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Izuku had become aware of the fact he was different from the other kids in his pre-school class the second he walked in the door, instead of the usual greeting he was presented with by friends and teachers a-like he got stares and whispers, even as young as he was, from that moment on he realized he was now fundamentally different from others and all because of a toe joint.
He felt the stares and stifled atmosphere before even lifting his head, his friends looking at him with curiosity in their eyes as one would look at an exotic animal, and Izuku supposes that wasn't far of the mark anymore.
Quirkless the doctor had said, hell never get a quirk the Doctor had said, all his dreams destroyed, the most prominent thought in Izuku's mind right now the doctor had not said, ironic.
He felt the vibrations of 20 children running towards him, his ears not keeping up, still in shock from he day before. The children might be speaking he cant really tell all he wants to do is go back home and watch All Might's debut video, reminiscing over the times he thought he too would have a awesome debut video when he become a pro hero, not anymore he realizes his body tensing up and filling with dread.
His teacher's can always tell when one of the children in their class is going to cry, their body's tense, shoulders raise and curl and before even a single tear can slip free they suddenly have a lap full of an emotional child, hand running slowly up and down the child's back, tears being stifled by the natural comfort provided from the familiar actions. This time however was different they seen the tell tale signs, the shoulders, the posture, the quietness but this time as the seconds pass and a single tear slips free no one has reached for the upset child, instilled they stand stock still staring as if suddenly all the training has been whipped from there brains and are unaware of what to do with a crying child. ironic his mother had been the same.
Izuku realized with as choked gasp that the people around him were infant not comforting him as he cried nor were his teachers, his friends were actually pointing and laughing, does that mean they were good friends? Izuku didn't think so he remembers an episode of Present Mic's radio show talking about 'bullying' and how it was bad, he said that sometimes people would be mean to others because they were different, Izuku knows now that he is different because of the doctor but he didn't think his friends would be mean, he was still Izuku and there were other kids in his class who still didn't have quirks yet so why where they only being mean to him? it wasn't fair.
He goes home alone and sad for the first time, Izuku likes school!, it has his friends and he learns how to spell there, which helps a lot with when he's writing in his hero analysis for the future book, nut today when he waits at the pick up point in his pre-school, he waited for a hour, after 25 minutes the teachers left and packed to go home, locking the doors behind them. He never saw them leave but he noticed that their cars weren't in the car park when he went to look around the school to see if his mum was waiting somewhere else, She wasn't.
When he got home he couldn't tell apart the tears from the rain water, he takes off his uncomfortable shoes, now realizing why for the first time and goes the the bathroom to get the first aid kit to find some plasters to put on his blisters and cuts, he thinks idly when his mum is going to buy him the special pair of shoes the doctor told them about that fits his feet better?.
Walking into the kitchen he sees his mum smiling and humming happily. he pauses, did she not realize he was at pre-school today? but she dropped him off so if she's home and not at work like he thought why didn't she come get him? but still if mum was in work and couldn't get him auntie Mitsuki would?.
"Mummy why did you not come to school today?" he really doesn't understand it was super rainy and really cold!
"Oh… sorry Izu honey mummy was busy i forgot Mitsuki called me and i just got side tracked." she continues washing dishes not even sparing him a glance "did you get home okay? you didn't bother anybody?"
"Oh um okay mummy, uh um no i didn't i just came straight home" he didn't want to say that he knew auntie Mitsuki came to pick up kacchan because mummy was crying a lot yesterday and she was happy again! so he didn't really mind much if his mum was happy, he'd walk home in the rain as often as needed for his mummy, but he know why she lied, mummy always said lying was bad and something naughty boys do.
She finally turned to look at him catching the plasters peaking out from underneath of his house slippers, she didn't say anything or do anything. That was becoming a habit for the grown ups around Izuku.
"Good, that's good Izuku, can you go do your homework for me?" she turns back to the dishes "in your room please mummy's busy and i don't want you making a mess or distracting me alright?"
Why did she think he'd make a mess Izuku always cleans after himself? when daddy was living with them he would get really angry if Izuku made a mess, why did mummy think he would he's a good boy and good boys clean.
"um okay mummy… i love you" he hears her hum of approval and leaves to go to his room. Sitting on his bed that night and thinking over the day he felt conflicted, he was upset at everything that happened, but he didn't want to be? he dint want to be upset with his friends or his mum but he was and he wasn't sure what to do?.
Mummy and him had sit down to eat like normal even if the table was quiet without Izuku's ramblings and mumbles, she didn't say anything.
He went to bed like normal but mummy didn't read him a book like normal, he still got tucked in and a kiss on the head but the story was his favorite part of bed time and mummy knew that?
That night he couldn't sleep and that wasn't normal, he tried counting sheep like the teachers at pre-school say to do and he tried pretending to be asleep to trick his brain but that also didn't work. he laid in place for 3 hours before giving up and deciding to put on Put Your Hands Up Radio! Present Mic's radio show, Izuku's bed time was only 7;30pm so luckily the show was still running and Present Mic himself was speaking!.
It was rare for Izuku to hear Present Mic on the radio because he normally worked late and Izuku knew why!. Present Mic was a limelight hero which meant he was seen most during the day and had a lot of fans, completely different from underground heroes who were all about being not seen and not known. Izuku only knew one underground hero and that was Eraserhead, he saved him one day when a mean villain tried to hurt him.
Being a limelight hero meant you were known by the public so Present Mic would patrol during rush hours like lunch and the end of the work day, but he was also a teacher at UA the best hero school in Japan, it was where he was meant to go when he thought he was going to get a quirk but now he knows he cant. But that's why Present Mic only does the radio at night because he is really busy during the day and Izuku's bed time is before he starts but since its 10:30pm he can hear him, its only the second time and he talks about more grown up topics but he doesn't mind its never anything dirty.
Tonight he was talking about quirkless people, it took Izuku about 10 minutes to realize that meant him now and since when he had asked his mum at dinner if there were other quirkless people she told him to be quiet and never talk to anyone! about being quirkless, he decided to listen more closely to what Present mic was saying.
That was how Izuku found out his life would change forever and he would always be seen as different even if Present Mic said he wasn't because not many people in Japan were quirkless anymore, people only liked you if you had quirks like all might and not if you lacked one.
When given the opportunity of a lifetime a change a way to fit in and not be different Izuku didn't have to think hard he wasn't the type of person to embrace being different like the lady 2 floors down with piercing all over her face courtesy of her quirk, he didn't want to be a statistic and he didn't care if it made him shallow that he jumped at the opportunity to change to be normal again he agreed in an instant, and without realizing he set his life on a course that in the end would make him even more different but he didn't care because he was going to have a quirk now, and he wouldn't be different.