Disclaimer: Boku no Hero Academia characters and plot events belongs to Horikoshi Kohei.

To Be a Hero

a shoulder to lean on

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Aizawa was rudely interrupted by the alarm system built inside his room while he was working on some files. It was late at night and the curfew was suppose to be set, but apparently some people didn't like to follow rules. A robotic voice was reporting of a disturbance in Ground Beta...

Two of his students were there, fighting.

Bakugou and Midoriya, huh?

With a large sigh, he got up and walked out of his room, but only to be stopped by someone surprising.

It really didn't take a genius to know that an intense battle, initiated by none other than Bakugou, was going on somewhere on the school grounds. Shiro knew this was going to happen because she's seen it in the male's eyes before he left. What she didn't understand was why.

From her viewpoint, Midoriya had always been nothing but supporting. He was kind, hardworking, and extremely loyal to his friends. She knew that they had a rocky past because Bakugou had always hated his guts, but she was sure that even now the green haired hero-in-training regarded the blonde as someone close to him. Midoriya was the type to find someone he admired and strive to be just like them; it was obvious enough with All Might but he also showed the same kind of admiration with the people around him. His notes on each classmate weren't simply just a hobby of a fanboy. To him, there was always something new to learn because he always acknowledged his weaknesses, and by fixing them with experience and things he sees from other people, he can continue to push forward.

To put simply, Midoriya Izuku was one hell of a tenacious guy.

Even if Bakugou was curious about Midoriya's power, there was no reason she saw that would make him this upset. Still, the history between the two ran too deep for someone like her to really decipher it, and without the blonde clueing anyone in on his piece of mind, she can only sit on the sidelines... And it was maddening.

Wasn't he the one who told her to talk things out and that it was okay to be vulnerable? It seemed that the same sound reasoning didn't apply to himself.

However, there was no use for her to stew over what couldn't be helped. Shiro was sure that Aizawa had caught wind of the situation anyway and was on his way to stop the fight. Knowing the hero, he was going to dish out some harsh punishments for the boys so it was probably better that she wasn't involved.

...Like the fear of punishment from Eraserhead ever stopped me before, she rolled her eyes. Still, there was a chance that the fight between Bakugou and Midoriya would finally hash things out between them and they will get on the same level like how Todoroki and Inasa were. Looking out her window, the moonlight was illuminating the night in a deceptively peaceful manner.

She felt she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight.

Bakugou felt the forceful punch from Midoriya on his cheek hurt more than anything in the world.

He had figured it all out. The nerd's Quirk was from All Might; it was possible seeing how All For One had the ability to steal other people's Quirks. There was probably a reverse of that where All Might was therefore able to give Midoriya the power he has now.

It was frustrating. So frustrating that it hurt.

Bakugou was the one who admired All Might, perhaps just as much or even more than Midoriya. Yet the hero, his top hero, chose Midoriya to be his successor. He chose someone who was Quirkless... Someone who he had determined to be beneath him in terms of strength and ability. Midoriya Izuku had been nothing.

Yet, it was frustrating because he had to sit on the sidelines and watch the green haired male become something. The male was always right by Bakugou's side, always threatening to surpass him without a moment's notice. The male had been doing that all throughout his life and Bakugou was so sick of it.

Even now, Midoriya was using the power All Might gave him to beat him.

"Li... Like I'll lose...!" he grunted angrily and kicked his leg forward. With his last burst, he shot off a large explosion to catapult Midoriya and himself down to the ground.

BOOM!

Both of them were panting hard as the smoke cleared, and Bakugou gained the upper hand by pinning the other male to the ground in an immobilizing position. "I win..." he gasped in a breath of air. His injuries hurt and his lungs were on fire from working his body to full capacity, but he didn't care. "Even with All Might's power... Even if you made that your own... You still lost to me..."

If it were the old him, he would've laughed in Midoriya's face. But now it didn't make him feel any better to win.

"Why... Why did you lose...?!" he pressed harder while he shouted. Why did you lose with the power from All Might—!

"Stop there, you two."

All Might walked towards the two with a solemn expression. His sullen figure looked even smaller in his white shirt that was too big on him. He was the one who stopped Aizawa from coming to break up the fight because he finally saw what was going on between the two a little too late.

"I'm sorry, but I overheard everything. I'm sorry I didn't notice..." he apologized sincerely to the blonde.

"Why Deku?" Bakugou turned his face so he wasn't looking at the former hero. "It started when the sludge villain came, right? Just tell me... Why this guy?"

"He was powerless, but more heroic than anyone else. I thought you were strong, Young Bakugou. You were someone who could already compete, and I decided that he should also be able to stand in the ring."

Hearing that, Bakugou let out a pained scoff. He never liked to admit this, but he couldn't help but crumble in front of his number one hero. "I'm weak, too, you know...! I always wanted to be strong, like you! It's because I'm weak... That I made you turn into that...!"

All Might stopped in front of the male who was holding in tears of frustration. His emaciated form wasn't pretty to look at, and he knew it saddened Bakugou and made the boy beat himself up each day for thinking that he was the cause of it. "This isn't your fault. Either way, my limit was close. I was always going to end up like this. You're strong, but I focused too much on your strength," All Might pulled him close into a hug. "I ended up making you bear that burden... I'm really sorry, even though you're still young, too..."

Bakugou only gritted his teeth and pushed the former hero away.

"After being a hero for a long time, I've seen that being fixated on victory like you, Young Bakugou, and wanting to save those in trouble like you, Young Midoriya... If either of those feelings are missing, then a hero won't be able to carry out the justice he wants to carry out. Like how Young Midoriya admired your strength... And how you feared Young Midoriya's heart... Now that your feelings are out in the open, I think you both understand. If you both recognize each other and can focus on making each other stronger, then you can save people to win and win to save people, becoming the greatest heroes."

At these heartfelt words, the two looked at each other briefly before Bakugou dropped to the ground with defeat. "That's not... What I wanted to hear. Deku..." he covered his head with his arms. "You had the strongest guy lay the groundwork for you. Don't lose."

"I'll get stronger," Midoriya promised. "So I can beat you."

Taking it all in with a final sigh, Bakugou turned to the former hero. "Who knows about you and Deku?" he asked.

"Recovery Girl and the principle. Of the students, it's you and Young Aisaka."

Shiro? So she knew...

"She had found out when I couldn't hold my form in front of her. I didn't reveal that I gave Young Midoriya my powers, but she is smart enough to guess... Now, I feel I owe you that much."

And then the former hero told him everything. From how the One for All power was passed down generations to stand against a great evil. About how he became the number one hero and Symbol of Peace with that power. About how he was gravely injured and neared his limit. And lastly, how he selected his successor.

"I get it," Bakugou took it all in and ran a hand through his ash blonde hair. "All Might, You don't want this to get out, do you? Since it sounds like you're trying to hide this, I won't tell anyone. I won't expose your secret like damn Deku here. I'll keep it between us."

"Kacchan..."

All Might felt powerless in that he failed the blonde so much. Even now the boy was trying to be tough for him because he cared. "I should be bowing and begging you to keep this secret. Just how much will I need you to be considerate fo rmy sake...? I'm sorry... And thank you..."

"I'm not being considerate!" Bakugou scoffed without looking at the man. He didn't mean it. "It's just too big a risk with too many drawbacks to spread this around. And in the end... It doesn't change what I have to do. I'll still become the greatest hero that will surpass even you, All Might."

"Yeah," the man smiled.

"Like how you turn everything around and absorb things to make it your own, I'll also make everything my own to go higher. Higher than even you, the chose one," Bakugou said as he looked straight at Midoriya.

"Th...Then, I'll go even higher than that!" Midoriya vowed back. "I have to get higher than you!"

There was no end to now annoying and frustrating he was to Bakugou, after all. The blonde just wanted to leave now. It had been one hell of a night and he was both physically and emotionally drained. He didn't doubt Aizawa was waiting for them at the entrance to the dorms too and it was going to be a long night of more talks.

It was past midnight when Shiro heard a knock on her door. Bewildered, she got up from her bed with confusion and moved to the front of her room. In all honesty, she hadn't been sleeping because there was too much on her mind.

Imagine her surprise when she opened her door and saw Bakugou standing there. "Wow, you're pretty beat up," she managed to blurt out.

A scowl lifted at the corner of his lips but he didn't lash out. "Yeah," he grumbled. If Aizawa found out that he was visiting his adopted daughter while being already grounded, Bakugou would surely be chopped liver by morning. He wasn't even planing on it, but after all he's gone through tonight, he felt like his insides were going to burst and somehow his legs led him here. When the girl didn't make a move to let him pass because there was an obvious question lingering in the air, his head lowered.

"...I needed someone to talk to. Kirishima's knocked out and I'm done talkin' to fucking Deku."

Shiro blinked incredulously at him, thinking that she was imagining things. But seeing the beat up he really was, both physically and mentally, she stepped aside and motioned for him to come in. The door closed softly behind them as she led him to sit down on the edge of her bed.

"Sit tight for a minute," she didn't give him a moment to protest before she started rummaging through her desk drawer for something. She came back with a roll of bandages and ointment in hand. Seeing that Bakugou hadn't come back kicking and screaming, she can safely assume that the fight between the two childhood friends cleared up a lot of things. "So how long did Eraserhead ground you guys for?"

"Four days," the male grunted as he felt the cool ointment on his skin. He didn't look at Shiro as she worked on the scratches on his arms before moving to his face. Through the process, she had wedged herself between his legs and he blushed. "Deku got three. We're on damn dorm cleaning duty and can't attend class until the house arrest is over."

"Heh. I'm sure Midoriya-san look just as bad as you right now..." Shiro said while cleaning the cut on his forehead carefully. Focusing on the task made talking to the blonde easier without worrying about how close they were. "You've done the same for me, so think of it as me returning the favor. If talking helps, then get it off your chest. I'll listen."

Bakugou wanted to retort something smart but the look in her eyes told him that she truly cared. A small blush appeared on his face and he was glad that the room was dim. He admits that it felt good to have the girl's attention on him. It made him feel special.

"We fought and talked things out. All Might was there, too. He told me that you knew about his condition way before the Camino incident... And he told me about everything afterwards. It's not all that shocking anymore, but..." he drew in a heavy breath. "I couldn't help it. No matter what All Might said... I couldn't get that fucking gross feeling out of my body."

The tips of Shiro's fingers twitched as she saw the male become more vulnerable before her.

"It always tasted and felt like day-old bile rising up my throat whenever I thought about it. I've never wished I was someone else until that moment All Might became the way he is after Camino... And especially knowing now that I ended up chasing after the back of someone who was always behind me... I feel sick. Knowing that this whole time, I was just fucking jealous of Deku."

He resented the fact that he resented Midoriya because of something so petty. He was suppose to be better than that, but it turned out that he was pretty pathetic. All Might could see Midoriya's worth while he downright refused to see it until now.

"I never thought the day would come that I'll believe I wasn't good enough. It fucking sucks."

Shiro knew that feeling well, having just experienced it herself. But what he was saying didn't ring true in her ears. "I don't know if there'll ever be a day where any of us would actually be good enough for every single person..." her soft voice cut through his self loathing. "But just knowing that you're good enough for someone is enough."

"Tch..."

His lips were jutted out in a stubborn pout that was quite adorable if he didn't look so defeated. But, there had to be a way to make him understand what's she's saying, right? Drawing her arms forward, Shiro wrapped it around the back of blonde's head and gave him a comforting hug.

"Bakugou Katsuki, you may be a pompous prick and you piss people off to no end, but you're a good person. You're strong and will be a great hero... And for what it's worth, you're already enough for me."

Bakugou's red eyes shot open wide. Due to their position, his head was on her chest and he could hear the thumping of the girl's steady heart. There was not an ounce of dishonesty or pity in her voice or body language and the tears that threatened to spill lined the bottom of his eyes. He felt a sense of relief wash over him.

No matter how many mistakes I make, you're still willing to see me as someone. His bandaged arms rose from his sides and he wrapped them around the girl's torso tightly. "You're a basket case, Shiro..." he laughed between sobs. "And I'm fucking glad that I met you."

It was Shiro's turn to blush now with his words, but she relished in the fact that she was probably one of the only few to see the blonde make such a genuine expression.

"I-It's weird when you say something so mushy," she claimed stubbornly. To prove some point, she tried to glare at him but his head was still down and buried in her chest. "Now it just feels like you're taking advantage of me..."

Seriously, this is kind of embarrassing!

"...ruining...moment..."

"What did you say?" she grew irritated because of the embarrassment.

"Stop ruining to the fucking moment," he mumbled louder with his head still down. Others might think he's weak for needing comfort, but Bakugou didn't care. He didn't want the girl to see the wetness in his eyes, though. Even if he was going to be vulnerable in front of her, he wasn't about to let her see it. "Just let me stay like this for a minute longer, geez."

His grip around her was tight, but it was oddly comfortable. Shiro let out a resigned sigh and relaxed her hands by running them through the hair on the back of his head. He's done a lot to help her, so she'll do the same for him.

"There's really no rationality when it comes to you," she whispered with a small smile, "But I think I've figured you out completely, Bakugou."

And it was hard to admit, but...

I like you just the way you are.

Early next morning, the rest of the class was met with the two rule breakers cleaning the common living area.

"You guys fought, and now you're under house arrest?!" they chorused after getting the gist of the situation. Something so big happened right under their noses but they were too dead asleep to even notice!

"That's dumb!"

"It's some serious nonsense!"

"The pinnacle of stupidity."

Of course, the more vocal of the bunch all expressed their disappointment openly at the two troublemakers. Midoriya and Bakugou could only continue cleaning wordlessly because they were in the wrong, and Aizawa would rip them a new one if they caused anymore commotion.

Shiro, being the only one who knew about last night's events, stayed quiet and walked by without joining in on the fray. She was still kind of sleepy... The vacuum that Bakugou was using happened to hit the side of her foot in his fit of angry scrubbing, and they both made eye contact briefly before looking away with a start.

"They're definitely different," Tsuyu was right on their tail and said observantly. "No unnecessary arguments."

"Well, Bakugou wouldn't want to extend his house arrest by lashing out," Kirishima defended knowingly for his friend. "Four days is already a lot!"

"And Aisaka-san is simply more mature than that," Momo was convinced. "Isn't that right?"

Shiro nodded absentmindedly while Bakugou gritted his teeth and stayed silent. Even with how annoying the class was being, the blonde no longer minded. Enough has happened between all of them starting from the beginning of the school year that they've become close. Class 1-A have really experienced a lot together...

While the two under house arrest continued to clean the dorm, the rest of the class left for class. It was officially the start of the new semester, after all!

The halls of th U.A. was bustling as usual once Shiro entered the school. Iida was off to the side ordering everyone to get in a straight line while from the corner of her eyes she saw a group of students from class 1-B walking by.

"So I heard..." Monona was leaning against a wall coolly before a gloating expression surfaced on his face. "Two people! You had two people fail the provisional licensing exam! Isn't that weird?! We are now better than you!"

The male was as despicable as as usual, but since Shiro was in a good mood she didn't mind it. Apparently, all of class 1-B passed their exams, so it was class 1-A who was lagging behind now. They even got a new transfer student from America who Monoma was teaching weird phrases to... Poor girl.

"Hey, we're trying to get through back here."

A new voice cut through the chatter between the hero classes and they turned to see Shinsou and a group of people from the general course walking by. The hero classes may always take the spotlight, but others were doing their best to shine as well.

"Don't show me how uncool you are," Shinsou said he walked through the throng of students. "It makes it easier to surpass you."

"You bulked up a bit since the last time I saw you," Shiro remarked and he paused next to her. Aizawa had revealed to her that he was training the general course student because he saw a potential. It took a lot to impress Aizawa, so she was pretty impressed herself that Shinsou was getting the attention he desired in order to become a hero. "I see you're working pretty hard."

"I'll be catching up before you know it," he grinned suavely. Shiro mirrored it with a challenging look.

"Did you forget that we have the same mentor, and that I have a decade of experience ahead of you?"

"Oh? Who says I'm not being taught things different from your training? Better and more advanced things."

"That's impossible..." her voice caught in her throat for a second as she mulled over the possibility. Aizawa hadn't trained her since she got into U.A. so it was possible that his methods have changed for Shinsou. Eraserhead doesn't play favorites...

The purple haired male knew that his suggestion had an effect on the girl and went further just for fun.

"He did say I was the better student."

"...He did not," she hissed with mild jealousy. Did he?!

"Who knows. But I'm definitely his more rational student who doesn't let their emotions get the better of them," Shinsou chuckled, sliding his hands into his pant pockets and then gave her a small smirk before walking away. "You're looking good these days, Aisaka. See you around."

Realizing that the purple haired male had got her good this time, Shiro let out a noise of discontentment and turned to her heel with a huff. What have you done, Eraserhead... Shinsou's totally getting cockier!

"Hey! It's the small mammal you all love, the principal!" Nezu greeted the mass of students standing outside for new semester open ceremony. "Recently, the fur I'm so proud of has deteriorated in quality... It's hard for me to take care of. This is something you can say about humans, too. Even if you have a balanced diet with zinc and vitamins, the most important thing has to be sleep. Disturbing your lifestyle is the worst for your fur..."

As the principal droned on, the students were only half-listening. As exciting it was to return to school, it was early in the morning still. What Nezu was saying was important too, but it was something that the students all knew. With the fall of the Symbol of Peace, they really needed to step up as students of a top hero school in their studies and outside situations.

"...Such as the hero work studies that mainly second- and third-years participate in..."

Hero work studies? Shiro wondered along with the rest of the class while the rest of the ceremony passed by. Finally, it was time to return to class and start their day. Aizawa walked in and started to announce the regular schedule.

"A lot of unprecedented things happened, but you'll need to switch gears and focus on your duties as students. We'll be staying inside the classroom today, but this semester you'll have even harsher training than before."

"So he's not talking about it..." Mina whispered the Tsuyu. Aizawa caught on and addressed the girl directly.

"What is it, Ashido?"

"I'm sorry, can I ask a question?" Tsuyu came to the rescue and raised her hand. "Can you tell us what the 'hero work studies' that came up at the opening ceremony is about?"

It was a question that everyone had in their minds, so it was a good thing that she brought it up. It was mentioned that usually the upperclassmen participated in those things, but that was not much information to go off on.

"I was planning to talk about those at a later date, but... I guess it's more logical to do so now," Aizawa nodded. "To put simply, they're activities outside of school. Like the internships you did under heroes before, only it's closer to the real thing."

Sitting in the back, Uraraka looked to be in thought before a realization came to her, "Huuuh?! Then why did I work so hard at the sports festival?!"

That does make sense, Shiro mused silently. Since this hero studies system would allow for students to get real hero experience anyway, there wasn't really a need for first-years to work that hard in the sports festival to gain attention... But it's not that simple, is it?

"The hero work studies use the scouting from the sports festival as connections. This isn't part of a class, but an activity done at the discretion of the student. So, those who weren't scouted at the sports festival would have a hard time lining one up to begin with," Aizawa explained further. "Originally, individual agencies recruited on their own, but there were many complications with trying to get U.A. students to join, so it ended up being like this. If you understand, then sit down."

The troubled look on Uraraka's face ceased and she apologized, "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions..."

"Now that you have your provisional licenses, you can assist in more real ways for longer periods of time. But there haven't been many cases where first-years have received their provisional licenses... With the increased activity of villains, we are currently thinking seriously about your participation. Well, we'll have you hear more about what it's like and explain in further detail at a later date. We've got our own situation to consider... Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting, Mic."

On cue, the classroom door slid open and the rambunctious Pro Hero walked in. "First period is English! In other words, my time! It's been an age since I stood on this stage! Did you miss me, bro?!" he shouted energetically.

And just like that, the rest of the day went by without a hitch as the students learned lessons from all of their Pro Hero teachers. With how busy the day was, the hero work studies were temporarily taken off their minds while grammar, algebraic equations, world history, and more got crammed in.

Once class 1-A returned to the dorms, it was late afternoon.

Everyone trudged into the common area while chattering among each other. Off in the corner, Midoriya was twitching with desire to get information out of his classmates since he felt he'd already missed too much. He was definitely taking the house arrest pretty hard; bless his soul for being such a good student. Kaminari and Mineta were off pestering Bakugou about not cleaning the dorm enough by showing him areas where dust gathered. Needless to say, it pissed the blonde off and he was shouting about. Some others were discussing about the subjects in class while a few went off to the kitchen to find snacks.

Everything was normal around the dorm, and Shiro found herself slumping down on the couch with a yawn.

She had tried to stay awake during every class and succeeded, but she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night due to someone and the consequences were now weighing down on her. She felt Hagakure sit down besides her and she was saying something to Jiro about the work studies mentioned in class day.

Right, the hero work studies... I wonder if I could ask Gang Orca for some connections, Shiro pondered briefly as her eyes fluttered closed. So...tired...

Quickkk update! I'm so excited to write the next chapter because I have something special planned! Thank you all for the responses last chapter; reading them makes me really happy :) And Sweet Staring, you're not alone XD I always seem to have a thing for the loud aggressive guys in EVERY ANIME... LOL.

Anyway, remember to stay safe and take care of yourselves, everyone! Love you all.