Izuku wanted to sleep.

He was so tired. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally.

Too bad Kacchan just had to pop out of nowhere with the express purpose of yelling at him. He didn't mind his childhood friend most of the time (about maybe 75% of the time) but now is seriously bad timing on the blond's part.

"I OWE YOU NOTHING!" Kacchan shouted, "YOU GET THAT!? I DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING!" And then he proceeded to shove his hands in his pockets and storm away.

Izuku stared blankly as the other boy walked away from view…

And then shrugged to himself.

Kacchan will be Kacchan.

--

All Might scratched at his scalp, sighing as he managed to (finally) evade the reporters. Honestly, after all those years he never did quite get used to their hounding. It was so exhausting.

The main thing on his mind now, however, was the poor green-headed kid who rushed into the line of fire to save his friend. Such bravery and selflessness... The kid was more than cut out to be a hero!

All Might winced internally. And yet he crushed this little kid's dream. He let his own bitterness and helplessness blind him from what was truly important: helping others. It was becoming incredibly clear to All Mi- to Toshinori that that kid… he wasn't asking for support on an impossible dream.

He was asking for help.

That simple, innocuous question hid a story. A story of prejudice and hatred aimed at one individual.

One individual who wanted to prove them all wrong.

It was a story he was intimately familiar with. One that he desperately wanted to forget.

No matter. What was done is done. All Toshinori could do now was hope he can pick up the pieces he left behind.

--

"Young man, you can be a hero!"

The look on Young Midoriya's face was a cross between disbelief and desperate (very desperate) hope and joy. The young man's eyes glistened and tears started to overflow as the boy clutched at his chest.

Toshinori couldn't help but feel a tug in his own chest as the kid fell to his knees with the gravity of the declaration. Midoriya's heaving sobs were so heartfelt and real that it pained Toshinori himself to bear witness to them. It was as if he was watching an old wound be reopened and gush with blood. Pain, frustration, sorrow. It was all so real, and it was all pouring out of this child who wasn't older than 14.

It was so incredibly uncomfortable, and Toshinori didn't know what to do to soothe such pain that he let go of so many years ago.

Finally, Young Midoriya's tears began to ebb, and his heart-wrenching sobs were reduced to sniffles and hiccups.

Toshinori thought it was as good a time as any, "I've decided to let you inherit my quirk!"

Based on Midoriya's baffled expression... Maybe it wasn't.

--

He decided to what?!

Inherit his quirk?

Quirks aren't inheritable unless they were related?

But they aren't? And he's too old now even if they were?

Does that mean- All Might's quirk is transferable?!

Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible- Quirks are versatile and, sure, a quirk that's been transferred from person to person sounds impossible, but it really wasn't and if anyone could possess such a quirk it's obviously All Might but then again isn't really weird that All Might decided to reveal all of that to him but also All Might's quirk has been a mystery ever since the no.1 hero debuted and no hero analyst has been able to figure it out because it augments his strength but also his speed and those are almost two mutually exclusive quirks except in some rare but not really rare cases and that would've been fine but his punches generate wind pressure which shouldn't be possible no matter how strong a person's punch is and yet All Might's punch does and that is another thing no one could figure out-

"You're awfully perceptive." All Might's amused voice filtered in through his consciousness.

Izuku yelped, snapping out of his reverie.

"S-sorry! It's a really bad habit of mine!" Izuku bowed his head. He really hated muttering in front of strangers.

'Does All Might count as a stranger though?' Izuku thought. 'I mean, everyone knows who he is.'

All Might laughed, the sound not as normally bombastic and confident as it was in his… muscular form? Is that what he's calling it?

"Don't be sorry kiddo," All Might said, amused. "I'm impressed by your thought process,"

Izuku's cheeks felt strangely warm.

"In regards to your initial conclusion; you are right. My quirk is transferable," All Might began, casually, like he wasn't breaking Izuku's mind. "It's called One for All."

"One.. for… all?" Izuku repeated, completely baffled. Such a strange name.

All Might nodded his head, "Yes, One for All. It's been passed on like a torch from one generation to another, ever since the appearance of quirks nearly 200 years ago. I'd like to pass on this torch to you now, Young Midoriya," All Might intoned, his words feeling like they're being recited. "That is if you accept of course." He added hastily.

Izuku's brows furrowed, "Why me though?" He whispered, almost afraid of asking the question. " I- I'm just a quirkless boy. Surely there are better candidates than me."

All Might smiled ruefully, "My boy, you truly are a gem. In a situation when even the pros were too afraid to act, you did. Though your actions were reckless, you were the reason they were able to subdue the villain today," All Might crouched in front of him, "You, Midoriya Izuku, have the makings of a true hero."

Izuku's eyes overfilled again, but he kept the tears at bay. He would not cry. He would not.

There was silence again, heavy and loaded. All Might seemed content to wait for his answer, as Izuku bowed his head in contemplation. This was one of those peculiar situations where you don't know what to do.

On one hand, what All Might was offering was almost impossible to refuse. A quirk- a powerful quirk at that! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity yet-

It was one he couldn't accept.

"I'm sorry All Might," Izuku said, squeezing his eyes shut. "But I- I can't accept."

All Might was silent for a moment.

"Would you… mind me asking why that is, Young Midoriya?"

Izuku took a deep breath, "I-it's b-because-" Izuku took another breath, deeper than the last, and settled his nerves. "I- I have my own goal that I want to achieve!"

All Might was silent, and Izuku slowly opened his eyes.

He expected judgment. Perhaps contempt.

He never thought All Might's would face take on an encouraging look.

"There you are," The No. 1 Hero said. "Don't worry kid, I don't bite." He smiled, almost as if he hadn't cracked a joke so lame it had Izuku snorting (and then slapping his hands over his mouth because oh God he mocked All Might-).

"In any case, I'm quite interested in hearing about your goal," All Might straightened up from his crouch and dusted his clothes. "How about we talk about it while I walk you home?"

Izuku blinked, "Ar-Aren't you busy though?" He asked meekly.

All Might gave a little humorless smile, "Not really." He gestured to himself. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the No. 1 Hero doesn't get quite as much action nowadays as before."

Izuku felt his brows rise. Well, there was a decrease in activity from All Might. It wasn't really noticeable but it was still there and many forums online did wonder about that so really he could understand but wouldn't it be too much of a bother to-

The sound of fingers snapping in front of his face broke him out of his muttering spree. Izuku clapped his hands over his mouth, apologies already on his tongue when All Might held up a hand.

"It's quite alright Young Midoriya," All Might said. "Don't apologize for your habit. As I said, you're quite perceptive." He shrugged. "It's also not a bother, my dear boy. I offered."

Izuku, not knowing what to say, just nodded and stood up, dusting his pants. All Might waited patiently and, as soon as Izuku was finished, moved to stand by his side.

Izuku turned to look at him, as All Might gestured to the road ahead of them.

"Lead the way, Young Midoriya."

--

The walk to the Midoriyas' apartment was very awkward, but Izuku and Toshinori soldiered on through the awkwardness. Well, mostly Toshinori because Izuku was busy freaking out that he was walking home with freaking All Might.

Not being able to take the awkwardness anymore, Toshinori coughed (thankfully without dredging up any blood) and tried to get to the heart of the matter.

"So… you said you had a goal?"

Izuku replied with an affirmative noise.

Toshinori tried again.

"Could you… perhaps let me in on it?"

Izuku stopped abruptly.

Toshinori stopped too, unsure of what to do.

The boy took a deep breath. It was fine. True All Might had already said that his goal was impossible, but Izuku refused to believe that all his work those past years was pointless. Maybe… maybe this time All Might would be willing to listen? Or maybe at least consider the idea? All Might did come to say that he could be a hero, even if it was because he thought he could aid him with a quirk.

'He probably still thinks you can't do it,' The tiny voice in his head whispered. 'After all, he only came back after you to offer a quirk. He never said that you could be a hero as you are right now.'

Izuku pushed the voice away with all his might until his thoughts quietened down. He wasn't going down this rabbit hole right now.

So Izuku took another deep breath…

And turned to face All Might.

His hands gripped the straps of his yellow backpack and his spine straightened as he locked eyes with the No. 1 hero and declared as firmly as he could:

"I'm going to be the world's first Quirkless hero!"

All Might stared at him, and Izuku looked back. He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead and the way his palms were starting to slip away from the straps of his bag. His back was starting to hurt from how rigidly he was holding himself and even his chest refused to expand from the tension.

Once upon a time, Izuku swore to himself that he wouldn't let anyone break him. He couldn't help but think that the answer to this question could very well shatter his being no matter what he'd sworn to himself.

All Might, on the other hand, looked at Midoriya. Truly looked at him. The boy who had been so meek and tiny and unsure of himself on that rooftop wasn't standing in front of him. Instead was a young man who had steel in his spine so hard it would break those around him before he even bent. It was everything that meek little boy was and could be and suddenly, Toshinori saw an image of a much distant future.

Grinning with such ferocity it surprised even himself, All Might let out a booming laugh as One for All flared under his skin. It was a lost opportunity, that's for sure, but it was worth it to see this kid rise to be something even greater than himself.

Izuku blinked in surprise, his firm expression melting away into shock as All Might poofed up. He conspicuously looked around, surprised to see that they had made it to his neighborhood and that his apartment building wasn't too far from where they stood, and tried not to dwell too much on the fact that people could pass by and see him with All Might.

"Young Midoriya!" Izuku flinched, startled despite himself. "Your fighting spirit is truly impeccable! Such an admirable trait!"

"H-huh?!" Izuku stuttered in confusion.

All Might laughed, more softly this time, and patted his head, "My boy, I'm ashamed to admit but I had crushed your dream mere hours ago," Izuku looked away, disheartened at the reminder. "I shouldn't have done that. Not when you needed so much help and encouragement at that moment. For that, I truly apologize."

Izuku stared at the No. 1 hero, completely baffled, "B-but- I- wh- what?" He squeaked out.

All Might's smile turned grim and smoke filled the area as he shrunk to his true form. Izuku screamed a little at the blood, still not used to it, as All Might took out a used handkerchief and wiped his mouth with it.

"Young Midoriya," All Might started, his voice a bit gruff. "You didn't deserve to have me tell you that you can't be a hero. It wasn't fair of me to take out my feelings of frustration and helplessness on you, and for that, I apologize." All Might pocketed the handkerchief. "I was worried that I had crushed your spirit altogether after you refused One for All but I'm glad to see that my worries were unfounded."

All Might moved forward, putting his hand on Izuku's shoulder. Izuku didn't truly register the hand, so great was his shock as his idol, the one who's back he'd been chasing all those years, told him the one thing he truly wanted to hear since he was 4.

"Midoriya Izuku, you can be a hero!" All Might grinned fiercely at him. "You'll be the first Quirkless Hero and you're going to prove everyone else wrong!"

Izuku felt the tears long before they left his eyes. One would think there wouldn't be any more tears with all the crying he did today, but it was almost as if his tear ducts were compensating for his lack of a quirk by being overactive.

"I-I-" Izuku hiccuped, feeling gross as the lump in his throat stopped him from speaking. He already cried once in front of his hero and yet here he was, doing it again.

All Might, kind and strong as he was, only chuckled as he patted Izuku's back, "For someone who's really stubborn you sure are a crybaby." The No. 1 hero teased him.

Izuku managed to laugh wetly through the tears, and sighed in relief as they finally began to ebb, "It's a-a family t-trait." Izuku wiped at his eyes.

"Oh dear, should I expect only more teras from now on then?"

Izuku blinked, "From now on…?" He asked hesitantly.

All Might smiled sheepishly, though he did look conspirational, "You've inspired me Young Midoriya," He stated simply. "I want to help you grow to become the best hero you can be. I want to, as selfish as that may be, help shape your future as a hero and be a part of your story." All Might suddenly looked bashful. "Only if you allow me to be, of course."

Izuku stared at him in disbelief, "Y-you really want to mentor me?" He asked softly.

"Yes." All Might replied, just as softly.

Izuku's face crumpled, almost as if he was going to cry, but he only covered his eyes with his forearm and took a deep breath.

"Yes. I accept!" Izuku said, his voice a bit rough. "Thank you." He added in a much softer tone.

All Might's answering smile was more than a little happy.

--

Soon after hashing out the details for their next meeting (Izuku was pleased to note that it was at Dagobah Beach), Izuku was soon waving goodbye to All Might and later climbing up the stairs to his apartment. He had no doubt that his mom was freaking out by now and that she probably (probably) called the police.

Not that they'd do anything, he's just a Quirkless kid and their resources would best be spent on someone with actual worth-

Nope. Not now.

Izuku, as quietly as he could, took out his apartment key (not for the first time happy that he didn't decorate it with more than a tiny, plastic, soundless All Might keychain) and slowly started to unlock the door.

Hopefully, he'll be able to open the door and slip in unno-

The door flew open, with the key still in it, and Izuku resigned himself to his fate.

"IZUKU!"

--

Ten minutes later found Midoriya Izuku sitting on his mother's favorite couch as she cried her eyes out next to him. He was exasperated by what he deemed 'unnecessary fussing' but bore it with a grimace.

He hated making his mother cry.

"Mom, it's fine I swear," He told his mom, who was slowly regaining her composure. Keyword: slowly. "I wasn't even hurt."

His mom's eyes swam with more tears, "B-b-but you could've g-gotten hurt!" She replied sternly (well as sternly as she could with her voice wobbling that badly).

Izuku frowned, "But I didn't get hurt." He insisted firmly.

Inko sniffled, "Yeah, I suppose there's that." She dabbed at her eyes with a bunch of tissues. "But there's more to it isn't there?"

Izuku stared at her dumbly, "Huh?"

Inko's face grew stern, "You're my son, Izuku." She sniffled a bit. "I know you. Besides, your clothes are sticky and the footage didn't show the slime touching you."

Izuku winced, silently cursing the news for covering the incident.

"So out with it young man."

Izuku sighed in resignation, seeing no way out of this, and started recounting his day.

"So, um, I uh- I- I," He stammered. "I got attacked on the way back from school. Y'know that tunnel?" Inko nodded, her eyes already filling up with tears (again). "Yeah, it- uh the villain- he got me there." Izuku's fingers drummed a nervous pattern on the pants of his school uniform.

Inko's mouth wobbled but she kept a grip on her emotions (which wasn't too tight of a grip considering how teary eyed she was) and gestured for her son to go on.

Izuku sighed, "S-so um. He was trying to suffocate me a-and stuff. Kinda like what he did with Kacchan. A-and I- I couldn't do anything." Izuku's nails dug into his legs in frustration. "All th-this training and h-hard w-work and y-yet-"

Inko took her son's hands in her own, gently prying them from his leg, "Izuku, sweet heart." She started softly. "Deep breaths okay? It's alright."

"B-but-"

"Deep breaths darling." Inko repeated firmly.

Izuku pursed his lips angrily but obeyed anyway. He slowly drew in breaths until he felt himself calm down and slump on the back of the couch.

Inko rubbed circles on his hands with her thumbs, "Better?" She asked softly.

Izuku nodded stiffly.

"Good," Inko nodded. She deftly maneuvered herself so she was side hugging him and holding his hands simultaneously, and then nodded again, "Go on."

Izuku took in a shuddering breath, "I- I just-" He sniffled. "I was so helpless. It was almost as if everything I worked for didn't matter, y'know?"

Inko kissed his cheek, and wiped his tears (tears he hadn't even realized he'd been weeping) away, "Izuku, sweetie, that villain was difficult to manage."

Izuku opened his mouth to protest but was shushed by his mother, "Hush Izuku, listen to me till the end, okay?"

The boy begrudgingly nodded.

"That villain wasn't something a middle schooler could handle regardless of whether or not you've been training. Pro-Heroes with three times your experience couldn't take him down and the only one who could beat him was All Might." Inko said slowly, gently rubbing her son's hands. "Izuku, baby, there was absolutely nothing you could have done but run away, which I assume you tried?"

Izuku nodded.

Inko smiled at him, "Then you did all you could, okay? So stop beating yourself up over it."

Izuku looked away, overcome with emotions, and took a deep breath. Finally, he leaned into his mother's embrace inhaling deeply as she held him.

"You're right." He said eventually. "You're right mom, but-" Izuku's breath stuttered with the promise of incoming tears. "It's just so frustrating y'know?" He finished in a small, rubbing at his eyes a little aggressively.

Inko patted his back, "I know sweetheart." She said patiently.

They sat like this for a while, in companionable silence. Eventually, Inko broke the silence.

"So, how did you get away?" She asked him tiredly.

Izuku blinked, "Oh, right!" He sat up straight. "All Might came and saved me!"

Inko jolted, her spine straightening automatically, "Huh?!"

Izuku nodded excitedly, and turned around (extracting his hands from hers in the process) to get his notebook from his bag, "He even signed my notebook!"

"That's great Izu-" Inko's voice, which had been excited, cut off suddenly.

Izuku didn't notice, too engrossed in flipping through his entries carefully so he didn't rip any of the still damp paper. Some pages were even stuck to each other!

"Izuku?" Inko started hesitantly.

"Hm?" Izuku grunted distractedly.

She gestured at his notebook cover, "What is this?"

Izuku, finally realizing what was going on, winced. He stopped flipping through the pages and carefully placed the notebook on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Uhh… my notebook?"

Inko's brows furrowed, a clear sign of her irritation with his deflection, "Try again."

Izuku bit his lips and resolutely stared at the floor. They had a really nice carpet, didn't they?

Inko pursed her lips, "Those scorch marks… Izuku, Katsuki did this, didn't he?"

"..."

Inko pinched the bridge of her nose, "Is that all he did?"

Izuku pursed his lips and looked away, still refusing to answer.

Inko sighed, "Izuku, what did he do?" She sounded so tired all of a sudden.

Izuku tried to swallow up the guilt and sadness that threatened to swallow him up whole, "Nothing." He muttered, drumming his fingers on his legs.

Inko glared at her son, "Izuku."

Izuku scowled at the floor and refused to look her way.

"Izuku."

Izuku huffed through his nose, "He just said something that wasn't… nice." He muttered defensively. "It wasn't anything I haven't heard already."

Inko's eyes softened as she dropped her glare, and she looked at her son with sadness, "Ah," She said sadly. "I see."

Izuku fidgeted nervously, "It's not his fault." He said quietly.

Inko nodded, "I know Izuku." She replied. "He still should know better than to treat you like that."

Izuku pursed his lips, "I know."

Inko grabbed her son's left hand hesitantly, "Izuku, it's alright to be angry at Katsuki." She told him gently. "No one would blame you if you stopped considering yourself his friend." 'Even though he definitely doesn't consider you as one' went unsaid.

"I know, mom." Izuku said, a little shortly but he didn't go as far as to pull his hand away from hers. "It's just- I refuse to stop considering him my friend just because everyone got it into his head that I'm lesser than him." He took a deep breath and looked into his mother's eyes. "Mom, that'd be letting them win. I won't let what society declares control my life, and Kacchan can deal with that however he likes."

Inko smiled slightly as her son, the boy everyone tried to beat down so much, looked her in the eyes and said as clearly as he could:

"I'm getting my friend back no matter what anyone says," He declared confidently. "Kaccahn can go suck on a lemon if he can't deal with that." He added with a stubborn, and slightly annoyed, huff.

Inko admonished him gently though her heart wasn't in it.

That's her boy.

--

Eventually, Izuku got around to recounting the tid-bit of the day that involved All Might, though he avoided any mentions of One for All by simply stating that it was, "An offer I couldn't accept." And that he couldn't tell her because, "It's probably a generational secret."

Inko accepted it as it is and then (after a shared crying session about the fact that All Might told Izuku he could be a hero and offered to mentor him) sent her son to the shower with promises that, "Dinner will be ready by the time you come out."

That night, Izuku fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.

A/N: Ahhh poor Izuku. He really went through the wringer today huh? Well, it's probably a good thing that the day is finally over and done with!
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
See you in the next chapter!