Middle School is supposed to be fun, right?
Well, they didn't mention that it would be a living hell for those with villainous or weak quirks. They didn't say it would be a living hell if you had no quirk at all.
Hitoshi Shinsou and Izuku Aizawa were both victims to the living hell they called Aldera Middle School. Aldera Middle was known for its high reputation of educating young promising souls and accepting the weakest in society's hierarchy of quirks.
Of course, the accepting part was a lie. Every teacher here turned a blind eye whenever Izuku or Hitoshi were being ridiculed, bullied, mocked. Whenever Katsuki would use his explosions on them, they pretended to have not seen anything. Whenever they had heavy injuries, they would pretend that the two boys were invisible, too afraid to show society that their 'perfect' school was a hellhole.
Yet, despite their extreme dislike and overall fear of the place, they still didn't dare tell a soul.
Not even their fathers.
Shinsou could see the visible discomfort in his brother as they walked down the path. "Zuku, you alright?"
Aizawa kept his head down. "I-I'm scared, Hito.."
The purple-headed boy knew that all too well. When the bullying had first started, he felt the overwhelming fear that invaded his mind as well. The constant paranoia of walking into the school, the constant fear of being near anyone.
Slowly, he had gotten over it over time but Izuku's fear and anxiety stayed.
"Well, think of it like this." he started. "Surviving the pain and the humiliation and the overall bullying without breaking means that you're going to be a strong hero one day."
It doesn't make the situation better, I know, but it's the positive boost Izuku needs right now.
The rest of the walk was silent. Within a few minutes, they reached the school, Izuku visibly tensing at the sight of it.
Aldera Middle School was an interesting place, considering how easily it gets away with the constant physical and mental bullying that goes on there. They were surprised it hadn't suffered any lawsuits yet. Shinsou gave Izuku a soft smile before they both began to walk in.
Commotion in the corridors got quieter. Everyone was whispering as they walked past, constantly glancing over at the brothers as they spoke. Soon enough, the insults and comments became audible over the background noise.
"Look, there go the freak brothers!"
"I heard that the purple-head brainwashes people out of anger! Such a villain, how does he expect to be a hero with a quirk like that?"
"The green one is the weaker one, did you hear that he has no quirk at all?"
"I heard that the green one was abandoned! What a loser!"
Hitoshi felt anger rise inside of him as he heard the last comment. They thought that was funny? He didn't even know how they found out. Though, if it was a suspicion (a theory at most), he understood why. The both of them looked nothing alike nor similar to their parents. The only things similar were their quirks.
They reached their classroom, the room silent and quite empty. Hitoshi and Izuku were seated on different sides of the room this year, which didn't help the bullying in the slightest. Especially since a particular blonde sat right behind the anxious greenette.
Quickly, Izuku and Hitoshi went to their seats, knowing the bell was going to ring any second now. As if on cue, the bell rang accompanied by their teacher walking through the door.
When will it end?
The day was finally over. But that wasn't a good thing. The day being over meant an opportunity for a certain blonde and his goons to bully them. Sometimes, others would stay to watch as if their pain was mere entertainment in their eyes.
The blonde walked up to Izuku's desk, sparks popping in the palm of his hand. The noise and familiar burnt caramel smell made the greenette feel even more terrified for whatever was to take place in the next five seconds.
Katsuki Bakugou. His quirk is 'explosion'. He sweats nitroglycerin, which can be powered into powerful explosions. With the right amount, he can make an explosion big enough to tear through walls.
"Just reminding you, you can't be a hero without a quirk, Deku."
He'd heard that line so many times.
But it still hurts.
"Trying to be a quirkless hero is practically a death wish. I'd advise you to give up." He said as he began to leave the classroom, almost sounding like he genuinely cared about the boy.
Hitoshi went over to Izuku's desk. Bakugou had been bullying them both for the last two years, so he found it weird that this time he hadn't left a mark. But he was grateful. Both their parents were home today as U.A wasn't open yet and they surprisingly had no daytime patrols on this particular day. There was no way they could hide the marks from them. They would notice the moment the both of them walked through the door.
"You need a quirk to be a hero, Deku." He smirked, looking back at the duo, a sinister look in his eye. "If you want to reach that hero dream, take a swan dive off the roof of the building and pray for a quirk in your next life."
Shinsou was practically fuming at this point. He didn't leave a physical mark, but decided a permanent one was better? What if Izuku actually jumped? On a second note, he didn't want to think about that. If their parents knew, Bakugou would be murdered.
But the greenette had begged him not to tell anyone. He had begged Hitoshi not to say a word that one night after they'd started middle school. He had said he would be fine, but now look where it got them.
"Come on, Zuku." He said, helping him up out of his chair. "Let's go home, alright?"
Izuku just nodded, not noticing the subtle interlocking of their hands, the words circling in his mind over and over like a constant loop. Each time, it got louder and louder until it was all he could think about.
If you want to reach that hero dream, take a swan dive off the roof of the building and pray for a quirk in your next life.
They both walked out of the building, Izuku being deathly silent the whole time. It was like he was physically there as he was walking and looking ahead, but he wasn't mentally there. His eyes were dull, his movements guided by Hitoshi as they exited the property.
Hitoshi knew what was happening. It had happened on multiple occasions, most of them being after school, during school and at night. He knew, yet he couldn't do anything about it.
Ever since they had entered that hellhole of a school, his brother had begun to have dissociative episodes. They were minor, such as becoming so absorbed in his notebooks that he loses awareness of his surroundings. But, when it came to the bullying, he was just silent and not there.
They were genuinely grateful that they weren't injured today. Normally, they'd come home with bruises, cuts or burns. Most of them were supposed to be directed at Izuku, but Hitoshi got in the way as a protective method.
He didn't understand why but Katsuki had a burning hatred towards Izuku for something as minor as being quirkless. He didn't have that same hatred with Hitoshi, but soon after they had begun middle school, he had hated him for getting in his way.
Soon, they reached their house. Aizawa was in the living room grading papers with his usual cup of coffee while Yamada was in the kitchen singing along to some musical he loved.
"Hey, Dad." Shinsou said nonchalantly. "Me and Zuku are going to head upstairs."
With that, the two headed upstairs without another word.
Aizawa walked into the kitchen, tapping his husband on the shoulder as he placed his mug in the sink. Yamada put down the dish he was washing, sensing unease from his partner. When he looked at Shota, all he could see was worry on the ravenette's face.
"Zashi."
"Yeah, Sho?" He replied, pulling off one of his gloves. "What's wrong? You look worried."
Aizawa sighed. "Have you noticed how tired and anxious those two look every time they come home?"
Hizashi frowned, removing the second glove. "You've noticed it too?"
"I think something might be happening at Aldera. Izuku isn't that happy kid anymore and it's worrying me!"
Yamada hugged his husband, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "We'll figure it out, Sho."
"Izuku, Hitoshi." Aizawa said, addressing the two. They were standing in a blank-walled room with dummies and robots scattered about near the walls. "Since you both have non-combat quirks, I'll be training you early for the entrance exam."
Izuku felt a rush of excitement build up. He's wanted to learn combat for ages, and now he finally had the opportunity! Maybe he'd learn the same moves as his father, or learn how to use the capture scarf! Or maybe even learn some of the moves he uses to sneak around!
"Zuku, you're mumbling again." Hitoshi said, tapping his shoulder.
He rubbed his neck. "Sorry!"
Aizawa focused their attention back on him. "We'll be doing a series of different combat moves. Some even from my own routines. If you get good enough, I'll teach you how to use my capture scarf."
Izuku was practically vibrating with excitement at this point. The capture scarf was one of his favourite items from his dad's costume. Its material, elasticity, strength, durability and length enlightened him when he first saw it.
This was definitely going to be fun.
"Zuku, you asleep?" Shinsou's soft voice asked, almost as quiet as a whisper as his eyes remained focused on the ceiling.
"No." He replied quietly, turning his head to focus his attention on his brother. "I can't sleep.. "
The purple-headed boy sat up. "Nightmares?"
"Mhm."
Hitoshi lifted his duvet, patting a space beside him. "Alright, come here."
Izuku walked over to his bed, jumping onto the mattress. At this point, this was a normal, nightly activity.
They both laid down, the greenette's head on his chest, listening to the rhythm of the purple-headed boy's heartbeat. Hitoshi caressed his hair, the curly locks so soft they could be mistaken for clouds.
The soft action required no effort, and yet it meant so much to him. Ever since they entered Aldera, they both helped each other with the ever-growing insomnia they both suffered.
Shinsou had insomnia as a side-effect of his quirk, which was quickly counteracted by Izuku's. The greenette suffered the same from fear as he had constant nightmares of the bullying they both suffered day by day. Sometimes, it got so bad that he'd wake up screaming. Hitoshi didn't know what he saw in those night terrors, but he knew it was bad enough that he'd refused to sleep most nights.
Izuku slowly fell into the dark void of sleep as Shinsou closed his eyes, resting his head on the cushions behind him.
Him and Izuku had shared a room since they were young. They both helped each other here, whether it be injuries, sleep or mental health. Though, he couldn't help but miss the old Izuku who never used to bottle up his feelings. Unfortunately he knew he could never get him back.
So, he had to help him be more honest with people about his mental health, especially their fathers. That would be the best place to start. But for now, he could enjoy this moment.
This moment of peace.
Aizawa put his cup in the coffee machine as he looked around, noting that the children weren't awake yet. He had to ask them today, it had been bugging him all week. Yet, he felt as if it were wrong.
No, I need to help them. That's what's important.
Yamada walked into the kitchen. "Sho? Why are you up early? It's a Saturday."
"I need to ask them what's going on. I can't do that if I'm asleep."
Hizashi nodded as he grabbed some ingredients from the shelves. From the ingredients, it looked as though he was cooking pancakes. Knowing him, he probably was.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, the thumping on each step too familiar for the hero to miss.
Perfect timing.
He grabbed his coffee and made his way to the living room, sitting down on one of the sofas closest to the stairs. As he was a quarter of the way into his coffee, Hitoshi and Izuku came down the stairs, rubbing their eyes tiredly.
"Hitoshi, Izuku, I need to talk to you." Aizawa said gravelly.
They both stood in front of the kitchen door for a minute, sharing glances, before going to stand in front of him.
"Dad? What do you need?" Izuku asked, yawning.
"You two have been acting off ever since you entered middle school. So, be honest, what's happening at Aldera?"