【𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 • 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐊𝐔 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑】

33| Frightening Normality

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"This," you mutter, "is where you lived?"

"I expected it to be bigger." Shinimi looks around.

It's a relatively small house, in the middle of nowhere. It looks normal, not at all like you would've expected it.

Midoriya shrugs. "I have to be modest. I can't make it obvious that this is my house, you know?"

You nod, following him onto the porch. "I guess. Wouldn't want villains finding out where you live."

"Did you live alone?" Shinimi asks as Midoriya pushes the door open, unlocking it with a key he took from under the mat. The green-haired man nods solemnly. 

"I can't imagine," Midoriya mutters, entering his home, "having a family and putting them in danger just because of my job. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

You look around the living room, with a kitchen to the side and stairs going upwards. 

It's normal, surprisingly.

Midoriya turns to you and Shinimi. "I'll go look in the rooms here. You guys can do whatever, I guess."

"Alright," you reply, "what should I look for? Like, where would you keep the money?"

He stops, thinking for a moment. "Maybe a box of sorts? I know I kept a lot of money at home. I don't know."

You nod, starting to climb the stairs while Shinimi goes to the kitchen. You can't imagine he's actually going to look; for food, maybe, but not money.

That's something you've noticed about the red-haired teen. He seems to be quiet most days, but when something like food or money is mentioned he gets excited, as if he hasn't had much in his life. 

And the thing about Midoriya? It feels like he's trying. It's awkward at times, but you can tell.

So you have to do your best, too. For the both of them.

You open the first door you see, flicking on the lights. It looks normal. Too normal. 

It's a bedroom, almost completely empty spare a bed and a desk. Surely this isn't it, right? Why is it so empty?

You look around for a few moments, but you can't find anything. All of the drawers are empty, too. 

What the heck?

You leave the room, feeling a little freaked out. Was he robbed when he disappeared?

You check the other door on the second floor of the house. It's a bathroom, just as empty as the bedroom. Everything is clean. Too clean.

You go back down the stairs, with no sign of Midoriya, so you head to the kitchen where Shinimi is.

He's rummaging through the fridge, closing it when you walk in and turning to look at you. "There's nothing. No food in the fridge or even in the cabinets."

"That's weird," you mutter to yourself, "I guess we should just keep looking around. There's nothing upstairs, either."

Shinimi nods, continuing with his search while you walk around the empty house. It's eerie. Clean, perfect, as if some germophobe lived in the house while Izuku was gone.

No signs of live at all.

"Midoriya?" You call out, intending to ask him about it, "Where'd you go?"

There's a door at the end of the hall, and you hear noises coming from inside, so of course you try to push it open. It doesn't budge.

"Midoriya, is that you?" You say, knocking on the door.

When you lean all of your weight onto the door, it pushes open, and you stumble inside. 

It's pitch black, and you fumble for a switch on the wall. 

The room floods with light, and you blink, looking around.

It looks like a basement; boxes piled upon boxes, all of which seemed to be taped shut but are now ripped open. You take a step forward, peeking inside the first one you see.

It looks as if everything in the house was stuffed inside of these boxes, and each one you look into, it seems as if you're right in your assumption.

But why?

In the very back of the room, in the far corner, is a box taped tighter than all of the others.

You rip it open, tilting your head when you see what's inside.

All Might merchandise? 

You always knew that Deku was a big All Might fan, but why is all of this hidden here? 

You close the box. Was he sad when All Might died? Is that why he boxed up all of his stuff? It doesn't exactly make sense, but you shrug it off. Everyone has different coping mechanisms. 

You scoot it aside, revealing another box behind it. Unlike all of the others in the room, it's metal, with a four-digit coded lock.

This has gotta be it, you think, scooping it up into your arms, hopefully Midoriya knows the code.

You leave the strange room, flicking off the lights and hugging the supposed box of money in your arms.

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