Junji II/Eijiro I

"Continue your report. The other three," the doctor said the low number with disdain, "were more successful, I hope."

Junji felt himself cringe in fear. "Yes, sir. At least in terms of testing my Quirk. It remains to be seen if they will show promise."

"Then be quick! You are one of a select few entrusted to even see me. Don't waste time on idle excuses."

Junji nodded rapidly, "Th-The-the first was a boy. Not from around here, but he had an incident while in town. Quirk manifested suddenly. Transformation-type, allows him to transmute parts of his skin to possess rock-like durability and sharpness. I noted it as being a weak Quirk but potentially useful if he were to serve a defender."

The doctor laughed, and it was more of a giggle. "You think we want to have the boy serve us? You think we want his Quirk perfected for him? Oh how cute…"

Eijiro was walking home from his first day of middle school alone. It wasn't too unusual, even in grade school. Sometimes his friends had joined him, some days they didn't. He lived out of the way, so he didn't blame them. It didn't make it any less depressing to meander down the street, especially when he wasn't in class with his old friends anymore. He watched others laughing and chatting with their groups. These groups were walking the same way as him. It would have only made sense for him to reach out and try to befriend them, rather than wallow in loneliness.

But it was hard for him to just… talk to people. His fear and anxiety would bubble up and hold him still, sealing his mouth shut. Awkward mumbling and shy neck-rubbing were usually all he could get out. It wasn't always the case. Sometimes he could get fired up and be totally at ease speaking with people about a passion. A cold open of introduction was a different beast entirely.

Yet he looked across the street and saw someone he vaguely recognized. Her name escaped him, but she had spoken with him earlier in the day. She was easy to talk to, naturally friendly, and charismatic. Two other girls were walking with her, but they had just said goodbye to someone else who had walked down a different road.

Maybe… It wouldn't be as hard to introduce myself with her there. Maybe I could walk with them. But… But I would be imposing on three girls, wouldn't I? That's not manly at all.

Eijiro bit his cheek. He kept walking on the other side of the street, mulling over what to do. When he looked up, he saw that the trio of girls had become a duo, and his own moping pace had seen them walk almost too far for him to catch up without a full sprint. As they approached a hill, he'd knew they'd soon be out of eyesight entirely.

I… Stop being cowardly! Try and fail, rather than flinch away!

Bracing himself, went to dash across the street. He held up his hand and called out to the girl he had recognized. "Hey Ashi—"

That's when the truck hit him.

Junji waited for the doctor to elaborate further. When the deranged man didn't, the intern nervously continued. "Mother seems to be able to recover rapidly from minor wounds to her outer body, father able to harden hairs into darts. My analysis found that the Paternal Quirk is a notably strong inheritable ability, and the only aspect of the Maternal Quirk actively inherited was a full-body Plus Alpha rather than purely in the hair. The boy had genetics for a wing-growing Quirk that according to hospital records is found in his paternal cousins, but it was not feasible for activation."

"Too suspicious for him to grow appendages from your analysis alone anyways."

"Yes, sir. And it was pretty damaged code. Little to no chance of inheritance into any offspring unless a similar Quirk is already present in a partner's lineage. But the kid was here because his Quirk had an activation that resulted in injury."

"Severe?"

"Hardly. He got upset, rubbed his face, cut himself. He needed stitches for a pretty bad gash over his eye when his own knuckle sliced the skin. But nothing beyond that."

Shy kid too. From how he was talking, he'll probably have issues accepting his Quirk, so he's unlikely to develop it as we would like. But I can keep that to myself. I'm in enough hot water.

The doctor had resumed fiddling with the cadaver on his table. While Junji considered he wasn't listening closely, when Junji paused the man tilted his head, just slightly, waiting for him to continue. Clearly his throat, he pressed on. "I made an attempt at a greater activation of the Maternal Quirk genes."

"You didn't consider attempting to activate the Paternal further?"

"To create projectile abilities? Yes, I did. But that was going to be complicated. I was short on time."

"Was the activation at least successful? Or was it another failure?"

"No, sir. I think it took."

The truck sent him flying, and Eijiro had never felt such pain in his body. But it faded as the shock set in. The world slowed down as his face turned toward the sky, the clouds glowing orange from the sunset. His mind raced.

Idiot! Didn't look before crossing. Dumb way to die.

And that was the thought that really struck him. He was going to die, wasn't he? Die right there, struck by a truck trying to cross the street so he could pester two girls into letting him walk with them. Because he couldn't handle a day alone. His heart raced. The second impact was coming. His body had been sent flying, taking damage from the initial force of the vehicle. But soon he'd slam into the road. A sudden stop that would probably be the end.

The impact came, and Eijiro clenched his eyes shut. But as his body hit the pavement, it didn't feel right. He supposed he didn't know how it should feel, but it was less like hitting the ground and more like falling into the ground. It was a slightly numb sensation, and he could feel the asphalt give way to his shoulder and knee, being scrapped up like clay.

As he came to a stop, Eijiro felt his body ache. Bones had to be broken, and he had to be cut up. He was just thankful his adrenaline was covering up the full pain. Worst of all, however, was how his skin just seemed to itch. It was beyond belief, a strange sensation as he felt his skin harden and shift.

My Quirk must have activated instinctively. Guess it is good for something other than hurting myself and looking tough.

His vision was still spinning, and there was debris dusting up the air. But there was a sound of footsteps, and he heard a voice cry out. "Hey! Hey are you OK?!"

It was a familiar voice. A girl's, full of concern as she ran closer. She wasn't the only one approaching. There was another person he could hear behind her, and a few people on the other side of the crater he'd carved. Eijiro, head throbbing and itching, looked up to focus on Ashido's pink face. For a moment, he was silent, just looking at her. Her friend behind her seemed to recoil once she saw him, and someone else let out a startled noise.

I must be pretty banged up… My Quirk didn't kick in until after I got hit.

He realized he'd just been staring at Ashido awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I think I'll be OK…" he said finally. His voice has a deep, gravelly sound to it, and he frowned as he noticed his face felt tight. Weird, he'd never hardened up his entire face before, besides his teeth doing so on their own. Shifting in the crushed asphalt, he let out a cry as a jolt of pain came from his leg. Looking down, his left leg was broken, shifted to a diagonal angle from his knee.

Eijiro also saw this his legs were hardened, and his hands came up to reveal that they too were sharpened up like rough-chiseled stone. Then there was the sound of stone scraping stone, and he watched as his leg hardened up further than he'd ever successfully done. As the rock-like texture spread, he cried out again. There was a sickening pop as his leg straightened out. The pain faded quickly, but he remained confused and uneasy.

What startled him most, however, was that even though he was willing his Quirk to stop, it hadn't. It kept going and even now his Quirk refused to relax, hands remaining sharp and his face still stiff. Furrowing his brow, Eijiro took a deep breath in, then out. Maybe his heightened state was preventing his transformation. Another breath, but still the hardening remained. Panic at last set in, and Eijiro's breathing was picking up speed.

"H-hey? What's going on?" Ashido asked.

Eijiro could only stare at his hands in silence.

My Quirk… It won't turn off!

The doctor hummed. "But will it truly result in anything powerful? Rock-skin is nothing special, even if it evolves something more unique to it."

It's not rock-skin, you loon. It's hardening the skin to possess rock-like q- Ugh. Whatever, I should just finish this report up so I can get the fuck out of here.

"I still believe he should be placed under our surveillance teams for the future."

"No, nothing more than the occasional check-in. Unless I see something useful develop, it's a waste of resources. Surveillance can be risky, and without proper reward, I will not take such risk."

Junji suppressed a sigh. "I understand, sir. But I hold out that he could prove an interesting subject. I know we've discussed training some of these children before and-"

"And nothing!" the doctor snapped. "That program hasn't been approved. That's even more risk for us if kidnapping is required. And for the rock-skin boy? Pah, a waste of time and energy. You'll need a few more years with us before you should even consider making such a request again and expect to live."

"I understand…"

The clock ticked loudly in the silent hospital room. It was the only sound at all beyond the quiet hum of a few machines. Eijiro's parents had come by, sobbing and scared, and he had comforted them with lies and falsehoods. "I'm fine," he had said. "I'm OK," he said. "My Quirk? Oh just having some trouble with it because the accident made me tense up so bad, that's all."

All lies.

What is happening? Why can't I go back to normal? Why am I stuck like this?

He growled in frustration, and the same shifting-stone sound as before told him his condition worsened because of it. Eijiro took a deep breath and felt his skin relax a little. That was all he could do. A spike in his own fear, anger, frustration, or anxiety and he would harden up further. Yes as he calmed himself, he could only undo what the spike had caused, no more, no less.

The doctors had assured him they would figure out what was happening, and had agreed not to worry his parents for the time being. But he could tell they were stumped, at a loss for words. That was worrying to say the least.

The door opened, and he turned his head to see who it was. A nurse entered, and she gave him a shy smile. He lifted his hand to give a small wave, but he quickly dropped it as he saw what his own hand looked like.

Frowning, Eijiro looked at his lap as the nurse came closer. He sighed. "Is it time for some more tests?"

The nurse sat down in a chair beside his bed. "No. The doctors sent me to tell you that they are unsure of what else to try that wouldn't be highly invasive. And while we could do so, the doctors have no real idea of what's happened to you. At least nothing beyond fringe theories they've never properly experimented with."

Oh, great. So I'm not just some freak, I'm some weird, unexplainable, totally undocumented one.

"But," the nurse continued, "there is something we're considering. And that is to transfer you elsewhere. For long-term treatment and study with an expert in the field. Someone who specializes in uncontrollable Quirks."

"So… You want me to sign up to be locked up in some scientists lab for who knows how long?" Eijiro asked, raising a brow and frowning further.

The nurse giggled. It made Eijiro blush. "Goodness, no! Dr. Yonagawa's clinic would be a place you could stay and recuperate, but you would still go to school, could still hang out with friends, still go watch movies and eat out. You'd see your parents on a weekly basis at a minimum. But the extended stay would allow Dr. Yonagawa to perform long-term treatments and gain a better understanding of what happened to you."

Eijiro hummed and tilted his head. "So what's the catch? Probably expensive, huh?"

"Not at all!" the nurse declared and pulled out a few forms on a clipboard that she handed to him. "We've already spoken with Dr. Yonagawa, and he wants to study you free of charge. We would just need some legal signatures on these forms. We'll of course need them from your parents too, but I saw they had already left."

Study me, huh? Not treat me. Study. Guess I am a freak now.

It took him a second to consider. He knew if he signed, his parents would feel obligated to let him do it. Especially if it was free, and a possible way to help his condition. But something in his gut was making him hesitate. But it passed as he stared at the hand holding the clipboard.

So he signed.

[A/N]: And there we are, our first Kirishima chapter! He will be one of the major supporting cast in this, and he's also one of my favorites so I'm quite happy to take a second to check-in on him and the horrible things I'm doing to him.

This one was a little short, but there wasn't as much to unpack. Elements in this chapter will also be elaborated on in the next chapter. We'll pick back up with Izuku and dealing with having a Quirk! And also being accused of manslaughter.

Please feel free to leave reviews and favorite this story, you have no idea how much they help motivate me to write. Knowing the fic has fans makes me want to give you more.