Love On The Brain

Hesitation

"YOUNG BOY! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP NOW!" The firm yet somehow gentle slaps to his face sting but at least it doesn't burn. That would mean Kacchan was there and if Kacchan was there then he'd have to- WAIT! He knew that voice!

Izuku's eyes spring open and he's face to face with his second favorite hero in the world! It's All Might! Izuku scrambles to get to his feet, All Might took a few steps back to let him stand.

"You're All Might! The number one hero! You saved me!? I'm so honored!" Izuku digs through his bag for a pen and dry notebook to ask for a one in a life time autograph from one of his idols. "Could you please AHHH! You already signed it!" Izuku stares down at the signed paper in the middle of his notebook. Oh this is like a dream come true! If only he didn't have to almost die for it to happen, but that's besides the point.

"AH YES! I COULD NOT LEAVE AN OBVIOUS FAN AN AUTOGRAPH! WELL IT IS TIME FOR ME TO BRING THIS VILLAIN TO THE STATION TO RECEIVE SOME JUSTICE!" All might pats one of the soda bottles filled with the slime monster, Izuku wonders how he manged that. All Might gets into a round and starts to stretch his legs to prepare to jump into the sky. Izuku can't let him leave yet! He has so many questions to ask! If he couldn't ask them all then he'd ask the one that's been burned into his mind for seven years.

"Wait! I just have one question! Please All Might! I have to know!" Maybe it's the way his voice wobbles and sounds like he's about to have a panic attack, or maybe it's how Izuku leaps in front of him and holds out his hands to plead his case. Either way All Might stops stretching for a moment and cocks his head to the side then nods his head for Izuku to ask his question. The small greenette takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to compose himself enough to get the question out. When he's gathered as much nerve as he could find he opens his eyes and looks All Might right in the eye. "Can you become a hero without a quirk? Is it possible?" He manages to get through his question but his hands are shaking and his stomach drops the moment he sees All Might's face become sympathetic. That was not even close to the reaction he was thinking the symbol of peace would give him.

All Might was hesitating in his answer. It told Izuku everything he needed to know. "I AM SORRY SON BUT-" Izuku doesn't need to hear the rest. Kacchan was right. He was stupid to have ever thought otherwise. When will he just learn that Katsuki knows what's best for him? The universe already wrote it out for him clear as day on his wrist. Why can't he just get the hint already? Just accept you'll never be a hero and move on already, Stupid Deku. "-PROFESSIONS LIKE A-"

"Thank you All Might. I'm sorry to have been a bother, I do hope you have a safe rest of your day. Thank you for saving me. I'll let you be on your way now." Izuku had to cut All Might off in his sentence because he already knows all the other professions he could go into. They've all been shoved in his face before. Being a hero and saving as many people as he possibly could was always his dream though. The dream he shared with Kacchan as a child. They were supposed to be the Super Soulmate Duo. Midoriya steps back around All Might, heading back to pick up his backpack and items that fell out in his haste to get his pen and paper. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid Deku. You finally got your answer. Now shut up about wanting to become a Hero. No one wants to hear it.

When Izuku stands back up with his bag on his back, All Might is nowhere to be seen. Figures, he needed to get the villain to the police station before he broke out of those bottles. He understood but everything hurt just a little extra right now, and All Might not asking him if he was really okay hurt more than it should have. Why did he even entertain the idea of All Might taking him into account over the villain in his pockets? He's just so stupid.

Just a stupid, worthless, quirkless Deku. That was never going to change.

He starts his walk home slow, not having motivation to do much more than to be on autopilot. His feet know the may home, he'll trust them to get him there.