Third POV
Everyone gathered behind the front doors of the school, excitement tangible in the air. Some people showed their emotions openly, others pretending to be perfectly calm. Quiet chatter filled the room as they waited.
Mr Aizawa stepped up to the front of the room, his face more worn down then ever, though he has a proud expression on. He puts up a hand and instantly all the graduates fall silent.
"I'm sure you all know what happens when you walk out these doors. You'll be bombarded with reporters. People will be filming, taking pictures and asking a thousand questions," Aizawa says in his usual no-nonsense tone. "Get used to it and do it fast, because this is what you'll face from now on. Once you walk through those doors, you'll be Pro Heroes."
An excited murmur runs through the crowd and Aizawa let's his students settle on their own. "You've worked hard for this. Harder than most students. You earned this, so go enjoy it," Aizawa finishes, stepping aside to let the students he taught for three long years out the door.
For a moment, no one moves. Then Izuku Midioriya, Katsuki Bakugou and Shoto Todoroki all look at one another, stepping up to the front doors. Midoriya is in the lead, Bakugou to his left and Todoroki to his right. Together, the three of them lead their peers out the doors, walking proudly in their hero costumes.
The instant the doors open, reporters start talking and taking pictures, leaning against the barriers that corral them. Midoriya fights the urge to squint or shield his eyes from the blinding camera flashes, instead choosing to smile brightly and waves to the crowd as All Might would have done. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Denki stopping to take a selfie with some little kids who had somehow made it to the front of the crush.
Most graduates smile and wave like Midoriya, though a few opt for a more intimidating, silent approach. They all walk through the campus they know so well, heading for the front gates. It takes a few minutes, mostly because the press is trying to stop them, but to the graduates it seems like seconds. They eagerly step off the school grounds, ready to start their lives as Pro Heroes.
Chapter 1
Three years later
Pro Hero Deku leaps into the air, eager to get back to the agency so he can clock out. He couldn't wait to go home and see Todoroki. The boys' had been dating for five years now and had been living together for the past two.
The ground is rapidly approaching and Midoriya prepares to hit the cement running, partly to spare his knees the stress from the 'traditional' superhero landing, but mostly because it meant he'd get to Todoroki faster. But when he lands, his one leg refuses to move, his knee buckling and turning his landing into a messy roll.
He tumbles to a stop feeling slightly bruised and more than slightly confused. He hadn't done any fighting or strenuous work today, so why would his leg give out? Midoriya lays on the ground for a moment, glad he was on the roof of the agency, otherwise reporters would be all over him, making up stories of sickness and injuries.
After a moment or two more, he sighs, getting up and brushing himself off. His leg kind of felt tingly and weird, but it was working fine so Midoriya just brushed it off as irrelevant. He had put his body through a lot of training to control One for All and it was crazy to think there wouldn't be some sort of backlash besides his scars.
Midoriya flashed his keycard at the scanner, unlocking the roof access door and entered the building, quickly making his way to the elevators. He descends to the tenth floor, stopping by his office to change into his street clothes before clocking out. Midoriya makes his way to the first floor, saying something nice to everyone he saw, but not stopping to start a conversation.
Once in his car and out of the underground parking lot, Midoriya joined the evening rush, occasionally edging over the speed limit so he could get home faster. It was rare that his work schedule lined up with Todoroki's, and they had the whole evening together.
Midoriya planned to make the most of every minute they had together.
The greenette got home before Todoroki did, and he went to start making dinner instantly. He wanted to do something special, and had been prepping as many ingredients in advance as he could. Midoriya starts the rice first, wanting it to have more than enough time to cool down. While he's waiting for it to cook, he adds the sauce to the filling for the summer rolls and wraps it in the rice paper before putting them in the fridge.
Once the rice is cooking, Midoriya starts chopping vegetables and fish to put in the sushi. He had just started his first roll when he heard the front door open.
"Izuku… I'm home…"
"I'm in the kitchen Sho," Midoriya calls, cutting the sushi into bite-sized pieces.
Todoroki hung up his coat and toed off his shoes before padding into the kitchen in socked feet. He walks up behind Midoriya, wrapping his arms around the greenette's waist and kissing his cheek. "Already making dinner?"
"Yeah, I wanted to do something special seeing as we're together this evening," Midoriya replies, turning his head so he could give the heterochromatic boy a brief kiss.
"Can I help with anything?"
Midoriya chuckles, remembering what happened the last time Todoroki had tried to cook. He had forgotten about the soba noodles and all the water in the pot had boiled off, the noodles actually burning. The greenette can feel his lover scowl, knowing that Todoroki could tell what he was thinking about. "Why don't you fill a pot with water and put it on to boil? About three quarters, please."
Todoroki gives Midoriya a quick squeeze before releasing the smaller boy and doing as he was asked. Once the pot was in the stove, he returns to his place behind Midoriya, burying his face in his soft, fluffy hair. "What are we having for dinner?" Todoroki asks, inhaling Midoriya's scent. It reminded him of fresh linen, all warm and summery. Maybe a hint of citrus, like orange or lime.
"Summer rolls, sushi and gyoza. That's why I'm getting the water started so I can steam the dumplings," Midoriya explains. He'd made them last night so all he had to do was cook them.
Todoroki pouts into Midoriya's hair. "No soba?"
Midoriya laughs, putting down the knife he was holding. "Sho, we have soba all the time."
"But I like soba."
Midoriya giggles. "I know, I know. Maybe we can have it as a snack later?" he suggests, making another sushi roll and cutting it up.
Todoroki smiles softly, pressing another kiss to Midoriya's cheek. "I was only teasing."
"I know you were."
The boys talk and tease each other as Midoriya finishes making dinner. The greenette is pulling out cups to set the table when it happens again. His right hand feels tingly and weird, the muscles not responding to the commands sent out by his brain. The glass slips from his grip, shattering on the floor. Midoriya hurriedly puts the other glass on the counter before he could break it too.
"Are you alright Zuku?" Todokori asks, noticing the way the smaller boy was flexing his hand.
"Yeah my hand just feels a little weird. I'm sure it's nothing," he replies, looking down at the mess of glass shard surrounding his feet. There was no way he's be able to step out of it.
"Hold on, I'll get the broom," Todoroki murmurs, turning away. He comes back with the broom and dustpan quickly sweeping away the shards and throwing them in the garbage.
"Thanks Sho," Midoriya whispers, wrapping his arms around the taller boy's waist and standing on tip toe to kiss him. Todoroki kisses his lover back for a moment before pulling away and gathering the last of the things to go to the table. Midoriya follows the two-tone boy to the dinning room, the platter of gyoza dumplings him his hands. They both sit, bowing their heads to give thanks for the food, then dig in.
"Anything interesting happen at the agency?" Midoriya asks. After the blow-up with Dabi -Toyua- in their first year, Endeavor had been under investigation by Child Protective Services. Not only was Dabi's claim to be Endeavor's son true, the claims of abuse were proven. The man had been stripped of his hero licence, the ownership of his agency left between Fuyumi, Nastuo and Shoto.
Thankfully, no one abandoned their jobs and the place practically ran itself.
"It's doing quite well. I've been starting to take on more of a leadership role, being the one who deploys people on missions… So far I haven't screwed up," Todoroki replies, a slight smile gracing his lips.
Midoriya swore his heart still skipped a beat every time Todoroki smiled. It was true over the years the boy had begun to thaw out, his usual deadpan attitude relaxing. But Midoriya still treasured each smile like it was the first.
"How's work for you?"
Midoriya shrugged, taking a sip of his water before speaking. "About the same as always. Mostly patrols and a few raids, though they switch the area I'll be in daily. There's talk of me getting a promotion soon, though."
"I've heard talk that Bakugou will be in the twenty-second place when the hero rankings come around. Higher then you are," Todoroki says teasingly. For the past year, Bakugou and Midoriya had been constantly chasing one another in the charts, surpassing one another again and again .
"That's good for him! I'll have to work harder to catch up," Midoriya says determinedly.
Todoroki stays silent, his smile growing bigger as the greenette spoke. It was this determination paired with such a pure, kind, caring heart that caused Todoroki to fall in love with Midoriya in their second year.
ØØØØ
It had been a month since Midoriya's legs had given out on the roof. In that month, similar occurrences had taken place, most often after a particularly taxing day at work or a long fight. When the muscle spasms started happening while Midoriya was on patrol, he knew it was time to speak to a doctor about it.
That was a weeks ago, and still they had no clue what was wrong with him. Midoriya had been cutting back on his hours so his doctor could perform tests to try to find a diagnosis. Tests Todoroki didn't know were happening. Midoriya hated lying to his boyfriend, even by omission, but he didn't want to worry Todoroki if there was nothing wrong.
And there couldn't be anything seriously wrong with him. Midoriya was young, healthy.
The green at walked into the hospital, the receptionist instantly waving him ahead. His doctor, a rather short woman with dark blue hair, was waiting for him just down the hall. "Hello Midoriya. How are you today?" she asks, twisting her hair into a messy bun.
"I'm fine, and you Dr. Renzo?" he replies, knowing she wasn't asking about his physical health.
"I'm well, thank you," when those says, walking down the hall. "I heard your blood sample is finally being tested. I should have the results soon. For now, I'll be giving you an EMG and an NVC. It will allow me to test the strength of your nerves in the strength of the connections between them. You said you were having issues with your arms and legs?"
"Yes ma'am. They were times where I'd want my arms or legs to move but they wouldn't. And I've also noticed some difficulties keeping a good grip on things," Midoriya says, following Renzo into the examination room. There was a single chair, like when you see in a dentist office, as well as a small array of machines. Most of them looks like some sort of monitor, just to screen with a bunch of wires coming off it.
"There's a hospital gown on the chair. Please change into it and remove any metal jewellery from your body," Renzo says, stepping back into the hall and shutting the door. Midoriya changes quickly, knocking lately in the door so Dr. Renzo she could return.
Midoriya settles into the chair while she explains the procedure. "An EMG sends mild electric pulses through your body, which will allow me to map your nerves. Most of the sensors will just be stickers though a few will be needles. The NVC tells me how strong the connections between the two nerves are. This should take us about an hour and a half, tops. After, your muscles might be sore for a few days, alright?"
The green at nods, trying to keep his body as relaxed as possible while she hooks in the sensors up to his arms and legs. For the next seventy three minutes, he's subject to electric shocks pulsing through his arms and legs at regular intervals. He wouldn't exactly call the sensation painful, but it was definitely uncomfortable and annoying. When Renzo finished, she had a slight frown on her face.
"The reading them getting suggest that you have some nerve damage, mainly in your arms, though there is some in your legs. Given what I know from your medical history, it is likely that occurred in your high school years. Still, I'd like to do a nerve biopsy to be sure," Renzo says, starting to pull the sensors off his body. "Will have to make this appointment now. I suggest you take the day off, Midoriya."
Her tone of voice was stern, and Midoryia knew she was hinting that he should tell Todoroki about the test. But if the nerve damage was from high school, why were you told her about the test? Both boys already knew it was highly likely Midoriya had caused damage to his nerves when he was still learning to use One for All.
"I'll think about it," was all Midoriya said as Renzo left the room so we could change. You could tell the doctor wasn't impressed by his answer, but you couldn't do anything about it without breaking her doctor-patient confidentiality oath.
Midoriya picked a day he already had off and left, flexing his sore muscles slightly, worried about the test and his future.
ØØØØ
"The results from your blood test came back. Some of your hormone and protein levels are alarmingly high. I'd like to do a spinal tap when you come in next week."
Doctor Renzo's voice was cool and collected as she spoke to midoriya, so her news was anything but good. The green out was glad he was in his office when he took the car all; he would have a hard time explaining the look of shock on his face.
"A ... Spinal tap? "
"Yes. The results of your blood test can indicate a number of things. My hope is a nerve biopsy combined with a spinal tap should narrow down the possibilities. You need someone to accompany you to the appointment as you cannot drive after a spinal tap," Renzo explains, the sound of a pen scratching on paper audible through the phone.
Midoriya exhales shakily. "All right, schedule me for the tap. I'll still be able to go into work the next day? I'll just be doing paperwork."
"So long as you get 4 hours bed rest after the procedure and don't do anything more strenuous than typical office work you should be fine to return."
"Then I'll see you on Thursday for the biopsy and the spinal tap."
"I'll see you Thursday. And remember someone has to drive you," Renzo reminds him, a not-so-subtle hint to tell Todoroki about the tests.
Midoriya hangs up and puts his phone on his desk, the fingers of his free hand pinching the bridge of his nose as if they could ward off the headache he felt forming. Why does everything have to get so much more complicated? It really did want to tell Todoroki what was going on, especially since it seems the situation is far more dire than he first thought. But his lover had to work and wouldn't to be able to drive Midoriya to his appointment, so the greenette didn't want to stress him out.
He picks up his phone again, scrolling to a contact he seldom had reason to call or text.
Midoriya
Hey, sorry to bother you but I need
a favor. You working Thursday?
He put his phone down with a side, not expecting an answer for a long while yet. Midoriya starts looking through a case file for the mission he was going on next week. He was the one leading it, so he wanted to know everything he could. The green it was so immersed and thought it startled him when his phone went off, announcing the arrival of a text.
Bakugou
Whatcha need, nerd?
Midoriya
Someone to drive me to and from the
hospital
Bakugou
What time & how long will
u be?
Midoriya
Appointment will be at 9:30 and I'll be
2, 2 and a half hours, tops.
Bakugou
I'll be there at 9
Bakugou
Better be ready or I'll leave.
Midoriya smiled faintly at this. Since their first year at UA, Bakugou had been slowly mending the friendship between them. Sure the blond was still rather... rude towards Midoriya, but it's the same level of attitude he gave everyone else. Maybe a touch more when Midoriya overtook him in the hero rankings.
Still, Midoriya would trust Bakugou with his life. He practically was, seeing as Bakugou knew the secret of One for All. That trust is why Midoriya chose to ask Bakugou to take him to the hospital rather than his mom. Bakugou we keep it a secret Midoriya asked him to.