Chapter Text
"Did you enjoy the event Izuku?" Inko Midoriya asked as she drove across the city, the entire street sparkling with neon signs and street lamps.
"Mm-hm." Her 5 year-old son tiredly confirmed as he laid back in his seat, eyes drooping slightly.
It had only been one month since Izuku was diagnosed as Quirkless, so his mother decided to bring him to a hero meet and greet to cheer him up. Izuku saw so many amazing heroes there. Crimson Riot, Yoroi Musha, even Sir Nighteye was there! One of the other pros brought their newest sidekick along as well, a hero named Best Jeanist. Izuku thought his Quirk was amazing, and he couldn't wait to see the hero in action.
"Listen, Mitsuki was saying to me yesterday that she and Masaru heard about a carnival arriving in the next city over. Do you want to go see it?" His mother asked as she left the streets and ended up on a bridge void of traffic.
"I'd like that..." Izuku mumbled as he tried to stay awake, keyword being tried.
Suddenly, both Izuku and his mother were struck with a sudden adrenaline rush, as if something had their survival instincts kicking in. They both then noticed that the sky had changed from a blueish black to a sickly green, the moon had grown larger, and when Izuku looked further, he noticed that the water below had turned a dark red, almost like blood.
There was a deep rumbling in the distance, and Izuku saw a massive tower rising in the distance, and two dots flying away from it, towards them.
"What..." Izuku muttered in confusion, before the two dots suddenly became much larger, and were clearly heading their way.
"Watch out!" Inko yelled as she swerved away from the approaching figures, but it was for naught, as one of them slammed right into the car, sending it and them flying.
Everything was blurry for Izuku. He heard the crackling of flames, the sound of guns firing, and the screeching of something inhuman. As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw the car. It was destroyed, lying on its side and flames spewing from it. Next to it, he saw his mother. She looked bad, really bad. She seemed to be fighting to stay awake as she looked to him with a tearful smile, why was she smiling?
Her lips moved, but Izuku couldn't tell what she was saying. Was she dying? Why was she smiling if she was dying? No, please don't close your eyes!
Izuku's silent pleas fell on deaf ears, as his mother soon closed her eyes, and her body slumped over. She was gone...
Izuku barely had time to process what he saw, when he suddenly heard a mechanical whirring to his side. It hurt, but he turned his head to look at the source of the sound. His vision was even more blurry, probably from the tears now spewing from his eyes, but he could barely tell what he was seeing. It looked like a person, but their body looked metal, like a robot. The only features Izuku could really make out were short blonde hair and cold and emotionless blue eyes staring right into his.
Soon, Izuku noticed that they had something in their outstretched hand. It was a writhing mass of darkness, a dark flame that seemed to be trying to escape the person's grasp, almost as if it was alive. But even with that thought, the only feeling Izuku got from it was a feeling of dread, as if he was staring death itself in the face.
The figure slowly and robotically walked towards him, the flame in their hand moving more violently. The figure stretched their hand out to Izuku's face and-
Izuku woke up with a gasp, slamming his head on the top of his bed- or the bottom, depending on who you asked.
"Ow!" Izuku yelped as he nursed his head, the throbbing pain nothing in comparison to his throbbing heart.
"Same nightmare again?" A tired voice asked from above, the source climbing down the ladder of their bunk bed to check on Izuku. He found himself face to face with the floating purple hair and perpetually tired eyes of his roommate, Hitoshi Shinso.
"Y-yeah..." Izuku admitted sheepishly as Hitoshi checked his head "S-sorry for waking you." He apologized on instinct, despite Hitoshi constantly telling him it was okay.
The boy in question shrugged as he stood to his full height "Eh, works in my favor anyway. It's morning, so you only cost me about... Ten minutes of sleep? I can live without it." He went over to his wardrobe "Anyway, you should be okay later, but you might want to ice it when you get the chance." He turned his head to give Izuku a sly smirk "Can't say it'll help the rest of your face though."
"Look in the mirror..." Izuku mumbled, the adrenaline rush dying down as he began feeling much more tired. He quickly realized what he said and was about to frantically apologize, but Hitoshi's cackling stopped him.
"Hahahaha! Man, tired Izuku has some serious backbone! Maybe you can learn a thing or two from him." He laughed, quickly trying to keep quiet, as it was still very early.
While he was hoping that the bed would swallow him whole, Izuku realized that he still had to get ready for school that day. So with a groan of effort, he pushed himself off the bed and stumbled to his own wardrobe to get his uniform.
The orphanage was actually a really nice place. It was clean, big enough to house everyone comfortably, and the people there were really nice. Sure, some were a little mean about Izuku's Quirk status, but most didn't really care, as a good many of them were put in the system for having 'villainous' Quirks. Izuku didn't believe in such a thing, and when he learned about their Quirks, he excitedly asked as many questions as he could think of, while giving plenty of applications for them; either in heroics, or just day to day life. At first they found it creepy, but Izuku grew on them all.
Hitoshi was dropped off at the orphanage not long after Izuku was, about a year and a half, if he remembered correctly. Apparently his Quirk only came in a few days prior, and his dad was... less than pleased. Apparently his father was someone high up in a popular film company (A chairman or something, if Izuku remembered right) so the guy didn't want to be known for having a son with a 'villainous' Quirk and apparently the orphanage was well known for taking in such kids. The day Hitoshi arrived, Izuku practically smothered him with friendship, all but erasing the boy's prior sadness at his abandonment. Later on, Izuku gave Hitoshi some ideas to help train his Quirk for the hero course, so they could get into UA together. Ever since then the boys had been practically inseparable. And not to mention that they had something else in common...
Hitoshi was awake during the extra hour of the day! The moment Izuku learnt that, he practically begged the staff to let the two boys switch rooms to share a bunk. From then on, the boys had excursions, though they had only one every two or three months as to not risk getting caught when the hour ended if they failed to get back in time. They luckily only had a few close calls, but needless to say they were much more careful.
The only other problem was the strange monsters that appeared during the hour. These masses of black goo wearing blue masks that just crawled around aimlessly with barely solid arms of the same sludge. They were really creepy. Hitoshi and Izuku tried to come up with names for them, but gave up when none seemed to stick.
But the scariest part of the monsters wasn't their appearance, or the fact that they attacked the boys on sight. No, the scariest thing was when they managed to lure other people out of the coffins they were trapped in during the extra hour. When that happened, after the person would exit the coffin in a daze not dissimilar to when Hitoshi used his Quirk on people, the monsters practically smothered their victims, completely enveloping them as they seemed to squirm, trying to break free. But eventually, the person would stop struggling, and the monster would let them go, but the person was never the same after that.
The news started calling it the 'Apathy Syndrome' epidemic. People suddenly becoming empty husks of themselves, not even moving or otherwise reacting to outside stimuli.
The boys knew that the monsters were responsible for this, but they couldn't do anything. The last time Izuku rushed in blindly in an attempt to stop them, he got pretty badly injured. It was only thanks to a patrolling hero with a healing Quirk that he was okay after that. Needless to say, they didn't have many expeditions after that, and Hitoshi made sure to keep Izuku from getting himself killed.
Hitoshi and Izuku were so inseparable that they even went to the same Middle School together. Unfortunately, Katsuki Bakugo, Izuku's childhood friend, also went to that school, and Hitoshi had to meet him. Obviously, they got along like water and oil, with Katsuki (Hitoshi had basically drilled into Izuku that he shouldn't bother calling a bully such a name, even if they were once friends) making fun of Hitoshi for his 'useless Quirk.' Well, he didn't call it a villain's Quirk, so... success? Of course, the other students avoided Hitoshi like the plague, and eventually they started to leave Izuku alone when they realized that Hitoshi would kick the asses of anyone who so much as looked at Izuku the wrong way (Izuku would never admit it, but he somewhat appreciated that, though he felt bad for Hitoshi getting in so much trouble because of him) The only ones brave enough were Katsuki and his revolving door of followers. Even then, it was mostly jeers and insults, it only got physical if Hitoshi got too snarky, or if Izuku wouldn't stop trying to defuse the situation, which never worked.
But oddly enough, even though the two hated each other, they seemed to have some sort of... mutual respect? Izuku asked Hitoshi about it one day when walking home.
"Oh, he's a complete asshole, but I respect that he's actually training his body and stuff rather than thinking his Quirk is all he needs. Still don't like him though."
Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at that. Hitoshi hated those with stereotypically 'heroic' Quirks, especially those who were coddle children who were never told 'no' once. Katsuki was the exact kind of person Hitoshi would rant about being the biggest problem in society today; the strongest and arrogant at the top, while the weaker and 'villainous' have to fight to survive (The metaphor got away from him...) But Katsuki respecting someone other than All Might? That seemed impossible! Maybe it was because Hitoshi wasn't a 'yes-man' and would actually call him out on his actions, not whining for him to stop like Izuku constantly would. Man, if Hitoshi was able to gain Katsuki's respect, then maybe he really was better than the worthless De-
"You alright?" Hitoshi asked as he flicked Izuku's forehead, earning a yelp from the other boy "I can sense your self-deprecation from here, what's up?"
Pulling himself back to reality, Izuku remembered that they were in their homeroom for lunch, since everyone else would be in the cafeteria. His half-eaten sandwich lay there in a sad pile.
Izuku rubbed his forehead "S-sorry, I was just thinking about how far we've come. I mean, w-we're in our last year of Middle School! Soon we can try out for UA!" Izuku's previous darkness was quickly smothered by the blinding light that was his smile. He swore he say Hitoshi squint, but ignored it "We're gonna be heroes Hitoshi!"
His friend snickered "Man, you're like a switch." He muttered "Alright, so we're going to UA, any ideas on the exam we'll have to take?"
They quickly began a long and drawn-out conversation about the entrance exam and what it might entail. They both agreed that it had to be biased to those with physical Quirks, as most of UA's alumni with traditionally weaker Quirks entered the Hero Course through the Sports Festival, which was obviously their backup plan. The two had exercised and sparred and trained like hell these past few years specifically for this exam, and they were for sure going to go plus ultra.
"Alright, settle down." The teacher drawled once the class began "You're in your final year of Middle School, so now the time has come for you to start thinking of what High Schools you want to apply to." He continued as the class snickered, the teacher cracking a smile "Oh, who am I kidding? You all want to be heroes!" He yelled as the class cheered, firing off their Quirks everywhere. Izuku hunched lower and Hitoshi just rolled his eyes.
Katsuki barked out a laughed, which quieted the class as they all looked to their golden child "Come on teach? These extras as heroes? The only one here worthy of being a hero is me!" He said cockily.
"So where are you going Bakugo?" One of his cronies asked, even though everyone knew the answer.
Katsuki only laughed more as he leaned back in his chair "UA! The best of the best! Where else would be worthy of me!?"
"Yes, of course!" The teacher agreed "You certainly have the Quirk and skill for it!" He added, clearly trying to butter Katsuki up "Oh yeah. Midoriya and Shinsou, you're both applying to UA too, right?" He asked, almost as an afterthought, but it made the whole room go silent as they all turned to the pair. Izuku seemed to be trying to turn himself invisible with how much he was hugging his desk, while Hitoshi gave the teacher a dirty scowl, which was ignored.
In the next moment, the class erupted in laughter. Evil, malicious laughter, the kind that Izuku was all too used to.
"The villain and Deku want to be heroes!?"
"Please, he'll just try to kill everyone at the exams, and use Deku as a meat shield when the Pros finally realize what they let in their school!"
"Ha! As if Deku is useful enough to even be a meat shield! Maybe one of his mindless servants when he goes villain!"
"Yeah, or maybe he'll just kill him too. Let him join his mom in he-"
A loud BOOM interrupted that last statement, but everyone knew what the student was about to say. The room turned to a fuming Katsuki, and they all realized that the student had done something everyone had learned to never do around him; insult Izuku's mother.
Katsuki grabbed the boy by the throat and yanked him until they were inches apart from each other "The fuck did you say extra!?" He roared, the student too frightened to speak "Only a shitty villain talks shit about the dead! If I hear you saying shit like that again, I'll fucking kill you!" He said as he dropped the student on his ass, before turning his fury to Izuku and Hitoshi "And you two! Why the fuck are you applying to UA!? I'm the only one allowed to apply there, and not some shitty weaklings like you!"
"I don't remember that being a rule." Hitoshi said evenly, as if disinterested "UA accepts multiple people coming from the same school, and isn't Best Jeanist someone with a 'weak Quirk?' If I remember, he didn't even need to get in through the Sports Festival."
Katsuki looked like he was about to explode, but the teacher finally stepped in "Shinsou, that's enough, stop antagonizing Bakugo." Hitoshi merely rolled his eyes, but said nothing, knowing it would only make things worse. Katsuki scoffed before returning to his seat, but the two boys could feel him glaring holes in their heads.
The school day had finally ended, and Izuku was packing his bags alone, as Hitoshi was reminded about yesterday's essay and had to sprint to his locker for his textbook.
Normally Izuku would be packing as quickly as possible, but it just felt... wrong, without Hitoshi there. Maybe Izuku was getting a bit too clingy, too dependent on him.
A hand slammed down on his desk, and Izuku flinched, before seeing that it was Katsuki. On his face wasn't the expression of murderous rage he expected, but rather a somber, but still angry look.
"Listen nerd." He said in a frighteningly even tone "I'm only gonna say this once, and if you tell Eyebags, or anyone else I said this, I'll deny it. But for your own sake, don't be a hero."
"W-what?" Izuku asked in shock. Sure, Katsuki constantly berated Izuku for his dream, but never in such a collected manner, and certainly never in such a way that it... It almost seemed like he actually cared!
Katsuki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose "Look nerd, you can go ahead and be an analyst with your stalker notebooks, or a support tech, or whatever you damn please." He gave Izuku the familiar glare, but there was something off. Almost like a... sadness "But don't you dare become a hero. Not unless you want my mom to bury you too."
As Izuku flinched, Katsuki took that as his cue to leave. The room was silent as the door closed, even the very air itself seemed still.
Katsuki... he really didn't want Izuku to die, did he? He certainly made it sound like it was for his mother's sake, but his eyes...
Izuku was pulled from his thoughts as the other door to the room opened, and Hitoshi walked in with a concerned expression "What did Baku-bitch want?" He asked, attempting to sound laid back, but his worry was seeping through like a river.
After taking a moment to collect himself, Izuku merely waved the purple-haired boy off "Oh, just berating me for applying to UA. The usual."
Hitoshi scowled as he walked over "I fucking hate this school." He said for probably the ten-thousandth time these past three years "I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure revealing where a student is applying in front of non-family members has to be a crime."
Izuku just shrugged as he finished packing "We should start making a game out of how many crimes we see this year or something." Hitoshi didn't reply, but his small smile was the only answer needed.
The walk back to the orphanage was quiet between the two. Hitoshi knew something was wrong with Izuku, that whatever Katsuki said had really gotten to him, but he also knew the green-haired boy would just clam up if he pushed, so he didn't. He wanted his friend to speak to him, but he had to let him go at his own pace.
The two felt a strange presence behind them and turned around to see a girl their age, wearing a tan blazer and school uniform. She had blonde hair, yellow, cat-like eyes and a fanged grin as the stared at them.
There was a moment of silence, then...
"Hito-chan! Izu-chan!" She cheered, wrapping the two in a bone-cracking hug, which was quickly returned by them.
"Himiko!" Hitoshi said happily as they separated "How have you been? I haven't seen you in weeks!"
Himiko giggled "I'm great! Mr. Kan has been amazing, and his dog is adorable! He even puts a little extra blood in my food for my Quirk!"
"That's amazing!" Izuku said as he practically vibrated in place "So you do need more blood than the average Blood-Quirk user. Maybe it has to do with using it to alter you biology? Maybe because the more you have the longer you can stay transformed? Ma-"
"So cute!" Himiko yelled as she put her hands together "You're too adorable for this world Izu-chan!"
"Agreed." Hitoshi said in a deadly serious tone. Izuku merely groaned "So, what brings you to our neck of the woods?"
Himiko's smile got bigger as she started bouncing in place "Well... I was looking for some cute clothes, and I saw you two! I also remember seeing a karaoke bar that just opened and was wondering if you guys wanted to go with me!"
Hitoshi grew a sly grin "Are you asking us out on a date Himiko? How forward of you."
Izuku and Himiko immediately blushed as brightly as the sun and stammered out denials to Hitoshi, who just enjoyed the chaos.
Once they calmed down, Himiko had a smaller, yet still bright smile "All joking aside, I really would enjoy hanging out with you both. I know we aren't too close, but you're the first people to see my Quirk and not think I'm a- Ow!" She yelped as she rubbed the back of her head.
Hitoshi rolled his eyes as he put his outstretched hand back in his pocket "No self-deprecation for you, Izuku does it enough as is." He smiled at the pout Himiko gave him "But yeah, I'm game for some Karaoke."
Himiko cheered in joy as she hugged him "Yay! We're gonna have so much fun! What about you Izu-chan? You wanna go too?" She said as she leaned into Izuku's personal space, the boy leaning back a little in embarrassment.
"U-um- well- I-I don't-" He stuttered.
Hitoshi snorted "Down girl, you're gonna blow him up if you get any closer." He joked.
"H-hey!"
"Am I wrong?" The purple-haired teen countered. Izuku's silence was the only answer he needed.
Himiko leaned back with an embarrassed face "Sorry Izu-chan, I forgot..."
Izuku immediately went into Protect-Mode™ as he frantically waved his hands around "N-no! It's not you're fault Himi-chan, you were j-just excited! I could never be upset at you for that!" He assured, earning a small smile from the blonde.
"Thanks Izu-chan." The smile grew "So about the Karaoke?"
Izuku's smile faltered as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "Ah... I-I'm really sorry Himi-chan, but I have to pass today..."
Himiko's smile fell as she looked down "Oh..."
Izuku snapped his head back up in worry "N-no! It has nothi-nothing to do with you! I-I really appreciate the offer! It's just... Today was pretty rough and... I-I don't think I can really deal with that kind of thing right now... I'm sorry."
Himiko looked at him with a somewhat disappointed expression, but nodded with a tiny smile "Alright Izu-chan, I get it. Some days are... pretty bad, and being alone helps with it sometimes." Her smile grew "But at least let me give you my number, so we can organize this kind of thing again!"
"W-w-w-w-what!?" Izuku yelled as he recoiled in shock.
Hitoshi burst into laughter, and Himiko tried her best to stifle her giggling "Come on! Mr Kan just got me a phone, and I want to be able to text my friends!"
Izuku blinked, then slowly started to tear up, much to the further amusement of Hitoshi and the worry of Himiko.
"U-uh, not that you have to!" She quickly backpedaled, worried that she had offended the first person to be truly nice to her "We don't have to be friends if you don't-"
"Y-you really consider me friend?" Izuku asked weakly as a river of tears spilled out, surprising Himiko "I-I haven't had a real friend other than Hitoshi in years..."
Himiko's eyes widened, and she quickly hugged her newly-dubbed friend "Of course we're friends! You and Hito-chan were so nice to me! You even helped me get my Quirk under control without forcing me to repress it! You're both so kind, I was worried you wouldn't want to be my friend!" Small pinpricks of tears came from her own eyes as the two hugged. Though their tears were flowing, they were both happier than they'd been in a while.
They hugged for a few minutes, until the sound of a clearing throat brought them back to the present. They quickly let go of each other, attempting to look casual, even under the playful glare of Hitoshi.
His 'glare' intensified "As much as I love watching you touch-starved kids find friendship, shouldn't we get going Himiko?" His 'glare' made way to his sly smirk "Unless you want all the spots to be taken?"
Himiko gave a mock gasp as she put a hand to her forehead "You're right! Who knows what might happen?" She dropped the act as she turned to Izuku with her usual wide smile "Gimme your phone Izu-chan! I gotta hurry!" Izuku could only chuckle as he handed the blonde his unlocked phone, and smiled as she happily put in her number, taking a quick selfie to add to her contact before handing it back to him "Thanks so much! Text me later, I can't wait to hear from you! Oh! And let me know if you're up to something like this some time! See you Izu-chan!" She said quickly as she grabbed Hitoshi by the arm and dragged him down the street, much to the other teen's protests.
Izuku smiled as he saw them fade into the distance, Hitoshi having accepted his fate while Himiko all but carried him with little to no effort.
'She deserves to be happy.' Izuku thought to himself as he turned around and walked into an underpass.
"Hey kid. Hey kid. Hey kid." A voice repeated as Izuku felt a light slapping on his face. He writhed for a bit, wondering what happened. The last thing he remembered was watching his friends (He had friends! Plural!) run off while he went into the underpass. What happened then...
The Sludge Villain!
In the next moment, Izuku snapped his eyes open. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out the silhouette of a person above him. He didn't recognize them, but they seemed familiar...
"Ah, yo-" Whatever they were going to say was interrupted by Izuku punching them in the face. He quickly backed away from the person, taking in a deep breath, before he started hacking up sludge from the villain that had tried to drown him.
Izuku raised an arm to defend himself, but the other person only let out a booming laughter, one that he instantly recognized.
"My my, that was an amazing right hook young man!" They complimented, but Izuku was barely listening, as he just remembered what had happened as the villain was trying to kill him. All Might had saved him!
Wait, if All Might was the one to save him...
Oh. Oh dear...
Lowering his arm, Izuku could now clearly see the smiling face of All Might looking at him, rubbing his cheekbone from where-
Izuku just punched All Might in the face!
In an instant, Izuku was up, and repeatedly bowed over and over, stammering apology after apology to his lifelong idol, even as his lungs protested, likely still having sludge in them.
All Might merely laughed him off "Not to worry dear boy! You are not the first unconscious victim to punch me in the face after waking up! Though you certainly have the strongest punch! I actually felt that! HAHAHA!" He laughed, and even if Izuku was calmed a little by that, he was still panicking at the fact that he punched his idol in the face, and he felt it.
"S-still, it's proper courtesy to apologize, I w-w-wouldn't want t-to be rude!" He bowed again, a little higher so he could properly breath, but then he remembered the villain from earlier "W-wait! W-w-w-where's the v-villain?" He asked, embarrassed beyond belief that he was stuttering so much in front of All Might.
The Number One Hero laughed again, before pulling out a soda bottle. One that had a large eye in it, glaring hatefully at Izuku, who flinched "Right here my boy! Not to worry, he won't be escaping soon! Oh, and if you were wondering about an autograph, I already put one in you're notebook! Amazing analysis by the way!"
Izuku blushed like a tomato when he heard that. All Might had seen his notebooks! And rather than call it creepy, he actually complimented Izuku!
"Now then, as much as I love to talk with my fans, I must get this villain to the police station!" All Might said as he placed the villain in the pocket of his cargo pants, turning away.
Izuku flinched. All Might was a very busy hero, but this was Izuku's chance to ask him! To ask if he, a Quirkless Deku, could be a hero!
"W-wait, All Might! I-I actually-"
"Apologies, I'm on a bit of a time crunch right now!" All Might dismissed before he leaped away, soaring through the sky.
But he felt a strange weight on his ankle. It wasn't the villain, so-
"WAAAAAAH!" Izuku screamed, noticing how high up they were, the tears flowing, but this time from the wind pressure.
"W-woah kid! I love my fans and all, but you gotta let go!"
"I-I can't! If I do that, I'll die!" Izuku screamed. Death wasn't what worried him, it was dying before he got his answer.
All Might's eyebrows raised, seemingly only remembering this now "Oh, right." He said, before slowly descending onto the rooftop of a nearby building.
All Might sighed as Izuku breathed rapidly, coughing bits of sludge out every few breaths "Jeez kid, that was really reckless, you could have died."
When Izuku caught his breath, he merely shrugged "Dying isn't so bad, it means I get to see my loved ones again. I just... I just had to ask you something..." He said, not noticing how All Might stiffened "Ca-"
"Hold on, hold on. Back up here for a second." The Number One said, waving his hands, neither noticing the small trails of steam coming off of his body "What do you mean 'dying isn't so bad?' You're a kid! You still have so much life left, how could you not be afraid of dying?" He asked, in a tone that Izuku faintly recognized as concern. Why would All Might be so concerned? He was a hero, didn't he face death head on constantly?
"I-I mean, people have always said I've always been pretty... apathetic, to death. I guess I just view it differently is all." Izuku looked down at his hand, not seeing a puff of smoke appear where All Might stood, nor did he hear the loud coughing "My mom died not long after I was diagnosed Quirkless, and since then all people have ever told me is how little my life is worth. Sure, there are some who care, like my best friend, but... It's tough, to find a reason to keep living, when the whole world says you're not worth it. I just... Even if it is pointless, I can't die without knowing; do you think someone like me, someone without a Quirk, can be a hero?" Izuku finally asked, raising his head to look at the hero who inspired him, the one who gave him a reason to live, by giving him a dream, to save others from a life like his, all with a smile.
Instead, there stood a lanky, skeletal blond, one with a gaunt face with no fat, and a dark shadow over his blue eyes. One who looked like he was a walking corpse. One who looked conflicted as he stared at Izuku.
"W-what!? W-w-where's All Might!?" Izuku yelled, hoping his idol didn't just leave in the middle of his speech. He practiced so hard on that!
The man gave another cough, and Izuku noticed a little bit of blood on his hand as he retracted it from his mouth to rub the back of his head, a deep sigh being let out.
"Not to worry young man, I am still here. You know how some guys puff up to look more muscular? That's what I do." He said, briefly buffing up into the familiar visage of All Might, before he exploded in steam and began hacking up blood.
Izuku's confusion and fear was immediately forgotten as he ran over to help the man sit down "A-are you okay? Do you n-need the hospital? Should I call someone!?" He frantically asked, the man chuckling.
"No, not to worry young man." He assured, with Izuku taking a seat on the ground a few feet away from him "This is, unfortunately, normal for me."
"You... You really are All Might, aren't you?" Izuku asked in confusion "The same hero who always saves people with a fearless smile? The one who never gets hurt?"
The man sighed "A fearless smile, huh? That smile has plenty of fear behind it." He admitted "It's to assure me as much as others that everything is okay. And I do get hurt. Despite what everyone thinks, I am still human, I'm not an invincible god." He pulled his shirt up, revealing a horrifying scar on the left side of his chest, as if it had been punched through "Five years ago, I got this injury, and my time as All Might has been slowly shortening. I can only keep up hero work for about three hours a day." He said, seemingly saddened by this admission.
"Five years ago..." Izuku mumbled "That was your fight with Toxic Chainsaw, right?"
The man (All Might?) chuckled "You're pretty well informed, aren't you? Nah, that punk got a few good hits, but this villain..." His face darkened, as if the memory brought him anger, but it was gone with a tiredness that only a veteran hero would have "I asked that the fight not be made public. That villain is better left forgotten, so the fight was covered up, you might remember it as the Shibuya Earthquake."
"W-what!? But that destroyed almost half the city!" Izuku yelled in shock. A villain that could destroy that much, and cripple All Might!? He could understand why it wasn't made public. If it was known that someone so powerful existed, there would be widespread panic.
All Might nodded somberly "It did, we lost a lot of good people that day." He sighed, before looking at Izuku with a saddened expression "You asked if you could be a hero, even without a Quirk?" Izuku could only nod, afraid of where this was going. All Might looked down at his hand "I want to say 'yes, of course you can.' Heroes like Eraserhead, Snipe, even Sir Nighteye, they all show that it can be possible, without physical Quirks of their own. But..." He looked at Izuku again, and the boy could see that same tired look in his eyes "But when you ask me that, I can't stop thinking about that villain I fought. If I, someone with possibly the strongest Quirk on the planet, can be reduced to this, what would happen to you against someone like that? I know logically that such a thing is ridiculous, not every hero wants to be like me, some want to do rescue, or underground work, and there's no way any villain could be as strong as the one that I fought, but I can't stop myself from thinking that if I did say yes, I would only be sending you to you're grave. Maybe I'm wrong, heck, I hope I'm wrong, but I can't just simply say you can be a hero without a Quirk."
"I... I see." Izuku nodded. He understood what All Might was saying, he understood his reasoning, that fact that he wanted to say yes.
But it didn't hurt any less.
"I'm sorry young man." All Might apologized, standing up and offering his hand to Izuku, which the teen took "Who knows, maybe you can prove me wrong. But if being a hero doesn't work out, detective work would suit you amazingly. Your analyses truly were wonderful, and one of my best friends is a detective. I know he'd love to have someone with your mind on the force with him." His hero smiled, one so unlike his one as All Might. It was so kind and genuine "But if you do end up becoming a hero, know that I will be rooting for you." He gave Izuku a pat on the shoulder, before turning to the fire escape, likely to avoid anyone seeing him, or pushing past his limits any further. But he was interrupted by a loud explosion. The pair snapped their heads in the direction of the noise, to see a massive cloud of black smoke rising from nearby.
All Might slumped over with a sigh "Why now...?"
Izuku couldn't help but chuckle, this whole interaction made the Number One Hero really seem human "W-well, at least you got one villain!" He compromised, idly wondering if the villain had overheard their conversation.
All Might smiled, and before Izuku could begin panicking, he put his hand on the pocket he placed the villain in, only to feel nothing there. Izuku noticed his idol freeze, before he quickly checked every pocket, finding no villain. Izuku looked around the roof meanwhile, finding nothing. The two of them looked at each other, before slowly turning their heads to the smoke, which had now grown into a massive fire.
"Shit." They said in unison.
"Mt. Lady!" A young voice yelled to the Heroine, who was talking on her comms. She snapped her head to the quickly approaching teen, one with green hair.
"Sorry kid, but I can't talk! That villain down a few streets over is burning the whole place down, I can't get in there, and the FD needs someone to talk to!" She said quickly raising a finger in a 'wait' gesture, giving a few hums and 'okay's to the other person on the phone, before hanging up and looking at the panicking kid with an impatient stare "Alright, what's up? It better not be an autograph, some serious stuff in going down, and the others need all the help they can get."
The boy nodded "I-I know. I w-was with a hero, and they asked me to ask for other heroes' help."
Mt. Lady sighed "Sorry kid, but my Quirk isn't helpful here. I can't fit in such a narrow spot."
The boy seemed disappointed "Are they really only thinking of their Quirks?" He asked himself, in such a quiet voice that Mt. Lady barely heard it, but he shook his head and began talking before she could call him out "N-never mind. You're Quirk let's you grow to massive sizes, right?"
Mt. Lady nodded "Sure, but like I said-"
"Can you grow a single limb on its own? O-or is it your whole body? And can you only grow to a specific height, or can you grow to a size in between?"
Mt. Lady raised an eyebrow, and was about to respond, only to realize that she didn't know. The kid brought up a few good points. Could she grow a single limb? And was her size change limited to her gigantic form? Could she make herself a bigger, but still manageable size?
"That's... actually a good question." She admitted, a little ashamed that a kid brought up questions that neither she nor her teachers ever thought to ask "You seem pretty smart." She gave a small grin, and it grew when the kid blushed like hell and frantically waved his hands.
"S-smart? N-no, no, I-I just like analyzing Quirks is all." He shook his head, trying to reign in his blush "B-but anyway, the villain is made of sludge, right?" Mt. Lady's eyes widened a little, but she nodded "Alright, well t-that villain attacked me earlier a-"
"He what!?" She asked in horror "Kid, are you okay? Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"
He merely sighed with a tired face that no kid should have "They don't treat Quirkless people." He said, almost automatically, before slapping his hand over his mouth, and looking at Mt. Lady in complete terror.
Her eyes widened, before she winced "Oof, sorry you hafta deal with that kid. Mah cousin's Quirkless, and she had ta deal with all sorts'a shit." She said, momentarily forgetting to reign in her accent. She only panicked more when the kid started to tear up.
"Y-you're the second hero I ever told that didn't dismiss me..." He said, almost seeming elated "And it's been less than an hour..."
Mt. Lady could only snicker "Alright, alright. So the docs won't treat ya, as sad as it is, I have to just accept that. So you were saying?"
The kid wiped the tears away before nodding with a determined expression "Right, so when he was attacking me, I noticed that the only part of his body I could get a proper grip on was his eyes, so they're probably the only solid parts of him."
Mt. Lady nodded "Makes sense, he needs to see after all."
"Right." The kid said in agreement, flinching at another explosion "S-so what heroes are there?"
"Slugger, Kamui, Death Arms, and Backdraft, though he's occupied with the fires." Mt. Lady snapped her fingers "Ah! I get what you're saying!"
The kid nodded happily with a sunshine smile "Y-yeah! Kamui Woods would only... well, he'd literally add fuel to the fire," Mt. Lady snorted "but Slugger could hit his eyes from a distance, and from there Death Arms should be able to get the victim out."
"True." Mt. Lady acknowledged "But that still leaves the fires."
"T-the buildings nearby should have f-fire extinguishers, right?" The kid asked innocently.
Mt. Lady paused, then slapped her forehead with a sigh "We are such idiots. We got so caught up in our Quirks that we couldn't see the simplest solution right in front of us."
"I-it's not you're fault!" The kid assured her, seeming afraid that the heroine would ever dare blame herself "Most hero work does require using your Quirk as the solution, you just never had to deal with other kinds of situations before!"
Mt. Lady chuckled "Alright, good point. I'll let the others know your plan. Now skedaddle, before you get caught up in the blaze." She said, indicating the slowly approaching fire.
"R-right!" The kid nodded, before bowing and jogging off.
Mt. Lady gave a small smile "And I'll try out what you asked!" She called, chuckling at the boy's flinch and subsequent blush.
She shook herself, before turning to the main chaos "Alright, back to work."
Izuku couldn't really remember what happened after that, he just jogged around aimlessly, and eventually he ended up in the woods. He didn't even know there were woods here! The moon was high up in the sky, and the reason he wasn't back at the orphanage yet was because he was still so caught up in what happened today.
He got attacked by a villain, and was saved by All Might! All Might then turned out to be a skeleton of a man who, despite his assurances, really needed a hospital. Izuku finally asked his idol if he could be a hero, and even though his answer was 'no,' All Might made it sound like he genuinely wanted Izuku to prove him wrong! Of course, Izuku was having a hard time believing that All Might of all people could be wrong about something, but the man seemed hopeful, so Izuku would be too. And like he said, if hero work turned out badly, well, detective work certainly did sound appealing.
Izuku was still attached to his dream though.
Then, finally, they both realized that the villain had escaped. Izuku had apologized profusely, but All Might assured the boy that he should have secured the villain better, and that, while Izuku had grabbed his leg, the wind pressure alone would have knocked the villain out of the hero's pocket.
Then All Might (ALL MIGHT!!!) had asked Izuku to find heroes to assist in detaining the villain, as he had used up all of his remaining time that day. Izuku had agreed immediately, and when All Might had asked him not to post about his time limit on any forums, Izuku had impulsively said he wouldn't if the man didn't mention that he grabbed his leg. Before he could apologize, the hero laughed, before coughing up some blood. Izuku was really worried about him.
Mt. Lady was the first hero he found, and despite how she acted in her debut, she seemed to take her job seriously. She even took Izuku's advice! She didn't even care about his Quirklessness, and when she mentioned her cousin, Izuku could tell she was being sincere, just from the look in her eyes.
Yes, Katsuki's words still stuck in his mind, but Izuku decided that, even if it was pointless, he was going to try his best to become a hero.
Izuku's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed the sky turn green. The extra hour had started, he really needed to get home before any of the monsters found him. But just as he was about to turn around, he noticed the dirt path change into stone tiles. At first they were placed almost haphazardly, but slowly shifted into a clean path. One that lead to a building.
A building with lights on, during the extra hour.