Chapter Text
“USELESS DEKU!”
Izuku flinches at the insult, he’s used to it by now, of course, but one of the scars on his back reminds him Kacchan likes to see a reaction. Class just ended and he and Kacchan were alone. He clamped his notebook tight to his chest, but he was too late. Kacchan yanked the notebook away and read the title loudly.
“HERO ANALYSIS FOR THE FUTURE: 36?” Kacchan cackled loudly.
He lit it on fire right in front of Izuku’s face and swung it back and forth, mocking Izuku. He stood up straight and threw it out the open window into the koi pond below.
At least it’s in the pond, that should stop the fire then, probably after a beating, he could pick it up on his way home or to the convince store, depending on how mad Kacchan was. He was always looking on the bright side, giving people like Kacchan a constant 2nd chance. Even when that second chance turns into a 174th chance.
“DEKU?! WHAT THE FUCK?! YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME, YOU LITTLE QUIRKLESS BASTERD!?” Kacchan screamed, irritated by Izuku’s mumbling.
“N-No! Of-Of course not, Ka-Kacchan!” Izuku was visibly shaking he didn’t mean to mumble, really! But sometimes it just slipped out while he was thinking.
He felt a gruff hand on his shoulder as it started to get warm, the warm got to hot, and the hot got to burning, and soon Izuku could physically feel the burn spreading and scarring.
He was roughly picked up by his burnt shoulder and dragged out his classroom to the alleyway Kacchan always had his worst beatings at.
Izuku was dropped onto the floor of the alley and landed in a heap. He quickly regained his senses and stood up. He ignored the searing pain in his shoulder. The convince store wasn’t far from here, he’d probably have to pick up more bandages and burn cream after this.
“THERE YOU GO AGAIN, NERD! YOU’RE MUMBLING LIKE THE FREAK OF NATURE YOU ARE! PAY ATTENTION, GOD DAMMIT! U.A. WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY DREAM, MY GOAL. I WAS GONNA BE THE ONLY ONE IN THIS WRETCHED SCHOOL GOING TO U.A. I AM GONNA BE THE NUMBER ONE HERO, DEKU. YOU’RE JUST A STUPID PEBBLE!” Kacchan started panting.
Throughout the one sided screaming match there was a barrage of explosions. Kacchan grabbed Izuku’s finger and bent it until it cracked while sending a bunch of super-heated mini explosions into it. He shook with rage and Izuku was genuinely terrified. This was the first he had ever seen Kacchan this mad. He closed his eyes and failed to dodge another huge explosion to the face.
It was his dream since he was a boy to be a hero. Just like All Might, just like everyone. But the huge inferno that was once his dream had been stomped on and covered so many times by so many people that it only barely stayed alive as a small flame. In class, his teacher, obviously trying to start something, announced where everyone was applying for high school. No matter how many times he was told he couldn’t, he still wanted to be a hero, but if that made Kacchan mad, or worse made Kacchan give up on his dream, Izuku could never dream of wanting to do something so selfish. Maybe he should give up on his dream, if it is the right thing to do.
Kacchan was shaking with pure fury. At Izuku, at his school, at life and everyone in it. Izuku had ruined his plans for the last time and he was gonna pay for it.
Kacchan grabbed Izuku’s right arm and burned it badly while suker-punching Izuku in the gut. Izuku felt all the air leave him in an instant and started cough furiously. Kacchan didn’t even let him regain his breath before mustering up a punch to the face that probably broke his nose.
He put a hand to his mouth when he felt a familiar warm liquid drip down from his nose. Definitely broke his nose. He internally sighed. What would mom think? He’d have to clean this up without getting seen. He loved his mom, he truly did, but he didn’t want anyone getting in trouble for what was obviously his fault and he knew his mom would not take kindly to finding out her son was being bullied and was hiding it from her. He might be able to patch himself up in the alley behind the convince store. He roamed the alleys to hide from his classmates after school, so he could navigate pretty well.
“STOP MUMBLING! IT’S ANNOYING! YOU’RE LOOKING DOWN ON ME, YOU FUCKING USELESS DEKU! I’M SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST! I’M THE ONE WHO’S GONNA BE THE NUMBER ONE HERO! I’M BETTER THAN ALL MIGHT AND MOST DEFINITELY BETTER THAN A QUIRKLESS PEICE A SHIT DEKU! IF YOU WANT TO BE A HERO SO BAD WHY DON’T YOU GO LIKE A SWAN AND DIVE OFF THE FUKING ROOF, YOU NERD!” Kacchan had visible smoke coming from him.
Now Izuku was the one shaking badly, his best friend had just told him to kill himself. Sure he’d been told to kill himself berfore, but that was classmates and strangers he didn’t know well, not his best friend, Kacchan. But was he really ever his friend? He tormented Izuku constantly. Bullied him for as long as he remembered. Even if he is right-even though he is right, Izuku doesn’t feel like he’s Kacchan anymore. No, Bakugo may be the best, may become a hero, may be right, but he’ll be Bakugo while doing it
Bakugo turned around and shakily stomped away. He seemed like he was processing what he just said himself.
Izuku wanted to laugh it off, say Bakugo was just joking and move on with his day, but he couldn’t move.
Was Bakugo right?
Should he really just jump off the roof?
It might be better for everyone now that he thinks about it. He wouldn’t have to feel the pain of being bullied, Bakugo and his classmates could live on to have better lives and forget about him, and even his mom would benefit, she wouldn’t be known as the quirkless kid’s mom and she could move on and forget, too.
Everyone could just move on and forget.
Everyone would be better off without him.
He didn’t release he was on the roof until he felt the cold breeze. He looked down at the traffic, moving on normally without him. He sat down, feet dangling over the edge. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to end his life because of others?
He froze. He never really thought about why he was about to do this, did he? Was it because his dream was shattered? He didn’t deserve to ruin Bakugo’s own dreams and go to U.A. Or was he right? Was it really just because of other people making his life hell?
At that very moment, sitting on the edge of Aldrea Middle School’s roof, contemplating his life, Izuku Midoriya snapped.
Sweet, kind, caring, sunny, loving, optimistic Izuku Midoriya decided fuck it, I’m gonna be a hero anyway.
Izuku doesn’t care about the bullshit Bakugo or anyone says, he’s gonna be a hero no matter what. He will NOT let the small fire that is his dream be stomped on by some bullies. He WILL become a hero.
He was standing now, he glanced down at the traffic again, but this time it had a different meaning. When everyone in his life told him no, told him he can’t be a hero, told him he’s useless because he doesn’t have a quirk, he will scream right back “YES I FUCKING CAN!” He will be the green light to his own story.
After all…
Green light means fight.