Requiem of the Broken

Izuku

Izuku Midoriya rummaged around in his pocket for the keys to his apartment. He took out his carabiner and went through his keys until he found the right one then used it to turn the lock and enter his apartment. He sighed as he walked in and immediately collapsed on his sofa after removing his shoes. He felt exhausted and rather humiliated, he had cried all over a stranger, and to make matters worse said stranger happened to be the prettiest woman he had ever seen.

He put his head in his hands and groaned, "I can't believe I did that, Uraraka probably thinks I'm some kind of crybaby..." he felt sick at the sheer embarrassment of the memory "At least I'll never see her again..." The thought was supposed to cheer him up, but it just made him sad. He had liked talking to her, she had been similar to him in so many ways yet they couldn't live in worlds any further apart.

He still felt a bit giddy at meeting such a well-liked hero by sheer happenstance, it was almost surreal that someone like her could actually have a past so strikingly similar to his own. Though, he had to admit; her having a tragic backstory was actually both depressing given how cheerful and supportive of him she had been, but also funny at how well it fit into some of the old comic book stories he had been reading as of late.

He looked over to the small mountain of comic books he had in a corner of his apartment. It had become his latest hobby of late; they weren't prevalent nowadays, so he had taken to collecting them and reading them. As a quirkless individual, they held the same sort of fascination to him as they did with people before quirks. He had started going through some of the old D.C. comics as of late and greatly enjoyed the ones about Superman. Not surprising of course, given how similar Superman was to All Might.

He debated getting one to read, but decided he was too tired and wouldn't get a lot of enjoyment out of it. With a grunt, he forced himself off his sofa and tracked to his bedroom. He took off his navy-blue polo shirt and put on a comfy t-shirt instead, then changed into some baggy sweatpants that he liked to lounge in on his days off in his apartment. He didn't have visitors ever, so he never gave a thought to how he might appear to others. He got up and flopped on his bed, he would have tried to nap right then and there. If it hadn't been for the fact that the late-afternoon sun was shining directly through his window and onto his pillow. He groaned and closed his eyes against the aggravating light. Clearly, the world was telling him he wasn't going to get to sleep until the night. Then in a burst of sudden motion, he lunged forward and jumped from the bed. If he wasn't going to get to nap, then he might as well get his second wind and work out.

He had talked with his boss about what sort of work-out would be of benefit to him, and his boss had given him five exercises that he himself did. Of course, he had to cut back on them and adapt his regimen since he had only gotten older, now in his 60's. For Izuku though, it proved to be a good regimen especially when he paired it with running. He changed into a pair of shorts and put on his exercise shoes and got out his exercise gear from his closet. He had been given a regime of, 4 sets of 15 reps of Sumo Squatting, Resistance Band Rowing, Butterfly Dips, Close-Grip Pushups, and Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extensions. He ensured to keep a straight back at all times where possible and would often wrap up after a small break with a run on his treadmill. It was a bit simple and he added in random exercises depending on his mood or goals, but overall, he did enjoy it. So, after preparing and getting set-up, he got to work.

He would also substitute his routine with a full-body regime at least once a week to keep things even. He may not have been part of law enforcement anymore, but it just didn't feel right if he didn't at least keep somewhat to the routine he had developed years ago for his foray into the field. 

By the time Izuku had finished, the sun had set quite a bit more and he knew it was time to grab something for dinner then clock out until 12 o'clock when he had to get to work. He walked into the kitchen and decided to opt for some leftover stir-fry from last night. It didn't take long to prepare and after he had finished with his meal, he was deadbeat tired. Apart from the mental strain earlier in the day, he was now physically tired as well; the sun wouldn't be in his eyes either. He walked into his bedroom and sat down on the side of the bed, he was about to worm his way into the bed when his eyes alighted on a photo of him and his mother and beside it, an old journal with All Might's autograph scrawled across both pages held open by the holder. He stared at the two objects for a while, he remembered when he had met All Might. A young kid just about to leave middle school and really start pursuing his career. He had wanted to be a hero so badly, to inspire as All Might had...