#❝ lit the sun & the black on fire: you were ever-light ﹝ofdetonation﹞

[roguesenses]

maybe we are not meant for the perfect ending @ofdetonation !

The beach was quiet, but in the best, most relaxing way. Izuku sank his toes into the golden sand, reveling in its warmth. UA kids were given some time off - they all deserved it after everything they had been through. Most were occupied playing beach volleyball, while others went off exploring. Izuku was told to stay close to the shore until his remaining injuries healed while one or two of the others kept him company at all times. They didn't need to, and he had reassured them multiple times that he was fine, but his classmates were capable of being very stubborn when it came to taking care of him. They were worried about his mental state, you see, because the war had taken something very precious from him - One for All.

In a way, it was the perfect price to pay for peace. One for All was always meant to defeat All for One, so it made sense for them to take each other out in the end. Izuku was quirkless again, but he didn't mind, because he was able to protect those he cared about and restore his loved ones' smiles.

Still, his head felt empty without the previous users, and every so often he got a sinking feeling in his chest like he was missing something. For the first few nights, he couldn't sleep, and that turned out to be a good thing, he supposed, because otherwise, he would have missed out on some important conversations.

Izuku leaned back, resting his head against Katsuki's shoulder. The blond was either too preoccupied with cutting up the watermelon to shake him off or decided this was grudgingly allowable after what they discussed.

His eyes slid from the bridge of Katsuki's nose, down his neck, then fixated on his chest. This wasn't allowable and should he stare a few seconds longer, he'd probably get barked at. Izuku had been doing that a lot lately, weirdly finding himself staring at Katsuki's chest, eyes searching across the smooth skin without understanding exactly what he was looking for. Was something missing there?

Stop it. Izuku internally nudged himself to calm down. The war was over and everything was set to right, so he must stop feeling restless as if something was wrong still. Was this PTSD? Maybe he should talk to someone after all. They did hire that nice new counselor with a soothing voice...

As Izuku's gaze shifted, he spotted someone in the distance. Tattered clothing, bruises, and blood. This person did not feel like he belonged on this beach of serene beauty and laughter.

"Kacchan?" He sat up, puzzled. "But..." Kacchan was sitting right behind him. How could there...be two?

[roguesenses]

hold my hand ,  i don’t want to lose track of you .

ᵗʰᵉ 𝑫𝑼𝑺𝑻𝒀 𝑻𝑶𝒀𝑩𝑶𝑿 . (accepting)

The sky was a beautiful heather purple, featuring streaks of gold and orange.

In his ears was the sound of laughter, children shouting at each other in joy as they raced with one another toward the game booths, betting on which one among them would be able to scoop up the most goldfish.

That was them, once upon a time.

Now, they were both surprisingly silent. Was it a sign of maturity, that they were becoming older and wiser...or something else?

Izuku dug his spoon deep into his cup of shaved ice, fetching a tiny syrupy mountain to rest on his tongue. It melted slowly, blueberry-flavored and icy, but doing nothing to ease the blush from his cheeks.

The fireworks were starting soon, and a second crowd of kids rushed by, temporarily pushing the two of them apart on their quest for a better viewing spot. That was when Katsuki said what he said, and Izuku's brain temporarily short-circuited.

Right, he thought as he started stretching his hand across the gap that separated them, once his mind was working properly again. It was just so they didn't lose track of each other. There were, after all, a lot of people around.

Except there was a strange tickle inside of his chest when their fingers touched, and it had him internally panicking for reasons he didn't fully comprehend. Izuku felt his face burn with a new intensity, and this time all he could hear next to his ears was the sound of his own heart beating. He opened his mouth to say something stupid - there was always that desire to self-sabotage and ruin whatever this was between them. This time, though, he managed to force his lips shut again.

No flailing, he instructed himself firmly. No dismissals. At some point, he was going to have to face this head-on, and Izuku Midoriya was supposed to be brave.

[roguesenses]

you can’t ask me to make that choice .

 ᵗʰᵉ 𝑫𝑼𝑺𝑻𝒀 𝑻𝑶𝒀𝑩𝑶𝑿 . (accepting)

tw: mention of death

The water was gentle, or at least it had always been in his memories. It was the coolness in the towel over his head when he had fevers, and in the ponds where children splashed and played. It flowed in rivers, provided fish for dinner, and was the source of life for their crops.

He had never seen it like this - forceful...violent.

Izuku started running up the hill the moment the sky darkened, clouds gathering low and heavy, full of anger. When the waves crashed, they were loud and unforgiving, icy walls of water sweeping up everything nearby.

Apparently, something like this happened every so often. The last time - a few years before Izuku was born - the gods had chosen the chief's daughter and half of the village was wiped out before she found her way out of her hiding place and gave herself to the waves. Izuku didn't want anyone to get hurt this time, so he must rush. Race towards his death so others could live.

By the time he had arrived by the cliffside, he felt no fear, and Izuku didn't let himself look back at the village in case that would dissipate his resolve.

Just as he sucked in a breath and prepared himself to jump, a hand caught his arm.

"Kacchan," Izuku greeted, his smile a bitter one because of their soon-to-be-said farewell.

One person, or an entire village? The choice sounded like a straightforward one until feelings were involved.

"It's okay," he promised in a whisper, the wind stirring in his green hair. "The choice has already been made. All you have to do is let go."

[roguesenses]

👪 / here's smth to hopefully cheer up poor izuku dvgfbnv

the meme (accepting)

"No, no, shhh." Izuku put a finger to his own lips and gave them two light taps. "You can't follow me and start calling your dad Kacchan. It's still father to you. Father."

Gentle persuasion might work for another kid, but not this one. He took after Katsuki in every way, from the blond hair to the crimson eyes, even the difficult personality.

Really cute, though - Izuku couldn't actually get mad, even as the tiny gremlin waved his little fists and start chanting Kacchan like some sort of mantra. The more Izuku tried to shush him, the louder he got.

"Want me to tell you a story? We can talk about what your dad was like when he was around your age?"

The distraction tactic worked! The child had stopped running around and came to sit by Izuku obediently.

"See, we both wanted to be heroes from a young age. Back in the day, we looked up to the same person..."