Chapter Text
Izuku doesn’t know where he is, but his feet ache from walking. It’s dark, dark enough that he can barely see his hand in front of his face, and the strange mist that he had seen a few hours ago is still swirling around him. His head pounds, his body hurts.
It has to be a dream, all of this, Izuku reasons with himself. There’s no way his mom…she wouldn’t be. It's impossible. He’d make it home soon, and she would be there, smiling, asking him about his day, making dinner. Their home would be standing. He's sure of it.
The earthquake that had hit earlier had been severe. Izuku is currently walking through a decimated part of the city, where the buildings were older and not updated to the most stringent earthquake regulations. Their apartment is a heap of rubble now and his mom…
She hadn’t made it out.
Izuku had removed himself from the debris of their destroyed home earlier, his face as pale as a ghost, covered in grime and dust from the building. There were screams, panicked crying all around him, the sounds of sirens. Izuku smelled smoke, realizing something nearby is on fire. People all around him, covered in dust, screaming, in shock. No one noticed him, a small five-year-old, walking like a ghost away from the wreckage.
He wanders for a long time like that until it’s dark outside. The power grid is out in the city so its eerily dark, and quiet considering its too dangerous to drive on the roads and no one had electricity. Izuku instinctively hides from people, the odd mist still swirling around him. He’s not sure what the mist is; it’s dark, a midnight blue, swirling around. If Izuku looks for too long into the mist, he’s sure he sees figures, faces.
He doesn’t look too hard, scared of what he might see.
When he passes a storefront window under a flickering streetlight, Izuku catches sight of his reflection. He looks pale, his pajamas torn and covered in dust. His face has tear tracks down it and his eyes look like they’re clouded. He rubs at them, but the cloudy film still stays over his eyes.
Izuku sees his reflection trembling, hiccuping with sobs, and he wipes at his face. He doesn’t know what’s happening, and he’s terrified. The mist swirls around his arms, almost as if it’s caressing him, and Izuku decides to keep walking. He’ll need to find a place to sleep tonight. The thought of asking for help doesn’t even cross his mind. Without his mom, no one is safe. He’s too afraid.
Turning to head down a nearby alley, Izuku tenses when he hears a wounded-sounding whimpering. He stops in his tracks, his heart hammering hard, tiptoeing down the alley. Eventually, he spots an injured black dog laying on its side. Izuku relaxes, walking over to the poor animal and sitting down beside it.
The dog’s lower half is a mangled mess, obviously injured in the earthquake, and its breathing is harsh and labored. Izuku reaches over to pet the dog’s head gently, trying to offer it some comfort.
“You’re okay,” Izuku soothes, talking to the dog and himself, “Everything’s okay. I won’t leave you alone, I promise.”
The dog whimpers again, and Izuku sees its chest shuddering. His heart aches, knowing that this dog is probably going to die, just like so many other people did today, like his mom-
Izuku shakes his head. He can’t think about that right now.
Unbeknownst to him, the mist begins swirling around his arms again. Izuku bends down, watching sadly as the dog takes a few shuddering breaths, rattling in his chest.
“It’s okay,” Izuku tells the dog, “You’re gonna be okay. Just sleep now.”
The dog whimpers, and Izuku watches the light extinguish from its eyes. His heart aches, looking at the poor dog. The dog did nothing wrong. It died terrified, scared. Izuku feels like crying, like shaking the dog and asking how could you leave me like that all alone? He chokes out a sob, and a strange feeling shoots through him.
Izuku doesn’t know why, but he puts his hands on the dog’s ruined haunches, beginning to rock in a circle. The dark blue mist curls around his body and figures in the mist begin to take clearer shape. Izuku sees ghostly looking people and animals, all moving in one direction. Hovering over the dog’s body is the same kind of mist-like form.
Without much thought, Izuku reaches for the misty thing and tugs. He shoves it down into the dog’s body and he feels a sickening kind of lurch in his stomach. Izuku keeps pushing, not understanding what he’s doing at all. After a moment, Izuku gasps, snapping backwards.
The mist is gone completely and Izuku looks down in shock to feel a long, slobbery tongue lick his cheek. Izuku falls backwards, shocked when he sees the dead dog up, on its paws, and very much alive. The dog barks happily, spinning in a circle before licking Izuku’s cheek again and running off, presumably towards home.
“You…you brought it back to life,” someone says and Izuku turns around, his heart hammering with anxiety.
There’s a person at the end of the alley, someone very tall, with big hair and sunglasses. Izuku wonders why someone would wear sunglasses at night, in the dark, but the flickering nearby streetlight combined with the light of the moon peeking from behind a cloud gives him a better picture.
The person at the other end of the alley is a hero, one that Izuku knows very well. It’s a hero from the top twenty, Present Mic, and Izuku’s been listening to his radio show nearly every night since last year. Izuku’s jaw drops, but before he can say anything, a wave of exhaustion hits him and he pitches forward.
“Hey, are you okay?” Present Mic asks, sounding like he’s rushing towards him. Izuku is too exhausted to look up, though, and he soon feels himself being picked up.
“Eraserhead, I need backup immediately,” Present Mic says, sounding urgent, “I found a kid, he’s hurt. What’s your status?”
There’s no reply that Izuku can hear, but then Present Mic says, “Alright, got it. I’ll meet you there. Listen, there’s more, but I think I should tell you in person.”
Izuku doesn’t know what’s going on, his mind overwhelmed from what had just happened. His mom, gone. The dog…Izuku had done something and that dog had come back to life. It was so strange. Could he bring his mom back, too? Is this his quirk?
“Kid, are you conscious?” Present Mic asks, sounding a little out of breath. Izuku manages to make a small mumble with no discernable words.
“Good,” Present Mic murmurs gently, “What’s your name?”
Izuku blinks, managing to open his eyes enough to see Present Mic’s face, realizing he’s bundled in the hero’s arms. “Um…Izuku Midoriya.”
“Izuku, it’s nice to meet you,” Present Mic says calmly, “I’m a pro hero, my name is Present Mic. I’m taking you to the hospital, okay?”
Izuku nods a little. “Know you. Like your show.”
“My radio show?” Hizashi asks, and Izuku nods, his head pounding. “That’s cool, little listener. I’m always happy to meet a fan.”
Izuku’s eyes close again, falling against Present Mic’s chest. It’s all a blur after that; he hears sirens, murmuring voices, feels some pokes and prods. Izuku thinks he’s been asleep for a while when clearer voices interrupt his muddled thoughts.
“I’m glad he’s not hurt,” a man’s voice says quietly, “You said you found him in an alley?”
“Yeah,” Present Mic sighs, sounding grave, “But Shouta…it’s like I said. There was a dead dog, for sure dead. Izuku touched it and brought it back to life, just like that. He needs a quirk evaluation immediately.”
“Shit,” the man responds, “Fuck, Zashi. If that’s true, this kid…”
“I know,” Present Mic murmurs, and Izuku feels someone gently running their fingers through his hair, “Poor guy, he’s so little. They did a check on him. His apartment building collapsed, his mom died. She was his only family. He’s an orphan.”
There’s a silence as Izuku’s heart aches. He knows that logically his mom is gone and he’s alone, but to hear it so plainly is shattering. Curling up under the blanket, Izuku tries not to start crying.
“Hey, buddy, are you awake?” Present Mic asks him softly, “Izuku?”
Izuku, unable to avoid responding to one of his personal heroes, opens his eyes. Present Mic looks a little more casual than before, his super tall hair tied back in a bun, and his sunglasses tucked away. There’s another man next to him which Izuku instantly recognizes as the pro hero Eraserhead, another one of his personal favorites.
“Eraser?” he asks quietly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, “Present Mic, why is Eraserhead here?”
Eraserhead’s eyes widen. “You recognize me? How, kid?”
“I like heroes,” Izuku blushes, looking down at the bed, “I think your quirks are really cool. I don’t have a quirk yet.”
Present Mic and Eraserhead share a look before Eraserhead says, “Uh, actually kid…we think that you do. There’s a doctor coming to do a quirk assessment on you right now. We’ll stay with you, okay?”
Izuku nods, relieved that they’re not leaving. He finds them both reassuring, especially Present Mic, since he looks up to them both so much. Izuku’s always loved heroes, but to meet two of his favorites at once was almost overwhelming, just like the rest of tonight has been.
“My name is Hizashi Yamada,” Present Mic says quietly, making Izuku snap his head up, his eyes wide, “You can call me Hizashi, if you want.”
Izuku’s shocked. He knows Present Mic’s name. He knows a pro hero’s name.
“Hizashi?” he asks quietly, almost bursting with excitement, and Izuku smiles. He knows he must look like a wreck, covered in grime, tears, and his hands stained with the dog’s blood, but he looks down at himself to realize that he’s been cleaned up, and he’s wearing little hospital scrubs.
“That’s right,” Hizashi murmurs, smiling, “I just figured if I can call you Izuku, you can call me Hizashi.”
Izuku is suddenly overwhelmed. Hizashi was being kind, almost too kind, and Izuku’s heart aches. He hasn’t cried or really faced yet that his mom is gone, too caught up in the shock from the earthquake and whatever had happened with the dog. He is desperate for comfort, leaning forward and resting his head against Hizashi’s chest.
“Hey, it’s alright,” Hizashi says gently, picking Izuku up and holding him close, “You’re going to be okay, little one.”
Eraserhead’s been quiet through the whole interaction, but Izuku can see his eyes softening at the sight of Hizashi holding him. He locks eyes with Izuku and smiles gently, walking over to sit next to Hizashi on the bed.
“My name is Shouta Aizawa,” Eraserhead says calmly, “You can call me whatever you want, kiddo. Hizashi here is my husband. We’ll keep you safe, okay?”
Izuku is shocked. He knows two heroes’ names now, and they’re married! He can hardly believe it.
“Zawa?” he says quietly, earning a very fond look from Aizawa.
“Yeah, kid, that’s fine,” Aizawa smiles, sharing a look with Hizashi, “Listen, I know you’ve been through a lot tonight. A lot of people are going to want to ask you questions, but Hizashi and I will stay with you the whole time, for as long as you want, alright?”
Izuku nods, leaning against Hizashi. He can’t deny he’s relieved, knowing that the two heroes are going to stay with him. It’s been a long and terrible night, and Izuku has too much to process. His mom, his home, the dog, his quirk. Meeting the heroes. He feels like his head is spinning.
Soon, there’s a knock on the door and Izuku looks up to see a woman in a doctor’s coat, looking at him with a smile.
“Hello there,” she says politely, “Izuku Midoriya? I’m here to do your quirk assessment.”
Izuku just blinks at her, while Hizashi explains to her the entire situation from the alley. By the end of it, the doctor looks grave, although she doesn’t comment on it. Izuku watches her take out a little machine that looks like a scanner, and a computer.
“Alright, Izuku, please hold out your hand,” she says, “You’re going to feel a little prick, okay?”
Izuku nods, wincing only a little when she pricks his finger. He hears her typing a lot and checking something, mumbling to herself before she gasps.
“My god,” she says, staring at Izuku with something like horror, “This…this goes against the laws of nature. It shouldn’t be possible.”
“What do you mean?” Aizawa asks, sounding serious, “What shouldn’t be possible?”
She looks at Izuku before shaking her head, turning the laptop around to show Hizashi and Aizawa the readings. Izuku can’t make heads or tails of what’s on the screen, but it obviously means something to the heroes, both of whom look very serious.
“According to these readings, his quirk gives him the ability to revive the dead,” she says, sounding like she doesn’t believe what she’s saying, “And he can use the power, but at great cost. Each time he revives someone, it will take a tremendous toll on his body and mind.”
“Hell,” Aizawa says gruffly, looking down at Izuku, “Well, kid, does that sound right to you? You brought that dog back, right?”
Izuku nods, his heart hammering hard. He…if he can find his mom, he can revive her.
“Take me to my mom,” he says, tugging Hizashi’s sleeve, “Please, please, take me to her! I can…I can save her, please!”
Hizashi winces, keeping his hand on Izuku’s back. “Izuku, I’m sorry. No one’s…they haven’t found your mom, yet. The apartment building caught fire. No one’s…no one’s been found inside.”
Izuku knows what this terrible sentence means, hanging his head down. His body starts to shake as he realizes his mom is really gone. Izuku doesn’t think he can bring someone back from ashes. He has a feeling their body needs to be intact.
Hizashi rubs Izuku’s back as the quirk counselor talks to them all, his ears ringing. Soon, he begins to cry, sobbing into his hands. He feels someone tuck him up in their arms. It’s not Hizashi though, and he realizes Aizawa is holding him. He clings to the hero’s shirt, sobbing into his chest. He’s not sure how much time has passed, but he hears another voice in the room.
“Eraser, Mic, he’s in danger,” a man says, “With a quirk like his, he’ll be at the top of every villain’s target list. The commission, too. His quirk will be in high demand. He needs to go somewhere safe, and he needs to go now.”
“We’ll take him,” Aizawa says from where he’s holding Izuku, “Hizashi and I will take him. We just got hired at UA to start teaching next year. There’s staff apartments there. It’s the safest place in the city.”
“Good. I’ll expedite the adoption paperwork. He needs a new last name, something people can’t use to track him.”
There’s a pause and then, “Use Shouta’s. Make him Izuku Aizawa. Shouta’s underground, so less people will recognize the name.”
Izuku doesn’t know what’s happening, he just clings to Aizawa’s chest. Too much happened tonight, too many terrible, awful things. He doesn’t know, he doesn’t understand. He just wants to be safe, he wants to be home, he wants his mom.
Izuku sobs into Aizawa’s chest, thinking of nothing but midnight blue mist and his mom’s green eyes.