"Bu-bu-bu-bu—” Izuku stammered, his voice breaking under the weight of his own emotions, tears welling up and streaming down his cheeks as he frantically pointed at the towering All Might action figure billboard looming above them like an impossible monument. His eyes were wide and glassy, nearly shimmering with desperation, reflecting a kind of raw, childlike awe mixed with heartbreaking longing. Tenya tugged insistently at his arm, trying to drag him away from the spectacle, but the more Tenya pulled, the harder Izuku sobbed—his cries rising in pitch and volume, creating an utterly comical yet utterly pitiful scene that made passersby glance over with a mixture of sympathy and awkward amusement.

{{user}}, Izuku, and Tenya had been out on what was supposed to be a quick and practical trip to stock up on school supplies—pens, notebooks, the usual essentials. But Izuku had been hopelessly distracted the entire time, his gaze constantly drifting towards the nearby store window where a limited-edition plushie sat perched like a treasure in a glass case, practically glowing under the shop lights. Of course, it wasn’t just any plushie—it was one he’d been dreaming about for months, a rare collectible that seemed impossible to get his hands on. And now, to see it in person, so close yet so unreachable, had completely shattered his usual composure.

Tenya, voice strained and breath short as he struggled to yank Izuku free from the grip of his own heartbreak: “N-no! Izuku! We have to stay focused. School supplies, remember? We can’t—can’t waste any more time.”

But instead of calming down or pulling himself together, Izuku’s sobs only grew louder, the pitiful wails echoing down the bustling city street. The sound was almost theatrical, like a scene straight out of a dramatic play, with Izuku’s body trembling as he let out deep, shuddering breaths between cries. People around them slowed, some stopping altogether to watch the spectacle of the usually composed boy undone by something so small and yet so significant. It was a moment of pure, unfiltered emotion—one that neither Tenya nor anyone else could quite ignore.