Chapter Text
Inko Midoriya was just your average single mom. She lived in a small apartment with her only son, Works as a nurse at a hospital, and even got along with the neighborhood moms. Sometimes she’d take her son out to the park so he can play with the neighbors, but Izuku was always a bit of a shy kid so most of the time he would just follow along without a word while she had tea with the other moms.
Izuku was a quiet kid. He didn’t speak up unless he didn’t like something or disagreed with someone. Inko didn’t push Izuku to speak up more. She thought that would naturally happen while he grows up, so she was not worried when Izuku played with the other kids. She was not worried when some of the kids stared at him. If Izuku didn’t like it he’d tell her at home.
She wasn’t worried at first. She thought that it was just a phase Izuku would grow out of. She wasn’t worried…not until Izuku bit someone. No one expected it. The parents were at the benches, drinking, chatting, then suddenly a scream rang throughout the park. Everyone turned to see what caused it. No one expected the shy and quiet kid to be biting Tsubasa’s arm, Inko included. In a flash parents tried to get Izuku to let go while Tsubasa cried and sobbed. After apologizing multiple times, Inko headed home with her son.
Once at home she kneeled to Izuku’s eye-level, holding him in place by placing her hands on his shoulders. Izuku was staring at the floor, slightly shaking and she can tell he’s on the verge of tears. “Izuku… why did you do that? Did Tsubasa do something?” she asks gently. She knows her son wouldn’t get violent without reason. He’s never done anything like this even when Mitsuki’s son played a little rough with him (Katsuki got yelled at by His mother later).
“he…to..oth..kid” Izuku mumbled. A habit he got from her since she does it whenever she’s nervous. “come on, honey, a little louder so I can help you”. Izuku sniffled and looked up at her with glassy eyes, “He was being mean to the other kids!” he broke out sobbing, tears finally spilling.
Within seconds her arms are around her child, cradling him and patting his back while he sobbed and blubbered about what happened. She couldn’t understand much because Izuku was slurring his word, but from what she did get it appeared as though Izuku was defending someone. She sighed in relief and carried him to his room where she tried to calm him down so he could nap it off.
Ever since that accident, Inko has been worried. For her son. And for his future.
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Izuku didn’t like most of the kid he played with at the park. His mom would take him there every other day. He’d play with the other kids while she talked with the adults. Even though Izuku doesn’t like Those kids, mainly because they’re mean to him because his quirk hadn’t come in yet, his mom looks really happy when she talks with others. She’s been smiling more and even humming songs while cooking and cleaning. So he put up with it. He follows along when they go on “Adventures”, he laughs with them when something funny happens, and he tries helping the ones that are bullied when the bullies aren’t watching.
But there is only so much a 4-year-old can put up with. Up until now about half kids he plays with already got their quirks. Those kids started picking on the kids that haven’t got them yet. Sometimes Izuku is a victim but that doesn’t happen much, and it’s not like they do much, just some teasing and name-calling. But recently they have been more aggressive. Using their quirks on others. Izuku is glad he isn’t one of those victims but he also feels sorry for them. He tries comforting them sometimes when Katsuki isn’t watching. Izuku didn’t like him, he doesn’t need his quirk to be aggressive, but his quirk is impressive.
One day, he got caught helping one of the kids. Tsubasa yelled at him, which attracted the other kids, and tried to shove Izuku. “why are you even helping those weaklings?” he questions. Now even Katsuki was looking at him. He was being put in the spotlight and he really didn’t like it. He didn’t know how to answer and he felt really uncomfortable, he just wants to go back home. Tsubasa was getting closer and others were staring and he was scared. Was he going to get hurt too? Is he going to be one of those victims? He didn’t like that idea. Not one bit. He glanced back, looking for an escape, he saw the other kids looked scared too. Some were whispering and others were just staring. He felt a hand on him and he didn’t think. Before he knew it, there was an arm between his teeth.
After that Incident, Izuku has been coming home with a lot more scratches. He tries to hide them from mom. She doesn’t need more stress. Her job handles that quite well. It doesn’t help that he goes to school with most of the kids he meets at the park. Most of them leave him alone or ignore him, but Katsuki’s group started to pick on him. They would push him in the playground, destroy her drawings in free time, and call him names. Hurtful names like freak and crazy. Just because he bit someone by accident once. His quirk being late isn’t helping either. Teachers are starting to talk too, about how he might be quirkless.
He tries to ignore them. He really does, but it’s hard ignoring something when people practically yell it at you.
•🌸•
It’s almost December and his quirk still hasn’t shown up. His mom is getting worried too. Apparently, since both his parents have quirks, he should have one too. But it’s almost been 4 months (he’s been counting) since he turned 4 and there have been no signs yet.
So he’s at the doctor, in the waiting room with his mom. Holding his All Might figurine and swinging his legs back and forth while his mother twiddles her thumbs¬–a nervous habit of hers–, they wait.
And they wait.
And wait some more.
The more they wait the more fidgety he gets and the more his mother’s worry increases. Until finally, “Ms. Midoriya? The doctor is ready for you.”