pov: yan izuku as your online bf (middleschool to UA timeline)
you were a fan of all might and there was nothing in the world you adored more than showing off your special edition pro hero cards. that's where you met him. you, mybiasmiorko, were hanging around in a discord server of over 100k members, he was there, HeroNerd94, chatting it up to distract himself from his current insufferable life.
quirkless. idiot. weirdo.
but you were the person he needed at the time, it was fate.
your first conversation on the forum went so well that you took it to the dms. some days you would talk for hours, other times you would go over a week without a reply.
even after 5 years, there were things you didn’t know about him like...
his real name or even his face, just his voice.
during his middle school to early ua years, it was higher-pitched, soft, a little shaky. sometimes he’d speak way too fast over the phone, rambling about all might, then pause when the topic shifted, afraid he might say the wrong thing.
by his last ua years, around 16 or 17, his voice had grown deeper. gentle, breathy, warm. he’d lean closer to the phone just to whisper goodnight before hanging up.
as time passed he grew busier. it upset you, but you never pushed. after all, he said he was in a medical-prep school. you were proud of him. the idea that he could be lying never even crossed your mind.
2:55PM 「mybiasmirko」: where r uu??
3:00PM 「HeroNerd94♡」: srry, these finals are kicking my ass
3:01PM 「mybiasmirko」: haha same
3:01PM 「mybiasmirko」: what school are you going to?
3:03PM 「HeroNerd94♡」: University of Tokyo
3:05PM 「mybiasmirko」: what?? me too! im getting a scholarship ride over there. we'll finally be able to hang out!
the smile on izuku’s face had faded long ago. ever since you asked what college he was going to. you didn’t know he went to ua. you didn’t know he was izuku midoriya. the same boy you’d become a fan of when he rose in popularity during his 3rd year.
naturally, after ua he was meant to have his hero license and join an agency. not become a cardiothoracic surgeon like he told you.
there was so much you didn’t know. and so much he did.
from your photos alone, he pieced together your world. a shot at the theatre gave away the toho cinemas logo, just forty minutes from his dorm. street signs, schools, cafés...thank god for that.
4:13PM「HeroNerd94♡」: so what are you doing right now?
4:14PM「mybiasmirko」: im at this coffee shop:
「photo of a biscuit and iced matcha latte」
4:16PM「HeroNerd94♡」: yummy. are you waiting for anyone?
4:20PM「mybiasmirko」: not really, just gonna finish an essay while i have this, i know ur jealous dw
he smiled to himself. he knew that café. he was at that café. sitting above on the rooftop, hero suit hugging his frame, watching you from above.
4:25PM「HeroNerd94♡」: you don't mind if i call you do you?
4:26PM「HeroNerd94♡」: i mean, i know you have to study, but i'd love to be on call with you, atleast for a little bit
you obliged.
his voice came through, dreamy as ever.
“this essay is eating me alive,” you groaned.
he laughed. “what’s it about again?”
“comparing a shakespeare play to black mirror.”
“wow, never thought i’d hear those two things in the same sentence. sounds like a real challenge.” he said, watching you shuffle your papers around.
time with you always passed quickly. but you had to end the call—procrastination couldn’t be the reason you failed this class.
when the call dropped, a text came in right after:.
4:40PM「HeroNerd94♡」: wish I could’ve been there with you today
4:41PM「mybiasmirko」: me too. you'd get my work done so fast
you set your phone aside and focused on your laptop.
he slid down from the rooftop. forced himself to. time to reveal himself.
just close enough to the café, you caught him from the corner of your eye. deku. standing at the menu, scratching his neck.
you seized your chance—snatched up a paper and pen, and rushed over.
“hi,” you said sheepishly. “i don’t want to be annoying, but me and my boyfriend are huge fans. could you give me an autograph?”
he turned with a smile, feigning surprise. “no, don’t worry, it’s totally fine.” he glanced at the paper with amusement. macbeth’s psychological journey: ambition to madness?
you flushed. “only paper i had. sorry, i was using it for my essay, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”
he signed it with ease, handed it back. “it was nice to meet you.”
you bowed quickly, cheeks hot, and hurried back to your chair. the first thing you did was call your boyfriend.
behind you, his smile dropped as the phone began to ring.
you paced with excitement as soon as he answered. “you won’t guess who i saw!”
“who?” he feigned excitement.
“deku! it’s insane! he was literally at the same café i was at, looking at the menu. i had to ask for an autograph, so i grabbed my paper—god, i thought it was useless before, but now i’m never throwing it away. i’ll send you the picture soon.”
you rambled on, walking farther from the café.
that’s when you saw him. in the alleyway. izuku. mouthing the same words you were hearing through the phone.
tilting his head, he said, “are you serious?! that’s amazing! well what are you waiting for? i need to see that photo right now.”
your feet stopped moving.
no sound left your end for a long, heavy second.
“…hello?” his voice came, soft, warm, familiar.
his head turned, a carefree expression.
you could see him. really see him. his smile faltering, just the barest twitch of panic in his green eyes. he didn’t know what you’d do, what you’d say. for the first time in years, it was him who was uncertain, who was exposed.
I’ve tried searching on TikTok about online dating bakudeku / dekubaku ( I love the edating trope like I eat it up every time )and nothing comes up or I’ve already read it I use ao3 and wattpad and know am starting to use tumblr if anyone can recommend some fics that’d be great !
Before you knock on online relationships and connections, platonic, romantic, sexual or intimate, consider the following.
Marginalised groups do not have the same privileges as the dominant cisheteronormative group, and even amongst themselves, do not share the same privileges both within the same local systems and around the world. Many heavily depend on accessibility that the internet provides, to:
Organise sociopolitical resistance
Share, develop and pass down knowledge
Find safe communities not policed by hegemonic systems and norms.
Form intimate connections.
Online relationships, like face-to-face relationships, does have its own challenges, unique characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.
But in no circumstances is it less real, important or less valuable. I understand that persons say “just log off”, but bonds and attachments formed, experiences shared and emotional impacts are real—even if these seem less directly tangible.
