4 years ago

"Kacchan, leave me alone already! I already told you I couldn't show you my quirk because it's against the law to use quirks in public without a hero license!" a young Midoriya cries at a blonde boy with explosive hands.

"Bullshit Deku, we all know you're just using that excuse as a cop out to avoid the fact that you really are just quirkless." Smirking the boy continues "I bet that's really how your mom died, she couldn't handle having a quirkless little Deku, so she killed herself" the boy laughs while his hands start to spark, readying himself to beat the cowering boy in front of him.

Mouth aghast at the fact his former childhood friend would ever say such a thing the young boy clenches his fist stopping himself from attacking the boy in front of him. Instead fighting back with his words.

"Shut up Kacchan, you know my mom died from that villain attack last year!" tears of anger spilling, Izuku continues "And she loved me. Something you wouldn't know about since your mom doesn't at all. I doubt she even wanted you with the way she constantly hits you!" Izuku can't help but yell now, a burst of bravery washing over him as he spouts back insults to Bakugou, stunning the blonde momentarily from being spoken back to by the so called quirkless boy.

Both are silent taking in what the other has said. That is until Midoriya notices Kacchan's redden face and angered expression. "I know I shouldn't have said that about his mom, but he shouldn't have implied it first" Midoriya thinks, still watching the childhood bully.

Foaming at the mouth Bakugou readies his hands to kill Deku for even daring to insinuate his mother didn't love him. He ignores the fact he just suggested the same thing to the boy in front of him because he's quirkless, saying the latter doesn't apply to him, not really.

"Deku I'm gonna count to 0 then I'm gonna kick your ass got it?" Cracking his knuckles with a vicious smile on his face, Bakugou ignites his hand aiming towards his target "Ready, ZER-ahhh" an angry Bakugou yelps at seeing a boy pop up from the ground.

"Hold on just a second" appearing from the ground is a grinning tin tin copycat, who steps in front of Midoriya just in time to stop the incoming hit from Bakugou.

"Who the hell are you, cartoon face!?" Bakugou yells, halting his attack just in time to avoid hurting a random person who could cause a mark on his "perfect" record. Not that he really cares, but even one mark could damage his chances of getting into the best hero school in all of Japan.

"I am Mirio Togata, now what's going on here" the tin tin wannabe says smiling; however, this guy is far from happy. Bakugou has seen smiles like this before and the boy in front of him is far from cheerful, there's hot anger underneath that smile. He's learned to tell the difference from seeing his mom pissed off at him and she really means it.

He realizes he's taken too long examining the boy defending Deku when the kid, Mirio, takes a step closer to him.

"HA let me ask again, What's. Going. On. Here?" Mirio asks, smiling even wider now.

All the sudden Bakugou feels sweat go down his back, and his hands twitching, which is a new feeling for him. He can't describe what he's feeling, (fear, it's fear), but he knows he doesn't like it.

Bakugou has fought bigger kids than this blondie before, defeated multiple people with his quirk no problem, but for some reason he thinks, no feels like this guy may be out of his league. So, he does the only logical thing he can think of now and lies knowing that would be better than trying to fight the guy.

"Tch, stupid Deku here and I were just playing hero and villain. He fell while I was trying to catch him and then started crying like a baby." Bakugou lies easily not a stutter or stall in his speech. For a solid minute, nothing happens and Bakugou thinks he's going to get off, that perhaps the guy believed what he said. Then he sees in the boys' eyes he isn't buying it.

"That's funny because I could have sworn you were going to blow this boy's face off with your explosive quirk. Right, after you told him his mother killed herself because, what was it, oh yes, he was quirkless?" The seemingly harmless, but he knows probably not, boy says.

There's no hesitation when Bakugou runs away from his opponent for the first time in his life.

Izuku is still laying on the ground though, astonished by what he's witnessed. For the first time ever, someone was standing up to Kacchan. No one has ever done this, and for him no less. He can see the moment Bakugou realizes he made a mistake trying to lie to Mirio because there's some sort of underlying strength to him even if he is just a few years older. The air around them tenses and even he feels sweet beading down his brow. The moment Bakugou runs away, is when Izuku realizes this is a kid not to be messed with. This boy, Mirio, he's what a hero is supposed to be.

It's then that Izuku realizes something, All Might may be his idol but Mirio, Mirio... is his hero.

"Can you tell me where you live so I can tell your dad what happened" the boy now identified as Mirio asks. Izuku looks down because it was already brought up with Bakugou but just being reminded, even by accident, by Mirio that he has no parents to go to stings…a lot.

"I don't have any. My mom's dead and my dad gave me up" Izuku says downtrodden by what he's revealed. Sighing Izuku looks at the time and is reminded he has a curfew for the orphanage, he knows they won't care one way or another if he shows up, but still he's tired and wants to go to bed. "Anyways, thanks for helping me with Kacchan, but I have to go if I want to make it back in time to the orphanage." Waving goodbye both kids see each other off.

Izuku is halfway to the orphanage when he realizes he's being followed. He's always had great analyzing skills and was very perceptive, he needed to if wanted to avoid his bullies, but trying to pinpoint the person following him, just proves futile since every time he looks around there's no one in sight. He continues this way, until he hears shuffling behind him, and turning around quickly, he's able to see someone sink into the ground just in time piece things together.

Earlier the boy who helped him, Mirio, had a quirk that let him phase in and out, and when putting two and two together, Izuku connects that he must be the one following him. For a moment, Izuku feels fuzzy. Then it passes.

It continues for a week when finally, Izuku addresses it, "Uh, excuse me, Mirio-san. I know you're there." A pause. When nothing, or rather no one responds Izuku thinks that perhaps he was wrong the entire time. Maybe he made up Mirio wanting to spend time with him because he has no one else. "Stupid, why would anyone want to hang out with you, you're just an orphan boy, who won't show you're quirk."

Izuku banishes those thoughts as soon as those come, once he sees Mirio pop out from the ground in his birthday suit sheepish. "Oh, heya Midoriya-san. Sorry I took so long, one of the reasons I didn't want to pop out of the ground you know." Chuckling Mirio asks if Midoriya happens to have any spare pants, which since he skipped P.E he did. "They're a little tight, but they'll have to do" Mirio says with a thumbs up at the younger boy.

"Mirio-san why have you been following me for the past week" Izuku bluntly asks as they get to the halfway mark to the orphanage. He thinks it's only because Mirio feels bad for him, but a smaller more hopeful part of him says he's wrong. "Stop being so negative for once Izuku, not all people are like Kacchan" his mind tells him.

Mirio stops where he is and looks at Izuku, frowning for a moment. He looks like he can't decide whether he wants to tell the truth or not until he finally opens his mouth and reveals the reason why he's been following him the entire time.

"When I saw that Bakugou kid beating you up I knew I had to step in because that's what a hero would do. And seeing all those people just pass you by, really angered me" Pausing Mirio looks to Izuku frowning "But then after you left, I followed, because I wanted to speak to you more about what you said. I was curious about you." Mirio finishes looking a little embarrassed at being noisy but also not since he helped the smaller boy out.

Thinking back, Izuku tries to recall what all he said, then it hits him. "Oh that? Yeah no one believes me, but I have a quirk. it's really cool too." Izuku's eyes shine as he starts to talk about, the other boy seeing how excited he is to describe it, "It's a mixture of my dad and my moms', fire and telekinesis, so I'll definitely be a cool pro hero like All Might" he finishes fist in the air.

"Wooow, a dual quirk sounds strong, Midoriya-san. What's it called?" Mirio says with stars in his eyes at the younger kid. "And why does no one else know about this?" Mirio asks already excited about finding out more this boy's quirk.

"Well it's Pyrokinesis, you know I can control and create fire. And I can't use it since I don't have a hero's license. It's illegal to use your quirk in public without one" Izuku states without a care.

Mirio looks at the small child in front of him in awe. The quirk he told him about is powerful, but he'll need to train it to be able to control it. From what he's heard the boy has no friends because they don't know about this, which brings Mirio to his offer. "That's it Izuku Midoriya, I can already see that you have an amazing quirk, however unless you train it you won't be able to get into U.A alongside me, so we need to work out and train our quirks to the max to do that."

"Wait how'd you know I wanted to go to U.A" Izuku says surprised he knew. Giving off another smile Mirio replies "You said you wanted to be like All Might as do I and All Might's an Alumni of U.A. I just put two and two together" Mirio says laughing.

"Okay, but I can't train my quirk" Izuku tries to protest. "In public, my friend, but in the confines of a secret place, which I already know a place, we can do all the destruction and testing of just how powerful you and I really are, and we'll buff you and me up in the meantime. How about it? U.A buddies?" Mirio says putting his hand out.

The minute Izuku hears Mirio call him a friend tears are threatening to come out of his eyes, for the briefest moments Izuku cherishes those words because he hasn't heard anyone call him that in years. Tears finally fall when Mirio declares them U.A buddies. It's then Izuku decides that for Mirio he'll bend the rules if it'll mean train together, so they can get into U.A together. "Yeah, *sniff* U.A buddies" Izuku says.

"Yeah, POWER!" Mirio yells the first of many powers. "Power?" Izuku murmurs. Unsure of where the phrase came from Izuku decides he doesn't care and instead decides to roll with it following Mirio's example with a just as loud "Power" beginning two friends' journey to U.A.