Chapter Text
Izuku wants to be a hero. They always have.
It’s just that… not many other people… believe them when they say so. For… a few reasons.
For now, all they can do is try their best to not draw attention to themselves at all; they sit in the back of the classroom, and they keep their thoughts to themselves.
Izuku brushes a long strand of hair out of their eyes (long- they always keep their hair like that. It reminds them of mom. And if it was too short, it would… remind them of him).
The bell rings, signaling the start of the day.
Izuku lifts their head up to look toward the front of the classroom as the teacher steps up to the front podium.
“So,” The teacher mutters, “Today we’ll be looking at your plans for the future… But honestly, I don’t see why we bother. You’re all just planning on becoming heroes, aren’t you?”
The class around Izuku bursts into cheers as their classmates excitedly show off their quirks. Izuku just subtly covers their ears and tries to shrink back in on themselves.
Yes of course they want to be a hero too, but conversations like this are… dangerous for Izuku. They never tend to work out well.
Well… it is just a general conversation… if I’m lucky I won’t get roped into it…
“Oh please, as if you rejects will get any further than being the sidekick for some hero not even in the top one hundred!” A new voice breaks over the rest of the class.
At that voice, Izuku tries to shrink further in on themselves.
Not Bakugou…
“Oh yeah, you’re applying to UA, aren’t you,” The teacher observes, looking at the files in front of him.
“Of course I am!” Bakugou boasts. “It’s the number one hero school in the country! Where else would the future number one hero go?”
“That’s if you actually get in,” Another classmate mutters.
Bakugou glares at them, before bragging, “I’ve aced all the mock tests, I have a powerful quirk, why wouldn’t I get in? I’m going to get in to UA, and I’m gonna be the only one from this garbage school to do it-”
“Oh yeah, Midoriya, you’re applying for UA too, aren’t you?” The teacher mentions, flipping through the files still.
Izuku flinches at that. Aaand now I’ve been singled out. Perfect.
The whole class breaks out into laughter, and Izuku kinda wishes they could crawl under their desk and hide from everyone else.
“DEKU!”
At the sound of Bakugou’s shout, Izuku is already out of their desk and scrambling backwards as Bakugou stalks towards them.
“What the hell do you mean, you’re applying to UA?!” Bakugou demands.
“I- well- I mean- it’s just-” Izuku stammers, trying to find the right excuse, the right words.
“Who would want some quirkless kid going to their school?!”
There’s reason number one.
“I- they got rid of that rule though,” Izuku protests meekly, “Quirkless people are allowed to apply now-”
“Even if they are, what makes you think that a hero school wants anything to do with some shitty villain?”
…And there’s reason number two.
“I’m not a villain…!” Izuku protests.
“That so? It’s in your blood though, isn’t it?” Bakugou sneers, a small pair of explosions popping from his palms.
Even just the hint of fire from the explosions, coupled with Bakugou’s words, makes Izuku flinch.
“All right, all right, both of you settle down. Please return to your seats.”
“Both of you,” Izuku grits their teeth at those words. The teacher never acknowledges that the problem is Bakugou. Always Bakugou.
But they don’t say anything in response though; who would ever take their side anyway? Certainly no one here. So they stay quiet and return to their seat as Bakugou stalks away to his.
They keep their head down for the rest of class, trying to not draw any more attention, and hoping the day passes without any other incident.
When the bell rings at the end of the day, signaling that school is over, Izuku hurries to pack their belongings into their bag. Last is their notebook, because they do want to update it when they get home, but-
Just as Izuku is about to pack their notebook in their bag, it’s snatched right out of their hand.
“You seem to be in a hurry,” Bakugou scowls. “But we’re not done here, Deku.”
After a brief glance up to see Bakugou holding their notebook high above their head, Izuku focuses their gaze on their desk- any wrong move, and Bakugou will say that they came off as too “aggressive” and it’ll turn into a “fight” (or a one-sided beatdown, featuring Bakugou and his lackeys as the winners).
“Can you please just… give me my notebook back?” They ask quietly. They don’t want anything to damage it- after all they’ve spent a lot of time on it.
“What is it, a diary?” One of the other kids following Bakugou snickers.
“Hero Analysis Journal, number 13,” Bakugou reads the title. “What’s this for? You gonna use it to take out heroes when you grow up and become a villain?”
“I’m not…” Izuku hesitates, but it’s always beating a dead horse with him, “It’s just… studying the way they use your quirks… to try and work out a better way at fighting. Look, I know you think it’s stupid, just give it back, please-”
Bakugou responds by using his quirk to explode the notebook. In a panic, Izuku jumps up to try and grab their notebook back from Bakugou, but Bakugou merely chucks it out the window
Izuku tries to run to the window to check on their notebook, but Bakugou stops them, grabbing their wrist and twisting it behind their back. Izuku freezes. Stupid… I fell for his trap… he wanted me to react…!
“Now listen, Deku,” Bakugou growls. “You’re not gonna apply to UA. Got it?”
It’s a threat. Plain and simple. There’s no other way to take it. He doesn’t even have to say what he’d do, Izuku knows that whatever it is it won’t be good.
Bakugou brings his free hand up just enough to be in Izuku’s view and sparks an explosion (it hadn’t taken him very long to realize, early on, that just seeing the fire from that action was enough to terrify them beyond belief). “I said. Got it?” He repeats, more tensely.
“Got it,” Izuku says it, more on reflex than anything else, anything, anything, just keep that fire away from me, please.
Bakugou’s hand smokes like it’s going to explode again, and Izuku snaps their eyes shut… but the explosion never comes. Bakugou releases the hand that’s twisting Izuku’s arm behind their back, and Izuku’s knees give out underneath them.
Bakugou and his lackeys walk away, sneering.
“Jeez! It’s just sad, honestly.”
“I hope all villains are that weak!”
“Gotta start on easy mode, you know?”
It’s unfair. Everyone else gets to call them a villain, and suddenly anything that happens to Izuku is justified. It doesn’t matter that they’ve never even done anything wrong, they all think it’s set in stone.
“You know, villain, if you’re gonna be so useless, I do have an idea that could solve your problems,” Bakugou says from the door. “If you take a swan dive off the roof, you’ll never have to worry about a Hero kicking your ass again some day! Or, hey, maybe you’ll even get a quirk.”
Izuku grits their teeth at that, but they don’t respond. Don’t react. It’s a trap. Don’t react. Don’t react. Don’t react.
Seemingly satisfied, Bakugou and his gaggle of followers leave.
Shakily, Izuku stands back up, staring at the door that they had left from. “…Asshole,” They mutter to themselves, but it sounds hollow, even to them.
Careful, Izuku makes their way down to the area outside of the window that Bakugou threw their notebook from; the only apparent luck that Izuku had was that it didn’t land in the pond (it was inches away from achieving that though). But the notebook is definitely looking worse for wear…
Izuku lets out a heavy sigh.
…
The other people at school didn’t know about it, at first. Of course, Izuku was still bullied for being quirkless but… it wasn’t… as bad.
They had different kinds of hardships to deal with back then, though.
He… wasn’t home very often to begin with, once every few months, but it was worse when he was home.
Mom did her best to shield them from the bulk of it, but Izuku almost thinks that makes them feel worse. They would be locked in their room, “safe”, whenever he had a meltdown, and afterward, once he left, Mom would put on a brave face and try to assure them that everything was okay now.
(It got worse after Izuku was diagnosed as quirkless. Mom never mentions it, but they know it’s true. That just makes them feel even more guilty.)
Even though they knew the truth back then, it wasn’t like there was anything either of them could do to stop it. He never gave any updates about when he would be back home, so they couldn’t set a trap, and he never told them where he was going either. There was no way to get him reported to the heroes.
All the two of them could do… was wait. And hope.
The day that he was caught and arrested, Mom had cried out of relief, and Izuku had too.
Except… the secret was out. It was on the news, and so everyone knew now.
Izuku’s father was a villain.
At first, it made the other kids avoid them. Izuku was okay with that. At the time, it had meant that they didn’t bully them for being quirkless anymore.
But then… the bullying returned, more relentless than ever, now with a new excuse; Izuku is just a villain. It’s in their blood after all. Attacking them isn’t wrong. It’s just what heroes do; beat up the bad guy.
After a while, most of them calmed down and let it go, losing interest in beating them down.
But not Bakugou. Never Bakugou. No matter what Izuku did, Bakugou never left them alone.
…
It’s okay though, Izuku tells themselves, taking in a deep breath. There’s… just one year left… and then I can start over… I can start over somewhere new…
Even if Izuku is still planning to go to UA… who knows, maybe they’ll luck out and they’ll be in a different class from Bakugou. It is a big school after all.
And especially they don’t want Bakugou to know they’re still planning on going to UA, considering… what just happened and all. Briefly, Izuku wishes they had a quirk that turned them invisible. Now THAT would be useful.
The sound of something behind them brings them back to reality in the moment.
They had been walking home on auto-pilot, not really thinking about the route they were taking, as they knew it so well. The spot at which they’ve stopped is a sidewalk that passes under a large bridge, making it a lot like a tunnel.
Hesitantly, Izuku turns around to face the sound that they heard.
When they do, they see a large figure made out of sludge and slime rising out of the storm drain in the ground. Normally that would be suspicious enough, but when Izuku sees their eyes… that look…
This is… a villain?!
Izuku can feel their head pounding.
Huh…? What…happened…?
They remember, vaguely, what sort of happened before passing out; they were attacked by a villain, suffocating in sludge, and then they had lost consciousness…
Did someone save them? Who?
As if to answer, a voice says, “Hello? Are you all right? Can you hear me?”
Dazed, Izuku blinks open their eyes and…
Promptly has a heart attack when they see that it’s All Might, the number one hero, who just saved them.
Not noticing Izuku’s internal crisis, All Might continues, “Oh good, you’re all right! I’m glad to see that you’re not badly harmed!”
“I’m a big fan!” Izuku blurts (Oh, that’s a stupid thing to say, he probably gets that a lot-) “I really look up to you a lot!!”
“Thank you!” All Might cheers, giving him a simple thumbs up.
In a flash, Izuku remembers their notebook that they packed away into their bag- it’s still a little damaged but- they retrieve it from their bag quickly and hold it out to All Might, “Can you please sign this for me? Please?”
“Of course!” All Might cheerfully obliges, accepting the notebook and pulling out a pen.
Izuku practically vibrates as All Might signs the notebook, and eagerly takes it back when All Might hands it to them (WOW, THE SIGNATURE IS SO BIG IT EVEN TAKES UP TWO PAGES-!)
“Well, now that I’ve made sure you’re all right, I really should get going,” All Might says.
“Huh?” Izuku can’t help but mumble, disappointed. “You’re… leaving already?”
“Afraid so! Heroes are always fighting time as well as villains!”
“Can- can I ask you something first? Before you go?” Izuku asks.
“Send a question to me on my website and I’ll see what I can do about answering as fast as possible!” All Might assures. “I’m sorry, but really, I have to go!”
“But- I-” I… I need to ask you in person… I need to know… what you think…!
Izuku makes a split second decision.
“Farewell!” All Might calls, taking off.
And Izuku runs forward and latches onto his leg before he leaves the ground.
There’s a few seconds as the two fly through the air where All Might realizes what’s just happened.
“Woah woah woah woah woah!” All Might yells. “What-?!”
“THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!” Izuku yells back, hiding their face (completely avoiding looking at the ground) , “DEFINITELY A BAD IDEA AND I SEE THAT NOW!! SORRY!”
“All right! All right!” All Might shouts, “Just- hold on and we’ll find somewhere to land, okay?”
Izuku just nods.
As promised, All Might lands down on top of a roof, and Izuku immediately collapses on to the solid ground.
“That,” All Might says, “Was incredibly stupid. But you’ve already acknowledged that, so I’ll let you off easy, and besides I really do need to get going.”
“Hang on- I need to ask you in person- please wait-!” Izuku protests, scrambling back onto their feet.
“I can’t wait, I’m sorry-!”
“Do you think that-” the child of a villain can be a hero? “-someone without a quirk can be a hero?!”
...
...
That… wasn’t what Izuku meant to say. But somehow, when they had tried to say the right words, they wouldn’t come out. The statement was caught dead in their throat. And so they asked something else instead.
And yet the answer was still “no”. No, Izuku can’t be a hero without a quirk. It’s too dangerous and would only get them into trouble. They would just get themselves hurt.
Izuku is just glad they didn’t ask the other question, because if All Might’s answer for that had been as straightforward as the one about being a hero without a quirk, Izuku probably would have crumpled completely.
Their hair falls in front of their face, but they don’t brush it out of the way this time. Right now they just want to hide away. They want to go home. Mom would know what to say. She almost always knows what to say. And even when she doesn’t she still comforts them anyway.
As they’re walking home, a boom from across the street shakes Izuku from their thoughts. They look up, slowing to a stop.
A villain attack…? Today feels like it’s been pretty busy already… Izuku thinks to themselves, remembering back to the one that had taken place just this morning too.
They really don’t like all the smoke that they can see billowing from the area, and it’s not like they can do anything about it anyway, so really they should just keep walking…
But…
But their curiosity gets the better of them and they find themselves crossing the street.
Why am I doing this? What’s the point?
They’re already across the street, at the edge of the crowd looking on at the villain fight. Carefully, they try to peak past the crowd (at the slightest glance at any of the flames they shut their eyes; Izuku and fire do not mix well). Eventually, they’re able to get a glimpse of-
That’s the sludge villain that attacked me earlier!! Izuku realizes on first sight, panicked. But… but All Might defeated him! Didn’t he? How-
Then, it dawns on Izuku that… it’s their fault. They distracted All Might, and that let the villain get away, somehow.
Stupid! Stupid! You can’t do anything right!
The only good thing is that there are heroes here, now, trying to do their best to stop the villain. It’s a bit hard around all the fire, though.
…Wait. The villain is made of sludge. Why is there fire?
“DAMMIT!” A voice yells.
Is… is that…
Izuku gets a glimpse of the villain again… and sees Bakugou trying to struggle to get away from it.
Bakugou.
Izuku doesn’t like him. Izuku would rather have nothing to do with him. He’s made Izuku’s life like a living hell.
And yet… seeing Bakugou there… trapped by that villain… as the heroes try but fail to save him…
The fearful look on Bakugou’s face…
Before Izuku realizes it, they’re running forward.
When they do realize it, they’re in a panic. What am I doing?! Why am I doing this?! Why am I running?!
Instinctively, at first, Izuku scrunches their eyes closed because No no no, that’s a lot of fire-
And then, their eyes open. They’re running, but they’re not running away. And dammit, if they’re already this far, they’re gonna see it through.
With each step, Izuku’s mind races, the sludge villain getting closer and closer.
I… need to make him flinch! Then his grip should loosen-
Thinking fast, Izuku grabs their bag and tosses it at the villain, hitting his eye dead on. Like Izuku planned, the villain flinches back, releasing his hold on Bakugou enough that Bakugou can breathe again.
“What the hell are you-?”
Izuku tunes out Bakugou’s voice, because they do NOT care right now, there are more important things to worry about. They got into this situation, but now, how are they supposed to get out…?!
The villain raises an arm of sludge to slap at them and hit them away, and Izuku braces themselves for the hit… and then it never comes.
All Might dashes in right on time, blocking the hit.
The problem is solved in seconds.
Unfortunately, Izuku doesn’t get to go home right away after that.
First, the heroes that were at the scene have to take a moment to scold them for doing what they did (even though it was the heroes’ inaction that they had to do it anyway, but they know better than to say so to the heroes’ faces). Then after a good ten minute rant, they’re free to go home.
The first thing they do is make sure to text Mom; they’re late to coming home, and they don’t want her to be worried about them any more than she needs to be. Hesitantly, they mention that it was because of a villain attack, but they promise her that they’re okay (and they are, really). (They figure it’s better to tell her now because if she finds out later, she’ll worry more than she needs to).
They’re finally on their way home now, hopefully for good (Izuku doesn’t know if they’d be able to take it if another thing interrupted them-)
“DEKU!”
Dammit.
Izuku turns hesitantly to see Bakugou chasing them down, anxious about what Bakugou is going to say; knowing how much Bakugou hates them, he’s not too happy with the fact that Izuku stepped in to try to save him.
“What the hell do you think you were doing back there?!” Bakugou demands after skidding to a halt in front of them. “You’re not fooling anybody, got it! Just because you pretended to be a hero- it’s not like you even did anything useful! You’re still just a villain. Remember that!”
Gee. Thanks.
Without a word (out loud) from Izuku, Bakugou turns and storms off.
…He was right about one thing though. It’s not like I did anything useful. All Might was… the one who actually ended the fight…
Izuku turns back towards the direction of home-
“I AM HERE!” All Might declares, jumping out in front of him.
THERE’S STILL MORE INTERRUPTIONS???
“All Might?!” Izuku exclaims, “But, I thought you were surrounded by reporters- how did you manage to get away?”
“That’s simple!” All Might replies, “You see, I-”
The hero erupts in a puff of steam as he suddenly deflates.
Oh yeah. That was something that Izuku had found out about earlier on the roof. Still makes them jump when it happens though.
“Okay, I’ll cut to the chase, because there are a few things I need to say,” All Might coughs. “First… I want to thank you for what you did back there. Jumping in to try and help.”
Izuku blinks in surprise. “But… I didn’t do anything. I just made things more difficult by putting myself in danger. Even though I tried to help, I…”
“What you did was inspire me to act,” All Might says. “Seeing you run in there even though you didn’t have any quirk… it made me realize that I shouldn’t just stand and watch, even if I was hurt. I had to do everything that I could.”
“I…” Izuku tries to think of a response to that, but they can’t. I inspired All Might to act? Me?
“And… I also would like to correct what I said to you earlier.”
Correct?
“Most heroes… have these kinds of stories from back in their early days, where when they saw a sign of danger… they just had to act,” All Might explains. “That’s… what happened to you just now, isn’t it?”
It’s true. Even though… even though it was Bakugou, Izuku still couldn’t help but feel a need to save him.
Wait. Wait. Is he going to say…?
“I was wrong earlier. You can be a hero.”
Izuku’s world freezes. Izuku never thought they’d hear those words. Not from anyone except for Mom. And now, when they needed it the most… it’s said to them by the hero they most admire.
In that moment, they can’t help but cry tears of joy.
…
The child of a terrible villain becoming a great hero… isn’t that just a bit of irony?