Okay guys. Here is the new chapter which is much longer in comparison to the previous two. Sadly it may be over a week before my next update. I've had a lot going on and have mostly caught up to what I've already written but I should be able to catch up relatively quickly now. Don't be too mad at me. I'm just trying to take careful steps as to where exactly I want this story to go. Thank you for all your continued support! Enjoy!
Izuku kept fading in and out of consciousness. For the very brief periods of time that he was, he was in immense pain and couldn't move. He could barely open his eyes and when he did his vision was blurry. He remembered bits and pieces.
A man with black curls.
A man with red eyes.
And a man who seemed to have no face at all.
When his eyes finally fluttered open for good, the pain was gone but his body was stiff. His mind was abnormally clear but racing more so than it ever had as he tried to take in his surroundings. The room was all white and silent, the only sound being the monitors next to him. This was not his hospital room. His senses were overloading. He slowly lifted himself into an upright position, his muscles not letting him sit up any faster. His head was spinning, swimming.
"Good you're awake."
The deep voice startled him as it slashed though the deafening silence of the room. He turned his head to see a tall, broad shouldered man, dressed in a suit, a intricate black mask covering his face and neck, leaning against one of the walls. His brain exploded into thought trying to decipher what was happening. It added onto his already furrowing headache from the bright lights of the room.
"Who are you?" The words came out like gravel. His throat was dried out. His emerald eyes squinting as he tried to focus, the blurry vision still plaguing him.
The man walked forward to the side of his makeshift hospital bed. "That is not of importance at this time, my boy." His tone had softness to it, but there was also a strength behind that as well. Normally Izuku would be scared shitless, but he was void of almost all emotion. He didn't think he had the capacity to feel anything like that right now. "What's important, however, is that I want to help you."
His vision focused on the man standing next to him. He squinted again, this time in disbelief. "Why would you want to help me?" His mind ran a thousand miles a second, different scenarios flying through his mind of why this man he didn't know would help a nobody like him. He was used to his mind continuously running but nothing had even felt so clear and precise like this.
"Think of it more like a proposal. I have something you want and you help me out in return. I've already helped you out a little with that little boost in your head. " Izuku's mind propelled itself at breakneck speeds now. Is this why my mind is so clear? What could he have that I want? What does he want from me? "I can give you a quirk." The world froze. He felt his heart squeeze. A flame that had previously been extinguished at his core, grew to that of a pilot light. He felt an emotion for the first time in months. Hope.
He stared at the man with wide eyes, not daring to speak. "I figured that might interest you." Humor nipped at the man's words. "You'll have to prove yourself useful to me first." He pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the boy. "You'll meet here everyday, to train your body up. You can't get into UA for me in that shape." A wave of surprise hit him again. His mind was drowning in the new information. This man was offering him almost everything he had ever wanted. How could he say no?
"Do we have a deal?"
"Absolutely."
They man smiled at him as they shook hands. "Now, let's get you home." The large man waived his hand in front of Izuku's face and suddenly he felt extremely exhausted. He started leaning backwards as his vision quickly faded to black.
Izuku had been missing for a week when he mysteriously turned back up in his hospital bed unconscious, like he was before he left which baffled anyone involved in his life. The doctors were also astounded by the fact that he was completely healed yet didn't rouse for another week following his return.
When he woke, he was surprised to see his father, passed out in the chair beside his mother. His black curls covering his eyes. He hadn't seen the man in over a year, but it tugged at his heart just a little to know he was here.
"What the-" His voice was still a croak. He needed water.
Inko rose gently until her eyes locked with he curly headed son's. "IZUKU!" Her shout nearly made Hisashi jump out of his chair as she ran across the room and enveloped him in a bear hug.
"Hi, mom." He rasped as he tightly returned his mother's hug, petting her hair as she softly sobbed into his chest. His eyes met his father's hazel ones, who softly smiled at the sight of them.
The next day was filled with people in and out. The doctors were in shock that Izuku could move around like normal and didn't seem to need physical therapy as they were sure his muscles should have atrophied at least a little. They did recommend that he do some at home exercises to build up his strength. He even passed the mental health examination with flying colors. They had no reason to hold him and were planning to release him that afternoon.
The police came by to ask him questions about his recent disappearance and his fall from the building. "Do you remember anything from the past few months?" The detective by the name of Tsukauchi stood at the end of his bed looking puzzled.
Green curls bounced back and forth as the boy shook his head. "Not much, really." He tried to keep his demeanor like that of his old self as best he could. His mind had showed him exactly how to play things and to his surprise he had great control.
The detective sighed lightly. "I know the doctors said you may have slight bouts of memory loss, but do you think you could walk us through the events that you can remember?"
"Well," Izuku stared at his hands pretending to be in thought. He remembered everything but knew exactly what details he wanted to slip through. "I remember most of the day I fell. I was at school and got into an argument with one of my friends, Kacchan." Internally, he was screaming. Katsuki was obviously never his friend. "We grew up together, but once he got a quirk and I didn't, our relationship dynamic changed. He picked on me a lot because I still wanted to be a hero despite not having a quirk. So we fight about it a lot." This was all true, although he didn't let on to how bad the fights were or how much he hated Bakugou. "After that I was walking home from school when I was attacked by that sludge guy. Lucky for me, the number one hero showed up and saved me."
"All Might?" The detective questioned.
Izuku nodded his head. He didn't want to hear that man's name. He collected himself quickly before he could scowl. "Yeah, he's my favorite hero-" was "so I stopped him afterwards to get an autograph and to try to talk to him. I wasn't trying to bother him, I just wanted to know if he thought it was possible for me to still be a hero even if I was quirkless. I ended up making him drop the guy. He left shortly after and I heard something below in between the buildings. When I looked over the side of the building at the commotion, I slipped. My curiosity got the better of me." Now most of this was a lie, but he said it with enough conviction that the detective seemed to accept his words.
The man's face softened now. Izuku's brain now studied him. He was older, most people would miss it, but he had fine wrinkles. The majority of them placed in between his eyebrows and at the corners of his mouth. He could tell this man had seen a lot in his days. "Then what?"
He ran a hand through his curls pausing at the back of his neck. His acting was so perfect, it even scared him a bit. "I don't remember much else before I woke up last night. I do remember waking up once here, when Kacchan visited. I was still pretty upset about the fight we had and passed out again as he left. After that it's really just a blank." He couldn't tell them even if he wanted to. He couldn't risk his one chance at a quirk.
Izuku scanned the faces in the room. His mother was upset, as she should be, but mostly happy in the fact that her son was okay. Hisashi was a different story. His face was contorted and somehow expressed multiple emotions. Either that or Izuku could notice it now. There was obviously fear but way more than expected considering he was okay. The part that confused him most was what seemed to be guilt. His father was hiding something. His mind was reeling at the revelation but decided to avert his gaze back to the detective.
His face was an obvious twist of confusion. Izuku watched as he could almost literally see all the different scenarios and reasonings fly through Mr. Tsukauchi's head. He was obviously confused as to why someone would kidnap a child just to return him in perfect health. His face softened into a smile but the green haired teen wasn't stupid. He knew this wouldn't be something the man dropped so easily.
"You sure are one lucky kid. Whoever took you, could have easily killed you in your state, but felt the need to help you instead. I'm sure your parents are grateful." The man shrugged slightly in humor as his smile got bigger. "It's certainly a mystery but we'll chalk it up to a Good Samaritan for now." Izuku could see his father slightly relax at the words but he knew better.
"Well, young man." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to Izuku. "If you remember anything or something comes up, please don't hesitate to call me." The man bowed to him and then his parents before leaving the room.
Not long after, he was being released. His parents had left to give him some privacy to get dressed. His mom had brought his favorite green sweats from home. If he could have smiled, he would have. Despite everything that had happened, he still held a soft spot for the short green haired woman. He didn't necessarily like keeping things from her, but if it meant keeping her safe and him also getting what he wanted, he could. He realized this may make him seem short sighted, even to himself, but with his brain firing on all cylinders he could see all the possible potential.
Things with his father though, had been a bit awkward at times. Izuku hadn't seen the man in over ten years, around the same time he had found out he was quirkless. He had always wondered if he was the reason Hisashi hadn't come back in all this time. Finding out his only son was born a failure probably caused him to resent the boy. Or at least that's the reason that plagued his mind. Waking up to him sitting next to his mother was a complete shock. He wouldn't admit it, but it felt like the man still cared. Yet, there was a lot about his father he just didn't know.
He had almost finished packing the last bit of his things when someone knocked lightly at the door. He slipped on his shirt and began walking around the curtain draped around the bed. "Hey, mom I'm ready- oh, it's you." The last words lacked any emotion. The mask fell.
The sickly, skeletal frame of Toshinori stood in the door frame. "I- I didn't realize you were being released."
"You shouldn't be here." Voice still flat, he eyed the number one hero. The man was obviously shocked. He and Katsuki were the only two who had even a sliver of inclination of what actually transpired two months ago. "In fact, why are you here?" A small amount of anger slipped through his words but it had more of an effect than he planned. Toshi immediately became visibly more uncomfortable than he already was.
"I came to apologize. What I said-"
Izuku raised a hand, visibly cutting him off. "No need, All Might." His name was drenched with pure hatred.
"But you-" He was cut off again.
"I fell." The flat tone returned but his eyes still had that fire in them that made Yagi Toshinori want to advert his gaze. "That's what I told the police." A smirk graced the boy's face for only a sliver of a moment and Toshinori didn't catch it. He was toying with the man, and it was exhilarating.
Toshi opened and closed his mouth in shock. He was speechless. Izuku has to internally suppress a laugh. How did this man ever become the number one hero? He walked toward the blonde coward and continued. "As for what you said? It doesn't matter." He stopped at his side, facing the exit, leaning as close to the man's ear as he could manage and whispered. "Because I intend to prove you wrong." And with that walked out the door.
The car ride home was extremely quiet. The tension was thick enough to cut and Izuku was tired of thinking. "Hey, mom?" He made sure his voice was quiet, as to not disrupt the atmosphere to harshly.
"Yeah, sweetie?" Her voice was soft and full of care making the boy relax only just slightly.
"I want to get a haircut." He stared at his hands fumbling with his fingers. He only had to pretend a little, Inko still brought out his soft side.
"Are you sure? I thought you loved your curls." He looked up and his emerald eyes met hers.
"I- I do." He waved his hands back and forth before folding them and looking down again. " I just want a fresh start. After everything."
The green eyes in the mirror softened from their slight shock. "Okay." A small smile graced her lips.
"Can Dad take me?" Dad. Ugh.
Hisashi and Inko exchanged a look before he turned to his son. "That sounds like a great idea."
Once they arrived at the apartment, Izuku dropped his bag in his room and hugged his mom before hopping in the passenger seat. Hisashi slowly took off toward the city.
With his mother at home, his soft demeanor was gone. He had questions and they needed to be answered. "Why are you here?" His gaze never adverting from the window. The question sounded more like a statement. It was still enough to throw Hisashi off kilter. Izuku could hear his old man's hands slightly grip the steering wheel in angst. He had to have known this conversation was coming.
His father let out a long sigh. "Your my son, Zu." The childhood nickname made Izuku's insides twist and anger bubbled in the back of his throat. It was a name only his father had ever used, and not something he had heard in a long time. Tears stung at the corners of his eyes. It took everything within him to push it all down. He would not show weakness. Not right now.
"I know you may not believe me, but every second that I've been away, all I've thought about was you and your mother. You have no idea how badly I just wanted to come home." The eldest Midoriya's voice waivered.
This caused Izuku to take a glimpse of his father from the corner of his eye. The man's grip had somehow gotten even tighter, knuckles white, and his breath was shaky. He wasn't sure if he wanted to believe him, but he knew in his heart and his mind that what his father said was true. His mind raced trying to find any inkling of deceit, but he couldn't work out one. His anger rose again. "Then why didn't you?" His voice cracked. Damn it.
"I couldn't!" Hisashi wasn't loud but he pushed the words out like he couldn't breathe. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself.
Izuku took the chance to cut in. "Did you leave because I was quirkless?" His voice betrayed him, not hiding the pain he felt to finally say the words out loud.
"Yes and no." His breath hitched. "I made a choice, and it wasn't a good one. I decided to continue my research on quirks, and took help from some questionable people. I didn't expect to be over there for more than two years. Then I found myself stuck. The work was never ending and when I tried to request personal time, I was either blown off or more work would pile on. When I found out you were hurt I-" His father's voice broke and the words caught in his throat. "I had to swallow my pride and I said I was coming back no matter what."
Izuku knew what his father had meant. The man had begged, which was something he rarely did. "I was able to come back, although my boss had ulterior motives. I still have to continue my work, but at least I'm here." He glanced over and gave his son a small smile.
Young Midoriya's mind was reeling with all the new information. He knew the man wasn't telling him everything but he couldn't quite process what he was missing. He knew what he was trying to say though. "You're staying?"
"I'm staying."
Izuku turned his gaze back to the window as a few silent tears slid down his cheeks.
The remainder of the ride was silent until they reached the Tokoya. The hair cut was simple enough. He left most of his curls on top but shortened the sides down where they barely grazed his ears. It didn't take long, maybe twenty minutes and Izuku was slightly excited to see it.
The riyoshi handed him a mirror and smiled. "Here you go, sweetie" Her tone was soft and in that moment Izuku felt light, until he looked in the mirror.
The haircut itself was great. She had done an excellent job, but this was the first time Izuku had seen himself in months. For once his mind was quiet as he stared at the scar stretched across his face. It was light pink and started at his temple, dragged at a slight angle across his left eye, and then darted across the bridge of his nose. He absent mindedly lifted his hand to his face and grazed where it met his cheek with his fingertips. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the woman spoke
"Look okay?"
"Oh, um yes. It looks great." He handed her back the mirror, his hand still resting on his face. Izuku didn't move. He felt frozen in place. His mind replaying the fall over and over. How his head and face smacked and then dragged across the pavement. His arms instinctively trying to break his fall, only to be crushed underneath him. How the sludge villain's wet body warped around him as he crashed through him slowing his fall just enough to keep him alive. The feeling of slime giving his skin a chill only to be replaced immediately by excruciating pain. Kacchan's horrified face as he tried to speak, then drowning on his own blood. How the wind bristled his skin all the way down, the feel almost freeing until his eyes opened and he was filled with fear. How he heard the cracks as his bones snapped beneath him.
Hisashi had just finished paying the girl when he noticed his son's petrified state. The boy's hand still gently touching his face, eyes wide in shock, mouth slightly agape.
"Zu?" No response.
As he approached, he noticed his green headed boy trembling, breathing heavily, sweat beading on his forehead. Hisashi lightly placed his hand on his shoulder and gave a soft squeeze. "Izuku?"
Izuku jumped out of his thoughts and quickly tried to catch his breath. The oldest Midoriya gestured his head to the door, to which Izuku nodded. As the boy stood, his father wrapped an arm around his shoulder and ushered him to the car.
This trip was even quieter than the previous ones when Hisashi spoke. "Are you ever going to tell us what really happened?"
Izuku was staring out the window, cheek in palm. He didn't budge but spoke flatly. "Maybe.. One day." He paused for a moment before slightly tilting his head back. "Are you ever going to tell me and mom everything."
"Maybe, one day."
