Work Text:
Izuku was not supposed to do this. It was most definitely going to come around and bite him sooner or later, but he honestly couldn’t help himself.
Watching humanity from the safety of their realm, obsessing over the gifts -- they called those Quirks, how cute! -- his own father gave out to them; That was somewhat acceptable. Got him marked as the weird one, but he was the patron god of analysis and logic, so it was kind of on brand for him.
Stepping down from the heavens to mingle with the humans while wearing a human disguise? That would land him in a heap of trouble. Izuku suspected he wouldn’t be allowed out of the Temple for the next three millennia at least.
But it would be worth it.
Because now, he could observe all the quirks from up close, even experience them on himself, being a witness to the ever-changing culture and science surrounding them.
Sometimes, Izuku felt like his fellow gods forgot he was also the patron of curiosity.
***
Izuku wanted to go to UA. Of course, he could have seen interesting quirks at any hero school, but UA was considered the best of the best, and it was led by Nedzu, the stoat with an intelligence quirk, which meant Izuku could find the most fascinating of quirks there.
When he met All Might -- and wasn’t that exciting? That boy, Toshinori, was marked in father’s files as not having been given a gift, and yet there he was with one? -- it was pure curiosity that drove him to ask the question.
“I’m Quirkless,” he said, borrowing the human vernacular. “Do you think I can still make it into UA’s hero course?”
The heavy sigh and following lecture had Izuku scrunching his forehead in confusion. Why was All Might talking like quirklessness was a curse?
In a way, the quirks were the curses, as much as they were blessings, too.
***
Izuku saved Kacchan. It wasn’t his time to die -- he knew that intimately, he checked his files before he set out for Earth -- but no one was doing anything, so Izuku got involved.
Later, he was cornered by All Might again, the man telling him that Izuku had changed his mind, that he could still be a hero- (despite the fact Izuku didn’t really care about that part) -but he’d need a quirk to do that.
Apparently, one of the early humans had a quirk that allowed them to pass itself on. Izuku wasn’t sure how that worked -- there had to be something more to it than just that -- but he was excited to learn more.
***
All Might spat blood the first time Izuku lifted a fridge. Quickly pretending to struggle, he tossed it back down.
So humans were supposed to be weak, alright.
***
UA was a fascinating place. Izuku had an easy enough time going through the entrance exam, even when curbing his physical power to more believable levels.
He could feel the quirk -- One For All, how aptly named -- cursing below the surface of his artificial skin.
To have a quirk of his very own, to be able to experience first hand that wonderful feeling, it was a treat Izuku would not forget, even ages after humanity turned to dust.
Then he tried to actually use it, and the power exploded three of his construct’s limbs.
***
“Show me you have potential,” the teacher -- Eraserhead, what a fascinating quirk he had -- demanded, his glowing eyes trained on Izuku.
Oh, he knew the hero meant to use his quirk, in a way that didn’t leave him in “urgent need of healing” -- he was a god, this construct was merely a vessel -- but…
He had been holding back that entire time, tempering his power to match the average scores of his classmates. If Eraserhead wanted him to show “potential”, Izuku didn’t need the quirk to do that.
Izuku threw the ball, tossing it straight up. If Uraraka could get to infinity, why shouldn’t he try? He could get it out of the atmosphere without an issue.
The stares he’s got for that stunt were pretty amusing. They chalked it up to his quirk, of course.
The strength aspect of it, of course.
***
Izuku was having fun. He stopped his classmates from getting hurt or kidnapped, he could test out his quirk on villains, and in general, he was learning a lot.
Then he learned about All For One.
Then he stood against him in battle.
Or, well, All Might stood against him, while Izuku was some ways off, safely on the sidelines.
Like hell he’d remain there, though.
“How dare you!” He called, parting through the crowds effortlessly, raising into the air to reach All For One faster. “How dare you misuse your gift like this!”
All For One, despite all of the face he was missing, appeared utterly baffled.
“Is that your successor?” He asked All Might, as if there had been another option.
“You were given a wonderful gift!” Izuku continued. “There’s a reason why Transfer was given to you, a first-generation quirk user! You were meant to help people! Fix any mistakes the gods might have done, swap the quirks that needed to be swapped! And you used it to steal them? To hoard them for yourself? Oh, shame on you!”
Now everyone was looking at him, the silence thick enough to hear the distant sounds of traffic.
“Did he hit his head somewhere?” Izuku heard someone whisper.
He reigned his emotions in, approaching the two symbols.
“You misused my father’s gift,” he said, chin in the air. “So I’ll take it now, thank you.”
Reaching towards All For One, Izuku glanced against the man’s hand. It was enough for him.
“Psh, you think you can stop me?” All For One scoffed. “I am more powerful than you could ever imagine!”
Izuku doubted that very much.
All For One struck a pose, clearly trying to use a quirk out of his arsenal.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Izuku asked. “I said you don’t deserve it anymore.”
Leaving All Might behind for the tedious task of cleaning up, Izuku happily skipped away. He’s had a stockpile of quirks to distribute, and altogether not enough time in a lifetime.