A State of Decay

Chapter 27

"Toga wants you to come over for a game night," Tomura sighs, looking up from his phone. 

Izuku and Tomura had been cuddling on the couch all afternoon, wasting the day by watching movies and eating snacks. 

Izuku looks up from where he lies against Tomura. "Really? Do they know about me? I mean, that we're together?" he asks nervously. 

"I'm pretty sure she knew before we knew," Tomura deadpans. "So what's your answer? Wanna come over tonight? I can't guarantee she won't pester you with questions the whole time. Everyone else should be fine."

It had been a week or two since a few of Izuku's friends had found out about everything, but he was still feeling on edge about being with Tomura in front of other people. It's not that he cared what they thought; it just made him anxious to think about it. For the longest time, they'd been doing their own thing, staying inside their own bubble, but it wouldn't always be that way. People would inevitably poke their noses in and give their opinions, no matter if they were solicited or not. It had already happened with Mina, Eijirou, and Denki. It was bound to keep happening, and that same conversation would have to be had over again. 

Izuku still had several friends who had yet to learn of the development, and Tomura's friends were a whole other category. Part of him worried that they wouldn't approve of him or something, and the thought made him feel nervous. 

"You're muttering again," Tomura said, poking his cheek.

"Oh! um, yeah, I'll go." Izuku buries his reddening face against Tomura's chest, whose arms find their home around the hero's waist. 

"Good." Tomura plants a kiss on top of Izuku's head. "I apologize in advance if they make you feel uncomfortable. They can be... hard to be around at times."

"What do you mean?" Izuku asks tentatively. 

"Well, you've met them. We've all got our issues." 

Izuku can agree with that. 

"Do you mind if I ask a bit of a silly question?" Izuku asks suddenly. 

It had been on his mind for a while now since he learned of how the former LOV had been living. Back at the war's end, Izuku had advocated for reform rather than imprisonment. There had been many conversations about it, but after it had been agreed on, Izuku mostly backed out of the conversations and focused his energy on the reform and rebuilding efforts. Obviously, they got their second chance, but Izuku didn't know many details about it. He knew there must have been some kind of trial for them or something. But he'd never looked into it; instead, he chose to take his focus off the war and try to move forward, no matter how terribly that sentiment seemed to work out for him in the end. 

"What's on your mind?" Tomura asks. 

"Well, after the war," Izuku starts, unsure how to articulate his question. "How did everything go for you and The League? I didn't hear much about it after the initial appeals to your imprisonment." 

The TV plays in the background, casting soft light over them and the room. Tomura stays quiet for a second. 

"Well, they were more lenient with Toga and Iguchi than with Dabi and me," he finally says. "With as young as Toga was, they alluded to the fact that she hadn't had proper quirk counseling, though I know that's not entirely true. I didn't say anything, though, because it helped her case." 

"So she's actually... crazy?" Izuku asks, and Tomura laughs. 

"Yeah, she is," he muses. "But she doesn't kill people. Anymore. It's part of the deal they made with her and everything. That, and like the rest of us, she's on a lifelong parole."