Chapter Text
“It was reckless, but you did good kid.” Izuku smiles when the hero ruffles his curls, the only hero at the scene who’d complimented him while still scolding him, and he’d take both. “Just try to avoid it in the future, okay?”
“Yea, sure.” He bites his lip, and the hero’s hand rests on his head, wondering if he should ask, but steels himself and looks up to meet the hero’s gold eyes. “Hawks, do you think someone without a quirk, like me, can be a hero?”
The winged hero stares down at him for what feels like an eternity, and he bites his lip again, waiting for the same answer he’d gotten from All Might, from everyone in the last miserable ten years of his life, preparing himself for the denial, steeling himself for the scoff at such a thing, it takes a good minute, but he stares when the hero nods. “Yes, I do.”
“…Umm…..What?” Nice, Izuku, he gives you the words you’ve wanted to hear all your life, and this is how you respond. “One….One more time?”
Hawks chuckles and nods, ruffling his curls again, before dropping his hand back to his side. “Yea, I think someone without a quirk can be a hero, I’m not going to lie, the odds will be stacked against them right from the start, they’ll be at a large disadvantage, but, with proper training, I think they’d kick ass as a hero.” He stares as the hero holds his hand out. “Gimme your phone.”
Wordlessly, he’s still shocked, too shocked to consider the fact that he just handed his phone to the number three hero, he hands him his phone.
The winged hero, taps the screen, types, takes a selfie, and hands it back to him. “Call me in the morning, I’ll train’ya, you’re going to be a kickass hero, quirk or no quirk.”
…
Izuku wakes slowly, his head swimming, his chest hurts, breathing hurts, everything hurts. He mind slowly comes back to him, as he wheezes softly, his lungs trying to fill with oxygen and not nearly succeeding. He remembers, his mom being angry, throwing things, using her quirk, his chest exploding in agony, and losing consciousness.
Blinking into the darkness, he tries to stretch, and immediately regrets it, a spike of agonizing pain echoes up his left arm, his feet hit the wall, and he wheezes harshly as he grits his teeth as he waits for the echoes of the pain in his arm to subside.
He’s in the closet, she dragged him to he closet, he’s not sure how his arm is broken, but he knows how his ribs are, so he has no doubts that his arm is mangled from the same force that snapped his ribs. The fact that he’s struggling dearly to breath gives him the indication that one of his ribs, at least one, pierced a lung, which is great, because he’s supposed to train with Hawks and how is he supposed to do that with a collapsed lung.
Groaning softly, he takes note of the lack of light shining from under the door, and pats himself with his right hand, hoping and praying that he hadn’t left his phone in his backpack, dropped it when he’d passed out, or it had been confiscated when his mom had shoved him in his small well used prison. Wheezing victoriously, when he feels the bulge in his back pocket that could only be made by a cellular device of some design, he grits his teeth when he leans over, inadvertently applying pressure to his left arm, wheezing a soft groan of pain, he fishes his phone out of his pocket sluggishly with his right hand, before collapsing back in place when he’s managed to snag it.
The screen is cracked, in a few places, but still functional, the clock shows 3:16am and he slides his finger over the screen to unlock it, his thumb shaking as he scrolls through the screens to his contacts.
It’s depressing really.
He’s got three contacts in his phone.
Auntie Mitsuki.
Kacchan. (He’s not sure why he still has his in there)
And, Hawks.
His thumb hovers over Auntie’s name, but his mind falls short, Auntie Mitsuki is best friends with his mom, his mind supplies, there’s never any physical evidence that’s in a place to be seen, what if she doesn’t believe me, she might say I’m lying, or worse, tell mom.
Izuku briefly considers calling Kacchan, but the likeliness of him actually answering was slim to nothing, but even still, he’d probably know he of all people wouldn’t call him if it wasn’t for nothing, but even more still, the likelihood of him still answering was still very slim to none.
So, his thumb hovers over the third contact, he was a hero, he was obligated to help people, right?
I mean sure, it was almost three thirty in the morning, but a hero’s job isn’t really ever over right, it’s not like a typical nine to five, clock out, go home and knock back a cold one, right?
He bites his lip as he mind rolls, there was no telling he was even awake, or that he’d care, or that he’d believe him.
Inhaling deeply, something of which he regrets, when a sharp pain reverberates through his chest, and he’s left wheezing for a moment, he decides his life is worth more then just sitting here suffocating to death from a collapsed lung, and taps the name, biting his lip, he carefully lifts his phone to his ear, his head swimming again.
It rings. And rings. And rings. And rings. And—“Yello?” Izuku takes another deep breath when he answers, regrets it just as quick as he had last time, and whines pitifully as he exhales a wheezy exhale. “Hellloooo?”
It takes him a moment, but he breathes out a faint—“Hawks?”
“Hey, you’re that kid, what was it…..Midoriya? Whatcha doin’ up this late kiddo? You need to be well rested to get the most out of your training.”
Izuku blinks rapidly to keep himself from being consumed by the onset of unconsciousness coming at him. “I think I’m dying.”
“What?”
He licks his lip, his hand’s starting to shake slightly. “Punctured lung, collapsed, can’t breathe, help.”
“Punctured lung…..Can’t breathe….Where are you?” He hears movement on the other end of the line, he must have been asleep, or falling asleep, but definitely in bed. “Are you in a safe location?”
Izuku shakes his head slightly and whimpers, wheezing for air, his head swimmingly even more, he’s going to pass out again, he can feel it. “N—No….Closet….Stuck in closet….Can’t move….”
“You’re stuck in a closet?” There’s a jangling of keys. “What’re you doin’ in a closet?”
“Mmmm…..mom…..” He’s lightheaded now. “…..mmmm sleepy….”
“No. No, fledgling, you have to stay awake. No sleeping.” The sound of a door locking echoes softly through the phone. “Talk to me, kiddo, what do ya wanna talk about?” He blinks his eyes sluggishly, the small closet is spinning, he just wants to sleep. “Hey, don’t fall asleep on me, fledgling, that’s rude. Keep talking to me, tell me your address, what’s your address?” Izuku licks his lips slightly and mumbles his address into the phone, he feels himself sinking, and mumbles about sleep. “Nope, no, I’m sorry, no sleeping, not yet, it’s not bedtime. Let’s talk, what’s on your mind, what’s your favorite subject?”
He hums softly. “…Heroes….”
“Figured, my favorite too, funny right, a hero’s favorite subject being other heroes.” He hears a change in the air pressure, he must be flying, his deduction sounds correct. “Tell me, fledgling, who’s your favorite hero? All Might?”
“Mmmm….no….dick….” He twitches his broken arm in an attempt to arouse himself from the pain of the action, it works, somewhat, but it also makes his stomach roll. “….My….fav….you….”
“I’m you’re favorite? Aww, fledgling, that warms my heart. Why am I your favorite?”
Izuku shakes his head sluggishly to try and clear the fog. “Only…..one…..said….be….hero….”
“I’m the only one who said you can be a hero? That’s so sad, fledgling, you have so much potential as a hero, I saw that as soon as I saw you running out to save your friend from that pile of eye goo. Everyone else are just big losers.”
He will later blame what he’s about to say on oxygen deprivation. “Mmmm….not….friend…”
“He’s not your friend? Who is he, then, fledgling, you sure looked like you knew each other.”
“….Bully…..hurts me……burns……quirk.”
Theres a deep hum from the other side. “He bullies you and burns you with his quirk?” Izuku wheezes softly but doesn’t respond. “Hey, hey, remember what I said, fledgling, no sleeping, I know you’re sleepy, but you can’t sleep yet, as your mentor, I’m telling you that you can’t sleep yet.”
“Thought…..said…..well….rested…..most….training….”
“Throwing my words back at me now, fledgling? You’re right, I did say that, didn’t I? I take it back, so no sleeping, you have to stay awake.”
The teen exhales softly. “….Try….hard….want……”
“I know you want to; I know you do, fledgling, but not yet, you can’t sleep yet. Keep talking to me, tell me about your bully, what’s his name?”
“K…..Ka….Kacchan…..”
“Kacchan? That sounds like a nickname, is that a nickname?”
Izuku’s head twitches in a nod. “Yea……couldn……say…..katsuki…..”
“You couldn’t say Katsuki so you called him Kacchan, that’s adorable fledgling, I gave you a nickname, it’s fledgling, get it, ‘cause you’re officially a little bird now, give me a nickname, what’re you going to call me?”
He lets his head fall back against the wall behind him with a thump. “Don………don’t…..know…..”
“Don’t go to sleep yet. Come on, give me a good one, it’s gotta be bird related, thems is the rules, I know it’s corny, but I’m a corny individual, what’s my nickname, it’s gotta be a good one.”
“Ummmmmm……..mmmmmm……big……..bird?......”
There’s a soft bout of laughter. “Big bird, huh? I like it, that’s great, big bird and fledgling, we’re gonna be an ass kicking duo, completely legal outlaws.” He hears shoes hitting something, running, padding up something. “I’m right outside, I’m going to knock three times, if no one answers, I’m breaking the door down.”
“Can…..sleep…..now?....”
“No, nope, uh uh, sorry, I’m a mean big bird, can’t sleep yet.”
Izuku doesn’t have the energy to tell him that he doesn’t think he has a choice in the matter anymore, he hears him calling his name, when his grip falls slack and his phone drops, smacking against the floor, and his eyelids start growing much too heavy.
He hears a knock faintly, another, the light turns on, his mom passes by the door, grumbling under her breath. Izuku hears the surprise in her voice, another voice, Hawks, responds sharply, and he struggles to keep his eyes open, there’s a coat in front of his face, he can’t see it though, it’s too blurry.
The door opens, light cascading into the dark closet, covering him like a much welcomed blanket, a voice calls his name, male, his mind supplies that it’s the hero calling him, a warm hand curls around his cheek and turns his head, everything’s fuzzy, too fuzzy, he can only make out an outline of a person, even though his mind knows who it is, a thumb rubs over his cheek, and he takes that as his permission to finally sleep.
So, he does.
…
The first thing he hears when he comes to is the beeping of machines, his arm is sore still, but not agonizingly so, and his chest feels tight, but he can breathe. He hears voices, he recognizes Hawks voice, but there’s one belonging to another man he doesn’t know, he shifts, starts to inhale a deep breath, whines, and forgoes that plan, settling for quick small breaths as he opens his eyes.
He’s in the hospital.
Nice.
“Fledgling, you’re awake!” Hawks and the man turn at his whine and step out of the doorway of his room. “You had me worried, you just stopped responding, how do you feel?” He nods sheepishly when the boy gives him a look. “Right, okay, I know, stupid question.” Izuku blinks a few times, tries to stretch, his left arm throbs, and he whines again, embarrassed at how pitiful and childish he must seem to the hero who said he’d train him. Hawks smiles though, brushing his curls back. “I know, it’s not very fun, you were injured pretty badly.”
He nods slightly. “W—What happened?”
“Well,” the other man exchanges a glance with the hero. “We were hoping you could tell us that.” He nods when the teen stares at him. “Right, you’re probably wondering who I am, my names Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, Hawks here called me after you went into surgery.” Izuku nods in understanding. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
The greenette looks to the hero, and Hawks smiles, nodding encouragingly, and he turns back to the detective and nods. “Sure.”
“Thank you,” Tsukauchi reaches into his trench coat for a small notepad and a pen. “My quirk is called lie detector, so that means I’ll know if you’re being untruthful, do you understand?” He nods when the teen nods and flips to a blank page in his notepad. “Can you tell us what you were doing in that closet, Midoriya?”
“Um.” He licks his lips slightly. “Well, my mom was angry because I got home late, and she stuffed me in there after my punishment.”
“I see, does she do that often?”
Izuku nods. “Yea…..Yea.” He sees Hawks frown lightly, troubled by that admission. “She does.”
Tsukauchi nods. “You said she puts you in there after she punishes you, how does she punish you?”
“She, uh, she uses her quirk, manly, because it doesn’t usually leave evidence behind.” The teen clenches his good hand into a tight fist, blinking in surprise when a tan hand carefully pries his fist open, and curls around his hand, looking up to meet the hero’s gold eyes, and smiles slightly when he smiles at him. “She has a telekinetic quirk, you see, and she can, um, do things with it that hurt but doesn’t leave any physical signs behind.”
The detective nods and jots something down in his notepad. “Does she ever break your bones?”
“Um, yea, she, uh, she does.” He nods faintly. “She usually breaks my ribs, or fractures them, because I can still function, somewhat, unlike if she were to break my arms or legs, but she’s done that too. Or she squeezes my lungs until I pass out.”
Izuku looks over when Hawks hums and squeezes his hand. “Have you ever told anyone?”
“Yea,” the teen nods. “I, uh, tried telling a few people, but as soon as I said I was quirkless, they told me to stop lying and called my mom.” He cringes at the memories of those punishments. “I didn’t try anymore after that. When people call her and tell her what I’m accusing her of, it makes her angrier, and it’s bad enough as it is, so I stopped telling.”
Tsukauchi nods sympathetically. “How long has this abuse been going on?”
Izuku grimaces. “Since I was diagnosed quirkless when I was four.”
“I see, well, that’s all I need to know,” the detective smiles at him when he looks over at him and turns to address the hero. “You said you’d take him, Hawks?”
The hero nods faintly. “Yea, I’ll take him, I got more then enough room at my place.”
“Very good.” Tsukauchi nods and turns back to the teen. “We’re going to open an investigation into your mother’s abuse, in the mean time you’ll be staying with Hawks, until anything’s decided upon.” He nods at the hero. “I’ll have the paperwork I need you to fill out sent to your agency.”
“Thanks.” The blonde man nods. “Appreciate it.”
“Yea, no problem.” The detective shoots him one last smile. “It was nice meeting you Midoriya, I wish you a speedy recovery.”
“Yea,” he nods faintly, his mind still trying to process everything. “Thanks.” Tsukauchi closes the door to his room as he leaves, and he shakes his head slightly as he turns to the grinning hero. “What even just happened? Why’d you take me? What?”
Hawks chuckles softly. “Well, in order, you were just questioned about your moms abuse and I was granted custody over you, because you’re my fledgling and I can’t have my fledgling staying with other nonbirds, because that’s breaking so many flock rules.”
Izuku nods slightly, still trying to completely process. “Sorry if I woke you up.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it fledgling,” the hero waves his apology away kindly. “I was just climbing in bed when you called, I’d been up binge watching BuzzFeed Unsolved.”
“Oh, my, god.” Everything else just fades away and he turns back to the hero. “Shane is my spirit animal! Have you seen the one about Keddie Cabin?”
Hawks grins, his feathers rustling excitedly. “That’s one of my favorites!”
Izuku returns his grin. “Mine too!
“Yes! I’ve met my soulmate!” The hero fishes into his hoodie pocket for his phone and waves at him. “Scoot over, we’re binging.”
“What!”
“Scoooot over!”
He giggles softly, the hero smiles, and he scoots over. The bed’s not very big, so he ends up laying on one of the hero’s red wings, tucked in his side, under his arm, watching BuzzFeed Unsolved: The Disturbing Murders Of Keddie Cabin, and vaguely, as he watches his apparent shared favorite show with the hero, on said hero’s phone, he wonders, honestly, what had just happened.
…
“So, you’re telling me,” he’s somehow, not quite sure how, but somehow went from his closet to a hospital bed and then to Haw—Keigo’s bed, his head resting in the crook of his shoulder, arm still in a thick cast, watching said hero wave a hand above them. “That the kid you courageously and recklessly ran in to save is the same kid who’s been making your life a living hell for the passed ten years of your life.”
“Umm,” he nods slightly. “Yea, he was.”
“Well, damn, fledgling.” Keigo drops his hand listlessly at his side. “Now, don’t tell anyone I asked you this, because it’s a no-no question, but did you, like, consider just leaving him there?”
“Keigo!”
The hero laughs. “What! I’m just asking!”
“How are you even the number three hero, like, who made that decision, and can I meet them, I just want to talk, I swear.”
“Hey! I resent that! I’m a great hero!” He knows his life is officially over when fingers squeeze into his ribs and he squeaks and jolts into the winged man’s side, and everything just stops, no one moves, no one speaks, and he can feel the golden gaze on him. “Oh. My. God. Did you just squeak?”
Izuku blushes and shakes his head, turning to glare at the older male. “Pfff—no!” Those same fingers squeeze his ribs again, and he does, in fact, squeak, again. “Quit it!”
“This is adorable.” He feels vaguely trapped when the blonde man rolls over to lean over him and Izuku feels vaguely threatened when fingers rest on his sides. “Is my little fledgling ticklish?”
He glares as threateningly as he can, judging from the hero’s grin, it’s not coming off as threatening to him as he’d hoped it was. “Keigo, don’t you fucking dare.”
“Oh, I fucking dare!”