Chapter Text
Not all men are created equal. Izuku Midoriya learned that when he was only four.
He was four, nearly five, when a quick doctor’s appointment told them what they needed to know. Izuku would not have a quirk like his parents—it would have appeared already. Nor would he have a strong wildcard quirk, it would have already manifested. The doctor asked more questions, and Izuku was happy to answer them, though he didn’t really listen to the conversation between the doctor and his mom. The model skeleton in the room was much more interesting to poke at.
At four-almost-five, Izuku was excited at the prospect of having a smartness quirk like his Momma said he had. Analysis was a pretty cool name! And it was like his grandma’s quirk! Izuku had never met his grandma, since she had died before he was born, but he liked that he was like her.
But children can be cruel; another lesson learned far too young for him. Preschoolers were not known for their understanding of nuance. No amount of protests (Momma says I have a quirk, I just can’t show you ‘cause it’s in my brain! Kacchan please listen- ) deterred his classmates. None of it dissuaded his friends from turning against him, parroting what they had heard their parents say. It didn’t stop the teachers from believing the rumors that he may not have a quirk at all.
Izuku was four when he learned how the world treated those seen as weak.
He carried the lesson with him as his mother cried, apologizing and crushing his dreams in one fell swoop. When she told him it would be nearly impossible for him to be a hero without a strong quirk. He held it in his mind when Kacchan became a bully instead of a friend. He would still be an amazing hero, even if he beat down the little Deku near the playground slide. Izuku thought only villains did that.
He came home that day with starburst burns and purple bruises. There weren’t many tears, an odd thing for him.
Kacchan had tried to bully another kid, and Izuku stopped him. He didn’t regret it. Not even when he was pushed to the ground and kicked when he was down. Not when Tsubasa had whacked him with his wings. Not even when Kacchan dragged him to his feet to blast his arms with firecracker pops. Not when he had saved someone for once. That was all he needed.
The one thing he did regret was letting his mom see him like that. The instant he walked into the kitchen she was on him, fussing and demanding to know what had happened. Only then did he cry, nestled in her arms on the floor. He didn’t cry because of the pain. No, he cried because of who had caused it.
“Oh baby, what happened?” Inko murmured softly as she held him tight.
He told her everything. Kacchan and his bullying, everyone ignoring him, and even the negligent teachers. He told her how he always hid the bruises and burns to stop her from worrying.
How her words had hurt him even more than the fire on his skin had.
His mom treated his burns and bruises while he spoke. They weren’t too bad, since Kacchan’s explosions weren’t very powerful yet. Izuku could tell she was mad though. Not at him, but at the school. The Bakugou’s too, even if Aunt Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru were her friends. At least that’s what he hoped.
“Izuku, you know this isn’t alright, don’t you?”
He nodded mutely, knowing she was referring to Kacchan’s burns. She sighed, and gently ran her fingers through his fluffy hair.
“You were so brave, Izuku. Even if…even if you aren’t strong like Katsuki, you still stood up to him. I’m so proud of you, my baby boy, but you still got hurt.”
Softer than a mouse, Izuku finally spoke up. “I wanna be a hero, Momma. Heroes save people.”
“I know, baby, but they get hurt a lot. You don’t have a quirk that can stop that.”
“But I’m smart!” He insisted. “Smart can stop the hurt from happening in the first place.”
“I- I guess that’s true, Izuku, but it’s still dangerous. Let’s focus on getting these burns treated for now, ok?”
“…alright Momma.”
He didn’t go to school the next day, or the day after that, since his burns were still healing. The bruises didn’t hurt too much after two days, but the burns itched a lot.
On his second day home from school, Izuku heard his mom talking quietly to someone over the phone. He got close enough to know it was his dad, Hisashi, before Momma caught him. He scampered from the room with many questions.
Izuku may not remember his dad well, but he called every week or so to talk to them, so he knew a little bit. He knew that his dad was across an ocean for work. He mostly knew what his dad looked like, even if Momma said the pictures on their wall weren’t very accurate anymore, since they were all from before Izuku. He also knew his mom missed his dad a lot.
It was that night that Momma told him the news. He was being moved to a different school, and his dad was coming back. Coming home. Izuku didn’t know what it meant for them, but he was equal parts excited and nervous. He asked question after question over dinner that night. Momma answered all of them with a smile and a laugh.
Dad coming home was…odd. They both went to pick him up at the airport, even though Izuku didn’t really know what he looked like now. Not until he came out of the exit gate and near instantly ran over to swoop Momma off her feet to twirl her around. She was laughing, and that alone made Izuku like the man he didn’t remember.
His dad was tall, but nothing compared to All Might. He had black hair that was curly like Izuku’s, and freckles too. His eyes, filled with happiness as he stared at Inko, were yellow like a fire. Flecks of black like ash too. He looked kind.
When he finally put Momma down, smiling just like Izuku did when he was happy, he knelt down to be at eye level with the four year old. He carefully, almost gingerly, held out his hand. Izuku took it in his own tiny hand, fingers only able to wrap around two or three of his dad’s fingers.
“Hey there buddy. I know you don’t remember me much,” he said softly. “But I’m staying from now on, ok? No leaving ever again.”
“Ever?”
“Never ever,” Hisashi laughed. It was deep and loud, but happy. “As long as your Mom can handle my terrible cooking skills being back in the house.”
Izuku giggled, and knew his Momma was too. She was an amazing cook, but she had told him stories. His favorite was when Dad lit a kitchen towel on fire when he tried to use his quirk to boil water faster. Momma said he hadn’t done that since they were in college, but still! It was funny. Izuku was grateful Momma had already started teaching him how to cook, and that so far nothing had been set ablaze.
“Come on then, you two,” Momma laughed, rolling her eyes. “Let’s get home.”
Time passed. Days then weeks, eventually a month then two. Having Dad back was nice, but weird. The house was livelier, and there was more laughing and giggling than ever. Certainly more fire. He caught a cold a few days after coming home (probably from the airport, Momma said) and Izuku watched as he sneezed out sparks and embers. It was cool. Dad stayed near the fireplace though, just incase.
Going to a new school was even weirder. He didn’t know anyone, but they didn’t know him either. No one called him Deku, only Midoriya. The teachers were nice and didn’t treat him differently because he didn’t have a flashy quirk.
All in all, he liked his new school. Even if he was only going to be there a few weeks before going to kindergarten. Kacchan wasn’t there, but he was starting to realize the blond hadn’t been his friend, not really. Friends didn’t turn against you for something you couldn’t control.
The break between school years was short, but it was fun. Izuku’s whole family even went on a trip to the beach! He got to bury his dad in sand and chase seagulls! Everything a little kid would want to do in a day. They even had a picnic there. The sunset was really pretty, in Izuku’s opinion. He got to watch Dad splash Momma in the waves. They were laughing, Izuku giggling right alongside them in the ocean. Dad made Momma happy. It made Izuku happy too.
Izuku came to the conclusion that defending someone else that day was the best decision he had ever made. Even if he originally got hurt, everything good had happened because of it. He switched schools, stopped getting bullied, and got his dad back. His mom was smiling again. For once, everything was looking like it was going to be ok.
None of them were going to be left alone again. Not if Izuku could help it. Never again.
No one left behind.