Clockwork Rewrite

Chapter 2: Malfunction

Summary of the previous chapter:

Izuku was working on an invention designed to research the origins of quirks, a time machine if you want to be more specific, when a villain with an earth quirk attacked. Their quirk caused violent tremors to wrack through the building, causing pieces of it to break off and hit the control panel. Izuku tried to fix the panel, because he's obviously lacking in self-preservation, and ended up being knocked into the portal by his abandoned tool cart.

Chapter 2: Malfunction

The world faded in slowly, my blurry eyes struggling to adjust to the array of colours clouding my vision. "What happened?" I questioned. Or, at least that was what I tried to say.

My whole body felt like lead, and I was so weak I could barely even move my head. It felt like all my bones were broken in level of mobility, but without any of the pain. Mostly.

I looked around, and saw huge wooden bars surrounding me. Well, that's what I thought they were. My vision was horrible, to say the least. I was immediately struck with panic. My first thought was that I was in prison, however silly that may be considering the only crime I'd ever committed was attempting to forge my mother's signature in elementary school. I felt my cheeks grow wet, and noticed that I was crying. Why am I crying? I couldn't stop the tears no matter how much I tried to calm myself down, and suddenly the room was filled with high-pitched sobbing. I was incredibly confused. Is that sound coming from me?

I gazed down at my hands through teary eyes. They were small, much smaller than I remembered them being, and they were chubby. How did I gain weight and shrink in what must've been hours at most?

I sat there for a moment, confused, until it all started to click. The sounds, my motor skills, my tiny hands and the incredibly intimidating bars surrounding me. I'm not in jail, I'm a baby, in a crib. Well actually, I guess a crib could be considered jail for babies if you think about it. I took a moment to let it sink in, and honestly, I was still just as confused.

The machine was supposed to send someone back in time, but not make them younger with it. The debris must have done more damage than I originally thought.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of steady footfalls echoing through the corridor. With everything I had just discovered, I forgot that I was a baby who was crying so loud I was practically screaming. Obviously, my mother would've heard it. Realistically, I would've been concerned if she didn't.

The door swung open to reveal my mother, Inko Midoriya. She was still young and slim like she was before my diagnosis. After that she'd gathered a lot more onto her plate, and started stress-eating. She had silky straight viridian hair that reached past her shoulders, and gentle eyes that matched.

She padded over to me, and hugged me close, "It's okay little one."

I was exhausted after everything that'd happened, and as a baby I suppose I needed a lot more sleep than I usually would. She rocked me gently while whispering words of comfort. Her soft reassurances and warm embrace quieted my cries, and soon enough I was lulled into a deep sleep, all my troubles temporarily forgotten.

Inko didn't consider herself to be the most observant person out there, but she didn't consider herself to be a pushover either.

There was something about her son that she just couldn't place. Maybe it was the air of intelligence surrounding him, which sounded really silly to say about a tiny creature that could barely lift their head on their own, but it didn't make the statement any less true. There were moments where he seemed to just know what she was thinking, and she knew logically that he couldn't understand her, but sometimes he seemed like he understood every word.

Whenever she was sad, he would just lift his little hand and pat her cheek, smiling up at her as if to comfort her. In all honesty, she couldn't be more grateful for her little bundle of joy.

He surpassed all of the developmental milestones for his age group far faster than normal as well. At just a few months old, he was already saying his first words, and he miraculously seemed to be able to read at around six-months-old without any form of teaching. She would never forget the shock she felt when she discovered that.

Little Izuku was just sitting on the ground while the news was playing in the background. There was a weather report playing. Inko had been folding laundry on the sofa while keeping an eye on him when he started mumbling a few words that'd been shown on the screen. At first, Inko was just confused. How did a baby know the words temperature and precipitation? They may have been pronounced a bit awkwardly, but it was still comprehensible. She gazed over at the screen, saw those words written out, and let's just say she was glad that she was only holding a towel at the moment.

She sent him a curious smile, "Izuku, where did you learn to read?"

She could've sworn she saw him wince at her words, but it was gone before she could comment. He merely shrugged in response, moving to pick up the towel she'd dropped, and handing it to her with a small smile.

It didn't take a genius to realize she wouldn't be getting an answer any time soon.

A/N:

So, for Izuku's development in his new baby body, I went based off of actual developmental goals for babies. Based on what I found online, babies don't usually see the full colour spectrum until about 5-8 months old. Apparently, they're capable of seeing colour, but their brains don't usually perceive them as clearly or visibly as older children and adults do. Since Izuku has the brain of an adult, he can still perceive colour at the very least almost as well as he could before, but he still technically has the eyes of a baby, which is why his eyesight is blurry when he goes back in time.

This is also why he couldn't read earlier, because I wanted to wait for an age where he'd at least be able to see somewhat decently from a slightly larger distance.

If I was wrong about any of this, feel free to let me know and I'll correct it! :)