Chapter Text
Midoriya Izuku’s life is not the one to be envied for. He is in his last year in middle school year which now is equal to living hell. He always enjoys learning, but he got no friend in his class except his former childhood friend, Bakugou Katsuki. Not that he can call him exactly a ‘friend’. After Izuku was diagnosed to be Quirkless, every person's attitude to him changed. Whether it is pity, uncomfortable, or blatant disgust. The most drastic one of course is his childhood friend ‘Kacchan’, he started to bully Izuku for no reason. Saying that he is worthless for being quirkless. That there will be no place for him in the society.
Izuku still remember the last time they play together. It will always be a ‘Hero Play’. Before Izuku is quirkless, he always stood beside Kacchan, as a side kick (he ask once to be the number one Hero, All Might, but Kacchan never let him) and admired his amazing quirk, explosion. Izuku's eyes always filled with awe when he saw mini explosion pop up in Kacchan’s palm, how he wish he got his quirk sooner, hopefully will be as cool as Kacchan’s quirk! Because he wanna be like Kacchan, Kacchan the one who always win! Surely both of them will be the best hero!
But Izuku is quirkless and suddenly Kacchan became very rude and harsh to him, to add to that, the other kids also didn’t wanna play with him anymore because they were afraid of Kacchan. And so Izuku left with practically no friend. The situation went on until their last year of middle school. The bullying never stopped. It will always be screaming, yelling, punching, and sometimes burn mark on Izuku. Until one day, after Bakugou know that Izuku also applied to UA, the same school that he is applying to, and the fact that Izuku also wants to apply to hero course, had him pissed off to no end. Bakugou decided that he should put Izuku back into his place. After the last school bell rang, he approaches Izuku who just finish packing all his stuff and takes one of Izuku’s notebook
“Hero analysis no.13? For the future? What a dumb name” He opened the notebook and then swung it violently in front of Izuku.
“Kacchan!! Please no!! Give it back!!“ Izuku pleads.
“Still daydreaming to be a hero Deku? Ignoring the reality huh??” He then proceeds to explode the notebook and throw it to a nearby window.
Izuku just stares at the event that unfold, his face is a mix of anger and frustration. But feeling that it is still not enough, Bakugou grabs Izuku’s collar abruptly, pull him to the hallway, and then push him roughly to the wall.
“You are just a useless Deku! Don’t you dare apply to UA like me! You got no right! YOU KNOW THAT??” He screams violently and Izuku just shrinks to the wall, trying to make his body smaller and smaller.
"I will be the only one who make it to UA from this shithole!”
Izuku flinched but still quiet as Bakugou continues with more venom in his word.
“You know, I have a good idea! If you really wanted to have a quirk, you should just take a swan dive from the roof and hope to get a chance in the next life. You Loser..” He smirks and then pushes Izuku roughly to the wall for the last time before dropping him to the ground. Izuku stays silent for a while before finally he stands, head down, his hand brushed all the dirt on his knee.
“What do you wanna say you loser… you don’t even have a spine to—“
“For someone that trying so hard to be a hero that protect the people, you sure disgust me Bakugou” Izuku snapped. He for the first time, truly felt disgusted with Bakugou’s action. In his head Izuku thought, what kind of hero saying something like that to a quirkless kid? To another life? Before, even after all that punching and yelling, he still had a faith, that deep inside they were still friend, that Bakugou still have some kind of capacity to care about him. But telling other people to just off themselves is definitely out of line.
“What if I really do it? Because of you” Izuku said whilst upping his chin, his emerald green eyes look straight into Bakugou’s.
They stare at each other in silence for a while. Izuku eyes doesn’t cower like usual. Not angry either. Just Empty. Bakugou was confused with this. All his face muscle is contorted to a scowl that Izuku had never seen before. Confused because of the shock that Izuku can actually answer to him, and also the sudden realization that Izuku just drops the childhood nickname that the green haired boy always so persistently use all this time. Feeling frustrated, Bakugou then punches Izuku in the face.
“Just do it if you have a courage you cowards! YOU DON’T GET WHAT TO TELL ME HOW I CAN BE A HERO”.
But Izuku doesn’t go down by the punch as usual. He stands firm and just stare at Bakugou pensively after the punch. Bakugou feeling uncomfortable, back off and leave to go home.
“You are useless and will always be useless, Deku” he spites his last venomous word before leaving Izuku in the middle of the school hallway.
Izuku stares at Bakugou until he can’t see that boy anymore and then he starts walking slowly to the garden where Bakugou threw out his “Hero Analysis for The Future No.13” notebook. He found it nearby the school fish pond, burnt and destroyed. Seems a good representation for his friendship with Bakugou. He cried silently, sobbing. He wondered when it goes so wrong that their relationship become so deformed, leaving a relationship so toxic it kills just to think about it. He walks and walks to his home somberly while he try to check the remnant of the mess that is his notebook.
And that is the last time Bakugou and Izuku ever met again in their Middle School.
Izuku wanders aimlessly, his clothes is dirty after Bakugou’s beating today and his freckled cheek is swollen with bluish color, in conclusion he look like a mess. He starts walking near a river bank, hoping that a nice breeze with get his mood up.
'Ugh why he have to beat me so hard. Now it is getting harder for me explaining to mom about what happen'
Busy with his mind, Izuku continues his walking through a tunnel, when suddenly, a black sludge comes out from the sewer lid behind Izuku...
“Wha – Bhh”
A hissing voice is heard above Izuku, Izuku looks up and sees 2 menacing eyes floating in a black semi-solid liquid, enveloping his body and suffocating all his airway.
“Just relax kid, I am hijacking your body, it will only hurrrtt for a second. Okay?”
Izuku's eyes widened in fear.
‘I am dying’
‘I can’t breathe!!’
‘Help somebody help me!’
“FEAR NOT BECAUSE I AM HERE!”
A gush of strong wind suddenly blows and hits the villain with Izuku in it. After the impact, Izuku’s vision then goes to a sudden black.
“HEY KID.. HEY… CAN YOU HEAR ME?”
Blinking slowly, Izuku opens his eyes and seeing a blur version of his childhood hero. He blinks again... and again.. and.. IS THAT ALL MIGHT???
“Apologies my boy for getting caught in my villain chase! But no worries, I have him contained here!” All might shows Izuku a cola bottle filled with his villain, looking like a black sludge, with the floating eyes that izuku saw before. Looking so much weaker than when he attacked Izuku.
‘OMGOMGOMGOMG.. HE IS REAAL I HAVE TO GET HIS AUTOGRAPH!’
Izuku is fumbling around his backpack, trying to grab his burn notebook only to find that All Might already signed it.
‘HE ALREADY SIGNED ITTTT!’
“Now kid, I must bring this fellow to authorities, so until next – “
“WAIT ALL MIGHT!” Izuku shouts desperately, stopping the muscly man on his track.
“Hmm… What is it my boy?” All might stops at his half jump state.
“Can … can a person without a quirk become a hero?!” Izuku shouts it like a desperate prayer than a question.
All Might sees a scrawny boy, with a mess and unruly green hair. One of his cheeks is swollen and his school uniform is tattered. Is this kid bullied or just get out from a fight? The blond man thinks for a second about what he should say. He knows deep down that hero job is a very dangerous job. He already learns it first hand and it had cost it his body. It is indisputable, to save people you need power.
“Sorry my boy. But you can’t be a hero without a quirk. You know how dangerous this job can be. I know it is hard to take but you have to be realistic” a sad frown hanging from All Might's usual smiling face.
Izuku's face immediately drops at that statement. When it is being said by his one and only Idol from his childhood, it does ring different. So much different. More real and like a slap in the face.
“I see that you have a good heart. You can choose to be a policeman or a doctor to do that you know” All Might continues. Mid conversation, All Might feels that blood starting to drip from his mouth. He knows he doesn’t have much time left.
“Sorry my boy but I gotta go” All Might then quickly jumps and vanishes from Izuku's sight.
‘just take a swan dive from the roof…..’
“So... That’s it huh….”
Being a hero is his only dream and the only life that Izuku had pictured for him, after taken in all that he heard for today, Izuku aren’t really sure about what to live for anymore. He finds himself laughing. A dry laugh with no joy and happiness. Seemingly describe how his life is a joke. To him and everyone else.
He continues his walk with his mind in silence.