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For once the dorms at UA were quiet. This didn’t often happen, and when it did it was usually for a negative reason; a fight had just happened, someone had gotten kidnapped, Aizawa found out about their last prank war, etc. But this time the quiet felt different. Almost as if the world was listening.
And what was it listening to?
Well, the thoughts of one boy.
One boy star gazing on the roof
Izuku Midoriya to be precise
A boy who never got the chance to be a kid the way everyone around him did. After all, quirkless kids aren’t real kids. His mom tried her best of course but there wasn’t much she could do about the bullying, being excluded from parties, and the feeling that something was wrong with him.
Then along came All Might, his hero. The man Midoriya had idolized for so long. Who shortly after became the man who told Midoriya he couldn’t be hero, before changing his mind. They had talked about it all and Midoriya had forgiven him for his original statement. There wasn’t much to forgive after all, that was just what everyone thought.
But anyways, it was a quiet night. The perfect night for all the things he had left behind to come creeping back out. After all, quiet nights are when thoughts are the loudest.
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For once All Might couldn’t sleep. What was left of the vestiges in his head were screaming at him for some reason.
Taking a walk around the campus, he happened to glance up at the stars. In looking up, he noticed a small figure on the roof. Smiling to himself, he makes his way over to the front door and up the stairs.
Emerging on the roof, he walks over.
“Midoriya, my boy, what are you doing up so late?”
“Couldn’t sleep. And what about you All Might? You’re out and walking around pretty late yourself.”
“I felt called to go out but the urge seems to have calmed now that I’m up here with you. May I sit a while?”
“Of course.”
Midoriya scoots over to let All Might rest up against the wall he is leaning on. The two rest for a moment in silence.
“All Might can I ask you something?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Did…do you ever feel like you missed out on your childhood being quirkless?”
“Sometimes, but you have to remember that it was a bit better when I was a kid. There were more quirkless around and people knew more about them.”
“I see.”
The two drift back to silence once more, but this time it feels like there is something waiting to break it that wasn’t there before. It didn’t take long before All Might started to notice Midoriya shaking slightly.
“Midoriya?”
Turning to look All Might notices that Midoriya is crying. It’s different from his usual tears. Instead of being big and loud, they are fast and nearly silent, just streaming down his face.
“Midoriya! Izuku. What’s wrong?”
“Why me All Might?”
Midoriya pauses before what seems like years of emotions pour out of his mouth.
“Why did everyone else get to be a kid and I didn’t? I mean I'm supposed to be a kid now still aren't I? I'm not an adult yet. I'm not supposed to have to have adult problems! I shouldn't have to fear for my safety around every corner. And it only got worse after I took on your quirk. Not that I'm blaming you, I would take the hardest quirk over no quirk every day, I wasn't expecting to inherit a generational war with it! I shouldn't have to fight every day. But it's not like that started at UA anyways, it's been scary to be me for a long time. And what's worse is, I don't know who to talk about it or how to talk about it!”
All Might could hear his heart break.
“Oh Izuku.”
He pulls the young boy closer to his side, looking down and seeing for the first time in a while how young his protégée really was still.
“You don’t have to be an adult yet. Let’s just rest for a moment. Together. And when we get up, we can figure out what’s next. Let me take on some of the burden that you took from me.”