Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The alleyways of Japan, not the most comfortable of sleeping spots, but it’s where many of the homeless population reside during the cold nights. The buildings often break the winds that flow through Japan, carrying a chill. A small group gathers together for warmth, sharing the small morsels of food they have with each other, as Izuku looks at them from above, on the rooftop.

He looks down at his small brown paper bag, knowing he packed it full for this, and he pulls his black mask over his eyes. Izuku drops down, careful to approach slowly so as to not startle the group. He sees their fear, but simply sets the lunch bag down, scooting it closer and backing off silently.

Izuku doesn't wait for recognition, or gratitude, he just leaves the paper bag, happy to give back to his city, even the ones no one else seems to care about. And off he went, rushing across the rooftops and scouting out the alley ways for more groups, repeating his method of silently offering a bag of sandwiches and leaving without a word.

He only had three bags, unable to give much more on his part time job’s income. But he sets it down, and this time a soft hand grabs the bag from his hand, looking at him with softened eyes, wrinkled with wisdom.

“You are an angel, my dear.” The older woman says, accepting the food gratefully, and passing the sandwiches out. Izuku gives a quiet nod of gratitude, leaving and though he didn’t know it at the time, this was the moment the midnight angel was born.

Chapter Text

Izuku sighs in his sleepy mood, sitting up and glancing at the time. The clock reads 7:00 AM, only three hours of sleep. ‘Better than none…’ He thinks, with a big yawn and stretch, rubbing the dark circles he has as he gets up to see his disheveled self in the mirror.

A messy head of green hair that is in need of a trim, dark bags under his half-lidded eyes, and the lean build he’s slowly maintained due to the amount of cardio he’s been getting. Running all over Musutafu is no easy job, and trying to fight villains or petty criminals is hard work. Izuku checks himself over for cuts and bruises, noting the stories and cover ups he can tell to dismiss his mother’s worry. She means well; Izuku just knows she wouldn’t approve of him going out like he is.

Mornings are never Izuku’s favorite. His evening naps are though. He silently promises he will sleep for another four hours later, knowing that’s a lie, but it gets him going. He pulls a box out from under his bed, taking one of his energy drinks from the secret stash he keeps with his makeshift vigilante suit. He shoves it under the bed again, as far back as he can and he chugs the drink.

And he throws the can out of the window in panic when his mother knocks and comes in. Inko thankfully didn’t see that, and just smiles as she sees that Izuku is already up, and about to get ready.

“Good morning, honey. Breakfast is ready when you are.” Inko says, quickly dipping back out of the room to give Izuku some privacy. She’s learned that teen boys need that from her many parenting books.

“Thanks Mom!” Izuku calls after her, rushing to get into his school uniform. He sighs, looking in the mirror again, reminiscing about how he used to dream of wearing those UA uniforms. ‘I’m taking the right path though…’ He reminds himself, thinking back on all the good he’s doing in silence, and he nods to himself a little.

Another little fix up and he goes out to the kitchen, sitting and kindly taking the food his mother gives him. They eat in quiet chatter, just reminding each other of what their days will hold. Izuku has very little time to get going, having an early tutoring session today.

“Alright, Mom, I’ll see you later for dinner.” Izuku says and gets his paper sack lunch and slips on his shoes as he grabs his plain backpack. He sighs, remembering his old Almight backpack he took everywhere and how bitter sweet it was to change it… but it holds such bad memories now.

He leaves the house with one last smile and waves to his mother, before rushing off to school, running with practiced ease, going through his routine route. He rounds the corner and slows to a walk when the school is in sight. He takes a moment, catching his breath for a moment and then hurries to get into the almost empty building. The only ones here this early are the staff and students here tutoring others, or being tutored.

Izuku walks into the classroom, seeing his tutoring student, and gives a bright smile despite the exhaustion deep within his bones from the lack of sleep. He sits down, greeting them with the same sweet and kind energy he gives to everyone.

“Goodmorning! How are you?” He asks, letting them tiredly greet him back.

“Fine.” The blue haired girl sighs, seemingly not too interested in being in this tutoring session as she stares down at her phone. Izuku shrugs it off, nodding kindly in acknowledgement.

“So you’re here for algebra, right?” Izuku pulls out his Algebra 1 textbook and opens it up to the basics.

“Uh-huh.” She sighs, not looking up. Izuku doesn't really know what to do in the situation, but gently taps her phone, and gives an awkward smile.

“You need to pay attention. I’ll make it quick.” He says, trying to accommodate her. He knows she probably thinks that phone is her whole world right now. She rolls her eyes and puts the phone down begrudgingly and listens for a bit, clearly bored. Izuku works fast, trying to instill some basic tools to help her in the long run, instead of drilling equations into her skull.

“And that’s time… uh, did this help?” He asks, looking at the girl who stares back, bored expression on her face but she nods and takes her phone and bag.

“Yeah, thanks. See ya.” She says, handing him the 3000 yen for the session, clearly not caring. ‘I did my best…’ He thinks and reassures himself, sighing. With a deep breath, Izuku gets up and goes to class, blinking some exhaustion from his eyes. He promises that he will get four hours to sleep this evening again and it wakes him up a bit. He knows now is the time to listen and absorb every piece of information he can.

He gets his bag, and heads off to class early, just sitting and waiting as his classmates file in one by one. Izuku just quietly writes down the basic formatting for his notes, subheading each page. The top is the topic of the day, down about five lines are the main points, and at the end is what Izuku needs to work on.

The teacher stands up, starting class and the day flies by, per usual. And school is let out at 3:00 PM. Izuku goes on his usual route back home, stopping at the gas station and using his 3000 to purchase two loaves of bread, ham, cheese and a package of water bottles. He pays in full, 2500 yen. He pockets the rest and rushes back home, eyes getting droopy as his promised nap is so close… But homework comes first.

Izuku gets into the house, alone due to his mother being out at her cleaning jobs. Izuku gets to his room and it takes everything in him to not flop on his bed and pass out. He sets the food and water bottles under the bed so his mother isn’t suspicious. He then goes to his desk instead and goes over his homework, using websites like quora and answering all the questions. He makes sure he understands what he writes down too, just double checking to be safe. He can’t let his grades slip. It would cost him his tutoring job. And he needs that.

Once his homework is done, he glances at the clock. 5:00 PM. He can sleep! He hurries to get the alarm set for two hours when his mother will be home with dinner. A two hour nap, not what he promised himself, but he will take it. He crawls into bed, passing out like a rock.

The two hours pass too fast for Izuku’s taste, and he’s awoken by the blaring alarm he set. He lets out a groan and rolls out of bed with a yawn, but he feels better from his nap. He straightens out his school uniform and goes out to see his mother walking in the door with some takeout. He gives a smile, helping her in and setting the table to eat at.

“How was your day, dear?” Inko asks, a little out of breath and tired from her work day.

“Good. How was yours? You look tired, mom. You should go sit. I can get the food.” Izuku says, taking the bag of food and dividing the food like they always do. Katsudon to share, Onogiri for Izuku, fried rice balls for Inko, and a bean bun for them both.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Please eat, tell me about your day.” Inko says, sitting down and getting ready to eat.

“Nothing really happened. I tutored a girl this morning, and then class went like usual. I came home and did my homework.” He says simply. He says this everyday.

“A girl?” Inko says, hoping maybe there was a spark, or at least a potential friend for Izuku. He’s always alone, and she can’t help but wonder if his quirklessness is the reason why. Izuku sighs, shaking his head, answering her silent questions.

“I’m not sure she was interested in being friendly.” Izuku says, keeping a cheerful attitude despite the lack of socialization. Most teens are off with their friends… and Izuku hasn’t had one since he was a kid with Kacchan, and we all know how that ended.

“Well at least you’re trying. I’m sure you’ll find a good friend soon.” Inko says, showing where Izuku got his positivity from. He and his mother are like two peas in a pod, she basically copy, pasted herself.

“Yeah, it’s just a matter of time.” Izuku agrees, though he doesn't really believe it. He’s made his peace with being alone, in the shadows. He’s helping people by being in the silent night and not having too many connections. ‘It’s better that way…’ He reminds himself.

“How was your day, Mom?” Izuku asks and lets Inko ramble about her cleaning job. She works for tons of clients, cleaning their houses and hearing many stories, which she brings home to Izuku. Like the time an old woman and her husband were dancing in the kitchen to some music, forgetting she was there. Or the time she had to catch a pigeon and put it outside before the owners came home. She’s full of stories that always make Izuku’s day better.

After about 45 minutes, the two clean up, and wash the dishes they used. With dinner being over, Inko goes to watch the television, and Izuku retires to his room. He locks the door, and pulls out the stashed food, water bottles and the box, quietly putting together sandwiches and stacking them in the paper bags. He makes sure to cut them all in half, so it's easier to share. He makes 3 bags, with four sandwiches each, and two waters for each bag. He puts them into his vigilante work backpack carefully.

And as 8:30 PM hits, he hears his mother’s footsteps. She gently knocks on the door and speaks through the door sweetly.

“Good night, Izuku.” She says.

“Good night, Mom.” He replies, and he listens as her footsteps tread back to her room and the door closes. And it's go time. Izuku drags out the box, putting on a pair of black loose pants, a blank hoodie, that he modified to work like a mask with two bunny-like ears flopping at the top. He pulls the metal mask he made over his mouth, and the hoodie over his eyes. And he packs up, leaving out the window, climbing up the fire escape to get to the rooftops.

Izuku sighs as it feels like freedom as he runs along the rooftops, scouting out the places he sees the homeless population gather at night. He finds a small group and drops down, handing the bag over gently. Izuku backs away, and climbs back up to the roof, heading off to the next group, but he goes to put the bag on the ground and a voice rings out.

“Miyoko, the angel is here.” One man says, giving a bow to Izuku in gratitude and Izuku bows back. He’s unsure why he’s being called the angel, until he recognizes the older woman from a few days ago. They must be calling him that because of her.

“Hello, angel.” She greets and bows, and Izuku repeats the bow he gave to the man. He notices that the group is bigger than last night, big enough that he pulls the other bag out and all the water bottles, handing them off in silence.

“Be careful.” The older woman, Miyoko, says and Izuku nods, leaving the way he came. The small group all whisper about the boy, wondering how someone can give so freely in this cruel world… And the word slowly spreads of The Angel that comes in the middle of the night to help the homeless. The word spreads through, and Izuku unknowingly is deemed as their midnight angel.

Chapter Text

“Eeeeuuuugh….” And Izuku flops on the bed after another boring day of school. But it was a little harder this time, due to not sleeping as much as he needed. Even though he tells himself that it's for a good reason, It doesn't make him any less tired. He rolls over and sighs as he slowly sits back up and in an attept to keep himself awake, he looks around the room.

It used to be so bright with the red, blue, and yellow Almight merch, now much darker without them. He took it all down, sold it off slowly as he resigned himself to what Almight had told him that fateful day.

“Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains just can’t be beaten without powers. So no, I honestly don’t think you could become a hero without a Quirk.” The exact words rang in his mind and it still makes his heart clench despite letting go of that dream. He does good in his own way now. That is enough for him. At least, it's the closest he can get to his lifelong dream.

He looks at the now blank walls, like part of his personality was stripped away. And he changed after that. Everything went to neutral colors, black, gray, brown, excluding his red shoes. Even his vigilante suit he made was so colorless compared to what he originally imagined for his hero costume. He always thought green would be good, matching his hair, marketable, and different enough to not be an Almight clone.

He drags himself out of bed, tired but getting the small amount of homework out. He’d gotten some done in homeroom. It’s torture as his eyes tiredly look over the information, finding the right answers and jotting them down. Occasionally, the words will blur as he goes into a tired daze, before refocusing. It takes him an hour and a half to finish, and its like the bed calls him back. He doesn't bother changing out of his uniform, just flops down and passes out, forgetting to set an alarm this time.

It’s five hours later and a small, cautious knock comes from Izuku’s door. However, he is fully in dreamland, snoring with drool streaming down his cheek. Inko carefully peeks in, just checking on her son since he didn’t come out for dinner. She sighs in relief when she sees Izuku is simply sleeping. In her motherly way, she comes in and gently pets Izuku’s hair to wake him. With a smile she watches as her tired son stirs awake, with a messy bedhead and the same dark circles that are now a signature look for Izuku.

“Izuku, sweetie.” Inko says, pulling her hand away and lets him groggily prop himself up on his forearms, looking around is slight confusion.

“What time is it?” Izuku yawns out, stretching as he sits up fully.

“Nine. I left you a plate in the refrigerator. You should eat before you go to bed.” Inko says softly, patting his cheek. She knows he is a growing boy. He needs all three meals in a day, otherwise he’s starved the next day.

“Mm, thanks Momma.” A slip of the tongue that Izuku does every time he’s tired. He reverts to ‘Momma’ rather than just Mom. It always warms Inko’s heart when it happens.

“You’re welcome. It’s good to see you get some extra sleep. You look so tired all the time.” Inko says thoughtfully.

“Maybe you should cut back on the tutoring for a bit. You know you can ask me for anything.” She says, reminding him she cares in her own way. Izuku smiles and shakes his head sleepily.

“Nah, I like it.” Half lie, half truth. He hates tutoring, but the good he spreads with the money is what he loves. He won’t use his mother’s hard earned money for charity. He wants to do it himself.

“As long as you’re happy.” Inko says, like always. It’s one of the repeated lines that she’s always used. If her son is happy, so is she.

“I am.” That is the truest statement that Izuku can say. What he does makes him happy. Even if he’s losing sleep and practically working himself to the bone. He’s still happy.

“Good. Make sure you eat, honey. I’m always here if you need me.” Inko says, leaving the room as she sees Izuku nod. Izuku yawns once more, involuntarily and gets up to go eat. He’s practically starving. He opens the refrigerator, seeing a plate of mapo tofu, and he puts it in the microwave, taking off the plastic film his mother used to keep it fresh.

Izuku tiredly stares at the wall, lost in space as he thinks only of eating his food and getting ready to go for tonight. He has some onogiri that he got on sale to give out, and some water bottles, along with a big vat of kimchi that was also on sale. He found those small plastic containers that are used in restaurants and thought they’d work perfectly.

As soon as the microwave beeped, signalling it was done, Izuku was pulled out of his spaced out state. He grabs two spoons, one to eat and one to section out the kimchi into the little containers he’d gotten. He takes his food to his room, locking the door and scarfing his food down. He already feels like he’s behind. He usually heads out at 9:30 PM and comes home at 3:00 AM, depending on the night. The later he leaves, the later he stays out.

He finishes his plate of mapo tofu and gets right to separating out the food he bought today. He had tutored two people, which meant double the money, and double the food. Add the discount in and Izuku has approximately eight paper bags full to the brim with onogiri, and small containers of kimchi to go along with it. He has plastic spoons too, adding them to the bags, and organizes the bags into his backpack, along with some water bottles. He’s a little happier today, pride swelling in his chest as he knows he can help more people today. The extra two hours of sleep helped too.

Izuku stretches his arms above his head as his back gives several satisfying pops. He sighs in relief, a little of the stiffness from his nap dissipating. He pulls out his secret box, pulling on his dark cargo pants, and black hoodie. Izuku puts a mask over his mouth and nose. He had made it when he first started. It's metallic looking, but really its just plastic. It’s more to hide his identity than keep him safe. The hoodie is baggy, meant to hide his figure which is more lean than muscular. Inside the hoodie is a mask he sewed in messily, that goes over his eyes when the hood is up.

He gets all geared up and gets the backpack on, securing it, and heading out. His legs move fast over the rooftops, though he is slowed a little by the heavy load of food and water bottles on his back. He goes his usual route, going to the places he always does first. Though, after the first few times, people begin to recognize him. Izuku no longer needs to set the food on the ground and back away like every time before. This time, each time he comes down, someone reaches out, and accepts the bag gratefully.

Izuku still stays silent, offering a bow of acknowledgment and kindness, offering respect, though few give it to the homeless. He can’t help but smile under the mask before leaving, heading off to each group, welcomed each time.

“Look! It’s the Angel!” A little girl says, and points out Izuku as he comes down. This group has called him that many times now. It started with the older woman, Miyoko, and has spread to the rest. The group is bigger today, with new, unfamiliar faces that seem wary, but Miyoko just approaches, and takes the bag and waters graciously. Izuku pulls out a second bag and more water bottles, quietly passing the food out to anyone who will take it. More people equals more mouths to feed, so two bags is necessary for this group.

“Thank you, Angel.” Miyoko says sweetly. And Izuku nods, giving a respectful bow like always. He climbs the fire escape up to the roof, hearing the whispers of happiness, and murmurs of who he is to the new people in the group. Izuku goes off, searching around the alleyways for any groups or petty crimes being committed. He’s never really seen any big crimes yet. Mostly teens graffitiing walls or burglars that are easily chased off.

Izuku finds a new group of homeless people, tucked into the corner of an alley way, seemingly hiding from the cold, or maybe something else. Izuku counts five people, two of them young children. He climbs down carefully, approaching slowly and walking up with the bag in one hand, two water bottles in the other, hands raised to show them. He takes slow, measured steps, as he sees the mother of the children hide them behind her.

Izuku just crouches down, setting the food and water bottles down, before backing off. Before the mother can stop her child, it runs forward and takes a protective stance, hitting Izuku’s leg weakly. Izuku holds his hands up, not touching the child or fighting back at all, simply backing up as the kid yells.

“Don’t touch my mama!!!” The little boy yells, and Izuku backs up more. And for the first time as a vigilante, he actually speaks.

“I’m not here to hurt you.” Izuku says quietly as the mother snatches her child back in fear of him being hurt. She glances at the bag, still wary but peeks in and sees the food, which makes her soften a little. She takes the bag and nods in gratitude, taking the waters as well.

“Thank you. I am sorry about him.” The mother says, as the little girl behind her peeks out curiously. And the two other women with the mother both take some of the food. Izuku nods and gives his usual bow, getting one back from the little girl who does it a little fast, but Izuku smiles and moves on, going back up onto the roof.

Izuku goes on his way, not affected by the kid’s hits from before. He goes along, peacefully passing out food to anyone he could until he is officially out of food and water bottles. He runs a little faster with the lack of excess weight on his back. Though, as it reaches about 2:00 AM… He was getting tired and on his way back home, which he was about two miles away from. But a scream that rips away the quiet makes him gasp in surprise and in fear of what that could have came from…

And without thinking, Izuku was running head first towards the area the scream came from. Something so instinctual came over Izuku, he runs faster than he’s ever ran, only one thought. ‘I have to help them!’

Izuku sees a young woman cornered by a big man, bigger than him, but he just jumps down, aiming for the man. He lands on top of the man, knocking him down. Izuku uses all his strength to kick the man in the private parts, wincing himself when the man curses.

The woman runs off, her tall heels clicking down the alley way. She seemed to be in clubbing attire. Izuku left the man, getting back on the roof and watching the woman run. Though he felt a little stalker-y, he just followed until she ran into an apartment building. Izuku, feeling better about her safety, gives a sigh of relief and starts heading back home. He runs again, the cardio making him sweat like crazy and he gets home at 3:08 AM. He gives a few little fist pumps of happiness that he did so much good and is about to knock out.

He’s sweaty, legs sore, so very tired and yet he takes his vigilante gear off with a grin. He puts everything away and flops into bed, eyes closing and before he falls asleep, he takes a deep breath, releasing every bad thought he had. ‘I did good tonight… I can’t wait for tomorrow.’ He thinks to himself, falling into a contented slumber.