Chapter Text
Izuku had just graduated middle school at the young age of ten. Aizawa always teased him, questioning whether he had an intelligence quirk.
Nemuri’s presence was known right when her dark purple car pulled into the driveway, her loud pop music blasting through the speakers. She walked through the door with a smile brighter than the sun. Her face screamed pride. Hizashi chuckled while Shouta sighed.
Nemuri made a sound similar to a tea kettle, “There’s my nephew—“ she ran up to him to wrap him in a bone crushing hug, twirling him around in a childish manner, “—I’m so proud of you, Birdie! Such a smart cookie” She exclaimed, pulling away from the hug to pinch his cheeks. Izuku hugged her back, a deep comfort found in her embrace.
Izuku groaned in an embarrassed tone, waving her hands away. “Thanks Auntie..” His voice was clear, not how it used to be two years ago when he first started living with his dads.
Hizashi brought a hand up to his face in a joking manner, wiping away a nonexistent tear, “My baby bird is growing up so fast,” He sobs, “Your dad and I are so proud!” He gushed, opening his arms to envelop him in a hug.
Shouta nods, ruffling the kids near black hair. “So proud,” He added, mumbling. His face partially covered by his scarf but you could see a slight upturn of his lips. Nemuri joined the hug, kissing the crown of Izukus head. His wings fluttered slightly out of embarrassment, but he soon relaxed into it, chasing for the warmth that he now grown used to.
Nemuri pulled away from the hug slightly, her eyes held a familiar glint. “Why don’t we celebrate with a meal— and we could watch that documentary you’ve been talking about” She asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Hizashi smiled, pulling away from the hug as well to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, “What do you think, Izu?” Hizashi added, leaving the choice to Izuku fully. Izuku looked over to Shouta, who shrugged, gesturing for him to decide.
Izuku smiles warmly, “Yeah— Yeah that sounds nice..” Izuku agrees, nodding his head.
The kitchen became a mess fairly quick, flour was everywhere, coating the granite tables and the clothes the four wore white. Izuku's feathers —which were once black— had become more of a grey color from the flour getting stuck in between his feathers. After cleaning up, the family curled up on the couch with many pillows and blankets, the mess now cleaned up in the kitchen and each one of them held a plate that had katsudon and cookies. The documentary played, and Izuku thinks this is exactly where he’s supposed to be.
* * *
Since Izuku finished middle school, this meant a visit with Nedzu, which both parents dreaded but Izuku was excited. Izuku sat in his usual char— more like loveseat— that he sits in during his lessons with Nedzu while his parents sit down at the chairs across from Nedzu’s desk.
Nedzu claps his hands together, his face now easy to read, unlike how he could hardly tell what the chimera was thinking of when he first met him. The playful exchanges they have are comforting to him. “Izuku, you’ve done excellent in school!” He praises.
Izuku smiles with pride, his wings fluffing ever so slightly. “Thank you Nedzu-san!” He exclaimed, Nedzu’s praise meant something to him. It made him feel all fluttery and at ease.
Nedzu Shuffled around some papers on his desk before looking back at the three. “I’ve arranged this meeting to talk about the upcoming school year,” He announced, his eyes gleaming.
Hizashi tilted his head curiously, “Is he going to do high school?” He crossed his legs comfortably.
Nedzu nods, “It’s up to Izuku, he can wait till she’s of age to go into high school— or he could start early,” He said.
Izuku looked over to both his parents, silently asking what they thought.
Shouta shrugged, “it’s up to you kid,” He stated, stretching his back out.
Hizashi nodded, sending him a wink, “What your dad said,” He added, intertwining his hand with his husbands.
Izuku nodded, a small smile on his face, “I’d like to start high school,”
Nedzu clapped his hands together, smiling with glee, “Splendid, Young one! Now I do have a couple questions for you about your courses—“ Izuku tilted his head. “You can choose to take accelerated courses that can help you graduate high school with a college degree, or you can take courses that are more mainstream.” He asked.
Izuku hums, thinking for a moment before answering, “I’d like to take the accelerated courses,” He decides.
Nedzu smiled, flipping through the pages before handing him a schedule. “I had an idea you’d say that, so now onto my next question. If you graduate high school early— seeing as how you’ve done so far, i’m assuming you will— I would like to place you in more classes, such as medical training, professional analysis classes and if you’d like, a support course class like the one we have at Yuuei.” He said, handing over a piece of paper that had all the classes and courses on his schedule.
Izuku beams, looking over to his dads. Shouta shrugged, letting him know that he had full control over this decision. Hizashi just held a thumbs up.
Izuku nods quickly, “I’d be honored!” he exclaimed.
Nedzu looked up to the clock to check the time, “—And of course, we would keep the lessons you have with me, would that be too much for you?” He asked, with an honest tone to his voice.
Izuku shook his head, a determined expression flashed across his face. “Middle school felt too easy, Nedzu-san, I want more of a challenge,” He assured.
Nedzu nodded, and squinted his eyes and wore a grin. “Wonderful! You will see an update on your online courses soon. We will be in contact.” He said, excusing them.
They left his office, waving. Shouta grabbed a jelly pouch out from his capture weapon and began to drink it. “You know how proud I am of you?” He said truthfully.
Izuku flushed, feeling embarrassed. Even though he had lived with them for a year so far, he hasn’t gotten used to the constant praise. “You have said that a lot recently..” He mumbled.
Hizashi ruffled the kid's hair before resting his hand onto his shoulder. “Well, you deserve to hear it, Honey.” He agreed, patting Izuku's shoulder a couple times. Shouta grunted in agreement, the sound of the jelly pouch crinkling filled the hallway.
Izuku smiled, feeling more free than flying has ever felt.
* * *
Inko Midoriya was found guilty for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. The court session was unbearable and long. Izuku could only find himself floating, the feeling of dissociating making his brain feel fuzzy and time felt slow but yet fast. The cold sterile room, the distant sound of shuffling papers and hushed voices contrasted how he felt. His eyes focused on the ground, counting the amount of seams ripped up from the flooring. He counted the laces on his Attorney's shoes. He could hear the air conditioning making a white noise in the background. He smelt the many body sprays that all the people are wearing. He did anything to not focus on the fact his mother stared at him with pure hatred. Her green eyes seemed like they were burning red with rage. She screamed many things,
“He’s a fucking lair!”
“He just wants attention!”
“He was asking for it!”
“He enjoyed it!”
He didn’t, he never enjoyed a single moment of his life with his mother, not when the lights turned off in his bedroom and he could hear the door lock, not when his mother smiled at him, not when he could hear her drunken voice wailing, not when he felt the vodka bottle break across his head, Not when she would clip his feathers so he couldn’t fly away. Not ever.
He could feel his fathers burning with rage. Hizashi's hand that rested on Izuku's shoulder tightened its grip, the knuckles turning white, he could nearly hear his teeth clenching. Shoutas face looked calm but his eyes were twitching, small flickers of red could be seen from his eyes as he tried to maintain his composure. Were they mad at him? Did they believe her lies? Had they fallen to her tricks like he had many times before? That’s what he thought until he heard the next words.
“We, in the jury, find the defendant guilty of the charge of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.”
Izuku felt tears brimming in his eyes as his fathers hugged him tightly. He was free, for the first time in a long time.
* * *
Izuku was tense in the backseat, his suit itching every fiber of his being. He just wanted to get out of this uncomfortable outfit and lay in his bed. The cars engine filled the silence, along with the quiet radio music.
His dad looked at him from over his shoulder in the passenger seat, “How are you holding up, Kiddo?” Shouta asked, his voice soft and quiet.
Izuku is quiet for a moment, trying to process what he’s feeling, “I feel—“ He pauses, thinking about what to call this feeling, “Free?” He explains.
Hizashi quips up from the driver's seat, “That’s a good feeling, right?” He questioned. His eyes flicked to the rear view mirror to lock eyes with his son.
Izuku hums, nodded slightly, his wings twitching from being still for too long, “I think so..?” He mumbled, his shark talons going to scratch at his wrist.
Shouta adjusts in his seat, shifting slightly. “When we get home we can order takeout of your choice, and then you can just relax for the night, alright bud?” he comforted, reaching back in an awkward position to ruffle Izuku's hair— who smiled and nodded.
* * *
Izuku sat on his nest, his knees pulled to his chest and his wings wrapped around him— a desire to shield himself from his own emotions— It’s been awhile since he’s felt like this.
Empty.
Numb.
But could you blame the child? His mother was found guilty, meaning that everything that happened was true. Izuku knew that, but something deep down inside him told him that maybe it was a dream, maybe he deserved it because he wasn’t a good boy.
His mother being found guilty meant that people believed him, that he wasn’t lying. So why does he feel so empty? He should feel happy, ecstatic even— but the young boy deep inside of him is crying for his mom, for her comforting presence, for her warm embrace, to play hero with.
She no longer had a comforting presence, but a terrifying one. One that will emit fear into him and make him apologize for nothing at all.
So why did he feel like this? His mother was in jail, the men who hurt him are in jail, he’s safe with his dads and family, he’s excelling in school, he’s been hanging out with Kacchan more. So why— why must he feel sad and upset? Is this feeling karma coming to him because he got his mother in prison?
Oh,
Oh.
He misses his mother. Not who she was now, but who she once was. A woman who cherished her son, who sung lullabies to and cradled him softly in her arms. Who would put bandaids on his knees after scuffing them at the playground with Kacchan and kiss it to make it feel better. His mother who once was an amazing person, is now an evil person.
In a way, she died— she died the day Hisashi left and accused her of an affair. Izuku never really had the chance to ‘grieve’ his mother, the mother that used to love him and cherish him.
His wrists ached. Why did they ache? His feathers trailing up his fingers wear stained crimson, sticky and uncomfortable. his pale skin contrasting to the dark red that was dripping from his wrists. Was he hurt? How did he get hurt?
His talons were dripping droplets of blood, the metallic smell overwhelming his nostrils. Did he do this? Izuku's mind started to clear, the stinging pain grounding.
Izuku looked down at his wrists, seeing his talons scratching at his arms. The sharp nails digging into the skin, blood seeping from the cuts. His eyes widen, his heart racing and his mind panicking. He didn’t mean to— truly he didn’t.
but why was the pain so welcoming?