Can We Keep Him

by Starlight Sakura (PastelGlitterPen)

Summary:

“Let me get this straight,” the boy watched him, green eyes guarded. “There was someone in your house tonight.”

The boy’s mask slipped for a moment, clearly not expecting that. “Um, yes?”

“They were probably dangerous. I mean, they had a weapon,” Shouta said sternly.

“Yeah…” the boy gave Shouta a confused look.

“And you, no offense, are an unarmed, uncoordinated child,” Shouta pointed out.

The boy’s nose crinkled, slightly offended. “Yeah, I guess,” he admitted bitterly.

“So what possessed you to shout ‘come at me, little bitch?’” Shouta asked, exasperated.

Notes:

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Chapter 1: Come At Me

Aizawa Shouta chased the shoplifter through the quiet night. Normally, he’d have caught his target by now but this guy had a speed quirk. It was difficult to erase his quirk when he couldn’t even see the asshole. He was relying on his hearing over his eyesight at this point to even keep track of where he was. 

 

He turned the corner onto a run-down residential street just in time to see the thief’s foot disappearing into a house. Approaching the building, he could see that it was probably condemned. The door was off its hinges, not broken, simply unable to be supported by the rotting wood frame. 

 

Creeping forward cautiously, he entered the house. The closed quarters could negate the thief’s quirk enough to capture him, but the guy still had a gun. Shouta had to be careful. 

 

“Come at me, little bitch!” a voice rang out, sounding like it belonged to a child. Shouta’s blood ran cold. Was there a civilian in here after all? He sprinted in the direction he heard the voice coming from. Turning into what used to be a living room, he saw the thief pointing his gun at a kid. 

 

Luckily, that meant he was distracted. Shouta attacked, wrapping the thief up in his scarf and turning off his quirk in one quick movement. The gun fell to the floor, unfired. Shouta counted his blessings that it didn’t go off from the impact. 

 

“You okay, kid?” he asked the boy. The kid shrugged, watching Shouta with suspicion. Shouta ignored the kid for a moment to call the police. After they had arrived to collect the thief, slapping quirk-canceling handcuffs on him and bagging his weapon for evidence, Shouta went back inside to talk to the kid. 

 

He was a little surprised to see that the kid hadn’t run off. Instead, he was leaning against the wall, sitting on a pile of blankets and clothes. A makeshift bed, Shouta realized. 

 

“Do you live here?” Shouta asked, alerting the boy to his presence. 

 

“What’s it to you?” The boy asked with a level of animosity that sounded wrong in a child’s voice. Shouta shook his head. The kid could be a runaway with good reason. He could do more harm than good turning the kid in. But at the same time…

 

“Let me get this straight,” the boy watched him, green eyes guarded. “There was someone in your house tonight.”

 

The boy’s mask slipped for a moment, clearly not expecting that. “Um, yes?”

 

“They were probably dangerous. I mean, they had a weapon,” Shouta said sternly. 

 

“Yeah…” the boy gave Shouta a confused look. 

 

“And you, no offense, are an unarmed, uncoordinated child,” Shouta pointed out. 

 

The boy’s nose crinkled, slightly offended. “Yeah, I guess,” he admitted bitterly. 

 

“So what possessed you to shout ‘come at me, little bitch?’” Shouta asked, exasperated. 

 

“I, uh…” the boy mumbled, looking at his hands in his lap. 

 

“Do you have some kind of flashy quirk or something?” Shouta tried, hoping to figure out the source of this kid’s stupid bravery. 

 

“Not really, no,” the kid said softly, his voice cracking slightly. Shouta faltered at that. 

 

“Then why antagonize him?” Shouta asked gently. Something was off here. 

 

“Why not?” the kid shrugged. 

 

“He could have killed you,” Shouta said slowly, driving in his point.

 

“It’s not like it matters.” And there it was. This kid had a death wish. 

 

Shouta sighed. “What are you doing out here kid? Are you running from something?”

 

The kid stayed silent but Shouta pressed. “If someone at home hurt you, I can--”

 

“This is my home,” the kid snapped, cutting off the older man. 

 

“Really?” Shouta said skeptically, looking around the room. 

 

“I’ve been here two years now,” the kid said, green eyes blazing defiantly. 

 

“Before that?” Shouta prompted. The kid rolled his eyes. 

 

“Before that, I slept on the street. This place was condemned when I found it. It’s fair game.” He glared at Shouta, daring him to argue with that. Shouta ran a hand through his long hair, frustrated with the conversation. 

 

“Where are your parents?” he asked, barely keeping his voice level. 

 

“Hell if I know,” the kid muttered, defiant attitude vanishing to make way for something sadder. 

 

“How long have you been on your own?” Shouta asked, softening instantly. He watched the kid hold his hands out in front of himself to count , and god if that isn’t a bad sign. 

 

“Eight years?” the kid supplied hesitantly after a few minutes. 

 

“And you’re how old?” The kid in front of him was young. To be alone eight years already, he would have had to end up like this at an insanely young age. How did he not die?

 

“Fourteen.” Shouta’s mind reeled at that, doing the math in his head. Six. He would have been six. How did he not die?

 

“Are your parents…?” Shouta trailed off, unsure how to ask if he understood death when he was six. 

 

“Alive? Sure. I lost track of them about three years ago when they moved,” the kid answered easily.

 

“Hold on. You’ve been living on the street for eight years and knew where your parents were for most of that time?” The more he heard, the more confused he got. 

 

The kid gave him an intense look, evaluating him. Shouta accepted the scrutiny, waiting to see what he would say next. The kid must have found what he was looking for because he sighed and opened his mouth to speak. What he said next shocked the hero. “I’m quirkless.”

 

“I was diagnosed quirkless when I was four. My father held out hope that the doctor was wrong and tried to… encourage a quirk to develop. When I was six and still showed no signs of a quirk, he gave up. One day he told me and my mom to get in the car. He drove us for hours, through many prefectures. Then he stopped and told me to get out.”

 

Shouta couldn’t mask the horror that showed on his face. The kid gave him a tense smile. “It took me a few days but I got back home. When my mom opened the door she cried. My father came to the door when he heard her and he slapped me. Told me never to come back.” 

 

The kid chuckled suddenly. “Can you believe I stayed in the area anyway so that I wouldn’t miss school?” If he attended school regularly, that explains how he wasn’t found out by way of truancy. 

 

“In eight years, no one noticed that you were homeless?” Shouta questioned him. 

 

“Well, a few times they did. Police picked me up, sent me to an orphanage. I wanted to stay, especially the one winter I was brought there, but they kicked me out,” the kid replied.

 

“They as in… the people who ran the orphanage?” Shouta asked hesitantly. 

 

“Yeah. Quirkless kids are bad for business. They didn’t want me to ruin the other kids’ chances. The police didn’t care much either. They never said anything about the orphanage kicking me out. They just brought me back because protocol said they had to,” the kid said mirthlessly.

 

“Shit, kid,” Shouta’s mind raced as he tried to think of what to do. “Do you… do you want to come with me?”

 

“With you?” the guarded look reappeared on the kid’s face. 

 

“Live with me,” Shouta clarified taking a few steps forward.

 

“Not that kind of kid.” Green eyes tracked Shouta and he stopped, trying to figure out what the kid meant. When the kid drew his knees up to his chest protectively, Shouta realized. 

 

“Oh, god no. I don’t mean like…” Shouta paused for a second. “Have people propositioned you?” 

 

“That’s not what I’d call it but yeah,” the kid glared at him. Shouta would unpack that statement another time. 

 

“I wouldn’t do anything to you. It’s just not safe for you to be out here and you’re reckless, apparently.” The kid had the decency to look a little guilty for his earlier ‘come at me’ statement. 

 

“Going with you wouldn’t necessarily protect me. You could hurt me, regardless of what you say. Plus if police pick me up for any reason, I would just be sent back to the orphanage and then inevitably kicked out again,” the kid argued. 

 

“I’m not going to hurt you, but I understand I’ll need to earn your trust. As for the rest of that, what if I could make it so you’d be returned to me,” Shouta asked. 

 

“And how would you do that?” the kid scoffed. 

 

“I’d adopt you,” Shouta answered plainly. The kid looked at him with wide eyes. 

 

“You’d adopt a quirkless kid?” the kid asked, disbelieving. 

 

“You’re a kid that needs a home. I don’t care about quirks,” Shouta countered. “So come with me?” He held a hand out to the kid. 

 

The kid glanced at his outstretched hand. “No.” Shouta let his hand fall back to his side. “Prove it first. Words don’t mean anything.”

 

“I could just take you. That’s an action,” Shouta teased. The kid smirked. 

 

“No, you couldn’t.” Shouta raised an eyebrow. “You’re quirk won’t work on me since I’m quirkless. And since I know the layout of this house and the surrounding neighborhood better than you, I could get out of here faster than you could catch me in those ribbons... Eraserhead.” 

 

“First, it’s a scarf, not ribbons. Second, how do you know what my quirk is? It hasn’t been published,” Shouta demanded. If it had been published somewhere, he needed to get it taken down. He was an underground hero for a reason. 

 

“That guy was fast when he ran in here. After your eyes glowed, he wasn’t. Your hero name is Eraser head. I guessed,” the kid said flatly. 

 

“That’s a pretty good guess.” The kid shrugged. “How about this? I’ll go get you a burner phone from the nearest convenience store and program my number in it. I won’t be as worried about leaving you here if I know you can contact me in an emergency. Tomorrow I’ll talk to someone who can help figure out the adoption process.” 

 

“Sounds fair,” the kid said, nodding. Shouta was quick getting the phone on the off chance that the kid would bolt. 

 

“Aizawa Shouta?” the kid asked, reading the only contact name in the phone. 

 

“That’s my actual name. If I’m going to adopt you, you should know it. What about you?” 

 

“Midoriya Izuku,” the kid said, texting Shouta so his number could be saved.

Chapter 2: I know, Zashi

Shouta crept into his apartment quietly. He hung up his scarf and kicked off his shoes. He stopped in the kitchen long enough to warm up and eat the meal left in the fridge for him. As much as he wanted to crawl into bed, he had to shower thanks to that thief taking him on a cross-city run. 

 

After a quick shower, he was standing in his room in sweats, toweling off his hair. Shouta looked down at the sleeping form in his bed and smiled fondly. With his hair sufficiently dry, he crawled into the bed wrapping his arm around his husband. 

 

“Sho?” he mumbled sleepily, stirring at the movement. 

 

“Mhm,” Shouta mumbled, holding him tighter. 

 

“How was your patrol?” he asked, placing his hand over Shouta’s arm. 

 

“Something happened that we’ll need to talk about tomorrow,” Shouta replied. 

 

“Are you okay?” he asked, tensing in Shouta’s grasp. 

 

“I’m fine. I promise,” Shouta soothed, bringing a hand up to pet over his blonde hair. “We can talk in the morning. Sleep for now, Zashi.”

 

The blonde relaxed again. “Alright, Sho.”

 

---

 

“How old?” his husband asked the next morning, looking at the picture Shouta had taken of the boy before heading home. With his consent, of course. 

 

“Fourteen, he said,” Shouta answered. 

 

“He looks a lot younger than that,” the blonde replied skeptically. 

 

“He’s been homeless for eight years, Hizashi. It’s safe to assume he’s malnourished,” Shouta pointed out. 

 

Hizashi swiped to the next photo, the one of the house. “And he’s been living here?”

 

“For two of those years. He spent the rest on the street,” Shouta clarified. 

 

“And you left him there?” Hizashi said, fixing his husband with a glare. 

 

“Temporarily,” Shouta stressed. “I’m going back.”

 

“And we’re gonna keep him then?” Hizashi asked. 

 

“He’s not a dog,” Shouta deadpanned. The blonde grinned before fixing him with his best pout. 

 

“Can we keep him? Pretty please?” he teased. 

 

“Can I assume you’re fine with adopting him then?” Shouta asked, smirking. 

 

Hizashi’s pout was gone. “Wait, really?”

 

“That’s what I was going to ask you. I want to adopt him.” Hizashi gripped his husband’s shirt. 

 

“You better be serious. You know I want a baby,” Hizashi threatened. 

 

“He’s fourteen. He’s not a baby,” Shouta chuckled holding his hands up in a placating gesture. 

 

“We don’t need to adopt a literal baby. But any age kid would be my baby,” Hizashi said, releasing his husband. “Do you really mean it?”

 

“I mean, there’s paperwork and figuring out if it’s legally possible, but yes. That’s what I’m trying to make happen,” Shouta affirmed. Hizashi squealed in excitement. 

 

“We might have to go to court,” Shouta warned him. 

 

“Why?” Hizashi asked, tilting his head. 

 

“His biological parents are still alive somewhere. They abandoned him because he’s quirkless. He refused to tell the police who he was and since there wasn’t a missing person report, they just kept taking him to the orphanage. I’m not sure if them being alive changes the process,” Shouta explained, taking in the sudden rage on the blonde’s face. 

 

“They abandoned him? What kind of parents do that?” Hizashi screeched. 

 

“Terrible ones,” Shouta agreed. 

 

“I don’t care if we have to take this to court. He deserves a family that will fight for him, Sho!” he exclaimed.

 

“I know, Zashi,” Shouta said, taking his hair in his hand to play with. He braided it poorly, as his husband ranted about the boy’s parents, prejudices against quirkless people, and the general failure of law enforcement in protecting the kid. 

 

“I’m going to spoil him, Sho,” Hizahi vowed when he ran out of ways to verbalize his anger. 

 

Shouta released the braid and smiled at him. “I know, Zashi.” 

 

---

 

“Aizawa-san, good afternoon,” the detective greeted as he joined Shouta in his office. 

 

“Tsukauchi-san,” Shouta said, nodding. The detective took a seat at his desk. 

 

“What brings you here?” the detective asked.

 

“I need to adopt a kid,” Shouta answered. 

 

“This is… a police station…” the detective pointed out, confused. 

 

“I already picked out the kid. The situation is unique though,” Shouta clarified. 

 

“And you need me because?” the detective prompted. 

 

“You can tell me what I need to do to make sure the adoption is binding. And I trust you not to be prejudiced,” Shouta said firmly. 

 

“Prejudiced against you?” the detective tilted his head. 

 

“Prejudiced against the kid. Like your station’s officers have already been,” Shouta stated. 

 

“Start from the beginning,” the detective ordered. 

 

---

 

“I need something to convince him today ,” Shouta said, glaring at the man in front of him. “He demanded proof of my intentions.” 

 

“Adoption takes time in any case. Since we have to track down his parents and get some kind of confirmation of the abandonment, it’ll take longer.”

 

“He was almost shot last night! I can’t leave him there any longer,” Shouta’s voice rose in desperation. 

 

“I can file to give you temporary guardianship,” the detective assured him. 

 

“Would that be done today?” Shouta demanded. 

 

“At most, 48 hours,” the detective admitted. 

 

“Damn it, Tsukauchi-san!” Shouta shouted, frustrated. 

 

“I can talk to him for you,” the detective offered. “Explain the red tape and the likelihood of adoption in a case like this. I can also use my quirk to verify his story.”

 

“You think he’s lying?” Shouta asked. 

 

“No. Unfortunately, this happens all the time with quirkless kids. But if I can get a confirmation with my quirk, I can testify as much if his parents can’t be found. Or even if they can be.”

 

“Do you think you can convince him to go with me and Hizashi?” Shouta asked. 

 

“I’ll try. I certainly won’t be taking him to the orphanage. I doubt foster parents would go over any better,” the detective replied, shaking his head. He had already filed to open an investigation into how that was handled. “He’d be safer with you guys.”

 

With that, the pair headed out to the condemned house that the kid had been staying at. The detective pulled up to the curb. “The picture didn’t quite capture how run down this place was.”

 

“It’s worse inside,” Shouta commented. They wordlessly got out of the car and walked up to the door. The detective raised an eyebrow at the broken door. Shouta stepped over it, making his way inside. The detective followed. 

 

“Yeah, this is way worse,” the detective agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s mold here. Ugh, and he’s been living in this for two years. If we can convince him to go with you, I highly recommend taking him to the hospital to check his lungs.”

 

“Noted,” Shouta said, leading him into the living room. The… empty living room. Even the makeshift bed was gone. “Shit.”

 

“Something wrong?” the detective asked. 

 

“He was in this room. All his stuff is gone too,” Shouta groaned. 

 

“He could be in another room?” the detective supplied helpfully. Together they searched the rest of the house but they didn’t turn up anything. 

 

“Hold on, I’ll text him. I gave him a phone before I left,” Shouta said, pulling out his own phone. 

 

To: Midoriya Izuku

Where are you? I’m at the house. 

 

Shouta and the detective went outside to sit on the front steps. It took a good twenty minutes for Izuku to reply. 

 

From: Midoriya Izuku

I’m at school. It gets out at 3:15

 

Shouta showed the detective. “That’s only an hour from now,” the detective pointed out. “I don’t mind waiting here. It’s nice outside.” 

 

---

 

Almost two hours later, they finally spotted Izuku trudging down the street. Shouta had resisted the urge to blow up his phone with worried texts by keeping in mind that he had no idea how far away the school was. As the kid walked up to the house, Shouta took in his defeated posture and the burns on his uniform. When he was close enough, Shouta noticed the burn on his neck. 

 

“What happened?” Shouta asked sharply. 

 

“My friend,” the kid answered quietly. He looked up, noticing the detective. “Who’s yours?”

 

Shouta was about to continue his questioning about the burns when the detective spoke up. “My name is Tsukauchi Naomasa. I’m a detective at the Musutafu Police Department.”

 

Izuku’s green eyes narrowed in suspicion. “No offense, but your department is shit.”

 

The detective chuckled. “Yes, I agree. I filed for an investigation on how they handled your case. I apologize for their failure to properly help you.”

 

Izuku stayed quiet, calculating. Shouta spoke up. “Adoption takes time and your unique situation may extend how long it takes. Tsukauchi-san is here to explain the details to you in lieu of actual paperwork as proof. I know you wanted proof but it’s dangerous for you to stay here.”

 

“Explain then,” the kid said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Notes:

I am @mochipuff on tumblr! I post bnha and other anime content and I also post when I update or start a new story. Feel free to follow and even message me.

Chapter 3: Red

“So 48 hours, give or take, for any kind of paperwork. And potentially months or even a year before the adoption will be official. That’s not reassuring,” Izuku said plainly. 

 

“Adoption usually takes time. How long it takes doesn’t necessarily affect your chances,” the detective clarified. 

 

“And what exactly are my chances?” Izuku demanded, narrowing his eyes. 

 

“Optimistic,” the detective assured him. “Not only did your parents forfeit you but you are quirkless. In this instance, the fact that the law doesn’t care for quirkless individuals will most likely benefit you.”

 

“Positives and negatives, huh?” Izuku remarked. “Well at least being quirkless will help me for once.” 

 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask some questions to record for your case,” the detective said as he retrieved a legal pad and a pen from his car. 

 

“I guess not,” Izuku replied, frowning slightly. The detective led him back to the stairs and motioned for him to sit. 

 

“How old were you when you were diagnosed quirkless?”

 

“Four.”

 

“Did your parents abandon you immediately after this?”

 

“Didn’t Aizawa-san tell you this?”

 

“Answer the question, please. I need to hear it from you.”

 

Izuku gave him a look of suspicion. “No, they didn’t.”

 

“Did their behavior towards you change?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How did their behavior change?”

 

Izuku hesitated. “...my mom was sad. She kept apologizing to me.” 

 

“Do you know what she was apologizing for?” 

 

“I think she blamed her genes. And she felt bad that I couldn’t be a hero.”

 

“What about your father?”

 

Something dark crossed Izuku’s face for a moment. “He was... mad.”

 

Tsukauchi flinched slightly as his quirk registered the lie. Izuku seemed to zero in on that. 

 

“He was mad?” the detective parroted. “Can you elaborate?”

 

Izuku was silent for a few minutes, seemingly reevaluating the detective. “He was in denial.”

 

The detective felt the twang of the lie fade. “About you not having a quirk?” Izuku nodded. “Did his denial cause him to say or do anything as a response?”

 

“Next question,” Izuku said sharply. The detective looked at him in surprise.

 

“Are you refusing to answer?” he asked, a little confused. 

 

“Yes. If I answer, I’ll lie,” the kid fixed the man with a glare. “And you’ll know.”

 

Tsukauchi felt a chill and he glanced over at Shouta, who was sitting on the porch and looking just as shocked. He looked back at Izuku. “Why do you think that?”

 

“Your quirk detects lies. I assume it’s a feeling or a sound in your mind that isn’t very comfortable. I’m unsure what the effect of half-truths would be so I’m not going to bother,” the kid answered, all too on the nose. 

 

“It’s a feeling,” the detective confirmed. “How did you--”

 

“You flinched when I lied. Barely. You’re a detective too and that kind of work is suited to a quirk like that,” Izuku answered. 

 

“He did that to me too,” Shouta said, chiming in from his spot on the porch. 

 

“Huh,” the detective vocalized. “Okay, can you tell me why you won’t answer? Or rather, why you would lie?”

 

“If I say it, that makes it real,” Izuku replied, looking at the ground. 

 

“Okay, next question then. When did your parents abandon you?”

 

“Shortly after I turned six.”

 

“How did they do this?”

 

“They drove me halfway across Japan and left me on the side of the road somewhere.”

 

“Was that the last time you saw them?” 

 

“No. I managed to find my way back in a few days. They weren’t happy to see me and my dad told me to never come back.”

 

“Was there a physical altercation?” 

 

“With my dad, yeah. He hit me.” 

 

“And was that the last time you saw them?”

 

“No. It was just the last time I spoke to them. I stayed in the area for school so I’d go to the apartment to see them through the windows from across the street. Or sometimes I’d go to the shopping district and I’d see my mom around in the different stores.”

 

“Do you know where they live then?”

 

“They moved out of that apartment three years ago. I don’t know where they moved to and I don’t see my mom in the shopping district anymore.” 

 

“Would you be willing to talk about your time on the streets with me?”

 

“No.”

 

“What are your parent’s names?”

 

“Inko and Hisashi Midoriya.”

 

“Okay, I think that’s all I need on that subject,” the detective said clicking his pen. “Will you please go with Aizawa-san? I know my word may not mean much to you, but I’ve known him for years. I know you’d be safe with him.”

 

Izuku looked up at Shouta. “Will I get to stay in my school?”

 

“Do you want to?” Shouta asked, looking at the burns on his uniform. 

 

“Yes,” Izuku answered. 

 

“Then you will. You just need to let me know what school it is,” Shouta replied. 

 

“Aldera Junior High,” Izuku informed him quickly. 

 

Shouta nodded. “So will you stay with me then?” Izuku said nothing, instead disappearing into the house. Shouta and Tsukacuhi looked at each other, confused. He came back a couple of minutes later with a duffle bag. 

 

“What?” Izuku asked when he noticed them staring at him. 

 

“We searched every room. Where was that?” Shouta asked. 

 

“There’s a loose panel in the wall under the stairs. I hide my stuff there while I’m at school.” 

 

“I thought you left because of that,” Shouta said flatly. 

 

“That’s the point. People won’t wait around for me if they think I’m gone,” Izuku smiled, tapping his temple. “Plus, no one will steal my stuff that way.”

 

Shouta nodded because that made sense. The detective started walking towards the car. “Are we going then?” he called from the driver’s side. Shouta glanced at Izuku. 

 

“Yeah, sure,” the kid shrugged. The three of them piled into the car and returned to the station. 

 

“I just need Izuku to sign a couple of forms for the guardianship,” the detective mentioned as they got out. 

 

“I thought contracts with minors aren’t legally binding?” Izuku remarked. 

 

“They aren’t. They are more like statements of understanding. If you were younger, it wouldn’t be necessary but it’s required for all kids over twelve. Similar to how kids twelve or older have to sign certain medical consent forms along with their parents,” the detective explained. “I’ll go grab them. You and Aizawa can stay out here to put your bags in his car.”

 

While the detective grabbed the forms, Shouta had Izuku put his bags in the back seat. When Tsukauchi came back, he explained the forms to Izuku and let the boy read them for himself. Once Izuku signed them, Shouta drove him home.

 

---

 

Outside the apartment door, Shouta turned to Izuku. “Okay. Listen, kid,” he practically whispered, putting Izuku on edge. “It’s only fair to warn you; There’s a guy in there and he’s very loud, but I promise he’s harmless. Just noisy.”

 

“Harmless?” Izuku asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 

“Just loud… and a little impulsive,” Shouta chuckled. “He might move fast or hug you, but yeah, he’s harmless. I promise.” Izuku nodded hesitantly so Shouta opened the door. 

 

“Sho, you’re back!” a voice exclaimed before Izuku even stepped into the apartment. 

 

“Yes, and--” he had barely started speaking when Izuku burst through the door past him. 

 

“You’re Present Mic!” the kid shouted, looking at Hizashi in awe. 

 

“Oh? You know me, little listener?” Hizashi asked, clearly in just as much awe. 

 

“Quirk: Voice, modified by your directional speakers. Pro Hero, a teacher at UA, and the host of ‘Put Your Hands Up Radio.’ Wow, you look really different with your hair down,” he paused his rambling finally taking in Hazashi’s casual look. 

 

“You know me!” Hizashi said, tearing up. He looked at Shouta. “Sho, he knows me!”

 

“I’ll say he does. He only knew my name. You get trivia,” Shouta replied, smiling fondly. 

 

“You’re an underground hero,” Izuku frowned. “There’s nothing published about you.”

 

“Oh, that’s okay, little listener,” Hizashi consoled the kid. “Even knowing his name is impressive. A lot of people don’t because of how rarely he’s mentioned in the media.” 

 

Shouta nodded in agreement. “Well, you know Present Mic, but his name is Yamada Hizashi. He’s my husband so he’ll be your guardian too.”

 

Izuku gave him an unidentifiable look and for a second he wondered if the kid would be homophobic. “If you’re married, why are your last names different?” Izuku asked, dispelling Shouta’s momentary anxiety. 

 

“It’s safer that way when you’re in hero work. If your civilian name gets outed, villains could use it to track down your family,” Shouta explained. 

 

“What about me? If you’re able to adopt me, I mean,” Izuku asked. Shouta could see Hizashi smiling about the prospect of adoption out in the open. 

 

“You could keep your last name if you want. If not, you would probably take my name since I’m not in the limelight as an underground hero,” Shouta answered. Izuku nodded.

 

“Let me show you your room, little listener,” Hizashi said brightly. He rambled as he led Izuku there. “It was previously a guest room so it’s not really decorated. We’ll go shopping and you can pick out whatever you’d like to make it your own space. You can even paint the walls if you want.”

 

“Hizashi, we rent,” Shouta warned. 

 

“Oh, hush. If we ever move we can paint it back before we go. No one needs to know,” Hizashi responded nonchalantly. Izuku laughed at that and Hizashi beamed at him. 

 

Izuku put his bag down at the end of the bed. Hizashi followed him in while Shouta leaned in the doorway. “You’ll probably need a desk for schoolwork, huh?” Hizashi commented, already imagining all the ways they could set the place up for Izuku. “What’s your favorite color?” 

 

Izuku looked down at his shoes, which were bright red in color. “Red,” he replied. Both adults noticed how wistful he looked when he said it but chose not to comment on it.

Notes:

Izuku's a Present Mic fan. He totally found ways to tune in to the radio show while on the streets.

The detective really only needed to know about his parents' abandonment of him. Anything that happened after the fact isn't relevant to confirm it. That's why he doesn't press the subject.

Chapter 4: Patches

Hizashi shuffled out of his room, heading to the kitchen for some water. He paused when he noticed the light in their office was on. He peeked into the room and saw Izuku poking through Shouta’s desk drawers. He took out a box of safety pins and placed them on the desk, muttering to himself. 

 

“Whatcha doing there, little listener?” Hizashi asked, stepping into the office. Izuku startled and froze. Hizashi approached the desk and glanced at the safety pins. Then he looked over the desk and saw Izuku’s uniform jacket on the desk chair. “Trying to fix it?” 

 

Izuku nodded, looking away seemingly ashamed. He had let Shouta treat his burns after dinner but he wouldn’t elaborate on what happened. 

 

“I have a sewing kit in the living room,” Hizashi informed him, smiling gently. “I can patch that up for you if you’d like.”

 

“I can do it,” Izuku mumbled, frowning. 

 

“I’m sure you can, but I’d like to help if you’ll let me,” Hizashi replied, holding a hand out for the jacket. Izuku begrudgingly handed it over. Hizashi led him out to the living room. 

 

“Could you get me a glass of water while I get started on this?” Hizashi asked as he pulled out his sewing kit. Izuku nodded, looking relieved to be able to help somehow. Thankfully, the majority of his husband’s clothes were black, meaning he had plenty of black fabric on hand to patch with. 

 

Thank you,” he said when Izuku returned. Hizashi patted the space on the couch next to him. He noted how Izuku sat on the other end of the couch, as far away from him as he could be. Eight years on the street, he reminded himself and he tried not to worry. 

 

Izuku watched Hizashi intently as he sewed patches into the holes. “You’re good at that,” he commented after the third patch. Hizashi smiled. 

 

“Shouta is always getting tears in his hero uniform since he does a lot of close combat,” Hizashi explained. “Plus, sometimes I sew my own clothes. I enjoy it.” 

 

“I don’t but it’s necessary,” Izuku lamented. 

 

“Because of the person who burned you?” Hizashi asked casually. He could see Izuku stiffen in his peripheral vision for a moment before relaxing again. 

 

“Yeah,” Izuku replied hesitantly. 

 

“Do they do this often?” Hizashi asked, looking at Izuku.

 

“...Yeah,” Izuku admitted. 

 

“Do you know why?” Hizashi urged. Maybe he could get more information?

 

“Because I’m useless,” Izuku answered nonchalantly. Hizashi set the jacket down on his lap and turned towards Izuku fully. 

 

“You’re not useless,” he defended, eyebrows drawing up in concern. 

 

“Did Aizawa-san tell you that I’m quirkless?” Izuku asked, giving him a tired look that looked out of place on a face that young. 

 

“Yes, he did mention that. He also told me you were ready to throw down with an armed adult man despite that. That’s brave, little listener,” Hizashi said firmly. 

 

“It's stupid. I would have gotten myself killed if not for Aizawa-san,” Izuku pointed out. 

 

“Probably,” Hizashi agreed. “But that’s not really the point. The point is that being quirkless doesn’t diminish your value as a person. You still have personality, feelings, and opinions that are independent of your quirk status. A person’s quirk is only a small aspect of who they are.”

 

“I guess,” Izuku sighed. 

 

“Well, I know,” Hizashi insisted. “And I also know that what this person is doing is not okay. It’s called bullying Izuku. In fact, using their quirk against you is considered assault. It’s illegal.”

 

Izuku’s eyes widened. “He doesn’t mean it,” he said quickly. 

 

“He burned you, Izuku. You don’t do that on a whim,” Hizashi stated. 

 

“You do if the teachers let it get that far,” Izuku mumbled bitterly. 

 

“What?” Hizashi asked, stunned. 

 

“It’s not like he just burned me one day unprompted. It started with words. The teachers didn’t do anything. They honestly encouraged it, the way they’d talk about me openly in front of other students. Eventually, he got physical and no one stopped it. It escalated to him using his quirk after years. No one cares. He has a flashy quirk. I don’t have a quirk at all. He was my best friend until adults made him realize he’s above me. I lost my family and my best friend. I lost everything because I don’t have a quirk. Because I’m just a Deku.”

 

Tears had started streaming down the boy’s face, his volume rising steadily throughout his outburst. Hizashi set the jacket aside for the time being. “Izuku, can I hug you?” The boy hesitated but nodded. Hizashi moved closer on the couch, pulling the kid into a tight hug. 

 

“I am so sorry you were treated like that. That should never have happened,” Hizashi soothed, petting his hair. He could see Shouta had come into the living room, probably woken up by the shouting. “I can’t promise to change the world for you or your past, though I wish I could, but I can promise to be here for you from now on.” 

 

“Even though I’m quirkless?” Izuku hiccuped, tears slowing to a stop. 

 

“God, I need to teach you to love yourself, little listener,” Hizashi chuckled. 

 

“What if they don’t let you adopt me?” Izuku sniffled. 

 

“They should, but if they don’t I’ll become a villain and kidnap you,” Hizashi threatened, squeezing the kid tighter. 

 

“Or we could appeal it,” Shouta finally spoke up. Izuku pushed away from Hizashi so he let go of the kid. They both looked at Shouta. “Enough people owe me favors that I could probably pull together a crew for a full investigation on your parents and the orphanage. I’m positive we could find enough to ensure neither get to keep custody of you.”

 

“This doesn’t feel real,” Izuku said, tears welling back up. 

 

“It’ll take time. Big changes usually do,” Shouta assured. “For now though, let’s try focusing on sleeping. It’s just after 3 am and you have school tomorrow.”

 

“But my jacket,” Izuku said, looking back at Hizashi. 

 

“I have one last patch to sew. I’ll leave your jacket on the table when I’m done,” Hizashi smiled reassuringly. Izuku nodded and followed Shouta back to his room. 

 

Shouta stood in the doorway as Izuku crawled into bed. “I know it will take time to trust us, but we’ve got you, kid. Try not to worry too much.” 

 

“I’ll worry anyway,” Izuku admitted. 

 

“That’s fair,” Shouta responded, smiling fondly. “Goodnight, Izuku.”

Notes:

It's my own headcanon that Present Mic likes to sew. I have 0 evidence for this.

This is a shorter chapter but I didn't want to add an extra 500ish words just to have consistent lengths.

Chapter 5: Late for Class

Izuku woke up vaguely confused. He was warm. Sure it was getting closer to summer but it was still cool at night. The house didn’t have any heating and it was missing a door. Opening his eyes, he took in the plainly decorated room. It had only the basics. Oh right.

 

Sitting up, he took stock of how he felt. The burns didn’t even sting for once. His stomach wasn’t protesting since he’d actually eaten a full meal for once. Sleeping on an actual bed had done wonders for his muscles. They weren’t stiff and achy like they usually were in the morning. 

 

He was really tired but he had also stayed up all night, waiting until he was sure they’d be dead asleep so he could find something to fix his uniform. Speaking of, he got up and slipped quietly out of his room to retrieve the jacket. It was right where Present Mic said he would leave it. 

 

As he retreated back to the room, his room, to get dressed, he heard them shuffling around in the kitchen. He paused to listen. “Hey, you know what would be a great idea?”

 

“Coffee, Zashi.”

 

“Yes, but I meant--”

 

“Coffee first, Zashi. 

 

“Fine. Drink your coffee, Mr. Grouchy Pants.”

 

Stifling a laugh, Izuku hurried back to his room before they noticed him. He had taken a real shower last night so his hair was actually clean for once. It could only get so clean when he washed it in the sinks in the school bathrooms. They didn’t really want students to take long showers after gym otherwise he’d take advantage of the facilities. 

 

He took his notebooks out of his duffle bag after he had finished dressing. Izuku wasn’t fully sold on staying here, or maybe he didn’t believe he’d get to, but he could unpack these. Usually, he set them out at night in the house since being in the bag wasn’t good for them. He didn’t want them to get damaged in the bag. 

 

Hero Analysis: For the Future Just for Fun

 

Izuku didn’t expect to be a hero anymore, but he needed something to do to kill time. Analyzing heroes, or even villains, and their quirks came naturally to him. His first notebook was started before he’d even started elementary school. Before his family kicked him out. 

 

These books meant everything to him. He had to take care of them. Which meant finding a safe hiding spot. He wasn’t stupid. He knew people found his verbal analysis’ creepy. Imagine what they’d think if they found these. Looking around the room, he tried to think of what would be a good spot. 

 

Drawers? Too obvious. Shelves? Out in the open. Closet? He opened it but it was completely empty. Yeah, no. If anyone opened the closet they’d be exposed. Maybe, if Present Mic was serious about getting him anything to decorate, he could pick out something to hide his books in. For now, under the bed was a classic that worked. 

 

Half under the bed, he did not notice Aizawa come in to get him. He placed his notebooks down as close to the middle as he could get. “Izuku?” 

 

“Ow!” Izuku exclaimed, smacking his head on the bottom of the bed when he jumped. Holding his head he shuffled back out. Aizawa stood over him, giving him a perplexed and concerned look. “Safety check,” he said dumbly. 

 

“Uhuh… well, I can assure you our apartment is safe. We have a personal security system. The building itself also has security,” Aizawa assured him. “Ready for breakfast?”

 

 “Yeah, okay,” Izuku replied, accepting a hand that was held out to help him up. How the fuck did he buy that?

 

Present Mic’s efforts to subtly fix his malnourishment were anything but. Izuku noted that despite the supposed-to-be traditional breakfast, a fruit and veggie smoothie had replaced the usual tea. The miso soup had veggies added in with the typical tofu and seaweed. And there were two types of protein on his plate. Not that he was complaining. 

 

Present Mic was an amazing cook and Izuku told him as much the night before. The blonde man had gotten teary-eyed at that but Izuku was pretty sure that it meant he was happy. Once they had finished breakfast, Shouta had him make sure he had all his school things in his backpack before ushering him out the door. 

 

---

 

After stopping at the shoe lockers, Izuku headed to class. Or at least, he tried to. “Not bad, Nerd. Unless your mom had to do it for you because you’re so useless,” Kacchan sneered as he fell in step with Izuku. Kacchan had no idea his parents kicked him out since they stopped hanging out after Izuku was diagnosed quirkless. 

 

“Do what, Kacchan?” Izuku asked calmly. He was way too tired for this. 

 

“Fix your uniform.” Izuku paused for half a step before continuing. 

 

“Yeah, I had help this time,” Izuku admitted. His journey to the classroom was halted when a fist gripped the front of his uniform and spun him around. 

 

“I knew it. You’re fucking useless, Deku.” Kacchan backed him up into a wall. Other students milled around them, used to this. He noticed a teacher standing outside her classroom nearby. She went back inside after they made eye contact. Typical. 

 

“I need to go to class, Kacchan,” Izuku pleaded tiredly. Why couldn’t he just have one day?

 

“Did you tell her it was me?” Kacchan asked. He shifted almost as if he was worried. Izuku recalled Kacchan’s relationship with Auntie Mitsuki and realized he probably was. Inko and Mitsuki are best friends. Auntie would likely smack him for hurting Inko’s kid. Apparently, best friends don’t tell each other when they abandon their kids. 

 

“No, Kacchan. I didn’t tell my mother that it was you,” he sighed. Not like I could even if I wanted to.  

 

“Keep it that way,” the explosive boy growled. He released Izuku to hold up his hand and let out a series of warning pops. Laughing he spun on his heel and left Izuku standing in the hall. 

 

Bakugou Katsuki. Quirk: Explosion. His quirk is a combination of his mom’s glycerin secretion quirk and his father’s combustive sweat quirk. This combination enables him to secrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from the palms of his hands and ignite it on command, creating strong explosions. The more sweat he secretes, the stronger his explosions will be. 

 

Kacchan puts up a front but when he creates stronger explosions than he is used to, his forearms begin to hurt from the impact. He’s a very prideful person. I know this because we have been best friends since we were babies. I still think of Kacchan as my friend but I know Kacchan hates me now. Because I ruined our plans of being a hero duo by not having a quirk. Useless.  

 

“Dek-- Midoriya,” a teacher approached him. A different one than he saw earlier. “Please hurry up and go to class,” the man said motioning to the now empty hallway. 

 

“Right, sorry,” Izuku muttered before heading to his classroom. Ignoring the jeers from his classmates or the whispers as he walked by, he sat at his desk. One more year. That’s all he had to put up with. Then he could go to a school where no one knew him. Where quirks didn’t matter to anyone. That was all he wanted anymore. 

 

Although, maybe he kind of wouldn’t mind if Aizawa adopted him. Not that he was hoping for it. No, he’d been let down often enough to know better than to hope. But he didn’t not want it to work out. He couldn’t really be opposed to a warm bed, food, clean clothes. That hug last night was nice. Comforting. It reminded him of a time when his parents loved him. 

 

Even though they were men, Aizawa and Present Mic didn’t do anything to make him feel gross or dirty. In his time on the street, there had been plenty of men who had. The first few times had been unexpected. By the time he was ten, he figured out that if he helped, they’d usually buy him food or give him money. It always made him feel sad and gross. 

 

Then his school had a health class when he was twelve and he felt sick to his stomach once he realized what had happened. What was happening. What kept happening after he cut them all off for a month and he nearly starved. Maybe with Aizawa and Present Mic, he wouldn’t have to do that ever again now. 

Izuku doodled in the margins of his workbook. That would be nice, he lamented.

Notes:

"How the fuck did he buy that?" Oh, sweetie... :( he didn't...

Did I start this chapter expecting to write angst? No. But I had space.

Someone give this poor baby a hug.

Chapter 6: Notebooks

“Safety check, my ass,” Shouta muttered as he unlocked their apartment door. He really didn’t like leaving the campus during lunch, in case one of his students needed him, but he needed to check this out. 

 

“Maybe he’s paranoid,” Hizashi defended. “I mean he did live on the streets for eight years.”

 

“Or he had drugs to hide,” Shouta contradicted. Hizashi sputtered as Shouta headed for Izuku’s room. 

 

“He’s fourteen! You think he has drugs?” the blonde man asked in disbelief. 

 

“You and I both know kids younger than him do drugs,” Aizawa said pointedly. 

 

“But you would have noticed if he was high. Unless you think he’s selling them,” Hizashi accused. He gaped when Shouta looked at him flatly, hand on Izuku’s doorknob. “You think he’s selling them!”

 

“If it’s even drugs. My point is, he survived for eight years somehow. Even if he’s stealing food, he has a school uniform. Those aren’t free and they have to be ordered through the school.” Shouta opened the door into Izuku’s room and Hizashi trailed after him, unable to argue with that. 

 

Turning on the light on his phone, Shouta knelt down and looked under the bed. Towards the middle, he saw a stack of what looked like notebooks. He didn’t have to crawl under the bed like Izuku did, but he did have to lay down to reach them. 

 

“Is it drugs?” Hizashi whispered anxiously. 

 

“Not the drugs themselves at least,” Shouta muttered, pulling the stack towards himself. When he got them out, he sat up on the floor. He picked up the top one. In an extremely young child’s handwriting, the cover read ‘Hero Analysis: For the Future .’ For the future had been crossed out and an older person’s script added ‘Just for Fun.’

 

They were numbered, he realized as he lifted the next few books from the pile. That will help keep them in order. The first one was basic. A child’s drawings, largely of All Might, littered the pages. Some written details were included, more were added in an older person’s script. He handed the book to Hizashi when he was done. 

 

Skimming through the next few, he noticed a pattern of the drawings and handwriting becoming better. The handwritten descriptions became easier to read and more complex. Each time he finished paging through one, he handed it to Hizashi. Wordlessly, they poured through them. 

 

Shouta stopped when he came to a page on Present Mic. Or rather, pages. The more information that was available on a hero, the more pages they got. Everything here was incredibly detailed by this point in the series. He seemed to include theories because some of these details were not available to the public. Like the fact that Hizashi’s quirk is not independent of his voice. If Shouta turned off his quirk, it silenced him entirely. 

 

When he got to his own pages, of which he got two, he realized there was a different way that he wrote theories. Seeing how theories were actually documented, it clear that he considered the detail about Hazashi’s quirk fact. Which brought up some questions.

 

Theory: Eraserhead’s Hair 

 

What the hell? Once again it was added in an older person’s script than the original. He probably added this bit after meeting him. He read the entry. 

 

Eraserhead fights using a long narrow scarf, believed to be made of metallic alloy fibers. Originally, it was thought to be an aspect of his quirk. This theory has been abandoned after a rare chance of seeing him fight in person.  

 

The kid had noted the metallic alloy theory before this entry, apparently going off a short clip of him on YouTube. That he would now find and bury. His previous theory was that it grew out of him. Which was fair since most people don’t fight without quirks. 

 

Although it turns out that he can erase quirks, what fascinates me most is the way his hair, and by extension, his scarf move while his quirk is activated. I contemplated what could possibly cause this. Initially, I thought of telepathy but that would indicate intention and it appears to be involuntary. My final theory is an electromagnetic field. 

 

RF-EMF can affect the nervous system. Quirk-canceling cuffs used by law enforcement work by disrupting signals sent through the nervous system. Eraserhead may be able to emit and control radio frequencies in a manner that can temporarily turn off quirks without permanent damage. If this is in fact how he is erasing quirks, his body may emit a low-level electromagnetic field which could cause low mass objects around him to float, such as his hair and his scarf.

 

Shouta had never really questioned why his hair floated up. It just did. This fourteen-year-old child had put more thought into his quirk than he ever had after only seeing it once. 

 

“I need to show this to Nezu,” he murmured aloud. Hizashi looked up. 

 

“What was that Sho?” 

 

“I need to show these to Nezu,” Shouta said a little louder, pulling out his phone to take pictures of his pages. He took the books back from Hizashi and documented at least a few pages from each book. He made sure to get a bunch from the most recent one, No. 12. 

 

“These are amazing, Shouta,” Hizashi commented as Shouta moved them back under the bed. He took special care to place them as close to their original position as he could. 

 

“I know. I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m calling in the genius,” he explained, referring to their boss. Hizashi nodded. 

 

“And you thought it was drugs,” Hizashi chided as they left the apartment. 

 

“Or something. I still want to know what he did for money,” Aizawa insisted. “But I’ll wait. As long as he isn’t doing anything illegal under our roof. I understand if he had to in order to survive but he’s got us now.”

 

---

 

Shouta sat and waited for Nezu to finish reading the notebook pages they’d blown up the pictures of and printed out. Occasionally, the rodent-like creature would hum to himself or chuckle. If Hizashi were here, it would unnerve him. But he had a class to teach, so it was just Shouta. 

 

Finally, Nezu set the stack down on his desk, spreading out the papers a bit. “You found him in an abandoned house, you say?”

 

“The kid’s been homeless for eight years,” Shouta supplied. 

 

“You want to adopt him?” Nezu asked, nose twitching. 

 

“Yes,” Shouta answered stiffly. 

 

“Interesting.” 

 

“Why?” Shouta asked warily. 

 

“You’re you,” Nezu said offhandedly. Then his eye gleamed. “Now what’s his quirk?”

 

Shouta faltered on the comment about himself but focused on the kid. “He’s quirkless.”

 

“He is not.” Nezu’s nose twitched again. 

 

“He said a doctor diagnosed him. His family abandoned him over it.”

 

“That is unfortunate,” Nezu nodded. 

 

“But you’re saying he’s not? Why?” 

 

“Because this type of analysis,” he motioned to the papers, “is not possible without a quirk. Especially at the age he currently is and the ages he would have been for earlier pages. I would know. I have an intelligence quirk.”

 

“Is there any chance he could be some kind of super-genius?” 

 

“Hm, slim. I’d say less than a 2% chance. Low enough to eliminate it,” Nezu admitted. 

 

“Can you make sure?” Shouta demanded. 

 

“Yes, I suppose. I would need to test him to see if his advanced intelligence is limited to quirk analysis,” he conceded. “Though, I would like to ask; does it matter?”

 

“I don’t care if he has a quirk or not. But his parents might. They can not get custody of that kid. I don’t know the details but based on what I heard when Tsukauchi questioned the kid, the father abused him. Izuku said something about him trying to encourage a quirk to develop,” Shouta explained. 

 

“A quirk-obsessed parent likely trying to trigger a force manifested quirk,” Nezu inferred. 

 

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Shouta said grimly. 

 

“And they are alive to fight for custody,” Nezu concluded. 

 

“Exactly.”

 

“That is not good.”

 

“No. It’s not.”

Notes:

"Most recent one" Sure Shouta

Chapter 7: Is it Creepy?

Hizashi parked near Izuku's school and got out to go find the kid. They hadn't discussed a spot to meet after school but they probably should have. Shouta was still at UA, monitoring the optional after-school training for the hero course. 

 

He had gone home during the last period, since he had no classes, to change into his civilian look before picking up Izuku. Present Mic was well known and he didn't want to embarrass the kid by drawing attention. 

 

As he entered the school gates, he passed a group of kids laughing. Not in a joyous way, but a mocking one. "Did you see his fucking face when you burned it, Bakugou? Hilarious!"

 

Hizashi zeroed in on the word 'burned' and kept listening. "Of course I saw. He's fucking pathetic. Keeps writing in that stupid notebook as if he'll ever be a hero. Stupid, quirkless Deku." 

 

With rage clouding logic, Hizashi reached out and grabbed the one called Bakugou by the back of his uniform. The boy didn't react well. "What the hell? What fucking gives?"

 

He turned the kid to face him. "Where. Is. Izuku?" The kid paled yet somehow maintained an angry sneer on his face. 

 

"What's it to you, fucking perv?" the angry kid growled. Hizashi ignored that in favor of pulling his hero license out of his jacket pocket. He always kept it accessible for emergencies. 

 

Holding the card up for the kid to read, to realize, he waited a moment before speaking again. "Izuku is under my protection. Now, where is he?" 

 

The kid seemed to scrutinize him for a minute. "Probably on the right side of the school. I threw his stupid book out a window there." 

 

Hizashi released him but before he left he gave the kid one warning. "If you ever harm Izuku again, I will arrest you for assault and illegal quirk usage." 

 

Something passed across the kid's face but Hizashi didn't have time to analyze it. He needed to find Izuku. Walking along the side of the school the child villain mentioned, he saw Izuku by some sort of fountain. 

 

As Hizashi got closer, he noticed that the kid was holding a book. Probably another one of those analysis notebooks. He was also spacing out, seemingly unresponsive to his environment. He didn't even react as Hizashi stopped right next to him. 

 

"Izuku?" Hizashi prompted, hands hovering. He was hesitant to touch the kid in case it startled him. "Little listener?"

 

"We aren't friends, are we?" Izuku asked abruptly, still zoning out. 

 

“You and me?” Hizashi asked uncertainly. 

 

“Me and Kacchan,” Izuku replied. Who was Kacchan? “He told me to kill myself today,” The kid laughed bitterly. Okay, who the fuck was Kacchan?

 

“I’m sorry, Izuku. I don’t think you’re friends. Friends don’t say that type of thing to each other. Ever.” Izuku let the hand holding the book fall to his side and he turned to Hizashi. 

 

“He’s my best friend. I don’t want to lose him too.” Hizashi realized that ‘too’ referred to his parents. “Do you think we can ever be friends again?”

 

“I don’t know, little listener. He’d have to be willing to change and apologize. You’d have to be willing to forgive him,” Hizashi tried to comfort him. 

 

“I’ll always forgive him. I’ve forgiven him every time he burned me or my things,” Izuku said quietly. Hizashi paused, making the connection. Kacchan was what Izuku called the boy that those other kids called Bakugou. He had to remind himself that murdering a child probably wouldn’t bode well for him. Hearing how the kid talked about Izuku, they were definitely not friends. 

 

Hizashi pushed aside all his unhelpful comments to point at the notebook. “Your things… like that? Did he damage it badly?” 

 

“It’s. um, mostly charred externally. But then he threw it out the window and it landed in the fish pond.” Izuku carefully opened the pages. “It doesn’t look like the ink is bleeding too badly. I can probably still make it out to rewrite it.”

 

“What is it?” Hizashi asked, knowing damn well what it was. 

 

“Oh, um… it’s stupid,” Izuku replied, looking down. “You’d probably find it creepy.” 

 

He had to admit, he did a little. But not in a bad way. He worked with Nezu so he was used to super-genius level intelligence. It unnerved him sometimes just because his brain couldn’t make the connections the way Nezu, and now Izuku did. The sense of ‘creepy’ came from that gap.

 

Even if he found it a little creepy, he also thought it was incredible. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, little listener,” he assured. Izuku looked hesitant but flipped through the book for the most legible page. It was a recent analysis of Kami Woods who debuted earlier that week. 

 

When Izuku handed it to him, Hizashi read through it. Somehow, it was even more advanced than the other notebooks and a lot of it went over his head. He looked up at Izuku who looked terrified. “Izuku, do yo--”

 

“Iunderstnadifyoudon’twanttoadoptmenow,” the kid breathed out in a rush. When he opened his mouth again, Hizashi cut him off. 

 

“Hold on, wait, calm down!” Hizashi instructed the kid to take deep breaths. “Okay so, if I caught that, you think I wouldn’t want to adopt you now?” 

 

Izuku nodded. “Everyone says it’s creepy,” Izuku said sadly. Hizashi bristled as he saw tears form in Izuku’s eyes. What exactly have the people here done to this kid?

 

Hizashi sighed. “I’m not gonna lie, little listener, it kind of is.” Izuku’s face fell. “But that’s only because I’m not smart enough to understand it.”

 

“What?” Izuku looked up again, confused. 

 

“This is the sort of stuff that my boss, the principal of UA, would come up with. It’s a train of thought I can’t see or follow because my brain doesn’t operate at this level. When people don’t understand things, they can get ‘creepy’ vibes. It doesn’t mean it’s actually creepy,” Hizashi explained. 

 

“You do think it’s creepy, though.”

 

“Because I don’t understand it, but I’m open-minded,” Hizashi winked. 

 

“You still want to adopt me?” Izuku fretted.

 

“The desire never wavered. If you want to be, you’ll be my kid and I’ll fight the world to make it happen,” Hizashi vowed. 

 

“You don’t even know me,” Izuku frowned. 

 

“I could. If you’ll let me. In the meantime, you need a family. I need a kid to care for. It’s fate, little listener.” Izuku’s tears finally fell. “Can I hug you?” Izuku nodded. When Izuku finally calmed down, Hizashi led him to the car. 

 

---

 

“This isn’t your apartment,” Izuku observed as Hizashi drove through the parking lot, looking for a place to park. 

 

“Our apartment,” Hizashi corrected. “And no, it is not. This is the mall!” 

 

“Why?” Izuku asked as Hizashi found an empty space. 

 

“I promised to take you shopping, remember?” Hizashi said, turning off the engine. 

 

“But… you haven’t adopted me yet,” Izuku pointed out, puzzled. 

 

“And?” Hizashi asked. “Adoption takes time, a few months at the least if not longer. Meanwhile, you still need clothes and to feel comfortable in your home.” 

 

“But if you buy me stuff and then they don’t let you adopt me…” Izuku looked troubled by the thought. 

 

“Then I provided for you while you were in my care, as a guardian should. Though I don’t plan on losing,” Hizashi said cheekily. “Come now, let’s go in. Shouta should be meeting us here soon.”

Notes:

SHOPPING TRIP SHOPPING TRIP SHOPPING TRIP

Hizashi is so unabashedly affectionate and I live for it.

Chapter 8: Shopping Trip

Notes:

Multiple POV Shifts this chapter. You should be able to tell by who gets internal monologues.
But just in case: S / I / H / S / I

Izuku's POV should stand out more since he calls Shouta 'Aizawa' and Hizashi 'Present Mic.'
Feel free to theorize why.

I also have a post for story requests and writing prompts on my page now. Check it out if there's anything you'd like me to write.

“How is he?” Shouta asked, meeting up with his husband outside some dressing rooms. 

 

“Anxious and depressed but physically unscathed today, as far as I could tell,” Hizashi informed him quietly so Izuku wouldn’t overhear. “I also found and threatened his bully. And then he showed me another notebook. Number 13.” 

 

“What did you threaten the bully with?” Shouta asked, corner of his lip twitching up in a smile. 

 

“I told him I’d arrest him for assault and illegal quirk usage. I only found out after that, that he also told Izuku to kill himself today. After burning his notebook.” 

 

Shouta’s mind shorted out. “I am.. too furious to formulate a response.”

 

“Understandable. Topic change! This kid’s sense of humor is something else,” Hizashi beamed. 

 

“What do you mean?” Shouta asked. 

 

“Sho, he picked out a T-shirt that says T-shirt. I don’t know how but he found more shirts like that. It’s great,” Hizashi chuckled. 

 

“I am done,” Izuku said, coming out of the dressing rooms. “They fit.”

 

“Aw, not going to model anything for me?” Hizashi asked, half teasing. The other half, well he liked fashion. 

 

“No,” Izuku said firmly, frowning. Oh, he stumbled on something, Shouta thought, noting the kid’s expression. 

 

“Alrighty then. Is there anything else you want from this store or shall we go to the next one?” Hizashi asked cheerfully. Izuku looked at the shirts he held, confused. 

 

“Isn’t this enough?” the kid fretted. 

 

“Nope,” Hizashi replied, popping the p. “We’re getting stuff for your room too, remember?”

 

“Just go with it, kid,” Shouta suggested. “If you don’t pick stuff, he’ll buy the stores out trying to guess what you’d like.” 

 

The resigned look that came over Izuku’s face almost made him laugh but he contained it. “Next store,” Izuku mumbled. 

 

“This is going to be so much fun!” Hizashi exclaimed, taking the shirts from Izuku and going to the register to pay. Shouta did laugh then at the dismayed expression he cast at Shouta. 

 

“Yeah, he likes to shop,” Shouta said simply, trying to regain his composure. 

 

---

 

Izuku watched with a considerable level of amusement at Aizawa, staring into the window of a pet store, and Present Mic, desperately trying to pull him away from it. They had just left a furniture store and most of their purchases from that one would be delivered directly to the apartment. 

 

“No more cats, Sho. We don’t need any more cats,” Present Mic begged, pulling on his immovable spouse. More?

 

“How could you say that?” Aizawa asked with what could only be betrayal. 

 

“I will get you a kitty plushie! Please,” Present Mic pouted. 

 

“You have cats?” Izuku asked suddenly. Aizawa turned towards him, window cats forgotten. 

 

“We have three,” he answered, shining eyes incompatible with his flat facial expression. 

 

“I didn’t see any,” Izuku pointed out as Present Mic breathed a sigh of relief behind him. 

 

“They were hiding but I can introduce you to them when we get home,” Aizawa promised. He turned to Present Mic. “You owe me a kitty plushie.”

 

“Yes, okay,” Present Mic agreed, nodding. 

 

---

 

“Go find your cat substitution,” Hizashi teased as they walked into a toy store. Shouta glared at him for a second before making a beeline for the plush toy aisle. 

 

“What do you want to look at, little listener?” he asked, turning to Izuku. The kid only gave him a confused look. 

 

Just as Hizashi was about to jokingly threaten to buy the store, Izuku spoke. “I don’t know.” The kid looked almost lost. 

 

“What do you mean?” Hizashi asked gently. 

 

“I don’t know ,” Izuku repeated, starting to look frustrated. Okay, this is a childhood recovery point, Hizashi realized. 

 

“That’s okay, little listener. Let’s just go through the aisles and see what there is,” Hizashi suggested. “ I don’t even know. Sho only ever drags me to the plushie aisle.”

 

“What did you used to play with?” Hizashi tried as they perused the displays. 

 

“I’m not sure. Probably hero figures. My dad took away my toys after I was diagnosed quirkless,” Izuku admitted. Fucking bastard, Hizashi seethed inwardly. 

 

“I’m sure they have hero figures here. Although, there might be nicer ones at the hero merch stores,” Hizashi said thoughtfully. Izuku froze and Hizashi stopped to look at him. 

 

“There are hero merch stores?” he asked, stunned. 

 

“Um, yes?” Hizashi wondered how Izuku didn’t know this. Even homeless he must have walked past one at one point in eight years. All thoughts flew out of his head when Izuku positively lit up. 

 

“Can we go to one?” Izuku asked, visibly vibrating with excitement. Thinking about the analysis notebooks, yeah, this makes sense. I should have led with hero merch.

 

“Of course!” Hashi smiled. “Did you really not know about them?”

 

“When I got money, I usually went to grocery stores for food or stationery stores for school. I never left the neighborhood around my school,” Izuku answered easily. 

 

“How’d you get money?” Hizashi stupidly asked. Izuku immediately deflated. Backtrack, backtrack, backtrack!  

 

“I helped people,” Izuku said quietly. Well, that didn’t sound so bad, except Izuku looked miserable thinking about it. A euphemism for something, maybe?

 

“Ah, okay! How about we go find Sho and see if he picked a plushie yet? Then we’ll go to the hero merch store,” Hizashi babbled, trying to smother the growing worry that sudden mood shift brought up. Izuku perked up again, distracted, and nodded. 

 

---

 

Shouta stood by his husband, who was harassing the retail worker for Eraserhead merch, and kept an eye on Izuku. He watched as Izuku took notice of a screen a couple of feet above his head that was playing the kid-safe clips of heroes in action. The kid’s eyes seemed to glaze over after a few seconds which was concerning. 

 

When Izuku seemed to start talking to himself, Shouta let Hizashi know he was going to go check on the kid. As he got closer, his stealth-trained ears could barely make out what the kid was mumbling. 

 

“--uniquely versatile fighting style utilizing his quirk, despite its significant disadvantage in brute strength. Comparatively, his speed is at the height of what is physically possible for his body, capable of reaching speeds that even his own quirk can’t keep up with. The feathers themselves can be weaponized with proper quirk control.” Izuku’s hand twitched as if he instinctively wanted to write this analysis down. 

 

“Izuku?” The kid kept mumbling, not even registering that Shouta was next to him. “Izuku,” Shouta said a little louder, turning him away from the screen by his shoulder. Once his eyes were off the footage of a young hero named Hawks, the light seemed to return to Izuku’s eyes. 

 

“Aizawa?” Izuku blinked, dazed. “Is everything okay?” If Shouta wasn’t sold on Nezu’s quirk theory, he was now. 

 

“Yeah, I just wanted to see if you’ve picked anything out.” 

 

“Oh, um,” Izuku frowned and looked at the book display they were standing near. “I forget.” 

 

“Mind if I look with you?” Izuku shook his head. Shouta stayed by his side while he looked just in case that happened again. How no one in his life noticed that was beyond him. 

 

---

 

“I have a knife!” Present Mic exclaimed, walking back into the room where Aizawa was watching Izuku bite tags off clothes. The man had tried to stop him, stating it was bad for his teeth, but ultimately gave up. 

 

“That’s not better. Don’t we have scissors?” Aizawa asked tiredly. 

 

“Only my sewing scissors,” Present Mic replied. 

 

“Then let’s use those.” A loud gasp caught Izuku’s attention. 

 

He looked up to see Present Mic looking scandalized. “How dare you?”

 

“You’re not supposed to use sewing scissors for anything other than fabric,” Izuku supplied, remembering a time his mother scolded him for using her pair on construction paper. 

 

“See? He knows,” Present Mic said pointedly. Aizawa just shook his head. Izuku had gotten to meet the cats: a female calico named Hana, a male grey shorthair named Kemuri, and a female Abyssinian named Teriyaki. Now, the two men were helping him unpack his new belongings. 

 

“I’ll be picking you up from school around lunchtime tomorrow,” Shouta informed him suddenly. 

 

Izuku paused what he was doing. “Why?”

 

“Tsukauchi-san wanted me to take you to a doctor after seeing that house. He’s worried it had mold. Plus, you’re malnourished and I’d like to get a professional’s input on how severely,” Shouta explained. 

 

“Okay,” Izuku agreed. He hadn’t been to a doctor since he was diagnosed quirkless. He was not looking forward to this.

Chapter 9: Bakugou

When Izuku got to school, he noticed Kacchan -- no Bakugou -- lurking around the shoe lockers alone. Mentally, he prepared himself for a confrontation, but Bakugou just watched him wordlessly. To say it made Izuku uneasy would be an understatement. 

 

In the hallways and in class, he still got the same jeers and whispers from everyone else. Bakugou stayed away from him, but he stared at him. It was almost worse. He would only take his eyes off Izuku when he had to face forward for class. As soon as there was any pause in classwork, he’d turn back around and stare. 

 

Math on the board? Staring. 

 

Reading in class? Staring. 

 

Locker room before gym? Slightly more awkward staring. 

 

Finally, in gym class, something changed. Another classmate tripped Izuku while they were doing their laps around the track. Izuku stopped to check the wounds on his hands made from the impact of his weight on the ground. As he debated whether or not he should see the nurse, a hand wound itself into his t-shirt, pulling him to his feet. 

 

Once he was stable on his feet, he turned around to see… “Bakugou?” he asked, surprised. A flurry of emotions passed over Bakugou’s face. 

 

“The hell’s with that?” the explosive blonde growled. 

 

“Someone tripped me,” Izuku explained. Bakugou gave him a confused and angry look. 

 

“That’s not what I-- yeah, whatever. Watch where your fucking going, Deku.” Bakugou turned to walk away. “Go see the nurse for that shit,” he snapped before finally stalking off. 

 

Reminded of his injury by the stinging on his palms, Izuku headed for the nurse’s office. He tried to tell the teacher before he left, but the man just waved him off. When he got to the nurse’s office, she was already treating someone. She asked what he was there for and he held up his hands.

 

“Look, hun, I’m already dealing with a quirk injury. There are bandages and ointment in that drawer. You can handle that yourself, yeah?” Izuku nodded, heading for the drawer she had motioned towards. 

 

After he had cleaned and bandaged his hands, he went back to the classroom. The rest of the class would be in shortly. The next class was a test, which meant more staring once Bakugou finished taking his. If this was a new tactic to make Izuku want to kill himself, it was working.

 

Izuku brought his test to the front when he was done, trying to avoid Bakugou’s eyes on the way. No sooner than he had set the paper down on the teacher’s desk, a hand gripped the back of his uniform. Turning slightly, he caught sight of that familiar, blonde hair. 

 

“Bakugou, wait!” he protested as he was dragged out of the classroom. The teacher glanced up as Bakugou dragged Izuku away, but let it happen. A storm of curses raged in his mind at this faculty’s inadequacy. “Bakugou, please!” he pleaded as he was dragged out a door leading out of the side of the school. 

 

“Fuck! Shut up!” Bakugou hissed, throwing him against the wall of the building and trapping him there. Izuku stilled when Bakugou placed one of his hands on the wall above his shoulder, a little too close to his neck. “You have some explaining to do, Deku.”

 

“What explaining?” Izuku whimpered. “What’d I do?”

 

“Why do you know Present Mic?” Izuku looked up at him, confused. “Yeah, I know he was at the school yesterday. Flashed his hero license at me and told me to leave you the fuck alone.”

 

“Well, he, uh--” 

 

“Shut the fuck up! Because actually, I have a better fucking question.” Izuku tensed, frightened by the manic look on Bakugou’s face. “Why, when I went to your fucking apartment, did the landlord tell me your parents moved out THREE FUCKING YEARS AGO???” 

 

“Baku--”

 

“SHUT UP!! WHY, WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE KID MY AGE, DID SHE TELL ME THERE HADN’T BEEN A KID THERE IN EIGHT MOTHERFUCKING YEARS?????”

 

Izuku trembled, tears streaming down his face, as Bakugou’s chest heaved with the effort of his screams. The bell rang for lunch. Bakugou loomed over Izuku before letting his forehead fall onto his shoulder. 

 

They stood there, silent except for Izuku’s quiet sniffles and Bakugou’s labored breathing. When Bakugou caught his breath, he spoke again. “What happened, Deku?”

 

“I--”

 

“Izuku?” Bakugou’s head shot up, and he immediately went on the defensive after seeing the dark-haired man a few yards away. He pushed Izuku behind himself. 

 

“Wait, he’s--” 

 

“Shut up, Deku.” Aizawa raised an eyebrow at that. Bakugou is so dead. Aizawa started towards them, Bakugou raised his hand to fire off an explosion, and then Aizawa’s hair lifted. 

 

The next thing he knew, he was looking at a pissed-off Bakugou restrained in Aizawa’s scarf with Bakugou telling him to run. How long had he been saying that?

 

“I don’t think I’m the threat to Izuku here, kid,” Aizawa said flatly, his quirk still activated. 

 

“Let him go,” Izuku begged, grabbing Aizawa’s arm. 

 

“You sure? Did he hurt you?” Aizawa asked, deactivating his quirk long enough to look Izuku over for injuries. 

 

“He didn’t,” Izuku promised. Bakugou was released. 

 

“You know him?” Bakugou raged in disbelief. “What the hell is going on, Deku?”

 

“Call him that again, and I will cut off your tongue,” Aizawa threatened. Which was, wow. 

 

“He’s my guardian,” he confessed. Then he turned to Aizawa. “Wait, can I tell people that?”

 

“Why the hell wouldn’t you be able to?” Bakugou shouted. 

 

“Of course. There are a lot of times when you have to,” Aizawa replied, ignoring Bakugou. 

 

“How long has this crazy fucker been your guardian ?” Bakugou sneered. 

 

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” he said pointedly. 

 

Bakugou glared. “What was that, old man?” 

 

“I’m only 29, you insufferable brat.” Wait, really?

 

“Both of you, stop it!” Izuku demanded. They both turned to look at him. “Bakugou, he’s been my guardian for like, a few days at the most. He took me in after finding me in an abandoned house. No, let me finish. My parents did move three years ago, but they kicked me out when I was six because I didn’t develop a quirk.” 

 

“Our moms are best friends. We would have heard--”

 

“Right!” Izuku laughed bitterly. “Because my mom would just tell yours over tea and cookies that she let her husband experiment on her child. Beat him bloody, knock out a few teeth, break some bones, only to drive him halfway across Japan and leave him on the street outside a convenience store like a fucking dog.”

 

Bakugou visibly softened at that. “You could have told me th--”

 

“You first called me Deku two weeks after I was diagnosed quirkless. I couldn’t have told you anything.” Aizawa, for his part, seemed content to let Izuku tear into Bakugou himself. 

 

“You don’t know that! I’m not that bad! If you had said something I wouldn’t have--” 

 

“But you did, Bakugou.” Izuku’s voice cracked on the last part of his name. “Still, nothing you ever did to me could even begin to compare to what my dad did. Or what’s happened to me on the streets. At least it couldn’t. And then yesterday…”

 

Bakugou was quiet for a moment before he asked, “Can I fix this?”

 

“I don’t know, Bakugou.” Izuku looked away. “Aizawa’s here because I have a doctor’s appointment. So I’m gonna, I’m gonna go. I’ll see you in school on Monday.”

 

With that, Izuku and Aizawa walked away, leaving Bakugou to process all of... that. After they had pulled out of the school’s parking lot, Aizawa checked in with Izuku. 

 

“Are you okay, kid?” he asked gently. 

 

“That was a lot,” Izuku admitted. 

 

“Yeah, it was,” Aizawa agreed. “How are you feeling though?”

 

“Tired. A little dizzy. Better. It was cathartic.”

 

“I’m going to ask you about some of that later,” Aizawa warned. 

 

“Yeah, I figured.” 

 

“For the record, I’m proud of you.” 

 

“Why?” Izuku asked, confused. 

 

“It’s not easy to stand up to people. Or to speak your mind. Or to tell someone else about traumatic experiences. You did all of that today.” 

 

Izuku hummed in response before opting to stare out the car window. 

 

“Can I fix this?” 

 

I don’t know. 

 

Bakugou.

Notes:

Izuku's school sucks.

Kacchan absolutely floored that he's now 'Bakugou'

Y'all noticing Izuku's moments of disassociation now that Aizawa caught it?

Aizawa: (O_O;;) holy fuck kid... ヽ(`д´；)/ YEAH END HIM!!

Chapter 10: Medical Appointment

Notes:

TW: actual discussion of r*pe, unlike the vague implications he's given so far.
Also, panicked speech and later a panic attack.

He still uses vague terminology because he can't discuss it otherwise, but it's actually being discussed this time.

For the timeline: Shouta found him on a Tuesday, this visit is happening on a Friday.

Shouta wasn’t really sure how Izuku would handle the doctor’s visit, but he got his answer as soon as they stepped through the hospital doors. Izuku’s hand shot out, gripping his. Shouta could feel the boy trembling, so he simply readjusted their hands to be in a more comfortable position. He wasn’t as touchy-feely as his husband but he wasn’t opposed to physical touch when the people he cared about needed comfort. 

 

They checked in at the front desk and were directed to the pediatrics ward. The staff at the front desk had given them a clipboard of forms to fill out Izuku’s medical information. When they got to the pediatrician’s waiting area, Shouta did his best to fill out the forms but Izuku didn’t know most of the information the forms asked for. He was separated from his family when he was six. Of course, he didn’t know his family medical history. 

 

“Will that be okay?” Izuku asked, still trembling in waves. 

 

“Yeah. If your parents took you to this hospital, things like your vaccination records and the date of your last visit might be on file somewhere,” Shouta answered.

 

 Then they got to the health habits section. Shouta got confirmation that Izuku hadn’t used or even tried cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs. 

 

“Are you sexually active?” Shouta asked, thinking about the conversation they had when they first met. Based on Izuku’s vague wording, Shouta suspected that he’d been raped at some point. This question could confirm it. 

 

“Do they need to know that?” Izuku asked instead of answering. 

 

“Yes, they do. I just need a yes or no for the form, but the doctor might ask you to elaborate.”

 

Izuku was quiet for a long moment before answering with a sigh. “Yes.”

 

The rest of the form was easier for Izuku to answer. He also admitted to breaking bones on 15 different occasions between the ages of 4 and 6. Shouta was beginning to rethink the plan of just getting custody. The more he heard, the more he wanted to get this man in jail. 

 

Finally, they were called back and the kid was weighed and all that. He was 159 cm and 42 kg, which was concerning. Shouta was pretty sure that was underweight and the frown from the nurse only confirmed that. 

 

Sitting in the examination room, waiting for the doctor, Izuku wouldn’t stop fidgeting. “What’s up, kid?” Shouta asked. 

 

“The last time I saw a doctor they, diagnosed me…” Izuku trailed off. Oh.

 

“Well, we already know that your quirkless,” Shouta reassured him. If he’s even quirkless.

 

“What if they say something else that makes you hate me?” Izuku fretted. 

 

“Look, kid. I understand that trust is difficult for you given, well, everything. But Hizashi and I aren’t going to be like that. As heroes, we’ve been through and seen some pretty bad things. We understand difficult pasts and the lasting effects. I know it’ll take time for you to trust us, but we care about you.” Izuku stayed quiet at that, but his fidgeting lessened a bit. 

 

When the doctor came in, Izuku stiffened. The doctor sat, looking over Izuku’s intake forms. 

 

“I have a lot of questions,” he said after a few minutes. “Let’s start with why this is mostly blank.”

 

“Ah, I…” Izuku looked uncertainly at Shouta, who motioned for him to continue. “I’ve been homeless for eight years. I don’t really know a lot of this.”

 

“And you are?” the doctor asked, looking at Shouta. 

 

“His guardian. I’m going through the process of adopting him. I just took him in and the place he was taking shelter in is suspected to have mold growth,” Shouta explained. 

 

“Okay, we will do a full respiratory workup,” the doctor said, writing something down. He looked at Izuku again. “You marked down 15 instances of broken bones in a two-year period. What was the cause of this?”

 

“Mm... my dad. He did it before he kicked me out,” Izuku said quietly. 

 

“Are you still in contact with your father?” 

 

“No,” Izuku shook his head. 

 

“Alright. I have a printout here. If you could, please mark down where, and approximately when, you experienced these breaks. If you can’t remember exactly when that’s fine. Please also mark down any other significant injuries you’ve experienced. I have different colored pens if that helps you to keep it organized.”

 

The doctor waited patiently as Izuku worked on the printout. Apparently, 15 instances of broken bones did not mean 15 broken bones. Izuku had grouped individual breaks together when he answered for the intake forms. 

 

“Can I have a second sheet?” Izuku asked after a while. The doctor and Shouta exchanged concerned glances. The doctor obliged, handing Izuku another printout. When Izuku finally finished, they went over them in chronological order. Shouta listened with growing horror. 

 

A lot of it was his father being a monster, but there had been some serious injuries when he first started living on the streets. At least his injuries were more spaced out after he got away from his dad. 

 

“This one,” the doctor pointed to a mark on the printout figure’s neck. “You would have been about 8, correct?” Izuku nodded. “What caused this one?”

 

Izuku clammed up, which was a first. The doctor waited for Izuku to speak again. “Um, that was. The first time.”

 

“The first time for what?” the doctor asked gently. 

 

“The first time someone,” Izuku took a shuddering breath. “Um, did that, and it uh, it was the worst. I didn’t understand, so I fought back. When I bit him, because it hurt so bad, um, he choked me.” The kid had started shaking at the memory.

 

“Are you saying you were sexually assaulted?” the doctor clarified. Izuku nodded. “And you said ‘the first time,’ so that wasn’t the only instance?”

 

“No, it was, um. A lot. The first four times I fought back. They happened really far apart at first. Different men, except the third time. That was um, the same guy as the first. The fifth time, after I turned ten, I didn’t fight back, because um. I thought it might hurt less. And also, I was tired. That guy left and came back the same night with takeout for me. He didn’t touch me like that when he came back. Just, um, kissed my head and left me the food.”

 

Shouta could see where this was going. “After that, I stopped fighting. More men came. A lot returned. If I didn’t fight, they’d give me food or money. If I helped, they gave me more. I didn’t like it but I was hungry and I needed stuff for school.”

 

The doctor wrote something down. “How many times would you say you engaged with these men?” 

 

“I lost track,” Izuku answered honestly. 

 

“I’ll order a full sexual health workup,” the doctor informed them. Shouta could see that this weighed on the man. “Do you know when the last time was?”

 

“Not this last Monday, but the one before that.” That was a week before I found him!

 

The doctor wrote that down. They went over the rest of the injuries before moving on to easier questions. What he’d been eating and how often? Did he go through any standard illnesses; colds, the flu, etc? Did he have trouble breathing while he lived in that condemned house?

 

When the questions were done and the doctor had taken several pages of notes, they moved onto tests. X-rays to check how the breaks healed and to check his lungs for growth or deterioration. When the lung x-ray showed something suspicious, Izuku was sent for a CT scan to get a clearer view. Blood was taken to check everything under the sun. They had to stop and give him a break and some juice because of how much was needed for all the tests. 

 

When they tried to do the sexual assault examination and take swabs for STD tests, Izuku profusely refused to cooperate. He finally agreed under the conditions that Shouta left and only female staff were allowed in the room. He still came out hyperventilating and sobbing. 

 

The staff gave him as long as he needed to calm down before the rest of the tests. It wound up taking an hour, during which Shouta just hugged the kid and rubbed his back. Hizashi probably would have said something, but all Shouta knew how to offer was comforting silence. Just being there was all he could do, and it broke his heart. 

 

After all the tests were completed, the doctor informed him that the results would be emailed to him as they came in. Izuku should come back in two weeks so that they could go over them in person. Shouta drove Izuku home and when they arrived at the apartment, Izuku retreated to his room to take a nap. Hana, who had taken a liking to Izuku, accompanied him.

 

Shouta laid on the couch while he processed everything. Two things were for sure. One, he would do everything to take care of this kid. Two, Midoriya Hisashi was going down.

Chapter 11: Eraserhead

When Hizashi got home, Shouta was still laying on the couch. Now with an arm thrown over his face. The blonde man carefully perched himself next to his husband, who turned onto his side to make room. 

 

“How’d it go?” Hizashi asked and Shouta could only groan in response. “That bad, huh?”

 

“So bad. I’m shocked that kid is still alive. He was stabbed when he was 11, Zashi. Stabbed! And then he went to school the next day,” Shouta exclaimed in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake Izuku. 

 

“What about what you thought?” Hizashi asked. 

 

“Which thing?” Shouta asked flatly. 

 

“Both,” Hizashi replied. 

 

“His dad fucking mutilated him,” Shouta growled. “He relied on breaking bones, probably so that there wouldn’t be any visible scarring. Luckily the bastard at least set them properly. And the rape I suspected? Happened. Was ongoing. Most recently, a week before I met him.” 

 

“What?” Hizashi gasped, horrified. 

 

“Yeah, that’s how he made money apparently. In his own words; if he didn’t fight back he got food or money, and if he helped he got more.” 

 

Hizashi grimaced. “That’s what he meant. Christ. At the mall, it came up and he said he made money by helping people.”

 

“He’s surprisingly honest when he wants to be, but he says things in such a vague way that you can miss his real meaning,” Shouta noted. 

 

“We’ll just have to be more clear when speaking to him and have him clarify what he means,” Hizashi stated. Shouta nodded in agreement. 

 

---

 

About ten minutes after Hizashi left him to go start dinner, Shouta heard shuffling footsteps. 

 

“Aizawa?” Shouta opened his eyes to see Izuku wearing sweatpants and a shirt that read ‘pajama shirt’ across the front. Well, that’s adorable.  

 

“Yeah, kid?” I swear to every god; if he thinks we don’t want to adopt him again…

 

“Does what I did make me a villain?” Shouta sat up. 

 

“Of course not. Why would you think that?” he was sure his abject horror at the question showed on his face. 

 

“It’s illegal, right? I’m pretty sure that was prostitution.” Oh my god.  

 

“No, Izuku. You were raped. When you stopped fighting back, it wasn’t consent. They were taking advantage of you,” Shouta said firmly. The kid needed to understand this. 

 

“I took food. And sometimes money,” Izuku insisted. 

 

“Listen. Prostitutes, or sex workers, have previously agreed upon rates. They seek out clients. They have rules and they enforce them. These men found you, took advantage of you, did whatever they wanted, and gave you a random quantity of food or money to ease their guilt. Do you see how that’s different?” Izuku paused, thinking, and then nodded hesitantly. 

 

“Also, sex workers aren’t villains anyway,” Shouta followed up. “Doing something illegal doesn’t inherently classify you as a villain.”

 

“So if I stole food sometimes so that I didn’t have to let them…”

 

“That’s fine. Just don’t do it anymore. Hizashi and I will always give you food if you ask,” Shouta thought for a second. “I have a question, actually.”

 

“Hm?” Izuku hummed. 

 

“When we first met, you said you weren’t ‘that kind of kid.’ Then when I asked if people had propositioned you, you said ‘that’s not what I’d call it.’” Izuku nodded. “Can you elaborate?”

 

“You asked if I’d live with you. I don’t go home with anyone because I’m not um, what did he call it… oh! A sugar baby. And I wouldn’t call trying to get me to live with them propositioning. I’d call it kidnapping,” Izuku explained. Sugar babies didn’t necessarily live with anyone but he understood the point Izuku was trying to make. 

 

“I’m going to have to pay close attention to everything you say,” Shouta observed, shaking his head. 

 

“Oh, um. Okay,” Izuku mumbled, confused. “I’m going to go help Present Mic.”

 

“Why do you call him by his hero name but me by my last name?” Shouta asked, curious. “You can call us both by our first names if you want.”

 

“Well, Present Mic has always been what he’s called. As a hero and on the radio. I’m used to it.”

 

“Why not call me by hero name too?” 

 

“You don’t have enough of a media presence for the name to be a habit. When you introduced yourself to me, you called yourself by your actual name. Not your hero name. I was actually the only one to mention your hero name.”

 

“Makes sense,” Shouta chuckled. Then Izuku smirked. 

 

“Plus, have you ever seen the classic American horror movie Eraserhead?”

 

“What? No? What is that?” Shouta asked. Izuku simply cackled as he fled to the kitchen. “No, wait! What is that?” Shouta called after him.

 

---

 

After Izuku mentioned the movie Eraserhead at dinner, Present Mic managed to find a way to stream it on his laptop. “Movie night! Movie night! Movie night!” he chanted. Aizawa gave in and Present Mic made popcorn while his husband set up the TV connection. 

 

“How did you even see this?” Aizawa had asked, ten minutes in, cats curled up on everyone’s laps. 

 

“The public library plays a lot of pre-quirk movies,” Izuku explained. There were mixed reactions when the movie was over. 

 

“That wasn’t bad,” Aizawa commented. 

 

“That was awful,” Present Mic argued. “I’m going to have nightmares.”

 

“It’s horror, Zashi. It’s meant to be like that,” Aizawa defended. 

 

Izuku just laughed. He liked it here and he was finally starting to let himself hope. 

 

---

 

The weekend passed quickly. Nothing overwhelming happened after the doctor’s visit. They had asked about his hands, but he promised it wasn’t Bakugou. The stuff from the furniture store was delivered Saturday evening. Present Mic and Izuku finished setting up his room while Aizawa went on overnight patrol. Izuku had also shown Present Mic the rest of his notebooks when he moved them into a box he got especially for them. 

 

Now it was Monday, and he found himself walking toward the lockers where Bakugou was hovering yet again. This time, Bakugou approached him. 

 

“Hey,” he said simply. Izuku sighed. 

 

“Good morning, Bakugou.” If he was going to be civil, Izuku would too. 

 

Bakugou bristled. “I don’t like that.”

 

“Don’t like what?”

 

“You calling me Bakugou.” Izuku faltered at the serious look on his face. 

 

“I didn’t like you calling me Deku, but you did. For a decade, I might add,” Izuki sniffed. 

 

“I’ll stop… Izuku,” Bakugou tried. 

 

“Midoriya,” Izuku corrected. “We aren’t friends anymore.”

 

Bakugou looked conflicted but didn’t argue. “Okay, Midoriya.” 

 

Weird. Izuku walked away to head for the classroom and Bakugou fell in step behind him. Which he really couldn’t say anything about because they were in the same class. The usual jeers and whispers fell silent as Izuku heard familiar warning pops behind him. He turned around to see Bakugou giving the other students a death glare. 

 

“What are you doing? Stop it,” Izuku scolded. Bakugou grumbled but stopped and went to sit at his desk. It didn’t last long. He spent the first half of the day glaring at and threatening anyone that so much as looked at Izuku wrong. Is this worse? It seems worse?

 

When he sucker-punched a kid for pushing Izuku in the hallway on the way to lunch, Izuku had enough. Grabbing Bakugou by his arm, he dragged him into the nearest bathroom. After checking that it was empty, he rounded on the explosive blonde. 

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Izuku demanded.

 

“Present Mic said he wanted you unharmed.”

 

“So you’re just being selfish?”

 

“What?” the blonde spluttered.

 

“You’re acting like this because you’re scared a pro hero will come after you if I get hurt.”

 

“No! That’s not-- a little,” He admitted.

 

“Seriously?” Izuku threw his hands up in exasperation. 

 

“But I’m trying to be a friend too,” Bakugou insisted.

 

“Well, you suck at it!” Izuku blurted out. Bakugou frowned and looked away. 

 

“I don’t know how,” he confessed. Izuku sighed. 

 

“You don’t need to hurt, threaten, or intimidate others on behalf of someone to be their friend,” Izuku chided. “At the very least, you just need to be there for them.”

 

“I’ll try, Izuku.” 

 

“Midoriya. You’ve got to earn friendship.”

 

“I’ll try that too, Midoriya.”

 

“Fine.” Izuku started to head out of the bathroom to go get lunch. 

 

“Oh. By the way, I told my mom about all this.” Izuku groaned and smacked his head on the door.

Notes:

Why would his dad set the bones? If he succeeded in triggering a force manifested quirk, he wanted Izuku to be physically able to use it. Asshole.

Hearing direct terminology doesn't bother Izuku. He just can't bring himself to use it himself. He's actually very open/blunt, he just has very odd meanings and interpretations. He's been alone since he was 6 though. Can't really blame him if his communication is off.

Eraserhead: The Movie (≧∇≦)/

For the record, Izuku has not forgiven Bakugou yet. He's just going to tolerate his presence as long as he's civil. (Who's the puppy dog now?) I personally am like this too. I just can't be anything less than polite to people who aren't actively being a dick to me. I've tolerated a lot of people in this manner without ever considering them a friend or enjoying their company.

Chapter 12: Tea?

Hizashi entered the school gates only to immediately see Izuku being held hostage by… a bigger Bakugou? The teen Bakugou stood with them and when he saw Hizashi his eyes widened. The blonde man strode over. 

 

“What’s happening here, Izuku?” Hizashi smiled, ignoring the matching set of Bakugous. 

 

“Auntie, this is my guardian Yamada Hizashi,” Izuku said sullenly. Auntie? Were he and Bakugou related?

 

“Oi, I thought the dark-haired guy was your guardian,” tiny Bakugou whispered loudly. 

 

“That would be my husband,” Hizashi interrupted, glaring at the teen. 

 

“My name is Mitsuki Bakugou and I want to know exactly why you have any sort of custody over Izu-chan,” the woman spoke suddenly, giving Hizashi an appraising look. 

 

Hizashi bristled. “How is that any of your business, Ma’am?” he asked putting on his brightest stage smile. 

 

“I’ve known Izu-chan since the day he was born,” she huffed. “I care about him.”

 

“Then where were you for the past eight years?” Hizashi countered. “You certainly weren’t caring for him when my husband found him in a mold-infested, condemned house, seconds away from getting shot.” Both teens’ mouths fell open in shock at his animosity.  

 

“Inko never mention--”

 

“Where were you while your son was bullying him? Burning him?” Hizashi asked harshly. 

 

“You what?” the elder Bakugou rounded on the younger, grabbing him by his hair. “When the fuck did you burn Izu-chan, you little shit?” Oh, that explains a lot.

 

“Excuse me, do you normally treat your son like that?” Hizashi demanded. Izuku, having slipped free of the woman’s grasp, hid behind Hizashi. 

 

“It’s the only way the brat will listen,” she said as if that was any kind of excuse. She let go of her son who rubbed his scalp with a grimace. What is wrong with the people in this neighborhood?

 

“I don’t even have a response for that,” Hizashi tutted, shaking his head. He took Izuku’s hand. “Come on, little listener. Let’s go home.”

 

“Wait!” the elder Bakugou pleaded. She took a card out of her purse. “Look, this is my business card. It has my office number and my cell number. At least let me be in contact with Izu-chan again. I’ve missed him. Inko kept making excuses for why I couldn’t see him. Now I know why.”

 

“I’ll talk with my husband, but ultimately it’s up to Izuku,” Hizashi told her. She nodded and let them leave without further incident. 

 

“You’ve got some bad associations, little listener,” Hizashi commented when they got in the car. 

 

“I know,” Izuku sighed. “Uncle Masaru is nice though.”

 

“And that is?” 

 

“Bakugou’s dad.”

 

---

 

“Shhh, stop it! It’s not funny,” Hizashi hissed. Izuku had gone to bed a couple of hours ago. 

 

Shouta managed to compose himself. He gave Hizashi a serious face. “You’re right.”

 

“Laughing at a child’s pain, I swear,” Hizashi huffed. 

 

“But by his hair, Zashi?” Shouta asked, bursting out into laughter again. 

 

“Really, Sho?” Hizashi sat, shaking his head. 

 

“Hey, he called me old.” Hizashi gave him a tired look so Shouta went for what he knew would work. “That’s basically calling you old since we’re the same age.”

 

“How dare he! I am not old,” Hizashi exclaimed. Shouta nodded solemnly. 

 

---

 

“So you want to find his parents not only to get custody but to press charges against them?” Detective Tsukauchi asked Shouta. 

 

“His father at the bare minimum,” Shouta said darkly. 

 

“Okay, I can guess why. But why are we meeting here?” he gestured to the entirety of Nezu’s office, the mouse-like principal smiling at him over a cup of tea. 

 

“I want to help,” Nezu replied, eyes glinting. 

 

“Why?” the detective asked hesitantly. 

 

“Midoriya-kun is the soon-to-be son of two of my dear teachers. That makes him part of the UA family.” His nose twitched and his eyes betrayed his bloodlust. “Plus, I hate scum.”

 

“Speaking of scum, I’d like to know if it’s possible to track down and convict some serial rapists without DNA evidence,” Shouta brought up. The detective gave him an apprehensive look. 

 

“It’s difficult but it’s possible, yes,” the detective confirmed. “The process is not recommended unless the victim is able to see a therapist, though.”

 

“Well, isn’t it splendid that we have one here at UA?” Nezu said gleefully. 

 

“He should probably be in therapy anyway,” Shouta admitted. 

 

---

 

“This is UA?” Izuku balked at the massive gates guarding the school entrance. He had spent the whole day dodging Bakugou at school and then Present Mic drove him here instead of home after picking him up. 

 

As they walked up the path to the main building, a couple of girls cooed at him. “The novelty of younger siblings and teachers’ kids never wears off for them,” Present Mic explained. 

 

“Why are we here?” Izuku asked as he looked the hallway they just entered around in awe. Present Mic held his hand just to keep him from running into anything or anyone. 

 

“Nezu wants to meet you,” Present Mic said cheerfully. 

 

“Who’s Nezu?” Izuku finally turned to look at Present Mic.

 

“Principal of UA,” the blonde man chirped. 

 

“What? Why?” Izuku asked, coming to a complete stop. 

 

Just as Present Mic opened his mouth to reply, a feminine voice cut in. “Oh my goodness! Is that him?” Izuku looked up to see Aizawa walking with R-Rated Hero: Midnight. 

 

“Be nice, Nemuri,” Aizawa warned. 

 

“I am nice!” she retorted, stopping in front of Izuku. “Hey, cutie!”

 

“Somnambulist, allowing the user to emit a sleep-inducing aroma from their skin,” Izuku supplied instead of an actual greeting. Midnight looked surprised but then she laughed. 

 

“I like you! Give Auntie Nemuri a hug!” Izuku flushed but accepted the affection. He did try to move his face from where she was holding him against her chest. “Got anything else on me?” she asked when she pulled away. 

 

“Um… D class power, C class speed, A class technique.” Aizawa quirked an eyebrow at that. 

 

“As much as I love to see you harassing him, he has a meeting with Nezu,” Shouta stated. 

 

“Ooh, for why?” she bubbled. Izuku raised his hand. 

 

“I would also like to know… for why.” Midnight beamed when Izuki mimicked her wording. 

 

“A few reasons,” Shouta answered. “He’s helping with your adoption case.”

 

Izuku nodded and all four of them headed to Nezu’s office. Midnight asked for trivia the whole way. “What classes are Shouta?” 

 

“C class power, B class speed, S class technique.”

 

“Are you saying he’s faster and stronger than me?” 

 

“He’s also better in general,” Present Mic made a choking sound, and Midnight gaped at him. “Ah, sorry. That was rude.”

 

“I could put him to sleep,” she countered, defending herself. 

 

“Not before he could erase your quirk,” Izuku pointed out. 

 

“What are my classes, little listener?” Present Mic asked as they walked into a room. 

 

Izuku appraised him. “I’d rather not say.” Midnight cackled and even Aizawa chuckled. Suddenly Izuku was approached by a white mouse-like creature in a suit. Izuku gave him a confused look. “Animals with quirks are rare,” he mumbled. 

 

The creature’s nose twitched. “You can tell I have a quirk, then?” Oh, what the fuck?

 

“Uh…” Izuku replied, stunned.

 

“How did you know?” the creature asked, toddling off to the large oak desk in the room. 

 

“You talk,” Izuku pointed out, hollowly. 

 

“I hadn’t spoken yet when you determined I had a quirk. So I’ll ask again, how did you know?”

 

Izuku realized the creature was right. “Um, I don’t. I just…”

 

“You just knew?” he asked, nose twitching. Izuku came to the startling revelation that he did and he shouldn’t have. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Nezu, the principal of UA. I’ll be helping Detective Tsukauchi and your guardians with your case. I also wanted to extend our campus counselor for therapy sessions, as I’m sure you’ve been through quite a lot. And I do believe with that little display just now, I will be adding my own sort of evaluation to today’s agenda.”

 

“Evaluation for what?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Nezu,” Aizawa said with a warning tone. 

 

“I will tell you if the results are conclusive with my theories,” Nezu said, folding his paws together.

 

“It’s not medical is it?” Izuku asked hesitantly. 

 

“No. I leave that sort of thing to our school nurse. It’s more of an … academics test,” he said, eyes glinting. He held up a warming kettle. “Tea?”

Notes:

Can EraserMic just adopt everyone? They might need to.

Hizashi has 'mama bear' energy and I love it.

NEZU TIME!!!

Chapter 13: Quirk Analysis

Izuku watched the teen that was facing a wall in Nezu’s office. He’s been brought in a few minutes ago and he didn’t seem very sociable. Nezu puttered around, setting up some sort of camera. Aizawa and Present Mic were seated nearby. 

 

Finally, Nezu finished. “Amajiki-kun, please turn around.” The teen complied but kept his eyes on the floor. “Alright! Let’s get started. Midoriya-kun, this is is Amajiki Tamaki. He is a second-year student here at UA. I would like you to guess what his quirk is.”

 

“I can’t do that,” Izuku protested. 

 

“Please try,” Nezu insisted. “If you can’t guess his quirk, tell me anything else you can tell by looking at him.”

 

Izuku frowned but appraised the boy in front of him. He seemed to cower under the scrutiny. Why would I know his quirk? I only know people’s quirks because I’ve seen them in action. I’ve seen clips of Midnight. Of course, I know her quirk. And sure, maybe I didn’t hear Nezu talk but he was wearing a suit dammit. I can’t even tell what species he is. That’s quirk-worthy. How… 

 

“How am I supposed to know how his transformation quirk works exactly if I don’t see him use it first?” Izuku snapped, causing the boy to flinch. 

 

Nezu’s nose twitched. “No one said he had a transformation quirk, Midoriya-kun.”

 

Izuku’s mind shorted out. “Uh…”

 

“Can you tell me anything else?” Nezu asked, smiling. 

 

Izuku looked at the boy again, maybe a little more open to this exercise than he was a second ago. “He’s… stronger than Aizawa…” Izuku realized, a little in awe of the teen.

 

“Hurts, don’t it?” Present Mic teased Aizawa. 

 

“Can you elaborate on that?” Nezu prompted. 

 

“His speed and technique are of the same levels but his power and, erm, uh his power is through the roof,” Izuku said, stumbling. 

 

“Power and what?” Nezu asked, not willing to let that slip up go. 

 

“I don’t like to mention that class. It seems rude,” Izuku answered. 

 

“For my evaluation, please,” Nezu insisted. 

 

“... Intelligence,” Izuku cringed. 

 

“Interesting,” Nezu grinned. “You seem to be able to determine surface-level traits just by looking at a person. Both traits determined by one’s quirk and traits that are independent of quirks.”

 

“Isn’t that obvious to everyone?” Izuku asked, a little unnerved. 

 

“Not really, no,” Aizawa spoke up. “And they certainly don’t get that by looking at an unmoving person who appears to be seconds away from vomiting on the floor.”

 

“Oh my, Amajiki-kun, are you okay? Would you like some tea?” Nezu asked, noting the appearance of his anxious student. Amajiki nodded. 

 

After making Amajiki a cup of peppermint tea, Nezu turned to Izuku. “While Amajiki is recovering, I have a few tests we can do without him. Starting with this!” 

 

“A mirror?” Izuku asked, looking at the item Nezu pulled from behind his desk. 

 

“Yes! Look at yourself in the mirror. Tell me what you can!” Nezu smiled. 

 

“Nothing? I’m quirkless.” Nezu gave him a thoughtful look. 

 

“I’m going to have another student come in. I want you to keep your eyes closed until I say to open them. I will have them stand next to you. When I tell you to open them, look at them in the mirror, do not turn to look at them,” Nezu instructed. Izuku complied and waited. 

 

He heard the door open and then, “Togata-kun, please stand here. Face the mirror. Thank you. Midoriya-kun, you can open your eyes.”

 

In the mirror stood a teen that looked suspiciously like a young All Might. Izuku resisted the urge to turn and look at him. “What can you tell me about Togata-kun?” Nezu asked, motioning to the teen in the mirror. 

 

Izuku frowned because for the first time ever, he got the same air from this Togata that he got from himself when he caught his reflection. “I don’t… There’s nothing,” Izuku admitted after a few minutes. 

 

“Fascinating,” Nezu commented. “Try turning to face Togata-kun and try again.”

 

When Izuku turned to face the boy in question, the taller teen beamed at him and waved. Just like All Might. Slowly, with a fuzzy feeling, the air around the teen changed. “Another transformation quirk,” Izuku observed, disappointed that Togata hadn’t been like him after all. 

 

“Woah! Amazing! You can tell that just by looking at me?” Togata asked excitedly. Nezu gave Aizawa a look, nose twitching. 

 

“If you don’t mind Midoriya-kun, I have a video here that I’d like you to watch,” Nezu said, moving to his desk and pushing a button. A screen came down from god knows where. What a high-tech office…

 

“It’s a clip of one of our teachers, Ectoplasm, during a training exercise. Please tell me what you can observe,” Nezu instructed, picking up a remote to start the video. 

 

A man in a trench coat and some sort of headpiece that covered his entire face. He vaguely recognized this person as a pro hero but he couldn’t recall much. He must not have been in the news too much. 

 

“Emitter type quirk,” Izuku mumbled. “Decent and equal power and speed. High-level technique.” The room stayed quiet as Izuku processed what he was seeing. Then the training exercise started and things got fuzzy. He didn’t even realize he was speaking aloud as his mind went blank. 

 

“Quirk enabled the user to shoot a stream of, assumed, ectoplasm out of his mouth that can form into clones of himself. The stability of the clones is high, only able to be dispelled by strong, direct contact hits or the user themselves. They will not dissolve on their own and can therefore be trusted to carry out most tasks. The user has a creation limit, undetermined. Potential to create a single giant clone with proper quirk control. If the user were to--”

 

The screen was switched off and Izuku came back himself slowly. He frowned at the blank screen and then looked around the room. Everyone was staring at him with varying levels of interest and excitement. “What?”

 

“Do you recall what you just said?” Nezu asked calmly. 

 

“Um, I was supposed to watch a video. Are we not doing that?”

 

“But you did!” Togata exclaimed. “Don’t you remember?”

 

“No, I didn’t. Nezu was just about to show me,” Izuku insisted, growing defensive. “I just saw the beginning and then it stopped.”

 

“Oh my,” Nezu said softly. “Well, that explains a lot at least.”

 

“Explains what?” Izuku snapped. 

 

Present Mic stood up and walked over to Izuku. “It’s okay, little listener. You know your notebooks?” Izuku nodded, apprehensive. “How do you decide what to write in them?”

 

“I don’t know. I just write what I see when watching clips or seeing people use their quirks in public,” Izuku replied. “Then I add more later after I’ve done more research.”

 

“Okay so, what you write initially, it just kind of happens?” Present Mic clarified.

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Izuku responded. 

 

“Do you remember the clip or the person using their quirk immediately after?” Present Mic asked, clearly hinting at something.

 

“... Not really, no. If it’s a video, I just replay it. I usually remember it then. Mostly,” Izuku explained hesitantly. 

 

“Mostly?” Present Mic prompted. 

 

“Sometimes things get fuzzy for a little bit,” Izuku admitted. 

 

“Do you lose time often?” Nezu asked, looking a bit more concerned. 

 

“I don’t know if I’d say often. Maybe a few times a day, usually for less than a minute,” Izuku said, growing uncomfortable with this line of questioning. 

 

“I have two more tests I’d like to try today. Do you feel up to it Midoriya-kun?” Nezu asked, giving him an out. Izuku looked over to Aizawa. 

 

“It’s up to you, kid,” He shrugged, the corner of his lip quirked up in a half-smile. Izuku guessed it was meant to be reassuring. It kind of was. 

 

“I guess so,” Izuku answered. 

 

“This time, I’m giving you some paper to write on,” Nezu declared. Izuku watched as the principal fiddled with the camera he had set up earlier, connecting it to the TV. When he was done, he handed Izuku a clipboard of writing paper and a pen. “Ready?” Izuku nodded. 

 

This time, the video was of the office and everyone in it. Nezu fast-forwarded to the part with the Ectoplasm video. Izuku poised his pen although he was unsure what he should be looking for. His attention was drawn to himself. He had a different air than what he usually sensed in his reflection. Then his eyes glazed over in the video. 

 

“What do you think?” Nezu asked abruptly. Izuku blinked, confused. The video had stopped. This shit again.  

 

“Of what?” Izuku asked, looking at the rodent-like creature with thinly masked irritation. 

 

“Of your analysis,” Nezu said, motioning to the clipboard in Izuku’s hand. He looked down at the previously blank page that was now half-filled. 

 

Midoriya Izuku - Mutant Type Quirk

 

Quirk Name: Undetermined 

 

Quirk enables the user to determine the physical and mental capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses of another individual. When another individual’s quirk is not active or obvious, observations are limited to core physical traits. Information regarding these traits is typically observed passively and dismissed unless focused on. Reflections do not return results.

 

When another individual’s quirk is obvious (physical mutation) or active, deep analysis on quirk capabilities can be performed. Since the user has a mutant-type quirk, this can not be turned off and is often involuntary. A negative effect of deep analysis is the high amount of brainpower it requires. Non-essential brain functions, such as awareness, are temporarily paused while new information is observed and evaluated. 

 

Repeat exposure to a single quirk decreases the extent to which deep analysis takes effect. The user could combat this paused state with brain training exercises and proper quirk control. 

Izuku stared in shock. What the fuck???

Notes:

This poor baby really thought everyone could see what he could see. :(

Nezu over here is a bit too pushy. (A lot.)

How did no one notice? I'll explain since he wouldn't know:

Super young kids space out sometimes or get distracted so it went unnoticed. He was misdiagnosed. His language wasn't genius level at the time. It was the same level as well read/spoken toddler (if you've ever met a kid like that, you know what I mean). Since he was already diagnosed quirkless, was frequently ignored, and he got a reputation as a hero nerd, it wasn't noticed by the people around him as he grew up either. Izuku didn't notice because he's been like this for most of his life that he can remember.

Chapter 14: Ice Cream

“--uku?... Izuku, look at me,” Izuku vaguely registered Aizawa crouching in front of him. Someone must have taken the clipboard from him because his hands were empty. 

 

“Will he be okay?” another person, Togata, asked. 

 

“He didn’t know he had a quirk. I’m sure this is a little overwhelming for him,” Present Mic explained from... somewhere. 

 

“Should Amajiki and I go?” Togata asked. Yes, please.  

 

“I was hoping not. I had one more test and it requires both of you,” Nezu said, sounding disappointed. Aizawa’s head snapped in the direction of wherever Nezu was. Just as he opened his mouth to, most likely, chew out the principal, Izuku spoke. 

 

“I’m done,” he choked out, throat dry. Everyone’s attention was back on him. “I wanna go home.”

 

“But this last test could determ--” nononononononononono

 

“Nezu, enough!” Aizawa growled. Nezu paused at his tone and stepped forward to look at Izuku’s face. Something shifted on his own face as he noticed the tears spilling down Izuku’s cheeks. 

 

“Ah, I apologize. I forgot myself,” the creature bowed slightly.  The other two teens excused themselves quietly. 

 

“Come on, Sho. Let’s get him home,” Present Mic said softly. Too much.  

 

---

 

Shouta looked back at Izuku. The kid seemed to have zoned out again. Standing up, he was prepared to guide Izuku out of the school but then the kid stepped forward and clung to him. 

 

“Izuku?” There was no response. A single step back made it clear he wasn’t letting go.

 

“It’ll probably be hard to walk like that. You might need to carry him,” Hizashi advised. 

 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” he replied. It was. Izuku could be any size and it’d be fine. But it definitely helped that he was short and only weighed 42 kg right now. Plus Shouta pulled around and lifted people in his scarf all the time. 

 

Picking Izuku up took a lot of prompting since the kid was so unresponsive. Eventually, Shouta managed to urge Izuku to hang onto his neck while he supported the kid from under his thighs. The position was reminiscent of how one might carry a much smaller child, but hey, it worked. 

 

Nezu apologized a few more times as they left but really, it was Shouta’s fault. He brought the pages and got the idea in Nezu’s head. He let Nezu meet Izuku and push him too far. Shouta was pulled out his thoughts when Izuku’s hair brushed against his neck as the kid shifted. 

 

A few remaining students took notice of the two teachers as they made their way to the gates. One of them was from his class and he realized he’d be asked about this tomorrow. When they got to the car, Shouta wound up sitting in the backseat with Izuku since the kid would not let go. Izuku wound up remaining unresponsive all the way back to the apartment and up to his room. 

 

“Laying down would probably be good for him, but he probably shouldn’t sleep in his uniform. Then again, I don’t know how well helping him change would go over,” Hizashi fretted. 

 

“Not well I’d imagine,” Shouta agreed. “If we can get him to let go to lay down though, we can probably coax him into changing on his own too.”

 

It took so much coaxing and in the end, they had to turn around while he got his pajamas on since he didn’t want either of them to leave the room. It would be sweet if Shouta didn’t have the guilt of ‘I fucking did this’ eating at him. And it continued to eat at him while Izuku drifted off, followed a little later by Hizashi. 

 

A few hours later, Izuku stirred. “Aizawa?”

 

“I’m here, kid,” Shouta assured him. 

 

“Mic?” Izuku asked.

 

“Behind you,” Shouta answered. 

 

“Mm, good,” Izuku mumbled sleepily. 

 

“How are you feeling?” Shouta asked gently.

 

“Sad,” the kid admitted. “I lost my family and my best friend because I didn’t have a quirk. Everyone at school hates me because I was quirkless. I went through hell while I was homeless. I gave up on my dreams. But I had a quirk the whole time.”

 

“I’m sorry, Izuku,” Shouta said, uncharacteristically initiating a hug. 

 

“Why are you sorry?” Izuku asked quietly. 

 

“I should have stopped Nezu when he started getting pushy. I’ve known him for years. I should have realized he was in one of his ‘mad scientist’ moods and taken you home,” Shouta said, relaxing his grip on the kid. 

 

To say the sharp sting on his face stunned him was an understatement. He gave Izuku a look of bewilderment because the kid just clapped his hands onto either side of his face. The sound was enough to startle Hizashi awake. 

 

“Do not apologize! You gave me a quirk!” Izuku frowned, seething. Hizashi chuckled when he realized what had happened. 

 

“Was he brooding?” Hizashi asked, like the absolute traitor he was. 

 

“Yes!” the kid practically squeaked in outrage. He sat up suddenly and climbed over Hizashi to escape the bed. He opened his closet, where both adults knew he’d stashed his notebooks, and dug one out of the box he kept on the floor. Flipping to a specific page he handed it to Shouta. 

 

It was one of the earlier, illegible child scripts. It featured some unidentifiable, green bunny hero. One of the pages Shouta couldn’t figure out when he looked through the notebooks before. He wondered if Izuku even realized that he just handed one of his sacred books to someone he believed to have never seen them. 

 

Shouta and Izuku had a little face-off while both looked at each other expectantly. One waiting for realization and the other answers. “Oh, is that you?” Hizashi asked, much better at interpreting bad handwriting. Shouta re-examined the page. Oh…

 

“I wanted to be a hero,” Izuku confessed. “I gave up when I was eight.” 

 

“Izuku…” Shouta’s heart ached at that. 

 

“When that happened, that’s when my situation really sunk in for me. That’s when I realized I was helpless,” Izuku said sadly. 

 

“You were a child . Children are supposed to be helpless, quirk or not.  It’s the responsibility of the adults in your lives to protect you and they failed you,” Shouta stressed. 

 

Izuku shifted uncomfortably. “Well, either way, I wanted a quirk. I could have gone my whole life without knowing I had one if you guys hadn’t stopped to care about me. So don’t apologize for that!”

 

“Alright, I won’t,” Shouta conceded. 

 

“I vote we celebrate instead!” Hizashi cut in. “I know an ice cream place.”

 

“It’s…” Shouta glanced at Izuku’s digital clock. “9 pm.”

 

“This place is open until 2 am,” Hizashi sounded proud. 

 

“Is it a bar?” Shouta asked, confused. Hizashi gave him a look that said it most definitely was. “We are not taking our kid to a bar before we even finish the adoption process!”

 

“Okay, so, technically it’s a bar, but they serve ice cream! I know the owner and I’m sure he’ll give us a private room away from the alcohol and drunks,” Hizashi defended. 

 

Shouta gave Izuku a tired look. “What do you think?”

 

“I think I like ice cream,” Izuku said solemnly. 

 

“Then let’s go,’ Shouta smiled, shaking his head.

Notes:

Izuku's existential crisis isn't entirely over. This will still take processing. But the initial shock at least wore off after his nap. Of course, cuddles helped too.

I will not be writing the ice cream/bar scene. Just know it goes well. They did get a room away from everyone else. Super cute bonding fluff.

I just don't want to go overboard and write every second of their lives. We've got a lot to get to. UA is like. 10 months away still. 14 chapters and it's only been a week in the timeline.

Chapter 15: Café Date

“Where the fuck were you?” Bakugou asked as Izuku entered the school. He had stayed home yesterday after the whole ‘Surprise! You have a quirk!’ thing. Present Mic stayed home with him and they baked cookies and had a movie marathon. All pre-quirk movies so that Izuku’s surprise quirk wouldn’t kick in. When Aizawa got home they played Monopoly and then Uno. 

 

“Why is that your business?” Izuku asked, genuinely and without hostility. 

 

“It’s not, I guess. I was just worried. You don’t miss school, ever,” Bakugou replied, looking at the floor. Izuku looked him over for a moment before determining that he was being honest.

 

“Present Mic called it a mental health day,” Izuku told him. 

 

“Mental health? Are you okay?” Bakugou asked, looking confused. 

 

“Shit happened. I needed some time. I’m okay enough to be at school now,” Izuku answered honestly without revealing much. 

 

“What happened?” Bakugou frowned, apparently concerned. 

 

“Now that isn’t your business,” Izuku said, brushing past him to go to class. 

 

“Izuku, please.” Izuku almost let the slip-up go because Bakugou never says please but…

 

“Midoriya,” Izuku corrected. 

 

“Fucking damn it!” Bakugou exclaimed which made Izuku stop because it seemed like an overreaction. “I have known you for your whole fucking life! I should be able to call you by your name.”

 

Izuku glared at him. “Then maybe you should have while you had the chance instead of calling me useless. Pathetic. Stupid. Worthless. Deku!” Bakugou flinched with every insult. Shaking his head, Izuku continued to head for the classroom. 

 

Bakugou continued to trail him, hovering at his desk when Izuku sat down. “What, Bakugou?”

 

“I’m sorry.” Oh, a please and an apology in one day. I guess the world is ending. “I’m frustrated because I’m worried about you. You’re right, you don’t have to tell me. This is the part where I just… be here? Right?” 

 

Izuku’s face softened because that was progress. “Yeah, it is.” 

 

---

 

“Mic, I was thinking,” Izuku started after school. Present Mic was grading papers while Izuku worked on his math homework. 

 

“Yes, little listener?” Present Mic replied, giving Izuku his full attention.

 

“Auntie might know where my parents are. For the custody case. That detective said he needed to find them so you could adopt me,” Izuku said, nervous. He didn’t really want to hear from his parents. 

 

“Would you like to meet with her and ask?” Present Mic asked. Izuku nodded. “Okay, we’ll call her and set something up.”

 

---

 

A few days after calling Auntie, on a Saturday, Izuku found himself waiting for her at a cafe with Aizawa. Nerves were starting to get the better of him when Auntie finally appeared. With Bakugou and Uncle in tow. 

 

Auntie sat across from Izuku, Uncle sat across from Aizawa, and then they had to pull up an extra chair for Bakugou. He sat between Izuku and Auntie. “Izu-chan! I’m so glad you called,” Auntie said smiling. She looked at Aizawa. “You must be his other guardian?”

 

“Yes. Aizawa Shouta,” he said flatly, with an unreadable expression. 

 

“Ah, well, my name is Mitsuki and this is my husband Masaru. The brat over here is Katsuki,” she introduced her family. Izuku noticed Aizawa bristled at that last statement but he nodded his acknowledgment. 

 

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us,” Uncle said in the same soft-spoken voice Izuku remembered. “Izuku stopped coming over when he was about five and although we tried to visit at his own home, obviously Inko had reasons why we couldn’t.”

 

“You never thought to check on him?” Aizawa asked, not even trying to mask his contempt. 

 

“Are you trying to say this--” Auntie started, always charged up for a fight. 

 

“Mitsu, it’s okay,” Uncle cut her off. He always played the role of peacekeeper. He looked back at Aizawa. “You’re right. We should have done more to get in contact with him. Something obviously wasn’t right and our closeness with Inko blinded us.”

 

Aizawa’s defensive tension seemed to decrease at that. “Mhm.”

 

“We also should have taken it more seriously when Katsuki seemed to grow hostile towards Izuku after he was diagnosed quirkless. We thought he was simply upset that they weren’t able to be a high-powered hero duo like they had planned to be,” Uncle continued unprompted. 

 

“Izuku can be a hero. I don’t see why they couldn’t have been a duo. Of course, now, after the bullying…” Aizawa gave Bakugou a pointed look. 

 

“He can’t be a hero!” Bakugou exclaimed and Izuku shot him a glare. Rude. “He’s quirkless!”

 

For a split second, Izuku thought Aizawa might mention his quirk and his heart dropped. He didn’t want Kac-Bakugou to know. “I’m a pro hero whose quirk has no combat applications. I fight quirkless. He doesn’t need a quirk to be a hero,” Aizawa insisted firmly. 

 

“But surely that would be dangerous,” Auntie defended. 

 

“Not with proper training and a good partner to protect his weak points,” Aizawa said, glaring at Bakugou when he said partner. The unspoken ‘you let him down’ weighed heavy in the air. Bakugou looked down at the table. 

 

“If you put it that way it definitely seems safer,” Uncle commented. “Doesn’t it, Mitsuki?”

 

“I guess,” she admitted reluctantly. 

 

“Uh, Auntie? I wanted to ask you something,” Izuku spoke up. 

 

“What is it, dear?” she smiled fondly. 

 

“Do you know where my parents moved to?” Izuku asked, anxious. “We need to find them for my adoption case.”

 

“You’re adopting him?” Auntie gasped, turning her attention to Aizawa. 

 

“We are trying to. The fact that he has living parents makes it difficult. It needs to be confirmed that they abandoned him,” Aizawa explained stiffly. 

 

“Would the fact that they moved to America without him prove that?” Auntie asked. 

 

“They left the whole ass country?” Izuku exclaimed, surprised. Bakugou snickered while Auntie and Uncle looked at him in shock. 

 

“What are you teaching him?” Auntie snapped, smacking Bakugou. 

 

“Ow, fuck, it wasn’t me!” Bakugou growled, shielding his head. 

 

“Who else would he pick that kind of language up from?” Auntie asked, looking ready to smack him again. Instead, Aizawa’s capture weapon wrapped around her wrist. 

 

“If you hit your child again, I will request a wellness check from my friend at the police department,” he threatened. 

 

“It’s just discipline,” she defended. The look Aizawa gave her immediately lowered her confidence in that statement. “H-he doesn’t listen.”

 

“Kids that are hit tend to be kids that act out,” Aizawa scolded. “If you really can’t interact with him without violence, maybe try family therapy.”

 

“That is an excellent suggestion,” Uncle interjected. Auntie and Bakugou both glared at him, which he ignored. “We will have to discuss it at home. While we are here, I’d like to help Izuku.” 

 

“Right, sorry,” Auntie agreed. “Inko and Hisashi moved to Portland, Oregon I believe. I last spoke to Inko over the phone a month ago. We don’t talk as often now because of the international charges but she checks in. I could give you her number if that would help.”

 

“It would, actually. I can give it to the detective that’s handling Izuku’s case,” Aizawa replied. Auntie wrote the number down and for the rest of the visit, she asked about Izuku. Auntie and Uncle were respectful enough to steer clear of questions about his homeless life. Instead, they asked about things like grades and if he still liked heroes. 

 

It was nice. Being here and interacting with people from a happier part of his past. Maybe he would ask to see them regularly. He asked Aizawa if that would be possible when they got home. 

 

“It’s up to you, kid,” he shrugged. 

 

“You say that a lot,” Izuku pointed out. 

 

“Because it is. The only time I’m going to make decisions for you is for your well-being. Like if you wanted to eat only ice cream for a week, I’d say no,” Aizawa explained. 

 

 “Okay, well, I’d like to see them again,” Izuku decided. Aizawa simply nodded. "You really think I can be a hero?" 

 

"Of course."

 

Izuku spent the rest of the day working on rewriting Number 13. Hizashi had gotten him a bunch of notebooks and different colored pens. It was pretty peaceful. Which was a good thing, in hindsight because on Sunday, the results from his doctor’s appointment would be emailed to them. They were not great.

Notes:

I realized I forgot to add it to the previous chapter's notes. Izuku is 5'2" and 92 lbs. I'm using cm and kg because they are in Japan.

Kacchan Friendship Status: Training the Angry Pomeranian

We reached 10,000 hits too! Thank you so much to everyone reading!

Chapter 16: Hospital Visit

Hizashi sat in the pediatric waiting area with Izuku while Shouta checked the kid in at the main desk. He didn’t really understand most of the test results but the lines that were highlighted did not sound good. Something about his lungs and kidneys sounded the most concerning. But he had to at least try to keep it together for Izuku’s sake. 

 

That was difficult though when the doctor had insisted they come in the same day. Hospitals don’t usually book appointments over the weekend unless it’s bad. Izuku at least seemed distracted watching other people in the waiting area. Oh, wait. Was he… “You here, little listener?” Hizashi asked, in case his quirk was active. 

 

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I was just looking at their stats. I didn’t pay attention when I thought everyone could see it,” Izuku explained, looking embarrassed. 

 

“That’s fine. It’s good practice,” he assured the little listener. Plus it keeps him entertained while I PANIC!! Shouta joined them, finally. With a clipboard.

 

“Why are there forms to fill out?” his husband muttered. “They called us here.”

 

“There’s always forms, Sho. It’s protocol.” Shouta gave him an exasperated look.

 

“I will smack them with their protocol if they keep us waiting long,” he warned. Izuku muffled a laugh with his hand. Luckily for the poor staff, they didn’t have to wait more than ten minutes. Which really only outlined how bad this was. It was highlighted further when the doctor was already sitting in the examination room. Oh no oh no oh

 

“Please have a seat,” the doctor motioned to the chairs in the room. One was different, implying it had been brought in from somewhere. Izuku opted to sit between them so Hizashi sat by the doctor. Everyone watched the doctor expectantly. 

 

Sensing their tension he started without preamble. “We have a lot to go over today, so I’ll jump right into it. The CT scan of his lungs and one of his blood tests revealed that he has walking pneumonia.”

 

“What’s that?” Hizashi fretted. 

 

“It’s a type of atypical pneumonia that is often asymptomatic. We will be able to treat it with a course of antibiotics but he will need to be watched closely for a while. This is because we found scarring on his lungs that indicate he went through recurring bouts of pneumonia. Since his strain is asymptomatic, I’ll want him to come back monthly for six months to get a blood test to make sure the bacteria strain does not return.”

 

“What if it comes back?” Shouta asked. 

 

“He will have to be put through another antibiotics course and the six-month timeline will be reset. We can repeat this until it’s gone. As long as we stay on top of it, he should be fine. He’s fortunate that he survived the previous bouts. Asymptomatic pneumonia can become lethal if left untreated.” Shouta nodded in understanding.  

 

“The pneumonia is the most immediately concerning, but there are some issues that are concerning long term. His malnutrition itself is obviously a concern, but more than that it has caused anemia and kidney damage.”

 

“Organ damage?” Izuku sputtered. “Will I be okay?”

 

The doctor gave Izuku a weak smile. “It’s reversible. Kidneys are one of the organs that can heal naturally.” That’s not a yes, Hizashi noted. “It’s important that you follow the treatment plan for it.” 

 

“Which would be?” Hizashi asked anxiously. 

 

“For the kidneys to heal on their own, the cause of the damage needs to be resolved. Since that would be malnutrition, the treatment plan is primarily nutrition-based to start. I have a printout that I’ll give you. It’s mostly what to eat and what not to eat, but I also wrote down a list of supplements I’d like him to take. I will also be prescribing something to filter out the potassium in his blood that his kidneys are failing to remove.”

 

“You can’t just find someone with a healing quirk?” Izuku frowned. “I don’t like pills.”

 

“We will only resort to that if nutrition changes and medication aren’t enough. A lot of the supplements are capsules of powder. You can open them and add them to drinks. Just read the label first. As for the anemia, that should correct itself with the nutrition changes. You will have to worry about easy bruising, bleeding that won’t stop, and fainting until you’re back to normal. Just take it easy, kid,” the doctor finished, giving Izuku a reassuring smile. 

 

“Is there anything else?” Shouta asked hesitantly. 

 

“I’ve got printouts that expand on the issues I’ve already covered. But as for anything else, his bones healed fine. His tetanus and tuberculosis tests came back clean. The sexual health exam didn’t return any lasting physical effects other than scarring. Now as far as psychological effects, I can refer him to someone if you’d like.”

 

“That won’t be necessary. There’s someone at UA he’ll be seeing,” Shouta replied. 

 

The doctor nodded and continued, “Everything else seemed fine. Although, that’s not to say that there couldn’t be something that’s being masked by the other active issues. Once he’s doing better, we can run a basic blood panel in case anything surfaces.”

 

“I’ll go grab those printouts from my nurse so we can go over them,” the doctor informed them. 

 

---

 

“I’m fine,” Izuku whined, as Hizashi clung to him on the couch. 

 

“No your not,” Hizashi whined back. Shouta chuckled at their antics, rubbing his arm to chase away the weird feeling from that bandage. The doctor had insisted he and Hizashi both get tested for that pneumonia since it could be contagious. 

 

They had already picked up the supplements from the list but they had to wait to pick up the prescriptions. The outpatient pharmacy wouldn’t be open until tomorrow. Because it’s not open on Sundays.

 

Shouta felt a little bitter about the doctor freaking him out like that. The outlook was extremely promising. The doctor made it seem like Izuku would die within the week. Granted, he understood that something like pneumonia could take a turn for the worst without warning. But still. The doctor could have said something. 

 

The doctor had also brought up therapy. Inui, the campus counselor as well as head of security, had informed Shouta that he had an after-school slot available on Wednesdays. There would be plenty of time for Hizashi to pick Izuku up and bring him to UA.  He just had to ask Izuku if he wanted to go back. 

 

“Hey, Izuku?” 

 

“Yeah?” Izuku asked, having apparently come to terms with Hizashi burying his face into the back of Izuku’s shoulder. 

 

“Do you think you’d be okay with seeing UA’s counselor Wednesdays after school?”

 

“Do I have to?” Izuku sighed.

 

“No, you don’t,” Shouta promised him. 

 

“Should I though?” the kid asked quietly. 

 

“Probably, yeah,” Shouta answered honestly. Even if the kid didn’t want to do whatever the detective had in mind, or if Shouta deemed it too dangerous, Izuku still probably needed to see someone for everything he had been through. 

 

“Then I’ll do it,” Izuku decided. Hizashi laughed behind him. 

 

“That first session will be great,” the blonde chortled. 

 

“Why?” Shouta and Izuku asked in unison. 

 

“Inui’s, sorry, Hound Dog’s quirk is obvious. It’ll set of Izuku’s.”

 

Shouta groaned as he realized Hizashi was right. His husband could only cackle and Izuku just seemed excited to be meeting another hero.

Notes:

Did I write this chapter, remember healing quirks, and then have to change parts?
Yes. Yes, I did.

If you don't know much about medical, Izuku is fine. Untreated, he wouldn't be. But these are easily treatable things as long as they are treated and you don't abandon the treatment plan halfway through. And I doubt Hizashi would let him do that.

I'm chronically ill and I had a doctor do this shit to me once. Called me in over the weekend to tell me I was basically fine but might not have been in a month. I'm still annoyed and it's been years.

More pomeranian training next chapter. (But with a twist)

Chapter 17: Life as a Pomeranian

Katsuki growled at some students that wouldn’t stop eyeing him. Fucking extras! He was waiting for fucking De- Izu- Midoriya . Midoriya, yeah. He’d remember to say Midoriya this time. It pisses him off when Izu - MIDORIYA FUCK!! …it pisses him off when Mi. Do. Ri. Ya’s pissed off.

 

It’s not like it’s fucking easy to undo a decade of habit. But he fucking owed the nerd. He treated Izu- Midoriya like shit for no fucking reason. Well, Katsuki had a reason. Had, being the operative word. Turns out his reason was bullshit. It didn’t even exist. 

 

Mom was always explosive. His dad said Katsuki took after her. He didn’t want to. He wanted to be like Izu- Fuck , Midoriya. He was fucking nice. He always complimented Katsuki. He always helped Katsuki, even when he didn’t ask. He always cared about Katsuki. Izu- Midoriya took after his own mom. 

 

Auntie Inko. The woman who could tear up at the drop of a hat. The woman who made them cookies for after-school snacks. The woman who put bandaids on their knees when they got scraped up. The woman who encouraged them. The woman who never ever hit them. 

 

Izuku had a better mom, Katsuki thought. Izuku looked down on him for it, Katsuki thought. His mom never hit Izuku, only Katsuki. His mom liked Izuku better, Katsuki thought. But he deserved it, Katsuki thought. 

 

Then the teachers at kindergarten said otherwise. He heard them whispering during recess about how Izu- Midoriya was quirkless. They said it the way adults whispered bad words around kids. They thought Izuku was bad. Katsuki had a quirk. Katsuki was better than Izuku. 

 

He burned Izuku to prove it. His mom only hit him harder. He lied and said it was an accident. He didn’t burn Izu- Midoriya for a long time after that. Instead, he called him Deku. It meant useless. Teachers started calling him Deku too. That’s when Katuki started pushing the limits. 

 

How much could he hurt Izu- Midoriya before one of them would step in? It escalated until he reached a point even he was too nauseated to cross. No one was going to tell him to stop so he had to draw that line himself. He’d burn Izu- Midoriya and everyone at school would treat him better than his mom. They’d praise him where his mom insulted. 

 

Telling Izu- Midoriya to kill himself crossed that line. He felt that the second the words were out of his mouth. But Izuku still thought he was better than him. Izuku still had a better mother. So he just walked away. Except he was wrong. 

 

Auntie Inko was worse than his mom. His mom never broke anything. His mom never broke skin. His mom never even left bruises. His mom didn’t let other people hurt him. His mom was better all along, and Izu- Midoriya was never looking down on him. He was suffering. And Katsuki made it worse.

 

So yeah, he owed him. He wasn’t sure he could ever be forgiven but he could be around. If Izuku ever needed him again, he’d be there this time. 

 

Speaking of the nerd… “Hey, Izuku.” Fuck.

 

“Midoriya.” Izu-Midoriya didn’t even bother to look at him when he corrected him. 

 

“Yeah, Midoriya. Hey, you know, ever since Discount Batman brought it up, my dad won’t drop the idea of family therapy,” Katsuki told him as Izu- Midoriya put his shoes away. Midoriya paused to give him a bemused look. Ha! Made him laugh! Sorta…

 

“Discount… Batman…?” And yep, that was an actual smile now. “You watch pre-quirk movies?”

 

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” Katsuki scoffed. 

 

“You don’t like quirkless people. You made that clear.” And what could he say to that? I’m sorry? No, it wasn’t enough. He could only continue to be here. Or wherever Izu - Midoriya was currently walking away to. 

 

You know,” Izu- Midoriya said as they reached the classroom. “Family therapy is probably a good idea.”

 

“Why is that?” Katsuki gruffed. And then those green eyes were on him, full of concern. 

 

“Your mom, she,” Izu- Midoriya lowered his voice. “It’s not okay that she hits you.”

 

Katsuki frowned and walked to his desk without another word. After everything he did, Izu- Midoriya’s still concerned about him . About his apparently better mom. What about what Inko did?

 

---

 

“Why are you walking?” Katsuki asked after a couple of laps in gym class. Izuku wasn’t one to put too much effort in. Katsuki knew he was faster than he showed in class. But he wasn’t one to slack off either.

 

“I have a doctor’s note,” Izu- Midoriya shrugged. The fuck?

 

“Why? What’s wrong with you?” Midoriya gave him an exasperated look. So Katsuki fucked up somewhere. 

 

“If you must know, I haven’t been eating properly for years and apparently I’m anemic now and my kidneys are hurt. Oh, and I have pneumonia.” After hearing that, Katsuki couldn’t tell if the irritation in Izuku’s voice was aimed at him or the situation in general. Probably both.

 

“Is it permanent?” Katsuki asked. It better fucking not be. Katsuki would fly to America his damn self just to kick Hisashi in the balls if it were. 

 

“No, but it’ll take some time to recover. I’m stuck walking in gym class until at least the pneumonia is gone,” Izuku answered. “Now go! Do your laps before the teacher yells at me for slowing you down.” Katsuki frowned but did as Izu- Midoriya asked.

 

---

 

“So are you really going to be adopted by that cockatoo?” Katsuki asked as he sat across from Izu-Midoriya at lunch. Izu- Midoriya frowned, seeming to be thinking. 

 

“Mic?” Midoriya asked, giving Katsuki a puzzled look. 

 

“That’s what I said,” Katsuki said, pretending to be nonchalant. He was far from it though. Discount Batman made Izu - Midoriya smile. Katsuki was pretty sure friends said stuff to make each other laugh and shit. 

 

But then Izuku straight up giggled and Katsuki’s heart fucking stopped. What the hell? “Yeah, he is. Or they’re trying. Why?”

 

“Think it’ll be weird having a pro hero for dad?” Katsuki asked, ignoring whatever that was. 

 

“I hadn’t thought about it like that,” Izu- Midoriya said. “But I’d have two, not one.”

 

“Well, duh, they’re married, right?” Did Izu- Midoriya think he was homophobic? That shit’s outdated. 

 

“Two pro heroes, I meant,” Izuku clarified. 

 

“Tall, dark, and broody is actually a pro hero?” Katsuki asked, kind of surprised. He thought the guy was just saying that. 

 

“He’s an underground hero. Look up Eraserhead sometime. There isn’t much but he’s mentioned,” Izu- Midoriya instructed. Which Katsuki would definitely be doing because, no fucking way.  

 

“Okay, so do you think it’ll be weird having two pro hero dads?” Katsuki pressed. Friends talk about their lives. Katsuki was 96% sure of that one. 

 

“It hasn’t been weird yet. But if I get into UA, it will be.” He’s applying to UA? Wait…

 

“Why would it be weird if you get into UA?” Katsuki asked. They can’t be…

 

“They’re teachers there. Both of them,” Izuku answered. Well fuck.

 

---

 

Katsuki was pretty sure today went a little better. Izu- Midoriya didn’t try to ditch him even once.

 

“Brat!” His mom called as soon as he opened the door. Ugh

 

“What, hag?” he called back. 

 

“Check the attitude at the door and get in here,” she snapped. 

 

“Oh but you get to keep yours,” he muttered under his breath. 

 

“I heard that!” How the fuck?

 

“What?” he asked, stopping in front of her in the living room. 

 

“How’s Izu-chan?” she asked. As she had been every day since she found out he didn’t leave with Inko. And that Katsuki never mentioned him being in his school. 

 

“Sick, I guess.”

 

“He wasn’t in school?” 

 

“No, he was. He said he got organ damage or some shit because he wasn’t eating,” Katsuki mumbled. 

 

“Malnourishment can have drastic effects on the body,” his dad commented. 

 

“He said he’ll get better from it at least,” Katsuki said. 

 

“Do you think they need help with Izu-chan?” His mom asked his dad, completely ignoring Katsuki now. 

 

“They’re pro heroes, dear. I’m sure they can afford any medical expenses,” his dad told her. 

 

“I suppose you’re right,” she conceded. “But what if they’re busy and he needs them?”

 

“They were both ready to throw hands with you,” Katsuki scoffed. “I fucking doubt they’d leave him alone if he was that sick.”

 

His mom seemed to acknowledge him for about five seconds before she ignored him in favor of asking his dad more ‘what if’ questions. “Fuck this,” he muttered, leaving for his room. A few colorful words followed him as he fled. She at least stopped hitting him since the dark-haired one threatened her with that wellness check. 

 

Maybe family therapy wouldn’t be so bad.

Notes:

This chapter was hell to write because it's so unnatural for me.

"Do you ever look at someone and wonder, what is going on inside their head?"

At the beginning of the chapter, when his internal dialogue gets choppy/repetitive, that's what his past self thought. He's a little more eloquent now. (Just with swear words.)

The pomeranian's head makes me tired. Let's go back to the main characters.

Also, we surpassed 1000 kudos on this fic! Thank you so much! o(≧∇≦o)(o≧∇≦)o

Chapter 18: Therapy Time

Notes:

TW: Vague discussion of r*pe. Once again, discussed with vague terminology.

Izuku walked with Present Mic into a little waiting area of sorts. There were some chairs, a coffee table with magazines on it, a small bookshelf containing some books, and a desk that a woman with bright red hair sat at. 

 

“Are you Midoriya?” she asked with a smile. He nodded. “Inui-san, he’s here!” she called towards a door that was cracked open to the side of her desk. The door opened a few seconds later to reveal a massive--

 

---

 

Hizashi, Inui, and the receptionist watched as Izuku’s eyes glazed over. “Hound Dog. Quirk name, undetermined. A mutant-type quirk that provides the user with capabilities and physical features similar to that of a dog.”

 

“Is he okay?” the receptionist whispered. 

 

“This is his quirk. Give it a moment to run its course,” Hizashi whispered back. 

 

“Expected increase in reflexes and strength. S class power, A class speed, D class technique, B class intelligence. The user’s vocal cords are affected and enable the user to mimic canine vocalizations. Heightened production of adrenaline under duress can aid in combat situations but may inhibit the user outside of combat. The user’s core weakness is scent-based attacks or diversions.” 

 

---

 

The massive dog man was fully out of the room now and everyone was watching him. If Izuku was starting to understand his quirk then that meant…

 

“It happened again?” he asked sheepishly. 

 

“Sure did, little listener,” Present Mic said beaming at him. 

 

“I was unaware that I produced excess adrenaline,” Hound Dog commented, looking thoughtful. 

 

“That’s why you get so angry you can’t talk!” the redhead exclaimed. 

 

“Maybe something can be done about that,” Hound Dog speculated before turning to Izuku. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

 

“Mhm,” Izuku mumbled. He wondered if he should mention that it’s involuntary. 

 

“Are you ready for your first therapy session, pup?” Hound Dog asked. Izuku cringed internally. One of the men he saw regularly called him ‘puppy.’

 

Izuku looked at Present Mic, who gave him an encouraging smile. He looked back to Houd Dog. “Yeah, I guess I’m ready.”

 

“Right this way then,” Hound Dog said, leading him into the room. “Sit wherever you like.”

 

Izuku noticed that there was a couch, a couple of different styles of chairs, and even a beanbag chair. He chose the couch, sitting close to one of the sides rather than in the middle. This seemed like a test. Maybe it was some kind of psychological test. He hoped he picked right. 

 

“Where would you like to start?” Hound Dog asked as he sat in a chair across from Izuku. 

 

“Isn’t that up to you?” Izuku asked, confused. 

 

“Nope. It’s all up to you, pup,” Izuku smothered another flinch. “You can tell me about your day. You could tell me anything you want to about your past. You could talk about a movie you’ve seen recently. You could even sit here and say nothing. Therapy is about you. You run the show. I’m just here to listen and help you work through your thoughts.”

 

“Oh,” Izuku said dumbly. He wasn’t sure what he expected from therapy but it wasn’t that. “Do you know about my past?”

 

“I have a vague summary of the events you’ve already shared with your guardians. Any details or how you felt, are up to you to share if you wish,” Hound Dog answered. 

 

“I don’t know what to talk about,” Izuku said honestly. He knew he should talk but there was just so much. 

 

“I can make suggestions if you’d like. You can pass on any of them but it might help you organize your thoughts,” Hound Dog offered. 

 

“Okay,” Izuku agreed. 

 

“How about your recent doctor’s visit? I understand you got some not-so-great news.”

 

“Um, I guess don’t really feel any particular way about that. I hadn’t seen a doctor since I was four and I lived on the streets for a long time. It could have been worse, I think,” Izuku noted. 

 

“That is a very positive way to look at it,” Hound Dog observed. 

 

“I don’t like that I have to take pills now, though,” Izuku admitted. 

 

“Why is that?” Hound Dog asked. 

 

“I don’t really like pills because my dad, he used to--” Izuku faltered. “Pass.”

 

Hound Dog hummed and wrote something down in a legal pad that Izuku just now noticed. “Okay, no problem, pup.” Izuku flinched and failed to hide it this time. Hound Dog zeroed in on it. 

 

“I’m sorry. Does it make you uncomfortable if I call you that?” Hound Dog asked. 

 

“Ah, no. It’s just. There was someone who called me ‘puppy’ and it reminds me of that,” Izuku shrugged, embarrassed.  

 

“Is it a good memory or a bad one?” 

 

“Very bad,” Izuku said quietly. 

 

“Then I will stop,” Hound Dog said firmly. “You can always tell me if you are uncomfortable with something.” Izuku nodded. 

 

“Are you open to talking about that memory?” Hound Dog asked, without pressure. 

 

“Do you know that when I was on the streets I uh, kinda let men?” Izuku tried to think of how to word it. “I let them do things to me on the off chance that they’d give me food or money?”

 

“Yes, I was made aware of that,” Hound Dog answered.

 

“Well, a lot of them had nicknames for me since I wouldn’t tell them my name. And the one that called me puppy was really, uh, rough. No matter how well I cooperated.” Izuku told him. 

 

“Was he one of the ones you saw regularly?” Hound Dog asked, writing something down. 

 

“Yeah, he usually came once a month. I last saw him a few weeks before Aizawa found me. He’s probably been to the house and realized I’m not there,” Izuku frowned as he thought about that. 

 

“These men met you at the house you’d been staying in?” Hound Dog wrote something else down. Which Izuku was starting to grow suspicious of. 

 

“Yeah, they did,” he answered absently. “What are you writing?”

 

“Just notes on what you mention. They are for me to refer back to in sessions. They are strictly confidential. No one else will be reading these,” Hound Dog informed him. 

 

“Oh, okay,” Izuku mumbled. That was probably fine. 

 

“Do you know how these men came to find you?” Hound Dog asked, pulling them back to the conversation. 

 

“I’m not really sure. Before I found the house, a few of them mentioned the guy from the first time. I guess he was telling his friends.” 

 

“How did they mention him?” Hound Dog asked, looking a little tense. 

 

“They usually said things like ‘Ichiro was right. You are a good f--’”

 

“You know his name?” Hound Dog exclaimed, nearly dropping his notepad. His quirk affected his voice causing a slight rumbling. 

 

Izuku froze. “Is… Is that bad?” 

 

“Well, it’s stupid on his part but it’s good for you,” Hound Dog assured him. 

 

“Why is it good?” Izuku asked, confused. 

 

“It’ll make it easier for the police to find him,” Hound Dog said as if Izuku was following any of this. 

 

“Why would the police find him?” 

 

“To put him in jail. What he did to you is illegal. The same goes for all those other men,” Hound Dog explained. “The people working on your adoption case also wanted to find and charge these men.”

 

“But I let them,” Izuku whispered. 

 

“Minors can’t consent, Izuku,” Hound Dog stated. 

 

“Oh,” Izuku thought for a moment. “I guess, I don’t mind if some of them go to jail. But there were some that were really nice. I don’t want them to go to jail because of me.”

 

Hound Dog gave a noncommittal hum and wrote something down. “Is that okay?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Sure. You can always withhold certain events or people,” Hound Dog said.

 

“But like, does it make me bad?” Izuku asked, shifting uncomfortably. 

 

“In what way?” Hound Dog asked. 

 

“Um, because I’m probably aiding a criminal, I think?” Izuku said uncertainly. “And also, it’s probably gross if I liked any of them…”

 

“Well, victims are not required to report crimes committed against them. So no worries there. And it honestly makes sense that you would like the men who were nicer to you,” Hound Dog answered. 

 

“Really?” Izuku said skeptically. 

 

“Of course. Think about it this way. Between a spiked mat and a hard floor, which would you choose to sleep on?”

 

“Um, a hard floor,” Izuku decided. 

 

“Why?” Hound Dog asked. 

 

“Because the spikes would hurt,” Izuku replied. 

 

“The hard floor would probably hurt too,” Hound Dog pointed out. 

 

“Not as badly,” Izuku defended his choice. 

 

“If you could sleep in a bed, would you still choose the hard floor?” Hound Dog asked. Izuku was starting to catch on. He shook his head. “That’s the kind of situation you were in with those men. You would choose the nicer ones over the rough ones. But would you let either one touch you if you didn’t feel like you had to?”

 

“No. It made me feel gross,” Izuku answered. “Aizawa and Mic take care of me now so I don’t need to. They’ll protect me.”

 

“They definitely will,” Hound Dog nodded. He glanced at a clock on the wall. “Is there anything else you’d like to go over today? If not, we can finish up a little early since we covered a hard topic.”

 

“No, I’m okay,” Izuku told him. He kind of just wanted to go home. 

 

“Alright, then I will see you next Wednesday,” Hound Dog smiled. As well as he could given his face shape. 

 

“Next Wednesday,” Izuku agreed. This hadn’t been so bad.

Chapter 19: Nancy Drew

Naomasa sighed as he watched the surveillance footage he’d been able to get from the convenience store near that condemned house. Aizawa said the kid had mentioned his rapists giving him food. It was likely that they got it from here. The only problem was, without the kid in the shot he had no way of knowing who it might be. 

 

He was watching the six months of tapes the store had on hand in the hopes that Izuku went with one of them at least once. Izuku himself came here once in a while, according to the footage, but he was alone and had cash. 

 

After watching the first three months at 2x speed, a familiar mop of green curls came into sight accompanied by someone else. He reduced the video to the original speed. A shorter man with cropped purple hair walked into the store while Izuku stayed outside. Probably the man’s attempt to not be seen with his victim. 

 

When the guy came out of the store, Naomasa paused the video with his face in full view. He hit print screen and then continued through the footage to see if anyone else would make the same mistake. Sure enough, two more men did. 

 

---

 

Tamakawa, the only officer Naomasa trusted to help him on these cases, worked on setting up a recording machine for the call they were about to make. 

 

“I still can’t believe they just left him,” the officer commented, fuzzy ear twitching in irritation. The cat quirk officer had maintained a pretty continuous level of subtle fury throughout the investigation so far. 

 

“I know, but I’m going to need you to contain that while I’m on the phone,” Naomasa chuckled. “As much as I would love to let you sink your claws into them, the more I can get recorded, the more that will help Midoriya-kun’s custody case.”

 

“Fine,” Tamakawa sighed. He finished setting everything up and indicated that Naomasa could dial the number Aizawa had given them. Apparently, it came from a friend of the Midoriya’s that was unaware of Midoriya-kun’s abandonment. He waited patiently while the phone rang. 

 

On the third ring, someone picked up. “ This is Inko Midoriya. May I ask who is speaking? ” a feminine voice said in English. 

 

“Hello, Midoriya-san,” Naomasa replied in Japanese. “This is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa from the Musutafu Police Department. I was wondering if I could speak with you about a case I’m working on?”

 

“You are with the police? In Musutafu, Japan?” she asked in Japanese. 

 

“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied.

 

“But how can I help? I live in America.”

 

“The case I’m working on involves your son, Midoriya Izuku.” Naomasa heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line and then some rustling. “Ma’am?”

 

After a few more seconds of silence, she answered. “I’m sorry, I was going into another room,” she answered. She was nearly whispering. “You said you’re calling about Izuku?”

 

“Yes, Ma’am.”

 

“Is he okay?” she asked, sounding near tears. Naomasa exchanged a confused look with Tamakawa who also looked bewildered. 

 

“That depends on your definition of okay,” he answered honestly. 

 

“Is he alive?” 

 

“Yes, he’s alive.” He heard her release a breath of relief. 

 

“Thank god. I always hoped he was.”

 

“It sounds like you care very much about your son,” he observed. 

 

“Doesn’t every mother?” she asked, sounding hollow.

 

“In that case, can I assume you were not complicit in the plan to abandon your son?”

 

She was silent a moment. “No, I was.”

 

“Are you confirming that he was intentionally abandoned?” 

 

“Yes, I am.” Her voice broke just a little. 

 

“May I ask why you chose to do that?” he asked, curious. 

 

“It was the only way I could get him out,” she answered. 

 

“Out of what, Ma’am?”

 

“Of pain. I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to my husband and I couldn’t get away with Izuku. The only other way was for him to leave without me, so I gave my husband the idea.” Naomasa could tell she had started crying. 

 

“Are you telling me that your husband was hurting your son?” Naomasa asked. 

 

“Yes, he-- Hisashi!” The volume of her voice returned to normal. Tamakawa looked at him with wide eyes as the muffled conversation ensued. 

 

“What are you doing in here?”

 

“I’m just on the phone.”

 

“In my office?”

 

“I didn’t want to disturb you while you watched the news.”

 

“Do you think I’m stupid?”

 

“Hello? Who is this?” Naomasa registered the no-longer-muffled voice as speaking to him a little too late. “Don’t fucking call back here.” 

 

After Midoriya Hisashi hung up, Tamakawa wordlessly reached over and turned off the recording equipment. “Well, damn,” he commented. “What are our options from here?”

 

Naomasa sighed. “Option one would be to just take the confirmation of the abandonment and let them go, but then Midoriya-san is left in what appears to be an abusive marriage. Option two would be to extradite and arrest both, even the mother who was just trying to save her child. Option three would be to extradite and arrest just the husband, but then Midoriya-kun’s mother might want him back.”

 

“...They kind of all suck,” Tamakawa observed.

 

“Yeah, they do,” Naomasa agreed. 

 

---

 

Naomasa went over the files Tamakawa had managed to get on the three men from the security footage. He would need to have Midoriya-kun come in and ID them. Aizawa was already in a bad mood after the call with Midoriya Inko, though. 

 

Just as he made up his mind to call the pro hero, his phone rang. “Detective Tsukauchi speaking. How may I help you?”

 

“Hello, detective. It’s Midoriya Inko. You called me before.”

 

“Ah, hello, Midoriya-san,” he greeted. 

 

“I’m calling from a friend’s house so that my husband won’t know. I, um, wanted to ask what Izuku’s case is and if I could help in any way.”

 

“It’s an adoption case, Ma’am,” he confessed. 

 

“Someone wants to adopt Izuku?” she asked, surprised. 

 

“Yes, Ma’am.”

 

“Oh, that’s great. Unless… Are they good people do you think?” she asked nervously. 

 

“I know them personally, Ma’am. They are wonderful people,” he confirmed. 

 

“That’s great news then! Do you need me to sign anything?”

 

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I have a bit of a personal question for you.”

 

“Oh, um, sure. Go ahead,” she replied. 

 

“You mentioned last time that you wanted to leave with your son. If you could safely leave your husband now, would you want to take back custody of your son?”

 

“No,” she said, sounding sad. “After everything I let him go through because of my weakness, I could never ask him to live with me again. He deserves better parents that don’t come with bad memories and regrets.”

 

“Would you be comfortable writing and signing a statement regarding what happened? I can give you the number to fax it to,” he offered. 

 

“Yes, I would be willing to do that. I want to help in any way I can. You can call me back at this number. My friend says she would be able to take messages for me. She speaks Japanese.”

 

He gave her the fax number and before she hung up she added one more thing. “If for some reason, you ever want me to testify against my husband, please let me know. I will.” Naomasa shook his head in amazement. She’s smarter than she lets on.

 

With her agreement not to pursue custody, a fourth option just opened up. 

 

One where everyone wins.

Notes:

I LIKE INKO OKAY ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

I've written her as abusive in another fic already. It hurt my heart.

Chapter 20: Kitties and Puppies

Notes:

I'm so sorry. (´•̥ ᵔ •̥`)*ᶜʳᶦᵉˢ*

TW: implied rape (past/future but not present), kidnapping, panic attack, Izuku drops the vague language, threats of choking

“You doing okay?” Aizawa asked again. As he had been doing every twenty minutes since they’d gotten here. 

 

“Mhm, I’m okay,” Izuku confirmed. They were exploring the shopping district in their neighborhood. Present Mic was on a long mission and Izuku had been getting antsy waiting in the apartment. Aizawa suggested going out. Izuku’s doctor had said he should go on walks anyway. 

 

Detective Tsukauchi had gotten ahold of Izuku’s mother. That had been taking up most of his thoughts. Now Present Mic had to be gone for three days. It was too much. Even if crowds were sometimes scary, right now they helped. The information his quirk picked up passively helped distract him.

 

Since it was a Saturday, there were a lot of people out and about. Occasionally, someone with an obvious quirk would enter Izuku’s line of sight. He’d lose a few seconds to his own quirk but he came back to himself as soon as they moved out of view. It wasn’t too much of a problem, it never really had been, but now he noticed the gaps in his memory. It was creepy.

 

Izuku blinked as awareness returned to him only to see Aizawa looking at him with a contemplative expression. “What?”

 

“I just kind of realized,” Aizawa said slowly. “If you were believed to be quirkless, you never got any quirk counseling.”

 

“Ah, no. The other kids went to that, but I stayed in the classroom,” Izuku confirmed. “What exactly is it?”

 

“I suppose you could consider it the most basic level of quirk training. You decide what to name it and register it as, learn how to control when it activates if possible, and come up with plans to deal with any involuntary or negative aspects of it,” Aizawa explained. 

 

“How does quirk counseling differ from quirk training ?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Quirk counseling is just learning how to manage your quirk. Quirk training is learning to actually use it and learning how best to use it in the field,” Aizawa answered. 

 

“Would I see Hound Dog for quirk counseling?” Izuku liked him. He was nice and he had a good way of explaining things. 

 

“No, he’s not that kind of counselor. Most likely, you would work with me or Nezu,” Aizawa told him. Izuku thought about the rodent principle of UA and his apparent tendency to overstep boundaries. 

 

“Who do you think I should go to? You or Nezu?” Izuku asked. 

 

“It’s up to you, kid,” Aizawa said, as Izuku had expected. 

 

“Yes, but who do you think is best,” Izuku nearly whined. He appreciated being given options but he still wanted input on the options. He didn’t know a damn thing about this. 

 

“Well, if you just want my opinion…” Aizawa looked at the ground in thought for a moment. “My quirk, Erasure, can’t affect mutant-type quirks like yours. I wouldn’t be able to offer you much outside of general knowledge and my own experience. Nezu, on the other hand, has a mutation-type intelligence quirk like you.”

 

“So he’d be the best person to teach me how to use my quirk,” Izuku concluded. 

 

“Probably, yeah,” Aizawa agreed. “But he’s also really bad at reading human emotions since he’s not one. He takes his experiments too far sometimes. I’d understand if you wouldn’t want to learn from him.”

 

“Could we do a trial run? And then if I can’t handle him, I’ll learn from you instead,” Izuku suggested. 

 

“Yeah, we can do that,” Aizawa smiled. “I’ll let him know on Monday.”

 

“Okay,” Izuku said before something caught his attention and his eyes glazed over. 

 

---

 

Shouta watched the now obvious sign of Izuku’s quirk activating. Now that he knew what he was looking at when it happened, it was easier to catch. Looking in the same direction as Izuku, he saw a woman with some sort of music quirk. She was able to produce sounds by creating and popping colored bubbles. 

 

It was an attraction intended for children, but plenty of teens and adults stopped to watch as well. Shouta could hear Izuku mumbling next to him. He wasn’t sure why Izuku spoke clearly some of the times his quirk activated and mumbled other times. Maybe Nezu could figure it out. 

 

“Ooh, let’s go watch that!” Izuku exclaimed suddenly, catching up with the rest of the world. Shouta chuckled and led Izuku over to the bubble lady. They stayed and watched for a few songs, during which Shouta snapped a few pictures of the awestruck kid. He’d have to send these to Hizashi. 

 

“Hey, Izuku,” Shouta said conspiratorially when he noted an animal shelter a few shops away. “How mad do you think Hizashi would be if I got another cat?”

 

“Not mad enough to justify not getting a cat,” Izuku replied grinning. 

 

“I agree. Let’s go look at the kitties,” Shouta smiled. The shelter had two playpens out on the street of kittens and puppies. A meet-and-greet set up for the shoppers. 

 

“This one looks like Mic,” Izuku commented, scratching the ears of a blonde tabby with green eyes. 

 

“It does,” Aizawa agreed, petting a soft Himalayan kitten. 

 

“Can I look at the puppies too?” Izuku asked, looking in the direction of the other playpen. 

 

“Sure, dogs are cute too,” Shouta encouraged, staying with the cats himself. He kept an eye on Izuku, noting how the kid crouched in front of the playpen netting to boop the wet noses pressed against it. He smiled fondly and shook his head lightly. Then he noticed a black cat with bright green eyes like Izuku’s. 

 

“Hey, Izuku, I found one that looks like y--” Shouta froze when he realized he couldn’t see the kid anymore. He stood quickly, hoping he was on the other side of the playpen. “Izuku? Kid?”

 

Panic filled him as he circled the playpen and Izuku wasn’t in sight. He went up to a young man that was working the meet-and-greet. “Did a kid about yea high, green hair, green eyes go into the building?” The young man shook his head. 

 

Aizawa scanned the area for his kid. Where did he go?

 

---

 

A noise drew Izuku’s attention away from the doggie noses, and he saw Mt. Lady down the street. She was scaled up for some sort of publicity stunt. He’d seen a picture of her in a hero magazine semi-recently and he knew she was supposed to have debuted recently. He just didn’t expect her to be so b--

 

Izuku shivered as he registered something cold seeping through his shirt. A wall, cold from the shade, he gathered as his awareness came back to him. The second thing he registered was arms caging him in. What? How did he--?

 

“You always do that, don’t you, puppy?” a familiar voice breathed against his hair. The instant fear Izuku felt could have curdled blood. He glanced up, and though he couldn’t see the man’s face, he zeroed in on the tattoo he’d spent long hours staring at. ShitFuckFuckDammit!

 

“Do what?” Izuku whimpered. Distract distract distract distr--  

 

“Space out like that. It makes me worry about you,” the man said in a sickeningly sweet voice, petting the back of his hand over Izuku’s cheek. Only hurts while he fucks me be nice be nice be sweet be a good puppy and he won’t hit me fuck why agai--

 

“Hm?” Izuku hummed, trying to keep him talking. Aizawa will find me he will he has to he promised he has to be good be sweet good puppy he only hits me when he fucks me--

 

“I was really worried this week,” the man said, pulling away and peering at Izuku with deep, blue eyes. Wrong wrong wr-- “I went to the house at the same time as usual but you weren’t there. I missed you, puppy. I was really sad that my good boy wasn’t there for me.” 

 

Izuku felt tears fall, completely out of his control. The man shushed him, kissing his tears before tilting Izuku’s head up by his chin. “It’s okay, puppy. I’m not mad,” he whispered before capturing Izuku’s lips in a kiss. Izuku’s mind screamed in outrage and disgust. Nonononononono --

 

“Where were you, puppy? I’m curious,” the man asked after releasing Izuku from the kiss faster than he normally would. Aizawa Aizawa Aizawa where are you dad please come plea --

 

“I, um,” Izuku swallowed around his fear. “Hospital,” he lied, trying to keep the man here and talking where Aizawa could find them. Be good be sweet dad please come find me no no no --

 

“How’d you afford the hospital, puppy? Did you find a better master than me?” the man asked, pressing a hand against Izuku’s throat. Shit jealous fuck ah okay breathe be sweet be a good boy Aizawa please be good be sw --

 

“N-no, I could n-never. My, ah, my school sent me. I p-passed out in gym class. I had pneumonia t-they said,” he forced himself to get the words out before the man could choke him. He did have pneumonia so… 

 

“Oh, my poor puppy,” the man said sadly, dropping the hand from Izuku’s throat. “Come on, puppy. I’ll take you home.” WAIT WHAT NO NO NO DAD PLEASE PLEASE PL --

 

“I’m, uh, not--” Izuku forced out a breathy laugh. This excuse always worked before. 

 

“That kind of kid. I know, puppy. I just want to take care of you. It’ll just be until you’re all better,” the man promised, or more likely, lied. His hand gripped Izuku’s arm, pulling him down the alley to somewhere. DAD!

Notes:

For clarification, Ichiro (first guy) and the puppy guy are two different people.

Once again, I'm sorry. ╥﹏╥

Chapter 21: Dad Smash

Notes:

TW: attempted kidnapping, well-placed violence, Izuku sucks up to the kidnapper to survive, panicked thoughts, attempted sexual assault (sort of?)

His hand gripped Izuku’s arm, pulling him down the alley to somewhere. DAD! 

 

“So what possessed you to shout ‘come at me, little bitch?’”

 

“You’re a kid that needs a home. I don’t care about quirks,”

 

“Let me show you your room, little listener,”

 

“You’re not useless,”

 

“I’m not gonna lie, little listener, it kind of is.

But that’s only because I’m not smart enough to understand it.”

 

“Izuku can be a hero.”

 

“He doesn’t need a quirk to be a hero.”

 

Izuku ground his heels into the ground. The man paused at the resistance, looking curiously at Izuku. “What’s wrong, puppy? I already said it’d only be until you’re better.”

 

“Ah, I, um,” Goddammit, Izuku, think of something. You need to stay here. “I was just r-really hoping we could um, go on a d-date?” Please fall for this please please --

 

“A date?” Aha! A bite! Izuku would take it. He stepped forward into the man’s space and smiled as sweetly as he could. 

 

“I o-only ever see you at my house, sir. Puppies like to g-go on walks, don’t they?” Don’t throw up don’t throw up don’t throw u --

 

“I don’t know,” the man said hesitantly. “You said you were sick, puppy. Walking around might make it worse.” It’s gotta work. I need to get out where he can see me.

 

Izuku kept his smile plastered to his face by sheer force of will alone. “I’ve been t-taking antibiotics for a week a-already. I’m a lot better. See I’m not even c-coughing anymore. A-and the fresh air makes me feel better too.” He didn’t need to know that Izuku never actually had symptoms in the first place. Please please please pl --

 

“If we do this, you’ve got to be good, puppy. You know how to be good, right?” the man said, frowning. Yes! It’s working! Just need to get where dad can see me!

 

“Yes, sir. I promise I’ll b-be good.” Please work please work Mic said I’m smart  let’s hope he’s right ple --

 

“That’s a good boy,” the man said before leaning down and kissing Izuku again. Gross gross gross gross gr -- “Alright, let’s go.” The man took Izuku’s hand and led him out of the alley into the crowded street. 

 

Izuku intentionally kept his eyes either lowered or up, avoiding looking directly at the people around them. He could not afford to have his quirk kick in right now. He just needed to play the role that was expected of him long enough for Aizawa to find him. If he screwed up, he might get dragged off and beaten. He needed to stay out in the open. 

 

He dragged the man to different stands, playing the excited, bubbly puppy as best he could. He showed the man pottery and paintings and hand-woven tapestries saying “Isn’t this so pretty, sir?” Just until dad can find me. He’s definitely looking for me. He will find me.

 

Knowing better than to talk to the people around him, he ignored them all in favor of looking for Aizawa. They wouldn’t be fast enough or skilled enough to help. This man had a weak teleportation quirk, Izuku remembered. He could move up to five meters in an instant, and he could take up to two persons with him. 

 

Izuku kept scanning the roofs of the buildings around them. Not only were rooftops just Eraserhead’s style, but they provided the best vantage points. It was taking a while, and Izuku’s mind was beginning to grow staticky from the stress of the situation. The man at least wasn’t doing anything more than holding his hand while there were other people around. 

 

Finally, he spotted a flash of black. “Eraser! Hel--” he shouted, getting cut off when the man registered his outburst and put a hand over Izuku’s mouth. Aizawa turned towards them, spotting Izuku in the crowd and locking eyes with him. Yes! He saw me!

 

“Shit!” the man cursed. Things blurred a bit and suddenly Izuku was in another alley. Not that it mattered. They couldn’t go that far and Aizawa was locked onto him now. Sure enough, as soon as the man started dragging him towards the other side of the alley, away from the busy street, Aizawa dropped down in front of them. 

 

It was honestly impressive how quickly Aizawa got the man wrapped up in his scarf. Izuku scrambled away from the altercation as soon as he was released. He turned back just in time to see Aizawa smash the man’s face into a brick wall. Ouch.  

 

“Ow, fuck! Isn’t that fucking excessive force?” the man shouted, blood dripping from where his cheek was torn up against the brick. Izuku felt tears streaming down his face. He was safe enough to panic now. It was a bit reversed but he had a lot of emotions about what almost happened. And what did happen. 

 

“My friends at the police department will happily overlook that when it comes to pedophiles,” Aizawa growled. Izuku shivered, having never heard that tone from Aizawa. It was terrifying even if it wasn’t directed at him. 

 

“Pedophile? How dare you accuse me of something so disgusting. That boy’s my nephew,” the man lied, feigning outrage. 

 

“Well, that’s interesting,” Aizawa commented. “Considering that boy’s my son and I know I’m not fucking related to you.” You could see in the man’s eyes that he realized at that moment, he fucked up. Aizawa took out his cell and dialed someone. 

 

“Hey, it’s Eraserhead. I have an attempted kidnapping and possible sexual assault at the Heiwa Nishiki Shopping Street. I’m in an alley with the piece of shit near the red takoyaki stall. I’ll drop a pin to my location with Detective Tsukauchi,” Aizawa informed the person on the other end of the line. 

 

When he hung up, he looked at Izuku. “You okay, kid? Did he hurt you or touch you?”

 

“He m-mostly held my hand, but he t-touched my cheek and he k-kissed me t-twice,” Izuku admitted shakily. He was still crying. 

 

“Is that so?” Aizawa asked, in a deathly cold voice, turning to the man. The man who was definitely praying to any and every god he could think of right about now. Without another word, Aizawa ground the man’s face further into the brick. 

 

The man only tried to teleport once while they waited for the police. Aizawa simply erased his quirk. When the police got there, they slapped on some quirk-canceling handcuffs and carted him off. As soon as someone else had the man retrained, Aizawa crouched in front of Izuku. 

 

“I am so sorry,” he started but Izuku wasn’t having any of it. He launched himself up from the ground into Aizawa’s arms. 

 

“Dad!” Izuku sobbed, and he felt Aizawa stiffen slightly before squeezing him even tighter. “H-he was gonna take m-me away so I said everything I c-could to convince him t-to stay here!”

 

“You did great, Izuku,” Aizawa soothed, rubbing Izuku’s back. 

 

“Excuse me,” an officer interrupted. “Is he okay or does he need a medic?”

 

“He’s unharmed,” Aizawa replied. “He said the perv kissed him though. Someone should probably take a swab of his mouth.” The officer nodded and walked away to get a kit from his partner. 

 

“Swab?” Izuku asked once the officer was out of earshot. 

 

“To get the guy’s DNA off you,” Aizawa explained. “It’ll take less than a minute.” Izuku nodded and held still for the officer when he came back. It was uncomfortable and Izuku grimaced when it was over. 

 

“Can we go home?” Izuku asked, burying his face into Aizawa’s neck. 

 

“Of course, kid. Do you feel up to walking?” Izuku shook his head. He felt too shaky. “Okay, I’ll carry you then.” Aizawa let the officers know they were leaving and then they went home.

Notes:

Just so y'all know. I almost went with a version where the guy successfully kidnaps Izuku and then Aizawa and Hizashi team up to find him. I decided the bean has enough shit to deal with later on that this event could be minor.

How furious will Hizashi be when he gets back, ya think?

Chapter 22: Retribution

Hizashi and Nemuri had both taught Shouta how to properly set up movie marathons back in high school since it was their preferred method of comfort. He retained the information because they were his best friends. There had only been a handful of times that he’d utilized the skill. Right now, to comfort Izuku, was one of those times. 

 

The kid had stopped crying by the time they got home, but he was still upset. So Shouta ordered takeout, in compliance with Izuku’s current dietary restrictions, since he couldn’t cook. He didn’t want to kill the kid with his cooking before they could adopt him. Then he made hot chocolate, piled all the blankets he could find on the couch, and set up Bolt to stream on the TV from his laptop. 

 

Izuku had passed out sometime after the third movie so Shouta carried him to bed. Maybe two hours had passed when shuffling steps woke him up. His hero instincts made him a light sleeper. He opened his eyes to see Izuku creeping up to his bed with a blanket draped around his shoulders. 

 

“Everything okay, kid?” Izuku froze when he realized Shouta was awake. 

 

“Um, I was gonna lay on the floor here if that’s alright,” Izuku practically whispered. 

 

“Why the floor?” Shouta asked. 

 

“Oh, w-well, I had a n-nightmare and--” Izuku stuttered.

 

“No, that’s fine. I figured. I meant, why the floor ? You can sleep up here,” Shouta explained, cutting off his nervous mumbling. 

 

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Izuku says quietly. Shouta just patted the space next to him. 

 

“You won’t. Hop on up here.” Izuku hesitated a second before complying. “Do you want to talk about your nightmare?” Shouta asked once Izuku had settled on the bed. 

 

“He was in m-my room,” Izuku said after a moment of quiet. 

 

“In your nightmare?” Shouta clarified. Izuku nodded. 

 

“Him and Ichiro.” Shouta stiffened at that. Izuku knew their names? 

 

“Hold on. You know their names?” Shouta voiced his confusion. 

 

“Oh, uh, yeah. Some of them. I told Hound Dog that. I assumed he told you,” Izuku answered. 

 

“He legally can’t tell us what you say in session unless there’s a risk of immediate harm to yourself or others,” Shouta told him. 

 

 “Oh. Do you want their names?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Not right now. You can tell me tomorrow. Did you want to tell me about the rest of your nightmare or would you rather sleep?” 

 

“I’d rather sleep,” Izuku admitted. 

 

“Okay. Goodnight, Izuku.” 

 

“Goodnight, Aizawa.” Before Shouta drifted off, he felt Izuku hold his hand. 

 

---

 

Shouta was a little disappointed that Izuku had gone back to calling him ‘Aizawa’ after calling him ‘dad’ that day, but he wouldn’t pressure the kid. Izuku could call him whatever he wanted. As long as the kid was fucking safe. The child was a danger magnet. 

 

He had stormed into Nezu’s office that Monday, demanding that he find a way to keep something like that from happening again. Quirk counseling, training, anything. Nezu had suggested a support item and currently had students working on it. 

 

Now it was Tuesday and he was awaiting the arrival of his husband. His husband, who was absolutely going to lose. His. Shit. Hizashi wasn’t informed about what happened while he was on his mission since it would have distracted him. No, instead Shouta had to tell him in person and do damage control himself. 

 

He stiffened when he heard a key in the front door’s lock. Here we go.

 

---

 

“Sho! Izu! I’m…” Hizashi paused at the sight of his husband standing ominously in the living room. “...home?”

 

“Welcome back, Zashi,” Shouta greeted looking nervous as hell. I’m not going to like this.

 

“What’s up, Sho?” Hizashi asked. Shouta swallowed and then smiled. Here we go.

 

“Okay so, I have something to tell you. But before you get mad,” Hizashi frowned, “know that Izuku’s fine. I handled it.”

 

“Sho, what happened,” Hizashi said stiffly. 

 

“Alright. So there was like a brief instance of um,” Shouta looked at the floor, “kidnapping.”

 

“ WHAT THE --” Hizashi’s voice fell silent as Shouta activated his quirk. Hizashi took a deep breath and glared at Shouta. When Shouta released his quirk, Hizashi continued at a normal people yelling volume. “What the hell do you mean kidnapping? Where is Izuku?”

 

“Ah, he’s in his room. He’s fine,” Shouta assured him. Not that he didn’t trust his husband, but he wanted to see for himself. He headed for Izuku’s room. 

 

---

 

Izuku was in his room working on a writing assignment for Japanese history when he heard the loudest shout he’d ever heard. Oh, Mic must be home. It got cut off almost immediately. He glanced at the half-open door and listened as regular yelling started up. Shit, he’s mad.

 

On one hand, he was sure Mic would never hurt him or Aizawa. But on the other hand, it reminded him a lot of Hisashi when he’d yell at Inko. Except maybe with a little more panic. Just as he was debating hiding in the closet, the shouting stopped and Izuku heard footsteps coming towards his room. He stood up. 

 

His door opened fully and Mic looked into the room, locking eyes with Izuku. The man rushed over, wrapping his arms around Izuku. “Are you okay, little listener?” Izuku couldn’t even answer before he was slammed with more questions. “What happened? Who kidnapped you? How long did they have you? Where are they now?” 

 

“Zashi, chill,” Aizawa said from the doorway he now stood in. Mic loosened his grip just enough to turn and look at Aizawa. “He’s physically unharmed, though emotionally shaken up. He’s been staying in our room at night because he keeps having nightmares. We had gone out to the shopping district and one of those guys Izuku met with before we took him in, teleported him away. He was only gone for an hour because our genius child here convinced the guy to stay in the area. I found them and smashed the guy’s head into a wall. He’s in jail, awaiting an open-and-shut trial.”

 

“That’s a lot. Is it open-and-shut because you were a witness?” Mic asked Aizawa. 

 

“That. And the perv kissed Izuku so we got DNA evidence,” Aizawa growled at the memory. 

 

“ HE WHAT? THAT F --” Izuku held his hands over his ears but he wasn’t quick enough to stop the ringing he now felt. Mic had let go of him and seemed to be ranting, but Aizawa had completely cut off his voice. Izuku couldn’t read lips but he could guess what kind of words were included in said rant. 

 

Izuku shook his head to chase away the ringing, and then he reached for Mic’s jacket. Mic’s silent rant halted when Izuku tugged on the fabric. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes. He didn’t mean to make Mic so mad. 

 

“Oh, little listener, it’s okay. I’m not upset with you.” Aizawa must have released Mic so that he could talk again. 

 

“Are you mad at dad?” He saw Mic give Aizawa a look and the one Aizawa gave him seemed to say he’d explain later. 

 

“No, Izuku. I’m not mad at Sho. I’m mad at the guy that took you,” Mic explained, pulling him over to Izuku’s bed. They both sat on the end of it and Aizawa walked over to sit on the other side of Izuku. 

 

“Then why are you yelling at us?” Izuku asked, looking down. 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not. I just have trouble controlling my volume when I’m emotional,” Mic assured him. 

 

“He really does. Even if he’s happy. When I proposed, his quirk got us kicked out of that restaurant,” Aizawa chuckled behind him. 

 

“Oh. Okay,” Izuku said, accepting the explanation. It made sense. Izuku’s analysis quirk often distracted him even if he stayed aware. Of course, Mic might struggle with his voice quirk. 

 

“Hey, is that guy at the MPD jail still, or was he moved somewhere else?” Mic asked, looking at Aizawa with a not-quite-right smile. 

 

“I already bashed his face in, Zashi,” Aizawa said in a warning tone. 

 

“I just want to talk to the fucker,” Mic replied, with an oddly intimidating expression. 

 

“No, you don’t,” Aizawa rolled his eyes. “Because of Inko’s statement, we are on track to adopting Izuku. Murdering or severely injuring the guy, as much as I would love to see either happen, could interfere with that.”

 

“You know,” Izuku spoke up. “I could see his cheekbone after Aizawa was done with him.”

 

“Yeah, high five!” Mic exclaimed, holding his hand up to Aizawa. Aizawa sighed and returned the high five with a small smile. 

 

“What matters is we got Izuku back in one piece,” Aizawa said firmly. 

 

“Of course,” Mic said, pulling Izuku into another hug. “Our baby is safe and sound. And Pedophiles don’t do well in prison. His cellmates will probably fuck him up for us.”

 

Izuku laughed leaning into the hug. “I hope they do. I hated him the most,” he confessed. Then he looked up at Mic. “Is that bad?”

 

“As a pro hero, I’m saying no,” Mic declared. 

 

“You are completely justified in wanting retribution,” Aizawa assured him. 

 

“What’s retrib-bution?” Izuku asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word. 

 

“Punishment for doing something wrong, usually as vengeance. It’s kind of like revenge, except retribution seeks justice for moral or legal wrongdoings. Revenge could be a personal vendetta for perceived wrongs,” Mic explained. 

 

“Hm,” Izuku pondered the concept for a moment. “I want retribution.”

Notes:

It's been a few days, but I was not stuck. I just wanted to read some fics for a change.

Mic ain't done yet. He just toned it down for the baby. Can you guess what he said in his silent rant? (◕ ω ◕✿)

Chapter 23: Sunshine People

Notes:

TW: Discussion of rape, threats of violence, incest, and essentially Erotomania.

It took a while to get Izuku to bed that night. He seemed torn between wanting to sleep in their room again and not thinking he could because Hizashi was home. Of course, Hizashi made sure to reassure Izuku that it would be fine. They had a king bed after all. There was more than enough room. 

 

He had already told Shouta about his mission and now Shouta was telling him more about what happened. His husband even confessed to nearly buying another cat. “When the police took the guy into custody and I went to apologize to Izuku for letting that happen, he called me dad. Just now when he asked if you were mad at me is actually the only time he’s called me that since the first instance.”

 

“First off, you didn’t let it happen. We know this. Shit happens and it can’t be prevented 100% of the time. Second, If you’re dad, who am I?”

 

“Mom,” Shouta smirked, leaning back on the couch. 

 

“Joke’s on you. I’d be fine with that,” Hizashi huffed, tossing a throw pillow at him. 

 

“You’d be fine with whatever he calls you,” Shouta concluded, catching the pillow. 

 

“I would be,” Hizashi agreed. “I love him already. It’s not official yet but he blends into our family perfectly.”

 

“He’s an amazing kid,” Shouta smiled fondly. “He deserves so much more than the life he’s had so far.”

 

“And we’re going to give it to him. Starting with his retribution,” Hizashi stated. “I will be going to the jail they are holding this guy at.”

 

“Hizashi,” Shouta said with a warning tone. 

 

“We need to know how they were finding Izuku. Names of the others,” Hizashi started. 

 

“Actually, we have a few names. Apparently, Izuku knew some,” Shouta interrupted. 

 

“That’s great! I’ll get the rest of the information then. I won’t hurt him. Much,” Hizashi grinned. “But we both know that while you’re scary, I can be positively terrifying.”

 

“When sunshine people get pissed off, it’s time to run,” Shouta said solemnly. Hizashi beamed at his husband and leaned in to give him a chaste kiss. 

 

“You know it,” Hizashi laughed when he pulled away. “I’ll put the fear of mom into that man.”

 

“Isn’t it the fear of god?” Shouta asked, bemused. 

 

“Nope. Why fear god when I’m here?” Hizashi smiled. 

 

Shouta chuckled and shook his head lightly. “Sunshine people.”

 

---

 

“Do you want to hang out after school?” Izuku gave Bakugou a befuddled look. 

 

“What?” Izuku asked dumbly. 

 

“We could to the arcade or something. Or we could go to your place or mine,” Bakugou said, avoiding Izuku’s gaze. 

 

“Bakugou I--”

 

“I know we aren’t friends yet. But to be friends, you’ve got to start somewhere. Right?” Bakugou looked at him, pleading silently. 

 

Izuku sighed. “I guess.” Bakugou perked up. “But I have therapy today after school.” 

 

“Oh,” Bakugou deflated. “Well, what about tomorrow or Friday?”

 

“I’ll have to ask Mic and Aizawa,” Izuku shrugged. And maybe he could ask Hound Dog if it’s a bad idea to befriend your childhood friend turned bully turned friendly stalker. 

 

“Yeah, okay, sure. So um, how have you been?” Bakugou asked. “Like with all the stuff. Did you guys get a hold of Inko?”

 

“Yeah. She wrote a statement about what happened. Thanks to that, I’m pretty much guaranteed to get adopted. They just need to do all the paperwork with the state,” Izuku answered. 

 

“That’s good, right?” Izuku nodded. “Why did she write a statement so easily when she lied to my mom though?”

 

“I guess she thought abandoning me would save me. Staying with Hisashi any longer probably would have killed me,” Izuku said softly. “I remember he’d yell at her but when the detective called her, he said he suspected abuse towards her as well. She had to lie because he monitors her calls. Apparently, to give the statement, she had to go to someone else’s house and call.”

 

“She should have done that sooner,” Bakugou growled. 

 

“Probably, yeah,” Izuku agreed. “But if she had, I might not have met Aizawa.”

 

“You really like them?” Bakugou asked. Izuku smiled.

 

“I do. I mean just last Saturday, when I was nearly kidnapped, Aizawa w--”

 

“When you were what?” Bakugou shouted. Izuku’s eyes widened and he tried to quiet the blonde. That definitely got people’s attention. 

 

“One of the guys that did things to me had a minor teleportation quirk. He got me away from Aizawa while we were at a shopping district,” Izuku whispered harshly. 

 

“One of… what things?” Izuku froze as he realized he hadn’t told Bakugou about that yet. “What things, Midoriya?” Bakugou repeated, not even stumbling over his name like he usually did. 

 

“Um, s-sexual things,” Izuku mumbled, looking away. Bakugou was silent for a solid three minutes before he stood up, walked around the table, and pulled Izuku to his feet. He dragged Izuku out of the cafeteria, lunches abandoned. 

 

“Bakugou, where are we going?” Izuku asked. The volatile blonde remained silent as he led Izuku through the school. Eventually, they wound up on the roof. “Um, I don’t think we can be up here.”

 

“Shut up,” Bakugou demanded. He swallowed, gathering his thoughts. “One of, as in multiple?” Izuku nodded. “Multiple people raped you?” Bakugou asked, giving him a broken look. 

 

Izuku considered the merits of arguing against that but Mic, Aizawa, Tsukauchi, and Hound Dog all made it clear that what happened was rape. “Yeah,” Izuku breathed. 

 

“When? How many?” Bakugou asked, looking panicked. 

 

“Um, the first time, I was eight.” A horrified expression crossed Bakugou’s face. “And um, there have been 27 since then. Twelve returning.”

 

“Returning?” Bakugou’s voice cracked. 

 

“The ones that came back regularly,” Izuku clarified. 

 

“Fuck, Izuku,” Bakugou choked out before wrapping his arms around Izuku. He stiffened because Bakugou never hugged him. Even when they were little, before the quirkless thing. The most they ever did was hold hands as toddlers. 

 

When he felt tears on his shoulder, he returned the hug. He felt his own tears well up and spill onto his cheeks. He could hear Bakugou whispering apologies into his shoulder. They stood like that, crying quietly until the bell rang. 

 

Izuku couldn’t help but feel like something changed just then. 

 

---

 

Hizashi stepped into the interrogation room. Detective Tsukauchi said they haven’t been able to get anything out of this guy. The ID he had on him says his name is Inoue Souta. Records on that name show multiple counts of domestic abuse and sexual conduct with a minor. That minor being his own son, who looks eerily like Izuku. 

 

They both had the freckles, babyface, and curly hair. Their face shape was different and the kid’s hair was an indigo-black color. His eyes were deep blue, like his father’s. They certainly weren’t twins but they could easily be mistaken for brothers. It made Hizashi’s stomach turn. 

 

Inoue sat there, handcuffed to the table, and glaring at Hizashi defiantly. Hizashi sat across from him. “I already told the last guy, I ain’t talking. I’ve dealt with police before and they’ve never been able to get anything from me,” Inoue growled. 

 

Giving him a soft smile, Hizashi spoke in a sweet tone. “Oh, I’m not the police.”

 

“What then? An interrogation specialist?” Inoue sneered. 

 

“No. I’m a pro hero,” Hizashi said, and then his smile turned feral. “And I’m the other father of the child you decided to touch.”

 

Inoue paled but maintained his composure. “Allegedly.”

 

“I do believe that when you were convicted for raping your son, y--” Hizashi started. 

 

“I didn’t rape him!” Inoue interrupted. “He loved me! Just like Puppy!”

 

“Mhm,” Hizashi gave him a flat look. “So you’re delusional. That explains some things. Anyway, as I was saying; I believe you were charged and convicted in a different city. Meaning you haven’t worked with the Musutafu Police Department. Meaning you aren’t aware that they have a memory specialist. They don’t need you to confess to anything. They can just get their evidence from my son’s memories.”

 

“Then why are you here?” Inoue glowered at Hizashi. 

 

“A few reasons. I want to know the full names of any others that you know touched my child. I also want to know how you pervs found him. And lastly, I’m here to ensure retribution for him.”

 

“You c-can’t hurt me,” Inoue stuttered. Hizashi simply motioned to his gauze-covered cheek.

 

“I believe my husband already established that we can.” Inoue stiffened in his chair. “And here’s the best part. My quirk allows me to hurt you internally. I can get away with a lot more damage than my husband can.”

 

“I’ll tell people,” Inoue threatened. 

 

“There are few people who would defend a pedophile. I think I’ll be alright,” Hizashi asserted. “Now let’s get started.”

Notes:

It's my birthday. I'm 23. Not sure what to do with that.

What do you think Hizashi does to this poor man?

Also!! Vote: Papa Mic, Mama Mic, or another suggestion maybe? We can't call him Daddy because some of Izuku's pervs used that. It'd be triggering for him.

Present Mic is lowkey nonbinary. Primarily masculine-presenting but with feminine elements.

Chapter 24: Therapy Dog

Notes:

TW: Discussions of child abuse, rape, suicide baiting, bullying. Threats/implications of physical violence.

“You c-can’t hurt me,” Inoue stuttered. Hizashi simply motioned to his gauze-covered cheek.

 

“I believe my husband already established that we can.” Inoue stiffened in his chair. “And here’s the best part. My quirk allows me to hurt you internally. I can get away with a lot more damage than my husband can.”

 

“I’ll tell people,” Inoue threatened. 

 

“There are few people who would defend a pedophile. I think I’ll be alright,” Hizashi asserted. “Now let’s get started.”

 

 

 

Detective Tsukauchi looked at Hizashi with abject horror and fear when he walked out not even thirty minutes later with a list of names, the name of the bar where knowledge of Izuku was spread around, and information on the original rapist Izuku mentioned. Hizashi simply smiled at him and headed off to pick up Izuku. 

 

---

 

“Detective Tsukauchi got a hold of Inko. She apparently abandoned me to protect me. Hisashi is probably abusing her. Mic went on a mission and was gone for three days. While he was gone, the guy that calls me puppy kidnapped me while I was out with Aizawa. It was only for an hour but he kissed me twice and I had to pretend to want to go on a date with him so that he’d stay in the area. Then when Aizawa found him, he smashed in the guy’s face which was kind of gross but also cool. I called him dad! I’ve only been living with them for three weeks and I called him dad. And I think Mic’s sad about it.”

 

Hound Dog blinked, stunned while Izuku caught his breath. “Alright. Let’s unpack that,” Hound Dog suggested slowly. “Let’s start with Inko since you mentioned her first. That would be your biological mother, correct?” 

 

“Didn’t they tell you that?” Izuku asked. 

 

“They didn’t give me names. It just said ‘parents’ in the summary,” Hound Dog explained. “What do you mean when you say she abandoned you to protect you?”

 

“Well, the detective let me read her statement. I guess she thought Hisashi, that’s my dad, would kill me if he kept hurting me.”

 

“Do you feel comfortable yet elaborating on what he did that made her think that?” Hound Dog asked gently. 

 

“Oh, um. Well, he was trying to trigger a force manifested quirk.” Izuku noticed how Hound Dog stiffened slightly. “But he also didn’t want anyone to know so he never did anything they could see. He’d twist my arms to break them. He’s broken fingers. He pushed me off a walking bridge once and I broke my leg and a rib. That sort of thing.”

 

“He pushed you off a bridge?” Hound Dog asked, looking vaguely horrified. 

 

“He put a helmet on me so that I wouldn’t accidentally hit my head and die,” Izuku stated.

 

“That’s not… nevermind. Continue,” Hound Dog said as he wrote something down. 

 

“Once, he hired someone to pretend to break into the house to hurt me. They didn’t touch me though. Just made it seem like they would,” Izuku clarified. 

 

“That’s still psychologically scarring,” Hound Dog said with a slight growl to his voice. “How did he expect no one to see these breaks? Did you not have a cast?”

 

“He’d keep me home for the worst of it. He told my teachers I was sick. Remember last time, I said I don’t like pills?” Hound Dog nodded. “That’s because he’d drug me. Painkillers and sleeping pills usually. I never went to the hospital or got a cast but he would set and splint my bones himself. I’d wear pants, long sleeves, or gloves to hide them if needed.”

 

“I’m guessing Inko couldn’t stop him?” Hound Dog asked. 

 

“No. In her statement, she said she kept dropping hints about kicking me out of the house or leaving me at a hospital so that he’d think he came up with the idea on his own. It was the only way she could think of to get me away from him. She didn’t expect him to drive me halfway across Japan and leave me there, though,” Izuku told him. 

 

“How do you feel after reading her statement?” Hound Dog prompted. 

 

“I don’t know. I guess it’s nice having confirmation that she didn’t hate me. But, like Bakugou pointed out, she could have called Auntie Mistuki from a friend’s place sooner. I feel like she kind of just left me to fend for myself after one calculated effort on her part,” Izuku frowned. 

 

“That’s a fair assessment,” Hound Dog commented. “Who is Bakugou, if I can ask?”

 

“Oh, yeah. I wanted to talk to you about him too,” Izuku muttered quietly. “He’s… well… it’s hard to explain. He’s a childhood friend I guess. We’ve known each other since we were babies. But then after I was diagnosed quirkless, he started calling me Deku. Name-calling evolved into pushing. Pushing evolved into destruction of property. Destruction of property evolved into burning me. I can’t remember when I first realized he was bullying me.” 

 

“He burned you?” Hound Dog asked. Izuku nodded. 

 

“Yeah. He has an explosion quirk,” Izuku supplied. Hound Dog motioned for him to continue. “Even though I knew he was bullying me, I still considered him a friend. Up until he told me to kill myself. That was um, oh. Also 3 weeks ago. The day after Mic and Aizawa took me in.”

 

“Your life is a little hectic, isn’t it?” Hound Dog sighed. Izuku made a noise of agreement. “As long as you know. Carry on.”

 

“Mic had picked me up that day and overheard Bakugou talking about me. I guess he chewed him out and showed Bakugou his hero license. So Bakugou tried to go to my old apartment to ask me how I knew Mic. Instead, he found out that my parents moved three years ago and I hadn’t lived there for eight years. The next day at school, we had a whole big thing about me not telling him and I ended up yelling the short version at him.”

 

“And how did that go?” Hound Dog asked, failing to hide a chuckle. 

 

“Alright, I guess. He asked if he could fix it. I told him I didn’t know. And then ever since, he’s been nice. Just in a weird way,” Izuku shook his head as he reflected. 

 

“Weird how?” Hound Dog prompted. 

 

“It’s weird for him to be nice in general actually. But what I mean is, it’s like he has no idea how to be someone’s friend. Like on day one of new Bakugou, he punched a kid in the face for me. I told him to stop it and he did . I have to keep correcting him in ways like that.” Hound Dog wrote something down. 

 

“It sounds like he’s trying at least,” Hound Dog pointed out. 

 

“He is. He says he wants to be friends again. He even asked me to hang out after school this week but I just don’t know. Do you think it’s messed up to be friends with my bully?” Izuku asked. 

 

“I think, that depends on what you want. But generally speaking, I believe people, especially kids and teenagers, can change and grow as people. If they genuinely want to make an effort to improve and commit to changing bad behavior, they deserve encouragement. That’s not to say you have to be his friend, but just don’t discourage him by saying he’ll never change.”

 

“But it wouldn’t be a bad idea?” Izuku clarified. 

 

“You know, I could do a group counseling session with the two of you if it would make you feel more comfortable in making a decision,” Hound Dog offered. 

 

“I’m not sure if he’d agree,” Izuku said quietly. 

 

“Ask him at school tomorrow. Have Aizawa or Yamada let me know. If he agrees, I can stay later on Friday for it,” Hound Dog informed him. 

 

“Ah, okay.” Izuku wondered how upset Bakugou would be when he brought it up. 

 

“We still have some time. Would you like to talk about what happened on Saturday?” Hound Dog asked. Izuku told him what happened starting with Mic leaving for the mission and ending with the fact that he couldn’t sleep in his own room due to nightmares.

 

“I don’t know which made me feel grosser; being kissed or telling him I wanted to go on a date with him,” Izuku grimaced. 

 

“I understand. Though I have to say, that date diversion was some clever thinking. Had he taken you out of the area, it could have taken longer to find you. I’m glad you were able to think on your feet like that,” Hound Dog commended. 

 

“I’m so glad Aizawa found me but I’m also so embarrassed that I called him dad,” Izuku groaned, hiding his face behind his hands. 

 

“Why is that?” Hound Dog asked. 

 

“I’ve only known them for three weeks. The adoption isn’t even official. I feel like I’m getting ahead of myself. And then Mic seemed sad about it,” Izuku fretted. 

 

“Would you like my opinion?” Izuku nodded. “I think, although it hasn’t been that long, they are the first people to treat you like family since you were four. They saved you by taking you in. It makes sense that you would bond with them quickly. Some victims of abuse or neglect withdraw from people, but there are also those who attach quickly to new caretakers. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

 

“Really?” Izuku asked skeptically. 

 

“Yes. And I don’t think Yamada was sad exactly. He might be feeling a little left out. I can tell he adores you and I know he’s wanted to be a parent for a while. They both have. That being said, he would never want you to feel obligated to call him anything other than what you’re comfortable with,” Hound Dog smiled. 

 

“Hm. You’re good at this,” Izuku commented. Hound Dog laughed softly. 

 

“Thank you. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?” 

 

“I think I’m okay,” Izuku replied. 

 

“I’ll see you next week then.”

Notes:

You don't want to know what Mic did. (⍪_⍪)

Papa - 6 votes
Mama - 16 votes
Both/Either - 7 votes
Other - 5 votes

Thank you for all the birthday wishes on the last chapter!

Chapter 25: Friends?

“Therapy?” Bakugou asked, shooting Izuku a confused look. 

 

“That’s my condition. Group therapy with my counselor at least once. Mic and Aizawa said you could come to our place after,” Izuku told him. 

 

Bakugou took a deep breath. “Why?” 

 

“You told me to kill myself,” Izuku said flatly, closing his locker. Bakugou made a pained noise. 

 

“I’ll do it,” Bakugou relented. 

 

“My counselor said he could do it tomorrow. Mic would pick us up and drive us there,” Izuku stated. 

 

“I’ll let my mom know tonight,” Bakugou said, nodding slightly. “She already agreed to family therapy for us so I don’t think she’ll mind.”

 

---

 

“Your counselor is at UA?” Bakugou whispered harshly, shaking Izuku slightly as they walked up to the UA gates. 

 

“Well, Mic and Aizawa work here. It makes sense for me to see the counselor on campus,” Izuku defended, trying to shake Bakugou off. 

 

“Does that mean your counselor is a pro hero? Because I’m pretty sure that all of UA’s staff are pro heroes,” Bakugou asked, releasing him. 

 

“He is,” Izuku confirmed. There was a group of students in their path. Izuku turned to look at them which was apparently a mistake. A young man activated some sort of lighting quirk and Izuku felt himself spacing. 

 

“So which hero are w--”

 

---

 

“So which hero are we seeing?” Katsuki paused at the lack of response. He turned to see Izuku had stopped and was staring at a group of UA students. One of them was sparking. He looked really out of it. “Izu- Midoriya?”

 

Present Mic stopped as well but seemed less perturbed by Izuku’s zoned-out look. He simply went over to Izuku, covered his eyes with one hand, and turned him with the other. He leaned down and whispered something, as Izuku’s hands came up to touch Present Mic’s hand. 

 

“Again?” Izuku asked as Present Mic removed his hand. 

 

“Yep. A student set it off this time,” Present Mic answered. Katsuki was not following this but Izuku gave him a fearful look. He vaguely remembered Izuku used to get like that when watching heroes. It was weird but he thought the guy was just a nerd. Something about this exchange had him doubting that now. 

 

“Well, let’s keep going!” Present Mic exclaimed brightly. 

 

---

 

Ryo watched the two teens across from him. They’d automatically sat as far apart from each other as they could on the couch. Izuku was staring at his lap while Bakugou was examining the room. Neither seemed comfortable. 

 

“I suppose we should start with introductions,” Ryo said, breaking the silence. “My name is Inui Ryo. What’s yours?”

 

“Izu- Midoriya didn’t tell you?” Crimson eyes glared at him. Interesting.

 

“Not your full name,” Ryo answered. A scoff came from the defensive blonde. 

 

“Bakugou Katsuki,” the teen grumbled. Izuku seemed completely unphased by this. It must be normal for Bakugou. 

 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Ryo smiled. “Do you know why we are here today?”

 

“I owe him,” Bakugou supplied, not quite meeting Ryo’s eyes. 

 

“Could you elaborate on what you mean by that?” For a moment he thought Bakugou wasn’t going to respond. 

 

“I was… shitty... and wrong,” Bakugou said slowly like he was searching for words. “I want to make it up to him. I owe him to do it his way. This is what he asked for.” Ryo did not miss the surprised and curious expression on Izuku’s face. 

 

“And Izuku, why do you think we are here?” Ryo asked, looking at the greenette in question. 

 

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea for us to be friends again, or if we even can be.” Bakugou flinched slightly. “But I have known Bakugou my whole life and I miss him. I don’t want to give up on our relationship. So I’m hoping for your professional insight.”

 

“I can do that. I will not make any decisions for either of you though. What I will do is direct a conversation between you two and act as a mediator,” Ryo informed them. “Let’s start with what caused you two to drift apart in the first place.”

 

“I didn’t have a quirk and Ka- Bakugou did,” Izuku said immediately. 

 

“Would you agree with that Bakugou?” Ryo asked the blonde teen. 

 

“No. Not exactly,” Bakugou grimaced. Izuku looked confused. 

 

“In your own words then, what caused it?” Ryo prompted gently. Bakugou honestly looked pained to be here. This kid did not discuss emotional matters often and it showed. 

 

“Our moms. Or mine, I guess,” he said, picking at his pant leg. “My mom hit me and yelled at me, but Izuku’s mom hugged us and gave us sweets. My mom never treated Izuku the way she treated me, even though Inko treated Izuku and me the same. I thought… I guess I started to resent him pretty young. But in the sense that I wanted to be him.”

 

“I wanted to be you though,” Izuku breathed. 

 

“Let’s not interrupt each other,” Ryo chided softly. Izuku nodded and Ryo motioned for Bakugou to continue. 

 

“At first I accepted it. I was jealous of him more than I was mad at him. But when I got my quirk, people at school started treating me differently. It was after the teachers called Izuku quirkless that I got mad. They said it like it was bad while they praised my quirk. I thought that meant I was better. That my mom should love me more. But she was still nicer to Izuku.”

 

“So you started lashing out at him?” Ryo concluded. Bakugou nodded, his defiant attitude melting. “Izuku, do you have anything to say about that?”

 

“I never liked that Auntie hit you. It scared me. I tried to tell my mom a few times but she said that was just how Auntie was,” Izuku confessed. 

 

“Your mom let your dad beat you,” Bakugou scoffed. “Guess she let my mom beat me too.” 

 

Ryo clicked his tongue at the interruption but Izuku just joked back, “Guess she wasn’t as sweet to you as you thought.”

 

“Fuck, you’re right,” Bakugou replied with a breathless chuckle. 

 

“Did you not actually hate quirkless people then?” Izuku asked. Ryo sat back, letting them take the reins. He’d step back in if mediation was needed. 

 

“A little, maybe,” Bakugou admitted. Izuku deflated a little. “Or maybe hate isn’t the right word. It’s just all the adults…” 

 

“You blindly believed what the authority figures in your life were telling you?” Ryo offered. 

 

“Yeah,” Bakuou agreed. “But I started to feel bad after a while. It took some time but I realized I didn’t hate you and I regretted how I treated you. But I was still so angry. My mom was still hitting me while asking why I couldn’t be more like you. I pushed down any regret I had and focused on my anger.”

 

“You regretted it before finding out what my mom did?” Izuku asked. 

 

“I always regretted it. My anger just vanished when I found out the truth. That’s why I told you I wouldn’t have bullied you if I knew,” Bakugou answered. “I know I wouldn’t have.”

 

“You really shouldn’t have bullied me anyway,” Izuku frowned. 

 

“It was not the healthiest form of expressing anger or frustration, no,” Ryo agreed. “But what’s done is done. Now that you know better, have you apologized?”

 

“No,” both teens said in unison. One sounding bitter, the other guilty. 

 

“Why not?” Ryo asked, admittedly a little confused. Bakugou seemed remorseful so why wouldn’t he apologize?

 

“How can I?” he yelled, voice cracking. “How can a sorry ever make up for what I did?”

 

“You’re right. It probably can’t,” Ryo admitted. “But it can be a step in the right direction. You’ll need to work together to mend your relationship, but an apology can be a good way to show you want to start that journey together.”

 

“Then you need to apologize too!” Bakugou shouted, pointing at Izuku. Oh boy. 

 

“For what?” Izuku asked, looking vaguely panicked. 

 

“For being fucking nice to me even when I was treating you like shit,” Bakugou said firmly. Izuku gaped at him and even Ryo had to admit he didn’t expect that. 

 

“I’m sorry?” Izuku asked incredulously. 

 

“I forgive you,” Bakugou stated. 

 

“I wasn’t--” Izuku started. 

 

“I’m sorry too. For being an asshole and contributing to your pain,” Bakugou interrupted him. “I’m sorry I ruined our friendship. Most of all, I’m sorry I told you to kill yourself. I knew I crossed a line after I said it.” 

 

Any fight that had built up in that odd exchange left Izuku. “I won’t say I’ll forgive and forget,” he said finally. “But I’m willing to move on and forgive you in time.” 

 

“So we can be friends again?” Bakugou asked, looking excited. 

 

“You can never, ever, ever do anything like this again!” Izuku scolded abruptly. Bakugou shrunk into himself. 

 

“I won’t. I mean, I might mess up a little because I don’t know how to be friends. But just tell me if I fuck up. I’ll do my best to be better,” Bakugou promised. 

 

“I will,” Izuku said giving Bakugou a stern look. “Kacchan,” he added and smiled.

Notes:

Unsure if I want to ship them in this story or if I want to take the 'like brothers' route this time.

I suppose I'll decide down the road but y'all can vote too.

Chapter 26: Hobo Man

“So what happened when we got to UA?” Kacchan asked while Aizawa unlocked the apartment door. 

 

“What?” Izuku asked. He could see Mic’s confusion where he stood behind Kacchan. 

 

“When you went all vacant,” Kacchan supplied. 

 

“Um.” Izuku looked up at Mic, feeling a little panicked. He didn’t want to mention his quirk.

 

“Because I remember you used to space out like that before. I thought you were just hyperfocused on the heroes you were watching when it happened. But that wasn’t a hero, and the way Present Mic covered your eyes was weird,” Kacchan continued. 

 

“Well you see, little listener,” Mic said, corralling them through the now open door. “Izuku here dissociates sometimes. It’s usually triggered by visual stimuli.”

 

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Aizawa chimed in. 

 

“Although, it’s probably good to know since you two are probably going to start hanging out again,” Mic defended gently. “If he gets like that and Shouta or I aren’t with you, just cover his eyes and move him away from the trigger.”

 

“Okay,” Kacchan agreed. Izuku tried not to audibly sigh in relief that he wasn’t going to question it further. Hana ran up to Izuku, demanding pets. 

 

“Come on. I’ll show you my room,” Izuku said, stepping forward and picking up the cat. Kacchan followed. 

 

“A cat?” he asked, looking at her in Izuku’s arms. 

 

“Hana. There are two more around here somewhere,” Izuku told him. He sat down on his bed with her once they got to his room. 

 

“No All Might?” Kacchan asked, clearly remembering Izuku’s old decoration choices. All Might had been his favorite hero. His obsession with the hero was probably a little unhealthy in hindsight. 

 

“Ah, no,” Izuku answered awkwardly. 

 

“Why? Are you worried they’ll judge you?” Kacchan gave him a confused look. 

 

“No, I… They know I like heroes,” Izuku pulled on the ends of his hair. “I just. I don’t really like All Might anymore.” 

 

“Why not?” Kacchan frowned. He didn’t say anything about Izuku’s hair-pulling but he did reach over to stop the action. Izuku curled his fingers into Hana’s fur instead, petting her. 

 

“A few reasons. My room was a shrine, right?” Kacchan nodded in agreement. “Hisashi took a lot of my stuff after I was diagnosed quirkless but he left my bedding and posters. So after he’d… when I’d be crying in my room in pain, All Might’s face was everywhere.”

 

“Izuku,” Kacchan breathed in concern. 

 

“Also because I wished for years that he’d save me, but he never came. Even after I left that house. Things weren’t great out there. I wanted a hero,” he laughed bitterly. “But the final straw was when I met him.”

 

“You met him?” Kacchan choked. 

 

“Yeah. When I was eleven. I was there at the end of one of his fights. I’d already given up on being a hero when I was eight but I still asked. ‘Can a quirkless person be a hero?’” Izuku hugged Hana closer. 

 

“What’d he say?” Kacchan asked hesitantly. 

 

“He said no,” Izuku recalled, thinking about the look of pity the hero gave him. 

 

“What the hell?” Kacchan growled. 

 

“You told me I couldn’t be a hero all the time,” Izuku pointed out. 

 

“But I’m just some asshole kid. All Might is a fucking hero. Even if he didn’t think you could, he can’t say shit like that,” Kacchan seethed. Izuku watched as he started pacing, most likely trying to expel angry energy. 

 

“Everything okay in here, little listeners?” Mic asked nervously from the doorway. Aizawa stood behind him. 

 

“He met All Might and the dick told him he couldn’t be a hero!” Kacchan raged. 

 

“So did you,” Aizawa reminded him. 

 

“But I--” Kacchan started. 

 

“I know. I could hear you,” Aizawa said, cutting the angry teen off. 

 

“You were eavesdropping, Sho,” Mic chided. “Of course you could hear him.”

 

“Forgive me if I’m hesitant to leave Izuku alone with the child that has weaponized arms,” Aizawa said sarcastically. 

 

“So then you understand why we should go find the guy and kick him in the shins!” Kacchan declared.

 

“No!” Mic exclaimed as Aizawa said at the same second, “Yes.”

 

“Sho, no! You are the adult here,” Mic scolded. Then he turned to Kacchan. “And you, you’re just full of rage aren’t you?”

 

“Yes, I am!” the explosive blonde agreed loudly. Izuku just shook his head. 

 

“Then maybe you should put that energy to use and train with Shouta,” Mic suggested. 

 

“What? No,” Aizawa glared at his husband. 

 

“He could be a me-sized sparring partner,” Izuku pointed out. 

 

“Training for what?” Kacchan asked, anger forgotten for now.

 

“Fighting,” Izuku chirped. “I’m supposed to learn self-defense.” 

 

“Because you were nearly kidnapped?” Kacchan asked flatly. Izuku nodded. 

 

“That,” Aizawa spoke up, “and if he can fight, he could try for the hero course.”

 

“But you’ve got to finish healing first, little listener,” Mic added. “You’ve still got about nine months until the entrance exam.” 

 

“Then, if the hobo man doesn’t mind, I’ll start whenever Izuku does,” Kacchan said. 

 

“Hobo man?” Aizawa spluttered while Mic and Izuku laughed. 

 

“I forgot your name,” Kacchan admitted. 

 

“But I keep saying it,” Izuku said exasperated. 

 

“You know those two kids that follow me around?” Kacchan asked abruptly. 

 

“Yeah?” Izuku replied, uncertain where this was going.

 

“I don’t know either of their names. I call them Teeth and Fingers,” Kacchan told him. 

 

“But they’re always around you,” Izuku asserted. 

 

“Sure. But I’m bad at names,” Kacchan shrugged. 

 

“You know my name,” Izuku defended. 

 

“I’ve known your name for as long as I’ve known mine,” Kacchan pointed out. 

 

“Well learn my name,” Aizawa growled. “It’s Aizawa. If you ever call me a hobo man again I’ll--”

 

“Okay!” Mic clapped his hands together. “Training is settled. You two can hang out here or go to the living room and watch a movie until dinner. Come help me, Sho.” 

 

Izuku and Kacchan watched as Mic dragged Aizawa out of sight. 

 

---

 

“I don’t like this,” Shouta grumbled as he chopped whatever Hizashi had instructed him to. 

 

“I know. But if Izuku wants to give that boy another chance, that’s his choice.” Shouta just made some sort of growling sound in response. “Going to a therapy session together before even considering it was a very wise idea on his part.”

 

“I guess,” Shouta agreed reluctantly. 

 

“If he hurts Izuku again, then we can end him,” Hizashi said placatingly. Shouta hummed. That sounded like a plan.

 

---

 

“Yeah, I stayed there a lot before the house. The big things people dumped like furniture and fridges were good for shelter,” Izuku told him. 

 

“Wouldn’t it smell bad?” Katsuki asked. 

 

“I mean, I kind of did too,” Izuku giggled. “But ah, no. The sea breeze helped. It mostly smelled like the ocean. It’s a shame because it’d be a beautiful beach if people didn’t dump trash there illegally.” 

 

“What if we cleaned it?” Katsuki suggested. 

 

“Us? Clean the beach?” Izuku asked, looking confused. 

 

“Yeah. Call it more training or whatever. It’ll probably be good for strength and stamina training.” Izuku fell into one of his mumbling fits, probably trying to figure out the logistics, so Katsuki just waited patiently for him to be done. 

 

“We probably can’t do it all ourselves,” Izuku finally said, “but we could ask for help with the particularly big stuff.”

 

“We could probably start now,” Katsuki smirked. 

 

“I’m not even done with my antibiotics yet,” Izuku argued. Oh right, pneumonia.  

 

“Wear a jacket then. We’ll need to sort trash from recyclables, so I can bring small things over to you and you can sort them. We’ll work on the bigger things when you’re healthier,” Katsuki shrugged. “Maybe write a gameplan. You’re good at that stuff.”

 

“That could work. We just need to convince our parents,” Izuku hugged the cat again. 

 

“My old man will go with whatever my mom says, so I really only have to convince her. You’ve got two to convince.” Izuku groaned and another cat walked into the room.

 

“Oh, hey! It’s Kemuri.”

Notes:

The slime incident didn't happen but since Izuku was always out on the streets, he did run into All Might once.

Shouta: I don't want to train the Pomeranian. :(

I was also thinking of going the 'like brothers' route so I'm glad most of you saw that going the same way too. I was doubting myself a little.

EDIT: Okay so I thought long and hard about ships. I won't spoil them all but hear me out for Izuku's: Queer Platonic dekusquad (izuku, ochako, tenya, shoto, tsu) with izuku/ochako/tenya being romantically involved and tsu and shouto being strictly queer platonic with the rest because they are both aro/ace. What do we think?

2nd EDIT: OR!!!! queerplatonic dekusquad as before but with romantic pairings ochako/tsu and shoto/deku with aro/ace tenya. (Low key super set on queer platonic dekusquad, but I'm not set on the internal pairings if any)

Chapter 27: Quirk Counseling

“This is not what I had in mind when you said you wanted to clean a beach,” Hizashi commented, taking in the tower of trash spanning the length of the beach. He could barely see the sand. 

 

It was so much worse up close, Hizashi noted once they got down the stairs. The trash tower was taller than he was. He took a picture and sent it to Shouta. 

 

To Sho:  

Did you know about this???

 

He had to wait a hot minute for a reply since it was Monday and Shouta was still at the school.

 

From Sho:  

Yeah. My patrol takes me by there sometimes.

 

To Sho: 

Do you think they can do this??

 

From Sho:  

They’ve got 9 months. They’ll figure it out.

 

Sure enough, Bakugou had already dragged over some end table for Izuku to sit on and they were making plans in a blank notebook Izuku had brought. 

 

“So what days can we do this?” Bakugou asked. 

 

“Hm, well, I have therapy on Wednesdays and I’m starting tutoring on Fridays. You h--”

 

“What do you need tutoring for? You’re at the top of our class.” Hizashi did not know that but he wasn’t really surprised to learn that detail. 

 

“It’s not for school,” Izuku answered. 

 

“Then why?” Bakugou prodded. Hizashi watched Izuku to see if he’d need to come up with something. It was for quirk counseling but Izuku wasn’t comfortable telling Bakugou about his quirk. 

 

“I wanted to learn some extra stuff and Nezu’s an actual genius. He offered to teach me and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” Izuku replied, keeping it vague. 

 

“Can I still call you a nerd?” Bakugou asked abruptly. Izuku gave him a confused look. 

 

“I mean, I kind of am. So I guess? If it’s not meant to be mean,” Izuku stuttered. 

 

“Nah, just for teasing. Nerd,” Bakugou smirked. Izuku just rolled his eyes. 

 

“Anyways. You have family therapy on Tuesdays starting next week, right?” Izuku asked, returning to the previous topic. 

 

“Yep,” Bakugou said, looking none too happy about it. 

 

“So then that leaves Mondays and Thursdays,” Izuku concluded, making a note of that in the notebook. 

 

“That’s not much time, is it?” Bakugou grumbled. 

 

Izuku tilted his head for a moment. “72 days?” he finally said uncertainly. “Give or take. And then we don’t know what days Aizawa will train us…”

 

“How?” Bakugou demanded.

 

“Two days a week. Four weeks in a month. That makes eight days a month. Nine months until the entrance exam. 72 days,” Izuku explained. “Oh, but then we have summer break and we’ll have the whole day before our evening appointments. We’ll probably be fine.”

 

“How should we break this down, nerd?” Bakugou asked, looking at the trash tower. Hizashi and Bakugou watched as Izuku started mumbling and writing. Yeah, Hizashi thought, they’ve got this!

 

---

 

Izuku stared down the mouse-like creature, waiting for any indication that he was joking. The principal of UA simply smiled at him before taking a sip of tea. He was serious.

 

“I don’t understand,” Izuku said finally. 

 

“This is your homework. You can do it any time but I expect results by the entrance exam. I’d start sooner rather than later if I were you,” Nezu smiled with an air of condescension. 

 

“I thought I was here for quirk counseling,” Izuku argued. 

 

“You are. And by your own quirk-driven analysis, this will help you,” Nezu countered easily. 

 

“How?” Izuku asked, confused. 

 

“Your quirk is intelligence-based. It relies on brainpower. The mind is like a muscle. To strengthen it, you must exercise it. This particular assignment will train several parts of your brain at once,” Nezu explained. “Now make your choice.”

 

Izuku couldn’t really argue with that. “French,” he sighed. 

 

“Excellent! You will be responsible for teaching yourself but I will set you up with a self-paced online lesson plan,” Nezu chirped, clapping his paws together. “I want the entire course completed by the entrance exam and I will be testing your proficiency.”

 

“Yes, sir,” Izuku responded. 

 

“Nezu, please,” the principal corrected. “Now as for what you’ll do when you’re with me, I was thinking of letting you observe the students that stay after school to train. Your deep analysis is triggered by new quirks for the most part, but I want to see if you can intentionally trigger a deep analysis on quirks you’ve already seen. Alternatively, in time I’d like you to retain awareness during a deep analysis. Repeat exposure may help. It’s not good for you to be losing time.”

 

“I have a question,” Izuku spoke up quietly. 

 

“Yes? What is it?” Nezu prompted, nose twitching. 

 

“I don’t mean any offense to intelligence quirks, but is my quirk really any use as a hero?” 

 

“Why do you think it’s not?” Nezu asked, seeming curious. 

 

“Your quirk applies to everything around you, right?” Nezu nodded. “But mine only applies to quirks. It just doesn’t seem particularly useful. Quirk analysts usually work at desks in agencies, not as heroes.”

 

Nezu let out a huffed sigh through his nose. He seemed to be thinking. “While it’s true that your quirk activates in regards to quirks, the way your mind processes things does not. I don’t mean to intrude on your privacy but I took the liberty of checking your grades at Aldera since I’m taking you on as a personal student. Your intelligence is nothing to sniff at.”

 

Izuku flushed at the compliment. “Intelligence quirks like yours and mine are classed as mutant quirks because the neural pathways in our brains are mutated. Although unique synapses are triggered when your quirk activates, the neural pathways that formed to carry them remain present even after your quirk deactivates. It enables you to process information differently than the average person.”

 

“So like,” Izuku paused for a second. “Like how someone with, say, mutated limbs could be stronger than the average person without actually having a strength aspect to their quirk. Just because the muscles are different.”

 

“Precisely!” Nezu exclaimed. “In fact, making connections like that so easily is exactly what I’m talking about. You can understand and process information faster than most. This would be useful for strategic planning as a hero. As for your quirk itself, being able to know the ins and outs of your enemy’s quirk in an instant is incredibly useful. If you can retain awareness, of course.”

 

“What if I can’t retain awareness?” Izuku fretted.

 

“Then you’ll have to rely on a partner or a team to protect you while you’re zoned out,” Nezu answered. “Which is not the worst thing in the world. There are plenty of heroes who have to rely on a partner or team because of quirk restriction. But you are still young. You’ve got the rest of this year of middle school and then three years of high school to try and figure it out.”

 

“Won’t I get left behind if my quirk interferes with my participation?” Izuku asked. 

 

Nezu hesitated for 30 seconds longer than Izuku expected. “Do you remember Eraserhead’s debut at all? I know you would have been very young and he wasn’t highly publicized.”

 

“Yeah, I do. His first fight was recorded. He didn’t use his quirk that I could see,” Izuku said, remembering the news coverage he’d rewatched many times since then. 

 

“He was 19 but he’d spent most of the first year after graduation setting up his agency. What did you think of his skill?” Nezu asked. 

 

“He was as skilled in combat as any seasoned pro that had been on the scene at least five years,” Izuku assessed. 

 

“Would it surprise you to know that he spent his first year doing the bare minimum of what was expected of him?” Nezu asked, eyes gleaming. “That for the first half of his second year, he started to doubt he even wanted to be a hero at all? He only started seriously training in the second semester of his second year.”

 

“But then he only got…” Izuku trailed off confused. 

 

“He caught up, Izuku. Yes, you are a decade behind your peers in quirk control, but you can always catch up. If he can, you can too. You just need to put in the effort.” Izuku smiled at the encouragement. 

 

“Wait,” Izuku gave Nezu a curious look. “What made him change his mind?”

 

“That, you’ll have to ask him about,” Nezu said sadly. “But anyway, shall we get started?”

 

“Yes, please!”

Notes:

Nezu: French, Spanish, Korean. Pick one!
Izuku: ...wtf kind of test is this?

Super random but: I did some google searching to establish when the entrance exam is (Feb 26th) and how the Japanese school year is set up. I've figured out the timeline. Not enough to give actual dates since we don't know exactly when this all is happening. But I've figured out as far as months and weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 of a month. I can safely say that Izuku was found sometime between April 26th and April 30th. The only time actual dates might be mentioned in the story is birthdays and holidays.

I can't actually show y'all my little timeline because there's a lot of spoilers but as long as you know I made it and I'm weirdly proud of it, that's enough.

Should I go ahead and add the ships I'll be using to the story tags now or would you guys like them to stay a surprise and I'll add them as they appear?

The real question is how long can I make this story before it starts getting annoying?

Chapter 28: Family Therapy

Notes:

Spoiler: I don't know when this happens in the manga or if it's from the vigilantes series but I mention a character that's not in the anime yet. I don't explain the story, I just say his name. (Just the first section here.)

TW: If you know said character's story, it might be triggering for some people. Also, Mitsuki being a shitty parent.

“Aizawa? Can I ask you something?” Izuku asked after dinner. 

 

“Of course,” Shouta answered. 

 

“Nezu told me a little bit about when you attended UA.” Shouta tried not to visibly stiffen. “Because I was worried about getting left behind, so he told me about how you had to catch up too. When I asked what changed for you, he said I should ask you?” 

 

Hizashi was at the radio station still. “I, uh.”

 

“You don’t have to tell me if it’s hard to talk about,” Izuku said quietly. Shouta could see guilt forming in his eyes. 

 

“No, it’s fine. It’s just. Here, come sit down,” he instructed patting the space on the couch next to himself. “It’s just a sad memory for me. Let me tell you about my friend Oboro.”

 

---

 

Katsuki had to admit, he felt a little more ready for this thanks to that session with Izuku at UA. So here he was, fairly calm, with his dad sitting between him and his mom. Across from them, a petite blonde with grey streaks in her hair sat ready to judge them. Well, no. She specifically said she didn’t judge. But Katsuki had already forgotten her name and he was sure she’d judge him for at least that. 

 

“So, what would you say brings your family here today?” the therapist asked gently. 

 

“My brat has a discipline problem,” his mom blamed him without hesitation. Remember what Mic said, remember what Mic said, Katsuki chanted to himself. He focused on keeping his breathing level. Mic had taught him breathing exercises that kind of help with his anger. They don’t work all the time but they at least help him take a moment to decide if it’s worth lashing out. 

 

“What Mitsuki means to say,” Katsuki’s eyes snapped to his father. Was he seriously going to correct his wife? “Is that she and Katsuki have a rough relationship. There’s room for improvement on both their parts.”

 

“Do you agree with that, Katsuki-kun?” the therapist finally addressed him. 

 

“Uh, yeah. I have a lot of anger issues to work through,” he admitted. His mom scoffed. 

 

“Do you disagree with that, Mitsuki-san?”

 

“No, he does.” The therapist gave her a look that asked her to elaborate. Mom clicked her tongue. “I’m just a little annoyed that he’s pulling some good boy act to get on your good side. That was way too polite for my brat.”

 

“Hun, you can’t get mad at him when he’s rude but then act passive-aggressive when he’s polite,” his dad sighed. Hm. Dad grew some balls, Katsuki thought.

 

“He’s just doing this to make me look bad,” she insisted. Katsuki slouched in his seat. Therapy with Izuku was so much easier. At this point, he just wanted to go home. 

 

“Katsuki-kun, would you say your goal is to make her look bad?” the therapist asked. 

 

“Of course he’ll say no if you ask him like that,” his mom snapped. 

 

“Mitsuki-san, I asked your son. Please let him talk.” Katsuki perked up a little. He liked this lady. She was tiny and old but not even slightly afraid of his mom. The therapist returned her attention to him, likely waiting for his response. 

 

“No. I just want to be better.” A disbelieving laugh from his mom. “I already went to a therapy session recently with a friend I hurt.”

 

“Terrorized,” his mom interrupted. 

 

“One moment, Katsuki-kun,” the therapist smiled at him before turning at his mom. “Mitsuki-san, I am not above kicking you out for the duration of this session if you continue to interrupt the other people in attendance of this session. This includes commentary and derisive noises.”

 

“Mitsuki, please,” his dad said before she could tear into the therapist. “The point of therapy is to talk through our problems. If he’s willing to talk, let him.”

 

“Fine,” she relented, folding her arms against her chest. 

 

“Please continue, Katsuki-kun,” the therapist prompted gently. That just happened. Shit.

 

“Uh, so. Like I was saying I went to therapy with my friend already. We were able to start hanging out again because of it. His dads,” That’s basically what they are, right? “, suggested that I do something to get rid of all the anger. Something physical, I mean. So one of them is going to train me for the UA entrance exams and then my friend and I are going to clean a beach. We’ve already started cleaning and it’s pretty tiring.”

 

“Those are both very positive coping mechanisms,” the therapist praised softly. “Is there anything else you’d like to work on in therapy? Other than anger management?”

 

“Expressing myself. Blowing things up isn’t working.” He glanced up in time to see her confused expression. “Explosion quirk.”

 

She gave him a look of understanding before turning to his dad. “What would you like to work on in therapy Masaru-san?”

 

“I would like to learn to be less passive and take a more active role in my family,” he told her easily. 

 

“Sometimes avoidance of conflict can have negative effects. It’s good to acknowledge.” She turned her attention to his mom. “Mitsuki-san?”

 

“I already stopped hitting him. I’m not going to just let him run wild,” his mom barked. The therapist frowned. 

 

---

 

To Izuku: 

It didn’t go well. Ask your dads if I can sleepover.

 

To Izuku:

Please.

 

From Izuku:

Are you safe right now?

 

To Izuku:

Yeah. She’s just yelling at me. 

 

From Izuku: 

Aizawa’s gonna come get you. He’s closer.

 

From Izuku:

I already sent him your address. 15 minutes tops.

 

To Izuku:

Keep talking to me until he gets here?

 

From Izuku: 

Of course. What made her mad?

 

To Izuku:

I told her how I thought Inko was a better mother.

 

From Izuku: 

Oof. Straight for the kill. 

 

To Izuku:

When do I ever do things halfway?

 

From Izuku:

How’d your dad react?

 

To Izuku: 

He cried.

 

From Izuku:

I’ll ask Mic if he can make spicy curry

 

To Izuku:

You don’t have to do that

 

From Izuku: 

Too late. He started :P

 

To Izuku: 

Thanks

 

From Izuku:

Any time Kacchan

 

From Izuku:

You packed or are you too wrapped up with me?

 

To Izuku:

Haha very funny

 

From Izuku:

I am very funny. Bring a movie

 

To Izuku:

Okay

 

To Izuku:

I think he’s here. See you soon

 

---

 

Shouta was not one to lie. When he got to the Bakugous' house, he told the woman flat-out that he was taking the boy for the night so she could calm down. Apparently realizing he contacted someone outside the house for a breather was a shock to her. She let Bakugou go without much argument. 

 

"Get your shit together," he'd growled at her after sending Bakugou to the car. Then on the drive home, Bakugou actually apologized for asking for help. Shouta made it clear that he did the right thing. Leaving a high-stress situation is always better than staying and waiting to see if it escalates or not. 

 

When they first got home, Izuku took the blonde to his room to put his stuff away. They stayed and talked in there for a little while. Shouta was pretty sure he heard Bakugou crying. He stayed in the kitchen with his husband, not wanting to intrude on Bakugou’s moment of vulnerability. That kid desperately needed to express his feelings, and Shouta was not about to compromise it now that he finally was. 

 

Sure enough, Bakugou came out with red-rimmed eyes. Neither adult said a damn thing about it. Instead, Shouta got glasses of water for both of them. Bakugou probably needed water after crying but he didn’t want to single the kid out. 

 

Now the two teens were curled up on the couch together watching… a documentary. Not what he expected teenagers to pick, but these two are weird for teens. He’d leave them alone until dinner was ready. 

 

---

 

From Angry Problem Child:

Thanks for letting me sleepover. She apologized when I got home after school. 

 

To Angry Problem Child:

Good. You're welcome.

Notes:

Mitsuki: oh shit. Inko kicked her kid out but mine ran away...

Maybe she'll calm tf down now, yeah? Wake up call for Mistuki or does she need something more?

I've never liked how she treats him in canon. (Deep breaths, Kai...)

Sad Bakugou/Soft Aizawa moment. He gave the kid his number, of course.

Chapter 29: A Little Support

“I can’t wait to see this,” Midnight purred, walking hand in hand with Izuku. She insisted on holding his hand. “It’s all Higari has been talking about.”

 

“I am also quite eager to see what he and his students have come up with,” Nezu agreed from the other side of Izuku. Mic and Aizawa trailed behind them. 

 

“You don’t seem very excited, little listener,” Mic commented. 

 

“I didn’t know I was getting a support item until like 20 minutes ago,” Izuku admitted. “I’m processing it still.”

 

“You were supposed to tell him, Nezu,” Aizawa sighed in exasperation. 

 

“I got distracted,” Nezu grinned. 

 

“Yeah, talking about my UA days,” Aizawa said, narrowing his eyes. 

 

“And we’re here!” Nezu chirped, avoiding the subject. They headed into a classroom that was more science lab meets engineering workshop than a classroom. 

 

“Great! You’re here. Let me show you what the students came up with,” a man, presumably Power Loader, said as he approached them. Izuku tried to look at what he held in his hands but instead, he saw his fingers .

 

---

 

“You were not kidding,” Higari commented as the boy promptly lost focus and went on a rant. 

 

“Woah, that’s so cool!”

“It really is involuntary.” 

“Is Power Loader’s power level really that high?”

“Aw, he’s adorable!”

“Do you think he’ll do me next?” 

 

“I hope the glasses help him!”

"I wish I could do that."

 

---

 

Izuku came back to the ruckus that is a classroom of students all talking at the same time. He took in a breath to try and keep tears at bay. The noise was overwhelming and his body decided crying would help for some reason. 

 

“That’s enough. Quiet down,” Power Loader hushed his class. He turned back to Izuku. “Are you ready to see what they made for you?” Izuku nodded, not trusting his own voice. 

 

The man held up a pair of glasses. They looked pretty normal. “I’ll let the student’s that worked on it explain,” he said, chuckling lightly at Izuku’s confusion. A girl with pale blue hair bounded up, followed by a boy with red, curly hair and a girl with gray hair and white horns. 

 

New confusion bloomed when her horns didn’t set off his quirk. “Well! That answers that question!” the girl with blue hair said brightly. 

 

“What question?” Izuku asked. 

 

“We weren’t sure if all mutations affected you. Do you only analyze mutations related to a quirk or do you analyze inherited mutant features as well? Misa-chan here inherited her horns from her mom but her quirk is ice breath. So now we know,” the girl explained, barely stopping to take a breath. 

 

The other girl, Misa spoke up. “Um, for your quirk, the manifestation point is your eyes. Blocking your eyes or showing you a reflection prevents your quirk from activating.”

 

“I wanted to put a mirror visor on you,” the first girl admitted. “The trial run didn’t go well.” A shudder ran through the whole class at the memory. 

 

“What we came up with instead is basically high-tech transition lenses,” the boy chimed in.

 

“Transition… lenses…?” Izuku tilted his head.  

 

“Those are lenses that react to sunlight and darken like sunglasses automatically. Then it returns to normal once you’re out of the sun,” the boy supplied. 

 

“But we modified it!” the jumpy girl exclaimed. “It goes completely black and will cut off your field of vision. And! Instead of reacting to the sun, it reacts to quirk factor cells. So when your quirk activates, it’ll read that, and then the lenses will go black.”

 

“Then there was the issue of the original trigger still being in your line of sight,” Misa prompted. 

 

“Right! So we programmed them to have a 15-second delay once your quirk deactivates. That should give you enough time to regain awareness and close your eyes or turn away from the trigger,” the first girl smiled.

 

“Nezu mentioned that you wanted to be a hero when he dropped off the work request, so we made sure to make them out of durable materials,” the boy spoke up. “There are grips on the inner side of the frames to keep them from falling off, but if they do you can stomp on them and they’ll be fine. We checked.”

 

"I hurt my foot," someone grumbled nearby. 

 

“And we made them as normal looking as possible. You can get something cooler designed later for your hero costume but this version is perfect for daily wear,” Misa said shyly. 

 

Izuku couldn’t help his tears at that point. The three students looked a little startled until he spoke. “You really think I can be a hero?”

 

The jumpy girl relaxed first. “Of course! I’ve seen people with waaay less impressive quirks make it into the hero course. You are so much more qualified already and! You have Eraserhead training you, I’ve heard.” She winked at Aizawa, who noticeably bristled. 

 

“Go ahead and try them on,” Midnight prompted, taking the glasses from Power Loader to hand them to Izuku. He put them on after wiping his eyes. 

 

“Are they comfortable? Don’t sit too high on your nose?” the first girl asked. Izuku shook his head. 

 

“It’s comfortable,” he assured them. 

 

“Alright! Misa-chan?” the girl clapped. Izuku watched as Misa took a breath. He just saw the beginning of frost in the air when things got fuzzy. But then things were black. Not a blackout. Just black. He was still aware!

 

He looked down towards the ground. “You here, kid?” he heard Aizawa ask. The lenses faded back to normal as he opened his mouth to respond. 

 

“I am. It worked!” The class cheered and the jumpy girl hugged him. Izuku was honestly too happy to mind the noise or the touch. 

 

“No more spacing out for you, cutie,” Midnight said, tapping his nose. Izuku just beamed up at her. He wouldn’t lose time anymore. Not that anyone noticed before Aizawa and Mic, but it was dangerous. He felt a whole lot safer now. 

 

Izuku and the teachers accompanying him thanked the class and Power Loader. They left to go home after getting care instructions and the three students’ business cards.

 

---

 

“Since when do you need glasses?” Kacchan asked, doing a double-take when they met up at the beach. Today was a Saturday so they had a lot more time to clean. They were also accompanied by Aizawa while Mic was on patrol. 

 

“I don’t. They aren’t for seeing,” Izuku answered cheerfully, still excited from yesterday. 

 

“A fashion choice then?” Kacchan gave him an odd look. 

 

“For. Not. Seeing!” Izuku exclaimed before booping Kacchan on the nose. 

 

“What the fuck?” he heard Kacchan mutter as he hopped over to his end table seat. “I don’t get it,” Kacchan admitted as he caught up. 

 

“Remember how I disassociate?” Izuku asked brightly. Kacchan nodded, looking confused. “These can tell when I do that. The lenses turn black like if someone covered my eyes.”

 

“So that you’ll snap out of it without help,” Kacchan guessed, catching on. 

 

“Yep! I can go out by myself now!” Izuku beamed.

 

“I did not agree to that,” Aizawa declared from his spot on the stairs a few meters away. 

 

“I can go out by myself eventually,” Izuku amended. Aizawa nodded in agreement. 

 

“Baby steps, nerd,” Kacchan smirked, before heading to the trash tower to get some stuff for Izuku to sort. Izuku looked around a bit while Kacchan did that and his eyes fell on a figure standing on the sidewalk above the beach. 

 

They had purple hair and looked like they were his age. He smiled and waved, but they shoved their hands in their pockets and walked away. 

 

“Who are you waving at?” Kacchan called. 

 

“I don’t know,” Izuku replied. He could practically hear the muttered ‘dumbass’ from here.

Notes:

Shorter chapter because I didn't see anything else to add.

Technically school is out, but these are 3rd-year support course students. As far as I'm concerned they live there. But no, really, they just stayed to see if the glasses would work.

If you have any questions about the glasses, let me know. I'll answer questions in the comments.

Back-to-back chapter update. Look at me go!

Chapter 30: Bad Memories

Notes:

TW: Discussion of rape, child abuse. (Not in detail.)

“What do you mean I can’t go in with him?” Aizawa demanded. Today, while Kacchan was at family therapy, Izuku was doing this. Hopefully, it would go better for Kacchan this time. 

 

“The memories we will be reviewing are not something you’ll want to see,” the officer explained. 

 

“Oh, but he has to relive them?” Aizawa snapped. Izuku flinched at the pure rage in his voice. 

 

“Our memory specialist is able to draw them out in a way that is like a film being fast-forwarded. He should only be able to see flashes during the process,” the officer tried to calm the furious hero. 

 

“You mean like a fucking PTSD flashback,” Aizawa growled, hair rising.  

 

“Please, sir, you agreed to this,” the officer sighed, sounding way too tired of his job. 

 

“I thought I’d be in there with him,” Aizawa retorted. 

 

“Sho, let’s ask Izuku if he’s okay with this. Okay?” Mic stepped in, trying to calm his husband. “If he’s not we forget it and go home.”

 

“Fine,” Aizawa relented, letting his hair fall. 

 

Mic crouched to Izuku’s level. “Are you okay doing this without me or Sho? I know Tsukauchi explained what would happen already but we can ask someone to go over it with you again if you need.”

 

“No, it’s okay. I remember,” Izuku said quietly. 

 

“Sho and I will be right out here. You can ask them to stop anytime you need. You also don’t have to do this if you don’t want to though,” Mic stressed patiently. 

 

“If I do this, they’ll go to jail?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Your memories will be considered evidence,” the officer informed him. “Sometimes, defendants try to challenge them, but it usually doesn’t get far. They will also act as your testimony. The judge has determined that due to the number of individual trials you’d have to attend to testify, she will accept the memories pulled by the specialist instead. You won’t have to be at any of the trials.”

 

“That’s not a yes,” Izuku mumbled. 

 

“I can’t say for sure. But I have personally never seen anyone receive a ‘not guilty’ verdict in cases like this when memories are used in court,” the officer said reassuringly. 

 

“Then I’ll do it,” Izuku decided. 

 

“We’ll be right here if you need us, kid,” Aizawa reiterated as the officer led Izuku into the room with the memory specialist.

 

---

 

“Mitsuki-san. In your own words, why do you think you are combative with your son?” 

 

Katsuki’s mom glared at the therapist. “I’m not combative.”

 

The therapist took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts. “By your own admission, it took a pro hero threatening to request a wellness check for you to stop hitting your son. Then, after our session last week, rather than asking Katsuki-kun to clarify his feelings with a mediator present, you waited until you’d gone home to yell at him. Yelling which caused him to reach out to the same pro hero and ask to spend the night at their home.”

 

“I apologized for that,” his mom defended. 

 

“Yes, but it took him running away for you to give that apology. You seem to only give up combative behavior or apologize for it when you feel your hand has been forced,” the therapist assessed. 

 

“He didn’t run away. He spent the night at a friend’s house,” his mom retorted. 

 

“To get away from you,” the therapist pointed out. 

 

“So what? I did that all the time when I was his age.” Katsuki looked over at her because he didn’t know that. 

 

“You also stayed with friends to avoid your home life?” the therapist clarified. 

 

“My dad disciplined me. I didn’t like it. I’d leave because I was a brat,” his mom scoffed. “There’s not that much to it.”

 

“Did your father’s discipline also include physical abuse?” the therapist asked calmly. 

 

“It’s not abuse,” his mom sputtered. “It’s a correction.”

 

“It is abuse,” the therapist insisted. His mom narrowed her eyes.

 

“It’s normal,” his mom said, taking on a defensive posture.

 

“I’m sorry, but it isn’t. And it’s not okay,” the therapist said bluntly. 

 

---

 

Shouta and Hizashi stood when the door finally opened. Izuku came out with tears rolling down his face. He wasn’t sobbing at least. If anything he looked a little numb. 

 

“Hey, little listener. How’d it go?” Hizashi asked, pulling Izuku into a hug. 

 

“It sucked,” Izuku replied sullenly. 

 

“Ice cream or home?” Hizashi asked gently. 

 

“Home,” Izuku responded. 

 

“Go ahead and take him to the car,” Shouta whispered. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Hizashi nodded and led Izuku out of the station. Shouta turned to the officer. “How bad was it?”

 

“Well anything like this is inherently awful,” the officer started. Shouta nodded in agreement. “Nothing… extra horrifying happened. It was all pretty standard I suppose, as far as sex crimes go. But the repetition, I think, made it that much worse. The other officer in there nearly threw up towards the end. I’m pretty nauseated myself and I’ve been working on these kinds of cases for over a decade now.”

 

“Alright. Thank you,” Shouta said, his chest tight. The officer nodded as Shouta left to join his family. 

 

---

 

From Kacchan:

How’d that police thing go?

 

To Kacchan:

Well enough I guess

 

From Kacchan:

You guess?

 

To Kacchan: 

They got the memories they needed from me

 

From Kacchan:

But?

 

To Kacchan:

I feel really fucking sick and depressed now

 

From Kacchan:

Can you take another mental health day tomorrow?

 

To Kacchan:

Probably

 

From Kacchan: 

Do that then. I’ll take notes for you. 

 

To Kacchan:

Thanks, Kacchan

 

From Kacchan: 

Want me to leave you alone?

 

To Kacchan: 

No. Tell me about your therapy today.

 

To Kacchan:

If you want I mean

 

From Kacchan:

Get this. My grandpa’s a fucking dick

 

To Kacchan:

Was… your grandpa there?

 

From Kacchan:

No. He came up. Mom’s dad. 

 

From Kacchan:

All the hitting and yelling, he did to her first

 

From Kacchan:

The therapist called it learned behavior

 

To Kacchan:

So your mom is the way she is because that’s all she knew?

 

From Kacchan: 

Apparently. 

 

From Kacchan:

The therapist had me explain why I thought Inko was better.

 

From Kacchan:

I told her how Inko was nice to both of us but mom was only nice to you

 

From Kacchan: 

When I said I thought she loved you more, she cried

 

To Kacchan:

Did she say anything?

 

From Kacchan:

You wanna know if she loves you more? :P

 

To Kacchan:

No :( I want to know why she cried

 

From Kacchan:

She said she didn’t realize I didn’t think she loved me

 

From Kacchan:

There were a lot of apologies

 

From Kacchan:

She’s going to actually try in therapy now

 

To Kacchan:

Good! And you too?

 

From Kacchan:

Yeah me too, nerd

 

From Kacchan:

Are we still cleaning the beach on Thursday?

 

To Kacchan:

Yeah. I have therapy tomorrow so I should be fine by then.

 

---

 

Izuku spent the rest of the day watching movies and texting Kacchan. He asked if he’d be able to stay home tomorrow and they both agreed he could. When Aizawa decided to go to sleep since he was still going to UA the next day, Mic asked if Izuku wanted to sleep with them again. He’d stopped a little while ago because the nightmares stopped for the most part. 

 

He told Mic he didn’t want to sleep at all. Mic proposed ‘living room camping’ then. Which was just a continuation of the movie marathon with the addition of a blanket fort. They had to rearrange some furniture to make it happen, and they stole pretty much all the linens in the apartment, but they did it. Izuku was pretty sure he’d never made a blanket fort before.

 

Kacchan had stopped texting him a few hours ago, probably because he passed out. Mic finally fell asleep around 2 am. Izuku managed to make it until 4 am before he inevitably passed out too. He stirred briefly when Aizawa came out to get ready. He probably would have slept through it except Aizawa came over to cover him better with the blankets. 

 

He fell back asleep to the feeling of Aizawa petting his hair.

 

---

 

Izuku's Glasses :)

Notes:

Subpar chapter for all the babies

The next chapter will be better. I promise.

Chapter 31: Friend or Foe?

Izuku did not see the purple kid at all the Monday after he first spotted him. It was Thursday so he and Kacchan were back at the beach cleaning. Maybe he’d spot him this time. 

 

“What are you looking for?” Kacchan asked as Izuku scanned the sidewalk above the beach for the dozenth time. 

 

“That kid I saw,” Izuku answered before turning to pull a toaster off of the pile. He’d been cleared to walk around and pick up small things. He still had to rest a lot though. 

 

“Why?” Kacchan scoffed before blasting a broken chair into smaller pieces. Technically, he was not supposed to use his quirk like that but Mic said he’d vouch for them. 

 

“Maybe he can be our friend,” Izuku smiled. Kacchan gave him a look he couldn’t quite read. 

 

“Why do we need another friend?” Kacchan frowned. 

 

“Well, we don’t need one. I just thought it’d be nice,” Izuku said, placing the toaster to the side with some other appliances that looked functional. He wanted to see if they worked. If they did, he’d clean them up and donate them to people that need them. 

 

“Because I’m not nice?” Kacchan asked, looking uncertain. Oh.  

 

“No, that’s not what I mean. You’re getting much better, Kacchan,” Izuku assured him. “It’s just that different people have different personalities. It’s good to be able to adapt to different people I think.”

 

“You think?” Kacchan prompted. 

 

“Yeah. Because when I…” Izuku stopped and restarted. “I met a lot of different people while I was homeless. Interacting with people with such different personalities made it easier to read people and uh…”

 

“And what?” Kacchan asked quickly. 

 

“So this will sound bad, but um. Easier to manipulate them,” Izuku said, feeling his face heat up with shame. 

 

“For what?” Kacchan gave him a look of confusion. 

 

Izuku started pulling at his hair. “I had to beg for food a lot. Or lie to people to keep them from calling the police when they thought I was a runaway. Things like that.”

 

“Okay, so you did what you had to for survival,” Kacchan concluded, pulling Izuku’s hand away from his hair. “Don’t stress yourself out about it.”

 

Izuku mumbled something unintelligible. “By the way, you’re purple guy is up there.” Izuku whirled around and yes! He was! 

 

“Hey!” he called. The guy started walking away. “No, wait!” 

 

Izuku ran up the stairs past Mic and after the kid. Mic said something as he passed but he was on a mission! When the kid noticed Izuku running after him he started running too. Izuku was already out of breath. Damn this malnutrition…

 

An explosion sounded from the beach and Kacchan appeared over the railing. Did he just scale the wall with his quirk? Izuku wondered as Kacchan cut off the purple kid. Izuku caught up and put his hands on his knees to keep himself from just keeling over. 

 

“Hold on,” he huffed out, trying to catch his breath. 

 

“Holy shit, nerd. You are not passing the exam like that,” Kacchan commented. 

 

“Shut. Up,” Izuku said between breaths. “Working. On it.”

 

The purple kid didn’t say anything but he must have motioned towards Izuku or something because Kacchan spoke as if answering a question. “Yeah, he’s fine. He’s recovering from something so he’s a little weak right now.”

 

Izuku straightened up, still feeling a little shakey but more or less in control of his breathing. “I’m getting better,” he defended. “I wanted to talk to you.”

 

The purple guy didn’t say anything but motioned to himself with a questioning look. “Do you know sign language?” Kacchan asked suddenly. The guy nodded. Izuku vaguely remembered Uncle Masaru teaching him and Kacchan sign language after Kacchan’s quirk came in. Izuku didn’t get very far in the lessons before his parents started keeping him home. 

 

“Cool. I’ll translate then,” Kacchan decided. He looked at Izuku. “Make your demands.”

 

“They aren’t demands,” Izuku insisted. “I just noticed you watching us before. I was wondering if maybe you’d like to come and hang out with us? You can help clean the beach if you want but you can also just watch.”

 

The guy signed something and true to his word, Kacchan translated. “He asks why?”

 

“I thought maybe we could be friends,” Izuku smiled. The guy frowned and signed something else. 

 

“He says you won’t want to be his friend,” Kacchan supplied before asking on his own. “Why?” The guy signed again. “He says he has a dangerous quirk.”

 

Izuku eyed the guy, taking a moment to focus on his stats. He had pretty low power and speed. Really, he didn’t give off the impression of being all that dangerous. “I’ll take my chances. Kacchan has bombs for hands.”

 

As if to prove Izuku’s point, Kacchan let off a controlled explosion. The guy seemed hesitant but signed something else. “He wants to know why we’re cleaning the beach.”

 

“Oh! I used to--” Izuku cut himself off before he said ‘sleep here.’ “Live around here. And I thought it was awful that people dump trash here. It’s not even legal. I think it’d be beautiful if it was clean.”

 

“Plus, it makes good strength and stamina training,” Kacchan added. 

 

“Will you come with us?” Izuku asked. The guy looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. “Awesome! What’s your name?”

 

“Shinsou Hitoshi,” Kacchan translated while the guy signed much slower. Izuku recognized it as fingerspelling from the lessons he was there for. “I’m Bakugou Katsuki.”

 

“My name is Izuku Midoriya!” Izuku chimed in. “And my…”

 

“Dad?” Kacchan interjected. 

 

“Mic.” Izuku corrected, which drew an odd look from Shinsou. “His name is Yamada Hizashi.” 

 

They all looked toward the blonde man peeking over the top of the stairs. If Aizawa was with them, Izuku is sure he would have followed them the whole way. Mic tries to give him space, which he appreciates. Though to be fair, Aizawa had Izuku snatched away with only a few meters between them. It’s understandable.

 

Shinsou followed them back to the beach, pausing to introduce himself to Mic. It turns out Mic knew sign language too. Izuku was supposed to be learning French but maybe he could ask Mic to teach him sign language at the same time. 

 

When they got back to the trash tower, Shinsou signed something else and Kacchan barked out a laugh. 

 

“What?” Izuku asked. 

 

“He wants to know if your contagious,” Kacchan snickered. 

 

“Oh,” Izuku turned to Shinsou. “No, I was just extremely malnourished when Mic and Aizawa took me in. It’s been a little less than two months since I moved in with them. I’m still getting my strength back.”

 

“Foster kid?” Kacchan translated the quick reply. 

 

“Well, no. Not exactly. The orphanage won’t take in quirkless kids. I doubt foster families would either,” Izuku mused aloud. 

 

“Homeless kid,” Kacchan answered for him, patting Izuku’s head. 

 

“You’re quirkless?” a voice, Shinsou asked. Izuku opened his mouth to reply but before he could, Shinsou’s hand covered his mouth. He looked panicked. Izuku felt panicked because of his hand. 

 

“Get the fuck off him,” Kacchan growled. Shinsou released his mouth and signed something quickly. Kacchan narrowed his eyes. 

 

“What’d he say?” Izuku asked. 

 

“He said he’s not supposed to ask questions because of his quirk,” Kacchan answered. 

 

“Is that why you don’t talk? Because of your quirk?” Izuku questioned. Shinsou nodded. That didn’t seem right. When Shinsou spoke, Izuku’s quirk didn’t activate. Are there activation requirements? What’s the requirement then? He specifically mentioned questions. Maybe questions are the requirement. But he already asked one. He didn’t let me answer. Maybe it’s the answer. Responding to his question could be the activation requirement. 

 

“Oi, nerd. You’re mumbling,” Kacchan interrupted, snapping his fingers. 

 

“Sorry,” he turned his attention to Shinsou. “Is the activation requirement a response to a question?” Shinsou’s mouth opened and closed a few times. He looked like he wanted to ask ‘how?’ or ‘what the hell?’

 

“You get used to it,” Kacchan smirked. 

 

“It’s an emitter quirk then!” Izuku concluded, still focused on the quirk. “Mental most likely with voice activation. But what would you need voice activation for? Call and response.” He noticed Mic approaching them but it didn’t quite register. “Mind reading or mind control?” 

 

“Little listener, are your glasses working?” Shinsou turned his baffled look from Izuku to Mic and back. 

 

“I’m okay. I’m just guessing,” Izuku answered. 

 

“That’s guessing?” Shinsou asked, forgetting his own warning. Izuku once again went to reply and Shinsou once again slapped his hand over Izuku’s mouth. Izuku’s response was instinctual. 

 

“You… licked me,” Shinsou grimaced as he pulled his hand away. 

 

“Sorry. I don’t like people holding my face,” Izuku said while Kacchan laughed. “Um, anyway. If it’s just questions, why don’t you talk in general?”

 

“People don’t like when I do. Brainwashing. It’s a villain’s quirk,” Shinsou answered. 

 

“Here we go,” Kacchan muttered under his breath.

 

“No such thing,” Izuku replied immediately. “How’s it work? They answer a question and you can what?”

 

“They become suggestible. For me at least,” Shinsou answered. 

 

“Okay, so you could stop a fight before it even starts. Sounds like a hero to me. You could also keep someone from hurting themselves. You could take control of someone who’s too panicked to get themselves to safety or accept help. If you can get it to work over the phone, you’d be the best hostage negotiator.”

 

“Okay, Izuku. Stop. You made him cry,” Kacchan scolded. Izuku looked and sure enough, Shinshou was fighting tears. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Izuku breathed in concern. 

 

“No one’s ever said I could be a hero before,” Shinsou sniffled. 

 

“Well, you can be,” Izuku declared, beaming at him.

Notes:

They're best friends now :)

Chapter 32: FUCKING GROUP CHAT

⇒ Welcome to ‘FUCKING GROUP CHAT’

⇒ Welcome to ‘FUCKING GROUP CHAT’

080-4564-769: Kacchan why

KING EXPLOSION: It’s a fucking group chat

⇒ 080-4564-769 changed their nickname to Green Bean!

Green Bean: I don’t know what I expected

KING EXPLOSION: Entirely your fault for letting me make it

Green Bean: I don’t know how! I’m new to phones.

⇒ 080-9378-287 changed their nickname to Purple Cat!

Purple Cat: If I get in trouble for the group name it’s your fault Bakugou

KING EXPLOSION: God dammit!

KING EXPLOSION: You guys name it then

Green Bean: Shinsou, do you like cats???

Purple Cat: Nah I hate them /s

Green Bean: Cat Chat???

Purple Cat: yes

⇒ KING EXPLOSION changed the group name to ‘CAT CHAT’

Green Bean: Do you have cats?

Purple Cat: no foster parents won’t let me

Green Bean: Do you like to see pictures of cats?

KING EXPLOSION: He means to say do you wanna see his cats

Purple Cat: yes, please

Green Bean: This one is Teriyaki. She posed.

Purple Cat: What a queen

KING EXPLOSION: hold on I never saw that one

Green Bean: she likes to sleep under Aizawa and Mic's bed

Purple Cat: she looks like she's about to end some bloodlines

Green Bean: she be fierce 

Green Bean: This is Kemuri. He will attack your feet

KING EXPLOSION: I can verify that

Purple Cat: He looks so sweet though

KING EXPLOSION: he's not

Green Bean: yes he is!

Green Bean: Just not when he's attacking feet. 

Green Bean: Lastly, this is Hana. She's my favorite 

KING EXPLOSION: You're lowkey her favorite

Purple Cat: oh wtf that's cute

KING EXPLOSION: no seriously.

KING EXPLOSION: anytime I come over this cat meets him at the door

KING EXPLOSION: will not leave his side

Green Bean: Because I cuddle her

Purple Cat: or because you're a cinnamon roll

Purple Cat: cats can sense that kind of thing

Green Bean: no wait (ᗒᗩᗕ)

KING EXPLOSION: Oh look he found emoticons

Purple Cat: That didn't take long

Green Bean: Mic showed me

KING EXPLOSION: of course he did

Green Bean: whats that mean?

KING EXPLOSION: he's the most expressive person I've met

Green Bean: ...

Green Bean: I can't argue with that

KING EXPLOSION: No you can not

Purple Cat: Hey, why do you call Yamada-san Mic?

KING EXPLOSION: yeah why nerd

Green Bean: ummmm lemme ask 

Purple Cat: you don't know???

Green Bean: no I do I just 

KING EXPLOSION: it's top-secret

Purple Cat: ...

Purple Cat: Is he Present Mic?

Green Bean: WHTA NO

Purple Cat: ...

Green Bean: okay maybe. 

Green Bean: he says please don't tell anyone

Purple Cat: I won't

Purple Cat: I don't think anyone would believe me tbh

Green Bean: shinsou (´•̥ ᵔ •̥`)

KING EXPLOSION: refocus on positive self-talk

Purple Cat: wtf

KING EXPLOSION: learned it in therapy

Purple Cat: Does it work???

KING EXPLOSION: fucking no

KING EXPLOSION: still trying it out though

Green Bean: takes time Kacchan

Green Bean: I gotta go! Nezu's ready for me

KING EXPLOSION: bye nerd

Purple Cat: Nezu as in principal of UA Nezu???

KING EXPLOSION: look at you asking so many questions

KING EXPLOSION: I'm so proud

Purple Cat: oh shut up. my quirk doesn't work over text

Purple Cat: UA Nezu?????

KING EXPLOSION: yes ua nezu

Purple Cat: whyyy

KING EXPLOSION: he's getting tutored

Purple Cat: for what? he's a freaking genius!

KING EXPLOSION: so he can get even more smarticle particles

Purple Cat: A terrifying thought. Truly. 

KING EXPLOSION: yeah, I agree

 

---

 

Seeing your friends at the beach on a nice Saturday afternoon? Zero dollars. 

 

Seeing you’re newest friend lose his mind because he’s a fan of your dad? Priceless.

 

Shinsou and Kacchan were already at the beach when Izuku and Aizawa got there. Shinsou froze when he saw Aizawa coming down the stairs behind Izuku. 

 

“Problem?” Aizawa asked when he got to the bottom of the stairs and Shinsou was just staring at him in awe, not moving. 

 

“You’re,” Shinshou squeaked, coughed, then tried again. “You’re Eraserhead.”

 

“Why do so many kids know who I am?” Aizawa muttered. He looked at Izuku. “I don’t remember a third child.”

 

“He’s new,” Izuku beamed. “This is Shinsou Hitoshi.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Shinsou,” Aizawa greeted. 

 

“It’s n-nice to meet you too, Eraserhead s-sir!” Shinsou stuttered. Kacchan looked amused with the situation. 

 

“Please, call me Aizawa. Especially in public,” Aizawa corrected. Shinsou nodded, looking vaguely like he may spontaneously combust. Aizawa looked back at Izuku. “You didn’t react like this.”

 

“I had nearly gotten shot when I met you,” Izuku pointed out. 

 

“You what?” Kacchan shouted. 

 

“Yes, I believe he told the shooter to ‘come at me, little bitch,’” Aizawa smirked. 

 

“Oh, and where was that attitude when I was being a dick to you?” Kacchan demanded.

 

“Somewhere behind my sentimentality for my childhood friend,” Izuku retorted. 

 

“I don’t even know what’s happening anymore,” Shinsou murmured quietly.

 

---

 

Hitoshi collapsed on the sand next to Midoriya’s end table. He was still reeling over the fact that he met his favorite hero Eraserhead. Not to mention, he was still processing the fact that he apparently had friends now. Friends that added him to a group chat. Friends that weren’t scared of his quirk. Friends who thought he could be a hero. 

 

Midoriya had said he was quirkless but Hitoshi got a distinct feeling that he was lying. There was no reason for Midoriya to lie and there was no reason for Hitoshi to think he was lying. Maybe it was just that quirklessness was so rare that it didn’t sound real. 

 

Tilting his head back to look at the boy in question, he could see Midoriya mumbling up a storm and scribbling away in his notebook. If he had any kind of quirk it was definitely an intelligence quirk. Hitoshi looked away from Midoriya to look back at the sky. 

 

Then there was Bakugou. There have been a few times when he’s either referenced therapy or alluded to being mean to Midoriya. Bullying him maybe. Whatever happened between them, they seem to be giving friendship another chance simply because they’ve known each other for years. Which is admirable in Hitoshi’s opinion. 

 

Hitoshi never had friends. Hell, even his own parents gave him up because they were scared of his quirk. He’d used it accidentally a month after his fourth birthday and they’d left him at the orphanage within another two months. Since then he’s been moved from foster home to foster home. 

 

Now he had two people, four if he included Yamada-san and Aizawa-san, who weren’t scared to talk to him. Maybe things would finally start getting better.

 

---

 

CAT CHAT

KING EXPLOSION: fuck the rain

Green Bean: stop pouting

Green Bean: we can go to the beach again Monday

Purple Cat: what's one day

KING EXPLOSION: no you don't understand

KING EXPLOSION: my mom has implemented game night

Green Bean: rip

Purple Cat: whats wrong with game night

Green Bean: nothing

Green Bean: it's game night with auntie mitsuki that's concerning

KING EXPLOSION: last game night I was 6

KING EXPLOSION: There's still an uno card lodged in the ceiling

Purple Cat: wtf

Green Bean: you blew up the monopoly board last time I was there

KING EXPLOSION: she cheated!

Green Bean: HOW?

KING EXPLOSION: I WAS 4 I DONT REMEMBER

Purple Cat: ffs I want to join game night pls

KING EXPLOSION: fucking okay

KING EXPLOSION: ill put a player on the board for you

Green Bean: what wait me too

Purple Cat: hell yeah

KING EXPLOSION: I'm the hat, mom's the dog, dad's the shoe. Pick

Green Bean: aw you got a new one

Purple Cat: CAT

Green Bean: I wanna be the boat ◜▿◝

KING EXPLOSION: okay lets do this

Notes:

I am not responsible for the chaos I will write now that a group chat element has been added.
I do apologize in advance though.

Chapter 33: S.O.S.

Notes:

TW: Child abuse. Cruel/inhumane treatment of a child.

They almost didn’t let him go today. Not after he was late for curfew on Monday. Two weeks of having friends. That’s how long it took to slip up. He was having fun. He wasn’t watching his phone. He didn’t get home until 20 minutes after his curfew. 

 

Today, he was sure he wouldn’t screw up. He even left the beach a little earlier than he had to just to make sure he’d get home in time. And he did. He made it through the door 10 minutes before he technically needed to be. 

 

And yet, his foster parents stood just inside the door waiting for him. He tried to think back and remember if they gave him any new chores or if they asked him to run an errand. He couldn’t think of anything. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he waited for them to speak first.

 

“Your school called,” his foster father said with a deep glare. “They said you started a fight today.” His mind flashed to the snarky girl and the two boys that followed her around. She had a powerful healing quirk. If his quirk made him a villain, hers made her a saint. 

 

She and her boys had cornered him before lunch and carried on with their usual verbal harassment. Nothing new. But because he’d gotten so used to responding to Midoriya and Bakugou, he snarked back at one point. The bitch wound her hands in his hair and yanked. 

 

A teacher found them and broke them up. She had a bruise on one of her arms from where he tried to pry her hands out of his hair. The teacher hadn’t done much more than glare at him and mutter ‘villain’ under his breath, so Shinsou thought nothing more would come of it. 

 

Hitoshi shook his head. “Are you calling your teacher a liar?” his foster mother demanded. “Because we saw the bruise on that poor girl’s arms. It’s bad enough that you have a villain’s quirk, but now you’re physically assaulting people too?”

 

He had to bite his tongue to keep from responding. “You were also late for curfew on Monday,” his foster father pointed out. “What kept you out? Did you join a gang or something?”

 

“Why would I do that?” Hitoshi snapped, paling when the weight of what just came out of his mouth caught up with him. Looking up, their mouths were shut and fury filled their expressions. He was not supposed to ask questions. They didn’t like it when he talked but it wasn’t outright banned. Questions were.

 

Without another word, his foster mother turned and headed for the hall closet. “Wait, please!” Hitoshi pleaded, knowing exactly what she was heading there for. “I didn’t mean to!”

 

“Then think of this as a refresher of the rules,” his foster father stated icily. 

 

---

 

Hitoshi leaned against a wall to catch his breath. The metallic flavor of his own blood filled his mouth. He fought with the restraints locked around his head and neck, stopping when his efforts only served to dig the metal components further into his skin. 

 

Stupid stupid stupid. He’d panicked and run out of the house without paying attention to where he was. If he had just stayed put, they would have taken it off eventually. They have to take it off before school in the morning at the latest. Now he was outside at 9 p.m., god knows where, and vulnerable. 

 

Maybe. Maybe Midoriya can? What can Midoriya do? Tell Eraser. Tell Aizawa-san. Tears stung his eyes at the thought of his hero seeing this. He never actually told Aizawa-san what his quirk was. Yamada-san may have overheard Midoriya, but he wasn’t sure. 

 

When the salt of his tears burned the open wounds on his cheeks, he conceded. He needed help. Pulling out his phone, he texted Midoriya privately. Not through the group chat. 

 

To Midoriya:

Can I ask for a favor?

 

From Midoriya:

Of course? What do you need?

 

To Midoriya: 

I need help

 

From Midoriya: 

What happened? Are you okay?

 

To Midoriya:

I don’t know where I am

 

A group of younger men, maybe in their 20’s walked by, laughing amongst themselves. He was way too exposed here. He ventured down the closest alleyway and ducked behind some palettes. This should be safer. 

 

---

 

Mic and Aizawa were already pulling on their shoes when that last text came in. “He doesn’t know where he is,” Izuku exclaimed, fairly panicked. Mic was at his side in a second, taking his phone. Aizawa came over to coax Izuku into the light jacket he was required to wear even though it was summer. 

 

He was ushered out the door and Mic followed them, handing back his phone when they got down to the car. Izuku looked through the exchange. 

 

To Shinsou: 

Hey LL, it’s Yamada. Your phone should be able to send a location pin. 

 

To Shinsou:

It should be under where you can attach media. It’ll give you the option for places.

 

To Shinsou:

If you chose ‘my location’ it will send your exact GPS location

 

From Shinshou:

My Location Sent! >>LINK<<

 

To Shinsou: 

We’ll be there soon LL. I’m giving the phone back to Izuku now.

 

From Shinsou:

I’m sorry

 

To Shinsou: 

No! No being sorry! (Izuku again btw)

 

From Shinsou:

It’s my fault

 

To Shinsou: 

What happened?

 

From Shinsou:

This wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t ask a question

 

To Shinsou: 

What wouldn’t have? Did someone hurt you?

 

Izuku couldn’t pull an answer from Shinsou. Instead, he kept apologizing. When Mic pulled up to the curb, Izuku was the first one to hop out. “Shinsou?”

 

All he got in response was distant, soft whining. He followed to the source of the sound into an alley. He could hear Aizawa and Mic following behind him. He could see Shinsou’s sneakers poking out from behind some palettes and he rushed over. 

 

Shinsou was sitting on the ground, curled into himself. Sniffling indicated he was crying, but most of his face was obscured by a muzzle. Someone muzzled him!

 

“Sho,” Mic gasped, outrage and hurt bleeding into his voice. Both adults crouched down, Aizawa at Shinsou’s side, Mic at Izuku’s.

 

“Who…?” Izuku trailed off as he realized Shinsou probably couldn’t talk right now. He grabbed Shinsou’s hands and looked at Aizawa. “Get it off him!”

 

Aizawa felt around the back of the muzzle but stopped when Shinsou let out a whine of pain. “I am so sorry. This locks. I need tools to get this off.”

 

“If I remember my time in those hell traps, we’ll need the first aid kit too,” Mic growled. Shinsou looked up for the first time, his eyes conveying surprise. “Voice quirk,” Mic shrugged. “Foster care sucks ass.”

 

Shinsou nodded in agreement. “Come on, kid,” Aizawa prompted, standing and pulling Shinsou to his feet. Izuku helped him buckle up when they got in the car. Shinsou leaned into him and he was so silent, Izuku would have no idea that he was still crying if his tears hadn’t soaked through his jacket and shirt. 

 

When they got home, Shinsou kept ahold of Izuku’s hand all the way up to the apartment. Aizawa directed them both to sit on the couch. “I’ll grab the tools. Zashi, get the first aid kit.”

 

Hana had found them already, hopping up on the couch next to Izuku. “Do you want to pet her?” Izuku asked. When Shinsou nodded, he picked her up with one arm and placed her in between them. She was half on his lap and half on Shinou’s. 

 

“Plan A was cutting the damn thing off,” Aizawa said when he came back. “But I don’t want to accidentally cut you so Plan B is to loosen all the screws holding it together. As long as I can detach the locking buckles from the rest of it, it should come off.” 

 

Aizawa’s plan worked, although it took almost 20 minutes. When they finally got it off, Izuku watched with horror as they discovered it also had a metal clamp that held Shinsou’s tongue. Aizawa’s hair rose for a moment in anger. Once they got the muzzle off entirely, Mic started treating the cuts on his face. 

 

“I can’t put antiseptic in your mouth, but Shouta can go get you some ice cubes for the swelling. Would that help?” Shinsou nodded and Aizawa went to the kitchen. “Can you tell me who did this to you, little listener?”

 

Shinsou signed something. “Mm. I reiterate. Foster care sucks.”

 

“You’re not going back there,” Aizawa said firmly when he came back with a cup of ice. Shinsou signed something else and Izuku was wishing he’d asked Mic for lessons already. “No, don’t worry. I won’t take you to the orphanage either. You’re going to stay with us.”

 

Mic smiled as he smoothed a band-aid with stars over Shinsou’s cheek. “Would that be alright? I’ll have two babies then.” Shinsou blushed. 

 

“And I’ll have a brother?” Izuku asked, squeezing Shinsou’s hand lightly. Shinsou turned redder but nodded. Izuku beamed at him. 

 

Shinsou stiffened suddenly and signed quickly. “Yeah, kid. We mean that we’d be adopting you,” Aizawa replied, smiling softly. And then Shinsou, no. Hitoshi promptly burst into tears. But he was happy. Izuku could tell.

Notes:

A lot of y'all: I ship it
Me, having planned to make them brothers since the beginning: ehhh :/

Really though, Hitoshi/Izuku is a ship I like. I just like all the ships pretty much.
It helps me to be a more versatile writer to do different versions of relationships.

Chapter 34: Read the Room

Izuku pulled out some larger clothes from a box in the back of his closet. ‘In case you gain height as well as weight,’ Mic had said. Hitoshi was too tall for Izuku’s current clothes but hopefully, these would work. Aizawa said he and Hitoshi would go pick up Hitoshi’s things tomorrow after going to the police station to get guardianship. 

 

They would meet up with him and Mic at UA. Because Izuku still had to go to school and then quirk counseling. Aizawa said tutoring, but Izuku knew they’d probably have to tell Hitoshi about his quirk sometime. Otherwise, he’d probably find out on his own. 

 

“I’m too small for these. Mic got them just in case and I was worried they were gonna be in there forever. You can pick out any you want. I’m sure Mic will insist on a shopping trip soon though,” Izuku lost his train of thought somewhere and started rambling. “Ah, sorry.”

 

Mic had said Hitoshi probably wouldn’t be able to talk for a while so Izuku took no offense when Hitoshi looked down at his phone in his hands. Izuku pulled out his own when it chimed. 

 

From Shinsou:

Why aren’t you wearing your glasses?

 

Izuku had taken them off when he got to his room out of habit. “Oh. I don’t really need them to see. I only wear them out of the house.”

 

From Shinsou:

Why?

 

“I, uh, dissociate. A lot of bad things have happened because of it. My glasses can tell when I do and the lenses will turn black,” Izuku explained while Hitoshi poked through the box of clothes. 

 

From Shinsou:

How does that help?

 

“I dissociate because of visual triggers. If my vision gets cut off, I snap out of it.” Hitoshi nodded. Once he picked something out, Izuku showed him to the bathroom. Mic had already insisted he take a shower or a bath. Not because he was dirty or anything, but because it’s relaxing and Hitoshi went through something stressful. 

 

Izuku changed Hitoshi’s contact name on his way to the kitchen. He sat at the dining table with Aizawa. “How are you doing, kid?” 

 

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked, confused. 

 

“How are you feeling after all that?” Aizawa said as if he was clarifying anything. 

 

“Nothing happened to me. Hitoshi was the one that got hurt,” Izuku frowned. 

 

“Yes. But you also saw your friend, someone you care about, going through something traumatic. Something like that can be hard on witnesses too,” Aizawa explained further. Oh.

 

“I’m just mad that someone would do that to him. To anyone,” Izuku said, laying his head on folded arms. 

 

“I know, kid,” Aizawa replied, ruffling his hair a bit. “I’m mad too.”

 

“Can you do something for him like you’re doing for me?” Izuku asked, thinking about the men they were putting in jail. 

 

“I’m going to try,” Aizawa promised. 

 

---

 

Hitoshi stared at Midoriya with a touch of jealousy. The smaller teen had crawled into bed, fallen asleep within minutes, and was currently dead to the world. Hitoshi’s insomnia persisted. It didn’t matter how much his face hurt or how much he cried tonight. Sleep was hard for him. 

 

Especially because he had a lot to be anxious about. He was saved by Eraserhead. He was currently in Eraserhead’s apartment. Eraserhead was going to adopt him! Fanboy nonsense aside, what if the powers that be said no? What if they made him go back to that couple? Or a worse one? Or the orphanage? Or god forbid, a group home?

 

Midoriya’s face pinched for a moment before relaxing again. He must have nightmares too. He’d mentioned being homeless before. Hitoshi hasn’t liked any of his foster parents so far, but he knew it was better than being on the streets. Minutely. At least inside a house or an apartment, he wouldn’t freeze during the winter. 

 

Maybe he should call Midoriya ‘Izuku’ now? If they’re going to be siblings, it should be fine. He’d been right about Yamada-san’s insistence to go shopping. The plan was to go Saturday. Yamada-san had something about getting twin beds and removing the full bed they were sleeping in tonight. 

 

He had noticed that Izuku seemed a little stressed at the discussion of the shopping trip and he worried that it was because he liked the bed. He tried to say they didn’t need two beds but Izuku assured him ‘the bed came with the room.’ Then he noticed that Aizawa-san looked stressed too. Maybe the pair just didn’t like shopping? Plenty of people don’t. 

 

Hitoshi’s not sure how long he spent like that. Thoughts drifting without much aim. Snapping back to attention when Izuku’s expression changed in his sleep. Drifting again. But eventually, sleep came for him. 

 

---

 

Shuffling caused him to stir. He glanced up to see Izuku halfway in his closet, digging through a box. He focused on the sound of paper. After a moment, Izuku pulled out a notebook and closed the box. Huh.

 

When Izuku stood up and turned around, his eyes met Hitoshi’s and he froze. “Ah, sorry. Did I wake you? I’m just getting ready for school. Aizawa’s still asleep so you can sleep longer too.”

 

Hitoshi nodded and closed his eyes. It’s easier to fall asleep when he’s already half asleep. When he woke up again later, he got up to go to the bathroom. When he was finished he checked the living room and the kitchen but Aizawa-san wasn’t in sight. He was probably still sleeping then. 

 

He wasn’t sure if he was allowed out there unattended so he went back to Izuku’s room. He resisted the urge to snoop for all of 10 minutes before he got bored. Having been in so many foster homes and twice in a group home, he learned to read people by how they set up their spaces. 

 

Izuku kept his room neat. A lot of what was on display came off as a front. Like someone who was trying a little too hard to make a space look lived in. Hitoshi opened a drawer on his desk. Then another. Then the third drawer. Everything was packed in easy-to-move containers. 

 

The dresser was more or less the same. Nothing was loose. Even the clothes were folded in a tight style Hitoshi had only seen from military kids that occasionally stayed in foster homes while their families were away. His entire room was ready to be shoved in a bag at a moment’s notice.

 

Did he intend to leave? Was he just afraid he might have to? Hitoshi wouldn’t be able to blame him for the latter. He could relate to that. Turning to the closet, he had to admit he was curious. Why would he keep his notebooks in there? Why not the desk? He glanced at the bedroom door before heading to the closet and opening it. 

 

If he suspected that Izuku had an intelligence quirk before, oh boy, this cemented it. Hitoshi considered himself above average normally. He had good grades. He enjoyed academic topics that he knew most teens would find boring. There’s nothing wrong with liking to learn. But these were next level. These were the ramblings of a mad man. 

 

“If you’re going to look through those,” Hitoshi startled at the sudden voice, “be sure to put them back in order. He has a system.” 

 

Hitoshi opened his mouth to respond, winced when he realized his tongue still hurt, and then placed the notebook in his lap so he could sign instead. ‘You’ve seen these?’

 

“I have, yes,” Aizawa-san answered, coming into the room to sit on the bed. 

 

He had to turn slightly to keep his hands visible. ‘Have you read them though?’

 

“Mhm. They’re something else,” Aizawa-san said calmly. 

 

‘Does he have an intelligence quirk?’ Hitoshi asked. If Aizawa-san was surprised by the question he didn’t show it. 

 

“You will have to ask him,” Aizawa-san replied. Hitoshi could tell when someone wanted him to drop a subject, even if they’re polite about it, so he looked back to the notebook. 

 

“I can’t cook, so whenever you’re ready we can go get breakfast before we go to the station,” Aizawa-san informed him. 

 

‘Coffee?’ Hitoshi asked. 

 

“A child after my own heart,” Aizawa-san chuckled. “Yes, we can get coffee. Take your time though. I’m going to go feed the cats.” 

 

After Aizawa-san left the room, Hitoshi finished looking through the notebook he held before putting it away and getting dressed. Time to find out if he gets to stay or not.

Notes:

Shinsou fanboying over Eraserhead. Me too, kid.

I spent a lot of time in foster homes. I don't know what it's called but there was this program that provided 24/7 child care for single moms. They did this by placing kids in foster families without them actually being foster kids in the legal sense. I was an observant little twit and I read rooms like this whenever I moved into someplace new. It made it easier to adapt to a home without conflict.

Chapter 35: Babies' First Fight

The nameplate on the desk read ‘Det. Tsukauchi.’ The man in question looked exhausted and a little annoyed. Which was concerning considering they hadn’t said anything yet. Aizawa-san and Tsukauchi-san seemed to be having some sort of silent staring contest. 

 

“Are you… collecting kids now?” Tsukauchi-san finally asked. 

 

“Not intentionally,” Aizawa-san said flatly. Was that tone because of him or because of the detective?

 

“This is the second child you’ve come to me with in two months,” Tsukauchi-san pointed out. 

 

“In my defense, the first child found the second one,” Aizawa-san retorted. 

 

“Let me guess. Unusual circumstances,” the detective sighed. This was doing nothing for Hitoshi’s anxiety. 

 

“His foster family put a muzzle on him.” Tsukauchi-san actually looked appalled at that. “He can’t talk at the moment because it injured his mouth.”

 

“Alright. Will you be adopting him too?” Aizawa-san nodded. “Then a temporary guardianship and I’ll look into pressing charges on the people who did this.”

 

“I’d also like an escort to their house so that he can collect his belongings,” Aizawa-san added. Wait. Wasn’t this going a little too fast?

 

“I’ll accompany you myself. I’ll get their information for the abuse case I’ll be filing. At the very least, I’ll get their foster license revoked.” He gave Aizawa-san a tired smile. That’s when Hitoshi realized they knew each other. They most likely worked together frequently with how quickly the whole exchange happened. 

 

The detective took some paper out of a printer tray and wrote down a list of information he needed from Hitoshi. He attached the papers to a clipboard before handing them to him, along with a pen. Hitoshi started writing down what was needed and Tsukauchi-san excused himself to go grab some forms. 

 

When he was done, Aizawa-san took the clipboard so that he could use it to fill out the forms Tsukauchi-san had brought back. “Hitoshi,” Aizawa-san said suddenly. Eraserhead just used his first name. Smothering his inner fanboy he turned to the man. “This says that your birthday is July 1st.” Hitoshi nodded. “That’s tomorrow.” Hitoshi shrugged. 

 

“I’ll let Hizashi know,” Aizawa-san said softly. 

 

“Isn’t Izuku-kun’s birthday on the 15th?” Tsukauchi-san asked. 

 

“Yeah, it is,” Aizawa-san replied. It was? They were that close in age?

 

“It’s like you’re nearly twins,” Tsukauchi-san said smiling. “Not identical, of course.”

 

“Definitely not identical. They’re like Zashi and me,” Aizawa-san commented while he worked on the forms. Tsukauchi-san looked between him and Aizawa-san. 

 

“Yeah. I see the resemblance. Get this kid a scarf and he’s a mini you,” the detective pointed out. Aizawa-san looked back at Hitoshi for that. His eyes widened for half a second so apparently, he agreed. 

 

The banter continued between the two of them while they worked on paperwork. And more paperwork. And more paperwork. And holy crap this was boring. Finally, after two hours they were free! ...to go to his foster parents’ house. 

 

His foster mother was the only one home. Once the detective introduced himself, any fight she may have had left her. She did try to passive-aggressively insult him, but Aizawa-san put a stop to that after the first jab. 

 

While Aizawa-san and Tsukauchi-san talked to her and got the files she kept for him, like his birth certificate, he went to the room he’d been staying in. He looked around the bare room. For all the judgment he passed on Izuku’s ready-to-go room, Hitoshi’s things never even left his backpacks. He had two. One for school stuff. One for home stuff.  

 

His school bag was still at the entrance so he pulled his home bag out from under the bed. Opening the front pocket, he pulled out a small velvet box. He flipped up the lid to check that his grandmother’s necklace was still in there. When she had found out that her daughter sent her grandson to the orphanage, she took him in herself. 

 

Her quirk allowed her to sing and instantly soothe anyone. She told him that his quirk was most likely a mutation of hers. She never let him ask questions either, but she might have when he was older. When he could control his quirk. She died 8 months after she took him in. People said it was his fault. That she wouldn’t have died if she hadn’t taken in a villain. 

 

He closed the lid and put the box back in his bag. When he came back out, Aizawa-san was already ready to go. Tsukauchi-san would be staying to question her. She didn’t look happy about it. Good.

 

---

 

How he found himself in UA’s teacher’s lounge being accosted by Pro Hero Midnight, Hitoshi wasn’t quite sure. ‘Auntie Nemuri’ she insisted he called her. Oh and when he tried to sign that he couldn’t talk in hopes she’d leave him alone as most people do, the bitch responded in sign language. There was no escape. 

 

She was kind, objectively, but she was loud. So when Izuku came through the door with Yamada-san, Hitoshi tried to beg for rescue with his eyes. Izuku gave him a bemused look but ultimately came to his rescue. 

 

Once he finally sicced the noisy lady on Yamada-san, Izuku plopped down on the couch next to Hitoshi. This was his chance. Hitoshi pulled out his phone.

 

To Izuku: 

Do you have an intelligence quirk?

 

Yes, judging by the way Izuku dropped his phone after reading the question. “Um,” he looked lost as he retrieved his phone. 

 

To Izuku:

I saw your notebooks. In the closet.

 

“What? Why?” Izuku shot him an almost offended look. Oh, maybe this was a bad idea.

 

To Izuku:

I was bored. I snooped.

 

To Izuku:

I’m sorry. I was curious.

 

Izuku frowned. “Don’t do it again.” Ah, shit. He was actually mad. “The last time someone touched one of my books without my permission, it got destroyed,” he added after a moment. 

 

To Izuku:

Got it. Do you have an intelligence quirk then?

 

Izuku looked downright uncomfortable. “Yes.” He should stop but he had to know.

 

To Izuku:

Why did you lie about being quirkless?

 

Izuku’s eyes snapped to his, significantly more pissed off now than he was about the notebooks. “I didn’t. I was diagnosed quirkless when I was four. Everyone believed it. I lost my home because of it.” Hitoshi flinched. “I just found out I had a quirk the whole time.”

 

To Izuku:

I’m sorry

 

Izuku sighed in frustration. “It’s fine.” He gave Hitoshi a pleading look. “Please don’t tell Kacchan. He doesn’t know yet.”

 

To Izuku:

I won’t. I promise.

 

“How’d things go at the station?” Izuku asked. He did not hold onto anger for long apparently.

 

To Izuku:

Good. I got my stuff in one piece. 

 

To Izuku:

Tsukauchi-san said you and I could be twins.

 

Tilting his head, Izuku gave him an appraising look. “Mm, no. I don’t think so.”

 

To Izuku:

Not identical twins. Age ones. 

 

To Izuku: 

My birthday’s the 1st and yours is the 15th

 

“You’re birthday’s tomorrow?” Izuku practically screeched, somehow hopping up to his knees in one fluid motion. The way his hands were outstretched, Hitoshi was pretty sure Izuku was either going to grab him or hug him. Hitoshi held his own hand out and mouthed ‘no.’

 

Izuku deflated, reminding him vaguely of a scolded puppy. Then a puppy walked in through the door. No, that’s a mouse. Maybe. “I am ready for your lesson, Izuku-kun,” the creature spoke. Holy shit, that’s Nezu. 

 

“Do you want to come? Since you know I have a quirk now?” Izuku asked, looking fairly excited. 

 

“Ah-ah! no,” Aizawa-san spoke, descending from nowhere. “You already corrupted one child, Nezu.”

 

“Please,” Izuku pouted. “I won’t let Nezu experiment on him!” What was that?

 

“Well I never,” Nezu huffed. “Education is an incredibly important venture. I would never waste my precious student’s time for education with my personal experiments.” The entire teacher’s lounge fell silent. Apparently, no one believed that. Izuku included.

 

‘I’d like to see Izuku’s quirk in action,’ Hitoshi signed. ‘Please.’

 

Aizawa-san pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. Then I’m coming with you. I don’t trust the rat as far as I could throw him.”

 

“I resent that,” Nezu squeaked, nose twitching.

 

“Ooh, I want to come too! I haven’t seen Izuku in action since his quirk counseling started!” Midnight exclaimed. 

 

“Maybe a group evaluation would be beneficial for Midoriya-kun,” another teacher supplied. 

 

“I know I’d very much like to get an analysis of my students from Midoriya-kun,” someone Hitoshi recognized as Vlad King chimed in. 

 

“It’s decided then! We’ll join this session,” Yamada-san said brightly, clapping his hands together. A couple of remaining teachers got up to join the group. 

 

“Alright! Let’s head out then,” Nezu commanded, already marching out into the hall. Izuku’s face was bright red but he followed, accepting his fate. Hitoshi followed behind him and the tag-along teachers trailed after.

Notes:

Me: Congratulations. It's twins
Hizashi: Thank you so much ◜▿◝
Aizawa: wtf is happening

"Babies' First Fight" It lasted like 5 minutes.

Hitoshi over here noticing that emotional detachment Izuku's got. Meanwhile Hitoshi and his lack of boundaries. Snooping and now pushing topics. smh.

If you aren't aware of what that is: it can be either a symptom of a more complex disorder or a coping mechanism developed in response to trauma. As someone who struggles with it, how I'd explain it is - the second an event passes, I don't feel much for it anymore. I can know objectively that I felt sad, mad, or happy (etc) but I no longer feel it at that moment. I'm capable of holding emotions for longer and sometimes they come back to me unexpectedly. But most of the time I move on fast. It's not always a good thing. Sometimes it's helpful.

Chapter 36: Family of Four

When they got to some sort of training room, Hitoshi nearly ran into Izuku because he stopped suddenly. There were several students sparring. Was he scared of them? He moved from behind Izuku to stand next to him. His glasses were solid black. Within a few seconds, Izuku was shaking his head and looking towards the ground. 

 

“Cease your sparring, please,” Nezu called to the students. “Deactivate your quirks. If you haven’t worked with Izuku-kun yet and want to, please come stand with me.”

 

Hitoshi watched as Izuku’s lenses faded back to clear. So that’s what he meant. Izuku gave him a look that was somewhere between an awkward smile and a pained grimace. And then he took his glasses before heading over to where Nezu had gathered a small group. 

 

The teachers and students who didn’t plan on participating in whatever was about to happen were already settling down on some benches nearby. He wasn’t really sure where he should be, but he wanted to see Izuku’s quirk so he followed him. The closer view is probably the better view.

 

Nezu handed Izuku a notebook and pen that Hitoshi hadn’t noticed him carrying, trading them for Izuku’s glasses. “Let’s start with your retention,” Nezu said before turning to the students. “Who has a good quirk for solo demonstrations?” A girl with short red hair and yellow eyes tentatively raised her hand. “Would you like to go first then, Sano-san?”

 

The girl, Sano-san, walked out to the middle of the room. She seemed to be gauging her distance from everyone else. After a few minutes, she must have figured out whatever she was calculating, because her hair started… bleeding? Red bled into orange, orange bled into yellow. It looked like it was glowing as it grew in length. It looked like lava, honestly. 

 

Izuku started mumbling next to him and Hitoshi turned to see an unnaturally vacant expression on the smaller teen’s face. His eyes were locked on the girl, although he didn’t appear to be seeing with how blank his eyes were. He was writing quickly without looking at the page. What in the fresh hell...?

 

Looking back to the girl, the earth below her was shifting and rising. These were the quirks of UA students? He watched the demonstration in awe until. Eventually, Nezu held up a paw and she fixed the earth she displaced, leaving the ground unmarred. The light in her hair died as it shrunk back into the short style it had started in. 

 

Nezu looked at Izuku and Hitoshi could only do the same. There was a minute of silence before Izuku blinked, seeming to regain awareness of his surroundings. “Notebook, please,” Nezu requested. Izuku nodded and handed it over. 

 

“Any awareness during your analysis?” Nezu asked, reading over the page. 

 

“Not that I can remember,” Izuku replied. 

 

“Hm. Still the same then. What about her quirk? Did you retain anything?”

 

Izuku tilted his head in thought. “Emitter quirk. High power, low speed. Her quirk can physically manifest in the keratins of her body. But her second layer of skin isn’t insulated against her quirk so she’s limited to using her hair.”

 

“Anything else?” Nezu prompted. 

 

“Hm, oh! She can manipulate the earth by converting thermal energy into kinetic energy,” Izuku chirped. 

 

“You’re still not quite retaining your full analysis, but you seem to be retaining the core details just fine. That’s progress!” Nezu called to the girl. “Okay, thank you! I’ll make a copy of Izuku-kun’s analysis for you tomorrow morning.”

 

‘What the hell was that?’ Hitoshi signed, forgetting Izuku couldn’t understand him. 

 

“That was his quirk,” Nezu answered. Because of course, he knows sign language. 

 

“I can just sort of know what someone’s quirk is and how it functions,” Izuku explained. “The only problem is, I become unresponsive and I don’t remember it. Although, I’ve started to remember some of the details of my analysis thanks to Nezu. Before I was just rereading what I wrote down.”

 

“Our goal is for him to be able to do it while maintaining awareness of his surroundings,” Nezu chimed in. Hitoshi pulled out his phone.

 

To Izuku:

How did anyone think you were quirkless? Wtf???

 

“They just thought I was a hero-obsessed nerd and a spacey kid,” Izuku answered after reading his text. 

 

“Although his quirk gives him an inherent understanding of other quirks, it doesn’t necessarily give him the language that would most efficiently describe it. He can only use words and phrases he already knows,” Nezu cut in. “So when he was a young child with a limited vocabulary, his ramblings wouldn’t have been anything that stood out to others.”

 

To Izuku:

Alright. Go off then.

 

Izuku gave him a confused look. Hitoshi absolutely had to teach this kid some more slang. He shrugged and motioned to the group of students waiting for instruction. “Ah, yes. We should continue,” Nezu agreed. “Let’s try multi-analysis. I need three students for a free for all match.” 

 

Several hands shot up. 

 

---

 

Hizashi and Shouta were grading papers at the kitchen table. Every now and then, Hizashi would look towards the living room and watch Hitoshi teach Izuku sign language. He really shouldn’t be surprised by how fast Izuku was picking it up.

 

“You’re smiling,” Shouta observed without actually looking up. 

 

“I’m happy,” Hizashi said fondly. Black eyes met his as Shouta glanced up. 

 

Shouta turned to look at the kids in the living room. “Yeah, me too,” he smiled softly. 

 

---

 

‘Are you sure your quirk only ~~~~ to other quirks?’ Hitoshi asked. 

 

“What to other quirks?” Izuku asked, signing what he was saying. 

 

‘A-P-P-L-I-E-S,’ Hitoshi spelled. Izuku figured that out first. It helped that he knew a little bit from before. Now if he didn’t know a word, they’d spell it. Then Hitoshi would show him the sign. 

 

“I think so. Why?” Izuku frowned. 

 

‘~~~~ don’t learn ~~~~ this fast.’ Izuku held up fingers for 2 and 4. The second and fourth words. 

 

‘P-E-O-P-L-E, L-A-N-G-U-A-G-E,’ Hitoshi filled in. 

 

Izuku dropped his hands because this was a wordy explanation and he didn’t know how to sign at least half of the words. “The neural pathways in my brain are mutated. It changes how I process information even when my quirk isn’t active. It’s a side effect of my quirk, technically, but it isn’t my quirk, no.”

 

‘~~~~ ~~~~,’ Izuku looked at him completely lost. ‘F-U-C-K-I-N-G R-A-D’

 

“Is that good?” Izuku asked, confused.

 

‘Yes,’ Hitoshi grinned. 

 

---

 

Shouta glared at his buzzing phone. The 2 a.m. alarm meant naptime was over. Time for patrol. He pulled himself out of bed and put on his hero gear. He made sure to stay silent so that he wouldn’t wake Hizashi or the kids. Except, as he pulled on his shoes, he realized something was not right. 

 

The hero narrowed his eyes at the child on the couch, whose face was lit up by the soft glow of his phone. The kid looked startled to see him. Shouta was just confused. Why was he up? Flicking on the light, Hitoshi blinked at the sudden brightness. 

 

“What are you doing out here?” Shouta asked quietly, being mindful of the sleeping people in the apartment. 

 

‘Sorry. If I’m not allowed I can go back to the bedroom,’ Hitoshi signed quickly. 

 

“No, you’re,” Shouta sighed. “You’re allowed. I meant why are you awake? It’s 2 a.m.”

 

‘You’re awake,’ the kid pointed out. 

 

“I’m a nocturnal hero. This is when I work,” Shouta explained, gesturing to his scarf and goggles. 

 

‘I didn’t want my phone to wake him,’ Hitoshi finally answered. 

 

“Okay. But why are you awake, and on your phone?” Shouta pressed, a little concerned. 

 

‘Trouble sleeping,’ Hitoshi shrugged. 

 

“Is that new or…?” Hitoshi shook his head. 

 

‘Years now,’ he signed quickly. 

 

“Is it nightmares?” Shouta asked. 

 

‘Can’t have nightmares if you can’t get to sleep in the first place,’ Hitoshi sassed with a smirk.

 

“Insomnia then. Have you seen a doctor for it?” Hitoshi shook his head. “Okay. I’ll talk to Hizashi about taking you to see someone. For now, though, I have to go to work.”

 

‘Be safe,’ Hitoshi signed. ‘Kick ass.’

 

“I’ll do my best,” Shouta replied, chuckling softly. “Try and get some sleep.”

 

‘I’ll do my best.’ Shouta shook his head softly before turning the lights back off and heading out.

 

---

 

Enjoy my shaky drawing of the apartment layout.

It's not exact/to scale because it's freehand but that's the general concept.

The "wall" separating the kitchen and the living room is just a counter.

 

Notes:

Mic: *still in awe over his two babies*

Izuku and his baby steps. Still can't remember what he saw but he can remember details on his own.

I have arthritis so pls be nice about my shaky doodle. Thank you.

We have surpassed 2000 kudos. ヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ

Chapter 37: Shopping Trip The Sequel

“Why is this one here?” Aizawa asked, hand hovering over Kacchan’s head. 

 

“It’s beach day,” Kacchan answered as they walked to the mall entrance.

 

“This is a mall, not the beach,” Aizawa said flatly. 

 

“Mom says that on Saturdays, I’m your problem,” Kacchan fired back. Aizawa narrowed his eyes at that. 

 

“Come on, Sho! It’ll be nice for these three to go somewhere together that isn’t the beach,” Hizashi defended, opening one of the entrance doors. 

 

“Fine. But there will be rules.” Kacchan grumbled. “No explosions. All three of you need to stay within view of Hizashi or me at all times. If you want to stop and look at anything, tell us. Do not wander off. I mean you, Izuku.” 

 

“And I have a rule as well,” Hizashi chimed in. They all looked at him, but his eyes were on Aizawa. “No. More. Cats.” 

 

‘He keeps adopting cats,’ Izuku signed to Hitoshi. 

 

‘Like how he keeps adopting kids?’ Hitoshi grinned.

 

“Since when can you sign?” Kacchan asked, eyeing their hands. 

 

“I learned yesterday,” Izuku answered.

 

“Of course you did,” Kacchan rolled his eyes. They’d already caught Kacchan up on the adoption and mouth injury thing. Although, Hitoshi didn’t want to explain what happened with the muzzle so he just left it at ‘I cut my tongue.’

 

‘He’s still learning,’ Hitoshi added. ‘But I only have to show him words once or twice.’

 

“I doubt it will take him long,” Kacchan smirked.

 

---

 

A yelp from the direction of two of the kids drew Shouta’s attention. Hizashi was handing Hitoshi clothes to try on in the dressing rooms so Shouta and the other two were just waiting. That was definitely Izuku though. 

 

Scanning the immediate vicinity, he noticed Bakugou holding a squirming Izuku, forcing something red over his head. Oh, what the fuck now? He headed over to intervene. Bakugou saw him coming and hurried his efforts, dropping the child just as Shouta reached them. 

 

“Now hold on, don’t be hasty,” Bakugou started, hands out defensively. “Look.” Shouta turned in time to see Izuku pop his head out of a hoodie. The hood was flopped over his face and it had bunny ears . Bakugou held his hands out in a ‘ta-da’ pose.

 

Shouta narrowed his eyes. “We’re getting it, but don’t do that to him again.” 

 

When they returned to Hizashi and Hitoshi, Hizashi fawned over the hoodie. He promptly ran off to find one for Hitoshi too. He came back 15 minutes later with a navy blue, fuzzy hoodie that had cat ears. 

 

‘It’s soft,’ Hitoshi signed after trying it on. Bakugou was cackling at the two in their hoodies. Until Hizashi held up a yellow and white dog hoodie for him. The smirk dropped off his face and he paled, looking up at Hizashi with wide eyes. 

 

They left that shop with three matching kids. 

 

---

 

“I don’t get it,” Izuku murmured.

 

“It’s meant to be the best,” Kacchan informed him, staring up at the ceiling.

 

“I don’t see a difference,” Izuku declared. 

 

“Yeah, well. You’re unrefined,” Kacchan retorted, turning his head to look at him. 

 

“I am not,” Izuku turned, glaring at him. 

 

“You both are,” Aizawa cut in, standing above them. “Get off of there. We’re supposed to be looking at twin beds.”

 

“Yes, you do need a bed,” they heard Mic telling Hitoshi nearby. “I don’t care if you don’t actually sleep that much.”

 

---

 

Okay, so he understood why Izuku and Aizawa-san seemed stressed about the shopping trip. Yamada-san loved shopping. And he was a little aggressive about participation. As in ‘pick something out or I’ll buy the whole store’ aggressive. Shopping was definitely this man’s love language. 

 

It was kind of sweet, even if Hitoshi didn’t think he needed this many things. He definitely wouldn’t be fitting everything in his two backpacks. But admittedly, the whole excursion was fun. At the moment they were in a hero merch store. He knew from experience, they didn’t usually carry Eraserhead merch. Maybe he’d find some Present Mic merch. 

 

Suddenly there was a hand in his and he turned to see Izuku with an uneasy look on his face. Following Izuku’s line of sight, he saw a TV playing an interview of All Might. Hitoshi frowned. It wasn’t his quirk. There was no mistaking the emotions Izuku was exuding. For some reason, Izuku was highly uncomfortable with the number one hero. 

 

He squeezed Izuku’s hand and pulled him over to the other side of the store, away from the TV. They did wind up finding a poster of Present Mic which they agreed to put up in their shared room. Yamada-san may have teared up when they asked if they could get it. 

 

---

 

“You really want a cat, Hobo Man?” Katsuki asked, smirking. 

 

“I told you not to call me that,” Aizawa replied, not even pulling his gaze away from the cats in the window. 

 

“You did. But I totally have a plan, and that’s going to be your code name,” Katsuki answered easily, twisting around to make sure Mic wasn’t watching. 

 

“Code name, huh? Alright, Problem Child. What’s the plan?”

 

---

 

CAT CHAT

KING EXPLOSION: We’re in the clear!

Purple Cat: Affirmative. 

Purple Cat: Be back soon with the parental unit

Green Bean: You made me a criminal! (๑•̀д•́๑)

Purple Cat: It’s for a cat

KING EXPLOSION: and it’s a baby

Green Bean: it is?????

KING EXPLOSION: you’ll see

 

---

 

“Sho!” Hizashi whined, taking in the carrier. “What did I say?”

 

“It’s not a cat,” Shouta said quickly. Hizashi folded his arms across his chest. “It’s a kitten.”

 

Hizashi had to fight to keep his smile off his face. 

 

---

 

When they had gotten home, Hizashi pulled out a cake. Shouta honestly wasn’t sure when in the past two days he had gotten it, but it wasn’t unexpected. Surprises were something his husband was good at. 

 

They kept Bakugou after the shopping trip, figuring they could have a sleepover for Hitoshi’s birthday. It was a small celebration but Hitoshi had teared up. Apparently, no one had celebrated his birthday since he was five. Shouta was pretty sure Izuku was in the same boat. 

 

These kids desperately needed a happy family and he wasn’t going to rest until they were officially and legally his.

 

---

 

Izuku's Hoodie

 

Hitoshi's Hoodie

 

Katsuki's Hoodie

 

New Kitten

Notes:

Apologies for the shorter chapter!

There wasn't much I wanted to add for mall antics!

The boys were not impressed with the top-of-the-line mattress.

Hitoshi and Izuku were tasked with distracting Hizashi so that Aizawa could get the kitten.

Chapter 38: Walls Up

Notes:

TW: Izuku's past comes up briefly and vaguely. Hizashi threatens murder? Sort of?

I got fan art (*ﾉωﾉ)ᵉᵉᵏ    It's Izuku in his bunny hoodie and it's precious!

It's from user ShaneIsStillSane [click here!] I love it, thank you! ◜▿◝

 

---

 

“You’re not happy to be here, are you?” the man, Inui-san asked. Hitoshi glared at him. “May I ask why?”

 

‘No, you may not,’ Hitoshi signed, feeling agitated. What he did not expect was for the man to understand him. Did all of UA’s staff know sign language?

 

“Alright. What we talk about is up to you,” Inui-san said softly. The staredown continued. This was his new Tuesday afternoon. Sad kids get therapy in the Aizawa-Yamada household apparently. 

 

Inui-san’s gentle, persistent patience was annoying. ‘What are you looking at?’ he finally asked. 

 

“You have my undivided attention whether you utilize it or not,” Inui-san answered. Hitoshi huffed, looking away. Fucking therapists. He’d been before. A bunch of so-called professionals with an agenda to push. Their only concern: making sure he didn’t act on his villainous nature. 

 

They sat in silence for the duration of the session. When the time was up, Inui-san stood and held the door open for him. He expected the man to say something to Yamada-san about his refusal to talk but all Inui-san said was, “I’ll see you next week, Hitoshi-kun.”

 

---

 

“How did therapy go, Hitoshi?” Yamada-san asked during dinner. 

 

“Fine, I guess,” he muttered softly. His mouth was finally healed enough for him to speak but he had to keep it soft and slow. He’d continue to switch between sign and speech as he always had, but now that he was in a home where he was allowed to talk, he wanted to. 

 

“You guess?” Yamada-san prompted. 

 

“Didn’t talk to him,” Hitoshi admitted, bracing himself for a lecture. 

 

“Hm. Well, if you didn’t mesh with him, I’m sure we can find someone else,” Yamada-san replied. Which was unexpected. 

 

‘You’re not mad?’ Hitoshi signed, still not willing to ask questions aloud. A flurry of emotions, confusion, realization, concern, passed over Yamada-san’s features. He exchanged a look with Aizawa-san before looking back at Hitoshi. 

 

“I’m not mad,” Yamada-san said carefully. “I’m not going to be mad. Therapy is just something we think can help you. It isn’t a rule that you have to abide by or anything like that.”

 

‘Help me how?’ Hitoshi asked, defensive. They hadn’t said anything about his quirk, but they’ve seen his files now. They have to know. 

 

Instead, it was Izuku that spoke. “Hound Dog has helped me a lot since I started seeing him. He helps me sort out my thoughts. He helped me and Kacchan clear up some misunderstandings,” Izuku paused, with a sad expression. “He helped me understand that it wasn’t my fault.”

 

“Well, that’s you,” Hitoshi snapped, wincing at the strain on his tongue. He switched to sign. ‘Therapists help kids with normal quirks. That’s not me. I don’t need another fucking shrink begging me to resist the urge to turn to the dark side.’

 

“Is that a Star Wars reference?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Hold on,” Aizawa-san interrupted. “You’ve been to therapy before?” Hitoshi nodded. “And instead of helping you with anything they… what? Treated you like a villain in training?” 

 

‘Yeah?’ Hitoshi looked away from him. ‘They talked like I was in villain rehabilitation or something.’

 

“It’s not okay that they did that to you,” Aizawa-san insisted. 

 

“But I have a villainous quirk,” Hitoshi said weakly. That’s always been the case. 

 

“There are no villainous quirks,” Aizawa-san said firmly. “There are no heroic quirks either. There are only people and how they choose to use their quirks. Quirks are a tool, not a determination of personality or worth.”

 

“I mean, my quirk can kill people,” Yamada-san chimed in abruptly, gaining the entire table’s attention. “What? I don’t kill people, obviously. I was just giving an example.”

 

“Endeavor,” Izuku added. “He’s the number two hero but he could be a serious problem for the other heroes if he turned to villainy.”

 

“You don’t even have to be a hero or a villain,” Aizawa-san sighed. “You could be a librarian. The point is, everyone who has singled you out or harassed you for your quirk is wrong. I can assure you, Inui would not treat you like that.”

 

“Especially since he gets trouble over his quirk too,” Yamada-san pointed out. “I can not tell you how many students are scared of him or how many first years have cried after seeing him.”

 

“But he’s so nice,” Izuku protested. 

 

“Most of the students only see him when he’s on security duty. He’s very strict about campus security,” Aizawa-san explained.  

 

“Fine. I’ll give him another chance,” Hitoshi conceded.

 

---

 

Hitoshi sat on his bed with the kitten in his lap. They named the little guy Puff. Izuku was sitting at his desk working on teaching himself French. It had something to do with his quirk training. Hitoshi already agreed to quiz him if he’d make flashcards. 

 

A soft knock on the door drew his attention away from the smaller teen. Yamada-san stood in the doorway with Aizawa-san just behind him. “Hey, little listeners. We were hoping to talk to you about your school, Hitoshi?” 

 

“Sure,” Hitoshi shrugged. The two adults entered the room. Aizawa-san sat in Hitoshi’s desk chair while Yamada-san sat on Izuku’s bed. 

 

“When I went to talk to your principal yesterday about the change in guardianship, I got the impression that it’s not a great environment,” Yamada-san said gently. 

 

“Understatement,” Hitoshi scoffed, petting the kitten. 

 

“How would you feel about changing schools? I know the school year already started but--”

 

“I’ll do it,” Hitoshi interrupted. In elementary, he had to change schools a few times when his foster family changed. There was always a few months of peace before the students at the new school learned about his quirk. 

 

“I was thinking Aldera--” Yamada-san started. Izuku perked up. 

 

“Not that it’s much better,” Aizawa-san rolled his eyes. 

 

“No, it’s not,” Yamada-san agreed. “But Izuku and Bakugou go there so you wouldn’t be alone.”

 

“I’d like that,” Hitoshi said quietly. Izuku beamed at him from his desk. 

 

“I’ll get the transfer process started then,” Yamada-san smiled. 

 

“And you have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow while Izuku’s in therapy. I’ll be taking you,” Aizawa-san informed him. Hitoshi nodded. That will probably suck.

 

---

 

“Izuku,” Hitoshi spoke into the darkness. 

 

“Hm?” Izuku replied softly. It was too dark to sign so Hitoshi grabbed his phone. 

 

“Check your phone,” he instructed. 

 

To Izuku:

Earlier, when you said Inui-san helped you understand it wasn’t your fault.

 

To Izuku:

What did you mean?

 

If it wasn’t for the soft light of Izuku’s phone lighting up his face, Hitoshi might have thought he was asleep. He was just about to text an apology when Izuku spoke. 

 

“A few things. But mostly, my dad hurting me. My parents abandoning me. And after that, um.” Izuku took a shaky breath. “There were these men that. Well, they…” And yep, Hitoshi understood where this was going. 

 

“Shit, Izuku. You don’t need to talk about that,” Hitoshi cut in before he could finish his sentence. “I’m sorry I brought something like that up.”

 

“Aizawa and Tsukauchi-san are working together to put them in jail,” Izuku said softly. 

 

“Fucking good,” Hitoshi huffed. 

 

“The world hasn’t been kind to us,” Izuku commented. 

 

“Aiwaya-san and Yamada-san are,” Hitoshi pointed out. 

 

“They are,” Izuku squeaked, followed by a sniffle. Hitoshi sat up.

 

“You’re crying.” It wasn’t a question exactly, so it should be fine. 

 

“I’m scared,” Izuku confessed. Hitoshi got out of his bed and crossed the room to Izuku’s.

 

“They aren’t scary. Weird, maybe,” Hitoshi joked, crawling under the covers. 

 

“Too nice,” Izuku hiccupped. “I don’t want my dad to take me. I’ll miss them.” 

 

“Your dad’s not going to take you. These weirdos are going to be your dads now. Both of ours,” Hitoshi soothed, petting Izuku’s hair. Which was unnaturally soft. What the heck is he using in his hair?

 

“But I have a quirk now. That’s all he wanted. What if he finds out and takes me?” Izuku asked, clinging to Hitoshi. 

 

“Then I’ll brainwash him for you,” Hitoshi declared. “If Yamada-san doesn’t shout him to death first.”

 

“Really?” Izuku sniffled. 

 

“Yeah. We’ll be fine,” Hitoshi reassured him. 

 

---

 

“Zashi, wake up,” Shouta whispered, pulling Hizashi out of sleep. 

 

“No, why?” Hizashi mumbled. Shouta didn’t usually wake him up when he went on patrol. 

 

“I was checking on the kids--”

 

“Are they okay?” Hizashi whispered, sitting up abruptly. 

 

“They’re fine, but you’ll want to see this,” Shouta smirked. Hizashi gave him a dubious look but got out of bed and followed him to their room. The door was already open. 

 

“Oh, what the hell? That’s so cute,” Hizashi exclaimed quietly. Hitoshi had crawled into Izuku’s bed and they’d fallen asleep cuddling. 

 

“The best part is that the insomniac’s asleep,” Shouta pointed out, tugging Hizashi out of the way so that he could close the door. “Maybe he won’t be dead on his feet in the morning.”

 

“Oh, do you think one of them had a nightmare?” Hizashi asked, suddenly concerned as they walked to the front door. 

 

“If they did, they’ve got each other. Don’t worry you’re pretty head about it,” Shouta said kissing Hizashi’s forehead. “Now go back to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

“Come home,” Hizashi murmured. They never told each other to be safe. Injuries were part of being a hero. He just wanted his husband to always come home.

 

“Promise,” Shouta replied before closing the door.

Notes:

I feel like the last few chapters have been a little Hitoshi centric but this one was almost entirely from his POV. I usually try to keep the POV switching so that we can see what everyone's thinking and feeling. But he's new and he has a lot of thoughts.

Inui is a god. I could never have that kind of patience. I don't have the attention span.

Hitoshi seems to be in a constant see-saw between "this is fine. whatever" and "fuck you, fuck them, fuck that rock in particular" mentalities.

Chapter 39: First Day of School

Notes:

TW: breif mention of Izuku's 27 cases, not in detail

I'm not going to write it but here are Hitoshi's doctor's visit results:
He's got some vitamin deficiencies but he's not nearly as malnourished as Izuku was.
He has insomnia and surprise surprise, clinical depression
His depression causes fatigue which causes insomnia which causes fatigue which causes insomnia which causes fatigue and you see how that goes. (Endless cycle)
He got antidepressants and sleeping pills. PCP's can prescribe them but he does have to see Hound Dog to monitor his mental state while on them.
Otherwise, he's fine.

“Toshi!” Izuku shook the purple-haired teen. The alarm went off twice already and he wouldn’t get up. 

 

“No, fuck off,” Hitoshi growled, trying to hide under his blankets. 

 

“Fine,” Izuku huffed. “I’ll go get Aizawa.”

 

“Wait, no! I’m up!” Hitoshi shot up. Izuku gave him an unimpressed look. “Shut up. My new meds make it hard to get up.” 

 

“Till Mic that,” Izuku replied before heading to the closet to pick out an analysis notebook. Nezu was teaching him to expand on them. Possible adaptations, fighting techniques, battle strategy, that sort of thing. He was going back through his old analysis’ and cleaning them up. 

 

And Hitoshi did tell Mic about his meds, at breakfast. “We can ask your doctor if he can adjust the dose,” Mic assured him. “It can take time to find the right medication and dose.”

 

“Did we hear yet?” Izuku blurted out, staring down Aizawa. The man looked up from his coffee mug blankly for a moment before registering the question. 

 

“3 out of 27 trials have been completed. All 3 received guilty verdicts,” Aizawa supplied. The detective had called Thursday to let them know that the trials were starting. 

 

Hitoshi choked, “Twen-twenty what?” Izuku frowned because he’s pretty sure he did something like this with Kacchan too a bit ago. 

 

“Ah, just some cases Izuku’s--” Mic tried.

 

“I told him,” Izuku said quietly. “Sort of.”

 

“You didn’t tell me 27!” Hitoshi exclaimed. “What-- Why-- How-- Fuck!”

 

“You know you can ask questions, Hitoshi,” Aizawa frowned. “In general, I mean. This particular subject is kind of personal. But in general, you can ask questions here.”

 

“You know how my quirk activates. They gave you my file,” Hitoshi looked down at his plate. 

 

“I do. They did. You can still ask questions,” Aizawa said firmly. 

 

“I could brainwash you,” Hitoshi reminded him. 

 

“I’m pretty sure your quirk registration said that you can control if your quirk activates or not,” Aizawa replied calmly. 

 

“Not always,” Hitoshi admitted warily. 

 

“Then when you can control it, don’t do it without consent or a good reason. And then when you can’t, release your hold immediately and apologize for the slip-up. It’s not a problem,” Aizawa instructed before returning his attention back to his coffee mug.  

 

Hitoshi gave the man a look of absolute bewilderment. Izuku and Hizashi exchanged glances before Hizashi clapped his hands softly. “Alright, let’s try to finish breakfast. I need to meet with the principal at Aldera this morning.”

 

Izuku smiled. Today was Hitoshi’s first day at Aldera. 

 

---

 

He wasn’t sure how Yamada-san made it happen, but somehow he got Hitoshi into the same class as Izuku and Bakugou. The teacher seemed somewhat happy to see him, but he figured that would die out once they learned about his quirk. 

 

“Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?” they asked. 

 

“Shinsou Hitoshi,” he said flatly. Bakugou, a few feet away in the front row, tried not to laugh. 

 

“Would you like to share anything else?” Like his quirk? Yeah, no. 

 

“No.” Izuku covered his mouth smothering giggles. The teacher seemed to be at a loss for words, so Hitoshi just went and sat at the only empty desk. He wound up being one row over and one seat up, diagonally in front of Izuku. 

 

---

 

As expected, during the first class change, a few kids came up to him. He ignored them. This always happened when he changed schools. People tried to be his friend until they found out what his quirk was. He tried to turn and look at Izuku but some girl was in his way. 

 

“Hello! My name is Sayaka Mori. I’m the class president, so I’ll be happy to show you around the school and give you pointers,” she smiled brightly. 

 

“Pointers,” Hitoshi parroted flatly. 

 

“Yes! Like all the good bread at the cafeteria sells out if you aren’t there within the first 15 minutes. The math teacher is super strict about showing your work. Oh! And then the most important thing you should remember is to stay away from Deku,” she explained with a serious expression. 

 

Useless? “Deku,” he parroted, trying to keep the questioning tone out of his voice. 

 

The girl nodded and leaned in. “He’s quirkless. It’s disgusting,” she whispered. Hitoshi bristled, remembering that Izuku was believed to be quirkless. They meant Izuku. Hitoshi stood, letting his full height become apparent. 

 

“Midoriya Izuku,” he said lowly. The girl took a step back, face scrunched up in confusion. 

 

“You know Deku?” she asked, sounding hesitant. 

 

“I know Izuku,” he snapped. “My brother.” Suddenly a small explosion flashed near her face. 

 

“Fuck off, extra,” Bakugou growled. She squeaked and ran off. 

 

“Kacchan, I told you to stop doing that to people,” Izuku frowned from his desk. He turned back to his notebook muttering just loudly enough to be heard. “So confrontational, I swear to god. They’ll be the death of me.” 

 

“Well, if extras would stay fucked off, I’d stop,” Bakugou retorted, sneering at a small group standing nearby. Hitoshi could already tell they were gossiping. 

 

Looking at Izuku, Hitoshi decided to try something. “What’s their main way of bullying here?” Bakugou grinned at him. 

 

“It’s mostly verbal harassment and gossip,” Izuku answered, still writing. Then after another moment, his pen halted and he looked up. “You asked me a question,” he smiled. 

 

“Yeah,” Hitoshi shrugged. 

 

“Okay, but it’s been over 3 weeks and that’s your first question,” Bakugou pointed out. “That’s big.”

 

“I can’t exactly text in school,” Hitoshi huffed, flushing slightly. Izuku just kept smiling at him while Bakugou teased him until the next teacher called for class to start. School was definitely better with friends.

 

---

 

“It was fine. I liked it,” Hitoshi answered when Yamada-san asked how his first day was. “It’s better than my last school since they don’t know what my quirk is.” 

 

“You should have seen it. He broke our teacher,” Bakugou told Yamada-san. 

 

“Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?” Izuku asked in a formal voice. 

 

“Shinsou Hitoshi,” Bakugou said in a monotone voice. Hitoshi rolled his eyes.  

 

“Would you like to share anything else?” Izuku mimicked the teacher’s stupid, leading smile. 

 

“No,” Bakugou answered solemnly before bursting into a fit of laughter. 

 

“They just,” Izuku gasped, laughing. “Just stood there like. What, what am I supposed to do now?”

 

“And then he went and sat at a desk before they could figure it out,” Bakuou continued. 

 

“You did that?” Yamada-san asked, chuckling. 

 

“Yeah,” Hitoshi felt his face warm. 

 

“You know,” Yamada-san covered his mouth to smother his laughter. “That’s exactly what Shouta did when we were in high school together. Just,” he frowned, “Aizawa Shouta. I’m not here to make friends.” 

 

“And then you made friends with him?” Izuku asked while Bakugou started hauling things over to sort. Hitoshi followed him to help but not before he heard the reply. 

 

“Of course, I did.”

 

---

 

“They’re asleep?” Hizashi asked as Shouta came into their room, closing the door. His husband nodded. “Okay. Ready?” he asked, gripping the manila envelope.

 

Shouta climbed into the bed, sitting cross-legged. “Yeah, open it.”

 

“I swear to god, if it’s more paperwork,” Hizashi muttered before biting his lip. He opened it carefully so that he didn’t accidentally rip the contents. He pulled out the small stack of papers and read over the first page. 

 

Shouta made a sound of surprise when Hizashi pretty much launched himself onto the black-haired man. “He’s ours!” he whisper-shouted, holding the papers up triumphantly.

 

“Shhh, okay, shh,” Shouta grinned, covering his mouth. “You’re going to wake them up.”

 

“Should we tell him tomorrow or wait until his birthday?” Hizashi asked, rolling to the side as his husband took the papers. 

 

“Maybe his birthday so that it’s also his adoption day,” Shouta said as he read through the documents. 

 

“One down, one to go,” Hizashi smiled, cuddling up to Shouta.

 

---

 

Okay, so I found this neat room planning tool. 

Isn't the internet cool? ₍꒢  ̣̮꒢₎

Should I do other rooms just for fun or nah?

Notes:

Hitoshi over here being a mini Aizawa.
Todoroki voice: secret love child

Izuku is their legal baby now!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!! (Дﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ)

Grammarly gave me a 98% on this chapter. That's my highest yet.

Chapter 40: Auntie Nemuri

Notes:

TW: brief mention of Izuku's case again

“You are neither of our designated adults,” Izuku commented, peering into the car. 

 

“Sweetie, you know me,” she whined. “Hizashi got called on a mission and he told me to take you three to that beach.” 

 

“What about Aizawa-san?” Hitoshi asked, frowning. 

 

“Still at school, hun. Some of his hero course kids blew up Ground Beta,” she gave them a wry smile. They exchanged glances. Izuku pulled out his phone. 

 

To Dadzawa:

Are we supposed to go with Midnight?

 

“Well, I can’t blame you for being cautious,” she sighed. 

 

Incoming Call: Dadzawa

 

Izuku put it on speakerphone. “Hi?” Izuku spoke hesitantly. 

 

“Sorry. Don’t have time to text. My students are a mess. Nemuri’s going to take you guys to the beach --Keito, put that down!-- unless you want her to take you somewhere else. Just stay with her. Don’t take off your glasses outside. She has keys -- BOOM -- to the apartment if you want to go home. I don’t know how long it’ll take to get these brats to clean up. -- CRASH Keito, what did I say?!-- ” Aizawa sighed. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. You’re stuck with her for now.”

 

The call ended and all three of them looked at the phone in confusion. “That’s the hero course?” Hitoshi asked no one in particular. 

 

---

 

“Sooo,” Nemuri started, sitting next to Izuku. The darlings had amassed a small collection of functional furniture over here. “Can I be nosy?”

 

He eyed her warily. “I guess?” 

 

“I heard you called Shouta ‘Dad’ at one point,” she smiled. 

 

“It was an accident,” Izuku blushed. 

 

“Oh chill, it’s adorable!” Nemuri waved her hand. “But if he’s dad, what’s Hizashi?”

 

“Are we gossiping?” Hitoshi asked as he walked over with a small shelf. He put it down before plopping down in a chair. 

 

“What would you call Hizashi?” Nemuri asked the newcomer. “Would you also call Shouta ‘Dad?’”

 

“Yeah, Aizawa-san seems like a ‘dad,’” Hitoshi agreed. 

 

“Why are you using honorifics for them?” Nemuri feigned horror. 

 

“Habit, I guess,” the kid answered with a shrug. “My foster parents before required it.”

 

“I vote you two stop being shy and call him dad. But what to call Hizashi?” she mimed being deep in thought. 

 

“Daddy,” Bakugou chimed in, coming over to see why Hitoshi left the trash tower. 

 

“No. People ruined that,” Izuku frowned. The other two boys gave him sympathetic looks that told her they knew about his current court cases. Well, at least he has support from peers. That can aid in recovery. 

 

“You could call him papa, pops, mom, mama, mapa, zaza--” Nemuri listed. 

 

“Mama?” Izuku asked at the same moment Bakugou asked, “What is zaza?”

 

“He’s nonbinary?” Hitoshi asked a half a second later. Zashi’s gonna kill me…

 

“I’m so sorry. I thought he told you,” Nemuri said weakly. Oh well. Impromptu gender lessons with Auntie Nemuri.

 

---

 

After explaining what nonbinary meant, Nemuri elaborated by explaining a few different subtypes like genderfluid and agender. She confirmed that Hizashi does use he/him pronouns and he identifies as a nonbinary man. His gender expression ranges from masculine to androgynous. He appreciates both feminine and gender-neutral titles and nicknames.  

 

Two of three kids seemed fine . Hitoshi already knew what nonbinary meant. Bakugou was pretty neutral about it. But Izuku had gotten reallyfuckingquiet . 

 

“I like papa, mama, and zaza,” Hitoshi decided. “The syllables are nice. What do you think, Izuku?”

 

He kept being quiet and Nemuri was panicking just a little. “Mama Mic,” he said after a moment. 

 

“Ooh, alliteration is nice,” Nemuri complimented. Izuku just nodded and stayed quiet the rest of the time at the beach. I broke a child. I am so dead…

 

---

 

From ShoSho: 

What the fuck did you do to my kid?

 

To ShoSho: 

Hehe why :)))

 

From ShoSho:

He hasn’t spoken all night

 

To ShoSho:

fuck , I am so sorry

 

From ShoSho: 

What. did. you. do?

 

To ShoSho: 

So I accidentally let it slip that zashi is nb

 

To ShoSho:

In my defense, I thought you told your fucking children

 

From ShoSho:

We were going to explain later

 

From ShoSho:

I don’t get it. Was he mad?

 

To ShoSho:

I don’t know. I couldn’t tell. He just got really quiet.

 

To ShoSho:

But I don’t think so because he picked ‘mama mic’ for a name

 

From ShoSho:

He did?

 

To ShoSho:

Yep. And you’re still dad.

 

From ShoSho:

We’ll talk to him after quirk counseling tomorrow. 

 

To ShoSho:

Good luck!

 

---

 

She really made that Hitoshi kid uncomfortable. Maybe it was her volume? It’s usually her volume. Whatever the reason, he was in the teacher’s lounge while Izuku had his quirk counseling. So Nemuri took it upon herself to exile herself to her office. 

 

It was a little closet of a room, but it was just big enough for a desk and two armchairs. Right off the side of the nurse’s office. Because Nemuri was also a counselor. She just specialized in a different area: sex and gender. 

 

Yes, she was here for the LGBTQ+ kids, those dealing with sexual harassment, and general relationship etiquette. She was quite proud of her role in that since it took her two years of petitioning the school board to make it a thing. 

 

She frowned when there was a knock on her door. She sat up in a position more suitable of an adult versus the childlike sprawl across the armchair she had been in. “Yes? Come in?”

 

A pop of green entered her office. Izuku? “Um, I asked Nezu if I could stay for half my lesson and then come talk to you for the rest.” Huh?  

 

“Oh, sure. What did you want to talk about?” Of course, you know what he wants to talk about.

 

“Can boys really wear skirts?” Nope. You have no fucking clue what he wants to talk about.

 

“Uh, yes?” she flashed him a confused smile. “Here, come sit.”

 

He sat in the chair across from hers, all curled into himself. The kid bled anxiety, really. “Want to elaborate?” He stayed quiet. Just as she was about to ask again, he exploded. 

 

“I know you know about my cases because you’re Mic and Aizawa’s best friend and also a staff member. So you know what those men did to me. But you don’t know that they used to dress me up because I never told anyone because sometimes they put me in skirts but I really liked wearing them because they spin and they’re soft but I thought that made me gross. And then you said boys can wear skirts!”

 

Huh. He goes from ‘anxious mess’ to ‘here’s my life story’ fast. “Okay. Let’s start with: do you feel or are you questioning that you are nonbinary or transgender?”

 

“I thought about it all of yesterday and today. I decided no. But you said gender expression is separate.” 

 

“It is, yes,” she answered. “Cisgender people can dress outside of the binary expectation if that’s what they are comfortable with. That’s generally considered ‘gender non-conforming.’”

 

“Do you think they’d mind since I didn’t mention it before?” Izuku asked, picking at his pant leg. 

 

“Do you mind that Hizashi is nonbinary since he didn’t mention it before?” Nemuri countered. 

 

Izuku shook his head. “No.”

 

“I don’t think they’ll mind either,” she smiled.

 

---

 

To ShoSho:

I fixed your kid!

 

From ShoSho:

What did you do now?

 

To ShoSho:

Only my very best!

Notes:

This is not what I had planned at the start of the chapter. But I am only a writer. The story is alive. It flows through me. It does its own thing.

Enjoy some gender non-conforming/mini identity crisis Izuku.

I highlighted and nearly deleted most of this chapter 4 times. I really considered scrapping it. So if you're gonna judge me, please don't judge me harshly.

Also, remember waaaay back during the first shopping trip when Izuku wouldn't show Mic and Aizawa what he was trying on? That's why. :/ Trying on outfits for people is a no for him.

Author is not cis.

Chapter 41: Happy Birthday

Izuku watched from the couch as Hitoshi disappeared into their room. Where he was going because Aizawa sent him there. Because they wanted to talk to Izuku. Alone. Fuck.

 

“Izuku, calm down,” Mic said gently. “You’re not in trouble or anything like that.”

 

“We just want to ask why you’ve been so quiet,” Aizawa added. Izuku relaxed slightly. 

 

“I was thinking,” he mumbled, avoiding their gazes.  

 

“About what Nemuri told you?” Mic prompted. Izuku nodded. 

 

“Are-- Do you want to share what you’ve been thinking about?” Aizawa asked, looking a little nervous. Izuku took a breath, thinking about how Midnight said they wouldn’t mind. 

 

---

 

“Boys can wear skirts,” the kid declared with quiet determination. Shouta’s mind kind of hit a wall because that’s not exactly what he’d been expecting. 

 

“Yes? They can,” Hizashi agreed, giving Shouta a confused look. Okay, so he was confused too. Good. They were in this together. Now to navigate it. 

 

Was this his way of saying he was supportive of Hizashi or…? “Can you elaborate on that?”

 

Izuku frowned, looking at his hands folded in his lap. “ I can wear skirts,” he said, much quieter. This was definitely not where he saw the conversation going but alright.

 

“Do you want to wear skirts, little listener?” Hizashi asked, sitting next to Izuku. 

 

“Sometimes,” Izuku answered. Before either of them could ask if he was questioning his gender, he continued. “Midnight said expression is different than identity. She said if boys like skirts but are still boys, they are nonconforming. And it’s allowed.”

 

“Oh, thank goodness! I thought you were upset with me,” Hizashi sighed in relief, pulling Izuku into a hug. 

 

“Sorry. I wasn’t,” Izuku assured him. “And you aren’t upset with me?”

 

“Of course not,” Shouta answered. “Thank you for telling us.”

 

“We’ll get you all the skirts you want!” Hizashi exclaimed, already excited at the prospect of shopping again. “Or whatever else. Just ask.”

 

---

 

From Angry Problem Child:

If you haven’t already made plans for Izuku’s birthday, hear me out

 

To Angry Problem Child:

I’m listening

 

From Angry Problem Child:

There’s a festival every year from the 15th to the 20th

 

From Angry Problem Child:

My parents and I used to go with him, just us

 

From Angry Problem Child:

So it’s not connected to Inko or Hisashi

 

To Angry Problem Child:

Thank you for telling me. Will you come too?

 

From Angry Problem Child:

If you’re okay with me being there

 

To Angry Problem Child:

I am. Just no explosions.

 

---

 

“Hold on. Sit here,” Mic instructed excitedly when Hitoshi and Izuku left their room that morning. They moved to sit on the couch as they were told. “Okay! Phones out!”

 

“Why?” Izuku asked, confused. 

 

“Shh, just do it,” Mic beamed. Aizawa rolled his eyes, apparently in on whatever his husband was up to and a little amused by it. The kids complied.

 

⇒ Welcome to ‘Family Roll Call’

⇒ Welcome to ‘Family Roll Call’

⇒ Welcome to ‘Family Roll Call’

⇒ Welcome to ‘Family Roll Call’

⇒ Welcome to ‘Family Roll Call’

⇒ Admin has changed their nickname to ‘MamaMic’

⇒ Admin has changed your nickname to ‘TiredDad’

080-4812-743: Oh! It’s happening! Good luck!!

⇒ Admin has changed your nickname to ‘AuntieNem’

⇒ Admin has changed your nickname to ‘BunnyChild’

⇒ Admin has changed your nickname to ‘CoffeeChild’

080-9272-237: wtf am I here??

⇒ Admin has changed your nickname to ‘HonoraryChild’

TiredDad: why can’t I change this?

MamaMic: I set it up this way

HonoraryChild: Happy Birthday nerd

TiredDad: Nemuri will be there to pick you up around 2 bakugou

HonoraryChild: Got it

 

Izuku looked up, even more confused. “Midnight told you? Wait. Pick Kacchan up for what?”

 

“Your first lesson in this family: never gossip with Nemuri. She can’t keep secrets,” Aizawa said flatly. “She told me the day you guys talked about it.”

 

“We’re meeting Bakugou and Nemuri at the festival in town later,” Mic spoke, answering his second question. “The group chat is so that if we lose track of anyone, everyone’s in touch.”

 

“Also a way to break some good news,” Aizawa added.

 

“What news?” Hitoshi and Izuku asked in unison. Izuku’s pretty sure he heard Mic hiss ‘cuuute’ under his breath at that. 

 

Aizawa took a folder off the coffee table, took out a single piece of paper, and handed it to Izuku. He scanned the page with Hitoshi reading over his shoulder. “This is…” Izuku looked up with wide eyes, feeling Hitoshi grip his arm in excitement. 

 

“You are officially ours, little listener! Happy Birthday!” Mic exclaimed. 

 

“Technically, you’ve been ours since Monday, but we figured it would make a good birthday surprise,” Aizawa said with a hint of a smile.

 

“It’s permanent?” he asked hesitantly. Mic nodded. He and Aizawa looked a little confused by Izuku’s question. 

 

“Izuku,” Hitoshi turned him, taking his hand. “You’re safe now. Okay? This means your their kid now. You don’t have to worry about your dad taking you back. In fact, fuck that guy. Aizawa’s your dad now. These two are your parents, not those other people.”

 

“Wait, did you think Hisashi was going to take you away from us this whole time?” Aizawa asked, looking concerned. 

 

“It was a fear but I also thought it might not happen,” Izuku admitted. “I was hoping it wouldn’t.”

 

“Do you worry about being taken away too, Hitoshi?” Mic fretted. 

 

“Sort of,” Hitoshi shrugged. “I’m not as worried as Izuku was. I don’t think anyone would try to take me since no one wants a villain kid.” Aizawa frowned. “But I’ve also been moved out of homes without warning before, so I can’t say I don’t have any doubts.”

 

“Okay, well, to put your doubts to rest, we have police ordered custody of you. Social workers can’t take you from us right now,” Aizawa assured him. “You’re adoption should also go through faster since we don’t have to track down your biological parents the way we did with Izuku.”

 

“The only concern with these kinds of guardianships is something happening when it expires. Like if you got in an accident while it was being renewed, we might have trouble seeing you or making medical decisions for you,” Mic explained. “You’re both ours. You’re both safe.”

 

“Then,” Izuku said standing. He looked up at Mic. “You’re mama now?”

 

“You don’t have to call me that if you aren’t comfortable,” Mic reminded him, “but yeah.” Izuku stepped forward into his space for a hug. He shifted to be more at Izuku’s level. 

 

“Hey, grumps have to join family hugs too,” Mi-- mama said, voice watery. Izuku looked up at Aizawa, dad, behind Mama. He and Hitoshi both reluctantly joined the hug. But the way they melted into it gave them away. 

 

---

 

Midnight waved from the festival entrance as the four of them came into view. Kacchan perked up when he noticed them. 

 

“Did you tell him?” Midnight called once they got closer. 

 

“We did!” Mama called back. 

 

“Tell you what, nerd?” Kacchan asked once they got to the entrance. 

 

“My adoption is official,” Izuku beamed, excited. 

 

“Hell yeah!” Kacchan set off some sparks in his palms. “Let’s fuck shit up!”

 

“Please celebrate safely,” Dad chastised, appearing behind Kacchan abruptly. 

 

“Fine,” Kacchan agreed before giving Izuku and Hitoshi a look that said ‘prepare for chaos.’

Notes:

This chapter took me a while and I'm not entirely sure why. I kept getting stuck.

Chapter 42: Festival

“What’s the objective?” Hitoshi asked, looking over the raised pond. 

 

“Fish. The objective is fish,” Bakugou barked, unimpressed with Hitoshi’s inexperience. 

 

“You use the paper net to scoop the fish into the bowl. The paper can break so you have to be careful,” Izuku explained. “You get to keep the fish that you catch.”

 

“We have cats,” Hitoshi pointed out. 

 

“I volunteer to care for any caught fish!” Midnight chimed in from behind them. 

 

“You can also just do it for fun and give the fish back,” Aizawa said, giving her a flat look.

 

Midnight got five fish in the end.

 

---

 

Shouta paced outside the haunted house. “He’ll be fine,” Hizashi tried to soothe him. “Hitoshi and Bakugou are with him. Hitoshi promised not to let go of him.”

 

---

 

It was dark. Holding Hitoshi’s hand helped, but maybe this was a bad idea. 

 

“It’s fine, nerd,” Bakugou spoke in his ear. “Just remember they’re actors.”

 

“It’s loud,” Izuku whined, flinching at yet another jumpscare. At least they were all a good few meters away. 

 

Then they turned into a new room and something loomed over him, inches from his face.

 

---

 

Shouta was alert at the combination of laughter from two of his charges and silence from the third. “That was fucking great,” Bakugou cackled. 

 

“No, it wasn’t!” Izuku nearly yelled, but Shouta couldn’t quite discern the emotion in his voice. As they got closer though, his heart froze at the sight of blood on Izuku’s hand. 

 

“I’m going to have to agree with Bakugou. That was fantastic,” Hitoshi grinned. 

 

“What happened?” Shouta asked, feeling his hair raise as Hizashi crouched down to inspect Izuku’s hand. 

 

“He’s fine. It’s not his blood,” Hitoshi reassured them quickly. 

 

“He punched a ghost in the face,” Bakugou informed them, still laughing.

 

“I didn’t mean to!” Izuku cried, expression somewhere between panicked and angry. 

 

“Aw, little listener. It’s okay. Kneejerk reactions happen sometimes,” Hizashi smiled, accepting a wet wipe from Nemuri to clean Izuku’s hand. “Shouta used to flip me over his shoulder when we first started living together. He startled like a cat.”

 

“Zashi,” Shouta hissed. Izuku gave him a surprised look. 

 

“Six-foot ghost? Zero. Little Izuku? One,” Bakugou snickered. 

 

---

 

“Mama, come. You’ve got to see this,” Izuku said tugging on his hand. Hizashi followed him to a booth that looked to be handmade figurines of different heroes. They were clearly exquisite craftsmanship. 

 

“She makes Eraserhead ones,” Hitoshi pointed out, having been waiting for them both.

 

“She what?” Hizashi exclaimed. Sure enough, the woman had about a dozen figures of his husband, each one in a unique pose. “Can we buy all of them, by chance?”

 

If his kids also asked for figures of him and Midnight, he totally didn’t tear up at the request.

 

---

 

“How did you even manage this, sweetie?” Nemuri asked, assessing the pink and blue fluff that had gotten stuck in Izuku’s curls. 

 

“I’m not sure,” Izuku frowned, thinking. 

 

Hitoshi looked around to make sure Bakugou was still with Hizashi. “His quirk. He spaced out and some lady bumped into him with her cotton candy. She apologized and gave him this hair clip.” Nemuri eyed the pastel clip. It was rather adorable. 

 

“Mkay, how about I take you to find a sink somewhere so we can wash this off. Cotton candy will dissolve fairly easily. Then after your hair is dry, I can put the clip in?” she suggested. 

 

“Okay,” Izuku agreed. 

 

---

 

Katsuki watched as Izuku’s lenses went black. He still seemed to space out a bit but not for more than ten seconds or so. It was kind of weird seeing them in action. 

 

---

 

Kacchan and Hitoshi gave the booth an appraising look. 

 

“Izuku?” Kacchan asked, looking at Hitoshi. 

 

“Izuku,” Hitoshi replied, seeming to be agreeing with Kacchan on something.

 

“What about me?” Izuku asked, glancing between them. 

 

“You’re a genius. And this is pretty much a physics game. You should be able to win the best prizes here,” Bakugou assessed. They had made a competition out of the games at some point. Hitoshi won the last one. They were kind of systematically hitting the different games and this was the first one they were asking Izuku to do. 

 

“I don’t know,” Izuku answered, watching other people try the ring toss. They looked like they were having a hard time. 

 

“You’ve got this, Izuku!” Hitoshi encouraged. 

 

“Don’t worry about the extras. Just focus like you do when it’s a quirk,” Bakugou instructed.

 

Izuku frowned, looking at the bottles. “May I see a ring, please?” he asked the person running the booth. They smiled and handed him one. Hitoshi and Kacchan watched silently, not willing to interrupt him. After several minutes and several angles, he decided to try. 

 

He didn’t miss one.

 

---

 

Izuku, Hitoshi, Nemuri, and Hizashi watched as Bakugou sprinted away from Shouta. 

 

“Should we help?” Nemuri asked slowly. Izuku shook his head. 

 

“Bakugou brought this on himself,” Hitoshi confirmed. 

 

---

 

Family Roll Call

 

TiredDad: Nemuri where are you?

MamaMic: And I was worried we’d lose a kid

HonoraryChild: I was with her up until the Takoyaki stall

HonoraryChild: I came and found you as soon as I lost her

CoffeeChild: there are like 6 takoyaki stalls

HonoraryChild: it was blue

AuntieNem: Guys, you’ll never guess who I found!

TiredDad: wtf Nem? You left a kid

AuntieNem: hush ShoSho. He was gone when I turned around

HonoraryChild: ShoSho?

BunnyChild: well I’m curious of who she found

AuntieNem: Thank you Izuku

AuntieNem: so I’m getting takoyaki right?

AuntieNem: I turn around and Bakugou is gone

AuntieNem: so I start looking like the responsible adult I am

AuntieNem: and I run into Shawn of all people

MamaMic: Snipe’s here?

TiredDad: you make sure the kid comes with you when you stop for food

TiredDad: you’re a teacher!! You should know this

AuntieNem: I thought he was following me

HonoraryChild: omg just come back

BunnyChild: can you bring me takoyaki

AuntieNem: sure thing kiddo!

 

---

 

“Mermaid quirk?” Hitoshi asked, watching a woman swim around a tank. She blew bubbles at the kids watching in awe near the glass. 

 

“No,” Izuku replied, tilting his head. “If it was, it would set me off. I think she’s just a really good freediver.” 

 

---

 

At the first firework, Izuku backed up into Hizashi. He seemed torn between being in awe of the lights and downright terrified of the sound. For a second, he wondered why. Sure fireworks were a common fear, but he grew up around explosions from Bakugou. 

 

But as he thought about it, he realized the volume was drastically different. The loudest sound they had exposed Izuku to was chatter from crowds in fairly open spaces. He made a mental note to get Izuku something to cancel noise, just in case. 

 

For now, he held his hands over Izuku’s ears to muffle the noise a bit. Izuku leaned back to shot him an appreciative look. 

 

---

 

Izuku had fallen asleep in the car on the way home. Hitoshi was drifting but still awake. They couldn’t rouse Izuku, so Shouta just carried him up. He was pleased to find that the kid was a bit heavier since the last time he’d carried him. Maybe he’d be back to a normal weight soon. 

 

When Shouta got him upstairs to his bed, Hizashi took off his glasses and removed the clip from his hair, setting both on his desk. Izuku stirred for a second when Hizashi pulled the covers over him. “I love you guys,” he mumbled sleepily before falling back asleep. 

 

“Cute as hell,” Hitoshi commented from his bed. 

 

“Yep,” Shouta agreed fondly. “Don’t forget your meds, though.” Hitoshi gave him a thumbs up before opening the closest desk drawer where he kept them. 

 

“Goodnight, Hitoshi,” Hizashi smiled after the kid took his meds and put the bottles away. 

 

“You know. I also. What Izuku said,” Hitoshi said quietly, blush visible in the light from the hall. 

 

“We love you too, little listener,” Hizashi said, voice soft with affection.

 

---

 

Izuku's Gift from Cotton Candy Girl

Notes:

Me: *reads about Japanese festivals so I have moments to write*
Me: *desire to go to Japan increases*

What did Bakugou doooo? Guess! I'll pick my favorite!
(or favorites if I can't decide)

With a sappy chapter comes a sappy note from the author:

Seriously, thank you all so much for reading and commenting. I love hearing your feedback. There are a lot of comments on my update speed and to that all I can say is, I don't know how I do it. I didn't realize it was fast until y'all pointed it out. I used to write literal novels in class to pass time after I finished work starting as early as the fifth grade. I don't know if it's practice or talent or brain vomit, but I'm just having fun. ^-^
I only ever wrote novels for myself so I didn't know if I was actually any good. I started writing because I read most of the fics in the past few years and lowkey ran out of pages in the archive. I figured if I have to wait for new stories to build up, maybe I can write some while I do. And y'all like them. Which I did not expect. Every time I doubt a chapter, those are the ones you guys seem to like the most.

Chapter 43: Summer Break

Once again we got fanart! It's Hitoshi's muzzle (Click here!) This is actually pretty much what I was picturing! 

 

---

 

Summer Break started five days after Izuku’s birthday. One of the first things they did was stop at the mall. It was a little less chaotic this time around. For starters, it was only Hitoshi, Izuku, Mama, and Midnight. Dad was on patrol.

 

“If you two are going to be spending so much of your time cleaning the beach, you should have swimsuits so that you can go swimming. It’s good to take breaks,” Mama told them. 

 

“And I’m here to help you pick out skirts if you want!” Midnight added enthusiastically. 

 

Hitoshi gave Izuku an odd look, probably because he had missed both of those conversations, but he didn’t comment. When he finally found a skirt in a style and fabric he liked, Midnight informed him that they were called skater skirts. She helped him locate a few other similar styles.

 

Reluctantly, he showed his entourage one of the skirts he picked out because he needed to know if they looked okay on him. He had to remind himself it wasn’t the same. They’re family.

 

“Aww, you’re so cute!” Midnight gushed. Mama made some sort of unintelligible, strangled sound. 

 

“I don’t know what I was expecting, but it really suits you,” Hitoshi complimented. 

 

---

 

The boys used their newfound free time to increase their efforts cleaning the beach. They were making considerable progress. Izuku had insisted they clean up and restore functional items so that they could donate them to people that needed them. 

 

Shouta or Hizashi came with, of course, when Hitoshi suggested going door to door in certain neighborhoods and asking if people needed anything or knew anyone in need of something in particular. Izuku had created an inventory list of everything they found that could be refurbished and had begun marking down names and addresses next to items. 

 

The kids had even managed to snag some volunteers to help deliver items. These kids were a force to be reckoned with. The word was spread to come and visit the beach if you were in need of anything. And apparently, they had caught someone’s attention.

 

---

 

Izuku threw himself over the back of the couch, definitely not snooping at the files dad was reading. “What’s the count?”

 

“14 completed, 14 guilty verdicts,” dad said, closing the file he had open in his lap. 

 

“Why can’t they just all be done with?” Hitoshi asked from the floor, with a cat curled up on his chest. 

 

“They found and arrested them all at different times, so their court dates are pretty scattered,” dad explained. 

 

“They’ll be done soon, right?” Izuku may have whined. 

 

“They should be done just after classes start up again,” dad assured him. “I’m not worried. I trust Tsukauchi.”

 

---

 

Hitoshi heard a yelp from Izuku and a following crash. “Izuku?” He walked around the trash tower only to find some girl straddling his brother, his lenses black but fading to clear. Meaning she had used a quirk at some point.

 

“--and so I said to myself there’s no way three kids are out here cleaning this place by themselves. But no she insisted you were. I wanted to come see for myself and I was out here all night! This place is amazing! I noticed you seem to be collecting and fixing certain items but have you considered making new things out of the really broken junk? I got a ton of ideas just--”

 

“Oi! Get off him!” Bakugou growled, propelling himself over a pile of crates with his explosions. 

 

“Who are you?” Hitoshi asked, waiting, waiting...

 

“Oh, I’m--” There. Her eyes glazed over and her face went slack. And Izuku’s lenses went black again. Whoops.

 

“Get off of him,” Hitoshi ordered. Wordlessly she complied. Bakugou helped Izuku up just as Mama made it over to them. 

 

“What is going on here?” He demanded, taking in the vacant girl and Izuku being picked up off the ground. Hitoshi released his hold on the girl. 

 

“I don’t know. She--” Hitoshi started, only to suddenly have odd yellow eyes in his face. 

 

“Wow! Did you just mind control me? That’s so cool!” she practically shouted. 

 

“Oh, my fuck. It’s a second nerd,” Bakugou muttered behind her. 

 

“Hatsume Mei, at your service! Future CEO of Hatsume Tech Industries!” she introduced, turning to Bakugou. “I’d be happy to make babies for you at any time!”

 

Bakugou looked horrified. “No.”

 

“Well, here’s my card unless you change your mind,” she chirped, forcing a business card into his hand. “Now you,” she rounded on Izuku. “Your support item there is neat.”

 

“Pardon,” Mama interrupted, putting his hands between the girl and Izuku before she could jump him again. “But what the hell?” She whipped out another business card from god knows where and handed it to the voice hero.

 

Mama gave the card an exhausted look. “Support Course?”

 

“Prospect,” she corrected, rocking on the balls of her feet. “I’ve got to get into UA first. Not that I doubt I can.”

 

“We’re going to try to get into UA too,” Izuku spoke up for the first time. 

 

“Fantastic! What course? I’m guessing hero course for these two. What about you? I’d guess but I have no idea what kind of quirk your support item is for,” she rambled, trying to squeeze past Mama to get to Izuku. 

 

“Hah? He doesn’t have a quirk. Those glasses are for something else. They aren’t a support item,” Bakugou told her. 

 

“If they aren’t a support item, then why are they made of...” she suddenly licked the side of Izuku’s frames, causing him to shriek in confusion. “Carbon-steel?”

 

“I don’t fucking know what that is,” Bakugou admitted. 

 

“Pity,” she remarked before taking Izuku’s glasses off. 

 

“Now hold on--” Mama started, reaching for the girl. Then Izuku’s eyes glazed over. Her eyes, Hitoshi realized as Izuku started her analysis. Shit.

 

“Mutant type quirk affecting strictly the eyes. The user is able to focus on and zoom in on visuals up to five kilometers away. Potential to increase the range is present but at a high risk of straining the eyes to the point of vision loss. It is not recommended to push the natural limitations of this quirk. The user possesses high intelligence unrelated to but aided by their quirk. The user is able to subconsciously register details with their keen vision.”

 

“An intelligence quirk,” Hatsume observed. “Will you be joining the support course then? I bet you could make incredible babies with the ability to read quirks like that.”

 

“I’m going to be a hero,” Izuku said slowly, looking over her shoulder at Bakugou. Bakugou who looked beyond furious. 

 

“Hatsume, please give Izuku back his glasses,” Mama spoke with a stern tone. One Hitoshi hadn’t heard from him before. Despite her clear inability to read social situations, she seemed to understand the tone and gave the glasses back immediately. 

 

“Kacchan, I--” 

 

“No,” Bakugou interrupted, voice tense. 

 

“No?” Izuku asked, tearing up. 

 

“Later. Explain later. I need to,” Bakugou swallowed and Hitoshi noticed that he was shaking. “I need to go calm down. I’m going home. Don’t text me.”

 

“Why is he leaving?” Hatsume asked, tilting her head as Bakugou stalked off. 

 

“He didn’t know Izuku had a quirk,” Hitoshi answered. 

 

“You’re Izuku right?” Hatsume asked, turning back to the teary greenette. 

 

“Mhm. Mid-- Uh, Aiyama Izuku,” he replied, stumbling over his new name. Their parents decided to combine their surnames for extra privacy. “I only found out I had a quirk a few months ago. Kacchan’s known me my whole life so he’s thought I was quirkless as long as I have. I didn’t tell him yet.”

 

“Oh, and then I,” realization bled into her features. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

 

“You didn’t know,” Izuku said quietly, leaning into Mama for support. 

 

“How about we go home for now, and then we’ll come back tomorrow,” Mama suggested. 

 

“Okay,” Izuku agreed.

 

---

 

So let's discuss Izuku's general fashion sense in this story. 

Basically, all his tops are the same as canon (t-shirts, polos, hoodies) with the addition of sweaters.

Bottoms include athletic and cargo shorts, jeans, skirts (leggings optional), and sweatpants.

He has a  very relaxed/comfort-based style.

Usual colors: reds, greens, blues, black, white.

I'm not sure why the quality changed in the 'no glasses' version. (⺣ﻌ⺣)

I don't like shading so y'all are stuck with flat color illustrations. Sorry!

Notes:

Me: I'm going to do a quick doodle
Me: *2 hours later* or actual art, okay

Who else is proud of Bakugou walking away when he's mad?

And lil Izuku. He's gone from prickly "prove I can trust you" to soft "hold me I'm anxious"

This group of 4: I have big plans for them.
I have officially decided to make this a trilogy series. (Middle School, UA Years, Post UA) and these 4 have a major event together in the third one!

Chapter 44: We're Okay

It took Katsuki three days to feel calm enough to go back to the beach. Today, Aizawa was there instead of Mic. And apparently, the pink-haired girl had joined the group. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that yet. 

 

Izuku noticed him first. “Kacchan!”

 

“Explain,” Katsuki ordered, his chest tight.

 

Hitoshi and the girl made their way over as Izuku started. “About a week after they took me in, they introduced me to Nezu. He figured out I had a quirk. You know, because he has an intelligence quirk too. It’s strictly quirk analysis. I haven’t named it or registered it yet because of everything going on. I was misdiagnosed and no one noticed. They just thought I was a nerd.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me when you found out?” Katsuki asked. He couldn’t really be mad about the past if Izuku had no idea himself.

 

“You had told me to kill myself a week before and--”

 

“You did what?” Shinsou snapped. 

 

“It’s resolved. Drop it,” Izuku said stiffly before continuing. “And anyway. Um, we weren’t friends. You had just found out about the homeless thing and you were still working on changing.”

 

Okay. Fair. “What about when we made up again? Why didn’t you say anything then? Or anytime after? Why did I have to find out from a stranger?”

 

“I was scared,” Izuku answered, looking at the ground. “I didn’t know if it was going to work out between us. Even after my worries about that started to subside, then I was worried whether you’d be mad at me or think differently of me. Not to mention, you keep telling your mom stuff, and what if she called Inko and it got back to Hisashi? I’m already really upset about the fact that the supposed reason for my suffering was a lie. I didn’t know how to tell you too.”

 

Katsuki took a deep breath. “Okay so. It’s not your fault some quack job misdiagnosed you, so I’m not mad at you for that. I’m kind of hurt that you didn’t trust me, but I also kind of brought that on myself with how I treated you all these years. You’ve always been a weird analyst nerd, although I don’t know where you’ve been hiding that version. I would have figured it out from that. But yeah, I don’t think of you different.”

 

“In my notebooks. Nezu figured out that if I have somewhere to write them down, I won’t verbalize them aside from occasional mumbling,” Izuku told him quietly. “I’ve been writing for years.”

 

“I won’t tell my mom,” Katsuki decided, addressing Izuku’s other concern.

 

“Are we okay?” Izuku asked, looking anxious. 

 

“Yeah. We’re okay.”

 

---

 

“How are we fitting all four of them in the car?” Shouta asked. 

 

“With determination and a blatant disregard for traffic laws! I think it’s traffic laws if it pertains to cars in any way. I’m not sure,” Hizashi replied. Shouta regretted asking.

 

---

 

“Today, you start training,” Shouta informed the four teens standing in front of him in the UA training room.

 

“Why is she here?” Bakugou asked abruptly. 

 

“Hatsume will be trying for the support course, yes, but self-defense is always good to know. Plus, with her here we can do paired exercises,” Shouta answered. Bakugou seemed to accept the answer. 

 

“Izuku and Hitoshi. Your quirks are not combat-suited. You will need to rely on hand-to-hand combat and support items. Please think about what you would like to use. Bakugou, although you’re quirk is powerful, it has negative drawbacks. You will either need an intense strength training schedule to keep up with the blowback of your explosions, or you will need support items to protect your arms.” 

 

Hatsume hopped in place. “What about me?”

 

“I am teaching you self-defense and that is all,” Shouta reminded her. She nodded excitedly. “Now, Izuku has built up his strength quite a bit, but please remember he is still in recovery when you spar with him.”

 

“Are you telling them to go easy on me?” Izuku gaped, indignant. 

 

“No. Just no quirks when sparring with you,” Shouta said before looking at the others. “And don’t do anything excessively violent… Bakugou.”

 

“Alright. Let’s get started,” Shouta grinned.

 

---

 

Cat Chat

 

Zoomies: I’m dyinggg

Purple Cat: Same

KING EXPLOSION: weak

Green Bean: you collapsed twice Kacchan

Zoomies: I got home and my mom thought I got mugged

Zoomies: I’m never sparring with Hitoshi again

Green Bean: stay with me meimei

Zoomies: us weaker beans gotta stick together

KING EXPLOSION: wait until his doctor clears him and he comes for our asses

Purple Cat: right? We’ll meet the same fate as that ghost

Zoomies: ooh what ghost???

KING EXPLOSION: it was a person playing a ghost at a haunted house

KING EXPLOSION: Izuku got scared and punched him

Green Bean: it was an accident! 

 

---

 

“I don’t know how I feel about you fighting with a bunch of boys, Mei,” her mother said warily. 

 

“It’s supervised by a UA teacher,” Mei reminded her. “Besides, isn’t it better for me to learn self-defense with boys that don’t want to hurt me than to try and test out if I can defend myself with boys who do?” 

 

“I don’t really know how I feel about you hanging out with boys at all, dear. Not after what happened--” 

 

“Mom,” Mei whined.

 

“No, this is why you’re homeschooled.”

 

“I thought I was homeschooled because I’m too advanced for public school,” Mei defended. 

 

“That too,” her mother huffed. Then she sighed. “Sweetie, it’s great that your making friends. But can’t you make friends with girls? You can’t read people well enough. Next time, it could end with more than just inappropriate touching.”

 

“I’m autistic. Not helpless,” Mei drew back, a little offended. She never understands. She’s never been like dad. Mei just wanted her dad back. 

 

“It does make you vulnerable though,” her mother insisted. 

 

“Then meet them yourself!” Mei frowned. “Don’t just say no. Meet them and see for yourself. They’re good. They’re gonna be heroes and I’m gonna be their support.”

 

“Fine,” her mother conceded. “I’ll meet them.”

 

---

 

“Aizawa. What do you want, Tsukauchi-san?” Shouta said, answering his phone. 

 

“I have good news and possibly bad news,” Tuskauchi replied. 

 

“I’m on patrol you know,” Shouta pointed out. 

 

“Yes, I am aware. I figured it might be best that you’re away from your kids when I tell you.” Shouta narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular. 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“First, our extradition of Hisashi Midoriya has been successful. He is being held at a prison in America while they work on getting him transferred over here to us. His court date has also been tentatively scheduled. It’ll be sometime in the first week of September,” Tsukauchi informed him. 

 

“That sounds like the good news,” Shouta observed, watching a kid unlock their bike outside a convenience store. 

 

“It is,” Tsukauchi agreed. 

 

“What’s the possibly bad news then?” Shouta asked. 

 

He heard a deep sigh on the other end of the line. “Inko Midoriya will be staying in Japan to testify. She wants to meet with Izuku-kun. Actually so does Hisashi, but I figured that would be an automatic no,” Tsukauchi spoke with a touch of irritation at the end. He had developed a pretty strong hate for Hisashi Midoriya during the investigation. 

 

“Of course, it’s a no. I’ll have to ask Izuku how he feels about seeing Inko though,” Shouta decided. 

 

“Let me know what he decides.”

Notes:

Katsuki's anger issues are being fixed. Therapy: More people should do it.
Bakugou: old that thought
*3 days later*
Bakugou: okay, what were you gonna say?

Peek into Mei's life: It's not great but she's not in a bad living situation.
Mei has ADHD and Autism in this fic. Please don't expect exaggerated signs like I've seen other fic writers use. Autism presents a little differently in girls. It often goes undiagnosed because people are only looking for the typical presentation seen in males and the exaggerated version shown in media at that.

Chapter 45: Mei's Mom

Notes:

TW: Idk how to word it but Mei's mom is gross to her. Like very passive-aggressive? Sort of. That thing where saint-like people are rude af but in a nice way. Might be triggering because it made me feel pained in my heart to write this.

“I will be very nearby,” Mama told them as he dropped the kids off at Mei’s house. Izuku nodded. 

 

“So she’s not mean or anything but she has a lot of outdated beliefs. She doesn’t like that I’ve made friends with boys,” Mei explained as she led them to a door around the side of the house. Izuku took in the various machines and pieces of scrap metal outside. 

 

“Be curious later,” Kacchan said, gently pushing Izuku forward. “Impress Mei’s mom first.”

 

“Mom, I’m home. I brought my friends,” she called as she opened the door. It led into a kitchen. 

 

“Ah, sorry for intruding,” Izuku said quietly. 

 

“Don’t take your shoes off,” Mei warned. “I have screws and shit all over. I’d rather you keep your feet intact than any of that traditional manners stuff.”

 

“I try to clean them up but I miss quite a few,” a soft-looking woman said, as she came into the kitchen. Her hair was like Mei’s as far as type but it was white. Her eyes were completely different, so Mei’s quirk must come from her father. 

 

“Hello! I’m Aiyama Izuku!” Izuku greeted, bowing slightly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“So polite,” the woman smiled. 

 

“Bakugou Katsuki. Thank you for inviting us,” Kacchan said, stepping forward. Hitoshi followed after him. 

 

“And I’m Shinsou Hitoshi,” he said softly. Izuku could tell he was anxious. 

 

“Well, welcome. I’m excited to meet you. Come, let’s go sit in the living room. It’s the one room I’ve managed to keep from becoming another workshop,” she laughed gently as she directed them out of the kitchen. 

 

Once they were all settled, her mother looked between them all. “So how did you meet?”

 

Izuku was pretty sure he couldn’t say ‘your daughter jumped me.’ Luckily Mei spoke first. “You know that donation center I go to where the one really nice lady gives me all the broken electronics?”

 

“Mhm,” her mother replied pleasantly. 

 

“She was telling me about these kids cleaning Takoba Beach--”

 

“Wait. The illegal landfill?” She turned her attention to the boys. “You’re cleaning that place?”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Izuku responded. 

 

“Why?” 

 

“Um. I thought it would be nice if the beach was clean?” Izuku said shyly. 

 

“We’re helping him, but it was his idea,” Kacchan added. 

 

“Alright,” she looked back to Mei. “Continue.”

 

“Right, so. She said she bet there was a ton of broken tech there and she told me that the boys had been donating functional items that they found and cleaned up, so maybe they’d give me the broken stuff. So I snuck out, don’t worry you can ground me for that, and I spent the night there because I didn’t know when they’d show up. When they did show up, I introduced myself. I’ve been helping them clean the beach ever since.”

 

“Boys,” the mother sighed. “If my daughter is bothering you, please let me know. She has a little trouble understanding social cues.”

 

Izuku frowned. “Why would you say that?”

 

The woman gave her daughter a sympathetic look and Mei bristled in response. “She’s autistic,” the woman told them, in a tone that Izuku did not appreciate. 

 

“He means why would you say she’s bothering us?” Hitoshi spoke up. “We’re here to meet you, aren’t we? Do you think she somehow physically forced three teenage boys to her home, two of which being much larger than her?” 

 

“No, I don’t. But you three seem to be very polite. It wouldn’t surprise me if you were kind enough to humor her,” the woman said with a note of condescension. 

 

“I don’t do sh-- stuff if I don’t want to,” Kacchan said evenly. “I definitely don’t humor people.”

 

“Katsuki, it’s fine,” Mei interjected. 

 

“Mei!” her mother exclaimed sounding scandalized. All heads snapped up to her to see why. “What have I told you about using people’s first names?”

 

“But I--”

 

“I am so terribly sorry. She’s not big on manners. I try to enforce them, but there’s only so much I can do,” the woman said, cutting Mei off. Izuku tensed. What is this woman’s problem?

 

“Ma’am,” Izuku spoke a little louder than he meant to. “She asked us to call her Mei when she introduced herself. We all gave her permission to use our first names too. Not only is it fair, but Hitoshi is going to have the same last name as me soon, so it’d be confusing to use our last names.”

 

“It’s just a name,” Kacchan muttered. 

 

The woman seemed to relax a bit. Although, all the kids were on edge now. “I see. Well, that’s good.”

 

“So we’re willingly friends with her. She’s not bothering us. You don’t have to apologize for her,” Hitoshi reiterated. “Are we clear on that?”

 

“Yes. Of course. It’s just that as a mother, I worry.” Izuku was pretty sure that whatever was happening here was not just parental worry. Mama and Dad didn’t act like this. The woman continued. “So, tell me a bit more about yourselves. What are your quirks?”

 

“Does that matter?” Izuku asked, not liking where this was heading. 

 

“Potentially,” she smiled, but it made him uneasy. 

 

“I can make explosions with my hands,” Kacchan said first, being the only one of them to have no personal issues with his quirk. 

 

“That’s a little dangerous, isn’t it?” the woman frowned. 

 

“It’s not like I don’t have good control over it,” Kacchan retorted. “I mean, I haven’t blown my arms off or anything.” 

 

“Mhm. And you?” she asked, looking at Izuku. 

 

“I have an intelligence quirk. I can analyze the quirks of other people,” Izuku told her. Her smile seemed a little more realistic just then. 

 

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Mei is very smart. It’ll be nice for her to be around someone she can’t overwhelm as easily.” Izuku faltered at the backhanded compliment. 

 

“And what is your quirk?” she asked, moving on from Izuku to Hitoshi. 

 

“I’m pretty sure I don’t have to tell you,” Hitoshi said pointedly. Mei’s mother opened her mouth to say something but Hitoshi spoke first. “Listen, I understand you want to protect your daughter. That’s admirable. Not all parents do that. But you have no right to demand access to the personal lives of the people that interact with her. You said she’s autistic? Well, first of all, the fact that you would out your daughter’s medical history to people like that is disgusting.”

 

The woman flinched slightly. “Second of all, I grew up in foster care. I met plenty of autistic kids because people give them up. The fact that you kept her only redeems you minutely at this point. Every single person I met that was autistic, was a person . An individual. Not a diagnosis. You wouldn’t treat a neurotypical teen with poor manners the way you’re treating her, so why does her diagnosis make it acceptable?”

 

“What he said,” Kacchan chimed in. “And if you’re worried we’re going to hurt her? Don’t. We’re going into the hero course because we want to help people. Why would we want to hurt her? If it’s the sparring, she bruised my ribs pretty bad last week so any injuries from that are equal. We try and take it easy since she’s not going into the hero course and Izuku’s healing from something, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. She’ll come out stronger because of it.” 

 

“I don’t mean to be rude, Ma’am,” Izuku added his own two cents. “But I think it might be best for us to go. You have some pretty strong preconceived notions about not only us, but your daughter. I’m not sure what we can do to change that, but we will continue to be friends with Mei. Frankly, I think she needs friends now.”

 

With that, the boys stood, bowed, thanked her for having them, and then let Mei lead them out of the house. “You’re mom sucks,” Kacchan commented as soon as they’d gotten a few houses down the street. 

 

“She’s alright. My dad was a lot better about my diagnosis but they got divorced a few years ago. She got custody,” she shrugged. 

 

“Are you going to be okay here?” Hitoshi asked quietly. 

 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I think if I’m with you guys, she won’t give me much trouble about bothering people since you already told her I’m not. She’s not hateful towards me or anything, she’s just. I don’t know. Embarrassed or something,” Mei explained. “She’s super supportive of my goal to get into UA and my babies though!”

 

“Well that’s good at least,” Izuku said brightly. “But text us if you ever need us, okay? I’m sure our parents would let you crash with us if you ever needed to. They let Kacchan sometimes.”

 

“Noted! I should probably get back now,” she smiled. Of course, everyone got a hug from the peppy girl before she skipped off towards her house. 

 

“How’d it go?” Mama asked when he picked them up. 

 

“We hate her mom,” Kacchan scoffed.

Notes:

Hitoshi: alright, imma lay into this bitch

This chapter got a little personal. People don't do this to me over my mental stuff because I'm really good at masking, but I use a wheelchair part-time because of my arthritis and people talk down to me/about me like this when I'm using it.

Chapter 46: Meeting Inko

Notes:

TW: Inko. Discussion of Izuku's time on the streets (rape, car accidents, stabbing, illness)

“You know, you can change your mind,” Dad assured Izuku, as he fidgeted in his seat between Mama and Hitoshi. They were waiting for Inko in the teacher’s lounge, which Nezu had been kind enough to lend them. A cafe or something would be too public for the kinds of topics that might come up. 

 

“No, it’s fine. I’m just nervous,” Izuku replied, fidgeting with the hem of his skirt. He’d put it on instinctually this morning. He considered changing like three times before they left the apartment, but Dad said he should wear what he’d be comfortable in. 

 

The door opened and Snipe poked his head in. “She’s here. I have her waiting at the end of the hallway in case you’re not ready.”

 

Izuku shook his head. “No, it’s fine. She can come in now.”

 

---

 

Hitoshi’s mouth fell open when she came in. She looked just like Izuku. More so than Hitoshi looked like Aizawa. What was most confusing is, just like her son, she looked so kind.

 

---

 

Hizashi bristled at the sight of the woman. She looked just like him. How is she able to just stand there and give them that smile, that soft smile that Izuku uses so much lately?

 

---

 

Shouta’s heart dropped at the likeness, but he kept up his mask. Having seen all kinds of cases, he couldn’t help but wonder if one of them was a substitute for the other. Who was it that Hisashi really wanted to hurt?

 

---

 

Izuku felt… disappointed? She didn’t look like his mother. She had put on a lot of weight and seemed to have lost height somehow. She smiled, but it was hollow and tired. She didn’t carry the bright energy he remembered. Her hair even seemed duller. He used to be able to see the faintest hint of their matching freckles under her makeup, but now they were smothered and erased with a heavy layer of foundation. 

 

“Hello, Izu. Thank you for agreeing to see me,” she said politely. Dad stood to guide her to an empty seat. When she got closer, her eyes passed over the fabric of his skirt. He curled his hands into the fabric, worried she’d say something, but she didn’t. She just smiled and sat down. “Well, I’m sure everyone here knows my name but I don’t have the pleasure of knowing any of yours.”

 

Dad spoke first, a silent sort of control being taken over the meeting. “I’m Aizawa Shouta. This is my husband Yamada Hizashi. We are the ones that adopted Izuku.”

 

“The detective I spoke to had high praises for you. I’m glad that such a kind couple was able to take him in,” she said brightly, with a touch of sorrow. It was melancholic. “And who is this?” she asked, looking at Hitoshi with gentle curiosity. 

 

“That’s our other son, Hitoshi. Izuku’s brother,” Dad supplied. 

 

“Oh! Is he from you’re first marriage?” she inquired. Izuku could feel Mama tensing slightly. 

 

“I’ve only ever been married to Hizashi,” Dad said firmly. “We’re in the process of adopting Hitoshi too.”

 

“Really?” Inko said with wide eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed since he looked just like you, Aizawa-san.” Mama relaxed, laughing softly. 

 

“You are not the first person to make that observation,” Dad admitted. 

 

“Ah, well, in any case. It’s good that he has a sibling. When he was a toddler he kept asking for a brother,” Inko told them, smiling fondly. “I’m glad he got one after all.”

 

There was a lull in the conversation, but she broke it. “Um, Izu. I wanted to let you know, that if you have any questions for me, feel free to ask.” Izuku nodded. His mind was racing too much to settle on any one thing. “Also, would you mind if I asked you some questions? I completely understand if you do mind.”

 

“It’s fine,” Izuku mumbled. 

 

“Where did you, um. Where did you stay? At nights?” she asked quietly, stuttering a bit. 

 

“At first I slept across the street from the apartments.” The shaky gasp she took in told him she was tearing up. “I slept in the tunnels at the elementary school for a while, until it got cold. Then I’d hide under the couches at the library in the winter. When I got too big for those options, I’d sleep at Takoba Beach. I’d try to sleep in random buildings during the winter until I was kicked out, then I’d stay awake at night and hang out in 24/7 convenience stores. A couple of years ago I found an abandoned house.”

 

Hitoshi had taken his hand at some point. He couldn’t tell which one of them was shaking. “What about the orphanage?” his mom asked. 

 

“I stayed for maybe a month’s worth of nights in all those years. But they kept kicking me out a few days to a week after the police dropped me off,” Izuku answered. 

 

“Did you ever get hurt or sick?” Izuku finally looked up and met her gaze. She looked genuinely worried and for some reason, it just pissed him off. She could have left him with Auntie Mitsuki. She could have tried to find someone, anyone that would take him. Yes, he was happy to be with his family, the family that chose him, but it still hurt going through all that. He was still mad. 

 

“I was raped by 27 different men, 12 of which came back repeatedly,” he ground out, watching her pale. “I was hit by cars twice. I was stabbed once. I got really sick one winter. By the time Dad found me I had pneumonia and I was so starved that I had kidney damage.” 

 

He could see her swallow and he felt Hitoshi squeezing his hand. They were both shaking, he determined. “I thought Hisashi was going to kill you,” she said sadly. 

 

“You could have done better!” Izuku shouted, jumping to his feet and feeling tears spill. Hers fell too, eyes wide. 

 

“I know. I’m sorry. I made what I thought was the best decision given the situation. I couldn’t think of anything else at the time. After we left you, it was all I could think about. How I could have done better by you. But now, it’s too late. Testifying against Hisashi is all I can do.”

 

Hitoshi pulled him to sit back down. Inko sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. Izuku’s eyes widened at the bruise she accidentally uncovered. “You alright there Midoriya-san?” Hizashi asked, motioning to her face. 

 

 “Oh. Yes,” she smiled wryly. “Mitsuki offered to let me stay with her during the trial. My greeting when I got to town was a punch to the face. She’s been giving me quite the verbal lashing every day since.” 

 

There seemed to be a silent consensus that she deserved it, but no one wanted to say it. Instead, the room went silent for a bit to reflect on the revelation. After a few moments of quiet, he settled on a question for her. 

 

“Would you have done things differently if I had a quirk?”

 

“I don’t think any of it would have happened if you had a quirk.”

 

He nodded slowly. Dad gave him a warning look from his seat. Saying it before was a bad idea.

 

“Depending on how the trial goes, I might want to talk to you one last time before you go back to America,” he told her. 

 

“Okay,” she gave him a sad smile. “Let me know after.”

 

If he didn’t sleep well that night, no one could blame him.

Notes:

The other three: shes just like him
Izuku: wow she looks totally different

Izuku: I suffered and you should know!
Hitoshi next to him: what was that

Aizawa: well. I guess Mitsuki's been redeemed.

Chapter 47: Therapy With Hitoshi

Notes:

TW: Hitoshi has a nightmare about that muzzle. Comparing trauma/belittling your own experiences.

“How have you been since we spoke last week?” Inui-san asked. 

 

“A little stressed,” Hitoshi admitted. 

 

“Have you had any trouble speaking this week?” Inui-san inquired. Hitoshi for the most part had gotten more comfortable speaking and asking questions, but occasionally he had days where he just couldn’t bring himself to talk. Sometimes it was stress, sometimes it was just that he was tired. He signed those days instead. 

 

“There were a few hours on Monday when I couldn’t,” Hitoshi told him. 

 

“Have you had any nightmares?” Inui-san asked, marking down his previous answer. 

 

“Yeah. Three nights that I remember,” Hitoshi frowned. One of the immediately noticeable downsides to sleeping was the nightmares. And the sleeping pills in particular made it difficult to wake up from them. 

 

“Would you like to talk about what has you feeling stressed?” Inui-san prompted gently. 

 

“There’s a bunch of stuff. School’s starting back up tomorrow. We met with Inko the other day and I learned a bit more about Izuku’s past. His trial is coming up and I’m sure there’s more that I’ll find out. Mei’s mom is still being a dick.” 

 

Inui-san coughed, which Hitoshi suspected was to cover up a laugh. “I thought things were going better with Mei’s mom?” 

 

“Better. Not Ideal,” Hitoshi gave him a pointed look. “She’s letting Mei hang out with us, but she still has these patronizing things to say either to Mei or to us. Mei texted us four times this week to verify what we meant in conversations because her mom twisted it to mean something else.”

 

“Yes, I can see how that would be frustrating,” Inui-san agreed. 

 

“We’ve tried telling her mom flat out to stop, but she doesn’t,” Hitoshi told him. 

 

“I suppose the next best thing you can do in that case, is to continue to be there for Mei,” Inui-san commented. Hitoshi nodded in agreement. 

 

“What about starting classes again is stressful to you?” Inui-san asked. 

 

“It’s not a high point of stress,” Hitoshi said thoughtfully. “The schoolwork is easy enough. I haven’t had to deal with any direct bullying with Bakugou and Izuku being around. It’s just that there’s a lot of people and they’re difficult to predict.”

 

“An ever-present risk of conflict,” Inui-san supplied. 

 

“Yeah, that,” Hitoshi nodded. 

 

“It makes sense that you would have that concern given your past. Hypervigilance is common in people who have experienced abuse or bullying,” Inui-san reassured. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with your ability to function, you can take your time to get out of the habit.”

 

“Why isn’t Izuku hypervigilant?” Hitoshi asked suddenly. 

 

“What makes you think he’s not?” Inui-san asked, instead of answering. 

 

“He kind of overshares sometimes, which I don’t mind. But sometimes he seems surprised by it,” Hitoshi replied. “I haven’t seen him being particularly defensive with anyone either.”

 

“Well, I can’t talk about Izuku’s sessions in detail, but I will say that I have seen him defensive in some instances myself. Before he started seeing me for therapy, Aizawa and Yamada told me about him during the school day. He started out very defensive, according to them. Trauma produces different symptoms, and even variations of the same symptoms, for every person.”

 

“Shouldn’t he be, I don’t know. Worse? I mean, I keep finding stuff out and it’s horrifying. Sometimes he gets really upset but other times it’s like he doesn’t care,” Hitoshi explained. 

 

“In some cases, people develop emotional detachment after traumatic situations. It can contribute to the oversharing you mentioned. It’s a coping mechanism that has both positives and negatives. On one hand, it enables a person to be able to tell the proper people about what happened to them so that they can get the help they need. On the other hand, it may inhibit their emotional processing. Both in regards to the traumatic event and any emotions they experience afterward,” Inui-san explained. 

 

“So he’s not really healing? It’s just putting a band-aid on things?” Hitoshi asked. 

 

“Potentially. If that’s the case, he can process it when his mind decides that it’s ready,” Inui-san answered. 

 

“I guess that helps a little,” Hitoshi mumbled. Inui-san gave him a questioning glance. “Ah, it’s stupid. But I thought, since he’s been through worse and he’s already over it, maybe I should be too.”

 

“It’s important to recognize that is that there is no ‘worse’ trauma. Even two people who went through the exact same thing can have drastically different recovery paths. Everyone is different. You shouldn’t compare your recovery to the recovery of others.” 

 

“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Hitoshi promised. 

 

---

 

Izuku gave Hitoshi a determined look and nodded. 

 

“I’m going to butcher this, but here we go. Pourriez-vous m’aider?” 

 

“Can you help me?” Izuku answered.

 

“Parlez lentement, s’il vous plaît.”

 

“Speak slowly, please.”

 

“Où est un bon restaurant?”

 

“Where is a good restaurant”

 

“Où sommes-nous?”

 

“Where are we?”

 

“Je voudrais de l’eau.”

 

“I would like some water.”

 

They continued like that for over an hour. Hitoshi may have picked up a few words himself.

 

---

 

“-shi! Toshi, wake up!” a voice cut through his nightmare. Instinctually, he gripped their wrist. “Ow! Hitoshi,” they hissed. Hitoshi blinked and took in the curly-haired silhouette. Izuku. 

 

“Shit. Sorry,” he apologized, dropping Izuku’s wrist. 

 

“It’s fine,” Izuku assured him. “You were having a nightmare.”

 

“I’m sorry for waking you,” Hitoshi said quietly. 

 

“It’s fine. Do you want me to sleep in your bed?” It was something Hitoshi had done for Izuku a handful of times now. Hitoshi hadn’t woken Izuku up before, though. 

 

“Yeah. Please.” It wasn’t until Izuku crawled under the covers and started wiping Hitoshi’s face, that he realized he’s been crying. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Izuku asked in a soft voice. 

 

“I dreamt that I was stuck in that muzzle again,” Hitoshi admitted in a whisper. 

 

“Did it happen very often?” Izuku asked, smoothing the sleeves on Hitoshi’s shoulders. Izuku knew he didn’t like people touching his hair and he appreciated that Izuku was avoiding it now. 

 

“Yeah. My whole life,” Hitoshi whispered. 

 

“I thought you switched foster homes a lot?” Izuku’s hands stilled.

 

“The muzzle was actually from the orphanage. They sent it with me to foster homes. It’s the only way people would agree to take me,” Hitoshi explained. 

 

“Toshi, I’m sorry,” Izuku said, hugging him. 

 

“It’s not your fault.”

 

“No, but I’m sorry that you had to go through that.” 

 

Well, it’ll never happen again,” Hitoshi smiled. 

 

“Never again,” Izuku agreed.

Notes:

Short chapter. The next two may be a little shorter than usual too. The trial chapters are going to be a little longer, so it evens out.

Chapter 48: Back to School

Notes:

TW: Bullying. Suicide baiting (essentially)

“Ugh. Deku’s still here,” someone commented as they walked by. 

 

“Don’t know why he hasn’t killed himself yet,” their friend scoffed. 

 

Hitoshi considered saying something but then he heard Izuku muttering next to him. “Six more months until the entrance exam. Just six months.”

 

“You good?” Hitoshi asked. 

 

“Yeah. I’m used to it,” Izuku huffed quietly. Well, it’s not like Hitoshi couldn’t relate to that. 

 

They heard the explosions before they got to the classroom. On Izuku’s desk were the charred remains of what looked like paper and Bakugou was cornering two guys near the chalkboard. Before either Hitoshi or Izuku could ask what happened, some girl spoke up. 

 

“Oh, please. Stop posturing. We already know you’re bluffing,” she said in a haughty tone. 

 

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Bakugou growled, turning towards her, palms sparking. 

 

Another girl spoke. “We heard all about your little beach cleanup over the summer break. You’re a nice person and now we know you won’t actually hurt any of us. Your tough guy act is just that. An act.”

 

“You wanna fucking bet, extra?” Bakugou looked seconds away from lunging at her. 

 

“Kacchan, what happened?” Izuku asked, gaining the blonde’s attention. 

 

“They put a paper on your desk. I’m not repeating the contents.”

 

Izuku sighed. “Okay. You don’t have to. We’ve got enough going on without having to worry about the students here. Let’s leave it alone, alright?”

 

“Fine,” Bakugou glared, but he started making his way back to his desk. 

 

“Yeah, go sit down, Kacchan !” a boy sneered. 

 

---

 

“Aren’t they supposed to call our parents?” Hitoshi asked suddenly. 

 

“Aldera is understaffed. They won’t let the teacher miss class to explain what happened since there isn’t anyone to sub. So we get to stay here until after school,” Izuku explained. 

 

“So instead we miss class?” Hitoshi frowned. Izuku nodded. 

 

“Where are we anyway?” Kacchan asked, looking around the tiny room. There were four desks and that was it. 

 

“In school suspension room,” Izuku supplied. He’d been here plenty of times before. 

 

“Why do you know that?” Kacchan questioned, turning to Izuku. 

 

“Where do you think I disappeared to every time you picked a fight with me?” Izuku huffed. 

 

“I thought they sent you home or to the nurse’s office,” Kacchan admitted. Izuku just laid his head down on his desk. They wouldn’t come back until lunch anyway. 

 

“What if we text our parents since they won’t?” Hitoshi suggested. 

 

“Oh, right,” Izuku perked up. “I was alone all the times before so I didn’t think of that.”

 

Family Roll Call

 

HonoraryChild: we are being held against our will

BunnyChild: kacchan! Don’t word it like that

CoffeeChild: no, I agree. This is fucked.

MamaMic: are you texting in class?

HonoraryChild: no I’m texting from prison dammit

MamaMic: whatt? Is that sarcasm?

BunnyChild: no he’s exaggerating

CoffeeChild: I mean they did lock us in here

MamaMic: Who? What?

TiredDad: Izuku, answer. Where are you? Why are you locked in?

BunnyChild: we’re locked in a room next to the principles office. ISS

BunnyChild: Aldera waits until after school to call parents

TiredDad: Call parents for what? What happened?

BunnyChild: The kids in class were antagonizing kacchan when we got there

HonoraryChild: they left fucked up shit on Izuku’s desk

BunnyChild: I didn’t see it and kacchan won’t say what it was

BunnyChild: but they kept taunting kacchan

BunnyChild: I asked him to calm down and he was going to

CoffeeChild: but some dick had to get the last word in

BunnyChild: and kacchan retaliated against that guy

BunnyChild: but then some other kids joined in and kacchan was outnumbered

BunnyChild: so… we joined in 

BunnyChild: just to try and get them off kacchan

CoffeeChild: then the teachers came and blamed Izuku. Only Izuku.

CoffeeChild: I tried to tell them that he wasn’t even a part of it initially.

CoffeeChild: then they said I’m in trouble too. 

HonoraryChild: then they asked “anyone else?” and I flipped my desk

HonoraryChild: So I’m here too.

TiredDad: …

MamaMic: that’s so much…

TiredDad: I’ll be there in 20 minutes. 

 

---

 

“--and they won’t be coming back until tomorrow. If anything like this happens again, I will personally send Nezu after you. You’ve heard of Nezu? Principal of UA? Don’t test me. Get your students under control,” Shouta raged at the Aldera principal. 

 

When he’d gotten there, Bakugou told him that the kids had put a list of suicide techniques on Izuku’s desk. To say he was furious did not cover it. He made it clear that he expected the three to go through the last half of the school year in peace. No more problems. He’d rather transfer them but Izuku asked to stay for some reason. Shouta would respect that. 

 

“Where are we going?” Izuku asked, trailing after Shouta. 

 

“Nemuri gave me a ride since Hizashi was teaching a class. You’re going back to UA with us,” Shouta told them.

 

---

 

“Aiyama-kun!” a girl in the front row chirped when they walked into the classroom. 

 

“The one that did your analysis?” the boy behind her whispered. 

 

“Yeah!” she replied, nodding excitedly. 

 

“These three will be sitting in on your classes for the rest of the day. They will not be participating. Leave them alone and focus on your work,” Dad informed the class sternly before directing them to the empty desks in the back.

 

“Why are there so many empty desks?” Kacchan asked. 

 

“I expelled some students earlier this year,” Dad replied before he started the class. By… telling everyone to do independent study and crawling into a bright yellow sleeping bag?

 

Cat Chat

 

KING EXPLOSION: is he sleeping?

Purple Cat: that’s a mood

Zoomies: who?

Green Bean: we’re at UA for the day and dad’s sleeping instead of teaching

Zoomies: omg 

KING EXPLOSION: in the ugliest sleeping bag ever

Green Bean: I don’t think it’s ugly

Green Bean: he looks like a caterpillar

Zoomies: wait. Why are you at UA?

KING EXPLOSION: our school sucks

Purple Cat: they do

Green Bean: well it’s only for six more months

KING EXPLOSION: why not transfer? I bet I could get mom to move me too

Green Bean: Aldera is the only middle school in our prefecture that accepts quirkless students

Green Bean: I literally can’t transfer

KING EXPLOSION: just tell them you’re not quirkless

KING EXPLOSION: explain the mixup

Green Bean: I don’t really see the point

Green Bean: by the time the trial is over, I finish quirk counseling, and I get my quirk registered, there should only be 2 or 3 months left. 

Purple Cat: that’s fair

Zoomies: I’d say be homeschooled but it’s lonely

Green Bean: and since Mama and Dad are both teachers, they wouldn’t have time

Purple Cat: so we buckle down and ignore people for six more months

Green Bean: IGNORE THEM KACCHAN

KING EXPLOSION: FUCKING FINE

Notes:

Disney fans: Remember that part where stitch was like "no lilo, don't fight myrtle." but then "okay. yeah. get her."
That was Hitoshi and Izuku with Kacchan this chapter.

My school did this tiny room crap to students. 4 desks in a room. barely enough space to walk between them. All the Aldera chapters are just me channeling my feelings for that school that I went to.

Chapter 49: Therapy With Izuku

Notes:

TW: mention of the 27 trials again. Like 2 lines maybe.

“From what you told me, you technically started that fight, Bakugou,” Dad pointed out. “Yes, the other students antagonized you, but you struck first.”

 

“Are you going to tell my mom?” Kacchan looked apprehensive. 

 

“No. But you are going to run 20 laps around the training grounds while we’re out here. We have plenty of spare gym uniforms on hand since students are constantly damaging them with their quirks. Go ask Recovery Girl for one.”

 

“Us too?” Izuku asked. Dad gave him a flat look. 

 

“You want to run laps?”

 

“No, I mean regular training,” Izuku pouted. 

 

“You have therapy in 15 minutes, so no. But Hitoshi, you can if you want,” Dad answered.

 

---

 

“I met with Inko,” Izuku informed Hound Dog at their session. 

 

“How did that go?” Hound Dog prompted.

 

“I yelled at her,” Izuku answered. “I also told her what happened to me in a pretty harsh way. I think I did that out of spite. Is that bad?”

 

“I don’t think so. It’s understandable that you’d be mad at her. It’s also important that she doesn’t have any idealized notions about your life after she abandoned you,” Hound Dog replied thoughtfully. 

 

“She just looked so concerned when she asked if I’d ever gotten hurt,” Izuku huffed. “Of course, I did. I was fucking six. And what right does she have to be concerned anyway? She left me!”

 

Hound Dog nodded in understanding. “I’m sure it comes across as hypocritical.”

 

“I asked her if she’d have done it differently if I had a quirk,” Izuku admitted.

 

“What was her answer?” Hound Dog asked, seeming to be genuinely curious. 

 

“She said it wouldn’t have happened if I had a quirk.”

 

“Well, you and I know that it did,” Hound Dog remarked. 

 

“I think I want to tell her. If the trial goes well, I mean. If Hisashi goes to prison,” Izuku clarified. 

 

“Really?” Hound Dog said, sounding surprised. 

 

“Yeah. And if Hisashi goes to prison, I think I want to tell him too,” Izuku dropped to a whisper towards the end. 

 

“Have you told Aizawa and Yamada that you would like to do that?” Hound Dog asked. 

 

“No. I’m worried they’ll be mad,” Izuku answered, fidgeting with the sleeves of his uniform. 

 

“Why do you think that they would be mad?” Hound Dog asked patiently. 

 

“I don’t know. I can’t think of any particular reason.” He really couldn’t. It just felt like maybe they should be? For some reason.

 

“Unjustified fears can be common after experiencing trauma,” Hound Dog commented. “Do you have any concerns about the upcoming trial?”

 

“It’s on Monday. The attorney we met said that it may extend into Tuesday or even Wednesday if it gets dragged out. And then she doesn’t know how long the jury will take. And I’m also supposed to find out the rest of the 27 verdicts this Friday. I haven’t been sleeping well and my stomach hurts pretty much all the time.”

 

“Are you having trouble eating?” Hound Dog asked.

 

“A little, yeah,” Izuku confessed. 

 

“Why don’t you go see recovery girl after our session. She may be able to give you a temporary script for anxiety medication.” Izuku nodded.

 

---

 

“Sit there, dear,” Recovery Girl instructed, pointing to an empty bed. Izuku complied. 

 

“So, uh, your quirk uses people’s stamina, right?” Izuku asked. Recovery Girl was one of his favorite heroes but there was hardly any footage of her since she was strictly a rescue and support hero. 

 

“Your glasses are on, so you aren’t analyzing me,” she commented, pulling some forms out. 

 

“You know about that?” he knew she was at UA but he hadn’t met her yet. 

 

“Nezu talks about you quite a bit.” Izuku flushed. “He’s very excited to have a personal student that can keep up with him. He’s tried to take on personal students in the past, but it hasn’t worked out.”

 

“Why not?” Izuku tilted his head as she rolled a stool over to him. 

 

“They are too ambitious and egotistic. Generally, people with genius-level intelligence have ego problems. It makes it difficult for them to learn from others,” she explained. “You’re not like that though.”

 

“No, I’m not,” Izuku smiled. “I’m very thankful that Nezu is teaching me.”

 

That’s good,” she returned his smile. “Now you’re here for anxiety?”

 

“When I told Hound Dog that I was having trouble sleeping and that my stomach hurt, he suggested I see you. I have a trial coming up on Monday and I’m really nervous about it.” 

 

“I can prescribe a week’s worth of a mild sedative. It won’t be strong enough to put you to sleep but it should help you relax. Do you normally have trouble sleeping?”

 

“No. I sleep fine usually,” Izuku answered. 

 

“Then there aren’t any underlying sleeping disorders that could flare-up. In that case, simply relaxing a bit should fix your quality of sleep. I will hold off on prescribing any sleeping pills then,” she informed him. “Now, I do believe you have a damaged kidney last I heard.”

 

“Um, yes,” Izuku gave her a confused look. 

 

“I didn’t ask to see you when Aizawa first found you since my quirk does in fact use the patient’s stamina and you would have been too weak. But I can see that you’re doing much better now. I should be able to heal you at least partly. I won’t overdo it, since you are still recovering from malnourishment.” 

 

“Oh, okay!” Izuku was excited to see her quirk in action.

 

“Chu~”

 

---

 

“So if we win the trial, you want to tell Hisashi you had a quirk the whole time?” Shouta asked, clarifying. Izuku nodded, looking extremely anxious. 

 

“That would the greatest ‘fuck you' ever,” Hitoshi marveled, looking at Izuku in awe. “You’re fucking savage.” 

 

“Are you sure?” Shouta asked. Izuku had just gone to Recovery Girl on Ryo’s recommendation because he was not handling the stress of the trial well. Which they would be monitoring now that they were aware. The kid is really good at masking physical pain, apparently. They knew he was nervous but they had no idea he was feeling physically sick over it. 

 

“Yes. I’m sure,” Izuku decided. Alright, then.

 

---

 

“What is it? What’s the verdict?” Izuku asked, attacking Shouta in the teacher’s lounge before his quirk training. At least the kid’s strong enough now to nearly knock him over when tackling him. 

 

“All 27 trials ended in guilty verdicts,” Shouta smiled fondly. This was a huge win.

Notes:

Y'all ready for the trial? It's three chapters.

Fair warning: I'll be using the US court system because they are similar enough and I know the US language better since I used to do mock trials.
I also did mock congressional meetings. I was one of those nerds in high school. But I mean, I graduated early so maybe those extracurriculars did me some good after all?

I've already started writing and it feels so unnatural. The structure of court and congress is so stiff.

Chapter 50: The Trial Pt. 1

Notes:

TW: child abuse. a little more graphic of descriptions than Izuku uses since other witnesses are talking. panic attacks and derealization

Cat Chat

 

KING EXPLOSION: They just let Shinsou out of class, so I guess it’s soon

KING EXPLOSION: Good luck today

Zoomies: I know you said not to come but I’ll be in the area if you need me!

Zoomies: I promise I’ll stay out 

KING EXPLOSION: yeah you can probably text in court

KING EXPLOSION: hit us up if you’re anxious

Zoomies: we can send memes!!! Or cats!

Green Bean: Thanks guys ♡

 

---

 

“Are you ready, little listener?” Mama asked after they’d parked down the street from the courthouse. Izuku was not sure. Honestly, he felt a little bit like he might throw up. 

 

“We don’t have to go in until you’re ready,” Dad assured him. “You’re just there to testify. You don’t even have to be there the whole time. It’s okay if we go in after it starts.”

 

“No, um. I want to see it all. Or try to,” Izuku said quietly. “I want to hear what he has to say.”

 

At no point did he feel ready to go in. He just finally realized that the longer he waited, the more nervous he got. When they got inside, Detective Tsukauchi was waiting for them. He guided them to the front row behind the plaintiff’s side. “It makes it easier to get up there when you’re called for your testimony,” he explained. 

 

That’s why all the witnesses, including Inko, were in this row. Dad and Hitoshi sat between her and Izuku while Hizashi sat on Izuku’s other side. Izuku noted that his doctor was also in the row, along with a few people he didn’t recognize. Were they witnesses too?

 

“Why are there so many people?” Izuku asked, looking around at the people filing in. 

 

“Courts are open to the public to keep transparency in the judicial system. Usually, they are also televised,” Izuku tensed, “but you are a minor so that won’t happen this time.” Izuku relaxed a bit. He watched the people settle in, feeling fairly on edge. He noticed Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru a few rows back. 

 

Five minutes before the trial was scheduled to start, Hisashi was brought in by the bailiff. The man zeroed in on Izuku immediately. Izuku bristled and curled into Mama’s side when Hisashi smiled at him. Izuku couldn’t quite make out what Mama huffed under his breath.

 

At exactly the time the trial was scheduled to start, the bailiff spoke again. “All rise. Department One of the Superior Court is now in session. Judge Konno presiding. Please be seated.”

 

The judge, a woman with short black hair, addressed the court. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Calling the case of the Shizuoka Prefecture on behalf of Aiyama Izuku versus Midoriya Hisashi. Are both sides ready?”

 

Izuku didn’t quite understand everything that was said next. Some kind of legal protocol. The judge said something about opening statements too, but Izuku wasn’t well versed in legal terms. He zoned out a bit until he heard something he recognized. “How does your defendant plead?”

 

“Not guilty,” Hisashi’s lawyer spoke on behalf. Izuku’s mind got staticky all of a sudden and he felt like the floor had vanished from underneath him. 

 

“The persecution may call its first witness,” the judge instructed. 

 

The district attorney stood up. Izuku had met her twice before when she couldn’t settle for talking to Tsukauchi or Dad. She was a kind but stern woman with long mint-green hair. She had it up in a bun today. “The persecution calls Midoriya Inko.”

 

The bailiff guided Inko to the stand and she was sworn in. “Hello, ma’am,” the attorney greeted. “Could you please state for the record your relationship to the defendant?”

 

“Well, Midoriya Hisashi is my husband. Divorce pending.” Izuku was surprised to hear about that.

 

“On that same note, what is your relationship to Aiyama Izuku?”

 

“Izuku is our biological son. Mine and Hisashi’s.”

 

“And Izuku is not currently in your custody. Is that correct?”

 

“Yes. He lives with his adoptive family.”

 

“And what led to this change in custody?”

 

“Hisashi and I intentionally abandoned Izuku when he was six.” 

 

“Objection! Accusatory,” the defense lawyer spoke abruptly. 

 

“Overruled.” the judge decided without much pause. “Please continue.”

 

“Could you please tell us what led to the decision to abandon your only child?”

 

“Frankly, I thought my husband was going to kill him. I couldn’t find a way for both of us to escape so I encouraged Hisashi to abandon him.”

 

“Could you please elaborate on why you thought Izuku’s life was at risk?”

 

“For context, Izuku is quirkless.” Izuku flinched but the attorney motioned for her to continue. “Hisashi was… very unaccepting of that fact. He tried to make Izuku develop a force-manifested quirk.” 

 

There were hushed murmurs through the courtroom. It wasn’t disruptive enough for the judge to comment. “How did he try to trigger this development?”

 

“He had read that they develop when a quirkless person is in extreme physical danger, so he put Izuku in those situations. I can’t remember how many times he broke Izuku’s bones in front of me. I wasn’t present for anything that took them out of the house, but he told me about plans like pushing Izuku off a bridge or leaving him in seedy neighborhoods in the hopes he’d be mugged. At one point, he hired someone to break in while we weren’t and pretend to want to kill Izuku.”

 

“The persecution would like to submit evidence of this transaction that was discovered during the investigation.”

 

The judge nodded and the bailiff retrieved it for her. The woman put it on some sort of projector so that the jury and the rest of the court could read it. Izuku didn’t really understand what it was. 

 

“Please describe what this transaction details.”

 

“Yes, your honor. This transaction is between one Midoriya Hisashi and one Hinata Itachi. Hinata-san is a freelance actor who has agreed to be here today as a witness.” The attorney pointed out a man in the row with them, who held up his hand to identify himself. Izuku frowned. The man that broke in had a mask so he never knew what the guy looked like.

 

“Thank you. Please continue.”

 

“Earlier you mentioned that you initially wanted to escape with Izuku, but you didn’t feel like you could. What prevented you from leaving your husband?”

 

“I had no living family to turn to and Hisashi objected to most friends I made. I really only had one friend from high school left and she lived nearby. He’d know to find us there. Hisashi also had complete control of my finances. I wasn’t allowed to access our joint bank accounts and the allowance he gave me wasn’t enough for a plane ticket, a train ticket, or even a hotel.”

 

“Was Hisashi abusive towards you in any way other than financial abuse?”

 

“He was never as violent with me as he was with Izuku, but yes. He was verbally abusive and was sometimes physically abusive. I had to get stitches one time when he pushed me into a dresser.”

 

“The persecution would like to submit medical documents of this incident.” Again, the bailiff brought the papers to the judge and she put it up on the projector. It was self-explanatory.

 

“The persecution has no further questions.” 

 

The judge turned to the defense lawyer. “Does the defense wish to ask any questions?”

 

“Yes, your honor.”

 

“You may proceed.”

 

“Midoriya-san, why is it that my client is on trial while you, who admit to having abandoned Aiyama-kun, are not?”

 

“Objection. Midoriya-san can not presume to know the court’s intentions.”

 

“Sustained. Defense, keep your questions within the parameters of Midoriya-san’s knowledge.”

 

“Why didn’t you ever report this to the police?” the lawyer asked instead. 

 

“I did. I filed a complaint once before Izuku was born but no one ever followed up on it. I also attempted to file one the first time Hisashi broke Izuku’s arm but it was never even processed because Izuku is quirkless.”

 

“The persecution would like to submit the official report taken in the first instance described. Please let the record show that the second incident is not available since it was not filed due to quirk discrimination.” The judge motioned towards someone who was typing. 

 

“What’s he doing?” Izuku whispered. 

 

“That’s the court stenographer,” Mama whispered back. “He records everything that’s said in court and makes note of things that aren’t initially verbalized when requested like she just did.”

 

“If there is no proof of the second report, how can we be sure you aren’t lying?” the lawyer asked. 

 

“I suppose you can’t,” Inko admitted. “But I feel that my first report should be enough to support the idea that I would try again.”

 

“No further questions, your honor.” 

 

“Midoriya-san, you may step down,” the judge spoke. “Persecution, call your next witness.”

 

“The persecution calls Hinata Itachi.” Once he had been escorted to the stand and sworn in like Inko, the attorney started. “Could you please identify the man that hired you?”

 

“It was that man there,” Hinata-san pointed at Hisashi.

 

“Please the record show that Hinata-san has identified the defendant Midoriya Hisashi. Now, Hinata-san, what exactly did this man hire you to do?”

 

“He wanted me to pretend to break into their home. I say pretend because he gave me a key.” The attorney nodded for him to continue. “He asked me to bring a weapon, real or fake, and chase the kid around and threaten him. I picked a fake gun. He said it would probably help if I tied the kid up too.”

 

“Did that strike you as odd?” 

 

“Of course, it did. I told him as much. He insisted that he was teaching his kid self-defense and he wanted to see how the boy would handle himself in a home invasion. He asked me if I agreed that it was more responsible to test the kid in a safe, controlled environment with an actor. When he put it that way, it made sense.”

 

“Did the fake home invasion go the way you were led to expect?”

 

“Not at all. When I got in there, I looked around the house for the kid. I found him in his room. He was a lot younger than I thought. Midoriya-san made it seem like he was somewhere between 8 and 10. But he couldn’t have been older than 5 or 6. I was feeling a little uneasy but some people teach their kids to protect themselves young. I thought maybe he had a quirk that needed early intervention training.”

 

“Hisashi didn’t tell you that Izuku was quirkless?”

 

“No, Ma’am.”

 

“Please continue with your recount. What happened next?”

 

“I covered his mouth with my hand.” Leather gloves. “He wasn’t asleep like I thought.” I couldn’t hear him over my headache. “I threatened him how I thought would make sense for the situation.” Come with me or I’ll kill your family when they get home. The second they walk through that door, I’ll shoot them. “He didn’t even try to fight me which struck me as odd since I thought he had self-defense training. But I figured maybe he had a plan. So I took him to the kitchen and tied him to one of the chairs.” Rope burns on his arms that took a week to fade. “And he did nothing. He just sobbed until his dad came home. I felt awful.”

 

“Izuku, are you okay?” Mama whispered. Izuku couldn’t respond. He couldn’t breathe. “I’m going to take him to calm down. Text me if they need him.” Izuku felt himself move out of his seat and to somewhere else.

Notes:

court transcripts suck omg

I like descriptive writing. this is so weird to me.

Again, using US court expectations. With the exception of Inko testifying because I think there are laws about spouses testifying against each other. I don't know the details of that though so let's gloss over it.

Chapter 51: The Trial Pt. 2

Notes:

TW: the court case is still going on. so child abuse. lawyer being hostile.

“Izuku, hun, can you breath with me?” Mama asked. Izuku could feel the rise and fall of his chest under his hand. He tried to copy the pattern. Apparently, his efforts were good enough because he got new instructions. “Can you tell me five things you can see right now?”

 

Not really no. Everything was blurry and dark. Colors maybe? “Yellow?” he got a hum of acknowledgment and he remembered that Mama was wearing a yellow tie today. “Black.” His suit. Because something important was today. Things got a little less blurry and he turned his head. “Tiles.”

 

“That’s three. Can we get two more?” Mama asked patiently. 

 

He looked past the tiles. “A door.” Next to it, “A painting.”

 

“Great!” Mama exclaimed quietly. “What about four things you can touch?”

 

Warmth. “Mama.” Under his feet. “The ground.” The stretchy thing Mei gave him so he’d stop pulling his hair. “My bracelet.” He reached up to his face. “My glasses.”

 

“Good, baby. Now three things you can hear?”

 

Click click clicking. “Heels on tile.” Muffled… “Talking.” Even, steady. “Mama’s heart.”

 

“Two things you can smell?” 

 

“Soap.” And something. “Flowers?”

 

“Yep, they’ve got some flowers over there,” Mama confirmed. “Last thing. One thing you can taste.”

 

Metallic. “Blood.” 

 

“What?” Mama lifted his chin. “Say ah.” Izuku opened his mouth. 

 

“Oh thank goodness. You just bit your lip,” Mama sighed, wiping at Izuku’s lip. “Are you feeling better now?” Izuku nodded. “Do you want to back or should we wait a minute?”

 

“Wait a minute,” Izuku mumbled. 

 

“Should we go find some water?” Mama suggested. 

 

“Yes, please.”

 

---

 

When they went back to the courtroom, the actor was off the stand and the doctor sat up there now. They had some sort of screen set up by the stand now. “You okay?” Hitoshi whispered when they sat down. Izuku nodded. He felt Hitoshi take his hand when he looked back to the stand. 

 

“Is it plausible that these breaks are self-inflicted or from normal childhood accidents, such as falling out of a tree?” the attorney was asking. 

 

“No. If you look at the x-ray on the screen, you’ll see that the break line descends diagonally down the bone. This indicates a torsion fracture, also known as a spiral fracture.”

 

“Can you explain what that means to the court?” 

 

“Breaks like this are caused by a high amount of force placed on the bone in a twisting motion. To put it frankly, someone would have had to grab him and yank him, twisting the bone with the weight of his body, or they would have had to intentionally twist the limb.” He made a motion showing one hand twisting away from the other. Izuku remembered Hisashi doing that to his leg. 

 

“Not only is this typically seen in abuse cases, but Aiyama-kun has five of these break lines. This one that I’ve shown you on his left arm.” The screen changed.” These two on his right arm.” Another screen change. “And two on his left leg. You can debate the origin of his other breaks as much as you want, but these five were inflicted intentionally by another party.”

 

“What about my list he made me make?” Izuku whispered. This time Dad answered. 

 

“He showed it earlier. He pointed out which injuries were caused by Hisashi and which happened after you were abandoned.” 

 

“Oh, okay.”

 

“How can you be sure that these breaks happened while Aiyama-kun was with Midoriya-san?”

 

“It’s not noticeable to people outside the medical field, and sometimes even within it, but the way the bones healed were affected by his growth plates which gives us an accurate timeline for when these breaks happened. Only three occurred outside this two-year period and you saw those on the list as well. He indicated them accurately as being from other causes.”

 

“Thank you. No further questions.”

 

“Does the defense have any questions?”

 

“No, your honor.” Izuku perked up. He remembered when the attorney explained that she asked hard questions sometimes, to address them before the defense. If she did it well enough, the defense wouldn’t ask questions. And he didn’t, so it’s working.

 

“Persecution may call the next witness.”

 

“Permission to speak with the witness first?” 

 

“Granted.” 

 

The attorney approached Izuku. “Hey. Do you think you’re ready? I saw you had to step out a little bit ago. I can call someone else if you still need time.”

 

“I can do it,” Izuku decided. 

 

“Alright. If you need a break, let me or the judge know.” She turned back to the judge. “Persecution calls Aiyama Izuku to the stand.”

 

Sitting at the stand was weird. Getting sworn in was weird. Being stared at by everyone including his father was terrifying. Kacchan was never this scary. The attorney approached him and gave him a soft smile. It helped a little. 

 

“Can you please state for the record your relationship to the defendant?”

 

“He’s m-my biological f-father.” He’s gonna stutter the whole time, isn’t he? Fuck.

 

“When was the last time you interacted with him?” 

 

“I was s-six.”

 

“Can you tell me what happened the last time you interacted with him?”

 

“It happened o-over a few d-days. Is that o-okay?”

 

“Yes. Go ahead.”

 

Izuku took a breath. “Um, he t-told me and Inko to g-get in the car. He said we w-were going on a road t-trip. We drove through m-many prefectures. I’m n-not sure where we ended up. It was f-far away. After a long t-time, he stopped the car outside a c-convenience store. He t-told us we were going to g-get snacks. B-but, when I got out h-he, drove away.”

 

“I was r-really c-confused but I thought I s-should go home so I w-walked back. It t-took me a few d-days, but I did it. And w-when I knocked on the d-door, Inko opened it. She cried w-when she saw me and that’s h-how Hisashi knew I w-was there. He came t-to the door and he s-slapped me and told m-me never to c-come back.”

 

“And between your diagnosis at age four and that incident, how did he treat you?”

 

“The f-first few d-days he ignored m-me. He kept s-saying that the doctor w-was wrong. That I h-had to have a quirk. Because he couldn’t h-have a b-b-brok--” Izuku choked on the word, feeling tears drip down his face. Damn it. “A b-broken k-kid.”

 

“But then one d-day he c-came home and s-said he figured it out. B-broken k-kids that s-suffer g-get q-quirks. He s-started packing up m-most of the s-stuff in my room. He l-left me with what I needed for s-school, half m-my clothes, m-my bedding, and the w-wall decorations that he d-didn’t bother taking d-down.”

 

Izuku shivered, remembering being surrounded by All Might’s face. “He t-took away m-meals. I was only a-allowed to eat once a d-day at home. He w-wouldn’t give me m-money for school l-lunch. Two m-months after I w-was diagnosed he s-started breaking m-my bones. He s-started with m-my fingers. He’d uh, bend them b-back, like this.” He showed her without actually putting pressure on his fingers. She nodded for him to continue. 

 

“The list of w-which bones w-was shared, right?” 

 

“Yes, it was,” she confirmed. 

 

“When bones didn’t w-work he added other s-stuff. Hinata-san t-told about the b-break in. He also p-pushed me off a b-bridge, as Inko m-mentioned. He w-wanted t-to see if I’d develop a f-flying quirk. He’d leave m-me in dangerous p-places. Once he p-pushed me in t-train t-tracks but he m-mistimed it so I just c-climbed out. Things l-like that. And he j-just kept getting m-madder when I didn’t get a q-quirk.”

 

“How did no one notice your injuries?”

 

“He’d k-keep me home f-for a few d-days after a n-new break. He’d s-set the bone w-with splints and t-tape because w-when I got m-my q-quirk, he didn’t w-want me too deformed t-to use it. He’d d-drug me with s-sleeping pills and p-pain k-killers so that I didn’t c-cry or s-scream. Then w-when he s-sent me to school, I’d w-wear long p-pants or sleeves or g-gloves. Whatever to c-cover it up. And I think it h-helped him that the t-teachers didn’t p-pay attention to m-me s-since I was q-quirkless.”

 

“You said he set the bones himself and medicated you. Did he never take you to doctors?”

 

“He s-said it’d b-be s-suspicious.”

 

“No further questions, your honor.”

 

“Does the defense wish to ask any questions?”

 

“Yes, your honor.” Izuku froze. That wasn’t supposed to happen. He tried to remember what the attorney said to do if it did. As the tall man with slicked-back hair approached the stand, Izuku blanked. 

 

“Aiyama-kun, did you attempt to tell any adults of this alleged abuse?” 

 

“N-no,” Izuku frowned. 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“I w-was four. I d-didn’t understand the s-situation.”

 

“You were old enough to recognize that you were in pain. It’s a natural instinct to seek out help when you are in pain.”

 

“I,” Izuku wasn’t sure what to say to that.

 

“Is it possible you went through something traumatic and misremembered your father as your abuser?”

 

“N-no.”

 

“Are you sure it couldn’t have been one of the 27 men that raped you?”

 

“Objection! Badgering the witness and bringing up irrelevant, sensitive cases.”

 

“Sustained. Defense, go sit down. You’re done with this witness.” The judge turned to him. “You may step down from the stand. If you need a moment, feel free to leave the courtroom.”

 

This time, both Mama and Hitoshi left with him.

Notes:

It's 3:45 am-ish so I'm gonna go to bed. When you finish this chapter, those of you staying up should go ahead and sleep. The last part of the trial won't be up until tomorrow.

Izuku: tf did I ever do to you???
Me: sorry. I watched a lot of court dramas???

How do you think the audience is doing? Shouta? Hitoshi? Hizashi? Inko omg? Mitsuki and Masaru?

Chapter 52: The Trial Pt. 3

Notes:

TW: still in court. child abuse.

“He made it sound like my fault,” Izuku trembled against Hitoshi. 

 

“It’s not, little listener,” Mama assured him. “And no one in their right mind would blame a four-year-old for their own abuse. That shit he just pulled will probably hurt their case.”

 

“Really?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Mhm. Not they had much of a defense, to begin with. But he doesn’t seem like a very good lawyer, which is good for us,” Mama observed.

 

“He seems like an ass,” Hitoshi pointed out, petting Izuku’s hair. 

 

“He is,” Mama agreed.

 

---

 

Before Izuku could feel up to going back in, people started coming out. Dad joined them at the bench they were sitting on a little ways away from the doors. “Are they done?” Izuku asked. 

 

“For today. The judge ordered a recess until tomorrow. We reconvene at 10 am,” Dad explained. 

 

“What’d we miss?” Mama asked. 

 

“They called up a coworker of Hisashi’s from when he was still working in Japan. Apparently, the guy specialized in unusual circumstance quirks like force-manifested quirks or conditional-manifestation quirks. Hisashi asked him a lot of questions that made him suspicious. At one point he told Hisashi that he wouldn’t answer any more questions. They fought about it.”

 

“They also called up Ryo,” Dad continued. 

 

“Hound Dog’s here?” Izuku asked, looking around at the people milling about. 

 

“He stopped in briefly. He came through the side entrance since he’s easily recognizable as a pro hero,” Dad answered. Izuku frowned. 

 

“I thought he couldn’t tell people about me,” Izuku said, confused. 

 

“Medical professionals can be called to testify in abuse cases. Like your doctor was. Ryo didn’t share anything specific that you talked about though. He just gave his professional opinion on your mental state and how the abuse has affected you.”

 

“And then Tsukauchi-san was called just before we adjourned. He just testified that he used his quirk, Lie Detector, to determine that you were being truthful about being abandoned and why it happened,” Dad finished. 

 

“Will it be over tomorrow?” 

 

“Probably. We got through most of the witnesses today.”

 

“Good. This is hard,” Izuku admitted. 

 

“But you’re doing so good,” Mama chimed in. 

 

“I had to leave twice,” Izuku protested. 

 

“The fact that you were able to come at all, and that you were able to testify, is very brave,” Mama insisted. “Since we’re done for today, why don’t we go home and watch some Disney movies?” Izuku nodded in agreement. 

 

---

 

“It’s going pretty well for us, I believe. I listened in on some of the discussions people were having in the hall afterward,” the attorney informed them in their meeting before the trial started up again. “Hisashi’s lawyer tried to start something in the judge’s chambers after we recessed, but she shot it down pretty quickly. He seems very inexperienced and he may have let it slip that he has personal prejudices against quirkless individuals. That explains why his questioning is so hostile. Lucky for us, it’s making him look bad.”

 

They returned to their seats from yesterday. Court commenced pretty much the same way, minus some of the beginning stuff like the opening statements. Then the attorney called Dad to the stand. “Can you state for the record your relationship to Aiyama Izuku?”

 

“I am his adoptive father. I am also the hero that found him living on the streets.”

 

“You are pro hero Eraserhead, correct?”

 

“Yes, I am.” Dad recounted their first meeting and how it’s Izuku has been doing while living with them. Hitoshi had given him several looks of amusement as Dad talked about the first few days; meeting Izuku and then convincing him to live with them.

 

“Savage,” Hitoshi whispered, making Izuku blush. 

 

Things went well enough. Then it was the defense’s turn. “Why did you take him in?”

 

“I wasn’t leaving a starving child on the streets.”

 

“Did you know that he was quirkless when you took him in?”

 

“Yes. As I mentioned, he told me why he was at that house that night.”

 

“And you really didn’t mind that he was quirkless?”

 

“No. Quirks don’t matter. He’s still a person. A child.”

 

“And yet, you have him doing something rather dangerous, don’t you?”

 

“Can you elaborate on that?” Izuku tensed. Did he mean the UA training?

 

“Well, it’s no secret that he’s cleaning Takoba Beach. The illegal landfill. A beach filled with not only trash but furniture. There are broken refrigerators, even a car was spotted. If these things fell on him, he could be seriously injured.”

 

Dad smirked. “I don’t have him doing anything. It was his idea. As it turns out, I adopted an environmentalist. His friends are helping him. They are being careful and cleaning the beach systematically. They are also asking adults for help when necessary. Hizashi, his other parent, Nemuri, a family friend, or I are always present when they are working on their project. Just in case. If he were to somehow be injured despite our precautions, I do work at UA. I would take him directly to Recovery Girl as opposed to just leaving him to recover alone.” He gave Hisashi a pointed look. 

 

The lawyer looked frustrated at the response. “No further questions.”

 

The persecution was out of witnesses, but the defense had a few. The first was Izuku’s elementary school principal. He accused Izuku of always getting in trouble and starting fights because he was jealous of other quirks. But the attorney was ready. She had a signed statement from an anonymous minor witness describing the bullying that took place at school. It was listed as anonymous, but Izuku knew it was Kacchan. 

 

The defense tried calling a neighbor in to ‘prove’ that Izuku was a happy child, but it backfired. Once the attorney questioned her, she admitted to noticing that Izuku spent most of his time inside and vanished at some point.

 

Finally, the defense called Hisashi. “Please state for the record your relation to Aiyama Izuku.”

 

“Midoriya Izuku is my son,” Hisashi said with a soft smile. Izuku shivered. 

 

“Can you please tell us how Aiyama-kun was injured in your care?”

 

“My son is quirkless. Unfortunately, that makes him weak and frail. He struggled to defend himself from his judgemental peers.”

 

“Are you implying that his bullies injured him?”

 

“More than implying. That is what I am saying. Those kids have very strong quirks. I’m sure you’ve heard of Quirk Singularity Theory.” 

 

“I have, but please explain for the court.”

 

“It is the observation of how each generation of quirks has become more complex and powerful as quirks of parents are combined, passed on, and/or mutated. Kids these days are capable of severely injuring their peers, especially one that has no quirk.”

 

“Did you ever take your son to a hospital for his injuries?”

 

“I did not.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“I’m sure you know, many establishments discriminate against quirkless individuals. But many people are unaware that it isn’t only private businesses that do that. Places such as schools and hospitals can also deny access. I couldn’t find a doctor that would treat him at the time. I was forced to treat his injuries myself and I chose to medicate him to ease his pain.”

 

“What can you tell us about the alleged abandonment?”

 

“There was no abandonment.”

 

“Your wife insisted that there was.”

 

“My wife saw an opportunity to divorce me and keep everything by sending me to prison. She has chosen to take advantage of that. It’s very clever on her part.”

 

“So then in your own words, what happened that led to your son living on the streets?”

 

“To put it simply, he ran away. We had gone on a trip together as a family, but I failed to notice that his mental health was not in the best place. I’m afraid the bullying had gotten to him. I’m not sure what he was thinking, but when we stopped for some snacks, he vanished.”

 

“And what about Aiyama-kun’s claim that he found his way back, only for you to hit him and tell him to leave.”

 

“That was an unfortunate mistake on my part, but he misunderstood me. I did hit him because I was angry and scared that he had run away. But I never told him to leave. I asked why he left. Unfortunately, the slap I gave him seemed to remind him of his peers and he panicked. I guess he misheard me. He ran away a second time before I could bring him inside and tell him how worried I was.”

 

“Did you file a missing child’s report?”

 

“Yes. Several times. Again, the police don’t care for quirkless people, so they never properly filed the report.”

 

“Why did you go to America instead of continuing to look for your son?”

 

“After five years, I believed he was dead. After all, how is a quirkless child supposed to survive in such a harsh situation?”

 

“So in summary, you assert that you did not abuse nor abandon your son?”

 

“That is correct. I love my son.”

"̶̧̧̢̖̩̯̙͒͊̌͛̄̈́Ņ̶̹͐̿͆͛̔̌̑̇̓̔̎̋̆̂̎o̶̧͚̠̅͗̎͐̈͆̈́,̸̨̧̫̜̰͖̻͕̬̻͛͊̆̓̎̔̉͂͒̽ ̷̨͈̼̼̼̂̀h̴̨̡̘̼͈̞̞̟̤̳̺̍͊͜e̷̹͔̼̲̲̙̫̫̫̫̳̭̐͆̋̓͆͋͆̕͜͝ ̴̨̢̛̯̻̯̙̠̰͉̰̮͍̠̮͐̄̊̈́̂͛͌͛̚d̵̡̺̰̩̟̳̱̖̃̃͆͛͛̇ị̶̬̪̫̹̭̼̎̈́ͅd̵̦̱̻̰͔̬̟͌̽͑̂ņ̶̧͈͖͎̗̩̱͈̹͉̯̮̭̜̓͆̐̈́'̸̨̠̤͙̖̄̊͂̓̇͜t̴͍̼̺͍̱̑̉̚͝͝͝.̸̫͎͓͔̭̜̞̺͑̈́̿̀̄̂͋͜"̵̡̩̞̜͙̫̦̫͙͉͍͔̓̑́͐̾̈́̔͒̔͐̑̆̂͘

---

 

By the time Izuku came back to the present, everything was over and the jury was gone. Izuku was curled into Mama’s side. He must have felt Izuku shifting. “You back, little listener? You checked out for a bit.” 

 

“What’s um…”

 

“We’re waiting on the jury to come back with their verdict. They’ve been out for about 15 minutes already.”

 

“He lied,” Izuku whispered. 

 

“I know, baby. He’ll get in trouble for that. It’s called perjury.”

 

“Good.” It only took another 20 minutes for the jury to come back. Dad said that was a good sign. 

 

The judge addressed them. “Will the jury foreperson please stand?” A man with a grey suit and blonde hair stood. “Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?”

 

“Yes, your honor.”

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“On the charge of Child Abuse in the 1st degree, we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of Reckless Endangerment, we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of Medical Neglect, we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of Criminal Negligence, we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of Quirk Discrimination, we find the defendant guilty. On the added charge of Purjery under Oath, we find the defendant guilty.”

 

“The jury is thanked and excused.”

Notes:

That was cathartic! Yay for the bean.

Chapter 53: Kitty Cuddle Session

Notes:

TW: very brief mention of child abuse while talking about the sentence

“I need to talk to you,” Izuku said, grabbing Inko’s wrist as she moved past him. The excitement of the verdict was dying down and people were leaving. She gave him a surprised look. 

 

“Alright,” she replied with a tentative smile. 

 

“Probably not here,” Dad interjected before he went to ask the attorney for access to the meeting room from before. 

 

When they got there and the door was shut, Izuku spoke. “You said that if I had a quirk, it wouldn’t have happened at all. But you’re wrong.”

 

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” she said, confused. 

 

“I had a quirk the whole time,” he admitted quietly. “Those notebooks. The hero analysis. The spacing out. The mumbling. All of that was my quirk. I had an intelligence quirk.”

 

“But, the doctor said that you had the extra toe joint that indicated quirklessness,” she reminded him, smile fading into distress. 

 

“I’m sorry, Midoriya-san, but it’s been confirmed by the principal of UA.,” Dad spoke up. “He’s been in quirk counseling since we discovered it. We haven’t changed his registration yet since he needs to finish quirk counseling first.”

 

“I remember when I was first misdiagnosed, you kept apologizing. You thought you gave me bad genes. I just wanted you to know that you didn’t,” Izuku said quietly. “But you did fail me as a parent.”

 

She nodded, tearing up. “I know. I’m sorry.”

 

---

 

“Are you sure?” Tsukauchi-san asked outside the interrogation room. Hisashi was inside. 

 

“Yeah,” Izuku replied before heading inside. Dad and the detective followed. 

 

“My son, I’m so glad you came to see me,” Hisashi spoke.

 

“He came to tell you one thing, so shut up and listen,” Dad warned. Hisashi smiled, folding his hands on the table. His posture was relaxed, waiting. 

 

Izuku held his gaze, determined. “It was all for nothing. Hurting me. Losing me. Destroying our family. For nothing. You are going to prison for nothing .” Hisashi looked a little confused but maintained his smile. “I had an intelligence quirk the whole time.”

 

Hisashi’s smile dropped and Izuku left.

 

---

 

“A cafe?” Mama asked, taking in the rather cute building. 

 

“Better!” Mei exclaimed. “Come on!” 

 

“Oh. It’s heaven,” Dad remarked once they walked inside. There were cats everywhere .

 

“It’s new! It opened four days ago and I just barely kept it a secret because I knew it would be a good surprise after the trial,” Mei bubbled with excitement. “We can relax with cats!”

 

“This seems like a bad idea. What if the cats eat something they shouldn’t?” Kacchan pointed out. 

 

A woman, the hostess, spoke up. “Food and drink are served in a separate area. You can see the dining space through this big window just over here.” She indicated to a wall that was out of view from the entrance. 

 

“You’ll be able to watch the cats while you enjoy your food. Then you can come back here to play with the cats.” She led them to a table in the other room. Mama insisted on real food before deserts. Dad and Hitoshi wanted to go play with the cats without eating. Mama said no. 

 

“How much time did he get?” Kacchan asked after their drinks arrived. 

 

“They stacked the charges and he wound up with 23 years,” Dad answered. 

 

“Which doesn’t seem like nearly long enough,” Hitoshi grumbled. 

 

“But as the attorney explained, if they gave him the maximum possible, it’d be easier for him to appeal it,” Mama reminded him. 

 

“What’s the maximum?” Kacchan asked. 

 

“25 years,” Izuku said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. 

 

“Unfortunately, charges of child abuse can result in as little as six months in prison. What he wound up with is better than the attorney expected,” Dad added. 

 

“Well, that’s stupid,” Kacchan commented. There were murmurs of agreement. “But you’ll be what? 35 when he gets out?”

 

“Something like that,” Izuku nodded. “We’ll be heroes by then.”

 

“Hopefully,” Hitoshi added. 

 

“Definitely!” Mei corrected. 

 

---

 

“Do you understand how cute you are?” Hitoshi asked a grey kitten seriously. He had little white mitten paws. The kitten blinked slowly at him and Hitoshi gasped. “He loves me.”

 

“They’re adoptable,” Dad told him.

 

“No! We have four cats already!” Mama exclaimed, exasperated. The two cat lovers looked at him with wide eyes. “No!”

 

“We can come to visit the kitties anytime now that we know this place is here,” Izuku reminded them, helping Mama. He still felt bad about his participation in operation ‘Kitten Not a Cat.’

 

Mei sat with a particularly fluffy cat in her lap. She was the calmest Izuku had ever seen her, while she ran her hands through their fur. “We’ll have to come back a lot. I like it here,” she smiled at the cat in her lap. 

 

“It’s not bad,” Kacchan said, which meant he liked it too. He had three cats sitting on him; two in his lap and one on his shoulder. 

 

Izuku smiled as he watched them all with the cats. He was beyond relieved that it was finally over. Things felt a little more permanent with the adoption but now that Hisashi was locked up, Izuku felt entirely safe. Now they just needed to wait until Hitoshi’s adoption went through and there’d be nothing else to worry about until the entrance exam. 

 

“You’re quiet there, little listener,” Mama addressed Izuku, pulling him from his thoughts. 

 

“I’m happy,” he beamed.

 

---

 

“You’re finally unpacking,” Hitoshi commented, watching Izuku organize his desk. 

 

“I’ve been unpacked,” Izuku said, confused. 

 

“Not really. All your stuff can be moved quickly,” Hitoshi insisted. 

 

“Maybe I like things organized,” Izuku huffed. Hitoshi raised an eyebrow and Izuku sighed. “Okay, well, it was habit. I moved my stuff every day for eight years.” 

 

“And now?” Hitoshi asked with a knowing look. 

 

“And now… it feels real,” Izuku replied with a soft smile. 

 

---

 

“Thank you for meeting me, Aizawa-san,” she smiled from the booth she sat in. “I hope it’s not too early for you.”

 

“My patrol ended 15 minutes ago. It’s fine,” Shouta assured her. “What did you want?”

 

“I have some things for you and your husband. And for Izu,” she said softly, tilting her head towards a cardboard box next to her in the booth. Shouta slid into the booth across from her. 

 

“I’ll need to see what’s in there before I take it,” he told her. Maybe being a hero had made him paranoid but that was neither here nor there. 

 

“Of course!” She opened the box and took out a photo album first. “I took out the pictures with me or Hisashi and any taken after his diagnosis. There are a lot of him with Katsuki and the Bakugou’s. I lost my childhood photos ages ago and I always regretted it. I thought he might like to have these. Or that you and Yamada-san might appreciate baby pictures since he’s your son now.”

 

When he didn’t reply she continued to fill the silence. “Hisashi did throw away a lot of his things but I managed to snag a few sentimental items. His baby blanket, though I don’t know if he remembers it. These onesie pajamas that he wore more often than real clothes for a good year. Oh! Here’s a tin of things Izu and Katsuki found while exploring the neighborhood.”

 

He watched in silence as she unpacked the small box of his son’s childhood. A part of his life they would never know about since Izuku wouldn’t have memories of most of it. Or so he thought. The next two things she pulled out proved his assumption wrong. 

 

“I’m the one who suggested the hero journals to Izuku. Journaling is something I’ve always done myself. I recorded everything about him in these.” She motioned to the stack of journals tied together with a ribbon. “I’m keeping the one documenting my pregnancy since that’s a touch personal, but I have everything else here.”

 

“You don’t have--” Shouta started. 

 

“I want to. There might be something important in there for the future. Even if there isn’t, you’ll know what he was like at those ages. I also have these,” she touched what looked like a CD holder. “Home videos of Izuku. I kept the ones with me or Hisashi; same as the pictures. I spent more time holding the camera though so there are a lot left.”

 

“This is… Thank you,” Shouta said genuinely. She gave him a soft smile.

Notes:

No, Izuku did not stay for in-depth reactions. He's closing that chapter of his life. He just needed to get the truth out and move on.

Cat Cafe because they needed some fluff after that stressful shit.

Mei stimming with a long-haired cat.

Soft parent to parent moment at the end there. My mom's adopted and I remember baby photos were so important to her. She didn't meet her bio parents until I was like 10 so I remember her reaction to her baby photos pretty clearly. She also took so many of me because she always hated that she never had hers. So I decided to give Izuku his baby stuff.

Chapter 54: Training

“More tech crap for the tech nerd,” Bakugou announced, placing a box of broken electronics near Mei. 

 

“Thanks, Kat!” she chirped, not looking up from the items she had disassembled for parts. Bakugou grumbled, annoyed by the nickname but apparently not enough to say something. 

 

Shouta turned his attention to the other two. They were trying to figure out how to disassemble a pile of stuff with a large double fridge at the top. “We could just have Bakugou jump up there and press an explosion against it.”

 

“The force could push it to the other side, but I’d be worried about the door exploding and scattering,” Izuku countered. 

 

“Shit, you’re right,” Hitoshi agreed. Shouta shook his head. How is it that these kids thought things through better than his class of third years?

 

---

 

“We’re playing a game today,” Shouta informed them. He’d brought them out to an obstacle training course that looked a bit like a power plant. “No quirks. Use your bodies to maneuver the obstacles and get to the top of that tower.”

 

The kids glanced at the one he was pointing at. “There are four flags up there, one for each of you. The first one back with a flag wins. You can crawl under things, climb things, jump over them, anything. There is no correct way to make it to the top of the tower. To discourage injuries, you fail automatically if you get hurt. Be safe. I’ll be observing.”

 

With that, he left them to go to the observation room positioned at the side of the course. Nezu was already inside. “This is exciting! I can’t wait to see what they do,” Nezu exclaimed. 

 

Shouta rolled his eyes and pressed the button for the intercom. “Start.”

 

Bakugou took the direct approach. He sprinted at the course, jumping onto the first thing he came across. He pulled himself up to the next level and jumped across a gap. If he could use his quirk, Shouta’s sure he’d propel himself over things. Without his quirk, he does pretty much the same thing but with less distance between jumps. He definitely utilized his upper body strength. 

 

Shinsou on the other hand, stuck to the ground until he found a ladder. Once he gained access to the rooftops, his height and agility became his advantage. Shouta hadn’t taught the kid parkour and yet that’s what he was doing. Either he learned it somewhere else or it was a technique that came naturally to him. 

 

Mei just ran into the course and disassembled anything that blocked her path. With her engineering knowledge, she was able to determine the best weak point. He honestly wasn’t sure where she had gotten the tools, but he hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult to put everything back together. 

 

Izuku didn’t do anything that Shouta thought he might have done. Instead of moving towards the course, he moved away and circled the perimeter. He was fast, despite the fact that he was still recovering his strength. He seemed to be evaluating the entire course from the outside. 

 

Just as Shouta started to think that Bakugou was going to get there first, Izuku shot into the course. After a few moments, Shouta realized that Izuku had found a straight-shot path to the tower. With his speed and lack of obstacles, he got there before Bakugou and scaled the tower. 

 

After grabbing his flag, he slid back down the ladder, nearly giving Shouta a heart attack. The kid caught himself five rungs from the bottom and Shouta let out a relieved breath. Nezu just chuckled. Bakugou spotted Izuku as he neared the tower. 

 

“The fuck? How?” he barked, faltering in his steps. 

 

“Sorry, Kacchan! No time,” Izuku called as he ran back the way he came. Bakugou looked back up the tower just in time to see Hitoshi jump onto it from a nearby roof. 

 

“Oh, hell no.” Bakugou scaled the tower two rungs at a time and snagged his own flag just after Hitoshi jumped off the tower with one. 

 

Izuku made it back to the start a little over three minutes before the others. Bakugou had doubled his efforts and managed to come in second. Hitoshi came in third, no more than 30 seconds after Bakugou. Mei was sitting in the course still. Yes, sitting. She got distracted.

 

Shouta went out to meet the kids with Nezu following close behind. “Where’s Mei?” Izuku asked. 

 

“How the fuck did you win?” Bakugou demanded. 

 

“Mei is in the course still. I have no idea what she’s doing, but I think we’re going to have to go and get her,” Shouta told them. While they went to track her down, Izuku explained himself Bakugou’s insistence. 

 

“I figured that Nezu probably designed the course since he designed so much of UA. I believed he might set the obstacles up in a way that left one path leading directly to the goal. So I looked for it and I was right,” Izuku shrugged. 

 

“You risked losing the race on the off-chance of a hidden shortcut?” Bakugou asked incredulously. 

 

“Work smarter, not harder, Bakugou-kun,” Nezu chimed in. “Your environment can be your greatest ally if you utilize it correctly.”

 

By the time they got to Mei, she had built some sort of spinning contraption. “I made a better obstacle!” she exclaimed. “It’s moving now but it can also be set to different positions. This way you could reset the course in different combinations. Partly to alter the difficultly and partly so that people don’t start acing it by way of repetition or muscle memory.”

 

“Fascinating,” Nezu observed, nose twitching. “And you built it with only the materials here, correct?” Mei nodded. 

 

“Tell me, are you planning on applying to UA?” Nezu asked. Oh no.

 

“Yes, sir. I plan to apply for the support course,” she answered confidently. 

 

“Why don’t you make some support items and demonstrate them for me? If I’m impressed, I’ll give you a recommendation spot for the support course.” Please no .

 

She’s never looked more excited. “Gladly! Here’s my business card! Just let me know the time and place!” She placed the card in the rodent’s paw. 

 

---

 

The Aizawa-Yamada household was hosting its first study session. If you had told Shouta before today that the angry problem child was actually a serious and organized student, he wouldn’t have believed you. But now? Well, the proof was in his living room. 

 

“But history can’t help me build my babies,” Mei complained looking at her worksheet with frustration. 

 

“Maybe not, but you need good grades in all of your classes to get into UA and history is a required course,” Bakugou explained. 

 

“But it’s so hard to focus on it because it’s boring,” Mei retorted, letting her head fall to the coffee table. 

 

“Just reformat it,” Bakugou said, taking her notes and some of Izuku’s markers. “Here, you can combine these sections into one page. This part can be split up. Make an index of all your events at the front.” The blonde helped her rewrite her notes, only snapping at her twice. 

 

“Can’t I just write an analysis?” Izuku asked Hitoshi on the other side of the table. 

 

“No. The assignment is to write about what they stand for as a hero. You can’t just write about their quirk.” Izuku frowned at the empty notebook page. 

 

“What hero did you pick?” Shouta asked from the couch. 

 

“We didn’t get to pick. They were assigned. I don’t even know that much about Ms. Joke,” Izuku huffed.

 

“Ugh. I do,” Shouta grimaced. “She harasses me every time she sees me.”

 

“Is she a bad person?” Izuku looked concerned. 

“No, she’s just annoying. Keeps asking me to marry her.” Shouta helped Izuku with his report on Ms. Joke. Of course, when he told them about his interactions with her, the kids thought it was absolutely hilarious. Traitors.

Chapter 55: Mei's Tech Show Extraordinaire

“Alright, folks!” Mei paused, looking at Nezu. “And creature.” 

 

Nezu gave her an amused smile. “Welcome to Hatsume Mei’s Tech Show Extraordinaire!” she hopped up on a small box. “Today I will be showing you a handful of my babies in the hopes that one of them can impress the Nezu of UA!”

 

Shouta looked at the wooden crates that had cardboard boxes of varying sizes on top. A way of hiding said ‘babies’ until their demonstration, he figured. “First things first! My volunteers. Please come up here boys.”

 

Her what? Izuku, Hitoshi, and Bakugou got up from the bench they were sitting on to join her on the training floor. She had insisted they needed the space of a training room. It was better than being outside at least. Being the middle of October, it was starting to get chilly. 

 

“We will start with Izuku!” she stepped up to the first crate and box. “For anyone who doesn’t know, Izuku has an intelligence quirk but plans to apply to the hero course.” The crowd consisted of Shouta, Nezu, Hizashi, Nemuri, Snipe, Cemetoss, Vlad King, and Power Loader. They all knew about Izuku’s quirk and UA goals. 

 

“Although he is learning hand to hand combat training, he still has a disadvantage against those with combat quirks. I have taken it upon myself to create some support items to level the playing field for him.” She lifted the first cardboard box to reveal a silver cylinder. It was about the size of a small flashlight. 

 

“The first item is a weapon!” Shouta paled. She picked up the cylinder and handed it to Izuku, having him step in front of the others and hold it out horizontally. “It has a fingerprint reader here instead of a button so that it can’t be activated accidentally. Izuku, if you would please? I programmed all your prints into it already. No one else can activate it.”

 

When had she done that? Izuku gave her a hesitant look but ultimately followed her instruction. The cylinder lengthened to five feet in a heartbeat. “It’s a carbon steel, portable staff,” Mei explained. “But that isn’t necessarily enough.” Oh god no .

 

“If you press the second sensor that was revealed after the extension, the ends will electrify. The voltage isn’t enough to kill the average person but it could cause them to pass out. Folks that are more resistant should still be able to be brought down, even if they won’t pass out. There is a three-second recharge period if he needs to use the voltage feature more than once.”

 

Izuku looked at the staff warily but pressed the second sensor when she instructed him to. Blue sparks crackled at the ends. “You can turn the electricity off by touching the sensor again. You collapse it with the same method. It extends and collapses nearly instantly.” Izuku pressed the sensors, turning it off and collapsing it. 

 

“The second support item I came up with for Izuku are shock-absorbing shoes. I modeled them after the pair you always wear. The only difference is that they are boots instead of sneakers.” She lifted the next box revealing a pair of red boots with black metal components. 

 

“Most people subconsciously restrict themselves while running due to the damage the impact can cause. With these, you can push yourself once you have the strength without worrying about damaging your feet or ankles. The majority of the shock should be absorbed before it reaches the top of the boot. You should also be able to make larger jumps without the damage from the impact.”

 

She pointed to the metal components on the toe and heel. “The carbon steel plating in combination with the shock absorption will also make your kicks really effective. The metal is black for aesthetic reasons. Try them on please!” Izuku switched his shoes out for the boots.

 

“Comfortable?” Mei asked. Izuku nodded after taking a few steps. 

 

“Most likely, you’ll be using the shoes more than the staff. The staff is designed more for use against opponents with strength or transformation quirks, but you can also use it to maneuver or to extend your reach. I was also thinking of making a combat pair of glasses for you, but I decided to wait until you finish quirk counseling and have a better idea of what you need.” She moved onto the next box. “Katsuki, your turn.”

 

Izuku went back over to Hitoshi while Bakugou joined Mei. “Now, I know you’ve been putting a lot of work into your upper body because of the impact from your blasts. That’s great. But why not do the training and use braces? Shirt off, please.” 

 

She lifted the box revealing a bit of folded black fabric. “I said strip, Kat.” Bakugou reluctantly took off his shirt. She picked up the fabric, showing him how to put it on. It went a bit like a wetsuit top, except it only covered his arms, neck, and shoulders. His entire torso was bare. It zipped together behind his neck. 

 

“So these braces utilize a combination of compression and shock absorption. At the same time, I made sure that the compression aspect wasn’t so strong that it would restrict your movements. The material also has two additional features. It traps body heat which will cause you to sweat more. The material is also water-proof and will trap your sweat between your skin and the sleeves. Your sweat will be forced to pool at your hands for bigger blasts.”

 

“Test it please! Let me know how the blowback feels with them on.” Bakugou walked further away from everyone else before firing a few blasts with each hand. “How’s it feel?” Mei called.

 

Bakugou flexed the muscles in his lower arms, turning his arms. He also rolled his shoulders. “It works. Usually, my muscles and joints have this vibrate-y feeling. I don’t feel that now.”

 

“That would be the shock absorption. The compression aspect also keeps your joints stable. And then obviously, it’s skin-tight, so you will be able to wear it under whatever hero costume you design,” Mei explained as Bakugou returned to her. 

 

“The last two items are for Hitoshi!” Bakugou swapped places with Hitoshi. Mei lifted a box. “The first thing I’ve got for you is a voice changer. But you mentioned that your quirk doesn’t work over electronic signals like phones yet. If you can learn to do that, that’d be great but until then, these faux vocal cords are non-electronic. You can mimic the voices of others to increase the chances of getting a reply, even if they know how your quirk works.”

 

“And then this last one, you and I talked about,” Mei said, approaching the last box. “But I took some liberties.” She lifted the box.

 

“Is that my capture weapon?” Shouta asked, looking at the scarf on the crate. 

 

“Please,” Mei scoffed. “It’s better than your capture weapon.” Excuse me?

 

“Functionally, it’s the same as Aizawa’s but it has some improvements. Alongside the metal-alloy fibers, the fabric the alloys are woven into is temperature resistant. Hitoshi will be able to fight people with fire quirks without worrying about his capture weapon burning. He can also wrap it around himself or civilians to protect them from burns. Oppositely, it works against cold too. It could also protect people from hypothermia.”

 

“The material I used also dampens electrical conduction. I wouldn’t recommend getting struck by lightning, but in a pinch, you’d survive that.” What the hell…? “And then, of course, there’s the concern of the captured weapon getting cut. The metal alloys make it difficult already, but the material I chose is high density which helps make it even more cut-proof.”

 

“Now Izuku and Hitoshi will need training to use their support items, particularly the weapons, but they have time and an excellent teacher. I think they’ll be fine. And all of these items can be modified or redesigned to match a hero costume upon request.”

 

“You made all five of these support items in approximately a month, with only materials a civilian can buy or that you salvaged from that beach?” Nezu asked, eyes gleaming. 

 

“Yes, sir,” Mei answered. “I also made some other stuff but they weren’t for this demonstration so I didn’t bring them.”

 

“Wel, I would say that you have more than earned a recommendation spot. Higari, she’d be in your class. What do you think?” Nezu turned to Power Loader.

 

“I would be honored to teach someone as promising as her,” Power Loader replied. 

 

“Then it’s settled! You’ll still have to take an entrance exam but it will be different from the one other support applicants will be taking,” Nezu smiled. “I’m excited to see you at UA in the spring.”

 

---

 

Since I will not be changing Bakugou's costume aside from the addition of the braces, I included this simple edit.

I will show Hitoshi's and Izuku's final costume designs when they get their costumes at UA.

(Lowkey gave BakuHoe a tiddy window.)

Notes:

It's a little fast-paced but that's just how Mei is.

Mei: so I've armed the cinnamon roll
Shouta: ...my baby :(

Also, this is not the first time skip but it's the first obvious one. Just kind of cut from September to October. The next chapter will be November, fair warning.

Chapter 56: First Snow

Hitoshi was woken abruptly by a body landing on him. “The fuck?” he mumbled groggily. 

 

“The weather report said it snowed!” Izuku exclaimed. “Up, up, up!”

 

“Why?” Hitoshi whined. It was too early for this.

 

“We can make a snowman,” Izuku cheered. Hitoshi blinked up at the smaller teen. 

 

“You like snow,” Hitoshi realized with disbelief. 

 

“Don’t you?” Izuku asked, tilting his head. Hitoshi pushed him off. 

 

“Not before coffee,” Hitoshi huffed, hiding under his blanket from the excessive energy. 

 

---

 

“Before you go outside, we have news,” Mama said after breakfast and the three cups of coffee Hitoshi had to prepare himself for snow shenanigans with Izuku.

 

“These came yesterday,” Dad said, handing Hitoshi a paper. Well, this felt familiar. He read it over and he couldn’t fight the resulting smile. 

 

“It’s official? I’m adopted?” He asked. 

 

“You’re ours, kid,” Dad confirmed. “No more worrying from either of you.”

 

“Aiyama Hitoshi, then,” Izuku beamed, vibrating with excitement. “We’re brothers!”

 

“We’ve been brothers,” Hitoshi argued, placing an arm around Izuku’s shoulders. 

 

“Yes, but now we have legal proof!” Izuku insisted. Hitoshi rolled his eyes with a smile. 

 

“How should we celebrate?” Mama asked. 

 

“Izuku’s snow nonsense and then cat cafe?” Hitoshi suggested hesitantly. 

 

“We can have hot chocolate after playing in the snow,” Izuku agreed. 

 

“Alright! Go get dressed for snow then,” Mama instructed gently. 

 

---

 

Family Roll Call

 

CoffeeChild: Snow games and then cat cafe?

MamaMic: There’s a park a couple of blocks from our apartment. 

AuntieNem: I know the one

AuntieNem: I’ll pick up the other two on my way over if their parents say yes

HonoraryChild1: my mom won’t care

AuntieNem: I’m still gonna ask her~

HonoraryChild2: My mom says okay!

AuntieNem: Alrighty! Omw

MamaMic: Dress warm!

 

---

 

“What… is he doing?” Hizashi wondered aloud, as Izuku knelt on the ground and starting pushing a mound of snow together. 

 

“He’s making a snowman,” Bakugou answered. “The Izuku Way.”

 

“I’m going to make an army!” Mei declared. Oh boy. She ran off to find her own patch of snow.

 

“I’ve never actually made a snowman before,” Hitoshi admitted. 

 

“Well, just don’t do what Izuku’s doing and you’ll be fine,” Bakugou smirked. 

 

“I can help you, little listener,” Hizashi smiled softly. Bakugou headed out to presumably make his own snowman. Hizashi helped Hotoshi pick a spot. “So the first thing you’ll want to do is make a snowball.”

 

“That I can do,” Hitoshi replied, picking up some snow. “Now what?” 

 

“You pack more snow onto it until it’s big enough to roll and pick up more snow.” Hitoshi gave him a doubtful look but worked on making the snowball bigger. 

 

“You are a grown woman,” Hizashi heard Shouta say. He looked up over at his husband only to see him standing over Nemuri. Nemuri, who was laying in the snow.

 

“And why can’t a grown woman make snow angels, ShoSho?” she retorted. 

 

“Is this big enough?” Hitoshi asked. Hizashi returned his attention to his kid. 

 

“Yep! Now you roll it on the ground. Snow will stick to it and it will grow. Pat the snow down every now and then so that it doesn’t collapse. When you’ve decided it’s big enough, repeat the process to make a slightly smaller one for the head.” Hitoshi nodded and set to work, brows furrowed in determination.

 

Once the snow people’s bodies were made, there was a small expedition into a patch of trees to gather sticks and rocks. When the kids finished decorating their snow people, they went in a group to see each one. 

 

Bakugou’s was terrifyingly smooth. The roundest, most perfect snowman Hizashi had ever seen. With the addition of spikes on the side of its head? Bakugou had also managed to make it look mad. Mei had in fact made an army, but thankfully of tiny six-inch snowmen. 

 

Hitoshi’s snowman was good considering it was his first time. It was a decent size even if it wasn’t the smoothest. Izuku’s, however, was… uh, unique. Frankly, it looked like his snowman melted already. It wasn’t so much a snowman as it was a snow glob. But the face drawn on it was very cute, and Hizashi told him as much.

 

It was all rather peaceful. And then the snowball fight started. 

 

Bakugou tried to throw a snowball at Hitoshi. Hitoshi ducked and it hit Shouta instead. Nemuri cackled, the kids froze, except for Izuku, whose hands flew up to his mouth in shock. The snow slid of Shouta’s face and he grinned ferally at Bakugou. “Oh, it’s on, problem child.”

 

---

 

Did they have to go back to the apartment and get towels for everyone to dry off before going to the cafe? Yes. Yes, they did. But once they got there, they had warm drinks and cookies. Most of them got hot chocolate but Dad and Hitoshi got coffee. 

 

Once their drinks and cookies were consumed, they went back to the cat room for kitty cuddles. “Hey, will we still be able to clean the beach now that it’s snowing?” Bakugou asked.

 

“I don’t see why not,” Mama answered. “Although, you’ll all have to dress warm and we’ll be putting a limit on how long you can be outside at a time. Frostbite can set in before you notice.”

 

“We don’t have very much left,” Izuku pointed out. “Even if we cut down on hours, we should still finish before the entrance exam.” 

 

“There’s only a little over three months left,” Dad reminded them. 

 

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Izuku assured them. 

 

---

 

“You know what I was thinking today?” Hizashi said suddenly, watching his husband dry his hair. 

 

“Hm?” Shouta hummed, glancing up. 

 

“I was thinking that maybe we should try to find a new place.” Shouta just sat on the edge of the bed, waiting to hear him out. “I mean, we’ve got two kids now and four cats. They have two friends that visit constantly and if they make more while in UA, we’ll probably need more space for everyone to fit.”

 

“Plus that room was meant to be a guest room for one person,” Shouta agreed. “It wasn’t meant to house two teenage boys.” 

 

“So you’d be okay with moving to a different apartment?” Hizashi asked. 

 

“Actually, I was thinking that maybe it’s time to find a house,” Shouta answered. 

 

“Really?” Hizashi smiled. Shouta nodded. 

 

“Plus, with a house, we’ll have room for more cats.”

 

---

 

Izuku's doing his very best, okay? 

I had to WikiHow how to build a snowman. 

I had no idea how to explain it in words.

Notes:

My mom: oh hey. that look like my snowmen

From here on out, expect fluff and wrapping up little details before the entrance exam. The entrance exam and results will be the last two chapters. Then we move on to part two!

HonoraryChild1 is Bakugou and HonoraryChild2 is Mei because she was added to the family group chat.

Hitoshi is officially an Aiyama!!!

RIP ~ Bakugou

Now, off I go to look at actual floorplans instead of trying to make a complex one myself.

Chapter 57: Parent to Parent

When Shouta got home at ass o’clock on Saturday morning after his patrol, he expected the rest of his family to be asleep. So when he came home to a silhouette on the couch, he was a little surprised. He flicked on the light. 

 

He blinked in shock and confusion at the child that was not his. “Mei. What are you…?”

 

“Good morning, Aizawa!” she said quietly but cheerfully. She held a finger to her lips. “Shh. Everyone is sleeping.”

 

“They left you here… to sleep?” That didn’t sound right. 

 

“Oh, no. They don’t know I’m here. I didn’t want to wake them,” she replied, which raised more questions. 

 

“How did you get in here?” The building had security. The apartment itself had separate security.

 

“Well, I was just going to pick the lock, but there’s a surprising amount of alarms here. I had to disable some to get in. You picked a wonderful security system. It took me a little while,” she rambled brightly, apparently not seeing anything wrong with what she did. 

 

“Okay. Let’s try, why are you here?” Shouta said calmly. This was by far the most obscure thing she’s done so far, but he wasn’t entirely surprised. If she didn’t understand the issue here, there’s no point in getting upset. He’ll just have to explain breaking and entering laws later. 

 

“Well, I was in the area because I was looking for an ECI EC3 163-238260 circuit board for my latest baby and there’s only one tech store in town that was selling one. I got it, by the way. But when I got out of the store with the circuit board, it had started snowing pretty heavily. That icky kind of wet snow, you know. And I didn’t think I could make it home safely, so since you were closer, I came here.” 

 

Shouta took in her appearance and he realized that although her hair kept its shape, her clothes were damp. And she was shivering just a bit, which he had mistaken for her usual nervous excitement. Shouta sighed. Why was this his life?

 

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. I am going to get some of Izuku’s clothes for you. You are going to take a shower or bath to warm up. When you are done, you will wear Izuku’s dry clothes not your damp ones. You can then sleep out here or watch TV quietly. I hope I can trust you to stay out of trouble for the hour or two that it will take Hizashi to wake up. When everyone else is up, we can put your clothes in the wash so that they are clean and dry. When I wake up, I will take you home and speak with your mother.”

 

She nodded with wide eyes. Shouta had noticed a while ago that she operated better with clear, exact instructions. As he said he would, he went to get some of Izuku’s clothes from the boys’ room. Both were still asleep, thank god. 

 

After he brought out a t-shirt and sweatpants for her, he sent her to the bathroom, letting her know she could help herself to soap and towels. While he waited for her, he changed out of his hero costume and warmed up some leftovers. 

 

About 10 minutes after he finished eating, she came back out. “Alright, as I said before, you can sleep or watch TV quietly. You know where the blankets are. If you get hungry, you can look for something in the kitchen, but Hizashi should be up in the next hour or two. I’m going to go to bed, okay?”

 

“Okie dokie,” she smiled. It did not instill him with much confidence.

 

---

 

Shouta knocked on Mei’s door. Izuku had tagged along, while Hitoshi stayed home with Hizashi. “You know I can just let us in the side,” Mei told him. 

 

“We’re waiting for your mother,” Shouta said firmly. In his peripheral vision, he noticed the two kids exchanging anxious glances. After a few minutes, a woman came to the door. “I assume you are Mei’s mother?”

 

“Oh no, has she done something?” the woman fretted. He’d have to speak carefully. Izuku and Hitoshi had complained about this woman’s tendency to blame Mei for things unfairly. 

 

“No, she’s fine. I have some concerns though, and I’d like to speak to you about them if that’s all right,” he replied. She nodded and moved to invite him into the house. “Mei, why don’t you show Izuku your inventions,” he suggested. Neither of them needed to be here for this conversation. 

 

“So what’s this about?” she asked after the kids had gone upstairs and the adults had settled in the living room. 

 

“I’m going to be blunt. I’m concerned about Mei’s welfare,” he said flatly. 

 

“Are you accusing me of something?” she asked, just shy of defensive. 

 

“Should I be?” he held her gaze. She didn’t say anything, so he continued. “I’m not making any accusations. There are just some things I’ve noticed that have left me concerned, and as a teacher, I’d like to make some suggestions.”

 

“Like what?” she asked. 

 

“The most prominent thing is that she seems to have no regulation in terms of being outside the house. Did you know that she was outside sometime before 4 am today? It was snowing,” Shouta told her. 

 

“Well, she was probably looking for something for her inventions. I try not to restrict that since it’s constructive and her career path,” she explained. 

 

“While I understand wanting to support your child’s goals, that’s not safe. She broke into my apartment this morning to escape the snow because we were closer than her own home.” The woman gasped, looking ready to apologize. “I’m not upset. She didn’t damage anything but she didn’t seem to understand the issue. I explained B&E laws to her before bringing her back.” 

 

“The biggest issue with what happened is that she was outside, unattended in the dead of the night. She got caught in the snow and since most businesses were closed, she didn’t have many options for shelter. She was soaked by the time she got to our apartment. She could have gotten sick. If she hadn’t gotten into our apartment, she could have gotten hypothermia.”

 

‘Well, I can’t just lock her inside the house all the time,” the woman protested. 

 

“You don’t need to. Parenting isn’t black and white. It’s finding middle grounds and adjusting boundaries to where they fit best for both of you. She’s a person but she’s a person you need to keep safe. It can’t be all or nothing. Things like having set hours when she can’t be outside without permission or an adult present and having her text you when she does go out alone and when she changes locations are easy boundaries to implement.”

 

“But I can’t make her do things. She’s autistic and she doesn’t understand rules,” the woman insisted. Shouta frowned. He’d expected something like that but it was still weird to hear aloud. 

 

“She understands rules fine. She may need additional explanation to understand the purpose of a rule, but if you take the time to explain things to her, she’ll be fine. A lot of kids with neurodiversity benefit from structure and in the time I’ve spent with Mei, I have noticed that she does better with structure and concise language.”

 

The woman looked contemplative. “Parent to parent, what sort of boundaries do you think she needs?”

 

“As I mentioned earlier, the 24/7 freedom isn’t safe for her. I also think she struggles with self-care. Like remembering to sleep or eat. A chart or a scheduling app could probably help her,” Shouta suggested.

 

“I’ll talk it over with her,” the woman nodded. “Is there anything else?”

 

“You seem to have a lot of misconceptions about neurodiversity. I’d recommend taking the time to actually learn about your daughter’s diagnosis. You might find that you’ll be able to communicate with her better,” he answered. 

 

“I’ll try,” she promised.

Notes:

Mei: sitting in a home that's not hers in the dark at 4 am
Shouta: what kind of horror movie bullshit is this >:(

Shouta yelling at parents 2021

Upstairs:
Izuku: where's your bed?
Mei: somewhere under all these *gestures to metal and tools and inventions*
Izuku: ...
Mei: what?
Izuku: where do you sleep?
Mei: I don't :)

Only 8 chapters until part 2!! I'm excited!!

Chapter 58: Level Up

“So the bloodwork I had you submit before our appointment today came back clear. No pneumonia or any other infections. Your kidney is operating at a healthy level. Your height hasn’t changed but your weight is up to 47 kilograms which is just within the acceptable range.”

 

Izuku watched as the doctor flipped a page on his little booklet. “You still have a slight magnesium deficiency, but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed by a daily supplement. It’s at the higher end of ‘low levels.’ The anemia you had has been resolved as well. How are you feeling? Have you noticed any symptoms lately?”

 

Izuku shook his head. “I feel fine.”

 

“That’s good,” the doctor smiled. “Well, from here all I can say is to keep up a standard healthy diet. If you were to gain a bit more weight, that would be ideal. But as long as you don’t lose any weight, you’ll be fine where you are too. Wellness exams are annual but you are welcome to come in for any concerns in between.”

 

---

 

“Izuku’s been cleared,” Dad announced. “Weapons and quirks are allowed now, but please continue to be careful. The goal is to train, not hurt each other.”

 

Izuku and Hitoshi had started practicing basic form with their weapons after Mei made them last month but Dad hadn’t let them spar with them. Izuku also hadn’t been able to test the boots due to their combat abilities. Izuku was pretty sure solo practice wasn’t the same as sparring. Would he even be able to do it?

 

They were sent to get their support items. When they got back, Izuku noticed that Mei was wearing some sort of light armor now. “What? You think I’m going to spar with any of you leveled up without protection?” she asked incredulously. “No, thank you. I want to live.”

 

Dad paired Izuku up with Mei and Hitoshi up with Kacchan. “Begin.”

 

They all failed miserably. Both matches ended in ties.

 

---

 

“Hey Shin-- oh wait,” Katsuki trailed off, remembering the name change. “Aiyama.”

 

“Just call me Hitoshi,” he replied with shrug. “The rest of us are using first names anyway.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Katsuki agreed. “Call me Katsuki then.”

 

“Is Izuku the only one that can call you ‘Kacchan’ then?” Hitoshi teased, smirking. 

 

“He came up with it when we were toddlers because he couldn’t pronounce my name. It’s his nickname,” Katsuki told him. 

 

“So if I come up with a nickname…” Hitoshi looked way too excited at the idea. 

 

“Don’t you dare,” Katsuki warned. 

 

---

 

 “I think I’m supposed to be the one wrapped up,” Mei commented, crouching over Hitoshi.

 

“Yeah, shut up,” Hitoshi growled, struggling to free himself from his capture weapon.

 

“Want some help?” Mei asked with a smile. 

 

Hitoshi struggled a moment longer before sighing. “Yes… please.”

 

---

 

“How much weight training do you think you’d have to do to be as buff as Vlad King?” Mei asked suddenly. 

 

“Or Endeavor,” Katsuki scoffed. 

 

“Or All Might,” Hitoshi added. Izuku and Katsuki both grimaced. Well, now was as good a time as any to ask. “Hey, I noticed awhile ago, you don’t seem to like All Might. Why is that?”

 

“He’s an asshole,” Katsuki said, glaring at the ground. 

 

“He um, I met him when I was eleven and I asked him if I could be a hero without a quirk. And he said no,” Izuku explained. 

 

“He said that to a kid?” Hitoshi asked, surprised. Izuku nodded. 

 

“Like I said. An asshole,” Katsuki reiterated. Hitoshi had to agree.

 

---

 

“Look at you go,” Mei remarked. Katsuki ignored her in favor of continuing his pushups. “I can’t believe you can do that with Izuku on your back.”

 

“It’s not like he’s that heavy,” Katsuki said dismissively. 

 

Izuku mocked offense from where he sat cross-legged on Katsuki’s back. “I’ll have you know, I’m 47 kilograms now”

 

“Izuku, I’m heavier than you,” Mei told him. Not by much but still. Katsuki snorted. 

 

“Shut up!” Izuku squeaked. Katsuki's arms gave out and he fell to the ground, laughing. 

 

---

 

Izuku raised his staff to knock Kacchan’s arm off course. The explosion rattled his eardrums but failed to make contact. Taking advantage of Kacchan’s moment of imbalance, Izuku slammed the sole of his foot into Kacchan’s chest. It knocked him down but Kacchan was quick to get back up. “Bring it, Nerd!” 

 

---

 

“You want us to destroy stuff?” Hitoshi asked. 

 

“You can destroy only the cement blocks that Cementoss makes for you,” Dad clarified. “I don’t care how you do it. Just don't hurt yourself in the process.”

 

Katsuki blasted through one without hesitation. “Hell yeah!”

 

“Yes, enjoy your sanctioned destruction time,” Dad sighed, shaking his head lightly. 

 

Izuku stepped up to one while Katsuki continued blasting through blocks. It took a few kicks but Izuku finally broke one. “If you want to utilize kicking over punching, you’ll need to build up the strength in your legs,” Dad suggested. Izuku nodded and set to work on the next block. 

 

“What am I supposed to do? My capture weapon can’t break cement blocks,” Hitoshi pointed out. “And I’m not strong enough to kick or punch through them without getting hurt.”

 

“Utilize your strengths,” Dad replied cryptically. Hitoshi frowned at his block for a good several minutes before he got an idea. 

 

“Hey, Katsuki?” he called. 

 

“What do you--” Katsuki’s face went slack. 

 

“Blow up this block for me.”

 

---

 

“What, you’re not going to use the stick?” Hitoshi huffed from the ground after Izuku swept his leg out. 

 

“This stick?” Izuku asked, pulling out his staff and extending it. “Hm. Maybe I will.”

 

Not two minutes later he had Hitoshi splayed out again. “Fucking stick,” Hitoshi growled. 

 

“Found a stick on the ground and now I’m gonna use it. All this power that I’ve found, gonna totally abuse it!” Izuku sang, twirling his staff like a baton. 

 

“You know what? I regret introducing you to the internet.” 

 

---

 

Since when can he do that? Izuku panicked internally after Kacchan focused his explosions into a concentrated flame. It was more like a blowtorch, really. He landed a ways away, his boots cracking the ground in the landing. Izuku whipped around and took his glasses off. He hoped to trigger an analysis. When it didn’t work, he focused on his stats. 

 

His stats changed! He never paid attention to Kacchan’s stats since he was always around him. It was something he was able to tune out. It was such a passive part of his quirk, that it didn’t even trigger his glasses. From across the room, Kacchan gave Izuku a cocky look. 

 

Izuku folded his glasses, hooking them to his shirt. He wasn’t worried about them breaking. They’ve withstood a lot already. He braced himself when Kacchan launched himself across the room. If only he could analyze him again and figure out how his quirk evolved. Just for a moment…

 

“Izuku!” someone said urgently. 

 

“Ugh, my head hurts,” he muttered, realizing he was on the ground. 

 

“Yeah, well, I fucking knocked you over. You went all vacant and I only realized in time to stop my explosions. I still ran into you,” Kacchan explained. 

 

“Awesome,” Izuku winced at the pain behind his eyes. 

 

“Not awesome! I thought you couldn’t do that deep analysis shit if you’ve seen a quirk so many times already!” That’s a fair point. But he did it…

 

“I did it on purpose, I think,” Izuku said, trying to sit up. Oh, look. Dad and Toshi are here.

 

“On purpose?” a few voices parroted in unison.

Notes:

Training Montage!

This is not all happening in one day btw.

 

7 left!

Chapter 59: Gaining Awareness

“Are you sure this is wise?” Shouta asked Nezu with a fierce glare. 

 

“He’ll be fine. You’re here. You can intervene if he’s unresponsive,” Nezu said with a dismissive wave of his paw. 

 

“Why are you doing this anyway?” Fucking madman of a rat...  

 

“Well, after Izuku was able to intentionally trigger a deep analysis on Bakugou, despite having seen his quirk many times, it confirmed that Izuku’s quirk can evolve as his brainpower increases. The trigger seemed to be having Bakugou attacking him. So perhaps, if we recreate the circumstances, we can make some progress,” Nezu explained. 

 

“Is it important?” Shouta asked, reluctant to allow this. 

 

“It would be beneficial if he could develop awareness while using his deep analysis.”

 

“Fine. But if he gets hurt, I’ll end you,” Shouta warned. 

 

“Entirely fair!”

 

---

 

“Attack him but do not hurt him,” Nezu told the volunteer students. 

 

Dad was watching, looking apprehensive. The sparring started. Each student took a turn. After a while, it got easier to intentionally trigger deep analysis. Because of the change in his quirk, Izuku was now in daily quirk counseling. Including after therapy on Wednesdays. 

 

After about a week, he noticed he could retain more of his analysis after the fact but he still wasn’t aware of what exactly happened while he was in that state. The students would activate their quirks and attack. Izuku would blackout and then come to once they deactivated their quirks.

 

---

 

Izuku’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He looked at the girl in front of him. She was… hazy. And she was moving slowly. He watched with growing confusion as glowing lines formed in the air around her. Just as they started forming something that made sense, the world sped up and he was flat on his back with the wind knocked out of him. 

 

“Izuku, are you okay?” Dad asked, helping him sit up again. 

 

“Again,” Izuku gasped, trying to get his breath back.

 

“What?” Dad asked, checking his eyes. 

 

“We need to do it again. Something happened,” Izuku tried to explain. 

 

“Yeah, you got hit,” Dad huffed, checking his head next. 

 

“No, something with my quirk. I could see… something,” Izuku faltered, unable to describe what he saw. 

 

“You maintained awareness?” Nezu chimed in, nose twitching.

 

“For a moment. I think,” Izuku answered. 

 

“Alright! Again then,” Nezu chirped.

 

---

 

Since he was able to trigger a deep analysis intentionally by focusing, Izuku tried to apply the same method to the lines he saw. There were many, many, many failed attempts. But he was retaining partial awareness. Although, he still couldn’t respond to his environment.

 

Finally, finally! Something happened. One of the students attacked with their quirk active, as Izuku had come to expect. His heart still raced, as it did every time he entered this hazy, half-aware state. And then the glowing lines formed. 

 

Izuku focused on them as he had been trying to do since he found the hazy state, but this time they moved. Information branched off the lines, fading in and out. Visually, it was similar to the stats that appeared over people. Stats, quirk details, weaknesses. There were even images and charts. 

 

One line moved towards Izuku, forming a path, he realized. It was outlining how the boy would move given his current stats and velocity. The world started to pick up speed. Determined not to end up on his back again, he begged his body to move. To avoid the path outlined in front of him. 

 

The paralyzed state was broken with one step forward.

 

---

 

With the help of his quirk, Izuku started winning sparring matches against the students. Not many, but a few here and there. After all, he was still learning to actually fight. Many people could adjust their paths in an instant after Izuku dodged and he couldn’t quite keep up with that. Maybe in time though?

 

Now that he was able to maintain awareness most of the time, he could simply continue to practice his combat skills after he got into UA. Same as any student learning to be a hero. 

 

There was one drawback. He couldn’t maintain awareness all of the time. Since his quirk relied on brainpower, if he was tired or had a headache, he would slip back into that blackout state. Using his quirk too much could also cause fatigue and headaches. Nezu said most students struggle with similar quirk drawbacks and learn to increase their tolerance during their training at UA. 

 

He still wore his glasses when he wasn’t fighting or at home. Even if he wasn’t actively focusing on his quirk, it could still be activated involuntarily by new quirks. Although he could stay aware and even stop an analysis if he was paying attention, he’d blackout if he was already focused on something else. 

 

It wasn’t always manageable but he wasn’t entirely useless when he used his quirk now.

 

It was progress.

 

---

 

“You shouldn’t need quirk counseling anymore,” Nezu announced. 

 

“But I still don’t have total awareness all the time,” Izuku protested. 

 

“You don’t need quirk counseling to gain that. We just needed to know what skills were possible for your quirk registration,” Nezu explained. “You certainly aren’t done learning to use your quirk, but now you graduate to regular quirk training. And we register your quirk.”

 

“How are we registering it?” Izuku asked. 

 

“Well, I took the liberty of recording your latest sparring match so that you could write your own analysis,” Nezu said brightly, pulling up the video screen in his office. He got Izuku some paper and a pen before playing the video. Izuku wrote his analysis, finally seeing his quirk in action.

 

 

Midoriya Izuku - Mutant Type Quirk

 

Quirk Name: Undetermined 

 

Quirk enables the user to determine the physical and mental capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses of another individual. When another individual’s quirk is not active or obvious, observations are limited to core physical traits. Information regarding these traits is typically observed passively and dismissed unless focused on. Reflections do not return results.

 

When another individual’s quirk is obvious (physical mutation) or active, deep analysis on quirk capabilities can be performed. Since the user has a mutant-type quirk, this can not be turned off and is often involuntary. A negative effect of deep analysis is the high amount of brainpower it requires. If the user is not paying attention at the time of activation, non-essential brain functions, such as awareness, are temporarily paused while new information is observed and evaluated. 

 

Repeat exposure to a single quirk decreases the extent to which deep analysis takes effect involuntarily, although deep analysis can still be triggered intentionally by the user. When the user is concentrating, they can reach a state of awareness during deep analysis. The brain processes information at such a high speed, that the user’s environment may appear to be in slow motion. 

 

Information in deep analysis is available in the form of visual projection, just like the passively observed stats. Information may take the form of charts, guide lines, images, or text. The user can not control what form the information presents itself in. While aware, deep analysis shows all action potential based on the opponent’s stats, quirk, and current movements. 

 

The high use of brainpower required can cause fatigue and headaches. Fatigue and headaches caused by the user’s quirk or by external factors can interfere with the user’s ability to maintain awareness during deep analysis. This can be combatted with brain training exercises and proper quirk control.

 

Izuku paused, looking over the sheet. “What should I name it?”

 

“That’s up to you.”

 

---

 

So this is more or less what Izuku is seeing.

Just isolated around the person he's analyzing.

What should we name his quirk?

1 ~ Quirk Analysis

2 ~ Soul Analysis

3 ~ Quirk Reader/Reading

4 ~ Soul Reader/Reading

5 ~ Quirk Report

6 ~ Soul Report

7 ~ Mind Map

8 ~ Database

9 ~ Other (Specify)

Notes:

GIF is from a show called Alpha. The character is Gary Bell.

Do you think he'll do better in combat now?

Chapter 60: Mei's First Sleepover

“A sleepover, with the boys?” Mei’s mother clarified.

 

“Yes,” Hizashi answered. “We want to take the kids to a Christmas Illumination. It’s an hour away by train, and since Christmas light displays are best viewed at night, we would get back pretty late. We figured we could just make it a sleepover so that we aren’t waking you or Bakugou’s parents up at ungodly hours.”

 

“We being, you and your husband?” she asked. 

 

“Us, yes, and our friend Kayama Nemuri. She’s another teacher at UA,” he informed her. From what the kids had mentioned, Mei’s mom was very ‘anti-male beings anywhere near her daughter.’ She had accepted the boys with reluctance and probably only tolerated Hizashi and Shouta because they were gay. Maybe having a woman around would put her more at ease.

 

“Would she be at the sleepover?” 

 

“Yes. All three of us will be there the whole time,” Hizashi promised. 

 

The woman sighed. “I suppose that would be fine.”

 

---

 

“Stay in your seats until we get there,” Dad instructed. “I am not losing any of you on a train.” With that, he went to sit across the aisle with Midnight and Mama. Despite his instructions, he continued to stare directly at them anyway. 

 

“As if we can even get lost on a train,” Kacchan huffed. Izuku turned to look at him. 

 

“But we could?” he said, confused. 

 

“There’s no reason to get up anyway,” Hitoshi pointed out. “So it’s fine.” Hitoshi and Mei sat across from Kacchan and Izuku. Across the aisle, Dad and Mama sat across from Midnight. 

 

“I am already bored,” Mei said brightly while she looked out the window. 

 

“We aren’t even moving yet,” Hitoshi said. “How do you plan to make it the whole hour?”

 

“Easy. You play travel games,” Kacchan told them. “My parents took me hiking and camping a lot. I played a lot of car games to pass the time.”

 

“Ooh, what games?” Mei asked, leaning forward. 

 

“I Spy, 20 Questions, the Syllable Train,” Kacchan listed. At the group’s insistence, he explained the rules of each game and they voted on playing 20 Questions first. 

 

---

 

“The sun’s already setting!” Mei pointed out when they got out of the train station. 

 

“That’s good. It should be dark by the time we get to the Illumination then,” Mama said cheerfully. 

 

“Especially if we stop to look at things,” Midnight added. They walked through the city, making sure to stay together. There were a few street vendors and shops that they stopped at along the way. A good half hour after the sunset, they finally got to the park where the Illumination was. 

 

Izuku wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it wasn’t this. There was nothing like this in Musatafu and he never left the area in all these years. The park was blanketed in Christmas lights. Every tree, every shrub, every wall, every arch, everything. It all shone. 

 

There were also additional light displays that had been built just for the season. As they walked through the park Izuku noticed little houses, booths, a pumpkin carriage, extra arches, Christmas trees, and more. Some areas even managed to get the ground to glow. 

 

They got their fair share of pictures. Both of the lights and of the family among the lights. They stopped to get coffee and hot chocolate at one of the booths while they continued their walk through the magical park. Eventually, they ran out of park to walk through but the lights extended out into the surrounding city. 

 

Izuku thought they could walk the streets forever and never run out of lights to see. But they had to go home sometime. Around 11 pm, Mama suggested heading back to the station so that they could catch the last train at midnight. As they walked back, the lights made it feel like they were in a dream. 

 

---

 

They may not have gotten home until around 1:30 am, but if you thought they’d be going straight to bed, you’d be wrong. Everyone was excited from the lights still and very, very hungry. They picked up food on the way home and set up the takeout containers on the coffee table. 

 

There was quite a debate on what movie to watch and in the end, they picked out three to play. First, was a feel-good family film. The second was a romantic comedy. And third, was a psychological horror movie, courtesy of the sadists. The scary movie was last so that anyone who wanted to miss it, could go to bed. Izuku, Mei, and Hizashi did not stay for that one.

 

---

 

I'm not entirely sure what happened to that one side of Izuku's coat.

It wasn't that color initially.

Everyone else: *having a good time*

Hitoshi: omg it's fucking cold!!

Yes, Izuku is not this short in canon.

Remember he's 5'2" in my fic because his growth was stunted.

Headcanon: Outside of the school uniform and workshop clothes, Mei wears pastels and muted colors.

Officially the biggest art I've done.

Again, I hate shading so it's flat-color.

 

---

 

Alright!

So Mind Map and Database are the clear top two.

 

Mind Map - Izuku can 'map out' his opponent's strengths, weaknesses, and even trajectory of movements.

Database - Izuku acts as a database for quirks and quirk-related information.

 

Important things to note when voting for your favorite.

We need a quirk name AND a hero name eventually.

So like Red Riot's Hardening. Eraserhead's Erasure. All Might's One For All.

You can totally vote for both if you want one to be the quirk name and one to be his hero name.

If you just vote for one to be a quirk name, feel free to suggest a hero name too!

Notes:

This was a very short chapter, the shortest yet, but! There were lots of pictures. The event just isn't something that has much verbal description.

Mei's mom let her have a sleepover with the boys :D

Also, 5 more chapters!

Chapter 61: Merry Christmas

Notes:

TW: Christmas (I know people that hate it or have bad memories so I'll tag it.) No mentions of religion. Just cookies and family time.

“Have you decided on your quirk name?” Nezu asked after handing Izuku a cup of tea. 

 

“Mind Map,” Izuku told him. 

 

“Why?” Nezu asked, nose twitching. 

 

“Because I can ‘map out’ people’s strengths, weaknesses, and other quirk-related information. But no one else can see it, because it’s produced in my mind,” Izuku explained confidently. 

 

“Sounds good to me,” Nezu chirped, writing it down on the registration form. “Of course, it’s up to you as I said. I was just curious.”

 

“What happens now?” Izuku asked. 

 

“I’ll submit your registration and your quirk status will be updated. You don’t need to attend quirk counseling with me anymore, although you are welcome to visit anytime. Oh, and I’ll still be testing your proficiency in French closer to the entrance exam. Any further training will be done with Aizawa and your teachers once you get into UA,” Nezu answered. 

 

“You seem very sure that I’ll get in,” Izuku commented. He wasn’t as confident if he was being honest. 

 

“I am,” Nezu smiled.

 

---

 

“We’re moving?” Izuku and Hitoshi asked in unison. 

 

“Not far, don’t worry. We’ll still be in Musutafu,” Mama assured them. “But we thought we might benefit from a larger home.”

 

“When would we be moving?” Hitoshi asked. 

 

“Sometime in January,” Dad answered. “We already have a realtor that works with heroes and their families searching for a place. They specialize in finding a place that fits all our needs since pro heroes generally don’t have time to house hunt.”

 

“They’ll contact us once they find something,” Mama added. “Then we just go see the place and say yes or no.”

 

---

 

“So it’s a contest?” Nemuri asked. 

 

“It is an activity. For fun,” Hizashi clarified with a sigh. 

 

“It could be a contest,” Bakugou said, always the competitive one. Nemuri nodded in agreement. 

 

“If you want to make it a contest amongst yourselves, go ahead. Leave anyone who doesn’t want to participate alone,” Shouta interjected. “I’m not entering.”

 

“I’ll enter!” Mei bubbled with excitement. 

 

“I’ll try too,” Hitoshi spoke up. 

 

“I just want to make cookies,” Izuku pouted. 

 

“Me too, little listener,” Hizashi said with a sympathetic smile. Perhaps he should have expected competition to break out with so many heroes, some in training, and a support course prospect under one roof. 

 

They set to work decorating the cookies that Hizashi and the boys baked the day before. Shouta refused to help, for fear of ruining them. He cleaned up when they were done instead. There was a brief mishap with some sprinkles but they managed to decorate the cookies without too much chaos. Finally, it was time to share their cookies. 

 

 

“Those are really good, Bakugou,” Hizashi complimented. 

 

“Kacchan’s good at a lot of things,” Izuku smiled. “He’s always been like that.”

 

 

“Nemuri…” Hizashi wasn’t sure what to say. Shouta at least tried to smother his laugh. 

 

“The contest was your idea,” Hitoshi pointed out. 

 

“Well, I never said I thought I’d win,” Nemuri retorted. “Contests are just fun!”

 

 

“You could have joined the contest! These are good,” Hitoshi told Izuku. Izuku blushed. 

 

“Of course, his are good,” Bakugou said matter-of-factly. “He draws heroes in his quirk notebooks constantly. He’s actually pretty good at art.”

 

“It’s just for fun though,” Izuku explained. “I’m not all that interested in art.”

 

 

“It’s not bad,” Bakugou commented. 

 

“I think they are adorable!” Mei exclaimed. 

 

“Thank you, Mei,” Hitoshi nodded to the girl. “Rather than going for detail, I focused on making them cute.”

 

“Is that to hide the fact that you can’t draw?” Bakugou asked with a smirk. 

 

“That is irrelevant,” Hitoshi huffed.

 

 

“Holy shit, Mei,” Hitoshi swore with wide eyes. 

 

“I think Mei won,” Bakugou announced. 

 

“I’ll say,” Neumri agreed. 

 

“These are amazing, Mei,” Hizashi complimented. 

 

“Thank you,” Mei smiled brightly. “I have to draw out blueprints and prototype designs all the time. I haven’t tried to draw with frosting before but it didn’t feel too different from paint.”

 

“I kind of don’t want to follow that,” Shouta frowned.

 

 

“Oh my god, Sho,” Nemuri breathed before dissolving into a fit of giggling. 

 

“Like yours are much better,” Shouta said defensively. The kids were in various stages of laughing fits. 

 

“They are though,” Nemuri cried. “Mine have designs and faces at least.”

 

“Yeah, well their edible and that’s all that matters,” Shouta huffed, folding his arms. 

 

“Aw, it’s okay. Don’t pout,” Hizashi soothed his husband. 

 

“I’m not pouting,” Shouta argued, definitely pouting.

 

 

“You could have entered too!” Bakugou said once he saw Hizashi’s cookies. 

 

“I’m good. Like Izuku, I just wanted to decorate,” Hizashi replied. 

 

“Now what?” Izuku asked. 

 

“We eat them,” Shouta told him.

 

---

 

A basic edit to show a bit of what Izuku sees.

The information fades in and out as he focuses. 

The graphs, pictures, text, etc sort of 'fold' into the lines.

^^Because of that, he can clear the air or isolate only certain info if they obstruct his field of vision.

They can also appear in the air independent of the lines that flow around.

In time, he'll develop smoother control over this aware analysis state.

I may think of other tricks for him too. But that'll happen while he's at UA.

It's a bit like BBC's Sherlock's deduction too. Just about quirks.

And then remember, he is also smart as hell independently of his quirk, and Nezu's been teaching him.

So he can also add to the initial analysis with his own theories and connections.

Notes:

Sorry for yet another short chapter!

Chapter 62: Our Home

Notes:

TW: homophobia/transphobia (inadvertently) also sexism/victim blaming (also inadvertently)

“Big…” Izuku breathed in awe of the house. Hitoshi nodded numbly next to him. 

 

“Yes! A large-sized home big enough for entertaining several people and housing guests was one of the requirements given,” the realtor spoke cheerfully. “Shall we start the tour?”

 

Once they got inside she started narrating the journey. “This is the entryway, obviously. Directly in front of us is the living room. To you’re left here, this room could be an office or an art studio. Although, you could also make it a bedroom. But since there are five bedrooms already, it might not be necessary.” Five bedrooms?

 

“To the right is one of three bathrooms and two of the bedrooms.” She waited for them to poke around before leading them to the living room. “Now, the living room, kitchen, and dining room have an open floorplan. It makes it easier for the family to spend time together even while doing different activities.” 

 

She pointed to a door leading outside. “You have a porch and a backyard so you will have a comfortable place to spend time outside if you wish. There is a tall fence surrounding the backyard and between that and the security on the property, it will also be safe.”

 

“Over here is the second bathroom and two more bedrooms.” She walked back across the living room to take them down a hallway that she had passed before. “At the end of this hall is the master bedroom. There is also a hall closet. This is the laundry room,” she said opening a door. “And through the laundry room is the garage.”

 

“The garage could double as a training space if you would like. It is temperature-controlled. There’s also a storage closet in the garage. Please let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to take a closer look around the house.”

 

---

 

“Stop lurking at the window, Zashi,” Shouta scolded without looking up from the box he was unpacking. “Come help me.”

 

“Ah, sorry,” Hizashi came over and opened a box. “It’s just that this is their first time alone and it’s a new neighborhood.”

 

“It’s a safe neighborhood,” Shouta reminded him. “We made sure of that. And it’s not their first time alone. It’s just their first time since they came to live with us. They’re teens, not toddlers. We can’t keep them with us all the time.”

 

“Why not?” Hizashi pouted.

 

“It’s overbearing. And if they’re going to be heroes, they also need to be independent.” Hizashi continued to pout and Shouta sighed. “They’ve been doing well in therapy, Hisashi and those other guys are off the streets, and Izuku has decent control over his quirk now. Any objections we might have had have been resolved. They’ll be fine.”

 

“I suppose you’re right,” Hizashi agreed reluctantly.

 

---

 

“There’s a book store,” Izuku pointed out, adding it to his notebook. 

 

“And a hero merch store,” Hitoshi added. 

 

“Where?” Hitoshi pointed it out to him and Izuku added it to the map he was making. “Here we go. A hardware store. They’ll have the nails at least.”

 

“If they don’t have push pins, we’ll just have to find any store that sells school or office supplies,” Izuku smiled, following Hitoshi inside. They located and purchased some nails that looked strong enough to hold things like picture frames or small shelves. They did not have pushpins. 

 

The boys continued their exploration of the neighborhood shopping district. Eventually, they found a general store that they suspected would have school supplies. They split up to track down the pins. Less than five minutes had passed when a pair of boys approached Izuku. 

 

“Hey, cutie. Are you looking for something?” one boy greeted. Izuku frowned. They seemed to be his age, maybe a little older. With all the training he’d done, he certainly wasn’t scared of either one. Still, he turned to go find Hitoshi. 

 

“Now hold on, miss,” the other boy spoke, moving forward to cut Izuku off. “We just want to help.” Izuku re-evaluated his outfit. He was wearing his bunny hoodie and a black skirt. Oh, they think I’m…

 

“I’m not a girl,” he told them. They exchanged a confused look. 

 

“Then why are you dressed like one?” the first boy asked. “Kinda misleading, isn’t it?”

 

“Well, it’s not like I approached you . You came up to me. I’m just trying to run some errands,” Izuku said crossly. 

 

“Why would you dress like that if you don’t want the attention?” 

 

Before Izuku could respond, he heard Hitoshi. “Izuku? Everything okay?”

 

“That your boyfriend?” the first boy sneered. 

 

“I’m his brother, dumbass,” Hitoshi said coldly, grabbing Izuku’s hand and pulling him towards the checkout. “I found the pins.”

 

They bought the pins and headed home. They noticed Mama peeking out the window when they got back, although he tried to hide it. “How did it go?” he asked once they had gotten inside. 

 

“Well, there were these two idiots that mistook Izuku for a girl and tried to flirt with him. And then they got all offended when they realized he was a boy.” Mama looked worried. “Nothing happened,” Hitoshi clarified. “They were just annoying. Otherwise, we were fine. No other issues.”

 

Izuku nodded in agreement. Mama looked relieved.

 

---

 

After unpacking and setting up their new home, the boys focused on studying and training for the entrance exam. They diligently cleaned the beach. Mei and Bakugou came over whenever they weren’t cleaning the beach or at therapy. 

 

Mei made more ‘babies’ and occasionally tinkered with the boys’ support items to upgrade them. She also made another capture weapon for Shouta. ‘You looked jealous,’ she had said. 

 

Bakugou increased the power of his explosions and greatly improved his ability to maneuver in the air with them. Sanctioned destruction time greatly helped his general mood. 

 

Shinsou got better at using his capture weapon and Shouta even took him on a few mock patrols to test his parkour skills and give him some pointers. 

 

Izuku had developed an entire combat style around speed and kicks. He also grew quite skilled with his staff. He hadn’t had any new developments with his quirk, but he found awareness easier to maintain now. 

 

Overall, Shouta was sure they’d do fine on the entrance exam.

 

---

 

“We did it,” Mei cheered as the four teens looked across the now empty beach. 

 

“I told you we would,” Izuku smiled brightly. 

 

“Now hopefully extras will keep the place fucking clean,” Kacchan huffed. 

 

Now they just had to wait for the UA entrance exam at the end of the week. 

 

---

 

The House!

Until they get to the dorms in part two, this is the setting.

Notes:

:)
Are you ready?

Chapter 63: Entrance Exam Pt. 1

“Come on. We don’t want to be late,” Hitoshi said, walking past the gates of UA. Although he’d been here so many times already, Izuku couldn’t help but pause at the significant moment. This is it. I’m taking the first step to being a hero, he thought to himself before promptly tripping as he stepped forward. He closed his eyes, bracing for the impact but it never came. 

 

He opened his eyes to find himself suspended in midair. A girl with brown hair was standing next to him and she righted him before pressing her fingers together. He dropped to the ground. “Are you all right? It’s my quirk. Sorry for using it without asking first. But it’d be bad luck if you fell, right?” 

 

Izuku couldn’t bring himself to speak, but apparently, that was fine because she just kept right on talking on her own. “Aren’t you nervous?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Let’s do our best. See you!” She ran off in the next second, passing Hitoshi to get into the main UA building.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you stunned into silence like that,” Hitoshi commented with a smirk as Izuku caught up to him. 

 

“Well, I thought I was mentally prepared to faceplant so excuse me if I’m a little slow to adjust to small talk with a stranger,” Izuku retorted with a huff. Hitoshi just laughed and shook his head. 

 

When they got inside the examination hall, they were directed to their seats by the staff. Izuku smiled when he saw Kacchan already sitting there. They were grouping kids together by their middle schools it seemed. “Hey, Kacchan,” Izuku greeted. “Are you nervous?”

 

“Of course not,” Kacchan said with a roll of his eyes. “And you shouldn’t be either. We’ve got this.”

 

Suddenly a spotlight drew their attention to the front of the hall. Mama was there in his hero costume. “For all you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show today!” Mama said cheerfully before switching to English. “Everybody say ‘hey!’”

 

Sure Izuku listened to his radio show for years and watched clips of him doing hero work, but seeing Mama’s hero persona in person was something else. It kind of contrasted with how he actually was at home. The hall remained completely silent.

 

“What a refined response,” Mama said, shrugging off the silence. “Then I’ll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam!” Once again, he switched to English. “Are you ready? Yeah!”

 

Again, silence filled the hall. “Poor Mama,” Izuku said quietly. Hitoshi put his head in his hands and Kacchan snickered.

 

Mama continued. “As it says in the application requirements, you listeners will be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles after this! You can bring whatever you want with you. After the presentation, you’ll head to the specified battle center, okay?”

 

The silence persisted. “If we can bring anything we want, it should be fine to use our support items,” Izuku said quietly to Hitoshi.

 

“In other words, they won’t let you work with your friends,” Kacchan commented, looking at Izuku’s examinee card. Izuku looked between all three of their cards.

 

“You’re right. Even though our examinee numbers are consecutive, we’re assigned to different battle centers,” Izuku pointed out. That meant he’d have to do this alone. Well, fuck.

 

“Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle center. You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty,” Mama explained. “Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your quirks to earn points by immobilizing the faux villains. Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!” 

 

Izuku gave Kacchan a pointed look which was returned with a defensive shrug. Suddenly a boy seated little ways away stood up and spoke. “May I ask a question?”

 

“ Okay! ” Mama replied in English. A spotlight fell on the boy. 

 

“On the printout, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then UA, the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake. We, examinees, are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes.” He suddenly turned to Izuku. “In addition, you over there with the curly hair. You’ve been muttering this whole time. It’s distracting! If you’re here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!”

 

“I’m sorry…” Izuku whispered, shrinking into his seat.

 

“ Okay, okay, Examinee Number 7111. Thanks for the great message,” Mama interjected, saving Izuku from further scrutiny. “The fourth type of villain is worth 0 points. That guy’s an obstacle, so to speak. There is one in every battle center. An obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It’s not impossible to defeat, but there is no reason to defeat it, either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it.”

 

“Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption.” The boy bowed before sitting back down.

 

“That’s all from me!” Mama exclaimed. “Finally, I’ll give you listeners a present. Our school motto. The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: A true hero is someone who overcomes life’s misfortunes. Go beyond. Plus Ultra! Now, everyone, good luck suffering.”

 

---

 

Izuku frowned at the test booklet in front of him. It was so much harder to focus on the academic exam when he was so worried about the practical exam. He had full confidence in his ability to ace the academic exam. But when it came to the practical, he wasn’t so sure. 

 

Yeah, he had been training. And yes, he was pretty sure he’d be allowed to use his support items. But could he really compare to the other kids here? So many of them had high power and speed stats. Only 40 kids would be accepted into the hero course, and there had to be hundreds here to take the exam. 

 

Taking a breath to calm himself, he forced himself to focus on the next question. When he finished the exam, only getting lost in his thoughts a few more times, he triple-checked his answers. He still had quite a bit of time left. He handed in his booklet and left the room. 

 

“Hello, Izuku-kun!” Nezu chirped as Izuku stepped into the hallway. 

 

“Nezu?” Izuku tilted his head in confusion. Why is Nezu here?

 

"N'oubliez pas, j'ai dit que je vous testerais sur votre maîtrise du français," Nezu spoke with an excited smile. Ah, right. The French.

 

“Oh, on fait ça maintenant?” Izuku responded without hesitation.

 

“Je pensais que tu finirais ton examen tôt. Et regarde! J'avais raison. Êtes-vous prêt pour un test surprise?” Nezu asked cheerfully.

 

"Oui Monsieur." Izuku answered.

 

"Suivez-moi."

Notes:

Obligatory Translation:
N: Remember, I said I would test you on your proficiency in French.” 
I: Oh, are we doing that right now?”
N: I figured you’d finish your exam early. And look! I was right. Are you ready for a surprise test?”
I: Yes, sir.”
N: Follow me.”

I had a fluent french speaker check my dialogue and they said it was fine. If it's wrong, I tried.

Chapter 64: Entrance Exam Pt. 2

Izuku read the sign on the wall surrounding the fake city. “Battle Center B.”

 

“Okay! I-it’s time to do it. It’s time to give everything I got from my training with Dad these past several months. I will become the hero I always dreamed of being!” Izuku muttered, trying to psyche himself up. 

 

He looked around at the other kids. They all seemed pretty calm. Mock battles? How can everyone be so confident? Aren’t they nervous? Oh good. Some of them have support items too. It’s not just me.

 

In the crowd, he picked out the girl from earlier. Oh, it’s the person I met at the school gates! The nice person! She was assigned to the same battle center, huh? Oh yeah, I have to thank her for earlier.

 

As he went to approach her, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the boy that called him out for muttering at the hall. He’s here too?

 

The boy in question frowned deeply. “That girl appears to be trying to focus. What are you doing here? Are you taking the entrance exam to interfere with everyone else?”

 

“N-no, of course not!” Izuku protested. Before he could clear up the misunderstanding though, Mama appeared, gaining everyone’s attention.

 

“Okay, start!” Izuku bolted for the entrance. As he ran, he heard Mama address the unmoving crowd. “What’s wrong? There are no countdowns in real fights! Run, Run! The die has been cast, you know!”

 

Kacchan may have focused on his upper body during strength training, but Izuku focused on his lower body. With his boots to absorb the shock and remove the limitations it caused, all that was left to increase his speed was to strengthen his muscles. The exam had just started and he’d already left everyone behind. 

 

Turning a corner, he skidded to a stop. There were two one-pointers in the street. Izuku slipped his staff out of his pocket and extended it. He couldn’t use his quirk here. Not on these. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t analyze them at all. His eyes swept over the bots’ forms. 

 

There! He spotted an opening at the base of the neck of the bot. He rushed the first one, catapulting himself over its head with his staff. In midair, he pressed the second sensor to electrify the ends of the staff. He jammed the staff into the opening as arched over it, frying its electrical system. He swung his legs down, landing on its back as he tried to wrestle his staff free. 

 

It only took him a few seconds to free it, but the second bot in the street was destroyed by a boy with a navel laser before Izuku could get to it. “Thanks for distracting it. Merci! We made a good team. But I don’t think we’ll meet again. Adieu!” he called before running off. 

 

“We won’t meet again…?” Izuku wondered aloud. 

 

“Seven minutes and twelve seconds left!” he heard Mama call from somewhere. 

 

Oh no. Points… I need points fast!

 

He found his way to a wider street that was crowded with bots. Oh, it’s the nice girl! She ran from bot to bot and tapped each one, causing them to float. She pressed her fingers together and they crashed to the ground, destroyed. “That’s 28 points,” he heard her say. 

 

A three-pointer walked into his line of sight. It had a panel on one of its legs. Sprinting at it, he aimed a kick for the panel. The panel folded in on itself, making enough space for Izuku to jam the electrified end of his staff into the controls. I’m only at 4 points, he thought miserably. 

 

The boy with blue hair ran into the street and crushed a two-pointer with one kick. Ahh??? “45 points,” the boy said to himself. 45??? Izuku doubled his efforts, trying to prioritize locating the three-pointers. He managed to find and disable two more with his staff. 10 points.

 

Suddenly there was an explosion and clouds of debris fell, gathering the attention of the examinees. Izuku could hear windows shattering as the ground shook. A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see a bot that was easily twice as big as the buildings surrounding them. 

 

It crushed part of a building, sending large chunks of debris into the street. This, Izuku realized, was the zero-pointer. Isn’t it a little too big? Izuku thought incredulously. It stepped forward and punched the ground, creating a temporary windstorm and tearing up the asphalt.

 

“Less than two minutes left!” Mama called into the chaos of people running from the bot. 

 

Two minutes? But I don’t have enough points. It’ll all be wasted. All the time Dad spent training me, all the time learning about my quirk with Nezu, all the time Mei put in making my support items, Izuku panicked. 

 

“Ow!” A cry snapped him out of his panic. He turned to see the nice girl with her leg trapped, directly in the oath of the zero-pointer. Without thinking, he sprinted towards the bot. He jumped over the debris in its path, trying to reach a higher point. He boosted his usual catapult technique with a kick off the ground that he could hear cracking the concrete. 

 

He landed on the bot’s lower arm and ran up the rest of the way to its shoulder. He was going to fry its neck and hope for the best but when he got up there, he noticed a panel on the side of its head. He had to kick it a few times since he couldn’t build up momentum up here but he broke the panel cover off. Activating the voltage on his staff, he drove it as far into the controls as he could. He let it recharge for the three seconds and let it shock the bot again just to be sure. 

 

The voltage in the controls set off a series of explosions running down the bot’s body. It stopped moving forward but it shook with the force of the explosions. He couldn’t keep his balance and he fell off the bot. Izuku was pretty sure Mei’s boots couldn’t absorb that much shock. Well, shit.

 

As he plummeted to the ground, he decided that this was probably fine. He’d had a family. Hisashi and those other men were in prison. He found out he had a quirk. He got a brother. And he made good friends. If he died on impact, he was satisfied with how things had turned out.

 

Abruptly, he felt a sharp pain on his face, but it wasn’t from the ground. The nice girl had come out of nowhere and slapped him. For a split second, he was a little mad because what the hell? Then he realized he was floating now. Oh, she just meant to activate her quirk.  

 

She pressed her fingers together, releasing both him and the chunk of bot she had been riding on. And then she promptly threw up. Quirk side effect, he figured. I’m safe, he thought, melting into the ground. 

 

No, she saved me… He looked up at the girl. Is she all right? She looks uninjured, at least. I’m so glad.  

 

“Thank you,” he muttered aloud before trying to get up “Now If I could just get a few more points--”

 

“Time’s up!” Mama announced. 

 

I failed… He froze and then let himself lay on the ground a moment longer, exhausted. He could hear the examinees around him talking. Asking why he had been so jumpy this whole time if he was that skilled. The sort of compliments did little to soothe the sting of his failure.

 

“Ah, Aiyama-kun,” a familiar voice greeted him. He looked up to see Recovery Girl. “Are you hurt at all, dear?” 

 

“No, Ma’am. Just tired.” She gave him a sympathetic smile and then handed him a few of her energy gummies before going to check on the nice girl. He popped the gummies into his mouth before standing and leaving the battle center with the rest of the examinees. 

 

Now he’d just have to wait a week to officially hear that he failed. 

 

A week before he disappointed everyone that believed in him. 

 

A week to hear that he couldn’t be a hero.

Notes:

So how was your day?

I started ANOTHER Aizawa/Yamada/Hitoshi/Izuku family fic because apparently, I have a favorite subject. I think I'm going to keep making them until I run out of ideas. How many versions of this family can I make? We will find out.

Chapter 65: Exam Results

Hitoshi, Kacchan, and Mei seemed so excited after the entrance exams. They were so sure that they had gotten in. Izuku pretended to be excited with them. He didn’t want to bring down their moods. He avoided answering any questions about what he thought it would be like finally attending UA and training to be a hero. 

 

If there were a couple of nights where he cried under the cover of the shower, that was neither here nor there. He had fallen short of his dream. He was entitled to a few tears.

 

He wondered what he would do now. Even if he didn’t get into UA, he had to go to high school. His parents would probably be able to find something. They had to know about what other schools there were even if Izuku didn’t. 

 

Or maybe! Maybe he could just drop out and become a quirk analyst. He couldn’t really see himself in any careers but people paid for quirk analysis, didn’t they? He could do it as a freelancer. He’d need a computer though. 

 

How pissed would Dad be if I became a vigilante? Izuku thought, not quite able to give up the idea of helping people. Freelance quirk analyst by day, vigilante by night. Could he keep it from his parents? No probably not. 

 

Well, there was still time until graduation. He could figure it out later.

 

---

 

A week came and went. Izuku stared at the envelope on his desk. He had asked to open it alone since he was pretty sure he hadn’t gotten in. He didn’t want to detract from Hitoshi’s results. Finally, he tore the envelope open and a small disk fell out.

 

“I am here as a projection!” a hologram of All Might shouted, filling the space in front of him.

 

“All Might? Wait, this is from UA, right?” Izuku double-checked the envelope. Yep. “What?”

 

“I am excited to be teaching at UA starting next year!” Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me, Izuku groaned internally. Now he gets to tell me I can’t be a hero a second time.

 

“Even if you passed the written exam, you got ten points on the practical exam. Of course, that means you didn’t pass,” All Might announced calmly.

 

“I knew that,” Izuku muttered to himself. He gripped the hem of his skirt. “I knew that, but it’s so frustrating.”

 

“If that was all there was to it.” Huh? “I am an entertainer as well! First, take a look at this video!”

 

“Excuse me, um…” The video showed the girl from the entrance exam approaching Mama while he was still in his hero uniform. 

 

“The nice person?” Izuku mused aloud.

 

“She came to negotiate directly in person after the exam. Negotiate what? Keep watching to find out!” All Might said brightly.

 

“Um, the person with the curly hair and freckles… Do you know who I’m talking about? Um… kind of plain-looking…” she spoke in a shy manner.

 

“It’s me!” Izuku realized. Plain-looking?

 

“Is it possible for me to give him some of my points? I heard him say, ‘if I can just get enough points,’ so I thought maybe he didn’t have many points. At least the points he lost because of me… He saved me! Please! Please! Please!” Izuku couldn’t help but tear up at her determination and kindness.

 

“Your actions spurred others to act. The entrance exam the other day was not graded only on villain points!” What?

 

Mama spoke on the video next. “Even if you ask to, you can not give him your points. Anyway, there’s no reason to give him any, little listener!” Mama patted the nice girl on the head softly.

 

“How can a hero course reject people who save others and do the right thing?” All Might asked. “Call that lip service? Bring it on! This is a job that requires risking one’s life to put that lip service into practice! Rescue Points! And they are given by a panel of judges. It’s the other basic ability we at UA look at!”

 

 

 

1. Bakugou Katsuki: 77 Villain | 9 Rescue (86)

2. Kirishima Eijirou: 39 Villain | 35 Rescue (74)

3. Ochako Uraraka: 28 Villain | 45 Rescue (73)

 

4. Aiyama Izuku: 10 Villain | 60 Rescue (70)

5. Ibara Shiozaki: 36 Villain | 32 Rescue (68)

6. Aiyama Hitoshi: 24 Villain | 43 Rescue (67)

7. Kendo Itsuka: 25 Villain | 40 Rescue (65)

8. Iida Tenya: 52 Villain | 9 Rescue (61)

9. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu: 49 Villain | 10 Rescue (59)

10. Tokoyami Fumikage: 47 Villain | 10 Rescue (57)

 

“Aiyama Izuku, sixty points! And Uraraka Ochaco, forty-five points! You both pass.” 

 

“This is too crazy…” Izuku mumbled, tears blurring his eyes.

 

“Come, Young Aiyama. This is your hero academia!” All Might smiled, holding out his hand.

 

His tears finally fell as Izuku cried in relief. I’m going to be a hero.

 

---

 

Once he had pulled himself together, he went to find the rest of his family. He found them in the living room. They looked at him expectantly. “I got in!” 

 

“I know!” Hitoshi exclaimed. “They had the top 10 in the projection message and you were number four!”

 

“And you were number six! We both made it into the top 10!” Izuku said, hugging his brother in his excitement. 

 

“Did you see Katsuki’s score? He got first place. His ego will never return to normal,” Hitoshi lamented, returning the hug. Izuku giggled because it was true. Kacchan was competitive and he loved winning. 

 

“We are so proud of you, little listeners,” Mama said, watching the exchange fondly. 

 

“Welcome to UA, kids,” Dad smiled. Izuku beamed at him before pulling Hitoshi over to them for a group hug. 

 

---

 

Final exams passed and they graduated middle school. They kept training the entire break between school years. Then finally, they were at UA, staring down the door to their classroom. 

 

“That’s a big door,” Izuku commented aloud. 

 

“Maybe it’s for accessibility,” Hitoshi offered. Izuku shrugged. He stepped forward to push open the door and start his first day as a student of Class 1-A.

Notes:

Lowkey want to write some vigilante Izuku fics too now.

Ready for Part 2??? Izuku and fam at UA??? Making new friends???

If you liked this story, please consider reading some others of mine or maybe even following me on tumblr (@mochipuff) or Instagram (@mochipuffkai). Thank you for sticking with me for all 65 chapters! I have been blown away by all your support and encouragement!

Notes:

Social Media & Discord Server Links

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Found Family