[002] Change of Fate

WITHOUT EVEN hearing the result, Izuku already knew that something might have gone wrong from the moment that the test took longer than what his mother had told him.

So Izuku couldn't help but cry, not knowing what he was crying so hard for.

He cried so badly that he cried hard until he fell asleep in his mother's bosom. Inko had no choice but to carry Izuku back to the car. And even when they came back, Izuku was still asleep, so he had to be carried again by his mother back to his room.

Fortunately, when dinner came, Izuku woke up. He remained in his room for a few moments before deciding to come and face the truth.

"Mom," Izuku softly called.

Inko spun in a hurry and she almost cried out when she saw the swollen and red eyes of Izuku crying. If not for her self-control, she might have been crying as he wanted to cradle her son in pity.

"Sweetie...are you hungry?" Inko asked.

It took a few seconds before Izuku answered with a slow shaking of his head. Despite the pitiful look on his face, his eyes had a determined gaze as he answered her mother with a different courage.

"I want to know the results, Mom. I am ready to know the results."

Since it was her own son who wanted to hear it, Inko was left with no choice but to give it to him. Of course, she made sure to make it less harsh so that her son wouldn't be too shocked.

"How about let's learn your secondary gender first?" Inko tried to ask.

"Can we hear the bad news, first? At least, hearing good news for the last time may help lessen the effect of the bad news?" Izuku answered with his head bowed.

That put a small smile on Inko's face. "Then let's do that."

Inko took a short pause to take a breather before finalizing the right words in her head.

"You already know it, right, sweetie? That you are—" 

"Quirkless?" Izuku interjected, silencing Inko with a silent gasp. "I already know it, but I couldn't help myself from hoping I only misheard the doctor..."

"Sweetie, remember what I said before?" Inko asked sweetly.

She didn't know how to react when she saw that her son, who usually acts like his own age, couldn't help but show his hidden maturity just because of the shock he received from the news.

Inko already knows that her son is more mature than kids the same age as him.

At first, she was worried that it was the result of growing up without a father but later on, Inko realized that her son was just a bright kid.

He was so bright that when Izuku realized how he might look different from other children, it was Izuku himself who decided to hide that maturity with his cheerful and innocent facade.

It was worrisome, if one may think about it, but for Inko, she was more proud that her son could be genuine than other children.

It may be a facade, but Inko knows that all of Izuku's actions were genuine, without a doubt.

"No matter what you've become, always remember that Mom will always be there for you, love you, and accept you. Don't bother with what other people think about you; what's important is that you are trying to be true," Inko repeated her words before.

"So whether you are quirkless or not, aren't I still your mother who will love you, be there for you, and accept you?" 

"But..." The hopeful look quickly diminished in Izuku's eyes as he looked away. "I know that. And I am thankful that Mom will never hate or abandon me for that. But...Kacchan..."

Izuku slowly looked back with an obvious worry in his small face. "Kacchan is different from mom. Mom might still accept me, but how about Kacchan?"

"Oh, Izuku..." Inko could not help but to hug Izuku. "You can't judge Katsuki like that."

Izuku already knows that. Just like what his mother said, he can't judge Katsuki when compared to his mother; he has known Katsuki more than anyone.

But that fact is enough reason for Izuku to be worried. Since he already knew Katsuki, he could already grasp what Katsuki's reaction would probably be once he heard about him being quirkless.

"Mom...I want to become a hero but now I can't since I am quirkless. I can't become a hero like All Might and much more a hero together with Kacchan. How can I be with Kacchan now?" Izuku cried out his worries like the child he was.

"I know you can, Izuku. I know you will become a hero of your own. You can become a hero with Katsuki and you can find a way to do that," Inko corrected.

"But I am quirkless, I am weak. I can't be a hero without a quirk. Kacchan hates people who are weak. I don't want him to hate me, Mom. I don't want him to abandon me. He would do that since I am too weak to stand beside him. Mom!" 

"Hush now, sweetie. Quirk doesn't define being a hero. Anyone can be a hero if they want it. Whether they are with a powerful quirk or quirkless, as long as you have the heart of a hero. That's what the most important trait of a hero, Izuku. And I know that Katsuki also knows that."

That silenced Izuku, who obviously thought about what his mother had said. "I can be...a hero? Even if I am quirkless. With Kacchan...I can still become a hero?"

Inko couldn't help but have a hopeful smile given towards her son. With it, including all of her words, Izuku will realize that he doesn't need to think about everything negatively.

Everything has light in it, and so does his being quirkless.

What he needs is to find that light, grasp it, and use it.

"Definitely. So don't be discouraged, Izuku. And have trust in Katsuki."

Inko wanted to tell more about how Katsuki would never do that to Izuku but she also knows her son better than anyone. So she could only hug Izuku to calm him down.

Once again, Izuku cried out but fortunately not to the point of falling asleep. After calming down, they finally had their dinner in silence. Inko let it go like that because she knew Izuku would find a way.

But she did not expect that for the first time, Izuku would decide like the kid he is.

He might have found another courage that he can really be a hero on his own; even being quirkless, Izuku believed his mother's words.

As for the other advice from Inko, Izuku doubted it.

In other words, Izuku didn't believe that Katsuki would still accept him despite how weak he is.

Added to the fact that he presented himself as a sub, Izuku thought that, without a doubt, his relationship with Katsuki would be different from the way it is.

Izuku preferred that, rather than Katsuki being mad at him. At least with this, Izuku could still make a plan to get stronger.

And his plan will be like that: to get stronger until he's sure he can stand side by side with the powerful Katsuki.

So that was the start of Izuku's one-sided hide-and-seek with Katsuki.

For the following days, Izuku hid Katsuki. And Katsuki is also a bright kid. He realized sooner that Izuku was hiding from him, which obviously made him angry.

He also decided to ignore Izuku, thinking that the sticky greenette would give up and crawl back, crying to him.

Unfortunately, a month passed by and Izuku became used to the space between him and Katsuki.

And it completely angered Katsuki. It was like the other no longer needed him and like an old thing, he was suddenly set aside and ignored.

And when the news about Izuku being quirkless spread, Katsuki realized that it was actually the reason for the greenette's evasion of him, which angered him more.

As he found it so absurd, he couldn't help but confront Izuku about it.

It didn't fix anything and made their relationship worse.

On the other hand, when the other students saw the breakup between Izuku and Katsuki's friendship, those kids who love to suck up on Katsuki started to bully Izuku.

At first, Katsuki let the bullying continue, assuming that Izuku would run back to him but who made Izuku more determined because of that?

In the end, the bullying did not last but no one tried to befriend Izuku at school and he became a loner. It made Izuku sad but he preferred that to being bullied so he persisted.

Amazingly, this continued until they were thirteen years old.

Five years passed by like a blur. Both Izuku and Katsuki were only one year apart from graduating from primary school.

The thirteen-year-old Katsuki was on the way back home. It was his usual route per se—that small and dark alleyway, which is a shortcut to Katsuki's house.

Katsuki just thinks of it as another normal and boring day when suddenly, a familiar figure appears in front of him, hindering his way.

"What the—Deku? Are you following me?" Katsuki almost shouted in surprise, fortunately for him, he quickly calmed himself.

Izuku didn't answer and just stood in front of him like a statue. Because of the alley's darkness, Katsuki couldn't clearly see the other's expression.

"Fuck! Are you ignoring me face-to-face, damned Deku? Do you want to die, hah?!" Katsuki angrily shouted.

What he received in response was a slight movement from the other. But that was enough to at least see the other's face, which was illuminated with a small strike of light that pierced the dark alley.

But Katsuki couldn't focus on that, as he was shocked when he saw the look of Izuku that the other gave him.

Izuku was staring at him, more like glaring at him. His usually bright emerald eyes were full of resentment and hatred as they pierced him directly.

"H-how dare you look at me like that, Deku? Keep those glaring eyes or I'll pierce them with my fingers!" Katsuki threatened.

Katsuki thought that Izuku would remain silent so he was so surprised when Izuku finally opened his mouth.

"I hate you!" he started and it quickly put a punch in Katsuki's heart. "Why, with all the people out there, am I still paired with you?"

Once again, Katsuki was surprised. He doesn't have an idea that Izuku actually knows that they are a destined pair. Mates which were only said to be a legend.

All along, he believed that it was only him who could feel the invisible pull between them.

But at the same time, Izuku's words brought unimaginable pain to his heart because of the obvious rejection of his words.

"If I could just reject this pairing so that I can be free from you, then I will do anything to do that. Now stay away from me, don't you ever talk to me, and leave me alone!"

"W-what...?"

Hearing all that, Katsuki feels so bad. Not for Izuku but for himself. He could feel his heart draining from life as cracks slowly formed around it, and only a little push was enough to make it crumble like dust.

Katsuki had no idea that it would be that painful, the feeling of rejection from the very person he wanted to have.

If he was just a weak person, he would no doubt kill himself from the excruciating pain.

He just couldn't believe that those words came out of Izuku's mouth. Katsuki could only bow his head as he tried to hide the pain in his eyes.

So he didn't see the suspicious movement of Izuku's face as the others watched over Katsuki.