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Chapter Text

Two months after Izuku is announced quirkless they move. Well, technically he was diagnosed , but everytime he was told he was ‘diagnosed quirkless’ he feels as if he was told he was sick. 

And he wasn’t sick! He was just quirkless! He may not have had what 98% of the population had, but he wasn’t sick .

So… no. Izuku wasn’t diagnosed quirkless- he was just announced quirkless. There’s a difference, he swears. 

He swears that when he comforts his mom after his dad yells and throws a broken bottle at the wall next to her. He swears that he isn’t sick when kids run from him on the playground and refuse to play with him- calling him crude names that should never escape the mouths of children so young. He swears that he hasn’t changed (and maybe that’s the problem, that he hasn’t changed by growing an extra limb, or gaining an extra limb) when his teachers glare at him when he cries, but look away when the other kids bully him. 

He swears it was just an announcement and not a diagnosis to himself when he sees his mom bent over the table a month and a half after he was announced quirkless (two weeks after his dad had left one loud, angry night and hadn’t come back), and crying over too high bills. 

His mom finally vocally agrees with him after they hop into their small car with their belongings already in a cheap storage center, and begin to the next city of Hasetsu.

The move had been for two reasons. One, the apartment was getting too expensive to keep on a nurse’s salary, and Izuku’s dad wasn’t doing anything to help- in fact neither Inko nor Izuku had heard from him since he had up and left. Two, Inko, busy and stressed as she was, loved her son dearly. She noticed the little spark that had kept him moving and talking and alive was dying out, and put two and two together after a single call to the principal’s office. 

Inko already regrets not leaving immediately after she saw her bastard of a soon-to-be  ex-husband hit Izuku, she was not going to let that elementary school hurt her son anymore.

They drive five hours to a small hot springs resort named Yu-Topia. Inko’s old dance friend Minako had ensured a room there for her until she got back on her feet. Hasetsu had a high elderly population, Minako had informed, and as such there was less quirkless discrimination than where they had previously been. 

Inko hopes it’s enough for Izuku to feel safe again. She hopes it’s enough for her to feel safe again. 

Izuku watches from the backseat of his mom’s car as a woman that the four year old vaguely recognizes from pictures talks to his mom right in front of the car. The two are close together, and the other woman’s hand hasn’t left his mom’s shoulder since they stopped hugging. 

Izuku clutches his All-Might plush closer to his chest as he sees their eyes flicker in his direction before quickly looking away again. He looks away from his mom to just outside his window at the hot springs- lit up in bright colors contrasting with the night sky, the sun having set early due to the autumn weather. It’s bright, and Izuku has never been to a hot springs resort before. He sees a small toy poodle being watched by a tired looking teenager with glasses, and a slightly older teen girl smoking out of sight from the front windows.

A figure suddenly blocks his view of the hot spring, and he glances up to look at his mom. She’s the only adult he’s been able to look in the eye since he was announced quirkless. “Izu honey,” His mom says softly- that’s the only tone she’s used with him since he’d stopped verbally responding to her, “I need to go check in. Would you like to come with me, or stay here with Minako-san?”

The thought of being alone with a stranger right now (even if she used to be a friend of his mom, because if his dad could turn on them what’s stopping others?) makes his stomach twist and his throat close in slight panic. He twists one of his All-Might plushie’s hair strands that stick up, and works to take off his seat belt and grab his backpack. Smiling slightly, his mom locks the car behind them, and holds his hand as they follow the woman--Minako-san--to the front. The older woman has his mom’s and his own suitcase, filled with some clothes and toiletries, rolling behind her on the cobblestone.

The toy poodle walks over and sniffs at Izuku before the teen boy gives a whistle, and it bounds back over to its owner. 

The inside of the spring is warm, but not overly so. A kind looking woman (but all adults look kind at first. Virtue is the most used mask, and Izuku has not yet learned how to differ it from those who are truly kind) is at the front desk, and brightens visibly when she sees the small trio, “Hello Minako-chan! You two must be the Midoriya’s, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

His mom gives a small bow, “Hello, Katsuki-san-” Izuku starts at the name- “Thank you for taking care of us for the time being.”

The woman walks around the desk, as she waves away the honorific with a smile, “Please, a friend of Minako is a friend of my family. Call me Hiroko.” She shakes Izuku’s mom’s hand before bedding down slightly so she’s on a similar level to Izuku. She’s short enough that when she bends down she’s slightly shorter than Izuku is. “You must be Izuku Midoriya, yes? It’s nice to meet you,” Hiroko-san says kindly and holds out her hand to shake like he’s some mature adult and not a scared, hungry, mute four year old.

Izuku stares at her hand, patiently waiting there, before slipping the hand holding his mom’s and in the gentle, barely-there grip that was Hiroko’s handshake. He avoids eye-contact the entire time, and after a single shake he quickly returns his hand to his mother’s. 

Hiroko stands back up and smiles at his mom, “I can bring you to your room before dinner, Midoriya-san. I can tell it’s been a long day.”

His mom smiles, and Izuku can hear just how tired she is from the tone of her voice, “That would be amazing, Hiroko-san. And please, call me Inko.”

They walk through an opening a pass by a rec area before walking down a long traditional style hallway. They stop at the end of the hallway before Hiroko-san pulls out two keys on a key ring from her pocket and passes them to Izuku’s mom. “Here, one key for you and one spare. If you lose it, we also have a spare, so don’t worry about it. All the information about schedules and times is in the room, but if you have any questions you can just ask.”

“Is dinner still being served?” His mom asks as she opens her room with her free hand.

Hiroko nods, “Yes, dinner is served until nine in the evening, but delivery is available at any time for surrounding places that are open.”

“Thank you, Hiroko-san,” His mom says, tears in her voice. “You have no idea how much this means to me that you’re letting us stay for so long. I know this isn’t usual…”

Hiroko pulls his mom into a hug, “No need to thank me dear. You stay as long as you need to, you understand?”

Izuku watches as Hiroko-san wipes the tears off of Inko’s cheek just as his mom does to him and decides that Hiroko’s kindness isn’t a mask. At least, not to his mom. 

They leave their bags in the room, and Izuku follows his mom and Minako to a small dining area separate from the public one Izuku had seen. Hiroko and the two teens Izuku had seen outside are setting the table as the poodle bites and plays with a rope toy.

“Hello children!” Minako says as she leads Inko and Izuku to the chabudai. Izuku keeps a tight grip on the All-Might plush as he sits down on the comfortable mats next to his mom. “These are the Midoriya’s. Inko, Izuku, these are Hiroko’s kids Yuuri and Mari.” She gestures to the boy and girl respectively. 

“Hello,” Yuuri starts as he sets two glasses of water and a small melon milk bottle in front of Izuku. “Welcome to Yu-Topia.” He looks as nervous as Izuku constantly feels, but his smile is as soft and kind as his mom’s.

“Hope you two are hungry, mom made katsudon,” Mari grins. She sits down across from Izuku’s mom and rolls up the sleeves of her red yukata. She gives a grin that reminds Izuku of Mitsuki-san--slightly feral but the underlying effect of care--and glances down at the All-Might plush. “I like the All-Might representation. Although I’m more partial to Gran Torino than the newer pro’s.”

Izuku’s finger twitches as looks up, not quite looking in the older sibling’s eye but enough to know he was interested. 

“He’s too flashy for him to be my favorite,” Mari continues when she sees that his interest is piqued, “He’s a good hero sure, definitely earns his rank, but still. Heroics isn’t all about flashiness. Gran Torino? Now he has the skill and the power.”

Yuuri hums as he places bowls in front of everyone before sitting across from Izuku and next to Mari, “I may agree with you but he’s still a main light pro. Underground heroes are just more interesting…”

Mari snorts, “You’re just biased because the one you met said he recognized you.”

Yuuri shrugs and waits until Hiroko-san sits down at the end of the table in between Mari and Izuku’s mom to reach over to grab a portion of the katsudon. He catches the curious look Izuku sends him and swallows his food before continuing, “I, uh, skate in competitions. I was walking home once when I was stopped and an underground hero that had gotten some press a couple weeks prior stopped me and asked for an autograph.”

“Oh, you ice-skate Yuuri-kun?” Izuku’s mom asks as she gives Izuku a portion of the katsudon.

Yuuri nods a little and gives a shrug of his shoulders before taking a sip of water in a clear sign he doesn’t want to talk about what he does. Instead of leaving it at that awkward shrug, Mari slaps her younger brother on the back hard enough for him to choke on his water. “He set a record just last season as he won nationals for the teen division!” Mari boasts for her brother. 

“Nee-chan…” Yuuri whines.

She winks at Izuku and leans in like she’s whispering a secret, “He doesn’t like talking about it a lot.”

Inko gasps, “That’s amazing, Yuuri-kun. How long have you been competing.”

Yuuri’s face is flaming red as he answers, “Since I was ten, so about six years I think? At least, this season is my sixth. Minako-sensei is my coach and helps me with the choreography.”

Dinner continues like this, conversation flowing smoothly as the Katsuki’s and Minako avoid the subject of Izuku and his mother’s personal life. They must know, Izuku realizes as Mari loudly laughs her way through a story, they must know that Izuku is quirkless. 

He asks his mom about it when they return to their room when she’s tucking him in into one of the beds. He doesn’t speak- can’t yet no matter how frustrated he gets (Everytime he tries he can feel his dad’s large hand around his throat screaming at him for mumbling so much. Or he sees his teachers glare at him for words he never actually said, but what’s his word against his quirked classmate’s?) . He simply pulls softly on his mom’s sleeve to get her attention before pointing to the door, himself, and then to the door again.

“You want to go outside?” His mom asks. 

Izuku shakes his head, holding back a small sigh. He really needs to learn how to better communicate with his mom. Playing charades all the time isn’t as fun as it seems. He pushes the blanket off of one of his feet, points to his slightly raised foot- right at his pinky toe, and then to the door once again.

A look of sad realization dawns on his mom’s face. “Oh,” She whispers and smiles gently at Izuku, “yes, they know you’re quirkless, Izu. They know and they don’t care at all.” Izuku feels himself tear up at the realization that they don’t care. They knew the entire dinner, and they treated him better than anyone besides his mom did in a long time. 

Izuku’s mom gently wipes away a tear, much like Hiroko had done to her only hours before, and drops a soft kiss to Izuku’s hairline before looking right into his eyes. The moment feels different. The air seems still, and it’s like the universe is watching this little moment of time in this little pocket of the universe. “Izuku Midoriya you are quirkless. You are quirkless, you are my son, and you are a Midoriya. That means you are strong. It means people may not like you, but you cannot let it affect you for too long.” She combs her fingers through his hair making Izuku melt in comfort. “This world may not treat you like it should, Izuku, but that doesn’t mean you are any less. Understand?”

Izuku nods shakily, his cheeks are damp with tears and his eyes are wide with awe as he looks up to his mom. He’s four years old, but he’s always been able to understand concepts a bit quicker than his peers. 

His mom kisses his nose, and wipes his tears and some snot away with her pajama sleeve. “You are a Midoriya, Izuku. That means you are strong, even if for some reason you don’t see it.”

Izuku pulls a hand out from under the blanket to grab at his mom’s hand and squeezes. He looks deep into her eyes and hopes she understands what he can’t say. That she is also a Midoriya. That she’s his mom just as he is her son, and he loves her so much it hurts.

She understands, Izuku knows she understands, because she squeezes his hand right back and bends down to give him one last kiss on the cheek. “I love you too, Izu.”

Izuku thinks that the universe only stops watching that little pocket when his mom turns off the lights and climbs into bed. 

They stay at Yu-Topia for a little more than three months, and it’s one of the best of Izuku’s young life. He starts at the school just a half dozen blocks away, and it isn’t as bad as his old one. The teachers aren’t as mean, and the kids don’t run away from him or taunt him. There are still some things, like the teachers giving him the lowest quality of anything, or some of the kids just pretending he doesn’t exist, but it’s a huge step up from what he’s used to. 

He becomes more comfortable around the Katsuki’s too. Yuuri is in his second year of highschool, and spends a lot of his time at Minako’s ballet studio or at the town's ice rink the Ice Castle. When he is at the hot springs, he sits with Izuku as they do their homework and they listen to a podcast by a hero student at U.A called Put Your Hands Up! . He teaches Izuku how to do origami, and allows him to stretch with him at night after dinner.

Izuku learns that the teen is an empath of sorts, and can see people’s emotions through what he describes as auras. It makes him stressed, Izuku realizes one day when Yuuri comes back to the springs earlier than normal, eyes red and blank, and walking right into his room. Anxiety, Izuku learns, is something the older teen lives with.

Mari is twenty soon to be twenty-one. She has short hair, smokes (although the first time she noticed Izuku scrunch his nose at the smell she made sure to do it in a different area that he doesn’t go to), and she curses. Izuku thinks she is so cool. She allows him to follow her around while she does chores, and doesn’t let him help too much. She sneaks him the really sugary snacks for dessert, and paints his nails when he sees her do hers.

Her quirk is always on, and allows her reflexes to be three times quicker than a normal person. She can’t control when it activates, and compares it to a power of a fictional power a pre-quirk era hero Spider-Man had called spidey-sense. Izuku learns that she used to race cars in highschool before realizing that while she had good reflexes, she wasn’t invincible- a long surgical scar on her left calf and a slight limp from a crash is the physical reminder of that.

He meets their dad Toshiya the first day of their stay too. He’s quiet, and reads news stories from the paper to Izuku in the rec room. When the news is on with a Hero’s fight, he helps Izuku draw heroes for his journals. Izuku knows he drinks with Minako, but also knows they make sure he is never around or awake when he does. He teaches Izuku how to choose the best produce at the market stalls, and then teaches him how to recognize what stalls he should avoid. 

His quirk saves their life when they’re at the market one evening. A motorcycle, out of control, almost hits them but Toshiya shoots his arm out to stop Izuku from taking a step. His quirk is the ability to see events he would witness two seconds before they happen. It’s always on, and Izuku knows he takes headache and migraine medicine a lot. 

Hiroko is as kind as Izuku suspected. Her virtue was not a mask as Izuku had feared. She lets him help her maintain the garden in the front, and lets him taste test any dishes she cooks when he’s around. Izuku knows for a fact that she turns a purposeful blind eye when Mari sneaks him the sugary snacks he loves. 

Her quirk is a five point touch activation quirk that allows her to know what a person needs when she touches them with all five fingers. Usually, she wears one of those invisible gloves that cover one finger, as she has told him it can get slightly annoying. 

Minako-san and his mother seem to have a history that Izuku finds slightly confusing. Minako is about eight years older than his mother, making Minako currently thirty-two, so they weren’t school mates. His mother says they met when Inko was little and Minako taught at the ballet school she went to before she left for five years at age nineteen to join the military. She’d come back to Hasetsu for only a few months before traveling around the world for four years traveling around with a famous ballet company, getting the award of a Benois de la Danse . She’d saved enough money to come back to Hasetsu and relax- opening her own dance studio in the small seaside town.

Her quirk allowed for her to have perfect balance at all times. An unfair advantage in getting the main parts in most performances, but one that she used to her full ability. She was kind if a little stern, and always had time to tell the best stories.

Izuku meets and plays with the toy poodle as well. His name is Vi-chan, named after a Russian ice skater Yuuri apparently idolizes, and Izuku celebrates the pup’s first birthday with the Katsuki’s.

Izuku begins to learn sign language as well. It’s easier than it would have been, as the Katsukis and Minako all speak it either fluently or semi-fluently. Even just knowing the alphabet has made communication so much easier. 

In late January, three and a half months after Izuku and his mom had moved,  Izuku and his mom move into a small apartment only three blocks away from Yu-Topia. His mom had gotten a job at the local hospital a month and a half prior, and her co-worker had told her that her apartment building had a vacancy. It’s a simple two room, one full bathroom apartment with an open kitchen and a nice living room that looks out to the street below.

It’s nice. Izuku begins to feel at home. He begins to recognize people and knows the market stall people by name. He meets Yuuri’s two closest friends Yuuko and Takeshi (Who’s quirks allow them to see in the dark and tie/untie any knot respectively). He walks to Yu-Topia after school every day with Yuuri or Mari where he either spends the night if his mom has a late shift, or stays until his mom can pick him up from work. He can finally get out a couple words to his mom, Minako, and the Katsuki’s. They watch Yuuri place second in regionals in mid October, first in districts in December, and third in Nationals in February. Cheering him on either in the stands or at Yu-Topia through the screen.

Again, it’s nice.

Until, suddenly, it isn’t.

Izuku’s mom lets him know she’s filing for a divorce a month after his fifth birthday (celebrated at their home with the Katsukis, Minako, and , about six months since they’d moved to Hasetsu. She tells him that since he hasn’t contacted them for eight months, nor has he helped with any finances, she’s allowed to divorce him even if he doesn’t want to. 

Once Izuku has a grasp on what divorce means and that nothing will change he signs to his mom that he’ll support her however he can. 

‘We’re Midoriyas.’ He signs to her with a smile and tears in his eyes cause he’ll always be a bit of a cry-baby he thinks, ‘We’re strong.’ Then he hugs her because it looks like she needs a hug, and Izuku will always hug his mom. It doesn't matter if his arms are broken, or they’re on opposite ends of the universe, he will always hug his mom.

She hugs him back with all the fierceness Izuku is learning that the Midoriya name holds, and then cooks him katsudon as they listen to Put Your Hands Up! which had doubled in listeners since the creator had placed at the last U.A sports festival as a second year. 

A week after Izuku’s mom had gotten the divorce, the two are walking home from the market. It’s the middle of the day, and his mom had a rare day off. 

They had thought they were safe.

“Oh, Inko darling ,” A hauntingly familiar voice makes them freeze from behind. “Let’s have a chat, yes? A small family meeting like old times. I know it’s been a while.”

Izuku presses himself to his mom’s side, and is monovered behind her as she turns to face his dad. “We don’t have anything to chat about, Hisashi.” His mom grips his shoulder tightly and leads them away from his dad. Izuku is trembling, memories of heat, broken bottles, and angry shouting ringing in his head as his mom hurries them away to a nearby cafe. 

He hears his mom let out a sharp gasp, and looks behind him to see his dad clutching at his mom’s wrist. His face is twisted- smoke pouring out of his mouth as he moves close to his mom. Izuku makes a wounded noise and makes an aborted move to get his dad’s hand off of his mom’s wrist. He may fear his dad, but he fears his mom being hurt by him a lot more. 

The next thing he knows he’s looking up at his parents from the cobblestone ground. The realization that his dad, no not his dad- Hisashi had kicked him to the ground is a sudden one.

“Izuku!” His mom shouts in alarm. She turns a heated glare to Hisashi, and brings a knee up between Hisashi’s legs. The sudden pain Izuku knows he feels makes the man release his mom and fall to his knees with a pained wheeze. 

His mom takes the opportunity to grab Izuku’s hands and walk down the road to the cafe Izuku knows will be busy, the bags of produce left on the ground where they had been dropped. He looks around, realizing that the street was bare of any people except-

“Inko-san, behind you!” Yuuko shouts from two buildings down. She’s holding a phone up to her ear, Yuuri and Takashi standing with her with scared looks on their faces. Inko and Izuku turn around just in time for Izuku to see Hisashi grab his mom’s arm and push to the ground again. 

“I said ... we need to have a chat, darling ,” Hisashi growled. He pulled his mom closer once again, causing his mom to cough slightly as she was forced to inhale some of the smoke escaping from his mouth. “Away from… that ,” Hisashi cast a look of clear disdain in Izuku’s direction, making him flinch.

He had gotten used to the people in Hasetsu. The atmosphere where no one out right hated him. Where no one said those types of insults to his face, and at the most offered him pitying looks- although those mostly stopped after the first two months or so (And Izuku had a theory that it was because he was backed by the Katsukis and Minako. They had a lot of sway in the little seaside town).

“Don’t you talk about my son like that,” Inko snarled, attempting to push Hisashi away but the grip around her arm must have been tighter than Izuku thought. 

“Forget about him!” Hisashi shouted. The air on the street stilled, and it felt like the universe was looking in on the moment again, but this time with anticipation and fear instead of curiosity and calmness. At Inko’s flinch, Hisashi continued, voice lower and a false soothing like his mom’s anger wasn’t enough to bring down buildings. “Inko, darling, I’m sorry I left, truly I am. But we can go. Start over just like we did last time. We can try again with this whole… family thing you wanted so much. Just come with me, darling.”

Izuku saw his mom’s eyes glow like they always did when she used her quirk to get the plates off of the top shelf, or to pick up scattered small items when they dropped, or when she put thread through the eye of a needle when fixing something. This time, though, Izuku couldn’t see what small thing she’d moved or pressed at to make Hisashi yell out in pain and release her. “ Leave Hisashi ,” His mom hissed, he looked angrier than Izuku had ever seen her. “I’m not asking. Leave, and don’t you dare come near me or my family, do you understand me?”

Hisashi fell to his knees (and Izuku was reminded of an old hero movie where the villain had kneeled at the feet of the hero- defeated, and Izuku decided right then and there that his mom was his new favorite hero. Pro or not), and Izuku’s mom turned to him, grasped his hand, gently yet firmly, and led him away towards the teenagers that had been watching in shock.

Later Izuku will tell the cops dealing with the case that the only reason he’s the one who ended up in a hospital bed is because he hadn’t looked away. He hadn’t looked away, so he’s the only one close enough to see Hisashi open his mouth. He’s the only one close enough to push his mom (his hero- and Izuku always knew that heroes had people to protect them) out of the way.

He feels a burning near his shoulder that makes him scream, and the last thing he sees is his mom wearing a face so angry , and so protective as her eyes glow before he passes out.

Chapter Text

Izuku lays on his stomach in his and his mom’s as his mom gently rubs burn cream onto his right shoulder blade. Put Your Hands Up! is playing, and Izuku can smell the food his mom had brought home from their favorite ramen place two blocks down.

His mom brushes a particularly bad blister making him flinch, and his mom whispers a soft apology before continuing.

It had been two weeks since his da- since Hisashi had turned up in Hasetsu. 

He’d woken up in a hospital room with his mom and Minako at his bedside- the older’s shoulder being used as a pillow by his mom, typing furiously on her phone with a determined glint in her eye that Izuku only knew from when Yuuri was dealing with a rude reporter, or when she saw a rude customer at Yu-Topia. Minako glanced up, looked down at her phone, before doing a double take and meeting his eyes. When she shook his mom awake, Izuku was pulled into a big hug, was whispered promises that Hisashi was never going to come back again, and given the All-Might plushie he’d gripped when they had first come to Hasetsu.

He was also told in a gentle tone by a doctor that he had gotten second-degree burns on his shoulder blade, but there had thankfully been no damage to his spinal cord. He’d have some scarring, the doctor had said gently, and his shoulder and arm would most likely always be a source of what he called “chronic pain”. 

His doctor had been kind, and used simple terms that Izuku’s muddled mind could understand. His mom was lying in the bed next to Izuku where she could fit, and had pulled Izuku to her side in order to cuddle on the bed with him. She had hardly moved from his side in the two days Izuku had stayed for observation- only moving when Minako and Hiroko had paired together to get her to take a quick shower.

When Izuku had gotten home, his mom had sat him down on the couch and told him while she appreciated what he did, if he ever did that again he would be grounded until he was old and grey. Then, she gave him a careful hug, a kiss on the head, and put on his favorite All Might movie before beginning to cook katsudon.

Over the next two weeks, Izuku would alternate at spending time at home when his mom was rarely given time off (rarely because even though he had been at the hospital he worked at, he was still quirkless, and people still treated him less. Rarely because his mom was a single mom, and they couldn’t afford for her to take that much time off.), Yu-Topia, and recently at Minako’s dance studio. 

He’d been to Minako’s dance studio before, of course. Live in a town for close to a year, and be babysat by the same two families and you try not to visit the place your auntie works at. He did as much of the work his mom collected from his teachers at the beginning of the week, which was most of it, and watched his Auntie Minako teach a class and sometimes one on one work with Yuuri. 

And he loved it.

The music, the dancing, the fact that Izuku could practically see each part of a story that the two were creating piece by piece. 

“My theme is Icarus,” Yuuri had explained the first day Izuku had sat in on the teen’s private practice hours. “It’s one of my favorite stories, even though Mari says the physics of it all doesn’t make any sense.”

That was nine days ago. He’d been to Minako’s at least every other day to watch the woman’s small classes. 

He felt his mom rub in the last of the burn cream, and let her lead him into a sitting position to place bandages over the popped blisters. She quickly wrapped his shoulder, placed a soft kiss to his bandages and then placed another to his forehead. “What’s going on in that brain of yours, Izu?” She asked.

Izuku let his fingers drum on the floor before he raised his hands to sign, ‘I want to dance like Yuuri-kun.’

His mom blinked, “Like Yuuri? Do you mean on the ice too?”

Izuku thought of the times he saw Yuuri practicing routines on the ice. How he was able to control what the entire audience was feeling and seeing even through the T.V screen. He remembered reading one of Yuuri’s interviews where he explained that he had started skating as a coping mechanism for his anxiety, and that it just grew. He remembered how Yuuri seemed so free whenever he was dancing- both off and on the ice. That’s what Izuku wanted. He wanted that freedom.

It wasn’t just that either. He saw the looks his family was giving him- both his blood and not. He wanted them to smile at him again; not give him the same almost pitying looks that the entire town always gave him for being quirkless with a father that everyone knew was trash. Constantly told he had done good protecting his mother, but still given pitying looks. He saw how sad they seemed when he winced or stayed in bed all day due to the pain in his back.

Plus, you didn’t need a quirk to skate and dance.

He looked his mom right in the eyes--the first time he’d done that to anyone since the day he’d gotten burned--and signed, ‘Yes. I want to skate and dance.’  

He wanted to be free.

His mom wiped tears from her eyes, “Okay Izuku.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, “Okay.”

He started five days later on Monday, the first day of August. His first pair of skates were a group gift given to him by Takeshi, Yuuko, and Yuuri. His first pair of ballet slippers were given to him by his mom and Minako. Both sets of shoes were customized to account for his extra toe joint.

Ballet classes from Minako after school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; basic skating lessons from Yuuko and Takeshi after school on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; and Sunday’s were his days off. It was a packed schedule, but one Izuku thrived on. One that kept him busy, and kept him from being bored.

His shoulder still hurts when she moves it too quickly or puts too much pressure on it. He’s had to start writing with his opposite hand which isn’t too difficult to change when he’s barely begun to write in school anyways. He doesn’t speak to anyone, something he knows his mom is still worried about, and he has a difficult time making friends in school due to his quirkless status combined with the lack of actually speaking (six year olds are young, so young they don’t mean to make Izuku feel unincluded and so, so lonely but they do). 

Even still, he begins flexibility training with Minako and takes ballet classes with two other kids in his age group. And he absolutely adores it. 

One kid’s name is Marco Lavel. He’s six years old (Just like him Izuku was happy to know), blond with green eyes and pale skin, and had just moved to Japan from Italy with his dad and step-mom. He was being homeschooled until he was more adept at Japanese (once that was done he would begin going to the same school Izuku did), and was extremely shy. He knew enough Japanese to tell the class to just call him Marco.

The other student was Matsudo Yoko. She was bouncy, energetic and insistent that both Izuku and Marco call her by her first name by their second class. She had bright purple eyes that she had gotten from her mother, and sleek black hair that was always about to collapse out of the bun it was usually in by the end of class. She was in the other first grade class at Izuku’s school, and now always played with Izuku during recess and sat with him during lunch. Her quirk made things constantly move two times as slow as people normally saw them move to her. She had been the only kid in the class before Marco showed up two weeks ago, and was glad she had classmates now. 

By the second week of ballet classes, Izuku could confidently say that the two were his friends. Even though it was mostly Yoko that spoke (slowing down when Marco looked lost), the three were comfortable with each other.

Minako-sensei leads them through the final end of the class stretches before telling them to finish their water bottles and watches them clean up. “Good job today you three. I’ll see you on Wednesday,” She says as she holds the door open and they scramble out of the studio. 

They run to Inko, the parent responsible on Mondays to pick the trio up from dance practice, who looks up from her book and smiles at them. “Hi you three! Did you all enjoy class today?”

They all nod, and Inko gives Izuku a kiss on the cheek before leading them out of the studio and to the ice cream place a street over. “It was so fun, Inko-san!” Yoko exclaims, skipping in time with them. “Marco finally got his middle split down and we were all so proud of him, and Izuku got to lead stretches before class which is cool because he always picks the funnest- oh I mean most fun, sorry- poses!”

Yoko continues to talk about class as they all enter the ice-cream shop. Marco and Izuku follow her to their normal four person table and Inko goes to the front counter to order them their usual large ice-cream sundae that they can never finish. It’s relaxing and it’s routine. Izuku kicks his feet and grins broadly as his mom returns with the sundae, and picks up a spoon to get a bite with the dripping syrup.

“In school today, oh I can’t wait until you join us Marco it's going to be so fun, we learned about plants and-” Her face twists as she tries to remember the word- “their food. It comes from the sun, the word is long-” She huffs in frustration.

Before his mom can say anything Izuku opens his mouth and lets out a soft, “Photosynthesis.” He takes a big bite of ice cream that smears on his cheeks before he realizes the quietness of the table and what he just did. His eyes widen and he looks up to his friends and mom.

It’s silent for only a second before Yoko practically screams in excitement and shoots out of her seat and glomps Izuku in a hug. “ Oh my gosh! ” She screams, “You spoke! I mean, I thought you were just shy, but mommy and daddy said not to ask, and-” She squeals- “You spoke! Did you hear Izuku, Marco?”

Izuku and Yoko look over to the blond who has a large smile on his face. He holds up two thumbs up, “Good! More ice-cream to party?” His Japanese is choppy and accented but it startles Inko out of her surprise.

She brushes her tears off of her face before nodding with a watery smile, “Yes, Marco, it’s very good! But we can’t have any more ice-cream since it’s a school night and you do need to sleep.” Izuku looks over Yoko’s shoulder--she’s still hugging him tightly--and makes eye contact with his mom. She gives him a happy, proud smile. “I’m so proud of you, Izuku Midoriya.”

Izuku doesn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.

In the first week of February, Marco, Yoko, and Izuku sit in front of the TV at Yu-Topia, watching Yuuri take the ice at Japan’s nationals in Tokyo. The three adored watching the eighteen year old skate and dance, and Izuku had gotten off the phone with him just an hour before to wish him good luck (He didn’t know that the fact he had said those words gave Yuuri the emotion he needed to not spiral in a tornado of self-doubt and panic, and instead made him tear up in pride).

“He is very good,” Marco commented as Yuuri took his beginning pose for his free skate. “If only the judges didn’t…” He frowned as he tried to remember the word. His Japanese had improved dramatically in the eight months he’d lived with them, but some words still escaped him.

“Underscore?” Yoko asked.

“Yes. If only the judges didn’t underscore.”

“His spins and turns are amazing,” Yoko agreed, “But he needs more confidence on his jumps.”

“Creativity,” Izuku pointed out softly. His ability to speak had also gotten better, although full on ramble sessions were rare.

Yoko hummed and was about to say something but stopped when Yuuri began to move. It was always captivating to watch him, but something about this time was different. It was as if the music was responding to Yuuri and not the other way around. The trio leaned in, not even noticing that time was passing as Yuuri told the story of a boy who escaped, and flew so high he crashed into the water below. 

When he took his final pose, on the ground, resting on his right elbow, left hand reaching towards the ceiling as if he’s trying to have someone catch him, chest heaving, and his face glinting with sweat, everyone in the room cheered. The quirk represser bracelets on his wrists glinted in the light, as the stadium roared and stuffed plushies were thrown on the ice. 

“And that was Katsuki Yuuri from Hasetsu! He’s the youngest competitor in the male’s single skate this year, but that didn’t stop him from doing a practically perfect routine!” The male host announced. 

“His coach must be so proud.” The female host added, and the camera shifted to show Minako-sensei giving Yuuri a tight hug, her mouth moving in what Izuku knew was compliments. “I know I am. I remember when Katsuki was just beginning on the junior level, and now here he is! First year in the senior divisions!”

“A bittersweet moment for sure,” The male host said. “As next season Katsuki is moving to America and competing there.”

Izuku felt his spirits lower slightly at the reminder. Since ice skating was a sport where quirks were not permitted, it didn’t get enough media attention for there to be international or continental competitions. Sure, a skater could practice in one country, and compete in another, but Yuuri had explained that he just didn’t have enough money to do that while also attending an American University. He was getting a dual citizenship for the reason to skate in the United States Ice-Skating competitions, but he couldn’t ask his coach to fly with him to Japan from the U.S four times a year for each competition. 

The female host sighed, “Well Katsuki will always have a place in Japan. And I know I will definitely be following his journey in the United States.”

The camera followed Yuuri and Minako-sensei as they took their seats to wait for their scores. “Won’t we all,” The male host chuckled. “The judges seem to have reached a conclusion and…”

The entire room seemed to hold their breath, waiting to see if the senior panel of judges would underscore Yuuri like the teen division judges seemed to do. 

“190.2 points in the free skate! That puts Katsuki Yuuri in first place and also sets a personal best!” The male host laughed. Izuku and his friends screamed and jumped up in excitement. On the screen, Yuuri had tears brimming his eyes and was being shaken back and forth by an ecstatic Minako-sensei. “That’s Katsuki Yuuri alright! With enough creativity and talent to blow the competition out of the water! Look out America!”

As Izuku watched Yuuri, who had become like an older brother to him, shakily bend down from the top of the podium to receive a shiny gold medal that would be shown in the Yu-Topia lobby with the others, Yoko spoke, “I wanna do that.”

Izuku and Marco looked over to their friend. “You want to skate like Katsuki-senpai?” Marco asked.

Yoko nodded her head quickly as a determined look grew on her face, “Yeah! I’m gonna become a winner just like Katsuki-senpai! Wouldn’t that be awesome?!”

Izuku nodded in agreement, “I’m going to do it.” And he would, he knew deep down. Being a pro-hero was still his dream, and it probably always would be, but ice skating was right in front of him. It was something he could see himself doing, and it was something he would do.

Marco shrugged, and picked a handful of chips from the bowl in front of them, “I’ll cheer you two on. Your personal cheer squad.”

Yoko hooked one arm around the blond and the other around Izuku--carefully avoiding his burn scar--and grinned widely, “Aw yes! Hear that Zuku-kun? We got our own cheerleader!”

Marco blushed and looked away, “Your signs will be big and bright.”

Yoko cheered, “Even better!”

Yeah, with Yoko and Marco, and his family? Izuku could definitely see himself up on a podium, and he could see himself leaning down in order to get his golden first place medal.

Izuku has his seventh birthday party at the ice rink. He invites the Katsuki’s (sans Yuuri since he’d been studying in America since April), Minako, Yuuko, Takeshi, and Marco and Yoko’s family. It was the first time since he’d been announced quirkless that kids his age had come to celebrate his birthday with him. 

It five straight hours of goofing off on the ice and attempting to do basic jumps and spins under the careful eyes of the adults and older teens. Izuku was the youngest of the three friends, Yoko having turned seven in March and Marco turning seven in May, and the trio was ecstatic that they were all the same age again. 

“Watch this!” Yoko called and performed a clumsy lutz, flapping her arms on the landing to keep balanced. She fumbled to a stop before lifting her arms up as a finishing pose.

Izuku clapped with Marco, who wasn’t that big of a fan of ice skating, but was supportive of his friends anyways. “Good job!” Marco cheered. He skated over to Yoko’s side and they turned to watch Izuku to see what he was going to do. 

Izuku bit his lip before skating backwards to create more room, and started to skate forward. He built up enough speed, turned, pushed off of his toe, and landed a shaky toe loop, his fingers brushing the ice to catch himself before he could land on his shoulder. He stopped sharply like how Yuuko had taught him, and raised his arms up in a finish. 

“Woah!” Yoko and Marco said in awe, when Izuku looked over to them they practically had stars in their eyes. 

“ Stupendo! ” Marco yelled in Italian, like he often did when he was excited. “That was awesome!”

Yoko nodded as she pulled the blonde over to Izuku with her, “And almost perfect too! I think you just had to jump a little more!” Yoko, once she knew and saw the correct way to perform an action a few times, was excellent at pointing out what needed to be fixed. Seeing actions at half speed allowed her to see the little details that others couldn’t.

“I think you’re right,” Yuuko said as she skated over. “That lutz and toe loop were very good, you two. And you’ve gotten more confident on the ice, Marco.”

“I have…” Marco’s face twisted as he mumbled in italian, “ forchetta, cucchiai, coltelli- knives! I have knives on my feet.” He pointed to his feet. “I refuse to jump like they do with knives on my feet.”

Yuuko laughed, “Well that’s understandable. The knives on your feet are pretty weird when you think about it.” She pointed over to where the adults were sitting by the birthday cake, a white Victorian sponge cake with strawberries on top, and the small table with gifts. “It’s time for cake and presents though! Who’s hungry?”

The three raced over to the All Might decorated table as fast as they could after they took off their skates. After blushing his way through a loud happy birthday song, blowing out all seven candles, and then eating his fair share of cake he’d opened his presents. 

From Yoko and her parents, Izuku got a box set of classic movies based from All Might’s early era. From Marco and his family, Izuku got a sketchbook and a set of 72-colored pencils. The Katsuki’s gave him three 3-D puzzles of world landmarks, along with a painting set for a mini stained glass set. Takeshi and Yuuko gave him a new gym bag that was All Might themed and new ballet slippers, and his mom got him a brand new pair of skates. He had drooled over all of the gifts with awe, and thanked every person individually with a wide smile.

Even so, he was unprepared for Minako’s present.

It was a simple yet sturdy, green 250-page spiral notebook. Minako tapped the table to get Izuku’s attention. “Open the cover real quick, kiddo.” Izuku did as instructed and saw a packet of papers tucked inside the built-in notebook pocket. The greenette’s eyes widened.

“Is this…”

Minako’s grin widened, “A coaching contract? You bet.” She took a sip of her soda, “I won’t be this coach this season, but next year? You’re gonna be entered in the junior’s division for men’s single skating. What do you think?”

Izuku’s only response was to tackle his Auntie Minako (His future coach!) in a hug, tears streaming down his face as he repeated the words Thank you, thank you, thank you over and over again. 

His schedule largely remained the same, except on Sunday’s he meets up with Minako to begin brainstorming themes, choreography, and song ideas. He had spent an hour on call with Yuuri, who was happy to take a break from studying for something called final exams , who explained his creative process. 

“Just remember,” Yuuri had said with the voice that made Izuku know he had to listen. “You can’t force anything. When an idea you love comes to you, it is never forced. And never expect all your practices to go perfect. You’re seven- not invincible.”

“What about the music?” Izuku asked.

“What do you mean?”

“When you dance you always seem like the music is being built around you, and not the other way around,” Izuku said, pencil tap-tap-tapping at his desk.

There was a pause as Yuuri hummed in thought, “Pick your theme first, and then your music. Build your choreography around those two things and it will seem as if you and the music are working together. Remember, choreography will be built around the music, but the music will always be able to stand alone. Understand?”

“Got it Yuuri-nii!”

And that’s what Izuku focused on. He watched through a screen as his brother-but-not-by-blood competed in the U.S.A’s ice skating competition- reaching all the way to National’s in February in order to stand tall on a podium with a bronze medal around his neck.

School had gotten better too. Marco and Yoko were in his class that school year, and were helpful when students and teachers brushed past him or made remarks that weren’t supposed to hurt (because they were such small comments, they had to have not meant them) on his quirkless status. They were old enough to walk the short route to Minako’s studio or to the ice rink, where Marco would start on his homework while also watching Izuku and Yoko walk through jumps and spins.

That isn’t to say everything was perfect. Izuku still had days where his shoulder throbbed until he had to use left hand to write (he had made a point to learn how to write with both hands), and days that his throat closed up and he couldn’t bring himself to speak or get out of bed.

There were days that certain tourists came through Yu-Topia, and Izuku had learned not to tell just anyone that he was quirkless. Sure, the whole of Hasetsu knew, it was a small town after all and everyone knew him after he had gotten burned protecting his mother, but it was a small town where a majority of the population was over the age of fifty. Most of the people had been raised by parents who had lived lives where being quirkless wasn’t so out of the ordinary, where it hadn’t been strange, or a curse, or a diagnosis. The people of Hasetsu were kind to the Midoriya’s. 

The people of Hasetsu were kind to the quirkless. 

Izuku, Marco, and Yoko were walking to Yu-Topia from school, waving to people they knew that  were passing by, and excited to watch the United State’s nationals- the second one Yuuri would be a part of. They all had the day off from ballet practice and ice skating the day before due to the entire makeshift family watching the two day competition.

Yoko was always a few steps ahead of them, remaining in hearing distance, but always under the impression that they walked too slow. She was loudly humming a song from the old animated show Avatar: The Last Airbender about two lovers and a secret tunnel. 

“Is Yuuri-kun nervous?” Marco asked as the two boys watched their friend skip down the sidewalk. Small pitters sounded on the sidewalk as he kicked a pebble every step.

“He is,” Izuku nodded, “But he’s always nervous! I called him yesterday before his short program, and he told me that he was feeling better than he was last year, but I could tell he was still really nervous.”

“You also have his coach’s number right?” Yoko asked, looking back at them. She held out her hand and Izuku grabbed it so he could help her balance as she walked along a stone ledge. “You snuck it off of Auntie Hiroko’s phone.”

Izuku blushed as his two friends giggled at him, “I did not sneak it! I’m pretty sure Auntie knows I have it now anyways, and Mama has definitely seen the texts I send on her phone.”

Marco hummed, kicking the pebble and pouting when it landed in the middle of the road. “But you still snuck it off of Auntie’s phone in the first place, si ?” Marco had slowly but surely been teaching the two basic Italian. Neither Yoko nor Izuku could keep up when Marco spoke quick Italian to his parents, but they definitely knew what yes, no, and numbers were. 

Izuku laughed nervously but didn’t respond, simply letting go of Yoko’s hand as she hopped off of the wall. “ Anyways ...” Izuku started, “I’m 100% sure Yuuri-nii will be doing his best!”

“He better!” Yoko huffed, walking backwards with her hands hooked behind her head. “Even though he’s all the way in America he’s representing us!”

“He knows we’ll cheer him on no matter what,” Marco said. He reached out to stop Yoko from crossing the street backwards. “It’s his dream to ice-skate, after all, and he is famiglia . Famiglia supports each other. Especially when a family member is going on an adventure like Yuuri-kun.”

Izuku stopped walking, his friends not noticing as they continued walking, and Izuku not caring that they hadn’t noticed. He just had the best idea, and his fingers itched as he quickly got the green notebook Minako had gotten out of his backpack. 

“What does that mean?” Yoko asked.

“It means family. Family member really and-” Marco stopped, turning around with confused eyes as he finally noticed Izuku wasn’t walking with him anymore- “Izu-kun? Is everything okay?”

Izuku didn’t answer- too busy scribbling down his ideas for his theme for his first season. Ideas for the choreography that branched off of possible songs, and then crossing out certain songs as he remembered that the song couldn’t be too slow or short. 

He looked up when he felt a hand shake his shoulder. Marco had a hand on his shoulder as Yoko stood next to the blond with worried eyes. “Izu-kun are you okay?” Yoko asked.

“I’ve got it,” Izuku whispered. “I’ve got my theme.”

Yoko shared a look with Marco, both of them had an excited grin on their faces instead of the worried looks from a moment before. “Well?” Yoko was practically hopping on her toes now. “What is it? Don’t keep us waiting!” 

Izuku turned his notebook around to show off the scribbles that only made sense to him, “The theme is adventure!”