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Quirkless Again

Summary:

Midoriya gets hit with a bullet made by Overhaul which takes away One for All. Midoriya becomes quirkless once again. Will he still be able to stay at UA? Will he still be able to become a hero? How will everyone take it?

Notes:

This is my first fanfic for this fandom. Please let me know if there are any mistakes. I don't have an update schedule so I don't know when I'll post next. But I thought I would get this idea out there because I've had this in my head for awhile and I haven't seen any fanfics like it. So if you do know a fic that is like this please tell me in the comments. If you do decide to comment please be nice to other people. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Losing it

Chapter Text

The fight with Overhaul was over, Izuku was exhausted. He had been questioned by the police and he had given his statement of what had happened. Eri had been taken to get medical attention. Nighteye had been rushed to the emergency room, Izuku hoped Nighteye would make it. Things were calming down, the police had taken off with most of the Yakuza. Ryukyu and Izuku stood next to each other facing the road.

"Midoriya," Izuku turned slightly to look at her. "There are many injured, so this isn't really the time to celebrate without restraint. But, thanks-"

Ryukyu was cut off by a gunshot sound. Izuku felt a prick on his neck, fear taking over, he reached up to feel the area and pulled out a syringe like bullet. With his face paling, he tried full cowl five percent. Nothing happened. Izuku looked at Ryukyu who was looking at him talking but all Izuku heard was white noise, static. Barely registering that he had fallen to the ground below, Izuku began hyperventilating. Ryukyu was in front of him trying to help him to follow her breathing. Shaking his head, tears were streaming down his face, then blackness began to overtake his sight. Then pitch black.

 

"I can not let you watch over my patients if you are going to become a patient as well. You need to go take a shower then go to bed, doctors orders. Now leave and don't come back for at least nine hours." The scolding voice sounded a lot like Recovery Girl, but that didn't seem right. Izuku hadn't had a training injury in a week, why was he hearing Recovery Girl's voice?

"I'm not leaving until I can talk to Midoriya. You and I both know he'll wake up anytime from now to a couple hours and I've already stayed awake this long what's a few more hours going to do." Izuku could hear the exhaustion in Aizawa's voice, but there was also stubbornness. Izuku still couldn't remember why he was in the infirmary. Was he in trouble? Is that why Aizawa wanted to talk to him? Of course he was, he's the problem child.

"Aizawa sensei? Why am I in the infirmary? I don't remember being hurt in training. Did I do something wrong?" Izuku's voice made both heroes pause their argument. Aizawa cringed at the questions, making Izuku on guard. Something had happened, probably something big, and he didn't remember it at all.

But before Aizawa could talk, a whimper sound came from the right of Izuku. Izuku turned his head towards the sound, and saw Eri on a bed next to him, sleeping but looking fairly feverish still. Upon seeing Eri, Izuku got hit with memories. Fighting Overhaul, getting Eri to safety, watching Nighteye be taken to the hospital, and Ryukyu talking to him. Then the gunshot. Then the prick in his neck. Then the bullet. Then his quirk not working. Then Ryukyu trying to get him to calm down, then Ryukyu trying to get him to breathe. Then blackness.

He had lost his quirk. He lost One for All.

"I lost my quirk?" Izuku's eyes began to overflow with tears. Trying not to have another meltdown in front of another hero, Izuku began to hiccup from trying to hold back tears. Izuku hugged his knees, pulling himself into a ball, while rocking back and forth. Aizawa moved closer to Izuku with open arms. Aizawa pulled him into a hug all the while saying, "It'll be okay," over and over trying to comfort Izuku.

Izuku's tears began to slow, Aizawa let him back out of the hug. Izuku's hiccups had stopped a couple minutes ago and his breathing was slowing as well. "I'm sorry for that." Izuku had sighed, his emotions always got the best of him. Izuku didn't need Aizawa thinking he was weaker than what he already thought.

Aizawa frowned, "It's okay, you have every right to freak out and frankly you are acting a lot calmer than what I expected. But I do have to tell you, yes you have lost your quirk. You were shot with a bullet that was made by Overhaul, and as of right now we have no antidote."

Aizawa paused to make sure the information was understood and that Midoriya wasn't going to have to be calmed down again, but he wouldn't blame him if he did. "Also the rest of the teachers are in a meeting, discussing what's going to happen with your classes. As there are no rules against quirkless students, you most definitely won't be released from U.A. unless you want to be. Personally I don't want you to leave Class 1-A, even if you are quirkless now, I would rather keep my eyes on you to make sure you don't start any trouble."

Once again tears had formed in Izuku's eyes, he had a small smile too. Of course his teacher would only want him to stay just to make sure he didn't cause trouble. Izuku is just a problem child. "Kid I'm sorry, I believe you saw Sir Nighteye leave the scene?"

Izuku's eyes widened and his smile dropped as he nodded his head. Aizawa felt horrible being the one to tell him this but it was better to tell him now. "All Might and Mirio are with him along with Bubble Girl, they say he's not going to make it. I'm so sorry all of this had to happen to you. You're just a child, you shouldn't have this happen to you. But since All Might and Mirio have been at the hospital, they haven't been told about your situation."

"Can you tell them, please?" Izuku's voice seemed so quiet, close to a whisper. "I just don't think I can make it through the story without crying, and I don't want to see All Might just to tell him that one of his powerful students is now quirkless and weak. So will you tell them for me, please?"

Aizawa frowned, this seems to be a reoccurring movement, "Of course I can tell them, but you need to listen to me. Being quirkless does not make you weak, you can still become a hero while being quirkless. Will it be hard to do so? Yes. Will people say you can't? Yes. But can you do it? Yes. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. Midoriya, you are one of my students. I will always help you if you need my help, all you have to do is let me know."

Izuku ended up pulling Aizawa into a hug. Aizawa wrapped his arms around the boy and smiled as he pretended not to feel his shoulder become wet. This child needed all the support he could get and Aizawa is going to be one of the top contributors whether Izuku likes it or not.

"Thank you, Aizawa sensei." Izuku didn't want to back out of this hug, it felt nice to have someone care for him even if it's for show. But even good shows must come to an end.

From the other bed, Eri started to shift and move around. Mumbling, "no," and "stop," as tears rolled down her cheek. Recovery Girl came over from her desk, since she had let the two have their moment, and immediately checked Eri's temperature.

"Is she okay?" Izuku asked, hoping nothing was wrong. Izuku has never had any siblings before but even though they just met, Eri felt like a little sister to him.

Recovery Girl changed the cloth on Eri's head to a cooler one. "She just needs to rest and break this fever. Once she does she'll be okay."

Izuku still looked concerned but there was nothing he could do to help her other than letting her sleep. But there was still something he needed an answer to. "Where will she go after she is better? Will she be taken to an orphanage or does she have relatives that are deemed okay to live with?"

Aizawa stopped him with a gesture of calm down, "UA is most likely going to have custody of her and I will be the one to watch over her the most because of my quirk. Nothing is set in stone yet, so don't be surprised if that's not what happens."

Izuku let out a breath of relief, there was still a chance he could still see her. Aizawa had moved to stand up, seeing that Izuku had managed to stay calm. Aizawa was planning on asking a few questions before deciding not to as there was a knock on the door. The door opened before Aizawa could get to it.

Chapter 2: Friends?

Notes:

Thank you so much for all of the comments and the kudos!!!! Hopefully you guys like this chapter too. Again please let me know if I made a mistake. I don't think I'll be updating every day but we will see. Enjoy!

Chapter Text

The door opened up to show Uraraka and Iida peering through the crack of the door. Both had worried looks on their face but as they saw Izuku sitting up and awake, their faces lit up.

Aizawa stood at the edge of the bed, "I'll be back with more information. If you need anything Recovery Girl will be in her office, so just call for her." Izuku nodded and Uraraka rushed to give him a hug.

"Are you okay? No one would tell me anything. Ryukyu was suddenly ordering everyone to get back and a few policemen were rushing towards a building acrossed the street. Why are you in the infirmary? I didn't think you got hurt badly." Uraraka had finally released Izuku from the tight hug.

"I too am wondering why. From what Uraraka has told me, your injuries were healed on scene. Did some complications happen? You didn't hurt your arms again, right?" Iida had stepped forward next to Uraraka.

Izuku had tensed up at the questions, but he slowly relaxed. These were his best friends he can tell them. Looking down at his hands in his lap, he started to explain. "I was fine after the battle. After I watched Sir Nighteye leave, Ryukyu wanted to talk with me. We were in front of the compound and she was starting to say how we all did a good job when a shot sounded. I felt a prick in my neck and when I brought my hand up to feel it there was a needle like bullet."

There was a gasp from Uraraka, but Iida was looking confused and worried. "No, don't tell me it was what I think it was." Uraraka sounded horrified. Izuku nodded and let out a wet sigh.

"My quirk is gone. I had panicked after I saw the bullet and tried to activate my quirk. But it was not use, I'm quirkless now. Aizawa said there is no antidote yet. He also said that the teachers are in a meeting right now deciding what is going to happen to my education. He said he would have more information when he gets back, so there's that I guess." Izuku finally looked up to see his friends faces.

Uraraka was crying, tears silently rolling down her face. Iida looked shocked. "I'm so sorry we couldn't protect you. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I'm so sorry." By the end Uraraka is whispering.

Izuku freezes, she's sorry? Izuku can't stop himself from comparing her response to his mother's. She would always say she was sorry whenever his quirklessness was mentioned.

"You have my deepest condolences. I can't imagine what you must be thinking, losing your quirk most be one of the most terrible things that could happen. But don't worry, you will always be welcome in class 1-A. You have our numbers as well, feel free to talk to us anytime." Iida bows and Uraraka nods vigorously.

Izuku is stunned, they're talking like he's dying or going overseas. He doesn't even know if he's leaving class 1-A. Even Aizawa said if anything he would still be in the school, probably general education, but still he's not leaving.

"Um, I'm a little confused. I don't even know if I'm leaving class 1-A yet. And Aizawa said I would still be able to be at U.A. I will probably be put in the general education class but that's still okay. I don't know why you guys are acting like I'm leaving for forever." Izuku looked at them with his head slightly tilted, confused but not for long.

"It would be very irresponsible for the teachers to let you stay. You are now quirkless. It's too dangerous for you to be a hero, and you would just get too hurt in training. They would also have to realize that this year the school has been targeted by villains many times. So it would also be too dangerous for you to stay here as well. For your own safety it would be best for you to have a different career to look forward to. As your friend it has my job to look out for you and to keep you safe. Right now making sure you let go of the dreams you once had is keeping you safe." Iida once again bows as he finishes, Izuku is in disbelief. Just because he is quirkless now his friend doesn't even believe he can become a hero.

"I agree with Iida, it's really dangerous. I know how hard this must be on you. I don't know what I would do without my quirk. But being quirkless isn't the end of the world, you can still be a police man....well that might be a bit dangerous for you as well. Um, oh I know, you could be a business owner? That isn't really dangerous, right?" Uraraka completely ignoring Izuku's face of shock and continuing on with her business owner idea.

They don't believe in him.

Izuku's eyes had started to fill up with tears once more that day. As the people who he had thought would be by his side continued to attack all his defenses, whether on purpose or not. It still hurt.

"What is going on in here?" Aizawa growled as he walked into the room.

This caused Uraraka to stop talking and Iida to stop agreeing with everything she was saying. Aizawa stalks forward, looking very intimating with his eyes glowing red and hair floating.

"I left you two with who I thought were your friends, but maybe not. Since he needed obvious comfort and to be reassured that yes he can be a hero no matter what. I came back to find him not only in tears but the people I left him with not even paying attention to how bad their words hurt. This will be your only warning, I do not tolerate this behavior in my class. You never try to put a classmate down. The quirkless are not glass, they are not helpless, they are not weak, they are not a lesser version of society, they are people. Leave and don't even think about telling the rest of the class about Midoriya." Both Uraraka and Iida looked ashamed but clearly disagreed with some of the points Aizawa made. But knowing that their place at U.A. was in danger, they said nothing and left.

Chapter 3: A Chance

Notes:

Hello again!! Thank you for all of the kudos and comments you guys have left. I really do enjoy reading them and seeing what you are thinking. I'm sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the other two chapters, I try to get my chapters to at least 1,000 words but this one just didn't want to hit that goal. As always please let me know if I have made a mistake in the comments. Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As the door shut, Izuku sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes. Those were his closest friends, if that's how they reacted then what is going to be everyone else's. Will they also tell him to give up on his dreams? Will they even want to talk to him once they know he's quirkless? No one wanted to back in middle school, if they did talk to him it was to laugh or mock him.

Did it even matter that much? Not really, if you think about it. It might hurt to have people who you were friends with no longer want to be friends. But if someone doesn't want to talk to you because of something you can't control then they aren't someone you should talk to. Not everyone hates the quirkless. There was this one girl in middle school that never played pranks on him or even laughed at the jokes. She never talked to him but Izuku was sure she didn't hate him. His mom didn't hate him either but she is a whole different topic.

But before his thoughts could spiral more, Aizawa interrupted them. "Are you okay kid?"

Izuku nodded his head. Really he was okay, his feelings might be hurt but he was sure Aizawa didn't want to hear about that. Aizawa was just doing his job as a teacher and making sure the problem child wasn't going to do anything crazy.

"First of all I want to make sure you know that what they said was wrong. Yes, they may have been concerned for you but they were talking in the wrong way about it. The way they were talking was horrible, they were talking down on you. They disregarded your hard work and skills just because you are now quirkless. The quirkless are not weak just because they don't have a quirk. They just have to train and find how to use the disadvantage to their advantage. Do you understand that? You are not weak." Aizawa's voice echoed throughout the room.

Izuku was shocked, no one had ever said anything like that. The teachers in elementary school had told the rest of the kids to "Be careful with him" or they had said "Izuku, you need to stop playing with them they don't know how to play softly with you" or his favorite "Izuku you are going to have stay inside so you don't have the chance of getting hurt today". At that age Izuku got so confused by those teachers. Other kids had gotten hurt but they were just given bandages and then sent back to play. It wasn't until he asked his mom about it, that the reason why was because he was quirkless.

"Thank you, that really means a lot. Especially coming from someone who is a pro hero and a teacher." Izuku smiled, happy that someone was on his side, for now at least.

"It's only logical of course. Now on to the news I was going to say previously. The staff has made a decision. You will be given a trial run since you were able to make it into class 1-A. So the way it's going to go is you will be in 1-A for every subject except heroics with All Might. During that time you will be with me learning how to fight without a quirk. If you don't make a fair amount of progress you will be transferred to general education. Don't worry too much, I know you are up for the challenge." Aizawa had a grin on his face.

Izuku smiled, he has a chance to still be a hero. He could stay in class 1-A and show everyone that he could become a hero. Almost no one could stop him, the only who could was his mom. Izuku's smile dropped a little, his mom could pull him out of UA. She almost did when he had a quirk. Now he was back to be her fragile quirkless son.

"Has my mom been notified?" Izuku frantically asked his teacher.

"Yes, we were able to get a hold of her before you woke up. She could get anyone to cover the rest of her shift at that moment, but she said she would be able to get someone to within the hour. She should be here within twenty minutes or so." Izuku started to panic a little more. He wasn't ready to talk to her yet. He didn't have a plan set up yet.

Seeing his student start to panic Aizawa tried to calm Izuku down. "Kid it'll be okay. Your mom will be here in no time, maybe she's here already."

Izuku shook his head as he tried to form a realistic plan to counter his mother's argument. He almost had a decent idea made when the door was ripped open.

"Oh my baby!"

Notes:

I'm sorry for all of you guys who like mama Midoriya but I just felt it worked better if she wasn't that good of a parent. I did give a slight hint about her in the last chapter. She isn't going to be horrible but she isn't going to be good either.

Chapter 4: A Mother's Response

Notes:

Thank you all for over 100 kudos!!!! For those who keep reading every time I update, you are amazing!! Every time I see a new comment or a new bookmark I get so happy! Again thank you!!! Just a heads up, while writing and rereading this chapter I did notice I went a little heavier on the dialog than usual so if that's not your thing I'm sorry but that's just how I wrote this chapter. As usual let me know in the comments if something is incorrect. Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Inko Midoriya rushed into the room, spotting her son immediately. "My poor baby Izuku!"

Tears were already rolling down her face. Inko brought Izuku into almost a one sided hug. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Izuku's body, the only thing he could move was his hands which lightly patted her.

"I'm okay, mom. I don't even have a scratch on me." His mother sobbed harder into his shoulder. Her precious baby wasn't accepting what had happened to him.

"It's okay you can let it out. I know what has happened. You lost your quirk. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I'm sorry you have to give up your dream because of it. You have worked so hard and now everything was for nothing." All movement coming from Izuku stopped. He had to tell her he still had a chance. A chance to achieve his dream.

"I don't have to give up my dream. I can still be a hero, I just have to work harder. Mr. Aizawa said the teachers are letting me have a test run of sorts to stay in class 1-A. I just have to work hard. I can still do it mom."

Inko pulled her head back so she could look him in the eyes. "I get it'll take some time to get used to this, again, but it's too dangerous for you. You're quirkless, you're too weak to fight, remember all the times you tried to fight but lost in elementary and middle school. I'm sorry Sweetie but you just can't be a hero."

Aizawa stared at the woman. How dare she do that? She is his student's mother, she should be comforting him and encouraging him. All she is doing is tearing him down.

"No, mom, please listen. I can be a hero. This time it'll be different. Mr. Aizawa is going to teach me. I'll work hard. Please let me just try." Izuku was panicking, his mom was going to make him leave UA.

"Sweetie it's not going to work."

Aizawa needed to do something and soon. If he doesn't, UA might lose one of their best students.

"Ma'am why don't we continue this conversation sometime else. Your son needs some more rest. As much as he says otherwise he is still recovering. You can come back another time." Aizawa goes to escort Inko out of the room. Before she reaches the door she turns then smiles at Izuku like she didn't just try to crush his dream. Izuku smiled back with a much weaker smile but it didn't seem like his mom saw or if she did see she didn't care.

"Ma'am he really needs to rest." Aizawa pushed. Inko nodded and walked out of the room and down the hallway.

With the door shut and Inko's footsteps sounding farther away, Aizawa turned to see Izuku's wavering smile down and tears falling down the sides of his face. Izuku curled into a ball, and not the dancing kind. Aizawa walked forward making sure Izuku knew he was there. He wasn't completely sure if Izuku was aware of everything around him.

When Aizawa was close enough he asked if Izuku wanted a hug. Aizawa knew he wasn't the best hugger in the world but this kid needed some serious comfort.

Without giving much thought Izuku leaped forward off the bed and grabbed onto Aizawa's shoulders and cried into his capture weapon, aka his scarf. Aizawa quickly hugged his student back.

"You can be a hero. Like you said, all you need to do is work hard. You are not weak. It doesn't matter what your classmates or even your mom says. All that matters is what you say, and you have said you can be a hero."

Through the crying Aizawa was able to hear a soft "thank you". Aizawa then released a soft smile which no one will ever see, but Izuku was able to feel the movement.

A few minutes later the crying had stopped and a quiet snore was coming from the boy. Recovery Girl was just coming into the room when Aizawa was laying Izuku down on the bed. The boy looked exhausted and the tear tracks on his face were drying.

"What happened to the poor child? I left my office to go talk to Nezu after the meeting you all had. Now I come back and the boy looks like he passed out from exhaustion." Recovery Girl looked expectantly at Aizawa.

Aizawa sighed and turned towards the old lady after covering Izuku with a blanket. "He's had a long day. He was told he lost his quirk. The two people that I thought were his closest friends decided they made the rules and told him UA was going to kick him out. They also told him he was too weak to even try to be a hero. When they left I barely had time to reassure him and tell him he was not getting expelled. Then his mother showed up and started telling him the same thing. He's weak, he can't be a hero, it's too dangerous, you have to give up your dream. His own mother said that to him. She wasn't even listening to what he said, her mind was already made up. He's quirkless so therefore he's weak. Thankfully I was able to make her leave before she said anything about leaving UA."

"That is a draining day, I'm glad the boy had you to help him get through it. Why don't we just let him try to sleep some of it off? He probably did pass out from exhaustion. Crying takes a lot out of you and it sounds like he went from not crying to crying quite a bit today. You also look worn out, go and get some sleep but don't even think about you sleeping here. Go home. Your health is also my concern. If I find out you were able to sleep at UA instead of going home I will stop supplying the fruit pouches, the good kind." Hearing his food supply was in danger Aizawa reluctantly agreed and left the room to go home. Checking one more time on Eri, Recovery Girl left for her office.

Notes:

I hope the pacing is okay, I'm trying to not rush through what I have already planned out. Also I feel like I'm making Izuku cry a lot, I'm not going to make him cry all the time he's just going through a lot right now. For those of you who have been waiting for Eri and Izuku time you just have to wait a little more for the next chapter.

Chapter 5: A Scared Child and a Retired Hero

Notes:

For everyone that was waiting for Eri and Izuku interaction, wait no longer! Also a little bit of All Might too. I hope you like this chapter! As always comment down below if you spot a mistake. Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Eri woke up with a start. All she remembered was the Eraser man calming her down and telling her she was safe. Now she was all alone as far as she could see, she didn't dare move. Moving got her in trouble.

Did Eraser man leave? Did he leave her by herself? Or did see make the Eraser man leave? Just like she did to papa.

Like what she had done to Deku.

She hurt Deku, her first hero. The hero who told her everything was going to be okay when they first met. The person who had saved her in the end. She hurt him and she had also hurt the other hero, the one with the cape. He had gotten shot and it was her fault.

Everyone had gotten hurt because of her. She should have stayed, she should have tried harder, but she hadn't and now people have been hurt.

She couldn't cry. If anyone heard her, she would be in trouble. If anyone saw her crying she would be in trouble. She tried so hard to hold back the tears but since she couldn't lift her hand to wipe them they rolled down her face. Once the tears started so did her nose, she didn't want to get anything dirty. Overhaul hated things getting dirty. So she sniffled.

After a few seconds of silence, she thought she was in the clear and no one was in the room so she did it again trying her hardest to not get anything dirty. Then a creaking sound came from her left.

She froze, this was it, she made a sound and now she was going to be in trouble. Whenever she got in trouble with Overhaul it hurt. She didn't like being in trouble, it hurt so much. But maybe this person will be nicer to her. She doesn't deserve it though, she hurt so many people she deserves to be hurt.

"Eri? Are you awake? It's me, Deku. Are you okay?"

Deku? He's here? She didn't make him go away? It did sound like him, maybe it was him. Overhaul hasn't tricked her this way before. But should she risk turning her head, she didn't want to get in trouble but she wanted Deku to be there so badly. So against all her instincts she looked and she was rewarded with the view of her hero.

"Deku?" Her voice trembled, she still had tears running down her face, snot was making its way down as well and she felt hot.

"Hold on." What was he going to do? Was he telling her to hold on to something? If so what should she hold on to? The blanket? The side of the bed? The pillow? Or maybe it was the type of hold on as in don't move. If that’s what he meant she wouldn't move, she was good at not moving. But what should she do? Grab on to something or not move? She couldn't do both.

She was so distraught she hasn't seen Deku moving over to her. She nearly jerked back when he lightly touched her arm.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you. You just seem like you need some comfort. Do you want me to lay down with you?" Deku sounded so kind. Kinder than anyone she had ever met. She wanted nothing more than to curl up against him, but she had hurt him last time would she still hurt him?

"I don't want to hurt you. I hurt everyone. I did hurt you, at the fight. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." The tears made her face feel hotter than before. She didn't feel good, she felt tired, the tears didn't stop, her nose became more runny, she wanted a hug.

"Oh Eri, it's okay. I know you didn't mean it. Listen to me, okay? You did hurt me before but it wasn't your fault. It might sound weird but just because the hurt came from you doesn't mean it was your fault. You don't have control over your quirk yet and that's okay." Deku inched closer and opened his arms wide. Eri looked at him and lifted her arms up. Deku picked her up and laid down on the bed. Eri wrapped her arms around him and laid her head down on his chest. Deku rubbed his hand up and down her back. She was still crying but this time she wasn't alone. Deku, her hero, was there.

Slowly Eri drifted off to sleep with Deku right behind.

 

A couple hours pass and Izuku wakes up with a weight on his chest. Opening his eyes up, his vision is covered with white. Smiling softly Izuku moves his hand up and wipes the hair out of his way. Eri tried to snuggle further into his chest.

"Oh I see you are finally awake, young Midoriya." The deflated form of All Might sat next to the bed. He looked exhausted, devastated even. He just watched his friend die, he had the right to be upset. Now on top of that he just lost his successor.

"All Might?" Izuku hadn't planned to see All Might so soon. Izuku had failed as his successor, he lost One for All. All Might had trusted him to continue on with One for All's legacy. Izuku must have let him down.

"I'm so sorry, All Might. I've let you and everyone else down." All Might frowned.

"My boy, you had no way of knowing that there was still someone ready to seek revenge. It was not your fault." Izuku stared at Eri's head and nodded his head. It might not have been his fault but that doesn't mean people still won't be disappointed with him.

"I've heard the staff has made a decision about your classes. Nezu was able to inform me about it since I was unable to make it due to..." All Might's voice trailed off as he stared blankly into the distance. Izuku knew what he was talking about, Nighteye had died at the hospital. All Might had watched his friend die, that could not have been easy. All Might shook his head lightly, clearing his thoughts. "Nevermind that, young Midoriya. I'm worried about you. You have the heart of a hero but now more than ever it will be too dangerous to become a hero. You have to be realistic, kid. Quirks are everything in this day and age. No one has ever seen a quirkless hero. This one on one training Aizawa has planned will get you hurt."

Oh this was new. What All Might said hurt but Izuku didn't feel that rush of disbelief or major sadness that usually followed when he found out someone didn't believe in him. Was it because so many people had told him to give up, so he was just used to being told to find another dream? Or was it because All Might had already told him this before? Izuku really didn't know. With a small amount of confidence, he responded.

"All Might, thank you for your concern but I'm still going to try. Mr. Aizawa believes that I can still be a hero even though I'm quirkless again. Even if no one believes in me, it won't matter because I still believe in myself. I was given a chance and I'm going to take it."

All Might shook his head as he stood. "I see I can't change your mind. Just be careful out there. I don't want to explain to your mother why UA let a quirkless child try to become a hero only to be killed. Just," he sighed and ran a hand down his face," just remember a lot of people care for you and don't want to see you get hurt." He sighed once more and left the room.

Notes:

I don't like All Might that much but I hope it didn't come off as All Might being rude or mean for no reason. I tried to make sure it fit his character. Let me know in the comment what your thoughts are about All Might or how Eri reacted.

Chapter 6: Real Friends

Notes:

First of all, thank you for over 200 kudos!!! I can't so many people like this fic. Next I know I said I don't have a schedule for the fics I write, but then I sort of fell into a routine of every other day, so I just want to say sorry for those who caught onto that and were disappointed when I didn't update. I struggled to write this chapter a little for a couple of reasons, one was I knew what I wanted to write but each time I would write it, it would sound really weird. The other reason was my family and I just found out we are going to have to put down one of our dogs soon. He has cancer that spread throughout his body and we were too late to do anything to stop it, so yeah kind of didn't want to write after finding that out. He's been an awesome dog and it'll be sad to let him go but that's better than letting him be in pain all the time.

Sad feelings away, as always please let me know in the comments if you find any mistakes or if you have any thoughts that you want me to hear. Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Izuku rubbed Eri's back a little more as he thought about All Might's response. Izuku understood why he felt that way. Quirkless meant someone who is weak. Someone fragile, someone who can break. Someone not evolved enough. All Might doesn't understand why Izuku is trying so hard to be a hero now, even though he's quirkless. Izuku's reason for becoming a hero has changed.

He wants to become a hero to help people. He wants to become a hero to give hope. Izuku wants to become a hero to give hope to the quirkless. That's why All Might won't understand.

Yes, All Might was quirkless before One for All but he has had a quirk for more than half his life now. Plus when he was quirkless more of the percentage of the quirkless population was closer to All Might's age.

Now, All Might won't be discriminated against like most quirkless people. All Might was the number one hero of Japan, still the number one hero in some hearts. He won't be told he can't come into a restaurant. He won't be told that his food cost more because he doesn't have a quirk anymore. He is quirkless now, but the majority of the public won't see that. They'll just see the hero of peace retiring. Some may think of All Might like he's dead, or maybe some people will curse at his name. But most will just see a prohero retiring. All Might will be the one exception.

That's how much influence he has on people. He might not even be aware of this influence, which is a scary thought itself.

Izuku knows if All Might had been in that staff meeting when they all discussed whether or not Izuku would be able to stay in class 1-A, the results could have been vastly different. Even though the teachers are heroes themselves, they would have listened and been easily convinced by All Might.

All Might will still talk to the other teachers and say that Izuku is in danger by still being in the hero class. But Izuku isn't worried. He is going to prove that he belongs in class 1-A, the hero class.

 

The door to the infirmary opened, drawing Izuku's attention to it. Kirishima and Kaminari walked into the room. The two boy's faces lit up when they saw Izuku.

Izuku's hand paused from rubbing Eri's back. If he told these two that he was quirkless how would they react. Would they react like Uraraka and Iida? Like All Might? His mom? Or would they respond with something more like how kids in middle school treated him. With hateful jokes and mean pranks.

Or would they react like Aizawa did? Would they agree with him and say he too can be a hero.

"Hey Midoriya, how are you feeling? Also, is that Eri? Is she okay?" Kirishima said, carrying what looked like a lunch.

Izuku smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, she's had a fever and when she woke up I think she reacted badly to being in a new setting. So I calmed her down and she went back to sleep. Also I'm okay, what are you guys doing here?"

"Dude, no one knows what happened to you. Everyone knows Uraraka and Iida went to see you but when they came back they wouldn't say anything. So since we don't have classes today, Kirishima and I decided to come down here and bring you some food."

"Um, thanks, you guys. That's very kind of you. I don’t know how to say it any other way so I think I'm just going to say it and go from there," Kaminari and Kirishima shared a confused look as Izuku avoided their gaze. "I'm quirkless. After the mission, I was shot by one of the bullets that permanently takes away your quirk. I can't use my quirk anymore, and so far there isn't an antidote."

"Oh dude that sucks. Do you know if you are going to be staying in 1-A? Because I can't see you giving up on being a hero that easily." Kaminari said, making Izuku look at him with awe.

"You really think I can still become a hero even without a quirk?"

"Yeah! Midoriya you are so manly and strong! Even when you didn't use your quirk you were so strong. If anyone can become the first quirkless hero, it's you." Kirishima had placed the lunch down then pounded his fists together and smiled towards Izuku.

They believed in him. Someone other than Aizawa believed he could be a hero.

"Thank you, thank you for believing in me. And yes, the teachers have already decided I can stay in class 1-A but when the rest of the class trains with All Might, I will be training with Aizawa. The catch is, if I don't make a fair amount of progress I will be placed in general education." Izuku still couldn't believe he had more people that thought he should be there.

"I feel bad to break this good energy but did Uraraka and Iida not think you should be a hero anymore? The way they came back to the class didn't really sit well with me. I was worried something really bad had happened to you, like you were dying or something like that. But it's not like that. You're not dying, you're not leaving, and you're not even injured. Unless you are and you and you just hid it from both of us," Kaminari looked expectantly at Izuku and relaxed as Izuku shook his head. "So that just really leaves with them reacting badly to learning you're quirkless." Izuku weakly nodded, remembering his classmate's response. He wasn’t sure whether to call them his friends anymore.

"They thought the teachers would kick me out of the school. To them quirkless people are weak and breakable. Someone who can't be a hero. They didn't even think about what I've already done, they heard quirkless and made up their mind. But thankfully Aizawa was able to make them leave. He told them that quirkless people are not weak. Honestly he is the best teacher I've ever had." The other boys couldn't believe what they heard. The two people who had become friends with Izuku on the first day of class had turned their backs on him. Did they just forget Izuku has one of the top scores in their weight training competitions? Did they forget Izuku practices combat moves everyday? How could they just say Izuku can't become a hero now because he is quirkless?

"If I ever hear them say anything like that to anyone, I will punch them in the face. I have a sister, she just turned five and we were told she is quirkless. She is not weak, she is the strongest five year old I have ever known. If I ever find out she is being discriminated against because she is quirkless, someone will be getting hurt. If Uraraka and Iida don't figure that out soon they will be in a world of hurt." Anger and protectiveness rolled off of Kaminari, but the feeling of protection didn't smother Izuku. It felt like Izuku could fight his own battle with Kaminari by his side.

"Yeah, that doesn't fly by me either. I'm with Kaminari, if they don't change and if they say stuff like that, someone is going to need to hold me back. But I really hope no one does." Izuku couldn't believe he had this much luck. He wasn't going to be alone. He had real friends who didn't care.

 

Someone cleared their throat. All three boys turned to see Recovery Girl walking towards Izuku's bed. "I see Eri woke up at sometime. Here let me see if she still has a fever," Recovery Girl took Eri's temperature and sighed. "She still has a slight fever. Normally I wouldn't even think about this but given what she has gone through and with students living close by in the dorms, I will let you decide. If you won't you can take Eri back to the dorms with you or she can stay here until Aizawa gets back from sleeping. There isn't much I can do for her other than let her rest. If you do decide to take her back to the dorms, I know for a fact Aizawa will check in and maybe even take her off your hands."

Izuku didn't want to leave Eri alone. What if she woke up and he was gone? How would that affect her? But if he took her back to the dorms he knows he's going to get bombarded with questions from everyone. Class 1-A can be very rude when they want answers, especially if he arrives with a little girl. Was there not an option for him just to stay until Aizawa got there? The two choices could end in horrible results.

"What are you two doing here? You better not be causing trouble." The tired voice of his homeroom teacher grumbled.

Notes:

The traffic light trio is here!!!! Izuku finally has some good friends that will support him!! I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks about this chapter. See you next chapter!!