Chapter Text
A nightmare.
“I-izuku baby! Please get out of here!”
He felt like his feet were glued to the ground and his eyes were as wide as they could open.
“Izuku…I love you, I love you, be good, I-I’ll always be with you-“ Inko was cut off by a hand grabbing her face.
He was stuck watching his mother choke. Suddenly she screamed. Izuku watched as her soul was being taken. Then a loud disturbing bodily sound happened. The sound of bones breaking and the squelching of internal organs. The big man holding her had used strange black and red like whips and stabbed right through her. Then she was dropped to the floor.
The silence was deafening. Her screams echoed in his ears. That’s what this was, one big terrible messed up nightmare.
“Mom…?” The seven year old let out.
Not a reply, not even a flinch.
“No…” Izuku couldn’t breathe, the person he cared about most in the world was gone.
Just a corpse under him. Izuku wanted to say something, he wanted to scream, he wanted to break, but he couldn’t. His throat felt like it betrayed him. All he could do was whine and quiver in fear as the man approached him. He backed away every step taken; he trembled as the man who killed her approached him.
“Well now young man, now to give you something you’ve always wanted!”
Izuku tried to run but the big man was quick. Suddenly in an instant, his head was snatched up under the man’s big hands. All he could see was a hole in his palm. At first it felt like air was being pushed into him, then suddenly it felt warm, then hot. Incredibly hot, it burned and he wriggled in his grasp. He screamed and suddenly he felt too full as if his body suddenly was about to explode.
Thud, he was dropped right next to his mother’s corpse. Heaving heavy breaths as he felt like the world suddenly was going to shatter under them. He felt the blood under his side. His palm touched her blood as if he were confirming it was real.
“Well now! You have both your parents' quirks and I strengthen them for you! Congrats Izuku, you now have power!”
The man was clapping and laughing at him. Izuku couldn’t breathe, the world felt dizzy and all he wanted to do was to hear his mother’s voice again. He hugged his mother’s corpse one last time. It wasn’t warm, she was cold. Izuku let out gut wrenching sobs and cried into her body. The man was still talking but he couldn’t hear him anymore, his ears were ringing so loud, but he also felt like he was underwater. Each gasp felt like it would be his last breath.
“I'M SORRY MOM!” He yelled between sobs.
He couldn’t see her face anymore beyond his blurry vision of tears. Black dots threatened to prick the corners of his eyes as he was losing consciousness. He blinked the tears away and the last thing he saw was the face of his dead mother. He never wanted to forget her face.
Suddenly everything went black.
Weeks have passed and not one death certificate was written up. Neither of them had been claimed as missing. The man responsible for it all forced Izuku to go back to school.
“If you blab or speak of this to anyone you’re as good as dead.”
Honestly it didn't sound too bad to him, then maybe he could see his mother again.
Then a threat.
“Anyone you tell I’ll kill too. Friends, teachers and especially heroes.”
That is what changed his reasoning. If he killed Kacchan he couldn’t live with himself. What if All Might tried to save him, would he kill him too?
“I won't, I promise!” Izuku nodded.
If he was reported missing or dead there’s no telling what would happen and that would be too much trouble for the man. Everything Izuku did from now on was signed under Inko or Hisashi Midoriya. His real father’s name. Though, Izuku rarely saw him and the last time he was in his life was when he walked out on him and his mother.
It was his fault, his fault his father couldn’t stay, his fault he no longer loved mom and his fault because he was quirkless. Something about hearing and seeing his name again brought bitterness.
Every phone call taken by Inko was a quirk used by him to mimic her. It made him sick. This man had just about every quirk in the world at his disposal. At one point during a parent teacher meeting he had shape shifted into his mother. That meeting did nothing but spike his fear and resentment for the man.
Izuku didn’t even know his name. In the back of his mind he’d just been calling him murderer. Aloud he called him sir and during the faking of family he called him mom or dad depending on who he shifted to.
All of it was so messed up. Izuku would rather die than succumb to whatever this guy was playing at.
Days with Kacchan didn’t feel any better. He couldn’t tell him that his mom was killed, that he was given his parents quirks and that he was held hostage by the killer. He had to act and play like everything was normal.
Ever since he was diagnosed quirkless at four years old his life was a living hell. Everyone was mean to him, Kacchan stopped listening to him and used him as target practice. Why wouldn’t he, he was better in every way. Kacchan was the greatest. Izuku’s admiration for his friend never died despite the torment.
“I still want to be a hero.” He muttered.
“What, cut the crap Deku! You’ll never be one, you don’t even have a quirk!” Kacchan scolded.
Right, he was Deku to him, not Izuku. Worthless, stupid, useless and undeserving. Just like how he failed to run when his mom told him to, just like how he failed to save her, just like how he failed. How could he be a hero if he couldn’t save her. Quirkless, but he wasn’t anymore right?
"You'll never be a hero so stop dreaming, it's stupid." Kacchan turned around leaving for the day.
That scowl never left the boy's face and Izuku didn't care to even argue anymore. Maybe he never will be the hero he dreamed about.
He remembers the days his father would try to force a quirk out of him by harming him. Hitting him, burning him, starving him and his dear mother always did her best to protect him. She wasn't always home either due to being so busy with work. Izuku always felt awful that she had to work so hard to take care of him.
Working two jobs with a quirkless son must have been so difficult. Father left, didn't pay child support and fled. Mom always said "oh he went to work abroad", but I know it really meant he abandoned us. She always had a smile on her face the best she could. She always sacrificed everything for me. Now she was gone and all I had left of her was her quirk. Neither of these two quirks were really mine. He stared at his hand and sobbed thinking of her.
Sometimes he’d huff and small bits of fire would be let out. He’d slap his hand to mouth and pretend to cough in an attempt to conceal it. His father’s quirk. No doubt he probably got to him too.
The school day was over and Izuku walked down the road into the dark alley way he was told to go to every day to get picked up. Making sure that no one spotted him, he entered into the alley way. He stepped into the rather long alley way, but was quickly distracted by a kitten.
The kitten pawed at his leg as he walked by. Izuku squatted down and started to pet the kitten. The kitten purred and pushed it's head into his hand. Izuku giggled playing with the kitten for a minute or so before saying goodbye and walking deeper into the alleyway.
Kurogiri was there waiting for him.
“Ah young master, welcome back, let’s get going. He’s waiting for you.”
“Yes Kurogiri…” Stepping through the portal they both vanished back to the bar.
Izuku sighed. His eyes immediately dimmed again.
“Ah son! Welcome home!” The man greeted him.
“You’re not my dad.” Izuku was feeling particularly pissed today after what Kacchan had said.
“What was that?” The man towered over him.
“Nothing!”
“Nothing what.”
“Nothing, sir!” Izuku gulped.
That was the wrong answer.
Coughing. Every training session felt like hell. His throat burned and his hands felt sore. His quirk was a mix of telekinesis and fire breathing. Some type of pyrokinesis he gauged but that would make sense. He was able to manipulate the fire and send it in any direction he wanted. It took a lot of practice but he was finally getting the hang of it. Still his body is quirkless; it's not meant to bear a quirk.
A mix of mom's pull quirk and dad's fire breathing, but somehow I had both the original intent of their quirks, but also a brand new ability of their mixture. This is interesting. I'd have to analyze this later.
His thoughts were cut by the white haired man.
“Again.” The man said
Izuku stood back up shakily as he took in a sharp intake of air and blew out a roar of fire. He flicked his wrist and dragged the fire to spin around him and then threw it to hit the target ahead.
“Again.”
Again and again and again until he was at his limit. He continued to this for hours and variations of movements of fire. He was so light headed it was surprising he didn’t pass out after the first few times.
At the end the man clapped and praised the boy.
He walked over to Izuku and put his hand on his curly green hair rustling it.
“Good boy.”
Izuku was exhausted and out of breath, looking up at his new supposed father as their eyes met. His white pupils meet his green ones. He smiles and says
“Wow, your eyes are beautiful, just like my brother’s.”
He then walked towards the door and urged Izuku to follow.
“Alright, come along now. I have someone special i’d like you to meet. If you’re going to be living here you might as well get comfortable around him.”
‘Oh god, another one’ Izuku sighed.
They walked into the main room and a boy with grey blue hair was standing there scratching his neck.
“Tomura.” The man spoke
Tomura immediately turned his head up to the man.
“Who’s this father?” looking irritated.
“This is your new brother Izuku! You will take good care of each other”
“What. Why?!” The boy shouted suddenly.
The man let out a low grumble. Immediately Tomura shaped up and kept his head down. His red eyes boring holes into Izuku’s head.
“Yes father.”
“Good.” The man stepped away.
Izuku had a million questions, but before the man walked off Izuku grabbed his hand.
Tomura, flinching at Izuku as he grabbed his hand. This kid was about to be a goner.
“Fa…” He’s never called this man his dad before and part of him never wanted to, but if he wanted the answer that had been scrambling his mind since his mother died. No more calling him sir, who is he?
He smirked
“Yes my boy?” Pushing Izuku to finish the word that was failing to come out of his mouth.
Calling him father was so disgusting it felt so gross coming off his tongue. He never really called for his real father much either.
“Father… w-what is your name?”
The man thinks for a second before squatting down to meet Izuku’s eye level.
“Oh, pardon me for being so rude, I suppose I never did tell you my name after everything we’ve been through.” He smiled
“They call me All for One, the most powerful villain alive.” Izuku immediately tensed.
His eyes started darting around the room and back into the white eyes that looked back at him. A villain, he was now the son of a villain. No no no NO, this had to be some kind of nightmare right? He had to be asleep, dreaming and when he’d wake he’d see his mother. How could he possibly be a hero now? Everything he dreamed of was shattered. A boy who watched the same video of All Might saving lives and now he was in the same room as a man who’s probably killed millions.
Nothing but panic stirred in his eyes. Izuku dropped to his knees as the realization hit him all at once. He was now the son of a villain he knew that. This man killed his mother, but not just a villain, the world’s most powerful villain.
“You can’t be serious kid, you didn’t know who he was?” Tomura scoffed.
“It is not quite his fault, I never told him.” AFO quickly replied.
“I will leave you two to bond now, have a good night.”
AFO nods his head at Kurogiri before leaving the building.
The silence in the room was painful and so drawn out. The two sat in the bar under Kurogiri’s watchful eye and Izuku was too scared to break the silence.
“So.” Tomura spoke first, cutting through the silence like a sword slashed the air.
“Uhm…yes?”
“Why did he choose you?”
“I don’t know. He mentioned something about me being a uh perfect blank canvas.” Izuku swallowed.
“Ah so you were quirkless.” Tomura let out a small laugh.
‘Was it really that funny? Man, what a Kacchan-like reaction.’
“Better than being born with a quirk that can destroy I suppose.” He said angrily.
“I would have rather been born with a quirk in the first place.” Izuku retorted.
Tomura got up and grabbed a napkin with four of his fingers.
“Eyes on the paper.”
Izuku watched as his last finger touched the napkin and immediately it cracked turning to stone then dust.
Despite the horror Izuku feels his mouth fly open. He grabbed his notebook and pencil and started writing something down frantically. He began to mutter as he scribbled notes quickly in his notebook. The room filled with nothing but his mutters. Tomura was staring at him like he had grown another head, but he was scowling too. He started to scratch his neck and stomp his foot like a child throwing a tantrum. Then he stopped and stared.
Tomura narrows his eyes at Izuku as incomprehensible as his voice had become. Izuku whips up his head and with the brightest pairs of eyes looks at Tomura. Tomura flinched his body backwards as if Izuku was going to blind him with how bright he was.
“How exactly does your quirk work? Are there any drawbacks? Is your itching from your quirk? Can you cancel it out? Can you undodecayduringtheprocessofturningittostone? Whathappensifyoutouchalivingthingdoesitdie?Whatifyou-”
An index finger and thumb grab his lips.
“Grrr… shut up!.” Tomura scolded. This kid was going to be the death of him wasn’t it.
“I’m older so now you have to listen to me.”
Izuku nodded.
He let go of his lips and wiped his fingers on his pants before turning away.
“Kurogiri, I'm done here. Watch this brat, I'm gonna go play video games.”
“Can I come?” Izuku asked
“NO!” Tomura snapped back immediately.
“It’s okay young master, you can spend time with me if you’d like. Ask me all the questions you want about my quirk.”
“REALLY?!” Izuku immediately ran to the bar chairs and sat down, he flipped through multiple pages until he landed on a blank one. Writing down his name and looking up at the misty figure.
Tomura exited the room grumbling.
Izuku’s pencil and mouth went a thousand miles a minute.
Izuku had his own room which was nice, but he was sure it was just that way so Tomura wouldn't try to kill him in his sleep. The twelve year old boy doesn't exactly like him. Izuku couldn't argue with that, honestly if someone new and unexpected came around and stole your parent's attention he'd be bitter too. Let alone if he had to share a space with him and steal his space he'd be furious.
He sat at the desk drawing a picture of Kurogiri next to his new notes about him. Izuku laid back in his chair and sighed.
The silence ate at him and these gray four walls that held him didn't feel any cozier.
He could sleep on the bed provided, but that would mean seeing his mother's body again. It would mean facing the regrets that he wasn't strong enough and that he could never be a hero. What kind of hero stands there and lets someone die. No, he still wanted to be a hero badly. He knew this and yet. Part of him knew he was grasping what was left of his dreams. At this point he'd make a better villain.
"Young master." The door opened gently.
In the hall two pairs of glowing eyes and dark purple clouds.
"Hi Kurogiri."
Kurogiri came in with a small cup of tea and set it on his table.
"You should get some sleep you have school tomorrow and master would like you to have the energy to train tomorrow."
Izuku looked at him with sad eyes and then turned towards the cup of tea.
"Thank you. I can't sleep, if I do then..." he didn't want to finish that sentence.
Kurogiri nodded at Izuku.
"Please do get some rest if you can." Kurogiri exited quietly.
Izuku drank some of the tea. It did relax him a bit, feeling the warmth of the liquid and some honey soothed his throat.
He closed his notebook and just sat there staring at the clock. It was 11:34 pm.
He finished his tea, turned off the lights and lied down covering himself in the blankets. After a few moments he let his eyes droop and darkness engulfed him.
At the age of four I learned that not all men are created equal. In this world the quirkless are the bottom rung of society. A world before quirks I'm sure society would have never been built up without them.
The world is what it is now and there’s not much we can do about it. I am considered worthless and in my heart I know I will always be that quirkless boy despite what anyone says. Quirks aren’t just power, they’re an identity. Who you are and what you can contribute is solely tied to a quirk. That’s what I learned at the age of seven under my new father.
Hero society was built on nothing but false hoods, but I don’t believe it’s all black and white the way father and Tomura-nii sees it. In the end I am nothing more but a quirkless boy who dared to dream and now I am paying the consequences with my mother’s blood.