Chapter Text
The sun beat down on the five small children giddily running around each other as they took their regular path to a nearby playground.
A child with spiky blonde hair led the pack with a bright smile and excited red eyes. Four other boys followed in his stead, the last of which was a small timid looking boy with dark green hair and a face covered in freckles. He held himself much less confident than the others, but wore a smile like the boy in front.
“All Might is seriously the best!” The blonde said cheerily as he lifted an All Might figurine above his head. “He’s the strongest and the fastest of all the heroes!”
The green haired boy perked up at this. His demeanor changed from that of timid one to that of pure excitement at the mention of All Might. He dashed forward to walk next to the boy in front.
“He’s awesome! He never loses!” The green haired boy added, adorning a smile as bright as the sun above them.
The other boy matched that smile. “He sure doesn’t! I’m going to be just like him when I’m older!”
“Oh come on Kacchan, Endeavor is so much better!” One of the boys following added. The two turned to him, shock on their faces. Kacchan all but blew up instantly.
“Take that back! You know All Might is the best!” He shouted, getting in the other’s face within an instant.
“I’m just saying, Endeavor is cooler!” The other continued, holding up his arms in surrender as sparks ignited from the Blonde’s hands.
The green haired boy was about to add his piece to the conversation, when he caught something in the corner of his eye. The group was now standing next to a Television store that had multiple displays of TVs in its show window. One of them was showing the news. A yell of excitement came out of him as he recognized the all familiar hero on the screen. He raced to the window as he exclaimed,
“It’s All Might!”
This seemed to catch the other boys’ attention as they all looked over to him. Each one of them let out their excitement as they raced over to the window. They all crowded around the green haired boy as they tried their best to get a good look at the TV.
“Watch it, Deku!” The blonde said, grabbing the other’s shoulder and pulling him back, trying to get him out of the way of his view. He was caught off guard as he heard the other boy yell in pain. He let go instantly as the other fell to the floor, tears now streaming from his eyes. He looked down at him in shock, a clear scorched handprint had been pressed onto his shoulder. It had burned straight through his shirt and even burned some of his skin.
“K-Kachan.. why…?” The boy cried as he cradled the fresh wound and looked up to his friend with teary eyes.
Something stung inside him, but as the others around him laughed, he shoved it down deep and laughed along.
He dodged the numerous moving bodies bustling around the busy sidewalk. Either people were running from the scene, or flooding it to see what the reason for chaos was. It was a mystery, even to himself, why he had begun to run towards the smoke he saw from the building. Was it because of curiosity? Was it because he wanted to help? He wasn’t sure, but his legs moved regardless.
He rounded a corner to see a crowd of people standing in front of the entrance to a small market now caught up in flames. He forced his way through the crowd, trying his hardest to get a good read on the situation.
A gasp escaped him as he saw it. The same sludge villain that had captured him previously was there and encased in a new victim. He felt his stomach twist with guilt.
It’s my fault
.
He thought suddenly, a shaking hand covering his mouth as he could just barely see the silhouette of the victim being held hostage, fighting back.
If I hadn’t distracted All Might he wouldn’t have escaped..
He couldn’t stop his racing thoughts as his eyes were glued to the scene. He could faintly hear the pro heroes discussing what to do over the chaos.
“We’ll have to wait for some other pros to get the kid out.”
He heard one say near him. He looked around him, now seeing what the heroes were doing, he realized none of them were making any attempts to stop the villain. His eyes were drawn back to the victim then. It was getting harder and harder to see their limbs fighting against the villain's strength. He felt something kick deep inside him. He took a shaking step forward.
The boy in the sludge looked at him.
Red met green.
He ran forward.
There was a series of noises that followed but he didn’t pay them any mind. His mind screamed for him to stop, to retreat, to bail, to do anything other than keep running forward. But his legs didn’t stop.
The villain had noticed him now, raging eyes latched onto him with a sinister smile. He turned on the ball of his foot, a hand grabbed his bag off his shoulder and he threw it as hard as he could at the villain. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was enough of a distraction to get him in close as his belongings flew out and hit the villain square in the face.
“Kacchan!”
He shouted as he began peeling the monster’s sludge away from the other.
“D-Deku, what the hell?!”
The other snapped as he glared down at the other.
“M-my legs just started moving, I don’t know why!”
He tried to explain in the midst of the chaos. He dug harder and harder in any desperate attempt to get ahold of the other to pull him out.
“You looked like you were calling out for help!”
He saw it then, part of Kacchan’s hand and wrist was out of the villains grasp. He grabbed it immediately and began pulling as hard as he could.
He could see the rise of a sludge covered hand preparing to strike in his peripheral vision. His mind raced for an answer, anything. He looked at Kacchan again, their eyes met for only a second but a sense of understanding met between them.
“Kacchan, now!!”
He shouted, fixing both hands on the other’s as he planted himself. Before he could even think the two were sent flying. An array of smoke and dust was left in their stead as the two fell hard into the concrete below.
Slowly, Izuku propped himself back up. The smoke began to fade and he could see the villain taken aback. Part of him had been blown away, but with a shake he began to recollect himself. That disgusting sludge moved slowly as if the villain had been weakened. But of course not nearly enough as he readied himself for yet another attack. A sense of rage filled in his eyes as he caught sight of the two boys across the street.
Izuku stole a glance at Kacchan lying next to him. He looked just as beat up as himself as he was holding onto the arm he used to create the blast. He could only guess such a powerful blast had strained him. Like before, Izuku stood before he could think, fists ready and poised on the defensive as he stood in front of the other.
The villain had moved towards them again, now both arms ready to rain hell on them. He braced himself for the impact despite his shaking limbs. But he was barely up for long before a sparking hand grabbed him on the shoulder and shoved him back. It was so quick he didn’t even realize the now scorching hole in his shirt as the other now stood above him, sparking hand outstretched to the enemy, ready to fire.
He didn’t get the chance to shoot again, though, as a handful of heroes had launched their attack on the sludge beast. Bakugou stood there for a moment, hand still outstretched as he watched the others fight for them. A groan behind him brought him back to himself. Looking back he saw the other fretting with his shoulder. The faintest resemblance of smoke lifted from the protective hand covering it.
Something caught in his throat. But he barely had the time to address it before the were being surrounded by a couple of heroes hurrying them out of harm's way.
The fight went smoothly from there. The heroes were able to detain the villain successfully and Izuku and Bakugou were moved from the dangerous scene as soon as possible. They both sat on the curb, avoiding each other’s gaze as they were each given their own talking to by the pros.
“Do you know how dangerous that was to do, young man!” One of the pros shouted the question at Izuku. He cowered under the pro’s loud voice. “Well-” He tried to reason but he was cut off as the pro kept going on and on about the dangers of villain fights.
“There was no reason for you to run out like that!” The pro continued, voice only getting louder with frustration.
“Hold on one second,” Another one of the heroes had stepped up now having finished detaining the villain. Izuku perked up immediately as he recognized the hero, Kamui Woods, stepping forward. He had to hide his excitement as he was likely to get another lecture from him.
“If this kid hadn’t run forward when he did we might not have gotten the chance to capture the villain. Not to mention, your friend might not have been saved otherwise.” The wooden hero said to the other pro before addressing Izuku and Bakugou directly. They both sat up straighter in surprise at those words.
“Wh- really?!” Izuku blurted out, almost instantly regretting it as the hero previously scolding him soured. Kamui ignored the other.
“While it was heroic, it was still foolish.” Kamui continued, causing Izuku to deflate at those words. “You were merely lucky for it to have worked in your favor. You can’t rely on that type of luck again, young man.” He finished, a fierce stern stare sent at the green haired boy.
“Yes, sir..” Izuku said defeated, practically sinking into himself.
Bakugou could only look from one to the other. A stinging feeling was buried deep. He felt it thrash and squirm painfully as he redirected his gaze to the floor again. Brow furrowing as his hands gripped the curbside even harder.
Kamui’s words rang in his head like church bells as he took his usual trail home. The sun was setting then, painting the sky with a beautiful array of bright and warm colors.
Heroic.
The word played over and over again as if his mind was stuck on a broken vinyl. Could it really be true? He was heroic? Part of him doubted, the words from All Might still rampant in his mind. But something lingered. Embers, not yet put out, yearned for a warm breath to set them ablaze. A bit of kindling was needed, but he could feel deep down how they fought for their light.
He rubbed his now wrapped burnt shoulder. It stung and itched under the fabric but the smell of burnt clothing (and even some skin) was much worse than the pain. He had grown used to it by now but it, like All Might’s words, was a hurtful reminder of where he lacked.
If it weren’t for Kacchan’s blast, he wouldn’t have been able to get out.
He thought to himself, his doubt enrapturing him as that awful reasoning voice started in his head again. By himself he couldn’t have possibly been able to get Kacchan out. But…
“Oi, Deku!”
He jumped at the yell sent his way, almost instantly turning around to face its holder. Kacchan stood there. His mere stance and body language told plenty that Izuku would likely be getting another burn in a couple of seconds.
“I never asked you to save me! Don’t think just because you pulled me out of that damn villain's hands means anything!”
Kacchan snapped instead. He didn’t lunge at Izuku with sparking hands or curled fists. He kept his distance and so did Izuku as he stared at the other, bewilderment clearly shown on his face.
“I don’t need your damn help! I don’t owe you shit, you got it!”
The blonde shouted, pointing an accusing hand before quickly turning his back on the other and stalking off.
He didn’t realize the tension that had built up in his shoulders until he began to relax as the other walked away. He sighed a breath of relief, glad that the blonde didn’t decide to burn him like before. He winced as a sudden jolt of pain came from his shoulder.
Everything had felt like a blur then but as he thought about it muddled in his brain with confusion. Kacchan had thrown him to the ground with a burn, but.. he had protected him? He couldn’t exactly make anysense of it. He shook his head, deciding it’d be something to figure out later.
He had gotten home and was immediately swarmed by his mother with questions of his new injury as well as a thorough cleaning and care of the wound. He explained what had unfolded during the day, making sure to not mention the stuff with All Might and Kacchan’s personal destruction of his notebook and sending himself flying into a desk. He also assured her that Kacchan burning was an “accident”, although he wasn’t exactly sure if that was true either.
She fretted over him for the rest of the night, insisting he stay home from school the next day but he argued that he was fine. She eventually dropped it, but made it woefully known that if he ever felt any pain during the day that he should come home right away.
Walking into his room that night was painful as he stared at the multiple All Might faces staring and judging him. He closed the door slowly, peeling his eyes away from the bright blue eyes staring back. He grabbed a comfortable blanket and pillow from the closet and situated himself on the couch, meanwhile assuring his mother he was fine and that he’d rather just sleep out there tonight.
He laid awake, staring at the living room ceiling while a tornado ravaged his mind. On one end, Kacchan and All Might stood. Their judgemental glares sent daggers into his heart and blew wind at the embers he was trying his damndest to protect. Their words whistled in the wind.
Pathetic, weak, quirkless, foolish.
But against the wind he heard another. Kamui stood among the whipping winds, his words bright as day.
Heroic .
It was all he heard, but it was enough. What was once embers now turned into full flames. While still small, they held their own against the wind, shining brighter than the dark clouds overhead. It was warm, like a summer day.
He felt that warm in his chest then. It burned like a true flame. He sat up then, fist to his chest. A determined smile placed on his freckled face.
He decided then, he was going to be a hero!