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Title: We Don't Live In Fairytales

Summary: Your life would be so much easier if your little sister wasn't such a trouble magnet, and if she wasn't constantly afflicted by weird chuunibyou delusions of being a "main character," damn it. [2nd POV, OC, AU, NaNo '17]

Rating: T

Warnings: Violence, gore.

Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA

(AN at bottom.)

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We Don't Live In Fairytales

"04. watch that singing cloudburst sky"

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Midoriya Izuku lives in a fairly normal, average area of town. It's a rather quiet neighborhood, in comparison to some other parts of the city. Unfortunately, it's not exactly located in the best school district.

… Sometimes, you're still miffed by the fact that your little sister deliberately transferred to her dear Izu-kun's school simply for the sake of being with her friend, but… it's just as well that you've never put too much stock into the schooling system in the first place. Otherwise, you probably would've been a lot more irritated by your sister's rash decision. As it is, though, you don't exactly mind indulging your little sister's more harmless fancies.

(At least she hasn't been spontaneously jumping out of any windows lately. Thank god for small mercies.)

You might work in a hospital now, but you came by it through 'referral' from an 'acquaintance,' and from some carefully-doctored documents. Despite your lack of formal education, you keep your job because you know what you're doing and you're good at what you do. Nobody bothers to look too much at the young little newcomer, as long as they keep their head down get their work done on time.

It's not a good habit to have, but you're not complaining about it here, since it works in your favor.

Midoriya Inko seems to be the type of woman who'd put more emphasis on the importance of the schooling system. Probably. More than you, at the very least (… which doesn't say very much, now that you stop and think about it). She certainly looks and acts the part of the concerned parent, what with the way she relentlessly fusses over her son and all.

You silently watch her actions from your spot at the entryway to the Midoriya home, noncommittally and with a detached eye.

… To put things bluntly: You don't really have much of an opinion on her, other than normal. (And oh, what a glorious word 'normal' is.) The woman is older than you by a good several years, and other than the awkward part in the beginning when she'd mistaken you for a young single mother, you get along well enough, in the few instances that you've encountered each other to date. Mostly, it just means that Inko fills the room with friendly, aimless chatter while you listen quietly from the side, occasionally offering a word or two so as not to seem too impolite.

You are not good at inane chatter, so it's lucky that Inko has no problem filling in for your half of the conversation, in the occasional times that the two of you are standing together in the same room. It helps that the two of you have a shared, common topic when it comes to the children you care for.

"Izu-kun!"

"Mika-chan!"

The two kids barrel towards each other the instant they catch sight of each other and immediately launch into excited chatter. You offer the older woman a small, apologetic wave from the doorway as you give your greetings.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Midoriya-san."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all! Please come in; no need to be a stranger, Yuuko-chan." A warm, cheerful smile automatically blossoms over the woman's face as she returns your greetings. There's no question about it, that her approval of you comes solely from the friendship between her son and your little Mika, which… well. Well. Alright, you admit that had your roles been reversed and you yourself were standing in her current position, you would probably approve of Izuku's friendship with Mika, too.

(But you're not. And that makes all the difference.)

You retrace your sister's footsteps and step inside the Midoriya household.

"Ah. Thank you for inviting us over, Midoriya-san."

… In all the time you've known the woman and her kid, you've never actually seen hide nor hair of Izuku's father. Inko had named her husband as one Midoriya Hisashi, a dashing man who worked overseas at a foreign company in America, and that was all that had been said on the matter. Certainly, it didn't feel like there was an absence in the Midoriya household –there was a certain sort of warmth and ambience to the air all that made the place feel welcoming, and you think you can understand why Mika enjoys coming over to Izuku's house so much.

(There is nothing like that in the apartment where you currently live, in Haru-baa-san's home.)

And for just about the same reason, it's also why you find yourself feeling a bit uncomfortable here in the Midoriya household. Aside from your busy schedule and unsociable personality, it's probably just as well that it's Haru-baa-san who is usually the one who brings Mika over and has tea with Inko while the children play, not you.

… Honestly? You don't think you could ever get used to such a warm place like this. But Mika seems happy enough, and you can take comfort in that.

"The curry will be ready in a few minutes! There's an extra dash of soy sauce tonight just for you, Mika-chan."

Your little sister's eyes light up, shining like stars. "Wow, really? Thanks, Midoriya-baa-san!"

… You suppose that another reason why you're feeling rather discomfited here is simply because of Midoriya Inko herself. To be so bright and welcoming… no, you can't see yourself naturally behaving that way. Inko, on the other hand, just seems so… so cheerful and so nice all the time, and you really, really can't understand how anyone can be this way. It boggles the mind. How does she do it? How is it possible?

You're aware that the woman is not without her own flaws, but the perpetual cheer that she keeps up around her… hell, if you didn't know any better, you'd almost label it a Quirk, if she didn't have one already.

Unlike her son, Midoriya Inko is not Quirkless. It's nothing grand, just a minor quirk that allows her to attract small objects to herself, and you've never really seen her use it aside from that one time when she nearly dropped the something on the ground, when you'd been walking Mika to the park for a playdate. You've quickly come to realize that it's probably because of a mix of two reasons: Inko has no need to use her Quirk in her daily life, and because Inko does not want to run the risk of upsetting her Quirkless son by flaunting her own Quirk around him.

Poor woman. You almost feel sorry for her.

Not.

(… You don't feel much about anything, nowadays. It's easier to keep things that way.)

"Yuuko-chan, would you mind helping me set out the plates?"

"Of course not. It's no trouble, Midoriya-san," you respond with perfect manners, polite to a fault with your every word. "Thank you very much for having us over tonight. And… thank you for taking care of Mika all the time. I know she can be a difficult child."

"I can hear you, nee-chan!"

Yes, well, that's sort of the entire point of why you're saying this right within earshot of your nosy little sister, isn't it?

Inko just laughs.

"Oh no, Mika-chan is a very well-behaved child." The fondness in her voice for Mika is not a lie. Something in your chest relaxes a little, upon realizing that. "She's a sweet girl. I should be the one thanking you, Yuuko-chan, for letting Mika be friends with my little boy."

At this, you shrug, lowering your gaze and hiding your eyes to keep up the guise of well-mannered civility. "… I don't 'let' my sister do anything, Midoriya-san. She just does."

It's the truth. It's also the source of nearly all of your headaches these days, much to your chagrin.

Inko smiles nonetheless, shaking her head. "Well… in that case, thank you for bringing Mika over tonight. Would you like some curry?"

"… Yes, please."

Small talk at the dinner table is mostly filled by the chatter of the two children today. Inko looks upon them with a warm, happy light shining in her eyes, and you are quite abruptly struck by the sudden realization that Midoriya Inko would be a very nice person to be friends with, perhaps… if you still believed in the concept of friend, being the sort of cold-blooded creature you are.

(Had you had someone like Inko in your life as a guiding influence in your younger years, you might've turned out to be a very different person from what you currently are today. But then again, you probably wouldn't be alive right now, either.

You have no regrets for what you've become, for what you are, nowadays. No regrets, no shame. Just keep trudging forward, no dwelling on the past. It's the reason why you're still alive, when so many others around you are already gone or dead or even worse off than that, your late parents included.

You try not to think too much about it, most times. Most times.)

"Nee-chan, I think you might set that curry on fire if you stare at it any longer."

"… Eat your curry, imouto."

Mika's cheeks are stuffed like a chipmunk's from Inko's cooking, and it's all… very, very adorable.

…

Fuck. You're way too soft on your little sister, goddamnit. This… this probably won't turn out to be a good thing in the future, not if the life she leads turns out to be anything even remotely like yours had been back in Tokyo, before you'd left. But then again, that would be why it's a good thing that that Mika has someone like you to watch out for her. And… really, isn't this what you wanted for her in the first place? Wasn't the entire point of doing everything you did all for the sake of ensuring that Mika would be able to relax and smile and find her happiness as a normal child would?

… Dr. Shirogane would laugh his ass off at you if he could see you now. Thankfully, your father's old colleague is back in Tokyo busy conducting his research, last you'd heard of him. There is no doubt that he is brilliant, but… he's also a menace. Misaki? Please. Misaki has nothing on Shirogane-sensei.

You shake your head, and return your attentions to the dinner table just as the kids finish dinner and head off for their games. Something about finding cool rocks outside, before it got too dark? … Something like that, you weren't really paying attention to their chatter. The curry is good, not that taste really means anything to you, and for an awkward moment you find yourself just standing around with nothing to do since Inko is very insistent that any guests to her house stay out of the washing dishes.

But then, you hear an explosion outside.

An explosion.

… To be fair, it's not a particularly large or violent explosion. Certainly nothing that would classify as a genuine threat on your radar. But nonetheless it's still enough to raise your hackles, and you're out the door in a flash, eyes rapidly scanning the streets for the source of the danger and–

And just as quickly as you'd reacted to the sound in the first place, the tension abruptly drains itself from your body and you slide back into your usual boneless slouch again.

There's nothing to be worrying over. It's just the kid your sister always complains about. Baka… Baku… something? You don't really remember. You don't really care to remember, either.

Proud, angry posture, loud laughter, self-confidence etched in every line of his body. You take one look at the blond kid and promptly dismiss him, because it's quite clear to you that he is no real threat, nor will he never amount to anything, a kid like that.

You know his sort; you've seen several children like that before, back in your earlier days of creeping along the gutters of Tokyo. To the best of your knowledge, only one of them is still alive today, and that's only because Shirogane-sensei had seen something in his Quirk at the time and promptly picked him off the streets before the little ruffian could get himself picked off by anything else of a considerably less benevolent nature.

No, someone like that would never surmount to more than a loudly barking dog in your eyes, and so someone like that would never amount to be a threat to your little sister, either. An annoyance, maybe, considering that they attended the same school. But never a threat.

Mika might be as different from you as the noontime day is from witching-hour night, but the same blood still runs in your veins. You take a twisted sort of quiet pride in knowing that no matter which path she decides to take in the future, she will never be weak. Even as removed as the two of you are from the main line, neither of you will be weak. Your upbringing might've guaranteed your own lack of weakness in the past, but your blood is what had ensured it, in a world as warped as the one you live in.

… Or something like that, at least.

"Keep the ruckus down, brats. Don't want to startle Midoriya-san inside now, do we?"

It's almost funny, the way the children's heads snap around at the sound of your voice. You'd find it more amusing if the blond kid wasn't glaring at you like he wanted to eviscerate you, though. There's being energetic, and then there's being violent. You don't particularly care about the kid or want to have anything to do with him, but if he tries to attack you like he does Mika or Izuku…

You're not a very nice person, when it comes to anyone aside from your dear little sister. And unlike Shirogane-sensei, you're a little more cautious and a lot less whimsical about handing out second chances, because you've learned at your mother's knee that permanent solutions to your problems are generally the best kind of solutions.

… Not that you'd be able to pull of something like that in Musutafu without repercussions, though. Attention is something you'd like to avoid here, thank you very much.

So. "Try to play nice, hm?"

You spare one last dismissive glance at the blond kid, ascertaining that he's not about to fly off his handle into a sudden fit of homicidal rage, before turning to head back indoors now that you know it was all just a false alarm.

"Oi, don't think you can just strut around here and tell us what to do!"

You roll your eyes. Kids. You're allergic to kids. Mika being the exception, of course.

"Don't shout at my nee-chan!" Ah, sweet little Mika-chan, so quick to rise in your defense. It's quite cute, seeing her bristle up like an offended little kitten. A small flash of white, and Mika is holding a long length of bone in her hands, brandished like a club. "Apologize, Baka-gou!"

"W-wait, Mika-chan–"

"No, I'm not gonna let him get away with this, Izu-kun!"

"Tch, you think you can do anything to me?"

"Ooh, that does it, you little–"

You shut the door behind you with a quiet click as a new round of explosions go off outside, accompanied by angry shouts and startled (frightened) shrieks. Inko pokes her head out of the kitchen when she hears you coming back inside.

"Yuuko-chan! Are the children playing outside alright? Nothing too dangerous, is it?"

"… Yeah. They're playing around just fine, Midoriya-san."

.

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…

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Author's Notes:

Sorry guys, completely failed the whole NaNo part of this; RL is just way too hectic. I knew this was a Bad Idea back when I started it, but hey, when the plot bunnies roll around… and just keep on rolling around…

On the other hand, I'm trying to keep this fic short. The goal is to have ten-ish something chapters total, so we'll see how that goes? Fingers crossed, guys. I'm terrible with estimating my update schedule, and even worse when it comes to predicting the length of my stories. Yes, I'm that kind of irresponsible author. It's not like I get paid for this or anything.

So, apologies for the wait. To anyone who might still be reading this, I guess. I do happen to have a fairly impressive record of leaving half-finished fics lying around for long periods of time. Hopefully I'll finish this one day.

Largely introspective here again, should be heading into some action soon, now that we've laid a lot of groundwork. So. Look forward to the next update, please!

MC Yuuko is rather dismissive of Bakugou A) Because she doesn't have a very high opinion of him B) Because he's just a kid and C) Because she just doesn't really care about him in general. Hopefully that came across quite clearly in the text here. Mika obviously has a rather different outlook on this in comparison to her sister.

As always, if you see any mistakes or the like in the text, please let me know and I will go back to fix them.

QUESTION: Any suggestions for the plot, or things you'd like to see in the future? Last chance to make suggestions here, guys.

Till next time,

XxZuiliu