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Izuku Midoriya, pro hero Deku, doesn’t know when he stopped caring. When he no longer had the passion to save people. Maybe it was the times his helping made things worse? Maybe it was the fact that no matter how much he tried there was always someone unhappy with him.
His therapist says it’s just a temporary setback to work through. That he’ll be back on his feet in no time. That there is nothing wrong with his seemingly endless apathy for what was once his life's biggest dream. Izuku is inclined to disagree. If it were so benign he wouldn’t be struggling to be in the here and now of his hero work – to put on his costume every day. He wouldn’t be severely dropping in the hero rankings from the noticeable dullness of his actions, his strained or missing smile.
Izuku thinks it is time to retire from hero work. Sure, he’s only been active for 5 years or so, but the work is dangerous and it holds no joy for him anymore. He was high enough in the rankings the last couple of years to save enough money to live modestly if he so chooses to not find another career.
A detective saying his name brings Izuku out of his thoughts, back to the present meeting. In attendance are a few of his former classmates – namely Dynamite and Uravity. They look at him with furrowed brows, obviously having noticed his inattention.
“Sorry, what was that?” Izuku asks.
The detective sighs at needing to repeat himself. “I said ‘do you understand what you need to do for this case?’”
Izuku looks down at the papers in his hand, skimming over the printouts, then looks back at the detective. “Yes, I know what needs doing.”
This will be his last case. Of course, he will make sure it comes to a close quickly. Not like any of the others in the room know that. He’s planning on just disappearing from the scene. No major retirement party or announcement like older heroes tend to do. There is no need, it’s not like any of them will really miss his presence on the job given recent satisfaction ratings.
The meeting finished up with little fanfare, leaving him to his own devices. Dynamite – no, Katsuki, they aren’t doing hero work in public at the moment – roughly grabs his shoulder a short distance down the hallway, effectively pulling him to a stop.
“What’s going on with you, nerd?” The blonde asks.
Izuku looks him in the eyes, evaluating what to tell him. He purses his lips before making a decision.
“I’m just not feeling it, Katsuki. I’m retiring after this. Please don’t spread the news.”
Katsuki looks at him in slight confusion, “Retiring? Why? You’ve always wanted to be a hero. You are great at it and as long as I can remember loved it.”
“Things change.”
Done with the conversation, Izuku turns back around and goes on his way, leaving a baffled friend-rival in his place. Everything is fine. He won’t be missed.