Chapter Text
When I first appeared it was midnight. My feet were shearing off the side of a building, my face leaning on a cold metal frame. The rail, hardly enough to stop a fall, dug into my palms.
I was staring into the horizon, on a windy night, where whistling trees skimmed leaves on concrete. The building was only a few stories high, and this must be the balcony- but the lawn below tumbled into the darkness. It was built into a hill.
Beyond the trees, the city stretched out before me, stars and twilight. It was the perfect night scene. A sea of gold speckles and shimmering on cold black. This hill was the highest point until those diamond skyscrapers hit the sea. Little cars tore into it like fireflies. I could see the black and gold city, laid out before me, not a shadow of foreground in the way.
This is almost like a painting, I wondered, Where am I?
A kid was humming something disjointedly, right there in my ear, but I couldn't turn and take a look. Then it paused and swallowed. It hummed again. The coldness of the night was cutting. I couldn't move. Little hands lightly gripped the rail. I couldn't move them.
I blinked. I couldn't blink.
I became very, very cold then.
"Hello?" I called out, and the humming stopped. I could hear the raspy sound of a little kid breathing.
"...Hello?" His voice was quiet; unsure. As if maybe he'd imagined something.
"Hello?" I repeated, not even sure what to say, "Where are you?" I couldn't see him.
Someone blinked who wasn't me.
"Um," The breathing became raspy again, and suddenly my vision was jerking around. As if someone was looking for something. The lawn was clear. They looked into the open glass doorway behind them. The bedroom was dark.
But at that moment, what really caught my attention was the dark reflection in the glass. It was of a young boy, who might be only the age of five. He had extremely fluffy hair. I couldn't see the look on his face. He was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt, and shorts, and his shoes were too big for him. He was pausing and staring, too.
"I'm here?" The reflections mouth moved.
Questions woke and died on my tongue. He was five. How did I phrase this to him?
His bedroom was empty, and he'd clearly gone onto the balcony for some fresh air. The rickety rail of the fence dug into his palm. It seemed unsafe to a distant part of me.
But he wasn't me, so who was he?
I tried to move my arms or legs again, but I couldn't. No, I could- but I wasn't there. As if I was trying to move the wrong body. I moved my hand, and something in my bones and muscles moved, and I could feel my hand clench. I could pinch myself. I could slap my face. My hair was the same. I was wearing... clothes? But the boy was unmoving.
I waved my hand in front of my eyes. I couldn't see it.
When I shook my head from side to side, my vision stayed the same. It was his vision. A feeling of nausea rose, and I stopped trying to do that. I reached my hands out around me, not feeling anyhing. My legs didn't feel tired. What was I standing on? I couldn't see. My feet gripped on nothing. I couldn't step forward?
Where was I?
"Where am I?" I asked the kid, but he didn't answer. He stared into his reflection. He was alone on the balcony.
No seriously, where was I?
Was this VR? No, did my consciousness get uploaded? We were too many years away from that, surely...
Was this psychosis? Ugh, I never wanted to get psychosis! No, wait, I had reality-testing intact. I pinched myself again to be sure. Ow. Okay, okay, dissociation? Fuck, what was it called...? Fugue? I ran my hand down my face. No, I could remember everything.
My name was... Em. I'd picked something soft and neutral. I liked Em. It was simple. Short for something.
I lived in... Antarctica. But only for about a month so far, just clearing dishes and getting caught up on how everything ran there. So much food was off, but they'd made it weirdly delicious? Obviously, it was bitterly cold but I wasn't alone. And I knew I wanted to live there permanently, some day.
I liked... watching anime. It was nice to snuggle up and share something in the movie room at the end of the day, I'd already gotten into the habit of it. But in the darkness of my bedroom, I hid under the covers and watched trashy isekai. I read all the manga and manhwa. I was a bit of a degenerate superfan.
Like, don't get me wrong, I liked my life, but... oh God the kid was crying. Big fat tears dripping down his cheeks and everything.
"I-I dont know," His little voice cracked. He was staring into the empty bedroom.
Fucking hell, did I traumatise him?
No, back up- why am I seeing through his eyes? If I'm talking, how can he hear me?
"What's going on?" I asked, because I didn't have a clue myself. The wind on the balcony whistled by.
The kid wrapped his arms around himself, swallowed, "Um," He choked out, his eyes darting around, "I don't know..."
Alright.
Alright, "Everything's going to be okay," I said, meaning it, "I'm gonna figure out what's going on."
The kid sniffed and scrubbed his face.
"...Okay." He said into the empty bedroom.
I stayed silent after that. I tried to move again, while the kid slowly wandered inside the room.
Left arm. Right arm. Left leg. Right leg. Yeah, no. This was off. I wasn't situated anywhere. It was like I was floating in space, but gravity still affected me. I spun around, tried to fall over, but nothing was there to trip on.
I felt nauseous again, trying to move around that fast. Okay. Okay. I took a deep breath. Okay.
I have no idea what is happening.
Then the kid turned the light on, and the floor became warm. Lit up in red and blue was a figurine of All Might.
"Is that All Might?" My question burst out, because something finally made sense.
"Huh?" The kid froze up, then picked up the figurine from the floor. Something in his voice became stronger, "Mhm! He's my favourite."
"Huh."
"Do you like All Might?" The kid asked tentatively, as if I'd explode on him or something.
"Yeah, sure," I liked All Might enough, but I was also trying to please this kid.
"Ooooh," The kid hummed under his breath, his little hands playing with the figure, then, "What's your favourite fight?"
Huh. How much had this kid seen? Was I going to spoil him?
"I dunno," I put a hand to my chin, "How much have you watched so far?"
"Maybe, maybe..." The kid hummed under his breath again, "All of them?"
Huh. I wonder if he had an older sibling or something. Wasn't five kinda young?
"Oh, cool."
"Do you wanna watch it with me?" The kid burst into question, before I could answer his previous one, "I watched it! I watched it today!"
His little feet ran up to the desk, which was too tall for him. He jumped onto the desk chair hands first, scrambled up to a seat, and his whole demeanour had taken a 180.
Great, at least the kid was happy. And I still had no idea what was happening. But watching a familiar anime? Some kind of normality? Fuck yes.
"Let's do it!"
"Okay!"
The kid wiggled the mouse with ferocious speed, and a hyperealistic All Might assaulted my vision. A very good cosplay.
"Look at this one!" The kid slammed the space bar with raptuos glee.
All Mights face brightened into an even wider smile. Huh. AI was really getting good these days.
Then the scene zoomed out, and I could only stare. The ruins of a shopping mall spread about him. Lights of eletricity spun around him, on their own axis. A horde of blue men were off to the side. How had I not seen this already? This looked legit!
"That's enough!" All Might's voice boomed across the pavilion, "Because I AM HERE!"
They got the voice right and everything!
The kid squealed in excitement. Whoever was holding the camera on the video was moving too, clearly shaken with emotion.
2 million views. 30,729 likes. 7291 comments. Yeah, how has I not seen this already? The suggested videos seemed to be different versions of this same video.
"ViewTube", with a blue icon...
"12 years ago"
Huh.
A disturbing blue man with the face of a crow started sprinting towards All Might, and I tensed up. All Might took a step back.
"CALIFORNIA-"
The man exploded.
"SMAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"
Wind swept out of his hands, and it exploded onto the pavilion. Brick floor shattered and fell, as if a bomb had gone off. The blue man was gone, no trace remained. All Might was unharmed. The video abruptly ended.
The title, I realised belatedly, was "ALL MIGHT KILLS A VILLAIN??!"
"Hehehehe," The kid giggled, jumping up and down in his seat, "All Might's awesome! Right?!"
"Yeah," I said, feeling faint, "What's your name, by the way?"
"I'm Izuku," Fuck.
Haha. Nah there was no way. Somebody was fucking with me. Please be a joke. I pinched myself, and then punched myself to wake up, but now my face just hurt. Great. Okay. Fuck.
"What's..." Izuku played with the bottom of his shirt, "What's your name?"
"My name's Em," I offered, "Nice to meet you..." Or it would be, under different circumstances.
"Mhm," This seemed to satisfy Izuku, who replayed the video. Terror and panic were dawning upon me.
Nah... there was no way.
Was I fucked?
The second time I appeared, I realised I was appearing. There was a gap of time between the previous sequence and the next. As if I'd just woken up from a deep nap. I yawned.
Izuku's legs were sitting on the car seat. He looked out the window, but he was too short. I saw various tops of buildings and power lines. The sky was light blue, not as pure as a glacier, but striking all the same. Clouds iced along it. Threads of black cables twirled around it.
The car was going around a bend. It lurched forwards. I was still situating myself, but it became clear that no part of my situation had changed. I still existed in nothing. I felt sick, but not nauseous.
Just... really confused. Kind of numb?
Izuku was humming something under his breath. It sounded familiar.
"Isn't it great, Izuku?" A gentle voice spoke in the car, "You'll be getting a quirk soon!" She sounded relieved.
Izuku's vision spun to the lady, who could only be Midoriya Inko. She looked natural. Her cosplay didn't look like a cosplay at all. She just looked like a mum, who happened to have green hair. And the exact kind of face that Inko would have.
A nameless emotion welled up inside me. Sadness? ...Hopelessness?
"Yeah!" Izuku smiled, holding up the figurine in his hands, "I'm gonna be like All Might!"
Inko chuckled at that, and kept driving the car. Izuku hugged All Might and kept looking out the window.
A solid thirty seconds passed until I understood what just happened.
Isn't he quirkless?
This was supposed to go differently. If this was what was happening. Was this what was happening?
Wait, could she hear me?
"...Hello?"
Inko's mother made no response, but Izuku gasped.
"Hello?" He asked, sitting up, eager. His mum turned to him.
"It's Em," I answered, feeling very much like I was on a phone call, "Uhh... how was your day?"
Inko made no response. I was almost expecting that, but it still stung.
"It's okay," Izuku leant back, playing with All Might in his hands, "I went to the doctor, it was boring."
He seemed remarkably chill compared to before. I guess in a world where All Might existed, this was normal enough to a five-year old brain.
"Izuku?" Inko glanced at him, then back at the road.
"Oh doctors, that's cool," I had no idea what to say next. It wasn't like he knew what was going on.
"Ummm..." Izuku drew out, then repeated my question, "How was your day?"
"Izuku, honey, please stop talking to All Might. I'm trying to concentrate on the road."
"I'm not talking to All Might!" Izuku exclaimed in offense, then pouted at her as if she was stupid.
"...She can't hear me," I couldn't help but say this. Because it was strange and true. As if a soundproof barrier was in the way, she'd not reacted to a single word I'd said.
But Izuku could hear me.
"No, she can hear you," Izuku turned to his mum, "Can't you mum?"
Izuku's mother became pale, "Hang on, we're almost home." The car started to speed up.
"Are you gonna go away again?" Izuku asked me. The car jostled.
"I hope not. I just fell asleep and woke up," I answered, because it was the closest approximation for the situation.
Izuku giggled, "That's silly."
"Why?"
"You slept too long!"
"Izuku..." Inko's voice had tension in it, and the car bumped into what must be a driveway. A tall house appeared overhead. It was blue-grey, it looked modern. The car crawled to a stop and the engine shut off.
Inko turned to Izuku slowly, not getting out of the car yet. Concern was clear in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was strained.
"Mhm!" Izuku nodded.
"Who were you speaking to, honey?"
"Em!"
"Em?" Inko's eyes narrowed, "Who is that?"
I suddenly became very aware that if All Might and quirks existed, so did telepathy. And if telepathy existed, perhaps unsavoury types would use it to lure children away. Things didn't seem so innocent anymore.
Izuku made an I don't know sound and shrugged his shoulders.
"What did Em say?" Inko pushed.
"Asked about the doctors," Izuku unbuckled himself, "C'mon, let's go!"
Inko was speechless, and followed her son to the door. Izuku was too short for the door. He waited for her as she undid the lock, bouncing in place. Then he sped inside. All Might soared around the living room in his hand.
"Izuku!" Inko called after him, "Do you think its your quirk, honey?"
Izuku almost tripped over.
I was instantaneously reminded of One for All, and Dark Shadow, and shit, I can't be a vestige, I don't belong here-
Just like a quirk.
"ARE YOU MY QUIRK?!" Izuku exclaimed.
My hands found their way to my mouth. Realisation crashed down. This is the only explanation, isn't it? It's what they found.
"Yeah," I felt breathless, and maybe my voice was too quiet, but Izuku whooped and ran up to his mum, jumping up and down.
"It's my quirk! It's my quirk!" Izuku bounded around. He was so happy, I couldnt help but smile. Inko's eyes welled up with tears.
"Izuku...!" She dove down into a hug and started bawling, "I'm so glad, honey...!!" It was as if a huge weight had left her shoulders. Her hug was warm.
"I have a quirk!" Izuku giggled into the hug.
Twenty minutes later, after burning braincells on All Might: Kids! a cartoon where All Might teaches recycling and safety habits, Izuku was back in his room, and he had questions for me.
"Can you explode villains?" He asked, drawing with the crayons and papers on the floor. His picture of a scribbly tall purple guy was really coming together.
"No, I don't think so," I answered, still not entirely sure how to play this, "I just know stuff."
"Know stuff?" Izuku frowned. He didn't seem satisfied with that answer.
"I think I'm here to help you," I honestly answered. But even then, it felt a bit flat to my ears as well.
Because, what was the point of me being here? Wouldn't it just be another adult telling him what to do? Would a five year old even listen to me? Shouldn't he live his own life?
Why is it me? Or was this just random?
"Oh, okay," Izuku hummed, and I pushed my quarter-life crisis to the side. At the very least, I wasn't going to get any more answers by thinking myself in circles. If I just interacted a little more, surely more things would become clear. The least I could do is be this kids friend.
"Your drawing looks nice," For a five year old, the anatomy was surprisingly on point. Izuku smiled.
"It's Cementoss," Izuku explained. I had no idea it was Cementoss, "Do you know what he does?"
"He uses cement to attack."
"Yeah! And the bad guys always get stuck." Izuku added pink to the drawing. It fanned out like flames. I yawned.
For some reason, I felt tired. It took a few seconds to realise what was happening.
"I think I'm going to sleep."
"HUH? But it's not nighttime!" Izuku sat up all at once, "Em...!"
"I'm sleepy. Don't worry, I'll be back," This situation was so weird it would be weirder if I didn't return, "See you later."
"Em!!" Izuku cried out, but something within me drifted off.
The third time I appeared, only hearing came to me first. Izuku was humming something under his breath. It didn't sound familiar, yet it was nostalgic.
My braincells drifted together slowly, and then all at once.
"Quirk activation!" I realised out loud.
"HUH?!" Izuku tripped and fell. His knee grazed on concrete. He was about to cry.
What have I done? "Sorry! Are you okay?"
Izuku gasped and shot up, pain forgotten, "Em?"
"Izuku!" I exclaimed, trying to convey the continuation of my existance, "Quirk activation! I can only appear when you hum a song!"
There was a pause.
Izuku instantly started humming the All Might theme song.
I felt a little better. Colours became a little brighter. I had the presence of mind to notice we were sitting in a very empty park.
Which was good, because no judgement. But kind of bad for safety.
"Where's your mum?" I asked.
"She's shopping," Izuku pointed to a little corner store at the edge of the park. Maybe she let him go out and run while she watched from the window?
"But yeah," I explained, a deep satisfaction welling up from figuring out something, "I think when you hum a song, it makes me stronger. Maybe try singing?"
Izuku swallowed. There was another pregnant pause.
"A B C D E F G..." Izuku sang, "H I J K LEMLEMNO P"
"Q R S, T U V"
"DUBUYU, X, WY AND ZEE... is it working?"
"I dunno," I shrugged, "I feel the same. Try humming it?"
"Okay," Izuku nodded, and started to hum the tune.
Instantly, it felt like something was lifting me up a little, and I felt a little more stable. Like I would last longer. Like I wouldn't fall asleep for a long while. I felt settled. Connected?
"I think I understand what's going on," I didn't, fully, but this was better than nothing, "When you hum a song, I appear. If you hum again, I'll stay for longer. If you stop humming, I'll fall asleep."
"Can you stay?" Izuku asked, a begging tone to his voice.
"Yeah!" I still felt a bit bad for leaving him last time, even though it had been entirely out of my hands, "Just hum a song every now and then."
"Oh," Izuku let out a huge sigh of relief.
On that day Izuku kept humming, even as he drifted off to sleep, lulled by the sound of his own voice.