His Loving Shadow

by Two Dudes and a Dream

She was four when she met him. She didn't know it then but that was the day she'd fallen for him, and years later sees her confession coming about. She'd never wanted to become a hero, but blessed with these powers far beyond imagination, she decided that she would achieve his dream for him. However, fate has a funny way of tying them together. FemShadow x Izuku romance.

1. Chapter 1

Author's Note

Uh..

Writer for The Last Metroid here...

So I've been wanting to write a My Hero Academia story for a while now, and finally got around to it. But holy crap, I didn't think the first chapter would be over 15,000 words long! I just didn't feel like any point was a good point to end it, so I guess we get a movie length first chapter, lol.

I'm going to issue a warning that while I love Sonic and have played a lot of the games, I'm not too familiar with the lore. So don't roast me if something seems off to you, because (a) it's an alternate universe for one, and (2) I think what I'm working on could be pretty neat if given the chance to continue.

I hope you all enjoy.

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Uploaded

10/25/2024

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LEGEND BELOW

"So you want to be a hero?" = Normal speech.

''He's not serious...'' = Normal thoughts.

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Chapter 1

Rated-M

M rating for violence, mature themes, romance, and language.

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Music of the day

Sonic Unleashed - Adabat Jungle Joyride Night

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Darkness was all that she had ever known, or had even been allowed for her to learn. It was all encompassing, eternal, infinite, and forever. It was all she was allowed to see or feel, if she even knew what seeing or feeling really was.

That too was something that she did not know. Was this endless sea of nothing all of her, or was it merely the beginning? She wasn't sure if she would ever learn, but she was acutely aware of one thing.

She desperately wanted to learn. But this nothingness was in between her and that deep seated yearning for information, knowledge, power.

Then, however, one day it was not. And the first thing she'd become aware of was a voice, aged and scratchy, yet strikingly familiar for some reason she could not explain.

"The final touches are almost complete. She is sleeping now, but soon she will awaken. I only hope that she will take to this new form, for all the others have failed to hold her. I-I was afraid that it would never work…"

A distant voice echoed out around her, old, gruff and tired. The dull thrumming of a slow repeating beep sounded out beside her, nonstop, quiet.

"I'm at my wits end. I've tried everything I could possibly think of, but it all failed in the end. Then he came. Master gave me what I needed, the knowledge I required to complete her! It was his gift to me, and I shall not squander it here and now!" He laughed aloud, but no one was around to hear him. That laugher quickly faded away into something darker, sadder.

"There was no sacrifice too great, too much for me. I am sure she will forgive me one day…" He choked.

Broken…

"The modifications have been completed successfully… But nothing I do will awaken her. Here she sleeps, alone in the incubator."

"I've lost sleep, can't remember the last time I even took a shower. I can't miss it… C-Can't be gone when she awakens."

"I wasn't there for her…"

"I'm…"

"I'm going to be here for you now. I can see it. I won't have it any other way…"

"But I'm so tired… Days passed on endlessly without any sign of change. I'm growing weary with each passing hour, and my heart aches to see her once more. Just once… I would like to hear her voice again…"

"Please… it's been so long… I just want my darling Maria again…"

"Oh god, please… I'll do anything to hear her sweet voice again."

She heard the voice from somewhere around her, but this darkness persisted still.

She wanted to see, to know what seeing was like, what it felt like.

Up?

Yes…

She wanted to sit up.

Suddenly she found herself sitting upright, staring blankly ahead as she tried to source that strange voice. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do to get its attention, so she did the first thing that came to mind, little mouth opening to say-

"D-Daddy…?" Oh, so that's what talking felt like, what it sounded like. Was that her voice? What was she saying? Was she… calling out to him? "Daddy?" She tried again, voice monotone as she beckoned the owner of the voice her way.

She could hear hasty shuffling somewhere behind her, metal crashing to the ground in surprise. Then came those tentative footsteps, slowly growing closer and closer to her.

"Did…? C-Can you say that again?" She heard him speak, his voice labored. Was he injured?

Why?

Why was he hurt?

Did she hurt him? Is that why she couldn't see anyone, why she couldn't see him.

She just wanted to see him.

"D-Daddy? Why can't I see your face?" She asked again, voice quiet, lacking that distinct emotion in her tone. But the tears were real, leaking from her wide blinded eyes. "Have I done something to upset daddy…?" She couldn't think of any other reason for her sudden blindness, and she was afraid she had made him upset.

She didn't mean to, whatever it was that she'd done. She just wanted to be good, that's all she wanted. Why was everything so dark?

Where was her daddy?

Where was her mommy?

Why was she so cold?

"N-No!" He exclaimed sharply, before his voice shrank down to a broken whisper. "No, no you haven't upset daddy." He whispered quietly, biting his lips as he struggled to hold back his own tears. Tentatively, he reached out to touch her, to hold her.

For the first time and also, not. She felt like a doll in his hands, but she returned the hug just the same, clutching as his tattered lab coat with her paws. She could smell him, even through his dirty body.

He was her dad, that she was sure of.

It took some time for her sight to return to her, but it eventually did. Blood orange eyes slowly opened, her vision gradually falling into place as she stared up at the bushy mustachioed man before her with slitted reddish eyes.

Hands shaking like he was holding the most precious of gems, he reached up to tear off the goggles hiding his own eyes. His breath hitched when she reached up to paw at his face, slowly getting used to her paw-like fingers as she traced the lines of his aged jaw.

He found himself unable to breathe as he watched her learn her new body, her head tilted to the side as she tested the positive feedback of poking his thick mustache with her soft paw pads. Her little lips quirked up into a tiny look of amusement, the expression so hidden yet so very genuine.

He had to be sure…

Sure that he hadn't gotten his hopes up, that she truly was real. That she remembered him, if even only his name. "D-Do you know who I am…?" His voice felt raw, throat dry as he voiced his question. She blinked slowly, as if still getting used to the sensation.

"Daddy?" She echoed in that same monotone, before it clicked that he was asking a different question. Her eyes widened slightly, tongue twitching as she tested it in her mouth. "G-Gerald-" Her eyes narrowed in pain, her head suddenly aching as she tried to recall. "Y-You are daddy… Gerald… ro.. Robotnik… my daddy…" Why did her head hurt?

Where was she again?

Where were the other kids? Why was she alone with daddy in this dark room?

She wanted to see the light, touch the grass. Would he let her do that again?

She was…

That's right. She was sick. Daddy said she was very sick, so she couldn't play with the other kids anymore. Sick kids couldn't play with others, couldn't run anymore, couldn't walk anymore.

She was broken, damaged. Now the other kids were gone, and she was a down here in this cold room.

But…

B-But-!

Her lips quirked upwards in a crooked smile, tears flowing down her cheeks suddenly as she stared at him with wide unblinking eyes.

"I-I'm not broken anymore… am I, daddy?" She asked quietly, smiling through her tears. "D-Does this mean I can go play with the other kids again?" She'd asked it so genuinely that he couldn't have possibly hoped to say anything else.

With tears streaming down his own wrinkled cheeks, his lips split into a genuine smile. "Yeah! Y-Yeah you can play with the kids again. Y-You can play with all the kids in the world!" He choked back a sob of joy, gently setting her down as she took his hand with her own. She looked back up at him, thick black and red gravity defying locks flaring upwards behind her.

She smiled a tiny little look up at the taller man, before she allowed him to lead her out of the room. Her ears twitched atop her head, struggling to peak free from the confines of her messy black air. They were pointed and covered in a soft velvet black fur, the same likes of which actually made up the entirety of her hair.

They stopped by the doorway, light shining through as it opened upon his approach. She did have one more question before she ran off to play, a question that was burning at the pit of her soul for some reason she couldn't understand.

"Daddy? What's my… name?" She asked quietly, gazing up at him with those big childlike eyes.

Daddy had a name. Gerald. She knew that name, knew it belonged to him. But her name?

What was her name?

Did she not have a name? Or could she not remember her name?

Did it start with an M-?

"-Shadow." Came his clipped response, the name almost exploding from his lips. He cleared his throat, smiled a crooked look down at her. "Your name is Shadow, darling." He clarified with a practiced smile, bending down to her level.

Shadow…?

Shadow.

Sha-dow…?

She rolled the name around in her head, frowning thoughtfully as she mulled it over.

Then she smiled.

Shadow. Her name was shadow. "My name is Shadow." She clarified with a smile, taking an immediate love to it. It was hers, the first thing that was entirely hers and hers alone.

No one could take it from her.

"That's right." He hummed in agreement, slipping into the light. "Come now Shadow. I want you to meet your new friends…" He walked off, hand in hand with his daughter. "I'm sure they'll love you." He beamed, eyes closed as he smiled.

She frowned as they walked into the light, her mind going somewhere else. "C-Can I play with Yagi again…?" She asked quietly.

The man froze, but kept his expression neutral. "Toshinori isn't around anymore. He… moved away." He explained in a trained, fatherly tone. The way he said it also left no room for argument, so she quietly clammed up. "You don't need him anymore. I'm sure you'll make some great new friends today." He smiled down at her, but the look didn't quite reach his eyes.

He stopped by the doorway, bending down to get at her level. He had a sad look on his face, but she didn't know why. She didn't like it when he looked sad, but she wouldn't get the chance to voice her feelings before he spoke again.

"Shadow… I want you to listen closely, you hear me?" He spoke quietly, but his voice was firm, reassuring. She nodded silently, unsure when his hands came to rest on her shoulders. "You're special, more special than any of the other kids. But if you ever get into trouble, if anything ever goes wrong, I want you to run away as fast as you can."

Her head felt foggy.

"Don't go towards the danger, don't fight, don't risk yourself. When the time comes, please promise me you'll save yourself? Please, don't get angry, don't fight, just run."

Was the room spinning?

"Shadow?" He murmured worriedly.

When did she get outside?

"Shadow?" He asked, his voice sounding different than it had a moment before.

Where did all these kids come from? Where was her daddy? Where had the lab gone to?

"Shadow?"

Her eyes widened as she reeled back as if struck, blinking in surprise at the worried face of her teacher. The young man stood before her with a worried plastered over his face, his soft brown hair unfamiliar to her. "Shadow, is everything alright?" The man asked again.

She cleared her throat, offering them man a tentative nod. "Yes. I'm sorry, I think I fell asleep…" She murmured nervously, standing up from the chair she'd been sitting in. Class had ended for the day. It had been a couple of months since her daddy let her out of the lab, and so far she'd found that she didn't like most of the other people around her.

It had been weird, and she hadn't felt like talking to anyone. They were all annoying, especially that spiky haired blonde boy with the exploding hands. He was mean too, so she decided that she didn't like him, and she didn't have to talk to people she didn't like.

His name was Katsuki Bakugo, and he was mean and rude and not cool. He had special powers that made his hands blow things up.

"Hey, I know you're probably scared since you're new to school, but you don't have anything to worry about. I think the other kids would love to get to know you too." He smiled reassuringly, patting her on the head.

Her cheeks flushed under the attention, pouting as she looked away.

Scared?

She wasn't scared of these mean kids.

She just didn't want to talk to them, they were too loud.

Well…

Most of them were, anyway. Then there was that one kid, a little boy who had separated from the others once the class ended. She'd watched him chase after the others to play, but they kept him at a distance and refused to talk to him.

Rude.

He wasn't loud like they were, he was quiet. Maybe she would talk to him, because he hadn't been mean to her yet.

It was that thought that carried her little feet out the door, blocky red and black shoes adorning her black lower paws. They'd already run off to the creek to play, but she found herself behind them in the blink of an eye, watching curiously from a small distance.

He was shrimpy and green, so very green. Maybe that was his quirk, being small and green.

With freckles…

She liked his freckles.

Daddy had told her what quirks were, that almost everyone in the world had one. But more than that, that hers was super special which made her special. But she didn't understand why hers was so special compared to everyone else's.

She wasn't even sure what she had that was special. Pointy catlike ears atop her head, red glowing eyes and her feet and hands were catlike as well. It wasn't very obvious, and her gloves and shoes hid them very well too. Her hair was wild, flaring out and upwards from either side of her head, thick black like fur with stripes of red mixed in as well. Her little tail was colored just the same, poking out of her shorts.

The other kids said she wasn't as cool because she couldn't make things blow up with her hands or make her eyes change colors.

Those were the people she didn't like. Her quirk was special, she was special. Anyone who said otherwise made her mad.

Sitting across the school yard she couldn't ignore the way the boys treated others that weren't like them. And no one was as bullied as the one boy, Izuku Midoriya.

She'd met him on her first day of school, because he was the only boy who went out of his way to talk to her. Not about her quirk or who her daddy was or anything else. He just said one thing and almost immediately cemented her fondness of him.

"Y-You just looked l-like you needed a friend, so I wanted to be friends. I-If that's alright with you…?" He'd stuttered through his entire introduction, but he didn't shy away despite how much he was blushing.

But that wasn't important right now. Little greeny was being picked on by the other boys, and she knew that it was wrong to stand by the side and do nothing. But she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do in the moment anyway.

She definitely knew what she wanted to do…

"Kacchan! C-Can we play together? Your quirk is so cool!" The little green boy beamed nervously, shyly walking a short distance behind the blonde boy with the wild hair and the mean face.

And he was loud too, had she already mentioned that? So annoying.

"Haha, go away loser! We don't need no quirkless losers like you dragging us down!" Bakugo laughed, his eyes mean. "You don't think you can play with us, do you?! Go away!" He mocked, pointing at the poor green haired boy.

She saw his shining smile fade at the mocking, and try as he might, he couldn't stop the tears that broke out at the harsh laughter made at his expense.

And for some reason that she didn't understand, that made her mad…

No…

It made her angry.

And she wanted to make him stop laughing, stop mocking the little green boy. It made her want to hurt him.

She wasn't aware of what was happening until she'd zoomed forward, appearing in front of the laughing bully so quickly he hadn't even noticed her, a blazing trail left in her wake. By the time he had noticed, it was too late to stop her as she shoved him off the log he'd been playing atop, tossing him down into the creek below. Him and all of his friends as well, fists clenched tightly at her side despite her rather blank expression.

But her eyes…

Her eyes were scary, dark.

"H-Hey!? What was that for, you loser?!" Katsuki shouted, but he stopped when he saw her face.

"Yeah, w-what gives?!" The other shouted, whimpering now that they were the ones getting bullied.

She crossed her arms down at him, lips quirked down in a frown. "Leave him alone." She stated firmly, standing as the shield between the bullies and the cowering green haired boy behind her. "Or I'll push you again." She threatened seriously. "Don't make fun of my friend."

"I-I'll do whatever I darn well want!" Katsuki shouted, but shied away when she growled in warning down at him.

"Then I'll push you around whenever I darn well want!" She snapped back, harrumphing indignantly.

Katsuki blushed scarlet when his friends began laughing at him instead. He picked himself up and stormed off, thoroughly defeated at the paws of the defensive little girl.

"T-Thank you…" A quiet voice murmured behind her, the green haired boy muttered. She turned to face him, cheeks warming slightly as she looked away.

"W-Whatever…" She brushed the compliment off, even though it did touch her. "I just didn't like the way he was talking to you… He's a bully." She clarified, brushing off his words.

But…

"No, y-you're really cool!" Izuku beamed, eyes sparkling as he talked to her. "You were all like, zam, and there you were! You moved so fast you made fire!" He giggled, pointing towards the trail she'd left in her newfound burst of speed. "You're so cool!" He gushed genuinely, before going quiet as his cheeks warmed. "I'm h-happy we're friends." He muttered nervously, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"S-Shut up, o-or I'll push you too…" She murmured, looking away as her cheeks turned red. He giggled, but didn't move away at her silly warning.

The threat sounded so childish at the time, but now she remembered. That was the day she'd met Izuku Midoriya, and decided that she wanted to stay by his side for the rest of her life. He was the first person to ever talk to her like she was a normal person, not just associating with her for her quirk or any other reason. But simply because he wanted to.

Because he liked Shadow for Shadow, not other silly reasons.

"I want to be your friend, if you'll let me." Was all he'd said, and she clung to it like he'd promised to marry her one day. She didn't care if he was quirkless or powerless like those bullies kept insisting on saying, it didn't matter to her. He was her friend, and she was going to protect him like he deserved.

"H-Hey come on, Shadow! Let's go get some ice cream!"

She didn't remember when he took her hand, running off to the ice cream truck just around the corner.

"What's your favorite flavor, Shadow?" He asked with that stupid goofy grin that made her cheeks hot.

Gosh she was so tired all of a sudden…

"M-My mom gives me some money for ice cream sometimes. I'll buy some for you."

Maybe she'll get some ice cream tomorrow…?

"Shadow?"

Ugh… Why was he still calling her name?

"Shadow…?" His voice grew distant, blurred, foggy.

She felt her eyelids growing heavy.

---

"Ms. Shadow!"

Her eyes snapped open, flying forward so fast when she tried to sit up she literally tossed herself out of her bed and into the wall across the room. The resounding thud echoed throughout the entire building, anything not mounted to the wall falling down into a heap on the ground.

"Oooghngh…." She groaned out, voice muffled by the wall. Eventually gravity did its job as she found herself falling back down to earth, crashing onto the floor with a thunk.

Her eyes screwed shut tightly, attempting to block out the headache that she could feel was already forming. She probably would've stayed there for the rest of the day, finding it surprisingly comfortable on the floor were it not for the rude snicker she heard echo from somewhere directly above her.

Lips quirking down in a sneer she found the will to open her eyes to find an annoyingly familiar face leering down at her, his large red mustache framing his neutral face. His red tailcoat and black pants gave him away before she even saw his face, the lean man failing to hide his chortling.

"I see your reflexes are still on point, Ms Shadow." He chortled, adjusting his goggles as he put away a clipboard.

"Screw off, Ivo." She muttered darkly, pulling herself up off the ground, finding her morning already souring. Why couldn't she just sleep in today? "I'm sleeping in today. I thought I told you to leave me alone…" She murmured dryly, tossing her shirt at him as she crawled back into her bed like the man wasn't still in the room with her.

He could watch her sleep for all she'd cared, she just wanted to nap today. Was that too much to ask? Nothing special was happening today anyway, why the heck did even need to go anywhere in the first place?

She was homeschooled, lived in a penthouse apartment atop a business building and her dad was filthy stinking rich. Most days she didn't have school were spent lazing around, or spending time with that green haired dork.

Her cheeks warmed just thinking about him, but she shook her head clear of the thought a moment later. She'd been glued to his side since she first met him over ten years ago, and those friendly feelings had blossomed into something more, something special. At least, special to her…

Not that he'd ever reciprocate her feelings for him. Daydreams was just about as close as she felt like she would ever be with him. For the many years she'd known him, he'd never seemed to show that sort of interest in her, and she was sure that he probably wouldn't.

But she was too up in her own head to outright admit her feelings towards him for fear of what he might say if he didn't feel the same.

It certainly kept her up at night…

"Nothing special huh? Well I'll be sure to tell young Midoriya as much when he asks why you didn't show up today on his fifteenth birthday. I cannot imagine you plan on leaving that to young Bakugo, of all people…?" He shook his head as if it couldn't be helped, gathering his things as he slipped out of the bedroom, the door softly clicking behind him. "You're already late as it is. School ends in ten minutes and he's across town." He tsked knowingly.

"If you were planning on meeting him afterwards, you'd have to get ready now…" He teased as he walked away, smirking beneath his mustache.

…

…

…

She shot out of bed again, her room nearly catching fire as she sped through it at blistering speeds. One moment she was half naked, the next she was in front of her bathroom mirror getting dressed.

Shit…

How had she managed to forget that today was his fifteenth birthday? She had to get dressed!

Torn black jean shorts that exposed all of her long powerful legs, tight black undershirt which left her hips open to fresh air, an undershirt that sat a little too tightly around her six pack and boobs, but that's was neither here nor there. A dark crop top jacket with a white furred collar resting around her neck that extended down to her white gloves, also check. Mid thigh length stockings with more than a handful of holes vanished into her blocky red and black shoes, the only piece of footwear capable of keeping up with her.

She'd tried to do something about her hair, but it had stayed relatively the same since she was a child, and no amount of hairspray was going to change that anytime soon.

Plus, the dork said he liked her wild black and red hair. The same with her studded black choker, and her sparkling red eyes, and her furry ears.

It was too cold to wear her short cut shorts right now, but that one time he'd complimented her legs convinced her to wear shorts from then on. She'd hoped it would draw his attention, but he was either too dense to notice, or he didn't care.

Would it have been easier if she just came forward and said, "Hey, I like you. Wanna go on a date?" Yeah right, like that would ever work.

She blinked as she found herself in the kitchen, a peanut butter jelly sandwich whipped up in seconds. She didn't have time to be playing around, hell she was already late as it was.

Izuku's birthday was today!

How had she forgotten!?

She didn't even have anything set out aside for him yet!

Oooooh, she was a terrible friend!

Maybe he'd just take a kiss as his birthday present this year?

Gah, that felt too cheap to be used…

Buuuut…

She knew it would probably work…

But he'd probably be too dense to understand why she was kissing him and that made her feel even worse…

She was out the door a few seconds later, kicking her red shoes on the ground to adjust them before speeding off down throughout the tower, flashing through the lobby of crowded people, and out into the streets of Musutafu Japan, a small red backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Make sure to pack condoms, Ms Shadow!" The man shouted out the open window of her penthouse as she left, voice just barely reaching her as she slipped out the lobby doors.

"S-Shut the hell up Eggman!!! You're the worst butler ever!" Her voice crackled across the city as she tore a blazing trail through the bustling city streets at a hundred miles an hour, face as red as the streaks in her hair.

He chuckled, writing down something on his clipboard before walking back inside. "Don't worry, I already took the necessary precautions and packed them for you. Kids these days, they start so young…" He muttered, shaking his head.

As for the spirited speedster, she couldn't shake the redness of her cheeks as she ran down the sidewalk, dipping back and forth between citizens left and right.

She slid to a stop at the red light, foot tapping impatiently as she watched the light hang on the color red for a very, very long time, before finally turning green again. She was gone a half second later, moving so briskly that few watching could even manage to keep up with her.

But so late as she already was, she was going to miss class if she didn't speed things up. Thankfully the intercity train was nearby.

And unfortunately, it had already taken off. Leaping through the air with a spin so brisk she appeared to be nothing but a ball of colors, she launched up to the elevated tracks. She glanced at her watch again, realizing that school ended in five minutes.

She smirked. "That's enough time." She sped off again, nearly managing to catch up to the train.

She tossed a cursory glance at her watch, realizing that she was already late. She pushed herself faster, blitzing up to two hundred miles an hour, catching up with the speeding vehicle.

She grinned, leaping free from the tracks as she landed near the school.

Everything she'd been doing would be technically considered illegal in the city, or anywhere in the country. As it stood, for people whose quirks were something they had to activate physically, it was technically against the law to them outside of private property or unless officially licensed as a Hero of the state.

Seeing as she was neither at home nor a hero, she could get into serious trouble if anyone ever caught her.

Fortunately for the speedster, she had two things on her side when it came down to that subject. First, and most importantly of all…

She didn't care.

And second, she was too fast for anyone to even pin her as the one running by.

So she always got away with it.

Society wasn't always the way it was now, people running around with strange oddities and abilities they called quirks. To her knowledge it had happened two hundred years ago, the first child born with a quirk, and everything had begun to spiral since. With the surge of quirks came villains, people who misused their powers which forced the world to create the hero business to fight them back. It had been wishy washy for a while, but by the time she was born the world had seemed to finally figure it out to some degree.

There were even schools made specifically for people who wished to become a hero as an adult, prestigious places that had become legendary for the heroes they'd created. She'd not really been interested in living that sort of life before, but that changed one day.

It had become apparent to her that Izuku idolized the heroes of the world, and to some extent she could understand why. But he was quirkless, powerless in a world full of super powers.

She was sure that he couldn't become a hero, or not the type he always wanted to be. It had been soul crushing, but…

She'd decided that if he couldn't become a hero…

Then she would take his place instead. She would live his dream for him, because she knew that he couldn't do it himself.

"You're going to try for Yuuei? That's amazing, Shadow! If there's anyone who could get in I think it's going to be you and Kacchan!" He exclaimed with barely restrained excitement, eyes sparkling.

She found it hard to share his enthusiasm when he also spoke so highly of the other boy. But she'd not let her irritation for the explosive quirk user ruin his excitement as she instead offered him a confident smirk.

"Please, I'll win that exam and get first place. Watch me." She bragged, but her cheeks were burning underneath all of his adoration. Damnit, didn't he know how fucking cute he was when he did that?

"When you get in, I think you could be the next number one!" He smiled, pulling her into a surprise hug. "I'm so happy for you." He beamed, ignorant to the way her face exploded in a fiery blush.

"T-Thanks…" She murmured, averting her eyes.

That had been earlier this year, and she still planned on attending the super hero class in his stead. She just couldn't ever let him know she was doing it for his sake.

It was a secret she would probably take to her grave, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make if it made him happy in the end.

For the few that knew of the reason behind her wishes to join Yuuei, they couldn't help but question why she would be willing to go so far, set her entire course in life towards something she really didn't care about all for the sake of someone else…

She knew it sounded silly on the outside, but…

She'd made a promise to herself forever ago that she would do anything for his scruffy freckled cheeks, and that wasn't something she ever planned on backing out of.

More than that, as the years passed and her own powers began to evolve beyond what those around her thought was possible, she realized something that she couldn't ever shake. She was born with the powers to achieve his dreams, while he was made powerless and unable to even dream of them.

She felt guilty, guilty that she had these abilities that she had little wish to use, knowing damn well that he would've gone on to become the number one hero if he'd had them instead.

It ate her up inside whenever he would gush over her, praising her for her abilities, knowing that she was stealing his dream away from him. But she realized that if he couldn't do it, and she had the power he needed to attain his dreams, that she would achieve them in his stead.

And no one, not even her father could talk her out of it. However, for those few that knew of her true intentions behind her desire to join the hero school, she made them promise to never share it with the young man.

She was sure her heart couldn't handle the heartbreak, the betrayal that would probably cross his face…

She'd rather die.

It wasn't fair…

She never wanted to become a hero, not even a little bit. It wasn't what she liked, what she wanted. And yet the universe had gifted her with these powers when it damn well knew that he would make better use of them instead.

"I'm so proud of you! You passed the pre exams! You really can become a hero!" He'd beamed as she showed him her papers, an (S) stamped on the top of the exam. "Make sure you don't let this go to your head, y-you can't be a great hero if your ego gets in the way…" He trailed off with a nervous laugh that made her stomach do flips.

Idiot…

She didn't want to become a hero by herself…

She wanted him by her side...

"He's quirkless Ma'am. I'm afraid there's no beating around the bush. It's better he hears it from me before finding out the hard way." The plump doctor had stated, adjusting his oval glasses as he regarded the frozen green haired boy with a look of pity.

"N-No… You must've made a mistake." His mother had whispered in a voice so distant she was sure it wouldn't ever be forgotten.

"I had thought so too, Mrs. Midoriya. But just to be sure I ran multiple tests to triple check my work. And I'm afraid there's no mistaking it." He sighed a defeated sound, patting the little boy on the head. "I'm sorry son, but you simply don't have a quirk. I wish it wasn't so…"

Izuku had frozen, tears bubbling up from the corners of his eyes. His pleading question, muttered so quietly that she almost wasn't even sure he'd spoken, broke his mother's heart.

"I can still be a hero…? Right mom?"

When she broke down crying, that was the moment he broke.

That day was terrible, but she hadn't truly taken in how devastated he'd been until years later. She only wished that he'd have some last minute evolution, his hidden quirk suddenly exploding to life a few days late.

It was a rare phenomenon, but there had been stories of people who thought they were quirkless until something specific happened in their life, and their dormant powers exploded to life.

But that day never came for him…

She could see the school now, all the other students already leaving for the day. Landing in front of the building, uncaring as every student moved out of her way upon noticing her, she set out to find the little bundle of green haired nerves before he could sneak off.

She didn't come to his school very often, so she didn't know her way around. Either way, she knew she'd run into him eventually.

However, she stopped when she noticed a rather familiar face exiting the building. Her mood soured almost instantly upon hearing his barking laughter, and the words that followed it only made her blood boil. She'd not heard the first bit of what they said quite clearly, but everything that followed only served to further upset her.

"I mean, what a loser right? He really thought he could stand up to you, but he looked like he was about to piss his pants!" Standing beside one Katsuki Bakugo was a face she both didn't know and couldn't care to remember if she did.

"I-I-I can be a hero too! Y-You don't need a quirk to be a hero!" The other boy nervously murmured, before bursting out laughing at his own words. "He couldn't even hold a straight face saying that! Hahaha!"

"Shut it. That nerd needs to learn his place…" Bakugo grumbled, a tight look ok his face. "This ain't no place for dreams and shit, get real." He murmured lowly to himself, yet his voice carried all the same.

"I mean, it was pretty funny, but did you really need to blow up his book? He looked like he was going to actually take your advice, heh…" The lanky guy asked, laughter trailing off.

"Hah! Maybe he really will have a quirk in the next life, maybe he'll even be the next All Might! Hahaha!" The other guy mocked, laughing uproariously.

"Don't be fucking stupid. The nerd's an idiot, not suicidal. Moron…" Katsuki snapped, palms crackling with explosive energy.

"I dunno man, he looked pretty beat down…" The lanky guy murmured, before going quiet at the look the explosive user sent him. However, any discussion was silenced as a sudden wind blew through the area, the air distorting as it tried to follow a dark figure as she slid to a stop before the explosion user.

"H-Holy shit! It's Shadow!" The lanky quirk man, she couldn't care to remember his name, exclaimed with something akin to awe and fear at the same time. "She's like, the richest girl in town! There's no way she's here for school, right?" He murmured nervously, keep an eye on her from the corner of his vision.

"Oh my god, what do you think she wants with us?" The other guy whispered, shriveling underneath her heated gaze.

"I don't know, but I'm not getting involved!" The other guy squeaked, quickly making his departure.

"What do you want?" Bakugo muttered darkly, crossing his arms as he locked eyes with the fiery woman.

Shadow crossed her arms underneath her bust. "Where is Freckles?" She asked firmly, that lilt of her monotone voice still lingering somewhat even after all these years. It sounded more normal now, but she couldn't seem to fully shake it no matter how hard she tried.

"Tsk. What do you want with that damn nerd?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her frown deepened. "Answer the damn question." She insisted, eyes narrowing.

His eyebrow raised, a challenging look shining in his eyes as he smirked her way. "And if I don't?" He taunted, very aware of the crowd that had started to encircle them.

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Then I'll do more than push your sorry ass into a creek this time." The hedgehog girl growled, fists clenching.

He growled, getting up in her face. "I think someone needs to teach you some manners!" He hissed, palms crackling.

"And I think someone needs to knock you down a peg." She muttered, cracking her knuckles as she clenched her fists. "Now where is Izuku?" She asked again, patience already fried.

His grin faded away almost instantly. "Tsk. That loser probably ran off after I blew up his stupid hero book. Good luck, I'm not helping you find his sorry ass." He blew out with a sigh, taking his school bag as he walked off. "Go jump off a roof for all I care…" He grumbled underneath his breath as he walked away.

She grunted as he shoulder checked her on the way out, a low growl of warning emitting from the back of her throat.

She stood by the entrance of the building, the only official way out. She'd arrived in time to see the first handful of students leave, but she hadn't seen Izuku exit yet. Technically she wasn't allowed inside as she didn't attend this school, so she would be forced to wait.

And wait she did, for approximately ten minutes, before her patience vaporized and began to be replaced with worry.

Whenever she'd gone to meet the green haired boy after class he was almost always the first one out. Yet as the minutes ticked on and one by one every student had finally left the building, she realized that he wasn't going to show up.

Had he already left today?

She hadn't seen him along the way, but then again she hadn't necessarily been looking for him either. Something about what Katsuki and his friends had said was eating at the back of her mind.

-"He looked like he was going to actually take your advice."-

-"Hah! Maybe he really will have a quirk in the next life, maybe he'll even be the next All Might! Hahaha!"-

-"Don't be fucking stupid. The nerd's an idiot, not suicidal. Moron…"-

-"Go jump off a roof for all I care…"-

Her heart sank beneath her breasts, suddenly feeling as if it was hard to breathe. He wouldn't do that, would he? Katsuki was a total asshole, but…

He didn't really want Izuku to kill himself…

He wouldn't even consider it…

He wanted to be a hero, and he couldn't do that if he was dead. He wouldn't throw away his life for a, for a…

An idiot, not suicidal…

Take your advice seriously…

Quirk in his next life…

"No…" She breathed, heart thumping in her ears. She blitzed forward, slamming the front doors open as she sped through the empty halls of the school.

Empty.

Empty…

Empty!

Where was he?! Every room was empty. Every classroom, bathroom, principals office, locker room!

He wasn't inside the building…

He wasn't anywhere within the building at all.

Which meant…?

She sped forward, rushing up all the flights of stairs faster than she'd ever run before, practically blowing the door off its hinges as she appeared on the roof of the building.

Then she saw him, sitting on the edge of the roof, feet dangling over the edge as he focused on something she couldn't quite see from her angle.

Heart pounding beneath her breasts, she had to calm herself down lest she run so fast the wind that brought along with her took him off the roof instead. It took everything she had to slowly walk over to him, finding herself biting her lips when she finally picked up on his quiet shuddering crying.

He must've not noticed her as she quietly walked up to the edge, sliding to sit down beside him, blocky shoes hanging over the edge.

Even this close he was too far gone in his own little world, tears blocking his vision as he tried to hold in the shuddering of his chest. He jumped slightly when he felt her arm wrap around him, gently pulling him into her side. He clammed up almost immediately, crying vanishing as he sucked in a sharp gasp.

He blinked away the tears, glancing her way with his doughy big green eyes. "S-Shadow…?" He croaked, sucking in a short shuddering gasp. "W-What are you doing here?" He murmured weakly, sniffling, looking up at her like a puppy that'd been kicked.

She looked away, frowning as she failed to hide how her cheeks warmed at his stupid cute face. "Idiot…" She muttered underneath her breath. "It's your birthday today… I wanted to see you." He stated lamely, expression softening.

He sniffed, eyes sparkling. "R-Really?"

Her cheeks reddened. "Yes, silly. Why else would I be here?" She asked quietly, looking away as she tried to pretend like he wasn't making her stomach do flips with his stupid cute face.

His cheeks warmed, lips quivering as he looked away. "Y-Yeah that makes sense." He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

Silence fell over the rooftop, nothing but the wind and distant sound of cars to surround them. She'd want to believe it was a comfortable silence, but she knew it wasn't. She could feel something heavy weighing upon his heart, an uncomfortable burden that had been looming over him for a while now.

She wanted to say something, to speak up and reassure him, but she didn't know what it was that was weighing upon his heart. She had a feeling, but wasn't certain.

However, the smile on his face as he gazed out to city beyond him didn't make her feel any better.

"Maybe he's right…" He spoke so suddenly that she nearly jumped, casting a sidelong glance at him in quiet patience. "I mean, I don't even have a quirk-"

"Don't listen to that bastard!" The words slipped past her lips before she could even hope to stop them, the bite in her voice so sharp it scared him. She slapped a gloved hand over her mouth, but it was too late.

"H-Hey, don't call Kacchan a- that." The freckled boy defended weakly, frowning at her like she'd kicked him.

Of course he would defend that punk…

He was just that nice.

It was also why he got walked on all the time to the point that it infuriated her like nothing else.

"Why? He's the one that did this to you? Ruined your book? Burned your clothes, t-told you to jump off the roof!" She asked indignantly, growing louder as she spoke.

"He didn't actually mean that, S-Shadow…" Came his weak meager defense.

"That doesn't make it any better!" She hissed, tears threatening to poke at the corners of her eyes as her voice lost that cold edge it always held. "I-I was waiting out there for you like I said I would, but you never showed up. I-I couldn't find you anywhere in the school! I thought that-! I-I thought you'd-!"

She bit her lips, looking away as she felt her emotions begin to rile up. Her jaw quivered as she tried to hold it in, unsaid emotions bubbling up to the surface after being buried for so long.

"What am supposed to do if you die? D-Did you just expect me to go on like nothing had happened?" She asked quietly, looking down to the city below as her tears finally breached the dam, trailing down her cheeks.

"Shadow… I…" He muttered, unsure what to say.

"You what? D-Didn't think anything about how I would feel?" She asked bitterly, choking back her tears. "Well, news flash you idiot, I love you…" Her confession had exploded out before she could stop it, but she didn't care anymore. She didn't care if this changed their relationship, if he didn't feel the same way as she did. If she didn't say it now then she was sure she was going to end up regretting it for the rest of her life.

"What's the point of being a hero if the world I'm supposed to be protecting doesn't have you in it…?" She asked bitterly, sharp teeth biting her lips so hard they began to bleed. "I don't want that…! I don't even want to think of a world without you in it…" She cried, wiping fruitlessly at her eyes in an attempt to stem the ocean of tears.

"D-Damnit! I've e-even caught your knack for crying o-over stupid things!" The proof in her words was evident all over her face, and she couldn't stop it.

He didn't say anything, stunned into silence. She couldn't bear to even look his direction, afraid, terrified of the look that might be there if she did. Instead she fell back on self defense, lashing out for fear of what might happen should she stay silent any longer.

"W-What?" She sniffed, wiping away her tears. She felt emotionally exhausted, crushed, and more than anything she just wanted to go back to sleep and pretend that the world wasn't real. "Cat got your tongue…? N-Nothing to say to the girl who just confessed to you…?" She murmured defeatedly, finally conjuring up the courage to look his way.

But…

He wasn't upset, no not at all…

If anything…

He was, surprised.

"Y-You really feel that way?" He asked so quietly she wasn't even sure he'd said anything at all. "About… me?" He breathed in awe, struggling to find the right thing to say.

Feeling incredibly insecure in that moment and unable to find her voice, she settled for a meek little nod, her face a total mess as she nervously bit her lips.

"B-But I'm… quirkless." He muttered in self deprecation. "W-Why would you even like a-a quirkless g-guy like me? There's probably s-so many stronger guys out there." He muttered to himself, mostly under his breath but with her ears she could hear him just the same.

She felt herself bristle a bit at his defeatist tone. "I hate that word." She hissed, brushing the tears away with the back of her hand. "P-People use it like it's some sort of end all be all. It used to mean something different, and now it's being used against you." She grumbled lowly.

With a newfound surge of courage, she turned to face him, placing her hand on his thigh. "You're not quirkless, you moron. Y-You've got so many quirks I can't even keep track." The hedgehog girl murmured, cheeks warming as she finally looked him in the eyes.

The young boy felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest as she leveled a look at him that he'd never seen before, one so full of love and affection that he was sure he was going to start crying again. It was only made worse because she was still crying as she said it.

"You're able to focus on the l-little things that no one else can, and you're super dedicated to what you love. Your hero book is the most detailed journal I've ever seen before, and you've noticed things about your favorite heroes that even I've never thought of."

"Despite everyone trying to beat you down you still stand your ground in one way or another, no matter what that p-punk tries to do to stop you. Watching you never give up on what makes you happy makes me want to do better, makes me want to be better for you."

"Y-You pass every exam like it's the simplest thing in the world to you, but you don't flaunt it over everyone else even though you should because they're a bunch of useless assholes. I w-want to take your finals exam and shove it down Bakugo's throat because you deserve better!"

"Y-You're somehow able to find the good in everyone no matter how b-bad they are to you that it makes me want to be better because you're so much stronger then I am. You can take it on the cheek and look the other way when I know I wouldn't have been able t-to!"

"You do this thing when you nerd out about something you like and your eyes just sparkle and it fills my stomach with butterflies and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen a-a-and I just want you to know that y-y-you're special no matter what those assholes out there say!" She didn't realize that she'd been screaming until she stopped to catch her breath, inhaling a huge gulp of air before she started crying again.

She shoved the palms of her hands in her eyes to try and hide her tears, biting her lips to attempt to stem the sobbing that continued on unabated. It was only when she felt his arms wrapped around her that her crying subsided.

She looked up when she felt the boy pull her into a desperate side hug, holding her as close as he could given the circumstances. And then before either of them could lose the sudden courage that filled them, Izuku made the initiative and leaned in, eyes closed as he pressed his lips to her own.

She squeaked a broken sound at his touch, only for her eyes to flutter closed as she leaned into his embrace, returning his kiss tentatively. In that moment everything else was forgotten. Friends, family, bullies, the world around them.

In that moment nothing else mattered to her but him, and for him, nothing else mattered but her.

It started out slow, nervous, exploratory. But Shadow wasn't known for her patience, and having finally had a taste of what she'd been waiting so long for, she knew she wanted more.

And she couldn't wait.

Her gloved hands came up to grab his face, cupping his cheeks as she took over. His little squeak of surprise was all the chance she needed for her tongue to slip past, immediately gaining dominance over his own. He moaned into her mouth as he stumbled backwards, falling flat on his back away from the edge as she fell atop him.

God…

Yes…

This was what she'd been waiting for, wanting to do for so long that it hurt. And it felt amazing, so amazing. When he didn't push her away but instead returned her passion in his own timid way that made the pit of her stomach tingle in ways that demanded more.

But she knew that he wasn't ready for more, and neither was she.

Kissing?

Yeah, she could settle to keep doing more of that.

Eventually realizing that both of them were in desperate need of air she pulled away, breathing hotly as a trail of saliva connected their lips. She struggled to catch her breath, cheeks as red as the streaks in her furry hair, gaze half lidded. She glanced down to him with a goofy half smile as she loomed over him.

His face practically caught fire, heart throbbing beneath his chest. "W-Woah…" He breathed, completely stunned. "S-So… does this make us…?" He asked without really asking, but she knew what he meant.

She giggled, coming to lay down on top of him. "Mmhmm." She hummed lowly, proud of her ability to take his breath away. Her hands crawled up his chest to cup his face, gently brushing her thumbs against his flushed freckled cheeks.

She didn't move for a bit, finding that the most comfortable place in the world was laying atop the boy she loved, pinning him down to prevent escape. Not that she thought he'd try to run anyway, but it did make her feel good so she didn't plan on moving anyway.

Eventually, however, they realized that they'd probably get in trouble if his principal found them up here. As much as she wanted to stay right there with him and cuddle up for warmth, she knew that they should probably get going. That and, her stomach growling told her that the small sandwich she'd eaten that afternoon certainly wasn't enough for her metabolism.

So, cheeks flushing in embarrassment she got up, hoisting him up to his feet with surprising ease. Suddenly feeling a little shy, she tentatively snaked her hand into his own, his fingers nervously gripping her own. He offered her a crooked smile that combined with his blushing cheeks had her heart thumping beneath her breasts.

"Come on, let's go get some food. I'm starving." She hummed as she began to walk off with him in tow.

"I-I don't have any money on me." He muttered in embarrassment, shrinking when she shot him an amused look. "I left it all at home…" He murmured, cheeks warming at her smirk.

"Then let your girlfriend treat you for your birthday." She teased, but her cheeks were warm as well as she said it. It was worth it to see his eyes light up in that childish joy she'd come to love seeing from him. "Come on!" She beamed, running off with him in tow.

"H-H-Hey wait! Slow down! Shadow, you're too fast!" He cried in alarm as she laughed, running at a brisk pace he struggled to keep up with. As for her, it might as well have been the equivalent to crawling while tied up.

So slow…

She felt as light as air as she ran, giggling as he stumbled and stammered the entire time, face ablaze as some of his classmates who'd stuck around guffawed in awe as the girl dragged him away. She felt so happy, so relieved, so proud.

She wasn't even sure she wasn't dreaming right now, it was almost too good to be true. She had no idea when she woke up that morning that she'd end up confessing her feelings to the young man, or that he'd be the one to return them. Today literally couldn't be any better, emotional roller coaster aside…

"W-Where did you want to go?" Izuku asked meekly, finally having caught his breath after convincing her to walk at a normal pace so he could manage to keep up. Few realized how difficult it was to convince her of all people to move so slowly, but for him she'd do it without much fuss.

Smiling beside him as they walked hand in hand, they passed underneath a bridge on their way downtown, his school far in the distance now. "I've been wanting to try Demon Ramen downtown, but I didn't want to go alone…" She explained before trailing off nervously. "I wanted to go with you…" She muttered quietly, hand gripping his own just a little tighter.

His expression softened. "Y-You know you could've always asked me…" He said.

She rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling bashful. "I-I know that now, idiot." She blushed, getting a little defensive. Her ear twitched atop her head at the sound of metal scraping against concrete from somewhere behind her. She found herself stopping where she stood, on edge she for some reason she couldn't explain.

She turned around the same time Izuku did, her hand gripping his own tightly as the manhole they'd just passed over suddenly blew up off the ground before slamming into the underside of the bridge. They both watched in morbid curiosity as ugly green slime began to pour out from unite ground, two eyes and tens of large ugly teeth following alongside it.

"Ah! Two new playthings! Thank god, and for a second there I was sure I wasn't ever going to escape that guy!" The slime thing cackled like some insane monster, leering at her specifically with a disgusting look that made her shiver.

"What the hell are you?" She found herself asking bluntly, cringing away as the slime monster licked his lips. "And stop looking at me like that, you perverted hentai creep." She spat, stepping back as it drew closer.

"Ah! Quite the mouth on this one! Yes I think you'll do nicely!" He cackled madly, surging forward. "Now be a good girl and sit still while I steal your body!!!" He screeched as he threw himself at her, capturing her whole as he attempted to fill her body with himself.

…

…

…

Unfortunately for the man-slime, she wasn't stupid enough to stand there like a deer in the headlights while he had his way with her, metaphorically and literally.

Ewww…

So color him surprised when instead of capturing a body, he captured air as he slapped down to the ground across the walkway. He reeled in surprise, coiling himself back up to a towering height as he turned around to find her standing further away, arms crossed underneath her bust as she leveled a glare at him.

"You wanna try that one again, buddy?" She called out loudly, egging him on with a cocksure attitude reminiscent of one certain explosion quirk user. "I mean, personally I wouldn't shout out my plan of attack before doing just that… But that could also be me…" She mocked loudly, blowing out a sigh.

"S-Shadow! We've got to get out of here!" Izuku hissed frantically, pulling at her arm as he tried to get her to run. "T-This is the villain that All Might was chasing earlier!" He exclaimed, trying fruitfully to get her to move.

But, instead she just turned to glance his way again, looking the slime man up and down before blinking. "You mean this pile of snot?" She barked out in a laugh, cheeks puffing up as she tried not to bust out laughing. "Seriously? This guy's a villain? I have a hard time believing that All Might couldn't catch this guy's creepy ass." She shook her head, ignorant to the monster in question as he began to boil in rage.

"I'm going to rip your eyes out of your head and use your skull as my cereal bowl!!!" He screamed, having completely lost it.

Shadow frowned as she bent down, scooping her boyfriend up in her arms, ignorant to his embarrassed sqawk. She leapt away, landing across the way as the man-slime gave chase. Or tried to, he certainly wasn't very fast.

She slid to a stop across the bridge again, up in the sunlight as she watched the guy try to clamber up to them. "A-Aren't we going to run?" Izuku asked quietly, his fear subsiding once he realized that his girlfriend was both fast enough to easily outpace this monster with her eyes closed, and was strong enough to fight him off if anything went wrong.

Gosh, he felt so dumb now, realizing that she had been into him this entire time. And as embarrassing as it was to admit, he really, really liked the way she was holding him in that moment. He'd never felt safer in his entire life.

"Why? Didn't you say All Might was chasing him?" She muttered plainly, leaping over the slime as he tried to attack again.

"Y-Yeah I suppose… Maybe if we stay here long enough we'll actually get the chance to meet him!!" He suddenly squeaked, nearly shaking with a newfound sense of giddiness. Her cheeks blushed as she smiled down at him, finding the way he nerded out these things dangerously adorable.

As if that wasn't enough, a new voice joined the fray, loud and proud. "Well there's no need to wonder anymore, because I AM HERE!" No sooner had he said as much saw another figure appearing from the depths of the sewers, mighty and big, eight feet tall and muscles that seemed to never end was the number one hero All Might!

Dressed in casual slacks and a white shirt.

Neat.

She wanted to pretend that she wasn't the least bit excited to actually see the number one hero in all of Japan in person, but his presence certainly demanded her attention at the very least. If anything, she was excited for Izuku to finally meet his hero in person. It was a dream come true for him.

The big man laughed uproariously in the face of danger, promising to keep them safe before he quickly and efficiently dispatched of the foe before him. With his raw strength he blew the slime man apart before gathering him up entirely into a pair of large empty soda bottles.

Convenient.

"Woah…" Shadow murmured, surprised.

"O-O-Oh my god! It's All Might! It's really him it's really happening I can't believe I'm not dreaming Shadow are you seeing this it's actually justthenumberoneheroimgoingtopassout!" Face red, brain deprived of oxygen, she had to make sure he remembered how to breathe before he died of fanboyism.

Not that she could blame him.

Giggling to herself she gently reminded him to breathe, smiling as he sucked in a huge breath, color returning to his freckled cheeks.

"You two over there! Are you unharmed?!" The big man asked loudly, appearing before them rather quickly.

Izuku squeaked within her arms, the speedy girl still holding onto him in the same manner as before. Her cheeks flushed lightly underneath the massive man's gaze, a little bit of awe flowing through her, but nothing like her cute little head of broccoli in her arms. "Yeah, we're good sir." She muttered simply, shrugging it off.

She set Izuku down as she instead moved to stand back while he asked about a million questions in one, or none at all if the big man wasn't able to understand his nervous ramblings like she was. Either way she wasn't too interested in what he had to say, and this was a conversation that she felt she had no part of.

She was no hero, no aspiring hero anyway. She was worried the man would see right through her, so she settled to move to the sidelines and wait until they were done talking.

Eventually Izuku managed to stop fanboying long enough to gather his thoughts to ask a question. However, by the time he did the hero seemed ready to leave. And despite Izuku's plea to stay just a little longer, the big man bent his knees as he launched off high into the sky with his super human powers.

Or he would've, if Izuku didn't shout out the words burning in his heart, stopping the man in his tracks.

"Can someone who's quirkless become a hero?!" He shouted out, eyes screwed shut as he yelled his pleading question.

She felt like a gunshot echoed throughout the empty neighborhood, eyes going wide. All Might slowly stood back up from his squatted position, his look no longer smiling but…

Now he looked, grim.

"I mean… I-I've always aspired to become a hero just l-like you! I-I've been watching your journey, your fights as a hero since I was a k-kid." He clasped his hands together, nervously twiddling his thumbs as he laid out his thoughts to the strangely silent man.

"Even though I'm quirkless I've always wanted to become a hero, to be someone strong that others can look up to, a face that will reassure them in the face of danger. Everyone else calls me an idiot, but… I still have those that believe in me, someone who believes I can become a hero too."

He smiled a tiny yet genuine look as he recalled her words from earlier on in that day, and more than that, her encouragement throughout most of his life. If there was anyone who'd been there for him in his early years, it was his mom, and most certainly Shadow.

But even still, he still wanted to hear it from him, from All Might. From his childhood idol and the man responsible for bringing so much peace to Japan. If there was anyone in this world who would know how to help him achieve those dreams, it was going to be him.

But…

Izuku didn't see the grim look on the man's face, so he couldn't have anticipated what he was about to say.

"Can someone who's quirkless become a hero?" The mountain of a man murmured in question, repeating his words back at him. Then he sighed, sounding so old in that moment it shook them both. "I'm afraid that the answer is… no." He stated gently, turning to look the young man in the eyes.

Izuku couldn't hide how crushed it felt to hear those words in that moment, staring right into All Might's eyes as his words repeated in the confines of his mind.

The big man sighed, shaking his head as he moved to leave. "I'm sorry my boy, but it would be reckless of me to say otherwise. The truth is, you can't become a hero. Heroes need to put their lives on the line every day, and that's not something I believe someone who's quirkless can do." He murmured quietly, bending down to launch off into the skies above the city. "There's no end to the need for police officers or fire fighters, maybe try out for that once you're older? I'll be rooting for you, kid…" And then he was gone, leaving in a movement that was so swift he left a cloud of dust in his wake.

But…

As for Shadow, it felt as if she'd been shot. She'd forgotten how to breathe for a minute, eyes impossibly wide as the gravity of his words slammed into her and the young man alike.

Izuku hadn't said anything, standing there in stunned silence. She felt her heart pounding beneath her breasts, the world feeling as if it was coming in down around her.

Why?

Why did he have to go and say that?

After all she'd done to help build him up, raise his confidence, make him begin to believe in himself? And he'd just waltzed in and threw all of her effort away like it was nothing…

She wasn't even sure she knew how to breathe, but…

More then her own anger, more then her own heart wrenching pain, she knew someone else was hurting far more then her in that moment.

She was there by his side at a moments notice, wrapping her arms around him tightly, face shoved into her chest as she cradled him like a mother would her son. He hadn't made a peep since the man had spoken, but the utter devastation in his eyes spoke everything that it needed to.

He was destroyed, his hopes and dreams turned to ashes in but a single moment…

"Oh Izuku, I'm so sorry…" She cried quietly, holding him so tightly she was sure she might break him. She had no way of knowing that in that moment she had echoed the words his mother had said to him over tens years ago, and it shook him as much now as it did back then.

She was supposed to say that he could, that he could achieve his dreams…

She wasn't supposed to cry too…

---

He had a vacant gaze in his eyes, staring a hole into the window behind her. She sat nervously across from him, unsure what to say or what to do to even try and cure his sudden depression.

It had taken every bit of begging that she had to finally convince him to join her for dinner instead of going home alone. Not that she had any plans on leaving him alone for a long time after the hell of emotions that today had been for the both of them, it just wasn't going to happen.

She was ready to get down on her knees if it just made him smile a little bit, because she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to live with that destroyed look on his face. She'd practically dragged him to the ramen shop and paid extra to get him exactly what she knew he loved in the hopes that it would potentially raise his mood, even just a little.

Hands clasped nervously in her lap, she watched him meekly poke at his spicy ramen, not even the spices enough to pull him out of this funk.

It was her fault, it had to have been.

If she just listened to him and ran away from the stupid villain then they never would've run into All Might, he never would've had his dreams crushed by the man, and would still be smiled like the dork she'd fallen in love with.

But instead she'd had to let her ego get in the way, mocking the villain for his fruitless attempts at harming her or even trying to touch her when she knew she was entirely out of his league. She didn't want to stop the guy because she knew he might hurt other people, but because she knew that it would make Izuku happy.

She was horrible…

"H-Hey… Izuku?" She asked quietly, heart clenching when he didn't look her in the eyes. He gazed just past her head, her words not even reaching him. "Izuku please… just look at me." She begged, biting her lips. When he still didn't respond she reached across the table, grabbing his hands desperately with her own.

That finally seemed to yank him out of his funk, glancing her way with tired dead eyes. He gave her a meager smile that didn't even come close to reaching his eyes, lips parting to give her some excuse to explain that he was completely fine. But the words died on his tongue when he saw her broken expression, the worry in her eyes.

He realized that lying to her would only serve to damage their newfound relationship with each other, and he wasn't going to start that with a bed of lies. Whatever faux happiness he'd tried to show her had vanished into the air, leaving only him behind. This tried destroyed Izuku gave her a tentative yet genuine little smile that did seem to reach his eyes.

For even though he felt like his dreams had been crushed and tossed away like yesterday's breakfast, he remembered that he still had her by his side. She'd always been by his side in one way or another, but that was true even more so now. Her confession was genuine, and even if he couldn't become the hero he'd always wanted to be…

Well…

He was sure she would still be by his side as she was now.

No…

Of course he didn't to give up on his dreams, no way. But he did have to admit, they felt further away now than ever before…

He sniffed away his tears, smiling at her with a little genuine look. "T-Thank you… Shadow." He croaked, unable to keep the cracking out of his voice. "I mean it." He breathed quietly.

Her cheeks warmed, but she didn't look away. "Of course…" She smiled cutely from across the table.

He glanced down at his ramen, the food still warm. He couldn't ignore the fact that he was hungry, and the food still smelled delicious. He tapped his chopsticks before digging in, very aware of his girlfriend's gaze as she smiled happily at him from across the table.

But the moment didn't last for long as the sound of a fire truck's blaring sirens roared as it sped past the diner, scaring the customers half to death. He nearly choked on his ramen, coughing as she appeared behind him, patting him rapidly on the back before he even had a chance to blink.

But before he could even regain his bearings he saw ambulances speed by as well in hot pursuit of the fire truck. Swallowing down his nerves he cleared his throat, food forgotten. "W-What do you think that's about?" He asked quietly, more than a little curious.

Wherever fire trucks and ambulances were there was a high chance to see heroes in action. And she knew before he asked that he was going to want to see it happen…

Ugh…

Why'd she have to fall so hard for a nerd?

She shook her head, smiling as if it couldn't be helped. "Come on, let's go." She rolled her eyes, quickly paying for the food before taking his hand as she moved to run. He ran with her, nervous and excited as she slowed herself down to keep pace with him.

His excitement at seeing potential heroes in the field quickly faded away when he saw the fires spreading everywhere, buildings crumbling, people screaming.

It wasn't a heroic scene…

It was a horror film.

"Stay back! Everyone evacuate the area! Citizens are to get back, it's too dangerous here now!" They slid to a stop outside a wall of people, hundreds of people watching on in a mix of awe and horror as something terrible happened somewhere out of sight.

New heroes joined the scene, flying into action as they attempted to save everyone they could and put out the rapidly spreading fires.

"W-What's going on? Is there a villain with a fire quirk?" Izuku asked, trying to push his way through the crowd to see what was actually happening.

Shadow shied away from the crowd, the overbearing noise making it hard to see. There was so much shouting, explosions, screaming. It was too much, she felt her vision blurring as the world began to blend together.

She couldn't take it, backing off as Izuku pressed the people at the back of the crowd for answers.

No one seemed to notice him, but one woman did. A frazzled brunette glanced down at him, afraid and worried. "N-No. A villain took a blonde high schooler hostage. He's using his body t-to blow up everything around him, the heroes can't get close or else he'll hurt the boy."

Izuku felt his blood run cold at her description of the hostage, the explanation of his abilities terrifyingly familiar.

Caution was thrown to the wayside as he shoved his way into the crowd, pushing everyone out of his way as he finally managed to get a clear view. And what he saw in the middle of the road, surrounded in a familiar disgusting green slime, was Bakugo.

The explosion quirk user was fighting with all his might, but when he looked his way, when he locked eyes with him, Izuku's heart stopped.

"Please… help me…" His eyes spoke what his mouth could not, scared red orbs pleading for help, help that didn't seem like it was coming.

He wasn't even aware of when it happened, his legs propelling him forward with a courage he wasn't aware that he had as he ran right past the heroes despite their screams for him to stop.

"Stop it! What are you doing?!" A bulky hero shouted in horror, mouth falling agape as he watched the kid run straight towards his own death. "You're going to get yourself killed!!"

He couldn't stop himself, rushing forward as fast as his untrained legs could carry him. He wasn't thinking, thinking about what he was about to get himself into, thinking about what could happen, what would happen if he didn't stop running.

He wasn't thinking of himself in that moment…

No…

All he could see was the pleading eyes of his friend, and he wasn't going to back away now. For his body had moved on its own.

"Kacchan!!!" He screamed, rushing forward as he began to unsling his backpack. "Give me back my friend!!!" He roared.

"What?! You again! You twerp, I'll kill you for sure this time!" The slime man cackled, raising his hand in preparation to blow the boy away.

Izuku ducked the attack before he tossed his open backpack with everything he had, sending pencils and books into the monster's eyes. "Gah, you stupid brat!!" He hissed, recoiling just enough to allow Bakugo to breathe.

"D-Deku?! What are you doing here?!" He coughed, sucking as much air into his lungs as he could. The crooked fear filled smile the young man shot him touched the explosion user in a way he'd never thought possible.

"You looked like you needed help!" The quirkless boy shouted, clawing at the slime around Bakugo's body with everything he had. "My body move on my own!"

His attack had allowed Katsuki a few seconds of fresh air, but the villain was quick to respond as he took over once more. Raising a hand directly to his freckled face, he snarled, palm cackling with violently explosive energy.

Izuku froze, staring his death in the eyes.

But…

The pain he'd been expecting, never came. The blood he saw splatter him was not his own, nor was the shriek of pain that followed it. His eyes slowly widened in horror when he saw Shadow step in to take the blast directly, saving him from certain death, arms held out wide to protect him.

"S-Shadow!!" He screamed, mouth falling open in shock as he watched her fly backwards over his head, blood falling from her face. She hit the ground hard, crashing into a heap beside the unmoving heroes.

"Oops, I actually wanted to keep that one. Ah well, too bad I suppose! Guess I'll just have to take my anger out on you!" The villain snarled, turning his attention towards the silent boy.

But…

Izuku snarled, face suddenly grim. Moving on instinct he threw his palms forward, fingers gripping the air as he grabbed something only he could feel. "I said, to give me back my friend!!" He screamed. And then he pulled, yanking Katsuki free from the confines of his villainous prison.

One moment the boy was sure he'd was about to die from suffocation, and then the next he was yanked free from the villain by an invisible force. Blood leaked from Izuku's nose as he pulled, feeling the resistance on his body far too much for him to handle, tearing himself apart.

But he didn't stop.

"N-No!! He's mine! You can't have him!" The slime snarled, panicking when he felt his victim being taken away from him. "Stop it! Stop it!" He cried, but Izuku wouldn't have it.

Roaring with all his might, he yanked his hands backwards, pulling Katsuki free entirely. The other boy crashed into him, sending them both flying backwards. Katsuki sucked in a huge gasp, coughing violently to get whatever remained of the villain out of his throat. But when he finally stopped, he was forced to look at the green boy underneath him in a different light.

This boy, the quirkless nobody who he'd bullied for his entire life, had thrown caution to the wind alongside his own life in an attempt to save him. And he'd done it.

However, he didn't have time to dwell on the how's and why's. How did Izuku suddenly have a quirk, how he'd managed to save him, and why he'd even gone so far for him in the first place. None of it made sense, but he supposed that it could wait for later.

"I'll kill you! I'll squash your head like a grape, you insignificant little pile of trash!" Whatever sanity the villain had was gone now, snarling like a wild animal. He loomed over the two of them, ready to make good on his promises, and neither of them could move to run.

Izuku watched on in horror as the villain scooped up a huge chunk of concrete, raising high above his head as he snarled, slamming it down atop them to crush them both.

Or he would've if they'd been alone.

But they weren't alone. In a blistering display of speed Shadow appeared before them again, flying over their heads and toward the green sludge as he attempted to crush them. Spinning so quickly that she appeared to be nothing more than a spinning ball of black and red, she stopped the attack dead in its tracks. Furry hair as sharp as blades and as durable as steel, she spun through the concrete block, tearing it to pieces in such a violent display of speed and power that it knocked the villain away.

She fell to the ground in front of them, unspeaking as she stood her ground in defense. Shadows cast over her eyes as she leveled a dangerous look at the villain that gave him pause, stopping him from any more attacks. At least, for a moment.

But that moment was all a certain hero needed.

Silence fell over the area, the villain freezing in horror as none other than the number one hero appeared, blocking his attack with merely an arm. "I really am pathetic." The hulking mountain of a man muttered lowly, just enough for them to hear him. "Even though I admonished you, I wasn't putting what I said into practice, and because of that you three got hurt." He spoke quietly, struggling against the slime. "But that changes now!" He turned his attention toward the cowering foe, his grinning features sending terror into him.

"Detroit Smash!!!" With a roar he launched his fist forward, blowing the slime man into a puddle of goop pasted across the road, a literal tornado sent into the skies by his raw strength.

In but a single moment the fight was ended, the fires put out, and the destruction reached a dead halt. The silence was pervasive for a long moment, before clapping slowly began to erupt. Then came the cheering, loud applause echoing out throughout the city streets as the number one hero miraculously swooped in to save the day once again.

The police and remaining heroes were quick to rush in to secure the villain within a bottle before he could cause any more damage. While they secured the scene and helped any who'd been harmed, All Might turned his attention back to the middle schoolers at the center of the scene. "You three! Are you unharmed?"

As for the Hedgehog girl, she didn't pay too much attention to what happened afterwards. Everything was a blur between the heroes rushing in to scold Izuku for running into danger, praising Katsuki for his powerful quirk and his ability to hold off for so long. She sort of got lost in between trying to be there for the nervous boy and being surrounded by tens of reporters who were all getting in her face.

She felt the world beginning to spin as the flashes from the cameras kept coming, loud obnoxious questions being shouted her way left and right, everything beginning to blur as her ears folded back in an attempt to block out everything. It was overwhelming, and she wasn't aware that anything had even happened until she felt herself resting in the lap of a familiar green haired teenager, having collapsed.

And he was…

Shouting?

At the newscasters? "Leave her alone! Can't you see you're overwhelming her?!" He shouted defensively, stemming the flow of blaring noise. She felt her cheeks heat up at having been saved by him, even more so the fact that he was carrying her similarly to how she'd done him. It didn't matter that she was on the ground, it was the gesture that mattered.

However, it was who spoke up next that surprised her more.

"You bastards better clear out!" Katsuki had stepped away from the heroes and other crowd of reporters to step in front of Izuku and Shadow, tossing a rather nasty glare at the cameras. "Get those cameras out of her face before I brake them." The explosive teenager spat, uncaring at the undignified squawk the reporters closest to them made.

Katsuki had jumped to her defense, making threats on her behalf. It certainly did the job, as the crowd all backed away in leu of instead getting the scoop from the number one hero himself.

Bakugo blew out a sigh, shoving his hands in his pockets as he grumbled something underneath his breath. "Thanks…" He murmured lowly, glancing back to their freckled friend from the corner of his eye.

"K-Kacchan…" Izuku breathed in surprise, which only seemed to piss him off.

The blonde teen's face heated up in embarrassment as he instead moved to leave, grumbling under his breath as he left. "Whatever…" He muttered, pushing his way through the crowd of awed onlookers as he made his way home.

Suddenly it was just the two of them, the noise all following All Might. The hero seemed to have picked up on her sensitivity to noise as he led the reporters away from them, tossing a wink their way.

"C-Can you stand?" He murmured quietly, glancing down to the girl in his lap. That thought alone made his face warm, but he was more concerned for her than anything else.

She offered him a grateful smile, one that made his heart flutter. "Yeah." She whispered, moving to stand with a little help. The two of them stood there, quietly basking in each other's presence.

Today had been more than a little overwhelming, and more than anything else they just wanted to go home and sleep. His house was thankfully not far, and she was too exhausted to run all the way across town to her own apartment so she decided to join him instead.

She was sure he wouldn't mind.

They left the crime scene behind, slowly making their way home as the sun began to set on what felt like it had been the most clustered day of their entire lives up until that point.

But just as they'd finally entered his quiet neighborhood, streets and houses basked in a soft orange light by the setting sun, a familiar face practically burst into the scene. Shadow's eyes narrowed at the hulking hero of a man as he appeared before them, blocking their way home.

Unlike their previous encounter, Izuku wasn't keen to jump into fanboying over the man again. He was too emotionally exhausted to even offer anything but a quizzical look to the hero as he asked his question. "D-Did you need something from us, sir? We just want to go home…" The green haired teenager asked tiredly, the bags underneath both of their eyes telling by this point.

The hero didn't miss the lack of enthusiasm at his appearance, and knew for a fact that his harsh words earlier in that day was responsible for the young man's miserable mood. And for once his seemingly endless smile dropped as he level a disappointed expression at them both. But he wasn't disappointed in them, but in fact himself.

"Young man, I come with thanks, a correction, and a suggestion." He spoke suddenly, his usually booming voice now deep and calm. It felt so jarring that neither of them knew what to say, so they decided not to and let him explain. "I told you that quirkless people cannot be a hero, that hero's have to put their lives on the line to truly be a hero. Yet I failed to do just that, and instead left that job up to you, the citizen I'm supposed to be protecting."

And then, he bowed. "I'm sorry." He muttered sincerely.

Izuku's mouth opened and closed, but he just couldn't find the right thing to say. Shadow felt as equally shocked, but she was still a little miffed at him for what he'd said to Izuku earlier.

Then before their very eyes the number one hero began to deflate, his bulging muscles vanished as he shrank down to a skeleton of his former self. In a puff of smoke All Might was gone, and in his place a man who seemed so much smaller.

The sudden transformation took their breath away, and neither of them knew what to say.

"If you hadn't been there… If you hadn't told me about your life…" He muttered, holding up a weak shaking fist. "I would have turned into a a guy in a body suit who was all talk."

His hand dropped to his side, leveling an intense look at the boy. "It was because it was none other than the timid quirkless you at the scene that I was able to act."

"Top heroes have stories about them from their school days, and most of those stories have one thing in common." He uttered, voice still. "Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think."

Izuku's eyes slowly widened before he bit his lips, tears suddenly forming in the corners of his eyes. He found his mind going back to when he was a child, recalling his mother's broken words.

"I'm sorry, Izuku! I'm so, so sorry!"

"That was true for you, too…" He uttered lowly, eyes softening as the boy began to cry. "Wasn't it…"

He nearly fell to his knees, shaking as he cried. "Yeah!" He cried, everything finally coming out as Shadow wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into her embrace.

That's not it…

He didn't want her to say that back then…

He didn't want her to cry…

Back then, what he wanted her to say…

The words he wanted so desperately to hear…

All Might smiled down at him, a light wind blowing through the area. Shadow looked up at him in awe, eyes widening when he finally spoke again.

"Young man, I want to correct something I said you to earlier today." He muttered lowly, eyes sparkling blue with a massive power. "You too, can become a hero."

---

Chapter

1

End

---

Holy crap! This is either the longest one shot I've ever written or the best start to a story idea of mine. I guess I'll let everyone decide if I should continue it.