Hello. I decided to come back to the site. Here I have started a fanfic for a MHA AU I came up with. I am also working on a sequel to Snowy Nights and Football Games so expect that soon. Anyways, if this fic gains some reviews, I'll continue it.
"Izuku, I won't let you go." The firm yet wavering words of a distraught mother had failed to reach her stubborn son.
"Mom, I've been waiting for this pretty much my whole life. You're not going to change my mind this time." Clothes and important belongings were being shoved into a ragged, old bag. "If I don't leave now, the circus will move on and I'll miss my chance-"
The mother placed a hand on her son's shoulder, silencing the young boy. "Izuku. I know you just want to see how these strange powers work. I'm not going to lie… I feel very fortunate that you didn't receive one of these abilities. I can't imagine you being taken from me like the other children in our town. To be shipped away only to be shoved into an inhumane act for the soul reason of human entertainment… do you remember what happened to Katsuki Bakugo-"
"I know, mom." Izuku interrupted his mother. He didn't want to hear that name; the painful memory of his childhood friend being ripped away from him at the age of just four years old. But… maybe I'll find him again some day. His mind began to wander. He shook his head. "I'm going to be late for the interview." He adjusted the strap of his red overalls over his shoulder that had managed to slip down his forearm, rolling up his worn-out pants in a last stitch effort to look halfway presentable.
Inko knew there was no talking her son out of his headstrong decision. "Please… just, be careful. I love you and I want you to be safe…" her words trailed off as Izuku shoved the rest of his belongings into the single tightly packed bag.
"I love you too, mom." Izuku frowned as his mother attempted to smooth down her son's unruly emerald hair before he pulled away. He stood up from the bed he was sitting on, slinging the packed bag over his shoulder, overcome by its weight. "Gotta go. I'll write you when I can, I promise." The boy mustered a smile.
Inko followed her son to the front door of their home, the unsure look still shadowing her face. She tried to hold back the tears threatening to overcome her.
Izuku placed a hand on the brass doorknob with a slight sigh, the overbearing energy of worry radiating from his mother behind him. With a quick turn of the knob, he shoved the door open and headed out into the musty summer atmosphere.
Gripping the bag handle tight, Izuku raced down the oddly empty road that paved his destination. Everyone must already be at the show. The boy thought as he picked up his speed, fearing he was late for this long-awaited opportunity.
His eyes remained forward as he huffed, his feet pounding the cracked street pavement as he moved at a steady pace. Izuku soon neared a large, multicolored tent in the near distance. It loomed over the young man, casting a peaked shadow that jutted ominously into the morning sky.
His red sneakers scooted to a halt in front of the tent, the wide opening of the makeshift tarp building seemingly beckoning him inside. Izuku swallowed a nervous lump in his throat that had become conveniently dry with hesitation. He let out a confidence-boosting sigh, taking a step forward and through the tent threshold.
"Hey, watch it, kid! Wait in line like everyone else here, eh?!" a sharp voice growled, the owner not bothering to glance behind as Izuku collided against the back of someone standing in front of him.
A grunt escaped from Izuku. "Oh, I'm sorry-" he mumbled, quickly cutting himself off, rubbing his head. He frowned with confusion, not noticing the long line of people in front of him. He peered sheepishly around the person he bumped into, quickly glancing at the long queue before him. He sighed in both impatience and relief.
The line scooted forward, almost robotically, and it was moving fast. Within six agonizing minutes, Izuku was shoved into a smaller makeshift tent, the flaps of the entrance slipping close behind him. The young man didn't even have time to think.
"And what's your name, young man?" A timid voice spoke behind a desk before him. A small sliver of light from the outside beamed like a spotlight on a chair facing backwards, the owner of the voice not yet revealed.
Izuku swallowed. "I'm Izuku Midoriya." He answered softly. "It's super nice to meet you." He squinted, trying to adjust his eyesight to the dimly lit and suffocating environment, his body shaking with both excitement and nervousness.
The chair swiveled around quickly to reveal a small figure sitting within it, the dimness of the area still shrouding them in mystery. Suddenly two tiny, white furred paws slapped the hard wood of the desk, allowing a bipedal creature to plop itself onto the surface.
Izuku jumped and let out a high pitched squeak of surprise, scooting back instinctively.
The animal-like figure sat down, facing the startled boy, its gleaming, beady eyes studying him closely. The beam of light revealed a creature the size of a toddler, its rounded ears twitching and long muzzle snuffling, attempting to pick up the scent of Izuku. A smile curled at its lips. "You don't have to be afraid. I won't bite." It chuckled lightly.
"W-w… What are you? I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, it's just…" Izuku trailed off, waving his hands in front of his chest, still keeping a respectable distance from the animal in front of him.
"I could be a bear, or a cat. Maybe a mouse. I'm not sure." It answered playfully.
Izuku noticed it was wearing rather formal attire as it straitened out a small black bowtie on the dress suit it was wearing. "F-forgive me… Uh, sir?" the boy ventured carefully. " I didn't know these powers could… manifest in animals too." He rubbed the back of his head, the urge to document this wonderment extensively in the journal he packed with him, but he resisted.
"You can call me Nezu." The animal chuckled. "As far as I know, I'm the only one who has been documented with said powers. So. With that aside, I take it you want to help run Circus Quirk?"
Izuku bowed respectively. "Yes sir- uh, Nezu." He answered, his brain fuzzy. This was all happening so fast. Excitement fluttered in his chest. "I wasn't born with any powers. In fact, I'm the only kid in my town that didn't develop one…" he trailed off, a frown creasing his face. "Everyone I knew that has a power has been taken from my town…" his voice became a soft murmur.
Nezu nodded. "I see. Don't worry, we take care of all of our members here. What you hear from others is just out of fear of the unknown. No one was taken away from their families. We simply placed all of the children who developed special abilities in our care. They are safe and loved." His ears twitched, long tail flicking behind him as he shuffled his small body back into the comfort of his chair.
So, all of the fear mongering was just a tactic to keep us thinking that those with special abilities were being taken away somewhere where they wouldn't hurt the ones who didn't have any powers… they were just made to use their powers for the good of entertainment. A healthier outlet. They seem to take care of them better here. Maybe I was wrong to think that they mistreated them here. Izuku's mind wandered for a moment. "Then I'll help. I'll do whatever I can to make their lives here as comfortable as possible." He nodded firmly.
"Then it's settled." Nezu answered, his black eyes gleaming curiously. He slid a slip of paper across the surface of his desk. "Please sign here. And just to be sure, you will need to come up with a codename, a pseudo, if you will. Rather than using your real name here."
Izuku took that as a cue to walk forward, grabbing the quill from Nezu's paw and dipping it into the black ink vial beside it. He scribbled his name on the conformation line, sealing his fate to the circus. "A pseudo for myself?" he wondered aloud. A name clawed its way to the front of his brain, a word he heard often from his childhood friend that was taken from him all those years ago. A name that was gifted out of pure spite.
Deku.
Without thinking, Izuku had scribbled down the name that had come to his mind. Nezu quickly retrieved the paper, as if the animal had thought the boy was going to change his mind on the offer.
"Then it's settled, Deku! Welcome to Circus Quirk." Nezu clasped his tiny paws together in excitement, showing a row of sharp teeth.