A/N: So yeah, if you followed any of my previous fics in the past, you've probably been wondering where I've been.
The truth is, I've been working on the first 7 chapters of my upcoming web serial, which I plan on dripping out once I hit 16 reserve chapters. I've been persuaded into putting this little crossover out as another writing exercise though, so yay for anyone who likes My Hero Academia and Worm.
Unfortunately for any Wormwood fans, I'm gonna have to formally declare that my other fics are on hiatus because I really want to have some original work out and going before 2019. Without further adieu - I present The Bodega, an AU My Hero Academia and Worm crossover.
Bodega - For those of those that don't know, a bodega is a Spanish word that translates roughly to "warehouse" or "cellar," but it's also a colloquialism in the USA's eastern seaboard for a type of convenience store unique to the region.
Due to the high rent costs in northeastern coastal cities, neighborhoods in New York tend to be littered by small hole-in-the-wall mini-mart / grocery hybrids - i.e Bodegas rather than "proper", larger supermarkets.
While the bodegas are no longer run primarily with Spanish-speaking owners, the name has stuck and has earned a permanent spot in the collective memory of northeastern urbanites.
Chapter 1
The first incident came decades ago on the eve of the Golden Dawn, when cities all across the world were suddenly been enveloped by a mysterious golden and silver bubble. My grandparents had been teenagers at the time, and they could only stare in fascination when the skies across the world had glowed for hours on end with a chorus of lights.
Before too long, reports of people with superpowers popped up across the globe. No-one knew who or what was causing these "Quirks", and the supernatural quickly became the norm. Our streets began to look like scenes straight out of comic books, and dreams and nightmares alike became reality.
The world had become a superhuman society virtually overnight, and eventually, about eighty percent of the population would come to gain some sort of some uncanny superpower. As cities swirled with chaos and confusion, organizations and powerful individuals quickly rose up to seize power, seeking to rule this new world as kings.
Although things looked bleak, before too long a new class of citizens rose up to oppose these would-be warlords. Led by a group of idealists, they foiled the would-be conquerors' ambitions across the globe, restoring order to the world. Soon, a new formal profession began to dominate our collective unconsciousness.
Heroes.
Before anyone could blink, we had pivoted from complete anarchy and dominion to an Age of Heroes. A true golden age had come around, where rule of law and freedom prevailed thanks to the sacrifices and efforts of the first generation.
I, Izuku Midoriya, have always wanted to be a Hero.
For as long as I could remember, growing up in the Japanese immigrant enclave in Astoria, Queens with my parents, I have always been obsessed and enamored with the dream of being a superhero. I would sit in front of the living room computer all day watching clips of All Might's daring rescues and battles on YouTube.
Even when things seemed impossible and hopeless, All Might would wear that big brilliant smile on his face that screamed "Things are going to be OK. Why? Because I'm here!" The Symbol of Peace had this comforting presence that could make anyone feel like they were safe with his presence, and there was nothing more beautiful to me.
Back when I was a little kid, I wanted nothing more than to grow up to be an amazing superhero, just like All Might.
But here's the sad reality – All men are not created equal, and never will be.
When I was four years old, I learned the hard way that some kids have more powers than others. I was born Quirkless, an ever-shrinking minority of the population that was completely powerless. For that reason, everyone told me that I could never be a Hero. Even my best friend - well, arguably former best friend now, would never stop giving me grief.
The truth is that I really did know on some level that it was a pipe dream, but my mind refused to - no I couldn't grip with that reality.
I struggled, doing everything I could to prepare myself to be a Hero. I spent hours on end watching videos of every new cape that appeared, learning everything I could about heroes. I absorbed everything from legal jargon and conventions to identifying obscure, independent capes and all the strengths and weaknesses of their Quirks and habits.
However, try as I did, I could never figure out how to close the gap between me and the people who felt so close, yet so far out of reach. People who had no idea just how fortunate they were to have Quirks they could lean on.
If I was going to be honest myself, I was almost ready to give up. I was going to succeed at any cost, to take that long shot at getting into U.A, the greatest hero academy in the world. I knew on some level that my dreams were futile, but I had to try with everything I had even though I was likely to fail.
Everything changed however, with a chance encounter on the way home from school.
My name is Izuku Midoriya, and this is the story of how I became the World'sGreatest Hero.
"Stupid Kacchan..." I grumbled.
It was a normal afternoon and I had just gotten out of class. Katsuki Bakugou, being his usual self, had just ruined a solid month's worth of my cape research by setting my notes on fire and tossing it into the school fountain.
A chilly early spring breeze flowed through the air, and I shivered at the breeze, hurrying past The Monarch, one of the neighborhood bodegas that I'd never gone into. The concrete sidewalk around me began to fill with the wet dots signifying an imminent spring shower. I was walking home from school in Astoria, and needed to hurry home to beat the coming rain storm, but the recent memory of Kacchan and his goons refused to leave my head.
'Defenseless Izuku, this school's already a sack of shit and you want to embarrass it more by failing so hard? HA!'
Deep breaths, Izuku, I thought to myself, but the imagery and sound of Kacchan once again telling me I was a worthless loser foolish for daring to dream wouldn't leave my mind.
'Why don't you save us all a bit of time?' Katsuki sneered, snatching my notebook as I shouted in protest. I could only watch in disbelief as a small pop signifying an explosion consumed the book, before he casually flicked it flew out of the third floor window.
I scrambled over to the window and I was overwhelmed by a sense of anguish as the burnt notebook landed directly in the center of the fountain. 'Just jump off and end it already Deku. Fucking loser.'
"Dammit Kacchan, you can't just tell someone to kill themselves like that. What if I'd really jumped?" I muttered to myself trembling in frustration.
A moment later, the thoughts and feelings I had kept suppressed came rushing out in an uncontrollable torrent.
"Why..." I growled, kicking a tree stump in rage. "WHY?! What the fuck am I supposed to do about this?"
I probably looked incredibly sad, silly, or both kicking a random tree stump in the middle of an empty residential area in Astoria. Honestly I didn't really care if I looked like an idiot. I vented, stomping scattered branches half a dozen times and letting all my frustrations out.
I didn't care that I didn't have an umbrella and that I was starting to get soaked staying out here. Finally having an outlet for my rage felt good, and I took a moment to compose myself, trembling in humiliation for the umpteenth time.
It was hard, really hard but I managed to push my overwhelming feelings of shame and indignation down and collect myself.
I'm was going to be a superhero. I huffed, breathing heavily.
No, I AM going to be a superhero.
That was the thought that I used to calm myself in these moments, and get me out of bed every day. It was a crazy dream that made things tolerable, but It was something to look forward to, something to work towards. Even if I couldn't get into U.A, the crown jewel schools all had their own hero programs and I could do it in the end. I would prove Kacchan - no, Bakugou wrong in the end.
Kacchan had gone from my best friend - an all-around amazing genius and someone I looked up to through Elementary School a couple of years ago, to a vicious bully virtually overnight. I still didn't understand what caused the change, but his dickery gone on since the end of elementary school and it didn't look like he'd stop anytime soon. He always had a big head and was prone to self-aggrandizement, but the bullying had really come out of left field to me.
Suddenly, I heard distinctly heard a door slam, followed by the shuffle of footsteps coming up behind me.
"You alright there, hun?" I heard a voice call out worriedly.
I turned around, teary-faced and red-eyed, wondering who had the wonderful fortune of stumbling on me at my lowest point - kicking tree stumps and everything like the worthless loser I was.
The door to The Monarch Butterfly was swinging on its hinges, and a tall, pale woman with curly black hair and glasses stood behind me. She looked like she couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than me, but the way she had her green eyes furrowed in a worried, motherly frown made her look older than I'd initially thought. The woman was holding an umbrella in one hand, and clutching a yawning ginger tabby on her shoulder with the other.
Her outfit was simple - an olive windbreaker over an ugly-looking sweater, blue jeans, and strangely tacky green grandma slippers. Out of the corner of my eye, I could make out a silver gleam jutting out from under the arm the tabby was perched on.
"Y-yeah...I..." I couldn't hold it in, and the tears came out on there own. I started sobbing again, and I wasn't sure if the wetness dripping down my cheek was due to my own tears or the rain around me.
"Oh, you poor thing" she fretted, walking up to me and giving me a once-over.
"Come on Alec, down boy," she whistled, letting the tabby onto the ground, before moving up so that the umbrella was over both of us. The tabby simply glared at her, before walking back towards the bodega and shaking the rain off his fur.
"Let's get you in cleaned up and warmed up kiddo, and why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"
I knew that I shouldn't accept offers like that from a stranger, but with my dad gone all the time, and my mom so prone to worrying and anxiety, I didn't really have anyone I could turn to. It probably wasn't the best call, but I made my decision in a heartbeat. I didn't know how much more I could take.
"Ok miss...miss" I sniffed.
"Mrs. Rose." she stated, "My husband has been gone for a number of years, and Rose is sort of my maiden name, but I will forever and always be a Misses."
Husband?! She doesn't look like she's more than four or five years older than me!
"Come on," she whispered soothingly, placing a hand on my shoulder, "Let's get some tea in you. I hope you like Dragon Well..."
Sometimes, it's the little things that affect you in a big way.
I didn't realize it at the time, but that chance encounter would change the course of my future, and ultimately, the fate of the world.