Work Text:
You never really know how much you care for someone until they’re gone- or something. Izuku doesn’t know the entirety of the saying, but all he knows is that it’s true.
Everyone in class missed Kaminari after he transferred- But in the span of a few weeks, they seemed okay to move on, especially after Shinso moved into the dorms.
Not Izuku. He can’t help but feel like he’s let down his friend, even if Kaminari assures him that it’s not what happened.
Friend… there’s a fine line between friend and something more, and Izuku is afraid to admit that he’s toeing the line of feelings.
From the stupid selfies Kaminari sends of him in his uniform to the literature quotes he picks up from his stuffy literature teacher, every little gesture has Izuku either laughing or staring at the messages with an odd little feeling in his stomach that persists even when he closes the phone.
So, you can only imagine his shock when the letter stamped with Kaminari’s loopy handwriting is slid under his door.
He stops stretching, walking to the envelope and walking over to his bed. His curiosity is already spiked, as the paper rips easily and the smell of sandalwood rises from it.
Sup, Midoriya?
One of the teachers thought a pen pal would be good for our writing skills, and since you were the first person I thought of, I figured you’d be the perfect person to write to. I don’t really trust anyone else to answer me honestly like I know you will, and you did tell me to talk to you about Shiketsu!
Things.. well, they’re definitely strange. There are dorms here, but bloody hell they’re nothing like the ones at UA. They remind me of the ones in Hogwarts, honestly. Picture Oxford University downsized and slammed with quirk-resistant furniture and you’re halfway there. It’s all very pristine, and reminds me of the pictures of the world long before quirks manifested. It’s strange, but I think you’d geek out about everything here.
The majority of people here are really nice, even if they seem like snobs at times. The courses here are definitely harder, too, but thankfully the tutors here are willing to help at the drop of a hat. And don’t get me started on the training facilities- this place is wack but it’s a nice change. You need to come visit sometime or something, there’s a 3rd year here who has a quirk that controls blood while it’s INSIDE someone. I know you’d love to slam him with your questions until he ran for it.
Anyway that’s all I can spit out right now, I need to finish this before class is done so I get graded. Don’t be a stranger and write back!
The fluttery feeling starts again, and Izuku has to push it away as he stumbles towards his desk, grabbing paper and a pen before sitting down. His hand is already experiencing the phantom aches he’s going to have by the end of the writing process, but he could care less right now. He has too many questions about the few pro heroes sanctioned at Shiketsu and the training, although he doesn’t know if Kaminari is going to answer that question. They are rival schools, after all.
He hates to remember that sometimes.
The pen touches the paper, as his hand starts to write words that match Kaminari’s English. It’s good practice for them both, and even though his hand hurts from the weird position he holds the pen, he pushes it away as he tries to answer in a way that will interest his friend. He doesn’t want it to be a boring letter that Kaminari simply scans through and laughs, showing his new friends.
That’s stupid, he knows Kaminari wouldn’t do that.
It doesn’t stop him from erasing the entire paragraph anyway, before crumpling the paper and sending it flying towards the wastebasket.
Midoriya, my dude,
I wasn’t expecting 3 papers to be folded into the envelope, but I’m glad you answered! I miss you guys and sometimes texts just don’t really cut it. I don’t have much time to be in front of a screen anyway, a couple of friends drag me to the library every day after classes and they have a strict no phone rule. Turns out, Even though Shakespeare is really hard to read, it’s still interesting. One of my favorite quotes from the research project I had to do was “If we are true to ourselves, we can not be false to anyone.” I’m doing my best to adhere by that because I don’t really want a repeat of UA, you know?
I’m happy to hear that things are going well at UA. I still feel bad for leaving without really telling anyone, but I didn’t want to gain more attention that I already garnered. I hope Sero and Kirishima are doing well, our messages aren’t as frequent as they used to be.
Anyway I know this letter doesn’t really sound like me because of all the snazzy words, but I’m trying to improve my vocabulary further. It won’t hurt you to know the meanings of a few more English words, anyway ;)
I got pictures from a photography class! U remember Camie? Whew, she’s a mess but she’s fun to be around. She’s me 2.0! We’re going to give one of these professors a heart attack, I think. Yoarashi completes our little trio, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I get sent back to UA at this rate.
I’ll try to send some pictures as soon as they get developed :) Send me some of what the rest of the class is up to, I miss you guys!
-your bromie homie
Izuku sighs, placing the letter gently on his pillow as he falls back onto his bed. Letters are an old time thing, something native to the past. It’s amazing that they’ve made a comeback, especially in such a prestigious institution like Shiketsu. Letters were what kept the world running years upon years ago, as they could hold the most tenderest of words for only one soul to read or the call for war and devastation upon a land. Letters are a sacred thing that can’t be deleted or hacked, and it’s with a startling realization that he comes to realize that he can’t wait for Kaminari’s next letter.
The sandalwood is a smell that he’s come to associate with his blond friend- the friend that despite it all, wants to keep in contact through one of the most simplistic, yet sweet gestures of the world.
He groans, hand falling to cover his eyes as the other grips the bedsheet.
He’s fallen. He’s fallen hard, and despite every nerve in his body and every last atom begging him to use common sense and stop these feelings, he can’t. He can’t stop thinking about the scenarios that might’ve happened if Kaminari had stayed, or the scenarios that might happen in the future if he’s able to pull the strings of the universe in his favor.
He needs to write a new letter.
Izuku-
It’s okay if I call you that, right?
Well, to cut to the chase, I got an 80 on one of my math tests! I know that might not seem like much but that’s one of the best grades I’ve gotten in a long time. I’m working hard to not be the part of myself I left behind at UA. I hope these letters aren’t getting boring for you- you can always text me, you know! It’s just nice to be able to express my feelings on paper, and it’s always nice to wait for your reply. I’m sure I look similar to an excited puppy as I wait for the mail delivery, and most certainly like a lovesick fool. You’re just that important to me, bro.
Anyway, I hope you know that I’m incredibly thankful for all you’ve done for me. Honestly, You’re one of the few people I can ever truly, sincerely, and mean it with all my heart when I say you’re one of my best friends. Thank you for everything, from the first time you talked to me to helping me with my quirk and our quick farewell. You mean the world to me and I only wish I could’ve been able to talk with you more when I had the chance.
Here are some pictures from campus!
Izuku’s hand trembles as he rereads over the line, and with a sharp intake of breath, holds the letter tightly as he leaves his dorm room and wanders towards the classrooms. Aizawa should still be in there, as far as he knows.
He starts to run halfway, heart thumping from running and from letting the simple line run over and over in his head. He doesn’t want to jump to conclusions. He’s known for his ability to come to conclusions startingly quickly, and he’s usually never wrong but when it comes to something like this? This isn’t something he can figure out on his own.
He bursts into the classroom, startling his teacher into breaking the pencil he’d been holding by jamming it into the pencil sharpener.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to run in here so fast, I just needed to hurry because I wanted to talk to you away from everyone else because this is kinda important but I didn’t want to be made a fool of if I’m jumping to conclusions. Sorry! I’ll be quieter next time!”
“Calm down, problem child. What’s up?” The teacher tosses the damaged pencil towards the wastebasket, missing spectacularly and without giving it a second glance.
Izuku swallows nervously, stiffly holding the letter out. It got lightly damaged in the run from the dorms to the classroom, but he was careful enough not to inflict major damage on it.
“Uh. Well, uh, I’ve been talking to Kaminari via letters because he said he was given it as a pen pal assignment. He wrote something that I’m… kinda having a hard time determining if it was platonic or not? I’m terrible with these kind of things but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions and write something back that screwed it up or anything. So I thought I’d let you take a look at it.”
Aizawa cocks an eyebrow with the look in his eye that has Izuku flushing in embarrassment, as he lightly pulls the letter from Izuku’s tight grip.
The teen rocks on his heels, biting his lip as he watches his teacher’s gaze run across the page. He doesn’t really know how he’s going to react to what his teacher will announce, and he doesn’t know if he’s going to feel relieved if it’s not what he thinks or incredibly disappointed. It’s not going to be the end of the world if it’s not, and if it is, he might just die on the classroom floor.
Aizawa finishes reading the letter, and hands it back to Izuku. He takes it, and with a worried inhale, looks up at his teacher for the answer.
Aizawa leaves the tension alone, and right when Izuku feels like he’s about to cry, he breaks the silence.
“I think it’s safe to say that was definitely not in a platonic manner.”
The breath has been knocked clean out of his lungs, as he starts to hack into his sleeve. Aizawa looks at his student with disinterest as Izuku gasps for air, humming slightly.
“I know the lightning child more than I know the rest of you, if I’m being honest. What we discussed in here when I gave him the letter has never left this room, but I will tell you that after what he told me, this looks exactly like you thought it would. The question now, is what are you going to do about it?”
Izuku blushes even harder, fingers gripping the letter as he attempts to make himself smaller.
“Try and fail miserably to express my interest?”
Aizawa laughs. It’s a light one, but it brings with it a smile that Izuku’s rarely seen on his teacher’s face. It makes him smile too, as he pushes aside the nerves roaring throughout his body that make him want to puke.
“Neither of you have common sense, but I think you’ll be fine, problem child. Just don’t drop the L word in the first letter. There’s no race. Take things as slow as you want- you’re just kids. You have all the time in the world.”
Aizawa ruffles his hair slightly, and with the smallest of relieved smiles, Izuku thanks him and heads back in the direction of the dorms.
He has a very important letter to write.
Denki didn’t know what to expect when he started the pen pal project. Midoriya just seemed like the best person to reach out to; because while he knew he had other friends he could write to, that was the problem. He KNEW them already. He knew their favorite things to do like the back of his hand- he knew the stupid song Kirishima would sing in the mornings, he knew the spiderman theme Sero had as his ringtone, and he could tell you Mina’s favorite celebrity from years past in a heartbeat. (The universe just loved harry styles regardless of the time period, huh?)
He didn’t know anything about Midoriya, aside from the fact that he worked harder than most people he’d ever known. The rest of him was a complete mystery, one that he figured would be a fun one to crack.
So, he started to write the letters. A fun little attempt to strengthen the relationships and friends he left behind, as he started at a new school that looked exactly like oxford, the palace of Versailles, and Hogwarts smashed into one.
The first letter came relatively quickly after the first one. To say that he’d been a little dramatic over it would be an understatement; Camie threatened to open it herself it he didn’t “Grow a pair and open it already.”
Kaminari-
Hi!!! I’m so glad things are going great for you at Shiketsu! I knew you’d do great there :D
The letter thing is really smart! I admire your teachers for coming up with it- the art of literacy and even writing our thoughts onto paper is something that had been fading into the past and I would be more than happy to respond to you with these! I only hope I don’t make them too long.
Oh gosh, I wish I could see the interior of Shiketsu!! Old universities always have this aura around them and I love it! If I ever come to visit, I expect to see you with a scarf and hat and you better be seriously reading a book in the coffeeshop window as you think about the life you left behind and your future.
I’m kidding around, you wouldn’t have to do that. A scarf would look good on you, though!
I really hope this continues to be a thing we do. I Kinda might’ve written 2 more pages about the person’s blood quirk that you mentioned, if you ever want to do me a solid and slide those over to him that would be great. You don’t have to though!!
I hope this letter gets to you quickly.
-Midoriya
“He’s right, you would look good in a scarf.” Camie absentmindedly states, as she swings her legs under the library table.
“That’s practically asking me to shock myself. And he was probably just joking.” He mumbles, blushing slightly as he lets his head fall to the table.
“I think it was a great attempt at a compliment!! Midoriya seems to be quite a smooth talker!” Yoarashi states, as he makes Camie’s pencil fly across the library. One of the librarians shoot him an irritated look, and he ducks behind one of his books.
“He’s really not. He stumbles over his words whenever he tries to talk sometimes, and god, if you get him muttering you’ll be there a while. He gets this happy little look in his eyes if you start talking about quirks before he goes full analysis mode and the words tumble out before he can stop them.” Kaminari answers, starting to draw a squiggle with his pencil on his Russian assignment. “It’s cute.”
“Oh? Yoarashi, I think our little Kam Kam might have a cruuuuush. It’s totes adorable, too!” Camie pushes Kaminari’s hat up, the stubborn piece of hair with the lightning bolt flopping from its position. Kaminari flips her off, pulling his hat back down to hide his face. His hair is starting to crackle.
“No, I don’t. I just think Midoriya is an adorably scary, absolute badass of a person that I want to take midnight walks on as we get coffee early in the mornings and read Hemingway and Jane Austen on a rainy day.”
“That’s a crush, Kami. And I think you’re halfway there with the letters. Just… write it cutesy and all, obvi, but you gotta really lay down the romance. Set the mood.”
“Oh, what do you know about romance, Cam?”
“More than you! Listen to me, lover boy, and you’ll get your poetry dates before you know it.” She throws her hands out, and with a quick glance towards the librarians, uses her quirk to create an illusion of the greenette sitting beside them at the table.
“Oh, Kaminari, your romantic letters swept me off my feet! Where did you learn to charm people like that? It must’ve been from your friends, someone named Camie? What talent, to get me to fall for you effortlessly!”
Yoarashi is trying his absolute best not to lose it in the library, as Kaminari pouts and sends the tiniest of shocks towards Camie. It shocks the illusion away, and the smirk on her face makes him want to rip his hair out as he pulls out some stationary.
“I’m not writing it your way, he’ll think I’m a creep. I’m writing it the ME way, and if he doesn’t like that, it’s just how it goes.”
The next letter has him stumbling even further, barely able to cling to the edge of rational thinking involving his feelings. He really doesn’t know how to go about this entire… feeling something for someone that isn’t just a passing interest thing.
“Aw, you’re like a little tomato.” Camie coos, as she reads through the Shakespearean literature she was given. Kaminari rereads the letter again, the constant electricity running under his skin begging to be released in a shower of sparks.
Kaminari-
I love that Shakespearean quote! I think it fits you and I can definitely see why you want to work around it. Sorry for those 3 letters!! I just had a lot of questions, as you can imagine.
You shouldn’t feel bad for leaving. From what I’ve heard from you, you’re doing great! As your friend, that’s all I want to hear :D
Don’t feel bad about who you had to leave behind. The bakusquad is doing fine, even if the glue that was YOU isn’t holding them together anymore. I think one of these days, Sero is actually going to snap and tape bakugo to the point that he can’t move. Like those duct tape to the door challenges!! I’ll be sure to snap some pictures for you!
AND OH NO. If there’s TWO OF YOU at Shiketsu, I worry about how the school is going to hold up! You better not get send back to UA!! You’ll have to be thrown into 1-B and I think we both know you’d end up shocking Monoma until he’s not able to stand. Don’t question me, I’m right.
Your vocabulary is getting quite pretentious, sir! Should I worry about how you’re going to act when we meet again? I don’t think I’ll be able to handle you speaking olde English dressed to match, sorry!
Anyway I’ll be waiting for your letter! It’s the highlight of my week.
-Midoriya :p
Kaminari definitely wasn’t expecting the most recent letter that was handed to him by the ever-knowing mailman.
The letter held the scent of cherry blossoms, a strong contrast to the now normal smell of sandalwood. He’s absolutely terrified to open this letter, especially after what he wrote in the last one.
He’s alone for this. He told Camie and Yoarashi he was going to take a power nap- a lie, sure, but everyone lies at some point. He wouldn’t be able to open this letter near them anyway.
He rips the envelope quickly, nerves building in his stomach as he shakily looks at the paper.
Here goes everything, huh?
Denki-
I think you could call me anything and I’d be okay with it.
I don’t know how to really do this, and I don’t know if the past letter was even your intention. I’m going to assume that it was.
Assuming is a dangerous thing, but around you, I think I’m willing to take that risk.
I’ve never done relationships. Until this year, I didn’t have friends. You are as dear to me as anyone I know, and quite possibly even closer than that because I think of you differently then I think of anyone else.
I’m not one that can list off the reasons I like a person off the top of my head, so please know I wrote these from the bottom of my heart as I looked out my dorm window and at the cherry blossoms.
You’re incredibly talented. Gosh, I wish you knew and I wish someone told you. Not to the point that you have an oversized ego like Kacchan, but that you knew that you are an incredibly powerful person. You made it into UA AND Shiketsu. You’re amazing.
I don’t know where to start with your personality. You have a mask on, a lot of the time. I’ve only seen you without it a few times, but in our letters, I think you weren’t wearing it. I believe that you are a smart and caring person who wants to make others smile even when you’ve short circuited out of commission.
YOU LIKE LITERATURE. Hello?? You’re perfect. You’re absolutely perfect and I need you to know that. You like to read and as someone who writes notes and analyzes people and books for the sheer fun of it, I am completely and fully enamored with you. I meant what I said when I told you your letters are the highlight of my week. You’re someone I know that even if you’re not with me, you always have my back. I trust you with my life and right now, with my heart.
I don’t want to be too sappy alongside the fact that I’ve never done this before, but I think that possibly, maybe I’m falling for you. Congrats- your words and olde English have swept me off my feet.
Seriously. I like you. I don’t want these letters to end.
-Izuku
If Kaminari holds the letter shakily as tears start to drip down his face, no one will really know.
The letter doesn’t appear when it normally does.
Izuku regrets sending it. He regrets the hours of wasted sleep, the many pieces of paper thrown in the general direction of the wastebasket, and the pencils worn down to nubs. He regrets it because he didn’t get a letter back, and the only thought running through his head is that he fucked everything up, like always.
It’s a Friday- he still has classes, even if he wants to ignore them and stay buried under his blankets in a cocoon of self loathing as he cries and wonders why he took Aizawa’s advice.
The knock on his door causes him to cease his crying, and with a sharp sniffle, he pulls his pillow closer to him. “Go away, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Get over here and open your door, Midoriya.” Shinso’s voice echoes through his door, and Izuku huffs and pulls his covers around his body tighter. All he wants to do is nurse his splintered heart and listen to the saddest heartbreak songs he can find.
“Midoriya, I swear to god, get over here and open the door or I’ll go get Bakugo. If you’re fond over your privacy, I’d get up and open it.”
Izuku throws the covers off to the side, one sockless foot touching the ground as the other follows. He knows he looks absolutely horrific- he doesn’t need a mirror to confirm it. He’d gotten almost little to no sleep last night, and paired with the anxiety over a test he knows he didn’t study as well as he should have, he’s going to probably break down some time today.
He pulls a blanket around his shoulders, and as he holds back a yawn, reaches out and twists the knob.
“Hi!!”
Denki is standing in the doorway, Shiketsu cap askew as well as his hair. The sun couldn’t begin to hold a candle to his smile, as he lets go of his suitcase and holds out his arms in an almost hesitant way.
The blanket falls to the ground as Izuku jumps, tightening his legs around Denki’s waist as the barely taller teen stumbles backwards, hands finding his hair as he laughs and hugs him tightly. He smells like sandalwood, like the letters, and with the faintest of hints of coffee.
“I hate you. I actually hate you.” He mumbles, fingers gripping the official-like uniformed jacket and Denki only snorts, setting him back on the ground as his hand goes back up to fix his hat.
Izuku will not admit how the Shiketsu uniform looks amazing on denki.
“I’m sorry about surprising you.” His voice, something that Izuku hasn’t properly heard in a long time, is practically music to his ears as he shifts his weight to his other foot.
“You see, the thing is, I didn’t trust the mailman with this.”
Out of his pocket comes a letter, and Izuku has to beg his tears to not overflow.
They don’t listen.
“Aizawa got the day off for you. We can spend the rest of the weekend together! I got approval to come up here from school and my parents under the guise of wanting to talk with Aizawa again. I’m sure they saw right through my plan, but hey, it was worth it.” He smiles again, and Izuku grabs his hand and his suitcase and pulls him into his room.
“Does anyone else know you’re here?” He asks, as Denki finally takes off his hat and lets his hair go wild.
“Nope, aside from Shinso. I’m a secret deal right now, honey. Once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Izuku blushes, and Denki walks to him and hands him the letter.
“I want you to read this.” His voice is gentle, far more gentle than Izuku has heard in a while.
Izuku rips open the envelope, sliding the letter out carefully.
Izuku-
I meant what I wrote. I think of you as one of my best friends- and if we’re on the same page here?
I’d love for you to be more than that.
You always have this magnetizing, amazing aura around you that people can’t help but smile when you show up. You do anything to help people, even if it’s at the cost of your own happiness. You are selfless, and I think that as a hero that is one of the most admirable traits to have. As a human? That’s one of the most rare. Most humans would turn out horribly if they’d been treated like such, but not you. You are a contradiction of life and society as we know it. That’s what makes you so intriguing and something that draws me to you even more.
I want to know you. I want to be there for you when you just can’t be positive. I want to be someone you can rely on. I want you to be able to trust me enough that you let the constant guard I know you have up, down.
I feel like I shouldn’t be pursuing you, and that others should have the chance. You should know that everyone in class has their eyes on you, at least a little bit. There are who knows how many people that could be better for you, that aren’t me.
I want you to choose me not because you feel inclined. I want to read poetry and literature with you and drink coffee on rainy days. I want to adopt a dog and take it running on the beach with you. I want to be a hero with you.
I want you to choose what you love, Izuku. I want you to be whoever you want to be, but just so you know, you’ve got me. If you’re the electrical rod, you’ve got your bolt of lightning, honey.
“I do love nothing in the world so well as you – is not that strange?”
Izuku lets out a muffled sob covered by his hand, as the letter floats down to the floor as he pulls denki into a tight hug. The blonde starts to sniffle as well, a stupid smile on his face as he thumbs away one of the tears streaking down the freckles.
“I think we’re pretty sappy for freshmen.”
“You are the one who decided to go Shakespeare on me with that last line.” Izuku sniffs, wiping at his cheeks as Denki smiles softly.
“It worked though, didn’t it?”
“Your words did. I think you have quite a dangerous mind on you, Denki.”
Denki snorts, and Izuku takes the moment to reach up and gently pull him into a kiss. It's unsuspected, it's awkward, but it's perfect for the two of them. It lasts for less than 7 seconds, because in a flash of light and a pop, everything in the room short circuits before going dark.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was electrifying.”
Denki simply blushes, as Izuku pulls him backwards onto the bed so they’re looking eye to eye.
“Boyfriends?”
“Hell yeah. Sounds great. We get couple privileges now and can annoy everyone with PDA to the point that I get kicked out and have to live on the streets.” He boops Izuku’s nose, and in turn, the green haired boy laughs and looks up at the ceiling.
“How on earth do your friends live with putting up with you?”
Denki is quiet for a few moments, before Izuku turns back to look at him.
“They don’t. I don’t really live when I’m around them.”
Izuku gives denki one of the most confused looks he’s ever seen on a person in his life.
“Because, darling, I don’t live at all when I’m not with you.”
Izuku shoves him lightly, a smile on his face as he covers his eyes with his arm.
“For the love of God, stop quoting Ernest Hemingway or I’m breaking up with you.”
“Damn. It was nice while it lasted, but I can’t do my man Hemingway dirty like that.”
Izuku cackles again, and it sends another smile onto Denki’s face.
This feels like home.