Balance for All (AU)
From an early age, I knew that men were not born equal.
When Midoriya Izuku looked back on what his life had become up until this point, those words remained a sticking point. At four, he'd been so enthusiastic about his Quirk coming in, so that he could become a great Hero. When no Quirk had come, they'd gone to the doctor, who had made an X-ray of Izuku's foot and spotted that he had lost his pinky toe joint.
"Well, Quirks are not an exact science," he'd said. "It could be that your son's Quirk is something so minor you wouldn't even notice it, like more flexible fingers or an improved ability to whistle. Or it could be that you haven't figured out how to activate it, and just need to find the activation condition."
So Izuku had tried and tried, in the hope of finding his Quirk. It was sure to be amazing!
Izuku slumped.
Kacchan just laughed. "You can look at somebody and see if they have a Quirk! That's really a shit Quirk, Deku!"
He'd been so happy! After that fateful day, he'd woken up one morning to see his mother surrounded by a pea green light, with some text next to her head - MINOR OBJECT ATTRACTION. He'd lit up, babbling about the light. His mum had taken him off to the doctor, and he'd been amazed by the lights he'd seen in everybody.
They'd done a couple of tests, and then he'd been confused about one of the older patients he'd seen who didn't have any light of their own. The doctor had given him a funny look, then explained that Mr. Hamada didn't have a Quirk.
Izuku had been a bit confused by this. Why shouldn't Quirkless people have a light like he saw? To be fair, people tend to be a bit dumb when they're four years old.
In the end, the official designation his Quirk got was 'Quirksight.' He could see if somebody had a Quirk, and if they were using it, seeing it asa line between them and what they were affecting. He could even, if he talked to the person or had extended contact, learn what they called their Quirk!
It stopped working through thick layers or behind a lead screen, but Izuku had been confident he could use it to rescue people, and told Kacchan that much.
Kacchan had fired back that Heroes had to win fights, and to stop looking down on him.
And so Izuku's story continued like this for some time. He grew up slightly more confident, mostly because he was a 'normal' kid and was not less evolved than his peers. Kacchan was, very slightly, less of a dick. By maybe a couple of centimetres.
Izuku didn't give up his dream of being a Hero, instead becoming inspired by the Wild, Wild Pussycats and other emergency-centric Heroes.
One fateful day, though, after Bakugo burnt his notebook and left without saying a certain horrible thing, Izuku had left for a familiar alleyway. Things played out as they have many times before.
It is an odd, rare fact about Quirks. In times of immense physical and emotional stress such as a life or death situation, a Quirk can awaken, developing stronger abilities. This is crucial.
Oh god, I'm going to die! Can't... breathe...
Through dimming eyes, he tried to reach out, do something anything. The murky green light around him shifted, forming... hiragana? Kanji? Was he going to die, seeing nothing but words for some reason?
"Don't be afraid kid! I AM HERE!"
Izuku's eyes widened. Surrounded by sludge, trying desperately to pull it off, he could see a light - or was it seven lights? And then All Might's signature TEXAS SMASH hit the sludge villain like a fat boy doing a cannonball in a pool.
Izuku sucked in a breath. "Oh, god, All Might-!"
He squinted at the harsh glare coming from All Might's Quirk. White, blue, red, green, pink, purple, orange - all combined to form something that shone like the sun.
ONE FOR ALL.
Heroic Legacy!
Izuku squinted at it. "One for All..." he breathed.
All Might's eyebrow shot up, a suddenly panicked expression on his face. "Wait, how do you know that term?"
Izuku coughed again. "O-oh, I'm sorry! IT's... it's my Quirk. I can see what Quirk somebody has. Normally it takes longer to see the name, but maybe because I'm such a fan, I'm a huge fan of yours I've watched your debut video like a million times and I've worn the same pair of All Might brand boxer shorts for three years straight, but back to my point maybe that's why I've seen your Quirk's name now and wow is it bright-"
All Might held up a hand. "W-well, young man, just... just don't go mentioning it and we'll be good! Now, I have to go-"
"All Might wait! I have so many questions-"
"Sorry young man, this Villain has to go to jail now bye-bye!"
"Can I get an autograph - wow you already signed it! Family Heirloom material right there!"
Izuku watched All Might fly off into the distance, a happy smile on his face. He'd seen All Might. He could now die happy. He held up his wrecked notebook and sighed.
At least All Might's signature was there.
So Izuku went home, did his homework and talked to his mum during dinner.
"Izuku, why are you covered in dirt? Did you fight Katsuki again?"
Izuku sighed. "No. Well, yes. But this is from, well... a Villain nearly grabbed me."
His mum's eyes widened. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "You - you got grabbed by a Villain?! Why - how -"
Izuku sighed. "I was just going under the underpass, and he popped out of the sewer and-"
She cut him off by wrapping him in a hug. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, Izuku, sweetie?"
"I'm fine, mum-"
"How did you - was there a Hero?"
Izuku's own smile turned teary. "Y-yes! All Might - I have his signature - look!"
As he pulled out his notebook, he stopped briefly. For the second time that day, he saw text underneath her Quirk.
SMALL OBJECT ATTRACTION
Quirk allows its user to pull small objects they could hold in their hand to their hand! Very useful!
As he held it out, his mum looked at him with a worried look. "Izuku? Are you sure you're alright?"
Izuku nodded. "I'm fine, mum! Just... I think Ive gotten better with my Quirk? I'm seeing more details about your Quirk."
She beamed. "Well, that's interesting!" Her expression darkened a bit when she saw the state of his notebook. "Did the Villain do that?"
Izuku suddenly remembered what Kacchan had done to it. He frowned. "It's fine, mum! Just an accident."
After dinner in his room, Izuku sighed. "Can't believe you did that, Kacchan..." he muttered. Just thinking of Kacchan's Quirk, he could practically picture it and its description, the familiar orange spiky light that designated Explosion.
A malicious thought suddenly filled his head. He pulled out his old notebook that noted down what he'd seen of Kacchan's Quirk. "That was one of my best notebooks, Kacchan," he grumbled.
Some part of him called out to make a change. Make things fairer. He couldn't think of a prank to play on Kacchan that wouldn't immediately backfire on him, though. Maybe...
"That would be ridiculous if it could happen, but there's no way," he muttered, scribbling a note.
Explosion change! Now pink and sparkly to match the sweet smell of Kacchan's sweat!
Izuku grinned. "Serve him right for blowing up my notebook." He felt a bit bad about writing it, but shrugged. It wasn't like it was going to happen or anything!
With no more homework, he tucked himself in. His dreams were filled with strange lights and an odd feeling of accomplishment.
The next day, Izuku had noticed that the change hadn't gone away. People's Quirks had more detailed write-ups beneath them on the way to school. He walked in, saw Kacchan and choked.
Balance! Explosion now pink and glittery!
A cold sweat broke out. There was no way! He was just imagining things!
Kacchan grinned at his cronies, then glared at Izuku. "Morning, Deku." He sneered.
Izuku stared at the words underneath his Quirk, praying they were wrong.
One of Bakugo's lackeys laughed. "What is it, weirdo? Still trying to be a Hero?"
Truly, some people are just jerks.
Kacchan grinned maliciously. "Thinking about my Quirk, are you? About how your Quirk is never gonna be better than mine?"
His Quirk activated, in a bright pink, sparkly explosion.
Kacchan and his cronies stared at his hand as if magnetised. Izuku whimpered. Kacchan's eyes bulged.
"What the fuck."
Another explosion, still pink and sparkly. He glared, face turning from a scowl to a panicked grimace.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
His cronies looked at each other, then backed off. "Dude, maybe it's contagious! get the fuck away from me Bakugo!"
"I don't wanna be pink man! That shit's gay!"
Kacchan by this point had turned pale. Sweat poured down his face. To his horror, Izuku could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes as small explosions popped on his palms, still as bright pink and sparkly as ever. "How... my Quirk... I -"
His eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed on the ground. The other students backed away, freaking out. His 'friends' just left him there, not wanting to become pink and sparkly, and therefore gay.
As the school nurse led Bakugo away, wrapped in a blanket and sobbing about how he was worthless now, Izuku stared off into the middle distance. He'd done that. Somehow, he'd changed how Bakugo's Quirk worked.
He knew that he had to tell him. But on the other hand, if he told Kacchan then Kacchan would kill him. But on a third, mutant hand, Kacchan had been incredibly rude about it all and had burnt his notebook.
Izuku took a deep breath. Maybe this was just a coincidence. He'd have to try it out. He looked at his classmates, wondering if he should do something to their Quirks.
Then he rethought that. He didn't want to really have anything to do with most of his class. maybe... Mum!
Izuku thought about his Mum's Quirk. Maybe he could change it? He thought about it - maybe general telekinesis? He thought about it long and hard. He wouldn't know unless he saw his Mum, but that would change in the evening.
Something itched in his hand. Izuku could feel an increasing urge to scribble something, anything. Was this part of his Quirk? A visualisation thing?
Izuku idly scribbled in the margin.
Balance - Minor Attraction change to Minor Telekinesis! User can now exert telekinetic force over a small area!
The itching in his hand subsided. Maybe that was it?
Izuku spent the whole school day in a state of panic. Kacchan had apparently needed to go home, in a state of extreme emotional distress. Izuku honestly can't blame him - if his Quirk had suddenly changed overnight he'd be freaking out too.
It's on the way home that he feels something happen. His body lurched, something feeling like it flew away from him. He staggered, regaining his footing as somebody tall and skinny comes up to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Izuku blinked, looking at them. "I'm fine, I'm fine-"
ONE FOR ALL
HEROIC LEGACY!
Izuku staggers back, staring at the lights and this tall, gaunt stranger. "A-All Might?"
All Might, who for some reason is skinny, suddenly coughs up blood, causing Izuku to freak out more. "Who? A-All Might? Uh, you're, uh, mistaken-"
Izuku leapt to his feet, dragging this stranger with him. "All Might, I can see it's you! Nobody else has seven lights! What - how-"
All Might pales. "Kid, how do you-"
"I can see what Quirk a person has! And I think I modified somebody's power, and maybe my Mum's power as well, and you're so skinny how the fuck-"
"Young man!"
Izuku stopped, taking a deep breath. "Right, sorry!" He stared at his Hero, his guiding light and source of happiness in the dark times, who he'd always seen as more of a father figure than his Dad who had been working in America for all these years. "But, why are you-?" he waved his hands, trying to point at one specific thing.
All Might sighed. "It's a long story." The story, which has been repeated often, was relayed once again. Got into a fight with a Villain, lost my internal organs, only active as a Hero for a few hours a day, don't mention this on social media.
All Might paused. "Just, uh, think of it as the... Ultimate Rare Might fact?"
He'd been a Hero fanboy for ages, he knew about the importance of knowing things about Heroes that nobody else knew.
Izuku's eyes widened. "I understand completely, All Might! I won't say anything!"
"Oh, good."
In the end, they parted ways. All Might only realised that Izuku had said something about changing Quirks when he'd made it back to his apartment.
Izuku stared at his mother's Quirk for a long time.
Minor Object Attraction Minor Telekinesis!
Now uses telekinetic force to move objects!
His mum looked at him with a worried expression. "Are-are you alright, sweet-"
Izuku looked at his Mum with wide eyes. "Mum, I think my Quirk got stronger."
After a frenzied, babbling explanation, during which time his mother nearly fainted, she just sighed. "You think that writing in your book changed how Katsuki's and my Quirks have changed?"
Izuku nodded. "I don't think that the writing is how it's done, I think that's how I'm visualising the change. Since I've been making notes in my notebook for ages, and that's how I visualise Quirks."
She sighed. "Well, Mitsuki's very worried about Katsuki. She's booked him in for therapy for the trauma of his Quirk changing."
Izuku's guts churned like angry snakes. "I-I should really change it back - I was angry at him for damaging my notebook, and it was a silly thing, but if I do he's going to kill me-"
His mum wrapped him in a hug, making soothing sounds. "Oh, Izuku," she sighed. "You'll figure something out, I know you will."
Izuku just returned the hug, sobbing from a mixture of emotions. Elation at his Quirk becoming useful. Dread at talking to Kacchan and telling him about why his Quirk changed. And guilt at changing the Quirk in the first place.
When both of them had emotionally recovered, Izuku pulled back. "Maybe I should... change what my Quirk is called," he mumbled.
His mum smiled. 'What name were you thinking?"
Izuku thought of All Might's Quirk. "Well..."
AN: this was a silly idea that was in my head. Inspired by a Worm fanfic, Working as Intended. Izuku's Quirk is Balance for All, a mutation of his parents' Quirks! Izuku can make Quirks stronger, weaker or completely change how they work! However, it requires him to understand the original Quirk thoroughly!
Just an idea that wouldn't leave my head.