Chapter Text
Izuku walked his usual route back home, the last glimmers of the sun reflecting off of him as it slowly faded to make way for the light of the night and the stars. Normally, it would be a rather pleasant walk to proudly end a hard day of work.
But Izuku felt none of that today. In fact, he couldn't feel anything at the moment.
Today had been a HORRIBLE day.
Of course, he knew that he didn't usually end the day with a passing grade. It's been that way ever since he was diagnosed with a lack of Quirk at the tender age of four. The result of a diagnosis was apparently enough to turn the whole world against him.
Bullies smashed his stuff, beat him up, and humiliated him every day. At Aldera High School he was ostracized and had no friends. His teachers were no help to him either, as they either constantly ignored him at best or even joined in with the bullying at worst.
The most painful thing is that his former childhood friend Bakugou Katsuki, (or Kacchan as Izuku still calls him today) became his biggest tormentor. Always looking for even the slightest reason to insult him, humiliate him, and hit him with his Quirk “Explosion”, sometimes even just doing it for fun or he was just having a bad day and needed to vent about something (or someone in Izuku’s case).
He had even received from him the nickname that would stick with him for all these years. “Deku”, short for “dekunobu”, meaning useless.
However, despite all the torment he suffered from his classmates and teachers, he always kept going trying to see the bright side. His mother (God bless that angel) always wants the best for Izuku, and constantly shows him how much she loves him without caring in the least about his lack of Quirk. Although the fluffy green haired boy can't help but feel guilty for not telling her anything about his troubles in Aldera, but he doesn't want to add more trouble to his poor mother than she already has due to her job that keeps her busy all day.
He also discovered his passion for analyzing the quirks of other heroes and people, describing their function, their strengths and weaknesses, ways to utilize them, methods to improve them, etc. He even has many numbered notebooks that are filled with his analyses of them over the years.
Even though he does this, the other classmates look at him as if he were a creepy stalker.
But most of all he keeps going because he has a dream: to be a hero like his idol, the number one hero: All Might, and save people with a smile like the one he has.
Making people feel safe like he does
Giving people hope like All Might does is all Izuku ever wanted to be, and for that thought everyone made fun of him. No one believed that Deku, the most pathetic, weak, and useless kid, could ever become a hero. Even the mere mention of heroes only makes Bakugou angrier (or well, angrier than he already is normally).
Which, if it was already bad, only ends up making it worse.
Even when he asks his mother if he could be a hero after being diagnosed as quirkless, she just apologizes to him through tears. A very painful memory that he avoids thinking about.
But Izuku always ignored all of that, always kept his determination. He may not have a quirk, but that doesn't mean he can't be a hero. After all, All Might always says that anyone can be a hero no matter what quirk they have, and that was more than enough for him to try his hardest and fulfill his dream!
That was until today...
“Just pray that in the next life you get a quirk and jump off the roof of the building!”
His own ex best friend, Bakugou Katsuki, had told him to kill himself when the teachers mentioned his application to the most famous hero school in the country, UA High School.
Do you really hate me so much that you want to see me dead? Besides, isn't it illegal for teachers to share that kind of information with the entire class without my permission?
"Don't worry. I'm just taking possession of your body. It'll be easier for both of us if you don't resist. It'll only hurt for a minute. You'll feel better soon."
On his way home he was attacked by a sludge villain and almost died from suffocation, if it wasn't for All Might himself ending up showing up just in time to save him with a 'TEXAS SMASH!'.
Izuku can still feel the sensation of drool in his mouth as he struggles to breathe.
What could have saved his day and for once ended up being the best day of his life by meeting his ultimate idol in person and getting his autograph, ended up turning into a nightmare.
“Some villains can't be defeated without powers. So honestly, I don't think you can become a hero without a quirk.”
All Might, who revealed his true skeletal form in front of him, destroyed his dreams after asking him if he can be a hero without a quirk after clinging to him as he tried to leave the place and ending up on the roof of a building, subsequently leaving him alone there.
You said anyone could be a hero. I believed you and it turned out to be a lie. How could you do this to me?
“You’re an idiot. Do you have a death wish?”
And as if the world still thought that their day hadn’t been bad enough, the same sludge villain attacked Bakugou as he tried to defend himself. Izuku, who saw this, rushed to help (although his body actually moved on its own), being saved again by All Might along with Bakugou. But while the explosive teenager was praised for his quirk, Izuku had been scolded by the pro heroes who were at the scene of the incident.
You weren’t doing NOTHING. He was dying and you just stood there watching and did nothing to help him.
He had also just run into Bakugou a few minutes ago, who had been looking for him. The quirkless teenager had no illusions, he knew perfectly well that the explosive blond wasn’t looking for him to thank him. Hell, he probably even just came to him to beat him up while yelling “I DIDN’T NEED YOUR HELP, USELESS DEKU!” or “I HAD EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL UNTIL YOUR WEAK ASS GET IN THE WAY!”.
And more or less in the end what he expected ended up happening.
He had yelled at him for “getting in his way” and a series of insults that Izuku was already more than used to. Although, fortunately for the latter, Bakugou decided not to waste time in hitting the “damn nerd” and turned around to head home, which caused a sigh of relief from the green-haired teenager.
After everything that happened today, Izuku had his gaze lowered than usual, looking only at his feet without paying attention to the path ahead of him, while his mind was blank and his eyes were fully supplied with life.
At least, the positive side of this horrible day is that it didn't end with burn marks on his skin or a singed uniform.
At that thought, Izuku couldn't help but crack a small smile. But that smile didn't hold any hint of joy or amusement, but rather a grim, resigned smile.
'I really fell that low, huh?' – Izuku thought, as from the corner of his eye he looked around the apartment where he and his mother currently lived. He tried to put on his best teenage smile to hide his pain from his mother, but realized that he couldn't even force himself to act like everything was okay. The events that happened today had affected him in a way he had never felt before since he was diagnosed quirkless.
'Besides, it's not like I can keep the sludge villain and Bakugou incident from her for long,' Izuku reasoned. Although he won't tell her about his former childhood friend's suicide bait, his first villain attack, and All Might destroying his dreams, it's safe to think that his mother will find out from the news about how Izuku ran into danger in an attempt to rescue Bakugou from the sludge villain, if she didn't already.
The quirkless teen simply sighed and proceeded to enter his apartment, preparing himself for a possible confrontation with his mother. Once he unlocked the door and opened it, he noticed that everything was dark. Izuku instantly knew that his mother wasn’t home.
“Looks like your shift will be later than usual” Izuku whispered as he closed the door and turned on the lights before heading into the kitchen. Once he arrived, he found a small note on the kitchen table. Izuku took the note and proceeded to read the contents.
"Dear Izuku
If you're reading this, it's because you're already home from school and you haven't found me at home. I'm so sorry, darling, but I have to cover a classmate's shift today and he won't be home until after midnight. But don't worry, son, I left you a plate of food in the microwave. It's your favorite dish, Katsudon! As well as some money in case you need to buy something. Although you can also use it if you want to buy some hero merchandise. After all, you deserve it for being the best son a mother could have!
Don't stay out too late, and if a stranger knocks on the door, don't open it. I didn't ask for anything and we already paid all the bills, so no one would have to come unless it was Mitsuki hanging out.
Anyway, I'll see you in the morning. I love you so much, Izuku, and you'll always be my baby.
Lovingly, your mother'
Izuku finished reading the note and headed to the microwave. Opening the window, he found a plate of katsudon just like his mother's letter said. At that instant, some sparkle returned to the green-haired boy's eyes and a soft smile settled on his face. A more sincere one.
'Thanks mom' - Izuku put the katsudon to heat in the microwave, after a few seconds the recognizable clink sounded, letting him know that his food was ready. Izuku took out his plate and headed to the living room to eat his freshly heated meal.
'I wouldn't know what to do without you'
After finishing eating his food and washing the cutlery, Izuku headed to his room. When he opened the door, he entered what practically looked like a shrine to All Might. Posters, action figures, and other things were all there. There was also merchandise related to other heroes, but the main items were those of the Number One Hero.
The boy couldn't help but grimace, the last thing he wanted to see right now was stuff related to heroes so he decided to do a little cleaning. He started by going to take down the giant poster of All Might, who had his signature smile and a thumbs up with the words 'I'M HERE'.
For a moment, Izuku couldn't want to rip the poster off with one pull. But he instantly decided to just carefully take it out and roll it up neatly
And so it went for about thirty minutes, putting away everything related to heroes until he knew what to do with it. Once finished, his room was practically empty, leaving it as a place without much charm.
Honestly, Izuku didn't care, as the place was a representation of how he was currently feeling.
The teenager laid down on his bed and simply stared at the ceiling.
His mother was still a long way from coming home, so he had the time to properly process everything that had happened today.
His fri-no, his BULLY, had told him to kill himself.
His idol destroyed his dreams despite having said that anyone can be a hero.
All these years, all that suffering, the loneliness, enduring all that…
For nothing…
And one word was all it took to make his life miserable.
Quirkless
And for the first time, after all these events, Izuku burst into tears.
Tears fell down his cheeks, as the poor teenager cried inconsolably for what seemed like hours.
Until finally, he ran out of energy and entered the world of dreams.
The sun's rays began to reflect through the window into the room, signaling the start of a new day.
Izuku felt, in a word, like SHIT. He doesn't normally say that kind of vulgarity, but after everything that happened yesterday he certainly didn't care right now.
Although Izuku would rather stay in bed all day feeling sorry for himself for his miserable life and all the bad things that happen to him, he knew he had to get ready to go to school. So using all the effort in the world (or what he practically had left), he got out of bed, blinked a few times to get his bearings, and walked to the door to place his hand on the doorknob until something stopped him.
The green-haired teenager heard noises outside his room, along with the faint smell of food and the humming of a woman. He stood still for a few seconds until he realized who that noise came from.
His mother was home.
A mix of excitement and fear spread through Izuku's mind. Excitement because his mother was home and she always brightened his mornings, especially now. But also a feeling of dread to see his mother, as he has no idea if she had heard about the villain attack incident that Izuku got involved in in his attempt to rescue Bakugou.
The boy took a deep breath, sooner or later he would have to see his mother so there was no point in waiting. So Izuku opened the door and left the room, catching the attention of the woman who was in the kitchen.
“Izuku? Is that you, darling?”- Inko, Izuku's mother, asked as she turned to him. Izuku gave her a small smile.
“Good morning, mom” – the teenager answered as he watched his mother and what she was cooking. It seemed like she was going to have rice for breakfast, which was no problem because his mother's cooking skills always delighted him.
“Good morning, Izuku. I'm surprised you're up so early,” Inko admitted, to which Izuku looks at her confused. This is the time he normally wakes up to go to school.
“Of course mom, after all I have to go to school today” – answered the teenager who had just woken up. Inko stared at Izuku for a moment until a small laugh came out of her lips, to which the latter looked at her strangely – "Um, what are you laughing at mom?" -
His mother stopped laughing and looked at her son with a smile – “Izuku, today is Saturday, remember?” – the woman mentioned while her son stared, blinking like an owl until his face blushed from embarrassment. He had completely forgotten.
“O-Oh, right! Um, I had forgotten, hehe” – he rubbed his head with a nervous laugh. With everything that happened yesterday he had forgotten that the weekend had started.
“What am I going to do with you Izuku?” - Inko simply shakes her head with a loving smile, before turning her gaze back to her son (who at this point Izuku's face looked like a tomato) – “Go get ready, breakfast is almost ready” – informed the green-haired woman as her son nodded and went to do exactly that.
After brushing their teeth and taking a shower, mother and son sit at the table and Izuku can't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
He hadn't told his mother anything about the previous day, but she didn't seem to know anything about the incident and how Izuku got into danger either. Which seemed strange to him, because every villain attack involving All Might was always news that spread like wildfire. However, at breakfast the television was on next to the news channel and at no time did they report anything related to the incident. Izuku couldn't help but feel hopeful that his mother wouldn't find out about his involvement.
Of course, fate didn't like this and had to fix it, right?
“Moving on to other news, yesterday there was a villain attack in Mustafu City, near an apartment complex where the heroes came to the rescue” – Izuku's heart stopped for a moment as the man in the suit and tie continued with the report, totally oblivious to the panic of the quirkless boy – “The villain possessed a sludge quirk that he used to attack people and steal their belongings. However, despite heroes such as Death Arms, Kamui Woods, Backdraft, and even the recent debutante, Mount Lady, along with other heroes who were in the area of what happened trying to stop him, the sludge villain managed to capture a hostage. This complicated the heroes because the villain used the gift of the hostage, whose name was hidden because he is a minor, which caused explosions through his hands while the latter defended himself. It was not until the arrival of the number one hero, All Might, who managed to solve the situation, defeating the villain and saving the hostage. Below, the following images of the event will be shown, but not before warning you that the images may not be suitable for all audiences, so we recommend discretion."
Later, a video captured by the camera of one of the civilians present showed Bakugou creating large explosions while trying to free himself from the villain who kept him trapped.
All this in full view of the heroes who were trying to control the civilians, but without being able to do anything against the enemy.
Inko gasped in horror upon witnessing all this, immediately recognizing the hostage as the son of her best friend and her (honorary) nephew. She quickly got up from the table and headed towards the phone that was on the other side of the room. While on Izuku's side, his eyes remained glued to the television screen, terrified.
'She's going to find out...' - Izuku thought as he felt his body begin to shake - 'She's going to find out!'
A few seconds later, his mother returns with a phone talking to who he assumes is his (honorary) aunt, Bakugou Mitsuki, Katsuki's mother. From what he can hear, Mitsuki was unaware of what happened to his son until the news came out. Izuku assumed that the explosive blond didn't tell his mother, either to not worry her or simply because his pride doesn't allow him to look weak.
Knowing him, it was probably the latter.
However, all thoughts disappeared when the image showed Izuku himself running towards the sludge villain. The green-haired boy stood paralyzed and felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of how he was shown in the scene. Swallowing, he slowly turned to his mother so he could see her expression.
He instantly regretted having done so
Inko stared at the screen in shock as her mouth hung down. The phone she was holding slowly slipped from her grip until it ended up falling to the ground (luckily it didn't break, they couldn't afford a new one). They could barely hear what sounded like Mitsuki's calls over the phone, Izuku could only watch as tears slowly appeared on his mother's face before she looked at him with an expression of pure disbelief and betrayal.
He knew he was in trouble, he knew it perfectly. But the only thing he could feel at that moment was the worst feeling of guilt he had ever felt in his life.