Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Not everyone is born lucky.
Not everyone has a silver spoon, a quirk, a good family, a place to call home.
Not everyone is lucky or perfect or good.
And everyone is certainly not created equal.

But.

Everyone does have a story.

And this? This is the story of Izuku Midoriya.

~~~~~~~~~~

Izuku considered himself a lucky child.

He had a great mama, a really great friend in Kacchan (despite Kacchan's insistence that they weren’t friends, he was just being silly) and his teachers always gave him stickers on his drawings in class!

His teacher had said yesterday that he had “real talent!” Which made him super happy but when he asked what a fake talent would be the teacher didn’t have an answer and just laughed at him. That was ok though cause he could ask mama after the doctor!

…

Izuku had completely forgotten about asking his mama what a fake talent is after the doctor had told him he was quirkless.

Had diagnosed him as quirkless like it was some kind of disease like the flu Izuku had had last winter. But that couldn’t be true! He had to have a quirk! How else would him and Kacchan be hero partners! The doctor was wrong, Izuku was sure of it.

Izuku was pulled out of his thoughts by the door closing behind him. He had apparently missed the whole ride home but here he was and he could hear his mama crying in the kitchen. He hurried after her, ready to stop her crying cause she shouldn’t be sad! The doctor was wrong, he had to be!

“Mama? Mama it’s alright!” He said as he rounded the corner into the kitchen to see her sitting at the table crying. “The doctor is wrong! I’m just late but I’m gonna have a quirk! And you won’t have to cry then! I’m gonna have a quirk and be the best hero ever, like All Might!”

To Izuku’s surprise, his mama only started crying harder.

“Oh Zuzu… the doctor is right, you’re quirkless honey, you won’t get a quirk.”

Her voice shook between her sobs and he couldn’t help but feel confused. How could she believe that? He was supposed to get a quirk and be a hero!

But… what if the doctor was right? What if he didn’t get a quirk? Could he still be a hero? There was support gear, so even without a quirk as long as Izuku worked really hard he could still be a hero!

“Well… well I’ll work really hard then! And use support gear! I can still be a hero like that! I can still help people!”

He was determined to do whatever it took for him to still be a hero. To still help people. But his heart dropped when mama spoke again.

“Izuku don’t be ridiculous! You’d die without a quirk even if you somehow cheated your way into a hero school! You’ll never be accepted without a quirk, honey, you’re too fragile.”

Izuku felt like he couldn’t breathe. His mama always supported him and his dream, but without a quirk all that didn’t matter? Tears started welling in his eyes. Mama was supposed to believe in him- he was her hero! But, mama said he can’t be a hero. He was fragile now, he would have to cheat to be a hero and that’s not a good thing to do so he’d basically be a villain at that point. What was he supposed to do though? Being a hero is all he ever wanted.

He looked over at the table again but mama had disappeared into her room even though it was dinner time. He walked over to her door to knock and ask but heard her crying on the phone. Sniffing, he went to his own room, looking around at the All Might posters and decorations.

Izuku went to bed hungry that night, falling asleep to the muffled sounds of his mama arguing and crying on the phone.

Maybe Izuku wasn’t so lucky after all.

Chapter Text

Today was not going Izuku’s way.

He had woken up to the sun streaming through his window and not his alarm, leading to confusion and then the frustration of realizing that his mother once again had “forgotten” to pay the electricity bill.

Glancing at his phone, Izuku realized he was going to be late to school if he didn’t leave soon, resulting in a mad dash for his uniform and backpack. As he was finishing getting dressed he realized that he had missed the train meaning he had to run to school in order to make it even close to on time. Making a mental note to pay the electricity bill himself along with double checking the other utilities, Izuku ran along the streets frantically trying to avoid crashing into the other people milling about.

Arriving at Aldera in sweat and mud soiled clothes (he had fallen into a ditch in an effort to avoid the cyclist passing him) he found himself still 6 minutes late to home room, resulting in jeers from his classmates and a detention from his teacher.

Of course, Izuku continued to have a terrible day. Everything from being tripped at lunch to being failed on a test because “a geneless freak couldn’t be smart so he must have cheated” to having Katsuki and his minions wait after his detention for him.

“Hey freak!” One of Katsuki’s lackeys sneered, the others laughing like it was the peak of comedy.

Izuku just ducked his head and held his stuff close, hoping this would be quick so he had time to talk to Mr Uru, the landlord, before dinner.

“Are you listening to me, you useless nerd!” Katsuki’s voice and the small pops of Explosion brought him back to the present.

“Hi Kacchan,” the reply came listlessly, he couldn’t bother adding energy or whatever emotion Katsuki wanted him to show.

Izuku knew that he would end up hurt and his stuff destroyed regardless of what he said or did. It had been the same song and dance since that faithful (or faithless) day 10 years ago.

“Don’t ’Kacchan’ me, you shitty nerd!” Izuku sighed internally at the unoriginal nickname, it was never anything new nowadays. “…do you hear me! Stay the fuck away from UA Deku! I’m gonna be the only one from this shithole to go there and no geneless wannabe like you stands a chance!”

Izuku had almost forgotten that his homeroom teacher had announced to the whole class that he had applied for UA in the face of everything else that had happened today. There had to be something illegal or unethical about exposing what’s on someone’s paperwork but Izuku really needed to focus on the situation at hand-

He was interrupted by a searing pain in his shoulders and the dull thud of his back hitting the wall as Katsuki pinned him there, quirk gradually creeping up in temperature that robbed Izuku of the air he had left after the impact had knocked the wind out of him.

Slowly, the smell of burning flesh and caramel filled Izuku’s nose and mouth as Katsuki’s hands burnt through his gakuran into his skin.

‘That’s going to scar,’ Izuku thought idly, no longer feeling completely attached to his body. He was brought back as he realized Katsuki was no longer in front of him, but across the classroom walking out the door with his lackeys following close behind.

“Word of advice, Deku, if you really wanna be a hero that bad? Go take a swan dive off the roof and hope you get a quirk next time.” With that Katsuki finally left, laughing with his cronies.

Izuku felt like he’d been dumped in ice, heart beating erratically as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

‘What the hell was that, Katsuki?’

He knew he couldn’t consider Katsuki a friend, he learned that years ago. He knew that friends didn’t hurt each other, not on purpose and certainly not with the sick delight that Katsuki always seemed to feel.

But suicide baiting?

Izuku could barely breathe as he thought back over his bully’s words.

‘Was it really such a bad idea?’

No. He knew better! He just needed to breathe and get up and go about his day, not dwell on cruel words.

Izuku took a deep breath before getting up and grabbing his stuff. He had too much to do today, he couldn’t let himself get distracted.

At least his day couldn’t get much worse, right?

Chapter Text

He was wrong.

Oh, he was so very wrong.

He must have jinxed himself, Izuku thought bitterly. Of course things could get worse. Of course.

Izuku had just been walking home, reviewing his mile-long list of tasks he needed to complete before the day was over. Maybe if he hadn’t been so absorbed in his thoughts, he could have noticed the villain sooner.

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. So here he was, fighting for his life. Because of course his day could get worse.

“STAY STILL YOU BRAT- YOU’RE MAKING TOO MUCH NOISE. DO YOU WANT ME TO GET CAUGHT?”

‘Well… yeah, duh,” Izuku thought to himself.

His lungs were burning with the strain of holding his breath in hopes that the sludge villain wouldn’t get in his mouth as his hands scrambled for purchase against the slime that made up his attackers body.

‘Come on- think, Izuku, think!’

In the midst of his scrambling, Izuku’s hand caught the villain's eye. Before he could even think about it, Izuku pulled as hard as he could, hoping to get the villain to let go as he threw the eye as far as he could while still trapped in sludge.

The result was instant, with sludge recoiling back so fast Izuku was dropped to the ground, frantically gasping for air as the villain screamed in pain.

“YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT YOU FUCKING BRAT”

Before Izuku could even think to get up and run, he heard the manhole cover move and then the voice booming out of it-

“I AM HERE”

A hero had finally arrived. And it was All Might out of any possible hero that patrolled this area.

‘Holy shit’ was the last thought Izuku had before he passed out face first onto the pavement.

~~~~~~

Izuku woke up to pain in his face and felt several slaps against his cheeks, serving to make the pain worse. Groaning as he opened his eyes, the world slowly unblurred, revealing All Might standing above him.

“There you are, young man! I was getting worried!” His voice boomed, only serving to make Izuku’s headache worse.

Izuku slowly sat up, feeling his head spin as he did so. He definitely had a concussion but nothing felt broken so that was a relief. He looked up when All Might started talking again, wincing at the volume and blinking away dots that danced across his vision.

“Well I best be going! I have to turn this villain,” was that a soda bottle?- “into the police where he rightfully belongs! Goodbye, young man!”

Before Izuku could think better of it, he had latched onto All Might's pant leg. He shortly regretted that ‘decision’ as All Might took to the sky, air whistling through his clothes and ears.

‘HOLY SHIT-‘

Izuku’s panicking was interrupted by a rough landing that left him stumbling across the room, trying to not pass out or throw up.

“Young man, what were you thinking? That was incredibly dangerous and foolish! I know hero worship is strong but that was completely out of line!”

Izuku couldn’t help but interrupt the hero. “I didn’t mean to! I’m so sorry All Might sir! I think I have a concussion but I really wanted to ask you a question-!”

Staring at the ground to gather his courage, Izuku balled his fist and started asking the question that he asked himself day after day.

“Do you- NEED A HOSPITAL-? OH MY GOD WHAT-”

Distracted by the suddenly emancipated form of the hero(?) Izuku began to panic on behalf of the hero, if he could even call him that anymore(?)

All Might(?) sighed and raised a hand, “fear not, young man, this is what I look like when I am not out saving people.” He raised his shirt, showing the gnarled scar across his stomach and torso. “Six years ago, I was gravely injured by a villain that left me without several organs, only able to hold my hero form for three hours. I hope you understand how important it is that this form remains secret.”

“O-of course! Your secret is safe with me!” Izuku was quick to reassure, “six years ago? Was it the Toxic Chainsaw that did this to you!?”

All Might huffed a laugh “you really know your hero fights, don’t you? No, but it’s a good guess. The villain that gave me this scar is much worse than Toxic Chainsaw.” He pulled himself from memories of the past, “what was your question, young man?”

Izuku perked up, remembering what got him in this situation in the first place.

“Do you think I can be a hero? Even without a quirk?”

All Might’s face darkened and he sighed, making Izuku’s stomach sink, feeling like he knew how this would end.

“Quirkless? No, you would only be a liability. I couldn’t protect myself even with my quirk, you would probably die before you graduated.”

His words were cold, said as if Izuku was a stupid child. Izuku could feel himself slipping away from his body, feeling like a spectator as he watched All Might stand to leave, hearing his final words tossed over his shoulder.

“It’s good to have dreams, kid, but people like you need to be realistic.”

Realistic?

Fucking realistic?

Izuku felt a wave of anger crash over him, pushing away the dullness.

‘Realistic’ meant him dying.

‘Realistic’ means him jumping off this roof. (The roof the number one hero just left him on. Left him alone after crushing his dreams. Realistic)

Izuku couldn’t be realistic, he had gotten this far, he couldn’t start being realistic now, after everything.

He wasn’t going to be realistic. He was going to show everyone what he could do. He was going to create his own reality.

Now if he could just figure out how to get off the roof.

Chapter Text

It took a while for Izuku to find a way off the roof. At least, one that didn’t result in his- (body bloody and broken on the pavement-) he shook that thought from his head.

He had originally planned on knocking on the door until someone heard and let him inside but five minutes into that idea, his hands were hurting and his pleas still unanswered.

Izuku sat with his back to the door, leaning against it with his eyes closed.

He had to get off this roof.

(Maybe in another universe, Izuku was worried about his mom, or the villain fight he could hear in the distance. Maybe he had already gotten off the roof the fast way, but not this one)

Finally, he dragged himself to his feet and carefully walked over to the edge of the roof, glancing down to see if he could scale his way down. ‘Or take a swan dive- no’

Lost in his thoughts, Izuku almost missed the fire escape. Almost.

He felt a rush of relief now that he had a safe way to get down. Well, safe being a relative term anyway. The fire escape was rusted and looked like it was barely holding on in some places, and Izuku swore it was moving slightly in the wind but it was his best chance.

Awkwardly clambering over the side, Izuku hung by his elbows as he desperately hoped that the distance between the roof’s edge and the fire escape wasn’t far enough to hurt him. He let himself down until only his fingers were straining at the edge, wincing at the pain in his hands and his chest where he had scraped himself lowering down. In a distant thought he realized he was also aggravating the burn Katsuki had given him earlier but he was used to ignoring the pain from burns. Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves as his arms trembled, Izuku could only hope that this wasn’t a bad idea before

He

Let

Go

Chapter Text

Izuku’s feet hit the ground hard, knees buckling from the force of the impact. Sprawling across the grated landing of the fire escape, he winced at the throbbing pain in his ankles and tailbone. He then started to laugh, realizing he had only fallen about a meter. Running a hand through his hair, Izuku laid there thinking about everything that had happened today.

So far the day had been one of the worst in his life, almost beating the day he was “diagnosed” (like he was sick-)

He had been suicide baited, been attacked and almost killed by the hands of a villain, had his dreams crushed by the number one hero, was abandoned by said hero, and he still had to find his way back since he didn’t know where he-

Izuku’s thoughts stopped abruptly, realizing that by the time he got home, it’d be dark and therefore too late to talk to Mr Uru about paying the utility bill. Leaving Izuku without power and most likely water seeing as if his mother didn’t pay the electricity bill then she definitely didn’t pay the others

He groaned as he dragged his hands down his face, vaguely considering just curling up right here for the night and leaving everything for in the morning. That train of thought was interrupted by his stomach growling.

Right, he hadn't had lunch since he had to save money for the bills, meaning his account, like his stomach, was empty.

Sighing as he finally sat up and began to climb down the fire escape, Izuku looked around, hoping he would recognize something so he could find his way back to the apartment.

(He hadn't called it home in a long time. Not when he was alone constantly, as his mother disappeared for days, if not weeks on end. Sometimes Izuku would find money on the counter, enough for the rent and utilities and food if he was lucky.)

(Izuku didn't think he was very lucky.
Not anymore.)

Chapter Text

Izuku had been right about not getting back until after dark. By the time he was unlocking the door, the street lamps had been on for a while and the people wandering the streets turned seedier than Izuku was comfortable with.

(He didn’t look for his mother among their faces. He had no idea why she disappeared for long periods of time. He didn’t know why there was never money for rent or utilities or groceries (or him-) He didn’t.)

Pushing open the door with his good shoulder, Izuku stepped into the entryway not bothering to call out a greeting. She had only been gone about a week and a half, at least judging by when the last time Izuku had heard the shower running as he left for school. He knew she wouldn’t be home until next week at the earliest, a month from now at the latest.

Trying the light switch to his right on the off chance that she had been by and paid the bill herself, Izuku found himself still shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the hall through the door that he had yet to shut.

Coming back to himself, Izuku shut the door and dropped his bag on the floor before shucking off his shoes. Moving into the kitchen, trusting his muscle memory to hopefully not lead him into a countertop. Feeling around until his fingers bumped into the fridge, he opened the door before hissing quietly and squeezing his eyes shut as the inside light came on. Blinking until his retinas stopped burning, Izuku wondered why the fridge was still on if the power was turned off but decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Grabbing one of the few bottles of water that remained from the last time he had gone grocery shopping, and after some debating, an apple that he had gotten on sale, Izuku pushed the fridge door closed.

Finally remembering his phone flashlight, he turned it on just long enough to find his way to his room, before pausing in his doorway.

All Might stared at him from every angle, the darkness and scant shadows of his flashlight only made the feeling of unease grow in Izuku's stomach. Had it really only been a few hours since the man staring him down had crushed his hopes and dreams?

Taking a deep breath that he let out in a sigh, Izuku grabbed one of the few normal blankets he owned, (one not covered in the face of the man who had said-) and made his way back into the living room to make his bed for the night.

Curling up on the couch after drinking half the water and throwing away the half eaten apple (he hated wasting food but his appetite had vanished in the face of the decorations that used to comfort him and he knew it wouldn’t keep, even in the fridge) Izuku finally turned off his phone’s flashlight, hoping to save the battery until he could try and charge it tomorrow.

Tossing and turning to get comfortable, Izuku could only hope that tomorrow would be better than today was.

Chapter Text

Today had gone shockingly well, considering how yesterday went.

Izuku had woken up to sunlight streaming through the living room window, bright enough to wake him but not unpleasantly so. He had somehow managed to tangle himself in his blanket so badly that trying to escape resulted in him falling off the couch and thumping to the floor. Laughing as he finally got untangled and stood up, stumbling from sleep heavy limbs, Izuku went into the kitchen to grab the water bottle from the night before to finish. 

Glancing at his phone, he saw that school had long since started but shrugged it off. He could forge a note and his mom’s signature, after yesterday Izuku felt like he deserved the day away from his classmates. (The ones that told him to-)

Darting in and out of his room, only spending long enough to grab a pair of clothes, Izuku went to check if the water was still on. Somehow it was, making him cheer quietly before he quickly showered, not wanting to risk it shutting off halfway through. Drying himself off and pulling on the random clothes, Izuku made a mental list of everything he needed or wanted to do today. 

Finding the list to be getting too long for him to comfortably remember, he walked into the kitchen to get a small notebook pad that he used for grocery lists. Following that train of thought, Izuku wrote down what he needed from the store (bread, rice, batteries…) before thinking back to his mental list to copy them down. 

Finally, he had a list that covered the entirety of the page, much to his chagrin. Deciding to start with what he could do in the apartment, he went down to the ground floor and looked for Mr Uru. 

Finding him sitting at his office desk, Izuku knocked quietly on the door frame, hoping he wouldn’t scare the landlord like last time. Making quiet conversations as he paid the rent and the utilities for this month and, after some mental debate about money, paid for next month as well. 

Making his way up to his apartment, Izuku smiled slightly as he crossed it off his list and made sure to stick a note to the fridge once he made his way there, saying that it was paid through the XXth to save himself later anxiety. Trying the light switch to see if Mr Uru had been able to get the electricity back on, and subsequently finding he had, he continued his way through the things he needed to do in the apartment. 

Thirty minutes later, after laundry, dishes, cleaning and even dusting, Izuku admitted to himself that he was stalling. He had one more thing for his apartment list. 

Selling his All Might merch

The words seemed to stare into him, written in messy scrawl that seemed so out of place considering the words it said. 

But Izuku knew he should, he had to, had to rid his room of the remnants of- (realistic- rooftops- short freefall that made him wonder-) 

Deciding to work section by section, he put away the posters, the figurines, even his themed bedsheet into a bag he had found. Finally finishing almost two hours later, Izuku looked around his almost barren room. Gone were the bright colours, the eyes and smile that seemed to stare into you regardless of where you stood in the room had left bright patches of the original paint that hadn’t been sun faded like the areas around them. His desk only held writing supplies and his notebooks, his bed just the sheets and a pillow without a case. The barrenness was unsettling, almost enough to have him scrambling to put everything back, pretend like this never happened, like nothing had changed. 

However, as Izuku took a deep breath and looked around once more, he felt an odd sensation of relief. No longer scrutinized, watched, made inferior, it was freeing. 

As he walked out of the room to go put the bag in the living room to handle posting and selling the contents, he stopped by the nameplate on his door. The All Might nameplate had been there for years, long before he could even remember. He wondered if it would leave a sun faded outline as well. Making his choice, Izuku took the nameplate from its hook on the door. (it did leave an outline, maybe he could borrow some spare paint from Mr Uru…) 

Putting the plate in the bag, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. After all these years, Izuku was free and he was going to decide what he wanted. 

He was retaking the control that he had lost all those years ago, and it felt good.

Chapter Text

Selling all of his All Might merch had been a tedious process, by the end Izuku was just posting items with “make an offer” in the price slot.

However, by the time he had woken up the next morning, he had sold most of it and several offers for what he hadn’t. (Izuku’s eyes had bugged out at the offering price for his comforter, ‘only if used’ and he hadn’t wanted to think any deeper about that one-) 

All together, his merch sold for about 72,000 yen, after shipping most of it out he had a profit of 70,000. Honestly? Izuku had to sit down after he had done the math, that seemed otherworldly considering as he had struggled with paying rent not too long ago but could now pay for the next three months and still have some leftover. 

Once Izuku had roused himself from his money based stupor, he considered everything that had happened so far. He didn’t want to go back to Aldera, this was his second day missing in a row anyway which was out of the ordinary for him.

‘Maybe they think I’m dead,’ he couldn’t help but think to himself. There was very little chance that only Katsuki and his lackeys had been there, there was probably a teacher nearby that heard his “advice.” 

That gave Izuku an idea, it was probably in bad taste but it might solve some, if not all of his problems. 

Chapter Text

“Aren’t you a little young for this typa shit, kid?” 

The question wasn’t unwarranted, Izuku will give the guy that, however he just needed the man to do his job. 

“If you don’t want my business, I’ll find someone else who can do what I want.” This was risky, talking back to a guy Izuku was sure had a criminal record, or at least looked like he would, who else would be working here of all places if not?

Here was the best hidden place that did fake IDs that he could find. 

Before he had come here, Izuku had gone and found a machine that didn’t require a card, just your barcode that online payment apps gave you with your profile, and pulled out 15,000 yen, mostly just to be sure he got a high quality ID.

To his surprise, the guy just scoffed a laugh. “Feisty, eh? Alright then, kid, what are you wanting from old Giran?” 

Taking a deep breath that hopefully didn’t look too pathetic (Izuku saw the glint in Giran’s eyes so maybe it was obvious just how far out of his depth he was) he began explaining what he wanted. 

~~~~~~

Izuku Midoriya walked into Giran’s lair.

Akatani Mikumo walked out two hours later with a death certificate and a shiny new ID. 

He had to admit that the ID was incredibly well made, he could hardly tell the difference between it and the one he had had for literal years.

It cost a pretty penny, (almost enough to drain the cash he had taken out) but the length it would hold was worth it. Giran had assured him that the backstory, and subsequent records he had also forged, would hold up under most police scrutiny and investigations. 

Which

Isn’t exactly what Izuku needed but the assurance was nice to have considering as he was sure that fact was well tested in Giran’s line of business.

Taking a deep breath, Izuku walked from the train station he had just stepped off at to the bank he would be putting the ID to use at. 

Kami, he hoped this worked.

Chapter Text

Surprisingly, or maybe not- Izuku had never opened a bank account before, his visit didn’t take long. 

The lady at the desk had been nice enough, though a bit intimidating, walking him through the online system available and transferring the money from the app he had sold his merch on to his new account. 

(Izuku could tell she had questions about how he made all that money so he made sure to mention it was from selling his stuff to ‘declutter,’ which soothed the remaining tension from her shoulders)

She wished ‘Mikumo’ a good day and to call the bank if he had any questions, which Izuku almost forgot to respond to since he wasn’t yet used to the new name. But overall things went incredibly well.

Which, of course, couldn’t last long.

He had decided to take a detour on the way home to pick up a new wallet for his ID and bank card, his old one had been All Might but ratty beyond recognition from years of use.

Stopping by the new store in the mall that Izuku had heard having good quality wallets for cheap, he had just found one he liked and was about to walk to check out when a dark purple portal opened beneath him, causing him to let out a yelp as he fell through it before he could try to save himself. 

The fall wasn’t a far one, but enough that Izuku landed flat on his ass, aggravating his tailbone from the last time he had fallen. 

Groaning at the pain, he finally looked up at his surroundings and found himself almost nose to nose with a blue haired teenager with unsettling red (red like blood and explosions- the smell of burnt sugar and flesh-) eyes. 

Izuku screamed 

Screaming was probably not the smartest move but Izuku really can’t be blamed. 

Afterall, he had just been kidnapped and just promptly had his personal space invaded by a teenager who had a very unsettling appearance in what Izuku was going to label as a jumpscare.

The teen had flinched away at the noise and Izuku furthered that distance by scrambling back across the floor until his back was flush against the wall as he panted, bordering on a panic attack.

“Kurogiri, why is this brat here? I thought I told you to open a portal to an empty part of the mall.” The teen's voice was scratchy, almost as if he didn’t talk much, but the tone was clearly irritated and threatening, reminding Izuku too much of the slime villain for comfort. 

“My apologies, young Tomura,” another voice said, Kurogiri(?) maybe? “I was unaware that there were occupants in the usual drop off place.” 

Tomura(?) growled and before Izuku could think better of it, he started talking.

“It-it’s a new shop- they just opened l-last week-? I think-?”

His voice brought the two males attention back to him (stupidstupidstupid- why’d you have to say anything-) 

“What kind of shop?” 

Izuku bluescreened at the innocent question, said with genuine curiosity by the teen (Tomura?) that he had expected to hurt him like the other kids did. 

“Uh-,” Izuku cleared his throat, “wal-wallets? And I think they have watches too? I’d never been there before- since- you know- since they just opened- obviously- sorry, um- yeah they definitely have wallets and maybe watches and I saw phone accessory things? I’m not sure what els-“ 

Izuku cut himself off abruptly realizing that he had been rambling in his nervousness. Mumbling another sorry as he tucked further into himself, hoping they wouldn’t hurt him.

“Boring stuff then.” Tomura snorted dismissively, continuing to scratch at his neck, a common pastime judging by the deep gouges and scars covering his neck already. 

He chuckled nervously, too scared to disagree with the other teen. Thankfully, he was saved by Kurogiri, (wait was he made of mist?) 

“Young..?” Kurogiri began, and after a moment Izuku realized he was expecting a name. 

“O-oh! Mid- Mikumo!” Cursing himself at the slip, he hoped neither man noticed.

“Young Mikumo, then. I’m terribly sorry about this whole debacle, I was simply trying to drop young Tomura off at the mall. Are you injured from your fall?” 

Izuku heaved an internal sigh of relief as he realized neither of them seemed to notice his slip, taking stock of himself and the pain radiating up his back, he shook his head.

“I’m ok, sir, just a bit sore but I’ve had worse, it’s completely fine!” 

His words seemed to now catch Tomuras attention as he turned from the game he had been playing (when had he gotten the little tablet out?) to face Izuku again

“Worse?” The teen questioned, raising his eyebrow and tilting his head in a way that was intimidating but also vaguely reminiscent of a confused animal. 

Izuku scrambled to his feet, frantically waving his hands in front of himself, as if he was trying to shoo the words away.

“Oh I just mean- it’s nothing- kids will be kids right?!” The explanation was borderline panicked. He had never told anyone about what his school life was like, not since he was eight, standing in front of the police station after he had been told that he was a liar and that he should stop trying to ruin other kids' lives. (What about his life? What about him? Always in pain, scratches and star shaped burns covering his body. At the time he had gone because he could no longer feel that part of his back, frantically running his fingers over it and realizing that Kacchan had burnt him so badly, he destroyed the nerves. Izuku knew public quirk use was illegal and that using your quirk on another person is villainous. Why didn’t the police and heroes think so too?) 

He came back to the present when cold fingers wrapped around his jaw and forced him to look up at the teen he had forgotten he was trying to convince. 

Tomura squinted at him and squished his cheeks together with the four fingers he had on Izuku's face (did he have a five-point quirk?) 

“Your lying stats are terrible.” 

Izuku blinked up at him, confused but still understanding the game lingo. Tomura nodded his head, almost to himself, as he let go. 

“You should grind that, I can’t have someone who can’t lie to save throw.” 

With that he turned to Kurogiri expectedly, to which the mist(?) man simply opened a portal again to an actually empty part of the mall this time that Tomura walked through without a care or goodbye. 

“Young Mikumo, is there somewhere I can drop you off? If I could also get a form of contact from you to arrange play dates between you and young Tomura that would certainly make things easier on both sides.” Kurogiri was talking to him about play dates? 

“Wait, what?” Izuku said out loud, confusion winning out over being polite. “Play dates?”

Kurogiri moved his head(?) in what Izuku assumed was a nod. “Yes, young Tomura seems to have taken a liking to you, which I find to be wonderful, the boy needs to be around people his age more often. Do you have a phone number I can use to contact you in the future?” 

Izuku absentmindedly recited his number, head reeling with everything that had happened. He watched as Kurogiri wrote it down and proceeded to ask for his drop off spot, apparently Tomura had several and he now needed to choose one for himself. In the back of his mind, he knew he couldn’t give them his apartments actual location but he was so out of it, everything blurring together at the edges, he just asked for the ramen shop that was only a couple blocks away from the apartment complex. Which should be fine? There’s plenty of residential housing in that area, so it’d be hard to pinpoint his exact one. 

(Somewhere, in the back of Izuku’s mind, he knew that if they wanted his location, they would get it.) 

Mumbling a weak goodbye as he walked through the portal into the alleyway right beside the ramen shop, he started his trek home.

As he sat on the couch after finally getting to his apartment and locking the door behind him, he realized something. 

He didn’t pay for the wallet! 

Chapter Text

Fast forward to three days later, Izuku had finally enrolled ‘Akatani Mikumo’ in an online school that supposedly specializes in ‘helping people that didn’t finish middle or high school succeed.’

Which

Doesn’t exactly apply to Izuku but he wasn’t going back to Aldera and he needed to finish middle school in order to go to whatever school would accept a quirkless kid.

Izuku blinked as he realized something. He could go to any school he wanted, as long as his grades were good, because even though Izuku Midoriya didn’t have a quirk, Akatani Mikumo had a minor intelligence quirk and the ‘paperwork’ to back it. He could even go to UA if he passed the entrance exam (he could be a hero, prove everyone wrong. Make his own reality, cause fuck being realistic, he had made opportunities for himself) 

So as Akatani delved into school work, determined to get the best grades possible now that he was actually being graded fairly, quickly rising to the tops of his classes in the process. He also began looking for a job, since his classes were online he had time (and a quirk) for a full time position instead of the sketchy, under the table jobs he had been working in order to make ends meet.

Finally he found a job listing at a local Cafe and one at the nearby library that encouraged young adults to apply. He submitted his information, including that this was his first (legal) job and apologized for the lack of resume. 

To his surprise, he got a response 20 minutes later from the cafe, hearing the ping of the notification just above the sound of the faucet. Drying his hands after he put down the dish he had been washing, Izuku walked over and opened the message from the cafe. He expected an automated response saying that he didn’t get the position but to his continued surprise, the message was an interview offer for tomorrow at noon.

After a moment of processing he quickly snapped back to reality and responded in a way that was probably too excited to be professional. He couldn’t bring himself to care though, he had an interview which seemed otherworldly considering as he had never had one before. None of his past ‘jobs’ had needed an interview so Izuku had no idea how this was supposed to go but he was determined to do his best, he couldn’t let this opportunity slip away from him and he definitely couldn’t go back to doing his old job. 

(Izuku didn’t want to think about some of the jobs he had taken in more desperate times, when his mother started disappearing for months instead of weeks, leaving less money than she had, not that it was much in the first place. He didn’t want to think of the pictures he sold, the requests he had gotten, about how he had once gotten half a month's rent from one request. Didn’t want to think of how disgusting he felt and how he scrubbed himself raw after taking the picture while laying against his All Might comforter, scars and fresh injuries on display. Izuku hated the picture, hated himself, but most of all he hated the villain who requested that. Who else other than a villain would want a picture of a naked boy, only 11, covered in wounds and scars?) 

(He hated that it wasn’t the last time he sold to them either.) 

Chapter Text

Izuku thought he would have trouble falling asleep with the looming interview, thought he would be tossing and turning all night before he inevitably gave up and pulled an all-nighter while working ahead on his coursework.

That, however, wasn’t the case. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out like a light, falling into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

Izuku woke up the same way he had been the last couple of days, with sunlight streaming through the windows, gently pulling him back into the land of the living. It had been an improvement, going from blaring alarms and never enough sleep (and always sore and in pain and scared-) to waking up like this in calm mornings where he finally felt safe.

As much as he hated to admit it, everything that had happened on That Day improved his day-to-day life. He was happy, healing from bruises and other injuries, a new school with teachers who didn’t treat him like dirt and classmates that he didn’t have to interact with if he didn’t want to (he didn’t, not even for group projects, he didn’t want this bubble to pop) he was, hopefully, about to have a new legal and safe job. Izuku had never been happier (and wasn’t that sad?) 

Seeing he had two hours till his interview, he decided to start the day right with a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, too nervous to eat anything else despite there actually being food in the kitchen and fridge (and wasn’t that a novelty) 

Deciding that today had enough jittery energy on its own and therefore didn’t need as much caffeine, he added milk and sugar to his coffee, taking small sips until it was exactly what he was looking for. Still slightly too hot to comfortably drink, it was left on the kitchen counter as he went to shower and get dressed. 

Standing in front of his closet with still dripping hair, Izuku came to a sudden realization.

He had nothing to wear!

…Well, that was a slight exaggeration, he had clothes but nothing he could wear to an interview! He was not going to wear cargo pants and a shirt with “pants” written on it to an interview, he’d be a laughing stock!

Chewing on his bottom lip hard enough it splits, spilling blood into his mouth and down his chin, he fidgeted with his fingers as he considered his options. He didn’t want to go buy new clothes, not wanting to spend money when he might not even get the job, but he didn’t have anything suited for the interview and he needed to make a good impression. Wiping the blood from his face and neck, he had an idea.

Chapter Text

Looking over himself in the mirror, Izuku questioned his ‘coming up with ideas’ skills. 

He had dug around in his mothers closet (don't think about the clothes on her floor that reek of alcohol and have mystery stains on them- Izuku wasn’t stupid but ignorance is bliss so all he had to do was stay ignorant-) looking for decent fitting clothes, finding a couple pairs of slacks and blouses that fit alright if he wore a belt.

Looking in the mirror, he couldn’t help but like the way the clothes fit him, the floral blouse contrasting with his skin tone and how the belt he tucked it into in order to make the slacks fit made his malnourished body look intentional. 

Like a girl, he realized.

And surprisingly that idea didn’t put him off, didn’t make him want to change and put on more masculine clothing. With the clothes, his small size and delicate features, it was almost impossible to tell what he was born as at just a look. Looking at himself, Izuku came to the realization that he liked this androgynous look. Maybe Akatani would dress like this, pretty and feminine in a way that Izuku could never be, with his scarred and fucked up body. It’s not like he had ever really been attached to his masculinity in the first place, not in the way the other boys in his class had been, always shouting and fighting, trying to prove themselves. He never really understood why being called a girl was an insult. He honestly thought girls were stronger than boys with their painful shoes and finicky hairstyles, all while dealing with boys who thought them to be less simply because they liked feeling pretty. 

Dragging himself out of his thoughts, he brushed imaginary dust off of himself as he finally left Inko’s room.

After all, he had an interview to go to.

Chapter Text

Despite his attempt to pace himself in order to not show up too early and look desperate in the process, Izuku still managed to be 23 minutes early. 

Sighing, he considered his options as he ran a hand through his hair. He could go in now and potentially look desperate, or maybe he would look really well prepared and ready to work! Or he might interrupt the interview before him and look like an uncaring asshole. He scrubbed a hand down his face, overthinking was expected but still exhausting after all these years. Sitting down on a bench outside the cafe, Izuku thought back to everything that had led him here and how he was still scared of little things like this. It felt absolutely ridiculous, panicking over being early. 

He was pulled out of his self pity by the sound of a crash coming from a nearby alleyway. Glancing at his watch, he saw he still had about 15 minutes until he was ‘acceptably’ early. Standing up to walk over in order to see what caused the noise, feeling distinctly like the first person who dies in a horror movie, what he saw made his blood boil in a way he hadn’t felt in a while.

Rounding the corner of the alley’s entrance showed Izuku a familiar sight, almost as if he had traveled back in time to watch the moment in third person. Except the kid on the ground was taller and had straight purple hair instead of curly green, and there were no explosions, the quirks of the three kids standing over the purple ball were unremarkable, useless. 

(Especially compared to Explosion, to Izuku's life, to the rage that was boiling under his skin as he heard the kid on the ground be called a villain, with the scent of blood in the air, with the start of a sentence that he knew the ending of. That he had nightmares of, filled with fear and blood and rooftops.) 

No, these kids were useless and pathetic compared to everything else, compared to the kid on the ground, compared to the dirt and dust that covered the alley floor. Useless and pathetic creatures that needed to put others down to make themselves feel better. 

Izuku’s rage boiled over.

(There was never a universe where he walked away from this.)

Chapter Text

If Izuku were thinking clearly (or at all, really) he would’ve gotten an adult, called the police, gone inside the cafe for help. Literally anything other than barging into a dimly lit alley into a fight where he’d be outnumbered 3 to 1. 

That is not what happened, because all Izuku could think about was getting the bullies away from the kid on the ground and not letting them finish their insults. (He could hear, hear them starting to say “do everyone a favour-” and saw the way the kids eyes started to widen despite the swelling black eye, like he had never heard that before. And Izuku would sooner go to hell than let another person hear that when he had the ability to stop it.)

“Hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” 

The words were out of his mouth before he could think about it, as he stomped towards the group, rage threatening to boil over. Ignoring the way the kids whipped around to face him, words on their lips to pacify, to justify verbally and physically abusing the ‘villain’ on the ground, he continued his rampage.

“Get the hell away from him! Scram, assholes!” 

Izuku could tell the curses were throwing the older kids, an advantage he had learned years ago from reactions on the streets. No one expected an innocent looking kid like him to curse like a sailor. ‘When in doubt, cuss your way out’ was a piece of advice he found worked well, given to him years ago after he was saved by a homeless person after a job went wrong. It’s the only time his appearance worked in his favour offensively. Sure, with his appearance and stature he was great at running away and blending in but there’s only so many situations where running is an option.

The kids grouped around the kid still balled on the ground took a few steps back, giving Izuku a clearer view of the black eye and blood running down the kid’s (not much older than him-) face. Walking forward as confidently as he could now that the situation and nerves were registering, he tried to assess the damage without letting his guard down in case the other kids realized they outnumbered him and regained their confidence. 

Channeling his inner Katsuki, he fixed them with a glare as he crouched beside the kid carefully. “Are you idiots fucking deaf? I said get the fuck outta here before I make you.” 

Somehow, despite Izuku feeling as threatening as a wet paper towel, the older kids turned on their heels and left without so much as a glance behind. He waited a second until he was sure they were gone and not coming back for more, once he felt confident they weren’t returning anytime soon he slumped against the alley wall, sighing heavily as the anger and confidence drained out of him rapidly. 

“You’re insane, you know that right?” 

The voice, raspy to the point of being difficult to understand but still oddly soothing, startled him. He straightened and leaned forward onto his hands as he realized that the other kid was still here and injured.

“Oh my god- I’m so sorry,” the words were emphasized by frantic hands and a voice higher in pitch than normal due to stress, “are you ok? I mean- obviously not that’s a really bad question- I’m so stupid, sorry. That’s a nasty black eye, can I… call someone? Or help you? Somehow?” 

Izuku's rant trailed off lamely as he realized just how out of his depth he sounded, how out of his depth he was. He had never defended someone and had them still there after, everyone else ran away when he distracted whoever was hurting them, leaving him by himself to pick up the pieces. Blinking rapidly, like it would clear the thoughts away, he finally registered the purple haired kid staring at him with a curious look in his eyes that was almost hidden behind the deadpan mask. Almost.

“I’m fine-” the kid began but interrupted himself to clear his throat, sounding slightly better once he did, “you can go now.” 

At what was a clear dismissal the kid stumbled to his feet and brushed the dirt off himself as he turned to walk away.

“W-wait! Are you sure you’re ok? I can call someone or t-take you somewhere safe?! Oh! Here!” Before he could think better of it, Izuku had grabbed the lavender boy's hand, carefully in case it was injured, and pulled him out of the alley and into the cafe, still rambling along. 

“Let’s get you sat down- you need to elevate that ankle, I can see the swelling from here- there we go. Do you think they have a first aid kit here? I mean probably right? I’m sure people get hurt by the hot steam and stuff- hi! Excuse me, sorry, but do you have a first aid kit? I can make due with anything you have, i-if not! I definitely need ice though to reduce the swelling but you definitely have that since some people want their drinks iced-”

Izuku’s rambling was interrupted by the worker he had been asking about the first aid kit. 

“Hey- woah- woah, kid, calm down? Where’s the fire, am I right?” The joke fell flat as he stared up at the employee with wide eyes, not really processing anything other than that he needed to get the supplies in case the other kid was still bleeding or had a concussion- oh the employees face was pale, was he mumbling again? He must be because the worker was looking increasingly confused and concerned. 

“Uh you’re alright kid- HEY Riko, got… someone-? Here?” 

The raise in his voice had Izuku flinching back, defensive in his panic and still anxious over the injuries that he needed to take care of before they got worse, and why was no one helping him- 

Izuku was momentarily pulled from his spiral by a woman rounding the corner, a question clearly on her lips until her eyes widened and she exclaimed- 

“Toshi!” 

The exclamation threw Izuku for a loop long enough to stave off the panic in the confusion of ‘that’s not my name-?’ 

Hearing a quiet sigh and an even quieter “hi Moriko-san” made him realize that ‘Toshi’ was the boy behind him. 

Watching as the lady disappeared behind the counter only to return seconds later with the first aid kit he had been asking for, Izuku came to three realizations.

One: the mysterious ‘Toshi’ was wearing an apron that had the cafe's logo on it.

Two: Moriko Naomi was the name of the person who was supposed to interview Izuku for the position.

Three: he definitely didn’t make a good impression. 

But at least he was on time?