My Neighbor, Deku

Chapter 14: You can be a Hero, No Matter What

My feet were glued to the ground as I stupidly tried to process what Izuku had just said.

"W-Wait? What?" I called out as I jogged to the door, Satoru right by my side. Izuku's mustard yellow backpack bobbed up and down as he turned the corner of the building. I clenched my fists unknowingly and ran after him.

I eventually caught up to him as he bent over, reaching out weakly to get his notebook out of a Koi Fish pond, the faint sound of rushing water rippling in my ears. It's pages were now torn, burnt, and soaking wet. He flipped through it quickly, only to be met with smeared ink and fragile pages. And then, shaking his head ever so slightly, shut the book in pure defeat.

"Izuku... I-Uh-" I stuttered, trying furiously to think of something to say.

"It's fine."

He clutched his notebook and bowed his head, his fluffy green hair casting a shadow over his eyes.

"No." I said as I stood in front of him. "You're not ok, this isn't just-fine! What just happened... that wasn't right! Kacchan went too far."

Satoru nodded solemnly and crossed his arms, making his presence known beside me. "Yeah man, that was cruel. Trust me, you shouldn't listen to a damn word he says. He can play 'Hero' all he wants, but with that attitude, he will never be one."

Izuku looked up at him, clearly shocked, their eyes locking for a fragment of a second. I froze for a moment, knowing immediately what he was going to turned to do. I swerved to Satoru and gave him a warning glare. He broke his contact at my sudden movement.

"Hey, is it ok... if I talk to Izuku for a moment?"

He hesitated, shrugged, and turned away from me.

"Alright. Fine. Well actually, I'll get going. I'll see you later."

Something edged in his voice. But before I could ask him anything he began his walk back to the orphanage, as I stared, puzzled, at the back of his head.

I turned my attention back to Izuku and patted the edge of the pond, driving myself away from Satoru for now. "Mind if we talk?"

Izuku didn't say anything. Instead, he sat down silently, folding his hands together in his lap, tapping his foot on the ground unevenly. His eyes were trained on the floor, or rather, the details of his bright red shoes.

I took in a deep breath, exhaled, and mentally braced myself.

"It's been a while, huh. Last time we really talked, we were running around at the park, having fun."

Izuku kept tapping his foot, the silence filling me with dread. This was killing me. All of this was killing me. This wasn't Izuku. His cheerful smile, gone. Every hint of hope replaced with heavy despair. His dreams of being a hero, where had that led? To it being crushed? He's been through so much, I could practically see it.

Kacchan has really taken a toll on him, or was it something else?

What do I say? What can I say? This conversation is...

"I-I'm sorry!" I blurted out.

He blinked, staring surprisingly at me, with an expression that seemed to have witnessed those words too many times.

"I just- I really don't know, to be honest," I exclaimed as I stared at my own hands. "Being quirkless... I can't even begin to understand how you feel, but I do understand what it feels like... to be different."

I looked at him, mentally planning on what to say next.

"At least, you still have a chance. To be a hero, I mean! Not like me. I'm practically...labeled. Labeled by society."

I dismissed that idea before he could ask.

"Probably not a pro like All Might, but a hero that can help people without the use of a quirk.."

Ideas started rushing in my mind.

"You can be a doctor or something! They save lives."

Izuku shrugged, "Yeah, but their quirks usually make their surgeries flawless. I might be too nervous and mess up."

I pondered this for a moment, "Well... if you don't like that, then you can be a police officer!"

"The police force usually gets mocked."

"A firefighter then."

"I've seen many have water quirks."

"You could donate blood or donate a kidney!"

Izuku looked a bit queasy.

"Maybe a judge. Like, the ones in court."

"..."

"A teacher! Like at U.A. or something!"

"I-I don't know about that."

I frowned, thinking of a different angle to approach him with.

"Maybe... you do have a quirk! But... you just never noticed!" I exclaimed, getting ahead of myself before I knew what I was saying.

Izuku gave me an intrigued look of doubt, but there seemed to be a gleam of hope. Why did this make me feel worse?

"Like what?"

Oh shoot. What am I gonna really say? Should I play it off?

In a split second of anxious desperation, I changed my voice and playfully punched his shoulder, "Your crying, you cinnamon roll!"

What the heck did I just say?

Izuku chuckled a bit, his expression rising a little. "You're saying my quirk is crying?"

I laughed, going with the flow at what I just said. "Yeah! I mean, do your tears ever stop? You cry when your happy, sad, nervous... that's a mood right there!"

He laughed, genuinely laughed. "Wow, I didn't think about that."

I smiled proudly, happy to see that smile again.

"You know, you might be lucky and have a second quirk."

Amused, he motioned me to move on.

"Your smile."

Once again, he hesitated before grinning.

"What?!" He replied, shaking his head, his laughs making his chest move up and down, "A smile can't be a quirk!"

"Who says it can't?" I questioned as I crossed my arms in a goofily way.

The question spiraled into a fit of muttering and overthinking for Izuku. I could practically see a whirlpool of his thoughts surround me.

"Okay okay, I guess your real second quirk, besides smiling, would be... your brain."

"Really?" He was sincerely puzzled. "How?"

"Your brain," I said as I lightly poked his forehead, "is like a supercomputer. I mean, come on! The notes you take in class, the muttering that goes on up there, your crazy brilliant strategies, and the way you overthink could definitely pass as a quirk!"

Izuku squinted his eyes and laughed again. "Now you're just messing with me, (Y/N)!"

"Nope. I'm serious." I commented back.

We laughed there for a moment, taking everything in. In truth, I was messing around, but there seemed to be so much potential in him. A gleaming hope, even. I believed it now, so should he.

And there was something about him, something that wildly screamed: hero!

Izuku slowly stood up from the pond's ledge, grabbing his notebook again, and this time, readied himself to leave.

"Thanks (Y/N). For the talk, I mean. That... really helped. I'm feeling a bit better."

"Anytime. Just, don't scare me like that again. Alright? You had me worried back there." I smiled gently.

Izuku nodded and did a feeble wave.

I turned at my heels and started to walk back to the orphanage; grateful that I was able to make an impression that he could be a hero, no matter what.