A/N: Wow, this is very, very overdue... Sorry about the delay! I meant to post this like a week ago, but I was super busy so... Enjoy an extra long ending! :D

Oh, and obligatory manga spoilers warning and disclaimer. I own nothing! :D

There were good times, and then there were bad times. Even though it was the most demanding thing he'd ever done, training to become a hero made Izuku happy.

And even when things became bad, even when there were times when he felt like giving up, even when there had been times when he'd thought that he'd never recovered, he had friends there to help him put himself back together. Because that was what friends did.

Even months and months after he'd started training, he'd still sometimes wonder what he'd done to deserve such wonderful people in his life. The one time he'd ever voiced any thoughts even remotely among those lines, Uraraka had become very scary.

"Don't say something like that Izuku. Ever."

She'd sat him down, gathered everyone: Todoroki, Iida, Shinsou, Kirishima and even Bakugo, and they'd had a very long talk about friendship and how they were all there for him (Kirishima had elbowed Bakugo in the ribs every time he started grumbling).

Actually, Bakugo was another one of the things Izuku still found himself wondering about. Because there would be times when Bakugo would avoid him for days, then glance worridly at Izuku when he thought that he couldn't see him, like he thought Izuku would fade away if he wasn't looking.

Izuku also noticed something odd about Bakugo. It was never anything big, it was never anything drastic. But it was little things, and Izuku would notice them. Like how Bakugo started swearing less and less around Izuku when he saw Izuku flinch the first time.

Then there was also the fact that Bakugo had allowed himself to be dragged along to the entire comfort Izuku session in the first place. The old Bakugo would have had to be dragged in kicking and screaming, but this time, Bakugo had only muttered something under his breath.

And then, Izuku was never sure exactly how, but the entire thing had turned into a massive group hug with tears involved. It was really confusing but it was also easily one of his best memories ever.

And when Endeavour's case was brought to court, there were more group hugs and more tears .

Todoroki stopped smiling, then. Izuku couldn't really blame him. He knew why there were shadows in Todoroki's eyes, he knew why he stopped smiling. It didn't make it okay.

Because Todoroki had been there for him, when it had mattered the most.

"Secondly, none of that was your fault. Why else would the villains give you quirks if they weren't going to make you do what they want?"

So on the first day of the trial, when Todoroki's face had become as cold and as unreadable as when they had first met, Izuku had grabbed his hand- his left hand- and promised that everything would be okay in the end.

And Todoroki, remembering the boy with the messy hair and the guilty eyes he'd met all those months ago, who'd smiled awkwardly and hadn't known what to say, had managed to smile. He'd remembered how he hadn't known what to say, back when Izuku had broken down in front of him.

"And... And... I-I hurt p-people w-with a power that was never meant to be m-mine."

And then, the tables had turned. Izuku was the one trying to help Todoroki as he fell apart, Izuku was the one not quite sure how to pick up the pieces. But he was trying his best, and that was enough.

So Izuku looked at Todoroki and smiled with all the warmth and certainty that Todoroki had ever needed.

"It'll all be okay, Shouto."

And the trial was still scary, the thought of it still made his blood freeze and his heart twist with anger and fear and a raw, desperate kind of hope, but it seemed more approachable when he had Izuku by his side.

Then came the rest of Class 1-A, following Izuku's example. On the day of the trial, they all followed him out of the building, ready to support him when he needed it the most. Because they were heroes. Because they were his friends.

"We're here for you!" Uraraka had chirped, smiling as he stood frozen in shock.

"You didn't think we were going to let you face this alone?" Shinsou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It would be dishonourable and unbecoming of our friendship to let you suffer through this by yourself." Iida said firmly, and the rest of the class nodded in agreement.

So at the trial, Todoroki had his entire class standing beside him. All of his friends were there, standing beside him. He wasn't alone. Not anymore. Never again.

And Endeavour was alone. No one stood beside him at the trial. His money and threats hadn't earned him friends. His cold nature hadn't endeared him to any heroes.

His money and fame couldn't help him worm his way out of the charges either. Aizawa had built up a solid case against the pro hero, and there was no chance that he could bribe or lie his way out of it.

The trial ended with Endeavour being led away, looking back at his son, who was standing tall, who was surrounded by friends, who would never be alone again.

Shouto may have imagined it, but there was something like pride in Endeavour's eyes as he was led away.

Then Shouto turned and looked away from his father, and didn't look back. He wouldn't see his father again.

Instead, he turned towards his friends, the people he'd die for, the people he'd live for, the people he'd become heroes with, and began the long walk home.

Todoroki would always remember the first time he went to visit his mother. It was shortly after the trial had been concluded, and he was finally free.

He rememembered the way he'd frozen in front of the door, trying to work up the courage to knock. It had been a long, long time, but...

"It's okay for you to be a hero, if you want to be one."

He still remembered everything. The good times, the bad times, all of it. There'd been a time when she had been the only thing keeping him sane, the only thing keeping him safe.

There had been a time when she had hurt him.

"Your left side... It's unsightly."

But everything had changed since then. He'd forgiven his mother for what she'd done to him a long, long time ago. He was still working on forgiving himself for becoming so wrapped up in his own hatred, his own biterness, his own brokeness, to help her or anyone else.

"I... Thank you, Shouto."

He'd found a way to move forwards, back then, and he'd find a way to move forward now.

It all started when he knocked on the door.

He'd remember the way her eyes widened with shock. He'd remember the way she'd sobbed and held him like he'd vanish at any moment.

He'd always, always remember how he'd left, feeling lighter than he had in years.

There had been a large number of disappearances in the months after Izuku had been saved. At first they were too few and too far apart for anyone to draw any conclusions, but...

But more and more quirkless people and more and more people with weak quirks had been going missing.

And then one of them had been found. She had been quirkless, a young adult living alone in a crowded city. She'd been taken one day on their walk home from her job. She'd never even made it home. And she hadn't been seen again, until there had been a violent clash between Stain's group and the League.

She'd been left alive, but she was the only one at the scene when the police arrived. She was staring vacantly forwards, eyes glassy and dull, her entire figure somehow deformed and wrong, and she was waiting for orders.

The medical scans had shown that her brain was altered, and there was no fixing her. She'd been broken, she'd been turned into a monster. She'd never go home again.

Izuku remembered when he'd been told about this. About her. About the others. The people who'd been like him, quirkless, Nomou.

All Might had been the one to break the news. He'd been offered a glass of water. Then he'd seen the folder, the blurry photo of a girl with a bright smile and sad eyes, and then the vacant stare of Nomou.

"Forced quirk activation."

He imagined the static. He imagined never waking up, never getting better.

The glass fell from his grip and shattered.

He remembered something, distantly, though it was shrouded in fog and static and echoes. Stain was staring at him, cold murderous eyes brimming with horror.

"Those... Rumours were true. You really were behind the disappearances."

The villains had perfected their Nomous. It clearly took longer and the damage to the Nomou was far more extensive- but more and more people would be taken and they'd be lost, drowning in a sea of static alone forever.

"I'll stop them." The words burned at his throat like the sobs that threatened to break loose, and they tasted like ash in his mouth: bitter, like pain and regret and guilt.

"I'll stop them and they'll never be able to hurt anyone else."

Months later, at the Provisional License Exam, the entirety of Class 1-A passed. There had been times when they'd had fun training, when they'd found time to have breaks, when they'd found time to laugh together.

But all of them had seen the news. All of them had seen the way things were steadily growing worse.

All of them had seen the reports of the dead heroes found in dark corners of cities, burned and bloodied and broken.

All of them had seen the way that quirkless people were advised not to go anywhere alone anymore.

Heroes were needed more than ever now. Heroes who were strong enough to survive. Heroes who were strong enough to stand as symbols people could look up to. Heores who were strong enough to still smile.

And the entirety of Class 1-A, having worked furiously, almost desperately rose to the challenge. Aizawa had drilled them intensively, and had waved them off with no doubt.

He wasn't disappointed either. His students, the children with the potential, the children he hadn't had the heart to expel, the children he had come to care for, were becoming the symbols of hope he always knew they could be.

The ninth holder of One for All was someone who'd lost everything. The ninth holder of One for All was someone who had fought every step of the way to get where they had stood, and then fallen with an impossible climb back ahead of them.

The ninth holder of One for All was someone who was ready to start trying again, even after everything.

All Might found his successor in a hospital room. All Might found his successor in a tragedy.

All Might had found Mirio Togata sobbing over the lifeless form of Sir Nighteye. All Might knew the story.

There'd been an attack against the Yakuza. He only knew the details because a large number of his students had been involved. Most of 1-A had sought out internships with pro-heroes, and the entire process had been well recieved. The increase in villains had meant that some of the more experienced students had been snatched away to the areas they were needed the most. The newer students were beckoned forth to fill the gaps they'd left.

There was always a demand for heroes, these days.

Neijire Hado and Tamaki Amajiki were two of those students. Both had been called away at the last minute, after some pros in an area further away had been injured in action. It was nothing personal, only that their quirks were best suited to fill the holes left in the ranks.

But it meant that Mirio was all alone when he lost everything.

"Aww, don't worry, we'll be back before you know it!"

He took a bullet defending Eri, and his quirk was destroyed in the process. His mentor was injured defending his student, and Mirio watched as Sir Nighteye crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.

"H-hopefully w-we'll be back before anything b-bad happens."

All Might suspected that the raid had only gone as well it had because the Yakuza had also been weakened by the delicate situation with the villains. They had more competition and the struggle for power was fierce.

It was still a close battle, though.

Mirio hadn't really had the time to talk to any of the first year students, so he wasn't really close to them at all. Not even the three that had come to intern at the same agency as him. Although he knew them distantly, they'd never really talked- they hadn't had time.

"Don't worry, even if all of you are kinda new to this, I'll do my best you protect you!"

But they'd fought desperately so he could move forwards to save Eri, and he couldn't thank them enough for that. He wouldn't regret trying to save the girl, even if it had cost him everything. Because that was what a hero did.

Most of the UA students had been unconcious or recovering when Sir Nighteye passed away. The sole exception was Mirio, who'd staggered in to the room just in time to say goodbye.

"You'll be an excellent hero, Mirio. I'm sure of it..."

And then the light in the hero's eyes had vanished like frost in the sun, and Mirio knew that he'd never again have his mentor to help him, guide him, teach him. He'd never see his mentor again.

He'd lost everything. His quirk. His dream. His mentor. The world would continue without him, and he'd be left behdind, quirkless and useless to help them. He'd never be able to save a million people. Never...

"Remember to keep on smiling, okay?"

All Might had arrived just in time to lose the opportunity to say goodbye, to say sorry. All Might had arrived just in time to fufill Nighteye's wish.

Because Mirio was nearly broken, because Mirio had lost everything and All Might knew it. All Might knew that Mirio woud be close to giving up. And he saw fire in those eyes. Determination and hope and sadness, but no regret.

All Might had regrets. Far, far too many. Not saving talking to Sir Nighteye in so long. Not being able to save Izuku Midoriya before it was too late. Not ever saying goodbye to Nana before she left for the last time, because he thought that she'd come back.

But choosing Mirio as his successor was not one of those regrets.

"Remember, Toshi. When you feel like smiling the least... That's when you need to smile the most."

"It's okay now," he said, watching Mirio's eyes brighten, reminding him painfully of Nana, "Because I am here."

The words didn't sound hollow anymore. They sounded like a promise. And they were.

"Mirio? I... Are you okay?" His friends were hesitant when they returned. The were horrified to hear of everything that had happened when they were gone. They were horrified that they hadn't been able to be there for him.

"Don't worry Tamaki, Nejire. I'm getting there." Mirio managed a smile.

"We heard about your quirk... What happened?"

"It was that weird drug I was shot with. It changed everything." It wasn't a complete lie, but the words still tasted bitter.

"Remember to keep on smiling, okay?"

Then he grinned, even if it was a little forced. "Remember those younger years I ended up working with? They turned out to be pretty cool once I got to know them, come on, I'll introduce you!"

Even though it'd take a while, Mirio would be able to smile again, and mean it. But it was okay, because he knew that Sir Nighteye would be proud, either way, and he knew his friends were waiting. And he knew he'd be able to be a hero, be able to save a million people, no matter what.

Just so long as he kept on trying, kept on smiling.

The hero known simply as Izuku didn't really gain much attention until almost a year after the incident with the Yakuza.

He wasn't trying to be anyone special. He didn't have a fancy name, he didn't need one. He wasn't Deku, he wasn't useless, quirkless. He wasn't Nomou, he wasn't a monster, a weapon. He was just Izuku, and that was nothing to be ashamed of. He was just Izuku, and he was a hero.

And in true Izuku fashion, his rise to fame wasn't simple.

Izuku Midoriya had not been having a good day.

He'd been running late to his internship with his agency- and he really couldn't afford to be late. His friends had told him it would be a bad idea to stay up late to finish analysing the quirks of the new team up of pros- but he hadn't quite been able to resist.

So it was really his own fault for oversleeping, and needing to sprint to the agency. It would be awful to be late- once again there had been a team up of agencies- all of his classmates were involved one way or another. It was a good thing, too. There had been reports of the League's activities increasing, and he could amost feel the tension, the calm before the storm.

Something big would happen soon.

He just didn't think that everything would go to hell that particular day. He was on patrol, as usual. It was relatively calm, if a little busy, as usual.

Then everything was different. It started with the shrill, guttural shriek of a Nomou. It started with the screaming civilians.

Izuku remembered being calm in the chaos. He was defending the civilians in the chaos, holding back the Nomou- well, one of them- as Kirishima herded the civilians away. He was good at keeping them calm, with bright smiles and serving as an unbreakable wall.

He was dimly aware of Shouto and Urakraka and Iida fighting beside him, but he was too busy snapping in and out of Hyperfocus to properly register everything all at once. He thought he could distantly hear Kacchan's explosions.

Then: "Nomou."

It was a voice he hadn't heard in a long time. But he hadn't forgotten. He'd never forget.

"You're useless, Nomou!"

Tomura Shigaraki stood in front of him, severed hands placed on his face, his cruel, insane eyes narrowed and his face was twisted in a sickening caricature of a smile.

Izuku tensed, for a brief moment remembering being scared and static and sceaming.

Then he blinked past the memories and focused on the task at hand. There were villains in front of him. Villains who were dangerous. Villains who had hurt people. Villains who would continue to hurt people.

He wasn't Nomou. He was a hero. And he would stop them, just like he promised.

"I'm not Nomou. Never again." His voice didn't shake. He was angry and afraid and everything seemed sharper and all the more deadly, but none of that mattered. Not when there were lives at risk and memories to be shoving away.

Everything else was a haze. Fighting. Screaming. Hurting. Flashes of sudden, stabbing clarity. He remembered red eyes and the feeling of his skin crumbling. He remembered his friends fighting beside him. Against the Nomous, against the League, against the people who'd hurt him, hurt others.

Once upon a time, Izuku had been lonely, friendless. He'd been bullied, attacked and lonely because he'd been quirkless. He'd been changed and scared and hurting when he'd been turned into a monster.

And he ended up standing tall, bleeding and hurt, but alive, with his friends at his side, when he'd made himself into a hero.

That was where the story of Nomou ended. Tomura Shigaraki and Kurogiri were locked away. The League was without a leader, without a means of transportation. Nobody could quite bring themselves to trust the shadowy voice from the screen filled with static. The League was quickly picked off, and All for One, weakened and desperate found himself out of pawns.

The issue with Stain had snowballed out of control. Now the world of villains revolved around his ideals, his hopes, his dreams. All for One had no influence and nowhere to run.

All Might and Mirio found him eventually. They found him, they fought him and they finally, finally defeated him.

The story of Nomou ended up with the people who'd hurt him being locked away, where they'd never be able to hurt anyone else ever again.

And that was where the story of Izuku the hero began.

After that fight with the League, they were seen as pillars. Able to block out the darkness, able to hold up the sky. They could protect people, they could help people.

He had his dreams, he had suffered, and he had got better. He had found light, he had found a way forwards, he had found friends.

And that was really all Izuku had ever wanted.

Even though there had been times when he'd been hurting, scared, lonely, not really there at all... Even though there had been times when he thought that he'd never be happy again...

He was happy. He had managed everything he'd ever thought was impossible and slowly, he was inspiring other people to do things that they had thought to be impossible too.

And that is how Izuku eventually became a hero that everyone admired, could look to for comfort, for hope, for peace.

And that was more than enough.