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When people began to drop out of Izuku’s life, he didn’t think too hard about it. He wasn’t anything special. He was your average high schooler with decent grades and a handful of friends. Sure, he had the same quirk as the world's greatest hero, but that was only because he was in the right place at the right time. He was lucky, that’s all.
The first to leave the friend group was Tsu. Izuku was heartbroken when the frog girl told him that she didn’t want to be associated with him anymore. She was adamant that his bone-breaking was bad for her image as a hero, and that if she wanted to get anywhere near the top 10 heroes, she couldn’t be known for hanging out with the boy who breaks his arms when he uses his quirk.
At the time, Izuku had begged Tsu to stay, listing examples of him not injuring himself when he felt the power of One-For-All. Alas, she still walked away, and Izuku crumbled.
He stayed locked in his room for nearly a week before even attempting to hang out with any of his friends again. When he walked outside his dorm room, Izuku was greeted by a cardboard box, which he brought inside and inspected. There was no name, no credit for the person who gave him whatever was inside.
When he opened it, he was pleasantly surprised. There were candies, blankets, a polaroid camera, and a plushie of a rabbit inside. Underneath it, was a letter, written in red ink.
“For my dearest, Izuku
I hope these tokens of my affection help you through these trying times.”
Izuku blushed a bit at the anonymous sentiment before placing the rabbit on his pillow and grabbing a box of Pocky to get him through the day.
–
The next person to wander from the friend group was Tenya.
Izuku had tears in his eyes when the class president told him that it was bad for his family name to be friends with him and that his recklessness shown at the Kamino Ward Incident would get Tenya killed. The boy left Izuku crying as he helped Aizawa-sensei start class.
As soon as he got to the dorms, Izuku would spend another week in his room, crying into his rabbit plushie and screaming at the sound-proofed walls.
Yet, the next time he left his fortress, Izuku found another cardboard box at his door. Inside was another letter, chips, ready-to-eat meals, camera film, and an elaborately carved wooden spoon. The letter was once again written in the same dark red ink.
“My dearest, Izuku.
I have once again heard of your troubling times, and I offer you more comfort in the form of meals. I hope that this time, you enjoy your snacks and reward me with a portrait. Perhaps last time you didn’t think there was film so I enclosed 50 films in your bundle.
P.S.
The spoon is traditionally not for use, though I think you should be able to do whatever you wish with it.”
Izuku looked through the box again, testing the sturdiness of the spoon before hanging it on a thumbtack that held up an All Might poster.
He glanced at the camera from the previous package and took a picture of his room. The metal was cold in his hands, and the picture was a little shaky after it was proofed, but after taking a few decent pictures, Izuku took a picture of himself and put it in the box.
He never noticed when the picture vanished.
–
It was only when his last friend abandoned him that Izuku realized that he was all alone. Uraraka, his first friend at UA, had decided that he wasn’t good enough to be her friend. She decided that she wouldn’t get any offers to be a sidekick if she was always seen following after him.
Izuku spent the rest of his classes trying (and failing) not to sob as the teachers droned on in the background.
When the class got back to the dorms, he headed straight for his room. There was no use in being around the people who didn’t want him there. He knew his place, and it wasn’t with them.
Yet, as Izuku approached his door, not a single friend within UA, he was greeted with a familiar cardboard box.
He could feel his heart pound as he opened the box. He didn’t know who this admirer was, but they always cheered him up when he was sad. It was like clockwork, his friends would abandon him and his admirer was always ready with a box of goodies. It lessened the pain, and Izuku appreciated that.
Inside were more things than normal. A spray bottle of unlabeled yellow perfume, a black t-shirt, more film, candies, and a phone, as well as the iconic letter in red ink.
“My Dearest, Izuku
Time without seeing you seems to drag on for eternity, yet the portrait you have gifted me keeps my spirits high. I present you with some of my belongings within your gifts. I hope you shall wear my shirt to bed, though it may be slightly big on you.”
Izuku smiled and put the shirt on, taking a quick picture of himself with the newly acquired film and laying in his bed.
–
When Izuku woke up the next day, he was in a dark room, lit only by the monitor of a computer screen. He pushed himself upright, looking around the room before his eyes landed upon a wall of all the photos he had taken with his camera, and a few of him sleeping, all hanging on a corkboard.
Izuku looked at the desk beneath the board, which was suspiciously clean. It had a stack of papers, a lamp that lit up only where the user would be writing, and a vial of familiar red ink with a feather inside.
He took in a breath before a door opened and a familiar villain walked in, dressed in all black with his light blue hair tied into a messy bun, carrying a tray of food.
The man lit up upon seeing Izuku and let out a sound similar to a squeal before placing down the food, cupping Izuku’s face, and kissing him roughly.
“My dearest, I thought at first you’d reject my tokens, but seeing you accept them as you did, I couldn’t keep you at that school of liars.”
Izuku’s brain struggled to comprehend the man’s words as he bounced around the room, gathering different materials and plushies before handing them to Izuku.
“Those so-called ‘friends’ of yours really had no loyalty, did they? Just one simple text, a few family secrets and they all left, but it’s okay Izuku, I won’t leave you.”
The gears in Izuku’s brain struggled to turn as he registered Tomura’s words.
“It’ll all be okay now dearest, your lover is here, and neither of us will be leaving.”