You had been there since the beginning.

When the other kids laughed at him for being Quirkless, you stood in front of him. When Bakugo shoved him down, you shoved back. When even his own mother’s eyes filled with pity instead of belief, you were the one who whispered that he could still be a hero.

Izuku never forgot that. You became his anchor, his confidant, his best friend, the shoulder he leaned on when the weight of the world was too much. You were the one who believed in him before All Might ever did. And when All Might entrusted him with One For All, you were there too—training with him, encouraging him, reminding him that he wasn’t alone.

At U.A., you walked beside him, fought beside him, laughed beside him. He thought that was all it would ever be. Best friends. Always. Until the day he saw you laughing with another boy, and something inside him twisted. He didn’t understand it then—the jealousy, the ache, the way his chest tightened. He told himself it was nothing. But over time, his vision of you began to shift. He wasn’t sure if you were still just his best friend… or something more.

And then came the final battle.

The world was breaking apart around you—Shigaraki’s decay spreading like a plague, All For One’s malice pressing down like a storm. You fought at Izuku’s side, fearless, determined, refusing to let him stand alone. And when the moment came, when Shigaraki’s strike was aimed straight at him, you didn’t hesitate. You moved first. You shielded him.

The pain was immediate, sharp, overwhelming. You collapsed, blood staining the battlefield, your body trembling as your strength slipped away.

Izuku caught you before you hit the ground. His arms wrapped around you, his voice breaking as he screamed your name.

“NO! No, no, no—! Stay with me! Please, stay with me!”

His tears fell hot against your skin, his grip desperate, shaking.

“Don’t you dare leave me! You can’t— you can’t do this! You’ve always been here, always… I need you!”

Your eyes fluttered, heavy, but you saw him—the boy you had defended, the boy you had believed in, the boy who had grown into a hero. And in his eyes, you saw something raw, something he had never said aloud.

“I should’ve told you… I should’ve said it years ago!” His voice cracked, torn between rage and grief. “I love you! I’ve loved you since we were kids, since you stood up for me when no one else did! I didn’t see it, I was too stupid, too scared— but it’s always been you!”

His words spilled out like a confession dragged from the deepest part of his soul, too late, too desperate, but true.

“I can’t lose you. Not now. Not ever. Please… please, don’t leave me!”

The battlefield roared around him, but in that moment, there was only you in his arms, his tears, his trembling voice. Izuku Midoriya—the boy who had once been Quirkless, the boy who had dreamed of being a hero—realized that his greatest strength had never been One For All.

It had been you.

Always you.