Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hisashi sat patiently in the waiting room with Inko. Izuku was between them, headphones and glasses on, fiddling with one of his teething toys. They’d gotten here 15 minutes early because of the bad weather, and considering how empty it was Hisashi was glad they did. It was only them, an elderly couple, and one poor receptionist with the phone ringing off the hook. From what he could hear it was another client canceling their appointment. The TV mounted on the wall listed how much snowfall they were expected to receive, and how many road closures there were, along with which Heroes were being sent out to help clear them. 

Hisashi hadn’t seen this much snow in years. It was ironic, considering for once he wished it wasn’t snowing, so they could have gotten here sooner. Just because Izuku seemed like he had more control over this aspect of his Quirk did not mean it was safe. So far the bowl of water had been effective. Izuku hadn’t even needed it on the night he had that nightmare, but he had used it the next day, because apparently his hands had gotten warmer in his sleep. He’d told them, nervously, at breakfast saying his hands had gotten cold. He’d acted like he was about to get in trouble again, but how could they scold him for that? 

“Midoriya?” 

Hisashi jolted out of his thoughts when their name was called. Izuku almost dropped his teething toy, but Inko managed to grab it last minute. 

The nurse smiled reassuringly at them, her skin faintly glowing even under the bright lights. She had lavender hair and blue skin, but otherwise had normal human-looking features. “Right this way, waiting room five. The doctor will be with you shortly--and don’t worry, everything in the room is fireproof.” 

Hisashi relaxed immediately and Inko smiled. They situated themselves in the two chairs available, with Izuku immediately rushing over to a small box of toys in the corner. “See?” Inko spoke quietly, “Don’t worry. The doctor is very kind, and they’re used to…Quirks that may be dangerous. Like I told you, Mitsuki recommended them because of Katsuki.” That had Hisashi calming down at least a little. He was still nervous, after all who knew what the doctor would say? But if he could handle Katsuki’s explosive Quirk (he’d heard about the incident in the park, obviously, and knew Katsuki’s Quirk would only get stronger) then Izuku’s potentially fire-related Quirk should be easy.

Hisashi was just glad he could tell the doctor about this aspect of Izuku’s Quirk. Though he still wished he knew more about his birth father, considering clearly Izuku’s mutations skipped generations. “I know when I first went to the doctor--for my Quirk--they tested me on how hot my fire was. Thankfully it wasn’t as strong as it was when I got older, but they were able to find me a good Quirk Counselor, do you think they’ll recommend one today?” Usually they would wait until the Quirk fully manifested, but clearly Izuku’s Quirk was far more unique than that. Hisashi knew some Quirks were slow coming in, but the few people he knew with Mutant Quirks were almost always born with their features. Otherwise they didn’t really want to talk about their childhood much, so Hisashi hadn’t pressed. 

“I…don’t know, I hope so.” Inko was watching Izuku as he avidly started solving some sort of block puzzle, he’d already solved two other puzzles--a regular flat one, and another one shaped like a cube. “We just…don’t know as much as we should. I wouldn’t know how to help him. I-I…” She started to stutter, her voice shaky with emotion, “Had a list…you know I had a list, but I didn’t understand how some would--would come i-in. Like his hearing or--or eyesight.” Those would be long-term and already needed to be suppressed in some sense. Same with his claws and teeth, though those were much easier to handle. “If he…if this is f-fire related then…you’re only here for another week.” 

Hisashi knew that. This was just a vacation. He couldn’t extend his visit, even if he had a legitimate excuse. Yet again it hurt, because he should be here for his son. He knew what it was like to deal with a dangerous Quirk. He could feel the smoke constantly curling at the back of his throat, and knew if he got too angry his Quirk got harder to control. He had quirk suppressant pills, of course, but those were short term and highly regulated. Quirk suppressing collars were also available, but much more noticeable. Hisashi had control. He had to learn it, because he didn’t want to be collared like some sort of--sort of animal. 

Hisashi took a deep breath. It tasted like ash. “I know. I’m sorry. I want to be here but…” 

Inko squeezed his hand, “I know.” She repeated after him, “It’s alright.” 

Before Hisashi could say anything back there was a knock on the door. In walked a tall lithe man with bright orange hair and matching orange eyes. He had a tablet in his hands. “Hello, hello lovely weather we’re having.” Hisashi wanted to snort, but he didn’t. This man was immediately looking towards Izuku, who had stopped working on his puzzle. “I see we’re back again.” He glanced towards Inko, then his eyes fell on Hisashi, “You must be--”

“My husband.”

“Midoriya Hisashi.”

They replied at the same time, glancing at each other, then smiling. Just like that the mood in the room lightened. Inko squeezed his hand tighter as they both turned back to the doctor. He was smiling in that professional sort of way most doctors had. “It’s nice to finally meet you. This may help us understand more about Izuku's Quirk. I'm assuming he's here because of it.” He started typing away on his tablet, probably pulling up more data on Izuku’s file. 

Hisashi nodded his head, watching as Izuku shuffled towards them. Once he reached Hisashi, and grabbed his pants leg he started speaking, “Yes. A few days ago he started being able to warm things up. Just with his hands, so far, and so far he also seems to have better control of it.” Izuku tugged at his pants again before Hisashi understood, scooping Izuku up easily so he could sit on his lap. 

“Well that's a relief at least. You can turn it on and off?” He was speaking to Izuku here, who nodded his head shyly. “Good, good. What have you warmed up?” 

“Hot chocolate, um, friend's hands.” Izuku mumbled. “and snow.” 

The doctor started typing away on his tablet, before asking, “How were you able to stop it? Did it hurt at all?”

Izuku thought for a moment, pushing back against Hisashi's chest. “J-just wanted it, um, not as hot. Mama said it didn't hurt. Kacchan did too.” Then, softer, he added, “It didn't hurt me, um, at all.”

“So we think he's fireproof too.” Inko reached out to rub one of Izuku's hands, “Or at least, ah, fire resistant.”

The doctor chuckled, “That’s certainly something you wouldn’t want to intentionally try out.” It was a bit of dark humor that Hisashi wanted to laugh at too, but Inko just looked worried so he kept his mouth shut. “Let’s consider that he’s always been fireproof or resistant this entire time, just to make this easier on ourselves.” The doctor continued, typing away again on his tablet, Hisashi hoped this was a document that could easily be sent to them later, “Now, we’re starting to get into the finer details of his Quirk. The aspects that aren’t as obvious.” He was clearly talking about his physical mutations versus this, “Since he thankfully can turn it on and off, and that it clearly reacts to his thought process it will be easier to test. He will need to outside of this, or your home, so I can go ahead and start recommending a Quirk Counselor.”

Hisashi and Inko perked up. Izuku just looked confused. “Really? That would be so helpful. I’m…leaving soon and I know if…anything else crops up while I’m gone…” He squeezed Inko’s hand, “I’d try to help as much as I could, but it would be through phone calls. I’m not sure when I’d be able to visit again.”

The doctor’s expression turned to one of sympathy, “You wouldn’t be the first, unfortunately. That even applies to parents who have to consistently work, or, obviously, the child being at school, and I assume you wouldn’t pull him out of school unless it was something serious.” They knew on his file that there was a note when his teeth came in, then when his claws did, but accidentally melting or burning things could be much more destructive.   

“We would rather not.” Inko agreed immediately, “One of his best friends has a…very difficult Quirk to manage too, but he’s learning and school is helping. I don’t want him to be separated from that.” Even if they could easily visit outside of school, “Izuku is also starting to make more friends, I wouldn’t want to mess up that either.” Hisashi knew most of those friendships were because of Katsuki, but the point was that Izuku was making friends, even as shy as he was. It made Hisashi feel better about leaving if Izuku had more of a support group, even if they were children who didn’t even realize what they were doing.

“I understand that completely.” Again, the doctor was typing away on his tablet, “Now, to get you the right therapist I need to see this aspect in person, just to make sure there aren’t any side-effects you aren’t seeing. Izuku,” He actually leaned down now to look Izuku in the eye, “Would you be able to show me? I can find something for you to warm up.” It was one of the reasons why he was such a good doctor for destructive Quirks. They specifically had special rooms and special items for children to practice with. Even if those practice sessions tended to be the child fumbling and destroying more than they should. No one was expecting control here, and they prepared for that.

Izuku looked up at him and Hisashi smiled encouragingly, “It’s alright, you can do it. I know you can!”

“Remember how Katsuki came back and told you how much he destroyed last time?” Inko added on, clearly trying to make it sound like a good thing, “He was so happy!” Even if she’d told him about his bandaged hands and the temporary support guards around Katsuki’s wrists. He’d burned himself by accident, and he’d had numbed wrists for several days. “You can do it too.”

Izuku fidgeted a bit more before mumbling out, “But I just melt things? It’s not like…like that?”

“You can keep whatever you melt.” The doctor quickly reassured him. “Don’t worry, we have plenty of things you can melt!”

“O-Okay.” Izuku nodded his head slowly, “Um, I can try.”

“Excellent!” The doctor smiled widely, “Now let me show you where the room is. Follow me!” He walked over to the door and opened it, motioning them through.

Izuku still wanted to be held, so Hisashi shifted his weight and held him in his arms as they walked out of the room.

It didn’t take long to reach the reinforced practice rooms that the doctor spoke of. This one had padded soundproof walls, with a long table and several cabinets on one end. There was also a sectioned off area that the parents could stand behind and watch just in case an accident happened. This area had a large window made of thick Quirked glass to prevent it from breaking, and had chairs lining one wall.

“Alright, now,” He motioned for Izuku to be set down. Hisashi did so slowly, but didn’t move away from his son. He quickly glanced at Inko, who hadn’t moved either. The Doctor smiled at them both before speaking to Izuku again, “Since your Quirk is hand-based we’ll bring in some smaller items first.” He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out three items. One was a mug, looking similar to the ones they had at home. Clearly that was on purpose, given that they’d said that was the first thing Izuku heated up. The second was a long, seemingly wooden, staff. Finally, there was a small bear made out of what looked like glass. Why a bear? Hisashi didn’t know. It probably didn’t matter considering it was probably going to be melted anyway. Hisashi was honestly more concerned about the wooden staff, after all wood could easily catch fire unless it was somehow enforced with a Quirk.

“Now, normally I would tell you two to step back, but if you don’t believe there will be much immediate damage then you can stay here, just step back, please and wear these.” Somehow the doctor had procured safety goggles, white gloves, and orange jackets that could be zipped up. His body glowed like there was some sort of protective barrier surrounding him and Hisashi briefly wondered if it had to deal with his Quirk, “Don’t worry about me, my Quirk helps.”

Hisashi hadn’t even wondered about the Doctor’s Quirk, but it made sense if it was some sort of protective one. It must hold up to several different kinds of Quirks, he’d have to get to his clients quickly, after all.

There was a moment of tense silence as Hisashi slid on the protective outfit, watching as Inko did too, before they turned back to Izuku, who looked concerned. It made Hisashi feel bad, but he’d feel even worse if they hid. Izuku would probably start crying and not be able to focus at all. This was important, they needed to figure this out in a safer setting than their house.

The tense silence continued for a beat too long before the doctor turned back to Izuku and murmured, “Alright, now, Izuku, you can start.”

Hisashi watched as Izuku swallowed hard and reached for the mug first. His hands were shaking badly, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Just like before Hisashi didn’t notice any outward difference, there was nothing in the cup, so they couldn’t see any steam either. It took a few minutes before Izuku was holding the mug up and mumbling, “It’s…warm now.”

The doctor pulled out a thermometer that clearly was made for this, tapping it on the side of the mug, then inside too. He quickly pulled out his tablet (where had he put it? Probably in his lab coat, but how? Quirks.) and jotted down the new information, “Alright, I can definitely say you would have to be careful, especially if there was liquid in here. It’s why I didn’t put any in. You can put it down now and let it cool off by itself, or if you think you can cool it down yourself, we can try that too?”

Izuku stared at him, then at the mug, then back at him, “Okay.” He didn’t let the mug go, and instead concentrated even more. Now that Hisashi knew what to look for, he saw Izuku tense up even more. Clearly cooling something down was harder than warming it up. The doctor noticed too and added that to his notes. A few minutes passed before Izuku held the mug up to the doctor, “Now?”

This time the doctor reached out and touched the mug, “Hm, yes it feels almost like normal. Like a comfortable heat, I can see how your mother wouldn’t have gotten burned.” He was smiling encouragingly and the tenseness in Izuku’s shoulders lessened. “We’ll assume right now that this is the coldest you can make an object after you’ve warmed it up. Just as a starting point.” He glanced at them now, “This is something you can safely practice at home, I think. As long as it's set on something fireproof, which I assume you have?”

Inko quickly nodded her head, “Yes! Yes, we do. We can try that; we always make warm drinks this time of year!” It occurred briefly that maybe this was why this aspect of Izuku’s Quirk manifested. If it was cold, didn’t it make sense to warm up? Even if it wasn’t in the typical way? Hadn’t Hisashi thought about catching something on fire with his Quirk simply to help warm up himself? Granted his would be immediately dangerous versus Izuku’s Quirk so he never did. Sure, he had control but breathing fire was still dangerous.

“Would you like to try the next object now? Or do you need to rest?” Hisashi clued back in immediately at the doctor’s question, watching closely as Izuku easily nodded his head, “Are you sure?” Another nod and Izuku quickly reached for the wooden staff. Hisashi almost cringed, if it was easy to warm things up then would the wood burn?

The answer? Was blackened handprints and Izuku jerking back. It hadn’t taken nearly as long, and the results were very obvious. “U-Uhm.” Izuku looked at his hands, then back at the staff, “I-I—sorry!” He curled in a bit, again looking like he would be scolded. It hurt Hisashi’s heart, even as he watched the doctor smile placatingly. He jotted something down again on his tablet before crouching down to Izuku’s height.

“It’s alright.” His voice was bright, almost enthusiastic, “Don’t worry, we always bring out something we think will be easy to burn, and you proved you could burn it on your first try. You stopped though, see? It didn’t catch fire.” That was true at least, Hisashi would have burned it to a crisp at Izuku’s age, even with how weak his fire had probably been, “This shows how much control you have. Now, may I feel your hands? Or do you think they’re still too warm to touch?” Oh, right. Izuku had pulled his hands away. That didn’t mean he completely shut his Quirk off.

Izuku was staring at his hands now, frowning, “N-Not yet.” The doctor pulled out the thermometer again, quickly holding it over Izuku’s hands, before gently pressing the tip against his fingers, and then the palm. The thermometer gave a series of beeps, then the doctor pulled it away to type something else out on his tablet.

“Alright, the heat source definitely starts on your palms Then reaches your fingers. Good to know. Also good to know how long it takes for your hands to cool down. I would say if you just touch something with your fingertips you wouldn’t burn it now,” He nodded to the wood, “But let’s wait. Try to cool your hands down for me? Then we can try touching the wood again.”

Izuku nodded his head, staring at his hands with a small frown before, slowly, nodding his head again. The doctor held the thermometer over just his palms now before smiling, “See? Much better. They’re naturally warmer, but you can touch anything now without burning it.” He looked towards them now, especially Inko, “This is, again, very good to know. Now you know not to worry if his hands feel warmer. They will probably naturally be the warmest part of his body. I would say this is more regulation of temperature and it’s mental. Izuku,” He turned to smile at Izuku, “Can simply think about making something warmer and he’ll be able to. Obviously flammable objects, like wood, or fabric, have a higher chance of burning or charring, but as long as he practices control he shouldn’t have a problem.”

Inko sighed in relief and Hisashi felt his shoulders sag. Good. Having control over this, especially at Izuku’s age, was wonderful. Though he knew there would probably be accidents—after all he was just a child, it would be easily solvable. It wasn’t like he needed special gloves or glasses and earbuds.

Wait.

“He wears gloves.” Hisashi blurted out, “Are they fireproof? What if—”

“We’ll have to ask.” Inko picked up on his worry immediately, “I’m sure they are, though. Ah,” She looked at the doctor almost apologetically, “We have some good friends that work in the fashion industry. They helped with his glasses and gave him gloves that help with his claws.” Granted again there were several types of gloves out there for claws, but some were obviously not fireproof. “Would they still be okay to wear even if they weren’t fireproof? Oh wait, stupid question! Of course they might not be, I-I’m sorry—”

Hisashi quickly moved closer to his wife and slid an arm around her waist. “It’s alright, again we’ll ask.”

“Please do.” The doctor looked understanding at least, “Chances are they are, after all if they helped with his glasses. If they aren’t then they could possibly be easily modified depending on what they used. You could possibly even find fireproof sealant of some kind. I’m sure they sell it at multiple places, though I’d see if it’s fabric safe.”

Right. Of course. In this world of Quirks fireproofing would be easy enough to do. After all their furniture came fireproofed, they’d just have to find out how they did it. Inko sighed in relief again, leaning against Hisashi, “Alright, yes, we’ll do that. I’m sorry, I’m just—”

“It’s alright.” The doctor cut her off gently, one look at Izuku and Hisashi knew why. He looked like he was about to cry, like he blamed himself again for this, even if it wasn’t his fault.

“Izu,” Hisashi started, “It’s alright. There’s nothing wrong! Promise.”

“P-Promise?” Izuku’s voice was quiet as he glanced from him, to Inko, back to the doctor, then to the wooden staff and the handprint scorch marks.

“Promise.” Hisashi nodded his head again before turning to the doctor, “…Are we continuing?”

“Ah, yes, right.” The doctor blinked a few times, eyes glowing briefly before the ‘shield’ around him brightened. So it was on a time limit. Good to know. “Now we’ll try with the bear.” He gently led Izuku to the next object. The glass-like bear. “We need to see how you do against this. Don't worry, it's not actually glass! But it is Quirk-Infused specifically for this exercise. You were fine with the mug, but with this...it can be…ah, difficult.”

In other words, it could be the in-between. It depended on how thick the 'glass' was, what exactly the doctor meant by 'enforced' by. The bear looked completely clear, but it was clearly solid, not hollow. 

“—It may hurt more if you warm it up too quickly, it’s why we have it go last. Since you have so much control, I believe you should be fine, but just in case.” The doctor continued his explanation, which honestly Hisashi wasn’t sure if it was helping Izuku or not. He looked scared, which wasn’t helpful at all. Hisashi almost regretted bringing up the gloves. They could’ve worried about that later.

It was too late now. Izuku was looking at the bear, then the doctor, then them. This time Inko was the one to nod her head, even if she was worried. Hisashi felt her lean against him even harder, head on his shoulder as Izuku reached out to touch the glass. Like with the mug it took a moment of concentration, but the results were obvious. Izuku had placed his hands on the ‘head’ of the bear, and now the face was slowly melting. It would probably be even more mangled but before they could get much farther than that, the doctor stopped him, “Alright, I believe that’s enough. You can move your hands back now.” Izuku did as instructed, and not a second too soon. A portion of melted 'glass' fell with a soft splat onto the table. Looking at the melted figure it was clear it had been its nose. Just like with the mug the doctor pulled out a thermometer, but he didn’t hover it for long over the 'glass' before pulling it away. Yet again he typed something on his tablet before finally sliding it back into his coat.

“Well then.” The doctor smiled reassuringly when Izuku looked between him and the bear again, “That answers that question. Yes, your Quirk works on this. No, I won’t ask you to cool this down. It wouldn’t be worthwhile.” Not to mention if it was anything like glass it would become brittle and easier to shatter. “It’s also easier to tell what temperature you heated up to, considering we have more of these on hand thanks to exercises like this. Now for my next question. How tired are you?”

Izuku blinked, startled, and honestly Hisashi was surprised too. Izuku didn’t look tired, even if he'd had to concentrate harder to cool his hands off. “Uh…um…not m-much?”

“How about your hands? Are they still hot? Is it easier or harder to cool them down?”

Izuku looked at his hands, wiggling his fingers, then frowning. He was concentrating again, a wrinkle in his forehead as they waited for his hands to supposedly drop to an ‘okay’ temperature. It definitely took longer, which had the doctor nodding along like he expected it. Honestly it did make sense. Izuku had used his Quirk for multiple different objects in quick succession, with two being harder to burn, and even the easy one faster to burn. Finally, Izuku nodded his head and held his hands out.

The doctor touched them again, “Alright, they’re a little warmer than before, but not by much. You said you used water to cool them down before?” Inko was the one to nod her head, “That seems like a good option for now, as long as they aren’t too warm. We know how his Quirk works when there’s liquid in something, but if his hands are too warm…” He trailed off.

Right. They didn’t need boiling water, even if Izuku was ‘heatproof’. That would scare anyone. Inko’s face noticeably paled. “A-Alright. We’ll try something different if we need t-to.”

Now the doctor looked like he vaguely regretted saying what he did, but it was necessary. They didn’t want to learn by accident. “Well, again, it looks like Izuku here,” He easily added Izuku back into the conversation, he’d tensed up but didn’t look like he was about to panic, “seems like he has plenty of control for now. It should be easy to give you a list of Quirk Counselor’s that deal with multifaceted Quirks like his. Let’s head back?” It was clear that the longer they were here the more anxious everyone was going to get. Hisashi hadn’t even noticed how tense his arm around Inko had been until he didn’t want to let her go immediately.

He only did so he could pick Izuku up when he practically ran to him.

Once they were back and seated, this time with Izuku in Inko’s lap, the doctor pulled his laptop back out. “Alright, you’ll be getting a copy of this, naturally, as with all Izuku’s medical files you can access them through our personalized medical website. I’ll also give you a printed copy here in a moment, along with the list of Quirk Counselors I feel would best suit your needs.”

Hisashi and Inko nodded their heads in unison. One look at Izuku made Hisashi’s heart lurch again. He was hiding his face in Inko’s chest now, flexing his hands like he wanted to latch onto her, but was afraid of his claws. Inko one-handedly pulled out his gloves from the purse she’d somehow grabbed and thankfully pulled them out. She passed them to Izuku, who shakily began putting them on. For all the talk of making them fireproof they were still necessary even with the potential danger of catching them on fire.

“Now then, do you have any more questions?” It was the standard end-of-doctor’s-visit questions, while they waited for the nearby printer to finish spitting out their copy of the doctor’s notes. It wasn’t horrifically long, but it was still several pages. “Don’t be afraid to ask anything, even if you feel like you want to set up another doctor’s appointment.”

Hisashi perked up at that, “Do you think we should? Or should we wait until seeing the Quirk specialist?”

The doctor thought for a few minutes then shook his head, “Unless Izuku here hurts himself, or obviously if he gets sick, I think you should wait. It’s better to see if they can help or have suggestions, and if some of them require more…medical intervention,” The words sounded ominous, “Then you can. We deal with Quirks like this daily, and we see many clients from Quirk Councilor’s, both the ones I’m suggesting as well as others. You’re also already patients, so it will be easier to fit you in.”

Hisashi glanced at Inko here, who kept a perpetual worried frown on her face. He felt horrible again, because again unless they got the Quirk Counselor appointment within the next few days he wouldn’t be here for that. He’d get a phone call, sure, but that was never the same. What if it was truly something dangerous that needed constant medical care? What if he actually did acquire some sort of fire-related ability that wasn’t just warming things up with his hands? What if—

No. No ‘what if’s’. He couldn’t think about those right now. So he nodded his head and accepted the papers the doctor handed him.

“Don’t be afraid to call.” The doctor added as he led them back to the waiting room.

***

At home they looked at the list after they’d put Izuku down for a nap. At first, they wanted him to be there when they read it, but after all the stress he’d gone through during the doctor’s appointment he was almost asleep in the car. Inko hadn’t bothered to put him in his room, opting instead to put him on the couch with his favorite All Might themed blanket. This way they could watch him just in case he woke up from a nightmare. They hoped he wouldn’t, but Hisashi knew what stress could do to a person’s dreams.

He'd rather be close by. Inko agreed.

So they were sitting at the table, Izuku in sight, before looking at the list. There were four names listed,

Dr. Usui Kin -Pediatrician, focusing on ‘late bloomers’, whose Quirks manifest late and, often times, are very dangerous.

Dr. Higashi Masuyo -Pediatrician, focusing on Mutant Quirks, from the mundane to the dangerous.

Dr. Gotou Minori -Pediatrician, focuses on ‘Quirk Combinations’, when a parent’s Quirks combine and create a “new” Quirk. This could include dangerous ones.

Dr. Kimura Hisao -Pediatrician, focusing on ‘Faceted’ Quirks, or Quirks with more than one aspect, usually discovered anywhere from early childhood to Middle School.

Inko and Hisashi glanced at each other, then back down at the paper. Each one sounded exactly like something they needed. They were all varying distances from their home, but none farther than a forty-five-minutes. With the train station being nearby even that distance would be easy if they made the appointment long enough in advance. “We’ll need to plan for emergencies.” Inko murmured, scrolling through the official websites for Kimura Hisao, “But I think…do you think…will it really be okay…?”

Hisashi squeezed Inko’s free hand encouragingly, “This is for Izuku, we’ll make it work.”

Chapter Text

They decided in the end to go with Dr. Kimura. They weren’t the closest of the four doctors, but they weren’t the farthest either, and while they certainly didn’t seem as focused as the other 3 options, Hisashi and Inko had agreed that they needed more help preparing for eventual and unknown than the concrete. Direct research and multiple phone calls had proven that Dr. Kimura was well-versed in planning ahead, creating an action plan based on theoretically what may or may not manifest.

That was, apparently, thanks to their Quirk, which was the other reason they decided on them.

Quirk Name: Aspect
Description: Touch-Activated. Through skin-contact they can get a ‘feel’ for what someone’s Quirk could do, including hidden abilities/functions that are not noticeably present.

They’d surprised enough people in their youth, telling them something about their Quirk they hadn’t known, and only discovered it to be true afterwards, to apparently decide their career early as a Quirk Counselor.

Through the years they honed the knowledge it gave them—to become more specific, to categorize and make lists pertaining to each individual: after all no two Quirks were exactly alike, even if they could be split into similar categories. Strength enhancing Quirks were the main examples they had given on their website. Those could have many different facets to create that extra enhancement even if the end result was almost the same. Most people hadn’t even known what exactly caused the ’enhanced strength’, just that it had, until Dr. Kimura ‘told’ them. This helped their clients (in most cases, the parents of the client) find out if they could do more with their Quirk than just punch harder/lift more, and also helped prevent negative side effects such as if the strength enhancement came from something unusual—like certain foods, or even the amount of sunlight they absorbed throughout the day.

It was even more insightful for those like Izuku, with very obvious mutant traits, which would immediately write off anything else in favor of what those obvious mutations could do. If Izuku’s ability to regulate temperature—at least to help warm objects up—hadn’t manifested when it did, Inko was almost certain they would have eventually put down just that he had some generic dragon-esque mutations like Hisashi’s father supposedly had.

They still might consider it as one, but they needed to know more about it first.

This was even more important because Hisashi would not be here with her. He’d stayed as long as he could, after all he’d already paid for his return flight at the same time as the flight home, but this appointment had still been pushed back to the New Year thanks to availability and the holidays. Inko remembered Hisashi crying at the airport, squeezing her, and then Izuku as hard as he could and promising to try and come home sooner. Then he’d asked for them to video call the minute they got back home from the doctor’s appointment—regardless of what hour it was in California.

Naturally Inko had to talk some common sense into him, after all their appointment was early in the morning, ideally when Hisashi should be asleep especially considering he had work to catch up on. Hisashi was a night owl, but Inko wasn’t sure how long their appointment would last for, and she really didn’t want Hisashi staying up because of it. Surely it wouldn’t take longer than an hour, but it sounded like the first visit to a Quirk Counselor was always the one with the most paperwork to fill out. Yes, she’d filled out what she could online but when a place advertised the fact they could help when their clients knew too little, it was understandable that most of the online forms remained blank.

Maybe that was one way they vetted clients. If someone knew enough about their Quirk, or their children’s Quirk, then they would refer them elsewhere.

At least Inko knew that wasn’t them. It made her feel a bit better even as her anxiety skyrocketed on their way from the train station to Dr. Kimura’s office. It thankfully was easy to spot, the building technically housed several different Quirk Counselor’s, each with their own specialties and age groups. Dr. Kimura was one of the most sought out, being one of the two pediatricians working in the building. The other counselors worked with either children older than Izuku, or the elderly who might have issues controlling their Quirk because of old age, rather than being too young and still learning.

Each floor had its own waiting room, with each doctor having their own, sectioned off, area modified to fit their clientele. Most of the time that just meant Quirk enhanced furniture, along with other safety measures in place in case of Quirk Accidents, but the website had particularly advertised that the children’s floor and the elderly’s floor (the 2^nd and 1^st floors respectively) had the most protection as well as the ‘most’ accommodations. Not that the other groups didn’t have them, but at that stage they either knew what their Quirk was, or at least had moderately better control over it than a smaller child—even if it was through medicine or other protective clothing, like with Izuku’s gloves or Hisashi’s often sparingly-used Quirk Suppressant medication.

(She knew he still had it, and would take it because of stress at work, but she also knew he relied on control over having to rely on something as highly regulated as Quirk Suppressants. It made her sad, but it also made her proud that Hisashi knew his limits. She loved him so much.)

Inko still wasn’t quite prepared for the amount of people in the lobby when she walked in through the front doors. She knew they’d been ‘booked’, it made sense for Dr. Kimura, but watching the steady flow of people was still a little alarming. The first floor was, again, strictly for the elderly so she knew she needed to find the elevator, or perhaps the stairs, but that was where the most people were coming from or heading to. She could already hear one or two crying children, and she could feel Izuku clinging to her legs. Inko was grateful she had fully decked Izuku out for this. Earphones on underneath his earmuffs, glasses on at all times, and even two sets of gloves—one to keep warm, and underneath those were his special reinforced ones.

She knew Izuku could still hear the crying, but at least this way it didn’t make him cry either.

Thankfully whoever had the crying children hadn’t moved any closer, and a break in the crowd showed four elevators lining one wall. Oh. Well then. That made it easier. If they could choose from four elevators then it was less likely that they’d get stuck in one with another child. Or even if they did hopefully it wouldn’t be one with a crying child in it.

Inko certainly hoped so, for Izuku’s sake. He was clinging even harder now, and part of her just wanted to scoop him up, but she knew he was starting to get a little too heavy to do that long term, especially if they were going to have to wait.

Thankfully they didn’t have to wait long. The elevators seemed to be moving faster than normal, possibly due to a Quirk, and soon they were squeezed into an elevator with four other people. Clearly the others were a family—a mother and father with two teenage, middle school or possibly early high school, children. The parents glanced back nervously, like they expected Izuku to be the problem, and honestly…could she really blame them? They were probably remembering how their children (she couldn’t tell what Quirks they had, only that the youngest one was twitching occasionally) were at that age. Inko tried to give them a smile. She wasn’t sure if it helped.

Soon enough they reached the children’s floor and she quickly ushered Izuku out. The waiting room was as she expected, sectioned off (with some chairs enclosed with windows) and with a good number of parents sitting with their children. She saw a larger age range than she expected, from around Izuku’s range, to possibly late elementary school, which helped. That meant they could stick with this doctor if everything worked out.
 
Immediately she went to the front desk, where a woman sat behind Quirk enforced glass, with a small opening in it for her to speak through, “Hello, how may I help you today?” Her voice sounded strained, but she had a smile on. Her eyes glowed slightly, and she had slightly off-center pupils that immediately focused on Izuku.

Inko took a deep breath, “We’re here to see doctor Kimura, for Midoriya Izuku.” She squeezed Izuku’s hand and tugged him slightly to stand next to her.

The receptionist turned to face her computer, clicking and typing a few times before asking, “Date of birth?”

“July Fifteenth, Year XXXX.”

“Alright,” The woman typed read something on the screen, clicking a few more times, then gave another slightly strained smile, “Please have a seat, chair forty-five.” She’d clearly read an overall summary of Izuku’s initial mutations. Good to know. “There will be a tablet there for you to fill out more information, along with further instructions for your visit.”

“Thank you.” Inko bowed her head slightly and slowly glanced around the room. Finding the clearly marked chairs was easy. They were labeled with gigantic green numbers, Forty-five. It was a set of two chairs, not one, and there was a small table set in front. It was towards the back of the room and thankfully the next clients were sitting two seats to their left. Inko immediately grabbed the tablet and found it was already on. The main screen had a list of what protections their section had. Fireproofing, Good, Quirk infused chairs, meant to withstand claws, talons, beaks, thorns, blades, and other ‘sharp’ Quirks.

Well that was generic enough. The next screen she pulled up was a form similar to the one they filled out online, except this one had more ‘insurance’ information. She quickly filled out what she could from memory, before digging through her purse for the other necessary documents. She had one of Izuku’s teething toys and almost passed it off until she noticed Izuku had picked up a nearby children’s book (where had he found it?) and was flipping through it. Oh good something to distract him in case they had to wait a while.

…Which they did.

Inko was glad they had made the appointment so early, not only that but that they’d come early. It hadn’t taken too long to fill out the forms, but it still took longer than five minutes. That and the fact that several people in the room clearly needed more help than they did. She could easily see, especially through the ‘quirked’ glass. Parents were soothing fussy children, while others looked anxious and were trying their best to focus on their phones (if they were older), or books like Izuku was. Clearly that meant a few appointments had to run long. Dr. Kimura was only one doctor after all.

It was almost 9:30AM by the time their name was called, “Midoriya Inko, Midoriya Izuku?” Izuku almost dropped the second book he’d been looking through. Inko squeezed his shoulder gently as they stood up, “Right this way.” The nurse waved them through the large door they’d just come through. Inko hurried past the other still-waiting patients and quickly found herself in a similar looking hallway as the one at the doctor’s office. It made sense, after all they also dealt with difficult and dangerous Quirks.

They were led to a much comfier looking room though, with less equipment. Right. Today was the ‘first visit’. As long as Izuku kept his Quirk in check (as much as he could, anyway) they wouldn’t need a specialized room. That had been something she’d put down. That even though his new manifestation could be dangerous—and was shown to be dangerous—he had more control over it.

“Don’t worry, this room is soundproofed as well as fireproof.” The nurse reassured them unnecessarily, “And most objects in this room are shred proof. Including the toys and books.” They motioned towards a basket, again similar to the doctor’s office, where there were a few fidget toys and a table with a few books on it. Unlike at the doctor’s office Izuku went towards the books first. Apparently he’d liked whatever he read in the waiting room. “Doctor Kimura will be with you shortly.”

The nurse then quickly made their way out of the room, shutting the door as gently as possible before they left. Inko sighed slightly in relief when she realized that, yes, she really couldn’t hear any noise outside the room. There wasn’t even a window that could’ve potentially let sound through the cracks. “Mama,” Inko jumped a little when Izuku appeared next to her suddenly. She hadn’t even heard him, “Can you read to me?” Oh. Good. He felt comfortable enough to talk here.

Inko quickly grabbed the book—it was something about Heroes, of course, one that could control animals—and opened it to the first page, “Alright, There was a Hero one day who lived in a forest…”

 She was several pages in—this one had drawings in it too, depicting the scenery the words were trying to describe—when the doctor finally walked in.

Dr. Kimura didn’t look the way she expected them to. Granted she knew she shouldn’t base a person’s appearance off their Quirk, Hisashi was prime example for that, with very little ‘visible’ mutations for people to notice. Dr. Kimura had tanned skin, black hair, and green eyes. Their hair was smoothed back by gel, and they were wearing gloves with reinforced fingertips on them. Most likely to keep their Quirk from accidentally activating without the patients consent. It made sense, and Inko was glad for it. Consent was important, even if they were children. She was learning that quickly.

“Hello, hello sorry for the wait!” Their voice was friendly, with a slightly thick accent. “Obviously my name is Kimura Hisao, but please call me Hisao if you wish!” They quickly shut the door behind them and walked over to one of the extra chairs, “You must be Midoriya Izuku and Midoriya Inko, yes?” Again they were referring to Izuku first. Good. Izuku nodded his head hesitantly as Inko focused on closing the book in her lap. “Good, good! It’s very nice to meet you. This is our first visit! I hope I’m able to help.” They were talking to both of them now, their green eyes focusing on Inko. Their eyes weren’t the same shade of green as hers, they had brown flecks interspersed in them. “First thing’s first, and I’m sorry you probably have gotten this question a lot! How are you feeling today? Is your Quirk bothering you at all?” They were already looking at the headphones and glasses, obviously Inko had put down ‘support equipment’ where asked. She’d also written down how long Izuku had had them, and how frequently they were used.

Of course Izuku was nervous. He’d apologized so much for his Quirk already, it broke Inko’s heart. It was important that he didn’t lie to the doctors though. They were meant to help him, so Inko squeezed his hand reassuringly when he started stuttering. “It’s okay, Izu, they want to help. Promise!”

Dr. Hisao nodded their head quickly in agreement, “Yes! That’s what my job is. I help you, but you have to tell me how you’re feeling first.” They gave a reassuring smile, their hands remaining in their lap. They were waiting. Inko assumed it was so Izuku would tell them everything, then they would decide if they needed to use their Quirk or try other methods first. They were a doctor for a reason, and yes, well known for their Quirk, but also well known for other tactics as well. A Quirk didn’t solve everything, after all. It was just an easier way to find out a ‘starting’ point.

Izuku swallowed hard then slowly turned back to face the doctor, “Uhm…I…my eyes and e-ears?” He slowly touched his earphones, “I don’t w-wear these all the, um, t-time. Today was…today was loud.”

Dr Hisao nodded their head, “I understand, I know the lobby especially can be loud. Was it loud on the way here?”

Izuku nodded his head, “And b-bright.” He was touching his glasses now, “S-Sometimes t-these don’t hurt…at home we, um, it’s darker?”

“We keep the lights dimmed, especially in his room.” Inko explained, “We also try to, ah, muffle all the doors or cabinets when we can. Even the TV isn’t loud, we turn it down or have subtitles on. He loves watching cartoons!”

“That’s good!” Hisao smiled, “You love watching cartoons, and that involves both your eyes and your ears! It’s good practice, especially indoors. What about outside? You had to travel here. Hopefully not too far, but I bet you saw and heard all sorts of things. I know they help,” They motioned to the earphones, then the glasses, “Can you tell me about them?”

“U-uhm I can—we can—mama changes it if I need it.” He touched his glasses, “Sometimes it’s normal, s-sometimes she said it’s like what others see.”

“They were a gift, from good friends of ours.” Inko hopped in to explain. She knew Izuku would have trouble explaining just how important the glasses were, even if she knew he was figuring it out quickly. “They’re Quirk enhanced. There are small buttons on the side that help the…ah, lenses? I suppose, reflect how he sees things. They can also act as just regular glasses too, so his enhanced vision isn’t impaired. I know he needs to practice with that. He’s, I believe, doing well with that.” As well as he could.

“I’m assuming when it’s altered it’s twenty/twenty vision?” Inko nodded her head, “That’s good at least, so even if they’re switched he won’t have trouble at school. Though,” They looked at Izuku again, “Seeing how you normally do should be your first choice, right? Does it hurt to see things like that?”

“N-Not a-as much as it, um, did?” Izuku glanced up at her, before reaching to the side of the glasses and finding the button Inko had just explained. The controls were meant to be easy even if Inko was the one who altered them half the time when they went out. He quickly pressed the button, then blinked several times, “Uhm. Now I can…see the chairs. What they’re m-made out of. The threads and the wood is—” He motioned, then looked up at Dr. Hisao, “You have freckles!”

Inko hadn’t noticed. Probably because their skin was already so dark. Dr. Hisao laughed, “I do! Most don’t notice at all unless they have good vision or are about this,” They emphasized by moving their hand up close to their face. They were touching their nose, “close! What else can you see?”  

Izuku looked around the room, “The walls are kinda messed up. The door t-too. Was fixed, but uhm. The—” He pointed to the hinges, “Burned?”

“Oh.” Dr. Hisao glanced over to the door, then shrugged, “Yes, unfortunately, it’s why this room is now fireproofed. It happens, but it’s good to explain it. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t happen again, but yes the door is also new.”

Inko sagged in her seat, knowing what might be coming next, as Izuku stared wide eyed at the doctor, “R-Really?”

“Yes really.”

“That’s cool!”

Dr. Hisao looked a little surprised by that, “You like Quirks, don’t you?” Inko remembered the tablet in the waiting room. It had a section for ‘additional information’ and Inko had put a simple line of Likes Quirks. It was bound to come up, and she was honestly a little glad it did so soon. At least now the doctor would, hopefully, know how to talk to Izuku in a way she couldn’t. She wasn’t as interested in Quirks as Izuku was, and without Hisashi here she desperately needed help understanding Izuku’s. She never realized how much she didn’t know.  “Well then, are you excited to figure out more about yours?”

Izuku hesitated, then quickly nodded his head, “I wanna.” He sounded nervous, hesitant, almost scared, but at the same time curious, because it was his body, his changes, but he kept apologizing, Inko’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest. Did Mitsuki and Masaru go through this when they found out about Katsuki? Surely, yes, maybe she should ask about it? Mitsuki had been good about not bringing up too much about Katsuki’s Quirk, other than the recommended doctors, but still.

“Alright then, let me explain my Quirk to you and we can get started.” At the very least this topic was helping them move forward, possibly quicker than anyone expected. “When I touch you with my bare hands,” They held their gloved hands up, “I can figure out details about your Quirk that you might not know before!” Izuku’s eyes widened, “Of course I can’t figure out everything, but it’s where we can start.” Hisao glanced at Inko here, who nodded her head. This was why they were here, even if it was happening with less talking than she expected.

She still reassured Izuku, smiling down at him, “Isn’t that exciting?”  

Izuku nodded his head, “Y-Yeah! Uhm, so I just have to…?”

“You would have to remove your gloves, but usually I simply touch your hand. As long as it’s skin contact my Quirk will work.” Izuku glanced down at his gloves, frowning a little, before slowly tugging it off. They were meant to be thick, but easy enough to remove. Carefully, making sure not to touch anything, he turned and held his hand out.

Dr. Hisao smiled and removed one of their gloves as well. Meeting halfway, they closed their eyes. Then their fingers touched Izuku’s palm and—

Nothing noteworthy happened. No glowing, glittering, or sudden movement. There was only silence as Dr. Hisao concentrated. That was probably for the best. Anything sudden could set off an unstable Quirk, or at the very least make their patient scared. Inko sighed softly but didn’t pull her gaze away. Izuku’s eyes were wide, his free hand fidgeting on his lap. Dr. Hisao was avoiding his claws, thankfully. It looked like they’d had enough practice in the past.

Finally, after what felt like only seconds but were possibly longer, Dr. Hisao dropped their hand and sat back. “Yet another unique Quirk.” They mumbled almost to themselves before a smile easily slid back in place, “Well, a few things stuck out immediately! Yes, you have more than one, ah, facet that may come in.”  

Inko blinked.

Izuku pulled his hand back into his lap, quickly sliding on his glove again.

Well then.

Inko swallowed. “You mean, ah…” Of course this was going to be more complicated. It was why they were here.

Dr. Hisao kept their focus on Izuku, watching his face closely, “Yes. The most obvious is: scales. I could tell that very quickly. We’ll possibly practice that first, to see what makes them appear. Hopefully it won’t be…as startling now that we know they’re going to form, right?”

Inko was reminded of the Quirk Pyramid Hisashi had gotten Izuku for his birthday. They’d chosen a scale for Izuku’s section. Originally it had been because it was an easy identifier for ‘dragon’, plus with Izuku’s ‘colors’. A claw could mean any sort of animal, after all. Now it would actually be relevant. How ironic.

“S-Scales.” Izuku looked at his covered arms, eyes wide, “What, um, kind?”

“We’ll just have to find out! It could be something simple, like you’d see on some reptiles, or something fancy, possibly sharp, to help ‘protect’ you. If that’s the case, then we can work on controlling it.” Inko cringed. She didn’t want to imagine what would happen if those manifested suddenly. Would they rip clothing as easily as his claws? “I can immediately give you some basic calming methods, good for Quirks like that. I would already, considering I feel like it would be beneficial. Your Quirk is slow-forming, but now that we know it’s more than physical changes,” Considering the sudden heat element added recently, “we’ll need to prepare for that.”

“Do you think the scales will stay?” Inko had to ask, even if it sounded like they wouldn’t, “I-I don’t know if…I mean what should I do if…?”

Dr. Hisao quickly raised their hands up, “That was another thing I could tell. They won’t be permanent. They seemed…to be at-will. It’s…difficult to explain fully, but it’s like a…coating? I suppose. It’s just a feeling, I can tell.”

Inko nodded her head quickly, “Yes, yes, right. Okay that—that makes it, ah, easier. So if scales start showing up…?”

“At the very least we can try calming down. Considering they’re scales, I would think they’d come because Izuku got scared.” Izuku tensed up next to her, “Don’t worry, it’s normal to get scared! Or, well, I suppose it could happen when you’re angry too. Either way, calming down will help. So that’s definitely on our list of what to do first.”

Izuku and Inko nodded in unison. “You said that …you could tell there was more…to Izuku’s quirk?” Hisao’s face morphed a bit, Inko almost thought she was imagining it but they looked worried.

“Mm, yes, two more, but…I’m not quite sure about one of them.” They seemed to debate with themselves for a few moments before holding up two fingers, “The first is…another heat-based mutation to your Quirk. We already know about your hands, so we can assume that ability either spreads or manifests itself in another body part.” They look towards Inko, “No, I don’t know if it will ever become actual flames, but I know your husband’s Quirk is fire breathing so at most we can assume the heat element may form in his mouth.”

“S-So if he bit anyone, he could burn them too?” Inko’s face paled.

Hisao nodded their head with a sigh, “Yes, though the positive here is it seems like since Izuku has such good control over his hands, hopefully this means control over that aspect entirely. So we can worry about that one second.” They paused to let that information sink in before, slowly, continuing, “Which brings us to the third aspect I noticed. Or…at least, I assume it’s what this is. There’s a…mental component to Izuku’s Quirk too.”

The room went quiet.

Then, softly, Inko asked, “What?”

“Yes. Confusing, I know, when everything so far is…fairly physical. It isn’t unheard of, naturally!” Dr. Hisao quickly tried to reassure them, though in Inko’s opinion it fell flat, “Especially Quirks like Izuku’s that pull from several different…generations, including ones you might not know much about.” They’d put down immediately on several forms that they didn’t know Hisashi’s birth father, which left several important blanks in the family Quirk history. Inko was getting steadily more and more frustrated at a man that she never met, and would never meet at this point. “When I say mental, well, my Quirk couldn’t quite tug out enough information as I’d like on it. That can be the downside of mental Quirks. They stay hidden. I’m glad you came to us with this, because otherwise you might not have ever known…unless something triggered it, and since mental Quirks can vary…well, I have a few suggestions on what direction this could take you in.”

“The first, and simplest, would be a mild telekinesis, since that’s your Quirk.” They nodded to Inko, “It would make the most sense. Though in this case, he might only be able to fling some of his scales at someone—assuming his scales can be removed easily, and I do not suggest trying to practice that first. Not until we understand what kind of scales you have.” They stared Izuku down like they knew he was going to want to try that. Granted Inko could see Izuku attempting to practice that in secret. Especially considering how much he helped Katsuki with his Quirk when he wasn’t supposed to.

“The second, now this is one that will be hard to figure out and is my main concern. Some Quirks aren’t even technically considered ‘mental’ at first, simply because the person misunderstands their Quirk and how it activates. For example, if someone has a Quirk that can control fire –it may actually be pyrokinesis, especially depending on how they form the fire, and if they need an outside source or not.” Inko nodded along with Izuku here, she’d seen several Fire Quirks that fit that description. Fire Quirks were fairly common, so there was a wide variety and they were ‘flashy’ enough that no one would care that much, until it became an issue, “So, with a facet Quirk like Izuku’s, the mental part could really mean mentally controlling any aspect of his Quirk. If that’s the case then we may have already found it, with his control over when and how hot he can make things with his hands. Though,” They paused again for effect, “I don’t think it’s that simple. It may be just one part of it, in which case we can account for that when we reach that point.”

Inko desperately hoped that that was all they meant. If that was the case, then that would make it so much easier. “Alright, s-so we can look out for it with his scales and with, ah, hope for it with when he warms things up.” She glanced at Izuku who was now looking firmly at the floor, not even at his hands. He looked like he was thinking hard, “Izuku?”

“I always thought I’d get both.” Izuku mumbled, “Yours and daddies. Controlling fire with my mind. B-But I got this, s-so if I got that still, too then I got—all of it?”

Inko’s heart squeezed again, and she reached out, pulling Izuku close again, “Oh, Izuku, sweetie. We already told you –no matter what your Quirk is, it still comes from us!” The Quirk Pyramid was becoming more and more ironic. She’d definitely have to mention that to Hisashi without Izuku around. “Even if you didn’t get both, it wouldn’t matter, alright?”

“Exactly.” Dr. Hisao chimed in, looking vaguely concerned and not just because they dropped a lot of concerning information on them all at once. There was only so much one could say about Quirks to a five-year-old (that also happened to love Quirks), before it was too much. “We’ll have to figure this part out along the way. Trust me, this is just the starting point, and it’s what I meant earlier. My Quirk can give us that ‘starting point’, but we have to do the rest. I’m here to help you, and your mother is too, alright?”

Izuku slowly nodded his head, “O-okay.” He didn’t sound like he meant it, but Inko was quickly coming to the conclusion that maybe they were pushing too hard for a first visit. Or at the very least they needed to switch topics fast.

Thankfully Dr. Hisao had come to the same conclusion. They leaned back against their chair and had a calming, but practiced, smile on their face, “Now that we know roughly what to expect we can talk about what to do next. First, I noticed naturally that you hadn’t chosen what to call your Quirk.” It had been another very obvious section that Inko had left blank multiple times. “Naturally this is normal, so don’t worry too much about it. We have clients who chose something then had to change it almost immediately because it was incorrect.” Their smile turned just a bit more genuine as they let out a soft laugh, “I would like to ask if you wanted to choose one now. It can be how we end our first session, and an easy way to move forward to our next.”

That got Izuku to perk up immediately, he wasn’t back to his full energy, but it was as close as they were probably going to get, “Oh, um, really? Can I choose?” He looked between them, eyes wide and hopeful.

Well.

“Why don’t you tell us and then we can…make a group decision!” Inko decided on. She’d been the one to name her Quirk, thankfully she’d had a simple Quirk but the name…wasn’t all that imaginative. She knew Izuku would appreciate a bit more thought put into his.

“Yes, let’s hear them! I’m curious, too. You’ve probably come up with several names by now, haven’t you?” Dr. Hisao tacked on. Honestly Inko was surprised she hadn’t heard Izuku ask to name his Quirk, or maybe that was because it was so slow to come in? Maybe he told Katsuki what names he’d choose? Did he tell Hisashi? No, if he had he would’ve mentioned it, surely. Not that that mattered. Not with how excited Izuku looked now.

“Um, okay, I—have a f-few. Um, some won’t work now.” He glanced at his hands again, and Inko could only assume he was talking about something simple that he may have chosen back when his claws and teeth came in, “So, um, the ones that might work are—”

He started listing off several, but in the end the only ones that really stuck out were:

Dragon Type–Katsuki apparently had suggested this. Pokémon was popular enough, and it fit, so why not? Well, it was good enough reason as any, Inko supposed. Izuku’s Quirk was very dragon-like.

Honed Senses –For when his eyesight and hearing had first gotten stronger. It was simple and to the point. They could probably expand this to include his teeth and claws, but that would be stretching it.

Melting Pot– This was the latest one, and honestly Inko wondered where Izuku had heard the phrase, though it could’ve also been that he meant it literally, since he could melt things with his hands now. Not just that his Quirk was a combination of several different ones.

Honestly?

Inko shared a look with Dr. Hisao, who nodded back and started speaking, “I can see you’ve been very busy thinking up names, and some of those make a lot of sense! I think you’ve listed plenty that we can work with.”

Izuku’s eyes widened even as he started stuttering all over the place in embarrassment. Inko could barely make out what he was trying to say, so instead she spoke for him, “I suppose I’ll have to thank Katsuki for half of those names, now won’t I? Don’t worry! I’m glad you had someone to talk to about them.” Even if some seemed very, very silly in comparison to others. “Did you want to hear my favorite?”

Izuku nodded his head quickly.

Again Inko shared a look with Dr. Hisao before looking back at Izuku, “Melting Pot is my favorite! Did you know there’s a definition for that?” Izuku shook his head, confusion clear on his face, so Inko explained, “It means to mix several, very different, parts to create one cohesive whole.”

“In this scenario the facets in your Quirk are what’s blended together to make your Quirk as a whole.” Dr. Hisao added on, and Inko watched as Izuku’s face lit up with realization.

“Oh! I—didn’t know—”

“I thought you wouldn’t, but that’s fine!” Inko squeezed his arm gently, “It’s a good name, unintentional or not. I think it’s very fitting, but in the end it’s your Quirk—what do you think?”

“Uhm. Well…will it still work if—something new shows up?”

“Yes.” Dr. Hisao answered this time, “That’s what’s nice about it. You don’t have to define how many parts are added to a melting pot to get the results. No one would know that you didn’t know everything about your Quirk when you named it, but it’s still obvious enough that there are multiple parts because of the name. That will come in handy later with doctor’s, new schools, and even after that with jobs.” Each place would need a Quirk listed, if not for safety reasons than just to have on file for accuracies sake.

“So…if I choose it now, it’ll be fine for my whole life?”

Dr. Hisao nodded their head.

Inko mimicked the action, before asking, “Is that the name you’d want?”

“Y-Yeah.” Izuku’s eyes were bright and determined, followed with a nervous but slowly brightening smile, “I think so.”