Work Text:
Singing filled the streets.
Every minute of every hour of every day.
Streets that are not occupied by people, but by monsters.
Nomu's.
They stalk through the streets and sing children's songs.
The wheels on the bus.
Twinkle twinkle little star.
Old MacDonald had a farm.
Humpty Dumpty.
HE, All for One, might be a crazy bastard, but even he couldn't come up with something so twisted. So paradoxical. He would have smiled if he had survived the war. Now Shigaraki laughs for both of them.
No, these songs are no source of happiness anymore.
No, when you hear these songs you quiet your children and hide wherever you can, hoping that the Soldier hasn't seen you, the Hound hasn't smelled you, or the Bat hasn't heard you. You pray to whatever god there might be that you will survive, no, you pray that you won't be noticed. A natural dead might be a blessing compared to whatever the monsters will do to you.
But even with the land tethering on the edge of ruin, there still was hope. Hope that no one knew where it came from or when it started to settle into their souls. Hope to be able to hear the sound of safety pierce through the twisted songs and make them fall silent.
---
Heavy pants echoed through the street.
It was just supposed to be a quick supply run. He was the fastest and quietest of his siblings, so he went out for food. Maybe he was only a kid but he was almost thirteen, a teenager really.
'I can do this,' he had thought to himself.
"Be safe please, Tayo," his sister had asked, pleaded with him.
He had promised them he would be safe. Now he doesn't know if he will even make it down the street.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!"
Heavy footfalls match the beat of the song and the cracking of the street makes his heart jump.
'Please don't sing. Please stop. Please let me go.'
A glance behind him tells him too much. The Soldier will be upon him in just a few seconds.
'I'm sorry Haru, Akira. I won't be coming home.'
Then there was a sound. It was harsh and abrupt and echoed all around the street. The sound has filled many nightmares before the war, but now it was like a daydream.
There was the crack of the start, the whistle for its journey, and a twack for its arrival.
Tayo couldn't believe it. The singing had stopped and he had the honor of hearing it. The sound of safety.
A shot from a sniper.
The soldier was on the ground when he turned around.
He quickly scanned the rooftops, to see if he could spot his savior.
'There!'
A figure stood on top of a water tower, a cloak hiding their features.
Tayo waved to the figure, the hero. His hero. The figure waved back before jumping away and Tayo didn't waste more time getting back to his family. He couldn't wait to tell his siblings.
---
Only a slight creak was heard when the figure landed on the roof, the cloak settling around them again.
Under the hood, two emerald green eyes peered over their city.
'And that is number 67. Just 131 Nomu's to go before my city is freed from these monsters. Before we can get rid of the source.'
The reports from all over the country settled something in his soul.
Izuku would take back his city and then his country.
It was only a matter of time before they could start rebuilding.
But first, he would bring back hope. One gunshot at a time.