Archive of Our Own ^beta

3 AM. Known as the time when melatonin reaches its peak, and when the Witching Hour begins. A time where demons, ghosts, and other supernatural beings gain the most power to roam the earth, or so the American superstition goes. Hisashi doesn’t believe in such superstitions. How can he, when he has lived over 200 years and seen no such thing? So he doesn’t mind sitting on a gravestone marker in the middle of a cemetery at 3 AM, scrolling through emails on his phone.

No, he doesn’t mind until a dark-stained hand rises from the grave and grabs his ankle. Then he minds.

“Izuku,” The owner of the hand lets go of his ankle immediately. “What did I tell you about grabbing my pants when your hands are dirty?”

“Sorry, Papa.” The five-year-old boy clinging to the edge of the open plot looks up at him with guilt filled eyes, and already tears are streaking down his dirt stained cheeks. “I wanted to show you something. I thought you would like it. I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

Hisashi sighs and lifts his son out of the grave before activating Stain Remover. A minute later both his son's and his own clothes are clean once more, though the same cannot be said for his son’s skin and hair.

“Just remember to be more careful next time,” The man chastised softly before reaching into his son’s curls and pulling out a little worm. With a smile he drops the wriggling mass on his son’s nose, who squeals and giggles before moving it away. “Now, what did you want to show me?”

“Oh!” Izuku scrambles to the edge of the grave and jumps in, careful to not make a sound when he lands just like his Papa taught him. The coffin he lands on has a man that died recently so the body isn’t too bad- the stained skin hasn’t really started to collapse, and Air Refresher was able to mask all the smell this time. Izuku likes it when the body is fresher, it settles that churning wrongness in his stomach from seeing masses of insects burrowing into the rotting flesh that were once people. Papa had explained to him that it’s a part of most American culture and beliefs that their dead should be buried, but still. It's unnatural. 

What's cool though is all the things people leave behind! Izuku has found so much good stuff in coffins- interesting books, money, pretty jewelry for Mommy, and a lot of hero merch! So Izuku takes them, because he feels sad leaving all this cool stuff to be eaten by worms and maggots. It’s not stealing, dead people can't use this stuff anymore. In fact, Papa told him its respectful to give what were once treasured items a new home. That's why a limited edition Godzillo hat now rests nicely on Izuku's head, and vintage comic books Papa might like are tucked snugly under his arm. "Thank you for the gifts, mister."

"Are you done, my little vulture? Do you want Papa to pull you out?"  Climbing back out was a little harder with all the gifts, so Izuku nods and lets his father's Elastic Arms scoop him back up to the surface. Once the arms untangle around him, he shows Papa the gifts. “My goodness, you found quite the catch! I see you found an edition of Paladin Purge I haven’t read yet.”

“Yeah. You love those comics, so I got this just one for you!”

“How thoughtful!” His dad wastes no time scooping him up in his arms again and hugging him tightly. “I’ll make sure to read it tonight for your bedtime story.”

“Papa,” Izuku giggles, squirming to escape. Papa gave the best hugs because his arms are so big and warm, but sometimes he can be so forgetful. “I’m dirty! Your clothes will get dirty again!”

“Your right. Silly Papa.” His dad ruffles his hair, which sends bits of dirt raining down to the grass. “We’ll have to wash you up a bit before meeting the good doctor. In the meantime, let’s clean up this mess and pay our respects a final time.”

One portal later, they leave the graveyard in America and step back onto Japan's soil. Izuku has to blink a few times before his eyes adjust to the bright rays of the late afternoon. Jaku General Hospital isn't far. He can see it in the distance, but Papa takes him to a park nearby where water shoots up from holes in the ground and lets him run around in the water with the other kids. It’s really fun, especially when this really quiet but nice eight-armed boy joins Izuku's mission to stop all the evil water streams from escaping. Though he has to cut the mission short when his dad calls him.

Giving one last wave goodbye to his new eight-armed friend, Izuku runs over where his Papa waits with a fluffy towel and a smile.

“I knew under all that grime was a handsome little boy," His dad teases as he is enveloped in a towel and a few quirks. Soon enough Izuku is completely dry and back in his father's arms. “Time for the hospital. Why don't you tell me on the way how the rest of your day at school went? You only told me about that All Might play you saw, but I’m sure there were more interesting happenings than the silly parading’s of that man."

"It wasn't silly, Papa! The school worked really hard to make it as cool as All Might is."

"With the materials they were forced to work on, I'm sure they tried their best. Now tell me about what else happened in school. Did you have fun?"

Izuku nods and launches into the story of what he learned today, that he got two gold stars on his kanji practice, and how cool Kacchan was playing heroes at recess. He knows Papa is listening even when walking through crowded streets, because the man makes these little ‘mhmm/ I see’ noises and asks questions when Izuku tells him about the quirk Yurui got in class.

When they reach the hospital, Papa's friend Dr. Ujiko is already there ready to greet them. Then he takes them to the special elevator that only the staff use. Izuku has been here enough time that he knows what button to press, the one for the morgue in the basement. It’s not as big and fancy as some of the other morgues Papa has taken him to, but it's Izuku's favorite because Dr. Ujiko really likes talking about quirks too. It's also the place where Papa invented Finders Keepers.

“Are you ready to play Finders Keepers?” Yes! The little boy almost headbutts his dad in the face because he’s headbanging so hard, but he doesn’t notice. He’s too excited! It’s his favorite game, after all. 

While waiting for Dr. Ujiko to set up the game, Izuku activates Pixie Dust. Its quicker to fly than running and hopping on one stool to the next, which will help him win because Finders Keepers is a race against the clock. If he goes over eight minutes he loses, but if he takes less than eight minutes and beats his record of seven minutes and fifty-one seconds, he wins a prize! 

“You have five quirks to find today, Izuku.” Papa tell him once the doctor is done. “Eagle Eye, Play Dead, Unlock, Afterimage, and Tenfold. Any questions?” With none, Papa starts the timer and Izuku takes off. There are twelve bodies today that all look relatively unmutated, which Izuku has to work quickly if he wants to win.

He’s lucky. The first body he touches has a quirk that feels like wisps of cotton candy and leaves spots in his eyes. With Afterimage found, he flies on to the next. This one has strange ring indentions that pop out against the blue tinge coloring its fingers. Maybe its Unlock? Izuku takes the quirk and frowns. Too rocky and way too much salt on his tongue to be right. He puts the quirk back and moves.

Body after body the little boy searches. Feeling for indentions against stiff fingers, lifting back half-sagging eyelids for mutation traces of Eagle Eye in milky orbs, he finds then one by one. Until finally, after pulling the last quirk on the list from cold limbs, does he rush over to where his father and the doctor waits. “Done!”

“Seven minutes and forty-six seconds.” His father exclaims, kneeling down to show him the timer. “Well done. You may have beaten your old record if you got the correct quirks. May I?”

Papa holds out his hands and Izuku takes them. Papa’s quirk always tickles whenever it is used on Izuku, so he can’t help but fidget a little as the five quirks drain into his dad. Would Papa feel ticklish too if Izuku could use his quirk on him? That is always something the five-year-old has wondered but, well. His dad isn’t dead.

“We have a winner!” His father picks him up and spins him around, causing Izuku to laugh. The doctor claps and congratulates Izuku before heading over to put up the bodies, leaving him to celebrate with Papa. “These were the quirks I was looking for, so you set a new record. What prize would you like, my sweet pod peep? A new toy? Sweets? Another quirk?” All those prizes sound really nice, but that’s not what Izuku wants this time.

“Papa, for my prize I want to go visit Grandma and Uncle today. Can we do that, please?”

Izuku doesn’t mind the puzzlement that flashes on his papa’s face because he knows how weird the prize sounds. 

“Of course we can. Is there any special reason why you want to visit them?”

“I miss talking to them.” The little boy replies. “And I didn’t get to show Grandma any of my newest quirks last time because Mommy came with us.”

Izuku had to be very secretive about his quirk, even to Mommy and his best friend Kacchan, because it could put both him and them in danger. Papa explained a long time ago that there were people who would hurt him because of his quirk if they found out, just like they had hurt Papa for having the quirk All for One.

"People can be so small minded, Izuku." His father was so gentle wiping away the tears from his eyes, but that made Izuku cry even harder because he couldn't do the same for Papa. He couldn't wipe away the nasty scars all along his father's chest no matter how much he wanted to. "When something doesn't fit their cookie-cut reality, it scares them. Like frightened animals, they lash out until that something bends their will or is destroyed. And we are not the type of people who bend to their will, isn't that right? You didn’t bend to picking on that boy everyone said had a villainous quirk, remember?”

"Mommy isn't like that though, so why can't we tell her?"

"Telling your mother or anyone else will put them in danger. I never told your mother because those people that hurt me are still out there and I love your mother too much to risk her harm. You, however, aren’t strong enough yet to protect those you choose to tell. Heroes don’t put others in danger, do they?”

“Then I’ll get stronger!” The little boy promised. Those green eyes nearly glowed with determination. “I’ll be just as strong as All Might so I can protect everyone!” His father smiles at that.

“Oh, little prince. You can be even stronger than All Might. In fact, I believe you can become the greatest hero. Would you like to know why?” At Izuku’s nod, the smile widens and his father cradles him closer.

“Because with enough power, no one will ever be able to stop you.”

“Ah,” His father kisses his cheek. “That sounds like a good reason to visit. I’m sure they miss listening to you as well.” Then his father kisses his cheek again because he is a ‘needy, affection monster’, or so Mommy once explained. Papa had said that wasn't true and he simply was ‘devoid of affection’ and ‘must have it constantly to survive.’ Based on experience, Izuku is pretty sure his mom is right.

A tranquil sea of grey and black meets them at the cemetery, dotted with the occasional green of shrubbery and moss growing between stones. Grandma’s and Grandpa’s tomb is a little hard to find but Papa knows the way. Izuku just knows its somewhere between a small cherry blossom tree and an old Buddhist statue. When reaching the monument, they pay their respects. Papa cleans up any grime on the stones and Izuku gets to offer water and flowers to his grandparents. He never knew Grandpa, he died way before Izuku was born, just like Papa’s family. But Grandma used to babysit him and sing the prettiest songs. She was the one who helped him find his quirk.

“It was time for her to go, Izuku. That’s all.” Papa had soothed as Izuku sobbed into his shirt, too shaken to look where Grandma lays. Grandma died. Which means that she will never wake up. She will never teach Izuku how to make flower crowns like she promised because she’s gone and never coming back. And even with Papa here comforting him and letting him sit on his lap, he can’t bear to look at Grandma now on her bed, taking one final rest before she had to be cremated.  “I know you miss her since she had to go away, but she can still hear you if you talk to her.”

“S-she can?” Izuku peeked up at him, lips wobbling with the barest of hope.

“Of course. I talk to my little brother all the time. Though he’s not a very good listener like your grandmother is.” Papa said with a little laugh and patted Grandma’s arm. “Go on and talk to her. It will make her happy to know you still care even if she is away.”

“Okay,” Izuku pulled away from his father to face Grandma, careful not to look at the white sheet covering her face. “Hi Grandma, I miss you. I wish you didn’t have to go away even though Papa says you had to. Mommy is making your favorite dish for dinner tonight and your friend Mrs. Ishii brought your favorite flowers. They’re right next to you on your desk.” Hesitantly, he reaches over to her arm like Papa. Her arm is so cold but Izuku keeps his hand there. “I love you.”

Something slides under her skin towards his hand, drumming faintly against the tips of his fingers. Izuku gasps. This must be what Papa was talking about! “Papa! Did you feel that? Grandma heard me!”  

His father frowned. “Feel what, Izuku?”   

“Grandma!” Izuku beamed up at him. “She’s pushing against my fingers right now.”

“Is that so?” Oh, Izuku has never seen Papa look so excited. “I think she’s trying to give you something, little prince. Why don’t you pull it out and see what it is?”

Pull it out? What does Papa mean? Izuku scrunches his face and focuses on Grandma again. Whatever she wants to give him is pounding now, but it’s still so faint. Like its buried in sand, trying break free. So Izuku imagines that his fingers are shovels, and digs.

His fingers sparks and what was trapped once under her skin now slides into his own. It makes his head feel light and his hands bubbly. His eyes focus on the flowers on the desk and instinctively, his hand shoots out towards them. A single, yellow tulip floats up and bobbles in the air. 

“Papa,” Izuku whispers, eyes gleaming with happiness. “Grandma gave me her quirk!"

“-after that I manage to levitate a big lamp! Mommy was so proud and said my quirk reminded her of you. Too bad Mommy doesn’t know that it is your quirk and not just ‘my Telekinesis’ growing.” Izuku finishes telling the tombstone with a sigh. “I wish I could tell her, but I’m still not strong enough. Don’t worry, I’m working super hard  and training all my new quirks so I can be! So please watch over me!”

“Izuku, time to visit your Uncle now.” He hears Papa say. 

“Okay, Papa.” Izuku gives a farewell kiss to the tombstone before bouncing over to his father. The cemetery is still as empty as when Izuku showed his grandparents his quirks, so Papa opens a portal up and soon enough they are on a tiny island where water stretches as far as Izuku can see. This is where Papa had Uncle’s ashes buried. Just Uncle though, the ashes of Papa’s Mom and Dad where scattered and lost a long time ago when some of the people trying to hurt Papa destroyed his house.

That’s why there’s no visible tombstone marker on the island for his uncle like his grandparents have at the cemetery. No, Uncle’s grave is hidden underground, tucked safely away in a vault that only Papa can unlock. They still pay their respects the same way as in the cemetery, with added incense that Papa offers. Izuku tells Uncle everything he told his grandparents and shows him all his new quirks. Just like Grandpa, Izuku never met his uncle. But Papa always told stories about what Uncle was like, and how Izuku did things that reminded Papa of him. 

"He even stopped me from stepping on a snail the other day and moved it off the sidewalk just like you did when you were little, brother." Papa shared to the monument with a laugh, ruffling Izuku's hair. "Ah, if only you were there to see it by my side. You would have been so proud of him today as well; he used his prize today for all of us to spend more time together. "

The air feels a little heavier when Papa says something like that. Not always, but today it weighed so much sadness. Luckily, Izuku knew a way to take Papa’s mind off of it.

"Can I try to take Uncle's quirk today? Please?"

"Are you sure little pod peep?" His father hesitates, but Izuku presses on until he sighs. "All right, but you must stop when I say so. Understood?"

"Yes, Papa." Papa doesn't look very convinced, but he gets up anyways and removes the urn from where its buried. With a pair of chopsticks he carefully removes a piece of his brother’s skull to awaiting small hands. Izuku splays his fingers across the brittle bone and activates his quirk.

All quirks pulled from age-old bones and crumbled scraps of flesh feels like a tiny star floating in the distance. Izuku can’t get closer to that star, but he can wrench it to him. Yanks and pulls to drag it out and plucks it from the sky. Except One for All never seems to move. So today Izuku pulls harder than he ever has. Harder and harder, tearing into the sky itself.

Miles away, Toshinori stumbles and gasps for air. There’s a sharp pain coming from his very soul, writhing and peeling against some invincible force. 

Deep inside, One for All screams.

Someone is talking, but the ringing in his ears is too loud to understand. There’s something is in his head pounding so much he can’t think. Everything hurts and he wants to stop but all One for All is moving so he can’t give up. He has to tug and tug and tug…

All For One catches both his son and the bone before they hit the ground. He nearly shatters the bone when he tosses it in favor of frantically checking Izuku’s pulse. To his relief, its normal. A few quirks later confirm that his son underwent quirk exhaustion. 

“Izuku,” Hisashi does his best to keep the worry out of his tone as he scolds the boy in his arms. “What did I say about stopping when I said so?”

“S’rry.” Green eyes struggle to not close. “I ws…s…..ose…”

The battle to remain conscious is lost, and his son’s head lolls to rest on his chest. Hisashi nestles a kiss laced with Sweet Dreams and cradles Izuku closer, listening to his son’s peaceful breathes wash away the last traces of fear racing through his heart. When it does, Hisashi turns to glare at the bone lying innocently on the floor.

"That's another trait you two have in common, little brother." That stupid, stubborn, self-sacrificing urge which took his brother and now threatens to take his son. “One I wish you never shared."