Chapter Text
Hisashi wanted to claw his ears out while a familiar booming voice rang through the apartment. In front of the living room computer, Izuku rocked back and forth on a swivel chair while wearing a manic grin on his face. As All-Might burst from the wreckage of a flaming building, Hisashi headed toward the kitchen and bit back a comment for his son to watch a different video for once. Sure, Hisashi was one of the worst villains to ever grace Japan, but he wasn’t so wicked to take away the things his son loved.
He was blinded by bright blues and reds as he strolled past Izuku’s bedroom. Comparing his tailored navy suit to All-Might’s tufts of hair, Hisashi sighed. What had he done to deserve such a tacky nemesis? On second thought, he had brought anarchy upon the country for a few decades… so, perhaps it was karma. As tempted as he was to rip the hero posters off the wall, Hisashi turned a blind eye and followed the aroma of Kurogiri’s freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Besides, it was Hisashi’s fault that Izuku had become so invested in hero worship. But he no regrets for providing his son with never-ending merchandise. Whose heart wouldn’t melt at the sight of green eyes illuminating the whole room while the most adorable child in the entire universe (disclaimer: All For One is extremely biased) cradled a new figurine?
Cracking open the oven, Hisashi grabbed a half-baked cookie, not flinching in the slightest as yellow eyes framed by purple fog sent him a death glare. Yet before he had the chance to devour the gooey dough, Hisashi’s work phone vibrated violently in his pocket. Kurogiri simply grinned smugly as the notorious supervillain surrendered the treat to answer his phone call. Pressing the answer button, Hisashi elbowed his glorified butler. He couldn’t not pick up the call. He was a professional after all. He had a reputation to uphold for Christ’s sake!
Straightening his back, Hisashi listened to the voice on the other end of the line. The speaker’s voice flowed with a French accent that was thick with falsehood. “Monsieur All For One… we have decided to take you up on your offer.”
“Excellent.” Hisashi clasped his hands together. Freeing the Aoyama’s son from his quirklessness was an investment that was bound to pay off… in another ten years. Ah, but Hisashi was more than fine with playing the long game. You don’t live for a couple centuries without learning a thing or two about patience. Though it did irk Hisashi how adverse the Aoyama’s were to their son’s lack of a quirk. It was not as if he was any less capable or less human because of it. Amid his hypocrisy, Hisashi dragged a hand across his face – he had forced a quirk upon his brother – it didn’t matter if his action had been in the name of protecting his family.
A lightbulb sparked above Hisashi’s head as All-Might’s laughter echoed through the hall once again. Because the Aoyamas had provided Hisashi with the perfect learning opportunity.
While he wouldn’t make his son give up his hero worship, Hisashi could at least give Izuku a chance to consider other perspectives. He paled at the vision of his son’s name appearing on the hero billboard one day. Even though his chest swelled with pride at the thought, his stomach churned uncomfortably as he pictured Izuku entangled in the Hero Commission’s web of corruption.
Sitting atop a rock, Izuku tried to steady his heartbeat lest it drown out the birdsong. Pine needles from the evergreens overhead drifted into his green curls. A smile bright enough to put the sun to shame stretched across his cheeks. Papa was finally letting him test out All For One on another person today. A kid his age at that. Izuku twirled his index fingers together. Maybe they liked heroes too – perhaps even All-Might. Maybe they could become friends. Izuku sure hoped so.
A blonde tore Izuku out of his thoughts as he stumbled out of a misty portal. His head flipped around the forest before settling on Izuku, who swiftly sprinted over. Suppressing the urge to mutter, Izuku scanned the other boy’s indigo eyes and mulled over the possible correlation it could have with his quirk. He swallowed down his jitters and held out a hand. “Hello, I’m Izuku. It’s nice to meet you.”
With furrowed brows, the other boy returned Izuku’s handshake. “Je suis Yuga Aoyama.”
Then, he leaned in toward Izuku’s ear. “Is it true? Are you All For One? You are très petit.”
“No, that’s Papa,” Izuku giggled. “But don’t worry I can give and take quirks too.”
Yuga gulped. “Are you implying that you don’t have much experience exchanging quirks, mon ami?”
Wait, did Yuga just call Izuku his friend? Izuku’s limbs grew light enough that he felt as if he could reach the cerulean sky. Wow, that connection developed more quickly than he could have hoped. Stop. Izuku mentally pinched himself. A friendship didn’t form after the exchange of a few sentences. Eyeing Yuga, Izuku noticed the way his lip quivered.
“I practice a lot with Papa, so I think it’ll be alright.” Izuku patted Yuga on the shoulder. “But if you really don’t want me to be the one to give you a quirk, that’s okay. I can take you to my dad instead.”
“D’accord.” The tension in Yuga’s shoulders was unwound. “I…trust you. You sound as if you have favorable control of your quirk.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence!” Izuku beamed.
He took the boy by the wrist and lead him to a wide-open meadow specked with patches of dandelions. Plucking a flower, Izuku spun around and the pale umbrella seeds float around him. In the presence of pollen, Aoyama let out a violent sneeze. Izuku flushed bright red.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you’re allergic.”
“C’est pas grave. I appreciate the scenery.” Yuga’s mouth tilted into a sharp grin. “Would you mind passing me une fleur?”
“Of course not,” Izuku said as he handed the blonde a dandelion.
Flowers flew while the boys ran around in circles as they hopelessly tried to capture the wayward seeds. Reveling in the summer sunshine, they raced toward the nearest hill, cackling as they rolled all the toward the bottom. As a breeze ruffled through green hair, pulled Izuku out of his daze and he smacked his forehead.
“Oh, I forgot why we left the forest in the first place.”
Yuga tilted his head. “Pourquoi?”
“To test out your new quirk. Well, if you like this one that is. It’s called Jetstream. It’s one of my favorites from my stockpile. You’ll be able to soar just like All-Might!”
“Oui, All-Might is quite cool.” Yuga looked down at his feet. “Though…I am a little uncertain about heights.”
“Hey, no pressure. There are plenty of other quirks to choose from. Though please don’t ask where they came from. That’s a touchy subject, haha.”
“No questions asked then. Though Jetstream sounds like it could be a good fit. It’d be nice to have a heroic quirk and bring a twinkle to people’s lives like the number one hero.”
Izuku bounced up and down. “Is All-Might your favorite hero too?”
“Non, I’m afraid I prefer Best Jeanist. He has a lot of style.”
Nodding vehemently, Izuku stretched out his arms over his head. “Ooh, he’s one of my favorites too. Fiber Master might seem like a weak quirk on paper but Jeanist has managed to make it so versatile…”
Putting an end to the rambling before he got carried away, Izuku closed his eyes. He reached deep within the traces of vestiges and grasped the appropriate quirk. Then, he envisioned switching the polarity on an electromagnet and projected Jetstream toward Yuga.
“Huh? I feel exactly the same,” the blonde said.
“That’s a relief. Papa says that some people lose their minds when they get a second quirk.”
Yuga let out a somber sigh. “Ah, I see why that wouldn’t be a problem for me. I didn’t have a quirk to begin with.”
Izuku wiped away invisible beads of sweat. “Phew, no need to worry about you becoming a nomu then.”
“Nomu? Qu’est-ce c’est?”
“Uh, you don’t want to know.” Grinning awkwardly, Izuku grabbed Yuga by the shoulders and turned him to the edge of the hill. “Anyway, moving on. Try flying up that hill. Jetstream should work based on willpower alone.”
Yuga’s knees trembled as he clenched his fists with determination. “Are you certain?”
Izuku smiled. “Absolutely. It’ll be super-easy, barely an inconvenience.”
Taking a deep breath, Yuga crouched down into a running stance and took off.
Turns out flying is much easier said than done. Not that the advice of a kid with a stolen quirk is the most reliable to go by. Racing up the hill, Izuku returned to Yuga’s side and helped him pull out a foot that had been rammed into the dirt. Izuku’s eyes widened as he ran his hands through his hair.
“I’m so sorry, Yuga. I didn’t remember Jetstream being so complicated. Then, again it’s been a while since I’ve used it…”
Yuga set a hand on Izuku’s leg, urging him to sit down. “It’s alright, mon ami. Besides, it’s about lunchtime – so why not take a break?”
Izuku’s stomach let out a grumble that left him covering his face in embarrassment. “Oops, I forgot to pack food.”
“C’est pas grave. You can have some of my fromage.”
Unwrapping a small package of paper, Yuga passed Izuku a wedge of soft cheese. Although he initially winched at the sharp stench, Izuku graciously accepted the offering. After all, Papa, Mama and Kurogiri had taught him better than to reject gifts. And to his absolute delight, the cheese tasted far better than it smelled. As the creamy texture melted on his tongue, Izuku decided that he’d be willing to give up chocolate chip cookies (sorry, Kurogiri) if it meant that he could eat more of Aoyama’s fromage.
“Wow, this is really yummy, Yuga.”
“Oh, thank you. I’m pleased you like it too. It’s rare to come across a fellow connoisseur.” Spreading out both arms he collapsed onto the grass in a starfish position. “The kids at my school don’t quite appreciate my unique taste.”
“Pah, don’t listen to them. Their tastebuds are broken if they don’t like your cheese.”
Yuga crossed his arms. “It’s not just the fromage. It’s also the fact that I want to shine. Of course, they can’t have a quirkless enfant in the spotlight. I always need to be put in my place.”
“They sound like idiots.”
“I suppose,” Yuga said. “However, can’t avoid them. Not without becoming a social hermit.”
As yellow dandelions mirrored Yuga’s hair, Izuku tapped his chin in contemplation. With the boy’s desire to twinkle perhaps Navel Laser would be perfect. A quirk that shone as brightly as him. Huffing, Izuku cast the idea aside. Without a body adapted to the quirk, Naval Laser was sure to give Yuga stomach cramps. And Izuku didn’t want to have to force his friend to give up his love for French cuisine because of a quirk. Besides, Izuku thought that even without a quirk, Yuga was the type of person who just couldn’t stop twinkling.
Izuku looked directly at the blonde. “You don’t need a quirk.”
Flustered, Yuga stumbled back. “Why? Everyone has one. I asked ma mère et mon père why I was so different from everyone else and they said that I don’t have to be.”
Frowning, Izuku tried to recall the fancy new word Kurogiri had taught him. “Well, that’s a pa…paradox.”
“Quoi?”
More sure of himself, Izuku inched closer to Yuga. “A contradiction. You want to be like everyone else but also want to stand out shining from the rest. Aren’t those things the exact opposite from one another?”
“You make a good point, mon ami. But I can’t exactly become a hero without a quirk.”
Izuku swatted at Aoyama playfully. “Can too! Haven’t you ever read the old hero comics? Batman doesn’t have any powers and he’s the coolest of all the DC characters.”
“I suppose. Though his outfit is quite gloomy.” Yuga shuddered.
“Well, you’re not wrong about that.” Izuku placed a comforting hug around Aoyama’s shoulder. “I can give you a quirk if you really want. But you already shine without one. Besides, you’d stand out even more as Japan’s first quirkless pro hero.”
For a few moments, Aoyama looked away from Izuku. His eyes grew glassy as he dove deep into the ocean of his mind. Izuku feared that he’d managed to push the boy he’d been connecting so well with away until Yuga spoke up.
“I think you might be right.” Yuga directed a faint smile at Izuku. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re wise beyond your years?”
“Nope, you’d be the first,” Izuku chuckled.
"Perhaps I could be like Batman. I guess my family does have the necessary funds."
"That sure does help. But your chance at heroism doesn't depend on money. On TV, All-Might says all that matters is a willingness to help people. So, I think your odds are good," Izuku said. “Well, I guess since I’m not giving you a quirk, I’ll go ahead and call Kurogiri to pick us up.”
Few minutes after Izuku had dialed the number had passed before mist appeared. As purple smoke warped around Izuku, he envisioned having more thrilling days like the afternoon he had spent with Yuga. He knew his papa was a villain, the kind that All-Might wouldn’t hesitate to thwart. Izuku was under no illusions. With his familial background, he was well aware that his odds of becoming a hero were next to zero. But Izuku imagined that dealing in quirks – in all their unending uniqueness – could be equally as fulfilling as heroism.