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Izuku stood on the edge of the roof. All Might had just left him up there alone.
He wanted to jump but he had his mom to worry about she would be devastated. He couldn’t do that to her.
He walked away from the edge. Grabbing his things he climbed the fire escape knowing this particular building was abandoned.
All Might dropped him off on one of the worst parts of town. It was nearing sunset which meant more criminals would be out.
As he walked he saw the amount of hurt broken people with no homes who looked unhealthy. The number of people he saw that were stealing money and food just to give it to someone else who seemed to need it.
It was easy to ignore it. It was easy to ignore the people who need help when you’re not looking. It’s easy to pretend that the world was perfect. It’s easy to say the heroes are helping everyone when they aren't, they're only helping when they get coverage not when truly needed.
Izuku kept walking home. That was until he heard an explosion. Another hero fight. He wanted to ignore it to put the life of looking for heroes away. But they say “old habits die hard.”
He ran to the fight unprepared for what he’d see. When he went there all he saw was heroes doing nothing to save the hostage just screaming about having the wrong quirk for this.
He couldn’t understand that they could easily do something. Backdraft could just spray the slime villain with water and Death Arms could grab him out, ignoring how he could get hurt in favor of saving the hostage.
Izuku hasn’t looked at the hostage yet to focus on how the heroes aren’t doing anything. When he finally looked up and saw who it was he ran before he could think. It was Kaachan. He had to do something. He threw his bag aimed at the villain's eye, the only physical part. He started clawing at the villain saying how he could just stand there and watch.
A few moments later there was a giant gust of wind and Izuku was flying, landing on his back. It took a minute but Izuku got up. People to focus on how all might change the weather he slipped away.
Izuku walked home and Kaachan chased him down saying how he wasn’t better than him or whatever.
All Might also found him offering him a quirk. Izuku was quick to ask for the catch. The catch was that he needed to be the next “symbol of peace” not the kind of hero he wanted to be. He wanted to protect people, not for fame, not for the title but to help others.
Izuku declined the offer. He walked away from who used to be his hero, the man that said anyone could be a hero, the man who told him to be realistic. Izuku walked away, changing his fate.
When he got home he said hi to his mother then went to his room. After getting fused over by his overly loving worrying mother. He assured her he was fine.
Once he got to his room he tried not to puke so much All Might. He went and got teaching can. He took every poster, every magazine ever figure, everything hero-related, and threw it in the bag.
He saw through the lies they told he saw they weren’t heroes he saw if all. He was done with them.
He went to the roof grabbing the bag (he kept all the stuff he could sell in a different bag) he grabbed a lighter.
He burned it all, he burned his love for the hero away with that bag. He looked around wanting to know if there were any good heroes, real heroes.
He walked back to his apartment, his mom asleep. By now it was close to midnight after all. He went to his room. He's never seen it this baren.
He grew up in one long day. That day he saw through the magic. He witnesses the death of his hero. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a hero anymore.
-
It’s been a few weeks since he has taken late-night walks or sitting on the roof. Due to having very few clothes besides hero merch, he only had a black hoodie with green lightning at the end and black pants on. He was walking around trying to figure out what to do with his life now that being a hero was no longer an option.
He zoned out thinking he came back to himself at the sound of a scream. He ran not thinking he didn’t care if someone needed help.
They say that every great hero moves before they can think. Izuku did with the sludge villain most will calm that that’s when he first started his road to being a hero. But Izuku, Izuku will say it was when he heard a scream from an alleyway and saw a woman being mugged. Izuku will say that’s when he knew he was going to be a hero.