Chapter Text
Izuku felt terrible. Ever since he'd been diagnosed as Quirkless, it'd seemed that now every school day found a way to be worse than the last. This was mostly thanks to Izuku's friend, Katsuki Bakugo, or Kacchan, as Izuku called him. The explosive brat had almost made it his duty to make Izuku's school life a living nightmare, from getting his class to pick on him for him being Quirkless to picking on him on their way to and from school, thus making his home truly his only safe space.
"It's not like I had a choice Kacchan," Izuku whimpered as he watched Bakugou walk on ahead with his little group of cronies. His hand resting on the latest bruise from Kacchan.
Deciding he'd had enough of Bakugou for the day after what he did at school, Izuku decided to take a different route home that day. This time deciding to go the long way through the park, rather than the shorter route he normally took.
"I hope Mom doesn't get upset if I'm late. She's been really sad lately, maybe I can try and cheer her up?"
The walk through the park was surprisingly quiet, Izuku found it strange. It was summer and after school, he thought he would at least see a few of his other classmates, but no. The only people he passed were an elderly couple, a woman with a baby and what looked like a kid floating on a cloud.
Izuku was halfway through the park when he heard something. His curiosity piqued, Izuku searched for the source. After a few minutes of looking, he found the source of the noise. A man who was hunched over himself with his head in his hands shedding tears, all alone on a park bench.
'I know Mom said I shouldn't talk to strangers,' Izuku thought from behind a nearby tree. 'But, a real hero should help anyone who needs it, at least that's what All Might says.'
Summoning what little courage he had, Izuku walked over to the man, until he was a few feet away from him.
"Uhmm, e-excuse me," Izuku stuttered, "B-but are you okay?"
Picking up on the fact that he was no longer alone, the stranger was quick to wipe away his tears before looking up. He was a young man; his chin had a short but covering beard stopping short of his neck complimented by the small beginnings of a moustache. Like his head's hair, the beard and tufts above his mouth were a pale blue, nearly indistinguishable from white. The man's outfit consisted of a simple, cream button-up collared shirt with some belted smart trousers.
"O-oh, I-i-I'm sorry," the man apologised, voice shaky as he gathered himself and continued to wipe away his tears. "I didn't mean to disturb you."
"No it's my fault, I should've left you alone," Izuku apologised.
The man laughed
"How about we agree to disagree, otherwise we'll be stuck in this apologetic paradox for quite a while," he proposed, Izuku nodded in response. "But thank you for your concern, it's greatly appreciated."
"It's okay, you just looked like you needed a friend."
"You can say that again," the man mumbled under his breath, as he started to hunch back over.
"What?" Izuku asked.
"Oh, nothing that important. But, if I may, what happened to your arm?" The man asked, pointing to the just visible bruise on Izuku's arm.
"My friend gave it to me," Izuku said quietly as he rubbed his bruise again.
"I know it's not my place to say, but that doesn't seem like something a friend would do. Unless it was an accident and they apologised afterwards, in which case was it?" The man asked, as he sat up straight.
"I-I don't think so…" Izuku whimpered as he caressed the bruise, "he's been really mean to me since I found out I was Quirkless."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear. I've heard about some of the issues that the Quirkless side of the population deal with."
"B-but, K-Kacchan keeps saying I can't be a hero! But I know I can be a hero, even without a quirk!" Izuku said with a determined expression.
'My oh my, he's definitely got the enthusiasm to be a hero, doesn't he? Reminds me of how I used to be... At least, before the incident," the man thought, shaking his head and dispelling the memories that were creeping to the forefront of his mind.
"Well colour me impressed. I like that you're still holding onto that dream even when your... friend... says you can't," the stranger said with a gentleman-like tone. "Oh! Where are my manners, my name is Danjuro Tobita, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The now-named Danjuro said proudly, as he bowed to the four-year-old.
"Ok, my name is Izuku Midoriya," Izuku replied, the two shook hands after exchanging pleasantries. "Thank you. But Mr Tobita, why were you crying? Did someone hurt you?" Izuku asked with a concerned look.
"In a manner of speaking, yes. But I can't say it was his fault, the blame lies mainly on my own shoulders," Danjuro replied as he started to fiddle with his little moustache.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me what happened," Izuku said, only for Danjuro to wave his hand dismissively. He sat back down onto the bench. Izuku, quick to take up the spot on the other side of the bench.
"It's nothing, seems only fair I share something in return, "He replied. "I ran into an old classmate earlier today, a new up-and-coming- hero. When I went up to congratulate him, he said he didn't remember me at all. And that… that hurt." Danjuro explained, before pausing to wipe away more of his tears.
"Wait, are you a hero?" Izuku asked with an impossible to miss level of excitement.
"Ughh, sadly, no. I'm not a hero, I did try for many years but my efforts never bore fruit as they say."
Izuku looked at Danjuro with such a strange look, for a moment he thought he grew a second head.
"But I thought everyone who goes to a hero school always becomes a hero?" Izuku replied, completely baffled. Danjuro chuckled weakly in response. "What, am I wrong?"
"It's no worry, hero dropouts are never really talked about unless they become a villain afterward. And even then, the media is quick to sweep it under the rug. At least, according to my knowledge."
"Oh, okay." The young boy replied not fully understanding but figured the older man had no reason to lie to him. "What happened? Why did you drop out?" The second he asked the question though, Izuku slapped his hands over his mouth. Mumbling what sounded like an apology from behind his hands.
Danjuro snorted at this sight.
"It wasn't that I dropped out. To be more accurate I was kicked out of school after I did something I wasn't supposed to do."
"If the story is too sad, you don't need to tell me if it hurts."
"Thank you for your kind words, but it only seems fair I share a piece of my past, like you have about your lack of a quirk and your... friend's... reaction to its absence."
"O-oh, ok… s-so what happened?"
"Well, as I told you earlier, not all who strive to become a hero achieve said dream. A few years ago, I attended a hero school, however, sadly my eagerness was far greater than my grades. One day, my headmaster called me to his office and strongly advised me to give up, but I repeatedly said I would do better than ever before the next time. Unfortunately, later that very day, I ended up causing an accident that resulted in the injury of a number of innocent civilians. It was a terrible mistake, but it was all the school needed to finally get rid of me, and I was immediately expelled afterward. And as the last nail in my coffin, my family threw me out, my mother in particular being the most vocal." Danjuro let out a sigh as he rubbed a spot on his forehead.
"After about a year of being nothing but a scrounger, I thankfully had a stroke of luck in finding a job. Turns out I made a good waiter at a café I used to frequent," he chuckled, pausing, he looked to see Izuku wipe away some tears.
"I...I'm s-s..orry I m...m-ade you tell me that and what happened," Izuku whimpered as he averted his gaze from Danjuro.
'Oh no, what have I done?' Danjuro cursed himself. 'Quick, I need to cheer him up, I can't be the reason he goes home with red eyes, my conscience couldn't take it,'
"It's fine, as I told you. It's only fair I share something about myself as well," Danjuro replied, as he started to fiddle with his moustache once again. "Besides, some say it's better to talk about these things, but let's not spoil our day with such sad topics. How about this Izuku, tell me who is your favourite hero?"
The second the words came out of Danjuro's mouth, Izuku's mood seemed to brighten instantly as he looked up to the older man with such a bright smile. For a moment, Danjuro swore he saw stars come out of his eyes.
"Oh that's super easy! It's All Might!" Izuku cheered with vigour, Danjuro smiled..
"Well then, would you grace me with some stories of the number one hero? I have a feeling you know quite a few," Danjuro said in a cheerful tone, as he relaxed on the park bench.
A few hours later
"Then All Might used his Detroit smash to send the villain straight into a trap the other heroes had made! It was so amazing!" Izuku rambled excitedly, as he jumped up and down on the bench.
"My my, I have to say Izuku, you're quite the hero otaku, as some would say." Danjuro laughed, but stopped once he saw Izuku had somewhat curled into a ball.
"I just love heroes a lot..." Izuku whimpered, on the verge of tears.
Seeing what he had done, Danjuro was quick to lighten the mood, before he made things worse for the young boy.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with knowing a lot about things you're passionate about. Why, I love tea quite a lot, especially a particular brand called Golden Tips Imperial. I once spent a whole hour discussing why it was amazing," Danjuro said brightly as he flashed a smile.
Izuku looked to Danjuro, with a weak smile.
"Oh, that's like me and mom, she's not into heroes but loves to listen to me talking about them. It makes her smile," Izuku explained with an increasingly cheerful tone. "But what about you, did you have an All Might?" He asked.
"Well, I did. But to be honest, he wasn't exactly a hero, he was closer to a villian with a hero licence," Danjuro explained in a low tone.
"Oh like Endeavour! Whenever he shows up, he hurts a lot of people," Izuku added, to which Danjuro nodded in response.
"Not quite Izuku, he does normally cause more damage than the villain he captures does. But my old Idol was more chaotic, in a way," Danjuro added. "His quirk was a speed based quirk, but not a simple one that just allowed him to just run at ungodly speed. No, he was able to perform many feats at almost instantaneous speeds. Once he even caught a bullet mid-air to save a hostage that was only two feet from the shooter," he explained.
"Whoa! That sounds super cool!" Izuku squealed, his excitement clear to anyone nearby.
"Quite, but his methods were never that of a hero, he would use his speed in order to break the limbs of his opponent or throw a number of large sharp needles to incapacitate them," Danjuro explained further. Izuku shivered as he listened about the brutal hero.
"Why would you like someone so mean?!" Izuku asked, screaming his question.
"His style," Danjuro proclaimed as he abruptly stood up. "His manner and his appearance always had me in awe of him. He dressed in a Victorian style butler outfit, even carrying a pocket watch from the same era. And his persona! He was always saying that he was nothing more than a humble butler to justice itself and that he was willing to teach the harsh lessons of justice to those that others wouldn't."
Danjuro continued his explanation for a while, caught up in the excitement of the moment.
"On reflection, I see it was not wise to look up to this man but I always hoped to be like him, but somehow better. Do you understand that Izuku?" he asked.
"I.. t-t-think so…" Izuku mumbled, as he continued to try and process what he had been told. "S-still…how could you look up to a hero like that? He sounds way worse than Endeavour ever was!"
Danjuro sighed before sitting back onto the bench in defeat.
"Yes, he wasn't a very good hero, in fact. There were many attempts to make him change his ways or capture the man, but he proved too fast for them for a long time."
The pair continued to talk for a while, discussing various topics from their likes and dislikes to heroes both old and new. Izuku even learned Danjuro made frequent visits to the park. The conversation, of course, normally returned to the topic of heroes thanks to Izuku's enthusiasm. It was only when the sun started to set, that Izuku seemed to finally noticed how long they had been talking.
"Oh, what time is it?" Izuku asked. Danjuro checked his wristwatch at Izuku's request.
"It's just coming up to six," he answered. The moment he told Izuku, the four-year-old's eyes almost doubled in size.
"Oh no! I stayed out too late, Mom is going to be so worried!" the green haired child screamed as he jumped off the park bench.
"Well, I advise you head home quickly then Izuku, it's not polite to keep a lady waiting, especially if that lady is your mother," Danjuro laughed in a polite tone. Izuku threw on his backpack and began hurrying away. He looked back to Danjuro still on the bench.
"Thanks for the talk! I hope you have a good day!" Izuku screamed as he waved goodbye.
"And you as well!" Danjuro shouted back in response, as well as waving the boy goodbye.
Izuku only made it a few feet until he abruptly stopped and turned back to Danjuro.
"I hope we see each other again!" Izuku shouted before continuing his little sprint.
Danjuro watched as Izuku ran out of sight, once again being left alone with just himself and his thoughts.
'That boy was sweet, maybe today wasn't as bad as I first thought it was,' Danjuro thought, the faint look of a smile gracing his face.
"I'm sorry to tell you ma'am, but we haven't found your son at any of the places you gave us or in any of the nearby areas, perhaps he took a different way home or is at a friends house" The police officer explained over the phone. Inko just gripped her phone tighter as she listened.
"And I'm telling you! My Izuku wouldn't get lost, he knows how to get from our home to his school and do you think I wouldn't have called his friends' parents?! None of them have seen him all day!" Inko screamed in a mix of anger and sadness.
"O-oh o..okay ma'am," The police officer stuttered. "We'll keep an eye out, just please call us if your son sho-" Hanging up the phone without waiting for the officer to finish their sentence. Inko collapsed on the couch in a heap.
"Izuku… where are you?" Inko asked as she held one of Izuku's toys to her chest. Just then, she heard the front door open.
"Mom, I'm home!" As soon as the words had left Izuku's lips, his mother appeared almost instantly at the front door and pulled the boy into a powerful hug.
"IZUKU SWEETIE, WHERE WERE YOU?! OH MY GOD I WAS SO WORRIED YOU GOT HURT! I CALLED THE CALLED THE POLICE WHEN YOU DIDN'T COME HOME AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND YOU!" Inko wailed as she started to cry what could be best summarized as a small river's worth of tears.
"M-Mom… c-can't… breathe…" Izuku wheezed as he started to turn blue. Inko was quick to let him go.
"Oh I'm sorry Izu- OH MY GOD IZUKU, WHO HURT YOU?!" Inko asked, as she spotted the bruise on Izuku's arm.
"It was an acci-" Izuku hesitated for a second, remembering what Danjuro had said to him about Kacchan. "…I-it was Kacchan… but it was an accident! We were playing and then it got really rough..."
Inko, the matriarch of the Midoriya family looked at her son skeptically for what felt like an eternity for Izuku. Instead of asking any more questions, Inko kissed Izuku's forehead instead.
"Thank you for telling me Izuku, now let's get something for this bruise before it gets too swollen or something," The pair headed into the kitchen once Inko retrieved the first aid kit. Izuku, with a little help, got up onto the kitchen table as Inko tended to his injury. "I can't believe Katsuki hurt you Izuku, I understand boys like to rough house but this is beyond that and why were you so late coming home?"
"Oh, I came home through the long way in the park. I didn't want to see Kacchan again, and then I heard someone crying so I followed the noise to see if they were hurt."
"Izuku, I thought I told you not to talk with strangers, I understand you want to help but you have to be careful" Inko shot her son with a disappointing glare.
"But he was very sad," Izuku rebutted, only to flinch when Inko looked at him. "He said he met a friend who was a pro hero and didn't remember him. We talked and he was very funny and super nice." Izuku explained, while Inko looked at him quite confused.
"Ughhh, Izuku how old was this new friend?" Inko asked as she finished up treating Izuku's bruised cheek.
"Oh, he said he was… actually, he never told me."
'OH MY GOD IS THIS PERSON AFTER IZUKU!?' Inko screamed mentally at what she'd just heard. 'Calm down Inko, Izuku is right here, he's okay and safe. But what if this guy is playing a long game of sorts, trying to make Izuku drop his guard or something?'
"Mom, are you okay?"
"Huh..." Inko blurted out, her mind taking a moment to catch up. "Oh I'm fine sweetie, tell me Izuku, are you meeting this person again?"
"No, but he said he goes to the park a lot ," Izuku replied, Inko paused for a moment before responding.
"Okay then, how about this. I'll pick you up tomorrow after school and you and I can meet your new friend, how does that sound?"
"That sounds great, I bet you and Tobita will become friends too!" Izuku cheered in joy, while Inko just smiled at her son's reaction.
"I don't care how nice he was, if this guy is thinking he can touch my son, he's got another thing coming! Which reminds me, I'll need to call Mitsuki. Katsuki needs to explain himself for hurting Izuku the way he did.'
The walk home for Danjuro was sadly not as eventful as his meeting with Izuku. Nevertheless, he still was still smiling, in clear contrast to how he had been feeling only a mere few hours prior. Once back at his apartment, he was quick to prepare a cup of tea and relax on the couch in the living room.
Danjuro let out a sigh as he drank the relaxing beverage and relaxed.
"I have to say, today quite certainly didn't go to plan, but that is life. One moment you feel destroyed at sudden realizations, the next you're laughing with a complete stranger," Danjuro chuckled. "But, I guess that's just how things are."
The silver-haired man chuckled as he continued to drink his tea in peace, only to yawn just as he placed his cup down onto the table.
"Oh dear, seems today's events have really taken their toll on me," he said as he set his cup down and relaxed on the couch. "A few… minutes… just to… rest my ey…."
His mumbles trailed off as he fell fast asleep.
"I wish to become a hero, one who's great deeds will stand out in the history books!" Danjuro exclaimed with vigour, only for his headmaster to groan with noticeable disdain. His mother, meanwhile, continued to cry into her handkerchief.
"Listen Tobita, I've tried to be nice but since you don't seem to be grasping this, I'll give it to you straight. You were held back a year due to your horrible test scores. We aren't exactly a prestigious school like UA or Shiketsu, so this doesn't do you any favors in the first place. And to add to that, you've failed the licence exam four times. At this point, it's my professional opinion that you transfer to our general education department."
"I hear that Takeshita-san already has agencies lining up with offers for internships." Danjuro's mother explained as they passed said future hero.
Danjuro just smiled back at his mother.
"No worries mother, I'll endure no matter what hurdles I face. I'll become a hero!" He proclaimed as they made it to the school gates, only for his mother to let out a quiet growl.
"Son, listen to what you're being told for once. You can't be a hero, having the drive just isn't enough. Just give up on this foolish pursuit and transfer, before you screw up again…"
Before he could reply however, Danjuro's mother walked away, leaving her son alone with her final words.
"…maybe I should just take a walk… mother looks like she wants to be left alone…" he said in a low voice as he walked in the opposite direction.
He was half way home after taking that walk, when a scream tore Danjuro from his thoughts. Running over to the crowd he saw gathered, he saw what all the commotion was about; a man was hanging from a window washing platform.
'My quirk! I can make a pad for him to land on out of the air below him!' Danjuro thought furiously. But as he created the elastic pad, a hero swooped in and was unable to see the effects of Danjuro's quirk and rocketed right into it. The hero was shot back into the pavement with a loud thud. Before he could react, the imperiled man plummeted from his platform, hitting the pad as planned… and bouncing right off civilian was sent higher into the sky than he had been hanging from the platform originally before he plummeted into the pavement as well.
"The man who fell broke several ribs, dislocated his shoulder and had some minor blood loss. He'll need six months to make a full recovery, and the hero you got in the way of, also suffered severe injuries from ricocheting off that pad of air you made. That means he'll be in the hospital for quite some time, not to mention you prevented him from performing his duties. That's a charge of obstructing public duties, a charge of…" The officer's voice faded to nothing more than background noise to Danjuro, his head replaying the scene over and over again, almost like it was chastising him for trying to help.
"I-i… j-just.. wa-wanted..to..h-help," he stuttered out under his breath.
After spending the night in a jail cell to "learn his lesson" as the officer had put it, Danjuro had returned home to see the front covered in vicious graffiti. Entering the house, he'd walked into the living room to find his parents sitting in silence at the table. In front of them had been a letter, one he'd been unable to see but even at the time he'd doubted the setting would've been that sombre unless it had been serious.
And then he'd walked closer. He'd been right, it'd been an expulsion letter.
"Get out..." His mother had growled, before Danjuro could even respond. His mother had risen from her seat and had sharply turned to face him. Pure hatred, that was all he'd seen.
"Get out of this house!" His mother had screamed at him as she'd thrown a lamp at him. The piece of flying furniture was the last thing Danjuro saw before he abruptly woke from his sleep. Looking around his living room, he groaned as he sat up on the couch, rubbing his forehead as he did so.
"Damn… I had forgotten how good that throw had been..." He continued to rub his forehead, only stopping once he felt the spot his mother had hit with the lamp had started to fade back into the recesses of his mind.
The memories refreshed in his mind, Danjuro slogged his way towards his actual bed. It wasn't that he expected much difference in rest or comfort, of course, all he wanted was to have some sense of a proper life at this point, no matter what minuscule fragments he was forced to try and piece together.