Chapter Text
The glow of his computer is starting to burn his eyes after so many hours, but Izuku still isn't ready to sleep. His body aches for it, exhaustion sinking its fangs into the back of his neck and its claws into his ribs, but there is a current of something , so well fed by a bad day, that keeps his eyes from slipping closed.
He knew going in that junior high would be worse than elementary, he isn't sure why the confirmation aches so sharply.
The bubbling of fear beneath his skin still lingers, even though he's safe in his room, away from Kacchan, away from the pain. Almost as though to spite him, the burnt skin on his hands and neck stings viciously and it almost makes him choke on air, his panic bubbling up so quickly at the reminder. It feels like drowning on dry land, body crumpled against the hard and unforgiving crash of the ocean.
On screen, his character dies again, the animation for it familiar and dramatic. Exhaustion and everything else building in his chest dulls his caring. He respawns a few moments later, almost at the same time as the message that pops up on his screen.
tredacted4 [3:48]
how the fuck did that kill you?
you had cover and dodged worse last round
mightdoriya [3:48]
got distracted, sorry
They've been playing together for almost the entire time Izuku's been on at this point, and he knows he should probably stop now that he's died and his school alarm is fast approaching. But playing stupid games with a stranger is mindnumbing, draws Izuku away from the world. It also doesn't hurt that his partner is good at all the games they've played.
Izuku dies twice more, once to a knife and once to a fall, before halfway through a strategic retreat across the map, his partner's avatar suddenly goes still. Unsure of whether to run or wait, Izuku hesitates and they're both killed by another duo on the server. He gets kicked to the start screen with the bold title VetaMass , letting him know his partner dropped from the round.
The corner of his screen pings with another message.
tredacted4 [4:23]
sorry accidentally destroyed my controller
quirk accident
mightdoriya [4:23]
no problem!
do you have to stop playing now?
mightdoriya [4:24]
since you dont have a controller?
tredacted4 [4:25]
yeah but thankfully it wasnt the keyboard this time
yknow youre not so bad for a player 2
mightdoriya [4:25]
oh so /im/ player two huh?
not the one of us that had to be saved from the yellow team
tredacted4 [4:26]
says the one who got headshotted bc they were basically afk
The deep breath Izuku takes is steadying, a comfort. Hope newly fostered in his heart is too difficult to stifle.
mightdoriya [4:27]
want to play again tomorrow?
There is so much fear in asking, shredding and heavy at his lungs, and it only grows as minutes pass. Izuku has been alone for so long and wariness, in all the forms he knows it, has been etched into his very bones and soul.
Even through a screen people can be cruel, can twist a knife into the softest parts of you. It's a lesson Izuku had to learn early.
tredacted4 [4:31]
sure
A month after the first time they played together, when Izuku had felt like he was shattering anew, Tomura still talks to him.
Izuku isn't sure when he should expect the older boy to leave permanently anymore, after all their fights and the days his friend just disappears sometimes. Tomura is unpredictable and has more bad days than good, but in his own way, angry and distant and awkward, he's shown to be a good friend.
Izuku hopes it will last.
tomura4fng [22:12]
i still dont understand your love for heroes
its kinda disgusting
mightdoriya [22:13]
and thats fine!
i know you dont like them, but i think there are a lot of heroes whose devotion to saving people is admirable
He does not mention All Might. No matter how much he loves the number one hero, he knows it's a difficult subject for Tomura. It's a conversation they only ever touch in his best days. Especially after the first time Izuku had mentioned him, Tomura had stopped replying to his messages for a week after his hour long rant.
The number one hero generally sends the older boy spiralling, his messages coming too fast for Izuku to read and growing progressively angrier before he finally breaks his keyboard in what Izuku has learned are very common mishaps with his quirk.
Izuku's just glad Tomura hasn't realized who his username alludes to. Changing it after so many years would be annoying.
tomura4fng [22:14]
theyre just so oblivious
its their fault people are so apathetic to anyone who struggles
they breed violence
mightdoriya [22:14]
just because some do doesn't invalidate the whole system
if we only had the police it would still breed violence
mightdoriya [22:15]
as it stands a lot of heroes are nonviolent or take that route as a first option, though sadly not the majority
like midnight! or rescue heroes like the wild wild pussycats
When the little banner announcing that Tomura is typing sticks around for longer than thirty seconds Izuku cringes. He probably should've steered them away from this conversation immediately after he had first brought it up. Today wasn't exactly a bad day for Tomura as far as he was aware, but that didn't mean the older boy wouldn't get upset over the conversation on heroes.
Honestly, Izuku isn't sure why Tomura hasn't stopped talking to him over this.
tomura4fng [22:17]
a few heroes who arent monsters doesnt change the fact that heroics has warped society and i know youve experienced that firsthand even if you wont say why
we're the same so why cant you agree with me
heroes have abandoned us
theyd never save you
Something sharp in Izuku's chest aches. He knows Tomura is just bad at this, having friends. Izuku is bad at it too. But sometimes the older boy forgets how far is too far, says something that feels like a knife when he's just trying to explain himself.
Now, Izuku can only stare at the word you and hurt. Even if Tomura obviously meant us and everyone else that is deemed lesser by society, it wasn't what he typed.
They won't save Izuku because he doesn't have a quirk.
It would be a boon to society if he died.
One of the third year's taunts echoes in his head, goading Izuku to walk into a villain attack and not come out the other side.
There is bile in his throat.
mightdoriya [22:26]
lets just talk about something else.
Izuku knows Tomura will take it as him winning their argument, the older boy still has trouble recognizing how Izuku is feeling since they communicate mostly through texts, but there will be time to argue another day, when Izuku's lungs don't feel full of ice.
tomura4fng [22:28]
what do you think of the new wildsoul game coming out
tomura4fng [16:57]
where are you
youve been online the last few times i messaged
why wont you reply
He knows Tomura can see him typing when he starts, but it's a slow process. The end of his first term of junior high is fast approaching, only two weeks away, and the meanest of his peers had apparently not wanted him to have a relaxing month off.
The hand wrapped in a cast, fingers immobilized by splints, is useless for typing, so Izuku has to use only the one bandaged to keep his burnt, blistered palm from getting infected.
mightdoriya [17:02]
sorry bad hand injuries. theyre difficult to type with
tomura4fng [17:03]
what happened
mightdoriya [17:09]
some third years and kacchan got a little too rough but its fine
mightdoriya [17:15]
plus it doesnt matter! theres only like a week until i'm 13! and one of my hands will be healed by then!
tomura4fng [17:16]
only one hand being healed after a week when youve been gone for one already doesnt seem like its fine
mightdoriya [17:18]
its not a big deal tomura
There's more he wants to say but Izuku stops typing. His hand is beginning to throb, sharp pains shooting along his fingers from all the movement.
He is so thankful that neither injury will do any damage more long lasting than a particularly nasty scar.
tomura4fng [17:18]
give me their names
And another of Tomura's oddities.
He's asked twice before, once after Izuku was sent to detention for fighting when a teacher caught him standing between one of the third years and another kid in his grade and a second time when Kacchan had left a hand shaped burn through the fabric of Izuku's uniform. He's never given the older boy any names, but he finds the demand a little funny every time.
Tomura just turned 16 a few months back, and is probably only in his second year of highschool. Izuku isn't really sure what he could do against a teacher hell bent on getting Izuku in trouble.
mightdoriya [17:19]
no lol
His hand gives a throb in protest even to those six characters, and with a roll of his eyes goes offline, rolling away from his desk with a kick of his feet.
Thinking about his injuries is the last thing he wants to do. It only leads to memories of Kacchan's face all twisted up in anger over something he saw in Izuku's notebooks and then the explosive blond's hands on his, knocking his pencil away, holding them palm to palm as fire and concussive force was stifled between them for a few short seconds. Memories of standing between Hoshida and Morikawa a few days later for what felt like the thousandth time. Of Hoshida's anger with him finally boiling over as the third year used his quirk to break the arm and hand Izuku had extended to protect Morikawa.
Instead, Izuku wanders from his room, following the sound of his mom bustling around the kitchen.
Inko gives him a small smile when he exits the hallway.
"How are you doing, Izuku?" she asks, her voice gentle, just loud enough to be heard over the news she must've been watching for background noise.
"Good," Izuku takes a seat in front of the TV, content to watch the latest on Edgeshot's latest fight even though he really wants to help his mom cook, "my left hand hasn't been hurting too much since it was casted after the fall, but it's a little itchy."
The half-truth still tastes bitter.
Izuku wants to message Tomura. He's used to talking to the older boy on nearly every one of his good days. It's become a familiar routine, whether they argue the merits of heroes, talk about their days, or just play games.
But today is Izuku's birthday, and he can't bring himself to message the person he considers his best friend.
It makes him feel slimy, purposefully not changing his status to online, even as he lurks. He knows Tomura is his friend, Izuku hasn't given him a reason to leave yet. But something bitter and hurt in his heart, buried under layers of being okay, whispers that Tomura doesn't remember Izuku when they aren't actively talking.
He refreshes one of his tabs, the one detailing the recent arrest made by Endeavor. Hidden in the long report is the list of injuries the criminal had received and the estimated amount of property damage. It gets noted down alongside the rest of the information Izuku had found on the number two hero's recent arrests.
The practice was something Izuku had started for Tomura, a physical log to remind himself of what was wrong with the way heroics currently operated. A reminder of what he wanted so desperately to change, even if he'd never be strong enough to make that big of an impact. After a long silent treatment from the older boy, Tomura had promised to do something similar for Izuku, tracking a few rescue heroes and trying to remember that the world wasn't only composed of violence.
His computer dings with a familiar chime.
tomura4fng [15:39]
happy birthday player 2
mightdoriya [15:39]
thanks player three :)
tomura4fng [15:39]
i will kill you
Relief beats like a drum in his chest, the bitter and lost part of himself losing its grip, though the guilt is not so easily swayed.
mightdoriya [15:40]
but its my birthday tomura
you wouldnt kill me on my birthday
tomura4fng [15:41]
who's to say it would be today
want to voice chat and play sun force?
mightdoriya [15:41]
yeah
The request comes in two minutes later, beeping steadily. It takes no time to finish finding his headset and pull up the game.
tomura4fng [15:43]
Incoming Call…
mightdoriya [15:43]
Call Accepted…
"Happy birthday, Player Two," Tomura says after giving the call a moment of silence to connect properly.
His voice is rough and raspy, like he's either not spoken in a while or someone had hit him in the throat recently.
"So you've said." A beat and Izuku can already feel the anxiety clawing up his stomach, even though he knows Tomura isn't a threat, he doesn't know what Izuku is, "but, uh, thank you."
Tomura sounds extremely disgusted when he asks it but he manages to grit out, "Your mom get you All Might merch or something this year?"
Izuku clicks 'start' on Sun Force and searches Tomura's account, the same tredacted4 username as when they first played together.
"Not this year! I actually asked for some of Gang Orca and Wavefront. Their team up on the Rishi Disasters to save everyone that got trapped by the destabilized buildings and flooding was amazing!"
Tomura's sigh is obviously annoyed, but a second passes before he actually replies, "Wavefront isn't terrible, I guess."
If Izuku thought Tomura wouldn't hear him, he would've cried. Instead a near boundless grin splits his face and he bounces a little in his seat as his friend accepts his request to play together.
That was the kindest thing he'd ever heard Tomura say about a hero.
Sun Force starts up, and the animated diagrams of their two ships appear on screen.
"I won't be able to run any offensive measures efficiently since my left arm is still in a cast," Izuku warns his friend, drawing them away from any thought of heroes.
It's his favorite topic, but Izuku knows Tomura gets anxious and angry if he thinks about them for too long.
"I can cover that if you take care of any resources we find or shield mishaps until we hit the Deep Space levels."
"No way we make it through those without both of us able to run offense and defense." Izuku whines, clicking through a few options for his ship with one hand.
Tomura's scoff nearly devolves into a cough, but the dramatic sound succeeds in making Izuku smile anyways. " Deep Space levels are easy, Player Two. The biggest challenge is going to be the bosses in the Nova Rim levels."
"As long as we get through the space-face dude just after Grey sells us new parts, it'll be fine. Beating him again is the perfect birthday present."
"Fuck space-face dude," Tomura says, laughing. The sound is too loud and too dry, like laughing even that much hurts.
Izuku smiles with him, five fingers flying over his keyboard.
They play Sun Force for nearly four hours, until they get stuck on the final Nova Rim boss like Tomura had predicted.
It's their fourth attempt when one of the boss' finishing moves starts charging up and two seconds later Tomura's ship stops moving and a loud exclamation of, "Fuck," comes through the call.
Moments later both of their ships are destroyed.
"Your keyboard bite the dust again?" Izuku asks after a moment.
The rough bark of laughter is unexpected, but still makes Izuku smile a little. "Sure did, Player Two," Tomura sighs, "there's nothing left from Q through to U."
"Pity, we might've had it that time."
"No way in hell, pipsqueak."
"Oh that's a new one," Izuku huffs, rolling his eyes, "you don't even know how tall I am."
"You're thirteen. Thus, you're a pipsqueak," Tomura says, voice only more rough after talking for so long.
Izuku lets his head fall to his desk, ignoring more of Tomura's near maniacal laughter. "Whatever," he grumbles, closing Sun Force .
They sit in silence for a few moments before Izuku barely catches his mom calling for him from the kitchen.
He immediately sits up a little straighter.
"Oh, uh, I gotta go, Tomura. Dinner's ready. Thanks for playing with me, it was really fun." His thanks feels too small to cover how much these few hours spent with a friend mean to Izuku after so many years of spending his birthday alone.
"I'll message when I get my hands on a new keyboard. Happy birthday, Izuku."
tomura4fng [19:33]
Call Ended…
4 hours —