"How exactly am I supposed to start?"
"However you want. We have all the time you need Izuku."
"...Not all men are created equal. You already know that part. Not all men are treated equal either."
...
Running sucked. After not too long, the legs begin to burn, it becomes hard to breathe, and you sweat uncomfortably. It was especially bad for those who were out of shape.
It was just a shame that it seemed like it was all Izuku did most days.
An eight year old Izuku ran through the empty sidewalks of Musutafu as his "afternoon appointment" chased after him. He was just lucky that the boy with wings was too portly to actually fly. Izuku swerved into an alley, but skidded to a halt as he was met with a chain link fence.
He couldn't turn back. They would get him immediately. And he was far too tired to climb it. So, Izuku did all that he could. He shoved his latest hero journal under his shirt and over his chest to protect it from the explosions in his near future.
Izuku slid down the fence and sat, accepting his fate. And lo and behold, Katsuki and his gang swerved around the corner in the next few seconds. The head of the pack carried the same smug grin and thrill in his blood red eyes that Izuku had grown to fear so much. "What did I tell you about running Deku?" Izuku didn't answer him. "Tch, and what did I say about ignoring me?"
Izuku just put his head down. No matter if he answered or not, he'd get the same beating. Not responding would just get it over with quicker. A nameless lackey scoffed from the side. "He's not talkin' Bakugou."
“Well I guess he really hasn’t learned his lesson about ignoring people. Let’s teach him his manners." The group then closed in on their prey.
...
"...I'd rather skip over this part if you don't mind."
"Of course."
"You might be wondering why I didn't try to at least train myself. To be a hero and to defend myself. If I wanted to be a hero so badly it would make sense that I would try to do something at least. And, why was I so scrawny even though my mother cooks plenty. Well, I did try for awhile. But, it didn't work out too well."
...
"Huuueggh" Izuku vomited onto the ground as a kick rocketed into his stomach.
...
"I couldn't keep a diet due to losing my lunch every other day for one reason or another. Sometimes I was hit. Others my anxiety caused my stomach to reject things and make me lose my appetite. And other times my lunch was stolen or destroyed. And with my overabundance of running, working out would have just made it worse.”
...
Izuku opened the door to the apartment and hobbled in. "Mom?"
No answer.
'Good.' He limped his way into the bathroom and hopped onto his stool in front of the mirror. Luckily they avoided the face this time around, so he didn't have to hide anything there. Bruises sucked, but he bathed himself now that he was old enough. Inko wouldn't see them.
He bandaged up his knees, arms, and anywhere else that needed it. Izuku looked back up into the mirror saw his expression. It looked blank. He knew what to do.
Izuku closed his eyes, and burst them open while putting on his All Might smile. That was better. It wasn't that good yet, but he would get there. Besides, he needed to keep smiling. It was the key to his future. He couldn't keep crying.
Izuku hopped down and made his way into the kitchen. His stomach was now completely empty from earlier. He wasn't hungry, but he needed it. Izuku opened the fridge and hopped up onto another stool to reach the top shelf. But, on the counter next to the appliance, something caught his eye.
An opened letter sat on the counter, which normally Izuku wouldn't care. It wasn't his business and no one would ever send him letters. But, this was different.
Hisashi Midoriya
It was from Dad.
Izuku immediately grabbed the papers and began reading. He hadn't seen his dad in...ever. Izuku could only assume that he had to at least have met him once, he was just too young to remember. Izuku began reading, but there was something off about it. None of it was in handwriting, and there was a signature line at the bottom. Izuku didn't understand most of the words, but there was one word that repeated a lot throughout the document.
Divorce
"Izuku?" The said boy whipped his head around to see Into walk into the kitchen. Her eyes widened when she saw what Izuku was holding.
"Mom, what's a divorce?"
Izuku didn’t smile that night.
…
"Do you hate him?"
Izuku chuckled, "Bakugou or my Dad?"
"Hisashi."
"I tried to. But, I couldn't hate what I never even knew."
"Do you think he's seen you on TV? The Sports Festival is popular all around the world."
"If he did, he still didn't care enough to contact us. So, wherever he is and whatever he does, he's not my dad. Not anymore. And honestly, he never was.”
…
"When did it happen?"
"What?"
"When did you first want to...you know?"
"I'm not really sure. It evolved and grew over time. But, I do know the day the seed was planted."
...
*Boom*
Izuku slumped against the side of the building, smoke flowing from his body as burn and scorch marks covered his body and uniform. The only thing to relieve his pain was the cold rain falling onto the burns. There was no one else with Bakugou this time. It was just him.
"Now, you wanna try again nerd?"
"I-I just...I just want to at least give it a chance. I w-want to try and be a he-"
*Crack*
Katsuki's fist slammed into Izuku's left cheek. "God-Damn it. Why won't you fuckin' listen? You're nothing but a worthless fucking welp. Stop trying to get in my way. Tch, whatever. What's the point in trying to get it through your dense skull?" Katsuki began walking, but stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot." He shot up an fist and Izuku flinched. "Hmhmhm, happy 12th birthday fuck-face."
Katsuki grabbed his bag and umbrella, and took off.
*Get up. C'mon, get up.*
Izuku tried talking to himself, but he simply couldn't. He couldn't find the point in trying to get up. In fact, he couldn't find the point in doing anything at all.
Every day for 8 years. The same cycle over and over. Nothing ever changed before, so why would it now? How exactly would he miraculously become capable of being any kind of hero?
*CCCRRR*
A noise sprung to life above the teen. As Izuku looked up, he could see an air conditioning unit mounted on the side of the building. It was old and rusted, clearly on its last limb. As the heavy winds continued, the rattling of the unit increased. The nails and bolts holding it to the wall loosened by the second.
It was directly over Izuku's head as he laid there on the concrete. If Izuku didn't move, it would fall right on top of him and surely kill him. There was just one issue.
...Izuku didn't care.
It was strange, yet scary to realize. Izuku gazed at the mounted hunk of metal with no emotion. He did his best to feel scared of it or want to move. But, he just couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to move out of its way. It would kill him…
And he was okay with that.
*ERRR*
The air conditioning unit creaked and snapped from its mount, and began its descent to the ground. Izuku closed his eyes and waited for the impact.
*CRASH*
Izuku heard the noise, but felt nothing. The dulling pain of his wounds still remained. Izuku opened his eyes and looked down to his right. The metal box was a crumpled mess next to him, mere inches from his body.
It missed.
Maybe it was the wind. Or maybe it was the way it was mounted and how it tilted. Or maybe it was whatever god's sick idea of teasing him. But, it moved ever so slightly in the air and landed next to Izuku. As Izuku looked down at it, he couldn't help but feel…
Disappointed.
He was still here.
It was there Izuku realized that whoever he was before wasn't there anymore.
And only Deku remained.
…
“Is that how you feel about your injuries?”
“What? No, never. Especially not now. Not with you.”
“...When did you first try?”
...
“...You what?”
Izuku looked down at the papers his mother had just handed him with almost disgust. He didn’t even want to think about such a thing.
“I want you to attend it. I think it will be a nice experience.”
Quirkless Anonymous: Quirkless Aid Movement. Do you feel left behind in this ever-changing world of power? Have you ever hated that fact that you are quirkless? Do you feel like you don’t belong? Please, join our groups and chat with people like you. It can be a life changing experience talking with fellow quirkless and hearing their life experiences. Here, you can learn that quirkless still have a place in this society. We can stand tall with the powerful and contribute to-
Izuku tossed down the papers in disbelief. No. There was no way in Hell he was doing that. He wasn’t going to listen to people delude themselves into thinking society didn’t work the way it did. Trying to trick quirkless people into thinking that people were created equal was wrong. Izuku was sick and tired of faking it after 8 years of doing it. At this point it could be considered his profession. Maybe if being a hero didn’t work out, he could be an actor. “W-Why? I don’t want to do this.”
“Izuku I just think that it could be good. You’ve never met another quirkless person so maybe you can learn something.”
“...Learn something?” Oh. So that’s what it was all about. She wanted Izuku to realize that there were other options out there. She wanted him to see others life experiences and to think it was okay to be quirkless and that he can’t do certain things.
Like be a hero.
It had been so long that Izuku had almost forgotten. His mother didn’t believe in him. ‘Why would she? I mean look at you.’ Izuku shook his head to get the thoughts out. But, just like every other time...it didn’t work. ‘She’s just like Dad. She doesn’t want you. You really think she’s the only one that cares? Of course she doesn’t. No one else does. Even she can see reality. You can’t be a hero. You can’t do anything. What’s the point anymore? It’s pretty evident she won’t miss you. All you do is cause her grief. You’re the reason her husband left her. You cost her so much money. How much money have you made her waste on merchandise anyway?You just make everything worse. Even if you had the smallest chance of being a hero, you would just fuck it up somehow. Everything would be so much better if you weren’t around.’
Izuku shot out of his chair and rushed into his room. He slammed and locked his door, clutching his head and crouching down against his door. He could hear Inko come after him and knock on the door. “Oh Izuku! Honey? I’m so sorry. You don’t have to go if you really don’t want to. It was just a suggestion. Izuku?” He didn’t answer and walked away from the door.
Izuku began pacing back and forth around the room. And at some point, without even realizing it, he was pacing in front of his bedroom window as tears flowed from his eyes. His inner voice was on loop in his head, and it refused to stop. Izuku ceased his pacing and pressed his forehead against the window.
The cool glass actually helped. It was distracting. Until, Izuku opened his eyes. He could see the ground of the alley next to his building. Suddenly, his entire body felt cold. The thoughts came back with a vengeance. Now, the alley looked like the most tempting thing in the world. There was even a dumpster outside. He could be disposed of easily.
‘It’d be easy.’
Unconsciously, Izuku undid the locks on the window.
‘No more pain.’
He slid the window up.
‘No more being alone.’
He lifted a foot and placed it on the ledge.
‘You can leave this life behind.’
“Izuku?” The teen was snapped out of his trance and whipped around to look at his door. “I’m going to make dinner sweetheart. I’ll bring it to you and you can eat it here. I understand that you’re mad. Take all the time that you need. I’ll throw the papers away.” After that, Inko walked away from the door. Izuku sighed and looked back to the window.
His eyes widened and he stumbled backwards. He fell back onto the floor and began to hyperventilate. What had just happened? He...He almost jumped. Why? Why would he...no. He knew why? And he couldn’t say he didn’t want it either. Izuku brought his knees to his chest and curled into a ball.
After that day he closed the blinds over the window, and never opened them again.
It was just too bad that it didn’t stop the thoughts...or other attempts.
…
Izuku was suddenly brought further into Momo’s embrace. “Please, please tell me that you don’t think like that anymore.”
“No. I promise. I haven’t thought about it for a long time. Especially not since meeting you.”
“What about when you met All Might?”
“...We’ll get there.”
...
It was confusing.
When Izuku would look down at the ground 5 stories below, or at the bottle of pills in the cabinet, the knives in the kitchen, or even at his belt and a ceiling fan…
Is it fight or flight?
On the one hand, it was an escape. He wanted to fly away from his life and leave it behind for something better...or at least just something.
But, committing could mean fighting his fear of it.
But, he was also terrified to die. His fear stopped him time and time again. Was that his flight response to run away from death, or his fight response to live and push forward.
Maybe he was fighting for his Mom. But, he could be fighting to keep her financially well and just give in.
Was continuing to live fighting against everyone else, or was dying fighting to escape.
The cold wind on top of the school definitely made it feel like flying. Izuku looked down at the ground and breathed in deeply. He wasn't going to do it today. He didn't plan on it. He was just here to try and decipher that question once more. And once again, he found nothing. Izuku pulled out his notebook and found his future goals list.
"Be a hero" was once again rewritten for the millionth time after being erased. The book was snapped shut, and he walked away.
…
“I saw that list.”
“You did? When?”
“The night at your place. I’m sorry for snooping, but I just thought it was your journals. I didn’t expect to find it. I’m just happy it was all wrong. Especially the love part, “ Momo said, pecking his lips.
“Yeah, thank goodness. I used to believe it was hopeless. So did others.”
…
No. There was absolutely no possible way. Not in a million years. Izuku whipped his head back and forth, making sure no one in the hallway was looking in his direction. For once, it was actually lucky that everyone did their best to ignore him. Izuku shoved his upper half in his locker and looked it over again.
Hi Izuku,
You don’t know me, and I don’t really know you either. I’ve only seen you around school. I’ve seen how people treat you, and I’m sorry that I haven’t spoke out against it. I was too scared. But, I’d really like to meet you. In person, I mean. You’ve always been really sweet to everyone, even if they don’t like you or they avoid you. And...honestly I think you’re really cute. I know you probably won’t believe this letter. You’ll think it’s just one big prank. But, if you would just give it a chance, I’ll be at the coffee shop just down the street from school.
Izuku shook his head. It was a prank. It had to be. Every girl in school either sided along with Katsuki and his group thinking that he was a freak, or they did their absolute best to ignore him. Either that, or they didn’t even know Izuku existed. It was a prank. All Izuku had to do was throw the note away, go home, and just be happy that he didn’t get beat up that day. Everything would be fine.
…
“Damn it.” Izuku walked down the street towards the cafe. “No. No it’s a trap.” Then he turned around. “But this is my only chance.” And then he turned around again. “What am I saying? I have no chance.” And then he turned around again.
This went on for about fifteen minutes.
“Okay Izuku, just think. What happens if it’s fake?” He listed the items off in his head: ‘I get the shit beat out of me, I lose all hope in love, and I die alone...I was probably going to do that anyway. And if it was real: I somehow get a girlfriend, I find a new reason to live, I get married, have children that hopefully have their mother’s quirk, and live a much better life.’
...He would take his chances. Izuku lifted his foot to take a step towards his future.
...And ran away from the coffee shop.
...Only to be pulled into another alley.
Izuku tumbled across the asphalt as he was thrown to the ground. Izuku looked up to see the red eyes and sparks. “It always pays to have a contingency plan. Who would have thought these extras would actually make a good plan?"
…
*Cough* *Cough*
Izuku limped his way across the sidewalk, bloody, bruise, and burned. He was so stupid. He was so damn stupid. What the hell was he thinking? All he had to do was go home. But no, he just had to think he had a chance. Izuku leaned against a building and looked up at the people passing by. No one was even looking at him. Was he just that invisible to everyone? Izuku made his way to a nearby park, and sat on the rim of the fountain. Children, their parents, couples, other people, all just...walked by.
No one cared.
No one ever would.
Couldn’t they see? There was a boy, broken both physically and emotionally , sitting out in the open. Was it because of how plain he was? Or, did they not want to get involved? Did they somehow know he was quirkless?
Or maybe...he really didn’t exist. At least, not to the rest of the world. He was a mistake that only few could see.
Isolation was something Izuku was accustomed to. But, he never thought it would be that bad. So bad that no one in the world wanted to be around him. Izuku lowered his head as he pulled out his current journal from his bag. He opened his list and glared at the final item on the paper. He yanked his pencil out from the bag, and violently began scratching and stabbing at the last option.
Isolation was a nine letter word that, to Izuku, meant loneliness.
And so was quirkless.
That barrier, that defect, that disease he was born with was a death sentence. Izuku launched one last jab at the paper, but accidentally jammed it into the hand holding the paper. He seethed with pain and grunted through his teeth. He pulled the pencil away to see a bleeding hole right next to his thumb...and he didn’t mind.
In fact, it was...distracting from his emotional pain.
‘No!’ Izuku shook his head. He had heard about self harm. He couldn’t. It wasn’t healthy, and it would just make it all worse. Luckily, Izuku was able to follow his own advice correctly. He never indulged in physical self harm.
...Mental self harm however, was a whole different story.
…
"And then, what started out as the worst day of my life…"
…
"You want a quirk so bad? Well, I have an idea. Head on up to the roof, and take a swan dive off the roof of the building. Hopefully, you'll get a quirk in your next life."
...
Izuku felt Momo clench his shirt and tighten her hold on him. Over the course of the stories, they had changed positions and now Izuku was the one holding her. He felt hot tears hit his neck and raised a brow in confusion. “You know, I was the one that I expected to cry throughout this. What’s the matter?”
“I hate him. Damn it I hate him so much.”
She was swearing. That was never good. “I do too.”
“Then why is he still here? Why does he still go to school here?”
“Because I want him to.”
“But, why?”
“...I don’t know. A lot of things. I want to prove myself to him. I want to watch as I prove him and everyone else wrong. He was their at my past, he’s here in my present, and I still want him here in my future. I want to see him change, more than anybody. I want to put him on a better path.”
“What, do you pity him?”
“...In a way. But, I also know that he doesn’t need or want my pity, or anyone else’s. That’s what makes him so strong, or at least one way. But, he took it too far. It got to his head.” Izuku sighed, “I don’t know Momo. I really don’t know. He’s always been my obstacle to overcome. The Goliath to my David. We’re both important pieces to one another’s story. We both wanted to get rid of the other. I hated him and didn’t want to see him. He wanted to go to U.A and never see me again. But, it didn’t turn out that way. Even if I got him expelled, he’d come back in one way or another, just as if I left for whatever reason. We’re linked, whether we like it or not. Just like how we’re linked...except the romance part. That’s purely for us.”
“You’re insane. That doesn't make any sense."
“Yes. I am. I know I should turn him in, but I cannot and will not do it. He’s going to make a great hero. Hopefully, he can be a better person before that happens. If he doesn’t, then he’s going to be massively disappointed in his career. And I'll be there...but I won't save him."
“Do you still want to be his friend again?”
“...That’s a question that I don’t know the answer to, and one that I won’t be able to figure out tonight.”
“The answer should be no.”
“...I know.”
Momo lifted her head and kissed him. “I love you.”
“I love you too. But, what was that for?”
“I just wanted you to hear it.”
“I’ll always want to hear those words. Which reminds me...the words I never wanted to hear...
...
"Be a hero?...No, I think not."
…
“He...He told you ‘No’?”
“The first time, yeah.” Izuku could sense that Momo was going to bear negative feelings towards All Might for what he did, but he decided to continue. Hopefully, Momo would realize that All Might more than makes up for his first answer later on that same fateful day. “Do you remember when I said that working out would have just made me physically worse? Well, there was another reason.”
…
Seven words. Seven words was all it took to destroy Izuku Midoriya’s world. Or, more accurately, his fantasy. He knew. He had known since the moment his pencil touched his very first hero notebook. It was a lie. It was all one big lie, a deception, an illusion, a fantasy to he had used to hide from reality. His world went black around him. He didn't want to look at it.
He couldn’t be a hero.
Even All Might thought so.
All Might was all that Izuku had. He was the only foundation to everything Izuku did. All Might was the generator giving power to Izuku’s dream world. But it was all gone. All Might was still speaking to him, but all Izuku could hear were muffled noises. In his mind, he could see the ground, sky, everything the eye could see crack and crumble to nothing but dust. And then, he was gone.
All Might had walked out the door, and left Izuku on the rooftop. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He hardly even breathed. It was all over. For his whole life, Izuku had been pretending that he had a chance at life, that he had a real reason to live. His notebooks, posters, videos...it was all the equivalent of closing his eyes, plugging his ears, and screaming to keep everything else out.
Izuku scrambled, clawed, and dug for anything to keep him going. He was begging for just one iota of hope…
Nothing.
All that remained was the moving husk of a body on a rooftop.
...Rooftop.
…
"I didn't train, because somewhere, in the depths of my mind...I knew it was a dream. I knew I wouldn't ever be a hero. I just needed a distraction. I couldn't handle it. If I didn't have my journals...I honestly wouldn't be here right now. To think, a bundle of paper and scribbles saved my life."
Momo looked over to her desk and saw one. She had kept one for herself, with Izuku's permission of course.
They were now her favorite books.
...
"Take a swan dive off the roof of the building."
Izuku slowly turned his head toward the edge of the building. Out of all days, out of all places for All Might to leave him…At that point, even the universe was telling him it was his time to go. Izuku took a step forward.
*BOOM*
Izuku was stopped by the noise. His eyes widened as smoke billowed from a few blocks away. "Another attack!" He rushed to the door and placed his hand on the handle. Just as he was about to turn it, he stopped.
"Be a hero?...No, I think not."
Oh, right.
Izuku's hand shook as it left the doorknob. He clutched his head and took a step back. If he was going to do it, he had to do it now. Once he walked out that door, he knew he would chicken out if he tried again later. He looked at his life over the last 10 years. He dug deeper and deeper into for some reason to walk through that door. All he could find was one answer.
Being dead would be better than being here.
He had no point here. It was his own fault. He had blocked everything else out, and made being a hero his only meaning in life. And now that it was gone, he had nothing. Izuku turned around and made his way over to the railing. It looked high enough, especially if he went head first.
It'd be quick. It would only hurt for a second. He had endured plenty of pain throughout his life. So, what was one more time?
Being in pain...It was a fitting way to go.
Izuku opened up his backpack to get out his journal. He should leave a note. Not that anyone would care enough to read it, except…
"...Mom." Guilt shrouded over his mind. "No. Not again." She always stopped him, even if she didn't know it. No matter if she didn't believe in him, he just couldn't do it to her. But...today…
Izuku opened up the front porch of his backpack and pulled out an envelope. He had forgotten. He already wrote a letter...a backup plan. It was about a year ago on a really, really bad day. He didn't like to think about it, but it ended with him in a dumpster. Izuku backed out of it, but he kept the letter.
...He should give it to her. Not in person of course, but he should leave it at the door. It would be better for her that way instead of finding it with the body.
'You're just going to chicken out again if you leave.'
Izuku shook his head and walked out the door, not knowing where he would unconsciously walk to.
…
"Do you still have the letter?"
"No. It was destroyed in the sludge attack."
"What did it say?"
"To be honest, I don't really remember. When I wrote it, I was a mess. It was mostly just emotional rambling and chicken scratch. I never opened it."
"...When are you going to tell your mom any of this?"
"One step at a time."
…
Well, that couldn't have gone worse.
Not only did he do nothing but make the situation worse by becoming another hostage, but then he was scolded by the heroes. It wasn't just All Might; now the rest of the heroes believed him to be nothing but a nuisance in the way. And then Bakugou decided to yell at him even more.
Why did he have to be so useless?
The flowing of the wind and waving trees were the only things to break the silence. Izuku sat in the sunset, not even wanting to continue the trek home. He didn't want to go home. He didn't want to go anywhere. He didn't want to be anywhere.
He didn't want to be anything anymore.
The letter was gone, and his mom was probably home now anyway. Maybe it was better that way. No one cared or knew he existed in the first place. So, maybe leaving without final words would be more fitting.
He came into the world without a voice.
And he'll leave it without one.
He'll disappear. He'll cease to exist, and no one will even notice. No one will remember. Izuku Midoriya will have never happened. The only hope he had was the slightest echo of a memory of one word.
Deku.
He wasn't afraid anymore. There was nothing left for him here in this life. So hopefully Bakugou was right, and he would be dealt a better hand next time. Izuku took a step down the street towards the end.
"I am here!"
…
"Everything turned around after that."
"...That was it wasn't it. If All Might was just a minute later, you would have left that spot. And you would be…"
"Dead and forgotten."
"Never forgotten."
"You can say that now. But, back then...no. A part of me couldn't help but think that I ran into the sludge villain to save Bakugou to become a martyr in some way. Like it was my last chance to be seen as heroic.
"... I'm so sorry Izuku."
"It didn't stop there."
…
All Might, I'm sorry but I can't do it. I can't live up to what you expect of me. There's plenty of amazing people out there who can succeed you, but it's me. I'm not good enough. I never have been good enough for anything. I'm so sorry for disappointing you and overworking myself. I didn't do what I was told and it could make everything worse. I won't say anything about One For All. I promise. I doubt I'll be doing much speaking soon anyway. I'm so sorry.
Izuku's thumb had been hovering over the send button for ten minutes. The pressure had been getting to him. How could he, Deku, be All Might's successor? He was going to fail. He was going to ruin everything. All Might would take his quirk back, and Izuku would be right back where he started. All he would have done was waste All Might's time.
The school day didn't help either.
(A Few Hours Earlier)
Izuku was slammed against the wall and lifted off his feet. "You're still fuckin' applying nerd? I saw the papers."
"I-I...I am!"
Katsuki growled as sparks began burning Izuku's collar. Izuku panicked and grabbed onto Katsuki's wrists and pried them off. He shoved the bully away and bolted. Katsuki sat back in confusion. "When the hell did that runt get the strength to do that?" Katsuki ran around the corner of the building to see Izuku was nothing but a dot in his vision. "And when the fuck did he get faster?"
(Present)
He might have gotten away that time, but what the other times in the future. What about if Izuku somehow did get into U.A. He couldn't go to another school with Katsuki. He was dead if he did.
*BRRR*
Izuku's phone suddenly vibrated, and saw that he received a text from All Might.
Young Midoriya I know you probably still feel down about today. I just don't want you overwork yourself. You have more greatness and potential in you than anybody, and I don't want you to accidentally hurt that by trying too hard. You have the PLUS ULTRA mindset. Just a bit too PLUS ULTRA. Which isn't a bad thing. It's just something else that shows me how right you are to receive my power. Just get some rest Young Midoriya. You're a quick learner and you exceed my expectations time and time again. Don't let such a small hiccup drag you down.
Before Izuku knew it, tears were falling onto his screen. He deleted his text, and sent back a thank you text. He still didn't have confidence in himself, but...that helped.
…
"How long did it last?"
"Honestly, it stopped when I met you."
"Cute, but what's the real answer."
"I'm not kidding. When I first started school, Bakugou, USJ, the Sports Festival, it all put pressure on me. It got to me. Every time I felt like I wasn't living up to All Might's expectations. But, then I met you. I found someone I could really understand and who could understand me. At least, understand the situation. Life just felt better when you entered it. I wouldn't trade anything for Iida and Uraraka. But, you made everything special. You make waking up exciting...in more ways than one." She pinched him for that. "You're everything to me. You've saved me even more than you know. That's the thing about these stories. I may be the protagonist, but you're the hero. You're the one that gives it a happy ending."
Izuku pressed his forehead onto Momo's. "I don't have a story without you, at least not one I want to read. I know who I am and where I came from. But, that doesn't matter anymore. It made me who I am today. And I really like who I am. I didn't before I met you. Don't dwell on my past for me. Just keep me grounded in the present, so our future together is even better."
Momo wiped away tears and cupped Izuku's face. "But I could have lost you before I ever found you."
"You have me now and forever. That's all that matters."
Momo chuckled, "Oh goodness you're so cheesy."
"Yeah, but you love me."
"That I do. I love you so much."
The couple brought their lips together, embracing the other and not letting go for the rest of the night and all through the next morning.