Izuku threw off his covers as he tumbled out of his bed. It took him a few seconds to realize he was alone. The horrible monster that attacked him disappeared years ago. But, the horrendous tentacled mass that broke into his apartment hadn't left his thoughts. And, if he's honest with himself, he doubted it ever would.

Izuku didn't bother checking his clock since he knew he wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight. So instead, he went into the bathroom and got ready for his day, but he lingered in the mirror after taking his shirt off. Six years had passed since that day, and the marks it left on his body were still visible. It sliced his skin open in a dozen places as it tried to drain him of blood. Yet, all he could do was sit there and let it happen, especially after it got done with his mother.

It all happened so fast….

Izuku had cried that night after getting home from the doctor, just like his mother did. He tried to take his mind off the doctor ruining his dream by watching videos of All Might saving people. Then Izuku told her he wanted to be an incredible superhero, and all his mother could do was apologize like it was her fault he didn't have a quirk.

It was later than usual when they finished eating dinner, and Izuku found himself crawling into bed, unsure of what he'd say to his classmates tomorrow. Then the monster broke into the Midoriya apartment.

It wasn't targeting his old home, and it had killed several of his neighbors before finding his mother. If what his dad said is true, then it was weak and desperately needed food to survive. The only problem being that it ate people, or more accurately drank them, to regain strength. His mom had thrown several knives into it, but that did nothing but piss it off.

The last thing she said to him was to run and get a hero, but all he could do was sit there in shock as it drained her. It had started doing the same to him when several gunshots went off and blew off its tentacles. The last thing he remembered before passing out was a man constantly firing into the monster with twin pistols, blowing massive chunks from its body. Then he woke up to being loaded into an ambulance, seeing several pro heroes talking to the man who saved him.

He spent over a month in the hospital healing while the authorities tried to find his birth father. Still, everything they checked turned up nothing, except for a bank account that automatically dumped money into his mom's old account. Guess he didn't like having a quirkless kid.

'Don't think about that jerk,' Izuku chastised himself as he stepped out of the shower. His eyes flicked to the mirror once again, the thin line that ran down from his cheek to his neck was impossible to hide, and he still got looks at school. His dad offered to let him use concealer to hide it, but Izuku declined. It would be a part of him forever, and he would live with it.

It was five in the morning when he got dressed. If he left his room, he'd probably find his parents' training, no one in their family slept regular hours. Of course, being night-based heroes probably had something to do with it, especially when it came to his brothers. His thoughts on his family were interrupted as his phone went off nearby.

XXX

She was back in the webs, surrounded by the husks of almost her whole family. Their lifeless bodies stared at her as she struggled to escape. In her fear, she forgot about her acid, especially when the monster giggled maniacally as it slowly lifted Mina's cocoon. The blue-skinned arachnid humanoid used its six arms to lift its newest meal effortlessly, and it used a free hand to pull away the mask it wore, showing off her mandibles.

With no fanfare, she bit into Mina's neck, ready to drain the child dry. Only to release a horrific shriek as its mandibles melted away, dropping Mina to the floor with a thud. Unfortunately, the injury was temporary, and looked about ready to tear the younger girl's head off. Again, Mina desperately awaited rescue, but there was no last-minute rescue by a flame blast, this time as a pair of hands wrap around her head and shoulders before pulling.

Mina awoke with a scream, her hands clasped at her neck and brushed over the old bite wound. Her acidic blood cauterized the damage quickly, which had been all it did for her since it almost got her head ripped off by a psychopath. It was nearly five in the morning now, which meant her mom was probably still at work. She thought about trying to sleep, but her eyes drifted to her phone, and she knew someone she could call.

Izuku answered almost immediately, and he knew Mina wouldn't call him this early unless it were serious.

"Izuku, I'm sorry if I'm waking you up, but I had the nightmare again," Mina mumbled into her phone.

"Don't worry, Mina, I did too," Izuku answered. "Do you want to meet up early at school?"

"Yeah, and can I hang out with you after school?"

"I'll ask my parents, but they'll probably be okay with it," Izuku answered. "Do you want me to talk with you for a bit?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," a small smile crossed Mina's face. She could always rely on Izuku to be there for her.