Warnings: The rating is there for a reason, and that reason is themes including death and suicide.
This is basically an OC fic (but mostly based around the teachers), so if you don't like the premise of OC fics, this is probably not for you.
Chapter 1: Chitose
Most people's Quirks are small things, like the ability to pull small objects to your hands or turn your skin blue. Weird powers that make everyday life more convenient or inconvenient, depending. Only a few people are blessed with what one would consider a heroic quirk– superstrength, ice and fire manipulation, nullifying gravity, creating explosions. Only a few become pro heroes. Such is the nature of the world.
But some quirks are neither convenient nor heroic.
Some are utterly, wretchedly cursed.
The girl transferred into Aizawa's class when they were ten.
The initial enthusiasm of the children at meeting someone new was dampened when she turned out to be quirkless. Almost all kids had quirks these days, it was only the boring adults who didn't have one. Despite that, the girl managed to fit in, making up for her lack of interesting quirk with an outgoing friendliness and good nature that endeared her to everybody around her. The girl's name was Chitose.
Aizawa liked her, too. Chitose was mature and smart and, unlike the other kids, didn't pick on him. The other kids made fun of Aizawa because his quirk was lame. Quietly, Aizawa disagreed. Erasure may not be flashy or fun, but it was satisfying.
"Aizawa!" Suneko whined. "Stop it, lamo."
"You stop, dumbass."
"You're so lame! You can only get in people's way! Erasing people's quirks because you're jealous."
Off to the side, Chitose giggled. She spoke up. "I think Aizawa's quirk is pretty cool. When he grows up he'll be so good at fighting villains. Plus, he'll be able to help people who have unlucky quirks."
Aizawa was surprised that the new girl was on his side.
Suneko's snakes immediately returned to life. "I'll be cool too," she whined. "I'll be the prettiest hero ever."
"Snakes are neat," Chitose agreed. "What's your hero name gonna be?"
Chitose was the one who planted the seed of ambition in his mind. Maybe Erasure could be heroic. Maybe when he grew up he could become super good at fighting villains like she said.
It didn't stop there. Chitose encouraged him to experiment with his power (when the teachers couldn't see, of course). They made up imaginary games about him fighting the villains on TV. As they grew older, they figured out the strengths and limitations of Aizawa's quirk.
It was really nice to be friends with someone who actually liked him, for once.
By the time they were twelve, most kids in class had stopped bullying others over their quirks. Instead, Aizawa got made fun of for hanging out with a girl so much. They sung dumb kissing songs whenever Aizawa and Chitose were together. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"What are you guys, three years old?" Chitose said, rolling her eyes.
Kino, whose quirk was sound illusions, laughed and made loud kissing noises. Aizawa silenced the noises with a glare, and then went back to sketching his hero costume, bending his head to inspect the additions Chitose was making to the design.
He wondered. Did Chitose fancy him like that? Otherwise, why would she spend so much time with him?
It was a bit odd, he thought, the way she seemed to enjoy living vicariously through him. But it made sense, since she didn't have a quirk herself. He didn't mind, not when it meant he had someone he could share his excitement with.
Lately, he'd noticed a soft look in her eyes when she looked at him. Like she was happy and sad at the same time. Whenever he caught her staring, she didn't look away. Instead, she held his gaze, and then she would smile and say, "Eight seconds without blinking! You're getting better, Aizawa!"
This elicited a weird warm feeling of pride and embarrassment. He scowled in return.
The sound of a clap next to Aizawa's ear made him jump.
"Aha! Blinked! I saw it. You need more training, Aizawa." Chitose pulled up the chair opposite him and sat, grinning.
They were fourteen, and Chitose had grown her hair out and become prettier. As she grew up, she had paradoxically lost some of her maturity, and now joked and teased others more often. She was still one of the most popular girls in school.
But Aizawa and Chitose were not as close as they used to be. They had been sorted into different classes. Aizawa took studying more seriously, in preparation for the high school applications, and had less free time. He had climbed to the top spot in the school's rankings despite his reputation for sleeping during class (he wasn't sleeping, he just needed to quite literally rest his eyes sometimes).
(Chitose was near the middle of the rankings. She could easily do better, but he had never seen her open a book outside of class hours. She preferred spending time with the large circle of friends and acquaintances that seemed to be constantly vying for her attention).
Despite her popularity she still made time for him. He didn't dislike it, but he hadn't figured out why she went through such trouble to stay his friend. Aizawa was objectively a boring person. He was quiet and lanky and had a pale sickly face. He was known as an antisocial nerd and it was kind of true. Aizawa didn't care what other people thought about him so he didn't mince his words or make an effort to please anyone. He didn't play nice with others.
If it wasn't for Chitose's insistence, he would have no friends at all.
He had heard rumours of at least seven boys in her class giving her confession notes. She had rejected all of them, which he found darkly amusing.
"I'm studying," Aizawa said, returning to his book. "History essay tomorrow." He didn't ask if she'd done it already. She'd say something about finishing it during class.
"Aw, we haven't hung out in so long. Let's do something this afternoon."
"Busy." He glanced to the door of the school cafeteria, where a bunch of Chitose's friends were standing and whispering. He looked back down at his book. She was smart, she'd get the hint.
But Chitose didn't leave. After a while, he risked another glance up at her. She was staring at him, leaning her elbow on the table with her head in her hand, that soft look in her eyes. She wore a little mascara, he noticed. She hadn't been this pretty when they were kids. Still, he refused to look away. She was the one who'd been staring first, she should be the one feeling embarrassed.
A slow smile spread across her face. "Eleven seconds, Aizawa. Pretty good."
He cracked a smile, pleased despite himself. Deep down he was glad things hadn't changed that much.
"I overheard the teachers talking today. They said you had higher chances of getting into UA than anyone else in our year. Congrats, you nerd."
"In the general course, maybe. There's no way I'll pass the exam for the hero course."
"Doesn't matter. They'll transfer you. They'd be stupid not to!"
"Chitose, we're leaving!" one of her friends shouted from the entrance of the cafeteria.
"Yeah, just a sec!" She looked back at him. "Seriously, stop studying, you don't need it. I'm going skateboarding later. I can teach you tricks," she added, wiggling her fingers. Skateboarding was a hobby that Chitose had somehow picked up over the past few months while Aizawa hadn't been looking. She was (of course) very good at it just like she was good at socializing.
He debated with himself for the rest of the day about going or not going and whether it was a date or not a date. Hanging out with a girl when he was ten, wasn't the same as hanging out with a girl when he was fourteen. Alone! He'd never been on a date before! What if Chitose wanted… hugging or kissing or that stuff? Because Aizawa was not interested in doing that. At all. Okay, maybe a little.
In the end, since the word date wasn't spoken, he decided it did not apply. Plus, Chitose had given no indication of wanting… that. And surely if she did, she would do it with boys that were far hotter and more popular than Aizawa. So, there really was nothing to be nervous about. He couldn't help being annoyed at himself; what would he do when he fought villains if he got in a twist just being around a girl? It was ridiculous. He forced his nerves down.
Chitose's skateboard was blue and green and had a lightning bolt on the underside. She tried to teach Aizawa (to his own surprise, he wasn't too bad. Chitose said he was learning faster than most beginners she had seen. She still laughed at him when he fell. Aizawa thought she looked even prettier when she was laughing).
Some of the kids at the skate park were using their quirks. One of them left afterimages of himself in the air when he did spins. Aizawa asked him permission to practice Erasing, though he was quickly distracted as Chitose did a flip.
The thought came out of nowhere, like a connection suddenly being made, an epiphany, something he had never thought about or even considered thinking about before. Maybe it was because he'd been studying quirks lately, in preparation for the UA exams.
Was Chitose really quirkless?
He had never questioned it since first meeting her. If she had a quirk he would have noticed, or someone at school would know, at least the teachers, right? He knew now, though, that some quirks could be subtle, and some people didn't even find out they had one until adulthood.
What if there was a reason she had so many friends, or why she was so smart, or why she had become so good at skateboarding in such a short time? Any of those things in isolation wouldn't have seemed strange, but together? It seemed too much for a normal person.
Chitose did another jump.
Aizawa looked. His hair rose, defying gravity, as she spun in the air. Pressure built behind his eyes.
Chitose landed and high-fived afterimage guy, apparently not noticing anything unusual.
Aizawa deactivated his quirk and looked down, frowning to himself. Of course she was quirkless. Suddenly he felt guilty for doubting her and for trying to Erase without her knowledge. If she had been lying about having a quirk, he could have made her fall and injure herself. God, he was dumb.
A loud boom interrupted his thoughts.
The sound of screams came from further up the street, and soon there were people running into the skate park, yelling.
"Villain! There's a villain in the store!"
Aizawa was frozen, until Chitose grabbed his hand. "We need to get out of here."
He nodded, shaken out of his stupor. The pro heroes would arrive in a minute or two. The logical thing to do was leave.
"The villain's taken people hostage!" someone shouted.
Everybody, once in their life, faces a defining moment. A choice which will determine the things you stand for, a choice which sets the world on a path that it might otherwise not have taken. But at the time you don't think about that, you don't realise its importance. It's a decision you make with your gut, and logic and rationality have very little to do with it.
You don't realise it will define you. That's what makes the moment so critical.
Aizawa stopped and looked back in the direction the screams were coming from. It was a multi-level clothing mall, and it appeared to be engulfed by vines.
"Don't! It's too risky!"
He looked back at Chitose; her eyes were wide with fear. Aizawa's pulse hammered. "What was all that training for, then? What did we do all that practice for? I can help the hostages get out."
"Don' be stupid-"
"I'll be careful."
"No, you idiot! Wait for the pros!"
If he walked away when he could do something, did he have any right to become a hero?
Aizawa ran into the building.
Don't blink. Don't blink.
Aizawa advanced slowly, scanning the room, his eyes watering with pressure.
Don't blink. Don't blink.
The inside of the building was dark, all the lamps having been smashed or toppled, glass shards covering the floor. Thick vines had sprouted from the ground and wrapped around columns and counters, knocking over or crushing the racks used to display clothes. Aizawa was careful to avoid touching the vines as he advanced – they could have sensor abilities, or poison.
He couldn't see or hear anything moving in the building. He swallowed and took one more step.
"Sssss- a kid? What are you doing here?"
Aizawa whirled, eyes peeled wide, wide, wide. Don't blink.
The villain dropped down from the ceiling like an insect and slowly straightened. He was human-shaped, but his skin was green and covered in small thorns. Instead of arms, two tentacle-like vines hung from his shoulders. A large yellow flower grew over one shoulder, while pink petals grew on his hair. He was dressed in street clothes, though the thorns had ripped holes through the clothes and peeked out.
"Well, I guess you can - sssssss - join the rest of the hostages." The villain gestured vaguely towards a corner of the store. Aizawa risked an instant of looking away.
A vine restrained the hostages against a column, wrapping tightly around their bodies. Smaller vines wrapped around their mouths, preventing them from screaming as they struggled fruitlessly. Tiny cuts dotted their skin where the thorns had pricked them. There were three hostages in total, two men and one woman dressed in a store employee uniform.
Aizawa swallowed. "Okay," he told the villain. "Just don't hurt me. I won't struggle." He walked towards the hostages, keeping the villain in the corner of his eye. They seemed terrified, two of them had tears in their eyes and pulled at the vines, injuring themselves further, while the third seemed to have given up and was hanging limply, his stare blank.
"I can deactivate the villain's quirk," Aizawa whispered once he was close enough. "But only for a short time. When I do, these vines should loosen. Run away."
They nodded, wide-eyed. Even the one who had given up looked up, a ray of hope in his eyes.
"Such an obedient boy," said the villain. He had been watching Aizawa walk, and now extended one of his arm-vines. It grew, crossing the room, reaching towards him.
Aizawa turned and activated his quirk. The vine stopped growing and started to shrink.
"What's going on?" the villain wondered. "Hey!"
Aizawa whispered, "Go!"
The hostages freed themselves and stumbled towards the exit.
"Oi! What the hell is this? Why isn't my quirk working?" The villain reached out his other arm towards the fleeing hostages, but it did not extend. He looked at Aizawa. "Is it you, brat?"
Aizawa couldn't turn and run. He had to keep staring, or the hostages would just get caught again.
"Stupid brat!" the villain spat, running towards him. Aizawa scrambled backwards, trying to keep looking – Don't blink Don't blink Don't blink – but it was like looking at the approach of a freight train about to hit.
The villain reached him and swung with his arm-vine. Aizawa tried to duck while keeping his eyes open, but who was he kidding, he hadn't trained enough for this. The blow caught him in the middle of his stomach, knocking all the air out of him. His eyes scrunched up in pain. In a second, vines had wrapped around his entire body and lifted him in the air, constricting him like snakes. The thorns of the vines ripped into him, tearing his skin to strips.
Aizawa screamed. Through the pain and the tears, he reactivated his quirk. The vines holding him slackened and he dropped to the floor. The skin around his legs and torso was a web of bleeding lacerations.
"How are you doing this, brat?" the villain growled as he advanced, shaking his useless arm-vines in frustration.
A small object hit the villain on the side of the head. "Hey thorny!" Chitose said from the shoe section. "Over here!" She was holding one shoe in each hand, poised to throw again.
You shouldn't be here, Aizawa thought hysterically.
Blood rolled down to his eye. He blinked.
No!
Vines sprouted from the ground, racing towards Chitose. Aizawa forced his quirk to activate again, the pressure building up. The vines halted before they could reach Chitose. The villain turned towards him. "You, sssssssss, I've had it with this."
He struck Aizawa again, this time in the face. The thorns on the tentacle slashed across his cheek, barely missing his eyes. Aizawa cried out and staggered backwards, protecting his face with his hands.
"Hm. Is it your eyes? Sssssssss. Well, can't erase quirks if you're dead."
Something slammed into Aizawa from the side and knocked him down. There was a sound of vines tearing through flesh.
"Ow," Chitose's voice said quietly.
Aizawa opened his eyes. Chitose was suspended above him like a puppet, her body held up by the thick vine that pierced through her torso and emerged through her back. Her blood ran down the vine in rivulets and dripped on the ground.
She'd pushed him out of the way.
Aizawa wanted to speak, but he had no air. He reached for her.
The vine retreated and Chitose's body dropped. Aizawa caught her. His hands were immediately slick with blood. She was still alive, her eyes wide, her breaths gurgling as she stared up at Aizawa in shock.
He pressed down on the wound, trying to – what? Stop the bleeding? It was no use, his hand went straight through to something soft and slippery underneath.
"Chitose," he said in disbelief.
"Ow," she breathed, and reached up, her fingers touching his face. "Aizawa. Please." There was a rim of purple in the outermost part of her irises – how strange that he'd never noticed before. "Use your quirk. Aizawa. Look at me. You can…"
Her eyes lost focus. Her arm fell limp.
Aizawa's throat closed, no sound came out. He held Chitose, trembling. Maybe when the pros got here, maybe one of them had a healing quirk -
"This is shit. I'm out of hostages. Ssssssss. This is so shit. It's all your fault!"
There was a loud crashing sound from the front of the shop, the ground trembling with the force of the impact. Aizawa hugged Chitose tighter, protecting her from the blast of the explosion.
"Do not fear," boomed a voice. "For I am here!"
But all Aizawa could think was too late, my fault, too late.
My fault.
Too late.
