Chapter Text
The second Shouta picked up the phone, Tensei was shouting over the line, “Shou! Why didn’t you tell me Tenya got into your class?”
“He did?” Shouta completely missed that… he was too focused on the other helions that wormed their way into his classroom. “Oh.”
Tensei laughed, “I hope you don’t plan on going easy on him.”
Shouta scoffed at that. When has he ever gone easy on anyone? -Regardless of pseudo-kind -of-awkward-brother(?) status. “You know I won’t.”
“Well, he’s excited to be taught by you.”
“Why would he be excited about that?” Tenya was always a weird kid, so he shouldn’t be too surprised. “I’m no fun as a teacher.” He was supposedly really excited on his first day of junior high. What kid is excited on the first day of school? Ever? (Excluding U.A. students who are always excited on the first day of school… he’ll fit right in.) Oh god, this might actually suck.
“C’mon, don’t be like that. He respects you, y’know?”
“He’d better if he’s going to be in my class,” Shouta muttered.
From somewhere across the apartment, Hizashi yelled, “Don’t expel him!” Shouta’s head snapped up in that direction, turning around on the couch.
“How the hell did he even-” Shouta stops himself. He has a faint idea as to how he did it. “Fucking ‘Zashi and his demonic powers.”
Tensei hums and says, “It’s probably Pos’s fault.” FInally, someone who can see the truth behind her sweet act. (When has she ever acted sweet, Shouta?) “I swear she’s some kind of ghoul…” At least Tensei can see the truth. (He’s feeding Shouta’s delusions. It’s not healthy.)
“Piece of Shit,” Shouta corrects. For some reason, no one calls her by her given name. (I wonder why.) “And you’re right. This whole house is conspiring against me.”
…
“If I became a crack addict would you supply me with JellyTM?”
…
“...Hello?”
Dammit. He’s against me too.
This must be Sean’s work… Fuck you Sean Harris.
Another body. Another quirk.
It’s a never-ending cycle. Izuku has more blood on his hands than he can fathom and every day it’s another gallon, another tally to add to his kill count. He tries his hardest not to stray. To listen and prove he’s better than a rogue. He’s better than his father.
But is he? When he pulls and tugs and steals their quirks- what so many people see as their defining factor, is he any better? He thinks his father is evil for stealing such a large part of somebody. For leaving them with an empty quirk factor and tearing away a piece of their being. His father isn’t the one doing it. Izuku’s the one getting his hands dirty. He’s the one who ignores their pleas and brushes them away. It’s just a game.
He’s the one who kills them for stepping in his way. For trying to defend themselves. For trying to live. Izuku takes that away without a second thought.
He’s a mean little boy. He’s a mean little boy who enjoys hurting people.
He’s so sick that he must go past instructions, past what is needed and hurt more people. Spill more blood. Another gallon. Another tally. Another body. Another quirk.
And he’s selfish. He’s so selfish that he lies. He lies and hides things from his father, who only ever wanted the best for him. Every bad thing he does is for Izuku. Does that make Izuku bad? If Izuku were good, his father would do good for him. Daddy wouldn’t have to be bad.
Maybe his father sends him on these missions to keep him satisfied. Maybe he knows Izuku is bad and needs another gallon. Another body. So he moderates it to make sure Izuku isn’t uncontrollable. Izuku is horrible.
Another gallon, another tally, another body, another quirk.
He hides the quirk. The quirks. He’s stolen multiple for no reason. For no reason other than he craves power. He’s disgusting. He called his Daddy a monster. It’s been twice now that he stole a quirk without permission. Once from the still body and once from ‘Tall’ Guy. But it wasn’t a still body at all. Not until Izuku touched it. Until Izuku killed him.
He was alive. He was breathing and moving and Izuku killed him. He killed him, not because he was scared, but because he wanted to.
Izuku is the monster.
Another gallon. Another tally. Another body. Another quirk.
Izuku killed his mother. Now all that’s left is Fake-Mommy, a withering body. Fake-Mommy, cold on the floor and alone in the White Room, which Izuku hates so much. All alone. She can’t leave by herself. Like Izuku couldn’t. She’s stuck, alone. Izuku left her alone.
She’s circling the room, counting the tiles, trying to open the door. She’s screaming, crying, begging Izuku to come back and let her out. But he’s not listening.
He can’t listen, it hurts too much.
She can count much higher than him. He wonders how high she’s counting. He only got to twenty. Maybe, if he had stayed, his mommy could have taught him to count higher. Maybe, if she stayed, he could count to thirty.
But he left. She’s still.
Another gallon. Another tally. Another body.
Another quirk.
“Izuku!” The doctor’s voice was as loud and irritating as ever. If he hadn’t saved Izuku from what were surely deadly infections and diseases in the past, he’d be gone. “Do you remember when I told you about my projects..?”
That caught Izuku’s attention. The doctor rarely brings up his projects. Kurogiri gets all dark when he does and his dad apparently told him not to talk to Izuku about it. He does know, though, that Ujiko is abnormally devoted to them. “You mean the ones you dedicated your entire pathetic life to? Yeah.”
9 66666 (-my assistant)
Ujiko didn’t get the subtle dig, or if he did he didn't care. He probably knows it’s true. “Yes! I’d like to show you them.” Kurogiri was still behind the bar and Tomura was obviously listening in, despite acting preoccupied by his game.
“Show… me…” Izuku was a bit put off. This can’t be anything good. Especially not with how Kuro and ‘Mura are acting. “Why?”
Ujiko laughed, unaffected, “Because, Izuku, I think you’d enjoy them.” He clapped a large hand on Izuku’s shoulder, making him jump. Smiling big under his bushy mustache, he said, “Maybe you could lend a hand in the labs.”
Izuku’s head turned. “Your labs? In your labs?! Really?” He’s never even been in the labs let alone help in the labs. He didn’t get to learn much science in school because he was taken out so early, but he remembers how cool it sounded. What was the word? Experiments?
“You’re interested?” Kurogiri resumed his unnecessary glass-cleaning and Tomura smashed the buttons a little bit harder. Izuku ignored them. He’s going to help in the labs! “I thought that may catch your attention.”
“Yes! Yes!!”
“Well, follow me.” With a glance from Ujiko, Kurogiri opened a portal. Ujiko led them through. “I’ll tell you all about it.”