In comparison to the rest of the week, Friday is startlingly normal. Izuku wakes up for his usual reasons in the early hour of the morning and runs with Iida as the sun rises above the horizon. The only minor thing different he does is that he prepares Todoroki's favorite tea for him when he gets back from his run so that it's ready for him when he wakes up, and then he and the other boy enjoy a nice calm breakfast together in their own private corner of the dining room. That earns him a sneaky kiss on the cheek before he leaves for his morning meet-up with Recovery Girl that has him blushing the entire way there. And to his delight, Todoroki is waiting for him outside in the hallway afterwards and they walk to class together hand-in-hand yet again.
His morning classes are as average and unremarkable as they could possibly be. Even their afternoon hero lesson ends up being a run-of-the-mill obstacle course race that Izuku can't do much to participate in, so he's left with plenty of time to chat with All Might at the finish line. It's refreshing to talk to him again, just the two of them- it feels like it's been ages since they've just talked to each other. And not about healing, or how Izuku's doing, not even about anything in particular; All Might will say something absolutely ridiculous and Izuku will respond with some dry sarcasm that he's probably picked up from his mentor and then All Might will let out loud, booming laughs that resonates Izuku's very soul and bring a smile to his face.
It feels good, it feels natural, but despite everything, Izuku can't help the underlying anticipation that's been thrumming beneath his veins for the past two days. He's certain his friends can tell that something's up, even if they're not sure exactly what. They do their best to keep him in good spirits by flocking around him in the common room at night, hanging out with him, making him laugh at their silly antics until his stomach hurts.
It serves as a perfect distraction and before he knows it, it's Saturday morning. His anticipation turns into excitement.
He's meant to meet Recovery Girl and All Might in the infirmary at 11AM, but thanks to his nightmares and his nerves, Izuku is awake long before that. He's about to go get ready to go on a solo run- Iida, shockingly enough, actually likes to sleep in an extra couple of hours on the weekend, so Izuku doesn't have a partner this time- but then he realizes that he's supposed to be saving his energy, not burning it off. So he plops back down on his bed, leg bouncing up and down in a desperate attempt to get rid of his nerves, and slowly realizes the fact that the next few hours are going to be sheer torture.
They wanted him to get a good night of sleep, to be as well-rested as possible before doing this. And yeah, Izuku understands the importance of that, but sleeping- that's kind of hit or miss for him lately. They know that. How could they possibly expect him to sleep well when he's so excited about this?
He lies back down and closes his eyes with a sigh.
…
Thirty seconds later, he sits right back up and hops off his bed. Nope, not happening.
Luckily for him, Recovery Girl also ordered him to eat a big breakfast, so he can just spend his time making that! It's early enough that nobody is awake yet, which means he'll have the kitchen all to himself- a rarity in the class 1-A dorm.
Izuku eagerly makes his way down to the first floor and enters the kitchen, looking around with wide eyes. Kacchan has practically banned him from here, which he thinks is rather unfair. Sure, he might not be the best cook, but it's not like he's going to blow up the place!
Two hours later, he finds himself regretting his previous thought.
A drowsy Kacchan lets out a giant yawn as he walks into the kitchen to see Izuku covered in flour and batter. The greenette looks like he's on the verge of tears as he struggles to flip the charred remains of… something on a frying pan. A couple of pieces of eggshells are trapped in his curls, and a single yolk lays abandoned on the countertop, slowly inching its way across the surface. The stench of burned bacon permeates the air.
Kacchan's eye twitches.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Izuku whirls around, relief flooding his gaze. "Kacchan!" He quickly glances between his friend and his disastrous food. "Oh- I- I tried- I wanted to make pancakes- and- and bacon and- well, a little bit of eggs too, but I gave up on those a while ago- um!" His voice takes a nervous edge as Kacchan stomps over and swipes the spatula out of his hands.
"I told you to stay the fuck out of the kitchen, Zuku!" He snarls, waving the spatula threateningly at the smaller boy's throat as he turns off the stove with his other hand, "You're a shit cook and now all this food's gonna go to waste! Why the fuck are you making so making so much at ass o' clock in the morning anyway?!"
Gulping, Izuku glances away anxiously before saying, "Um, remember the other day when I said I had to see a patient that's going to require a lot of energy to heal? I, uh, I'm going to see them today."
"What?" He snaps, frowning, "Oh- that? What the hell is that about anyway? Who are you healing?"
Izuku presses his lips together and gives him a slight chastising look. "Doctor-patient confidentiality, Kacchan."
Kacchan grinds his teeth in irritation. "Fuck. Fine, whatever. You're not leaving school again, are you?"
Izuku shakes his head. "No. It shouldn't take long. Recovery Girl told me to eat a big breakfast in order to have as much energy as I can so I'm not as tired afterwards..." He casts a pitiful glance at his burned food.
Kacchan narrows his eyes, looking like he wants to ask more, but then scoffs and turns Izuku around with one hand. "Get the fuck out of my kitchen," he grunts, shoving him away with a foot on his rear. Izuku squeaks and scrambles into the dining room.
Thirty minutes later, the blond re-emerges from the kitchen with two plates of delicious smelling food. He places the one stacked dramatically high with pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of Izuku, who gasps in delight.
"Kacchan!" Izuku's eyes sparkle. "Thank you!"
Kacchan grunts and sits across from him with his own reasonably piled plate. "You're cleaning up that garbage mess you left. And then mine."
Izuku is already digging in and hums agreeably around his mouthful of eggs. Kacchan snorts.
As they eat, a few of their classmates soon start trickling in and begin making their own meals. Iida balks at the state of the kitchen and Izuku calls out his apologies. He perks up when Todoroki enters and invites him to come sit with them, much to Kacchan's displeasure.
Todoroki, a slow-starter like Izuku, drowsily leans against his poof of curls and takes great interest in his food.
"I didn't know you could cook," he murmurs.
"He can't," Kacchan grunts, eyeing them disdainfully, "I made it for him." His voice has a slight tone of superiority, as if to say 'ha, I can make something Izuku actually likes.'
Unphased- or oblivious- Todoroki blinks slowly and looks down at the food. "Can I have some?"
"No," Kacchan snaps immediately.
"Sure," Izuku agrees.
Kacchan curls his lip. "I didn't cook for him-"
Izuku cuts off a piece of pancake and feeds it to Todoroki. The taller boy hums appreciatively around his fork.
"It's good."
Kacchan's eye twitches again, this time in disgust at the blatant domestic display before him.
"Fuck you." He abruptly stands up from the table and whirls around. "Fuck both of you."
Izuku smiles happily as he stalks away. "Thanks for breakfast!"
Finally, at 10:30AM, he can't stand to wait any longer. Todoroki looks a little confused when he hastily excuses himself, giving him much the same explanation that he gave Kacchan, but even though he doesn't seem to quite understand he wishes him luck anyway and kisses him on the cheek. And- well, that right there is just like an extra shot of energy all on its own, and Izuku practically skips the entire way to the infirmary with a goofy smile on his face.
As he makes his way down the hall, he notices that the door is already open and that there are multiple voices coming from inside. Slowing down, he peeks his head around the doorframe and blinks in surprise.
The infirmary is filled with people. Recovery Girl and All Might, of course, but also Sir Nighteye, Mirio, Principal Nedzu, and an elderly man that looks vaguely familiar. They're all chatting idly with each other, but Mirio's eyes land on Izuku as soon as his head pops in.
"Kouhai!" He chirps, catching everyone's attention, "You're early!"
All eyes land on him and Izuku shrinks slightly.
"I told you he'd come early." Recovery Girl rolls her eyes. "Well, come on in, Midoriya-kun."
Smiling sheepishly, Izuku walks in and immediately gets pulled into a hug- and subsequent hair ruffle- by Mirio. "How're you doing? Sleep well?"
"Well enough," Izuku replies simply, glancing around at the three unexpected guests, "So-"
Before he can even begin to ask anything, All Might hastily says, "Oh, I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind that I invited some people! It's just- big day, you know?" He chuckles nervously.
Izuku waves his hands and reassures him, "No, no, it's alright, I understand."
He's starting to think that having loved ones around when being healed might be a common thing. He's going to have to get used to having an audience. But this is alright, he already knows most of these people.
Izuku smiles up at Sir Nighteye, reaching out to shake his hand politely. "It's nice to see you again, Sir."
The hero smiles back and takes his hand. "It's nice to see you as well. It's been a while." He arches a brow. "If I'm not mistaken- and I know I'm not-" Mirio and All Might let out an identical bark of laughter. "First-years are going to be allowed to partake in work studies this year. Will I be seeing you in my agency with Kamei-san again?"
Izuku opens his mouth to reply, but Mirio does it for him. "Haha, nope! Sorry Sir, Midoriya-kun's already been snatched up by Team Idaten," he says, "Believe me, I'm as heartbroken as you are. The betrayal!" He presses the back of his palm to his forehead dramatically.
Izuku rolls his eyes at his antics. "Oh come on." To Sir Nighteye, he says, "But, yeah, sorry."
"Don't apologize." Sir Nighteye shakes his head. "New experiences are always beneficial. There's much that Ingenium can teach you that I could not. Regardless, I'm glad to see that you are doing well." His voice sounds genuine as he gazes down at Izuku warmly.
"Thank you, Sir." Izuku dips his head politely, then glances over when All Might catches his attention.
"And this is a former teacher of mine," he says, gesturing to the elderly man sitting in Izuku's desk chair, "Gran Torino."
As Izuku reaches out to shake his hand, he once again can't help thinking that he looks vaguely familiar. He's wearing a hero costume and All Might introduced him with a hero name so obviously he is indeed a hero. It takes a couple of seconds, but then it clicks.
"You were in Kamino," he says and All Might stiffens slightly behind him, "You stopped Shigaraki from going after me and Todoroki-kun."
Gran Torino's expression doesn't change much, but he nods. "Yep, that was me."
Izuku stares at him. Then gives him a shaky smile. "Thank you," he says softly.
"No problem, kid," the man replies with a hint of gruffness.
Izuku straightens up and slowly turns back around. Principal Nedzu is sitting on one of the beds and Izuku nods his greeting to him before looking at All Might. Blue eyes meet green. Anticipation sits heavy in the air, making everyone fall quiet for a second.
Izuku's scarred throat bobs as he swallows. Well… this is it. The moment they've all been waiting for. The moment he's been working towards for well over a year at this point. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and opens them again.
He's ready.
Turning to look at his mentor, Izuku nods. "Let's do this."
She nods back. And, much like with Ingenium, she steps back and lets him take the lead. He guides All Might to sit down on one of the beds and has him remove his shirt, revealing the scarless torso beneath. Apparently, All Might has not yet shown Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino this development yet, because Izuku hears them both inhale sharply behind him. The blond smiles at them over his shoulder and Izuku doesn't need to glance back to know what their expressions must look like.
Instead, he announces that he's first going to feel with his quirk and make sure everything's as it should be before touching All Might's chest, quickly shutting off his quirk. And yes, everything's as it was last time. No scars, no old wounds, no shadows of shattered bones.
Just one giant chasm of a missing lung that he has to fill.
A cluster of nerves flutters in his stomach. Izuku hesitates, then opens his mouth to speak-
"You are going to go slow, Midoriya-kun." Recovery Girl's voice reaches his ears. He glances over to see her gazing at him steadily. "You've been training for this for a long time. You're stronger than you were last time and you have much more control over your quirk. You are going to go slow, you are not going to shock your body, and you will not exhaust yourself." Her words are confident, not wavering for a single second. Then, still holding his gaze, she tilts her head. "But, if you do, I have everything I need here in order to stabilize you and replenish your nutrients. You will be okay," she says firmly.
Izuku lets out a slow, shaky sigh of relief. Bless his mentor for knowing his worries without him having to voice them aloud. Despite his eagerness to heal All Might, the last time he did this he ended up in a freaking coma. But- no, of course, she's right. He was younger then, inexperienced. He had never healed anything bigger than a dog bite before and the speed of his energy suddenly rushing out into All Might's stomach, into the rest of his other wounds, is probably what shocked his body the most. She's right, of course. She's always right. He'll be fine, if he takes it slow.
What would he do without his mentor?
He smiles as he gazes at her earnestly. "Thank you," he whispers.
Recovery Girl gives him an encouraging nod and steps back.
Izuku turns back to All Might, who is looking down at him. The freckled boy's hands look small on his chest, but he can feel the man's heart beating strongly beneath them, can feel the slight rise and fall as the single lung expands and contracts. He closes his eyes, focuses on the missing gap in All Might's energy where his other lung should be, and then slowly, ever so slowly, begins releasing his own energy into it.
His mind flashes back to how this was the first time- his energy draining out of him rapidly, desperately trying to reach the wounds as fast as possible, trying to fill the missing pockets in the man's lifeforce. The flow is hardly anything more than a trickle now, slow and easily controlled through weeks- months of training and practice. He eases his energy into All Might's body gradually; he won't take any risks by going too fast. After all, now he has all the time in the world.
The empty chasm in All Might's chest begins to fill up slowly. Not much happens at first, but as more time passes, Izuku starts to notice All Might's energy around the missing pocket swirling rapidly, as if getting excited. He also notices the fatigue that starts to creep in on his own muscles, a small hint, a shadow of an ache that steadily begins to grow, but he determinedly pushes onward. It doesn't matter if he's exhausted after this. It's for All Might. Everything, all his hard work for the past few months, has been for this moment, has been for him, so Izuku would gladly suffer a little exhaustion for the man.
His own lifeforce is distinguishable from All Might's, recognizable to him. It seeps into All Might effortlessly, slipping into the empty space of his missing lung like a milky golden light, slowly filling it up bit-by-bit until not a single space within All Might is hollow.
And for a moment, All Might's energy sings.
It embraces Izuku's energy, entwines with it, and there's such an unmistakable feeling of wholeness that it steals Izuku's breath away-
And then his quirk deactivates.
It takes him a few seconds to realize that he isn't the one that turned it off.
There's nothing left for him to heal.
Izuku slowly opens his eyes and lifts his head. All Might meets his gaze. And for the first time in six years, he takes a long, deep breath, filling both his lungs, his chest expanding wide beneath Izuku's hands.
The grin he sends down at Izuku is positively blinding.
"Ha ha!" Izuku squeals as All Might suddenly puffs up into his muscled form right in front of him and scoops him up into his arms, jumping off the bed and swinging him around. Mirio, Sir Nighteye, Recovery Girl and the others immediately erupt into cheers. All Might's signature booming laughter reverberates in his chest right next to Izuku's ear, echoing in every inch of his being as he's spun around and around. Startled, Izuku tries to cling on desperately, but the exhaustion of his endeavor hits him then and all he can do is feebly scrabble at All Might's chest. But it's alright because a moment later All Might stops spinning and simply holds him closely, overjoyed laughter fading away into something that sounds a bit tighter, a bit more choked.
"Oh, my boy, my boy." He presses a kiss onto Izuku's forehead and the freckled boy is too tired to startle again. "Thank you, thank you my boy! I could never thank you enough for everything that you have done for me, Midoriya Izuku! Thank you a million times over, my boy, thank you, thank you!" He leans down to press his forehead against Izuku's.
Still tucked in the man's arms, Izuku giggles drowsily and flushes. "You're welcome."
He did it. He really did it. All Might's forehead is pressed against his and he can't feel a thing- he really healed him.
He did it.
A light, bubbling laugh escapes his lips. Then, his head slides away from All Might's and he slumps over on the man's chest.
"Young Midoriya?!" All Might stiffens, crying out in alarm. "Are you alright?!"
Still smiling against his chest, Izuku hums, "Peachy."
A nap sounds nice, though.
"Is he okay?" He hears Mirio ask.
"Does he need fluids or something?" Sir Nighteye's voice demands loudly somewhere close to Izuku's head.
"Hold on, hold on, give me a second." Recovery Girl's footsteps approach him. "Toshinori-kun, lower him please." Izuku feels All Might kneel down, and then there's something cold pressed to his wrist. He blearily turns his head and blinks at his mentor.
"Hi," he says.
"Hi," she replies, "How do you feel?"
He yawns, "Tired." Nuzzling against All Might's surprisingly comfy chest, he mumbles, "Gonna take a fat nap back at the dorms."
He hears Mirio snort. All Might chuckles, "Well, if anyone deserves to take a nap, it's you."
He smiles drowsily. "Yay."
Recovery Girl makes quick work of checking his vitals, then nods in satisfaction. "Alright, he's not in any danger. He just tired himself out, that's all. If you could do him a favor and carry him back to the dorms, that would be great."
"Of course!" All Might says, "It's the very least I could do after all he's done." Izuku's stomach lurches slightly as All Might straightens back up.
Mirio's face pops into his field of vision. "Good job, Midoriya-kun!" He says cheerfully, reaching up to ruffle his hair much more gently than usual.
Izuku blinks sleepily. "Thanks."
"Good job, Midoriya-kun!" Principal Nedzu chirps.
"Good job, kid," Gran Torino says, "That's a damn amazing quirk you have there."
"Midoriya-kun!" Izuku glances up to see Sir Nighteye standing in front of him and All Might. His eyes are suspiciously shiny and they flicker between him and All Might rapidly. "I- I just-" He takes a deep breath. "Thank you."
A flicker of curiosity tickles him and Izuku tilts his head. "You knew this would happen," he says, "You knew I would heal him one day."
"I know," Sir Nighteye replies, "But knowing it will happen and actually seeing it happen- it's always different. Now there's…" He looks up at All Might, eyes warm. "Certainty." The word comes out in one relieved breath.
All Might's trademark grin widens.
Izuku's gaze turns to him. "And you? Everything's feeling fine, right?"
"Perfect!" All Might laughs incredulously. "How could I feel anything but perfect? You're the one who isn't feeling good! Drained of energy and still all you can do is worry about others! Selfless to the end-"
"Reminds me of someone I know," Sir Nighteye says, pointedly looking at All Might.
All Might makes a face of mock offense. "I never said it was a bad thing," he mutters petulantly, before turning to look down at Izuku, eyes earnest. "But seriously, Young Midoriya- let me take care of you now. You have done more than enough for me, far more than I could ever repay you for in a thousand lifetimes. I never thought that I would be able to feel this way again. You have given me the life that I loved back, you have- twisted my fate and saved me from a terrible demise at the hands of a villain that you so cleverly outwitted. You, Midoriya Izuku, are a greater hero than I will ever be. You are my hero, and I thank you for saving my life."
Izuku stares up at him. Tears escape from his eyes and his breath hitches as he quickly turns and buries his face in All Might's shirt. The man's chest rumbles as he chuckles and his large hand shifts to rub his trembling shoulders. A kiss is pressed into the top of his curls and he whimpers.
All of the sudden, Mirio snaps his fingers. "That's it! Hero!"
Bewildered, Izuku pulls his tear-streaked face away from All Might's chest to look at him in confusion. "Huh?"
Mirio grins brightly. "Your healer name! Hero!"
Izuku's brows furrow. "What?"
"You still need one, don't you?" Mirio asks, "It's perfect!"
Izuku grimaces. "It's so cheesy."
"But it's perfect for you," Mirio insists enthusiastically, "You're going to be a hero healer. Every time you save a hero, you basically indirectly save all the people that they save in the future!"
Izuku blinks tiredly. "I don't think that's how that-"
"Not to mention all the people that you will save on your own in the future," Principal Nedzu adds, "A quirk like yours has virtually no limitations when it comes to healing physical injuries. I have no doubt you will one day become the personal hero and inspiration of countless individuals."
Izuku flushes. "I-"
"And like I said, you're already my hero," All Might repeats, like it doesn't nearly send him into cardiac arrest again.
Izuku wheezes. "I-"
Recovery Girl smiles softly up at him. "Didn't you say you always wanted to be a hero when you were younger?"
"Okay!" Izuku squeaks, just to get them to stop, then rolls around and buries his flustered face in All Might's chest once more. "Fine!" His voice comes out muffled. The adults- and Mirio- around him all laugh like the traitors they are and he slumps in All Might's arms. "Can I go take a nap now?" He mumbles.
"Alright, alright," All Might chuckles, "Yes, you've earned it." He readjusts his grip so Izuku's legs are more comfortable and tucks his head against his bicep. "Say goodbye to Young Midoriya, now."
"Bye, kouhai!" Mirio's hand gently ruffles his hair yet again. "Sleep tight!"
"Goodbye, Midoriya-kun," Sir Nighteye says, "I hope to see you again soon."
"Rest well, Midoriya-kun," Principal Nedzu says.
"See ya later, kid," Gran Torino says.
"Take it easy for the rest of the day," Recovery Girl orders softly, "And you can boss those young heroes of yours around and have them make you a good meal. Healer's privilege."
Izuku lets out a drowsy snort.
"Bye guys," he rasps.
They all call out their various goodbyes once more as All Might carries him out the door. Neither of them say a word during the journey back to the dorm. It doesn't seem necessary. Everything that needed to be said has been said and whatever else that cannot be put into words remains unspoken in the way All Might steadily holds Izuku closely to his chest in a silent promise, the greenette nuzzling his bicep and letting out a trembling breath as one final tear slips down his cheek to meet his smiling lips.
It almost doesn't seem real- he feels like he's floating through some sort of dream. But All Might's heartbeat is loud in his ears, and the way his chest rises and falls beneath Izuku's cheek is a constant reminder that this is real. This is the new reality that he has created, the one where All Might will reign supreme as the Symbol of Peace in all his strength and glory for the rest of his days, will pass down One For All to Mirio and train him to be the next number one hero, will live to see his legacy, will live to retire, to grow old, to do all these things that for the longest time he believed he wouldn't be able to do because he thought All For One had stolen that future from him-
Well, Izuku took it right back. And he gave All Might the future he rightfully deserves.
They arrive at the doorstep of Heights Alliance. Even though healing All Might felt like it took ages, Izuku's only actually been gone for around half an hour, which means the rest of his classmates are probably all up by now. All Might pauses before the door and tightens his hold on him ever so slightly, lowering his head to briefly press his lips against Izuku's head again in one last silent 'thank you'. Izuku smiles sleepily and nuzzles him back.
Then, All Might carefully shifts him to free his hand so he can open the door and-
"Midoriya-kun?!"
"Whoa, what happened?!"
"Midoriya-kun!"
As his classmates' alarmed voices immediately rush over to him, Izuku drowsily turns and lolls his head. "I'm alive," he reassures.
"What the fuck?!" Kacchan stomps towards him and stares with poorly concealed worry. "What the hell happened?!"
Before Izuku can reply, All Might laughs boisterously, "Not to worry, Young Bakugou! Young Midoriya simply tired himself out using his quirk! You know how tricky it can be sometimes- but! He did a marvelous job, as usual!"
Todoroki stares at Izuku's limp form incredulously. "What the hell did you do?"
"Ah, ah, ah!" All Might says, "Sorry, can't ask questions! It's healer business, you know? Even I couldn't get answers out of this one." He lightly jostles Izuku in his arms and chuckles.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kacchan snaps, "But-"
"Why don't you all help him feel better today?" All Might suggests, "He's very tired, and I think considering all the hard work he does for you and everyone else he deserves a bit of pampering."
At this point, Izuku is glad he's too exhausted to do more than blush lightly in embarrassment.
All Might hums in thought, gazing at the small crowd of teenagers in front of him. "And if what I heard is true…" He suddenly dives forward and shoves Izuku into Todoroki's arms. "You are the best man for the job." He ruffles his bi-colored hair into a tousled mess before straightening up with a wink. "Treat him well, Young Todoroki! Bye now!"
He disappears in the blink of an eye, leaving a drowsy Izuku in his boyfriend's arms surrounded by his bewildered classmates. They stare after him for a moment, then Kacchan whirls on the greenette.
"Zuku, what the hell?" He demands.
"I told you I'd be using a lot of energy today," Izuku replies, blinking slow and tired.
"Jesus- I know, but- fuck, what'd you do?" Kacchan asks worriedly.
"All Might said not to ask," Iida says reluctantly. Kacchan lets out a growl of frustration in response.
Reaching out, Izuku takes his friend's hand and gives him a reassuring smile. "Kacchan. I'm alright. Just tired. Can you make katsudon for lunch?"
Kacchan stares at him incredulously. "What the- sure, fuck, fine, whatever."
"Yay."
Todoroki blinks. "Can I have some?"
"Fuck no!" Kacchan snaps, glaring at him heatedly. Todoroki looks disappointed.
Giggling, Izuku curls up against Todoroki's chest and tucks his head underneath his chin, closing his eyes with a soft sigh.
"Aww, Midori-kun is so cute when he's sleepy!" Ashido's voice coos.
"He's really tuckered out, huh?" Sero says.
"Should I carry him to bed?" Todoroki asks.
"Yes," Izuku agrees emphatically.
"I don't think you'll wake up for a while if you go to bed now, Midoriya-kun," Iida says, ever the logical one, "You'll ruin your sleep-schedule!"
Izuku grumbles tiredly into Todoroki's shoulder, then mumbles, "Fine, I'll nap here with you guys, then. Wake me up… hmmrrhh," he groans, "... later."
A couple of his friends snicker. "Alright, sure," Kaminari says. Todoroki grunts slightly and shifts his arms under his weight. Izuku feels him start walking over to the lounge and hears the others begin to disperse as well. As Todoroki gently puts him down on the couch, Kaminari adds, "We were just starting a Mario Kart tournament, though, so sorry if we're a bit loud."
Izuku waves off his apology and sinks into the cushion. Honestly, he could sleep through a hurricane right now. There's just a couple of things missing.
He opens his eyes.
"Todoroki-kun. Kacchan. Cuddle with me," he demands.
The two boys glance at each other simultaneously.
"I mean, you can either get one or the other," Kacchan says, "You're not fucking getting both."
Izuku stares at them unmovingly. "Cuddle with me. Both of you. Now."
Todoroki, unsurprisingly, is the first one to obey. He moves to sit on Izuku's right side, wrapping an arm around his waist and letting him snuggle up to his warm chest. Lip curled in disgust, Kacchan glares at them with his arms folded. Izuku stares at him expectantly. After a few moments, Kacchan finally caves with a loud huff.
"You're fucking bossy when you're tired, you know that, Zuku?" He grumbles, stomping over and plopping down on his other side, making the smaller boy bounce slightly. Izuku smiles and curls up so that his legs are on top of the blond's thighs, then sinks back into his boyfriend's warmth, closing his eyes.
His friends resume their game, and soon the familiar sounds of video game music and laughter fills his ears. He can hear the rest of his classmates milling about too, doing whatever they would do on a normal, lazy Saturday morning. Despite the competitive banter that's going on between his friends playing, a sense of peace fills him and he lets out a quiet, content sigh.
He did it. He really did it. All of his months and months of hard work has finally paid off. He's finally accomplished this goal that he's had for so long that… he almost feels a little empty without it, a little lost about what to do next.
A memory bubbles up to the surface of his mind- and it's not the first time it's come to his mind today. The day he met All Might, the day he first healed him. What a disaster that had been, but by God, if it wasn't the best thing that had ever happened to Izuku.
He then thinks about the way the gaping chasm in the man's chest had filled with Izuku's energy. There had been a brief moment at the end, when it had filled to the brim- something strange had happened. Their energy had become intertwined. Whole.
A part of Izuku lives within All Might now. He'd never really thought about it before, him giving pieces of his own lifeforce to the people that he chooses to heal, but- it's a rather nice thought, actually.
All Might's words echo in his head. "The very core of being a healer- no, of being a hero, is having the will to sacrifice oneself for another. Young Midoriya, you would be a great healer even if you were quirkless."
Izuku's heart warms. Those words have been some of the most important words he's ever been told in his life.
And he thinks about all the people he's healed so far, all the sacrifices he's made. He thinks about healing students after school, he thinks about healing Aizawa at USJ, about Kendou, Ingenium, All Might. He thinks about saving Kota. And he asks himself, even though it was hard, even though it was scary, and sometimes painful, if he would do it all again.
And the answer is yes.
But it's more than that. It's familiar students that he doesn't quite know the names of calling out greetings as he passes them by in the hallway. It's Aizawa gently ruffling his curls and stealing him an onigiri because he knows he'll be hungry. It's Kendou's parents arriving at his doorstep with her the day after he saved her life and hugging him tightly. It's the 'thank you' note written in a clumsy five-year old's writing sitting in Izuku's desk drawer. It's the new lightness in Iida's eyes that hasn't left ever since he healed his brother.
It's the way All Might held him close, surrounded by loved ones who were all smiling- smiling because of Izuku- and told him that he was his hero.
Izuku feels his throat tighten.
A small voice in the back of his mind whispers, 'But... I'm just a healer…'
Heroes protect people, heroes save people- but he does too, doesn't he?
Izuku opens his eyes and turns to look at Todoroki's scarless face. He had told him once before the thing he hated most about being a healer was that he could only help people after they've been hurt, and yes, that will always frustrate him to some degree, but that doesn't mean he should minimize the importance of being able to save an injured person. And he knows he saved Todoroki, in more ways than one. He can see it in the way his mesmerizing heterochromatic eyes gaze down at him with open warmth rather than the icy cold he felt when they first met.
Smiling, Izuku leans up and presses his lips high on his boyfriend's cheek where his scar once was. Todoroki turns to look at him in surprise, but he's already gone back down to rest his head on his chest, closing his eyes.
Izuku saved him. Just like he saved All Might, and Ingenium, and Kendou, and all the others who he's chosen to sacrifice pieces of his lifeforce to, and just like all the others he will sacrifice himself for in the future.
Maybe Mirio was onto something.
His lips curl up into a smile, and he nestles further into Todoroki's warmth.
Looks like he became a hero after all.
The End
I wrote this story because, like many of you guys I am assuming, I love healer AUs. But something I notice in them, and especially in the ones I read in the BNHA fandom, is that they often end up being very... degrading towards the healer. Usually not downright intentionally, but many of these characters are portrayed as extremely weak, damsels-in-distress, and there also seems to be a lot of genderbending going on- especially in healer!Deku's case (just look up healer Deku on Pinterest or Google Images)- for the sole purpose of sexualization.
And like- that kinda fucking pissed me off. Especially with the past year we've had during which I think we've all learned how badass and heroic medical professionals /
So I took Midoriya Izuku and I gave him a healing quirk. And I think he's the perfect character to help people realize what it means to be a true hero. He had to come to this understanding, even when other people called him weak, even when people in my comment section called him weak, that being a hero has nothing to do with how big and strong you are or how many bad guys you can beat up. It's about how you who you are on the inside and how your actions affect others. How you choose to have an impact on others, and make it positive or /
Midoriya Izuku is the perfect character to teach this lesson because it doesn't matter what quirk he has, at his core, he is selfless and caring and a good person. He is destined to become a hero no matter what shape that may take.
And that, my friends, is The Roundabout Way of /
.
.
Thank you all so much for staying with me until the end! I cannot express how much your kind words have meant to me!
To address Overhaul- as mentioned briefly in the last chapter, Nighteye brought All Might to help out with that mission, so like, in my mind I was like, 'Well, that was easy. All Might's healed, and Overhaul's fucked.' and I just wiped my hands of that problem XD
.
Again, thank you guys so much for reading! Love ya!