Chapter 1: Alles hat seinen Anfang
Chapter Text
It’s Monday. A Monday like every other. Nothing remotely special. You are walking down the streets with plenty of other humans overtaking you. Unlike most people around this time, you aren’t rushing towards school, your workplace or wherever people hastily want to go to quarter of 8. You yourself have to go to a doctor’s appointment, but that’s only in half an hour, so you have plenty of time. The reason for your appointment is nothing serious, just a rash that is spreading across your hands. Nevertheless, you find it very annoying, especially during the night when it itches the most. Hopefully it’s not some allergy against something important, like your beloved cat. You wouldn’t be able to give it away just because you body said ‘fuck this shit. I have lived with cats my entire life but now I hate them’. …Yeah, absolutely not.
Looking down at your pinkish hands, you don’t notice the half-full can laying in front of you. You trip over it and kiss the ground faster than you can react. Dirty pavement for breakfast, how great… Fuck the people who can’t even bother to throw their trash into the bin which is literally two meters away. Also, shout out to your feet for contributing to this embarrassing performance…
Absorbed in your own annoyance you don’t notice the far greater problem in this situation. The fall didn’t leave you on the safe sidewalk that you were on before, but you fell slightly to the side – to the edge of the street. You do notice eventually, though it is already too late then. The approaching driver is too tired to notice you and-
…
..
.
-It’s cold? Huh, that’s not what you were expecting. Were you perhaps missed in the last second and only sprayed by a nearby puddle? Slowly opening your eyes, you are left even more confused. Where did all these doctors come from and why do they look so shocked at you? Oh no, did you get hit and just forgot it? Based on how shocked they look, you must have been hit pretty severely.
The doctors in your field of vision change and are replaced by two regular people – a man and a woman – who you have never seen in your life before. Something those two have in common is that they are crying rivers.
You want to ask them what is going on, but all that is coming out of your mouth is a simple ‘wa’. God, please don’t say that you got so severe brain damage from the car crash that you can’t even talk anymore…
In contrast to your fear, that couple seems to be more than happy with your response. The woman… picks you up and puts you close to her chest? This doesn’t feel like the right angle. Wouldn’t your shoulders and the rest of your body be in the way? Your eyes look towards where your head would end and the shoulders would start. The emphasis is on ‘would’. Don’t misunderstand – there is a rest to your body, but the issue is that everything is so… tiny. It doesn’t look like your own body and more like the one of an infant. Well, maybe you didn’t wake up after all and are just dreaming about being some random couple’s newborn child. You certainly had worse and weirder dreams.
Unfortunately, the dream doesn’t end like normally. Your ‘life’ as this child continues and after a few nights in the hospital you go to what you assume is your ‘home’. Regardless how often you fall asleep and wake up, the place always remains the same. If this is a dream you would prefer to get different content, because being a baby is boring as hell. Your parents seem like very nice people but being a baby this age is pretty repetitive. You eat, sleep and cuddle with your parents – nothing more, nothing less. And it’s not as if you could just stand up and do something interesting since a) the control you have over your weak baby muscles is horrible and b) your parents are watching you 24/7, even taking turns with sleeping.
Never in your life did you have such a long and consistent dream. …Unless this isn’t a dream and you’re actually here, as a living baby, in an entirely different life from your previous one. Normally, you would dismiss such a unrealistic idea, but the longer you are in this situation, the more you’re starting to believe it.
If you had to choose between this being just a dream or a reincarnation, you would still probably choose the first option. You have nothing against these parents – they seem like very kind and caring people – though you don’t want to acknowledge having died in such a stupid way. Having slipped over a fucking can… God, that would be embarrassing. Also, there are a few things – like your cat – that you would miss. You weren’t even able to say goodbye…
More days pass and eventually you are forced to come to terms that there is no waking up from this. This is your life now. There’s no going back.
From what you were able to learn from your parents conversations is that your first name is funnily enough still (Y/N), it is late spring/ early summer now, you live in some city in a quiet neighborhood of Japan and you are an only child – a weird only child. Due to your mental maturity you lack the emotional outbursts a regular newborn would have. You’re trying your best, but forcing yourself to cry like a normal baby is a lot harder than you expected. At least you are decent at fake-laughing - when needed. This family is so heartwarming that you naturally laugh more often than not. Like right now:
All three of you are laying in your parents’ big bed – you in the middle of them – and are starring up at the ceiling. Your father has a simple flashlight in his hands which he points at the same spot on the ceiling that everyone’s eyes are on. Other than the light which the flashlight emits the room is completely dark. The ambience it there you guess, though you haven’t exactly grasped the point of this yet.
“Are you ready to be amazed?”, asks your mother.
Ohh, is this going to be some sort of magic show? If yes, you are absolutely ready.
A few seconds later something changes in the light. There’s a… shadow bunny in it now? The first bunny is joined by a second and a third one. All of them look surprisingly well-made. What’s even more surprising is that when you look over to both of your parents neither of them are moving their fingers in front of the light source. Both their hands are still where they were before.
Your eyes widen in amazement and you clumsily clap your hands together, laughing.
“Aww, look how much they like it, sweetheart…”
Nodding, your mother smiles back at her husband. “Of course, they are my child so they should naturally love this kind of stuff!”
How does this magic work? Maybe the flashlight isn’t a simple one like you thought and can play animations… Wanting to check that out, you reach for the flashlight and cause it to fall over, the shining end directed at your face. Overwhelmed by the sudden lightness, you squeeze your eyes shut as best as you can. Nope, there is no extra device on top of the flashlight. How those shadow figures are created remains a mystery…
Your father chuckles. “That’s not how this works, (Y/N). Don’t hurt your little eyes.”
Following your father’s advice, you continue to enjoy the magical shadow show.
You could get used to this. Your new life is so peaceful that you could forget all your previous life’s sorrows. Nothing could ever ruin this for you.
Chapter 2: Mein erster Freund
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Days turn into weeks and then into months. You learn to crawl, you take your first steps and speak your first words – everything at a somewhat realistic pace of course. You wouldn’t want to arouse too much suspicion after all. Seasons pass and before you know it, it is almost summer again which means that the days are getting significantly warmer. Perfect for more walks outside in the morning. Well, your parents are the ones walking. You yourself are peacefully sitting in your stroller and watching your surroundings. In contrast to when your were an almost newborn and could only see the sky due to your positioning, you are now sitting upright and can see all of your neighborhood. It is just as peaceful as it sounded like. Great to raise a child in.
Eventually, you reach something like a park with plenty of greenery. Right now, there aren’t many people visiting, but you can imagine that there will be a lot more in the afternoon.
Your parents find a bench to sit down on. It is a truly serene moment… until the loud crying of a child interrupts it. The noise is followed by a woman trying to calm the little one down – unsuccessfully, as it sounds.
Looking towards your left, you see a mother sitting on another bench with a stroller next to her. Somehow, that woman seems familiar to you even though you haven’t seen many people yet in your short life. Where have you seen that dark green hair…
The moment your mother notices your curiosity, she bows down to your level. “Dear, do you want to say hi to that family?”
You nod slowly.
Happy with your answer, your mother stands up and drives you over to the others. She is quick to greet the other mother. “Hello, mind if we join you for a bit? My little sunshine here wants to say hi.”
In an instant, the mother’s panicked face turns into a delighted one. “Of course! I’m not sure if Izuku is really in the mood for that though...”
“I’m sure little (Y/N) won’t mind. They’ve always been very patient with everything.”
Your mother rolls you over to the still crying boy, making you face each other. He has fluffy green hair, matching the color of his mother. His name was Izuku, wasn’t it? …Wait a minute.
“Aw, your child does seem like an angel. Not that mine is a beast or anything, but he loves to keep me up at night with his crying… My name is Inko Midoriya by the way. Nice to meet you!”
The rest of the conversation between the grownups goes over your head. Your sole focus is on the boy in front of you and the dawning realization that is forming in your little head. There is unmistakably the young version of Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Akademiya in front of you. There are too many coincidences for this not too be the case. …If you didn’t already get accustomed to the fact that you got reincarnated, you would consider this unbelievable, but the way things are now… You are less shocked and more thrilled. You got reincarnated into a world with supernatural powers! Maybe you will even get a supercool quirk! And you even met the main character so early on! Oh, how exiting!
While you are caught up in your happy fantasies, smiling from ear to ear, you don’t notice how little Izuku has stopped to cry and is calming down altogether. Now, he just stares back at you, closely observing your bright smile.
This doesn’t go unnoticed by the parents surrounding you. Especially Izuku’s mom seems to be surprised. “Wow, I have never seen him calm down this fast! Does your child have a hypnosis quirk or something like that?”
Your father shakes is head. “Not that we’d know of it. I think (Y/N) simply likes to stare at things. They do that from time to time. Or maybe you’re right. (Y/N) is a very smart cookie for their age after all.”
Finally, your focus returns to reality and the fact that Izuku is looking at you with these big round eyes. This is… a bit awkward. In an attempt to do some sort of communication, you lift your right hand to the height of your head. “Hi?”
It takes Izuku a moment to process your gesture, but then he smiles as brightly as you did a few seconds ago and stretches out his own right arm towards you with his palm facing you. “Hi!”
Guess we’re going for a high-five then. You return the gesture, connecting your palms. In an instant, Izuku intertwines his fingers with yours. This whole situation is a bit silly, but you also find it kinda cute. Seeing such a pure child (that previously only existed in fiction for you) smile at you like that makes your chest tingle, hence you smile back at him.
The grownups seem to agree with your perception of this being cute as you can literally feel the hearts radiating from them.
And this is how you made your very first friend in this new life. A friendship you certainly didn’t expect, but have absolutely nothing against. Hopefully, it will be a lasting one…
Being unaware of it, you wish was already fulfilled tenfold by fate – in it’s own weird way.
It doesn’t take long for your second meeting to happen – to be precise, the Saturday of the same week that you first ran into each other. It’s your first birthday - June 21st as you found out. And of course, your parents couldn’t miss out on the chance to invite your new friend.
This is your first toddler birthday (that you can remember of). It is less flashy than the ones older children have, but it is cozy nevertheless. The animal-themed balloons that are hanging around the living room are enough for you.
What’s more important are your guests. Miss Midoriya comes in with her son in her arms. Once they spot you playing on the ground with letter cubes, both their eyes brighten. Even if they didn’t have the same hair color you would easily be able to tell that they are related with they way that they show emotions. “Look who we have there. Our little birthday child! Don’t you want to congratulate them, Izuku?” Taking her boy out of her arms, Miss Midoriya puts him down next to you.
Since he is standing, you also stand up. Happy to see him again you hug him carefully.
He returns the hug immediately.
Melting into him, you relish the moment. So soft and squishy… Are all toddler like this?
All out of the sudden Izuku’s mother has a medium-sized gift box in her hands which she places in her son’s little arms once you two part. “We also got a little gift for (Y/N). Show them what you picked for them~”
Izuku shakily hands the box to you. When you open it, you find a bunny plushy inside. It is simple in design, yet you find it endearing all the more. Your very first birthday present! From nobody other than Izuku too! Exited beyond all means, you hug your little friend again, though this time you use more force than an almost-one-year old's legs can handle, causing Izuku to fall backwards.
It doesn’t take long to get an reaction: While all the adults gather around you, countless tears start running down Izuku’s face.
Oh no… Even if only by accident, you caused your friend pain. How to fix this… Having only limited options, you decide to stutter a little sorry and taking his hands into yours in hopes to calm him down. He kinda liked that last time so maybe the same goes for now too?
Miraculously, it does help. The tears stop immediately and a small smile reappears on his chubby face.
Phew. Good that this child likes hand contact. Since he has calmed down you want to pull your hands back, but when you see that his face sours again, you decide against it. This child really likes hand contact. Guess you are stuck in this position for a while…
Seeing how… inseparable you two are at the moment, your parents place you on the couch next to each other and put on a hero movie for children. While you are occupied with watching the movie, the adults go to the nearby kitchen to talk and eat some cake.
Left alone with your green-haired friend with who you’re still holding hands, you take a glance at him. He looks so happy that you can’t believe that he was a crying mess just a few moments ago… Well, if he’s happy then you are too. Who can say no to such an adorable child after all?
Chapter 3: Zu zweit ist es am besten
Chapter Text
More time passes and you and Izuku grow even closer as your parents apparently really love the idea of you two playing together. Whenever there is time for it, it is either you visiting the Midoriyas, Izuku coming to you or both of you going to the park together. Nobody seems to get tired from this close friendship either.
Especially not Izuku. Whenever he sees you, his eyes start to sparkle so much that you could think that Santa Claus himself is visiting. His excitement was even greater when his birthday arrived. In addition to the All Might toy your parents got him, you also drew him a picture of you and him with finger-paint which turned out pretty decent considering the circumstances. Izuku was is fact to happy that he started crying. If it weren’t for his mother’s good reflexes, he probably would have smeared the painting with his tears. Without any more almost-accidents the rest of that day fortunately went smoothly.
While spending time with each other, both you and Izuku develop similar interests. Heroes of course, what else? The fascination on Izuku’s side is rather mild compared to the older version of him in the original story, but it is obvious that he loves them. You yourself are a little bit less into the heroism-thing and more focused on quirks since those didn’t exist in your previous life. Speaking of quirks, you finally figured out how your mother does her shadow shows. She has a quirk which lets her control the appearance of any shadow she looks at. From a practical standpoint it is completely useless, though it sure looks cool. Your father too has a quirk: A minor healing quirk which allows him to heal small cuts and bruises. Neither of them have a phenomenal quirk, but both of them having one probably raises your chances of getting something yourself. Anything but getting disappointed like Izuku and told that you’re quirkless…
But back to your relationship with the future hero. Over time, you also learn another thing: Children aren’t nearly as stupid as they appear to be. Izuku for instance has figured out very quickly how to get your attention. While yes, that green-haired boy is very prone to tears, you notices a change in his behavior with the months passing. At first he only cried when he was either genuinely upset or overly happy, but nowadays he also seems to cry about smaller things since it guarantees him your attention and proximity. Sure, you could try to stand your ground and ignore him in those moments – in fact you tried that a couple of times – and yet you are unsuccessful at changing the pattern. You are just too bad at handling crying children… Well, he only seems to do this around you so it shouldn’t become a fundamental problem. You wouldn’t want to mess up the entire plot simply by being too bad at saying ‘no’.
Two years have passed, making you both three years old. This means that you are a lot more autonomous than before and can run around like you wish to – as long as it’s not too far away from your parents that is. Still, you are happy that you are getting closer to your pre-death level of freedom. Being able to walk on your own and talk in coherent sentences is something you have come to miss a lot. The worst part was that you weren’t even able to vocalize your desires. Best you could do was doing some wacky gestures and hope for the best. Good that you have grown out of that age…
“Have you found something on the ground (Y/N)?”
Izuku’s question rips you out of your thoughts. “…Ah, no. I was just thinking about stuff. The ground is pretty boring actually.” Lifting your head, you stop starring at the dirt and instead use the swing you’re sitting on for its designated purpose.
Izuku does the same. “Were you thinking about that news report of All Might’s fight against that scary villain from yesterday? The way he defeated him was supercool, wasn’t it?”
“Su…re…” Your eyes trailing off, you notice a group of children playing close to the bushes in the corner of the playground. Most of them look rather unremarkable. All but one. This spiky blond hair is hard to overlook. Katsuki Bakugo… Right, you would have to run into him eventually. It appears that Izuku’s peaceful time won’t last all too much longer… On the other hand, he has a friend this time who will stand at his side despite him being bullied and everything.
Izuku follows your gaze and spots the group of children that you’re starring at. “Do you know those kids?”
“No.”, you lie. “But maybe we could join them?”
Confused, Izuku tilts his head. “Why?”
“To play with them? I just thought that since we are always alone together you would want to play with some other kids too.” You pull at the ears of the plush rabbit Izuku gave you on your first birthday. Ever since you got it, you’ve been pretty much taking it wherever you go. There is something comforting to it.
Izuku shakes his head drastically. “No! I want to play with you and not them. I like being with you…”
That’s flattering, you have to admit, but still. Izuku also needs other friends than you. “Are you sure? I’m sure they’re nice guys. With more people we could play more types of games too.”
Small tears start forming at the corner of your friend's eyes.
You sigh deeply. Here we go again… How does he manage to make your heart break whenever he cries? “Alright, alright. We don’t have to if you don’t want to… But if you ever change your mind, feel free to join them.” …Perhaps it’s better this way. Forcing someone to befriend people who will 100% end up bullying him isn’t exactly the most moral thing if you think about it. Izuku and Katsuki can probably survive without clashing their heads anyway...
The tears disappear from Izuku’s face, yet he is still bothered by the fact that you are looking at those other boys. “…How about we go to my mom and ask her to buy us some ice-cream? I feel hot because of the sun.”
You shrug. “Sounds like a good idea. I want chocolate then!”
Both hopping down from the swing, you run to Izuku’s mother who is sitting under the shade of a big tree. On your way there, you two are noticed by the other group of children. Well, at least by Katsuki. Smiling, you wave at him when Izuku isn’t looking which earns you a confused look from the hothead. Even if Izuku himself doesn’t want anything to do with the others, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be nice to them, right?
Chapter Text
The first leaves are turning yellow, the temperatures are falling and the weather in general is turning worse. This means that fall has come. Man, this summer went by so quickly that it only felt like a week or so.
With the new season come new problems: Sicknesses. Poor little Izuku apparently caught a cold the last time he played outside and is now bedridden. You visited him briefly and he certainly didn’t look great, but there is nothing you can do at the moment other than wait for him to get better.
Fortunately, you aren’t affected by it yourself and can still jump around as much as you want. While you aren’t used to do it alone, you still go through your daily routine the same way you’d usually do. The quietness around you feels unusual, uncanny even, though after a while it doesn’t bother you as much anymore as you expected.
Right now, you are sitting in a sandbox, giving your best at building a sandcastle and based on your sense for aesthetic, you are doing a decent job. Despite nobody being here to affirm that, you think that at least your bunny plushy appreciates your work. It’s glassy eyes look prouder than usually.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” This on the other hand sounds like someone who doesn’t like what you do. It’s one of the boys who usually play with Katsuki.
You don’t pay him much attention and simply continue to play with the sand. “Building a sandcastle?”
“All by yourself?”
“…Obviously?”
The moment you speak out that answer, you are already shown the consequences of it as there is a pair of children’s feet in your originally almost finished sandcastle. Slowly, your eyes glace up. As expected, the boy grins at you mischievously, certainly doing this only to bully you. No way in hell are you going to play along with this childish bullshit. “Having fun?”
His grin widens. “Yes. Gonna cry now?”
Instead of answering him, you just lift your head to silently stare at him with the best bored look you can put on. If this boy wants you to get upset or angry, you will make him uncomfortable in return. Bullying doesn’t make any fun if you don’t get the reaction you desire… you think.
Uncertain of your intentions, the boy’s smile falters a bit. “…And?”
You continue starring, not even blinking once.
By now, his smile is completely gone and replaced by an irritated frown. “You really are a freak. You and that green-haired boy. You both never play or speak with other children. Probably because you know that nobody would like you!”
Still no reaction from your side. Even though you are a bit confused as to why he never noticed how you regularly greet their group, it doesn’t matter right now. You have to prove your resilient unbotheredness here.
Frustration taking over, the boy snaps. “What’s wrong with you?!” His eyes wander around until they stop on the rabbit plushy sitting next to you. Quickly, he snatches it away from you. “What will you do if I rip your dear bunny’s head off? Bet you won’t like that?”
Tolerate it. Just tolerate it. You are mature enough to tolerate this. If you tolerate it now, you won’t have to do it in the future. Your poker face remains strong.
“Alright you weirdo. Say goodbye to your bunny!” Putting in all of his strength, he tears off the head of your beloved toy.
Just. Tolerate. It. This will be over in a moment and then you can go to your parents so that they can sew it together again… One thing that you don’t want to resort to – but is very tempting right now – is to beat up a child.
Finally, you can see how the brat gives up and rolls his eyes, dropping the textile-corpse to the ground. “You’re no fu-“
Before he can finish his sentence there is a fist in his face. It surprisingly doesn’t belong to you, but to… Katsuki Bakugo himself, pissed off like the hothead often is. “What do think you’re doing?! That’s their toy!”
Crying due to the unexpected pain, the other kid just runs off without answering.
Meanwhile you are too stunned to speak. From all the possible outcomes for your ‘interaction’ with the other boy, you certainly didn’t expect for Katsuki to stand up for you. You haven’t even properly spoken with him once in your lifetime.
The crimson-eyed boy picks up all the pieces of your stuffed toy holds them in front of you for you to take them. “What were you sitting there without doing anything?!”
Still confused, you hesitantly take back your torn bunny. “…Because I thought that he would stop by himself once he noticed that this isn’t fun. And he actually did …right before you punched him.”
Katsuki stares at you for a while, trying to read your expression. “…You’re a weirdo.”
“…And yet you still stood up for me. Thank you a lot for it by the way!” Sure, he beat a kid, but he did it with good intentions. You didn’t like that kid anyway, so it’s fine.
Now it is Katsuki’s turn to be confused. His expression remains serious, though the slight tilt of his head gives away a bit of his inner thoughts. “…Why did you greet me everyday for the last few months?”
“Because… I think you’re cool?” While not being the complete truth, your main reason would be too hard to explain. Like, how could you explain to him that your main interest comes from you having known him when he was still just fiction to you? He’d call you insane for that for sure.
For a split second, the corners of his mouth twitch upward but it happens so fast that you don’t notice it. “Obviously. But why didn’t you just join us when we were playing? You know, like a normal person?”
You hesitate. If you said that Izuku was the reason, would that put him in a bad light and heighten his chances of getting bullied in the future? Better not to test that theory out. “…I thought that you were doing fine by yourself. I didn’t want to interrupt you or anything.”
Anger returns to Katsuki’s face. “What kind of stupid reason is that?! Do you want to play with us or not?”
“…I guess yes?”
Before you know it, Katsuki has grabbed your left arm and drags you away from the sandbox. His strength is impressive, overpowering yours by a lot. “You are a weirdo and an idiot! We are going to play hero and villain, got it?”
Still confused about this turn of events, you go along with Katsuki’s plans. Who would have thought that it would be so easy to befriend this hothead – if ‘befriend’ even is the right word for this. ‘Forced adoption’ sounds like a better word to you. Not that you mind all too much though. You are happy to make new friends when possible.
Certainly happier than Izuku who would cry if he saw this.
Notes:
Second future yandere added to the roster, yay!
Chapter 5: Wieder gesund
Chapter Text
Patched-up bunny under your arms, you knock at the Midoriyas’ front door.
Earlier, your parents called Miss Midoriya to ask her if it would be okay for you too visit them again. According to Izuku’s mother, her son is healthy again so you have green light to come over – much to your parents’ relief. They might not have openly said you so, but they seem to seriously doubt the story you told them of what happened to your toy. Despite you explaining them that it was an accident while playing with the other kids, they suspect that somebody was picking on you. You can’t blame them for that – if you were in their position you would have thought the same thing. It is hard to achieve an ‘accident’ where the head of a stuffed toy tears off in a way that requires a big ribbon to just cover up the stitches from fixing the damage. Still, you hoped that they would, at least this one time, let your lie pass and forget the whole thing.
And they did - sort of. They let you return to the playground the next day, but in contrast to before you could really feel their watchful gaze on you now. As if they want to catch the culprit in the act. Fortunately, those few days were uneventful in that regard. With Katsuki around, nobody dared to say anything against you. Still, you could feel that the others didn’t particularly like you.
That’s why you’re all the happier to see Izuku again. Playing with him is less controversial and doesn’t make you any enemies that you’d know of.
The door in front of you opens and you are greeted by a kindly smiling mother. “There you are (Y/N)! Izuku is already waiting in his room for you so go and join him. I will bring you two snacks later, alright?”
“Mhm. Thank you Miss Midoriya!” Having taken off your outdoor wear, you run to your friend’s room.
There, you barely have to step into it to be greeted by a big hug. “(Y/N), I missed you so much!”
Smiling, you return the hug. “I missed you too Izu. Do you feel better now?”
He nods. “Yes, after eating a lot – and I mean a lot - of chicken soup. Mom said that it’s healthy, but after the third day I got sick from just smelling it… I still ate it though because my mom promised that if I did that, I would get to see you again sooner.”
“And she is right with that one. Soup is healthy.” You pat his head. “I am proud of you!”
His cheeks reddening, he looks at you with big eyes. “Really?”
You playfully roll your eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Now what are gonna do today?”
“O-oh, right! My mother bought a set of hero comics. I don’t know what the characters in them are saying, but we still could look through them if you want to…” Izuku points at the small box in the middle of his room.
“Sure! You can leave the reading part to me. That way we can fully enjoy the comics.”
“You can read?!”
For a moment, you are slightly offended by that question, but then you remember that children your age aren’t able to read yet. “Yep! But please don’t tell our parents. It’s a secret between the two of us, ‘kay?”
“Okay!”
With that being settled, you two start reading the comics. Time flies by and after an hour Izuku’s mom brings you a plate of sandwiches so you take a break from reading to eat.
Between taking bites, Izuku decides to talk to you some more. “What were you doing while I was sick? You didn’t have anyone to play with you so it must have been pretty lonely…”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. I actually did have someone to play with. Do remember that group of kids from the playground? I somehow befriended the boy with blond hair so I got to play with them for this week. I am sure they would let you tag along too if we ask nicel-“ Noticing how Izuku’s face saddens, you stop midsentence. “Hm? What’s wrong Izu?”
“So you made new friends…”
…Does he think that you’re replacing him with them? So that’s why he never wanted to play with them all this time… And you thought that he was just shy. Poor little Izuku. This is a silly fear, but you get where he is coming from. If it always was only you and that single friend, you probably would probably be anxious about loosing them too. “Please don’t worry. You are still my best friend and that won’t ever change!”
“You promise?”
“Pinkie promise!” Lifting your right hand, you offer him your pinkie.
Sniffing, he accepts the gesture. Unbeknown to you, he would hold onto this promise for a very long time.
The months continue to pass and both you and Izuku are getting impatient. Impatient for what you ask? Getting your quirks. It won’t be long till your forth birthdays now, which means that your chances of getting a quirk after that will be depressingly low. You are running out of time here…
The only one who got their quirk so far is Katsuki. While you don’t have as much to do with him as you hoped for, this is something he made sure you’d get to know. One random day he just walks over to you and Izuku and shows you how he can create little explosions with his hands.
“That’s amazing, Katsuki!”, you beam at the boy. Him getting this quirk isn’t a surprise to you, but seeing it up so close is amazing nevertheless. Like some sort of magic.
Normally, Izuku would have been thrilled to see this too, though that isn’t the case here. The way you’re focusing all your attention on Katsuki doesn’t sit right with him. He did such a good job at keeping you two separated until now… So why does Katsuki’s quirk have to ruin things? Izuku sighs quietly. No, he just has to wait until he gets his own quirk. Things will turn back to normal then…
Meanwhile, the blond hothead notices the sadness in Izuku’s eyes, making him grin even more. Izuku might be the one who gets to spend the most time with you, but that’s just because you are a softhearted idiot. That crybaby isn’t even remotely a threat to him. He is way more amazing.
Good that you are too focused on the little explosions in Katsuki’s palms because otherwise you would be heartbroken with how your two friends are looking at each other.
Chapter 6: Traurige Diagnose
Chapter Text
For the first time in your reincarnated life you feel the genuine desire to cry. Both your and Izuku’s birthdays have passed by now and still nothing. No signs of a quirk. Today you even got the affirmation of a doctor.
“I am really sorry, but I really can’t find any indicators for a quirk. I suppose it was miracle enough for (Y/N) to even survive their birth… We shouldn’t be too greedy with-“ Looking back at you, the doctor feels a pang of guilt. “-But we don’t necessarily have to give up hope just yet. Some quirks are very hard to detect and some other are even harder to activate. It is possible that this child just has a quirk with weird conditions to activate. A good advice in cases as these is to follow your instincts since those will most often lead to the right solution.”
You cry even harder. Now even the doctor is pitying you, giving you most likely false hope. The chances of getting a quirk now is so laughably low that you could also just start playing the lottery (if it were legal at your current age).
Stepping outside of the doctor’s office, you are greeted by a equally distraught Izuku. Since your and his birthday are so closely after another, your two families decided to go together to this appointment. His obviously went the same way as yours.
Vision blurry, you waddle over to your friend. You two stare at each other for a moment, understanding the other one’s feelings perfectly. Eventually, you fall into each other’s arms and silently continue to cry – a state which persists for the rest of the day until your parents separate you and put you to bed. Disappointment having tired you out, you fall asleep quickly.
The next day has come and you are still as depressed as before. A state you don’t particularly like, but what good is there to say? You are quirkless (forever in contrast to Izuku), will probably get bullied for it and will live a boring life…
Sighing, you stand up to go outside. This isn’t getting you anywhere. Maybe a change of scenery will help you.
Once you reach the playground, you find a healthy patch of grass and lay down on it. With the bright sun shining directly onto your face, you sigh again. Yep, this is a lot better. Instead of wailing in the darkness of your room, only wasting air, you are now additionally getting a good dose of vitamin d and touching grass. Better than nothing, right…?
…
“(Y/N)? Why are you just laying here and doing nothing?” Katsuki’s face appears in your field of vision.
Great, just who you needed… Perhaps he will be the first one to bully you… A somewhat mean thought considering that he was pretty nice towards you so far, but you also know how quickly he turned on Izuku in the canon story. The canon story which you have destroyed by just existing… You really are a good for nothing, huh?
“Hey, earth to (Y/N)! You still there?”
“Mhm.”
“Then tell me what’s wrong, idiot! I’ve never seen you so sad. If it was one of the other kids, just tell me who and I’ll-“
“That’s not it, Katsuki. Nobody picked on me, but I bet they will once they find out that I am quirkless…” Here, now he has the truth. He can do with it whatever he wants.
“Ah.” Katsuki’s face twists into something you can’t exactly interpret. “And is that 100% for sure?”
“The doctor said there is a chance that I have some hard to pinpoint quirk, but that’s probably only his way of saying ‘you are quirkless but please don’t turn into a espresso depresso in my office’…”
“And what about Midoriya?”
“Same as me.”
If you weren’t blinded by the sun you would see how the gears inside Katsuki’s head are actively shifting. The moment he finishes thinking, he grabs you by the back of your shirt’s collar and starts dragging you away. “Well, if you’re so bothered by being quirkless, then we are going to change it! You’ve been spending your whole time with that looser Midoriya so it’s no wonder that you haven’t found your quirk yet! You do the same boring stuff every day! With that attitude you will never be able to keep up with me once I become the number one hero!”
“Katsuki, where are we going…?”
“Somewhere where we can find your quirk!”
That being said, he drags you to a part of nature where a small creek runs through. This is apparently the place where his quirk first activated and he somewhat expects yours to do the same. He forces you to do weird exercises, makes you climb up rocks and trees – everything until you both are completely exhausted and have to return home because of it.
Obviously, none of this worked as intended, but it at least improved your mood and gave you an idea. If he’s right with saying that you only haven’t found out what your quirk is because you haven’t tried out enough stuff yet, then there’s still hope left for you. Realistically speaking, your chances are still very low, but regardless, you don’t want to give up for good and do nothing. You are young, so you have enough time to waste anyway. No matter the result you will at least have done your best at changing the outcome. Funny how much more convincing Katsuki is compared to that old doctor...
Mission: ‘Quirk Discovery’ has officially started now. Maybe you should include Izuku in it? There might be no actual point to that since he is quirkless for certain, but making him part of this project might cheer him up and give him new hope. He still has to become a hero in the future after all, right?
Legs aching horribly, you take one last detour to the Midoriyas’ house. Miss Midoriya is a bit confused as to why you decided to show up unannounced, but seeing you so determined she lets you in anyway.
Once you reach your friend’s room, you dramatically open his door. Your entry brings in light into the otherwise gloomy space. “Izuku, we can still become heroes!” You waddle over to the green-haired boy who is wrapped up in his blanket and offer him your hand. “We just have to try harder! Heroes never give up, right?”
Izuku’s eyes, puffy from all the recent crying, blink a few times before they slowly brighten up like the rising sun. Having found his new hope, he accepts your offer and takes your hand.
Chapter 7: Die Mission beginnt
Chapter Text
It is you, Izuku and Katsuki sitting in one of those wooden houses for which you need to climb to get into on playgrounds. You three have come together to tackle the mission of finding your quirks. In theory, at least.
“Why does this looser have to be here?” Crossing his arms, Katsuki rolls his eyes.
“First of all, please stop calling Izuku a looser. He is my friend. Secondly, he is here because we wants to find his quirk as well. He has all the right to be here.”
“But what about Katsuki? He already has his quirk, so why does he have to be here? It would be way better if it was just the two of us…” Small tears start to appear in Izuku’s eyes when he looks at you.
Trying to ignore the ping of guilt his gaze gives you, you look away. “Katsuki is here because he is kind enough to help us with our quirks. Due to him already having a quirk and his different perspective on things, I genuinely believe that he could be a great help to us.” Another reason is that Katsuki kinda invited himself to this meeting before you could even reach the house of the Midoriyas’, but that won’t help you in this argument.
This isn’t the answer Izuku wanted. More tears run down his cheeks. “But (Y/N)… Becoming heroes together was our dream, wasn’t it? Don’t you-“
“Shut it!” Katsuki slams the table between you hard enough to give both you and Izuku a heart attack. “Stop crying just to get (Y/N) to follow your will! It makes me want to vomit!”
Instantly, Izuku stops crying and remains quiet.
Thank you. You didn’t expect you’d ever be thankful to Katsuki for yelling at Izuku, but here you are. You really need to learn how to say no to Izuku… Oh well, that’s an issue for another time. “Guys, I know that you two don’t get along all too… great, but could you maybe agree to a truce just this once? Only if we three work together can we achieve the best results. We all want that, right…?”
Both boys remain silent for a moment, thinking about your proposal. Neither of them want to work together, though if they disagree with you at this point they would only upset you and make the other one look better.
Katsuki is the first one to give in. “…Fine, but he better not slow us down.” That whiny broccoli isn’t a threat and more like a simple annoyance after all. He can deal with that – just for you.
As for Izuku, he is a lot more reluctant. He knows that he has to agree and yet there is some part inside of him that wishes for you to change your mind last second - a wish that doesn’t come true. “…Alright.” The answer is barely louder than a whisper but it is enough.
A smile returns to your lips. “Perfect. Now that we have this sorted out, we need to figure out a plan. How about this…”
Together, you agree to try out every (non-life-threatening) activity and situation that you can think of, starting with things that are somewhat related to your parents’ quirks since that’s where the highest chances of success are.
For you this means visiting caves and other dark places to possibly discover a connection with shadows like your mother. You do plenty of exploring with and without a flashlight but a quirk is nowhere to be seen. To awaken your father’s quirk you visit a variety of doctors – even vets in case that your quirk were to only work on animals for some reason. Another things Katsuki opted for is giving Izuku minor injuries so that you could maybe heal those. He quickly stops doing that though once he notices how much attention Izuku gains through this from you. In addition to that, Izuku seems to enjoy this type of affection way too much as well. Anyhow, none of these ideas works out for you.
To find Izuku’s quirk you try out if he can attract objects, staring with singular grains of sand and ending with massive rocks. Another thing you try out with the green-haired boy is anything fire related since apparently his father has a fire breathing quirk. No results here either.
Once you have gone through the more obvious options, you try out a broader approach. Quirks that are only activated through physical activity for example. You might have already tried that out with Katsuki, but Izuku hasn’t, so he has to go through that torturous training too. Still no changes. You three try out anything that you can come up with. Creational quirks, mind manipulation, levitating, weather controlling and even future prediction – something that you could theoretically do but that doesn’t have anything to do with quirks, therefore it doesn’t count.
This goes on for months and months. Eventually even more than a whole year has passed without the slightest of results. At this point you don’t really believe in finding your quirk anymore, but you still continue. Doing all these random things is fun in its own way. Izuku too kinda gave up, though in contrast to one year prior he is a lot less upset about it. He somehow found solace in the fact that even if he is quirkless then at least you are too. It’s a characteristic that you share with him and not Katsuki… Besides, you have encouraged him often enough that you two can become heroes regardless if you have a quirk or not, so that’s not an issue either.
It is late summer now and the weather is warm, but not too warm. Perfect to take a stroll to the city. This isn’t something you are allowed to do but do anyway. You know the way and are (mentally) mature enough to avoid danger, so it is fine in your eyes. Despite that, you leave out Izuku and Katsuki out of this since taking care of yourself is one thing, but watching over two other five year-olds is an entirely different matter.
Walking through the streets, you admire the shop windows. Especially the ones with video games in them. Once you are old enough, you have to ask your parents to buy you something in that direction. It has been way too long since you were able to play games like these…
Another thing that you pass during your stroll is a hospital. Stopping in front of it, you take a moment to think. You have tried healing sick people plenty of times without success, but maybe this time will be different? At least you have a feeling that it will be.
Doing your best to look unsuspicious, you enter the hospital. If anyone questions why you’re wandering around in such a place all by yourself, you will just tell them that you are looking for your parents and then vanish once the stranger isn’t paying attention. People won’t think that a little five year-old child would lie about something like that. This is a great plan!
Chapter 8: Ein Wunder
Chapter Text
As it turns out, people are a lot less bothered by a child running around the hospital than they should be. Not a single person has questioned your presence here so far. A good thing for you in this case, yes, but generally speaking, it is concerning how little adults care about their surroundings…
You go from room to room, checking whether or not you can help the patients in them. Unfortunately, you can’t help them in the way you want to. No quirk activates around them, so you end up helping them with basic things: bringing them a glass of water, picking up objects that fell to the ground and just listening to their worries. Most patients you visit are grateful for your aid and seeing them happy like this makes you happy too. This might not be what you were intending to do, but at least you were able to make the life of others just a bit brighter.
Right now, you are strolling through a corridor, wondering which room to visit next. Number 322? 325? Or maybe-
The desperate cry of a woman in the room that you are about to pass startles you. “No! Yuzuki please stay with mommy! Please! You still wanted to see the new elephants in the zoo, right? I will take you there – every day if you want to. Just please, don’t leave me! You are all that I have left… Please…” The rest of her words turn into hysteric sobs.
Leaning onto the wall next to the room, you let a quiet sigh escape your lips. You don’t need to be a detective to figure out what happened. Somebody lost their child just now. A scene that happens more often in a hospital than you expect probably. That poor woman… Hearing her cry like this makes you want to cry as well…
“My condolences, miss… I.. am sure your daughter is now in a place where there is no pain anymore.”
The mother ignores the nurse and simply continues to cry.
“…I know that this must be hard for you, but I believe that it would be better for you if you step outside for a while. Fresh air does wonders for the nerves.” You hear a couple of footsteps being taken. “Come, I will help you. Alright?”
Even though the mother still doesn’t answer, she at the very least seems to cooperate, because shortly after both the nurse and the mother leave the room and walk down the hallway. Despite walking right past you, they don’t notice you.
This leaves you alone with… As if your legs are moving by themselves, you enter the almost empty room. For some reason, you really have the desire visit the dead girl. When you spot the unmoving girl laying on her bed, the monitors around her showing that there are no signs of life left in her, you get an unwell feeing in your stomach. She is barely older than you, maybe seven years old or so. She was way too young to die… You died rather early in your last life too, but this… This is just unfair.
As you stare at her, tears heavy in your eyes, your surroundings turn dark. Did you pass out? No, that can’t be it. You can still move as it seems. Then, what is this? Everything around you is pitch black, no furniture, walls or whatsoever can be seen. You yourself are perfectly visible, so it doesn’t seem like lights around you just went out, but rather as if you somehow ended up in an undefined black void. How did this happen…? One moment you were in a hospital room and now you are here. Truly bizarre… On the plus side, you, for some reason, have the nagging feeling that the exit isn’t too far behind you.
“Mommy, I’m coming! Don’t worry!”
Huh, you’re not alone? Looking where that voice came from, you find a person in this seemingly endless void. Isn’t that the girl who just died?! What in the world is going on here…? And where is she heading? “Hey! Eh… Yuzuki, wasn’t it? Please wait!”
Surprised, the young girl turns around. “Huh? Who are you? And why do you know my name?”
“I am (Y/N) and I know your name because… your mother told me. Yes, your mother told me…”
Her eyes light up. “Really? Does that make us friends?”
…What kind of logic is that? Well, maybe you should just play along. “S-sure!”
Hearing your answer, the girl starts to jump around excitedly. “Yay! I made a new friend! I have to introduce to my other friends later! I bet they are going to be super happy too!”
This child certainly is… easily excitable. Isn’t she aware that she’s dead? Judging her behavior, she doesn’t seem to know. This situation is getting weirder with every passing second…
“Oh, but I almost forgot! I need to go to my mother first. She’s already waiting for me and if I don’t hurry up she will scold me again… See you later, (Y/N)!” Waving goodbye, the girl turns around to continue the path she was walking before.
“Hey, where are you going!”
“To my mother? Don’t you hear? She is calling me from over there.”
You listen and her nothing but silence. Whoever that girl is hearing, you doubt that this is the right direction. All your senses tell you that the exit is in the exact opposite direction. “I don’t think that you’re heading the right way though. We need to go this way.” You point at the direction your senses are telling you. “...You wanted to go to the zoo, right? To see the new elephants? Your mother promised to go there with you – as often as you want even.”
“Yes! She really told you that?”
“Mhm. But for that you need to follow me, ‘kay?”
The girl thinks for a moment, debating on who to listen to. “…Alright, I trust you. Let’s go your way.” Convinced, the young girl follows closely behind you until you reach the spot that feels like the exit and-
-You find yourself back in the hospital room. Everything is the same as before except for the fact that both the nurse and the mother have returned. Also, it feels as if it has become colder in the room. You at the very least feel a bit freezing…
The nurse, who is standing right next to you, gently touches your shoulder. “Hey little one… What are you doing here? This isn’t your room.”
“I…”
A sudden beep saves you from having to explain yourself. This beep is followed by another one. And another one. The monitor of the girl is showing a regular pulse again.
This causes the mother to drop her glass of water and rush to her child. “Yuzuki!”
Slowly but surely, the young girl wakes up and sleepily looks at her mother. “Mommy…? Why are you crying?”
Crying is a good word. The stream of tears running down her cheeks seems to be endless. “Oh dear god, you’re alive! How do you feel Yuzuki? Does anything hurt?”
“Hm? No, nothing hurts. Not even my chest hurts anymore. I think I had a beautiful dream, but I don’t remember what it was about…”
Relieved, the mother hugs her child.
Meanwhile, you and the nurse just stand here, mouths agape from witnessing this miracle. Well, you think it’s a miracle.
The nurse on the other hand slowly turns towards you and kneels down to your level. “Did you do that…?”
Do… what? Revive the girl?! But you didn’t do anything except for- Wait a minute. Did everything in that black void actually happen? Did you guide her soul or whatever back to the realm of the living? Is this… your quirk?! Your eyes widen with amazement. You found it. Your quirk – you finally found it! No way could you have guessed that a shadow controlling quirk and a minor healing quirk would add up to this…
Her own excitement growing, she gently squeezes your shoulders. “That girl died from a heart disease – an incurable one. And you just saved her! Do you know how amazing that is?”
This is great! You have to go home and tell Izuku and Katsuki about this!
“If I brought you to another patient who passed away recently, do you think that you could repeat this?”
…Or not. The way she expectantly looks at you, you can’t exactly say no to her. “I think so…?”
“Perfect! Then let’s go.” The nurse takes one of your hands and stands up, but remembers something. “Ah, right. Miss? The doctor will be here shortly. Please wait for him.” That being said, the nurse leaves the room, dragging you behind her.
Following the nurse around, using your quirk on the deceased patients she brings you to, you learn two things. For one, nurses really love gushing about cute and talented children. It doesn’t take long for a small group of them to gather around you. They all are in fact to focused on their amazement about your quirk that they themselves don’t notice discovery number two: Your quirk isn’t meant to be used repeatedly in such a short timespan. You already noticed it after using for the first time, but the more often you use it, the more glaring the issue becomes. It makes you loose a considerable amount of body heat. At least you think it does. You shiver a lot for certain and feel very tired, to the point where you can barely walk straight. As if you have hypothermia.
Despite all that and your weak pleas to stop, nobody around you seems to notice or care about your well-being. Hence why you are sitting in a lonely corner of a corridor now, hidden by the nearby chairs. Here, you can get your overdue break. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you are freezing, tired and far away from home. Your parents don’t know that you’re here either…
“But dad, I told you that I am fine! Really, the burns aren’t that bad.” A young boy whines at the person walking next to him.
“And I told you that you shouldn’t use your flames anymore.”, retorts a much older voice.
As they pass you, the boy notices you and stops in his tracks. “What is that kid doing here?”
Looking up, you are faced with a boy, older than you by quite a bit, and hair that is a mess of red and white. Isn’t that…
“They seem lost.” Red hair, red beard and bright blue eyes. Endeavor accompanied by his son Touya. What are the chances?
The boy with patchy hair carefully taps your head. “Hey, what are you doing here?” His fingers are warm. Pleasantly warm like a hot chocolate on a cold winter day. Makes sense, considering he has a fire quirk…
Instinctively, you reach out for him and hug him. Your freezing body essentially melts into his warm one. “You’re so nicely warm…”
Touya is, understandably, confused by your actions. Not every day do you run into a child who randomly hugs you. Regardless, he ends up hugging you back. Despite the fact that you only hugged him out of selfish reasons, the hug feels strangely comforting to the boy. “Eh, thanks? You… aren’t really warm, but you’re soft, I guess?”
“Did you get lost or something, kid?”, asks the older Todoroki with a serious voice.
“Mhm. Could I have a phone to call my parents?”
“…Sure.” Taking out the phone out of his pocket, the pro-hero hands it to you and thanks to your shaky hands you almost drop it instantly.
Touya notices your struggle. “Do you want me to type for you?”
“No. I can do this…” You manage to type in your father’s phone number, albeit a bit clumsily due to your still sub-ideal condition. Well, at least it makes your typing speed more realistic for someone your age.
The phone rings two times before your father picks up. “Hello?”
“Pa, could you pick me up at the hospital?”
“(Y/N)?! Did something happen?!”
“No. Please just come, alright?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Wait for me at the entrance, okay sweetheart?” With that being said, your father hangs up.
You hand Mister Todoroki his phone back. “Thank you. My father said he will be at the entrance in ten minutes.”
“Can you walk there on your own?” Barely having posed his question, Endeavor looks at your barely awake face and answers it himself. “…Obviously not. Touya, please hand them to me. I will carry them.”
Before his father can take you away from him, the young boy shakes his head and yanks you away from him. “No! I can do this myself! I am strong enough. See?” To prove his point, Touya walks a few steps with you in his arms. It lacks any form of elegance, but it works nevertheless. Being carried around like this by a human heater is certainly pleasant…
“Alright then.”
On your way outside you fortunately don’t run into a single nurse. Together, you wait for your father’s arrival. Once he does, the worry and confusion is written all over his face. “(Y/N), what happened? And how did you get here in the first place?” He is even more confused when he notices that the pro-hero Endeavor is the one who apparently found his child, though he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he just picks you up and puts you in his car.
Feeling safe in the comfort of the familiar environment, you let sleep finally take you.
Your father meanwhile returns to the Todorokis. “Thank you a lot for helping my child, sir! I seriously don’t know how they got here. Our home isn’t exactly around the corner…”
Endeavor shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. Just keep an better eye over your kid next time.”
Thanking the other man one last time, your father goes to his car and drives you two back home.
Enji wants to do the same, but remembers that he forgot his jacket in the hospital. “Touya, wait here. I forgot something inside.”
Walking through the hospital, the Todoroki runs into two hectic nurses. “Sir, by any chance, did you happen to have seen a child, around five years old, this tall and with (h/c) hair?”
Expression remaining unchanged, he looks the woman straight in the eyes. “…No, why?”
The nurse sighs deeply. “Darn it. How were we able to loose a small child in our own hospital? A child with a great – once-in-a-lifetime great even – quirk and we loose them! We don’t even know their name…”
The other nurse joins in on the sighing. “What a horrible day to have a maintenance run over our camera system too…”
Both nurses walk away, continuing their search for you.
Endeavor on the other hand pauses for a moment, thinking. He pulls out his phone and looks at the last number in his call history. “Hm, a once-in-a-lifetime quirk you say…”