Chapter Text
Plastic Faces
Chapter 1
"You should probably give up." The doctor stated.
Those were probably the first words one boy heard that sent cracks through his confidence, his hopes, and above all his future. In a world where just about everyone is born with a power that made them special, he found out that he didn't have that.
He was just Izuku Midoriya, a boy who could only dream of being a hero. Yet still, he dreamed.
And anytime he shared that dream, those around him continued to chip away at his soul.
"I'm sorry Izuku!" His mother cried, apologizing for his misfortune instead of giving him any kind of support.
"So you're useless then?" His best friend for years turned away, no longer allowing 'Deku' to hold him back.
Classmates began growing distant, teachers overlooking his efforts, and not even his home could provide much of anything to satisfy his need to be accepted, for his ambitions to be supported no matter how unrealistic.
No one believed in him, and so no one would engage with him.
His mother tried with all the love in her heart, but the line had been drawn. Every time they talked, it never seemed like his words could fully reach her, because she could not have the strength to ever discuss the only purpose he could find for himself.
Maybe that's why she didn't mind him trying to fill that gap in his heart with media, with heroes and everything surrounding them. The only comfort he could have was admiring them, attempting to reach out and just get the faintest touch of what he desperately sought to be.
Now, at six years old, he and his mother had left the movie theater where he had witnessed another bright and colorful film depicting the kind of hero, the kind of person he wanted to be.
"Did you like the movie?" His mother politely asked as they began walking towards the front doors.
Izuku nodded along, knowing he enjoyed the film but wished that maybe one other classmate would have accepted the birthday invitation to see it with him.
Inko Midoriya, his mother was doing her best to try and give him a happy life and he knew it. He didn't hold anything against her because at least she was nice, at least she still smiled, and so he smiled back for her.
"I've got to use the bathroom." She said as Izuku was left right outside the doors. "Wait right here, I'll only be a few minutes."
"Ok." He agreed, allowing himself to stand against the nearest wall as more families flooded out from the screens and back to their own lives. Izuku just waited, alone, and while this was nothing new some days it just felt like that's all he could focus on.
Not even his newest All Might action figure he was gifted today seemed to ease that sensation. Holding it close to him, he examined the ever bright face of the number one hero smiling triumphantly. All Might was everything he wanted to be, a presence that assured everything was all right because he was here.
But All Might wasn't here, all he had was a plastic, lifeless imitation.
The idea of talking to his present occurred to him, to pretend that he had such a cool and confident person in his life, would make it so much better.
But this was just a toy, a cool one but just a-
"I'm going absolutely insane just sitting here." A voice spoke up to Izuku's right. It was a young woman's, maybe even an older kid's but unmistakably female.
He flickered his eyes to where he thought he heard it, but just saw an empty counter with a glass display for the various movie collectable cups, popcorn buckets, and take home items.
"And where are we going to go?" A male's, voice reverberating in a metal chamber questioned back. But Izuku couldn't see them, only hearing them talk from an empty space.
"Somewhere, anywhere!" The female yelled out so loud Izuku thought that others walking by would notice.
No one did, only he could hear them.
"Well the world isn't exactly, our size." The male stated as Izuku attempted to search for the source, taking a couple steps away from the bathroom and towards where he could hear them.
Were they in a room behind the wall?
"Oh crap someone's coming." The girl seemed panicked. "Let's get out before they-"
"Too late." The male announced in defeat. "He's right in front of us."
He was? Izuku still couldn't see anyone. All he saw were the many items behind the glass. The flashy cup, the metal collectable straw set, the popcorn buckets that looked like the heads of leading actors that portrayed the various hero films. And lastly, in the bottom right was a forgotten item. Just a large keychain set of two characters from a failed fantasy movie.
No one cared for anything that didn't involve super heroes these days, but every now and again some studio tried to break the mold, to do something different or go back to a different time in media. At least, that's what Izuku learned from the online movie reviewers that he watched to know about the newest hero films.
Taking a closer look at the two keychains that were linked to a single keyring, he saw a knight with a reflective plastic sword dangling side by side with a redheaded girl with a broomstick and an oversized witch hat.
He recognized them to be the characters depicted on the one poster in the movie theater, their keychain promotional item capturing their image well for a cheap item.
Izuku felt a little bad for the people who clearly put a lot of effort into the merchandise and the style, only for people to ignore it because it didn't revolve around heroes. He too, wouldn't have even realized the keychain was there if it wasn't for the voices that were now gone.
"Where is this kid's parents?" The male voice spoke in a whisper, Izuku whipping his head around because it sounded close enough to touch. "It feels weird being stared at for so long."
Was it, talking about him? Staring at who? Where were they?
"Holy shit can he hear us?" The girl said all of a sudden, making Izuku temporarily freeze because it sounded like the voices were coming from inside the case.
Taking another look, Izuku's eyes went back to the keychain, where it looked like the eyes of the witch, and the helmet of the knight, were staring right back at him.
When the witch blinked, Izuku's eyelids nearly ripped themselves off.
"Are you, alive?" He asked hesitantly, because in a world of superpowers anything was possible. This though, wasn't like anything he ever saw before.
"You, you can actually hear us!" The knight pointed right at him, now much more lively. The witch grabbed the knight's shoulders, shaking him back and forth with excitement and urgency.
"He can! Holy crap he can! Kid! Hey!"
"Um, hi?" Izuku still wasn't sure what to make of the spectacle. Toys, living toys were talking to him. Was this a prank? Wa the glass actually some kind of screen? Was this someone's quirk controlling them?
"Can you get us free?" The witch swung her body forward, trying to reach the glass but the chain tethering her to the hook holding them up prevented such actions. "We're stuck!"
"Please?" The knight asked more gently but the same desperation was in his tone as well. "We've only been awake for a couple hours now but this life just feels like a prison."
They woke up a couple hours ago? That's about when he and his mother arrived. Taking another look behind him, literally no one else seemed to pay any attention to what was happening. "Can anyone else see you?"
"No, well yes." The witch propped her arm against her fake broom. "We just freeze up anytime someone looks, but not with you! What's your name?"
"Izuku, what did you find?" His mother approached, having finished her business and finding her son's attention pulled to something. She squatted down, looking at the keychains that Izuku had been examining. "Oh, those are neat."
Izuku looked back to them, and just as the one explained they were frozen, back to the same positions they were in before.
'Can he still hear us?' The knight's voice came to Izuku's ears, to which the boy nodded in reply.
'Don't leave!' The witch begged. 'Please just, do something! Smash the glass! Steal us and hide us in your pocket! Go swipe the keys from an employee!'
'Or he could just buy us.' The knight offered, disappointed over the witch's go to response.
Wait, only he could hear them? Only he could interact with them?
A sudden hope welled up in Izuku's chest. One of the things he wished for the most was a quirk, a power to call his own no matter how weak or seemingly useless it was. If whatever brought the keychains to life was linked to only him, then that had to mean he has a quirk!
"Mom!" Izuku pointed right at them. "We need to get them out!"
His mother tilted her head slightly at the phrasing. "You want me to get you them?"
"I can hear them Mom! They said they need help getting free!"
After a short walk, made shorter by an energized child on their birthday, and a quick train ride, the front door to the Midoriya home clicked before Izuku rushed inside.
"Where are you going in such a rush?" His mother called out to him.
"To figure out my quirk!" Izuku yelled back with youthful excitement, slamming the door behind himself and fully concealing his 'extra birthday present' from any other eyes except his own.
Izuku, who had been cautiously carrying the figures of the knight and which in his hand gently deposited them on his desk where he eagerly awaited them to move once again.
"Ahhhhh." The witch stood up, stretching her limbs before gazing around the room. "Wow, I guess all that talk about All Might being your favorite hero was no joke kid."
"Aren't we children too?" The knight pointed between himself and the fellow character. "Technically we're not a day old."
"I'm not a kid!" She definitely stomped her foot on the wood of the desk.
"But-" Izuku kneeled down, getting his eyes closer to them to try to be part of the conversation more. "-your character is fourteen."
"Then I'm at least fourteen!" The witch still wasn't happy about that fact but it was better than being a newborn. She began walking towards the other side of the desk, the chain attached to her plastic head dragging with her until the end linking her to the keyring with the knight went taught.
"You, don't know anything about yourselves?" The ever so attentive boy grabbed a nearby notebook, recording the information. "And how come you two are alive instead of any of my other toys?"
"I'm not sure really." The knight hummed as he fiddled with the chain that connected at the top of his helmet. "But I appreciate being alive myself and-hey!"
His head was tugged backwards by a sudden yank, the witch persistently trying to literally unchain herself from the keyring that both were connected to.
Izuku recorded everything, noting down the details. They didn't have any joints, but their stiff limbs and plastic clothing still moved as if it was real despite no change in material. His quirk was definitely an odd one, but sentient quirks were incredibly rare. Though it seems like his wasn't very sure what was happening either.
Were the toys actually his quirk, or just a result from him unknowingly using it?
Still, these two seemed very alive, and carried independent thought. He couldn't just refer to them as his quirk all the time. "Do you have names?"
Giving up and sitting on an eraser, the witch tapped her chin as she tried to recall if she did. "I don't think so. I don't even know the name of the character I look like."
"I'm in the same boat." The knight echoed, standing as tall as he could despite only being a few inches in height. "I only sort of have a basic understanding of the world. But it feels very limited. If you're the only one we can properly interact with Izuku then we should get to know one another better."
"Oh! I know!" The girl shouted with a raised hand. "Call me, Maggie! Short for magic? No, that's lame."
"You should have hero names!" Izuku suddenly announced, becoming more enthusiastic by the idea. "If you're part of my quirk, and I plan on being a hero, then my partners should have hero names!"
"Heroes?" The knight glanced towards his fellow figurine, both of them curious but unsure about the idea. "Maybe if we had powers of our own-"
"-or weren't literally at risk of being stepped on twenty four seven." The witch finished.
"Quirks get stronger over time!" Yet Izuku was dead set on making this work, his ambition reigniting and refusing to simmer. "You're a knight, so you have to have a strong and royal name or title."
"Well." The man in silver paint reexamined himself, the sword fastened to his hilt standing out to him. "It wouldn't hurt to have an awesome name."
The witch rolled off her eraser, smiling up towards Izuku with her hands on her hips. "I want mine to be cute, but still fun."
"Oh Izuku." His mother opened the door, the toys instantly freezing upon her peeking into the room. "Do you want any more of your cake?"
It had been a while since he ate, and just like any six year old Izuku was fully willing to stuff his stomach full of sweets. "Yes!"
'Man I could go for some cake.' The witch spoke up, only Izuku hearing her. 'Wait, can we even eat?'
'I don't even have a mouth.' The knight reminded them.
"And, Izuku?" A slight concern to his mother's tone made him look up, the woman's eyes flickering back from the new toys to her son. "Were you, talking with them?"
"Yes!" With pride and a brimming spirit, Izuku showed his mother the notes he made so far about his newly found quirk. "They're part of my quirk! I don't know how yet but I can be a hero with them!"
But his mother, didn't seem as happy as he thought she would be. "O-oh. That's um, such a creative quirk."
Izuku had spent the whole day talking with this new aspect of his quirk, trying to get a better understanding of what had happened and what he could do. It didn't get anywhere, but it left Izuku with plenty of things to try the next day. His mother had to remind him several times that he couldn't stay up all night, so reluctantly the boy went to bed but not without making a makeshift one from a tissue box for his 'new friends' now named Charm and Vult.
Those two, watched on from their unique bedding arrangement resting on the nightstand next to Izuku.
"How do you feel about all of this?" Vult questioned as his helmet's slit where his eyes would be looked onward in the night.
Turning over under the hand towel, Charm was still wide awake as she propped herself up. "You mean, being toys or being reliant on a kid?"
"All of it." Vult spoke softly, reminiscing over their short time being aware. "We're alive but, only because of him. Are we truly independent lives or are we just an extension of the boy's consciousness?"
"Geez, way to kill the vibe." Charm pushed herself out of the 'bed' and sat next to the person she was literally chained to. "Well, the fact that we're awake while he's not means something right? Not sure how to feel about being a quirk, or made from one, but does it matter?"
"It matters if the quirk only keeps us alive for so long." Vult's sudden dreadful thinking sent a shiver of Charm's non-existent spine. The idea that they could just, stop being alive at any moment terrified her, especially since there might not even be an afterlife awaiting them in particular.
"This is too depressing." Charm decided as she stepped down onto the wood. "Come on, I saw a computer in the other room. I need your help to reach the other side of the keyboard."
"Oh, right." Vult slid down, following the girl as they walked up to the edge. "The boy did point out that we seem to have some inherent knowledge of the world, but it would be good to compare what we know with what is actually real."
"What? Nah, I just want to look at some memes."
Izuku could hardly contain himself. Finally, after all this time he had a quirk! He wasn't sure what it was yet, but he couldn't wait to show his classmates and his best friend. Now they would see that he could become a hero too, that he wasn't so useless after all.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Charm spoke out from his bag. While Izuku initially wanted to clip them onto his backpack like any other keychain both Vult and Charm both wished to be in one of the pockets so they could move freely within it. "I don't want any sticky hands grabbing at us."
"They'll understand." Izuku announced with a beaming smile plastered all over his face. "If I tell them you're part of my quirk then they won't treat you like toys."
But within the large pocket, both Vult and Charm were more hesitant about the idea.
"They may not be so open minded." Vult warned. "Only you can hear us, and we can't move if anyone is looking at us besides you."
"That's just what makes it such a special quirk!" Izuku brushed it off, not understanding the worries that his new friends held for him.
Telling his peers, his best friend Kacchan, did not go as he expected. Throughout the day, between different assignments and other tasks, he tried to relay everything he learned so far but the other children did not seem to believe him.
During recess, it seemed they had enough of it.
"I'm not lying!" Izuku cried out, holding Charm and Vult close to keep them safe. "They can talk!"
"They're just toys Midoriya." One of the larger boys scoffed. "They can't talk."
"Yes they can! It's my quirk!" The child saw that the others had gathered around them, staring, doubting, none of them believing him.
"You don't have a quirk."
"Yes I do!"
'Izuku.' Vult spoke up from his palm as gently as he could. 'We know you're not lying, but there's nothing we can do to prove it.'
'You don't have to prove anything to anyone.' Charm agreed.
"Deku you liar!" An explosive blond his own age with fiery red eyes came up, Izuku's best friend, angrier and meaner than the rest. "You think we're going to buy your lame story? Even if you have a quirk it can't save you!"
To prove this, Kacchan grabbed onto Izuku's wrists with his superior strength, ripping Vult and Charm from his hands.
"No!" Izuku tried to get them back, desperately crying out as another boy held him back.
'Quit manhandling us with your sweaty hands!' Charm yelled out, but no matter what words she used they fell on deaf ears.
"They're plastic! Are you so desperate for friends you have to pretend you have a quirk that lets you talk to your toys?" Kacchan gripped his fingers tightly around the keychain, Izuku trying to push himself out of the other kids' arms.
'This is supposed to be Izuku's best friend?' Vult questioned as they were shaken about.
"Watch." Kacchan held up his other hand, gaining the attention of everyone as he showed off his quirk. Micro explosions ignited around his hand, full of flash and might that were craved in the super powered society. "You can't be a hero with, or without a made up quirk!"
"Is he going to try and kill us?!" Charm screamed out in the other boy's hand. "Can we die?! Are we going to die?!"
"Please!" Izuku begged with tears streaming down his face. "Don't hurt them!"
But since everyone was still captivated, or fearing the explosions that Katsuki Bakugo demonstrated, it allowed no one to notice when a frustrated knight in his other hand acted out of desperation.
"Ow! Damnit!" Kacchan recoiled in pain, dropping the keychain to inspect his palm. There was a small cut, no bigger than what he would get by a splinter. Yet the fact that blood had been drawn would not be so kindly looked over. "Stupid keychain!"
Kacchan rose his foot, ready to stomp on the characters from some already forgotten movie. It moved their guardian to action, Izuku throwing his full weight forward to curl himself over Charm and Vult as the foot landed at the back of his head.
"Izuku!" Charm cried out as the boy received more injuries as others began to join in, desperately clawing around him to try and steal the object he treasured. "Just run!"
"Defend yourself!" Vult demanded, the two figures now covered by Izuku moving up to climb into his pocket.
But Izuku couldn't, he was too weak. The quirk he wanted to be a hero with was unable to do anything other than provide him with some company only he could perceive. This was just one of many incidents to come.
That night, as Izuku slept with a few bandages along his body, the two who had witnessed it all had gone to the other room in order to have a proper discussion on what had transpired.
Vult and Charm walked side by side, their linked chains dragging behind them as they marched through the towering halls of the humble home.
"How can kids be that cruel?" Charm huffed as they walked through the dark. "For crying out loud he's six!"
"So are they." Vult reminded her.
"I hope you're not making any excuses for them just because they're kids."
"I'm not. I stabbed that brat after all." Vult patted the hilt of his sword, where he had made sure to clean it well.
Finding their way to the doorway, they noticed it was closed but with lights on within. With no need for silence the two laid down, crawling under the small gap before seeing Izuku's mother, Inko, on the computer.
"Still, I hope he figures out his quirk soon." Charm mentioned as they came up to the side of the computer itself, sitting next to it and just out of view from the adult woman. They waited together, watching for when the woman would inevitably go to bed and let them surf the web for more information. "You have any guesses on what it could be?"
"Not a clue." Vult sighed as he leaned against the humming machinery, crossing his arms and staring aimlessly ahead. "But, for the sake of his own fate, I hope he does. It might be excusable now while he's so young, but the longer he believes in us, speaks of us as if we are real without proof, the more challenging it will be for him to live his life."
They heard the chair scoot out, Inko letting out a heavy sigh as she exited the room with the computer left on. Charm began climbing up Vult's back, standing on his shoulder as his hands found their way to her ankles. In a quick shove, he pushed her up for Charm to latch onto the adjustable handle under the seat.
The two carefully maneuvered upwards until making their way to the keyboard, seeing various tabs open in the browser with various searches in them.
Child Psychology.
Sentient Quirks.
Laws regarding quirk usage at schools.
A News Article about some accident that happened yesterday near the movie theater.
Charm went over to the mouse, pushing it with her whole body before clicking open a new tab for them to use.
"At least he has his mother." Vult made his way over to the other side of the keyboard, bringing out his sword to better reach some of the keys. "She seems to care for him."
"Not enough if you ask me." Charm rolled her eyes as she recalled the way the woman handled things. "She just babies her kid, and doesn't have the guts to actually chew out the school, the kids, or their parents."
They paused their search just as footsteps began approaching, the two immediately tried going to different directions before their chains snapped taught and made them trip over themselves. Inko came in, wiping away the exhaustion from her eyes as she sat down at the computer again. Her hands went to type but found there was something in the way.
"When was Izuku in here?" She briefly wondered before hoisting the two up by the keyring, quietly walking them back into her son's room and depositing them in the little bed he made for them.
Two Years Later
Now eight years old, Izuku had managed to spend two more years getting acquainted with his quirk. Or more specifically, the two figures that had been keeping him company. Izuku couldn't seem to activate it on command, or alter the current state that his friends were in.
Despite all the time to devote himself to research and testing, his quirk was still the same mystery it was in the beginning.
Tapping his pencil against the notepad, he tried to think of some new way to interact with his quirk that wasn't attempted yet.
Meanwhile, his friends had gotten themselves more settled into his life. A box of cardboard sat in the corner behind Izuku's desk, covered in various stickers and other doodles with a few colored napkins placed over the neatly cut holes. It may look like a thought out mess, or a new form of modern art, but inside it was comfortable enough for its inhabitants.
"What am I doing wrong?" Izuku thought aloud, because there had to be some way to make his quirk work on command. Even passive quirks had some part of them that could be manipulated or controlled in some manner. Some mutation quirks were a little trickier, but his was clearly an emitter.
"Hey Izuku!" Charm stuck her head out from one of the holes in the 'home'. "You think you could get a hold of a lighter for us?"
"No!" Vult immediately intervened. "We're plastic! A lighter could kill us!"
"But you've got a boxcutter!" Charm whined, leaning out of the window with her arms hanging loosely outside of it in a bored manner. "I want something cool too."
"I have a piece of a razor blade from a shaving kit." Vult reminded her as he stepped out of the main door of the home, his chain hanging behind his back and notably not attached to a keyring.
"But you made it into a new swoooord!" Charm flopped out of the window, landing softly on the carpet. "At least make me a laser pointer wand or something."
"Try making it yourself." Vult grabbed onto the shoelace that was one of many that dangled around the room, climbing it to get onto Izuku's desk and see his continuous struggle. "Still no new ideas?"
"Do you have any?" Izuku pleaded, his options for tests having ran dry many months ago. "How am I going to be a hero if I don't even know what I can do?"
"Hmm." Vult walked over, standing atop the open page and looking over its contents. "Well, I would say maybe we can get a second opinion but-"
"His classmates are assholes." Charm added not so kindly, but still truthful. "And the teachers dismiss him."
"Someone else then?" Vult offered. "Someone with experience in the matter and isn't blinded by Izuku's quirkless past."
"You mean a doctor for quirks?" Charm quickly ascended the shoelace to be closer to the conversation. "Wouldn't one of them be expensive?"
"I can ask my mom." Izuku put his pencil down, giving his quirk/friends his full attention. "She believes I have a quirk."
Charm hissed through her teeth awkwardly as she glanced over to Vult, who still had no face to express his thoughts easily. "Um, I don't know. Sure she says so but most of the time when she catches us doing stuff she thinks it's you."
"She hasn't denied it though." Vult voiced for the other side of the argument before considering other perspectives. "But, despite our attempts to prove ourselves she doesn't seem entirely open to the idea of us being alive."
"She can't see you guys like I can." Izuku seemed to be more rejuvenated by their talk, all the dwindling confidence in his quirk sparked once again by the idea of someone with proper knowledge and a lab to figure out his unique ability. "But if she takes me to the quirk doctor he'll find something to show her!"
"Couldn't hurt to ask." Charm piped back up to her chipper self, grabbing the keyring that dangled at the end of her chain and holding it out to Vult who clipped himself on with a sturdy paperclip.
"Let's go." Vult held up the reunited keychain higher than Charm could to let Izuku bring them up, clipping them to a safety pin on his shirt so he could easily carry them around.
Leaving his room, Izuku went around to the other room where his mother was working at the computer. He waited for a second, making sure she wasn't on a call or currently messaging someone before knocking.
"Come in." She spoke, giving permission for Izuku to enter. Inko had several papers scattered around her desk area, alongside other messy folders and pinned statements to a corkboard next to it. The woman finished typing the last of another work page before turning around, showing that despite her more business casual top she wore sweatpants over her legs. "Hi Izuku, sorry I haven't started on dinner yet. Is there anything you're hungry for?"
"Um, actually I had a different question." The boy muttered, unknowingly more nervous about approaching the subject but after four years of being 'quirkless' and two years of failed efforts to figure out his quirk he pushed on. "Can we go to a doctor?"
Inko's warm and loving expression snapped into horror as she flung herself from her chair to inspect her son. "Are you hurt? Are you feeling sick? Do you have any discolored parts on your body or in the toilet?"
"No." Izuku was happy she was immediately looking out for his health, now more confident in asking for a smaller less life threatening appointment. "But, I don't know what my quirk is and it hasn't done anything else since I found Charm and Vult. Can we go to a doctor so they can help me find out what it is?"
Inko's hands rested on his shoulders, the woman's worry shifting from panic to uncertainty. "Oh Izuku, I…the doctor before already said you were quirkless and-"
"But he was wrong!" Izuku never shouted at his mother, but he couldn't accept the results with the proof of Charm and Vult in his life. "Maybe my quirk just wasn't on yet, but now it has been and if I'm going to be a hero I need to know!"
Gliding her hands down to his own, Inko held them close as she held worry over her son. Whispering to herself as she examined him with all the emotions a mother could have. "A quirk, you want to use to be a hero."
"Yes!"
"And if-" she stopped, letting the words she was about to say be unspoken. Biting her lip, she glanced down at the keychain clipped to Izuku's shirt, a storm of thoughts brewing in her mind before she sighed. "Ok, I'll make an appointment."
The awaited day had arrived, and Izuku was so excited he couldn't help but relay it to his classmates even if they dismissed it. They all thought he was quirkless, but now he would have a doctor get him proof, and maybe even figure out what else he could do with his quirk! Maybe he could make anything talk, or enlist in an army of toys!
"I hope I can make an All Might of my own." Izuku's thoughts leaked out, getting a laugh from Charm.
"Oh man! I can't wait to see that!" Charm exclaimed, the girl resting in a shirt pocket on Izuku's chest. "I want to see All Might's face in something other than super hero mode. Can you imagine if he was trying to recite some melodramatic poem with that smile?"
"Our social circle is small." Vult agreed, hanging out next to Charm in the same pocket as Izuku followed his mother into the quirk pediatrics office. "It would be nice to have some more company, though that means I would have to make an extension to our living situation. Though when your mother finally is aware that we are sentient she might be more willing to spare some money for us to have some better materials for me to work with."
"Hey Vult." Izuku glanced down at the knight as his companions froze as someone looked over to them. "How come you like making stuff so much? I don't think your character is like that."
'Yeah.' Charm spoke despite her face remaining still. 'I mean, we could just order a Barbie house or something. Or even other toy accessories but you just want to make it all yourself.'
'A dollhouse? You really think that their materials and proportions would suit our needs? Just from my two years of living it's always cheaper and more satisfactory to make exactly what you want. And what about yourself? Your character is supposed to be a studious young woman with a passion for learning but all you want to do is watch anime all day.'
'I'm learning lots from anime!'
"The Midoriyas?" A nurse spoke up, Inko and Izuku looking up from their seats in the lobby. "This way please."
Despite the good news that would surely await them, Izuku couldn't help but feel anxious in a hospital environment. He wasn't sure what it was but there was always some tense atmosphere around it.
Ever since…no, he didn't want to think about that.
The fact that they went from waiting in a friendly lobby to a stiff and sterile room didn't help. Not even looking over at the kitten posters with comical messages assisted. All he could focus on, was squeezing his mother's hand as the seconds ticked on.
Until after what felt like forever the doctor finally arrived.
"Sorry about the wait." The man in the lab coat said with a default smile as he held his clipboard. "Izuku and Inko Midoriya yes?"
"Yes." The mother nodded. "We wanted to get Izuku checked over again about his quirk factor."
"This isn't the first time though." The man flipped over a paper, looking at the hidden contents. "I see that he had an examination done by a rather notable doctor as well a few years ago."
"Well-" Inko didn't want to disagree or argue, but glancing down at Izuku she found the words. "My son has been experiencing some things that sound like they could be from an, untypical quirk. I was hoping you might help us explain it."
"Oh?" The man laud the clipboard down, electing to get his information straight from the source as he pointed his attention to Izuku. "What kinds of things?"
"My quirk lets these two talk!" Now that he had someone to finally listen, Izuku carefully rose Vult and Charm from his pocket to show them off. "I heard them after a movie one day, and when no one but me is looking at them they can move around."
'Damn.' Charm uttered as they got a better look at the doctor. 'This guy needs to trim his nose hairs.'
"Interesting." The man hummed in an over exaggerated manner. "Can you hear them now?"
"I can! Even when they're not moving they still talk to me."
"Uh huh." The man's cheery mood grew a little more serious as he reached over to his clipboard, making a couple notes while looking down at the previous reports. "So, just so I get it right, you can talk to these two and hear them but no one else can."
"Yes!"
"And, they only move when no one else but you is watching?"
"Uh huh!"
"Hm." The professional's lighthearted tone was gone now as his eyes flickered from Inko to Izuku. "Tell me Izuku, do you consider them your friends?"
"Of course! Charm is always really fun and likes to try and tell jokes-"
'Try?'
"And Vult is really resourceful, making cool stuff from trash."
'Trash?' Vult uttered. 'Well I would hardly call most of it trash but-'
'Dude.' Charm interrupted. 'You go dumpster diving way too often.'
'Just because it's found in the trash doesn't mean it's trash.'
'That's literally what that means!'
"Izuku?" The doctor snapped his fingers, getting the boy to look up from their argument. "Are they talking right now?"
"Um, yes." Izuku felt, weird about how the doctor was talking to him now but he was still here to help him. "They're arguing about what trash is."
"Do they argue a lot?"
"Sometimes." Izuku noted how Vult and Charm had already stopped, listening to him. "They aren't being mean, and they get along, but I think they do it because they're bored."
"Ok. Can you stay here for a moment? I'm going to talk with your mom for a moment in the hall and talk over what we can find out."
It felt like a rock fell in Izuku's stomach, but the boy numbly nodded as he watched his mother stand up to follow the doctor out. While the adults' backs were turned, Charm lunged out.
"You can't keep any secrets from us!" Charm latched her broom into one of the loops on Inko's handbag, Vult desperately finding a spot to claw on before his weight caused her to fall.
"Charm! What are you doing?!" Vult demanded as he used his sword to stab into the zipper to get a better grip.
"Snooping!"
"You could have warned me!"
Izuku stood up, holding out his hands to try and stop them but it was too late. Now standing alone in the room, he had no one to talk to, no friends to look out for.
He was alone.
Terribly alone.
He didn't want that.
Out in the hall, the doctor held up his clipboard and addressed Inko in a more serious manner. "We can do the tests again and see if there really is some latent quirk factor, but I can practically guarantee you they won't give your son the results he expects."
"You mean, you really think he's quirkless?" Inko's question came off as more of a statement, one she wasn't surprised by but worried all the same.
"WHAT?!" Charm yelled from behind her back, not that anyone but Vult could hear her. "He hasn't even run a single test yet!"
Vult kicked up at her, making her glare in return. "Quiet."
Taking off his glasses, the man cleaned them on his collar as he began to explain. "This isn't exactly a common case, but there's been enough for me to suspect your son honestly believes he has a quirk."
"He's, not pretending then. Or at least he doesn't realize he is." Inko muttered in concern, but the fact she came to the conclusion so quickly made the toys realize it was always on her mind.
"They think he's crazy!" Charm screamed down at Vult. "They think we aren't real!"
"Shut up and let me listen!" Vult demanded once again, raising his boot as a threat.
"Tell me, when was the last time you saw Izuku interacting with friends?" The doctor asked, Inko not taking long to come to the answer.
"Not too long when we were visiting the Bakugos. Izuku was trying to convince his best friend Katsuki that he could still be a hero without a quirk, but then they had a fight. Mitsuki, Katsuki's mother said that her son lied about which day we were going to see a movie for Izuku's birthday to get out of going. None of Izuku's friends showed up, and that was the day he started talking to those two toys."
The doctor nodded in understanding before putting his glasses back on. "Social ostracization can be difficult, and practically inevitable for quirkless youth nowadays. The fact that there's an unchangeable part of his life that prevents him from interacting with his peers would make him seek out a solution. Sometimes our bodies, and even our minds can come to unhealthy alternatives to try and supplement our needs. Humans are naturally social creatures, so in Izuku's case in order to fulfill his social cravings he has developed something to supplement friends and refute the barrier he has in making new ones."
"We're not a barrier!" Charm began climbing higher onto Inko's back, Vult yanking on the keychain to prevent her from getting far. "This society just raised a bunch of power hungry assholes!"
"If you really want to, we can do the tests to confirm his quirkless factor for sure." The man stated as he ran his pen down the list. "But the ones done years ago already highlight the lack of genes and the extra toe joint. We can't change that."
"I-I understand." Inko stifled a short sob. "But what can I do to help him?!"
"To start off with, we can give him a quick 'test.'" The doctor offered with finger quotations. "So we show we did something for Izuku and tell him we couldn't find a quirk factor. That might help him recover but if he insists that he can hear voices and see things, I'd recommend one of our other doctors who specializes in pediatric psychology."
Charm has had enough of hearing their doubts, her anger provoking her to climb back to Inko's belt loop and find a small exposed part of her skin under her shirt, and bared her painted teeth. "IF WE'RE NOT REAL THEN PROVE THIS ASSHOLES!"
"CHARM NO!"
"Ouch!" Inko winced as she jolted in place, her hand moving over to where she felt the sensation. A keychain fell, both adults looking down to seeing the focus of Izuku's beliefs.
"What?" Inko questioned as she knelt down to pick it up. "But, how did they get there? How did-"
"Inko." The doctor went to cover it up with his hand, sternly addressing her now. "He must have placed it on your back when you weren't looking."
"But-" Inko reconsidered her conclusions, recalling the many times she found the keychain in different areas or walking in on the television being on in the middle of the night and seeing them on the couch. She always thought that Izuku might have been doing these things on his own, but more times than not he was deeply asleep. "There are times where they've-"
"Do not give into the delusion." The man ordered strictly. "If you do, Izuku will never consider the truth that he's quirkless. Always fighting an endless battle against the world to prove something that isn't there, preventing him from finding a real way to socialize and live a healthy life. Are we clear?"
'DON'T YOU DARE!' Charm fought against her stiff state, the charismatic smile on her frozen face not matching the wrath in her heart. 'HE'S NOT INSANE HE JUST NEEDS SOMEONE TO LISTEN!'
But Inko couldn't hear her, or even notice any signs of life in the toys in her hand. So, with a heavy heart she accepted what she could only presume. Her son needed help, and she would have to deny his truths in order to do so. Inko might not have the strength to do it all herself, so she would at least allow the doctors to say what she couldn't.
The day could have gone a lot better, in fact, it was one of the worst days in Izuku's life. The doctor came back, took out his instruments and looked Izuku over rather quickly, and announced his half hearted findings.
He didn't have a quirk.
But he did! Otherwise he wouldn't be able to hear Charm and Vult! The idea of someone else's quirk bringing them to life had bounced around in his head but how come only he was able to see and talk with them?
The only answer was that he had a quirk, he had to.
But no one who had the ability to would help him. He might have Charm and Vult, who shared such kind words to him on such a bad day.
Despite their company and their assurances, Izuku still felt so alone. While heading towards the exit of the hospital, they passed by various parts. The lobby, the gift shop, and even a small arcade to occupy the time for some children who needed a distraction.
'QUIT STICKING THAT CLAW IN MY EYE YOU BRAT!'
A very noticeable voice came from there, gruff and deep. Izuku turned his eyes over to it, and saw no one inside that would have that description.
Inko saw how he stared off towards it, the mother feeling guilty over the bad news despite knowing it was a step in the right direction. "You want to play a game or two? I have some papers to sign really fast."
Izuku's answer came in the smallest of nods, Inko giving him some money before going to the front desk.
'Come on pick me!' That voice came again, Izuku wandering his way closer to the arcade where a few other kids were playing within. 'Pick me so I can get out of here you little whore! No! Don't go for the fricking cube with a face! It's not even cute!'
He stopped, Izuku drifting his gaze around to see if any of the games seemed appealing.
'YOU SON OF A BITCH! IF I HAD FINGERS I WOULD RIP OFF THAT SNOTTY NOSE OF YOURS!'
'If I wasn't frozen right now-' Vult began to speak up. 'I would use my sword and cut out that vulgar tongue.'
'WHO SAID THAT?!' The crude man's voice yelled out. 'WHO THE FUCK SAID THAT?! I'LL BEAT YOUR ASS EVEN IF I'M MADE OF COTTON!'
While Izuku was trying to stay away from the aggressive person, that comment made him pause, and take another look around the arcade. Sweeping his eyes over, he looked out for movement that didn't come from the screens or the children.
And once he saw a girl leave the claw machine, he saw a blue fingerless limb slamming into the other stuff animals.
"DAMNIT! I can't even pull myself out without any fingers! What's the point of wings if they don't even work?!" But the figure did manage to lift their head up, and lock eyes with Izuku.
"What do you want brat? Wanna just ignore me like everyone else or are you going to do something good with your miserable life and get me out of here."
"Izuku." Vult uttered in shock, and was able to move to his shoulder while no humans were watching. "I know what you're thinking. After two years of no success there's a new toy now that's alive, so obviously you want to free him and talk to him."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Charm agreed, climbing up to Vult's side.
"But he is obviously a bad person who deserves to be locked up." Vult finished.
"OI! YOU MANGLED BUTT PLUG!" What they could now make up to be a blue pegasus plushie with a silver mane and wings with stars in them glared hatefully at the knight. "I WILL CRUMPLE YOU UP LIKE THE TIN CAN YOU ARE!"
"You see?" Vult ignored the threat, casually pointing to him while speaking to Izuku. "He's clearly more trouble than he's worth. Let's go to the other game and-"
"W-wait!" The pegasus let go of a fraction of his fury. "Kid, you can see me, and hear me right? Let me out and I promise to do you a solid."
"A solid?" Charm chuckled. "What kind of outdated slang is this guy using?"
"Keep talking girly." The plushie put his stumpy hooves against the glass. "Or I'll make you eat those words."
"Bite me."
"Guys." Izuku held his hand up to halt the argument. "I know he isn't, the nicest, but he's stuck. And….and this just shows that my quirk is real! Maybe it's getting stronger, maybe overtime I can let you all talk to whoever and move around when others are looking!"
"Wait, really?!" The plush tripped over another stuffed animal trying to get closer to the wall. "Your quirk can do this? You brought me to life?"
"Well, yeah and-"
"You saying you can get me stronger?" He asked pointedly, making the others pause at his particular ambition.
"Ok, I agree with Vult." Charm pointed over at the new sentient toy. "This guy gives off all the wrong vibes."
"PLEASE!" The winged horse begged on whatever would be his knees. "I've only been awake for an hour and I already can't stand it! Let me out and I promise not to gut you-"
Vult and Charm snapped their heads towards him, their hands moving to their respective 'weapons'.
"-and your friends." The stuffed animal finished, reluctantly.
Izuku walked up to the machine, holding the coins over the slot. "Just, try to be nice ok?"
"Sure, yeah." The plushie agreed. "So long as they don't piss me off."
"That doesn't seem hard to do." Charm muttered under her breath as she folded her arms, getting another violent glare in return and what could only be assumed a crude gesture if he had even one finger.
Izuku started playing the game, the high pitched noises dancing around as he took hold of the arm to position it over their new accomplice.
"Yes, YES!" The horse rejoiced as the claw descended. He tried to wrap himself around the metal arms, the machine shaking as it began to ascend.
"No no no no!" Despite his desperate clawing, the pegasus couldn't latch himself onto the claw as it went out of reach. "Curse these soft and plushy arms!"
"They're technically legs." Vult pointed out.
"Don't squirm so much!" Charm scolded, making the horse grumble in return.
"Fine, I'll stay still. Try again."
Izuku put in another coin, the music picking up again as he brought the claw over. Yet, as it closed itself around the toy, it didn't have anything to latch onto as it rose back up.
"Oh come on!" The horse cursed as he began to doubt Izuku's intentions. "You can't suck that bad."
"I'm sorry!" The boy fumbled to get another coin in. "I've never used one of these before!"
"Don't blame Izuku!" Charm resumed her scolding. "He's trying to help you!"
"And what a good job he's doing." The toy replied with thick sarcasm.
"These games aren't meant to be won." Vult began, unclipping himself from the main keyring and sliding down Izuku's arm to the controls. "They're rigged, the claw never applying enough force to actually hold anything even if the toys have little weight. Not to mention their slick-"
"You going to help or just blabber?"
Vult didn't have eyes to glare, his empty visor just slowly turning over to the flightless pegasus. "Are you saying you don't want my help to rig the system?"
"...I'm listening."
"Do you have a tag?"
The plushie pried himself a little further out of the pile, showing it was planted directly on his rear. "Claw doesn't reach that far down."
"Then stick your ass up." Charm stated as if it was obvious, gaining even more fury from the trapped toy.
"I'M NOT A SHOW HORSE WHO IS TRYING TO GET THEIR ASS TAPPED!"
"I'm going to assume you tried climbing out?" Vult pointed to the corner of the claw machine with a high wall where won prizes were deposited.
"No fingers, no grip remember?"
"Then this is the only way." Vult shrugged, uncaring if he managed to get out or not but he could confidently say he helped. "Are you going to let your pride keep you here until you're thrown out?"
He was going to reply with something snarky, sarcastic, or just more threats, but the deceivingly adorable toy sighed in defeat as he prostrated himself with his tag to the air. "Just, get it over with."
"Ok." Izuku put in the coin, maneuvering the claw as best he could but the thing was constantly spinning, swaying with every slight nudge of the joystick. Once it became stable enough, he pressed the flashing button, whistling noises spiraling as the claw fell.
When it got closer, everyone saw it was not going to reach the tag.
"Move to the left!" Izuku told him.
"Not that far!" Charm corrected in panic.
"Get it higher!" Vult said as the claw became ever closer to the plushie.
He kept shaking around, trying to get into a better position as he felt humiliated with every second. "I hate you a-AHH!"
"We hooked a big one captain!" Charm cheered with a hefty amusement as the claw rose with the prize.
"I'LL SKEWER YOU!" The horse raged as he was dragged up, not by the tag, but by where the threads met just under his tail. "I'LL MELT YOU INTO A PUDDLE OF MULTICOLORED PLASTIC! I'LL- AH!"
He was promptly dropped down the prize chute, Izuku retrieving him as Vult climbed back up to his place alongside Charm.
"Um, sorry." Izuku sheepishly apologized. "I didn't mean to-"
"Just, don't mention it. EVER."
"Izuku, I'm done." Inko approached, slower, and a little more tired than before. "Oh, did you win a prize?"
"Yeah." Izuku held up the new companion to his quirk's growing influence. "Just barely."
"Why this one?" Inko asked, maybe a little oddly to Izuku's ears. "It's from a little girl's show so-"
Izuku tuned her out, unsure what to think. The doctor said he was quirkless but, he didn't seem to do much to come to that conclusion. He also trusted his mother for all of his life, with most things, but today she didn't even seem to care that the doctor didn't do a good job.
She accepted he was quirkless, despite her going along with everything he's said to her for the past two years. That meant, from now on, he'd have to protect his quirk, protect his friends, and protect himself from someone who meant him no harm.
"I was going for the Endeavor plushie."
'You ass.'
Another two years later
"We've known each other quite a while now."
Izuku remained silent, staring down at the carpet to avoid eye contact.
"I'd like to think that we've made some progress."
He didn't budge, just waiting for the hour to be over just like every week for so many months.
"You're a good boy, and I think you just got a little confused along the way is all. We all do, it's just part of growing up."
Izuku listened, he had to, if only to prove that they didn't need to go over the same thing as last time. The older woman across from him with graying hair took this moment of him looking away to retrieve her pen and paper, preparing herself for what happens next. Two dots on her forehead began to glow, and the pen began to race along the paper.
"Izuku, do you believe you have a quirk?"
"No." He did, but no one believes him.
"Your toys, do you believe they're alive?"
"No." They are, they're his best friends, his only friends.
"Have you seen them, moving around or hear them talk to you still?"
"No." They only let me see them. They only talk to me because no one can hear them.
"Last question. Are you planning on becoming a hero?"
Izuku opened his mouth to immediately say no, but he was scared to admit it, the answer they wanted to hear was the truth. He wanted to be a hero so much, dreaming of it ever since he saw All Might's debut video. But, every day was a battle just to live his life, to hold to what he knew to be true as everyone tried to talk him out of it.
The truth was, he wanted to be a hero, but he didn't have a plan because so long as everyone doubted the existence of his quirk he couldn't see a way to become one.
The woman's pen stopped, her forehead no longer glowing as she took a short sip from a drink nearby. "That's all for today Izuku, thank you for answering my questions. Would you send your mother in after you?"
"Ok." Snapping up from the couch, Izuku immediately went for the door where Inko was already waiting just outside with a nervous expression. She reached out to her son as he walked down the hall, her voice dying in her throat as she wished to call out to him.
"Mrs. Midoriya." The psychologist spoke from within, standing up to greet the woman. "Please close the door behind you."
Nodding subtly, complying with the demands, Inko stepped inside and braced herself.
The older woman turned the clipboard around, showing her what was recorded. "Your son's real thoughts to our checklist questions. As you can see, much to my disappointment, he hasn't made any progress. Not even a hint of doubt towards his hallucinations."
"A-about that…" Inko clasped her hands, gripping tightly onto one another as her eyes swayed between her feet.
This got a suspicious glance from the psychologist, who eyed the woman's emotional distress. "Did you follow through with the assignment yet?"
"I kept trying." Inko's eyes stopped, widening as she shivered in place as she remembered it all. "No matter how many times I think Izuku isn't looking, isn't aware, isn't awake, somehow every single time I try to lock them up or toss out those toys they keep, coming, back."
"He's clearly devoted to them." The psychologist reasoned. "He keeps such a close eye on them that-"
"Two days ago, I took them with me on the train. I know I wasn't followed by him, there was no way for Izuku to know where I was going. I rode three cities over, where I found a bar with a strict age limit, and threw them away in the bathroom."
Inko's terrified gaze lifted up to the woman, the mother shivering as she remembered what came after. "Five hours later, I woke up, and they were there, sitting at the foot of my bed with my phone's flashlight pointed at me."
The woman nodded along, not showing any discerning emotion regarding the matter. "Are you saying, Izuku-"
"Izuku was asleep the whole time! I put a piece of tape above his door that was marked and it was still there when I checked on it! I don't know how else any of that could happen unless-"
"Stop." The mother was guided down to the couch, allowing her to bury her head in her own hands to lean over. "Mrs. Midoriya, I know this is a very difficult thing for a mother to experience. You want your son to get better no matter what, and we have tried many things to help. Sometimes a mother is desperate enough to bridge the gap between her and her children, and her mind will adopt whatever delusions her children have."
"Delusions…they…that's… I don't know."
"Ma'am, I know you want to believe your son, to know that's he's sound in both body and mind, but accepting his word as truth over everything else will only prevent him from any chance at getting better."
"But he's not getting better!" Inko cried, starting to openly weep As the burden became too much for her. It took her a few minutes to calm down, and once she did the professional was ready.
"We still haven't considered all of our options yet." The psychologist reminded her. "It was discussed before, but I think it's time to begin considering medication."
"THAT'S IT!" The blue pegasus had just finished cleaning himself thoroughly, again. The stink of the trash finally out of his fuzzy fabric. He stormed out of the bathroom, marching his way to the living room where he saw Vult and Charm watching the television. "I've had enough of that woman! I say we get rid of her!"
"We can't kill Izuku's mom!" Charm was shocked by the very idea, standing up from her makeshift lawn chair from rubber bands and toothpicks.
"Not her!" The plushie rolled its eyes towards the keychain characters that stood at roughly half his height. "That therapist that told her to do it! I think we did good enough scaring the shit out of the mother though to think twice about trying to dump us for, what, the seventh time?"
"Sixth." Vult corrected. "And I don't think we should terrify the poor woman anymore too. Inko loves her son but, just like the rest of the world, she can't see us for who we are."
"What if we already went too far?" Charm asked the both of them. "What if Izuku learns about what we did and decides he can't even trust us anymore?"
"I'd rather him be mad for all the five minutes he can be than for the mother to decide that burning us would be more effective." The blue horse finished, trotting over to where the remote is. "Better to live with regrets than to die a coward."
"Bomber." Vult unsheathed his sword, holding it between the remote and the other toy. "You lost remote privileges for two weeks after the explicit incident, remember?"
"Oh screw off asshole. I earned it for keeping Inko in her place."
"You know." Charm stormed over, doing her best to stand tall against their third member. "Bomber isn't a good name for you. Do you know what is?"
"Humor me."
"Jackass."
"Oh you little-"
Approaching footsteps cut out their argument, Vult quickly hit the power button on the remote before they all ducked under the coffee table. While yes, their bodies would automatically freeze when spotted by Inko Midoriya they still preferred the freedom of being able to move when possible.
Also, they had learned many times that evidence of their actions only brought more hardships to Izuku, however indirect it was.
The two Midoriyas arrived home, Inko setting aside her keys as Izuku went straight to his room.
"Izuku." Inko tried calling out to her son. "Would you like any-"
He said nothing, merely closing the door behind himself and sealing himself away from the world. The three could only glance between one another with worry, before Vult decided to move to action.
"She's in the kitchen." He quickly explained. "Come on Charm."
"Why only her?" Bomber asked with an unspoken accusation.
"You don't fit under the door."
"I can squish."
"You can certainly try, but leave the sensitive talking to us."
Bomber relented, watching the two smaller toys run out from their cover while Inko wasn't watching before rolling under the door. They arrived to a rather, depressing site.
Izuku was sitting on his bed, holding the one toy who he would have done so much to be able to talk to. There was always one man in the boy's life who represented everything good and just in the world, who could tackle obstacles head on and always come out on top.
"What would you say All Might?" Izuku asked in a broken whisper, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "You always said anyone can be a hero, but how do I be a hero when no one will let me figure it out?"
Vult and Charm approached slowly, giving the boy enough time to vent out his frustrations and temporarily giving him some privacy.
"Hey kid." Vult sat on the boy's shoe. "Take it today was a little harder than some of the others."
"They said I need pills." Izuku whimpered, balling one of his fists and pressing it against his forehead. "They think I'm crazy! All of them! But I'm not, right?! You are real!"
"Of course we are." With a quick climb up the blankets, Charm found her way to Izuku's side and did her best to give him a hug. "If we weren't real, then how come we can still do things when you're not around?"
"There's just no one with a quirk like yours to refer to." Vult reasoned as he climbed up the boy's pant leg, standing up in his knee. "It's harder for them to accept what little evidence we can provide if they've already assumed your quirkless."
"You just, need to find someone who believes you." Charm wasn't entirely sure that was the best option but it certainly couldn't hurt. "There's a lot of different quirks out there. If you find someone and tell them your quirk before they hear anything about you being quirkless, they're bound to believe you!"
But their words could bring little comfort to Izuku. Still, he appreciated their efforts, their company, and their kindness. Most of all though, their belief in him just as much as he believed in them.
"HRNG!" One more attempted to join them, a little blue horse's head cramming itself between the small gap under the door. Just after Bomber got his head under it, his front hooves uselessly clawing at the carpet, he had gotten stuck. "You know what, screw it. Let's get out of here and go somewhere fun!"
"Like where?" Charm asked, trying not to laugh as Bomber continually attempted to push himself one way or the other.
"My mom won't let you guys come with me." Izuku reminded them, hanging his head in disappointment.
"Eh, don't worry about her." Bomber rubbed his front legs together, restraining himself from a maniacal laughter. "I'll take care of it."
Vult, now incredibly suspicious, eyed the stuck pegasus. "How?"
"Don't worry about it! By the time we're back she'll still be in dreamland!" Bomber waved off his concerns, before needing to address his own. "Um, but first, little help kid?"
Izuku had never snuck out before, but his mother was passed out in her bedroom and showing no signs of waking any time soon, he caved into the demands for Charm and Bomber, Vult reluctant to agree but it had been too long since he went out with his friends.
Wearing a simple t shirt and shorts, carrying his bright yellow backpack for his friends to ride in, he tried to avoid anyone's gaze as he continued his journey down the street.
Bomber, sitting in the bag with the zipper slightly open peaked around, groaning at the family friendly sights. "How the hell is this boring shopping district fun?"
Charm, who dangled on her chain alongside Vult on the outside of the bag, gave him a reprimanding glare. "Just because there's not tits flopping out everywhere doesn't mean this can't be fun."
"Don't hate on curves just because you don't have any." Bomber shot back, biting a chuckle in his tone as Charm resisted using every swear word she knew at the plush.
"Can you two stop?" Vult kindly asked. "Just be grateful we're going out in the first place. Izuku, there was a store you wanted to visit?"
"Um, yes." The boy pulled out his wallet, counting the various bills he had been gifted over various holidays. "Mom, doesn't like me going to toy stores anymore. But, I wanted to check if this one place had the latest All Might silver age variant. Also, it has some other accessories that I thought maybe you guys would like."
"Awwww!" Charm couldn't reach Izuku's cheek but she still tried to hug him. "You're so nice to us Izuku!"
"You don't have to." Vult didn't want to take advantage of the boy. "I'm perfectly capable of making us anything we-"
"How many times have I asked for a laser pointer wand or broom?" Charm jabbed her finger accusingly at the side of his helmet.
Spotting the shop in sight, Izuku hurried over as he approached the store with various characters, models, and toys displayed in its glass windows.
"Hot Damn!" Bomber shoved his head out of the zipper to stare at the one cardboard cutout of one of the heroines. "Tie me up and call me-"
"Don't be gross!" Charm chastised him, ready to unclip herself and beat a lesson into their more vulgar member.
Paying no mind to their antics after having grown used to them, Izuku steadily made his way in and was met with a sight of dozens upon dozens of shelves, all of them lined with boxes of model kits, the newest hero figures, an assortment of accessories for different brands, and just about anything that was considered an action figure.
"Woah." Izuku was in awe, never having been to this place before and was left with too many options to look at. Naturally, he drifted towards the area that caught his eye the most. Hero merchandise, scale depictions of the latest persons to battle against villains, and even sets of iconic moments.
He stood in place, seeing one display that showed exactly what was inside one of their most popular products. "All Might's debut."
A highly accurate plastic rendering of the number one hero's introduction to the heroic scene, the flames eating away at the destruction, the collapsed building with heavy rubble threatening to crush anyone around it, but one man, carrying several civilians on his back, arose from it all with a comforting smile and turned what would have been a disaster into a fond memory.
But a glance at the price tag told Izuku he would be lucky to afford it if he saved all his money into his mid-life crisis.
Moving along the shelves, he followed the All Might name over various products. Some he had, some he wished he had, and plenty outside his budget. Going over the treasure trove of products, Izuku traced over every single box, seeing that victorious grin on every one. It's part of the reason he liked All Might so much, his smile setting everyone no matter who at ease, announcing that it's ok.
He was here, not really but Izuku wished he was. It was on days like today, where Izuku hit another harsh curb in life, that Izuku really wanted to know what All Might would say to him.
His friends tried to keep him company, getting him out today was helping but, it couldn't fill that hole for acceptance he desperately craved.
"Hey." Charm bumped Izuku's shoulder with the back of her broom, a teasing smile gracing her lips. "We know you would rather have an All Might figure come to life, but try not to make it obvious sometimes. Otherwise we might get jealous."
"S-sorry." Izuku hurried on to try and find the product, reaching the end of the first set of shelves and about to loop over into the second but found himself halting. Right in front of him were various tables set up, the smell of paint coming to him as tools were scattered around.
A few people of various backgrounds were seated at them, the small click of plastic being trimmed coming to his ears almost every second. Curious, Izuku took another step towards the scene to see what they were working on.
Game piece minis, dioramas, but mostly model kits.
Most of the people there were either teens or young adults, but there was one girl his age with black hair tied into a ponytail and deep ocean blue eyes. She was so focused, not an emotion to be found as she expertly cut a decal out from a sheet, placed it shortly in some water, and laid it out onto the mecha that stood before her.
But he wasn't interested in mechs, unless they were based on a hero.
It did remind him though that there were some model accessories he wanted to look at for Vult and Charm. Bomber, was going to be a little harder to please given his tastes were likely not going to be sold to someone Izuku's age.
Oh, there they were, just on the other side of the crafting area. Being cautious not to bump into any of the tables, Izuku snuck around until a wide variety of weapons, tools, or just some household appliances greeted him.
"Ok." Izuku whispered, bringing his hand up to unclip Vult and Charm to show them the selection. "See anything you like?"
"Hmmm." The wizard girl leaned in, squinting her eyes while looking over some of the more magical items. "Guess it would be too hard to put batteries in this stuff."
"Not the average and affordable kind." Vult stated, mulling over a few options himself. He did see an armor set, but given the nature of his body he couldn't 'swap parts'. His attention did land on a model workbench. Sure, it was plastic, but with just a few tweaks it would be great to use.
"Oh!" Charm saw exactly what she wanted now. "Look at that staff! It's got a translucent gem that glows in the dark! Much better than my banged up stick."
"Boring." Bomber mumbled from inside Izuku's bag. "Also, think you should turn around for a second kid."
"Why?" Izuku questioned, peeking over his shoulder to where Bomber was barely visible in the opening of his bag.
"You'll see." Was his vague reply, Izuku turning around fully and clipping the keyring carrying the other two on his strap.
Izuku tried looking around with a more analyzing perspective. The boxes didn't seem out of place, and while some of the shoppers seemed awkward they didn't appear dangerous.
The only danger around him, were maybe a couple of the tools used around the tables for some of the models. Just like the ones laying next to that mech the girl his age was finishing up.
The mech, that as soon as the girl leaned down to grab something from her bag, moved its head on its own.
"Another one?!" Charm immediately noticed, more than one thing. "Hey Izuku, do you think your quirk needs a couple years to charge up or something?"
"That's right." Vult hummed in thought. "Two years after you were supposed to get in your quirk, we came alive, then roughly two years after Bomber showed up, and now another two years have passed and there's another sentient toy. It's not exact but it's something to consider, and the only noticeable pattern."
"It's still off by several months though." Bomber added with his own thoughts. "Anyways, just grab him and run."
"Don't assume it's a guy!" Charm would have slapped Bomber if he was in reach. "You're from a girl's pony show, a knock off toy at that, and you're a guy."
Questions could be asked later, for now Izuku was trying to figure out what to do. A short panic was welling up in his chest because one, this wasn't just some toy to buy or win, this belonged to someone. Secondly, what if they didn't want to come with him?
The other part of the matter is, he still hasn't heard it say a word.
Now that Izuku was getting a better look at the mech, it had slightly larger lime green eyes than others, two antennas sticking out from its head and towards the back, and a color scheme of mostly white, some grays and blacks, and bright safety orange highlights.
It looked like it was meant for space, with thrusters on its back that were similar to wings, but the treads on its legs made him question its purpose. He really didn't know anything about the latest sci-fi shows.
But what he did know, was that the model kit was now rushing for the edge of the table!
"Woah!" Izuku lurched out his hand to stop it, making sure it didn't fall off. It stopped, looking up at him curiously, with the thrusters on its back twitching, vents opening and closing, and moving with all its intricate parts.
That was so cool, but he didn't have time to admire it!
"Hold on." Izuku silently pleaded with it, lowering his hand as he squatted down to talk with it. "Look um, basically my quirk brought you to life. Sorry, but I don't have a lot of control over it. I'd normally ask you to come with me but, someone else bought and made you before and, I don't really know what to do about convincing them. If you want to come with me and my friends, I'll try to talk to the person and maybe I can buy you from them or….uh…"
At the mention of the technical owner, Izuku had looked over and was seeing the girl standing there, staring at him with that same expressionless face, holding a camera in her hands.
Izuku wasn't sure how much she heard, or what she would think of him talking to her toy-er-model kit. She would probably think he's crazy like everyone else, or even-!
The girl pressed the button down on her camera, a flash temporarily blinding Izuku as he blinked away the light. Once he regained his senses, he saw that the girl was now shaking a polaroid photo. Wow, that was really retro. He thought the gimmick died out over a century ago.
But, the girl just examined the photo, nodding in approval at its content before going to her bag and taking out a photo to place it among many others, all of them finished model kits.
"Um." Izuku wasn't sure what her plans were, for the kit or for him anymore. "Did you uh, hear what I was saying earlier?"
She looked up from the folder, giving a brief nod before glancing down at the model and back to him. With her attention on him, Izuku looked down to the mech, which was just as equally quiet and had an indiscernible expression given its lack of a proper face.
"U-uh, I can buy it, I mean him? Her? The model kit! Can I-uh no- May I purchase it from you? I know you probably spent a lot of time working on it, you did really good! But with my quirk I just-"
She shook her head in no, holding up her hand to decline his offer. Of course, there was a lot of detail she invested into it. Izuku felt foolish for even considering the idea. The girl used her two fingers to pick it up from the sides of its waist, holding it up to their eye level, and extended the finished masterpiece to him.
Izuku stared dumbly, unsure what was going on.
"Pst." Vult whispered from his side. "I think she's giving it to you."
"Really?!" Izuku clamped his hands over his mouth, accidentally disrupting the natural quiet reverence this store had.
She nodded, grabbing one of Izuku's hands and placing the new companion in it before going back to her things and packing up tools, and her photos.
Izuku glanced down at the new friend, who didn't speak a word, only fiddling around with its various parts and extra weapons that were attached to its frame. "Um, welcome?"
It looked up at him, giving a short wave in response.
Well, ok then.
"Yui." A man suddenly came over, having a similar stiff face to the girl but with a lighter tint to his hair. "Time to go."
The girl, Yui nodded as she adjusted the straps on her bag, marching behind the man as she gave a goodbye wave towards Izuku and company.
The mech and Izuku waved back, watching them depart.
"Woah hey!" Charm suddenly piped up with shock. "Did they just move and-we were moving! She just watched us move!"
"WHAT?!" Izuku shouted again, getting an annoyed stare by some of the other customers. Quickly apologizing, Izuku tried to hurry to the front doors of the store to try and catch her, try and get some if any answers.
She could see them, she could understand him, she could accept him!
But the moment he peered out into the crowd, all hope was lost. The crowd had grown, too many people to sift through to try and find the one person that could have proved Izuku's sanity.
"Well, shame." Bomber muttered before giving an empathetic pat on Izuku's back. "Life sucks kid. Now come on, I saw some 'models' that I want to see if you can give a little more life to."
Look, I know more than anyone that I swore off starting any new MHA projects. But, lately I've been hitting a roadblock (Don't know which larger underline plots I want to integrate into Sparks of Ingenuity), so I decided to jot down a couple ideas that had been stirring in the back of my mind for years. I don't plan on getting too far with this, just a few chapters, but then again that's how a lot of my stories start and some of them have well over 100,000 words. So, we'll see how far this gets.
This is just a sort of introduction to characters and rising plot points, next chapter will go into the start of canon.
Warning, this story is going to visit some hard topics.