The party slowly picked up again after the shock of Katsuki’s gift, but the energy had shifted. It wasn’t sad—just softer. More reverent. Like everyone understood they’d just witnessed something sacred.

Izuku opened the rest of the gifts one by one:

• Kirishima gave him a custom red-and-green weighted training vest.
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• Mina gave him glittery hero-themed socks and a framed photo of the whole class.
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• Ochako gifted him a cozy green scarf she knitted herself.
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• Todoroki handed him a rare All Might collectible he’d found overseas.
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• Kaminari and Sero gave him a ridiculous “#1 Hero Nerd” mug.
• I
• ida gifted him a planner with motivational quotes.

Izuku laughed, thanked them, hugged them—his heart full in a way it hadn’t been in years. But after the last gift was opened, he slipped quietly onto the balcony, closing the sliding door behind him.

The night air was cool, brushing against his cheeks. The city lights glittered below, and above them, the stars stretched endlessly across the sky. Izuku leaned on the railing, holding the bracelet Katsuki had given him. The gold glinted softly in the moonlight.

“Kacchan,” he whispered, smiling up at the sky. “Thank you. For the gift. For thinking of me. For… everything.”

A single star twinkled—bright, sharp, unmistakable.

Izuku’s breath caught.

He mouthed, I love you.

The star flickered again, as if answering.

Izuku closed his eyes, letting the warmth settle in his chest. “I know you’re watching. I’m okay. I promise.”

He stayed there for a moment longer, breathing in the night, before heading back inside. Mina was waiting for him near the drink table, twisting her fingers nervously. When Izuku approached, she let out a long, shaky sigh.

“Izuku… there’s something I need to tell you.”

He blinked. “What’s wrong?”

She looked at the bracelet, the ring, the earrings—her eyes softening with something like grief and love all tangled together.

“That set… the one Katsuki bought you…” She swallowed. “It wasn’t just a birthday gift.”

Izuku’s heart stilled.

Mina stepped closer, voice gentle. “Izuku… that was his marriage proposal to you.”

The room seemed to tilt.

“He told me,” she continued, tears gathering in her eyes. “He said he wanted to do it properly. In front of you. With a speech he practiced for weeks. He was going to ask you to marry him on your nineteenth birthday.”

Izuku’s breath hitched.

“He never got the chance,” Mina whispered. “He was cut off short.”

Izuku pressed a hand to his mouth, tears spilling instantly. The bracelet on his wrist suddenly felt heavier—precious in a way he hadn’t understood until now.

A ring.

A promise bracelet.

Earrings for the ceremony he never got to attend.

Katsuki had planned a future.

Their future.

Izuku’s knees nearly buckled, but Mina caught him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“He loved you so much,” she whispered. “He wanted forever with you.”

Izuku sobbed quietly into her shoulder, the truth settling into him like a warm, aching light.

Katsuki had chosen him.

Not just for a moment.

Not just for a year.

For a lifetime.

Even if that lifetime had been cut short.

Izuku wiped his eyes, looking down at the ring on his finger. He held it gently, reverently.

“I would’ve said yes,” he whispered.

Mina smiled sadly. “I know.”

Izuku looked up at the stars again through the window.

And for the first time, he didn’t feel the sharp sting of grief.

Just love.

Enduring.

Unbreakable.

Forever.