Chapter Text
“I regret to tell you that Izuku is Quirkless,” The doctor said. Bell and Ganma Asui stared in surprise. Tsuyu grabbed her brother's hand.
“You say it like it's bad,” she began, “But I think Izuku is great, ribbit!”
“I wasn't saying he's not, I was just saying that he doesn't have a Quirk,” the doctor said gently.
“Then just say that, ribbit. Without sounding so sad.”
Izuku looked at his twin sister, tears flooding his eyes. He seemed at a loss for words. It was the greatest sorrow for a child in their time to not have a Quirk. Bell looked at her pregnant stomach. “Is there a chance my next son…” her voice trailed off.
The doctor shrugged. “It's very unlikely you will have another Quirkless child,” he said, “But it was very unlikely for you to have one in the first place.
At a very young age, Tsuyu and Izuku came to rely on each other. First there was the bullying.
“You're just a Quirkless loser,” the boy with the spike Quirk said, threatening Izuku with a spike from his arm. Izuku had stepped in front of another boy who was being bullied. “Stop it! You're hurting him, ribbit,” Izuku said. The bully laughed. “Ribbit? Really? You're just pretending like you're a frog just to fit in, huh?”
Tsuyu wrapped up the bully with her tongue, avoiding the spikes. “Leave my brother alone,” she said as she flung him to the side, checking on Izuku and the boy behind him.
Then, when they were a bit older, their parents often went on trips. “Let me help you make dinner,” Izuku said, grabbing a knife to chop up vegetables.
“I'll watch Samidare and Satsuki while you do that, ribbit,” Tsuyu said.
“You just relax for a bit, Tsuyu. I'll get Samidare and Satsuki to bed,” Izuku said after they had eaten.
And now, as they prepared for high school, they relied on each other still. “We'll go to U.A together,” Izuku said. “Right?”
“Of course,” Tsuyu responded.
That day, Izuku and Tsuyu walked home together in high spirits, excited for the days to come. Izuku had trained, and was certain he could get into U.A, Quirk or no Quirk. And Tsuyu was much the same.
Izuku caught sight of a villain as they walked. “Hey, look,” he said, “There's some sort of sludge villain!”
“Very interesting,” Tsuyu said. Izuku noticed something. A boy with red eyes and spiky blond hair was trapped by the villain. Izuku didn't recognize him. He waited for a hero to swoop in and save the day.
“Why aren't there any heroes coming, ribb-” he cut himself off before finishing the ‘ribbit’. That was a habit he had mostly discarded, but it came up when he was nervous.
The boy kept struggling and apparently setting off explosions, and heroes were working to protect civilians, but no one saved him. At last, Izuku couldn't take it anymore, and ran forward without thinking.
“Izuku!” Tsuyu yelled, running behind him. Izuku jumped forward and began clawing at the sludge with his hands. He threw his backpack at it, hitting the villain squarely in the eye. Tsuyu's tongue darted out and wrapped around both Izuku and the unknown boy, pulling the out with no lack of effort.
“Bleh,” Tsuyu said, as she could taste the strange sludge. The boy with spiky blond hair said nothing and stormed off. “No thank you, ribbit?” She asked, but he was already gone.
Just then, All Might appeared and punched the villain into a thousand little sludge droplets. “I am here!”
All Might walked over to Tsuyu and Izuku. “May I have a word, young man?” He asked Izuku. Izuku nodded, his face practically glowing with excitement. He walked out of earshot with All Might.
I wonder what they're talking about?
When Izuku came back to Tsuyu, he looked equal parts ecstatic and like he'd been crying. “Did something happen, ribbit?”
Izuku nodded. “I'll tell you when we get home,” he said.
“...And so, yeah, I guess I can inherit his power, and he probably didn't want me to tell you, but I did because you're my sister.”
Tsuyu's eyes widened, shocked by the information she had received. “That's great, ribbit,” she said happily. “Don't be gone too much for training, though,” she warned.
“I wouldn't dream of it. Of course I still have to help you take care of Samidare and Satsuki until Mom and Dad get back,” he promised.
The months before the U.A entrance exam were long, but exciting. Sometimes, when her parents were home, Tsuyu would help Izuku haul trash from the beach.
When the exam day finally arrived, Tsuyu was waiting outside the house's front door while Izuku got ready. When he finally came outside, Tsuyu grabbed his hand and pulled him in the direction they were going. “Took you a while, ribbit,” she complained, walking faster to get to the bus stop.
Barely in time, Izuku and Tsuyu arrived at the bus stop and quickly boarded the bus.
“I've got jitters,” Izuku admitted, looking at his shaking hands.
Tsuyu laughed. “Don't be nervous,” she ordered. “You'll be fine, ribbit.”
The entrance exam went by in a flash for Tsuyu. Izuku and her were at different testing grounds, so they didn't see each other. Tsuyu picked up robots with her tongue, lifted them high into the air, and dropped them with a crash onto the ground. It made her tongue very tired.
When Izuku and Tsuyu met up, Izuku had an apologetic look on his face. “I don't think I passed, ribbit,” he said, giving into his nervous habit.
“You did. I know it,” Tsuyu said confidently.
Izuku didn't seem convinced. “I didn't get a single point. I did save a girl at the end, but they're not going to–”
“They might,” Tsuyu interrupted. “Heroes don't just defeat villains. They rescue people too.”
A teeny, tiny spark of hope could be seen in Izuku's eyes, but he said nothing.
“Told you so, ribbit,” Tsuyu said with a smirk when they both got letters saying they passed.