Visions of Hope

Work-Study Tragedy

Izuku sighed as he walked beside Mirio, going by his hero name Lemillion at the moment, on their patrol. The work-study had been taxing as they tried to plan out how to find and read Eri. He knew the pros were working on it...but guilt ate at him after they had let Eri return to Kai Chisaki and the untold horrors he committed against her. He saw Mirio glanced at him and smile.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" the blond boy asked. He was trying to keep their spirits up as they tried to carry on with life.

Izuku sighed. "A lot," he muttered. When the blue eyes didn't leave his face, he sighed again. "I feel guilt cause of what happened with Eri and the one person I want to talk to about it...I can't."

Mirio suddenly got excited. "You found your soulmate! Wicked awesome, my man!"

Izuku blushed and quickly shook his head. "N-No...at least...he isn't sure," he muttered, waiting. He had run into a couple of peers who frowned when he referred to his soulmate as a 'he.' Mirio just seemed pumped.

"Really? Well, I guess that isn't too weird," he assured. "It took mine two years."

Izuku stared at him. "You had visions?"

Mirio puffed out his chest. "I still do," he said proudly. "Tamaki is really shy, ya know? So it took him some time before he was willing to admit it."

Izuku laughed. "I owe Kirishima twenty bucks! He said Tamaki knew before you."

Mirio blinked, scratching at his head. "Huh? You guys were betting on us? But you acted like you didn't know that we were soulmates."

"I didn't know that you were soulmates, but we were pretty sure you two were together," Izuku said. "After all, his name is Suneater and he's always calling you his sun."

It made the younger teen burst out laughing when Mirio got flustered over the thoughts behind the group's assumptions. The laughter eased their tension and they continued their patrol without any further incident. It made interacting with citizens that much easier and enjoyable. As they were ending their patrol, heading back to the agency, Mirio's phone went off. He pulled it out, studying it carefully. His smile faded.

"It's Tamaki. They've found where Eri is...Sir Nighteye is calling a meeting," he said grimly. He looked to Izuku. "Let's end this."

Izuku nodded, teeth gritted as they hurried toward the agency. Soon enough they were in a large meeting room, surrounded by pro heroes, Tamaki, Uraraka, Kirishima, and Tsuyu. As they listened, Izuku's mind focused on helping Eri and that was it.

~Time Skip~

Izuku sat in front of the doctor, thanking him for the help and assurance that aside from some pulled muscles and fatigue he was fine. He changed into clean clothes Aizawa had brought for him and wandered down the hall. He stood outside the room that he knew Sir Nighteye was in and felt his stomach sinking.

They had won...Eri was safe...but the cost was making his stomach churn and his heart shatter. He had been filled in as he was waiting for his test results. Sir Nighteye was critically injured. Mirio had been deemed quirkless and had several broken bones. Tamaki and Kirishima were severely hurt and recovering. Eri was quarantined due to her uncontrolled power.

"Problem child."

Izuku turned to look at Aizawa. "Sir?"

Aizawa said nothing as he started walking with him. "You did well. You should be proud."

Izuku hung his head. "But why? Look at"

Aizawa put his hand on the boy's shoulder and stopped them. "Don't do that. The girls felt the same way, but you all were thrown into something you shouldn't have been. This is not your fault. If anyone is at fault, it's all of us adults." His grip on Izuku's shoulder was firm but gentle. "However, it is because of you kids that Eri is safe, Chisaki is in custody, and we didn't lose anyone. Without you all, I doubt we would have gotten here."

Izuku looked down, still feeling guilty. "But...if I had been better then Sir Nighteye wouldn't be where he is and Mirio wouldn't be like he is and...and..."

Aizawa suddenly pulled Izuku close. "Without you, many more lives would have been lost. Because of your mind, you were able to help Eri and use her quirk to win the fight. Do not ever doubt yourself, Midoriya."

Izuku clung to his teacher, trying to draw comfort from his words. He looked up when Aizawa released him. The older man looked exhausted but proud. "I understand, sir. I'll do my best..."

Aizawa nodded and turned. "Are you sure you want to come in? No one would fault you for choosing not to."

"No," Izuku said softly. "I don't want him to think I don't care. I owe a lot to him." The dark-haired man nodded and led the way in. Izuku felt himself get lost in his emotions as he stood with the others, listening to everything.

He listened to the dying man's reassurances that Izuku had done what he thought could happen - Izuku changed the future. Izuku felt his heartbreak further when Mirio shrugged off nurses and made his way in. He watched the young man who had lost his quirk, sob over Sir Nighteye, even as the man assured him that his future was so bright. Izuku had to excuse himself, not wanting to cry in front of everyone.

He stepped out of the room, leaning against the wall, hands pressed to his eyes as he fought off sobs. The world had lost a great hero and he felt partially responsible. He wasn't sure he would recover from this.

"Midoriya!"

Izuku looked up at the voice just as a body collided with his and enveloped him in a hug that was so warm...so safe. He felt the arms holding him tight and he glanced to the side, seeing Uraraka and Tsuyu standing there. He looked at who held him as best he could and he saw the white hair...and knew.

"T-Todoroki?" he whispered.

"Uraraka called...I thought I'd lost you," the boy said, holding tighter. "She told me how bad the others were and...and I just saw you laying in that hospital bed after camp..."

Izuku blinked, shocked. Todoroki sounded really panicked and, based on the hug, was relieved that he was in one piece. "Todoroki...I'm okay. The little girl we saved kept me in one piece. I'm lucky."

Todoroki pulled back, his eyes pained. He glanced past Izuku and seemed to realize what was going on in the room. "I'm...I'm sorry. I just had to see for myself that my friends were okay." He turned away, embarrassed.

Izuku reached out, touching the other boy's arm. "Thanks. I bet the girls could show you to Kirishima's room. He should be awake by now."

Todoroki nodded, letting Tsuyu and Uraraka lead the way, leaving Izuku standing in the hallway. It warmed his heart to know that Todoroki had shown such worry...but it also broke his heart. He needed that hug - he needed that support, but he refused to force Todoroki to continue something that he obviously wasn't ready for. When Mirio was guided out, Izuku took over, walking the silent teen back to his room. Things had worked out in the end...but at what cost?