Author's Note:
Hey everyone, just to let you know I'll be republishing some chapters and some stories with less errors and grammatical mistakes, thanks to my wonderful girlfriend offering to get in on the process and start editing my stories and assisting me heavily as I move forward with writing stories, thank you and on with the show!
A Little Longer Part 1 of 2
Times were changing, what was once simple is now complex, formulaic was now inconsistent, reliable was now unbelievable, as is the way of life's many confusing and confounding compartments. Midoriya gaining a quirk from his all-time favorite and world's greatest hero All Might, was no longer the strange feat that it was in comparison to what followed: Kacchan was kidnapped by villains, his arms were close to the breaking point of no return, All Might…retired, and now the room he woke up to for the past fifteen years of his life would soon be a stranger to him due to his new dorm life setting; it was a lot to take in for the teenager as it would for any teenager, to be honest.
So much swirled in his head. His thoughts and feelings on the entire last month were about to make him explode from all the chaos that he endured, that everyone had endured. It was very unlike him to step out without saying much to his mother, the mess of nerves that she was, he always felt the need to say at least something to her, but now he wasn't sure what to say to her, aside from 'I'll be back later,' a common response of those carrying a burden on their shoulders, and most certainly in the case of those wanting to do it by themselves for the time being, he wasn't doing it to be cruel or mean, he just needed his space. Or Inko was worried for him, for not only was the League a viable threat now that they had previously got ahold of one of UA's most talented, but also her son was dealing with the world changing in such a short amount of time. Because of this, she felt bad about limiting where he could go and when he should be back, attaching a limit to the walk he wanted to take to just down the block and only within the vicinity of the apartment complex, but she wasn't about to lose another member of their family, especially her baby boy.
He wasn't a fan, but he understood. He would be alone, and easy to grab like he was at the mall…the day he could've stopped everything…regardless, he accepted as he faced the high noon sun once he opened the door.
In contrast of the reality of ensuing chaos following the symbol of peace's fall, the day was peaceful, the sun shined down on the calming streets of Japan, unaltered by clouds as the sky was perfectly blue with the wind only picking up slightly; an indication of summer's fleeting presence, as it's end would approach soon. The sounds of hustle and bustle were only reminders of the disarray in his heart, so Izuku decided to drown them out with the only way he knew how to: music. Taking out his phone and putting in his red colored earbud headphones, scrolling through the limited options he had for song sustenance though most of it was workout music, which didn't tickle his fancy at the moment nor did it carry him away for the pressure, so after a minute or so of external debate (aka his usual case of the mutters) he landed on his one calming and peaceful tune, his favorite actually, and as soon as it kicked in he drifted away, lost in gracious tranquility as he began his trek around the block.
…
…
…
However, after an hour of walking, his mind just wouldn't let him forget what plagued him. His eyes were glued to the ground watching his red shoes overlap one another and his black denim shorts ruffle with each step. His eyes couldn't stop themselves from going to the pale white bandages wrapped on both of his arms, going from the end of his wrist and into the sleeves of his teal t-shirt, the echo of the doctor's warning mismatched with the song he kept on loop, the sources of comfort and dread battling over the right to take center stage in his mind causing his breathing to become sporadic and unaligned, unsure of how to give one the edge and the other the disadvantage.
A prisoner of a war he made by himself.
Flashes of Kacchan's façade of acting tough when Dabi's hand gripped his throat, his mother's tears of initially denying his return to U-A, All Might's secret broadcasted all over the world, the terrifying soulnessness of All for One, and All Might raising his hand to point at him, his quiet declaration to the young man that-
"Now, it's your turn."
…
"To face my back-breaking power," a bellowing voice cried out.
"…H-huh," Midoriya wondered, halting his pace, snapped out of his daze by the cries of what sounded like an older gentleman struggling with some sort of unknown task, prompting him to reach into his pocket to pause the tunes on his phone and remove his headphones for good measure. Moving forward a lot faster than before, fearful of the struggles being by someone in need of help, eventually coming upon a decently sized house with a moving truck parked out front. A tall man with long light gold hair dressed in a burgundy long sleeved cardigan, blue jeans, and black shoes trying to lift a full-sized bed into the back of the truck and failing to do so in an effective manner, less than half of the item being all the way in.
"Y-yeah that's right," the grown man grunted, alone in his endeavor, "You better shake like you're scared, because I am gonna pay you back in full for what you've done to my spine today!"
"…" Midoriya stared on, not confused by the image, just by his efforts to domineer over an inanimate object in a macho man style.
"Oooooh ho ho yeah, you're in for a world of-" a bone crack rang out and halted his mad ravings, his expression going from one of taunting arrogance, to resounding pain, "And I'm failing, failing bad, failing really bad, oh god I shouldn't have back talked, hey Mika! HELP!"
The bed started slowly sliding out from the back of the bed of the vehicle, threatening to crush the man if help didn't arrive in time. Thankfully, it did, the sliding abruptly halted much to the man's surprise as his oncoming fear that made him brace for impact caused his formerly closed eyes to open wide, seeing the young Midoriya right to him, the boy having used his quirk briefly to dash over, "Here let me help you sir." he offered kindly.
"…Heh, fine by me kid," he smiled, combining his strength with the teen, finally getting the item in with little to no issues had, dusting off his hands to revel the end of his burden, "And that's the last one."
"Are you okay," Midoriya asked, concerned over the crack he heard earlier.
"Huh," the man looked down at his concerned expression, "Oh, yeah I'm fine, thanks to you anyway."
"Glad I could help."
"So is my back." he laughed, a smile forming on Izuku's face.
"I bet."
"Although uh," he leaned down, placing his hand over his mouth, whispering something to the teen, "Don't saying anything to my wife and daughter, gotta look strong, ya know? One guy to another?"
"U-um don't worry about it, sir," Midoriya rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Your secret's safe with me."
"Good otherwise, I'd have to kill ya."
"What?!" he tensed up at this, "I swear sir I'll take it to the grave! You don't have to worry! My lips are sealed! No argument from me!"
"J-jeez kid I was kidding."
"…O-oh," he blushed, embarrassed by his freak out.
"You sure are a tense one."
"Tell me about it."
"Well, that's understandable, since the whole country is in chaos so I'll give you a break," he patted the young man on the back before walking toward his abode, "Thanks again for the assist, sorry to bother you like that."
"O-oh it's no problem at all, do you need help lifting anything else?"
"Hm," he turned back around to face him looking puzzled.
"U-uh," Midoriya looked at the ground still nervous, "I mean it's no trouble for me if you do. It just looked like you needed help before and it's not like I was really doing anything that important, so if you need an extra hand, I wouldn't mind offering…if you want it, that is."
"Heh," he chuckled to himself, " I appreciate the offer, but I think we got it from here, kid."
"Oh, alright, as long as you're sure."
"I am, go on about your day."
"Okay, I will, be careful, sir."
"Don't worry about me, no more beds to lift anyway so I'll be alright…but uh say?"
"Hm," Midoriya looked back up at him.
"Haven't I seen you before?"
"U-uh…I don't think so."
"That's odd because you look familiar, you sure we haven't met before?"
"Hmmm," the quirk inheritor racked his brain, pinching his chin with one hand and propping his elbow with the other, "I don't think so, but I do live around here so you may have seen me walk around for a bit."
"Oh really," the blonde man leaned against his doorway, "Where you nest at?"
"Mustafu apartments."
"Ain't that a little ways down the street back that way?"
"Y-yeah actually, me and my mom have lived there for years now."
"Huh, well maybe that was it, but I don't know, I think I've seen you somewhere else before."
"If that's the case, then I can only think of-"
"Kyotoku," a female voice yelled out from inside the home, causing the man to turn his head, "You alright? I heard you scream."
"Yeah, I'm good, just uh…stubbed my toe getting the bed into the truck," an obvious lie.
"Sure it wasn't your back?" the female quipped, causing him to grimace.
"N-no!"
"Preeeeeettty sure it was your back."
"It wasn't," he raised his index finger to his lips as he looked back at the teen, causing him to chuckle, which he reciprocated by doing the classic zipped-lips motion.
"Oh, okay then," the lie working caused the older man to sigh in relief and in victory, giving Izuku a thumbs up, "I heard that sigh!"
"Me, too," another, much younger, voice called out.
'Huh, that voice sounds familiar.' Izuku thought to himself, puzzled by it.
"…Curse their good hearing," Kyotoku mumbled.
"Heard that to," the older voice called again.
"I know, I know." he sighed again, the sound of feet descending a flight of stairs could be heard as the older voice got louder.
"Not like you're much of a convincing liar, anyway." the woman said.
"I'm getting better." he smiled.
"Not something to brag about, dear," the woman laughed, finally appearing in the doorway; occupying the empty space left by Kyotoku. She had violet hair, long bangs covering one side of her face, a sound wave pattern running across them, paired with a pair of glasses, a white sleeveless button up white shirt, and a skirt that went just below her knees. She appeared quite striking to Midoriya. Most women made him blush furiously upon seeing them for the first time, but this woman's beauty eclipsed even that, her gentle yet distinct features were easy on the eyes but memorable enough that she would definitely be in your mind after you saw her for the first time. However, there was something familiar about this look to Midoriya, getting a sense of familiarity in the same vein as Kyotoku had earlier in their conversation, trying to place the woman as she spoke to her husband.
"Come on, Mika, I gotta look tough for our daughter."
"Kinda hard to do if you need to visit a chiropractor twenty-four seven."
"My back is not that bad."
"Could've fooled me."
"You really won't let me have this one?"
"Aw sure, just don't kill yourself," she jokingly jabbed her quirk against his forehead, the action clicking for Midoriya where he had seen this woman before, recognizing the earphone jack shaped quirk attached to the end of her earlobes, realizing that he hadn't specifically seen her before, but he does know her daughter quite well.
"Now that would be bad," he laughed, causing Mika to do the same.
"Yes, it would," Mika looked over to Izuku, noticing the look of bewilderment he gave her, the young man forgetting he was staring too long as he blushed a little harder and met his gaze with the ground once again, "Oh, who's this?"
"Huh, oh yeah, sorry to ignore ya there, kid."
"I-I-I-It's fine you don't have to a-a-apologize"
Mika smiled at his adorable bashfulness, remembering how Kyoka is from time to time.
"Wow you are a nervous one," Kyotoku mumbled, before speaking to his wife again, "This kid helped me out with the bed, his names uh…oh crap, I never asked his name."
"You enlisted his help and didn't ask his name?" Mika questioned.
"Nah, he just dove right in and caught the thing, didn't have time to."
"Oh, well in that case, what's your name, young man?"
"U-u-u-uh," Izuku shifted between eye contact and the ground, trying to calm himself down, it already wasn't easy talking to Kyoka without getting this way, but her mother was a bit more difficult, "I-I-I'm Izuku Midoriya, nice to meet you," he bowed.
"Wait," she suppressed another chuckle at his formalness, "I've heard that name before."
"You have?" Kyotoku asked.
"Yeah, don't you remember? He's the kid from the sports festival."
"Oh yeah! The bone breaker! Now I know where I've seen him before!"
"You couldn't tell by the arm bandages?" Mika pointed, "No offense."
"N-none taken, ma'am," Izuku rubbed his arms.
"Oh jeez, I didn't notice. Sorry for making ya lift then," Kyotoku rubbed the back of his head shamefully.
"I-It was no problem, they've recovered so it didn't really hurt."
"That's a relief," Mika smiled at him, "Aren't you in Kyoka's class?"
"I-I am."
"Oh well she should say hi," Mika turned back into the house before Midoriya could object, "Kyoka! Come downstairs!"
"Why!?"
"One of your friends is here!"
"You're only friend, right?" Kyotoku scowled at him, his fatherly instincts kicking in, scaring the poor lad.
"Y-y-yes sir," Midoriya cowered under his gaze, "B-b-but she doesn't need to do that ma'am, it's alright."
"Nonsense, you helped my husband not throw out his back again."
"Not so loud please," he sighed, trying to keep the pieces of his shattered pride.
"Oh hush."
"Which one is it?" Kyoka asked descending the stairs, curiously.
"Come down and you'll see," Mika stepped through the doorway and onto their lawn, allowing her daughter to get a clear look as soon as she was down.
"Mom, it's a person not a present, it's okay if you tell me who it-" Kyoka reached the doorway, at first looking at her mother with a smirk, then turning her attention to the boy standing in front of the back of the truck, his shy and awkward exterior even more abundant as her violet eyes made contact with his emerald ones, the two looking at each other in surprise, neither really expecting to see one another until classes started again, a fact made clearer by the random set of events and Kyoka's state of dress, being her yellow 'Deep Dope' tank top that hung past her waist in a baggy fashion, and a set of black short shorts. If this wasn't indication enough of her just waking up an hour ago, then her hair sticking out in a few places certainly was. The overwhelming embarrassment at her lack of proper attire and style, and the fact that Midoriya was looking at her, made her cheeks turn a deep shade of red, "-is…"
'Wow,' Midoriya thought to himself, blushing as well. 'She looks…really cute,' He thought, taking in her appearance, still finding a way to appreciate her even in her messiest of states, taking in another couple seconds of awkward silence before opening his mouth, "H-h-hey Jiro," he broke eye contact and waved his left hand at her. Jiro's eyes remained on him, slowly raising her hand…before her blush intensified and she ran off to her room in a flash, a loud slam ringing throughout the house.
The girl having left her parents and Midoriya completely confused as they looked on to where she was.
'Ohhhhhh, so that's it then,' Mika smiled to herself, as she looked at Midoriya again, 'Never would've guessed.'
"Did I do something wrong?" Midoriya asked himself, before his collar was grabbed by Kyotoku, the man getting in his face.
"DID YOU BREAK MY LITTLE GIRL'S HEART OR SOMETHING?!" he yelled, causing the nervous teen to sweat buckets.
"N-n-n-n-n-no I swear I-I-I-I would never dream of it!"
"YOU BETTER NOT BE LYING TO ME, BOY! DID YOU SEE HOW NERVOUS SHE WAS?! SHE LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS ABOUT TO FAINT!"
"I k-know that sir! But I swear to you on my rapidly approaching end life, I didn't do anything to your daughter!"
"YA KNOW WHAT!? I'M STARTING TO THINK YOU'RE SOME KIND OF STALKER, RUNNING INTO ME LIKE THIS AND HELPING JUST SO YOU CAN GET CLOSE TO MY BABY GIRL! YOU SAID YOURSELF YOU LIVE JUST DOWN THE BLOCK! WHAT A SET OF COINCEDENCES, WOULDN'T YOU SAY?!"
"They're just coincidences! I'm telling you, I have only the utmost respect for Jiro, I would never do anything like that!"
"A LIKELY STORY!" Kyotoku shouted before two earphone jacks shoved themselves in his ears, a ringing going through to his brain, the pain making him let go of the teen, much to his relief, "UGH, WHAT THE HELL, MIKA!?"
"Now calm down Kyo, the boy is the telling the truth," Mika retracted her quirk, walking up between them.
"How do you know?"
"Because Kyoka has talked about him before, he's not like that one short boy with the grapes on his head."
"It could all be a ploy."
"Do you honestly think so?" Mika placed her hands on her hips, and looked at her husband disapprovingly, forcing him to reevaluate the boy's character as he looked at him again, taking in his form as his body was shaking all over, his face crimson from ear to ear, and a timid frown that trembled at his presence. Clicking with him that he was not a sleaze bag, and at most just a nervous teen, plus it certainly helped that he had helped before even knowing who he was to Kyoka. Assured that he was telling the truth, he backed off and bowed to him.
"Sorry kid," he raised up, "My mistake."
"I-I-I-It's okay sir," Midoriya bowed back, relieved that he was going to live to see tomorrow, 'That was close, nearly bought the farm back there.'
"See dear, perfectly innocent," Mika relaxed.
"Yeah, I guess," he sighed before looking at the young man again with a scowl, "But I got my eye on you."
"Oh, stop it."
"I'm a dad, did you expect better?"
"I did," Mika poked him again, "Now leave him alone, it's clear that Kyoka was just embarrassed because she hadn't gotten properly dressed yet, so cut him some slack."
"I will," Kyotoku groaned.
"Good. Now, young man," Mika turned to Midoriya.
"Y-yes ma'am?"
"Would you do me a favor, if you don't mind?"
"A-a-ah yes, I would," Midoriya relaxed a little more, thankful to his savior, "S-seeing as how you saved my life and all, it's the least I could do."
"Perfect. Now," Mika placed a hand on shoulder, before closing her eyes to smile in a cute manner, "Could you please help my husband lift some boxes into the back of the truck? I need to go talk to Kyoka for a minute."
"U-u-uh that's fine, I don't mind helping others in need."
"I thought the bed was the last of it," Kyotoku questioned.
"Of the big stuff, yes. The rest is her vinyl's from upstairs," Mika clarified, causing Kyo to frown, fearing his poor back muscles.
"Oh…hurray," he mumbled.
"It'll be alright, Midoriya here will help you."
"I think I can get it just fine, dear."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, I should be able to."
"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Mika walked behind him, giving him a couple passive aggressive pats, each one forcing him to groan in pain, "That's my big strong man, handling everything all by himself even when his wife tells him not to, and has to sometimes has to lift it all by herself when he pushes too hard. Isn't he the best?"
"…On second thought," Kyo looked at Midoriya, a worried expression shared between the two for the older man's safety, "I think I could use a hand if you'd lend me one, son."
"I-I-I don't mind, sir," Midoriya walked up beside him, the two stepping through the doorway as Kyo rubbed his lower back, "Besides, I've been where you've been, kind of. I understand the pain."
"I know, my boy, I know," he replied, before they disappeared upstairs, leaving Mika in the living room.
'Now,' she once again looked at Kyoka's room, except this time with a devilish smile appearing, 'Let's hear it from you, Kyoka.'
Kyoka's Room.
The shy rocker scrambled, doing everything in her power to try and get ready, combing her hair with one hand, brushing her teeth with the other, spraying on some perfume that Momo let her borrow for special occasions, like when they went to I-Island last month, with her quirk, and currently using the other earphone jack to pick out a better looking outfit, toothpaste falling over the one she was currently wearing, 'Crap crap crap crap crap! Of all days- OF ALL DAYS- it had to be moving day that I see him again! Jesus Christ, my luck is the worst. I can't even have a relaxing moving day without something going wrong. God, he probably thinks I look stupid in all this. Why was he even here? Random luck?! Chance!? Did the old man put him up to this so that he won't look at me again!? HOW THE HELL DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN!?'
*Knock* *Knock*
"dYOn'T cyoME IN I UM NYOT rEADy," Kyoka tried to speak, forgetting about the toothbrush in her mouth.
"It's just me, Kyoka," Mika laughed, knowing how she must look on the other side. The realization that it was her mother causing Kyoka to put down her toothbrush and perfume can, walking over to the door, and cracking it open ever so slightly to see if she had some kind of trick up her sleeve.
"Are you alone?"
"Nope, Midoriya is right behind me."
"Eep!" she squeaked and blushed, almost slamming the door again, but Mika intervened, catching it quickly.
"I'm kidding, sweetheart, it's just your dear old mom."
"Hmph," Kyoka pouted, angry at the trick, "That was mean."
"I could always call him down."
"I'll let you in!"
"There we go," Mika laughed as she entered her daughter's room, taking notice of her toothpaste ridden shirt, "Trying out a new look?"
"Totally, I call it minty fresh," Kyoka quipped, taking out a small napkin to start wiping off the grime.
"My oh my, my dear daughter is not only going to be a hero but will also spread the importance of dental hygiene while she's at it."
"Ha-Ha."
"Well, I thought it was funny," Mika grinned, melting Kyoka's front as she shared the expression.
"It was."
"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here for the rest of my life," Mika made her daughter laugh, clearly conveying where Kyoka got her sass from, the young girl clapping after she finished wiping herself off, "Sooooooooooooo?"
"So?"
"Who's the boy?"
"U-u-uh, he's my classmate."
"Hm, that all?"
"A-a-and my friend."
"I don't think you'd run away if that was the case."
"Would you show off your pajamas to dad if you went to the same school?"
"I wouldn't."
"See?"
"But then again I had a crush on him in high school," Kyoka blushed at her words, "Soooo. unless it's the same situationnnnnn?"
"I-I-I-It's not."
"Oh, really?"
"U-u-u-uh huh," Kyoka nodded.
"Oh, well, then I should probably go tell him that," Mika walked back toward the door.
"NO!" Kyoka shouted as she blocked the door gripping at the hinges.
"Got ya."
"…"
"You can't fool me, Kyoka. Your father? Eh, maybe. But I taught you how."
"…*sigh*…damn, you're good," Kyoka let go of the door, hanging her head low.
"I know. Sooooooo?"
"…"
Mika raised an eyebrow.
"I…like him…"
"A lot?"
"A-a…lot."
"I figured that much."
"So why did you ask?"
"To be sure. I don't wanna assume before I start teasing you a little."
"Mother of the year over here."
"You say that sarcastically, but I did just save him from your father's fury."
"Great," Kyoka groaned, "If looking like this didn't drive him off, dad certainly did…"
"Kyoka…"
"…"
"Look sweetie, you're fine."
"No, I'm not."
"Then let me ask you this: why is he still here?"
"Huh?"
"He's still here, he's upstairs actually, helping your dad move your vinyls into the truck."
"YOU LEFT HIM ALONE WITH THAT MANIAC?!"
"Don't worry I made sure your father will behave himself."
"How do you know?"
"Because he knows he sleeps outside if he lays a finger on him."
"…You're scary when you want to be."
"A trait I happily passed on to you."
"Hehe, alright then," Kyoka found her smile again.
"That's my girl."
"Hm?"
"You didn't see it but he did smile when he looked at you."
"Y-yeah, probably trying not laugh."
"Kyoka."
"What?"
"Now you and I both know that isn't the case."
"…Do we?"
"We do," Mika hugged her little one, "Now calm down, and get ready."
"I already was, but why?"
"I have an idea…"
