A/N: Okay! I deleted the prologue because it didn't add to the story and really it was a filler! This is the true chapter 2!

~Smut-only readers! This chapter is skippable~

Chapter 2 – Hidden Reality

"Midoriya, come take a seat please." Her homeroom teacher sighed before shuffling a pile of papers on his desk. He pulled out the "Career Progression Sheet" Izuku filled out the other day.

Izuku meekly sat down and instantly her shoulders hunched over and her gaze cast down to her twiddling thumbs on her lap.

"I know that everyone wants to be a hero. It's all the rage with kids nowadays." The teacher said in a tired voice while rubbing the bridge of his nose. "But, it's important that you pick a career that you can succeed in, Midoriya."

She grimaced, in other words, the teacher thought the same as the other students...the same as her mother.

"This." The teacher pointed at her answer. Hero it said. "Midoriya, as your teacher I can't just set you up for failure."

Clutching her skirt to hold back her words, her hands trembled until her knuckles turned white.

"Here," he placed a blank "Career Progression Sheet" on her lap. "I want you to discuss this with your parents and properly fill it out."

She nodded blankly. She wasn't sure if she muttered a thank you before she exited the Teacher's room.

The hallway lit up in a soft orange glow, and she could faintly hear the after-school club training out onto the track field. She felt the warmth of the setting sun on her face as she exited the school.

She didn't join any clubs. She didn't make any friends. Her Middle School life was just a blur of trying to stay unnoticed, trying to keep quiet, and trying not to cause unnecessary stress to her mother. She was just an empty husk blankly watching the days go by.

But, when she met All Might the other day, the passion that she snuffed out lit up once again. For the first time, she felt alive. A dream she threw away a long time ago confronted her. Maybe, just maybe...

You can be a hero, a voice from her younger self encouraged her.

She didn't want to give up so easily. If life gave her one chance, then she wanted to gamble on being a hero after all.

But she couldn't do it alone. She needed support from her mother. After all, to enroll in any Hero's school, you needed a parent or guardian's signature.

"It...doesn't hurt to try...right?" Izuku muttered quietly to herself.

When she arrived home, she could smell the faint scent of sex once again. This time there were no unfamiliar pair of shoes in sight.

"I'm home," she called out.

"Welcome home honey!" Her mother greeted her with a tone that was filled with warmth and gentleness. Her hair was pinned up into a half ponytail, her white apron on tight, and she wore her favourite pink slippers. She was picturesque of a loving housewife who would cook for her family and catch her 2:00 dramas daily.

No one would suspect that her mother was seeing strangers every day and invited them into her embrace to perform unspeakable acts.

"Are you hungry?" Her mother casually asked as she opened the fridge and took out a bowl with a milky substance.

"Y-yea..." It was hard to sound enthusiastic when she had to drink a stranger's bodily fluid. But as much as she hated to admit it, she had no sexual fantasies when she didn't miss her morning and lunch doses.

She dropped her bag on a couch, before approaching the white porcelain bowl. She stared at the fluid, closed her eyes, and downed it. Damn, she thought, it's tasty.

"So how was school today?" Her mother pulled out a chair across from Izuku. "Th-there wasn't anything that made you want to do things... out of the ordinary right?"

Izuku's shoulders flinched, out of the ordinary, she supposed her condition was abnormal.

"N-no..." then the awkward silence settled.

When she was younger, she would talk to her mother about everything and anything. But once Izuku's period hit, and her physiology and needs started to change, a wall started to be built between them. Brick by brick, day by day, until their conversations became one-sided — yearning but also evading in talking about matters that weighed heavily on their shoulders.

But today, Izuku wanted to break down the wall. Today was the day she was going to answer what the 13-year-old Izuku couldn't in the face of her mother discouraging her dreams of becoming a hero.

"M-mom?" Izuku called before holding her breath.

Her mother hummed in response, still wearing a placating smile.

Izuku let out a breath she was unconsciously holding and finally took a leap of faith "I-I want to be a hero after all."

Her hands felt clammy, and her heart was pounding against her ribcage. She couldn't bear to see what face her mother was making. Was she angry? Upset? Sad?

Instead, she heard a small sigh. She looked up to see her mother's lips turned upwards, but her eyebrows were knitted together, "Honey, we've talked about this."

"I kno-"

"You can't be a hero." her mother cut in and ended the conversation with such cold finality.

Something burned inside Izuku's chest. She loved her mother; she knew her mother was already doing so much for her; she told herself that it couldn't be helped. But she craved the feeling of wanting to chase after her dreams.

She knew she was being spoiled.

She knew she was unreasonable.

But even so...did she have no right to choose her future?

She didn't understand.

Why couldn't she be a hero?

"I don't agree with you..." Izuku's voice cracked. The wall between them towered over Izuku.

"Izuku," her mother's tone lowered, "the decision is final. You can't be a hero."

She felt her muscles tensed up. Her teeth gritted with such force that she thought a vein was popping out from her jaw.

Why...why was her path chosen for her?

She didn't understand.

Why couldn't her mother support her?

"Izuku, I know you're upset-"

Upset? Upset didn't even come close to the feelings she was experiencing now. This feeling of frustration. This feeling of helplessness.

She didn't understand.

"-but there are other things you can venture into-"

She tried. She tried to be a good girl. She tried not to be greedy. She tried to not yearn for things. But she only wanted one thing that can surely validate that her existence was necessary, that she wasn't just a pebble on the side of the road.

She didn't understand.

"-Remember, you said you wanted to help people, so maybe a nurse-"

Ah, she understood what she was feeling now. She was angry. Angry at the world for not accepting her in the first place.

That's right. It was the whole world's fault for not accepting who she was. That was the reason her father left them. The reason why her mother had to suffer. The reason why she was suffering now.

"-There are so many options you can look into-"

BAM.

Before Izuku realized what she was doing, her fist hit the table. The metal table gave in to her strength and left an imprint of her fist. Her hand didn't hurt, and it didn't ward away any of her rising anger.

"IZUKU!" Her mother's voice raised, now into an admonishing tone.

"Why?" Her eyes were burning, "Why, Why, Why?" her voice raised. "Why can't you understand how I feel?"

"Izuku, your quirk-"

"Ido have a quirk. I have a quirk that can save people! I can be a hero!" She could feel the tears trailing down her cheeks.

"H-how do you know you have a quirk that can save people" Her mother finally stood up from the chair. "You don't know the first thing about how terribleyour quirk actually can be!" Her mother screamed, before gasping, and covered her mouth with wide eyes.

There was a space of silence as if time had frozen between them. The only indication of life was the clock ticking away rhythmically. Izuku's mouth felt strangely dry, and her bones locked into place.

Was that how her mother saw her?

No...

It couldn't be. Her mother would never say such a thing to her.

That's right.

It was the world. Society dictated the opinion on her quirk. Her mother was just a victim, just like her.

"Terrible?" Izuku's voice quieted to a whimper.

Even though her mother was following society's rules, she was still hurt. She knew deep down; her mother would never say such a thing. But then maybe she was the only one delusional, and her mother did honestly think of her as a terrible daughter? Perhaps her mother's mind had already been infected by society's perception of her. As if a veil of cloudy uncertainty had dissipated, Izuku finally saw her mother's true feelings.

A mother who was disgusted by her child.

That's right if that was how her mother felt then she didn't need her. She didn't need... anyone.

"Honey, that's not what I mean-" her mother's voice broke into a watery sob. But Izuku refused to be fooled by such a false facade!

"I know that I'm nothing but a burden to you!" a small whisper urged Izuku to stop, but it was quickly overpowered by the waves of anger crashing down, "I know that you're giving your body to countless men every day!" She was hurt. Her mother couldn't possibly understand the struggles she was going through! Judging eyes every day. Chants of her worthlessness drilled into her head by her peers. "I can smell it from your body. I can smell the different men you've slept with." her chest ached when her mother's tear slid down her cheek, but she didna wantto care, not now. "That's disgusting, mom. Doing it every day with different men, and you call me terri-"

SLAP

Her vision forcefully ripped away from her mother's crying visage. She raised her hand to feel her throbbing cheek. She looked back to see her mother cradling the hand that slapped her, and the hurt in her mother's eyes.

Guilt instantly blanketed Izuku.

"P-please Izuku," her mother's voice was nearly above a whisper, "I want us to be a happy family."

Her stomach churned to see her mother in such a vulnerable state that she had caused.

"I don't want you to see how ugly this world is."

She took a step back. Her mind replayed the terrible words she had just spewed out and into her mother's face.

"You're my baby girl. I love you so much, Izuku,"

She could only shake her head, disbelieving how anyone could love her.

"Please," her mother took one step closer, "don't say things like that..."

Before her mother could reach for her, she ran out the door.

"Izuku!"

She could hear her mother's tearful cry.

Her mind was a mess. Anger long forgotten, and only shame and guilt suffocated her.

Why? Why did she do such a thing?

She ran without a direction in mind.

She kept running and running until she was finally out of breath.

Looking around, she arrived at an abandoned seaside park.

She dragged her feet into the sands, aimlessly walking around in a daze until broken appliances and items of furniture surrounded her. This place was where all the abandoned things went.

Things that people no longer need.

Things that people wouldn't miss.

She saw a stainless steel washing machine with parts missing. She approached it and saw a reflection of her deformed face from the curves and dents of the metallic surface.

She brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob; her shoulders quivered trying to control her ragged breath.

She slinked down to her knees, feeling the gritty texture of the sand. Her sob slowly turned into a scream. She was replaying the image of her mother's heart-broken face over and over again, replaying the teacher's words of discouragement and replaying the students' laughter.

Kaachan's words.

Her mother words.

Grabbing the loose grains of sand and throwing it only to disperse into weightless dust. It did nothing to relieve the smothering sensation of despair.

All she wanted to be was a hero. But the world had forsaken her. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her mother's fault. It was society's fault. If only it were different. But she had no power to change anything. She never did.

"Little girl?" A voice called out into the night.

Leave me alone. She wanted to scream at the stranger.

"It's dangerous to be out alone in the night." the voice was so raspy and weak.

"Please leave..." her voice barely above a whisper. She felt her nails pulling, and her eyes were starting to itch. It was the same sensation she felt yesterday when she was in the washroom.

"Oh, are you lost?" the stranger's voice continued.

She finally looked at the source of the voice. Her muscles instantly relaxed, and her mind blanked.

There stood the most boney, skeletal-like man she had ever seen. He was almost like...a...

"GHOSTS!" she screamed and as she turned to run she immediately ran head first into the stainless steel washing machine.

Vision doubling, she stumbled before collapsing to the ground.

"Mama, I can't wait to get a quirk!"

Izuku was in the realm of darkness. Her whole body felt numb. When she tried to move her body, black sticky substance restrained her. It felt like she was sinking into molasses.

A peal of bright laughter chimed in ahead of her. She saw a younger version of herself playing in the park with Kaachan.

"I'm going to be a hero, and you're going to be a civilian, Deku!"

Her younger self pouted, "no way! I wanna be a hero too!"

"There's no way you can be a hero; you're quirkless."

That wasn't true. She wasn't quirkless. Her mother lied to her.

The image of the two kids dissipated, and there was another version of Izuku, older this time.

"Mom, I don't think I'm quirkless after all. I – I can tell apart people from just my nose. Maybe I have a tracking quirk! Although, I can only seem to smell guys. Girls are kind of hard to tell apart for me." the younger self rambled on.

"Izuku, we need to talk."

Back then, Izuku was happy of just the idea that she might have a quirk. Any quirk.

The scene dissolved and reappeared with another scene of her crying.

"MOM!" the other self screamed in terror.

"Izuku!" Her mother scrambled and burst through the door in a panic frenzy.

"My... My eyes...my nails..." the other self looked up to see her mother's horrified face.

Her mother took a step before she fell to her knees with tears brimming her eyes.

"M-mom?"

Her mother grabbed her shoulder with panic in her eyes.

"Mom, it hurts-"

"Don't EVER use your quirk. Izuku, do you hear me?"

"I-it wasn't on pur-"

"Izuku, promise me." Her mother's voice now in a shrill. "Promise me!"

Confused and scared, her other self could only muster a small nod.

The scene melted and Izuku wasn't sure if her eyes were closed or opened.

She heard a voice behind her, but she couldn't turn her head to the source of the sound. Her whole body was submerged into the black goo.

"Kaachan, can we try sex?"

"Sex?"

Ah, her face was burning up. She remembered that day clearly. She stumbled upon porn when she was seven years old. She saw an ad with a naked woman and man embracing. Curiosity winning her over, she clicked the picture. What greeted her was a webpage full of pictures of naked people's body entangling with each other in such strange ways. Their faces were flushed, and some look like they were in pain while others look like they were in pure bliss. That was the start of her going down the rabbit hole, and she liked it. She liked it a lot.

"Doesn't your mommy and daddy have sex?"

"That's so gross, Deku!" Kaachan voice shrieked, she could hear the utter disgust in his voice without having to see his face.

Another voice, this time it sounded like Kaachan's mother.

"Inko-san, maybe you should put a parental block on Izuku-chan's computer."

"E-eh?" her mother's voice caught in her throat.

"Katsuki told me that Izuku-chan was talking about sex with him."

Her mother coughed violently and apologized profusely to her.

That was the first and last time Izuku ever uttered the word sex to anyone.

The world wouldn't accept her if she were open with her feelings. It wasn't her fault for wanting it. It wasn't her fault for needing it.

The black substance squirmed and slowly inched across her face.

She wasn't wrong. What she craved wasn't wrong. What she wanted wasn't wrong.

The world was wrong.

Her vision was flooded with light. She was staring at the stars above her with the lone moon.

"Oh, young girl! You're finally awake."

Her head turned to the side to see the same boney man crouching above her.

"H-how long was I out?" She stood up and winced from the sudden blood rushing to her head.

"Not for long, you passed out probably for 30 seconds."

"Oh..."

She heard the water from the sea lapsed against the sand. The breeze played gently with her hair. For a moment she stared into space, enjoying the peace and serenity of nature's tune.

She looked back to see the same boney man staring at her. His eyes were sunken in, but he had the clearest blue eyes she had ever seen.

She rubbed her eyes.

He was still there.

He was indeed very real.

"AHHH!" Izuku screamed, haphazardly trying to get back on her feet to run.

"It looks like you're lively to boot!" the boney man laughed merrily.

Her screams died down, and she looked back at the boney man. Someone said the same words to her not too long ago. Sniffing, it was faint, but the scent was familiar. There was a hint of rotting flesh, but behind that mask was a scent belonging to someone she held dear.

"A-All Might?" She asked more to herself. But there was no way this boney man could be All Might. All Might was more grand, more heroic, confident, and well... way bigger than the man in front of her. The man was literally drowning in his clothes. He should buy a smaller size; in fact, the bigger clothes just emphasized his small stature.

"W-what d-did you say, young girl?" his voice shuddered, and his whole body tensed up. His eyes were wide, and his brows were knitted.

"Uhm..." Her words were caught in her throat. The man's face turned sallow, and his eyes were darting back and forth. Before she processed anything, she approached him with guiding hands. "Are you alright mister? You don't look too good." She was worried that the man in front of her was going to croak considering she could smell the unpleasant rotting flesh from him. Beyond her feelings, her main focus was to ensure that the man will be okay. Her hand lightly touched his boney shoulder, "do you need me to call the ambulance, sir?"

The man stood still for half a beat of a second before he stood up tall and ...proud?

"WAHAHA!" the man laughed, before turning to Izuku and giving her a toothy smile and a thumbs up. For a moment she saw a flash of All Might. "Young girl, first you're scared, and now you're worried?"

As if a switch went on in her brain, she stumbled a few steps back from the man. "Ah, well..." That's right; she knew nothing of this stranger. What if he was a villain? But, what kind of villain would wait until she was conscious? But then again, a villain doesn't have to follow the norm. Her thoughts clumsily tried to arrange an acceptable answer for the situation she was currently in.

"Don't worry about it, young girl." The man's voice was surprisingly soothing. "A true hero makes it their business if there's a person in need!"

Again, her brain was working in overdrive. She had no idea what this person was saying. But for now, it seemed the person wasn't going to collapse suddenly, and he doesn't seem like a threat to her life either.

"Okay...well, I-I should be going now..." Izuku awkwardly smiled before giving the boney man a small bow. She turned to leave the scene quickly.

"You're going to be alright, miss."

Her feet froze. Why did those words weigh painfully in her heart? The man didn't know anything about her. Yet, how could he say that so casually? Her anger resurfaced. "You...don't know a single thing about me. Please don't say such words thoughtlessly."

"Young girl, it is a hero's duty to make it their business when they see someone in need of help."

Her hands balled into a fist. This person was seriously starting to piss her off. "You're no hero." she bit harshly. "If you knew what I have to go through," her voice started to escalate. He was just a stranger; he had no business knowing her troubles, "You wouldn't say such a thing!"

"If you need someone to listen to your troubles, you can talk to me."

Her body was now fully turned towards the boney man. There was such gentleness behind those words, yet she wanted to reject it to her very core. That's right; it was the world that will continue to reject her. The man will also shirk away from disgust if he knew what her quirk was. "I hate..." she gulped, and tears welled up and blurred her vision. "I hate..." she tried again, but she couldn't get her words out.

Her mind and her heart were in such disarray. She already knew why she couldn't deny the world or the man in front of her. The truth was, she didn't hate the world. She didn't hate her mom. She didn't hate her teacher. Heck, she didn't even hate Kaachan. Her heart ached when she tried to hate everyone. What she felt wasn't anger. It was despair. It was lonesome. It was fear.

She felt a hand softly patting her head. She felt like a child all over again. His hand was soothing, gentle, and kind. It reminded her of her mother's consoling touch or perhaps her father's if he was still around.

Tears continued to build up until it finally poured down from her eyes. "I want to be a hero." Her voice broke. "My quirk is horrible. It's a quirk that only brought shame to my family. I can't dare to imagine being a hero." She looked up to see no pity or disgust from the person's eyes. For the first time, she felt that her words and her feelings truly mattered. "I don't know why..." she choked up a laugh of watery embarrassment, "I just think saving people is the coolest, most awesomest thing ever." Her laughter slowly turned into short breaths, "I want to..." her words stopped. She couldn't catch her breath because of her cries. She took one deep breath before trying once more, "I want to know no fear and save people with a smile!" She stifled a rising sob, "Just like... All Might!" She was expecting a mocking laugh. But none came. The man with hair made of sunshine and eyes of a bright blue open sky gave her, what felt like, a truly genuine smile. A small whimper rose before she wholly dissolved into tears.

She didn't know how long she sat there sobbing in front of the stranger. The stranger didn't say a word and let her cry out everything her heart had endured over those years of ridicule and rejection. How was it that the mere presence of someone could heal her broken heart? Each tear felt like she was finally expelling the poison that once laced her mind with hateful and bitter thoughts.

When she was finally reduced to a quiet hiccup, the man ever so gently said, "Young girl, being a hero will be a difficult road for anyone."

She already knew where the man was going with this speech. Her shoulders sank, but she was too tired to fight back. She was going to be okay. She was going to let the reality sink in. They say you will soon grow out of your childish dream. She was thankful that the man still listened to her without any judgment.

She will give up being a hero.

And... she was going to be okay.

"I know." Her body and mind were drained. She was tired, but strangely she was at peace. "Thank you for listening to me, mister." She gave her best attempt to smile despite her face tight and numb from her cries. She stood up and dusted off the sand from her clothes as best she could. "I'm sorry for the outburst." She straightened her back before bowing a straight 90-degree angle. "Thank you for helping me."

"You can be a hero."

"H-huh?"

"You can be a hero." the man repeated once more.

"T-there's no way." Her hand was up in a makeshift barrier between her fantasy and reality. "Y-you don't know what my quirk is; there's no way I can be-"

"A quirk doesn't make you a hero." The man pointed to his chest. "a brave and selfless heart makes you a hero."

It was almost cruel. She wanted to believe in his words desperately. After all, this could be all lip service. "I want to be a hero." her words managed to escape the jail she called reality.

"You can."

Her eyes widened. In the middle of a junkyard was All Might.

Standing tall.

Proud.

And Heroic.

A/N: I almost turned Midoriya into a villain. ALSO, please don't have high expectation for this story. It's just literally crap thrown together.