~ Third Person P.O.V ~

It had been nearly a week since the group had arrived in Florida, doing as they were told and not drawing any attention to themselves, as well as going out regularly to canvas the large city. Familiarizing themselves with the area as much as possible, while they awaited further instructions from their Captain. The hotel they were all currently staying at was nicer than the last in Texas, larger, cleaner, more pristine— it was pure heaven there. However, it was relatively difficult to navigate throughout the many floors of said hotel; especially since most of them were on the fifth floor.

Astoundingly, Izuku was having the time of his life there. Getting to know Katsuki and Shoto more as well as interacting with them was beginning to become easier, with help from Ashido, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero of course. He was commencing to grow a soft spot for all of them including Shinsou; who was a pretty laid back guy once you actually got to know him. Izuku was currently lounging on the bed in the hotel room, unfortunately, they only had one bed in this room as well— seeing as though it was cheaper. 

Nevertheless, he had come to a realization that sometimes life was completely and utterly unfair, and there was nothing he could do about it. The luminous lights above him were practically blinding as he lied flat on his back, creating wrinkles and dips in the fabric of the bedding from his limbs. He wasn't certain on why he felt at ease lying there, staring up into a light that would most likely give him vision complications later on— yet here he lay. By now discolored dots began to appear in his line of sight, signaling that he should look away; distancing himself from his little trance. 

Now Izuku realized what that meant. Even if he was enjoying himself with the others, he still missed home dearly— whatever that may be. Not a day went past where he didn't feel at least a twinge of homesickness, leaving him in this spaced out states for long periods of time depending on how long he'd be left alone. And with his birthday approaching faster than ever it only enhanced his longing to be with his family.

His mother waking him up early in the morning with a freshly baked cake in hand, singing happy birthday to him in a hushed voice and wide smile. His grandparents pinching him based on the age he had turned, as well as showering him with all the love in the world.

Izuku would miss that terribly.

Izuku missed them.

"What're you doing?" 

The green-haired male jumped at the sound of Shoto's voice filling his ears, only to heave a sigh and softly smile when he noticed the elder lying down next to him. "I was thinking . . . until you so rudely interrupted me," he giggled.

Izuku's eyes scrutinized the elder male for quite a while, for he remained quiet and unmoving as if debating something. The younger knew it couldn't be good, Shoto only got like that when something was wrong— Izuku knew him well enough to know that. But before he could question him on it—

"Hmm, you were thinking?" Shoto smirked, "Don't strain yourself so much,"

Scoffing at his words, Izuku playfully punched him on the shoulder in which Shoto winced in return. "Okay, either you hurt yourself already in your shoulder or my punches are getting better," Izuku mused, a nervous chuckle drawing from his lips as Shoto continued to rub his aching shoulder.

"Seriously what happened?" Izuku probed, propping himself up on his side. "And why were you all gone so long?"

Shoto drew his lower lip in between his teeth, eyebrows knitted as he purposely evaded eye-contact with the younger. Something Izuku noted easily. The duel-eyed male couldn't tell Izuku, he and Katsuki both agreed on that earlier this morning, it made things complicated seeing as though they had grown a . . . soft spot for him. Katsuki and Shoto had come to a realization about quite a few things that day, so they wouldn't tell him. They were both beginning to seriously rethink their Captain's orders . . . which is exactly why they didn't tell him.

Why they can't tell him.

"Nothing, we were just all hanging out and lost track of time," Shoto replied stiffly, his eyes traveling up to the ceiling as Izuku's once were. "I bumped my shoulder on a door frame earlier . . . that's all."

But Izuku knew better than that, Shoto knew Izuku knew better than that.

"Wanna try that again?"

So much for not telling him.

"Look, there had been a change in plans and Aizawa wanted us to infiltrate a potential Japanese spy meeting, things went south and now we're waiting for another opening." Shoto briefed him, his jaw set as he anticipated the next question to come out of Izuku's mouth.

"And I wasn't there because . . . ?" Izuku drawled, yet his voice remained sharp as his emerald eyes scanned the elder for any other injuries. "Aren't I supposed to be there to translate!?" he questioned, fretting hands lifting up certain areas of Shoto's shirt as he continued to search for any wounds that may have lingered on his skin.

Instead, all he got was a very flustered Shoto. "I— Uhm, Midoriya," he whispered as he tried to examine the younger's face; which was hooded by his thick, overgrown curls covering his eyes. "Hey, look at me,"

"If it was so dangerous and I was supposed to be there to help why wasn't I?" Izuku growled, ignoring Shoto's attempts to now make eye-contact.

As much as Izuku still didn't want to admit it, he cared for them. Each and every one of them. And to hear that a mission went bad and he wasn't there doing what he was supposed to do in order to keep them safe wasn't doing anything to help those emotions he still held onto. That fear of never seeing his family again was nor starting to morph into never seeing his friends again . . . and at least there was a way to prevent one of those things from happening. But he wasn't there.

"Is anyone else hurt, is everyone okay?" Izuku asked softly, by now he was sitting on his knees with Shoto sitting up as well. "Please tell me everyone else is okay,"

"Katsuki's a little banged up . . . Ashido has him in a safe place to treat him right now, I was supposed to come here and distract you." he finally admitted, well, at least he admitted half of everything.

"Then what the hell are we doing here? Let's go,"

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Izuku's heart hammered in his chest as the elevator slowly descended to the basement level, which was presumed to be cut off to all guests and staff due to maintenance issues. Turns out Aizawa made a few phone calls in order for them to get that place to themselves for speaking privately, among other things. He was beyond freaking out at this point, his emotions haywire while Shoto quietly tried to soothe him on the way down; it was having little to no affect on Izuku, however.

As soon as the doors opened the two bolted out, hand-in-hand to where Ashido had just finished patching up Katsuki's wound, the bullet in his arm successfully removed. Once the two males walked in, the pink-haired woman quietly excused herself— figuring they'd need a moment alone.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?!" Izuku shouted once she was gone, fisting his hands into his hair as he looked back and forth between them. "Why on Earth wasn't I there? Huh? I could have— I probably . . . If I were there none of this would have happened, you both know that!"

The two remained silent as he continued to yell, deciding on allowing him to get it all out.

"And then you just walked in like nothing even happened Todoroki! Like . . . Like you all didn't just almost die," he growled, "Do you not know how incredibly stupid that was?"

"Yeah," Katsuki replied weakly, slowly sitting himself up.

"Then why? Why do it?!" The younger male pressed, anger and confusion boiling inside of him. "Why risk, not only your lives, but everyone else's without me there to at least diffuse the situation so it didn't end up like this! It was the most dumbest course of action you two have ever—"

"We did it because we love you!"

. . . So much for not telling him.