A/N: Hey! *wave* Here I am, with yet another WIP. All this fandom-hopping is really bad for my progress. *laugh* Enjoy!

Title: Registered Quirk: Open Heart

Author: liketolaugh

Rating: T

Pairings: None

Genre: Friendship/Adventure

Warnings: None

Summary: Inko liked to say that Izuku had always, in a way, had his quirk. From the time he was born, she told him, he'd cried when others cried, laughed when others laughed, and had a way of knowing when something was wrong. Sometimes when she was upset, he'd tug on her skirt, smile, and say, "Happy please!"

Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA.

"It's extremely uncommon, but not unheard of," the doctor told his mother, waving in Izuku's direction.

Izuku stayed quiet, eyes wide; he could taste something warm like caramel and hear something low like a drumbeat, and instinctively he knew that one was his mother's anticipation and the other was the doctor's tiredness. (He could feel them both, too, so why did he taste and hear them?)

It was new and novel and he was so, so excited. He wondered what he could do with a quirk like this. Maybe he could find people in danger faster!

"Your husband is a fire-breather, correct?" the man continued.

The caramel on his tongue curdled so that Izuku's breath hitched, and his head jerked toward his mother, worried. Inko glanced at him and squeezed his hand reassuringly, and in a few moments the bad thought slid away and Inko was happy again. Izuku grinned at her and squeezed back.

"Yes, that's right," Inko nodded, returning her attention to the doctor. "And I'm a minor telekinetic. I can't imagine where Izuku's quirk came from."

"A random mutation," the doctor concluded, head lifting to meet her eyes. "Empathy is considered a telepath-variant; I'll direct you to that office to get his quirk assessed." His mouth curved into a smile, reassuring and slight, and the drumbeat picked up a little so it sounded almost cheerful. "Empathy is a fairly rare quirk. Your son will have plenty of job opportunities in the future. Just make sure he knows how to take care of himself, hm?"

Izuku tilted his head, confused. What did the doctor mean?

Inko smiled gratefully and dipped her head. "Of course," she said resolutely, dense and sweet. "Thank you, doctor. Is there anything else?"

"Think about what you want to call it," the doctor said easily, eyes glittering; the drumbeat shifted to a buzzy hum. "That's the best part of this, isn't it?"

Inko laughed, and a moment later, Izuku did, too, high and cheerful and happy.

"Now that we speak of it, Midoriya Izuku wishes to enter Yuuei as well, doesn't he?"

Izuku wasn't surprised when Bakugou slammed both hands on his desk, but he still went reeling backward, eyes darting up to take in the other boy hesitantly and breath whooshing out of his chest painfully.

Bakugou's mouth was twisted in a scowl, a crackle of rage that seared the back of Izuku's throat with a taste like wasabi. His two friends lingered behind him, smirking and smug.

Instantly, it was too much, too loud, too strong. Izuku didn't like spicy tastes.

"We're not done," Bakugou hissed, tiny explosions singing the desk under his hands. Izuku flinched. "You think you can sweep this out from under me, Deku? How fucking weak do you think I am?" He tipped his head and scowled at Izuku, eyes flashing, and a moment later, he leaned forward, into Izuku's space. "Am I serious, Deku?"

Bakugou was always serious, with things like this.

Izuku nodded quickly, cringing away. A dull roar, unrelated to his quirk, started to rush through his ears, and he avoided the other boy's gaze. "Y-y-ye-"

"Fucking bet," Bakugou spat, metaphorical sparks flying off of him. His eyes bored into the top of Izuku's head, and the dull sound of resentment vibrated between them, unspoken. "This isn't your fucking place, Deku! It never fucking is!"

"What's wrong?"

"None of your stupid business!"

Izuku dropped his gaze and swallowed, tears gathering in his eyes. His shoulders shook, and his chest ached with the effort to breathe evenly. He wanted to speak. He wanted to ask why Bakugou felt so threatened. Why he was almost-

"Look at you!" Bakugou added, audibly disgusted. "You're fucking crying again! You think you can handle yourself in a fight?"

Afraid.

Izuku didn't reply this time, throat tight, and with another spit of disgust, Bakugou straightened up and pulled away.

"Don't even try it, useless stupid Deku!"

Izuku reached for his notebook and hugged it to his chest, breath hitching as he tried to wrest it back under his control, heartbeat too fast and too loud and tears on his cheeks-

Izuku didn't leave the classroom for another half hour.

Citrus juice, a loud and steady thrum like a trumpet, and pride; All Might's vivid emotions drove away the echo of the slime villain faster than Izuku could have imagined, and he was left breathless in a very different way.

And he was sorry, really, for clinging onto All Might when he was clearly reaching the end of his patience, the man's anxiety curling like a bitter orange on his tongue, but he had to ask. If he didn't take this one chance to ask, he would never forgive himself.

Around all that fear? Did you think that through?

Useless in a fight.

You're crying all the time anyway!

Anything else, Izuku. Anything else at all.

"My quirk is called Open Heart," he blurted to All Might's turned back, feeling his own heartbeat speed up as the man walked away. The man stopped. "It's an empathy quirk, with- without any offensive or defensive applications. Even- even with a quirk like that, c-can I still be a hero? Can I still be like you?"

The man hesitated, and Izuku held his breath, squeezing his eyes shut. Please. Please.

And then Izuku coughed on a burst of black pepper, eyes popping back open in his surprise while one hand lifted to cover his mouth. "All Might..?"

It wasn't the pain that Izuku felt. Pain was a physical sensation, like cold or itchiness. But there was always an emotional response, like an echo, and Izuku could recognize that. And he could feel that All Might was hurting, and alarmed, and frustrated, and Izuku remembered that everyone was human, even All Might.

Worry rising, he tried to squint through the swirling smoke, and in short order it cleared away and revealed a man – just a man, a skinny one, hunched over and emaciated, with eyes that seemed to glow even in their hollow sockets.

Izuku's throat closed, because his quirk didn't lie and that was All Might, casting off emotions with the same tone, the same taste.

"All Might?" he repeated, breathless and frightened, and then, on instinct, "What's wrong?"

The man laughed, as hollow as the dips in his face. What had happened? Why was, why was All Might-?

A long moment passed.

"An empath, eh?" All Might murmured at last, his legs folding under him as he eased onto the ground. Subconsciously, Izuku matched the movement, tears of worry stinging at his eyes already. "What do you sense from the man without fear now, I wonder?"

Izuku bit his cheek, unsure, and wanted to scoot forward, but- All Might. "Pain. Frustration." He hesitated, and the man's head dipped. "You're ashamed."

All Might grinned, more like a grimace. "The hero who saves people with a smile, ashamed," he scoffed, bitter. Before Izuku could reel back and apologize, he reached down and pulled up his shirt, and Izuku gasped quietly, the tears in his eyes spilling over onto his cheeks. All Might's shame rose in pitch, and a second, lower whine of resolution joined it. "This is a wound I got five years ago, from a villain. Half my respiratory system was destroyed, my stomach is gone. I'm emaciated, haggard, and I've been through surgery after surgery but I can still only do hero work for about three hours a day now."

"Five years ago- Toxic Chainsaw?" Izuku asked hesitantly, swallowing around the lump in his throat. But he'd been so sure that fight had gone well for All Might-

Surprise and amusement spiked in All Might simultaneously. "You know your subject well," he said dryly. "I wouldn't have let him get me down, though. No, this- this was a different fight." He lifted his head and fixed Izuku with a serious look, and Izuku froze, intimidated. All Might's shame faded away; his resolution grew louder. "As the Symbol of Peace who saves people with a smile, I cannot give any ground to the forces of evil. If I laugh, it is to distract me from the fear I feel."

His pride returned, heavy and dense on Izuku's tongue this time, but still tinged with citrus.

"Heroes spend every day surrounded by fear, by desperation, pain, guilt, and worse," All Might continued, serious and solemn, face painfully haggard. "You would go after villains, who take joy in pain and might be filled with rage or betrayal. For an empath, I suspect it would be just- too much." He sighed. "You're already crying, but it is just me here. A battle would be much worse."

Mom says it's okay to cry, Izuku thought, and bit the thought off viciously, his cheeks wet and his body trembling slightly. "Oh."

Pity. Izuku registered it distantly, burnt and sour.

"A quirk like yours has many other applications," the man offered, sounding tired. "You could help people as a counselor, or be a good teacher. You could even be a policeman if you wished."

Izuku tried to respond, but his voice failed him. All Might got up and started towards the door.

As he reached the door, he paused.

"It is not a bad thing to dream. But you need to know your limits."

And he left.

*smile* It's a little rushed, I know, but I'm fairly excited about this and I have a strong interest in empath AUs in general. For now- thanks for reading, and please review!