Silhouette

Ch. 5

Wrestling with the knowledge that Izuku's childhood friend turned bully turned rival turned villain was not an easy feat for him. After meeting the infamous Zero and Red on his patrol, he'd gone back to his agency and filed a report. A meaningless report that stated he never even talked to them. There was a small fight, and they escaped without a word. 

Izuku was in serious shit. If anyone found out he'd fabricated the report, he could kiss his job, his license, his life goodbye. Yet he didn't regret the decision. 

At least not enough to fix it. 

After learning of his patrol escapades and his resulting injuries, Iida ordered him three days off. He had started at a week, but Izuku was able to talk him down, and it only took an hour. Believe it or not, that was actually an improvement. 

His back wasn't too badly burned (he silently debated if Katsuki had held back, but there was no way he'd ever do that), so he decided not to bother any of the healers on duty. Between all the injuries he regularly sustained at work, he had enough medical supplies to be considered a small clinic. He could take care of a few minor burns at home. 

"I should get a dog," Izuku mumbled to himself as he slipped on the loosest-fitting hoodie he owned. He'd spent most of his first and second days off shirtless; the constant stinging in his back was only worsened by the friction caused by fabric, but he couldn't leave his apartment half naked. He'd never hear the end of it from his PR team. 

"Who am I kidding? I can't keep a plant alive, let alone an animal." 

It was around midnight, and he couldn't sleep. It was nothing new for him; sleepless nights came with the job. Despite his carefree and self-assured attitude, it truly was impossible to save everyone. He often stayed up well into the night thinking about those he failed. 

Tonight was no different, although the victim was a new one he hadn't thought about in a long time. When Katsuki first disappeared, Izuku had searched for him. For years, actually. It wasn't until recently (and with lots of pushing from the agency-employed counselor he was required to meet with at least once a month) that he'd finally accepted that he'd never see his childhood friend again. 

Only for him to turn up. This time, as the big bad villain Izuku had always imagined stole him away. 

To say his head was a mess was an understatement. 

So, he did what he always did when he couldn't sleep. He walked. 

It was a clear night, not a cloud in the sky, as the stars shone brightly overhead. Autumn had just begun, so the air was chilly. Nothing a sweatshirt couldn't fend off. He wasn't sure where he was heading, but he never really did. There wasn't a point to his late-night strolls other than getting out of the house for something non-life-threatening. 

Imagine his surprise when his feet carried him to the same park where he'd first seen Katsuki after all those years, bickering with Eijirou over a failed gas station robbery. It was just as beautiful as he remembered, the fairy lights twinkling in the dark and dusting the path with a soft glow. 

Izuku sighed, resigning himself to this fate. He wanted to be here for some reason, so he might as well see it through. "When the world doesn't magically fix itself, I can turn around and go home. Maybe get some actual sleep for a change," he muttered bitterly to no one but himself as he started down the path through the park. 

It didn't take long for him to come across an empty bench. Fatigue had set in, no matter how much his body refused to sleep, so a short break there sounded like a half-decent idea. 

He plopped down and rested his elbows on his knees, careful to keep his still raw back from touching the cool wood of the bench. Subconsciously, his leg started bouncing and his anxiety ticked up. There was no rhyme or reason to it other than it felt like he was waiting. Waiting for something to happen, but he wasn't sure what.