Chapter Text
it happened so quickly
everyone thought it was just the common cold or some variation of the flu or COVID taken a new form...again
what idiots we were, .... papa was the first one to get sick. he was bedridden for weeks and after that, the world just seemed to fall apart
and in the end, I'm still here
alone
friends and family are missing or dead or fucking insane....
and my parents..... I tried I took care of them for as long as I could till Izuku basically abducted me and my little sister. 'we found a cure' he said but it didn't work. it worked on Kirishima and bakugou and toga and Eri, everyone else but
not for my dad or Papa
they were too far gone
they had already reached stage five of this....this infection
and me?
I'd rather die and rot than abandon the only two people who never abandoned me
"hizashi you are so dramatic you have a cold, you'll be fine" Dad's voice rings throughout the room and I giggle, "say your goodbyes folks, I'm totally dying" Papa has always been a drama queen. I hear my little sister's voice ping in and it startles me. "papa your fiiinee"
'holy shit didn't even know she was in here' I thought
"yeah, pops relax" As I say that my phone buzzes, I pick it up and check it its a text from Denki that reads
'hey man headin' to the arcad wanna come('◡')?'
'hey dumbass that's not how you spell that'
'Don't make fun of me!!'
I laugh a little to myself "Talkin' to your boyfriend?" my dad says with a mocking tone as my face turns so red I'm sure it matches the sheets of my parent's bedding "Shut up he's not my boyfriend!"
I got out of Denki's car and we started walking towards the arcade. "So, what's wrong with him?" Denki asked me, his outfit consisting of a yellow lightning bolt tank top, ripped light blue jeans, and a few bracelets. a choker and a stack of necklaces.....tacky.. "Dad thinks it's a cold, but...he looks so pale and tired," I reply with a shrug. Denki gives me a worried look, "You don't think it's contagious, right?" I bumped his arm lightly, "Aha, so funny, Denks." We laughed and continued walking towards the arcade, trying to distract myself from the worries and concerns that weighed heavily on my mind.
I arrived home just in time for curfew, and Denki walked me to the door. I thanked him for inviting me out, and he flashed me that big, dumb, goofy smile that I secretly adored. "For sure, Toshi. I figured you needed some time in the sun," he said. I nodded in agreement, then said my goodbyes and promised to catch up with him tomorrow.
"Get some sleep," he said sternly. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile at his concern. I walked into my room with my cats, Boots, and Penne, following closely behind me, meowing (more like screaming) for food. I sighed and said, "Alright, alright, you little shits. Let me change into something more comfortable first."
I threw on this huge Hello Kitty t-shirt that I may or may not have swiped from my old man's closet and a pair of blue plaid sleep pants. I felt pretty comfortable in my outfit as I walked into the kitchen with my cats, ready to feed them and hit the hay.
But as I made my way to the entrance, something caught my eye. The fridge was open, and I could see a figure standing inside. "Pops. That you?" I called out. The voice that replied sent chills down my spine. It was so deep and husky, almost disturbing. "Yeah, kid, it's me," he said.
I approached him, but as I saw him properly in the light, my heart sank. He looked so pale, gray even. and he had what looked like...claw marks? or scratches? all down his neck and arms Something was definitely off. "Pops,....are you okay?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, filled with concern.
"fuckin peachy," he says clearly not in the mood the big red fluffy blanket he has wrapped around him drops off his shoulders slightly while he ransacks through the fridge not making eye contact
my eyes go wide 'Wow he must be super sick if he's cussin around me' I thought
he has never talked to me that way, in the 9 years that I've known and lived with this blonde-go-lucky of a man he has never sworn at or around me always sounding cheerful and happy and just I don't know a ray of fucking sunshine, but the sickly man I'm looking at is....a stark contrast of that
"o-oh uh sorry," I say fidgeting with my pant strings "Ugh" he sounds like he's struggling to breathe, "relax. I'm not gonna hit you," he snatches the water jug out of the fridge. and scratches his neck "I'm stealing this for the night and I swear to god, Hitoshi, if you feed those fuckin cats," he says, irritation evident in his voice, "they've been fed, I promise." With that, he marches back to his room with his husband, clearly annoyed.
I stand there shocked "What...the fffffuck" he's acting so fucking weird he never talks to me like that
he's never said an ill word or sworn at me or whatever the hell that just was. even when he was sick he was still respectful and kind
boots curls himself around my feet i look down at him "he's being weird...and kinda mean...does that count as mean? I dunno"
boots looks up at me with his big dumb eyes "Mrrrph" is all he has to say "Can't feed you baby" I squat down to Boots "Papa said no"
and that's all I say before I go to bed
The sun rose on a morning that would be etched in my memory forever. It was terrible. My papa was in agony as he vomited uncontrollably, unable to keep anything down. He was so weak and disorientated that he started lashing out at everything around him. It was almost as if he was in a daze, confused and unaware of his surroundings. Without a moment's hesitation, my father took him to the hospital, hoping to find out what the hell was wrong
this.
is no common cold.
As I picked up the phone, my dad's voice rang through the speaker, sounding distant and uncharacteristically broken. "The doctor said it's a new illness," he began, his words heavy with worry. "It's been going on all over the globe." I felt a lump form in my throat as I listened, knowing that whatever he was about to say next would be bad.
"It's called Aethereal Amnesia," he continued his voice barely above a whisper. "They don't know much about it yet. It's like nothing they've ever seen before." I could hear the fear in his voice, and it made my own heart race.
I knew that my dad was supposed to be with his husband, my papa at the hospital, but I could tell from the sound of his voice that he was struggling to keep it together. "What does that mean for Papa?" I asked, trying to hold back my own tears.
He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Oh God," he muttered, his voice trembling. "They're not sure. There isn't enough research, but no one has passed away from it." I could hear the sadness and uncertainty in his voice, and it made me feel sick to my stomach.
As I sat there on the other end of the line, I knew that I needed to be strong for my little sister. She was sitting next to me, oblivious to the conversation that was taking place. I didn't want her to see me weak, so I took a deep breath and tried to push my own fears aside.
"okay" I whispered
After hanging up the phone, I turned to my sister and put on a brave face. "We need to be strong for Papa and Daddy," I said, trying to sound confident. "We will get through this together." She looked up at me with big, red innocent eyes and nodded her head, not fully understanding the gravity of the situation.
Over the next few days, we visited Papa in the hospital every day. His condition was worsening, and it was heartbreaking to see him so weak and vulnerable. The doctors were doing everything they could, but they still didn't have a cure for this.... "Aethereal Amnesia".
As the weeks went by, more and more people were being diagnosed with the illness. It was spreading rapidly, and panic was starting to set in. Schools were shutting down people were quitting their jobs riots started happening everywhere people claiming the government wasn't doing enough for the people, My family and I were scared, but we tried not to let it consume us. We held onto hope and did everything we could to support each other.
but then something happened according to the doctors they had to restrain Papa...he....he attacked one of nurse tackeled and bit her. his condition got so bad that he was beacoming hostile and you could practically see through his skin and his eyes were cloudy he couldn't see and without his hearing aids he couldn't hear either and by the way he was breathing they could tell he was struggling like his lungs where filled with liquid or something
The inability to visit Papa anymore had left us all in a state of despair. Dad, especially, was heartbroken and it was evident in his demeanor. He secluded himself in his room and hardly interacted with us anymore. Eri and I were terrified and felt helpless witnessing Dad's pain. His silence was deafening and it only added to the heaviness in the air.
our home was not the same without Papa, without Yamada Hizashi He was the glue that held our family together, the source of our strength, and the light that shone on our darkest days. With his infectious energy, he could brighten up any stressful situation and make us feel at ease. Without him, we were all broken individuals who had no business being together. Eri, our youngest, was quiet without Papa's constant questions about her day. Dad, who had spent almost twenty years by his partner's side, was depressed and lifeless without his lifelong companion. And as for me, I was a mere shell of myself without him. I didn't know what to do with myself because he was a part of everything I did. We used to make breakfast together, feed the cats together, and water the plants together. We did everything together together together everything together,
it felt like a part of us was missing.