Izuku met Todoroki at a small, local soba restaurant. The décor was muted and tasteful, dark wooden tables, comfortable booths, decorative light fixtures, elegant drawings of ocean waves and leaping fish on the walls. Todoroki wore formal attire, a collared shirt and khakis a touch too small for him, that looked as though they had been sitting in a closet for a year. Knowing ahead of time, Izuku matched Todoroki's attire, though it cost him ten-thousand yen's worth of art commissions.

The noodles weren't cheap either. The grilled shrimp were warm, but the noodles themselves were chilled, a dichotomy that seemed to appeal to Todoroki. The dish was topped with a chili flake slurry that had a pleasant, smoky burn. The noodles themselves were infused with green tea, adding herbal notes to each bite.

Todoroki looked up from his soba every couple of bites, evidently wondering how to, or if he should break the silence between them. Izuku knew he should wait, let Todoroki settle into the unfamiliar environment, feel the comfort in knowing that no words need to be said.

Once he finished his first bowl, Izuku asked for a couple bowls of donburi, cheaper and more filling than the soba. Pushing his body to its physical limits had put his appetite into overdrive, as if his body had turned into a raging inferno, burning itself to ash. The days of intense physical training, a desperate rush to prepare himself for the USJ, had already left him with bone-deep fatigue, a heavy-lidded sense that he would fall asleep the moment he rested his head kept at bay by unhealthy quantities of coffee. Todoroki ordered himself two more bowls.

"Is Aizawa-sensei making you train a lot?" Todoroki asked.

"I have to. I'm so far behind everyone else."

The donburi came with slices of raw salmon, pickled seaweed, and unagi sauce. It lacked the savory spice of the soba, but the interplay between the earthy seaweed and tangy, sweet sauce was no less appetizing. Todoroki matched him bite for bite, and within ten minutes, they had cleaned their plates. The waitress came around, bill in hand, and Izuku took it.

"I asked if you wanted to come. It's only fair I pay for it."

Todoroki watched with a troubled expression as Izuku put crisp, freshly-withdrawn bills on the table, leaving a generous tip. "Why did you invite me here?" he asked.

"Because I felt like it."

Todoroki's countenance soured. "Is it because of Endeavor?"

"Not at all," Izuku said. "I am aware you both share the same family name I wouldn't be much of a hero fanboy would I be if I didn't recognize that much – but I wasn't aware that you two had a familial relationship until you brought it up just now. The fire did make me wonder."

At the mention of the fire, Todoroki grimaced and looked away. Izuku leaned forward and said, "I'm guessing things aren't great between you and him."

Stony silence was Todoroki's only answer. Instead of trying to pry further, Izuku said, "I don't remember my father. My mom says he had a fire quirk, not as strong as Endeavor's. When I was really little, I hoped I'd get his Quirk. I spent a lot of time waving my hands in front of a candle, trying to make the fire move. One time, when it was getting a bit late for my Quirk to come in, I even stuck my hand into the flame, as if that would make the Quirk appear somehow. All I got out of it were burned fingers."

Todoroki poked his chopsticks at the dregs of chili flakes in his bowl, not meeting Izuku's eyes. "You never got your Quirk."

"No, I didn't."

"Yet you're trying to be a hero anyways."

"I can't see myself doing anything else."

"Why?" Todoroki asked. "Why do you want to be a hero so badly?"

"I want to help people."

Todoroki blinked. "That's it?" he asked incredulously. Anger crept into his voice. "Do you expect me to believe that? I can tell you're being pushed to your physical limits, exercising until your arms and legs ache, never quite able to catch your breath, so exhausted each night you pass out before taking your clothes off. You're telling me that you're willing to suffer all that just because you want to help people?"

"When I was little," Izuku said, "One of my favorite videos was when All Might made his debut. There was no villain to fight, no flashy battle, no cool super moves. It was just All Might, a burning building, and over a hundred civilians trapped inside."

"As the building collapsed around him, All Might charged inside, running out with a dozen people on his shoulders each time. The whole time, through every second of that rescue, he had this big grin on his face, a grin that said that everything would be okay." Midoriya made his own smile, a pale imitation, but one that got a visible response out of Todoroki. "I wanted to be like that."

Todoroki glowered. "My father's been trying to be better than him his whole career. What makes you think you could be anything like him without a Quirk?"

"You don't need to be strong to save people. As weak as I was, there was someone who would've died if I hadn't saved them. It's why I went to U.A. I saw the chance to be a hero, and I took it." Midoriya chuckled and scratched at his hair. "To tell the truth, I didn't think I'd get as far as I did."

"So, you're not trying to be number one?"

"I know I never could be. Just saving people is enough for me."

Todoroki leaned back in his chair, still processing everything Izuku had said. While he was distracted, Izuku asked, "What about you? Why did you go to U.A.?"

"Not your business."

"Is it because your father made you?"

The silence between them was cold and dense enough to climb with an ice axe. Todoroki stared frostily at Izuku and asked, "What makes you think that?"

"It doesn't seem like you like your father that much. You always call him Endeavor, for one."

Todoroki winced. He stared down at the table, never meeting Izuku's eyes. "Just drop it, alright? It's nothing."

As much as Izuku hated himself for forcing the issue, he knew that he had to get through to Todoroki. "Do you actually want to be a hero?"

"Yes. I decided on my own that I will be a hero, but I'm going to do it my way. I'm not going to use Endeavor's power."

"That's why you don't use your fire?"

Todoroki nodded. "I'll become the number one hero with just my ice."

"You probably could," Izuku said. "Your ice is a very strong and versatile Quirk, arguably better than Endeavor's. It reduces property damage, though you'll need to be careful not to freeze pipes, it can reshape the terrain, shield civilians, treat burns, imprison villains, though watch for hypothermia and frostbite, and it gives you more mobility."

"You really think I can do it?"

"Absolutely."

Todoroki snorted, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. "Endeavor always said I was holding myself back, wasting my potential, would never beat All Might if I didn't use both sides of my Quirk. It feels nice, hearing from someone that I can do it."

Izuku wanted to leave the conversation there, at that high note, with Todoroki happy and content, but he knew what had to come next. "You shouldn't."

Todoroki's smile vanished, like a snowflake drifting through a bonfire. "Why not?"

"Because someday, somewhere, there's going to be someone you could only save with your fire. Someone freezing to death, surrounded by villains, with no one else to save them, no way for you to call backup or get them somewhere warmer. Someone who will die unless you use your fire to warm them up."

Todoroki's mismatched eyes bored into him. "You can't know that."

"If you're serious about being a pro hero, you'll have to be ready for it. When that day comes, I hope that someone else's life will mean more to you than what your dad thinks of you." Izuku stood, straightened his shirt, and said, "I should get going before my mom starts worrying. She doesn't like it when I stay out late. Have a good night, Shoto-kun."

The familiarity bothered Izuku, who was ill accustomed to being familiar with anyone, but he had faith that it was the final set of words that would save his life at the USJ.

The dojo that Ojiro trained at, which doubled as his home, was nestled between a ramen shop and a quick mart. The wooden floors had nicks and dents, but they were polished until they shone, and though their mats and gi had seen better days, everything was clean and smelled of juniper. Ojiro's own gi was no less time-worn than the rest of the dojo, but his clothes were freshly laundered and expertly folded, his green belt gleaming around his waist.

The living space over the dojo was almost as cramped as the Midoriyas' apartment. To Izuku's eyes, it was cozy. The furniture was worn with age, from seats that had shaped themselves to the people that sat in them every night for many years, to the table with subtle indents where bowls and plates had been set at every meal, to couches where one could tell who sat where by the size and shape of the indent in the cushions. An old cathode ray television sat on a cabinet in the living room, playing the news over crackling speakers. Old photographs hung room every wall, some showing Mashirao holding up a new belt, training in the dojo, smiling in front of a birth day cake, held in his mother's arms as an infant. Others were much older, the colors bleached by sunlight, of the parents as they grew up. The whole place had a history to it, one that remembered the Ojiro family through generations.

Ojiro's father greeted Izuku warmly and beamed when he expressed interest in martial arts. He was an older man, blonde hair going gray at the temples, wiry and lean. His tail was thin and slender, lacking the weight and strength of Ojiro's tail, but more dexterous, able to pour a cup of tea while he brought out the sugar. As they drank, Izuku thanked him for the tea, complimenting its deep, herbal flavor, and the older man replied that he had good taste.

All the talking upstairs was small talk, how school was going, what his home life was like, what interested him about martial arts. Izuku asked questions of his own, how long they've run the dojo, were there any competitions, what the process was for getting belts, asked more out of politeness than any interest in the answers.

Once they had finished the tea, Ojiro led Izuku back downstairs. He gave him a gi out of a hamper and let Izuku change in the bathroom. Izuku's hands went through the motions as if he had worn a gi countless times before, though it had been his first time trying on the garment, because he already knew the hand motions he would make to hold the garment together.

Ojiro seemed startled when he walked out. He recovered, but his expression became more guarded. It wasn't something Izuku could help, he reasoned, since he had no idea what had caused it and his future showed it happening anyways.

Over one of the tatami mats, Ojiro led him through some basic blocks and counters. Ojiro would demonstrate once, either having Izuku try to punch him or take a blow, and have Izuku replicate his movements. His vision of the future showed him how to execute each move. Armed with that knowledge, Izuku quickly made his way through the exercises. After he demonstrated proficiency in blocking and attacking, Ojiro showed him throws. They both hit the mats many times as they walked through each throw.

"You're learning fast," Ojiro said once they were done. He poured out two cups of water from a nearby fountain and offered Izuku one. "If you're interested, you could try getting a belt. You'd start out as a novice, but you could get my rank within a few years."

"Thanks, but I'd rather focus on becoming a hero."

Ojiro's smile faltered. "Well, couldn't you do both? I mean, what else could you do if you want to fend for yourself as a hero?"

"I still intend to learn martial arts, but I should also think about what kind of support gear I'll work with." Midoriya gestured at his short, skinny frame. "As I am, I'm never going to cut it fighting with my bare hands."

"Well, what if your equipment breaks, or you run out of it?"

"Then I'd use my hands. Avoiding that is part of a hero's job as well. Sure, I need to be prepared for emergencies, that's why I want to learn martial arts, but support equipment will make me more effective as a hero."

Ojiro's tail whipped back and forth as he thought to himself. "I guess I can understand that, but if you devoted yourself entirely to martial arts, eventually, you would be good enough not to need any equipment. It would take longer, yes, but in the end, with hard work and practice, you could achieve anything with your bare hands."

"What would happen in the meantime?" Izuku countered. "How many people would I fail to save because I decided not to use support equipment?"

"We're just students. It'll be years before we'll have to save someone. You'll have plenty to master martial arts before then."

Izuku shook his head. "There's work studies over the summer. While we won't be allowed to engage villains, it's possible we'll be forced to defend ourselves and others."

Ojiro faltered, but with visible inspiration, he rallied himself. "You won't be allowed any equipment during the Sports Festival. If you want to get into the work studies, you'll need to be able to fend for yourself without that equipment. You won't be able to save anyone during work studies if hero agencies never notice you."

"True, but martial arts won't be of much help during the early rounds. Those are usually either a race or some form of team-based exercise. As long as I make it to the bracket, I'll get some offers."

Ojiro thought for a moment and sighed in defeat. "You have a point. Still, I'm farther along in my training. Adding equipment now would just throw off my fighting style."

Izuku feigned surprise. "You're not going to add any equipment? I thought I had some good ideas."

"You did," Ojiro said uneasily, "It's just that they don't fit with my style as a hero."

"Why not? I thought I picked weapons that seemed right at home with a martial artist's aesthetic."

"Well, I kind of want to be a hero that doesn't have to depend on equipment. So many heroes these days only fight as well as they do because of their equipment, like Endeavor's coolant suit, but there's one hero who's amazing without any support equipment."

"All Might."

"Exactly. He made me believe that I could be an amazing hero just with my family's martial arts. That's what I want to be a hero for, to show everyone that heroes are more than just their equipment."

"The only reason All Might doesn't use any support equipment is that nothing can handle his strength," Izuku said. "It's not about making a point or showing what can be done. I know that if there was support equipment that would help him save people, he would use it, because that's what matters most to him."

"I – how do you know that?"

Izuku took out his first hero journal, brought along for this moment. The entire book, front to back, was devoted entirely to All Might, from his childish hero worship to concrete analysis of his career.

"Early in his career," Izuku said as he flipped to the relevant section. "All Might worked closely with David Shield. There were some prototypes he tried, but all of them broke when he used his Quirk."

Ojiro stared in shock at the sketched images of All Might wearing modified gauntlets and boots. "I had no idea."

"It was a long time ago. I had to do a lot of digging to find good images for these sketches."

After a deep breath, Ojiro stood tall and said, "Well, I'll be the first, then. I'll show everyone you don't need equipment to be a hero."

"Honestly, you probably could. It would be hard, but you could do it, and you'd even gain popularity in some circles for sticking with that promise."

"You really think so?"

"You could," Izuku said, bracing himself for another set of shattered dreams, "But I don't think you should."

Ojiro's face went blank. "Why not?"

"Because, one day, there will be someone that your martial arts can't save, no matter how much you practice. The villain will be too far away, out of your reach, and someone will die because of it. Sure, you'd still be a hero, but you would wonder what would have happened if you had the tools to save that person."

Frustration slowly surfaced on Ojiro's face, though he struggled to contain it. After an awkward silence, Izuku slipped off the gi, handed it back to Ojiro, and said he had to go home.

Once Izuku had left, the elder Ojiro, teacup in hand, told the younger, "Cherish the friend that gives you advice they know you don't want to hear. Those are the kind that truly care about you."

Ashido took Izuku to a bustling, vibrant mochi shop. Colorful furniture, pop music playing over the speakers, bright pink uniforms worn by smiling employees assaulted Izuku's senses as they got in line. It took nearly ten minutes for the sheer volume of customers to wind their way through the queue and get their mochi before it was their turn. Ashido got strawberry flavor, and Izuku went with mint, already knowing how it would taste.

Waiting in line, with a cute girl leaning on his shoulder, Izuku felt a strange combination of awkwardness and exhilaration. Even knowing everything that would happen, it felt strangely unreal that he, Quirkless, worthless Deku, was on a date with a girl. It wouldn't last, but at least he could say he had gone on a date before he died.

Ashido looked right at home in the flamboyant atmosphere, with a black tank-top and shorts that showed enough leg to make Izuku uneasy every time he looked down. Izuku went with a plain long-sleeve shirt and jeans, casual, but a bit stuffier than anything that would have fit the venue.

Their seat was in the middle of the turmoil, with people passing them and idle conversations droning over the backdrop music. Ashido dug right in, tearing a big bite of pink-colored rice cake and chewing it vigorously. Izuku ate his green-colored treat at a more deliberate pace.

"Isn't this stuff the best, Izu-kun?" Ashido asked between bites.

Izuku had to speak louder than usual to make himself heard. "It's really good. Thanks for inviting me here, Ashido-san."

Ashido waggled a finger in front of Izuku's face. "Nope! We're on a date, so you have to call me Mina-chan."

"Sure, Mina-chan." Izuku couldn't remember the last time he had used such a casual honorific. Despite his nerves, the name rolled easily off his tongue.

Mina smiled at him. "So, how long have you been drawing?"

"I started when I was really little. Four, I think. After I saw All Might for the first time, I got obsessed with heroes. I started drawing pictures and writing about them, and as time went on, I got better at both."

"You have more journals, right? Mind if I see one?"

"Sure." Izuku had his latest journal on him since there will be a villain attack right around the corner in an hour. He had only just started it, with a few entries on Kamui Woods and Mount Lady. Mina chuckled when she saw the heroine's skimpy outfit.

"Careful, Izu-kun, people might think you're a pervert if you keep drawing stuff like this."

Izuku leaned forward to see the image that she was talking about. Mount Lady was leaning forward, greeting her audience and showing a generous amount of cleavage. Some rough-sketched bystanders were drawn in for scale.

"Her costume has to stretch many times its size when she grows. It can only cover so much at full size."

"I bet she does that on purpose."

"Well, it has certainly gotten a lot of attention. I've been getting so many commissions for her lately."

"You do commissions?" Mina waggled her eyebrows with a mischievous smile. "Do you do… naughty commissions?"

Izuku shook his head. "People offered me a lot of money, but I never felt comfortable with it. I know some heroes, like Midnight, say it's fine, but it feels wrong, like I'm stripping them myself and letting people ogle them."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be weird. How much did they offer?"

"One guy offered fifty-thousand yen. Most do five to ten-thousand."

Mina's jaw dropped. "That much, really?"

"That's for the really hard stuff to make." Izuku took out his phone and opened some image files. "I usually make them on a tablet, makes it easier to do the shading and add effects."

"Wow, that's awesome!" Mina flipped through the files, marveling at each one. "You made all these? How much time did it take?"

"Each one takes a couple days. I have to do the line art, fill in the colors, then the shading. Shading takes a long time to get right."

"I wish I could make art this pretty. All I can do are doodles."

"What do you do for fun?" Izuku asked.

"Aside from asking out cute boys?" Mina asked with a sly smile. "I like dancing."

"Really? What kind?"

"Just dancing, I guess. Whatever's fun. I've been dying to try out a nightclub, but my parents won't let me."

"Don't you have to be twenty?"

"Yeah, but once I move out, I'll get a fake I.D. and party it up." Mina leaned closer and whispered, "You can come with me if you want."

Izuku shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I want to focus on hero work."

Mina's horns drooped. "Oh. So, does that mean…"

"Yeah, I'd rather not get into anything right now. Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I understand." Mina smiled at him and said, "Thanks for coming, though, I still had lots of fun."

"Same here. No one's ever asked me out before, so thanks for doing that. It was really nice of you."

"Really? No one was interested in you?"

"Well, I am Quirkless."

Mina winced. "Ah." She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "They all missed out. You're pretty great."

"Thanks. You're pretty great too."

Mina giggled and said, "Well, if you ever change your mind, you have my number. I'm not going to wait around forever, so don't get mad at me if I have to turn you down because I'm with someone else."

"That's fine. Anyways, I had some ideas for your hero outfit you might like."

"Really? Let's hear it."

Opening up his 1-A notebook, he showed Mina his rough sketch of a set of bulbous gloves.

"I don't know, I'm not sure I like the way they look."

"That can be fixed. The general idea is that you can store the acid you make, so you can release it all at once later."

"Like what Bakugo does? I don't know, acid can be pretty dangerous. It's usually better just to use a little bit at a time."

"It could be useful in emergencies," Izuku said. "Like if there's a lot of villains at once, or a really powerful one. It could also clear obstacles. It would be tough to use around civilians and could cause severe property damage, which is why it should be used sparingly. Still, I think you should at least try it, see what you think."

"Well, you're the smart one. If you think I should, then I will."

"Cool. I can't wait to see it in action."

"You'll draw me when I use it, right? Show me how it turns out."

He knew he would never be around for a second date, but it was nice to know that she was interested.

While they were jogging under Aizawa's supervision, Izuku ran up to Uraraka and said, "I noticed you have trouble nullifying the gravity of multiple objects at once."

"Ah, Midoriya-kun. Yeah," Uraraka said between breaths, "I get nauseous when I try it."

"Have you tried making objects just a bit lighter instead of nullifying it altogether? It might be easier on you."

"I never thought of that. Thanks! I'll give it a try."

Izuku could only guess how it would save her life, but he knew that short conversation would matter.

A/N: another Sunday, another post. I haven't quite finished my quota for the week yet, but I'll get right on it after I post this. Got a bit caught up playing Mass Effect Andromeda. Not as good as the original trilogy in my opinion, but I've still been enjoying it.

Hard to believe the story's already past 300 followers. Thanks for the support and reviews.

To Uniquebooks, no promises on the villainy route. I'm not usually too wild about villain Deku, mainly because it goes against the grain of his core character traits. Doable, in my opinion, but I don't have plans for it in this story.

To oLainao, giving Izuku OFA at this stage would be too much. His precognition is already very powerful, but limited by Izuku's personal strength. Removing that limitation would remove any avenue Izuku might have for growth. Fittingly enough, Izuku's own precognition made him detour around the canonical first meeting with All Might. Whoops.

To Mistress Ann, let's just say that some of your questions are going to be answered pretty soon.

And to elc, again, thanks for the critique. To your first point, it isn't changing the future that gives Izuku headaches – he's clearly done it many times without a hitch. It's trying to change what he sees that's the problem. That's the only hint you're getting.

As to Midoriya's scars and Bakugo's personality, first off… have you seen the first episode? Bakugo starts off downright nasty. Let's not forget, oh, I don't know, the flashback where he uses his Quirk against 4yo Deku, or the time he set off a potentially lethal explosion at point blank range during the combat training. In short, I suspect that Izuku doesn't have scars not because Bakugo didn't physically harass Izuku canonically – he very clearly did – but rather, the canon chose to gloss over that. Think about it, that blast Izuku took during training against Katsuki, scorching his arm until it was smoking, didn't leave a mark. It took breaking his arm twice in the same battle, unleashing his most powerful punch to date, to give him some scars. And despite all the canonical harassment, Izuku still admired Katsuki.

As to why he let the harassment happen, I'll just say it has to do with Izuku's priorities.

I don't want to leave readers with any questions or thinking there's huge plot holes, but at the same time, I'm not one to lay my cards on the table. Not yet, anyways. Keep the questions coming, so I know what to explain in detail when the time comes.