Chapter Text
Midoriya Izuku felt the breeze against his face as he stared down at his phone. His shoes were neatly placed beside him. He swallowed, hand gripping the railing as he leaned back against it. Then he typed out his message.
I’m taking your advice
What the shit are you talking about useless Deku?
Bye Kacchan
The reply had been shockingly quick. The screen was lighting up again, constantly vibrating with each new message. He didn’t read them. His fingers trembled as he pocketed the device. Midoriya let out a shaky breath. All Might’s words echoed in his mind. Reminding him of how Kacchan was right. He was useless. He would never be a hero without a quirk. Tears pricked at his eyes; he rubbed them harshly with his sleeve. His stomach was turning as he stared down at the pavement below him.
It was for the best. He was saved once already. He got to meet his favorite hero. Now, his burnt notes felt like a heavy weight in his backpack. He gripped one strap as he chewed his bottom lip. Midoriya remembered his mother’s tears. He really must be useless to worry her so much. To make Kacchan so mad at him. To hear those words from All Might… He squeezed his eyes shut, and… he jumped .
Cold, freezing numbness surrounded him. He thought it would have hurt more, like one solid punch as he hit the concrete. Then, he opened his eyes. A quiet “Huh ?” escaped his lips as he found himself partially encased in what looked like a glacier jutting out from the ground.
“What were you thinking?” a scolding voice questioned. Midoriya turned towards the sound, his eyes landing on a boy, about his age, half white hair, half red, with an equally red scar covering his eye.
Midoriya didn’t have an answer for him. He felt his chest tighten as the tears silently poured from his face. The hero’s eyes softened as he stared at the green haired boy. Before he knew it, the ice was melting around Midoriya.
He was so focused on the hero who’d saved him, that he missed Kacchan, breathing heavily as he looked at the melting glacier of ice that had saved Midoriya, nor the way Kacchan’s muscles relaxed, despite the frown firmly set on his face. Kacchan scowled as he sent one more text before shoving his hands in his pockets and stomping off.
As his feet touched the ground, Midoriya stared down at his wet socks, soaked from the melted ice. He sniffled, feeling his lip tremble as he felt the hero’s gaze on him. Before he could register it, the hero had taken his hand and led him over to a bench, forcing him to sit down before joining him.
“What happened?” the boy asked, his serious gaze locked onto him, fixed.
Midoriya swallowed. His eyes felt sore, no tears left in him. His face was salty, covering his tear-stained freckles. And he poured his heart out to the hero. How a quirkless waste of space like him didn’t deserve to live. That he could never be a hero, and how everyone in his life reminded him of that. No one who knew him ever believed a loser, useless Deku could save anyone. He couldn’t even save himself. He knew he was mumbling, tripping over his words, and probably bothering the hero to no end. He knew how much people hated it when he started muttering, lost in his thoughts, stuck in planning. He was a pest who rambled, on and on, and he wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore.
“You analyze heroes in your notebook?” the words were carefully chosen, dodging rougher topics to shift Midoriya's focus. It worked.
Had he mentioned that? He was speaking so fast, Midoriya was shocked that the hero had understood any of it. He blinked, nodding silently as his gaze met the boy’s gaze, staring into those piercing dual colored eyes.
“Can I see?” the hero asked.
Midoriya pursed his lips, fumbling as he moved to take his backpack off. He scrambled to pull out the burnt pages before he found himself muttering again, “It’snotthatgreatIjustwritedownwhatIseeit’snothingreally.”
The hero didn’t answer immediately, silently flipping through the pages, absorbing every word, “These are incredibly well researched.” he remarked, “You would make an excellent support hero. Being able to accurately analyze a quirk's strengths and weaknesses would benefit heroes both in training and out in the field. If you applied it to villains, knowing just how an enemy's quirk works can be invaluable to taking them down.”
There may not have been much emotion put behind the words, but they were said in earnest, and Midoriya felt his chest swell, “Do you really think so?” his eyes were pink and puffy from all his crying, his words shook as he spoke, trying not to sound to hopeful, too desperate for something to hold onto. It wouldn’t be the first time someone said something nice only to take it all back and laugh in his face for daring to believe them, if only for a second.
The hero nodded sharply, “I do.”
Those two simple words brought a smile to his lips. If he had anything left to cry, tears would still be spilling down his cheeks. The hero never judged him for it, or slung insults at him. He just sat there patiently.
It took him a few minutes before he composed himself. He couldn’t help but feel dwarfed by the boy as their eyes met again. Even though the hero wasn't that much taller, Midoriya had told him so many horrible things about himself, embarrassing things that just spilled from his lips, secrets, doubts, fears, all his worst traits, and yet, he was still here.
“Are you a debut hero?” Midoriya asked, his voice small as he stared up at the boy. He had never seen any hero like him before. He definitely would have remembered that face.
“No, not yet.” the boy answered.
“Oh.” he mumbled dumbly before bowing his head, “Thank you for saving me!” he practically shouted, his eyes squeezed shut, feeling his cheeks turn pink. He couldn’t believe it took him so long to say that!
“You don’t have to bow.” the boy stated, causing Midoriya to sit up, “I was just glad I got to you in time.”
“Me too.” he said sheepishly, before his eyes widened and he sat up straighter, shocked at himself for taking so long to ask, “What’s your name?”
“Todoroki Shouto.” he answered, “And yours?”
“Midoriya Izuku!”
Todoroki smiled, a ghost of a smile, just barely curling his lips as he repeated, “Midoriya Izuku?”
His pulse was rising, “Yes!” he replied, feeling his face warm.
“You said you wanted to go to Yuuei, right?” Todoroki questioned, waiting for Midoriya to nod before continuing, “That’s where I’ll be attending. While I’m there, I hope to see you.”
He had said that? Probably. He had said too many things already, but nonetheless, Midoriya felt his fists tighten, his nails digging into the palms of his hands, “I’ll definitely get in,” he stated, a fire rekindled in his soul as he looked determinedly at the boy, “I’ll support you! I will!”
Todoroki’s eyes widened, just for a moment, before he regained his composure, “I look forward to seeing you there, Midoriya-kun.”
And that was it. He walked home by himself, refusing to take up any more of Todoroki’s time. He’d wasted so much of it already crying his eyes out and forcing the boy to listen to his life story. Midoriya felt silly as his socks left trailing footprints in his wake. The fabric was cold and damp, squishing with every step. He’d need to buy new shoes. There was no way he’d be able to retrieve his old ones. He clutched his notebook close to his chest, barely registering the world around him as he finally made it home.
In the privacy of his house, he knew if he was going to be able to go back to school, he’d need to face his consequences. Midoriya bit the inside of his cheek as he reached for his phone. He willed his hand to stop shaking as he finally looked at his missed messages. All from Kacchan.
What the FUCK does that mean?
Wait,
You shitty idiot, dont fucking move
I swear, u better still fuking be thre when I get ther Deku
U better fucking walk ur ass down the stairs
Izuku i SWEAR u had better not be fucking with me
There were a number of minutes that had passed before the last one had sent.
Don’t EVER do something that stupid again
Had Kacchan run back to school? He must have. The message implied it, and he used ‘again.’ That would mean he also saw Todoroki save him. The longer he looked over the messages, the more he could see how worried Kacchan had really been. Rushed typing, misspellings, he might have been running as he texted them…
I won’t.
He breathed out a sigh, feeling his body overcome itself with exhaustion as he stumbled into his room. He managed to get the socks off, tossing them into his hamper. Yuuei… Todoroki said he was going to go there. In the hero course, but still. He’d get to see him again. Thank him again. Kacchan would definitely be there too, but maybe that would be okay. Even if he could be mean sometimes, Midoriya was sure Kacchan would be an amazing hero. He’d have to support him too. He already had a lot of research on Kacchan’s quirk. The hard part would be getting the boy to let him help.
Midoriya collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the posters lining his walls. He lifted his arm, squeezing his bicep. Maybe he should start working out… He could start changing his diet, adding more protein. He'd need something, dumbbells? Maybe a medicine ball? His arms were too small, his frame too weak. He needed to exercise, build up his endurance.
His mother’s head popped into the room, “I can take you to the store to get some weights. I should have time tomorrow. We can go when you get back from school.” she said encouragingly. It reminded him that he was muttering out loud to himself, again. She was probably happy to see him take up a new hobby, though his mind was still on heroes.
“Thanks mom!” he replied, and for the first time in a long time, his smile felt real.