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Izuku Has An Older Brother
Hisashi Midoriya dead
Mild Manga Spoiler @ end
The Midoriya family was small. It was Izuku, Inko, Hisashi, and his older brother Haru. Haru had stopped going to school halfway through high school, needing to help pay the bills. Hisashi had gotten sick during his business trip in Germany and could no longer work. Inko went from being a stay at home mom, to working 40 hour weeks with paid overtime. Haru would be out working as well, helping to fill in the other expenses of the apartment and everyday necessities.
Izuku grew up taking care of Hisashi. Izuku would give him his baths, make him take his pills, put on his chapstick, and make sure his IV was working properly. When Izuku was in his first year of Junior High, Hisashi passed away. Inko never told anyone, but many people from Hisashi’s work came, both from Japan and from Germany. He had been highly respected and had been an incredible man. Izuku sobbed, missing school for a week. Inko had kept up with work, having to pay off debt. Haru continued working, but lowered the amount of time he was working to keep an eye on Izuku. Izuku spent most of his time wrapped up in Hisashi’s clothing, laying in the bed he spent almost every hour of every day in.
Izuku still cleaned the house, made them dinner for after work, and would even spend his free time teaching Haru the stuff he learned. Izuku would give Inko back massages, fix her tea, and cuddle her to let them mourn and push past their grief and loss. Haru would always watch Midoriya with sad eyes, seeing him wear the same shirts everyday. The shirts were basic and they were all bought from the clearance section in a random clothing store. He watched Midoriya buy the same red shoes every time he needed a new pair. They were the cheapest pair of shoes manufactured for quirkless people.
Izuku would sit there, all alone in the kitchen, finding online coupons for Haru to use since he cut back on work hours. Izuku would do every single free give away for All Might merchandise and would only ask for one poster or figure for his birthday. Inko and Haru would often cry, knowing how this was a lot for Izuku to deal with when he was only 12 years old. Nothing really got better when Izuku started experiencing severe bullying in school. He never told Haru or Inko, but they knew.
Izuku was in his second year of Junior High when Haru decided to surprise him. Haru planned to pick Izuku up from school and take him out to grab something to eat. It would just be Haru and Izuku since Inko switched shifts with someone and was working the night shift instead. Izuku had gotten out of school, phone held in his hand as he read an article about a villain attack. Bakugo and his lackeys weren’t too far behind Midoriya, stalking him like wild predators.
Haru waved at Izuku calling out. “Izuku!”
Izuku’s head snapped up from his phone. Spotting Haru, Izuku beamed at the sight of his brother. “Haru!”
The bullies immediately backed off. They were stunned to see Midoriya with an older guy who was definitely nearing the end of his teen years. Bakugo felt his blood boil, frustrated and confused at the presence of the unknown person. The other bullies were just shocked to see someone greet Midoriya happily.
Haru smiled, looking down at Midoriya fondly. “Mom switched shifts, we going out to eat tonight. I know it’s long overdue, but consider it your birthday dinner.”
Bakugo stilled a bit, confused on how Haru spoke to Izuku. He wasn’t sure if Haru was acting like he was Midoriya’s older brother or if they were actually brothers. Bakugo stalked closer casually, trying not to bring attention to him or his lackeys.
Izuku smiled, head tilting to the side. “Nonsense. I can cook us something a home. I just won a raffle the other day and got us two fresh briskets!” Izuku started rambling, getting excited. “We can have one tonight. I was planning on having some beef stock soup and enoki mushrooms with a garlic and scallion sauce! I could even save some for mom and we can drop it off at her work!”
Bakugo’s eyebrows narrowed with his eyes, growing irritated. Since when did Inko work? There was nothing wrong with her working, but since him and Izuku were in diapers, Inko always took care of Izuku and was a stay at home mom. On top of that, Midoriya was winning food raffles and talking about making a fancy meal? Since when did Izuku want to be a chef or focus on anything other than being a hero. The bullies were shocked by that part as well.
Haru frowned, looking at Midoriya with guilty eyes, ashamed of how Midoriya was so prone to saving money for the others sake. “No I was hoping we could go out and grab something together. I love your cooking and that sound amazing, but mom already took some leftovers yesterday to work and I saved up some money to treat you.”
Bakugo felt his eye twitch, hands growing sweaty.
“Money?”
He couldn’t understand why money was such an issue suddenly? It seemed that everything was perfect for Izuku financially. He always had All Might merchandise and his uniform was always in perfect condition despite the amount of them he personally had ruined. He didn’t know who this mystery guy was or why he wanted to take Izuku out on a late birthday dinner.
Izuku smiled, taking Haru’s hands gently. Most of the students had disappeared at this point, many already in their clubs or heading home or to hang out with friends. Bakugo and his lackeys pretended that they were not paying attention. Midoriya wasn’t facing them so as long as Haru didn’t grow suspicious then everything would’ve been fine.
Izuku had taken Haru’s hands gently and smiled. “Are you sure? I don’t need a birthday dinner… all I needed was to spend the day with you and mom. I don’t need you to go out of your way to do this for me.”
The group of bullies felt guilt creep in, uneasy with how Midoriya spoke.
Haru frowned, eyes whelming up slightly with tears at how gentle his younger brother was. “I’m sorry Izuku. I’m so sorry.”
Midoriya raised a hand to wipe Haru’s tears.
“Don’t apologize brother.”
The group instantly froze, finally noticing the faint freckles Haru must’ve also inherited from his father. They noticed the black hair that matched the black patches in Midoriya’s. Bakugo noticed his hair was similar to Inko’s, thick and straight. The boy was wearing a black dress shirt and some slacks, revealing his probably worked as a server at a restaurant. His eyes were tried, but he looked at Midoriya so adoringly that they would’ve mistaken the exhaustion for relief.
They all watched the older boy, now known as Midoriya’s brother, shiver under the kind touch of the boy they bullied.
“Brother… why are you always apologizing?” inquired Izuku.
“I… I don’t,” denied Haru sheepishly.
“Yes. You do. You and mother stare at me with apologetic eyes all the time. You use actions, not words, to say you are sorry,” stated Izuku firmly.
The brother felt his eyes widen, cheek heating up at the fact he had been caught. He found himself embarrassed, thinking he had tried to appear strong when Izuku saw through it all along.
Bakugo saw the expression of Haru and knew instantly that Izuku saw deeper into Haru than what Haru assumed he was capable of seeing. The other bullies watched, crouching to rest their legs, but listening at the same time. Bakugo wanted to know everything, he didn’t know why he didn’t know. Inko told Mitsuki everything and Mitsuki told everything she talked about to him and his father at dinner. Why did he not know about Haru? Why did he not know about the money? What else didn’t he know?
“Does being poor make us unhappy? If I can’t wear popular clothing or buy a new uniform, should people pity us?” questioned Midoriya, gently rubbing Haru’s cheek with concern.
Haru looked at Midoriya with widened eyes. Desperately wanting to tell Midoriya that yes, he was happy even though he was poor. Nobody had to pity them because of their circumstances. He wanted to let Midoriya know he deserved those things. Not that because of them being poor, they had to be miserable and appear miserable.
Bakugo on the other hand felt his heart stop. Not only was Midoriya struggling with money, but they were classified as poor. Not only that but he and the other bullies were astonished how well kept the uniform was. It looked perfect despite the amount of times they pushed him and made him scratch up the uniform or how they made him get stains on it, or the times where they’ve burnt it or spilled things on him. They couldn’t fathom the work he put in to not get a new one. They felt guilty, not only were the hurting Midoriya, but the entire family when they were financially distressed. They felt like the shit people they truly were.
They couldn’t do anything but look at Midoriya love and console his older brother, finally deciding to talk about the issues they most likely danced around.
“Are you so determined to blame someone that… that you blame our father from dying of illness?” softly persisted Izuku, asking gently in the worry of Haru being so torn up over what happened that his grief turned to anger.
Bakugo and the bullies felt as if their world shattered in the moment. The distraught look on Haru’s face matched the bullies as they felt like they had just recieved the biggest slap in the face.
Bakugo stood there is disbelief. Hisashi was dead, that’s why Inko was working and they were struggling for money. He didn’t know when Hisashi got sick, when he died, how Hisashi died. He didn’t even know if there was a funeral. This side of Midoriya’s life had been hidden so well it never once occurred to him something changed. The other bullies all unanimously agreed they would back off with Midoriya’s uniform.
“While I was taking care of him, bathing him, feeding him… he worked so hard… but it wasn’t enough. Nothing he could’ve done was enough. Even though the medicine was keeping the illness from developing, it weakened his kidneys and liver,” explained Midoriya, taking Haru’s hand again, squeezing them tightly.
Bakugo felt himself join the others crouching down as he was overwhelmed with even more information. They all exchanged a look, realizing how bad this was. Izuku was bullied during the day, taking care of his dying father at night. None of them could even begin to imagine how mentally challenging it must’ve been for him.
“We just have to accept it,” cooed Midoriya, looking down at Haru’s hands.
Haru felt his eyes water, amazed with his little brother’s beautiful maturity and innocence. I made the cold bitterness in his heart turn into a warm and sugary lightness. With Izuku’s words alone, he felt ready to accept how things were.
Midoriya looked up at his brother with tears falling from his eyes, his heart racing. “We’re only humans. We can’t just expect things to go the way we want.”
The group of bullies felt their eyes widen, listening to Midoriya in awe. His ability to push forward with pride and passion to take life head and heart first stunned them. They all knew if they had been put in his shoes, none of them would be handling it how he was. Hell, they weren’t even sure if they’d still be alive. Bakugo’s whole existence was based off of his quirk, without it, he’d have nothing. He never would admit it, but it was true. To hear Midoriya explain that he accepted life for what it is despite the odds being against him, was powerful.
Haru was frowning, beyond upset. It wasn’t toward Izuku, Inko, or Hisashi. It was toward himself. He had wallowed in self-pity and self-deprecating thoughts when he should’ve been pushing forward to smile and laugh. He should’ve been working harder, towards a brighter future that Hisashi would want them to go chase after. Izuku tended to his family because he wanted them to smile again, live comfortably in the comfort of being alive with one another.
“Whether or not you are happy… all of this is up to you. What matters in now. That your alive, you’re healthy, and that I’m here and mom’s here,” rationalized Izuku, trying to speak his heart, his voice, his thoughts and feelings.
One of the bullies nodded to himself, agreeing. Izuku was completely right. Haru had every right to focus on the past and reflect, but the past shouldn’t be controlling everything he does in the future. Haru and Inko were trying to live through the past and it wasn’t helping them or Izuku. From what they heard, Midoriya heart was pure despite the scars is bore. Bakugo felt the protectiveness he once felt as a young child. He felt that longing need to be the stronger one that would protect the meek kid Izuku was. The bullies didn’t feel the need to protect, but rather they felt respect. They all felt the strong vitality Midoriya possessed, and they respected it.
“Let’s push forward together, focus on what’s going to come! Yes, we must work hard and do things that we’d rather not worry or stress over… but we must fight for it!” Midoriya raised his voice as he spoke, finding himself growing emotional.
The life in Midoriya’s voice, the overwhelming emotions that couldn’t be easily defined, shook them to their core. They hadn’t ever heard Midoriya’s raise his voice, let alone sound defensive.
“So please, stop apologizing. You out of everyone I know should understand… I want someone to understand how I feel!” cried Midoriya.
The bullies felt their eyes widen. Out of all of the times they’ve seen Midoriya cry. They’ve never heard it. They’ve never listened to his voice break as he tried to finish his sentence despite his soul howling in despair. Bakugo knew things were going to change, he wouldn’t make it too obvious, but he was going to lay off. The bullies were more than willing to comply, using him being quirkless didn’t seem like justification for their actions after what they heard.
Haru felt his eyes widen, panicking. “Hey, hey, hey. I want to understand how you feel Izu. I can’t imagine what you had to go through taking care of dad alone. I can’t imagine what it felt like watching him die as you waited for someone to come help. I don’t understand your emotional connection… but I want you to have everything and more Izuku.”
Haru pulled Izuku into a tight hug, rubbing his cheek in Izuku’s wild curls and breathing in the wonderful scent of their 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. He clung to Izuku like a lifeline, rocking back and fourth. Midoriya hugged back, his whole body sinking into Haru.
“You deserve everything you want in life Izuku. I’m apologizing because I can’t offer you what you deserve. You don’t deserve anything you’ve been through.”
Izuku grumbled, smacking the back of Haru’s head. “Don’t worry about what I deserve. Focus on what I need. I need you and mom to smile and stop wallowing around. Let me do what I’ve been doing to help without having you two stare at me with sad eyes.”
The bullies all watched the two interact with grins. The sight of Haru being serious and wanting the best for Midoriya, only for him to get disciplined by his younger brother. It was laughable, but they remained quiet, pretending to just be worried about something else. Haru had acknowledged their presence, but didn’t think anything of it because they did appear to be on their phones and casually “talking”.
Midoriya pulled away and quickly dabbed away his tears. “Let’s grab some bubble tea and go home and grill some brisket? I don’t want to eat out… it gives me anxiety.”
Haru looked at Midoriya and his mood immediately lightens up. “Okay, let’s go. Wanna talk about your day at school?”
“School was stupid as always. How about you tell me how work went. I’m sure some crazy person made an interesting story,” deflected Izuku, quickly putting the focus off of him.
The bullies as sank with relief, glad Midoriya didn’t bring them up. They couldn’t help but be surprised nonetheless as he didn’t even show any sign his day was bad, giving a generic response like any teen would normally say. They couldn’t help but wonder if Midoriya never brought them up period.
Midoriya patted his brother on the cheek before Haru turned around to walk with Midoriya to the cheapest place to buy bubble tea.
The following day, Midoriya comes to school and rather being greeted by a punch, he only met with insults. Not once had Bakugo and his lackeys lay a finger on him since the beginning of the day to the moment Midoriya stepped into the comfort of his home. Midoriya noticed the way their words seemed to get caught on their tongue as they made snide comments and their usual stale remarks and insults. He noticed and wondered if they had a change of heart and a change of attitude. Maybe someone said something to them that made them think about their actions. Whatever it was, it made Midoriya smile to himself. All days after that, it was the same. His bullying became strictly verbal and he could live with that.
Time passed and nothing really changed until the fateful day the teacher purposefully told the class Midoriya wanted to go to UA. Bakugo lost his temper and proceeded to be just as awful of a person as he had been the previous yesr. The bullies even called him out for it, pointing out how he was far harsher than usual. Bakugo had burned Midoriya’s shoulder while death gripping it. He chased his physical attack with one of the worst things he could’ve ever said and proceeded to leave as if nothing had happened.
Midoriya got into UA anyways and made Bakugo eat his words. Bakugo didn’t understand how Midoriya magically got a quirk, but that was a confrontation for another time. It wouldn’t be until after the Paranormal Liberation War when Midoriya was in recovery that Bakugo finally met Haru one to one.
The first thing Bakugo did was bow down before Haru and Inko.
“I’m sorry.”
A/N: anyone notice the scene from Demon Slayer I used 😉
ALSO HOW DO YOU UNLIKE YOUR OWN POST???
nvm my shit was glitched
Something done for @somerandomdudelmao 's apocalyptic series! I haven't used color on anything for a while.
I've been wanting to do fanart for them for such a long time now but I'm a nervous internet person so I don't show myself much or know what to say or how it's okay to interact. HALF THE TIME I DONT EVEN DARE REPOST AND ITS KILLING ME BECAUSE I LVOE THIS SERIES SO MUCH I CRY, as I'm sure everyone can relate.
Raph had never really been my favorite, but lately everything about him makes me so soft and with cass's newest updates? There was no way I could just sit still. It was enough to draw me out of my "too scared to post"-cave and I'm glad.
Also currently saving to buy a new iPad cause mine is usable no more, so I'm borrowing my brother's. The pain of not being able to draw when I want wherever I want has never been greater. I do have some things I wanna show though so idk maybe 🤲