eRr0r! (Vigilante Izuku Midoriya Story)

I hope you enjoy. (This book will now be updating every Saturday in my time unless something comes up)

The sky was bleeding orange across the treetops when Izuku found him.

It was the end of the second day of camp and Kota sat at the edge of the cliff with his legs crossed and his hat tugged down low, like the brim could block out the whole world. He didn't turn when Izuku stepped up behind him. Didn't even flinch.

He's already accepted whatever fate has planned for him, Izuku thought

Izuku sat down a careful distance away, letting silence stretch between them. The wind tugged lightly at his uniform collar. He didn't look at Kota—not yet.

"I used to dislike certain heroes too," he said quietly.

That got a reaction. Kota stiffened, turning his head just enough to glare. "Yeah right. You go to U.A."

Izuku chuckled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Always the U.A. label. As if that makes you some kind of golden clone. If only they knew how wrong that was.

"I do. Now."

Kota frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Izuku looked out across the trees, watching shadows stretch between the pines. Should I be doing this? Telling him?
No turning back now. He needs to hear it. Someone does.
If he tells a teacher, I'm done. If he panics, if he screams, if he runs—great, just what I need: a kid leading villains straight to camp. Fantastic.

"It means I wasn't always strong. I didn't always have a Quirk. I know what it's like to feel helpless. To watch people pretend to help... but really just do it for attention. For glory. For the headlines. Although I guess at the time I was in my own delusions and it wasn't until a certain turning point that I came to this realisation."

Kota's eyes narrowed. He turned more fully toward him now. "So what, you got a Quirk and decided to be a fake hero like the rest?"

"No," Izuku said, voice low. "I decided I'd protect people my own way. Even if it meant breaking the rules."

Kota blinked. "Huh?"

Izuku glanced at him—just enough to let the green in his eyes feel too sharp for a regular student. "You ever hear about a vigilante called eRr0r?"

Kota froze.

"...The one who pranks heroes and beats up villains before the pros even get there?"

"Yeah. Him." Izuku tilted his head.

This is it. The risk.
If he tells a teacher, I'm finished. If he screams, I'll have to disappear faster than Aizawa's patience during detention. If he bolts... well, then I'm just some guy talking to a tree.
But if he listens? If he understands? Maybe there's hope.

"That's me."

The wind howled between them, sudden and cold. Kota stared, mouth open slightly, like he wasn't sure if this was a joke or a test.

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"You're a nerd. You mutter and take notes and— and—"

"I do all that at school," Izuku said. "But at night? When no one's watching?" He smiled, tired and crooked. "I make sure people who don't have Pro licenses still get protected."

"...That's illegal."

"Yeah," Izuku said. "It is."
Illegal. Dangerous. Dumb. But hey, somebody's gotta do it. Otherwise, what's the point?