Notes: The twitter polls I've been doing to help decide what I should write next have all been asking for the second chapter of This is Where I Belong but JOKE'S ON YOU I got inspired to write this instead. I'M AMERICAN Y'ALL POPULAR VOTE MEANS NOTHING HAHAHA

Anyway, this fic spoils Rody's quirk and parts of his family history, as well as referencing some late-stage plot details from the movie. Also, this is canon non-compliant in that it ignores everything that happens in the manga after season 5. I just don't want to have to deal with all of that in this particular story haha. On the bright side, hey, no manga spoilers for you anime-only folks!

This time I borrowed the title from the song "You were here" by BUMP OF CHICKEN. I will never stop referencing BUMP in my titles I swear to god you can't stop me—

A Single Piece of Confetti

Rody's memories of a mother's hugs were growing woefully dim, but he thought Inko Midoriya looked like she was great at giving them.

"Hello, Rody!" she greeted warmly from over Deku's shoulder, whenever he happened to call during a home visit. "You're not getting my Izuku into trouble again, are you?"

"Hey there, Mrs. M! As long as he's not getting me into trouble, I'm on my best behavior!"

"Mom!" Deku went pink and shot Rody a quick glance, apology reflected in his green eyes, before obscuring his phone's camera with a hand. After that Rody could only hear a quick discussion in Japanese between mother and son, and though Deku's voice sounded flustered, there was clear affection exchanged between them.

When the video feed returned, Deku had moved to his bedroom, All Might posters dotting the walls behind him. "Sorry about that," he breathed.

"You should be! Here I was enjoying a nice conversation with your mum and you just went and ruined it."

Deku's face went a bit redder. "If you want to talk to my mom so much, you should get her number..."

"Aww, don't pout, He~ro." Rody grinned devilishly and tapped his phone, as if he could poke those freckled cheeks through the screen. "You know I only have eyes for you."

The young hero's frown only deepened. "Please don't tease me like that."

Oh, Rody had been completely serious, but he maintained his sly grin even as he wanted to bury his face in his hands and sigh. Deku never seemed to pick up on his flirting, and it was becoming so frustrating that he had to constantly shoo Pino away from trying to pepper the screen with birdie kisses.

He stuffed Pino into his apron pocket before continuing. "Seriously, though, your mum seems really nice. Why are you always so quick to go somewhere else when I call? Wanna keep her all to yourself?" He smirked. "Or do you wanna keep me all to yourself?"

Again, Deku didn't respond the way Rody hoped he might; this time, the hero-in-training dropped his gaze and began idly picking at a piece of fuzz on his sweatshirt sleeve. "Rody..." he said quietly. "You don't get jealous of me?"

The brunet blinked at his phone, staring at the sudden display of timidity, before he put the pieces together and snorted in laughter. "Wow, Hero. Talk about a lack of tact."

"S-sorry! I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have ask—"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous sometimes," Rody said easily, shrugging. "But like I said, she seems really nice. Why should I resent a lovely lady and the awesome son she raised, just because mine is gone?"

Deku had raised his gaze back to the camera, and his eyes shone with tears threatening to spill. "Rody..."

"Don't cry, jeez." Rody gave an exasperated sigh as he leaned back against the wall. "Don't feel bad for me, I had a good ten years with Mum. The one I really worry about is Lala."

"Lala-chan?"

Rody exhaled, watching his bangs flutter with the action. "She just has me and Roro, you know? We'll do our best for her, of course, but eventually she's going to need a female role model in her life. Sorry if this is presumptuous, but I kinda wish she could meet your mum. I mean, she's never even..." He sighed, running his fingers through his ponytail. "The only time Lala was held by Mum was as Mum was taking her last breaths. I can't decide if it's a blessing or a curse that she can't remember."

"Oh, Rody..."

Rody focused back on his screen to see that Deku's tears were flowing freely now. "Come on, I told you not to cry."

"I could tell you just the opposite."

Sensing that something was amiss, Rody slowly turned his head to find that, at some point during his rambling, Pino had emerged and perched on his shoulder to sob big, fat, silent tears.

Panicking, he shoved Pino out of frame again. "Forget you saw that," he mumbled.

"As if I could." Deku gave a watery laugh, rubbing at his nose with a sniffle. "And, Rody... it's okay to admit you still need a mom sometimes. I don't know what I'd do without mine."

"Y-yeah, whatever." Still flustered that Deku had seen his innermost feelings when Rody least wanted him to, he mimed looking at a wristwatch that didn't exist. "Ah, my lunch break is about over now, so I should head back out to the front."

"You're at work?! Why are you spending your lunch break talking to me?! I hope you ate something..."

Rody chuckled softly, tapping the image of worried creases in Deku's brow. "Now you're the one acting like a mum. I'm fine, I ate."

"Well, that's good..."

Seeing the young hero fret about something so trivial was almost enough to sweep away the muggy feelings lingering in his chest, but he knew of something that would be even more effective, if he could make it happen. "Yeah, so anyway, I'm going back to work. I guess you'll be fast asleep by the time my shift is over, so I'll call you again some other day."

"Yeah, sure."

"Mm. So..." Rody brought the phone closer, holding the receiver mere millimeters from his lips. "Sweet dreams, my sweet hero."

"Wh— wh—" Deku had clapped his hands over his ears, surprised by the husky whisper, and was positively glowing a very satisfying shade of red. "You can't— Ro—!"

Snickering, Rody cut the line before the Japanese boy could formulate a coherent sentence. Yeah, finally getting the reaction he wanted had done the trick, all right.

Sufficiently pleased for the time being, Rody tucked his phone away and returned to the kitchen.

One evening a few weeks into officially beginning their long-distance relationship, Rody had gotten too invested in his studies and lost track of time. By the time he realized, it was already a full hour past the agreed-upon time he and Deku normally set aside for video calls. Swearing, Rody shoved his textbooks from the coffee table in his haste to grab his phone.

It was 10:30 PM in Otheon, which meant that in Japan it was... 6:30 in the morning. Still before Deku had to be at school, but Rody didn't know if they'd have time for any real conversation. Usually Deku would head out for early morning training after they ended their calls.

Hoping for the best, Rody tapped the call button, listening to the ringback tone as he walked to the kitchenette to prepare himself some instant coffee.

The phone rang for a good long while, and just as Rody was about to give up and try again the next day, the screen flashed to life with his boyfriend's face, looking flushed and sweaty, but elated to see receive the call.

"Rody, hi!" he panted, grinning. "Sorry I didn't notice you were calling, I was on a jog. I wasn't sure if you were going to call today..."

"Nah, I'm the one who should apologize," Rody countered. "I got caught up with studying, sorry. Is now a bad time?"

Deku worried the bottom of his lip. "Umm... It's not a bad time, exactly, but—"

"Ah, is that Young Rody that I've heard so much about?"

A blond-haired man with sunken eyes appeared in frame, and Rody spluttered in shock, nearly spilling the mug of caffe latte he had just finished preparing. The man wasn't as recognizable in this form, of course, especially with an ordinary tracksuit hanging from his bony frame, but by that point surely everyone in the world had seen the true form of Japan's former Number One. "All Might?!"

Deku glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah! I told you he's my mentor, didn't I?"

"You did, but..." For some reason, until that very moment Rody's brain hadn't negotiated that knowledge to mean that his Deku spent time with such a world-renowned hero on a daily basis. "Uh, well... hello, then," he managed, waving awkwardly to the man, and then receiving one in return, which was just kind of weird.

"Um, so anyway," Deku continued, smiling apologetically. "I really would love to talk, but I should get back to my jog before the runner's high wears off..."

"Oh! Oh, yeah, sorry..."

"Actually," All Might cut in, placing a hand on Deku's shoulder, "I'd like to talk to him for a bit, if you don't mind. I'm feeling a bit too winded to continue, anyway."

The sound that Rody made was too embarrassingly undignified to describe in words.

Deku looked between his mentor and boyfriend. "Well, sure, if Rody's okay with it..."

"Ah— ahh, ah yeah, sure!" Rody was doing an awful job of hiding his discomfort—what in the world would All Might want with him?!—but he wasn't going to back down from this challenge.

As the phone was handed over so Deku could continue his run, Rody took a long sip of his coffee. There was something about this that was making him nervous, even beyond the whole talking-with-an-international-celebrity thing, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. It wasn't the starstruck awe of speaking to a personal idol—there was only one hero that Rody was a fan of. But then All Might, now the only one on the screen, sighed and sat himself down on a bench, and suddenly he was able to place why the atmosphere had him so on edge.

Rody felt like he was the new boyfriend about to be interrogated by his significant other's father.

The thought made him snort coffee into his sinuses—both due to nerves and the sheer ridiculousness of the idea. Sure, the first part was true—he was the new boyfriend—but All Might was Deku's mentor, not his dad!

"You all right there, young man?"

"Ah— yeah, just... just fine!" Rody insisted between coughs to clear his airways. "Just... was thinking about... vertical stabilizers!" The excuse made absolutely no sense and he hoped he wouldn't be called out on it.

Mercifully, All Might's worried expression eased and he didn't prod any further. "Well, you're probably wondering why I wanted to talk to you. First of all, I wanted to thank you for your help with the Humarise situation. I know that the World Heroes' Association already offered their gratitude in an official capacity, but I thought it prudent that I thank you personally, too."

"Oh, that?" Rody laughed in a manner that he hoped was polite. So it wasn't a dad talk, after all. Of course. "It was nothing, really. Deku's the amazing one, I was just trying to keep my family safe."

All Might smiled gently. "I wouldn't sell yourself short. That's plenty heroic as far as motivations go, young man."

Rody tried to keep a neutral expression, even as Pino gave a pleased chirrup. "Uh... thanks," he muttered before lifting the mug back to his lips. After a lifetime of getting no assistance from pro heroes, it was baffling to be called heroic himself, let alone by All Might, of all people.

"I've also heard that you and Young Midoriya are dating now?"

The mug, thankfully, didn't shatter when it slipped from Rody's fingers, but it made an awfully loud clattering sound as it hit the counter, flipped into the sink, and splashed hot coffee all across the basin.

"Sorry, sorry!" All Might's chuckles were just barely audible over ceramic rolling against steel. "I didn't mean to startle you. Why don't you sit down and make yourself comfortable? I want to talk about something."

"Uh— yeah, sure, just a sec." He grabbed a rag to quickly wipe the stray droplets from his fingers before walking over to the sofa, picking up one of the scattered textbooks as he stepped carefully around them. After sitting down, he used the book to prop his phone up on the coffee table and sat back, trying not to tense up.

Crap. This was starting to feel like a dad talk. What the hell?

"Relax, young man." All Might smiled, his crow's feet becoming more pronounced. "This isn't an interrogation. If anything..."

The way the hero trailed off piqued Rody's curiosity, and he leaned a bit closer to the phone, frowning. "What is it?"

All Might's smile had faded, and he was holding his chin in thought. "...If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I've placed quite a heavy burden on Young Midoriya's shoulders, you see."

"Oh..."

"I'm not trying to scare you." All Might held up a large, placating hand. "And I'm certainly not trying to discourage your relationship, either. It's clear as day that you make Young Midoriya very happy."

Rody looked aside, hoping that his flush wouldn't be too obvious. "I, uh... I try, at least."

The blond hero smiled again, but this time his eyes seemed to reflect some degree of sorrow. "The responsibility I've handed over to Young Midoriya... it's one that's taken lives in the past. There have been some before him who had to cut ties with loved ones for their own protection. I have faith in Young Midoriya, and if he continues to improve the way he has been I think the chances are incredibly low that he'd have to take such drastic action, but..."

There's still a chance, were the words left unsaid. Be prepared for the worst. And don't resent him if the worst does happen.

Rody stared down at his hands folded in his lap, trying to organize his thoughts, to convert to meaningful language the truths that he had known for a while now but hadn't wanted to acknowledge. He could hear Pino, perched atop his head, whining a bit pathetically, but he trusted Deku not to have blabbed about his quirk even to his idol, so he let it be. "We... were both in pretty bad shape after the Humarise thing," he started, haltingly. "It's amazing—and a little embarrassing, really—that Deku was discharged before me when he got way more banged up. I only got shot once, and it hurt so much I thought I was gonna die. I think maybe I almost did." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I saw and experienced for myself the kind of dangerous situations Deku has to be in. I'm sure there are even worse. But I asked him to date me not in spite of that, but because of it." He looked back up at the phone, hoping that his face clearly expressed his sincerity. "I want to hold on to Deku now, before he goes somewhere I can't follow."

Rody couldn't quite get a read on All Might's expression, but the tension in his brow had eased, and he thought he saw the smallest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "Well, color me impressed," the blond man breathed. "I'm sorry to make you think of something so unpleasant."

Rody shook his head, loose strands of hair falling to his forehead with the movement. "Nah, it's not a big deal. With all due respect, though, I'm gonna have to correct you on one point."

"Oh?"

He jabbed a finger at the screen. "If there's one thing Deku's taught me, it's that you can always make a way to protect everything that's important. There is zero chance of him sacrificing our relationship just because he hasta fight some big bad villain."

All Might chuckled, and his image shifted as he stood up from the bench. "Yes, that sounds like him. In any case, I'm glad I got to speak with you, Young Rody. It's almost time to prepare for class, so I should find Young Midoriya and return his phone." He studied Rody for a moment before adding, "We should get you out here sometime. I'll talk with the WHA about arranging a flight for you."

"My siblings too," Rody insisted, before he had the chance to consider that it might be a bit rude to make demands. "Uh... please. I don't wanna leave them alone for so long again."

All Might smiled warmly. "Yes, of course. Ah, and I'm sorry you had to spend all this time speaking to an old man instead of Young Midoriya. Is there anything you'd like me to tell him for you?"

Rody was about to turn down the offer, when suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Yeah... tell him this. Word-for-word."

"What is it?"

Rody grinned. "He's a million years too early to go dying before me."

For their first time since their conversation began, All Might gave a real, genuine laugh.

Apparently, even at the request of All Might himself, comping a flight to Japan for a family of three was easier said than done. It took months of coordinating and negotiating, countless times being pushed to the back burner in favor of international villain crises that rightfully took priority over something that was at most a PR stunt. Finally, though, the trip was set for late December, right as UA finished up their second term of the school year.

When Rody finally arrived at the gates of UA High School with his siblings in tow, they were met by a tall man wearing all black whom Rody recognized as Eraser Head—or, as Deku called him, "Aizawa-sensei." Deku's homeroom teacher.

"Hey there, teach!" Rody greeted cheekily, offering a playful salute.

Roro and Lala quickly followed suit, mimicking their brother with impressive accuracy. "Hey there, teach!"

Aizawa blinked slowly, sighed, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right. Come on then, let's get your visitor passes."

When they had first come off the flight, Roro and Lala were tired and groggy, barely able to drag their feet through customs and immigration, but as soon as they had emerged from the airport, with all the new sounds and sights of a foreign country, they had perked up and were constantly stopping to stare, or dashing off to check out something they'd never seen before. Now, even as they were walking to the main school building, Roro would be distracted by a type of insect he'd never seen in Otheon, or Lala would stoop to pick winter wildflowers, and it was a constant struggle to keep them in line.

"Hey, come on," Rody would say every half minute, it seemed like. "We can do this later, okay?"

His siblings would answer with a cheerful, "Okay!" and manage to keep themselves in check for maybe a minute or two before they were back to focusing too much on their new surroundings.

Finally, Rody stopped and turned. "Hey, Lala," he said, kneeling down to address the youngest member of the Soul family in a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm really gonna need you to keep your brother in check, okay? So grab his hand and make sure he doesn't go running off again. We just can't take Roro anywhere, can we?"

Lala giggled, plump cheeks rosy with amusement and clearly pleased to be regarded as more responsible than her older brother. Then, she turned and dashed over to the elven-year-old inspecting what must be a particularly interesting tree knot. "Roro!" she sing-songed, grabbing his hand. "Rody says I gotta hold your hand so you don't run off anymore!"

Roro's expression cycled through confusion, annoyance, and finally understanding as he met Rody's gaze. "Aw, do I hafta, Lala?" he said with exaggerated disappointment. "I don't wanna!"

"Nope, you gotta behave!" With a confident huff, she pulled his hand and marched them back to Rody's side. "We can play afterwards, okay?"

"Attagirl," Rody praised, patting his sister on the head. "Roro, follow your sister's lead, yeah?" he added with a wink.

"If you say so," Roro said with a pretend sigh, before adding in a genuinely embarrassed whisper, "sorry about all that."

Rody shook his head, patting Roro affectionately as well. "No problem, I know it's exciting. Let's get going so we can see Deku soon."

He had almost forgotten that Aizawa was there, but when Rody turned to him, the teacher was studying them carefully, a light frown in place.

"Sorry about that," Rody laughed, "but they should be fine now. Kids, you know?"

Aizawa was silent for just a moment longer before letting out a small huff that almost sounded like a laugh. "Yes, I know."

After that, everything went smoothly enough. Actually obtaining their visitor passes was as simple as greeting the school principal, some sort of sentient mouse-like creature named Nezu, and engaging in small talk before they were all abruptly given approval. A much quicker affair than everything that had come before.

As Aizawa guided them towards the Heights Alliance dorms, where they would be meeting up with Deku, Roro and Lala were losing steam again. Rody knew he should be feeling the effects of jetlag too, what with it approaching 5 AM in Otheon, but the thought of finally seeing Deku again, of being able to hug him and hold him for the first time in nearly a year, had him too wired to feel any exhaustion yet. They spoke on the phone nearly every day, but it just wasn't the same as sharing the same space.

It was as Rody stooped down to pick up Lala in his arms that Aizawa finally initiated conversation. "Midoriya has been trying to incorporate parkour-inspired movements into his training regimen lately."

Rody was too busy trying to situate the dozing girl in his arms to spare any thought to being embarrassed. "Yeah?"

"Mm. He said he got the idea from chasing you in Otheon." Aizawa then knelt down too and, to Rody's surprise, motioned towards Roro to get onto his back. The boy was hesitant for a moment, clearly wanting to give the impression that he wasn't actually that tired, but ultimately he relented and walked over to Aizawa, wrapping his arms around the capture cloth encircling the man's neck.

With the kids situated, they walked in silence for a minute longer before Aizawa continued.

"I advised against it. He described to me how you ran across eaves and window sills like it was nothing, leaping between entire buildings without even an appropriate quirk to act as a safety net..."

Rody grimaced and at the clear disapproval in the man's voice. "Ah... well, I know the city really well."

"Right. And Midoriya is too reckless. He doesn't know how to hold back, and I didn't like the idea of him being influenced by someone who was just as reckless, perhaps even moreso."

The words immediately had Rody on edge, as if this man was judging even the relationship that he and Deku had. "Look, I'm not really putting myself in such dangerous situations anymore—"

Aizawa cut him off with a slow shake of his head. "I've been watching you with your siblings today and it's clear that you have at least one responsible bone in your body." He jerked his head towards Roro behind him and gave a toothy grin. "If you can reign in Midoriya half as well as you can these kids, then you've got my blessing."

Rody returned an anxious grin of his own, relief flooding his chest. "Appreciate the confidence, but it might be a bit misplaced. I'm not sure there's any force in the world that can stop Deku when it comes to hero-ing."

The Erasure Hero laughed. "At least you're aware of what you're up against." And then Aizawa placed a hand on Rody's head, just as he had with his own siblings earlier, and he was hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia, because it had been so long since he had been on the receiving end of such a gesture, a silent assurance of security.

And All Might's hand, when Rody shook it later on, was large and sturdy, and reminded him a lot of his own father's.

And, just as he had suspected, Inko Midoriya was an amazing hugger.

Notes: I've been trying to avoid addressing the "what do Roro and Lala call Rody in English?" can of worms, but it was unavoidable here... (They call him "niichan" and "oniichan" in Japanese, respectively, but, uh... they don't speak Japanese in-universe haha.) I went with "Rody" since that's what's culturally appropriate for them, but please let me know if FUNimation decides to localize the movie to them saying "big brother" or something instead haha.