Chapter Text
The first time Izuku Midoriya had ever used his Quirk was on his own mother.
It was just the two of them at his fourth birthday party, with Hisashi Midoriya overseas for a hero mission while the Bakugou’s had stopped by just to greet him and give him his present (which of course, was an All Might figurine.)
Despite the disappointment of only having his mother at his party, Midoriya’s utter excitement over getting a Quirk empowered any form of sadness.
The young boy was practically bouncing around in his All Might onesies, Inko chasing after her energetic son with a large smile plastered on her fair face.
“Izuku!” The green-haired woman called out with a laugh. “Come back here! Don’t you want your cake, sweetie?”
At the mention of sweets, Midoriya popped up from behind the couch with a beam. Inko feared she would go blind over how bright his smile was.
“You have to catch me first, Momma!” The birthday boy giggled, dashing out the living room to the kitchen.
Before All Might Jr. could get to the kitchen, Inko had swooped in and picked him up from his waist — throwing him up and catching him as her freckled son laughed gleefully.
“Gotcha!” Inko chuckled, nuzzling her cheek against her son’s.
“Oh no!” Midoriya giggled. “Momma’s super strong!” He cheered, chubby arms reaching out to return the hug.
(That was the last time Midoriya didn’t constantly wear gloves. The last time where he wouldn’t hesitate before touching things. The last time he would use his Quirk.)
Wincing at the deafening shriek coming from his mother, Midoriya fell to the floor with wide eyes and quivering lips.
“M-Mommy?” The young boy cried out in panic, frowning as he scrambled over to her side.
He didn’t miss the way Inko had flinched away from him.
“Mommy…” He called out once again, body shaking while hot tears pricked the corners of his doe-like eyes.
Taking in a shaky breath, Inko clutched her upper arms with trembling fingers. “It’s okay, baby…” She reassured him, the palm of her hands covering a good portion of her exposed arms.
Midoriya noticed the sudden appearance of her pink shirt’s ripped sleeves and the sense of dread in the atmosphere.
Still cradling her arms with her fingers, Inko pushed herself up and rushed to the kitchen, only the sounds of his mother’s quiet cries reaching Midoriya’s ears.
Nervously glancing down at his hands, Midoriya pressed a single finger against his sleeves to confirm his assumptions.
Nothing happened.
Two fingers. Nothing. Three, nothing. Four, nothing. Al five; the sleeve of his onesie cracked into dust with only his skin exposed and unaffected.
This was his Quirk. At that moment, Midoriya had wished that he was born Quirkless instead.
“Izuku, sweetie…”
Midoriya’s head snapped up to face his mother, a fresh stream of tears dripping down his face as he sniffed and let out fearful sobs.
“Mommy… Mommy I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want to hurt you!” He cried out, voice strained as he rubbed at his eyes.
“Izuku…” Inko whispered. “It’s okay. We have to go to the hospital right now, okay...? Mommy got hurt but it’s not your fault… I just need the doctor to put some bandages, alright honey?”
Inko needed more than just bandages — maybe a good amount of painkillers to numb her wound at the least. She couldn’t do much with what little medical experience she had, but Inko couldn’t have her son seeing her ripped flesh, blood and exposed tissues.
“Right now honey. We have to go to the doctor right now .” She couldn’t afford to lose time.
Her son nodded, not fooled by the forced, trembling smile on her face.
Midoriya noticed the pain coating her words. He noticed the hitch in her breath. He noticed the redness surrounding her eyes and the faint stain of tears. He noticed the blood seeping into the paper towels wrapped around the areas Midoriya had touched her.
Midoriya noticed the guilt and self-loathing bubbling up in his own chest.
It was only days after the incident did Inko set an appointment with a Quirk specialist. Midoriya had been excused from school to handle his new Quirk, much to Bakugou’s chagrin and whining. (“I don’t wanna go to stupid school if Izuchan isn’t there!!” He complained.)
Inko had never seen her son so secluded before. The young green-haired boy was often seen smiling, laughing with Bakugou and excitedly squealing over heroes.
However, the emerald-eyed child remained almost silent for the past days, not being able to bring himself to look his mother in the eye.
Inko noticed the admittedly large changes in her son’s behavior. He refused to touch things with all five fingers, flinched around his mother, cried more at night and wore a pair of gloves with the middle and pointer fingers’ tips cut off.
Midoriya was a smart boy, smarter than most his age and alarmingly talented at analyzing and understanding Quirks.
It wouldn’t have come off as a surprise to Inko if she found out that he had already figured out a way to prevent his Quirk from constantly disintegrating things.
“So,” the Quirk specialist — a man appearing in his 30s with messy indigo hair, lilac eyes, stubble dusting his sharp chin, and a concentrated frown — spoke up. “Your Quirk manifested a few days ago… and you accidentally hurt your mother in the process?”
Midoriya winced. He didn’t mean to hurt her…! He didn’t want to!
… The freckled boy only nodded his head, sniffling at the memory.
The specialist, who Midoriya saw was named Dr. Shikaku by the looks of the name tag hanging on his dark blue vest, hummed in response while flipping through a stack of papers.
“Do you know how your Quirk functions, Izuku?”
The greenette nodded. “Um… When I touch something…—” Or someone, went unspoken. “— with all five of my fingers, it turns into dust.”
Dr. Shikaku scratched his chin at that. “And you’re wearing those gloves so you don’t accidentally disintegrate anything, right?”
“Yes…”
He glanced over at Inko with a slight smile. “Smart boy,” Dr. Shikaku chuckled.
Said green-haired woman returned the grin (though her concern betrayed her in the end.)
“Does your Quirk affect yourself, Izuku? Can you accidentally disintegrate yourself ?”
Midoriya shook his head. “No…”
“But can you disintegrate other people?”
His breath hitched, though Midoriya reluctantly nodded, remembering the scarlet hue on his mother’s arms. “I-I don’t want to… but I think I can…”
“I see…” Pushing the stack of papers to the side, Dr. Shikaku stood up from his swivel chair — callous fingers reaching out to grab a batch of pens in the process. The specialist held out the rollerballs to Midoriya. “Would you be kind enough to demonstrate your Quirk to me? Can you disintegrate these pens?” He urged the freckled boy on with a kind grin.
The younger Midoriya gazed up at his mother with an apprehensive countenance, whimpering softly and shrinking into his seat.
Once the dark-eyed woman gave him a nod, Midoriya’s small, quivering fingers slowly slid off his gloves — gently placing them on his lap before reaching out to the pens.
Inhaling deeply, Midoriya’s pointer brushed against the batch.
I can do this, Midoriya assured himself. I’m not going to hurt anyone… I’m not hurting mommy. They’re just pens.
Just pens. Just pens. Just pens.
A scream filled his ears. There was a sob, the haunting hospital scent, a fearful look in his mother’s eyes.
There was a doctor, fretting over his mother as she bandaged a gruesome wound.
There was more crying. There were more horrified expressions.
There was a low, muffled voice.
“His Quirk… it’s so… scary. If he were to turn into a villain…”
I can do this. I can do this. I can't do this.
“NO!” Midoriya cried out, outstretched hand darting back as he almost instantly slipped his gloves back on. “No, no, no, no…” He chanted to himself, balling up his fists.
“Izuku?” Inko frowned, eyes wide in shock and worry. “Izuku, baby, it’s okay…” she whispered. “It’s okay… you’re okay…”
Inko reaches out to cradle her son in her arms, only to have Midoriya flinch back and let out a whimper.
“D-Don’t! I’ll hurt you!” Midoriya choked out, eyes squeezed shut.
With the air heavy, Inko let out a mute sob and instead, rested a comforting hand on her son’s shaking shoulders.
“You’re not going to hurt me, Izuku… You won’t. I’m okay, see?” She said softly, shooting Shikaku a small frown. “I’m sorry Shikaku-san… I don’t think Izuku wants to…” The dark-haired woman trailed off, her words speaking for themself as the Quirk specialist nodded slowly.
“Izuku,” the indigo-haired man began. “Izuku, look at me.”
Izuku obeyed, hesitantly tilting his head up as his wide, green eyes met Shikaku’s soft lilac. Once their eyes met, the specialist pursed his lips together, brow furrowing as he sat on the surface of his office desk with his closed hands resting near his mouth.
Blinking, Shikaku’s eyes abruptly softened in sympathy. “Oh Izuku…” He murmured, getting off his desk and kneeling down to face the young child. “I’m so sorry that was how you found out about your Quirk… It must’ve been... “ Traumatizing , was the word he wanted to use, but Shikaku opted to something far more faint. “It must’ve been sad.”
“P-Pardon?” Inko chimed up, biting the bottom of her pink lips in question.
Shikaku gave her a sorrowful smile. “It’s my quirk, Midoriya-san. I can go through someone’s memories of the past fifteen days. His quirk manifested two days ago, correct? That probably explains why every single detail was so clear…” He paused, standing up to press an assuring hand on Inko’s shoulder.
“You’re a strong woman, Midoriya-san,” he praised, voice lowering to make sure Izuku wouldn’t hear. “It must’ve hurt… I can’t imagine the pain of feeling your skin — …” Shikaku shook his head with a shiver.
The violet-eyed man made his way back to his desk, clicking the top of his pen and recording a few notes on a fresh sheet of paper.
“Midoriya-san, can I speak to Izuku alone for a moment? I just need to ask him a few questions. I’ll notify you about our conversation, but I’d like to test a thought.”
Inko nodded, kissing Izuku’s forehead before bowing. “Okay, Shikaku-san. Please do tell me what happens. Be good, okay Izuku?”
Her son seemed to contemplate for a few seconds before letting out a small “okay” with worried eyes as his mother left the room, leaving him alone with the Quirk specialist.
“Izuku… What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Midoriya snapped his attention towards the specialist, fumbling with the hem of his yellow t-shirt. “I…” I want to be a hero just like All Might , he wanted to say. Although, he found himself speaking up with a far different answer.
“I don’t know.”
Shikaku hummed at that, running a finger through his wild locks as he glanced at Midoriya’s Present Mic shirt. “You don’t want to be a pro-hero?”
He shook his head.
“Why not?”
“... Because my Quirk hurts people. It hurt mama… I don’t want to hurt anyone,” he choked out, sniffling as he refused to let any tears spill.
The specialist’s lips tugged down in a frown. Shikaku knew well what was going through his head and he couldn’t stand for it.
“It was an accident, Izuku… You didn’t mean to hurt your mom, right?”
Midoriya fell silent, not saying a single word.
“Before your Quirk manifested, why did you want to become a hero?”
The green-haired boy perked up a little at that (though he showed no signs of lighting up, the corners of his eyes catching a bundle of fresh tears.)
“I… I wanted to be like All Might. I wanted to save people with a big smile on my face…!”
He ‘wanted.’ Past tense. Shikaku noted with a faint hint of a grin at his reasoning. “You’d make a wonderful hero, Izuku. With your Quirk, you can save millions of people.”
“Just like All Might,” he added.
“... But…”
“Izuku,” the specialist cut him off. “Have you ever heard of the hero Thirteen?”
“Y-Yes! I love them…!”
“Your Quirk is similar to Thirteen’s, don’t you think? Both turn things into dust. Even with the way their quirk works, Thirteen is an amazing hero that has saved so, so many people. You can do the same with your Quirk, right? You can save people. You can disintegrate rubble, fallen buildings, rope… so many things. With a Quirk and resolve like yours…” The man let out a chuckle.
“I think you can become the next number one hero! And I’ll be your first fan ever!” Shikaku laughed, jokingly flexing.
Midoriya froze in his seat, eyes trailing down to stare at the palm of his gloved hands. Could he really be a hero with such a destructive Quirk…? Kacchan had an explosion Quirk and Midoriya still thought he’d be an amazing hero.
Maybe, just maybe… Midoriya could become a hero and save people with the Quirk he has been given.
“I…” The boy spoke up, only to shut his mouth once more. He kept his focus on his hands, eyebrows creasing and frown deepening.
“Izuku…” Shikaku spoke up again, shaking Izuku away from his deep thoughts. The man’s face was etched with concentration, his previous lighthearted smile fading away. “Are you afraid to use your Quirk?"
Silence followed, the freckled child’s lips trembling as he slowly nodded.
“...” The Quirk specialist sent him a pitying look. “You don’t want to show me your Quirk?”
Midoriya shook his head.
Shikaku hummed in understanding. “... Okay, I won’t force you to show it to me. I’ll register your Quirk then and use the description you gave me. What do you want to call it?”
The boy hummed quietly, gripping his shorts. “Um… Decay…?”
“Decay?” Shikaku repeated, a tinge of astonishment in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Mhmm. I’m sure…”
A pregnant pause trailed after the brief exchange, Shikaku letting out a sigh. “Alright. Decay it is. Can you call your mother back in please?”
Without any words, Midoriya jumped off the chair and swiftly reached the door with only four fingers despite wearing his gloves, opening it to call his mom in.
“Katsuki! Behave you damn brat!”
“Shut it you old hag! I’m not going to school!”
“Mitsuki, Katsuki… Please, you’re both causing a scene…”
“You shut up too old man!”
Masaru Bakugou sighed, watching helplessly as his son flailed around on the floor — whining and hitting the concrete ground with his balled up hands as his wife, Mitsuki, shouted and scolded him only to be ignored by the former.
Mitsuki scratched at her head in irritation, looking downright pissed as Bakugou continued his complaining. “Stop whining, brat! You’re gonna fuckin’ go to school whether you like it or not!” She hissed, attempting to reach out for her son.
“I said that I don’t wanna!” Bakugou retorted, smacking his mother’s hands away and blowing a raspberry at her to add salt into the wound.
Masaru couldn’t do much but stand and watch, smiling apologetically at the passerbys shooting them strange looks. His son had been acting like this once he found out that his best friend, Izuku Midoriya, wasn’t coming to school today either.
Actually, the blonde child has been snappier than usual due to his friend’s absence for the past days. Though he wouldn’t speak much of it, Masaru could understand his son’s want for his closest friend to be there.
In a way, Masaru was just like him during his younger days — unable to make too many friends until a green-haired softie came along.
Midoriya’s mother, Inko, was his first best friend. The two had met in high school, Masaru being the president of the fashion club and Inko being one of the kindest members.
The two continued their friendship till this day. In fact, Inko was the one to have introduced Mitsuki to him (and as much of a trouble as she was, Masaru loved his wife with every ounce of his being.)
He was thankful for meeting Inko, he wouldn’t have the same lovable mess of a family he had now if it weren’t for her.
If Midoriya was anything like Inko (which he was), Masaru could see why Bakugou was so attached to him.
Brought back to reality by his wife’s sigh, Masaru gently slipped an arm around Mitsuki’s waist in comfort.
“Honey… You know how stubborn he is. We can let him be absent, it’s just for a day,” he suggested. “He’s still a child, go easy on him.”
Mitsuki clicked her tongue, sending her son one last glare before facing her husband. “I know that! But he’s acting like a damn toddler!”
“He’s only four, Mitsuki.”
That seemed to silence her for a moment. She gazed back at her son who was still on the ground, banging his fists on the floor.
“You know why Inko hasn’t been bringing Izuku to school lately, right? And why he’s not coming today?”
Masaru nodded. The first day Midoriya had been absent was due to his birthday and Quirk manifestation. The second was because of… medical reasons. The third, yesterday, was a result of him visiting a Quirk specialist.
Today was the fourth time Midoriya was going to be absent. Inko had told him that he was going to visit a therapist, the information only worsening Masaru’s concern.
“Inko showed me what Izuku’s Quirk did,” he grimaced. “It wasn’t a pretty sight… I know Hisashi is out for a mission and that he’s supporting them by sending money but… I just wish he was here to actually be a good dad for once.”
“If he shows his face here, I’m going to fuckin’ deck him,” Mitsuki sneered. “Inko and Izuku deserve better than some asshole that hardly even calls them!”
Masaru couldn’t help but agree. “I know, darling. But we have to think about Inko and Izuku right now, not Hisashi. You’ve seen how stressed Inko’s been. I can't even imagine how Izuku’s holding up after the incident.”
He looked back at his son, pressing his lips together. “I know you’re just trying to toughen him up. Katsuki needs to be strong, especially with what the Midoriya's are going through but…”
He glanced back at his wife. “Ease off the kid,” Masaru chuckled.
Bakugou couldn’t understand why Midoriya was absent again while he was stuck in boring school.
Auntie Inko had told him that Midoriya had to get used to his Quirk but that explanation didn’t satisfy the blonde whatsoever.
What could Midoriya’s Quirk be? And why did it take him so damn long to get used to it? Was it some kind of weird mutant Quirk?
Bakugou huffed, angrily scribbling on a sheet of paper with his red crayon. His Quirk didn’t matter, Bakugou was still going to be number one with Midoriya as his sidekick!
Still, a part of the boy was awfully worried for his friend. What if Midoriya’s Quirk harmed him?
No, that can’t be it. Auntie Inko had mild telekinesis while Hisashi could breathe fire.
Those Quirks, or a mutation of them, couldn’t harm the user, right?
Nah! No way it could! Bakugou decided, grinning to himself as he added the finishing touches to his drawing.
Proudly looking over his picture of an incredibly buff, older version of himself beside an older Midoriya — Bakugou smirked in triumph. He was the best artist around! No one could top his messy crayon scribbles!
(... It was lonely and unsatisfying without Midoriya there to praise him on his work.)
Inko recalled the private conversation she had with Dr. Shikaku just yesterday, her mind plagued with thoughts.
“I’m afraid that Izuku might have sustained some mental trauma after he used his Quirk on you…” Shikaku had told her once he was certain Midoriya was in the kids waiting room.
Inko covered her mouth at that, hiding a gasp despite the look in her eyes shouting out every bit of her emotions.
“He’s still young, and I don’t have the license or right to do anything so I’ll schedule an appointment for him with the therapist here.” He smiled gently.
“Don’t worry, Midoriya-san. It won’t be for depression, anxiety, BPD or such. We just have to take precautions. With a Quirk like his, I’m not shocked to see how shaken he is. It’ll be therapy to help him come into terms with the nature of his Quirk. I know he’s just four but… I don’t want his problems to pile up as he gets older. Of course, this will only be with your consent.” Shikaku finished, clicking away on his office's computer to arrange a session with the behavioral center's local therapist.
The green-haired woman could understand where he was coming from. She remembered the contrite look in her son's eyes. Midoriya's typically bright sage irises were clouded with self-condemnation. Inko would give anything to give back the same youthful joy to her son. With little disinclination, Inko agreed to take him to one session (and hopefully, it would stay as just a one-time thing.)
"Mama?"
Inko was brought back to the present by the sound of Midoriya's curious voice. Averting her attention to the young child, the older woman gave him a soft smile. "Yes, Izuku?"
Midoriya tilted his head to the side, dark curls bobbing up and down. "What are we doing back here, Mommy?" He bit the bottom of his lip, pointing to the behavioral center's entrance. "Can't I go back to school? Kacchan must be lonely and I wanna see him again... And I have my gloves so my Quirk won't do anything," he reasoned, a slight disdainful countenance on his face as he mentioned his destructive ability.
Inko knelt down to her son's height, her grin not once faltering despite the crease in her brows. "Izuku baby… I love you so much, you know that right? You’re my little hero,” she whispered, lips pressing a kiss against the top of his head as she ruffled his green curls.
She wasn’t afraid of him turning to a villain. Inko knew his love for heroes was too strong, but that didn’t affect her fear of him becoming a vigilante.
The woman knew that she would support her son no matter what; whether he became a pro-hero, villain, vigilante or just take up a normal civilian job. Though, the nagging horror of seeing him hurt ate away at her, especially if he went to jail for villainy or vigilantism.
Perhaps in another universe, Inko would be fearful of her son’s Quirk. Perhaps she would give up on him and his hopes. But this wasn’t that universe. Inko decided that she would be there for him at every step no matter what he decided to do.
Midoriya tilted his head to the side before grinning back. "I love you too, Momma!" He then poked at his own chin in question. "But what does that have to do with us being here again?"
His mother took in a deep breath. "We're here so someone can help you with your Quirk, sweetie. Is that okay with you?"
The boy hesitated with caution before beaming. "Okay...!"
Inko sighed in relief, patting the child's fluffy head before opening the center's door for him. "Go on, hun," she patted him inside, giving a chaste smile towards the receptionist. "Mommy has to go fill out something okay, Izuku? Go sit in the playroom and be careful."
"After this, can I go see Kacchan, Auntie Mitsu and Uncle Masa?"
"Of course, sweetie!" Inko grinned, glad to see that Midoriya was seemingly back to his chipper self.
Midoriya cheered as a reply, running off to the children's playroom as he waited for his mother to finish filling out whatever she needed to. Bouncing up to grip onto the door handle and pull it down, the short boy pushed it open — peeking his head in slightly before walking in. Just like yesterday, the room was empty save for one unfamiliar figure.
Blinking once, the greenette gazed at the new face, almost studying his features in curiosity. The boy seemed to be around his age with very messy, dark purple hair and violet irises. He appeared the have dark bags underneath his eyes, which definitely worried Midoriya as he did look very young. Why would someone near his age already have dark circles?
However, what caught his eye the most was the boy's hoodie — more specifically, the graphic on it.
With his emerald eyes glistening with the excited glimmer Inko missed oh so much, a widespread grin rose onto his face as he ran up to the boy, taking a seat beside him.
"Hi!" Midoriya greeted, catching the boy's attention. "I like your shirt!"
The violet-haired kid glanced towards him, quirking a brow as he shoved his small hands into his hoodie's pockets. "Thanks..." He murmured. "Do you like the Wild, Wild Pussycats?"
Midoriya nodded quickly, curls framing his freckled cheeks. "Yup! Mandalay's my favorite! Her Quirk is sooo cool and she's super strong without it! I like all of them though! They're all so strong and focused on saving people, that's what I love about them! They're rescue heroes!"
A small smile tug onto the other child's face. "Ragdoll's my favorite. But you can probably tell," he shrugged, taking a glimpse at his hoodie of his favorite bubbly, turquoise-haired hero. "Mandalay's cool too. So are Pixie-Bob and Tiger."
Midoriya's bright smile seemed to widen at that. "Yeah! I wanna meet them someday! Is Ragdoll your favorite hero? Oh! My name's Izuku Midoriya!"
"Yeah. Ragdoll and Eraserhead are my favorites. All Might too. I'm Hitoshi Shinsou. N-Nice to meet you..."
"Mhm! Nice to meet you, Shinsou-kun!" He exclaimed, the glint in his green hues lightening at the mention of Eraserhead and All Might. "You know Eraserhead?!" He gasped. "I love Eraserhead! Not a lot of people know him cause he's an underground hero, I think... But he's so cool!! And his Quirk is awesome! He's my third favorite!"
Shinsou timidly averted his gaze down. "Yeah... He's amazing," he mumbled, shifting in his seat. "So... What are you here for, Midoriya-kun?"
Said boy tensed slightly at the question. "Oh... I think it's because of my Quirk."
"What's your Quirk?"
The greenette looked around, seemingly on edge which didn't go unnoticed by Shinsou. "It's... Um... Bad."
Shinsou raised a brow. "Bad?"
"Yeah... Mine is called Decay and it turns anything I touch into dust... Which is why I wear gloves. It hurt my mama and... I heard the doctor say that if I turned into a villain then..." He took in a shaky breath. "But I'm not going to be a villain! When I got my Quirk, I didn't know if I wanted to be a hero but then I thought... I don't need a Quirk to be a hero! I just won't use my Quirk so I don't hurt people! And I'll be like Eraserhead where I'm super tough and don't need my Quirk!" His face once painted with a frown shifted into a lighthearted smile. "What about you, Shinsou-kun?"
"Mine's bad too..."
"Really...?"
He nodded. "I can brainwash people."
Midoriya fell silence at the revelation, eyes unreadable as he scrutinized at Shinsou.
Shinsou slumped his shoulders. "I know... Now you won't be my friend, right?" He murmured dejectedly. Admittedly, the violet-haired child had already gotten used to it. After his Quirk manifested, his previous friends had all left and stopped talking to him in fear of being used.
He sunk lower into his seat, picking at his forearms while refusing to look back at Midoriya. Shinsou shouldn't have told him his Quirk. Midoriya seemed so sweet, someone Shinsou really wanted to become close friends with — but he blew it all because he told him about his villainous Quirk. He really messed up, didn't he?
"Shinsou..."
Shinsou braced himself. He knew Midoriya was going to say something like "don't use your Quirk on me", "a villainous Quirk for a future villain", or for him to just get up and leave.
"That's such a cool Quirk!"
The purple-eyed child snapped his gaze up at him in shock, eyes widened slightly with his mouth left agape. "Really?"
"Yes!" Midoriya heartened. "Do you wanna be a hero? You'd be awesome!! Like Eraserhead! What if you interned with Eraserhead?! You can brainwash the bad guys to turn themselves into the police! Imagine how fast you can stop a hostage thingy!"
Shinsou was taken aback, stunned for a moment with his attention fixated on the cheering greenette before him.
Midoriya gasped softly, tugging at his lip in thought. "But what are the limits of your Quirk, Shinsou-kun? Cause... what if they don't get brainwashed? Then it'll be hecked! I dunno what your Quirk can do but if it's just brainwashing... then that won't do any good in a super physical combat fight! So it'll just be like Eraserhead where you can't rely too much on your Quirk! You'll be the next Eraserhead! No no, you'll be the first ever Hitoshi Shinsou — awesome brainwashing superhero!" He paused to take in a breath. "You'll be an amazing hero, Shinsou! What if we become a duo together? We can be the duo that won't rely on their Quirks and just use skills! Wait wait... but I was gonna be a duo with Kacchan... Oh! What if we become a group! Like the Wild, Wild Pussycats!! I wanna be Mandalay! You can be Ragdoll and Kacchan can be Tiger! We have to find a Pixie-Bob..."
Shinsou tilted his head to the side, ushering out no words and not once questioned who Kacchan was.
The greenette noticed his silence, chuckling sheepishly. "Sorry, Shinsou-kun! Sometimes I ramble! My mama does it too..."
The violet-haired boy blinked, breaking away from his thoughts before smiling. "Midoriya?"
"Yes?"
"Does this mean we're friends?"
Midoriya's smile brightened (if that was even possible.) "Yes!! We'll be best friends if you wanna!"
Shinsou habitually glanced down at his feet, a rose-tinted blush dusting his cheeks. "Um... So... Who are your second and first favorite heroes?" He asked, still dazed by his new friend's abrupt words.
The freckled male payed no mind to it, happily answering his friend. "My second favorite is All Might and my first favorite is my mom!"
"Your mom's a pro-hero?"
Midoriya giggled. "Nope! But she's my hero!"