Touch Starved Boys || My Hero Academia Imagines

~Long Distance~ Midoriya X Reader

No quirks high school AU inspired by "Face to Face" by Ruel!  Also, since this is 3rd person and I wanted to keep it gender neutral, I used they/them pronouns instead of you.  The ending of this was originally supposed to be Midoriya's Valentine's Special for Just One Day, and it would've been more fitting, but it was too angsty for what I wanted to put out for Valentine's Day, but I held onto it for the past month so I could expand on it and spin it into something more substantial and emotional.  Enjoy!

The past few months for Izuku have been both exhilarating and miserable.

While at an anime convention last summer, he'd stumbled around alone because Katsuki didn't want to be anywhere near nerd culture with his nerd friend.  Izuku had been disappointed since it was his first con and didn't want to go alone, but it couldn't be helped.  He cosplayed as his favorite hero from his favorite show, resolving to hopefully meet some new friends while he was there.

Izuku was easily overwhelmed by the gigantic venue and the endless number of people in attendance.  It was something like a dream, but at the same time gave him anxiety.  How was he supposed to navigate something this enormous alone without getting swept up somewhere?

For the first half of the first day, he managed to survey the layout of the center, taking pictures with a few cosplayers he knew and almost emptying his wallet on some merch.  He found himself losing energy fairly quickly and resolved to search for the rest area.  The tired boy buries his nose in his map, mumbling how he hopes he doesn't end up getting lost.

His view being obstructed by the unfolded paper, he bumps into someone's back.  Izuku fervently apologizes, prematurely thinking he had bothered them and now they wish to kill him.  Instead, he was met with a wide toothy smile and even wider, excited eyes.  The boy looks them up and down, realizing their cosplay is of his character's sidekick.

The other person breaks out into a haughty dialogue fitting their character, using the hero's name to ask what was the matter.  Izuku, after some stumbling, breaks out his amazing mimicry skills to play along with their new game, responding that he's looking for the rest area.  Staying in character, the sidekick leads him in the opposite direction Izuku was going.  The two recite more lines from their characters' show until they reach their destination.

The stranger finally breaks character with a hearty laugh, settling in a couch with Izuku.  They hit it off immediately, bonding over their shared love of their favorite show, how amazing each other's costume looks, and repeating their favorite lines of other franchises they enjoy.  Izuku feels like this is exactly what he wanted to find in a con: someone who shares the same love and passion for his favorite thing.  Finally, he won't have to be alone navigating this giant complex.

The two continue bonding over lunch, getting to know each other more personally, though their personalities were so compatible their conversations flow naturally.  Izuku finds out that his new friend is around the same age as him, and this isn't their first con.  They ended up coming alone because their friend bailed on them at the last second because of a sickness.  Unfortunately, they live in a different country; they just couldn't miss the panel with one of their favorite voice actors at this con.  The freckled boy can't say he wasn't disappointed that someone he'd hit it off so perfectly with was from somewhere else, but at least he found someone he can spend the rest of the con with.

And they did have the funnest time together.  They shared so many memories eating, posing for pictures, filming their own videos, and just talking; at the end of everything, Izuku felt like he'd known them forever.  Actually, he felt himself falling for his con companion, which is why parting ways on the last day was the hardest thing he thought he would have to do.