Chapter Text
Izumi was quirkless. That was a fact.
The child was diagnosed on her annual check-up, just two weeks after she turned four. Midoriya Inko was never truly concerned about her daughter, but because the young girl showed none of the usual signs of quirk manifestation, Inko decided to bring it up. While her quirk wasn’t anything particularly special, both she and Izumi’s father each had one, and that meant the girl would most likely have one too. Right?
As luck would have it, Izumi had a double joint in her pinkie toe.
So there they were, a mother and child, sitting in a medical practitioner’s office, still in shock as a new reality dawned upon them. Inko curled her palm around the side of Izumi’s head, pulling the girl close to her side. She felt wetness at her fingers, tears from the child slowly seeping out of her big, round eyes. Inko’s gentle grip tightened, hoping to provide her daughter some comfort.
“I’m sorry, Midoriya-san, but there is nothing we can do,” the doctor made an attempt to console Inko, and he was failing miserably. As upset as she was, she couldn’t show it, at least not in front of Izumi. What’s more, she couldn’t fathom why there wasn’t consolation offered to her daughter. After all, she was the one without the quirk. Not Inko.
The doctor began to speak again, yet Inko found herself tuning out the useless rambling. His previous words rang in her head, repeating over and over like a broken record. There is nothing we can do. What was that supposed to mean? It might not have been intentional, but the doctor seemed to treat Quirklessness as a defect. A disease. Inko’s breath hitched. She was aware of how society viewed those without a quirk, how the majority looked down upon them. Is that how Izumi would be treated? Would people laugh at her daughter for something she couldn’t control? No, Inko refused to think like that, not when tears were threatening to trickle down her face, not ever. She would be there for her daughter. She would be supportive.
Even if Izumi’s entire world had changed. Even if Izumi’s dream would be harder to achieve.
Inko forced a smile, politely thanking the doctor. She turned to face her daughter, wiping at the child’s watery eyes, soft and tender. She offered a hand, which Izumi took, and the two of them walked out of the building.
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The car ride home was silent. For the most part. Izumi tried to ignore her mother, she really did, but it was hard. The Midoriyas were known for how openly emotional they were, after all. Of course her mother would be sniffling, that’s just how she was. So Izumi settled for staring out the window, allowing her thoughts to take over.
Izumi is quirkless. The doctor’s words resounded in her ears again, loud and clear. That’s right. Izumi didn’t have a quirk. Izumi wasn’t normal. Izumi was weak, useless even. Right? Not having a quirk meant that she was less than others. At least, that was what that doctor had implied, right?
Could Izumi still be a hero?
Tears pricked at the girl’s eyes as a wave of doubt washed over her. All she ever wanted was to be a hero, to save people. Would that even be possible without a quirk? Izumi had never heard of a Quirkless hero. What would people think of her?
What would Kacchan think of her? Her best friend was blessed with an amazing quirk, and he never wasted an opportunity to show it off. What would he say? Izumi wasn’t blind; she saw the way the boy treated other kids, especially ones he deemed weaker than him. Boasting, bragging, it was normal for Katsuki. So what would he do when he found out Izumi was Quirkless?
Izumi shuddered.
She was scared of that outcome, so she clung to the brighter one. Kacchan would still be her friend, and they could become heroes together. They would. They were best friends, and nothing could change that. Right? Izumi hoped (desperately) that that would be the case.
A familiar turn of the car rocked Izumi out of her thoughts.
~~~
“Izu!” A loud voice, harsh and boisterous, greeted her as she stepped out of the vehicle. Kacchan. Izumi flashed him a small smile, suddenly growing weary of the boy. That’s right. Kacchan . There was nothing to worry about, it was just him. Just her best friend. So why was she curling in on herself?
The blonde ran up to her, a wide grin stretched across his face. Auntie Mitsuki followed close behind him, keeping a watchful eye on her son. Izumi blinked, watching as the woman approached her, calm and collected as she kneeled to match Izumi’s gaze. A hand, although not as gentle as her mother’s, patted her shoulder in comfort.
“I heard the news, kid. Inko called me.” Auntie Mitsuki’s words were rough, yet Izumi found them oddly relieving. She was surprised that there was no apology, no feeling bad for her Quirklessness, but it wasn’t unwelcomed. If anything, Izumi was glad that Auntie had said what she did. It wasn’t that she didn’t want sympathy, no. It was that Izumi didn’t want people feeling sorry for something she couldn’t control. Auntie Mitsuki always had a strange way of saying things, but at the end of the day, she meant that Izumi was still herself, and her quirk, or lack thereof, wouldn’t change that. So yeah. Izumi was relieved by the woman’s words, and she relaxed. Just a bit.
“What news?” Kacchan had stopped prancing around, now fully paying attention to Izumi. His eyes widened, brows wrinkling in confusion. Oh, right, he didn’t know yet. “Izu, what the hell is my hag talking about?”
“Katsuki, watch your tone.” Auntie turned her head, giving Kacchan a disapproving glare. Izumi giggled. She never minded the way the Bakugous talked to each other. So what if they used harsh words and mannerisms? That’s just how they functioned.
“Whatever,” Kacchan rolled his eyes, facing Izumi again. He crossed his arms, searching her for answers. With one brow raised, he asked her again, and Izumi wasn’t so relaxed anymore. “What happened?”
Izumi opened her mouth, longing for the words to come out. Her efforts were fruitless. Her eyes had grown watery, tears beginning to pool as she frantically blinked. Just then, the sound of footsteps came from behind her, soft and familiar. Mom.
Izumi watched as her mother looked down, facing Kacchan. Her eyes were tired, missing the usual sparkle they carried. She began to speak, voice no louder than a whisper, gentle with the smallest hint of a wobble.
“Katsuki, dear, Izumi is Quirkless.”
“...What?”
Izumi felt her heart sink as Kacchan turned to her again, eyes wide. This was the moment she dreaded. This was where Katsuki would laugh at her. This was where their friendship would end. She despised the thought, but she didn’t get her hopes up. Izumi looked away, avoiding eye contact.
“Izumi doesn’t have a quirk.” Her mother tried again, rewording the sentence.
“Oh.”
Kacchan took a step toward her, and Izumi felt herself recoil. This was it, her head told her, and she believed it. She braced herself, expecting the worst. So when Kacchan reached for her hand, Izumi was more than surprised. His brows furrowed as a smirk tugged at his mouth, eyes now filled with determination.
“She’s still gonna be a hero. I need to beat her.”
Izumi glanced back at her mom, who had let out a small sigh. “Well, there’s never been a Quirkless hero before,” she smiled, not discouragingly.
“I guess she’s just gonna have to be the first, then,” Kacchan flashed her a bright smile, and Izumi couldn’t help but smile back. What had she been worried about again? Nothing that mattered anymore, she decided. The two of them looked back up, facing both mothers.
“Can we have a sleepover today?”
~~~
“Kacchan?”
Katsuki glanced up from the All Might figure he was holding, turning his attention to Izumi. “Yeah?”
“Did you…” she seemed to stall for a second, thinking over what she was going to say. For what reason, Katsuki didn’t know. Izu was always so dramatic, overthinking anything and everything at every chance she got. “Did you really mean what you said outside?”
“Huh?”
“About me. And being Quirkless. And being a hero.”
Was that it? That’s what Izu was worrying about? Katsuki snorted, fighting down the urge to roll his eyes. He noticed that Izumi had shifted on her spot on the bed, and readjusted himself, scooting closer to her in reassurance (was that what he was doing? he didn’t know, this wasn’t really his thing).
“Well yeah. Why the hell would I have said it if I didn’t mean it? Idiot.”
Izu smiles at that, and Katsuki lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in.
“So you think I can still be a hero? Even if I’m Quirkless?”
“Damn right I do.” Katsuki sneered at the other, not unkindly. “Though you’re gonna have to settle for second best. Everyone knows I’m gonna be number one.”
Izumi raises an eyebrow before laughing, green eyes glinting as she snickers at Katsuki’s remark. Her forest curls tussle when she turns to face him, hands at her sides as she retorts. “Oh?” She giggles, taunting him. “Sorry, Kacchan, but I think I’m going to be the number one hero.”
“In your dreams!” Katsuki yelled, smiling as small explosions pop between his fingers, the All Might figurine now long gone and forgotten. He lunged toward Izumi, arms reaching out as little flares went off in her face. Izumi squeaks before smirking back, grabbing his arms, and throwing him to the floor. Katsuki manages to grab ahold of her legs, pulling her down with him. The two play fight, rumbling around the room as Katsuki throws his best explosions and Izumi her punches.
Unfortunately for Katsuki, Izumi comes out on top, grinning wildly as she looks down on him.
“You were saying?”
“That was just luck.” He grumbled, frowning.
“Admit it, Kacchan, I beat you fair and square.”
“I’ll win next time.”
Before Izumi could say anything else, Auntie Inko’s voice rang out, calling them for dinner. Izu helped him up, smiling slyly as he dusted himself off.
“Race you? First one there gets the Limited All Might figure for a week.”
Katsuki glares back, eyes narrowing as he flashes a grin at his friend. His palms heat up, giving way to crackles that snap at his fingertips.
“Hell yeah. You’re on.”
__________________________
__________________________
Izumi’s life doesn’t much easier from the day she’s announced Quirkless. By the time her fifth birthday comes around, the girl had faced several instances of bullying, from minor aggressions to full-blown insults. Izumi didn’t mind though, not when Katsuki was with her everywhere she went. He was a sort of guard dog, glaring at anyone who so much as looked at her the wrong way.
Izumi’s luck would run out eventually one day, and it does.
It happened on a clear day at the park. Izumi was enjoying herself, basking in the sunlight as she played in the sandpit and molded the grains into a castle. Katsuki left her side few minutes prior, needing to use the restroom, so the girl waited patiently, humming a little tune as she worked. She smiled and added the finishing touches to her creation, placing a little doll at the top of the castle. With a contented sigh, Izumi leaned back, wiping the sweat from her brows as she leaned back to admire her handiwork.
A low mumbling causes her to turn around, green eyes growing wide in the process. Three kids were standing in front of her, the ones she recognized from school. Izumi’s stomach dropped. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t give her too much trouble, but this wasn’t normal. Kacchan wasn’t here to drive them off, leaving Izumi to her own devices.
“Hey, isn’t that Izumi?” One of the kids said, jeering at her.
“How’s your quirk coming along?”
Izumi grimaced at that, but she couldn’t say that was unexpected. She was used to it, the taunting and teasing, relentless name-calling. That’s as far as it ever went though, as Kacchan was there to drive them off. He wasn’t here now. Izumi decided to take matters into her own hands, standing up to meet their eyes.
“Can you leave me alone? I’m not bothering anyone,” she pouted.
Big mistake.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” the tallest kid, a boy with wings, glared at her. Before Izumi could react, he grabbed her by the hand, pushing her around roughly. The other two joined in, laughing as they took turns insulting her. Izumi whimpered in pain, fruitlessly trying to break out of their grasp. They tugged at her hair, tearing it out of her ponytail before pushing her to the ground. Izumi tripped over her castle, falling back into the sand. The kids mimicked her, laughing at the tears that stung her face.
“Aw, are you gonna cry?”
“Good, you should know your place.”
“You’re useless.”
“A Deku,” they sneered, closing in on her. Izumi winced, bracing herself as a boy with gangly fingers reached out, expecting another beating. Then the explosion came, clear and loud, bright and furious.
“Leave her alone, you shitty bastards!”
Kacchan.
~~~
Katsuki came in the nick of time, seeing red as he charged forward. He had only been gone a few minutes, yet he had come back to Izumi on the ground, cornered by extras who had the audacity to be laughing. Katsuki raged. How dare they hurt Izu; who the hell did they think they were anyway? It’s not like their quirks were anything special; Izu was so much cooler anyway. If they hadn’t run away like the cowards they were, he would have beaten them to a pulp.
And then the guilt rushed in. Izu was disheveled, her hair out of place, overalls dirtied, and skin battered and bruised. She looked miserable, crying and frantically wiping at her eyes. Katsuki blamed himself. He should’ve been there. She wouldn’t have gotten hurt if he was there with her. It was his fault.
Katsuki called for Auntie Inko and his mother as it was likely they hadn’t seen the incident. He watched from a distance as they tended to Izu, with Auntie comforting her and his own mother offering bandages. His fault.
That day Katsuki made a promise to himself. Izu would never get hurt, and he would protect her. He would be strong, he would be brave for her, and he would never leave her behind. They would become heroes together, and they would prove those bastards wrong.
__________________________
__________________________
Izumi is now six, and growing quickly.
Izumi can now understand herself better.
Izumi comes to a realization.
They were over at Katsuki’s, trying on clothes that Auntie Mitsuki had made. Her friend’s room was a mess, garments of every color draped across the floor. Kacchan in particular was dressed in trousers that were much too large for him, paired with an oversized button-up. He grinned at Izumi, handing her a green dress.
Izumi stood in front of a mirror, taking the clothing. She frowned. As of recently, she hadn’t felt like wearing dresses, or anything ‘girly,’ really. It didn’t feel right. Maybe it was because she was growing up, but she didn’t like being a girl. She didn’t feel like a girl.
“What’s wrong?” A finger tapped her shoulder, and Izumi turned to see red eyes. Kacchan, still in his ridiculous outfit, had stopped grinning. His lips had curled back to resemble a...scowl? Izumi didn’t know what to call it. He was worried, that’s all that mattered.
“It’s just that I don’t wanna wear this,” Izumi let the dress slip from her hands, watching it pool at her feet. “I don’t like dresses.”
“Huh? But I thought all girls liked dresses.”
“That’s just it, I don’t feel like a girl.” Izumi let out a frustrated sigh, fingers tugging at green curls. She gave her reflection a hard stare, scrunching her nose at the way she looked. That wasn’t right. “I should look like a boy.”
“Oh.”
There was a moment of silence between the two. Then she heard a rummaging behind her, and Izumi watched as her friend searched through the wardrobe. He tossed clothes to the side, a mound now piling up at his feet. Finally, he let a grunt of satisfaction and pulled out a pair of plum purple slacks, pleased with himself.
“Try these on.”
Izumi did just that, practically jumping into the pants before zipping them up. They felt right. Kacchan handed her a t-shirt, which she promptly add to her outfit. Izumi tied her hair back in an attempt to make it shorter and glanced up to view herself in the mirror. This looked right. It felt right.
“Do I look good?” Izumi asked her friend, voice growing soft with nervousness.
“Hell yeah, you do!” Kacchan grinned, giving her a thumbs up. She smiled back.
The two cheered at their accomplishment, prancing around the room and yelling loudly. Izumi had never felt the way she did now, and she cherished it. Being a girl didn’t suit her, and maybe it never had. Whatever this was, it felt right, and she wanted to feel like this forever. So yeah, if looking like a boy made her feel this happy, she’d keep doing it.
“Let’s go show your mom,” Kacchan said.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
~~~
Just a few days ago, Inko had been blessed with something new. Now, over the course of a week, she gained a son. A bright young boy with the lightest of smiles and a head full of medium-length, soft curls.
She began to change his wardrobe at his request, replacing the dresses and skirts with pants and shorts of every color. I still want some pink and purple, mom, just make sure they aren’t too bright.
Inko also started on research to educate herself, and what she found terrified her. The rates of bullying, of suicide among transgender youth shook her. The rates for Quirkless children were only slightly better.
Her son was a part of both worlds.
Still, Inko promised herself that she would do better for him.
(Somewhere else, a certain blonde promised the same thing).
“What name did you pick, dear?”
“Izuku!”
“It’s lovely, Izuku.”
Inko smiles to herself. That’s right, he was Izuku. He’d be alright.