Chapter 1 - Origin
"Sorry kid, it's not going to happen."
Those words were the first of many blows to Midoriya's dream of becoming a great hero, just like All Might.
Inko turned to her child with a worried expression, "Are you sure doctor? All the other children have begun getting their quirks…" she implored.
Doctor Tsubasa sat up straight in his chair and adjusted his goggles, "I don't want to say there is absolutely no hope, but you should be prepared in case one doesn't manifest within the next year. You are in the fourth generation of quirks, yes?" he inquired.
She nods in affirmative, "Yes, my family has had quirks for four generations and I think my husband's has for just as long. I can attract small objects to myself, and he is able to breathe fire." Inko said as she stroked Midoriya's hair softly.
The doctor let out a gruff sigh and pointed at an x-ray taken during the exam, "Look ma'am, one notable indicator of quirklessness is the presence of an extra joint in the pinky toe. Most people born with quirks lack this joint, and in each subsequent generation, it has been less and less likely. At this point, the chances that your child does develop a quirk are extremely slim."
As the conversation between the two adults continues, little Midoriya sits staring blankly ahead. Maybe this was why his body felt so wrong.
The very next day Midoriya sat alone for hours, catatonically watching the video of All Might's debut over and over.
Inko stood in the doorway, a bystander as her beloved child suffered heartbreak over a dream that would likely never come true.
Midoriya spoke up, noticing Inko's presence, "Mom look, All Might keeps smiling no matter how bad it is. Even if it seems impossible…he doesn't give up." turning around with a strained smile and tears flowing. "Can I still be a hero? Even without a quirk?"
This was a turning point, a decision Inko had to make that would impact their relationship for years to come. Kneeling and embracing her child in a tight hug, placing all of her faith and belief in little Midoriya's dream. "No matter how hard things may be, I will support you always. You can be a hero."
Despite things looking up briefly, it was less than a month passed before the next blow was struck.
Midoriya showed up to kindergarten, fresh notebook in hand and ready to write all about heroes and quirks in obnoxious crayon colors. By the time kids had all arrived and settled in, a voice rang out above all others.
"Hey everybody, I heard that Midoriya doesn't have a quirk!" shouts a boy with abnormally long fingers.
"What?"
"No way!"
"My mommy said only old people are quirkless."
The rain of children shouting and commenting on Midoriya's quirk status went on and on, the teacher seemingly uncaring of how insensitive and mean they were being.
Despite having been close friends, even Katsuki Bakugou just watched as what would become nearly a decade of bullying began in earnest. It wasn't long before he too joined their ranks as the worst among them.
Years of suffering go by, the taunting, the jeers, the abuse on a regular basis, the sharp pang of awfulness he feels when looking in the mirror.
The sharp pang of awfulness he feels when looking in the mirror? Just when did this become yet another constant? Midoriya looked over towards the standing mirror in the corner of the room, covered entirely by a spare blanket so as to not catch quick glances when walking by. Standing up and hobbling over to the mirror, Midoriya resolved to get to the bottom of this sordid affair. If there was one thing he could be brave about, it would have to be this. With one swift yank, the blanket fell and a reflection was revealed, one that immediately sparked that pain in Midoriya's heart. His wide shoulders, his narrow hips, his big hands, the untamable mop of hair on his head he doesn't have the energy to try and deal with most days. Even his voice has been cracking unbearably for the past few months. His this, his that, his…their?…her….her.
A wave of realization passed over Midoriya. This was that feeling, that nagging feeling of wrongness that permeated her in moments when her mind quieted down from a long day. She wasn't a boy at all, and the act she had been putting on pretending to be one for all her life was one of the things adding to the pile of pain she was subject to. Yet while this revelation was a welcome one, there wasn't any real solution available to "fix" her problem. "At least…not without talking to Mom,"she thought. The relief was washed away by a mounting fear of coming out, despite having always believed in her dreams of becoming a hero, it was hard to not be terrified of the unknown reaction she would get.
Steeling her resolve with a few deep breaths, she opened her bedroom door and stepped out into their small apartment, finding her mother busying herself on her phone in the kitchen while dinner was cooking in the oven. Silently stepping up behind her, almost trying to hide her presence as if it would give away everything before she could say a word, she tapped her mom on the shoulder.
"U-um, Mom? I have s-something I need to tell you." she stuttered out as Inko turned to face her.
"Oh? What is it dear? Did you see a new hero on the news you want to gush about, hm?" Inko said, giving her child a soft smile and glancing at the news feed displayed on her phone.
"N-no it's…it's more important than that. Can we sit down first?" her words had to be forced out, anxiety screaming out to her as she did her best to stay strong.
The two moved out of the cramped kitchen and into their living room, plopping themselves gently on the fluffy couch they always watch hero movies on. Simply being in her oft-frequented comfort spot helped ease the tension somewhat. Looking over towards her mother they made eye contact, finding a hint of worry and expectancy in them.
"I…made some realizations about myself Mom and I'm-" she sniffled as a few tears began to leak, "I'm trans, Mom, I'm a girl. I don't want to be your son and I don't know if you'll still love me if I'm not anymore," the words and tears flowed from her and she began to sob.
Inko quickly moved over and embraced her, "It's okay hon, I promise it'll be okay. I still love you and not a thing in this world or out of it could ever change that. You're my baby, and I'll love having a daughter all the same because you're still you." she said, also beginning to sob as Midoriyas are quite prone to doing.
This crying continued until the oven timer went off, signifying that their dinner was ready to come out. Inko released her daughter and got up to take care of it, while Midoriya remained curled up, still recovering from the emotional ordeal. After a nice warm meal of baked fish and rice, they both had collected themselves enough to continue the discussion further. Taking a seat back on the couch next to her daughter and turning on the television to provide some background noise, Inko opened the topic back up in the only way she could think of.
"So hon, do you have a name picked out that you'd like to go by? I don't mean to rush you, just that thinking of you by your old name feels wrong now if I know it hurts you," Inko spoke with warmth in her voice.
"I haven't really gotten that far…honestly, I came out here and told you not long after I realized it myself," she mumbled. "Could you help me pick out a name? That would really mean a lot to me knowing it still came from you," she asked.
"Well, it just so happens that I did have some names picked out for a girl, we can try and see if any of those feel right," Inko replied. With a nod from her daughter, she continued, "One of the first ones I considered was naming you after your Aunt Mitsuki, I also always thought Kanami was very elegant, but what I had settled on by the end was to name you Ayami."
"Ayami…that one sounds…right, it's hard to explain but that's the feeling I'm getting. What kanji had you picked for the spelling?" Ayami replied.
"Beauty and Mind, two things I had always hoped for my beloved child, and I'm more than sure you'll live up to that and more. You really should have a professional look at those notebooks of yours, I swear you are beyond your years." Inko spoke with a smile at her newly named daughter.
Ayami's face lit up at her mother's kind words, "Thanks Mom, you're the best. But um, what's our next step? I know a bit about transitioning from when Tiger of the Wild Wild Pussy Cats came out a few years ago but…" she trailed off.
"I can talk to some co-workers at the hospital and see if they have any advice, but we can start off with getting you a therapist, I think it would do you good hon. When you are good and ready I can sit down with your principal at school and get things sorted out there," Inko responded.
By the time her second year of middle school was beginning, Ayami felt she was ready to take the next step, social consequences be damned. It took some time, "and probably a few threats from mom…" she thought, but Yavin Middle School had relented and sent her the girl's uniform. Her hair had grown out nicely and even if the only other thing that had changed was her name, she was finally going to be herself in everyday life!
Trans people certainly existed in this day and age, but Japan was sadly behind the curve when it came to accepting "non-traditional lifestyles", much like the prejudice surrounding heteromorphic "mutant" quirks. As such, the availability of gender-affirming care like hormones wasn't the best, limited by out-of-touch doctors and prohibitive medication costs amongst a laundry list of other roadblocks to overcome. Quirk-based treatments up to and including full transition down to the chromosomes also exist if you know where to look, but are orders of magnitude more expensive. Something a divorced nurse and her daughter certainly wouldn't be able to get their hands on.
Arriving at school bright and early, Ayami felt a sense of dread as she looked at the entryway ahead of her. Fiddling with her skirt to distract herself, she stepped into the building and started making her way to homeroom. It wasn't long before the whispers started, kids who recognized her snickering to themselves.
By the time she was in her seat and waiting for class to begin, the students around her had stopped bothering with subtlety, gossiping about the quirkless loser wearing the girl's uniform. When the teacher walked in and looked over the class to take attendance, his eyes lingered on Ayami and narrowed.
"Oh class, before I forget I have an announcement to make. We have a "new" student among us as I am sure you have noticed by now. Midoriya, please come up to the front and introduce yourself to the class." he said with a thinly veiled sneer.
Ayami stood up slowly, thoughts racing and anxiety building to a near panic. She clenched one fist in resolve and walked up to the front of the room, turning around to find a sea of judgemental and bored eyes gazing back. "I a-am Midoriya-", she was interrupted as the door next to her suddenly slammed open.
Standing in the doorway with a heavy slouch and his hands placed in his pockets was Kacchan, who for once actually seemed to be caught off guard by the sight in front of him. "What the hell is this Deku? The fuck are you supposed to be?" he demanded. His eyes were narrowed and angry as always, but somehow they seemed less cutting than those of her other classmates.
"I am Midoriya Ayami! Please take care of me!" she exclaimed, bowing hastily and rushing back to her seat before anything else could happen.
Bakugou looked over at the teacher briefly before taking his seat in front of her. "Tch, whatever nerd. I don't care if you're a damn girl or anything else, you're still just a pebble to me," he spoke without turning to look at her.
The rest of the day passed without incident, as did the next few weeks. Kacchan was still treating her pretty much the same as always, except he stopped calling her Deku after that day. It hadn't struck her until one day when a test was passed back to her by him, where her name had been scratched out and replaced with different kanji. After that, any time he was insulting her he always referred to her as Yoshimi. Instead of being useless she now had a tiny destiny in his eyes.
"I guess this is his way of being weirdly supportive? Deku had been derived from my deadname, maybe Auntie Mitsuki did teach him something right after all." she thought.
After coming out at school, and being socially transitioned for a few months, the time came to meet with her doctor. Dr. Tsubasa had been her general practitioner ever since she was an infant, and despite being the one who broke the news about her quirk status, he didn't seem to have a problem treating her like any other patient.
"So Miss Midoriya, I see a lot has changed since we last spoke. Am I to presume that is the reason you are scheduled to see me today?" Tsubasa asked gruffly.
Ayami nodded, "Is there any place you could refer me to for my transition care? I'm worried about my mom being able to afford medication for me but I really can't stand the dysphoria," she replied.
An odd look came over Dr. Tsubasa's face at the mention of their financial situation, but it quickly faded. "I just so happen to be retiring at the end of the year, but you are in luck Miss Midoriya. A former colleague of mine offers quirk-based transition services pro bono to those in need, if you would like I can contact them and schedule you for a visit as soon as a spot opens up," he said with a seemingly genuine smile Ayami hadn't seen on his face before.
"That would be amazing! Thank you so much, Dr. Tsubasa, I can't believe this is happening. Really I was…" Ayami said before descending into unintelligible muttering.
"Oh it's quite alright dear, I'm just glad to be helping a patient before I move on to retirement," Tsubasa interrupted. "If that's all you needed, I will call you in a week or so to schedule your appointment and give you more details." he finished.
As the young girl left the room, the look on the doctor's face changed to a malicious smirk. Turning to his desk, he flipped a switch on its underside before pulling up a secure communications line.
"Sir, I do believe I have found you a new asset…" he spoke into his monitor, now displaying two ominous words.
Sound Only.