Chapter Text
"You are not alone, Izuku."
"Izuku, I would choose you to be my successor again and again if I even had another chance to go back."
"I'm sorry. You deserve a better mother than me."
A green-eyed boy with a head of messy curly green hair sits at the small table, the TV in front of him playing a news program.
“Earlier this day, the Stars Industry, a major support company, launched a new innovative creation by the rising star of the support industry, Hisashi Midoriya. Midoriya did an amazing invention that will help the society a lot as…”
Izuku listens with wide eyes. His father is on the news! He hopes it keeps his father in a good mood because his father is scary when he comes back home in a bad mood. He resumes doing his maths homework which he thinks is easy to do unlike other kids his own age, maybe except Kacchan. His blonde friend is so cool and clever!
“Izuku, look! Isn’t it your father on TV? I swear your father just seems to rise up in the industries. He became so famous in less than a year. I’m sure you will be as brilliant and famous as your father when you grow up,” remarks Ms.Chuosaki, who his mother lets Izuku stay with when she is out working. “You won’t forget this old Ms. Chuosaki when you grow up and become famous, will you?” the middle-aged woman chuckles at her own joke.
Izuku sighs internally. There is one thing that Izuku doesn’t quite like about his nanny. She always gushes on and on about his popular scientist father whenever she has a chance. It is a bit annoying especially when Izuku is doing his homework.
It even seems like all she cares about is his father’s fame, not taking care of Izuku.
Well, most people just care about who his father is.
That evening, his father comes home late but in a good mood to the relief of both Izuku and his mother, Inko. And he just goes back to his office early in the morning after he has taken what he needs from his study without a word to Izuku. Izuku does not know if the older man even talked to Mama. The child does not really remember those times when his father talks to his mother for more than a couple of minutes.
That’s kind of okay since his father isn’t really at home that much. But Izuku knows that his father wants him to be a support technician just like him when he grows up.
Which is a bit concerning since all Izuku ever wants to be is a hero like All Might! All Might is the best hero in Japan and everyone loves him. Plus he saves everyone with a smile! Just like in his debut that Izuku watches every day.
Soon his birthday will come and he will manifest a quirk! A powerful quirk just like All Might’s! But his fourth birthday comes and goes. Without his quirk appearing.
“You’re just so stupid and useless, quirkless Deku,” Kacchan spats as he pushes Izuku down to the ground. “How can’t you be cool enough to have a quirk? So freaking lame!” Izuku whimpers, eyes tearing up from the smoke and the pain that Kacchan’s explosions are causing.
Honestly, why is everything so dependent on a person’s quirk or lack thereof? Even though Izuku is still just a kid, he knows that a quirk doesn’t make a person.
Then why are Kacchan and everyone acting so mean to him just because he hasn’t developed his quirk?
Izuku has even asked his Mama why his quirk hadn’t shown up. He wants to have a quirk!
“Izuku, sweetheart, I’m sure you are just a late bloomer. Your quirk will come after a few more months and if you have a lot of veggies and rice!” Mama has said to him.
But that doesn’t explain why he still has no quirk even after ten months.
What does explain it is an appointment with a quirk specialist. Izuku has an extra toe joint in his pinky which means....
Which means he was quirkless, which means that he will never develop a quirk.
Izuku has been spacing out during the whole ride back home. Both Mama and his father have quirks! His father can breathe out fire from his mouth which Izuku thinks is so cool. Mama has a mild telekinesis quirk. And he has even speculated, during his quirk analysis sprees, that his quirk could be a mix of these two. How cool can that be?!
It turns out Izuku will never know.
“I’m sorry, Izuku! I’m so sorry!” cries Inko as she hugs Izuku tightly to her warm but at the same time cold chest, tears pouring down from his large green eyes which are glued to the video of All Might’s debut.
All Might…the No.1 hero, the Symbol of Peace...
Izuku will never become a hero like his idol…Never. After all, how can a useless, quirkless Deku be a hero and save people?
That night, the almost five-year-old falls into a restless sleep, hoping that tomorrow will be better. But of course, for the useless Deku, fate is just not on his side.
Hisashi unlocks the door of the apartment that his wife and his son live in. He’s left work as he just can’t bear to endure the ridicule that he feels by not being chosen as the lead inventor for the quite promising project of his firm. He needs to be the lead inventor so that he can get access to all the important files for his other job.
The one they’ve chosen is that arrogant, birdbrain asshole who’s been his rival for as long as he’s been working for the Stars Industry.
“Thank god they didn’t choose the bad genes and brains, after all, no one with good hereditary genes will produce a quirkless son.”
Yes, his colleagues know that his son is quirkless, everyone with kids at work has told the story of their child discovering some kind of quirks. And that birdbrain just has to rub it in his face.
Maybe, the appointment with that quirk specialist will tell when his son will be developing a quirk. After all, it won’t do any good to his reputation if the famous Dragon has a quirkless son.
But no, fate is just not on his side.
He loses control of his anger when his useless wife tells him that his equally useless son would never manifest a quirk.
He marches towards his son’s, no, the disgrace’s room with half the mind to just kill the disgrace and be done with it. His wife intercepts him and tries to placate him. However, Inko’s words fall on deaf ears and Hisashi just decides to beat her up first and then deal with the disgrace after.
After all, it was the bitch’s fault too that the disgrace is quirkless.
Izuku wakes up so abruptly. At first, all he can register are the hands that are roughly grabbing him by his hair and drugging him out of his bed by it.
Wh-what’s happening?! A villain?!
But the first thing that comes clear to his vision is a pair of red eyes filled with hatred and disgust. Izuku slowly recognizes that those are his father’s.
Why is Father dragging me down so roughly?!
Izuku is just so confused.
It turns out his father is not going to just drag him to the floor as Izuku takes a sharp kick to his stomach. “You worthless disgrace! All I ever do is work my ass off to satisfy all your needs and wishes and you repay me by being a useless quirkless son?! The Midoriya family is so unfortunate to have you as an heir. You should be too ashamed to continue your existence!”
Oh. Then he’s going to be beaten to death for not having a quirk. Fitting as he’s sure his dreams of becoming a hero have been beaten to death by it too, last night.
Pain and his father’s mean words just keep flooding his senses. Izuku can’t help but pray that someone, a hero, a cop, Mama, just anyone would come to his rescue. Otherwise, he might just die here. And he doesn’t want to die. He wants to live on even though he would be just a quirkless Deku.
His father starts to use his quirk at some point too. Orange-colored flames burn his whole back and his little scrawny body is immediately consumed by pain and heat. His chest hurts. His left foot is twisted in an impossible way and he can’t feel his left arm. His back feels like a bomb has gone off on it, quite accurate as the fire is still there, it still hasn’t gone out. Fear consumes all his senses but the pain.
Please somebody help me. Stop him please...
Just please…
Anyone...
But the kicks and the punches continue coming down one after another. His voice has given out long before from all the screaming he’s been doing so that all the sounds he can make are pitiful whines and short gasps. Izuku can’t escape this hell. The hell that his father has conjured up for him. He must escape and make the pain go away. How can he escape? He is powerless as a child to his father’s strong blows and fire. He needs someone to save him.
Too bad no one is going to save him.
Not All might. How would he of all people know this is happening? Same with cops or neighbors. Not Mama because Izuku, through his spinning and blurry vision, saw a figure similar to his Mama unmoving and lying near the doorway, her cries and pleas reaching his ears. Why is his father doing this to them? Izuku thought he loved them!
If only he was stronger and had a quirk! But now he needs someone to save him and Mama. How pathetic.
But he finds himself thinking in a calm chilling voice amidst all the pain he is under and the ringing in his ears.
'No one will come to rescue me. They don’t see everything that's going on behind the closed door. They just focus on what is in the light, what's easier to see.'
Why is he here? Why is this happening to him? Why? WHY?!
Izuku just wants to leave, stop feeling, go somewhere, anywhere. He has to.
And so he willingly submits to the urge to just shut it all out and escape, unknowingly breaking apart and retreating to the back of his mind.
Considering the severity of the situation Izuku finds himself in, he might have agreed that this kind of defense mechanism is quite suitable if only he could recollect this event.
Inko likes to think she has a happy family. Her husband is a famous rising support scientist in a respectable company. Her son, a literal bundle of sunshine and rainbows, is cleverer than kids his own age and so enthusiastic about heroes and quirks.
Who is also quirkless.
Why can the world be this cruel to her son? Why isn’t fate on his side?
She can’t help but cry together with her son as he mourns for his lost hope of being a hero. After all, no person can be a hero without a quirk. Being a hero is dangerous enough as it is but being one without some sort of useful quirk? It will be absolutely lethal.
However, she would rather have a discouraged son than a dead one. She can always help her son build another reasonable dream later. But for now, it is her duty to comfort her child.
She hopes that fate will be on his side from now on. Her baby deserves it. Oh yes, she has noticed Katsuki and other kids saying mean things to Izuku and he would always say that the scrapes and slight burns are from playing roughly. She brought up that problem with the teachers once, but it seems no one cares for a quirkless person even if said person is just a child.
But one can only hope as much as one likes to.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. That particular phrase comes to the front of her mind as she witnesses her husband’s eyes change into a dark shade that she has never seen after she broke the news to him.
Hisashi has been a cold father and a busy husband who rarely comes back home. But he was such an amazing man in their youth, full of hope and determination. He once showed so much love to her and Izuku that she thinks his love has run out by now and hence, being cold towards them.
Though, she admits that she must have noticed a change in him at some point. But she kept her mouth shut, thinking that at least, she was still married. If only she spoke out then, this wouldn’t be happening.
This being her taking blows from Hizashi’s hands, the hands that once embraced her lovingly, while she stubbornly tries to keep the man from reaching Izuku’s room.
Seriously, she should have taken some time to tell him about Izuku’s quirklessness. But he asked for it specifically.
And she can’t say no to him.
She tries to brave through all the slaps and hits she’s receiving but her body gives up on her and decides to just lie there unmovingly like some kind of puppet whose strings are cut. What a pitiful mother she is.
And Hisashi storms into her son’s room. When he comes out, she sees Izuku being drugged out by his hair, through her swollen eyes, and can’t help but cry out in alarm and worry.
As she witnesses her one and only son being beaten, abused, half to death in front of her, her heart breaks and breaks again. But when Hisashi starts using his fire breathing, she screams, trying to beg for her son but to no avail.
Why is this happening?! What did they do to deserve this?!
Inko can’t breathe and her mind is in disarray.
And suddenly, the fire, which has been burning her son through the back of his pajama shirt, stops and rises from Izuku’s back as if controlled by someone. Maybe Hisashi’s quirk malfunctioned? Maybe fate would be on their side and save their minds.
Fate just isn’t on their side.
And her panicked viridian eyes flashes as the hovering flames take on the shape of a dragon and launch themselves at Hisashi.
The man starts patting himself down, his quirk making him resistant to fires to a certain extent. At least, the tormentor just stops and goes to the bathroom to spray himself with water, colorful swear words following him.
Inko waits for his return, her heart racing and her mind in pieces, but he thankfully does not come back, the door of their apartment slamming shut with a bang. She takes a few shaky breaths and glances. Then, only then, she dares to look at Izuku, knowing and wanting to deny what she will see.
But instead, what she sees is her child already sitting up. But the most hateful and chilling look on his face makes her second guess if it is actually her Izuku.
Her son snarls in the direction of the main door, at Hisashi’s retreat, his gritted teeth even showing. But his face smooths out as he glances at her, settling into an emotionless mask. What does that look on his face mean?
But before she can contemplate it any further, her consciousness slips away. And Inko knows no more.