Work Text:
It was almost funny how fast a single question could flip the mood of a room completely.
"When is Deku-nii coming back?"
An innocent question. Any other time, it would have been a perfectly normal thing for Eri to ask. At any time before this week, this would have gotten nothing more but a quick explanation of why Izuku wasn't currently with the rest of them.
But not this week.
Heads turned, glancing towards Aizawa and, by the virtue of standing next to him, Toshinori.
Aizawa sighed.
"I didn't get to explain it, yet," he said towards the room at large. "Eri, sweetheart, why don't you come with me? Hizashi could use some help with the cookies."
Eri accepted the distraction without a question, following behind Aizawa like a little duckling. The rest of the children in the room, however, wouldn't forget it so easily.
There was silence, just for a moment. Heavy, suffocating thing, weighing people down equally.
Toshinori knew it had to be broken, but... He couldn't bring himself to say anything. How could he make the light of this...
"I really miss him," Uraraka spoke, instead, fighting with tears. "I just- Why did it have to be him?"
"You're saying that like it was supposed to be another of you extras," Bakugou grumbled, much less explosively than was his norm. He also handed Uraraka a tissue, which became oddly normal over the past week.
Izuku being... Unavailable, to say it lightly, brought a lot of people much closer to each other, and the so-called Dekusquad and Bakusquad were pretty much the same thing these days.
"Honestly?" Kaminari said from where he sat, sprawled on the sofa, controller in his and forgotten and about to fall. "I would have switched places with him. I wish I was given that chance."
"Bro..." Kirishima whispered. Toshinori braced himself for the inevitable that's so manly, for having to remind the children that, no, sacrifice wasn't cool- "It shouldn't have been anyone, Midoriya included. If we're wishing for something, why not wish for him to still be here?"
...Toshinori was pleasantly surprised.
"Young Kirishima is right," he managed, the words coming out a little scratchy. Other than during classes, he didn't speak all that much these days. "It's a normal part of grieving to think that, but it's a dangerous line of thought. I would ask you all to have a session with Hound Dog whenever you're ready-"
"No!" Bakugou barked, finally showing some more spark. Toshinori just wished it wasn't a spark against therapy... "Not whenever they're ready or they'll never go. Just have Aizawa schedule mandatory sessions."
...Perhaps Toshinori should stop making assumptions about these kids. It seemed like the loss of Izuku had affected them all far greater than he had expected.
"I will discuss that with Aizawa-sensei," Toshinori said, pointedly adding the honorific. Bakugou just rolled his eyes at that. "But thank you for that suggestion, Bakugou."
"I can't even imagine what Midoriya's mother must be feeling..." Yaoyorozu spoke up softly, a cup of tea cradled in her palms. "Maybe we should offer some support..."
"I'll ask the old hag," Bakugou volunteered. "She's been staying over at Auntie's house ever since they got the news."
"Do you think she'd appreciate some kind of a party?" Mina pounced. "We could cook some stuff that'd keep in the fridge for a while, and share some funny stories about Midoriya..."
Toshinori left them then, letting them plot in peace. Bakugou would know which ideas to shot down better than Toshinori could.
He didn't really know Midoriya Inko; He couldn't even look her in the eye, these days.
Toshinori made his way up the stairs slowly. His missing lung had very little to do with it, these days. It was still bothering him, of course, but even if he was at the peak of his fitness, even if he was still able to use his quirk, he doubted he would be able to move much quicker.
There was this heaviness to his limbs, now, which wasn't there before.
When he had first met Izuku, when the boy had opened his eyes and proved him wrong, when he had first offered him the quirk... Toshinori had never expected they would end up like this.
Izuku's bedroom door was left unlocked. The dorms were only really accessible to 1A and the teachers, with anyone else having to be invited in. And they all trusted the kids not to do anything stupid.
It's only been a week, so far, but certain habits already formed.
Usually, some of them would just come in to sit down, for a minute. To reminisce. Some would take it upon themself to dust Izuku's collection of figurines, moving slowly and carefully to avoid taking any chances with them. Izuku wasn't there to be upset at a broken figurine, but it would have felt too much like disrespect, Toshinori supposed.
The kids also took care of the few plants on Izuku's windowsill. They refused to take them out into the common room; Toshinori suspected it was in part to have an excuse to visit the room, and in part to keep the atmosphere of it exactly the same as it was when Izuku was still there.
As far as Toshinori knew, the wardrobe was kept alone, as was the desk. Nobody really dared to touch Izuku's collection of notebooks - the title of Hero Analysis for the Future haunting them all - and as such, theirs was the only shelf in the room with a layer of dust.
Toshinori made a beeline straight for those.
Finger moving across the spines, he stopped at a particularly battered tome near the end. It was the 13th book, the same one Izuku had with him on that fateful day they met. It withstood Bakugou's explosions, getting drowned in a koi pond, and getting stuck in a gelatinous blob... Hopefully it would withstand a quick trip with Toshinori.
He pulled the book out from between its brothers, cradling it in his arms as he exited the room, carefully shutting the doors behind himself.
The stairs went all the way to the roof; Considering most if not all of the kids used exclusively the elevators, Toshinori doubted many of them knew about that.
The doors were locked, but they opened easily under Toshinori's badge.
He stood at the threshold for a moment, breathing in the cool night air, before stepping forward, letting the heavy doors swing closed.
It was eerily silent on the roof, the wind pulling at his clothes.
"All Might!" His beloved boy's voice called, Izuku appearing out of nowhere to fuss at his side. "You shouldn't come up here dressed this lightly!"
"Don't worry, Young Midoriya," Toshinori smiled, a small thing much unlike his usual grin. "It'll take more than some cold air to defeat me."
Izuku shook his head, moving back to sit on the small wall lining the entire roof.
"You still shouldn't take that chance."
Toshinori huffed. "That is... Quite the thing to hear from you, my boy."
"All the risks I take are carefully calculated," Izuku said primly, his back straight and expression serious, before breaking into giggled. "But honestly, I'm safer than I was while in UA, now."
"I don't doubt it," Toshinori joined him at the wall, sitting down heavily, the notebook clutched in his hands. "You were always a smart one, Young Midoriya."
"Maybe too smart," Izuku mumbled, and Toshinori didn't have the heart to disagree. "My notebook-"
"I don't think anyone will notice it missing," Toshinori passed it through to Izuku. "Everyone tends to avoid looking at them. By the time someone does, I doubt they'll think anything of it's lack."
"I just need to check something," Izuku flipped through pages quickly, finding whatever information he was looking for. "Normally I just redo my research, but this particular statistic was deleted since I last accessed it, so- Hah, I thought so!"
"Good news, I take it?"
"Depends on your definition of good," Izuku tilted his head, passing the notebook back. "It does mean the League will have to pay a visit to Tartarus, soon."
There was nothing Toshinori could say to that, except for, "Be careful."
Izuku smirked, standing up on the wall. "I always am," he said.
Stepping forward, he disappeared through a familiar portal, leaving no mark behind.
Toshinori might not be happy with the process, but... His boy was working towards bringing a better society. If this was the way it had to be done, Toshinori would do anything to help him.
Even if it meant helping Izuku fake his death.
Vote for fic continuation here
TEAM VIGILANTES