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It was 6 PM in the evening and the sun was already setting. Izuku was sitting one of the benches of the town’s park, clutching his bag to his chest. He knew that he should be at home by now, but he just couldn’t force his legs to move. Not after what had happened with All Might.
He burrowed his face in his bag, feeling tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Deep in his heart he knew that hoping for something that would never happen would just cause him pain in the end. However, when even his idol told him his hopes were futile, it broke his heart more than anything. He sniffled and squeezed his eyes. He shouldn’t break down here in public!
”Hey! Are you okay?” He heard a concerned voice above his head and lifted his head up slightly.
When his eyes meet with two worried ones, looking at him from under the hood of a black hoodie, Izuku felt his breath caught in his throat. He felt as his eyes widened and saw the man in front of him shift a bit.
”Ah, sorry!” Midoriya said, feeling as a blush crept on his cheeks. ”I shouldn’t have stared!”
”No, no, it’s okay,” the other said with a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. ”It’s just strange that someone recognizes me.”
”Of course I recognize you!” Izuku said with a high pitched voice. ”You’re the Decay Hero, Shigaraki Tomura!” Izuku saw a small smile appearing in the corner of the other’s mind.
”You’re really up to date, huh?” He said, but there was no mockery in his voice – only curiosity. ”This means you want to be a hero, right?”
Izuku’s excitement disappeared in the blink of an eye. He turned his gaze towards the ground, hugging his bag closer to him. He felt the other body stiffen beside him and guilt bubbled up in his chest. He knew he owned an explanation for the sudden change of atmosphere.
”I wanted to be… but not anymore,” he mumbled with his head still low. ”You see, I’m quirkless and even my idol told me not to hope!” He said sadly.
”And you always believe what others say?” Tomura inquired and Izuku looked up at him with wide eyes. ”From the way you perked up before, I bet you know everything about me and my quirk – and not just about mine.” Izuku felt his blush deepen and Tomura laughed softly. ”I bet you are a real hero fan.”
”W-well, yeah,” Izuku confirmed with his ears burning.
”Do you have notes too?” Tomura asked and Izuku felt his lips part. He nodded slightly and Tomura’s smile widened. ”How precise are they?” He asked and Izuku quickly opened his bag. He gave his damaged notebook to Tomura, who narrowed his eyes. ”What happened to this?”
”I j-just have a confrontation with one of my f-”
”Bullies,” Tomura interrupted and Izuku froze. ”It was one of your bullies.” It was a statement and Izuku nodded with a confirming hum. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. ”I know how hard it is.”
Izuku could bet. With such a dangerous quirk, Tomura might be the target of lots of bullying through the years, but despite this, he became such a great hero! He was really inspiring. He heard as the other flipped the notebook open and the sounds of the pages turning.
”And you said you can’t be a hero,” Tomura mused with an unbelieving voice. He closed the notebook and looked at Izuku. ”I’ve never seen such precise notes. These can be really valuable information in the case of hero team ups and you gathered all of them without a quirk!” Tomura smiled at him gently. ”You’re really impressive!”
Izuku felt his throat closing up again with tears gathering in his eyes once again. He was close to launch at him, but held himself back. He knew it would be totally embarrassing. He felt a hand being put on the top of his head, ruffling his head.
”With these skills, you can be the best information hero Japan has ever seen!”
"Y-you really think so?" Izuku asked, choking on his words. He leaned in the touch, making Tomura chuckle.
"One hundred percent," he assured him, then his eyes squinted playfully. "After high school, I would like to hire you as my sidekick. What do you think?"