Beta'd by kylekatarn77

2. Idols, Old and New

If just one person believes in you

Deep enough, and strong enough

Believes in you

Hard enough

And long enough

Before you know it

Someone else would think

"If he can do it, I can do it"

-Just One Person, by Hal Hackaday

"Hey, Midoriya! Your usual?"

Izuki smiled and shook his head, looking around the cluttered and cramped comics store fondly. It was filled to the brim with all sorts of hero memorabilia, new and old, from the omnipresent All Might to far more obscure heroes like EraserHead. "Not today, Mr. Azara. I'm looking for something a bit different."

The pudgy proprietor of the Coruscant Comics store raised an eyebrow and leaned over the glass counter, which showed off rare and valuable trading cards, comics, and other hero related merchandise. "Really? We've just got in issue #487, with the deluxe cover. And I've got pre-orders for American Years All-Might figures too."

Shifting nervously, Izuku shook his head. "No thanks. Um, I was actually going to ask you about something else."

"Well, OK, but this isn't like you, Midoriya," Mr. Azara said, scratching at the stubble on his chin. "You're one of my best customers! I'd hate to lose you."

"Oh, don't worry about that Mr. Azara. Um, actually, I was wondering. Do you have any comics of, um, quirkless heroes? You know, like from the before times."

Mr. Azara nodded, smiling. "Yeah sure, I got plenty of Superman and Spiderman of course. They're popular collectors items. Broadening your collection? Maybe you want an old Shonen title, like Dragon Ball or One Piece?"

"Um, no, I mean, like, heroes with no quirks," Izuku mumbled, looking down at his shoes. "At all. Not...not just powers that aren't quirks."

The store owner scratched at his balding pate. "Totally quirkless, huh? Well, those haven't been popular in a long time." He frowned at Izuku, then sighed. "You finally accept it then, kid?"

"W-w-what do you mean?" Izuku stammered. "I, I don't-"

"Knock it off, Midoriya. I've suspected it for a while," Mr. Azara said quietly, leaning across the counter on one elbow. "You're quirkless."

Feeling a lump grow in his throat, Izuku could only hang his head and nod.

"Yeah, I thought so. Hey, don't sweat it. So am I."

Izuku looked up, startled. "You mean it?"

Mr. Azara grinned. "Course I do. When I was growing up, it wasn't quite so strange yet. Hell, there's lots of older folks like me walking around with no quirks. We're in the minority, sure, but yeah."

"Then...then how can you stand to be around all these heroes all the time?" Izuku whispered. He didn't really have to, the store's only other patrons were engaged in a noisy card game in the back corner, and were totally oblivious to what was going on at the counter.

"Guess it's cause I love heroes, just like you do, Midoriya. Tell you what. Come to the back with me."

Hesitantly, Izuku followed Mr. Azara to the cramped back room. "You know," the owner said as he walked to a locked cabinet and dug in his pocket for a key. "I wanted to be a hero when I grew up. Read all the comics and stuff. Didn't really give up on it until I got to High School. I tried for UA, but, well, I wasn't the best student, and I was quirkless. So, you know. Didn't go very far with that. Plus, even though I wanted it, I never tried all that hard."

"How come?" Izuku asked, cocking his head to one side. "Wasn't that your dream?"

"Eh, I guess I just kept on dreaming. I couldn't be a hero, so I read about them, collected them. And now, I sell them." Mr. Azara pulled out a bundle that was wrapped carefully in old newspapers. He took it out, slowly peeling away the papers until he reverently revealed the contents. On top was a comic book depicting a man with a dark blue cowl and cape, with a black insignia in the shape of a bat on it. He was fighting a villain dressed as a clown, who had a sinister grin on his twisted face.

"Detective Comics?" Izuku asked, gingerly picking up the plastic wrapped book. "I've never heard of it."

"Batman isn't very popular anymore," Mr. Azara said with a chuckle. "For obvious reasons. Well, him and the other guy. Here." He reached into the pile and pulled out another well preserved comic book.

"The Invincible Iron Man," Izuku read. On this cover was a hero dressed in a red and yellow suit of armor, with glowing blue discs on his palms. He seemed to be flying through the clouds, blasts of light coming out of his boots. "I don't think I've ever heard of him either."

"Yeah, well, Batman and Ironman just aren't really well known these days, like I said. They're both Superheroes, but they're completely quirkless. No powers at all."

Izuku looked up, shocked. "What, really?"

Mr. Azara smiled, nodding. "Yep. But Batman was such a popular and powerful hero in his heyday that they said he could even beat up Superman. While Ironman, well, he was sort of Spiderman's mentor, at least for a while in the comics."

"But how?" Izuku asked, looking back down at the books in his hands. "You said they don't have quirks?"

"Nope. Batman, he's the world's greatest detective. He has a plan for literally anything. He even carried around kryptonite in his belt pouch, in case Superman ever went evil. He was in peak physical condition. He trained every day, knew dozens of martial arts, and had a mind like a steel trap. He could go toe to toe with any Supervillain, and come out on top."

"What about Iron Man?" Izuku asked, unable to take his eyes off the confident looking hero in the armor.

"Well, he was also pretty smart. But he wasn't a detective, he was an inventor. He made all sorts of gadgets. Well, Batman did that too, but Tony Stark focused more on that suit of armor you see him in. That's the Model 51, also known as the Model Prime Armor. With that suit on, he was one tough hero. But even without it, he was still one of the smartest men alive. It was his inventiveness that made him a hero."

An inventor, like Mei? Izuku practically felt giddy holding the ancient books.

"Whoa." Reverently, Izuku set the comics down, then looked up at the store owner. "How much for all of these? I've o-only got about 3000 yen with me, but I've got more saved up and-"

"They're yours. Take 'em. No charge." Mr. Azara pushed the comics towards Izuku, smiling. "These books, well, they got me through some tough spots when I was a kid. And you're in pretty much the same boat I was in, Midoriya. You've been a good customer for a long time. So I think I can trust you with these."

Sniffing, Izuku felt tears welling up in his eyes, and he wiped at them with the back of his hand. "You really mean it?"

"Yeah. Keep on dreaming big, Midoriya. And when life kicks you in the teeth, read a few of these, and smile a little."

"Yes sir!" Izuku said enthusiastically. "I promise, I won't give up on my dream! I will become a hero! Just like Batman and Iron Man!"

Scooping the books into his backpack, Izuku ran out of the store, hurrying towards Mei's workshop, dreams already swirling in his head.

"Go get 'em, kid," Mr. Azara said, smiling as he watched Izuku leave. "Enjoy the dream while you can still keep it."

A short train ride later brought Izuku to the Hatsume home. He waved to Hari as he passed by her work area. She stood up from the car she was working on and smiled at him. "Mei hasn't scared you off yet?"

"Not a chance!" Izuku called back, hurrying to Mei's living space.

"Ah, you! You're just in time!" Mei called as he hurried in. "I've just about finished my modifications to the Power Armor MKII."

It had been a few days since their initial meeting, and Izuku had found time to come to help Mei after school for at least an hour every day. He's spent some of that time simply tidying up the room, sorting things into their proper places or in some cases creating one, and generally bringing order to the chaotic environment. A few times Mei had huffed that she couldn't find anything now that Izuku had moved things, but he did notice that she was now giving him things to put away, and when he wasn't there at least trying to put things back in an orderly fashion, she would often just stick it somewhere if she got distracted enough. Which was most of the time.

"That's great, Hatsumei!" Izuku said excitedly. "I brought us something to look at, you know, for ideas and stuff."

"Why would I need something to look at?" Mei said dismissively, clearly not noticing or caring about Izuku's enthusiasm. "I've got plenty of great ideas already! I just need the materials, funds, and time to make them!"

"Oh, well, it's just, I found these old books about quirkless heroes, and the equipment they used," Izuku said, digging out a couple of the comics from his bag. "Like Iron Man, he's got power armor like you're making, but it's got repulsors that he can use as weapons or to fly and-"

"Ehhh?" Mei grabbed the books out of Izuku's hands, flipping through them. "Hey, these aren't schematics at all! They're just comic books! Why'd you bring these to me? I can't use them for anything!"

Blushing, Izuku quickly took the books back before Mei simply dropped them. "Well, you see, I was thinking, if they could be Heroes even though they didn't have any quirks, maybe I could copy some of what they were doing and-"

"Did you not hear me, you?" Mei grabbed Izuku and started dragging him over. "You don't need anything else! You've got me! I'll build it, and you'll field test it, and together we'll get into UA and build anything our hearts desire!"

"O-o-ok, Hatsume," Izuku stammered. He found himself loaded into the Power Armor MK II before he even knew what was happening.

Unlike before, when it had just been servos and cables strapped to his limbs and torso, now the Power Armor was closer to an actual suit of armor, fully covering his torso and limbs. It still had exposed wiring running along the arms and legs, and it was welded together out of scrap metal made from old bits of cars, air conditioners, or whatever other kinds of scrap metal Mei and Izuku had been able to drag back to her place over the last few days.

Still, when Izuku had it on, it felt...right. The weight of the metal settled on him, and he stood up, the actuators whirring softly as he did so.

"Initializing!" Mei cackled. "Come on baby, show mommy what you've got!"

Izuku looked down at the battered set of weights they'd found. There were 100 kilograms on the first one, just a bit more than he could easily lift on his own. He bent down and easily picked it up though, the armor amplifying his movements.

"Wow, Hatsume, it's actually working!" he said excitedly.

"Of course it is! I made it! Now come on, do the next one!" Mei urged.

Izuku quickly bent down and lifted another 100 kilograms in his other hand, flexing his arms as though he were lifting little more than a few kilos. Eagerly he dropped the weights, only for them to crash onto the floor with a bang.

"S-s-sorry!" he stammered.

"Ha! Just keep going!" Mei commanded, and eagerly Izuku obeyed.

He easily lifted up to 300 kilograms, but at that point, he was starting to sweat and struggle. "It's...it's at it's limit!" Izuku gasped, straining to lift the 400 kilo bar.

"That or you are," Mei mused. "Still, that's a good start. Set it down now, I'm going to have to run some diagnostics." She came over and happily patted Izuku's arm. "Good work baby, you made mommy proud!"

Izuku blushed, though he knew she was talking to the machinery, not to him. He spent the next few hours helping Mei rewire the suit while she made adjustments to the servos and actuators.

"Hatsume, this doesn't look right," Izuku told her, examining some of the wiring. "I don't think these capacitors are high enough grade for the power you're trying to put through this circuit."

Slide out from under the armor and frowned at Izuku. "What are you talking about? I wired it myself! Those capacitors are fine!"

"Y-y-yeah, but, um, well, the stuff I read online said you needed to do multiple series for a set up like this. I think, um, well, you're putting too much draw on the power over this circuit as well. M-m-mabye if I rewire it, with a secondary power source, like a backup battery, it would work better. Here, like this." Izuku quickly sketched out his idea for the circuit, with more redundancy.

"Ok," Mei said, frowning at the sketch. "Well, you can try that. But I think we're going to need better hydraulics, too. The fluid in this just isn't up to specs," Mei said, tapping at one of the joints. "And we'll need better motors here, and here. We'll have to really search hard to find the right parts. Argh! I can't wait until I can actually work in a real lab! All we've got here is a bunch of junk!"

"Mei, what you said earlier...do you really think it would help if I did some physical training?" Izuku asked, looking down at his arms. They were skinny, like they'd always been. He'd gotten a bit of muscle when he'd hit puberty, but he'd never tried very hard to improve his physical fitness. Most of his hero obsession was limited to watching videos, collecting figures, and reading comics and manga.

"Couldn't hurt," Mei agreed. She poked Izuku in the belly hard, causing him to gasp and wince. "If you're really going to show off what my babies can do, you'd better be good enough for them, you hear me, what's your name."

"Midoriya," Izuku grunted. He'd had to remind Mei who he was frequently, but he didn't mind that much.

"Right. Well, Midoriya, do you think you're good enough for my babies?"

Glancing over at the comics peeking out of his bag, Izuku nodded. Mr. Azara had said that Batman had trained to be in peak physical condition. He'd had gadgets, sure, but it was his training that made a big difference. "Right. I'll make sure to start some strength training then. Maybe if I run here instead of taking the train, and practice with the weights we have while you're working…"

"Just as long as you keep up with your other duties as well," Mei said, going back to tinkering with the power armor. "My mom and dad like how the workshop looks now and I find things better. Keep doing that!"

"Y-y-yes, of course!" Izuku agreed. He didn't even think to protest that keeping Mei's room and workspace clean should have been her job. Mostly, Izuku was grateful that someone, anyone, believed in him, even if she was exploiting him while she did so.

Once they were finished, Izuku tried some pushups while Mei did some diagnostics. He managed 12 before his arms gave out and he dropped down, gasping. But he forced himself up, then started doing crunches. He managed only about 35 of those before he was laying on the floor, groaning softly. He'd already had a long day at school, and worked hard on the Power Armor before this.

"I'll have to...have to come up with a systematic exercise plan," he gasped from the floor.

"Why, cause you're a wimp?"

Izuku looked up to see the second youngest Hatsumi, Nikiawa, looking down at him. Unlike his father and siblings, he lacked the distinctive Hatsume eyes, though he did have the same pink hair as his two sisters and mother. He'd gotten his quirk from his mother, which made their spit an adhesive similar to glue, though they couldn't produce any more saliva than a normal person.

"Nikiawa!" Mei snapped, looking up from her work and glaring at her brother. "How many times have I told you not to come into my workshop?"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, dinner's ready and mom sent me to get the two of you. But whatever, you can starve or something," Nikiawa declared, turning and leaving the room.

"Hatsumi, we really should eat, it's getting late," Izuku urged.

"You go on without me," Mei said, waving her hand. "I'm not hungry."

Sighing, Izuku forced himself up and walked over to Mei. "Please, I would feel really awkward sitting down to dinner with your family. It would be a huge favor to me if you came and ate. Besides, we can talk about what scraps you want me to look for tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah, OK, OK," Mei agreed. She absently wiped her forehead with her arm, then hurried towards the door. "Come on already, let's-"

"We should wash our hands first," Izuku said, opening Mei's bathroom door. "We're still all dirty."

"Ugh, fine. You're worse than my mother is sometimes," Mei complained. But she did wash up, even cleaning her sweaty and grease stained face when Izuku reminded her.

They hurried down the hall and up a flight of stairs to the family dinning room that was situated above the shop. The rest of Mei's family was already seated, serving out bowls of rice, vegetables and tofu.

"Well, look who decided to join us!" Hari teased as Mei and Izuku entered the room. "Damn Midoriya, you must be a good influence on her! That's four times this week she's had dinner with us!"

"We're so glad you two are getting along so well," Noriko, Mei's mother said as she set a bowl in front of each of them. "Mei's had some hard times at school, and well, we were worried she didn't have any friends."

"They're all stupid anyway," Mei declared between mouthfuls of food. She didn't believe in wasting time at the table, or in good manners it seemed. "Who needs them when I have my babies? Plus, Midoriya actually understands how important my work is! Unlike some people around here!"

"All you do is make stupid crap anyway," Komaru complained glaring at Mei with his odd iridescent eyes. "When are you going to make something cool, like a jet pack or something?"

Mei glared at her brother over her bowl of food, pointing her chopsticks at him. "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to get the parts for that?! I'd need a better power source, something to generate jet propulsion, all sorts of things I can't make with the junk we get! Even with his help improving the wiring that's way beyond me right now!"

"Komaru, leave your sister alone," Mr. Hatsume ordered. "And put your goggles back on."

Hari grinned and winked at Izuku. "Besides, the latest stuff they've put together is actually interesting! Think you could ever let me borrow it, Mei?"

"Only if Midoriya is operating it! He's the only one I trust to use it. The rest of you keep breaking things!" Mei accused, which started an argument between her and her siblings, with her parents taking turns scolding them.

After the noisy dinner, Izuku quietly took his leave, hurrying towards the train station to take it home. Halfway there, he paused and considered. It was just about 10k to his home if he walked or ran it. If he wanted to focus on his physical training, what better way than to do a 10k run?

About three kilometers into the 10k, Izuku was fairly certain of two things. One, he had grossly underestimated just how far ten kilometers was, and two, he was really, really out of shape. He stumbled along the streets now, his breathing somewhat ragged and sweat dripping down his face. He was forced to find a vending machine and purchase a bottle of sports drink, which he quickly downed, then took a five minute breather before he continued on, refusing to give up.

"Mei's working hard so that I can become a hero," he gasped to himself. "And I have to work hard too!"

It took Izuku just under two hours to make his way back home, by which point he was utterly exhausted, and had thrown up twice. His clothes, already greasy and dirty from working with Mei, were now soaked with sweat. He dragged himself up the stairs to his apartment, opening the door and stumbling for his room.

"Izuku! You're so late! I was worried half to death! I sent you a dozen texts but you didn't answer any of them!" His mother wailed, running up and cupping his sweaty head in her hands. "What happened to you? You're all flushed and sweaty? Did this Hatsume girl do this to you? You've spent nearly every night this week at her place! This is going too far! You're going to fall behind on your studies, and you're worrying me half to death!"

"Mom, it's fine," Izuku panted. "I just...I was just going for a late night run."

"In overalls?!" his mother demanded.

Izuku flushed, looking down at his clothes. He was still wearing Hari's old overalls, though he'd switched to his own t-shirts. It still weirded him out a little that he was wearing what had been a woman's clothes, but he hadn't had time to get his own, and besides they did fit reasonably well.

"Um, yeah. Maybe next time I should bring my gym clothes," Izuku admitted.

"Next time? Next time?! Izuku, I haven't even met this girl!" His mother suddenly went beet red, looking away and tapping her finger tips together. "Are you...are you doing anything…?"

"What?!" Somehow, Izuku went even more flush than he had been, waving his hands and stammering. "N-n-no, n-n-nothing, it's not like-w-w-we're just, um, building things! Yeah, it's uh, a new hobby! We're making gear, so that, um, I can use it, to er, be a hero!"

"Oh Izuku," his mother said, tears welling up in her eyes. She reached forward and pulled her son into an embrace. "I'm sorry. I know...I know I should have said something else, back then, when you asked me if you could be a hero. But...but you don't have a quirk. And the doctors, they say if it hasn't happened by now...it's never happening."

"I know, mom," Izuku whispered, hugging her back. "But I think I've found another way. Mei's an inventor. She's showing me how to build and create things. I'll be a different kind of hero. A new kind of hero. One who doesn't have a quirk, but instead uses technology and training to push himself beyond his limits. Look, see, Mr. Azara gave me these!"

Quickly, Izuku separated from his mom and pulled out some of the comics he'd been reading. "See, this is Batman, and Ironman. They're Heroes, from the before times, but they didn't have quirks at all! I'm going to be like them!"

"Oh, Izuku," his mother sighed. "More comics? Honey, those aren't real. They're not even like the ones with All Might in them. Those are at least based in reality. But those? They're just fairy tales people used to tell themselves."

"They can be," Izuku said firmly. "I'm going to be like Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. I'm going to be a hero."

"I thought you wanted to be like All Might," his mother said gently. "And...and maybe there's a way you could do that. You could join the police, or be a firefighter, or a rescue worker, or-"

"No!" Izuku half yelled. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Tears welled up in his own eyes, and his hands holding the comics started to tremble. "I'm going to be a hero. I'll save people, with a smile on my face, but...but not like All Might. If a kid ever asks me if they can be a hero, even if they don't have a quirk, I'll smile at them and say, 'Yes. You too can be a hero.'"

Upon hearing this, Inko paled slightly. "Izuku? What are you saying. You've always loved All Might. What...what happened to you?"

For a moment, Izuku almost told his mother about his darkest hour. About meeting All Might, and being told he could never be a hero. But he didn't. That wound was too fresh, too painful. Instead, he smiled. "I still respect All Might. In many ways, he's what I want to become. But I can't be like All Might. You're right mom, I don't have a quirk. But I'm not going to let that stop me."

Izuku stalked off to his room, nearly slamming the door behind him, though he ended up just closing it very firmly. He looked around at his room, which was still full of All Might memorabilia. A sudden urge seized Izuku, and he walked over to one of the posters, ready to rip it down. He nearly did, but couldn't bear to do it. For all the antipathy he felt towards All Might now, he'd idolized the man growing up, and still looked up to him as a hero.

Sighing, Izuku carefully took the poster down. He found an empty box, and carefully placed it inside. Then he went about, taking down the rest of the posters. He collected all the various All Might figures, toys, and comics he had, stacking them in boxes as well. He had to go get a few from around the house, but after an hour or so he'd packed it all away. He felt utterly exhausted, but not having All Might looking down on him, judging him and his lack of a quirk made Izuku feel a bit better.

He reached into his backpack, and took out the copies of Iron Man and Batman. He started to read about their adventures, these two men with no quirks, who'd used their brains, gadgets, and apparently unlimited wealth to forge themselves into heroes. After only a few minutes of reading though, Izuku's eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep. As he often did, he dreamed of being a hero, but this time, Mei was there, and it was with the Power Suit, not muscles like All Might, that Izuku Midoriya saved the day.

Authors Note:

Dear actual electrical engineers:

Please don't crucify me.

Sincerely,

The Author