✓CLOSE||ShinDeku Au

☾Eighteen☽

~ Third Person P.O.V ~

Drowning. Sinking. Descending. Whatever the hell you want to call it- Inko Midoriya was feeling it. Her body ached, itched, and burned all at once- by now she wasn't all too sure if the medicine they gave her was working or not. Sharp, honed pulses struck up her back and through her breasts; only adding heavy weight to the deteriorating lumps of flesh at clung to her chest.

Exhaustion always seemed to cloud over her all day and night, like a miasmic aroma- going away momentarily only to come back again. She could feel the faint grasp she had on life slowly slipping from her fingers little by little- and no matter how much she clawed and jumped to get a better hold it'd only tire her out. Delaying the inevitable. If she weren't laying in bed all day, she was hooked up to a machine in the hospital every now and then.

If anything Inko felt like a lab rat more than a human being. Doctors watching her, as they ran tests, MRI's and CT scans- and IV flowing into her blood stream. 

It was horrible.

She aimed to stay strong for everyone around her. Bakugo just lost his mother not too long ago, Todoroki is barely starting to get a normal parental figure in his life and . . . Izuku. Her little Izuku- her baby, her best friend.

Soft raps on the bedroom door pulled her away from her thoughts, as she sat up against the headboard of her bed. "Come in," Inko called out, her voice rasped, and strangled.

"Hey, mama," Izuku beamed as he walked in, a plastic bag in his hand- most likely filled with food- squeaking with each step he took. "Sorry- did I wake you up?"

"Mmm, no, I was just laying here . . ." Inko murmured, "Is that takeout?"

"Yep!" Izuku exclaimed, trying his best to keep a bright smile on his face.

He wasn't stupid. Izuku could see the strain all of this cancer bullshit put on his mother, how hard it was for her. How she tried her best to stay strong for everyone around her- because if she broke down, Inko didn't want someone to be there and help pick up the pieces; she had to do that for everyone else. Not the other way around. At least in her mind that's how it goes . . . she's the mom- she has to be strong right?

Inko can't let her boys see her broken, right?

Right?

Wrong.

Tears brimmed the corners of her eyes, as she shook her head- as if trying to shake away the droplets of piquant liquid. Izuku's facial features softened, as he took her brittle, pale hands into his- giving them a gentle squeeze. 

"Mom," Izuku whispered.

"No, no I'm sorry- I don't know why I'm- I . . . I'm sorry," Inko whimpered, her tone listless and quiescent. 

"Don't you dare apologize," Izuku said firmly, "It's okay to cry . . . even if you don't know why you're crying in the first place."

Inko heaved a sob-filled laugh from her chest, padding away at her tears as she puffed out her cheeks. The freckled male, crawled into bed with his mother- sitting back against the headboard with takeout on the bed, and a remote in his hand.

"What're you doing Izuku?"

"Me and you are going to pig out on this food and watch those crazy ass Lifetime movies you like so much," He beamed at her, switching the TV on.

In spite of how she felt on a day to day basis, it was little moments like these that made Inko feel normal. And she cherished every bit of it. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Shoto," Bakugo groaned.

"Fucking hell, Katsuki." Todoroki whispered lowly, pinching his eyebrows together. "Ah- damn it!"

"You know if I were standing behind a door or something . . . it would sound like you two are doing the nasty." Izuku observed quietly from his bed, as he slowly sipped on his milkshake.

The green eyed male had came back from his mother's a little while ago, only to be engrossed by his friends' very serious game of Jenga. However, he was right about his little comment from earlier- the sounds they were making could easily be deceivable from the outside looking in.

"Fuck off, nerd, we're concentrating." The blond growled, "And besides you're way too innocent to know anything about sex- so again, fuck off." he said playfully.

"Excuse me?" Izuku scoffed, seemingly quite offended by his best friend's accusation. He wasn't 'innocent' . . . right? 

The heterochromatic teen, who was currently in the process of throwing a wood block at his boyfriend- for he had just lost the game- spoke up. "He has a point Midoriya . . . but that's a good thing! You just don't strike anyone who's bothered with the thought of having sex, or just sex in general. Despite who you're dating,"

Scrunching up his nose, Izuku forms a pout on his lips as he thoughts begin to consume him. What was that supposed to mean?

"Ah great, look what you've done, babe." Bakugo heaved a sigh, signaling to obvious side tracked Izuku.

Well looking at the facts of the situation, Izuku could clearly see what they meant by it. He knew the simplicity of sex, from what High School taught him of course. Safer sex practices, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. But actually doing it? Izuku was a nineteen year old virgin . . . he's never seen that as a big deal- nothing taboo, yet now? Well things are different now. Before he could never bother himself with silly teenage fantasies such as his first time, he had his mother to worry about- and her condition. But now he has a boyfriend. A very experienced boyfriend at that . . .  

Izuku never burdened himself to worry about Hitoshi's past hookups, he wasn't one to be the jealous type- so there was no point in starting fresh into a relationship. Because they were all just that . . . hookups! Meaningless. Except all those 'meaningless' people all seemed to have something in common, they got to participate in a more physical practice with the purple haired man.

Then it got him thinking- well, did Hitoshi feel touch starved in that kind of way now? It was no secret he was a fairly active man. So now that he and Izuku are dating, did he feel cheated out of something? Was he the reason his boyfriend might not feel satisfied enough?

"Nerd, you're mumbling," Bakugo cleared his throat, knocking Izuku from his self berating mindset.

"Sorry . . . hey, Kacchan, Todo- I gotta go. Uhm, I'll most likely be back tomorrow 'kay?" Izuku said absentmindedly, as he slipped on his shoes and threw on a hoodie.

"Mk, text us when you get to Shinso's," Todoroki sighed.

"I never said I was going to-"

"You didn't have to." Bakugo interjected with a knowing look.

And with that he was off, bolting out the door and making his way to the bus station. Izuku was on a 'mission' . . . and he'd be damned if anything got in his way.

Hello Cricket Cultists!!

So this chapter was very . . . idk. I'm pretty sure most of you noticed how much this book differs from my others, and that's mainly because of the . . . maturity? At least I hope that's why. I kind of wanted them to have real problems, crap like that. Relationship wise, as well as family wise. Next chapter, and this is a fair warning, is kind of 'Steamy ™' but nothing too much. 

Oh, yeah- guess I should do a mental health update for those of your who are concerned for me. I'm feeling a bit better today, but that's about it. I still feel like crap, and like nothing I do or say matters- but I'm trying to remind myself that's the depression talking and that I do, I fact, matter as well as have a place in this fucked up world. Ya know?

I love you all, and reading your inspiring comments has honestly been the thing I need to keep me going. So thank you.

Until we meet again!!!