Izuku was crying freely, not even bothering to hide the tears as he ran. His side ached with every step and his lungs burned from exertion, but he didn't dare stop. Stopping would give him time to think, and Izuku couldn't allow that. If he started to remember how his dreams had been broken, then he wouldn't be able to function.


The day had started well enough. The previously miserable weather had finally cleared up, leaving behind a sunny sky and patches of fresh flowers everywhere you looked. On a day like that, even Katsuki seemed less grumpy than usual. The pair had engaged in a lengthy conversation about the merits of capes in hero costumes, with Izuku arguing that their classic aesthetics outweigh any potential downsides, and Katsuki pointing out that the capes made for very aesthetically pleasing corpses.

There hadn't even been anyone waiting to harass them as they made their way into the school. Over the years, the number of people who took time out of their day to harass the pair had dwindled down to just a handful of truly dedicated tormentors. That said, those few people had always been the most vicious and aggressive ones.

They were careful around Katsuki. He might not have used his Quirk to its full capacity against someone else since they had been kids, but he did make sure to remind everyone what he was capable of. Even still, they took every chance they could get to harass and demean Katsuki, and Izuku as well.

Thankfully, there hadn't been a fight in months. The last bout had ended decisively in Katsuki's favor, even without his Quirk. Shindo and his cronies had been left with plenty of bruises and bloody lips, while Katsuki and Izuku had been left with suspensions and the threat of expulsion if they should act out again. Never mind the fact that they had been minding their own business, or that neither of them had thrown a punch until Shindo had pinned Izuku in place and punched him in the gut. All the principal had seen was Katsuki's name, and decided that he must have been the one who started it. Izuku was simply seen as an accessory.

The label of 'Villain' followed Katsuki like a dark cloud, and Izuku seemed to be the only one who could see past it. He was convinced, however, that real heroes would be able to as well. Which was why he knew Katsuki would thrive at UA when he inevitably got in.

Izuku was convinced that a Hero school would see the potential that his friend possessed. The drive to be better than anyone else, the drive to help people in need. Katsuki was smart, powerful, and even kind to those who didn't judge him before they knew him. He was everything a Hero was supposed to be, and Izuku could hardly wait until everyone else saw that.


With how smoothly the morning had gone, It had come as a slap in the face when homeroom soured everything. It began with the usual announcements, the teacher letting them know about some club activities being rescheduled, reminding everyone about their upcoming field trip to the Gunga aquarium. And then he had returned their career surveys...

Everyone wanted to be a hero someday. It was natural, who didn't want to be wealthy, respected, adored by everyone they passed in the streets. Sure, those weren't the most noble reasons for becoming a hero, but even those who became heroes for selfish reasons still did good, still helped people.

Even Izuku wanted to be a hero, deep in his heart. Even though Shindo and his cronies reminded him everyday that he was useless, as bad as being Quirkless without the excuse of actually lacking abilities. He still wanted to be able to help those in need, to make people feel just a little bit safer when they saw him. Izuku didn't regret his choice, but he did worry about how it would be received.

As it turned out, he was right to worry.

"Aww, who am I kidding? You all want to be heroes after all!" Their teacher didn't even bother to pass the surveys back, simply tossing them into the air in a casual dismissal.

The class erupted into cheers and discussion as every member of the class showed of their Quirk, talking about what kind of hero they wanted to be when they went pro.

Izuku and Katsuki were the only ones not jabbering furiously as the teacher attempted to enforce a semblance of order on the class once more. Katsuki was doing his best to appear aloof, as if the discussion didn't bother him at all. Izuku could see the small signs of irritation that leaked through his demeanor though. Izuku, for his part, tried to look small and unassuming, hoping that everyone's attention would pass him by.

And then nearly had a heart attack when Katsuki suddenly began to speak.

"Hah! Like you extras ever had a chance of being anything other than some third rate hero's sidekick." The sneer on his face was so textbook that Izuku was almost certain he had practiced it beforehand.

His pronouncement had the intended effect of pissing nearly every single person in the room off. It had been chaos before, but now their class was in a near riot. Everyone wanted to make their opinion of Katsuki's statement known, and at the loudest volume they could manage. The teacher simply gave up trying to restore order and sat back in his chair. Izuku was suddenly very tempted to slip under his desk and curl into a ball for the rest of the period.

The teacher may not have been able to shut the room down, but Katsuki certainly was. He slammed his palm into his desk and let loose an explosion. It was a showy blast with plenty of smoke and flash, but very little power. In the closed environment of the classroom, however, it was certainly eye catching. Smoke wreathed around Katsuki, enhancing his naturally harsh features to the point that even Izuku, who knew better, found himself gulping involuntarily.

"Why don't you all try shutting the hell up?" He hissed, sweeping his gaze around the room.

Not for the first time, Izuku regretted letting Katsuki take a peek into his notebook about the strategies of various villains. He'd taken the notes on intimidation and run with them, much to Izuku's chagrin. Izuku couldn't deny the skill would be useful in hero work someday. He just wished Katuski wouldn't practice it in class. It only enhanced the rumors about his 'villainous nature'

"Unlike all you slackers," Katsuki said "I'm aiming for the top! UA high's the only place good enough for me. I've aced every mock exam so far, and when I make it to the top, you can all eat my dust."

A scattering of mutters went through the crowd, surprise over Katsuki's choice of school, discussions about if he even stood a chance of getting in, and the always popular exaggerated rumors of Katsuki's supposed misdeeds.

He stood above it all, inviting anyone to challenge his statement and, by extension, him. Shindo looked ready to try something, but at that moment, the teacher interviend the only way he could think of. He redirected their attention to a less feisty target.

"Midoriya, you're aiming to enter UA high as well, right? Gonna have to bring up those test scores if you want to pass the entrance exam."

A bomb going off in the middle of class wouldn't have distracted them as easily as those few words, and not just due to them having been desensitized from years of Katsuki's presence.

Deafening laughter filled the room, and echoed down the halls of the school as the mood in the class changed from one of anger and frustration into one of mirth.

"Like you could ever amount to anything Deku" Shindo managed to wheeze out between bouts of laughter. His cronies, and several other people in the class repeated the sentiment.

After a minute had passed, Izuku expected Katsuki to jump in, to intimidate the others into silence, or just give him some back up. No explosions came, however, and Izuku risked a glance to his friend.

He was simply sitting in his chair, not reclining like he usually did. His gaze was fixed straight ahead to the front of the class. Izuku couldn't tell exactly what he was staring at, but it was just beyond the teacher's podium. It was also consuming all of his attention. Even when Shindo attempted to bring Katsuki into the mockery, he didn't even twitch. That, more than anything else he could have done, intimidated the class back into a semblance of order.

They could handle the loud, boisterous Katsuki. They'd been learning to deal with him for years now, and had learned when the true threat lay in his eye. This was an unexpected reaction, and that made it frightening.

Even after the teacher regained control of the class and began the day's lecture, Izuku found himself unable to concentrate. Between the mockery of his dream and his friend's strange behavior, nothing seemed to stick in his head.

Instead, he daydreamed as he stared out the window, picturing himself and Katsuki attending UA high together, no longer having to worry about being tripped as they walked down the halls, or having their lockers filled with trash.

He was so lost in his daydreams that he didn't even notice that Katsuki was also paying little mind to the lecture. His thoughts, however, were much less positive than Izuku's.


Izuku started when he heard someone call his name. He'd been keeping his head down as best he could for the entire day, not that it really helped, so when he heard his name, a part of him expected yet more mockery.

Instead, he found Katsuki leaning against the school gate, glaring at anyone who didn't give him a wide enough berth. When their eyes met Katsuki jerked his head, indicating for Izuku to follow him.

It was a bit of an odd change of pace. They usually went to the Lair after school was over, but Katsuki was heading in the opposite direction. Izuku wracked his brain, but couldn't think of Katsuki mentioning anything he wanted to do today. There wasn't even that much to see along the path he was heading down, just a half decent ramen stand and a few shops that Katsuki wouldn't be caught dead visiting.

They didn't go far. Just a few blocks away from the school, Katsuki turned into a small dead end alleyway, the kind you didn't really notice unless you were looking for it. Now Izuku was really intrigued.

"Kacchan?" Izuku called. The alley was just dim enough that he had to squint to make out the details. It was mostly barren, a few plastic trash bags piled up to one side, and a small blackened area that was surrounded by cigarette butts.

Katuski was standing just a few feet in, hands in his pockets, and his shoulders even more hunched than usual. It could best be described as 'defensive', though Izuku didn't know what he would be defending against. Even when he was facing down multiple opponents, Katuski always looked relaxed. In fact, his casually abrasive nature was one of the few things Izuku found that he could count on in this world

Katsuki gestured for Izuku to come closer as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of papers.

"We need to talk." Katsuki said.

"Okay. Um...what did you want to talk about?"

In response, Katsuki held the papers out to Izuku.

Izuku felt his stomach drop. The top paper was the career survey from earlier that day, which Katsuki had apparently picked up when no one was looking. The second paper was another copy, probably another student's that Katsuki had swiped when he grabbed Izuku's, which had been generously coated with whiteout, rendering it lumpy but effectively blank.

"K-Kacchan?" Izuku asked, his stutter asserting itself full force. It wasn't usually a problem around Katsuki. No matter how much his friend growled, snapped, or scoffed, Izuku never felt nervous around him. He knew about the good heart that beat underneath all the anger and resentment.

But now, Katsuki was calm and quiet l, and that worried Izuku more than anything his friend had ever done before. And when he realized what this talk was going to be about, his heart couldn't help but beat at a furious pace.

"Izuku, you put that you were applying to the hero course." Katsuki stated bluntly.

"Y-yeah I...I did. I...We...we always talked about being heroes together."

"That was when we were kids." Katsuki said, shaking his head. "When we didn't know better. When… when we thought you could just figure out your Quirk."

It stung, hearing the words from Katsuki. The subject of Izuku's Quirk had become a taboo subject as the years passed. At first, it had seemed doable, they just had to find the right method, and Izuku could take his place at Katsuki's side. But after years of trials and no results, their enthusiasm had faded, and talking about it had slowly become something they avoided at all costs. Izuku still tested everything he could think of, but as more and more ideas turned out to be dead ends, even he had started to lose hope.

What had kept him going was that long ago promise to Katsuki, and his ever present desire to help people.

"B-but there's still a year left!" Izuku cried. "I could still-"

Katsuki held up a hand to cut him off. "There's less than a year. And even if by some miracle you could figure out your Quirk in that time, you wouldn't have any idea how to use it. You remember how it took me months to be able to use my explosions consistently. And my Quirk is pretty fucking straight forward compared to some of the other ones out there."

He shook his head as he continued. "If you want to try for the Gen-Ed course, I'll support you 100%. Hell, with your brain, I'm sure the business and support courses would fight to have you" His gaze hardened. "But not the hero course."

Izuku's breath was coming faster now, his mind racing to come up with some argument. He couldn't find any though. He'd had this same argument with himself a thousand times before, and had never reached a conclusion. He knew it was crazy to try and get into the UA without a Quirk, and even crazier to try for the Hero Course. He couldn't help it though. Every time he considered an alternative, his gut throbbed painfully. It burned at the thought of accepting some lesser career.

"Kacchan, I… I want...I want to be a hero…." He sniffled as he spoke, the familiar prickle of tears quickly building behind his eyes.

Katsuki's expression was unreadable. Then, he took a deep breath, as if to steel himself for what was about to come. In the gloom of the alley his eyes seemed dull, as if their usual fire had gone out entirely.

"You can't, Izuku. Not without a Quirk"

It was funny, in a heart wrenching way. Izuku felt himself transported back all those years to the night he had asked his mother if he could be a hero. The exact words were different, but that didn't matter. The meaning was the same. Izuku's dream, the one he had held onto for so long, the one he had only been able to keep because Katsuki was there with him was shattering right in front of him.

Izuku wanted to cry, to scream, to do anything but stand there numbly. No matter how much he willed them to, however, his legs refused to move.

Then Katsuki did something Izuku would never have expected. He reached out a hand, and placed it on Izuku's shoulder in what should have been a comforting gesture. He had obviously meant it that way, despite the fact it probably made Katsuki intensely uncomfortable to show his emotions like that.

But instead of being comforting, it just hurt Izuku even more. A single sob broke through his lips, and like that the spell was broken. He turned on his heel, throwing off Katuski's hand in the process, and ran for everything he was worth, not stopping when Katsuki called his name, or when he nearly careened into an old woman tottering down the street.

He ran with reckless abandon, tears filling his vision and dissolving the world into a haze of abstract shapes and colors. He kept running, trying to get away from the class who mocked him, the world that bellittled him, the best friend who had told him exactly what he had always known deep down.

But mostly, he ran to escape the pain in his chest that had nothing to do with his exertion.


Izuku had no idea where he was running to, or even where he was. All he knew was that he had to keep going, to keep running until the pain in his limbs outweighed the pain in his chest.

He'd never been very physically gifted, a perpetual stringbean among his peers, no matter how hard Katsuki tried to make him fill out. He'd never been able to keep up a consistent workout schedule. He wanted to, of course, but he could never really muster the proper motivation. Probably because he had always known that he could never make it.

Another strangled sob broke through his lips, but this time his tired lungs couldn't make up for the lost oxygen. He stumbled to a stop as they throbbed, gasping for air. Everything burned from his exertions.

He wiped the tears out of his eyes as he looked around, trying to take stock of his surroundings. He couldn't see anything familiar. The buildings seemed to loom over him, their unfamiliar facades seeming more intimidating than he had ever thought possible.

A loud rattling sound distracted him from his search. He turned, trying to ascertain the source, and his vision was suddenly filled with green.

Some kind of gelatinous sludge wound its way around his body, quickly covering him from nearly head to toe. It wove its way around his arms and legs, trapping him in place. He clawed furiously, but to no avail. The sludge simply squished through his fingers, not slowing its relentless march around his body.

It was disturbingly warm as it wound around his face, filling his mouth and nose with choking fluid. His ears were left open though, so he could still hear the voice that came from the sludge, deep and garbled as it seemed to come from all around him.

"How lucky!" The villain, for he was undoubtedly a true villain, cried. "I was just looking for a skin suit, and then you just stumble into my lap. Looks like luck is finally turning in my favor!" He chortled to himself at the thought.

Izuku could feel his consciousness fading. The run had left his muscles shaky and oxygen deprived already, and now they were screaming at him. The edges of his vision were drawing in as darkness consumed them.

Desperately he reached for anything that could save him. Even if he could scream, there was no one nearby to hear it. His bag had fallen when the villain grabbed him. He could feel it with his toes, but was unable to reach it. The only thing left to him was his own strength, which was sorely lacking. Besides, physical attacks were probably ineffective, given his fluid body.

His last, most desperate hope was his hidden Quirk. He had never been able to activate it, no matter how hard he tried through the years. But now, he reached deep inside of himself with every fiber of his will, trying to pull whatever power lay dormant within him out into the world, hoping against hope that the stress of a near death scenario would trigger it.

Nothing came. No fire danced along his limbs, no objects defied gravity to hit his opponent, and his limbs didn't grow suddenly stronger. He was still the same, useless Izuku he had always been, the same one he would die as.

His one regret as the world slipped further and further from his grasp was that he hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to Katsuki. His last words to his mother had been "I love you", but his best friend had only heard his pitiful sobs.

Fantasy began to blur with reality as he slowly suffocated. He imagined All Might's powerful voice echoing through the street, promising that Izuku would be ok. Even though his jaw was being held open by the sludge pouring into his mouth, a smile tugged at Izuku's lips as he pictured that iconic smile.

A massive burst of wind whipped around him, the pressure more intense than the sludge had ever been. It lasted only a brief moment, but for Izuku it seemed to last an eternity. Then, the pressure was gone, and he could breathe once more.

He gulped at the air greedily, the world finally regaining some color as his oxygen starved brain began to function once more.

He had just enough time to discern a streak of white and gold that raced around him before he slammed into the ground and his world went completely dark.


"Hey, kid! You alright?" The powerful voice managed to pierce through the fog that had overtaken his mind.

Izuku blinked as he tried to place the voice. It wasn't his mother's gentle admonishments, or Katsuki's harsh but somehow heartfelt jabs. No, this was even closer to home. It reminded him of the All Might alarm clock that woke him up every morning. In fact, it was eerily similar.

He craned his neck to get a look at the speaker, and felt his jawbones crack as his jaw dropped. Standing over him was ALL MIGHT HIMSELF IN THE FLESH!

He was even more impressive in person, a literal wall of muscle and charisma that no other person could ever hope to match, and that no camera could ever adequately capture. Izuku had watched every second off All Might footage again and again, and he still felt himself awestruck by the sheer presence of the hero before him.

"A-A-A-ALL MIGHT!" He cried, scurrying backwards as fast as he could, trying to keep from invading his hero's personal space.

"Glad to see you're still kicking!" All Might said. His smile didn't change, but it somehow seemed to grow even more brilliant as Izuku watched. "Sorry to get you caught up in my work. This city's sewers turned out to be much harder to navigate than the ones I'm used to."

Izuku spared a brief moment to wonder when exactly All Might found time to navigate city sewers, then dismissed the thought immediately. It was probably related to hero work, maybe even the mole villain he had captured a few weeks ago.

"Anyways, it appears I owe you my thanks young man. Thanks to your delaying him, I managed to capture the villain!" At this, he held up a pair of large soda bottles that had been set at his side. They were filled with a viscous green liquid that shifted as Izuku watched. He could even see one eye floating in the sludge that glared petulantly at him.

Wait, had All Might just thanked him? That was ...insane. No one would ever believe that he had managed to help All Might. He needed to record this moment for posterity. And get All Might's autograph. Maybe several autographs. Except that might annoy All Might…

As Izuku reached for his notebook, which was resting on top of his backpack next to him, he saw that it was open to a previously blank page, one that was now filled with All Might's iconic signature.

"He already signed it!" Izuku called, rather redundantly. His brain was still running several steps behind the conversation, though whether that was due to the shock of meeting his favorite hero so suddenly, or the lingering effects of oxygen deprivation was anyone's guess.

"I'm always happy to meet a fan!" All Might said, dropping into a squat and stretching his legs out. "But I must be going now. Thank you once again for your assistance, and be sure to always eat your vegetables!"

"Wait! You're leaving? But I…"

All Might held up a hand to stop him. "A hero's work is never done! Stand back now, I'm taking off!" His muscles tensed, sending small cracks into the pavement below his feet.

Even when he looked back on it later, Izuku wasn't quite sure what possessed him to grab on to his hero. It was a terrible decision really, but Izuku had felt compelled to lock his arms around All Might's leg just before the hero launched into the air.

He regretted the decision almost immediately, as the wind pressure threatened to tear his cheeks off, but he didn't let go.

He'd come this far after all, so he would ask his question or die trying.


Katsuki kicked the bottle that some idiot had left lying in the middle of the street viciously, cursing as the cap came undone and a few drops of the liquid within splattered on his uniform. The bottle went skipping off into the gloom at the edge of the alley he was making his way though.

He had been wandering aimlessly through the town since his encounter with Izuku. A part of him hoped that he would run into him, but he knew that was ridiculous. Izuku had bolted off in the complete opposite direction and was surely doing everything he could to avoid Katsuki.

He understood the feeling. He'd known going in that the talk was going to be awkward and painful for the both of them, but Katsuki had pushed through it. He needed Izuku to know how foolish his career decision was, to change it to something more reasonable.

He could understand why Izuku wanted to be a hero, he really could. For most people, being a hero was a childhood fantasy, something to daydream about with little hope of actual success. They didn't have the drive, the power, or the skills to actually pull it off, and they knew that. Izuku, on the other hand, was different.

In some ways, he was the perfect candidate for a hero. He was the best Quirk analyst Katsuki had ever heard of, able to break down a Quirk's strengths and weaknesses within minutes of a new hero's debut. The strategies he came up with were inventive too, taking advantage of people's preconceptions or assumptions thanks to his often nonlinear thinking. He was dedicated too, if for the wrong reasons. That boy did not have an ounce of quit in him, despite the world being stacked against him. Sure, he was wimpy beyond belief, a pacifist, and more than a little socially awkward, but those were things you could get over with a little training.

That made it all the worse that Izuku couldn't use his Quirk. When they were little, Katsuki had had complete faith that Izuku would discover and master his ability in no time at all. But then the years had passed, and reality had set in. There was a reason invisible Quirks were regarded as a permanent condition.

Without a Quirk, Izuku would be nearly useless on a battlefield, only a liability to his teammates or himself, and Katsuki couldn't bear to see that happen to him.

Izuku had been the one person to stand by him since they were kids. When everyone else had turned, he had stayed loyal, had refused to see Katsuki as anything other than the hero he wanted to be. And he stayed with him, enduring insults and attacks from the idiots at their school. For that, Katsuki would owe him for the rest of his life. He would protect him for the rest of his life, even if that meant hurting him in the short term.

He just wished it didn't make him feel so damned guilty.

A deep chuckle from behind Katsuki distracted him from his thoughts. He spun around, ready to give the idiot who had decided to try and mug him a face full of nitroglycerine.

Instead of an unfortunate criminal, Katsuki found himself facing an empty alley. He frowned. He could have sworn he had heard someone…

Palms still popping faintly, he turned back to his original path, only to be engulfed in a tide of sludge.

"Quite the Quirk you have there!" The deep voice seemed to be coming from all around him. "I'll be sure to make great use of it once you're gone!"

Katuski couldn't even express his disgust and anger properly, as the moment he opened his mouth to insult the villain, it was filled with an indescribably disgusting sludge.


Despite the speed they had been flying at, Izuku felt almost no impact as they landed on top of an office building in the middle of the city. All Might absorbed it all, and let Izuku down with one swift motion.

"That was very foolish of you young man. You could have been seriously injured." All Might scolded him.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I really need to talk with you!."

"Young man, I enjoy chatting with my fans, but right now I do not have the time. Now, stand clear." He tensed once more, ready to take to the sky, taking Izuku's chance for an answer away forever.

"I just… Can I be a Hero, even without a Quirk?" Izuku's words came in a rush, less spoken than poured from his mouth.

Across from him, All Might froze mid squat.

Izuku took this as a sign to go ahead, not that he could have really stopped himself even if All Might had left. The feelings he'd been keeping inside for so long were coming out one way or another.

"I've always wanted to be a hero, ever since I knew what a hero was. But, when I was four, the doctor told me I have an invisible Quirk. And I've tried to learn how to use it, I really did, but nothing worked. I'm basically Quirkless…" he sighed. "And I need to know, can I become a hero like you?" He raised his head, trying to meet All Might's eyes for the first time since he had started speaking.

Instead, he met the bright blue eyes of a complete stranger. He was gaunt, almost skeletal with long hair that hung over his face. His clothes hung loose around his body as well, enhancing the impression of someone skinnier than he should be.

Izuku couldn't help it. He screamed.


It took several minutes for Izuku to calm down, and even more for All Might to prove it was really him, and not just some imposter. Even still, Izuku had trouble believing that this sickly person could be the greatest hero in the world.

The sight of the scar on All Might's side distracted him from his doubts.

"I got this about five years back in a fight with a villain. It messed up my lungs, destroyed my stomach, and the surgeries have left me totally drained. It's all I can do to keep up my hero work these days."

"You mean from the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?" Izuku inquired.

All Might frown slightly. "I'm kind of impressed you know about that fight. But, no, it's not from that fight. This was from an undisclosed villain attack, and I want it to stay that way." He shot Izuku a significant look.

Then he sighed, and leaned back against the railing, staring into the sky absently. "Why do you want to be a hero?"

For a moment, Izuku wasn't quite sure how to respond. Why?

"To...to help people. To inspire them. To...to just be a hero."

"A noble sentiment." All Might said. "One that I hope you keep up in whatever career you choose. The world can always use more people with ideals like yours. With them, you could make an excellent police officer, or firefighter, or any other type of public servant."

He lowered his head to meet Izuku's gaze. "But, to answer your question, no. You can't be a Hero without a Quirk. You'd just be a danger to yourself and your teammates."

He groaned as he slowly rose to his feet. "I'm sorry you had to hear it this way, but it's better that you know now. I wish you luck young…?"

"Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya." He responded. His voice didn't sound quite right. It was like it was coming through a long tunnel.

"Young Midoriya. I'll make sure to leave the door unlocked for you." He said as he opened the metal door that lead down from the roof. "And please remember to keep my secret."

Izuku nodded, but made no move to follow the skeletal form of the world's greatest hero. Instead, he stood at the edge of the roof, looking out over the bustle of the city.

Up there, far from the crowd, he felt very small, almost inconsequential. Like no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to him.

At least that meant there was no one to hear him sob to himself for the second time that day.


Izuku could hear the commotion from blocks away, but for once he didn't feel the need to run to see whatever battle was taking place. He just couldn't muster the same enthusiasm that he always had.

The world seemed to be painted in gray and black once more, though this time Izuku had no near death experience to blame it on. Instead he had a broken heart and a shattered dream that left him feeling tired and listless.

Despite his apathy, Izuku still found his feet turning toward the commotion. Maybe it was due to habit, year after year of chasing heroes giving him a subconscious attraction to conflict. Maybe a part of him wanted to lose himself in heroic fantasies like always as a way to soothe the aching pain in his chest. Or maybe he just didn't want to be alone with his thoughts any longer.

Whatever the case, Izuku quickly found himself pushing through the crowd of onlookers to see what sort of villain was causing such a ruckus.

The first thing he noticed was the sludge. Eerie green and constantly flowing, just like it had been when it was wrapping around him, trying to choke the very life from his body. He realized with a start that the villain must have gotten away from All Might when Izuku grabbed onto him. He felt sick at the thought that he had helped a villian go free, even accidentally.

Next he saw the uniform, the familiar black collared jacket with it's first few buttons undone in a not so subtle rejection of authority. After that, the distinctive mess of spiky blond hair that Izuku would know anywhere.

The last thing he saw were the eyes, the same eyes he had known since childhood, always full of irritation, playful mockery, or most often, determination. But that wasn't what Izuku saw now. No, his best friend's eyes were filled to the brim with fear and helplessness, a look so foreign and so wrong that Izuku almost didn't recognize it.

Those eyes filled Izuku's vision until he could see nothing else. He didn't even blink as his feet started to move once more, as he ducked under the water streams restraining the crowd, and rushed forward into the fray, heedless of his own safety as he rushed to help a person in need.


The street burned around him as Katsuki fought for his life. He twisted and thrashed, firing off explosions at every opportunity. Nothing worked. The sludge was impossible to grab, simply flowing around his blows. His explosions weren't doing much either. He couldn't get a proper angle to apply any real force, and any real blast that would harm the villain would harm him too.

He was the only one trying to do anything about the situation too, despite the crowd of onlookers that had formed at a relatively safe distance. They were just standing there, watching him slowly choke to death, waiting for a hero to show up to save the day.

There were a few heroes there, local guys that Katsuki had seen around. He'd even respected a couple of them. Kamui Woods had seemed like a fighter to him, but he was too scared of the fire that was surrounding him to venture anywhere near the alley.

They were all afraid, too scared of being hurt to do anything to save him.

Katsuki could feel the burning coal of anger in his stomach cooling rapidly, as anger gave way to fear. His muscles were weakening, and his vision was growing dim. He didn't remember the last time he had been able to take a breath, not that the smoke filled air that surrounded him would be very breathable.

He wanted to shout at the crowd to do something, anything to save him! But he couldn't. In the end, he was just as useless as they were, waiting for some hero to come and help him.

A cry went up from the crowd as someone broke through, racing toward the villain in a mad charge.

With a start, Katsuki recognized Izuku's fluffy green hair and wide, terrified eyes.

What the fuck are you doing?!


What the hell am I doing? Izuku thought as he dashed towards the villain.

He hadn't realized he was moving until he was halfway down the alley, and by that point, it was much too late to turn back.

"You again? Learn to take a hint kid!" the villain called.

A tendril of sludge lashed towards him, and Izuku barely managed to dodge out of the way. He was basing his movements on the training he'd watched Katsuki do at the Lair over the years, but he didn't have his friend's strength, speed, or balance. He'd never participated in any of the training, and was now regretting that immensely.

A second tendril grazed his backpack, and an idea flashed through Izuku's mind. He remembered his notes on Kamui Wood's fighting style, his memory jogged by the brief glimpse of the hero he had caught before his charge, and more specifically on the way he used his Quirk to obscure his opponent's vision.

It wasn't a perfect substitute, but Izuku took his chance. He grabbed his backpack in one hand and hurled it at the villain, spinning to build up some momentum.

He couldn't see exactly what happened, but he heard the villain roared with pain and saw the sludge draw back slightly.

Seizing his chance, Izuku closed the rest of the gap and tried desperately to claw at the sludge that was holding Katsuki in place.

"Get out of here you idiot." Katuski shouted. HIs voice was harsh, damaged from both the smoke and the near strangulation.

"I can't just leave you Kacchan!" Izuku cried.

"Then you can die with him!" The villain cried. He had recovered from whatever injury that had been dealt to him, and was swinging a tentacle towards Izuku.

He couldn't do anything to stop it. He didn't have anything else to throw, or anyway to block the attack. The only thing he could do was brace for the inevitable.

Behind him, he could hear the heroes rushing forward, try their best to reach him in time.

In the end, he realized that he had proved All Might correct. He had only been a burden that put other people at risk.


The strike he was waiting for never came.

Instead he heard a meaty thud as the blow impacted something in front of him. He opened his eyes to see something incredible.

All Might ws there, blocking the villian's strike with single arm. Blood dripped from his mouth and arm, but he was still standing tall, trademark smile firmly on his face.

"I really am pathetic, aren't I?" He said. He was trembling from the force of the blow, and from the effort of maintaining his transformation well past the time he should be able to use it.

"I told you the traits that make a great hero, but I see now I wasn't living up to them myself."

He reared his free arm back, tugging Izuku and Katsuki free with the other, as if they weighed no more than a couple of dolls.

"The true mark of a hero is going beyond what was possible, and making the future they desire a reality! That's the meaning of PLUS ULTRA!" he cried.

"Damn you, All Might" The villain was preparing to strike as well, but he never got the chance.

All Might's Detroit Smash hit with the force of a hurricane, extinguishing the fires in the alleyway as it passed through. The villain was completely blasted apart, turning into a fine mist that would take him hours to pull back together into something resembling his original form.

It was the single greatest display of power that either of the boys had ever seen, one that would stick in their minds for years to come, along with the sight of their savior standing tall before the cheering crowd. From the onlooker's perspective, nothing was visible except for All Might's stunning grin.

Only Izuku and Katsuki could see the lines of blood that ran down the back of his arm and neck, proof of the struggle the fight had been for the great hero.


"Why'd you do it?" Katsuki asked, the first thing he'd said to Izuku since they'd been released.

Despite the bombastic nature of the incident, there hadn't been much debrief for either of the students. Izuku had gotten a tongue lashing from the heroes about his reckless actions, while Katski had gotten praised for his bravery in the face of a near death experience. Afterwards, a medic pronounced both the boys slightly bruised, but ultimately alright. They each received some ointment and instructions to go to a hospital if anything changed.

"I don't know." Izuku replied. It was partially true. He knew the stunt he'd pulled had been dangerous, irresponsible, and may be even unnecessary. He also knew that he would do it again in a heartbeat if someone needed his help.

"Bullshit." Katsuki said, his words harsh, but his tone soft. Like he was afraid Izuku would break again if he didn't use kid gloves.

There was a long moment of silence while Izuku contemplated what to say. Katsuki was hurting, that much was obvious, and Izuku didn't want to add anything to the pile. But even he could tell that lying to his friend would only sour their relationship. It might even break the friendship that had endured so much throughout the years.

So instead, he told the truth.

"You looked like you needed help."

Katsuki stiffened, his purposely slouched posture disappearing in an instant, replaced by the picture of a much different person. Someone thoughtful, and almost calm.

This time, it was Katsuki who let the silence hang, an uncomfortable pause that was somewhere between companionable and hostile. Some blocks later, he finally spoke up.

"I didn't need help."

"Okay Kacchan."

"Seriously. I would have been fine."

"Okay."

"All you did was distract the guy and nearly get killed in the process."

"I know"

"…."

"Thanks" He said, voice just barely audible.

Izuku smiled softly at that. "You're welcome Kacchan."

"…"

"You're still an idiot."


They were just getting ready to part ways when Katsuki held out a hand to stop Izuku. Then, he reached into his bag and pulled out a paper which he handed to Izuku.

It looked smaller than he remembered, and it was more than a little crinkled, but it was still legible.

He was holding Izuku's career survey, untouched by whiteout or erasers. 'UA High-Hero course' was still written in Izuku's carefully bolded handwriting right in the center of the paper.

Izuku looked up from it to meet Katsuki's gaze. His friend still looked unsure, the doubt plainly written in both his face and eyes. Even so, he shook the paper once, indicating for Izuku to take it.

He did, holding it close to his chest, as if he was afraid the wind would rip it out of his hands.

Katsuki turned on his heel with nary a word. His posture had returned to its usual slouch and as Izuku watched him go, he raised a hand and shot Izuku the finger.

He could only smile. Things weren't back to normal between them, and they might never be, but that gesture, more than anything else, showed that they were on the right track.


The day had been a rollercoaster of emotions for Izuku. From the highest highs to the lowest lows, he'd gone through much of the range of human emotions within just a few hours.

Now it seemed the universe was going to play with him one last time.

All Might had appeared from nowhere, sliding around a corner in a burst of wind and dust. The last time Izuku had seen him, he had been surrounded by reporters clamoring for a sound bite. He briefly wondered how All Might had managed to get away, a question that was quickly answered when All Might reverted to his skeletal form. Steam filled the street, and Izuku could feel a few flecks of blood land on his arm as All Might coughed violently.

It was somehow even more disturbing to see the transformation a second time, because this time Izuku understood what it meant. The invincible symbol of peace was fallible, weak even.

It changed everything. But for Izuku, it was his words more than his presence that were shaking the world.

"Young man," All Might said, his voice resonating through Izuku even in his skeletal form. "You can become a hero."

Izuku sobbed openly. He didn't have the strength left to resist the tide inside him. He'd put on a brave face for the heroes, for Katsuki, but he couldn't smile any longer.

All he could do was continue to sob as relief flooded his system and the weight he had been carrying for all these years finally fell from his shoulders.

Thank you very much for reading! Your enjoyment means the world to me.

My current plan is to update this every two weeks, but that interval may get longer once I start University in about a month. Hopefully it won't be too bad, but who knows.

If you have some feedback, a question you don't feel like leaving in the comments, or just want to chat, feel free to hit me up at

I can also be found lurking in Epsilon1101's discord. Come check it out, and meet some cool people; /fZGEXzW

Thank you once again, and have an excellent day!