Chapter Text
It starts, as it always does, with a young boy on a rooftop, an old hero crushing a dream, and an admission of regret.
“I’m sorry my boy… I… with a Quirk like that, I don’t think you can be a hero. Not like me. If you train hard… maybe… but… no. I’m sorry- maybe stick to police work or medical services. Such a Quirk… It might even hinder your chances outside of a few select scenarios. It’s not impossible… but it might as well be.”
“O-oh… I….”
But- the boy is not a boy. The hero is not quite cynical enough to completely crush their dreams, and the admission of regret…
The admission of regret comes the same as it always does.
Midoriya Izuku ( “Izumi, please. I… I can’t stand being Izuku anymore, it hurts too much…” “Of course, young lady.” ) Izumi stands there, eyes upon the skeletal form of her hero- the man that had inspired her all her life, his hands raised as the sunset as he proclaims her worthy of inheriting his Quirk. That she can be a hero- that she already is a hero. All because her stupid, useless feet moved on their own, her stupid useless hands flung her stupid useless bookbag and she managed to buy Kacchan just enough time for All Might to come in and save the both of them…
Izumi let out a soft sob, the events of the past few days catching up to her in a rush of emotion- not even the last few days, but… a long time now.
She shuddered, clutching her arms and huddling inward as she tried not to flood the street with her tears, the little gill flaps in her neck flexing slightly as she swallowed thickly and took a sniffling breath through a noseful of mucus.
“T-thank you… thank you…” she whispered out quietly, so soft that All Might has to train his ears on her to even get an idea of what she’s saying. “T-thank you for… for using that name…”
“Of course, young lady! It’s the name you’ve chosen for yourself, isn’t it? I could hardly call myself a hero if I refused to use the name you wish to use,” All Might murmured out, kneeling down slightly to get closer to Izumi’s level, a comforting hand on her shoulder as he tried to reassure her the only way he knew how. “I…. I am sorry, though. About how I treated you on that rooftop. I shouldn’t have left you. I shouldn’t have told you what I did, and I definitely….”
He sighed, shaking his head slowly. “I made many mistakes. I was desperate and tired, and I failed you in every way I could- I didn’t follow proper procedure, I could have gotten you killed… but. I will do my best to make it up to you, my dear girl.”
Izumi sniffled harder, shuddering as she looked down at her pitch black gakuran, scraped and torn and charred as it was. She swallowed again, trying to find the words. “I-it’s… it’s alright, All Might. You’re… you’re already doing so much for me. I…. I would…. I would like to take on your Quirk. I really would. But…. but are you sure I’m the right choice? I’m just… I’m just a useless Deku… I couldn’t do anything, and even when I tried my hardest, all I ended up doing was buying a second of time… Just… a single second.”
“A second is all it takes between life and death sometimes,” All Might answered, sighing again as he ran his hand in soothing circles along Izumi’s back- and it felt so, so warm that Izumi almost teared up again just from the feeling of being wanted. Of being close to someone after so many years of being a pariah for her weak Quirk and her creepy muttering and her stupid attempts at heroism and her stupid gross gender issues…
“You are the right choice. I will accept no other,” All Might finished his sentence, then patted Izumi lightly on the back with a skeletal grin, somehow seeming so soft and fatherly despite his drawn and gaunt expression. “Now come- let’s get you home. The journey to inheriting my Quirk is going to be long and painful, and I’d prefer that your parents know about it before I have to answer why their daughter is suddenly putting on so much muscle- plus I need to call my old friend David about doing some blood tests so I can really tailor a workout plan for your body, rather than rushing out one based on my old and outdated regimen!”
“W-wait, workout plan?” Izumi asked, startled out of her own pit of self loathing for a moment as she looked up at All Might, blindly leading him through the streets towards her home as the sun began to truly set around them. “What do you mean a workout plan?”
All Might chuckled dryly, then shook his head and took a deep breath. “Not here, out in public. But suffice to say- it will be necessary to handle the sheer power that will be bestowed upon you. Plus… I hate to say this, but you’re a bit reedy- even for someone in your circumstance. Heroics takes physical fitness, you know? And you… well. You look like you’ve never even lifted a weight in your life.”
Izumi ducked her head, trembling a little. “Y-yeah… I… I do want to be a hero- I really do! B-but… I… it hurts. A lot… n-not physically but… w-when I think about exercising and putting on muscle… it just… I don’t want to look like a boy! N-not when I’m already… already the way I am. I want to be a pretty, elegant, beautiful girl but I’m… I’m scared. And the thought of looking more masculine than I already do…”
All Might nodded silently, raising a hand and gently patting Izumi on the head- nothing too intimate, but simply resting his massive hand among the mess of half brushed curls and waves that tumbled down to her shoulders and made her look vaguely like a walking bush. Or broccoli.
“I understand. I may not personally know what you are going through, but I don’t blame you for your circumstances,” he smiles softly, trying to reassure her. Behind and ahead of them, the street lights click on and Izumi trembles as she begins walking again, barely able to suppress her tears as she thinks about… about everything. School. Her bullies. The villain attack. All Might. Her mother, sobbing as she hugged her younger self, apologizing for not being able to understand how Izumi felt at first. “I promise you- give me a short while. You’re aiming for UA, yes?”
“Y-yes?” Izumi asks, almost childishly as she sort of tries to shrink in on herself more while walking, only for All Might to pat her on the back and straighten her up in an instant.
“Ah, my alma mater… well, lucky for you that UA changed to a university last year- it means that you won’t be able to go to a hero highschool like you wished, but… it gives us more time to train you up. I’ll be able to truly help you along the way, I think, and by the time you reach UA’s esteemed halls, you’ll be a brand new, brilliant young woman!” All Might’s smile grows brighter, and he puffs up into his heroic form for a moment for emphasis. “Now come- I’d like to meet your parents, to let them know that I’ll be training you for the next few years. Did you have another highschool in mind while we train for UA?”
“I… honestly… no…” Izumi sighed, rubbing her arm and grimacing. “I… I really wanted to get into UA… but if it’s not an option anymore, maybe I’ll choose something else… o-or just go to an online school…”
She paused, then shook her head. “A-and… um… it’s just my mom, really. My dad… left a long time ago. He still sends money, but… I don’t think he was happy when I came out to him.”
“Ah.” All Might murmured, several more puzzle pieces about the young girl in front of him becoming clearer with the newfound information. “Well… my apologies, and my condolences.”
“I-it’s alright, really! Y-you don’t have to worry, m-mom and I get on well and- a-and dad wasn’t really great about staying around anyway so it’s not like… er…” Izumi winced, shaking her head to the point that it became a full body shudder, then simply turned back to her apartment door, key in hand. “A-anyway… l-let’s g-go inside. I-I’ll introduce you to my mom…”