Forever - Izuku Midoriya x reader

Tired

Izuku let out a small grunt, hitting the ground as he desperately dodged another concentrated stream of flames. Then, dropping to the ground, you sent a sweeping wave of flames his way, giving him no choice but to jump up to evade.

You wiped the sweat off your face, and were surprised as he kicked up a large pile of sand, creating a large dust cloud in which he emerged from the create a counterattack.

You let out a gasp and he landed a hit right into the back of your legs, making you stumble, but pivot to throw a fiery punch his way, sending a streamline of fire in his direction.

Izuku dropped down into a summersault, rolling out of the way and going to sweep your legs. But you had anticipated his move, leaving a stinging pain in his ribs as you sent a swift but careful kick to them.

His hit seemed to catch up to you in a delayed way, leaving you to fall onto your ass onto the hot sand, and him to grovel on his knees, clutching his side. "Okay, that's it for today," you said, almost with a gag as hunger began to catch up with you, knowing protein bars wouldn't keep you satisfied forever.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Izuku added, clutching his stomach as you heard and audible grumble.

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You showed Izuku to the shower in order to cool off and wash off all the dirt while you cooked lunch. Then, when he was done and food was finished, you took your shower, and he set the table, and at three o'clock, the two of you ate your first real meal of the day, with two hours left until the bus arrived.

You'd changed into a new tank top and sweatpants, while thankfully, Izuku had thought to bring an extra pair of clothes. He must have assumed training with fire came at some risk.

Though scary, Izuku was content with the work he'd been able to put in, feeling, if even only a little, like he'd improved. As the day went on, he'd begun to understand what you meant about his lack of control, and he'd begun to fix it.

You'd shown his that it took one foot to land, but two feet to stand strong. That like fire, he needed to learn adaptability, focus, and a degree of intensity, while also needing a fine amount of control and balance, that he couldn't give it his all if it'd just knock him down, and even a little could go a long way.

He admired you. It was true, and honestly hard to believe that the calm and composed girl eating peacefully across from him was once his greatest fear. And a deep panic crossed his face once you caught him staring.

"What?" you laughed, nearly choking on your food, covering your mouth.

"Uh, nothing, I'm just so tired," he recovered, rubbing his eyes.

"That's good. I think we did really good today, and it was nice to train with someone other than my dad for a change," you smiled, watching as Izuku took his last bite.

Izuku grabbed the plates and brought them over to the sink to wash, and you grabbed a spray bottle and paper towels to wipe down the table before beginning to pack up your things.

"Alright, what now?" Izuku asked curiously as you pondered.

"Well, I guess we can always just sit and talk on the front porch. I think we've both worked hard enough," you answered, earning a bright laugh and smile from him.

So he followed you as you took a seat on the sofa, letting a deep sigh out as you felt your mind and boy relax, but you found the boy staring once more, but this time not at your face.

"You wanna know right?" you asked, seeing as his eyes drifted once more to your scar, and looking out into the direction of the quarry.

"Oh no! You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"

"No it's fine. It happened a long time ago, I wouldn't be able to come back if I didn't," you said, trying to keep the smile up, but Izuku could sense your unease.

He had a nervous look, but it soon faded as your face calmed. In a way, you'd been meaning to get it off your chest, and seemed like the perfect person to listen. He'd been the first person you genuinely felt free to open up to.

"I'm assuming you already know about my grandfather, that he was a hero, one even more ambitious and ruthless than my father. Five years back, when he died, it was all over the news. A beloved hero who'd kept Japan safe for over three decades, with a legacy almost as impressive as All Might's. But he wasn't all that great, not to me," you sighed, noticing as you'd caught the boy's full attention. "The last thing he did on his deathbed was reprimand my father for wasting time by his side. His own son, he just pushed him aside, but that's the man he was, because nothing was more important to him than that. He was blessed with one of the best quirks of his time, able to manifest the sun into solid form, wielding weapons of light, it was truly an amazing power."

Midoriya stared intently, wondering where you could possibly be heading. He saw a nervous twinge of your face as the golden hour light seemed to make you glow, but in a way, an abnormal coldness surrounded you.

"He used to train me alongside my father. We were out in the quarry, training as we normally would, actually, now that I think about it, it must have been the first time we trained together. I had to have only been around seven," you began; Izuku observed as an almost sickening expression crossed your face as you dug into your memory. "We were sparring a bit, and then... It only took me a moment to get distracted, and he saw it, but he didn't hold back. If my father hadn't stepped in, I would have lost my arm, but slicing me bone deep didn't seem to bother either of them all that much."

Izuku felt sick to his stomach, watching your eyes as you struggled to continue, and a single tear fell down your cheek, finally hearing it out loud for the first time.

"Do you know what my grandfather told me?" you gasped, now looking at him with an expression that seemed to scream for help deep within. "He told me that I deserved what was coming, and that my father was weak for helping me. So he made me cauterize my own wound, and if I hadn't passed out, we'd have kept training."

The boy held his stomach, barely able to process the image that played out in his mind. That was when he realized what All Might was trying to convey to him, that you hadn't just endured tough training, but lived through a hell he couldn't bear to imagine.

"So I grew up thinking that's what I got for being weak, so I trained instead of sleeping, trained instead of eating, but when I look in the mirror, I still see her," but you stopped, eyes widening in shock as you saw the way your story had brought him to tears.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," you gasped, standing up. "I didn't mean to say all that, I was just so tired and I got ahead of myself and I just stared it say it all. I'm so sorry," you panicked, but in your heart, there's no way you could anticipate his reaction.

So, it was a complete shock when you felt his arms wrap around your shoulders, and for a moment, you felt like the pain you'd endured meant something.

"I'm sorry," he said, and you could hear the crack in his voice. It bewildered you that he could care about your pain. That someone could feel so empathetic for a pain that was not their own. Because you'd never felt someone care for you in such a way. To lift the weight off your shoulders so much, that'd he'd take every pain and try and make it his own just to understand your burden too. Because you'd never felt someone care for you in such a way.

"It's," you began as his apology reached your ears, and only then did the tears begin to flow. "It's okay, I'm fine, really," you muttered, trying to convince your self if anything. But he let you rest your head on his shoulder and cry out your heart and for the first time since the wound had opened, you'd felt the pain subside.

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A/N: OKAY, I didn't proof read this so I hope it isn't complete ass