{MHA} Curses and Stains

-Rototill-

I still hadn't told Mum about the changes to my plans for the future. She definitely knew something was off, but I genuinely had no idea how to bring up the topic to her. I had gotten home late Saturday night (Mum freaked out again) meaning to talk with her about volunteering at the hospital coffee shop, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to. I hesitated all morning and afternoon on Sunday, and now, at the dinner table, I knew I had to force myself to say something.

"Hey Mum?"

"Yes dear?"

"I don't think I want to be a hero anymore," I said softly. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something but before she could, I rambled on, "I know this seems really sudden and probably a little out of character for me, but I thought really hard about this, and it's not like I don't have any plans for what I want to do now, but I kind of need your permission for what I want to do next, and before you worry about what I want to do, don't worry because it's not even close to being as dangerous as heroics, because there's this little coffee shop inside the local hospital and I talked to one of the guys who works there and he said he'd be happy to let me volunteer, and-" The words spilled from my mouth faster and faster and my heart clenched within my chest as I finally put my thoughts into words.

"Slow down, Izuku," Mum said, gently cutting off the cascade of words spilling from my mouth. "I'm sure whatever it is that you decided to do, you'll be great."

I sniffled and wiped away traces of tears that I didn't even know were rolling down my face. "Thanks Mum," I said with a shaky smile.

"Aw baby," she cooed as she got up from the table and wrapped me in a warm hug. "It's hard, knowing you're changing what you thought your life would be."

"Yeah," I whispered into her arms.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

I let myself out of her hug and wiped my tears again. "I need parental permission to volunteer at the hospital coffee shop."

She smiled. "Of course! I'll go with you tomorrow after school and get you all sorted out." Then her smile fell into a look of concern. "Do they know about..." she trailed off.

I nodded; knowing she was worried that if the workers at the coffee shop found out about my quirk status, they'd change their minds and refuse to let me work. "The guy who was working there was really understanding and it didn't bother him at all."

She let out a sigh. "Well that's a relief." Then her mouth cracked into a grin and she engulfed me in a smothering hug. "I'm so happy for you," she sobbed, tears now rolling down her face.

Before long, both of us were lost in tears and waterworks and we were probably going to need to replace the floorboards due to the sheer amount of water damage.

-cas-

Monday morning, I woke up and went to school with an excited smile on my face. As soon as the school day finished, Mum and I were going to go straight to the hospital coffee shop (which after a quick internet search I'd learned was called Midas Coffee) and get permission for me to volunteer there.

Of course, my good mood didn't last very long.

A familiar voice called out from across the classroom, "Oi Deku? What's with the dopey grin?"

Said 'dopey grin' immediately fell from my face. "It's nothing, Kacchan."

"Aw come on Deku!" Tsubasa drawled as he and Kacchan moved towards my desk. "Whatcha smiling about?" he said, a cheeky ominous grin spreading across his round face.

I waved my hands in front of my face, trying to push away Kacchan and Tsubasa's predatory gazes. "It's nothing, I swear!"

"Yeah?" Kacchan snarled, stretching out his hand and letting small explosions pop out of his hands. I felt my mouth go dry and I tried to shrink into myself to avoid the incoming attack.

"Alright class, settle down," the teacher said, inadvertently saving me from an explosion to the face. With loud groans and complaints, Kacchan and his friends went back to their desks.

"Alright!" the teacher said cheerfully, ignoring Kacchan's bad attitude. "Today will be a work day to help you send out your high school applications. Get right to work!"

The class dissolved into quiet mumbles as people locked in to work, occasionally comparing applications. Soon, I overheard two girls whispering about how Kacchan was applying to UA.

With a twinge, I remembered his tirade the other day about how he was the only one worth going to UA, how all the other people in our class would end up being a sidekick to 'some busted D-lister' at best.

I hated it, but he was right for the most part. Most of our classmates didn't have quirks that were suited for heroics. At the end of the day, most of them would have to do what I did and give up on the hero dream. I sighed at the thought and told myself it was for the best.

The two girls' conversation soon turned to how I was also planning to apply to UA. I cringed inwardly, remembering that I had to retract the form that I'd handed in; there was no point in applying to UA if my job would be making coffee.

I spent the rest of the class period staring at a blank paper and trying to ignore my classmates' snickers.

-cas-

At the end of the school day, after everyone filed out of the classroom, I went up to the teacher who was still at his desk. "Oh Midoriya. I was meaning to talk to you about your application to UA. I don't think that-"

"I'm not applying anymore. I'm retracting my form," I interrupted.

"Don't interrupt me," the teacher snapped. I flinched and mumbled an apology. "Listen, Midoriya," the teacher continued, "Most people like you don't get a high school diploma, so maybe you should find some work instead."

I wanted to tell him that I already knew that and that that was my plan, but I just pursed my lips and nodded. I had a feeling that if I spoke up, I'd just get yelled at again. "Thank you sir," I said instead. "Can you retract-"

"Of course I'll retract your application," he interrupted.

I nodded and left the room, ready to head home and then to the hospital.

"Oi."

Of course Kacchan was here. Why couldn't anything go the way I wanted it to?

I turned and looked in his general direction; he was leaning against the wall next to the door. "Hey Kacchan."

I forced myself to look him in the eyes, expecting to see the usual angry spite. Instead, I saw something unfamiliar in his eyes. I didn't know what was going on in Kacchan's head.

"You're not applying to UA anymore?"

I took a breath and nodded. "I just don't think it's meant for me," I murmured.

"Why." He'd said it so curtly that it didn't even sound like a question.

"W-what do you mean?"

His eyes shifted into yet another unfamiliar emotion. He looked... not quite angry, but close enough to make me take a step back. He stretched out his hand and let out a few popping explosions.

Before he could say another word, my phone buzzed with a notification from Mum. I turned tail and ran out of the building.

-A/N-

Izuku has (officially) uprooted anything related to his hero dream and is ready to prepare for his life as a barista. That scene with Bakugo is definitely not my best work and I may rewrite it someday, but it will do for now.

-CAS-