Chapter Text
“Izuku”
“Hey,”
“Izuku…”
Hearing his name, Izuku woke up at an instant, feeling the cold concrete against his face right after the throbbing sharp pain at the center on his forehead as he forced his head up. This is a headache he never had before— did he get his head impaled right there?
Wait, wasn’t he supposed to be dead? he thought he made sure the fall was high enough. Was it not? Was his fall to death miscalculated? Izuku raised his shaking hand to his forehead in an attempt to soothe the pai— his hand caught something that’s the same texture as his skin right before his vision flashed in white
“…Go take a swan dive off the roof!!!” Bakugo smirked as he left the classroom
his vision swam once again, colors blurring into each other, he felt his throat closing up with a disgusting semi-liquid. He dared to open his eyes to meet the Sludge villain’s gaze
colors, so colorful. swimming all across.
The wind on his face, the panic and disgust as he saw the number one hero’s secret.
The sensations left him once again… No, this can’t be just a simple flashback. It’s all too realistic as if he’s reliving the events. He’s remembering the smallest details and feels he wouldn’t have been able to remember.
That urge, the energy kicking into his feet as he threw himself forward to save Kacchan, oh, it’s all too clear. Crystal clear…
Crystals… Dancing around him. He’s on his way to home until he hears two familiar voices— One he knew from the video he watched over and over again as a four year old.
Kacchan and Allmight. … Allmight… had a transferable quirk?… And he picked Kacchan to be his successor because of his bravery and endurance during the attack…? He- he must’ve hallucinated it. But no, it’s real. He can see them standing despite the blinding sunset. He heard it right.
And AllMight picked Kacchan over him, ignoring his sloppy act of heroism, Of course. Obviously, it must’ve been not enough. Not like he knew AllMight was looking for a successor but… an useless person like him could never make a hero.
Izuku managed to pull his hand off whatever was now attached to his forehead. The cold returning as quickly. He was here— on the ground, the alleyway he just had jumped into from above.
But he just had re-lived the whole day, at least the afternoon part. Honestly? He even relived every single time he watched the AllMight video — How come it was still sunset? same light beams even. as if no time had passed.
Izuku crawled towards a reflection on the ground, a water puddle as he can tell, looking down only to see—
a horn. a curved- long horn. More like a narwhal’s? Nono- an unicorn horn! This makes zero sense. There’s also the long horse-like ears— No, no he must’ve died and this is some kind of sick heaven or hell or whatever! He raised his hand once again to touch the horn in disbelief-
white blinded him, then rest of the colors, the oranges, yellows, blues and purples mixing together and becoming his red shoes. The same shoes he took off on that building, the aggresive red was still in his vision mind as he climbed up the railing and then let himself fall to his end.
Izuku forced his hand off the horn. He didn’t need to relive the same experience. His mind connecting the dots quickly; He gained a trauma induced quirk during his fall and this quirk makes him relive memories everytime he touches the horn.
Oh god. How is he going to explain this to his mother?! That he tried to kill himself?! That he failed and manifested a quirk?! at the age of 14?! Oh what he will tell peopl—
His spiral was cut short by the other sharp pain in his left leg. he looked back only to be greeted with a long, thin tail with some green fluff at the end. And that his legs were bent weird. The wrong sight of his legs were a V.I.P panic source, they’re first in the line.
Izuku managed to pull himself up while this crippling tightness in his chest grew stronger. He took a better look at his legs— now…. hooves. He tried to flex the said hooves as if those aren’t his… no… no can’t be true. He’s supposed to be quirkless. He’s dreaming. He must be dreaming!
Izuku felt like he’s watching an alien from behind of his eyes as he moved the hurting hooves. Oh god those are his legs! His legs! Where are the feet?! It feels wrong!
And the tail?! Okay, it’s kinda cool but he now has to live with a tail?! This is getting ridiculous—
speaking of ridiculous, who… had called him? Izuku looked around, in every possible direction. He was alone. Nobody here— the more interesting part? he didn’t even…. bleed out after the fall? just a few AWFUL bruises here and there but there’s indeed a weird burning sensation inside his torso, was he bleeding internally?
Izuku’s hand searched for a secure spot to cling onto as he pulled himself onto his feet hooves. Having a hard time balancing on them Izuku tried to walk while getting support from wall but there’s something horribly wrong, he can sense it.
He looked down at his legs … which are now horribly bent as if they belong to an animal- he looked back to confirm, he obviously has one extra joint -a knee? an extra knee?- now. He carefully placed both hands on the wall, slowly un-bending his second knee which was facing backwards. That sight and the idea made him sick in the stomach.
Izuku straightened his leg as comfortably as he can, He wasn’t much taller now but there sure was a significant difference. The legs now being straight allowed him to walk balanced better even with the heavy hooves. Did this center of gravity also change with this quirk? Nothing makes sense anymore!
Right… What’s the next step? He needs to decide quick, he already spent too much time outside without his mom knowing and now sun is almost set. The police? ask them for help? Help for what exactly, are you stupid, Deku?
Mom…? Would she understand? Is he even ready to face her? Tell her everything? Or he could just stay here and spend the night— no. No he can’t delay the face off. That’d only make things worse—
“Kid?”
Oh god a homeless man. Izuku had to take a second look because he thinks he knows this homeless man— it’s Eraserhead! right. The underground hero… What’s he even doing here? It’s not even fully night yet.
Seeing the poor child’s flabbergasted expression Eraser kneeled down. Checking for injuries. The green haired teen had bunch of fresh bruises here and there that didn’t fully color in yet from what he can tell, both legs looking broken yet that must’ve been a part of his mutation as he sees them moving okay.
“Are you hurt?” The pro hero asked for the invisible injuries. Izuku was torn between nodding and shaking his head which simply turned out to be a weird expression. Concussion, perhaps?
“Were you attacked?” Eraser kept his voice calm and comforting. He obviously didn’t see Izuku taking a swan dive earlier. Izuku shook his head this time, halfly regretting instantly.
“It’s okay. You’ll be okay, let’s get you help, alright? Can you tell me your name?” Eraser’s choice of words and the calm in his voice is really grounding for Izuku, normally he would outright refuse the said help but there was something almost mesmerizing and comforting in the man’s voice.
“Midoriya—“ The teen sniffled “Midoriya Izuku” Now tears flowing down his cheek like a waterfall. He got nothing to lose at this point so Izuku started ramble-muttering about what happened to his body. The panic and sobs making the sentences blur into each other. Eraser better get answers once the boy is calm. He quickly sent a signal for an ambulance, at least trying to seem like he understands Izuku as he rambled; giving assuring nods and reactions to him.
After the boy had calmed down at least a bit Eraser had to make sure; “Are you sure you can walk?” the boy had been all wobbly.
“No!” At least he got a clear answer from Izuku this time— “I don’t know how to!” okay that’s new. Eraser is capable of hiding confusion thankfully, that statement from Izuku also goes into the box of things we will talk about later.
Eraser asked the boy if he can pick him up, scooping Izuku in his arms after the boy had nodded, suiting himself a fast yet not startling pace towards the sirens of ambulance he called earlier.
People are rather calm, it’s nothing like the disaster of Izuku expected. The ambulance personal is moving quickly in peace instead of yelling at Izuku. There are police too, and nobody’s here to jump him immediately. It soon felt embarrassing to stare at the people that are here for him, Izuku turned his head towards Eraser’s chest, partly hiding his face and tears.
“Midoriya, i have to talk with the officers now. I will be back but i have to leave you with my friends over here for a while so they check if you’re okay.” Eraser explained, placing Izuku down on the ambulance’s stretcher after Izuku nodded.
Izuku awkwardly sat on the stretcher, not knowing how and where to put his legs and tail but soon he stopped caring too much of it hearing a paramedic talking to him sweetly, her voice comforting and she explains what she will do step by step as she checked Izuku’s vitals, working together with other medics around.
The world feels so simple, so calm and peaceful. Izuku had never been cared this much before, yes it’s quite embarrassing in his opinion but he craved care like this from other people for a long time. Even this newfound mutation is pushed back in his mind because of the hunger of being cared for.
After Izuku seemingly calmed down, an officer with Eraser next to her approached Izuku sitting on the stretcher. Funnily, he has no internal damage or anything that requires immediate medical attention, Izuku is really confused about that. Did the mutation somehow absorb the damage? How did he surviv-
“Dear.” The soft spoken officer interrupted his murmuring he wasn’t aware of “Are you feeling better? Can you tell us what happened if you’re comfortable?” The strong looking woman kneeled down to Izuku’s level.
Izuku really didn’t want to admit he did it, that he jumped, but he also thinks the idea of getting help with this hell of a situation appealing, wouldn’t it be easier to explain mom? Wouldn’t it be better? Wouldn’t it be so nice to spill those words out and let them dance in the fire? He felt his tongue tingle, words begging to come out; let’s just get over it.
“I..” His brain had to take a step back and restructure the sentence. “I- i didn’t have a quirk!” he vaguely gestured at himself “I’m sorry i jumped- i jumped and i woke up like this— Is this a dream? I’m so sorry fo-“ Izuku’s breathing began getting faster right before Eraserhead spoke
“We’re not here to judge or get mad at you for this, kid. We’re here to help, don’t apologize for surviving.” Izuku was taken a bit back with those words. The underground hero was right, yeah? It’ll be okay. It’ll be alright. He should trust them…
“You manifested a mutation quirk after a traumatic event, is this correct?” The officer asked, Izuku nodding. That’s basically it. “It’s better to take you to the hospital and make sure everything is alright and do some paperwork, okay? Do you have anyone safe to contact?” She continued.
“My mom!” RIGHT! His mother! How could he forget?! Oh what she’ll think of him, she will cry a fountain, Izuku is sure of it! She’ll be so disappointed in him. Stupid deku, how could you be this selfish?!
“Do you know her number?” The voices around him is so kind they keep pulling him out of his stupid spirals, why they’re helping someone like him again? he’s useless. Izuku shakingly nodded, opening then closing his mouth— his brain blank as if he didn’t have Inko’s number memorized since he could talk. Eraserhead simply offered Izuku his phone, he took it with both hands, typing the number on the already open dial with a care that’s meant for world’s most fragile historical artifact. Sometimes letting the muscle memory work for you does miracles.
Izuku handed the phone back without pressing call, leaving that for the professionals, what’s he gonna say anyway? Hi mom. I’m a furry now. He cringed at the absurdity of this thought, cringing further as they stroll the stretcher inside the ambulance while Izuku is still awkwardly sitting on it. The first thing out of everything Izuku noticed was the ambulance floor’s glitter. Why it was all glittery and shiny? Whatever—
The other nurse inside was also really kind towards him, He kept talking with Izuku and comforting him, even making a few jokes here and there which actually sneaked out a few snickers from Izuku. The nurse had told him think of the stretcher as a race car that’s being strolled into the race pit just like every other stretchers race cars so it’s less embarrassing for the teen; afterall you see this kind of things almost hourly at the hospital.
It was all… normal. He is being treated normally, just like everyone else. Is this because of his quirk now? or there are simply nice strangers out there? Probably because he has a quirk now, a horrible one, sure, but it still gives him this weird ‘quirk privilege’.
Arriving at the hospital wasn’t as scary as he expected. He got a quick full body xray scan for the doctors to examine further while waiting for Inko to arrive— which didn’t take too long but oh, it sure felt like an eternity of anxiety crawling around his lungs while waiting in the room they gave him.
Izuku kept glancing at the door while examining his body with a slightly calmer mindset, he was expecting her to show up like a storm but he still got startled enough to jump when the door opened in a rush.
“My baby!” Inko stepped- no, ran inside. directly towards the hospital bed Izuku is fidgeting nervously on. Cupping his hands, then his cheek as tears waterfall down her cheeks. “My baby… I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry Izuku!” It’s very much like the time he learned he was quirkless, it’s really a full circle, huh?
Just like then, Izuku still doesn’t know what to say. An apology? no- no Eraserhead is in the room and he ordered Izuku to not apologize for surviving. Maybe he should comfort his mother?… he doesn’t really feel like it with his mother’s soft hands stroking his cheeks which are now quietly wet with tears, that are now approaching his forehead— OH HER HANDS ARE RAPIDLY REACHING HIS FOREHEAD.
“I’m really sorry, Izuk—“ Inko’s plea got cut in half as Izuku felt her hand now cupping his forehead, his mother’s expression went blank, her unfocused eyes shining in iridescent even before Izuku could tell her to stop.