AN:
OH, MY FUCKING GOODNESS!
Thank you all for your comments on chapter 2, it made me so happy to see all of you enjoy my writing!
Just like the last chapter, I promise to respond to everyone who comments on this chapter if I can.
Also, I forgot to mention this before, I've got a Tumblr and a Twitter; my Tumblr is xpegasusuniverse, and my Twitter is JackJVilardi
Izuku and Toshinori were busy scrubbing dishes from that night's dinner while Inko was making a call. She'd been on hold for a few minutes while the operator transferred her, but she was practically jumping up and down with excitement.
'I guess it makes sense,' Izuku thought as he mechanically scrubbed a plate. 'This is really important news, of course, he needs to know.' He looked back at his mother, a huge grin plastered on her face, although he couldn't help but feel she was also nervous and…sad. 'But what do I say to him? I can't even remember the last time I talked to him.'
Izuku stared down at the plate in his hand, his reflection staring back at him. 'I can barely even remember what he looks like.'
"Young Midoriya?"
He jumped at the sound of Toshinori's voice.
"Are you alright?" the blond man asked, a soap covered sponge in hand.
"O-of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be," Izuku said as he gave a clearly forced smile.
Toshinori gave him an incredulous look.
Izuku gave a nervous laugh and went back to scrubbing dishes.
The blond man frowned but said nothing. The silence was awkward and heavy.
After a brief but tense moment, Izuku sighed and relented. "It's just that I'm… I'm nervous, okay."
Toshinori raised an eyebrow. "Nervous? Why? I thought you'd be excited."
"I know, but I…" Izuku spoke softly, so as not to be heard by Inko. "I can't remember the last time I talked to my dad."
Toshinori stared at Izuku with wide eyes. He didn't speak. He didn't know what to say. After a moment of awkward silence, he finally did something; Toshinori placed a comforting hand on Izuku's shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.
"Hey," Toshinori said. "It's going to be alright."
Izuku stared at Toshinori, stunned, before offering back a smile of his own.
"Hisashi!" Inko's giddy voice cut through the air.
Izuku and Toshinori stared at her as she practically vibrated with excitement.
"It's so good to talk to you, honey," Inko said. "How are you?" Inko went silent as Hisashi spoke. "Oh, we're doing just fine, in fact, Izuku has something to tell you; I'll hand you off to him now."
His mother beckoned for him. Izuku walked over and tentatively took the phone from his giddy mother. He stared at it for a moment before swallowing air and finally held the phone up his ear.
"Dad?"
"Izuku, is that you?" a husky and shaky voice replied.
"Uhm, yeah it's me."
"Huh, well you sound, uhm, different. Guess my little man's growing up."
"Y-yeah, it's been a while since we talked," Izuku said with a nervous chuckle. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck, why did I say that?!'
"…you're right, it has been a long time. Probably too long…"
The line went silent as Izuku's voice died in his throat.
"Anyway!" Hisashi said with clearly forced enthusiasm. "Y-you're mom said you had something to tell me. What is it?"
"Oh right," Izuku said, his voice suddenly back. "First is that I got a job."
"A job?"
"Yeah, I'm a gofer for Mr. Yagi."
"…who's Mr. Yagi?"
Izuku slapped himself on the forehead. "Sorry, forget to tell you; Mr. Yagi is All Might's secretary."
"All Might's…secretary? You're working for All Might's secretary!"
"Uh-huh."
"That-THAT'S AMAZING, KIDDO!" Izuku felt his ears ring at the high volume of his father's voice.
"How did you meet him? Did you get the job today? What's the pay like? Have you met the big man himself?"
Hisashi's rapid-fire questions were making Izuku's head spin. 'Is this what I sound like to people?'
"I met him by accident, really," Izuku explained. "There was a villain attack and he was on the scene with All Might. We got to talking after that and he offered me the job a week later." He made sure to omit the part where he was involved in the attack.
"I've been working for Mr. Yagi for about a month. He pays me 1,600 Yen an hour," Izuku's eye lit up as he spoke. "And he introduced me to All Might AND I GOT HIS AUTOGRAPH!" Izuku couldn't contain his squeal of fanboyish joy at the mention of the autograph. He blushed, realizing what he'd just done. "S-sorry, I got carried away."
Hisashi chuckled warmly. "Hey, it's alright. I'm so happy for you Izuku, anyway, I've got to get back to work. We'll talk-"
"WAIT! Don't hang up," Izuku said frantically. "There's something else I need to tell you, something important."
"…Okay, what is it?"
He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say. "Dad, I have a Quirk."
The line went dead silent, Izuku couldn't even hear his father breathing.
"Dad?"
"WHAT!" His voice was so loud, Izuku was sure his mother and Toshinori heard him. "I don't understand. When!? Why!? How!?"
"Well, the doctor never performed the gene test to see if I had Plus Alpha markers; they only checked my toe joints," Izuku explained. "And the other day, I went to see a doctor and she did some tests, and turns out I've always had a Quirk."
"Okay then…so did you get mine or your mom's? Or is it a mix?" Hisashi suddenly sounded very excited.
"Huh? What do you-Oh! You mean my Quirk," Izuku said. "Neither, it's actually a mutation."
"A mutation, that's incredible. Those are supposed to be super rare, what is it?"
"It is, and that's why we didn't figure it out until now," Izuku said. "It's a type of healing Quirk. My body passively radiates energy that heals myself and everyone around me, that's why I've always had such a big appetite."
"Healing. That's amazing; what are you calling it?"
"I actually haven't come up with a name for it yet."
"Well, make sure to call me when you do."
Izuku smiled. "I will."
"I've got to get back to work, but there's one more thing I need to say."
"What is it?"
"Izuku, I'm proud of you, you make so happy to be your dad."
Taken aback, Izuku wasn't sure what to say.
"I really need to go now, promise we'll talk."
"We will. Bye, dad."
"Bye, Izuku."
As Hisashi hung up the phone, Izuku couldn't help but find himself crying tears of joy for the second time that night. He turned to his mother and Toshinori and smiled.
While Saturday was probably one of the greatest days of Izuku's life, the following Monday was proving to be…less than stellar (to say the least.)
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Izuku's classmates roared with laughter as the green haired boy sat at his desk, body shaking and tears at the corners of his eyes.
"You expect us to believe you magically got a Quirk over the weekend," a boy with large, shark-like teeth screeched. "Get real."
"Do you really think we're dumb enough to fall for that," a girl with brown hair and horns coming out of the sides of her head sneered. "Did little Quirkless Midoriya hit his head on the way to school?"
"It's the truth!" Izuku yelled as he stood up. "I do have a Quirk, and I didn't just get it over the weekend; I've always had it." Even though he was trying to be brave, Izuku's voice still shook and his knees wobbled.
"Oh yeah," another boy said as his fingers extended. "Then how come you've never used it before?" He punctuated the question by forcefully poking Izuku's forehead.
"I-I-I told you," Izuku managed to force out, holding back his tears. "My Quirk's a mutation. I only found out about it on Saturday."
"Really," another girl with blue prehensile hair said mockingly as she leaned forward. "Then why don't you show this 'Quirk' of yours?"
"Uhm, well, th-the thing is," Izuku muttered. "It's a h-healing Quirk, and I haven't had the chance to practice using it, and-"
"I knew it!" the first boy yelled. "You're lying! You're still the same Quirkless loser you've always been."
The four students burst into a fit of cruel laughter as hot tears ran down Izuku's cheeks, unable to hold back the floodgates any more.
"I-I-I'm not," Izuku tried to force out the word, but his tears wouldn't allow him to speak. "I'm not a-*sniff*-I'm not a-a…"
"Alright, that's enough," the teacher said he finished writing on the chalkboard. "Class is about to start, so settle down and take your seats." He turned to look directly at Izuku. "And Midoriya, you shouldn't make a habit of lying. Now sit down or I'll have you stand out in the hall."
The four other students went to their desks, leaving Izuku to futilely try and wipe away the tears pouring out of his eyes. The teacher paid him no mind.
A few desks away, Katsuki Bakugo sat with his feet planted squarely on his desk. While you wouldn't guess from posture or demeanor, he'd been intently listening to Izuku's exchange with their classmates (or as Bakugo called them, 'extras') and watching them out of the corner of his eye. Bakugo glanced back at Izuku's crying, trembling form one last time before turning his attention squarely on the chalkboard and the teacher in front of it.
'Nerd had it coming,' Bakugo thought, his face fiercely neutral. 'What did he think would happen, saying he's suddenly got a Quirk?'
As the rest of the class snickered at Izuku's tears, Bakugo could only scowl. 'Idiots. This is why you're all extras; you pay attention to little shits like Deku. I can't afford to get caught up in with him, he'd only drag me down.' That's what Bakugo told himself at least.
About a month ago, Bakugo had realized that interacting with Izuku at all was waste of his time, so he'd started avoiding the green haired boy completely. It was only a coincidence that his epiphany came the same day he got attacked by the Sludge Villain. He didn't owe Izuku anything and he certainly hadn't stopped bullying him as a way to 'repay' Izuku for saving him, because Bakugo hadn't needed saving, and certainly not by the likes of Izuku.
As the teacher started their morning lesson, Izuku finally managed to reign in his emotions hold back his tears. His eyes still red, Izuku looked up at the teacher and then around the room.
'Of course, they didn't believe me,' Izuku thought as pulled out his school notebook from his bag. 'They've got no reason to. I've always been the Quirkless kid. Why would that change overnight?'
Izuku tried to concentrate on the lesson, but he couldn't focus through his bleary eye. 'I just wish I could…' He looked at his desk, remembering Aldera Junior High used lift-lid desks. 'Prove it to them.'
He suddenly got an idea, a very bad, very stupid idea; but if it worked, Izuku would prove he had a Quirk.
Izuku put his school supplies back in his bag and stood up, his chair screeching in response. Every eye in the classroom focused in on him.
The teacher groaned. "Midoriya, what did I say about-"
But Izuku wasn't listening. He lifted the desk's lid as high as he could and placed his left pointer finger squarely on the metal frame.
His teacher and classmates stared at him, bewildered. Izuku took a deep breath and then brought the lid down with as much force as he could muster.
Everyone screamed, Izuku in pain and everyone else in shock.
"Holy fuck!" One student cried.
Izuku grit his teeth and brought the lid down again, but managed to contain his screams.
The teacher stared at him, dumbfounded at what he was doing. "M-M-Midoriya! What the hell are you doing!?"
Izuku didn't answer his question and instead brought the lid up once more.
"I."
Slam.
"Am."
Slam.
"Not"
Slam.
"A."
Slam!
"Liar!"
Slam! Slam! Slam! Slam! Slam! Slam!
SLAM!
Izuku brought the lid down on his finger one last before he pulled it out of the desk. He held up his left arm to reveal a bleeding, bashed, broken purple finger. Izuku was breathing heavily, almost delirious with pain.
The classroom was silent, all eyes on him.
Izuku took a deep breath to steady himself and concentrated, concentrated on the power he knew he had. 'I know it's there, somewhere. All I have to do-'
Suddenly, Izuku began to glow; he was enveloped by a vibrant green aura that grew brighter and bright as the seconds passed.
'-is bring it to the surface!'
Izuku glowed so bright the classroom was blinded, everyone was forced to shield their eyes. When the light faded, the class looked and saw Izuku standing at his desk panting like he'd just run a marathon, and clutching a perfectly healthy finger.
He looked at all his classmates, and then the teacher, a triumphant smile on his tired face. "See. I told you…I had a… Quirk…" Izuku collapsed, hitting his desk with a resounding thud.
"Holy fuck!"
"Stop saying that!" The teacher screamed. He pointed to the student who'd just spoken. "Run to the nurse and tell her Midoriya collapsed!"
"Right away," he said, bolting out of the classroom.
"You two," the teacher said, pointing to two students sitting next to Izuku. "Help me carry Midoriya to the nurse's office!"
They nodded and took an arm each while the teacher grabbed Izuku's legs.
As all of this was happening, the rest of the class looked on in stunned silence. Everyone had the same gaping expression on their faces as Izuku was hauled to the Nurse's office.
Except one.
Bakugo stared at Izuku's unconscious body with eyes drowning in rage and fury. His body shook as he grit his teeth. Bakugo's hands gripped his desk so hard his knuckles turned bone white. It was a miracle he hadn't crushed the desk or blown it to smithereens.
'Deku,' he thought, blocking out his classmates' chatter. 'I'm going to fucking murder you, you fat, lying, nerd!'
As Izuku walked home from school, he couldn't help but smile. Sure, he'd collapsed from actively using his Quirk for the first time, but was it worth it to show everyone how wrong they were.
Although he was embarrassed by the fact he'd eaten Nurse Ito's bento after he woke up… and then went on to scarf down her jar of lollipops she kept for students. He'd apologized profusely and promised to bring her a bento and a new jar of lollipops tomorrow.
Still, Izuku felt on top of the world, nothing could bring him down!
"DEKU!"
Izuku couldn't even make a sound before someone grabbed his collar and shoved him against a wall. He was disoriented, but Izuku knew immediately who it was; Bakugo.
His wits returning, Izuku opened his eyes to see Bakugo, his face contorted into a ferocious mask of rage and contempt.
'I've never seen Kacchan this mad,' Izuku thought, trembling and sweating under Bakugo's gaze. 'What the hell happened to him!?'
"K-K-Kacchan," Izuku stuttered out. "What are you-"
"Shut up, you fat nerd!" Bakugo growled.
Izuku froze, silent.
"How long," Bakugo said, his voice low and cold. "How long have been lying to me, you bastard?!"
"Kacchan, I don't know what you're talking about," Izuku blurted out.
"Quirkless," Bakugo said, confusing Izuku. "You said were Quirkless! But you've had a Quirk this whole time, you little shit stain!" Bakugo started screaming in Izuku's face, his eyes burning and hostile.
"I thought I was Quirkless too, I really did," Izuku squeaked, his voice drenched in fear. "I only found out I had Quirk on Saturday; I don't even have a name for it." He was sweating bullets and trembling worse than he ever had before, but Bakugo's grip remained ironclad.
It was quiet for a moment, not even the birds were chirping.
Bakugo took a deep breath. "Fine," he spat, letting go of Izuku.
The green haired boy dropped to the ground.
"Keep lying; keep telling everyone that shitty story, you fat nerd," Bakugo growled as looked down at Izuku in disgust. "But I know the truth."
Bakugo stepped back and walked away, leaving Izuku shaking on the ground. After a few paces, he stopped and turned around. "Don't think this changes anything. Quirk or no Quirk, you're still Deku; always have been, always will be." He finally walked off, leaving Izuku alone.
Izuku curled up in a ball, tears poking at the corners of his eyes. He pulled out a granola bar and started eating, but it tasted like nothing.
"Damn it."
"He comes home and tells me collapsed at school from using his Quirk, I can hardly believe it," Inko said, pointing her chopsticks at Toshinori. "I swear, every week he finds a new reason to make me worry."
"Mom," Izuku whined, chopsticks halfway between his plate and his mouth. "Don't say it like that. It's embarrassing." His face turned bright red, and Toshinori's giggles weren't helping.
"I'm sorry, Young Midoriya," Toshinori said with a grin. "But she's right, you always seem to be doing something to fret over."
Izuku turned bright red while Inko and Toshinori laughed.
Inko took a moment to look around the table appreciate this moment. Izuku sat across from her while Toshinori sat between them to her left and Izuku's right. Despite his embarrassment, Inko knew Izuku was happy; it was certainly an improvement from earlier.
When her son had arrived home from school today, Inko knew something was wrong. Izuku had been…subdued seemed to be the best way to put it. It felt as though Izuku had been holding something in, something he didn't want to let out. Inko tried asking him what was wrong, but he smiled and said he was fine, then went to his room.
Izuku kept things from her, Inko knew that; she'd known that for a long time. She wasn't stupid. Inko knew her son was bullied, she knew how cruel children could be, both intentionally and unintentionally. She'd tried to get Izuku to open up about what went on when she wasn't around, but he never did.
Instead, she decided to be his rock, to always support him in whatever he wanted to do.
When he walked into his room, Inko decided to go whatever she could to make her son happy. The first step was katsudon, Izuku's favorite food; of course, Izuku liked, no, loved all sorts of food, but katsudon was cut above the rest for him. It never failed to improve his mood when they had it for dinner.
The second step was Toshinori; even they'd only met a month ago, Toshinori and Izuku had formed a very strong bond. The man gave her son hope, something Inko felt like she'd failed at. She invited him over under the pretense that being around Izuku was good for his physical health; while true, the real reason she'd invited him was that being around Toshinori was good for Izuku's mental health.
Although even as Izuku and Toshinori talked about their days had been, Inko couldn't stop herself from worrying.
With Izuku meeting Toshinori, getting a job as a gofer, his sudden interest in working out and bodybuilding, and the discovery of his Quirk; it had all done wonders for her son's self-confidence, but it didn't feel quite right. This all felt too sudden to be a coincidence, and she still had trouble believing Izuku was balancing school, his job, and his workout routine. Inko felt like she was missing something, some piece of this puzzle that would make everything clear as day, and she knew Izuku had it.
"Mom," Izuku said. "Are you okay?"
Snapping out of her musings, Inko realized she'd acquired a rather worried look on her face. "Oh me, I'm fine," she said lightly. "I was just wondering if you're going to start collapsing on a regular basis; I'm not sure my heart could take it if you did."
Izuku blanched while Toshinori erupted into a fit of giggles.
Inko smiled as they argued good-naturedly over her statement. 'I suppose it's alright for now,' she thought warmly. 'He's kept secrets before, and whatever it is, it makes my baby happy.' And so, Inko decided not to pry; at least not yet.
Later in the evening, in another part of Musutafu, Chiyo Shuzenji, better known as Recovery Girl, was busy cleaning up after her dinner. Dressed in a white shirt and grey sweatpants, she'd just finished washing the dishes and placing them on the drying rack.
Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Recovery Girl looked at the clock. 'Who could it be at this hour,' she thought. Recovery Girl looked the caller-id and sighed in annoyance. 'Of course.'
"Hello, All Might," she said as she answered the phone.
"Good evening, Recovery Girl; sorry to disturb you at such a late hour."
"It's fine," Recovery Girl said as she walked from the kitchen to her office. "Did you overdo it again and need to see me?"
"What, no!" Toshinori exclaimed, rather offended. "Believe it or not it was Young Midoriya; he used his Quirk at school and ended up collapsing. He's fine now, but it's concerning."
Recovery Girl groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear, that boy is too similar to you for his own good. Bring him to me tomorrow and I'll look him over."
"Thank you. Goodnight, Recovery Girl."
"Goodnight, All Might." Recovery Girl hung up. As she put her phone back in her pocket, Recovery Girl looked her desk, covered in papers. She picked up the file of one Yuma Tsubasa, the Quirkologist whom wrongly diagnosed Izuku as Quirkless.
'How on Earth,' she thought as poured over the file. 'Does a professional Quirkologist simply forget to perform a DNA test? It's standard procedure.'
After Izuku had told Recovery Girl about how his doctor had failed to perform the DNA, she'd immediately requested (or rather demanded) to get their name so she could have their license revoked. While Izuku had been happy to provide her with Dr. Tsubasa's name, he'd also told her that he was unfortunately no longer with us.
'Abducted along with his grandson, Sora, on a shopping trip,' she thought she pulled out the police reports she'd printed out. 'Suspects found and convicted, but no bodies ever recovered. Both presumed dead.'
She noted the date when the missing persons report was filed; the day after All Might's fight with All for One.
'Someone, no, a monster with the power to steal Quirks is killed in a fight to the death, and the very next day a Quirkologist disappears into thin air, not a trace of him or his grandson to be found.' Recovery Girl's brow furrowed as she looked at every document regarding Yuma Tsubasa she'd managed to dig up. 'This has to be a coincidence, it has to be. But…'
She pulled out a bottle and a glass from the bottom drawer of her desk and poured herself a glass of whiskey.
'Something's not right. I can feel it in my bones,' Recovery Girl thought grimly, sipping on her nightcap.
AN:
Well how about that ending ;)
This chapter was originally going to be a bit longer, but this felt like a natural stopping point, and it's almost 4,000 words.
Again, a huge thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter, seeing all of you enjoy writing just makes me feel so happy and fulfilled, you're all wonderful. Thank you.
I hope you leave a comment on this chapter if you feel so inclined, they keep me motivated to write the next chapter, and I'll try to respond to everyone who comments on this chapter.
Also, come scream at me on Tumblr at xpegasusuniverse, and on twitter at JackJVilardi. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day.
