Chapter Text
October 11, 2021
Life in Fukui went on. Izuku drove to work everyday, visited the library whenever he could, and avoided Uraraka like the plague. It was business as usual. Everything was perfectly good.
Except, it wasn’t. Not really.
Shoto, after a week, still refused to speak to him.
Fuyumi and Touya said it would pass. And Izuku really tried to believe them— after all, Shoto was their brother. They knew him better than he ever would. But after so many days of absolute silence, Izuku was beginning to believe that he had ruined something amazing before it could even really happen.
He stopped trying to lure him out on Thursday of last week. It felt… pointless, and most of all, stupid. Every day he would try, and every day he felt more and more like an idiot. Eventually, he gave up.
The ache in his chest was hard to ignore whenever he passed by the mirror without saying goodbye before he left for work. It was hard to eat at his actual dinner table— the food somehow never tasted the same. It was hard not to be able to babble to someone about his day, even if that someone adamantly ignored him. Having someone there had given him some sort of… reason to wake up and look forward to the rest of his day.
Maybe that was unhealthy. To develop a slight dependency on a person he barely knew. But Shoto had made it so easy to fall in. And Izuku had fallen hard .
After work, he followed the same routine he usually did. He kicked off his shoes at the door, made a simple dinner, and crawled into bed, laying there in complete silence for hours, fighting back the tears he knew Shoto would be able to see.
It was difficult to pretend it didn’t hurt. Every day it got worse. Izuku had never felt so alone. Not even after his parents passed. Not even after moving to the weirdest town in Japan. No loneliness could ever surpass this.
He felt the wetness dribble down the sides of his face before he could hastily wipe them away. The moment he realized he was crying, it was like a dam had crumbled inside of him. The dam of his resolve had completely come apart, and there was no putting it back together.
Izuku slapped his palms against his face, smothering the broken sob that wriggled its way up his throat. His chest was heaving, and his stomach was quivering from how hard he was trying to keep himself together.
He knew he’d never let himself be this vulnerable again for a while, and took advantage of it.
Izuku stumbled off his bed, and crawled towards the mirror, sitting down in front of it for the first time in days.
His shoulders were shaking as he choked out his first sentence. “T-Tell me what you want me to do. T-Tell me to leave. Tell me that you don’t want my help anymore. Tell me s-something. ” He begged towards the ground, his voice fracturing between all his words. “I still want to help you, Shoto. I promised you I would. B-But if you would rather me leave, p-please just tell me.”
After a moment of nothing, Izuku was ready to give up completely. He’d already begun forming a plan in his head. He could probably still rent his old apartment in Musutafu, he had enough money to pay the moving company to pack up his things before the end of the week. He wouldn’t be leaving anything behind. Clearly. Nobody wanted him in Fukui, he made no substantial mark. He was nothing. And that only made it easier for him to leave.
“ Midoriya… I’m so sorry. ”
Izuku flinched. His throat constricted and his eyes widened. He scrambled to find him. And there he was. Shoto. Sitting with him on the ground, and looking at him like he was something precious.
Izuku’s head was reeling. He couldn’t tell if he was real. If after all this time— he wasn’t crazy, and Shoto was real.
“ I don’t deserve you or your kindness. I acted like a child, and I hurt you more than I did to begin with. And for that, I am truly sorry. ”
Izuku sniffled, the scene finally sinking in. His heart was singing besides the pain. “I— Do you— do you hate me? Do you want me to leave?”
Shoto’s face crumpled in anguish.
“ It would be impossible for me to hate you, Midoriya. And I could never send you away, either. I’m selfish. I want you with me until I can tell you in person how sorry I am for hurting you. ”
Relief grabbed his heart and squeezed. Izuku heaved a grateful sigh. “I don’t care that you hurt me. I never did. It was an a-accident.” He hiccuped, taking a deep breath to contain himself. “I was more worried that you hated me. I couldn’t live with myself if you did.”
“ I’m sorry, sweetheart. ” Shoto whispered, reaching out to him before stopping halfway. His face grew frustrated. “ I never meant to hurt you. And once I get out of here, I promise to make it up to you. ”
Izuku snorted through his sobs, the sudden rush of relief making him a little hysterical. “I wish I could hug you. I missed you so much, Shoto.”
The reflection smiled a warm smile at him. “ I missed you, too. So much. I… listened for your voice every day. ”
Izuku cringed, his face flushing in embarrassment. “Y-You heard all that?”
“ I enjoyed your stories. ” Shoto reassured him when he saw the look on his face. “ You make a day in Fukui sound like a day at Disneyland. You’re an amazing storyteller, Midoriya. “
Izuku flushed for all the wrong reasons. His heart was pounding so loud he could hear it in his ears and feel it in his wrist.
“Izuku,” he wheezed, too far to take it back now. “Please call me Izuku.”
Shoto’s eyes widened a fraction. His boyish face split into the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen, and Izuku knew then that he was in trouble.
“ Izuku, then. ”
Big, big trouble.
October 15, 2021
It was as if the entirety of the previous week had never happened. They’d gotten back into their burgeoning routine, only adding to it as the days progressed. Everything felt so good. Perfectly good.
Domestically good? Izuku winced at the passing thought. It’s not that he minded — it just— meant more to him than it probably did to Shoto. They were friends. And Shoto was stuck inside of his mirror. Izuku really didn’t think he’d be at risk of falling in love. But… well.
No. That— that was not happening. It would never happen. It would continue to stay not happening until the day he died. Shoto was his friend and nothing more. That was final.
October 17, 2021
It was getting harder and harder every day to pretend that Izuku didn’t want more. Shoto was incredible. Smart, funny, adorable. He was— everything Izuku wanted— longed for. And it was awful.
He always found himself wanting the things he could never have. And he always ended up hurt because of it.
“ I have one card left, does this mean I win? ”
Izuku’s eyes came back into focus, fluttering rapidly as they did so. Shoto blinked at him, wiggling the single card he held in his hand curiously. Izuku smiled, heartbreakingly endeared.
He could have this, though. Moments like these were what kept him going.
“N-Not quite. I know the game is called Uno , but you only win when you have zero cards left.” Izuku explained, glowering down at the size of his own deck.
They’d recently discovered that Shoto could grab things in his room so long as they were reflected in the mirror. Since then, they’ve experimented with countless items, such as Izuku’s notebook, food, and now card games. For now, inanimate objects were fine, but they’ve yet to test out if Shoto would be able to touch him this way. Izuku refused to be the one to suggest they try. He would be taking advantage of Shoto’s kindness, because he knew he’d agree to it immediately— besides, his heart was already having trouble beating on its own whenever Shoto did so much as look at him fondly. He wouldn’t know what to expect if they ever did get to touch.
Shoto snorted. “How strange. I like this game.”
Izuku sighed wearily. He would be the death of him.
“Me, too.”
October 25, 2021
“ When will you tell me your story? ”
Izuku glanced up from his notebook, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose as a result of the action. Shoto fidgeted with his hands, his eyes pointedly not meeting his.
Izuku shoved his pen through the spirals of his notebook, and gave Shoto his full attention, sliding off his glasses and putting them off to the side.
“My… story? What do you mean?” Whatever it was, it was already his. It was difficult to deny Shoto anything.
“ While I was… behaving like a child. ” Shoto amended slowly, obviously still ashamed of how he reacted. Izuku had forgiven him ages ago. “ You said that you would tell me more about yourself. I would like to… know more about you, Izuku. ”
Anything but that.
He hesitated for all of a second, and Shoto conceded instantly, his face falling and his shoulders slumping with clear disappointment.
“ I-I apologize if that was too forward. Forget I mentioned anything about it— I was just curious. ”
Izuku panicked. “No!” He yelped, reaching towards him. Shoto eyed him carefully. “It’s just— well, I really only said that to lure you out of hiding. My story isn’t anything worth listening to. I’m sure I’d bore you to sleep with it.” He chuckled, his eyes falling back to the pages of his notebook.
Self deprecation always seemed to get him out of situations like these. Though, he should have known better than to expect that to be the end of it.
“ You wouldn’t. ” Shoto disagreed firmly. “ Listening to you talk is my favorite thing to do, Izuku. I always want to hear what you have to say. ”
Izuku sighed, resigning to his fate. He knew this would happen. “It’s not a very happy story . ” He tried one final attempt at dissuading him.
Shoto offered a sad smile. “ They never usually are. ”
Izuku hid a wince, and nodded delicately. If he reminded himself that this was for Shoto it wouldn’t feel as horrible as it would be telling anyone else. Shoto was different. He cared. He wouldn’t have asked if he hadn’t.
“Okay. Um,” He cleared his throat, suddenly embarrassed at the newfound attention. Usually when he spoke, he wasn’t aware of how much attention Shoto was actually giving him. It was glaringly obvious now, though. Shoto’s eyes never left him for a moment.
“My family has always lived in Musutafu. Both my parents were raised there. It’s how they met, and how they came to love each other. It’s how I was born. But… it never felt like home to me.” Izuku paused for a moment before continuing. “I was always really skinny when I was a kid, and short. I’ve always had freckles, and the weird green hair. So, naturally, people picked on me… a lot.”
“Growing up, I didn’t have many friends for that reason. Everyone thought I was weird. Or that I talked too much— which I probably did.” He huffed humorlessly, thinking back to all the times someone had to physically clamp their palm over his mouth for him to stop talking. “This lasted up until middle school. By third year, people started to treat me like I wasn’t there. Like I was invisible. It was unsettling at first. I flinched every time someone got near me, or walked past my desk. After a while, it got easier. I didn’t make friends— but for the first time, I felt oddly… accepted. I knew that wasn’t the truth, but it felt nice to pretend it was.”
“High school is when I… um,” Izuku‘a voice petered, unsure if he really wanted to reveal the entire ugly truth. It would only get worse as he continued.
He saw Shoto place his palm against the glass from his peripheral, and it gave him enough strength to keep talking.
“I met a guy. His name’s not really important. I’d honestly rather forget it.” Izuku smiled bitterly. “We dated all throughout high school. And it was great. It was really great. I even thought we were going to get married one day. It was… really stupid.”
“We didn’t end up getting married because he cheated. It doesn’t really matter much now, this happened when I was nineteen, but at the time, I was… very hurt.” That was putting it loosely. “I… got into drugs to help with the pain. I overdosed on pills when I was twenty and ended up in the hospital for weeks. My parents were… so disappointed in me.”
“ Izuku, you don’t have to talk about this if it hurts you. ” Shoto whispered, the pain obvious in his voice.
Izuku wiped the tears he knew were cascading down his cheeks and shook his head stubbornly.
“I’m fine. I-I just… get emotional talking about this part, that’s all.” He muttered, taking a deep breath and holding it in his chest for a moment before letting it all out. He continued shortly. “I went to rehab for three months. I got clean. I never touched another drug after that. Not after seeing what it did to my parents. I couldn’t stand to think about how much I’d hurt them because of what I’d done.”
This was the worst part.
“For a year I lived a normal life with my family. My parents were getting older, so I stuck around just in case they ever needed me. And they did, and I was always happy to help.” Izuku’s voice cracked violently. “In August, they— they went out shopping together. I figured I’d let them have some alone time since I was always around.”
One, two, three tears spilled down his chin.
“There was a car accident. A fatal one. And they never came back.” He left it at that, deciding to leave out the part when he got the call and how he dropped to the floor wailing like a child who wanted his mother. He left out the part where he had to go to the coroner’s office to identify the cold, lifeless bodies of his parents. He left out the part where he nearly relapsed.
“ Izuku… ”
“I couldn’t stand being in Musutafu after that. That place held so many of my worst memories, and it still does. I knew if I stayed, I’d fall back to my old habits. So I left. And now I’m here.” He snorted wetly, his eyes half lidded from all the crying he’d been doing. “At first it was hard. Moving to Fukui felt like a mistake. But then I— I met you, Shoto.”
The reflection wavered, obviously taken aback. His palm pressed harder against the glass.
Izuku mirrored him, placing his hand on top of Shoto’s and gasping when he felt warmth. Another set of tears tracked down the sides of his cheeks. This was their thing.
“Y-You— you make me feel like a person. You listen, and you’re kind. I’ve never had something like this before. I’m always the happiest when I’m with you.”
“ Izuku—! ” Shoto wheezed, thumping his forehead against the glass, his body slumping in defeat. “ I… I have never felt so… desperate in my entire life. I’ve never wanted to shatter this mirror myself more than I do at this very moment. ”
Izuku blinked, his eyes sore, and his eyelashes wet. “Wh-Why?”
“ Because… because you . ” Shoto heaved, his eyes suddenly taking on a vibrant glow. “ I don’t like seeing you in pain. In fact, I hate it. I wish to hold you. I wish to get out of this mirror so that I can hold you close and never let you go. ”
Izuku could hardly take the time to pick out the true meaning of Shoto’s sugary words. If they meant more than what he was letting on, or if they didn’t— it wouldn’t matter. Because Izuku was in love, and no matter what option he chose to believe, he still would be.
He was in love with Shoto.
“ I promise, sweetheart, soon, I will take you somewhere nobody will find us. We can be together, forever. Without pain or fear. ” Shoto whispered, his lips trembling at the corners. “ It will be us, and nothing more. How does that sound? ”
Izuku swallowed a sob and nodded rapidly. There was nothing he wanted more.
“That s-sounds perfect.”
For the first time in a long time, Izuku felt like he could breathe.
October 31, 2021
After weeks of deliberation, late night talks, and careful planning, today would be the physical proof of all their hard work. Well— Touya, Fuyumi, and Shoto’s hard work. Izuku hadn’t really provided much information— or strength— or really much of anything throughout the entire process. He understood nothing about magic, or moonlight, or why they needed it to break Shoto out of the mirror. His first instinct had been to just shatter the glass and hope for the best.
Clearly he was not made for sublime magical witch quests.
Realistically, he was terrified. The other three seemed fairly confident that their plan would work— and Izuku wasn’t doubting that. In fact, he was sure it would be successful.
What he was afraid of was… silly and selfish. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get Shoto’s words out of his head. The sweet promise of a happy future somewhere far away sounded too good to be true. If Shoto had forgotten, he wouldn’t blame him. He would be getting back his freedom tonight, there was no reason why he’d want to spend his first night with Izuku. There was no reason why he’d remember something so insignificant.
This night was thirty-six years in the making. A forever with Izuku was probably the last thing on his mind, and he was trying really hard to act like it wasn’t tearing him apart on the inside.
“ Izuku…? Are you alright? ”
He didn’t want to have to answer. Anything that came out of his mouth would be an obvious lie. And this was Shoto’s night. Not his.
Three knocks came from his door, and Izuku immediately perked.
“That’s Touya and Fuyumi!” He said, jumping up from the floor and over to his front door, opening it wide and smiling to hide the nerves.
The two of them skipped over the pleasantries.
“Let’s get Shoto in the back of the truck. We’re going to the park.” Touya said, brushing past Izuku and strided over to his bedroom. How he knew where it was located was beyond him.
Izuku balked at the new information. “T-Truck? I don’t remember—“
Fuyumi nodded, understanding his confusion. “It’s a bit overcasted in the area. The clouds haven’t made it to the park yet, so we need to move quickly. We don’t have much time.”
Izuku tried his best not to become overwhelmed. “R-Right. Okay.”
“ Where’s Izuku? ” He heard Shoto’s accusing voice spit from his bedroom.
Fuyumi and him follow the sound of it.
“Your boyfriend's fine, God , you’re so annoying.” Touya groaned, already trying to lift Shoto off the ground and out the door. He turned over his shoulder at the sound of their footsteps, his eyes landing on Izuku’s face and then back to Shoto’s. “See? Told you he was fine.”
Shoto’s eyes found him, his body immediately relaxing. “ Izuku, ” he sighed, placing both palms on the glass like an excitable child looking at a display of toys.
Fuyumi giggled. “You two are adorable, but we really have to go. Touya, Midoriya-kun, grab Shoto, I’ll start the truck.”
“Okay!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The mirror was a lot heavier than Izuku remembered it being. Even with Touya’s help, his lower back and thighs ached after setting it down on a tarp in the back of Fuyumi’s truck.
“So,” Touya said, his bicep pressed against Izuku’s from how tightly they were compacted together in the front seat. “You and Shoto, huh?”
Izuku blinked.
“ Touya! ” Fuyumi hissed. “That’s none of our business!”
The man scoffed, crossing his arms despite how cramped they were. “It’s not like they’re hiding it.”
Izuku frowned, more than confused. “Hiding… what?”
“We’re here!” Fuyumi interjected, stepping on the break quite aggressively. “We don’t have much time, let’s hurry.”
“God, it’s cramped.” Touya groaned, bringing his hand up and snapping his fingers. One moment he was sitting beside Izuku and the next he was standing outside of the truck. The man grinned, “Still got it.”
Izuku gaped. “Wow.” That had been the first time he’d seen Touya use his magic, despite how much he spoke about how powerful he was.
“Under the moonlight, Touya.” Fuyumi instructed quietly, glancing up at the sky several times and muttering something under her breath.
“Okay,” she whispered, sharing a look with Touya. “It’s time.”
Izuku’s heart was hammering loudly in his chest. Shoto manifested in the mirror's reflection.
“ It feels different this time. ” He said, looking around the three of them, his eyes staying stuck on Izuku. “ Soon, sweetheart. ”
Izuku choked, and Touya chortled.
“On the count of three, we all must touch the mirror at once. Ready?” Fuyumi said, lifting up a palm and holding it towards the sky.
Izuku’s head was spinning, and his stomach was quivering. It was starting to feel less like anxiety and more like… something he couldn’t quite explain. It felt like his body was electric. Like something other than blood was pumping through his veins, making his vision swim and his head spin. He felt… overpowered.
“One,”
Izuku sucked in a shaky breath, composing himself before he could ruin this for everyone.
“Two,”
This would all be over soon.
“Three!”
Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, slammed his palm onto the cold glass— and gasped. It all happened so quickly, he couldn’t be sure if he hadn’t just made it up in his sudden bout of sickness.
His entire life flashed before his eyes.
The first instance when he opened his eyes and saw his parents adoring faces. His first steps, his first birthday, his first missing tooth.
Middle school, high school, rehab, the accident.
Fukui. Uraraka. The antique shop. Shoto.
He wasn’t sure what it meant, or why he was seeing all of this. Maybe he was dead, or in the process. It didn’t matter, probably. Shoto was safe now. And that was all he cared about.
“Izuku!”
Oh. Not dead. Unconscious.
“Izuku! Please !”
“Would you relax? He’s literally breathing.”
“Touya…”
His eyelashes fluttered under the intense light he was under. He brought a hand up to cover his eyes, groaning in protest.
“Izuku!” That voice sounded so achingly familiar. It sounded like Shoto, but much clearer. Like he was truly hearing it for the first time.
“Sh-Shoto?” He croaked, his voice surprisingly hoarse.
“Yes, sweetheart, I’m here.” A warm, strong hand wrapped around his own, squeezing twice. “I’m always here.”
Izuku’s eyes shot the rest of the way open, searching for him like it was the last thing he’d ever do. He found him crouched at his side, pale skin, vibrant mismatched eyes, and a smile so beautiful it made his heart sing.
It was Shoto. Real, tangible, warm Shoto.
Tears sprang to his eyes reflexively, it felt.
“You’re beautiful,” He whispered, his voice thick and his mouth wobbly. Despite that, he found himself not being able to help the smile stretching across his face.
Shoto grinned his perfect grin, bringing their faces close and thumping their foreheads together, not needing to say anything else.
Someone coughed loudly beside them.
“Hate to break up this lovely moment, but there’s something we need to discuss before happily ever after .” Touya monotoned, eliciting a low growl from Shoto’s throat. Izuku’s stomach fluttered inappropriately.
“Like what ?” He frowned, sitting back on his heels, and helping Izuku up from the ground, holding him impossibly close from around his waist.
Fuyumi giggled at the display of affection. Izuku hardly knew what to do with himself.
“Like the fact that your boyfriend is a witch .”
“What?” They both gasped simultaneously.
Touya rolled his eyes. “It was kind of obvious from the start, I don’t know how we didn’t figure it out sooner.”
Izuku’s head was reeling again. “I-I’m a— but— what ?”
Shoto watched him worriedly, then turned back to his siblings. “Explain. Now.”
Fuyumi went ahead and did so, poised. “It would explain why he suddenly blacked out just now. And the fact that his eyes were glowing. Even his aura… it oozes power, especially now.” She looked Izuku straight in the eyes and nodded, assured of herself. “Yes, I can firmly say that Midoriya-kun is a witch. Or at least part witch.”
Izuku shook his head, his eyes wide and shocked. Shoto’s arm tightened around his waist. “H-How—? How is this possible? Are you absolutely sure?”
Touya spoke then. “What’s your father’s last name?”
Izuku froze, confused. How did that relate to anything they were speaking about?
“It’s— It’s Toshinori. His name was Toshinori Yagi. He wanted me to have my mother’s last name, but my parents never told me why.”
Shoto’s body went rigid. “T-Toshinori?”
“Well, shit.” Touya cackled. “Oh, God, this is too good! I bet the old man’s just seething wherever he is right now!”
“What?! What is it?” Izuku demanded, not understanding the reactions.
Fuyumi smiled at him patiently.
“We have a lot to discuss, Midoriya-kun.”
November 1, 2021
It took them the majority of the night to get through most of the ancient Todoroki/Toshinori rivalry. Izuku could hardly keep himself upright by the end of it, completely blindsided because— what.
His late father had been a witch. And then helped give birth to Izuku. Who was now, thanks to his father, part witch.
It was a confusing, eye opening day for him.
Touya and Fuyumi had left ten minutes earlier to open up the antique shop— which Izuku knew was just an excuse to leave him and Shoto alone. It should have embarrassed him, but he was grateful.
Being wrapped up in Shoto’s arms like this was something he never knew he wanted. He’d never felt so safe, so protected in his entire life. For the first time since his birth, Izuku felt genuinely at home. And it had only taken him twenty-two years to find it.
Shoto’s fingers traced up and down his arms, his chin resting directly on top of the crown of Izuku’s head. Izuku wasn’t much better, taking full advantage of a now tangible Shoto. His head lay on Shoto’s chest, listening to the smooth sound of his heartbeat. They were cuddling. Something Izuku had dreamed of countless times. And now it was real, and it was happening.
And it was so, so perfect.
“I love you.” Izuku whispered, unashamed. Below him, Shoto’s heartbeat sped up.
“And I love you.” Shoto said, his voice hoarse and thick with emotion. A pair of warm palms gently lift his head away from his chest, and directly in front of his face. Izuku’s cheeks flared at the sudden attention.
“I love you, Izuku.” Shoto repeated, bumping their foreheads together, the tips of their noses brushing against one another.
Izuku’s eyes fluttered closed on their own accord.
Shoto pressed his lips to his, and it felt like how magic would feel if it were tangible. Like a billion galaxies colliding against one another. Like the rush of fire he felt in his veins.
Like a warmth he’d never known before. Like happiness he’d never experienced until that very moment.
“I love you, forever.” Shoto whispered fervently, kissing him again and again and again.
“Forever.” Izuku agreed.
Because Shoto was home. And forever had never sounded more perfect.