Chapter Text
At first, he was happy, excited even.
Despite the fact that the specialist said his quirk factor was dormant and requires a trigger to activate, Midoriya Izuku was happy.
He had a quirk, and all he needed to do was to find the trigger that will activate it. Then, he and Kacchan will go on to become the top heroes in the country, just as they had promised one another.
So he tried everything – exhausting himself in a bid to move furniture and large objects telekinetically, running himself ragged trying to breathe fire, playing with lighters (his Mum was so horrified and angry with that one), the list goes on and on.
Nothing worked.
It is amazing, and perhaps a little troubling, that Izuku continues to hold out on the hope that he will, one day, find the trigger that will activate his quirk. Perhaps it is a defence mechanism, an attempt by his consciousness to shield him from the grim reality that he is completely ordinary in world that prides the extraordinary. He uses his brains and creativity to write down possible triggers and test them, filling up notebook after notebook with his thoughts.
Still, it does not hide the fact that others around Izuku have long given up that same hope.
By the time Izuku is six years old, and still no sign of a tangible quirk, people have already written him off as a lost cause. It doesn’t matter that he has a quirk factor, he is effectively quirkless.
That is when Izuku becomes Deku – worthless, useless and a waste of space and oxygen in the eyes of his peers.
Even his childhood friend, whom he has known since they were in diapers, turned on him in a stinging act of betrayal. The cause wasn’t even consequential, like a massive argument leading to a falling-out. Kacchan had simply fallen into a stream and Izuku had gone to help him up. However, an inflated ego and a budding superiority complex does not mix well with a perceived slight by someone whom the blonde viewed as inferior.
The following years are difficult and harrowing. Izuku is subjected to systemic abuse by his peers and those who are supposed to look out for him. Spearheaded by Kacchan, Izuku is physically bullied, becomes the target of violent quirk-usage, and has his self-worth and esteem destroyed by cruel words and jeers. Not a single adult, other than his mother, comes to his aid. At best, they ignore him, turning a blind eye and deaf ear to the bullying. At worst, some actively encourage the torment, fuelled by prejudice and hate for what they perceive to be nothing more than a sub-human freak who needs to be eradicated.
Despite it all, Izuku stubbornly holds onto the hope that his quirk will activate, even as it continues to crack under the increasing weight of torment and abuse. He remains determined that somebody out there will agree that he can still be a hero one day, even with a dormant quirk factor.
However, nothing can last forever.
“Just fucking kill yourself, shitty Deku! Maybe if you throw yourself off a God damn roof, you’ll get a quirk in your next life!”
The words continue to echo, as did the cruel laughter, long after thirteen-year-old Izuku had left the school grounds.
‘And then what?’ he thinks vehemently, ‘You will get into trouble for instigating a suicide. You will never be able to become a hero with a criminal record, Kacchan. Is that what you want?’
It is the ultimate low, a sign that a friendship (can it really be called a friendship if only Izuku sees it as such?) of a by-gone time has truly crumbled.
And it hurts, it truly hurts.
Especially the memories. They haunt him constantly, reminding him of happier days, when he and Kacchan used to laugh and smile together, fantasising about becoming top heroes who will surpass All Might. He would do anything, give anything to restore his friendship with Kacchan.
Perhaps if he finally activated his quirk, Kacchan will be friends with him again?
Unfortunately, there is just one problem with that.
He is running out of possible triggers that could activate his dormant quirk. Over the past nine years, he has gone through so many that he has lost count, and none of them worked. His brain is tired, creative juices are running low, and despite his stubborn determination, his hope is riddled with cracks that grow larger each day.
It will only take one more blow for everything to come crashing down.
But for now, it does not register.
Normally, he does not take this specific underpass to get home, but it is a shortcut he discovered recently.
It is heavily graffitied, and in desperate need for repair and maintenance. There are no security cameras either, making it the perfect setting for something horribly wrong to happen, and go unnoticed.
A few paces ahead, a metal grate rattles.
Before Izuku can react, it bursts off with a loud clatter. Foul-smelling slime emerges like a bog monster from the deep, spreading across the underpass as eyes and a large mouth filled with terrifying-looking teeth takes form. It sees Izuku, and the mouth twists into a feral grin.
“A medium-sized meat sack! You’ll do just fine!”
Izuku has no time to react, let alone move, as the slime monster engulfs him. He tries, with all his might, to fight back and escape. But his entire body is surrounded by slime, and there is nothing to grab hold of. It is almost like a gelatinous liquid, and Izuku is drowning.
“Stop resisting, kid!” the monster snarls, forcing more of itself through Izuku’s mouth and nose, “You’ll only make it worse for yourself!”
Izuku struggles, but it is seemingly in vain. His vision is going dark, his lungs and heart are burning with increasing heat, and his strength is waning.
This is it. He is going to die. He will never see his mother again, and his body is going to be violated by this villain. Nobody will witness his passing and involuntary descent into villainy, all because he doesn’t have an active quirk to fight back. He lived as a Deku, and now he is going to die a –
“VILLAIN! UNHAND HIM THIS INSTANT!”
He barely registers the ensuing rush of air.
“TEXAS SMASH!”
As it turns out, someone did witness Izuku’s near brush with death and pulled him away from the reaper’s scythe before it could claim his soul.
The Symbol of Peace himself, All Might.
In eviscerating the slime monster with an overpowered punch, All Might saved Izuku and revived him. Cue high-pitched fanboy freak-out and a prized autograph.
That should have been the end, since All Might was, apparently, in a rush. But Izuku, sweet and foolish Izuku, was not done yet. So as the Symbol of Peace took off into the air like a rocket, Izuku leapt onto the man’s leg and held on. After some airborne struggle, All Might lands on a random skyscraper’s roof to get Izuku off safely.
Again, that should have been the end. However, All Might harbours a big secret, one that is involuntarily revealed to Izuku when his time limit ends, and he deflates in a great cloud of steam, revealing his true, emaciated self.
Izuku is made to swear up and down, left, right and centre, that he will not reveal this secret to anyone, lest he unleashes Pandora’s Box upon society. Yagi Toshinori then proceeds to leave, but Izuku sees his chance.
“All Might, please, I need to know! Can someone with a dormant quirk factor ever become a hero like you?”
Yagi raises an eyebrow, “Dormant?”
“My quirk is inactive,” Izuku explains, “I may not have super strength like you, but there must be some way I can be a hero, right?”
He waits with bated breath for the answer he has craved for years.
“My boy, listen to yourself. You don’t have a quirk to protect yourself with, or be useful to others. You will just be liability. I must stress to you, you cannot be a hero without an active quirk. It is a dangerous field of work, one that will see you killed right away.”
Yagi shuffles past a frozen Izuku, patting a shoulder, “Be patient, I’m sure your quirk will manifest one day. In the meantime, I beseech that you don’t do anything reckless. I will let security know to let you down.”
Without looking back, the emaciated man disappears through the rooftop access door, the closing click echoing across the silent roof.
The shock lasts for a minute, before an avalanche of emotion smashes through Izuku’s fragile hope.
His legs give out from under him, and he crumples to the floor, heaving wildly as tears spill forth from his eyes.
The sobs and wails follow suit.
“Seriously? Deku wants to be a hero without a quirk?”
There is nothing left…
“He is so creepy! Those notebooks scare me!”
Nothing at all…
“Midoriya-kun also wants to apply to U.A. …”
No more dreams…
“Have faith, Izuku! I’m sure your quirk will manifest soon!”
No more hope…
“Just fucking kill yourself, shitty Deku! Maybe if you throw yourself off a God damn roof, you’ll get a quirk in your next life!”
…
…
No further point.
Izuku’s sobs quieten, nothing but silence for another minute. Then, he slowly gets up. His expression is that of calm emptiness, despite the tear tracks and puffy eyes, now dull and dark.
Robotically, he saunters over to the edge. Beyond the flaking railing, the long fall to the ground guarantees an immediate death for those who pursue a departure from the world.
Izuku slips off his shoes, and kicks them to one side. He steps onto the ledge, and hoists himself over the railing. Balancing precariously on the edge, he closes his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mum…”
Letting go of the railing, he pitches forward.
There is no moment of weightlessness, no illusion of flight.
He just falls.
His body spins and tumbles. The wind howls deafeningly in his ears. He can no longer breathe from the disorientation, the burning heat emerging from his lungs once more.
He hits the pavement several seconds later.
A sickening crunch of bones, and a splatter of blood.
Then…
… FIRE.
To Be Continued.