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Phoenix

Summary:

Izuku Midoriya was four when his father left him and his mother, leaving the woman in a depressive state. When he's looking for an old invention of his he comes across a letter addressed to him, from his father. Which leads him on a hunt to find out the real reason for his father's disappearance. He meets some rather interesting people along the way...

Notes:

TW // Child neglect. Minor child abuse. Mentions of Depression. Mentions of fathers leaving for milk.

Words: 2,331

Chapter 1: The Boy

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The rhythmic sound of rain pelting down against the tin roof of the boy's tiny two-bedroom apartment had been going on all night long. Just as the boy himself had been awake making noise of his own.

An echo of a hammer here, a piercing screech of a screwdriver there. The boy had been creating all night, while his mother slumbered in the other room. He’d learnt how to be as quiet as possible by now, trying not to awaken his mother.

He’d been doing this for a while now, creating. Without his mother knowing. It’s been the only thing that he’s been able to do to keep the cruel reality of the world out of his mind.

Creating had always come easy to him, ever since he was around five years old he’s been creating. Making all sorts of things, from sunglasses that could also act as contacts to a clothes rack that could make clothes dry quicker with the touch of a button.

The boy hadn’t always just known how to create. He’d been taught. Taught by his father when he was around four. His father had shown him the basics of inventing, how to solve problems and shown him what things did and could do. He’d done all of that before he’d one day disappeared. Never to be seen again.

It’s been a decade since he’s seen his father, now he’s fourteen years old and still using the skills his father had taught him. He’d be proud. The boy knows so.

Every time he’d make a new invention and show it to his father, the boy watched as his old mans’ eyes would light up. He’d then be scooped up into a bear hug, laughter leaving his lips as his father twirled them around, holding him close. Clear love emanating from his father, to him.

He hadn’t felt such love since. After his father had disappeared his mother had gone into a depressive state. She struggled with the basics, like feeding her son, making sure he had clothes to wear. And even making sure he had an education. Just the simple things that every child needs.

She’s been the same way for that decade her lover’s been gone. The boy isn’t angry at her for it. How could he be? One day they had a normal happy family, everything was just as it should be, then the next his father was gone and his world turned upside down, with only a shoebox left behind by his father. She had every right to react the way she did, the boy just hoped that she’d turn back to normal after a while. She never did though.

She tried her best looking after him for a year before she just couldn’t anymore, her depression taking over, leaving her bedridden. Izuku is grateful for everything she did for him in that year and for those that looked after him the following year.

Then he was left alone, to do everything on his own. He was only six years old when the last people that looked after him left. Six years old and alone.

So, to keep himself occupied he chose to create things that could help him with his everyday needs. He created a machine that could make clothes for him, all he has to do is go out and buy the fabrics, then feed them to the machine. The clothes might be simple, but they fit him and they don’t have holes in them. Unlike the clothes he’d worn when he had the idea to make the machine.

Once he realised that he didn’t have anyone to cook for him and his mother he decided to cook for them. He’d bought himself a cookbook, later realising that he couldn’t read he decided to make a device to read it aloud for him.

He made it so all you have to do is sit the device atop the writing, the machine reads it aloud to him. It has little wheels sitting underneath it so it can scroll through all the words while the boy can focus on following the instructions.

Then, he realised that he didn’t know what any of the utensils in the kitchen were called. So, to fix that he made it so the machine could find an image on google and show him. Almost like a hologram.

He’s been using that same device for years now, making sure to repair it when it breaks or he comes up with a new way to program something. He did make it when he was six, so updates are well needed.

He’s been hiding his inventions from his mother for years now. Only once did she see an invention he created after his father had gone. He vowed to never let his mother see another one of his creations, not wanting to see her react the same way again.

A hum of approval leaves the boy's lips at what he’s accomplished. He’s finally finished the invention he’s been working on for months now. His biggest accomplishment yet. He takes the little box in his hands, careful not to drop it.

“Mum! I made something for you.” his tiny feet pit pat against the floorboards. The boy finds himself in front of the door to his parent’s room, he gently knocks before he hears a groan from the other side.

Carefully, he opens the door and slides into the room, making sure to gently close it before continuing. The curtains are drawn closed, not allowing any sunlight to enter the small space. The boy feels around the room until he finds the bed, carefully crawling onto it, trying not to drop the gift for his mother as well as trying not to crawl over her.

Finally, he finds her sitting near the headboard of the bed. The boy slides into the bed beside her and gently places the gift in her lap. “You just have to press that button, and then just watch.” he instructs.

He knows his mother won’t talk. To either ask what it is in her lap or to greet the boy, she hasn’t spoken since…

His mother stares blankly at the little box before finally following her son's instructions and gently pressing the button that sits on the side of the device. Slowly, with a little squeak the box begins to open, the sides of it unravelling, like an octopus’ tentacles. The tentacle-like shapes spin around once and fall into place, almost like a puzzle.

A flower now sits in his mothers lap. Izuku’s sitting next to his mother, shaking in excitement for the next part. A little platform pops out of the side of the box and Izuku sits the little disk he’s had in his hand onto the platform, a needle popping out of the side of the creation from the weight the disk added to the platform.

He slowly lowers the needle. He sits it on the disk and it starts spinning, sound soon coming from a little speaker he added. At the same time a little hologram popping out from the centre of the flower.

His father pops up on the hologram, “Alright, it’s recording!” He calls over his shoulder then walks over to where Izuku and Inko are sat on a little merry-go-round. Inko is holding onto the handles with a white-knuckled grip as Izuku has his arms in the air, ready for his father to spin them around.

Hisashi holds onto one of the bars as he stands, getting into position. “Alright Izu, you ready?” Izuku nods frantically and Hisashi laughs, “Alright, you ready darling?” he asks Inko, reaching over to caress her hand holding the bar.

She takes a deep breath, “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Hisashi smiles and places his hands back on the bar.

“Alrighty! Three… Two… One… Liftoff!!” he starts running, pulling the merry-go-round along with him as he spins the two in circles. Inko is screaming and telling Izuku to hold on as he has his arms up in the air, laughter falling from his lips as he spins in circles.

The hologram stops along with the sound and Izuku looks to Inko with a smile that quickly fades. His mother is staring blankly at the device in her lap, a flower, still a flower until Izuku slowly reaches over and flips the needle up, removing the disk, the device slowly folding back to its original shape.

Suddenly Inko picks up the little box and throws it across the room, Izuku flinches. A loud bang sounds out when it hits the wall, he flinches again, and another time as it hits the ground, bouncing along the floor and finally coming to a stop.

He leans back from his mother, tears streaming down both their faces now. She slowly turns to him, a look of rage in her eyes as she slowly speaks for the first time in months “Get. Out.” And he does.

Izuku scrambles off of the bed, still not being able to see in the dark, he falls from the edge and onto the floor, landing on the little box. He tries to hold back his cry of pain but is unsuccessful as a little whimper leaves his lips before he stands up, taking the box with him as he exits the room, shaking, closing the door behind him.

Izuku runs into his fathers office, shoving open one of the drawers. The drawer where he found the camera that had the footage, and shoves the box in there, slamming the drawer closed.

He paces around the room, leaning against the wall when his legs grow tired. A few deep breaths enter his lungs as he tries to settle himself. His body shaking, his back throbbing from landing on the box. “I just wanted to do something nice.”

Izuku hiccups, a tear falling down his cheek as he slides down the wall, he folds himself into a ball as he cries silently, not wanting to disturb his mother.

He didn’t invent anything for months after that incident, angry with himself and also a little bit angry with his mother. He put a lot of effort into that creation and she broke it, never did she apologise.

Izuku is over it now, and hasn’t been angry with his mother since. There’s no point. She wouldn’t react, even if he was screaming at her at the top of his lungs, she’d just sit in bed, blank.

He doesn’t really mind, he’s used to it. His mother being in bed all of the time, he hasn’t seen her out of her bedroom for as long as he can remember.

Why would she when she’s all covered? Izuku makes meals and gives them to her three times a day so she’s fed. There’s an ensuite connected to her bedroom so she can use that to clean herself up and relieve herself. And well Izuku does everything around the house.

He’s done everything around the house since the age of six, after Inko just couldn’t do it anymore. He’s so glad that he lived next to that sweet little old couple. They really did everything they could for him.

Unfortunately they had to move though, so he was left doing everything for himself. He still remembers the day they told him they were moving, a little bit of Izuku’s heart broke that day.

The grocery shopping, the cooking, the washing and all of the other things that your average caretaker normally would do. Izuku did.

It all became too much for a little six year old so, that’s when he started inventing again after the incident.

It was difficult at first, especially since he’d forgotten some of the things his father had taught him. Once he started up again, he remembered everything, getting back into the groove of creating.

He started to create different things every other day to help him with the little things around the house. As the time passed he discovered more things that he could create to help him. He made an electric clothes line that he just fed the clothes onto and loads of other things.

It was the little things he needed help with around the house, and those inventions made his life so much easier when it came to keeping the house in proper shape. One of his most proudest inventions to this day is the conveyor belt he made, that goes from the kitchen all the way to his mothers room.

He made it when he was ten years old. It’s been really helpful over the past couple of years, just being able to make a meal and chuck it on the belt, making its way to his mothers room, then after a bit the dirty plate would be back in the kitchen for Izuku to wash.

That’s his life. Looking after his mother full-time as he keeps the house in shape. Inventing things whenever he has the time to do so.

One great thing about Izuku’s situation is that his mother doesn’t care where he is, as long as she gets fed she has nothing to worry about. So, when Izuku gets sick of being stuck inside all of the time he simply slips outside.

When he does, he isn’t Izuku. He’s never Izuku when he’s outside.

I mean, he could be whoever he wanted to be. No one knows who he is, he doesn’t go to school, he doesn’t have a job. No friends or family who could call out to him as he’s walking down the street.

No one outside of his little apartment can put a name to his face. It’s not like his mother goes outside or his father’s going to come out of nowhere and say hi to him.

So, why wouldn’t he take full advantage of that and create his own persona?

No one knows who Izuku Midoriya is, but…

They do know who Phoenix is.

Notes:

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