Benefit of the Doubt

by 2degreesabovefreezing

Bakugo, an eternally angry teenager from a lower-income family starts his sophomore year of high school at a new private school. His late arrival, pessimistic attitude, and lack of status make it clear that he doesn't fit in there. Only classmate Midoriya gives Bakugo the benefit of the doubt and tries to befriend him. As they come to realize, they have more than a friendship.

2. The Parasite

When I arrived home to the apartment, streamers sloppily decorated the entranceway and a cake waited on the table. I made it through the first month at the new school and had actually adapted a little bit. When I thought back about the last few weeks, my memories often involved the green-haired optimist. I wouldn't say we were friends but when Mr. Mori asks us to do anything in pairs, he's the only one I knew well enough to tolerate. I still didn't fully understand him, he was pretty unpredictable. That being said, most sides of his personality were easy to deal with.

As he promised, he didn't bother me on the roof again after that day when he returned the clothes I lent him. I was pretty sure I'd received more stupid threats but if I indeed did, then Midoriya got to them before me and threw them out. I still didn't know why he cared so much about that kind of stuff but I'd gotten used to it and decided to just let him do what he wanted. Overall, I'd say we were generally comfortable together. We'd reached a point of understanding where we just let each other be ourselves and that worked.

"Kaachan, we're so proud of you~" My mother said. She and my father had both come home early for the celebration. I couldn't help but smile. It felt good to be recognized for my successes.

"Keep up the good work." My dad encouraged with a big grin. I was happy… it seemed like I was actually going to do okay this time. My parents wouldn't have to worry about me and I wouldn't feel like a failure.

As we sat down to eat the cake, my dad scrolled through his emails on his phone. "Oh, Kaachan, I have something from your teacher ." He announced pleasantly. His face fell as he read the email and my heart dropped into my stomach. Fuck… I knew it. As soon as things start to go right, something has to come along to ruin it. When he looked up to me, he had fixed his smile but it didn't have the same authenticity to it. "It's not a lot to worry about, it just seems that your recent test didn't go well." I could see my mom getting fired up from the corner of my eye. Dad noticed too. "I mean, it's only one test. We- we'll get you a tutor and you'll be back on track in no time."

'Shit…' I thought. 'How much does a tutor charge? Ten dollars an hour? Fifteen? Twenty? That's too much. Shit, I'm causing so much trouble again. Fuck, I hate this.' "I don't need one!" I blurted out.

"Obviously you do." My mother retorted, her voice a little aggressive. "Look, you're getting along well at this school, let's not loose momentum here. I'm sure I can find someone, maybe a university student or someone, who'll do it a little cheaper for the experience."

My cheeks were flushing with frustration and shame. "Mom, I really don't need one! I'm serious!"

"How else are we going to correct this?" she asked. I could here on her voice that she would not be talked down.

"I-" I thought. "I'll study more. No one in the universities would know Mr. Mori's curriculum anyways, it would be useless."

My father had a bright idea that I loathed down to my very core. "I can email Mr. Mori and ask him if he has any students who would be willing to tutor you."

My mother quickly sided with him. "Yes! That way it'll be the exact material you're learning! Yes, that's a good idea."

My blood pumped quickly. That was a horrible idea! That would be so embarrassing! I hated all those fake-ass shit-eaters! No, I couldn't let them go through with this! "You don't have to email him! M-my friend can do it." The redness in my cheeks brightened but for a whole different reason. My friend? Yeah right. It was so embarrassing to just imagine how I could ask him without seeming pathetic or weak.

"A friend? Katsuki, you didn't tell us you had a friend." My mother said in shock.

"Who is it?" My father asked. Both watched me intently.

"M-Midoriya Izuku." I had never said his first name aloud before, it felt weird as it slipped off my tongue.

"Well… does he have good grades?" Mom asked, still thoroughly surprised by my statement.

"Yeah." I admitted bitterly. "He's third in the class." I hated that I knew that. I wasn't supposed to know anything about any of my classmates because that shows interest.

"Well then… okay! Honey, does that sound good to you?" My mother asked my father. He agreed. I was picturing making a hole in the wall with my head.

When the cake had been eaten, I went upstairs to my room and dug a little note out of the bottom of my backpack. It was a sturdy, pastel green card with a phone number scribbled on it. I remembered back to when I had received it.

It was only a few days into school, pretty soon after I met Midoriya, when he approached me before class at my desk, holding a lanyard and ID. I looked up at him and he smiled a little nervously. "What?" I demanded.

"You've already been here 4 days and you're still wearing that temporary ID. I figured you forgot to pick up the official one so I thought I'd just stop by and get it."

"Huh… that's funny. I don't remember hiring you to be my personal errand boy."

My aggression usually prompted him to be a little more forward. "You know, in a normal, friendly, society, people do nice things for each other sometimes." He said. He wasn't being snarky, he assumed I actually didn't know how boot-lickers like him played this polite game. "It doesn't mean you're indebted to anyone or that your weaknesses have been exposed, it's just what people do to lighten the burden on others and remind them that they're not doing it all on their own."

I pinched my brows together. Was he naïve or just stupid? I took the lanyard. "Next time, don't feel like you have to include me. I won't do any favors for anyone and I don't expect any done for me, got it?"

He sighed. "You can be so childish sometimes, Katsuki."

I felt my muscles tighten. I laced every word with venom. "Tell me…I really want to know… do you have a death wish?"

My aura seemed to have provoked some hesitation in him. "S-sorry." He said and sat down in his seat, opening his textbook to provide a distraction. It wasn't until lunch that I noticed that my ID card wasn't alone in the lanyard's clear plastic pouch. Behind it was slipped in a little green card. I pulled it out curiously. I was confused before I realized who put it there. Then I was just confused, flustered, and annoyed. I could tell the stationary didn't come from a notebook, he must have prepared it at home. Had he really wanted to give this to me so bad that he went out of his way, on his own time, to make it? Why? Did he think we were friends? Thoughts swirled around my head. 'What should I do with it? I can't keep it, that would be condoning this sort of thing. I should rip it up in front of his face, that'll show him.'

I imagined doing it and Midoriya watching with a sunken expression while his offer of friendship fell to the ground like snow. In my imagination, those emerald eyes lifted to catch mine, full of disappoint, pain, and betrayal. My heart tightened. Shit… why did that bother me? If you have a leech, you should rip it off, right? Then why did I hate thinking about that? Had I accidentally let him get to close?

I shoved the card into my bag and went back to class. I noticed Midoriya stealthily checking my lanyard to see if the card was still there. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't forget that it was there, in my backpack. As I carried it around, I could feel it radiating its stupid, friendly, aura. As I laid in bed, my eyes would fall on my backpack and I would be reminded. Midoriya was less like a leech and more like a parasite. How do you get rid of a parasite? You can't just yank it out once its in. You have to make the host inhospitable. That's what I would have to do. I'd have to remind him that I was not a good place to put his trust.

The next day at school, when he tried to say good morning, I didn't even give him and unimpressed frown like I usually did. I simply ignored him. When we were dismissed for lunch, I walked by his desk, dropping my used tissue on it carelessly, knowing it would bother him. I nonchalantly left the class and started down the hall when I heard hurried footsteps and a small, stern voice calling, "Katsuki!"

I turned around and scowled at him. "Don't call me-"

He interrupted, holding out the tissue. "You can throw out the card, I just wanted you to have it in case you were too shy to ask." He did two of his rough twitches. It was obviously painful for him to hold the tissue in his hand. "I don't care if you don't want to do anything nice for me but you can't tell me not to do nice things for whoever I want whenever I want." There was confidence and determination in his voice. He dropped the tissue on the ground and abruptly turned, heading toward the bathroom. It pissed me off that he was able to read my mind so easily. Still… I was impressed… behind his genuinely nice and gentle exterior was a strong-willed and brave kid. I tried to shake that admiration out of my thoughts but it was no good. I kept think about that incident… about him, for days to come.

As I sat in my room and held that green card, I wondered if I was getting myself in too deep. If a host accepts a parasite, they'll be overcome in no time. I ran my thumb over the black ink numbers. I remembered his smile, his scowl, his look of disappointment. Maybe it was okay to let him be my friend. After all, he was nice and sometimes, he didn't annoy me… no. No, he wasn't going to be my friend. He would just keep infecting me more and more. He'd want to hang out all the time and exchange gifts and do all that other stupid shit. He was like a hurricane. There's no such thing as a small hurricane, you get all or nothing.

I thought of my parents downstairs. I could hear Mom cleaning up the plates from the cake and I assumed Dad was taking down the streamers. I hated to admit it but they were right… I needed tutoring. Fuck, I hated feeling like I needed help. I tried to think of anyone else I knew in class that I could ask. There was one other person I knew, Kirishima, but he was barely passing. If I took help from him, I might start doing even worse. I opened my phone and started typing in the number from the Midoriya's card begrudgingly. This was going to make everything worse, I knew it. It took me several minute to think of what to say. I took a deep breath and tried to make it sound casual so hopefully, he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. My face was flushed.

(Katsuki) Waddup. I bombed the last test. What did you get?

My face was flushed. The little eye icon appeared immediately to show that he had seen the text. I hated just sitting there and waiting for the response.

(Midoriya) Katsuki?

(Katsuki) yeah

(Midoriya) I got full credit.

I snarled at the phone.

(Katsuki) Show me your notes.

(Midoriya) I can give them to you before class tomorrow 😊

(Katsuki) I can't read your shitty handwriting. Show them to me so I can goddamn understand them.

(Midoriya) Ohhh

(Midoriya) You want me to tutor you?

I grabbed a pillow from my bed and shoved my burning face into it. This was so humiliating! When I recovered, I set the pillow down and picked up my phone.

(Katsuki) Yeah, whatever

(Midoriya) K! Wanna meet up before class?

(Katsuki) K

With that, I put my phone away and went to take a shower to calm down. At least Midoriya hadn't been as annoying as I expected him to be but it was still stupid and frustrating.

As I approached school the next day, I saw a big, black, expensive, SUV at the entrance. 'I guess some rich prick gets here early too. What a big ego, who even own a car like that here? And gas is so expensive. The owner but be compensating for som-'

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw the greenette hop out of the car, all smiles as he waved to the driver. 'Shit… I always assumed Midoriya's family had some money but I guess they really do.' I tried to look away as if I was distracted by the boring brick building but it was no use. "Katsuki!" I heard him call. I kept walking. "Hey, wait!" His feet bounced across the pavement as he ran to catch up with me. Next thing I knew, a little hand snagged the back of my jacket. I turned around to the panting boy with a scowl. He smiled.

"We showed up at the same time! What a coincidence, huh?"

"Yup." I replied.

"Hey, it's pretty nice out. Want to study on the roof?"

"No."

"Huh? Why? It'll be getting cold soon then there won't be many opportunities to hang out outside."

The rooftop was a private place to me. I wanted it to stay mine. "Because I say so."

"Come on." He urged. "It'll be fun. It'll probably start snowing as early as October which means you only have one more month to enjoy the rooftop and that's not even taking into consideration the wind, which-"

"Stop mumbling. It's all dusty and stuff up there anyways."

He was quiet for a minute as we walked. "I still want to go."

"You're not going to get all twitchy?" I asked. He shook his head and I sighed. "Fine."

We went up to the roof and sat on the cement floor. I watched as he pulled out his textbooks and notebooks. It looked like his hair was growing out a bit, he kept pushing it out of his eyes. It looked really soft that day, like alpaca wool. I imagined what kind of a feel it would have if I touched it. Had the sun already made it warm or was it cool from the car ride? Dammit, why did I think about that? My face flushed quickly.

Midoriya looked up. "Katsuki? Your face is-"

"Hey! Mind your own business. Let's just get to work, okay?"

He nodded and uttered an affirmative grunt. He chose a notebook and I recognized a familiar pattern on it. Its bright red white and blue design assaulted the eyes. I locked eyes with the cartoon man who wore stars and stripes on his suit beneath a bright smile. "You really like Captain America, don't you?"

He smiled and nodded. "I like all the heroes but he's my favorite. He's really brave and he fights for justice for everyone!"

"He doesn't even have a sword or gun or anything. What kind of a villain would be afraid of a hero like that?"

"He has a shield." Midoriya mentioned. "His mission is to protect, not attack. Of course, he'll fight when he has to but when those times come, he doesn't take an impersonal approach to human life like a gun. He fights all of his enemies head on. It's a sign of respect and confidence in the power of justice."

I sneered. Midoriya was the most naïve and painfully optimistic person I'd ever met. "What's the use of heroes? Why can't people just protect themselves?"

"They could…" He looked down and admired the cartoon character. "They could, but it would cost them so much. So many lives would be lost. Everyone would have to keep their children at home, parents would be afraid to go to work. What a hero does is an act of love. Love for all the people he protects. They don't have to be scared and they don't have to give up their lives when bad things happen. The hero takes it all on his shoulders. He takes all that responsibility and suffering. He can't have a normal job or a family or a peaceful life. He constantly risks everything… for love."

I can't explain how I felt listening to him speak then. It was a new emotion, something I hadn't felt before. The cool wind prickled the hairs on the back of my neck and the leaves rustled all around us. It felt as if all my thoughts had stopped and I was really, truly, there in that moment with him. He looked up to me with a gentle and authentic smile. "If it were just for his sake, a hero couldn't do anything. All the power and motivation… it comes from his love for others."

My cheeks were a little warm but in a completely new way. I wasn't embarrassed or frustrated… Something new was happening. Midoriya broke me out of my hypnotic state with a sneeze. I blinked rapidly and regained myself. I was so confused, as if I had just gone through an out of body experience. "Excuse me! Sorry, once I start mumbling, it's hard to stop. Anyways, I think we should start on chapter four since that's what most of this unit's material relates back to."

We studied for nearly an hour and recapped all of chapter four. Midoriya shut his textbook and stretched. "My back is stiff and my tailbone hurts." He complained before checking his wristwatch. "Hey, there's still twenty-five minutes before class starts. Wanna get something to eat? There are a few street vendors outside the school gates. Let's get crepes!"

"No thanks." I said, putting my notebook back into my bag.

"My treat." He enticed.

I rolled my eyes and my stomach followed suit, grumbling like a garbage truck. Midoriya smiled and the sound and I scowled. 'Does this make us friends?' I wondered. 'Maybe this is dangerous… that feeling before… I don't know what that was…'

"Your treat?" I finally relented. We got up and he lead the way out to the vendors. I minded spending time with him less and less each day. Even though what he said about heroes and love was fairytale garbage, it sounded really nice too. I figured that, if something like that really existed, then I wouldn't mind being a hero. It's a life that has a real purpose.

I looked down at him as he ordered a lemon pastry with a smile. I decided that I would be willing to make sacrifices, big ones, if it meant that people like Midoriya could keep living simple and happy lives. He was so innocent, always assuming the best from people. People like him were the ones most crushed by the harshness of reality. If I could be a hero, I would want to fight so that Midoriyas everywhere could retain some of that childish joy.

Back in class, I realized that I was watching the greenette more than usual. Every few minutes during the lecture, I would check on him in my peripherals, just for a moment. I wasn't sure why. His speech about heroes had gotten to me. I mean it had really gotten me deep. It was a life that allowed one to enjoy the thrill of a fight and the bliss of a victory, justified by the protection of innocence. When I fought, the good feelings only lasted as long as the adrenalin. Afterwards, my bloody knuckles made me feel guilty and the weight of my wickedness bore down on me. But if I were a hero, all that would be different. After a fight, I would be able to say, 'I held back evil one more day so go ahead and smile. And don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow.'

"Katsuki, I've never seen you smile like that." A little voice said, waking me out of my daydream. I looked over to the wide-eyed Midoriya, my frown returning.

"Whaddya mean? I wasn't smiling." I replied.

"You were." He rebutted in a confident yet kind tone. "What were you thinking about?"

I huffed. This was so stupid, I shouldn't talk about it… but still… I felt a warm passion in my chest. "Hey, Midoriya…"

"Yeah?"

"Are there real heroes? Like Captain America?"

The boy's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yeah!"

"Really? How… how does someone become a hero like that?"

"Well, they just set their mind to helping people and then they look out for opportunities to do that."

"Like what?"

"Katsuki, do you, by chance, want to be a super hero?"

I didn't reply for a minute. Should I lie? What's the point? I knew Midoriya… I knew he wouldn't make fun of me. I nodded, determination in my eyes. The green eyes smiled at me with unparalleled brilliance.

"I think it would suit you really well." He agreed. My heart beat grew quicker. I don't know why but it made me really happy when he said that. "I want to be one too. Let's try together, okay?"

Just like that, the parasite had completely wormed its way in. I nodded, smiling.

When the bell released us for lunch, Midoriya asked if he could come up to the roof with me. I told him no once but rolled over by the time he started emitting a low whine of "please please please please please"

On the roof, we agreed to meet up after school and walk down into the small city in hopes of carrying out some vigilante justice. "You do all the fist fighting," he said, "And I'll help the victims."

I nodded, folding a slice of bread in half and stuffing it into my mouth. Midoriya watched, obviously unfamiliar with regular people food. "Is that just bread without anything on it like butter or jam?" He asked. I nodded, licking the crumbs off my fingers casually. "Is it good?" He wondered. I nodded again. It wasn't especially good or bad, it was just bread. "Can I try?"

I scowled a little possessively. He looked down at his tray and picked up a fat, ripe, pear. "Trade me for this?" He asked. 'Stupid rich kids,' I thought, 'A pear for one regular slice of wheat bread? I guess they really don't have a concept of money.' I accepted the trade, handing him the floppy and slightly sweet bread. My mouth watered just looking at the pear.

I watched him take the first bite just in case he realized his mistake but instead, he chewed and smiled. "So this is what Katsuki eats for lunch." He said, his voice a little muffled by the food in his mouth.

Heat creeped up to my face and prickled my cheeks. I quickly devoured the pear in an attempt to distract myself. 'Why did I blush? Was that cute? What!? How could that be cute?' I guess… I was a little flustered to hear that he thought about me and wondered those sort of things… dammit! It was so, completely, stupid!

The boy across from me laughed a little bit. "You're making a funny face. Was the pear under ripe?" He asked.

"I was not making a funny face! Your face is funny! Why are your eyes half your face!?" I accused, causing Midoriya to laugh harder. "Twerp! Stop that! I'm not being funny! What's up with your stupid hair anyways? It looks like a bush! You could hide squirrels in there."

"Stop, my cheeks hurt~" He panted out in-between giggling fits.

That's how it was between us. He fully accepted the parts of me that drove others away. Even when I really screwed up, he turned the situation around. Once the school bell rang, our eyes met and we confirmed silently our plans. We took our backpacks and walked out to the street. As we headed towards the city, we kept our eyes peeled, looking around for wrong-doers. "Are you really not scared, Katsuki?" Midoriya asked.

"Are you insinuating that I have a reason to be scared? Psh, as if. It's those punks who should be scared of me."

"Are you just going to fight with your hands? What if they have a knife or bat or something?"

I looked down to the pale, emerald-eyed, boy. I sensed that he was nervous. "Don't worry, I've beat up guys with bats before, I'm pretty quick. Just remember… get the victim and get to safety. You won't be caught up in the violence at all."

"What if you need help?"

"I won't need help."

"I'm just saying-"

"I won't."

"Katsuki."

"Look…" I met eyes with him. "Even if it looks bad, don't come to help, okay? I don't want you to. Stay a safe distance away with the victim."

He begrudgingly agreed. We walked almost thirty minutes with no business. Students were out with their friends or on dates, mothers brought their children with them shopping, and loners occasionally walked by with their dogs or phones for company. "Katsuki, look!" Midoriya said, tugging on my sleeve. I looked where he pointed. A girl, wearing our school uniform under a grey hoodie was obviously engaged in a conflict with two teenage boys from another school. Their muffled voices were inflicted with anger and desperation. My attention should have been on the victim but my first thought was immediately given to Midoriya. I pushed him behind me. While most of my mind focused on the situation, a small portion was reserved for the boy. I constantly checked in the corner of my eye for him.

We approached the situation. "You can't stop by my work anymore, you can't!" The girl said. "I don't want to do business anymore, that's it. Done. There's plenty of other people to sell to, right? So go spend your time with those customers. I'm not buying from you again and that's that."

One of the boys got intimidatingly close to her. He towered over the petit girl. "That's not how it works. Our asses are on the line, you can't just hop in and out of this business on a whim. How do we know you won't go blabbing to daddy?"

"What do you want?" Her voice trembled.

The boys looked at each other. "What have you got? Phone? Watch? I know you go to that rich school."

"Hey, you two don't have anything better to do than pick on girls? That's pathetic, get a life." I said, drawing all eyes to me. The brown-haired girl looked familiar, she was in my class. What was her name? Muchacho? No… something like that.

"Ochaco?" Midoriya asked, surprised. The girl's eyes widened in horror. She had been caught. "Ochaco-chan, what's going on here?"

Before she could answer, one of the boys threw his arm around her shoulder casually. "Just a conversation between friends, no need to worry. You two know Uraraka too?" He smiled down at her. "Uraraka, you didn't tell me your friends were going to hang out with us. I haven't even introduced myself. Although… I suppose if you would just lend me your phone and laptop, I wouldn't have to. I'd just be on my way." The girl trembled.

"Look, I don't know what kind of shady shit is going on here but I don't really care." I responded. "We're just here to walk Uraraka home, phone and computer included."

"I don't think our little Uraraka is who you think she is, friend." The teenager said with a smirk. "This innocent angel has been popping pills like a terminally-ill person for months." He pulled her closer to him, provoking the scared girl to stop her heel into his toes. "FUCK!" he growled, getting a fistful of her hair. She yelped. As I was about to step in, a green tuft of hair sped by my side and attacked the opponent with uncontrolled and unprepared force.

"Let go of her!" He screamed, throwing wild punches anywhere and everywhere. The second teen yanked Midoriya by the collar of his shirt, choking him as he threw him to the concrete with a heavy thud. A switch inside of me flipped when I saw the innocent boy's head smack against the pavement. My intention changed from a fun and virtuous fight to bloodlust. Quicker than lightening, I attacked the boys. My fist met muscle and bone, it hurt like hell, but I couldn't stop. I destroyed them. Even when they were both on the ground, I continued to kick them hard in their ribs and stomachs.

I felt absolutely rabid. When I saw their fists, I remembered the hand that snatched Midoriya's collar. When I saw their feet, I thought of the shoes that stood beside his body on the pavement. When I looked into their eyes, I recalled their fleeting expressions of victory. I wondered if this was what it meant to be a hero. I could think of nothing but the innocent who had been hurt. Those thoughts provided all my fuel, more power and ferocity than I'd ever known.

I only stopped when thin, familiar arms wrapped around me and tried to pull me off. He wasn't strong enough to physically stop me but the touch woke me up from my violent trance. I turned around and looked into his wide, scared eyes. Scared… was he scared of me? Did I do that? "Katsuki…" His voice was so fragile. "Katsuki… stop."

'Oh…' I thought, looking at my bloody hands. Most of the blood wasn't mine. I glanced to the teens. They were fine but by the looks of it, the damage was going to be pretty lasting. Two broken noses, a split brow, busted lip, a missing tooth, maybe some fractured ribs, and an impressive collection of bruises. I looked back to Midoriya with a face of realization. I had never hurt anyone that bad. I was confused and afraid.

"It's over…" His kind, reassuring, voice soothed. "They're done. It's over now. We should get going before they call someone."

I nodded, still too traumatized to process everything. I followed the green-haired boy as he led Uraraka and I to a near-by store's loading area. It was hidden and private. We were all panting from our escape. I finally regained myself. "I told you to stay aside!" I scolded. This time, my anger was authentic and tinged with concern. "You idiot! Why didn't you just listen to me!? If you had listened to me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt and everything wouldn't have turned out how it did!"

Midoriya sniffed. There were tears in his equally passionate expression. "I had to! Ochaco's our classmate! Our friend! I couldn't just stand aside!"

I grabbed his arms and pulled him intensely close, my blood boiling. "But you. Got. Hurt." My heart raced like a lawn-mower engine. "Do you understand? You got hurt… that was never part of the plan."

"You got hurt too…" He protested, his anger dying down.

"That doesn't matter! That's fine!"

"So why is it fine for you to get hurt but not me?"

That question stumped me. I was silent for a moment, releasing his arms. I looked away, refusing eye contact with him. "It just is." I grumbled, my fire simmering down.

"Please don't fight." Ochaco spoke up. "There's already been so much trouble caused for my sake so please… don't fight."

"What the hell was that all about?" I asked, glad for a diversion.

"That guy back there… he- he was telling the truth. For a long time, I bought pills from them. My family doesn't have a lot of money. You of all people should understand that, Bakugo. They work really hard to afford my tuition and I couldn't stand to see them work those crazy long shifts and come home completely exhausted for me… I couldn't stand by and watch without doing anything." A few tears rolled down her cheeks. "So I got a part time job to do after school but my grades were dropping because I was always too tired after work to study and do my homework…"

"So you turned to pills to help you focus." I predicted.

She nodded, clearly ashamed. "I didn't think it would come to that but other students swore by them. They did help. I had a lot more energy and I could focus on my studies but I've decided that I don't want them anymore! If these grades are only possible because of the pills… are they really mine at all? I feel dirty when I get good marks on an exam because I know that I had an advantage others didn't have."

"So what? You also had a huge disadvantage too, I would consider that leveling the playing field. Besides, I bet you're not the only one at school who uses methods like that." I said. Midoriya and Uraraka both stared at me in shock. I guess it surprised them that I didn't reject the idea of study drugs or that I even bothered to defend Uraraka, a girl I barely knew. I guess a real hero would tell her that she had been wrong to use the pills and that those methods were evil but I knew her situation too well. When you're desperate, any solution that alleviates the stress and helps the bills get paid is valid. It wasn't the sweetest reality but it was the truest.

"Th-thanks for understanding…" She said in a small and unsure voice. It must have been pretty embarrassing for her to be caught in that situation so I didn't look at her apologetic face. "I won't get involved with people like that again so… so please don't worry. I'm sorry you guys got hurt for my sake."

"We're fine." Midoriya assured her.

"I'm sorry…" She whimpered, the tears spilling faster.

"Ochaco-chan, hey, don't cry." He comforted. "We're really not that badly hurt. I don't feel anything at all. Those guys were weaker than they looked." 'Lying to make her feel better?' I wondered. 'Is that what heroes do? I wonder… is that really the best way? I hate lying and I hate liars but maybe… maybe it's necessary to preserve the innocence and peace of the victim.' I decided to give it a try. I smiled a huge, fearless, smile. It easily caught the attention of my two shorter classmates.

"Psh! Those guys!? My grandma has bigger muscles! It was like pushing down a traffic cone. If the street scum of this town are going to put a scratch on me, they're seriously going to have to try harder!" I boasted in a booming voice that radiated confidence and pride.

The girl sniffed and wiped her cheek, a little smile forming. My heart raced slightly and my spirit swelled. This must be the feeling of being a hero. That manic flash of violence before wasn't it… this was. Seeing the victim smile and believe that things really were okay now. An indescribable feeling was born in me that day.

Midoriya helped the girl calm down and once she had stopped crying, she walked back home. We offered to take her but she refused anymore help. Midoriya and I took our leave too, heading back towards the residential part of town as the sun began sinking lower in the sky. "You got beat up pretty bad back there," Midoriya said. "Did you break anything?"

"Nah. You?"

"No… but my head and hip hurt a little."

"Put ice on them and take something over-the-counter for the pain." I advised. He nodded.

"You know… I thought you were really cool back there."

"Shut up." I growled, embarrassed.

"No, I mean it! When you fought those guys… that was a little scary… but afterwards you were really, really, cool."

I was silent as his compliment soaked in. "I was just acting. Anyways, you lied first. I figured stuff like that must work on stupid people."

Midoriya nodded, ignoring the 'stupid' comment. "No one likes to know how much others have suffered for them. Because of that, I think it's really important for heroes to smile when they fight. People want to believe in an easy and just fight. If we cause them to worry more or feel guilty, then we can't really claim to be heroes, can we?"

I shook my head. "Guess not." I noticed that he was lagging a little behind me. "You're not trying to get another free ride, are you?" I accused.

"No…" He looked up at the watercolor sky. Pinks, purples, and oranges melted into each other. "It's just… can we walk a little slower? I want this to last for a while. Right now, I feel really happy."

The corners of my mouth raised just a twinge. "I guess." I replied, looking up to the cotton candy sky. For the first time in a while, I was happy too.