Explosions. Destruction. Screams. Those are the last things that a young Izuku would remember hearing after his mother's heartwarming performance of the happy birthday song. Not even a second later, and chaos. He could barely remember the events that happened afterwards. A fight. More screams. Being launched through the air, separated from his mother. Landing in the arms of a man in a suit, who was critically injured. More blurry movements, then a sharp pain. An excruciating pain. More pain than the six year old would ever think possible, not that he knew what was happening of course. The last thing the young boy could remember before he blacked out was a black life support mask, and the hazy image of his favorite hero approaching rapidly, a serious grimace painted across his usually cheerful face.
"Gah!!" Izuku woke with a yell and a jump, sitting up in his bed so fast that he gave himself a headache. He held his head in his hands, mumbling to himself as he slowly stood up. Izuku Midoriya is now, as of today, sixteen years old, exactly ten years having gone by since the incident that would forever change the course of his life. He slowly trudged to the bathroom, opening the door and turning the light on. He stood there for a good few minutes, staring at himself in the mirror. He was more or less the same, sporting a thin scar over the bridge of his nose and one of his many patches of curls having dyed itself a pure white. He wasn't a fan, of course.
He slowly walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, where Mitsuki Bakugou was whistling while she made breakfast. She looks over and smiles upon seeing the teenager. "Morning, birthday boy! You sleep alright?"
He shrugs, sitting down at the table. "I guess... I had that dream again. I saw his face this time... Well, almost..."
Mistuki shook her head, putting a big stack of birthday pancakes in front of him. "Don't think about that right now. You're sixteen today! And Auntie Bakugou's got something special planned on your special day." She gives him an absolutely massive smile, one that nearly blinded the boy. He mustered a small smile for her, and he eagerly dug into his breakfast.
"Off'a me, ya damn geezer!"
Izuku sighed and smiled, seems like his best friend was finally up.
Katsuki Bakugou pushed into the room, his father desperately trying to greet his son. "Come on, Katsuki!" Masaru Bakugou pleaded to his son, "Would it kill you to hug your old man just once?"
Izuku chuckled as Katsuki angrily sat down next to him on the table, a big stack of pancakes being slid onto the table in front of him by his mother. "Don't worry, brat," his mother began, laughing to herself. "You get some too." Katsuki growled thanks to his mother, then began to dig in. The boys sat and ate in silence for a bit, until Katsuki turned to the boy next to him. "... Happy birthday, nerd."
Izuku was taken aback by this, and he looks up at Katsuki. "Oh, uh... Thank you, Kacchan." He smiles, Katsuki huffing and rolling his eyes, which is his special way of smiling back.
Izuku didn't really mind living with the Bakugou's. Mitsuki was best friends with his mother, so she jumped at the chance to take him into her house when his mother was pronounced dead. Masaru was the father that Izuku never really had, his own having up and disappeared. And Katsuki... He was bearable. Izuku losing his mother and old life was enough to convince Katsuki that maybe the last thing Izuku needed on top of losing everything was more reminders of how useless he was.
They finished their breakfast, and Mitsuki sat down with them, looking back and forth between them. "Gonna be honest with the two of you, money's been a bit tight recently. But, I'm still gonna try and give you the best birthday I can." She smiled at Izuku, turning to her son. "And try to be decent today? It is his birthday, after all." Katsuki rolled his eyes, but nodded all the same.
Izuku had already finished eating, and was now left alone to ponder his thoughts. That man in his dream... Izuku had almost figured out who it was. The plain black suit, the life support mask, they left absolutely zero defining features. But, Izuku immediately identified the man flying at them at high speeds as All Might, the now deceased symbol of peace.
The events of that fight were all that plagued his mind. Even in his dreams, he couldn't escape the harsh reality that was born from that disaster. His last family was gone. He was both quirkless and alone, living with the boy who continued to torment him up until he was old enough to learn the truth himself. His number one idol was dead, throwing Japan into the worst crime rates it's ever seen. Smaller tier villains all jumped back out into the spotlight, no longer afraid because Japan now had no symbol of peace. The country was devoid of any hero who would live up to that mantle. Endeavor was doing his best as the number one by default, but the gap between him and All Might was astronomical. People were lucky that they were still able to live normal lives, what with the mass amounts of criminals active on the streets nowadays.
Although, truth be told, Izuku didn't really care anymore. Somewhere along the way, he had lost that do-gooder spark. That drive to be just like the man he idolized for the first six years of his life was just... Gone. He couldn't tell you where it went. He just knew that, after hearing the truth about the tragedy from Mitsuki, he was heartbroken. He didn't even want to be a hero anymore. All the purpose he ever had in his life was just gone.
A hand slapping down onto the table managed to startle Izuku back to reality, as Katsuki had slammed his hands down and stood up quickly. "The nerd and I are taking a walk."
This had both Izuku and Mitsuki stunned. For Izuku, he was shocked that his friend would ever make any sort of indication he wanted to be around him. For Mitsuki, she was just shocked that he used proper grammar.
"Ok..." Mistuki began, confusion evident in her voice. "Just don't be out too long, we still have things to do."
Katsuki nodded and, with a glare towards Izuku, left the room, opening the front door and stepping out without a second thought. Izuku stood up and, almost in a daze, he followed his friend outside, closing the door behind him.
The two boys walked for a while. Down several blocks, crossing multiple streets, and going down plenty of smaller pathways. Izuku was confused and getting a little nervous, so he eventually spoke up. "Kacchan... Where are we even going?"
Katsuki stopped in place, wheeling around to face the smaller boy. He stared at him for a good minute or so, before eventually answering him. "... You're going to UA."
Izuku felt like he had been punched in the face by All Might himself, a full Detroit Smash right to his senses. It took him a good bit to fully recover from the proverbial knockout punch that his friend just gave him, but he eventually came back to reality, shaking his head as he glared at Katsuki. "I-I'm sorry... What?"
"Are you stupid? I said you're going to UA with me."
Izuku knew what he had said. He just didn't believe it was actually happening. He cleared his throat, planning his next words carefully. "Uhh... Why?"
"Because watching you be all mopey and emo is pissing me off. You wanna be a hero, I know you do, so stop whining like a quirkless loser, raise your head, and be a goddamn hero." Katsuki stepped up to Izuku, getting up close to his face. "That, or I can beat the sense into you."
If the first bit was a Detroit Smash to his senses, the second was a full forced Delaware, hitting him square in the face and not showing any mercy. The most he could do was think, and slowly nod his head, which was somehow enough to convince the hot-headed teen that Izuku had also been convinced. With that, he simply turned and started back in the direction of the house.
Izuku quickly caught up with him, walking in pace with him. He was conflicted. Katsuki was never one to push Izuku this hard, especially to do something he knew Izuku had always wanted. Once upon a time he would have just told Izuku to jump from a roof for even thinking of going to UA. And now he wanted him to go? It was just weird.
And then there was the fact that he somehow knew about Izuku's plight. He'd never told anyone about his conflict, let alone his tormentor. To everyone, he was still a somewhat enthusiastic hero nerd, ready to make his mark and show everyone that even the quirkless could become heroes.
The two boys walked home in silence, the scrapes of their shoes along the sidewalk and the bird chirping in the air were all they could hear, along with the noisy sounds of the city a few blocks away. The air that morning was still cool, and Izuku could feel a yawn coming on, reminding him of the abysmal sleep he got last night. He wanted nothing more than to just go back to bed, but he knew that he wasn't gonna get that chance. Not with Mitsuki's birthday plans and Katsuki's grueling workout routine. Plus, that and he had to somehow think of a way to score a spot at U.A. without a quirk.
U.A.'s entrance exam was, from what Izuku has heard, grueling. Of course, the written exam was going to prove the easiest hurdle. The physical exam, however? Izuku stood no chance, without a quirk of his own. He didn't exactly know what the exam entailed, exactly. He just knew that one of the key factors in that exam was your quirk. Izuku, being quirkless, has become obsessed with researching and studying quirks. He was particularly fond of quirks that seemed useless at first glance, spending an unhealthy amount of time thinking and deducing how that quirk could be utilized. When you don't have a quirk, even a bubble-blowing power becomes a gold-mine of research.
But he wasn't planning around a quirk this time around. He had to plan for a lack of one. And he had nothing. No plan, no ideas, nothing. For the first time in his life, Izuku had wandered into a situation he couldn't mutter his way out of. How in the world would he make it past the entrance exam?! And Katsuki wasn't gonna let him fail- How could he possibly-
KRA-KOOOOOM
A loud explosion shook the teen out of his trance, as he and his friend both wheeled around, facing in the direction of the city, where a dark pillar of smoke and the warm glow of flames could be seen just below the city's skyline.
"C'mon, nerd! We gotta see what that was about!" Katsuki rushed off before Izuku could so much as protest, causing the latter teen to swear under his breath and take off after him.
The sun had just fully risen over the horizon by the time the two boys had found the source of the flames. Musutafu's Shopping District was up in flames, a large villain standing in the middle of the rubble.
"GRAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! I am Grenade-Man! I grow my explosives on my skin!"
The villain tosses some glowing objects around for effect, which all explode upon impact with their surroundings.
Katsuki stared at the villain with a wicked grin. This asshole really thought he could pull off explosions better than him! "Time to show this jerk what a real explosion looks like!!" Before Izuku could even react, Bakugou had already blasted off, flying at the villain with demented glee.
Izuku couldn't move. He couldn't think. He could only watch in terror and frustration as Katsuki dive-bombed the larger man, connecting an explosive strike directly to his face. The large villain reeled back in pain, only to recover with surprising speed, throwing a punch that Katsuki had nowhere near enough skill to dodge. The punch connected with a sickening crack, sending Katsuki flying across the ruined street, crashing into a nearby food stall. Hard. And he wasn't getting up.
Izuku had seen his fair share of hero videos. From the old All Might videos, to newcomers like Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady, Izuku has just about seen it all. But there was something about this. Before he knew it, Izuku was sprinting. Right at the villain. His fists were balled, and his face was contorted with anger. He ran right up to the villain, throwing a punch at its leg... And promptly breaking his hand.
"JESUS- Gah!"
Izuku fell back, cradling his freshly broken hand as he looked up at the villain in horror. The large man slowly looked down at him, his mouth curving into a devious grin, then a malicious one.
"You little shit... I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Izuku froze as he heard those words, looking up to see a large fist with an explosive in it, coming down over his head. Was this it? Was he going to die? Maybe it'd be for the best. After all, he didn't really have much to live for. Not anymore at least. Maybe Mitsuki and Masaru would miss him, if he wanted to stretch the truth. Katsuki probably wouldn't really care. And who else would even notice he was gone? He closed his eyes, waiting for the moment. Where blackness would envelope him and he'd finally give a real smile again...
... But it never came. Izuku refused to open his eyes, but he could definitely hear that explosion go off. He felt the heat from it, the sheer strength of that punch... But he felt no pain. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and the scene he saw when they did was... Well, it was something alright.
The villain was howling in pain, holding his hand which looked very broken. Izuku tilted his head, but his neck felt rather tight... The he looked down at his hands. Where normal looking skin should have been, there was instead pure concrete. His eyes widened as he stood up, noticing that his entire body had become concrete. He couldn't believe it... He finally had a quirk! He laughed and whooped as the quirk faded, causing him to go back to normal.
"Wow... Alright, let's do this!"
With new vigor, he lunges forward... And promptly gets backhanded, flying to the side and crashing into a building, blacking out instantly.
Hey! Thanks for reading. This little ditty is something I randomly thought up during a boredom spell, and was just like, 'Hey, you've always wanted to do fanfiction! Do it!' so... Here we are. Future chapters will be longer, obviously. Probably gonna wait to write until I get even a little bit of engagement- But I know that's not smart so I'm gonna start writing chapter two as soon as possible. Let me know your thoughts, recommendations, and tips for future writing. Thanks again for reading!
- Author