So, finally found out why I'm still sick (At least I hope they're right!) It would seem that I have an antibiotic-resistant sinus infection, because, why wouldn't my stupid body develop something like that? Lol
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A Day In Your Life
Chapter 9
Midoriya smacked his lips slightly as something delicious smelling roused him from his otherwise comfortable sleep, soon remembering just where he'd decided to crash the night prior. He hesitantly crept out of bed and headed to the door of Bakugo's room, peeking out to see if he could catch a glimpse of the apartment's owner; he wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Bakugo was pissed that he'd pretty well made himself at home without permission.
All he could see once his eyes found their target, however, was the young man's—rather his—back. Bakugo was supporting himself with a hand on the counter, stirring something on the stove almost ruefully.
"I know you're up, nerd… Your sleep-mumbling stopped a few minutes ago."
Midoriya felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment; he seriously hoped he hadn't said anything too cringe-worthy while he'd been out. "R-right…" he mumbled awkwardly, forcing his nerve-wobbly legs to move him forward. "How… er…how are you?"
"Fine."
Midoriya sighed and rubbed his arms, wishing he could take back his outburst. They'd made so much progress before being told about Todoroki and Kirishima's injuries… If he'd kept it together just once, maybe—
"I told you I'm fine, Deku." Bakugo reiterated more firmly, though there wasn't irritation in his somewhat tired voice. "You needed to say what you did and it was the truth; I had it coming."
The nervous Pro clapped his hands over his mouth and cursed his habit of talking without being aware, doing his best to calm his still unsettled heartbeat. Bakugo didn't turn around as he got himself back under control, giving him time to collect his thoughts before he drew closer.
"You… You didn't come back to the hospital, Kacchan…" Midoriya finally stated.
"Tsk, I was busy, Deku," Bakugo responded coldly despite how his eyes seemed to mist over as he spoke. "And you can be a good enough friend for both of us; I didn't need to be there."
Midoriya bit his lower lip and shook his head as he reached out to gently grasp one of his own scarred arms. He hesitated when Bakugo let his gaze flicker over to where they were almost touching but held firm in the end and tugged him away from the stove.
"I'm so sorry, Kacchan." He whispered once he had Bakugo firmly in his arms, holding him close. "I'm sorry Kirishima is so hurt and for what I said."
He expected his brash ex-friend to tolerate the embrace for a few seconds before growling and shoving him away, but nearly a minute passed where neither moved. It did end up being Bakugo who finally pulled away, but only so that he could simply switch their places.
Midoriya found himself encased in a warm hug, shocked by the feeling of tears dripping down the nape of his neck. "Stop fucking apologizing to me, Izuku. I know you think I'm just pitying you or some shit like that but I'm not. I'm the one that's sorry and I promise I'll be the hero you think I am from now on… I fucking swear it."
He felt tears of his own slip down his cheeks and curled into the embrace, partially wondering if he was still asleep and dreaming. To his displeasure and slight amusement, however, Bakugo stepped back and sniffed in roughly, wiping his eyes with disdain.
"Go sit down, Deku. I'm not burning my masterpiece for anyone, even you."
Midoriya felt a familiar thrum of affection beat in his chest as he watched Bakugo turn back to the stove and continue working on whatever it was they were going to be eating that morning. Even if it was partially hidden, he could see the start of peace ebbing into the blondes previously downtrodden expression. Maybe they would be okay…
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"Well if it isn't my little peach!" Mirio hummed happily as he spread his arms wide for Eri to rush into. The girl did just that, gracing her other 'big brother' with a heartfelt smile before moving onto the person standing beside him.
Tamaki shared a much more subdued, yet equally loving hug with her before heading back to the kitchen to finish the treats he'd been preparing for her arrival. He watched in contentment as his husband became animated, talking a mile a minute to Eri about whatever it was that had entered his forever fast-spinning mind.
It had been a long and difficult road since Lemillion had lost his permeation ability, but he was proud to say the love of his life was pushing forward as enthusiastically as always. He'd become a fine hero just like Nighteye had foretold despite his quirkless limitations and was revered for his determination and heroinism everywhere.
"Everything set for the next few days?" Aizawa questioned when he trailed into the kitchen.
Tamaki nodded and rubbed the back of his head, easily able to tell the Pro was just the slightest bit nervous about leaving the girl even after years of not having an incident with her rewind quirk. "It's just the weekend, Aizawa. Mirio and I will call if we need something just like always."
The elder nodded and let out a heavy breath. He and the rest of the UA staff had painstakingly worked with Eri to ensure if for whatever reason her power did activate, she'd know how to turn it off… but still, her quirk was dangerous.
"I'm not particularly worried about her accidentally setting it off…" he admitted, tilting his head to draw Tamaki farther away from the two in the living room. "Bakugo stopped by to see her at her school yesterday and wanted her to use her power on him; I don't think she heard the conversation, but she's been acting distant since then."
"Mirio said something about the situation Izuku and Bakugo are in…" Tamaki nodded. "I didn't think that even Bakugo would be that—"
"Exactly," Aizawa interrupted. "That's what I thought too, but he was intent on fixing Midoriya's prior injuries, not undoing the quirk they'd been hit with."
The elder Pro narrowed his eyes in suspicion when Tamaki seemed to bite his lip, realizing he probably knew more about the situation than he was letting on. "What do you know, Suneater?"
Tamaki flinched slightly when his hero name was used; clearly Aizawa believed that this situation was becoming more serious than just two concerned friends talking about their colleagues. "I don't know all the details," he stated in a hushed voice. "I just know that sometimes Shoto will call Mirio in the middle of the night—usually after a particularly rough day of Hero Work and he talks about Izuku, asking for advice."
"Advice?" Aizawa repeated. "Those two have been best friends since their first year at UA… What could he possibly need to know that he doesn't already?"
"You know how Mirio is," Tamaki sighed. "It takes a lot to dampen his spirits and even when it does happen, he bounces back quickly. On the rare occasions we team up with those two, Shoto always seems to hover around Izuku… watching him and giving encouragement no matter how well the incident is resolved."
"You think he's asking Mirio how to keep uplifting Midoriya?" Aizawa clarified, humming in thought when Tamaki nodded in agreement. "When they were still my students, I wasn't blind to the confidence issues Midoriya exhibited. Actually, I probably added fire to that flame my first time meeting him… But I thought he'd overcome his insecurities for the most part by the time he started Pro Hero work."
The younger pro thumbed the handle of the teapot he'd been tending to, remembering how long of a road it had been for him to even look at others without absolutely breaking down with shyness driven nerves.
"Izuku was never like me…" he stated sympathetically. "I got stuck in my own head like I'm sure he does, and I cracked under pressure, but when Mirio would look at me I knew I could do it… He told me I shined even more brightly than him, more brightly than the sun itself and that's how I chose my hero name. If it wasn't for Mirio, well…"
"Yet Midoriya has everyone rooting for him and he still can't see how much of a difference he makes."
"No," Tamaki disagreed. "I had that too; everyone at UA was supportive and so was Fatgum and the other people I worked with before my debut. I needed the person I envied and loved the most supporting me so that I could come out of my shell… I needed Mirio to acknowledge me and was given that love freely."
Realization seemed to smack Aizawa across the face, eyes widening before they returned to their usual droopiness. "Bakugo…" he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised with how intensely Midoriya chased after him."
"Izuku never talks much about it, at least not with me specifically, but it isn't hard to see that he's been in love with Bakugo for a long time. I know it's not healthy to put so much importance on having the support of one person, but I can understand that need despite its drawbacks." Tamaki explained, glancing over to where Eri had begun laughing unabashedly at one of his husband's likely terrible jokes. "But if what you're saying is true, it must mean that Bakugo has had a breakthrough of sorts."
"Yes, the young man I interacted with is certainly not the obnoxious teenager I mentored or even the same person he was just a month ago, but his behavior is concerning none the less. Something deeper is going on between them and my instincts tell me it centers around Midoriya specifically."
"I'm sorry I can't be more help, Aizawa." Tamaki apologized, wishing he knew some insight that would give them guidance. "I can talk to Mirio about it tonight after Eri goes to bed and I'll let you know if he has anything to add even though I don't think he does; Izuku is fairly guarded despite how open he seems and Shoto wouldn't truly break their trust for anything in the world."
The elder let out a frustrated breath through his nose. Todoroki would be the perfect person to coerce information out of but with how uncertain his prognosis was, it looked like they'd be on their own for the time being.
"Alright, Eri, I'm going to head out and you," he called, locking his gaze on Mirio right after, "behave yourself. You may not be a student anymore but if I have to sit through another lecture from Recovery Girl because Eri gets another cavity from all the candy apples you feed her, I'll make you run laps in front of the entire UA campus."
Mirio sweatdropped and grinned sheepishly, Eri giving the same expression beside him. He fought the urge to look past Aizawa to Tamaki, knowing he'd pestered his gentle husband all week until he'd convinced him to get all the ingredients for the sugary treat. "N-nope!" he squeaked "No candy apples here, right Eri?"
The girl giggled at his obvious lie, making Aizawa sag and rub the bridge of his nose. The eldest Pro let it slide, however, and gave his adopted daughter a hug before leaving, grumbling despite how secretly happy he was that Eri had such adoring people surrounding her.
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Mirio helped Tamaki pick up the pillow fort they'd made earlier in the evening, gazing at the dismantled structure with a twinge of sadness. His look didn't go unnoticed by his husband, the man brushing a few strands of his dark hair back as he quirked an eyebrow questioningly.
"Oh, it's nothing…" Mirio chuckled. He reached out and pulled his lover into his arms, staring down at him affectionately. "It's just… Can you believe Eri is already thirteen! In no time she's going to go off to high school and then she's going to get interested in boys and be too cool to play castle with us anymore and—"
Mirio's animated voice was cut off abruptly by a frightened shriek, both men quickly untangling from their embrace and rushing to Eri's door to see what was wrong. They found their goddaughter curled into a little ball with her hands covering her face, shaking terribly.
"Another nightmare; I'll go make some cocoa," Tamaki stated, turning back. From the time she'd been saved Eri had trouble sleeping, her psyche struggling to make sense of her deplorable treatment despite counseling.
Mirio nodded and gave a short knock at the open door. "You alright, little peach?"
Eri peeked up at her big brother with watery eyes and sniffled, holding out her arms for the hug she knew he was itching to smother her with. "I saw it again," she murmured into his shoulder, "I saw you lose your quirk because of me…"
"Sweetheart, please don't ever think you're even a teensy bit responsible for anything that Chisaki did. You are not at all to blame, remember? We're all just stupid glad that you're here with us now and safe!"
"But you were protecting me from the bullet!" Eri cried, turning her saddened gaze up to Mirio. "Don't you wish you hadn't lost your power? Don't you want it back?"
The blonde sighed as he sat before her on the bed and held her small hands in his own. "Of course I'd like to have my ability returned, but don't you remember what I said back then? I'm still Lemillion! And even if I had to do that fight over again—even if I had to do it 'a Lemillion times', I'd give up my quirk every single one of them. Being your hero meant more to me than any superpower ever could and it still does, little peach."
Eri knew that Mirio was being genuine; he truly meant every kind word he said and that made it seem so much worse for him to have had his quirk destroyed. She couldn't help but wonder why it was always good people that were hurt… people like Mirio and Izuku.
"Dad thought I couldn't hear what he and Mr. Kacchan were talking about yesterday, but I did…." She mumbled, pulling her hands from Mirio's so that she could look at them sadly. "He wanted me to fix big brother Izuku's injuries."
Eri touched her horn next, noting that it was still quite small despite how her body had healed after years of therapy and constant pampering from just about everyone. "You both fought so hard for me—were willing to die to be my hero and I want to do something for you now… I want to be a hero to the two of you, too!"
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Ya'll seriously XD I reread through my works periodically just to make sure my plot bunnies don't accidentally fall down some dark hole that ends up causing the story to make no sense and I just can't help but think... What the hell is wrong with me? XD Why do I do these things to my boys'?
Also, if you do ever notice a plot hole, inconsistency, grammar, or spelling error, please let me know! Honestly, when I'm reading my own stories I have to wait literal months before I forget the way I intended it to go enough for me to not just glaze over obvious mistakes!
P.P.S. Check out some of my other stories if you're interested! This story probably has another 1-3 chapters at most, but, I certainly have more!