NO FEAR, IZUKU MIDORIYA!

Two days later

Bullet woke up at 6 am and stretched his arms out.

He stroked Mei's back next to him, running his fingertips along her spine gently. She snorted gently and stretched like a cat with a satisfied smile before turning over. He gently got out of bed and squatted down next to the bed, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet while cracking his neck.

He looked at Mei's sleeping face, gently. Her beautiful body, gentle features, the sweet and calm cat-like smile she wore while sleeping… He couldn't get enough of it.

After the Festival, he started waking up early to work out and train before school. Wearing new compression weights and going for a run before cooking breakfast for himself and Mei, as well as anyone else who was up at this hour.

Of course… The breakfast was toast and coffee… he couldn't cook at all! Apparently! It tasted good to him…

At any rate, his body reverted back to the way it was before his arm was smashed.

Fact of the matter is, the moment he touched Eri, his entire existence was reverted back to when he lost his arm. It was only a split second or Bullet would've vanished from existence or reverted to a child.

He spent a month getting used to his body again and training here and there. He covered his tracks back to normal and his routine returned. The main reason he took so long was because he slacked off a bit, staying with Mei all day just to be near her.

If not he would've been a month ahead.

However, he didn't regret that, he was very happy being with her.

Just like right now as he stretched.

The beauty of her sleeping state would've never been found out if he didn't have this new routine.

Her perky chest, flat stomach, slender yet toned arms from years of tinkering… Her cute smile, beyond beautiful face…

Bullet let out a loving breath from his nose, he could watch her all day if he was being honest. Every single piece of her was perfect in his humble opinion. Nobody else could even come close to comparing.

Romantically, of course.

Kaina was in a different league, like an angel in Bullet's eyes. Too beautiful for this world, Bullet loved her especially. He pestered Aizawa to go and see her every week without success. Apparently he was continuously denied visitor's access.

Bullet sighed to himself, when he was a Hero, they couldn't deny him, then, right? At that point, maybe he could even get her out with some strict restrictions… As long as she didn't have to be in that damn prison.

Bullet leaned over and kissed Mei's forehead gently before locking the windows, closing the curtains and putting on shorts and a t-shirt. He didn't wear shoes even though it was winter. The cold was good for your body, it was also good training.

The only other thing on him was his mask, wrapped in binding cloth on his arm.

He went to the door before turning around and smiling gently. He walked over and covered Mei's upper body to her neck with the blanket before leaving the room as she smiled cutely, curling up.

He gently closed the door and checked his weights before leaving the dorm, going out for a run.

A couple dozen minutes later

As Bullet was running, Izuku ran over next to him before keeping up the pace, smiling happily "Hey, Bullet. Can't sleep?" Bullet looked at him and smiled, "Actually, I've been waking up. Train early before school." he showed Izuku the weights, Izuku grinned and rolled up his sleeves, showing Bullet the same.

They both smiled and continued running.

Izuku asked "Do you ever… feel jealous?" Bullet nodded and smiled kindly, "Yeah. All the time. Quirks so cool. Bullet happy with even ability to spit far, aha…" Izuku smiled slightly, Bullet went on, "Not only for Quirks… Also jealous of that Shinso." Izuku looked over and asked "Shinso? The Brainwash Quirk guy from General Studies?"

Bullet sighed and nodded, Izuku was startled, "Huh? Why?" Bullet smiled wryly, "Aizawa train. Take in for apprenticeship…" Izuku was shocked and asked "Really!?" Bulle nodded helplessly, "Yeah! But Bullet not supposed to say! So stay quiet…"

Izuku nodded and asked softly "Do you know why?" Bullet pursed his lips and thought about it, replying "Bullet remember during Sports Festival. He do really good. Quirk is he talk, if you talk back, you Brainwashed. He use Quirk pass Race. Unfortunately, Bullet steal all Headbands. But he had Oijiro on team."

Izuku thought back and was shocked. Bullet nodded at his shocked look, saying "Right? At that time, Bullet's speech… not so good. So really, Natural counter. Monoma natural counter too. However, Aizawa watch, see potential. Bullet pretty sure he want to give Shinso application. Instead, teach Bullet during Internship. No time. Recently, after Kamino, he teaching Shinso…"

Bullet rubbed the back of his head and smiled wryly, "Aizawa like dad. Bullet jealous of Shinso, spend so much time with dad so…" Izuku chuckled and nudged his arm, "Not that bad, maybe you can be friends!" Bullet smiled and nodded, "Hope so." before snorting in amusement, "Shinso give Bullet teasing look sometimes. Make Bullet helpless, feel like beating him up."

Izuku laughed and Bullet asked him, "You? Jealous?" Izuku thought about it and smiled wryly "Yeah. Everyone else makes such fast progress, I feel like I'm falling behind, you know? I'm not used to my Quirk, so…" Bullet nodded and said "Natural. Quirk not yours, of course not used to it."

Izuku froze and nearly tripped, shouting "What?! Haha! Funny Joke!" Bullet rolled his eyes and looked at him teasingly, "You really funny, Izuku. Think nobody know?" Izuku looked anxious as he kept up with Bullet, saying "You didn't tell them, did you?!"

Bullet shook his head and chuckled, looking forward, "No. Izuku's secret safe. But so obvious, maybe hide better…?" Izuku sighed, "How is it obvious?!" Bullet smiled kindly, "Bullet first see you, no muscle, very weak. Still save from Mudman. That time, not using Quirk, All-Might save. Remember? Bullet pat Izuku shoulder, say real hero? Felt your shoulder muscles, nothing there. Thin like noodles." izuku's lips twitched and he muttered "Thanks…"

Bullet laughed happily, explaining "You have good cover, All-Might SUPER-Fanboy. Everyone else think you imitate All-Might because big fan. But the moves too similar at the beginning. When you used your power, you either used none or all of it. This why you break body. Of course you break, new to Quirk. Never work out before. Probably find out same time as Bullet but lose hope slowly, thinking you can't do it…"

Bullet looked at him kindly, smiling "Izuku say out loud want to be a hero but inside started losing hope since finding out, right?" Izuku fell silent with a complicated look on his face, Bullet slapped his chest with his backhand, saying "Hey! Look!"

Izuku looked at him and Bullet grinned, "No sad. These days long gone. You new Izuku now, no fear at all, save everyone. But you always real hero. You no Quirk still come and save Bullet from Mudman. This is more heroic than pro heroes! Let me tell you, if they lose Quirk today, they will quit!"

Bullet waved his finger back and forth between them, smiling very kindly, "You and me, same. You don't know, but I know." He turned back to the front, smiling as he continued, "Anyway. You come back, Bullet see you again, full of muscle. Super crazy. Suddenly hear you use Quirk! Bullet think very suspicious. Why not use it before?"

He shook his head, "Don't watch All-Might religiously like you. Only through time at UA see moves and find similarities. Izuku imitate All-Might to a T. Completely perfect! Detroit Smash, Texas Smash, etc. Others think you love All-Might so you want to do same moves… but during fight with Nomu, All-Might use same moves! Although much much much more powerful, still the same at the basics!"

Bullet gave Izuku a big thumbs up, "At this point, Izuku not hero. Big zero. Super trash. Still Fanboy. Later start making Quirk your own, slowly develop to what it is now. This incredible. Seriously. Even Bullet impressed! You use these moves before, impossible to tell you and All-Might same Quirk. Before too many similarities. Now Izuku take Quirk, make his own."

Bullet looked at him curiously, asking "But Bullet super curious! All this time, no want to reveal secret, so asking now, okay?" Izuku looked at him curiously, Bullet asked with curiosity, "Izuku use same Quirk, how come you don't buff up, like All-Might?" Izuku blinked and thought about it, replying "I don't know! It IS strange, right? I think it's All-Might flexing really hard."

Bullet was dumbfounded, saying in shock "Flexing hard can make you transform?!" Izuku bubbled up with laughter, saying "I guess! Hahaha!" Bullet shook his head, sighing "World so crazy! Honestly, Bullet can't believe it."

He turned to Izuku and changed the topic, "Jealous before Mudman?" Izuku fell silent and nodded. Bullet snorted with a smile, "Hehe~ Bullet still jealous. Imagine having Chisaki's Quirk!" he sighed with regret as Izuku asked helplessly "Why are you so obsessed with Chisaki in particular… his Quirk's so scary…"

Bullet explained what he told Mirio before laughing "Plus, I heard you can recover like this too. Imagine you have headache, reform your head and no more! Hahaha!" Izuku was dumbfounded, smiling wryly "I'm pretty sure you're the only one that thinks like that…"

Bullet laughed happily, "Probably! Ahahaha!" Izuku hesitated before asking "If you were able to get a Quirk, would you accept it?" Bullet calmed his laughter and replied with a smile, "Bullet want to say no." Izuku looked at him calmly and Bullet smiled wryly, "Would be manly to say no and mean it, right? Everywhere look you see all sorts of Quirks. They all stronger than the last. Every generation stronger and stronger."

Bullet sighed and continued running, looking ahead, "Want to say that I don't need a Quirk… and maybe I don't. But to say Bullet don't want one… Lying. I want to inspire people like me, yeah for sure but… If I could be normal, I wouldn't hesitate. Unfortunate but true. I guess… Bullet also a selfish person Ahaha!" he smiled happily but Izuku could tell he wasn't that happy…

Izuku muttered "Sorry." Bullet waved his hand, smiling kindly, "We're talking, don't worry. Bullet lie to you for what? Nah, tell you the truth. We're friends." Izuku smiled warmly, asking again, "But with All For One, you could've got one!"

Bullet chuckled helplessly, intense fear in his eyes, as he replied with a question "You think so simple, Izuku?" Izuku pursed his lips, muttering "Not really…" Bullet chuckled, raising his arm, continuing "Bullet still get shivers and goosebumps thinking of All For One. That guy is really scary. When things sound too good to be true, they probably are. I'm sure that if he gave me a Quirk, he would take something from me…"

He clenched his fist and grinned, "Probably give me the Quirk Bullet want. Then add a Self-Destruction Quirk. Or a Remote Detonation Quirk. Or even strip my Free Will away directly, making me a puppet. Heh!" Izuku looked at Bullet's face, he was grinning and his eyes were terrified but more than that, they were blazing with determination and fighting intent.

Bullet added, "Like I said before. Bullet for All For One, take both lives is a good deal. If All For One was sincere and offered me a Quirk for my loyalty… If he wasn't evil, I would've sworn loyalty on the spot."

Izuku was shocked and Bullet smiled helplessly, "What do you want from me, Izuku? I'm Human too. However, Bullet didn't agree because can't agree." he grinned, "Loyal to Villain? Heh heh… Villain better watch out I don't bite his damn fingers off! I'd rather die than serve evil. Bullet see a lot of shit in life. Learn a lot of things too."

Bullet turned to Izuku, smiling happily "I'd rather die than be humiliated. You know what I mean?" Izuku looked troubled and asked "Can you explain?" Bullet nodded kindly, "Sure! When I was living in the alleys… Saw many things you never see…" he turned back and sighed to himself sadly, "Darkness of world is magnified in the trash heaps of society. Woman give sexual favor for food. Become slave for water. Do shameful things for a little bit of money. Men, Women, Children… All the same."

Bullet shook his head, "Not matter what age, struggle to survive. Fight to the Death for food like animals. Bullet picked up by Knuckleduster, only see more. Men serving rich men, doing bad things for scraps of food. Women same…. Even see children do this. But these people, can't save."

Izuku was pale, asking quickly with concern "What do you mean?! Of course you can save them!" Bullet sighed and replied "No, you can't. You can't save these people because the only person who can save them is themselves." Izuku went mute and looked at him as Bullet continued sadly, "Bullet sad too. Very angry seeing this. Try to help… haha…" he lifted his shirt and pointed at a stab wound.

Bullet sighed, "This is the result. These people, lost everything. Not human anymore. Become dogs to survive, kicking boots and begging for scraps. Don't even wear clothes, only collars. Real slaves but they don't fight back. Where can they go? They have no drive. No hope. No motivation."

He frowned slightly, "Tell you truth, Izuku. These people, you can't save them… But they aren't worth saving in the first place." Izuku looked at him with a troubled expression, Bullet sighed, explaining "Even you save them, don't appreciate. Not even that. Don't know anything else. Abandoned by world, turn into dog, forget what life like before. People think Quirk most powerful thing in human. Bullet don't agree. Adaptability most powerful thing. To survive, human will do anything. Even eat shit."

Izuku wasn't looking too good and Bullet continued, "World we live in very dark, but also…" he smiled happily "Very beautiful. When you become Pro Hero, you'll understand. There's a lot more under the surface. That's why Bullet hero! Maybe… maybe these people see Bullet and maybe remember how to smile. Maybe one day come out of the shadow and become human again, learn to overcome fear and step into the light."

Izuku's eyes brightened as he looked at Bullet's confident face, brimming with unrelenting positivity as he continued "That's why Bullet smile all the time. That's why I rush into fear and try to overcome or die. That's why I try to help as many people as I can, even at the expense of my own life. Because to all those people and myself, that's the hero we all need. Not the fame and popularity… The heroes that stay in the light, ignoring the dark parts, they can't save any of us."

Bullet spread his hands as though to embrace the world as he smiled kindly, "I will become a shining beacon for all the abandoned trash in the world. Maybe they can remember what it was like to smile again one day. Even if I die and one of those people can smile again from the bottom of their hearts, I will have succeeded! So really, do I want a Quirk? Do I want to be normal? Of course!"

He smiled gently, "But can I afford to take one… No! In the face of being normal and abandoning all these people who need saving… I can't be that selfish…" he laughed very happily, "My life for the chance of a single smile in the future… Is a completely fair trade! It only takes one smile and one spark of hope to light a beacon in that darkness. So No Fear indeed! No Fear because one day we'll be normal again!"

Izuku froze in his tracks and stared at Bullet's back in a daze as he continued running, raising his thumb up over his shoulder, saying loudly "What I mean by I'd rather die than be humiliated is; What I represent to everyone. If a Quirkless guy like me can stand tall and raise my head against the entire world without falling to my knees, then why can't anybody else!? My life and death is meaningless because even if I die, I'll die standing! Telling everyone behind me that I, a Quirkless nobody, never lost hope at being normal!"

He chuckled, shouting "NO FEAR, IZUKU MIDORIYA! EVERYONE CAN BE A HERO! WHY?! BECAUSE I WILL BECOME ONE!"

Izuku stared at Bullet's back and vaguely saw All-Might overlapping him…

Izuku's eyes sparkled and he smiled to himself, clenching his fists as he caught up to Bullet, grinning at him, "I'm sure you will!" Bullet curled his lips and expelled smoke from his nose, "You bet!"