Chapter Text
Well, it’s only been an hour… and Izuku HATES his new house.
He had to move out of his apartment in the city due to the insane increase in his rent, so he did what any logical 27-year-old pro-hero would do. He moved about twenty minutes away to a beautiful little house surrounded by trees. The area wasn’t too bad, and there was a decent distance between him and any neighbours he had.
He figured it was way cheaper, and only twenty minutes to his agency. In theory, what could go wrong?
Well, for starters, Izuku is fucking bored. He doesn’t get good cell signal where he’s at and the internet won’t be set up until next week. He’s only been completely unpacked for an HOUR and he’s already bored out of his mind.
He’s cleaned every surface, hung all his pictures with his friends and all his All Might posters up, put his blackout curtains up, built a full dining table and chairs set AND already hung the TV in his bedroom.
All before 2pm.
The only thing he hasn’t done yet is make his nest, and that’s only because he kept all his nesting materials at his moms, that way he could pick them up after dinner tonight and they’d smell like home.
His mom’s raspberry scent felt like a warm cup of tea on a cold, snowy day, warming you from the inside out. He didn’t even have to ask her to scent anything, she had begun rubbing her wrists on different items before Izuku even left her apartment.
Thankfully, he has plans with Shoto and Uraraka for dinner… which will take his mind off of his inevitable boredom.
They haven’t met up outside of work in a couple weeks, between Izuku searching like a madman for a place to live before his lease was up and Shoto and Uraraka both picking up the overtime while he was house hunting… it just slipped all their minds.
So, to say Izuku is excited to see his friends is an understatement. He can’t wait!
He plops down on the couch for a bit, his back sinking gently into his overly-cushiony sofa that his mom gifted him as a housewarming gift when he moved out after graduation. It had been a bitch to move, since it was way too big for his little city apartment, but he would’ve ripped that doorway apart to get this sofa into his new home.
So, he made it happen. Duh.
He mindlessly scrolls on his phone for a bit, hearting and responding to some posts Uraraka had sent him on social media.
During his doom-scroll, he stumbled upon a video that nearly brought tears to his eyes. On his screen was a shaky video filmed by a bystander, the civilian doing their best to keep the camera focused on the flashes of orange and yellow that were quickly followed by grey smoke. Almost as quickly as the video started, the camera stills. It took a second for Izuku to realize what he was seeing, but once he did he felt stupid for not knowing right away.
When the smoke dissipates, clear as day, Kacchan stood in the middle of a street, shops lining each side that now barred broken windows and damaged merchandise. Kacchan’s stance was strong, his arms crossed against his chest as it rose and fell heavily, clearly trying to catch his breath. His left leg was propped up, his foot using something as a step. Izuku’s eyes widened at the sight.
Bellow Kacchan’s massive combat boot was a badly beaten and battered Deep Space — a villain that Izuku and Shoto had been bested by more times than he’d like to admit. His quirk was incredible, Izuku ended up muttering about it for roughly twenty minutes after every encounter they had with the villain.
His quirk was simple, but the ways he could use it were infinite. Anything he was able to focus on could become any form of matter—solid, liquid, gas or plasma. His quirk was called ‘Antimatter’, and it was as fascinating as it was terrifying. He could pretty much turn anyone and anything into a different form of matter, living or not.
No matter what Izuku did, he couldn’t wrap his head around how to stop him. He had some theories, sure. But nothing had landed him a victory when he went up against him.
Thankfully, Deep Space wasn’t lined up with any organization like the League of Villains, but he was still doing some notable damage to the city. Mainly consisting of theft so far, but he definitely had potential to do so much more.
Anyway, it was nearly impossible for anyone to even get near him. How the hell did Kacchan catch him?!
The video zoomed in, the camera slowly panning up Kacchan’s victory stance until it landed on his face. His eyes were full of pride, full of a sense of relief. A job well done. But there was a hint of something else…
Challenge.
His smirk was devilish as he looked directly into the camera. Izuku nearly rolled off the couch as he watched Kacchan mouth the words ‘beat ya, nerd’.
Izuku locked his phone and chucked it to the other side of the couch, his hands sliding down his face before he sits up. Him and Kacchan have drifted a lot since graduation. Kacchan got super busy since joining Endeavours agency and Izuku got sucked into working alongside Uraraka and Shoto at Mirko’s agency.
Sure, it still stings his heart when he remembers the promises of opening their own agency, the two strongest upcoming heroes working side by side… the Wonder Duo.
But that dream came and went, and Kacchan and Izuku didn’t talk as much. Nothing in particular happened, they just became too consumed by their own growth. Too much happened too fast, and their relationship became… strained.
There were no hard feelings, at least certainly not on Izuku’s side. He couldn’t say the same for Kacchan, though he likes to believe that he holds the same stance as himself.
Regardless of anything that may or may not have happened in the recent years, Izuku wants nothing more than to see Katsuki succeed. Sure, he loves the back and forth competing just as much as the next guy. But… when it comes to Kacchan…
A soft sigh ripples through Izuku, his hand coming up to gently rub across his chest. Thinking about Kacchan always threw him off, made his heart ache.
Made his omega ache.
During those years that they worked on their relationship, Izuku’s omega took a huge liking to Katsuki. For some sick, sadistic reason, his omega actually always liked Katsuki. Even when he was bullying him.
His omega would cry and claw at Izuku’s subconscious, wailing about how ‘alpha doesn’t want us!’ long before Izuku even understood what the secondary genders were. He spent countless nights rearranging his nest in an anxiety fueled breakdown, thinking that if he could just be a better omega maybe then Katsuki would want him.
During highschool, his omega finally settled. They were bettering their relationship and that was enough for Izuku, and his omega.
Now… his omega is almost back at square one. Unfortunately, he’s almost back at square one, too.
Izuku wants nothing more than to reconnect with Katsuki. To hangout, to talk about their hero work, to talk about doing hero work together! That sounds like such a dream!
Unfortunately for Izuku, Katsuki is one tough nut. Like a fucking macadamia nut. His shell is so goddamn hard to crack.
Izuku has to recrack that hard ass shell in order to rebuild what they’ve lost. Sounds like a nightmare.
Izuku shivers at just the thought of breaking down all his hard ass macadamia nut walls for like the millionth time.
A moment passes before he just shrugs to himself, a breathy laugh cutting through the silence of his new home. ‘I guess I’d have to do it sooner or later…’ he thinks.
Another moment passes before his ringtone pulls him back down to earth. He turns his head as he searches his living room, silently cursing himself for chucking his phone across the room like some roided out teenager.
He locates his phone in the corner of the open fireplace, where he promptly rushes over and picks it up, scanning the screen to see who’s calling. His face lights up at the contact name and photo before he quickly swipes the screen to answer. He brings the phone up to his ear as he answers.
“Hi, Sho!” He says excitedly.
“Hello, Midoriya. I just wanted to inform you that our reservation has been moved up by about an hour. Could you meet us in thirty minutes?”
Shoto’s voice is always so soothing. Most people find it monotoned and boring, but Izuku could fall asleep to it. It’s like Shoto-ASMR. Absolutely glorious.
Izuku nods his head, completely forgetting that Shoto couldn’t even see him. “Sure thing! I’ll leave here in a f—” Izuku’s voice trails off as he notices something strange in his fireplace.
He eyes it for a moment, a soft “what’s wrong?” coming from Shoto as he puts his phone on the carpet. He clicks the button to put the call on speaker as he leans more into his fireplace. Towards the back, there’s a little device that looks like… a microphone? A camera? It’s hard to tell exactly what it is, but there’s no lights on it and it looks extremely tattered, like it’s been here for years.
He reaches forward, his fingers brushing against the ashes and burnt pieces of wood that up until this point Izuku had believed to be decoration as he plucks this small device from the rubble. He brings it closer to his face, his eyes inspecting it from every angle possible. It’s too small to tell if it’s a camera or just a microphone. He holds it up to his ear, a small percentage of him hoping to hear something—anything—that could help him decipher what the hell this little piece of technology is that was hiding in his goddamn fireplace.
“Midoriya?”
Izuku screams, nearly shitting himself. He completely forgot Shoto was on the phone.
“Oh! Sorry, Shoto. Uh, I found something weird in my, um, fireplace?”
There’s a moment of silence before Shoto responds. “What is it?”
Ah. Stoic as ever, Shoto.
Izuku continues looking over the small object. “I have no idea. It looks like a camera, but it’s too small. Could be a microphone, but it has no lights on it. And it looks like it’s been here since the house was built.”
Shoto hums, a gentle omegan ‘croon’ sound that calms Izuku right down, even through the phone. “Perhaps the last tenant had used the fireplace and accidentally dropped some type of electronic in there?”
“Ahh, could be! The landlord said the previous tenants had children. Maybe one of the kids tossed it in there?” Izuku says, tapping his chin with his hand that wasn’t holding a small possibly-dangerous item.
“Could be. You said it looks old? Typically electronics that have been through fires don’t work after they’ve been essentially incinerated. Unless they’re extremely high tech.” Shoto says nonchalantly. For a moment, Izuku’s chest tightens. His scent begins to sour, causing his nose to scrunch up at the rotting scent.
“However, you’d be able to tell. They wouldn’t look like they’d been in a fire.”
Izuku released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Oh, thank god.
“Really? So I shouldn’t worry?”
A soft chuckle vibrates through the phone, a sound that Izuku rarely heard from his fellow omega. “As long as there’s no more, I’d say you’re fine.”
Izuku instantly relaxes. He runs his free hand through the rubble, making sure to turn over half disintegrated logs to check for any more of the little pieces of technology. Once he’s combed through the entire fireplace, he realizes he’s come up empty handed.
“Nope, just checked. No other ones in here,” Izuku says softly, his voice full of relief. He definitely didn’t want to have to pack all his shit up and move again.
“That’s a relief. You can put the one you found in the recycling, that way the metal and plastics can be repurposed,” Shoto says, maintaining his monotone.
“Aw, Sho! You and your bleeding heart,” Izuku says sarcastically. Shoto has recently become a major environmentalist, even going so far as to attend ‘save the trees’ rallys downtown.
Izuku stands up, wiping his hand on his pants before grabbing his phone. He carries his phone and the little technological mystery to the kitchen, plopping his phone on the counter as he makes his way towards the sink. He pulls open the cabinet door under the sink, exposing his trash can and the indoor recycling bin that was provided by the city. He tosses the piece of junk in the empty recycling bin before using his hip to push the cabinet door shut.
“Alrighty, I gotta go get changed for our dinner, Sho. I’ll see you soon!” Izuku nearly yells as he turns on the water at his sink, quickly washing his hands of the ash and soot.
“See you soon, Midoriya,” Shoto says softly before the beeps play, notifying that the call has ended. There was something… fond in Shoto’s voice just then. Something… loving.
Izuku would be lying if he said he didn’t love it. He loves Shoto! Not as a mate, but not necessarily just as a pack member either. Shoto makes him and his omega feel safe, which isn’t surprising. Shoto being an omega himself means that he and Izuku connect on a different level.
In this modern age, though, it’s not uncommon for omegas to get together and mate. Lots of omegan couples even have pups! Typically through the process of selecting an alpha that is a willing participant, then using their semen for artificial insemination during one of the omega’s heats. It’s quite fascinating, actually.
Izuku’s omega loves being around Shoto. His scent is nice and calming, and his omega provides for Izuku. Whether that be the softest, warmest nest Izuku has ever been in when he’s had a bad day or a nice warm meal when he’s sick… Shoto has always provided for him. Unfortunately, Izuku’s omega is stubborn, and only wants a certain you-know-who.
Thankfully, Shoto understands. Him and Uraraka are the only ones who know about this weird ‘bond’ he and his omega have to Kacchan. Shoto has always been protective over Izuku, and Izuku doesn’t really mind. Izuku and Shoto have been through a lot together! The war, rebuilding society afterwards, and countless villain attacks. They’ve also been through a lot in their personal lives. Izuku was always there for Shoto during breakups, and vice versa. Breakups, family struggles, life changing events; all of it.
There is a level of respect and admiration that Izuku has for Shoto, and that will never change. No matter if Izuku ends up with a mate or not… for now, he’s more than okay with the platonic relationship he’s built with Shoto. And the best part is that Shoto feels the same. His new boyfriend, Shinsou, may not be on the same page yet, but that’s okay. If it’s meant to be, he’ll come around.
Before Izuku realizes it, his fingers have turned all pruney from being under the running water during his little daydream about his platonic husband. He shakes his head, attempting to do a momentary reset before he shuts the water off and dries his hands. He makes his way to his room, digging through his dresser for a new outfit.
He finds a cute mint-green pullover with a little brown teddy bear embroidered over his right pec. He pairs it with a pair of light blue ‘mom jeans’ with little distressed pieces along the thighs and shins.
Once he’s all dressed, he puts on his favorite All Might socks and then his extra-loved red high top vans. The soles are hanging on by a thread but he didn’t care. He’s had these since highschool and he’ll be damned if he got rid of them when they still have plenty of life left!
He checks his hair in his bathroom mirror, giving himself a quick smile before slipping his phone in his jeans pocket, grabbing his keys and heading out the door.
He locks the door from the outside, both the doorknob lock and the deadbolt.
You never know.
He gives the doorknob a little jiggle, making sure it’s locked before getting into his car and driving off towards the city.
—
Izuku makes it to the restaurant with three whole minutes to spare. A new personal best!
He makes his way into the restaurant, scanning the floor for his two friends. He spots Shoto’s hair first, seeing him and Uraraka being led to a table that is beautifully set underneath a big open window.
He mentions to the hostess that he’s with the party that was just led back, and she smiles and motions for him to go ahead and follow. Izuku weaves through the tables, his nose picking up on Shoto’s snowy scent the closer he gets. He gets there right before they sit down, so Izuku makes quick work of letting them know he’s there.
Izuku snakes his arms around Shoto’s waist, pulling him in for a big hug as he places his cheek on Shoto’s shoulder. Shoto stiffens slightly, but quickly relaxes as he picks up on Izuku’s scent.
“Midoriya, you made it,” Shoto says calmly, his hands coming up to rest on Izuku’s forearms around his waist.
“Hi, Sho,” Izuku whispers, his cheek rubbing against Shoto’s shoulder. There’s a gentle purr from Shoto before Izuku releases his hold on him, a gentle kiss being planted against his forehead as Shoto guides him towards his seat.
Always taking care of me…
Uraraka giggles as she lunges across the table, her arms wrapping around Izuku’s neck as she pulls him into a neck-crushing hug.
“You and Shoto are soooo cute, my god! Hi, Izuku! I’m so happy we could meet for dinner!” She squeals, practically loud enough the entire restaurant could hear her. Thankfully, this is a typical hero spot where mainly heroes and sidekicks dined. Nobody here would even give a second glance to the beginning of her statement.
Izuku giggles alongside her, rubbing his cheek on hers as a sign of affection. Since Uraraka was a beta, her scent was very muted. However, you could definitely still smell it up close. It was soft and muted, like a freshly brewed cup of jasmine tea. Comforting, but not overwhelming.
Uraraka releases him with a peck on his cheek, something she’s also begun doing since they formed their little ‘mini’ pack after graduation. All they’re missing is an alpha…
Izuku winces for a moment before he immerses himself in conversation with two of his favourite people. Uraraka has many complaints about how warm it’s been outside lately and how her summer costume still isn't repaired from last summer so she’s had to wear her winter costume and it’s making her sweat so bad she has to take a baby-wipe bath mid shift and even then she can’t help that she starts smelling so strongly of jasmine even though she’s a beta and blah blah blah.
Her complaining carries them through the entire dinner, Izuku and Shoto chiming in here and there with possible solutions to her troubles before her complaining ultimately ends with one final complaint. That complaint being that Izuku hasn’t invited her or Shoto out to see his new home yet.
Izuku nearly chokes on his milkshake at the level of raw, unfiltered seriousness Uraraka is oozing.
“Ocha, you do know that I, like, just literally moved in, right? Like, literally this morning?” He says with a raised brow. “I haven’t even picked up my nesting items from my mom yet!”
Uraraka narrows her eyes as she thinks it over for a moment, as if what Izuku had just said wasn’t even remotely believable. She opens her mouth to speak, but Shoto’s voice rings through his ears instead.
“You don’t have your nest ready?” He says, slight urgency tinging his tone.
“No, not yet. I didn’t want my nest stuff to get all yucky in the move, so I left it at my moms so she could keep it all safe while I moved and unpacked. And, as a bonus, she scented all of it for me,” he says with a soft smile.
Shoto nods his head, the idea becoming more reasonable now that Izuku’s explained.
“Do you want anything from me for your nest, Midoriya?” Shoto says softly, a gentle smile tugging at his lips as he sips his tea.
A big smile spreads across Izuku’s lips as he nods quickly. “Yes! I’d love that. I was actually going to ask both of you if you could scent some things for my nest…” he says quietly, embarrassment lacing his words. No matter how many times he’s asked them to scent things for his nest, it doesn’t get any less embarrassing. He doesn’t know why.
Ochako squeals so loud you’d think it was the first time he’s ever asked. “Of course, Izuku! However many you want, just tell me! It’s my pleasure.”
Shoto nods, and Izuku picks up on his scent. It’s strong, but not overpowering. He’s happy.
“Aww, you guys! You know I love the way your scents mingle in my nest,” Izuku says with a dreamy sigh, his hands coming up to cup his own face as he inhales deeply. “Makes my nest feel like home.”
Ochako giggles like a maniac, her muted jasmine scent getting slightly stronger from her own happiness. Shoto cracks a soft smile, his little laugh causing Ochako to go into another rant about how he needs to laugh more because it’s ‘so cute when you laugh, Shoto!’
-
The night fizzles out, the cool air pricking their skin as they step out of the restaurant. By the time they’ve finished catching up and enjoying each other's company, it’s nearly 10P.M. Thankfully, Izuku’s mom worked the evening shift so she’d be getting home around 10:30P.M. so he had plenty of time to make it over towards her house in order to get his nesting materials.
Uraraka gave him a big hug, lifting him off the pavement a few inches for a moment before gently setting him back down. She steps back and raises her finger as her face lights up like she just remembered something. “Wait!” She exclaims.
She jogs over to her car, quickly unlocking it and grabbing something out of the backseat. She pulls out her super soft pink sweater that she wears all the time. She shuts her car door with her hip before she waddles back towards the two omegas. As she’s walking, she begins rubbing the sweater all along her neck and behind her ears. By the time she gets back to them, the sweater reeks of jasmine.
And Izuku is so happy. She holds it out to him, a wide grin plastered on her face. “I don’t think I’ve washed this in weeks, so it should last a while! Let me know when you want me to rescent it!”
Izuku nods, his hands reaching out to grab the buttery soft fabric. It’s a sweater from her OG hero line, one of the first merchandise items she ever released. It’s fuzzy, it’s pink and it smells so comforting. Izuku chirps as he softly hugs the fabric, a deep inhale filling his lungs with that comforting jasmine scent.
He turns to Shoto and holds his hand out, indicating that now it’s Shoto’s turn. Shoto hums before he reaches behind his head, grabbing his knit sweater by the collar and pulling it over his head and off his body. He begins gently scenting the fabric, rubbing it against his neck and cheek. He scents it for a few minutes, sniffing it here and again until he’s satisfied. Once he feels it to be thoroughly Shoto-fied, he hands it towards Izuku. Thankfully, he’s wearing a long sleeve undershirt so he’s not like naked in the streets or anything.
“Same here, let me know when you want it rescented,” he says softly. Izuku grabs it out of his hands and squeezes it in his grasp along with Uraraka’s sweater, the two scents filling his nose like the most calming scented candle ever made. Before he can stop it, he’s purring. He looks from Shoto to Uraraka, his heart feeling unbelievably full at this exact moment in time.
“Thank you, guys. Really. It means more to me than you’ll ever know,” he sighs, his expression as soft as silk as he looks at his two best friends.
Uraraka gives him a soft hum and then watches as Shoto steps forward and begins scenting Izuku, rubbing his cheek and wrists all over Izuku. Both omegas begin to purr and Izuku closes his eyes as he leans into Shoto’s touch, instinctually beginning to scent him back. It’s so domestic and natural for them, yet it fills his heart with so much love and appreciation.
He truly is lucky to have the support that he does.
Shoto finishes his scenting with a soft kiss to the side of Izuku’s head before he steps back next to Uraraka. “I had fun tonight. Thank you, guys. Really. Perhaps we can get together next week?” Shoto asks, his eyes glancing from Izuku to Uraraka.
Uraraka nods, as does Izuku. “I got nothin’ goin on! What about you, Izuku?”
“I’m down. We’re all off next Saturday, right? Let’s do movie night at my place! You both can spend the night,” Izuku says excitedly, his smile so big he could definitely blind someone.
Both Shoto and Uraraka nod happily, then they say their goodbyes and everyone gets into their respective cars. Izuku carefully places the scented items into a bag he had in his car, not wanting to lose any of the scent that’s on them. He gently puts the bag on his passenger seat before heading off towards his mom’s.
-
He makes it to his mom’s at exactly 10:29P.M. God, he’s absolutely killing it tonight with being on time. He pulls into the driveway and his mom pulls in next to him a few moments after he puts his car in park. He hurries out of the car to help his mom out of hers, opening her door for her and offering his hand as a handle while she climbs out of the driver seat.
After she shuts her car door, she wraps her arms around her son. They both purr into the hug, the comfort of seeing her baby safe and sound being nearly overwhelming for Inko—especially after everything that’s happened.
She’s just happy her son is still in one piece, and he comes home regularly to see her. What more could she need?
As they pull apart from their hug, Inko sniffs a few times before a big smile spreads across her face. “I see you’ve been with Shoto,” she says softly, followed by another sniff. “And… Uraraka?”
Izuku nods, a laugh ripping through his lungs. His mothers nose was no joke, and it always surprised him. “You’re right! How’re you so good at that?”
Inko puffs her chest out in pride and puts her hands on her hips. “I just am,” she eventually says with a laugh. “Did you have fun?” Inko makes her way towards her front door, unlocking it and stepping inside.
“I did, I love seeing them. We’re gonna have a movie night at my new place next weekend! Oh! And they gave me stuff for my nest,” Izuku says excitedly, following her inside.
Inko hums happily as she grabs the big bag of blankets, sweaters, sheets and plushies off the bench in her foyer. All of Izuku’s nesting items are inside, neatly folded and layered in a way that nothing is crushed or squeezed. The bag she’s placed the items in is a scent-saving bag, meaning that no outside scents get in and no inside scents get out.
“I love you baby, but I’m exhausted. I’m gonna take a bath and head to bed, but please come over sometime this week so we can chat,” she says through half lidded eyes. A yawn rips through her as she passes the bag to Izuku.
Izuku quickly grabs the bag and gives his mom a kiss on the cheek. “Absolutely! Thank you so much, mom. I’ll call you tomorrow!”
Inko nods softly before seeing Izuku out, waving at him as he gets in his car and backs down the driveway. Izuku watches as she shuts the door and turns the porch light off. His drive home is peaceful, he listens to a playlist Uraraka sent him a few weeks ago and takes in the views as he leaves the city.
Maybe living in the boonies wouldn’t be too bad.
Or, maybe it’s too soon to know for sure.
-
Izuku pulls into his driveway at almost 11:30P.M. He’s thanking all the gods in the universe that he left his porch light on, because there’s zero light posts outside his house and it’s pitch black outside.
He gathers all his items for his nest and makes his way towards his front door. He locks his car with his key fob, the beep! beep! signaling that he’s successfully locked it (he’s trying to be better at locking it, okay? he’s gotten robbed a few too many times all because he’s left it unlocked.)
He unlocks his front door, swinging it open and tossing his keys into the basket on the counter as he steps inside. He turns, shutting the door swiftly before locking both the knob lock and the deadbolt. He kicks his shoes off before he hurries into his room, flicking on the ceiling light so he can build his nest.
Now, ideally he’d never turn the big light on. Fucks with his sensory shit. But, his fairy lights aren’t emitting enough light at this exact moment in time.
Building his nest is important, slow and tedious work. He takes his time, pulling out each item one at a time before he positions each item in its own designated space. He places Shoto’s and Uraraka’s items closer to the top of his nest, where his head goes. He’ll spend the first night in his new home sleeping a hell of a lot sounder if they’re within snuggling-reach.
After nearly an hour of tedious nest-building, Izuku stands in front of his nest with a seed of pride blooming inside his chest. Damn, this is a good nest.
He admires his work for a few moments before a yawn wracks through him, his entire body tensing up before he releases it with his signature dad-like huff. He shuts off the god forsaken big light before heading into his bathroom. He takes a quick shower, nothing notable going on there.
Drying his hair, brushing his teeth and completing his nightly skincare routine is complete in under seven (7) minutes. He shuffles off towards the kitchen, his nightly glass of cool water calling his name. He grabs a glass from the cabinet (his favourite glass, by the way) before using his super fancy new fridge that has an ice and water dispenser on the door!
For being a house out in the boonies, there was some cool updated shit in here. He had a fancy new dishwasher, a fancy new fridge, a gloriously fancy new stove and a super cute farm-style sink! The sink didn’t look new, but it sure was cute.
The fridge was so new that as he was filling his glass, Izuku noticed the plastic protective film over the touch screen. Once his glass is full, he places it down on the counter before he begins picking at the protective film. He could just leave it, but who doesn’t love a satisfying peel off?
The film comes off easily, Izuku’s brain being satisfyingly scratched for the evening. He crosses the kitchen, kneeling down to chuck it into the recycling bin under the sink.
Out of the corner of his eye, right as he’s about to close the cabinet door, he notices something. He pulls the recycling bin out from underneath the sink, thinking maybe the light of the kitchen would clear up his mistaken eyesight.
Nope. In the recycling bin, is just the plastic film.
Odd…
Izuku could’ve sworn he tossed the weird tiny device in here before dinner. He takes a moment to ponder what he should do, before another yawn takes over his entire body. Well, he’ll figure it out in the morning.
For now, his glorious, absolutely incredibly well made nest is calling him.
He pushes the bin back in the cabinet, shutting the door with a gentle tap. He crosses back over the kitchen, grabbing his water, shutting off the lights and then making his way down the hall to his room.
Izuku places his cup and his phone on his nightstand before ceremoniously diving into his nest. He rolls around in it, letting the soul-comforting scents wrap around him like he was the hot dog in a pig in a blanket. Izuku quickly sets his alarm for work before he forgets, sending a few ‘thanks for tonight!’ texts before locking his phone. He takes a few sips of his water, not being able to fully commit to the full glass.
He settles back into his nest, his comfort meter far surpassing what he had expected for his first night in the house.
Though, he’s not complaining. At all.
His eyes close as he takes a few deep inhales of the soothing scents, his body going lax as he quickly succumbs to the sweet depths of sleep.
-
In the throes of sleep, his mind is still active. He becomes aware of his dream when he’s sitting up in bed, except it’s not his nest, and it’s not his room.
He glances around, the first thing he notices is that there’s no real structure around him. It’s just him, in this bed, and then… darkness. These types of dreams aren’t foreign to him. Since All Might passed, sometimes he’ll have these strange dreams where All Might’s vestige will try to show him something. Typically it’s little things, tips for helping him see a case in a new light, helping him learn a new use for his quirks and even helping him decipher how to settle conflicts in his social life. He takes a deep breath and then looks at the sheets, looking for any type of sign of where his brain could be projecting him.
The sheets are normal, white bed sheets with no real tell on whose bed this might be. He tries to move his arms, but to no avail. I guess this is one where I can’t move.
Since he can’t move, maybe he’ll be able to talk?
“All Might, are you here?” He rasps out, his voice sounding hoarse and worn.
At least he can talk this time. Usually, he can’t. Usually, All Might can’t, either. He’d usually just show him.
There’s a moment of silence before golden smoke fills his vision. Just as quickly as the smoke came, it dissipated. What is left behind is an old, haggered All Might in his true form… but older.
“Young Midoriya,” All Might says with a soft smile, even his voice sounding old and withered. It brings a strong ache to his heart to see his hero and mentor in such a state.
“Is something wrong, All Might?” Izuku asks, not wanting to waste any time. There’s no telling how long these dreams will last, as the dream world moves much slower than in real time. Typically, what feels like only a few minutes in these dreams has carried him all the way until morning in real time.
All Might’s soft small falls into a frown, his eyes scanning over Izuku as he begins to talk. “I know you’ve moved into your new house.”
Izuku nods, his eyebrow raising at the fact. “Yes, why does that matter?”
“Well, to be frank with you, Young Midoriya… keep your eyes open. Be aware of your surroundings. Things are not always what they seem, and horrible things can lurk in the background,” All Might says with a grimace, his expression turning into something Izuku couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was a cross between fear and disgust, Izuku couldn’t decide which one he wished it was more.
Izuku opened his mouth to speak, to ask him what in god's green earth was he talking about, to demand answers to his creepy, cryptic message… especially since it was about his new home!
But, All Might beat him to it.
“I don’t have all the answers, Young Midoriya. Just be careful, and make sure you talk to someone. Talk to someone about how you’re feeling, talk to someone about your whereabouts… just talk.”
His speech is fast, like he’s rushing. All Might’s eyes dart around behind Izuku, as if something was moving around behind him. His eyes widen as they lock back on Izuku's.
“We’re out of time. Listen to what I’ve said, and be aware. I will try to see you again soon, with more information.”
With that, Izuku’s eyes open to the sound of his alarm clock. He sits up in his nest, his hands coming up to rub the sleep out of his eyes before pushing his hair back, out of his face.
What the hell was that?
Usually when All Might came to him in his dreams, there was a clear meaning behind what he’d say, or show. This time, Izuku couldn’t be more fucking confused.
He groans before he reaches over to his side table, his hand hovering over his phone as his eyes lay on the water glass on his side table. Or, lack thereof. He stares for a moment, his brain working overtime already at six in the morning.
Sitting on his side table is not his original glass that he came to bed with.
Looks similar, for sure. But there’s one detail that catches his eye. The glass he brought to bed had a small, minuscule chip on the rim. It was his favourite glass, one of the glasses he grew up with at his mom’s. This glass… had no chip. Not on the rim, not on the base, nowhere.
To anyone else, it looks like the same exact glass. But Izuku knows better. He quickly grabs his phone, clicking the alarm off before he grabs the glass, bringing it up to his nose.
He takes a small sniff, checking to see if the liquid inside had any scent change. The liquid inside was clear and the same viscosity as water, but after the meeting he just had with All Might, he was on high alert.
There was no off putting scent, but Izuku decided not to risk it. He got out of bed, carefully holding the glass tight in his grip. He walked to the bathroom and dumped the liquid in the toilet, deciding it’s better to be safe than to be sorry.
He brings the glass into the kitchen, instantly rinsing it under warm water before popping it into the dishwasher. Out of pure curiosity, he opens his cup cabinet, nearly having a heart attack at the sight. In front of him is his favourite glass, the glass from his mom’s house. Chipped rim and all.
What the fuck…?