Well this story blew up quick. Glad you guys like it. Chapter 3 is finished and 4 is in development as of uploading, but my writing is slow because I'm lazy. Apologies in advance if you have to wait more.


Chapter 2: Monster

"GET THIS THING RESTRAINED! I CAN'T KEEP UP LIKE THIS!"

THWAK

'What the…? What's going on?' Mike thought. He blinked a few times trying to figure out what was going on.

His vision cleared and he saw...Mt. Lady? Didn't she debut a few days ago?

'Oh hey, heroes. What are they-' Mike stopped his thoughts when he got a closer look at her. Cuts, bruises, and bitemarks. What happened to her?

She threw a fist at him.

THWAK

Mike stumbled back, unprepared for the hit. He shook his head and groaned. What he did not expect to hear was an unearthly bellow from his own mouth.

'What the hell was that?'

"Its behavior's changed! Be on guard!" She yelled.

'Be on guard? For what?'

Mt. Lady took a hunched fighting stance.

'Wait. Why are you hitting me?' Mike asked her in his head.

Mike stood up straight and looked around. He was...up high…?

'Hold up...Mt. Lady has a gigantification quirk...and if she's using it, then that means...I'm bigger!' He looked around again. The place was a mess. Ruined buildings, destroyed roads and...people. Frightened people. All staring at him in fear.

'No! Wait, this is all a misunderstanding!' He shouted, but only beastly growls came out.

Another fist landed in his gut. He stumbled back, falling on his rear. The road below him shattered and kicked up a small cloud of dust.

"You aren't getting anywhere near them, you monster!" She shouted at him, malice and determination in her voice.

'M-monster…?' Mike looked down at his hands. Red muscle poked out from his skin. No. not skin.

'Armor...'

Chiseled and tan rock-like armor covered his body in place of skin. Mike stared in horror at his own body. Then something in him clicked.

The buildings around him, reduced to rubble. The frightened people. The injured heroes.

'I did this…!'

From his mouth came something akin to sobbing. Well, as close to sobbing as a giant monster could get. He stood back up as quick as he could, turned on his heel, and ran.

"Get back here you son of a bitch!" Mt. Lady called after him, no doubt in hot pursuit.

Each thundering step he took, he could feel the earth break just a little bit more beneath his feet. Mike kept running for who knows how long, trying desperately to get away. He wouldn't have stopped if it weren't for the reflective shine of a building. He skidded to a halt and walked closer to the building, untouched by his apparent rampage. He looked at his reflection and was horrified.

More armor covered his face, sculpted into a squared jawline. His eyes were a piercing yellow. He opened his mouth, and a horizontal split in the armor made itself known. His armor opened up like a sci-fi helmet, parting to reveal his teeth in a burst of steam.

"The armor. Reminds me of her. And...if she was a dude instead."

The reflective building was fogged up and covered in steam as Mike started sobbing again. Not weak muffled sobs from behind his armor like earlier, but full blown, unrestrained crying.

"There you are! You're not getting...away?" Mt. Lady was confused to say the least. At first, she was fighting this thing off as it tried to tear her limb from limb, now she was watching it cry like a baby.

'Just what the hell is going on today?' She sarcastically asked herself.

The monster looked at her and its eyes widened. It took up a crude fighting stance, fists still shaking from either crying, or fear. She couldn't tell which. To her surprise, the creature spoke. Well, crudely, but it still managed to speak.

"GO...AWAY...I'M… A MONSTER…" it said.

"You know I can't just let you leave. Surrender now before you do something you might regret."

"CAN'T...DO THAT."

"Then I'm bringing you in!" Mt. Lady charged at him and punched him square in the jaw. Mike's teeth rattled from the hit, even feeling one coming loose. He stumbled back and raised his fists again in defense. He didn't have to be good at fighting to know he was at a disadvantage. He had no experience fighting, and his opponent has already taken down a few villains with ruthless efficiency no doubt. He wasn't quite sure how long his armor would protect him, but he didn't want to take his chances.

Steeling himself, he threw an underhanded punch into her stomach, exploiting the opening she had created. He may have been a bit slow to hit, but damn did it hurt. At least as far as he could tell. He didn't know exactly how hard he hit her in the heat of the moment, but the small amount of blood she spat out was enough for him to get a rough idea. Too hard.

His gut wrenched at the sight of her blood. It disgusted him.

"That...all you got?!" She coughed. The fiery resolve in her eyes was both intimidating and admirable.

"PLEASE, JUST STOP. I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT ANYMORE." Mike had tears welling up in his eyes again. It was exactly as the saying went. "THIS HURTS ME MORE THAN YOU."

Mt. Lady wiped the blood from her mouth and grit her teeth. "BULLSHIT!" She screamed. She rushed him, keeping her body closer to the ground. Rearing her fist back, she drove it straight toward his mouth again. Seeing the approaching threat, Mike's mouth guard snapped shut.

Her fist impacted the armored plates, doing more harm to her than her target. She didn't even have time to register the pain from the armored fist planted right in her face.

Mt. Lady was thrown back by the impact, skidding across the ground to a halt. She struggled to move from her spot, quickly succumbing to the massive punch that was sent her way. She fought to retain consciousness, a battle she was quickly losing. Her head finally dropped to the pavement, and she was still. Mike looked onward from his position, barely having moved.

'None of this was supposed to happen. I'm sorry...' Mike thought as he turned on his heel and ran. He hated this. He hated every last bit of this. The day was going so well and just like that, it went straight to Hell. Mike dared not turn around and see what destruction he'd wrought. He just ran. He didn't know where or how long he'd run, but he knew-

"You've got some nerve just leaving this big of a mess behind, foul villain!"

He...he knew that voice. There's no way in hell it could belong to anyone else.

"And it's MY job to help clean it up!"

All Might. The number one pro hero. Big and buff, Blue and red western styled hero costume, two horn-like parts of hair, and a shit-eating grin that had been replaced by an uncharacteristic frown.

"Starting with you! DETROIT…"

'NO! PLEASE, I'M SORRY!' Mike panicked. He couldn't stop running. Not at this speed. He'd do even more damage by trying to halt his sprint. He couldn't turn either, there was no way he could turn without destroying things. Couple that with how fast he was running, and that made turning even less of a good idea. Then there's the glaring problem of All Might being right on his fucking shoulder. He was about to hit him, that much was clear as day. If and when All Might hit him, it would surely cause a shift in Mike's balance and send him tumbling, thus even more destruction. The only thing left he could do was try and minimize the damage.

"SMASH!"

Mike quickly slapped his left hand over All Might, covering the hero under his hand. Just in time, too. It felt like a bomb went off under his hand, as to be expected of All Might. He'd seen the hero in action before, and those he fought usually went down with one punch, somehow without any major injuries. Feeling the force of one of those punches himself was something else entirely. While All Might would most likely hold back against regular criminals, Mike didn't have that mercy. His thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers shattered from the impact, flying clean off and knocking the rest of his hand free. He didn't feel any pain, but definitely discomfort. It was a sort of numb feeling where his fingers should be, with steam pouring from the open wounds.

'Holy hell, that strength is insane! I can't take another hit like that!' Mike panicked and looked around him as buildings sped by. 'Gotta find a way out! Gotta find somewhere open!'

A green field appeared in the distance, catching his eye.

'The park! Close enough! I might be able to make it!'

All might rubbed his knuckles. "I didn't think you'd sacrifice your own fingers to do that! Ha! You truly are something. However, I won't let this destruction go on any longer!"

'Neither will I!' Mike thought. Picking up his speed, he ran full throttle towards the open field. His mouth guard cracked open and let out a burst of steam between his teeth, creating a short trail behind him. He sucked in air, and with a mighty bellow-

"ROOOOOAARRGGHH!"

All might covered his ears as he tried to stay balanced on the monster's shoulder. He turned his head and saw the field. The monster was picking up speed. 'Time to get off!' He realized.

The beast did a small hop as it came to the field. It dug its heels into the ground, slowing it to a halt as it fell over forward onto its stomach. It dug its hands into the ground, pushing itself upright onto its knees.

Mike could hear the screams of people nearby, how they screamed of a monster and how they wished someone would save them. Mike felt weak. He caused all of this, he caused their screams of terror, the city-wide destruction, the injured heroes, everything. He felt weaker. Weak in the knees, the arms, even his head started to pound with a returning headache.

He just wanted to rest…

THUMP

The monster landed straight on its face in a cloud of dirt, dust, and steam. Jets of steam erupted from the monster's body. Its armor hissed and fell off piece by piece, each emitting a burst of steam in its own cloud. Out of the monster's nape, a pillar of steam poured from a massive gash. Out of the wound emerged a figure, groggy and unaware. He pulled himself from the fleshy nerves that bound him, and flopped off the side of the monster's neck to the ground. Slowly, he picked himself up, walked over to a nearby tree, and slumped against it, drifting off into a much needed nap.

"...id! Kid! Wa…"

Mike groggily opened his eyes, struggling to see around him.

"Kid! Hey! Wakey Wakey!"

His eyes finally snapped open.

"Phew! You were totally out of it! Glad you're awake now!"

All might stood there before him, smiling as if nothing happened. Mike's heartbeat spiked. He internally screamed. The one who was just trying to kill him was talking to him like he was having a friendly conversation. Wait...just tried to kill him…?

Like a bolt of lightning, the memories came back and shot through Mike's mind at light speed.

Mike pushed up against the tree, backing up further and trying to disappear.

"W-What…?" He stuttered.

"There was a giant villain running around the city. I chased them here and put a stop to it! You're safe now, young man!" All Might put his fists on his hips and gave a courageous smile.

Mike looked past All Might and saw a cloud of steam around a giant corpse.

His corpse.

There was armor bits littered everywhere. Steam rose from each of the pieces. The corpse itself had apparently begun to decay, bits of bone started poking out from the flesh. He could see finger bones, ribs, even the collarbone.

"You don't wanna see that stuff, kid. Pretty gruesome. You're not hurt are you?" All Might kneeled down to Mike's level.

"N-No sir. I'm f-fine." Mike tried to keep his cool, but was quickly failing.

"Igottagethomenow!Thankyousirbyesir!" Mike nearly shouted before shooting up and running off.

All Might barely registered what happened before the kid bolted off. "Huh. Weird kid." He said. 'Reminds me a bit of Young Midoriya…' He thought that last part to himself.

All might stood up and looked around and tried to see if anyone nearby looked suspicious. Anyone who could possibly resemble the armored giant. He found none. Sighing, he leapt off into the distance and landed in an alley.

He peeked out from the shadows. Nothing. Deciding it was safe, he exhaled, and deflated back into his skeletal self, Toshinori Yagi. His costume immediately sagged around his now skeletal form. His once groomed and styled 'All Might' hair frizzed up and turned into an unruly mess. He sighed and reached into his costume pocket and pulled out his phone. He swiped through his contacts and pulled up the number of a good friend.

Ring! Ring!

"Hello?" The person answered.

"Detective Naomasa. It's Toshinori."

"Ah. Toshi. Need something?"

"Yes. I need your help with a case."


Mike slumped against a building in an alley. He was tired. He had been running for at least thirty minutes by now. It was a miracle his legs didn't give out.

He leaned his head back against the hard brick wall and sighed. He let the memories flood back again, taking it slowly to analyze what he had done. He had hurt people. A lot of people. He hurt heroes. He hurt people's families and destroyed their homes and businesses.

He was a monster…

Mike felt tears well up in his eyes. He didn't bother fighting it. He just let it out, sobbing uncontrollably. He buried his face in his hands and felt tears trickling between his fingers.

He realized people would be looking for him, he knew that much. What he didn't know was what his family would say. Would they still love him? Would he still be their son? Would they even want him anymore?

He was most likely a man on the run. He couldn't go back to his family, as much as he wanted to. To just go to bed and have it all poof away like a dream? No, that just wasn't possible. He couldn't go to the police either. That'd be a one-way ticket to jail right there.

Every passing moment made the situation seem more and more hopeless.

"Excuse me?" A girl's voice called from outside the alley. Mike jolted, stiffening at the voice.

"Are you alright? I heard crying."

'Dammit…' Mike cursed to himself.

"N-no…" Mike sniffed. "Not at all…"

The person stepped into the alley, casting away her shadow. He got a better look at who found him. A tall girl with onyx catlike eyes and a spiky black ponytail, dressed in a women's school uniform.

"Here, let me help." She undid the buttons on her uniform.

"What are you doing?!" He sputtered and turned around, red as a tomato. After a few moments of unbridled embarrassment, he heard a sort of shimmering noise, and suddenly felt a blanket being draped over his shoulders.

"Huh…?" He turned back around to see her buttoning her uniform back up.

"Sorry about that. I should have warned you."

"But...where did the…?"

"How rude of me!" She bowed. "My name is Momo Yaoyorozu. My quirk is creation."

"O-oh. Nice to meet you, Momo." Mike curled up into the warm blanket. "And thank you. My name is Michael Fritz, but you can just call me Mike." He bowed his head, returning the gesture.

Um…" Momo fidgeted. "What were you doing back here?" Mike looked down and gave no response. "Do you…not have a place to stay?" Mike made a short gasp, which didn't go unnoticed.

'I can't go back home, the police will probably be looking for me so I can't stay here…I really don't have anywhere else to go.' He thought.

"No...I don't. I'm on my own." He finally answered.

"Well," Momo scratched her cheek. "If you'd like, I can set up the guest room in my apartment until you get back on your feet."

Mike had a glimmer of hope. Someone offered him shelter! Shelter to a monster like- Wait.

"Guest room? In an apartment?"

"Yes. A guest room. My apartment is actually located in the building we're next to." Momo gestured to the wall. "My parents own the building."

"You...Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me." Mike sniffled as he smiled.

Momo led him inside and informed the front desk that Mike was with her. After a short elevator ride, Momo led him to her door, and he was presented with a personal slice of heaven to live in.

"I'm going to go get changed," she said. "I'll be right out. We'll prepare the guest room later."

Mike situated himself on the white sofa, practically melting into the cushions in bliss. He wiped the faint moisture from below his eyes. Momo Yaoyorozu...she took him in just like that. She gave him a blanket and even a place to stay in less than five minutes! They barely knew each other!

Slipping off his shoes, Mike lied down on the sofa, tucked his knees in, and covered himself in sweet, fuzzy warmth. His emotions, his problems, they all just seemed to fade away right there as he drifted off to sleep.

A minute later, Momo returned to the living room and saw Mike curled up in his new blanket. She smiled at the scene, then she turned back to fix up the guest room herself.

End of Chapter 2