Chapter Text
Mommy had rules, very simple easy-to-follow rules. There were only three of them so far, and Izuku was happy to comply if that meant mommy wouldn’t hit him anymore. It was a fool’s dream, but Izuku put hope into it anyway. Follow the rules, and you might survive.
Don’t speak, mumble, cry, or whine. Ever. Do everything mommy tells you. Make sure the house is clean, and make her breakfast.
Izuku, four years old knew that these were the rules. He had them memorized and stored away, mommy liked it when he followed these rules. Izuku didn't mind that mommy made him follow these rules. He didn't mind when she hit him, either.
He wasn’t allowed to mind. He could only accept it and move on, like when daddy left them. That day, mommy had been very mad and she’d slapped him across the face. It was the first time she struck him, and it never stopped after that day.
“How’d he get that nasty bruise, Inko?” Mitsuki asked as the young boy played with Kacchan. Inko gave her a confused look before going over to her son. Izuku perked up, hoping mommy would be nice.
“Hm,” She mumbled softly, taking a hold of his face. “I’m not sure, I’ll have to keep an eye on him!” Izuku beamed at her, hoping his mommy was better now. He was wrong. He was so, so wrong.
Kacchan handed Izuku an All Might figurine and they played together, Kacchan wielding an Endeavor action figure. Izuku liked Kacchan because Kacchan was nice to him, unlike other kids in preschool. He was three at the time, and it was the day that he realized mommy would pretend to be a nice mommy, and then hit him whenever the company left. Kacchan and Izuku played for a while longer before mommy stood up.
“Sorry Mitsuki, but I have to clean the house today, it’s too bad we couldn’t stay longer.”
“Oh! It’s fine Inko! Same time next week? Katsuki really loves Izuku,” Mitsuki nearly begged the woman, and Inko smiled a smile made of sunshine and razors. Not that Mitsuki noticed the last part.
“Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Inko told her, gesturing for Izuku to get up and leave. Izuku pouted and handed Kacchan the All Might figure, and Kacchan pushed it back into his hand. Izuku arched an eyebrow in confusion.
“Bring it next time we play, Deku!” He yelled gruffly. “You better not be late, either!”
Izuku giggled at the blond, and his mommy grabbed his hand and guided him out of the room. He was buzzing with excitement, nearly jumping out his skin as he gripped that All Might action figure in his small pudgy hand. His mommy walked him all the way to the nearby neighborhood where they lived. She trudged up the stairs and shot a glare at him as she yanked her keys out of her pockets.
"You don't ever tell Mitsuki about me hitting you," Izuku nodded profusely, gripping the All Might figure just a little tighter. She opened the door to their home silently and opened the basement door. Izuku fought the bile in his throat and the tears threatening to fall. Mommy just gave him that angry look, and he reluctantly made his way down the stairs. It was dark and cold in the basement. It had no lights. He was afraid of the dark.
As soon as he reached the end of the stairs, he rushed to his bed desperate to find his tablet. He turned it on and sighed in relief when his face and his surroundings were engulfed in light. This tablet was something he found soon after daddy left them, and he hid it in his dark room.
Sitting in the basement on his bed, Izuku kicked his feet and smiled to himself as he scrolled through the news. It was his birthday tomorrow! That meant mommy wouldn't hit him, but he wouldn't get cake.
She wouldn't congratulate him either, but he could spend the whole day watching an old clip of All Might! It was his birthday present to himself, every year he'd watch the same video over and over. It was comforting and he absolutely adored All Might.
He silently hoped that he'd get a Quirk tomorrow, and he hoped it was cool. Nothing could be worse than being Quirkless, so he begged any deity or god up in the sky that he got one, no matter how useless it was.
How ironic, considering he'd do anything to be Quirkless merely days from now.
Would mommy love him if he became a hero and got a cool Quirk? Maybe! He grinned at the implications, he could sleep in an actual room! Mommy would kiss him goodnight, and make him cake on his birthday. Mommy wouldn't have to hurt him anymore, hopefully. Mommy would act like a mommy from those movies she always watched when she sent Izuku to bed.
Izuku grinned, still holding the tablet. He crawled under his covers hastily and tried to turn off his brain. He was almost too excited to sleep, but after watching a newer video of All Might giving a speech about Quirks, he finally went to bed.
The next morning he opened his eye with a small well-rested sigh. He blinked the drowsiness out of his eyes and yawned. He rubbed at his eyes and did a double-take. What he saw made his limbs lock, and his lips tremble. The monster looming over him had teeth sharper than a sword, and they were longer than his forearm. They dripped with red saliva. it made Izuku sick to his stomach.
The black limbs attached to the dark man were too long, and they gripped the ceiling, his bed. The floor. A human spider. Blacker than black. It was nose to nose with him. Terror bubbled up his throat, and he wanted nothing more than to run.
But, four-year-old Izuku was frozen to his spot. His throat ached, as he fought for air. No matter how much he begged to scream, his mouth didn’t move. His throat refused to open. He couldn’t even breathe. Everything had come to an abrupt stop.
He hated his Quirk, he quickly decided.
Then the thing began to scream. So loud, that Izuku was finally spurred into action. He tried to push the monster away, but his hand went straight through the demon. He stopped short, letting out a relieved sigh as the monster's hand went through him too.
It couldn't hurt him. It was just merely there. Upon realizing that it couldn't hurt him, the spider-like man sprung from Izuku's bed, making the four-year-old squeak in surprise. Izuku watched as the monster tilted its head, it's white eyes glaring into his own.
He relaxed finally, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding this entire time. The spider-like monster continued to stare at him before Izuku shooed him away. It hissed at him and glared. It stayed put but didn't bother to meet his eyes again.
Izuku was just fine with that, as he scrambled in the darkness to change his clothes. The dark was more ominous now, as he grabbed his tablet and it glowed through the darkness. Izuku bit his lip and jumped back with the smallest of yelps. His heart jumped into his throat, as he ran back to his bed, his breathing labored. They were everywhere.
Demons surrounded him on all sides, and he choked back a sob. A garbled growl echoed through his room, and Izuku gripped his blanket and tablet tightly. No one had told him that Quirks could be scary. He wanted them to go away! Izuku bit back a whine, he didn't want this Quirk. Who in their right mind would want something like this?!
Definitely not Izuku. The door to the basement opened, Izuku could see the light leaking down the stairs. “Izuku,” A stern voice snapped. His mother. “Get up here,”
Izuku didn’t want to move. He couldn’t even open his mouth to breathe, but he got up anyway. He didn’t want to make mommy mad, and it was a rule. Do what mommy says. So he did.
He ran up the stairs at lightning speed and pressed his lips together. His throat bobbed slightly, and he could feel his hands beginning to shake. His mother's face was one of anger and red-hot viciousness. “Do you know what today is?” She asked. Well, she didn’t ask. She already knew, and she knew he wouldn’t answer her.
She crossed her arms, her lips curling into a scowl. “It’s your birthday,”
Izuku nodded, wringing his hands together. “Did you get a Quirk?”
Should he tell her? It wasn’t cool, or heroic in the least. She would hate it.
She’d be angry if he lied though. So he nodded, and she raised an eyebrow.
Lips trembling he said only three worlds. “I see monsters,”
Her hand came down faster than little Izuku could comprehend. “DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK TO ME?!” Her voice was shrill and made him shrink back.
He shook his head vigorously and backed up into the nearby wall.
“Exactly,” she mumbled calmly, her hand coming to touch his face. Izuku jumped. “You don’t have a Quirk,” she told him sternly.
He furrowed his brow, confused. He definitely had one, even if he didn’t want it. “You don’t have a Quirk,” She repeated.
He nodded if only to appease her. She smiled at him, her hand going to his wrist. “Good. Make mommy some breakfast ok?”
Izuku chewed on the inside of his cheek and grabbed a bowl. He could only make cereal at his age, and mommy didn’t care. He filled her bowl with the cereal and then retrieved the milk from the fridge. He poured a respectable amount in the small bowl.
He handed his mommy the bowl and she didn’t spare him a single look. “You can go back in your room now,” She grumbled. “Or do whatever, just stay away from me,”
Izuku didn’t have to be told twice. He went into his room, momentarily forgetting about his scary Quirk. He retrieved Kacchan’s All Might figure and sat down in the spare bedroom and played by himself. He smiled gleefully as he swung the toy around back and forth. But it wasn’t as fun as playing with Kacchan, who could talk enough for the both of them.
The young boy puts down his action figure and pouts. He doesn't like it when mommy makes him be alone. He wants to play with Kacchan and eat dinner with Auntie Mitsuki! He was truly just a child craving human interaction at this point. He loved his mommy, but she wasn't nice.
With a defeated sigh, he takes a hold of his All Might figure again and ventures out of the room. The TV is on, but it's faint, and he can hear his mommy talking on the phone. "Oh, I'm not feeling too well today Mitsuki. I know...I know it's his birthday but I literally can't even make it out of bed right now."
She goes quiet for a moment, and Izuku dares to venture closer. She barely spares him a glance, her voice high-pitched and cheery as she asks him a question. "Do you wanna hang out with Kacchan today Izuku?"
He nods vigorously and mommy continues on with her conversation. "You can come on over and pick him up, thanks for this Mitsuki!"
Ten minutes later, Kacchan is holding an Endeavor action figure with a smile. Mitsuki talked to Inko, her eyes glimmering with pity. Izuku and Kacchan are playing right away, and Mitsuki takes them out for ice-cream. The small shop is bright and colorful, and inside parents were everywhere. Children trail their parents like little ducklings, and Mitsuki asks both him and Kacchan what kind of ice-cream they want.
Obviously Kacchan chooses chocolate, and Izuku picks vanilla. It's a simple and sugary flavor and Izuku enjoys it every time they go out for ice-cream. The three of them take a seat at a table with plush chairs.
"So, Izuku," Mitsuki begins, looking uncomfortable. "Is your mommy nice to you?"
Izuku takes a lick of his ice-cream and ponders the question. He nods feverishly, and Mitsuki lets out a relieved sigh.
"That's good!" She exclaims, ruffling his curly hair. Izuku gives her a beautiful smile, only for it to falter just slightly. Another demon is hanging around, there are a few more outside. He can see them through the shop's window, and they stop to stare at him but quickly move on.
He sighs in relief silently, and Mitsuki gives him a side-long glance. Her expression is soft, and she wraps him in a half-hug that he burrows himself into with vigor. They move on to another place, the park this time. He and Kacchan play tag, and Kacchan has tiny explosions coming from his palms.
"Your Quirk is so cool Kacchan!" Izuku exclaims, and Kacchan blushes. It makes Izuku grin even wider, and Kacchan tackles him yelling about Izuku being a dumb ass. Not that he minds in the slightest.
Some other kids are playing, some in the sandbox to their right, and some playing on the plastic fort with slides. Kacchan and Izuku are fine the way they are, playing tag and fighting with their action figures. The two of them are so engrossed in their playing that they don't notice the man wearing a mask. Mitsuki does though, and she positions herself in front of the two children. Everyone is screaming, and she can hear sirens in the distance.
Her lips are curled into a frown, and she crosses her arms. The man in the mask has a gun, and Izuku glances up as the man raises the gun in his hands. "Mama!" Kacchan starts but never finishes.
A shot rings out, but Mitsuki never falls. "You know, Mic, if you would stop yelling in my ear for one god damn second-"
"I'M SORRY SHOUTA!" Present Mic practically screeches, as he watches the single bullet from the gun drop harmlessly onto the ground. Thank god Eraserhead had the sense to wear a bulletproof vest today.
"Present Mic," The criminal grumbles, with the slightest of nods. "Eraserhead,"
"Yep!" Present Mic yells, "That's us! The wonder duo!"
"Don't ever call us that again. The only reason I'm even awake right now is because you bribed me with coffee."
"Awww, but Shouta!"
"It's Eraserhead!" The man with black hair snaps, wrapping the criminal in his white scarf. Izuku's eyes go wide in amazement. Mitsuki lets out a shaky breath of air. The park is empty save for them, and Kacchan is tugging on his mother's sleeve.
"Who're they, mama?" He asks, and Present Mic whips around excitedly, nearly brimming with energy.
"Why hello there dear listener!" The man exclaims. Kacchan looks confused for only a second before Izuku walks over and gawks. Kacchan practically matches his expression as Eraserhead and Present Mic enter into another bickering match.
Mitsuki grabs both boys by the hand and thanked the heroes profusely. Present Mic waves his hands desperately, while Eraserhead yawns.
"It's fine really!" Present Mic tells her, "We lost sight of him, it's our fault he even got that close!"
"It is your fault. If you would've let me wrap him in my capture weapon we wouldn't even be here," Eraserhead pointed out.
Mitsuki grins, "You two bicker almost as much as those two," She jerks her thumb to the two boys crowding her legs.
"We should really get going, and get this villain detained before he can escape," Eraserhead mumbled, then he pointed at Present Mic. "Sorry about him,"
"Hey!" Present Mic whined, "You're mean!"
"Tell me something I don't know,"
This might just be the best birthday he's ever had. Especially so when Auntie Mitsuki manages to haggle autographs out of both of them. She tucks the autographs away in her car after the two pro-heroes leave, and they drive home. She doesn't take Izuku to his house yet, she tells him it's because she bought him a cake and she bought him a few gifts he needs to open first.
He opens them with unbridled excitement that makes Mitsuki and Masaru coo at the sight. He gets an All Might onesie, and an All Might poster. After eating some dinner, and munching on some of the cake, Masaru, Mitsuki and Kacchan pile in the car to take him home at long last.
Mitsuki and Kacchan walk him to his house, and Mitsuki knocks on the door. Kacchan turns to Izuku who is smiling. "Happy Birthday," He mutters, gripping an All Might figure. "You can keep this 'cause it's your birthday,"
He hands Izuku the action figure for good, and Izuku tackles him in a hug. Kacchan sputters, finally breaking away when mommy opens the door, looking tired. "Oh Mitsuki," She mumbles, "Thanks for bringing him home,"
Mitsuki nods, but Izuku misses the air of suspicion weighing the blonde woman down. Izuku waves goodbye to Kacchan and Auntie Mitsuki as the door closes behind him. The house is dark, and the grey colors of the walls only make it seem darker. The floor is cleaner than usual, to the point he can actually see the wood flooring, which means mommy cleaned! He throws off his shoes at the entrance, slipping on his house slippers.
Mommy says nothing. This was a good day for her, she didn't even hit him! Maybe his mommy was really ok! She takes to staring at him as he takes his presents and head for his room.
He went downstairs, passing a black figure on the way. His hand barely brushed the demon's, but the gasp of shock elicited from his mommy is enough to startle him. Izuku peers up at her through his eyelashes, and she's shaking. "What is that?"
Izuku bites his lip and shuffles his feet. Did she want him to tell her? Or was she just shocked? Her face is deathly pale, and she backs away into the kitchen. Her hand shoots out as if on instinct, and all Izuku can think is: oh no.
A knife flies into her hand almost immediately, it glowing a faint green that makes him nauseous beyond belief. "G-get that thing out of here," She snapped. "Take it downstairs with you, and don't bother coming out tomorrow,"
Izuku's bottom lip quivers, but he yanks on the demon's hand, and it seems to comply to an extent. It gives him a Cheshire grin that makes his blood go cold, but it goes nonetheless. He grips his poster, action figure and onesie tighter. "Go," Mommy growls, knife still in hand, her hair falling in messy clumps. Her green eyes pierce his, and he scrambles into the petrifying darkness.
His mother was scarier than any Quirk, and any darkness. He threw his birthday presents onto the concrete floor unceremoniously, only holding the onesie as he grabbed his little tablet.
Izuku plays that video for himself, that one where All Might is saving people all the while he has blood dripping down his face. It offers Izuku comfort, as he changes quickly and adorns his new onesie. It's soft and warm. He ignores the white eyes in the darkness, the way their garbling voices itch at him. He ignores their long claws that yank at his blanket.
He ignores how ugly they are. Izuku shoves the image of the stumps they all had on their backs where wings were supposed to be out of his mind. Despite himself, he wonders what they'd done to have their wings ripped off.
Something horrible. Something bad. Something taboo and dark.