Deku the Anti-Hero

Dashed Dreams With a Sprinkle of Hope

A/N: As you can probably guess, this is an AU fic. It will most likely stray from some canon plot points while sticking to others. For the most part, I will try to keep the story consistent with itself, but there will probably be mistakes along the way. Either way, I hope you enjoy.

I do not own MHA.

Today had not been a good day, to say the least. The school day had come and gone as usual; filled with bullying and taunting from his classmates and cold shoulders from his teachers. To make matters worse, the only person he had remotely considered to be a friend literally told him to commit suicide.

"If you think you'll have a quirk in your next life...go take a swan dive off the roof.". 

That's right, Izuku Midoriya was one of the 20% that was born quirkless nowadays. His lifetime dream was all but shattered before he reached six years old. That alone had been bad enough, but the utter torment that came with being powerless in a superpowered world was like salt, vinegar, and hot water in an open wound. When he first found out he hoped Katsuki Bakugo, or "Kacchan" as he called him, would be at least supportive despite his shortcomings. Alas, that obviously was not to be, if his last statement was any indication.

That single sentence rang through Midoriya's head all the way to the fishpond where his burnt and now soaked notebook was floating. He gave a sad sigh at the sight of his hard work figuratively tossed in the trash but literally thrown out the window.

As he flipped through the pages, he was allowed to feel relief at the surprising lack of damage. Just the cover was scorched, and almost all of his written notes were still legible.

Now, Midoriya was not suicidal by any means, but as the days went by parts of him were slowly chipped away. Each "quirkless" and "freak" thrown his way etched deeper than anyone knew, and enough etches could bring down even the largest statues. And every now and then he found himself wondering if anyone, besides his mom, would actually care if he took Bakugo's words to heart.

In his depressed state of mind, he failed to notice the mass of sludge bulleting right towards him. That is, until it was too late. Before he could register what was happening, ooze and slime was all over him, cutting off his movements and shoving itself down his throat with disgusting ease.

Fighting was useless, and no one was around to hear him in the underpass. "Calm down, it'll only hurt for about 45 seconds." a sickening voice said. Despite his fear-driven attempts, not a scratch or grab hurt the attacker.

His vision was darkening, and his strength was diminishing by the second. The painful choking sensations were burning his throat and lungs more, yet everything seemed to be going numb. A few tears welled up in his eyes, hopelessness once again filling the young boy.

The last thought that went through his mind was, "I'm dying.". If he had managed to stay conscious for just a few more seconds, he would have known that today was not his day to die.

Darkness. That's all he saw, and whatever he heard was fuzzy. He could barely make out a man's voice, and started wondering if he was entering the afterlife. Maybe Katsuki was right. If there is another life, he might get a quirk this time around. Slowly, everything begins to clear, except the situation itself.

"Hey kid, get up!" the voice commanded. With a grunt, Midoriya forced himself into an upright sitting position. A few blinks, then more than a few later clears his vision. Who saved him? There aren't many heroes that stick around this area. Maybe a passerby with a useful quirk.

Izuku risked a glance at his savior and almost wishes he hadn't.

The infamous "Stain". The "Hero Killer". The last person he ever would have guessed had been the one to come to his rescue. Instinct takes over, and Izuku finds himself backpedaling into a wall.