Chapter Text
Looking out across the city Izuku Midoriya can see the sun sinking below the skyline, casting long shadows from everything it touches. A cool breeze ruffles his hair and brings the smell of freshly baked bread from a little bakery that can be seen down on the other side of the street.
The kid leans against the railing of the roof and takes a deep calming breath before pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to stop the tears leaking down his cheeks.
Today had been a good day.
That morning had started with a nice breakfast with his mother. It was their first meal together in a few days. Izuku’s mother has been working the night shifts at the hospital to try and make some extra money since the payments from his father had stopped coming in a few months ago.
Izuku had talked to his mother about the most recent hero vs villain fights that he had seen and his analysis of them. They had been laughing and joking by the time that the boy had to leave for school.
Kacchan hadn’t been at school that day which is probably why it had gone so well. The teachers had just ignored him and the other kids only said a few hurtful things choosing mostly to follow the teachers’ example of acting like he didn’t even exist.
So today had been good. Izuku should be happy and in a sick way he is happy. The kid is happy to finally have an end in sight. An end to this heavy, oppressive weight that he can never seem to shake. An end to his hopeless lack of a future. An end to his annoying, worthless, useless, Deku life.
Izuku turns around and collapses with his back against the railing, clutching his latest notebook to his chest. Tears are streaming down the boy’s face because he doesn’t want to die, not really. He doesn’t want to hurt his mother like that, but he just needs all this pain to finally just stop.
Flipping to the last page of his notebook, Izuku begins to write. He doesn’t know what should be written in a note like this. All he knows is that he wants to comfort his mother, wants to let her know that she will be okay. She will probably be even better than okay once she no longer has to work those ridiculous hours to try and cover the cost of supporting Izuku.
He wants his mother to know that he is sorry. Sorry for all the work she has had to do for him. Sorry that she always had to treat all his wounds. Sorry for always making her life harder. Just sorry for everything.
The kid rips out the note, words still legible even with the wet spots that Izuku couldn’t stop his tears from making on the page. He takes off his red shoes, sticking his final words inside for safe keeping, and slowly standing back up.
Turing around to face the railing he can see that the sun has finally disappeared, and the stars have started to shine in the night sky. It looks like it will be a beautiful night tonight.
With nothing else stopping him, Izuku climbs over the railing to stand on the small ledge, hands still grasping onto the metal bar behind himself. The kid leans his head back to look up at the stars, the tiny specks of light that are brave enough to fend off the never-ending darkness that surrounds them.
He leans forward, feeling the vastness of the space below him. Izuku closes his eyes and whispers a final goodbye to his mother and lets go.
Izuku starts to fall, starts to feel the wind whipping around him. When suddenly something is wrapping tightly around him, jerking him to a stop in midair.
“Hang on kid.” A voice calls down to him. “I’m going to pull you back up.”
The boy is pulled back up and over the railing he had just let go of. The tugging continues even after he is back on the roof, it continues until he is a good distance from the edge.
“Are you okay?”
Izuku looks up from where he is laying tightly wrapped in what looks to be some sort of gray fabric that is keeping him from moving. Above him is a man dressed in all black with dark wavy hair that hangs around his shoulders.
“No, don’t answer that.” The man continues, “That was a stupid question. Are you hurt?”
“I’m…” Izuku’s voice trails off, not quite sure how to answer. Physically he is fine, possibly slightly bruised from the cloth causing him to come to a sudden stop, emotionally he is not quite as okay. “Who are you?” The kid decides to ask in lieu of an answer.
“I’m a hero.”
“Really? You don’t look like any of the heroes I’ve ever seen.”
Izuku looks incredulously at the man standing above him. With his messy hair, scraggly beard, and dark eyebags he looks more like one of the homeless men that Izuku sees on the street. Also, Izuku knows a lot of heroes, his many notebooks are a testament of his devotion of heroes, and that man is not in his expansive collection.
The man shrugs. “I’m an underground hero. You’re not supposed to know who I am.”
After that statement the gray cloth unwinds from around Izuku and settles around the dark haired man’s shoulders, looking like a long scarf. Shaking with adrenaline from his short free fall, the young boy is quick to stand up and take a step away from the stranger, weary of this supposed hero.
Izuku’s eyes flit around looking for an escape. The man seeing this tenses, waiting to see what the kid does. Knowing that if this man really is a hero than there is no way he will make an escape. Izuku sighs, giving up on the hope of getting away and asks, “If you really are a hero than that must mean you have a license.”
Nodding the man reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out a folded piece of leather. He flips it open and shows Izuku the piece of paper inside.
“Eraserhead? That’s a weird name.” The kid can’t help but comment.
“I didn’t come up with it, my friend chose it.”
“Your friend’s weird.”
“Yeah. He is.” The man’s lips twitch into a slight smile with the comment before his face becomes solemn again and asking, “What’s your name kid?”
“Izuku Midoriya.”
“And how old are you Midoriya?”
“Nine.”
The man sighs, rubbing his eyes and when he opens them again, he looks sadder than before.
“Why are you trying to die kid?”
And there was the question that Izuku really doesn’t want to answer. How can he explain the never-ending harassment? The constant looks of people wishing he didn’t exist. The loneliness. All without stating the one word that would turn this hero away.
Maybe he should tell him, say the word that is always spoken as a curse. Because then the man would leave and Izuku would be able to continue from where he had been stopped before. But Izuku really doesn’t want one of the last things he sees to be the look of disgust on the hero’s face. Heroes should always be kind and smiling like All Might.
Izuku may want to die, but he is still a hero fanboy, and he doesn’t want one of the last things he experiences to tarnish that worship that has kept him alive for so long.
So, just as Izuku is coming up with some lie to tell the hero. He hears the man mutter a quiet “Oh.”
He follows Eraserhead’s eyes and sees what the man has spotted to get that reaction. His red sneakers are sitting next to the railing where he had left them before jumping.
Izuku looks down in shame, curling in on himself, waiting to hear hateful words spewing from the hero’s mouth. And he waits… and waits. The silence is stretching on for too long, so he looks back up and meets the man’s eyes.
Eraserhead kneels down so that he can look more fully into the kid’s eyes. The dark sad eyes of the hero feel like they are peering into Izuku’s soul.
“I’m sorry that people have not been kind to you.” The dark hair man tells Izuku, grasping onto the kid’s shoulder and squeezing.
Tears form in the young boy’s eyes before they start flowing down his face and a slightly hysterical laugh bubbles out of Izuku’s throat.
“Not kind, yeah, that’s a nice way of putting it.” Izuku quips.
“I can’t say that I fully know what you have gone through, but I do have some experience being where you are now.”
Doubt soaks Izuku’s words, “I find that hard to believe.”
“I may not be quirkless, but I do have what some people have considered to be a villainous quirk. So, being on the receiving end of hateful words and actions is something that I can relate to.”
“But quirks can’t be villainous,” Izuku blurts out.
Eraserhead shrugs. “I know that, but it is something that other people have believed of me.”
“What’s your quirk?”
“I’m an underground hero so we don’t really like to broadcast what our quirks are, but if you can promise not to post about it on any of those hero forums than I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you.”
“I promise!” Izuku quickly replies, bouncing on his toes in excitement of learning about another quirk. Tears drying up with the possibility of learning something new.
“It’s called Erasure. It allows me to cancel out other people’s quirks.”
“That’s so cool! You would have to have had a lot of combat training in order to take people down without a physical quirk. I wonder if that is what the scarf is for, to make up for that fact. What’s it made from? How is it controlled? It would have to be made from a pretty strong material if it is meant to hold villains captive…” Izuku starts to mutter faster the more he analyzes the hero in front of him.
The hero shifts slightly, the movement catching the kid’s eye causing him to snap his mouth shut, cutting off the flood of words. Izuku looks down at his hands as he begins to fidget with his fingers.
“Do you think I could do it?”
Eraserhead’s eyebrows furrow as he asks, “Do what?”
“Become a hero.” The boy squeaks out before cringing away from the hero like he is expecting to be hit.
“I think that if people put in the work than anyone can accomplish whatever they put their mind to.”
Izuku looks up at Eraserhead in awe. Nobody but his own mother has ever believed he could become a hero before, and his mother was kind of obligated to believe in his dreams. But here is this hero, saying that with hard work he can become a hero too even though he doesn’t have a quirk.
Tears start streaming down the kid’s face again, this time due to happiness instead of sadness. Izuku can finally see a glimmer of light in his future for the first time in a long while.
“Thank you.” The boy chokes out.
“You don’t have to thank me kid, I’m just saying the things that you should have already been told.”
Izuku nods even though he doesn’t fully agree with the hero’s statement.
“I think it’s time that we get off this roof and get you somewhere safe.”
Nodding again, Izuku agrees. He walks over to put on his shoes and grab his bookbag before they climb down the fire escape. Once down on the sidewalk Eraserhead stops and asks, “Are you safe at home?”
“Yes, it’s just my mom and me, and my mom is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.”
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, the hero nods. “Alright kid, which way to your home?”
“Oh, I can get home on my own. You probably have more important things to do on your patrol and I’ve already taken up too much of your time.”
Eraserhead frowns down at him. “You just tried to jump off a roof. I’m not leaving you until I’ve talked to your mother so that someone can make sure that you stay safe.”
“You really don’t have to do that.” Izuku quickly says while waving his arms around.
“Yes, I do. This is not up for debate. So, I ask you again, which way to your home?”
Izuku sighs. He knows it is a lost cause to keep arguing with the man. So, the kid sets off towards his home, Eraserhead staying just a step behind him.
The walk is about ten minutes which feel like they go by way too fast. They walk in silence because Izuku is freaking out on how he is going to get Eraserhead to leave him alone since his mother is currently at work, therefore she is going to be unable to talk to the hero tonight.
All too soon they are stopping in front of Izuku’s apartment door. He hesitates to unlock it, unsure how the man will react to them arriving at an empty apartment.
“Are you going to open the door?” The dark haired man asks since Izuku has just been staring at a closed door and making no moves to open it.
“Y-yes…”
Izuku takes a deep breath and opens the door. Walking inside the boy takes off his shoes and puts on his All Might slippers before turning to look at the hero who has stopped just inside the door and appears to be looking around the hallway, taking in as many details as possible.
The apartment is silent as they both just stand there, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Eraserhead must see that Izuku isn’t going to make the first move. So, the man questions, “Where is your mom?”
“Oh… um she isn’t here.” Izuku replies, fidgeting with his fingers and shifting from foot to foot.
“I can see that kid. Where is she? When will she be coming back?”
“My mom is working the night shift at the hospital. She won’t be back until after her shift ends in the morning at 8.”
“You’re a little young to be left alone all night like this.”
“I used to stay with my auntie Mitsuki until my mom found out how Kacchan has been treating me. Now the lady next door, Ms. Miura, checks in on me occasionally and helps whenever I need it.”
“I can’t just leave you alone.” Eraserhead says, rubbing at his eyes.
“I promise I’ll be fine.”
“Kid, you need someone to watch over you. You just tried to kill yourself. I would be a poor hero if I just left you without making sure you were safe and going to be taken care of.”
Izuku ducks his head, “I won’t try again.”
“You say that now, but something pushed you to that point on the roof. So, I’m not going to leave until I talk to your mother.”
“B-but she won’t be home until morning, and you should be patrolling.”
Eraserhead just raises an eyebrow and states. “I’m staying.”
Once again accepting defeat Izuku nods before turning around and walking farther into the apartment. He walks to the kitchen and puts his bookbag down at the table before walking over to the fridge and opening it. Izuku pulls out a covered dish and sets it on the counter.
Turning to face the hero the kid says, “My mom always makes dinner for me before she leaves for work, so that all I have to do is reheat whatever she made, but I could make you something since you are going to be staying.”
“You don’t need to do that; I carry snacks with me during patrol.” Eraserhead replies, “I wouldn’t say no to some coffee though.”
“My mom doesn’t let me drink coffee.”
The man sighs, “Tea?”
“Yeah, I can make you tea.”
Izuku turns back toward the counter and fills the kettle with water before setting it to boil. With that taken care of he grabs the covered plate and places it in the microwave to heat up. The sound of a chair being dragged across the ground sounds behind Izuku as the hero settles down at the table.
Once the water has boiled and the food is heated up Izuku walks back to the table and hands Eraserhead a mug of tea. The kid grabs the T.V. remote from the table and turns on the nightly news.
The only sound is the droning of the T.V. and the scratch of Izuku’s pencil on paper as he alternates between bites of food and writing analyses of the hero vs villain fights that are being reported on.
“Is writing about the news a project you have to do for class?” Eraserhead asks as the kid finishes eating and is putting his notebook to the side.
“N-no. It’s not for school. I just really like quirks, so I write analyses on them. I know it’s creepy, but if I am going to become a hero than I need to know how to counter someone who does have a quirk.”
“It’s not creepy. It is a very logical thing to do and it’s a good thing that you have started to learn this skill so early, most people don’t learn the basics of trying to analyze others until they are in high school and are being trained on it.”
“You really don’t think it’s creepy? Kacchan always calls me a stalker for writing about other’s quirks.”
The hero frowns. “This Kacchan doesn’t sound very nice so you shouldn’t listen to him.”
“…okay.” Izuku reluctantly agrees. He grabs his bookbag and starts to pull his books from inside, hoping that the man will drop the subject if he is busy working.
The kid gets to work on his homework and is slowly making his way through the subjects as Eraserhead sits sipping his tea and looking at something on his phone. Eventually while doing his math homework Izuku gets stuck on a problem that he can’t figure out how to solve. Groaning he puts his head down on the table in defeat.
“What’s the problem kid” The dark haired man asks, looking up from his phone.
“This is impossible; it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Why don’t you let me take a look at it, I did pretty well in school myself.”
With the kid nodding in acceptance the hero stands up and takes the seat next to Izuku. He pulls the page away from the kid and a little closer to himself so that he can read the problem that the kid has gotten stuck on.
The thing the boy seems to have gotten stuck on is a whole page of subtraction that he is struggling to solve.
“Okay let’s start with the first problem 70 minus 54. Since 4 is larger than 0 you must borrow a 10 from the 7, which gives you 10 plus 0 minus 4 equaling 6. Then you subtract 5 from 6 leaving you with a 1. Putting that together is 16. So, 70 minus 54 equals 16. Why don’t you try the next problem by yourself?”
Izuku nods and drags the paper back to himself. “Okay. 91 minus 77. 7 is larger than 1 so I borrow a 10 from the 9 which is 10 plus 1 minus 7 equals 4. Then 8 minus 7 is 1. Giving me 14. So that means 91 minus 77 is 14, right?”
Eraserhead nods, “Good job kid, let’s keep the ball rolling. What’s the answer for the next one?”
Math was the last subject that Izuku needed to complete and with the man’s help the kid is able to complete the subject in record time.
With his homework done they move to the couch in the family room to watch something. While scrolling through the channels looking for something to watch Izuku thanks the hero for his help on his homework.
“It was no problem kid, I’m glad I was able to help.”
“You made it really easy to understand, you could have been a teacher if you hadn’t become a hero.”
Eraserhead snorts. “I’m not typically very good with kids, most children find me intimidating.”
“Well since you are a hero I guess it doesn’t really matter.”
“No, it doesn’t.” The dark haired man agrees.
Eventually the two settle on watching a documentary on penguins. The calming voice of the overlaying commentary relaxes Izuku, and his eyes slide closed against his will.
---XXX---
“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!”
The sound of his mother’s sharp voice jerks Izuku awake. He flails momentarily, caught in a blanket he doesn’t remember draping over himself, and quickly peeks over the back of the couch to see Inko stood just inside the family room.
Izuku’s movement must catch her eye because soon her eyes are locked with his, pinning him in place.
“Mom! Um… this is um...” The young boy stammers, brain still foggy with sleep.
Luckily the hero cuts in, “Hello Mrs. Midoriya my name is Eraserhead, I’m a hero.”
“Hero?” She says incredulously, the sound of doubt dripping from the single word.
“Yes.” The man says standing and walking towards Izuku’s mother. When he reaches the woman he pulls out his hero license and hands it to her for her inspection.
Satisfied with what she sees, Inko returns the license and looks the man in the eyes, eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you, a hero, currently in my family room with my kid?”
Eraserhead quickly glances at the kid before returning his gaze to the boy’s mother. “While on patrol last night I came across your son attempting to jump off a roof.”
Inko gasps and clutches her hands to her chest. With a look of shock on her face she slowly makes her way over to her son and kneels on the floor in front of him. “Izuku, baby, why would you try and do that?”
Curling up in a ball, Izuku looks down at his knees, unable to look his mother in the eye. He knew that his attempt would hurt her, but he had thought he wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of his actions.
Shifting uncomfortably in the silence, Izuku finally mumbles out, “I was just so tired, I wanted it to stop.”
“For what to stop honey?”
“The bullying.” Izuku says, it’s more than that, but it is currently his biggest stressor now that he sees a future after the hero gave him hope in his dream on that rooftop.
“I thought that it had been getting better, you were coming home hurt less often.”
“I didn’t want to keep worrying you.”
“Oh, baby.” Inko cooed, hugging her son tightly to her chest. “I’m your mother, I will always worry about you sweetheart.”
They sat there together both refusing to let go of the other as tears are pouring from their eyes.
After a few minutes Eraserhead grunts to get the Midoriyas’ attention. “Now that I know Izuku is safe I should get going.”
“Of course. Thank you Eraserhead for saving my son.”
The hero tucks his face into his scarf to try and hide from the beaming gratitude coming from Inko.
With one last squeeze Izuku and his mom let each other go so that Inko can let the man out of the apartment. The adults walk out of the room and Izuku can hear his mother thanking the hero one last time before the door closes.
Izuku settles into the couch, wrapping the blanket tightly around himself. He can hear the sound of his mother’s footsteps walking back down the hall towards him, and he knows that they are in for a long conversation once she returns.
Inko comes back into the living room and sits down on the couch next to her son.
“I know that I have been working more so I haven’t been around as much as I should and I’m sorry.” The green haired woman cries. “You’re my baby and I didn’t even notice you were in such a dark place. I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, I will always be there for you.”
The young boy leans over to hug his mom crying. “I’m sorry.” Izuku whispers before beginning to talk, telling her everything that led to him being on that rooftop last night. The two Midoriyas sit and talk well into the morning as Izuku feels the weight that has been weighing on him lessen as he shares the hell he has been living.
Once the kid is finished talking Inko must notice how exhausted he is because she suggests that he go lay down and try to get some rest while she makes them lunch.
As the young boy lays in bed he makes a vow to himself.
Izuku Midoriya will become a hero.