One year ago
Izuku was sixteen the day he came home from school one winter to find Tacchan leaning against the window beside the front door of their building, eyes locked in a thousand yard stare on a fixed point somewhere in the distance. A cigarette rested on her lips, or at least what was left of one; it was burned to the filter, a cigarette's length of ash still hanging idly in the air. He wasn't sure exactly when she picked up the habit, only that it was recent, and that she never smoked when she was in a good mood.
He'd found her smoking a lot this past year.
"...Tacchan? Everything okay?" He'd learned not to ask most of the time, but something about the look on her face was... different, somehow.
She closed her eyes and sighed, the spent smoke falling to the ground as she did. She briefly regarded the fallen cigarette butt with indifference, before crushing it under the sole of her boot.
"As good as it's gonna get, I guess."
Unsure how to unpack that statement, he asked the first question that came to mind. "Rough day at UA?"
"Wouldn't know. Didn't go."
...Didn't go? Izuku opened his mouth to ask what she meant by that, but she saved him the trouble. "I'm not a student there anymore. I quit."
His poor mind couldn't comprehend that. Matsuda Tatsuki, right up there with Kacchan among the strongest people he knew, just quitting UA? Just like that?
She stood up straight, meeting his gaze with a sad look in her eyes. He could see the beginnings of tears at their corners, but she held them back.
"Izuku." If he didn't know she was being dead serious, the fact that she used his name confirmed it, as she put a hand on his shoulder. "You need to give up on being a hero."
...What.
"T-Tacchan... what are you saying? You were the first person to believe in me. For a long time, you were the only person to believe in me. And now, what, all of a sudden you don't think I can do it anymore?"
"Of fucking course I still believe you can!" she shouted. "I have never once doubted that you can be a hero! I'm telling you... I'm telling you that you shouldn't."
"W-what does that even mean?!"
"It means what it fucking sounds like. You wanna go out there, eyes bright and head in the clouds, wanting to save the whole fucking world, and I love that about you, but that's not what being a hero is. It's a fucking business. It's cold, it's heartless, it doesn't care about your feelings, and it will destroy you the second it has the chance, and I just... I don't even know." Frustratedly, she ran a hand through her hair. "You deserve so much better."
She didn't tell him he was all she had left at this point. She wasn't sure exactly how.
"W-well, I'm sorry," he answered, "but my best friend put a lot of effort into training me, what with getting me in shape and teaching me how to fight." He met her gaze, fire and tears in his eyes in equal measure. "I'd be letting her down if I let all her effort go to waste."
She couldn't help but give a bittersweet smile at that. She'd walked right into that one, hadn't she?
"I don't know what happened to you, Tacchan," he continued, "b-but if you won't be a hero, then I'll just have to be enough hero for both of us! If that means saving the whole f- ...the whole world, just to prove to you that it was worth it, then that's what I'll just have to do."
Much as she admired his commitment, and appreciated the gravity of his statement, she had to stifle a laugh. "You can say 'fuck,' you know."
"...I don't wanna."
That one, she couldn't hold back. It was a light, airy giggle, tinged with wistfulness, but it had the same authenticity to it that Izuku was so familiar with from her. She sighed, giving him a momentary what-am-I-gonna-do-with-you look, before stepping forward and embracing her only friend. He felt a heat fill his cheeks as they were brushed by shoulder-length hair. As much as he'd gotten used to being around girls, between Tacchan and Dr. Pym's daughter, Nadia, physical contact like this was still a bit more than he could take. Still, hesitantly, he reached out and hugged her back.
"You sure I can't get you to change your mind?" she asked softly into his ears.
"Can I get you to change yours?"
There was a sound of her exhaling through her nose, but he couldn't tell what it meant without seeing her face.
"Worth a shot."
The two pulled back, each meeting the other's gaze. She was still just that little bit taller, but Izuku had started to hit a growth spurt recently, and he was finally starting to catch up. The idea that he'd ever catch up to her in anything was still something he'd have to get used to.
Eventually, she slumped her shoulders, turning to walk away. "Just... stay safe, at least."
"Tatsuki-san."
She stopped in her tracks, turning back to Izuku. Just as he'd always been Broccoli Head, she'd always been Tacchan, so using her name... actually, in all the time they'd known each other, she was pretty sure this was the first time.
"...All that smoking is gonna be the death of you."
For a moment, she just stood there and stared back at him, her expression unreadable, before once again turning to leave. "I'll look into quitting."
It wasn't the last they saw of each other - they never fell completely out of touch - but they were never again as close as they'd once been.
For what it was worth, though, that was the last cigarette she ever smoked.
Present Day
"Now then, class," the teacher said, "you're in your third year of high school now, so it's time to begin seriously thinking about your futures." She regarded the forms in her hand as the worthless tools they were, before continuing. "I'll be passing out these career aptitude tests, waste of time though it is. I presume you all intend to enter the hero track as you look toward your collegiate endeavors."
Despite practically spitting the word in disgust, as soon as they heard "hero," the class erupted into cheers, all but two of them showing off their quirks in their excitement. Of the twenty-three that did, the teacher estimated that three of them, perhaps, had quirks that would be valuble in that field, and having taught this homeroom for two years, she could confidently say that the only two students in the room that weren't complete idiots were the same two that remained quiet.
Of course, back in America, they had a saying: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." Bakugou Katsuki, it seemed, had never heard this phrase.
"Hey, Teach," he called out, and she could already feel her eyelid twitch. "Don't lump me in with this bunch of losers. I'm the real deal, but these guys-"
"Enough, Bakugou." Her tone brokered no argument. This boy was a walking attitude problem, one that none of the other teachers at this cesspit of a high school had ever seen fit to adjust. "Whatever you've been told your whole life, what you are is a big fish in a small pond. The sooner you get it through that thick skull of yours that the world doesn't revolve around you, the better off you'll be when you find yourself in the ocean." Some students tittered and laughed, others were appropriately insulted at being called a small pond - which was good, as it meant they weren't completely hopeless - and Bakugou himself just scoffed angrily at her. "And take your feet off the desk. This is a classroom, not a leisure cruise."
The last of them, a boy named Midoriya, restrained himself from expressing the humor he found in the situation, but enough slipped through for Bakugou to shoot him a withering glare, which had exactly the effect on the green-haired young man that the term implied. There had always been tension between the two, as the teacher had seen it, and it had only escalated in the past year, for reasons she hadn't been able to pin down yet. It was something she intended to get to the bottom of. After all, unlike most of the bottom-feeders that populated Aldera High School, this particular boy actually had a future.
The next hour passed uneventfully, the teacher looking down at the collected assessment tests assembled on her desk when the bell dismissing the students for the day sounded. Midoriya's sat at the top of the stack, and she stared at his response under "preferred career path."
Hero. Second and third choices left blank.
Disappointing, if unsurprising. At least she could admire his commitment.
"You're all dismissed," she called out. Half the class was out the door within seconds, while most of those who weren't merely hung back to engage in some idle chatter or other. Bakugou and his two flunkies, Hisue and Kariage, began to gather around Midoriya's desk for whatever reason seemed logical to a bully, before the teacher interrupted that train of thought before it left the station. "Midoriya," she called, "a word, please." The three stooges got the hint from the look she gave them, while it took an added hand gesture for Midoriya to come over to her desk.
"U-um... can I ask what this is about, sensei?"
She took a quick glance around the room, before responding in English. She'd seen his grades, and knew full well that he was fluent. "[Mr. Midoriya. I'm aware that there are certain... cultural differences here in Japan, but I want you to understand that where I come from, bullying is not something we tolerate.]" He gulped, but she continued unabated. "[If anyone is causing you trouble, I want you to understand that you can come to me. It's my job as a teacher to help you. However, I can't protect you if you don't tell me what exactly is going on. Do you understand what I'm saying?]"
Nervously, he nodded back in response. "[I, um. I appreciate it, really, b-but there's nothing to worry about. I'm fine, really.]"
She sighed, rubbing her fingers against the bridge of her nose, before relaxing in her chair. "[You and I both know that's bullshit, but unfortunately, I suppose my hands are tied in the matter. It's just a shame that one of the brightest minds I've ever had the pleasure of teaching has to be so obstinate.]" Midoriya, for his part, seemed genuinely shocked to be receiving such praise. The teacher leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk in front of her, tenting her fingers. "[I really do think it would be a shame for something like that to hold you back. After all, if you live up to the potential I see in you, then you've got quite the future to look forward to.]"
At that, at least, the boy found it in himself to give a determined smile, emphasizing it with a clenched fist. "[If that's what you're worried about, don't be. It'll take more than a few setbacks to hold me back.]"
Something slipped through in his expression as he said that, that made her wonder if he was certain he believed that.
She shot another glance at the assessment tests, before giving him a wry smile. "[And you're certain you're taking the right path? I suspect you running off to UA and becoming a hero would be quite the loss to the scientific community.]"
He chuckled at that. "[Who knows? If Mr. Fantastic can juggle both, maybe I can too]." She deserved an award, she felt, for resisting the urge to vomit at the mention of Reed Richards.
"Well," she replied, in Japanese again, "at least keep what I said in mind, will you? Like I said, it's my job to look out for you."
"I know. And thanks, Rappaccini-sensei."
With that, he headed out the door. At the rate she was going, she wasn't going to talk him off this hero kick of his before he graduated. The whole reason Monica was slumming it up in this D-rate school in the first place was because this was the school attended by a boy who'd cracked I-Island's security at age twelve, and she saw more in him than she had even expected to. She had seen the notes he'd scribble in class when he already knew the material being discussed. Whether it was a solution to an unsolved equation he'd just happened to work out in his spare time, or insight into others' quirks that would be downright frightening in the right hands, the boy was unquestionably brilliant. She might not convince him within the next year, but that was fine. She needed only plant the right seeds, and let them grow on their own.
There was no doubt in her mind that Midoriya Izuku would one day be Scientist Supreme.
"Today's top story, another major arrest was made in the ongoing MLA scandal this morning, this time National Diet member Hanabata Koukuu. Hanabata, the leader of the Hearts & Mind party, is suspected to be a high-ranking member of the MLA, and questions have arisen regarding the role of the party itself in the criminal enterprise. Hanabata released a statement denying any wrongdoing, but neither confirmed nor denied affiliation with the MLA. Neither the HPSC nor SHIELD had any comments to offer, stating that details of the ongoing investigation would not be made public at this time."
"Tch," Tatsuki scoffed from behind the counter at the Mustafu Circle Q, "good riddance."
"In other news," the announcer continued, "two would-be burglars were found by the Mie Prefectural Police, bound to the Sonic the Hedgehog statue in Iga-shi by what appeared to be a thick layer of spider silk. Police believe this to be the latest act of vigilantism by the local menace known as-"
"I take it you're not a fan," a customer interrupted.
She massaged the bridge of her nose, not really in the mood to discuss politics with J. Random Citizen, but if he was gonna bring it up, she was probably stuck. "I've got a good friend who's quirkless, and he's got enough shit to deal with. I'm not gonna vote for a party that makes oppressing someone I care about part of its platform." She looked up to meet the man's gaze properly. "If that's a problem for you, you can get the fuck out of my store."
The blonde gave a hearty, full-bodied laugh that seemed out of place from his gaunt, almost skeletal frame. "Ha! Quite the opposite, young lady. It's always refreshing to see compassion for others in the world."
She relaxed, just a little, giving the man a faint smile. "Alright, alright, you can stay."
"Well, I should hope so. I do have dinner to purchase, after all."
"Alright," she answered, looking to the array of microwavable products on the counter, "lemme just ring that up for you."
The rest of the transaction proceeded without fanfare. The same mechanical scan-and-bag routine she'd gone through time and again by now.
"That comes to ¥1395." She noted the crowd gathering outside, prepared to shoo them off if they became too much of a disruption to business.
She handed him the bag, he handed her the cash, she gave him his change, and he left the five-yen coin in the 'take one, leave one' tray. She resisted a yawn at the tedium of it all.
"Have an excellent evening, young lady!"
"Mm. Back atcha."
As he left, he stopped in the doorway, looking at whatever it was that had the lollygaggers' attention. Apparently, a giant ball of slime with a face was racing down the street with a bag of money. So, just normal Monday shit.
"Hey, can you not block the-"
And then, Bones Malone inflated like an All Might shaped balloon.
"...entrance?"
"Fear not, citizens! Because I am here!"
And with that, the number one hero rushed off after Blobby McGee.
As soon as her coworker emerged from the restroom, Tatsuki dashed around the counter and toward the exit.
"Shuu! Watch the store for me!"
Izuku appreciated what Rappaccini-sensei was trying to do, really, but, well... his biggest weakness was that he always tried to see the best in people.
Kacchan was... well, Izuku had long since come to terms with the fact that the two of them weren't the friends they'd been as kids, something that having actual friends had helped him realize. In fact, though these weren't the words he'd use himself, Kacchan was kind of a shithead. His antics had long been put on ice, but when Tacchan washed out of UA, the certainty in Kacchan's mind that he'd surpass her had emboldened him. He had one less obstacle on his path to the top. More immediately relevantly, not being scared of her anymore meant that he wasn't as shy as he used to be about the way he treated Izuku.
Still, he didn't have the heart to just write him off. He knew there was a good person in there, somewhere, deep down, probably. He'd grow out of whatever he'd spent the last thirteen years being, and when he did, he'd be a great hero. Izuku really believed that. So he wasn't going to jeopardize his chance to be one - what kind of person he was in school wouldn't matter to the people he'd save one day. That's what it was all about, after all. Saving everyone you can. That's what he always told himself.
"Oi! Deku!"
But that didn't mean he had time for his nonsense. Izuku didn't even spare him a glance, checking his texts instead.
Nadia • 11:46
Study group tonight? Get one last one in before the school year starts?
Wait
Shit, it's Monday there, isn't it
He chuckled. She always forgot about the date line.
Me • 16:04
dw, i'm headed straight home, i should have time!
Without looking up, he reached back and grabbed Kacchan's wrist before he could grip his shoulder, a feat that sounds impressive until you factor in how loudly the blonde stomped down the hall. Kacchan, naturally, just got madder, yanking his arm free.
"Where the fuck do you get off just ignoring me?"
"Kacchan, much as I wish we still could be, we're not friends anymore, so I'm honestly not sure what you could possibly want to talk to me about."
"The hell was that conversation you had with the teacher just now?"
Izuku scratched the back of his head. "Nothing important."
Kacchan gestured back with a thumb to Hisue and Kariage. "[These two extras might not speak English, but I do.]"
Sigh. "If you already know the answer, why ask?"
"The fuck do you think you're trying to pull with that shit?"
"...What do you think I'm trying to pull, Kacchan? She asked, I just told her everything was fine. I thought you said you heard us."
"What, that? I don't give a shit about that." He poked at Izuku's chest. "You're wasting your time trying to get into UA, Deku. We both know I'm the only one in this shitty school good enough to make the cut. You're not even a stepping stone for me; you're just a piece of gum that won't go away because you've been stuck to my shoe this whole time. You should just drop this whole delusion you have about ever being a hero."
"You seem awfully eager to convince me," the increasingly annoyed Izuku replied. "It's like you actually see me as an obstacle."
"LIKE HELL!" Explosions popped off in Kacchan's hand. Izuku felt himself flinch, but he still stood firm. "What, you finally grow a spine now that your dropout girlfriend isn't around to help you anymore? Like that makes a fucking difference?" He grabbed Izuku by the collar. "This kind of shit is what pisses me off about you. Ever since we were kids, you thought you could just look down on me. That's my problem with you, Deku. You don't know your fucking place."
Izuku blinked once, then twice, then thrice, before his face scrunched up in sheer incredulity. "...Are you serious right now?" He grabbed Kacchan by the wrist, yanking his grip away from his collar. "My whole life, I've looked up to you. I've spent the last thirteen years scratching and clawing so I could be anywhere close to your level, just so I could even begin to compete with you, and that's how you see me?" He took a step back, straightening his gakuran and dusting himself off. "Grow up, Kacchan. You're smarter than this."
Izuku turned on his heels, calmly walking away before the situation escalated further.
"Oi, you think you can just walk away from me?!"
"Apparently. Oh," he corrected, "and she's still not my girlfriend." He continued on his way, giving a casual wave without looking back. "See you tomorrow."
"[So then he's like, 'YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK AWAY FROM ME?']" he told Nadia in his best Kacchan voice, "[and I go, "Well, apparently." And then I just left him there.]"
The voice on the other end of the phone sighed. "[How have you still not cut him out of your life?]"
She couldn't see the shrug he gave, but it just sort of came naturally to him, anyway. "[Kind of hard when he's in my homeroom every single year. I get that he's toxic, but it's like fate just keeps pushing him at me, anyway.]"
"[Well, sounds like he's had enough of your attention for one day, so let's change the subject. Any progress on the wrist shooters?]"
The residential neighborhood he passed through was filled with the sound of his audible groan.
"[That bad?]"
"[Trashed my fourth prototype yesterday. The wound's still fresh.]"
"[Any idea what the problem is?]"
"[I know exactly what the problem is. That's the worst part. Can't seem to get the sealing mechanism to trigger before the suit actually shrinks, so...]"
"[Tiny launcher, regular sized ammo. Gets ripped apart from the inside. That about it?]"
Izuku stared up at the overpass hanging over his head. "[Ayup.]"
"[Send me the schematics when you get home, I'll take a look. Just the schematics, though. I don't need you digging through my private files.]"
"[Nadia, please, I hacked your dad one time.]"
"[And stole his Mustang.]"
"[You can't prove that was me.]" She couldn't, but it was totally him.
"[He already knows it's missing. It won't be long before he finds out you have it.]"
"[See, you're assuming I have it.]" He absolutely had it. "[I'm innocent until prov-]" Suddenly, the sound of a manhole erupting from the ground interrupted his conversation. "...What the hell?"
"[Izuku? I heard a noise on your end, is something going on?]"
By the time he turned around, a massive, sentient pile of what honestly looked and smelled like straight up raw sewage was looming right over him. "Hmmm... nice and plain, should blend right in. Everything a man could want in a skinsuit."
Oh. Gross.
"[...I'llcallyoubackbye!]"
He leapt back to dodge the first attack, but was quickly overwhelmed by the amorphous blob, dropping his phone on the ground in the process. "Now now," the villain said with a cruel chuckle, "you're gonna wanna hold still for this."
Izuku struggled to free himself, but the goop had fully engulfed his limbs. It was like trying to swim through oobleck. "U-um, a-are you sure you don't wanna buy me dinner fir-RMFF!"
In hindsight, he really should have kept his mouth shut. Now, he could feel this... thing... writhing and wriggling down his throat. It didn't just look and smell like sewage, it tasted like it, too, or at least what Izuku imagined sewage tasted like. He wanted to vomit so badly, his gag reflex going absolutely wild, but the pathway for anything to come out was fully blocked off by the invasive presence.
"Don't worry, kid, you'll be out cold in a couple minutes. I'll be sure to go gentle on ya, as thanks for helping me get away!"
"[Izuku! Come on, talk to me! What's happening?!]"
"Hehe... that your girlfriend on the phone?" If nothing else, he was glad Nadia was nowhere near Japan right now, but that didn't mean he wanted this scumbag to even think about what he was pretty sure he was thinking about. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to treat her real good for ya, ki-"
"TEXAAAAAS..."
"...Oh, shit."
"...SMAAAAAAAAAASH!"
And then everything went black.
Izuku was drawn from unconsciousness by a hand lightly tapping against his face, and the sound of a very distinctive voice.
"Hey! Wake up!"
"Mm, five more minutes, mom..."
"Hahaha! It's good to see you're well, young man, but we're still in the middle of the street!"
"Eh?" He blinked himself awake, and sure enough, standing over him was the number one hero in Japan, maybe in the world, albeit out of costume. "OH MY GOSH, ALL MIGHT?!"
"Sorry to have gotten you caught up in my justicing! Turns out, the sewers in this city are pretty difficult to navigate! That said, you did a great job slowing that villain down for me, young man!" As if to emphasize that statement, he held out a pair of two liter bottles full of villain.
"Holy crap," he mumbled, immediately rummaging through his backpack, "I have to get your autograph! Where's that notebook..." After a second, he dug out "Hero Analysis for the Future, Vol. 15," flipping to the first blank page... and finding that it had already been signed while he was out cold. "YOU GAVE ME YOUR AUTOGRAPH! THANKYOUSOMUCHI'LLCHERISHTHISFOREVER-"
"Haha! It's the least I could do for your troubles! And don't worry, I let your friend on the phone know you were safe and sound!" Oh, well, that was a relief. Still, he'd probably have to let her know himself later on. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I've got to take this guy to the police station!"
Wait, he's leaving already? "Wait, you're leaving already?"
"I'd love to stay and chat, my boy, but I'm afraid this isn't a meet and greet. Crime doesn't just sit around waiting for you to show up, after all! Now then, duty calls!"
And so, just as suddenly as he'd arrived, he leapt into the sky.
Izuku wasn't sure when he'd grabbed the man's leg, but he had, and now he was soaring through the air, holding on for dear life.
"U-UM, MR. ALL MIGHT, SIR?" he shouted, lips flapping in the wind. "I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING REAL QUICK, IF THAT'S ALRIGHT WITH YOU!"
"Wh- kid, what are you doing?! You need to let go, right now!"
"CAN I LET GO WHEN WE LAND? I'M PRETTY SURE THE FALL WOULD KILL ME FROM HERE!"
"...That is an excellent point. Hold on tight, and close your mouth and eyes!"
Izuku complied, and as it turned out, that was some excellent advice. Getting your face blasted by the air as you flew at high speed was not remotely his idea of a fun time. Eyes closed as they now were, he didn't see the trickle of blood from the corner of All Might's mouth.
As the two came to rest on a rooftop about ten stories up, Izuku struggled to regain his composure. He was definitely never flying without a mask on again, that was for sure.
"The roof access is over there. If you bang on the door enough, someone will let you in. Now, then-"
"W-wait a second!"
"I'm afraid I don't have time to wait!"
Now, Izuku was more confident in himself than he once was. He was certainly more confident than he often was, when this meeting occurred in other timelines. He'd come much farther by now than those other versions of him had to this point.
But he was still Midoriya Izuku, and he still had his doubts.
You should probably just give up.
Izuku, I'm so sorry!
You need to give up on being a hero... You deserve so much better.
You're just a piece of gum that won't go away because you've been stuck to my shoe this whole time.
With all the things he'd been told by so many people over the years, how could he not?
"Do you think someone without a quirk could be a hero like you?"
And at that, All Might stopped in his tracks.
HOO BOY. Not at all jazzed with how the tail end of this one turned out. Setting myself a deadline was a mistake, and everything from the sludge villain's arrival on feels painfully rushed to me, especially since it ended up ending earlier than I'd originally planned. I wanted to do the full rooftop scene with All Might to close this one out, and open the next chapter with a "Meanwhile, Elsewhere" cold open. I might go over it later and even it out, but right now? I need a fuckin' drink.
In the meantime, I'm going to give you, yes, you, the reader, a chance to help me write this fic! See, I don't generally make shipping a high priority, and so that's where you come in! I've set up a straw poll to determine the endgame (no pun intended) pairing for Izuku. Pick your top three, and whoever gets the most votes by the end of the Kamino Arc (so, y'know, plenty of time to get 'em in) will be Izuku's primary love interest as the story moves forward.
The link to the poll is in my profile. Go check it out!
All that said, vote away! I look forward to seeing where you take my story.
Next chapter, we check in on Mie Prefecture's friendly neighborhood Spider-Girl (with special guest Black Cat!), and wrap things up with the sludge villain, and all that entails.
