Tall Order - Chapter 7

The day Katsuki moved away, all his friends showed up to see him off. He'd done his best to treat it like it was no big deal, but his parents had both cried anyway, and the morning of his departure everyone had shown up on the doorstep with cake and gifts. It was kind of sweet, if he was entirely honest. He got a collection of framed photos from a bunch of them, candid shots from various parties or ceremonies of Katsuki smiling with his friends. It was the only time they ever got a good photo, when he didn't see it coming. He couldn't fake a smile, didn't even bother trying, but his friends had developed a talent for snapping pictures at the perfect moment to capture his little grin unnoticed.

“I'm gonna miss you so much!” Eijirou lamented, his arms slung around Katsuki's neck. “I'm gonna come visit you every weekend!”

“You don't even see me every weekend now,” Katsuki argued. “I still have my fuckin' phone, stop acting like I'm dying or some shit.”

“But we're gonna miss you!” Denki bleated, attacking him with a hug from the other side, sandwiching him in. “Don't be a stranger!”

“Blastyyyyyy!” Mina whined, joining the pile. “I miss you already!”

“You're all pathetic idiots.”

Katsuki's car was all packed, the back seat jammed with boxes, the front with duffel bags and backpacks of his clothing. He perched a little orange teddy bear atop them, dressed in a dark mask and gauntlets: “a new friend to help him settle in”, Mina had called him. She'd had it made especially for him, to match his costume, and Katsuki had to admit he was pretty cute.

“I'll call him King Explodo-Acid.”

“Of course you will,” she laughed, wiping tears from her eyes stubbornly. “Come visit, okay?”

“Yeah, whatever.” He ruffled her hair, a lot more gently than usual. “Take care of things here.”

“I will.”

It had been Izuku who lingered, when Katsuki sent everyone else home. He stood in the driveway, waving cheerful goodbyes to their friends as they trickled out. He'd still been small, back then. An inch shorter than Katsuki, and still skinny – though he'd certainly bulked up since middle school. His hair was long past due for cutting, wild and curly, untamed and probably unattempted. His eyes and his smile were always the same, though, even as he leaned over to look through the driver's side window. 

“You're gonna be amazing,” Izuku smiled softly, his words full of an unrivalled sincerity. “I can't wait to see all the incredible things you do down there.”

“I swear to God if anyone gets hurt here while I'm gone, I'm gonna hunt you down - you personally - and beat your fuckin' ass.”

“I'll do good too, I promise.”

It was sad to think that no matter how many times he visited the city, after that day, no matter how many times he saw his parents and friends, and no matter how many years passed, it was still the last time he'd seen him, until their meeting on the island. 

He wondered if Izuku had ever missed him.