Daily Meme
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Since Izuku insisted on meeting All Might, and Mom refused to let either of us leave alone, we all ended up going. Not that I really had an opinion on it—All Might was retired, Izuku was emotional, and Mom was… Mom.
The beach was the same as ever. Clear, empty, nothing but the sound of the waves rolling in. It felt weird seeing it like this after all the training Izuku had done here. I remembered him passing out in the sand, covered in sweat and regret while I sat back eating snacks. Good times.
All Might was already waiting when we got there, standing in his deflated form. The guy looked even smaller now, which wasn't surprising, but seeing him like this without the pressure of One For All holding him together felt different. Izuku and Mom both froze up for a second.
Izuku had that look in his eyes—the same one he always had when All Might did anything remotely significant. Mom, on the other hand, just sighed, her lips pressing together. It made sense. One of them worshipped the guy, the other respected him enough not to treat him like he was untouchable.
All Might walked up and pulled me into a one-armed hug. "I am sorry, Young Midoriya."
I poked his casted arm. He winced. "It is not your fault. You cannot save everyone, you cannot be everywhere. It is a miracle you have not learned this by now."
Izuku turned to me, already glaring. "Ryuu—"
I cut him off. "Especially now that you retired. Let it go, old man. We are next."
All Might stared for a moment, then smiled. Not the public hero smile, not the "Symbol of Peace" grin—just something real. "You always know how to cut through the noise."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm great. We all know this," I said, stepping back. "So, what now? You gonna do gardening or some shit?"
Izuku shot me another look. "Ryuu!"
"What? He cannot just sit around doing nothing."
All Might chuckled, shaking his head. "I will still be teaching at U.A. You have not gotten rid of me yet."
Mom crossed her arms. "Good. Because retirement or not, you still have responsibilities."
The way she said it made it sound less like an observation and more like a threat.
All Might nodded. "I know." His gaze shifted to Izuku. "And you… you are going to carry this forward."
Izuku swallowed. "I will."
No hesitation.
I smirked, clapping Izuku on the back. "Look at that. So much growth. Still a nerd, though."
He rolled his eyes. "You say that like it is an insult."
"Because it is."
Mom sighed. "Do you ever stop?"
"Not if I can help it."
All Might sat down on a chunk of driftwood, stretching his bad arm slightly. "Truthfully, I had hoped to do more before the end, but… I am glad I was able to see this through."
Izuku hesitated, then sat down next to him. "I wish it did not have to be like this."
"It never goes how we plan, Young Midoriya."
Izuku's hands curled into fists. "You deserved better."
All Might exhaled. "Better is not something we are owed. We take what we get and make it count." He looked up at the sky, watching the waves roll in. "And in the end, I think I did."
Izuku did not answer right away. Mom didn't either.
I shrugged. "Kinda late for an existential crisis, don't you think?"
Izuku shot me a look. "Ryuu."
"What? He already lost his power, you already cried about it, and society is gonna be weird for a while. What else is there to say?"
All Might laughed. "You certainly have a way of simplifying things."
"It is a skill."
Mom rubbed her temples. "A headache is what it is."
Izuku looked at All Might. "You really think everything will be okay?"
"Not immediately," he admitted. "But yes."
"Because of us?"
All Might nodded. "Because of you. And because of every student stepping forward. You are all the next line of defense, the next generation."
Izuku's eyes burned with determination. I fought the urge to gag.
"You are way too sentimental," I muttered.
All Might just smiled again. "And you, Young Midoriya? You are also part of the next generation, aren't you?"
I snorted. "I'll just keep punching people in the face."
Mom sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"
Izuku nudged me. "That is not an answer."
"It is the only answer that matters," I shot back. "As long as there are assholes running around, I have a job."
All Might nodded. "Then I will look forward to seeing where that takes you."
Izuku shifted slightly. "What happens now?"
"Now?" All Might let out a breath. "Now we move forward."
No dramatic speeches, no drawn-out moments. Just that.
I clapped my hands together. "Alright. Well, that was a nice little therapy session, but I think we have done enough emotional bonding for one day."
Mom rolled her eyes. "You are impossible."
"I know."
Izuku stood up, brushing the sand off his pants. "We should get back."
All Might nodded. "Yes. Things will be different, but that does not mean they stop."
I stretched, already stepping away. "Good. Because I was getting bored."
All Might watched us for a moment longer, then smiled. "Take care of each other."
Mom pulled me along before I could respond, shaking her head like she was questioning all of her life choices at once.
As we walked back, Izuku glanced at me. "Do you ever take anything seriously?"
I grinned. "Sure. Just not the stuff you want me to."
–
Next day, the doorbell rang.
I got up, still half-asleep, put some clothes on, dragged myself to the door, and swung it open. There they were—All Might and Aizawa.
I froze. Blinked. Then burst out laughing so hard I had to clutch my stomach.
Aizawa, Mr. "I Sleep in a Trash Bag," was standing there in a suit. His hair was combed. His stubble was trimmed. He looked like a functioning human being for once, and it was the funniest shit I had ever seen.
"You look like you're about to sell me life insurance," I wheezed, doubling over. "Or teach a class on emotional intelligence."
Mom didn't even hesitate. She kicked me in the side and shoved the door open wider. "Ignore him. Come in."
I rolled onto my back, groaning. "Abuse! I'm reporting this to HR!"
"Shut up and get inside," she snapped, dragging me in by my collar.
Aizawa sighed, stepping in. "I already regret coming here."
"Yeah?" I sat up, smirking. "Well, I regret seeing you like this. My mental image of you is ruined forever."
"I'll live."
All Might, still smiling like a dumbass, clapped his hands. "Midoriyas! We have something important to discuss."
I stretched, popping my neck. "What, you guys finally realized UA's security is held together by duct tape and prayers?"
Mom gave me a look before sitting down. "This is about the latest events, isn't it?"
Aizawa nodded, taking the seat across from her. "Yes. We're changing to a boarding system."
Mom's expression didn't shift. "No."
All Might blinked. "Pardon?"
"No," she repeated, crossing her arms. "Absolutely not. Hell no."
Aizawa didn't look surprised. "I understand this is sudden—"
"No, you don't," Mom cut in. "Because if you did, you wouldn't be sitting here expecting me to say yes."
I leaned back, watching the show.
All Might cleared his throat. "Mrs. Midoriya, please—"
"Please what?" Mom snapped. "Let my son live at a school that gets attacked every other week? Let you take both of my kids after one of them was just kidnapped?" She scoffed. "You must be out of your mind."
Aizawa stayed quiet for a moment. "The move isn't just about safety. It's about keeping the students together, strengthening their ability to operate as a team, and ensuring they can be protected at all times."
Mom narrowed her eyes. "So, what? You're saying my kids are safer at a school that can't even keep villains off the campus?"
"The dorms will be fortified," All Might said. "The teachers will be stationed there as well. There will be round-the-clock security."
Mom let out a sharp breath. "Right. Because the last time you had security, that worked out so well."
Aizawa met her gaze. "This is the best option we have."
"For you," Mom shot back. "For UA. Not for me. Not for them."
All Might opened his mouth, but she cut him off again. "You don't get to sit here and act like this is some perfect solution. You lost him once. And you think the answer is to take him away again?"
Aizawa's jaw tightened.
I let out a slow whistle. "Damn, Mom's on fire today."
She whipped around, eyes burning. "And you!"
"Oh, shit—"
"You! I swear, if you even think about saying yes to this, I will personally drag you home by your ear!"
I held up my hands. "Whoa, whoa! Chill! I didn't even say anything yet!"
She turned back to Aizawa. "This isn't happening. I don't care what kind of pitch you prepared. I am not sending either of them back just to be put in a bigger target."
Izuku, rubbing his eyes, walked in looking half-asleep. He was still in those obnoxious All Might pajamas—bright yellow, cape and all. The moment his brain caught up with what he was seeing, he froze.
"All Might? Aizawa-sensei?" His face turned red so fast it was like watching a kettle hit boiling point. He spun around and bolted back into his room without another word.
I snorted. "Coward."
Aizawa leaned back in his chair. "That's what makes you two different."
Before I could fire back, Izuku came sprinting back in, now dressed like a normal person. His hair was still a mess, but he was making an effort to pretend the last thirty seconds hadn't happened.
"What's going on?" He sat down, glancing between Mom and the two guests like he was trying to piece together if this was a surprise test or an intervention.
"You missed the show," I said, leaning back. "Mom just eviscerated them. It was brutal."
Mom gave me a look that promised violence. I shut up.
All Might cleared his throat. "We're here to discuss the dorm system. Your mother is… hesitant."
"Hesitant?" I muttered. "That's a nice way to put it."
Mom didn't even turn my way. "We're done talking about this."
Izuku sat up straighter. "Wait, dorms? At UA?"
"Congratulations, you're caught up," I said.
Izuku frowned. "But that makes sense. After everything that's happened—"
Mom's stare cut him off before he could finish.
Izuku swallowed. "I mean, uh, it could… be a good idea?"
Aizawa sighed. "Midoriya, your mother's already made her stance clear."
Izuku didn't back down. "But if UA is going to be safer—"
"Is it?" Mom's voice was sharp. "Because last I checked, UA was the reason you two were in danger in the first place."
Izuku hesitated, his hands tightening into fists on his lap. "I get that. I do. But villains don't just attack UA. They go after heroes, hero students, anything they see as a threat. If we leave, they won't stop coming. At least if we stay, we're surrounded by people who can fight back."
Mom stayed quiet.
Izuku pressed on. "We'll be together. If anything happens, we won't be scattered. We won't be caught off guard."
Mom's arms stayed crossed, but her grip on her sleeves tightened slightly.
"And it's not just about us," Izuku continued. "Everyone else in our class—Kacchan, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu—they don't have a choice either. If we step away, they have to deal with it alone."
Aizawa watched him, but didn't say anything.
Mom exhaled slowly. "It's not about the school. It's about you two. I don't want to lose you."
"You won't," Izuku said immediately.
She didn't look convinced.
All Might leaned forward. "Mrs. Midoriya, I understand your concerns, but I promise you—we will protect them."
Mom shot him a look. "You already failed once."
All Might flinched.
Izuku jumped in before things could go nuclear. "You said it yourself, Mom. UA is the best place for us. If we stay home, we're alone. If something happens, what then? We call the cops? Wait for Pro Heroes to maybe show up in time?"
Mom rubbed her forehead. "Izuku…"
"Please."
That did it. Mom pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a long sigh. "I swear, you two are going to be the death of me."
Aizawa waited.
She glared at him. "Fine."
Izuku let out a breath.
Mom pointed at All Might. "But if anything happens again, I'm holding you personally responsible."
All Might nodded. "Understood."
She sighed again, rubbing her temples. "God, I need a drink."
I patted her shoulder. "We all do."
Mom swatted my hand away.
Aizawa stood. "Then we'll start preparing the dorms immediately."
Mom waved them off. "Yeah, yeah. Just go before I change my mind."
All Might gave her a small bow. "Thank you for trusting us."
She scoffed. "I don't."
I stretched, standing up. "That went better than expected."
Mom pointed at me. "You. Not a word."
I held up my hands in surrender.
All Might smiled. "Then we'll see you at UA."
Aizawa nodded at Mom. "We'll keep them safe."
She didn't respond.
They left.
Izuku let out a breath. "That was…"
"Painful?" I supplied.
He shot me a look. "Necessary."
Mom sat down heavily. "You two better make this worth it."
--
You're in an office.
The hiring manager is a rock named Greg.
It stares silently.
"What would you say is your biggest weakness?"
You: "I uh… binge-read Ryuu without voting—"
The rock EXPLODES.
You are launched out the window.
Fired from life.
Poor Greg.
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