A/N - First of all, this story is plot focused and slow burn romance. So there won't be any smut until the end. Just letting you all know ahead of time.
I own none of the properties, characters or settings involved, this is a work of fan fiction.
It was a hot and sunny day in Japan.
School had just let out and most children were out playing with water guns and sprinklers. Some even using their quirks, in the case of those who had water and ice abilities, or those who were just creative enough.
One was not though.
A boy, seven years of age. With messy green hair like broccoli, and a diamond patterned of four freckles on each cheek, still pudgy with baby fat. His emerald eyes which normally shown with wander and innocence, now sad and downcast.
He wore a simple blue shirt and kaki shorts with red shoes. However, they were now scorched, with soot and a few burnt seams.
His light skin was similarly cover in soot but not a bruise nor burn could be found.
Which was the reason why no ever found out how much pain he was actually in...
Or at least no one who would do anything about it...
Izuku Midoriya sighed as he walked down the sidewalk from his school. It wasn't totally fair to say there was no one who would do anything about it. His mother would if he told her and didn't make up excuses for his former friend.
But in spite of his better judgment, he simply couldn't rat out Bakugo for bullying him.
Not like the teachers and principal wouldn't try and cover for him anyway.
Their "perfect" student with a powerful quirk that would catapult him into a great career as a hero...and coincidentally the popularity and budget of the school he went too as well.
The deeper meanings and nuances of his school drama were lost on the seven year old though.
All he knew was that his life sucked. And for no better reason then him being born with a "weak" quirk.
"So what if I can't set off explosions from my hands like Kacchan…I'm not worthless" the boy muttered as his feet scraped lethargically along the cracked sidewalk.
"Worthless Deku! All you're good for is being a meat shield or cleaning up after the fight".
Izuku winced as Bakugo's words echoed in his head. The image of the ashen blond with explosive hair, flashing through his mind. His sharp red eyes, piercing him like a knife as he and his cronies laugh at Izuku.
Izuku sniffled a little, as he fought to hold back the infamous Midoriya tears, but a few leaked through.
His quirk made his body and mind tougher then the average human, but that was just a side benefit to mitigate the effects of his real quirk, so he wasn't as durable as people believed he should be if he wanted to be a hero.
It also made it so Bakugo could hit him harder then anyone else and no one would notice.
"I know! Why don't you go to some third rate hero school. Then you can be my meat shield, sidekick when I graduate from UA!"
Another of Bakugo's biting remarks to the useless Deku.
Izuku could only imagine the horrors he would endure, had he been born without a quirk at all.
Izuku was just glad his mom couldn't pick him up from school today do to work. She already worried enough as it was, with her growing suspicions of his problems in school and with his desire to become a hero. She wasn't openly against it, but Izuku could tell she disapproved of his chosen path. She herself, not having faith in the strength of his quirk, which honestly hurt more then the bullying.
He still couldn't bring himself to resent her for it though. His fortified mind helping him cope and the time alone, also giving him time to try and pull himself together, as he walked home, under the baking sun. Passing pedestrians who gave a passing glance of pity, before deciding his issues weren't their problem. Muttering to themselves that his parents or a passing hero could deal with him.
It took awhile, but Izuku managed to get his frayed emotions under control. There was only so much someone could take, even with an enhanced mind, after all.
However, it was only then that he realized he was now lost. His depression having clouded his mind, causing him to wander off corse.
An odd occurrence for Izuku, given how often he had to walk home on his own after receiving a beating from Bakugo.
"Oh no, what did I do!?" Izuku muttered in a panic.
"I need to find a-" he continued, but fell silent as there was a tug at the back of his mind.
"Wait...I didn't wander here randomly..." he muttered in realization as the tug became an intense urge to sob uncontrollably, and yet was easier to control then his normal emotional outbursts.
Izuku's eyes widened and he quickly scanned the area. His panic and concern for himself gone.
He had wandered into a somewhat familiar city block, with small businesses lining the streets.
Izuku ran down the sidewalk and turned right at the intersection and then turned into a back alley. He then kept running until he came up on a small underpass. The pull of his quirk grew stronger until he skidded to a halt.
A girl around his age, was sitting in the shade of the underpass. Her knees pulled up to her head and her face buried in them as she gripped her legs tightly as she sobbed. Her long, leafy green hair obscuring what little of her head wasn't hidden by her knees.
Izuku approached the girl cautiously, so as not to scare her. He was surprised to see her wearing a black hoodie and pants in this heat, along with matching boots. She was ether really stubborn or had a quirk that coped well with the heat.
Maybe both.
"H-hay…are you ok?" Izuku asked softly, only to yelp and stumble back as the girl lifted her head to glare at him with piecing, red eyes and thick brows, set in a prominent scowl.
Izuku quickly got ahold of himself though, as his quirk flared.
"Wait…you're not angry, so why glare at me?…" Izuku muttered as he stood there and watched the girl.
Between her crying and his quirk screaming at him though, Izuku was motivated to push aside his fear and slowly approach the girl.
Izuku kneeled in front of her and bit his lip as he pondered what to do. He then looked around to see if anyone was watching and upon seeing they were completely alone, turned back to the girl and took a deep breath to prepare himself.
His eyes steeled over as he concentrated. He couldn't afford to mess this up or they would both suffer for it.
He reached out his hand and hesitated for a moment, before placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Freak!"
Izuku grimaced as the voice boomed in his head and the girl suddenly stopped crying.
"Monster!"
"Mutant Trash!
"She burned us! It's all her fault!"
"No good troublemaker"
"They say she's with the yakuza and burns anyone who looks at her"
"Stay away from her, or she'll burn you too"
The girl suddenly jerked away from Izuku and he gasped as the connection was broken but the emotional pain still lingered.
Izuku breathed rapidly as he felt the familiar pain and anguish, flood his senses before passing over him like a wave, leaving him feeling raw and exposed. It was like being power washed with acid. The pain passing quickly but leaving a lingering blister of emotional torment.
With time though, that too faded, and Izuku finally got his emotions under control, as the secondary aspects of his quirk, kicked in. His durable mind and body recovering quickly and he looked up into the shocked gaze of the girl, who now was laying on the ground and holding herself up by her hands, where she'd scrambled away from him.
The two blinked at one another. The girl with confusion and relief, as she no longer was crying and Izuku with surprise at her appearance.
Her skin was a deep yellow and a little shiny with perspiration, as if she had been running a marathon in extreme heat. Her face was long with sharp futures and her eyebrows were pitched in a perpetual scowl. Her eyes were wide in shock and her red irises dilated from the serial experience of Izuku's quirk. Or at least the one right eye, that was showing through her parted bangs.
She quickly brushed her hair aside though as she stared at Izuku in shock and the boy stared back.
Nether one knew what to say.
Both just starting at one another.
"W-what…what was that?…" the girl asked meekly, her voice high pitched with youth and trepidation.
Izuku sputtered a little bit, before shooting to his feet and bowing at a perfect ninety degrees.
"S-s-s-sorry! I-I-I know I should have asked before using my quirk…but…but you were so…" he stuttered before trailing off while still bowing.
The girl blinked at him a few times as her mind processed everything. She was still lagging behind a little, do to the whiplash of going from depressed to…well, not depressed, so quickly.
"You…your quirk?…" she spoke a little numbly as Izuku remained bowed.
"Y-yes…I can-"
"Wait!" The girl suddenly yelled as she jumped to her feet and Izuku stumbled back a little.
"You touched me didn't you!?…Oh no, how bad did I burn you!?" she asked with worry as she rushed up to Izuku but stopped short, afraid to touch him.
Izuku just blinked in confusion though.
"Burn?…" he muttered before looking down at his unblemished hand.
It was then that he noticed the lingering sensation on his palm. A tingling that reminded him of an accident a while back when some bleach had been spilled on him.
Izuku rubbed his fingers together before bringing them up to his sleeve and the fabric sizzled momentarily where he touched it.
"Oh, your quirk makes acid! That's so cool! And has so many applications! How strong can you make it!? Is it an intended function or a byproduct of your quirk!? Mutter mutter mutter…"
"Mutter"
"Mutter"
"Mutter"
Izuku devolved into one of his famous mutter sprees, as he excitedly questioned the girl.
Said girl took a step back from shock at Izuku's reaction and her head spun from the rapid fire questions.
She looked as though the world had been flipped upside down, as she stared at Izuku, who unconsciously took a step towards her without thinking.
"Whoa, whoa! What a second!…you're…NOT afraid of me and my quirk?…you're not bothered that I burned you?" she asked with pure bafflement written across her face.
Izuku paused in his muttering and just blinked innocently at her.
"No. Why would I be afraid. It's just you're quirk. And besides, I'm not burned" Izuku explained bluntly but then excitedly at the end, and he showed her his hands, free of blisters and burns. The skin wasn't even red.
The girl's eyes widened as she made like she was about to touch him but stopped herself and retracted her hand.
Izuku just gave what he hoped was a confident smile.
"It's ok. My quirk makes me more durable, so your acid won't hurt me!" he said as he held out his hand for her to examine.
The girl hesitated before extending her trembling hand and cautiously touching his palm with the tip of her finger.
The girl waited to hear the screams of pain and the curses and insults, but all she got was a grin and an innocent tilt of the head.
"See, I'm totally fi- oof!" Izuku was cut off by the girl tackling him in a tight hug and he fell on his but while the girl cried into his chest.
Izuku's limbs seized up as his quirk activated and all the pain came flowing into him.
He gritted his teeth and powered through it though. She didn't know his quirk was activated by touch, so he couldn't blame the girl, and if he lost focus, they would both suffer the backlash.
Fortunately, it was a familiar type of pain.
"Freak!"
"Looser!"
"Monster!"
"Delinquent"
"Troublesome"
"Criminal"
Years of insults and mental torment were flowing into Izuku and he hugged the girl back for his own support as much as her's.
Izuku wasn't sure how long it lasted, but he sat there for a while, just holding the girl as he soaked up all her pain.
Eventually though, all of the tension was gone from the girl and the pain stopped. The two continued to hold each other though.
Finally the girl pulled back and took a deep breath as she leaned her head back. She then let out a long, slow breath, like she was coming back up from a long dip in the water and taking her first breath of fresh air in years. Her face, remarkably calm and relaxed, even with her perpetual glare.
She then looked back to Izuku and gasped when she saw the state of him. Breathing heavily and sweating like he'd run a marathon with no brakes and a fountain of tears springing forth.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"It's ok…" Izuku cut her off while placing a shaky hand on her shoulder.
"Just…give me a minute…" he muttered as he swayed back and forth. His condition quickly changed though and he rubbed his eyes as his breathing became more steady and he wiped the tears away.
"Ok…I think I'm good now…" he said as he blinked himself back to reality. His smile returning as his unique brain chemistry worked to clear away the mental damage and stress.
The girl blinked a few times before looking down at her own hands as she realized how clear her head was.
"What…was that?…" she mumbled under her breath. Izuku just grinned at her though.
"My quirk…when I touch someone, I take away their pain. Physical and mental. I can't actually heal people, but I can make them feel better" Izuku explained as he stood back up and helped the girl up with him.
"The pain doesn't just go away though. I take it all and experience it just like the person I use my quirk on does. That's why my body is so durable. To help deal with the stress. My brain also processes trauma much faster too, so I don't suffer from it for long" Izuku explained as he pulled out a notebook detailing everything, out of habit.
The girl gasped and flinched away at his words though.
"You…you felt everything I did…you…" she spoke with dread.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he looked away.
"Yes… sorry for the breach of privacy but…I just couldn't leave you like that, and it's nothing I'm not used to already" he apologized.
"Not sure how people could say those things about such a cute girl though" he muttered quietly without thinking.
The girl froze, as a line of red, gradually rose up and enveloped her face, before smoke burst out her ears.
Izuku stared dumbly at her for a moment. Not understanding her reaction.
His own face turned red as realization downed on him.
"I-I-I said that out loud didn't I?" he squeaked out and the girl nodded numbly while Izuku rapped his arms around his face and looked away.
The girl was stunned for a long moment as she processed everything.
On one hand, she felt better then she had in years.
On the other, some random boy she vaguely recognized from somewhere, now knew intimately just how bad her social life was and just called her cute of all things.
HER!
She had been described as many things in her short life, but cute wasn't one of them.
Just who was this kid.
Eventually, she decided to try and brake the awkwardness that had settled over them and coughed into her hand.
Izuku shot ramrod strait in response. His face still glowing crimson.
"A-Ah! Sorry! My name is Izuku Midoriya! A pleasure to meat you!" he exclaimed with nervousness, before bowing deeply again.
The girl looked away while twirling some of her hair on her finger. Her bashful and flustered persona being covers by a mask of indifference, but her nervousness was obvious.
"S-Sayuri…Sayuri Takeo…" she replied while glancing at Izuku out of the corner of her eye.
Izuku perked up at the name though.
"Takeo?…you wouldn't happen to be related to Miss Hana Takeo would you?" He asked with a tilt of his head.
Sayuri's eyes widened as her head snapped to him.
"You know my mom!?" she asked with surprise and Izuku jumped slightly before laughing awkwardly.
"Y-you live a few doors down from me and my mom. But I've never seen you before though" Izuku explained and Sayuri looked away in embarrassment.
"I…I always leave early to avoid the crowds…" she muttered with an actual frown that made her look even angrier with her pitched eyebrows.
Izuku gave a sad smile in response.
"Ah…I understand…I…I get bullied a lot because of my quirk too…" he admitted and Sayuri shot him what was ether an incredulous or shocked stare. Izuku couldn't quite tell which yet.
He then wiped his hand over his face and showed her the soot.
"Explosive residue…because I'm more durable, they can get away with beating me without anyone noticing…but I'm not durable or strong enough to be considered a good prospect for the hero corse to them, but my bully is…so they look the other way, even when they do notice" Izuku explained with a sad smile that Sayuri recognize all to well. It was the same one she saw in the mirror each day.
Izuku wasn't quite sure why he just admitted all that.
Maybe he felt guilty since he already knew what she had suffered through and wanted to make things even.
Or maybe it just felt nice to finally meet someone who understood what he was going through.
Unbeknownst to Izuku, the same thought passed through Sayuri's head as well, and she held her arms stiffly at her sides, as she looked down with a blush. Her mind racing as she pondered what her next move should be.
After a moment of them both just standing there awkwardly, Sayuri gulped loudly and turned her head to the side.
She then took off her hoodie, revealing a bright pink t-shirt.
She blush, at both the reveal of her shirt and what she was about to do.
"Here" she said stiffly as she held out her hoodie to Izuku, who just blinked dumbly at her in confusion. Sayuri just looked away though.
"M-my…my acid burned your shirt…" she said and Izuku suddenly became aware of the warm breeze he felt and looked down to see several holes where she'd touched him.
Izuku yelped as he jumped in place and covered himself with a blush, even though he wasn't actually exposed. He then hesitated before meekly taking the hoodie and pulling it over his head.
"T-t-t-thank you!" he stuttered as he rolled up the sleeves and pulled at the collar to help deal with the heat ahead of time.
Another awkward moment passed as they just stood there blushing.
"Umm…we should probably get home…" Izuku muttered.
"Y-Yah…" Sayuri replied before her blush seamed to double in intensity, until she was practically glowing.
"W-would you…would you like to walk back with me?" she asked while refusing to look at Izuku.
Izuku just stared at her vacantly for a moment. Not a thought passing through his brain. In that moment, Izuku Midoriya was absent from the cosmos.
POOF
Until smoke suddenly erupted from his head as his face glowed read and he fell motionless on the ground.
Sayuri yelped as she ran up to him as he mumbled incoherently with dazed, unseeing eyes.
"Well…this is off to a great started…" Sayuri muttered sarcastically to herself as she stood over the boy who'd saved her from her depression.
It was an unorthodox start to a friendship, but in time, it would prove to be the best thing to ever happen to ether of them.
After all, when life gives you lemons…