The Universe Lies Docile in Your Eyes

A Dog

Hello! Welcome to the new chapter! It hasn't been edited yet, and I apologize for the wait. I have no excuse. I hope this chapter's okay. Please enjoy, and thank you for reading! 

Izuku didn't want to leave Shinsou, not with him in such a bad state. They stayed at the strip mall for another few hours, per Izuku's request. The boys talked and played like they had years before, the years separating them melting away. Shinsou's smile never once faltered throughout the entire visit and Izuku refused to turn off his quirk until the migraines would become too much to handle, wanting to soak in the vision of his friend and his beautiful aura as long as possible. He hadn't realized how terribly he missed his friend until now, a fact that made him sad. He didn't know how much he had missed out on.

He also felt a sense of guilt that was almost comparable to Dabi's death. Shinsou told him of the horrors he had faced through the years, of how his peers' bullying had gotten to the point where he had to move schools, or of how his mother lost her job and had taken to drowning her sorrows in a bottle of scotch. Of how he had gone to there spot every day for the first year of his disappearance, and of how he had nightmares on a weekly basis of the day he left. He assured Izuku that no one was at fault, that they both had made mistakes, but it didn't reassure him all that much. He pushed away his guilt, for now, knowing that sulking would do nothing. He made a promise to himself that he would never allow any harm to come to his friend ever again, especially not from him.

When they did finally have to leave, Izuku pleaded with his dads to let Shinsou spend the night. They agreed, Aizawa somewhat begrudgingly, as long as his mom knew. He made Shinsou use his phone to tell his mom, though it went straight to voice mail. He left a short voicemail, though Izuku didn't think the phone was able to pick up a single word he mumbled out. It was enough for Aizawa, though, and so they all piled into the car. The boys' smiles beamed brightly the entire way home as they all chatted animatedly.

Aizawa and Mic shared a smile as they watched the boys speak. Aizawa found it almost odd to see Izuku acting his age instead of as an adult like he usually did. It wasn't a bad change of pace at all. In fact, it was nice to see him act as though the weight of the world didn't rest on his shoulders. After the attack, Izuku took it upon himself to ensure the safety of his loved ones. The changes the boy went through over the years were astounding. He went from the meek, jumpy little boy who wouldn't speak more than a couple of hours a day to a strong, intelligent young man who Aizawa truly felt like he could entrust his life to. It was nice to see him more confident, but the number of responsibilities he took upon himself was worrying. No matter how capable they had proved to be in defending themselves, Izuku still feared for them.

It was normal for a child of a hero to worry about their parent's safety, especially after seeing one of them injured like Hizashi was, but he was only 12. The heroes wanted him to have a normal life, but Izuku didn't seem to want that. He was content with his life as it was and had shared his thoughts on multiple occasions whenever he or Hizashi tried to coax him into making new friends other than Katsuki if they could be considered friends. Over the years, Katsuki had become more like a stubborn older brother to Izuku, their bond stronger than any friendship. They drove each other crazy with their respective stubbornness and constant fighting to best the other, but they loved each other.

They arrived home in no time, Izuku immediately popped open the trunk to carry in the supplies in. Shinsou followed behind, eyes wide. He looked back at him and giggled at the boy's expression.

Shinsou threw him a playful glare. "Who are you laughing at?"

Izuku laughed again. "You, what was that face for?"

Shinsou seemed a little embarrassed as he fiddled with his hands. "The house... Its nice. Really nice." Izuku watched him, waiting for him to continue. "This neighborhood's a lot nicer than our old one, huh?" Shinsou was silent for a minute before looking back up at him, offering a sad smile. "A lot's changed."