No betas this time, we die like last week's manga spoilers

Bone-crushing weariness was no stranger to Izuku. For years, his Quirk had pushed him to the edge of exhaustion, so drained that even Precognition's emotion-dampening effects barely took the edge off his weariness. Then there were the few times his Quirk had failed entirely, and the mounting exhaustion that his Quirk had built up all came in a rush.

This exhaustion went deeper. Physical exhaustion, from weeks of constant patrols, early morning wake-up calls for reinforcements, the strain on his shoulders from constant use of his grapples, coupled with the emotional hammer-blows of victims he was too late to save, yet more heroes retiring or falling in the line of duty, and shouts of anger and despair from protesters in the streets, left his shoulders perpetually stiff and hunched, his eyelids drooping when his attention wandered, appetite stunted, legs cramping whenever he tried to rest, flashes of blood and glazed-over stares haunting his fitful dreams.

Looking around, Izuku took in the baggy eyes and heads propped up on elbows of the other sidekicks eating around him. Half the seats were empty, filling the room with a stifling silence the remaining heroes were too exhausted to chase away. The other half huddled towards the relative warmth of the buffet tables, which were perpetually stuffed with comfort foods and wraps easily eaten on the go.

Across from Izuku, Endeavor tore into a chicken wrap. Though the hero stood tall, the flames around his face had withered, exposing unshaven hairs on his chin and shadows under his eyes.

Izuku bit listlessly into his own wrap, when an alarm blared across the cafeteria. Burnin' wilted as she read the report on the screens overhead.

"That's too far out of your way," Burnin' said as she dumped her uneaten food in the garbage.

Endeavor looked her over. "I could always rush over there and-"

Burnin' forced a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Quit trying to make us look bad, boss. I got this. Besides, you already have one of the longest routes on your plate."

Burnin wiped her face clean with her sleeve as she rushed out of the cafeteria with two others. Endeavor grumbled and cleaned his own plate before following her out, with Izuku right on his heels.

The city's streets felt too quiet. Izuku barely made a sound as he hunted for the scuffle of shoes on pavement, a scream muffled by the cluttered city blocks, or the squealing tires of frantic driving. Endeavor strode silently with him, and even his flames didn't make a single crackle.

Step by step, Izuku traced the patrol path he knew by heart. He had dreams where he walked those steps, turned a corner, and saw buildings aflame, bodies scattered, smelled ash and blood on the wind.

Izuku caught a flash of red in his peripheral vision. His heart leapt into his chest, and instructions for first aid and trauma care raced through his mind. However, a closer look showed him hair dye instead of blood.

On impulse, Izuku called out, "Red Riot!"

Kirishima whirled, eyes hurriedly scanning behind him. When he saw Izuku, his expression brightened, and he waved back. "Deku! Great to see you out on patrols, we should catch up sometime!"

Kirishima turned back towards his route, but Crimson Riot gave him a nudge on the shoulder. Shooting his mentor a confused look, Kirishima walked over to Izuku.

"Right, so, I guess we're catching up now."

Izuku glanced at Endeavor. The new Number One hero looked as though he wished to object, but Crimson Riot shot him a pointed look and nodded towards an empty storefront. Endeavor huffed, but his expression softened when his eyes met Izuku's.

"That was weird," Izuku said as the two pro heroes stepped aside for their own conversation.

"Yeah, but I'm not complaining. We just got off an emergency call, and we still have another half a patrol. Sometimes I wonder if my skin's going to be stuck hardened forever."

"If it does, try to make sure you're grinning," Izuku jested. Months of Burnin's gallows humor had done wonders for his own sense of comedy. "You wouldn't want your face to be stuck looking weird for the rest of your life, right?"

Kirishima burst out laughing. "Wow, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you make a joke. Seems like you've been doing great since…" Kirishima winced at the unspoken mention of Izuku's lost Quirk. "Since we graduated," Kirishima added clumsily.

Izuku's good humor vanished. Insecurities buried underneath months of mind-numbing work surged forward like a river breaking its dam. "I could have fixed all this."

Kirishima clenched his jaw. "This isn't your fault. It's that One for All guy, he's the one that took out All Might and stole your Quirk. And even if you still had that Quirk, it wouldn't be fair to make you responsible for all this."

"I wasn't talking about my old Quirk. All Might offered me his."

Kirishima froze. "He could do that?"

"He tried to give it to me, after we beat All for One, but I – I couldn't take it, it didn't feel right to me, not after what my Quirk did to me. I should have taken it, become the next Symbol of Peace, and-"

"How could he give you his Quirk?"

"The Quirk he had, it passed itself down from one person to the next, becoming stronger each time. I could have fixed everything-"

"I knew about All Might's injury." Kirishima's voice sounded hollow. "The old one, that left him so weak during that fight. I saw it after the USJ attack."

Izuku gave him a surprised look. "Really? I didn't even know about it."

"He could have asked anyone to take his Quirk, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Then why didn't he ask me?"

Izuku hesitated. "The Quirk has gotten so powerful that it would kill anyone with a functioning Quirk factor."

Kirishima winced. "Right, guess that doesn't leave a lot of other options. Still, there's plenty of people without a Quirk. He had years to find someone. He could have given someone his Quirk sooner, trained them, and they could have taken on All for One. It didn't have to be you."

"But he chose me! And I turned him down, because I was too afraid to take another Quirk."

"Good."

Izuku blinked at the blunt approval. "Wait, what?"

"All Might's injury made me realize something. All this?" Kirishima gestured at the empty streets. "This happened because All Might did everything. I never thought that anything could happen to All Might, until I saw it already did. The thought of him retiring terrified me, and more than that, it made me realize that everyone else would feel the same way. And the villains? I knew this would happen. This happened because we put everything on his shoulders, and the moment he faltered, everything fell around him."

"I still could have stopped this. I could have taken the Quirk-"

"And then what? We'd be right back where we started."

"What else can we do?" Izuku asked.

"I don't know." Kirishima put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "But I do know that we'll figure it out together, you, me, Shoto, Creati, Uravity, and all the rest."

"And True Steel too, right?"

Kirishima's face fell. "He quit last week."

"Oh. Well, at least he's alright."

"I heard others from their class also quit. Sometimes I think Monoma's only staying on to spite our class."

Izuku laughed uneasily. "I haven't really heard from anyone else. Are they all doing alright?"

"We're hanging in there," Kirishima said. "Can't let the Quirkless Hero show us all up, right?"

"You know I'm not trying to make everyone look bad, right?"

"I know. Don't let what everyone's saying get to you, right?"

Izuku gave him a confused look, but before he could say anything, Crimson Riot came back. With a nod, Kirishima waved goodbye and sprinted after his mentor.

"Had a good time?" Endeavor asked. Izuku cringed at the irritation in his voice, but something in his expression told him the irritation wasn't directed at him.

"Yeah, it was nice seeing him again. It's been so busy lately, I haven't even talked to anyone."

Endeavor nodded. "We're behind on our rotation. Let's hustle."

Shooting forward like a rocket, Endeavor flew through the streets. Izuku grappled to a street light and swung from block to block. Once Endeavor stopped, Izuku swung down to street level.

"What did Crimson Riot want to talk about?" Izuku asked.

"Nothing important." Endeavor checked his phone, but no new reports came up. "So, how have you been feeling?"

Izuku felt puzzled but didn't comment on the unusual question. "I mean, tired, I guess, but who isn't these days?"

Endeavor grunted sourly. "Rest as much as you can. Heroes need to stay sharp."

Izuku nodded hesitantly. He could tell that Endeavor was trying to keep him off the emergency response team for as long as possible, but the past few weeks, there hadn't been enough heroes left to cover all the slots. At this rate, he might even end up patrolling alone like the rest of the heroes.

"You don't have to worry about me, sir," Izuku said firmly. "Everyone else is just as tired as I am. It's not right to go easy on me because I'm new."

"It's not just because you're new. You're a target."

Izuku's stomach sank. "What do you mean?"

"You really haven't been keeping up on the news, have you?"

Izuku shook his head. He hadn't bothered checking Twitter, not when he didn't have time to make art anymore, and after a few weeks of heroes quitting and dying, Izuku found he didn't have the stomach to keep up with current events.

"Long story short, there's a group of people upset that you're still a hero. The Commission suspects that there's people who would make an example of you if you were an easy target."

"Which is why I'm patrolling with you." Izuku said numbly. "I'm not slowing you down, am I?"

"A bit at the start," Endeavor admitted, "But you've improved a lot. Besides, having you in action has done us a lot of favors as well."

"Favors?"

"I've heard from many heroes that knowing you're still in the game is all that's keeping them from throwing in the towel."

"Oh. Uh, that's good?"

Endeavor cleared his throat. "So, don't feel too bad about not going alone. You're too valuable to risk when people are clearly after you."

It didn't sit right with Izuku, but when Endeavor put everything the way he had, he couldn't fault him for his decision.

As their patrol continued, a high-pitched shriek broke the silence. On instinct, Izuku grappled from building to building, guzzling a whole pressurized canister to accelerate rapidly between buildings. He landed half a second behind Endeavor at a crowded intersection.

A woman, tall, lithe, and vaguely canine in appearance, cowered before a whole group of yellow-banded Watchmen. One eye was already swelling shut, and blood trickled from a cut in her lip.

Endeavor grimaced at the sight of the watchmen. "Deku, let me handle this, the Commission-"

Izuku, not hearing the order, grappled over the crowd, flipped through the air, and landed in a smooth crouch in front of the victim.

"Quirkless Hero Deku," Izuku snapped. "Please tell me what's going on here."

One Watchman stepped forward with a sneer on his face. "Mind your own business, you fake. We're doing what you're supposed to and keeping these streets clean."

"You are only authorized to use your Support Gear in self-defense. Has this woman attacked any of you?" Izuku gestured at the woman's face and said, "She's the only wounded person I see."

"Look at her! She's a freak, like the rest of the villains. Only a matter of time before she snaps."

"Leave the criminal investigation to the Hero Commission. You have no authority to attack anyone on what they might do."

The Watchman spat. "What'll they do about it, throw them back in Tartarus so they can escape again? I'm making sure the villains don't cause any trouble ever again."

"This isn't the right way."

"Screw that! We thought everything was fine with All Might around, but he's gone, and look how much the rest of the heroes got done!"

"That doesn't excuse hurting people who haven't done anything. Please disperse and let us handle the situation."

At the implication of a second hero, many of the Watchmen turned and saw Endeavor glowering behind them. That had many of them ready to leave, but one Watchman only had eyes for Izuku. He drew a knife from his belt and lunged forward. Izuku crouched, ready to parry the blade, when a beam of fire pierced the air. The attacker, missing his head, fell forward mid-step, and the knife slipped from his grasp.

Everyone froze. Izuku fought to keep from breaking into tears at the sight of another victim. Endeavor had a look of regret on his face, but flames still roared around him. The Watchmen stared dumbfounded at their fallen comrade and the hero that had killed him.

One Watchman, however, examined the scene with a sadistic smile. "Endeavor just killed one of us. Are we going to let the heroes get away with whatever they want?"

The defiance in his voice rallied his fellow Watchmen, but doubt lingered in their expressions. "Dude, he's Endeavor! There's no way we can take him!"

"Sure we can! There's ten of us, and we all have support gear. We'll show everyone that we don't need heroes anymore!"

"And besides, he can't risk burning his precious sidekick," the Watchman added. "Think of all the bad press he'd get."

Ten pairs of angry eyes turned on Izuku. Positioning himself between the angry crowd and the woman they were assaulting, Izuku said, "Slip through the alley behind you. Fat Gum and Creati are on patrol just north of here."

"You can't take them all alone," the woman said hesitantly. "I can help."

Izuku smiled at her, the way All Might used to smile for the world. "I'm a hero. You can leave this to me."

Izuku heard her footsteps behind him as he waited for the crowd to make their first movement. A conversation of glances flashed between them until one worked up the nerve to charge him. Izuku ducked underneath a flame-coated baton, swept their legs out from under them, and disarmed them with a firm smack in the wrist.

A second Watchman aimed a hollow tube at them. Izuku leapt aside as a burst of pressurized air crashed through the street and rattled the brick wall in its path. Izuku flicked a whip and struck the tube before knocking him out with a kick to the chin.

Three Watchmen charged at once, each bearing their own weapon. Izuku pulled one into the path of the other, and he leaned aside as steel-tipped nails reached for his throat. Izuku kicked her in the side of the knee and knocked her to the ground.

As another Watchman charged at him with a superheated hatchet, Izuku shot wires at his down opponents, binding arms and legs together. Izuku snatched the hatchet with one grapple and bound the man's legs together with another.

The three remaining, including the one that had goaded them into fighting, all turned and ran. A wall of flames stopped them in their tracks.

"You're all under arrest for assaulting a pro hero and attempted murder," Endeavor said coldly. "The police will be here in a few minutes to pick you all up."

Izuku searched the alley for the woman he had saved, but she was nowhere to be seen. Praying that she made it somewhere safe, Izuku turned his attention to the fallen Watchman. He didn't know how to feel about the death of the person who tried to kill him. Sad for another lost life? Angry that Endeavor had stepped in when Izuku could handle himself? Vindicated that another villain was taken off the streets?

Endeavor put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I saw the knife, and I lashed out before I could think about it."

"You were just trying to keep me safe," Izuku said, swallowing his anger.

"You had that handled. I shouldn't have stepped in."

"And you told me to let you handle it. I went in before I fully examined the situation and had myself surrounded."

"You're a rookie. Those kinds of mistakes are to be expected."

The blare of police sirens broke the conversation. They watched for a minute as police loaded the bound Watchmen into an armored van and an ambulance carried off the corpse.

When they went back on patrol, Endeavor took out a cell phone. "Need to call the Commission quick, don't run off without letting me know first."

Izuku nodded and turned his attention back towards the streets. A few minutes later, after multiple calls going to voicemail Endeavor put away his phone.

"No one's answering." Endeavor stopped in his tracks and looked westward. Izuku continued a few more steps before turning back, worry and anticipation rising in his chest. Endeavor made quick calls to his agency, rerouting patrols and rousing his P.R. and legal departments.

"Get on." Endeavor crouched, offering his shoulders to Izuku.

"I still have plenty of air left."

"Enough to make it to Tokyo?"

Without a word, Izuku clambered onto his back. Endeavor looked back to make sure he had a firm grip before taking off.

Even with earplugs in, the air screamed as it whipped past his head. Heat roared at his back, reaching him even as the wind pushed it away. Cityscapes and countrysides blurred past underneath him as they raced towards the Hero Commission.

As Tokyo loomed underneath them, Endeavor slowed down. Izuku pushed himself away as they fell, and he unfurled the wingsuit fashioned into his costume. Drifting gracefully towards the ground, Izuku followed Endeavor towards the heart of the city.

From the sky, the short, squat municipal building of the HPSC looked perfectly in order. As they got closer, however, they saw windows punctured by bullet holes. Izuku scanned the rooftops and high-rises for snipers and saw no one.

Grappling to the sides of two buildings, Izuku gently lowered himself to the ground. Endeavor waited by the entrance to the HPSC's offices, warily eyeing the buildings around them.

"I'll take point," Endeavor said. "Watch my back. Police are inbound in ten minutes, and Nighteye's on call if we need him."

With flames hovering around him like a mantle, Endeavor strode into the building. Izuku scanned the exterior before heading inside. The sight that greeted him made his stomach sink. The receptionist slumped over their computer, one hand still clutching a phone, while a pro hero lay next to the counter with a hole through his chest.

Endeavor examined the bullet hole gouged into the wall. Instead of metal, he found slivers of blonde hair embedded in the drywall.

"Stay sharp," Endeavor told Izuku. "This was Nagant's work. She might still be here."

"She was a sniper, wasn't she? They're probably long gone by now."

"Unless she wanted something in here. Records for heroes and villains across the country are stored here. We'll check the archives first."

The archives had their own victims, these either trying to fight or run before they were gunned down. A once-over of the room showed that not a single file was touched.

"Nagant's out for blood. If she got everyone…" Endeavor sprinted out of the room. Izuku ran after him, pausing only to check corners and glance out windows for any signs of Nagant.

In the conference room, they found the Commissioners. Endeavor's flames crackled as he knelt to examine their bodies.

"We knew she was coming. How could she have managed this all on her own."

"Well," Hawks said from the windowsill, "She had some help, that's for sure."

Endeavor's flames snapped to attention. "You're still alive."

Hawks shrugged. "Villains sprang up all over Tokyo, and the Commission sent everyone to deal with it. That's why no one was here for this."

The conference room's projector snapped to life, playing footage from the local news station. Endeavor glared at Hawks, and the number two hero raised his hands defensively. "Wasn't me. I'd wager that Nagant set this up for whoever came around."

Footage played of Endeavor torching a Watchman. The angle of the shot concealed the knife in the man's hand.

"Damn. This is why they went for the Commission. Still, we can get the real footage and sue for libel."

That was when the blue-skinned news reporter dropped evidence of Rei's admission to a mental hospital and accounts of child abuse from Natsuo.

Izuku had already known a lot of this. Todoroki told him, during the Sports Festival, but the words hadn't sunk in until he saw the news reporter basking in each of Endeavor's crimes as she dragged them out before the public.

For the first time Izuku could ever recall, Endeavor's flames went out. The hero's hands shook as he clenched them into fists. As he stormed out of the room, a wall of feathers blocked his way.

"They're expecting you to do something rash," Hawks warned. "For now, we need to lie low and-"

"And do what?" Endeavor roared. "Let them get away with this? They killed the Commission so this potshot at my reputation would go unanswered."

"Your reputation isn't their target. It's just the spark to light the whole country on fire."

"Then we stamp out that spark. Call the press, have them rescind the story, and get a full media ban in place."

"Too late for that." Hawks gestured to the window. Outside, the beginnings of a mob were already boiling over into the streets, held back by a precariously thin police line and demanding answers of the empty HPSC offices.

Endeavor blanched as he thought through the implications of what lay out the windows. Every city across Japan in a full riot, villains coming out in the chaos, and the group orchestrating the massacre swooping in to fill the power vacuum.

"We need to mobilize every hero we have."

"Look around." Hawks gestured at the bodies sprawled around them. "The entire backbone of the Hero Association is gone. No one's left to give the orders."

"No. There's one person left who can pull this off."

Endeavor dialed Nezu's number. The muffled ringtone sounded unnaturally loud in the deathly silence of the conference room. One ring. Two. Three.

Izuku's heart dropped. Had Nagant gone after U.A. as well? Were the teachers okay? The students?

On the fourth ringtone, the phone finally picked up. Endeavor tensed, waiting for the other end to speak.

"Endeavor-san," Nezu said cheerfully, "You're calling earlier than I expected."

A/N: my apologies for being a day late, my brain fell into a tryptophan-induced coma. Got my brain into high gear today to get this out in a reasonable time. Will try harder to get this out on Sunday next time, so thanks for bearing with me.

I made stuffing for thanksgiving, using a recipe I've never worked with before. Results were excellent, though I can make a few tweaks to improve it. Big hit with the family overall.

Review responses, been a while since I did those. Here we go!

Paradoxfoxx: "I just binged over half of this story in one night and I absolutely love it. Seriously, it's a cut above the rest and one of the highest quality fan works I've ever read and I've loved just about every single element of it. I can't wait to see how everything concludes and Ill definitely be keeping an eye on your future projects :)"

Bardothren: glad you enjoyed it! Let's just say I have a few things in the pipeline in the moment that'll be dropping in the near future.

GumballDia: "Glad this is back, i don't know if everyone is familiar with the whole Vigilante characters but man this is going to get messier isn't it?"

Bardothren: as I am unfamiliar with the Vigilante characters as well, not knowing them is hardly a handicap. If anything, you'd probably enjoy it more since you won't realize I probably butchered them.

Anyways, I just read this week's MHA issue. I think I felt my brain explode. If you'll excuse me, I'll go put the pieces back together.

Ooh, just noticed, this story has exactly 3,333 followers. Nice.