Not all men are created equal.

It's the truth of the world, and a hard truth that Izuku Midoriya had learned at four when he was diagnosed as Quirkless and told to give up on his dreams of being a hero.

But he kept his hope alive, believing one day he may just be able to become a hero, no matter what his classmates and former friend-turned bully said. He'd save everyone with a smile, and let them know they were okay because he was there! Just like All-Might!

And then All-Might himself told Izuku he couldn't be a hero, shot his dream down without a single hesitation and told him to dream 'realistically'.

That had been a turning point in Izuku's life. From there, his grades began to suffer, as they neared graduation and his teachers began changing his scores so he wouldn't be top of the class anymore; his mother got sick and he began to spend every free minute he had working to pay for medication and doctor's visits, but the only jobs anyone would give him was less than minimum wage temp work and involved a lot of manual labor.

The bullying also got worse for him. Bakugo had begun to ignore him now that his dreams were crushed, and focused more on the UA entrance exam, leaving the position of Izuku's bully and tormentor open; it was a rarity for him to reach home with his uniform intact, forcing him to learn how to mend the cloth himself in the late hours of the night before he caught some meager sleep to begin the cycle over.

The only bright spot in his life was a new friend he had made at one of his many job sites, a Quirkless man named Yorobi Shirahama. He was older than Izuku at 27, but he was a fairly jovial man who enjoyed hard labor, with arms bigger than Izuku was around and a thick lumberjack beard. Many took to calling him John Henry, which he accepted gracefully.

John Henry treated Izuku like a little brother, teaching him the ins and outs of construction, from electrical to plumbing and more. He loved Izuku's analytical mind and desire to understand everything which made it easy to teach him.

He also helped Izuku outside of work, hanging out with him whenever he thought the boy looked particularly sad, and helping Izuku gain confidence and strength with every outing. Currently, he was watching Izuku hit baseballs in the local batting cages, a favorite haunt of both lately.

"That was a good one!" John Henry boomed, laughing as the baseball Izuku just whacked put a noticeable dent in the chain link fence. "Not as good as the one you sent through the fence last week."

"That was a good day for me," Izuku said with a grin as he swung and hit another ball, this one hitting the mesh net in front of the pitching machine. "I still can't believe it went three blocks."

"All in the form, little brother," he sighed as their time in the cage finished and Izuku walked out, putting his bat into his backpack. "You gonna come to the Arcade with me and Tokage tomorrow? We got a lot of excess tokens."

"Nah, gotta take my mom to a doctor's appointment," Izuku said as he slung his bag on his back.

"Alright, man, let me know if you need anything," Yorobi said, clasping hands with Izuku and bumping chests with him.

"See ya, Yorobi!" Izuku called as he took off at a jog down the street.

"Later, Izu!"

"If I hurry, I can swing by Takoba Beach before it gets too dark," Izuku muttered to himself, having been cleaning the beach on his own whenever he had a chance. It had been Yorobi's idea to both get him in shape and give back to the community, and he'd already made a sizable dent in the ten months he had been clearing things out.

"Mom, I'm home!" Izuku called a few minutes later as he pushed open the door to their apartment, looking around in confusion when he entered. "Mom?" he called again, walking deeper into the apartment as he looked around. The TV was still on and a half-finished cup of cold tea sat on the counter.

"Mom?" Izuku called again as he rounded the counter, his bag dropping from his hands as he saw his mother, collapsed on the kitchen floor, unmoving.

"MOM!"

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Izuku stood at his mother's grave site, staring down numbly at the casket as they slowly lowered it down into the cold ground. Beside him, John Henry, Tokage and Mitsuki Bakugo were all respectfully watching, their heads bowed slightly. Izuku slowly stepped forward, wiping tears from his eyes as he let the small handful of dirt he had fall into the grave.

"Goodbye, Mom…" he said softly, "get some rest...you've earned it and more." With a sniffle, he turned back around, barely moving as Mitsuki hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Izuku," the older woman mumbled as tears trailed down her cheeks.

"It's no one's fault," Izuku said, halfheartedly returning the hug as John Henry and Tokage stepped forward.

Akiko Tokage was a secretary for a small-time hero; he was lithe with elven features and long dark green hair tied back. He was currently hugging John Henry's arm as the large man wrapped both Mitsuki and Izuku in a hug.

"I'm here for you, little brother," John Henry said, squeezing the two reassuringly.

"Yeah, anything you need, just ask," Tokage said with a gentle (and rather watery) smile.

"Thanks, guys," Izuku said, giving them a sad smile, "but I mostly want to go home now."

"I'll drive you," Mitsuki said, looking up at storm clouds slowly moving in as John Henry let him go and stepped back.

"I...wanna walk," Izuku said quietly, taking a few steps back. "I need some time to think."

Mitsuki watched morosely as Izuku walked away. "He can't catch a break, can he?" she asked.

"That's life for a Quirkless." John Henry rumbled, watching as well as he absentmindedly put his arm around Tokage.

"It really is," Tokage sighed, looking at the grave marker of Inko, before asking, "where's his father?"

Mitsuki scoffed. "That asshole's probably off fucking some bimbo," she grumbled, "they divorced when Izuku was diagnosed as Quirkless. Asshole only cares to send the child support because Inko took him to court over it."

"Asshole," Tokage agreed.

"You can say that again," she muttered, watching as Izuku rounded the corner and disappeared from view. "I'm worried about him."

"So are we," John Henry said, "but we'll be there for him, when he needs us."

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For the next few months, Izuku walked through life in a daze, really only getting the energy to go to work and return home. He still went to the batting cages and hung out with John Henry, but his heart was never in it; he barely reacted when UA was reportedly attacked by villains, having of thought to call Mitsuki and ask about Bakugo's health before forgetting the matter entirely.

It wasn't until the third month, when John Henry made the news, did Izuku finally start opening up once again.

It happened a week after the Sports Festival. Izuku had just gotten home and was stepping out of the shower when his phone rang.

"Tokage?" Midoriya muttered in confusion. He had just gotten back from their house, eating dinner with the older man since John Henry was in Hosu for work. He hit the answer button and brought the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Aki, did I forget something-"

"TURN ON THE TV RIGHT NOW!" The man shrieked, voice hysterical as Izuku jumped in his skin, almost dropping his phone as he rushed into the living room, clicking the TV on and staring in horror as the news showed a burning Hosu.

"-still no word on just who is behind this attack, but the devastation is far reaching and the heroes have been stretched thin trying to contain the fighting-"

"John Henry's in Hosu," Tokage sobbed, "and he won't return my calls!"

"He's fine, I know he's fine," Izuku said reassuringly, though he didn't know who he was reassuring. "He's probably way away from all the fighting."

"But...but…"

"Panicking isn't helping anyone, Aki," Izuku said gently, "we just have to wait."

So Izuku went back to their house and waited with Tokage until, at one in the morning, John Henry walked back into the house, arms and part of his neck covered in gauze, but a proud grin lighting the large man's face.

"I caught the Hero Killer," he declared as Aki and Izuku rushed towards him, both stopping short and staring at him in shock.

"W-what?" Aki asked weakly.

"I caught the Hero Killer,'' he repeated, stepping forward and hugging his boyfriend before doing the same to Izuku. "He almost got me, but no one can take down Yorobi Shirahama without his say so!" He beamed with pride.

"But...how...when…" Aki spluttered as John Henry led him to the couch.

"I was on my way back from the jobsite," he began as Izuku eagerly sat down across from them, "and the truck broke down close to an alleyway, so me and Akihiko, you remember Akihiko, right? From the Tatooin Station job? We were working on the truck when we heard a struggle in the alleyway, so I grabbed a sledge hammer from the truck and went to go check it out; and would you believe it? It was the Hero Killer himself, had Native right where he wanted him, and a UA student pinned, so I did what any rational man with a hammer would do. I hit him with it, and sent him flying! Oh, you should've seen it, babe, he was so surprised! We got into a bit of a scuffle - as you can see - and gave the UA student enough time to get back up! And we knocked him out before Endeavor got there!"

"That's amazing!" Izuku said excitedly, "you took on the Hero Killer! And won!"

"I know right?!" John Henry exclaimed with a booming laugh as Aki hugged him.

"You idiot!" he said through tears as he laughed alongside them, "You were supposed to be going to a job site! Not fighting villains!"

"It wasn't planned but I haven't felt this alive in years!" he said as he stood up, pacing, "I stopped an A Rank villain. Me! A Quirkless nobody from Mustafu caught the Hero Killer!" He grinned at them as he squatted down in front of Aki, taking a hold of his hands. "Manuel made sure that the credit went to me, he said the Hero Commission is going to give me a lump sum of cash for taking down the bastard, and I'm going to take you on the vacation you deserve!"

Izuku smiled as he watched the two gush happily about the newly revealed vacation. "I hope you guys bring me back souvenirs," Izuku said playfully, making John Henry turn towards him.

"No doubt," He said with a grin, "but with this extra money, we're definitely going to the batting cages more often!" He jumped back up. "Oh, you should've seen Endeavor's face when I revealed I was Quirkless, he was furious that he was shown up by me! I think I'm going to hold that image in my head for the rest of my life!" He threw his arms up and whooped, "SUCK IT NUMBER 2! WHO CAN'T BE A HERO NOW!"

Izuku's smile fell a bit. "You wanted to be a hero?" he asked quietly, his voice interrupting John Henry's celebratory dance.

"Of course, I did," he said with a wistful smile, "I was the biggest person in my class and the heroes were cool. It didn't matter that I was fat and Quirkless, I wanted to be a hero; so I trained, got these muscles…" he sighed, "but no Hero School accepted my application, and when I met Endeavor during one of his takedowns, I asked him if I could be a hero without a power. Basically he called me filth and said to give up on my dreams."

Izuku looked down. "Even when you expect it, it still hurts."

"It really does," John Henry agreed, looking at Aki, who jumped when the two looked at him expectantly.

"I always wanted to be a fashion designer and a trophy wife," Aki offered, "fashion designer first, trophy wife after."

John Henry gave a full-bellied laugh at his boyfriend's comment. "I love you, dork," he said, kissing his temple.

Izuku watched his friends laugh and giggle happily with a small smile, his chest feeling lighter than it had before.

Aki looked over and his smile fell, concern replacing his expression of joy. "Izuku? Are you okay? You're crying."

"What?" Izuku asked, reaching up and wiping his eyes, surprised to come back with tears. "Oh, I am…" he said in surprise before giving a quiet laugh, "I don't know why I'm crying, I haven't felt this happy in months."

"Tears of joy, then." John Henry said, hugging the younger man, "that's okay."

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It was winter, now. The months had passed fast since that fateful night in Hosu. John Henry had become a celebrity overnight, with a few heroes willing to sponsor him should he wish to take the Exam for a provisional license.

There had been an argument between John Henry and Tokage, ending with John Henry preparing for the exam and Tokage giving hesitant support.

Izuku couldn't believe his friend's fortune; truly he was happy for him, but a part of him couldn't help but be jealous.

Still, he supported his friend, even helping him work out and diet.

"I'll remember this, Izuku," John Henry said to him one day, while they were resting in the cleaned sands of Takoba Beach. "You've been nothing but supportive, a true friend."

Izuku had waved his praises off, content to simply watch his friend get his provisional license, and then go on to work for Death Arms.

He had been present at Kamino Ward, helping Kamui Woods evacuate the injured heroes and subsequently helping in the arrest of the League of Villains following All-Might's defeat of All For One.

That had been an emotional weekend, with John Henry laid up in bed from stab wounds and Katsuki getting rescued; not to mention the symbol of peace retiring. Izuku didn't think things would ever be the same.

And now it's December, a few weeks from Christmas, and Izuku was comfortable in saying life had returned to normal, or as close to normal as he could get.

John Henry was set to take his licensing exam at the start of the new year, Tokage was happily working on Designs at Best Jeanist's agency, and Izuku had a steady job as a manager at a gas station.

It wasn't the glamorous life he wanted, but it was the one he had, and he was happy for it.

Or as happy as he could be, trudging through snow towards an all night laundromat, dressed in his old school uniform because it was the only clean clothes he had.

"Had to take that damn vacation when I needed a washer," Izuku sighed, thinking of John Henry and Aki off in Hawaii, happily enjoying the weather and each other. "Just because Setsuna was able to house-sit doesn't mean I can't use the washer. Damn it, Set!" He glared at the rows of washers and dryers as he entered the laundromat. Setsuna Tokage was Aki's younger sister and the ex-girlfriend of Izuku. They had gone out for a few months after the Sports Festival,, but broke up around the midterms when Setsuna decided she didn't want a relationship while at UA.

Which was fine with Izuku, he understood that.

But why did that mean he couldn't be over when she was?

He shook his head as he began to load up the washers. "No use in thinking about that," he grumbled, as he dropped in the coins and turned the machine on, plopping down with a groan on a nearby chair. He was tired, having gone to the batting cages before coming here; he didn't care that the snow and wind made batting difficult and slightly painful, it was worth it.

The door burst open and slammed with equal viciousness, making Izuku bolt to his feet, untensing as he saw a small girl hiding in the corner beside the door, covering her eyes.

"Hey, kid, you alright?" Izuku asked, his eyes darting to the window as he saw three men run past, one looked at him and he jerked his head up before running on.

"You running from them, kid?" he asked, walking over, pausing when she whimpered at his approach. "Don't worry, they're gone now. You can come on out."

The girl peaked out from around her hands, before hiding behind them once more.

Izuku sighed, kneeling down in front of her. "Look, kid, I'm not gonna hurt ya." He kept his tone gentle, offering her the best smile he could. "I wanna help ya, but you gotta meet me halfway."

She peeked out again, and this time began to hesitantly stand.

"It's alright, you're safe," Izuku said, holding his hand out and smiling when she took it.

His eyes hardened as he saw an approaching figure in the window, as fast as he could he wrapped the girl up in his arms and vaulted over a row of dryers, narrowly avoiding a giant tank of a man as he tore through the glass front.

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked her hurriedly, receiving only a groan in return as he risked a peek over his cover.

And immediately got punched in the chin, sending him crashing into the wall beside his bag.

"Kid thought he was a hero," the thug scoffed as he looked down at Eri, stone fist turning back into flesh. A plague doctor mask covered the lower half of his face. "You see that? You just got another person killed."

"Like he was gonna be able to do anything against the Stone brothers," the other sneered, his skin the color of granite and just as hard.

"Hey, asshole…"

The tank turned towards the sound of the voice, an insult on the tip of his tongue, which was swallowed down as a silver bat slammed into his face, sending him flying out of the laundromat and into the adjacent building with a loud crash!.

"Brother!" the other thug shouted as his skin turned to stone, turning to glare at Izuku. His face was bloodied, uniform torn, his chest heaving with each breath, but he was standing tall with his bat chambered at his side.

"For a stone Quirk, he had a glass fuckin' jaw," Izuku huffed, spitting blood out onto the floor, "you the same way, pebble?"

"You son of a bitch!" he snarled, charging the Quirkless boy who dodged the crazy charge and brought the bat down on the man's shoulder, making him crumple to the ground, his body forming a crater from the powerful hit.

"That's new," Izuku muttered, eyes wide as he looked at the carnage he had created. He put his bat away before shaking his head and quickly going to check on the little girl. "You alright?" he asked as he scooped her up into his arms, eyes scanning the snowy streets as more people began to approach, some of them with weapons.

"I'm fine…" she mumbled, "leave me, they're going to hurt you."

"They're gonna try," Izuku muttered dryly, running out the side entrance and down the street.

"Get him!" He heard someone shout. He made a decision, then didn't think any more as he took off running. He hurtled down a side street, cradling the little girl close to his chest as he dodged between trash cans and down smaller alleyways. They emerged onto a busier street, several pedestrians walking by as he took off towards a small secondhand store, entering its front door as several thugs emerged from the alleyway.

"Midoriya?" the teller asked in shock as the bloodied teen made a beeline towards the back room.

"I'm in trouble, Mick," Izuku said quietly as he opened the back door, "don't tell them I came in here." With that, he closed the door and immediately went towards a table full of clothes. "We gotta be quick, one of them might have a tracking Quirk." He muttered to himself, setting the girl down and tearing off his jacket and the shirt underneath. He used them as pseudo bandages to mop up the blood on his face. "We're gonna change clothes and head to the nearest police station, maybe flag a Hero down."

"Why are you doing this?" the little girl asked quietly.

"Because I told you I was gonna help," Izuku said as he picked up a white collared shirt and put it on, buttoning it up as he scanned the rest of the clothes. "Here." He handed her a pair of sweatpants, a sweater and a fluffy winter jacket, and finally a pair of snow boots. "Put these on."

"But, why are you helping me?" Izuku paused and looked down at the little girl, her red eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Because you need help," he told her softly as he gently put his hand atop her head, being mindful of her horn. He softly ruffled the white hair. The little girl stared at him in awe as she felt warmth bloom in her chest.

"Now get dressed, we gotta get going," Izuku said, grabbing a zip-up sweater and pulling it on before putting on a leather trench coat, a ball cap going on over his green hair.

"I'm ready," the little girl said, letting Izuku pick her up.

"Here," he said, handing her a black beanie, "tuck your hair in."

Izuku carefully looked out the door, making sure no one else was in the shop before casually walking out.

"Sorry 'bout that, Mick," he muttered as he pretended to browse the items in the shop.

"More than enough Quirkless have run through here in trouble before," the man said dismissively, 'but I don't think you're running from your usual tormentors.'

"I'm not," Izuku sighed, sparing a glance at the little girl, "getting chased by some thugs, I think they're Yakuza."

"How the hell did you get mixed up with Yakuza?" the man hissed quietly.

"They were after the girl," Izuku shot back, "can you contact the police? I'm not sure but I think one of them has a tracking Quirk.

"Lines are all down thanks to the storm, but there's a police station down the street, can't be more than a few blocks."

"Thanks, Mick, I'll pay you back for the clothes."

"Don't worry about it," The old man said gruffly as Izuku walked back out onto the street, keeping his head low and making sure the girl wasn't easily seen.

"What's your name?" Izuku asked after a few moments of silent walking. The heaviness in the air sat in their ears for another moment before she answered.

"I'm Eri…" she said softly as they trudged through the snow.

"Nice to meet you, Eri," Izuku said with a smile, "I'm Izuku. Now, let's get you some help."

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A few days later.

"-still no word on who was responsible for the attack of a police precinct in Downtown Shizuoka, leaving eighteen officers injured and five dead. Pro Heroes are combing the area in the hopes of finding the ones responsible for the horrific attack.

In other news, a missing person's report has been filed: A one Izuku Midoriya:,15, 5'10, 180 pounds, green hair and eyes. Last seen at the downtown Shizuoka Batting cages wearing a middle school uniform and carrying a metal baseball bat. Should anyone have information on-"

The TV turned off with a small grumbling of protest from the students present.

"Why'd you turn it off Bakugo?" Kaminari demanded, "we wanted to see if there would be any more updates!"

"Yeah, this is some serious shit man, don't you wanna know-" Sero began to say, only for Bakugo to cut him off.

"Any of the work study extras working in Shizuoka?" he asked quietly.

Kaminari and Sero exchanged a look. Bakugo hadn't been the same since Kamino Ward; he had been quiet and withdrawn, offering only one worded answers in lieu of his insults that they had come to know and love.

"Uh...I don't think any of them are…" Sero trailed off.

"Jirou is!" Kaminari exclaimed with a grin, "she was working with Gang Orca on some case out there."

Bakugo growled, "Can you message her? Ask her to call me when she can?"

"Uh...sure, but why?" He asked in confusion.

"That kid...the one that's missing, I know who he is." Bakugo muttered, "I don't know where he is, but I have a hunch, and I doubt the police listen to hunches."