My Hero Academia - The Edge Of Hope..

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The sun was setting, casting an orange hue over the empty rooftop of Aldera Junior High. The wind tugged at Izuku Midoriya’s uniform as he stood near the edge, his shoes barely an inch from the lip of the roof. His head was filled with the words from earlier. They echoed like a curse, relentless and cruel.

Katsuki Bakugou’s voice had cut through the schoolyard chatter like a blade. “If you want a quirk so bad, why don’t you just take a swan dive off the roof? Maybe you’ll get one in your next life.”

Izuku’s breath hitched as he looked down at the drop below. His legs felt heavy, trembling under the weight of everything—the taunts, the bullying, the suffocating sense of being powerless in a world where strength was everything.

For a moment, the thought crossed his mind: What if I just... let go? Would it make a difference? Would anyone care?

He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, though the tears kept coming. He wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t born with a quirk, wasn’t destined for greatness. But that hadn’t stopped him from dreaming of becoming a hero. It hadn’t stopped him from filling notebooks with strategies, analysis, and observations on pro heroes—hoping, just hoping, that maybe one day he could be like them.

But now… he wasn’t so sure.

His notebook felt heavy in his hands. All those years of studying, watching heroes, writing everything down—and for what? To be laughed at? To be told, again and again, that he was nothing?

The wind howled softly as Izuku closed his eyes. Maybe Kacchan was right… maybe I was never meant to—

“Oi, Deku!”

The harsh voice shattered the silence, making Izuku’s heart leap into his throat. He turned sharply, wide-eyed, to see Katsuki Bakugou standing near the rooftop door, his face twisted in a familiar scowl.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing up here?” Bakugou barked, marching toward him, explosions crackling faintly from his palms. “Don’t tell me you’re actually stupid enough to do it.”

Izuku’s lips trembled as he took a shaky step back from the edge, his mind spinning. Why is he here? Why does he care?

“K-Kacchan...” Izuku whispered, his voice fragile, like he might break at any moment. “You told me to… you told me to do this.”

Bakugou’s eyes flared with something fierce, and in an instant, he grabbed Izuku by the collar, yanking him away from the edge with a rough pull. “Are you seriously that dumb, Deku?” he snapped, his face inches from Izuku’s. “You think I meant that? Huh?”

Izuku’s breath caught in his throat, and he stared up at Bakugou, confused. “But you said—”

“Shut up!” Bakugou cut him off, his grip tightening. He glared at Izuku, his eyes blazing with something more than anger—something Izuku couldn’t quite place. “I didn’t mean for you to actually—” He broke off, clenching his teeth, his face twisting as if he couldn’t find the right words.

“You’re pathetic,” Bakugou growled, his voice low, but his hands dropped from Izuku’s collar as he took a step back. “But that doesn’t mean you can just run away like this. You’re not gonna quit. Not like this.”

Izuku’s legs wobbled, and he stood there in stunned silence, trying to process Bakugou’s words. He didn’t understand—was this concern? Was this another insult? What was Kacchan even saying?

Bakugou’s fists were clenched tightly at his sides, tiny explosions sparking in his palms like his frustration was leaking out. “Get it through your head, Deku,” he muttered, turning his back to Izuku. “You’re not dying today. Not like this. You’ve still got to face me in the future. I’m gonna beat you down the right way, not like some... coward.”

The word hit like a slap, but there was something different in the way Bakugou said it. He wasn’t just mocking Izuku this time. It was as if the idea of Izuku giving up now disgusted him.

Izuku swallowed hard, blinking through his tears as Bakugou started walking away. His heart was still pounding, his thoughts racing. What Bakugou had said, the way he’d pulled him back—it didn’t make sense. Kacchan always called him weak, always told him to quit. So why… why was he here now?

“Kacchan…” Izuku’s voice came out small, barely audible. “Why do you care?”

Bakugou stopped in his tracks, his back still to Izuku. For a long moment, he didn’t answer. Then, with his hands in his pockets, he muttered, “I don’t care about you, Deku. I care about winning”

Without another word, Bakugou shoved the rooftop door open, disappearing into the stairwell. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Izuku standing there, the wind still tugging at his hair and clothes, but the moment was different now. The heavy weight pressing down on him had lightened, just a little.

Izuku wiped his eyes again, but this time, the tears stopped. His heart still hurt, but the sharp edge of despair had dulled. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Kacchan’s words or because, deep down, something inside him refused to give up, no matter how hopeless things seemed.

He looked down at his notebook, now wrinkled from his tight grip, and took a deep breath. Maybe he didn’t have a quirk. Maybe Kacchan would always hate him. Maybe the world would never see him as anything but a quirkless nobody.

But there was still a part of him that wanted to keep trying. A part of him that believed, no matter how small that belief was.

And as he turned to leave the rooftop, he held onto that part just a little tighter.
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End..!

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