Izuku had known from a very young age that he had dreams he would never be able to reach. The notion started the day his best friend got his quirk. The day had been one he would never forget, it sat in the back of his mind as a stain on a white sheet.

He and Katsuki were as thick as thieves, always getting up to mischief together. Or more like Katsuki would get up to mischief and Izuku would follow along while warning the other of the impending trouble they would get into. It never slowed Katsuki down though, and he would still drag Izuku along with him, telling him that he would protect him and he had nothing to worry about. Izuku would always feel a sense of relief and safety hearing his best friend tell him those words. Every time Katsuki told him that, he would cease his worried mumblings and follow along with a smile.

He can still remember how the forest smelt as they played around and looked for beetles and other creepy crawlies. There was one specific day he held dear in his heart when he found a rather large beetle and ran to show Katsuki. Unfortunately in his haste to get to the blond child, he had stumbled over a large root protruding from the ground. He was sent flying over the root and landed face first in the dirt, the beetle flying out of his hands in an attempt to catch his fall. After a moment and the shock wore off, he sat up and looked around disorientated. He felt a stinging pain on his cheek and when he went to touch it, he pulled his hand back with a hiss of pain. He saw the blood on his fingertips and started whimpering, tears falling down his cheeks in torrents, the salty tears adding to the sting. Suddenly there was a figure in front of him, and as he looked up, he saw through blurry vision those red eyes he was so familiar with, looking at him with concern and fear. He sniffled and tried to rub his eyes but only managed to rub the dirt further into the scrape on his cheek, causing him to yelp in pain. He felt warm hands grip his wrists and pull them away from his face.

"Don't rub it you idiot, it will only get dirtier and hurt more."

Izuku sniffled and tried to stop the tears by squeezing his eyes closed. "But Kacchan, it hurts!"

He could feel another whimper building in his chest and fought to keep it down, but it still escaped him. He suddenly felt arms wrap around him and a cheek pressed to his scent gland. Izuku immediately started to relax in Katsuki's hold, taking in his calming scent of salted caramel and cloves. Izuku's small arms reached around him to hug him back and scent him in return, his own scent of honeysuckle and cedar calming down with each passing moment. He knew this was the only way Katsuki would comfort him, knew he wasn't one for words as a way to express himself. Izuku understood that and accepted that because he felt that the way Katsuki expressed his concern, his affection, and his friendship, was much better than anything words could give him.

The hold Katsuki had on him loosened and he pulled back to look at Izuku. "Let's go back and get Aunty to fix you up okay?"

Izuku opened his eyes to look at his friend and nodded, feeling very calm after Katsuki had scented him. "Okay Kacchan."

Katsuki got up from his crouch and held his hand towards Izuku to help him up. Izuku reached out to grab his hand, standing up with his help, wobbling a little until he found his balance, yet Katsuki did not let go as he led Izuku home through the forest all the while talking about what he had seen as a means to distract Izuku from his cheek.

Those were his favorite days. Izuku had always felt safe and comforted around his best friend, like no matter what happened, the blond boy would always be there.

The day Katsuki got his quirk after his fourth birthday, was the most exciting thing he had ever seen and he was overwhelmed with joy for his friend. Katsuki had shown Izuku at the park his quirk with a smug look on his face, boasting about how cool it was. The sparks lit up the grin on his face. He told Izuku that as soon as his quirk came, they were going to train together every day so that one day they could become the best hero duo to ever exist and open up a hero agency together. Izuku was so ecstatic he could barely contain himself. As the day played out, they talked about future dreams and plans, what they would do, where they would go, and all they would accomplish until the sun set and it was time to go home.

As time went by, Izuku could hardly contain his excitement and felt impatient to get his quirk, yet as his birthday came and went and his quirk still hadn't shown up, he started to become anxious. Katsuki was there to scent him and reassure him that it would come and that maybe it was late because he was so small. Izuku held onto that hope, ever grateful to his best friend.

He would ask his mother when his quirk would come in, and she kept replying the same way over and over again. "When you are ready my pup." She would pat his head and smile at him. He couldn't help but feel frustrated and kept pestering his mother. Eventually, Inko relented and took him to get tested.

This was the day his world came crashing down around him as the doctor had stated that he was quirkless. He doesn't remember much after the doctor had told him and his mother that, his mind turning into static as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

He didn't even remember how he got home or that he stared at his food, unable to eat. His mother fluttered around him in concern, not knowing how to get her pup out of this catatonic state, her scent growing more anxious as time went by. She couldn't even smell his milky pup scent, it was so subdued. She thought that maybe if she put on his favorite show, it might cheer him up, however, when Izuku looked at the screen, he started wailing in despair, his sobs racking through his small chest, struggling to take in a breath.

Inko had dropped to her knees in front of her pup, repeating over and over again how sorry she was. She wasn't even sure what she was apologizing for, maybe the fact that it might have been her fault that he didn't get his quirk, or maybe it was because his dreams could no longer be achieved, or maybe even that his father wasn't here to help comfort their pup. All she could do was hold him in her arms as he cried himself to sleep.

The next day Izuku felt as though he was in a trance, unable to completely focus on anything around him. His mother had kept him out of school that day, to allow him to settle the information in his mind. As the afternoon arrived, after school was out, there was a knock on the door. Inko had gotten up to see who it could be and found little Katsuki at the door demanding why Izuku had not been at school the past two days. She invited him inside, quite used to his antics. She explained that Izuku had gotten some very unsettling news and that he wasn't feeling well because of it, to which the angry blond insisted that he had to see Izuku and find out what was going on. She had said he would find him in his room and Katsuki set off to go find his friend and comfort him, hoping that if her son saw his best friend it would lift his spirit.

When Katsuki had made it to Izuku's door, he banged his fist on his door, yelling for Izuku to open up and let him in. However, the door remained closed and all he could hear was whimpering coming from inside. He reached up and slowly turned the handle, sticking his head into the dim room.

"Izuku?" He noticed the lump in the bed shake at the sound of his voice and Katsuki rushed inside, closing the door behind him before approaching the shaking mass of blankets on the bed. "Yo idiot, you gonna hide from me the whole time. What's the matter with you?" He reached forward to yank the blanket off the whimpering child. Izuku had curled himself into a ball, sobbing quietly, his small frame shaking. Katsuki didn't waste a moment and crawled in next to the boy, pulling him into a hug, pressing his cheek against Izuku's in the hopes that his scent would calm his friend down. "Zuzu, what's wrong? Aunty said they said something bad. Tell me so I can blow them up."

Izuku gripped onto Katsuki's shirt, sniffling and hiccupping before stuttering out quietly. "I…I ca…can't b…be a…a h…hero Ka…Kacchan." His voice cracked on every syllable as he tried to get the words out.

"What idiot said that?!" The blond huffed indignantly. "We are going to be the best heroes! Just like All Might! Tell me who said this, so I can go and blast their faces off!"

Izuku shook his head frantically. "No Kacchan!"

The blonde patted his back. "Okay, calm down and then tell me. Then we fix it okay. Now breathe idiot, you're going to turn purple nerd."

Izuku forced himself to take deeper breaths to try and calm himself down. Concentrating on his friend patting his back and his calming familiar scent, he eventually felt himself relax slowly into his hug. "Thank you Kacchan."

Katsuki scoffed but didn't stop comforting his friend. "Whatever nerd. Now tell me what's wrong."

The green-haired boy took in one more deep breath and told his best friend everything that happened the previous day, not noticing the other boy slowly start to stiffen around him. When Izuku had finished recounting the events of the previous day, he noticed a lack of reply from Katsuki. "Kacchan? What am I going to do now? How can I be a hero when I don't have a quirk?"

The blond released him and sat up, the expression on his face unreadable. "It's fine Zuzu. We will make a plan." His voice sounded very strained, yet Izuku couldn't help but focus on his words only, a little bit of hope blooming in his chest, thinking that Kacchan was smart and he would be able to figure out anything.

"Okay Kacchan! I trust you!" Wiping the tears from his face, Izuku sat up and smiled at his best friend, feeling better for the first time since being told the news of being quirkless.

They continued to talk after that, yet the blond kept diverting the conversation from the news of Izuku's quirkless status. Maybe he was still coming to terms with it like Izuku was, so he didn't press the matter. His friend left soon after, saying how his old hag wanted him home sooner, but he couldn't make full eye contact with Izuku.

The next day Izuku felt a shift in their friendship and that something wasn't right. He couldn't quite understand it and continued to go on as normal as he could. He would ask Katsuki if he had thought of anything yet about how Izuku could be a hero even though he was quirkless. Every time the blond would divert the conversation and come up with something else to do or talk about. His friend started subtly avoiding him and Izuku could feel Katsuki draw further and further away as the days went by. Eventually, the blond would skip play dates and hang out with some of the other kids around the playground, saying how he also needed to make other friends. They spent less and less time together and Izuku felt conflicted. He didn't want the blonde to not make other friends, but he still felt abandoned the less time he got with his best friend.

It all came to a point one day when Katsuki lashed out at him for the first time. It had been a warm sunny day and there was a soft cool breeze in the air. Izuku had left his house, on his way to find Katsuki in the hopes that he would play with him again. Yet as he found his friend, he was with his new friends and Izuku missed him so much, so he asked Katsuki if he could perhaps play with them.

"Go away you freak! I don't need a quirkless loser following me around and slowing me down." Pushing Izuku to the ground with a sneer on his face. "You stupid Deku."

Sitting on the ground, with his bottom lip trembling. He couldn't believe what his best friend had just said. "Kacchan?" He could feel the prickling of tears at the corner of his eyes.

"You heard me Deku, stop following me! We aren't friends and we never were!" The boys the blonde made friends with were snickering behind him.

"Kacchan, why are you so mean? Why are you calling me that?" He rubbed furiously at his eyes yet it would not stop the tears from falling.

"Because that's your name Deku. You are a useless quirkless nobody! And that's all you will ever be! I only let you follow me because of the pack." He turned towards his friends and motioned for them to follow. "Come on losers, he ain't worth our time."

Izuku was left there to cry on the ground, not understanding why his friend would turn his back on him, after everything they had been through. Katsuki was his closest and only friend, he had always been there and now he had thrown away their friendship. Said it was a lie, and he felt his heart crack. There was a searing pain in his chest as he was struggling to take in breaths. He wailed his heart out until he couldn't anymore. When he was exhausted he made his way home on shaky legs.

After that incident, he strived to keep his distance from the blonde. He would only watch painfully from afar, missing the bond that they used to share. Izuku kept to himself for the most part because unfortunately, everyone had turned against him due to his quirkless status. Others started to bully him along with Katsuki and no matter how hard he tried, he would always end up beaten down, unable to protect himself.

It carried on that way even into middle school, however, it got worse during his third year at Aldera just after his 15th birthday. They had everyone in the school who had turned 15 give in blood samples in dynamics health education class to be tested for their secondary genders. It was the day the test results came back. When everyone had gotten their envelopes with the results, they were told to open them up at home with their parents. Izuku stared at his envelope, dread sitting in his gut, scared of the results. He knew he wouldn't be an Alpha, not with his short stature and a lean build, his father being a Beta and his Mother an Omega. He just hoped that he would be a Beta and not an Omega. Life was not easy if you were an Omega unless you were of high status, such as a hero, judge, in the hero commission, and such. Only Omegas in the hero world were treated well, otherwise, it was difficult. Not as difficult as being quirkless. Being quirkless and Omega? His life would be hell. He slid the envelope into his hero analysis journal and closed it.

The dynamics health educator left after handing out the envelopes and explaining what they needed to do after finding out their status to prepare for the future. Then onwards their classroom teacher started to discuss students' plans regarding what their status would be.

He held up a piece of paper, scanning it. "Bakugou, I see you wrote down on the future career goals section you wish to attend U.A like everyone else?"

The explosive boy leaning back in his chair smirked. "Pffft! As if!" He stood up slamming his hands on his desk. "Don't lump me in with these losers! They have no chance with their crappy quirks!"

The class started protesting against his words, a sea of angry voices.

Katsuki stood up on his chair and bellowed over the commotion. "Shut up you stupid extras! I already passed the mock exam! I am the only one who will make it into U.A! I'll be the one to surpass All Might and be the number one hero!"

The teacher furrowed an eyebrow. "And why can't anyone else try? Even Midoriya is aiming for U.A."

Everyone turned around to Izuku who had his face against his arms on the desk as a means to hide, knowing the ridicule that would come next. The whole class roared with laughter, but Katsuki just glared at him, lips pressed together in a tight line. There were sneers of degradation among the students, laughter carrying on.

"Now now class, settle down now." The teacher held his hands up as a means to quiet the class. "Class is just about finished and I need to get done." Everyone settled down, yet snickers still rang through the class while he discussed further future plans that his students could follow.

After class had finished, all left besides Izuku, Katsuki, and his 3 goons. He was busy packing his books in his bag when suddenly a hand darted out to grab his hero analysis book. He looked up in a panic to see familiar red eyes glaring at him while holding up the book. "We ain't done here Deku." his goons grinning in the background.

"Please give that back." He meekly pleaded.

"What would you need this for?" He waved the book around." You ain't gonna be a hero." As he spoke, the envelope slipped from the book and fluttered to the floor. Izuku tried to dash for it, but unfortunately the blonde beat him to it, quickly snatching it up from the floor. "And what do we have here ey? Your results? I wonder what they say." He put the book under his arm so that he could open the envelope. Darting forward to stop him, Izuku panicked. "NO! That's private!" He felt two sets of hands hold him back from Katsuki, and watched as he ripped open the envelope, his scent spiking with panic. He tried to fight off the arms holding him as Katuki opened up the letter, tears forming in his eyes. Not even he knew the results, now they would find out before he could and he wouldn't be able to hide it if it was bad news.

"The blonde's eyebrows shot up as he read the results. "Oh! Well, ain't this fucking interesting." he waved the piece of paper in the air.

The goons jeered while grinning. "Tell us what it says Bakugou, we also want to know."

"Deku over here is an…Omega." The blonde sneered as Izuku felt himself slump forward, his mind reeling from the news.

It couldn't be, his life could not get any worse. The tears started to fall from his eyes, choking back sobs as his body shook.``N…no… It…it ca…cant be…"

"What? Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself." Katsuki shoved the results forward for Izuku to see, and sure enough, next to the dynamic results section stood the symbol for Omega. He felt his limbs go numb, falling to the floor as the hands let him go, the goons still snickering. "Well this just proves you can't be a hero, you're just a stupid Omega Deku!" He dropped the paper from his fingers, then reached for the book under his arm. "Guess you won't be needing this anymore." He pressed the book between his palms and let off an explosion, leaving the book charred. He then tossed it out of the window. Izuku could do nothing as he watched the blonde, his body and mind numb, tears rolling down his cheeks and his scent subdued to almost nothing.

"Come on losers, let's get out of here, no need to stay for this." He turned to leave, his goons following behind him. As he got to the door, he turned back to Izuku. "You wanna be a hero so bad? I've got a time-saving idea for you. If you think you'll have a quirk in your next life...why don't you take the shortcut to get there!" Then he walked out of the class, leaving Izuku there on the floor.

After he calmed down somewhat, feeling lost and empty, he picked up his results, shoving them into his bag and packing the rest of his stuff up. He quietly made his way out of the school, and as he made his way past a koi pond, he noticed his hero analysis book floating in the water. He stopped and stared at it, his mind going blank. He wasn't sure what made him reach for the book, but as he pulled the book from the water, he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Grasping at his chest with his free hand, gasping for air, he knelt next to the pond. After the pain had dissipated, he stood up and made his way home numbly.

When he got home, he wasn't surprised to find his mother not there, she worked odd hours as a nurse. He made his way up to his room, the book still dripping water, leaving a trail behind him. After he made his way into his room, he dropped his book by his desk and sat down on his desk chair. He stared at the book in his hands, thinking back on everything anyone ever said to him. His mother had pitied him, apologizing to him instead of encouraging him. The adults and teachers turned a blind eye to all the bullying and discrimination. His best friend had turned his back on him, and bullied him, mocking the fact that he was quirkless and an Omega. He told him that he was useless, a Deku and that he would never be a hero. Maybe he was right, maybe he should give up and see if he had better luck next time.

He felt himself standing up, dropping the book to the floor and walking into his mother's bedroom, making his way to her nightstand. He opened the drawer and took out her prescription of Seroquel then made his way to the bathroom. He grabbed a rinse cup and filled it with water before sitting on the edge of the tub. He popped the cap of the pills with calm and steady hands, his mind was still numb. After pouring out a few pills into his hand, he threw them into his mouth and swallowed them with a sip of water. He kept at it, swallowing pill after pill, after a while he started to struggle to get them down his throat, his stomach feeling queasy, he started to gag on them, yet he still forced them down. After he had successfully downed all the pills in the bottle, he started to feel dizzy and disorientated. He let himself slide down backward into the bathtub, leaning back against the porcelain, his legs dangling over the edge by his knees. He was feeling incredibly nauseous but he forced down the nausea, refusing to bring anything back up.

He felt his mind drift back to the past when he was still best friends with Katsuki, to the days they would run around looking for critters and playing heroes. He suddenly felt at peace, a small smile gracing his lips. He couldn't keep his eyes open though, but that was okay, he could better see the memories behind his eyelids. Slowly he felt himself drift off to the memories he cherished, his consciousness fading to black.