Chapter Text
Midoriya was a silent kid. Shouta hadn’t managed to get him to say a single word in the entire school year. According to Bakugou, he’d been this way since a few years back. Never said when exactly, only that it started around then. Apparently, the only people to have ever heard his voice since were his parents and his idol, the former number-one hero, All Might. He wouldn’t even talk to Bakugou anymore.
It was frustrating. Shouta had seen the kid use sign around a couple of his classmates, but he wouldn’t give Shouta anything more than simple head nods or shakes. It was like he was scared. Shouta wasn’t sure why.
Out of everything, Shouta at least expected the kid to respond to Shinsou’s taunting during training. Or even during the sports festival. But he didn’t. He stayed perfectly silent no matter what was said. Shouta wanted to be supportive of the kid, but… the silence usually only made things more difficult. And Shouta was pretty sure Hizashi was tired of hearing his husband complain about how the kid wouldn’t talk to him in any form.
He’d thought he’d overheard the kid talking to All Might before, but as soon as Midoriya noticed his presence, he was silent again. Not even All Might managed to get answers out of him about why.
Even after a whole semester of school, no one but All Might ever managed to get Midoriya to speak.
But then the kid tripped, of all things.
The class was working on ultimate moves for their provisional license exam. Everyone was focused and working hard. Midoriya ended up in a fight with Bakugou, so Shouta had them both run a few laps around the gym. They were both silent and Bakugou was putting way more effort into speeding through his laps so he could get back to training. When, all of a sudden, a loud, but raspy, “SHIT” sounded through the gym while Midoriya tripped and fell. Everyone was silent. Not even Bakugou had anything to say.
Shouta was amazed. And confused.
The kid sounded so young. It was obvious his vocal cords weren’t nearly as exercised as his classmates. Shouta could only wonder how much he talked at home, if his voice still managed to sound so clearly unused, even though All Might always described him as being a talkative kid.
Midoriya sat up, realizing what he’d just said, and nervously signed “Sorry” to Shouta. Shouta was still too shocked to say anything.
All Might was the first to make a move, offering Midoriya a hand and asking if he was okay. The kid nodded and brushed himself off, still too nervous to do anything. All Might ordered the class to return to their training, and they did, if not while sharing confused and awkward glances. Midoriya silently finished his laps without another word. No one heard anything from him the entire day, not even All Might.
Shouta later heard from Bakugou that the kid hid in his room all night, not even coming out for dinner, despite his class’s countless attempts to lure him out. Shouta tried to talk to the kid, but he wouldn’t say anything. He even refused to talk to All Might. They eventually left it alone, hoping the kid would open up on his own.
— — —
Izuku was still wrecked from shouting like that. He didn’t mean to, and he even caught himself off guard with it. What’s worse is it happened in front of his entire class, and his teachers. God, he hates the way his voice sounded. Even with how much he talked to All Might in attempt to help his voice normalize itself again, it still sounded…wrong. Too raspy, too raw. Too unused. To highly pitched, too young for his age. Just. Too wrong. He hated it. With every fiber of his being, he hated it. He took to hiding in his room, there was no way he could confront any of his classmates after that.
They probably hated his voice too. It probably bothered them just as much as it bothered Inko and Hisashi. He was willing to bet the silence was because they thought of him differently after that. They probably thought he sounded stupid. They were glad he was mute, weren’t they? He knew they were. There’s no way they weren’t. Even All Might looked at him weird when it happened. Did All Might hate his voice too? Was he just too polite to say anything? He might be.
Izuku would just have to keep an eye on All Might’s behavior to see if he acted weird.
A knock sounded at Izuku’s door. He ignored it. Someone spoke behind the door, but he ignored them too. As silently as possible, he grabbed his phone and headphones, turning on some music to tune out the world. He didn’t want to be guilt-tripped into coming out. There was no way his classmates didn’t hate his voice, or even him, after that. People had always hated his voice, especially his muttering. Everyone always said so, even his parents. If they didn’t say it to him directly, they said it to their friends while he was just within earshot. No one liked his voice
Even his ex-best friend, Kacchan, called him annoying and said his muttering was creepy. And everyone always agreed with him. There was no way his classmates wouldn’t think the same.
It didn’t take very long for Kacchan to knock on Izuku’s door. Izuku only knew it was him because the once-muffled knocks turned loud, though the voice that followed them wasn’t as loud as Kacchan—should Izuku even call him that anymore? If they’re not friends, does he even deserve to call him that?—normally shouts. Maybe Izuku should ask Kacchan (Katsuki? Were they even close enough to be on first-name basis?) what he should call him. Actually, that might be a bad idea. Maybe he should just play it safe and use Bakugou? That might be a good idea.
No matter how loud Ka—Bakugou. Knocked on Izuku’s door or asked him to come out, he just ignored him, choosing to turn up his music instead. He felt bad, really. He wasn’t sure why. Bakugou had been mean to Izuku their entire lives. But he still felt bad. It was one thing to ignore his other classmates, he’d only known them for a few months. But Bakugou was different. He’d known Bakugou his entire life. They were even friends, once upon a time. Though, chances were that’d never happen again. Bakugou hated Izuku. They both knew it. Izuku especially knew it. There was no reason for him to feel bad about this. But… for some reason, he did.
Was this wrong?
Should he open the door?
…
He wasn’t sure.
But the knocking had already stopped, so it no longer mattered.
He’d just get food after everyone else was asleep.
— — —
The next few days were quiet. Midoriya never said a word to anyone, and no one said anything to him. The kid didn’t even use sign to talk. He stayed completely quiet. Shouta kept having to get onto Bakugou about paying attention while he trained. As much as he was equally concerned about the kid, there wasn’t anything they could do. Not if he planned to stay silent. All they could do was hope the kid would come around.
— — —
Izuku felt really bad. Bakugou was clearly concerned, as was the rest of the class, and Aizawa-Sensei kept getting onto Bakugou for not paying full attention while training. Izuku knew it was his fault. He felt really bad about it.
Was there something he could do? No, not unless he confronted someone. And that would require talking. Unless… Did Sensei know sign? He wasn’t sure. He could ask. Would that be a good idea? He wasn’t sure. Maybe he could still try?
…Maybe.
Maybe he could try when they stopped for lunch.
— — —
Hizashi was surprised to find Midoriya walking around the halls during lunch.
“Hey, little listener! What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be in the lunchroom with your class?” Hizashi didn’t exactly expect a response of any kind. Midoriya had never actually talked to him, aside from asking to go to the bathroom.
“Do you know where Aizawa-Sensei is?” The kid signed shakily.
“Oh, he’s off campus right now. Why, what’s up?” Hizashi could tell something was wrong with the boy. His hands were shaking, and he was heavily avoiding eye contact. The kid looked like he was going to have a breakdown.
Midoriya didn’t respond.
“Do you want to go to the Break Room? We can talk there, that way no one else will hear.” Hizashi offered gently. Midoriya thought for a moment and nodded.
“Alright, let’s go.” Hizashi led the boy to the lounge. Midoriya didn’t make a sound, but Hizashi could faintly hear his shaky breathing, though his hearing aids didn’t quite pick it up well enough to tell how bad it was.
Once there, the two sat in silence for a minute before Midoriya finally piped up.
“Can I ask you something?” He signed nervously.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Hizashi could see how the kid’s whole body was shaking.
“Do…” Midoriya hesitated to continue. Hizashi waited patiently, even as the kid nervously glanced up at him, clearly contemplating something.
“Do—” Midoriya started coughing, his throat too dry to speak.
“Here, have this,” Hizashi handed over a water bottle he had brought along. Midoriya took it and downed about half the bottle, hesitating to try speaking again.
“Do you think I’m annoying?” The boy’s words were shaky. His voice was raw, further emphasizing that he really hadn’t spoken to anyone in days and had hardly spoken at all in years. Hizashi couldn’t help wondering if the kid had even spoken at all before meeting All Might. Midoriya grew fidgety.
“Kid, you’ve never even talked in class before. How could I find you annoying?” Hizashi didn’t quite understand what Midoriya meant. Had someone said something while no one else was around? Or was it something from the past? Why was the kid so worried about being annoying?
Midoriya hesitated again.
“Everyone I used to talk to always called me annoying,” Midoriya stuttered and stumbled over his words, clearly struggling to get anything out cleanly. “So I stopped speaking at all, and they seemed happy about it. But…” Midoriya paused, hesitating again. Hizashi remained patient, giving the boy time to say everything he needed.
“I just… Even my parents called me annoying, but… Now even K—… Bakugou seems worried about my silence… I feel like I’ve done something wrong.” Midoriya’s hands began trembling as he spoke. His words got shakier, and his breathing stuttered.
“Midoriya…” Hizashi put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay if you don’t always feel like speaking, or if sometimes you just can’t get the words to come out. But I promise, no one here will be annoyed by you. All your teachers have actually been wanting to hear your voice all year. I’m sure your friends would love to hear you speak, too.” Hizashi ruffled the boy’s hair. “Besides, if anyone ever says anything, you can just let your teachers know, and we’ll take care of it. We’re here for you, little listener.”
Midoriya didn’t look up. His stuttered breathing turned into quiet sobs. Hizashi pulled the kid into a hug.
Hizashi could tell the kid had been holding on to this guilt for a while. He felt horrible for him. If anything the kid had said before was true, that would mean he’s been holding on to these thoughts and feelings for years. Possibly his entire life. Hizashi wished he had some magical resolution to make everything better. This certainly wasn’t easy for the kid.
Midoriya stayed silent even after calming down. Hizashi did his best to distract the kid with stories about his homeroom.
It took a few minutes, but Hizashi managed to calm the kid and get him to eat something for lunch. He was late taking the kid back to class, but Shouta said nothing when he saw Hizashi. They could only hope the kid would come to him again if ever needed.
— — —
The provisional license exam came and went, with Shouta’s whole class managing to pass.
The second semester of school started, the first week going by like any other. The students returned home for the weekend. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until Monday.
Midoriya showed up to school with his long-sleeve jacket, despite the hot weather. He appeared more withdrawn than usual, not even standing and listening in during conversations. He kept to his own and said nothing, seemingly avoiding everyone. Nothing too noteworthy happened until their Hero class for the day was about to start.
Everyone was waiting on Midoriya. He’d taken a while longer to change into his hero outfit than everyone else. Shouta waiting silently with All Might and his class at Ground Beta.
A couple of students whispered among themselves. Uraraka looked around with concern. Bakugou was clearly agitated. Kirishima and Kaminari exchanged concerned looks with each other as they talked. Ashido and Jirou talked quietly with Iida and Todoroki. They appeared worried as Todoroki explained something. Sato joined in Tokoyami and Ojiro’s conversation. Everything the class did just seemed to annoy Bakugou further. Shinsou tried to approach Bakugou to see if he was okay.
That’s when Bakugou stormed up to Shouta, yelling his name, and dragged him to the side.
“He has bruises,” was the very first thing the kid said. Shouta was immediately alert.
“Who has bruises?” Shouta scanned over the rest of his class in the background, but he had a feeling he already knew who Bakugou was referring to.
“Deku. He has bruises.” Bakugou took a deep breath, albeit shaky. It was clear that he was pissed. “Deku has bruises. Probably from that damn dirtbag he calls ‘dad’. They cover his entire fucking body, like the shitstain just beat the shit out of him for no reason. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.”
Shouta was silent. Bakugou didn’t say anything else. It was already obvious he was struggling to contain his anger.
Shouta breathed.
“Tell All Might to start class without me. If anyone asks about Midoriya, he’s with me.” Bakugou nodded and ran back to the class. Shouta rushed into the boys’ changing room.
— — —
Izuku was surprised to see his teacher rush into the changing room. He’d been hiding in a corner, contemplating if it was really worth participating in today’s class when his whole body ached from the day prior. He hadn’t actually changed into his hero outfit yet, only taken off his shirt because of how hot it was, leaving plenty of bruises on display for anyone to see. He’d intentionally stalled while everyone else changed, that way he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing. But he was pretty sure some people saw anyway.
He didn’t truly panic until Aizawa-Sensei came into the room. If his parents found out anyone saw, he’d definitely be dead. And there was no way Aizawa-Sensei wouldn’t tell someone.
He was terrified. His parents were going to kill him when they found out, there was no doubt in his mind about that.
He was so dead.
He was absolutely fucked and going to be dead.
He never should’ve said anything. He should’ve stayed the mute kid that everyone preferred him as. Then he wouldn’t have been here. His father never would’ve hit him, because he wouldn’t have had the strength to speak. His mother never would’ve yelled at him for “talking back”. He would’ve stayed quiet, and everyone would’ve been happy. He would’ve changed into his costume and gone out to training like the rest of his class. He would’ve—
Izuku felt gentle arms wrap themselves around him. He hadn’t even noticed his teacher walking over to him because he’d been so lost in his thoughts.
No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he felt tears roll down his face. He cried into Aizawa’s shoulder, doing his absolute damndest to remain quiet. The more he cried, the harder he found it to keep quiet. It took a few minutes for Izuku to be calm enough to breathe again. Aizawa waited patiently for him to calm down.
When Izuku was finally calm, Aizawa helped him up. Izuku put his uniform on and followed Sensei outside
— — —
Izuku waited outside in the hall as Aizawa-Sensei talked to Principal Nedzu. While waiting, Izuku saw Present Mic.
“Mic-Sensei, hello!” He signed with a small smile.
“Hey, little listener! What’re you doing out here?” Mic walked up to him, waving.
“Aizawa-Sensei needed to talk to Principal Nedzu, so I’m waiting for him out here.”
“You didn’t get in trouble again, did you?” Mic asked with a smile.
Izuku shook his head and hesitated to respond. Should he tell Mic about-…?
Before either could say anything, Aizawa walked into the hall.
“Mic. Good timing. We need to talk. Midoriya, you’re coming too.” Aizawa spoke as soon as he entered the hall.
“Something wrong, Eraser?” Mic-Sensei looked at Aizawa with concern.
“Yes and no. Come on, we’re going to the Break Room.” Aizawa walked off as he spoke. Mic-Sensei followed. Izuku waited a moment, confused, before shaking off his thoughts and following silently.
— — —
“Has anyone seen Deku?” Uraraka asked. Class was over, but there was still no sign of Deku. Aizawa hadn’t returned either.
“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him all class.” Kirishima replied, concern written all over his face.
“Aizawa-Sensei never came back either,” Kaminari added, looking around to see if he could find either of the two mentioned.
“I wonder what happened for them to disappear like that?” Tsu questioned; her head cocked slightly to the side as she spoke.
“Hey, didn’t Bakugou pull Aizawa aside earlier?” Jirou jumped in, walking over and fiddling with her earphone jacks.
“Oh yeah, he did!” Ashido piped up from where she stood, beside Asui.
“I wonder what they talked about,” Tsu inquired, looking around to see if anyone had any theories.
“Do you think it had something to do with Deku?” Uraraka suggested, visibly concerned about her friend.
“It’s possible,” Jirou acknowledged. Uraraka didn’t appear settled by that answer.
“I hope he’s okay,” Kaminari stated. Kirishima nodded in agreement. Others made various sounds of agreement. Silence fell over the conversation as the group shared concerned looks.
Hitoshi shifted his focus around from group to group as he listened for anything interesting. Maybe even someone with more information about what was happening than the rest. That’s when he noticed one of two things.
One. All Might was suddenly missing.
Two. Bakugou storming over to Hitoshi, with Todoroki following closely, appearing confused.
Hitoshi barely had time to open his mouth before Bakugou yanked him by the arm and dragged him away from the rest of the class. He noticed Uraraka looking at them with concern.
As soon as they escaped the class’s earshot, Bakugou spoke sharply. “Alright Icyhot, spill. What did you hear? Mindfuck, listen and don’t tell shit. You’re only in this because you’re Sensei’s kid.” Hitoshi had to do a double-take to make sure he heard correctly. How had Bakugou found out about the foster situation? He didn’t have time to think before Todoroki spoke.
“Friday. I overheard Midoriya talking with All Might. He sounded scared. I didn’t catch the full conversation, but I did hear some, closer to the end.” Todoroki was calm as he explained.
“Well? What was it?” Bakugou snapped, clearly impatient and wanting to get this over with fast.
“Midoriya mentioned something about ‘One For All’ and—” Bakugou cut in before Todoroki could finish.
“Ignore that. That’s a future issue that you don’t need to worry about. What else did he say?”
“He said something about his father.”
“What about the bastard?”
“He mentioned some kind of behavior worsening and said he might need somewhere to go during the weekend.”
Bakugou scoffed. “Why am I not surprised. Of course his dad’s getting worse. And of course he’d run to fucking All Might for protection, instead of Masaru. I should have known. Question is, did he actually go?”
“It’s possible—” Hitoshi was the one to cut in this time.
“I don’t think so. All Might seemed just as confused regarding Midoriya’s whereabouts when you delivered Aizawa’s message.”
Bakugou nodded. “You’re right. All Might actually pulled me aside while everyone was distracted so he could ask about Deku. With the state that fucker was in, I don’t think he’s been anywhere but that hag’s apartment.”
“‘Hag’?” Hitoshi questioned.
“His mom. She’s nowhere near as bad as mine, but she’s no better either.” Bakugou stated in an all-too-monotone voice. Like he’d gone over the comparisons in his head a thousand times and was never satisfied with the result.
“Anyway,” Bakugou leaned back on the wall behind him, using it to support himself, and crossed his arms, “I know you’re gonna ask, so I’ll just go ahead and say. You tell anyone else and you’re dead, hear me?” Todoroki and Hitoshi nodded in unison. Hitoshi was uncertain about this, he never got into other people’s business, but he supposed it could make things easier if he knew what was going on.