Chapter Text
When Inko Midoriya gave birth to her child, she did not expect him to be glowing. She had thought that her child’s quirk would be something related to pyrokinesis, but her baby was glowing in the doctor’s arms, sobbing his eyes out. As soon as the baby opened his eyes and looked at his mother, the light shone even brighter, but as quickly as it started, the light faded.
Hisashi had been waiting outside the room, but when he saw the glowing, he rushed in to check on his wife and son.
“What was that?” Hisashi Midoriya asked, worry creeping into his voice.
“It seems to be the boy’s quirk.” replied a doctor. “Once he turns four, I’d recommend taking him to see a quirk counselor.”
Satisfied, Hisashi turned back to his wife, who was now holding their son. “Have you thought of a name for our little guy?” Hisashi asked. He had a few names in mind, but he wanted his wife to pick first.
“Yes.” Inko replied. “I want to call him Izuku.” Inko held her baby close and couldn’t help but think of the things her son could do.
‘Izuku. I just know you’re going to do great things.’
“Sorry, it’s not going to happen.” Dr. Tsubasa said with a grim look on his face. Inko had taken Izuku to a quirk doctor once he turned four. They had not seen any signs of a quirk forming outside of the glow Izuku had when he was a baby.
“There must be some sort of mistake doctor.” Inko said. “He was glowing when he was born four years ago.” Beside her sat Izuku, who looked frozen in time. Izuku had wanted to be a hero ever since he saw All Might’s debut, but all his friends, including his best friend Kacchan, said he needed a quirk to be a hero.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but we ran an x-ray over his foot, and it shows that he has an extra toe joint. Quirks are wildly unpredictable, but one thing that is always constant is the absence of a certain toe joint, one that Izuku has.” Doctor Tsubasa explained. “Truthfully, I am not sure about what that glow was when he was born. Perhaps the effect of another quirk?”
Inko, upset but unable to do anything else, simply said, “Ok. Thank you for your time.” She bowed before dragging Izuku back into the waiting room to check out. Meanwhile, Doctor Tsubasa flipped a switch under his desk, and a phone rose from a trap door on his desk. He got up and closed the blinds to his office and locked the door before calling the number on the phone.
“I assume you have a good reason to be calling this number, doctor.” The man on the other end of the phone said.
“Of course, my lord. I am calling to let you know that I found the perfect candidate to start Project: Nomu on. A quirkless boy, perfect for the first experiment. His name is Izuku Midoriya.”
“Interesting. Tell me his home address. I’ll make sure Kurogiri pays the boy a visit.” The man said, an unsettling tone in his voice.
“Of course, my lord. This will be the perfect start to your plans, I’m sure.”
Once Inko and Izuku went back home, Izuku rushed up to his room and slammed the door. Hisashi witnessed the scene and went over to his wife.
“What happened over there?” he asked, slightly shaken up over Izuku’s reaction.
“The doctor said that Izuku is quirkless. I wish I could do something to cheer him up, but I feel so useless.” Inko replied, her eyes threatening to burst with tears. She wanted to say something to make her boy feel better, but she didn’t know what to say.
“We can go up and talk to him. I’m sure he just needs reassurance from us that he can still follow his dreams.” Hisashi replied.
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous for him to be a hero if he’s quirkless?” Inko asked. She wanted her baby to follow his dreams, but she also wanted him to be safe. How could he save people if villains can shoot lasers and punch through steel?
“Of course he can! There may not be any quirkless heroes in Japan, but I’ve learned that there are quirkless heroes all over the world by talking to my American coworkers!” Hisashi exclaimed. He was very insistent on that since quirk discrimination was much more common here than in other countries. “I think the most important thing we can do is prove that him being quirkless doesn’t make him useless.”
“If you say so, but just know that a mother can’t help but be worried.” She teased.
“I could never forget that.” Hisashi said, smirking.
As the two walked upstairs to their son’s room, they could hear the sound of All Might’s voice, as well as the sound of sniffling. Inko’s heart ached at the sound, but the two pressed on. The pair entered the room and saw Izuku watching All Might’s debut video on loop. There were tears pouring out of his eyes, and he had the same look on his face as at the doctor’s office.
“Oh honey.” Inko cooed, scooping her son into her arms as tears started to fall from her eyes. Hisashi stood nearby, trying not to shed tears.
“A-All Might is the coolest. He c-can save everyone.” Izuku said, his voice muffled as he cried into his mom. He looked up at her and said, “Can I-I be a hero too?” He was trying his best to smile, but the corners of his mouth betrayed him, and tears still threatened to leak as soon as he let his guard down. Inko and Hisashi looked at each other, then back at their son before Hisashi said,
“Of course, son. Just because you’re quirkless, doesn’t make you useless. I have no doubt you’ll be a great hero someday. You’ll have to work harder than the others, but that’ll make you even better.
Inko replied similarly, saying, “We will support your dreams, no matter what. I know that you can do whatever you set your mind to.” Upon hearing the words of his parents, the tears Izuku pushed away came flooding back, and the three started bawling on the spot.
After calming down, Inko said, “Why don’t we have some Katsudon? Your father and I will get it ready, and you can watch some more heroes in the meantime.” Izuku’s eyes lit up at the idea, and Inko took that as all the confirmation she needed to prepare the meal. “Ok sweetie! Dinner will be ready in a bit.” Inko and Hisashi then left, leaving Izuku by himself.
As the two walked downstairs, Hisashi noticed the worried look on his wife’s face. “What’s wrong, honey?” he asked, worry in his voice.
“I just can’t help but worry about him. I know we’ll support him, but what about the other kids? They may not be as understanding as we are, and I don’t want Izuku to be bullied.” Inko replied. Quirkless discrimination is a huge problem in Japan, and kids fear what they don’t understand.
“We’ll just have to keep a close eye on him. And if things are truly bad where Izuku is now, we can always find a different school.” Hisashi replied, holding his wife’s hands as he spoke.
“You always know the right things to say, honey.” Inko said lovingly. “For now, let’s not keep Izuku wai-” Inko was cut off when she heard screaming from Izuku’s room.
“MOM! DAD! HELP!!” Izuku screamed. The pair quickly dashed upstairs and hastily entered their son’s room. They saw a black portal taking their son as he struggled, tears in his eyes.
“IZUKU/KIDDO?!” Inko and Hisashi yelled, running up to the portal to try and grab their child. Despite their best effort, though, the portal closed, leaving the two of them alone in their baby’s room. Inko doubled over and started sobbing as Hisashi ran over to the phone to call the police.