- .My Hero Academia: 180 degrees. -

35. Where Izuku has an 18 dream about his future with Uraraka

(Segments marked with * for explicit Izuku x Uraraka content)

In front of the group of applicants that included Izuku, the professional hero for adults, Midnight, stepped gracefully onto the small platform with a remote control in her hand.

"Before I present the results showing who can proceed with the practical entrance exam, I want to remind you that these numbers only reflect your performance and effort over a few minutes," she said, her voice carrying an unusual tone of seriousness that resonated in the air. "For some of you, today might not have been your best day, or nerves may have gotten the better of you and affected your usual performance."

Izuku nodded, noticing that the boy next to him looked extremely anxious. He understood it well—it was no wonder. He himself felt a drop of sweat sliding down the side of his face.

"What I mean is, don't let your position on this chart define you," Midnight continued. "All of you are wonderful for trying, and that turns me on!"

Some of those present were momentarily distracted or made faces at the last part of Midnight's speech, but they refocused when the screen above her lit up, displaying the names ranked by score.

Izuku felt his heart pounding as his eyes, desperate, scanned the list. He whispered to himself:

"Mi...mi...mi..." The sound of his voice was barely a whisper, swallowed by the torrent of thoughts racing through his mind as he searched for his surname. His finger pointed firmly at the screen, moving up and down several times until, finally, he found it. There it was, in a position he hadn't expected.

His mouth parted slightly as disbelief washed over him. He lowered his hand slowly, his index finger falling limply by his side. The green fringe of his hair swayed, partially covering his eyes as he tried to process the reality before him.

Midnight's voice reached Izuku again, sounding distant:

"Those who are allowed to continue, please proceed to Entrance Number 3. For the rest, I ask that you wait here so we can offer options to enter other programs within UA, depending on your written exam performance, or provide guidance for applying to other hero schools. The helper robots will come to you with additional forms to fill out."

Izuku stood rooted in place, still absorbing the result as he looked at the screen again: he was just below the cutoff point for those who could proceed.

Izuku closed his eyes tightly, trying to contain his emotions. It wasn't that he felt like crying, but it was still something intense to experience.

"Maybe... if I had just tried a little harder," he thought, unexpectedly recalling the moments he had shared with Uraraka at Aoyama's party and then the day off they had spent together.

He quickly shook his head. "How could I think something like that? Those moments were some of the best in his life so far, and he wouldn't trade them for extra hours of training, not even if he had a second chance... regardless of the outcome at this moment."

Midnight was about to step down from the platform, her heels clicking against the wood, when suddenly, the boy who had been standing next to Izuku rushed to intercept her.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, his voice tense and full of adrenaline. "The new principal promised equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their quirk!" His tone was accusatory, though he soon broke into an anxious smile, scratching at his face. "Tell me the truth! There's still one more test, isn't there? That's why you're asking us to stay! You can't fool me! I have an IQ of over 145 without even using my quirk!"

Midnight looked at him for a moment.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, her voice calm and unbothered as she crossed her arms gracefully. "I already told you it's to offer other career options within or outside UA. For instance, in administration or general studies."

Izuku, observing the scene from a distance, suddenly remembered Shinso, the boy he had met earlier in the interview line:

"The truth is, I'm getting used to the idea of joining at least the general studies classes, and maybe working my way up to the hero course."

"Would that be a good path to follow?" Izuku wondered, touching his chin and covering his mouth with his ring finger. "After all, he felt he hadn't done poorly on the written exam. Maybe he could enter general studies and then try to move up to the hero course."

The idea filled him with a renewed optimism that briefly brightened his expression. But that spark of hope was soon dimmed by the shadow of his doubts as he remembered his earlier encounter with Kacchan:

"Because I also want you to be there so I can show you that I can do it!"

"Surely, Kacchan would rub it in his face and taunt him for not living up to what he had said with so much confidence. And now that he thought about it, where had that confidence come from? If he decided to continue chasing his dream, could he face the obstacles that would arise from that moment on? Taking the general studies path would mean falling behind for a while. It would be tough. And he already had to work almost twice as hard as anyone else just to stay below the level of those who had quirks. What if he never caught up? What if he just became a sort of loser with unfulfilled dreams? And what about Uraraka?"

The boy's voice, now on the verge of exasperation, broke through his train of thought.

"I won't let you go until you tell me! It's cruel to keep us like this!" insisted the same boy in front of Midnight, and for a moment, Izuku thought he saw a hint of discomfort on the teacher's face.

Izuku's body reacted before his mind, his legs moving automatically to intervene.

However, Izuku couldn't have been more wrong, and he could never have guessed the true thoughts running through the teacher's mind:

"How I love this youthful vigor!" Midnight thought as she faced the young man shouting at her, while her fingers subtly moved behind her back, slipping into the folds of her costume until they found a small glass vial. "It's a shame, but I can't let myself be reported for harassing my students again." With practiced ease, she uncapped the vial and let a small amount of the tonic spread onto her wrist, the sweet aroma quickly diffusing through the air.

"You seem very tense, and that's not good at your age," she said with a seductive smile, placing her hand, now infused with the substance, on the cheek of the still-excited boy. "Maybe you didn't sleep well last night." A soft, dense fragrance filled the air, and despite his high IQ, the boy couldn't resist the effect.

Izuku arrived just as the boy who had been shouting collapsed onto Midnight's chest. When he tried to move him away, the scent enveloped him as well. His knees buckled under the weight of sudden drowsiness, and everything went dark in the blink of an eye.

"Looks like the other one tried to intervene," Midnight murmured, crouching down to lay both boys gently on the floor. As she brushed her fingers softly over the freckles on Izuku's face, a smile played on her lips. "Well, I suppose this one could use a rosy dream too. There's so much stress at this age..."

However, as she curiously inhaled the unusually intense scent on her wrist, Midnight checked the tonic she had used to enhance her quirk and realized that instead of the usual pink color, she had mistakenly used the deep crimson one.

Romantic tragedy, Midnight thought with concern, glancing at the face of the green-haired boy.

...

The bright, warm morning sun gently filtered through the curtains. Izuku, now 22 years old and sitting in the teachers' lounge at UA, was at his desk by the open window.

He momentarily took his eyes off the exams he was diligently grading and focused all his attention on the fresh breeze drifting in, carrying a distant whisper that brushed against his skin.

The fingers holding his pen stopped moving, and for an instant, memories of the past surged into his mind. He remembered that day, before finishing school, when he and Uraraka had decided to take the day off together. Now, it was a memory that had started to fade over the past six years, overshadowed by the events that followed, after failing to get into the hero course and pursuing a career in general studies until becoming a teacher of that very subject.

The distance between them had grown little by little, partly by his own choice, as he struggled to deal with his constant feelings of inadequacy.

Pathetic.

Izuku lowered his head, melancholy taking over as he wondered where Uraraka might be and what she was doing now.

Suddenly, a sweet and cheerful voice called out to him unexpectedly.

"Deku!"

Izuku looked up and, to his surprise, saw Uraraka floating outside the window, her eyes shining with joy, surrounded by the golden glow of the sun behind her.

"U-Uraraka?!" he exclaimed, nearly tipping backward, but she managed to catch his wrist.

"Careful!" she said, laughing softly as Izuku steadied himself in the chair. Uraraka's laughter continued, filling the room and dispelling the morning's chill for a moment. "Sorry, forgive me! But at the same time, I guess my idea to surprise you was a success!"

Izuku regained his composure, blushing slightly from the shock.

"U-Uraraka, it's so nice to see you again, but..." he managed to say with a nervous smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was passing by and thought I'd visit my favorite UA teacher. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

Izuku shook his head immediately, getting up from his seat and extending his hand to help her in. Uraraka accepted, and her warm fingers brushed against his meaningfully as they met. Once inside, Uraraka deactivated her quirk.

"You should have told me you were coming," Izuku said, glancing at his watch. "We could have had lunch together later, but I have class in five minutes."

Uraraka's eyes smiled along with her lips.

"How about dinner tonight?"

...

Izuku was sitting by the fountain at the shopping center, where he and Uraraka had once walked together. He had suggested via text making a reservation at a restaurant, but she insisted that she preferred something simple and was craving a burger.

Looking at the shops around, Izuku wondered if he should have bought a burger for Uraraka before they started closing. But the idea of being stood up and left with the food seemed, at the very least, sad.

Now he watched the gentle reflections of the water in the fountain, illuminated by the lights of the few shops that were still open but already in the process of cleaning up.

He was still wearing the formal suit he used for teaching at UA, as he initially thought he wouldn't have time to go home and change. He had tried to pass the time by checking the details of his class for tomorrow on his phone and window shopping, but the wait was becoming harder to ignore.

Uraraka's call, announcing her delay, had sounded optimistic despite everything, and he thought it would only be a few minutes. However, now, almost a full hour late, Izuku glanced at his watch again and stood up. A pang of worry mixed with a slight resignation; the idea of leaving was starting to make sense in his mind.

Pathetic.

Just then, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps echoing. Turning around, he saw Uraraka running toward him, her cheeks flushed and strands of her hair floating around her flushed face. When she reached him, she stopped and bent forward, panting heavily.

"I'm so sorry! I'm really, really sorry!" Uraraka gasped, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes shone with a mix of apology and relief at seeing he was still there. "It's so late! I can't believe you waited this long. My phone... it died, and I couldn't let you know."

Izuku looked at her, noticing the signs of effort on her face, and the tension he had built up inside dissipated.

"Don't worry," he said, trying to convey calm with a soft smile. "Are you okay?"

Uraraka nodded, standing up straight as she pushed a strand of hair away from her forehead.

"Yes, it's just that..." she sighed, and a smile formed on her lips. "After I hung up, I found a lost kid on the street. He was really scared, and I had to stay with him until we found his mother. Luckily, there weren't any major complications after that, and I think they even recognized me. Can you believe it?"

Izuku felt a familiar warmth inside. That was the Uraraka he knew: someone who would always put others first, even if it meant being late, getting into trouble, or facing difficulties. It was no wonder she had become one of the greatest heroes of the moment.

Pathetic.

"I see. I'm so glad you helped him," he said with a smile that seemed genuinely sincere.

Uraraka blushed slightly and glanced around to hide it, noticing the closed food shops, and her brow furrowed slightly.

"I'm sorry for not buying you the burger you wanted," Izuku apologized, bowing his head a little. "I didn't know which one you might like. Maybe I should have bought a few for you, although..."

Uraraka narrowed her eyes with a thoughtful expression.

"That doesn't matter anymore, but... I don't want to give up on my burger idea," she announced, crossing her arms before suddenly turning to him with a renewed, wide smile. "I have an idea, but I'll need your help. You're not going to refuse, right?"

Izuku's eyes widened slightly, filled with curiosity and surprise.

Uraraka stepped closer and, without warning, took his hand. Izuku felt a sudden warmth run through him, accompanied by a slight blush rising to his cheeks. It felt like he was a teenager again, and he thought it would be embarrassing if any of his students saw him at that moment.

...

Izuku and Uraraka walked out of the supermarket with their hands full of bags, their laughter blending with the sound of their footsteps in the empty parking lot. One of the bags held a bottle of wine sticking out, and another contained a box of premium burger meat.

Izuku paused for a moment, a distracted smile lighting up his face as he looked at Uraraka. She noticed his gaze and turned around with a smile so genuine it seemed to brighten even the dark night sky.

"What is it?" she asked.

"N-nothing," Izuku replied, shaking his head with a slight blush coloring his cheeks. "I just thought it was nice to catch up and talk while helping you with your shopping."

Uraraka looked at him in surprise.

"What are you talking about? You don't think I can eat all of this by myself, do you?"

Izuku blinked.

"Deku...!"

Uraraka's voice was cut off by the sudden clap of thunder, and almost instantly, the rain began to pour.

"I think I forgot my umbrella," Izuku muttered as he rummaged through his briefcase, then tried to shield Uraraka as much as possible with his jacket.

Uraraka blushed a little at feeling protected by him.

"I-I forgot mine too," she said, a bit nervously, but almost immediately, a light laugh escaped her again.

Before Izuku could react, he felt Uraraka's hand grab his arm to pull him closer, and the warmth of the accidental touch of his arm against her chest coursed through his skin like lightning, more powerful than the thunder that continued.

"This way," she said, guiding him with determination. "My apartment is over here."

The city streets seemed empty at that hour. The streetlights cast golden reflections on the puddles as the raindrops created an endless series of ripples that spread and met each other. Izuku, with his hair plastered to his forehead and feeling slightly disoriented, let himself be led, acutely aware of his heart's erratic beat. He couldn't stop thinking that once again, he felt like an inexperienced teenager with his first crush.

...

The walk to Uraraka's apartment wasn't long, but each step seemed to carry a different meaning for Izuku's mind, which was wrestling with what was happening. He felt an unusual sensation in his chest and tried to steady his breathing, convincing himself it was due to running to escape the rain and not because of the anticipation of something that likely wouldn't happen.

Uraraka didn't say much either, but her smile lingered as she occasionally glanced sideways at Izuku, noticing how his flushed cheeks contrasted with the raindrops running down his face.

Finally, they reached the entrance to her building. Uraraka let go of his arm, handing him the shopping bags and rummaged in her purse for the keys, while Izuku tried to calm his nerves.

When she opened the door and stepped into the lobby, a dense silence charged with expectation took over the space. They looked at each other with nervous smiles, not quite sure how to act. Just like years ago.

"Thank you for coming. I mean, welcome. Make yourself at home," said Uraraka in her usual cheerful voice, though it trembled with a hint of shyness. The drops running down her hair left dark trails on her blouse, and for a second, Izuku found himself caught in that vision, though he quickly averted his gaze, struggling to maintain composure and not be too obvious.

"T-thank you for inviting me," Izuku replied, smiling but with a lump in his throat as he closed the door behind him.

The scene felt like an echo of the past, when Uraraka had visited his home at sixteen. But now, at twenty-two, the roles were reversed, and the situation seemed to have matured into something more. Uraraka handed him a towel, but before Izuku could take it, she moved closer to help dry his hair.

Their gazes met inevitably. And for some reason, Uraraka began to push him gently against the wall, and he didn't resist.

Without breaking eye contact and before they could process it more calmly, their mouths met in a soft kiss, barely brushing lips, only to deepen into something more real, as if they were tasting and remembering each other. Discovering that everything they had longed for was still there. Every detail of something so desired and postponed remained.

Uraraka's apartment soon filled with their breaths and the friction of their wet clothes as the kiss grew more urgent.

Small sounds escaped Uraraka's mouth when Izuku began kissing her neck, pulling her closer and helping her remove her wet coat.

As they explored each other with their hands, the memories and repressed emotions burst within them like a pressure cooker suddenly released. The trembling of their bodies, the long-awaited closeness, consumed everything.

Their mouths found each other again for several seconds, and when she pulled back enough to catch her breath, their eyes met once more. It was then that Uraraka asked him a question that echoed in his memory like a reminder of the past, now laden with new promises.

"Do you want to take a shower?" she asked with a certain sweetness.

Izuku didn't hesitate. He answered without breaking eye contact, sealing an unspoken agreement in that moment.

"Of course, I do."

...

( *)

Izuku's jacket and Uraraka's coat hung carelessly over the backs of the chairs in the living room, and a trail of abandoned clothes led the eye to the closed door of the bathroom.

The sound of water falling was now a constant echo in Uraraka's apartment. A soundtrack that promised both reconciliation and desire in equal measure.

What followed in the shower were more kisses, each one feeling desperate to make up for lost time, under the water that seemed to heal and forgive everything.

Steam filled the bathroom, wrapping their figures in a haze of warmth.

Izuku, with his heart pounding as if he were in the middle of a marathon, pressed Uraraka against the tiles with his entire body, holding her legs on either side. The kisses grew deeper, charged with longing, as if every touch was a broken promise they were trying to restore. Water droplets traced paths down their intertwined bodies, making everything seem more ethereal, more intense.

Uraraka let out a moan into his mouth, and for Izuku, that was a clear enough warning to pull back, finding himself on the edge as well. Uraraka responded by taking control, quite literally, with a touch so soft that Izuku closed his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw, trying to contain the onslaught of sensations. The steam and the warmth of the water enveloped them, making reality dissolve within that closed space meant only for them.

...

The evening continued in the kitchen, where they had made a complete mess. Flour on the floor with their footprints and disorganized pans bore witness to the enthusiastic dinner preparation, but at that moment, neither of them could care less.

"So, your parents live in Hawaii now?" Izuku asked as he took another bite of his burger, finishing it off.

Uraraka nodded, taking a sip of wine while smiling. In front of her, her empty plate with just a few crumbs was proof of how much she had enjoyed the homemade burgers she had prepared with Deku.

"Yes, I miss them a lot sometimes, but luckily, I can visit them once a month," she replied, her voice softening with a touch of nostalgia. "And how's your mom?" Uraraka asked, meeting his eyes with genuine interest.

"She's doing well. I visit her whenever I can, and fortunately, she's in good health," he said, looking at the contents of his wine glass with a gentle smile that conveyed a deep, simple love.

"I'm glad to hear that," she replied.

The conversation paused when Izuku, with an almost protective gesture, leaned toward her and wiped a trace of sauce from the corner of her lips with the tip of his finger. The touch was very gentle, but enough for both of them to hold their breath. Their eyes met again, narrowing slightly.

...

( *)

Izuku slid his hands gently along Uraraka's hips, removing the last piece of clothing that separated them and letting it fall to the side of the bed. The intimate dimness mingled with the subtle rustle of the sheets.

He took a moment to admire her, noticing how her breathing quickened and a flush spread across her cheeks, making her look especially adorable. His eyes closed for a second, as if wanting to etch that image in his memory forever.

Unable to suppress his desires any longer, he leaned down and began tracing her skin with kisses, descending to taste between her legs, guiding himself by her reactions to stimulate her. Uraraka's hands gripped the sheets tightly, as if seeking an anchor in the sea of sensations that overwhelmed her. Her cheeks flushed deeper as she kept her eyes closed, letting out soft sighs she seemed to try to hold back, though the waves of pleasure coursing through her made it nearly impossible.

Izuku, with his heart pounding wildly, continued letting himself be guided by every tremor and ragged breath until he finally brought her to climax. He was surprised to feel his own body responding again, having thought he had reached his limit after the intense, steamy shower they had shared earlier.

For some reason that Izuku couldn't quite define in that moment, a sharp pain began to rise in his chest, but he didn't let it stop him.

"May I?" Izuku asked softly, and without opening her eyes, Uraraka nodded, trembling like a leaf, sensitive to the slightest touch.

He took a moment to massage himself as he put on the condom, thinking that despite the overwhelming excitement he felt, he couldn't allow himself to finish too quickly. Unlike what had happened earlier in the shower, now he wanted to make love to Uraraka in such a gentle and tender way that she would never want to leave his side again.

He parted her legs gently, sliding into her while supporting part of his weight to reach her lips.

Izuku tried to make his kisses, like his thrusts, reflect all the affection and devotion he had always felt for her.

However, when, at one moment, Uraraka slightly opened her eyes to look at him, Izuku felt the sharp pain in his chest again, and he couldn't stop the small tears that welled up in his eyes as he realized why.

...

The dawn was just beginning to filter through Uraraka's curtains, casting a soft glow over her tousled hair and sleepy eyes as she blinked awake.

A slight rustling sound caught her attention, and when she turned over in bed, she saw Izuku standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the knot of his tie. She couldn't help but smile.

"You weren't planning to leave without saying goodbye, were you?" Uraraka asked with the voice of someone who had just woken up, but with a touch of her usual cheerfulness.

Izuku turned at the sound of her voice, his green eyes softening when he saw the weak, sleepy smile Uraraka gave him from the bed. He returned a brief smile, though the shadow in his gaze betrayed a mix of emotions.

"Sorry. I didn't want to wake you since you mentioned today was your day off,"

"Actually, even though it's my day off, I have a few things to do," Uraraka stretched on the bed like a kitten. "So waking up early feels good."

Izuku lowered his head slightly.

"But maybe we could see each other again this weekend," she said, smiling. "There's a new amusement park that just opened, and I'd love to check it out. What do you think?"

In contrast to Uraraka's cheerful expression, Izuku watched her with a serious look. He placed his hand on his chin and then over his mouth, as if pondering something really difficult, before turning, leaving only his profile visible to Uraraka.

"Uraraka... about last night..."

Uraraka's heart suddenly stopped, and her hand clutched the sheets, trying to cover the unease that seized her.

"Last night was incredible, but..." Izuku's voice trembled for a moment before continuing. "But I don't think this is going to work."

Uraraka's eyes, which had been shining with excitement, began to fill with a different kind of light—wet and trembling.

"But... why not?" she asked softly, her voice somehow pleading for his attention, but Izuku still didn't look at her.

"For years, we've gone down different paths, and I don't think it was right for us to come back into each other's lives like this."

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Uraraka lowering her head, but he held back from looking at her.

Pathetic.

"I also think..." Izuku continued, "that our lives revolve around different things, and eventually, that will drive us apart again. And honestly... I don't know if I could handle that happening again."

The silence that followed was so thick that they could hear the distant ticking of the clock in the living room. Neither of them moved; the words hung in the air like a knot refusing to unravel.

When Izuku finally closed Uraraka's apartment door behind him, the resistance he had maintained crumbled. Tears fell from his eyes, sliding quickly and uncontrollably. His heart ached so sharply that he had to press his hand against his chest, as if that could contain it.

He knew he had done the right thing. That the best thing for her was to move on, to find someone without so many shadows of insecurity and who could also protect her. But knowing that didn't ease the stabbing pain of loss, and at that moment, in the chill of the morning, he felt more alone than ever.

He had always loved her. And he always would. But he wanted her to live her life with someone better than him.

And then everything went black.

...

A sudden explosion echoed through the air, shaking the very foundations of the place and pulling Izuku out of his deep sleep.

"What's happening?!" Izuku asked, trying to process the chaotic scene unfolding before his eyes. In the distance, the observation building was smoking after being struck by an explosion.

"Come on!" shouted the troublesome guy from earlier beside him. "As if we'd believe that in a place full of professional heroes, right in the middle of an exam, some villain would dare to attack. They'd have to be completely..."

The young man's sentence was abruptly cut off when the sky, which had just moments ago been a curtain of smoke and flashes, started releasing strange dark lumps that fell in every direction. The screams of the students mixed with the thunderous crash of debris and the deafening buzz of alarms.

Izuku felt a chill run down his spine as one of those lumps struck the ground near him, sending up a cloud of dust. Instinctively, he covered his face with his forearm, struggling to stay calm amid the chaos. As the dust began to settle, the figure of the troublesome guy became visible as he leaned over one of the fallen objects.

"It's... it's flesh with eyes"

...

Author's Notes:

Your comments are always welcome! Thank you so much for reading, following, and liking. It always makes me smile!