Unspoken Realizations

Maybe I should have thought on my words a little more, or maybe I shouldn't have been looking straight into his eyes- point is he blushes so hard steam comes out of his ears. "A-Ah... y-you really do?" I chuckle and nod, trying to play it cool. "I do." His blush deepens, and he looks away, flustered. "Ehm- well then-" He takes a deep breath, composing himself, and starts talking again, this time about the new hero he was analyzing the previous evening. "So, I was thinking about that hero, you know, the one with the quirk 'Lockdown'? I was thinking about how his quirk could have been used in that hostage situation that happened earlier this week. If he had been there, he could have locked down the entire area and prevented the villains from escaping." He gets more and more into it, his excitement building up as he talks. "And then I started thinking about that other hero, you know, the one with the quirk 'Glue'? Their quirks would work really well together. 'Lockdown' could lock down the area, and 'Glue' could stick everyone in place, making it impossible for them to move or escape." He looks at me, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I mean, seriously, their quirks are so right for each other. How can they not see it?" I listen to him, not just because it's interesting or smart, but because he is Izuku and that's just really everything there is to it. The way he gets so caught up in his thoughts, the way his eyes light up when he's excited about something... it's just him, and I love it. As we continue walking, he starts to ramble on some more, and I listen intently, nodding along and making supportive noises. He's just so happy, so carefree, and it's infectious. As we reach the school gates, he turns to me, still talking. "And that's why I think they should work together more often. Can you imagine the kind of missions they could accomplish?" He pauses, taking a deep breath, and looks at me with a curious expression. "Can I be a hero too?" And once again I realize that, no. I don't regret my answer at all.