Saku's One Shots (prev Deku One Shots With Angst)

those veins of starlight (always lead back to us)

Hello lovelies! I reached flow state while writing this ngl even tho I should 100% be locked in....never mind! Here is a fic on my OG trio, Izuku, Ochaco and Tenya because they are so dear to me, and I am upset that Horikoshi dropped them as a friend group! I just turned 18 recently (probably shouldn't announce this?), so this is a little reflection on growing up and childhood as well; enjoy!!The biggest thank you to my beta reader @uglillypretty you're the sweetest I love you so much

--------

One for All was never meant to reach such an encompassing strength, and yet it settled inside his chest like it always belonged there; its warmth flickering and fueling inside him, urging him to keep going even though his body was on the brink of collapse. Tantalising arcs of light lit up the dark clouds around them, the familiar stream of power blossoming out from his finger tips, charging the ions all around them.

"Midoriya, go!"

"Save your strength! You've got this!"

Everything in him ached but Izuku couldn't afford to stop now. Not now, when the end was so close. Not when All for One was right in front of him, those piercing eyes glaring down, scrutinising his friends like they were mere insects. There were so many people relying on him- but each one of his breaths was laboured, each contraction of his lungs like the screeching wheels of an un-oiled machine, and Izuku didn't know how much longer he could go on, didn't know if he had the energy to get back up as he tripped to the ground, as his muscles laxed just the slightest inch and-

"This reminds me of the first day in school." Tenya smiled, holding up one of his first friends. Izuku wanted to let himself go. He wanted to melt into Tenya's grasp so much, to be with his friends once again, instead of this battle that none of them were ever supposed to fight in. But when his eyes met with Iida's- the sheer faith his friend had in him, the unwavering conviction that Izuku would win this for all of them; there was no other path to go but forwards.

"Iida-kun," Izuku smiled tearily, squeezing his friend's arm once, before taking off again. Thank you, he wanted to say, I want this to be over. I want us to be safe. This is all because of me, but I know you would hold up such a fate with me regardless, no matter how hard I tried to convince you to do otherwise.

"Do you remember?" Iida shouted from behind him, as Izuku pounded onwards, his eyes on the target, but his heart in UA, nestled between Ochaco and Tenya. "I never put much thought into it but now, I think I can understand...what she was trying to say that day."

"Deku, your name screams 'do your best'! Like dekiru- I kind of like it!"

Izuku's eyes watered at the memory of Ochaco, even as he kept his feet marching towards All for One- that day, when she cemented the name Deku, something that he could finally be proud of- how could he ever forget? The name that represented everything he was and everything he could be- the name that was given to him by one of his best friends. The name that promised hot chocolate after Aizawa's training, laughing between his two favourite people. The name that promised arcade afternoons with shared tokens in hot summer days.

After all, he was only Deku because they let him be Izuku first, helped him to find who he was outside the title of hero, made him want to learn to be driven by something other than sheer ambition.

"Midoriya! I am who I am today because of you!" Tenya yelled, urging for his friend to know- to know just how big of a role Midoriya had played in his life. He remembered looking at Tensei on the hospital bed with pasty skin and bandaged limbs, not knowing if he'd make it out alive, and Tenya swore he'd never let something like that happen. "Don't die on me!"