iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

- - - If you haven't, please check out the artworks that inspired this piece! I'll link it below! I hope you enjoyed :) bsky.app/profile/anec...

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only to feel his warm body pressed against his. Shaking his head, Izuku follows after Kacchan and tries to ignore his fluttering heart, but Kacchan's eyes watery eyes catch the setting sun, and he completely and utterly fails.

the whisper left behind. Heart slamming in his chest, Izuku wonders if he, too, was hit by a quirk without knowing because tears spring to his eyes. He blinks them away as a shiver runs down his spine. He really hopes that quirk lasts. He'd take any excuse to wrap Kacchan in his arms again, if +

"Yeah?" He grunts as Kacchan pulls him impossibly closer. Lips graze his neck as Kacchan whispers, "Thank you." Then he lets go, spins away from Izuku, and stomps out of the room. Izuku stands, dazed, as he watches Kacchan walk away. His fingers brush over his neck, lingering over +

After the tears dries up and snot coats his blazer, Kacchan whimpers but doesn't pull away. Instead, his fingers clutch tightly in the fabric, almost pinching Izuku's skin. Izuku presses his lips to his temple before he could talk himself out of it. Kacchan relaxes into his touch. "Nerd."

"Do you want me to be mean over something you can't control?" "I--" Kacchan cuts himself off and pouts again, cheeks puffing. This time, when Izuku pushes his head back down, he doesn't fight it. "No." "Then just let it out, Kacchan. I'll be here until you're done." "Idiot." "I know."

Izuku trails his fingers up and down Kacchan's back. "I know." "She didn't even say how long it'll last." "Mmhmm." "Hate crying in front of other people." "It's okay, Kacchan." "Stop that already!" Kacchan pushes away from him, face blotchy. "Stop being nice!"

Wrapping his arms around Kacchan, he runs his fingers through blond hair and pushes his head down. It rests on Izuku's shoulder, tears soaking through his blazer. Though he first tries to move away, Kacchan slumps against him and sobs. "This sucks," he cries.

turns the corner, Izuku jogs to catch up to him. "Go... go away, Izuku." Kacchan cries. His shoulders shake from the force of his sob, and Izuku's heart clenches at the sight. He grabs Kacchan's arm and drags him into the nearest classroom, sliding the door shut behind them.

Izuku's momentarily stunned as Kacchan runs out of the locker room, but Sero's wheeze brings him back. He shakes his head and follows after him, not caring about his state of undress. Kacchan hiccups as he presses his sleeve against his eyes. He stomps down the hallway, head down, and as he +

okay, Kacchan! We'll try our best not to--ah, why are you crying now?" Kacchan's pout causes his cheeks to puff as his body shakes. He rocks on his heels as his hands shove into his baggy uniform pockets. When Izuku dares to inch closer, the damn breaks, and he yells again. "Stop comforting me!"

just keep saying shit that pisses me off, and the quirk reacts to anything that upsets me! Get that through your thick skulls right now!" They shrink back, though Izuku sees a couple people hide their laughter behind their hands. Izuku smiles, hoping to diffuse the tension in the room. "It's +

Chorus of apologies echo through the room, making Kacchan's face bloom red again. It spreads to his ears and down his neck, fresh tears welling in the corner of his eyes, diminishing his sneers. "Look here, assholes! It's not 'cause this shit actually makes me sad, okay!" he yells. "You all +

explains. His fingers twitch as the need to reach out to smooth the worries away overcomes him. "Damn, Bakugou," Sero's the first to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize." Kaminari grumbles to himself then yelps as he's elbowed. "Yeah, sorry, Bakugou."

"I'll blast your ass, you little runt!" Kacchan says through his sobs, struggling against Izuku's arms. "Kacchan!" Izuku cries. "Just tell them about the quirk!" Kacchan huffs and slackens, and when Izuku finally lets go, he's mesmerized by his red-rimmed eyes and scratchy voice as Kacchan +

"Bakugou," Mineta says, "you're literally crying, dude." Izuku tenses as the locker room falls silent once more, then he lunges to keep Kacchan from blasting their classmate. Mineta screams as he ducks behind Kaminari, whose face pales when he realizes he's being used as a shield. "Not cool!"

"Wait, really?" Kaminari frowns, mirth fading from his eyes. Sero's arms drop. "Bakugou, we were just teasing!" Whirling, Kacchan's palms sparks, but any hope of intimidation loses to fat tears streaking down his face. His lip quivers as he yells, "I know that! Think I can't take it?"

The lockers rattle as Kacchan slams his shut. Head down, back slung over his shoulder, he yells, "You're all annoying!" "Whoa, Bakugou. Are you... crying?" Kirishima stops him from exiting, one solid arm blocking his path. Silence fills the locker room at the hiccuped sob. "Oh shit."

"Guys, maybe we should--" Izuku tried to interject, but Sero beat him to it. "Roki's right." He wraps his arms around himself and grimaces, pretending to shiver. "The idea of Bakugou crying is enough to give me nightmares."

Todoroki shook his head. "I, for one, Bakugou, think it's okay if you cry. Though, it would be out of character for you." His tie crumples in his grip. This is getting out of hand, and if it didn't stop soon, they would either be missing a locker room or all take a trip to the counselor's office.

with his elbow. "Usually, you two are, like, best buds, or whatever. I thought you were going to cry out there!" "Mineta..." Izuku warns, but the other doesn't hear him. "Yeah, right. This is Bakugou we're talking about. He'd rather explode on the spot than cry like that." Ojiro chimes in.

"Either way, the dude's ego has gotten way too big ever since they put that statue of him in the courtyard. Maybe Midoriya's little stunt helped knock him back down a few pegs." "Whatever he said really got under your skin, huh, Bakugou?" Mineta mumbles. Izuku glares as he nudges Kacchan's leg +

"Nothing," Izuku says, grimacing at his tone. "Just Monoma being Monoma." "If Kendo wasn't out sick, I'm sure she would have stepped in before he made a fool of himself again," Kirishima pipes in as he drags Kaminari away. His tie hangs loose around his neck, buttons still popped open.

Sero's elbow thunks against the locker next to Izuku, black brows raised. "Yeah, I haven't seen you that scary since the days you went rogue. What did the asshole do now?" A small sniffle, barely audible over their classmates' questioning, fills his ears. Izuku shrugs on his blazer.

Kacchan's back, ignoring the elbow to the gut he receives. "Back off, spark plug." Kacchan grits out, and Izuku bristles at the wobble in his voice. Kaminari's golden eyes slide to him, and he pushes off Kacchan's back in favor of his new target. "What was that whole thing with Monoma about?"

can't take it." "I'll keep working on it, and then I'll show you guys." "NO!" Kacchan steps away from his grasp and opens his locker, keeping his face buried in it. Izuku does the same, though his eyes rarely stray from the blond. "Yo, Kacchan! You ran off earlier!" Kaminari presses against +

They're not given time to speak before the locker room door slams open to Kaminari's air guitar. "What do you think? Jirou's lessons are paying off, yeah?" "I think it works better on a real guitar." Sero quips, pushing past him. Kirishima walks in after, grimacing. "Please, no more. My ears +

His thumb runs along the jagged edges of his scar, enjoying how it catches on his skin. The tears keep pouring down and--without thinking about it--Izuku reaches up and kisses his cheek, right over the scar. Kacchan's breath hitches, and another sob breaks through the air.

"It's okay, Kacchan," he says with a smile. "I cry all the time. It's a good way to release endorphins, and my mom says she always feels less stressed once she's gotten a good cry out." "You two flood your apartment on a daily basis. This isn't the same." Ah, well, Kacchan's got him there.

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back to school this morning. Ran into this kid's mom, and apparently, it heightens your emotions and makes you release them by... Fuck, I hate this." A new round of tears fills Kacchan's eyes, and Izuku doesn't think before he's cupping the other's cheek and smoothing them away with his thumbs.

thing, though he knows the Midoriyas were top contenders for one. Sometimes, he wonders if his mom did pass down a secret quirk to him, but the thought hurt his chest too much for him to dwell on it for too long. Kacchan nods and takes a deep breath. The red flush slowly fades away. "On the way +

1110

Kacchan wipes furiously at his eyes and allows a singular sob to fill the space. His heart breaks at the sound, hands already moving to bring him in. Kacchan smacks them away before saying, "I was hit by a quirk, dumbass." Izuku frowns. "A quirk? That makes you cry?" He's never heard of such a +

"Idiot..." Kacchan grumbles, still fighting back tears. Still pouting that cute little pout. Still flushed all the way to the tips of his ears. Izuku wants to bite his cheeks and watch as more tears pour down. He shakes away those thoughts. "Kacchan!" he cries as he's shoved into the locker room.

"Okay! Okay, I'm sorry, Bakugou!" Monoma shrieks. "I didn't mean it!" Only a little piece of Izuku is satisfied by the apology, but before he could wrangle a better one out of him, Kacchan grabs hold of his gym uniform and yanks him away. Blackwhip immediately curls back into his skin, satisfied.

Black tendrils wrap around Monoma's wrist, yanking him forward, and Izuku growls, "Apologize." Monoma shakes in his grip. "Mi-Midoriya! It's not what it looks like!" Behind him, Kacchan sniffs. "St-stop I'm not... not weak, you know." Izuku's going to murder his classmate. "Apologize."

The embers flare to life as Blackwhip bursts out of his back. Always at the scene of the crime, Monoma shrinks away from Izuku's display, sweat beading on his forehead. Izuku steps closer to him, Kacchan's muffled sobs spurring him on. Green sparks flash across his skin as his anger mounts.

Kacchan will... start crying? His lips wobble before they form a pout, failing to muffle the sob trapped behind them. Izuku watches in mounting horror as those radiant carmine eyes gloss over, and before he knows it, he's forcing his way between the two boys.

Izuku can't fault him for the hovering, not when he's been doing the same. But then he hears Monoma's grating laugh, followed by the words, "Maybe it's your own fault for being so weak!" Izuku's blood boils as he tries to reign himself in. Kacchan can handle it. Kacchan will put him in his place.

He thought nothing of Monoma approaching Kacchan. Ever since the war, the annoying boy attached himself to Kacchan, following him around and goading him on. Izuku was initially (and still kind of is, but no one needs to know that) annoyed by it, but then he remembered Monoma witnessed Kacchan die.