𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮 ❶ - { bₙₕₐ. ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ɪɴꜱᴇʀᴛ} ✔

𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰

He was standing exactly where he said he would, on top of the small grass hill under the cherry blossom tree with his back facing you. It was a sight straight out of a painting, the April breeze blowing through the courtyard playfully, causing bright pink petals to dance in the air. It was beautiful. You feel a soft smile cross your features as your eyes drink in the scene, wishing that you noticed the beauty of U.A. sooner.

"Midoryia?"

Your voice was gentle and melodic, not wanting to disturb the tranquility of the area; but, of course, Midoryia is startled by your sudden presence, letting out a small nervous shriek. You still smile nonetheless, always amused by his skittish nature.

"Y/N!"

You nod your head in acknowledgment, waiting for him to start the conversation. He doesn't. Midoryia stays quiet, his green eyes only darting around never landing on you directly. You sigh, you were going to be standing here forever.

"Midoryia, why did you ask to meet me here?"

"Oh! Well, I wanted to talk and, uh, apologies to you-"

"For what?"

"huh?-"

"What do you want to apologize for? I thought I made it clear that I was never mad at you."

"I know! But, I still should've been there! You were always right in front of me, always within my reach...so I should've saved you and I'm sorry I didn't, something was always-"

"Stopping you?"

"Yes..."

"I could tell. You always looked scared when you looked at me and with a look of familiarity. Were you bullied before, Midoryia?"

Midoryia couldn't stop the waterfall flowing from his eyes. You felt sympathy for him, he bottled up his feelings just like you did; except when your heart bursts it goes straight to your fists when his does he bursts into tears. Though you wondered what he expected, did he really think that he could hide behind a heroic smile just as you hide behind violence and anger to push down unresolved feelings? From your experience, you knew that strategy never truly works.

"Yeah...I was."

You smile, offering any sort of comfort you could, encouraging him to just let it out. You realized before meeting him here that this was going to be addressing his feelings rather than yours, and you were more than glad to help him. You could've told him a thousand times that there was no bad blood between you two and that he shouldn't feel guilty for what happened, but your words would've fallen on deaf ears. So, you decided to attend his meeting and hear him out, hopefully, soothing his conscience in the process. An innocent man should be able to rest easy, after all.

"Whenever you looked at me you saw yourself, didn't you?

He nods, trying (but, failing) to wipe away his snotty tears with his sleeve.

"Then, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"W-Why?"

"Because I think it'd be pretty shitty of me to blame you for not being able to face your past. People keep their past in the past for a reason, Midoryia, it's painful. You never needed to save me.'

"But, heroes save everyone. How can I be the greatest hero if I couldn't save my own classmate, who was suffering right in front of me?"

You sigh, not saying anything in retort because you too held yourself to that standard. It would be hypocritical to disagree with him. You put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, gaining his full attention to the next words you'd speak. Your smile was still soft as you pause to mull over your words, deciding on what to say. So, you respond in the only way you could—truthfully

"You're a great hero, Izuku. You just weren't mine."

And with those words, you leave him there. You don't think about whether or not that's what he needed to hear because that didn't matter; you merely told him reality, it was now up to him to accept it in his own time. Your phone pings, showing a notification from Tani, who had texted you some random picture of a cat that sort of looked like you. You chuckle quietly as you exit the courtyard; this was your reality, one that was vastly different from the one you previously lived. You glance up at your dorms, seeing silhouettes of people you once hated, no longer thinking of the building as a challenge or a foe to defeat. But, rather as a new ally; someone who you could start to trust. That was the reality you had just learned to accept. You were ever so optimistic that, someday, Midoryia would learn too.