#iideku

maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was just nice to be together again, all four of you, without anyone checking their phone every five minutes, without patrol schedules breathing down your neck, without a single interview or meeting waiting in the morning. for once, you didn’t have to be anyone other than yourselves. for a whole two weeks. which, yeah, probably doesn’t seem like much to anyone else. but for pros? for heroes constantly running on someone else’s clock, two weeks felt like a lifetime.

you were all sprawled around ochaco’s kitchen table, glasses half full, the tv on in the background but entirely ignored. tenya actually looked human for once. he had his only hoodie on, sleeves rolled up, glasses slightly crooked from laughing too hard earlier. izuku had that messy, exhausted, tired, “end-of-semester” look he always got when he was telling stories for too long. ochaco had kicked her shoes off somewhere along the way and was leaning back in her chair like she owned the place - which, technically, she did, but somehow seeing it in person made it feel strange and comforting at the same time.

you hadn’t seen them outside of work since june. finals, internships, hero prep, whatever… it felt like the world had decided to put distance between you without asking. you used to see each other every day, and now it was like scheduling a meeting with your best friends was considered a big deal.

“oh my god wait,” izuku says suddenly, waving his hands around as if painting the scene in the air, “do you guys remember that one patrol where i tried to call out that villain and i-”

“you called him sir,” ochaco cuts in immediately, already dissolving into a giggle that makes you smile without realizing it.

“i panicked!” izuku throws his hands up defensively, laughing so hard he practically bounces in his chair.

“you said, ‘sir please put the weapon down,’ like he was a substitute teacher!”

“i was trying to de - escalate!”

“izuku, he was robbing a bank!”

there’s a beat of silence, barely long enough to blink, before they absolutely lose it. ochaco doubles over, shoulders shaking, while izuku’s laughing is so loud tears start pricking his eyes. the sound fills the room in a way that makes you both laugh and ache a little at the same time - funny, yes, but also a little like you’re standing outside a world you’re only just peeking into.

you blink. wait… what?

you weren’t there for this. none of it.

tenya lets out a polite chuckle, hands folded neatly in his lap, trying not to look completely lost. it’s kind of adorable. he’s trying. you can tell.

you glance back at izuku and ochaco just in time to see her tip a little too far forward in her laughter. his hand slides around her waist automatically, steadying her without even thinking. like it’s muscle memory.

“okay okay, breathe,” he says, still laughing, and she grips his arm without meaning to.

you press your lips together and sip your wine, not tasting a thing.

“yeah… i don’t think we were there for that,” you murmur, offering a small smile you hope looks casual.

“yes,” tenya adds, adjusting his glasses, “i cannot recall such an incident.”

ochaco waves her hand at both of you, still giggling, “it was during that downtown internship week… you had to be there.”

you smile anyway. of course.

izuku says something else, but it’s just more laughter at this point. he stands and wanders over to the cabinets like he knows exactly where he’s going, rummages around, and pulls down an all might cup like it’s nothing. fills it with water casually.

you glance around the kitchen again. pink appliances. pale curtains. soft little touches that make the house feel like hers. she moved in two weeks ago. tonight was supposed to be the first time any of you had seen it in person.

and yet… izuku finds the cup instantly.

and does she really have all might stuff??? she’s been a gunhead girl since forever. small detail. weirdly funny. harmless. maybe.

you check your phone. 23:47pm. late enough to leave, early enough to regret it… it’s too much.

“it’s getting late,” you say, shrugging a little. “i have to drive aoyama to an appointment tomorrow.”

“come on,” ochaco groans, leaning across the table and lightly batting at your arm, her intoxication evident by not only her breath smelling of wine but also her slurring, “these next two weeks are supposed to be about usss!”

you laugh softly. “i promised him a month ago, chaco. a few hours won’t kill anyone.” sling your bag over your shoulder, feeling the weight of it like a reminder that real life exists outside this perfect little bubble.

“indeed,” tenya says, standing up, smoothing out his shirt. “eight hours of sleep is vital for optimal performance. and i intend to get that, if i even can at this point…”

another round of soft laughter fills the kitchen. it’s quieter now, but it feels warmer somehow, like the kind of laughter that settles into your bones instead of bouncing off walls.

you hug ochaco first. she hugs back like she’s trying to keep the night from ending too soon. izuku hugs you next, quick but firm, familiar. tenya lingers a second longer, measured and polite as always, like he usually does.

the air outside is cooler than expected. quiet. calm.

as you walk toward tenya’s car, you glance back without thinking. through the front window, two shadows move closer. then merge into one. the porch light flickers, the curtains shift slightly, and the moment hits you a little harder than it should.

you look away first. tenya unlocks the car without a word.

inside, the silence is heavier than it should be.

ochaco’s house goes dark behind you, leaving the street quiet except for your footsteps and the faint hum of distant traffic.

tenya’s about halfway to your apartment, with only about ten minutes left, but it feels like forever. the car hums softly under his tires, but the silence between you is louder than any sound. it’s obvious you’re both aware of the divide stretching between you and your friends, but what’s even clearer is that neither of you knows how to close it.

your eyes keep darting from him to the window, tracing the streetlights passing by in lazy streaks. his fingers drum against the steering wheel, over and over, too tense to meet your gaze. the awkwardness hangs in the air like smoke. he doesn’t play music in his car- never has - he always claimed it was ‘more important to conversate’ - but right now? that absence of noise makes the silence feel heavier. each tap of his fingers echoes in your chest.

a few words have passed between you since leaving ochaco’s driveway, small and awkward, half-laughed, half-mumbled. nothing really bridges the distance.

“here you are,” tenya says at last, like a breath escaping him. there’s a soft weight behind his tone, a subtle hint that he’s trying to hold himself together. you know he cares, but he’s the kind to need a moment alone to process what can’t be said out loud.

“thanks! you’re a lifesaver,” you grin, hoping to lift the mood even a little.

you unbuckle and swing your legs out of the passenger seat. for a second, you start toward your door, then pause. something about the way he’s sitting, his jaw tight, shoulders stiff, makes you hesitate. you walk back and tap lightly on his window.

tenya cocks a brow, curious and just a little amused. he rolls it down, leaning slightly against the frame, bracing himself.

“thank you,” you say, and this time it’s real. not tipsy, not joking. real.

“for what?” his voice is careful. there’s a catch in it you don’t miss.

“keeping the promise,” you murmur, letting your words linger in the air between you.

“of course,” he says, almost too quickly, flustered by the sudden change in tone. “one of us had to.”

you nod, smile faintly, and step back toward your apartment. the street feels quieter than before, the headlights from passing cars washing over you in soft pools of gold. tenya watches, still leaning on the window, but something in him tenses as you walk away. he wants to say something else, something more, but the words stick behind his teeth.

you don’t look back. you don’t need to. he swallows hard and watches your figure disappear into the building, and in that moment, the quiet feels almost like a physical ache.

he sits there a second longer, hand frozen on the wheel, chest tight, and for a moment he can’t explain the hollow weight settling in his stomach.

you’re inside now, door clicked shut behind you, but the emptiness lingers. tenya finally lets out a soft sigh, not knowing exactly what he’s holding onto or letting go of, just that something has shifted - and maybe it can’t be put back the same way.

four hours had passed since you and tenya left. four! and yet, izuku was still wide awake. granted, he’d been fucking his secret - well, maybe not-so-secret-to-you-guys girlfriend - for about half that time, but ochaco had fallen asleep ages ago.

he was trying to figure out a way to fix this without making it obvious that anything needed fixing. if you and tenya dated, that would solve everything, right? no. that would just make two pairs, not one group of four. he didn’t want to see you all split apart. he didn’t want to hurt anyone. all he wanted was a way to love ochaco and love you and tenya, without favoring one or the other, without betraying the bond you’d all sworn to keep.

the promise. it wasn’t just a casual thing you’d said on the last day of school - it had been a vow to never drift apart, no matter where hero life took you. to always stay close, to always be there for each other, even when life got messy or complicated. it had seemed simple back then, standing in the sun after finals, laughing and joking, imagining it would be easy. but life wasn’t simple. and neither was love.

he snuggled deeper into ochaco’s chest, chasing a sense of comfort even in her slumber. but the pit in his stomach only grew as he stared at her sleeping form. his calloused hands gripped her bare waist, his eyes traced the curve of her pink lace bralette. he wished he could admire her in peace, enjoy the closeness without guilt, but the more he loved her - being here in this bed with her, mostly unclothed and definitely not platonically! - mind you - the heavier the weight became. by simply existing here, he had broken your promise.

and the worst part? unbeknownst to you and tenya… he’d been breaking that promise for the past four months.

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