How could someone's life change completely in a single day? Not just once, but three times. He'd met Toga who'd restored his self-confidence. Then a chance encounter with a villain had crossed his paths with All Might. The greatest hero in the world.

And All Might had said everything he was afraid to hear. You couldn't be a hero without a Quirk. He should give up and find something else to do.

Next to that the shock of seeing All Might in his true emancipated form was nothing. A constant reminder of a battle from five years ago that had been covered up.

Then the same slug villain had made reappearance with a hostage. Like Izuku, Bakugou had been in the wrong place at the worst possible time. All the pro-heroes had just stood there and watched. But Izuku… he couldn't just watch. Bakugou was a dick, but he didn't deserve that.

Life's short and villains can make it even shorter. Have fun. Life should be fun. Ya wanna be a hero? Be a hero.

If Toga hadn't said that would he have found the courage to do what he did? He'd stepped up when no one else would… and All Might had noticed.

"You can be a hero. I'll give you my Quirk." All Might had said.

You can be a hero. That was all he ever wanted to hear. This was the best day of his life! Even the pro-heroes scolding couldn't take that away from him. Or mom's wrath. Although it was different with mom. She was angry, yes. How could she not? It had been insane of him to throw himself into that kind of a situation. But there was also a hint of… pride. She had raised a child who couldn't just stand and watch when someone was in trouble.

Izuku looked at his poster of All Might. Behind the facade of power and confidence was a man who'd shriveled into a husk. It made Izuku admire him even more. Even when his body had failed him, All Might hadn't let others down. He'd persevered. That was the hero Izuku would be. Even if it wasn't cool. Even if he were coughing blood, he'd persevere.

Izuku's phone started humming to let him know there was a new message.

Toga here. I stole a phone.

Izuku typed his message as quickly as he could.

Are you having fun?

Toga's answer came fast.

Always. And ya?

Izuku took a deep breath and started typing.

I think I'll be able to become a hero.

The phone started ringing almost immediately and Izuku answered quickly not to wake mom.

"That's awesome! Go Izuku-Izuku!" Toga screamed into Izuku's ear.

"… you know that's not my name." Izuku said.

"Then why did ya say it was? What else have ya been lying to me about?" Toga asked.

"… fine. I… want to… when can I see you again?"

"Ya'll see me when ya least expect it. I never let my prey get away." Toga said.

"… your weird." Izuku said.

"Ya and me both. And now the little weirdo is gonna be a hero. How did ya do it?" Toga said.

"… I… I found a mentor. He… he believes in me."

"Not just him. When yer a hero, come and catch me."

"… is that your idea of fun?" Izuku said.

"Ya betcha. So, who's yer mysterious mentor?"

Izuku laughed nervously.

"… that… is for me to know and you to find out."

"Oh. A challenge. I like challenges. And I like ya even more than I knew. See ya around, Izuku-Izuku."

"See you around, Toga."

Izuku laid alone in the darkness. How long had it been since he'd just… talked to someone? Someone who wanted to talk to him. Besides mom. All he got was abuse from Bakugou, ridicule from his classmates and apathy or annoyance from his teachers. All of them saw just a dumb kid with an impossible dream which he should wake up from. Not since he was diagnosed Quirkless.

But now Toga had bought a phone just to talk to him.

And All Might would train him.

If he was dreaming, he never wanted to wake up. For the first time in a long time Izuku fell asleep smiling and was looking forward to the next day.

Even dreams could seem like nightmares sometimes. The next morning Izuku ran to the place All Might had told to meet him. All Might was waiting for Izuku in his muscular form at a beach that had been used as an illegal dumping ground for years and the sand was now covered in mountains of trash.

"Your first job it to clean this." All Might said while Izuku was trying to catch his breath.

"… huh?"

"As it stands, you're not ready to be a vessel for my power." All Might said.

Izuku felt his stomach tying up.

"… that is not what you said yesterday." Izuku said while staring at the trash mountains.

"Just because you're a worthy successor doesn't make you any less of a twig. Seriously, you look like a strong wind could blow you away. You need to build some muscle first or my Quirk will rip you to shreds."

"… to shreds?"

All Might gave a laugh that wasn't as encouraging as TV made it sound. All Might pulled out a notebook that he handed to Izuku.

"Worry not young man for I've got you covered. With that training plan even, you can achieve the American Dream." All Might said.

"… your American?"

"Half. From my mother's side. How do you think I got this glorious mane?" All Might asked and brushed his hair.

"… I thought it was just naturally like that. Hair colors got kind of wild when Quirks showed up. I mean… mine's green."

"That it is, but that is enough stalling. Do you have what it takes or what?"

Izuku skimmed through the notes and saw his life flashing before his eyes. All Might's plan was insane. Could he really do this? Could he really live up to All Might's expectations and succeed the greatest hero who ever lived?

Life's short and villains can make it even shorter. Have fun. Life should be fun. Ya wanna be a hero? Be a hero.

Izuku looked at the mountains of trash and then at All Might. He smiled.

"Yes, sir!"

"That's what I wanted to hear, young man! Now show me your guts!" All Might roared.

After the first day it was a close call that he didn't vomit out his guts for All Might to see. All Might's training regime squeezed blood out of his bones and left just enough time to rest that he had the strength to do it again the next day. The moment he got used to the work All Might upped the ante. Besides cleaning duty, he also had to pick up weightlifting and start jogging. Even his diet was carefully rationed. Along all of that he had to find the time to study.

Izuku had never been happier.

It would have been even better if he could have seen Toga, but all he got was occasional texts and phone calls. All from a private number.

As the months passed Izuku noticed a change in All Might. At the start he tried to be the larger-than-life figure everyone knew and loved, but slowly he… relaxed. Soon he wasn't even bothering with his muscular form anymore and met Izuku in his true form. The idea that All Might showed him such trust sent shivers down Izuku's spine.

All Might kept an eye on his training whenever he could, but villains weren't kind enough to let the number one hero play babysitter whenever it was convenient and, on many evenings, Izuku had to clean up the beach alone. After months of slaving, he felt that All Might's task was actually doable.

"Izuku-Izuku!"

Izuku's heart skipped a beat.

Toga was sitting on the sidewalk railing wearing a different school uniform and sucking on a lollipop. She jumped down to the beach nimbly like a cat. Why was it so much easier talking to Toga over the phone? When they were face to face Izuku couldn't meet her gaze and was at loss for words.

"… you… you… ah… changed schools." Izuku said.

"And ya reek." Toga said and poked his chest: "Has someone been working out?"

Izuku's cheeks were burning and he wished he could hide underground and never come out.

"… I… it's to become a hero."

"Saw ya with yer mentor one day. Is his hero name Skeleton-man?" Toga said.

For the first time Izuku felt his anger flare at Toga.

"He's been very good with me." Izuku said.

"I'm sure he is." Toga said and looked at the much cleaner beach: "Ya can't expect any less from All Might."

"… what… you…"

"Ya said it was yer job to know and mine to find out. Guess what? I found out. All Might likes to change to his super form when he thinks no one can see."

"You can't tell anyone!" Izuku said.

Toga grinned.

"When ya have buried as many bodies as I have, ya know how to keep a secret." Toga said and pushed her phone to Izuku's face.

Izuku could make out the video of the slug villain rampaging around town with the kidnapped Bakugou in tow.

"Saw yer debut. All Might must have thought ya were as cool as I did. Smart move going for the eyes with yer bag." Toga said.

"… they… they were the only weak spot I could see."

"Vicious. And now ya get to train under All Might. I thought I wanted to be All Might, but now I wanna be ya even more."

Embarrassment competed with pride in Izuku's mind.

"… it's a lot of work."

"I can see that." Toga said and sniffed him: "Ya really reek. Wanna come over to my place for a shower?"

The ground turned into water under Izuku's feet.

"… what?... you… what?"

"You and me. My place. Shower." Toga said.

What was going on? Girls didn't just… ask him over. They barely talked to him if they could avoid it. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't just…

"… I… I…"

"Ya wanna come over?" Toga said.

Izuku gulped.

"… yes."

"Yes!" Toga yelled and slapped her hands together: "We're gonna have so much fun. Tell yer mom ya can't come home tonight."

"… what… what should I say?"

"Just say yer going over to a friend's house."

"… I don't have friends."

"Aren't we friends?"

Izuku had always hated lying to mom, but he did it before he could even stop to think. Mom believed him easier than he ever thought she would. Then again, she had always worried about how few friends he had. She had been so eager to believe him.

Izuku picked up his bag and followed Toga to a modest, but still nice apartment complex. Through the entire walk Toga never let go of his hand.

"I just moved in so mind the mess." Toga said.

The apartment was almost bare. The floor was littered with empty candy wrappers. The bed was unmade, and the sink was full of dirty dishes.

"The showers over there." Toga said.

Even behind a closed door Izuku felt exposed and indecent when he was undressed. The only thing separating him, and Toga was one door. He had to be mistaken about… something. Toga couldn't have asked him over for… that. Izuku stayed under the cold shower until he could face Toga without embarrassing himself. Than he remembered he'd forgotten his bag with the school uniform and clean clothes in Toga's living room.

Izuku tied a towel tightly around his waist and peeked out of the bathroom door.

"Toga. Can you…"

Izuku noticed the trail of Toga's clothes that led to the bed. Toga was laying under the covers and looking at him with her bare shoulders peeking under the blanket. Izuku's cheeks turned crimson and the cold water lost all its effect.

"Toga! What are…?!"

"Waiting for ya. Get yer butt over here."

Izuku's legs moved without any input from his scrambled brain. When he got to the bed Toga grabbed his hand and pulled him in. The towel fell to the floor.

Toga didn't hesitate to take charge and pushed Izuku on his back. All the things he had learned from school sex-education about proper protection and unwanted pregnancies came back to him, but for some reason it didn't matter to him when Toga guided him inside. Toga was rough and left bloody scratches in Izuku's chest while riding him. At some point she also sunk her teeth deep enough in his shoulder to draw blood. Izuku couldn't even catch enough breath to complain.

When Toga finally climbed off him, Izuku fell asleep immediately.

When Izuku-Izuku was too tired to even think about anything but sleeping, Toga pulled out a vial from one of her drawers. Few drops into sleeping Izuku-Izuku's open mouth ensured that he would be out of it well into the next evening. Handcuffing him was just an extra precaution.

"Ya got very sick, poor lil Izuku-Izuku, but don't worry. Ya can rest here. I'll take care of things till then."

The taste of Izuku-Izuku's blood still in her mouth Toga activated her Quirk. The transformation started immediately. Her skin started tingling and then the sensation spread to her bones and muscles as her body changed and shifted until everything was perfect. Soon there were too Izuku-Izuku's. She had copied everything from his cute little freckles to his new muscles.

Toga kneeled next to the sleeping Izuku-Izuku.

"Thanks, Izuku-Izuku. I'm gonna have so much fun tomorrow. I never thought I'd get to meet All Might."