***WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE END OF SEASON 1. VENTURE IN AND READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.***


...Wait, hold on a sec, it didn't…

...hurt him?

Izuku stared at his arm, miraculously not broken despite him using a Smash without holding anything back. But it wasn't so much his non-broken arm that startled him so much as it was the fact that Nomu, the anti-All Might creature created with the intention of destroying the Symbol of Peace, was completely unfazed, unmoved, and unharmed by Izuku's blow.

Izuku slowly retracted his fist, his teeth clenched. If I'm All Might's successor, his mind raced, with his exact power, and...and a punch didn't even faze him, does that mean…

...Can All Might really be defeated by him?

The leading villain, Shigaraki, covered in eerie, pale-green hands, raised his head. "'Smash'?" he repeated thoughtfully, echoing Izuku's battlecry. "Are you a follower of All Might's?"

Izuku didn't respond. If a Smash at his full strength didn't do anything, there was nothing more he could do. He was powerless now. Completely, one-hundred-percent powerless.

"Nevermind," Shigaraki decided. "I'm finished with you."

Nomu reached out and clasped Izuku's arm, his fingers completely coiled around it, locking him firmly in place. Izuku flinched, eyes wide and teeth clenched.

There's nothing…

Shigaraki reached out, one hand towards Tsu and the other hand towards Mineta.

...There's absolutely nothing…

Nomu raised his arm over Izuku.

...I can do.

Nomu brought down his hand. Izuku put up his fists and channeled One for All into his arms, but there wasn't anything he could do anymore. It was over.

Nomu's ginormous hand finally made contact.

"MIDORIYA!"

His name, shouted by Tsu and Mineta, was the very last sound Izuku heard. His world exploded in blinding, excruciating pain, and something metallic burned the back of his throat. Black flooded over his sight like ink in water, and he was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Izuku didn't move. At all. Whatsoever. He was as still as death, blood pooling beneath his head and his chest rattling with every shallow, wavering breath he managed to gasp.

Tsu and Mineta stared at him in horror, expressions blank. "M-Midoriya…" Mineta whimpered shakily, tears beginning to flow. "N-No, t-this isn't...t-this c-can't be real…"

Shigaraki moved his hands over Mineta and Tsu's heads, ready to turn them to dust.

But at that very instant, the doors leading into the USJ burst open. Shigaraki's hands halted over Tsu and Mineta; the rest of the remaining villains turned, too, with shock and confusion.

And then, in stormed the one and only All Might. He wasn't smiling. In fact, if the other U.A. students hadn't known he was on their side, they would have been terrified by the look on his face.

"It's fine now, because...I am here!"

All Might was furious.

No, this was - this was a thing beyond just plain old fury. His students had been attacked before they were ready, before they could win a fight. The enemy had cornered them in a place where they were supposed to be safe. And not only that, but the other U.A. heroes who fought were left badly injured and unmoving.

This was wrong. Nobody had the right to do this, least of all to the students and teachers All Might had grown fond of. He was going to make them pay. He was going to make them all pay for what they did.

He took a step forward and dashed, quicker than a bolt of lightning, into the fray. The first couple villains were knocked out in an instant; before they even hit the ground, All Might had grabbed Aizawa and was a safe distance away.

Aizawa was bloody and unconscious, but still breathing. It was nothing he wouldn't recover from over time. But all the same...

"...I'm sorry, Aizawa," All Might said, carefully setting the injured hero on the ground. He then turned, to face who he assumed were the ringleaders of this entire operation.

And then he saw Izuku.

Izuku, the precious, selfless boy All Might had met what seemed so very long ago. Izuku, always in it for his friends and never for himself, willing to give up anything and everything if it meant they were safe. Izuku, compassionate and shy and timid and always worrying he wasn't a good enough successor.

Izuku, unmoving, pale, and covered in his own blood, lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. Honestly, from where he was standing, All Might couldn't even tell whether or not he was breathing.

His heart pounded faster and harder than ever before.

And he was moving again.

He shot off at a speed that would put a bullet to shame, snatching Tsu and Mineta from the water with one hand, using his other arm to quickly but gently scoop Izuku off the ground. They were a safe distance from the villains in less than an instant.

Izuku was bleeding even worse than Aizawa, and his blood ran and dripped off All Might's arm. The boy was so limp and pale, he very well could've been dead, but All Might could tell he was breathing now, taking in small, raspy gasps between his parted lips. It looked like hard work.

All Might was overwhelmed with...with everything. With sorrow, with pain, and with guilt all at once as he held this precious, irreplaceable, broken boy in his grasp. He kept a loose hold, fearing that if he held too tight Izuku would simply shatter.

"...I'm sorry, my boy," All Might whispered. "I am so, so sorry."

If only he'd gotten here just a couple seconds sooner, he may have been able to stop this. If only he hadn't wasted all his time that morning taking care of small criminal schemes that could have easily been handled by other heroes. If only. If only. If only.

He straightened up, realizing that this was not the time for "if only"s. This was the time for action, to make the villains pay for what they did to Aizawa and Thirteen, but first and foremostly for what they did to Izuku.

After all, Aizawa and Thirteen were heroes who'd faced pain and fear before. They were used to the world of crime-fighting and pain. It was all just part of the "hero" job.

However, Izuku was still merely a child. Fifteen years old, if All Might's memory served correct. For someone to do something of this extent to a mere child

It made All Might's blood boil.

He released Tsu and Mineta and used both arms to support Izuku as he slowly and oh so carefully lowered him to the ground. Izuku's head lolled, and All Might swallowed thickly. The boy still wasn't moving. At all. Even Aizawa had been moving, just a little bit. But Izuku wasn't even cringing; he had to be in a lot of pain, considering his injuries, and yet…

And yet…

And yet he was still. Limp. Motionless. Lifeless.

All Might straightened up again, and Tsu and Mineta scrambled forward to kneel at Izuku's side.

"Young Asui," All Might said, and Tsu turned to look at him, her hands hovering over Izuku uncertainly, "I'm entrusting Midoriya to your care. Young Mineta, watch over Aizawa."

Mineta nodded and bolted off, and Tsu nodded to All Might in agreement. All Might turned fully, putting himself between the villains and his students while Tsu tore off her long sleeves and applied pressure to Izuku's head wound.

Shigaraki was standing in the same position as before, his hands still poised over the water. But then he straightened up, scratching his neck with two pale fingers. "That brat…" Shigaraki said. "He put up his fists to counter Nomu's blow...how irritating...how irritating…"

All Might looked at the creature - Nomu, was it called? - and was struck by a sudden realization. Izuku had obviously been struck by this...this thing, and according to Shigaraki, he'd put up his fists, no doubt channeling One for All through his arms and hands.

But if he hadn't done that...if he hadn't partially blocked Nomu's blow…

...There was no way he could've survived it.

He already took so much life-threatening damage having blocked Nomu's attack. If he hadn't managed to defend himself, he would've definitely been killed in an instant.

However, this realization also showed All Might that these villains had intended to kill Izuku, and that fact only further fueled All Might's rage. If he'd been angry before, he was...he was…

No. There were no words to describe the burning, fire-hot anger he was feeling. It coursed through his veins like poison, and he balled his fists to the point of pain. He'd never, ever been this infuriated before in his entire life.

"Izuku's punch didn't faze it at all," Tsu spoke up after a second, and All Might looked at the girl over his shoulder. Tsu looked uncharacteristically worried, and Izuku's blood seeped into her glove. "They called it the anti-All Might. Their plot is to kill you."

All Might turned away, facing their opponents once again. "...Not to worry, Young Asui," All Might said. "All you have to do is take care of Midoriya. This won't take long."

He put up his fists, and charged at the monster.

It was the first real fist-fight All Might remembered having. Usually fights were over within a punch or two, but now, fists were flying back and forth, delivering blow, after blow, after blow, after blow, after blow. All Might wasn't used to fights lasting this long, but that didn't matter.

He had to beat these guys. It didn't matter how he did it. He had to beat them. He wasn't going to let them escape unscathed after what they did to Izuku. They were going to pay. They were going to pay. They were going to pay, pay, pay, pay, pay.

"You should have known better," All Might bellowed, pulling back his fist, "than to mess with my students!"

He delivered the blow, Nomu countered, and the fight went on. Punch, after punch, after punch. All Might was still overwhelmed with fury, which quickly turned into adrenaline and gave him the drive to keep fighting.

"Can I become a hero, even though I don't have a Quirk?"

All Might figured out Nomu's secret, his regenerative properties, and he kept hailing down his punches, refusing to let up.

"I want to be an awesome hero, who always saves people with a smile...like you!"

All Might landed a blow to Nomu's gut, throwing him backwards; the monster was back in an instant ready to retaliate, but All Might was ready, too.

"I have to work harder than anyone else to make it! I'll never catch up otherwise…!"

The fight went on, but it was very obvious now who was winning. All Might wasn't letting up, and Nomu was beginning to crumble. Each of All Might's hits delivered more damage each time, and Nomu's own attacks were becoming rather pathetic.

"...I want to be the strongest hero…"

Punch. Dodge. Punch. Duck. Smash! Dodge.

"...Like you!"

All Might gritted his teeth. If I can't beat a couple of villains… he thought, balling his fist and preparing the final blow.

...Then I don't have the right to be called "the strongest hero"!

He landed his punch, directly to the hideous monster's chest, and Nomu was sent flying, straight upwards and straight through the ceiling of the USJ. His loud, animal-like shriek resounded in the air for a good minute before finally fading out in the distance.

Nomu, the anti-All Might, was gone.

All Might straightened up, panting only slightly from exertion. He was still so full of anger and hatred that it was ridiculous, and the adrenaline hadn't worn off even slightly.

He turned to face Shigaraki and Kurogiri, the latter staring at him like he was a freak of the nature while the former's expression was hidden by one of those disgusting pale-green hands.

All Might put up a hand, then balled it into a fist.

"Round two?" he questioned.

He was beginning to feel it now - his transformation was going to wear off soon, and he knew it - but he was determined to keep this up until help arrived, until Izuku and the rest of the students (but mostly Izuku) were safe.

He could feel the villains' confidence wavering, too, as they watched him.

"...He defeated...my Nomu?" Shigaraki said dumbly, like he was a child who'd just dropped their ice cream. "No...no...this can't be true...how could he have defeated Nomu…?"

Shigaraki straightened up after another moment. "...I suppose this...is game over, then," he said, still seemingly unable to grasp this reality.

"Leaving so soon?" All Might was still ready and raring to go, ready to pound these villains' FACES in for what they did to Izuku. Actually, he somewhat wanted them to stick around, just so he had the pleasure of bringing them down himself.

"...Yes...I believe it is time to leave…" Shigaraki said. "Kurogiri, if you don't mind…"

Kurogiri took one last look at All Might, and then decided it was better not to argue with Shigaraki at this point. He activated the portal, and he and Shigaraki vanished without a trace.

And then, everything was suddenly silent.

All Might stared at the spot where the two villains had disappeared - and then pivoted and raced back to Izuku and Tsu. He knelt by Izuku's side, opposite of the young girl.

"His breathing is getting worse," Tsu reported, tearing even more of her sleeve and continuing to add pressure to Izuku's head, though it didn't seem to be doing much good. "He most likely suffered internal damage…"

All Might's clothes were already ripped, so it didn't take much to tear off some decent strips and add them to Tsu's. Izuku's breathing was all over the place, and there were some terrifying pauses between inhales and exhales that left All Might fearing whether his breaths would actually continue.

This was bad. This was really, really, really, really, really bad.

"Stay with us, Midoriya," All Might pleaded, which was out of character for him, honestly, but he didn't care. He would've gotten on his knees and flat-out begged if it meant Izuku staying alive. "You're going to be just fine, my boy, just hang in there…"

Izuku coughed harshly, choked, and blood ran down his cheek. He was coughing up blood now, which only confirmed Tsu's suspicions, that there was internal damage as well as external.

All Might noticed Tsu swallowing hard, struggling to maintain her composure, but commented not. They were both struggling to maintain any kind of composure.

Izuku's head wound was still bleeding. It seemed to have slowed, but only slightly, and not enough to change anything. He'd lost a dangerous amount of blood now, and his breathing went from sharp and desperate to shallow and thin, until he was barely breathing at all. He wasn't struggling for breath anymore.

His body, it was…

...It was winding down…

And then, suddenly, the doors of the USJ were thrown open once again - this time, it was reinforcements from the U.A., coupled with nearly every able hero in the entire area. Tsu watched, then blinked.

"...Reinforcements," said Tsu, and though her voice was as straightforward as ever, All Might could definitely sense her relief. "They're finally here-"

All Might, without warning, scooped the limp Izuku into his arms once again and stood. "Please go help Young Mineta carry Aizawa," he said to Tsu as she also got to her feet, her gloves and boots bloodstained.

Tsu nodded and hopped off, while All Might zoomed up front to find Recovery Girl.

He had left Aizawa to Tsu and Mineta, not because he cared for Aizawa less, but because Izuku needed medical attention more. And honestly, for the most part, Aizawa could handle pain; Izuku on the other hand was still young and inexperienced.

That, and…

...And All Might had begun to see Izuku as a son…

"Good heavens, what happened to the boy now!?"

The exclamation signaled All Might to Recovery Girl's location, and he raced over. She met him halfway, and he got down on one knee to let her look at Izuku. She gasped in shock and horror, then began digging around frantically in the medical bag she'd brought in with her.

"Deku!"

"Izuku!"

"Midoriya!"

The other shouts signaled the arrival of Izuku's other classmates, who had regrouped or were currently regrouping to the front entrance of the USJ. Ochako gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth as tears formed in her eyes at the sight of her friend, and Iida, who had arrived with the other superheroes, only stared in horror. The rest of the class stared as well, half of them looking sick and the other half looking...terrified.

Well, rightfully so. After all, from their perspective…

...Izuku must have looked dead. Actually, if All Might hadn't been able to feel the fleeting rise and fall of Izuku's chest, he, too, would have thought him no more than a lifeless body.

"Put this on him, quick." Recovery Girl moved forward, strapping an oxygen mask around Izuku's face and hooking him up with a small, portable oxygen tank. She'd come prepared for injuries of all sorts, clearly, but she was still visibly shaken up by seeing one of the students in such a state.

"...Aizawa will be here soon," said All Might, because he thought it was something he should mention. "He needs medical attention, too…"

But not more than Izuku. Izuku was...Izuku was in an immediate position of life or death.

It took less than five seconds for Recovery Girl to bind Izuku's head wound with thick gauze, but she didn't seem proud of this accomplishment whatsoever. Izuku felt so boneless and lifeless in All Might's arms that it was terrifying, and All Might had to check every once and then to make sure he was actually still breathing. The oxygen tank was helping, and the blood had finally stopped flowing, but…

...The situation still hadn't really changed. Izuku had still lost a freakish amount of blood, and his internal injuries were definitely still there, and they weren't going to get better on their own.

"I need to get him back to the infirmary at the U.A.," Recovery Girl informed All Might, breaking him from his thoughts. "I don't have all the supplies I need to care for him properly here."

All Might wished he could block all this out. He wished he would wake up from this nightmare, but of course he couldn't.

After all, you can't wake up from your own reality.

"Time is of the essence," said Recovery Girl, her hands moving briefly over Izuku's chest, feeling for broken ribs. Izuku didn't respond to her touches and prods, completely still in All Might's arms. "We need to get him back as quickly as possible, or else…"

She didn't have to finish that sentence.

Nobody wanted her to finish that sentence.

To say All Might was worried would have been the greatest understatement in the world.

The rest of the U.A. students had been sent home until the security could be upped. The only remaining student in the entire facility was Izuku, currently in the infirmary with Recovery Girl trying her hardest to save him.

Izuku's closest friends - namely Tsu, Ochako, and Iida, though most of Class 1-A was frantic with worry - had been extremely reluctant to leave him, especially considering the state he was in when they last saw him, but Recovery Girl had eventually managed to shoo them away.

"I know you're worried," Recovery Girl had told them, "but it's better for you to be home right now. It won't take long for the security teams to finish up, so I'll let you know as soon as you can see your friend."

"B-But what if…" Ochako had asked fearfully, her voice shaking and cracking in a million different places. "...W-What if D-Deku...w-what if he...h-he...d-doesn't make i-it?"

Recovery Girl had crossed her arms. "So long as I'm here," she'd said firmly, "that is never going to happen."

The students had finally left after that, and Recovery Girl had been holed in the infirmary with Izuku since. All Might waited just outside the infirmary's closed door, shrunken down to his weaker, true form. His hands squeezed his knees, and his legs were shaking.

He couldn't remember ever being this worried before in his life. He couldn't deny it; Izuku was like a son to him, and now that the adrenaline had finally worn off from his battle, his mind was suddenly all to clear.

Izuku was…

...He was hurt bad.

Recovery Girl had reassured the other students that Izuku would be alright, and of course they'd bought it, but All Might knew the woman well enough to notice the small quiver in her voice, the hint of uncertainty in her face.

Not even she knew whether Izuku would make it.

Waiting was torture. Honestly, All Might would rather fight another dozen Nomus than sit here in silence with just his own thoughts, which weren't very good company at the moment. He had plenty of time to let the gravity of the situation catch up to him; to let image after image of Izuku, broken and bloody, play on a repeated slideshow in his mind's eye.

It. Was. Torture.

And then finally, later on in the day, when the sun had long since set, the door to Recovery Girl's office opened, and All Might leapt to his feet instantly, rounding the small woman.

"How is he?" All Might interrogated, because he had to know. After waiting so long, the worst-case-scenarios running back and forth through his head, he had to know, beit good or bad.

Recovery Girl sighed. She looked suddenly much, much older, and there were shadows beneath her eyes. Her white coat was soiled by splatters of blood. "He has a concussion," Recovery Girl stated. "I healed it partially, but I used nearly all of his body's stamina repairing his insides, so his head will just have to heal the rest of the way on its own."

All Might swallowed, and then nodded. Recovery Girl's diagnosis, though not particularly uplifting, meant that Izuku was alive, and that alone was a victory in All Might's book.

"...And…?" All Might pressed on.

"...His ribs were pretty messed up," said Recovery Girl, "and he punctured a lung. I repaired the worst of it, and it isn't life-threatening anymore, but...he's going to be out of comission for a while. He lost a lot of blood, so he's on a transfusion and an IV at the moment. The transfusion should be finished soon enough, but I'm giving him pain meds through the IV, so he'll have to stay on that until his body's recovered a bit more."

She took in a breath, held it for a moment, and exhaled slowly.

"That poor, poor child," she breathed, shaking her head. "Those villains had no right...no right to do this to anyone, least of all a defenseless student…"

After Recovery Girl had disappeared with Izuku in the infirmary, All Might had decided to put aside his fury until the next time he ran into Shigaraki and the other villains, but at Recovery Girl's remark...well...let's just say All Might wasn't as through bring furious as he would have hoped.

Usually, seeing a villain behind bars was enough to quench any anger he held towards them; however, this time, he wanted to see Shigaraki and his followers dead. He wanted them dead, and he wanted them to genuinely regret what they did to Izuku.

"You should go see him," said Recovery Girl, disrupting All Might's thoughts. "I don't imagine him waking up anytime soon, but when he does, I reckon seeing you will boost his morale more than anything."

All Might swallowed hard, then nodded. "Alright," he agreed. Recovery Girl smiled tiredly at him, and then left, heading down the hallway and leaving All Might alone in front of the infirmary.

All Might mentally prepared himself for whatever he would find, then pushed open the partially closed door and headed inside.

Izuku was lying on one of the first infirmary beds, and IV and blood transfusion set up on the floor just beside him, tubes trailing down until they reached needles injected into Izuku's wrists. Gauze was wound around his head snugly, and his skin was an ashen, pasty white. He was on oxygen, a mask over his nose and mouth and a tank sitting on the floor beside the IV hanger, but despite that, his breaths were short and quick, almost like he still couldn't breathe.

This whole thing felt...almost surreal.

All Might reached out hesitantly, gently touching the boy's face. His skin was cold, like ice, and he didn't react to All Might's touch whatsoever. He was completely out, whether by his body's own accord or by intention of Recovery Girl.

In the end it didn't really matter.

All Might sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He felt like someone had taken a dagger and driven it into his heart, then twisted it for good measure. It was a very, very painful sensation.

"...Young Midoriya…"

He pulled up a chair beside the bed and sank down onto it wearily. He could've stopped this. He knew he could've stopped this. If he'd just gotten to the USJ a couple moments faster...he could have stopped this, all of this.

He could have spared Izuku a lot of pain.

"...I'm sorry," All Might said, resting his hand on the boy's cold, pale forearm. "I'm so, so, so sorry…"

He hadn't had much time for regrets in the heat of battle, when he was fighting against Nomu and the other villains for the lives of the other students and teachers of the U.A., but now that the battle was over, he had more than enough time.

...

Izuku awakened all at once with a surge of adrenaline still coursing through his body. He shot into a sitting position, breathing hard - it was a bad idea to move so quickly, and he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, reaching up to clutch his pulsating, aching head.

His fingers grazed thick gauze, and after the throbbing in his head finally diminished enough, he cracked his eyes open.

He knew where he was in an instant. He'd been in the U.A. infirmary enough times to recognize it immediately. However, it took him more time that it should've for him to notice the oxygen mask strapped over his nose and mouth, and the IV needle in his arm.

What...happened?

As soon as the thought entered his mind, he remembered everything. Everything. The villains showing up; getting warped to the Shipwreck Zone; fighting the villains in the water; going to help Aizawa; Shigaraki moving towards Tsu and Mineta -

Izuku tore the oxygen mask off his face, pulled the IV out of his arm, and leapt out of the hospital bed. The instant his feet hit the ground, he swayed, and black spots invaded his line of sight, but he didn't care.

His head pounded, and he thought his skull was going to explode; he stumbled more than walked, trying to make it to the door on the other side of the room. His chest hurt, so badly, and breathing was really, really, really hard.

I have...to make sure...

He hissed through his teeth in pain, clutching his head again.

...Tsu...Mineta…everyone...

I need...to know...they're okay…

The white tiled floor seemed to swirl beneath his feet. Bile burned the back of his throat.

I need…

...to know…

Just as he reached out to turn the knob, the door swung open.

"Young Midoriya!"

Izuku couldn't take it any longer; he pitched forward, his knees giving out beneath him. Just when he thought he'd hit the ground, two arms reached out and caught him in the nick of time.

"Just what...what are you doing up?"

Oh. Izuku recognized that voice in a heartbeat. "A-All Might," he stammered, and then cringed. His voice sounded awful. Another bolt of pain shot through his head, and he gritted his teeth again.

"Alright, alright, my boy, back to bed with you…"

All Might was in his true, weaker form at the moment, so he couldn't carry the student; instead, he held fast to Izuku's arm and let the boy lean against him as they crossed the room again.

Izuku was grateful for the help. He really didn't feel like tripping and messing up his head again.

"T-the r-rest of the st-students," Izuku hacked. Why...why is it so hard to breathe? "W-What...w-what h-hap-" He broke off into a fit of coughing, burying his face in the crook of his arm to stifle it.

All Might quickened his pace, deposited Izuku on the bed, and reached over, grabbing the boy's discarded oxygen mask. "You shouldn't have taken this off," All Might sighed, more to himself than anything, helping Izuku get it back over his face. Izuku sighed, relieved to be able to breathe again.

"You punctured a lung, Midoriya," All Might informed him. "Recovery Girl healed what she could, but it's going to take time. You have to stay down for a while, alright?"

Izuku nodded, and then stopped when it further pained his head. "The others," he repeated; talking was a bit easier now that he could breathe. "Everyone else, what...happened to them…?"

"The others are alright," All Might answered; he pulled up a stool and sat down beside Izuku's bed. "You're the only student who suffered any casualties, and Aizawa is slowly healing. I arrived shortly after you were injured, and the villains ran."

Izuku sighed again in relief. He was sitting up, and his head was still spinning, but he felt better now that he knew everyone else was safe.

He bit his lip, hands balling into fists. "...I...was powerless," he said quietly; he could feel All Might's eyes bearing into him, but didn't meet his gaze. "When the villains were going after Tsu, Mineta and me, I couldn't...there was nothing I could do."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," said All Might. "You're still young and learning how to use One for All. You fought as hard as you could with your current strength, and I'm proud of you."

"But...if you hadn't been there..." Izuku said, and then paused. "I was scared," Izuku admitted, looking down again. "There was...there was nothing I could do...I was...I was frozen in place."

All Might nodded in understanding. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, boy," he said. "It's completely natural to fear for your life in situations like that. Why, even pro heroes fear..."

Izuku was shaking his head feverishly, and All Might trailed off. "N-No, that's not what I meant," Izuku said. "I-I w-wasn't afraid of dying. I was scared I w-wouldn't be able to protect my f-friends."

All Might's eyes widened, and he was silent for a moment or two.

Then, he reached over and squeezed Izuku's shoulder. "You, my boy," All Might said, "have the heart of a true hero."

Izuku blinked, confused. Is my head really that messed up…? "Heh?" he asked.

"You fought and held your own against villains who wanted to kill you almost immediately after beginning hero training," said All Might firmly, "and that's more than most pro heroes have done. So don't worry about what you can and can't do right now. You'll get stronger, and continue to get stronger until you've become the new Symbol of Peace."

Izuku blinked, swallowed, and then rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. His head was still killing him, but he felt more mentally and emotionally stable now.

"...You should get some rest now," All Might said, giving Izuku a small, prompting push, and Izuku laid down, secretly relieved to be able to rest his head. He heard All Might mutter to himself under his breath, "Recovery Girl's going to be mad at me again…"

Izuku cracked a small smile and blinked slowly. He wasn't sure why, but he felt suddenly exhausted, more exhausted than he'd ever felt before in his life. "...And...you don't have to worry, either…" he murmured. His words were slurring together, and he found it harder and harder to think coherently. "I'll...get stronger, and...and become a...a great...hero…"

He shut his eyes, and sleep overwhelmed him instantly.

All Might watched his student for a moment or two, then sighed heavily.

"But, Young Midoriya…" he said, with a gentle smile. "...You already are."


Author's Notes:

Did I mention that I write 99% of my stories while migraine-giddy and caffeine-high? No? Okay, well now you know, so please excuse any errors you may have found (correct: probably found) in this little one-shot of mine. It usually takes four to five read-overs for me to catch and fix everything. :/

Oh btw, this was requested by an anonymous Guest reviewer on my BnHA debut story, Please, Just Stay With Me, so thanks for the idea! *thumbs up* This story wouldn't exist without it!

And I mean, I don't take on very many requests, but I'm a sucker for whumping characters, and I've been told that I'm good at it, so if you guys have any unfortunate scenarios I can put poor Deku in that'd be cool. I'm not saying I'll write everything, but I can promise that without any more ideas from you guys there'll definitely be nothing.

So it's totally up to you lovely peoples. :) Just so long as it doeSN'T SPOIL THE FREAKING MANGA I'M SERIOUS GUYS NO SPOILERS I WILL DESTROY ANYONE WHO SPOILS ANYTHING FOR ME! (I mentioned this in my other BnHA story, but I'm an anime-watcher only until I can get my hands on the mangas, so if it hasn't happened in the anime, I don't know about it yet).

Anyways, I've just got one final note to the user Iris Patton, and we'll wrap up this story right here. :)

Iris Patton: Boku no Hero Academia is an amazing show! Let me know what you think about it when you've watched it! :D As for good anime recommendations, I would totally watch Boku dake ga Inai Machi (or "Erased"), Your Lie in April, Little Witch Academia, Sangatsu no Lion (or "March Comes In Like a Lion"), and if you have a lot of free time on your hands and want to dedicate yourself to a 75 episode sports anime, Kuroko no Basuke. You can also visit the website MyAnimeList and look up my name (B-T-Clouds777) to see a list of show's I'm watching/going to watch/have watched and what I ranked them. :) Sorry for the long response! I just love anime a little too much. :P

Thank you all so much for all your support on my debut! That made me really happy and inspired! :) And thank you all for reading this story as well! Let me know if you have any suggestions/requests/advice in the reviews! :D

Cheers!

-BeyondTheClouds777