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Izuku had the best sleep of his whole life last night. Usually, he's too hyper to even lie down and Kurogiri has to use his quirk to keep him from running away, but when they got home yesterday, Izuku was exhausted. He was ready to pass out then and there but Kurogiri made him stay up until it was his bedtime which doesn't make any sense for how much the man usually wants him to sleep. As the day went on, Izuku regained some of his energy but when he was finally allowed to sleep, Izuku crashed and slept all through the night. Sleeping so deeply doesn't mean he wakes up any later than normal though, so before the sun is even shining through his window, Izuku is awake and ready to face a new day fully energized.
It only takes a few seconds from the moment he wakes up to when he is out of bed and tucked into his warm slippers that keep away the cold seeping through the floorboards on the cool spring morning. Once he's secure in his shoes, Izuku turns back to his bed and straightens out his blankets. Kurogiri says it's important to keep your space tidy so he’d taught Izuku how to make his bed but Izuku’s never been as good as the nomu. Still, he does his best, moving his pillows back to their resting place at the headboard, pulling at his blanket until the wrinkles and air pockets are less noticeable, and lining up his stuffed creatures on top of it all. He takes a step back to admire his work which reminds him to grab one of the creatures he'd just organized except this one wasn't stuffed. He carefully places Burt on the floor beside him and calls it to follow as Izuku shuffles out of his room. The miniature nomu runs to his side and, as always, the awkward movement makes Izuku giggle.
Tomura always says Burt is ugly, but Izuku thinks it’s cute. It has big round eyes that bludge out of its head and a wide mouth full of sharp teeth. Its front legs are a bit bigger than its back two which makes them a fun wrestling buddy but a bad walker, which is why its run never fails to make Izuku laugh. The best thing about Burt, though, is it listens to anything Izuku says. He’s heard about pets like dogs and fish but dogs and fish won’t let you put them in costumes and they definitely can’t play games like Don’t Die. Burt is good at Don’t Die because like Izuku, it has multiple quirks. It has enhanced senses and strength, and can make really strong barriers, although Tomura calls them force fields. Dad also says it has an intelligence quirk like Izuku but it doesn’t seem very smart, Izuku doesn’t mind though, Tomura’s not usually very smart either and Izuku still loves him. Burt can also eat things and throw them up later but that’s not a quirk, it’s just like that.
The two exit the room sticking close to each other's side and Izuku closes the door behind them. They get to the stairs and he picks up Burt, who is very light for its size, because it struggles to go downstairs. The pair make it to the bottom of the stairs which brings them right into the open kitchen and like every morning, Kurogiri is there cooking food for him. It’s just breakfast for Izuku because Kurogiri doesn’t eat and Tomura almost never wakes up before ten while Izuku almost never sleeps past seven.
“Good morning, Young Master,” Kurogiri calls, not even needing to turn to know he’s there. Izuku groans. He wasn’t trying today but even when he does he can never sneak up on the misty man.
“Good morning Uncle ‘Giri," he replies and crosses the room to the bar where he climbs up onto his favorite stool, Burt dutifully sitting under his feet. He can smell something cooking but it's definitely not their normal breakfast and the little he can smell isn't strong enough to give him any clues so he leans over the counter trying to get a better look at the stove, “Whatcha makin’?”
“Breakfast.”
“Noo,” he whines, “I meant what food.”
“My mistake,” the man says but Izuku gets the feeling it wasn’t a mistake at all, Kurogiri’s like that sometimes. Izuku pretends it annoys him but he really thinks it's funny. “With how eventful yesterday was I thought we could stray from our usual breakfast but you can’t tell anyone.”
“I promise!” Izuku rushes out and mimics zipping his lips so Kurogiri knows he’s serious.
“Good. I’m making pancakes.”
“Yes!” he exclaims and jumps in his seat almost knocking it and himself over but he manages to steady himself with help from the counter. Kurogiri gives him a look and Izuku smiles back widely. It doesn’t take much longer after that for Kurogiri to finish, serving him a plate of thick, fluffy pancakes doused in syrup. He’s not allowed to pour the syrup himself, not since the incident, which he fought against at first but has since relented. He knows how to pick his battles and Kurogiri won’t budge after how long he’d spent in the bath after last time.
Izuku digs into his delicious breakfast while Kurogiri begins to clean up the mess cooking made. Like always, breakfast is a word-filled affair, specifically filled with Izuku's words. He likes to talk a lot or its more that he has so much going on in his head all the time and its easier to understand all of those thoughts when he voices them plus that way he gets feedback. Tomura isn't a very good conversationalist, Kurogiri is better and Izuku likes to talk to him, but his favorite is always his dad. His dad likes thinking too and when Izuku talks he'll listen really carefully and ask Izuku questions that make him think about all kinds of things that relate to his original thought. Right now though, he doesn't need much back and forth because he's not asking questions, he's just talking about all of the cool quirks he say yesterday. His favorite was Eraserhead's quirk although that may be because he mostly watched the man before he was assigned his mission. Distracted by his endless stream of words Izuku doesn't even realize how much he's eaten until he feels his stomach full and incapable of finishing the half of a pancake that remains on his plate. He could have Kurogiri save the food for later but he feels bad that he got to eat a delicious breakfast while Burt starved at his feet. “Can I have some water, please?”
“Of course, you may.” Kurogiri turns to grab a glass and Izuku seizes the opportunity to pick up the last of his food and toss it down to Burt. The sticky carbohydrate falls right onto Burt’s face but the creature uses its long tongue to lick the food from its face. Izuku stifles a laugh from the scene but is cut off by a voice. “Where is the rest of your food?”
Izuku whips his head up and tries not to look suspicious. Everyone always says Izuku is really bad at that but he still has hope he'll succeed one day and hopefully that day is today. “I ate it.”
“You ate it?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And where is your pet?”
“I don’t know.”
Kurogiri sighs, he does that a lot when talking to Izuku. “Master Izuku, I once again urge you to stop feeding your leftovers to Burt.”
“But he’s hungry,” Izuku whines and leans back on his stool, holding on to the bar so he doesn't fall back this time.
“I assure you he is not. Like me, Burt does not have the ability to digest food, he will have to regurgitate it later or it will rot inside of him.”
“That’s gross and sad. Everybody should get pancakes.”
“I agree it may be ‘gross’ but it is not sad, that is just the way it is.”
“Okay,” he relents but he still doesn't believe the man. Maybe he can ask his dad to make it so Kurogiri and Burt eat because everyone should get pancakes, especially his favorite people.
“Good now here is your drink.”
“Thank you.” He picks up the cup and sips on the water. Taking his time on his drink Izuku has the time to think about something that has been bothering him almost since the moment he woke up. “What day is it?”
“It is Wednesday, April 4th. Is there a reason you ask?”
The date rings bells in his head but it only serves to make him more confused. “I don’t know. I think something important happens today.” He takes another sip of his drink and thinks hard. “Oh my gosh! It’s Tomra’s birthday!”
“Yes, it is,” the misty man confirms easily like he'd known and not planned on doing anything with the information.
“We have to do something!” Izuku cries indignantly.
“Master Tomura isn’t one for celebrating.”
“But he celebrated my birthday," he reasons because it's true. For his fourth birthday his dad gave him all sorts of quirks to try and Tomura played with him and his temporary abilities even though he always prefers playing video games.
“Yes, but it’s quite different, celebrating and being celebrated. Master Tomura prefers not to be the center of attention.”
“But we have to do something,” Izuku insists.
“If you insist, I’m sure we can find something small he’d appreciate doing but we have hours until Master Tomura will wake and before you start any planning there is something you have to do.”
“No there isn’t.”
“Yes, you have to finish your morning routine.”
“This is more important!”
“Personal Hygiene is something I will not budge on,” Kurogiri says, figuratively putting his foot down.
Izuku sighs deeply at the inconvenience but slips off his stool and away from his empty plate. "Fine, come on Burt." He runs up the stairs, Burt following after him and having no trouble going up. Heading right into the bathroom he pulls out his stool and steps up to be able to reach the sink. Izuku grabs his toothbrush and quickly puts the paste on the bristles, not measuring as carefully as he normally would. He starts brushing his teeth, rushing through his count to one hundred and twenty before spitting the built-up foam into the sink bowl. He rinses the brush but pauses before putting the plastic piece away, remembering that Burt had eaten too. He puts another dollop of toothpaste on the brush and steps down from the stool. He squats closer to his pet and commands, “Let me see your teeth." Burt opens its mouth, showing off large, sharp teeth. “Why can’t you eat, your teeth look perfect for it,” he ponders aloud as he scrubs, once again counting to make sure it's done right so Burt’s teeth don’t rot and fall out of his mouth cause that’s what Tomura said would happen. Kurogiri said it's only kinda true but Izuku would rather be safe than sorry. When the time is up he sets the toothbrush on the sink and steps up on the stool again, this time with the creature in his arms. “Spit.” Burt does as he’s told and Izuku releases him again. He rinses the toothbrush and puts it back then washes his face and grabs a comb on his way out of the room. He runs to his bedroom and looks through his closet, not spending too long picking an outfit, just putting on some slacks and a plain white button-down. With the comb and Burt in his hands, he makes his way back down the stairs, flagging down Kurogiri who is still cleaning in the kitchen. “I’m ready.”
“Then come here.” Izuku runs over and skids to a stop right before hitting the man. Uncle ‘Giri leans over and buttons his shirt with practiced movements then gestures to one of the bar stools. Having done this every morning for he doesn’t even know how long, Izuku knows what he’s supposed to do. He hands the comb over and climbs up. The whole time Kurogiri is doing his hair, which is a while with how curly it is, Izuku is restless which only makes the process longer but he can’t help it. Finally, the nomu finishes and Izuku jumps down, rushing to the door where their shoes are stored. Izuku’s don’t get used often because he spends most of his time in the house but he does wear them to see his dad which is exactly what he plans on doing. “Where are you off to?”
“I need to see my dad,” he says while tying his bright red shoes just like he'd been taught.
“I believe your father is in a meeting.”
“But this is important.”
“Important enough to interrupt his work?” Kurogiri crosses his arms and raises a glowing eye(brow?) in question.
Izuku thinks for a moment. He knows his dad’s work is very important but what could be more important than his big brother’s birthday? “Yes," he replies with a serious nod.
“Very well. I will call him but I cannot promise anything.”
“Thank you!” Izuku exclaims and Kurogiri pulls out his phone, presses a few buttons, and puts the device next to his head (Izuku is still not convinced that he has ears).
After a few seconds of waiting, Kurogiri starts talking, “I know sir, I apologize but Master Izuku wishes to see you.” Izuku tries to lean in to hear the other side of the conversation while also not letting Kurogiri know he's trying to eavesdrop. Kurogiri says it's not nice to listen to private conversations but it can get so boring staying in the same building almost every day. Not right now though, right now with how excited he is to give Tomura the best birthday present ever, he has no room to be bored and no excuse aside from curiosity. It doesn't matter though, because Kurogiri is way taller than him and Izuku doesn't currently have any hearing enhancing quirk so the next thing he hears is Kurogiri's response to whatever his dad said. "I understand, I will tell him.”
He takes his time returning the phone to his pocket before telling a jittery Izuku what was said. “Your father says he will finish his meeting early.”
"Yes!" Izuku quickly finishes putting on his shoes and waits as patiently as he can in the entryway. Kurogiri goes back to cleaning the kitchen and Izuku gets sucked into watching the man's robotic movements as he cleans the dishes. After a few minutes a sound rings through a room, one he recognizes as a notification on Kurogiri’s phone. “He’s ready for you.” The man opens a portal in front of him just big enough for Izuku to walk through. His own personal portal. He waves to his caretaker and says goodbye then tells Burt to stay put before stepping into the black cloud.
When he emerges it's into a very familiar room. It’s large, bigger than his own but not by much. Aside from their similar size, his dad’s room is very different from his own. It is open without much furniture to take up space only his bed, a table, and chairs he’d added for Izuku, and an old, plush armchair his dad said only stayed together with the help of multiple quirks that sat between a standing lamp and side table. There aren’t any windows in the room which Izuku has always found sad because, despite staying inside most of the time, he still does love the sun and can’t imagine not being able to wake up with it. His dad says he doesn’t mind it and that Izuku is the only sun he needs but he’s a different kind of son so that doesn’t make any sense. Still, Izuku doesn’t fight it, anymore at least, though more recently he has brought a few plants he'd grown to brighten up the place. The fact that there are no windows means the only exit to the room is a large pair of double doors he knows leads to the Doctor’s laboratory which is so his dad can watch over his work while also getting the medical help he needs. Izuku loves spending time in the Doctor’s lab and watching him make the Nomus but the Doctor says he’s too distracting plus he’s here on a mission so he can’t do that now anyways.
His dad sits in the old worn chair in the corner, under the light of the lamp by his side. Sitting in that chair means his dad must be feeling good today which fills Izuku with joy. When his dad has a good day, they usually play with new quirks which is Izuku's favorite thing to do. When he feels too tired to get out of bed they will lie down together as his dad tells him stories about all of the adventures he’s been on which is a lot because his dad is over 200 years old (Izuku is only 4 so he can’t even imagine being that old). He will also pull over the small table and chair so he can color while he sits next to his dad. The colorful papers plastered all throughout the room are proof of how often his dad is bedbound. Izuku really doesn’t mind though, it just makes him happier when his dad is like this and they can do things together except right now he’s only here for a few minutes because he has something else important to do. That realization makes Izuku suddenly less excited about the entire situation. He has an important mission that he can’t get distracted from but when will the next day come when his dad is like this?
“Izuku, come here,” his dad says and he doesn’t ignore the command but is still slow to cross the room. He climbs into open arms and sits comfortably in his father’s lap. “What’s bothering you?”
“Nothing,” he lies and tries to keep himself from sniffling due to the sadness growing in his heart.
“Son, I don't even need a quirk to tell me that’s not true.”
Izuku wilts and slumps further into his dad's arms. ”It’s Tomra’s birthday today and I‘m on an important mission to get him the best present ever... but that means I can't play with you even though you feel good."
His dad hums in thought, taking Izuku's words seriously just like he always does. "I see how that could be a predicament however you're thinking as though the two options are mutually exclusive," the man says which makes Izuku think hard about what those last two words mean. "What I mean is you don't have to choose one or the other, you can compromise."
"But how?" He asks, not understanding how he could both stay with his dad and go find something to gift his brother.
"We could find a present for Tomura together."
"Really? You'd help me?"
"Of course, I would, Izuku. I will always help you whenever you need me. Not only that, but Tomura is important to me as well so if you'd like to make his birthday special I will happily do my part. Now, what ideas have you been cooking up in that big brain of yours?" His dad says and ruffles Izuku's newly combed hair, making him giggle.
"Well, I thought maybe..."
Waking up is the worst part of the day. He’s played games with people who complained about their parents that made them go to sleep and wake up at specific times so while he hates waking up he’s grateful Sensei never made such rules. As long as Tomura does what’s expected of him and does it well, he’s allowed to do whatever he wants otherwise.
Pushing his procrastinative thoughts aside, he groans and rolls out of his warm bed, immediately missing its comfort. He drags a hand down his face which does nothing to wake him up so he settles for what he normally does to jumpstart his morning (and everyone else's afternoon), warming up whatever Kurogiri made for breakfast and downing an energy drink the man always complains about but has given up trying to hide from him.
He moves towards his goal of food and gets halfway down the stairs when he notices something is up. He blames his tired and lagging brain for how long it takes him to notice but the building is silent which is very odd. Izuku isn’t physically capable of being quiet but he isn’t always in the bar so the quiet isn’t odd but silence is. Kurogiri is always doing something and while he is more cautious with his actions he is still never silent and, unlike Izuku, he is always in the bar unless he’s with Tomura elsewhere.
He quiets his steps and readies his hands as he takes the final few steps into the bar and is immediately greeted by yelling.
“Surprise!” Izuku screams with a wide smile on his face. Tomura quickly lowers his deadly hands without the threat of danger and looks at the scene in front of him with heavy confusion. Not only are Izuku and Kurogiri standing in the kitchen waiting for him but Sensei is there too, sitting behind a vibrating Izuku with a hand on the boy's shoulder. With his smile and quick movements it is obvious Izku is happy about something but that something illudes Tomura. Even Sensei looks amused though it seems like it's more towards the energetic boy rather than the situation, whatever that may be. Finally there's Kurogiri who is unsurprisingly in his usual spot behind the bar but Tomura's long since given up on trying to understand how the nomu is feeling based on his few facial features.
Even taking everything in he comes to no conclusion which leaves him to just ask, “What is going on?”
“It’s your birthday silly,” Izuku says with a giggle which is cute but doesn't answer much.
“Oh-kay what does that have to do with this?” He gestures to the gathering but he’s mostly referring to Sensei’s presence. Don’t get him wrong he is happy the man is here, but he usually tries to conserve the little energy he has by staying confined to his room or the lab, not risking taking too many portal trips.
“Wha?" The boy's jaw drops like he's offended by his uncaringness towards such an insignificant event, if it can even be called that. "It means we have to celebrate! Uncle ‘Giri made pancakes and Dad and I made you a present.”
“You didn’t have to do that, I don’t really care about birthdays anyway," he says honestly with a shrug but obviously that was the wrong thing to say.
Izuku's expressive green eyes do something he hates, they well up with tears. “So you didn’t care about mine?” The little boy asks with a wobbling voice and Tomura quickly scrambles to fix what he’d broken.
“It’s not all birthdays, just mine. I liked celebrating yours, we had fun, yeah?” Izuku nods but his cries don’t slow any significant amount. He holds back a groan as he all too easily caves. “Fine, I submit. What did you make me?”
“You really want it?” Izuku asks as he wipes away gathered but unfallen tears.
“Yes.”
“Okay!” The pep is immediately back in the boy's step as he turns to grab a gift that was hidden from view. It’s wrapped in light blue paper with white snowflakes which is odd seeing as it’s early spring and they don’t celebrate Christmas which is obviously what holiday the paper is aimed towards. It doesn’t really matter though, because Izuku skips across the room and thrusts the small box into his hands while trying and terribly failing to hide a giggle. For a hardened villain, that sound melts more of his heart than it should.
Still, he is Izuku’s honorary older brother which means he is practically obligated to annoy the boy especially because he can’t bear to straight up disappoint him. He brings the box to his ear and jiggles it feeling the slightest bit of space between what sounds like a single object and soft cardboard. After he’s adequately listened he brings the box back in front of him and carefully inspects each and every side until Izuku finally has enough. “You gotta unwrap it Tomra.”
“Oh yes, now I see.” He nods slowly like he really had just learned how to open a gift and finds the seam of the paper and easily rips it away. Underneath the oddly patterned paper is just an ordinary cardboard box with more tape keeping it closed. Not caring to take the time to peel it up he quickly taps the top of the box disintegrating the material and revealing the gift inside. Looking into the box his breath is almost taken from him. He gently wraps his hand around the figurine, extremely aware of his quirk as he does, and lifts it out of the box. Holding it up he blows the dust he’d make off and admires the present.
“Do you like it?” Izuku asks in a voice that tells Tomura he is probably fidgeting in worry but he can’t look away to confirm because in his hands is a miniature version of himself fully decked out in his villain costume. Little him is obviously happy, standing tall and victorious as he holds up the disembodied head of the number one hero with accurate blood and gore dripping from the severed appendage. “I know you really wanted to kill All Might yesterday but you didn’t get to cause of me so I made what it will look like when you do get to kill him.”
He swallows a lump in his throat and mumbles a weak, "Thanks." He lowers the figure and forces his eyes off it and onto the anxious boy who'd put so much thought into the gift, thought that definitely paid off. “I love it.”