IZUOCHA'S LOVE STORIES (BOOK 1)

7 - LONGING

By: rex_101111

It took Izuku a while to get used to his dorm room.

The room was a few feet larger than his old room, the ceiling a bit higher up, the window sitting at a different wall. It all left him a bit off-center, even when he finished covering the one wall with all the All Might merch he brought with him he felt out of sorts.

Even being a floor taller than he was used to, seeing the ground so far away when he looked out his window throw him off.

Every little detail of his new living arrangement seemed intent on reminding him of one important fact: he was not at home anymore. He would not wake up in the morning and be sure the bathroom was available for an early morning shower; the quiet mornings were gone, replaced by the sounds of his fellow students rushing off to get ready in time for classes.

The most disheartening thing, childish as it sounded even to him, was that he would have to get used to getting by without his mom's homemade katsudon.

Realizing that fact didn't take long at all, and the pang of homesickness soon followed. He did not let it get in the way of his schoolwork or his training, he couldn't afford to. Still, his mood did take a hit for a while.

Naturally, this fact didn't escape his friends' notice one bit. Iida and Uraraka especially.

Iida had been insistent in trying to get him to open up about it but had relented when Izuku simply said that the Kamino incident was still weighing on his mind. (Which, well, it was, but as much as it had been before) He soon left him be with a genuine declaration that he was available at any time if he wanted to talk anyway.

Uraraka was not so easily dissuaded. She didn't hound him exactly, but she made a point of taking a minute out of the day when she could to talk to him, gently prodding at the subject of his failing mood.

He remained rather tight-lipped, dodging her questions and putting on a fake smile, assuring her (and himself) that he would feel better after some time passed.  This did not convince her, so she simply changed her tactics.

During breaks and the evening before lights out, she invited herself over for study sessions and to goof off, sometimes bringing Tsuyu, Ashido, or Kirishima with her while she was at it. She didn't ask any question about his mood then, simply content to get his mind off of whatever was bugging him.

He was a bit shy the first few times, but soon the calm air of comradery managed to put him at ease and helped him feel...more at home, essentially. It helped that the others shared the same worries that plagued him.

"I tell ya," Kirishima muttered one night, "I know it sounds kinda...kiddy, but I kinda miss my place back home sometimes." He put up his hands in placating gesture. "I mean it's fun here don't get me wrong! But...sometimes I kinda miss my ratty old bed y'know?"

"I miss my siblings back home, kero." Tsuyu said after he finished, sighing quietly. "Not having to cook for them after school feels a little...like something's missing from the day."

"Oh yeah." Ashido nodded with a dramatic pout, "but really, what I miss most is my mom's food." A chorus of "aww" floated in the room. "Oh come off it! My mom's cooking is the best! You haven't lived till you tried her rice omelets!"

"Not as good as my mom's ramen!" Kirishima said with a note of pride, puffing out his chest. "Manliest dish in the world!"

Soon they devolved into comparing their favorite dishes from back home, unfinished homework forgotten. Izuku couldn't help but feel a weight drop from his chest, knowing he wasn't the only one dealing with being homesick.

"What about you Deku-kun?" Uraraka asked with a curious note in her voice. "You're mom probably has something super tasty right?"

Deku hesitated for a moment, before sweeping his eyes to see the rest of the room looking at him with rapt attention. "Katsudon..." He mumbled before shaking his head and clearing his throat, "my mom's katsudon is...the best."

"Eh!? Isn't that super basic though?"

"Basic is manly! It means you don't need anything fancy!"

"Fits Midoriya-chan at any right, kero."

And so the conversation moved on easily, Izuku feeling more at home in his dorm room than he has in the past two weeks. He looked back to Uraraka, who had a pleased smile on her face. "Uraraka-san?"

She smiled knowingly but hummed innocently, "yeah Deku-Kun?"

"Thank you...for sticking your nose in."

Uraraka looked confused for a moment, before laughing. "That's what heroes do right?"

How could he argue with that?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next evening, he limped back to the dorm after an extra-long training session with All Might, his limbs aching and sluggish as he made his way to the kitchen to make himself a quick and simple sandwich before he went to sleep...and that's when it hits him.

The full and salty smell of beef bowl, wafting from the kitchen at 8 PM.**

"What the...?" He mumbled as he walked into the dining area, and saw Uraraka in front of the gas, stirring a large metal pot full of...something that smelled like heaven.

"Deku-kun!" She called out when she looked behind her to see him standing awkwardly under the threshold. "You came just in time! Sit down I'm almost done!"

He was in a daze as he sat down, the sight of Uraraka cooking striking him as oddly...domestic. Even more so as she took a sip, nodded in satisfaction, and filled up a bowl with a thick broth that made Izuku's mouth water.

She filled up a second bowl before picking them both up and walking to the table next to Izuku, "c'mon! Try it!" She went to get two pairs of chopsticks as he stared into his bowl, transfixed at the sight of meat and vegetables floating serenely in the broth, islands in an ocean**. "It's the first time I cooked something like this, so it's probably a bit messy."

Izuku nodded and broke apart his chopsticks, muttering a blessing before digging in. The broth was a bit more watery than it looked, the vegetables a bit over down and the pork slightly stringy...it was delicious.

"It's amazing Uraraka-san." He said around a mouth full as he slowly savored the flavor. "Been a while since I ate katsudon..."**

She laughed good-naturedly, "yeah I figured after last night you could do with some uh...home cooking!" She flushed slightly as she turned to her bowl. "I know it's probably not as good as your mom's but-"

"Uraraka-san." He said kindly, smiling at her. "Just the fact that you made it is enough." He flushed a bit as he realized what he said. "Y-you know, it's thoughtful of you, to do this for me."

"It was nothing." She shook her head as she eat a bit of her meal. "I know how it feels to miss your parent's cooking...I was living out of the house even before the dorms, so it's been a long time since I had any of my mom's cooking." She adopted a nostalgic look on her face. "Especially her mochi...I always loved that." She shook her head. "Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you grow up right? No more parents to cook for you gotta make the mochi yourself."

Izuku nodded absentmindedly, "right..." He looked down on his phone, typing in "mochi recipes" where Ochako couldn't see it. "But it doesn't mean you can't get help!" He motioned to the two bowls with a smile.

Ochako laughed, "just don't tell anyone else okay? If Mina-chan found out about this she'll have me making her food too..." They spent the rest of the evening in fond silence, slowly eating their way through their food. When they finished, they departed to their separate rooms, and when Izuku reached his and sat down to sleep....he felt, finally, fully at home.

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** Note: The author made a mistake of describing Katsudon. Katsudon is a pork cutlet placed on top a rice covered with White Onions, Egg and savory sauce (mirin, saki and soy sauce). What she stated here is like Beef stew (beef bowl, broth and floating veggies). Katsudon dont have veggies, only white onions and green chives. The author ignored my suggestion 😭 so i decided to put a note here so everyone should know what Katsudon looks like.