It's time for Izuku's "MC Sad Boy Hours™" treatment.

========================

. . .

     There were no words to describe it.

     This ache. This pain.

     Deku sat with a blank expression, zoning out of the world around him. It was oddly cheerful out there. Smiles shared all around as Nezuko did Ochako's hair, and the men told tales of the past once more. Nezuko even claimed the girl as her own daughter after some time! Heh, shocked the teen, but she eventually went along with it. The demons rejoiced as a new member was added to the family.

     But none of it reached him. Not at all.

     Blood. On his gloves. His shoes. Clothes. He hadn't the opportunity to scrub any of it off yet. So it became a part of his costume. Part of him.

     Now.... Now he knew why heroes were never encouraged to kill. It was something so simple. Yet kids like Bakugo used to tease the concept. "Why can't they just kill the villains?!" The kids would say. "They would be saving many more lives that way! And the villains wouldn't have any chances to escape if they were dead!" One could argue it was so that the villains could reform; and live a better life. But then.. "Well, what about the really evil ones!? Those villains would never change! At least let the heroes kill those guys!" Even if it were true...

     It was the way of the hero not to kill, not because it would be less appealing to an audience; less "heroic" of them... But because seeing that much blood on a daily basis. To anyone- it-- rewires their brain. Chips away at the soul.

     Heroes don't kill villains...to save themselves.

     ...By the time Deku figured this out, it was already too late for him...

     The faces of the villains he'd captured lingered in his brain. Deku knew at least some of them were now dead because of him.

     The memories of those Nomu. The half consumed corpses lying all around them. Even the Nomu themselves; tortured and enslaved corpses.

     The occasional villain he was forced to kill. Too strong and uncooperative to be taken in safely. Too weak to last as Deku got serious.

     The screams... The screams of the people as they saw him drenched with blood.

     The Nameless Vigilante. A man Deku heard about; an imposing source for good.. laying there dead. ... He could have gone on to save many more lives, but, instead... He tried to help.

     His friends. Covered in blood on the battlefield. The battlefield of a war that was supposed to be his alone to fight! All Might.. Gran Torino... Iida... Shoto..... Bakugo.

     The memory of his armless friend, absolutely drenched in his own blood made him almost hurl. He didn't want to go back to UA.. He couldn't.

     He just couldn't stand facing the truth like that. Looking at those injuries, knowing he was responsible for it all.

     Izuku always looked up to Kachan. There was never a moment when he didn't. ... So it stung all the more knowing HE was responsible for Bakugo's forced, early retirement. Kachan wouldn't become a hero.. all because of HIM!

     He couldn't face that reality. Not now. Not ever. He'd rather fight out here where he was a burden to as few people as possible!

     ...He'd rather die than look Kachan in the eyes and have to tell him that he was sorry...

     Not because he didn't love him..

     ..but because his heart was simply too weak.

----------

     "You're...not coming?" Ochako was crushed. After all this effort put into them sticking together, assuring him with her actions that she would never leave his side, the boy still refused to go with her??

     Izuku stepped back into the shade of the parking garage, head hanging low and eyes to the floor.

     Nezuko stood out there waiting, a beautiful flowery umbrella shielding her skin from the sun's intensity. She smiled in wait for the young girl to follow her, since Nezuko had made it her personal mission to guide whoever back to the UA fortress.

     The classmates stood at odds now. Ochako under the sunlight. Izuku hiding away in the shade.

     The boy was lost. She could clearly see that. His main goal wasn't even clear; to kill All For One anymore! It was just to-- fight..and fight.. and fight... until he couldn't fight anymore. He had no intention to see any of his classmates again and Ochako knew that.

     He'd given his body, life, and soul to this cause. He couldn't see anything beyond it and he didn't want to.

     Izuku saw himself one day.. one day soon.. laying out under the dry son, his blood either evaporating or sinking into the earth, as the last of his body was baked in the summer heat...slowly eaten away by the bugs of the land. ... Such was the only fate he saw fitting for himself anymore. He knew he wasn't worthy of this power, so he would spend his last days doing the best he could. Saving, and saving, and saving.. until it was only he that needed to be saved.

     There was no convincing that look in his eyes. Most of him wasn't even there. He was like a husk. It made Ochako cry. Yes, right there in front of him.

     Her greatest desire was to save the heroes that needed to be saved. Yet here her best friend was. Right under her nose, this whole time. He was the one who always needed her the most...but she never saw it. All because he liked to hide it under a smile. But now that the smile was gone...it was too late. She failed to save anyone.

     Rubbing her eyes, the girl felt all the more sickened to see her friend's lack of a reaction. Like he didn't even notice her pain. No... He just stared soullessly.

     Ochako dove into him, wrapped her arms around her friend, and cried some more into his shoulder. He pat her back a little.. but that was it.

     "I'll be back, okay?" Releasing him, so close to Izuku's face she forced him to look her in the eyes. "And I'll bring everyone from class back with me!" Pain broadened her eyes from watching Deku flinch. He fell a step back, genuine fear revealed in those sunken eyes of his. Ochako nearly gasped. She felt so bad for him...

     But she couldn't convince him to change his mind. No one could! So...she left.

     Alone with Tanjiro, the two watching quietly as the women walked away, Deku finally opened his mouth.

     "...How do you do it?"

     "Hm?"

     "All the blood." Deku stared down at his own stained glove, flattening his hand to study all the minor holes and tares. "How do you..live with that?"

     Tanjiro pulled the teen into a side hug and brushed a hand through his messy hair. "..It's not something you're supposed to get used to... Not for anyone.." The man frowned, staring down at what he could see of the kid's face. It was almost entirely covered up in his messy hair, so there wasn't much to look at. Nothing but dirt, grime, and the depressingly empty eyes.

   "I wanted to save people... Not kill them.
        ...Kachan won't be a hero..
                     because of...me."

     Tanjiro stroked his hand through the boy's hair a couple more times, his eyes filling with tears at the sight. Even for him...it was too late to save the young hero from this state. He gently kissed the top of Deku's hair, small tears leaking into the green filth. "...You're a good kid." Was all he could manage to say. With all the pain and loss he'd suffered through in his life...it was unfortunate that Tanjiro could already feel his emotions prepping for the worst.

     He would protect this boy no matter what. But the effectiveness of his efforts heavily relied on Izuku's cooperation.

     And Deku refused to be saved.

----------

.

.

.

" "Hey, change the kanji for your name and it spells Deku! Hah! Doesn't that mean useless puppet or something?! Haha! Fits you perfectly! Isn't that right, Deku?!" "

" "Oh, I'm sorry. When I heard Deku, I thought it sounded something along the lines of the phrase 'I can do it!' See what I mean?? It's pretty similar. I think Deku is a pretty cute name, actually!" "

" "FROM NOW ON, DEKU WILL BE THE NAME OF A HERO!!!" "

   -de dek-
De...de....deku.............. Deku?
     dek- de-de

       Was that still his name?

  ...What did it mean anymore?

Was he really just a useless p̵͇̬̮͉͇̣̃̇ų̴̝͚̘̭̘̌̍̊̔̃p̴̰̖̩̠͇̘̰̞͋̑̐̀͜p̶̨̜͉̤͔͖͘ẽ̵̢̥̦̍̄̐̀̈́̚͝t̴̢͇̩͚̄̇̀̊̊́̍̐͝͝....?

   Could he...do it?

.

C̵͈͎̱͙̏̾͑̍̋͝ó̴̟̝͐͌͗̋̔̋̅̋̚u̴̡̹̞̰̰͉̻͛̌̉̏̉̆̈́̏̉ͅl̸̢͇̹͇̥̗̺̼̲̭͆͋̑̈́̐ď̸͚̜̖ ̷̗͕̜̇̿h̶̨̰͎̠͈͕̜̫͂̍̌ê̷̥͕̼̝͉͖̐̐̎͊̒̕͝͠ ̶̛͈̰͔̌ͅs̶̡͉̞̥͔̯̜̝͘ţ̴̝̈i̴̧̮̫̓̾̒̃̒̽l̴̗̰͙̩̪̳͓͆́̔͂̍̿̔̆̑͒ḻ̷̮̂ ̵̬̩̫̞̲̺̼̻̠̃̌̑͝b̷͚͓͉̉́̕e̶̱̟͖̣̋̈̉͐͠ ̶̨͇̜̙͚̲̣̉͌͋a̴̧̧͍̯̘̫̘̮̬͐̎̓̇̍͠ ̶̹͂̒͋̍̌̿h̵̺̮̖͐̍͛̌́̔̎e̸͍̋̃̎r̶̛̛͉͕̜̻̙̳̔̽̊̊̔͛͆ǫ̵̢̞̼̣͍͚̩̽?̵̨̤̜̩̮͌̑̊̊̒͒̔͋̀

'

     Or was he but a trap for whoever tried to save him, dragging them in after to suffer the same fate?

...

     He didn't feel like a hero.

----------

"Don't Be Drowned By The Rain That's Here To Cleanse You"

...

     For all theatrical purposes, it was raining. Well, not entirely. A thin mist filled the air, low hanging clouds cruising down the empty city streets in small clusters. The miniscule droplets of drizzle hit his face as he flew around, occasionally landing on a roof just to build up more speed and take off again. It was quite hard to see in these conditions. If his hair didn't make that hard enough, then this weather certainly did. Not to mention the heat. Sweat clung to his skin uselessly under so many layers of clothes.

     He didn't even know why he was here in a level three district right now. The crime here was usually between petty thug gangs, which were happing less and less thanks to his and a few other heroes and vigilantes' help. Guess there was the occasional Nomu, but they usually followed noise and, well...

     It was so quiet.

     So, eerily quiet.

     Deku landed on another roof, this time stopping to look around, as this one had a good vantage point over the city. Eventually, his scanning eyes landed on an unnatural gathering of people down below. They moved more like zombies. The..less dramatic kind. And in the center..

!!

     It was the weird, twisted, masked villain that escaped Tartarus! Puppet Master or something.

      Thinking quickly, the teen used his high vantage point and a reasonable assumption that he hadn't been spotted yet to spring into action as the villain passed by. He bulleted down, aiming to stomp the evildoer into the ground and finish him off before he even had the chance to notice he was here.

     A few bodies were thrown into the air last second. Wait.. so he did know he was here?!. OH NO-

D'vvvvvvvvv---SQULSCH!

     A hero's absolute worst nightmare.

     Deku fell through all the blood with a hazy look, catching a glance of the villain through the corner of his eye as the other laughed and laughed. He thumped onto the pavement, falling into a forest of strangers. The... The bodies..had cushioned most of his...fall. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to lay still and pretend that he was dead. His whole body was... It was... covered..in it. Red, warm, and sticky.

     "AHAHAHAHAHAH!!! OH I JUST LOVE HOW EASILY YOU FELL FOR THAT ONE~!" The hunched goblin of a creature made his puppets together drag the teen up off of the ground. Izuku was held there, heavy eyes too terrified to open long enough to truly take in he sight. Every time he did, the faces of the crowd around him were all sobbing and sprinkled with blood. Men. Women. Even a few children we're here.

   "Please don't kill me!"
   "He's controlling me! Don't kill me too!"
   "Please!! I have two kids who need me!"
   "DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE!"

     It was all too much. Too much to comprehend. "Now~" The villain standing in the middle of this group grinned. "Are you going to play along nicely..or should I kill even more innocent civilians right in front of you~!!?" Giggling.

     Going back to All For One...was the equivalent of handing him the whole country at this point. But...

     Was he really doing any better out here?

     "...Fine then." The teen croaked in defeat. "Just...let them go home..." Guess Kachan's interpretation of "Deku" was the right one.

     He really was just a useless puppet.

Wsshhhh-

     Ochako, Ojiro, and Sero flew past overhead, hanging on to one another. Sero's tape grabbed the villain from his center spot and yanked him into the air. Ojiro took it from there, spinning mid air and slamming the villain into the ground with his tail. Ojiro landed on top of the villain and shoved him onto his stomach. He had the villain's hands behind his back by the time Sero landed next to him to help tie the guy up. Since the villain was still kicking and screaming, Momo tossed the two a vile, which Ojiro stabbed the puppeteer with, making him pass out immediately. Izuku fell to the ground as the villain's control on the people faded, allowing for them to drop him.

     Deku shoved himself onto his feet. Eyes wide, he shoved his back further into the crowd of people. Not like this. He didn't want his classmates to see him like this!!

     "Deku, wait!" Ochako's voice rang out. The civilians scattered, either hurrying home or lingering aimlessly, leaving the bloodiest of them out in the open for all to see. He hid his eyes under his hair, crouching, ready to bounce away at any second. His classmates all gathered, distanced but still showing no intent to leave him alone. The boy was embarrassed, angered, afraid; that and much, much more! "Deku, we need you back! You need to go back! Somewhere you'll be safe and-"

     "SAFE!?" That word was almost funny to him now. Almost. Much hollower in tone, "Thanks, but... Don't worry about me. Really, I'm. Fine."

Clap clap clap

     Bakugo's prosthetics clattered against each other. Still just the prototypes. The blond's head tilted slightly. A bold, mocking smile at play. "Wow! Real inspiring! All hail the inheritor of One For All, Japan's number one wannabe hero!!" Pain twitched in those slanted eyes.

     Everyone noted as the greenette's eyes locked onto those fake arms. His breathing hitched for a moment as he stared. Yeah, he didn't blame Kachan for his rudeness... Not one bit. He shivered at the sight, sadly able to imagine the pain Bakugo must have felt. But to lose his limbs entirely? He couldn't relate to that extremity.

     Bakugo continued, "But tell me, are you smiling now??"

. . .

     Ghostly, the greenette stared Bakugo in the eyes. Ochako. Iida. All of them... They were all here for him. But he has nothing to give but the stare of a dead man.

     Izuku's torso stooped even lower. "...Every smile...is paid for in blood. ... I may not be able to smile anymore..but I'm out here fighting to ensure that others still can... So... Please... Step aside."

   "Fat chance!!"
   "Deku, let us help you this time!"
   "We knew you would act this way! At least let us try!"
   "We get it already! But you need a bath!"

     "I SAID GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Deku dashed forward, jumping over everyone. He made it a decent distance from the rest before slamming into a sudden ice pillar!

     Todoroki stood at the top. "MIDORIYA, LISTEN TO US! It wasn't your fault UA got raided!! You don't have to pitt all the blame on yourself!!"

     "Midoriya!" Tsu swiftly crawled up the wall to his level. "Listen, I may not know you super well, but I know you have a good heart! You comforted me at the beginning when I was struggling, remember??! I really appreciate that!!! So if you're sad, I'll be sad with you! If you're crying, I'll offer you my shoulder to cry on!! Because YOU deserve to be happy just as much as I do!!! Your life has JUST as much worth as mine!!!"

BAM!

    The ice tower crumbled apart after Izuku blasted out of it, forcing Shoto to jump ship. While airborne, Deku was jumped by a flock of crows, who herded his direction between two buildings where a web of purple balls was formed! And Deku got caught in the very center of it. Mineta wheeled up to the webbing, shouting at him with tear filled eyes. Deku was surprised to even see him here.

     "MIDORIYA! YOU B######! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE IT WAS NEVER YOUR POWERS WE CARED ABOUT!?.." Deku fought for freedom from the web, requiring he tear off his cape, backpack, knee guards, utility belt, and eventually his gloves. "I LIKED YOU MORE WHEN YOU WERE WEAK ANYWAY!" Deku finally broke out, but he was wrong to think the shorter one would give up there. Next thing he knew as he was flying through the air, a rope of purple pearls attached to his shoe.. the shorter one now out of his wheelchair climbed up while gritting his teeth. "The times when you were struggling, sweating bullets! You may have thought you were pathetic then but you inspired me more than All Might ever could!! Because you had grit and determination that made me want to become a better man!! A better hero!! I know now that you were born quirkless and I can imagine that would be hard, BUT IT WAS NEVER YOUR QUIRK THAT PEOPLE CARED ABOUT, IT WAS YOU!!!"

     Deku felt bad about dropping Mineta from this high up, so after he tore off the shoe that his late classmate was connected to, he skidded to a halt along the side of a building, using Black Whip with one hand to cling to the wall and the other to swing the purplette to a smoother stop. He then touched enough of the purple beads to the wall by an open window a story below so Mineta could crawl in. While he was wasting all this extra time making sure his classmate didn't get hurt, Tokoyami swooped in and shoved him through the brick wall. Inside was an abandoned office, where Momo and Zeya further back already stood. Deku rolled into a perfectly placed cage which sealed shut on him.

     "Dark Shadow.. Protective Womb." Tokoyami stood up, his Dark Shadow wrapping itself around the box snugly. "You inspired this move, Midoriya. I was always impressed by your ability to view quirks in a whole new light. The speed at which you were able to understand and even note ideas for how I could improve was honestly amazing. And the fact that you genuinely cared about seeing that we all improved and became our best selves... I've never seen such finer traits in a hero... and a friend."

     Breaths a growing panicky while inside that box, Deku ground his teeth together then bit his lip. "You guys... You all need to stop! You do-n't get it! I'm trying to protect you!!"

     "Then let us protect you too!" Momo stepped forward with boldness, placing a hand on her chest. "We can all protect each other!! No one has to be excluded!"

     "Step back step back STEP BACK!" Zeya yanked on Momo's arm.

BAM!

     Deku shot back out of there, tears in his eyes now, keeping his attention ahead on the misty horizon. "You guys don't get it!! You are all putting yourselves in danger by being around me!!!" His hero costume was just barely holding together by a few stubborn threads. The red braces around his arms fell away from him at last as he glided through the air. Of all the times for his items to finally give out, it just HAD to be now!

     As he flew past, between two buildings, Sato tugged back on a massive sling shot, shooting Jiro through the air out at him. The girl threw him off course with a wall of sound.

     Deku crashed onto a roof and rolled, earning new scrapes. As usual. He was numb to these injuries now. Interestingly enough, all that tearing apart and stitching together on a molecular level may have done the boy some good in the long run! Because like with any muscle, it made his body tougher over time, especially when it came to handling powerful quirks like Shigeo's.

     ...Unfortunately, that user would not lend him his power.. even for healing wounds. He was on their side. As much as he loved his classmates, this truly did feel like a betrayal. Even if it was with good intentions..they just weren't listening to him.

     He was starting to feel so cornered and stuck. Even if these kids gathering on the roof before him weren't his friends, he just had so much going on. So much misery he needed to get off his chest. Misery leading all the way back to when he first found out he didn't have a quirk and realized he was worthless. These people could tell him he had worth all they wanted.

     It just didn't feel true.

     The one thing he knew to be true right now was that his classmates were gathering before him again, which wasn't a good sign.

     He shoved himself onto his hands and knees, then his feet, where he stumbled and swayed while glaring for the first time at those ahead of him. Kachan.. Iida.. Uraraka.. Kirishima, who just ran back from saving Jiro.. Kaminari.. Aoyama... some new guy in the back with pink hair.

     This was...embarrassing. Infuriating! All he wanted in this moment was to simply not exist for a little bit!

     But that wouldn't happen, and they weren't going away.

     Finally brought to his breaking point, Izuku opened his mouth wide and screamed; louder than he ever had before. There were no words. Just the anguish, and his every bleeding desire. Every dream he ever had...crushed.

     He couldn't even call himself a hero anymore... Just a broken boy given a bandaid in his youth. A bandaid that then went on to draw more blood than the original wound itself.

     This quirk wouldn't make him a hero... Nothing would.

     He was closer to a villain with all this blood on his hands.

     Bakugo especially flinched as their dear classmate screamed at them like his guts were being torn out. To think that all that raw emotion was hidden so well all these years behind a smile. Bakugo especially knew exactly what this was about.

     Deku thought he'd failed...just because he couldn't do it all on his own. And, to him, right now.. failure was taken personally. The blond knew that mindset all too well. Deku's eyes were full of tears, rasping gasps for breath as the pained screaming died out, and staring up at the cloudy sky to avoid making eye contact.

     It was around here that Bakugo finally opened his mouth, this time with a softer shape to his eyes, hurt even, like he was about to cry too. "Listen, Deku..." Deku flinched at the casual name calling now, which Bakugo noticed. "I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now..."

     "I'm sorry." Deku cut him off. His voice was scratchy. His eyes again tired and dry.

     "For wha--?"

SHEWWWW!

     The greenette launched. The fastest he had yet in the presence of his classmates. This time he was sure to leave them behind! Only with his special set of quirks could one even hope to keep up with him!

     "NOW NOW NOW!"

     Todoroki formed a massive ice ramp, Ashido with her Acid Man move at the front and Tokoyami with Dark Shadow at the rear and finally Ochako lightening them all with her quirk formed a human rocket around an entire group of classmates! Todoroki gave one final boost as they launched into the air. They were making great progress, but not fast enough.

     Deku could hear the following shout over the wind as his classmates tried. And it.. puzzled him.

     "SPEED TURBO CLUSTER!" From his many large pockets, the blond pulled fist fulls of tiny containers filled with his fresh blood. He still hadn't an idea how, but when they were in his hand, he knew they'd work. Bakugo threw out a couple handfuls of the pill sized bombs, which exploded right as they left his hands, further propelling then forward. The teen laughed like an evil genius as they picked up speed. Arms or not he still had his ways to become a hero and blow s### up! But it wasn't Bakugo picked to finish this thing off. Nnnope!

     Iida made a surprise appearance, bursting through Ashido's acid man and pushing his engines to their very limits. Because, hero lineage or not, it was Deku who revealed to him why HE wanted to be a hero! And it wasn't just for family honor or pressures; but about being the shining ray of hope for the future! "WASN'T IT YOU WHO SAID--?" And with that burning passion as his strength, Iida was able to grab Izuku's arm and swing around to look him in the eyes.

     "THAT HELPING SOMEONE EVEN WHEN IT'S UNWANTED IS THE ESSENCE OF BEING A HERO!!" His voice was shaky, raw, and full of love.

     Deku was awestruck... They..somehow... kept up with One For All, and... They were true heroes. Every one of them.

     Why was he even fighting so hard against them? Against people who clearly cared.

     Ochako's voice appeared above the two as they started their descent. Tears were in her eyes as well as she started to shout. "You don't have to be 'one for all!' You don't have to do everything for everyone! Because you can't! No one can!! We're all supposed to work together!! That's how it's always been!!" She dove to join their little triangle, holding both their hands as she activated her quirk to make them all drift to the ground. Ochako stared into Deku's eyes with so much warmth. Iida too. It was all a little overwhelming. He could actually feel the weight of those kind emotions again. Below them, Kirishima caught the rest of the falling classmates with the help of Yuji. The three of them landed gently on the broken road. Slowly, the other kids gathered around Deku, but he wasn't running anymore.

     Deku decided he would at the very least listen to what they had to say.

     Shooting off into the sky that last time had pried at the last threads holding his costume together. So, it all ripped up and full of holes, Deku sighed and tore what was left off of him, which wasn't much. So, after all this, it was just him in his plain white t-shirt and black shorts again... By far the most average he had looked in a while!

     No longer could be hide behind a smile, a mask, or even a flashy costume.

     On the bright side...he looked a whole lot cleaner like this.

     Bakugo pushed through the crowd until he came to the front. Izuku flinched again as his eyes landed on those prosthetics. They hung before the blond, Bakugo hunching as he stared ahead at the lost one. Tears sprung again into his green eyes as his voice cracked, "I'm sorry-"

     "-About what? Saving my life?" Deku's eyes shot back up, wonder in them. Katsuki inhaled through his teeth, then exhaled quickly. "I thought I was as good as dead when the sludge villain had me... Heh.. all the other heroes were useless. Even All Might. ... No doubt I would be dead today if it weren't for your bravery."

     "Kacha-"

     "-I'm not done, idiot! So pipe down and let me speak!" Deku obeyed. Growling at himself a little, Bakugo continued, gentler in his tone. "You saved me after the summer camp incident too... Sure, it was a group effort that time.. but I'll bet things would have turned out a whole lot worse if you weren't there... And then there's the UA raid almost two weeks ago. I was..being stupid.. I was the one who blew off my own arms, ya hear?! And I would have no doubt died that day too if you weren't fighting so hard to save everyone... I was lying before when I called you a hero wannabe. Because...before you even had a quirk, you were already my hero..."

     "Teh," a brief, forced, weak smile as Bakugo's chin dropped, staring at the ground now. "And what did I ever do to deserve it?... I bullied you relentlessly back then. I never knew how, but even though you were always behind me..it somehow felt like you were several steps ahead of me too. You were everything I admired about All Might and more. ..I was always so jealous of your smile." Staring down at his prosthetics a little bit, he made them bend and flex. "Look at me now. After pushing myself past my limits in an attempt to break you..I broke myself instead." Bakugo's eyes blinked in new tears, which quickly consumed his eyes. "I'll admit it was really hard, and I wished you were the-re! I had no idea why at first until I realized you were always there! Even when I tried so hard to push you away!! I'M THE ONE SHOULD BE APOLOGIZING!" He stopped to breathe for a second, glancing sheepishly up and down, back and forth between Deku and the ground. Such pain like a plea.

     Whining through sobs, "I'm sorry for everything I ever did. Everything I ever said. I'm sorry! And I know that won't fix anything! But I am! I'm sorry, --I-zuku, because out of everyone who said I could become a hero, it was you who believed in me the most!!. Well guess what! I'm not just going to give up! I'm not giving up on being a hero, so neither should you!! You'll have to seriously clean up your act pretty soon, because I'm coming for that number one spot, and I will--" Bakugo stopped. His eyes widened slightly as he made eye contact with his childhood friend. The light. The color in his eyes. It was back!! ...And there it was... That smile.

     Bakugo's own lips pulled into a small but genuine grin of absolute joy. It was like a chain reaction, because then Izuku's smile grew at the sight of Katsuki's, and Katsuki's grew at the sight of Izuku's. Both were teary eyed and smiling. So genuine it melted the other classmates' hearts. Chuckling, Bakugo rubbed a tear aside. "The h### you crying about?" As if he wasn't crying too. Izuku dove in and tackled Kachan, embracing him so warmly. The blond loosely wrapped his metal arms around the younger one's back. Both boys rubbed off their tears onto the other's shoulder giggling stupidly. For no clear reason, they started to laugh. And like with the smiles, each one spurred on an even stronger reaction in the other. Until their great sounds of joy could be heard a block away.

     Izuku was coming back home.

----------

Tap...tap...tap...

     Two imposing men entered the dark building, a wall of light at their back. Serizawa's eyes wandered a little to the right, noting the water damage done to the pillars of sheetrock. Realizing he had slowed some, the brunette hurried to keep up with Nanami, who scanned the darkness with intention.

   "Apparently, the king of the Legion of a Hundred Demons has just been released."
      "M?"
    "Their first target before inflicting suffering on the rest of the world is to ensure Satoru Gojo is dead, which has led them here."

    "Oh man.. They would really be so cruel to take advantage of Gojo's weakness like that?" Following, eyes double checking every other dark corner.

     "These are cursed spirits we are talking about.. They don't exactly have morals..." Serizawa nodded in understanding. "Remember what I told you. If you are having a hard time focusing your cursed energy, just remember how you used to feel as a child; trapped in your room. Depressing as it may sound, your strength relies on those negative feelings...so embrace them when you can."

     "Right." It didn't exactly sound like something Reigen would say, but so far it had helped him in a couple previous fights. It was essentially the opposite of what Mob used to do. So, that was good at least. That he wouldn't have to worry about bottling up his feelings and exploding like Mob did.

     Nanami stopped suddenly, holding his hand out to halt Serizawa as well. Tow two stops there stiffly for a moment. There was an intensity in the air and the two felt it.

     Serizawa gasped. "Nanami!" He struck out his hand, tossing a handful of business cards out. The objects together with psychic energy formed a wall, stopping a brutal attack just in time. Nanami's eyes widened.

     Suddenly, the two were circled by monstrous cursed creatures. Disgustingly shaped things here for their blood. At the dead of the group, a creature with a head full of eyes and spiky horns, the demon king himself. Its entire body was wrapped snugly like that of a mummy. "Here now to pick apart my schemes~? Well you're too late for that! My five generals alone could flatten half this country! And once we kill Gojo, there IS no hope for you."

     "You take the guys on the left. I'll take the ones on the right. We'll work our way to the big boss." Serizawa muttered. Nanami was impressed. He had a plan mapped out already??

     Not really. Serizawa just recognized their layout and likened it to one of the boss fights in a game he used to play all the time as a kid.

     The two split before the king could monolog any further, shredding through the cursed spirits like they were mere dummies. Nanami used the wrapped knife he always carried around on his back and Serizawa utilized his business cards. Together, they exorcised of all the curses until only the dk remained. "NO MATTER!" the leader shrieked "EVEN WITHOUT THEM, MY POWER ALONE IS ENOUGH TO RULE THE WORLD!" Tff, Serizawa sure recognized those words from somewhere...

----------

     Only the splattered, concaved of the demon king's head remained once they were done with it. Neither men gave it much thought. They started to wander away from the brutal battle scene at once, stepping over the corpses of exorcised spirits toward the lit exit.

     "...Man, when you enter battle mode, you really enter battle mode." Nanami mused.

     Serizawa smiled back bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks..? I- I think Teruki said something similar one time... Oh! Speaking of which, I promised him to help out with dinner tonight! Mind if I leave early since we're all done here??"

     Looking around at all the fading remains. "Uhhh... Sure."

     "You'rrrre free to join us." Before the blond sorcerer could even open his mouth to respond, Serizawa's pocket buzzed loudly. "Oh!" He grabbed his phone. "Reigen?.. Uh, hey, boss! What's up?!" Serizawa frozen in his tracks, eyes broadened, face going paler. "Gojo was in a car crash?? I-is he okay?!"

-----

     "I dunno. I'm on my way there right now!" Reigen hung up and slid the phone away as he jogged down the sidewalk to where the white haired fellow had pointed him via texted location. It wasn't all too far from Elyse's place. In fact, he was actually on his way over to visit for the first time!

     A trickling stream rolled down the side of the road toward him, down the hill the blond jogged up. The man panted as he reached the top, finally spotting the source of all the water.

     It was an empty neighborhood street. All the people living here must have been elsewhere at the moment, because there wasn't a soul in sight. Ahead, of him, with only one of its back tires on the road, was a plain gray car. The thing had veered off, ramming into a fire hydrant and causing it to spray water meters above their heads. Reigen sighed while staring... Kinda pathetic, but at least he knew Gojo, couldn't have been hurt real bad by this. But...where was he?

     Reigen couldn't find him. Not in the car and not around it. Did he ditch? Did someone kidnap him?! Worried now, the blond cupped his hands around his mouth and called, hoping he was near enough to hear it. "HEY! GOJO, YOU ANYWHERE!?"

     "Here..." It was like the faint little coo of a passing dove. Reigen spun around, spotting the man in an alley between the nearby house and the privacy fence parallel to the wall. The sun in the sky angled just perfectly so the other was covered in a blanket of shade. He was just sitting there, back to the brick, legs to his chest, arms wrapped around them as he rocked there in place. "Oh! Hey," Reigen rushed over and squalled beside him. "you alright..?" Gojo nodded.

     "Just a couple bruises.. I'll be fine." He was so quiet. Everything he said was just barely over a mumble. He also never cared to look at anything but the dirt ahead of him, which concerned the blond a little.

     Reigen's closest knee landed on the ground as he leaned in closer, shoving Gojo's bangs out of the way so he could check for bruising. The other was still rocking, eyes wide like he'd seen the dead. "What happened?"

     Mumbling, "A dog ran into the road. N' I couldn't-- N' I couldn't-- N' I couldn't-- N' I couldn't-- ... How-how do you do it?"

     "Do what?"

     "Live knowing that you could die at any second. A-a-anything could kill us! Ee-even stupid stuff like car crashes and ferris wheels-!" As he rambled quietly, Reigen sat beside him, back propped against the wall too. Gojo's arms wrap around his face, hiding everything but those terribly frightened eyes. Such a foreign sight. "And I have the whole world coming after me... Just because I was born special. ..I know you're quirkless... so...please tell me ho--ow.." Such soft whispers; gentle cries for help. He was used to fighting. He was used to blood. Heck, he was even used to physical pain and had almost died once before!.. But this was a little different.

     Because what was such a simple problem suddenly turned into such a big deal. ... Because he didn't have his powers, he actually had to choose between saving that dog's life and potentially risking his own.

     Reigen bent his knees to prop his arms up on. He stared ahead and sighed. "Well, guess you..just take it one day at a time. Teh.. at least you try to. ..." Loud exhale. "You just try to live your life to the fullest while you still got it. Never know when it'll end, so you need to learn to enjoy the little things too... If you can do that, then, well.. at least.. whenever you do die... you'll be able to look back and think... 'yeah..I did a pretty good job.' I, at least, strive to live with as few regrets as possible." Slapping his hand on Gojo's shoulder. "I know it's not sage advice that's cleansing to the soul or anything, buuuut it's the best I've got." He rubbed the other's shoulder reassuringly. "Just remember that you're not alone in this one.. Far from it." He stared at the other from the side, offering a caring smile which went missed.

     Gojo again nodded stiffly. Shivering, he inhaled strongly, clenched his eyes tight, and exhaled the mountain of stress he was under. A few shivers lingered. Before Reigen could lift his hand, Gojo's head tipped, falling on top of and trapping it there. Gojo's eyes were still closed as he focused on calming his heavy breathing.

     After some time, his nerves started to settle down. "..Thanks I guess." Gojo mumbled. He didn't really want to let the other's hand go right now. It was warm at a time when he felt so cold. And Reigen, well, he was too polite to ask for his appendage back. "...You're a pretty great guy.. you know that?"

     "Teh-really?? -mean.. I knew that." Reigen chuckled, rolling his own eyes with some added dramatic flare. But after, his eyes landed on Gojo again, softer this time. A tiny smile settled into place.

    "How's that exactly?"

     This was when Gojo chuckled. "There aren't many people out there who can tolerate me. Or are willing to I guess. Yet here...I kinda like working with you and the others. ... You guys actually care."

     Reigen turned his head do the other couldn't see the small tears collecting on his eyes. "I'm just...making sure you're okay."

. . .

    "You want your hand back now?"

     "Yes. Actually-"

     "-Well too bad, it's my pillow!" >:}

     "Hmh, that's pretty gAE." A small laugh.

     Chuckling. "You know how it goes. Just kissing up to the old boss for a raise~"

     "I will slap you." Laughing now.

     "Sure you will."

(Idk I'm tired. Just got through semester finals.)

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