(A/N: A sudden announcement that I just realized. We're, um, we're actually very close to the end of this part of the series. As in the chapter after this one is the last until I leave an author's note announcing part 4. Surprising, I know. I honestly didn't realize it myself until I was looking through the next chapter for the tumblr blurb. So, uh, yeah. Part 3 is almost wrapped up!)

...

Heterochromatic eyes stared at the now closed door having tracked Mei with a hard look after she had kissed Izuku. The sudden flare of red-hot emotions surprised Shouto and it took everything in him to keep his Quirk in check. He had never felt like that towards Mei before or anyone else Izuku interacted with, but after he was kidnapped, things had changed for Shouto.

Izuku had always felt warm to him. From physical touches when they held hands or cuddled, but Shouto had realized that Izuku made him feel warm besides in a temperature sense. It wasn't only a sense of warmth on the surface because he also felt it inside as well. Sometimes in his gut where the fluttering feeling came from or on his cheeks when they threatened to darken in a blush. Perks of his Quirk allowed him to keep that reaction in check, but now he felt that same warmth in his heart.

Shouto had come to realize that he has never had a real home. Certainly not his father's house that had just been a den of obsession and trauma. Home was a place to feel safe. To come back from a long day and live happily. To be surrounded by love and kindness. To not have to live in fear and just exist in peace. While no particular place had ever felt like home to him, Shouto felt he found that same sense in Izuku. That his warm friend was his home. Only for that home to be taken from him right before his eyes.

When that portal had disappeared, he had felt frozen as if his right side had activated on its own. Shouto had felt he couldn't even breath as his new reason for living was gone. Life had seemed so pointless before he had met Izuku. That he only existed to take life day by day simply completing each task as they came. Wake up, eat, go to school, train, and then sleep. The same routine over and over.

But Izuku changed all that. Starting from when he had first approached Shouto during their combat training at the start of the semester. Openly voicing his concerns for a stranger and trusting him with his Quirk status just to make a point. Even offering to help him continue using just his ice that led to when they first held hands.

The first time Shouto had felt his warmth.

When that was taken from him, he didn't know what to do. His mother advised him to see his classmates in the hospital as that was something he could do. Check on them and see if they needed any service he could provide. Which turned out to be good advice because he had run into Kirishima and subsequently listened in on Aizawa talking to Momo. Leading to a plan to rescue those that had been kidnapped.

It had given him hope that he would get his Izuku back.

But that hope had seemed to disappear as the group of teens flew away from the fight with Bakugou in tow and not Izuku. For some reason he hadn't been able to leave. Momo and Mei had to hold him back from running out there to get him. The Support student easily kept him still with her surprising strength while Momo used her Quirk to quickly make Izuku's Support items that Mei had schematics on. Must be from when she helped him remake his gear after the Sports Festival.

Once the bag had been launched into the air, the girls forced him to leave and let the Heroes take over. There was nothing more they could do without fighting their way to Izuku. Something Shouto was willing to do but Momo was against it and refused to let him keeping her promise as class rep and preventing him from being reckless. Mei assured him that now that Izuku had his babies, he would be much better protected and he would be alright. Despite that, it was still extremely hard to leave Izuku behind.

Watching the fight on the giant screen had almost broken his heart. Out there hidden was his Izuku having to deal with the impressive blows the Hero and Villain traded close by. Each attack could have resulted in his friend being put in more danger but by the end of the battle, it seemed he had come out unscathed. Well, not entirely.

Shouto currently held Izuku's hand in his wanting to feel that warmth again. He felt it more on his right side since his ice power kept him cooler than his left. Izuku's left hand was just as strong and warm with some roughness from working with them a lot, but the same could not be said for his other hand. There were more scars than before. There were the zigzags from being electrocuted that were now joined with more mangled flesh. Someone had hurt his Izuku.

Gently and without letting go of his friend, Shouto carefully reached out his other arm and took hold of the injured hand. Izuku flinched but didn't pull back. He knew the other boy wouldn't hurt him and the higher temperature of his skin felt nice. Green eyes watched as warm fingers traced over his new scars that were in the shape of Shigaraki's hand and would be a constant reminder of his kidnapper. The one apparently obsessed with him to the point of keeping hold of a picture of him on his person.

Again, creepy as hell.

Because of his injury, Izuku couldn't exactly feel his friend's fingers on his skin, but he could track the trail of warmth left in their wake. Shouto was oh so gentle with his hand noting the lack of range of motion. It made him sad for his friend who had been through so much and now had to deal with this. If there was anything he could do for him like take notes or whatever, Shouto would willingly help Izuku with anything.

"You're hurt," Shouto said simply as he held his friend's precious hands in his.

Izuku nodded sadly as he said, "It was an accident. Shigaraki was picking a fight with Katsuki and I got in the way. He used Decay on me."

Shouto had to take a deep breath to calm himself. How dare that Villain hurt his Izuku like that. He was so mad that he didn't even take note of the use of Katsuki's name. Izuku saw that he was upset and felt bad for making him feel that way. Not that it was his fault or anything but still.

"C-can I hug you?" Izuku asked hesitantly.

Grey and blue eyes blinked a few times before meeting concerned green.

"Of course," he answered easily. "Anything for you."

He let go of his friend's hands and waited as Izuku shifted to make more room on the bed. Once he was situated lying next to Izuku, he held his arms open in invitation. Izuku stared at him, tears in his eyes, before rushing forward and hugging his crush. Shouto ran a hand through his green hair while the other hand rubbed soothing circles on his back. Together, they shifted slightly to get more comfortable on the bed as their hug turned into cuddles.

"Thank you," Izuku said, nuzzling into Shouto's shoulder.

"You're welcome," Shouto said, carding his fingers through green locks. "Do you feel any better?"

"Yeah, I actually do," Izuku replied, smiling at the other. "Thanks, Shouto. You helped me a lot."

"Anything for you," he said, repeating what he said earlier.

Shouto gave him a small smile as he tucked a green curl behind his friend's ear. He was so happy to have Izuku in his arms again. The greenet smiled back and settled back down into the crook of his neck. They laid like that for a while simply enjoying the other's company. Izuku snoozed as he felt Shouto absentmindedly rubbed circles on his back. It was as he was almost falling asleep when he felt it.

A pair of soft lips placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Green eyes shot open and Izuku quickly lifted his head so he could see Shouto properly. Did he just kiss him?! Where did that come from? They had never done that before. Was it because of Mei from earlier? But then again, they had almost kissed on I-Island. What was he supposed to do?

"Shouto?" Izuku breathed out in question but didn't know what else to say.

Grey and blue eyes stared back at him and blinked before Shouto asked, "Was that not okay?"

"No, I mean, it's fine," Izuku sputtered, blushing fiercely. "But it was kind of out of the blue and I mean I liked it but it was really unexpected and I just…"

"Izuku, breath," his friend cut in.

The greenet sucked in a breath as Shouto stared up at him. He laid there with his red and white hair fanned out on the pillow. His heterochromatic eyes watched him and a warm hand reached up to tuck a green curl behind his ear. That same hand then gently cupped his cheek and a warm thumb ran smoothly across his freckled cheek.

"Why?" Izuku asked, honestly relishing the moment but still very much confused.

"Because I wanted to," Shouto answered simply. "I wanted to kiss you, Izuku."

Green eyes watched as his friend looked up at him to then glance further down his face and back up. Was…was Shouto looking at his lips? Izuku instinctively licked his lips and once again Shouto's eyes flicked down to track the movement thoroughly entranced. So, he did look at his lips and just kept staring at them now.

"Can I?" Shouto asked, his eyes not looking away.

"Can you what?" Izuku replied, finding himself also glancing down his friend's lips.

Grey and blue stared a moment longer, blinked, and then slowly opened to look his warm friend in the eye.

"Can I kiss you, Izuku?"

Izuku's mind seemed to glitch out for a moment. Shouto…was asking to kiss him? It wasn't the first time and he hadn't asked again since I-Island so Izuku thought it had been a passing moment. That is until now.

Thinking that it was the same as last time, Izuku said, "Shouto, you don't have to…"

"But I want to," his friend interjected, once again deliberately glancing down at his mouth and back again.

Again, Izuku's mind seemed frozen and it took him a moment to mutter out, "...you...want to?"

"Yes," Shouto all but crooned, "I want to kiss you, Izuku."

Error code. The program you are trying to run is not working. Processing.

Izuku didn't know what to do. A huge part of him very much wanted to as well. To kiss and hug and be close to Shouto as much as possible, but another small part of him still doubted. Still wondered why the perfect and wonderful Shouto would want plain old him. Just…

"...why?"

"Because..."

The element wielder again ran his thumb over his freckled skin and kept going until it brushed across his lips. A small gasp escaped Izuku's mouth as he did this and Shouto's warm hand shifted smoothly from his cheek to his chin. Izuku felt spellbound staring down at him able to see the want and desire in his friend's eyes. They drew him in and he subconsciously leaned in closer until they were a hair width apart.

"...I like you, Izuku."

Or was it love? Shouto wasn't sure but he at the very least came to terms he liked Izuku more than a friend. He wanted to be with him, close to him, and share his all with him. Shouto wanted to be Izuku's and hoped Izuku wanted to be his. His warm but stunned friend's breath hitched at the stressed word. A word he shared with Shouto though it had now transitioned to love.

"I want to be as close to you as possible," Shouto went on, loving that they were so close but waited for Izuku's permission before making a move. "I almost lost you and I can't lose you. I need you. I want you in my life. Please stay with me, Izuku. Always."

Green eyes searched his own seeing his sincerity. Izuku never believed that this would happen between them. He had hopes and daydreams but never imagined that his crush would like him back. And yet, here they were. Izuku simply nodded before he closed the gap.

Shouto's lips were soft. As he thought, there was a slight difference of temperature between the different sides of his mouth but more towards the corners while the middle was pleasantly warm. That same warmth that Izuku possessed was also present on his mouth. Shouto closed his eyes enjoying the sensation before they pulled away.

"Was that okay?" Shouto asked, smiling up at his friend.

"Yeah," Izuku replied, his voice a bit breathy. "Can we do it again?"

Shouto just let out a pleased hum in response as he brought Izuku back down to him. He couldn't help smiling into the kiss as he finally felt that he was home. The kiss was still chaste but lasted longer than the first before they parted again.

"I like you too, Shouto," Izuku spoke up, keeping the word love to himself thinking it was too soon.

The warm serene smile he received from his confession was the most beautiful thing Izuku had ever seen. Shouto was angelic in that moment scar and all.

"I'm glad," the element wielder said as he gently caressed his friend's freckled skin. "Can I?"

Izuku didn't even bother a response before dipping down to kiss him again. Shouto's hand moved to his hair and tilted his head for a better angle. The greenet gasped at the new angle and pressed closer to his…friend? More than friend? Izuku found himself not caring as he leaned into this new and amazing sensation.

"Ahem."

The sudden clearing of a throat paused them in their tracks. The two teens parted slightly and turned slowly to see their teacher had entered the room. Shouto stared at him flatly annoyed at being interrupted while Izuku's eyes were wide open until he squeaked and hid in the other's shoulder in embarrassment. Aizawa had not expected to walk into a make out session but honestly this was long overdue. He wondered who won the not-so-secret bet.

"Visiting hours are over," the tired man said. "Time for you to get back to the dorms, Todoroki."

Said student glared at him but gave a relenting sigh. Oh, to be young. But then this sudden reminder of teenage hormones made him worry about Hitoshi. He'll have to warn his son to stay away from loud blondes. One of Hizashi was enough so there was no need to make life more complicated with two.

"Can we have a minute?" Shouto asked, wanting to get at least one more kiss.

"No," Aizawa replied firmly as he crossed his arms. "Go home. Now."

Again, Shouto wanted to protest because he already was home in Izuku's arms. His warm friend was trembling slightly so he held him close and placed a kiss on his head before letting go. The greenet understood and slowly sat up followed by the other boy. Izuku looked over at Shouto sadly not wanting him to go but knew that he had to.

"Don't worry, Izuku," Shouto said, connecting their hands for a moment. "We'll see each other soon."

This helped perk Izuku up who glanced at their teacher who nodded in confirmation. So, his time in the hospital would end soon. They would have to keep watch of One For All but he was sure Aizawa was already working on plans to deal with this new Quirk. Izuku gave an accepting nod with a sad but understanding smile. Shouto did the same and held his friend's hands a moment longer before letting go. He stood up from the bed and headed to the door giving one last look at Izuku before leaving.

Izuku let out a sigh as he moved back to laying down on the bed while Aizawa closed the door. Another day, another night in the hospital. A nurse came in to check on them at some point and brought them dinner. Once they ate and cleaned up, it was time for bed. Not that Izuku felt like he could sleep though he laid down anyway. He stared up at the ceiling as Aizawa feigned sleep while watching him.

Eventually sleep did take him though and for once since this all began, Izuku actually had a pleasant dream. Of soft lips and gentle touches from his crush who finally returned his feelings. The Hero took note of the smile on the sleeping teen's face and figured he too could try for a good night's sleep. In seconds, Aizawa too was out like a light.

The next morning Izuku woke up to see Aizawa talking quietly with a visiting nurse. They were looking at a chart by the door as the pale morning light came through the windows. He couldn't hear what they were saying but at some point Aizawa looked over at him and saw that he was awake.

"Good morning, Izuku," the tired man said as he approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"

The nurse followed and quietly checked his vitals as they talked.

"I'm fine," Izuku replied, assessing his own body. "I don't feel any pain."

The Hero nodded then asked, "Any sign of the Quirk?"

"No," the teen answered, shaking his head. "No weird dreams either."

Aizawa hummed as he turned to the nurse and asked, "Is there anything else that needs to be done here or are we free to go?"

"We'll have the doctor come in for one final check and then you can go," the nurse said, taking a few notes on their chart before leaving.

Shortly after a doctor came in to check on his hand. There wasn't much they could do other than physical therapy at this point. They also still weren't sure if Recovery Girl could do anything else with her Quirk but they had been waiting for him to be cleared from the hospital to even attempt. Either way, Izuku had a long road to recovery at this point.

The doctor gave their approval of discharge and the nurse came back to help them with paperwork and close out procedures. They left as Aizawa and Izuku packed up their things before exiting the room. It was as they were walking when his teacher stopped him with a question.

"Izuku, before we go, would you like to visit your mother?" Aizawa asked out of the blue.

The teen paused and snapped up to look at the man. See his mom? For real?

"Can we?" Izuku asked, eyes full of hope.

"We can if you would like," Aizawa replied with a nod. "Though I will warn you she's still unconscious, but she has been stabilized."

That put a dampener on the prospect of seeing his mom, but it did nothing to deter a new determination to go anyway. Izuku had wanted to ever since he had heard what happened. To see with his own eyes that his mom was still with them. Alive and relatively well.

"Yes, please," Izuku pleaded, a few tears budding in his eyes.

The tired man nodded and led the kid out of the room. He had checked with the staff beforehand if they could do this. Might as well try since they were in the same hospital. After initial treatment, she had been transferred here because they had the best practice dealing with cases like hers. Though now that she was stabilized, they could see into moving her closer to UA. Aizawa was sure the kid would appreciate that.

They took the elevator up to the third floor and then quietly walked through the halls with Izuku glancing from room to room not knowing which one his mother was in. Aizawa watched him from the corner of his eye seeing the anxious energy but let the kid be. He figured it was best to leave him alone and not push him. If anything, the teacher hoped being able to see his mother would be a silver lining to all this crap he's been through recently.

"In here," Aizawa said as he stopped by the room 316. "Still want to do this?"

He didn't know how the boy would react to seeing his mother like this, but he would understand if the kid wanted to still try. Izuku stared at the door nervously for a moment before taking a deep breath. Then his expression transformed into what has become his signature look of determination. One of resolve that meant no matter what he wanted to see this through.

"Yes, sensei," Izuku said with a nod.

Aizawa gave one of his own as he reached out and pulled the door open. Izuku stepped forward into the room and looked around. The lighting wasn't too bright or too dark. There was a window with shades protecting them from the bright sun outside. There was a cabinet and a couple of chairs for visitors. The beeping of a heart monitor then drew Izuku's attention to the figure that laid prone on the hospital bed.

Mom.

It was a little hard to tell with all the bandages wrapped around her but strands of her green hair laid out on the pillow. Izuku carefully stepped forward with bated breath feeling uneasy about seeing her like this now that he was actually here. Scared to see her so hurt knowing it was because Shigaraki had sent Muscular looking for himself.

Standing next to her, he let out a sigh now able to see her face. She had some patches there too but it was definitely her. Mom. There was no sight of blood thankfully as she laid there unconscious with an IV stuck in her arm. The beeping of the heart monitor allowed him to hear the steady beating of her heart. All signs showing that she had been hurt but she was very much alive.

There was some slight scraping behind him and Izuku turned to see that Aizawa had brought over the chairs for them. His teacher gestured for him to sit as the tired man took one for himself. The teen offered a quiet 'thank you' before sitting down himself. He scooted closer to the bed and gently took his mother's hand in his. It too was bandaged but it was still very much her.

"Hey, mom, 'Hisash-'" Izuku started only to cut off the familiar but now tainted family pun. He grimaced before pressing on. "I miss you."

Fresh tears already were budding in his eyes as those words could not even begin to describe how much he missed his mother. But there was no response from her as she continued to lay there quietly. Not that he expected one and was just happy she was alive. Still, it had been far too long since he had seen or talked to her and would take advantage of this opportunity.

Izuku started to tell her everything that had happened to him since he had left for I-Island. It was just him and Aizawa in her room so he could speak more freely. Still careful with his words though in case anyone came to check on her. For a while, the room was filled with Izuku quietly speaking to his mother while his teacher sat silently watching over them.

He didn't tell her everything. If anything, this acted more for him to help process all of the things that had happened to him which honestly was a lot. All the times he had spent with his friends between numerous Villain attacks. Various bonding moments spread throughout with Hero and Villain alike. Meeting new people like Hawks or reuniting with Chizome. A tale filled with both good and bad parts making the story of his life. It wasn't the best of pictures.

Aizawa of course knew Izuku was holding certain things back though he didn't blame the kid. His strange connection with Stain was one thing, but the rest? The Villain attacks on the island, training camp, and in Kamino. The kidnapping and learning of his parentage. Other than them being part of a continuing investigation, let's just say it might be a good thing the kid's mother was unconscious. Not awake to ask probing question and get faint inducing answers.

It was as he was talking about his friends that it happened. The slow steady beeping of the heart monitor increased as Inko started to stir. They both stared at her in shock before they scrambled into action. Izuku shot up and hovered over his mom still holding her hand as Aizawa reached for the call button. They watched as she slowly blinked her eyes open.

Inko looked around blurrily until she found her son. Green connected with green and Izuku gasped after finally able to see her eyes again. They looked up at him with fondness and relief that he shared back as she held his hand back in a firmer grip.

"Izu-ku," she said shakily, her voice sounding rough and dry. "I…"

But she cut herself off having a hard time talking.

"I'm here, mom," Izuku assured her, continuing to hold her hand.

Inko tried to speak again but scrunched her face in frustration. Instead, with her other hand, she shakily held it up with her thumb, index finger, and her pinkie up and motioned towards Izuku.

-I love you,- she had signed.

The gesture instantly made him cry as he said, "I love you too, mom."

She smiled weakly before her eyes fluttered shut and was once again unconscious.

"Mom? Mom!" Izuku cried out in fear.

At that point nurses and doctors arrived taking over. Izuku was reluctant to leave her side, but was coaxed away by his teacher to let them do their work. Aizawa relayed what had happened before they left the room. His student was a crying mess making him wonder if that had been a good idea after all. Then again, maybe it was even though the kid was emotionally hurting now. This was the first response they had gotten from her since her submission to the hospital.

They stayed outside of the room to wait for news. Finally, a doctor came out saying she was unconscious again but it seemed it was from exhaustion more than anything else. It would take time for her to recover but this was a good sign of progress. Izuku let out a sigh of relief though he was still scared for him mother. He hoped the next time he would see her was soon so he could keep track of her healing progress.

As the doctor walked away, the boy turned to his teacher and asked, "Can I visit her again? Not right now, but can I?"

Aizawa looked into pleading green eyes already knowing he wouldn't say no to such a request. He knew Izuku would need this in order to heal and it seemed that his voice helped Inko in return. It would have to be under escort of a Hero but they could definitely figure something out.

"Sure, kid," he replied, giving a comforting pat to his head. "We'll sort out the arrangements with Nezu later."

The teen smiled in thanks though it was still a bit tearful. Par for the course with him. Aizawa ruffled the kid's hair before letting go and leading them out of the hospital. Yamada was waiting for them with a car outside. They had arranged for Izuku's belongings to be brought down so they were already stowed in the car. Aizawa opened the back and let the teen in first before getting in himself.

"Hey, little listener," Yamada greeted from the driver's seat. "You ready to get going?"

Izuku simply nodded in reply before looking out the window. In the rear-view mirror, he and Aizawa traded a series of looks holding a silent conversation. His husband was worried and of course he was too. But the tired man assured the other that for the most part, things were alright.

...

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