Izuku groaned, shifting in his bed. The sunlight pierced the blinds, sending a small ray directly into his eyes. He rolled around, though unable to get it off of his face. He didn't want to get up.

He laid there for about 15 minutes before he heard the cheerful call of his mother.

"Izuku! It's time to get ready!"

He scrunched his eyes. He felt like the bed was hugging him tightly, completely unwilling to let the boy go. He sighed and feel himself sink deeper into the mattress. Maybe if he stayed quiet then he would be able to get another five minutes of warmth in.

Unfortunately, Inko was having none of that. She opened the door, staring at her son with a small smile. She walked over and grabbed him by the shoulder, lightly shaking him awake. He groaned, before pushing himself upright. He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. Inko patted his head, his hair sprawled out in every direction.

"Come on, Izuku. I know you want to sleep in, but your friends will be waiting."

As she said that, Izuku realized what today was. He broke out into a grin. "Oh man, I forgot what today was!"

Inko shook her head, laughing, "Well, better get dressed, birthday boy!" She stood and walked out, closing the door behind her.

The moment he heard the door click as it shut, his smile dropped. He rubbed his arm, resisting the urge to curl up again under the blanket. With some effort, he began trudging himself to his closet.

It was a Sunday, so at least he could avoid going to school. Now he just had to deal with his party.

The trip was a blur, he just stared out on the road as he and his mother walked to the park. When she looked over to him, he made sure to smile brightly back at her.

When they finally arrived, he was greeted with the happy giggles and chatter of kids his age. Everyone was gathered around a cluster of picnic tables. One had a number of different food items, and another was lined with some present boxes. Izuku made a mental note to thank the parents who bought the potluck food and gifts.

Izuku smiled and moved towards the rest of the kids, who were gathered together around Bakugou. Izuku, like most other days, relegated himself to the outskirts of the group. He occasionally heard snippets of the conversation. He looked over to see his mom chatting with some of the other adults, though she would regularly look over to check on her son. She would smile and turn back. Izuku made sure to laugh when the rest of the crowd did, so that he wouldn't worry her.

After the food was served and songs were sung, everyone was happily munching on cake. It was homemade by Inko, and just like every other meal she makes it tasted heavenly. Eventually it was time to open presents. Izuku smiled at the crowd as he opened his gifts. He briefly wondered how many identical presents he would get this time.

Five. This time he had gotten five of the same All-Might figure. 'Figures.' he thought. The parents probably just got whatever was the most popular thing at the store. Not like he could blame them. All the same, he put on that joyful smile and thanked them.

After looking at all of his new All-Might presents, he excused himself to the bathroom. It was further down the path, out of sight of the party. The bathroom itself was a squat, concrete building that housed a few toilets. Izuku walked to the back wall and sat down, leaning back as he brought his knees up. After some moments, he heard the crunch of twigs as someone came walking from the forest towards him. After some time he heard the sound of rough scratching, too.

"I normally don't see you out here on Sundays." Tomura stated.

The green haired boy looked up. Shigaraki looked the same as ever, staring at him with his that look of boredom on his face.

"They're throwing me a birthday party." Midoriya replied.

"You don't sound too excited."

The boy shifted around, looking downwards. He paused a moment, before responding. "You were right."

Tomura said nothing, opting to sit down next to Midoriya.

Izuku continued. "My mom said that all you needed to make friends was kindness and a smile. But they don't like me at all. Not a single one talked to me. They're... fake. They're all so fake." The green haired boy curled up further into himself. "I'm... I'm sorry, Tomura. I-I got m-mad at you tried t-t-to help me."

The teen just reached around Izuku's neck and grabbed his shoulder, making sure to lift his index finger. Tomura pulled Izuku into a small hug. "I probably would have said the same thing." He grunted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a beaten up portable gaming system. "Here. Happy Birthday."

Izuku looked up, his eyes brightening. "I- Tomura..."

"I was planning on getting a newer one anyway."

Izuku took the system and gazed at it. It was pretty roughly beat up, though in his eyes it was better than any of the new presents he got at the party. The green haired boy didn't say any kind of thank you. Instead, he pulled the older boy into a giant hug. Tomura welcomed the embrace.

"Why are you so nice to me?" He sniffled. "I'm just some quirkless kid you found in a ditch."

Tomura replied, calmly. "When I was younger, I was left alone and no one would help me." His eyes hardened in anger as he spoke, though Izuku couldn't see it. "I was abandoned by heroes and friends, unable to fend for myself. When I saw you alone in that ditch for who knows how long... it reminded me of how I was."

Izuku grew silent. At first he didn't want to think that such a thing would happen, but... Tomura was right about his friends. He still felt guilty for yelling at him in disbelief when Tomura told him that the kids he hung around with were using him as a punching bag. Tomura wasn't fake like them, he wouldn't lie.

"The heroes abandoned you?"

Tomura nodded. "Left me all alone in the rain."

Izuku paused, before quietly saying "That's pretty horrible of them." When the words spilled out of his mouth, his inner voice wondered what the hell he was saying. Heroes aren't horrible... are they?

Tomura nodded. "I think it's time for you to get back, birthday boy."

Izuku sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes as he got up. He said a short goodbye before running back. His thoughts were racing at a breakneck pace, wondering just what he was thinking. After a moment, the green haired boy breathed in deeply and resolved himself.

He needed to do more research into heroes, especially pro-heroes. Not about their quirks, but what they were like. Who they were.

A/N: So like I said before, this is actually chapter 2, but I posted chapter 3 out of order to add some more variety into the story's structure. I'd like to thank everyone for their support and would like to hear back from you on things you like and dislike! Have a great day, everyone!