Chapter Text
The continuous, deafening chirping of Izuku’s hometown makes him perpetually uneasy. It has been a year since he’s been back here, and he can’t say he’s missed it. Even though Izuku is 19 years old at this point, being here makes him feel just like he did when he was a child. Izuku feels chills down his spine at this thought and he unconsciously shivers.
“Izuku, would you mind going down to the grocery store? I forgot to get ginger for tonight's dinner,” Izuku’s mom, Inko, laments as she steps onto the porch.
Izuku, glad for the distraction, responds, “Yeah no problem, I'll head out right now.” Izuku practically runs down the driveway, he suddenly feels an overwhelming urge to leave– though not sure why. As he strolls down the sidewalks– that he knows entirely too well– towards the grocery store his mind wanders.
His middle school days seem so far behind him but he can help but recall those memories looking around at the houses lining the streets. A modest, yellow-painted house catches his eyes as he walks. He spent thousands of hours in the front yard of that house with his only friend at the time– Bakugo Katsuki. The days of running around playing heroes and munching on fruit makes him feel an odd sense of disgust. He can’t really place why this feeling arises, but he's overcome with nausea and has to pull his eyes away from the house before he hurls.
His walk slows as he is confronted with the fluorescents of the grocery store in front of him. The small store is lined with trees and the sliding door screeches with every open. The way the light leaves the windows of the store makes the store look like it’s in a different world entirely. Like if he steps in he will be severed from this reality in place for a new one.
As he steps into the store the familiar welcoming bell rings through his ears. Izuku isn’t too inclined to go home immediately, to his dismay he always feels suffocated within those welcoming walls. So, he walks aimlessly through aisles he doesn’t need to look at. He looks down at his feet as he walks suddenly fascinated by the marble beneath his feet. He’s enamored by how the floor sparkles so brightly.
Whilst he's stuck in his mind he is brought back to reality by the sudden wall he walks into. Izuku bounces back like a scared cat and is about to profusely apologize until the man he ran into turns to face him.
“Fuck,” the man growls before he reaches Izuku’s face, “Oh.”
They stare at each other in piercing silence– a strange weight between the two of them. Izuku coughs uncomfortably, “long time no see Kacchan.” He brought himself to look up to meet his all too familiar eyes. They were just as abyssal as he remembered, he always thought his eyes looked like cinnabar. His red eyes seemed more vibrant next to his blonde, spiked hair– that was longer than Izuku remembered. His skin was sprinkled with sun spots and his eyebrows didn’t un-furrow once, suddenly Izuku felt uncomfortable under his gaze and began shifting his weight uneasily.
“Yeah,” Katsuki mutters as he scratches his left arm, “Hey Deku.”
The air suddenly turned heavy again with the silence, making Izuku feel panicked. “So, what have you been up to these days?” Izuku blurted out and scolded himself internally afterwards.
“Oh not much. I ended up going to Kyoto University, mostly because my old hag wouldn’t leave me alone if I didn’t.” His voice was harsh and raspy; but unlike when they were kids, it didn’t have an undertone of haughtiness that it used to.
“You shouldn’t call your mom that,” Izuku chides out of habit. Izuku, suddenly realizing he just scolded Katsuki, covers his mouth in embarrassment.
Though, Katsuki didn’t berate him like Izuku expected, “Yeah, well she is an old hag.” Katsuki grunts. Before the silence can stretch too long Katsuki continues, “So how about you?”
“Me?” Izuku squeaked in surprise– the Katsuki of his memories had never been this conversational.
“Who the fuck else would I be asking?” Katsuki rolls his eyes in annoyance.
Izuku laughs uncomfortably, “Right… Well I'm majoring in sports medicine at the University of Tokyo at the moment. It’s so starkly different than Ine that being back is making me uneasy, I mean don’t get me wrong it’s nice to be home but I just feel weirdly suffocated here now that I’ve left. I honestly am just looking forward to going back to Tokyo and burying my head in books, my classes are–”
“Nice to know you still haven’t fixed the rambling habit of yours.” Katsuki barked. Izuku promptly shut his mouth and looked like he’d been caught red handed. “Well I gotta go, see you later nerd.” Katsuki remarked as he turned towards the register.
“See ya,” Izuku replied even though Katsuki already walked away without caring about his response. As Katsuki rounded the corner Izuku felt his body relax and he sighed in relief. Despite the apparent awkwardness of the conversation, it made him uneasy for a different reason. Katsuki on the surface was like he always was, but there seemed to be something different about him. I mean it’s been a year of course he’s changed, Izuku reasoned, but he couldn’t shake the nervous feeling it gave him. Did Katsuki always sound so subdued he questioned as he finally decided to make his way to produce.
Izuku shook his head in exasperation, as he placed the pieces of ginger on the register.
“Oh Izuku dear! How is school? I haven't seen you in forever! You know your mother always comes in and brags about you…” The cashier rambles incessantly in the way that everyone in small towns does and Izuku can’t help but zone out the conversation. “Alright, that'll be ¥80.66 dear,” the cashier smiles warmly as she hands him the ginger.
On his walk home Izuku suddenly recalls one of his memories with Katsuki when he was young.
“Deku hurry up, god, you can’t even keep up with me,” a 10 year old Katsuki yells impatiently.
“I’m coming! Kacchan you’re so fast,” Izuku beamed.
“Whatever nerd,” Katsuki turned to face the sprawling ocean ahead of them. Izuku was enamored by the way that Katsuki’s eyes glistened as they peered into the water. The wind blew through his hair and brushed it softly against his skin as he wore his signature cocky grin. Izuku couldn’t stop himself from laughing in delight. “What’s wrong with you,” Katsuki eyed him.
Izuku smiled, “Nothing. I just feel happy I guess.”
“You’re such a loser,” Katsuki responded as he sat with his legs hanging over the dock.
Izuku suddenly was brought back to reality when he arrived at his front door. He sighed in distress from suddenly thinking of his former friendship with Katsuki as he stepped inside.
“Izuku, honey, thanks for getting the ginger! Dinner will be ready in just a little,” Inko chirped. Izuku felt too exhausted to reply so he just slumped on the couch and stared at the ceiling until Inko yelled that dinner was ready.