Slightly inspired by the My Hero Academia fanfiction, “Comforting Touch” by NyghtWalker on fanfiction.net, when it comes to Midoriya’s powers, although with noticeable differences from that story.

Midoriya is the youngest (only being 13 and skipping 2 grades) and is quite smart, but his quirk isn’t all that much. Can he become the hero he wishes to be? Even in the background of a war that threatens to tear the current superhuman society to the ground? I guess the young hero can find his way to help others.

Following the events of “SILENT COMFORT,” our green-haired protagonist is thrust into an unprecedented event. (Although it ties in with the events of my previous fanfiction “Silent Comfort”, it is a standalone story, that doesn't require prior knowledge of it).

MY HERO ACADEMIA anime, and all related characters, elements, and storylines were created by Kohei Horikoshi. All rights reserved.

I only wrote this fanfiction, and own nothing but the alterations for the A.U. By Eli Samuel Orfila Rosario.

    Superhuman society was on the brink of collapse. Thanks to the undercover agent, Hawks, the Pro Heroes took a calculated risk and took the villains by surprise, while they were still preparing to make their move. But it all went downhill quite fast, when the leader of the villains awakened from his slumber, instantly wiping out almost an entire city with a touch.

   Hero students with provisional licenses had been placed in tactical positions to provide support to the pros, and handle evacuations, but all went into disarray. The students in charge of evacuation split up all over the place, rescuing as many as they could, and as fast as possible.

   Amongst the students, a boy in a green skintight suit, with a goofy mask, and smiling mouth cover, was running against the crowd in opposite direction to the evacuation group. If you had asked him, he would have told you, it was supposed to allude to his source of inspiration, the once number one hero: All Might. Getting closer, one could see, he wasn’t quiet he was mumbling reassurances to himself, as he patted himself on the shoulder while running. With every word and pat, his speed increased slightly, while his frown seemed to grow as he struggled to stay positive.

Izuku Midoriya. Quirk: “Emotional Support.” By making physical contact with others or himself, and providing words of encouragement, he can boost the morale of others and increase their power or extension of their quirk or physical ability. It takes a toll on his mental state though.

   The fully masked boy, Izuku Midoriya was running, searching for someone in particular. His best friend Yui Kodai had separated from him, in order to look for people who needed help, as he had done the same. Originally, it was intended for her to join the raid support student group, but due to her refusal to leave the boy’s side, it was rearranged. And look what good it did, in the end, they were still separated.

   The boy wanted to bring her to the rendezvous, as well as search for any possible stray citizens, that might have missed the primary waves of evacuation. Seeing a particularly wide alley with access to certain homes, he decided to, take a turn, and go in said direction, in hope of finding his friend in one of them. But what he found, was not something he expected.

…

   Himiko Toga was running. After a bit of sprinting through the roofs, she decided to drop into an alley, and proceed her way. She might no longer be confused; she might have gotten her answers for the moment. But it still hurt. Her fight with Ochako-chan may have cleared her thoughts a bit, but it still hurt that she didn’t feel like she had found understanding from the girl, she had encountered when she and her friends had attacked the hero training camp.

   The death of Jin-Kun, hurt her, he was like a brother. How could heroes claim to protect others, and still kill him? Was a line drawn when it came to a villain? He had only wanted to protect his friends. They only wanted to make the world better, their way. She only wanted to make the world easier to live in. Why didn’t the heroes understand that?

   She proceeded to wipe her tears once more, and when she looked up, she was somewhat confused, when she saw… A grinning green bunny?

   A hero… It was a student, but still, a hero. She didn’t remember seeing this one before, but then again, he was wearing a mask that completely hid his face. And she didn’t care. She didn’t feel like stabbing someone at the moment. So she just decided to go on her way, the hero was short and looked weak, maybe her simple get-up would be enough to freeze him in place, and prevent him from attacking. 

   But as she passed him, she felt him turn, maybe she’d have to stab someone else today, perhaps seeing him covered in blood would make her feel a slight bit better.

- “Are… Are you alright?”

   What?... 

…

   She was wearing a particular set of gear. This immediately put Midoriya on edge. Was this girl a villain? A fellow student? Or a civilian who is into cosplay? Frankly, there was no way for the green hero to know.

   He had barely made the cut at the UA entrance exam, managing to secure a spot in class 1B. Mostly due to rescue points, his quirk was not the best when it came to combat, and more effective when it came to boosting others. Yet he had made it along with his best friend. But he tried his best to hide the repercussions of his quirk, from everyone but Kodai.

   Sadly, after the attack at summer camp, Izuku’s fragile mental state: both due to his quirk, and past trauma caused by one explosive blonde boy (who was reprimanded and placed on probation), came to light. He had not met the League of Villains, save for Muscular, from which he barely managed to escape along with Kota (thanks to an unexpected side awakened in his quirk). To preserve his mental state, he was forbidden from searching for anything related to the villains, Hound Dog’s orders. 

So, he was not aware that the taller and slightly older girl in front of him was a psychotic murderer.

      But his suspicions were completely gone when he saw the tear marks. The girl passed him, if she were to attack, she would have already done so, he figured, he shouldn’t be on guard, and rather focus on helping her.

- “Are… Are you alright?”

   The boy felt her turn to him, and look surprised as if she just expected him to go on his way. But just as fast as that look appeared, it turned into a scowl, as she turned back to continue on her way.

   Izuku was quite smart, spent his time analyzing quirks, and due to his own relying on some sort of empathy, he had studied to learn to recognize how others felt, it helped him know if others needed ‘emotional support’ in some way. Naturally, it was not always an accurate analysis, as emotions are complicated, but given the amount of destruction, the number of casualties that were simply beyond the heroes’ reach, her tear marks, and the scowl directed at him; it felt obvious what this could be…

- “Did you… loose… someone…?”

 She stopped, and he saw her slowly turn, with more shock.

H was not the best in these interactions, but he wouldn’t back down.

…

   Toga was frozen for a moment. How did he know? Was he there? She didn’t see him, surely, she would remember a grinning bunny suit.

- “… Or maybe… You lost something?”

    But what shocked her more was the concern in his voice. It wasn’t fear, panic, or anger. It was... Concern. Ochako-chan was angry… Did this hero not know who she was?

- “Yes… I lost someone.”

   Her voice was meek, her wound was still fresh after all. But that boiled into anger…

- “AND IT’S ALL YOU, HEROES' FAULT!”

   What’s this? This isn’t how she operates. Her emotions are expressed through her cuts, not her words. Only when bursting with love, bursting with joy, somewhat angry, or somewhat sad… but a burst of anger? Expressed in words? No. That’s not her. What is this?

…

   There was a time in his life when Izuku knew he wasn’t showing emotion. Concern, anger, sadness, or happiness. He was blank, submitted to the whims of his quirk’s drawbacks, and his trauma. But thanks to Kodai’s silent comfort, and the help from Hound Dog, he has slowly started to come in touch with his feelings again, the drawbacks of his quirk will always remain, but he knows he’ll eventually find a way to live with them in a healthy way. A few months ago, he would have only asked this girl if she was ok once, and the moment she turned to leave, he would have gone his way, since she wasn’t currently in physical danger, he might have just directed her to the evacuation zone, not concerned much with analyzing ways to help her with how he thought she felt.

   But now, he was concerned, his dream of saving others with a smile still present, and while he couldn’t fully keep his smile most of the time, he would make sure others could keep or regain theirs.

   He felt the sadness this oddly dressed girl was feeling. Whoever she had lost was someone important to her. Someone the heroes had failed to save.

- “I’m sorry…”

   He didn’t know what else to say, but he needed to start somewhere. He saw her angry expression change to one he didn’t fully comprehend. So, he stayed still, trying to keep eye contact with the taller blonde.

…

   Of all the things she had expected the boy to say… She had expected him to act bewildered, angry, defensive, offended… Perhaps go in denial, maybe even give her the last push towards stabbing him in anger. But he apologized. She didn’t understand, so her expression became unreadable as a storm of thoughts rampaged in her brain.

   His voice sounded stale, but for some reason, she felt genuine concern in the way he said it. The fact that his expression was hidden behind a full mask with a literal smile, made it harder for her to determine if he was being sincere. But the voice… She couldn’t ignore it. There was sincerity, in those words.

   But then he spoke again…

- “What was that person like?”

    She just couldn’t believe it.

   When fighting Ochako-chan, all the anti-gravity girl did was view her as if standing in her way, as if the conversation she was trying to have was a nuisance that needed to be dealt with fast, so she could get back to her goal. And although subconsciously she could see why Ochako-chan would act like that, due to her mission or something, it didn’t hurt less.

   But here this green bunny asked about Jin-Kun. The hero was on a mission, he seemed to be looking for people, or maybe someone in specific, based on his sense of urgency before he spoke to her. But here he was, asking her about who she lost. Making time to hear her out, not brushing her aside as society did. If he was concerned about her get-wear (which were, obviously weapons), he didn’t address it. Who was this boy?

- “He was nice. Really, really, nice! He was really funny, and a little insecure. He always talked to himself, almost splitting, some screws loose, just like me, but he always wanted to be there for his friends. Like a brother, my best friend!”

   She made sure to avoid mentioning the League. Even she knew that despite the concern the hero showed now if she were to mention the League; since he was on duty; he would piece it together.

   She could take him on, but oddly, she didn’t want to.

   She couldn’t help her happy expression when talking about Jin-Kun. Even if she was sad, she would always remember him with joy. And the hero in front of her, he may be fully covered but she knew he was paying attention… She could feel it and could see it in his eyes.

- “He sounds like a, really nice guy.”

   It was a simple response, but again, she felt the sincerity behind it.

- “I am sorry we failed you. On behalf of the heroes and myself, I am sorry for your loss!”

   He was apologizing on his behalf as well? And with a bow too. She didn’t understand, he wasn’t there when it happened, so why? … But the hero’s next words, made her stop her thought process in an instant.

- “But do not worry, we heroes will do our best to stop this madness and stop the villains. We failed you before, but we won’t do it again!”

   This caused her to frown. She was a villain, and a hero had killed Jin-Kun. The boy assumed a villain had killed him. She knew he was trying to reassure her, but things had not been like the green bunny thought. She hadn’t told Ochako-chan, she wasn’t going to tell him. She had finally found a hero, even if only a student, to show concern, she was already clear-minded when confronting Ochako-chan, and this boy made her feel better. It was time to go.

- “I know you don’t trust us… And you have no reason to after we failed you… But I ask you to have a little faith. Things will become better in the end.”

   Her breathing hitched, in realizing that the boy had seen her expression and understood her discontent, and even if misguided, had tried to reassure her again.

   She could hear destruction from afar, and for some reason, Mr. Stainy’s claims about heroes and what they should stand for came to mind. Yes, she hadn’t cared much about it in that sense, her interest in Mr. Stainy was due to his blood. But that didn’t mean, she hadn’t heard them, and she felt like the epitome of heroism stood in front of her.

   Her expression softened, which caused him to sigh in relief. This gave her a small giggle, which made her wonder if he was as cute on the outside as he was on the inside. She felt like stabbing for another reason, but she didn’t have time to find out, it was time to go.

- “Do you need help getting to the evacuation area?"

- “No, it’s ok… I’ll be fine.”

- “All right then… I have to find my friend…”

   This time he turned to leave first, and so did she, but something slipped from her. Something she didn’t want to tell.

- “Do you think villains deserve to be saved?”

   N ow she had done it. And all was going so well. Now he either placed the pieces together, or would give an answer she didn’t like, and ruin everything that had just occurred. But his next answer shocked her more than any before. It had not been something she had expected.

   He frowned, but not in anger, more as if in sadness, and concern.

- “I understand how you feel. It may be hard to accept… But heroes are there to save everyone. They have to reach out to everyone, so if there is a chance to save a villain, then yes, that option should always be open. I know that what they’ve done is wrong, sometimes unforgivable… Many other heroes might disagree, but I believe that if a villain wants to be saved, that option should be open… I am sorry. But don’t misunderstand, we will still do our jobs as heroes and bring them to justice.”

 He bowed again.
 
   She felt like crying. Once more he had misunderstood the reason behind the question, thinking it was due to her anger at a villain killing Jin-Kun, but his answer… His answer is what she wanted and felt needed to hear. At that moment she lost all concern for whether he was cute under the mask, or if she had to make him cuter with blood. All she could feel was the joy his words brought her. And how cute his heart was. And even if the last part was against villains, she understood in the end he was a hero.
 
   If only this boy had been around earlier in her life… Maybe if he had been around for Jin-Kun’s life… Maybe… No… No maybes… It was time to go home.
 

…
 

   Izuku didn’t understand why her sudden glow at his answer, but he just assumed it meant she understood even if she didn’t agree, and so he left it at that.
 

- “Again, I ask… Do you need help getting to the evacuation area?”
 

   She once again replied that she was ok, but this time, she did so with a smile, showing some canines. Izuku was surprised, and even if his quirk had taken a toll on him earlier, he couldn’t help feeling happy at the display. He hadn’t used his quirk during the conversation, but was still pretty taxed… Eh… One more use here won’t cause too much damage.
 
   He asked for her to lower herself to his height, and she looked at him curiously, before accepting. And so, he began to pat her head, activating his quirk.

 
- “It’s ok. I know things feel dire and sad right now, but all is going to be ok.”
 

…

 
   Himiko didn’t understand what was happening, why was his touch making her feel even better, alleviating the pain? And it was giving her energy too, increasing her strength, she felt it. Was this his quirk? And why was his voice getting staler, and his eyes growing deader, as he poured such genuine words to her… Was it a side effect?
 
   She pulled her head away, in concern for the boy.
 
   He was in shock but then proceeded to awkwardly rub the back of his head, apologizing, and telling her she should be feeling stronger now. He pointed her to the evacuation zone, regardless, this time proceeding on his way, but not before…

 
- “HEY! WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!”

- “IT’S DEKIRU!”
 

   And he went away, disappearing after another turn.
 
   Himiko was on her way, feeling, better, stronger, faster, and with a clear head. She had many questions about the green bunny, she didn’t know if she wanted to find out if he was cute, or treat him like one of her other friends. All she knew is he was honest and showed her genuine concern and attention.
 

- “Dekiru…”
 

   She had much to think about.