Chapter 12: A Normal Day

Izuku hated his yesterday self. Despite his super slow healing factor, his body did not like getting hurt, and the blows he had taken were now making his body scream at him. Pain surged through him as he woke up, went to the bathroom, did his morning routine, everything. The pain wouldn't go away.

And as Inko saw this, she told him no on being Spider-Man today.

Izuku wanted to argue, only for Inko to drag him to FEAST. And as she did this, Izuku successfully got most of his costume under his clothes and put the rest in his backpack. His mother knew he had done this, but she also knew she couldn't make him not bring it.

As such, the two were now at FEAST, Izuku still feeling the pain in his back, though only slightly now. His mother surmised he might have a cracked rib or two, but Izuku told her he would be just fine. And as they got to FEAST, Gloria got Izuku to work instantly. A food delivery truck arrived just as Izuku got there, and he found himself helping unload it.

An hour or so later, he was helping in the kitchen, only for Martin Li to walk into to room. "Ah! Izuku and Mrs. Inko. Nice to see you both here again."

"Oh, hello Mister Li." Inko replied, "How are you today?"

"I'm fine. Say, if you don't mind, could I borrow Izuku for a second?"

Izuku and his mother exchanged a glance before the teen nodded, "Sure. W-w-what do you need?"

"It'd be better to show you. Follow me." Inko gave Izuku a quick nod before her son left, the teen following Li until they were outside. There, he saw pair of adults. One was a brown-haired lady with blush cheeks on her face while the other was a tall man with lighter brown hair and a small smile as his expression. "These are the Urarakas."

"Oh, um...h-h-hello." Izuku squeaked out, his form slightly shaking. "I'm I-I-Izuku Midoriya."

Li chuckled at this before leaning over to the two, "Don't worry, you're not scaring him. He does that with everyone." He whispered before turning back to Izuku, "Now, do you know why I'm introducing them to you?" Izuku shook his head, making Li smile, "Well, they're responsible for creating the second FEAST facility."

Izuku went wide-eyed, "Really?"

Li nodded back, "Oh yes. Its a bit aways from here, but their construction company is responsible in making it, and its actually already mostly done. However, they asked me if we have any volunteers that are more free than others."

"Oh..." Izuku slowly replied, only to point to himself, "Wait...you mean m-m-me?!"

Li laughed at this, "Of course! Why else would I introduce you? I know what you're thinking, you've only been with us for just a few days, but I have a feeling I know you well enough Izuku. Not only that, you're strong."

"You sure he is?" Mr. Uraraka asked as he gestured to Izuku.

"Oh yes. He's stronger than most of the guys we have here." Li responded, "Trust me on this."

"Huh. Okay." Mr. Uraraka hummed before looking Izuku over, "Say...how old are ya kid?"

"F-f-fifteen."

"Ah. My daughter's age."

"D-d-daughter?"

"Yup." He chuckled, "She's a student at UA right now, training to be a hero! She's a regular go-getter!"

'UA?! Oh wow...wonder if I could have been her classmate?' Izuku mentally shook his head, 'No! Stop thinking like that Izuku!'

"The expression you're giving says you want to go to UA too. Do you?" The man asked, making Izuku flinch.

He then glanced away, staring at the ground as he muttered out, "I...I can't. I uh...I'm quirkless."

Both Urarakas went wide-eyed at this, Mrs. Uraraka smacking her husband as she whispered, "Apologize to him!"

"Oh, uh...sorry. I um...didn't know." Mr. Uraraka stuttered out, Izuku then shaking his head.

"Its fine. W-w-what do you need me to do?"

The two parents shared a glance before Mr. Uraraka said, "Well, we're already started on the building, but Mister Li here has a bought a building nearby to set up as a storage facility for that FEAST building. However, we don't have the extra manpower to move the first round of supplies for the place. They're coming in later today and were wondering if we could get some extra help."

"Oh, okay. I can do that."

"Great!" Mr. Uraraka clapped his hands, "We're also going to have our daughter come over to help. Her quirk makes things super convenient."

'Her quirk? Wonder what it could be...'

A few hours later...

Izuku's back was no longer hurting. Instead, it was now constantly itchy, something that was somehow worse due to just how annoying it is. Despite this, he found he was able to keep himself from scratching as he was now wasting some time with Howard in FEAST. They were playing a round of chess, a few watching the game, as everyone found themselves unable to beat Izuku. Apparently, Izuku found he was quite good at the game despite never really playing till now. He knew it was something people played in school, but no one would play any game with a quirkless like him.

As such, even the old timers there that had been playing for years found themselves struggling against the teen. Granted, he lost his first two games, but both were close. After this, he found he could play very well against most there.

But as another game ended, Li walked up to the group. "Izuku!"

The teen spun around at this, "Yes Mister Li?"

"I'm about to go over there. You ready?"

"Sure." Izuku nodded and got up, the two soon leaving the place after Izuku told bye to his mom. They got into a small black car, Izuku getting in the passenger seat.

And as Li began to drive through the city, Martin Li turned to Izuku, "So, you doing okay today Izuku?"

The teen glanced over at him, "Um...I think I'm doing well."

Li nodded back, "Good. Do you like helping out at FEAST?"

"Uh, yeah! I um..." Izuku looked away at this, slightly blushing, "I...I really enjoy it."

Li chuckled at this, "I'm glad. And you said you want to be a hero, right? That's why you're doing this?"

"Yeah...I know a lot of heroes don't do charity anymore, but I..."

"You want to be different?" Li asked, Izuku slowly nodding. "That's good. I think you're doing a great thing, thinking that way."

"Thanks..." Izuku muttered out before turning to Li, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Li shrugged.

"Um...do you think someone like me could be a hero?"

"You mean, because you're quirkless?" Li instantly responded, Izuku flinching at his words. Li then shook his head at this, "I think you shouldn't have to ask that."

"I...shouldn't? What do you mean?"

"If you want to be a hero Izuku, then go be a hero." Li replied before looking back at the roads ahead of him. "I made FEAST despite others looking down on me, and I think you can do the same with being a hero."

Izuku just stared at him at that, unable to respond. He had never had someone tell him that. Memories of every day of school flooded his mind, every beating from Katsuki, telling him he couldn't be a hero. Every teacher yelling at him, saying he wasn't allowed to mutter about his notes on future heroic stuff. The explosions that would scar his body every day, blood and bruises as everyone laughed at him as he said he wanted to be a hero.

And yet, Mister Li said he could do it. And he did it so casually. No empty platitude, no half-way talking...just pure bluntness. Izuku's vision switched back to the road ahead, silence consuming him as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

As he did this, Li just chuckled as he said, "That make you think?" Izuku slowly nodded, "I had a feeling it would. You still haven't helped yourself, have you?" Izuku shook his head, "I see...well, I think being at FEAST will help you get there. I've noticed your stutter is less."

"It...it is?" Izuku muttered.

"Yup. And I think its because you've been helping." He glanced back at the teen, "I gotta say, I'm glad you and your mom have been volunteering. It does more than you can possibly imagine."

"Oh...um...you're welcome." Izuku whispered, Li chuckling again.

"You're a good kid with a good heart, Izuku. Don't ever lose that."

"T-t-thank you." Izuku stuttered out as they took a turn, only for his eyes to slightly widen. "Is that?"

"Yup." Li replied as they stared a mostly complete building in the distance. "That's the new FEAST location. Its almost done." He then turned the car slightly, going to a building across the street, "And here's the storing place I bought."

They soon parked, Izuku getting out as they saw two semis right by the building. At the backs of the vehicles was a brown haired girl in casual clothes that looked like a younger version of Mrs. Uraraka, complete with the face blush marks and everything, and was currently talking to a construction worker. The person then walked away before spun around, blinking at the two before she walked up to them.

"A black suit...are you Mister Li?"

"That's right!" Li nodded, "I'm guessing you're Ochako Uraraka?"

"That's me!" She shined a huge grin and did a thumbs up. "I'm here to help!"

"Good." Li responded before pointing at Izuku, "You already know me, so let me introduce you to my helper here, Izuku Midoriya."

"Hi there! Its nice to meet you!" Ochako said as she smiled at Izuku, the boy instantly freezing up. His face was pure red, his mouth mumbling out words that neither could hear. Izuku then glanced away, Ochako leaning up to Li and whispering, "My parents said he'd do something like that. Is he like that with everyone?"

"Oh yeah." Li whispered back, "Don't worry, he's really reliable though."

"Okay." Ochako replied before turning to the semi, which was full of boxes of canned food. "So, I was told to start unloading this thing. Is there somewhere specific you want them to be?"

"Not really. We just got the place, so just put it inside for now. We'll organize it all later."

"Got it." Ochako nodded before turning to Izuku, "Ready to get started?"

Izuku just slowly nodded, mumbling as he watched her spin around and walk over to one of the semis. Li then patted his shoulder, chuckling as he said, "I gotta go across the street and talk to the construction crew. Be back in a few, alright?"

"O-o-okay." Izuku stuttered out, Li nodding before walking away. The teen then looked back at Uraraka as she walked up a small ramp. 'Holy cow! I just talked to a girl!' He actually hadn't of course, but that was what was going on in his mind as he slowly made his way over to the semi. As he did this, he saw her tap a few boxes with her fingers, only to slide them out with ease. Izuku then saw the boxes begin to slowly float up, making him mutter out, "Whoa..."

"I know! Isn't that cool?" Ochako giggled.

"I-i-is t-t-that your q-q-quirk?"

"Yup! I call it Zero Gravity! It lets me make objects weightless by removing their gravity." She grabbed hold of the boxes with a grin, "Cool, huh?"

"Its amazing..." he slowly said, Ochako feeling a slight blush at the praise.

"Thank you! So, I'll start by taking these inside. How many do you think you can carry regularly? I got a feel on them and they're a bit heavy, but I can remove their weight to help you carry more."

"Oh um...I-I-I don't know." Izuku replied before turning to the stacks upon stacks of boxes. "Uh...l-l-let me see h-h-how many I can carry first."

"Okay. I'll take these in while you figure it out. After all, this is good practice for my quirk!" She then skipped away with a few boxes, Izuku watching her before letting out a long breath.

"Holy...I thought I was gonna die!" He gasped while holding his chest, "A girl my age actually talked to me..." He took a deep breath, "Okay Izuku, just...act natural." His brain came to a stop at that, unable to respond as he muttered out, "How do I do that?"

And as his brain just stalled out, one of its gears spun and yelled at him, telling him to get to work. He looked up at the semi and began to pull out boxes as his mind kept saying, 'Don't think about it! Just do what she asked Izuku!' He came to a stop at this, only to mentally facepalm, 'And don't think about her quirk! Don't analyze right now!'

He grabbed one box, then another, and another...only to soon be holding five boxes filled with canned goods with one hand. And as he reached for a sixth, Ochako walked out and gasped. "Oh my gosh! I didn't mean for you to grab that much!"

"Huh?" Izuku barely replied as he balanced the stack on one hand and grabbed a seventh box with the other.

"Wait, I'll remove their gravity-" she tried to say, only to see Izuku throw the seventh box up onto the stack, the object landing perfectly...and act like it was nothing. He then threw an eighth box, the objects now towering several feet over him, and yet he was somehow making them stay stable and balanced with one hand. Her jaw dropped at this, wide-eyed as she stared at the sight.

"D-d-did I grab too many?" Izuku asked as he looked up at the stack that was now over his head, "I did, d-d-didn't I? I-I-I won't be able to go through the door if its that high. Hang on." He put the stack down with ease, Ochako just staring at him as he reduced the stack to just five. "Y-y-you think that I can still g-g-get through with this many?"

"Um...yes?" Ochako slowly responded, only to shake her head, "But wait...my parents said you were quirkless."

Izuku blinked at her before slightly looking away, "I uh...I am."

"What?!" she yelped before pointing at him, "Then how did you do that?!"

"What do you mean?" Izuku replied, slightly surprised he wasn't stuttering.

"That! You carried all of those boxes like they were nothing!"

"B-b-but...aren't they light?"

"No!" she exclaimed, "No one can just do that! Y-y-you just lifted it all with one hand and did a balancing act! How?!"

Izuku tilted his head at this, only to glance back at the boxes as his brain caught up to the situation, 'Wait...did I do that with my quirk that I now have and somehow forgot I had?!' He mentally facepalmed at this, 'You moron! You worthless Deku! Why did you do that?!'

"Um...s-s-sorry." He stuttered out as he looked back at her, "I-I-I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Huh? No!" She began to wave her hands at this, "I wasn't worried! I was just...surprised, is all. I mean, I know they told me you were strong, but..." She hesitated as she said her next words, "Are you really quirkless?"

"Uh-huh." Izuku replied, nodding.

"Wow...guess people can be stronger than I thought." she responded while scratching the side of her head, "So uh...sorry for making that assumption. I'm sorry if it sounded like I insulted you. I didn't mean to."

Izuku shook his head at this. "Oh, y-y-you didn't insult me." He then glanced away as he stuttered out, "I-I-I'm used to it. N-n-no one believes in someone like me."

"Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" she squeaked, waving her hands again, "I'm so sorry!"

"Its fine. T-t-this is all I'm good for." Izuku muttered out before walking past her with the boxes, slowly striding into the building. She didn't respond, just watching him go inside while putting a hand to her mouth.

"Oh...I messed up, didn't I?" She then glanced down at her hands, letting out a long sigh before walking up to the boxes again. She began to touch them, only to clench up her fingers. "No. Don't run away. Fix it Ochako. You came here to help your parents and...practice your old methods for a day."

And as Izuku came back out, he saw her standing in front of the boxes. She had a determined stare on her face, making him almost flinch. 'Uh-oh. Did I insult her? Oh no, I messed up again, didn't I?'

But before he could start fully insulting himself again, she did a long bow, making him flinch this time as she yelled, "I'm so sorry!"

"Huh?!"

She leaned back up with a huge frown on her face, "I shouldn't have been like that. I was inconsiderate and I apologize."

"Wha..." Izuku barely said before shaking his head, "Y-y-you weren't inconsiderate! If anything, it was-"

"It wasn't you." she interrupted before presenting her hand to him, "Can we please start over?"

Izuku stared at her with wide eyes, his brain shutting down again. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. His mind was now blue screening, unable to comprehend anything. Someone apologized to him? That had never happened before. And just when it was about to get awkward, he looked down at the hand, and his reflexes took over before his brain could keep up. He quickly grabbed her hand, his face fully blushing. "Um...s-s-sure."

"Good." She shined a big grin at this, "I'm Ochako Uraraka. Its nice to meet you!"

"I-I-I...I'm I-I-Izuku M-M-Midoriya." He stuttered out, the girl giggling at this as his face became even redder.

"Alright Midoriya, let's get to work!"

"R-r-right, U-U-Uraraka!"

The two began to unload the semis at this, Ochako surprised at how fast Izuku was. While she found herself able to keep up with him in terms of walking speed, she had to repeatedly use her quirk for her lifting while he didn't need it at all, which slowed her down as he continued to unpack at a faster pace. A little over an hour passed when they were done, Ochako having to admit that Izuku did more than half. Yet despite this, he didn't seem remotely tired, which confused her even more.

And as they sat down after getting done, Ochako spoke up, "So...my parents said you're my age. Where do you go to school?"

"M-m-me? Um...I-I-I just do online classes."

"Oh? What do you want to be? What's your dream?"

"M-m-my dream is...is...I-I-I wanna be a hero." Izuku muttered out while glancing away.

Ochako blinked at this, tilting her head, "You do? Then why didn't you go to a hero school?"

"I...got rejected."

"Rejected?! With your kind of strength?!" she yelped, "I mean, I know you're quirkless, but there's no way they rejected you because of that! Heck, with that strength, even UA would have to take you! I know it would, and I go there! What, did you fail the regular exam or something?!"

"No...I-I-I failed the practical."

She went wide-eyed, "You...did? How?!"

'I can't just say I zapped myself!' Izuku mentally told himself before muttering out, "Um...I got hurt during it. Badly."

The girl felt her heart sink at that, slowly looking away as she said, "Oh. I'm so sorry."

"Its okay."

She glanced back at him as she then asked, "Do you...still want to be one?"

"More than anything." Izuku replied as he pulled his knees up to his feet, soon hugging his legs. He slowly turned to her, the girl able to see slight tears trying to form in his eyes as he asked, "Y-y-you go there, don't you?"

"UA? Yeah." Uraraka nodded before chuckling, "I honestly thought I wouldn't make it. The entrance exam was crazy with the whole army of robots that sent at us."

"D-d-did something happen to you in the exam?"

"A lot." Uraraka sighed, "My exam didn't exactly go well. I almost got crushed by one of the robots, but I got saved by one my classmates, Tsuyu. I'm so happy she was at my exam grounds. And then I like...got the lowest score possible to get in with a 35. If I hadn't took down one less robot, I would have failed."

"Oh. I-I-I'm s-s-sorry it was so tough for you."

The girl shook her head at that, "Eh, its fine. I'm just glad I made it in." She showed a big frown at this, "I'm sorry you didn't make it."

"Its f-f-fine." Izuku whispered before asking, "What's it like?"

"UA?" Izuku nodded back, the girl then putting a finger to her chin at that, "Well, if I'm totally honest, its...different. Like, think regular school, but random extreme stuff happening every now and then. Like, we'll have regular classes, but also have an hour for using our quirks, or how to help in disasters or some crazy obstacle course."

"Huh." Izuku responded, only to come to a stop at his own words. He had expected himself to say something like 'wow' or 'that sounds awesome', but he didn't. Instead, he just did a small one note response. His mind stalled at this as he thought, 'Wait...that's it? I do that and more as Spider-Man! I mean, I do online classes, and then do extreme stuff...like fighting criminals and car chases.'

He glanced away as his brain caught on, 'Holy cow! Is what I've been doing what they teach? Wait...does that mean I don't need a hero school?! I mean, I need it to get a hero's license...and that's it. Heck, an obstacle course sounds kinda boring now compared to web-swinging.'

"You okay?" She asked, causing him to cut his thoughts short as he looked back at her.

"I...s-s-sorry. Just uh...just wished I could have made it."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

Izuku shook his head at this, "Its f-f-fine." He took a deep breath, "I just...I-I-I don't know. I just...I just w-w-wanted to be a h-h-hero." He then turned to stare across the street, seeing the still being constructed FEAST center. "But, I think I'm at least doing a kind of hero work right now."

Ochako was surprised he didn't stutter there, only to raise an eyebrow at the statement, "What do you mean?"

"Charity." Izuku replied before glancing back at her, "I uh...I watched an interview of All Might and he s-s-said that most h-h-heroes don't do charity anymore. So, I-I-I found FEAST online and started v-v-volunteering. I um...I-I-I want to b-b-be a hero that does that."

"Charity, huh?" Ochako repeated before turning to stare at the FEAST center, "I never thought of it that way." She did a small nod before looking back at Izuku with a huge grin. "You're right!" Izuku flinched as her voice slightly raised, only for her to add, "In fact, you know what...when I can, I'm gonna go volunteer at FEAST too!"

"Huh? You...will?"

"You bet! Heck, I think I'll ask some of classmates while I'm at it. I know a few who would be down for it." She then got up and presented him a hand. He slowly took it and stood up as she said, "And as for your dream, don't give up!"

"W-w-what? B-b-but I already failed."

She shook her head, "I don't believe it. Go look up other hero schools. I'm betting there's somewhere you can do it. And if you don't want to do it now, its okay!" She patted his shoulder at this, making him flinch. "I know you can do it!"

"Oh...um...t-t-thanks." Izuku replied.

"No problem." She shined him a big grin and a thumbs up. "Now, let's go see what Mister Li wants us to do next!"

Izuku just nodded back at this, the girl walking off and across the street. The teen stared at the sight, his brain smoking at the interaction, 'She...she didn't make fun of me. Someone my age didn't...make fun of my dream.' He let out a mental sigh at that, 'Now I wish I made it to UA even more.'

A few seconds later, he walked over the street as well and met Uraraka's parents again, only to find out that that was all they needed to do today. However, Li had left a little earlier and had asked if the Urarakas could take Izuku back to FEAST, but he then told them he was okay and would just go home by taking the trains. Ochako then told him that she was happy to have met him, making him blush before muttering out he was glad to meet her as well before leaving in a full-on sprint.

Izuku never went to the train. Instead, he ran into an alleyway a few blocks down and turned invisible, quickly scaling the walls before reaching the rooftop. There he glanced around before quickly changing, glad he had kept his backpack with him. It wasn't long till he was Spider-Man, fully outfitted and web-slinging ready.

He then leapt off the roof and began swinging, feeling the wind hit his face. 'Ahh...I missed this. And I'm no longer hurting or itching.' He thought to himself as he fired web after web, 'Still...can't believe what she told me. I mean, it sounds like I've been doing what UA would teach me...just without safety. Or the means to get a license. Guess there's a few more steps for me.'

And after a good twenty minutes of just swinging, he reached into his hoodie and pulled out his tracker. 'Last night, some of those masked goons got away. I wonder if my spider tracer is still on their car...' He glanced back up to fire another web line, 'Better check that warehouse first.'

It took about twenty minutes to get there, having to only change out web fluid once. But as he got close, his fears began to be realized as his tracker started to signal he was close. And as he turned invisible and landed on a nearby rooftop, he saw the warehouse was filled with yellow 'do not cross' tape...and the car he had put the tracer on was still there. They had fled in a different car.

'Figures. Just my luck. Better grab the tracer then. No need to make more if it can be reused.' He hopped off the roof and zipped over to the warehouse roof, only to slowly crawl down its wall. And while still invisible, he snagged the tracer off the car and swung away.

"Guess I'll just go patrolling then." He said to himself as started to go back to the center of Musutafu. And as a half hour passed, he found himself swinging down some familiar streets. He then passed by the original FEAST center, landing on a nearby roof as he looked down and saw his mother leaving the place.

'She must have stayed the whole time. Well, I'm glad she's enjoying helping out.' He thought, only to then see the full Uraraka family walking up and talking to her. 'They're here too? Must have had to do something with Mister Li-'

"AAAAH! THIEF!" Screamed a voice, making Izuku spin around and look down, now seeing a lady pointing at a man that was fleeing down a street with a purse in his hand. His legs had turned into wheels and was now speeding through the streets, hopping over cars.

'Great. Mom's gonna see me do this, isn't she? Here's hoping she doesn't chew me out too much.' He thought as he fired two web lines before slingshotting himself. He then transitioned into a web swing, quickly zipping up to the thug. "Hey! This is a no purse snatching zone!"

"Huh?!" the thief yelped before glancing back, only to see nothing.

"Up here." The thief looked up, only to see a swinging Spider-Man as he fired some webbing at the criminal's back.

"What the-whoa?!" the thief gasped as he was yanked off the ground, Izuku then grabbing the back of his shirt's collar. "Hey! Lemme go!"

"Really? You want me to do that up here?" the teen asked as he slowly began to turn around mid-swing. The thief looked down and paled at the height he was now at.

"Um...nevermind!"

"Good." Izuku replied as he swung back over to the lady, landing on a nearby building wall. He stood on it and dangled the thief over her, "Now give it back."

"Um...here." He muttered out as he dropped the purse, the lady catching it.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed.

"No prob." Izuku then spun the thief around, grabbing him by the front collar this time while still standing on the wall, "Now, what should I do with you? You're just a purse snatcher, but do you want to go to jail for just that?"

"Um...er...no?"

Izuku leaned up at this, his lens narrowing as he growled at the thug, "Then I'll give you one warning. You could use your quirk for a ton of other things that isn't stealing. Go home and rethink your life, alright?"

"Uh...okay." the thief squeaked out before Izuku walked down to ground level and let him go, the thug quickly running away. Shaking his head at the sight, he leapt onto a light pole before firing a web line, swinging away a second later.

And as he left, two individuals watched the scene more than anyone. One was Inko Midoriya, who was trying every way to hold back a long sigh as she whispered to herself, "That boy is going to be the end of me."

But the other was a certain Ochako Uraraka, the girl just staring at the sight. She had heard of the vigilante Spider-Man, as he had appeared on the news once or twice. But to see him easily make that thief give up, not even hesitating to swing in and shut down the situation while she had just heard the scream. The girl had just started moving toward where the thief was running away too, her parents yelling at her, only for Spider-Man to just come in and...fix it.

She could only blink at the fleeing vigilante, "Amazing..."