A/N: Hey, Y'all! I'm going to be upfront with you, this set of drabbles is really just an excuse to crush Izuku's dreams and to examine All Might's dazzling physique! If you ain't in to that, then boiyo, you best be bouncin' back to your abode. If you care, or if I made you feel something, please leave a review! I accept all thanks and criticism, as long as it has a purpose! Hopefully, you enjoy my humble drabbling adventures, and I bid you good day.

Spoilers for S1 of My Hero Academia! Though, honestly, because I wrote this as I watched the show, there aren't many ahead-of-episode spoilers. Anyway, remember to smile, because it's a good day to be alive!

PS: I completely removed inspiration, it just felt like it and the summary were so similar it was rendered obsolete.

Episode: S1 Ep 2 - What It Takes to Be a Hero

Rating: K+

Warnings: You may be blinded by All Might's bursting muscles, and there's a fair bit of Izuku ansgt

Summary: All Might and appearances, Izuku's depressing reality, All Might's muscles, and Izuku's bittersweet reality


People cared too much about looks, that was something All Might knew too well. He supposed he couldn't blame the kid for being surprised, because he himself had catered to the whims of that preference. He had rippling muscles, wavy golden hair, and a smile that no villain could break.

If he had tried to stay in this form when he fought, could he if he had trained that way? All Might always told himself it was because the power forced him to, but of course that wasn't true.

All Might was ashamed just how much his insecurities controlled him.


No. No no, no. NO! Izuku's mind screamed. He couldn't feel his legs, but it felt like a large weight was crushing his lungs, suffocating him. He stood, trying to escape reality, trying to change what he'd been told.

"I cannot simply say, you can become a hero even without power," All Might stated. And now, there was no link between his dream and this reality. All Might had been his last chance to unite them. This was his reality now.

Dreaming might be childish, but given a choice, he'd live in his own lie. All to be a hero.


The were a lot of things Izuku questioned about All Might - when did he get his quirk, why was it given to him, why couldn't his muscles be like All Might's - but the thing Izuku wondered most was why blood came out of All Might's mouth when he overloaded.

Izuku thought the most likely answer was that All Might's body systems got messed up when he transformed, and caused blood to come out his mouth. But All Might's physique, including how he got his muscles to ripple so effectively, would remain one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of all time.


Izuku vision blurred, and he could barely feel his legs. Was this really his reality? He didn't understand it - he hadn't done anything useful, he had put himself in danger, he had caused All Might to lose the villain in the first place, and yet here he was being told that you can be a hero.

He was crying, crying so hard he couldn't breathe, crying so hard because for the first time in his life he had been told he was good enough. And the sadness and the joy of this first experience was enough to break him completely.