Ultra Responsibility (My Hero Academia X Spider-Man Reader)

Issue 80 - Cancelled

I lay there for a while just... staring at it.

The little plastic card felt stupidly light for something that heavy.

My provisional hero licence.

I held it up over my face, squinting at the photo like it might blink first. Turned it over. Ran my thumb along the edge. Flipped it again. Like a coin. Like a magic trick. Like if I kept moving it, it would stay real.

Me. Legal. Approved. "Hero in training."

If you'd told twelve-year-old me that I'd end up here, I'd have laughed so hard I'd have sprained something.

And yet... my chest had that fizzy, giddy feeling. Like a kid hearing Disneyland and immediately forgetting what taxes are.

I rolled onto my side, grabbed my phone, and took a picture. The camera flash made the card look even shinier, like it was bragging.

I sent it to Aunt May first.

Me: I passed. I'm official-ish. Please do not frame this and cry (you will).

Then Chui.

Me: We did it. No more "former villain arc" jokes. Okay, maybe one more.

My thumb hovered over Peni's name.

I stared at it.

A stupid, ugly little lump formed in my throat. I exhaled slowly, like I could breathe it out.

Then I sent it anyway.

Me: Hey. I passed. You'd be yelling at me to celebrate properly, so... consider this me trying. Miss you. Wake up soon, yeah?

I locked my phone and dropped it on my chest, staring up at the ceiling of my dorm room.

For once, the quiet felt... nice.

Then came a knock.

"Come in," I called, voice muffled by the pillow.

Kirishima leaned in the doorway with that sunny grin like he ran on protein shakes and good vibes. He thumbed behind him. "Yo! A bunch of us are hitting the cinema and grabbing some food to celebrate. You in?"

I actually considered it. Like, genuinely. Warm lights, popcorn, everyone laughing, pretending the world wasn't constantly on fire.

But my bones felt heavy. My head felt heavier.

I shook my head. "I'm... wiped. I think I'm gonna stay in."

Kirishima's grin dipped a fraction, but he didn't make it weird. "Fair. If you change your mind, we'll be at the mall."

"Have fun," I said, meaning it.

He gave a quick thumbs-up and disappeared.

The door clicked shut, and the quiet rushed back in like it had been waiting outside.

I rubbed my face with both hands and let out a long breath. Exhausted wasn't even the word. It was more like... I just wanted to exist without someone needing me for five minutes.

My phone rang.

I rolled over lazily, expecting a cheerful congrats and a soundboard of obnoxious celebration noises.

CHUI flashed on screen.

I answered. "Hey, don't tell me you're calling to cry over my perfect licence photo."

There was a pause.

Then Chui's voice came through, smaller than usual. Tight. Like she was holding herself together with tape and spite.