SUMMARY: Nothing. It was what he was used to being...Nothing and when Kacchan tells him to take a swan dive off the roof...well, it's a solution isn't it?
Izuku barely noticed himself walking to that edge. Felt nothing when he stepped off, beyond the freedom of feeling no more pain, but instead of an ending, he ended up waking a Quirk that required his death to kick start.
He can manipulate shadows...but it's not that simple is it...as Izuku would soon learn, his Quirk holds a darker side than expected. One that could truly leave it branded a Villain's Quirk.
Everything is turned upside down. Secrets he wanted to keep secret are suddenly being pulled free and when he's offered an unexpected salvation, well, he'd be a fool not to take it.
It was strange. For years Izuku had let Kacchan's words slide off his back, but this time, he couldn't make them go away. His friend, the boy he hoped would someday return to the caring person he used to be, had suicide baited him and though it was a moment amongst so many others, the scrawny teenager decided maybe it was for the best.
He didn't pay much attention to where his steps were taking him, just that he was doing exactly as Kacchan suggested and making his way up to the highest point of the school. The roof was shaded where he was, not that any students remained to stop him and the teachers were inside, completely oblivious as always to Izuku's torment.
He thought about his mother. Not sure why. Not after...
"It's your fault your father left!"
The words from the night before still echoed in his brain. He could still feel the bruises from where her telekinesis had gone out of control and though he knew she had come to resent his existence, Izuku still made excuses for her behaviour. He was Quirkless after all... meaning he required more than the normal Quirk enhanced human. It meant his healthcare couldn't be insured like everyone else's, it meant derision and persecution...it meant everyone suffered for his failure…Because he was born broken.
Tears welling in his vibrant green eyes, Izuku carefully removed his yellow backpack, set his bright red trainers next to it and stepped out onto the edge of the roof. The wind whipped around him, tugging at him, almost coaxing him off that ledge. God...it would be such a relief not to feel...not to hurt anymore.
Arms spread wide, no more thinking, he was sure he heard frantic shouting, but it didn't matter, because he had already jumped.
...xxx...
Exhausted didn't begin to describe how Hizashi was feeling. How the pro hero had let Nemuri talk him into something like story time, he'd never know and though he enjoyed spending time with the elementary little listeners, it was still a lot of energy to burn. Honestly! How kids managed to be constantly on a high was amazing. Hell, if he could bottle that shit and sell it...he'd be rich!
Turning the corner toward Aldera junior high school, eyes on his car and thoughts on a blissful soak in the tub, Hizashi had no idea what made him look up, but when he did, his heart stopped and dropped right out of his ass, because a kid was literally about to walk out into Death's arms.
"No!" He bellowed, Quirk making it louder. "Wait! Kid, don't do it!"
Deaf to his cries, even if the explosion of staff weren't, it was too late, the child had jumped, his body in a freefall before hitting the Earth with a sickening thud.
The screams that followed, teachers vomiting, Hizashi desperately wanted to rip out his hearing aids, but what would that do. Shaking himself, ordering his runaway train of thought back on the track, he slowly approached the child. Sending an alert to the right authorities as well as an SOS to his husband.
"Oh God," a teacher cursed nearby. "Midoriya damn it! As if your mother hadn't enough crap to deal with!"
Hizashi stiffened, green eyes narrowing. "That's what you're gonna say? Kid is in pieces at your feet and you're gonna put the blame on him?!"
Not recognising who he was talking to, considering he wasn't in his hero gear, the teacher scowled. "Look...it's a tragedy... but Izuku Midoriya has done nothing but cause trouble since the day he was diagnosed Quirkless."
Well, if that didn't make a whole lot of disgusting sense. Tempted to lay into the teacher, and every one of the weeping fools stood like idiots about the dead teenager, Hizashi startled when a pained whimper filled his ears. Head snapping around, he gaped in shock, because considering the kid's neck was clearly broken, how in the hell was he still alive?!
"Oh my God!"
"The hell!"
The teachers were horrified too, but no, that's not what they were looking at. Green eyes wide, Hizashi watched the shadows beneath the boy writhe and surround him. Bit by bit, his blood reversed the spillage, limbs twisting back to where they should be and after several agonising moments, the boy named Izuku Midoriya sat back on his knees and looked about utterly confused.
His eyes! Hizashi had never seen anything like it! That could only mean one thing. He had a Quirk! Late bloomers weren't unheard of, oftentimes needing a trigger later in life, but Izuku was the first that required his own death that Hizashi was aware of and wasn't that just horrifying.
Ambulance sirens coming closer, the gaping peanut gallery obviously not about to pull their thumb out, Hizashi made his way to the terrified teen, gaze softening with remorse when Izuku scrambled back, the minute he crouched down.
"Easy little listener, I'm not here to hurt you. Can you tell me what happened?"
Brain scrambled, Izuku was having a hard time putting his thoughts in order. He'd jumped, hadn't he? He had ended it all and yet, here he was, very much alive and the entirety of the Aldera junior high staff staring at him as if he had one too many heads.
"It didn't work," he croaked miserably. "It was all supposed to stop."
"What was, little listener?"
"The pain," Izuku choked out, before he curled in on himself and sobbed.
The fury twisting in Hizashi was immense. More so when it was clear the Aldera staff were unbothered by the child's plight. Disgusted, he shrugged out of his leather jacket, before tossing it over Izuku to keep him warm. The boy startled, odd eyes staring at Hizashi a moment, before pulling it tighter about himself to hide away. Getting upright, Hizashi set his eyes on the teacher who had spoken before.
"Principal? Which of you idiots is the principal?"
Chest puffed up; the teacher ground out angrily. "Now just a minute…I. —" He jerked back, eyes widening in shock when Hizashi shoved credentials in his face. The minute he read Pro Hero: Present Mic, his insides went to ice and his index finger shot left.
Following the digit, Hizashi set his gaze on a short man, one who was shaking and gave off a stink that all but screamed he knew he'd fucked up somewhere. Not wanting to move away from Izuku, Hizashi crooked his finger in a come-hither gesture and watched the man honest to God gulp before approaching.
"Explain," Hizashi barked, arms crossed, and eyes narrowed to slits behind his glasses.
"T-The boy is Quirkless and prone to d-drama," the principal stuttered.
"Drama?!" Hizashi exploded. "He just jumped from several stories…I saw it with my own eyes…now something drove him to that, and I already know from one of your teacher's snide comments, your staff will be in part to blame. Discrimination against the Quirkless is illegal!"
"Y-Yes but…but…"
An ambulance lurched to a stop next to them all, fire truck right behind, as well as police and Hizashi cheered inside when Tsukauchi climbed from the squad car. He had hoped the alert would pop up for him. Leaving the Principal tongue tied, Hizashi made his way back to Izuku and crouched down. The teenager was still sobbing softly, body shaking. Honestly, it was heartbreaking.
"Hey there, little listener." Hizashi's tone was soft, but God the kid still jumped a mile out of his skin. "Easy, easy…listen, Izuku…the paramedics are here, as are the police…The police will talk to the staff and we need to get you looked at."
Teary eyes slid toward where uniformed men and women were gathering, some looking stunned. He knew how they felt. He intended to be dead for this part. Nodding reluctantly, he was surprised when the man who seemed determined to be his champion, plopped down next to him. The paramedics approached cautiously and with some minimal coaxing, took Izuku's vitals.
"Huh," said the paramedic, her nametag reading Ai. "Your blood pressure, heart rate and temperature are lower than average…would that be linked to your Quirk kiddo?"
"I don't have one," Izuku responded miserably.
Confused, Ai's eyes shifted to Hizashi who whispered. "Late awakening." Understanding dawning, she nodded and quickly barked out orders in a lingo Izuku wouldn't understand, before turning her attention to the trembling child. "Okay, Izuku…Can you tell me if it hurts anywhere?"
When had he given his name? Maybe one of the teachers had told them? It didn't matter. He noted the police speaking to the teachers, getting witness statements no doubt. "I feel…strange…" He responded. No pain, no broken bones, just different.
Ai nodded. "I can imagine…Izuku…Have you ever heard of 'late awakening' in regard to Quirks?"
Face scrunching, the teenager nodded. "Y-Yeah…It can happen sometimes…but it's extremely rare. I only know of one incident, where a previously Quirkless marine biologist ended up diving w-with faulty equipment a-and suddenly had gills and could withstand huge amounts of water pressure."
Ai smiled. "Very good kiddo, that's exactly right. There are others outside of Japan, but yes, that is the only recorded incident here…until you."
"M-Me?" Izuku spluttered. "W-What…I don't have a Quirk."
"Little listener." Watching those luminous eyes snap toward him, Hizashi smiled gently. "Kiddo…in every late awakening, the user has always developed a Quirk unrelated to their family genetics and it's always jump started by a sudden environmental change or severe stress. Such as a woman in Russia who developed telekinesis out of nowhere when she was held captive and a man who fell into a Volcano in Hawaii and suddenly could control lava. In your case…it took your death."
Death? Wait, that made no sense! He was alive! He was sitting here talking to them, without any medical intervention. "I d-didn't die!" Izuku argued shrilly. "I-I'm alive…I…I couldn't even get that right!"
"Izuku!" Hizashi snapped out firmly, derailing the breakdown. "Kiddo, I saw your jump. Good God I saw your body hit the ground…you broke yourself to pieces…y-you were dead and then suddenly shadows began moving and you weren't broken anymore…. you were sitting up talking to me and I can honestly say I have never been so relieved."
"I-I died?" Izuku asked, words trembling. "And h-healed…you said shadows moved?"
"Sounds like shadow manipulation," Ai supplied, rooting until she produced a mirror. "Here…You might want to take a look."
Reaching out with shaking hands, Izuku accepted the mirror and got a good look at himself. For the most part, he still looked like himself, except for one glaring difference…his eyes! Gone were the familiar green, the whites had turned ink black, the irises acid green and they glowed eerily. Opening his mouth, he realised his canines had lengthened to lethal points and when he went to touch one, he was shocked to see his nails were gone and, in their place, he possessed lethal looking talons, each one ink black.
"Finally gets a Quirk and it's a Villain's."
The comment had been whispered by one of the teachers, but Izuku was learning quickly how enhanced his senses were. Flinching, he handed Ai back the mirror and tried to hide under the borrowed coat. He wasn't about to make a fuss, but apparently, he wasn't the only one who heard.
"Hey!" Ai barked, lunging to her feet, and setting furious eyes on the teacher who had commented so viciously. "My Quirk, in case you give a shit, is called 'stethoscope' …I can hear at any volume I choose, in any way I want from echo location to listening to someone's heart, which comes in handy when listening to my patient's heartrate…which I'm doing so right now…and I overheard that discriminatory remark. You can bet your ass I will be filing a complaint."
"What remark?" Hizashi growled lowly.
"That Izuku's new Quirk was villainous." Ai spat in response. "You bastards are probably the main reason this poor kid is hurting in the first place! I've half—"
"Leave it, Ai!" Her partner warned, one who possessed a visible snake Quirk and knew what such discrimination was like. "No point in loosing your job because of these creeps."
"You're right Kaito," Ai replied with a nod. "Let's load him up. Get him away from these savages."
With the paramedics getting Izuku settled in the ambulance, making promises it was just protocol, Hizashi sent another text to his husband letting him know to meet him at Musutafu hospital. No doubt that would go down well once the messages were read, but right now his priority was the terrified kid who clearly had known very little kindness in his young life.
With a sigh, the hero pocketed his phone and went to join the child, having no idea just how much his life was about to change.