs of Izumi's cries sang a sad melody in his final moments, though his eyes returned to the heartbreaking sight of his son laid against him. There was only one last thing that he could do before he left, and from how his body began to wear, he knew he didn't have much time left.
With a soft pat on his head, Izumi looked up to his father with reddened cheeks and puffy eyes. With a weak motion to come closer towards him, Izumi hurriedly moved to his side. Knowing what he was about to do, the red haired assailant moved to stop them, but the man had simply grabbed his arm with a sturdy and firm force. They turned around to face him, a look of shock, anger and surprise on their face; though the man did not budge, only offering a look of disapproval along with a shake of his head. They didn't know what the man had planned, but this was certainly not a part of what was supposed to happen. Nevertheless, he was the one who had the absolute say in everything, so he had no choice but to trust him. With a silent grumble, they lowered their arm and retracted their steps back beside the man, the other boy simply staring in a daze.
A look of concern and slight confusion was evident on Izumi's face, though his eyes widened as Hisashi gently pulled Izumi's head towards him to meet with his own. As their foreheads gently connected, his eyes were closed as he offered a small smile. Izumi could only look at him with a storm of emotions, though a piercing pain had escalated within his temple, causing him to reel back painfully. He cried out as a strange mark glowed on the center apex of his forehead, though it shone brightly, Izumi could feel a surging flame of heat well up within him. Hisashi could only stare at him with a pained look of sadness, "I'm sorry that this had to happen... I love you." Was all he could say before darkness took over him.
Light had entered the amber eyed boy's vision as his head felt clear and purged of any past pain. His eyes widened as he clutched his head to recover from the overwhelming feeling, yet as he remembered where he was, he found himself looking upon his father's stilled corpse. The rise and descent of his chest had vanished as his eyes were permanently shut.
"D-dad...?" He muttered, his voice strained and scared as he could only stare in disbelief. In an instant, he had found himself beside the man's body as he once again shook his father with a pleading desperation, though this time it was just a fruitless and wasted effort. Tears once again began to stream down his face; Izumi could feel the absence of his father's soul, though he still couldn't accept it himself.
"Don't leave me!" Izumi screeched angrily, yet his words could only fall to deaf ears. With a huff, the red haired assailant swiftly lifted his arm to attack Izumi. Flickering embers had started to appear over his scarred skin, yet he found the boy already knocked a few feet away from his father's corpse by the hand of the tall well dressed man. The man sighed through the mask that they wore, his voice distorted through the mechanism planted on his face. The blow wasn't enough to knock Izumi out, though it certainly did make him aware of their presence. The young boy glared at the man as well as the two assailants who stayed in the shadows and out of the man's way, he sneered and breathed angrily as his vision began to blur into red. The orange irises of his eyes sparked a faint trail of electricity as his skin glowed a bright white.
"You..." He muttered under his breath, the exhale itself sparking a small puff of smoke and cinders. The man looked up to him, his hands left at his side yet Izumi could get a good look at the man's appearance. The man had worn a strange mechanism over his face, the black plated metal that was framed by steel piped railing around his neck had resembled the shape of that of a skull. It was certainly a strange if not terrifying choice of fashion, though that wasn't something Izumi would have concerned himself with. What did trigger him however was when the man had grabbed Hisashi's collar, bringing him close to his face before harshly throwing him against the ground with little effort yet it created a small crater form under the man's lifeless body. The action in itself was quite strange, yet if it was meant to provoke the young boy, it certainly worked. Izumi's knuckles went pale as his body tensed from the overwhelming rage he felt.
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" He screamed as his body burst into a torrent of brilliant white flames. Out of the three, the redhead of the group took a step back from the aura of animosity Izumi exuded. His teal blue eyes narrowed towards the boy, his jaw clenched in annoyance. Of the other two, the smaller boy merely looked on curiously, seeming unflinching to the sudden dramatic flair of power. The man was much the same in this regard, though nobody could see it due to the helm that adorned their face. Behind the slick black preface was a devious smile, though they held no fear in regards to the boy in front of them.
"Very well, come." The man spoke, his voice distorted and mechanical. Izumi's hairs stood on edge as he flinched at the man's taunting. His piercing amber eyes narrowed harshly towards the man, yet all the signs that he could gleam off him told Izumi of a grave threat. Despite his attempts at provoking Izumi, there was a tugging feeling that his confident and cold attitude wasn't just for show. The man himself gave off a feeling of overwhelming power, a power that gave rise to a small bud of fear within the child.
Taking a moment to compose himself, he nervously scanned the area around him. From what he could tell, there was nobody within sight nor could he sense anyone near them. Izumi cursed under his breath at the situation he was put under, his mind freed from any of the suspicious circumstances that played into his newfound power. Besides, the crunching of dirt squashed under that man's heels had brought his attention back to reality. The man walked towards him with a void yet certain air of confidence surrounding him... how dare they.
Did they not feel anything for hurting his father?
... Of course not, they're villains. Villains are soulless creatures that feed on the despair of others, this man was the epitome of that reasoning. The aloof and cold exterior he wore under the unfeeling and dreadful mask spoke volumes of his desire to watch the world burn. They were all the same weren't they? Villains selfishly using whatever means necessary to obtain whatever it is that they desired, or perhaps they seeked the thrill to watch others suffer... they deserved to be punished.
But where were the heroes?
Why isn't anyone coming to try and stop these people from hurting more and more...
Nevermind that...
He had power didn't he? Right now he felt as if he could take on the entire world... so what was one measly pesky villain that stood in his way going to do? A devious and wicked smile grew across Izumi's face as he stared at the man before him. Perhaps he would have to play the hero this time...
Izumi charged forward quickly, his movement enhanced by the energy coursing throughout his veins. Nevermind limitations, nevermind consequences. All he had to do was eliminate his opponent. Yet despite all the power he felt, all that it took to stop him was a single blow to his gut. The man had moved right in front of him in the blink of an eye, his naked fist burrowed deep into Izumi's abdomen, causing the boy to launch into a tree with a painful snap. Izumi groaned as he fell from the wooden stopper that kept him in the dreaded arena, though his vision only grew more and more red. He wouldn't even recognize the flames that would wash over his body, giving him a brief moment of respite to collect himself, pain forgotten as he stood again. The man hummed curiously at the boy's behavior as he adjusted the cuff on his wrist before observing him further.
It angered him to see the man act in such a nonchalant fashion, though this only confirmed that he was right. He was the one who would hurt his father, the one who would be responsible for his death. Right now, it was only him and the man who stood before him. With a low snarl, he lowered himself into a stance as flames sprouted from his body, the heat attacking his skin, nipping away violently against his flesh from the sheer intensity of anger he felt, yet he didn't care. He blasted the torrent of lightning conducted flames towards the man, though the blast had attacked everything in sight without restraint. Waves of heat imploded around him, causing the forest to stir and whine painfully. All that was in his mind at that one moment was that he would be able to finish this with one blow, letting primal instinct take over instead of letting reasoning take the wheel.
Though it appeared that the man had other intentions for his future as he was met with a swift kick to the side of his head from the shadows with little to no effort, snuffing out the flames as he was sent flying to land next to the corpse of his father. The man made a tsk sound as he approached the boy, whose vision was starting to fade into black as his world spun painfully. The two boys who had watched on, shocked, could only take a moment to look around them to find the area heavily scorched and burned. A pillar of smoke had arisen form the embers latched onto the tall trees, blocking out any sight of the night sky. It was more than likely that more people would soon come to arrive on the scene, though they had no knowledge of the man's intentions as well as what he intended to do with the boy along with Hisashi's body.
The man loomed over Izumi's curled form, smoke had risen from the boy's skin yet his wounds would start to heal rapidly. Despite his body's recovery, Izumi himself was still in need of time to recover from the sudden change in tides, though he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew that it never was in his favor anyways. A low whir escaped from the man's mask as he let out a soft breath. The moonlight had melted over the outlines of his mask, revealing the embodiment of death. "Now this has been an interesting development... you're his son, aren't you?" He questioned, yet it was already evident that he knew the answer. He turned around to face the two that stood on standby, the older of the two flinched when the man looked to them while the younger boy merely stared.
"But it seems that our business here is done, we have no need to linger here any longer." He said with a cold tone, the red haired boy's eyes widened in response and was about to retort but was stopped by the man's hazy breathing. It was a sign that his orders were absolute, he knew everything that would happen... he simply decided that this would be the most interesting path. The well dressed man turned back his gaze towards the amber eyed boy, his pained gaze looking up at him with fear. Yet he couldn't speak from the tremendous force he exerted, he was kept in place.
"Take it by the hands of the devil, your life will be spared." The man said, turning around and patting off his suit. "Take this as a means to experience and discover what it means to be the light and the dark... heroes..." He paused for a moment before lowering his head to chuckle darkly. He turned his head ever so slightly back towards the boy, the same cold and emotionless mask peered into his soul, burning an image that would stay with him forever. "Well, they won't be able to save you from me... none of them had come to save the day or even see what had transpired here, or perhaps they did... but they were too scared."
His head turned back towards the darkness of the forest, the two assailants had walked forward to join him. Though their faces glowed under the lingering embers that swirled around them, Izumi's sole attention was directed towards the man.
"Listen well, child. I am the darkness that has plagued the world for countless generations, I am the tide of battle that eliminates all foes, they who tremble at my feet can't hold a candle to the power I hold; Heroes won't act because they are selfish and greedy, they put their own lives above others, they live a life of deceit as they put on a mask to spread a false sense of hope and act in the name of 'Justice', but it only serves their own purposes, their own selfish desires." He preached to Izumi who sat there, unable to move, his mind was trapped in a daze as he was forced to take in his poisonous words. His arms had spread out wide in a godly fashion as his head was raised to the stars. The man turned back around, the dreadful image of death returning to haunt him once more.
"I will come back... to collect the harvest of my crop." He declared with an outstretched hand reaching towards Izumi. His image, as well as the two boy's had slowly begun to melt into a black sludge that whirled around them like a vortex. The two boy's beside him showed signs of discomfort at the mode of teleportation, though they didn't speak any words of complaint as their figures were devoured by the darkness. The man's hand returned back to his side to dust off his shoulders in a nonchalant fashion, though he spared one final glance towards the boy before he too disappeared into the night.
"And when that time comes, you will know why your life was spared this day." His words echoed in the empty clearing, cinders and ash had surrounded the boy as he was left alone in the midst of the night with his father. the distant cry of sirens had loomed in the air, though it was blocked out by the boy's cries of frustration.
A soft shudder had run down Izumi's body, clasping both of his hands together as they felt cold. Izuku's brows furrowed in worry for his brother as he walked up to him and placed a reassuring hand on his arm, all the while offering a small and kind smile when Izumi would turn to look at him. The amber eyed boy smiled in return as he brought the shorter boy into a warm embrace. Izuku sighed and returned the gesture, knowing at times that even his brother who he would have often seen as his invincible shield had vulnerable moments like these.
It made the freckled boy smile when he would feel the comforting vibration of his brother's chest erupt when he would chuckle to himself, likely already getting over the moment of respite. The older boy pulled back from his younger sibling, his arms still placed firmly on his shoulders as a small smile would appear on his lips. "Thank you." He said quietly enough for just the two of them to hear, accompanied by him ruffling his hair playfully. Izuku chuckled in response to the frequent action that Izumi would do to him, though he knew it was out of love. With a smile, he nodded back silently in response; Izuku merely felt that he needed to repay the favor of all those years of suffering Izuku himself had gone though, Izumi being at his side at every moment possible in those years of torment.
Turning his attention back towards the four steaming mugs that sat on the kitchen counter, he looked towards Izuku with a look that asked for his assistance, of which he nodded in response before moving to grab two of the beverages while Izumi took the other two. The two smiled at each other, relishing the moments of calm and respite from each other's company. They both felt fortunate that they had each other to lean on at times like these, though a simple night spent talking with loved ones would always be spent with smiles.
Time would pass as the two siblings would return to join the two girls and participate in their engaging conversations. Whether it be about their daily lives, random encounters or even the upcoming Yuuei sports festival, the four would chat the night away with steaming beverages in their possession. Certainly, Nejire's bubbly and cheerful nature would always add a nice change in pace to their conversations. Most talks between the family themselves would be relatively short lived due to their relatively reserved natures; though having someone like Nejire around had kept everyone included, even if the topics would change from one to another at random occasions. Of course, there would be times where the four would simply settle on watching a few shows available online when they would exhaust themselves from the constant chatter or find a few channels that they took interest in and settle down quietly to watch whatever displayed across the television.
The night had fully set in since Nejire's surprising though not unwelcome arrival. Glimmering stars had taken their place high up in the depths of the night sky, watching over the quiet streets of Tokyo. The four had settled down on watching a comedic drama that Nejire had found while browsing through the library a streaming program called Netflicks had in store. It was something that the bluenette had started to watch in her own time at her own apartment where she lived, though the three Midoriyas had to admit that it hit a lot of good notes for them.
Izuku had settled on watching the film on a perpendicularly placed sofa to the screen, taking up most of the space as he lay there across the couch's cushions, intrigued by the plot of the drama. Nejire and Izumi had made room for Inko on the couch that sat parallel to the screen, seeing as Inko would likely not find as much comfort as Izuku would laying down in that kind of position, not to mention that having your head turned towards the screen all the time would be quite uncomfortable. While Inko had objected at first, not wanting them to have to move just because of her, the two had insisted that she had earned the "queen's seat of the house" as they would call it, earning a flustered blush from Inko and a small chuckle of amusement from Izuku; though seeing how happy the couple were in each other's embrace as Nejire would look so comfortable sitting across Izumi's lap had caused her inner mother to want to keep them that way.
Nejire sighed happily as she leaned into Izumi's chest, her eyes still glued onto the actors played on the screen. While the story was indeed interesting, Izumi would still much rather watch the bright smile that played across Nejire's face as he chuckled, stroking the long strands of blue hair that flowed from her head. Giggling at the enjoyable feeling, the bluenette draped her slender arm across Izumi's shoulder to relish in the warmth that his body emanated as her eyes drifted upwards to meet his. Her sky blue eyes were softened upon meeting his amber orange ones; as she flashed him a puppy dog look, Izumi inwardly chuckled to himself before leaning in to gently press his lips against her's. A simple and chaste kiss, yet it was one full of love. Inko squealed silently at the sight as Izuku smiled at the two before returning his attention back towards the film.
With a contented sigh, Izumi leaned his head against her's. His cheeks pressed on his forehead and hummed softly. It was a frequent action that the two would often enjoy as they could feel the gentle vibrations from their partners echo through their body. It was hard to keep in her fits of giggles, though the two made sure to keep their interactions quiet as to not disturb the other two occupants of the apartment. Nevertheless, it was always a comfort to sink into the feeling of their warm breaths press against their necks as well as sharing their body heat in the cold night. Though it was only a matter of time before such moments had to come to an end.
A soft buzz accompanied by a gentle melodious tune had rung out from within the apartment. Izumi raised his brow towards Nejire seeing as he could feel the soft vibration echo through her legs. While the drama continued to play, Inko and Izuku had their attention towards the blue haired girl. The bluenette seemed equally confused by the prospect as she quickly apologized before moving her arm to rummage through her jean pockets to pull out her phone, of which was the source of the interruption. With pursed lips, she pressed her thumb against the power button of the device as her eyes widened upon seeing the alarm she had set up earlier in the evening ring out it's reminder.
"Oh wow, it's that late already?" The bluenette mused with her cheek placed against her cheek in surprise. The amber eyed boy next to her leaned over to look at the phone's display and found that it was indeed quite late in the night; though the four of them had hardly noticed since the blinds were closed in favor of privacy, not to mention that the drama they were watching had their rapt attention for the most part. Inko turned her head towards the clock that had hung in view above the hallway's entrance and gasped in surprise.
"Oh my, it seems that we've been at it for quite a while." The jade haired woman remarked with a similar reaction to that of Nejire's. Even Izuku nodded numbly upon following his mother's gaze as his eyes widened in surprise. "Huh, no kidding." He said softly under his breath, sitting up from where he had laid down to pause the show for now. Nejire smiled brightly as she hung one arm over Izumi's neck before holding a thumbs up.
"I guess that show must have been really good then, huh?" She said, adding in a little wink. The three Midoriyas shared a small laugh, though they couldn't say that they disagreed with her. It wasn't often that the the Midoriya family would simply it down and watch a show for the entire night. By the time they had stopped, most of them would have already either turned in or would at least be doing something in their own respective rooms. While it was something that they haven't had the time to do in quite a while, it was certainly a nice change in pace to be able to do something together. Especially with how the two children of Inko would prefer to spend time studying or doing something productive that would in turn help with their studies as a hero.
Nejire gently moved herself off of Izumi's lap to stand on her own, taking a moment to stretch after the long period of sitting still, even letting out a cute yawn after. Still as bouncy as ever as she hopped on the balls of her feet, though as a thought had passed through her mind upon seeing Izumi start to get up as well, she grew a small sly smirk. Not letting her boyfriend have the chance to stand up, she playfully collapsed back onto Izumi who had caught her with an expression of surprise from the sudden action, cushioning her fall. "N-Nejire?!" He exclaimed, panicked by the girl's sudden collapse. While Nejire had pretended to act unconscious, she couldn't help but to release a small fit of giggles upon seeing the serious expression that played on Izumi's face. Knowing that she was just toying with him, he huffed, turning his head away.
"Geez..." He sighed, exasperated; though he couldn't keep a smile from taking over his face for long. As revenge, he grabbed onto her waist and begun to tickle her torso with a sly smirk on his face, causing the girl to scream while laughing uncontrollably, her legs and arms flailing uncontrollably. "Oh gods-, stop! Ahahaha-" She tried to get out between catching her breath as his relentless assault continued, causing her to start trying to push him away playfully. Inko placed a polite hand over her mouth as she also found humor in the two's interaction while Izuku shook his head with a small smile before getting up to stretch his limbs himself.
It had taken a good while for the two to finally settle down as they lay on each other, breathing heavily for the war that they just made. Though despite their wear, the two wore bright smiles on their face. Izuku had taken the liberty of taking everyone's cups and bringing them to the sink for a wash while Inko was contented with just watching the two with an amused smile on her face. Pushing herself off of her boyfriend, Nejire pouted cutely with her arms folded under her chest. "You know I'm weak to tickling, Izumi!" She accused him with faux anger. Izumi chuckled in response before sliding his arms around her waist as he leaned forward to peck her cheeks lightly, causing the girl's act to crumble as she giggled happily.
"I know, but it's cute when you laugh." He complimented with an honest smile while the bluenette playfully pushed him as the two shared a small round of laughs. Taking a moment to stand up once again without deciding to fall backwards like last time, she pulled out her phone to reveal that it was even later than before. Turning back towards Izumi who had stretched his arms upwards in the meantime while suppressing a yawn, she pocketed her phone before smiling apologetically to him.
"I should be heading back..." She said quietly. Izumi blinked but soon came to remember how late it was in the first place as he nodded sadly. He stood up as well to join her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he smiled towards her.
"I'll walk you home. Even if you're a hero, it's never a good idea to go off alone by yourself in the dark." He reasoned, causing Nejire to widen her sky blue eyes slightly in surprise, but nodded, seeing no reason to deny his request. As a small thanks, she held onto his arms as she pecked him on his cheek in return, much in the same way as he did for her. The bluenette giggled lightly, seeing the rosy tint of red flair on his cheeks as well as the uncommon bashfulness his expression showed as he scratched his cheek awkwardly with a small chuckle in embarrassment.
She turned around to face Inko, her face beaming as she bowed gratefully. "Thank you for letting me stay over for a while, Inko chan!" She said, moving forward and bending over to embrace the smaller woman who was still sat on the couch. The jade haired woman chuckled in response before patting her back affectionately with a happy close eyed smile.
"Oh it's not a problem dear. You'll always be welcome here whenever you have the chance to stop by!" She said with a determined nod as they parted, her hands placed on top of Nejire's shoulders. The bluenette smiled and nodded as she stood straight, giving the woman a salute. "Will do." She said playfully with a small wink, causing Inko to giggle in amusement of her quirky nature. Before long, the two would bid their goodbyes for now to Inko and Izuku who had waved them off.
The couple had set off down the hallways in silence, hand in hand. Through every turn and length, they had noticed the still silence that had filled the area, though this wasn't surprising considering the current time they were walking here. Thankfully the lights were still left on to illuminate the path for those who wished to move about in the late of night, though their movements were of course recorded to ensure that no chaos or disturbances ensued in the midst of the night.
Even the two could feel the growing effect of sleepiness start to take over their movements as their eyes would lower ever so slightly. Though this applied more so for Izumi than Nejire due to the use of his quirk, allowing him to keep his senses sharp. Of course, it wasn't healthy to stay awake for extremely long periods of time such as whole days, but he wanted to at least make sure that both of them didn't fall asleep midway.
The noticeable delay in Nejire's footsteps didn't escape Izumi. Looking at her, he could already see the glazed look in her eyes as she wandered on. If not for Izumi's hand interlinked with her's, he might have believed that she would have wandered aimlessly without even realizing it. Of the time that he had come to know her, she was always an energetic and cheery girl with seemingly endless amounts of energy. However, when the time came where her body demanded sleep, she would appear to have that switch turned off.
It was amusing and cute, if not concerning that she would pay little to no attention to her surroundings in this kind of state, or at least she'd do her best to try but find that her concentration would be impaired. It was why she would always follow a well structured sleep schedule. Though once she would have enough rest and recharge, she would return back to her usually bouncy self. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to prolong her leave; though the responsibility of seeing her make it home fell onto him, and he would make sure that he would see it through, for her.
As she looked up to him, the familiar glazed daze that took over her face came into recognition. He smiled back reassuringly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb soothingly. His eyes shined a honest and warm recognition, "We're nearly there, hold on just a little longer, okay?" Izumi said softly. Nejire stared at him for a moment before nodding numbly, trusting him with her company. Nodding back, he continued to guide her along the way to the entrance of the apartment complex. Thankfully, it wasn't too long before they made it outside, meeting the chilly yet calming breeze of the night. The sky had faded into a blanket of midnight black, yet the darkness was accompanied by the illuminated glow of the many stars that hung in the sky. Making an exhale, Izumi could see his breath fog slightly as a sign of Tokyo's temperature. Turning around to look at Nejire, he found her staring up with mild curiosity towards the stars, a small shine of happiness in her eyes. Smiling softly, he gently took off the glove worn on his left hand to reach out and cup Nejire's cheek.
Her skin felt slightly chilly, though it wasn't anything too dangerous. Thankfully the scarf and jacket that she had worn were good equalizers to keep her temperature stable. The blue haired girl turned her head slowly to meet his gaze, though upon noticing his hand placed comfortingly on her cheek, she leaned her head against his touch affectionately, relishing in his warmth. Chuckling to himself, he used his other hand to bring her body closer to his, which was something that Nejire didn't object to as she instantly melted into his embrace. Smiling at her, he slowly removed his hand from his cheek to put back on his glove. By now, Nejire's hands were fastened around Izumi's torso, which was something the could never mind. Taking note of how sleepy she looked, Izumi swiftly yet gently swept her off her feet, carrying her bridal style, which was again, something that Nejire wouldn't have the energy to object or even react surprised to.
Bending down to one knee, careful to keep Nejire comfortable in his hold; he tapped the sides of both his shoes, which had in turn caused them to emit a small buzz. It was a feature that he had come up with to help aid in flying with his quirk. Allowing the shoes to emit a conductive pulse to concentrate the effects of his quirk, granting him a much more accessible and more flexible method of flight than just using metal. Thankfully the support group in Yuuei were more than happy to help make them, even adding in a little add-ons to better the design. Turning his attention back to Nejire, he found the bluenette breathing silently as she rested her head on the crook of his neck. Her breaths coddled against his neck had sent a small shiver down to his spine, though he couldn't say that it was unpleasant. Leaning forward to kiss her forehead tenderly, he could feel her squirm slightly within his embrace, causing him to chuckle lightly.
Through a little amount of concentration, the two began to rise off of the ground to the point where the whole city was in view. Thankfully the winds were less turbulent on this night of this little trip would have been much less pleasant. Leaning his body forward, small crackles of electricity bounced around him, though he was careful not to disturb her. Gliding over the city was always a fun experience, though he did his best to see to it that the two would reach their destination as quickly as possible. It was a quiet trip as they traveled in the skies, the buildings below were lit up with various lights as they entered the city, the trees glistened in the moonlight as the leaves swayed in the light breeze, the traffic of cars below was rowdy as people crossed the roads in masses.
Glazing his eyes calmly over the sights around Tokyo, his amber orbs stopped upon locating a familiar looking building that would soon be confirmed as where Nejire had lived sitting around the heart of the city of Tokyo. Slowing his momentum gradually to a stop, he took a moment to ensure that they were balanced properly before starting to descend to the ground. He turned to look towards Nejire who had been dozing off. "We're going to go down, so hang on to me okay?" He said softly; Nejire's sky dimmed sky blue eyes fluttered softly as she gave a tired nod as well as a small smile, to which he gladly returned.
Having her give the ok, the two started to descend down as they soon landed on the stone pathway that led to the studio apartment complex that Nejire lived in. It was a breathtaking sight, seeing the modern style that the large structure took on. The beautiful arrangement of wood balanced with cream colored stone, several window panes and balconies had lined the outside of the structure on each level, of which the building wasn't lacking in. It seemed quite expensive, though that wasn't too surprising considering that her parents were powerful business owners who would have always spent most of their time overseas.
"I've always lived alone, my parents are just away on overseas for the most part. They send over money so I could pay off the rent, though they do visit every few months or so." Izumi remembered Nejire saying as he, as well as Togata and Tamaki would visit her place every so often for study dates. He could remember the sadness that rang in her voice, noting that she would miss them dearly. Though she would only smile when our concern showed, explaining that even though her parents may not be always around to watch her, she knew that they loved her.
Izumi smiled, remembering how he had come to witness this firsthand; when they would visit from overseas to meet with him, introducing him as her partner. They were certainly strict but loving of their daughter, not to mention quite protective and overbearing, though Nejire didn't seem to mind, neither did Izumi. It was indeed a good thing that they were able to get on good terms after a good long talk, there were even one occasion where they had visited his own home to celebrate with the Midoriya family on Christmas. It was certainly quite a time.
Though as much as he'd like to reminisce, there was the matter of Nejire who had took top priority. The interiors of the complex were silent but were well lit with a calm golden light. The walls were painted with a beige brown and white, quite similar to the interior of his own apartment. There were various paintings that decorated the halls that had certainly conveyed an established elegance to them, they were quite incredible and definitely a treat for the eyes; he even made some stops to admire the pieces, though it didn't seem like Nejire minded as she appeared to be sound asleep. He could only smile, taking a moment to enjoy her soft and melodious quiet breathing. How the steady rise and fall of her chest pressed against his as their warmth was shared, he could simply just stay there and watch her for hours.
Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before the two had reached the door to Nejire's apartment. A large wooden door had taken place as an obstacle to the two's path, though it was clear that what lay beyond the barrier was Nejire's apartment as beside the door was a name tag inscribed with "Hado", her family's name. Taking a moment to assess the situation, he moved sideways to the door in an attempt to see if he could push down the handle of the door, which fortunately didn't work. With a little bit of work along with the bluenette now placed piggyback on Izumi, he was able to fish the keys out of Nejire's jacket to open the door. As the two walked in, the lights had automatically switched on, lighting up the entire apartment.
The large room was bathed in a cordial orange light. The space before him had the typical getup of a normal studio apartment; well furnished with a kitchen, a small lounge area which was set up near the window, a large table and finally a staircase to her bedroom that sat just above the entrance of the apartment as a balcony of sorts over the entire single room. Beyond the lounging area of the apartment was a large window of panels that displayed a delightful view of the shining city below, seeing as Nejire's apartment was one of the ones higher up in levels. Bordering it was a artistic mix of solid white and wooden walls, associated with the different attachments to the walls that were filled to the brim with accessories and items that would help shape this home as her's.
Nodding to himself, he made his way towards the staircase. The room was simple to navigate through it being a single entire room, and since he had come to visit this place a great many of times, the staircase was the way to go to complete his objective. Carefully treading the steps to not disturb the sleeping girl on his back, he finally reaching her bedroom, of which sat above the rest of the apartment. It was decorated by a few shelves and decorations, along with a few plants but it was fairly modest.
He walked over to her bed before lifting off the well furnished covers. Proceeding to sit down to place her on the mattress, he gently untangled her arms from his neck before having her lay down properly. She squirmed lightly from the sudden loss of heat as she muttered his name softly. "Izumi..."
Izumi stared at her for a moment, surprised but smiled softly before laying a soft kiss on her forehead which made her smile unconsciously in her slumber. Chuckling to himself, he proceeded to take off the extra layers of clothing that she had worn. Hanging her jacket and folding her scarf; tucking away her gloves and taking off her boots. Once that was all done, he draped the blanket covers over her shoulders wordlessly, tucking in her long blue hair so it won't bother her as she slept. Standing up from her bed, he took a moment to smile at his handiwork before kneeling beside the head of the bed to lean near Nejire's head.
"Good night dear." He whispered softly and gently, moving to caress her cheek lightly, making the blood in her cheeks rise as she melted in his touch. Once again, she turned over to his side as her soft snores breezed along his arm. He smiled happily, seeing the look of calm and peace appear over her face as he nodded to himself. Prying his hand away from Nejire's grasp, from both of their reluctance, he walked back over to the staircase in preparation to leave, though he spared one last glance towards her before they would part.
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Rewriting notes
Well, this chapter took a lot longer than I had originally anticipated, not to mention that it's a lot longer than I had expected.
Since the last time I had written this chapter, I feel as if I hadn't written Nejire's character correctly. She's a lot more confident and outgoing, though it's nice to write about her calm nature as well. She doesn't seem to be too timid and shy, though there are certain lengths that she goes through and doesn't seem to be too surprised or overly reactive to negative emotions often. It was also probably a mistake to think that it would be her first time meeting Inko since they've been together for more than a year. Perhaps I may write an omake about it sometime in the future.
Also, Netflicks was the only thing that I could come up with. I certainly couldn't match the likes of omozan (a BNHA knockoff of amazon) so it'll have to do.
I hope this chapter brings a lot more out of Hisashi's scene than the last one! It was only a few lines back then, though I hope it feels more descriptive. Let me know if you liked it!
(It'll probably be a while before I can write any more Nejire fluff, so I try to savor it while I can.)
Existing notes
I also hope that some segments in this story aren't too rushed as the mass of writing I make are in bursts of time, in one moment I'm thinking up of something which may take a few good hours before I come up with something good and the other, I'll just be storming away, if you guys think that some parts need more development then I'll be happy to oblige, (feel free to PM me if you want!)
If the "You will know which side to choose in the near future, child. I look forward to our co-operation." part confuses you then don't worry, it'll be explained at some point within the next few chapters or so.
One of the reviewers by the name of "Strifestellar Mizo" have mentioned using Nii-san and other phrases, so it will be less confusing I guess.
If you guys don't like it then I can change it back, if you do then I might go back and change previous chapters to include it.
See you guys in a bit.
Ignis.
