Notes: "I'm going back to Danganronpa fandom as soon as we hit November" look just don't believe a word I ever say. Seriously though, after this chapter, I really do have to give attention to my other projects that have been waiting for updates!
IF I UPDATE THIS FIC AGAIN THIS MONTH PLEASE YELL AT ME DO NOT ENABLE MY BAD HABITS
So anyway, as of this chapter I'm switching over to FUNimation's localization choices... if somewhat reluctantly... (I'm just a little butthurt that absolutely none of my carefully calculated localization predictions were correct... whyyy...)
oh but I am NOT removing references to Rody's "obtaining both" character arc even if the dub did, screw you FUNi
friendship ended with FUNIMATION
now I am my best friend
...So what I was trying to say before this author's notes section devolved into shitposting is that I've incorporated official localization standards into this chapter (notably Pino's gender), but I still haven't gone back to edit/fix any of my previously posted fics/chapters. I'll get to it eventually on AO3, but it's a pain to edit that stuff on fan fiction dot net so I think the versions I have over here are just going to remain a relic of what the world would have been like if I had been the one in charge of localizing WHM. Sigh...
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's a bit longer than previous ones, but I couldn't bring myself to split it up!
This is Where I Belong
Chapter 5
Texting with Rody was easy. Falling into the same banter and light conversation that they had shared in Otheon, as if there was no physical distance between them, was easy.
And it was so easy, with all that in mind, to come to the conclusion that their relationship was something that Izuku wanted to treasure. Something he wanted to nurture, to let grow into something more.
It was so incredibly easy to let himself start to fall in love with Rody Soul.
What wasn't easy, for some reason, was bringing up the topic of Rody's confession from weeks earlier. It wasn't easy for Izuku to express that he felt the same.
Why was it so hard to confess after already deciding that he would? Even when he knew the feeling was mutual, when the other party had already expressed an interest in dating?
Why was it so difficult for Izuku to send Rody a simple "yes"?
And why was it still so difficult to—
'Hey, you have some free time right now? Wanna try video chatting finally?'
Texting with Rody was nice, comfortable, easy. So it completely escaped Izuku why he was still immediately set on edge whenever Rody suggested chatting face-to-face.
He was running out of methods for talking his way out of it. He had already claimed to be busy training, busy doing homework, about to catch a meal with friends, about to jump into the shower... and that was pretty much it because, to be fair, Rody didn't bring it up too often. If Izuku thought about it too hard, he'd be forced to contend with the likelihood that Rody knew he was making excuses—after all, Izuku had agreed to a couple of voice calls, so the notion that he was "too busy" to just turn on video was... flimsy at best.
But Rody didn't push the issue. Just as he hadn't made any direct reference to his airport confession weeks earlier.
Izuku sort of wished he would mention the latter, because it would take so much of the burden off of himself.
It wasn't a very hero-like way of thinking, he knew. But this was different from being a hero—he had no experience with romance, and it wasn't exactly an innate skill wired into him, either. There was no "legs moving before he could think" happening here; he was stuck in place, just watching the days pass by, cognizant of his feelings growing with every exchanged text message but so out of his element that he barely even knew how to keep standing.
It was so strange. Even though Izuku had decided that he wanted to take Rody up on his offer to date, even though he knew that he wouldn't face rejection, it was just too intimidating to take that next step. So, countless times, he found himself falling back on the safe, comfortable norm of conversation and selfies shared between good friends.
On one particular chilly morning a few days into his emotional waffling, Izuku woke up, hazy remnants of sleep making him reluctant to leave his bed but knowing that he had early morning training to get to. Deciding he would allow himself a scant few minutes of indulging in the warmth under his covers before contaminating it with the bitter cold of the outside world, he reached for his cell phone, hoping that Rody had texted him overnight.
He was thrilled to see that he had, in fact, received a photo from Rody about an hour earlier. It showed off a richly filled dinner table with pasta and meat sauce, caprese salad, toasted baguettes with butter, and two other appetizers sitting mostly out of frame that Izuku couldn't identify.
'Morning, Hero! Check out the dinner that Roro and Lala made for me!' was the accompanying message.
He smiled; the thought of a home-cooked dinner prepared by those closest to you, and knowing that Rody was able to indulge in such treasures, was enough to bring a comforting calm upon Izuku as well. 'It looks delicious!' he tapped out. 'Is there some special occasion, or just because?'
There was no immediate answer—understandable, given that Izuku had responded a full hour after the text was first sent. So he stretched, braced himself to emerge from his covers, and rolled out of bed, changing into his tracksuit as quickly as possible.
His phone must have buzzed partway through his jog, though he didn't feel it at the time; it wasn't until he had returned to his dorm and shed his clothes for a quick shower that he took the phone out and saw a new notification on the screen. He was in a bit of a rush to wash off the sweat before school, though, so he put it to the side and stepped into his shower room.
It wasn't until he was walking along the path to the school building that he finally tapped the notification to see what Rody had said.
'Eh, just my birthday dinner.'
Izuku's feet slowed to a halt. Birth... day...?
It's Rody's birthday?
No... it was Rody's birthday. Panicking, Izuku checked the time and date on his phone: 8:09 AM, February 14th. Even in Otheon, midnight had already passed.
Frantic, and cursing himself for not checking his texts as soon as he had noticed the new message, he typed out a response as quickly as possible.
'I'm so sorry, I had no idea it was your birthday yesterday!'
Rody's response came quickly. 'Haha what are you apologizing for? I didn't tell you when it was.'
It was true that Rody had never told him, but still, that was something that he should know and be mindful of if they were—
If they were dating. But they weren't. Not yet.
Izuku's heart squeezed in his chest. It was his fault that they weren't dating yet; he had dragged his feet for so long that Rody had had to spend his own birthday waiting for an answer, waiting for something more...
He swallowed down his guilt. 'Well happy belated birthday!' he tapped out, lamely. And before he could think too hard about it, he followed it up with, 'But at least I can wish you a happy Valentine's Day on time!'
Seconds after the message was sent he regretted it. A happy Valentine's Day?! Too embarrassed to keep himself standing, Izuku crouched onto the ground, curling his arms over his head as he folded in onto himself. What was he doing?! Wishing Rody a happy Valentine's Day as if they were... as if he had...
He still wasn't dating Rody. So that would make it weird to wish him a happy Valentine's Day, right? He'd never wished a friend a happy Valentine's Day before... It was definitely a bit weird for a guy to say it to another guy. Or maybe not? The idea of Valentine's Day being for girls to express their feelings to guys was more of a Japanese thing, right? So would Rody think it was normal? Was it normal?
He was peripherally aware of some muttering from students who passed by him, including what he strongly suspected was the beginnings of a sneer from Monoma before he was promptly dragged off by Kendo. The entire situation made Izuku even more embarrassed, but he forced himself to stand back up, burning face and all. Tucking away his phone in his backpack, and his burgeoning feelings for Rody in a safe, secure corner of his consciousness, he turned his focus firmly on placing one foot in front of the other until he reached the 1-A classroom.
It wasn't until lunch break that Izuku mustered up the nerve to peek at his phone again. Sure enough, Rody had sent another response, a half hour after his last one.
'Thanks! Happy Valentine's Day to you too. 💓'
As caught up in his own interactions with Rody that he was, Izuku had almost forgotten that there would be other people with Valentine's Day on their mind, too.
"Deku-kun!" Uraraka called out to him as he was leaving the classroom at the end of the day. He waited for her in the hallway, and when she had pushed her way through the rest of their classmates to reach him, she held out a small wrapped box, smiling. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
Izuku stared down at the box for a moment, taking just a moment too long to put the pieces together. "Oh... Wait, for me?!"
Uraraka giggled softly and pushed the box into his hands. "It's just obligation chocolate. Don't think about it too deeply, you've got a boyfriend to be paying attention to instead."
"Ah— wait, what?" Izuku accepted the chocolate, but still struggled to follow her line of thought. "I don't have a...?"
She eyed him carefully, a frown beginning to pull on the edges of her lips. "Hold on... Don't tell me you still haven't answered Rody-kun?!"
Izuku laughed nervously, averting his gaze and fiddling with the packaging on the box. "Ah, you see— I mean, it's kind of— the timing and all that hasn't really—"
"Oh, stop that!" Uraraka took the box back from him, placing a protective hand over the ribbon tied around the package. "You're shredding it, jeez! But seriously, you still haven't told him?"
Now devoid of anything to occupy themselves, Izuku's empty hands flexed in the air. "I, well... no."
"Why not?! It's been days since you talked to us about it!"
Izuku sighed. "I just don't know how— I'm not sure what I should even say, I just—"
"Just say yes," she pointed out bluntly. "He's already taken the initiative to ask, so the burden on you shouldn't be that heavy, is it?"
"But it is!" Izuku said with a sigh as he leaned heavily against the wall next to the hallway windows. "Just saying 'yes' out of nowhere feels so... impersonal? Especially if it's over text. I should at least write something more substantial, and explain why it's taken so long, and give some sort of insight into how I'm feeling, and—"
"And that's why it's taken you so long?"
He nodded, watching out the window as other students left the school building. "It's just... hard." He glanced at her pleadingly. "What do you think? Do you have any ideas of what I should say?"
Something flickered across Uraraka's face, her fingers on the box twitching just minutely enough that it almost escaped Izuku's notice. "I..." She paused a moment before giving a small, sad smile. "That's too difficult for me to answer, Deku-kun."
Izuku's shoulders slumped. "See what I mean?"
"I said it's too difficult for me," she clarified, placing the box back in his hands. "Because it's not something that I should be doing in the first place. This is something you need to figure out yourself, or else it doesn't mean anything. Don't be so rude to Rody-kun."
"That's just making it even more difficult for me..."
Uraraka stuck out her tongue. "Well, how about this then. Do you really have to answer by text? If you think it's too impersonal, why don't you set up a time to talk over the phone, or even video chat?"
"Video chat?!" Izuku very nearly gave in to the impulse to wave his hands frantically, before remembering that he was holding Uraraka's box of chocolate again. "N-no, I mean... I've never— that's a bit..."
Uraraka's brown eyes widened. "Deku-kun... do you only communicate with him by text?"
"Uh, well... I mean, we've talked over the phone once or twice, but other than that..."
She stared at him, disbelieving. "Why? If you want this long-distance relationship to work, I think you're going to at least need to video chat from time to time..."
"Y-yeah, I know that, but..." Izuku could feel his face beginning to smolder again. "I just... ever since he confessed, I've never been sure what sort of expression I'm supposed to make if we talk face-to-face... I feel like I'm going to look weird..."
Uraraka continued to stare, her mouth twitching in a way that made it look like she might be about to laugh... or perhaps about to cry. "Deku-kun..." After wavering between expressions a moment longer, she ultimately settled on a friendly snicker. "Oh my gosh, you're totally like a maiden in love!"
Izuku flushed, indignation pushing all other thoughts from his head. "You don't have to call me a maiden, of all things..."
She grinned. "But this just makes it even more obvious what you should do, right? Texting is too impersonal, so you should make your own confession a little more special: invite him to a voice chat!"
"I guess... you do have a point," Izuku sighed.
Uraraka's smile softened just a bit. "Yup. Well, anyway, I don't want to hold you up any longer than I already have, and I need to meet up with Tsuyu-chan for our work study. Enjoy the chocolate." She shot him a playful finger gun. "And Deku-kun, let yourself be happy! I'll take it as a personal attack if you don't!"
Izuku blinked. "A personal—? Uraraka-san, what does that mean?"
The brunette girl said nothing, simply raised a finger to her lips—the universal gesture for "it's a secret"—and disappeared into the crowd of students.
'Hey, Rody. Do you think we could have a video chat sometime?'
As it turned out, making the suggestion was far easier than actually making it happen. Rody was enthusiastic to set up a time to chat, of course, but aligning their schedules was a challenge. That Friday was out, due existing plans at Heights Alliance after lessons ended, and on Saturday Izuku only had the morning free, before he could reasonably expect Rody to be awake in Otheon. In the end, it wasn't until Sunday evening that he and Rody were finally able to find time for a chat.
Izuku had a few hours of free time to mentally prepare himself before their call, but he found himself wishing that he actually did have something else to occupy him in the interim—even a villain attack, maybe. Well, maybe not. Only if no one got hurt.
The reality, however, was that he spent more time than he would like to admit just deciding what to wear—he had been in his gym uniform most of the afternoon, but it would be best for him to change into something different, right? He wouldn't exactly need to dress up, surely, but would throwing on some loungewear be too casual? Maybe something in-between... a polo shirt? Did he even have a polo short? He had a T-shirt with the "polo shirt" written on it, but...
Before he knew it, Izuku glanced at the clock and his stomach dropped when he saw that it was already two minutes past their scheduled start time. Deeming his clean laundry a lost cause, he quickly located an at-least-okay-looking hooded sweatshirt in his wash basket that didn't smell too bad (smell? they were video chatting, what did it matter what it smelled like?!) and tossed it on before making himself comfortable on his bed and sending Rody the video chat invitation.
The ringback trilled once, twice, each ring feeling longer than the next. On the third ring, after what seemed like an eternity, tanned skin and gray eyes finally graced Izuku's phone screen.
"Hey, Hero," Rody opened, grinning easily and looking no different from when Izuku had last seen him.
The sight was enough to ease Izuku into a familiar calm, and he smiled. "Rody! Good morning!"
"Good evening," Rody shot back. "Man, it's been too long since I saw your face. Been trying to hide from me, have you?"
Typical Rody bluntness right out of the gate; Izuku tried not to grimace. "I... I wasn't hiding, really," he protested.
Rody studied him for a moment, his gaze steady and even, contemplative but not judgmental. Just as the brunet was opening his mouth to speak again, though, two smaller figures popped into frame.
"Is that Mr. Deku?" Roro leaned over into Rody's personal space, dark bangs hanging in his eyes, before he gave a grin that was remarkably similar to his brother's. "Hi, Mr. Deku!"
"Mr. Deku!" Lala waved her hands excitedly as she jumped up and down. "Good morning!"
Izuku laughed softly, grateful for the momentary distraction as he waved to the two younger Soul siblings. "Hi there Roro-kun, Lala-chan! Looks like you're both doing well!"
"A little too well, if you ask me." Rody placed a hand atop each child's head, ruffling their hair teasingly. "Weren't you two gonna go outside to play? Don't waste your Sunday indoors!"
They both squealed and retreated out of frame to escape their brother's reach. "Come outside and play with us!" came Lala's voice.
"Maybe in a bit," Rody said, lowering his phone's angle to speak over it towards his siblings. "Me and Deku are just gonna talk about some boring grown-up stuff first, so you can go on ahead without me and I'll catch up later!"
"Come on, Lala," Roro called from a bit further away—probably closer to the door, Izuku guessed. "Let's leave them be for now. If he takes too long we can punish him later!"
"Yeah! We're gonna punish you if you don't show up in—um—five minutes!"
"How about forty-five?" Roro suggested, having a more reasonable concept of time.
"Yeah! Forty-five!"
Rody laughed and waved them off. "Sure, sure, you're free to have at me if I'm not out there in forty-five minutes. Just go on and have fun now!"
Izuku chuckled lightly as he heard Roro and Lala give their final farewells, followed by the trailer house door closing behind them.
"Sorry about that," Rody said, lifting the phone back to its original position.
Izuku shook his head. "No, it's fine. We're talking about boring grown-up stuff, though?"
Rody gave a mischievous grin. "Hey, they would have never left otherwise."
"Ahh. So speaking of lying—"
"Excuse me, Hero, did you really just—"
"Where is Pino?"
Rody pursed his lips, obviously trying to pretend that the hand covering his breast pocket was placed there naturally, but the squirming fabric told a different story. "Nowhere."
"Uh-huh."
They stared at each other silently a moment longer before Rody gave a defeated sigh, removing the hand from his pocket. "Fine," he muttered. "But I was only—"
"Pi!" chirped Pino as she zipped out of the pocket, flying straight to the phone and taking up the entire camera.
"Hey— can you quit it?!"
Izuku chuckled as he watched Rody wrestle his quirk away from the camera, focusing on the humor of the situation instead of the deeper reason why Pino was so eager for his attention.
It was hard not to think about when Rody's own face was gaining color high on his cheekbones, though. "Sorry," he grumbled, frowning grumpily when he finally got the little bird back within his grasp. "I didn't really want to—"
"You've missed me?" Izuku tried softly.
Rody didn't meet his eyes, keeping his gaze firmly locked on Pino in his hands. "Well... kinda."
Izuku smiled, hoping it didn't reflect the uneasiness of his trembling heart. "Or are you feeling... impatient?"
Rody's eyebrows pulled together in a display of momentary confusion before he seemed to catch on. "Oh— Are you— You mean that thing I mentioned at the airport? Look, if it bothers you too much you can just—"
"It doesn't bother me?"
Rody laughed hollowly. "I— sure, yeah. But I don't want you to feel like—"
"I really like you too, Rody!" Izuku blurted, then immediately clapped his hands over his mouth, his face heating up when Rody finally looked directly at him. "I... sorry, was that weird timing?"
"Timing?"
"I mean... that's not... I don't mean that I... Well, no, I do mean that, I'm not going to walk it back," even though Izuku kind of wanted to do just that, to end the call right there and hide somewhere where no one would find him, but he pushed on. "I just..." He took a deep, grounding breath. "Rody. If I say yes to you, this would be... a long-distance relationship, you know?"
It took Rody a moment to process those words, but when he did, his slate-colored eyes widened just slightly. "Uh... yeah, I realize that. Obviously."
"And you don't mind?"
He grinned, a bit lopsided in his own uncertainty. "Honestly? I would much prefer having you right by my side, but..."
"I— jeez!" Izuku hid his entire face behind his hands this time. "Be serious about this!"
"Oh, I'm serious as a heart attack."
That didn't make things any better. Izuku gave a deep sigh through his fingers. "But... really, I don't know how much time I can spare being... you know, someone's boyfriend. I don't want to be unfair to you. I'm going to be so busy with school and training and work study and there's the time difference and we can't see each other on a daily basis and I don't even know how often I can call or video chat like this and—"
"Deku," Rody cut in. "I get all that. Just put it aside for a sec. All I want to know..." Izuku peeked over his fingertips to see Rody's face growing slightly redder as Pino fidgeted restlessly atop his head. "If none of that was a factor. Would you say 'yes' or 'no'?"
Izuku's heart thudded hard against his ribcage, and it took him a moment to steady his breath enough to give his answer, despite instantly knowing what it would be. "Y— yes."
Rody gave a deep sigh, shoulders sagging as an uneasy smile crept across his face. "That's... I'm really glad." He grinned at the screen. "Now we can address that other stuff you mentioned."
Despite having finally told Rody just a fraction of how he felt, Izuku's mood was beginning to sober with the reminder that they indeed lived in reality. "Ah, yeah, so I mean— I just don't want to be unfair to you if—"
"Hold that thought." Rody held up a hand to silence him. "Can't have you rambling again before I even get the chance to give my side. Because, look... do you think I wasn't aware of all that before I asked you out?"
Izuku's mouth twisted uncertainly. "I mean... this is coming from the guy who impulsively suggested we extort a million Eurus out of the police, so—"
"Ahh, forget all that, forget it!" Rody put on a façade of annoyance, even as Pino flushed with embarrassment. "Just— what I'm trying to say is..." He trailed off, glancing aside for a moment, his lower lip jutting out in a pout before returning his gaze to the phone. "Of course I know you'll be busy with all that. And I'm fine with it. Because... the Deku who's trying so hard to be a hero is the Deku that I want to date."
Izuku's heart soared. His breath caught in his throat, his face was on fire, and if someone were to tell him that the Earth had been spontaneously knocked off her axis just then, he would believe it whole-heartedly. "Ah— I, well— Rody—"
Rody gave a wry smile. "Besides, I'm pretty much in the same boat. I'm so busy taking care of Roro and Lala, and now with work and studying, it might very well be me who drops the ball as a boyfriend."
"I— that's—!" Izuku stopped himself short, second-thinking what he wanted to say, before deciding that they had long since passed the time for second thoughts. Rody had honestly bared his heart, and it was only fair for Izuku to do the same. "That's... that kind of hardworking Rody is the Rody that I want to date, too."
The brunet flushed to the tip of his ears, then slouched in on himself, drawing his headband down over his eyes. "...well, shit. I can't believe you'd say something so embarrassing."
"I— you—!" With no headband of his own to hide behind, Izuku opted to pull his hood over his face. "You said it first!"
"Hahh? As if I'd be that cheesy."
"But just a minute ago you—!"
"Nope." Izuku glanced back at the screen to see that Rody had clamped Pino between both hands, only her crest feathers poking out between his fingers. "No memory of that whatsoever."
"Then show me Pino."
"She doesn't remember either."
Izuku tried hard to keep up the act of annoyance—really, he did—but the absurdity of the banter caught up with him, and before long chuckles were bubbling up through his throat, escaping his lips as breathy laughs, and a moment later Rody was joining in.
It was... nice. So nice, to laugh alongside Rody, even if it was with a screen and half the world between them. It was so warm, so comfortable, just like when they had devolved into laughter together deep within the Humarise headquarters, and Izuku couldn't fathom how he hadn't fallen for Rody back then.
Or perhaps he had, and he just hadn't realized.
"So," Rody said when their laughter had finally subsided, "we're gonna give this a try then?"
"Ah— well— yeah!" Izuku agreed eagerly. "That's— I mean— as long as it's okay with you?"
Rody snorted. "'Okay with me'? Spoken as if you weren't the one who strung me along for almost a month."
Izuku felt his cheeks burning all over again. "That's not— I mean, I'm really sorry about that, it just took me a while to figure things out and—!"
Another sharp laugh cut him off. "It's fine. If I had a problem with waiting I would have bugged you about it more. All that matters is that you're mine now," he added with a devilish wink.
Izuku huffed. "So I do count as one of the things you wanted to obtain after all, huh?"
"Yup." Rody winked. "You're lucky there's so much distance between us, because I'm not sure I'd ever want to let go of you again."
"Oh god."
"Letting go of you when I did have you in my arms might be the greatest regret of my life."
"Oh god," Izuku groaned, fully burrowing into his sweatshirt when pulling the hood down just wasn't enough this time. "Is this what you're going to be like the entire time we're dating, now?"
He could hear Rody's chuckle echo through the speaker. "If it means I get to see you making cute faces like this? Very possible."
Izuku popped his head out again, affixing a determined frown on his face as he stared down the phone. "W-well then...!"
Rody's grin widened. "Yeah?"
Izuku clenched his fists in the thick fabric of his sweatshirt. "You're talking pretty big, considering all the times I've already swept you off your feet."
For a beat, Rody was silent, dumbfounded. He stared at the screen as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard—and then he let out a puff of air, a snort, and both boys surrendered to blissful laughter once again.
Notes: I apologize if this chapter felt a little disjointed and patched together in parts. Deku's state of mind was so chaotic in his POV here that that is, in fact, exactly what I had to do: write bits and pieces, pick out the ones that didn't crumble into disaster, and stitch the winners together as best as I could. Once NaNoWriMo is over I'll try to come back and iron out any spots where needed, but for now I just I'm just gonna call it a success that the boys got where I wanted them to be!