A/N: I'm hoping, in order to just write anything, to do a few different one shots like this one. Something simple that'll flesh out the world one small piece at a time.
I hope you all enjoy these!
Izuku had been sitting there for at least an hour staring at the instant ramen before him. He had gone through the process of heating water, pouring it in, waiting the three minutes it took to cook, and even pulled the lid off and grabbed a few noodles with his chopsticks. But he couldn't eat it. He knew he needed to, but nothing seemed worse in that moment than eating.
It was going to be a long day.
With a sigh, Izuku stood and tossed the ramen. By that time it was cold and just too soggy to even enjoy, and it likely wouldn't be good by the time he could bring himself to eat again.
His arms felt heavy as he moved about the apartment. While he didn't think he'd get much done at home, he hoped that taking a walk to the market would clear his head before he went out that night.
He grabbed his keys, put on a mask, and walked out into the hot summer sun.
Izuku was grateful for the ball cap he had found one day. It kept the sun off his face and out of his eyes, and today it was needed. He didn't go out much during the day anymore, so the harsh sunlight hurt more than it once did.
He still wished he had sunglasses, though. The paper-thin white bandages he had wrapped all the way up his arms reflected the light back, making it difficult to watch where he was going.
Squinting his eyes and dragging the cap further over his face, Izuku slowly made his way down the street. A few people were out, but since it was a weekday, the street was relatively empty. Without as much noise to focus on, his mind wandered more than he would have liked.
The flash of the bandages in his vision had him thinking of his soulmates. It had been months since he last felt the tell-tale tingle of writing on his skin. Normally, this didn't bother him. If they had followed the dreams he had read once upon a time, they'd be great heroes by now. They probably had more efficient ways of communicating, ones that didn't give way to letting others know what they were to each other.
Today, though, Izuku felt lonely. Lonelier than he has in a very long time.
Izuku didn't have anyone anymore. His family wasn't anything to write home about. The friends he had would have long moved on since he disappeared. Since he left his father's place, he hadn't seen the rest of his kind for a bit either, though he knew that someone was watching.
The dinging of the railroad gates dropping had Izuku stopping to wait for the train to pass. The red and white of the bars had him remembering again.
One of his soulmates, when they were all kids still, had written almost exclusively in red. Izuku can remember the thin scrawl of a red pen trailing on the inside of his arm, surrounded by the multicolor scrawls from the other two.
The dinging faded from his mind, a train whistle sounding distantly. He focused on the red of the gates and flashing lights when, just as the train zoomed by, he was harshly dragged back.
"You need to be careful there, kiddo."
Izuku, promptly brought out from whatever daze he had been in, slowly turned his head to follow the arm up to its owner. He made eye contact with none other than Gang Orca. The man had been retired for a while now, and wasn't even usually around this area. It surprised Izuku to see him here, walking in plainclothes.
Izuku could see the worry in the man's face, but only nodded and turned back towards the tracks, watching as the train continued by.
"Hey." Izuku turned to look toward Gang Orca once more. "I've got a couple coupons for free cakes at the patisserie just up ahead. You want them?" The retired hero had pulled out a couple slips of paper, holding them out for Izuku to take.
Izuku wanted to say no, that he didn't have anyone to share with. He wasn't even sure he could stomach it, though the longer he thought the more a slice of cake did sound good. He needed to eat anyway, right?
With a nod and a muttered "Thank you," Izuku took the coupons from the man. The train was past the crossing now and everyone was moving along.
With a clap on his back, Gang Orca left him with a "Enjoy, son." With a smile and a wave, the man disappeared into the city beyond the rails.
Izuku made his way to the pastry shop, feeling a little lighter than before. He rarely spends the money on sweets like this, and he doesn't really remember the last time he even had cake, so he was maybe even a little excited for the opportunity.
The door chimed as he entered the shop, alerting the cashier to his presence. She smiled and paused what she was doing.
"Hello! You can order with me whenever you're ready!" The woman went back to wiping the counter while still looking attentive. Izuku took the moment to look at the different cakes he could choose from.
I don't know what I would even like...
Izuku looked through the display cases, looking at the various chocolate, vanilla, and white cakes. When he saw the spice cake, though, he paused.
Red eyes. Blonde hair. Dreams of being heroes, together. Birthday parties-
It hit Izuku, suddenly, what day it was. He hadn't celebrated since before he got his quirk, so he hadn't really thought about it. For the first time in years, he would have cake again for his birthday.
It was also the first time in years that, on this particular day, he hadn't felt one thing from his soulmates.
No wonder he was feeling so lonely today.
Deciding on the spice cake, he slid his way back to the register, sliding one of the two coupons onto the counter. The woman took it, looking at the details of the offer.
"I'm sorry, sir, but this is-" she had started to say, but when she finally looked up at Izuku, she stopped. She just had a sad look on her face as Izuku looked up confusedly.
Shaking her head, she continued, "Nevermind, everything's fine. What kind of cake would you like?" She smiled, though it wasn't as bright just a moment ago. Izuku had a slice of the spice cake wrapped to go and left.
He made it home with little memory of the trip back. Setting the cake on the low coffee table, Izuku looked for the untitled notebook he stowed away, the last time he took it out being nearly a month ago. He grabbed the tape and pen that was with it, pulled out the other coupon, and got to work.
Carefully, Izuku opened a new page in the notebook. He carefully taped in the coupon, making sure it would not be ripped or creased when the notebook was used. He wrote down Gang Orca's name, then drew a quick sketch of the man from earlier in the day. Beneath, he wrote.
15th July. Met Gang Orca for the first time today. He pulled me from being too close to the train. He gave me coupons, one of which is above, for free cakes. He didn't know, of course, but it was nice. Almost like someone got me a cake for my birthday.
He closed the notebook and put everything back in the drawer. He grabbed a fork and sat on the floor to eat the cake. It wasn't until he finally pulled the mask off to eat that he realized he had been crying the whole time.
Izuku quietly continued to sob as he ate the cake.
It was delicious.