epiphanot

❛ GUARDIAN ANGEL

~O~

A small muffled sneeze cut through the quiet of the night, soon followed by a sniffle.

It was admittedly a bit too cold for the middle of November. It generally did get cold a lot around these parts by the time as compared to the others regions but not as much as it did this time. November had never been this cold. The breeze that brushed past the naked autumn trees, ruffling a few leaves off those dark branches was unforgivingly cold and chilly enough to leave any wanderer's fingers icy to the touch.

At least his were left that way.

The little boy of nothing more than four years old did not like the cold very much, especially not when mom hadn't dressed him in clothes warm enough to 'fight it off' as he called it. Now that little Izuku thought about it, maybe he shouldn't have to worry about not having worn warmer clothing earlier that day but rather he should think of finding his way out of... Wherever he currently was. Air knocked its way out of the young lungs as Izuku felt his chest tightening at the sudden realization that he really had no idea where he was.

The taunting dark sky above him felt more and more like an indefinitely high ceiling than it had ever before to the four years old, one that would allow all his predators and villains to jeeringly observe the helpless tiny child cower in fear, replenishing themselves with his naiveness and vulnerability before bringing their claws down upon him as they often did in Izuku's nightmares. Izuku wished this was also a nightmare because when he had nightmares, he used to wake up in his bed all safe and sound with mom on his side to help him calm down and to make him smile and to protect him from all those villains. But... But if this wasn't a nightmare then that meant he wouldn't automatically wake up in his soft and warm bed and mom wouldn't be there to hug him and sing him a lullaby and to fight off all his fears.

Tears welled up in the boy's big emerald eyes at the thought. But he didn't let them fall, not yet. Izuku held them back because... Because heroes don't cry! Not when they have to fight villains alone! Never! All Might didn't and neither did Kacchan! So, he shouldn't either!

Another chilly gush of wind passed by and Izuku realized that he had never been alone before.

The naked trees with their pointy dark branches suddenly felt ten times bigger than what they used to be. The little one was suddenly much, much aware of how tall the crispy grass stood and just how eerie the environment felt. In the middle of nowhere, with no knowledge of where he came from or which direction to go, Izuku was terrified to be alone.

The small child had never been truly alone. Mom looked over him basically every second of the day. When he was at school, he had his frie— classmates around even if they had particularly been avoiding him like the plague ever since they heard of him being diagnosed as quirkless. There were still people all around him. But here, right now, there was no one.

Just him and his fears.

Another chilly gush left him trembling like one of the few leaves on the stark trees. Izuku rubbed his tiny hands up and down his covered arms but still couldn't ward off the cold. His fingers were numb thanks to the low temperature, by now, it hurt to move them so he kept them around himself as he wandered further around his never ending fears.

It wasn't a place for a four years old to be, he shouldn't be here. But he didn't know how to get out and surely, no one was coming for him. Mom was away for work, she left this morning. Izuku was supposed to be staying at one of her friend's house till she came back — which wasn't long, she said she'd be home by eleven. So, Izuku had two or three hours left to find his way home if he didn't want to give his poor mother a heart attack. On the other hand, just like all the other people after him being labeled quirkless, Izuku didn't feel quite... Right staying with mom's friend.