Friends and Prejudice

"Izuku, please do not use your quirk on the Apprehension Test." Mr Rikujo sounded tired as he said that.

"I'm not, Sir," Izuku immediately replied.

"Yeah, he can't sir! His quirk is Fire Proofing," one of the others said. Izuku thought it was Shigeru but wasn't completely certain.

Mr Rikujo looked at Izuku in askance.

"That is my Quirk, Sir," he answered the question.

"No other aspects of it?" the Physical Education teacher asked.

"No Sir."

The man sighed and made several more notes on his tablet.

"How did you throw so far?" The question was put to Izuku. This time he knew it was Naoki asking.

"It wasn't that far," Izuku whispered. Compared to what Tomura could throw, he hadn't thrown the ball that far at all. Of course, compared to what he could throw when he could use his quirk it wasn't that far either.

"Dude! I think you beat Setsuna!"

"Who's Setsuna?" Izuku asked.

"Oh, I forgot, you're new. Setsuna Tokage," Naoki gave him the explanation. "She's in one of the other classes. She can throw like super far and she's super fast."

"Ah," Izuku nodded while the rest of the class went through the ball throw. Mr Rikujo had announced that they would start the year the standard tests. He'd hinted they'd finish the year with the standard tests so that they could see improvement.

"Still, how did you throw it that far?" Shigeru asked. Izuku knew it was him since he'd been called by Mr Rikujo.

"I do some physical training," Izuku admitted.

"Hero training?" Naoki gasped the question, and Izuku could hear the awe in his voice.

"Just training," Izuku dismissed it. Tomura would call it grinding but Kurogiri always called it physical training. From what he knew, Kurogiri's name was probably closer to what was publicly acceptable.

"Must be intense."

"Not really," Izuku shook his head. They were being called up in groups of five to run the 50m dash. "Just constant," he explained. Kurogiri had him doing training almost every day. Izuku could see that it was paying off now. Sometimes Tomura was with them but the older boy usually trained during the day. When Tomura was there, they worked on basic fighting. Izuku had gotten very good at dodging Tomura's hands, especially since the boy didn't wear his gloves. He'd lost enough t-shirts to dust that he knew he never wanted to let Tomura reach him.

Naoki couldn't say much more because he was called up with Izuku. After they'd run, with Izuku coming in first, the other boy was gasping for air too hard to keep asking questions and Shigeru's group was called.

"You're not… even… panting!" Shigeru managed to say when he returned, glaring at Izuku. Naoki had managed to get his breathing under control but he glared as well. It had taken significantly longer for him than for Izuku.

"Practice," Izuku dismissed it. "What is Setsuna's quirk?" He asked.

"Lizard tail or something," Naoki replied at the same time as Shigeru managed to gasp out, "Lizard Tail Splitter."

Green eyes blinked. "What does it do?"

"It's kind of gross. She can split off bits of herself and move them around."

"And regenerate them. She's already training to be a hero."

"That's fantastic!" Izuku gushed. "There's so many applications."

"Yeah, there are," Shigeru grumbled but before Izuku could ask, they were called to perform the grip strength test and then to the rest of the tests. It wasn't until lunch that they could talk again.

"Sit with us," Naoki invited.

Izuku was surprised and thrilled. Last year no one had wanted to talk to him and he'd gotten used to eating his lunch alone. That someone asked him… "Sure!" Izuku chirped brightly, fetching the bento Kurogiri had made for him. They made their way outside and took a seat under the trees. There were lots of other students there too but everyone seemed happy. There was a lot of chatter about how the summer holidays had been spent. That wasn't unexpected given that this was the first day.

The green haired boy unpacked his bento and took his chopsticks out. Kurogiri had made him a tonkatsu bento, with a green seaweed salad in one of the other openings.

"That's an awesome bento!" Shigeru said.

Izuku smiled and nodded before he looked over to the other boys lunch. He appeared to have western style sandwiches and some cut fruit. "Yours looks good too," he commented.

"Nah, this is every day," Shigeru said. "Mum makes it."

"Kurogiri makes mine," Izuku said as he scooped up some rice.

"Who's Kurogiri?" Naoki asked. He had what appeared to be meatballs over rice with a tomato salad.

"He's-" Izuku paused. He'd never really had to think about who Kurogiri was to him. He was the person who took care of him while his Dad was at work.

"Is he your nannie?" Naoki suggested.

"No," Izuku said softly, still thinking.

"Au pair?" Shigeru offered.

"What's that?"

"Someone who lives with you and does the housework and takes care of you," came the explanation.

That was closer. "Kurogiri takes care of Tomura," Izuku said. "And me. But he runs a bar," he added.

"Are your parents gone?"

"No, Dad works. He's separated from my Mother," Izuku explained. He thought they were separated. Dad never said otherwise.

The two boys looked at each other and then shrugged. Izuku seemed cool even if he didn't have a standard home life. When you are eight, that's really all that was important.

-ted-

"Which way do you walk home, Izuku?" Naoki asked at the gate.

"That way," Izuku said, pointing to the left.

"Too bad. Shigeru and I go right," Naoki replied. "We'll see you tomorrow?"

Izuku nodded and adjusted the straps on his backpack. He felt perversely happy that they couldn't walk with him. No one had walked with him last year and if they did, it was only to mock him. It felt better that they went their own way. He felt safer.

"Just don't walk with him," Shigeru warned, thrusting his chin in the direction of another boy.

Izuku looked to where Shigeru meant. There was a boy his own age standing there. He had dark purple hair and half closed eyes. He looked tired as he walked towards the gate of the school.

"Why not?" Izuku asked.

"His quirk, it's bad," Naoki said seriously.

"Bad? You mean he can't control it?" Izuku had heard of that. Sometimes people just couldn't control their quirks. They usually went to counselling until they could, or sometimes they used quirk suppressants. They were the type of people his dad helped, when the government wouldn't notice.

"He can control it," Shigeru spat. "He'll control you with it," he added venomously.

"What?"

"Shh!" Naoki said. "He'll hear you."

Izuku rather thought he'd hear the stage whisper just as much as normal conversation but he played along. "What do you mean?"

The two boys remained silent until the purple-haired boy had passed by. They glared at him surreptitiously.

It was only when the other boy was walking down the street did Naoki give him an answer. "His quirk is a villain quirk," he explained. "It's mind control. If you answer him, he can control you."

"Oh," Izuku said.

"Just don't walk with him," Shigeru reiterated and the two of them turned and began walking up the street in the opposite direction to Izuku.

Izuku knew what it was to be alone because you had no quirk. He knew what it was to be isolated because you were unpopular. He hadn't realised that people with quirks could be bad, just because of their quirk but he knew that the boy was alone. And that was pain enough. Like for Himiko. Her quirk made her alone. He turned to follow the purple-haired boy but he was already gone.

There was always tomorrow.

-ted-

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Izuku?" Hisashi asked his son. They were practicing his fine control but All For One knew that Izuku would need a new quirk soon to work on. To his eyes, there was only the slightest discolouration to his son's quirk caused when it absorbed other quirks. He could only see it too because the weight altering quirk was such an unusual colour. Doctor Garaki would be pleased to know that Izuku was absorbing quirks faster the older he got.

"Can a quirk be bad?"

It was a question he'd been expecting but not yet. He'd been expecting it after Izuku permanently took a quirk from someone. "What brought this on?" As far as Hisashi knew, Izuku's first day of class at his new school went well. Kurogiri hadn't reported any problems and Izuku had already regaled him with stories of making two new friends.

"Naoki said that someone's quirk was bad."

"Did he mean out of control?" Hisashi asked for clarification.

"No. He said it was bad. Shigeru said it was a controlling quirk."

"Hmm," All For One murmured. He might need to look into the school a bit more. There could be something interesting there, beyond the reasons he'd selected it. "No, Izuku. No quirk is bad," he told his son. "There are those who use their quirks badly," he making the bad pun and causing his son to smile. "But there are no bad quirks." Not in the way his son meant.

"What about a quirk that makes you a villain?"

Hisashi shook his head. There were drugs which would remove reason but that wasn't what Izuku was asking about. "No. There's no quirk that makes you a villain. A person chooses that. Sometimes, circumstances force them into it as well but it's not their quirk."

Izuku seemed relieved.

Hisashi smiled. "I think if you find out about this quirk, you will find out that it's quite normal. It won't be good or bad. For things to be good or bad, especially with quirks, it's about intent. Take my quirk. Or your quirk! We can take quirks from others," Hisashi explained. "Most people would say that is bad, and it's a bad quirk, but if we are taking the quirk because the person asked, or because we are trying to help them, how is it bad? It's not bad, is it? Because it's helping."

Izuku nodded. "Helping people is good!"

"So this quirk, despite what your new friends are saying isn't bad or good. To make that definition will depend on the person using it, and what they intend to do. If they intend to be good, or if they are doing something bad. Actions, my Little Dragon, it's all about actions." Hisashi concluded. However, from the vague description of this quirk, it might be one that he wanted. All For One decided that he'd let Izuku do the research and if it turned out to be interesting, well, he'd have to see. There were lots of options. "So why don't you find out about the person first?"

"I will, Daddy!" Izuku said.

All For One smiled, ruffling Izuku's hair. "I look forward to your report."

That caused Izuku to grin and Hisashi sighed theatrically with it. "It will have to wait for a few weeks though," he told his son.

"Daddy?" Izuku asked.

"I've got a business trip," Hisashi announced. "You know how some nights, I can't see you because I'm busy with work?" he asked.

Izuku nodded. That happened at least once a week but his dad tried to make it up on other nights, or was sometimes there in the morning. He knew his dad worked hard.

"This time I have to go away for a few weeks," he explained. "Kurogiri will take good care of you, and Gigantomachia will be there too." He didn't expect any trouble but there was no way he was leaving his son unprotected. "Will you be okay?"

His son was a good boy. He knew better than to cry even though Hisashi could see that he wanted to. It was one thing to not see him of an evening, but another to know he would be gone. This was the first time he'd be gone for a long time from Izuku. "I will be," Izuku assured him.

Hisashi smiled. "I'll bring you back a present," he assured his son.

That cleared up the tears and All For One laughed. He'd bring back the perfect present.

-ted-

"Gigantomachia, can you help me?" Izuku looked up at the huge man as he asked. They were walking home from his school. He'd been so surprised to see Gigantomachia there the first day that he hadn't been able to catch up to the purple-haired boy. And the guy was hard to find in school!

"Little Lord?"

"I've been trying to talk to someone," Izuku said, suddenly feeling shy.

Gigantomachia obviously didn't know what to say at that. The large man looked down at him with a questioning expression.

Izuku took a deep breath. "I can't catch him at school and he won't wait to speak to me after school. So I need your help."

"Who is it, Little Lord?" Gigantomachia asked.

Izuku pointed ahead of them to where the purple-haired boy was walking.

In truth, Izuku wasn't sure what assistance he wanted from Gigantomachia. In an abstract way he'd been thinking that maybe the large man would offer him some advice, or something like that. He was not expecting Gigantomachia to gently pick him up and make two bounds to catch up with the other boy, putting a large arm down in his way.

The boy cried out in shock.

Gigantomachia didn't quite growl but it was close. "You talk to Little Lord!" He said.

Izuku could feel his face going red. He could feel the stares of those around him.

"I'm sorry!" He yelled as he slid down from Gigantomachia's hand. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to talk to you," he said bowing slightly at the boy.

When Izuku looked up the other boy was looking at him with dark purple eyes. He didn't appear to be too tired today.

"I noticed that you were always alone and-" Izuku faltered but he forced himself to continue. "It isn't nice to be alone." It was only now, after he'd spent a few days with Naoki and Shigeru that he realised he'd been terribly lonely at school last year. He didn't want anyone else to feel that way, not if he could help it.

"You wanted to talk?" There was an edge to the question.

"Of course!" Izuku replied happily.

"Shut up and go home!"

Izuku didn't know what happened but the next thing he knew, Gigantomachia was picking him up and he wasn't outside the school. He shook his head.

"Little Lord?" the huge man asked worriedly.

"I'm okay," Izuku replied immediately, still wondering when he had almost made it home. "What happened?"

"The bad one used his quirk on you," Gigantomachia told him. "I won't let it happen again, Little Lord." Izuku heard Gigantomachia's hand's creak as he said that, so tight were his fists.

"No! It's okay! He didn't do anything wrong!"

"Little Lord?"

"He didn't! It's okay," Izuku repeated. "Thank you for helping!"

"Little Lord! He used his quirk on you!" Gigantomachia objected.

"It's okay! He was probably scared. I'll talk to him tomorrow," Izuku said quickly. He wasn't sure how he knew that he had to calm the giant down. "You helped lots!"

At least this way, Izuku had an excuse for talking to the boy, if nothing more to apologise again for Gigantomachia's actions. He had not expected that.

"His quirk is amazing!" Izuku continued. If it worked the way he thought it did then it really was amazing. And Izuku could forgive him for using it. It would have been scary to have Gigantomachia stand in your way.

He looked up at the larger man. The giant didn't look happy but he did relax as Izuku smiled at him. "I will talk to him tomorrow!" Izuku declared. "Thank you for your help!"

He felt Gigantomachia's eyes on him, examining him carefully before the giant nodded and the incident was put behind them.