You Can't be a Hero [MHA x Quirkless Male Reader]

II - Risks

Y/N pushed open one of the doors leading inside the only home he had ever known, the orphanage. He didn't enjoy the place, the other kids didn't really want anything to do with him so he didn't have any friends here either. The staff was made up of mostly women who were over fifty and the only conversational piece they could think of when talking with one another was how long they had until retirement. They didn't care too much about the kids, they did their job by giving them all food and clean clothes and what not, but there was not love. To them it was just that, a job. Going up the stairs, he reached his bedroom. He threw his things on the floor, laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, hoping his friend was taking care of himself.

"This job isn't easy." A thin, bony man said as he sat atop a high building.

Across from him was Izuku. The man had just saved the boy from being attacked by a villain whose body was in a liquid state, almost suffocating Izuku. In a flash he had used his immense strength to create a powerful gust of wind, blowing the villain off of the boy and scattering him into hundreds of pools and droplets. After Izuku woke up the man prepared to fly into the sky and depart, only for Izuku to latch onto his leg and be carried across the sky, finally landing on the top of a nearby building.

Who is this man you may ask? None other than Japan's number one pro hero, All Might. His true form is the skeletal looking one he currently bears. The iconic muscular body the world knows him by is also him, but he is only able to remain in that state for a few hours a day. A secret few people know, and which was unintentionally just revealed to Izuku.

Before his hero lost control and reverted to his skinny form, Izuku had asked him a question he had been wanting to ask the man for as long as he could remember. Could he be a hero? Hearing All Might himself tell him he could would give him all the more determination to train even harder in preparation for the UA entrance exam in ten months.

"Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains just can't be beaten without powers. So can you be a hero? Not without a quirk."

Izuku stood, mouth agape. He didn't know what to say. That wasn't what he wanted or expected to hear. He thought All Might would smile and say 'Of course you can!', not 'No'.

"I see." The boy managed to say, his eyes looking down at the ground.

"If you want to help people there are plenty other ways to do it, you can become a police officer. They get crap because the heroes catch most of the villains, but it's a fine profession." The skinny man said as he entered the stairwell leading to the ground floor of the building, his long blond tufts that usually stand tall on his head now droopy and swaying with his every movement.

"It's not bad to have a dream young man. Just make sure those dreams are attainable, realistic." All Might said as he closed the door behind him.

Not far away, the same villain that had almost killed Izuku was once again at large. This time in a back alleyway, but still attempting to take over another boy's body. The other boy was Bakugou. Bakugou let out explosion after explosion in a desperate attempt to get free, setting his surroundings on fire and sending vibrations across the city of Musutafu.

Seeing the rising smoke and feeling the explosions carry through the ground, All Might rushed over to the area as fast as he could. He was still unable to turn back into his buff form, he had run out of time. He had to hope the other heroes would get the situation under control.

Izuku too noticed the explosions, and immediately thought it must be a villain, eagerly, he headed for the stairwell, wondering what hero would appear. One thing he loved doing was taking notes on different heroes and their powers, that way he and Y/N could learn more about their techniques and maybe incorporate what they did into their future careers of hero work. But before he even got halfway to the stairs, he remembered what All Might had said. 'Some villains just can't be beaten without powers.' He stopped, and then slowly continued walking to the stairs.

Y/N was alerted by the sound of distant rumblings. With a sigh, he rolled over to face his window. He tried to take a nap, people always said how nice they felt after a long day. But the truth is he could never get the hang of sleeping in the daytime, no matter how hard he tried. Through the glass, he could see smoke rising up from the city, accompanied by more bangs. Could it be a villain attack? Seeing as he had nothing else to do, he put his shoes on, grabbed his notebook and headed out the door.

The villain continued to wrap his sludge around Bakugou, who fought back as hard as he could. They had moved onto the street, and chaos ensued. Many heroes had arrived onto the scene, most doing damage control or moving civilians out of the way. None wanted to get in close, citing their weaknesses as reasons why they didn't stand a chance. Bakugou had freed his mouth from the sludge, and screamed out at his attacker.

"You picked the wrong guy to mess with, I'm gonna send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of!" Bakugou yelled before setting off more explosions from his goo covered hands.

"With a quirk like yours under my control, I'll be able to take down All Might in one punch!" The villain fantasized.

All Might had arrived, and could only look on from the side lines as Bakugou fought on. His mouth and nose had been covered again, and more of his body disappeared into the sludge.

Izuku had gotten lost in his thoughts, All Might's words still ringing through his mind, tears threatening to spill. Wiping his eyes, a bang knocked him out of his mind. Looking up, he realized he was right in front of where it had come from.

"Is this the villain attack from earlier?" Izuku wondered why the pros hadn't stopped it yet.

That's when he noticed what villain was causing the destruction, the same one that had attacked him earlier. The boy felt guilty, like it was his fault that the villain was hurting someone else now. All Might couldn't come to the rescue because he wasted his energy on him already. Then the poor victim's face came into view, struggling to get free from the liquid. Only his spiky blond hair and face above the nose was visable. The boy inside opened his tightly closed eyes, and locked with Izuku's. and it wasn't just any random guy. It was Kaachan. Only for a moment, his red eyes were full of fear, and seems to be pleading.

Without thought, Izuku dropped his notebook onto the sidewalk and ran past the crowd and then the heroes who were keeping their distance. Y/N, who was in the middle of the crowd had now also noticed that Bakugou was the victim, and he was frozen in place. Only when Izuku ran past him did he snap out of his trance and call out to his friend, but to no avail. The heroes tried to stop him also but he slipped past, his hair getting blown back by the air rushing past. He ran right for the villain and sent his back pack flying straight into one of his eyes. The pain caused him to lose his grip on Bakugou momentarily, freeing his airways. Izuku frantically pulled at the thick sludge, trying to get Bakugou's entire body out.

"What the hell?! Why are you here!" He shouted

"I don't know! My legs! They just started moving!" Izuku yelled as he continued to claw at the liquid.

After all his trials, every time he was put down for his lack of a power. Starting with the doctor who so bluntly broke the news to his five year old self. Every time someone said he couldn't do it or looked down on him, from All Might's verdict to Bakugou's incessant tormenting. He still had it in him to step up in the face of danger.

"Kaachan, I couldn't just stand there and let you die." Izuku said through tears.

"That's it! I'm done playing with you kid!" The sludge villain shouted as he prepared to land a blow on the boy.

Izuku braced himself, but the hit never came.

"I really am pathetic..." A strong voice said in front of Izuku's closed eyes.

"I told you the traits that make a great champion, but I see now I wasn't living up to my own ideals!" All Might said as he grabbed Bakugou's wrist.

"Pros are always risking their lives, that's the true test of a hero! Detroit... SMASH!"

And with that the famed hero sent a huge blast of air that once again reduced the villain to tiny, flying drops. All Might stood tall, and raised a fist into the air in victory.