In the bone

Chapter 1: Stranger Danger

Izuku Midoriya, age eight, wandered through the park holding his notebook. Kacchan, his friend turned bully, had blown it up again.

'You're dream is so stupid! You don't have a quirk moron!' Kacchan said. 'You'll just get yourself killed!'

Izuku sniffed. "My dream isn't stupid… I-I can be a h-hero too right?"

"Why of course you can." A voice said. Izuku looked up.

The one who had spoken was a tall man with dark hair and darker eyes. Izuku didn't know why, but he felt afraid…

"Um…" Izuku said shrinking in on himself. His ears finally comprehended the words the man said. "You think I could?"

"You can do anything in this world, as long as you are powerful enough…" The man said almost… wistfully?

"But…" Izuku said looking down. "I don't have a Quirk…"

"Oh?" the man said. "Tell you what… If you give me that notebook I'll happily give you one."

"My notebook?" Izuku asked brow furrowing.

"I noticed you had some pictures of All-Might in there." The man said easily. "I happen to be a bit of a fan myself. What do you say, trade?"

Izuku frowned. "But how?"

"I have a special Quirk." The man said. "Tell you what, I'll even give you a strong one… What kind do you want?"

Izuku fidgeted. Was this real? He could have a Quirk? Something he wanted?

"C-could I have one that will make me strong? Like All-Might?" Izuku whispered. The man smiled and Izuku felt a chill run down his spine.

"Oh, that's easy…" The man said. "Let's see… something strong… something that can make you like All-Might… Hmmm… Ah! I know just the one. It's one of my favorites but I don't really use it too often."

"Wow…" Izuku's eyes shown. He was so strong! All-Might was stronger of course, but to be able to just give away Quirks… That was really cool!

"Now! Tell me something I don't know about All-Might!" The man said. Izuku hesitated. He wanted to impress the man with his knowledge.

"All-Might is seven foot two and weighs five-hundred and sixty two pounds! Um…" Izuku faltered, but then remembered Kacchan practicing his punches to be just like All-Might's. "He also always starts a fight with a left hook…"

"Really?" The man said taking a considering look at the boy. "What else?"

"Um… He doesn't have any… you know piercing moves…" Izuku said feeling bad about criticizing his Hero. "He doesn't want to hurt anyone so… moves that kinda go 'through' stuff… His Carolina Smash is the only one, but he usually uses that against robots and stuff…"

"Really…" The man said looking up. "I didn't realize… Huh… From the mouth of babes… Very well, that info has definitely earned you a Quirk!"

"Really!?" Izuku said eyes sparkling. The man's smile sent a chill down the boys spine.

"Really… Now, hold still…" The man said placing a hand on his head. "It might pinch a little…"

The man's fingers extended, and black and red tendrils sunk into Izuku's face while the eight year old's panicked screams filled the air.

Later…

"Huh… Kid was right! You do always lead with a left hook!" All-For-One said smiling as the Symbol of Peace, All-Might struggled to fight against his awesome power.

Little Izuku Midoriya woke up in the park later. It was after dark. His mom must be worried out of her mind! He looked around for the 'Quirk Man' but he was gone… along with his notebook…

The eight year old sighed. This was the worst… Then the boy remembered what the Quirk Man talked about.

Trembling the boy tried to feel anything out of the ordinary. There was a warmth to his bones but that was about it… Wait…

Warmth?

The boy focused the warmth crawling up his arm and felt it turn uncomfortable and sharp and painful and- OW! It hurt! It really hurt! WHY DID HIS ARM HURT?!

Izuku began to scream for his mommy again clutching his arm. The warmth was gone but the pain remained… He just wanted to stop! It felt like someone stabbed him in the arm with a really big splinter!

He hadn't been stabbed with a knife before because he was only eight, but he imagined that this was what it felt like!

Crying he reached inside again, feeling the warmth in his bones. If it caused the pain, maybe it could fix it!

OW!

The pain increased! Just OW!

Izuku then noticed the thing sticking out of his arm.

It was a bone… Izuku stared at it for a good moment and then… just stared at it a little more…

There was a bone sticking out of his arm… The flesh was parted, and the skin was just kinda… hanging there… but hey! At least the pain was mostly gone… Somewhat…

Nope… Ow… Pain was still there… Kinda… It just felt really weird and… ugh…

The bone was kinda spiral shape and- huh… that was weird… Wait- why was it spiral shape?

Part of Izuku was totally grossed out and freaked out, but the fanboy part of his brain was trying to understand the new Quirk before him.

Some kind of… bone growth? Izuku's mouth trembled upward into a smile.

The eight year old boy felt an elation that he had never felt before.

He had a Quirk…

"IZUKU HONEY! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Izuku frowned staring at his arm.

How the heck was he supposed to explain this to his mom? He needed to hide it.

Maybe he could make it go back? He felt the warmth in his bones once again and then up the spike jutting out of his arm and- It grew a branch? No, no, no… Um… He needed to... um…

The boy concentrated that warmth in his bones once more and then- Izuku focused the warmth back into his body and-

Slowly the bones shrank back into his body and the wounds sealed up… painfully… Izuku whimpered. The Quirk was cool, but the pain wasn't…

Izuku watched as his body re-absorbed the bones and just in time too…

"IZUKU!" His mother cried finally finding him. She hugged him close. "Where have you been!? I've been worried sick!"

Izuku hugged his mom. "Mom! I got a Quirk!"

"Wha-?"

"Indeed. He has a Quirk…" The doctor said with a deep frown. "This is unexpected…"

Izuku and his mother sat together in the doctor's office more than a little dumbfounded.

"It appears you have gained a Quirk after the age of four." The doctor said. "It happens to less than one percent of the population. Basically…"

"But what about the Quirk Man?" Izuku asked. The doctor's frown deepened if possible.

"Look kid, you probably had a nightmare or something…" The doctor said. "Anyways ma'am, this is extremely rare and-"

"But the Quirk Man took my notebook!" Izuku said. The doctor sighed.

"Irrelevant…" The doctor said dismissively. "His Quirk is called 'Spear-like Bones'-"

"Marrow." The child corrected. The doctor looked up from his clipboard. His mother looked mortified.

The child looked determined. The doctor didn't look amused. Another kid getting snotty as soon as he got a semi-decent Quirk…

"I just thought Marrow sounded cool…" Izuku said. "If the Quirk Man wasn't real and it's really an anemone-"

"Anomaly…" The doctor corrected.

"-then doesn't that mean I get to name it?" Izuku asked with wide green eyes. The doctor's mustache twitched.

"Look, 'Spear-Like Bones' is just like your mom's 'Attraction of Small Objects'." The doctor explained. "It's name is simple and to the point."

"Then shouldn't it be 'Tree-Like Bones?" The boy asked.

"Eh?" The doctor asked eloquently. Izuku focused the warmth in his bones down his arm and then-

Izuku grit his teeth and only cried a little bit… okay, a lot… but he made a bone come out again and then… Focusing the warm feeling up the bone and out…

The bone grew a branch. The doctor stared at the bone jutting out of the kid's arm, noting how the boy's body was not used to the Quirk yet. Apparently it was quite painful…

'The Quirk developed a mutation…' The doctor took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. 'Of course it has…'

The man let out a defeated sigh. "Apparently your son has the Transformation Quirk: 'Marrow'. You'll need to update your registry and make sure everything kosher with the Hero Association. If there are any problems or developments-"

"Why does his Quirk hurt him?" The boy's mother asked worriedly staring at the bleeding bone growth coming out of her son's arm. The doctor shrugged.

"Honestly? I have no f- er… freaking idea…" The doctor said. "Your son isn't fitting in any of my boxes. He is…" There was some vague hand waving in Izuku's direction as the doctor failed to put to words the exact phrasing. "…Unique."

That put a smile on the boy's face and an even more worried look on the mother's. Great… Just… great…

The doctor really wished All-For-One wouldn't put shit like this in his lap…

"Hey Deku!" Bakugo said gruffly slamming Izuku against the wall. "What's this shit I hear about you having a Quirk!?"

"Kacchan!" Izuku said looking worried. "You said a bad word!"

"Yeah? So?" Bakugo asked. "Mom says it all the time!"

"My mom said it was a bad word meaning 'poop'." Izuku said with half an attempt at a shrug. He was still pinned to a wall…

"Stupid Deku…" Bakugo said growling and shoved him into the wall again. "You lied to me! You said you were Quirkless!"

Izuku didn't know what to say. The doctor said the Quirk Man wasn't real and his Mom said that it was probably a dream too… Hmm… Then how was he going to explain this to Kacchan? Oh, dear…

An idea formed in Izuku's head, but it was a very rough one, and not all that well thought out all things considering. In the eight year old's mind however, it was worth a try.

"My Quirk is different than my mom and dad's and it hurts a lot." Izuku said telling the truth. "I didn't know I could do anything until just recently. You wanna see?"

Bakugo frowned but his interest was piqued. "Whatcha got nerd?"

"It's called 'Marrow'…" Izuku explained letting the warm feeling travel down his arm. He winced and began to tear up as the bone he was creating was trying to come out of his skin.

He clutched his arm and grit his teeth beginning to sweat a little. Finally, the bone popped out. Bakugo's eyes widened at the sight of the bloody bone coming out of the nerd's arm. It was maybe three inches long and just covered in blood…

"I can create bone growths… but…" Izuku sniffled pitifully as he tried and failed not to cry in front of Kacchan. "… It really hurts!"

Bakugo just stared at the bone and then at the crying nerd. Finally, he spoke.

"You…" Bakugo said shaking. "IDIOT! You just-! Argh! If it hurts, don't do it dumbass!"

"Bad word…" Izuku sniffed. Bakugo bopped him on the head.

"Shut it! It's what my mom says whenever I do something stupid!" Bakugo said shoving the boy back up against the wall. "You are a dumbass!"

"But I get good grades…" Izuku pouted. "… and since I gotta Quirk I can be a Hero too… Heroes aren't dumb…"

"Fine! A smartass then!" Bakugo said. "Deku! Your Quirk is really dumb. Like, really dumb. If it hurts you so bad you nearly pee your pants and cry for your mom you'll never make it as a Hero!"

"But I gotta Quirk now!" Izuku said. "And it's really cool and-!"

"I just said your Quirk is dumb as shit! A bone isn't going to change anything! Especially if the bone is f-in' creepy and hurts you and shit!" Bakugo said shoving him again. He smirked. "Heh. Even if you get a Quirk, you're still that same useless nobody, Deku."

Izuku's lower lip trembled like Jell-O.

He thought if he had a Quirk maybe Bakugo could be his friend again… He thought maybe he could stop being 'Deku'… A 'can't do anything' person… but apparently the Quirk he was given didn't change anything. Kacchan was still being mean. Just because they both had Quirks now didn't make them equals…

"Then I'll make it work." Izuku said quietly.

Bakugo scowled. Normally the nerd would be crying by now, and to be fair, the nerd was crying. But Deku friggin glared at him.

"I'll make my Quirk powerful! It's not stupid… It's not useless…" Izuku said taking a step forward and making Bakugo subconsciously step back. "I'm going to be a Hero! Like All-Might! And I'll do it with my own power!"

It finally registered in Bakugo's mind that Deku… the damn nerd… had forced him to take a step backward. Bakugo felt his blood boil.

"You think you're hot shit just because you have a Quirk now?! Huh?! You're nothing! You're just a bug that I can step on at any time!" Bakugo said grabbing and shaking the nerd.

Now the nerd tried and failed to back away from him. Things were back to the way they should be… He was the strongest. Some loser, even if he just got himself a shitty Quirk, should never have even the chance to challenge him.

Izuku looked down clutching his still bleeding arm. It was starting to swell a bit as his body tried to repair itself around the bone.

"You ever try that shit again I will personally end you." Bakugo said calmly and began to walk away. "See you later… Deku."

The smaller, less powerful boy trembled and fell to his knees.

"Kacchan..." Izuku wept sadly.

Six years later…

The class was kinda rowdy today, but they were already talking about the fight he saw earlier during lunch hour.

"Did you see Kamui! He was so cool!" one said.

"Too bad about Mt. Lady stealing his kill… Hope that it doesn't cause too much issue with his rankings. We need more Mutant types on the top rosters." Another said.

"You guys already got Hawks… Could we get a few more guys that can Transform? All we get is girls…" A transformation type said. He looked up. "Hey Deku!"

"Yeah?!" Izuku said perking up. People were talking to him?! The kid smirked.

"Get us some drinks?" the guy asked. Izuku nodded glumly. He was at the bottom of the social totem pole still…

He wandered the hall to find the vending machines with the 'leche strawberry stuff'. It was a new product and the guys wanted to try it… Izuku was happy to help even if he was paying for it…

'I forgot my wallet! You don't mind spotting for me don't ya? Come on! Help a guy out!'

Izuku frowned. He was too nice to say no… At least they were kinda his friends…

The short green haired boy located the drinks and began to hurry back. Lunch would be almost over but at least-!

SLAM!

The drinks went flying and Izuku, in a feat of dexterity, managed to catch all but one as they tumbled out of his arms.

'The leche strawberry stuff!' Izuku panicked. Daisuke, the kid with the transformation Quirk, was going to kill him! The juice can fell on the floor and looked ready to explode. This was bad- but maybe he could- Eep!

The can rolled and stopped at a pair of shoes. Some surprisingly nice shoes considering the person they were attached to.

"Tch. It's Deku…" someone said behind the guy. Izuku froze. That sounded like… Izuku looked up and saw glaring red eyes.

"Kacchan!" Izuku yelped. "I'm so sorry I-!"

Katsuki Bakugo looked at him like a piece of- well something unhygienic- that he had just scrapped off of his shoe. "Don't call me that."

"S-sorry I'll just-" Izuku said trying to escape.

"Whoa! Hey, there buddy!" the kid with stretchy fingers said grabbing the smaller boy by the back of the collar. "You look like your pretty thirsty with all those drinks!"

"Please I-!" Izuku tried but another kid grabbed him by the legs.

"We should help him out! It's only right- you know?" the big chubby one said. He had a face like a gorilla and his Quirk allowed him to stick rocks to his body like a suite of armor.

The kid with the stretchy fingers smirked taking the drinks. "Aw, you shouldn't have pal~! But I know how much you love toilet water shit-head!"

"Nice one!" the chubby one said. Izuku was led down the hallway to the bathroom where he was going to be- Izuku struggled in the bigger boys arms.

"Let me go!" Izuku yelped feeling warmth spread through his bones. He really didn't need a swirly today!

"Hey! What's going on over there!?" The hall monitor barked.

"Shit! It's Mr. Fuji!" the stretchy kid said helping the chubby one man-handle the boy into position.

"Don't worry about it teach!" the chubby one said. "Deku- I mean-!"

"This guy bumped into us and fell down!" The stretchy kid said making up a story on the spot. "We were just helping him up!"

The man glared down at Izuku with a pinning stare. "Is this true?"

'By technicality it is… If I deny it I'd be in even more trouble…' Izuku thought glumly. Izuku nodded. It would be worse for him later if he got Kacchan in trouble… Mr. Fuji sighed.

"Get to class, lunch ends in five minutes!" the man said as Katsuki and his goons scurried off. His- well… the drinks he had bought were still in Katsuki's arms. He was even drinking the 'strawberry leche stuff'… "You as well! Watch where you step next time, ya hear?!"

Izuku bowed and scurried back to class.

"Where the hell are our drinks?!" the guy who sent him said. Izuku gulped. He felt the whole class looking at them like Izuku was the cause of all their troubles.

"I'm sorry but I fell, and a teacher sent me back to class and-!" Izuku said beginning to apologize. After being shaken down in front of the class Izuku made his way back to his desk. People were staring at him…

"Geez, that kid is so unreliable…" one of the girls said.

"He really deserves his nickname…" another agreed. "Someone as weak as him should just try to live peacefully- you know? But he keeps going on 'bout Heroes and junk."

"No way! Does he think that he even has a shot? He'd be killed!" Another said as he sat down.

"Yeah. He has like, a hundred notebooks about that kind of stuff." The second girl said. "He like, watches people and writes things down about them…"

"Creepy…" the first shivered. "What's his Quirk again? Bones or something? He sounds like he's more on his way to becoming a Villain than being a Hero…"

Izuku frowned. Studying Heroes wasn't that creepy…

He proceeded to ignore the rest of the conversation. Sure his habits, which were totally normal by the way, left a lot to be desired… He wasn't all that bad though... He wanted to be a Hero like All-Might.

At least he wasn't totally Quirkless…

That would have sucked…