I don't have much in mind yet so I don't know when I'll get to writing this, but the idea has been bouncing in my brain for a while. I don't have a solid plot yet so I'm not sure when new chapters will be posted. Please be warned that there are themes of bullying and suicide, which may be hard to read for some. It will probably get pretty heavy. So please keep that in mind before you continue.

Chapter 1

After the first recorded occurrence of supernatural powers in China, more and more cases sprang up one after another. Before the world knew it, the supernatural became normal. The world has become a superhuman society, and about eighty percent of the world's population now has some kind of special trait called quirks. But all men are not created equal. This was the harsh reality Izuku learned about society at the young age of four. The small margin of twenty percent who were not endowed with special powers were often bullied or teased—ostracizing them from the rest. By the age of four, a person's quirk was expected to manifest. But for Izuku…it never happened.

All he ever wanted was to be a hero, saving everyone with a confident smile, like the world's greatest hero—All Might. The Number One hero was who he looked up to the most and who he aspired to be like. But without a quirk, that was impossible.

"It would be better to give up," the doctor had told him.

Upon hearing the news, Izuku shut himself in his room re-watching All Might's debut video. The words of the old video looped as he watched it over and over again:

"Can you see that? He's already saved a hundred people!" he terrified bystander said. The camera shook as someone held it aloft, trying to get a better shot of the disaster. "That's crazy! It hasn't even been ten minutes! It's insane!"

Rising above the wreckage was All Might, laughing confidently. His voice could be heard over the chaos and crackling flames, people in his arms and draped over his shoulders. "It's fine now," he said loudly. "Why? Because I am here."

It was a moment that once filled Izuku with exhilaration but now all he felt was despair. As the rain droned outside and the video looped back to the beginning, his bedroom door opened with a slight creak. His mother peeked inside. But he could hardly see the images anymore as the tears streamed down his freckled cheeks.

"Mom…" he muttered. "He saves everyone with a smile, no matter what trouble they're in. He's such a cool hero…." He turned to look at his mother, pointing to the screen, the video still playing. "Can I…be a hero too?"

His mother threw her arms around him and hugged the boy tightly. "I'm sorry," she whispered through her tears. "I'm sorry, Izuku…." Over and over she apologized.

Though her intentions were good, trying to comfort her son, the words were like daggers. That's not what he wanted to hear. Even if he was quirkless, he wanted her to tell him that he could do it. He could do whatever he set his mind to. That was what mothers were supposed to do—support their children no matter what. But she had already given up. To make things worse, his childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugou, teased him for being quirkless. He started to call him Deku—basically calling him "good-for-nothing." Being blessed with a strong quirk and confident personality, Kacchan was popular with their classmates. And soon the other boys started teasing him as well.

Quirkless.

Useless.

Pathetic.

Loser.

He heard it all. But despite that heavy blow, Izuku tried to remain positive. When it was clear he would never have a quirk, he started researching heroes and quirks, taking notes on everything he learned. He studied hard, determined to attend UA High School just like his idol, All Might. Even if he was Quirkless, he would give it his all. After all, you never know until you try. But no one believed in him. It wasn't until that day that he realized how futile his struggle was. The school year was nearly over, and their homeroom teacher had been reviewing everyone's surveys for the future, such as where they wanted to attend high school and their goals after graduation. When their teacher revealed that he and Bakugou both wanted to attend UA, the class erupted in laughter.

"Mirodiya? No way!" one of his classmates shouted. "You can't get into the hero course just by studying!"

He felt his chest tighten, standing up quickly in attempts to defend himself. "Th-they got rid of that rule! There's just no precedent for it…."

Bakugou slammed his fist on Izuku's desk, setting off a loud explosion. Midoriya fell backward from the recoil.

"Hey, Deku!" Izuku flinched at the fury in Kacchan's voice. "You're below the rejects. You're quirkless! How can you even stand in the same ring as me?"

"No, wait, Kacchan! It's not like I'm trying to compete with you or anything! Believe me!" He averted his eyes. He was trembling as he talked back to his terrifying childhood friend. "It's just…it's been my goal ever since I was little. And well…I won't know unless I try…."

"Whaddya me unless you try?" Bakugou shouted, his temper flaring. "Are you taking the test for fun? What the hell can you do? You're quirkless!"

"Cut it out, Bakugou!" The teacher said. But his voice sounded disinterested. "If you're going to pick fights, do it after class."

The other students snickered. When the bell chimed, everyone packed up their notebooks and started to file out in groups. Some were headed out to karaoke while others had club activities after school. Izuku was packing away his hero notebooks, eager to go home and record his notes from the incident before school that morning. The story was all over the top news sights. But someone snatched the notebook from his hand as he was about to pack put it in his large yellow backpack.

"We're not done talking yet, Deku," Kacchan said, holding the notebook out of reach.

Bakugou's friends came toward them. "Katsuki, what's that?"

As Izuku reached for the notes, Bakugou yanked it out of reach, holding it up so the two boys could see it.

One of the boys snickered as he read the title on the front. "Hero Analysis for the Future? Seriously?"

The other shook his head, trying not to laugh. "Midoriya…."

Izuku stood up quickly. "W-what's wrong with that? Just give it back!" He reached for it again, but Bakugou slammed his hands together, the notebook exploding into a smoky mess. His heart sank as Bakugou held the charred remains of the notebook in front of his face mockingly before tossing it out the window. "That was mean…."

Bakugou stared down his nose at him. "Most top first-string heroes have stories about them from their school days. I want the shine of being able to be called the only student to make it into UA from this mediocre middle school." He smirked. "I mean, I'm a perfectionist. So anyway." He clapped his hand on Izuku's shoulder. The black school blazer sizzled under Katsuki's palm as his quirk activated, smoke rising up from where he singed the uniform. "Don't apply to UA, nerd."

The three shouldered past him, leaving Deku feeling humiliated and downtrodden.

"Come on," one of the boys said mockingly. "You could at least say something back."

"Don't say that," the other chimed in. "He's pathetic! He still can't face reality."

"If you wanna be a hero that badly, there's a quick way to do it," Bakugou said, glancing over his shoulder. "Believe that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a last chance dive off the roof."

Teeth clenched, Izuku rounded on him. A jumble of hurt, anger, and desperation reflected in his green eyes. Bakugou raised his fist, his palms crackling with explosive power. But Izuku was frozen in place.

"What?" he sneered.

When it became clear Midoriya wouldn't retaliate, the boys left the classroom. The last one left, Izuku grabbed his backpack and trudged downstairs. He found his singed notebook floating in the fountain below the classroom window. Fishing out the sodden book, he slowly made his way home. Bakugou didn't know how to filter his words. He was suggesting he jump from the roof—commit suicide! And somewhere in the back of his mind, even if it was for just a moment, he had actually thought about it. What kind of hero talked like that…telling someone to kill themselves? His words were far from those of a hero. And as he walked home, Izuku's mind kept returning to those hurtful words. He wasn't even paying attention as he trudged through the pedestrian tunnel, heading back to their apartment. So when a sludge-like villain shot out from the sewer and attacked him, he was taken completely by surprise.

The villain launched at him. It didn't take him long for the villain to overpower him, trying to force his disgusting, sludge-like form down his throat. Midoriya coughed, unable to breathe. The monster was speaking, telling him to calm down and let him take over his body. He couldn't breathe! His eyes started to water, distorting his vision. His head pounded. He tried to grab at the villain, but his body was fluid. He couldn't grasp anything.

"Thanks for your help," he said mockingly. "You're my hero."

Hero.

Even if it came from a villain, somehow the word resonated. Everyone kept telling him it was impossible. He couldn't be a hero. But this stranger had said it, even if it was sarcastic. His struggling lessened, his strength slipping away. He gasped but couldn't get any air. Am I…am I dying? he thought. As darkness closed in around his vision, a sudden gust of wind burst from the other side of the tunnel, knocking the sludge villain's grip free. Vaguely he heard someone speaking, but it was too late. He collapsed from lack of oxygen.

When he awoke, his idol was standing over him. All Might! It was All Might! But in his excitement, Izuku wasn't listening. All Might was speaking but he wasn't hearing him. The real thing—the Number One hero—was standing in front of him. He reached for his notebook for All Might to sign. But he was already turning to leave. Izuku's stomach dropped. He didn't want this encounter to end so quickly! He had so many questions! Without thinking, he reached out just as the hero kicked off the ground. Before he knew it, he was flying, clinging tightly to All Might's leg. When the hero realized what had happened, he landed on a nearby roof. But All Might acted as though he was a burden, not bothering to offer him a second glance.

"Talk to the people downstairs and I'm sure they'll let you out," he said in his deep voice. "I seriously am out of time, so I really must go."

"Wait—"

"No! I will not wait!"

"But—" He reached out for the hero again, but slowly pulled back. The words everyone had said to him over the years ringing through his mind. You can't be a hero. It's impossible. But maybe, just maybe…if All Might said so, maybe there was still a chance for him. It was all he ever wanted—to be a hero just like his idol. He took a deep breath, gathering his courage and shouted, "Even if I don't have a quirk, can I become a hero?"

All Might hesitated, hearing his desperate plea.

Izuku's legs trembled as he continued. "Can even someone without a Quirk be like you?"

"Without a quirk?"

"It might've been because I don't have a Quirk, but I'm always made fun of. Maybe that's why…I don't know…but I think saving people is super cool. I want to be like the greatest hero, like you."

He didn't even glance back at him. "I cannot simply say 'You can become a hero even without power'."

His last hope, the one beacon of light in this hopeless world wavered. It felt like he was being swallowed up, the words like an endless sea of despair.

"If you want to help others, then you could become a police officer. It's not a bad dream, to be a hero. But you also have to consider what's realistic, young man."

All Might kicked off the roof and soared off once again, leaving Izuku standing alone on the rooftop. As the Symbol of Peace disappeared into the skyline, he felt his hopes and dreams fading with him. If All Might didn't think it was possible…no one believed in him. His classmates, his mother, his hero…not one. A swirling sense of hopelessness welled up within him and tears welled up in his eyes.

Maybe they were right. Maybe he should give up. Give up on everything.

V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V

The last day of school was just a formality, friends saying goodbye before the break, and teachers giving last minute advice. But Izuku didn't hear any of it. Despair swirled inside of him. He felt hollow. What could he even do now? He last chance, the glimmer of hope, had vanished like someone blowing out a candle. All the was left was a wisp of smoke. Bakugou's incessant bullying didn't cease either. He teased and taunted, provoking him further.

"You're still here?" he sneered. "I thought for sure you'd have taken a dive already. It's the fastest way to get your quirk."

"C'mon, Katsuki," his friend whispered. "Myabe you shouldn't say that. What if he really does it?"

"Nah." Bakugou smirked. "He's too much of a wimp to do it."

But the words churned in his mind. Maybe Kacchan was right. What else did he have to live for? If no one believed in him, then what was the point. When the bell chimed for lunch, he trudged listlessly toward the stairs. He climbed them in a daze, pushing open the door to the roof. He leaned against the chain-link fence, his fingers curling around the cold metal. He stared down at the courtyard below. There were students dotted around the yard, eating their lunches together, laughing…so carefree. They wouldn't even notice if he disappeared. No one would. Who would care about a Quirkless, good-for-nothing loser?

His was three stories above the ground. Was it high enough? Surely it was. He pulled his shoes off and set them neatly to the side before reaching up. He wasn't strong or muscular like Bakugou, but he could at least scale a fence. He climbed up over the high chain-link fence and stood at the ledge. The breeze felt cool on his freckled cheeks. His stomach felt queasy as he stood on the edge, staring at the ground far below him. He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there, holding onto the fence with one hand as he contemplated it, wondered what it would feel like. But suddenly someone was shouting. One of the girls was pointing up at him and a small group began to gather down below. He glimpsed a familiar face among the crowd, a boy with ash blond hair. Kacchan.

The door to the roof banged open. His teacher stood in the doorway, the principal at his heels.

"Midoriya!" he shouted. "Get down from there!"

The principal stepped forward. "Please, Midoriya, it's dangerous."

Since when did they care what he did or what happened to him? They never stopped the others from bullying him. They never offered encouraging words or put an end to the teasing. They had witnessed it on many occasions, but had done nothing.

"Just climb over the fence and we can talk about," his teacher said, trying to sound reassuring. "Okay?"

He dropped his gaze, staring down at the crowd gathering below. But it was the look in Kacchan's eyes that made him hesitate. He could see the doubt reflected in his expression. He was wondering if he would really do it. He was shocked that he had even climbed over the fence. Maybe you should have thought more about what you said, Izuku thought bitterly. His vision distorted as tears welled up in his eyes. They streamed down his cheeks.

"Midoriya," the principal pleaded. "Please come back. Don't do it."

"I'm sorry…" he muttered.

He let go of the fence and leaned forward, letting gravity to the rest. Screams erupted from below and as he plummeted toward the ground. The look of horror on Bakugou's face sent a chill through him.

You win, Kacchan. I'll give up on being a hero….

Please leave a review and let me know what you think and if you'd want to read more. Chapter 2 coming soon, hopefully?