Sometimes people just get... stuck. Perhaps that's not the best way to describe things but to Eijiro that's the only word that really makes sense for his predicament. Days melt into weeks and weeks into months and it just feels like within a blink of an eye years fall faster than autumn leaves on a windy day.

He always thought that the friends he made in middle school would always remain the same. That all of them would continue off to the same high school and then to the same college and perhaps even becoming neighbors as they grow in age.

Always promising each other to be best friends for life and that one day their own children will be the best of friends too.

Maybe that's why it hurts all the more when he finds himself alone. Sure, there's another student that's attending UA from his old middle school. But, Eijiro and Ashido were never particularly close in middle school; in fact, he can count on one hand how many times they've had a conversation during their time in middle school. Just two times.

He tries to reason with himself that he's just being overly sentimental and that he knows that his old friends miss him. Different schedules make things difficult, but that still doesn't mask the hurt.

Of course he never lets himself be mopey in front of his new classmates. He certainly doesn't want them to worry about him. Eijiro made a promise to be the best he can be and showing his classmates how much he drowns in his own insecurities is hardly his best- nor manly.

He finds himself taken in by Bakugo, Sero, Kaminari and even Ashido to Eijiro's surprise. The six kids quickly became all glued to the hip and most times it raises more mischief than the rest of their classmates and poor teachers can handle.

Even with his newfound friends, there are still days that he feels like he truly is drowning. Sometimes he just can't shake off the embarrassment of how lame his quirk is or how he's scoring lower than average in class. During those days, he wishes that he doesn't have to leave his bed. During those days, Eijiro wishes that he could just disappear for a little while.

Being a teenager is hard.

Lately, the world just seems to turn a little grey around the edges and Eijiro finds himself moving slower and greeting his classmates with less enthusiasm. Most of his classmates give him concerned looks but don't confront him- after all, they know all too well the feeling of being homesick. His squad all try to cheer him up with his favorite movies and foods but all Eijiro can do is to muster a weak smile for his friends before finding it slipping off again as soon as he's alone.

One day All Might had tried to talk to Eijiro but even All Might's motivational speeches couldn't light the fire in Eijiro's heart.

Soon he feels like maybe he doesn't really belong here at UA, his quirk is hardly anything to boast about and how could he ever be like his hero Crimson Riot if he can't have something more spectacular like Midoriya's or Bakugo's? Or even the rest of his squad? They all have such amazing quirks. Their quirks were certainly made for a great hero. His? He knows that he'll never find his own name in the Top 100 Greatest Heroes lists plastered everywhere on the internet. Maybe he was a fool to ever think that he should even be in UA.

After politely declining to hang out with his friends, under the guise of needing to study, for the fifth time; he feels the reaching of the hands but he pulls away silently.

He finds himself alone in his room one day and just stares at the ceiling with nothing really on his mind. Eijiro continuously runs his tongue over the sharp points of his teeth and wonders idly what his old friends are up to. His door suddenly flies open- earning a startled chomp down on his tongue. Tasting the metallic tang in his mouth, he sits up and sees a certain and irritated blond staring back at him. He knows he's in trouble from the stern and cutting glare of Bakugo. In three large strides the blond reaches him and for a moment, nothing is said between the two of them.

"You better fucking tell me what's goin' on because all this depressed shit is pissing me off." Bakugo's voice comes out as a whisper but even as a whisper, there's no masking his fury. Eijiro tries to shake his head and deny that nothing is wrong when Bakugo sits down on the bed with him and lets out a huff, "You're almost a worse liar than damn Deku." Somehow a series of giggles bubble up into Eijiro's chest and Bakugo looks over at him with an eyebrow arched. To Eijiro's horror, his giggles turn into sobs and he finds himself crying in front of one of his best friends. He curses to himself and tries to stop crying but it only makes matters worse. Through his teary and blurred vision he sees Bakugo stiffen slightly and turn away, for Eijiro to keep some sort of ounce of dignity left.

Through his tears he manages to blubber out all of his thoughts during these past few weeks. From his self doubts to his disappointment at his grades to his envy of his friends and finally to something that he's been pondering about lately- to leave UA. Bakugo says nothing as Eijiro starts to cry his heart out about how unmanly he's being and tries to offer Bakugo an apology for making him see Eijiro like this.

"Stop." Eijiro falls silent and studies the boy next to him, noting his tightly clenched fists.

"Just stop. You're so negative to yourself and it really pisses me off. You need to stop shitting on yourself all the time for fuck's sake." Eijiro bows his head and tries to apologize again before getting smacked lightly on the shoulder.

"I don't want to hear any damn apologies. You should just start catching yourself when you fucking shit on yourself. Instead of when you think I could never or I'm no good just fuckin' change it to maybe someday I can or I might need some more practice. Jesus fuck. Also if you're that worried about your damn grades, I'll just fucking tutor you myself. Everyone is up my ass trynna figure out what's wrong with you, so just stop with all of this before you make everyone die of worry or some stupid shit." So maybe Bakugo isn't the best when it comes to making people feel better but Eijiro admits that he does have a point.

"Your quirk is your own dammit. You don't need to have a flashy quirk to be a fucking good hero," Bakugo pauses and glares at a corner of Eijiro's room, "You just need a good heart, you fucker... and you do." Eijiro remains quiet and angrily wipes the tears from his face.

"Forget about thinking that you're never good enough. Didn't you say that you'd be unbreakable during the cavalry battle? If you refuse to go down, it means you're stupidly strong. From what I've seen, you've refused to go down so far. That accounts for something." Bakugo says no more, letting Eijiro think about what he just said. The two boys remain in silence.

Eijiro notices a change over the next few weeks, it doesn't happen overnight but he does begin to feel like his old self. Every night he studies with Bakugo and slowly but surely his grades rise up. He begins to find a new surge of confidence and with his friends at his side, Eijiro feels like he can do anything.

During one of his patrols with Fat Gum and Suneater, Eijiro finds himself alone with a villain. Thinking he has the cat in the bag, he confidently tries to round up the villain before he injects himself with some sort of serum Eijiro never seen before. Soon, the villain is up on his feet again and suddenly Eijiro is in a lot more difficult fight. Whatever the villain injected himself with amplifies his power tenfold. The sharp blades easily cut through his hardened skin and he shouts at the bystanders to move back.

He finds himself pushed further and further back by the deranged villain. Eijiro knows that he can't let himself lose this fight. Who knows what this man could do to the public if he escapes the alley. Eijiro finds a surge of strength and with Bakugo's words echoing through his mind he feels reinvigorated.

When the man comes at him again Eijiro is ready.

The blades shatter against his skin this time and with a startle, Eijiro notices that he's different this time.

This time he's unbreakable.

He lays in bed and repeats what happened a few hours before. A small smile plays upon his lips, he has a sick new super move and he managed to bring down the villain by himself. He refused to go down when he could've given up. His phone trills, bringing him from his thoughts and sees it's from Bakugo.

When he opens the message, he sees screenshots from various websites praising him as a new and amazing hero. Him, Eijiro Kirishima, as Red Riot, a hero. He continues to stare at the various screenshots and he feels his heart soar and tears prick the corners of his eyes again. But not out of despair but rather out of pride. He's a hero.

Another message from Bakugo, this time it isn't a screenshot but a short and simple sentence.

See? What did I fuckin tell ya? You're a damn good hero.

Author's Note

So this wasn't the one shot that I originally was going to write but this one just kinda came to me. Sorry that I haven't really updated anything this past week... things have been rough. This time of year is always rough.

I'm trying to get back on schedule though so expect another chapter When Twilight Falls and the other one shot I promised last week. They're both in the making and should be done soon. Also, because I can't seem to focus on one thing for very long... I may or may not have another one shot being made too. That's all there is for now so until then, fairwinds.