The whole class was sitting in their seats, watching their teacher watch them with his arms crossed, a bored expression on his face. They looked at what was written on the board.
"Advocacy?" Yaoyorozu said after writing it in her notebook, reading out loud what everyone else was wondering. "I assume this has to do with our class today."
"Yes," Aizawa finally nodded, having become satisfied with whatever it was he was looking for in their faces. "You're second years now and, more than that, you're starting to become known to the public. The image you're creating now will follow you for the rest of your careers. What nobody tells you about an image is it affects more than your popularity, but also the things you support." He slammed his hand against the writing on the board causing a few students to jump.
"Being a hero is more than just taking down villains and getting merchandise deals, or at least it is if you're halfway decent. It's about saving people, leaving the world better than you found it and that doesn't always happen on the battlefield. Most heroes have some cause that they believe in. I support local shelters for the care and adoption of stray animals. Present Mic has been the face for the Deaf and Mute Society for years. Midnight fights against sexual abuse in the Hero industry."
He looked over at them with dull, calculating eyes. "I'm sure you all have a cause that means something to you, something you want to help change. For the next few days, I want you to think about what it is you believe in and do a short presentation for the class on Friday. I understand the Sports Festival is only three weeks away but I still expect you to put in full effort," his eyes flashed and his hair rose for a moment in warning before flattening again. "You're not obligated to carry on these causes as pros but now is the time to start thinking about where you stand, about what kind of hero you want to be. Now get working, I'm taking a nap so don't bother me unless someone's dying."
That said, he walked over to his desk, sat down and let his head loudly thump against it as he apparently went right to sleep. Ojiro looked over at Shouji, mouthing 'is he okay?' but the other boy shrugged as he opened a blank page in his notebook. Several other students did the same, talking among themselves or biting their lips over an empty page.
Uraraka was running her fingers through her hair, unintentionally causing various strands to stand on end. Todoroki was staring blankly out the window, a thoughtful expression on his face. Bakugou would scribble something only to furiously cross it out, cursing and growling before repeating the cycle anew.
Midoroya was the only one writing consistently. His pen was flying across the page as if death was nipping at his heels, waiting to steal away his next words. He had an intense, focused look as he wrote, seemingly not noticing the world around him. Aizawa, who most definitely was not asleep at his desk, watched the green haired boy with curiosity and a bit of trepidation.
Whatever cause had gripped the problem child of his class so tenaciously was sure to be both interesting and headache inducing.
XxX
"I'm kind of excited for this project," Ochako said, drumming her fingers on the table. "You think being a hero is all about saving people but the idea that I can help fix some of the other problems out there... it feels good," she cheered to herself, holding her fists against her chest. She had never stopped feeling inadequate over wanting to be a hero for the paycheck. Maybe in her advocacy work she could make a real difference in the world.
"We'll probably be busy as pros if Aizawa-sensei is anything to go by," Tsuyu said. "But I think it's great to support a cause you believe in. What ideas were you thinking of, Ochako-chan?"
"I don't know," Ochako pouted a little, bringing her finger to her chin in thought. "I was thinking something along the lines of helping rural kids get into hero schools." She frowned, "is it selfish to pick things that directly affected me?"
"I don't think so," Iida stated, looking up from his phone where he's been studiously researching since class let out. "It means that you've personally experienced a gap in our society and wish to rectify it. I myself am frequently appalled at how little the Hero Commission supports injured and retired heroes like my brother. I fully intend to explore the topic for our project and see what I can do now to get involved."
"Do you think it has to be related to heroes?" Todoroki asked quietly, picking at his food. He seemed more distant and lost in thought than normal.
"I don't think so, ribbit," Tsuyu croaked. "It's easy to forget but the whole world doesn't revolve around heroes. What are you thinking of, Todo-chan?"
"I want to help people escape from abusive situations, give families a safe place to start over," Todoroki said quietly. Iida set down his phone and Ochako stopped chewing to stare at her classmate, someone she's just realizing she knows next to nothing about.
"I want to know what Midoriya is writing so much about," he diverted suddenly with a cough, turning to Deku who'd been silent the entire time. Well, not quite silent Ochako smirked to herself, thinking about the string of incomprehensible mutterings that had been background noise throughout the entire conversation. It said something that they've all learned to tune Deku out while he's lost in his own head.
"It's gotta be something with heroes," Ochako grinned, leaning over to tap Deku's notebook with her chopsticks. "He's the biggest hero nerd I know, maybe something about preventing injuries among heroes?"
"Tsuyu-san's right," Deku said, surprisingly serious, not even looking up from his notes. "Not everything is about heroes." He frowned and scratched out whatever he'd just written rather aggressively. "In fact, I think that's half the problem."
"Oh, that's an interesting perspective to hear from you, Midoriya," Iida said. He looked uneasy as he continued. "I know you and I trust your heart but you almost sound like-"
"Like Stain?" Deku said with an eye roll. "He was a murderer and a nutjob but he wasn't wrong when he said the system was flawed." He set down his pen and flexed his scarred hand before lacing his fingers together in front of his face. "We put so much emphasis on heroes in our society. It's all kids see on TV, all they talk about, the only career most have in mind from the moment their quirk comes in. But not everyone can be a hero and that's ... that's not a bad thing." There's a hitch in his voice at the end before he looks away.
"But you love heroes," Todoroki said, interrupting the awkward silence that followed.
"I know, and sometimes I wonder if things would've been better if I didn't." Deku said with a smile, but it wasn't a nice smile. It was bitter and frustrated and sad. It wasn't the Deku she saw every day and yet... this was still him. A reflection she'd missed beneath the smiles and curls.
"Better how?" Iida questioned. Deku chose not to answer, picking his pen back up and going back to his notes. The conversation was stilted after that, slow and hesitant as they struggled to reach the earlier flow. The bell rang soon after and Deku left without a word, taking his notes having not had a single thing to eat the entire period.
Ochako watched him go with a frown. She thinks she's doing it again, taking something important and making it less serious than it was. Deku was always changing her perspectives like that. He was the kindest person she knew but also the most driven, so desperate to get to the next level. She wondered what compelled him, about what he went through before he came to Yuuei that weighed on him.
Ochako had a feeling she was going to find out, whether they were ready or not.
XxX
Today's Heroics lecture was outside which was always nice. Shouto angled his head closer to the sun and if it gave him a good view of the light glinting off Midoriya's green hair, then so be it.
"This exercise has three purposes," Midnight-sensei said walking boldly in front of them. "One, patrolling is a standard part of Heroics. You've done it in your internships and other classes but more opportunities to get a feel for it is always good. Two, I know it's advocacy week," she said turning to look over her shoulder at their group. "Being out in the world can be a good way to figure out what it is you want to represent in your future careers."
Uraraka bounced a little on her feet as they walked and Iida looked torn between listening intently and continuing to scroll through insurance policies on his phone. Midoriya was staring in the distance, eyes flicking over the crowds they passed. He'd been quiet since the start of the week, presumably due to his secret advocacy project. Shouto still hadn't worked out if it would be overstepping to ask about it.
"And the third reason, ribbit?" Tsuyu asked.
"Wahhh! It's Midnight!" A fan from a passing group of middle schoolers squealed, skipping over as she dug into her bag for something. She popped over and dipped into a bow, holding out a notebook and gel pen. "I would, like, die for your autograph!"
"Oh there's no need for that," Midnight-sensei cheered as she took the notebook.
"Oh man, you're Yuuei students! Ain't you the ones that have had all those attacks and stole the show in last year's Festival? You were the hunky second place winner," she said pointing to Shouto before moving on to Midoriya, "and you're the psycho who broke all his fingers fightin' him!"
"Sakura!" One of her friends shouted behind her, "you can't just go around calling people psychos!" Sakura ignored her friends and took back her signed notebook from Midnight.
"I'm totally lookin' forward to seeing how you guys top that this year. Can I get your autographs, I'm sure it'll be worth something once ya debut as real heroes," she said with a broad smile as she held out her notebook to them. Shouto smiled, she reminded him of Utsushimi which is why he took the notebook and signed his name before passing it to Uraraka.
"You know that first place explosion guy, Bakugou, went to my middle school," the girl Sakura said with a proud little smirk. "Me and a couple others are going to try out for Yuuei ourselves next year and get our names up on the Distinguished Graduates board."
"Yeah, I recognized your uniform, Aldera right?" Midoriya said heavily as he signed his own name. "Kacc- I mean Bakugou and I both went there, we were in the same homeroom."
"No way, really?" Sakura gushed, "No, you're messing with me. Our teachers bring up Bakugou like, all the time. They'd totally brag if two students got selected for the hero track."
"I'm not that surprised," Midoriya said with a sad smile as he returned her notebook. "I was probably the last person in my grade people expected to be a hero." Shouto blinked at that, exchanging incredulous looks with the others.
Midoriya was the most heroic person he'd met; the whole class, whether they admitted it or not, was inspired by him. At some point, during late nights in the dorms, they'd all tossed alternate careers if Heroics hadn't worked out. All except for Midoriya who enthusiastically commented on their hypothetical jobs but never voiced his own. No one ever called him on it because everyone knew this was where he was meant to be.
"Underdog, cool," Sakura said. "I'll be rooting for ya! Plus Ultra!" With a final grin and a peace sign, she ran back over to where her friends were, her notebook held proudly above her head.
"And third, the Sports Festival is right around the corner and self-promotion is important for your future brand," MIdnight-sensei continued with a giggle before gesturing for them to continue. They all started forward, except for Midoriya who was still watching the group of students walk away.
"Midoriya, we still have several more blocks to cover," Iida said, adjusting his glasses. Midoriya just pressed his lips together and forced himself to look away.
"Sorry just, seeing that uniform again, it brings back memories..." Midoriya trailed off before catching up to them, still with a thoughtful look on his face. Shouto frowned, it didn't sound like he was recalling good memories. He was well acquainted with the feeling.
"They seem like nice kids," Uraraka added helpfully.
"They always do at first," Midoriya sighed to himself before going back to scanning through the crowd. There was a story there, no more than that. Shouto had a feeling that all the incongruous parts that he didn't understand about Midoriya were wrapped up in that statement.
He wanted to ask, he wanted to break down those barriers like Midoriya had done for him almost a year ago. And he would, later, when they weren't in class, weren't surrounded by listening ears, when he learned to offer the help he could never ask for.
XxX
"Man, is it advocacy week already?" Present Mic announced cheerily during class. "Seems like just yesterday I was screaming at you during the Entrance Exam and now here you are, almost halfway to graduation. You kids grow up so fast" He sniffed loudly, wiping at his eyes before clapping his hands and he was back to his usual exuberance. "Anyway, in my class you'll be working on how to market and promote your cause. It's all well and good to believe in something but ya gotta make other people believe in it too. Who here has ideas?" Izuku ducked his head, burying himself back in his notebook.
"Sensei," Yaoyorozu said quietly but confidently, raising her hand. "I would like to tackle gender discrepancies in the male dominated industries like STEM fields or Heroics. I want other girls to know that they have just as much right to be there as the boys."
"What an excellent idea!" Present Mic enthused. "We need more women in Heroics, they bring such a fresh perspective. You'd be great at that, leading by example however you gotta own it, young listener. Do you think you're up for it?"
"Yes, I believe I will be," Yaoyorozu said, lifting her chin and holding firm. Izuku smiled to himself as he toyed anxiously with his pencil. She'd come so far from the shy, insecure girl from their first year. She would make such a good hero and role model for young girls. If he closed his eyes, he could almost see the headlines. It was humbling sometimes, to realize he was standing in the middle of history being made.
"Yes! Kaminari! What are your grand plans?" Mic- Sensei continued.
"I wanna address mental health issues, I'm not sure yet if I want it to be specifically for heroes or people in general." Kaminari answered with an awkward shrug. "You know I got ADHD real bad and I took so much flak for it when I was a kid. I want others to know it's okay to have trouble with that kinda stuff, maybe help direct them to resources it took me like, forever, to find."
"Man, Kaminari," Kirishima said, leaning over to give his friend a punch in the shoulder. "That is such a rad idea. Being open about your struggles, making it easier for others to come forward. That's super awesome, I think you'll help a lot of people that way."
"Thanks dude, that's the plan," Kaminari said, obviously trying to act relaxed but his wobbly voice betrayed him. Izuku's heart felt full as he went back to his notes. Over the course of the last few days, he'd managed to fill up over a dozen pages of thoughts and plans. He hadn't written that much, that quickly since All Might first gave him the details of One For All. He tapped his pencil anxiously.
It all came back to One For All, didn't it? It was because of that quirk, because of All Might, that he was sitting here right now. His impossible dream only came within reach because of a chance encounter, a once in a lifetime miracle most people would never have. But now that he was in Yuuei, soon to be a fully licensed Pro Hero, his words had weight in a way they hadn't a few years ago. Izuku bit into his bottom lip. He just needed to figure out how to make those words count.
"You're doing a lot of mumbling over here, Midoriya, what's that big brain of yours thinking up?" He hadn't noticed Present Mic had wandered over his way until he felt the older hero's shadow over him, scanning his notes. He slapped his hand over the paper but it was too late. "Quirkless rights?" He asked curiously. "Now that's a surprise, where'd that come from?"
"I, uh, well you see," he stammered. Izuku glanced over at Kacchan who was looking at him like he was some kind of idiot. He knew it was dangerous to talk about his quirk or rather lack thereof but he couldn't just pretend it all didn't happen. The thought of other kids suffering like he did burned inside, somewhere where all the injuries and slurs he endured still lived.
"I mean most Quirkless people are my grandfather's age," Present Mic continued. "I'm not saying it's not an important topic but it's not really relevant in this day and age."
Izuku liked to consider himself a pretty easy going guy. He prided himself on being kind when he didn't need to be, accommodating and, no matter what Aizawa-sensei claimed, not one to create problems. But in that moment, every bit of goodwill drained out of him.
"Not relevant?" He asked quietly, rage tightening his voice like a screw. Yuuei wasn't Aldera Middle School, nor Yavin Elementary or Endor Preschool but to have his experiences dismissed out of hand, to act as if the bullying and isolation and suicide baiting never occured... He gripped the sides of his desk until his knuckles were white. "Not relevant ?" Izuku asked again, louder and with more feeling.
"Oh you're in for it now," he vaguely heard Kacchan huff from the other side of the room. The rest of the class was dead quiet. Present Mic held up his hands in a soothing manner but beneath his glasses, he looked surprised.
"Woah calm down, I didn't mean anything by it," he began, "just that-"
"Are you telling me that the suffering of Quirkless people all over the world isn't important enough for a hero's attention?" He asked roughly, forcing himself to let go of the desk before he broke it. "That someone has to meet a certain threshold before I can bother to care about them?"
"Of course not," Mic-sensei gaped looking at Izuku like he'd never seen him before. And he probably hadn't. Izuku had kept his depression and anger hidden so well, that the others might not have seen it. But it had been suppressed for so long that he couldn't put the metaphorical lid back on his indignation now.
"The Quirkless have been invisible since quirks became the majority, people would much rather pretend they don't exist than consider that quirks might not be the only thing that matters. It's not even about being a hero it's about being given basic human decency!" Izuku doesn't know when he stood but his chair was half kicked over and his teacher was backing up in shock.
"Midoriya, please sit down and-"
"They deserve to be cared for, to be represented and I will not be a hero who stands by and ignores the obvious problems with society while everyone else just watches and promotes their fucking brand." Izuku shouted, his voice echoing through the classroom. He panted from the force of the outburst, feeling both exhausted and wound up all at once. Everyone's wide eyes were heavy on him. All except for Kacchan who was looking away with a vaguely constipated face.
"Midoriya, detention, after school," Mic said resolutely, rapping at his desk to regain control of the situation. "Take a lap around the school, drink some water, don't come back until you've cooled down." Shaking slightly, Izuku started to gather up his things, starting with his notebook. "Kid," Sensei said, quieter, more gently. "Leave it here, I think a break will do you some good."
"Yeah," Izuku breathed, trying to put himself together and stuff all those ugly feelings away. "I uh," an apology was on his lips, for his rudeness to a teacher and hero he respected but he couldn't force it out. He was too full of something he couldn't name to speak the words that were a constant in his childhood, apologizing just for existing. Later maybe, but not now. "Right, I'll just uh go then." He said, ducking his head and walking out of class.
XxX
"Hey," Toshinori said, quietly knocking on the door, "can I come in?"
"You're uh," Young Midoroya said with a small smile. "You're the teacher, I don't think you need to ask permission. I didn't even know you mediated detentions."
"Well I am a full-time teacher now, I need to get used to even the most mundane of activities," Toshinori said, stepping inside and shutting the door. The fact that Aizawa had grabbed him as he was leaving and told Toshinori to 'take care of his kid' had nothing to do with it. "I hear there was an incident in English today."
The boy's half smile fell as he shrugged and looked out the window. He was hunched over, making him look smaller than he was. It was days like these Toshinori could clearly see the skinny, stuttering Quirkless kid he never really stopped being.
"Do you want to talk about it, my boy?" He asked, leaning against the desk rather than trying to fit his lanky self into one of those tiny chairs. "You don't have to but you worried a lot of people today."
"How did you forget?" Young Midoriya asked. "How did you forget what it was like to be Quirkless?"
"I," Toshinori said, ready to defend himself but found he couldn't. Losing One For All for good made him realize that he truly had forgotten what it meant to be useless, overlooked and scared. He still had the care and respect of his fans and coworkers luckily but he knew his successor didn't have that same luxury growing up. "Time, I suppose. I was so busy training at the beginning and then later making my way up the rankings. I'm afraid there wasn't much time for self-reflection. I was trying to be a hero for the whole country. I thought if I saved people indiscriminately that I could it would make things better for everyone."
"Well I can't forget," Young Midoriya said sternly. "It's part of who I am, as much as One For All is."
"My boy," Toshinori sighed.
"When we first met. You told me someone without a quirk couldn't be a hero. One For All aside, how could you forget what that feels like, to be dismissed like you're nothing," the boy continued with a raw ache in his voice. There was something in his eyes that twisted what remained of Toshinori's guts.
"You were the Number One for years, people were tripping over themselves to hear what you had to say. You saved countless lives, gave money to charity and spoke against villany," Young Midoriya's eyes were shiny with frustrated tears. "But you never talked about the Quirkless even though you'd been there. Do you know what that would have meant to me, to Kacchan and the other bullies, to the people hurting out there right now ?"
Disappointment , he realized with dread as he looked into those brilliant emerald eyes. His successor was disappointed in him. It cut as deep as the wound in his side.
"I," he had excuses, plenty of them. Lack of time, his single minded focus on his goal to be a symbol and later his injury. But all that felt so flat in the face of his boy's suffering. "I'm sorry," was all he could say.
"No, I'm sorry," Young Midoriya said, ducking his head and wiping furiously at his eyes. "That wasn't fair of me. You were already doing so much, even as a kid I never expected you to come and magically fix everything."
But I should have , Toshinori thought sadly as he opened his arms. Still so shy to contact, his successor slowly shuffled out of his seat until Toshi could hold him close where the world couldn't hurt him. He squeezed as tight as his weak arms could allow.
"Is it bad, that I can't move on?" Young Midoriya asked softly into his shoulder. "I know as your successor, my first duty is to you and One For All. If I'm going to be the top hero, a Symbol, I need to be a hero for everyone, like you were."
"No," Toshinori stressed, pulling his boy back to look him in the eyes. "No, your first and only duty is to yourself, to your heart. I am here to guide you, but Deku is going to be a very different hero than All Might and that's a good thing."
He cupped Young Midoriya's cheek. It was still childishly round and yet he had grown so much in the short time Toshinori had known him. He was going to be an adult and a pro before Toshi had a chance to blink. "You're right, I didn't really fix anything. I just kept the status quo and told people there was no reason to be afraid. But you know there are things to fear out there but through all that you kept your heart strong. You're going to be a symbol of hope, my boy, telling everyone, the heroes, the villains, the downtrodden, that we can make things better."
"It might affect my ranking, being too political like that," Young Midoriya said with a frown.
"Son," Toshinori explained with a soft sigh, "having been at the top I can assure you that it's just a number. All I care about is that you're happy and you're using One For All to do good. So do what I couldn't do, make things better for those who need it. "
"All Might," Young Midoriya said with a wobbly little voice. "This is detention, I'm here to be punished not-not..."
"No, you're here to become the best hero you can be," he knew that much at least. "It's okay, you still have time to make mistakes and learn from them. Do what you do best, do your research, put together a plan then make a stand. And if you ever need advice or just a hug, you have plenty of open arms available."
The boy buried his face back into Toshinori's shoulder, clutching the back of his jacket with a desperation that was familiar. He'd seen it on a deserted street when he'd told a hurt child that he could be a hero. But that young man was strong now, in mind and body, strong enough to look at all the unacknowledged pain in the world and say 'no more'.
Toshi stroked his successor's wild, curly hair. A new era was on the cusp of dawning, something bold and bright that people wouldn't be able to look away from. If he looked closely, he could almost see those first rays glowing on the horizon.
XxX
"Deku! You're back!" Katsuki looked up from his chopping at Uraraka's announcement where, sure enough, Deku was slipping off his shoes at the door. Detention should have been over a while ago so why was the nerd so late in coming back?
"Man, Aizawa must've really torn into you, huh?" Raccoon Eyes said sympathetically, "guess he didn't like you talking to his hubby like that."
"Yeah man, what the heck even happened back in class?" Lightning Moron shouted, drawing even more attention to Deku. "I've never seen you that pissed outside of life or death situations."
"Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. I'm just working on my project and it's been affecting me more than I thought it would," Deku shrugged, looking up and making eye contact with Katsuki. He frowned and went back to chopping, more aggressively than before.
"So Quirkless rights, huh?" Invisible girl said from the couch.
"Something like that. I still have a few more days to work on it but All Might gave me a lot to think about." All Might, huh? He should be the one telling Deku to cut it out with the Quirkless shit but it sounds like all he did was encourage the nerd. Katsuki's not all that surprised, All Might's soft spot for Deku could fill Japan and then some but they needed to be more careful.
"May I ask what it is about the Quirkless that has you so perturbed?" Glasses asked with a frown. "I've never heard you mention them before and yet you seemed very, well, passionate about the topic." Deku looked thoughtful for a moment and Katsuki knew that he was about to spill his guts.
"There was a Quirkless kid in our grade, before Yuuei," he interrupted, keeping his head down as he dumped his chopped vegetables into a bowl. "Most of us put that poor bastard through a lot of shit he didn't deserve. It got ugly and no one gave a fuck, not our parents or teachers or other heroes."
"It's pretty rare for someone in this era to be born Quirkless," Ponytail said, tilting her head. "I imagine that must have been very difficult for your friend, being so different."
"He wasn't my friend," Katsuki said curtly, avoiding all eye contact. Even still, he could feel Deku's eyes on him. "We were once, but then I got cocky, treated him like shit. I don't deserve to call him a friend but I will, I'll become the best goddamn hero out there and earn that right back."
"I don't think it's up to you," Deku said cooly, "if he forgives you or not." Katsuki stopped his mixing for a moment, surprised and a little hurt if he was being honest. This wasn't how Deku was supposed to act; he was always pushing back at Katsuki, challenging him to be better. But he'd never had Deku slam the door in his face before.
"I don't think I could forgive someone who'd hurt me," Half n Half said with a frown. "Even if they had regrets, made improvement, it doesn't invalidate what happened." Right, Endeavor was still the Number One but he's banned from stepping foot inside of Yuuei and the rest of the family had restraining orders. But he's not Endeavor and Deku was no victim. At least, he wasn't anymore.
They didn't really talk about it but when Katsuki locked eyes with Deku and nodded towards the door 20 minutes before curfew, the nerd still followed. They didn't go far, walking just far enough that no one would be able to hear their conversation.
"Deku," Katsuki started.
"I know," Deku frowned, "I know that, this time, you're trying to look out for me. I know you want to stop me from making a mistake but I don't need you to censor me, Kacchan. This is my choice, I know what I'm doing."
"I'm not trying to," Katsuki defended heatedly. "I get that you're angry, you've got a right to be but this shit with All Might and One For All is bigger than your feelings."
"You're right," Deku said sternly, "it's not about me. It's about every other kid out there who's got a weak quirk or a villainous quirk or no quirk at all. I shouldn't have had to go through that and I'm gonna make sure no one else has to. The government and the Hero Commission can't stop me from saying what needs to be said, what should have been addressed ages ago. "
"It's career suicide to talk like that, Deku," Katsuki hissed. "You'll never-"
"I thought about it before," Deku said, his face and his voice completely blank. "Suicide, I mean." Katsuki choked on his words, unable to remember what he'd been about to say. Everything was lost in the face of what Deku had just told him.
"I," the nerd stuttered, looking away, "I don't think I was to the point of being serious about it, All Might saw to that. But I thought about it, enough that I had a plan. I was going to leave my mom a note telling her I was running away. I was going to go somewhere remote, where no one would ever find the body, and finally make the hurting stop." He finally looked up, holding Katsuki's stare and not letting him go. "It could have been days or it could have been years. But I would have broken one day, Kacchan and that would have been it."
Katsuki's mouth was dry, there was so much going through his head but, for once, he couldn't voice them. Deku would never... he'd been the one constant in Katsuki's life. Half the reason he'd gone so hard on the nerd is because he'd known, on some level, that he could take it. But even the biggest stones were worn down with enough time and pressure.
"Things are better now, I would never even think of that but no matter how famous I become or how strong I get, I will never forget my weakest moments when I wondered if I'd be better off deadl." Katsuki gagged a little bit, still feeling shaky and disoriented. But like Deku had said, this wasn't about him.
"So what are you going to do?" Katsuki asked quietly.
"I don't know yet," Deku said just as quietly. They only had a few more minutes before Sensei started looking for them. "I'm still putting together my presentation for Friday but this is bigger, much bigger. You're right that it'll probably affect my popularity but I can't let that stop me. I could," he looked up shyly, "I could use your thoughts. You know what it's like to be on the other side, you could help me."
"Would it make a difference?" Katsuki growled.
"It would to me," Deku responded, "and to a lot of other people, I'm sure. You're going to be a great hero, Kacchan, they'll listen to you."
"Yeah," Kasuki huffed, not clarifying if it was an agreement or not and Deku didn't ask. They had time to figure all that shit out later but for now, this was enough. "I meant what I said back in the dorms, I'm gonna keep getting better and earn your forgiveness."
"Oh Kacchan," Deku smiled, "I always forgave you, every single time. But I never forgot what you did, what cruelty you were capable of and I never will. That's something we're both going to have to live with."
"I guess," Katsuki said, almost relieved. He'd often worried about backtracking, falling back into bad habits, toxic views - but as long as Deku was around, he wouldn't let Katsuki go down that road again. "Come on, lets get inside before ole Tired Eyes starts bitching."
XxX
"- and that concludes my plan to help encourage healthy eating in both children and adults to decrease obesity and illness in Japan. Thank you." Sato said with a quick bow before pulling his mock posters and notes off the chalkboard.
"Marvelous job, Sato," Nemuri said while clapping. "Nutrition is a great choice, it's an important topic, related to your quirk and something you're passionate about."
"You're off to a great start too," Hizashi added with two thumbs up. "That's a pretty solid plan, keep working it and you might be able to start up that food drive by the end of the year."
"Yes, good work," Shouta said with a nod and watched as Sato flushed. He was well known as a strict teacher who didn't give praise lightly. The fact that most students had received positive comments from him spoke more to their thoroughness and dedication than to any supposed softness on his part. No matter what Hizashi's annoying leg kicks teased at. "Midoriya, you're up next." Yagi sat up straighter as his kid walked to the front of the classroom.
Shouta was curious and a bit wary about whatever Midoriya had come up with for his project. The problem child had been unusually moody since the week had begun. He hardly ever took his nose out of his notes, Nemuri had called him distant during their patrol and of course, there was his explosive outburst to Hizashi a few days ago.
Midoriya had the potential to be one of the greatest heroes with the power to effect great change in the world. What he said now could end up shaping the future. Shouta laced his fingers together as Midoriya started his slideshow presentation.
"Hundreds of years ago, people were born without any kind of special ability. No one knows what happened to cause that change but soon more and more people were being born with superpowers called quirks. Initially, those with quirks were ostracized for their differences but as time passed and they became more prevalent, soon the Quirkless became the unwanted minority." Shouta frowned, there was a stubborn blankness to Midoriya's face, the kind he saw when the kid was trying not to lose himself to his emotions.
He clicked through the slides, going through the frankly horrifying statistics about the state of the Quirkless in Japan. Hizashi shuffled uncomfortably next to him and Shouta set a hand on his knee as discreetly as he could. His husband still felt bad about his accidentally insensitive comment the other day. Prejudice could be found in the most well meaning and unexpected of places. True growth was only born from a willingness to understand so, eyes and ears open, Shouta listened to his student speak.
"- even though there should be laws in place to prevent these kinds of discriminations, schools and corporations are often able to get around them. It's difficult to prove that a student or employee was turned away due to their quirk so they can give all sorts of reasons. Another tactic is to drive the unwanted away by ignoring verbal and physical harassment and, in general, isolating the person in the hopes they'll leave of their own volition." Midoriya's voice spoke with increasing bitterness, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side with aggravation.
He was responding far too much for the topic to be just a hobby. Shouta frowned, thinking of how Midoriya had been at the start of his first year and some very unfortunate puzzle pieces began to click together. The kid paused and took a deep breath before looking at his classmates head on with a determined look in his eyes.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I chose to cover Quirkless discrimination. Like Mic-sensei said, they're a rapidly decreasing minority, but that doesn't mean we don't exist," he said solemnly as he flipped to the next slide. Shouta sighed, he hated it when he was right.
It was a picture of Midoriya from his middle school yearbook, he looked scared and miserable, hunching in on himself under the judgemental weight of the camera. Underneath, it listed his name, grade and next to quirk was a simple N/A.
"You all asked me so many times why I had such trouble managing my quirk last year and it's because I had only just gotten a hold of it. For almost 15 years, I was considered Quirkless. Teachers ignored and often encouraged the constant harassment, I was denied internship applications out of hand and I didn't have any friends until I stepped onto Yuuei's campus for the first time," his voice grew thick towards the end and Iida and Uraraka started to stand up to comfort him but he waved them down.
"W-wait," he struggled to recover, "this isn't about me. I was hurt, very badly by people close to me." No one looked over at Bakugou but he and Shouta certainly would be having the first of many conversations later. "But I want to use that understanding to help other kids who may be in similar situations. I wanted to be a hero ever since I was a kid because I never wanted someone to be made to feel as worthless as I'd been." The slide changed and Shouta buried himself in his scarf so his pride didn't show.
"That's why I want to promote equality for all, everyone deserves to be treated with basic respect regardless of their quirk. We all know it's not just the Quirkless who experience discrimination; people with weak, non-useful quirks suffer abuse too. Those with obvious mutations have been looking for equal rights for decades and so called villainous quirks often become a self fulfilling prophecy." Midoriya said, starting out shaky but getting more sure with every word. He straightened his back and held his head high, as he proved once more that he really was the successor to All Might, similar quirk or not.
"I will promote a better and brighter world, where a diagnosis of quirklessness is not treated as a death sentence. A world where your quirk doesn't define you or your life. Heroics should be just another public service job, not a cult people base their whole life around. I know I love heroes and I always will, but I sincerely hope by the time I retire that we will have our first Quirkless hero and that no one will be denied the right to go after their dreams. Thank you," he bowed deeply, his hands gripping the material of his pants.
Yagi was the first to start clapping, slow but with purpose. It didn't take long for the rest of the room to join in. Nemuri set down her grading sheet and stood up, clapping loudly. Hizashi, who'd covertly started filming halfway through, looked close to tears. The students were cheering, Kirishima banging on his desk, Hagakure bouncing up and down from her seat, Dark Shadow bobbing back and forth. Even Bakugou, who'd been quiet following his presentation on early villain prevention programs, clapped once or twice.
Shouta let it continue for a moment longer than he normally would, long enough for Midoriya to straighten himself up and look with awe and surprise at the support he was receiving. Support he undoubtedly didn't receive until last year.
"Enough," Shouta said loud enough for his voice to echo. Still it took another minute for the class to quiet down completely. "Good work, Midoriya. You have a tough task ahead of you but I believe you can make a difference."
"T-t-thank you, Sensei!" He cheered, still somewhat starstruck.
"But in order to care for the world, you first need to care for yourself," he said harshly. "I should not be hearing this for the first time now but I will make immediate corrections to your training. Therapy and quirk counseling will be mandatory starting tomorrow."
"Wait I," Midoriya said, gawking at him. He seemed to realize, after a moment, it was a natural consequence of admitting he'd gone without counselling for his entire life. "Yeah okay, I understand," he said in a burst of maturity as he scurried back to his desk. His classmates reached out to him as he passed, gentle pats and quiet congratulations. As he sat down, he looked more happy and assured than Shouta thinks he'd ever seen him.
"Aoyama, you're up next and if you so much as think about throwing glitter in my classroom again, you're expelled," Shouta huffed, trying to steer the class back on track. Still, he couldn't help letting his eyes linger an extra moment on Midoriya.
He might need to amend his earlier assumption. Perhaps Deku wasn't going to simply follow in All Might's footsteps, be another unstoppable god for the masses to worship. No, he was going to be something better than that. And All Might wasn't even all that upset if the achingly proud look on his face was anything to go by.
XxX
"What a tournament folks!" Present Mic shouted to the adoring crowds as the Sports Festival concluded. "Our second years certainly have come a long way since their debut. Let's give our winners another round of applause!" The sound of clapping and cheering was deafening, especially at the epicenter. Uraraka proudly accepted her bronze medal with a determined expression and tears in her eyes. Honenuki from Class B took his silver medal with a humble nod of the head.
"And in first place, the boy who completely reworked his style from his memorable showing last year to dominate the tournament, Midoriya Izuku!"
"My boy," All Might said shakily, looking like he was about to cry as he gently looped the gold medal around his student's neck. "You certainly told the world that you're here."
"I did," Midoriya said thickly before accepting the microphone from his mentor, "and I've still got more to say." Taking a deep breath, he brought the microphone up to his mouth.
"Thank you everyone, both here and at home, for your support; your support and encouragement helped see me through to the end." He paused, letting the cheers die down before continuing. "It's an honor to be here as I'm sure all you who watched last year realize, it's been a struggle to make it this far." Another glance at All Might before he forged on into unknown territory. Whatever the future may bring, it began now.
"My quirk was too powerful for me to control for a long time, rendering me functionally quirkless until the end of middle school. The view of the world looks a whole lot different from the bottom, which is why I pledge, as both a student and soon to be Pro Hero, to do my best to fight quirk discrimination from the smallest neighborhoods all the way up through the hero rankings." He looked over at his mentor, small and weak in body but his smile shone brighter than sunflowers.
"All Might left us all a legacy to protect and I vow to use the foundation he laid to create a lasting peace everyone can believe in. With hope and hard work, we can create a better future starting today."
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