Would You Still Love Me? (Deku x Reader)

Chapter 20

(Y/N)'s POV
I fiddled with the hem of my shirt as I took Izuku's hand and led him to the common room sofa. I perched on the edge of the seat and Izuku sat a cushion-length  away from me, his hand still laced with mine. The silence settled over us, and as it gradually grew oppressive, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I um, I don't mean to rush you or anything (Y/N), but what do you want to tell me?" He said quietly, a nervous tinge shaking his voice,
"You're fine hon, don't worry." I chuckled slightly and raised my free hand to push away some stray baby hairs from my face.
"I'm just trying to figure out how to phrase what I want to say." I remained still for a minute more, before setting my jaw determinedly and turning toward Izuku. I silently noted the anxious bounce of his leg, and gently grabbed his free hand to ground him and calm him down.
"Izuku, when I was kidnapped by the League of Villains, I lost my quirk."
One beat of silence.
Then two.
He stared at me, unblinking, and I squinted at him trying to decipher his reaction, or lack thereof.
"I already knew that."
"It's shocking, I know- wait. What did you just say?" I spluttered for words.
This conflict did not build for like eight chapters just for him to know already! I thought exasperatedly, shoving down my mild disappointment at the ruining of my reveal.
"I, uh, well I sort of knew that already?" He repeated meekly.
"Wait a minute, who told you Izu? The only people who know are Mr. Aizawa, my doctor, and Todoroki. At least, as far as I'm aware of." I tapped my chin thoughtfully, trying to puzzle it out.
"Mr. Aizawa would've told me if he was going to tell anyone, I can't think of any reason you would have spoken to my doctor, and Todoroki-" I stopped suddenly, realizing Todo had no real reason to keep my secret, and he didn't have a great grasp on the concept of boundaries.
"Izuku Midoriya. Did the asswipe formerly known as my friend Todoroki Shoto tell you I lost my quirk?" I questioned, my voice eerily calm. Izu stared at me like a deer caught in the headlights, and a single bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"(Y/N), I'm not really sure what the right answer here is, considering both of you are powerful enough to seriously hurt me," He paused and I raised an eyebrow at him; a not-so-gentle reminder of who the greatest danger he currently faced was.
"R-right! Sorry! Todoroki told me!" He released my hands to wave them frantically in my face, but I just sighed and ran one of my now free hands through my hair exhaustedly.
"I'm so going to kill him later, but thanks for being honest Izuku." I flashed the panicky boy a sweet smile before sinking into the couch cushions dejectedly. He slowly calmed down and moved so he was kneeling in front of me, nervously peering up at my face. I shifted slightly so I could see him better.
"So, how long have you known that I was living a lie?" I chuckled mirthlessly. Before I could stop him, Izu had wrapped his arms around me carefully, and I subconsciously nestled closer to his chest.
"You're not living a lie (Y/N). You will get your quirk back, and I'll help you do it no matter what." He pulled back slowly to look into my eyes, a gentle smile gracing his features.
"Besides, didn't I already tell you that even without your quirk and just your physical capabilities, you're amazing?" I started laughing at the memory of the first time we trained together, when he had gone on a five minute spiel about how powerful I was with my martial arts.
"You know, for someone who's so bad at having their own confidence, you're awfully great at motivating other people." I teased softly, gently tracing circles on Izuku's palm. He blushed furiously, and tilted his head to the side, giving me a close-eyed smile.
"Well it's easy when you're just reminding someone of what you already know!" He replied, making me flush immediately at his sweet words. However, despite his constant reassurances, a part of me still couldn't understand one thing.
"Um, Izuku, why aren't you breaking up with me?" I paused and chewed on my lip hesitantly.
"I just mean, cause your one goal in life is to be a hero, and now you'll probably just be dragged down by me, so I don't understand why you're still here." I breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, as the fear I'd had ever since losing my quirk was finally voiced. It provided me with some sense of comfort to know that everything was in the open now, and I didn't have to lose more sleep worrying about what Izuku thought of me; I was about to find out. I braved a glance up at him to see his eyes widened and mouth slightly agape. I winced internally at the not-so-promising expression.
"(Y/N) I-" He sighed loudly, and pulled me closer to him so I couldn't see his face. However, I could feel his racing pulse under my fingertips and I slowly grew antsy over whatever he was going to tell me.
"I never told you how I got my quirk, did I?" I tensed in his arms.
That's not what I was expecting, but ok. I thought as I deadpanned at the seemingly simple question.
"No Izuku, you didn't," Came my muffled reply from in his shirt.
"Well, then I think this'll probably help clear up why I'm not suddenly looking at you differently or anything." I felt, more than heard, the deep breath he took as his chest rose against me. He stayed quiet for a moment, long enough that I started wondering if he actually intended to speak. He finally broke the silence, and in a big way.
"I was quirkless for a very long time before I met All Might. But he let me inherit his quirk, One for All, because he saw potential in me. Before he did that though, I had been dead set on becoming the first quirkless hero, despite all the odds. That's why I don't see you as any less of a hero just because you're quirkless right now. As far as I'm concerned, you're just going to accomplish my original dream." I silently reflected on everything he had said, taking a moment to relish the warm sense of acceptance and security his certainty in me brought.
Izuku quirkless, huh. It doesn't seem to fit with how powerful he is, but I suppose it makes sense given how much he injured himself at the start of the year. The more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense and all of the dots started connecting.
No wonder Izuku gets to drink tea with All Might, the star spangled man is quite literally playing favorites with his protege. Alone in my thoughts, and pondering the logistics of inheriting a quirk, I almost missed the subtle tensing of Izuku's body beneath me. However, it made it immediately clear to me that he was awaiting some kind of response and felt very vulnerable, so I immediately wracked my brain for the right words to say.
"Izuku, it doesn't matter who you used to be, or whether you had a quirk or not, you'd still be one of the best damn heroes I've ever seen. And the best damn boyfriend I could ever hope for." I shifted so I could place a gentle kiss on his lips before continuing.
"I don't care if everyone in the world thinks you don't have what it takes, or you don't deserve your power, I am absolutely positive you do. Because you, Izuku Midoriya, are the most tenacious, brave, and heroic person I know." I nestled my head into the crook of his neck, silently hoping that I had gotten across what I wanted to say. I soon had my answer, as I heard quiet sniffling and looked up at Izuku to see tears streaming from his eyes like waterfalls.
"I-I'm sorry Izu! I didn't mean to make you cry!" I stuttered guiltily. He met my eyes through the tears, and managed to blubber out,
"I'm not crying cause you said something wrong! You're just the most amazing person on Earth and I don't know what I did to deserve you!" He hiccuped adorably as he spoke, and it broke his words apart comedically. I tried to stifle my giggles, but eventually I couldn't hold them in anymore, and started laughing in Izuku's arms, the seriousness of the evening cracking as I laughed.
"Izuku, trust me, no one on the planet is as precious as you are, so if anything, I don't deserve you!" I exclaimed past my giggles, booping him on the nose as I spoke. He shrank his head back at the boop, crossing his eyes to look at his nose curiously. I stared at him lovingly, and for the first time since being kidnapped I felt completely and totally content with everything that had happened.
As long as Izuku keeps trusting me, I know everything's going to work out no matter what. I breathed out a happy little sigh and nestled my head in the crook of Izu's shoulder. He rested his head on top of mine, and I felt the sudden urge to break the night's tension once and for all.
"So am I your first?"
"W-whAT?" He choked on nothing at my words, and I stifled a giggle.
"The first to know about your quirk, silly!" I feigned shock, knowing full well I had flustered my cinnamon roll beyond belief. Though, if I was being completely honest, I was a little surprised he caught on to the innuendo.
"What could you have possibly been thinking of?" I turned towards him to see his ears bright red, and the blush creeping down his neck too.
"U-um, nothing. And no, you're not the first to know. Kacchan figured it out a little while ago." I sat, dumbstruck, not at all expecting that answer.
"Fucking BAKUGOU knew before me? You ass, Izuku!" I quickly sprang out of his arms and grabbed a nearby throw pillow, smacking him upside the head with it. He raised his arms in a feeble attempt to defend himself, but I showed no mercy and continued to attack him viciously. He put up with my beating for a little while longer before snatching the pillow out of my hands and returning my barrage of attacks with equal vigor.
"Ok, ok! I surrender!" I finally gave in when he tossed the makeshift weapon away and resorted to tickling; a dirty move in my opinion, but I did start the battle, so I forgave him begrudgingly. I slowly caught my breath, and turned my attention to my boyfriend's smiling face.
"Thank you Izu, for everything." I said it with as much sincerity as was humanly possible, even though I knew I could never really express my gratitude to him fully. He returned my sincerity ten-fold, and I melted at his words.
"You're welcome darling. I love you."

Author's Note
This chapter is sort of all over the place, sorry. My last brain cell spontaneously combusted about halfway through and then it just turned into a free for all. But anyway, I think we're nearing the end of the book. This scene was essentially the idea I started this fanfic for, so I'll probably come up with some sort of way to wrap things up soon. As always, thanks for reading, I really appreciate it, and I hope to see you next time!