To Stand by Your Side (DekuBaku)

Chapter 8: Conceal Don't Feel

July fifteenth.

Izuku wasn't sure if this would be his best or worst birthday yet.

He'd managed to chug his two cups of coffee (of his favorite high-caffeine roast), go out and buy a small pastry as a treat to himself, and board the train in time to get to the one thing he'd been looking forward to for weeks.

U.A. midterm exams. God, I still can't believe they asked me to help out again.

But despite still being mildly confused about the fact that he'd been requested to assist in the exam, he was excited. This year, he'd be spending his birthday around his friends, his former teachers, and the students he loved watching grow.

Today was the one day this week he'd managed to feel awake.

It wasn't as if he was slacking off and just not going to bed on time. No- this bit of weariness was only borne from extra hours and long night shifts, something he'd eagerly volunteered to pick up more of. If nothing else, even if he was tired, Izuku was getting everything he needed done and then some. He'd been told his recent rescue record was making headlines with how often he was on the scene, but Izuku hadn't really found a chance to check it out himself.

To his relief, though, he'd managed to avoid any interviews that would expose the steadily worsening bags under his eyes. Even he was having a hard time ignoring them anymore. What few publicity events he had taken part in involved copious amounts of makeup and clothing that really wasn't his style- honestly, if his publicist hadn't demanded he attend a photoshoot, Izuku would have been more than happy to carry on without ever doing one. But at the end of the day, he was getting work done. Rising to the top. If he wasn't working as much as he could, putting his entire self into becoming the best hero he could, then what was the point of all it?

However, the best part was how little time it left him to think about Katsuki. A few hours of sleep a night was enough to give him the rest he needed, yet little enough to where whatever dreams occurred were chaotic and distorted to begin with. It was such a relief to be able to rest without the anxiety-inducing fear that he'd wind up seeing blonde hair and a face flushed red as the crimson eyes staring back at him. The slight shaking of his hands was easy to hide or explain away, too. One less thing to worry about, even if the implications of it to begin with probably weren't the best. The only thing that was particularly hard to deal with these days was the ever-increasing clutter in his apartment, so much to the point where Izuku was partly wondering if starting to sleep in his office would be a better move.

By the time he got to U.A. grounds, the caffeine started to kick in. Now, awake and at his favorite place on earth, Izuku felt a little bit better about what today promised. It was fairly quiet on the way to the grounds where Aizawa had instructed him and the rest of the assisting heroes to meet, but the sound of footsteps behind him caught his attention quickly enough.

"Hey, Midoriya."

Huh? Oh, that's–!

"Jirou." He greeted, managing a slight smile. "S'been a while. How've you been?"

He slowed down for a moment to match her stride, and soon fell into a steady pace.

"Good, doing good. Hero work's been keeping me busy." She started. "I'm sure you understand, Mr. Bigshot."

"Oh, come on." Izuku rolled his eyes. "Just cause I've been taking a lot of jobs doesn't mean I'm aiming for fame, you know. That's never been me."

"Yeah, yeah. You'd never stop reminding all of us about what it really means to be a hero back in class. I know how you roll."

They laughed, and yet Izuku couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt in doing so.

I'm doing my best to uphold my own vision of a hero, right?