Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor BNHA and its characters.
AN: Thank you so much for the positive reviews! Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Also, Hana ichi monme is a legit Japanese children's game.
Despite his small frame, there are many things Izuku loves in this world.
He loves his mother, and perhaps his father whom he'll never meet; he'll love him because Inko does- or once did, enough to bring him into the world.
He loves heroes. Especially the one known as All Might, adoration adorned upon his head like a silver crown. Izuku has fallen in love with the idea of a Symbol of Peace, to have a world where evil doesn't exist. Where people as kind and great as his kaa-san will never hurt.
Can you imagine just how amazing that'll be? To have no pain or pointless deaths; no harsh words or forced loneliness. Izuku has read the books and watched the news, not everyone inspires to be good like heroes. He learns that people call them villains.
(Flames danced in a tango of horror; terror like running lava had spilled everywhere as Izuku could practically feel the sheer weight of damage sinking heavily in his bones. Death had been plentiful that evening, and with it came so much grief and burns and understanding.
So many seers, roused an instinct within him. We've wings, bring them home. It suggested with hushed whispers.
There had been darkness despite the brightness of autumn colours lit with smoke.)
Izuku loves helping people and most things that breathe under the sky. His wish puts saving them as its main goal; a part of him understands that although Death is kind, sadness rarely is. Full of empathy, the boy naturally shies away from the sorrow and seeks to bandage the wounds. He wants happiness for those in need.
'I'll be like All Might; I'll be a Hero so no one can be sad anymore.'It's a selfish conviction, but dripping with good intentions nonetheless. The child remains ignorant of the whys of his desire, basking happily underneath the light of technical infancy.
He loves his mother's food even if its uncooked. He loves his home and the collection of hero merchandise that resides in it. He loves the world and people even if its dirty, so says the weird skeletal being in his dreams at night. He loves Quirks, he's in love with learning about them. He'll love the bad guys too, if they had a heart.
Izuku doesn't not love a lot of things, and normally, the extent of it comes in something like phases. The feelings don't fade, per se. But something stronger pops up, replacing the former obsession.
And for many more years to come, Izuku will love his herd.
The boy sits in the sandpit in a park located some few hundred metres from their apartment; there's a bench nearby which Inko reads a childcare magazine with her purse on her lap. She looks focused, Izuku himself mirroring the look.
Isolated from weary children who avoid what they don't understand, Izuku purses his lips and refuses to complain about the loneliness he feels. Inko notices- of course she does- but Izuku had begged to not push it. He's technically home-schooled for a reason, much to the irony of Inko.
Plus, he doesn't want to inconvenience his mom. Inko has experienced enough trouble because of Izuku already; it hadn't taken a lot for the boy to realise that.
To occupy himself, Izuku plays with his Quirk; tens and hundreds of ways to experiment with it flies through his mind, both logical and illogical. He's read many horse facts throughout the months since he got his Quirk and so far, the enhanced senses are only second to his ability to fly at great speeds.
The world simply glows alight with a kind of indescribable intensity when Izuku transforms into a colt or allows some of the enhanced senses factor bleed through his human form. Scents burst with flavour and Izuku also hears much better this way; from the singing birds that warn of Summer's end to the children that play their fun games as the sun starts to sink.
"We're so happy we won, hana ichi monme."
"We're so upset we lost, hana ichi monme."
"We want that kid."
"We don't understand which kid you mean."
"Let's talk about it!"
"Yes, let's do it!"
"We want Hayato-kun, with the regeneration Quirk!"
"We want Rika-chan, with the strength Quirk!"
Izuku kind of wants to join, if he's being honest.
Taking a look at his mother, the boy abandons the thought. Sticking to theorising and experimenting more of his Quirk in the sandbox instead. Running a finger through the sand, Izuku supposes it'll work as makeshift paper. He regrets forgetting his notebook back home, but this'll make do.
He's found out that apart from the improved sense of smell, sight, taste, and hearing and becoming a weird dragon-like headed flying horse that definitely isn't a unicorn, Izuku's elated to find out he can also see in an almost full view of his surroundings.
How does his equestrian brain do this again?
The world spins at first. Izuku falls on his knees, the soft ground thankfully breaking the pressure on his joints. Wings automatically flaring to keep balance, Izuku gives a startled noise when he can suddenly see the back of his head! Not exactly, but it's like the extent he views things has increased greatly.
Despite the slight headache, delight brews like a storm. Izuku decides he'll celebrate later when the world stops looking like an endlessly long TV screen on HD. Inko tenses on one side, the milky-eyed boy simply raises a hand to indicate he's okay.
Having a 360-degree view is about as incredible as being able to sleep while standing, concludes the experiment. He can be a super amazing hero if no villain can escape his sight. They'll be unable to ambush him, giving Izuku the advantage of surprising his opponent instead of the other way round.
To Izuku, the more vibrant shades of yellows and blues are unsurprising. He's read about it long before, how horses see certain colours better against the usual greyscale. He's also read about how horses have 6 sense instead of 5 (perception is hard to explain, though). It also mentioned something about how horses couldn't vomit? Izuku doesn't know if he's actually brave enough to try that fact out.
Nevertheless, the boy's head whips to the side until it faces the total opposite direction of where Izuku had initially been facing. Behind a dull coloured bush, a distinctly bluish-purple figure lies practically a living personification of a neon highlighter in Izuku's eyes.
Whoever it is hasn't stirred an inch despite Izuku's little activities. He must be very tired. "Izuku?" his mother calls, snapping him out of trance. How strange, the green haired boy thinks. He hadn't seen the other person earlier when they arrived, nor had Izuku smelled him. No sounds to catch his attention either. Surely, the person's wither very experienced in the art of stealth or naturally unnoticeable in general.
Maybe it's a Quirk? Izuku perks at the thought.
Shinso Hitoshi hates a lot of things.
Actually, he hates a selected few things.
The loud crash of fallen cups and plates are too loud at night. His parent's voices get an octave higher when it happens, so Hitoshi hates it when sleep is nigh impossible on days like those. Which is getting pretty frequent, one (fearful) sleepless night too many for a child who'll turn 5 years old next year.
They yell at each other for reasons Shinso cannot comprehend. Tensions are always high at home; his mother screeching while his father yells. The only time they're remotely kinder on their voice box are when they discuss putting him up for adoption.
(Hitoshi doesn't want to leave. He's only 4 and it had killed him to have to search up what 'adoption' meant in the first place.)
Getting them to stop with his Quirk will only make him hate one more thing- himself, which he already does more since his birthday came.
The year feels too long with too many turning points in his life that has happened already or is happening. Hitoshi hates that too. He hasn't really thought about it, but maybe it's the- his- Brainwashing Quirk working itself in a fit of irony. The boy who can control others like a villain doesn't like the feeling of his metaphorical rug being pulled from underneath his feet without warning.
Speaking of which, school is another nightmare altogether. They call him a villain, which he isn't. They're afraid that he'll control them, which he won't. Human children have never seemed so scary. Has it really only been two months since his Quirk manifested? Wow, Shinso really does hate everything but cats and sleep.
Anyway, to make up for the sleep time lost back home, Hitoshi enjoys going to the park whenever he can to make for it. He naps behind thick bushes that are almost impenetrable in their density, and with the shade of several large trees and bearably prickly grass beneath him, it's paradise.
The day's normal. Hitoshi is in control of today. He attends school in the morning and hops from playground to parks to another playground in search for one empty enough to nap in.
This particular park is good. Comfy enough for the boy to fall asleep within an hour- practically immediately in his books- but there's the faint sound of someone arriving. Mentally shrugging, it's already the fourth playground and Hitoshi is reluctant to leave. Whatever, it's not like they can see him anyway. Visual-safe greenery and all.
It is safe, for an hour. Hitoshi is half-lucid in dreamland when a rustling sound has him scrunching his brows tightly. Hitoshi is squinting when his indigo eyes open. A frankly, very terrifying and very ghastly face greets him and Hitoshi is more than just shocked. The… boy(?) looks like he hasn't eaten in days and Hitoshi could've sworn he'd just seen a zombie with the way the green-haired boy has no eyes apparent?!
Hitoshi yells out a very loud "GAH!" in his second of mindlessness. The boys return the vocal gesture, looking equally freaked. "GAH!" they both go in turns and before Hitoshi knows it, he and the zombie looking boy are GAH! -ing and AH! -ing at each other for a solid 30 seconds.
Thankfully, with a moment of coherence, Hitoshi stops with his undignified noises and says "Stop it!" instead. Green-boy does, and proceeds to just stare at Hitoshi instead. Or maybe he is? Hitoshi cannot honest to Kami-sama tell with the way his eyes are all pale without pupils. The other boy is facing his direction at least. Hitoshi bites his tongue before blurting something he'll regret later- like 'You're being creepy and I'm scared.'
It's bad to judge someone by their appearances. Hitoshi wants to be a hero after all, and he sure as hell doesn't want to be like those mean children back at kindergarten.
"Hi!" Green-boy cheerfully greets. Flinching at the volume, Hitoshi is the most confused he's ever been when green-boy somehow changes his expression in a split second. Looking like the start of someone getting upset. "My name's Midoriya Izuku," he says, much softer this time. "What's yours?"
Pulling back a bit, "Shinsou Hitoshi." Hitoshi answers back. "I- You- do you want something?"
Midoriya shakes his head, eyes literally lighting up at certain angles where the sun manages to shine through. "Nope! I'm sorry if I'm rude, but you don't hafta answer if you don't wanna. But, is your Quirk Stealth?"
Hitoshi stills, inwardly panicking. "No." comes the single answer, feeling like bile on his tongue. "What does my Quirk mean to you?"
A switch clicks from within Izuku and suddenly the boy is babbling on about his love for Quirks and heroes and his mom…? Hitoshi is appropriately lost in this conversation. Although he does perk a bit when Midoriya talks about heroes.
There's suddenly only two of them in the world. Behind the bushes and underneath the trees with grass beneath them. Midoriya's words are an endless stream, but he never speaks too loudly or too quickly for it to become annoying. Hitoshi fights the sleep that threatens to let him fall from the soothing rhythm of Midoriya's one sided conversation. Green boy has a nice voice, kind of like the birds that sing in the morning.
Hitoshi wakes with his head on Midoriya's shoulder and the boy's on his wild fluff of hair. A kind looking woman with hair as green as Midoriya's smiles fondly down at them. Hitoshi wonders if this is a change he'll appreciate. Because the hate he normally has within him was muted in Midoriya's presence. From the first too-loud 'Hi!', to the way Midoriya's body heat makes something so tired in him sigh with relief.
Starting to fidget, Midoriya slowly wakes. Rubbing his eyes and yawning in a way that stretches his face- Hitoshi stares. "Oh! Guess we both fell asleep." Midoriya giggles. "Hi, Kaa-san."
"Izuku," the nice looking lady and mother to one Midoriya Izuku croons. "Did you make a new friend?"
Midoriya turns to Hitoshi, those weird eyes making sweat crawl down Hitoshi's back. "Are we? Hey, Hicchan. I want to be friends with you, can I?"
Hitoshi doesn't know (or ask) why Midoriya's voice wobbles when he asks him or why he doesn't meet Hitoshi's eyes as well; but Hitoshi tells himself that yeah, maybe he can afford having friends for a while even if they'll leave later. Not a hard decision really because to put down the facts, Midoriya will stay as long as he doesn't use his Quirk, green boy is also awesome in helping him sleep. Hitoshi's willing to compromise for the sleep eye.
It's not as if he doesn't already avoid using Brainwashing as much anyway. So "Sure," Hitoshi says with a tired (resigned, weary, afraid, Izuku knows- he can feel it) glint in his eyes. "Let's be friends. You're my first, by the way."
"Me too! You're my first friend too, Hicchan- can I call you that? I hope we get along!"
Hitoshi decides he really likes the way Izuku doesn't raise his voice much even through the loud happiness of the boy's body language. The downside's that Hitoshi is feeling as if a month's worth of sleep's just waiting for one more sentence from Midoriya before he-
"Oh! He fell asleep again, Kaa-san."