Sayonara: If that's the way it is

A Small Stumble

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.