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Izuku Midoriya stood atop a building in one of the lesser areas of Mustafu, tears streaming down his face. He wasn’t sobbing, and he didn’t feel sad. Worried, maybe, for the mom he was planning to leave behind, but for himself? He felt oddly at peace, like this was how it was meant to be.
He gazed down at the alleyway below, where he knew rarely anyone came by on a daily basis. He was currently two stories up on an abandoned area in the lower district of the city, leaning over slightly at the edge to verify that the height was enough to seal his fate.
“Better yet, take a swan dive off the roof of the roof of the school. Maybe you’ll get a quirk in the next life.”
Kacchan’s words echoed in his skull, causing him to smile to himself despite the tears still falling.
“No, you cannot become a hero.”
Although Kacchan’s words were cruel, Almight was right. Maybe they both were right.
He was nothing but a joke, a worthless wannabe quirkless kid with a wishful dream. He had been stupid to think of it as anything else.
He raised a hand to wipe off his tears. No more crying, he told himself, as he turned around to gaze at the sky. It’ll be over soon.
He leaned back over the edge, keeping his eyes on the blue horizon. It was a slightly cloudy day, and birds were flying overhead in the sky.
Izuku felt gravity begin to overtake him, but he didn’t care. He just continued to stare at that everblue sapphire sky.
As he fell, the last thought he had was, ‘
I’m sorry mom.’
..
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When Izuku imagined committing suicide, he always imagined that there would be pain, and then nothingness. He did not imagine feeling a harsh grip at the collar of the hoodie he wore that day, and the harsh sensation of being thrown to the side.
Izuku snapped open his eyes, which he hadn’t even noticed closing before. He sat up straight and turned to look at whoever had just ‘saved’ him.
The man who stood there in the dark alley wore a white mask over his eyes, and a too long tattered bandana over his forehead. He had spiky black hair, and ribbons wrapped around his arms from above his elbow, to his wrists, which were covered by leather cuffs. When the man turned to look at him, his eyes were neutral, as they glared straight at him.
Izuku lowered his eyes when he met the others, their intensity too much for him to look at. He grit his teeth slightly, wondering what was to come next.
“Are you sure you want to die?” The man asked, his voice commanding and rough. Izuku raised his head and looked him with a raised brow.
“What does it look like?” He bit back. He blinked in surprise at his sassy remark but didn’t say anything else. The man stared at him quietly before beginning to approach.
Of all the scenarios that ran through his mind of what the man would do or say, pulling out a sword and lunging at him with it was not on the list. Without thinking, Izuku moved, ducking out of the way, and dodging to the side. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest, while his breathing was harsh. adrenaline coursed through his veins.
The man looked at him calmly, seeming to have barely moved. The sword wielding maniac then grinned, sharp and full of teeth. “Not so ready to die are you?” The man asked him, resting the blunt side of his blade at the back of his own neck.
Izuku stared at him wide eyed, slowly comprehending his words. He felt like breaking down again, but on the outside, only glared at the man. “What, so you thought stabbing at me would show me the error of my ways!?”
“No” the other replied, squatting down. “If you hadn’t dodged, I would have killed you.”
The blunt statement surprised Izuku, the word ‘villain’ appearing in his brain, but he didn’t care. He looked at the man while his heart began to calm.
“Why did you save me?” He asked, wanting to know what the man saw in him that deserved to be saved. Why on earth would would someone want to save such a worthless, waste of space that didn’t deserve to exist.
The man looked at him quietly with dark eyes. He seemed to be contemplating on what to say. He was silent until he stood up and turned around beginning to walk away.
“W-wait!” Izuku exclaimed, reaching forward in an attempt to stop the man from leaving. “You didn’t answer m-“
“You” the man interrupted, pausing at the face of the alley, sliding his sword back into its sheath. “You seemed like a kid with too much potential to waste on such a pitiful death.” And with that, he was gone.
Izuku stared at where the man had vanished, wide eyed. He barely realized the fresh income of tears beginning to cascade down his face, before a sob wrenched it’s way through his throat. He choked, and leaned over, grabbing at his chest, before crying. He cried out ugly and loud sobs, unable to stop for what seemed like hours.
Someone had thought he was worth something. Someone had thought he was worth enough to keep living. Someone had though he had potential.
Potential for what, he didn’t know. A hero? No, not when All Might and the world seeming to be against him. But if not a hero, then what?
(Izuku would never know that if he had only pursued that villain a day prior, he would have been on his way to becoming the world's greatest hero. But instead, he let his crushing doubt and anxiety take hold, making him pursue another path, a path he would have never taken before.
That path? It was the path of a villain
or an Anti-Hero. That works too.)
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku slowly forced himself to walk home. Back to his mom who he knew was probably waiting for him with dinner. He stopped in place when he was just a block away from his house.How was he going to tell his mom she had almost lost her only son? How was he going to tell her he almost killed him sled? He let out an audible gulp, swallowing the saliva which he been building up in his mouth. He shook his head before continue his walk home.She didn’t need to know. No one needed to know.He arrived home minutes later, opening and closing the door. His mother was in the kitchen, just as he had predicted, making what smelled like Katsudon.“Welcome home Izuku” his mother greeted warmly, with that ever present worry in her dark green eyes.Izuku gave his mother a small smile in response.“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I made your favorite”“Thanks mom” Izuku replied, meaning it more ways than she could ever understand. He then started on his way to his room, where he shut the door before sliding down against it. He wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his chin on top. He stared at his poster decorated room. The sight of All might, his all time favorite hero, was beginning to make him feel sick.He let out a loud sigh, before grimacing. He hadn’t noticed it until now, but his shoulder felt badly bruised. He rubbed at the pained skin, wincing.He was alive. He could almost barely believe it. He felt like breaking down again, or getting angry and smashing something. He didn’t know how to feel. He hugged himself just a bit tighter, wondering if he could just forget and disappear, just as he had planned to do earlier that day. But no, he was saved, he remembered. Saved because that man thought he was worth something.He thought about that man he met, and how he didn’t even know his name. Izuku immediately got up, with a newfound determination, and toward his computer. He quickly got up, and began typing in the description he remembered. Right when he pressed search, he heard his mother calling.“Coming mom!” He shouted, getting up, powering off the computer, and leaving the room. If he had just stayed behind for a few seconds longer, he would have seen the results which had popped up for the mystery man who had saved him.Hero Killer: Stain
Timeskip
Going back to school the next day felt strange and surreal. He hadn’t been expecting to survive yesterday, and then deal with this the next day. He walked quietly into class, ignoring his rowdy classmates and taking his seat.He laid his elbows upon his desk, before resting his chin on top. It was just another normal day at school. His suicide attempt hadn’t changed a thing.The teacher droned on and on, discussing how the class’s futures were going to be determined by the school’s they wanted to attend. That had been the topic for the last week of school, as well as this one. Middle school was finally ending, after what had seemed like forever.By the time the morning classes had ended, Izuku had dozed off. He woke up only due to the familiar loud mini explosions of his childhood friend approaching his desk. He glanced up form his spot, not moving, and staring apathetically at Kaachan.“What’s wrong Deku, finally decide the hero life wasn’t for you?” He taunted, his followers snickering besides him.Izuku ignores him, instead turning his head to gaze out the window.“Oi, don’t ignore me!” His friend yelled in response, taking a hold of him and lifting him up by the collar. Izuku winced, being reminded at his wounded shoulder, but didn’t say anything. He just stared.“You think you’re better than me don’t you? Well your not! Your just a worthless Deku who's going to not amount to anything!” Kaachan snarled, spit flying.Izuku, at the moment, got pissed off.He raised a hand to clutch at the one holding him by his collar, his green eyes glaring back into red.“Does this make you feel better?” He asked quietly, while his hand tightened around the blonde’s. “Beating up the poor quirkless kid in class who already knows he’s nothing?”Kaachan, no Bakugou, said nothing, but his gaze got more intense, more focused. His buddies behind him didn’t know how to respond to the situation, so just remained quiet. They were just like obedient dogs who followed their little masters commands.“I bet you’d be real happy if this kid just took a ‘swan dive’ off the nearest roof and killed himself, wouldn’t you?” Izuku stated, throwing the blonde’s words from Friday right back at his face.Bakugou dropped him as if he had just been burned. Izuku fell back into his seat, glaring as Bakugo took a step back with a strange look in his eyes.The blonde then huffed, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets before stomping off. “Let’s go” he barked at his two followers, who then trailed out after him.Izuku slumped back in his seat, letting out a puff of air in relief. He didn’t know where the spike of confidence came from, but he was grateful. He was tired, but at the same time wasn’t as tired as he been for a long timesThe green haired teen stood up and grabbed his bag to start heading home.He had a mystery man to find.