Chapter Text
"You cannot become a hero. Be realistic."
Izuku replayed that sentence as he lay on the roof All Might left him on. He stared up at the dark, starless sky, a slight grey hue from pollution making the sky seem closer. When Izuku was young, he lived in the countryside with his mom and dad. After his dad left, the only time he ever had peace was when he snuck out or Inko locked him out at night. He'd always go to his meadow, lie down, and look at the stars. He loved the soft swirls and the different constellations they formed. That peace didn't last long though. Soon enough his father remotely sold the property. They were forced to move into the busy city so Inko could find work. What a day, Izuku thought with a humorless huff. First, his mom left a lovely note, blaming him for her inability to love and telling him that she was leaving and to never reach out, But oh of course the universe decided that didn't make his day bad enough. And then Kacchan suicide-baited him. A line that his lackeys liked to use as a jump rope, but Katsuki never did. And it hurt, Kacchan was the first and last person who believed in him; no matter how short-lived that belief was. But oh shit the camel's still standing, so of course on the way home he got attacked by a villain sexually assaulted, and then drowned all by himself. what a way to go. but then All Might showed up and Izuku thought it was looking up but then "Be realistic". Ok, that's fine he just needs to get off this roof before that sets in, but oh joy, the doors are locked. So Izuk felt justified in calling this an awful day. And as childish as it sounds he just wants someone to hug and cuddle him and tell him that All Might was wrong and that it's going to be ok. "I can't be a hero. And vigilantes are illegal and I can't even be one." Izuku paused at that thought "Wait I can't be a vigilante I'd need a quirk for that. Oh my god I'm so stupid". He sat up as he planned. this vigilante gig seems more and more possible. Izuku finally stood burned skin and muscles, bruised bones, and scabs screaming at him and pulling the skin uncomfortably. He looked around for an exit. He'd email the Civilian Building Safety Association about the missing fire escape later, but for now, he has to scale the building. couldn't be too hard.
And just like that He officially started patrolling as a vigilante. He thought it'd be a lot harder to get started as a vigilante. but one trip to the hardware store and Dagoba Beach and he finally got all of his gear: Two iron pipes heavy enough to pack a punch and make his arms sore, but not enough to impair him in any way, A Full face mask that he engineered himself with trash from Dagoba and a soldering iron he "borrowed" from the schools welding club, And it was pretty damn cool if he said so himself, with a fingerprint lock that looked like a key lock that kept it on his face, it also had a voice modulator and a adjustable binocular effect or "Zoom In" feature. He also picked up a slingshot. His aim was good too. Really, how the hell did this take him so long to do? It didn't even take 1 week to throw this together. That was with him registering and working on his online schooling. Izuku finished tying the mugger up with some zip ties. Who knew that skills acquired from constant fear, bullying, and analyzing hero fights would translate so well into vigilante work?