Chapter Text
Rody’s caffeine consumption was worrisome. However, the old machine his dad refused to throw out was the only thing keeping him sane between work, studying, and the two little ones. At least coffee didn’t make Pino zoom around the trailer like she did when Rody had energy drinks.
Gentle morning sunlight peeked between the blinds as he poured himself a cup of the steaming liquid, adding a dash of milk. Pulling down the DIY rope ladder he crafted, Rody skillfully made his way to the top of the trailer roof as he did every morning. There was a thick blanket he left there during the night, which he grabbed and wrapped around his shoulders. With his new, crime-free job and homework, Rody realized he needed to carve out time for himself. So he set his alarm 20 minutes earlier than Lala and Roro woke up to sip his coffee and watch the sunrise. Pino rubbed an eye with her wing and snuggled closer to Rody’s neck, still not quite awake.
Rody felt the tiredness in his heavy eyelids, in his sore muscles and feet, in his heart.
Knowing his father was truly never coming back provided necessary closure. But, it also killed a part of Rody’s soul. The flicker of hope he kept lit all of those years was extinguished. His dad wasn’t going to come bounding through the door on a random morning, hugging all three kids while telling Rody how proud he was for being their caretaker. Sometimes, Rody dreamt his dad would ruffle his hair like he used to and say, “Good job, Rody. Now, let me take care of things.”
But it was just a dream. A soft sigh came from Pino, snapping Rody back to reality. The little bird gave him a melancholy look.
“We’ll be okay,” he said, petting her head with his index finger.
At least he was alive. That was his new mantra. He survived. He came home every day to hear Roro and Lala’s stories about school and their friends, their normal lives that he worked so hard for them to experience. He was even on track to earning his GED and becoming a pilot. Doing the thing he loved most was in arm’s reach, and one of these days he’d be able to see the world beyond their trailer.
All thanks to a green-eyed hero across the ocean. Midoriya’s freckled face took up free rent in Rody’s brain most days. Their road trip and near-death experience felt like it happened five years ago, but it also felt like it was just yesterday that they slept in the cave with the fire bringing warmth between them. Thankfully, Rody saved enough to buy a mobile phone, so the past ten months had been filled with early morning and late night calls. Navigating the seven-hour time difference wasn’t easy, and sometimes Rody wanted to through his alarm clock against the wall in the morning, but Midoriya’s voice on the other end of the line energized him. And there was always something the hero student said that would leave Rody in a daze.
“So, how many lives did you save today?” Rody teased.
“I think you think too highly of me,” Midoriya replied. “It’s just training today. Search and rescue.”
“Well, let me tell you about the villain I faced today,” Rody continued. “We were down a line cook, so orders were backed up and people were hungry. I’m talking starving, Midorya. One of the customers had been drinking their entire lunch shift, a big, burly guy who works construction, but it’s probably a cover-up for some intelligence agency, getting the scoop on all the shady people that eat at our fine establishment…”
Midoriya’s laugh was growing as Rody spun his mundane day into a heroic tale.
“...and that’s how I won the card game and got everyone to give me extra tips.”
“Mission accomplished,” Midoriya chuckled. “I’m glad to hear you escaped without injuries.”
“It’s hard work, but someone has to do it,” Rody said. “Maybe I’ll treat Roro and Lala to some ice cream with the money.”
“You’re such a good brother Rody. I wish we could get ice cream.”
Rody gripped the phone tighter, wishing there was a quirk that could make you teleport through phone lines. “Knowing us, the ice cream would contain some world-threatening poison and we’d get sucked into some high-stakes mission.”
“Rody, I seriously think you’re overestimating how exciting my life is.”
Rody laugh. “No worries hero, I’d know you’d save us again.”
“Not feeling much like a hero lately,” Midoriya sighed. “To be honest, ever since I got back to Japan I’ve felt off.”
“How come?” Rody asked, sensing a serious shift in conversation.
“I don’t know. I feel a little lost without you,” Midoriya answered.
Rody took another sip of coffee as the sky turned a brighter pink and orange. Like himself, Midoriya was different than other teens. They both seen and done things. Things that normal kids their age didn’t, and shouldn’t, expect to see and do. Seeing Midoriya throw himself in front of the arrow meant for Rody and his scar-covered torso completely upset his initial perception of the young hero. Pino chirped brightly. Rody recognized the special chirp she sang only when his thoughts escaped to Midoriya. It was weird having a special tune for your crush.
Which is what Rody had. A crush. On Midoriya. On the hero that saved his life, multiple times. On the boy who lived tragically out of Rody’s reach, and in a wholly different world.
“God, it’s like I’m in some fairytale,” Rody muttered, rolling his eyes at himself. “He’s going to be a pro-hero for god's sake. I’m not special.”
Pino pecked his hand at that statement. Thankfully, Roro and Lala were stirring from inside the trailer, so Rody was rescued from having to confront his feelings. Literally.
Midoriya didn’t care for birthday presents. Not that he didn’t cherish them, but he honestly didn’t expect anything. He was happy to have his friends, his teachers, and his mom. Midoriya reminded himself to cherish things after everything that happened during his first year at UA and his trip to Otheon. He stopped complaining when his mom fussed around him during his trips home, made an effort to call her more, and he made sure to visit Eri more when he had time.
His new outlook on life and appreciation for the little things made it even harder to stop the tears from falling when he opened his birthday present from his mom.
“I can’t accept this,” Midoriya sniffled.
Inko Midoriya squeezed her son’s knee. “Of course, you can! Besides, I already contacted the embassy, and as long as you don’t do any hero work and visit solely as a tourist, there’ll be no issues with the false murder accusations.” She let out a slight laugh. “Honestly, knowing you’re not able to do hero work for a week is a relief.”
Midoriya gazed at the airplane ticket with wonder. A round trip from Japan to Otheon. One week. Seven whole days.
“Friendships are important, Izuku,” Inko continued. “Especially in your line of study.”
“This must have cost so much,” Midoriya wiped his face on his arm, but the tears kept coming.
“Not as much as it would have cost your friend Rody to buy one here.”
She gave Izuku a knowing look as she mentioned Rody. Izuku knew he wasn’t doing a great job at hiding his grief. Grey eyes shined at him every time Izuku closed his own. When sleep evaded him, he grasped onto the feeling of their last embrace, remembering how Rody felt in his arms. But the memory of warmth faded over the past months. Texts and calls could only fill the void for so long.
“I know it’s an early flight, but I wanted you to have enough time to spend with him,” Inko smiled.
Midoriya lept at his mom, hugging her tightly.
“Thank you, thank you,” he cried.
“Just promise me no trouble this time.”
“I promise.”
Midoriya’s heart could burst.
Rody practically limped home after work. He desperately needed new shoes. The night shift was great for tips, especially in the summer, when people stayed out longer and drank more. But the constant flow of customers kept Rody on his toes, rarely having a moment to think, much less sit down. His charm and wit made up for the wait time, and if he snuck a free drink or shot to a perturbed customer, then it was for the greater good of the business.
Pino chirped weakly as Rody finally pushed the door open. Two beaming smiles welcomed him home.
“Rody!” Lala squealed, jumping into her big brother’s arms. He puffed as he lifted her to his hip. His arms ached in protest, but Rody knew the days of being able to carry her were numbered.
“Hey Lala,” he said. Pino rubbed her head against Lala’s cheek as Rody went over to the stove, where Roro was pushing around vegetables in a pan.
Rody ruffled his little brother’s hair. “How was your day?”
“Good, Lala and I finished the big puzzle.”
Rody’s jaw dropped in amazement, turning to Lala to show his enthusiasm. “The 1,000 piece one? You’re so smart!”
Lala giggled. “We drew pictures too!”
Squirming out of his arms, Lala grabbed something off the table amongst the scrap paper and crayons. With a flourish, she presented her masterpiece to Rody.
“Aw, Lala, it’s us,” Rody grinned. He then looked closer at the colorful figures. “Who’s the extra person?”
“That’s Deku! He’s our family too.”
Now, it was Rody’s heart that ached. “You’re absolutely right, Lala.”
“I miss him,” Roro said quietly, staring at the sizzling pan.
Rody rubbed his shoulder. “Me too.”
It was unimaginable how easily Midoriya squeezed himself into Rody’s life after just a week together. And most of that time Rody was lying to him or getting swung around as they ran from whatever villain was chasing them.
Yet, the young hero changed him. It didn’t help that Midoriya was fantastic with kids. He won the two younger Souls over in one minute when they visited Rody at the hospital after the attack. Rody swore they would have loved him even if he hadn’t saved their big brother’s life.
Rody yawned, suddenly remembering how tired he was. Pino’s head bobbed, struggling to stay awake.
“I’m going to shower, go on and start dinner without me,” Rody said, ruffling Roro’s hair one more time.
Steam and hot water lulled Rody dangerously to the brink of sleep. But the last hot water bill snapped him out of his dreamy state. Why people were forced to pay money just to not have freezing cold water was one of the great injustices to Rody. He could have stayed in the shower for hours. He dried off and changed into an old t-shirt and shorts.
I’ll just take a quick nap before I eat with them Rody thought as he collapsed onto their shared bed.
Later that night, Roro put the leftovers in a container with a note that said “For Rody:)” and Lala carefully draped a blanket over her big brother before they climbed in next to him.
“Attention passengers: we’ll be landing at Otheon International Airport in 20 minutes. Please put your seat in the upright position, ensure your tray is up, and your seatbelt…”
Nearly shaking, Midoriya tuned out the rest of the pilot’s instructions as he gazed out the window. The peaceful flight was starkly different than the last time he flew to Otheon. He’d chatted with Todoroki, jumping at Bakugou’s occasional loudmouth interruptions. Meanwhile, the tension between Todoroki and Endeavor practically took up its own seat.
Now, Midoriya was keyed up for an entirely different reason. Was it normal to miss someone’s voice? He fidgeted with his pen again. He tried writing and sketching some more in his hero notebook, but he kept making all the faces look eerily similar to Rody’s.
Maybe Midoriya should have notified Rody he was coming. What if Rody thought this random trip was overboard? What if he didn’t miss Midoriya as much as he said he did?
But the image of Pino crying at the airport calmed Midoriya’s doubts. Rody wasn’t the type to say he missed someone just because.
With one final glance out the window, Midoriya leaned his head back and shut his eyes. A sly grin and stormy eyes filled his mind as the plane descended.