A/N: In this chapter, I mention a drug Aiedail used to treat ALS. It is a fictional drug, only the other two drugs mentioned are real. Any prices I mention are in Canadian dollars. Any government involvement with financial support for ALS patients is relevant only to Canada.
I did my research on this. What I say is facts, from Canadian websites.
Also, this chapter is dedicated to Fabulous_Trash13 she are a good friend and all her comments motivate me to write more.
Chapter 4
When the doorbell rang the next day Midoriya's heart leapt into his throat, though he was expecting a visitor. He walked to the door much slower then he wanted to, but he wanted to fall less. He found if he moved too quickly, he had less control.
Midoriya opened the door to see Bakugou's scowling face.
"What took you so long, nerd?" Bakugou demands as he follows Midoriya to the living room. "And what was so urgent you needed me to come over? Before you ask, I'm not taking you to any more secret doctor appointments."
Bakugou falls silent now, picking up on the anxious atmosphere that surrounded Midoriya. He could tell the greenette was afraid, and Bakugou had a pretty good guess why. "The test results said something bad."
Midoriya just nods, unsurprised Bakugou was putting things together so quickly. "How bad is bad?" the blond continues, wishing Midoriya would meet his gaze. When he doesn't answer, Bakugou starts to worry. "How bad is bad?" he demands, smacking his hand on his knee as he leans closer to the greenette.
Midoriya looks up, meeting Bakugou's gaze. For a second, the greenette does nothing. Then he reaches into his pocket and holds up a small vial that glistens red in the sunlight.
"I'm giving you One for All, Kacchan."
Bakugou recoils as if struck by a punch to the jaw. Midoriya's words made him realize two things, the first being the vial had blood in it, and the second being that the boy sitting across from him was dying. That was the only reason Midoriya would be giving him One for All. Only if he was dying.
"How long do you have?"
Midoriya sighs, knowing this question was going to be asked, but wishing it wouldn't. "Three to five years, but I'll be in a wheelchair in less than one. It's already unsafe for me to do hero work."
Bakugou is stunned into silence. What kind of disease could do this to a person? "And there's no cure?" he asks, disbelief clear in his voice.
"No. So little is known of the disease because governments neglected to provide funds to research it."
The two boys sit in silence, one processing what just happened, the other wondering how he's going to tell the rest of his class. It was difficult enough telling his mom and the person he considered to be his best friend.
"You're giving it to me?" Bakugou says quietly, gesturing to the vial in Midoriya's hand.
"Yes."
"Why me? Why not the kid All Might was supposed to give it to in the first place? Seems cruel to for him to be cheated out of it twice. Or how about you give it to Todoroki?" Bakugou asks.
"I want to give it to you, Kacchan. Not Mirio, not Shoto, you. We've been together since we were kids; aside from my mother and Shoto, you're the one person in the world who know me best. You helped me train, helped me learn to control this power. You are the one most suited to have this power next, Kacchan, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Midoriya says firmly, determination and confidence filling his voice.
He falls silent for a moment, then sadness clouds his features and voice. "One of us should get to achieve our dream of being the Number One Hero."
It hurts Midoriya to admit aloud that he wouldn't become Number One, though he knew he wouldn't the second Dr. Renzo and Dr. Sorano gave their diagnosis. There was just something about saying it out loud that made it real, made it final.
"With this power, I'll be come the greatest hero the world has even known," Bakugou says. "I'll do it for both of us."
Midoriya looks up, surprised by Bakugou's words. The blond holds out his hand and when the greenette goes to press the vial into it, he grips the other boy's hand tightly for a moment.
"So how exactly does this work again?" he asks, taking the vial of blood and glancing at it.
"You have to in just some of my DNA, so you drink it. Unless you rather eat a hair," Midoriya says dryly, remembering how he obtained One for All.
It's almost funny how quickly Bakugou downs the blood.
"In about six hours, you'll be able to use One for All. I trust you know how to use it, and if you need help, you can ask me anything,''Midoriya whispers.
"And what about you? Won't you still have the embers or whatever?" Bakugou asks setting the vile on the coffee table.
"Yes, I will, though I probably won't use them. There's no way for me to use them," Midoriya says softly.
Bakugou nods, and tries to think of a new topic for conversation.
Midoriya looks away, at the window, staring intently at the patch of visible sky. "Todoroki and I will be telling the others at the end of the class reunion. But if you don't want to hide it from Kirishima until then, you can tell him I am sick. It's ALS, and I got it from my dad." The greenette gives an odd bitter chuckle. "Of all the things I could have got from my dad's DNA, I got a fatal illness. Not his quirk or anything. An illness he didn't even know he had, when that's probably killed him by now. I got it earlier than most do."
Bakugou realizes Midoriya is just talking aloud without knowing it, much like he used to mutter when he was young. He just lets Midoriya talk, knowing the boy will probably need it.
Midoriya clues into how much he's mumbling rather quickly, and apologises, getting up to send Bakugou on his way.
After the boy leaves, Midoriya sits in the living room for a long time, the TV on but muted while he becomes lost in thought. He was thinking about the power he just gave away, the shattered dream that had been so carefully mended just in the world could steal it from him after he got a brief taste of what his life would be like if he could live dream.
ØØØØ
The morning of the class reunion dawn bright and Sunny, looking as though nothing bad could possibly be in store.
The reunion didn't start until mid afternoon, and todoroki had a morning patrol so matoria was on his own for a few hours. At 1st, materia tried to do some cleaning around the house, it seemed he was having a bad day. The muscle spasms in banks were so bad even carrying a laundry basket was nearly impossible.
He managed to get it to the laundry Room, made several trips to pick up things he dropped along the way. As he walks, a small bubble of laughter escapes his lips, another following close behind. Soon, he can't stop laughing.
In two months he went from being able to lift a car to struggling to hold a laundry basket.
Sure Midoriya supposed heed still be able to lift a car he tried... But it likely drop it on his head or something. The thought makes Midoriya laugh harder, though he knows it isn't funny. He just can't help himself.
He gets the basket to the laundry Room, dropping it rather haphazardly the top of the dryer. He heads back to the living Room to wait for tighter rocky. Materia tried to take things slow and easy, especially when he got to the stairs, still giggling a little. He almost made it all the way down when a spasm in his leg sent him sliding down the last six steps on his butt.
Other than bruising his rear, Midoriya is fine, though thinking about how easily he could have bashed his head stops his laughing.
Midoriya sits on the floor for a few minutes making sure he wasn't going to have any more muscle spasms before trying to get up. It takes a few attempts because his muscles feel weaker than normal, but he manages.
He's much more cautious as he makes his way to the living room, leaning on the walls whenever possible. Sinking into the couch, Midoriya feels a sense of relief. He pulls out his phone and checks the time. It's one fifteen, so Todoroki should be coming home soon.
Midoriya curls up on the couch to wait, his rear hurting. He definitely bruised something when he fell down the stairs.
He aimlessly scroll through the pictures on his phone. While the right many on the phone itself, Midoriya found his old Snapchat account still logged in, where he found photos from all three years at UA, as well the small collection for middle school.
The only reason the account wasn't swarmed with fans was because he stopped using Snapchat shortly after leaving UA as did most of his friends.
Midoriya starts scrolling through his memories, a small grin creeping onto his face. Midoriya starts scrolling through his memories, a small grin creeping onto his face. He's so absorbed that he doesn't notice when Todoroki comes home, which causes the heterochromatic boy to panic and rush into the living room.
"Izuku! There you are. Did you not hear me call you?" Todoroki asks, his body visibly relaxing when he sees Midoriya is okay.
"Huh?! I'm sorry Sho, I must've zoned out! I didn't mean to worry you. I was just looking at some old pictures to pass the time."
"Zuku, it's okay," Todoroki says, neatly cutting the greenette off before he could start muttering. "I honestly overreacted a bit. Now we should probably get going before we're late. You know everyone will show up early."
Midoriya nkda and start to get up, wincing and using the arm of the couch as support. Todoroki instantly noticing, a look of concern creeping onto his face. "Zuku, why are you limping?"
"Oh... um... I-fell-down-earlier-but-I'm-okay-just-a- little-sore," Midoriya says quickly, not wanting to worry Todoroki further.
"How long ago did you fall? Where did you fall?" Todoroki asks, wanting to helo Midoriya stand, but knowing it wouldn't be appreciated.
"Uh, maybe twenty minutes ago? And I was on the last few stairs, don't worry, it wasn't far. I'm fine," Midoriya says rather calmly.
"You're sure you're okay?'
"Yes. Now, let's get going, you said you didn't want to be late."
The couple go to their garage, getting into Midoriya's pick up because it had more gas. The greenette didn't even attempt to get in the driver's seat, though his licence had yet to be revoked. It would happen eventually, and Midoriya knew the smart thing to do would be to sell his truck.
With the radio turned on, any and all awkward tension faded. Todoroki and Midoriya both sang along to any song they knew, their voices a touch out of key, but lovely nonetheless.
The half hour drive seemed to be over in the blink of an eye, and the boys felt a wave of nostalgia as they entered the school grounds once more.
"I think some of my best memories are from my time here," Midoriya whispers, a small smile on his face.
"Well I know all mine are. It was here that I found the courage to go see my mother, to use my right side, to defy my father.... Because of you. This is the place I fell in love with you, Midoriya."
Midoriya can feel tears welling up in his eyes, and he glances over at his lover. "Sho.... That was so sweet."
Todoroki glanced over at Midoriya =, a small, wry smile on his lips. "I was only stating facts," he says, a slight sarcastic tone to his voice, causing Midoriya to chuckle.
"I love you too, Sho."
Todoroki finds a place to park and the boys hold hands as they walk to the training arena the class reunion was being held in. It turned out only Class A was in the arena and they seemed to all be there, talking and laughing.
Mina spots them almost immediately , dragging Sero over to greet them. "Deku, Shoto!! It's so good to see you!" she yells, opening her arms invitingly. Midoriya laughs and accepts the hug, pulling a less-than-enthusiastic Todoroki with him.
"It's good to see you too Mina! How have you been?" Midoriya asks, a genuine smile on his face.
"I've been good! Finally got Hanta to agree to move in with me," Mina says, playfully jabbing the dark haired boy in the ribs.
"Wow, that's great. I'm glad to see you two are doing so well."
"Mina's persistent, maybe a touch stubborn, but that's why I love her," Sero says, leaning down to kiss her cheek, causing her skin to go a deeper pink.
"What about you and Shoto? You're going on what? Six years now?" Mina asks with a mischievous smirk. "Are we gonna be hearing wedding bells any time soon?"
Midoriya and Todoroki both tense ever so slightly, not wanting to start lying so soon in the reunion.
"Don't worry, I'm just teasing! I know marriage isn't for everyone," Mina said with a laugh. She'd been asking every couple who's been together long enough for an engagement to be possible, so she thought nothing of the way of the way the boys tensed.
"We'll let go see the others now, but we should talk again before this is over," Mina says, dragging Sero over to Ojiro and Hagakure, back from their honeymoon just in time for the reunion.
"I see Ochako and Tenya. Shall we go say hello?" Todoroki asks, pointing out their friends.
Midoriya smiles. "Sure, It would be good to get Dekusquad back together," he giggles.
Todorkoki groans as they start walking over to the others."Why must you insist on using that name? You know Denki was only joking."
"Yeah, well it's funny and it stuck," Midoriya says as they walk over. "Ochako! Tenya!"
"Deku, Shoto! You're finally here. Uraraka cheers, a huge smile appearing when she sees the boys. They smile back, instantly feeling comfortable around their old friends.
"I saw your rescue on the news the other day, Ochaka. It was fantastic!" Midoriya says happily.
"Oh wow. I didn't think any of our friends would've seen it. Normally, we'd all be patrolling or something," Uraraka comments.
"Oh, it was my day off and I was channel surfing. Happened to land on the news at the same time your rescue started," Midoriya says, making a quick save. Technically, it was the truth. He just omitted the reason why he was off.
"Lucky timing." Uraraka says with a bright smile.
"How have you been? You must be incredibly busy, being groomed to take over your agencies," Iida says, making little chopping motions with his hand. It was a fair question, seeing as Midoriya had been given All Might's agency after he died.
"It can get a little overwhelming at times, but I'm adjusting well. The place does a good job at running itself, and mostly needs a leader for public appearances." Todoroki says cooly.
"Yeah, same with me," Midoriya says, trying to keep his smile on his face. He'd have to hand the agency off as well. Soon, he'd be in no condition to even attempt to run the agency, even if he could lock himself in an office full time.
"Well, I'm glad it's going so well for the both of you. Tensai has begun to talk about handing the reins over to me, Do you have any tips?'
Midoriya laughs. "Tenya, out of the three of us, you are the one most prepared to take over an agency."
"You flatter me, Izuku." Iida says with a small smile.
"No, he's right," Uraraka says, kissing Iida's cheek. "You're great at organizing stuff. That's why you were such a good class rep."
Todoroki notices a pair coming over to join their group. "Hello Tokoyami, Tsu."
"Hi. It's good to see you all, ribbet." Tsu replies, bringing Tokoyami a little closer to the group,
"Hello," Dark Shadow chirps, seeming much happier to be here then the person she was attached to.
"Hi Dark Shadow," Midoriya says.
"Izuku! Shoto!"
Both boys look for the person yelling at them, finding Kaminari dragging Shinso over.
The rest of the afternoon is spent cycling around the room, talking with their classmates. It was easy for the boys to relax despite the bad news they would have to share. They silently agreed to do it after dinner, when everyone was most likely to be together, drinking tea before they left.
All too soon, Midoriya and Todoroki found themselves sitting on a couch with Iida and Uraraka, cups of tea in hand. Todoroki glances at Midoriya, who gives a small nod. The greenette takes his lover's hand, wanting something to hold on to.
"I have something I need to tell everyone," Midoriya says, his voice steadier than he thought it would be.
Almost instantly, the entire room is silent, all eyes on Midoriya. Most are curious and slightly confused, but two pairs of crimson eyes show the same understanding as their owners realize what Midoriya is about to say.
The greenette closes his eyes, not wanting to be able to see everyone's reactions. "I was recently diagnosed with ALS, and was told I had three to five years to live."
There's a silence so complete you could hear a pin drop, then the shock wears off and the gasps start. Midoriya opens his eyes hesitantly, seeing the slightly sad, slightly horrified expressions on everyone's faces.
"Isn't there a cure, ribbet?" Tsu asks, a slight frown on her face.
"No, there isn't," Shoji says, surprising quite a few people.
"How do you know that?" Mineta lisps.
"Because someone in my family had it," Shoji responds simply.
Everyone is silent again, but it doesn't last. They all have questions they want to ask, Mudoriya can see it in their eyes. "You can ask questions," he says with a small sigh.
"What does ALS mean, mon ami?" Aoyama asks.
"ALS is a terminal illness that will slowly destroy my motor neurons, or the connections between my muscles and brain, leaving me practically paralyzed," Midoriya explains.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ojiro asks.
"No, there isn't really much that can be done. I just wanted to let you all know because it's only a matter of time before the press find out."
Tokoyami leans forward slightly. "Clearly this is a degenerative disease. How quickly does it progress?"
"It's different for each person," Todoroki says, wanting to give Midoriya a minute. "Though he'll likely be in a wheelchair before a year has passed."
"Do you need anything?" Sero asks, looking concerned.
"No, not that I can think of. We have enough money to cover all the costs," Todoroki replies.
"Costs? Shouldn't the government cover it?" Mina asks
"No, not really. One week of the compassionate care benefits doesn't pay for one prescription, the cheapest prescriptions," Todoroki says, air quoting the words 'compassionate care benefits.'
"Sho, calm down. We can pay for the meds," Midoriya whispers, not wanting to bring up the governments pitiful excuse of financial support.
"No, let him speak. I wanna hear this," Hagakure says, sounding genuinely curious.
Todoroki nods, glad he had an excuse to rattle off the costs he memorized. "The government offers six weeks of compassionate care benefits, which entitles you to fifty-five percent of your weekly wages, up to a maximum of five hundred and seventy three dollars a week. Five hundred and seventy three times six is three thousand, four hundred and thirty eight dollars."
Todooroki pauses for a breath, then continues. "There are three drugs used to treat ALS, Riluzole, Edavarone and Aiedail. The price for sixty pills if Riluzole is seven hundred and sixty two dollars. Edvarone is an IV treatment and costs one thousand, four hundred and twenty four dollars a day. Aiedail is a special drug that only three hundred people in the world know how to make, so it costs two thousand dollars for ten picks. However, it is quite literally a miracle drug, so people are quite willing to pay for it."
The entire room is dead silent again, for a full minute, appalled by the lack of support the government gave, especially when things were so costly. Sure, Todoroki and Midoriya would be able to pay for this, but they had huge, whopping hero salaries.
"How can civilians possibly afford this? How can such a pitiful amount if support be given?" Iida asks, clearly upset.
"The ALS society provides support," Midoriya says quickly. "I just turned it down so more money could go to other patients."
"The government doesn't fund this society, does it?" Shinso asks, an accusing note in his voice.
".... No, it's all donations. It goes to the families first, then the left over money is put towards research," Midoruya admits. It makes his sad and angers him to know the government handles this all.
"That's just wrong," Kaminari says, shaking his head slowly. "There people are dying their families are suffering and the government isn't even lifting a finger."
Shinso tugs gently at Kaminari's hand, silently telling him to shut up. He gets the idea and looks up at Midoriya. "I'm so sorry bro, that was pretty insensitive of me."
"It's the truth. And I'm going to work to make this change," Midoriya says, a familiar tone of determination in his voice. It was one his classmates heard a lot when he was talking of being a hero it made then happier to know that loosing his dream of becoming a hero hadn't obliterated his fighting spirit.
"I wonder if it hurts or anything," Sato mutters under his breath, not intending to he heard.
"It doesn't. Or at least, not yet. It's just muscle spasms and termors now it might get painful later, but it might not," Midoriya answers having heard Sato. Most of the class heard him.
After this, Momo tries to change the topic, for which Midoriya is greatful. It mostly goes well, especially since Jirou is assisting her fiancée with the topic change.
In the end, the atmosphere was too gloomy and everyone agrees its time to head home. Uraraka and Iida end up walking put with Todoroki and Midoriya. They get to Midoriya's pick-up first and when Uraraka wordlessly opens her arms, eyes glistening with unshed tears Midoriya is quick to accept the hug.
After the other couple leaves, Midoriya climbs in the passenger seat silent tears running down his cheeks. While it was hard to tell his friends, Midoriya's heart felt lighter now that he wasn't keeping secrets from them.
Todoroki notices Midoriya's tears, so he takes his left hand off the steering wheel, sliding it across the bench seat to take the greenette's right hand. The boy does t complain, just holds his lover's hand as if it were his lifeline.
A/N: As I said at the start of the chapter, all costs and government support for ALS patients is the actual sums of money, in Canadian dollars.
This cost is substantial higher then the annual cost of someone living with HIV, a stroke survivor in their first year or caring for someone with Alzheimer's Disease.
While I don't know the exact statistics for costs of medicine and amount of financial support the government gives, it can't be much better then what Canadians get. People are paying for these treatments, for essential house renovations and equipment directly out of their pockets, getting a bit of support from an ALS society if they're lucky.
The ALS society of Canada runs purely off of donation money and the lion's share of that money goes to support families who have ALS patients. It is only after these costs have been covered that any money goes to research.