prologue
There are some things you can't escape.
A little green haired girl stared blankly at the doctor in front of her and her mother, she was quirkless. She was part of 20% of the population. How. How is that possible? The drive home was quiet. Unnerving for Inko Midoriya, her heart broke seeing her daughter's eyes. She had tears in her eyes seeing her daughter letting her own flow freely down her face. Her hands gripped the steering wheel til they turned white seeing her daughter’s shoulders shake. She didn't know how to comfort her. She had never been in this situation before. ‘I'm so sorry my precious girl.’
Parts of you that you can't outrun.
“Izu!” a boyish voice called out to her as she walked into the school, she turned seeing the familiar ash blonde running towards her. He stopped in front of her, trying to make it look like he wasn't panting from the short run. His red eyes staring into her green ones, he studied her face seeing it was different somehow, her natural glow of happiness wasn't there. Her smile was gone. She looked smaller somehow. Like she was curled into herself. “What happened? What's your quirk?” he asked her eagerly, he saw how her face dropped even more, how water steadily grew in her eyes as she glanced away.
“I dont have one” she murmured out quietly.
It's written in my DNA.
The world around her seemed to blur, the little girl ignored all those around her to the best of her ability. Maybe if she stayed quiet they wouldn't notice her, maybe if she made herself smaller they wouldn't try to make conversation. Even though she knew deep down, all she wanted was someone to ask her. Ask her how she felt. How she was taking this. To tell her she’d be fine, that she could do anything. She was still waiting. She wished she could disappear into the background, fold herself into a shadow. But no matter how small she tried to make herself, the words found her. They always found her.
A weakness I can never out pace.
“She doesn't have a quirk.”
“I know it's weird.”
“What a freak.”
“My mom told me not to hang out with her cause she's contaminated or something.”
“What a loser.”
“She’s a quirkless nobody.”
“Defenseless Izuku.”
Engraved on every cell of my ceaseless aching body.
“Momma, can I still be a hero…without a quirk?” she asked her mom who had been watching her from the doorway. The older woman gathered tears in her eyes, her daughter was her life, and here she sat lost, hurt, and broken. Moving closer, kneeling in front of her daughter.
“You can be, Anything. That you want to be.”
she spoke firmly to her. Making sure she was looking at her. She wiped her daughter's tears gently, smiling softly. “You're going to be the hero you want to be.” she pulled her into a hug, letting her girl cry as much as she needed to.
But the truth is I'm angry.
“You can't be a hero, you quirkless freak!” a boy at recess yelled, it was one of the boys Kacchan hangs out with now. He shoved her hard, and she fell to the ground. She looked up at him through her hair, her eyes narrowed.
“And you can?” she spat out. She got up dusting herself off, looking at the boy. “You’ve got as much of a chance as I do.” The venom in her tone was very much present, the boy's quirk allowed him to stretch his fingers about 15 inches from their normal length. But of course he didn't like that, nor did his friends. She couldn't bring herself to care what they liked. She just wanted this to stop. She wanted them to stop. She wanted it all to stop.
Izuku went home with bruises and a bloody nose.
I have been angry my whole life.
She glanced down at the note on her desk, it was pink with hearts. She knew it was fake. There were giggles coming from some girls in the back. She smiled fakely grabbing it, she held it in her hands there was a subtle tremble in them. She ignored it.
*Rip*
*Rip*
She walked to the garbage can to throw away the shreds of paper, looking right at the girls who were behind the prank. Her stare unsettled them. Her eyes, once sparkling, and filled with joy were dull. They seemed almost lifeless. A soul without anything to lose. Because honestly that's what she was.
You've always been beyond my reach.
She stared at how Kachan was surrounded by his ‘friends’ and how they conversed with each other. How they patted his back saying happy birthday. Turning away, shoving away the small paper bag by her bag, she’ll just leave it in his shoe locker when she goes home. It's easier that way.
As the final bell rang, she made her way to his locker, she took off the little note she wrote. That way he wouldn't know it was from her. Only placing the little bag in the locker and walking away. She knew they weren't friends anymore but there was this small voice in the back of her mind that wished they were. She was unaware the ash blonde saw her put it there.
Something that I crave to be.
She stood in the rain relishing in the feeling of it hitting her skin. She looked up, letting it hit her face. She always loved the rain. The feeling of it hitting her skin. The idea that even the sky cried, that everything felt something. Looking back ahead of her, she saw Katsuki on the other side of the street under an umbrella with his mother who was shopping. Kids from school nodded at him and said ‘hi’ she looked away, continuing her way home, hating the bitterness she felt. She couldn’t bring herself to actually be mad at him though. How could she? for having friends? it wasn’t even her fault, It was the fucked up society she lived in.
“Bakugou Katsuki” the strongest in class.
She sat at her desk again, wiping off the cruel things someone had written on it,
‘Why are you still here, freak. Do us all a favor and swan dive. It’ll be better that way.’
by her feet were a bunch of used wipes she had already used. she heard giggling from the boy with red wings. she rolled her eyes. Once her desk was clean she walked to the trash can, throwing them out. She walked back to her desk quietly, seeing the teacher praise Katsuki on his grades, subtly mentioning the boy’s quirk, his smirk growing hearing the praise. Her eyes only closed as she blinked away tears,
I'm done.
She sat with her mom in the office of her new middle school, a different one from the other school Katsuki and most of the other kids attended. It was a small, welcoming office adorned with posters promoting academic excellence and school spirit. Izuku glanced around, her green eyes taking in every detail of her new surroundings. Izuku Midoriya was changing, and she welcomed it with open arms.
The principal, a kindly woman with graying hair and glasses, smiled warmly at Izuku and her mother as they reviewed the school's rules, uniform requirements, and the various clubs available for students to join. Izuku listened attentively, feeling excited. She was determined to make the most of this opportunity, to carve out a place for herself in this new environment.
I'll become someone who runs alongside you,
Not chase you.