Chapter 1

Skimming through the shelves packed with hundreds, if not more, colorful books on them should lift up Izuku's spirits. Especially looking through the hero comic part. But it didn't, not at all. If anything else it added more salt to the rhetorical injury. Quirkless. He was quirkless. Because of... something, he didn't know what it was. Doctor explained it to his mom, but he used words that Izuku couldn't understand at his age. Beside that he was more focused on the crushing feeling he felt. His ambition, his dream... taken away from him. All because he didn't have what most of the society possessed. Without a quirk, he couldn't be a hero. Kacchan said it, doctor said it, his mom said it. Not directly, but he figured it out, when she hugged him tightly and apologised many, many times over, while shedding tears.

Izuku shook his head, trying to get rid of all those thoughts. His mom came with him to this shop, so he could get himself some new hero comics. To cheer him up. And while he still had trouble reading and didn't understand bigger part of words used in them without explanation, he enjoyed them. The colors, the action, heroes saving people and triumphing over villains. Izuku truly found himself wrapped in the world of comics.

He eyed books on the shelves. Most of them had All Might on their cover. Izuku wasn't surprised by that. All Might was Number One Hero in Japan and America after all. It was only natural for people to want to see his adventures, even if most of them were fictional. Everyone enjoyed them.

Under normal circumstances Izuku would grab one of them to his already large collection without a second thought. But this weren't normal circumstances. All Might represented everything that Izuku couldn't ever hope to archive. All Might was a true hero with a charming smile. And Izuku couldn't even get a chance to try to become one.

With a silent sigh, he hung his head low and left the shelf. He wandered for some time looking at the floor, before his eyes rose up. Izuku tilted his head to the side. He was still in the hero part of the comic book, but those comics were different. Lines were more sharp to them, colors more toned, but still somehow flashy. But the most important thing was that, Izuku didn't recognize any of those heroes here, which for a dedicated hero fan was simply ground breaking. He deducted that maybe those were some older heroes, like more than twenty years before him. There was a guy with hammer, red cape and some kind of armor with lighting around him. Then was a huge, green human, whose muscles were rivalling All Might's, that was smashing through the wall. Next one was a man in blue costume with a shield that had a fierce expression and explosions in the background, while jumping through air. And then... some kind of flying robot ? But that robot looked like a person. None of those rung any bell in Izuku's head and as a dedicated hero fan, he couldn't allow that kind of disgrace to shine upon him.

Intrigued and determined he took one of those with humanoid robot. First thing he noticed was that the comics was rather dusty and paper felt kind of old. Ignoring it for that moment he started looking at the pages. Imagine his shock when it turned out it wasn't robot. It was a suit of some kind, that the main character made for himself to battle the crime. Before Izuku knew it he read four of those comics.

"Izuku, honey, what are you looking at?"

His mom voice brought him up from his lecture. Izuku looked from the page he was reading at his mother, who crouched next to him eyeing comics sprawled around.

"I've found those." he said, showing her cover. "It's a... Ion man?" he felt his tongue twist at that and judging from his mom small laugh, he most likely messed it up. English words were hard to say.

"I believe it says 'Iron Man', Izuku." she said the name slowly to show him proper pronunciation. "It probably means man made out of iron."

"Oh... that makes sense." he said looking at the cover. 'Man made of iron'. Iron Man. The man who fought the crime in metal suit. Most likely he had some kind of strength type quirk to be able to move around. But then again he could fly. And shoot some laser beams from his chest and palms. And then there were rockets and other weapons in his suit. Multiple quirks? That sounded like possible solution, but...

"Wow kid, you've got some brain there." came the voice with weird accent behind him.

Izuku jumped slightly and blushed. He was mumbling. Again.

Getting over his embarrassment, he looked over his shoulder to find a rather old man with glasses and slicked back grey hair sliming at him. He wasn't a Japanese, maybe American then? He had shirt with store logo on it, so most likely an employee. Man looked at Izuku and then at comics laying on the floor.

"Nice taste kid. No one really reads those anymore."

Izuku raised his eyebrows at that. "Why? Those are good. I really enjoyed them."

Man smiled even more and chuckled slightly. "Those are prequirks comics, kid. They're like over two hundred years old." employee explained, making Izuku gasp. "Only guys working here read them. Well... some of them, myself included." he pointed at the comic Izuku was holding. "I like those series in particular. Do you want me to tell you some more of it?" man asked and Izuku found himself nodding his head rather vigorously, making man chuckle. "It's about a smart inventor and millionaire who had terrible accident happen to him and decided to save people by using the super tech suit of his making."

"Smart? He must be super smart to build that thing. Most likely he has some kind of intelligence quirk. No wait it's prequirk comic, so maybe some kind of power that makes him really, really smart." Izuku mumbled under his nose, stroking his chin, and judging the possibilities of such a hero to exist in his era. Only to be interpreted by a loud laugh from a man.

"He really have a brilliant mind and colorful imagination, don't you, kid?" he said, making Izuku blush yet again and his mom giggle at that. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not that." man said, looking into Izuku's eyes.

"What?" Izuku couldn't help but ask. If the man with a suit didn't have a multiple quirks or some kind of 'brain power', then what?

"He's just really smart. He's got big brain filled with knowledge and ideas. That's it, kid. No quirks, no brain enchanting abilities. It's just him." man explained to Izuku softly.

Izuku blinked at that, his brain coming to abrupt stop. He had it spelled to him, but he wanted... no, he needed to have a confirmation. For his own sake. "So... he's quirkless, right?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Man blinked at that. "Well... using our age terminology. Yes, he's quirkless."

Izuku draw his eyes from the man to cover of the comic, that showed main hero in his suit, helmet under his armpit, smiling gently and looking ahead. Looking at Izuku. Something warm filled his chest. And he knew what it was. That was the same filling he had every time, when he heard or saw All Might. Feeling that told him what everything was going to be okay now. That 'he' is here. That his hero is here, watching over him. Keeping him safe. Giving him hope.

Izuku sniffed and felt his eyes water, so he ran his hand over them. "Hey mom?" Izuku said, his voice being nothing but a soft whisper, but he knew he had his mother attention. "Can we... can we get those?"

"Of course, sweety." mom answered, hugging him lightly and kissing top of his head.

"And do we have a... book that explains words at home?"

"A dictionary? Yes, we do. Why?" she asked curious of her baby boy motives.

"I want to read them and understand them." Izuku said, while getting up, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips.

"If you want to read them, better start at the beginning." man said, while eyeing Izuku, giving him warm smile. "I can fetch you those, kid, they must be somewhere at the back."

"Yes, I would like that mister..." Izuku said, tilting his head.

"Lee. Stan Lee, kid. Gimme a few moments."

Izuku simply nodded and watched man go away. He may not have a quirk. His dream may be laying in the mud right now. But his spirit is not broken. And Izuku would be dammed if he gives up without a fight. If he can't have a power of his own, then he will simply develop it. Build it from the ground and rise up.