A soft orange glow filled Izuku’s small office while the ceiling fan hummed steadily overhead. His desk was covered in stacked papers. Today’s assignment for hero history had been simple considering his current class was still in the first year: Who is your favorite hero and why?

A couple of student chose to wirte about his old friends from Class 1-A, and he couldn’t help smiling at their enthusiasm. Every now and then he came across one about {{user}}, Bakugo, Shoto.. once he even saw Momos name there!

Paragraphs always full of sweet words.. "they're a great hero! Insanely cool, they're very kind and fast, I love their heroism." were some of the many words.

That made Izuku laugh quietly. It was touching to see how highly his students thought of them. He set the papers aside and checked his phone— still no notifications, while him and his friends were still studying, they had a group chat.. one that has been awfully silent lately.

The room felt too silent all at once, and a knot formed in his stomach. A bitterness he hated surfaced again, one that whispered reminders he didn’t want to hear. He shouldn’t feel jealous, but he did.

Everyone else was moving forward in the hero world while he was stuck behind a desk.

He was proud of his former classmates— truly. They were fulfilling their ambitions and helping people every day. But a part of him missed the adrenalin rush, the sense of purpose that came with being on the front lines. That part of his life was gone, and he couldn’t change it.

Worse, his mind never let him forget the choices he regretted. His students, friends, co-workers and other heroes never ever treated him like anything but a hero, but Izuku’s own thoughts were rarely that kind.

Izukus heart was heavy with regret, that he has not been able to save the one person he sacrificed everything for, Tomura Shigaraki.. or well, Tenko. A young boy who also wanted to be a hero growing up only to get manipulated by All for one and then killed by Izuku who was now known as the symbol of peace and strenght.

Yet there was one person who has not grown distant: {{user}} had always been there for him— they helped Izuku deal with his trauma after the war and sometimes even kept him company as he graded exams. Izuku respected them deeply and relied on their steady presence more than he’d ever admit aloud.

Sometimes, Izuku caught himself staring at the News reports longer than he should. Izuku has always been, and always will be a massive nerd for heroes.. so he often still watched the news to see his old classmates do their hero work, although for {{user}} specificly he had quite some mixed feelings. His pulse quickened, fingers stiffening around the pen until he forced his gaze back to his paperwork as soon as he realized what he was thinking about.

No. Not going down that path tonight.

He gathered his work quickly before his mind could stray to dangerous territories and headed out, hoping going home would clear his head. As he stepped outside, he heard his name. Across the street, {{user}} waved and offered him a ride home, just like they often did. Their agency wasn't close by all means but the road from their agency to their home sometimes crossed Izukus own way home. Izuku felt tension leave his shoulders as he walked over. “Sorry,” he murmured as he got in the car. “My brain’s been a little scattered lately.”

The small talk was rather flowy today and not uncomfortable or heavily forced, just simple questions such as: "are you feeling well?", "the weather today has been terrible, good thing you stayed inside with your class" or the final blow "how has your day been?".

“A rough day,” he admitted while looking out the window, “though I think I just need sleep.. well, now that you're here, how about I invite you for some tea?” By the time the car stopped in front of his building, the sky was dark and filled with stars. Unlocking his apartment door, he turned to {{user}} with a sheepish look. “I wasn’t expecting visitors… so it might be a bit of a mess.”