Chapter Text
When All Might left Izuku on the rooftop, he wasn’t alone. At least, not for long.
Izuku fell to his knees, sobbing his heart out. All Might didn’t close the door behind him as he left the rooftop, as if telling Izuku that there was still a path out of this nightmare.
There wasn’t.
Ever since Izuku understood what pro heroes were, being one was all he had ever dreamt about. This desire didn’t fade when he found out he was quirkless, when Kaasan apologized for his genetics. It didn’t fade when Kacchan turned against him for something he had no control over. It didn’t fade even when burns and bruises blossomed on his skin, when teachers turned willingly blind in the presence of Kacchan’s bullying.
It didn’t fade despite of everything Izuku had endured—or perhaps because of that. After all, being a pro hero was the one thing everyone held over his head.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t be a hero without a quirk.” “Don’t be stupid, Deku. You’re useless without a quirk! How can someone like you be a hero?” “I’m sorry—I’m sorry!”
If Izuku became a hero, he wouldn’t be useless. He wouldn’t be worthless weak lesser a waste of space a drain on society’s resources Kaasan’s regret a quirkless nobody, even if he still didn’t have a quirk.
If he became a hero, everything would be alright again, the way it used to be before Izuku was four. His world would turn upright, Kaasan would be proud of him again, Kacchan wouldn’t hate him anymore, and he’d have friends and family and a future.
Except. It was impossible. Even All Might agreed.
What future did someone like him have?
“You seem troubled, Midoriya Izuku.”
Izuku shrieked, jolted out of his thoughts. Wasn’t he alone?
No, he wasn’t. Sitting next to him was a quirked animal that looked like a stuffed toy, with snow white fur and ruby red eyes. It had two pairs of ears—one cat-like and the other rabbit-like. The fur on its second pair of ears faded into pink, and was adorned with red gems and gold circlets. It was staring at Izuku curiously, with its head tilted.
What was it? A cat or a rabbit? Was it someone’s pet? Was its quirk enhanced intelligence or something more discreet? Why was it on the roof? Why wasn’t it blinking? Did it have no need for blinking?
Izuku have a million different questions, but what he blurted out was—
“How do you know my name?”
Immediately, he flushed. Animal or not, that was rude. Why did he have to embarrass himself even in front of animals?
The animal continued not blinking. Was that part of its quirk? “Apologies, Midoriya Izuku. That was rude of me. My name is Kyubey. I know your name because it’s one of the abilities granted to a being like me.”
“…being…?” Did that imply it was not a quirked animal?
“A magical creature!” Kyubey replied cheerfully. “We can turn people into magical girls—or magical boys, in your case—by granting their wishes!”
Izuku felt like he should be freaking out, but he inexplicably wasn’t. Perhaps he had used all his energy crying over All Might’s words.
“What.” He said, then added. “Like in shouji manga?”
“Exactly like that!” Kyubey exclaimed. “Some of the creators of the so-called ‘magical girls’ genre are actually magical girls.”
Huh. “…okay. Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want to make a contract with you, Midoriya Izuku. I can make a wish of yours come true, and in return, you will become a magical boy. You will have to fight witches, sowers of discord and despair, to save and protect innocent people, like the pro heroes of your society.”
Izuku should ask more about those witches—what were they and where they came from and why he had never heard of something like that, but…
But. ‘Like the pro heroes of your society.’
Wasn’t that all he had ever dreamt of becoming?
Someone who could save and protect people. Someone who could bring hope to the desperate with a smile on his face. Someone who was worthwhile.
And now, someone was asking him to become a hero. Not rejecting, not discouraging, requesting.
Not even All Might had done that.
The hope that All Might had so carelessly snuffed rekindled itself in Izuku’s chest. He could still become a hero. Maybe not a pro hero, one recognized by law and society, but he could become a hero in every way that mattered.
In that very moment, Izuku knew he would accept Kyubey’s offer.
“Okay.” Izuku agreed, rubbing at his still-swollen eyes. “What kind of wish do I have to make?”
Kyubey did not smile, but Izuku got the sensation they were pleased. “Any kind. I can grant any wish, even if it breaks the laws of reality. Riches, fame, immortality…anything.”
“I…” A terrible, dangerous thought reared its head. It was a thought that plagued him day and night; a thought that made itself known every time he stared into Kaasan’s eyes and saw guilt, every time Kacchan pushed him onto the ground, every time people looked at him and only saw quirklessness.
An impossible wish. One that went beyond the confines of reality.
“What…what about a quirk?” Izuku whispered, as if he was revealing an ugly, self-centred part of himself. After all, that was exactly what he was doing. “What if…what if I asked for a quirk…?”
“Then you would have a quirk!” Kyubey replied brightly, a sharp contrast to Izuku’s anxiety.
He could…he could have a quirk…?
Quirklessness was the start and end of Izuku’s problems. If he wasn’t quirkless anymore…
When he was younger, he used to imagine having a quirk, and the fairytale-like life that would leave him with. He’d prefer one that was strong and combat-worthy, of course, but just a simple but obvious one like changing hair colors would be amazing.
He had stopped after a while, because thinking of what-ifs and what-could-have-beens was too painful.
But…if what-if turned into what-was…
“I…” Izuku swallowed. “I wish for a strong quirk that can help me become a hero.”
Kyubey nodded. Izuku imagined they were beaming. “Your wish will be granted.”
There was a stabbing pain in Izuku’s chest, and then Izuku fell.
Izuku was falling, falling, falling through layers of green. Olive green, emerald green, green like forests and sages and laurels.
He was falling, but it didn’t feel like that.
It felt like he was rising.
When Izuku’s mind returned to reality, he was standing up. His body hummed with power, and there was a bright green gem floating in front of him.
“Well.” Kyubey commented. “I haven’t seen a magical girl transform while making their contract in a while.”
“…what?” Izuku blinked. He glanced down. “…oh.”
In place of his gakuran, Izuku was wearing a green cloak that was lined with gold at the edges. A bronze crescent moon held the cloak in place. He raised the piece of fabric, only to find that he was wearing a sleeveless greyish-green dress and knee-high boots. The brown boots matched his belt and gloves.
Huh. He should’ve been expecting that.
Izuku glanced upwards, back to the gem in front of him. It was the size of an egg, overlaid with an elaborate bronze casing, and almost seemed to be pulsing with light. “What is that?”
“That is your Soul Gem, Midoriya Izuku.” Kyubey explained. “It is the source of your magic! You can’t transform without it, so take good care of your Soul Gem and never let it out of your sight.”
“Okay.” Izuku said. Hesitantly, he grabbed the Gem out of the air.
The Gem was cool on his palms. Izuku watched, amazed, as it melded into a ring almost automatically and settled gently onto his ring finger. Almost sardonically contrary to the Gem’s original egg-like size, the ring was a simple bronze band with a minuscule diamond-shaped gem embedded in it.
Where did all the mass go?
Wait. This was magic. Never mind.
“What…” Izuku swallowed. “What about my wish…?”
He dreaded the answer more than he anticipated it.
What if he couldn’t have a quirk after all…?
Kyubey tilted their head, “You mean you can’t feel it?”
“…feel what…?” Izuku’s heart decided to take up residence in his throat. Did something go wrong? Did Kyubey’s powers somehow not work on Izuku? Was Izuku broken?
The buzz beneath his skin grew.
“The power—the energy within you. That isn’t a normal part of being a magical girl, Midoriya Izuku. That is your quirk.”
…oh. Izuku suddenly felt very stupid.
Tentatively, he reached beneath his skin, nervously grasping for his newfound quirk the way a child explored a foreign sensation.
His metaphorical hands touched something that sent a thrill down his spine.
And then, green lightning exploded out of him.
In the brief period between the time Kacchan’s quirk came in and Izuku was confirmed quirkless, the two of them used to theorize what quirk he would get. A telekinetic quirk like Kaasan, a fire-breathing one like Tousan, or some sort of fire manipulation?
Lightning was nowhere on their list.
Still, as Izuku stood in the epicentre of an improvised electrical storm, he realized this felt right. As if this quirk that he had just received moments prior was always meant to be his.
Power flicked off his skin, jumping onto the ground and dancing across the rooftop. The green sparks sang against his body, almost as if kissing his skin, making him bright and energized and excited.
Izuku felt strong. Powerful. As if nothing could hurt him ever again.
A foreign grin worked itself onto Izuku’s face—confident and bright and assured. It was a grin worthy of All Might.
He was going to become a hero.
And everything would be alright again.