Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari and Sato had a look of doom weighing down their faces. Sero chewed on his lip nervously, and they all watched Aizawa like he was the ferryman about to carry them to hell. Whoever failed the exam would be left in school, suffering through remedial classes while the rest joined together for a fun school trip to a forest lodge.

"Kaminari," Aizawa began, reading of his list of doomed names. "Kirishima," he enunciated slowly, "Mina," a rumbling bell tolled low afore each word, "Sato," the final chime, and all fell silent, save from the Judge himself. "Sero. You all failed the practical exam. And thus…"

He stared them down, and in that moment, he was neither man nor human. He was a monster.

"We're all going on the school trip!" the man grinned in a way that said the only joy he found in life was to emotionally torment his students. Izuku sighed. This is how you create trust issues.

The condemned five jumped from their seats, cheering and crying in equal measure. Their good spirits were quickly squashed however, when Aizawa revealed that the lodge wasn't just some nice vacation, but a boot camp to rigiously train and hone their abilities.

"And of course, everyone who failed will still be attending extra classes," the teacher spoke monotonously. "Honestly… it probably would have been easier if you just stayed at school. Now take these pamphlets and pass them on."


There was an oppressive atmosphere in the air as five students stared longingly at the rest of their friends—so carefree, so innocent. Mina buried her face in her palms and Kaminari prayed silently to whichever deity would listen. Sato had produced a pack of cookies from somewhere, chewing them down like a starving man, while Kirishima risked his life by sharing his woes with Kacchan.

The blonde looked like he was about ready to commit murder when Hagakure suddenly jumped from her seat. "We should all go shopping together!" she squealed, full of energy and impossibly animated for someone who was invincible. "We're going to need lots of supplies for the school trip, and there's a local mall not too far we could all go to!"

And just like that, whatever dark miasma had spread through the classroom dissipated like clouds parting to make way for the sun. Mina had stars in her eyes, Kaminari looked up from his seat like his prayers had been answered, and Iida was nodding approvingly.

"A marvelous idea!" he conquered. "It is always good to be prepared for any situation."

Uraraka nudged Izuku lightly with an elbow. "Will you come with us, Deku-kun?" she inquired, a sunlit smile on her face and looking at him with the brightness of a thousand stars. And honestly, Izuku would rather die than ruin that.

"Alright," he conceded.

And when in an impossible feat her smile grew even brighter, he knew he made the right choice.


Izuku didn't know how long he had been standing there, just staring in complete disbelief of what was before him. At first he thought me must be mistaken, because there was no way that what he was seeing was actually true. So, he stepped closer, to reassure himself that it was just some terribly dark hallucination.

Staring into the eyes of his own reflection, emerald green painted in circles on the glass window, he looked at what was beyond. His eyes raked slowly over every little crevasse and detail, recreating a perfect imprint in his brain to make sure it was real.

He blinked his eyes, and still, there it was. Plain as day and looking as innocent as could be.

Except it wasn't.

It must be a joke, surely, he thought. Because no one could be so stupid—

So insensitive—

So vile as to think that this was a good idea. That this was completely okay, and in no way fucked up whatsoever.

But it was.

He felt nauseous, a sickness that rotted him deep to the core. Izuku had seen a lot of things in his life, things he wished he could erase and scrub from his memory. Things no one should ever have to bear witness too. But this—this was different, in a way he couldn't properly describe. It wasn't the same gut reaction of terror as his own viscera spilled from his abdomen, or the despair of watching someone you thought would be with you for years to come crumble into dust.

It couldn't be compared, but yet, this hurt in such a strange new way. He felt betrayed, but by what, he did not know. And try as he might, as much as he wanted to convince himself that this was some sort of sick joke, the chortling teens beside him reminded him that this was reality. That there were people out there who looked at Stain and did not immediately see a murderer, but someone to admire. It didn't matter if he killed people or not, because he did it 'for a good cause'. That he was 'cool'.

Don't misunderstand. It wasn't like Izuku was unable to wrap his head around why people may feel drawn to him. Stain had a hidden charisma that spoke to people sharing his same ideals. And there was nothing wrong with that. Heroes weren't perfect, on that, Izuku could agree. The system was corrupt, and there needed to be change.

Hero did not mean good. But just because your goal is admirable does not mean that your path to reach it is justified. Izuku did not agree, and Izuku did not like him, but he understood Stain.

But what he didn't understand, what absolutely baffled him, was why that somehow meant it way okay to create merchandise based off of a serial killer.

His hands clenched to creaking fists, and unbidden, he could feel the power of One for All taking over him. He reached a hand out, and with shaky fingers, he touched the glass of the display window so softly, you might think it was an ancient artifact. His breathing came in shorter and shorter bursts, as the pads of his fingers pressed into the glass with ever growing pressure to match.

If he could just reach in… just break.

You could just do it. Show them. Do it. Who's gonna to stop you?

But no, that's wrong! It's not right.

This isn't right. This… fucking insult. Just imagine if Iida were here. Imagine how he would feel. Don't you want to help your friend? Don't you?

This isn't helping.

You should find who did this. Find them. Find them andand—

"No!"

He screamed. He didn't care if people gave him odd looks and parents pulled their children closer.

This isn't right.

This isn't right.

This isn't right.

What's wrong with me?

One for All seeped out of him like a popped balloon. Shame of a magnitude he'd never felt before filled him, and in the middle of that mall, standing before a killer's merchandise, he cried.

What's wrong with me?

I just want to go back to normal.

Why can't I just stop being like this?


You really are pathetic.


"Hey," an arm swung around his shoulders and pulled him in, and Izuku's muscles pulled tight at the sudden touch. "Why are you crying? Something wrong?"

At first, he thought it must be one of his friends, and fear froze his stomach to ice. Please don't look, he thought. Don't look at me like this. I beg you. But when he glanced up to see the person holding him, he was taken aback by what he saw. Because it wasn't the reassuring smile of one of his friends, but a man he did not know. His face was covered in a wavy curtain of hair, constricted by the black hoodie that was pulled over his head, hiding his appearance.

"Um," Izuku muttered, skin itching with discomfort at the stranger's touch. Why did he have to be so close? He understood someone being concerned by a teen crying alone in a mall, but hadn't this person ever heard of personal space?

"Oh!" the weird man uttered suddenly, absolutely delighted. "I recognize you! You're from U.A.—I saw you in that video. Midoriya Izuku, right?"

There was no question about which video he meant, and Izuku's discomfort grew. Even now, he would have the occasional stranger walk up to him and ask for a picture.

"This is gonna be so sick!" they'd laugh, angling their cell phone. "My friends are gonna be so jealous when I show them this!"

"That's so cool," Izuku could hear the smile in the hooded man's voice. "You're a real little hero huh?" he cackled, and leaned in closer until he was whispering in his ear. "I'm so glad I got to meet you again."

Chills slithered down Izuku's spine, the words freezing him in place.

"I hope you remember me. I'd be kinda hurt if you didn't."

Once more, Izuku looked up at that hair covered face. Shigaraki leaned back, slowly unveiling the hideous grin that tore his face apart from ear to ear. Rows of unkempt teeth were covered by lips so dry, they looked like they were ready to snap. The cracks and crevices littering the sickly skin bled red, and carved even deeper into his mouth as it moved to form words.

"Let's take a walk."


AN: Awww, Izuku is having his first date! :D Do you think he's nervous? :3