Let me tell you a story.
It was late at night. Izuku had already gotten back from patrol and Eri had just had a nightmare so they were both awake. Izuku decided he was going to tell her. Eri had opened up about her past recently and Izuku thought it was his turn.
"Hey Imouto? You still awake?" He asked quietly. She gave an affirmative grunt from were she was snuggled up against his side. "Well, do you want to hear about your big brothers past?"
"Yeah! I want to know!" She was very awake now, sitting up excitedly. Izuku chuckled and shifted so that he was sitting up with his back against the wall.
"Once upon a time, not too long ago, a happy couple welcomed a baby boy into the world. Inko and Hisashi, the mother and father of the new baby, decided on the name Izuku." He pulled Eri into his lap and undid her braid so he could play with her hair.
"Some complications came up in Inko's and Hisashi's marriage after a while and Hisashi left the small family when Izuku was only 6 months old. The next day his face was all over the news. Hisashi was a wanted villain." Eri gasped in shock.
"Izuku went on and grew up with his amazing and caring mother Inko. His best friend Bakugou Katsuki was the son of Inko's best friend Bakugou Mitsuki." Izuku's mind flashed with vermilion eyes and he suppressed a shudder. "The two boys were inseparable. Wanting to be the best hero duo ever."
"Soon their 4th birthday's rolled around. Bakugou's quirk was powerful and strong. He sweated nitroglycerin and could create explosions from it." He started to fishtail braid Eri's hair.
"Izuku however was quirkless." Eri stiffened in shock. She knew her big brother wasn't quirkless so how?
"Bakugou and his classmates didn't like that. Not one bit. So, the bullying began. The teachers did nothing. Izuku was somehow always the problem, never the other kids." He finished off her braid and pulled her close so he could rest his chin on her head.
"Izuku never stopped smiling though. He kept his dreams of becoming a hero close to his heart no matter what anybody else said. He believed in himself." He stared at the boards. "Inko was his biggest and only supporter. They were each other's pillars."
Izuku smiled fondly as he remembered his mother that loved him. "One day when Izuku was 13 Bakugou decided to be extra mean and say something that would get him in a whole lot of trouble." Izuku fights tears. The words still taunted him. Especially when he was at the edge of rooftops.
"As Izuku went home he was attacked by a villain made of a green sludge. He was so scared. There was nobody around to help." Eri gasped in fear. "But then he heard it! It was All might! All might freed him and captured the villain. When Izuku came to his senses after passing out All might was about to leap away."
He chuckled darkly as he remembered. "So Izuku did something stupid and reckless. He grabbed All mights leg as he leaped away. They flew through the air and landed on a rooftop. Where Izuku asked his idol a question."
Izuku had to pause and Eri noticed, but still she asked in a soft voice. "What did Izuku ask?"
"He asked if he could still be a hero even without a quirk and All might told him to be realistic. That he should be a police officer or a doctor but never a hero. Izuku was heartbroken. His idol. All might. Had said he couldn't be a hero." If Eri suddenly felt tears falling into her scalp she stayed silent.
"Izuku started his walk home. His mood the worst it had ever been. It had been the worst day of his life. Then he stumbled across the crowd. He pushed to the front and found the Sludge villain attacking Bakugou and the heroes were just standing there."
He had to take a deep breath to quell his anger. "So timid, quirkless, scrawny, Izuku leaped over the police barrier to help his friend turned bully. The heroes shouted for him to stop but he didn't. He desperately clawed at the villain."
"And before anybody can react the villain let go of Bakugou and dived for Izuku. In Izuku's surprise the villain easily took him over and escaped." It had all happened in less than a minute. His whole life had spiraled out of control that fast. It was infuriating.
"The villain took him back to his home base and Izuku was introduced to the League of Villains. A group that his father betrayed and they had decided to take it out on his son." Izuku was shaking. Eri felt like she was going to throw up.
"2 months later Midoriya Izuku is announced dead to the world. Two weeks after his public death Izuku is given a quirk in the dark labs of the League. 2 1/2 months after that he escaped the torture."
"And then he started over. He bought an apartment and took a couple of weeks to heal his injures before he started volunteering and working. And a few months later he found this little girl who he took in and claimed as his little sister." Eri recognizes the end of the story and let's a few sympathetic tears slip down her cheeks.
"And that is your big brothers past Imouto." Izuku wrapped up, his emotions were all over the place. It was harder then he thought it would be to relieve those 13 years but he did it.
"Izu-nii... Is that why you have nightmares like me?"
"Yeah. I have nightmares about the 5 months I spent with the League."
There were a few details he had left out of his story, like becoming Rogue and Yagi Toshinori's real form but those could remain secrets.
Izuku and Eri laid back down and snuggled into each other. The older's mind was racing while the younger was fighting to stay awake.
"Hey Izu-nii?" She asked half awake.
"Hmmm?" He hummed in response
"I love you."
"I love you too Imouto."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When Eri awoke the next morning her big brother was already in the kitchen making her favorite American breakfast food. Chocolate chip waffles.
"Good morning Izu-nii" she yawned.
"Good morning Eri. I assume you understand that you can't tell anyone what I told you last night."
"Why do you have so many secrets Izu-nii? I understand the name thing now of course but I'm not allowed to tell anyone about the boards. About how you go out every night. I lie about a abusive household that neither of us came from. Why Izu-nii?"
He sighed. "Why don't I explain something while we eat?"
She studied her brothers scarred face. She's pretty sure that she's the only one who's seen him without a mask. Well other than the people who gave him the scars.
"Breakfast is served."
Eri clambered over to their small dining table and into her seat. Izuku set her plate in front of her with a glass of milk. Her waffles were topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Izuku's was topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, he had a cup of coffee.
They ate silently for a while. Deciding the upcoming conversation could wait just another minute.
"You know what a vigilante is correct?" Izuku finally asked. Eri had to think about it before nodding.
"They're neither heroes nor villains right? They grey area in the system."
"Correct. A good vigilante stumps police and heroes and villains freeze whenever they hear the name." Eri wondered where this conversation was going. A small idea tickled the edge of her mind but she dismissed it, there was no way.
Right?
"What do you think about vigilantes Imouto?"
"I think that what they do can be considered wrong but otherwise they're just illegal heroes. But what do vigilantes have to do with all of your secrets?"
"Have you heard of the vigilante Rogue?" Eri had heard of Rogue. He didn't have a huge media presence but he had saved enough people that his name was pretty well known.
A pit was growing in her stomach and she had to set her fork down. Thank goodness she only had a few bites left.
"Izu-nii, no. Tell me I'm wrong." She almost begged him.
He looked almost guilty as he rested his head in his hands.
"I'm sorry Imouto. I just can't trust heroes or police. Not after they declared me dead and closed my case without a body as evidence. Not after 5 months of torture."
"It's okay Izu-nii... I understand. It's just you have such a big target on your back because of it and I don't want to lose you." Tears were leaking down her cheeks.
Izuku looked at her, his own tears slipping down his cheeks. "Come 'ere"
Eri quickly climbed into his arms. Her big brother took on the risks of a pro hero and instead of just the villains being against him everyone on top of that was too.
Izuku gave a sad chuckle. "Y'know normal six year olds tell bullshit lies and play in their own little fantasy worlds. Not comfort their vigilante brother because he doesn't want to disappoint them."
Eri gave him a pointed look and a smile. "That my be true but most six year olds weren't raised in a lab with Mr. Chisaki."
"I do hope you're aware that he is under investigation. I will have to enlist the help of heroes but that bitch is going down."
"Izu-nii" Eri whined. "Stop saying bad words!"
Izuku gave a good laugh at his sister's distress. He wiped her tears before wiping his own.
"Do you want to annoy my favorite adults?" Any normal person would be slightly scared of the glint in his eyes but Eri was used to it and even mirrored it.
"Yeah!"
Izuku whipped out his phone. Being a vigilante may not be the safest thing but he sure did want to let Eri in on the mischief he can cause by just texting the two adults.
RogueBunny: What's up bitches?
*RogueBunny has changed Aizawa's name to TiredDad*
*RogueBunny has changed Tsukauchi's name to DetectiveDad*
TiredDad: I'm teaching right now brat.
RogueBunny: Well I have something more important for you to do.
I want you to talk to my sister
DetectiveDad: What do you mean you want us to talk to your sister?
RogueBunny: Well I just told her I was Rogue...
She's disappointed in me.
So I thought I would share the highlight of my day with her.
TiredDad: Your little sister is disappointed in you?
RogueBunny: Don't question it. Her opinion is very important to me.
Anyways I'm letting her take over.
TiredDad: I hope she's nothing like you.
RogueBunny: Hey! Onii-san is nice!
Who even are you guys?
DetectiveDad: Your his little sister?
I'm Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa
TiredDad: And I'm pro hero Eraserhead or Aizawa Shouta.
RogueBunny: Onii-san called you a bad word Mr. Eraserhead.
TiredDad: Oh did he? What'd he say?
RogueBunny: I'm not allowed to say bad words.
DetectiveDad: Good God. You're nothing like your brother.
RogueBunny: I'm a ray of fucking sunshine I don't know what you're referring to.
TiredDad: annndd the brat's back.
RogueBunny: Hey can I meet your son sometime Eraser?
TiredDad: Absolutely not.
RogueBunny: Why not? Onii-san needs more friends.
Ignore that. She sent that before I could stop her.
TiredDad: You have friends?
DetectiveDad: This is giving me a headache. I'm gone.
And you should be teaching Aizawa.
RogueBunny: Your loss.
I'm taking my sister to meet your son Eraser and you can't stop me.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In his seat at U.A. Shinsou Hitoshi was suddenly had the sense that life was about to get interesting.