Stumbling his way back through the now mostly abandoned cemetery, past headstone and obelisk, roses and tulips left behind for those lost, Izuku searches for his mother in a stunned daze. As if entranced, Izuku's mind has transformed into Eraserhead's personal echo-chamber, with each ring of his cruel "No" reverberating louder than the last. Like a dagger twisting in his guts, every echo sends another wave of stinging pain through his body.

Tears stream down the poor boy's face, dripping past his freckled cheeks and off of his chin to become ever mixed with the rain.

Just another drop of sadness among the resting place of the dead. Just another tear from Izuku Midoriya.

Izuku's fragile mind spits horrid thought after horrid thought right back at the teenager, emboldened by Eraserheads outburst.

You'd never make it anyways.

Why are you even here?

Kacchan's grave should be yours, not his.

You're nothing more than a walking failure.

And worst of all,

What would Kacchan say?

Hidden behind tombstones, the silhouette of his mother breaks over the horizon, one part of a larger crowd. The remnants from the funeral – close friends and family to Katsuki. Everyone else had already left.

All Izuku wants is to be with his mother, to have her reassure him like she used to - for him to be a child and forget all about this cruel world that seems to hate him so. This cruel, terrible world where fate is determined before birth, where genetics reign as king and Izuku its puny pawn.

Perhaps, in another time, in another place, he could change the rules of this game. But for now, all that remains is Eraserhead's words, Kacchan's grave, and the world around him.

No escape.

As Izuku approaches the gathering, the faces of the crowd continue to blur together, their details becoming lost in the shapes of the others, his tears smudging their images.

No one but his mother matters now. No one else cared about him anyways. The only other person who did is now nothing but a headstone among dozens.

Dragging his feet through the wet grass and mud, Izuku staggers towards his mother, as if a child taking his first steps. Distracted by deep conversation with Katsuki's mother, Inko stands in her friend's shadow, dwarfed by her tall stature.

Hearing his stomping approach, she turns to find her son, her expression transforming from one of somber concern to disciplined rage, her eyebrows furrowing as she steps forward. Hand on her hip, Inko approaches her son, failing to notice the tears trailing down his face.

"Izuku Midoriya! How dare you run off during a time like this to-" Inko's scolding is interrupted by Izuku throwing his arms around her neck.

Pulling his mother's head into the crook of his neck, Izuku sobs heavily.

None of it matters.

Ground me later, take my All Might figures, do whatever. But now, please just hold me.

The memories flare throughout his mind again. The childhood he used to have, before any of this quirk nonsense.

When he believed he could do anything with Katsuki by his side. How the two would plan out their path to heroism together. With rocket ships, dinosaurs, and a space-faring voyage to save a long lost princess. All Might guiding them on their quest, his glorious presence filling in all the gaps Izuku felt.

Oh the woes of childhood.

How childish Izuku feels now, broken by the words of a two-bit hack.

Katsuki's face flashes in Izuku's mind. His spiky, blonde hair. His red eyes that reflected the golden light of the sun. His determined smile, always curled upwards into a feisty smirk.

All gone.

And in Katsuki's place? A failure. A coward, unable to act. No quirk, nothing worthwhile. If only Izuku had something, some power, maybe then he could have saved Kacchan. If only...

"K-Ka-Kacchan… I failed him, I fail-fa-failed him,' he sobs into his mothers' shoulder.

Shocked by her son's sudden appearance, Inko's hands remain raised for a few seconds before it begins to click. Gently placing her hands on his back, she soothes her son. Katsuki's friends and family slowly shift their focus from their conversation to witness the moment between mother and son.

"I ca-can never b-b-be like him. I fail-failed. K-Kacchan…" he mutters to himself, tears streaming. Stumbling to his knees, head against his mother's stomach, Izuku's sobs grow heavier. Clutching her son's green hair, Inko gently sits down next to him. Pulling his head into her lap, she runs a hand through his hair.

A barrage of images, thoughts, and harsh words flash throughout the young boys mind.

Hold your failure of a son. Your son that is doomed for mediocrity. A son doomed to disappoint. A quirkless boy. How cruel a twist of fate can be.

As his mother holds him, Izuku looks up from the tears. As the drops stream along his freckled face, he leers at Katsuki's headstone. With a sorrowed expression, Izuku can't hold his gaze on his friend's grave.

Gasping through the tears, he chokes out a final phrase.

"For-F-Forgive me, Kacchan."

Inko looks down in tear-filled sorrow. She had only seen her son like this once before – when he learned he was quirkless.

Her eyes begin to bubble.

Clutching her son, tears drop from seeing him reduced to such a point. Listening to his mother sob only drives Izuku further into tears.

Rain falls.

Mother and son embrace.

Ochaco watches from a distance, Denki and Kirishima standing next to her.

Denki can't bear to watch the scene and turns, pacing a few steps away. Remaining by Ochaco's side, Kirishima watches with an expression of concern. Eventually, it grows to be too much even for him, as he stops to pinch the bridge of his nose with his hand in order to obscure his vision.

Despite her companions' reactions, Ochaco watches with intrigue, sparked by Izuku's emotional response.

Who was Katsuki to him anyways?

Helping Izuku to his feet, Inko waves to Katsuki's mother. Placing her arm around his back, she walks her son for a few paces before he regains his composure, his feet wobbling with each step.

Wiping his face free of tears, Izuku takes a moment to collect himself. As the two go to leave the cemetery, Izuku takes one fleeting glance at Katsuki's grave and the crowd standing around it.

Choking back a final sob, he nods at Kacchan's grave.

"Bye, Kacchan."

Turning his head from his final glance at the headstone, Izuku's eye snags on a familiar figure.

Alone and looking directly at Izuku, Ochaco peers at him from within the cemetery. Expressing a sense of curiosity and intrigue as she glances at Midoriya, her short bobbed hair billows in the cold breeze of the rainy day, umbrella in one hand.

Izuku, with his rain-soaked hair and puffy eyes, is caught in a moment of mutual curiosity with Ochaco.

The two gaze directly into each other, both pondering the other.

What did they mean to Katsuki? both consider.

His mother's voice cuts through the moment, "Come along, Izuku!"

Shaking his head, Izuku turns around and heads to the grey sedan.

Looking over his shoulder, he finds Ochaco chuckling softly as Denki and Kirishima approach her. The three seem to be heading out as well.

What was that? he thinks to himself.

Stepping into the sedan, Izuku buckles himself into the passenger seat as Inko starts the car. The sedan starts up and pulls out into the street, rain trickling against the window shield with a distinctive pitter-patter.

Izuku wipes his nose with his sleeve.

"Well, that was a pleasant service," Inko chimes in.

Smooth jazz softly plays over the radio. Izuku's favorite.

Gently resting his head against the cold and foggy window, Izuku lets out a soft sigh.

It's been a day alright.

Drifting off into a pleasant sleep sounds perfect right about now...

His eyelids growing heavy, the cold air and soft jazz lulls him into a slow, drifting sleep.

"So, how about all of those heroes! Wow! That must have been something to see, right, Izuku?" his mom suddenly inquires.

His tired eyes crack open, exhausted from the emotions of the day.

"Y-Yeah, they were…", images of Eraserhead's outburst flash into Izuku's mind.

"They were something alright," Izuku exasperatedly states before thunking his head against the window again.

"Everything okay? I know today was… emotional, to say the least, but are you okay? You seem to be especially hard-hit," Inko asks.

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," Izuku lies.

"Well, don't get too tired, you still have somewhere to be!" Inko jokes.

Turning his head from the window, Izuku throws a confused expression to his mother, his eyebrows furrowed.

Inko nods, "Oh, don't give me that look! You agreed to it!"

Slowly sitting up, Izuku turns towards his mother with a look of even-greater confusion, "Where?"

Inko turns to him with a jovial smile on her face, "Remember those student heroes you met?"

Izuku's eyes widen.

The after-party he agreed too right before he met Eraserhead.

Oh no.

Today is far from over.