Hello, I've been doing life. Here's a thing I've conjured in my time away, if you enjoy this thing, please let me know. There should be more wholesomeposting down the line, look forward to more.

"So, you just gonna let this keep happenin'?" Drawled a bored voice.

The familiar voice drew the attention of one Izuku Midoriya, he was a small boy, probably about 9 years old. Curly green mess that one could describe as hair sat atop his head and equally green eyes.

He was coming home from school and was stopped by a neighbour, Izuku didn't often speak to his neighbours, and when he did it was usually a morning greeting or something to that effect.

This particular neighbour was newish to the area - having been there perhaps a year - a man from Australia, from what Izuku's mother had told him, the man was quite polite and jovial but had moved away from his home country because there really wasn't anything left for him there.

Izuku felt that was quite sad, because he didn't seem that old.

"The bruises." The man gestured vaguely to his face, Izuku was suddenly very self conscious, "Every other day your comin' back from school with 'em."

The accent was a little thick but Izuku couldn't use his inability to avoid the conversation, "My-my friends are just a little rougher than I'd like."

The man seemed agitated by this, Izuku averted his eyes, "You think I don't know what someone looks like when they're constantly shit on by people around 'em? I was your age once to little dude, and I'll say this much. Nothing will improve unless you make it improve. Kids are little monsters, and the only way they'll learn anything sometimes is to kick them in the head."

Izuku looked horrified, "I-I could never-!"

The man scoffed and looked out into the beautiful blue sky miserably, "I was as passive, got me nothing but years of self-loathing and a whole mess of anger issues. Do yourself a favour and find new friends."

He sighed and rubbed his face, patting the wall next to him, "C'mere for a sec I've got some oldman wisdom for you."

"You're not old Gideon-san." Izuku assured as he put his bag down and looked up at the man, the wind was blowing gently away from him so the greenboy didn't notice he was smoking until standing next to the man.

"I know, but I've got oldman energy, apparently." Gideon said with a small grin, "When I was your age, I was a scared, shut in little boy with what felt like only two friends in the whole world. Those friends as I would come to find out later, didn't actually like me, they liked giving me grief."

"One's name was Aiden and the other's name was Luke. Aiden and I had known eachother since preschool, and our mothers were very close. But once we started getting older Aiden started to look down on me, I was a scrawny little wisp of nothing and he was at least three children worth of a person."

Izuku looked up at him, confused.

"He was a little fat cunt." The boy looked mortified at the horrible language that was being used and slapped a hand over his mouth, "Come of it, it's just a word it won't hurt you. Just don't use it in polite company. I'm not polite company."

Gideon gave the young boy a wink and smiled before he continued, "Luke was a sheep, he just followed whatever was the most popular thing, and when I wasn't, I was dropped like yesterdays bad news."

"So I was alone for a while. Which suited me fine enough I suppose, see the reason I was so afraid of everything was because when I was six my I decided to sit on the back step to greet my dad when he came home, but when he got out of his car some crackhead from down the street decided to jump him… I wanted to help, I wanted to do something but I was frozen, the only thing I could hear was the sound of my dad getting attacked and my mother screaming at the phone for the police…"

"Didn't a hero come help?" Izuku asked, somewhat devastated.

"None around, our neighbourhood was pretty middle of the road so they didn't really patrol the area. My mother sprayed the guy down with a hose so the shock must've knocked him outta it because he looked around, and bolted when he looked back at my old man."

"'He's getting away' I thought, 'I can't let him get away.' First time I used my quirk, it was like purple fireworks were shooting off everywhere and all of a sudden this man had broken legs."

Izuku looked up at the older man with shock in his eyes, it must've been clear enough because Gideon chortled and smiled.

"My point, that I'm trying to make is that action is required for something to change. Sure, don't break people's legs with your brain, but do something. He who stands still, never amounts to anything."

Izuku mulled it over for a few moments before curiosity peaked in his eyes, "What exactly is your Quirk, Gideon-san?"

The purple haired man sighed for a moment as he tried to put it into simple-ish words, more for his own sake than anything else, he knew peripherally that Izuku was a smart kid, "I can generate psychic energy that I can use for a number of things from lightning my smoke to ripping apart buildings."

"That sounds amazing!" Praised the little green boy, the older male was a slight bashful at the praise and ducked his head away with a little grin on his face, "That alone would make you an amazing hero!"

Gideon had something to say on the matter, "Well yeah, but power isn't everything. Being a hero isn't something you just do because you can, to be a… how do you guys put it… pillar of justice! You gotta have the right mindset, everyone is worth saving, no one is above anyone else, and there is always a solution to a problem." He lectured, getting a firm nod from the little boy.

"Next you gotta think about what kind of person should be a hero, there's the ideal. People like All Might who are effectively the Gooddest of Guys, he's got the persona he's got the charm and he's got the record to show that he's the right kinda guy, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Izuku agreed explosively, "I love All Might! He's the most amazing person ever, a hero that saves people with a smile, just him being around makes people feel safe, that's the kind of hero everyone should aspire to be!"

Gideon actually had to blink at the sheer radiance of the small sunshine boy but found himself grinning broadly, and sat down on the ground of the patio so he and Izuku were on a more even level, patting the ground next to him the little boy followed the instruction without hesitation.

"Exactly, see you're a smart kid." He pat the boy on the head, just the once because he realised it may look a little weird and he was exceptionally self-conscious.

"Now, on the flip side we've got people like Endeavour, it's not exactly touted on TV but he's a bad guy, he's the cause of more burn victims that a burning building, each week. The man has no concern for people's health, regardless if they are civilian, heroes or crooks. Now that reminds me!-" Gideon seemed to become very passionate the more he spoke, which resonated with Izuku.

Izuku liked Gideon-san, he was a pretty friendly guy, his mum liked him so he had to be good people. The green boy didn't get much time to actually chat with people older than him outside of his mother, as his teachers overlooked him, so it was nice to see the mindset of his seniors.

Gideon-san seemed incredibly passionate about life, or at least he did once someone was talking to him, Izuku was slightly worried because on occasion he would see Gideon-san looking at his phone and staring despondently at it…

"Not all criminals are villains, but all villains are criminals. Okay?" At Izuku's confused look he smiled, "Right lemme give you a scenario. You've got a man who steals the groceries he had collected at a store, in the eyes of the law he's a criminal yes?"

"Of course, theft is illegal!" Izuku agreed ardently, "If a hero saw him they'd stop him and take him down!"

Gideon smiled patiently, an almost fond expression on his face, "Ah, but-but-but my little dude!" With each but he rose his finger higher and higher, "The man only stole those groceries so that he could feed his family, because his boss hadn't paid him for the work he'd done."

Izuku looked stricken, "B-But I didn't know that before!"

Gideon grinned, "Exactly! Part of hero work is learning about who it is you 'take down'. Not all criminals are villains, yeah?"

The green bean nodded a little, that made sense.

"Petty crooks are just people that life has dealt a bad hand, most people are decent until they're out of options. And then they'll spiral, until it's all they know." Gideon seemed to drift somewhat, no longer looking at Izuku but more… through him.

Blinking the immigrant came back to earth and leant back to take a drag on his smoke, away from the little dude whom he was sharing a philosophical chit-chat with.

"So… it would be wise to not only aim for heroism, but justice?" Izuku questioned, of course it was a simple thing once one took a moment to think on it.

"A few of my friends from back home went into the police force before aiming directly for heroism, to build up a better relationship with uniformed men and women and to understand the full extent of due process."

Gideon sagged for a moment, "I think people get swept up in the show and dance of heroism and forget it is at the end of the day, a job. A job that is filled with ups and downs, twists and turns. Life is filled with adversity little dude…" He looked down at Izuku and sighed softly, "Though we both know that."

Izuku frowned somewhat, the sting of the bruises on his wrists seemed to twinge angrily as Gideon spoke, "Yeah, I guess."

"So, shall we stand still, wavering and wilting? Or shall we rise above, and claim for ourselves the rightful place of Hero?"

The green haired boy smiled like the sun had just been handed to him, "Hero!"

"I'll be the ultimate Hero for Justice, I'll save people with a smile, and help those that everyone's left behind! I'll be the best Hero ever, even If I have to do it without a quirk, because being good is more important than being famous!"

"Exactly!" Gideon put his cigarette in his mouth and clapped, praising the boys revelation. Sure, didn't sound to impressive to an adult but kids gotta learn at some point.

"So Mr. Hero of Justice, what's your step one?" Questioned the older male.

Izuku seemed to falter, so Gideon layed out a few things, "You're smaller than everyone else at the moment, but your Dad, the few times I've seen him, is a pretty tall guy so you'll shoot up sooner or later. At the moment you gotta work on your fitness and your health, as a quirkless hero you gotta work even harder than everyone else."

The green haired boy sat down, like a disciple learning from a master, it actually made the older male blush at the earnest expression on his face, "Of course! I will do my best!"

Acid green met emerald green and Gideon smiled anew, "Good attitude, next would be learning some self-defence, if your parents are comfortable with it, it'd be best to start going to one of the local schools for it, even something basic like karate to get used to using those muscles, but don't do any weight training you'll screw up your body."

"Yes, Shishou!" Izuku said diligently, a goofy grin smothered the smile and Gideon felt his heart literally warm up.

"Diet is going to be a big factor, don't do what I do and just eat crap because it's easier. Start helping your mum make dinner so you can learn how to prepare meals yourself, and start trying to filter in healthy only dinners at the very least. Having a light breakfast and a sturdier lunch is a better move than most in the west, trust me I've eaten bacon, eggs and toast for years because it's quick and my insides really hate me."

"B-but you smoke as well, shouldn't you quit?" Izuku tentatively questioned, looking concerned.

"Probably." Admitted Gideon with a chuckle, "But I also only have like one a day, unless I'm drinking. And I don't really have any friends here to out with, so it's not like I'm a heavy smoker."

"I suppose that's better than the alternative…" Muttered Izuku.

"Next, you need to be in a more emotionally healthy environment, so try to make some new friends. Go online, play some games, meet different people. I'm assuming The Fuckhead has made being your friend social suicide?"

Izuku winced at the language being used but resigned himself to leaving it uncontested, "S...somewhat."

"Then online games are a great way to meet new people, if you don't have a system or console, feel free to use mine, I'm working every other day so if you're bored knock on my door." Gideon considered this for a moment, "Actually I'll run that by your mum first."

"Th-thank you very much, Gideon-san!" Izuku bowed his head but shot right back up when he heard laughter.

"Calm your farm little dude, helping others is what a Hero does, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright then, so you go talk to your ma about what we've spoken about, remember always tell your parents important things like this. It's their job to worry but you make it harder on them if you keep everything bottled up, cool?" Gideon stood up and offered the boy his hand, Izuku looked up at him with a slight awe but took it quickly.

"Ri-right, yes, of course!"

"Good, now go forth young one, and be a good boy." Gideon waved him off as he flicked his cigarette expertly into an ash-tray and walked inside.

The green haired boy stood there for a moment before a wave of euphoria came over him, he didn't even register until that moment that Gideon-san hadn't made a single mention of him being quirkless, or how he couldn't be a hero, instead he immediately helped him plan how he could be!

With a bright smile and an optimistic outlook on things, Izuku walked inside and decided to have a talk with his mother about the man that lived next door.

The Grandpa Friend

At the ripe age of 19 the two people who Gideon Lennon loved more than any other had departed the planet, his father had died only a few years ago when the old man was taken out by a falling beam in his worksite.

Sure, the old boy wasn't a spring chicken but Gid' didn't wish that on anyone, let alone his father, it broke his heart that Ol' Daddy Lennon, as his friends called him, was dead. He remembered sitting out the back looking over the garden that his father had made and talking about… anything really.

His mother followed soon after a few years later, he was 18 at the time and the death was still fresh in his heart. Gideon's mother had a stroke, and whilst recovering had managed to catch bronconeumonia - which is basically 'I can't breathe anymore' the sickness - and watching her slip away quickly in a hospital bed was not exactly ideal.

Gideon had siblings, a brother and two sisters. They were all a decent bit older than himself though, with families of their own and lives they'd built up.

Aside from having a National Heroes Licence, he had some experience with labour hire at various job sites, and some work in retail, so not only was he good at taking orders, he was used to being screamed at by old people for not being able to magically fix a problem.

Which was all well and good, but a problem he had was that he was foriegn.

And after some shit they took a few centuries ago, Japan didn't really like foreigners. Or at least, the establishment didn't, most people seemed to find him quite charming after meeting him, in or out of costume.

So he didn't exactly have a sparkling resume, but he was renting out his family home in Australia and collecting money that way, along with the freelance gigs he did for the police department, but without a dedicated Agency, he was going to run out of luck sooner or later.

Gideon found it interesting that Japan was as obsessed with the Hero scene as they were, or it just seemed to be where most of the more high-tier stuff seemed to go down.

The man was lucky enough to be born with a Quirk, a power that made him a special little one of god's creatures.

Because superpowers make the person, right? That's the rule that seems to be most prevalent in the Elitist society he'd found himself in.

Which was fine, on paper Elitist Societies weren't even that bad, if one had a talent that talent was nurtured and given breathing room to grow, if you had nothing to offer you were a grunt.

Gideon was fortunate enough that he could get some work done with his Quirk, it was called Pulse. The oddest things about quirks are how they end up forming through a bloodline. His maternal grandparents ironically had the most impact over his Quirk, it seemed to skip a generation.

Grandma was dead before he was born, but from what his mother had told him, she was not one to be messed with, she could create bursts of gravitational pushes with a thought, something she used to great effect.

And Grandpa was able to project a red energy that he could use to coat his body like a shield, Nan and Pop were a duo in their youth, Havoc and Brightstar.

Grandma was as sparkling as her name implied, apparently.

His parents had Telekinesis and Telepathy respectively, he had the ability to move objects that were under his shroud of Pulse Energy but the mind touching was beyond him.

Winning the genetic lottery was something that earned him a lot of envy and hate when he was younger, but as he got older people seemed to actually appreciate his skills. He got more refined with using Pulse due to all the time he spent alone, practicing in his room.

Sure the sob story ends once he got to his teens and made new friends at a new school, and whilst the loss of his parents would forever bring his grief, they'd not want him to drown in his sadness.

Once he got his Hero Licence and decided to make his mark on the world in the very hotbed of activity, in a new place. Japan.

Not the best move all things considered.

Given his power, and his status as 'That Gaijin over there' he had some trouble finding a hero agency to actually take him on permanently, which really confused the hell out of him at times.

Regardless, considering he was technically a free agent he could work directly with the police, which was actually a lot better than he'd expected, the cops liked that he respected their authority and they liked that he could immediately resolve a situation by making people float.

Can't do shit if you can't move.

He'd done some intern gigs at a few local agencies in the Musutafu area and they were decent enough but no one really wanted him on full time, he'd worked with Death Arms - buff dude with a body built like a gorilla - he was nice, stern and fair.

But Death Arms told him outright he wasn't a fit for his team, which Gideon decided not to argue with, even though Physical and Ranged was literally the best duo.

He'd worked with another buff-up-and-close guy by the name of Gunhead, the dude was a top bloke, as far as Gideon was concerned, and was by far one of the better people he'd worked with in his life.

Gunhead was the kind of guy that just wanted the best out of people, but realised that different people express in different ways, he wasn't the most popular hero, or even the strongest, but the man had character, which drew Gideon in quickly.

Though Gunhead didn't keep him on for a different reason, he said 'Keeping you here would only limit you, you're going to do something amazing.'

Which whilst incredibly flattering, wasn't what the Australian wanted to hear.

A knock at his door alerted Gid' that he had company, he left his desk and got up quickly, "Coming~." He sang out, avoiding his cat, Eileen, to get to the door.

The door opened to reveal a certain green haired mother, the usual bright eyes and warm smile that sort of melted him, Gideon stood a little straighter and spoke, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Midoriya, what can I do for you?"

"Oh please, Gideon just call me Inko." She waved him off and he relaxed somewhat, "Izuku has been speaking to me about, quite a lot of things actually but you came up several times. I don't know what it was that you actually said to my boy but thank you for it. He's not been this lively in years." She took one of his hands into both of hers and smiled at him, his legs felt like jelly.

"He's told me a lot of his situation at school, and I believe I'll be having words to a certain boys mother."

"Good luck with that." Gideon bid easily, he could only imagine what a little cunt like that would have at home.

Closing his door to stand outside next to her, he spoke. "I dunno if it's my place but I offered Izuku the option of using my gaming stuff when I'm at work or at home, if he's bored. I met a lot of close friends online and I thought it'd be a good option since his school life is apparently isolation based."

Inko frowned at the thought of her beloved son being so miserable, but now that he'd actually spoken to her about the problems, they could make strides to improve the situation, it seemed even in small ways a heroes work was never done, Gideon was good people.

"I'm quite fine with the idea, especially since I'm at home most of the time myself, though if you don't mind I'd like to have the option of popping in during those times." Bargained the green haired woman.

The young adult nodded, "Of course, I've got no problem with that. if you want, I've got a spare key, you guys can have it."

Inko blinked, a little taken aback, "Are-are you quite certain, that's quite an intimate offer."

"I've kind of decided your kid is gonna be my pet project, so if you having a key makes life easier for everyone, I don't really mind. Izuku's got a good head on his shoulders, and a bright future. I'd hate to see it spoiled by the same school bull-issues I went through."

Inko smiled at the young man, her eyes a little glassy, she reached to take his hand again and held it tightly, "I'm honestly a little overwhelmed, I'd thought Mitsuki would have been more strict with her son, but apparently not… I'm not exactly sure what to do."

Gideon shrugged a little helplessly, "Honestly I think just having a sit down and talk with his mother would be a good first step but from what I've seen the sproglet seems to have a few genuine issues if he's giving this much abuse to someone."

"Sometimes addressing the situation can cause more harm than good, but if you're open to the idea I'd like to pick up Izuku from school of an afternoon, I usually knock off the same time he does and I can make it so I'm coming home from his schools direction."

"More harm, how?" Inko asked, though he could see her mind was spinning a little.

"Well a kid with impunity, acting however he wants, all of a sudden is called into question and made to actually address his attitude, It could blow up."

"I see… I'll talk to Mitsuki first, I'm sure the two of us can work something out. As for picking up Izuku… are you sure? I understand you wanting to help him but - and please don't take this the wrong way - you seem especially interested in him."

Gideon waved off the preface and smiled, "I get it, I've not exactly been a super social neighbour but between work and adjusting I've sort of been in my own world. I'm a hero by profession, and I've got someone right next door that needs help, I just want to do whatever I can to help him, mum always told me to treat others how you wish to be treated, and well… I kinda wish someone came along and helped me when I was his age."

Inko looked thoughtful, "I'll have to talk to his father about it all, but at the moment I'll accept your offer, Gideon. I'm just slightly concerned that you're trying to… overcompensate." She said lightly as possible, trying desperately to not offend her neighbour.

The man actually chuckled a little, "I guess I am, I understand the wariness. I can't really say anything to assuage your feelings though, and just ask that you trust that I've got your son's interest at heart, he's a young citizen in trouble, and I have the ability to help."

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" She asked, a little suddenly.

Gideon blinked, "Uh, yeah I'd love to. But if it's alright with you, I think you guys should have your family talk before that, so maybe during the weekend, if that's alright? Should I dress up all fancy like?"

"So long as you don't smell like an ash-tray you can wear what you want." She chided cheekily, getting a snort from the young man.

Inko smiled gently, "That's probably a wise idea, Saturday evening then."

"Is there anything you like me to bring? Soft drinks or something like that?" He asked curiously.

"'Soft drinks'?" Mother Midoriya asked, somewhat befuddled.

"Ah, carbonated drinks, like Pepsi or Coke. We call them soft drinks where I'm from… for some reason." The young man grinned brightly, making Inko almost match his jubilant expression.

"Ah, well I think that'd be quite lovely. Hisashi and I are quite partial to lemony flavours, and Izuku loves anything sweet." She looked at him somewhat amused though, "You don't have to bring anything though, I've invited you to dinner."

"It's courteous to always bring something when going to someone else's house to eat." Recited the young man off an imaginary list.

Inko almost snorted, "You're trained well." She said with humour.

"Mum did her best to domesticate me." Was all the grinning man said in response, "I'll bring the key over when I arrive, I'll make sure to look as pretty as possible."

"Pretty?" She asked curiously, "Is that what young men go for nowadays?"

"I mean, I like to look nice. Sadly I don't have the body type for frilly dresses, really cuts into my princess time." He said, looking down at himself with a half-hearted shake of the head.

Inko laughed into her hand whilst the Australian grinned once more.

"We'll see you later, Gideon. Have a good evening." She bowed and he returned the gesture easily enough.

"You too, give Mr. Midoriya my best." She nodded as he closed his apartment door, sighing happily.

A hero next door, her little boy finally opening up about his troubles, and her husband finally finding local work, Inko Midoriya was having an exceptional day!

End

I wanted to write a thing, and kept trying to decide how to do it. So I've done this.