notes:
please proceed with caution as this chapter contains some rough imagery.
trigger warnings:
-graphic depictions of torture (skip if you need to)
-suicidal ideation
(see the end of the chapter for more notes.)
kai chisaki, also known as overhaul, is a complicated man. he despises filth and germs and has spent years of his life devoted to finding a way to eradicate quirks, believing them to be unclean in nature and the cause of society's many detriments. he doesn't like to be near other human beings unless absolutely necessary; it's safe to say that he isn't a people person. rarely do people fascinate him enough to warrant a physical appearance.
yet after years of studying and months of scheming, he finds himself face to face with a human he finds utterly interesting. never has overhaul deemed another human being of such importance until this moment.
it's a strange feeling. especially when said human was strapped to a chair in front of him, passed out after several rounds of being disassembled and reassembled with overhaul's quirk. he couldn't help but stare. fluffy green hair lay scattered across the young boy's face, freckles painted across his nose and cheeks. if he were anyone else, the child would be found cute. overhaul, however, didn't find things 'cute'. no, the boy in front of him wasn't cute. far better, in fact.
he was useful. he was special.
overhaul watched the slow rise and fall of the unconscious boy's chest with fascination. never before had he been so... transfixed. something about the boy drew him in. it was due, in part, to his quirklessness, of that overhaul was certain. but that wasn't all. no, there was something else. it was what overhaul saw in the seconds before disassembling the boy. it was the look in his eyes when he had raised his head.
the child's dark green eyes had been full of fear and anger and vulnerability, but underneath all of that, overhaul could almost drown in the boy's innocence.
in all his years of work and life, kai chisaki had never seen such purity in the eyes of another human. it was exhilarating. he didn't know such people could exist. even after being covered in blood, after passing out from the pain of being taken apart, overhaul could still see it, could still feel it. it was like the child's spirit was unbreakable, like his soul was a piece of heaven that only the truly blessed could ever experience. and overhaul wanted it. he wanted the purity, the cleanliness that the boy possessed.
and he was going to stop at nothing to get it.
when izuku awoke, he was back in his normal cell. it was almost surreal how grateful he felt waking up there, how thankful he was that he was somewhere he recognized, somewhere he could almost consider familiar. he lay still for several moments in his bed, eyes peering lifelessly at the bunk suspended above him. every inch of his body was screaming in pain. he could still feel overhaul's hand on his arm, could feel his body being ripped apart, his cells dying too fast to regenerate- izuku squeezed his eyes shut tightly, willing the horrifying memories to disappear. he didn't have the luxury of getting caught up in his mind right now.
turning his head slightly, biting back a cry at the pain the movement caused, he looked around the cell. his heart skipped a beat. sitting against the far wall with his knees tucked close to his body and his arms folded around his head was eraserhead, seemingly asleep. izuku let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as relief flooded his system. a few tears escaped his eyes, and they weren't from the pain he was in.
straightening his head, he gave himself a moment to rest, a moment for his racing heart to slow down. the past few days had been hell for izuku. he had been used as collateral against eraserhead in a terrifying showdown with the doctor. he had then watched his favorite hero and idol collapse with no idea if he was dead or alive. he had been knocked out and tormented by the doctor before running straight into the most frightening man izuku ever had the horror of meeting. after almost dying of suffocation, he was moved to another unknown location, scrubbed raw, and tortured.
no, not tortured. killed. izuku had died; overhaul had killed him. then brought him back to life. then killed him again.
izuku could feel as his skin was torn from his body, his muscles and bones following shortly. everything was tinted red. he couldn't hear anything, and his vision was disappearing, but he was still conscious. all he knew was pain. pain so intense izuku was sure he was screaming, but he couldn't feel his throat or hear the noise, so maybe he was wrong. his body didn't act like his own. he could feel it shifting, mutating, dissolving all at once. he could feel everything but couldn't feel anything at the same time. the only constant was pain. pure, unadulterated pain. his nerve endings were being torn apart and rebuilt in quick succession, so quick that he was most definitely in shock right now. yet, for some reason, he hadn't passed out. if he were able to think at all, he would wish to pass out. but his brain didn't allow that, no. he was trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of death and regeneration, ripped out of the grave faster than he had been shoved into it. his body yearned for death, ached for everything to stop even if it meant he would never wake again. especially if it meant he would never wake again. every ounce of his being hoped that the reassembly wouldn't happen this time, that he would remain dust. because dust doesn't feel pain; dust doesn't bleed or scream or cry. oh, how he wished-
izuku tore himself out of the flashback, breathing harshly. he needed to do something, anything. his whole body stung as he tried to prop himself up in his bed, arms shaking with the effort. his vision blurred as a sound of pain escaped past his clenched teeth.
he didn't get very far before a set of strong hands wrapped around his torso, guiding him gently upwards to rest his back against the bed's railing. after ensuring he was steady and not going to fall over, the hands released him. a gruff voice spoke out.
"i didn't realize you were up, problem child. you need to take it easy. they really did a number on you."
eraserhead's low voice was like music to izuku's ears. before he could stop himself, he was crying again. silent tears streamed steadily down his freckled cheeks, a cold contrast to his burning skin.
through his blurry vision, izuku could make out eraserhead in his peripheral, a look of worry plastered on his face. his dark hair hung limp and greasy around his eyes, darkened and plagued with deep bags. after a quick scan up and down, izuku didn't see any obvious injuries. that lessened the pit in his stomach significantly. izuku shifted his gaze to his own body and was shocked to see that it was covered entirely in bandages. every inch, from his toes to his neck, were swathed in white, disappearing under his simple cotton shirt and shorts. he blinked heavily, willing the dark spots in his vision to go away.
"-id. kid? you with me?" eraserhead's voice rung out once again, startling izuku slightly. he was able to focus a little bit more, the fuzziness in the corners of his eyes dissipating slightly. he returned his attention to the man in front of him.
the worry that izuku had seen on eraserhead's face appeared to have doubled. the man's mouth was pinched in a tight line, and his hands were… shaking? automatically, izuku felt horrible. he hadn't meant to cause such trouble, especially for his favorite hero. he opened his mouth to reassure him, but it took several seconds for izuku to remember how to speak properly.
"s-sorry, eraserhead sir," was the only thing izuku managed to rasp out before his throat refused to work anymore, stinging painfully from the strain of speaking.
eraserhead let out a huff of air, eyes softening. "kid, you have nothing to apologize for. i'm just glad you're… well i'm glad you're awake." the hero trailed off before continuing, his voice tense. "and i told you, call me shouta or aizawa or whatever, no need for such formality." eraser's voice was still troubled, but his gaze showed a warmth that made izuku's heart swell.
izuku could only nod, tears now slowing in their descent. he tried to raise his hand to wipe his face but was in too much pain. seeing his struggle, eraserhead reached an arm forward, stopping before touching izuku's skin. he fixed izuku with questioning eyes, as if asking 'is this okay?'
this only made izuku cry harder, but he nodded regardless. eraser's thumb swept the tears off his cheek gently and softly as he shifted his body to reach the boy better. izuku let out a shaky breath, leaning into the man's warm touch. he felt so comforted from such a simple action. it was no surprise when sobs began to wrack the child's frame. eraserhead only continued to wipe the tears off of izuku's face, reaching with his other arm to hesitantly hold izuku's shoulder. after making sure the gesture wasn't hurting the kid, aizawa pulled izuku close, moving his head to rest on his shoulder as he held the boy in his arms with a softness he didn't know he could possess. he petted the boy's head gently, carding his fingers through fluffy green hair that was, upon closer inspection, speckled with blood.
the sight made aizawa's chest fill with rage. he knew that things were bad, but he had never expected the fear, the utter terror that he had felt when, after being alone in the cell for hours, izuku had been thrown into the room, covered in bloody bandages and unconscious. after carefully moving izuku to the bed and ensuring that he was, in fact, breathing, all aizawa could do was position himself once again between the bed and the door, and keep watch. the slow rise and fall of izuku's chest had been the only thing keeping aizawa sane in the many hours izuku remained asleep. just the reassurance that his kid was breathing, was alive, kept him from going batshit crazy and killing everyone and everything in this godforsaken hellhole.
and now, with his kid crying in his arms, aizawa made izuku a silent promise.
i will get us out of here, problem child, you mark my words. they won't know what hit 'em.
the next few days were surprisingly uneventful. overhaul had disappeared with a promise to return sometime in the near future. the doctor was busy running tests on overhaul's new findings. for the most part, aizawa and izuku were left to their own devices. on occasion, a guard would pull aizawa out of the cell for the occasional 'checkup', which consisted of simple blood tests, physical examinations, and other suspiciously normal medical practices.
during this period of inactivity, izuku and aizawa found their own ways to pass the time. izuku was still recovering and so couldn't do anything strenuous, as much as that saddened him.
"eraser- er, i mean… aizawa," izuku started hesitantly, "do… do you think you could train me? to fight. i think it would help us later down the line if i knew how to fight too, and you're really good with self-defense! i mean, of course you are, you're eraserhead for christ's sake, that's pretty much your whole brand. not that you can't do other things or anything-"
the boy's rambling was cut off by a soft chuckle. izuku stopped, embarrassed. aizawa was just glad the kid was talking again; since returning from wherever he was (izuku refused to talk about it yet, and aizawa wasn't going to push him), he had been so quiet. now it seemed that his spirit was returning, and aizawa would be lying if he said it wasn't endearing.
"of course i'll train you, kid. it's going to be tough work, but we'll take it slow. right now, though, you need to rest. it's illogical to try and work right now when your body is so weak."
izuku's face brightened, his eyes shining so brightly aizawa almost wished he had a pair of sunglasses.
"t-thank you so much, eraserhead! oh, um, sorry… aizawa. i'm still trying to get used to it."
aizawa shook his head slowly in amusement. "you don't have to call me aizawa. whatever you're comfortable with is fine."
izuku looked at the man in surprise. once again, he was in awe over how laid back and… kind eraserhead really was. izuku looked down thoughtfully. after everything the hero had done for him, everything the hero had seen, it was only fair that he would refer to the man with some sense of familiarity.
"hmmm… i don't remember much from the other day, but i did hear you call me 'zawa when i was semi-conscious. if you want, you can call me that."
izuku started, his cheeks blazing as he waved his hands frantically. "i'm so sorry, i thought you couldn't hear me, and honestly i wasn't really thinking, i was just so worried, oh god that's so embarrassing…"
looking up at aizawa, izuku could see a glint of amusement in the man's usually impassive eyes. he was playing with him. izuku stopped his rambling, fixing the underground hero with an 'angry' look that was really just a pout.
"that's so mean! i'm going to call you 'zawa now just because you were teasing me."
that finally got a laugh out of the man. it was quiet and short, but genuine. it surprised izuku, but he recovered quickly, laughing with aizawa.
"you sound like my husband when you say that." the man's tone was fond but laced with sadness. the lighthearted mood in the room dropped, now tense and thick. aizawa blinked rapidly, inhaling deeply before trying to change the subject.
"anyways, why don't we-"
"what's he like?" izuku's quiet voice was soft when he cut off the hero. instead of averting his gaze to the floor like usual, he made sure to make eye contact with aizawa, his eyes warm and full of understanding. it made aizawa's throat close up slightly, a stinging in the corners of his eyes faintly present. he looked away, not wanting the kid to see him in such a state.
"he… he's my sunshine. he is my everything and so, so much more." aizawa's usually emotionless voice was thick with fondness. "he's loud and vibrant and way too energetic, especially in the morning. he's great with kids and is the kindest person i've ever known. you would love him." aizawa finally glanced izuku's way, tears gone from his eyes as he returned to his usual impassive demeanor. "in fact, you probably already know of him. he's a hero, just like me. any guesses?"
izuku's eyes lit up. "you're married to another pro hero!!?? that's so cool!"
the corners of aizawa's mouth twitched upwards as he nodded slightly.
"okay, so he's loud and energetic, obviously male… i'm assuming he's an above ground hero?" izuku's question was met with another nod. "well, i'm going to say it's not all might," at that, shouta snorted, both out of humor and disgust, "so that leaves… well, not many male pro-heroes are known for having that much… exuberance, let's just say. oh! oh! you said he's loud, maybe someone who works with his voice? kind, energetic, good with kids… don't tell me you're married to present mic??!!"
"bingo."
"are you serious? that's awesome! i never would have guessed! he's just so… well, he's like the sun! but i guess that would make you his moon! oh my god, i can't believe you're married to present mic! he's one of my favorite heroes!! he did a segment on quirkless discrimination on his talk show, and he was so understanding and kind! not to mention…"
aizawa couldn't focus on the rest of izuku's ramblings as he was stuck on something the kid said. he had always thought that he wasn't good enough for 'zashi, not energetic enough or bright enough or nice enough. the voice hero never said anything like that about shouta, obviously, but it still worried the underground hero. he never considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, his husband saw him as the moon to his sun. the thought made aizawa feel warm inside, almost like one of 'zashi's world-class hugs. seriously, that man was a great hugger.
"-you must know so much about his quirk! i wish i had my notebooks so i could write everything down."
at this, aizawa perked up. "speaking of kid, i've been meaning to ask about your code."
izuku was pulled out of his hero-themed mumblings, visibly confused. "my... code? what about it?"
"well, maybe while you're still recovering, you could teach it to me. it allows you the time to rest, and it could prove helpful if we both could communicate without the enemy knowing."
izuku's confusion morphed into surprise. he stayed silent for a few moments, trying to find any hint of a joke in aizawa's expression. no one had ever been interested in his code before. it was... odd, to say the least.
shaking his head to clear it, izuku finally began responding to aizawa, who had been waiting patiently for izuku to process the request.
"of- of course! i would love to teach you. it, um, it might take a while, though. not that you aren't smart or anything, it's just that i designed this to be pretty much unbreakable. it took me almost two years to develop and memorize."
at that, aizawa paused. "did… you make this before you were kidnapped?"
izuku froze. he opened his mouth to respond, but nothing would come out. he sat, gaping like a fish for a solid thirty seconds before finally, he found the ability to speak again. "um, y-yeah, i made the code, well, i guess it's a language? i made the language when i was in school. the other kids would get mad at me when i would analyze their quirks, so i had to disguise what i was writing. i was going to put everything in code anyways because it's kind of dangerous, my analysis, but that's uh, yeah that's why. i, uh, had a lot of free time, too..." trailing off, izuku looked slightly bashful. his eyes held a trace of darkness, like he was remembering unpleasant memories.
"hm. we can dive into your horrible school experience later. i'm sure nedzu would love to destroy another school."
that got a surprised squeak out of izuku, surprised eyes meeting shouta's to find a look of amusement. izuku's shoulders relaxed, and he let out a bewildered huff of air. "i keep thinking you're serious, your poker face is really good."
aizawa wasn't joking, but he'd let izuku believe that for now. grabbing the nearest piece of paper to where he was sitting on the floor next to izuku's bed, he let the sheet fall gently into the boy's blanketed lap.
"shall we begin?"
izuku's eyes lit up with excitement, gleaming with something vaguely reminiscent of nedzu when he would explain a complicated scheme to rid the world of whatever had wronged him. aizawa shivered at the comparison. this was just a kid's code; how bad would it be?
apparently, very bad. after three hours of going over this code, no, this nightmare, with no success, aizawa was about ready to quit. he knew the kid was smart. what he didn't know, however, was that this kid was a fucking genius. he had to keep him out of nedzu's paws or else the world might actually end.
izuku's code, or language, as aizawa had learnt, was actually three separate languages (all of them developed by izuku) merged together in random places. the languages began and ended spontaneously, replacing one another mid-sentence, hell, mid-word word, in an attempt to throw off the reader. aizawa was sure that even nedzu would have trouble understanding the system izuku had created (although that could have been projection).
"it's okay, 'zawa! it'll take time, but i'm sure you can get it!" izuku's encouraging voice echoed throughout aizawa's head. which was currently stuffed in the man's hands as he tried not to rip his hair out.
"kid, this may be a lost cause. that demon tongue looks like how i'd think a migraine would be written on paper."
izuku laughed. aizawa looked back up fondly, pointedly ignoring the ever-growing headache that had formed at the beginning of their lesson. he was just glad to see the kid so happy. it made his chest tighten almost painfully. it was odd how quickly he had gotten attached; he knew this. 'zashi had always told him he was a softie, but he never really thought so until now.
he could feel his heart sink a little as he took in the reality of the situation. that this kid had a family. after they got out of this mess (which they would), izuku would go back to loving parents and friends, and they would part ways. aizawa reprimanded himself mentally. of course he would go back to his family, that's a good thing. what, would aizawa adopt him or something?
a small voice in the back of his head cried out that yes, him and 'zashi had been looking to adopt a child for years now, and izuku was everything they had ever wanted in a kid. quickly shaking his head to rid himself of such wishful thinking, he looked up to make sure izuku was okay; he had been oddly quiet, and shouta was getting worried.
his worries quickly dissolved when he caught sight of izuku, his eyes closed and breathing soft, asleep on his bed with his paper and crayons still gripped loosely in his hands. aizawa softened at the sight. he looked so painfully young- he was so painfully young.
moving quietly, he removed the paper and crayons from izuku's grasp, setting them gently on the floor. after making sure the kid was still asleep, aizawa grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over izuku gently. izuku snuggled closer to the warmth the blanket provided, sighing in his sleep. it was honestly adorable, even if aizawa would never admit it. he watched izuku's chest rise and fall steadily, taking in his cheeks, still slightly chubby with baby fat and covered in freckles.
this kid would be the death of him, of that aizawa was sure.
notes:
y'all wanted dadzawa? ask and ye shall receive. our boys got a little break!
i really enjoyed writing this chapter for several reasons. one of them being dadzawa fluff, obviously. the second was actually overhaul's perspective. i think him and izuku have a really interesting relationship in this fanfiction and i'm excited to explore it more in the future. it is not going to turn sexual, if anyone was wondering. i've already tortured izuku enough.
next chapter will come out in a couple days :)
