Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Three thousand one hundred and thirty two days.

That's how long he's been here.

Or maybe it'd been longer? Izuku has been trapped in the dark room for so long that if it wasn't for the small hole in the wall he wouldn't be able to tell if it was day or night.

He ate three times a day at designated hours. If he didn't finish or even touch his food he'd be beaten. The food was terrible. It wasn't even something prisoners would be fed in the worst of the worst prisons. But it was enough to keep him alive. Alive for the experiments.

That's what he was. Experiment number 314. That's all he was.

His ears stung at the sound of the metal door scraping across the floor like nails on a chalkboard. This was the only time he got to see light. It was never good though. He knew what was going to happen.

"Number 314, the boss wants to see you." A guards voice spoke through the bright lights.

Izuku didn't move. His eyes still were adjusting to the lights. What time was it? Maybe nine? Or was it eleven? Could it be later? Did he have breakfast yet? The hours blended into each other. He had no sense of time. No sense of self.

Suddenly, there was a strike to his face with a sturdy metal bar which had snapped him out of his trance. Blood shot out of his mouth and painted the ground underneath him red. Tears had formed into his eyes as he looked up at the guard. In that moment. He swore it was a monster in front of him. That look on the guards face. Izuku's seen it so many times. Too many times. He hated it. He swore that one day, he'd rip it off.

"Are you deaf?! I said the boss wants to see you. Be a good boy like you always have been and come." The guard spoke in a taunting tone, bending down to unlock the cuff that was around Izuku's ankle.

In that moment, a spur adrenaline shot through him. He didn't want to be stuck in here for another day. With what little strength he had left, Izuku had brought his knee directly into the guards face. The guard fell in agony, grasping at his face in pain. That was his chance. And Izuku took it. He ran. Ran as fast as his fragile legs and malnourished body could take him. He made it to the exit doors. This was his shot at a new life. At a life with no experimentation. A life with no dark rooms, no terrible food, no chains. A life with no fear. He could live like a normal person. Finally. After years of nothing but pain and fear he can now have one of freedom. See his mom again. He had one didn't he? Everyone did. That's how kids are born. She had to still be alive right? She didn't give up on him, did she? Izuku could hardly remember her face but he knew that when he saw her, he'd know that was his mother. He could finally see her again. When he opens these doors, he'll be free. Finally.

"Number 314? Number 314! Snap out of it!" With a quick slap to the face, Izuku realized it was nothing but a feeble dream. Escape? Fat chance. He'd be stuck here for the rest of his life. Until 'the boss' found him useless.

Izuku stumbled to his feet. He watched as the guard had left the room and followed after him. Another guard joined them, staying behind Izuku to make sure he couldn't run away. Freedom was a joke here. No one was free here. Not even the guards.

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The guards led Izuku to a room with a bed smack in the middle of it. That was the experimentation bed. The use was in the name. All sorts of experiments and torture happened in this bed. Many people never survived their first time in this bed, but if you did survive you were deemed 'worthy' to keep alive. Unfortunately or fortunately for Izuku, he survived his first time. Just barley.

"You know the drill. Get on the bed." The second guard said. Izuku was far beyond attempting to run from this anymore. The first time he did, he was killed before being brought back within seconds. It had traumatized him so much he never complained anymore.

Izuku laid down on the bed and the two guards strapped him down tightly so he couldn't move. So he couldn't escape. The guards made sure Izuku was strapped in before another man entered the room. The boss.

"You two. Leave." The man spoke. The guards wasted no time before leaving as if they couldn't be more excited to get away. That mask. Izuku hated that mask. He hated seeing it. He never wanted to see it. That maroon, plague doctor mask. Izuku saw it in his nightmares, saw it when he closed his eyes. He was never able to get away from that mask. Even for a single day. For a single minute.

"It's been a while hasn't it, Izuku?" The man in the plague mask spoke, inserting a needle into Izuku's left arm.

He hated hearing his name out of Chisaki's mouth. However...it was the only way he was able to remember that was his name. Not 'Number 314' but Izuku. He needed to remember. If he got out of here he knew he'd need to know what it is. Who he is.

"Thanks to you and Eri, the drug is almost complete. You've been real valuable to me, 314. Just a few more tests."

A few more tests. How many more? Two? Three? Seven? Thirty? How many was 'just a few' to this man? That's not what he should be worried about right now. Who's Eri? Izuku knew people had been here before but he didn't know there was someone else with him here. With him in this hell.

"Eri..?" Izuku muttered out, watching at the clear tube began to fill with red.

"Have I not told you about her? She's the old boss's granddaughter. She has a very useful quirk. And just like you, she belongs to me." Chisaki spoke with great malice. He attached a headpiece to Izuku, shooting electric shocks through the boys head. One after the other. Each one was worse than the last one. Excruciating screams echoed through the room. Bright flashes from the electricity illuminated the dark room. Not a once did Chisaki seem to flinch. Izuku knew there was amusement in that man's eyes. In that monsters eyes. He wouldn't survive this one. No way. Whether or not he lived didn't matter though. Regardless, Chisaki would just bring him back and make the process start all over again.

After what felt like hours the electricity stopped. Izuku's body twitched against the bed. He wanted to cry. He wanted to run.

"That wasn't so bad was it? You've been good recently. Not putting up a fight. Not whining. I've heard you've even been eating your food now. How about a reward?" The man said, scanning over the results from the most recent experiment. Everything was spinning for Izuku. His ears were ringing, his vision was blurry, and his mind was spinning. A reward? Any reward from this man couldn't be good.

A sharp pain shot through his arm and it wasn't until he felt blood dripping down his arm that he realized what was happening. Izuku looked down at his arm and saw a large gash vertically down, deep enough to the point he could see his muscle. He was in so much pain he couldn't even scream. Couldn't even wail or cry. All he could do was widen his eyes and watch as Chisaki took even more from him.

Chisaki restored and wrapped up Izuku in even more bandages than he was already covered in, releasing Izuku from his restraints. Izuku was scared. No. Scared was an understatement. He was utterly terrified. What was to come next? Why was he doing this? All for some drug? There had to be more to it. Right? Right?!

"Come on, Izuku. It's time for you to meet Eri. I think you've earned it." Chisaki held out his hand for the boy to take, to which Izuku did hesitantly. They walked through an area of the facility that Izuku has never been to. And at the end of the hall was a room by itself. A room of isolation. Looked like this girl was just as isolated as he was. The only interaction he's had for the past however long has either been with the guards or Chisaki. He hardly even remembered how to speak.

A man dressed in a white cloak with a mask similar to the one worn by Chisaki, only it covered the man's whole face, stood at the door. Izuku's only seen that man a few times when walking to and from the experiment room.

It was if the man in white and the boss had telepathically spoke with each other cause with one simple look, the man in white stepped to the side and opened the door. Beyond that door revealed a small girl who was shaking and shivering on her bed. Izuku was shocked at the sight of a little girl who couldn't be older than six. He has expected someone older. Someone closer to his age. Not a little girl.

Izuku felt a push at his shoulder from the white cloaked man which made him stumble forward to the floor. "Now, Now, Kurono. Don't be so rough with him. He's special." Chisaki said, helping the green haired boy up and back onto his feet. "This is who I was telling you about, Izuku. I'll allow you two to get to know each other for a while. Make sure to behave." Those words weren't a reminder. They were a warning. They were a warning that if they tried anything they'd be killed. Tortured worse than ever.

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The door closed leaving just Eri and Izuku in the dimly lit room on their own.

Izukus eyes gazed over the girl. She looked like him. All wrapped in bandages, face covered in pure fear. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. She was so young. No child should have to go through this. Have to go through such torture. Even when he was six, he got to live a bit of his childhood. This girl didn't.

"D-Do you mind if I sit on the bed with you..?" His speaking was slow. Not because he didn't think she wouldn't understand if he didn't talk slow but because he was trying to remember how to talk. He hardly remembered the sound of his own voice he had been silent for such a long time. His green eyes watched the girl from afar, making sure not to make any movements as to not startle her. The small girl softly nodded, moving herself to the headboard to make space.

Izuku felt a tug at his lips to what he could only suspect was a smile trying to stretch across his face. His footsteps didn't make a sound as he walked over to the bed, something he's learned to do while living here. He sat on the bed with the girl without a word. He wasn't sure what to say. The only human interaction he's had the past few years was when he was getting beaten or tested on.

"So...your name's Eri right? My name's Izuku." He spoke softly. His heart beating loudly. He was nervous. He didn't know why but with where he was, could you blame him?

"Izuku..?" The blue haired girl mumbled, seeming to lighten up ever so slightly. She could tell he wasn't a threat. Not like the others were. Was he going through the same things she was? It looked like he was. His face looked friendly despite how dirty and bruised up he looked. He had a warm presence too. She could feel it radiating off of him. It was totally different from the others. For the first time, she felt comfortable. Well, as comfortable as she could feel.

"Yeah! Hey...I promise I won't hurt you like they've hurt us okay. You can trust me." The scruffy boy said, his lips curving now into a full smile. Something he hasn't done in forever. He wanted to protect this girl. He didn't want her to get hurt any more. He needed to get out of here.

By any means possible.

Eri crawled close enough to where there was about two feet of space in between them. She shakily raised her hand to point at the bandages that covered Izukus body. Her face was scattered with both worry and fear. Her voice trembled as she tried to get words out. This girl has felt nothing but fear in her life. That was clear to Izuku. He's never seen a child tremble so hard. Sure, he hasn't seen a child since he was but still.

He knew this wasn't normal. He couldn't bare to see this. He wanted to act brave. He wanted to be a sense of hope for this girl. Yet he was as scared as she was. He knew what would happen if he failed to get them out. The horrors they'd have to experience. And it'd be all his fault. It'd be all his fault again. Everything was his fault. Chisaki made sure he knew that. He didn't want to get Eri killed all because he wanted to play hero. Hero's were a joke anyways. Where were they now? Where were they when he needed them the most? Hero's were useless. You couldn't trust them. All they cared about was fame and fortune. If someone who didn't bring that needed help, the hero's wouldn't bother to help. That was another thing Chisaki often told him. Izuku always believed Chisaki. He was made to.

"Mr. Izuku..? Mr. Izuku!" A small voice called out which brought the green haired boy back to his senses. He gasped and looked at Eri. "Sorry...I didn't mean to yell...you just weren't answering." Her voice was quiet, like she didn't want someone listening in on their conversation. "My bad, I was lost in thought." Izuku chuckled nervously, thinking about what else they could do. He was sure they didn't have much time left. And that someone was watching through the cameras in the room. "Hey Eri, want me to do your hair? I think I remember how to do a braid..." The frail boy glanced at the camera in the room before back at the girl. He used a smile to try and calm both of their nerves. He was sure his smile looked a bit wacky. After all, he hasn't smiled in years. He had no reason to with where he was.

Eri nodded at the boys question and she turned around to face her back to him. Izuku slowly separated three chunks of her hair and began to weave them into each other. He made sure not be rough with it, letting it be a bit loose as he found some string to use as a make shift hair-tie that he tied into a little bow for her. "And.....there! Cute!" He exclaimed quietly. Eri brought out a side of Izuku that he didn't know existed. A side that almost made him forget where he was.

Almost.

The door opened and with it came a loud booming voice. "Number 314, your time with Eri is up. Time to go back to your room." A voice spoke. It was a small man. Not a child. He was just...short. "Irinaka, quiet down would you? We don't want to scare the boy. He was getting so comfortable." Izukus entire demeanor changed. That relaxation he felt just moments before had left. A sense of indescribable fear washed over him.

"Now come on, Izuku. It's time for Eri to go to bed." Chisaki used a false safe tone. A tone that made it sound like he's never done a bad thing in his life. Like he didn't torture two people and turn their bodies into bullets.

Izuku was getting ready to go over just like he was told, until he felt a tug at his shirt. He looked down to see a little hand grasping for him. Hands shaking, tears dropping onto the bed. "Please...don't go..." Eri spoke just loud enough to where only Izuku could hear what she was saying. His heart was pounding. He didn't know what decision to make. He didn't want to make the wrong one. He was scared to make the wrong one. He didn't want it to be his fault again.

"J-Just a few more minutes...?" His voice was trembling as he looked over at Chisaki. The man looked as if Izuku had said the most upsetting thing to him. His yellow eyes narrowed on the two. "I'm not going to repeat myself." Now the tone was different. More demanding. One that Izukus heard many times in his life. Then, his fingers began to reach into his glove to take it off. In that moment, Izuku immediately ran off of Eri's bed and beside the short man and Chisaki with his head down in defeat.

"Good choice. Now say bye to Eri, you can see her tomorrow if you behave." Izuku couldn't bring himself to look at Eri. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to be someone she could rely on, yet he ran away when she asked for him. When she needed him.

He was no better than the hero's he hated the most.