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Izuku Midoriya is a wilted string
He remembers the times the string in his heart was bright
Red, strong, bold
But every hit, every punch every harsh spit of words which brushed over his ears each passing day
The same repetition of school, feeling too much, feeling too many hands too many shouts, and then home, feeling only numbness as he walks into his silent apartment
But he holds out hope as there is a reason his string has faded away to a dim maroon instead of a harsh black
There is a reason it’s only wilted, not torn
Izuku Midoriya hates the colour red
He finds it harsh, burning his eyes, trying to pull him into the world he’s been split from
He hates the bright red of his shoes he’s forced to wear and the darker red of his front door which he’ll walk into to find loneliness once more
To not hear the faint click of his mum’s red heels or feel the sparks from the red fire he’s been stripped of
He sits slowly on the abandoned sofa his mum hasn’t been on since she started working days in a row, weeks at a time
He knows she’s doing it for him
He knows
He tries to believe
But one day while Izuku walks through the streets he hits something
A small gasp, from him, a mutter of, “shit” and Izuku looks up to the stranger
He meets the most beautiful red eyes, piercing his soul in a way that made him think he might’ve been right
He might not have to feel the tearing yet
Izuku gets closer to the stranger, he learns his name is Katsuki
Katsuki
Kacchan
Every time they meet Izuku feels his wilted string fix a bit more
As he feels himself falling, but in a batter way this time
In a way that makes him believe he’s not ready to tear
Izuku has come to love the man he now knows as his best friend
He feels the bright red string in his heart glow at any mention of his name or any look at his eyes
Because Izuku has found Katsuki is the man the universe made for him to be with
And it’s perfect, it makes his heart swell like nothing else in the world matters
They do everything together, running off to random forests, exploring every enjoyment the town has and dancing hand in hand in public beaches
Izuku smiles harder than ever, Katsuki grinning right alongside him
And Izuku believes Katsuki may know as well, they were made for eachother
Izuku and Katsuki stand on the pavement outside Izuku’s house, the red of Katsuki’s eyes contrasting with the red of Izuku’s door
Making it seem more lively than he’s ever seen before
Izuku grabs something quickly from the cupboard then quickly runs to stand in front of Katsuki, next to the road as he speaks
“Kacchan, I love you”
The words feel sharp on his tongue but feel so so right
Izuku feels the string glow as he expects smiles and tears and kisses and hugs
But instead he’s met with a dropped smile and a blank stare
“Izuku”
Izuku’s heart beats, the string quickly fading in the bright red it was before
Those beautiful red eyes he always loved staring at Izuku, while Izuku stared through him
“I’m so sorry”
Izuku’s mouth goes sour and his eyes start blurring, unable to see clearly when all he can do is hear the words
“I can’t say I love you back”
Izuku Midoriya should’ve trusted his judgment
He always knew red was the worst colour
He stumbles backwards, falling to his knees eyes blurry
He feels the string start to tear
“I can’t say I love you back”
He feels water running down his cheeks and his heart cracking just like Katsuki’s voice as he speaks Izuku’s worst fear
Unable to see, smell, feel, all Izuku can do is hear a scream come from the lips of his love
“IZUKU”
Izuku ignores it, the string is torn, unable to bring him back
Izuku’s head turns as he sees the red petals of the roses he carefully picked out and the brightest lights tracing his face
lights on his face
A screech of tires, and the last words Izuku will ever hear,
”IZUKU I’M SO SORRY I WAS SCARED, I DIDN’T MEAN IT, I PROMISE I LOVE YOU! COME BACK PLEASE DON’T GO LIKE THIS!”
And the world goes silent
some things will never change
Izuku Midoriya will always be a wilted string