𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒

trip down memory lane

YUKI
present

Walking into U.A. was like walking into a fucking war zone. There were swarms of people—heroes everywhere. Every turn was a new face. Made my nerves go ballistic.

To avoid any possible conversation, I took a shortcut. It took a few tries until I somehow ended up in the fourth row in the auditorium, kicking out whatever grandma paid for this seat. It was close enough to the front though, so I didn't complain.

I didn't realize what I had gotten myself into until an hour had passed and only two classes had gone. Of course the one time I'm on time I have to watch all the losers graduate for being normal. Stupid. I whined silently.

I watched the whole goddamn ceremony, too. I nearly passed out three times before Midoriya's class was announced to the stage.

God, I felt like a proud parent watching those kids cross the stage. Kudos to them, really. They've been through hell and back.

At least that's what I've been told. Didn't know anyone besides Midoriya and Bakugo.

I snorted. Bakugo. Nearly forgot about that one.

Sitting through almost thirty more minutes of diploma-passing and a speech that a tall kid with glasses just had to share, Bakugo appeared on stage.

I slacked back in my seat, watching him through sly eyes and a crooked smirk. He had shot up, reaching maybe 5'11 on a good day. He still had the same bedridden hair, but happier eyes, and built some muscle under that pale skin. He flashed the crowd an arrogant smile when he appeared from behind the curtain. I scoffed. Some things never change.

A shout from the front of the room made my eyes shift. An exact copy of Bakugo waved her hands in the air like a maniac, cheering him on. Beside her was a mellowed man with spiky brown hair and glasses, shading his eyes in embarrassment.

My attention darted back to the stage when Midoriya's name was called.

This is it.

It took a long while for him to muster the courage to come out from behind that curtain. But the cheers of pure joy from his mama were the push he needed. I smiled.

Now, I knew he was a big shot. I didn't need anyone to tell me that as I took it upon myself to keep up with his celebrity life for the past two years.

And for the first time since that day, I saw him. I slowly sat up, my eyes rounding when he came out with a nervous smile stretched across his face. He... looked different.

He'd grown a lot, too. No longer was he the skinny kid who cried in the corner when Bakugo stole his lunch. No, the person who walked out on that stage was someone I didn't even recognize. I expected the frail, Quirkless boy I spent my life with. But a man of many scars with a confidence that could silence a room strutted out from behind that curtain without an ounce of shame. His nervous smile was deceiving because Midoriya held his head up high to let everyone know who he was—who he had become. He was a hero now.

He was terrifying.

I swallowed hard. But I put on my stone face and waited for his green eyes to wander the room. I felt as nervous as he looked. What if he doesn't recognize me? What if he doesn't even see me? What if—

My mind immediately shut up once our eyes met for the first time in five years. When they did, his smile dropped fast and his eyes went wide. He stopped in his tracks, his diploma in hand. It fell from his fingertips as he looked at me as if he'd seen a ghost.

Psh. I quietly scoffed. Of course he'd recognize me.

Suddenly, I could feel heads turn and eyes staring into my soul.

Only, what were they looking at?

From across the room at the far end of the stage, Bakugo's voice rattled in my mind, "Psst! Deku! What're you looking at?"

Everyone in the room wondered the same as I grinned at him.

"What is he looking at?" A girl with a bob whispered to her frog-looking classmate.

"I don't see anything, do you?"

"What's the hold-up?" A boy questioned from behind the curtain, waiting for his name to be called.

I could hear every murmur, whisper, and conversation that rippled throughout the room as Midoriya prolonged the ceremony.

I stood up from my seat and walked through the bodies of the people I sat beside to exit the row. I walked down the aisle, stopping after only a couple of steps. Midoriya's eyes were still round and his mouth hung open. God, was it good to see him.

Now, his features were clear as day. His hair was well maintained but still wild and curly, more freckles peppered his cheeks, and he was bulky, too, but not like Bakugo. I couldn't help but stare to admire him.

Maybe I stared for too long because he slowly started walking in my direction.

I shook myself back to the ground and stepped back, making him halt. I dipped my chin to him before pivoting to face the other way. I swirled my fingers in a circle and a portal swelled big enough to let me pass. I glanced over my shoulder at Midoriya again.

Using my mind, I sent a mental transmission into his mind:

"Nice seein' you, Iz. Congrats on surviving U.A. without me."

Before I could examine his facial expression, I stepped forward and disappeared through the portal without being seen by anyone besides Midoriya. The portal engulfed me, quickly shrinking once I was gone. 

I left the war zone with a bullseye on my back as I had just planted the biggest bomb of an old battle left buried. And the soldier left to dismantle it was tasked to find the perpetrator who he thought was long gone.