Birdsong filled the summer air as Izuku finally left the school grounds, having waited his regular hour for the rest of the students to leave before him. He gazed up at the clear sky overhead, idly rubbing the sore spot on his jaw from where Bakugou had punched him earlier. It hadn't been a major altercation, thankfully, so he wasn't worried about there being too much backlash in the coming days. The last thing he needed right now was yet another reason for his classmates to ostracize him.
Shaking his head, he pushed the unpleasant thoughts from his mind, reminding himself that today had, as a whole, been quite positive. He slid his hand into his pocket, feeling the cool plastic of the gift card he'd won, a reward from his math teacher for acing this week's test, bonus problems included. It wasn't a large amount of money by any means, but with his own allowance stretched thin, it meant he could finally get something nice for Kaede's birthday this year. Only a few days ago, the idea of getting her much more than a simple card seemed like an impossibility. Now, however, he was able to turn that small dream into a reality. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth at the thought, and he decided a quick detour was in order.
That smile quickly faded as he made his way towards the commercial district, the sidewalks rapidly becoming more and more crowded. As usual, the people around him seemed to subconsciously make room for him, often doing a double take with unsettled expressions. A child complaining to his mother that he suddenly wasn't feeling well when he passed too close. A businessman keeping a noticeable distance while waiting for a crossing sign to change, almost running to the other side as soon as he was able. A playful dog moving to sniff at his ankles, only to growl and give him a wide berth as it passed with its owner. Izuku had seen and heard this all hundreds of times before, but each reminder of his unusual existence continued to tear at him.
Thankfully, the walk to the merch store was a brief one, made even shorter by his quickened pace. With its small size and relatively scarce selection, the store catered more to hard core merch collectors, and tended to have very few customers at this time of the day. Though it had been quite some time since he had actually made a purchase here, Izuku was probably the most frequent patron here. Usually he would visit simply to escape large crowds, taking the time to look for new hero merch and double check prices on anything that particularly caught his eye to know how long he'd need to save up. The shop owner had taken notice of this, even allowing Izuku to buy a few items on credit and pay him back over time. He'd been reluctant to accept that level of generosity, only ever taking him up on those offers on two occasions; once for a limited edition All Might plush, another for a signed poster that the store owner later admitted to having saved specifically for the teen. The latter had taken quite a bit of saving to pay back, but it was now one of Izuku's most prized possessions.
Izuku pushed open the door of the shop, the soft tinkling of a bell overhead signaling his arrival. The shop owner looked up from his book, offering a friendly smile and wave to the seventeen-year-old. "Good afternoon, Midoriya!"
"Hey, Mr. Masuda," he replied, returning the smile and making his way between the shelves, gaze roaming over the various products. "Anything new come in recently?"
"A few things." Mr. Masuda gestured towards the counter-side wall where Izuku saw a line of new posters depicting two fairly new heroes, Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady. The two newcomers had been gaining a lot of publicity following their recent debuts, so it was little wonder that theirs would be the latest merch. "I'm a little surprised I have any left, considering how quickly their figurines sold out…"
The boy couldn't help but chuckle at the mild disgust in the older man's voice. While Mr. Masuda was an avid collector himself, Izuku knew he held no love for people who built their collections purely off of…impure desires. Shaking his head, Izuku turned his attention towards the back wall of the small shop, making his way towards the assortment of hero and anime plushies gathered there. After only a brief moment of searching, he found exactly what he had been looking for, a medium sized plush of Kaede's favorite hero, Thirteen. It was something he'd caught her eyeing the few times he'd taken her here, so Izuku was pretty sure it would be the perfect birthday present.
He rolled the toy over in his hands a few times before bringing his selection up to the front counter. Mr. Masuda raised an eyebrow at the sight, giving the boy a wry grin. "Why do I get the feeling this is for someone special?" the man teased.
Izuku laughed in response, setting the toy on the counter for the man to ring up. "You're not entirely wrong," he replied. "It's for my little sister. Her birthday's tomorrow, after all."
"Need me to wrap this then?" The man began reaching under the counter for a gift box before receiving any reply. Izuku wanted to refuse out of habit, having always been very hesitant to accept what he felt was excessive generosity. Mr. Masuda must have noticed, because he quickly added, "It's the least I can do for my favorite customer."
A hint of a blush crept onto Izuku's cheeks as he handed the shop owner the gift card to pay for the present. He wanted to ask how he could be the "favorite customer" when he rarely ever made a purchase, but decided it would be best to just take the compliment. "Thanks," he said softly after a few seconds. "I— This really means a lot."
The older man simply shook his head and smiled. "I just hope your sister enjoys her new toy," he said stepping out from around the counter, walking with Izuku towards the shop entrance. "She's lucky to have a big brother like you." With a broad grin, Izuku gave the man a wave farewell before readjusting the straps on his bag and resuming his walk back home.
With a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, the man activated his Quirk, feeling power from the Roil pour into him as he crouched, then leapt. The spring-like structures in his legs propelled him upwards, letting him easily reach the roof of the warehouse that was his destination. He trotted along the rooftop towards the access hatch, pulling it open and starting his descent down the long ladder into the main room. He couldn't hear it, but he knew his arrival had triggered some kind of alarm to let the building owner know he was here.
"Set the report on the table, then you may take your payment and leave." An unfamiliar voice sounded from a speaker attached to one of the support beams, causing the man to jump slightly. He hesitated only for a moment before pulling out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket, containing the information he'd been asked to find. It didn't take long for him to notice the table in question, a solid metal structure that had been pushed up against the same support beam, with a small wooden box on one side and a brown envelope on the other.
The man set the folded paper in the box, then picked up the envelope. The weight of it was more than enough to confirm he wasn't being short-changed by his employer, so without so much as a backwards glance, he made his way back to the ladder and out of the building.
Izuku let out a sigh of relief as he rounded the corner to the small residential street he lived on, now truly free of the rest of the early evening pedestrian traffic. He slowed his pace significantly, wanting to savor what was easily his favorite part of any day. With each step, the noise of the city behind him grew more and more distant, being replaced by the singing of birds and the rustling of leaves overhead. The smell of lavender filled the breeze, carried from a nearby neighbor's garden. It was peaceful moments like these that Izuku lived for, moments where he could let himself relax, no longer needing to care about who was nearby or who would be affected by his presence.
It wasn't a long moment, however, and soon the boy had reached the small walkway up to his home. After taking time to grab the few pieces of mail in the mailbox, he made his way up the path and pushed open the front door. "I'm back," he called out as he let the door swing shut behind him, kicking off his shoes before heading down the hall towards the kitchen. "Sorry I'm late."
A young American woman with shoulder-length brown hair poked her head around the corner and gave him a warm smile. "Welcome back," Caitlyn said, turning back towards the small pile of dishes by the sink. "You missed dinner, but there's a plate in the fridge for you if you're hungry."
There was a soft growl from Izuku's stomach at her words, and he wasted no time in heading to the fridge to find the plate in question. It was a simple mix of tilapia and rice, but knowing how good of a cook Caitlyn was, Izuku knew it would taste like a five-star meal. Or at least what he thought a five-star meal would be, considering he'd never been to a high-class restaurant. "Well, I'm definitely hungry now," he chuckled softly, removing the plastic wrap from over the plate before setting the food in the microwave and starting it up.
For a few moments, the only sounds in the small kitchen were the hum of the microwave and the running sink as Caitlyn finished washing the last few dishes and set them on the drying rack. Once she was done, she made her way to the small table in the corner of the room. She quickly freed up some space by pushing her laptop and notebook to the side and gestured for Izuku to join her. He took his food out of the microwave, hissing a bit when he noticed how hot the plate had gotten, and shuffled over to her. "So, what took you so long to get home?" she asked as the boy took his seat.
"Just had to run a quick errand," he replied, standing up again to grab the bottle of soy sauce he'd left on the counter. "Wanted to get a present for Kaede."
Caitlyn's eyes lit up at Izuku's comment, but the look was quickly replaced by one of dismay. "Crap, I knew I was forgetting something! I was going to make cupcakes tomorrow, but completely spaced on getting more sugar!" She pushed her seat back from the table, all but jumping to her feet as she hurried to grab her bag from the living room. After calling out that she'd be back shortly, Caitlyn rushed out the front door, shutting it a little harder than she likely intended.
Izuku couldn't help but chuckle softly at the woman's antics as he took another bite of his food. It never ceased to amaze him just how comfortably Caitlyn acted around him and Kaede, considering the effect they tended to have on people. He knew she wasn't immune, as she had told him as much on a few occasions, though she always made sure to remind him that it didn't change the way she felt about either of them. Perhaps it was for that very reason that Izuku had been so quick to trust her when she'd first taken him in, trust which had been further solidified a few years later when she took in Kaede as well.
The grandfather clock in the living room began to ring out the hour, pulling Izuku out of his thoughts. It didn't take much longer for him to finish his dinner, after which he carried his dishes to the sink and gave them a quick wash before setting them in the drying rack with the ones Caitlyn had cleaned earlier. He left the kitchen light on as he went to retrieve his backpack from the entryway, then slowly headed upstairs. As he neared the top, he heard the bedroom doors open and was soon greeted by a bleary-eyed little girl with pearlescent white hair, hugging a pillow. "You're late," Kaede grumbled tiredly.
"And you should be sleeping," Izuku retorted, ruffling her hair gently, causing her to pout even more. "Did you have a bad dream or something?"
She nodded slowly, clutching the pillow tighter to her chest. The boy felt his heart ache at the sight. "How about you sleep in my bed tonight?" he suggested, knowing she would probably ask to do so anyway. Not that he minded.
"Yes, please." Kaede's face immediately brightened at his suggestion and she trotted off towards the bedroom without another word. He smiled to himself as he followed, setting his bag next to his desk before grabbing a set of pajamas from his dresser and heading into the bathroom to change and brush his teeth. A few minutes later he stepped back into the bedroom, making sure the night light was on before turning off the room lights and pulling back the covers to climb in next to his sister. The girl all but burrowed into Izuku's side as he made himself comfortable, her head laying on his chest as she hugged him close like a teddy bear.
"I got you something for your birthday," Izuku whispered after a moment, drawing a soft but excited gasp from Kaede. Before she could say anything, however, he quickly added, "but you have to promise to be a good girl at the doctor's tomorrow, ok?"
"Promise," she said through a yawn, squeezing the boy tight. Less than a minute later, Izuku could feel her breathing level out, telling him that she had fallen asleep. With a grin, he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head before closing his own eyes. Unconsciousness soon overtook him, sending his mind once again into dreams of fire.
