The bedroom around him was nearly pitch black, and the only way Izuku could see the bed he was on from the walls around him was because his eyes had adjusted.

He sat against the headboard with his knees curled to his chest, staring straight ahead, listening to the silence ringing in his ears. Every once in a while, he thought he could hear a slight hint of the quiet voices on the other end of the apartment.

He took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, closing his eyes. Sleep had been a lost cause after he'd come back to his room. He'd crawled back into bed, but the war between the empty void in his chest and the storm of thoughts in his mind kept his eyes wide open.

I chose to join Dad.

I chose to leave him.

He buried his face in his hands. He just didn't understand. Why would Dad...? Why would Tenko...?

Just... why? Why was this happening to him?

Why would they leave him?

Deku.

His whole body tensed at the sound of the familiar, mocking voice in his mind.

Useless. Quirkless.

The last word seemed spat, and he could practically hear the smirk. He covered his ears.

Come on, why else would they leave?

Before he could hear anymore, he was pulled out of it by the sound of other voices. They were muffled and quiet and just outside his door. His head snapped up, only to see light coming in from the crack underneath.

Panic filled his chest. They didn't know he was awake, they couldn't know he was awake.

So he did the first thing he thought of, and lay down flat on his pillow, pulled his blankets up over him and closed his eyes, making an effort to relax all his muscles, including his face.

A moment later he heard the handle turn and the room filled with light behind his eyelids. He willed himself not to react to the near silent footsteps and the door quietly closing back.

Over the next five to ten minutes or so—he really couldn't tell—he did his best to keep his breathing even and his body relaxed as he listened to movement around the room and in and out of the closet. Occasionally he'd hear a grunt or a mutter, or the clacking of hangers and brush of fabric.

Eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to trust the darkness of the room, opening his eyes. He couldn't see much, but he did see a figure walk out of the closet, holding something, and then crouch over a something else on the ground. Tenko, as he'd been assuming.

From this angle, he couldn't see what Tenko was doing on the ground. He considered his options for a moment, then figured people usually shifted in their sleep all the time. So just as Tenko was standing up and walking back across the room, Izuku rolled and shifted just enough to see.

As soon as he did, Tenko froze at the end and looked towards the bed, and in response, Izuku froze too. Then he remembered to force himself to relax.

For a second, Tenko stayed still, but eventually he let himself relax as well with a sigh and went back to what he was doing, making even further effort to be quiet.

Now Izuku could see what it was on the ground that Tenko had been bent over, and when he did he couldn't help the small breath of air he sucked in.

It was a suitcase, already mostly packed with clothes and a couple items from around the room, including what looked like some books and maybe a picture frame.

Izuku's heart plummeted and a wave of nausea washed over him as Tenko came back and put something else he couldn't make out in the suitcase. He really was leaving.

He spent the rest of the time staring at the ground, refusing to look at Tenko and trying to blink back the incoming tears. He couldn't cry now, he was supposed to be asleep.

Finally, Tenko stood up, and took one last look around the room. His eyes lingered on something in the closet that Izuku couldn't see. He stepped in, dug around on a shelf and grabbed something, then put it in the suitcase before zipping it up.

Then he stood back up and turned to Izuku's bed, and Izuku instinctively closed his eyes. It was another few second before footsteps walked over.

Tenko's must've crouched down in front of Izuku, because he could hear breathing in front of him. Izuku just had to really hope Tenko couldn't hear his heart pounding as loudly as he could.

Tenko hesitated for a long moment before he let out a breath through his nose and whispered quietly. "I'm so sorry, Izuku."

Izuku stopped breathing for a second.

"I know you might never forgive me for this," he continued a bit shakily, "after I leave, and mom tells you why, and I maybe never come back-" he cut off with a crack, and it occurred to Izuku that maybe he was trying not to cry too.

He took another deep breath. "I probably need to hurry. But I just- I hope one day you'll understand, Izuku." He paused.

"I don't want to leave you, I really don't. But I can't leave dad alone. I have to help him, I owe him that much, at least."

He fell into silence again, but Izuku could tell he didn't move. Izuku could barely move either, even if he wanted to.

Finally, with a sigh, Tenko seemed to climb to his feet. His voice sounded watery. "I just really hope you'll forgive me someday." Izuku felt a hand ruffle his curls just slightly, and heard a sniff.

Then the footsteps receded, but he still didn't open his eyes. He heard a grunt over by the suitcase and then some shuffling toward the door before it opened.

He thought he felt Tenko's eyes on him again, lingering by the door.

"I love you," he heard quietly.

Then the click of the door shutting echoed off the walls, and Izuku finally opened his eyes, blinking in the black silence. He sat up and looked at the door, the door that his big brother had just walked through after saying goodbye for possibly the last time.

He'd said he loved him for the last time.

And Izuku had said nothing back.

—-

The door clicked shut behind Tenko and he set the suitcase down on its wheels in the hallway. He stared at the door for a long moment, then took a deep breath, wiped the remaining tears from his eyes, and rolled the suitcase out to the living room.

Inko was sitting on the couch staring down at her phone. "Why is Hisashi still not answering any of my messages?" She looked up.

He felt his shoulders slightly stiffen but tried to hide it. "I think um, I think his phone broke or something. In the fight." Excuses.

"Oh," she looked back down.

Avoiding her eyes, he looked around the room instead. "Well, I think that's everything," he breathed. He'd noticed from when he first arrived the level of disarray the place was in. But he still couldn't help but look around and see the home he'd lived in for the last ten years, with the family that had taken him into theirs. The family that would never be the same after today.

Inko put her phone away. "Yes- alright, good. Do you have away to contact Garaki?"

He nodded, pulling out the button from in his pocket. The same one he'd used during the battle.

She stood up. "Ok then."

He nodded and repeated, "Ok then."

They met eyes and fell into a lapse of silence. Neither one was quite sure what to say next, or how to say it. Or maybe they just didn't want to be the one to say it.

But, eventually, Inko was the first to break, letting out a pained noise and throwing herself forward at Tenko. "I'm gonna miss you so much," she cried.

He nearly felt like letting himself collapse on her as well, but he held himself firm to carry her weight, just resting his cheek on her head. "I'll miss you too, mom." He was proud his voice held steady.

They stayed like that for a while, just trying to keep each other close for a few more minutes. Before finally, Tenko was the first to slowly pull away.

He expected to see his mom crying again, or at least teary eyed. But he was surprised to see her face and eyes completely dry, not even red. Maybe she'd cried herself out for the night, or maybe she was trying to be strong, he wasn't sure.

Then, suddenly, Inko's eyes went wide and she straightened. "Oh, hold on just a second." She spun around and ran back into the master bedroom.

He blinked, confused and curious, but waited. A moment later, she walked back out, staring down at a small white envelope, with no writing or address on it. She handed it to him with a small smile.

"Give this to Hisashi for me, ok?"

Tenko looked between her and the envelope a time or two, then took it and slipped it into his pocket with a nod. "Alright."

Then he looked back up at his mother's eyes, and those pools of green, the long hair that nearly matched. At the woman who had been there from the beginning, who had loved him when he wasn't hers. The woman who had accepted him into her home and family even after what he did to the people she loved. The woman who had never failed to show him how much she cared and be strong for him even when she felt weak. The most important woman in his life.

He looked at her for a long time, and then he closed his eyes and pressed the button in his hand.

She took in a long breath as the portal appeared beside Tenko, but didn't look away from him. When he looked at her again, her eyes had finally begun to water. But she just smiled. She always smiled.

"I love you, Tenko," she said quietly to him, taking his hands in hers. "And I'll see you soon."

He sucked in a breath, then pulled away from her and stepped towards the warp gate. But he stopped in front of it.

"I love you too," he managed.

Then he didn't look back at her, or the house he felt like he'd always called home, or the room that held the oblivious brother his whole body ached to hurt. He just stepped forward, into the gate, leaving it all behind.