Chapter Summary:
The lines blur between dreams and reality for Izuku.
Was this kind boy a figment of his imagination, someone created from his desperate desire of friendship?
Or is there more to these visions than he realizes?
As for young Toshinori, he doesn't quite know what to make of Izuku's funny habits, but he cherishes him anyway.
Dreams and Reality
"If you're feeling down or weak
You can always count on me"
Kari Kimmel - Where You Belong
A startled yelp from Izuku had the other boy falling back on his bottom, laughter bubbling up as he watched him frantically look at his surroundings. Moments passed and Izuku looked at him again, tears already forming in his eyes. The mirth quickly faded from the blonde boy upon noticing his distress. "I-I'm sorry. Please don't cry..." The remorse was clear as he stood and made his way over, a hand extended towards him.
Izuku wiped away the gathering moisture, not wanting someone else to view him as a crybaby. To be fair, the tears hadn't just been because the other child had startled him. No, it was also because the area was so different than what he was used to. The park that he always went to with Kacchan was unmistakable, but something was off and it scared him. He didn't even know how he got there to begin with. Trying not to focus on his changed environment, he turned his head back to the boy and offered a tremulous smile.
"I'm okay now." Relief washed over the other boy and Izuku extended his own hand to grasp the one proffered to him and was promptly hauled to his feet, which he now noticed were bare. "What's your name?"
A wide, stunning grin brightened the blonde's face, vibrant blue eyes shimmering in its splendor. "Yagi Toshinori! Who're you?"
"I'm Midoriya I-" The name caught in his throat, strangling him. Coughing, he tried it a few more times before giving up and choosing his late father's name instead. "H-Hisashi."
Toshinori looked at him in concern, but the smaller boy just smiled bashfully. Their hands separated and he gestured towards the playground nearby. "Want to play with me, Midoriya-chan?" A hesitant nod was his response and the blonde was off, a carefree laugh trailing behind him and worries pushed aside. Izuku smiled and ran after him, happy to finally have someone that actually wanted him around.
The pair came to a stop by the large play set that was the main attraction of the area. Two pale green slides were attached to either side, bridged together by a decently sized play area that had many nooks and crannies to play hide-and-seek. The sides were decorated by paintings of cute sea creatures, designs that were appealing to the young visitors.
"Midoriya-chan, you go hide and I'll count to ten before going to find you. No quirks allowed though, that's cheating."
Izuku flushed red in embarrassment. He didn't want to lose his new friend, but the timid boy also wanted to make sure that he would be accepted as he is. So he confessed the truth that he was most ashamed of. "I'm quirkless."
There were no snide remarks or harsh laughs, no taunting or jeering. Just an honest look of surprise followed swiftly by a watery smile. "Me too. I don't have a quirk either."
The two children spent the next few hours playing together without reserve. They'd both found someone who understood what it felt like to be an outcast.
As all good things do, their time together eventually came to an end. A woman arrived some time later to pick up a reluctant Toshinori so they had to part ways. "We should meet here again! This'll be our spot. Best friends, right?" Toshinori extended his right hand, fist closed except for his pinky.
"Always, Yagi-chan!" Izuku's reached out and looped his own pinky around the other, both wearing identical grins as their promise was sealed. Their hands parted and the blonde moved forward and hugged his companion, an embrace that was gladly reciprocated. Another call of his name had Toshinori pulling away with a reluctant smile and they bid each other farewell.
With the other child now gone, Izuku began his journey in the way that was supposed to lead to his apartment. However, the closer he got to it, the more the feeling of wrongness grew until he finally reached his destination.
There, where the complex should be standing, was an empty field. Panic started creeping in just as he felt a tingling in the nape of his neck. He flinched at the sensation and fell to the ground with his eyes screwed shut.
The sensation was gone as soon as it arrived and he opened his eyes again only to find himself back in bed. He sat up with a gasp, almost falling over himself in his scramble to check the digital clock by his bed. According to the time, he'd only been asleep for a few minutes at most.
Then he froze as reality crashed over him.
Asleep? Then...it was all a dream.
Despair clawed at him and he emitted a strangled cry that soon became wails. Inko arrived moments later, frazzled and on high alert as she took in the scene. When nothing was readily apparent, she assumed that he had a nightmare and went to comfort him, murmuring sweet platitudes that he didn't even register.
Izuku merely clung to his mother as grief poured out of his tiny frame. His mother continued to rock him back and forth in her arms until sleep mercifully claimed him.
There were no more dreams that night.
The walk home had been filled with conversation. His guardian, Saori, had asked about Izuku, having noticed the two playing together. Excited chatter poured from him as he relayed all the things they did and everything he learned. Like what his favorite color was, his birthday, what he liked to eat and so much more. The two shared the occasional laugh until they finally reached their home.
Work opportunities sent his parents across the pond, so he didn't get to see them that often. Instead, he stayed in their old home with Saori, who was also a trusted family friend. They originally wanted to bring him with them, but after many heated conversations they decided it would be best for him to remain in a familiar setting instead of bouncing around different locations.
At first, little Toshinori had pleaded with them to go, but they eventually got him to understand. Now he was quite glad that they did, otherwise he may not have met his new friend. The boy was so funny and he stumbled over his words so often that he thought it was cute. He had said as much to the other boy only for Izuku to go red in the face.
The click of the front door opening pulled Toshinori from his thoughts and he slipped inside. His shoes were quickly removed but he kept them in hand as he bounded down the hall to his room before he could even hear the door close. A thought had occurred to him, one that made him consider his options.
I don't want him to get hurt just because he doesn't have shoes...
A backpack in the corner of the room caught his eye and he shuffled over to it. The contents were quickly removed and he placed the footwear at the bottom of the pack. Another idea came to mind and he gathered up toys and other activities before stuffing them in as well. Snacks was the last thing to enter his mind, so he exited the room and hoped that Saori wouldn't mind.
Noises in the kitchen let him know that she was prepping dinner so he went into the adjacent dining room and called out his request. "Saori-san, would it be okay if I brought some of my lunch snacks with me to the park?"
Saori hummed as she considered his request. Looking out into the other room, she noticed the pleading look as he gave her his infamous puppy eyes. Her eyes rolled as she chuckled. "Yes, but only the non-perishable ones in the pantry."
An exuberant whoop echoed around the small room and the boy was off, grabbing a reasonable amount of snacks for two. When he was done, he looked to his guardian and grinned when she nodded. Bare feet padded back out of the kitchen so that he could pack them away for later. Once everything was set, he went to wash up for dinner.
The weeks that followed seemed to drag on forever until he spotted familiar green curls again.
The next two weeks pass Izuku by in a blur. Sleep was hard to come by and held no dreams when it finally took him. Despondent, Izuku could do nothing more than continue on as if nothing had happened. His mother had hovered over him constantly for the first week since that night and it took repeated reassurances of his well being for things to return to normal.
Today he decided to visit the park, a place that he'd taken to avoiding. After that night, seeing the large, bland jungle gym instead of the cute, oceanic themed one had him running home and ducking into his room before his mother could see him cry. He was determined to not let it keep him down.
As he entered the park, movement nearby caught his attention and he spotted Katsuki playing with his usual group of friends. A smile formed as he picked up the pace and made his way over to them.
"Hi Kacchan! Can I play with you, too?" Emerald green eyes shined with hope as he looked at his short-tempered friend.
Katsuki scoffed, nose upturned. "Do whatever you want, Deku." An idea formed in his head and he put on a faux friendly grin. "Let's go play over there on the slides." A tiny hand gestured to the jungle gym.
Izuku nodded enthusiastically, a wide grin on his face at being included. "Okay!"
The other two boys gave Katsuki a strange look. Noticing this, the fiery blonde glared at them before smirking. A knowing look passed between the boys and they smirked as well. With a gesture, Katsuki beckoned his entourage fourth and the group of four ran over to the play area.
For a while, all was well. Izuku's laughter was carefree as he played tag with the other three. They were accepting him for once and he ate it up. Stopping by the stairs to catch his breath, he hunched forward and placed his hands on his knees, eyes closed. It was at this moment that Katsuki decided to make his move.
Without hesitating, he darted over and shoved the green haired youth down the stairs. "You're it, Deku!"
There was no time to register what was going on before Izuku landed at the bottom face down. Pain erupted at the points of impact, specifically on his left knee and palms. A whimper escaped his trembling lips as he turned over to look up at Katsuki. The other boy just looked at him with an expression akin to pride.
"W-why'd you do that, Kacchan?" He stood up on quivering legs, eyes misted over as he looked up at Katsuki.
"Oops, my hand must have slipped." The corners of his lips upturned, a smug grin with no remorse.
Izuku looked at him for a moment longer before casting his gaze downward. Nothing more was said, so he turned away and began the journey home.
Crimson eyes trailed after him, guilt starting to make its presence known. A gush of laughter and clapping from the other kids effectively pushed down the feeling and he went on to boast, not bothering to look back at Izuku.
It would be a long time before the two ever interacted again.
Later that night, Izuku struggled to fall asleep. His mother fretted over the wounds earlier, but he lied and told her that he tripped on the stairs. The scrapes were disinfected and he took a bath before she set him down to bandage them. Dull pain and the uncomfortable pulling of skin by the adhesive part kept him up.
A teddy bear sitting on his nightstand caught his attention and he reached out for it. Soft fabric brushed against his aching palm and he hissed. Ignoring the renewed pain, he grabbed the plush and pulled it to himself, careful not to knock anything over. Glossy brown eyes and a button nose greeted him and brought a smile to his face. Determined to sleep, he tucked the teddy under the blanket with him and held it close.
When his eyes opened again, he was in a familiar park. Shooting up, something fell into his lap. He looked down and realized it was his teddy. Picking it up, he clutched it to his chest as he looked around. Hope flickered to life within his heart when he spotted the painted sea creatures from the last dream.
Wide eyes darted to and fro, wanting to catch a glimpse of wavy blonde hair. There was no luck and he visibly deflated. With a sigh, he stood and made his way over to the play area. One hand clutched the plush while the other used the rail to guide his way up. Once at the top, he took a right towards one of the slides and sat down. He remained like that for quite some time, bare feet dangling down the slide but never going forward.
"You know, it's rude to block the slide, Midoriya-chan!"
The cheerful voice rang out behind him making him jump and turn his head fast enough to cause a twinge of pain in his neck. Not that it bothered him because there stood Toshinori, beaming down at him like a ray of sunshine. Just like that, feelings of dejection were blown away. Standing, he all but knocked him over with a hug, the forgotten bear tumbling down the slide.
"I thought that I wouldn't see you again!" The words tumbled out of his mouth, voice wavering with emotion.
Toshinori giggled, his arms coming up to close around his friend. "Hey, it was only a few weeks. I did start to worry, but I knew you'd be back." Emotions caused his voice to waver as well, but neither said anything about it.
The two parted and it was then that Izuku noticed the backpack tucked off to the side. Toshinori, upon noticing the object of his distraction, stepped over to pluck it off of the ground and began to dig through the contents. A pair of shoes were withdrawn and offered to the smaller boy.
"I noticed you didn't have any last time, so I brought a pair of mine. You can have them if you want." Izuku accepted the shoes with a cheerful "Thank you!" and put them. It was then that the older boy noticed the bandages adorning the palms and knee of Izuku. Frowning, he carefully grabbed one of the hands to examine it. "What happened?"
Izuku shuffled nervously from foot to foot, still hurt over Katsuki's actions. "Kacchan and I were playing and he pushed me down the stairs. I got scrapes and my mom had to bandage them up."
Toshinori glowered at the covered scrape as if doing so would punish the one who inflicted it. "Where is he? He shouldn't get away with this."
"Everything is okay now, Yagi-chan. I'll be better in no time, you'll see." Izuku beamed at him, the sight assuaging the anger he felt.
"Are you sure?" At Izuku's nod, Toshinori released the hand and bent down to withdraw a few more things from the pack. Each item was placed carefully on the wooden floor and the two sat down facing each other.
Spread before the children was an array of activities, from coloring books to Daruma Otoshi. Izuku buzzed with energy as he picked the first game at Toshinori's insistence. The two once again passed their time together playing games and enjoying the friendly company.
Empty wrappers, drained water bottles, and Izuku's teddy poked haphazardly out of the backpack while the boys were sprawled out side-by-side in the grass. It had been an eventful day and the two were tuckered out. They were currently pointing out shapes in the sky, their imaginations going wild.
"See there, that's a bunny!" Izuku's tiny finger pointed up at one of the many clouds above.
"Hm, yeah, I can see it. What about that one? Looks like a cat." He pointed to another one and received a positive response.
The game went on for a little while longer until they heard a woman calling out for Toshinori. "I guess it's time for me to go now. Will I see you again?" A hopeful glance was cast towards the smaller boy as they stood.
Izuku nodded in affirmation, making that beaming smile light up Toshinori's face. They hugged like the last time they parted ways before the blonde youth was off once more, leaving Izuku to his thoughts.
This time he decided to stay in the jungle gym to see what would happen. These were too real to be just a dream, right? At least he hoped so. He took the steps back up to the top and moved to lay down on his side, hidden away from prying eyes. Eventually the same sensation as before crept up his neck and his eyes closed on instinct.
They opened again to find him returned to his room. Taking deep breaths, Izuku tried to keep calm as he took in his surroundings. Everything was as it should be, but when he cast off his blanket, he noticed something that made his heart thud in his chest.
Oversized shoes were illuminated by the dim moonlight streaming into the room and the space beside him was empty, the teddy bear gone. A look at the sides and beneath his bed confirmed it. Pure joy filled his small frame at his realization.
It wasn't just a dream!