On the Ledge [Complete]

Part 1

Izuku's on the ledge.

Up here, such an important decision seems so simple. Just one step, and it'll all be over. Kacchan won't have to worry about him anymore and neither will his mother, really. She won't have to worry about him coming home with bruises and broken bones if he doesn't come home at all.

She'll be racked with grief at first, of that he has no doubt. Inko Midoriya will weep over the boy she couldn't save. That's just the woman she is, always bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. That's probably where he gets it from. Her tears will last a couple of weeks until she realizes how much of a burden her son had been and how much easier life is without him.

Completely ignoring the financial difficulties she faces because of him, she'll no longer have to worry about her quirkless son. He's one of the twenty percent of the population born without a special power, a quirk. She won't have to deal with his fanboy obsessions. She won't have to deal with his emotional burdens. She won't have to deal with him.

It will be a blessing in disguise, really. With this thought, his mind is made up. He shifts his weight to his left foot as he raises his right off the railing.

"What are you doing?"

The voice is so deep and sudden that he loses his balance and feels gravity sink its claws into his chest, yanking him towards the ground. When he feels the weightlessness and faces the ground, his inevitable demise, his first feeling is regret. How could he ever leave his mother all alone? She's never going to know how sorry he is for being so selfish.

As suddenly as he's falling, he just as suddenly stops.

He doesn't hold back his cry of pain when his torso is jerked, a rib undoubtedly cracked, if not broken, by the force. Izuku looks down and sees worn grey fabric wrapped around his chest. Whatever it is, it's stopped his descent and he's grateful.

His injured ribs are jostled even more as he's pulled back to the top of the building. The fabric lets Izuku go after he's been safely deposited on the roof. He looks up at his savior. It takes less than a second for the fanboy to recognize him. He's tall and lean with long black hair and a pair of yellow goggles laying against his chest.

"Eraserhead! What are y—"

"Are you alright kid?"

The question catches Izuku off guard, but his response is automatic. "Oh, yeah. Thank you."

"What were you doing on the ledge? Just because you have a quirk, that doesn't make you invincible."

Izuku's mouth clamps shut. Of course. Eraserhead is a professional hero with an amazing quirk. He can remove other people's powers just by looking at them. Granted, he has to maintain eye contact for it to work, but the only danger in his world comes from villains, failed rescues, and paparazzi. Why would he automatically assume Izuku's actions to have such a sinister end? Now Izuku is nauseous and his stomach is rolling.

There's no way he can admit his weaknesses in front of one of the greats now. He doesn't want to think about how Eraserhead would look at him once he knew that Izuku would rather take his own life than deal with being quirkless. His problems seem so insignificant compared to what the hero must go through every day. If he had any hope left that he could be a pro, it just vanished.

"Kid?"

"I was..." Izuku sighs, "just being stupid. You're right, I should be more careful. After all, you can't rely on quirks for everything. Thanks again, for the help, Eraserhead. I'll just, um, be going, then."

Izuku braces his torso with his arm as he stands up and heads to the door that leads downstairs. He knows he regretted it in the moment, but now that he has time to think, maybe it would've been best if Eraserhead hadn't stopped him. After all, it isn't like anything's going to change. Kacchan is still going to pick on him, his mother will still worry, and he'll still be quirkless.