IZUOCHA'S LOVE STORIES (BOOK 1)

97 - VALOR IN CALAMITY (CHAPTERS 1-2)

By F4nF4n

SUMMARY: Izuku Midoriya grieves what he's lost. Deku defends an uncertain future.

Uravity grapples with the aftermath. Ochaco Uraraka nurtures an ever-diminishing spark of hope.

WARNING: It has Major Characters Deaths, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) - Depression, Manga Spoilers related to Post War and MHA: Final Arc Begins.

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"He is not valiant that dares die, but he that boldly bears calamity." - Philip Massinger, The Bondman

CHAPTER ONE
Death of the Hero (Prologue)

Midoriya, my boy.

The dreams vary, but his voice remains unchanged. Even in the realm of Morpheus, All Might's words echo in Izuku's ears with the same gentle reassurance as on his last day. But no amount of softness can change the fact that Toshinori Yagi is gone and Izuku Midoriya is alone in a world he does not understand.

The memory of All Might's final, knowing smile haunts his successor with more malevolence than an actual ghost.

Sometimes, Izuku's dreams feel so real he thinks for a moment it is All Might's vestige—some tangible, true piece of the man's soul—and his eyes shine with tears of joy. But slowly, he realizes it is just a figment of his unconscious mind. Only a dream.

And then he wakes with wet cheeks and a broken heart.

The vestiges have not visited Izuku since All for One was defeated, so he knows he should no longer be surprised or disappointed by their absence. Still, he finds himself huddled close under the comforter, knees tucked to his chest and arm wrapped tightly around himself when he wakes up. He presses his face into the pillow, wishing it were his mentor's broad chest.

This is a position he finds himself in often, chasing comfort in the lonely dark of his bed. The fleece of his blankets is a lame replication of affection, though, and he knows as much. Izuku has tried everything he can think of to recreate the warmth of All Might's fatherly embrace—standing close in the corner of his shower as the hot water cascades over his back, swaddling himself in blankets like a newborn. He's even allowed himself a few nights of mutual comfort with other broken souls.

But nothing ever feels the same.

When the sun streams in through his bedroom window, Izuku unravels himself, swiping his hand across his face to collect the tears and snot so he can face the breaking day. Life for a Hero in the reconstruction of Japan allows no rest, even for the weariest veterans.

Because in the aftermath of war, new battlefields have emerged.

Navigating those proverbial frontlines is something Izuku has had to learn on the fly. His entire career feels like a macabre improvisation; moving through the remnants of the world he thought he was defending only to find he's lost in a place that looks nothing as he expected.

The fight for restoration, compensation, and accountability wages with equal vigor from public pulpits and family dining tables. When everyone has lost so much, the new mission becomes how to lay the blame at someone else's feet. It is impossible to move forward without first seeking closure. A scapegoat or a villain—a target for grief and anger in the wake of loss.

Izuku Midoriya knows and understands this now, but it does not make the reckoning any easier. The burdens of the world are heavy, even when balanced on Deku's muscular shoulders.