Live Up To Me

1.

"You can't be a hero without a quirk."

Oh. Really, what was he thinking? A hero? Come on. It was about time he started listening to everyone and gave up. All Might was just his last straw. "Maybe try being a police officer" what a joke. Izuku watched as the hero jumped away. Hero? What sort of hero crushed dreams so carelessly.

He absentmindedly stared over the side of the short fence, jumping over it after a second of consideration. For a moment he considered just jumping and getting it over with, but he sighed and sat down, his legs hanging from the roof.

Without thinking he reached for his pocket, pulling out his 20 pack of cigarettes. He sparked one up and put the pack and lighter in his pocket, tilting his head back as he took a long drag. Smoke escaped into the sky, capturing his interest for just a moment before a loud explosion resonated through the air. The sound made him jump then freeze up, the cigarette falling from his hand into the street below.

"Fuck! What a waste."

He lifted himself up and jumped back over the fence, chuckling to himself as he realised that might've been a sign from whatever god existed to stop smoking. Still slightly shook from the loud, familiar, taunting, terrifying- the explosion, he made his way down the stairs and out of the building with little trouble.

The reality of the situation really hit him then. His dreams were crushed. The man he idolised, looked up to, researched religiously had told him to give up and left him on a roof to kill himself.

He laughed. He laughed because if he didn't he'd cry. He couldn't cry, not here. So he walked. He let his body guide him, let his mind drift away until felt a faint tap on his shoulder.

The familiar smell of a bar hit him, sounds of low chatter floating through the air. He looked around and then up at the familiar misty man, Kurogiri.

"The usual?"

He nodded, the movement feeling weird, his body feeling like it wasn't his own.

"Alright. I'll need to see your ID."

Izuku sighed.

"I show you it everytime."

"It's a formality."

Izuku pulled his ID out and Kurogiri made him the drink. He paid for it, taking one sip, then two, then three, until the whole glass was gone. Kurogiri watched, only speaking when the boy was finished.

"What's wrong?"

Izuku broke, but he managed to hold back any tears. It was a bar, he was supposed to be an adult, he couldn't cry, not infront of all the criminals that frequented. He explained what had happened. How Bakugou had told him to kill himself, how he almost died to a villain, how All Might basically told him to piss off and left him on a roof to jump.

Kurogiri listened, not speaking once, allowing the boy to vent his feelings because god knows he needed to.

"I'm never going to be a hero. I'm useless. I'll never live up to All Might."

The bartenders phone chimed right when Izuku finished. He looked at it and a second later the bar was cleared out, everyone except a man with light blue hair and bad skin.

The TV in the corner switched from a random news channel to a black screen, the only evidence of it being turned on was the words 'Audio Only' in the bottom left corner.

"Then live up to me instead."