Chapter Text
Rody stands in front of the mirror and takes a quick look at himself, adjusting his shirt and hair. His hair has grown a lot in the last year and he’s definitely due for a haircut, but the new length has started to grow on him. Pino chirps excitedly and keeps pecking at Rody’s phone. Rody is expecting a FaceTime call from Izuku any second now, and his heart is pounding out of his chest. Rody hasn’t had the chance to talk to Izuku for a while since he’s been busy cleaning up the aftermath of All For One’s downfall. Rody knows how exhausted Izuku has been since the final battle, so he feels lucky that Izuku has made time to call him.
It’s 10:00 on a Monday morning in Otheon, and Rody has the trailer all to himself. Earlier, he dropped Roro and Lala off at school, so he’s relieved he won’t have to tiptoe around them to talk to Izuku. Living in a trailer as small as theirs, you don’t get much privacy. Pino isn’t much of a help either, because all she does is chirp nonstop until Izuku picks up the phone. As soon as she sees him, she attacks the screen, trying to get as close to him as she physically can. As much as Rody loves Pino, he wishes she could be more discreet, but the minute he sees Izuku’s glowing smile on screen, his heart flutters, and Pino matches his excitement to a tee.
Rody begins to put his long hair up into a ponytail, but then his phone starts to ring and he drops the hair tie on the floor. Pino’s chirps grow louder as the phone continues ringing. Rody quickly picks up the loose hair tie with one hand, and with the other, grabs his phone. Rody steals one final look in the mirror, takes a deep breath, and accepts the Facetime call from Izuku.
Izuku: Hi Rody! Long time no see!
Rody: Hey there hero! How have you been?
Before Izuku can answer, Pino tries nudging her head into the screen and as Rody tries to push her off, he hears Izuku laugh. He takes a look at Izuku and smiles to himself, because he just adores Izuku’s smile. It feels like lying in the sunshine and soaking up the sun’s rays, and he can’t get enough of it.
Rody: I think Pino might be more excited than I am to talk to you.
Izuku: Oh? Is that so?
Izuku gives Rody a sly smile, and Rody blushes deeply. Rody tries to hide his red face by angling his phone so only half of his body appears on screen.
Rody: You of all people should know that Pino is the number one hero’s number one fan.
Izuku: If I could make merch that would fit her, I would definitely send some to Otheon.
Pino trills excitedly and both Izuku and Rody cackle at the idea of Pino in a tiny pro hero Deku shirt.
Rody: Listen, I’m just waiting for my official Deku autograph to arrive so I can sell it for a pretty penny and buy myself something nice.
Izuku: I’ll make sure to set aside one of my autographed headshots just for you.
Izuku winks and Rody explodes on the inside. The thought of having a professional photo of Izuku hanging up in his room makes his heart race (and another part of his body tingle).
Rody: So, what has the number one hero been up to these days?
Izuku: Oh you know, just drowning in paperwork trying to get my agency started. This hero stuff is no joke you know!
Rody: Me? Joking about you being a hero? Doesn’t sound like me at all.
Izuku: Oh really? This is coming from the guy who couldn’t care less about heroes until they saved his life.
Rody is about to prepare a snarky remark in reply, but he shrugs and nods, accepting that Izuku is right. Rody definitely changed his mind about heroes after Izuku had left Otheon.
Rody: You got me there hero.
Izuku: How are Roro and Lala? Is school going well for them?
Rody: Yeah! They’ve both already made a bunch of friends and are doing really well with their classes. I try to help tutor them as much as I can. I’m not of much use when it comes to Science and English, but when they pull out their Math homework, I’m a whiz.
Izuku: I never knew you were so good at math, Rody?
Rody: Well you know, one plus one equals two, and you and I equals the perfect match (is what Rody would have said if he had the nerve to tell Izuku how he really felt. What he actually said was:) Well you know, when you deal with shady dealings for as long as I have, you need to crunch numbers to see how much you’ll make per job so you can put food on the table.
Izuku chuckles at Rody’s comment and when Izuku opens his mouth to speak, Rody hears a door open on the other end of the call and a deep voice in the background. “Midoriya, I’m sorry to bother you, but I got a call for a scouting mission and I was hoping you would assist me. There have been some Liberation members found in hiding and Endeavor wants us to gather them up.”
Rody sees Izuku’s body language shift. “Yeah, just give me a minute and I’ll be ready, Todoroki.” Rody feels a ping in his chest, but can’t pinpoint what he’s feeling. Izuku looks back at the screen with an apologetic look on his face.
Izuku: Rody, I’m so sorry, but I gotta head out sooner than I thought.
Rody: Hey, you gotta do your hero duties, right? You go kick some butt and I’ll allow you to take a rain check.
Izuku: Are you sure? We haven’t talked in months, and I feel bad that we barely got time to catch up today.
Rody: Life happens! There will always be a chance in the future for us to talk again. I’m always happy to hear from you, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Izuku: You mean that?
Rody: Of course I do. You’re my closest friend, and I’m grateful that we can talk like this at all.
Izuku produces a small grin and Rody forces himself to return it. Rody turns to see Pino crying quietly on Rody’s bed. Rody prays that Izuku can’t hear Pino’s quiet sobs.
Izuku: I promise I’ll call you as soon as I can! I’ll make sure to message you ahead of time so I don’t call at a bad time. Sometimes I forget that there’s an eight hour time difference between us.
Rody: Yeah, I know what you mean. I work most nights, but just shoot me a message and we’ll figure something out.
Izuku: Right! Well, I hope the rest of the school year goes well for Roro and Lala! And that you’re liking your new job and not getting up to any trouble.
Rody: Trouble’s my middle name Izuku. But I promise, I’m being good like I promised you.
Izuku: Good. I’ll be keeping my eye on you Rody Soul.
Rody chuckles and they say goodbye to each other and end the call. Rody faces his phone down and lies on his bed. He can feel his whole body grow heavy, and he wishes he could sink into his bed and never leave. Pino nuzzles into Rody’s neck and continues to cry quietly. Rody wishes he could stop thinking about Izuku so much. He grips the center of his shirt, and he can feel his heart beating fast. He hopes that time will lessen these feelings.
How poorly mistaken he was.