Work Text
Prologue
It was the night after Izuku Midoriya was told he would never have a Quirk.He sat at the computer, watching the clip of his favorite superhero, Allmight, rescue innocent people over and over again."Quirkless." He thought to himself, teeth worrying his lower lip. The thought almost brought tears to his eyes. Almost."Mom," the child said aloud, still staring at the screen, "D'you think I can be a hero too?"His mother said nothing. The boy could hear her strangled gasp as she tried told back tears. Eventually, she responded. "I- I'm sorry, Izuku," she choked out, before fleeing the room.He clenched his jaw, tears only now coming to his eyes, but not for the reason one might think. They were tears of anger and frustration, not sadness. Anger at his mother for not even making an attempt at consolation. Frustration at his own body's incapability to inhabit a Quirk, something that should be in his DNA from the get-go; both his parents had Quirks, so why not him?He pushed the thoughts away. Feeling like this was unproductive.He hit the replay button on his screen again. He could still be part of the hero community. Even without a Quirk. Even without actually participating in battles.He squeezed his Allmight figurine, a huge smile spreading across his face, eliminating any hints that he had been upset just moments ago. Yes, he would be content just observing and collecting things related to heroes and villains.And hell, if one day he does end up in the thick of things, well... Who was he to back down from a challenge?
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Izuku Midoriya made it his goal to go through life with a smile on his face.He smiled when he woke up in the morning, he smiled at school, smiled when his peers made fun of him, and smiled when he came home to an empty house almost everyday. Why he smiled was a mystery. Perhaps he smiled because there was an overwhelming optimism in his heart that had to escape somehow. Or maybe it was because the Number One hero was never seen without a smile. Maybe it was simply a force of habit.Or perhaps, more likely, it was a calculated move. After all, humans are more likely to trust someone happy and bubbly, and seemingly unassuming.But did the reason really matter? Izuku didn't think so. He grinned at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, taking pride in his plaque-free teeth. His expression dimmed, though, when his eyes traveled up to his rat's nest of green and black hair. It would take at least thirty minutes to get that mess sorted out. Thirty minutes he didn't have. School started in less than ten.He sighed, resigned. "Oh well. I guess I'll just have to deal."He reinstated the grin on his face as he left the bathroom, grabbing his bag from its place on the floor. Izuku exited his house, not bothering to say goodbye as his mom, Inko Midoriya, had likely left hours ago, that is if she had come home at all the night before. It didn't bother Izuku, though. He locked the door without a second thought.The walk to school was uneventful at best. Izuku waved at passer-byers and offered a nod to an old married couple who were sat on a bench, and that was about it.Izuku was prepared for a long, boring day of school where all he did was write in his journal, but life was full of surprises.He felt a burst of excitement when his homeroom teacher suddenly said, "I'll be handing out printouts for you to fill out for your desired life-course." There was a pause. Probably for dramatic effect."What is this, some kind of Shounen anime?" The teacher continued, "But who am I kidding? You all want to be heroes, don't you!"The class absolutely erupted with excited exclamations. Izuku's smile widened. Yes, he did want to become a hero. Even though his chances were slim to none, he had to try. After all, having a hero licence would make it easier for him to get up close and personal to villains with extremely dangerous Quirks. Izuku positively shook in pleasure as he imagined being attacked by a fatal Quirk.Suddenly, a gruff, angry sounding voice broke out over top of the loud chattering, and Izuku shivered with glee for a different reason. Katsuki Bakugo. One of the school's best and brightest. His Quirk was extremely powerful, and the teen knew it. Yes, the boy was hot-headed, arrogant, and delightfully dangerous. Oh, and Izuku's former childhood friend. The blonde's Quirk was brilliant, and there wasn't a single day that went by that he didn't remind the class about it."Don't lump me in with everybody else, Sensei! You can't compare me to these weak-ass losers' Quirks. Mine's in a whole other ballgame!"Kacchan laughed as the class exploded with retorts."Ah, that's right. You're aiming for Yuuei High, aren't you Bakugo..." the teacher said, looking over sheets of paperwork.Katsuki hopped up onto a desk, beginning a mantra of goals he had, but before he could get too far, someone else cut in. "Didn't Midoriya wanna get into that school, too?"Kacchan froze and Izuku could feel the anger coming off him in waves. Izuku groaned inwardly. As much as Bakugo's tantrums amused and excited Izuku, he didn't fancy being yelled at everyday. Oh well.The class had started laughing at him and Katsuki destroyed his desk. Again. "Third time this week."Izuku let Bakugo run his mouth quietly. He adored Kacchan, but the boy was just so closeminded, it was exhausting sometimes.Izuku had to sit on the floor or the rest of the class period.~*~After class, Izuku had expected to leave without issue, but Katsuki always had been unpredictable."We're not done here, Deku." The blonde proceeded to yank Izuku's journal from his hands and blew it up before tossing it out the window. Izuku's permanent smile faltered. Anger welled up in his chest. How dare he. How dare he."Listen up, nerd. I'm the only one who's getting into Yuuei, understand? I'll be the first person from this dump to actually do something important with my life." Katsuki smiled dangerously. "So what I'm saying is, give up on Yuuei, before I make you. Got that?"Before leaving, the boy said over his shoulder, "If you wanna be a hero so bad, you should take a swandive off the roof, and pray you get a Quirk in the next life." He laughed, finally exiting.Izuku swallowed down his rage. It wouldn't do to get mad at his favorite person.Anyway, he had a notebook to go save from becoming fish food.~*~Izuku chose a different path than usual to get home that day. A little underpass that was virtually empty. He didn't know why he chose it. He supposed he just felt like a change of scenery.He froze at a clanking sound from behind him. The manhole cover.It burst suddenly, and an explosion of slime came from it. The green sludge had two red, beady eyes that fixed on Izuku's body almost immediately. The poor boy didn't stand a chance as the villain latched onto him, immediately going for Izuku's mouth, forcing its way into his throat.Izuku gagged at the taste, not listening to whatever the villain was prattling on about. All Izuku could think about was how he couldn't breathe. His normally logical mind had clouded over with a strange emotion. Fear, perhaps? It was the normal response to being assaulted, right?Izuku thrashed about, clawing at liquid desperately. His vision was fuzzy, and he could feel the slime reach his stomach, already sick of trying to force its way into his lungs. This was it. He was going to die. His vision was almost completely black now, covered in sparkly dots."At least," he thought, "I'm going out by the hands of a villain."And then, the world slipped from his view.
//unedited//
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Sensation came back to him first.He could feel jagged asphalt digging into his back, biting through his clothes. Not only that, but he felt a hand on his face. It was slapping him in a rapid fashion. Annoying. Izuku scrunched up his nose, peeling his eyes open. A blurry figure was crouched in front of him."Ah, thank goodness you're okay!"The figure, a man, came fully into focus, and Izuku nearly choked on his own spit. "Allmight!" Izuku's trademark grin could've split his face in half with how big it was. Other than that, the boy made no other indication of his excitement or surprise.Allmight looked slightly disheartened at the apparent lack of enthusiasm. The man coughed awkwardly when the boy said nothing. He stood fully and straightened his back. "Well, anyway! I must thank you, young man! With your help I successfully ensnared the villain!" Allmight held up a soda bottle filled with green slime. "Now, I'm off to deliver this perpetrator to the authorities. When we meet again, it'll be through a TV screen!"Izuku realized the man he had idolized for his entire life was about to leave. Izuku had so many questions, and this would probably be his only chance to ask him them! Not only that, but he had a few plans that could only come into fruition if he was in close proximity to the Number One Hero.The boy jumped up, starting towards Allmight. "Wait-" but it was too late. The man leaped into the air. "No!" Izuku thought, putting on a sudden burst of speed and grabbing onto the hero's leg.And then he was flying through the air. Izuku felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest as he tried to get a better hold on the hero. The boy was so close to the man, he could practically feel the power pulsing through Allmight's veins.But he couldn't dwell on that, as Allmight had started trying to pry the child off him."If I let go, I'll die!" Izuku shouted over the wind. Huh. That was the first full sentence he had said to his idol. Kinda underwhelming.The blonde haired man agreed and turned his attention outward, looking for a place to land.~*~Once on top of a skyscraper, Allmight made to leave again. But Izuku couldn't let him. He had a question he had been dying to ask."Allmight," the boy said, putting as much desperation in his voice as possible. The man turned around to tell the kid that he really couldn't stay- and froze.The way the young man was looking at him was chilling, for he'd never seen that look on a child's face before. A smile still graced the teen's lips, but it was taut and robotic. And his eyes held knowledge- knowledge no-one should possess."Allmight," Izuku said again, "Tell me, what is your actual Quirk?"It would've been such an innocent question, coming from anyone else's mouth, but- No. No, this little boy couldn't know the truth about his Quirk. Allmight had never even seen him before. Allmight shook his head, regaining composure."Why, it's superstrength of course!""Liar," Izuku wanted to say. "I know there's something more to it." But he couldn't. He decided to ask a different question instead."Oh." He stated simply. "We'll I have one more question, then. Do you think..." Izuku looked down at his shoes and let his smile slip a little; the epitome of a shy, awkward child. "Do you think that even a Quirkless person can be like you some day?""Kid-" Allmight was cut off with a cough and a sputter of blood.Izuku lifted and eyebrow as the hero was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of steam. And when the white vapor cleared, a small, skeletal man was standing where the tall, buff hero used to be.For once, Izuku was genuinely surprised. In fact, he even stumbled back a step or two. His mind went into overdrive."Interesting!" His inner voice screamed at him. "Interesting! Learn more! Find out more! Pick him apart and put him back together again!"Yes. His all time favorite hero had just become a lot more intriguing
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Izuku shivered at this new find. A shapeshifting Quirk, perhaps? No, no. Shapeshifting wouldn't come with the immense strength and speed Allmight had.Izuku clapped his hands together, willing himself to calm down. Allmight would explain some things, and then Izuku could go from there.The formerly muscular hero plopped down on the roof with a sigh."Listen, kid..."The man proceeded to explain why he was like how he is. About his wound and a mysterious fight that wasn't put on the air. Izuku was intrigued, at least at first. After a while, his thoughts started to drift. A villain powerful enough to injure Allmight this much when the hero was in his prime? Delectable sounding. The curly haired boy licked his lips subtly. "I would like to meet that person one day, I think.""In short, kid. No. You can't be a hero without a Quirk."Izuku's eye twitched. Of course he already knew that, but to hear it straight from the horse's mouth was... saddening. "Oh." He said simply.The hero carded a hand through his hair, opening his mouth to apologize. This time, an explosion from within the city interrupted him.Green slime had blasted into the air, and Izuku watched, fansinated as a burst of flame erupted as well.Allmight frantically searched his pockets, realizing only now that he had dropped the soda bottles. The hero cursed, running off down the stairs of the building. Izuku stayed where he was, though, and watched the thick smoke rise into the air. He lifted his face and inhaled deeply."Smells like Kacchan..."The boy smiled blissfully, rubbing his thighs together subtly, cheeks tinged pink. He blinked heavily, turning to the roof's door. "Better go see if he's alright," he hummed, making his way off the building.
~*~
The street was crowded with morbidly curious civilians. Izuku wondered idly if they got off to watching teenagers suffocate to death. Probably.Katsuki Bakugo was hopelessly ensnared in disgusting sludge. Of course he was putting up a valiant effort, but there was only so much one could do to someone almost made entirely of... water? It probably wasn't water, but the alternative made Izuku gag.Izuku frowned, looking around. None of the heroes were doing anything. And where was Allmight?Oh right. The timer on his Quirk was still at zero."Useless," a voice inside his head growled, "when it comes down to it, Allmight's Quirk is worthless."A more logical part of him disagreed, saying that the amount of people he had saved before way out numbered the people he didn't, statistically.But Izuku didn't care about statistics, not at that moment. He only cared that his Kacchan was being killed by a villain with an absolutely repulsive Quirk. Izuku would not stand for it.Suddenly, his feet were carrying him forward, past the barrier, and into the fray.Kacchan's red eyes flicked up to meet Izuku's when the black haired teen threw his backpack at the villain, momentarily freezing it.The champagne haired boy was struggling, Izuku could tell. His eyes were blown wide, pupils sheer pinpricks of black in his irises.Izuku jumped up as high as he could, reaching for the villain's obviously volatile eyes. A sick, open lipped grin lit his face as his palm came in contact with the squishy globe of one eyeball, hand squeezing it, but not yet completely destroying it.The villain screamed in agony, reaching out with slimey tendrils to trap Izuku as well. Thankfully, a familiar cry sounded at that moment. A triumphant "I AM HERE!" came from nowhere, and the man who produced it practically annihilated the sludge villain.And after a force of wind so strong that it changed the weather, Izuku found himself sitting on the road with a delicate, bloodshot orb resting in his hand, listening to professional heroes berate him for his foolishness.
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Last time on Obsession: Izuku got to chat with Allmight, but their little heart to heart was interrupted by the nefarious slime villain! Izuku rushes to save Katsuki's tail, and ends up with his first prize: the eyeball of a low-tier villain. ~*~*~*~*~Izuku stared at the drying orb in his hand as he walked down the street towards his apartment building. It was fascinating, even if it did come from a criminal with a less than desirable Quirk. It was weird, though, how none of the heroes had spared a glance at the eye when he just walked away from the crime scene with it. Was he really that unnoticeable?He swung the eye by its nearly translucent cord, making it go around in circles as he thought.Perhaps a plain appearance is useful. How much stuff could he get away with, being in the background? How much had he already gotten away with?He hummed, placing the eye in his still damp bag for safe keeping, continuing onward.He was only walking for five more minutes when a gust of wind and a whooshing sound stopped him in his tracks. There, seemingly from out of nowhere, was Allmight, who then promptly reverted into his tiny weakling figure."Young man!" He started out valiantly, "I have something to tell you!"Izuku blinked up at him, a vague expression of disinterest spreading over his freckled face."What you did today was very brave, Young Midoriya. Heroic even! And I wish so desperately that I could give my power to you. To have a hand in creating a new symbol of peace." The man clamped a spindly hand on Izuku's shoulder. Dark blue eyes searched the boy in front of him, all he got was a cold, blank intelligence. His frown deepened. To pass One For All onto a person like this... would not fair well, he thinks.Meanwhile, Izuku was sorting through what the hero had said and storing the information for later. "To give my power to you." It could've been a simple wistful sentence, but Izuku knew how to pick out a loaded statement when he heard one. But what exactly did it hint at?Allmight sighed. "Alas, my dear boy I think it would be better if you focused on other things. Cultivated your own uh... special talents. You can do great things, I'm sure. In your own way." The man rested a hand patronizingly on Izuku's head, ruffling greenish black curls as he walked past. "Have a nice night, Izuku Midoriya. Stay safe."Izuku was left standing alone, on a silent street, to fester in peace.
~*~
Inko Midoriya was home for a change. Izuku could tell by the sound of the clanking of pots and pans from the kitchen. She was making dinner for once. It made Izuku suspicious.The boy entered the kitchen silently, observing the woman at the oven. Inko had not aged as well as one might think. Her hair had become thin and stringy; premature streaks of white and grey lined her once silky black locks. Her eyes had a sunken in, haunted look to them and prominent crowsfeet had etched themselves into her skin. On top of all that, she was extremely thin, deathly so. His mom had never been the picture of health, but this.... This had only happened when his father bailed and she discovered her only legacy was a Quirkless weirdo."Mother," he greeted tonelessly.Inko didn't turn. "Welcome home, Izu. Did you have a good day?" A generic question that demanded an equally generic answer."It was fine. What's for dinner?""It's just rice tonight, I'm afraid. I was going to make fish as well, but we don't have the proper seasoning."Izuku was skeptical. "Uh-huh." He eyed his mom once again. "I'll be in my room."Izuku retreated as fast as possible. It always made him rather uncomfortable, being in the same room as the skeletal woman. Maybe it was the way she looked at him with thinly veiled contempt, only to speak to him in motherly tones. Maybe it was the way that everytime he ate her food, he was suddenly waking up the next morning with no memory of going to bed the night before.It was most likely both.Izuku sat at the desk in his room, unzipping his bag and taking out the miraculously still moist eyeball. He placed the thing carefully on the wooden surface, standing up and walking to the other side of the room and returning with a glass jar filled with liquid he swiped from the science room the month before.He lowered the eye by its cord into the jar slowly, until it was completely covered.The smile which had fell during the conversation with Allmight and that had stayed away when he spoke with his mom, returned full force when he placed the lid back on the container and admired his trophy.Focus on other things, Allmight had said. That left a lot of options open, Izuku thought as he turned the glass around. Yes. Izuku Midoriya had many different interests he could focus on."Izuku! Dinner's ready!"Izuku set down the eyeball-jar on a shelf on the way out of his room. The first thing he should focus on, was pretending to eat his mother's obviously drugged food. He did not want to spend the next school day sluggish and aching. Being tired always made him think less than pleasant things.
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When Izuku woke the next day, he was refreshed, and a little thrilled. That was good. It meant he didn't accidentally ingest his mother's food. The thrill came from remembering the little eye in the glass jar. The jar originally had the unborn fetus of a deer from America or something. Izuku had found the tiny, disproportioned body interesting, so he took it. Eventually, though, like most things, Izuku got bored with it, and the jar sat in his closet. Where the deer fetus was now, was unimportant. Pretend he gave it a nice funeral and buried it if you like.Izuku hopped out of bed, completing his morning rituals, and thinking of how he was going to integrate the little eye into his plans for the future. Despite what Allmight had said, Izuku was going to get into the hero program, even if it killed him.He plucked up the jar with a contemplative "hmm." He was going to have to do a lot of observing, he thought, an idea slowly forming in his mind. A lot of observing and collecting. He donned his smile and set the jar on his desk with a small clack. He scooped up his backpack, and left the apartment without checking to see if Inko was still home, because frankly, he didn't care. He had something much more important on his mind, and it was exciting him to no end.
~*~
At school, there was an influx of people talking about the slime attack. But mostly, they were talking about Kacchan. He scowled (yes, really) as he noticed a trio of girls had crowded around Kacchan (who looked annoyed, honestly), asking questions way too enthusiastically in Izuku's opinion. And that wasn't even the worst part. No, these girls were disgustingly plain, not only in their looks, but in their Quirks."Ooo! You can make waterdroplets float around your fingers, whoop dee fucking do." Izuku ranted silently.Those girls weren't worthy to be in the presence of such a great Quirk like Bakugo's. Revolting, really. He should put frogs in their lockers again.Izuku continued down the hall, deciding to ignore them for now. He had a plan to finish hatching.
~*~
Izuku rested his chin on one of his hands, narrowed eyes observing the way sweat beaded on Kacchan's brow even when he wasn't exerting himself. His thin hand sketched out a word on his notebook."Nitroglycerin"A flammable liquid that emits a strangely sweet smell.Izuku closed his eyes. Nitroglycerin is also said to have a nice taste. Kacchan would taste delicious.He shook his head quickly. He couldn't focus on that right now. He bent his head towards his paper, scribbling out the inner workings of his plan."Focus on other things."Focus on Katsuki's sweat; on the possibility of extracting slime from the eyeball; on lighting something on fire without anyone noticing.Focus on creating a hidden weapon for the U.A. entrance exams.
~*~
After school- after seeing Kacchan's popularity spike- Izuku was nervous for him. Sure, Kacchan thrived under some attention, but sooner or later it would get too much for the poor boy, Izuku was sure.So, he decided it would be one of those days. One of the days where he would follow behind Kacchan at a distance, you know, to make sure he got home safe. The incident the day before just reinforced the justification of watching Katsuki's every move.He walked slowly and deliberately, carefully placing his feet down as to not make crunching noises from the stray pebbles that ended up on the walkway. There were, thankfully, no incidents, and Izuku smiled contently when he heard the screamed greeting Kacchan gave to his mom.Izuku turned and began his own walk home, barely two blocks away from the Bakugo household.
~*~
The day of the entrance exams was edging closer, and Izuku had made immense progress on his weapon. He had finally made it past the blueprint stage, and was quickly approaching the end of the actual building part.For about a month he had been collecting metal pieces from the garbage dump and using money he took from Inko's account to buy a few necessary wires and a fruit juicer.The juicer was, of course, for the eye that he pulled out of the formaldehyde jar. It turned out that the orb was almost completely filled with the slime the criminal was made of, and it turned out that the sludge was very flammable, but didn't exactly burn. It would be perfect for a big bonfire, he thought absently as he welded more pieces of metal together.Long nights of testing and retesting finally payed off, and observing the final product, Izuku felt a swell of pride in himself that he hadn't felt in a long time.
He was getting into U.A. High.
~*~
Izuku felt a faint trill of anxiety in his chest as he approached the grand building that housed his hopes. The other students looking to get in were clumping together in groups. Maybe they had known each other before now.Izuku located Kacchan out of the corner of his eye. He was scowling, like always. But the contemplative look in his ruby eyes was different. Squinting at the expression, Izuku failed to notice the crack in the concrete that seemed to come from nowhere.The tip of his red sneaker hit the jagged blemish in the ground, and suddenly he was falling. Until he wasn't.He had squeezed both his eyes shut in anticipation for the impact, and when it didn't come, he pried open one lid cautiously. He was hovering dangerously close to the pavement."Sorry!" A feminine voice spoke from behind him, and suddenly he smacked the rest of the way into the ground."Oops! Heh, I guess I should've waited for you to get situated, huh? Again, I'm really sorry for using my Quirk without asking you, but I figured you wouldn't want a scratched up face right before the exam."Izuku sat up abruptly, causing the girl to flinch back from him before relaxing. He analyzed her closely for a second. Short, brown hair. Rosy cheeks. A wide, natural smile.She was cute, Izuku concluded. And she also had a gravitational Quirk, he figured.He adjusted his smile into a sheepish one. "Uh, yeah, thanks," he said, a bit awkwardly. He wasn't prepared to engage in conversation this particular day.She reached out her hand, offering help up. Izuku accepted solemnly."Welp," she said after a moment of silence when Izuku was on his feet, "Good luck on the exams!" She said, running off without introducing herself. Izuku figured he might have creeped her out, just a little, with his lack of small talk."Yeah. You too." Izuku whispered, continuing on.The assembly before the practical exam was alright. Izuku finally got to see Present Mic in real life, but the experience was dampened by an annoying guy out in the crowd who complained about the robots or something.Izuku had wished he would shut up so they could move on.Outside the exam area, however, held a completely different atmosphere.Hundreds of teenagers, psyching themselves up for the coming competition. The faint smell of gasoline in the air. Almost undetectable tremors wracked the ground as the machines roamed the premises.It was like a spark of chaos had lit the air on fire.Izuku rubbed the arm where his weapon was cleverly hidden. The flames of chaos...And suddenly, the gate that separated the controlled zone from the waiting area opened with a rumbling groan.Hell broke loose.The surge of potential students nearly carried Izuku off his feet as they all sprinted towards the entrance. Izuku, gaining his footing, ran after them.Inside the fake city, Izuku was almost overwhelmed by the amount of brilliant Quirks that were displayed. The annoying tall guy from earlier zipped around at incredible speeds; some other Quirk completely obliterated a 1-pointer bot.It was amazing.Izuku snapped himself out of his awe, realizing he had no points of his own.A sick smirk painted his freckled face as he stuck out his arm, feeling the steady thrum of heat that pulsed through the weapon. He took off, heading for one of the "villains" that held the most points.His heart was practically beating out of his chest in excitment as he came across it. Now was the time to see if it actually really worked.He activated the weapon. A stream of fire came from his arm, making its home of the robot. The slime Izuku had filled the weapon with stuck to the metal of the robot and seeped into the steel joints of the machine, and the fire went with it, burning the robot from the inside out.But Izuku didn't stick around to watch. He had more points to collect.
~*~
There was two minutes until the test ended when the 0-pointer appeared.People screamed, heading in the opposite direction of the thing, but Izuku froze when he heard a yelp.The brunette girl from earlier had gotten trapped underneath falling wreckage.Izuku felt a weird sort of glee, watching her struggle. Maybe it was from the image of her popping like a water balloon full of blood when the robot rolled over her. Yes, that could bring amusement.Unfortunately for Izuku, the girl did not get ran over. No. Annoying glasses guy sprinted in and saved the day.For a brief second, Izuku wondered if the guy had noticed the smile on Izuku's face. If he had, Izuku was going to have to work hard to gain his trust.Izuku turned and disappeared behind a building.
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A thin, blonde man walked down a hallway of U.A. high school. A hand swept over his face tiredly, focusing on not tripping over the oversized suit that he had to wear in case of... emergencies.He was on his way to watch potential students participate in exams. Honestly, he was a little thrilled. He could look for a successor..."Toshinori."The blonde man immediately stopped, turning to face the speaker. A grin lit up his face. "Aizawa! How can I help you?"A pale man stood in front of him, dark bags hanging under bloodshot eyes."No. Not really. I just wanted to inform you that we have an interesting batch of kids this year." Aizawa said with a distinct lack of passion, pulling a folder out from under his arm. "Says here that there's a Quirkless kid trying to get in. That or no one listed his actual Quirk. Should've never changed the rules; that kid's gonna be torn to pieces..."Toshinori muttered a vague agreement, though his mind was elsewhere. A Quirkless kid, huh?He shook his head. No way it could be that same one, could it?Toshinori shook his head, bringing himself out of his thoughts. Aizawa was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. The blonde man waved him off."Let's get down to the judges room, shall we?""Mm." was all that Aizawa responded with. Toshinori took it as a yes.
~*~
Toshinori couldn't help the gasp that came out of his mouth when he saw him. The little Quirkless kid who had run straight into the battle with the slime villain. Toshinori leaned forward on his seat, skeletal hands clutching the armrests of the chair. The kid obviously didn't take Toshinori's advice about being a hero in a different way. That kind of determination was good sometimes, but not when it put his life in danger."Look at that!" A little mouse-bear-creature-thing cried out in amazement. Principal Nedzu, of course. A small paw was out stretched in excitement, pointing to the greenish-black haired boy.A burst of flame had come from the boy's sleeve, destroying a robotic "villain" in seconds. Was that even allowed? Nedzu didn't seem upset by it. In fact, he seemed pleased."Wouldn't it be interesting to have a brilliant mind like his in the hero course." The intelligent animal mumbled to himself.It just worried Toshinori even more. Something about the boy made the man uneasy.~*~ There was barely a minute left in the exam when the 0-pointer was released.Toshinori watch with mild interest as most all students ran the other way. Except for three. The boy with the hollow eyes, another male potential student, and a crushed female examinee. He watched as both boys seemed to be assessing the situation. The blonde man grimaced as neither one did anything for a moment. Toshinori pressed a button, zooming the camera in on the scene. And for a split second, his eyes landed on the green eyed boy, whose mouth was split into what seemed like a grin. But before Toshinori could be sure... the cameras cut out.
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Izuku was lying in his bed on his back. It was the day after the entrance exam, and he was still waiting for the acceptance letter. He knew he was getting in. There was no way he couldn't. Principal Nedzu was a curious little thing, and Izuku was counting on just that. And plus, he had gotten enough points to appease any other judges. Izuku blinked as he heard a crash from the living room before ththe sound of pounding feet got close to his door. That would be his mother with the mail. He smirked, sitting up. There was a tentative knock on the door, completely opposite of the frantic noises from before. "I-Izuku, there's a letter here for you," came Inko's voice. "Slide it under the door, please," Izuku responded. His heart had started to pound. Excitement. Anticipation. And an arrogant feeling that he already knew the outcome. The sound of floorboards creaking reached him as Inko bent down to pass the letter under the crack between the floor and the door. "Thanks, Mom." Izuku's voice was breathless. He lifted the rather small, white envelope with a gentleness only comparable to a mother holding her newborn baby. His eyes had went round, displaying emotion that Izuku had thought had died out a long time ago. He went over to his desk, sitting down. His fingers trembled as he took hold of the corner of the envelope. He tore it open bit by bit, making sure the tear was in a straight line as to not disturb the contents, until finally, finally, it was open. His slim fingers entered the folds and took out a small, circular device. It hummed in his hand for a moment, before a screen of blue light opened up in front of him. 'A holographic letter', Izuku thought, excitement renewed. U.A., the most prestigious school for heroes. All Might was pictured there, his own permanent smile looking strained. "Midoriya, my boy! Did I surprise you?" 'Not really,' Izuku responded in his head. "Don't bother answering; this is a prerecorded message!" Izuku rolled his eyes. "I won't keep you waiting any longer, Midoriya! You did excellent on both your written and practical exam! And so I, and other teachers in the hero division, have came to a decision. You, Izuku Midoriya, have been accepted into the U.A. High School!" Izuku could've screamed right then and there, but he contained himself, settling for a simple wriggle of glee. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for since he was four. He couldn't wait to tell Kacchan.
~*~
Izuku was expecting to punch to his face, and he calmly took it in stride. "You-you DAMN NERD!" Katsuki roared. There was no point in telling him to keep it down or remind him that they were in a relatively public area. Things like that would just enrage him further. "You couldn't have gotten in! You cheated, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?!" Izuku didn't respond, simply looking up at him with dull green eyes. Katsuki screamed, palms igniting with bursts of fire. Izuku loved Kacchan's passion. His unbridled anger. His Quirk. Izuku loved Kacchan. He knew he did, as he watched the blonde rage in front of him. That was the only explanation to this feeling in his chest. "Aren't you proud of me, Kacchan?" Izuku asked, cutting off the other's raving. "I told you I would do it. Remember, Kacchan? I told you. I promised you, Kacchan." Katsuki glared, disgusted, at Izuku. It wasn't from the ominous way the greenette spoke, no. Katsuki was used to that. He was disgusted because this Quirkless freak really thought he would remember such a meaningless promise from years ago. "What the fuck ever, Deku." He growled. "Shove it up your ass." Anger sufficiently quelled for the moment, Katsuki turned and left. And yet, as the boy with ruby eyes slept that night, he dreamt of a time that seemed far away. Of a forgotten promise. And of a boy who's sparkling eyes had dulled into chips of moss-stained rock.
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"Hey, old lady!" His shrill, childish voice rang through the house, red eyes trained on the woman in front of him.
"Katsuki," His mother yelled, what did I tell you about respect?!" Her hand came down firmly, though not harshly, to smack the back of his head.
He scowled at her for a moment before opening his mouth. "'Zuku invited me to his house today, remember?"
Mitsuki hummed, turning back to the stove. "Yes, I do believe something like that did happen."
"
And
he said Ms. Midoriya would take us to the playground."
"Did he now?"
"Yes."
"And your point is...?"
"Ugh, Moooommmm...." Katsuki whined.
"Use your manners, squirt."
"Fine, damnit! Can we
please
go over to Izuku's place?"
"Maybe, after you do your chores."
The little child huffed, crossing his arms. "Fine-uh!" he grumbled in his squeaky voice, stomping out of the kitchen.
~*~
Izuku's apartment was small, in Katsuki's opinion, and he made sure Izuku knew it.
"When we become pro-heroes, you're gonna have to buy a new place," Katsuki stated, dragging Izuku by the hand as they readied to leave for the park.
Izuku agreed in his bland voice, a small smile on his face.
That was the thing about Izuku. He never disagreed with Katsuki, never had any opposing arguments with him, and to some degree, Katsuki liked it that way. But sometimes it was disconcerting, especially since Izuku even let Katsuki choose what kind of ice cream he got.
And sometimes, Katsuki got annoyed with him. He would yell at the smaller boy to make up his own mind, but that just seemed to make Izuku cling tighter.Katsuki zipped up his coat. Winter was on the horizon, and though it was hard for him to get cold, he didn't want to deal with old ladies nagging at him.
~*~
Katsuki's favorite place to bring Izuku was always the park.
At the park, Izuku's eyes seemed to brighten up, leaving the dull green space behind. Izuku's voice would actually fluctuate with emotion, and Katsuki felt at ease.
Until one day, Izuku came to school with even colder eyes than normal. Katsuki found out why when he announced he was Quirkless.
Katsuki stopped being friendly towards Izuku on that day, and contrary to what he and other people said, it wasn't because Izuku was without a Quirk. Katsuki wasn't that petty. No, Katsuki hated the way Izuku's eyes looked through everything. He hated the airy sound of his voice.
It stirred something in the little boy's chest. Some kind of distant subconscious fear that something wasn't right.
Izuku had become something to avoid.
~*~
Katsuki woke while the moon was still high. His mouth felt dry and gummy, and his sheets we're soaked in nitroglycerin. He sat up, wondering what had disturbed him. Blinking a few times he realized exactly what it was.He swung his legs over the edge of his bed, wandering to the window.It was open just a crack. Barely enough to stir the curtains. He opened it quickly, sticking his head out, with his eyes narrowed.In the distance there was a silhouette of a figure disappearing around a corner.
~*~
Panting softly, Izuku Midoriya slumped against an alley wall and pulled down his hood.It was a close call. Katsuki was such a light sleeper.Izuku pulled a pair of boxers out of his hoodie pocket, smile wide, pupils blown wide. He oh so wanted to smell them, but that would just make the scent fade faster.For now, Izuku just admired them before turning down the alley and heading home.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku felt pride wash through him as he finished nailing a board in place. He had spent the last week or so, before school started up, building display shelves in the back of his closet.
There wasn't much on it. Just Kacchan's... pants... and the, now torn up and kind of stringy, eyeball. But he knew he would expand it. Eventually.And now, the most prestigious high school for heroes in all of Japan awaited him for tomorrow.Izuku stretched his arm behind his head and wandered out of his room towards the living room."I know he's my son, but you don't understand."Izuku froze at the sound of his mother's voice. She wasn't supposed to be home tonight. At least not this early. It was only 9."That boy terrifies me, Maiyuu. It's his eyes! You would know if you saw them. They look like his. That fucking psychopath."Izuku grimaced, knowing who they were talking about. He turned on his heel, deciding to retreat back to his room. Nothing interesting was scheduled on TV that night anyway. And he didn't need to hear anymore of his mother's pathetic blithering.He didn't want his mood soured before the big day.He shut his door and locked it.
~*~
The sky was cloudless, as it should be for an occasion such as this. Izuku inhaled through his nose, catching the sour smell of car fumes as well as the smell of coffee beans as he passed a small cafe.Izuku's usual grin softened into a smaller smile. After all, this was the day he had been working towards for a long time. His contentment was long overdue.The walk to the school was short and otherwise not very notable. But the school itself was just as amazing as he remembered it.The hallways were near empty, as most students had found their home rooms already, and the rubber soles of Izuku's shoes squeaked and echoed.He continued at a leisurely pace until he reached a door with "1-A" printed on it in bold letters. Izuku took in the sheer height of the door and shrugged. It was probably to accommodate students with mutation Quirks.Izuku took a breath and straightened his shoulders, and walked in. Silence. There was no one in the room. The lights were turned off. Strange. He could've sworn he had heard muffled voices before.The corners of Izuku's mouth turned down. Had he stumbled into the wrong classroom? He looked at the sheet of paper in his hand.
1-A
Nope. He was definitely in the right room. He must've been hearing things.He turned on the lights and cautiously approached a desk and sat down. His eye twitched.The lights flickered, and then-Noise. Sound and students suddenly popped into existence like they had always been there.Izuku started. His hands clenched themselves into fists.Oh god.Did he eat Inko's food again?Izuku's heart thudded in his chest and his eyes flickered over the scene in front of him.What was happening?He took a deep breath and held it, attempting to slow his heart rate. He hadn't felt this out of control in... ever. He had experienced emotion, but he hadn't felt it this fiercely before. And for what, a couple of random teenagers appearing out of midair?Izuku loosened his fists, tapping fingers on the surface of his desk. His breathing slowed, and suddenly he was in control of himself again.He could finally tune in on what his new classmates were doing.Brushing away any lingering feelings, he scanned the other student's faces. There was the guy with blue-ish hair and glasses from the exam. He was frantically waving his arms up and down and berating Kacchan- Izuku took a moment to stare dreamily at the side of his face before moving on to the next person.There didn't seem to be anyone particularly standout in the room. Izuku snorted. But then again, not all of them had a mutation Quirk, so it would be hard to tell. But as his eyes raked over the appearance of the others, they briefly snagged on a stoic looking boy with duel colored hair and heterochromatic eyes.Izuku felt a thud in his chest and his tongue slid over his chapped lips.Interesting.
~*~
They were out on the field, testing Quirks and such. Izuku was having a field day, even though he was quickly falling behind and the threat of being booted from the class loomed ahead.Izuku wasn't worried much. He had seen the way Aizawa-sensei looked at him. That man was intrigued, and Izuku knew there was no way he was actually going to expel him. All Izuku had to do was keep the Pro Hero interested, so he put on a face of unadulterated, childlike determination, and pushed himself harder than he had before, using his "tool" whenever it was appropriate.And as an added bonus, he got to see a lot of his classmate's Quirks in action.And the amount of effort Kacchan was putting in was so delicious, Izuku could taste it.Yet the duel haired boy somehow remained elusive, staying out of Izuku's radar.It was... disappointing.
~*~
In the end, Izuku came in last. It was appalling to him, since there was a small purple thing that didn't seem too adept at... Anything, really.Izuku shrugged it off, though. Because he was right. Aizawa did not boot him off.For someone said to be mysterious, Mr. Eraser-Head wasn't very difficult to read.And Izuku walked home satisfied, ignoring Katsuki's enraged shouting for being able to make it into the school.Ignoring the way the edges of his vision seemed to swirl and flicker.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
~*~
Izuku squinted his eyes, peering deep into his bathroom mirror. He tilted his head side to side, maintaining eye contact with his reflection. The pupils weren't dilated, and neither were they sheer pinpricks.Izuku wasn't drugged, as far as he could tell. So why was there a twisting shadow figure in the corner of his bedroom?Izuku ran a hand through his curls before straightening up and exiting the bathroom. He softly entered his own room, keeping his eyes trained on the dark shape in the corner. It hadn't moved in the minutes that Izuku was gone.The longer Izuku stared at the thing, the more blurry the edges of his vision got, so he tore his eyes away and sat at his desk. The figure remained a silent feature in his room as he completed his homework. Eventually, Izuku stopped paying any attention to it, figuring that if it was going to do something, it would've done it by now. Instead, he turned on his computer, intent on looking up his class roster.Intelligent eyes flicked over the UA website. Of course there would be no public roster. Privacy issues and all that. Even public schools had enough decency not to put the names of their students on display.Izuku would have to go deeper. As in, log in as one of the teachers. That feat happened to be disappointingly easy. The security of the school was so flimsy, Izuku smiled to himself.Opening the search bar, he typed "Class 1-A" and scrolled through the teens listed. He ignored most of the pictures that popped up, although he did linger on Kacchan's profile for a bit; but Kacchan wasn't who he was looking for. Earlier that day, Izuku hadn't caught the name of the elusive white and red headed boy and Izuku's curiosity was clawing at him. His need to discover was choking him- burning his throat.There, close to the bottom of the listing, was the one he was there for. He clicked on the picture, opening the student profile.Shouto Todoroki. Age: fifteen.Izuku scrolled down farther, muttering to himself. "Ah... So he got in on recommendations, hmm. His father is... Endeavour?"Izuku swallowed. Endeavour was second only to All Might himself. Adrenaline spiked within Izuku. He had to know this... Todoroki's Quirk.His eyes scanned all over the page before landing on it.Quirk: Half-Cold, Half-Hot.Izuku screwed up his nose. What a stupid thing to call a Quirk. He hoped the description was better.Oh, it was.Two Quirks. Two extremes on either side of his body. Ice and fire!Izuku rested his chin on his hand, swiping his tongue over his teeth. What a beautiful specimen. He bet Endeavour had participated in a Quirk marriage. An archaic and primitive method to be sure, but it seems like this time it wielded results. Izuku wondered how many times Endeavour had tried before getting what he wanted.Silly man. If he had enough time on his hands to do this, he could've just spent it on discovering a way to get two Quirks at once.Izuku closed out of the site and spun in his chair, still actively ignoring the whatever-it-was in the corner.He stood, wandering over to his bed and laying down. He stretched his arms above his head, eyes half lidded.Tomorrow he would approach Todoroki, he thought. It didn't matter that his way of starting conversations was unconventional at best. He had to become acquainted with the boy before anyone else could. He curled up onto his side, mind made up.And in the silence, right before he drifted to sleep, he swore he could hear something breathing.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I have no good excuse for why my updates are taking so long.I had a good thing going for a while, but like with most of my stories, I'm going through a creative dry spell.I know exactly where I want this story to go, but the steps I have to take to get there are feeling more and more difficult.But I hate leaving you guys out to dry while I'm dealing with my own problems from being an undisciplined teenager.SO! I propose a fun little thing to do while I struggle through writing this coming chapter.First off, a Q&A!! I will be taking questions from here and my Wattpad account for any of these characters (including myself):Izuku Midoriya Katsuki Bakugo Shouta Aizawa Toshinori Yagi (Sorry, Todoroki isn't available yet, since he hasn't played that much of a part yet-)I will answer any question that I consider to not be a spoiler. Please put your questions in this chapter only! NEXT UP: An art competition! Compete with your fellow readers to make a banging "cover" for this story, or just some killer fanart!Traditional art, edits, and digital art is accepted. Art may be uncolored if it is shaded. Please provide proof that it is your art by taking a picture of/screenshotting the WIP, as well as signing your username on it. And for those who decide to make edits, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Don't make me regret it.Places to submit: This is going to be very biased towards people who have Tumblr/are willing to make an account for this sole purpose. Because I don't know how to insert pictures on here, you're going to have to tag me to a post so I can put a link to it on here. Sorry mi familia. Instagram works too actually. Just tag meTumblr:saltinesy-spoonsInsta: saltiestspoonIf, however, you have a wattpad, visit my account (same username) and participate in that portion of the competition. (everyone: Please classify if you're ao3 in the post)
∆First Place Prize
Your *hero* OC featured in a chapter later on in the book and a one shot mha prompt of your choosing will be made! ∆Second Place Prize Your OC gets a few scenes and lines later on in the book
∆And then there will be a few honorable mentions that get their art featured, too.
CLOSING DATES FOR BOTH THE Q&A AND THE COMPETITION WILL BE: April 19th, because by then, the new chapter will definitely be done.Until then my... Um... *insert cute pet name for fans here*! ° ͜ʖ ͡ – ✧
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Izuku felt a rush of disappointment when he wasn't paired with Kacchan for their second hero lesson, but that soon faded as Izuku got to watch Kacchan close up.
And by close up, Izuku meant by almost getting his face blown up. Thankfully, Kacchan backed off when Allmight said to, and regrouped with glasses guy to fend off that one girl who almost got crushed by the giant robot. Yuroraka or something like that.
Izuku didn't really care to remember most of the people in his class names. Perhaps Kacchan had rubbed off on him in a less exciting way than Izuku wished.
Anyway, Izuku's team did not win the Heroes vs Villains lesson, but that was fine. Besides, Todoroki Shoto was up pretty soon, and Izuku was dying to see his Quirk in action.
Wide green eyes watched the screen unerringly as the boy of fire and ice stepped up to the building and-
Froze it. The entire thing.
"Brilliant," Izuku breathed. It happened so fast that no time was lost. The world glitched around him as his grin became manic.
If only he had used flames.
~*~
Later, Izuku watched Todoroki from afar, feeling a little like he was betraying Kacchan.
But he wasn't, Izuku told himself vehemently. Izuku could love two at once, couldn't he? The pounding in his chest when Todoroki was around seemed to agree with him.
Izuku watched Todoroki gather up his things to leave, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. And with a quick push of a button, the first picture in the Todo Album was created.
Izuku hummed, feeling light. He'll map Todoroki's path home some other time. For now, Izuku needed to watch over his Kacchan, who seemed to radiate distress since the lesson.
For now, Kacchan was priority.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Weeks had passed since the shadowy figure had appeared in Izuku's room. Now it thrummed with a strange aura that seemed to energize Izuku. The boy thought it whispered to him sometimes, but the words were never comprehensible.He had also made very little progress in approaching Todoroki. Of course, mapping his pathway home was easy, even if some days he took a detour to stand outside a hospital for a few minutes. They way his eyes got all clouded and stormy made Izuku's knees go wobbly and jello-like.Todoroki-watching had made Izuku aware of the differences in his two lovelies. While Katsuki's attractiveness appeared in his firey (accidental pun, oops) disposition and his unbridled outward passion for becoming the best- Todoroki's ferocity was quiet. He struck silently, prefering efficiency over needless words.They were both so different, and yet they both made Izuku salivate. And that was just without their Quirks!Powerful Quirks. Quirks that someone would kill for.Not that Izuku would let that happen, of course.
~*~
The class was going on a field trip for their next lesson.Izuku trailed after them all, ignoring the kid with the glasses as he frantically ordered them on the bus. Todoroki's eyes were distant, as always, Izuku noted. Swiveling his head, he watched Kacchan scowl at a red-headed boy with sharp teeth. Izuku absently remembered his Quirk had something to do with hardening.By now, Izuku had an entire section in his notebook dedicated to jotting down his classmates Quirks, as well as their physical descriptions. Perhaps he should put thought into learning their names. Categorizing them would be easier.The class piled into the bus, all of them chatting excitedly. Except for Todoroki, however, who meerly closed his eyes and leaned back.Izuku's cheeks felt warm. He'd never seen Todoroki's neck so exposed before.The ride was boring, although Kacchan did end up getting teased a bit, which Izuku most certainly did not approve of.The building they were supposed to have their lesson in was aptly called the USJ. The name was slightly amusing, but what really caught the greenette's attention, was the new instructor.The space hero: Thirteen. Their Quirk? Black Hole.Izuku's smile felt painful on his face as it stretched wider.Thirteen's Quirk was very powerful, even though hardly anyone talked about them since they were primarily rescue based.Izuku felt his machine rub against his arm as Thirteen began explaining each of the disaster zones. He wondered just how much use it would be in a situation like this. Adjustments would need to be made. He was due for an upgrade...He was soon pulled from his thoughts as he realized his classmates were gasping in surprise. He lifted his head, puzzled for a moment, until he saw it. A massive amount of purple mist had materialized in the center of the building, much to even the instructors' surprise."Is this part of the lesson?" one of his classmates asked as people began pouring out through the rift.Izuku scowled, reacting without thinking. "Does it look like that, idiot-" he began before clamping his mouth shut again. Thankfully, his outburst went unnoticed as all hell broke loose. Here's some fanart by a Wattpad viewer!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The stream of villains seemed endless as they poured out from the fog, and as his classmates talked and panicked behind him, Izuku felt a surge through his body. A pounding in his veins as blood rushed to his head.The voices of his classmates rang in the back of his head, and he hardly noticed the advancement of the purple mist. He had zeroed in on the villain who seemed to be the ringleader.A thin man, covered in disembodied hands.'I wonder what his Quirk is,' he thought to himself. Then, 'Those hands would look great in my collection!'And so all caution was thrown out the window. He completely disregarded the confused shout from both 13 and the mysterious mist man as he ran past them both, jumping into the fray.With a sick smile still plastered on his face, he avoided the other villains- the foot soldiers, if you will- by either dodging them or eradicating them with his flame thrower. It was kind of pathetic, really. How they were no match for a fifteen year old with a toy.He laughed as he neared his target. He was so close-And then:"Umph!"Izuku was stopped in his tracks as a large hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him into the air as easily as one lifts a sheet of paper.Izuku's smile fell off his face as a flash of panic sliced through him. His hands scrabbled for purchase on corded knuckles, feet dangling uselessly in the air as he was hoisted up, and up, and up- until he was face to face with a thing.It was repulsive. An exposed brain and a horrific beak. Its eyes were blank, lacking any intelligence, and Izuku knew that it wasn't a person with a mutation Quirk.This creature was an abomination.The panic abated as Izuku observed it with curiosity.
How was it made?
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"Izuku's eyes left the face of the monster to refocus on the reason he had jumped down away from the door in the first place. The man had had a scratchy voice, and up close Izuku could see angry looking red marks on his neck. Someone has problems...The villain appraised him for a moment before tilting his head."Do you have a death wish, little boy?"Izuku just smirked at him. It was just about all he could do, considering he seemed to be running out of air. Now that he was thinking about it, his fingers and toes seemed oddly tingly.The man snapped his fingers and suddenly, Izuku was falling. He landed in a gasping heap as the man chuckled menacingly. He felt bony fingers in his hair as his head was forcefully yanked up. The man's only visible red eye searched Izuku's own green for a good ten seconds. Chapped lips formed a smile."I am Shigaraki Tomura," he rasped criptically, before straightening quickly. "Noumu!" he shouted, urging his monstrosity to move.Ah. So Mr. Aizawa had finally reached them....The speed of Aizawa's defeat was impressive, really."You know," Shigaraki strolled over to Aizawa's prone figure, squatting next to him, "It really disappoints me, how all other heroes pale in comparison to Allmight." He reached out slowly, cupping Eraser Head's cheek. "So pathetic."Izuku watched in awed silence as Aizawa's skin grayed and flaked off around Shigaraki's hand.Intriguing.Izuku got to his feet, seeing a chance as all three were distracted.He still needed an item for his collection. He quietly padded behind the villains, taking advantage of Shigaraki's long winded monologue that he was enlightening Eraser Head with.Smile back in place, Izuku planted a foot on Shigaraki's back, gripping an oversized gray hand tightly, before pulling with all his might."What-" Shigaraki gasped, reeling away from Aizawa's face, whose cheek was reduced to pieces of muscle issue and parts of his jaw bone. He seemed to have passed out awhile ago.The hand had came relatively easily with that one pull, and Izuku stumbled backward, giggling."Oh, Shigaki-chan! You shouldn't have," he mocked, hugging the hand to his chest.Shigaraki growled, hand going up to scratch agitatedly at his neck. "Noumu-" his hissed command was cut off by an explosion of dust."Do not fear," a voice spoke from the cloud of dirt, low and commanding. "For I am here!"Shigaraki spun around. "Allmight."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku watched in awe as the number one hero buried his fist in the monstrosity's gut over and over again, and relished Shigaraki's sounds of distress."Young Midoriya!" Allmight called out, "Please, get yourself to safety!"Izuku squirmed in place. On one hand, standing this close to an all out brawl between two powerhouses was a recipe for getting accidentally annihilated. On the other hand, this was a once in a lifetime experience.Oh, if only he had brought his camera!Eventually, Izuku nodded, resigning to falling back towards his other classmates.The other students were looking at him oddly as he approached the haggard group."Midoriya," a voice said from behind him.
Todoroki...
Izuku turned around, face on fire. "Y-yes?""Why do you have that." The question was phrased like a statement as Todoroki gestured to the giant severed hand Izuku was clutching.Shit."Oh, uh, I- ah-""LOOK OUT!"Izuku blinked, noticing the portal that had opened behind Todoroki. A pale, knarled hand reached out, close to touching his Shoto's face.Izuku pushed Todoroki out of the way, reaching out and grabbing Shigaraki's wrist. It made a creaking noise as Izuku squeezed, and then-Fire.Bursts of flame shot out of Izuku's most successful and useful inventions, scorching Shigaraki's hand into a charred husk. Izuku let go before his own hand could get caught in the flames.Izuku stepped back as the portal closed, glancing back at his classmates and Todoroki. Shock and disgust adorned all their faces. So Izuku did the only thing he could think of.Turn on the waterworks.Izuku's lower lip trembled as his eyes filled with tears."Oh my god," he sobbed out, looking at his hand as if it was some kind of foreign entity.A glance back at his classmates showed that their faces had softened. Each of them looked at him with tentative empathy.All of them except Kacchan, who had made his way over at some point."What the fuck are we all just standin around here for?"That seemed to jump start everyone into reacting to the still on-going chaos around them, and Izuku, the hand, and the fire were seemingly forgotten.
~*~
The other pro-heros showed up to drive off the remains of the League of Villains.The day was saved. Now, Izuku just had to somehow keep the police from confiscating the hand....
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku gripped the giant grey hand like it was a part of his body. He drew no attention to it, acting as if it was normal for a fifteen year old to be toting around a huge severed hand.Thankfully, the police had bigger things to focus on aside from him.Well, most of them, anyway.The hairs on the back of Izuku's neck stood on end and a feeling of unease filled him. Someone was watching him. He tilted his head, eyes sliding to the side and catching on one figure. A tall, dark haired detective.Izuku's mouth, which had fell into a more neutral position after the attack, pulled into a grin so wide that it made his cheeks twinge uncomfortably.When the cop's eyes widened with some emotion Izuku couldn't pinpoint, the boy closed his mouth and offered up a sweeter, softer smile and continued on his way.He felt strangely delighted at the look the detective gave him. A look that Kacchan had given him years ago, but different. There was no desire to keep the detective like he wishes to with Kacchan. No. The detective just didn't strike the right chords.Izuku practically skipped off to his next destination: the back end of an ambulance where Kacchan was loudly arguing against having any lingering shock, and, off to the side, stood Todoroki. Both his favorite people.Soon, his mind whispered, soon they would both look at him with that sweeter-than-honey look. They would look at him, and see him, and be his to keep.
~*~
Naomasa watched the boy as he went to go join his classmates near a parked ambulance.There was something unnerving- almost sinister about him. Naomasa could safely say that a child had never struck fear into his heart like this one. That smile, so entirely empty and meaningless, yet somehow predatory gave him chills. And not in a good way.And the hand the kid somehow got past the other police- it didn't look like part of a costume. He wasn't even wearing a costume, just his gym uniform.Naomasa made a mental note to keep an eye on the child. Check up on his records, discuss things with teachers and parents. The kid could be a wild card.Or, another part of his mind chimed in, he could just be a normal kid. Plenty of Quirk users looked odd or gave off a strange aura. Don't jump to conclusions.Naomasa let out a heavy sigh. Maybe he should bounce his theories off someone who wasn't himself. He glanced to where Toshinori had left the building unnoticed.Some advice from an old friend.
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Izuku flopped on his bed, lifting his new prize into the air above his face.The fingers of the hand were limp, hopelessly grasping towards nothing. Izuku wiggled it a bit, giggling inanely as it flopped to-and-fro.Finally, he turned the wrist to his face, scanning the strange plug-in slots with a critical eye. What were they? What purpose did they serve?He pulled on the metallic bits, but they didn't budge. He frowned and sat up with a disappointed sigh. He trudged over to his closet, somewhat dejected, and pulled it open.Izuku posed the hand delicately next to the mangled remains of the eye.His frown deepened at his meager collection. It was so slow going, and he had hardly anything to show for it. His hands clenched at his sides before he shook them out with vigor and turned away from the closet.
Izuku sat heavily on his desk chair, dragging a brand-new notebook in front of him and pulling out a Sharpie. With a diligent hand, he carefully spelled out each kanji with a clinical stiffness.
The
Quirk Collection Program
A grin split across his face once more as he looked at the title with satisfaction. A detailed plan was what he was missing.
The
shadow in the corner purred.
He was startled out of his reverie by his mother's shrill voice, calling him to dinner.
He patted the notebook and stood up, slinking out of his room and into the kitchen.
The air surrounding his mother was even more tense than usual and she merely gestured with a stiff hand at the table, not turning from where she was hunched over the oven.
A strange feeling twisted in Izuku's stomach as he sat down. Something was going to happen. He felt jittery.
It was just his luck that he chose the chair facing away from his mother. His only warning was the creak of the floorboards before he was throwing himself out of the way of a sharpened knife blade.
He stared at his mom who was prying the knife out of the table.He felt light-headed."What is this..." Izuku mumbled as Inko finally freed her weapon from the table.Her sunken in eyes were crazed as she lunged for him again. He stepped out of the way again."You ruined my life!" the woman screeched as she slashed at him, Izuku dodging out of the way each time.He was confused. What was one supposed to do in situations such as these. The woman was still screaming at him while he puzzled it out.I guess the most logical thing to do would be fighting back, he thought as he backed into the counter, grabbing whatever utensil his hand knocked into.He came away with a fork. Not the most efficient, but good enough.He dodged another blow and saw an opening.For a split second, he considered what he was about to do. This woman had given him life, had cooked for him, and raised him- albeit poorly. Sure, she was trying to kill him, but she was his mother.He sighed. Oh well.Without wasting anymore time, he struck out as quickly as possible. His aim was true as the prongs of the fork forced their way into her neck.Izuku felt that if he could listen well enough, he would be able to hear the individual tissues snap and give way.With a tug of his arm, he tore the fork back to his side. What followed were spurts of blood that seemed timed to the beat of Izuku's own heartbeat.The coppery liquid sprayed across his face and clothes before his mother fell to the floor.Wide-eyed, he peered down at the freshly made corpse. His mother's eyes stared back, accusing.Izuku dropped the fork, hands shaking from left over adrenaline (excitement?).His lips twitched and a bark of laughter forced its way out of him.He'd never felt anything like this before.Soon giggles spilled from his lips, loud and uncontrollable.This was a different kind of high- something incredibly new and separate from what he felt when looking at Kacchan or Todoroki. He felt energized.He felt... powerful.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku didn't bother moving his mother's body from its spot on the kitchen floor. Instead, he stumbled over it, taking unsteady steps back to his bedroom.What he had just done was something that had never truly occurred to him to ever do. He'd taken things apart before, but he'd never thought about breaking them.The air in his room was dark and oppressive; sticky black ink staining his lungs. The shadow was everywhere now, coiling around him with silk tenticals; seeping into his skin and rotting his brain.
Rotting?
Was that really the right word for it? It felt more invigorating than that, like forcing ecstasy straight into his nervous system. Was it really right to call that rot?Laughter escaped him. Of course not. This felt too good to be decay.He wobbled over to his desk, slumping in the chair, uncaring of the mess of blood he left behind as he opened his most recent journal. For a moment he thought, tapping the end of his pencil against his mouth.Then, he started to write.The original plan, observing and obtaining small souvenirs from random villain encounters, was slow and short-sighted. People have always said "good things come to those who wait", but sometimes, it's better to take the initiative. After all, I've been waiting fifteen years of my miserable life and I still haven't got what I want. Whoever it was to make up that moral was probably boring and slow, so they made something up to make them feel better about their pathetic existence. Taking it slow is cowardly, it is better to just take. But I can't just go in unprepared. No. My first action will be to take the nobodies. The ones who have no one who will miss them. The ones whose bodies could be found in a ditch and the police will chock it up to overdose.Izuku grinned, sticking a bloodied finger in his mouthI will take from the dirtiest slums, the murkiest sewers, and make my way up until I finally have them. But they won't be treated like the others- of course not. They are much too special. I will make them mine, keep them, and never let go again. I wonder if they will struggle at first. If they will reject my affections? But they will learn. I will teach them that I mean them no harm. I merely wish to preserve them. They are very special indeed. But why, if they are so special, why keep them to myself?Drying blood flaked off his clothes and fluttered onto the page like cherry blossoms.
The answer
to
that question is simple. The world does
not
deserve to witness such beauty.
Izuku stood, suddenly angry. He closed the notebook with a ferocity he didn't know he possessed. He stomped out of his room and into the bathroom, pulling off bloodied clothes as he went.Stepping into the shower, he vigorously scrubbed at his skin and hair.His plan, barely realized and newly conceived, was to start effective immediately.The tangled curls of his hair caught in the cracks of his unkempt fingernails.Streams of pink swirled down the drain.The time for action...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Naomasa scrubbed a hand over his face as he listened to the news. It was broadcasting the latest of a string of murders among small time villains."Some are concluding the murders are the work of a new serial killer, others figure a powerful vigilante has stepped up to the plate-"Naomasa muted the television, leaning back in his chair. This was not the work of some trigger happy vigilante. The murders seemed random, but each followed a pattern.Missing body parts.Each corpse was missing a body part that had an integral purpose in the individual's usage of their Quirk.A villain known for blasting water jets out of her hands at a high velocity had gotten both hands removed- the cut was clean, the skin left on her arms smooth. Another villain used his hair like another arm. He was found at the murder scene scalped, the top of his skull exposed and free of blood.The killer not only stole the parts, but left the scene free of blood, no matter how beaten up the bodies were.It was like the killer didn't feel a sense of urgency, cleaning up after itself thoroughly.Theories jumped around in Naomasa's head. Maybe the killer had a separate location that it used to actually commit the crime and then just delivered the body after it was done?That would explain how no particularly damning evidence had cropped up yet.A long, suffering sigh escaped his lips.
~*~
Izuku had made a... miscalculation. His greed was too strong and all encompassing.He'd been careless, blatantly stealing body parts that one could easily realize were important to the person's quirk. But it had been so tempting...His collection was growing at a rapid pace; so what if he had deviated from his plan?This could be seen as a good thing, anyway. The police expected to go after villains- they won't see it coming when he eventually works his way up the list.Maybe he'll steal some unwitting hero student's Quirk- Not Kacchan's or Todoroki's though, not yet. Maybe he'd even go for a third year, someone just getting into actual hero work.Izuku opened the school's records, an idea forming in his head.His fingers flew across the keyboard.
The Big Three. Mirio Togata, Tamaki Amajiki, and Nejire Hado.
Izuku grinned. .... After school, Izuku lingered at the gate. Todo-chan and Kacchan had both left already, and it had really hurt Izuku's heart to see them leave without anyone watching their backs. But alas, Izuku had some business to take care of.Izuku wasn't stupid- he knew it, his teachers knew it, his mother had known it- there was no doubt in his mind that taking out any of the Three would be difficult. Almost impossible for a first year student like Izuku, who technically didn't even have a Quirk. But it was fine. He had something in the works that would make taking down those with powers much easier.He had just been sneaking up behind his victims and stabbing them, which was honestly neither the safest nor most sensible way of collecting Quirks in the slightest. No, what he had been experimenting with would make his goals much easier to reach.It was a Quirk suppressant and tranquilizer. However, there were some things he needed to tweak to get it to work properly. It was more like a fast-acting poison than anything, and the Quirk suppressant part couldn't be observed until Izuku figured out how to stop it from killing his guinea pigs. It was frustrating, but still immensely thrilling as he progressed toward his goals. Anyway, at that moment, he was waiting for a certain member of the Big Three to exit the school. He figured he could start on his Big Project while he waited to perfect his tranquilizer.The target in question was a young woman. She was considered kind and welcoming- despite her blunt way of speaking- and she was well liked. She was also very powerful. But it was fine. Nejire Hado would be the perfect way to infiltrate the Big Three.Mirio was kind, sure, but Izuku figured he could be cautious and secretive when it came to important business. And there was no way Izuku would be able to befriend Tamaki on his own.Yes, Nejire was his best bet.The girl stayed at the school later than the other students, making it incredibly easy for Izuku to approach her as she came out of the building. She walked with a purpose that made her look big despite her stature. Conversely, Izuku hunched in on himself, approaching her with practised hesitancy."Are you... Nejire Hado?" he asked, as he intercepted her path. He wrung his hands together, looking down at the pavement before looking up to meet her blue eyes.The girl looked at him with her head cocked for a moment, before her face lit up into a smile."That's me!" she chirped. Her eyes flicked up and down, taking in Izuku's appearance. "And you are...?"Izuku blinked. "Oh! Uh, I-Izuku Midoriya!" he gave her an aborted bow."Well, Midoriya, it's nice to meet you! What can I do for ya?""Um, well..." Izuku glanced off to the side. "I'm doing a paper on influential Quirk users, and I figured why not do it on our own school's Big Three!" Izuku offered Nejire a closed lipped smile, eyes gleaming and hopeful.Nejire hesitated for only a moment before clapping her hands together. "That sounds awesome!" she exclaimed, "I'm so flattered that you would even think of us.""Why wouldn't I? I've always looked up to you guys..." Izuku mumbled the last bit and rubbed the back of his neck."Well shoot, how could we deny a fan? I'll let the boys know, and we'll schedule a get together! Does that sound good?"Izuku's grin could've split his face in half as he nodded his head. "That's great!""Here," Nejire started, rooting around in her uniform pocket and taking out a pen. She grabbed Izuku's arm and turned it until his palm was in the air, scribbling something on it. "We'll be in touch, okay?"Izuku stared at the number on his hand and nodded."Well! See you around, Midoriya!"Izuku watched her leave with a sense of satisfaction. The brief encounter had been exceedingly rewarding. His heart beat weirdly in his chest. This was so exciting.