Izuku laid on his bedroom floor staring at the ceiling. Neito was reading a book with his head in Ochako's lap while she played on Izuku's Switch. Hitoshi had to take a two day break and he wouldn't be back until Tuesday.

I'm not getting anywhere.

Tomura wouldn't answer his texts and Nezu ensured the teen was fine, just moody.

It didn't make Izuku feel any better.

The whole week Tomura never showed up for school. The principal only assured he was fine but said nothing else with bothered him more. Mei even said she tried calling him and he wouldn't answer.

Well, then I'm going to him!

Izuku was a smart kid. He wasn't stupid….. He just did dumb things. So, instead of asking Nezu if he could come over to their place, he decided to show up his house and look through the windows until he found Tomura's room. It wasn't exactly the smartest idea but this way he couldn't avoid Izuku.

Using Black Whip to hold himself up from the rood and he knocked on the window a few times. The teen looked like he was sleeping but that wasn't good enough- he's gonna wake his ass up. Izuku used his fingers to pry open the window.

Ugh, it's locked! Dammit!

He tapped on the window for a few minutes but Tomura still didn't move. Finally, he started beating on the window, avoiding using One for All so he wouldn't break the window. The older teen jumped in his bed, looking around with a slight panicked look.

His red eyes landed on the window to see Izuku's fluffy green curls before his freckled face popped up. He knocked on the window again and Tomura got up. He lifted the window open to see the sheepish grin on his face.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Izuku laughed nervously, "Just, um…. Hanging around."

"That was fucking terrible."

The freckled teen gave him a cheezy smile.

"You're turning into a stalker," Tomura said.

"Uh huh. That's funny coming from the guy who was breaking into my locker all the time."

His face turned pink and he coughed awkwardly.

"That's different. It was a locker, not your house."

"Apples and oranges. Why haven't you been at school?"

"Mental health break."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Then explain it to me so I understand. I'm good at understanding!"

Tomura reached over and pulled him through the window.

"You could've knocked."

"Why? So you can ignore me? I don't think so."
Tomura let out a huff as he closed his window. Izuku looked around the room to see hero posters and some band posters. His walls were a dark gray and he had a carpet to match. His room looked like a typical teens room just slightly neater.

It had a lot less hero stuff in it than his.

"I like being alone."

Izuku made a face, "Do you or is it just something you were forced into and you accepted it because it's been no other way making you afraid to change that?"

"I don't like being psychoanalyzed."
"It comes with being my friend. I know how you feel though."

Izuku walked over to his bed and sat down.

"I um… got my quirk late…. Like fourteen years old late."

"I call bullshit."

Izuku snorted, "Go ahead but it doesn't make it any less true. It's just how it's been."

"Why in the fuck do you care so much? Do you go and break into other people's rooms?"

"Nope, but I did give Endeavor a piece of my mind once. I butted into family issues. Does that count?"

Tomura just stared at him.

"A lot of us suffer from stuff that happened a long time ago or stuff still happening. I've learned a lot over the years. Not all men are created equally. Just because they're a licensed hero, doesn't mean they are one. Just because someone doesn't have a license doesn't make them a vigilante for saving someone. Just because your quirk killed someone doesn't make you a senseless killer."

Tomura stiffened up.

"No one told me anything. I figured it out on my own. Hitoshi told me the amount of fear you held made him so sick and he wasn't sure how in the hell you managed to function on a daily basis. It made sense once he explained it to me. It made sense once I pieced in why other parents are afraid of you. It makes sense why you can't control your quirk because you allow your past to control it."

"What the fuck would you know-

"Enough."

Izuku looked down at his lap, playing with a string on his pants.

"You can do it. You just need the push. Nezu told me the stipulations for you to become a hero. We need a whole ten seconds between your quirk being activated shut off then activated again without gloves. So, that's exactly what we're going to do."

"Shut up- it's impossible! I've been trying-

"Yea and we're going to change up the method a little bit. Meet me at six in Enigma. Don't be late."

Izuku stood up.

"Wanna show me the front door so no one calls the cops on me?"

Tomura glared at him and did so. He slammed the door and locked it behind the green haired teen. He wasn't sure how to feel now.

X

X

Tomura kept his hands inside his pockets. Nezu arranged his new protein eating diet and it wasn't half bad. He hoped Katsuki wasn't too pissed that he pretty much didn't show up all week. He saw the lights on in Enigma. He wondered if Izuku was all by himself or if he invited Mei as well.

The guy knew how to hit a sore spot. Tomura barely told anyone personal information and somehow Izuku was piecing shit like a goddamn detective.

One of his quirks has to be like an IQ one. I wouldn't be fucking surprised.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside to see Izuku sitting in a corner eating a cheeseburger. He looked up to see Tomura and gave him a wave. The older teen looked away, feeling shy all of the sudden. He didn't act like the nicest person earlier but he was stressed out. He refused to talk to Hound Dog or anyone else. Even Midnight and Present Mic came over to talk to him as civilians and he hated it. He wasn't a fucking child having a tantrum- he was a teen with deep emotional issues.

"Hey! I got some trees and brought them in. Shouto is kind of busy right now."

"Ok."

Izuku finished his food and got the trees in position.

"Alright! You ready!"

Tomura shrugged. He wasn't in the mood to do anything right now but Rat Dad was absolutely ecstatic that Tomura was getting out of the house. He didn't have it in him to say no so here he was.

"I guess."
He pulled off a glove. Izuku pulled out a stopwatch and gave him a nod. Tomura decayed the first tree in five seconds, then the second in three seconds, then the third in four seconds. He still couldn't stop it in time. Running a gloved hand through his hair, he sighed heavily, feeling annoyed.

"Come on, don't be like that."

Tomura rolled his eyes. He didn't appreciate being talked to like a child.

"I know it's hard. I can't use more than thirty percent of my power without breaking something but that's why I rely on Mei to help me. I had a little bit of help repairing past damage too."

"Alright."

He really did like the help but they were getting nowhere at this rate. Nothing had changed. Even with all the help he had there was no change in anything. It was frustrating. This is why he never created a costume or came up with a hero name. He would never be anything else but a failure and he would end up being quirkless.

He could never be a hero.

"I got it up. Get ready."

Tomura nodded, standing with his hand closed and held out.

"Go!"

Tomura opened up his hand upon hearing it and the decay started. Tomura was so focused on the damn tree he didn't see Izuku speeding to jump in front of him. As soon as green lightning entered his vision and he saw Izuku's green hair, panic nearly crumpled his control.

Just like that some of the freckled boy's clothes started to fall apart rapidly.

NOOOO

Flashes of the past came across his mind and his heart stopped in his body then his throat tightened up.

The decay stopped. Izuku dropped onto the ground, his clothes falling apart in places. His hands were sore and red from the decay but he wasn't bleeding anywhere. Tomura's hand was still wide open since he stood there in shock. His quirk had ceased.

After a minute, he dropped his hand and placed his glove back on in a daze. The two of them stayed in silence for a short while. Izuku had thrown himself in front to see if he could stop it. He knew it was a bad idea but Eraserhead was hidden just in case it went the wrong way. It took everything he had to convince his teacher this was the only way.

Izuku was on coffee duty for the next two weeks.

Tomura came out of his daze, anger overcoming his features, making the freckled boy flinch. Tomura towered over him and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Are you fucking stupid?!"

"No-

"Yes you are! Why in the fuck would you jump out in front of me?! Don't you know what would've happened if- if….."

"I believed in you."

"Shut the fuck-

"I did ! I knew you could do it but we weren't pushing you the right way!"
Tomura shoved him back angrily, knocking him on the ground.

"How could you do that to me?!"

"I had too!"

"Why in the fuck would you think that was the only way?!"
"Because it was! It worked didn't it?!"

Tomura bit his bottom lip.

"I couldn't let you fail!" Izuku shouted, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why the fuck not?! What am I to you anyways?! I'm not some science project!"

"I care because you're just like me! In a few ways and the biggest one is becoming a hero alright?! I was told by everyone I could never be a hero because I was quirkless- even All Might told me that to my face!"

Hot tears rolled down his face.

"It doesn't matter what the parents say or what the Hero Commission says either! No matter what, you can be a hero and we will make that happen!"

Tomura was flabbergasted.

"W-why?"

"Because you want to be right?"

"Well…. Yes."

"Tell me why."

Tomura looked down at the ground.

"My grandma was. My sister and I were going to be a hero team but…." he trailed off.

He didn't need to explain anymore- Izuku could read between the lines.

"I want to because I idolized All Might. I wanted to help everyone and I've been doing it since before I was four. I protected people who were stronger than me and even got my ass beat. If you want to be a hero then the only thing stopping you is yourself. I bet your grandma was a great hero."

His expression softened and a smile came across his face.

"I think she was. I only saw pictures of her."

Izuku stood up before taking a few steps towards him.

"I have no issue with throwing myself in the way to help you. We can do it."

"You're fuckin' sappy and shit."

He looked down at the ground once more, lost in thought. Just like that, Izuku slipped his hands around his waist and hugged him.

"We're both pretty messed up but we can give hope to those who need it."

Tomura blinked.

"Let's do that."

"A-alright."

"So, how did it feel when your quirk stopped?" Izuku asked quietly.

"Exhilarating."

X

X

Sunday came around and Izuku rushed to get to Enigma. He asked and pleaded with Cementoss to assist for a little bit. The man finally agreed, adding more to Izuku's coffee run. This time he asked Ochako to come help him out. Mei of course was ready to go at a moment's notice.

He ran through the door to see Ochako talking Tomura's ear off. He didn't look too grumpy. He looked around to see what he had exactly looked for. A few blocks of cement then a few domes. It was a good plan for what he wanted to try.

He noticed yesterday that Tomura decayed the trees and the ground where they were at. He needed to focus on decaying the object and not everything around it. That would be the best thing to focus on. Rescue work would be required even if he was underground only.

"Good morning everyone!"

"Deku! Hey!" Ochako shouted, waving at him.

"Hi Ochako! Is everyone ready!"

"Hell yea!" Mei shouted loudly.

Tomura wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Today we are going to try and concentrate on just decaying the desired object and not everything around it."

Ochako nodded. Izuku whipped out a small pile of packets.

"This is today's objective!"

"You… made us packets?" the older teen asked in disbelief.

"I did! There's extra for you as well! Ochako has the best stamina for her quirk. I have a special project for you next weekend! Nezu and Aizawa sensei will be escorting us!"

Tomura opened his mouth but closed it.

I swear to god- asking him for help is going to kill me. Nezu plotted against me from the very beginning.

"Ok. I can do that!"

"Kacchan can do quick bursts of full power but Ochako can stretch it out and do a lot over an extended period of time! We gotta see which one you're best at first then try to make you well rounded. I can do both."

"I guess that makes sense," Tomura said.

"Go ahead and read through the packet then we'll get started."

It took about ten minutes and Tomura understood the objective. He didn't like it though.

"So! Let's get started!"

Mei stood one foot away from the first block with a giddy grin on her face. It wasn't often she got to help Tomura physically. She normally took notes and made suggestions. She clapped excitedly.

"Let's get started!"

"So…. You're gonna have me destroy the block without killing Mei?"

"Yup!"

"Touching the block directly."

Izuku nodded. Tomura sighed and took his place. Izuku had the stopwatch in his hands and a recorder in his hand. He gave his friend a nod and Tomura placed his hand on the block. He could hear Izuku muttering into his recorder.

"Stop!" Mei called.

Tomura closed his fist. The freckled boy hit stop. He walked around and looked at the block.

"You only decayed the center. Not the whole thing."

Tomura flushed and looked away.

"I um… Shouldn't have done that?"

"Well, think of it as a building. You can be an underground hero but you will have to save people right?"

"Yea, I guess that's true."

"Mei can't crawl through that hole to safety. You continued to decay the one spot and it's tiny. What if she was knocked out? What if you buff up and you can't get through?"

I haven't thought of that.

"I have an idea!" Ochaka said, bouncing up and down, "What if he places his hand on it and rubs it like a dry erase board?"

Izuku's eyebrows shot up and he looked over at Tomura.

"What do you think?" the boy asked, "Can you do it?"

"I can try."

So Tomura gave it a try as soon as Ochako stood behind the next block.

"Go!" she called.

So he gave it a try. It worked a little bit better. He closed his fist and walked through. Ochako clapped for him loudly.

"Good job! You did it!"

"Thanks."

"That was amazing!" Mei shouted, "Look at you go!"

"Alright! Next is me standing against the block!" Izuku said as he handed over the stopwatch and the recording device.

Tomura stiffened up. He didn't like the idea of him putting himself in danger like that but Izuku made a point…. He wanted to be a hero. He would have to take risks. He would have to do whatever he could to get there and that meant controlling the spread of decay as well.

"Go ahead," he heard the freckled boy say, "I believe in you."

He inhaled sharply. His heart pounded away, almost making him dizzy. It was ok because Mei and Ochako hadn't been right against the block.

"Ya know… When I first used my quirk, I used the image of an egg exploding in the microwave. If it exploded, I was going to break something. Think of yours as a water hose with a sprayer attachment. Just pull the trigger slowly for a trickle. Can you do that?"

"I…."

That's a good idea.

"Don't think about anything else. Just the water hose with a sprayer. You can do it. You already got the feel for full blown power and when it stopped. Get the feel for it in between. Give me five percent. Just a handprint in the stone."

"What if I can't do just a trickle-

"Then just know I'm on the other side. Just like last night. I trust you."

"A-alright."

Tomura's hand shook. He opened it slowly, the decay started but it did not destroy through the block in seconds. Ash slowly filled the air but it was slow.

Trickle. One handprint. That's all I need.

He pressed his hand on the stone and his hand started to sink in watching the ash fall to the ground like pencil shavings. It was deadass quiet. No one moved but him. A whole minute of his decay just trickling out.

"Stop," Izuku said calmly and Tomura pulled away his hand.

The older teen knelt down to see the stone crumbling away on its own. He could see Izuku's dark blue shirt through the hole- untouched. He felt a swell of pride in his chest and tears pricked at his eyes.

"I-I did it."

Mei slammed into his back, almost making him smack his face into the rock.

"You did it! YOU DID IT!"

He looked behind him to see her crying. Mei never cried ever.

"W-why are you crying-

"Because! You did it! Your achievements are like my own! All this time and hard work! You did it!"

She smacked her face into his back and sobbed. Tomura placed his glove back on just in time for Ochako to tackle him too. She hugged him, cheering loudly almost hurting his ears. Izuku came out from behind the block with tears running down his face.

"Good job."