Chapter Text
Aizawa had ended up gossiping with Izuku’s mum for hours. Izuku didn’t even realise he’d done so many stupid things around his dad in particular, but there had been no room for a pause in the conversation.
That, unfortunately, meant that neither of his socially awkward parents ran into a silence they wouldn’t be able to fill.
Look, it’s not his fault that he hadn’t planned his landing after convincing Kurakumo to let him “skydive” with his quirk and ended up with his face fully buried in the dirt… twice.
“It was three times!”
“Whatever, Dad!”
And listen, he was three, (three!) when he tried to ask a particularly sad looking statue if they needed someone to help them.
“You were nearly seven, Izuku.”
Izuku threw his hands in the air. “It was really realistic, Mum!”
Aizawa badly hid a snicker as Inko teasingly replied, “Whatever you say, honey.”
On an unrelated note, Izuku now knows what it’s like to have no dignity. None, whatsoever.
The illusion between his school life and home life was now fully shattered for both his parents. They knew who he really was both at home and out. No where was safe. They knew too much.
He felt a knock on his head and shot a put out look at his dad.
“Chill, kid. You’ve had nothing to hide for two years anyway. It’s much too late to be complaining about things like that.”
Izuku narrowed his eyes at his dad, whose grin turned sadistic, and whose eyes widened slightly disturbingly.
“Though, there are a couple of other someones who still need to be disillusioned.”
Izuku felt his brows furrow in confusion before they shot up past his hairline. He gaped at his dad.
“Nonononono Dad please don’t tell Mic, or All Might, or Midnight Sensei, please, please, please, please-”
His dad smirked. “What, don’t tell Hizashi that he used to scare the living daylights out of you with quirk-powered vocalisations that he is currently very capable of replicating?”
Izuku’s hands were flying all over the place in dismay. “Yes, that! Oh my god, please, I cannot live with that again. Dad, I swear to god, I will steal all of your coffee for the rest of eternity.”
That caused the grin to drop. “You wouldn’t.”
Izuku crossed his arms challengingly. “I wouldn’t what? Steal your coffee like I did on Wednesday?”
“You brat-”
They were startled by a clearing of the throat, and both sheepishly turned to face Inko, who looked like she was going to both laugh and cry.
She wiped a watery eye and shot them both a smile. “Izuku, be nice.” Izuku opened his mouth to retort but she brushed over him to address Aizawa and get up off the couch. “Aizawa, would you like to stay for dinner? I’m afraid I didn’t notice the time.”
The boys blinked, and glanced out the window to find that the sun had indeed, nearly gone completely down.
“I never realised I did so many stupid things until I heard about them for hours on end.”
Both his parents let out a startled laugh. Shota shook his head fondly, then turned his attention to Inko.
“Thank you for the offer, Midoriya. I’ve actually got a patrol that’s starting soon, so I would have needed to leave around now anyway.”
Izuku wrapped his arms around one of his dad’s arms in a childish grip. “Ugh, do you have to? I’m not gonna see you for ages!” He drags out.
Shota simply pats his head gently with his free hand. It looks like the long day has caught up with Izuku, and he’s begun to crash. Oh, that reminds him that he should tell Izuku’s mother about the time when Izuku-
Izuku began to poke his cheek. “Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad.”
He made eye contact with Izuku’s amused mother before turning an unimpressed gaze down at his son. His technically eighteen year-old son. “Izuku, Izuku, Izuku, Izuku.”
Izuku didn’t say anything more. He just buried his head on Shota’s arm and tightened his grip. A wave of concern came over Shota.
“Izuku?”
He felt one more squeeze on his arm, before his son fully detached himself.
Inko rounded the corner to return to the couch she had vacated. “Izuku?”
He smiled at both of them. “Sorry, sorry. Just… be safe on your patrol?” Izuku’s wide eyes bore into Shota’s own, and he felt his demeanour soften.
“Of course, kid. I’m only scoping out the edge of Kamino ward. I won’t be going around the League’s bases until later in the week. I’ll keep you updated, okay?”
Izuku nodded.
Shota ruffled his hair. “And you know you’re being dramatic about not seeing me for ages. You're staying over tomorrow, remember?”
That got him a small, pleased smile. “Yeah.” Izuku agreed.
Inko let out a small, unseen sigh.
Shota privately wished that Izuku’s mum had allowed him to stay over more, but ultimately agreed with the logic that Izuku should probably start small, just a day here and there. It was actually a very good parenting choice on her part anyway. Plus, he definitely wasn’t going to push his luck with her trust either.
The fact that she agreed to Izuku staying overnight at Shota’s place at all was a miracle.
Between sharing dumb stories, they’d spoken about potentially working towards half a week at Shota’s. The second half would be spent at Inko's, meaning Shota could teach Shinso without keeping Izuku waiting. He still wanted Izuku to join them some time, but Izuku had made a good point a few days ago about needing to befriend Shinso again.
He knew Izuku was more upset about the loss of that friendship than he let on. Shota had also ended up relatively close with Shinso too. Nothing like Izuku and All Might, but enough that he went home after training with Shinso on Wednesday and cracked. Just a little.
Shota had a feeling that Shinso would probably be seeing a lot of both of them in the near future. Shinso is going to be so confused. Shota guarantees it will be hilarious.
He digresses.
Shota said his goodbyes to the Midoriyas, got son hugged, and went off to do his first full hero shift since returning to the past.
~~~~~~
Eraserhead’s hair whipped around his face from where he was perched on a street light. He took a moment to pull his goggles up to his eyes, before continuing to survey the immediate vicinity, hair no longer irritating his eyes.
It was unusually bright in Kamino ward.
Even without the bright lights of night life that Shota hadn’t seen for two years, the way was still clearly paved by a fully exposed full moon.
There were few shadows, and nowhere for villains to hide.
This is why the hero was mostly unsurprised when the man who had been eyeing him from below the street light awkwardly called out to him.
“Um, excuse me…” He faltered as Shota limberly dropped down from the light to lean against it from the ground. “...sir?”
Shota raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t the safest of areas. You probably shouldn’t call out anyone agile enough to balance on a streetlight without knowing who they are.”
The man glanced away awkwardly. “Sorry, um, I know, but… you’re a hero right? I heard your thoughts.”
Shota tucked any sign of wariness into the farthest corners of his mind, and carefully tilted his head.
“Yes… I am. Got a permit for that quirk use?”
The man’s body tensed causing Eraser to be vaguely reminded of Koda. The man was clearly anxious, but it probably wasn't for any nefarious reasons. He didn’t shift his posture at all, but lowered his mental walls.
The man relaxed.
“Sorry sir. I know I shouldn’t be using my quirk, but I promise I’m not trying to spy on anyone or anything!” He rubbed a hand behind his head sheepishly. “It’s just a really surface level passive mind reading quirk that I was using to try and find someone who could help me. I heard you thinking about the lighting being good for spotting villains… and you were on a streetlight, so I assumed and-”
Eraserhead shifted so that he was standing fully instead of leaning on the streetlight, cutting off the nervous tirade.
“It’s alright. Just watch the unauthorised quirk use as best you can with your passive one.” Eraser intoned.
The man nodded rapidly.
“What do you need help with?”
The man blinked, before perking up. “Oh, yes, I forgot- sorry, I just need some directions, that’s all.”
Eraser nodded, and soon enough, the man was bowing in thanks and heading off in the direction of his new house, with the stern suggestion that exploring the area should wait for daylight hours.
Shota allowed himself a brief sigh, lamenting the tedium that came with some patrols, before preparing to head back onto higher ground.
In that moment, two things happened.
Shota grunted and stumbled as a searing pain spread through his leg.
And the man who Shota had just helped was yanked down an alley in a move that Shota missed.
“Fuck.” Shota groaned. He let himself sink to the ground with his back against the street light. He rested his head on the knee of the leg that didn’t hurt, and inhaled and exhaled heavily.
He was familiar with this song and dance, but he had been enjoying what had mostly been a reprieve from his phantom pain. Turns out regaining a lost limb (or returning to a version of your body which still had it-) eliminated most, but not all of it.
He hoped that what Recovery Girl said about his phantom pain eventually fading would hold true, because the pain was a bitch to deal with.
His mind strayed for a moment, wondering if he should call Izuku over before remembering that he was back in the past, and Izuku was no longer within shouting distance practically all of the time.
He sighed, both at his thoughts, and the fact that the pain was quickly becoming more manageable.
The risk of phantom pain meant that patrolling at all was probably much too dangerous. One wrong move on a roof or in a fight could mean the end.
But, Shota thought, so could letting the sleeping villains lie. He took another moment, allowing the pain to become background. Then, he stood up, and launched himself upwards.
The future was at stake, and Shota had to be very careful with everything he did.
Letting pain consume him was the least of his worries when faced with the threat of All for One, and the End.