Unlike Partners

To have and to Lose

   It was the second time in one day when Midoriya's eyes flickered open after passing out. This time, thought, he wasn't underground. His green eyes were blinded by the all too familiar white, florescent light of the UA's nurse office. The boy stirred, his limbs felt as heavy as boulders and an intense pain in his temples caused him to grimace. His head was buzzing; it felt as if someone had cut it open and shoved a beehive with raging bees inside. It was nearly impossible to collect his memories.

He turned slowly and saw All Might sitting by his side; he was in his average form, his sunken eyes staring at him in a funny way. He stirred uneasily on his seat when he noticed that the green haired teen had awoken.

"Midoriya, how are you feeling?" he asked, engendering Midoriya's concern. There was an edge in his tone.

"I have a bit of a headache, but otherwise, I have had worse" he cautiously responded. All Might moved on his seat again, shifting his weight from left to right. It was as if pins were preventing him from relaxing. There was definitely something wrong going on. "A-All Might, is everything ok?"

"Recovery girl should see to that headache of yours" All Might stated, avoiding Midoriya's question. Midoriya was ready to protest, but as if right on cue, Recovery Girl entered the room, carrying a glass of water with her.

The petite old lady stood by Midoriya's, opening her palm to reveal a pair of pills in her cracked by age hands. "I figured you would need this. Seeing as you are already exhausted, I don't want to toll your body even more by using my quirk. But these painkillers should do" Expertly, she helped Midoriya swallow down the much needed pain killers. The boy gulped down the water, welcoming the cool sensation in his dry throat.

"Did Kacchan fill you in on what happened?" Midoriya asked.

"Yes, young Bakugou has made sure to give me a detailed report"

"I am sorry, All Might. I...I should have been more careful. I was hasty."

"Don't blame yourself, young man" All Might reassured. "This isn't your fault. If anything, we should have taken far more care in determining the true nature of these villains; we had initially thought they were mere small-timers. But we were wrong, so don't blame yourself for anything that has happened. It is our fault, not yours. I want you to remember than, Midoriya."

Uneasiness settled into his heart, a strange feeling of panic Midoriya bubbled up that the boy couldn't explain. There was something incredibly solemn in All Might's tone and his bad feeling was becoming more prominent. "All Might...did...did something happen?" he repeated, unable to hide the trepidation from his voice

Pushing his chair forward, All Might regarded him with a dreadful look. "Midoriya...there isn't an easy way to say this, but please, try to stay calm. We don't know what that villain did to you exactly, but whatever it is, it has taken One for All from you."

His heart skipped a bit. A stressing weight suddenly crashed upon his chest threatening to suffocate him. This couldn't be. This couldn't possibly mean...

"How is it possible? Can't...can't I just swallow your hair again?"

Regret contorted All Might's thin face. "Unfortunately it's not that simple. He hasn't just taken one for all from you, he blocked it, it doesn't matter how many of my hairs you swallow. Your ability to use any quirk has been blocked. I am hoping this is something temporary but, for now and for the time to come, you won't be able to use one for all"

It felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice cold water on top of his head. Midoriya simply stared at All Might, mouth gaping, expression frozen. He couldn't comprehend this. He simply couldn't accept the fact that three years of intense training had led to this moment, the moment he would be quirkless, useless Deku yet again.

His hands clenched into fists around the white sheets. The boy bit his quivering lip as the situation finally settled. "I am sorry, All Might" he sniffled, tone wobbly as the boy struggled not to be overwhelmed by the tears that had already pooled in the corner of his eyes. "I am sorry" He didn't know what else to say, each word that rolled out of his mouth made his throat feel tighter. The crack in his voice caused All Might to bend forward, resting a hand on the upset boy's leg.

"Young man, you have done nothing wrong" his voice was steady, reassuring, the hand on Midoriya's leg slightly tightening in a gesture of comfort. "Heroes face many obstacles. A true hero will always carry on, no matter what. And you, Midoriya Izuku..." All Might patted his leg. "...You are a true hero, and you will overcome this. I have all the faith in you"

All Might stood up, clearing his throat. "I reckon you need some time alone. Do rest, young man." With one last nod, the blond man turned on his heel, exiting the hospital along with Recovery girl who had been waiting in the corner.

"Izuku, are you alright baby?"

It was a rare sight for Midoriya to walk into his house without a smile and a tight embrace to greet his mother. No matter what sort of trouble he may be facing, no matter what persistent turmoil tormented his young head; he always flashed a smile to his mother. He didn't want her to worry. So, when the boy walked in, eyes sunken and face blank, headed straight towards the stairs it had gotten Inko Midoriya concerned, especially after her baby's curt response:

"Fine, mum. Just tired"

Had Midoriya known that he had left his mother with a troubled expression distorting her round face, he'd have tried to reassure her before locking himself up in his room. But, the boy's face muscles, like every single nerve on his body felt numb. He crashed on his unmade bed, green eyes fixed on the ceiling over his head. His limbs tingled with sporadic spams of pain, but he didn't care much about any physical wound. With slow, pained movements he brought his right hand near his face and stared at it. He studied the delicate cracks on his palm, the inevitable result of countless of push ups. His slender fingers were marked with pale scars on their base, workout and training wounds. Those were scars he had earned with sweat, hard work and many sleepless nights. An endless battle to master a quirk bigger than him, bigger than anything he had ever handled in his life, a quirk that he had now lost.

His lower lip was unconsciously trembling and the boy tried to bite it to a stop. But then the tears started cascading down his cheeks like a waterfall. The tightness torturing his chest had just grown too overwhelming to handle.

Why?

His eyes drifted to the countless posters of All Might, proudly hanged on his walls. The hero he had looked up to for all his life blissfully grinned at him.

Why?

Why him? All his childhood he had wished to be a hero, all his childhood he had wished for a miracle. That miracle had occurred when one for all had been given to him. It had felt as if a missing piece had finally been put into place. Now that it was gone, the boy suddenly felt hollow, incomplete, as if he had lost a limb. People regarded quirks as something taken for granted, like an arm or a leg. But for Midoriya, who stumbled and tumbled his whole quirkless childhood through a path of people with quirks and abilities to match their dreams, it was a blessing and he couldn't believe that he had lost it because of his own carelessness.

Without a quirk, he was nothing.

The mere thought of it was like an iron hand clenching his heart tight, making the boy lift his arm and cover his weeping face with it.

Without one for all he was back to useless Deku. Useless Deku with dreams bigger than him who took notes over heroes he knew he could never match. Without one for all, he was just a plain-looking, useless teenager.

He swallowed back a sob, afraid that the sounds of his distress would reach his mother's ears.

The sound of a knock plunged the boy out of his misery. Midoriya rapidly wiped his cheeks. "I am not really hungry mum, I will stay in and rest a bit more" he said in the calmest voice he could master in his condition. He heeded for his mother's departing steps, knowing that she would respect his wishes. He froze when he heard the door knob turning instead, the corridor's light invading the darkness of his bedroom.

"Deku"

Midoriya's eyes widened. What was Kacchan doing in here?