Izuku breathed out a nervous huff, his leg bouncing up and down as he anxiously tapped his finger on his knee. The hotel room smelled faintly of citrus air freshener and new carpet, but his heightened senses picked up on every sound—the distant chatter from other guests in the hallway, the air conditioning cycling on, the rapid thump-thump-thump of his own heartbeat.

His shoulders curled inward as he sat hunched over on the edge of the bed, the white comforter smooth beneath his palms. He knew he was prone to anxiety, but he definitely thought he had good reason for his trepidation this time. He was going to meet his fiancée for the first time ever, any moment now. He was totally freaking out. She was probably going to hate him. Gosh, why wouldn’t she? She was being forced into a marriage with a literal stranger.

Okay, his breathing was definitely getting too fast now. Izuku inhaled a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks and holding it for the count of ten before slowly exhaling. The faint scent of ozone lingered on his skin from using One for All earlier that day, a reminder of the power that had brought him to this moment. He did the breathing exercise again. And again. By the tenth repetition, he was feeling a bit better and not quite so light-headed. Whew.

He let out a sigh, cradling his head in his hands as his thoughts ran wild. All Might had been so confident when explaining his plan, and Izuku had eventually agreed, so why were all his doubts coming back only now? The room felt suddenly smaller, the beige walls closing in slightly as he considered what he was about to do.

It made sense. It did. One for All needed to be passed on, and only a quirkless person could handle the overwhelming power of the stockpiling quirk. The quirkless were a dying race nowadays, and most of them were all older generations, All Might’s age or older. Quirklessness was a rare recessive mutation, and fewer and fewer were being born. Honestly, Izuku had only ever met one other quirkless person his age.