Fusion.
Such a broad topic.
No one can quite describe what fusion is or means. After all everyone experiences it differently, ranging from two minds in one body to a perfectly merged new being. That doesn't even begin covering it though, as it can contain more than two beings, and it gets only more complicated with different types of fusion. There are hundreds, maybe millions, of variations, and it would be impossible to cover all of them.
Approximately 99% of the population has the ability to fuse. Many families have had the ability to fuse for up to twelve generations, in comparison to quirks which we have had for merely five.
However, despite its prevalence, fusion is still a topic shrouded in mystery and controversy. Some see it as a way to achieve a higher level of power and understanding, while others view it as a threat to individuality and the sanctity of the self.
With the dangers of forced fusion and permafusion coming to light in recent years, the government has doubled down on some restrictions.
Despite the risks, the allure of fusion continues to draw people in. For some, it is a way to gain strength and overcome their limitations. For others, it is a path to a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.
In the world of heroes, fusion is especially important. With the ever-increasing threats and challenges they face, heroes are always looking for new and innovative ways to improve their abilities and protect those they care about. Fusion offers a unique solution to this problem, allowing heroes to merge their skills and knowledge to create a powerful and unstoppable force.
It's a bit disheartening when villains use it as a tool to increase their skills and create such unstoppable force, or even worse, use forced fusion to hold hostages that are nearly inseparable from them, save from some very creative methods of extraction.
Whether seen as a tool for good or a weapon of destruction, fusion is a powerful and enigmatic force that continues to captivate and intrigue people everywhere.
If you want to learn more about the restrictions the government has placed on fusing people, click here!
Izuku clicked on the link mindlessly, letting a single brain cell wonder just why he was reading the article again. He was never going to fuse anyway.
Before the thought could fully overtake him though, the page loaded and he began scanning it as if the material was brand new.
Government and its restrictions, don't we all love it? Heh, but don't worry random citizen, those ones are there to actually protect you!
One of the most important fusion-related restrictions is of course showing fusion marks. In order to ensure the safety and well-being of all citizens the government requires that any fusion must display their fusion mark, so as to be able to easily identify who is a component of such fusion, and serves as a proof that the fusion was conducted safely and voluntarily, as any recognised forced fusion can be easily discerned and caught.
Another restriction that the government has put in place is the prohibition of forced fusion aside from some very clearly defined situations, where the 'forced' party has signed an agreement stating it's within the realm of their free will or if it's performed by a certified force-fusing specialist, or a pro-hero performs it. I can't imagine why anyone would do this save for rescue situations where it's just easier to transport people this way, but I guess outright banning it would upset some groups.
Yet another restriction is to prevent permafusions. Only certified fusion masters can perform a fusion that lasts longer than a week. I wasn't so sure myself why it would be criminalised to stay fused with your loved one(s) for that long, but then I was enlightened. It's the same reason why suicide attempts are criminalised, to allow for outside intervention and prevent a tragedy. Of course opinions on this vary, but for now the system works, and you should call your local law enforcement if you suspect someone you know is staying fused for longer than a week. Remember, it's for their own good!
Izuku's eyes glazed over the rest of the article. He was never going to fuse anyway. It was his tenth birthday and his mark didn't appear. He knew the statistics, the chances of getting a mark after your tenth birthday got lower with each month. He was a disgrace, he was a disaster, he was not only quirkless but also a non-fuser.
He tightened his hold on the blanket draped around him and curled into a ball, letting his phone fall onto the bed.
Kami, Kacchan was going to have a field day at school tomorrow…
He closed his eyes, and cried.
He was right. Kacchan did have a field day with this new information.
He tenderly massaged his singed shoulder, hoping his mother wouldn't notice the burn on the already black uniform. He didn't want to worry her, and he somehow managed to keep the worse of it away from her prying eyes.
He opened the door quietly, and called out to tell her he's home.
He took off his shoes at the entrance, and hurried to his room to take off his gakuran. He hoped to get some quiet to calm down before dinner, but as he put the uniform away, he heard a knock on his door. A moment later his mother's head poked out of the opening.
"Izuku, can we talk?" she near-whispered in a tell-tale sign of nervousness. Clearly whatever information she wanted to share was stressing her out, and in turn Izuku felt stressed out too, still, he nodded.
"Of course mom, what about?" He kept a small smile on his face to mask just how stressed out he was beginning to feel.
"Let's go to the living room, I made some tea," she dodged the answer and turned around to leave. Izuku followed. They sat down opposite to one another, he on a chair, mom on the sofa, and for a moment they just stared at each other, as she made quick work of pouring them both a cup of hot green tea.
Izuku tilted his head and looked at her expectantly. She sighed, brought her hands together and started playing with her fingers.
"I…" she averted her eyes as she spoke, "I won higher alimony from your father, and in fact the judge was so generous as to appoint enough money we could probably support another person aside from us, and that got me thinking…" she took a deep, and finally met his gaze. "I was thinking of fostering someone, if that's alright with you, Izuku."
"Fostering?" He vaguely knew what that meant, but he still wanted his mom to clarify what she meant.
"There are some kids, so many kids actually, who don't have a home to come back to, and I still have my fostering licence from before you were born, because me and Hisashi almost gave up on having a child of our own, and then you miraculously happened—" She sucked in a breath and bit her lip, but eventually continued, "And I was thinking you'd be less lonely too, with someone around, someone your age, who maybe… wouldn't be so judgemental because they know the life from the hard side too," she spoke softly, eyes pleading. And Izuku… Izuku had no idea what to say. It was a gamble. It could be exactly like his mom was saying, or he could be living with another Kacchan under his roof. But… He couldn't imagine not having home, not having his mom. And it was like his mom said, there are so many kids who don't have that… if he could help one to have that, to have a loving mom and a sibling…
"That sounds great, mom!" he smiled brightly, hoping to convey that he was all in for that idea. "You should totally do it!"
His mom exhaled and smiled too, finally, no longer looking so stressed. "Will you help me clean out the spare room, then?"
"Of course mom!"
"I knew I could count on you, my little hero."
And Izuku's heart sang.
Chapter 1
Hitoshi sat in the car and stubbornly looked at his closed flip phone even as Akiyama-san tried to pick up a conversation. Fruitlessly, of course. He was in no mood to speak, not after… Eh. He learnt fairly quickly that remembering just hurt more, so he forcibly cleared his mind and went back to counting the individual scrapes on his phone's case. It had amassed quite a lot of them, but was still fully functional. It was like an indestructible brick, strengthened with a quirk. A present from said agent who was still trying to talk to him.
He sighed and looked out the window for a moment, before directing his gaze back to the phone.
Change again. He didn't recognise the exact street they were on now. New place. New family. New school… He wasn't looking forward to any of those things. It would end up as always, with another move. Although he kinda hoped to stay for a little longer than in his last foster family. It had to be a record, a month! Just a month and they got tired of him and decided to make him a punching bag and— No, he wouldn't think about that. He didn't want to.
This family would get tired of him too. But he still hoped to get at least a few months in before they kicked him out. He knew there was a finite amount of foster homes before he was placed in a group home and left forgotten to the horrors of it. So he hoped.
He'd have to be on his best behaviour at least for a while, until they got used to him. Keep silent, keep to himself but not enough that they thought of him as a shut-in, keep up good grades—
"We're here, Hitoshi-kun," Akiyama-san said as the car came to a gentle stop. Oh.
He undid his safety belt and got out of the car making a beeline for the trunk where his bag was. Before he could grab it, Akiyama-san did it for him, and instead handed him his smaller backpack.
"Let's meet your new family!" Akiyama-san kept a cheery tone, even as he saw her eyes crinkling in worry. He knew exactly why. They both did. He just nodded and waited for her to start walking so he could follow.
They entered a five-stories tall block of flats with big '2' painted on the side, and he mentally cringed at the amount of steps he'd have to go through every day. But oh well, exercise, can't skip the leg day, or something. They stopped on the fourth story and Akiyama-san knocked on a nice wooden door. Soon footsteps were heard and the door flew open.
A pudgy, short, green-haired woman smiled brightly seeing them, and Hitoshi was taken aback. It looked weirdly… genuine.
"Come in, come in!" She ushered them in, and he politely took off his shoes and slipped into guest slippers.
And then he saw another green-haired head poking out of the doorframe a little further into the house.
He stared at the boy, blinking, wondering if he was seeing things. The head was poking out at ninety degrees. Was he lying down on something?
The head disappeared for a moment before the whole boy appeared in the doorframe. Or well, a generous part of him as he was still half-hiding. He waved. Mostly stunned, Hitoshi waved back and that prompted the green mop of hair to shake and a big smile to bloom on the boy's face.
Weirdos. Both of them. Midoriyas were weirdos. No one looked at him and smiled. Not since he was four.
Hitoshi was vaguely aware of a conversation happening above his head, between the two women, but he only focused on it, when Midoriya Inko spoke a few damned words,
"Why don't we talk over tea while the boys get to know each other?" she said.
HUAH!? He was supposed to navigate meeting the boy alone!? Horrible! Torture! Just send him back now.
"Izuku, why don't you show Hitoshi-kun his room?" Midoriya-san spoke softly, but firmly, leaving no room to argue. Not that Hitoshi would argue. That would be sure to land him back in the car before important documents could be signed.
"Sure! Follow me!" the boy, Izuku, was it?, spoke and ran off presumably in the direction of the room.
Hitoshi shot one last hopeful look at Akiyama-san, but her smile just turned a little more devilish and she said "Go on, we're just going to talk about boring adult things."
He sighed and followed after the green mop of curls.
The room he wounded himself up in was… nice. Clean. White walls, light-blue sheets on a simple single bed, empty shelves made of light wood, a desk…
From the corner of his eye he saw Midoriya-kun stare at him intently. He turned around to face him and they held each other's gaze for a moment… before the boy rapidly blurted out,,
"Who's your favourite hero!?" He had a tight smile on his face, not in a way that would suggest he's forcing it to be there, more like forcing it to not become impossibly wider.
Hitoshi thought for a second, whether to answer or not, and eventually decided it would be weirder not to speak than to speak.
"All Might," he replied scratchily, and was forced to clear his throat, damn disuse. "Duh."
"Me too! He's so cool!" Midoriya-kun had his hands balled in fists and held them near his chin. He looked so excited… It was almost adorable. "Actually, can I show you my room? We didn't have a lot of time to get you stuff so we thought we'll just go shopping with you, but I have a lot of toys and All Might merch!" He was bouncing. Okay, definitely adorable.
"Okay," Hitoshi replied softly, and the boy's smile stretched and opened to show teeth. Somehow, Hitoshi felt like he accomplished something, despite doing next to nothing at all.
"Great!" Aaand he was already running off to the room next to this one. Hitoshi followed at a more comfortable pace. Midoriya-kun was at the door labelled 'Izuku' with an All Might-styled plaque. That was his only warning at the content of the room, as the boy opened the door and revealed every square space of the room to be covered in All Might's face and symbols.
Hitoshi blinked and rubbed at his eyes hoping the nightmarish sight would disappear.
No luck.
"What do you think?" Midoriya-kun was bouncing up and down again, eyes wide and hopeful.
Hitoshi… didn't have the words to describe how creepy this entire room made him feel. There were eyes on him. So many eyes on him. Plastic and paper eyes, but still intrusive. There were All Might figurines, All Might stickers on the furniture and the walls, he could spot All Might-themed notebooks and book covers, All Might pens and pencils, All Might… everything. Even the bedsheets were All Might themed.
"It's… nice," he choked out, still looking around bewildered. "You must be a hardcore fan, huh?" slipped out unbidden and he immediately bit his tongue. Fuck! He wasn't supposed to ask questions, he would get in trouble for his quirk compelling an answer and Midoriya-kun would run to his mother to say how the evil kid used his quirk on him and—
"Uh-huh! I have almost all the limited edition figurines! Wanna see Bronze Age Super Secret Edition All Might KeyChain?" Hitoshi waited a beat to see if the boy would catch onto the fact that his answer was prompted out of him instead of completely willing, but then he mentally facepalmed. The answer would be way shorter if he didn't want to answer him. So for some ungodly reason he was willing to answer his questions. Sure, just talking to him was risking him using his quirk on him, but questions were especially dangerous with the way his quirk worked.
"Sure," he agreed nodding, and continued pondering on the strange creature Midoriya Izuku was. The family was always, always briefed about what quirk he had. It was a legal obligation Akiyama-san had to comply with, so there was no way Midoriya-kun or Midoriya-san had no idea about it. It was already a miracle the woman had enough faith in him as to leave him alone with her son immediately upon meeting him. But for the boy to also be completely careless with talking to him? Something was wrong.
"Here it is!" Midoriya-kun straightened from where he was hunched over an open drawer.
Hitoshi had a million questions on his mind. What did the boy want from him? What was his deal? How was he so calm? Or well, not calm, he was definitely excited, but how was he so positive?
He elected not to ask any of them. Instead he politely commented on the keychain being pretty. Midoriya-kun's smile somehow got wider.
Mentally he sighed. He'd have to be extra careful in this family. No way was he going to blow it… but they were weird. He'd have to make some unconventional correct choices. But he could do it. He could do it. Somehow.
He and Midoriya spent the rest of the time the adults were talking looking at various rare merch the boy had scattered around the room. Hitoshi had to admit it was pretty cool.
Inko quietly sipped her tea as Akiyama-san sorted through all the documents that she had signed, to make sure they got them all. Deep in thought she didn't notice that the woman had stopped and was now staring at her.
"Something on your mind, Midoriya-san?" The question startled her a little, but thankfully not much. She would rather not get a burn from spilling her tea.
She looked at Akiyama-san carefully and decided to be blunt.
"I'm worried that Hitoshi-kun isn't going to accept Izuku's… situation," she spoke plainly. "And I'm not talking only about his quirklessness." Akiyama-san looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could butt in, Inko continued. "He's trying to hide it from me, but he's got no friends, and his hobbies are met with ridicule. If it gets any worse he might need to transfer schools, although I'm not sure if even that would help."
"I see…" Akiyama-san's face betrayed nothing. "Are you worried that Hitoshi might perpetuate that?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm worried about," she said stiffly. "I will not stand for anyone belittling my little boy."
"I understand your worries, Midoriya-san." Akiyama-san's voice was steady and as if it was washed out of emotions by force. "I can assure you that Hitoshi would never do that. And if you see anything alarming…" She broke her facade just a little, getting desperate. "Please, I beg you to call me first. I can talk to him. Just don't give up on him too early."
Inko knew that tone, that want for betterment of someone's situation, that plea to not give up on someone's future. She knew it so well. Her baby…
"I won't." It was a promise.
Akiyama-san's mouth corners lifted minutely in a shadow of a smile.
"Thank you."