Chapter 2: Accord
Izuku awoke from his slumber. Groggily, he yawned and pulled his sheets over his body, rescinding back to the comforting grasp of sleep. That is, until memories of last night resurfaced. Flashes of chitinous bodies and the chittering of insects came to mind. He shot straight up after that.
To his relief, Izuku found the room empty. Aside from the various All Might merchandise that littered the walls and shelves, nothing in particular caught his eye. He was safe.
But... then he felt it. The soft, effervescent buzz that lingered within his mind. It wasn't as strong as it was last night, however; in fact, it was almost non existent.
Wonder why that is?
But the inner workings of the buzzing didn't matter right now. What did matter was that it was still there. Taunting him, begging to be used, rather than to be hidden away and scorned. It plead and plead, constantly striving for Izuku's attention. He sat there trying to ignore it, wishing it to go away. It didn't, despite his best wishes.
And so, Izuku had made his decision. He got up to his door and locked it - he didn't want a repeat incident like what happened last night, after all. He then turned back around and sat at the foot of his bed. He felt for the foreign presence in his mind; he thought of what occured last night, and considered what it meant. Again, he relieved the buzzing in his mind.
Instead of the invading swarm of the night prior, there came a single household centipede - a gejigeji, as he recalled mom calling them - from his room's air vent. He flinched back for a bit, reeling in the sight of the creature. But then noticed the insect had stopped moving halfway across the ceiling to where he sat. He considered what he saw.
It's almost like... it's responding to my thoughts?
He sat forward, and took a deep breath. He willed it to move. It complied. The centipede crawled its way across the ceiling and down atop his bed, it's very many legs skittering away until it laid in front of him. Izuku stared at the creature, its many appendages and antenna stiff and standing, awaiting for an order. He still held a bit of fear, especially when remembering last night's event. He took another breath.
I've gone this far, I can't back out now.
He closed his eyes, and set his hand down. He felt the centipede crawling up his outstretched fingers, slowly making its way to his palm. He opened his eyes.
To his surprise, he creature didn't bite. In fact, now that he thought about it, the centipede displayed no outward characteristics known of the species. Nor any insect at all, really. He prodded again at his power, focusing on the organism that lay on his palm. The centipede responded to his commands: rearing up like a horse, running around in circles, and giving a 20 armed wave. The display swirled amuck in his mind. It could only mean one thing, after all.
This is… I… I have a quirk! A quirk! I'm not useless! I could prove Kacchan wrong. All those times he had been brought down, shoved, beaten. It didn't matter anymore. He could be like All Might. He could… he could be a hero.
He spent a few minutes daydreaming about his future, shooting his arms in the air and heading to his computer, opening his favorite video of his idol, watching it over and over again in celebration.
But then he came off of his high. A bad feeling was growing his in stomach. There was something in the back of his mind that he couldn't shake off. Something that he just knew was true. He thought again of last night. The fear he felt if his mom were to discover him covered head to toe in a living mass of insects. He imagined, the fear in her face if she were to see her boy covered in insects.
He… couldn't. This quirk, this power…
It was a villain quirk.
The insects, the bugs… People would never accept it. Accept him. Insects were feared by everyone. They would fear his quirk, be feared of him. He… He couldn't face that again. The rejection. The isolation. Kacchan was already enough. He couldn't bare any more than what he already faced. He began to sob, a quiet gasp emitting from his lips.
Even with a quirk, I'm of no use. Kacchan… Kacchan was right… He could never be—
A slight tingling sensation spurred him from his thoughts. It was the centipede, rubbing its body against his palm.
Almost like a puppy…
He smiled, and let his finger slide over the length of the insect's body.
"Thank you," he sniffled.
He watched the centipede in fascination, and then his mind had a realization. Even a centipede - with all its many squirming legs and generally creepy appearance - had found a way to comfort him. To make him smile.
He — He could do the same, couldn't he? His quirk didn't have to be what defined him as a hero. There were other ways to being a hero. I just need to use my quirk as a secondary measure, is all.
The computer suddenly let out a line of laughter. "It's fine now. Why?" asked the virtual All Might.
Izuku looked down again at his new friend. He smiled again.
"Because I am here!"
"I'll name you… Rikai. How do you feel about that?"
The arthropod didn't respond, of course. But it didn't matter; the creature - a male, from what Izuku found when he checked - had done something miraculous, pulling him from his saddened state. It was responsible for his epiphany. Izuku owed the insect — Rikai — a whole lot.
He let his control over Rikai go. The centipede retreated away under his bed, no doubt looking for other insects to feed on. Izuku let him be.
Everything can still work out well. A large grin had taken over his face. I can do this.
"Mom!" he yelled. He jumped off his bed, unlocking and pulling his door open. "I wanna start practicing martial arts!"
I was going to be a superhero.
Izuku had been going to a dojo for the past few months. His mom was worried when he first mentioned the idea, bringing up the effort he would have to commit if he were to go through with his wishes. He assured her that this was what he wanted to do to become a hero.
But then came the topic of money. Izuku knew that he and his mom weren't all that well off in terms of income, and had thought real hard when for when the topic would be mentioned. He proposed selling some of his All Might memorabilia, and for his mom stop getting him anymore presents for his birthdays or the holidays. His mother had outright refused the notion at first, but Izuku assured her that this was what he wanted. She eventually relented. Izuku jumped in joy and suffocated his mother in hugs.
It took weeks of strained searching, but he and his mom eventually found a joint dojo that fell just barely within their budget. While the place normally taught Silat and Eskrima as separate programs, the dojo's sensei, one Kage Kawabata, sympathised with Izuku's situation when he heard about the quirkless boy's desire to become a hero. Kawabata-sensei, as he would be called from that point on, gave the Midoriyas a discount, but only so long as Izuku promised to show up to each meeting on time, placing great focus on how difficult it would be for Izuku to become a hero if he didn't. Izuku immediately agreed.
The first martial art style was taught on Mondays and Fridays, the latter delegated to Wednesdays and an alternating schedule between Saturdays and Sundays. The setting did wonders for Izuku. He truly enjoyed it there; the thrill he found training amongst his various peers a bonus when considering all he was learning.
And so, there stood Izuku Midoriya one evening as he left the dojo, heading home from one back-breaking session of Eskrima. Although his body was extensively tired, he still felt up to testing out his quirk. Thus, he pulled up his pack. From inside he took out some shaded glasses, and promptly put them on. He also got out one of his grandmother's canes that he found deep within his mom's closet, extended it to its full length, and let his mind fade into the background. In an instant, he felt the reach of millions of organisms within a two block radius. The feeling was freeing - a refreshing reprieve from his day.
What he had found out with his quirk was that he could hear and see through the insects. That particular ability he had discovered in the middle of the night when he was falling asleep. Again, another experience he wouldn't want a repeat of considering what is was that he saw that night. As such, Izuku made it one of his goals to ensure that he was a master in seeing and hearing to the best of his ability. He was able to focus his sight and hearing through the insects now, though the hearing still needed some work.
However, so far the ability only worked if he concentrated really, really hard. Enough concentration was needed, in fact, that that he loss focus on most - if not all - external stimuli that wasn't connected to his bugs.
His body's sight of his surroundings didn't really matter, however; he could just place a couple bugs on his head to see where he was going and that specific problem would cease to cause him trouble. But, the constant collisions with random pedestrians was, and often disrupted his concentration, spurring him out of the moment. Thankfully, the people around him generally wove their way around a young boy with some shaded glasses and a cane.
Wouldn't want to cause to blind kid to fall down now, would you?
A few minutes into his walk, and Izuku stumbled upon something unusual. He stopped in his tracks. Some sort of powder had killed one of the hornets he was using to observe his surroundings. He sent a couple more bugs in and set his mind to viewing the run-down building he sent them into. Through the eyes of the bugs he found stacks of money and an abundance of guns. Further surveillance revealed a table of the powder - white, he noticed - that had killed his hornet. His eyes widened at the discovery. There was no doubt about what it was he found.
It's a yakuza hideout. What are the chances of finding one of the last safehouses of a dying organization? Well, no matter. The place looks like a good chance to test out my fighting skills, huh?
Izuku shook his head. What kind of thoughts are those! I'd get myself killed thinking things like that! Not to the mention it being illegal! Izuku continued to berate himself over the mere notion of barging into a yakuza hideout and expecting to come out alive without being riddled with bullets. He continued walking on.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that him walking away was just wrong. The yakuza were criminals, causing harm and destruction in many places even with the heroes that were running about. Innocents would be hurt if he just let what he saw be.
I'll… I'll think over it for tonight. No need to rush into anything. It's not like they won't be there tomorrow.
The next week found Izuku two blocks away from the yakuza hideout. He thought over what he could do for the last seven days, spending hours over the possible ways he could take down the hideout without being outed himself.
As it was, he was within a rather comfortable ice cream parlor. A place that acted not only as a place to concentrate his focus, but also had great ice cream, from what he had heard.
So there he was, just digging in to his mint chocolate chip, when his surveillance bees picked up on a disturbance in hideout.
"Gre… thin… drugs ar… ready for ano…"
He was still working on picking up audio with his bugs, but what he had heard had been enough. There were people in there just asking to be arrested. He then enacted the second part of his plan.
In a discrete alleyway, Izuku found a payphone with his bugs. The various insects began to dial up a number. The phone rang, and then a voice came through.
"Hello? What's your emergency?"
Then came the hard part. Again, like his audio receptiveness, the next part of the plan relied too much on something he was having trouble mastering, but he pushed away his worries in place for action.
His bugs came together, and began to create sound.
"Yakuza… hideout… found..." relayed a harsh cacophony of chittering insects. Izuku ensured that the voice was as feminine and light as possible, while giving a sense of authority - something he thought up to keep the faceless mass of bugs as far from his own identity as possible. He thought up the ability just last week, deep within his planning session regarding the yakuza. He had trouble in getting the syllables to sound well enough together to form words, but a week of constant attempts brought him able enough to form individual words he had practiced hour on end.
Hopefully, the conversation doesn't deviate too much from what I predicted. I don't have many terms mastered that wouldn't just sound like a chittering of bugs, after all.
Izuku continued with his bug speech, giving the operator the address of the yakuza hideout he had found, and the loadout of the twenty or so yakuza members inside.
"Drugs… money…" he added. Over the phone, the operator voiced her thoughts.
"Uh, ma'am," looks like the voice masking worked, "would you please stay where you are? The authorities are on their way."
Uh, nope. He wouldn't get caught up in all the action. "No,"the bugs responded in kind, and then they dispersed into nearby dumpsters and storm drains, leaving the phone hanging from its cord. Thankfully he didn't have to say anything more than what he practiced.
Izuku waited, ordered another ice cream—chocolate chip cookie dough this time. About five minutes later, the bugs picked up on the arrival of someone one the rooftop across the hideout. The figure in mention wore a red and black costume, a scarf billowing in the breeze and two sharp headpieces jutting out from his head.
Is that… the up and coming hero Edgeshot?
It indeed was, as shown when his body stretched to the likes of string and slipped under the door of the hideout. A minute or so later, the hero arrived out through upper window of the building and reshaped himself on the roof. He spoke into his headpiece then, and crouched as if in wait.
He's waiting for backup before actually doing anything. Smart.
Eventually, a whole squad of police rounded up around the corner. Edgeshot came upon then and began to talk. Izuku listened in with his bugs.
"Info… righ… round twenty-sev… you rea…"
"Trap?"
"Don't thin… scoute… no likes of… anywh..."
They're getting ready for a raid then.
The brave men and women readied themselves, surrounding the building. Edgeshot again shrunk down under the door, this time unlocking it and allowing the police to come in. The insects inside watched in wait from their perches on the ceiling. The yakuza members never knew what hit them, a good majority of them being knocked out by Edgeshot's "Thousand Sheet Pierce." The remaining few surrendered to the overflowing police upon seeing their comrades subdued.
No holds barred, eh?
Izuku continued to watch as the police began to take in the criminals. Just in time too, as he had finished hs ice cream. A large smile was planted on Izuku's face. The store's cashier noticed the huge grin on his face.
"That must have been some good ice cream, seeing as your smiling so much about it."
Izuku beoke out of his thoughts and began panicking at the prospect of being found out, no matter how ridiculous it was to think the cashier knew what he was truly doing in the first place. His bugs buzzed slight out of control, but immediately ordered them back into stillness. He quickly thought up a response. "I, yeah. I gue- guess you could say that." He got up to leave.
Best not to stay at the crime scene, after all.
"Well, that's good then!" continued the cashier. "A few scoops of ice cream are a must to a happy and joyful life! I hope you have a great day!"
Izuku smirked a little. "Yeah, a good day. I really am having one. Thanks for the ice cream!" He exited the shop, and headed off towards home. His insects slowly lost sight of the hideout. Edgeshot and the police began to head off to the station. There was no doubt that they would be investigating the strange voice they heard over the phone. His first actions as a hero, masked in the reigns of vigilante action.
But that didn't matter. The yakuza members were utterly defeated and taken in without any deaths or injuries. The yakuza were twenty-seven members short, their already diminishing numbers becoming ever so smaller. All because of his quirk; he wasn't the useless Deku that Kacchan — Bakugou — always called him.
He thought back on the police. He would be careful, of course, if he planned on continuing to use this newfound ability to find criminals.
"Give me a debrief."
"Of course," responded the officer. "Two days ago, on the intersection of Sonkyo and Kaigancho, we received a call regarding a supposed yakuza hideout. Edgeshot arrived on the scene five minutes later. He checked the payphone where the call was made, and found the phone hanging from its cord. The phone was checked for prints later on, none were found."
"Mhm."
"And then," continued the officer, "Edgeshot scouted out the building. He found everything as the voice had said it would be. He later raided the building with our officers, the operation going off without a hitch. Twenty-seven individuals were arrested, eleven being repeat arrests for prior charges. Nine of them were wanted for escapes and similar crimes."
"And the anonymous caller? What do we know of them at this point?"
"Not much. Aside from their apparent attempt to distort their voice, there isn't much we know. We believe that the caller was female, but then again, that could just be because of the methods used to hide their voice. Heck, for all we know it could be their quirk, or that's just their natural sounding voice."
"I see. Well, I'll keep this incident in mind. For now, I'll being looking around for similar events on my patrols. I'll keep you up to date, officer."
"Thank you, Eraserhead. I know you're still fairly new to this and all, but I believe you're best suited to solving our problem. You have my thanks."
Eraserhead nodded. "Of course. No worries, officer. We need to see what else this anonymous caller may know, after all." They both bid each other farewell. The Erasure Hero walked out of the station and into the night.
Chapter 3: Gestation
"You move too slowly, Midoriya." A swipe was made at his legs, barely dodged in lieu of their swiftness.
"I try, sensei." A strike made towards the older man's arms, deflected effortlessly with the appearance of two well placed sticks.
"Indeed you try, but is it enough?" The master wove in through his student's left side, then to his right, creating an endless onslaught of clashes that the younger boy was barely able to escape. A single swipe made through — again, at the legs. Izuku fell to the floor.
A deep, gasping breath, came from the exhausted boy. His sparring partner, on the other hand, stood with an aura of calm - no fatigue apparent in his stature.
"Good job, Midoriya," said Kawabata. "That was ten seconds longer than your record. Five hundred more and I think you'll be ready to face down a common thug."
Izuke chortled. "Very funny, sensei."
"Thank you, Izuku. Nice to know that this elderly man can still entertain his students even after all these years."
The two were the only people present at the dojo at the moment, the others having fallen for the sensei's supposed cancelation of the day''s session. Izuku didn't fall for the ruse for one second.
Izuku got up and began to clean up, their session having come to an end. Even so, there was something he'd been thinking of for the past few days. If anything, now — with him and sensei alone — was the best time to bring it up.
"Sensei," voiced Izuku, "I…" he paused.
"Yes?" asked Kawabata.
"Well, you see… I— Never mind."
"Tsk-tsk-tsk. That won't do. What was lesson number three again, Izuku?"
"Hesitation won't do you any good in combat, Kawabata-sensei."
"Precisely. Now, let's just picture your thoughts as a battlefield, something of which wouldn't say is too far from the truth, given from your mannerisms. Izuku shied away and smiled, not really refuting the claims. "What is it you want to tell me?"
Izuku stood silent for a few moments. Do I really want to tell him? Sure, he'd probably know just how to solve it, or if anything was wrong at all, or if it was just him. But to say it out loud? Well...
He eventually revealed his thoughts. "It's just… I've been here for awhile now, sensei, and I feel like… like… I feel like I've stagnated. I've practiced day in and day out, yet I feel like it's not enough. Will I be ready? Will they accept me? Can I still be a hero? Even without my… my—
The click-clack of two wooden sticks disrupted Izuku. Kawabata shook his head. "You and your muttering."
The teacher stared at his student, his stance shifting from martial artist master back to that of a simple old man. The only thing that stood out were his crossed arms. He eventually spoke.
"In all seriousness, Midoriya, the year and a half that you've spent here has done wonders to your body. What was once a feeble, flimsy stick is now an elegant, sturdy bokken. In fact, a few more months and you just may be able to match up to my nephew. And he's been training since he was four! Your drive and spirit truly inspire me, Midoriya, and don't you forget it."
Izuku gulped in hesitation, almost unsure. "I… thank you, Kawabata-sensei."
The older man nodded. "And thank you. You've made me realize something, Midoriya. I've ignored how your life goes on outside these walls for awhile now, focusing on your drive and will in our sessions. I've blinded myself to one side of your problem. And if I'm not mistaken, you have very little of a personal life outside of training at this point, if any at all. If anything, you need to calm down and relax. You are still a kid, afterall."
One of Izuku's eyebrows rose in question. "Meaning…"
"Don't attend any sessions for a week."
Both eyebrows shot up this time. "But sensei! I—"
"Nope," the older man cut in. "Think this as a part of your training. Break it, and the deal is off. Got it?"
Midoriya furiously shook his head.
"Good. You need to learn that training isn't all there is to life. Even with your circumstances. So go out; have fun. Be with your friends, or something. I don't care really. Just don't stress yourself out over physical training."
"Yes, sensei."
It'd been two days since his sensei had forbidden him from training. Two days void of the exhausting effort he had grown used to. It almost had felt as if he was wasting time, time he could spend bettering himself — preparing to be a hero.
But he had his quirk, at least. That was something he could still train, something his sensei hadn't prohibited him from using.
He still felt bad for lying to his sensei about his supposed quirklessness. He'd gotten in to the dojo because his sensei believed in his drive to become a hero without a quirk. And behind his sensei's back he was using said quirk to engage in vigilante activities.
But a necessary action, Izuku reminded himself. Bugs were not welcomed by society. Mounds of maggots in food, infestations of cockroaches in a home; his quirk would bring too many reminders to such horrors. People wouldn't accept him.
Besides, with the way things are going now I could just juggle around two personas. My hero identity, and a vigilante one.
Izuku brushed away his hair from his face. It was a lot longer than it had been before, something he'd decided due to its given benefit to his quirk.
He was walking around the city again, donning the shades and cane to emulate the blind. But he was not in search of any crimes, this time. He was in search for something else entirely — golden orb weavers, to be exact. He'd only found two of the spiders around his apartment when he checked. They wouldn't be enough, considering what he was planning to do with them.
He walked forward through the sidewalk, weaving through the people as they passed by.
A hive of hornets… Some flys, some maggots… Aha! There we are. One golden orb coming rig—
Izuku felt himself fall over. He'd tripped over… something; it felt kind of fleshy though. A person then. He felt for his face; the shaded glasses were fine, it seemed. A couple insects responded to his brief pain. He pushed them away.
"Ah! I'm so sorry! That was my completely fault, just crouching on the sidewalk like that. Here, let me get you up."
A hand came into view. Izuku took it and hoisted himself up. The hand was attached to what seemed to be… a speech bubble. Huh?
"So sorry. Look at me, causing a hazard for the blind. Are you okay? Nothing broken anywhere?" The boy's head grew and shrunk in size, the circular white bubble doing little to hide his levels of distress.
Wow, must be his quirk then. But a simple bubble head? Probably not. It must have some sort of other use, then. Text display, perhaps? That would serve a lot of uses in education and such. I wonder how durable the thing is. Can it withstand more harm than a regular head can? Is it weaker? Maybe it could act a—
"Ahem." It was the bubble head boy.
Ah shoot. He was mumbling. Again. And I'm still doing it. Perhaps I should—
"Uh… sorry," Izuku said. "I just, get sort of excited whenever I see a new quirk. Yours just turns out to match all the criteria of 'uniqueness'. Sorry about that."
The boy made a sound that indicated a smile. "No worries, I don't mind. But, if anything, we should be focusing on you."
"Me?" asked Izuku.
"Yeah! You fell over! And it's all my fault! There wasn't any way you could have seen me, and I was just crouching there in the middle of the sidewalk. A complete hazard for someone blind!"
Huh? Blind? What does he mean tha—
"Oh!" Izuku gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not, uhm, I'm not... blind, actually."
"Oh," the unnamed boy tilted his head. "Then what's with the whole…" He motioned the glasses. And the cane.
"It— It's uh, it's because of my quirk, actually."
"Oh?" he voiced in confusion. "What kind of quirk would make you need to look like a blind person? Seems like a weird sort of necessity, I mean. No offense."
Izuku swayed his feet in place. "Well… I—" I what? Control bugs? Yeah, I can order each insect individually if I wanted. I can see through them, too. Then, I could make the insects crawl into your orifices as you sleep, or ensure botflies find just the right place to—
"I'd… I'd rather not say."
"Oh." A pregnant pause. "Well, that's fine then." The boy held his arm out. "In that case, my name is Manga Fukidashi, and my quirk is Comic! I'm sorry for making you fall over."
"No, no! It's fine." Izuku looked at the outstretched hand. He slowly went to grab it. He shook the hand. "It's my fault anyway, Fukidashi-san. I— I wasn't paying attention. I'm, uh, Midoriya, by the way. Izuku Midoriya."
Fukidashi crossed his arms in an 'X' shape. "Uh-uh. Nope! None of that, Midoriya."
What? Did I do something wrong? Already? "I—"
"None of that 'Fukidashi-san' stuff. We're friends now, and I'll only accept the usage of my first name from now on."
Izuku blinked. Friends? Is he—really... "Well, I… uh," deep breaths. "In that case, Manga," said boy rose two thumbs up, "it's nice to meet you. And, uh... I'm sorry for running into you."
"Ah, it's no problem man. Just a common mistake. I know how quirks can be."
Izuku shook his head, "But that doesn't excus—"
"Alright, alright," Manga interrupted. "How 'bout this. I'm kinda new to the neighborhood, just moved in actually. You can show me around the city. You know, show me all the cool places you know of. What'd you say?"
Sh—show him around? Like… like, hanging out? And he said we were... friends? He… nobody wanted to just hang out with him. Not after he learned he was quirkless. Perhaps...
"I, uh, yes, Manga." He opened his pack and placed his 'blind man's costume' into it. "Come over this way, I know this really cool ice cream parlor over yonder…"
The spiders could wait, I suppose.
"How did you discover such a good ice cream place, Izuku?" questioned Manga as he dug into brownie fudge sundae.
The two were currently in the ice cream parlour Izuku utilized during his first stakeout. It'd taken a few hours to get there, considering the detours they had ended up taking to several shopping places and a few parks. They eventually reached their original destination, however, and both were pretty tired by the time they got there. They voted to take up some ice cream.
Meanwhile, Izuku was watching in fascination. He was wondering if taking Manga to a place to eat was a good idea. After all, as far as he could tell, Manga lacked a mouth. Either that or the boy across from him simply didn't need to eat, or had some other way of doing so. But seeing him now, well, it was fairly interesting seei—
"Your doing it again, Izuku."
"Ah!" the green headed boy was shaken from his thoughts. "Uh, sorry again, Manga."
The head shook in response, the thin base swirling it left to right. "Like I said a while ago, no worries. If anything, the muttering is really you. Fits you very well, I think."
And there we are again. A first. He didn't think there was anything wrong with my muttering. The other kids back at school always found him weird for it. But Manga, here, he...
"Thank you. That… that means a lot to me, Fukidashi-san."
"Uh-uh!" This time, a giant red 'X' appeared in his head. "Manga, remember?"
"Of course." Izuku smiled." Thank you, Manga."
It was already late in the evening by the time the two had reached Manga's house, the sun just beginning to set down upon the horizon. Izuku hadn't noticed the time at first, only realizing when he'd gotten in front of the door.
He ended up calling his mom with the Fukidashi's phone, relieving her worries when he said he was at a friend's house. Fortunately for Izuku, Manga's family wasn't home at the moment right then; he wasn't really sure how he felt meeting new people, after all. Manga was already enough for the day.
He went to leave, even though Manga insisted that he could stay over. He declined - after all, he still had a couple passengers on him that he didn't want to leave lying about where they could be found as he slept.
And so, when the door of the Fukidashi residence closed, Izuku was left in the dark. It was a first, Izuku had never been out so late before while alone. It was a truly new experience. In fact, all things considering, he was rather interested in the nighttime atmosphere.
I suppose I could explore for a bit. Go and get those spiders from earlier, too. I have time.
He started off in the general direction of home, albeit very slowly. His insects scouted out ahead to watch for any dangers. He eventually turned upon the corner where he had gathered three golden orb weavers. The spiders descended upon him from a second-story window sill. Upon reaching him, they settled on his hair, the long strands acting sufficiently to hide them in plain sight. They joined the twenty or so others that had been hidden in his bush of a haircut that had been there the entire day.
Izuku had grown more comfortable to the presence of insects since he had gotten his quirk; a factor he believed was inevitable due to the intimacy that he would have with the insects that shared his mindspace. For months, they were his only insects in his hair were no exception, and even acted as a wayward comfort — a means of protection if he really required it.
But now that he had met Manga… Well, at least he now had a friend he could talk back and forth with. And all thanks to sensei, too. I guess I know what he meant now, and why he didn't want me to be practicing martial arts all the time.
Spiders safely secured, he walked home.
Or he would of, if if his insects hadn't taken a whiff of gunpowder about half a block away. His insects gravitated toward the area. What he saw made him stop in place.
A mugging. There was a man, based on the burly build the insects had was holding a woman against the wall of an alleyway. Where were the heroes? Was there nobody nearby? A gun glistened in the moonlight.
A Gun? Shoot! I need to get over there, quick! He took a step forward, but stopped himself.
I… Interfering with the crime itself? That was vigilantism. He shook his head. But he'd already done that - just, just not with his physical body itself. Could he reall— The gun cocked.
He began sprinting toward the direction of the crime. He then quickly open up his pack to the section that wasn't filled with stuff. He shoved the bag over his head. Need to remain unidentifiable. And I can still see with my bugs, after all.
He came upon the scene with his own eyes. Both figures glanced in his direction. Oh shoot. Spotted already. Should of thought this through a little more.
"Oi, what the hell are you doing here, punk! Can't you see I'm a little busy?" yelled the man. Izuku ensured he and all his bugs kept their eyes on the man.
Did he really think I would just go away as if nothing was happening?
"Hey! What did I just say? Why you still here?" the man yelled. The woman quivered in his hold.
Apparently so. He went to grab for his eskrima sticks at his waist. But… they weren't there. Shoot, I forgot. I don't have my things with me.
"Ah, hell. How's your quirk canceling mine out?" Canceling out? What does he mea— The gun was then pointed in his direction. Izuku froze.
"Look here, punk. I've been stalking these streets for years, and not once have I been caught!" A single hornet landed on his hand. "And I'm not gonna let som— What the?" He looked at his hand. "Holy—" The man flailed his hand around, dislodging the hornet. The gun was also sent flying to the ground.
Izuku didn't waste any time. He placed a fly on each of the man's limbs and ran up to him. The thug provided a rudimentary defense against Izuku's Muay Thai, barely blocking the blows laid to his sides. But the bugs allowed Izuku to predict the man's movements and block the oncoming attacks. Izuku then sweep at the criminal's feet. The man tumbled.
Izuku placed all his focus on the fallen man then. He went for his opponent, planning t—
What was I doing, again? He felt a hit to his side. He fell over.
What happened? He was on the ground, splayed before the man he had just tripped up."
"Strange," mused the man." My quirk worked then. Why didn't it awhile ago?" The man stopped before Izuku. "Eh, no matter. A single man isn't going to stop me now. I've been on these streets for years, picking off of the innocents one by one. Easy targets, they are." The man took out a knife.
A— A knife. Shoot. No way that I can get up in time, to move, or do something to— "Bugs! I can—
"Now, why don't you just lay there while I—Gah!"
The man fell over, his head having been hit by a heavy bag It was the woman from earlier. She hit the man over the head a couple more times.
Izuku blinked. The woman eventually turned to him, and helped him up. "I… Thank you for that," voiced Izuku.
"You kidding?" asked the woman. "If anything, I should be thanking you. He caught me by surprise and then blamo! He had me against the wall. Don't know how I didn't hear him coming, though. I should have been, given my ears," she pointed, the ears no doubt enlarged due to her quirk. "Anyways, thanks, uhm… Who are you anyways? Bag-head-man or something?"
Ah shoot. Still being a vigilante, right now. "I, uh, gotta go. Crime to fight and stuff!" Izuku ran off again, making as much distance as he could from the scene.
That was a close one. That guy, he almost...
Izuku hid himself into another alley. He made sure he wasn't being followed by spreading all of his bugs everywhere. Thankfully, he wasn't. He removed the bag from his head.
I... I just saved someone. I know that I really shouldn't have, that maybe I should have just called the police, just maybe. I almost died, even, but… That was kind of… exhilarating, actually. Izuku shook his head and slapped his cheeks.
Get it together. Still need to get home, after all. Izuku hoisted himself up. He shook his head. I need more practice after all.
Izuku walked on home, and didn't stop until he reached his bed.
A couple more days later had Izuku inside the dojo, training away with his peers and his sensei.
"Thank you, Kawabata-sensei," voiced Izuku. I understand now why you wanted me to refrain from martial arts for a week."
Kawabata-sensei smiled. "What did I tell you? People your age need more than just work, after all." The man took up a stance.
"Did you learn anything about yourself, Izuku?"
"Plenty, sensei. There was so much I didn't really get until the last week."
"Good. Now, get ready. Your stance is all off. You'd easily fall to a two-bit thug."
Izuku smiled. "Of course, sensei."
Chapter 4: Tinker
"Alright everyone! Settle down, settle down!" the teacher announced. The gruff man slowly descended in his own chair in wait, having used his quirk to assess the situation. The classroom eventually obliged to the command - a whole minute had passed, just as predicted - and slowly began to break away from their conversations and settle into their respective seats.
The teacher nodded, continuing. "It may be the end of the day, but I'd still like to welcome everyone back for the new school year. Now, as you all know, this is your last year of elementary. A big time in your life, in fact — beginning to prepare for the transition from elementary to middle school. The change will be rather…"
Izuku tuned out his teacher, having already thought over the current topic. Instead, he pondered upon the last few months since he'd met Manga. The months were unlike anything he'd experienced in awhile — experiences that were a rarity ever since he had discovered he was quirkless. Ever since Bakugou had decided upon tormenting him all those years ago, he hadn't had a true sense of what friendship was. But with Manga… Well, it was still kind of strange; the feelings of having a friend, that is.
He and Manga couldn't hang out all the time, obviously. However, it was enough; the few days in the week he spent with Manga. On the days without him, Izuku spent time wandering the city, collecting bugs and watching out for any ongoing illicit activities.
He had avoided direct physical intervention unless it was necessary, not wanting to have a repeat of the guy with the knife. Instead, he defaulted to reporting crimes with his insect decoy. Its voice had grown more defined over the months, mastering the simple phrases he'd practiced for reporting crime. Izuku was now branching out to other words, coming around to being able to hold entire conversations with his bugs if he so inclined.
A loud explosion shook Izuku out of his thoughts.
"Yes, yes. Calm down, Bakugou," strained the teacher.
Ah, looks like it's just Kacch—Bakugou acting up again. Typical of him.
"What did you say, Deku?!" His hands were sparking up again.
Oops, was that out loud?
"Yeah, it was! Now, wha—"
"Bakugou," it was the teacher stretched out.
Bakugou's eye twitched. But he relented, descending into his seat. He huffed, but didn't do anything after the fact. He seemed unwilling to continue. For now.
Seems like he knows not to start anything now. Well, not in front of the teacher, at least. Izuku made sure that one stayed unsaid and hidden in his mind, that time.
"As I was saying, you all—" The teacher was interrupted again, this time by the bell. He sighed, this time letting things run their course. "Alright, class. Looks like that's all for the day. We'll continue with this conversation tomorrow. You're excused." He packed up his things and walked out the door. He was faster than any of the students, almost like he was a relieved survivor who had finally found an oasis in a desert.
The class that followed suit was no different, making their way to the door like a gaggle of geese to a pond. Izuku stayed back, however; learning long ago that it was best if he waited for everyone to leave. He continued to stare out the window, thinking up other ways he could use his insects.
The sound of student gossip and drama eventually disappeared, leading Izuku to look away from the window. Unfortunately, fate didn't seem to want to be kind to him today. Bakugou had stayed behind. But he was noticeably alone, his sides devoid of his normal 'friends.'
At least his two cronies aren't here with him.
"Oi, Deku. What was that you said a while ago?" His hands crackled in energy, violent reds and oranges sprouting from his palms. The action used to scare Izuku, but after the encounter with that knife guy all those months ago the crackles of energy were nothing.
But Izuku still gulped. Just because he wasn't scared of the mini-explosions didn't mean Bakugou himself didn't pose a danger. "It was nothing B—Kacchan."
Better to stay under the radar, for now. Act as normal.
Bakugou's face scrunched up in anger. "Nothing, you say?" He stalked up to Izuku, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and holding him against the wall. Explosions racketed the other hand, dangerously inching towards Izuku's face. "You sure?"
Izuku took a deep breath. "I…" But something came to mind. He took a good look at the boy in front of him. Kac—Bakugou… He's really is nothing like that knife guy, is he? He's… he's just a bully. All he does is beat me up, every day at school. But why? Self-satisfaction? Popularity? No, that doesn't make sense. Nobody's here now to see him beat up the 'quirkless Deku.'
"Oi! How about you quit that creepy muttering of your's and answer me!"
A split-second decision accompanied by a crack in the facade, fueled by an unknown presence deep in his mind. It acted in his steed.
"Why don't you stop being a self-gratifying glory hog?" retorted Izuku.
Bakugou's eyes widened in surprise.
The connection faded from memory. Izuku blinked. Where did that come from?
Bakugou's eye twitched. "Wrong answer." An explosion blasted in Izuku's face, leaving behind a harsh reddening of skin. A couple of the bugs in his hair died from the heat.
Buzzing.
A moment of anger surfaced; again, the presence returned. Without thinking, Izuku acted. A fist came up to Bakugou's face, launching him back in surprise. Izuku fell to the floor, no longer supported by Bakugou's hand. The influence disappeared again, leaving no evidence of its interference.
Izuku looked at his hand. Did I… Did I really just do that?
"Deku!" Izuku looked up towards the roar. It was Bakugou, blood dripping from his nose. His hands were crackling in energy, almost looking as if ready to kill someone.
Buzzing.
"Ah, Ka—Kacchan! I'm sorry! I don't— I didn't—"
"Shut it, you— The hell?!" He was looking at the window.
Izuku turned as well, finding the outer surface of the window to be blanketed in bugs.
Shoot! What the heck are with all those insects? Are they responding to my distress? Need to focus on not doing that, then. Need to tell them to disperse, make sure they don't revea—
The door to the class swung open. Izuku flinched, but got the insects to disperse.
"What's with all this ruckus?!"
Izuku and Bakugou's heads turned towards the remark. A rather large man stood in the doorway, his stature emitting an aura of authority and attention. It was the principal. He looked at the scene before him.
"What the—? Have you two been fighting? To my office, now!"
The two adversaries complied.
Izuku found himself seated outside the principal's office. Bakugou had entered first, grumbling and staring daggers at Izuku all the way there.
Why did I do that? I… I punched him. Punched Kacchan. I didn't even think about it. My fist just acted on its own. But there was something niggling at the back of his mind.
But…
It kind of felt good, finally acting back, defending myself for once. Is this how Kacchan feels whenever he beats me down?
The door to the office slammed opened then. Bakugou walked out, still glaring at Izuku. He walked away, though, seeming to know conflict wouldn't do any good at the moment.
A brief pause, and a scuffling of papers came from the open door. A voice rang out.
"Midoriya, my office, if you will," echoed the principal.
Izuku complied, entering the man's office. The room was rather dark, covered in wooden furnishings and dark leather seats. He found himself seated in one of those seats, a placard labeled 'Renjiro Isoshi' facing him from the desktop. The man in question was rather... robust, so to say. His large figure filled his chair. He was rather big around the middle, with his mustache hiding his mouth from view and producing a rather attention-grabbing voice that yearned for notice. He began to speak.
"It's come to my attention that you involved yourself in a… scuffle with young Bakugou." He looked at Izuku, as if judging his reaction, garnering his taking part of the event.
"I must say, Midoriya, whatever were you thinking? Starting that fight with him? He could have been seriously injured due to your actions."
What? I… But I…
Buzzing.
"But Mr. Renjiro, sir, I was just defending myself!"
"Oh?" One of his bushy eyebrows rose in question. "Do tell."
Izuku continued. "It was Kacchan that started it. I just— I just punched in response, after he blasted me with his quirk," Izuku said, motioning to the red marks on his face.
The principal tsked. "Midoriya, while I am tolerant of most things, the one thing I don't appreciate is lying."
Izuku blinked in bewilderment. "Lying?"
The concealed bugs on his head began to scurry up and down his hair in agitation.
"Yes. Young Bakugou already told me what happened. And seeing things as they are, you are quite obviously the instigator of the fight."
Buzzing.
The bugs began to gather at the window like before. Thankfully, the closed blinds prevented them from being seen.
"But that's not wha—"
"Midoriya. I'm inclined to only give you a warning this time. You are normally very well behaved, and I'm willing to label this as a one time event." He began to fiddle with his computer, as if the situation was already resolved, with nothing left to be discussed.
"But this isn't the first time this has happened!" yelled Izuku.
"Oh?" The principal looked away from his screen, looking back at Izuku. "Are you saying that you've started fights with Bakugou before?"
"What? No! You— But I haven't even shared my side of the story! You and Bakugou spent nearly ten minutes in here! You aren't even trying to see how things started from my point of v—"
"Midoriya!" A hand slammed down on the table, the principal's gruff voice echoing throughout the room.
Izuku jumped, his rant sputtering into nothing. He took a deep breath. Calm, calm. Be calm. Disperse… Disperse. The bugs outside complied. The ones in his hair relaxed.
The principal looked at him, as if expecting him to say something.
"I… Okay, Mr. Renjiro."
He nodded. "Good. You're dismissed."
Izuku rose from the chair and walked out. Calm… Calm...
He peered outside the hallway, looking for Bakugou. He began to sneak around the halls, hiding behind walls before turning corners. But by his third corner, he smacked himself in the face.
I can use my insects, duh.
A couple of flies scouted ahead, weaving through the halls of an empty school. Izuku hid in the bathroom in the meantime. He looked at himself in the mirror. The reddened skin began to subside just a bit, but the wounds were still noticeable.
Why? Why? Why? Why? The buzzing continued to grow.
Izuku relented. The static grew into a clarity, the view and sensations of hundreds of thousands at once. A few bugs began to filter into the room, crawling in through the vents and the open window. They scoured the walls and the floors. They continued to arrive from the sink drains, some even from trash cans themselves. Izuku began to calm. Izuku found long ago that he became more relaxed whenever he connected to his swarm. Whether it was anger or sadness, he always felt at comfort when he connected to his bugs, the emotions just fading away. He wasn't exactly sure why this was, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Five minutes passed by the time the flies came back. No Bakugou in sight. Izuku had the bugs disperse again.
Looks like he went home, then. Another deep breath. I need to clear my head, walk around for a bit.
Izuku walked outside of the school. But he didn't head home, instead going in the opposite direction. He began to think over what the principal had said.
Why did he believe Kacchan at face value but not me? There must be some reason he did? Right? But why? What exactly makes me less believable in such a situation? The blood running from Kacchan's nose with me only having near burns? Some sort of contrived reasoning that just discredits me?! Is it because it's my word versus Kacchan's? He's done more for himself at the school than I have. While I stand at the sidelines, he's made a name for himself, doing this and that an—
"Why does he always go on unpunished and unscathed, while you go home hurt and bleeding?"
Yeah! Why is that? Why does Bakugou always get away with what he does?! He goes around hurting other people, and yet he still wants to be a hero! And everyone just watches! How could he? He—
Deep breaths... In... and out... Deep breaths.
He connected to his swarm again. He immediately calmed, his walking became noticeably slower, with Izuku focusing on his bugs.
Izuku entertained himself with the daily ongoings of bugs, trying to veer his attention away from his anger.
Have to take my mind of what happened for now. Investigate later. Figure things out.
He witnessed as the bugs scurried under floorboards, flew free in the open air, raided trash for food, and eve—
Izuku flinched. A whole bunch of maggots had all died in a fiery onslaught of heat and shrapnel.
An explosion?
Izuku found himself turning right, following the road to a rather compact scrapyard piled high with refrigerators and discarded appliances.
Why not?
He walked in.
The few insects he sent in (he didn't want more blowing up, necessarily) didn't see much. There were a few rats, a couple of things that seemed like makeshift robots, a pink-haired figure just to his left, and even a coupl—
Wait. Wha—
He felt a hand pull him to the side. He panicked. Bugs swarmed his position. He grabbed for his escrima sticks, planning to aim for th—
He was met with the face of a young girl, about his age. Pink dreadlocks strewn about her head, yellow eyes seemingly peering into his soul. Her face was mere inches from his, close enough that he could feel her breath.
He faltered. It's— It's… a girl! So close! Why's she so close?
"Heyo! What are you doing here?"
Izuku stood still in shock. Her face moved even closer. She bonked Izuku's head a couple times, goggles bouncing on and off her own head as she did so.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Her eyes — Wait, crosshairs?— appeared to grow by just a fraction.
Why do her eyes have crosshairs? Is it her quirk? Some sort of aiming quirk like Snipe? Ahh! But that doesn't matter! She's still so close! A girl! I haven't done something like this before. What does she want? Maybe I'm trespassing? Is this her scrapyard? Maybe her parents'? But the—
"Why do you have bugs in your hair?"
Izuku snapped at that. "What?" he asked.
"Bugs! In your hair!" exclaimed the girl.
"I…" How did she...?
"You have a spider and even a house centipede! Is that why your hair's long? To keep all those creepy crawlies hidden from the outside world?"
"I… I… I don't know what your talking about!"
She blanched. And stared on. Inching ever closer. "You're weird." She backed away then.
Izuku let out a sigh of relief. "I, uh…"
"But never mind that! I've got babies to make!"
Izuku blinked. 'What?" He observed the strange girl, watching as she picked up a wrench at went to work on a… something. He wasn't really sure what the thing was. It was metallic, rectangular in shape, and seemed to have moving parts within the interior if the the vibrations picked up by the nearby bugs were correct.
Perhaps she's the reason there were a couple of messed up robots in all this junk?
"Oh, hey!" exclaimed the girl. Izuku jumped.
"I know! Why don't you help me?" The girl got in his face again.
"He—Help you do… what?"
"Why, help me make my babies, of course!"
What?! What kind of declaration is that!? Just yelling that out into the open air! Does she even know what that phrase means? It's almost as if—
"Here, it's simple." She walked towards a hatch on the metal shape. "I put my head in here, and when I ask for a screwdriver, you hand it to me. A buzzsaw? Same thing. The chainsaw? Well, its under a few boards and a couple of things, and you may need to get creative with the cord reach, but otherwise, the same thing!"
…
...Oh! Oh, thank all that is right and mighty. She's just talking about her creations. Machines. Not actual babies. She just wants me to help hand over her tools… Wait, chainsaw?
She ducked back into the hatch, screwdriver in hand. Clinks and clanks reverberated the air, banging against the walls of the… thingy.
"So," she said, her voice echoing amongst the metallic interiors, "What brings you around? Hmm?
Izuku took a few seconds to organize his thoughts and create a story that wouldn't reveal the nature of his quirk. Or make him look like a stalker.
"I, uh, was sorta just curious, I guess. I saw the place and then I heard an explosion. Wanted to investigate, see if there was any trouble."
Izuku mentally sighed in relief. He got through that without a single stutter. I just talked to a girl!
"Well, it seems that fate has brought us together, then! I was just in need of an assistant, you know. In fact, you can start by co— Incoming!" Hatsume popped out of the contraption, hurriedly pouncing in his direction, tackling him into the ground.
The metal thing blew just seconds later. A gathering of flies disintegrated into non existence from the flare of steam and fire.
Oh. Well that solves that mystery. The machine sputtered and klunked, but otherwise seemed well held together.
"Aha! It's working like a beauty! Just need a couple more touches and we'll be done within the hour. What'd ya say? You in? "
The voice came from right on top of him. He was still on the ground, a strange weight strewn out upon his body. He looked up. Uh oh.
She was laying on top of him, her body pressing against his. And she wasn't getting off.
Ahh! On top.. Physical contact… too much...
She seemed unperturbed by their position, however. Her head tilted to the side, face ever so closely nearing his again. "You know, I never did get your name."
"I… I… It's… Izu— Izuku! Izuku Midoriya!"
"Well then, Izuku…"
First name basis? Again!?
"The name's Mei Hatsume. Pleasure to meet ya!"
As it turned out, 'within the hour' actually meant two hours, as well as an added time slot for a super magnet in the works. Also, after some light prodding, Izuku discovered that the explosion thingy was actually… well, an explosion thingy. Hatsume said that she was experimenting with explosions, attempting to see how well they could be used to insta-microwave food. Results so far weren't too promising.
And so, there the two were, working on a handheld super magnet in the middle of a metal infested scrap yard, with Izuku hopelessly attempting to ensure neither he nor Hatsume died from any oncoming projectiles.
Still can't believe how none of those things have come near her. I've been dodging this whole time! And she wouldn't listen to anything I said as soon as she started fiddling with the magnetic field of the thing!
"And… done!" Hatsume announced. Izuku jumped again at the voice, barely dodging another metal rod. The third one in the past five minutes, to be exact.
"Looky here, Izu-kun! My baby is complete! It has a built-in on-off switch, a variable magnetic pull, and a basically limitless radius! Well, to this entire lot, at least. But that doesn't matter! What does is that it's complete! All thanks to you!"
Izuku sweatdropped, sort of overwhelmed by Hatsume's outburst. He looked on at the sky, noticing its reddish tint.
Wow, it's already evening.
…
Evening! Ah shoot! Mom must be worried! Again!
"Sorry Hatsume! I've gotta go! My mom will be worried!" He began to sprint off, but took a second to look back. "You'll… you'll still be here tomorrow, right?"
Hatsume looked at him. "But of course! I still have plenty of babies to make, after all." He head tilted again, her eyes seemingly zooming towards his direction.
Maybe it is a sort of binocular vision quirk? The past few hours have felt like she was zooming into my soul, after all.
"Can I count on my assistant on being here tomorrow?"
Izuku blinked out of his thoughts, then smiled — something that was growing ever more common since he'd met Manga. He thought about Manga, then, who said he wouldn't be available for most of the week. Perfect.
"You can count on it! See you tomorrow!"
He sprinted off toward home, thinking about the girl. Sure, Hatsume may have had no sense of personal space, and did seem a bit too steadfast regarding her inventions, but she was a nice person. Someone who was nice to him. Just like Manga was to him. Something he had been craving for so, so long.
He looked again at the nearing sunset.
Time sure flies by when your having fun.
Chapter 5: Dauntless
"So, Izuku, where might we be going today?" asked Manga to his green-headed friend.
Said boy was moving in an anxious pace, obvious nervousness running through his veins. He looked on to his bubble-headed friend, responding with a tirade that he'd been planning in his head for this very moment.
"Well, I sort of came into a slight problem." Izuku admitted. "You see, I… met this girl a couple of months ago. She's really nice... and a… a really good friend. And... well…"
"Oh?" A pair of circles sprouted on the boy's bubble, one appearing with an bent line above it.
Makeshift eyes and a subsequent arched eyebrow of intrigue. Izuku noted.
"Don't tell me. You… like this girl, don't you?" asked Manga.
Izuku immediately responded. "But of course! She's been so nice to me and everything! It's refreshing, you know, having someone like her around. She doesn't even care about my muttering or anything like that. She's a… a very good friend."
Manga sighed. "Ah, so innocent."
"Wha—what? What do you mean?"
Manga's bubble shook. "Nevermind. Anyway, the girl?"
"Oh! Uh, well, you see, I agreed to help her with something the other day. One of her projects. The problem is that, well, I was sort of caught up in the moment. I forget that you wanted to hang out today and well, now the two things come into conflict. I— I was wondering if the three of us could just spend the day together. It was the best I could come up with. I—if you don't have a problem with it, that is."
Manga laughed.
After a few seconds, he began to talk. "Sorry, sorry. I'm not laughing at your idea. It's just, this is so you, you know. Worrying about something so unsubstantial. You don't have to worry about things like this, Izuku. Of course I'm fine with it. Besides, miss out on a chance of a new friend? Fat chance!"
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. "I… thank you, Manga. You don't know how much this means to me."
Manga nodded. "As long as she isn't like that Bakugou guy that I met. That guy, honestly…"
"Ah! No, no. Hatsume's nothing like Ka— Bakugou."
"I know, I know. You said that she's nice after all. I'm willing to believe your impressions of people."
The two friends walked on, conversing about the most recent debut of heroes that month. Unknown to Manga, Izuku had insects patrolling their surroundings. Izuku was searching for any crimes in progress or new hideouts that had come about in the last day since he walked this route. Thankfully, it seemed that the criminals of the city had done no such thing as of current moment. Still, Izuku kept his bugs on watch, yearning for conflict.
It wasn't long until they reached the scrapyard.
"This place is kinda big. You say that this friend of yours just has the whole place to herself?'
Izuku nodded. "Well, her parents own the lot, actually. Hatsume has free reign to do whatever she wants in there. Her strive for invention just so happens to fit right as well in the yard." Izuku tilted his head. "Or maybe her love her invention was inspired by the lot. I'm not entirely sure."
The two walked into the scrapyard, Izuku calling out to Hatsume.
"Hatsume? I'm here! Please stop tinkering with your stuff! At least until I get there. We both know the contents of your boots are volatile enough to— Duck!"
Izuku jumped to the side, behind a broken dishwasher.
Unfortunately, Manga was too absorbed in examining his surroundings, too slow to respond to the warning. A metal casing rushing onto his figure. But fortunately, the debris just ricocheted off of his head, leaving no apparent damage.
Manga turned around. "What was that?!"
Izuku came out from behind his cover. "Sorry Manga, that was probably one of the propulsors we were working on yesterday." Izuku turned his head towards where the projectile had originated from, yelling out into the distance. "Hatsume! I told you that you need to be more careful with your things! You could've hurt somebody with that!"
The inventor appeared from behind a pile of scrap, drawn to the sound of her assistant's arrival. "Izuku! You came! And you brought help!"
"Help?" sweatdropped Manga.
"But of course!" she said, taking a step forward, fist taking shape in the air. "By stepping foot into my domain, you've submitted yourself to the task of creating my babies!"
"Babies?" Manga asked, dozens of exclamation points appearing all around his face.
"Ah but never mind that!" Hatsume said, walking back to the pair of boots she was working on. Izuku and Manga followed.
Hatsume continued, "So, Mr. Bubblehead…"
"Ah, Manga, actually. Manga Fukidashi."
"Well alright, Manga. I've got to say, you've got a really nice head."
"Oh, thanks! It may be a bit unconventional, but I've grown used to it after all this time. Besides, I think it fits right well with my quirk."
"And what's that?" questioned Hatsume as she began securing the soles of his boots.
"Well, it—"
"Oh!" interrupted Hatsume. "Izuku, scratch our current work. The propulsions are too bulky. I noticed it when that one from a while ago just blasted off. Too volatile. We need to consider turbines instead!" Izuku got out a notebook — one specifically designated for Hatsume's invention ideas — and began to write down possible applications of turbine powered boots.
"Anyway," said Hatsume, "go on."
"Right. Well, uh… What was your name again?"
"Hatsume Mei! And don't forget it!"
"Right! Well, since you asked, Mei, my quirk is comic! I can physically manifest sounds with my voice. Unfortunately, the more I use my quirk, the sorer my throat gets." He demonstrated his quirk by announcing 'BOING,' which produced a platform that he bounced a rock off of.
"Interesting… You say your throat gets sore after a while?"
Manga nodded.
"Well, I'm not an expert in biology, but perhaps I can whip something up to counteract that. A type of humidifier for your throat, maybe? Hmm… this might be a difficult one." Hatsume brought out one of her own notebooks, writing down possible ideas as they came from her mind.
Manga was surprised at the girl's willingness to offset his quirk's drawbacks. "Oh, there's no need to—"
"Ah!" yelled out Hatsume. Both Manga and Izuku jumped at this, the latter dropping the notebook he was writing in. "Izuku! You still haven't told me about your quirk! You should tell me! Think of all the wonderful babies we can make together to synergize it!"
Izuku froze halfway bending downwards as he went to pick up his fallen notebook.
Oh no.
"Hmm. That is a good point, Izuku," added Manga. "I remember you saying you didn't want to talk about it when we first met."
Oh no. No. No. No. They… they want to know about my— my quirk. About… about the bugs. They bugs, the insects, the legs, the skittering — What… would they think?
"Izuku?"
They would run. Run away scared. They would longer wan— want to be frie—
Izuku took a deep breath.
No. They're— they're my friends. They've been nice to me ever since we met! Manga's so nice that he plays around with the younger kids we pass by. And Hatsume is pretty understanding, she wouldn't ridicule me for such a thing, would she? I— I should just come out with it, be straight with them. And then—
Manga chimed in. "Look, Izuku, I know that you said that you want to keep that info to yourself, and that's completely fine with me. You're free to keep to yourself to whatever yo—"
"Umm." Izuku interrupted. He looked away from his friends, taking glances at the junk and scrap that littered their surroundings instead. "My quirk…"
His two friends waited with bated breath, waiting for Izuku's response.
"My quirk… I… I haven't told anyone about my quirk, actually. Nobody knows about it. Not even my mom."
Hatsume rose an eyebrow. Manga manifested a pair and one rose too. There was a long moment of silence.
It's now or never.
The silence broke abruptly. "I control bugs."
…
…
"That's it?" asked Manga.
Izuku blinked. "What?"
"You control bugs?" asked Hatsume, hand under her chin. "How, exactly?"
"We—Well, I—"
"Show me," demanded Hatsume.
Izuku gulped. So far so good. He connected to a swarm of flies from a nearby dumpster, calling them over.
Think non-scary. Something fun. Something that wouldn't scare them. Like… like the circus! There's nothing scary from the circus!
The flies arrived, responding to Izuku's commands. They formed a ring in the air, the miniature swarm hovering in a rotating shape. Individual flies were given the order to fly loops and nosedives through the air, and eventually make their way through the hoop.
"I've gotta admit, that's actually kinda cool, Izuku," voiced Manga.
Izuku looked toward his friend. "Ah… Really?"
"Yup!"
"There's… nothing wrong with it? Having insects so close to you guys, I mean."
"Not that I can see with it," voiced Manga. "Why? Was it that Bakugou jerk again? Has he been putting in your head that your quirk is bad?"
"Ah! No… I just thought that, well… the bugs would be… would create a bad image, is all."
"Pfft! As if!" announced Hatsume. If anything, your problem if that you're too squishy."
"...Huh?"
"You know, squishy! Well, that and pretty scrawny, too. I mean, look at those noodle arms of yours! I bet you couldn't carry a car!"
"Umm… I'm pretty sure that I couldn't carry a car normally unless I had a strength quirk."
Hatsume scoffed. "And what about my babies? They would increase your strength ten-fold!"
Izuku pondered upon that factor. "Well, I suppose they could… But I'd rather not have any… uhm… augmentations to that category. My fighting style wouldn't necessarily need the use of unrefined brute strength."
"Fine," she whined. "Be all that with your 'no strength-providing exoskeleton apparatus' mindset. There are plenty of other things I could work upon. Like pouches! Special ones that can hold multiple insect species at once! Or maybe a costume to make up for that vulnerable body or yours!"
Izuku interjected. "Oh, uh, Hatsume." Said girl looked back at him. "I, umm, I'm sort of already working on that, actually."
"You are?"
"Yeah, I have this project going on at home with a couple of Golden Orb spiders. I have them making a costume for me in my free time. I can only have them working when I'm within two blocks of my house, though. That's how far my reach is. I have a couple containers to keep them in for when I leave, to make sure mom doesn't kill them or they wander off too far. I only have ten at the moment, so progress is kind of slow. But at least it's pure spider silk, so—"
"Wait! Pure spider silk!? You can just tell them to make however much you want?!"
Izuku began to rub the back off his head. "Uh, yeah. The only problem is making sure the spiders don't over exhaust themselves."
"Why don't you make more?" asked Manga.
Hatsume and Izuku turned to him. "Huh?" they both asked.
"Oh, umm, you know. You probably have both male and female spiders, right?"
"Yeah. Three females and seven males," informed Izuku.
"Good. Well, there you go!"
Izuku scratched his head. "I don't get it."
Manga made a face.
(ーー;)
He sighed, "Never mind. Best to let you figure it out."
"Oh!" Hatsume interjected. "That's why you had—" she paused, her eyes zooming in on Izuku's head, " —still have bugs in your hair! Quick access defense! I like it!"
"You have bugs in your hair?" Manga questioned.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head, "Uh, yeah... You guys… You guys want to see?"
They nodded. Good. Still not scared. Actually want to see my bugs. You're doing good, keep going. You can actually do this, can actually go through wit—
"Ahem."
"Ah! Yes!" Izuku yelped, reaching into his hair. When he pulled it away, out came a house centipede with it, its dozens of squirming legs coming along. "This is Rikai! He's one of the first bugs that I allowed into my hair."
He named it?
Ooh! Centipedes too! Think of the irritation bombs I could make with their poison!
"Hmm. I'm gonna have to get used to having insects around pretty closely, aren't I?" mused Manga."
"Oi! Don't be a party pooper!," Hatsume said, encroaching into Manga's personal space. "Think of all the possibilities that can come upon us with these bugs! I, for one, don't care for the fear factor! Bugs are bugs, marvelous and wondrous applications all over!"
Manga rose his hands in surrender, backing off from the rather too close girl. "I didn't mean it like that! I mean, I think the bugs are pretty cool when you think of it! I'm just worried I'll accidentally swallow one or something like that!"
Izuku smiled. They really don't care. The fact that I control bugs doesn't faze them in the slightest. Hatsume and Manga… They really are great friends.
But then he grimaced. Another problem came to mind. I need to tell Sensei. He's been as good to me as Hatsume and Manga have. He has the right to know as well.
"And if he kicks you out of the dojo?"
...I still have my skills as they are now. I can adapt.
The next day had Izuku in front of the dojo of Kage Kawabata. The place wasn't actually open yet, Izuku having arrived a long time before the day's scheduled meeting. Still, Izuku was certain that his teacher to be present at the dojo. The man basically lived there, after all.
Well, that and he also checked with his bugs. The man was definitely inside, sitting in a crossed legged position in front of a table with tea, reading a book. It didn't seem that he was leaving anytime soon.
Izuku took a deep breath, gazing upon the front of the building. This was a moment he'd been dreading for for a long time. He'd felt bad the first time he had arrived at the dojo, getting in through a lie. The fact that his sensei had essentially brought him in based on his quirklessness didn't bode so well with him either. He knew that he would have to tell the truth one day, no matter how much it scared him.
But with yesterday, with the time he spent with Hatusume and Manga, he was feeling more optimistic. Perhaps not everyone would avoid him out of fear. Perhaps some could actually accept his quirk. He just hoped that Kawabata was like that, as well.
He began to walk up the steps, hand ready to knock on the imposing barrier between himself and an uncertain fate. He was surprised when the door opened at its own accord, Kage Kawabata standing in the doorway.
"Midoriya. Nice morning we're having, isn't it? Come! Come in! We have much to discuss."
Discuss? What does he mean? And how did he know I was at the door?
A tap on his shoulder. He looked up to find the arm to be that of his sensei.
Izuku gave out a nervous laugh. He walked in after the older man. I really need to get that muttering under control. It could prove disastrous in real combat.
The two sat upon the low standing table.
"Tea?" asked Kawabata.
Izuku nodded. Kawabata poured him a cup. Izuku drank it sparingly, drawing out the time to hold off for the moment he decided to say anything. It was during this timeframe that Izuku began to panic in his head.
What will he think? What's going to happen? Will he be scared? I control bugs, after all. I wouldn't blame him. But this needs to be done. I owe it to him to tell him the truth. He's taught me so much. I can't go on lying to him.
He took a sip, but discovered a lack of heat and liquid emanating from the china cup. Empty.
He sighed. He looked up, looking at Kawabata straight in the eyes.
Izuku gulped. "Sensei… I've… I've got a confession to make."
The man merely nodded, edging Izuku to continue.
"I… I… lied to you. When we first met." The waterworks began, tears falling from Izuku's eyes. "I said that I was quirkless, but.. But… I'm not. I can… I can control bugs. And with scaringly fine control too. Enough that I could become a hero with just that. But— But— I was just so—" his breath hitched, and he went to wipe his face with his sleeve. He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by Kawabata.
"Calm yourself, Midoriya. No need to shed tears over such a dilemma."
"But Sensei! I—"
"I already know about it. Your quirk, that is. I've known for quite some time, actually."
"But… but… but…"
"But why? How? Why haven't I kicked you out yet?"
Izuku gave a slight nod, looking to the ground in shame.
Kawabata took another sip of tea. He continued, "I never did tell you about my own quirk, Midoriya. I never felt the need to inform you of it, and usually never do with most of my students."
Another sip. "Cognition, is what it's called. In short, I can sense brainwaves, as well as the things that the thoughts I pick up on are directed at. Just a moment ago, when you flew those insects in here, I sensed them. They were screaming thoughts of [Resolve] and [Confession] and [Guilt]. I could tell you were nearby, and had deduced your reasoning for being here. I knew that you had finally decided to tell me of you quirk."
"That's how you knew I was at the door."
Kawabata nodded. "Yes."
"How… How long have you known?"
"It was one of our first lessons together, actually, when you had that fly stuck in my sleeve."
"I found that I could track your movements, if I wanted," Izuku said in resignation.
"Yes. I was rather surprised at first, and I almost called you out right then. The supposed quirkless boy suddenly demonstrating a mental connection to a random fly? And the the two of them having the same emotions at the time? If that didn't scream 'quirk,' well…"
"I… I understand, sensei." Izuku went to stand. "I'll… I'll just pack up my things an—"
"Not so fast, Midoriya." Izuku faltered, but obliged to listen to his teacher. He settled back down.
"As I was saying," continued Kawabata, "I was rather perturbed when I discover the truth. But," he emphasised, " your thoughts showed your true self. [Guilt], [Dishonor], and - what surprised me the most - [Fear]. I understood then that you weren't withholding the information of your quirk for an advantage, but rather as a factor of you being afraid of using it. The mind of a young child can be rather quick to judge when you consider the nature of insects. Not many show them any kindness, after all."
Izuku looked up, blinking a couple times. Does that mean...
The man took another sip from his tea. "That, is what I've judged your character on, Midoriya. Your mind, and what I've gathered from you during your time here. And you, Izuku, are a good person. You shouldn't let your quirk determine your character. Don't forget that."
The tears had cleared up by now, them being replaced by a rather minute smile, the relief apparent on his face. "I— Thank you, sensei. I appreciate all that you've done for me. And— And I understand if want to get rid of m—".
"You need not fret, Midoriya. I do not plan in any time in the future to ban you from this dojo. You still deserve a place in here as much as anyone."
"Re—Really?!"
"Yes. Just promise me one thing."
"Of course, sensei!" came the boy with the outright outstanding smile.
"You do your best to get into U.A. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You have the means to become a great hero, someday."