Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first time Izuku met Death, he was 4. Izuku woke up that day very excited, unaware of the disaster that was to come. It was his birthday! More importantly, it was his 4th birthday, and he was going to go to the doctor to see what his quirk was.
“Mama mama!” Izuku yelled, eyes bright and filled with excitement. “I'm so excited to see what quirk I get! Do you think I'll get a quirk like yours? Or like papa's, your quirks are sooooo cool, or maybe I'll get a combination of your quirks!” Izuku’s mom laughed, filling the air with a bright sound like tinkling bells.
“I’m sure whatever quirk you get is going to be amazing, darling,” Izuku’s mom said, smiling. She turned and gave her husband a quick kiss before handing him his lunch and sending him out the door. “I’ll tell you all about Izuku’s quirk when you get home, Hisashi!” Inko called out the door. She smiled content before turning to her son. “Now, what does the birthday boy want for breakfast?”
“Katsudon!” Izuku shouted, eyes gleaming with happiness.
“Okay, only because it's your birthday,” Inko said before starting breakfast.

Izuku vibrated in his seat, barely containing his excitement as he waited for his mom and sat in the waiting room for the doctor.
“Izuku Midoriya!” a nurse called out.
“That's us!” Inko said, gently taking Izuku's hand and guiding him after the nurse. Sitting in the doctor's office and waiting for the results was torture for Izuku. They had taken his blood, performed some routine tests, and taken an X-ray. Izuku’s eyes lit up as he watched the doctor walk into the room.
“I’m sorry, kid, it's not going to happen. This X-ray shows you have a double pinky joint. This means you're probably never going to get a quirk,” the doctor stated bluntly. Izuku gasped, eyes filling with tears, grip loosening on his toy. His mom led him out of the doctor’s office, his feet walking on autopilot.
“Mama? Can I still be a hero?” Izuku mumbled, eyes pleading.
I'm sorry, Zuku. I’m so so sorry”, Inko replied numbly.

The next day, Izuku begged his mom to take him to the park so he could play with Katsuki.
“Please, Mama, please, I promise I’ll be careful!” Izuku begged.
“Fine, but please be careful, you don't have a quirk to protect yourself,” Inko replied, eyes filled with worry. Izuku jumped up joyfully before running to get himself ready for the park. The walk to the park was short, and they sat on the bench waiting for Katzuki and his mom to get there.
“Kachan!” Izuku yelled excitedly when he spotted his best friend.
“Zuku!” Katsuki shouted. The two boys ran off to the playground, leaving their mothers behind to converse. “What quirk did you get?” Katsuki asked, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Izuku looked down and mumbled, “The doctor said I’m probably never going to get a quirk.” Katsuki’s face crumpled eyes gace contorting into a disappointed sneer.
“You’re quirkless? You're a liar! How can we be heroes together if you are a quirkless weakling!” Katsuki stared at him, eyes filled with hatred. Katsuki shoved Izuku down to the ground before stomping off into the woods. Izuku followed Katsuki, wanting to play with him, naively believing that Katsuki didn’t care he was quirkless.

“Stop following me, you, stupid nerd!” Bakugo yelled, palms crackling with anger, showing his new quirk. Kachan’s quirk is soo cool! Izuku thought absent-mindedly.

“But we are friends and friends play with each other,” Izuku replied, beaming. His eyes held a hopeful look, begging, pleading for his only friend, Kachan, not to turn on him, too.

“I’m not going to be friends,” Bakugo paused, “a stupid Deku!”

“That's not nice! I'm telling your mom you called me that.” Izuku whined. Kachan’s palms began crackling and smoking, emitting a faint caramel-like smell as he ran towards Izuku.

“Don’t tell me a tattle tale!” Bakugo yelled as he shoved Izuku. Izuku wobbled from the impact before tipping backward and falling, down, down into the stream and hitting his little head on a rock. Bakugo stumbled back in shock and horror before running away. Izuku opened his eyes to darkness. He gasped because, like another four-year-old, he was still scared of the dark and the monster that hid in it.
“Another one?” a melodic voice whispered, filled with sadness.

“Hello? Who are you? Can you take me home?” Izuku called out, voice trembling with unshed tears. A figure emerged with hair so dark it seemed to swallow everything, with pale skin filled with freckles that looked like stars. She wore a simple white dress with bandages over her eyes. She sighed, looking at Izuku before speaking again.
“I'm sorry, child, this is your home now.” The lady spoke
“NO! I wanna go back to mama!” Izuku wailed. “Her hugs are warm, and she makes the best katsudon! Daddy is supposed to come back from his work trip today, too! I wanna go back to Mama!”
“You died, child, you can’t go back.” The lady whispered.
“Please, please, please,” Izuku begged. The lady’s eyes softened, and her hand reached out to pull Izuku into a hug.
“If I send you back now, I can watch over you and make sure you will be safe,” she mumbled. “ I really will feel horrible keeping you, and I haven’t taken a prodigy in so long,” the lady sighed and looked up. “I’ll send you back.” She said, “Oh, and my name's Death.” Izuku blinked, confusion filling his eyes

“But death is mean, it takes people away. You are not mean, you're kind and give good hugs, so you can’t be Death. I'm going to call you, umm,” Izuku blinked “Akari!” Death blinked in surprise before smiling.

“Sure, child, child sure.” Death smiled at the small boy before waving her hand to send Izuku back gently. Back in the land of the living, Izuku woke up wet and shivering. The forest was cold and creepy, especially after falling into a stream. He stood up, wobbling, and began climbing up the sides of the stream and making his way back out of the forest. When he got there, he saw his mom frantically searching for her son. He stumbled up to her, dripping and cold.
“Mama! I met a nice lady named Akari, she helped after I fell into the stream.” Izuku babbled. Inko engulfed Izuku in a hug before flossing over him, asking him if he was okay and promising him warm soup and katsudon when they got back home.

Izuku got out of the shower to the smell of miso soup and katsudon filling the air. Giggled before thinking about how concerned his mom had been. He ruffled his fluffy green hair with a towel before waddling into the kitchen.
“It smells so good, mama!” Izuku exclaimed in excitement.

“I'm glad you think so,” Inko replied, as she looked up with concerned and relieved eyes, “though I wanted to ask you about what happened. You said you fell into the stream in the woods? You met a lady named Akari?”

Izuku looked up from his food before finishing his food and swallowing, “Yeah, um, I fell into the stream when I was playing with Kachan. And when I met this nice lady in white, she had really long black hair too. Um, she said her name was Death, but I thought that wasn’t a very nice name, so I asked if I could call her Akari, and she said yes!” Inko’s face srucnhed up with concern and confusion. Who was this lady that Izuku had met, and what were her intentions? Inko wondered. She sighed before beginning to eat her food too. Inko jumped when she heard the sound of a knock on the door.
“That must be your father!” Inko said, smiling. She got up and made her way over to the front door. “Darling, you’re finally home!” she said before pepering her husband with kisses.
“Hi Inko! I’m excited to see you too!” Hisashi said. He bent down and picked up Izuku, pulling him into a big hug. “Hi Zuzu! I’m happy to see you too!”
“Daddy! Mama made katsudon cause I fell, and it scared her a lot. I met a nice lady called Akari,” Izuku exclaimed, snuggling into his father’s hug, eyes drooping.
“Are you tired, Zuzu?” Hisashi asked, smiling with concern. Izuku nodded before yawning. “Let's get you tucked in,” Hisashi said before walking to Izuku’s room and putting him to bed. Hisashi walked to the dining room where Inko sat, hands fiddling with her hair.
“Is Izuku asleep?” Inko asked her husband.
“Yes. What’s Izuku’s quirk?” Hisashi asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Inko sighed, “He is quirkless.” Hisashi gasped, snarling with disgust.
“Inko, you'd better be lying. He better not be quirkless.” Hisashi snarled.
“Why would I lie about that?” Inko whispered, “He is quirkless. What's wrong with that? He just needs a bit more love!” Hisashi’s eye filled with fury, and a crack echoed through the room when Hisashi’s hand hit Inko’s cheek.
“You useless woman, how could you give me a defective son!” Hisashi’s throat glowed like an ember signaling the start of his quirk. Inko stumbled back before crying out.
“You leave this house now!” Inko yelled. Hisashi’s throat glowed again, and he opened his mouth, letting fire spew out. The fire covered everything, spilling over it and eating away at anything it could. Hisashi turned and bolted, not wanting to be faced with the consequences og his actions. Inko gasped in shock before stumbling to Izuku’s room. She fumbled with Izuku’s door, barely managing to open it before shaking Izuku awake and shoving some of his things into a backpack and pushing towards the front door. Suddenly, a chunk of the ceiling fell, crushing Inko’s leg.
“Go, Izuku!” Inko yelled, voice hoarse from smoke inhalation. Izuku sobbed, begging his mom to get up and not leave him. He was so young, he didn’t want both of his parents to leave him just days after his birthday.
Go Izuku. I will watch over your mother. If she leaves the land of the living, I will keep her safe, and she will wait for you. Death’s voice startled Izuku out of his stupor, and he took one last watery-eyed glance at his mother.
“I’m going to tell them to come get you!” Izuku sobbed. Inko only smiled, tears threatening to stream down her face like a waterfall. Izuku sprinted towards the door, yanking it open before running down the stairs where many other residents were rushing down. When he made it out of the apartment, he ran to the first adult he saw. He grabbed the man's arm, shaking it before sobbing out, “Mama’s trapped in our house! She got stuck when something fell on her.” The man nodded before grabbing his gray scarf and running towards the building in search of Inko. He must be a hero, Izuku thought, he would save mama cause he is a hero! When Mama is better, I’ll ask her for help using the computer to find out who he is. A hand grabbed Izuku, startling a yelp out of him.
“Hey, kid, are you okay? Where are your parents?” The man who grabbed Izuku asked, “I’m a detective, you can call me Detective Tsukauchi.” He led Izuku to an ambulance that checked him out and wrapped him in a blanket.
“I want Mama,” Izuku mumbled. “The man with a scarf went to get her. She was stuck”
Truth Tsukauchi’s quirk rang in the back of his head.
“You are probably talking about Eraserhead. He is a pro-hero, I promise that he will do anything to save your mom, kid,” Tsukauchi comforted. As he said those words, Eraserhead walked through the door with a grim expression on his face.
“I’m sorry, kid. Your mom didn’t make it.” Eraserhead said solemnly. Izuku gasped and broke down in tears.
“Mama wouldn’t leave me! You’re a liar. Liar, liar, liar!” Izuku cried. Tsukauchi gently patted the boy's back, giving as much comfort as he could. Soon, Tsukauchi called a case worker who came and took the boy to a temporary group home. The case worker, a tall lady named Kanna Suzuki, handed the small boy off to the homeowner, Reiko Yami, who led the boy to his room and told him to go to bed and unpack the next day.

Chapter Text

Izuku woke up the next day, eyes puffy from crying, wishing that everything was just a dream. However, fate did not favor Izuku, for it wasn’t a dream; it was real. Izuku, being an early riser, sat in his side of his room and began quietly unpacking, tears silently streaming down his face. Child, don't cry, your mom is safe now; she is no longer in pain. She loves you very much. Akari’s voice rang out through Izuku’s mind, comforting him. Izuku startles before thinking back to Akar. Am I able to talk to Mama? Or can only u talk to me? Akari’s laugh made Izuku smile. Maybe another time. Souls always need to settle down when they arrive. Also, they need to decide if they want to forget. Izuku gasped. She might choose to forget me? Please, please, please tell her not to forget me. Akari paused. I’m sure she would never choose to forget you. When you decide to visit me, I'll ask her if she wants to see you. Izukus brightened, Thanks, Akari! You are the best!
As Izuku finished unpacking, he hummed a lullaby to himself that his mom used to sing to him, remembering the laughs and smiles they had shared. He finished, quietly stepping back to look at his handiwork, clothes folded and separated into piles on the edge of his bed, and his analysis notebooks stacked in a pile underneath his bed. A harsh knock came from the door, startling him and the other boy who had been sleeping.
“Time to wake up!” a shrill voice yelled before opening the door roughly. The woman, Yami-san, his mind supplied, looked at Izuku’s side of the room before nodding in approval, “Good to know quirkless doesn’t mean lazy.” Yami-san said snidely, “Breakfast is in 15, be there or starve. Your roommate will explain the rules to you after breakfast.” The other boy looked at Izuku with pity before getting out of his bed and getting dressed.
The two boys walked down to breakfast in silence, Izuku a couple of steps behind the other. “What’s your name? My name is Izuku Midoriya!” Izuku asked
The other boy glanced at him. “Enter name, are you really quirkless? Is that why you are here? Did your mom drop you off here because you are useless?” enter name here asked face filled with contempt.
Izuku’s face dropped. “That's not nice!” he yelled. “Also, Mama would never abandon me; she's dead.”
“Well, it's true, quirkless means useless. That's what everyone says. Also, don’t yell, that's one of the rules. Be quiet and don't talk unless spoken to in front of the Madam or if you are in your own room,” the boy said, indifferent. Izuku’s mouth slammed shut and began following the boy silently, hoping not to get in trouble. The two arrived at the dining table after grabbing a plate of food and began eating silently. Izuku got a few curious glances and some menacing ones, but ignored them, opting to eat his food as quickly and silently as possible. The Madam walked into the room and everyone stilled before looking up at her. She wore a cruel smile on her face as her eyes swept the room before finally landing on Izuku. Be careful, Izuku Akari Izuku whispered in Izuku’s mind. She is filled with menace.
“I’m sure many of you have noticed we have a new member,” Madame said with fake cheeriness. “Come here, boy, and introduce yourself with your quir.k” Izuku froze before slowly standing up.
“My name is Izuku, and I am quirkless.” Izuku stuttered out. Eyes scanning the faces of the other kids as he spoke the last few words of his sentence. Most faces were filled with pity or disgust, but a few were filled with glee, which deeply unsettled Izuku.
After breakfast, the boys were released to do as they pleased after completing their chores. Izuku got tasked with washing the dishes and tidying up the dining room. Izuku got to work on his tasks diligently, washing the plates and carefully drying and putting them away. Next, Izuku took a rag and wiped down the dining table and swept the floor. He stepped back, admiring his handywork. The room was much cleaner than it had been, which satisfied Izuku. As Izuku walked back to his new room, he thought of the rules that he had been told to follow. Be as quiet as possible before 10 am, don’t speak unless spoken to around the Madame, do all your chores before relaxing, don't start fights, and keep a clean room. He mulled over them before realising there were no rules about quirk use. That's odd Izuku thought, I wonder why there is nothing about quirks. A voice startled him out of his thoughts.
“Hey, Null, did your mommy abandon you because you were so useless? An older boy said mockingly.
“My mom would never abandon me! She died cause daddy got mad and started a fire.” Izuku angrily retorted. The other boy, taking offense to Izuku “speaking back to him,” raised his fist to punch Izuku. Izuku flinched, and the older boy laughed before the boy and his friends descended upon Izuku with flying fists and kicks, all while telling Izuku they were making the world a better place. When the boys eventually left, Izuku lay on the ground in a daze before eventually peeling himself off the ground and dragging himself to the bathroom and patching himself up. Eventually, nightfall came with only a couple more snide remarks, and Izuku fell into a deep slumber.
The next day, Izuku woke early again, sweating from a nightmare. He quietly slid out of bed and changed into his school uniform because he had school that day. Soon, his bed was made, and Madame’s knock came signalling Izuku to get off his bed and go eat breakfast before catching the bus to Aldera Elementary School.
School was usually good, but today, everyone kept looking at him with pity-filled eyes. It seemed like everyone knew that his mother had died and his father had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Katsuki, however, was glaring at Izuku, seemingly angry at him.
“You useless deku!” Katsuki roared when recess finally came. “If you had a quirk, Auntie Inko would still be here. It’s your fault she's dead! Your quirklessness is the reason why she died!” Izuku simply stared blankly at Katsuki with eyes filled with tears. This infuriated Katsuki, making him harshly kick Izuku’s shin and blast an explosion at Izuku, sending the small boy sprawling across the ground, ears ringing and stars filling his eyesight.
Izuku lay on his bed staring out of the window as the sunset. He hadn’t left his room after getting home other than to do his chores. He pondered why this all happened to him. Why did I have to be the one to lose his mom after being diagnosed with quirklessness? Why me, why me? Izuku thought
you were lost in your thoughts again? Akari asked
I’m just sad about losing mom. Izuku replied.
Are you going to tell anyone about the playground incident, or just gonna ignore it, Akari questioned
I have a feeling telling Kachan will only make it worse, Izuku stated bitterly. Akari huffed out a laugh before disappearing again.
The Days were a blur after that, after all, it was the same thing over and over and over again. Wake up, eat breakfast--if there was any that is, go to school, get beaten up, get back to the home, do chores, get yelled at, do homework, have an existential crisis, go to bed. It was pretty boring after the first week. Izuku had no idea what to do. He was bored, and no one wanted to do anything with him other than hit and yell at him. He was getting pretty tired of doing those two things, too. All Izuku wanted was a friend, but fate was not on his side this time around.
Eventually, his birthday came, and he spent it hiding in a storage closet, hoping the older kids wouldn’t find him and give him his “birthday present,” which would be a really bad beating--something he didn’t want to deal with today. After all, the 5th birthday marked the first anniversary of his life going to absolute shit.
Akari? You there? Izuku asked if I could visit you for a few hours? You would have to tell me how to visit you, though
Izuku, I’m not telling you how to kill yourself on your 5th birthday. Akari said, exasperated.
But you promised, Izuku whined. You said I could visit you when I was older. Well, I’m older now.
Izuku, I meant like middle school age. You’re not killing yourself at the ripe age of 5! Akari yelled through his brain.
Fine! But when I get into middle school, I’m visiting you! Also, you'd better let my mom talk to me. Izuku huffed. He got up, preparing himself to leave his hiding spot and go back to his room. He quietly opened the door and tiptoed towards his room.
“I heard it's your birthday today. Is that true?” one of the older boys mockingly asked. Izuku knew the boy knew the answer to that question. After all, this boy, AkumShii, was one of the reasons he was just hiding in the storage closet.
“Um, yeah, it is,” Izuku replied nervously, attempting to creep back to the safety of his room slowly. The boys immediately zeroed in on his attempt to escape.
“Where do you think you’re going, you useless crybaby. We haven’t given you your birthday gift yet,” Shi cooe,d a sneer on his face, “Grab him!” He shouted. The other two boys quickly closed in on the terrified Izuku and began dragging him to the back of the house. Izuku was thrown roughly onto the ground, and his small body hit the ground hard, his head landing on a rock—Izuku winced. I'll probably have a concussion. Moments later, the boys descended on him like vultures and began kicking and punching him with as much force as possible. “You know, quirkless, maybe you aren’t so useless. After all, you are our punching bag.” Shi said, laughing. Eventually, the boys seemed to realise the damage they had done to the poor boy and sprinted away, worried that they would face consequences for their actions. Akari? I think I’m going to visit you a little earlier than planned. Izuku thought What? Izuku! Akari screeched in panic.
“Akari! How are you doing?” Izuku said he chuckled nervously.
“Izuku! What the hell happened?” Akari huffed furiously.
“I may or may not have been beaten to death? I swear they were just roughing me up and got a little carried away,” he mumbled out. Akari sighed before turning away and beckoning Izuku to follow her.
“Well, now that you are here, I can ask your mom if she wants to see you,” Akari said. She paused before her eyes lit up, “Your mom said she would love to see you. I’m going to pull her back into the veil, but you will only have 5 minutes.”
Izuku’s face lit up in a bright smile, “Okay!”
“Izuku! My baby, what happened? Why are you here?” Inko worried.
“Don't worry about it, Mama. I’m doing well at the orphanage and missed you, that's it.” Izuku lied. After his mom asked him to tell her about what he's been up to, he explained how the year went and how the chore system worked.
“I’m really sorry, but Inko needs to go back now, or her soul could be lost forever. Souls are only meant to be in the veil for short periods of time.” Akari said apologetically. Izuku felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he grabbed his mom in a tight hug before saying a teary goodbye. Inko looked back at her son's eyes, also tear-filled,
“Please try not to visit me too often, I don't want you getting hurt.” Inko sighed contentedly at seeing her son again before stepping back with a small wave and returning to the other side. Akari sighed, “You should probably head back too. Please try to stay alive, Izuku.” Izuku nodded before he felt a tug and woke up in a puddle of his dried blood. Stupid fucks, I can’t clean blood off the pavement. Izuku grumbled before quickly making his way back to take a quick rinse off and go to bed.