Izuku had done it. He had graduated from UA as a quirkless pro hero. He had proved everybody who ever doubted him wrong. He would not be remembered as Deku, the tragic and ruthless villain. He would be remembered as Shokan, a hero who shows people that they can always change for the better. A hero that shows people that they don't need a powerful quirk to help others.
He stood with his classmates, his family, not by blood or force, but by choice. Shouto was right there with him, arm around his shoulder. He looked forward, smiling at the camera being aimed at them by Mic. Aizawa stood off to the side, giving them one of his rare genuine smiles.
It almost didn't feel real. Three years ago, he'd never have thought this could be possible for him. Yet here he was, achieving the dream he'd had since he was just a little kid. Once the picture was taken, Shouto took his hand and they walked with their class through UA and out the front gates. A rather large crowd waited for them, their parents being somewhat in the front of it.
Izuku caught a few people eyeing him warily, but most people who caught his eye were smiling. He turned forward once again, seeing his and Shouto's moms standing next to each other.
Over the last few years, Izuku had worked on reconnecting with his mom, and she had been endlessly supportive of his growth. Now she stood right in front of him, smiling wide with tears brimming in her eyes.
"I did it Mom!" Inko wrapped her son in a hug, pulling him down. Izuku hugged back, starting to cry himself.
"You did it Izuku. I'm so proud of you."
She released him, turning to Shouto and his mom. The four talked for a while, and were joined by some of their classmates' families, including Bakugou's, Shinsou's, Momo's, Uraraka's, and Shinsou's.
Izuku laid in his bed that night happier than he'd ever been. The nightmares had never stopped completely, they would always be something he had to deal with, but they were much quieter now. They were easier to shake off.
He had real friends, real family, real support. Shigaraki and the league were a part of his past, he would never be able to deny that. However, he wasn't going to let that fact keep him from being happy.
*Two years later, give or take a few months*
Izuku sat on the couch in his apartment. Toga was sitting upside down, her legs resting against the couch and her back on the floor. She'd changed a lot over the past years. It had been discovered that her quirk had a heavy influence on her bloodlust, and after being made to wear quirk suppressing bracelets, she was learning how to integrate back into society.
There was still the occasional slip of the tongue, but for the most part she'd been quite good. She was actually now attending a university to study medicine.
"This just in, the young hero duo Shokan and Frostfire have saved civilians from the rampage of a villain. These two, who were formerly considered villains themselves, have really been proving everyone wrong recently. They're steadily climbing into the ranks of top heroes. We here at Musutafu News are excited to see what these two will do next! Also,-"
Toga shut off the TV, turning to Izuku, "Why do they always have to bring up the villain thing?"
"I mean, do you blame them? It's not so easily escaped as you'd hope."
"Hmph. Still, you've proved yourself Izuku~kun!"
"You know as well as I do they'll never let us forget Himiko."
"I know, but still!"
Izuku laughed at the pouty look on her face, before being interrupted by the front door opening, announcing the arrival of his fiancé and some of their friends. Izuku and Toga turned towards the new arrivals. Well, Izuku turned, and Toga awkwardly bent her head.
They got up, Toga much less gracefully than Izuku, and went to welcome the new arrivals. Izuku hugged Shou, causing a mixture of reactions ranging from Uraraka thinking it was cute to Toga fake gagging.
"Toga~chan! That's rude!" Toga didn't respond to Uraraka, merely playfully sticking out her tongue at the other girl.
"Ochako, don't do what you're thinking of doing," Tsu said, butting in before the situation could escalate into a playful spar, as their interactions often did.
"Anyway, what brings you all here?" Izuku asked.
"Did you... did you forget? Again?" Kirishima asked.
"Um, forget what exactly?"
"Your birthday, dumbass," Kacchan said.
"Oh. Oh! Right, that... that's today, isn't it?"
"Dude, how do you never remember?"
"He gets too focused on everyone else to take breaks for himself!" Toga shouted, lightly punching Izuku in the arm.
"I don't-"
"She's right honey. You definitely do that."
"Shou! I am appalled, I am offended, I am... another word that means offended, how dare you take her side."
"Midoriya, they are right, you work too hard sometimes. While your drive is impressive, you do tend to forget yourself."
"Tenya's right! Now let us give you presents and love!" Ochako shouted.
Izuku laughed, "Okay, okay, come in then." They did have a point. He always forgot when it was his birthday, and this year was no different. It was something that had started even before living with villains. Now, however, was very different to back then.
Before, nobody except his mom had remembered it for him, when she wasn't at work. But now he had real friends who were there to remind him as well. And they did their best to make him remember himself, although so far their attempts hadn't quite worked.
Still, in this moment, spending time with his friends, being able to be himself, and knowing he was able to show people that quirkless did not mean worthless, he was truly happy.
Izuku Midoriya was 21 years old, a young adult who'd been through too much. His past was dodgy and littered with bad mistakes. He'd be the first to admit that. But Izuku Midoriya had not let his past define him for the past few years, he used it to ensure less people would go through the things he did. And that is what made Izuku Midoriya a great hero.
Word Count: 1059
Wooooo I finished it! Honestly this feels so good. As time passes I may not see this story as very well written anymore, but it is the first time I've ever finished a story, fanfic or otherwise, so it'll always have a special place in my heart. Thank you so much for reading, it means more to me than you can imagine. I started this book a little over a year ago, and we're at a little over 4,000 reads. That legitimately blows my mind.
I actually have another BNHA fic(maybe two) that I want to write, but I may not upload them for a little while. I also have some OC stuff I may post just for myself to get a bit of feedback on it. That's all future worries right now though. For now, I hope you have a great day/night, and I hope you enjoyed the story :) <3
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Broken Mask
FanfictionDeku got tired of hiding all of his emotions under a mask. Tired of keeping a smile on his face despite being constantly beaten up and ridiculed. He'd kept his mask up for so long that it was fragile as glass. The day it broke was a tragic one for h...
