Chapter Text
Izuku Midoriya was a small child. He didn’t have many friends, but he was optimistic nonetheless. He was kind and full of hope for the world, and that his quirk would be one like his favorite heroes. He only wanted to be a hero, to save others, to help inspire peace. When he was told that would never happen, it broke his heart. And even though he knew it would be fake, he still wished that his mother had given him even the tiniest bit of hope, but she also said that it would never happen. As Kacchan continued to mock him, his bitterness towards the world only grew. By the time he was seven, that smiling, hopeful boy he had been was gone. Dead, like the rest of the world to him.
One day, when he was 8 years old and walking home from school, he heard a clatter from an alleyway he was walking past. Curiosity still filled the child, despite the bitterness that threatened to spill out with every insult he received. He crept into the alley, staying hidden in the shadows so that if it was a villain the chances of getting caught were lessened. What he saw surprised him. A man, dressed entirely in dark clothing, down to his black hair, had a villain cornered in the back of the dead-end alley. The only bit of color to him was his bright blue eyes, even though the sclera was black. The man in black was obviously not a villain, but he was no hero either. Izuku could tell because of the crimson dripping from the blade in his hand. The villain he had cornered was looking around, looking for an opening to escape.
Apparently, he saw his opening as running directly at his attacker. The man in black was ready though. As they fought, Izuku realised that the man in black was obviously the superior fighter, blocking all the attacks flying at him at lightning speed. He finally incapacitated the villain with a very strong punch to the gut. The villain doubled over, wheezing, and Izuku drank up every moment with vigor, hoping, wanting, to absorb even a fraction of the man in black’s power. The man in black grabbed the villain by the front of his shirt and hoisted him to eye level.
“This is a warning,” He whispered. Izuku crept closer, now hiding behind a garbage bin that was closer to the pair. He could now see the man in black’s face better, well, as good as he could given that half of it was hidden by a black bandana. “You are going to run back to your pitiful boss, and tell him to stop encroaching on my territory.” The man in black whispered. He held his blade up to the villain’s throat, and let go of his shirt. With his free hand, he pulled down the bandana around his face, revealing a smile, that was not in the least friendly. He leaned even closer, his mouth right next to the villain’s ear.
“Sike,” he breathed. In a flash of silver, the villain dropped to the ground, a pool of dark liquid rapidly growing around them. Izuku gasped, and stepped forward, if only to be closer to the man in black. His foot brushed the lid to the trash bin he was hiding behind, and it fell with a clatter. The man in black’s head snapped up, eyes narrowed towards the sound. Izuku was now pressed against the wall, hands clamped tightly around his mouth, eyes wide in fear. He listened for the man in black’s footsteps, fearing the moment where he would be discovered. Silence. He began to relax, thinking the man had left. Izuku began to peek around the trash can to see if he had truly left, when he felt a hand clamp down around the back of his school uniform, and yank him up. Izuku let loose a squeak of fear, and suddenly, he was level with the electric blue eyes of the man in black.
“How much of that did you see,” The man in black demanded. Izuku gulped.
“All- all of it,” He stuttered.
“What do you want from me to forget what you saw,” The man in black asked. Izuku was prepared to tell him that he wouldn’t anyways, but those were not the words that fell from his mouth.
“Teach me,” he whispered. The man in black’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.
“What?” He questioned.
“Teach me how to do what you just did. I want to show everyone that I’m not weak and defenseless. I want to show them,” Izuku paused, thinking of a better way to phrase his answer. “I want to teach them a lesson.” He looked up at the man in black, hoping his determination showed through his golden eyes.
“What kind of quirk you got, kid?” He questioned. Izuku shrunk in on himself a bit.
“I-I don’t have one,” Izuku stuttered. The man in black sighed.
“It’s going to be hard and painful, you up for that kid?” Izuku nodded vigorously, excitement showing through his hunched exterior.
“Meet me here Friday at 3pm, and don’t be late,” The man said, turning away. He crouched, as if preparing to jump.
“Wait!” Izuku shouted. “What am I supposed to call you?” The man turned around, crazy smile still present on his face. He hooked one finger around his bandana, pulling it up again.
“You can call me, All Might.”