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Once upon a time there was a boy who wanted to be a hero more than anything.
He was told, over and over again, by everyone around him, to stop dreaming and just give up.
If this were a fairytale, a fairy godmother might conveniently show up and simply hand him the power he needed to prove them wrong.
But this is no fairytale.
***
Izuku Midoriya is not having a good day.
First Kaachan blew up his notebook and threw it out the window.
Then the stupid jerk had the nerve to tell him to jump off the roof.
And now some slime villain is talking about wearing his body like a skin suit.
Izuku’s eyes close as he thinks about all his regrets.
***
When his eyes open to the smiling face of the number one hero all Izuku can think is that this is some kind of sign.
But
“Is it possible to become a hero even if I don’t have a quirk? I’m a normal kid without any powers. Could I ever hope to be someone like you?”
Those words. It took everything Izuku had to even say those words.
But
“This job isn’t easy. Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains just can’t be beaten without powers. So can you be a hero? Not without a quirk.”
“It’s not bad to have a dream young man. Just make sure your dreams are attainable. Realistic. Understand?”
Those words.
It was just more of what everyone was always saying.
But this was All Might, number one hero, and Izuku’s all time role model.
The words pierced sharper than even his mother’s “I’m sorry Izuku.” and he simply walked without paying attention. There was a fight going on. And Izuku’s feet took him closer almost against his will.
‘The slime villain. But- The bottle! That means. It’s my fault!’
“Why aren’t the heroes doing anything?”
“It looks like they’ve met their match. Plus the villain captured a kid. Things aren’t looking good for him.”
‘He caught someone? How long can they survive being suffocated like that? I thought I’d die after only a few seconds of struggling. Oh man. All Might can’t power up yet. He wasted all his time on me! None of these heroes have the quirks to beat him. This is all my fault! Someone, a real hero will come save the day soon.’
But
The hostage's eyes open and Izuku gasps.
‘Kaachan!’
And then he’s running.
‘Dodge. Keep moving. What do I do? What would a hero do? Page 25. Make the opponent flinch back and then use that opening to restrain them. Right!’
Izuku flings his backpack and the villain releases Kaachan’s mouth. Izuku scrabbles for purchase but the villain’s body just slips through his fingers.
‘That’s right. He told me earlier. His body is made of fluid. But then, why did the backpack work? Think! Think!’
He looks up into the glaring eyes of the now angry villain and notices that one is a bit red.
‘That’s it! The weakness for enhancer quirks! Notebook #3! Alright! I might not be able to touch you! But I can touch Kaachan just fine!’
“Bend your knees Kaachan!”
“WHAT???”
Izuku puts one foot on his bully’s knee and springs upwards. When he gets close enough he crooks his pointer fingers, aims for the eyes and pokes as hard as he can.
“DAMN BRAT! I’LL KILL YOU!!”
Izuku lands hard as the villain flinches back still screaming. His hands grip the newly freed Kaachan and he drags him towards the heroes as fast as he can.
“I’M DONE PLAYING AROUND!!!”
Kaachan shakes off Izuku’s arm and levels some explosions to keep the villain back. “You’re a fucking moron Deku, you know that?”
Izuku forces a watery smile. “Yeah. I couldn’t just stand there and watch you die.”
The explosive boy is silent for once.
The villain pounces forward.
“DETROIT SMASH!!!”
Izuku stares up at All Might as he nonchalantly wipes the blood off his chin and lifts his fist in triumph.
Beside them, Kaachan is heaving on all fours. He swats Izuku’s hand away when it falls onto his back comfortingly, but somehow there is less force behind it than usual.
***
After all the scattered mounds of sludge have been collected Kamui Woods and Deatharms give Izuku a stern talking to about reckless behavior; but there is no real conviction to their words. Deatharms finishes with a thumbs up and a “Be more careful next time.” and Kamui Woods musses up his hair. They both sign his notebook.
***
Izuku walks home tiredly, the day's events running through his mind on repeat.
He looks down at his hands, specifically, his two pointer fingers, before clenching his fists.
“I AM HERE!”
Izuku lets out a scream.
“Young man. I came here to thank you. And also to discuss your question from earlier. If you hadn't told me about your life. If you hadn’t run into that fight. I would have been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd. So thanks. And I wanted to say”
All Might’s eyes flash and Izuku instinctively holds his breath.
“Young man. You too can become a hero.”
The words hit hard and Izuku’s eyes fill with tears.
But
There were about six pro heroes at the sludge battle.
Seven if you count All Might.
And.
Izuku was the one who stopped him.
With two fingers and a backpack.
The words echo in his head, again and again.
“You too can become a hero.”
Izuku meets his hero’s eyes and smiles.
“I know.”